The Brightest Spark

Chapters

00 -- The End, The Beginning
01 -- The Ghost, The Guardian
02 -- The Tower, The Traveller
04 -- The Vanguard

00 -- The End, The Beginning

It was a beautiful day in Ponyville. Flowers were blooming, birds were singing, and a nice light breeze kept the sun overhead from making things oppressively hot. By all accounts it was a perfect day for a picnic, which is exactly what Twilight and her friends were doing.

“I must say, Applejack, you’ve quite outdone yourself this time!” Rarity observed as the earth pony produced a picnic basket stuffed to the brim with pastries. “Those simply smell divine!”

Applejack accepted the compliment gracefully with a smile and a nod. “Thank you kindly, and I’m happy to help. I convinced Granny Smith that having the picnic so close to town would be like free advertising since it’s downwind. After that she insisted that I make everything I could.”

“I’m sure the turnout tomorrow will be really good, considering how many of my animal friends you’ve attracted,” Fluttershy observed, and she waved a hoof at the growing flock of birds that was cramming itself into the tree they were using for shade.

Rainbow Dash’s initial response was a sigh and a grumble. “The only thing that would make this better is some cider from the farm. Once a year just isn’t enough,” she stated and let out another exaggerated sigh before stretching out on the picnic blanket. “Other than that, this day is just about perfect.”

Twilight nodded in agreement as she stretched out on the blanket as well, extending her wings out at her sides to soak up as much of the warm sunlight as she could. “I’m glad we were able to find some time to take a break, given how busy we’ve all been. There’s been a few times when I almost miss all of the free time I had after I had first moved to Ponyville.”

Dash opened one eye to give the alicorn a skeptical look. “The way I remember it, when you first moved here you always had your nose buried in the books at the library. Seemed like you didn’t have that much free time.”

“Yes, well, I was still adjusting to my move from Canterlot,” Twilight stated, though she couldn’t hide the embarrassed blush from her face. “Everything I was doing then seemed so important and I was still worried that Princess Celestia was putting me through one of those hidden character tests she likes so much.”

“Eh, if you say so. You know her better than most,” Dash answered with a shrug before glancing towards the one pony who was uncharacteristically silent. “Hey, Pinkie! Aren’t you going to come join us?”

The pink party pony sat on the outer fringe of the picnic blanket, her back turned towards the assembled ponies. What was more odd was the fact that she hadn’t so much as twitched a hair nor moved a muscle since assuming that position. She remained silent despite Dash’s questions, and the others merely chalked it up to one of Pinkie’s many eccentricities.

After a momentary lull in the conversation, Rarity took the opportunity to change subjects. “Applejack, I wanted to apologize on Sweetie Belle’s behalf. It seems that it was mostly her idea to try and create a catapult using lumber and rope taken from the barn.”

Dash immediately perked up. “Nopony should ever have to apologize for being that awesome! Did you see how much air time Scootaloo got? She was even able to control her descent, and replacing a few walls and windows is a small price to pay for being that adventurous!”

Applejack’s flat glare was followed by her scolding tone. “I think you’d feel differently if it was your walls and windows you were replacing, Dash.” The earth pony took another breath to continue her scolding but stopped when a shadow rolled over her. “What the… Dash, you promised us a sunny day today!” All eyes turned toward Ponyville, where a low-hanging bank of clouds and fog seemed to materialize out of thin air. The weather phenomenon was almost entirely dark gray, and the rumble of thunder could be heard from within it.

The weather pegasus’s first reaction was a flash of annoyance at the accusation, which slowly morphed into confusion. “That… that’s not a storm. It isn’t weather we made, but it isn’t natural either…”

Columns of lightning shot from the cloud bank and down into the fog in rapid succession, causing the Element Bearers to jump up from their relaxed positions. Several more flashes and booms followed as the strange weather expanded, and it wasn’t long before shapes could be seen inside. The largest of the shapes appeared to be ruins set atop a hill that appeared from within the misty depths, but the more pressing concern were the things that could be seen moving out and into the open.

They were bipedal, with the smallest being nearly twice the height of a pony’s shoulders, while larger shapes could also be seen. They were clockwork automatons, judging by the hazy shapes that could be seen and their lurching steps. Glowing cyclopean eyes glared out from the fog as the robots emerged from the mist… and attacked.

Bolts of fire lanced out from the fog towards the Element Bearers, one incinerating a large portion of the picnic blanket while another struck their shade tree and set it ablaze. Rainbow Dash was the first to react, rocketing into the sky before bolting towards Ponyville to raise the alarm. Applejack and Rarity ran for cover but not before scooping up Fluttershy, who had frozen in place.

Twilight’s first reaction was to channel her magic and smash the closest of the clockwork attackers, but immediately switched to a shield as nearly a dozen others turned toward her to rain fire upon her. Larger shapes emerged from the fog and began to hammer Twilight’s shield with blobs of purple energy. Slowly but surely, the alicorn’s shield shrank further and further as she gave ground.

And throughout the entire fight, Pinkie hadn’t moved an inch.

“Pinkie! RUN!” Twilight shouted to her friend, but could do little more than watch as one of the larger automatons stomped over to the earth pony and raised an arm high to smash her. The area outside of her protective shield had grown dark as the mist continued to expand, so much so that even Pinkie was little more than an unmoving silhouette beneath the shadow of the automaton.

The blow would never land as a series of sharp whip-like cracks cut through the chaos. The automaton’s raised arm snapped at the elbow and spiraled off into the fog, and its armored ‘head’ followed soon after. The crack sounds repeated with ear-splitting consistency, and the automaton continued to fly apart as though caught in a record-breaking hailstorm.

Twilight’s shocked and fearful eyes swept through the fog to locate the source of the sound, and she could only watch as another figure charged into the fight. It was bipedal, heavily armored and carried a weapon in its hands much like the automatons, but apparently didn’t need it as it rushed the closest machine and planted an armored knee in its chest. The machine crumpled like a tin can as it fell backwards from the blow, and the newest arrival used the defeated enemy as a springboard to jump high into the air. The smell of ozone filled the air as the creature descended with lightning at its heels, shattering a half dozen of the constructs with its landing.

The source of the crack sounds entered in a far less dramatic fashion. Its hooded shape moved through the fog like a ghost, the weapon in its hands the source of the harsh sound as its wielder took several shots at enemies that the first newcomer missed. The figure paused and seemed to turn towards Twilight, and for just a split second the alicorn saw glowing eyes meeting hers. And just as quickly as it happened, the hooded figure was gone.

Further lightning strikes cut through the fog, and more of the automatons appeared in the way of the newcomers. The robots’ efforts were short-lived as a flurry of magic rained down from above. Bolts of purple energy split up and struck each of the targets, shattering them on the spot. Before the last of the visible automatons had come to rest on the ground… she descended.

She was armored and clothed like the other two creatures that were fighting the robots, but that was where the similarities ended. Despite every inch of her being covered from snout to tail to her hooves, the horned helm and armored wings outstretched left no doubt that the source of the magic was an alicorn. Firebolts arced towards the armored alicorn, but none found their marks as she teleported out of sight.

The next few moments passed in a flash as the area descended further into chaos. More automatons appeared, but they were swept aside by the trio of strangers. Glowing orbs of light appeared only to be snuffed out almost instantly by one of the strangers and their weapons. Six lights flickered into existence, and six lights were put out. It was when the strangers had their hands full with a trio of the larger automatons that the seventh light appeared…

...directly in front of Pinkie.

The moment the light appeared, Pinkie reared up and struck at it with her hooves. The moment that her hooves connected with their target, all three of the giant automatons whirled about and charged towards the earth pony. The hooded stranger was only a moment behind, hurling a glowing orb at the back of the trailing giant. Just as the orb exploded brilliantly and consumed its target, the stranger vanished only to reappear above the second giant in line. A knife as long as Twilight’s foreleg jammed into the neck joint of the giant and twisted, and the automaton was only able to take one wobbling step before crashing to the ground.

The hooded stranger appeared in a flash of light between the last of the giants and Pinkie, glowing eyes cutting through the mist as they once again fell upon Twilight. Those eyes didn’t leave Twilight even as the giant raised one of its massive arms and batted the stranger out of the way. Two more running strides brought it within striking distance of Pinkie…

...just as her hooves connected again with the light, causing it to crack and shatter.

The moment that the light flickered out of existence, the fog and stormclouds vanished. The automatons and the strangers fighting them vanished as well. Even the shadowed ruins that had been just barely visible were nowhere to be seen. Signs of the fighting were still present in the area, from scorch marks and fires in Ponyville to the residents themselves galloping about trying to save what they could. Amidst the hectic rush, Spike’s familiar purple and green shape could be seen running towards the hill where Element Bearers had intended to have their picnic.

“Twilight! Twilight!” the baby dragon screamed as he ran up the hill, only to pause and catch his breath. “Are you okay? What were those things? Are they going to come back?” he asked between gasps for air.

“I don’t know, Spike, which is why I need you to send a message to the Princesses right now. If anypony knows what’s going on, they would,” Twilight explained quickly as Spike turned on his heel to run back into Ponyville. A flicker of movement in the corner of her eyes drew her attention next, revealing Applejack and Rarity cautiously approaching the hill with a wide-eyed Fluttershy behind them. “Girls! Are you alright?” the alicorn shouted as she ran to rejoin her friends.

Rarity nodded in response to the question but her eyes continued to dart around in search of dangers. “Twilight, do you have any idea what just happened? Usually the princesses are quite good at letting us know when some sort of unspeakable evil is on the way…”

“That can wait!” Applejack interrupted. “What I want to know is where Rainbow Dash is!”

The question froze both Rarity and Twilight in place, as the brash pegasus was nowhere to be seen and her warning shouts had long been lost to the din of fighting. The alicorn had spread her wings to lift off in search of Dash when Pinkie’s voice reached her ears. “I don’t think Rainbow Dash is here anymore, but I think our new friend here can tell us.”

All eyes whipped around to the party mare to see her sitting beside the hooded stranger that had been struck down trying to defend Pinkie. With the fog gone, the details of the stranger were far more easily identified, with a ragged blue cloak wrapped over her left shoulder. The hood was also dark blue but with a gold stripe running down the middle of it. A hoofful of mysterious objects could be seen in belts or pouches wrapped around the stranger’s body. but what was perhaps most surprising was that the creature wasn’t a living being at all. The hands and arms that were visible through the armor was some of the most complex and detailed clockwork that Twilight had ever seen, and the stranger’s face was mostly composed of an articulated white metal plate, with a hinged portion where a mouth might be expected. The once glowing eyes were now dark and still as they stared up into the now cloudless sky.

“Is… is it dead?” Rarity asked as she eyed the body warily, not willing to approach any closer than two body lengths.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she drank in every detail of the stranger that was left behind. “I don’t know if it was ever ‘alive’ to begin with, but it was animated before. And I’m going to fix it so it can tell us exactly what just happened and where Rainbow Dash is.”

Applejack’s voice was cautious as she glanced from the stranger to Twilight. “Are you sure that’s a good idea, Twilight? Those other robots were downright hostile but we don’t know if this thing is going to be the same way.”

Twilight shook her head and gave her most determined stare at the stranger’s dead eyes. “This thing… it put itself in harm’s way to save Pinkie. If repairing it leads to finding Rainbow Dash, then I’m willing to risk it.”

Another place, another time…

Where there had once been a mighty civilization spanning the world, only the echoes and bones remained. Mighty roadways that had once teemed with traffic were now little more than broken and eroded slabs with rusted and burned vehicles. Where once glittering towers of glass and steel reached up towards the sky, only rubble remained. The closest thing to the world’s once great splendor that still stood was the rusted and collapsing walls of the Cosmodrome and the towering colony ships that would never get the chance to deliver their precious cargo to new worlds.

It was a mausoleum in all but name, with the dry and sandblasted bones of tens of thousands littering the roadways to the Cosmodrome wall. They were all that remained of the bright and brilliant people that had tried to escape the darkness that consumed their world. They had all been left where they died, doomed to remain as unknown and forgotten deaths from a bygone age. All… except one.

A flicker of light floated through the lanes of wrecked cars as the sun rose over the ruins. The source of that light wasn’t a reflection from the fiery orb or any natural creature though. The light was that of a Ghost, a tiny machine filled with the the smallest grain of Light and a goal that it had been searching for since it had been created all those years ago. The Ghost bobbed and weaved through the wreckage, sparing only a single moment to scan a few of the skeletons or bits of debris. Eventually it stopped doing even that as it accelerated, its sensors practically screaming that the goal was growing closer.

The Ghost’s path led to a small hill alongside one of the many broken roadways leading into the Cosmodrome. It ignored everything else as it ascended the hill and gazed down at its prize, only to recoil in shock.

The hill itself was littered with the bones of Humans and Awoken alongside the rusting husks of destroyed Exos, which wasn’t a strange sight for the Ghost given how long it had been searching the wastelands. What was strange was that the remains at the top of the hill didn’t belong to any of those three, or of any race that had been recorded until now.

The bones at the top of the hill were quadrupedal, with unmistakable wings spread out where the creature had fallen. Its single-horned skull was opened wide in a wordless scream from its last moments before it perished. Despite the mystery that the creature presented, the Ghost knew that this was the goal he had been created for.

The panels that ringed the Ghost’s central orb expanded with a burst of energy, and it called to its Guardian.

01 -- The Ghost, The Guardian

In the smallest spaces dwells the greatest power.

“Guardian…”

A long ragged breath was followed by a hacking cough as her lungs burned for air. The move was reflexive to her body as conscious thought was slow to follow, like waking from a long sleep.

“Guardian, I don’t mean to rush you since you’ve just come back, but there’s a small matter of urgency that needs to be addressed.”

The voice came from nearby, the tone of the voice containing a strange quality to it that she couldn’t quite place her hoof on. Her eyes slowly cracked open, resisting the temptation to clamp shut again as the blinding light of day was revealed. What was also revealed was the source of the voice.

It first appeared as a floating blue light to her eyes but became sharper as her eyes focused on it. The glow came from an electronic eye set in the center of the thing’s core, and a hoofful of metal shapes clung around the core and moved about as it looked down on her. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped and raised one hoof to the side of her head. Rather than the expected contact with her coat, the hoof was stopped by what she now realised was a helmet that wrapped around her head completely. A glance down and she saw that her leg was wrapped in a dark purple fabric while the hoof was protected by an armored shoe.

What… where am I? She thought as her eyes drifted away from her hoof and to her surroundings. A completely alien landscape surrounded her as far as she could see, with hulks of twisted and rusted metal grouped together like some sort of corroded cobblestone path. What was more disconcerting was the shapes of what appeared to be skeletons of unknown creatures in most of the hulks--

“Guardian, I hate to rush you,” the floating machine said, it’s voice taking on a greater sense of urgency. “We really should head towards the Cosmodrome and find some cover. I’m afraid that when I first sensed you I may have thrown caution to the wind and rushed over. It seems that my hasty actions have attracted the Fallen.”

“Wait one minute… who are you? And who are the Fallen?” the questions tumbled out of her as she finally found her voice. All of her questions grinded to a halt when one in particular surfaced. “Wait wait wait… who am I?” The exploding train of questions was interrupted by a guttural snarl that echoed towards her. Several bellows answered the call, and signs of movement could be seen between the twisted wrecks over the hill.

“Guardian, we have to go now!” the floating machine insisted as it floated towards a truly massive metal wall that stretched to the horizon in both direction. It was equally as corroded as the metal wreckage that surrounded her and was even falling to pieces in places, but the floating machine was clearly heading toward the opening at the base of the wall before it turned back.

Another blood-curdling howl was enough of a motivation to start galloping after the machine. “Why are they chasing us? I don’t remember doing anything wrong to them or anypony else!” she protested as she wove between the debris in her way. Her muscles ached with the sudden effort before she realised that she had access to a much simpler way to travel. “Wait, I can take a shortcut!” She spread the wings she had forgotten she even had and rose above all of the obstructions--

--only to yelp in surprise as a blue-white projectile whizzed past her at blinding speed and struck the towering wall before them. The attack struck the rusted plating and caused a minor avalanche of debris to cascade downward as she ducked back to ground level and dove through the doorway to the wall’s interior. Sounds not unlike an accident at a bell factory chased her into the darkened hallway as more and more of the decaying structure collapsed behind her.

The darkness of the hallway vanished in a flash as the floating machine appeared beside her and projected a beam of light. “That was too close, and whatever fell out there isn’t going to hold the Fallen back for long. We have to keep running or they’ll catch us,” it explained as she stopped at the top of a flight of stairs to catch her breath.

“No, I need answers first!” she insisted, stamping a hoof for emphasis when the machine continued down the hall. “Who or what are you, and why are we running from those things back there?!”

The oddly shaped machine turned about to stare at her. “I’m a Ghost; your Ghost. I was sent by the Traveller to find and bring you back,” the Ghost explained quickly, the metal shapes surrounding its core moving about in some sort of facsimile of expression. “The Fallen are scavengers picking at the bones of the Golden Age, and they’re the enemies of the Traveller.”

Her brow furrowed in consternation. Traveller? Golden Age? This ‘ghost’ brings up more questions than answers! “Okay, fine. When we’re not being chased by whatever those are, I want you to explain everything to me,” she finally managed with a huff before posing another question. “Can you at least tell me who I am and where we are? I...I don’t remember anything.”

“You’re my Guardian,” the Ghost supplied, as though that would answer the question sufficiently. “We’re currently in the Cosmodrome wall in Old Russia, but I’m hoping we can--” The metal shapes surrounding the Ghost’s eye spread out wide, making an imitation of surprise. “Guardian, behind you!”

The Guardian (as the Ghost had dubbed her, though a title was not nearly as sufficient as the name she wanted) whirled about as heavy footfalls echoed up the staircase. Figures in the shadows could be seen at the bottom of the stairs, and another bestial howl followed next. The footfalls increased in tempo as the creatures charged up the stairs.

No further motivation was needed for the Guardian to resume her sprint along the catwalk and into the myriad of darkened hallways ahead of her. After what felt like a lifetime of running, it abruptly ended as quickly as the path itself. The hallway opened up into a vast chasm and a sheer drop into the gloom. A small amount of panic set in as the echoing shouts reached her, but the Ghost’s appearance held her attention.

“Behind and to your right there’s a gate and a weapon on the other side! I’m going to try and get it open just long enough for you get get through,” the floating machine instructed before zipping off into the darkness. “Be ready when it opens!”

The Guardian bounced from hoof to hoof as she spotted the gate in question, dividing her attention from the alleged escape route and the hallway she had just passed through. “Hurry, they’re coming!” she shouted as glowing eyes appeared in the shadows. She was rewarded with a vibrating hum that shook the entire building. The gate began to rattle as it was pulled upwards, and the cavern behind her was slowly flooded with light as the ancient structure woke. She didn’t dare look back until she had squeezed through the tiny gap between the gate and the floor, and when she did it brought no comfort.

The interior of the structure was just as decayed as the exterior, but she glossed over those details as the far more pressing concern was the dozens of creatures she saw moving from the open areas to the cover of shadows. All of them were converging on her position. A thunk from behind the Guardian was enough to draw her attention away from the gate, and a new jolt of adrenaline rushed through her.

The source of the noise was a bipedal creature dropping from some unknown space in the ceiling, more than likely one of the Guardian’s pursuers based on the growl that rumbled from it. Any details of its body were obscured by a helmet and ramshackle armor along with a tattered rag wrapped around its neck. The inspection of its equipment became a distant priority when it drew a knife wreathed in electricity, and a second creature dropped down into the corridor beside the first. Both of them let out a throaty snarl and charged.

The Ghost said there was a weapon here, right? RIGHT? the Guardian tried to recall as her eyes swept her surroundings for something to defend herself with. The attackers had halved the distance to her by the time she spotted some kind of tool resting beside the wall. Lavender light enveloped it and brought it close to the Guardian, who was now frantically sweeping her gaze between the weapon and the approaching enemies. “Ghost! How do I make this thing work!? They’re getting close!”

No response came from the Ghost, and the two attackers had closed to within two body lengths. With no other options available, the Guardian lashed out with the apparently useless weapon she had chosen. It shot towards the first attacker with blinding speed and connected with the side of its helmet with enough force to twist its head a full ninety degrees to the side and sent it flying into the corridor wall. The lavender-glowing weapon continued its wild spin and slammed squarely onto the crown of the second creature, driving it face first into the floor. Neither of the pair moved for a long moment and the only sound in the hallway was the Guardian’s labored breathing.

“Sorry! Sorry! I got delayed by a pack of Shanks and--” the Ghost apologized furiously as it appeared in the hallway seemingly out of thin air. The metal devices ringing its eye widened into something approximating surprise at the scene it now saw. “How did you do this? And how are you doing that?” it asked as it floated over to the Guardian’s improvised weapon as it also hovered in the air.

The simple question snapped the Guardian out of her defensive stance, and the lavender light flickered and went out. The weapon clattered to the ground, leaving her struggling for an explanation as the Ghost’s eye locked onto her. “I don’t know. Everything happened so fast…”

Howls from further down the hallway reiterated the urgency of the situation, and the Ghost bobbed in place in what might have been considered a nod. “Right, we’ll worry about that later! We still have to run!” tt exclaimed before hovering low over the now inert weapon. Threads of light from the Ghost laced the weapon and it vanished in a flash. “Banshee will murder us both when he hears what happened to a Khvostov of all things… But we can worry about that later! While I was reactivating power for the area, I think I found a location of a jumpship nearby! If we can find that, then we can get to safety!”

Jumpship? the Guardian thought, and she added the term to her growing list of things that she had to interrogate the Ghost about. “Then let’s go!” she agreed, and immediately galloped past the two Fallen to follow her guide. The tunnel opened up to a series of catwalks over the chasm, then another series of hallways, then a broken drainage pipe filled with stagnant water before the pair emerged on the other side of the Cosmodrome wall.

The Guardian’s eyes opened wide as she spotted towering shapes far off in the distance. Her gallop slowed to a trot as she drank in every detail. Judging by the surrounding features, most of the structures were far in the distance but did little to diminish the scope of them. A trio of spheres (which, for some odd reason, reminded the Guardian of hot air balloons) crowned the top of each, and just below were a set of blocky metal wings with a half dozen upside down cups mounted on each. Any further inspection was blocked by the rubble and buildings that littered the new area. “What are those?” she asked, unable to keep the wonder from her voice.

The Ghost continued its forward trajectory but flipped around to give the Guardian a look. “The colony ships, but we can talk about those later! We need to get to the Jumpship before they summon more--”

A boom of thunder shook the ground, and what could best be described as a flying scrapheap appeared overhead. It immediately wheeled about and lumbered towards the fugitive pair, threatening to blast them from on high or crash upon them unceremoniously in equal measure. The Guardian needed no more prompting as she spotted Fallen leaping from the flying junk pile to the ground ahead of them. She ran.

The first of the Fallen didn’t have a chance to react as the Guardian galloped past. The next few made wild grabs or attempted tackles to little effect, while the rest began to open fire with the handheld weapons they were carrying. Sizzling blue bolts cut through the night air as the Guardian cut a weaving path across the barren dirt to an open doorway on the far side of the clearing.

The Ghost’s light illuminated the hallway as it pulled ahead. “I passed by here a week ago and saw something we can use! If the Fallen haven’t picked it to pieces, there should be a Jumpship-- Ah! There it is!” The darkened hallway opened up into a larger chamber illuminated by the massive hole that had been punched in the ceiling. The source of that damage was suspended above the ground, tangled in the supports and wreckage of its violent entry. Two stocky wings flanked a central hull, and a long pylon sprouted from the nose of the Ghost’s alleged Jumpship.

“What a piece of junk!” the Guardian exclaimed, unable to keep her initial reaction in check. “Are you absolutely sure that flying deathtrap is safer than staying here with the murderous scavengers?”

“Absolutely sure!” the Ghost said as it floated up to the snared debris that held their salvation in check. “Well… mostly sure. This thing gives us a chance of making it to the Last City safely, but if we stay here then the Fallen will get us eventually.”

“The ‘Last City’? Ghost, you’re doing that thing again!” the Guardian protested with a stamp of her hoof. “You’re talking about stuff like I know about it already!”

The winking light of the Ghost’s eye appeared in the shadows near the Jumpship. “Sorry! Sorry! We’ll have plenty of time to go over your questions once we get in the air. I’m going to need a minute to get the systems up and running… but that might be difficult since more Fallen are approaching.” No sooner had the Ghost said this that the now familiar howls could be heard from the hallway that the Guardian had just emerged from.

“There aren’t any weapons around to use!” the Guardian shouted as she raked her gaze across the room desperately. “What am I supposed to do?”

The Ghost’s tone was equally exasperated. “You’re the Guardian, not me! Improvise!”

Improvise? Oh, well that solves everything! Why didn’t I think of that? she thought with more than a little annoyance as she stared into the tunnel. Flickers of light from the Fallen’s electrified knives briefly highlighted the silhouettes charging towards the Guardian, as well as illuminating the shape of a much larger creature in the middle of the pack. The Guardian gritted her teeth and summoned her determination. I have to stop them. Stop them. STOP THEM!

Just as when the Ghost had told her to use the weapon earlier, a well of power within the Guardian was tapped and gave form to her intent. A wave of lavender energy coalesced in front of her and filled the corridor in a flash. The first of the Fallen crashed headlong into it and bounced off as surely as if they had struck a concrete wall. The scavengers were back up on their feet and pushing futilely against the conjured barrier as a significantly larger Fallen approached. Unlike the others, this one’s armor was in significantly better condition and it cradled a weapon as large as the Guardian herself in its four arms. Rather than flail or push against the barrier as the others attempted, the larger Fallen stood as still as a statue and stared.

The rumble of ancient engines coming to life broke the Guardian’s concentration and the barrier flickered. In that moment, the larger Fallen rushed forward with a deep-throated snarl. The weakened defense shattered under the precise assault, and the Guardian scrambled backward to avoid the reaching arms--

--only for the ruined hangar to be replaced by the cramped interior of the Jumpship in a flash of light. A moment later the Guardian was thrown back into her seat as they accelerated away from the Cosmodrome.

The Ghost appeared a moment later, bobbing happily in the space beside the Guardian’s seat. “You see? I told you it would work! There’s nothing to worry about!” it declared.

Several moments passed as the Guardian caught her breath and surveyed her new surroundings. After her eyes made a complete circuit of the cockpit they settled on the Ghost. “If we’re in flight, that means it’s time for my questions,” she stated.

The Ghost’s bobbing slowed to a stop and it pulled back a small bit. “Well, I suppose it is that time then. What do you wish to know?”

“Everything.”

Unknown to the new Guardian or her Ghost, the Jumpship’s departure from the Cosmodrome was witnessed by more than just the Fallen. A cloaked figure watched the ship vanish across the horizon, glowing eyes visible from beneath its hood.

02 -- The Tower, The Traveller

You’re special. You were born to do great things. And you know what? They were right.

Purple. This much purple on a living creature can’t be normal, the Guardian thought as she eyed her reflection in the broken monitor to her side. The screen itself was cracked down the middle and completely dark, giving its undamaged portions enough of a reflective surface for self-inspection. The Guardian’s coloring ranged from pink to dark purple, the same colors as her armor. I wonder if the Ghost did this deliberately… or if this is what I really look like, she mused silently. It was a poor attempt for her to hide the thunder she felt.

“Do you have any other questions?” the Ghost asked, hovering a short distance in front of her expectantly.

The Guardian tore her gaze away from the monitor and locked onto the ghost. “Just to repeat what you told me… the Traveller was found on the fourth planet of this system, which led to the golden age of exploration and civilization. Then the Darkness came and wiped everything out, leaving only ruins and scattered survivors behind. Just before the Traveller died, it created the Ghosts and imbued them with the power of the Light to help their Guardians defend the Last City. Is that about right?”

The Ghost bobbed in place to mimick a nod. “That’s exactly right! Now, we’re approaching--” it started, only to be interrupted when the Guardian’s hooves shot out and plucked the Ghost from the spot it was hovering from.

“No, all of that is wrong,” the Guardian declared as she glared down at her captive. “Who was the Traveller… or what? And what exactly is ‘the Darkness’? Is it a single entity of immense power like the Traveller, or is it an organization or army of sorts? I’m assuming they destroyed everything because of the Traveller, but why? Did the Traveller do something to warrant such an excessive response? And what is this ‘Light’ that the Traveller gave you? Is it knowledge, or power? How can I use that to defend this ‘Last City?’ Is the Last City really the last still standing!?”

Silence filled the cabin of the jumpship as the Guardian’s barrage of questions ended with a deep breath. In that moment, the Ghost chose to reply.

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know!? Doesn’t all of that vague history and terminology irritate you?” The coat around the Guardian’s right eye began to twitch with annoyance as she continued, “Your explanation is about as useful as a storybook!” The moment the words were spoken, the image of an old and well-read book flashed before the Guardian’s eyes; a dark brown hard cover with a golden unicorn in profile… but just as quickly as it appeared it vanished from her mind’s eye.

The Ghost took the moment of distraction to extricate itself and retreat to a distance safely out of reach. “That was everything I was told… and to be perfectly honest, finding the answers didn’t seem important. Finding you was a much higher priority.” When the Guardian remained silent and unresponsive, it continued, “If it’s any consolation, the Warlocks of the Tower have a vast library and archive of information that they’ve collected over the years. I’m sure they’d be willing to let you visit to try and find the answers you’re looking for. The Speaker might also be able to help… but I wouldn’t count on it.”

So many questions… and that book, what was that? “Do you think their library might have information about who I am?” she asked, the roaring flames of curiosity that had previously driven her no longer present.

“I know you don’t like it when I say, ‘I don’t know,’” the Ghost replied, still hovering outside of grabbing distance. “So I think I’ll say, ‘I’ll help you look until you find the answers you’re looking for.’”

The answer wasn’t what the Guardian was hoping for, but it was enough to inspire a small smile on her face. “Thanks for offering… you mentioned ‘Warlocks’, right? Are they Guardians like me?” she asked.

“Well…uh, yes?”

The hesitant response was enough to warrant a flat look from the Guardian. “What kind of answer is that? Are they Guardians? Are they like me? How are these questions that you hesitate on?” Her posture drooped a bit as a thought occurred to her. “Have… have you been to the Last City? Do you just not know?”

“I haven’t been to the Last City since I was created,” the Ghost explained quickly, “...but I’ve met Ghosts out in the wilderness as well as Guardians too. I… am not confident I can explain the differences adequately. The last Ghost I spoke with said that the Guardians divide themselves into cadres based on a number of factors. How they channel the Light, preferred tactics, and the like. From some of the things I’ve heard, personality might even be a deciding factor. I think the Warlocks will be the best match for you, but I’ll defer to their decision.”

“I suppose the rest of my questions will have to wait until we get there, right?” The Guardian let out a tired sigh when the Ghost bobbed an affirmative. “Well, I suppose it’ll be nice to finally talk to my peers. And not getting shot at. Or being chased.” She closed her eyes before a thought occurred to her. “You mentioned that the Guardians defend the Last City to protect the Traveller’s resting place, but you wouldn’t have a city for a tomb. Are there others there that we protect?”

The Ghost bobbed again, its voice perking up. “Correct! It’s true that the Last City’s most noteworthy feature is the Traveller, but it is a city. Non-Guardians, the ancestors of the ancient survivors of the Darkness, take refuge there and try to rebuild a little of what they lost. We won’t be entering the city limits, but both the city and the Traveller will be visible from the Guardian Tower.”

An arched eyebrow was the initial response. “Let me guess, the Guardian Tower is a tower… for Guardians? And the Last City is exactly that, the last city on the planet. And the Speaker… speaks for somepony, right? Are some of these names that literal deliberately, or did the first Guardians just not have any imagination?”

“Yes.”

The simple and unhelpful answer was enough to force a facehoof from the Guardian. “Now you’re just being unclear just to mess with me,” she moaned. A sound approximating a giggle from the Ghost was enough to confirm her suspicions. She fixed her Ghost with the best glare she could manage as she grumbled. “So, how long until we’re there? It feels like we’ve been flying for months.”

“Ah, yes, thank you for reminding me! I need to update the Jumpship’s IFF or the Tower defense guns will blast us out of the air…” The Ghost swiveled in place, small strands of light connecting its glowing eye to the bank of still working instruments of the Jumpship. A moment passed before it turned back and said, “There we go, all done! We should be reaching the Tower in the next two minutes.”

The Guardian blinked as she processed her Ghost’s statements. “...Are you saying that we were just moments away from being destroyed by the very people we’re going to see?” she asked, her tone flat.

“Oh, there is no reason to be worried! I updated the ship protocols with at least twenty seconds before the Tower defenses could have engaged us.”

The flat look persisted for several more moments before the Guardian’s gaze drifted to the nearly unassailable wall of instruments arrayed in front of her. “I don’t suppose there’s a window or anything I can use to take a look?” she asked.

“I’m afraid not at the moment. I got the Jumpship running well enough to get us here, but the fine instruments and displays will require some work by the technicians in the Tower,” her Ghost answered, its gaze looking downward slightly before rising again. “Have no worries, though! We’ll be there in just a little bit.”

The Guardian gave a silent nod, her eyes glued to one of the few displays that did work without a hitch: A digital clock. The seconds passed by slowly but surely before her eyes. A flash of light consumed her surroundings just as they had in the Cosmodrome; the cockpit surrounding her instantly replaced by an awe-inspiring view. Beyond the railing before her was a vast drop, giving her a completely unhindered view of the vast cityscape that stretched from the base of the Tower to the horizon itself. As her eyes looked to the distance stretches of the Last City, they were inevitably drawn upwards to the object hovering above it. A massive white sphere loomed over the city like an artificial moon, its surface scarred in places from damage or age… the Guardian couldn’t be certain. “Is that…?” she whispered, unable to complete the question.

“The Traveller, yes. It has protected the Last City with its presence for… centuries at least,” her Ghost finished for her, before circling the Guardian to get her attention. “We should go to the Speaker, I suspect he is waiting for us.” The Guardian was able to tear her eyes from the Traveller and took one step to follow her Ghost… and froze.

The sight of the Last City and the Traveller had demanded ever last bit of her attention. Now that the moment had passed, the Guardian’s gaze swept over rest of the Tower platform and she realised that she wasn’t alone. Dozens of figures were scattered about the platform, some manning booths or kiosks with what looked like goods on display, while others appeared to be browsing or speaking in small groups. Some were clad in heavy armor while others wore robes in much the same style as the Guardian herself, and their colors ranged the gamut from muted greens and grays to vivid pinks and reds.

The two details that took priority in her mind, though: The first was the fact that every last one of them was bipedal and upright in a way that seemed too similar to the Fallen she had just escaped from. The second was that every single one of them had frozen in place to stare at her. The only sounds that could be heard on the Tower platform was the rush of wind and the Guardian’s hoofsteps as she moved to follow in the wake of her Ghost.

It was only when the pair made it into a nearby hallway that she dared speak. “Ghost! You said that there were others like me here!” she hissed as she shot a look at her floating guide. “I didn’t see anypony--”

“They’re all Guardians,” her Ghost interrupted, before turning back to look at the Guardian. “Well, most of them are Guardians. Some are service personnel from the city to keep things running. The Guardians are just like you, though. They have their own Ghosts and the Traveller’s Light within them.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” she growled back, her walking pace accelerating into a trot as the Guardians in the hallway froze and stared just as the ones on the platform had. A growing sense of self-consciousness and unease had taken root in the Guardian’s mind with every gaping glance she passed by. None of them… none are like me. I’m all alone… the Guardian realised as the hallway opened up into another section of the Tower platform.

The area that they had just entered had far less traffic than the first, with relatively few people selling wares to attract a wandering customer. The more likely reason was the spherical structure that dominated the vast portion of the platform’s space. It was only a few quick steps to the entrance, and for the second time in less than five minutes found herself awestruck. The chamber was dominated by a massive machine in the center, with rings of various sizes slowly spinning in some rhythm that she couldn’t immediately decipher. The wall immediately beyond it was gone, giving an unfettered view of the Traveller through the rings. The ceiling itself was vaulted and made of glass, which completely dispelled any feeling of claustrophobia that the exterior appearance had inspired. And then there were the books.

The Guardian’s gaze locked onto them like a hungry predator, memorizing the appearance of every single one on the shelves as her eyes continued to scan. The path of the bookshelves lining the walls led to a staircase and a raised balcony, where stacks of books punctuated the railing at regular intervals. A figure could be seen moving amongst the obstacles on the balcony but it was only when it moved to the staircase that the Guardian could inspect it further.

It was bipedal just like the others that she had seen in the Tower, its upright posture and position at the top of the stairs only adding to the impression that it was looming above the Guardian. A simple white robe covered its body, a stark contrast to the black hood that wrapped around its neck and head. A pure white mask hid any facial features that the hood might have missed and stood out against the black hood as much as the hood did to its robes. Its hands were clasped at its waist as it slowly descended the stairs one at a time.

“I’ve seen countless Guardians answer the Traveller’s call over the centuries” the figure said, the voice low enough to indicate its owner was male and soft spoken in the way that a doting grandparent would speak. “I had thought surprise lost to me, but I am once again reminded that there is still so much I do not know.” The mask turned slightly towards the Guardian’s Ghost and inclined slightly. “You have been gone a very long time… some had assumed your Light had been extinguished before you completed your task. Seeing your companion now, I suspect that you had to travel far and wide to find her.”

The Ghost levitated forward to hover in front of the masked figure, bobbing slightly in a nod. “I found her at the outer perimeter of the Cosmodrome wall. Speaker, I’ve been with her for less than a day and she’s capable of using the Light in ways I didn’t think possible.” When the mask tilted sideways in an unspoken question, the Ghost retreated slightly. “Well, I’ve seen how other Guardians use the Traveller’s gifts while I was searching and… she’s done things I’ve never seen before.”

The mask slowly turned downward to the Guardian as the Speaker descended the last of the steps. “Curious. Very curious,” he said as he knelt down so that the mask was eye level with her. “The Light is brilliant within you, child. Blinding, almost. But… your Light is different, isn’t it? No, your spark comes from a different place. Tell me, do you recall anything of your origins?”

“T-the only thing I think I remember is a book...” the Guardian finally managed to squeak out as she tried not to wither beneath the mask’s gaze. I feel like a bug about to be crushed under the hoof of a giant! He’s even kneeling down but I still feel so small... she thought, unable to tear her eyes away from the Speaker’s mask. It was devoid of any sort of features that might be associated with a face, save for two depressions in the center which went all the way to the top of the mask.

“A book? That may prove to be… troublesome,” the Speaker said as he stood and turned towards the bookshelves lining the wall. “Before the Golden Age, printed books were quite common and easily accessed. Now, like so much else, they’ve been lost to the ravages of the Darkness and time.” The mask panned from left to right to take in the wall of literature as he continued, “I know every word of every book in the Tower, and I cannot recall any describing one such as you. Very interesting…”

The brief memory of the book flashed before her eyes as she listened. The only thing I can remember doesn’t help at all. So I still don’t know anything, the Guardian thought, her heart sinking at the realisation. “If the book is gone then there’s nothing about me anywhere? Not even a name?”

The Speaker turned back, the unreadable mask tilting downward to face the Guardian squarely. “The loss of identity is something that many struggle with, and truthfully it is something that is rarely recovered. If you choose to pursue this mysterious book, I’m sure that many will offer you their aid. If you choose to focus on the present, I’m certain your efforts will be appreciated. Regardless of your choice, there is one thing I know for certain. Your future will be bright indeed, my little Spark.”

04 -- The Vanguard

Try not to get bogged down by the little things.

Spark.
That was what the Speaker had called her. The Guardian knew it wasn’t so much a name or title as it was an abstract description of her, given how she must have seemed in his presence. A flicker of power so easily overpowered and overlooked by the blazing sun in the room. She had a healthy suspicion that the Speaker referred to all new Guardians in a similar manner, and that logically meant that ‘Spark’ had no greater meaning whatsoever… and yet the word stuck and persisted, like a splinter in the mind.

Spark.

It itched at her consciousness, from somewhere within the vast blank space where her memories should have been. She was certain it wasn’t her real name, but it rung with enough familiarity that the word stuck out like a chiming bell in the busy Tower. It wasn’t what she wanted, but it was a small fragment of familiarity that she could build upon.

This conclusion unfortunately led to her current conflict.

“I really appreciate the sentiment, but it’s not necessary,” her Ghost said in placating tones. “When you call to me, I know it’s me that you’re referring to. It’s the same for every Ghost. If you address someone else’s Ghost, I know you don’t mean me. You shouldn’t worry about a name for me, Guardi--”

“Spark,” she corrected instantly.

“Sorry, Spark,” the Ghost apologized before continuing. “But I stand by my point. I don’t need a name.”

Spark’s initial reaction was a sigh. “Thank you for explaining, but I really think that you deserve a name. You’re you. You deserve something to call your own. Ghost, you aren’t some widget or tool. We’re partners, and calling you by what you are rather than who you are cheapens it.” She looked up to the floating machine with a sheepish expression. “Does that make any sense?”

“Well… I don’t know if ‘partners’ is quite the right description,” the Ghost equivocated, dodging the heart of the question. “It might be better to consider me your assistant.”

Spark intended to pounce on her counterpart’s avoidance of the issue, but its words gave her pause. Assistant… assistant… the word repeated itself in her mind. A word answered back with each repetition, creeping on the edges of her perception. She cast a look towards her hovering Ghost and arched an eyebrow as the word came to her. “How about… Spike? I think that’s a good name.”

“‘Spike’?” it answered skeptically, the protrusions around its spherical core contracted in a way that just screamed irritated. “Don’t you think that’s a little too… literal?” her Ghost asked, though its tone said far more about its opinion.

“Well fine then,” Spark replied with a slight eyebrow twitch. “How about Light Bulb?”

“What? No! That’s even wo--”

“Spark Plug.”

“You can’t be serious--”

“Night Light.”

“Now I know you’re joking--”

“I’m totally serious, Bug Zapper.”

“Please, just stop--”

“I’m giving you several options to choose from, Lightning Bug. And I won’t stop until you find a choice you’re satisfied with.”

“Are you sure that the Speaker called you ‘Spark’? Because I think I heard him say ‘Snark’.” A sigh was the first sign of defeat from the Ghost. “Fine, Spike it is. Don’t blame me if others tell you it’s a ridiculous choice!”

“Trust me, I won’t,” Spark reassured the newly christened Spike before finally taking her eyes off of it. The room they were in was just below the top floor of the Tower, down a short staircase on the central platform. Traffic into the room was light, most likely because the large doors on the other side were sealed tightly shut and had been so since she had been led there. A number of other Guardians had descended the stairs only to turn around and head back up at the sight of the dead end hallway, with Spark’s only company being Spike and some sort of bipedal machine that trundled along the perimeter of the room with a broom. Her gaze drifted back to the Ghost as she asked, “What are we waiting for, exactly? I thought we were going to be meeting some other Guardians.”

“That’s right,” Spike replied, bobbing in a Ghosts’ approximation of a nod. “Beyond those doors are the leaders of the Vanguard. They’re the ones who set the strategic goals for both short term and long term defense of the Last City and the Traveller. They’re likely discussing what your arrival means for the future.”

Spike’s last sentence was enough to raise dozens of questions in Spark’s mind. “My arrival? Why would me showing up here by myself be any sort of significant event?”

The Ghost took the opportunity to float from Spark’s side to hover directly in front of her. “Guardians are empowered by the Light, a gift of the Traveller to defend this world. Those that come from this world are the races you’ve seen here: the Humans, Awoken, and Exo. For thousands of years, only those three races were gifted with the Light. For thousands of years, every other race has allied itself against the Guardians and the Traveller…”

“Oh…” Spark managed to murmur as the ramifications of the revelation hit her. I had been so freaked out by being the only one of my kind that I didn’t even think of how they might react to it. And now I’m at the top of a tower that has dozens of heavily armed and likely paranoid people whose standing rule for the last few centuries is ‘if it looks different, shoot it.’ “Spike… coming here suddenly doesn’t seem like such a good idea anymore…”

Any further doubts that Spark might have voiced were interrupted when the Ghost shot forward to hover directly in front of her face. “There is nothing to worry about, Spark. You have the Light in you, and that makes you a Guardian. If that wasn’t the case, then I would never have found you out in the wastelands. Plus the Speaker himself is informing the Vanguard about you, which is quite rare from what I’m told.”

Spark’s initial response was to cast a wary eye to the Ghost before giving a slow nod. I suppose that makes sense… and I imagine if there would be any shooting, then I’d probably be running by now. She let out a cleansing sigh before looking back to Spike and asked, “Can you tell me anything about the leaders of the Vanguard? What are they like?”

“Certainly!” the floating machine replied. “There are three high ranking members of the Vanguard, and each is typically nominated to the position by their peers. Zavala is a longtime veteran of the Titan regiments, and it’s rumored that both he and Shaxx are among the oldest Guardians still fighting. I’ve even heard they both were trained by Saladin of the Iron Wolves before--” Spike stopped mid-explanation when he finally caught the flat look on Spark’s face. “You’re about to tell me that none of those names mean anything to you, right?” A pause followed by a nod. “Okay then!

“Commander Zavala was nominated for his position by his fellow Titans due to his exceptional proficiency with battlefield tactics. From what the other Ghosts tell me, he takes his duties very seriously and he expects others to do the same. He’ll be the one wearing heavy armor.” Spike paused and looked to his Guardian, waiting for her to nod before continuing.

“Ikora Rey is the second of the Vanguard leaders, a respected member of the Warlock Coven. The other Ghosts tell me that she’s a prodigy when it comes to channeling the Light, not to mention she somehow keeps track of nearly every Guardian that’s deployed in the field from memory.” Spike bobbed slightly, the parts around the glowing eye shifting slightly in the approximation of a head tilt as he watched Spark. “Ikora will probably be your best resource in learning how to control your own Light, and she might even be able to give us a lead on your past!”

That possibility was enough to perk Spark’s ears up. “I really hope so; on both counts. I have this… nagging feeling that there’s so much I can do, but I just can’t remember any of it if I try,” she complained before silence fell between them again. A curious look was cast towards the Ghost as she asked, “So that’s two, but didn’t you say there’s three that I should know about?”

“Well… about that, I’m not sure how accurate my information is for the third member of the Vanguard leadership. All of the other Ghosts agree that his name is Cayde-6 but everything else is sketchy at best. Some of the Ghosts talk about Cayde as if he’s a public menace, while others say that he’s the most skilled of the Hunter Guardians in existence,” Spike reported with more than a little hesitation.

An arched eyebrow and a skeptical look were Spark’s first responses. “That doesn’t seem anything like the other two that you mentioned,” she said as she brought a hoof up to tap her chin. “Zavala and Ikora are there because of what they’ve done or what they can do. I’m sure that one of the Ghosts knows how this ‘Cayde’ got his position here, right?”

“Well…” Spike started, stretching the word out in an attempt to delay the inevitable. “That seems to be up for debate as well, but the most common explanation is that he lost a bet.”

A flat ‘What?’ was all that Spark managed to say before the nearby doors slowly opened. The solitary form of the Speaker walked out before turning to where Spark was seated. Not a word passed between the two, as the former merely stretched a hand out to indicate to the open door while the latter rose from her seat to pass through.

Spark might have been alarmed by the door sliding closed behind her, but the room itself demanded far more of her attention. It was spacious, with glowing displays lining the walls while punctuated by the occasional banner sporting unfamiliar heraldry. The far wall was nothing but glass, revealing the rugged wilderness and mountain ranges that Spark had flown over to reach the Tower. Last but not least, the center of the room was a step or two lower than the rest, dominated by a large table and the increasingly familiar glowing displays. Standing around that table were unmistakably the Vanguard. The trio had been huddled in a hushed conversation but turned to face Spark as she slowly approached.

Spike’s descriptions of the trio had been accurate, if a little… lacking in some ways. Zavala was the easiest to recognize given that he was more heavily armored that the other two combined, but what the Ghost had failed to mention was the icy white (bordering on light blue) tone of his skin and the almost glowing nature of his eyes. Ikora was the next for Spark to recognize, clad in robes similar to her own and with a skin tone that was a shocking contrast to Zavala. Her features took on what Spark had come to recognize as a neutral set, but the look in her eyes was a hint to why lay beneath the tranquil surface.

The last of the Vanguard was what Spike had called an ‘Exo.’ The majority of its features were hidden beneath its hooded cloak, but metal plates formed into the approximation of a face were easily apparent, as well as the electronic eyes and what could only be described as a horn jutting out from his forehead. His identity was all but confirmed as the last of the Vanguard when he opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by a hissed “Not now, Cayde,” from Ikora.

“I would normally say that this is an unprecedented event, but I’m certain our human predecessors said the same when the first Awoken and Exo Guardians appeared,” Zavala remarked after another long moment of silence. His voice was baritone, inflected with both curiosity and caution as he continued, “What cannot be disputed is that your Ghost brought you back to us, and that the Light is strong within you. Regardless of everything else, that makes you one of us.”

Ikora spoke next, her own voice as much of a contrast to Zavala’s as her skintone. “A Guardian is much more than simply having this power within you, though. It is a title that is earned through constant practice and study to test the limits of the Light as well as the limits of the enemies that threaten those that threaten us all.”

“Every Guardian is a brick in the wall that keeps the Darkness at bay,” Cayde provided the moment that Ikora stopped to take a breath, and didn’t acknowledge the look she shot his way. “The truly great among us are masters of everything they do, from weapons, tactics, and subterfuge to research, organization, and scouting. Few can do it all, but every one of us has to try. We’re all that can stop the howling dark.” The Exo glanced to his compatriots, the multitude of metal parts that made up his face twisting into something resembling a smirk. “And, I know I speak for the other leaders of the Vanguard when I say this before they can: Dibs. I call dibs.”

Zavala’s reaction was a tired sigh as he reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose, while Ikora’s look became decidedly acidic. “Cayde, now is not the time for jokes,” she hissed.

“I’m dead serious, I know you all were thinking it!” Cayde retorted, his smirk growing into a grin.

“It seems a bit premature to assign her to one of us three so soon, Cayde,” Zavala said, his voice partially muffled by the hand still pinching the bridge of his nose. “Setting aside the information that her Ghost provided to the Speaker, her own preferences and skills may very well be better served elsewhere.”

“Yeah, well…” Cayde started, his glowing artificial eyes glancing toward Spark before jumping back to the Titan. One hand rose to point at the young Guardian while the other shot upward to the protrusion from his own forehead. “She and I both have a horn, your argument is invalid!”

Spark sat back onto her flank, bewilderment on her face as the once serious tone of the meeting devolved into Cayde heckling the other Vanguards while avoiding or outright ignoring the points that his peers made. “Is… is this normal?” Spark whispered to her Ghost.

Spike’s hesitation was more than enough of an answer.