Unsteady feet slowly dragged themselves across the ground. Each haggard step more like a lifeless shamble than a proper gait. Scuffed and battle-worn boots scraped across the grass as the armored figure continued. He struggled to maintain a proper grip on his only weapon, wheezing in pain he turned his helmeted gaze to his surroundings. Not much has changed in the last ten minutes or so of walking, still in an unfamiliar forest, trees unnaturally thick almost blotting out the sunlight, bark gnarled and twisted. He knew he was nowhere near any known space the Vanguard has explored, even the more recent and lively ones. He certainly doubted that Neptune had a forest such as this with its diamond beaches and seas of liquid gas.
He shook his head, the fog that had started to settle giving way to clarity for the moment. By the Traveler how much blood has he lost by now? It was getting hard to stay focused. A wet cough racked his chest, sharp pain stabbing into his ribs. This wasn't fun at all, about the.. 7th worst feeling he's had. He held a shaky hand out, mentally calling once more to his lifetime companion... she never responded. He was really starting to worry now, was she damaged? How badly? Just how long would he be without support?
He had tried to gather his Light earlier to form a Rift, but it felt so.. far away. Like trying to grasp at the edges of something just out of reach, almost evading his touch. He could snag scraps of it, which was a good sign, it meant he still had the Light, and that meant Aurora was safe... well as safe as she could be given whatever may be wrong. It was enough to help hold out, but not to heal his wounds. He took a few more labored breaths before setting out again in the slow progress to anywhere else but here.
Only a sparse few minutes later passed before the man stumbled shoulder first into a tree. Nearly losing grip on his gun. Delirium was starting to set in, it was getting so hard to focus. Just how had he gotten here again? What was he doing before this.. No.. he remembered.
Neomuna, he was there in the post-Golden Age city on Neptune. Trying his best to fight the invasion of Cabal from reaching the Veil. It was their last hope, their last chance at survival. But they had reached a final stand. One last hurrah against Calus and his legion. Even with the new prowess he wielded Strand with.. it was no match. Standing there wounded, Caital dead, his ghost damaged, endless numbers marching towards him as Calus himself descended from his titan of a ship. He was tired, beaten and bloody. He just wanted it to end, he wanted no more part in this twisted game the Witness was playing. He wished
Wish
Wish
Wish
wish wish wish wish wishwishwishwishwishwishWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISHWISH
"O' Guardian Mine."
He couldn't breathe, frantically grabbing at the decorative ridges on his helmet he wrenched it off his head gasping for air he desperately needed. Not a moment afterward coughing racked his body, blood leaving in flecks from his mouth. All he could hear was that damn voice, ever shifting, ever a masquerade of his closest friends. He gulped greedily on the fresh air the forest gave him, he never noticed that he was on his knees now.
He made a mistake. One last dying mistake that slipped past his lips. Of course he had that thing on him. A grizzly trophy from when he hunted the thing in the first place. But it was enough. It was always enough for their kind. To whisper and grant wishes from their bones. He should have known, he did know better. Damn it all. He huffed, finally catching his breath. His mind running a mile a minute, though having trouble settling on the important things. Gritting his teeth he made to stand up on shaking legs. Reaching out he grasped at the Light once more. The measly scraps bolstering his pitiful strength and staunching the more than likely reopened wounds.
He could worry about the consequences later.. he just needed to find some shelter. Somewhere to rest and mend. Then he can concentrate on the situation he was in. He just needed to keep going, one step at a time.
***
Celestia stared out from her balcony. Court had finished for the day, though nearing the end she felt that she could have done better. But she was distracted, there was this.. disturbance. Something she couldn't put a hoof on, it felt like this presence pressing upon her magic and being quite the attention grabber. What had her concerned was how different this felt compared to other incidents. Those were familiar in the least but this.. this was alien. A complete unknown.
"Sister? It is past time to raise the moon, is everything alright?" The sound of Luna's voice broke her from thought, turning her head she smiled gently.
"Apologies Luna, I was lost in thought." She said before closing her eyes, angling her head as she channeled the magic of the sun into her horn. Slowly the sun started to dip below the horizon, allowing the moon and stars to reign over the sky once more.
"Thank you sister, though.. may we ask what it was that had you so out of sorts?" Luna asked, a look of both curiosity and concern on her face.
Celestia let a breath through her nose, opening her eyes she turned to her sister. "It's.. complicated. I feel a disturbance in the natural magic. I'm sure you've felt it as well."
"We.. I have felt the disturbance. However there is far from a few of them. Especially when it concerns the happenings of Ponyville and your student." Luna replied, scrunching up her snout as she corrected herself.
Celestia winced. "Ah yes.. there is quite a lot of strange events that happen there ever since its founding. However the nature of this disturbance is unique. Nothing like I ever felt before. It almost feels.. chaotic. But not like anywhere near Discord's."
Surprise flits across Luna's face. "Chaotic? Are you sure?"
Shaking her head she looked back out in the direction of Ponyville. "Not at all, it is just a feeling but one that is rather.." She trailed off, something new assaulting her senses.
"Celestia?" Luna asked after a moment, moving next to her as she leans forward to see her sisters face.
A long moment of silence stretched on before being broken by a whisper. "That shouldn't be possible."
"What? What shouldn't be possible?" Luna asked in concern.
Turning to look her sister directly in the eyes her gaze was tense and filled with bafflement. "I sense a second sun."
***
He had found a cave. Thank the Traveler he had found a cave. If he wasn't half empty on blood and about to pass out he'd likely crash on the ground to kiss the stone floor... scratch that he might do that anyway. Leaning back on the cave wall he slid down until he was sitting. Taking a deep breath he let it out slowly. Finally.. rest. A wave of exhaustion hit him like a Cabal drop pod, reluctantly instead of giving in and sleeping he groaned as pain surged just as much. He needed to take care of these injuries first.
Now being in relative safety he had the time to try to actually take care of himself. Taking another breath he cupped a hand in front of him before focusing on the Light. It was still the same, nothing but scraps. So he dug deeper, taking his time to gather the Light and pooling it in his hand.
It felt like he was trying to hold water drop by drop, the substance sticking to his palms, slickening them just as much as the droplets tried to escape from the gaps between his fingers. It took over a minute to build up enough Light to try to convert it to what he needed, and by that point he was starting to sweat and his head and chest pounded. Why was this so hard now? It felt like the very world disagreed with this. With a low growl of frustration he twisted, beginning the conversion of power into another form.
The Iridescent Light slowly took on an orange hue, popping and crackling as it started to burn. The dust and dry blood on his gloved fingers beginning to flake away and turn to ash. It took another minute before the orb was now what can only be described as a miniature sun in his palm. His body was shaking now from the effort, desperately trying to hold on to a power he used to be able to summon so easily. Although strangely enough the resistance he felt before pulled away slightly.
He couldn't keep waiting, he started to change it once more. Turning down the heat, from scorching to warmth, the light from searing to radiant. From destruction to restoration. He almost sighed in relief with how easily it came, like some force in the world was much more accepting of this form of power than the pure destructive paracausal potential that Solar held. With the Healing grenade formed he lazily tossed it at his feet, feeling the rush of vitalizing Cure wash over him instantly regenerating his broken body. Then came the comfortable warmth of Restoration, mending what wasn't instantly fixed in a much slower but stable fashion.
He breathed in relief as he visibly relaxed. Arms now resting over his helmet and his weapon that he had dragged here with him. He closed his eyes as his body rested, now unburdened by wounds that would kill lesser men, and be a nuisance to any learned Guardian. He could now think of his situation.
He was stranded on another world, dimension, universe, it didn't matter the classification. The Light was Paracausal and could reach him practically anywhere as long as its access point wasn't locked down. And since he had it that meant the Traveler was.. mostly ok, hopefully. He was stranded, thats all that mattered. Far from home and the unending war for survival. He didn't know anyone, had zero help, none of his equipment besides his Khvostov.. why didn't he bring a better gun? Oh yeah.. sentiment. Damnit..
He groaned. Anyway, he didn't have a sparrow or ship to help him navigate. Aurora was out of commission until whatever damage was there fixed itself slowly.. And his wish.
Whispers scratched at his ears, almost in response to that word. He frowned, how stupid could he be. He had carried a piece of the heart of Riven. He knew the possible consequences that came with carrying a piece of an Ahamkara and he fell right into her trap. Now he had to deal with the consequences. Closing his eyes he sighed. The facts.
His name was Solus, Warlock, Guardian of the Last City, His wish was to escape the war between the Traveler and the Witness with those he cared about the most.
And now he needed to figure out what the hell to do.
