The morning sun crept slowly over the mountains, rays of gold spilling out onto the landscape as it rose ever higher in the sky. Eventually, the sun reached its zenith, bathing all of Equestria in its warmth as the ponies of Canterlot were signaled that it was time to begin their day.
Canterlot Castle:
“Wow. Just… incredible.” Sunset Shimmer let out. No matter how many times she saw Princess Celestia raise the sun, she still found herself in utter slack-jawed awe at the profoundly god-like display from her teacher.
I wonder if I’ll be able to do something like that someday. Sunset’s thoughts swam with possibilities, though before she found herself able to give them too much thought, she was snapped back to reality by the light tap tap of Celestia’s hoof on the polished marble floor.
“Are you with me, my faithful student?” She asked patiently.
“Oh, sorry. Yes Princess.” Sunset fumbled a bit over her words, eliciting a quiet giggle from Celestia as she motioned for Sunset to follow. They exited out of the main tower of Canterlot Castle Observatory, heading down the stairs and through several hallways that were now alight with a serene golden glow as they made their way back towards the castle’s main hall.
“Now, we have a lot to go over today. You’ve done remarkably well so far on just about every other subject, so I have no doubt that you’ll be able to grasp this next lesson.” Celestia began to explain. As she proceeded to explain the lesson for the day, they passed by the castle’s main study, and a certain object within caught Sunset’s eye. In the back of the room stood a large mirror locked in an amethyst frame and dotted with light pink jewels. Sunset drifted away from her teacher and closer towards the mirror. Her own reflection stared back at her, nothing out of the ordinary, until the image shifted to show her with a pair of brilliant flaming wings alongside her trademark unicorn horn. Rays of fire erupted from her eyes as she stood tall, a symbol of grace and power.
Me. An alicorn. She thought to herself with a smile. She saw that it was a vision of everything she was destined to be. She reached out a hoof to touch the mirror, only to be yanked back to reality as she felt a hoof on her shoulder.
“Sunset?”
Sunset looked up to see Princess Celestia standing over her, her expression betraying a look of great concern.
“Princess, what was that just now?” Sunset asked as she gestured to the mirror.
Celestia looked to the mirror for a moment, her expression slowly growing more sullen with each passing moment. It was a look Sunset wasn’t used to seeing.
“Something you’re not ready for.” Celestia finally said, clearly deep in thought.
What’s that supposed to mean? Sunset’s brow furrowed at her mentor’s insinuation.
“Come along my faithful student. We do still have a magic lesson to get to.” Celestia said with a wink as she gestured for Sunset to follow. Sunset turned and gave the mirror one last look before following the princess out.
I will definitely be looking into this later.
As time rolled on by, Sunset devoted herself even more to her magic studies with Celestia, accelerating at a rapid pace. Though she enjoyed hearing Celestia’s praise, she couldn’t shake the image of the mirror from her mind.
That mirror showed me as an alicorn. I have to know what it means.
Then one day as Celestia went to fetch Sunset for their morning tea, she realized she couldn’t find her anywhere.
“Where in Equestria is that girl?” Celestia wondered aloud, having searched the castle high and low for anywhere her student might be.
“Is there anything I can help you with, Princess?” Celestia turned to see the head court mage standing behind her patiently.
“Comet, I seem to have misplaced my student. Do you have any idea where she might be?” Celestia asked, her brow furrowing in irritation.
“I believe she is in the main study milady.” He replied in his usual aristocratic drawl.
“Very well. Thank you Comet.” Celestia gave a quick nod before taking off in a brisk trot towards the study.
I thought she had let that go. Celestia thought.
She finally arrived at the main study to see Sunset planted in front of the mirror, a myriad of notes and books splattered open on the floor in front of her.
“Sunset? It’s about time for morning-“
“It’s a portal.” Sunset cut her off without turning to look at her.
“I’m sorry?” Celestia asked.
“The mirror. It’s a portal, and judging from the calculations I’ve run, it seems to only open on the night of the summer solstice. That’s tomorrow.” Sunset explained.
“What exactly are you implying Sunset?” Celestia inquired.
“The mirror showed me as an alicorn, Princess. And now that I know it’s a portal, maybe I can figure out-“
“No.” Celestia finished abruptly.
“But Princess, if I can find out what’s on the other side of this portal, I can-“
“No!” Celestia repeated in a more firm tone that Sunset wasn’t used to hearing from her.
“I apologize for that Sunset. But as I said before, that is something that you’re not ready for. What lies beyond that portal is something you can’t even begin to comprehend.” She said in a tone that, while not exactly angry, made it very clear that Sunset was to drop the subject.
“Is it really because I’m not ready, or are you just afraid I’ll surpass you?” Sunset taunted bitterly.
“Sunset!” Celestia exclaimed, appalled that her student would even suggest such a thing.
“You’ve seen how far I’ve progressed in such a short time.” Sunset boasted. “And you’re afraid that you’ll have to contend with me as an equal if I-“
“ENOUGH!” Celestia cried out in the Royal Canterlot Voice, catching Sunset off guard as it was only the second time she had ever heard her use it. Celestia took a moment to compose herself before continuing in her normal tone.
“From hereon, you’re forbidden from interacting with the mirror. I’ll have guards posted here at all times.” She explained.
“You can’t be serious!” Sunset declared in an exasperated tone.
“I am, and this is something that is not up for debate.” Celestia countered before her expression softened. “You’re very gifted Sunset, especially for one so young. I don’t want you to lose yourself to obsession like this. Magic lessons will be postponed for the time being, so please take this time to think about what it is you want your future to be.”
Sunset huffed as she pushed past Celestia and made her way back to her room. Celestia let out a sigh as she watched her student disappear up the flight of stairs at the end of the hall, hoping that the next few days would give her the time she needed to cool off.
The Next Night:
Sunset used her magic to push the door of her room open ever so slightly, taking care to make sure she didn’t make any excess noise. She ducked her head out and swiveled it in both directions, letting out sigh of relief when she saw that the hall was empty.
“I don’t have a lot of time. Better get moving.” She murmured to herself. She shimmied out between the crack in the door and into the hall, using her magic to close the door as quietly as possible. Unlike in the day, the halls were bathed in an ominous silver glow of moonlight at night, the only semblance of warmth being the torches that dotted the pillars, casting a faint orange light that pushed against the moonlight. As Sunset made her way down the hall, she heard the sound of hoofsteps coming her direction as she ducked behind one of the pillars. She saw two royal guards, one an earth pony and the other a unicorn, engaged in idle conversation as they made their rounds. Sunset couldn’t make out everything they said, but she did hear the earth pony say something about how beautiful the Princess was before saying something that instigated a slap in the chest from the unicorn guard, causing the earth pony guard to let out a jovial laugh. Fortunately for her, Sunset saw that the way to the main study was the way the two guards had just come from.
Suckers. She grinned deviously as she slunk from around the pillar she had used for cover and continued down the hall towards the main study. Just as Celestia had said, two more guards stood at attention outside the door to the study, both large and intimidating earth ponies with stoic expressions as unwavering as stone.
Sunset’s horn lit up as she focused on one of the torches at the opposite end of the hall. It rattled in a fit that gradually grew more intense until it popped out of its holder with a solid plunk and landed on carpet, setting it ablaze. The guards rushed over in a panic, trying desperately to stamp out the flames before they grew larger. Sunset took advantage of the situation to slip quietly through the now unguarded doors and into the main study, immediately spotting the mirror as it loomed ominously at the back of the room. The moonlight reflecting off of it made it seem more intimidating than it did during the day, causing Sunset to pause for a moment before shaking her head back and forth, trying to dislodge any doubt from her mind. Her ears perked up as she heard a familiar voice outside, that of Princess Celestia informing the guards to check the door to the study, which Sunset just now noticed was still slightly ajar.
Oh crap! Sunset frantically used her magic to move several objects in front of the door as Celestia and the guards tried to force their way in.
“Sunset! Don’t do this!” Celestia called from outside the room.
“I’m sorry Princess. But I’m not turning back after coming so far.” Sunset called back as she watched the jewels on the mirror’s frame light up in sequence until it reached the jewel at the top, a bright flash of light emerging from the mirror itself. As the light faded, Sunset saw that the mirror was no longer one solid piece of glass, instead rippling like a pond that just had a stone tossed into it. She reached out a hoof to test the mirror in its new state and saw that it passed right through, quickly pulling away as her hypothesis was proven. The door behind her finally crashed open as Sunset looked back to see Princess Celestia and the two guards who were at the door before finally entered the room.
“Sunset. Don’t do it.” Celestia said softly. Sunset furrowed her brow in determination before jumping through the mirror portal, the last thing she heard being the Princess calling her name.
For a moment, nothing happened. And then suddenly, Sunset felt every part of her body being stretched apart and smashed back together like dough. A prismatic explosion of light and color flooded her eyes as her surroundings whipped past her in a haze. After what felt like an eternity, Sunset was finally spat out of the portal and landed on the ground in a heap, laying there for a moment before sitting up with a groan. Her surroundings looked completely unfamiliar, an arid waste with only a few spots of grass and some dead looking trees dotting the landscape. There were some sort of strange looking carriages all in a massive line that led to a gigantic wall, the line ending in a sizable pile at the foot of the wall. Sunset walked along the line of carriages, searching them for any potential items of interest, only to find nothing but rust, and more than a few bodies.
“Gross.” She sneered. The sound of a twig snapping directed her attention ahead of her. She dropped prone and peered over the small hill she was on, seeing a strange creature searching the carriages just the same as she was. He was a creature that walked upright, similar to a Minotaur, although he seemed to resemble some kind of hairless ape. He had something slung over his shoulder, though it was difficult for Sunset to make out what exactly it was.
“Oh thank hoofness, someone else. Hey, you there!” Sunset called to the creature, who quickly slung what she could now tell was a rifle off his shoulder and pointed it directly at her. She knew that guns weren’t unheard of in Equestria but not very common, only being used in cases of an absolute emergency.
“Stay right there. Don’t come any closer!” The creature shouted back as his hands tightened around the rifle.
“Relax, it’s okay. I just need some-“
“I said stay. Back!” The man shouted even louder. Sunset could tell that he was twitchy and on edge, as if he’d been surviving on his own for a long time by practically shooting at anything that moved.
“Okay, okay.” Sunset plopped down and raised her hooves in a non threatening manner. “Let me show you that I’m friendly.”
She used her magic to pop open the latch of her satchel, only to hear a shot ring out half a second later. She suddenly found it very hard to breathe as she looked down and saw that his shot has perforated her chest cavity, blood slowly seeping through the now open wound. As Sunset coughed and collapsed on the ground, her thoughts suddenly flooded with memories of her life in Equestria. The day Princess Celestia took her out of that orphanage to be her student, the first time she succeeded at a magic lesson, the nights she spent with the Princess when she had a bad dream. As she lifted her head up, she could see her satchel lying open, her journal she had received from Princess Celestia her first day in Canterlot Castle now visible. The creature that had shot her was now nowhere to be seen, having most likely run off in a panic after shooting her. Tears began to fall freely from Sunset’s eyes as her mind now also flooded with regret. Princess Celestia had warned her that she wasn’t ready, but she was just too stubborn to listen. And now here she was, bleeding out and about to die somewhere that couldn’t be any further from Equestria.
“Princess… forgive me.” Sunset choked out as she laid her head down and closed her eyes, her entire world going black.
End of Chapter 1
Author's Note
Well there you have it. The first chapter of my MLP and Destiny crossover story! I know, the main character died in the first chapter, but if you know Destiny, you’ll know there’s a good reason for that! The Destiny storyline is obviously going to be heavily reimagined for this story, given as we have ponies and such lol. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this first chapter, and look forward to more to come!
Wind bristled harshly against the old rusted cars and thin layers of rock as twilight set upon the Cosmodrome. Amongst the dreary landscape, a lone Ghost floated to and fro between different cars and patches of land, still searching after all this time for his Guardian. He passed by a car with the remains of someone splayed across the front seat, only a skeleton after centuries of exposure to the elements. He scanned it tentatively, holding out hope that this one would be his Guardian. It was not.
“Ouch.” He muttered, his deep, smooth tone posing a contrast to the robotic tinge his voice otherwise held.
Off in the distance, the scope of a Fallen Captain was trained on the Ghost, watching its movements carefully. He motioned to the Dreg and Vandal that flanked him and muttered something in the Fallen tongue before letting out a deep, guttural roar.
The Ghost floated over to the top of a small hill and proceeded to scan once more, finally getting the reading he had been looking for all this time.
“Is it possible?” He questioned aloud, running his scan again just to make sure. Once his suspicions were confirmed, he split apart, the pieces that formed his shell orbiting around a core of Light.
“There you are.” He said as his pieces coalesced back together and he let out a brief pulse.
The newly risen pony slowly rose to her hooves, her vision still mostly fuzzy as she tried to focus. The Ghost saw that she had a light amber coat and an eye-catching mane that combined red and brilliant yellow. She also had a small horn that protruded from her forehead.
What a unique creature. The Ghost thought.
“Guardian… Guardian… Eyes up, Guardian!” The Ghost called. As the pony’s vision cleared, she saw the small drone floating mere inches from her face.
“It worked. You’re alive!” The Ghost exclaimed, causing the pony to shriek and stumble back in terror. “Woah woah, it’s okay. Just breathe, Guardian.”
The deep breaths the pony took in did have a more soothing effect than she expected.
“Better?” The Ghost asked.
“I think so, yeah.” The pony responded.
“That’s good. You have no idea how long I’ve been looking for you.” The Ghost said.
“For me? Who are you? What are you?” The pony asked.
“I’m a Ghost. Actually, now I’m your Ghost.” He answered calmly.
Whatever that means. The pony thought. “Okay, then who am I? I can’t seem to remember anything.”
“I don’t know who you used to be. But what I do know is that you’ve been dead a long time.” The Ghost explained.
“Wait, dead?!” The pony exclaimed.
“Yes, which means you’re going to see a lot of things you won’t understand.” The Ghost replied, his tone as calm as ever. He spotted something out of the corner of his eye and floated over to inspect it. “Hmm, some kind of satchel, it looks like.”
The pony walked over to it, originally reaching her hoof out to it before withdrawing it. After focusing for a moment, her horn lit up as the bag levitated over to her. She manipulated the bag open, and inside she saw a small book.
“Looks like a journal of some kind.” The Ghost’s deep, robotic voice breaking the momentary silence. The pony pulled out the book and slung the bag across her side before flipping through the book. It was badly damaged, so much of it was unreadable, but she did see a title written at the top of the first page: The Journal of Sunset Shimmer.
“Sunset Shimmer. I wonder if that’s my name.” The pony wondered aloud.
“That’d be my guess.” The Ghost seconded.
A guttural roar sounded off in the distance, drawing both of their attention.
“What was that?” Sunset asked worriedly.
“That’s right. This is Fallen territory, we aren’t safe here. I need to get you to the City.” The Ghost looked back and forth, as if checking for something, before saying “Hold still.”
“What’re you-“ Before Sunset could finish, the Ghost evaporated in a mist of light.
“Don’t worry, I’m still with you. I promise I’ll explain everything once we’re out of danger, but we need to move, and fast. Let’s get inside the wall.” The Ghost’s called out, his voice now less robotic as he seemed to be disembodied from his shell.
Sunset shook her head, tabling her concerns for now as she galloped toward the gigantic wall that loomed over the landscape. She spotted an open door at the end of the path, centuries of rust and disrepair having identifiably taken its toll. The scenery noticeably darkened as she ascended the small staircase into the wall proper, the soft clop of her hooves against the metal floor echoing quietly. Just as she felt that it was getting too dark to see, her Ghost reappeared and emitted a beam of light ahead to illuminate her path.
“I need to get you back to the City. To do that, we’ll need a ship. Let’s hope there’s one around here that still works.” The Ghost explained. Suddenly, Sunset heard the sound of something scurrying up the partially exposed pipe in the wall, causing her to let out a yelp.
“Quiet! They’re right above us.” The Ghost whispered. Stepping up a few more stairs, Sunset found herself in a cavernous bay with large, metal pipes hanging overhead. She could make out glowing blue orbs in sets of four in the distance, identifying them as eyes when she saw them blink in quick succession.
“I know it’s a risk with the Fallen around, but we won’t be able to make it in the dark. I’ll see what I can do.” The Ghost said, and as he floated away he muttered “Another one of those hardened military systems… and a few centuries of entropy working against me.”
After a moment, the lights flickered on one by one, illuminating the entire bay but also revealing several four-armed insectoid creatures that stood atop the metal pipes that hung from the ceiling. As a cacophony of guttural roars erupted from all around, Sunset saw the Ghost floating towards her at a considerably more rapid pace.
“Move, move! The Fallen are onto us!” The Ghost said frantically. Sunset galloped through the nearby gate that had opened as a result of the surge of power, passing by an old, beat up rifle that leaned against a sizable blue box.
“There’s a rifle. Grab it, quick!” The Ghost pointed out. The rifle was encased in a soft, light blue glow as Sunset’s horn lit up, gripping the rifle tightly as she continued to gallop through the narrow halls. Suddenly, the ceiling above her sparked as the panel plummeted to the ground, a Fallen Dreg following shortly after. As he tried to slice open Sunset’s throat with his electrified dagger, she countered by lighting up her horn once more, squeezing the rifle’s trigger tightly and letting a volley of shots fly. The creature quickly slumped over dead as a burst of mist erupted from his head where the shots had landed, which Sunset barely had time to process as she kept charging forward. Eventually, she came into a more open chamber where several Fallen awaited her, including one in the back that was a bit larger and more intimidating than the rest.
“Use your Light, Guardian!” The Ghost cried out.
As if on instinct, Sunset called forth a gleaming golden blade that shone as brilliant as the sun. She took several swings with it, sending forth several rays of fire that incinerated all the Fallen in her path. The chamber was now entirely silent, with Sunset panting heavily at the exertion of power she just displayed.
“What… what was that?! It felt incredible!” Sunset exclaimed, a small laugh following her words.
“That was the Light, the power that all Guardians wield. There’s no time to get into details right now. We still need to find a ship.” The Ghost answered flatly.
“Right. A ship.” Sunset nodded as she bolted out a nearby door that led into a small tunnel. Ducking underneath a large, broken fan and passing through a more narrow corridor, Sunset finally emerged outside once more, seeing a large rocket towering over the landscape in the distance. Her eyes darted to a crimson flare that shot up into the sky, a ship appearing out of thin air a moment later. Sunset noted its odd design; it was thin at the back and gradually widened out until it became bulky and circular at the front. She saw the underside open up to reveal more Fallen dropping down onto the field.
“A Fallen skiff, this close to the surface?!” The Ghost exclaimed. Several bolts of blue energy whipped past Sunset’s head as she noticed the Fallen taking shots at her. She raised her rifle and returned fire as she galloped quickly across the field, eventually ducking into another hall that eventually let out into an open dock. In the center of the room was a large ship that hung from the ceiling like an old, rusted chandelier. Several Fallen dotted the bay, and one particular Fallen, a larger one with a bulky rifle gripped in his four clawed arms, alerted the others to Sunset’s presence as they took aim.
“There’s a ship! Clear out the Fallen, Guardian!” The Ghost called out.
Sunset once again reached into the core of her being and summoned forth that same flaming sword as before. A barrage of flame and gunfire lit up the room, until eventually everything went quiet again, Sunset panting heavily as she took a moment to catch her breath.
“It’s been here a while. Looks like it hasn’t made a jump in centuries. We’re lucky the Fallen haven’t completely picked it clean.” The Ghost muttered as he floated up and down the rusted hull of the ship, his singular eye projecting a wave that scanned the ship for parts.
“Will it fly?” Sunset asked.
“I can make it work.” The Ghost chirped mechanically as he evaporated into a mist of Light once more.
After a few moments of digging around in the ship’s guts, it finally sputtered to life as the clattering of worn down parts gradually gave way to the smooth hum of the engines.
“Okay, it’s not going to break orbit, but it just might get us to the City. Now, about that transmat…” The Ghost called.
Sunset’s ears perked up at the sound of something crawling around in the walls. As her gaze turned towards the large opening in the walls behind her, she saw the largest Fallen she’d seen yet. He had large horns that jutted out and ran backwards across his head, along with a total of eight eyes whose menacing orange glow gave a small amount of illumination in the exposed pipe he was crawling out of. As he dropped to the floor and stood to his full height, she saw that he stood nearly a foot taller than most of the Captains that surrounded him, as well as being robed in more ornate garments than the others, though it still maintained the same brilliant red color as the rest. As she prepared for another fight, she suddenly felt a slight tingling sensation as her surroundings disappeared and were replaced by the interior of the ship.
“We can come back for them when you’re ready. For now, let’s get you home.” The Ghost said.
Meanwhile, a robotic woman watched them from a nearby rooftop, her blueish-white eyes carefully tracing the ship’s trajectory as it blasted off into the sky.
“This new Guardian seems like one to watch. What do you think?” She said into her comms.
“She just might be the one we’ve been waiting for. Keep an eye on her for now. I’m curious to see what she’ll do next.” An older-sounding male voice responded.
Back with Sunset:
The ship quieted to a low hum as it continued on its current course, giving Sunset a moment to catch her breath. The ship’s interior was quite a sight for her to behold, a menagerie of lights and sounds that still astounded her despite its clearly run-down condition.
“Where did you say we were going?” Sunset asked.
“The Last City. It’s the headquarters of what’s left of humanity, and it’s quite a sight to behold.” The Ghost answered calmly, his deep tone giving off a slight reverberation in the ship’s small cockpit.
“Right.” Sunset sighed. After fidgeting in place for a few moments, she followed it up with “So, since we’ve got the time, how about we come up with a name for you?”
“A name?” Ghost inquired quizzically.
“Well, yeah. Can’t just call you ‘Ghost’ all the time can I?” Sunset countered as she cocked an eyebrow.
“Fair enough. I suppose it’s something I never gave much thought to. It took me a long time to find you, so much so that I was starting to think I’d never find my Guardian.” Ghost explained.
“How about something sun-related? You know, since we’re a pair and all.” Sunset said.
“Well, there’s quite a few pre-Golden Age figures who made great strides in astronomy. There’s Copernicus, Herschel, Hubble, Galileo-“
“Oh, that one!” Sunset abruptly cut him off.
“Which one?” Ghost asked flatly.
“Galileo. I don’t know why, but it just feels right somehow.” Sunset explained.
Ghost pondered the matter for a few moments, the top portion of his shell expanding and contracting as though he was furrowing his brow, before finally responding with “Very well. Galileo it is.”
The ship suddenly began to shake violently as they passed through a thick cloud cover, rain splashing against the hull as lightning crackled all around before they exited out into much calmer skies. Sunset’s eyes were immediately drawn to the gigantic white orb that hung in the sky, its position over the sprawling city below an impressive mockery of the concept of gravity. Aside from the orb, Sunset also spotted a large tower that reached ambitiously towards the heavens, her eyes following the flight paths of the various ships coming and going from the tower. Suddenly, Sunset felt that same tingling sensation from before as her surroundings warped and vanished, this time being replaced by the tower’s outdoor courtyard. Galileo appeared next to her as they both looked out onto the view of the city.
“Welcome to the last safe city on Earth. The only place the Traveler can still protect.” Galileo explained.
“It’s incredible. Must have taken a long time to build.” Sunset said as she continued to watch the city down below in awe.
“Centuries, in fact. But now, we’re counting every day that it stands.” Galileo responded. He floated past her towards the entrance to the tower’s interior, his shell expanding and contracting as though he was presenting it in its entirety.
“And this Tower is where the Guardians live.”
Author's Note
Sunset is on quite the journey now, isn’t she? Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I honestly can’t say when I’ll have the next one ready but I’ll try to update as much as possible. Also for anyone who was curious, Galileo takes a lot more after Peter Dinklage’s portrayal of Ghost rather than Nolan North’s.