The Fading of the Light

An author's note will follow this chapter

Chapter Two – One Last Look

1145 pm Server time, 30 November 2012 – Croatoa Station, Paragon City

As the monorail rumbled into the station, Luna glanced down to see that her pack was still with her. Even though the station was almost empty, a few citizens were moving to and fro not realizing that their world was about to end, she liked to keep an eye on her pack when they were out and about. As the doors slid open with a hiss, she quickly stepped out of the car, slinging her bookbag up on her back as the three howler wolves took up their places around her.

"I'll call your friend for one last romp in the woods," she promised as she broke into a run down the sloping ramp that connected the station to the city surrounding it.

Activating the steam propelled 'jetpack' she'd acquired in a squalid dungeon over in Brickstown as soon as she hit the pavement, she kicked off and started flying over the city towards the lake.

High above the city, she could see the roving packs of the Tuatha battling the witches of the mysterious coven known as the Cabal, while the residents of the lakeside resort city and college town tried to stay out of their way. Just another day in Croatoa.

As her flight path took her over Lake Salamanca, she could see the serpentine head of Sally, the legendary lake monster off to her right. Giving a sharp whistle to keep her wolves from being distracted, she angled towards the wooded island that was her destination tonight.

As she began to glide towards the northern end of the small island, she could see her friend and mentor War Witch sitting cross-legged, her ghostly form hovering a foot or so above the grass.

As Luna touched down lightly, she allowed the Victorian steampack to fold up and waited for her pack of howler wolves to join her. As the three massive canines bounded into the clearing, shaking themselves vigorously to rid their fur of the lakewater, she grinned.

"Greetings Clarissa," she said sweetly as she plopped down on the grass near the hovering ghost.

"Greetings Lunar Harmony, Beast Mistress and Wielder of the Power of the Storm," War Witch replied with a sad look on her face. "I would have thought you would have been at City Hall with the rest?"

"Atlas Park is a zoo tonight," Luna scoffed, waving her hand airily in the general direction of where the central administrative district of Paragon City could be found, if only for a little while longer.

"And speaking of zoos, that reminds me."

Bouncing to her feet, she raised her face to the sky and gave out a long, mournful howl. A responding howl came from deep in the forest and out of the trees bounded a massive dire wolf.

Five feet tall at the shoulder, the massive canine bounded our to her had licked her face, all the while wagging its tail like an overgrown puppy. Though the howler wolves were ferocious predators, and their alpha had been known to take down a 15 foot rampaging robot by itself, they all three were cowed by the presence of the legendary predator.

"Fluffy, you take the boys and go play in the woods for a bit," Luna instructed. "Redcaps and pumpkin heads are perfectly fine, but no chasing the witches or will-o-wisps unless they attack first," she said as she ruffled the massive canine's ears.

Seeing the reproachful look on his face, she frowned. "I'm serious."

Nodding, the massive wolf looked over its shoulder at the three howler wolves, nodded once, and they all broke for the tree line.

As the wolves disappeared from sight, Luna flopped herself back onto the ground so she could watch War Witch out of the corner of her eye and still see the waters of Lake Salamanca as they lapped on the beach down below what was called Sunset Point.

"You're troubled, young one," War Witch observed as she hovered.

"And you should be," Luna retorted in her Luna Harmony persona. "People have worked so hard to preserve this, to keep the Night back and now it's all for naught."

"It's never for naught," War Witch observed sagely. "The light always blossoms, that is what it does. Evil seeks to corrupt and engulf, that is what it does. Because the struggle ends here, doesn't mean that it ends everywhere." Pausing for a moment, she chuckled.

"And it's not as if Evil triumphed. It's simply 'business'. For reasons known only to 'They Who Must Not Be Named' Paragon City's run in the outer world has come to an end."

"It all feels so … It feels as if it was such as waste," Luna replied as she watched Sally raise her majestic head from the waters of the lake and look around. "I've got friends and allies here …"

"As you do in your real world, little one," War Witch countered. "It isn't as if this was when you were growing up, you have friends and family, ones who love you and will stick by you."

Smirking, War Witch wagged her finger at the disgruntled Beast Mistress. "Your spouses even looked into trying to save this for you, didn't they?"

"Apparently, 'loads of money' can't compete with 'fiscal realities," Luna groused. "Harry said his financial manager heard a rumor that they're being paid to take everything offline."

Far off, in the city, they could hear the warning notices alerting Heroes and Villains alike that there were five minutes until it was all over.

Shaking her head, War Witch looked at the young girl and smiled. "You never did say why you weren't over in Atlas Park tonight. Most everyone's there, saying 'goodbye'."

"Too crowded," Luna said simply. "Too noisy. Whoever included drums in the standard kit …"

Seeing the smirk on War Witch's face, Luna scowled. "They've got a drumline three deep around the statue in front of City Hall. If I wanted obnoxious dance music, I would have gone to Pocket D."

"The only mystery there is why Desperate Guy has never given up," came a voice from behind them.

Looking over her shoulder, Lunar Harmony smiled as Sniper 7 touched down on the grass lightly behind them. Hoisting his massive sniper rifle over his shoulder, he nodded to War Witch politely as he carefully moved forward.

"I thought you would be in Atlas Park," Luna observed as the tall Blaster knelt down beside her. "Though the last I had heard you were in Dark Astoria."

"Just helping out a friend," he replied as he reached into one of the pouches on the utility belt he wore. Pulling out a badge emblazoned with a ring of stars surrounding a set of scales, he flipped it to her.

"Surgeon and Raider thought you should have this, even though you never petitioned the group for admission," he said as she caught the badge from the Paragon Swat supergroup with her offhand. "Since all of the active 50s were in agreement …"

Blushing, Luna took the badge and pinned it on her costume, the Bronze and Blue tones of Ravenclaw immediately shifting to the more muted greys and blues of the supergroup.

Hearing the warning klaxon, she looked up and sighed.

"It's time."

"Look" whispered War Witch, and Sniper 7 lifted his eyes to Heaven (There is always a last time for everything).

Overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out.

Fin

A/n – Everything from the world of Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling and her corporate partners. Everything from City of Heroes (except for our memories) belongs to NCSoft. Lunar Harmony and Sniper 7 are heroes from the game, Luna said her Beast Mistress alter ego could come out and play one final time and Sniper 7 is a level 50 assault rifle/gadget Blaster, so he does pretty much what he wants these days.

Apologies to all of you who are not familiar with the game, but I tried to keep everything as self-explanitory as I could.

The last two lines were adapted from Arthur C Clarke's remarkable 1953 short story "The Nine Billion Names of God". No disrespect or infringement was intended, but I've never read a more perfect scene for describing the end of the world, quietly and without any fuss.

Farewell to all of those who played the game. And since the motto of Paragon City was 'The Birthplace of Tomorrow', remember what a wise man once said.

"Don't despair for tomorrow. Look it in the eye and say 'hello'. Or, if necessary, wrestle it to the ground, put your knee on its neck and make it cry 'uncle' because we're heroes. This is what we do."