“Chief? Chief, are you alright?” Cortana’s voice seemed a little distant to the Spartan and he slowly opened his eyes, finding himself in the remains of once used to be the Dawn’s motor pool.

“Great. Good to see your luck hasn't run out yet,” the smart AI commented.

“Where are we?” the Master Chief asked.

“Checking coordinate impact data...” she said, before randomly blurting out in a distorted voice, “we have asked your to give up your family, your childhood, your future...”

The Chief shook his head in confusion. “Cortana?”

“I’m sorry... it’s the crash. I’ll be fine.”

“What happened?” the Spartan asked as he climbed out of the warthog he had holed up in.

“The Dawn crashed landed into the planet. I did what I could to make the landing as pleasant as I could, but the ship is a total loss. Parts of it are scattered for miles. Most of the vehicles save for a couple warthogs and one scorpion tank are destroyed. The armory is trashed, and only a few of the experimental weapons the UNSC had stored on board survived. And we’re light years away from any human settlements, if we’re lucky enough that those weren’t destroyed by the Covenant and they still have the ability to come here and save us. Overall, I’d say the situation is pretty dire.”

“Where’s the armory?” the Chief asked.

“Parts of it are scattered for miles, but a portion of it is still within the main part of the wreckage. I’ll set a waypoint.”

A small yellow arrow showed up on the Master Chief’s HUD, with a distance marker of several dozen meters away. After several minutes of making his way through the wreckage of the Dawn, he found himself in what was supposed to be where the Dawn’s armory used to be. The only difference between the remains of the armory and the rest of the wreckage surrounding it was a few scattered weapons, most broken, and several battered weapons lockers.

“Weapons are over there,” Cortana said as she highlighted a nearby weapon’s locker. “Go nuts.”

The Chief approached the locker the smart AI had marked, which had since fallen over on its side. After pushing the locker over onto itss back, the Spartan wretched open the locker doors, revealing the contents to the Spartan.

Inside were several experimental weapons, including two assault rifles, two battle rifles, one DMR, one shotgun, two magnums, and a sniper rifle, plus plenty of ammo. These weapons were supposed to go in service several years ago. The Spartan wondered if they made it into service yet for a brief second as he snatched a sniper rifle and locked it into place on his back. He then grabbed the magnums and clipped them to his legs, then grabbed an assault rifle and a battle rifle in each hand and started to retrace his steps towards the remains of the motor pool.

“Chief, I picked up what appeared to be a settlement on the way down. I originally discounted it, but after looking into it more with a few surviving external cameras, I can pick up multiple unnatural light sources to the east. With our apparent lack of firepower, I recommend avoiding contact with any possible threats,” Cortana advised.

“Understood,” the Chief responded. “Cortana, is there any way for me to get those warthogs out of this mess?”

“Negative. However, there may be a possibility that you can blow a path through the wreckage with a scorpion tank. There is one still intact in the motor pool. Make it quick, Chief. The crash appears to have attracted some attention.”

Princess Celestia awoke with a start upon feeling something light landing on her head. The princess let out a small yawn and flicked on the light on her nightstand. After a few minutes of searching for what awoke her, she came across a hastily-written note. After a moment's examination, she noticed that the note had Spike’s hoof--no, claw--writing.

“Dear Princess Celestia,” she read to herself, “there is a big possibility that Equestria is in danger.

“This evening, as me and Spike were stargazing, what originally appeared to be a shooting star crashed into area on the border of the Everfree Forest. However, there is proof that this shooting star may possibly be an alien space vehicle. One of the pieces that sheared off landed near us, and we were able to identify markings in it, as well as the words ‘United Nations Space Command’. Even if it isn’t, I recommend an immediate deployment of Royal Guards to Ponyville. Our local detachment likely won’t be able to handle the inevitable panic... or an alien invasion.

“Signed, Twilight Sparkle.”

Climbing out of her bed and doing her best to keep a calm face, the alabaster alicorn made her way to her bedroom door. After giving a couple light taps, the door opened to reveal a unicorn Sun Guard, bags under his eyes, likely thanks to his long shifts.

“Do you require anything, Your Majesty?” he asked.

“Bring me Captain Firewall, and send for Prince Shining Armor as well, please,” she requested.

“By your will,” he said, bowing before turning tail and making his way down the hall at a brisk pace. Gently closing the door behind her, the princess made her way to a nearby cushion and sat on it, awaiting her company.

A billion scenarios raced through the alicorn’s head as she waited. What if Twilight as right? What if this wasn’t just some meteor strike? What if there were aliens aboard the object? Would they even survive the crash? Would it be the beginning of an invasion?

“Would it lead the destruction of Equestria?” she asked herself silently. The noise of her door opening shook her out of her thoughts and turned her attention to who was entering, Captain Firewall.

After Shining Armor left to lead to the Crystal Kingdom with Princess Cadence, Firewall was chosen as the best candidate for Captain. He was one of the only Royal Guard officers to serve in combat, having served in the Coltistan and Saddle Arabian conflicts. When the Changelings invaded Canterlot, he was the only officer not trapped at the wedding. Instead, he was leading the Royal Guard, as well as Equestrian Army reinforcements, against the swarm. So far, Firewall has proven to be as good of a leader as Shining Armor, if not better.

“Your Majesty,” he greeted as he bowed before her.

“Please rise, Captain. No need to be so formal,” Princess Celestia stated with a small, amused smile.

“Thank you, Princess,” he said, before a loud yawn escaped his lips. “I wasn’t expecting business so late. Tell me, does this have to do anything with that meteor crash earlier? I got information for our Ponyville detachment that it crashed in their vicinity.”

“Indeed,” the princess said. “My student, Twilight Sparkle, was in the area when it crashed. She has alerted me that a piece of the object sheared off it and landed near her, and she could identify markings as well as the words ‘United Nations Space Command’ engraved in it. Now, whether or not this object is proof of alien life or not remains to be seen. If my student’s... hypothesis... is right, I don’t want there to be any risks to the citizens of Ponyville and the rest of Equestria. I was an immediate deployment of the Royal Guard to Ponyville, only leaving Guards that are necessary at Canterlot. I also want you to alert General Ironhoof to prepare his forces for an immediate deployment, in case this happens to be the beginning of an invasion.”

“And if it isn’t?” Firewall asked.

“Well, you know my little ponies,” she said with a toothy grin, “they always get riled up over nothing.”

The Captain let out a light chuckle. “Indeed. You should have seen this one time in Trottingham when a dragon ambassador wanted to get some of his favorite tea. He sent the entire town running. And he wasn’t even that big, either.”

“Ah yes, I remember that,” Celestia said. “Captain, as much as I would like to stay and chat, we do have a possible threat to Equestria to take care of.”

The Captain’s face turned red hot. “O-O-Of course, Your Majesty. I’ll have our forces in Ponyville in less than thirty minutes.”

“Excellent. You are dismissed, Captain.”

*BOOM*

“Good job, Chief,” Cortana said as the last bits of wreckage came crashing down, revealing the path out of the remnants of the Dawn. “I wouldn’t recommend using the Scorpion. It’d probably attract a lot of attention.”

“Understood.”

Popping the top off the tank, the Spartan climbed out of the Scorpion and jogged back to the remains of the motor pool, picking up the battle rifle he placed aside and tossing in the back of a nearby warthog.

“Alert, two unidentified contacts are heading this way from that possible settlement. Engaging them wouldn’t be your wisest decision,” Cortana advised as the Chief climbed into his hog.

The Spartan revved the engine twice before putting the pedal to the metal, sending the hog rocketing through the path of destruction caused earlier by the Scorpion. The wreckage eventually opened up to a flattened forest and an open field. A few rabbits who were examining the wrecked watched, frozen in fear as the M12 LRV screeched in front of them

“Head into the forest and stay hidden until the contacts pass,” the smart AI said.

The Chief drove his hog past the flattened part of the forest and into the tree line. Satisfied that he and the warthog were properly camouflaged, the Spartan hopped out of the LRV and unslung his sniper rifle, balancing it against his shoulder and peering down the scope.

With the press of a button, after a few moments, the two contacts came into view. One of them resembled a miniature horse, while the other resembled a small child. They were clearly not a threat.

“Cortana,” the Spartan whispered, “what exactly am I looking at?”

After a moment’s pause, the smart AI responded. “I checked all my databases... can’t identify the small biped, but the equine appears to be a unicorn.”

“A unicorn?” the Chief asked.

“Look closely,” Cortana prompted.

The Spartan focused on the approaching equine. After a moment, he was able to make out a horn projected out of its head, something he had originally mistaken as its mane.

“My guess is that the unicorn, or whatever it is, is a domesticated animal, and the little bipedal creature may be it’s owner. Just a guess, though. Perhaps-=”

“Cortana,” the Master Chief said, interrupting the AI’s ramblings.

“What?”

“They’re talking.”

“Twilight... I don’t think we should be here...” Spike said quietly, glancing around for anything suspicious.

“Quiet, Spike,” Twilight prompted, glancing over at the baby dragon. “We have a duty to Equestria, no, the world, to fulfill.”

“And what duty is that?” he asked.

“Spike, are you blind? Can you not see all this?” the lavender unicorn asked, motioning to the wreckage of the Dawn.

“Yeah. I see a meteor. It’s cool, but nothing special,” Spike said with a shrug.

“Are you crazy? This isn’t just some meteor. Look at this!” Twilight exclaimed, moving up to a particular pile of wreckage. “This is a girder. They use these to put together skyscrapers in Manehattan. And look at this one. This has writing on it. It says ‘UNSC’, or something like that. Can’t you see?”

“See what?”

“There is no way an Equestrian-built vehicle capable of space travel, especially at this size. This is an alien craft. We aren’t alone in this universe. Think of what we could learn from this! Think of the advanced alien technology among the ruins of this craft! If we adapt it to our needs, we could advance our technology by decades, possibly centuries!”

While Twilight continued on her rant, Spike’s attention was turned elsewhere. “Hey Twilight?”

Twilight didn’t notice her assistant, just continued ranting.

“TWILIGHT!” he shouted, ending her rant and causing her to look his way.

“What?”

“Look,” he said, pointing at the ground. There seemed to be something similar to cart tracks leading out of the wreckage, just larger.

“Tracks...” Twilight said, as the gears in her head start turning, “There must be survivors.”

“Uh oh,” Cortana said, her voice seeming to distort slightly. “Those creatures spotted the tracks and are heading your way. Chief-=”

At that moment, the sounds of a thousand voices filled the Chief’s head.

“Take the shot!”

“Get out of here!”

“Take the shot!”

“Kill them! Before they do!”

“Chief, run!”

“TAKE THE SHOT!”

Then, above the voice sounded a shrill cry of pain, causing the Spartan to flinch from pain.

“Cortana?!” he demanded in hushed tone, concerned.

“I’m sorry, John... evade, evade now!” Cortana responded.

The Spartan slowly crept away from the warthog and into the treeline, hiding himself among the various shrubs and bushes, his olive-green armor camouflaging him perfectly.

“Wait here. Hopefully, they’ll move on,” Cortana advised.

“Twilight... what are you doing?” Spike asked as the lavender unicorn started following the tracks.

“Spike, imagine the possibilities if we could track down the survivors. Think of what we could learn from them! I’m sure if we offer them some help, they’ll be willing to tell us about their technological advancements.”

“But what if they don’t?”

“Well then...” Twilight began to say, a mischievous smile spreading across her face, “I guess an interrogation and a dissection would be in--ouch!”

The unicorn rubbed her aching her head for a few minutes, before lighting up her horn and checking what she bumped in to.

“Woah...” Spike said in awe, “What is it?”

“I don’t know. It looks like a cart, but different. Obviously some sort of ground transport for the aliens. They must be close.” As she finished saying this, she started checking the ground around the vehicle, checking for any signs of tracks. Upon approaching the right side of the the vehicle, she found a set of tracks leading into the forest.

“Bingo! Come along, Spike!” she said cheerfully, beginning to follow these new sets of tracks.

“Chief, I recommend firing a warning shot. She’s onto you,” Cortana advised.

The Chief nodded in acknowledgement, slowly and silently sliding his sniper rifle behind his back locking it in place, then he unholstered one of his magnums and brought it to bear.

There was a distinct crack as the magnum discharged, a single round exiting the firearm’s chamber and rocketing towards the lavender unicorn, missing its face by inches.

The unicorn stood there, frozen, while the small, purple bipedal creature fell to the ground, clutching his head. Moments passed before the bipedal creature crawled over to the unicorn and started to tap its hoof lightly.

“Twilight...?” it, a young male by the sound of its voice, asked the purple unicorn.

The unicorn suddenly shook its head violently before its horn glowed a bright violet, and the two were surrounded by a pink barrier.

“Who’s out there?!” this ‘Twilight’ demanded, aiming its horn threateningly at the tree line.

“KILL HER BEFORE SHE KILLS US!” Cortana’s voice boomed inside of the Spartan’s head.

The Chief did his best to ignore Cortana’s outbursts and unstable condition. Though this was a very bad sign, it was something that needed to dealt with another time. Clipping his magnum to his leg, the Spartan brought his assault rifle to his shoulder, training it on the lavender unicorn.

Suddenly, five contacts in formation showed up on the Spartan’s motion tracker, and they were approaching their location fast.

“Miss Sparkle!” A male voice called out, “Is that you?!”

Twilight looked up to see a squadron of pegasi Royal Guards rapidly approaching their location. She let out a small sigh of relief, but did not let down her shield. Just in case.

The guards landed around the unicorn and looked around for anything out of the ordinary, before turning their attention back to Twilight. “Miss Sparkle,” one of them said, “what are you doing out here?”

“I was out stargazing when that object crashed. I went to investigate and came across evidence that the object wasn’t a meteor, but a crashed extra-Equestrian space vehicle. I also found tracks leading into the forest, as well as that thing,” she said, motioning over to the alien vehicle. “I came under attack once I approached the forest by some sort of projectile, similar to the rifles in use by the Army.”

The guards glanced around at each other. “I... I haven’t been trained for anything like this. But don’t worry about it, Miss Sparkle, we’ve got it under control. Shooting Star, please escort Ms. Sparkle back to Ponyville and get us some back up. We’ll start combing the nearby area for these aliens.”

“Yes, Sergeant,” Shooting Star said as he turned to the lavender unicorn. “Come on, let’s get a move on, ma’am.”

Twilight Sparkle took one last look at the forest and the remains of the Dawn, before letting down her shield and allowing Spike to hop onto her back. “Alright, let’s. Good luck, Sergeant.”

“Don’t worry about us, Miss Sparkle. We can handle a few aliens,” one of the Guards said.

“Boy are they in for a big surprise,” the Master Chief heard Cortana comment as he watched the unicorn leave with one of the equine soldiers.

The fact that these were soldiers meant a couple things. One, that there was some sort of government in this land. Second, these leaders were aware of the Dawn’s crash, but at the moment, not aware of his presence, based on the dialogue between the purple unicorn and the soldiers. And thirdly, the fact they are soldiers means that the Chief was a little bit more open to defending himself against them, should they attempt to attack him.

Which was a major probability.

“Alright, gents, let’s get this show on the road. They can’t be too far away, so this should be easy. Spread out and find them,” the squad leader ordered.

“Chief, I do not recommend lethal tactics against these combatants unless necessary. However, simply sitting here or running isn’t an option. You’ll need to take them down, quietly and non-lethally, one by one,” Cortana said as the Spartan watched the group of soldiers split up and start moving in the forest.

“Understood,” the Chief whispered, his voice no quieter than a mouse.