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Halo: The Foreshadowing Dream

by Midsummer Ocean

Chapters

Prologue: Harmony and War

For centuries now, mankind has always wondered if life could exist on other planets; or other unknown places in the vast universe that is possibly still growing wider at a very slow pace. So far, nothing has been proved.

Humanity constantly believed that life could be found on our sister planet of Mars because of the ice cap that rests on top of it. That had to mean that there was once sources of water on the planet, and possibly living organisms that lived centuries ago. But no one can still be sure.

Throughout the years, the planet Earth has always been our main source of life and existence. But by the twenty-second century, it was deemed as overpopulated.

By good fortune through from the support of the human military, the United Nations Space Command, humanity was able to travel through the unknown regions of space to locate new worlds to expand on.

Humanity was successful in discovering such worlds, and then colonization was put into progress. It was from then on that mankind could live in prosperity with each other, and with any other beings that may exist.

Things did not stay that way for long.

In the late twenty-fifth century, humanity fell into war with rebels that were known as Insurrectionists. Soon afterward, a new enemy appeared that not only threatened the UNSC, but our very existence in the universe.

On the date of February 3, 2525, we discovered that there is extraterrestrial life living in our universe; but they were anything but friendly like we hoped.

The beings that we first encountered were the reptilian Kig-Yar.

They were vicious and bloodthirsty scaly monsters that had great eyesight and dexterity. Their personalities could be described as greedy which could done them as space pirates or bandits.

These creatures were soon discovered to be part of a religious and genocidal diverse alien collective calling itself the Covenant.

For many years we have been fighting a losing war against this relentless and merciless alien empire. They have killed billions and glassed our worlds throwing away everything that had meaning to us.

Fortunately, the UNSC had created a program that would develop a collection of super soldiers that were known as SPARTANS.

Despite being inducted at the age of six, most of these children were trained to be killing machines to be used against Innie forces, but proved to be very useful against the Covenant as well.

The sad part is that most of the children died in the augmentation process, and that most of the surviving SPARTANS were listed as MIA while they performed their duties; when in reality, their status was KIA.

One of the SPARTAN-II’s that was thought to be dead was Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, along with his AI companion CTN 0452-9, or Cortana for short.

The last known whereabouts of John and Cortana was on the date of December 11, 2552. They activated Halo Installation Zero-Four B which had been listed as destroyed because it fired when it wasn’t even complete yet. The premature firing also badly damaged or destroyed the Halo production facility, Installation Zero-Zero which is better known as The Ark. The reason for this desperate act was to put a final end to a virulent parasite known as the Flood.

When Thel ‘Vadam who was the former Covenant Arbiter and commander of the fleet, Particular Justice was the only one who arrived back on Earth with only the bow half of UNSC Charon-class light frigate Forward Unto Dawn remaining, the UNSC and the rest of mankind knew that they have lost one of their greatest heroes.

On March 3rd, 2553, a memorial service was held in the African savannah to remember those who had fallen to protect the existence of humanity. John was listed as one of the fallen of course.

To close the ceremony, Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood gave the following speech.

For us, the storm has passed. The war is over.

But let us never forget those who journeyed into the howling dark, and did not return.

But their decision required courage beyond measure...sacrifice, and unshakable conviction that their fight, our fight, was elsewhere.

As we start to rebuild, this site will remain barren, a memorial to heroes fallen.

They ennobled all of us, and they should not be forgotten.

It wasn’t until four years later that John and Cortana were discovered stranded on the Forerunner shield world of Requiem by the UNSC’s newest vessel, the Infinity.

Before crash landing on Requiem, John and Cortana were surprised and a bit confused when a new kind of Covenant is present on the wreckage of the backside of the Dawn.

It isn’t until a year later that we found out that this Covenant Remnant was led by a Sangheili cultist leader by the name of Jul ‘Mdama.

Unlike the original Covenant, Jul doesn’t intend to fire the Halo rings in order to begin the Great Journey like the false San 'Shyuum prophets intended. Instead, he seems more interested in collecting Forerunner artifacts and pieces of technology that will make his fleet an unstoppable force to the UNSC.

He has managed to obtain one Forerunner artifact known as the Janus Key from the help of Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey who is the founder of the SPARTAN-II project, and the creator of Cortana.

Dr. Halsey seems to have currently sided with Jul and his army after she realized the UNSC deliberately tried to execute her for her crimes.

The good news is that Jul doesn’t have the full key, he only possesses half of it. The other half is onboard the Infinity currently being studied.

The UNSC are now on a manhunt to locate Jul and Halsey, and take them both down.

One of the vessels joining in on the search is the UNSC corvette, Pony Express.

Not only is it on the search for Halsey and Jul, it’s also testing out a new piece of slipspace technology that will be used on DG79-HTC/MA class Pelicans so they can jump into slipspace freely without the need for being shielded by other ships that have shields that can tolerate slipspace travel.

Onboard this UNSC vessel is Spartan Aaron Jensen (00834-31292-AJ). He’s a SPARTAN-IV hailing from the outskirts of the city, New Cedar Rapids on the planet Earth. The homeworld of all humanity.

He was born to a family of corn farmers in the year of 2535 which was during the time of the UNSC-Innie war. The Covenant thankfully didn’t find Earth at this time.

Aaron wanted to serve as a marine in the UNSC to help fight the Innies when he turned eighteen, but his family forbade it because they needed him to carry on the family ways of running the farm. If he perished in battle, he wouldn’t be able to fulfill that wish.

Influenced by rebellion, he ran away from his farm one night to vent off his frustrations and to find anyway to escape the town.

Exhausted from hitting multiple dead ends and having a low supply of food, he reluctantly brought himself back to the farm.

Tragically when he arrived, he disturbingly discovered that his farm was attacked and destroyed by Innie forces. He soon found the mutilated bodies of his parents and his little brother and sister.

While he was grieving over his loss, he was soon ambushed by an Innie straggler wielding a M90-CAWS in his hands.

Now fueled by adrenaline, fear, and rage; Aaron swiftly side-stepped the trooper and tripped him. Then he grabbed a nearby chair and slammed it hard on the troopers’ head and neck stunning him and forcing the shotgun out of his hands. It’s then that Aaron seized the weapon for himself.

Before the trooper could recover from the blow of the chair, Aaron mindlessly aimed the shotgun at the troopers head and pulled the trigger which caused an explosion of blood, brain, and skull to splatter in most directions.

Aaron stared down at the headless corpse of his attacker in shock. He just couldn’t believe he actually killed a living person. Of course he knew the person was hostile, but the feeling of murdering another human being takes its hold.

Aaron dropped the shotgun from his shaky hands, then he collapsed on his knees and sobbed the rest of the night.

It wasn’t until the next morning that UNSC soldiers found him still in his parents home and hunching near the body of the Innie trooper.

They first thought that Aaron killed his family members since their bodies were present in the same room, but the body of the Innie conflicted that theory.

After being questioned and proved innocent while on trial, the UNSC took Aaron in and trained him to be the soldier he wanted to be.

In 2555, he officially began service as a marine until 2557 when he volunteered for the SPARTAN-IV project.

Unlike the SPARTAN-II’s, the SPARTAN-IV’s mostly consisted of consenting adults instead of children, and SPARTAN-III veterans if they were up for the position.

Also, the augmentation procedures were safer, quicker, and more efficient compared to S-II’s. The training still had its brutal and tough nature through, but volunteers were already in good shape to handle most of the trials thanks to their experience in combat with Innies and Covenant.

In the year of 2558, Aaron became a member of Fireteam Mustang onboard the UNSC: Infinity as their close combat specialist. His primary weapon system consisted of the M45D-TS, and the M6H-PDWS which was a common backup pistol for all UNSC personnel. His secondary specialty was as an operator and mechanic for vehicles.

To repair, or if he was to hijack any available Covenant vehicles, he was inserted with neural implants to gain the knowledge of how to perform such tasks.

On the date of January 15, 2558, his team won a war game simulation of Capture the Flag against Fireteam Grassland.

This victory earned his team the right to perform the tougher missions during the Second Battle of Reqiem.

After the Forerunner planet was destroyed by colliding with its own sun, Fireteam Mustang is currently standing down, except Aaron.

This is where his involvement on the Pony Express begins, along with the new slipspace technology for the Pelicans.

He’s not onboard to be a crewmember of the vessel; he’s there to be the test subject for this risky experiment.

He’s fully aware that he is putting his life on a very thin line, but that’s how courageous he is. He knows he may see his family again if he doesn’t make it.

Tragedy and war may have made him tough, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t still soft and caring at heart.

He loved his family so much, along with the animals that he tended to on the farm. Sometimes when he felt lonely and needed someone to talk too, he did it with the animals despite their ability to talkback. This never bothered him a bit.

It’s quite a funny thing to think about what would happen if animals could talk, but frankly we all know that it is not possible. Or is it?

***

In an unknown and undiscovered part of the universe millions of lightyears away from all known areas of humans and aliens alike, is a single and lonely earth-like planet that is deemed as Equis.

We did not give it that name of course, it was given by the inhabitants of this world. What are the inhabitants you ask? The answer will shock you, or you may not believe it at all.

Equis is home to the monsters and creatures that we’ve heard about only in fairy tales and mythology.

Crazy as it seems, it’s very true. Humanity just hasn’t bothered or haven’t yet developed the technology to travel to such places or dimensions.

Equis is a beautiful and harmonized planet mostly inhabited by intelligent and technologically advanced pony-like creatures that have learned to get along with one another. It is also where the continent of Equestria stands, and where Princess Celestia, goddess of the sun and her younger sister, Princess Luna who is goddess of the moon rule their kingdom in perfect harmony.

There was once a strong rebellious evil that overcame Luna transforming her into the dreaded Nightmare Moon.

Seeing that her younger sister would not stand down, Celestia had no choice but to use the Elements of Harmony against her to banish her to a thousand years in the moon.

Nightmare Moon was finally freed like the prophecy foretold and brought back eternal night to modern day Ponyville.

By good fortune through, a unicorn by the name of Twilight Sparkle formed a friendship with five special mares and used the power of friendship to once again defeat Nightmare Moon. But instead of banishing her again, they brought back the real Luna who decided to accept Celestia's friendship and once again rule peacefully with her older sister again.

With all the adventures Twilight has had with her friends and discovering the deep meanings of friendship, Twilight has became an alicorn princess like her mentor Celestia, and her old foal-sitter Princess Cadence.

So far things are looking up for Twilight, her friends, and all of Equestria. But when a human like Aaron accidently stumbles upon this mysterious kingdom, will things become better; or will everything crumble around them?

This will be one of the most toughest and brutal challenges that Twilight and the others will have to face.  

Chapter One: Nightmare or Premonition

CABIN OF SPARTAN AARON KYLE JENSEN

UNSC CORVETTE: PONY EXPRESS

5/12/2558 UNSC MILITARY CALENDER

0300 HOURS

While catching up on some quick rest after a long and very busy day of running Pelican flight simulations onboard the Pony Express, Aaron was having a very strange dream. The only thing is that this dream was not very pleasant. While you're serving as a soldier and seeing plenty of death and conflict, the dreams you have rarely contain a peaceful atmosphere or picture for you.

--

In this dream, he could hear the sounds of civilians screaming and gunfire from UNSC weapons, and the shots of plasma and crystalline shards echoing through the air with the sound of a supercombine explosion following. It was obvious that it was the noise of combat from Covenant forces with civilians being in the center of it. It was the worst type of combat situation that all members of the UNSC faced throughout the entire Human-Covenant war. This also happened with Innies on a few occasions.

Aaron then heard his own voice along with others that belonged to people that he didn’t even know. His vision was too clouded to actually make out who or what he was conversing with, but he assumed it to be any other person.

“C’mon take my hand! We need to get out of here now!” he heard himself yell over the civilian screams, and the droning of engines of what was presumed belonged to a Type G79-HTC Pelican dropship.

“Ah don't know if Ah can!” replied a female voice with a clear southern Missouri Ozarks or Texan accent.

"Yes you can, AJ. Trust me."

There was a quick moment of hesitation as if the girl was thinking things over.

“Okay. Ah trust ya.”

Aaron then felt what he presumed to be the hand of the girl in his own hand and he pulled her up. The odd thing was he didn't feel any fingers.

“Everyone’s aboard pilot! Get us the hell out of here!” Aaron yelled over to the direction of the Pelican’s cockpit.

“Aye aye sir!” the voice of the pilot replied before closing the hatch and taking off.

Aaron then felt his hands begin to rub his two eyes as if he was trying to clear out whatever was obstructing his sight. He didn’t hear anyone speak, not even the southern girl.

After what seemed to be about fifty-five seconds into the Pelican’s ascension, a sound of an explosion severely rocked the cabin. It seemed to originate from the port wing of the Pelican. The sound of the emergency alarm went off and the pilot began shouting into his headset.

“Mayday! Mayday! This is Pelican dropship 383! One of our engine's has been hit! I’m loosing her! I repeat! We’ve been hit and are quickly losing altitude! Over!”

Aaron now heard the frantic and panicky screams of the passengers onboard. He even made out the screams and sobs of the unidentifiable and unknown AJ.

Nothing was more heart wrenching than to hear the cry of a person who knew they’re life was about to end in such a horrible and terrifying way. It was just enough to make a tough Spartan like Aaron begin to shed tears.

The Pelican was in a nose dive while spinning wildly out of control. After about twenty-five seconds of pure terror, Aaron heard the sound of glass breaking and water rushing in as the Pelican collided with a body of very deep water presumably killing him, and everyone else onboard.

--

Aaron shot straight up from his cot struggling to catch his breath while sweating profusely. That was the third week in a row for having that terrifying dream; or nightmare to be put in proper terms.

One thing that is strange is that this nightmare only began occuring when he became acquainted with the corvette, UNSC: Pony Express and not when he was a SPARTAN-IV fireteam member aboard the Infinity.

The second reason being is that it’s an event that hasn’t even happened during his time serving with the UNSC. It’s a fact that most human beings have recurring dreams or nightmares about events that have already happened to them. The most common place is in their past. In that case, Aaron would keep reliving the time when he discovered his family slaughtered by Insurrectionists, and killing the Innie trooper that camped out in his house.

The third thing being is that it only happened at 0300 hrs; the witching hour.

It made no sense to Aaron that he was experiencing a life event that hasn’t happened to him at all, or at least not yet anyways. He knew no one by the name of AJ, except one of his fellow Spartans and friends by the name of Adam-Joe Harrison (00415-01133-AH).

Obviously this was someone else who went by the name of AJ because the voice was feminine, and she sounded like she came from the southern or western regions of some planet; possibly Harvest.

It was then that Aaron theorized that he was having some kind of premonition for a future event. Crazy as it was, it seemed very logical, but Aaron knew he wasn’t gifted with any psychological powers that allowed him to see an event that was bound to happen soon or eventually. If this nightmare meant something, he knew he would have to stay alert and keep his guard up.

After calming down and regaining a normal breathing pace, he wiped sweat away from his brow and forehead. The crevices between the abs of his bare chest have collected and released some sweat as well. What’s worse is that he drenched his sheets with sweat.

Groaning, Aaron got himself off of his small bed and went over to a small sink to wash his face and eyes out. As usual he looked weary and disoriented from the sudden wake up.

This was starting to become unbearable for him, but Spartans like him were highly disciplined for fighting off the urge to rest while in combat, or performing other tasks. They were not meant to behave like worthless Unggoy.

  

After cleaning himself off, Aaron decided just to go back to sleep. Thankfully this nightmare only happened once a night, but it seemed to grow slightly more terrifying each time it occurred because Aaron wasn’t in control of it. It was just like watching a horror film that you can watch, but can't do anything to intervene in a certain scenario.

All he could do now was to as least resume sleeping, and put this mysterious nightmare aside. A soldier’s duty is to not let their imaginations get to them, whether they seem real or not.

***

0921 HOURS

The very next morning, Aaron woke up smoothly this time, but he still felt very groggy from his nightly nightmare ordeal. It seemed like his body just couldn’t really adapt to his new wake up/sleeping schedule, but as usual he didn’t let it get to him.

He showered, got dressed up in his usual plain white t-shirt and baggy military pants, then casually brushed his teeth.

After he took care of his hygienic needs, he got down on the floor doing one-hundred reps of pushups and situps to keep his body in good shape.

Since the Express didn’t have any War Game simulation rooms to train Spartans like him, he had to rely on self-training instead.

There was even a special small crimson punching bag dangling from the ceiling in his cabin to keep his arm muscles strong. Apparently the punching bag was designed with a tougher skin and stability because a regular one would easily falter or explode from a Spartans’ superior strength.

After finishing up his daily workout, Aaron left his cabin and proceeded to the ships' mess hall for some breakfast. It was there he would be meeting his fellow Spartans and friends, AJ and Spartan Zeke Fredrickson (00763-10274-ZF).

AJ was close to Aaron’s age hailing from the planet of New Harmony. He was a white caucasian male like Aaron and Zeke. He had dark brown eyes and very short brown hair.

Zeke was in his early thirties and was born and raised on the planet of Mars. He was slightly more buff than Aaron and AJ because he specialized in heavy weaponry. His head was completely shaven so you couldn’t tell what color hair he had. His eye color had a slight green hue to them.

Aaron had very short dirty blonde hair and deep blue eyes.

The only thing that Aaron needed right now was a good meal, and at least a laugh or two with his buddies. At least that ought to put him in higher spirits.

MESS HALL

0926 HOURS

The breakfast menu that was planned today was scrambled eggs and green beans.

The diet for all UNSC personnel consisted of fruits and vegetables, along with entrees that contained high protein and other sources of nutritious vitamins and minerals that would keep soldiers alert on the field of battle.

After Aaron got his servings, he walked over to the table to where AJ and Zeke were waiting. They already appeared to be in a conversation.

“....and then I was like to this one squid-jaw freak,“If you don’t get your ugly split-lip face off of this rock, I’m going to find your house back on Planet Jackass, and screw your wife till she’s dry and empty,” joked Zeke. It was his usual thing to be a bit vulgar and graphic when telling his wild stories.

“Why would you say or feel like doing that in the first place? We don’t even know what Sangheili females even look like. As far as I know, we’re killing their husbands for making the mistake of messing with bad ass Spartans like us,” AJ said chuckling. He wasn’t as bad as Zeke, but still found his jokes amusing. He also knew that Zeke was making this all up.

“I’ll have to say that the females are probably smaller and have a more slender figure like most women have. Who knows of hinge head chicks are sexy just like human chicks though.”

“I’d rather not think about it,” AJ shuddered.

“I would,” Zeke cracked.

“Hey guys,” Aaron said as he sat down. “What’s going on?”

“Oh hey Jensen, you just missed Fredrickson tell the most bullshit story ever,” AJ said.

“It wasn’t bullshit. It was...uh...witty,” Zeke retorted.

“Witty my ass,” AJ said rolling his eyes. “So what’s new with you?” he asked Aaron.

“Well I had that strange nightmare yet again. As usual I can’t seem to control what I’m doing or saying in it,” Aaron replied. “I would think by now I would be able to do such a thing considering it’s the exact same one every time. It begins, flows along, and ends the exact same way without a single or small change.”

“Well at least it’s not about having sex with a female squid-jaw,” AJ bluntly said.

Aaron raised a brow.

“Why the hell would I dream about something like that?”

“Oh nevermind,” AJ said with his eyes now shifting nervously.

“Well, at least it couldn’t be as worse as the one I’m currently having,” Aaron optimistically said.

“That’s the spirit kid,” Zeke said grinning proudly.

“So you believe it’s some kind of vision of the future?” AJ asked.

“That’s what I’ve always theorized because it’s something I don’t remember from the past. What I can’t figure out though is why my vision is blurred severely so I can’t see what’s really happening and how to prevent it?”

“Maybe it means you have to figure it out for yourself when it’s actually happening, or sometime before it,” Zeke guessed.

“That’s really reassuring, Fredrickson,” Aaron remarked sarcastically.

“Why thank you!” Zeke beamed with ludicrous pride.

“You know, Jensen. Fredrickson may be correct. As unfair as it may seem, you may have to rely on portions of your memory to help solve or prevent this disaster. Better yet, avoiding it,” AJ explained.

“I just hope both of you are right,” Aaron said doubtfully.

“Just think about it man. What key points are in this nightmare of yours that could prove to be useful?” AJ asked.

Aaron took a second to think.

“Well what I can hear is the sound of engagement with Covies while civilians are in the middle of it because there is screaming. Apparently there’s this voice of a southern belle that seems to have the same name you do Harrison,” Aaron explained indicating to AJ.

“What kind of chick has a guys name?” Zeke asked laughing his ass off.

“Shut up,” AJ said to Zeke rolling his eyes.

“AJ can be a girl’s name to. I suppose its initial could be something like Amelia-Jane or Anna-Jem,” Aaron stated picking the best suitable names for a southern belle, or cowgirl at least.

“If her name was CJ, then that would mean she would be Calamity Jane,” Zeke stated.

“Anyway,” Aaron continued ignoring Zeke’s rambunctiousness, “I’m getting the impression that I’m helping out with evacuation by helping civilians onto a Pelican. The girl named AJ is unsure about getting on the Pelican with me, but she does once I give her some reassurance. What I don't know is which planet is being invaded."

“Do you have a theory?” AJ asked.

Aaron took another second to think.

“Well I’m guessing if she’s some sort of farmer, I would have to guess Harvest maybe.”

“Covies don’t invade the same planet twice,” Zeke stated.

“I wouldn’t be sure about that Fredrickson. They returned to Earth that one time remember?” AJ reminded Zeke.

It was a true fact that the Covenant invaded Earth once, but they only seemed to have their sites on the African metropolis city of New Mombasa. After the battle of Delta Halo (Installation Zero-Five), the Covenant returned to Earth, and the same site to uncover a Forerunner device that would open a portal that lead to The Ark.

“Of course I remember you heathen! I’m just a bit skeptical as to why they would go back to a planet they’ve already destroyed,” Zeke said now getting a bit defensive.

“Relax you two. I was just making a guess. It could be any planet really. Hell maybe it could be a planet we’ve never come across before,” Aaron said.

AJ and Zeke now looked at Aaron with confused expressions.

“What do you mean by that? The UNSC has come across and colonized civilization on several known planets throughout the years. We’ve even found out where the Covie homeworlds are located,” Zeke said.

“Yes, but this universe can still be expanding, or very slowly collapsing.  Either way we may have been so busy protecting humanity from Covies and Innies, that we seem to have no time to explore every last corner of this universe in hopes of making contact with unknown civilizations that are not acquainted with the Covenant," Aaron explained.

Both AJ and Zeke looked at Aaron quizzically for a moment to process what he has told them.

“You make a valid point Jensen,” Zeke said. “I can find anything to argue about.”

“The big question is can the UNSC develop such technology to pull off such space travel one day?” AJ asked.

“Of course it could Harrison! We live in the frickin twenty-fifth century! Anything’s possible!” Zeke stated with strong enthusiasm.

"It was a rhetorical question," AJ sighed. "That's what slipspace travel is for. Journeying to unknown and uncharted sectors of the universe without having to wait light-years to do so."

"So are you trying to say you asked a super obvious question just to get on our nerves?" Zeke asked clearly annoyed.

"If you want to put it that way, then yes," AJ replied with a small smirk.

"Guys can we please stay focused here?" Aaron interjected.

"Right. Sorry," AJ apologized. "Do you at least have any clue of what this nightmare means?"

“I don’t know what it means, but I don’t know if I’m willing to find out,” Aaron replied. "Plus I don't even know how to stop it."

“Well if this nightmare keeps occuring, it has to mean that someone or something is trying to tell you or warn you about something, and it’s not going to stop until you find out why it is happening,” AJ explained.

“Well if that's the case, I just hope I find it and quick. I just don’t know how long I can stand this anymore.  Sometimes I think I’m slowly going insane,” Aaron fretted.

“War does that to you Jensen. You come in with a full piece of mind, and as you continue your service, parts of it start to get away from you,” Zeke said without a care.

“That makes me feel so much better.”

“Glad to oblige.”

It was really hard to tell if Zeke was really a stranger to sarcasm, but that was just him.

“Anyway I can’t let it get to me. I have to report to the hangar at fourteen-hundred to test out the Pelican slipspace test run. At least the adrenaline I’ll get from it will hopefully take my mind off this bizarre nightmare,” Aaron said.

“We wish you luck,” AJ said with a confident grin.

“You’ve got balls kid,” Zeke said while giving a wink and thumbs-up.

“Thanks guys,” Aaron said smiling.

Aaron was both excited and a bit nervous about testing out this new kind of slipspace technology, but he knew it was for the benefit of the UNSC Navy, and to see if the possibilities of slipspace technology was limited. He didn't fear death at all, even through his death in his nightmare was horrifying, but he couldn't let false realities get the better of him.

He had a responsibility and a task, and no Spartan like him could refuse it.

Chapter Two: The Jump of Fate

HANGAR OF THE PONY EXPRESS

1356 HOURS

Captain Charles D. Kenwood (00531-72005-CK), who was in charge of flying the Express, was awaiting Aaron’s arrival in the hangar bay right next to the Pelican that was equipped with the new Shaw-Fujikawa slipspace model that would hopefully allow the gunship to enter slipspace on its own.

Kenwood had very short white hair and light hazel eyes. His caucasian white skin was a bit wrinkled and droopy, and contained a few liver spots from age. He may have been old, but that didn't mean he lost his skills and wits as a captain and battle tactician.

Kenwood began his Naval Captain career back in 2529 when he was thirty years old, and continued his service as one ever since.

He has heard that one of his fellow captains, Andrew Del Rio was forced to step down as captain of the Infinity after carelessly leaving Spartan John-117 on Requiem with his deteriorating AI companion, Cortana.

What damaged Del Rio’s career even more is that the Ur-Didact which John warned him about, managed to reach Earth and kill all of the residents living in the city of New Phoenix, Arizona.

Kenwood knew that Del Rio was a good leader, but he also knew that he kind of had an arrogant ego throughout his entire life. He could also be labeled as a coward as well. If he was an honorable captain, he would gladly accept his fate and go down with his ship if it was in trouble.

That’s what made Captain Jacob Keyes of the UNSC Halcyon-class cruiser, Pillar of Autumn one of the most famous and memorable captains in the entire UNSC Navy. He perished at the hands of the Flood on Alpha Halo (Installation Zero-Four). He was soon joined by his daughter, Commander Miranda Keyes when the head hierarch of the Covenant who went by the name of Truth, murdered her on The Ark by shooting her in the spine with a  T25 C; better known under the formal name of Spiker which was mostly wielded by Brutes on the battlefield.

Last on the list is Sergeant Major, Avery Junior Johnson who was killed by the rampant monitor of Alpha Halo, 343 Guilty Spark, after attempting to activate the incomplete replacement Halo ring.

Johnson was one of the best and most courageous sergeants that the UNSC has lost, and like the others, they were never forgotten.

After about a few moments, Kenwood caught a glimpse of Aaron making his approach toward him already in his armor. He carried his helmet in his left hand.

Aaron’s SPARTAN-IV MJOLNIR GEN2 armor suit consisted of the various armor parts:

* Aviator for the torso.

* Soldier for the left shoulder while the right one is Defender.

* GV-09 Lockin for the forearms.

* LG-50 Bulk for the legs.

* Scanner for the helmet.

His primary armor and helmet color was sort of a tanish hue, while the secondary smaller splotches of color that varied on his suit were light yellow. His helmets visor color was a verdant green.

The emblem that was on his left shoulder pad was a horse which symbolized his membership to Mustang. The skin of the horse was painted a darker tan and the mane was a darker yellow so both wouldn’t blend into the suits’ colors.

The background for the emblem was a dark brown hat.

Aaron was no cowboy, but it did sort of symbolize his days as a young corn farmer. Another fact is that he didn’t have any sort of southern or cowboy accent because he grew up in the Northern-Midwestern regions.

When Aaron reached the captain, he stopped in a designated distance of two feet from the captain, stood in an authoritative posture, then saluted the captain with his designated right hand.

“Sir,” Aaron said.

Kenwood smiled and returned the salute.

“At ease, Spartan,” Kenwood said.

Aaron stopped saluting and placed both hands behind him as he awaited instructions and intel.

“So Spartan, do you feel ready for your task?” Kenwood asked without a hint of emotion in his voice.

“As ready as I’ll ever be, sir,” Aaron replied  without breaking eye-contact with the captain.

Kenwood smirked.

“Good. Now, I should tell you we can’t be certain of how effective this new slipspace technology is, or if it will even work properly. If it fails during the charge up, or has some sort of malfunction before a jump, the results may be fatal. You’re aware of that right?”

“Yes, sir,” Aaron replied unfazed by the unfortunate information.

“I suggest you take note of your starting position before you jump so you can find your way back if you are successful; and send me the coordinates of your intended vector. That way we can find you no matter what the result is. Understood?”

“Understood.”

“Excellent. The only thing we can do now is wish you luck. You’ll need it,” Kenwood said saluting once more.

“I don’t believe in luck sir. I just make my own,” Aaron replied with a cocky smirk as he returned the salute.

Kenwood chuckled a bit.

“That attitude what made me choose you for this test. Always having to be strong-headed. It’s what I look for in soldiers like you,” Kenwood said one final time before heading off back to the bridge of the corvette.

Aaron put his helmet on and began to climb into the cockpit of the Pelican.

For safety measures incase he wound up on some uncharted or Covenant infested world, he armed himself with the standard MA5D-ICWS assault rifle, and the MGH sidearm as backup.

Sure he didn’t equip his signature M45D into his weapon system, but he couldn’t risk engaging any hostiles in open and long range areas. Scenarios like that will render shotguns as useless or not very effective, so it’s best to come prepared with weapons within the ranges of medium to long.

His shotgun would really be useful if he landed on the planet of Te for instance where the Lekgolo worms colonize and reproduce.

Sure they seem harmless when they're just acting like regular worms, but when they merge together to create Mgalekgolo, they can become extremely dangerous, especially when they’re transformed into deadly armored Hunters.

Aaron has showed down these behemoths multiple times just like other soldiers throughout the entire Human-Covenant war, but what really is amazing is that he is one of the few marines to take down a Hunter at a dangerously close range, and its all thanks to his experience and great aiming with a shotgun.

When Aaron successfully managed to get out of the way from a strike of a Hunter’s melee attack, he immediately set his sight on an open gap on the Hunters’ back that allowed access to the squirming orange creatures that resided within.

With only seconds to spare, Aaron shoved the weapon as deep as he could into the cluster and pulled the trigger which caused a bunch of orange blood to splatter and stain Aaron’s body, and the Hunter to cry in agony as it keeled over and fell to the ground, motionless.

Getting close, sidestepping it, then shooting it in the back before it could recover to go in for another blow. This was an effective, but highly risky tactic if there wasn’t any heavy weapon around to take down a Hunter.

When Aaron got himself secured in the seat of the cockpit, he closed the hatch over his head and started up the engines for take off.

All nearby personnel and crew cleared room as the droning of the dropships’ engines became louder and louder. Light blue flames ignited from the bottom area’s of  the wings as the Pelican slowly and steadily separated itself from the floor of the hangar.

When Aaron cleared enough space between his Pelican and the ground, he flipped a switch on one of the panels that would change the Pelican from lift off/landing  mode to flight mode.

When this happened, the wings of the Pelican rotated from angled to flat , and the small blue flames that appeared under the wings and tail shifted to the back side to give the dropship the thrust it needed to fly forward.

Aaron flew the Pelican through the hangars’ airtight shielding system that allowed UNSC spacecraft vehicles to enter or exit, but kept the vacuum of space out. This was one of the technologies that the UNSC Navy took pride in.

When Aaron cleared enough room between him and the Express, Captain Kenwood contacted Aaron via a VidCom system that was equipped with all SPARTAN-IV’s.

The face of Kenwood appeared on a small screen that appeared on the upper lefthand corner of Aaron’s helmet heads-up display (HUD) system.

“How’s your bird working out so far?” Kenwood asked.

“So far so good, sir,” Aaron replied. “She’s flying just like she should.”

“Excellent, then that means that the model isn’t affecting the flight pattern in anyway?”

“Affirmative for now. Who knows what will happen through when I initiate the jump sequence.”

“There’s only one way to find out son,” Kenwood replied nodding his head with a determined yet concerned look on his face.

“Whatever happens, it’s been an honor serving with you captain,” Aaron said with a confident smile forming on his mouth. It was truly unbelievable that Aaron wasn’t showing fear for a possible demise, but that’s how all Spartan’s like him were.

“Likewise, Spartan. Pony Express out,” Kenwood said and signed off which made the screen flatten itself out before vanishing in an instant.

When Aaron got his Pelican at a minimum safe distance from the Express to avoid damaging it from a slipspace EMP shockwave, he sent his current starting location to the Express like he was ordered to and then entered a very complex set of slipspace coordinates to the drive that was acquired with the Pelican’s systems. He then send a copy of the coordinates to the Express as well.

As soon a he sent his vector, Kenwood radioed in once more.

“Uh Spartan. Are you sure you wish to travel to these coordinates that you just sent me?” Kenwood asked obviously a little concerned with Aaron’s choice of destination. “I mean we don’t know if this kind of slipspace model is suited to travel this distance.”

“I’m very sure sir,” Aaron replied casually. “We need to know how much this model can take, and the only way to do that is to take the limits to their utmost extreme. Surely some kind of benefit can come from that.”

Kenwood placed his hand under his chin to think for a moment about what Aaron just told him. He knew that Aaron was an excellent soldier, and the most ballsiest  which did give Kenwood concernment. But if Aaron was sure about what he was doing, then there really was no point in argument. This was for the greater good of all the UNSC.

“Just be careful son; and if you do make it, contact me ASAP,” Kenwood ordered.

“Yes sir,” Aaron replied before the captains face disappeared once again on Aaron’s HUD.

Aaron powered up the terminal to the Shaw Fujikawa slipspace drive by entering the designated coordinates into the system before flipping on the power switch.

A slight whirring sound could be heard emanating from around the Pelican as the slipspace drive charged up.

There was a slight bit of turbulence as well. This may cause a bit of concern for most because most ships that are suited for slipspace travel don’t encounter turbulence. What’s bizarre is that there is no wind in space to cause such a phenomenon. Aaron just believed that it was a new feeling to get used too when a Pelican was about to jump.  

Several seconds went by before a distortion ripple in space appeared in front of  Aaron’s Pelican before it turned into a medium-sized slipspace portal.

It was a two-dimensional swirling mass of light and particles with a black dot in the center. You could say it had the characteristics of a black hole, but without the gravity forcefully pulling your craft in. There was still the worry of being ripped apart through if your craft wasn’t suited for such extreme space travel.

“Here we go,” Aaron thought as he and his Pelican entered the swirling void and vanished from real-space leaving Kenwood and all hands aboard the Pony Express to wonder if they succeeded, or worthlessly sacrificed the life of an excellent Spartan like Aaron.

The questioning if all Spartans having good luck will be sorely tested, just like how John’s was when he was on Requiem.

It’s really hard to tell if Aaron was one of the Spartans that were blessed with this sort of luck, even though he didn’t believe in it. He just believed that whatever happens, just happens; nothing more than that.

Aaron should be grateful though because as he exited slipspace, he and his Pelican were still in one piece, but not all was well.

When he exited out of the portal, all of the Pelican’s systems and engines immediately lost power. The systems on his HUD were disabled as well.

Something about making such a long and risky jump into slipspace has damaged all electronic systems in the Pelican, and Aaron’s armor system leaving him blind to location data, and COMM access to the Express.

As a result, Aaron is drifting powerlessly through uncharted and unknown regions of space. Such a scenario like this will leave Aaron fighting for his life until all food and water rations run out which Aaron didn’t even bother to pack cutting his survival time in half. Also that the extreme jump has made Aaron lose consciousness.

Fortunately through, Aaron’s Pelican is heading for a lively planet that seems to closely resemble Earth, even though Aaron didn’t program in the sector where Earth resides.

Whatever planet it is, it has life and resources that Aaron needs to survive before he can be found; or until he can get his Pelican back up and running to return to the Express himself.

Aaron isn’t sure what lives on this planet, but he hopes it’s humanity and not Covenant infested.

What he will find on this planet through is something that he, or the rest of humanity would never thought possible; or for that matter even exist.

Chapter Three: A Sleepless Moon

PONYVILLE, EQUESTRIA

5/12/2014 EQUESTRIAN CALENDAR

10:12AM EQUESTRIAN TIME

PLANET: EQUIS

“C’mon, where is it?” Twilight Sparkle thought anxiously to herself as she frantically flew around her library quickly scanning through every book that she could get ahold of using her magic. Apparently she has lost one of her spell books, and seemed to be in dire need of finding them. Of course that's how Twilight usually was.

If the slightest thing was out of place or missing from her sight, she got a bit anxious. Thankfully she's overcome her nervous breakdown episodes.

Apparently Spike has just walked in as his flustered alicorn friend continued her endless searching.

“Uh..Twilight,” he began.

Twilight let out a startled yelp and accidently used her magic to fling one of her books at him. He thankfully saw it coming though and dodged barely getting his tail out of the way.

Twilight quickly snapped her head over to where Spike was as her expression became regretful for almost hurting her number one assistant and best friend.

“Oh my gosh, Spike! I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” Twilight worriedly asked as she quickly flew over and landed by Spike’s side by sheathing her wings as her hooves touched the ground.

“Yes, but can I ask why you launched that book at me?” Spike asked expectantly.

“You just startled me, that’s all,” Twilight explained. “You know how much I don’t like it when somepony sneaks up on me.”

Spike just sighed. He understood how jumpy Twilight could be when she was ambitious about something. Judging from what he just went through, perhaps she was a little to ambitious. But he just lived with the fact that that’s just the way she was sometimes.

“I guess we should both be sorry huh?” he asked.

Twilight just gave a warm smile and chuckle as she gave Spike a playful rub on the head with one hoof and said, “Sure, why not.”

Twilight then wanted to know what Spike needed.

“Is there something that you wanted to tell me Spike?” she asked.

“Yes I do,” Spike replied and displayed a scroll to Twilight that he happened to be holding onto all along. “It’s a letter from Celestia.”

Twilight was a bit confused at first because she or her friends no longer had to send friendship reports to Celestia, because now they put what they learned about friendship in diaries.

Twilight just assumed it was something very important that she needed to know about. She gradually took the scroll with her magic from Spike and read out what the princess had to say.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

As you and everypony knows already, the Grand Galloping Gala is coming up in several weeks. We haven’t had much time and help to set up for it which is why I’m asking that you and your friends come here to Canterlot to provide your assistance.

I should also inform you that my little sister isn’t doing so well. For a few weeks now, she has been deprived of rest when she’s off duty. It’s been taking a toll on her health and who knows how much longer she can still perform her tasks at nighttime. Perhaps you can look into what’s wrong with her. I’ve tried helping her myself, but I don’t think there’s much I can do. She’s constantly telling me that it’s a recurring kind of dream, and that she can’t do anything to change it. I don’t know what to make of it or what to do; so maybe you can find some sort of solution along with your friends?

Meet me at the castle as soon as you can.

- Princess Celestia

“Oh no!” Twilight gasped in shock after she was through reading Celestia’s letter.

“What’s wrong Twilight?” Spike asked looking very worried now.

“No time to explain right now Spike. We have to get the others and head over to Canterlot pronto. Send a reply back to the princess telling her that I’m rounding up my friends now and that we’ll be on our way soon,” Twilight replied not even bothering to properly answer Spike’s question. It sort of irritated him, but he let it slide without complaint. He didn’t want to be a bad assistant so he did as he was told.

Twilight made sure to lock the door to her library before flying off to find Rainbow Dash. With her speed, Twilight would gather the rest of her friends more quickly and efficiently.

Spike who was riding on Twilight’s back, was still not use to her flying so he wasn’t having a very enjoyable ride whatsoever. Thankfully he brought a paper bag with him.to avoid getting Twilight or himself messy. That would not go well for both of them.

Twilight and Spike didn’t have to fly long before they caught a glimpse of a cyan blur with a rainbow trail following behind it, flying in loop-de-loops and corkscrews throughout the skies above Ponyville.

This blur was anything other than the one and only Rainbow Dash, as she liked to call herself. It was part of her big-headed ego.

“Hey Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called.

Rainbow stopped her stunts to see who called her name. She smiled to see Twilight making good use of her wings.

“Hey guys. What’s going on?” Rainbow asked Twilight and Spike.

“I’m afraid I have dire news from the princess. She wants us all to be in Canterlot when we’ve all met up,” Twilight replied.

Rainbow became really concerned and worried, but was up for a fight if something was threatening the royal sisters, or all of Equestria.

“Well what is it? I demand to know who’s planning on ruining the harmony of our land and give him a message that he’ll never forget!” Rainbow proclaimed apparently already pumped up.

“Well the first thing is that Celestia requests our assistance to help set up for the Grand Galloping Gala,” Twilight replied.

Rainbow’s fighting spirit immediately died down and stared at Twilight with a bemused expression while crossing her forehooves.

“You’re kidding. You’re kidding me right? That was your bad news? I’m sorry to say this but I think you have the wrong pony. Perhaps Rarity or Pinkie Pie can help you out with your decoration emergency. Celestia should already know I’m way too cool for that sort of thing, and that setting up for celebrations is so lame,” Rainbow ranted.

“Um..I was also going to mention that Luna has fallen ill due to the lack of sleep she’s been getting,” Twilight added.

Rainbow became suspicious. She couldn’t tell if Twilight was telling the truth, or playing some kind of game with her which was odd because Twilight never played games.

“Are you being serious now? Because if this is some sort of sick prank, I’m not going to fall for it,” Rainbow stated with a firm tone indicating that she meant business.

“I’m being completely sincere Rainbow. Luna really is in trouble! Why would I joke about something like that?” Twilight asked clearly indicating that she wasn’t fooling around by her desperate tone and frantic expression.

Rainbow hesitated for a quick moment to question whether or not to go along with whatever Twilight was up to, but decided to help out no matter what the cost. She just made sure to have a backup plan incase she was tricked into doing something so uncool that it would ruin her reputation and mojo.

“I’ll tell everypony to meet you back at your home, alright? I’ll have them there in no time,” Rainbow said.

“Sounds good to me and thank you,” Twilight said with relief finally entering her mood.

“Don’t mention it,” Rainbow replied with a small smirk and took off. Twilight then returned back to her library with Spike.

When Spike finally fully recovered from his air-sickness, he asked Twilight, “Do you know why Princess Luna is having a recurring bad dream?”

“Well from what I’ve studied about dreams and the pony mind, recurring dreams are dreams that are about an individuals most traumatizing experience from a past life,” Twilight explained.

Spike thought about what sort of things would traumatize the troubled night princess. One thing did come to his mind.

“Do you think she’s reliving the moment when she became Nightmare Moon and was banished by Celestia?” he asked.

“It could be very possible Spike,” Twilight replied. “If I was her, that sort of thing would freak me out too.”

“I thought failing exams freaked you out.”

Twilight gave Spike an annoyed stare.

“Can we please never speak of that again? That was just one time. Plus Cadance has taught me how to overcome my extreme anxiety breakdowns.”

“Just thought I’d point out the obvious,” Spike said shrugging.

Twilight and Spike then heard a knock on her door.

“Come in,” Twilight called.

The door opened and in came Rainbow Dash and the rest of the girls.

“Told you I’d have them here in no time,” Rainbow said smugly.

Twilight nodded at Rainbow approving her contentment and faced the others who looked back at her with equal concernment.

“Thank you all for coming,” Twilight began.

“It’s no problem sugarcube. There’s no way we’re gonna let the princess go through this sickness another day,” Applejack stated.

“I just hope she isn’t contagious. I can’t risk getting any ailment while I’m busy planning out decorations for the gala. Also restoring our dresses as well,” Rarity said.

“What about dealin’ with that no good Blueblood if he shows his face?” Applejack asked. “It’s bad enough he insulted ma families recipes, but what he put ya through was jus’ plain awful.”

“Don’t worry darling. This time I plan on being around one of you girls or all of you. I may have been an easy target when I chose to go off alone, but when he sees I’m currently accompanied by one or more of you, I’m sure he’ll let us be,” Rarity explained.

“We’ll have to discuss our gala plans later girls. Right now we have to get to Canterlot and meetup with Celestia to find out how we can help Luna,” Twilight interjected.

Everypony nodded in agreement.

On the train ride to Canterlot, Twilight and her friends were discussing methods of how to help Luna with her sleeping illness. Surely it would’ve been more convenient to fly or teleport their, but such deeds would exhaust Twilight, even if she was an alicorn.

“I have ingredients for some hot tea to make for the princess. Hopefully that can help her; I hope anyway,” Fluttershy said.

“I think that will be good Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “What about you Pinkie?” she asked as she faced the party pony.

“I’ll make her a birthday cake!” Pinkie Pie proclaimed with her usual optimistic and hyper enthusiasm.

Rainbow raised a brow.

“Uh Pinkie, you do realize it’s not her birthday right? As a matter of speaking; none of us know her birthday,” Rainbow said.

“Well duh! I know it’s not her birthday. So I’ve decided it should be her Unbirthday cake!”

Rainbow was about to question Pinkie further, but decided it was a bad idea because Pinkie’s ethics never made sense and were completely random. As a result, Rainbow and everypony else will become even more confused and have their sanity tested.

“I’ll design and make a warm and comforting quilt for her,” Rarity said. “That should hopefully make her have better dreams.”

“What we should do first is to find out what this dream is. That way we’ll quickly find out how to get rid of it,” Twilight said.

“Ah agree with ya Twi, but how exactly are we gonna do that?” Applejack asked.

“Well, if she still has some energy to talk, perhaps she could tell us herself, and if not; there’s always a Plan B,” Twilight explained.

“And that would be what?” Rainbow asked.

“I have no idea,” Twilight replied sheepishly.

“In that case then, Ah hope Luna told Celestia about her nightmares. That way Celestia can tell us herself,” Applejack said.

“Oh I hope Luna is going to be okay soon,” fretted Fluttershy.

Applejack wrapped a comforting hoof around the worrisome pegasus’s neck.

“Ah’m sure she will sugarcube. We’ll find a way t’ help her. We’ve never let the princesses or all of Equestria down before, an’ we ain’t plannin’ to anytime soon either,” Applejack said soothingly.

CANTERLOT

1:40PM

When the train finally arrived at the Canterlot Train Station, Twilight and her friends quickly made their way to the castle where Celestia would await their arrival.

When they arrived, they burst through the front doors like they’ve done before when Discord broke out of his stone prison. Like expected, they saw Celestia pacing at the top of the foyer stairs. Celestia relaxed when she saw that Twilight and her friends have finally arrived.

“Thank goodness you all could make it,” Celestia said. “Please follow me.”

Celestia led Twilight and her friends to her and Luna’s private royal resting chambers. When they entered, they saw the heart-wrenching scene of the sleepless princess.

Luna’s eyes were bloodshot red with heavy sacks beneath them. Her mane and coat was messy and unkept as if she has just woken up from having a good sleep; but obviously that was not the reason.

Luna turned her attention to the direction to where she heard the door opening.

“Is that you, sister?” Luna asked weakly while rubbing her eyes to try and get a better view of who’s in the room because her sight was a little obscured from lack of sleep.

“Yes Luna, Twilight and her friends are here too. They’re going to do what they can to help you get some peaceful rest once again,” Celestia assured.

“Thank you sister. Thank you all so much,” Luna said with a small and hopeful smile.

“Don’t thank us just yet, Luna. We still have to find out a way to help you,” Twilight said as she walked over to the princess and placed her hoof on Luna’s. She then turned to Fluttershy. “You better get that tea going.”

Fluttershy just nodded and left the room. Twilight then faced Rarity. “You can start working on that quilt you promised.”

“I’m on it,” Rarity eagerly said and headed off after Fluttershy.

Twilight looked around for Pinkie, but she was no where to be seen.

“Where did Pinkie go?” Twilight asked bewildered by Pinkie’s unexpected disappearance.

Celestia, Applejack, and Rainbow frantically looked around the room.

“Ah swear she was just behind me,” Applejack said looking behind her. “Ah didn’t hear her trot off either.”

“Well you know her. She can disappear without a trace, then suddenly she…”

Rainbow was interrupted suddenly when streamers, confetti, and the sound of party noisemakers being blown filled the room. There was no source for any of it.

It startled everypony in the room, and it was enough to make Luna jump nearly out of her skin. She was fully on alert now.

Pinkie suddenly appeared out of no where from above Luna with a party hat on her head and holding one in her hoof. In her other hoof was a larger than life eight-layered white birthday cake decorated with blue frosting.  

"Happy Unbirthday, Princess Luna; and may you get well soon!"

Everypony looked at Pinkie with mere shock.

“...pops out when you least expect her to,” Rainbow finished.

Pinkie frowned at the current reception she was getting.

“What? I was just trying to cheer her up,” Pinkie said.

“It’s alright fair Pinkie Pie, at least the adrenaline you gave me from your surprise has temporarily given me the boost I need to tell you what I’ve been going through,” Luna reassured.

“Well what is it Luna? Can you please tell us while you can?” Twilight eagerly asked. She couldn’t afford to waste any second that passed by before the adrenaline rush that was keeping Luna fully awake and aware, would die down and make her weak again.

“Okay,” Luna began, “Apparently this bad dream I’m constantly having is sort of an odd one, considering I have the ability to enter anypony’s dreams as I wish. But frankly this dream I’m experiencing doesn’t seem to belong to a pony at all.”

Twilight and everypony else had a look of confusion and concern on their faces. Why would Luna enter or experience dreams that did not belong to ponies. So far they assumed that she may have come across a dream if a Griffin or something like that.

“Please continue, sister,” Celestia said. “Who or what are you seeing in this horrific dream?”

“I frankly don’t know what I’m seeing in my dreams, but whatever they are; their bipedal,” Luna said.

“You mean like a dragon?” Twilight asked.

“These beings were no dragon. They seem to be wearing some kind of metallic suit with a helmet that’s covering their entire head and face so I couldn’t identify them,” Luna explained.

“Well could you describe a few characteristics they have?”

“They have weird looking hoofs that’s for sure,” Luna stated. “Their back hooves are kind of flattish while their forehooves have these five strange appendages at the end of both of them. They seem to be used for holding items which seemed to be metallic objects that varied in size, and had a distinct indescribable shape to them. They either carried them with their forehooves, or wore them on their backs or on the side of their flanks.”

Upon the mentioning of five appendaged forehooves, a sudden realization washed over Twilight like water. She already knew what Luna was trying to mention.

“Do you think that they could be--humans?”

A moment of silence swept the room. Nopony knew what to make of Twilight’s abrupt question. Twilight knew it sounded crazy, but it seemed like the closest thing she could think of. She should know because she became one once herself.

“How do you know that they're called that?” Luna asked.

Twilight knew now that questions would be directed on her. Despite feeling uncomfortable with these sort of situations, she knew she had to answer the questions she’s been given. She always told herself it was like taking a test.

“I know it because that’s what I turned into when I had to rescue my crown from Sunset Shimmer in the parallel realm,” Twilight replied.

“Did they wear these metal suits that my sister mentioned?” Celestia asked.

“No, it was just normal clothing, despite that it wasn’t meant for ponies.”

Everypony seemed confused about these differences between the humans that Twilight saw in the alternate world, and the supposed humans in Luna’s dreams.

Not willing to have any more questions on her, Twilight flipped them back on Luna. This time she wanted to know the main problem.

“What is terrifying you about these humans?”

“Well they seem to be fighting some kind of enemy that are bipeds like them, but they look very different. Also their species seem to vary along with what they hold in their forehooves. What their firing at one another is different too. These so-called humans are firing out these short bursts of sparks from the metallic objects their holding while their adversaries are shooting visible green and blue lights. There’s also these glowing pink crystals that seem to track movement. When enough are impaled on a target, they…”

Luna couldn’t finish because she looked like she was either going to regurgitate or cry, or both.

Celestia, Twilight, and the other mares who were present in the room went over to comfort Luna as she choked on light sobs, or the contents of her stomach that she felt beginning to creep up.

“Relax sister, don’t tell us the entire dream. Just cut to the end. Hopefully it won’t make you sicker than you already are,”  Celestia assured.

Luna no longer had to feel like vomiting, but her sobs began to easily escape from her mouth.

“You’re right sister. It isn’t sickening. I-it’s absolutely tragic!” Luna bawled.

Everypony was now hugging Luna tightly in order to try and calm her down the best they could.

“You don’t have to say anymore, Luna. We’ve all heard enough,” Twilight said quietly.

“Oh but I have too. How c-can you help me if you d-don’t know what h-happens?”

“Just take your time and catch your breath. Then you can continue,” Twilight suggested.

Luna just nodded and wiped her eyes. She then started to take deep breaths to get control over herself.

When she finally felt calmer, she gave the indication that she was ready by giving a nod of the head.

“Go ahead,” Twilight said.

“Apparently I see one of your friends, Applejack about to board some sort of bulky but aerodynamic craft.”

Applejack’s face lost a bit of color to it.

“B-beg yer pardon,” Applejack stuttered clearly nervous about where this might go.

Luna then turned toward Applejack with a grim expression as she talked on.

“You seem to be refusing to get on at first indicating that you don’t want to get on.”

“Who wouldn’t, an’ Ah’m glad too. Ah would never get into some weird UFO, even if it killed me,” Applejack proudly proclaimed.

“Oh but it does,” Luna interjected sadly.

Applejack’s face turned ghost white this time. She clearly doesn’t want to hear about Luna’s dream anymore, but she knew she couldn’t abandon the princess in her time of need. She had to stay.

“W-what happens next?” Applejack reluctantly asks.

“Well for some reason you get on anyway, and then the object flies off. But here comes the part where I always wake up,” Luna warned making Applejack cringe as she braced herself for whatever came next.

Luna felt the tears well up once more as she finally finished her story.

“The flying machine gets shot down by these smaller flying machines that have this distinct and haunting wailing sound to them. The result is the aircraft crashing into an unknown body of water.”

Luna began crying again and Applejack appeared to be clearly terrified because her eyes were dilated and she was shaking all over. Small tears seemed to be dripping down her face. Rainbow noticed this and did her best to comfort her.

“Relax AJ, it’s just a dream,” Rainbow reassured.

“Ah know that! Ah’m jus’ wonderin’ why Ah’m the one who dies and nopony else,” Applejack retorted.

“We’ll we can’t be sure. Me or Pinkie weren't mentioned to be present during this event. Matter of fact. Why aren't we there at all?” Twilight asked Luna.

“I-I’m not sure. B-but I hope both of you are alright though. I can’t seem to interact with the dream at all. I’m just standing there and w-watching it. Also nopony seems to acknowledge me as if I wasn’t even there,” Luna explained before breaking down.

Everypony just huddled around Luna and hugged her.

The constant sadness made Luna feel weak again and asked that they lay her back down on her cushion. It was good that Luna informed them of her situation, but the emotional atmosphere was heavy.

What sort of dream was Luna having, or was it even a dream at all? Was it more of a vision instead? It wasn’t clear to Twilight or Luna, or anypony else present. What could it mean?

While they were all still hugging, they could all hear a low rumbling sound. It steadily escalated into a flaming roar which caused all loose items in the room to shake and jiggle a bit.

Everypony suddenly got the instinct to rush out onto the balcony and gaze overhead at the sky. What they saw was truly interesting and pure terrifying at the same time.

They all saw a medium sized fireball hurling in a downward diagonal line leaving a long trail of smoke behind it.

It looked like some kind of meteor first, but it seemed to have some sort of bulky aerodynamic design to it. This was no meteor; at least no meteor that nopony has seen before.

It was a relief that it wasn’t heading for them, but it was absolutely horrifying that it was dangerously close to the ground, and that its vector seemed to be near the area of Sweet Apple Acres which alarmed Applejack greatly.

“C’mon y’all! We gotta get over there and see if mah families okay!” Applejack cried with fear in her voice. She turned to Twilight.

“Ya gotta teleport us over there!”

“But-” Twilight began.

“NOW!” Applejack shouted hysterical and impatiently. Since her grandmother, older brother, and little sister was the only family she had left at Sweet Apple Acres, she had every right to be worried about if they were safe.

Not wanting to anger her friend further, Twilight ignited her horn and grabbed Applejack’s hoof before they both vanished into thin air leaving Celestia and the others to figure out what the hay just happened.

The helping out for all six friends for the Gala would have to be postponed for now. Since Pinkie, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Rarity are still at the castle, perhaps they could start out with the festivities.

As for Luna, she’ll live. Hopefully soon she’ll get the sleep she deserves.

The question that ran through everypony's heads is what on Equestria was this mysterious object that has intruded Equis’s atmosphere?

Chapter Four: Equis

CRASHSITE OF AARON’S PELICAN

1415 HOURS

PLANET: UNKNOWN

Darkness.

That’s all Aaron could see after he completed the quick and rough slipspace jump. The extreme jump made him quickly lose consciousness for some unknown reason.

One reason that could be is because Aaron’s body was usually put into cryo-sleep before making jumps. Since he was exposing himself to slipspace for the first time, his body wasn’t properly prepared for it, so it shut down for a bit.

As Aaron slowly began to regain consciousness, there was a slight ringing in his ears and his head was pounding and aching. He tried to open his eyes, but the bright light of daytime forced them back shut.

Aaron started blinking his eyes constantly to slowly adjust to the sudden and irritating light which was for the moment unknown.

Aaron first thought that he didn’t survive and has already arrived somewhere in the afterlife to be finally reunited with his deceased family. He couldn’t have been more off.

When he managed to open his eyes and get his vision back, he discovered that he was still inside the cockpit of the Pelican that was miraculously still intact along with him. That meant that the new Shaw-Fujikawa engine successfully made the Pelican travel easily through slipspace without be shredded into molecules along with the operator. The blacking out part after the jump was a complication through, but that could’ve been Aaron’s fault for performing such a reckless task for testing the limits.

When Aaron looked out the window of the cockpit, he discovered that his Pelican had wound up in what appeared to be a cornfield.

This brought back the question if he was dead because he’s been growing up with cornfields in his early life. Does this mean that his resting place would be where he grew up?

It seemed like kind of a bummer because truthfully he really didn’t enjoy farm work as much. He also didn’t go to sleep when he was supposed to.

Instead he would spend time awake late at night when the full moon was present in the sky and gaze up at it while doing sessions of heavy thinking. As a bad result, he woke up too tired to do his chores the next morning, which his family members highly disapproved of. His usual punishment was to go the rest of the day without food. Also his father verbally abused him which sparked disdain in Aaron’s heart.

He hated the way that his father treated his mother and siblings if they didn’t do something right, as well. This thought made Aaron hope that his father was in hell instead of wherever he was now.

Curious, Aaron tried flipping the hatch-release switch so he could get out of the cockpit to get a glimpse of his surroundings more openly, but unfortunately the system did not respond.

Every system on the Pelican was completely disabled leaving it fully out of commission.

For the systems on his HUD, there was just distortion. With just a few hard knocks,  Aaron’s HUD was thankfully restored to proper function; at least that’s what it appeared to be.

His motion sensor and shield indicator were present, along with his grenade counter that was grey indicating he currently had no grenades equipped for the moment. In the center of his HUD was the usual small blue cross-hair which would change into a suitable targeting reticle for whichever weapon he placed in his hands.

As for his Armor Ability icon and Ammo Counter, both were not currently present because Aaron didn’t have an armor ability currently equipped to his suit, and he was wearing his MA5D on his back while his M6H was holstered on the hip.

As an alternative option, but not the best; Aaron brutally bashed open the cockpit hatch forcefully with his arm and elbow. It popped open like a can of soup, but did quite a number on the frame, and the mechanisms responsible for moving it open or closed.

When Aaron climbed out of the Pelican and landed on his feet, he was first a little wobbly because he was still a little disoriented from coming out of unconsciousness, but he recovered quickly and regained his balance and footing.

Aaron then paced around the perimeter of the Pelican to observe its state and how he landed.

The Pelican was in one piece like Aaron predicted, even though there was some smoke emanating from certain parts of the Pelican like the exhaust engines. The landing gear was completely torn out from under the belly of the gunship.

Behind the Pelican was a long burning and black skidmark of roasted corn and earth that stretched at least a mile and three quarters. It was a miracle that the Pelican didn’t come apart while it was skidding from uncontrolled atmospheric re-entry. Spartan luck has struck again even if Aaron chose not to believe in it, but he was grateful anyway.

Not getting a clear view of the full surrounding area because of the surviving corn blocking his view partially. Thankfully he already thought of a solution even though it wasn’t the most original or impressive technique. Matter of fact, anyone could think of it.

Since the Pelican was partially tilted to its starboard side, Aaron could easily climb onto the top of the partially chipped wing and get a better view from the top of the downed gunship.

When he got a clear view of the landscape, he knew immediately that he wasn’t dead and back on his family's farm.

He knew this because the surrounding landscape had hills somewhere off in the distance while the land back on his farm was flat as far as the eye could see on all sides.

Somewhere far off he spotted a red structure standing at least a few miles away.

To get a better view, he clicked a switch on the right side of his helmet right near the visor. This activated his HUD’s zoom mode that allowed him to see areas that lie ahead out of his motion sensor’s tracking range.

The red structure that he focused on turned out to be of what looked like a red farming barn.

This puzzled Aaron completely because the design and the contents that the barn was made out of which was wood, an ancient way.

The barn that Aaron had on his farm had a more wider and unique design to it. Also it was made out of steel and tin. What was the meaning of this extreme difference?

Aaron just assumed that it was some sort of historical monument that the citizens of this unknown planet wished to preserve. Kind of like a museum or something.

When he looked around even more while still in zoom, his assumptions were soon broken.

Not far from the area of the barn, Aaron spotted some sort of settlement resting behind a barrier of hills which only gave him a view of the rooftops which were completely made out of straw and hay. One structure that didn’t seem to be made out of hay was some sort of brown steeple.

Aaron was completely baffled now as he flipped the zoom switch again to return to normal view. Whatever colony was on this planet was definitely not acquainted with the UNSC, or the twenty-fifth century. By the looks of it, not the Covenant either thankfully.

He activated another switch on his helmet. This one was to activate his suit’s COMM network. He wished to hopefully contact the Express to inform them of his status.

“Pony Express, this is Sierra-408 Aaron Jensen do you read? Over,” Aaron tried. His only response was static.

“Captain Kenwood, do you copy? Over,” Aaron tried again. He still received static.

“Dammit,” Aaron cursed under his breath.

His suit wasn’t as fully functional as he thought, or maybe he was out of range. Either way, he knew he was for the moment stranded on an alien world without any connection to UNSC space. He should be thankful though that the planet can supply him with food and water, but the inhabitants of this planet were still a mystery to him.

The structures may have not been Covenant, but there could still be a chance that the inhabitants could become hostile if they feel threatened by a trespasser like Aaron.

Aaron went back into the Pelican’s cockpit to gain access to the holding chamber which could carry a maximum of fourteen passengers that could be civilians, or UNSC foot combatants.

Since it was gunship class, the Pelican also served as a mobile armory where ammo and weapons were provided in chambers above the seats where the passengers sat. Ammo was on the right where weapons were on the left.

Aaron first went to the ammo station to retrieve ammunition for his weapon system. He brought a total of seven empty magazine cases for his MA5D which would equal a total and maximum amount of two-hundred and forty-four rounds.

As for his MGH, he decided to see what kind of other weapons were onboard with him. He’ll never know if he may find something more useful than just a Magnum pistol even though it had super piercing bullets and a high ROF despite being semi-automatic.

The flaw that concerned him about the M6H was its small magazine capacity of eight bullets per round out of a total of thirty-two. If enemy numbers were going to be huge, he would need a bigger weapon and magazine size.

When he opened the weapons chamber, he saw two possible and headshot capable weapons. The BR85HB SR, and the M395 DMR.

Both weapons needed three full magazines to be at full round capacity, but they had different firing functions.

The BR85 could fire three bullets per trigger pull, but becomes less precise and accurate the farther the range extended. The total round capacity was a hundred and eight.

The M395 fired one bullet per trigger pull and remained accurate at any range depending if there was wind or any sort of breeze. It also had more range than a BR85, but not as much as a SRS 99-S5/AM. Unfortunately Aaron wasn’t much of a sniper, but he still possessed great marksmanship for any weapon he acquired at command, or on the battlefield. All UNSC soldiers were trained to be like that.

Aaron decided that accuracy and range was more crucial than round size so he went with the M395 which had a maximum of forty-two rounds. Not very big, but it will have its benefits.

Aaron took the proper bullets from the ammunition boxes and placed them in their  proper magazines until they were full.

He first switched on his MA5D.

The weapon made a brief whistling sound as it powered up and the blue LED ammo counter lite up displaying the digits ‘00’ in brighter blue indicating their was no ammo and magazine currently inside the rifle.

When Aaron inserted his first magazine into the chamber, the digits on the LED screen immediately shot up to ‘32’. A display of the weapon and the amount of ammunition it had appeared on the upper right hand corner of  Aaron’s HUD. The number of bullets in the magazine was displayed beneath the weapon’s diagram while the number of rounds left was displayed to the right of it.

Aaron proceeded the same procedure with the M395 which displayed a small green LED screen starting at ‘00’. When the full magazine was inserted, the number shot up to ‘14’.

With both weapon systems loaded, Aaron went to the grenade storage unit and obtained six frags to put on his belt despite the protocol being to limit two grenades per type, but this was a desperate measure.

The grenade indicator on his HUD automatically lite up with six of the frag type grenades. Now his weapon system was full and ready for action whenever it presented itself.

Aaron decided that his MA5D should be his primary weapon because not only was it a useful weapon, it also was a compass. A tiny arrow was displayed above the LED ammo counter to indicate directional heading.

The M395 would be his secondary so he placed it on his back.

Aaron planned on staying on the outskirts of the settlement to avoid detection, but he really wanted to get a closer look at it for reconnaissance purposes. The big question was how he was going to do that?

Aaron scanned the perimeter around the settlement to see what he could use for cover. He was lucky enough to discover that a distant forest was lying southeast of the village. It seemed dense enough to provide the cover he needed.

He headed off for the uncharted and mysterious forest, abandoning his crashed Pelican in thinking that no one would find it.

If he only knew he was already spotted coming down during his atmospheric reentry, and that the forest he was heading for was known as the Everfree Forest. One of the most sinister locations in Equestria.

Of course Aaron didn’t know that at all. This planet was new and foreign to him.

***

SWEET APPLE ACRES

2:15PM

There was a bright flash of light in front of Applejack’s farm house as she and Twilight appeared out of thin air.

Applejack, unfazed by the teleportation, quickly ran up to the patio of her home and frantically burst through the door looking for and calling out the names of her family members; while Twilight collapsed on the ground trying to catch her breath. Even as an alicorn, teleporting a very long distance exhausted her.

“Granny! Big Mac! Apple Bloom! Are ya here?” Applejack called.

She received no response increasing her worry even more.

“Where are y’all?”

She began to frantically trot around the house searching every room but not finding anypony. Her anxiety was pushed to the max as tears began streaming from her eyes.

“Please Celestia. Please let them be okay,” Applejack sorrowfully prayed to herself as she trotted out of the house past the still downed Twilight, and headed for the barn hoping they might be there instead.

When she swung the barn door opened, her hopes were shattered when she didn’t see a single one of her family members present within the structure. This could not be happening! She searched every possible area she could think off, but could not find anything.

Applejack finally came to the side of Twilight in a desperate and hysterical way.

“Oh Twilight! Ah can’t find mah family anywhere! Ah don’t know where they are!”

“Have….you….checked….the….cellar?” Twilight panted still having not recovered yet.

Without warning, Applejack scooped up Twilight and placed her on her back as she galloped quickly over to the farm’s cider cellar. Apparently Applejack didn’t search every possible location on the farm after all. There was still hope. At least that’s what it seemed.

When Applejack reached the cellar with Twilight in tow, she used one of her hooves to get the door opened. To Applejack’s surprise, it was locked. It was never locked because it can only lock from the inside. That had to mean that somepony had to be in there.

“Is anypony in there? It’s Applejack! Please open up!” Applejack called as she frantically pounded on the door.

“Applejack? Is that really you?” a familiar elderly mare voice replied muffled from the closed door.

“Yes Granny, it’s really me!” Applejack replied now becoming more relaxed. “Please open up!”

There was a slight clicking sound as the lock to the cellar became undone. The doors then gently lifted up revealing Granny Smith and Applejack’s two siblings. Her eldest brother, Big Macintosh; and her little sister, Apple Bloom. All three were safe and sound.

Crying tears of joy, Applejack hugged her family members with great passion.

“Thank Celestia y’all are alright,” Applejack said.

“We’re glad yer alright too Applejack,” Granny Smith said warmly to her granddaughter. Apparently they were just as worried about Applejack.

“We thought that meteor would wipe out everything so we took shelter. Right Big Mac?” Apple Bloom said and turned to her brother.

“Eeyup,” the red stallion uttered with an indifferent but deep voice.

“We saw it too. When Ah saw it head for our farm, Ah was worried fer y’all’s safety which is why Ah had Twilight teleport us here,” Applejack explained.

She then took notice of Twilight’s state.

“Oh no, we better lay her down somewhere comfy and get ‘er somethin’ ta drink. Ah was so busy worryin’ that Ah should’ve remembered about her limits.”

An emotion of regret came over Applejack’s face.

“Ah’m so sorry Twi. Ah’m sorry if Ah seemed ta care more about my needs then you.”

“It’s okay….Applejack. You did….what….you….had...to do,” Twilight replied with a weak smile.

“No it ain’t okay Twi. Ah owe ya big time fer this. We need ta get ya inside now.”

Applejack and the rest of the Apple family helped Twilight into their home and laid her down on the sofa.

Granny Smith made quick and easy apple treats for Twilight to eat while Applejack poured a glass of freshly squeezed apple juice as a beverage. Apple Bloom and Big Mac did whatever they could to make Twilight more comfortable.

When Twilight seemed to be getting her strength back, the Apple family members continued their discussion of the current situation.

“So ya were in Canterlot because Princess Luna was ill? That’s just awful,” Apple Bloom said sympathetically.

“Yeah, but Twilight also mentioned that Celestia needed our help to set up fer this years Gala. Hopefully Rainbow, Rare, Pinkie,  an’ Shy have started already. Ah jus’ hope the princess will be okay,” Applejack explained.

“Ah’m sure she’ll be fine dear,” Granny Smith reassured. “If it’s jus’ a sleepin’ problem, Ah’m pretty sure she’ll pull through.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said.

“What I don’t understand is why she’s dreaming about warfare that hasn’t even occurred in our world,” Twilight said now being able to breath properly again. She was still wrapped in a blanket, but had enough strength to sit up by herself and hold a cup of apple juice in her hooves.

“Oh yeah. Twi said that the princess was dreamin’ about some kind of conflict between two different aliens. One of them she claims is to be….well….somethin’ called a human,” Applejack reluctantly said. She knew how ridiculous it sounded.

“Oh don’t be silly Applejack. Their ain’t no such things as humans,” Granny Smith stated. “Jus’ mentionin’ such a word in front of your little sister will give ‘er nightmares.”

“No it won’t,” the little filly protested. “Ah think meetin’ or huntin’ down a human would be excitin’. Perhaps Ah could earn mah cutie mark fer doin’ such a thing.”

“You would do no such thing young mare! Even if they did exist,” Granny Smith argued.

“Yes Ah would!” Apple Bloom shot back.

“That’s enough outta the both of ya! Like Ah said, it was only a dream an’ nothin’ more!” Applejack interjected to try and stop the quarreling between her grandmother and little sister. “Ah and everypony else already knows humans don’t exist in our world. They could only exist in another dimension like the one Twi went to. Hay if they came to our world, surely they would be turned into ponies like us.”

Applejack’s words seemed to extinguish the heat between Apple Bloom and Granny Smith. Applejack did make a valid point.

“Sorry granny,” Apple Bloom said sincerely to her grandmother.

“Ah’m sorry too dear,” Granny Smith replied with the same attitude.

“Back on the subject of this meteor,” Twilight cut in. “Do any of you know where it could’ve landed?”

The Apples gazed at Twilight questionably.

“Meteors don’t land Twi. They either burn up or explode on impact. Yer talkin’ as if it stayed in one piece when it made contact with the soil,” Applejack said.

“I am saying that it might’ve stayed whole when it hit the surface. The speed and trajectory it had could mean it fully survived upon its re-entry into our atmosphere,” Twilight explained.

The Apples had no idea what Twilight just said, but it did sound convincing. Also because they knew Twilight read books about anything in order to gain so much knowledge. It’s no wonder Rainbow likes to refer to her as an egghead.

“Whad’ya suggest we do then?” Applejack asked.

“I say if we could figure out where this meteor landed, I could get an up close analysis of it for field research,” Twilight replied.

Applejack looked very unsure.

“Ah don’t know sugarcube. It sounds pretty dangerous to me. Why don’t ya let Celestia send her own guards to check it out,” Applejack suggested. She feared for her friend’s life. It was already bad enough that she exerted Twilight’s powers for her own anxiety.

“I’m glad for your concern Applejack, but this is a call for science and observation. Celestia’s guards are not entitled to perform such tasks,” Twilight explained. “I’ll get Spike to send a letter to Canterlot to inform her of my intentions. Now, did you at least get a vector as to where it might have landed?”

Seeing that Twilight wasn’t going to give up, they decided just to trust the brainy alicorn to tend to her intent.

“Last Ah can remember, it seemed to be headed in the direction of our cornfield. Dang thing must’ve left a lot of damage to our crop if it made contact,” Granny Smith said. “But are ya alright enough to walk dear?”

“Yes, I believe I got most of my strength back, but I definitely don’t intend on teleporting again. My magic is still a little weak, and I’m definitely still a little tired to fly,” Twilight replied. “Thank you all for helping me through.”

“Don’t mention it,” Apple Bloom said with a sweet smile.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed.

“I just need to find a way to help me track down the location of the crashsite,” Twilight said.

“Winona has a good nose. She ain’t no tracker breed, but she can smell the scent of burnt corn anywhere,” Applejack said.

Upon hearing her name, the brown and white border collie got to her paws and wagged her tail excitedly. She knew she was going to be needed for some kind of importance.

“That should be good enough,” Twilight said. “I’ll head off now.”

“Hold on there sugarcube. Ya can’t go off by yerself. Ah should probably go with ya ta make sure yer safe. Plus Winona mostly listens to me, or any other member of mah family,” Applejack explained.

“I don’t wish to put you in danger,” Twilight protested. She wanted to keep her friends safe incase this task was more risky than she thought.

“We’ve been on all sorts of dangerous missions Twi, but that never stopped us at all. Our friendship is what saved us time and time again. Don’t ya remember when the Everfree Forest came to life and nearly killed you? All five of us were there ta save yer life. Yer talkin’ the same way as before. Ya need somepony with ya Twi to keep you safe., an’ that pony is me.”

Twilight wanted to argue further, but Applejack’s lecture was completely accurate. Everytime she flied solo, Twilight always ran into danger that she couldn’t handle alone.

“Okay,” Twilight sighed defeated.

“Alrighty then, let’s get a move on,” Applejack said.

“Be careful out there you two,” Granny Smith warned.

“Tell us what ya find or bring somethin’ back. If it’s alien, Ah wanna see it,” Apple Bloom said excitedly.

“Ya take good care of mah sis alright?” Big Mac stated finally talking in a complete sentence.

“I will,” Twilight said and headed out the door followed by Applejack and Winona.

What this meteor may turn out to be is something that may make a revelation that Luna’s dreams weren’t as made up as anypony thought. They don’t know yet that that this meteor has carried somepony or something with it.

If they happen to run into it, their opinions about humans not existing in their world may have to be reconsidered.

Chapter Five: Contact in the Everfree Forest

CORNFIELD OF SWEET APPLE ACRES

2:43PM

Winona led Twilight and Applejack through a labyrinth of tall cornstalks, keeping her trusty nose on the ground to pick up the scent of burning crops. Winona was intelligent enough to not get distracted by other scents that seemed more interesting.  Plus, she knew she would get a treat if she did her task well.

At first the scent was weak so Winona had a bit of a rocky start, but she did her best to keep with it. But as time progressed, the scent got thicker, making it easier to follow.

Soon Winona was hot on the trail and picked up her pace while Applejack and Twilight did their best to keep up with the excited dog.

“Wait up Winona!” Applejack called, but Winona was way too focused to heed her masters’ calls.

When it seemed that they were going to lose Winona in the forest of tall corn, a smell of burnt corn and earth filled Applejack’s and Twilight’s muzzles. This made them cough and hold a hoof over their nostrils at first because it wasn’t like anything they've smelled before.

Sure Applejack and Twilight knew what the scent of burning material smelled like, but this was different. They knew what hay, grass, or brush smelled like when it burned; but their was something else that was mixed in there making the scent repulsive. Unknown to them that these materials were metal and oil.

Looking at the top of the cornstalks, Twilight noticed a faint swirling smoke lifting up into the sky somewhere to the right of their position. They no longer had to rely on following Winona.

Both mares quickly galloped over to the origin of the billowing smoke cloud to truly see what this meteor was; or was it even a meteor at all? The answer to their questions will be fulfilled once they clear the untouched corn.

When Applejack and Twilight were finally free of the corn forest, they noticed that they have set hoof in a charcoaled black skidmark that use to be where live corn used to stand. The soil still felt a little warm under their hooves, but it wasn’t enough to hurt them from burns.

At one end of the skidmark was nothing of interest, indicating that whatever crashed here skidded to the opposite direction to where Applejack and Twilight were looking. When the mares then focused their sights in the other direction, they saw a big hulking and metallic object rest at an angle with small bits of flaming debris around it. They even noticed that Winona was by it from the side barking and growling.

As the mares got closer and closer to the alien object, the ground became slightly more warmer until they had to get off of it before they scalded the bottom of their hooves. That would explain why Winona was in the area where the ground had not been touched.

When they finally got to where Winona was, which was near the cockpit of the craft, Applejack and Twilight were able to get a great close up view of the mysterious crashed meteor. Judging from what they saw, it was no meteor at all.

This object had a bulky aerodynamic design to it and measured a length of thirty point seven metres, and a width of twenty-five point two. The color hue it had seemed to be a light greenish.

If Rarity saw such a color, her face would probably turn the same shade. Frankly any hue of green would revolt her. She already had a traumatic experience already when the Great and Powerful Trixie turned her gorgeous mane into a messy green bird’s nest of a doo.

There was some sort of strange white symbol on the side that depicted to what appeared to be an Eagle with its wings spread wide. In the center of the logo was an impression of a shield with the bulging words of UNSC printed across. In the lower portion of the logo was a banner that displayed what the big letters stood for. United Nations Space Command.

Twilight and Applejack were baffled that whatever alien this ship belonged too, it knew the Equestrian language!

“Does this mean that this alien might be able to talk ta us?” Applejack asked Twilight who seemed really excited now.

“Of course Applejack!” Twilight replied super enthusiastically. “There’s obviously no language barrier, so communicating with whatever this machine carried with it will be able to tell us where it’s from, and more importantly why it’s here.”

“Ah wouldn’t be so sure about startin’ a conversation with an alien, sugarcube,” Applejack stated, looking really unsure about Twilight’s intentions.

“Why not?” Twilight asked, puzzled by her friend’s uncertainty.

“Well fer one thing, we don’t know if it’s friendly or not. From what Ah hear, aliens mostly come to a planet to either take it over, or abduct ponies to experiment on ‘em. They even do the same thing with cattle,” Applejack explained.

“Oh you’ve been seeing way too many of those movies again haven’t you? You know they don’t state any true facts, right?” Twilight dismissed jokingly.

“Ah never watch movies, Twi,” Applejack bemusedly stated indicating that she was dead on serious. “My granny told me about these kinds of things. Are ya tryin’ ta say mah granny isn’t being truthful with me?”

Twilight gulped nervously.

She knew that Applejack was challenging her logic severely. If she said the wrong thing, who knows what toll it would take on their friendship. Twilight couldn’t lie, but couldn’t vaguely insult Applejack’s grandmother either. She had to say something.

“Well..uh...no,” Twilight began. “I know Granny Smith is wise and very caring. It’s just…”

“Jus’ what?” Applejack interjected, hardening her glance and making Twilight even more nervous.

“Um..well...I,”

Twilight never got a chance to finish her excuse because a faint sound of banging, which sounded like shots being fired, were emanating from somewhere in the direction of the Everfree Forest.

“What in the hay was that?” Applejack asked, now completely letting go of the urge to pressure Twilight  into telling her the truth about her granny’s supposed wisdom.

“I don’t know, but I think it deserves investigation,” Twilight replied, relieved from her pressure, and back to her eggheaded and overly curious personality.

“No way Twi! We’ve already found an alien ship. There’s no reason that we should be investigatin’ strange noises now. Ah wouldn’t be surprised if it’s that alien himself wreackin’ havoc in there!” Applejack stubbornly protested.

That just egged Twilight’s curiosity on.

“All of the more reason to see for ourselves,” Twilight stated.

“Oh no, Ah ain’t gonna go an’ that’s final! Mah family is probably worried sick about us already. We need ta go back now!”

“Fine then! I’ll go alone if you think I’m going to let this mystery slide!” Twilight argued then took off with her wings before Applejack could react.

“Twilight! You come back here this instant! Ya hear me?” Applejack shouted at Twilight as she flew off. Twilight didn’t listen to a word that Applejack told her.

Applejack now wished that she brought her lasso with her so she could restrain Twilight against her will and practically drag her back to the farm house. It was tough, but it was tough love.

Applejack cared for all of her friends deeply and wanted nothing bad to happen to them; but if her care was defied, she really had ways of expressing her anxiety in extreme and desperate ways. Thankfully she never intended to hurt anypony, but if her temper and patience was tested to brutal lengths, she may have to literally smack some sense into them. That’s exactly what she felt she had to do with Twilight.

Winona whimpered at her master’s hesitation.

“Oh yer right Winona, Ah should probably go after her; but Ah ain’t gonna like it,” Applejack reluctantly huffed and pursued after her reckless friend with Winona in tow.

***

EVERFREE FOREST

SEVERAL MOMENTS EARLIER

As Aaron trudged through the sinister looking forest, he felt some kind of strange uneasiness come over him. It wasn’t from fear or anything like that even though the forest was admittedly super creepy, and in a way unnatural.

Aaron dismissed all crazy hunches about the forest having a supernatural aura about it because he wasn’t one of those guys to believe in such things. As a soldier, he had to focus more on combat training and discipline then what the imagination had to give.

Aaron had his MA5D positioned already for combat incase something was foolish enough to try and attack him. So far nothing has showed up on his motion sensor, or bothered to creep up on him without being detected. It was quiet. Almost too quiet. He knew that whenever conditions were like that, it wasn’t a good sign so he kept his eyes peeled, and constantly checked his corners.

Several moments went by as Aaron continued through the forest to reach his destination, which was a high hill that overlooked the mysterious village that Aaron took an interest in when he was back at the crash site of his Pelican.

He figured if he could get a good view with a long range of sight and angle, he could gain some reconnaissance about the inhabitants who occupied the unknown planet. The worry of them being hostile still stayed with him, though.

As he finally saw the ending of the forest slipping into view, Aaron suddenly heard the snapping of twigs and the rustling of brush from behind him.

Aaron quickly spun around and readied his MA5D with his finger pressed ready on the trigger and focused on the origins of where the sounds were coming from.

He glanced at his motion sensor which still wasn’t picking up on anything. That had to mean that whatever was stalking him was moving at a slow and very steady pace.

“Who’s there?” Aaron ordered. “Come out with both of your hands to where I can see them!”

He didn’t receive any response, but he did notice that the brush was starting to rustle in his direction and fast.

Aaron backed up slowly still keeping his MA5D trained on the brush. Whatever was approaching him, he needed to get some ground so fighting off whatever was approaching him would be more easy. Of course, he also had a combat knife to kill or wound any enemies that were foolish enough to try and get the jump on him.

In about several seconds, whatever was stalking him came out of the brush to reveal itself. Aaron could not believe what he saw.

It was a wolf definitely, but not  any kind of wolf Aaron has ever seen before. Matter of fact; no one in all of mankind has seen such a wolf quite like this at all.

It’s body and teeth was completely made out of timberwood, and its eyes glowed an eerie shade of bright green. The eyebrows it had seemed to be a green leaf.

The wooden beast glared at Aaron with clear aggression as it slowly stalked toward him baring its teeth with emitting low growls. Then it seemed to give a nodding signal as it looked behind itself. It’s then that three more of these wooden wolves appeared by their pack leader to join it.

Whatever these things were, Aaron knew that they had the same pack mentality as regular wolves found on Earth. The thing is through he knew that if their bark skin was thick enough, it could act like armor that would render the ammo from his weapons system useless.

Aaron looked for any sort of weak point that would make killing these creatures more efficient. He didn’t have to look for long. The eyes were the only sensitive part on the creatures.

Aaron swapped his MA5D with the M395 for more precise shooting.

With a steady eye and aim, Aaron successfully fired the first bullet  into the pack leader’s eye making it explode into smoke and wood. It was just like shooting Promethean Crawlers back on Requiem.

Now infuriated by the loss of their leader, the three remaining timberwolves charged at Aaron with terrifying speed and brutality.

Sensing their intentions, Aaron quickly jumped out of the way before grabbing one of the timberwolves by its head and swinging the rest of its body around to collide with its compatriot. The result was both of them exploding in midair. This was almost too easy.

Now there was only one timberwolf left. The fight was now even; or so Aaron thought.

The timberwolf then let out an earsplitting howl as it had its muzzle high in the air. In a matter of seconds, five times as many timberwolves showed up and partially surrounded Aaron. He was now severely outnumbered and outgunned!

“Oh shit,” Aaron cursed. At a time like this, a M41 SSR MAV/AW rocket launcher would be perfect for this type of situation.

Low on options, Aaron grabbed a couple of frag grenades from his belt and flipped the pins on them for their activation.

“Hey Fitos! Fetch this!” Aaron called and hurled the two grenades at a tight cluster of Timberwolves.

Not yet sure of what was thrown at them, the timberwolves just watched as the two active grenades fell to the ground next to them. They didn’t have time to sniff them out because just in a couple of seconds, the grenades detonated obliterating the timberwolves that were within the lethal blast radius.

No knowing what the strange armored intruder was capable of, they spread out now completely surrounding him blocking off all possible escape routes. There was nothing more Aaron could do except fight them with everything last thing he had left. He didn’t wish to use anymore of his ammunition on these things then he had to.

“Alright you freaks of nature, lets dance!” Aaron called provoking the wrath of the timberwolves even more. They all began to charge at him.

It was a flurry of utter chaos as Aaron kicked, punched, hurled, and decapitated any timberwolf that dared to leap on him. So far Aaron was doing pretty good at standing his ground and not letting any of the timberwolves to start a dogpile on him. But Aaron knew he couldn’t fight forever, whether he was a powerful super soldier or not. Even Spartans have their limits, it just takes a matter of time.

As the timberwolves kept coming at him, Aaron slowly begin to tire from the excessive combat. Never in his career as he ever dealt with this kind of combative scenario. Surely he knew that sometime in his life he would go through this, but he exactly never knew when. No one can know when they’re about to face extremely difficult odds.

When even more of the timberwolves showed up after he has killed hundreds of them already, Aaron knew that this would be his end, but as usual took it with a grain of salt.

“C’mon you bastards, show me all you’ve got,” Aaron taunted with the strength gone from his voice.

Heeding Aaron’s provocation, the herd of timberwolves lunged at him with full strength.

Aaron braced himself for sure hell that would soon come to him. At least serving as a Spartan for a couple of years was pretty fun, yet quite disappointing. The feeling of practically being a war machine was simply exhilarating! But as the old book says,

“It was fun while it lasted.”

Aaron closed his eyes as he braced himself, but in doing so, he made himself completely unaware of the mysterious medium purple forcefield that formed up around him.

***

From high above in the sky, Twilight noticed a commotion going on between the biggest pack of timberwolves she’s ever seen in her life, and some kind of armored bipedal creature that seemed to be facing them alone.

Could this be the alien that arrived in the ship that crashed in Applejack’s cornfield? Whatever the answer, it was obvious that the alien was in trouble and looked like it needed help. Sure it seemed too intimidating for a pony like her to consider helping, but she believed that friends could be made, no matter where they came from. The question of the alien accepting her friendship would be the real test through.

To show how friendly she was, Twilight fired her force field spell from her horn onto the alien. Hopefully that would show she meant no harm.

***

After not feeling the impacts of the timberwolves when they should've been, Aaron opened his eyes and unclasped himself from his bracing posture to discover that the timberwolves that were attacking him were exploding as they collided with some unknown force that was made out of some kind of purplish light.

It couldn’t be coming from his armor system because he didn’t have any kind of shielding ability equipped. This was coming from somewhere else, but where?

Seeing that they weren’t making anymore progress, the remaining timberwolves retreated whimpering and whining before they lost anymore of their kind; even if they could regenerate if they wanted too.

As the timberwolves vanished from sight, so did the mysterious force field that was repulsing them. Aaron still didn’t know what was the source of the field was through. He quickly got his answer.

Aaron spotted some sort of small winged and horned creature flap down from the sky and set its four legs on the ground at an uncomfortable eight feet from him.

It could be described as some sort of small equine like creature with a light purple coat and plum mane with pink and lighter purple streaks. The same color pattern was on its tail. The eyes were big and perfectly round like saucers, and they were a shade of purple as well. Finally, there was some sort of star-like pattern that it wore on its flank. Aaron couldn’t tell if it was on both sides, or one.

Aaron could clearly make out the creatures expression of being both curious and intrigued, it seemed a bit nervous too. Aaron could also tell that the creature was female because of the big eyelashes.

For a moment, Aaron and the bizarre equine just stared at one another observing each other’s characteristics, and anticipating any moves that either of them might make. Or either one of them was expecting the other to say or do something.

The equine creature appeared to be getting a bit nervous because she appeared to smile awkwardly as her eyes shifted behind her, then back to Aaron in a quick pace.

Aaron was amazed that this alien horse or whatever it was could know facial expressions similar to humans. Did this mean that this creature had the same intelligence as mankind? He had the urge to speak up, but was cut off when the creature decided to take his turn.

“Um...hello?” it said sheepishly. Like Aaron confirmed, it was definately female.

Aaron flinched and jumped back a bit in surprise. This made the creature jump back as well and let out a startled yelp. She seemed to have the same uneasiness as Aaron did.

“How the hell are you talking?” Aaron asked in his shock.

“Me? How about you?” the equine replied bouncing the question back on Aaron completely throwing him off. Aaron just decided to ask actual questions because he felt like this was going to go nowhere.

“Nevermind that. I’ll ask the questions first okay?”

“O..okay,” the equine stuttered.

"What I want to know is where the hell am I?” Aaron demanded. This made the creature slightly more uncomfortable. She really didn’t like the language and tone he was using with her.

“Um...y-your in the Everfree Forest sir; if I can call you that. W-what is your name anyway?”

“I thought I made myself clear that I would ask the questions first,” Aaron said a little more sternly making the equine more nervous.

“R..right. S-sorry,” it gulped, “Like I said before, you’re in the Everfree Forest outside of Ponyville in the country of Equestria. I’m Twilight Sparkle; Princess, Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight explained.

Aaron had never heard of such a place called Ponyville at all, but it helped explain exactly what sort of creature Twilight was, but the horn and wings conflicted on which type of pony she was. He’s heard about mythical creatures like the pegasi and unicorns before in the bedtime stories that his mother used to tell him when he was very young.

He first fantasized about the existence of such beings, but his sociopathic father and age development forced Aaron to throw away all those dreams. He would eventually stop daydreaming about those kinds of things anyway.

Twilight said she was some sort of princess, but Aaron didn’t see any sort of crown or fancy attire on her to prove her statement. He knew that ponies never would wear clothes. It seemed completely ludicrous.

“Well thank you, princess for sharing that intel with me, but now you must excuse me as I try and find some sort of communications outpost so I can call in for evac and get off this world of yours. I believe I’ve already seen enough as it is,” Aaron said and picked up his M395 that was lying on the ground before he turned around and began to walk away from Twilight.

Twilight was simply appalled by how rude Aaron was. There she was saving his life from a huge pack of fierce Timberwolves; then the next thing she knows is that he’s harshly questioning her. Once he gets what he wants, he deliberately abandons her without answering questions she has to ask.

“Hey! Wait a second,” Twilight called and started after Aaron who then immediately stopped her when he aimed his M395 directly at her. He had no intention to shoot her though, it was just to make her back off. But if she tried anything funny, then he had the right to pull the trigger, but it was only to wound.

His intimidation worked and Twilight immediately stopped in her tracks looking down the barrel of the rifle with dilated pupils indicating her fright.

“I can only tell you that my name is Jensen,” Aaron stated still aiming his weapon at Twilight. “My full name and what I am, and what I do is classified tier one for you, or any other intelligent creature on this god forsaken planet.”

“Celestia never forsook Equis at all,” Twilight stated slightly angered at Aaron’s remark. Her fear washed away a bit.

“Now who the hell is Celestia?” Aaron asked.

Twilight figured out his mindgame now.

“Well since you say that our world is forsaken, I’m afraid that information is classified as well,” Twilight retorted stubbornly.

Aaron’s temper was starting to grow because he couldn’t believe that this thing was trying to get inside his head, but he told himself to cool down. He knew he didn’t have time to play games with an annoying highly intelligent pony alien.

“Have it your way then. I just want to get out of here before more wooden dogs or bizarre force fields show up,” Aaron huffed and took his weapon off of Twilight before he started to walk off again.

“I’m the one who made that force field,” Twilight bitterly said. She was starting to get fed up with Aaron’s behavior.

Aaron stopped walking and slowly turned to face Twilight who continued to glare at him.

“You did that?” he asked.

“Yes,” Twilight hissed clearly disgruntled. “So that means you should be thankful that I saved your life.”

“Well in that case, thank you for your assistance,” Aaron said.

That seemed to satisfy Twilight a bit. “You’re very welcome.”

“But why did you save me?” Aaron asked. His curiosity actually starting to grow.

“Well I couldn’t just couldn’t wait around and watch you get mauled. What kind of pony would I be then?” Twilight asked.

Aaron thought for a moment. This creature was obviously friendly and had no intention of harming him. He felt sort of bad for treating Twilight is such a dishonorable way.

“Well thank you once again, and I apologize for being a jerk to you. It’s just that I’ve never seen such a being like you before in all my life, and many years of battle has taken a toll on my personality a bit,” Aaron explained. “I hope you can forgive me somehow.”

Twilight was calm, but still a little unsure because when he pointed his rifle at her, it truly scared her.

“Well I could, but why did you point that thing at me?” Twilight asked pointing her hoof at the M395.

Aaron gazed down at it and said, “I was only using it to intimidate you. I had no intention of shooting you at all.”

“You didn’t?” Twilight asked breathing a sigh of relief.

“If you attacked me through, I would have no choice but to do so,” Aaron added.

Twilights ears went down and her pupils went wide with surprise.

“Oh,” was all she uttered.

“One thing that is true though is that I’m not authorized to share any classified information with any sort of civilian or other contact,” Aaron said.

“But can I ask you at least one more question? I promise I won’t be snoopy,” Twilight begged.

Aaron just sighed.

“Sure, go ahead,”

“Okay this may seem a little rhetorical but, is the ship in Applejack’s cornfield yours?” Twilight asked nervous about the reception she may get from Aaron.

He didn’t do anything rash, he just stood there and looked at Twilight with a covered neutral expression.

“Yes it is,” Aaron said. “But I don’t know how I got there. I just remember performing a task I was assigned to do, then all of the sudden I’m here. For a moment I thought I perished.”

“Well me and my friends saw you come down from Canterlot,” Twilight explained. “We were visiting Princess Luna because she was ill from a lack of sleep she’s been receiving because of a strange recurring dream she’s been having for a few weeks lately.”

Aaron’s blood ran cold. He has been having the same problem as well. His curiosity skyrocketed through the roof now. Could this be a hint to his own nightmares?

“Um, your highness,” Aaron began.

“Please, just call me Twilight,” Twilight interrupted with a smile.

“Twilight, would you mind if I saw this, Princess Luna?” he asked.

Twilight put a hoof under her chin as she thought.

“I suppose so, but I think its best if I notify Princess Celestia first of your presence. You should probably come back with me to my home in Ponyville. Surely you would need to relax a bit after the day you must’ve been having so far?” Twilight offered.

Aaron was a bit hesitant at first because he wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. If the inhabitants were friendly just like her, then he would have nothing to worry about. What did concern him through is the reception he would be getting from the locals. He wasn’t an equine after all.

Twilight seemed to be reading his mind.

“Don’t worry, I’ll explain you to everypony,” she reassured.

“Um..okay then,” Aaron shrugged. “You have point then,”

Twilight seemed confused.

“Excuse me?”

“It’s a way of saying to lead the way,” Aaron explained with a small amused chuckle. Twilight happily returned the expression.

Twilight began to lead Aaron back into Ponyville, but both of them were suddenly halted when they heard someone yell, “Stop right there ya alien varmint!”

Twilight and Aaron shot their glances behind them to discover a winded Applejack and a worked up Winona who barked and growled at Aaron.

Apparently the only thing that Applejack saw was Aaron following along behind Twilight with his rifle in hand. She’d mistaken it for a foalnap instead of a lead on.

“Applejack, what are you doing?” Twilight asked.

“Savin’ you obviously,” Applejack replied. She then glared at Aaron. “Let go of mah friend this instant!”

“Hey, I didn’t touch her I swear,” Aaron surrendered. He didn’t admit aiming his weapon at Twilight though.

Applejack was a bit surprised that the alien could talk like she predicted, but she didn’t let it phrase her. At least this way it was a lot more easier to rationalize with it.

“Relax Applejack, he didn’t hurt me. He’s not here to hurt anypony...right?” she asked Aaron to get his confirmation.

“Yes, you pony creatures seem friendly enough. Plus Twilight here saved my life,” Aaron explained.

“Come again?” Applejack asked raising a brow.

“It’s true Applejack. He was being attacked by Timberwolves, so I used my magic to help him,” Twilight said. “He’s also the owner of that ship we found in your cornfield.”

“So ya helped him first if Ah’m not mistaken’?” Applejack asked Twilight suspiciously.

“Yes,”

“Hmm,” Applejack uttered. “Ah don’t know what tah say Twi, but the damage he’s caused to my crops is absolutely unacceptable. Ya may want tah think about what yer doin.’ ”

“It was an accident alright?” Aaron excused. “I must’ve been unconscious during re-entry so I couldn’t find a proper landing space okay?”

Applejack just shook her head.

“Excuses excuses,” she said.

“He’s telling the truth, Applejack. Can you please at least give him a chance. He must’ve been through Tartarus and back. What he needs right now is to relax, which is why I was leading him back into Ponyville to do so,” Twilight explained.

“Are ya crazy, Twi?!” Applejack exclaimed. “One look at ‘em and all of Equestria will be thrown into a state of chaos which Discord himself would approve of, reformed or not.”

“Which is why I’m covering for him. Believe me, I have it all under control,” Twilight reassured. “Can you please just give Jensen a chance?”

“Jensen?” Applejack asked confused again. Did Twilight already give him a name or something?

“I guess I should say my first name is Aaron,” Aaron said. “Aaron Jensen. Look...Applejack was it?”

“That’s me,” Applejack said indifferently.

“Look, Applejack. I’ll pay you and your farm to repair the damages to your property. I’m sure the UNSC can make a small donation,” Aaron offered.

“How can Ah tell if yer bein’ sincere with me with that thing on yer head?” Applejack asked.

Twilight wondered why Aaron didn’t bother to remove his helmet yet.

“I don’t know if you’re atmosphere is the same one I can tolerate,” Aaron said.

“Our atmosphere is seventy-eight point nine nitrogen, twenty point five oxygen, ninety-three point argon, and point thirty-nine percent carbon dioxide,” Twilight explained.

Aaron was baffled that this planet had the same atmospheric elements as Earth.

Trusting Twilight, Aaron twisted his helmet a bit before gently taking it off. When his head was fully revealed, Twilight couldn’t believe that she was looking at the same kind of creature that she became when entering the magical mirror. This was truly an astounding discovery!

“Hey you’re right. I can breathe here,” Aaron said.

“Glad our worlds really aren't that different huh?” Twilight asked.

“Guess not,” Aaron replied.

“Great, now that you’ve learned our atmosphere, how about ya contact them UNSC buds ya have an tell ‘em that they need tah find ya so they can give you the money needed to help replant mah lost crop,” Applejack ranted obviously losing patience.

“Well first I need to find out a way of contacting them,” Aaron explained. “My COMM networks are fried and in need of repairing if I’m ever going to contact command.”

“I’ll help you again if you want?” Twilight offered.

“Can you?” Aaron asked.

Twilight smugly smirked.

“I’ll certainly try my best, but how about you rest a bit first?” she said.

“That would be good,” Aaron replied.

Twilight then proceeded again to lead Aaron to Ponyville to give him the rest he needed. He still wasn’t sure how the locals would respond, but he knew he had no other choice.

Applejack kept pace behind them still not trusting Aaron a bit. She had a right to be angry with him for accidentally destroying her crop, but it must’ve been really hard on her because she seemed to be holding a small grudge.

Hopefully Aaron and the rest of the UNSC if possible could make it up to Applejack and the rest of her family somehow.

Chapter Six: Impressions in Ponyville

PONYVILLE

3:15PM

Twilight, Aaron, and Applejack began approaching the main entryway to Ponyville in a casual way, of course with Aaron currently accompanying them, the attention they may receive may take a strain on making a normal approach. Aaron himself was still having doubts about this, but he felt like he had no other choice.

He did owe his life to Twilight for saving him back in the Everfree Forest from vicious Timberwolves, he just wished he could find some way to repay her for her deeds considering they kind of had a bit of a rough start when they first met. Who he really did owe was  Applejack for the destruction of some of her families hard-grown corn crop.

She was currently still a bit miffed at him for not taking responsibility of his action of landing the Pelican more conveniently while still conscious, but of course Aaron couldn’t help it. He kept telling her over and over again that it was a simple mistake and that he’ll find a way to fix it, but Applejack refused to believe him. She was as stubborn as an ox; of course that’s how most of her entire family was.

As the trio came into sight, the fellow townsponies gazed at them with normal expressions, but they quickly shifted when the saw a seven-foot armored bipedal creature tagging along with them who was no one but Aaron carrying his helmet with his left hand while holding his M395 in the other.

If they didn’t see one of their princesses with a confident smile on her face with a strange alien in tow, their might've been full blown panic like Applejack stated. But since Twilight seemed calm and collected, that meant that there was nothing to worry about or be afraid of. Uncertainty did remain among them through. Whatever this creature was, it definitely was not a pony, or any other being that Equestria and the rest of Equis had. It was in fact, an alien from outer space.

Aaron did his best to make himself look friendly by making eye contact and smiling the best he could with as many as the townsponies as he could. He didn’t want to look like a thug or anything. He wanted to reassure everypony that he meant no harm, along with passing the vibe that he wasn’t comfortable with his own presence either.

Finally a townspony by the name of Roseluck decided to speak up.

“Um..Princess Twilight,” she began.

“You can just call me Twilight when I’m here in Ponyville, remember?” Twilight interjected with an amused smile.

“Right, sorry,” Roseluck said with an embarrassed chuckle. Apparently her nervousness made her forget that she didn’t have to call Twilight a princess when she was in town working as the local librarian. “I was wondering who your new friend is?”

“Oh you mean Aaron?” Twilight asked turning toward him. “He’s just a guest of mine.”

“Nice to meet you,” Aaron said extending his hand.

Roseluck backed up a bit which made Aaron gently pull back his hand. Either she was freaked out that the alien knew perfect Equestrian, or that the closer he got, he seemed to gain more height.

“But what is he though, and where did he come from?”

“Well as far as we know, he crash landed from somewhere in outer space,” Twilight began.

“Which happened tah be mah cornfield,” Applejack added with disgust in her voice.

“How many times do I have to say I’m sorry?” Aaron sighed with annoyance.

“How about fer every kernel ya fried,” Applejack retorted harshly.

“Applejack, Aaron, enough!” Twilight intervened before a fight could start up.

Applejack just huffed and turned her head away while Aaron just stared at her with a bit of disdain.

“As I was saying before,” Twilight continued. “Aaron here apparently is currently shipwrecked on our planet, and I plan on helping him get found by his compatriots; wherever they might be that is.”

“You still haven’t answered my question about what he is,” Roseluck reminded. “Surely you’ve read books about what his species are.”

Twilight closed her eyes as she hesitated for a moment. She wouldn’t know the kind of reaction she’ll get, but for one particular townspony, the word was best left unuttered. Of course Twilight didn’t know.

“I believe that Aaron may be….a human,”

“A HUMAN?!” came the shout of a known mare voice from somewhere.

Before Aaron knew it, he was tackled and surprisingly knocked down on to his back by a magical mint colored blur.

“Oof!” Aaron cried as he landed hard on the ground. When his vision cleared, he saw  a super excited unicorn pony with a light cyan mane with a white streak in it. Her eye color was a sunglow yellow, and on her flank was a symbol that looked like some kind of lyre.

“Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!” the excited mare exclaimed. “I knew they were real! I just knew it! And some ponies say I was crazy!”

“And you are?” Aaron asked, but the mare didn’t properly answer the question.

“And it knows Equestrian too! This is so amazing! Please say something else!”

“Uh,” Aaron began, but was interrupted.

“Can you please get of that thing, Lyra before you get hurt?” asked another mare’s voice.

Lyra turned around to look at her worried marefriend, Sweetie Drops. Sweetie Drops had a beige colored coat with a pigment blue mane with a pink streak. Her eyes were cerulean blue and the symbol on her flank represented three wrapped candies. Aaron had no idea that these symbols were called cutie-marks.

Sweetie Drops knew of Lyra’s eccentric obsessions with the mythical humans, but didn’t think much about it. Now that a human is actually in everypony’s presence, her concern grew deeply for her marefriend’s safety. She didn’t know if it was friendly or not.

“Relax Sweets I’m alright. Its not going to hurt me...right?” Lyra asked now looking a little bit worried into Aaron’s confused face.

“Well...no I wasn’t,” Aaron replied. “But can you please get off me, and not tackle me again?”

Lyra blushed and let out some kind of unknown but kind of adorable *squee* sound as she gave an embarrassed smile.

“Sorry about that,” she said and got off Aaron so he could return to his feet showing of his seven foot stature that made him look like a giant to everypony who had the designated height of four feet, or maybe a little more than that.

“It’s perfectly alright,” Aaron said as he brushed himself off. “At least you seem to be the only one here who seems really excited to meet an alien like me.”

“Heheheheh,” Lyra giggled obviously flattered before Sweetie Drops dragged her by her tail.

“C’meh, leths go,” Sweetie Drops said. Her voice distorted by Lyra’s tail in her mouth. Lyra surprisingly didn’t fight back. She just let her bossy marefriend carelessly drag her away leaving Aaron, Twilight, and everypony else to wonder what the hay just happened? It was obvious to Aaron through that he had a groupie; but he wasn’t exactly sure how he felt about it.

“Well that was...uh….interesting,” Aaron managed to say.

“Um...yeah it was, wasn’t it?” Twilight replied with a nervous chuckle. “C’mon, let’s get you inside. I believe that both of us don’t really need this attention.”

Twilight turned to address everypony who were still looking at them.

“Please return to your normal activities. There’s nothing more to see here,” Twilight said, but the ponies didn’t do what they were told. Twilight had no other choice but to use the O-word, which she hated because it made her feel bad.

“That’s a royal order.”

It’s then that the townsponies did what they were told. This impressed Aaron.

“You really are a princess, huh?” he asked smiling.

“Yeah, but I really hate to boss ponies around. It was never my intention to become a princess in the first place. I always considered becoming more of a scholar, or scientist. Perhaps a scholar scientist to be more precise,” Twilight explained.

“You might make a good captain for an army instead,” Aaron commented making Twilight form a little blush.

You could say Aaron had a charm about him that flattered girls, but unfortunately he never considered to find official and intimate relationships with them. Either because he never had time because of his service as a Spartan; or because during his early years on the farm, he worried that his family would disapprove of any girl he hooked up with, especially his father who may intend on scaring her off so Aaron wouldn’t be able to court her any further.

“My older brother is captain of the royal guard,” Twilight stated.

“Well I bet he’s proud of you, along with the rest of your family,” Aaron said making Twilight increase her blush a little more. She decided to move things along before this got anymore awkward.

“Gee thanks, but come along now. Who knows how long it will take before Lyra decides to fight off Sweetie Drops before she can tackle you again, even if she said she wouldn’t,” Twilight warned.

With that, Aaron wasn’t hesitant to quickly follow Twilight inside her home which was the Golden Oaks Library.

When Aaron entered Twilight’s library home, he was rather impressed with the interior’s architecture which mostly was tree bark obviously because Twilight’s home was infact a tree. What puzzled him was how such a thing was constructed? He decided not to ask Twilight because he didn’t want to become invasive. Plus he had a lot of things to keep from her as well about what he does for the UNSC, yet its quite obvious to Twilight that he's some kind of soldier.

As Aaron looked around examining the shelves lined up with books, and the decor that added more life to the place; he spotted a small purple reptilian creature with small green scales lining the back of its head and tail. It appeared to be sleeping right next to a bucket of water and a mop.

For a quick second Aaron thought it was a Kig-Yar, or Jackal in formal terms. Thankfully Aaron didn’t raise his weapon which would probably alarm and infuriate Twilight. It was bad enough he already had a farm mare pissed off at him, so there was no need at add a brainiac one to the list. Plus Aaron knew that Jackals didn’t have tails, and were a little more taller and slender than what this thing had.

“Um Twilight, what is that?” Aaron asked keeping his voice quiet because he didn’t want to disturb the slumbering being. He was already aware that this planet was dominated by highly intelligent diverse species of equines, but the presence of a second non-pony creature really threw him off.

Twilight looked over to what Aaron was referring too. She just smiled.

“Oh that’s Spike,” she replied. “He’s a baby dragon, and my number one assistant who helps me around the library. Yet as you may have already noticed, he sometimes works himself to exhaustion.”

Aaron smiled as well. In a way, Spike sort of reminded him of lazy Unggoy that were dumb enough to fall asleep on their patrols, which made infiltrating Covenant camps slightly more easier and efficient. Sometimes he and his fellow Spartan team members would have a small friendly contest of who could assassinate the most sleeping little gas-sucking jerks in a minute or so. That’s another thing that Twilight did not need to know of course. Not the merciless killing part, but referring Spike to Twilight’s own personal Grunt; and the killing part should not be mentioned to her either.

Twilight gently trotted over to Spike to wake him up.

“Spike, time to wake up sleepyhead. There’s someone here I wish to introduce to you,” Twilight softly said, which in a way sounded motherly to Aaron’s confusion. She couldn’t possibly be a mother to a dragon, could she?

Spike groaned annoyed from his sudden disturbance.

“Can’t I just have a few more minutes?” he asked groggily.

“You can go back to sleep once you’ve met Aaron,”

“Aaron? Who’s Aaron?” Spike asked rubbing his eyes. He couldn’t tell if to be intrigued, or suspicious.

“I am,” said an unfamiliar male voice.

With his vision finally clear, Spike turned his head toward the source of the voice. When he got a clear and good look at Aaron, he jumped back with a startled yelp which made Twilight and Aaron both flinch. Aaron couldn’t be sure if he truly was enjoying the various reactions he has been receiving.

“It’s okay Spike,” Twilight reassured. “Don’t you remember seeing these beings when we went after my stolen crown? I became one, but you somehow became a dog.”

Spike easily recalled the moment that he and Twilight ventured into an alternate realm when Twilight’s crown was stolen by Celestia’s former student, Sunset Shimmer, so she could take over Equestria, and overthrow Celestia and the other princesses.

“Of course I do Twilight, but how come he didn’t turn into a pony when entering our world through the portal when it’s not supposed to be opened yet?” Spike asked curiously.

“Actually, he fell out of the sky,” Twilight corrected.

“Oh,” Spike said, still a little confused. “Can he talk though?”

“Of course I can, who couldn’t?” Aaron cut in.

“Sorry, it was a dumb question,” Spike said rubbing the back of his head embarrassed. Plus Aaron already made it apparent when he said as clear as day, "I am."

“Well now that we’ve all exchanged pleasantries, would you like some tea, Aaron? You must be thirsty,” Twilight offered.

Aaron thought for a bit.

There was no strict diet forbidding tea in the UNSC because it was practically just water with a different color and had a zing of flavor to it, so what harm could it do? Plus he didn’t want to be rude. Twilight was very hospitable, and he should greatly accept it.

“Sure. I would love some,” Aaron said.

Twilight then turned to Applejack who still didn’t look to happy along with Winona who let out a low growl every time Aaron glanced at her. Just like her master, Winona disapproved of Aaron’s actions, and didn’t trust him one bit.

“Would you like some tea too, Applejack?” Twilight asked keeping a positive face and tone.

“Ah’m fine Twi, but thanks anyway,” Applejack replied indifferently. “Ah should probably head back to the farm to tell ‘em we’re okay. They’re probably worried sick by now. Ah’ll see ya later sugarcube. C’mon Winona, lets go.”

With that Applejack and her dog left Twilight and Aaron alone with their concern. When the coast seemed clear, Aaron turned to Twilight.

“Forgive me for asking this, Twilight, and I know I’m probably wrong; but is she always like that?”

“Oh no. Not at all,” Twilight replied shaking her head and giving Aaron his tea. “Applejack is very nice and trustworthy, she’s also very honest and not afraid to speak her mind.”

“I think I’ve already noticed,” Aaron sheepishly said and took a sip. The tea was surprisingly delicious. It also tasted regular, too.

“Well she does kind of have the right to be upset with you. I mean her family has been slaving over the same old crop for generations now. I would be angry too if all my hardwork was suddenly ruined by an unknown stranger. Oh, no offense,” Twilight blushed.

“None taken,” Aaron reassured with a smile. “What I want to know is if she’ll ever forgive me?”

“I’m sure she’ll come around eventually. I bet if her family gets the fee paid for the property damage, I’m sure she’ll have no choice but to thank and forgive you, along with the rest of her family.”

“I just wonder how much I have to owe her?” Aaron asked even though he was probably not going to like the answer.

Twilight put a hoof under her chin as she went into her deep thinking process.

“Judging from the amount of miles and area covered during the crash, I would have to say you owe two-thousand and eight-hundred bits.”

A look of shock and disbelievement overcame Aaron’s face. He knew it would be bad, but with the big amounts of money soldiers make in the UNSC, it shouldn’t be much of a problem. The UNSC did have to find Equis through to initiate the trade fee. What threw Aaron off through was the word bits instead of dollars. He just thought it was their way of saying dollars, but he needed to be sure.

“I assume bits are a fancy word for dollars right?” he asked.

A look of confusion went on to Twilight’s face. Not a good sign.

“No, its always been bits for centuries now. We’ve never heard of these so-called dollars that you speak of,” she explained.

“What are bits then?”

“A quick moment please,” Twilight replied and quickly flew up to her room leaving her teacup. In about several seconds, she flew back down now carrying her saddlebag. She then pulled out to what looked like some kind of golden coin from one of the pockets.

“This is a bit,” she said. “Crafted from the finest gold in all of Equestria. Each one of these bits has the value of one.”

“So that means that the UNSC has to find a way to obtain over two-thousand of these golden coins?” Aaron asked. Confidence low in his voice.

“Pretty much,” Twilight shrugged. “Of course I’m interested in these dollars that your species use.”

Aaron explained to Twilight that dollars were paper pieces dyed in a greenish hue, and had illustrations of his countries founding fathers on the front, and congressional buildings or undecipherable symbols imprinted on the back. He also explained that the dollar designs varied from different countries. He of course followed the Cole Protocol and did not mention his homeworld of Earth, or any other human populated world. Twilight was after all still a mysterious and strange alien, but luckily friendly. He hoped anyway.

“Very intriguing,” Twilight said when he was done explaining. She had both hooves under her chin indicating that she listened to every word. “Your ways aren't really that different from ours at all.”

“You could say that, yeah,” Aaron said with a smile and shrug.

Just then, a knocking came at Twilight’s door.

“Who is it?” Twilight called.

“It’s us darling,” replied the voice of Rarity behind the door.

“Aren’t you going to let us in?” added the voice of Rainbow Dash.

“Rainbow Dash, that’s very rude of you,” Rarity scolded.

“Sorry,” Rainbow sighed annoyed.

“Just a moment please!” Twilight called with a hint of panic in her voice. She then turned to Aaron in desperation. “You better hide for now, I don’t know how they're going to react if they see you.”

“What?” Aaron asked, confused by Twilight’s sudden change in demeanor.

“Please just do it. Trust me, I know what I’m doing,” Twilight pleaded, sounding even more frantic.

“Who are you talking too? Is somepony in there with you?” Rarity asked.

“Ooh! Maybe she’s having some kind of private party!” Pinkie’s voice chimed in. She then sounded disappointed. “But why didn’t she invite me, and the rest of us? More specifically, me?”

“I’m sure it’s private for a good reason, if you get my drift,” Rainbow added. Unknown to Twilight, Rainbow winked as she said this along with a mischievous grin.

“Oh...m..my,” the voice of Fluttershy squeaked. “W..we probably shouldn’t be here then.”

“Calm yourself Fluttershy dear, I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. It’s not even that time of year yet,” Rarity stated. “So uncouth, Rainbow.”

“Hey, it could happen,” Rainbow excused.

“Really I’m fine girls. Nothing interesting happening here,” Twilight lied. “I’ll be right there!”

She turned to Aaron again.

“Please just do it!” she begged.

“That’s it! I’m going to bust down this door in five seconds if you won’t open it or tell us what the hay is going on!” Rainbow threatened.

“Um...don’t you think that’s a bit mean though?” Fluttershy asked.

“No! Twilight’s hiding something and we need to find out what it is! If it’s a stallion she’s never told us about, now is the time that she will tell us!” Rainbow proclaimed. “Five!”

“Rainbow, this isn’t necessary,” Rarity said.

“Four!”

“GO!” Twilight yelled to Aaron who immediately shot up the stairs without a second of hesitation.

“Three!”

“Rainbow please get ahold of yourself,” Rarity pleaded.

“Two!”

“I’m coming to the door right now,” Twilight called.

“ONE!” Rainbow called not hearing what Twilight said, or refusing to believe her.

In a hint of panic, Twilight used her magic to make her door rapidly fly open before Rainbow could touch it. The result was a cyan blur with a rainbow trail racing through the lower level of Twilight’s home, and colliding with a bookshelf on the other side of the room.

Rainbow’s body was at first spread out like a bug squashed against a hard surface, then she gently slid down where she landed on her back with her eyes closed, and she began snoring as if she was sleeping soundly.

She had just knocked herself out silly, and once again put herself under the unofficial nickname of Rainbow Crash.

Fluttershy immediately came to her friends’ aid by quickly flying outside to grab a cloud big enough to act as a bed. She then molded it into a comfortable shape that would make it more comfortable to lie on. She even used a small portion of it to make a pillow.

She then picked up Rainbow and placed her on the cloud bed making sure her head was placed correctly and comfortably on the cloud pillow. Fluttershy then flew outside one last time to grab another cloud to act as a blanket.

She gently placed it over Rainbow’s body and tucked her in leaving only the head exposed. That ought to make her more comfortable until she came to.

The friends just stared at Fluttershy, making her give off an embarrassed *squee*. She really didn’t like to have a lot of attention on her, even if it was her friends.

“Okay now that we got that out of the way, what’s going on here, Twilight? We clearly heard somepony in here with you,” Rarity said.

“If you’re having a party, why didn’t you tell me about it? I would've lighten things up a bit,” Pinkie said, then looked around the room. “This doesn’t look like an area for a party at all. No offense.”

“I wasn’t having a party girls, well maybe it was some kind of a party, a tea one to be exact,” Twilight rambled drawing more suspicion from her friends. she then tried turning the question on them in hopes of changing the subject.

“So what brings you here? I thought you guys would still be in Canterlot helping Celestia out with Luna, and the decor for the Gala.” she asked.

“Well apparently Rainbow Dash finally decided to help us out with the decor even if she was a bit hesitant at first, but we finally got through to her,” Rarity explained. “As for the princess, her bad dreams have abruptly stopped a bit soon after you and Applejack left when that meteor was on a collision course with Sweet Apple Acres. Speaking of which, where is Applejack anyway?” she asked, looking around the room while the rest followed suit.

“Not to worry, she went back home safe and sound to check in on her family. They're also safe as well and in one piece,” Twilight reassured. “Now back on Canterlot. You said that Luna’s dream just stopped, just like that? How?”

“We have no idea, but she was fast asleep right before I could give her the tea I promised.” Fluttershy explained.

“Same with my quilt,” Rarity added sounding a bit disappointed. “I stitched diamonds in to resemble the stars in the night sky.”

“She didn’t even take a nibble of the cake I made for her,” Pinkie added with her ears drooping a bit.

“Well, at least that’s a good sign, it stopped so Luna can finally get some sleep. What puzzles me though is why it had to be after the meteor entered our atmosphere?” Twilight wondered.

“It’s a mystery darling, plus did you and Applejack find out if it truly was some sort of hideous space rock?” Rarity asked.

“Well...yes we did, but I should probably tell you it was no meteor,” Twilight admitted.

Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie raised a brow in curiosity while Rainbow was still in an unconscious nap.

“What are you talking about?” Rarity asked. “It had the characteristic of one.”

“Yes, but when we found it in Applejack’s cornfield; look this may sound a bit crazy, but it was some sort of spaceship definitely not acquainted with our own planet,” Twilight explained.

“W..what do you mean by that?” stammered Fluttershy who was clearly becoming scared.

“It’s okay Fluttershy, I’m pretty sure she’s just trying to pull our legs,” Rarity reassured the frightened pegasus.

“I knew you would think I’m crazy,” Twilight sighed defeated.

“Oh no dear, not at all,” Rarity lied the best way she could. “We just never really heard you talk this way in a long time. Perhaps we should let Cadence know about this.”

“Yes, you do,” Twilight protested clearly not buying Rarity’s fib. “Maybe we should just forget about what I said.”

“Hey girls, look at me!” Pinkie suddenly interjected.

When all three of them turned to face Pinkie, they were all shocked at what they saw. Twilight became more flustered however.

On top of Pinkie’s head and only covering her eyes was Aaron’s helmet! He accidently left it in Twilight’s living room along with his M395 DMR in plain sight, with possibly the safety off!

“Um...Pinkie dear, what is that horrendous thing on your head?” Rarity asked.

“I don’t know,” Pinkie replied. “I found it on one of Twilight’s tables. You should see what it’s like in here. There’s pretty electronic lights in here. It’s like seeing what a robot sees!”

Pinkie then started walking and talking as if she was artificially made pony.

“I-am-the-P-Pie 9000. Must-bake-delicious-cup-cakes-for-hun-gry-tum-mies.”

Pinkie then broke out in hysterical laughter at herself for her impression, while the others just watched with concern.

“Please take that off your head! Who knows where that has been, or what it belongs to,” Fluttershy whimpered.

“Plus it might mess up your mane,” Rarity bluntly said even though she already knew Pinkie’s mane was always a curly and frizzy mess. Like Fluttershy, she worried the strange device could be dangerous to herself, and everypony around.

“Oh don’t be silly girls, look it even comes with a prop,” Pinkie said and pulled Aaron’s M395 from somewhere off screen. Pinkie Logic has struck again.

“Pinkie! Put that down! You’re likely to hurt somepony!” Twilight gasped and tried to take the rifle away from Pinkie by grabbing it with her magic.

“Hey! I found it first, so let go!” Pinkie cried and struggled to keep her hooves on it.

Rarity then ignited her horn and used her magic to assist Twilight.

“Do what Twilight says dear,” Rarity said.

“Never!” Pinkie growled and kept her grip on the rifle dangerously close to the trigger.

The struggle continued for a few moments as the three mares got into a three-way tug of war over the M395.

Fluttershy stayed clear out of the way whimpering at the sight of conflict between her three friends, while Rainbow was still not fazed by the ruckus.

The fight ended when the tip of Pinkie’s hoof accidently pressed down on the trigger. Since the safety was off as predicted, their conflict abruptly ended when the rifle shot off a round into the ceiling with an ear-splitting, BANG!

Four events then happened simultaneously.

Rainbow shot up fully awake looking around frantically, but still dazed. Fluttershy screamed and dove under Twilight’s couch shaking, and began to cry. The three feuding mares dropped the weapon in their startlement. Finally a sound of heavy footsteps came running down the stairs, and into the room where Twilight and the friends were.

It’s then that they all saw Aaron standing before them with a look of surprise and confusion, along with a little anger painted on his face.

“What the fuck is going on down here?!” he demanded.

Chapter Seven: A Promise That Must Be Kept

For a moment, nopony said anything at all.

Twilight just looked at Aaron with embarrassment placed on her face, while the rest of the friends just stared at him with dilated pupils.

Sure they’ve come across creatures or monsters that had were much bigger than them before during their adventures with Twilight, so Aaron shouldn’t have been that intimidating. But as mentioned before, beings like Aaron didn’t exist anywhere in Equestria, and the entire face of Equis. His species were non-existent, until now that is. Of course, the tales never said anything about them being part machines.

Aaron noticed that his M395 and his helmet were being touched without his authorization; of course he should’ve blamed himself for being hasty and leaving his gear behind in the first place.

He noticed this as soon as he was in the area of Twilight’s bedroom which looked like a study area as well. No wonder why Twilight was highly intelligent.

He wrongly assumed that Twilight seemed reasonable enough to know better. He then started to hear raised voices, then a single bullet shot up from the floor and lodged itself in the ceiling. That’s when he knew that his gear was being messed with and ran down the stairs as quickly as he could to see what all the commotion was about.

After not receiving any kind of proper response, Aaron just sighed and carelessly walked over to Pinkie who still had his helmet partially over her face.

When he tried to get it off her, her body lifted up with it indicating that she was stuck. Thankfully though it only took a couple of firm shakes to make her plop down back on the floor flank first. She still stared at him with wide eyes not knowing what to do.

That seemed very odd of Pinkie though because when the friends first met, she showed them that the only way to face something scary was to laugh at it. Of course it was just trees with scary faces on them created by Nightmare Moon.

Aaron was nothing close to that, considering he was a living and breathing creature who knew clear Equestrian.

When he used that harsh language and tone with them, it truly gave her the message that he was definately no laughing matter.

When Aaron looked into the interior of his helmet, he noticed a few hairs from her mane had gotten into it.

He then plucked each one of the hairs out and examined them closely. They seemed like normal hairs to him because the fiber structure was designed the same way despite the unnatural color, but he was on a strange planet after all.

What truly stood out though was the aroma that the hairs gave off.

When he brought them closer to his nose for a proper scent pick-up, he noticed that the hairs smelled sweet and sugary like candy. Cotton candy seemed to be the direct term officially.

Just because he didn’t eat any sweets for years now doesn’t mean he forgot what they smelled or tasted like. The scent was truly unforgettable.

After not receiving any sort of response, he turned toward Twilight since so far she was the only one he became properly acquainted with.

“Twilight, do you care to explain why your friends are screwing around with my equipment?” he asked. “I know it was my error for accidently leaving it down here, but I figured that any of you would no better than to mess around with sensitive and dangerous gear!”

“Please understand Aaron, that me and Rarity were trying to take your device away from Pinkie before she could hurt herself or anypony,” Twilight pleaded, fearing that he might report her or any of her friends to any authoritative comrades that Aaron might’ve had with the UNSC, and have them taken in for questioning.

Seeing the sincerity in her eyes, Aaron could let this one slide so he wouldn’t have to turn her or any of her friends that were involved in this incident, but he still had his concern, especially toward that mare named Pinkie Pie.

That carefree and hyper personality she had could mean big trouble for her one day. It may even cost her her life if she isn’t careful enough. Messing around with his M395 set a  good example.

If she aimed it at herself or just at the right angle, she and any other pony who was struck with misfortune would get a ricocheting  M118 FMJ-AP type bullet with a caliber of seven point sixty-two times fifty-one millimeters through their body or any vital organ.

After a moment, Aaron just sighed.

“I understand Twilight, so I’ll let this pass.”

A look of relief came over Twilight’s face.

“But if anything like this ever happens again, I have the right to send in a report to UNSC personnel for questioning of anyone who was involved in the mishap. Understand?”

Twilight and her friends just nodded. They all feared what these aliens might do to them if they interloped with their gear or intentions.

“Good. Now I should say once I’ve settled a few issues here including my damaged COMM networks getting fixed, I plan on leaving this planet along with the rest of the UNSC. We have other important matters to attend to right now and don’t wish to stay longer than we should.”

“You mean you or the rest of your people don’t wish to learn more about our ways at all?” Twilight asked clearly disappointed.

“If we didn’t have our hands full right now, we could,” Aaron explained. “We will be able to return to this place if we have some downtime. I admit this planet will be quite the hotspot for research since our species speak the same language, even though for us it’s English.”

“I see,” Twilight sighed. “But how will you find us again? I mean you said that you lost consciousness when you entered our planet’s atmosphere?”

“Actually I was unconscious long before I entered atmosphere. The reason is classified obviously, but we shouldn’t focus on that right now. I’m going to head back to the cornfield alone and retrieve the COMM radio from the Pelican. I’ll be back so please just stay here. I believe you need some time to catch up with your friends. I have already put you through enough trouble as it is.” Aaron explained before walking out the door to Twilight’s home and closing it behind him. He believed he didn’t need Twilight’s escort as he trekked back through Ponyville. He also believed he could now handle the attention that the locals gave him-yet he was still a little leary about that unicorn named Lyra who tackled him moments ago.

After a brief moment of silence, Rainbow spoke up.

“Okay Twilight, now would really be a good time to explain what the hay is going on here? Why is that alien here, and why were you trying to hide him from us?”

Twilight just sighed knowing she couldn’t talk her way out of the situation.

“First off he’s here because I figured he wouldn’t have anywhere else to go for shelter or food. Second, I didn’t know how you girls would react to him being in my home in the first place. I feared that you wouldn’t trust him like Applejack,” Twilight explained.

“Well I believe she has the right to not trust him,” Rarity huffed. “He’s obviously a ruffian. I mean did you see what he was wearing? Ugh! Steel plating has no style whatsoever.”

“He was a real meanie too,” Pinkie added with lowered ears. “He didn’t even ask me nicely for his helmet back. He treated me as if I was baking dough or something.”

“I’m sure he didn’t mean to Pinkie,” Twilight reassured. “He seems to have a very serious personality, and you Pinkie, you’re….”

Twilight stopped herself because she didn’t want to say anything to hurt Pinkie’s feelings or sound cruel. Pinkie however already knew what Twilight was going to say because her ears went down some more, and her mane lost a little bit of its poof.

“Not serious,” Pinkie finished. “It’s okay, Twilight. I understand completely.”

“I wasn’t going to say that was a bad thing,” Twilight said trying to sound comforting. “We’re all glad that you like to joke around and throw parties for everypony. You always know how to make the best out of bad situations. It’s what we all like about you, and all of Ponyville.”

Pinkie’s mane retained its puffiness as a relieved smile came over Pinkie’s face.

“Look, I know that none of you are willing to offer your allegiance to Aaron because he hasn’t really made a good impression on you because of the way he acted back there--but that was because he was trying to protect you from injuring yourselves. He’s a good guy believe me. Plus he’s already made it clear that he wants to go home. As soon as he gets the help he needs, he’ll be out of our hair,” Twilight explained.

The girls still gave Twilight skeptical and unsure looks, but she made a valid point. Who knows what would've happened if Aaron’s M395 was aimed the right way to hurt or kill somepony.

“What I want to know is what issue’s this Aaron guy has that he needs to attend to?” Rainbow asked, clearly suspicious.

Twilight took a quick moment to think.

“He said something about wanting to see Princess Luna, I believe.” she said.

This made the girls gasp.

“You d-don’t think that he’ll h-hurt her? R-right?” Fluttershy whimpered.

“I’m not taking any chances! Let’s get him!” Rainbow exclaimed and got ready to fly off before Twilight seized her by her tail with her magic so she couldn’t move.

“Girls please relax!” Twilight pleaded. “I’m sure he has no intention of doing such a thing!”

“How do you know Twilight?” Rarity demanded. “Did he at least specifically mention why he wanted to see her?”

“Well...no. He didn’t,” Twilight replied. “All I did was mention Luna’s dilemma to him--and then he asks for my permission to see her, even if I have to notify Celestia first. I know it doesn’t make sense, but it’s true.”

“Well we should probably ask him then,” Rarity suggested. “He better be willing to talk, though.”

“And if he doesn’t, I’ll force the words out of him,” Rainbow threatened.

This unnerved Fluttershy because she didn’t think violence was the answer, even if it was on a strange being that seemed terrifying.

“Um...Rainbow. Don’t you think that’s a little...harsh?” she asked.

“Yes of course it is,” Rainbow stated officially. “I mean what else could it be?”

“I just thought it would be better if we asked him politely like Rarity said.”

“Oh please, there’s no way in Tartarus that asking him would be a strong suit.”

Fluttershy just shrunk back not knowing what else to say.

“C’mon girls, we should go now. He can’t be far so catching up with him will be easy,” Twilight said.

The mares nodded in agreement and all took off after Aaron to wonder why he was interested in one of their princesses.

As Aaron headed back to the site of his crashed Pelican, he was mostly thinking about how himself, and the rest of the UNSC would be able to donate a large sum of money to help repair the crop damage.

Sure Aaron knew that the UNSC would be generous enough to be willing to do so, but the problem that Aaron was mostly concerned about was the money system itself.

He remembered Twilight saying that the money system on her planet consisted of golden coins called bits instead of dollars or regular coins that were used by humans. Who knows if these equines would accept this new kind of alien money. The answer could be no.

It’s then that Aaron realized that he was once a corn farmer, and that he may have an idea how to make this right. The consequence was that he would have to temporarily have to put his service in the UNSC on hold for a while.

He wasn’t sure how Captain Thomas Lasky of Infinity, or the rest of the UNSC fleet would feel about this. Sure Equis seemed like a real interesting planet to study and research, but the priority of locating Halsey and ‘Mdama was still at large.

Who knows what the Covenant would be capable of with a brilliant ONI scientist on their side who possibly knew UNSC war tactics and strategies, along with highly classified ONI secrets. Time was of the essence.

As Aaron was nearing the edge of Ponyville, he suddenly heard the sounds of hooves galloping behind him along with the voice of Twilight calling after him.

“Aaron, wait!” she said.

Aaron turned to see Twilight and the rest of her friends coming towards him with a look of desperation and determination on their faces.

Aaron was confused, but slightly irritated that Twilight didn’t do what she was told.

“What are all of you doing here? I thought I said to stay put until I got back,” Aaron said clearly expressing his annoyance.

“Not until we know why you're interested in one of the princesses,” Rainbow protested with clear anger and demand.

“Easy Rainbow, let me handle this, okay?” Twilight assured raising one of her hooves. “I got this.”

Rainbow just huffed and crossed her forehooves as she continued to hover in the air by flapping her wings. Rainbow was known for barely keeping her hooves on the ground; and always being reckless and bull-headed.

Twilight then turned to Aaron. Her expression and tone were calm, but it still indicated that it meant business.

“Like Rainbow said, why are you all of the sudden interested in Princess Luna when you haven’t even met her yet?” she asked.

Aaron knew that his personal interest with the princess of the night wasn’t classified because it seemed too ridiculous to fall into that category. Plus it had nothing to do with the UNSC.

“I’m not particularly interested in your princess,” Aaron explained. “What intrigues me is the dreams she’s been having. You said that they were recurring, and that they have been happening for a few weeks right?”

“Yeah,” Twilight replied unsure of what Aaron was getting at.

“Well it just so happens that I have been having a similar experience myself before I arrived here.”

Twilight and the others raised a brow in suspicion. They couldn’t tell if Aaron was being truthful or not. Everypony knew that reply could easily be taken as a lie. He needed to be more specific.

“Well what about then? You just can’t say something like that without proof or credible details,” Twilight stated. “You could be easily lying to us.”

Aaron understood what Twilight was getting at, but what he was about to say fell into top secret classification of UNSC affairs with their enemy.

He had to be vague, but still convincing.

“All I can say is that there’s a war going on between two different sides with civilians involved,” Aaron began. “I seem to be helping out with evacuation procedures by escorting people onto an evac ship. After a while of ascension, the ship gets shot down into a body of water killing me, and the rest of the hands onboard.”

Twilight and the others felt a heavy lump form in their stomachs. This was sort of similar to what Luna told them--but what Aaron was going to say next made their skin crawl and the hairs on their coats, manes, and tails stand up on end.

“This may sound weird, but theres a girl that is on board has the same southern drawl as your friend, Applejack.”

The jaws of Twilight and the others hung wide open as they gasped in shock. Rainbow’s rage then kicked into full gear.

“So YOU'RE the one who’s responsible for AJ’s death?!” she seethed. “I’ll show you  to not to mess with one of my friends!”

She was about to fly at Aaron full force, but was stopped once again when Twilight grabbed her by her tail with her magic. This time, Rainbow didn’t let up because she flailed her body and hooves constantly to be free of Twilight’s restraint. She knew that Twilight’s magic couldn’t hold her forever.

Sensing that Rainbow may eventually break free, Aaron had no choice but to ready his MA5D to use on her.

Like before, he had an intention on wounding Rainbow instead of killing her. She was in the perfect range to fire at one of her wings first. If that didn’t stop her, he knew that a short two-round burst in one of the kneecaps would successfully cripple her.

He knew whichever method he chose, it would not go over well with Twilight, or the others. Hell, even all of Equestria.

“Rainbow, that’s enough!” Twilight shouted. “It’s not his fault alright. If he’s having the same experience as Luna, then that means he wants to intervene, but he can’t.”

It all became clear to Twilight and the others that there was a connection to Luna’s dreams and Aaron, who was a human like Luna visualized.

“Will you stop defending him, Twilight!” Rainbow shot back. “He can’t be trusted! It’s obviously his fault for what happens to Applejack, and possibly the rest of our world since it’s possibly being attacked by who knows what!”

Twilight focused her attention back on Aaron.

“What are these things that your species are fighting?” she asked with a now firm tone. “Who cares if you don’t have the authorization to say. It’s clear to me that you're trying to save us from your enemy; but what are they exactly? Who knows if your and Luna’s dreams are some kind of warning about an actual event. Luna may not know what they are, but I’m sure you do. So let me ask you again. What are these things that are attacking? Judging from what Luna told us, they're probably not equivalent to what your race is.”

Aaron knew that Twilight had a point. They may have not been humans, but they had intelligences similar to them.

The UNSC had a job to save innocent lives from hostile forces like Innies, or Covenant  that threatened them. That meant that Twilight and the rest of her race had the same rights. However, some information about their enemies still had to remain classified whatever the condition.

“All I can say is that I believe that if these dreams that me, and one of your political leaders are experiencing are actually premonitions of a future event; then I have to assume that your planet may be invaded by a genocidal and merciless diverse alien race sometime in the future. When? I’m afraid that neither one of us will know,” Aaron replied. “Which is why I need to attempt contact with the rest of the UNSC fleet asap. All of us can save you from this calamic fate if you’re willing to trust me and the rest of us. If you don’t, they will likely try to convert you to join them, or kill all of you. It’s your choice.”

There was a brief moment of silence. Fluttershy however was emitting frightened whines while hiding behind her mane trembling.

Twilight was now put in a decisive crossroad here.

Either have her race side with the unknown diverse alien collective to spare the many deaths of her world; or believe and side with Aaron and his race, which would likely cause the opposite effect. It was a tough decision because she didn’t know which side was fighting for the greater good.

“I don’t know what to believe, Aaron,” Twilight firmly said. “How can we trust humans like you if we only heard one side of the story. Surely these adversaries of yours have a good reason of why they want to get rid of you, just like you want to get rid of them.”

Aaron couldn’t believe what he was hearing! Was Twilight actually considering to make her and her race join the Covenant in exchange for her, and their lives? It was mutiny! He had to convince her to stay on his side. Who knows what the Covies would be capable off then, especially with that magical force that Twilight possessed.

“Look Miss. Sparkle, these aliens have no good intention for fighting us. Here’s the deal, if I can contact the Express, I’m sure Captain Kenwood would be willing to give you more information about our enemy--if he gets a green light from Lasky that is,” Aaron explained the best he could. “You can’t make a smart decision until you get the full intel if possible.”

Twilight kept her brow raised as she stared at the ground with a hoof under her chin as she took a moment to think. It was hard for her because Aaron was right about not receiving the full information before reaching a verdict.

When she finally made her decision, she was worried she may regret it.

“Fine, I’ll do what I can to help you make contact with your home ship. But if they won’t give us the proper information we need, I’m going to have to ask you and the rest of your race to leave Equis and never return. Alright?” Twilight said.

She may have been excited at first about making contact with an actual human; but after learning what his presence on Equis may cause in the future--she thought it was best if he was gone before it was too late. She figured that Applejack’s family crop would eventually recover on its own, or that they can easily replant it when the season was right. Of course his Pelican would have to be extracted first.

“You have yourself a deal, Twilight,” Aaron said.

“Pinkie Promise?” Pinkie suddenly cut in.

Aaron assumed that she was referring to a classic promising method by two people linking their pinkie thumbs together when making an agreement. Since Twilight’s species lacked fingers, he was confused as to how he was going to do this.

Yes I do,” Aaron replied by just awkwardly sticking his pinkie finger in mid-air.

“No, you cross your heart and hope to fly, then stick a cupcake in your eye,”  Pinkie said.

Aaron was really confused now, but he couldn’t help but chuckle at her statement. This mare couldn’t be taken seriously.

Seeing that Aaron was laughing for the wrong reason, Pinkie kept a stern expression on her face as she reached into her mane and pulled out a blue frosted cupcake that miraculously didn’t seem to have a single hair on it, and that their wasn’t a hint of frosting left behind on her mane.

Aaron immediately stopped laughing and gazed at the cupcake. He was once again baffled.

“Where did you get that?” he asked pointing at it.

Instead of answering his question, Pinkie reached over to him and placed the cupcake in his pointing hand. She also made sure to adjust his fingers so he had a proper grip on it.

“Do it, and make sure you remove that helmet of yours as well, or we won’t believe you,” Pinkie ordered.

Aaron couldn’t believe the predicament that he’s gotten himself into, but seeing that he wasn’t going to escape so easily, he reluctantly removed his helmet, but not before placing his M395 on the ground.

He sighed and said the proper words bemusedly.

“I cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake.….in my eye.”

Aaron then shut his eyes tight before he brought the cupcake up and splattered it against his left eye. He groaned a bit when the frosting covered part of his face. He prayed through that none of it got into his suit and fried the circuits.

Pinkie smiled contently now.

“See, that wasn’t so bad!” she gleamed.

“Yeah, it wasn’t at all,” he muttered sarcastically as he wiped his eye and face clear to the best of his ability.

When his eye was finally clear, he said, “C’mon, lets get a move on. We’ve wasted enough time as it is.”

He then picked up his helmet and put it back on before placing his M395 back in his hands.

Aaron then began leading Twilight and her friends back to the crashed Pelican.

On the way, he thought to himself the sooner he can get off this crazy planet, the better. He didn’t know how much mischief he could take before he lost his marbles.

Chapter Eight: Recieve and Respond

PELICAN CRASH SITE

4:28PM

When Aaron and Twilight arrived back at his Pelican’s crash site, they found that the smoke and small fires around the area had dissipated. Thank goodness there was no strong wind that afternoon that would cause the fires to spread and cause more damage to the crops, or even the entire farm.

Aaron climbed into the cockpit and carefully and steadily removed the COMM radio from its cradle. Great caution had to be used incase the radio was badly damaged either by the jump, or the rough landing.

Aaron then began fiddling with it to see if it would react. Miraculously, the radio activated properly without a short circuit!

“Well how about that?” Aaron said sounding rather glad.

“What is it?” Twilight asked curiously.

“Looks like the power systems were only temporarily disabled after the jump.” Aaron explained.

“Does that mean you can get your Pelican operational again?”

Aaron looked back at the gunship with a disappointed expression hidden under his helmet.

“If it wasn’t completely totalled as it is now, then yes,” he replied. “As you can see, I had to kind of destroy the airlock mechanism above the cockpit in order to escape the wreckage. The systems in my helmet do allow me to breathe in space though--but only for an hour at least. If I performed another jump into slipspace, I would easily be stretched and ripped apart atom by atom until there was nothing left of me.”

The girls cringed at the thought of such a gruesome sight.

“Well if your device is working fine, does that mean you can contact your home ship without assistance?” Twilight asked.

“Hmm,” Aaron said and took a closer look at the terminals. “Apparently not. The signal’s too weak and patchy. It would need a high energy boost of power in order for it to work at full function.”

“I think I may know a few energy spells that may be effective,” Twilight stated.

Aaron wasn’t at first sure of how he felt about about Twilight using her magic on UNSC gear because what if something went wrong, or that it does even more damage then fixing it? However, Aaron knew he had no other choice. Life was all about taking risks.

“Okay, see what you can do,” Aaron said, giving her the green light of approval.

Nodding, Twilight closed her eyes as she channeled all her magical mana into her horn which began glowing its natural pink, much to Aaron’s amazement.

It was truly astounding to him to witness actual and real magic being performed in front of him, and not just those cheap illusions used in magician shows. This was the real deal.

Aaron noticed that the exterior of the radio began glowing the same color of Twilight’s mana, which steadily began to get brighter and brighter, before Aaron and Twilight’s friends had to shield their eyes and look away.

This only lasted for a few seconds before Twilight’s horn stopped glowing along with the radio when she finished her spell.

When Aaron looked back at the power terminals, he couldn’t believe his eyes!

Whatever Twilight’s spell did increased the transmission levels way above the necessary amount required; but it was nothing bad at all. This meant he could easily contact the Express no matter where he was in the universe!

“Outstanding work, Twilight,” Aaron praised. “Hailing the Pony Express should be a breeze now.”

Everypony raised a brow.

“Is that the name of your mothership?” Twilight asked.

Aaron chuckled. “More like a command ship actually. You know it kind of strikes me funny now that I’ve landed on a planet inhabited by ponies, and that I came from a ship that has the word ‘pony’ in it. Kind of makes you want to wonder, huh?”

“I guess so,” Twilight replied shrugging. “Does that mean that there are actually ponies aboard this ship of yours?”

“Oh no, not at all. The ships name originates from a mail delivery system used back in the early 1860’s,” Aaron explained. “The people who would be responsible for delivering the mail would ride the fastest horses they could find to a checkpoint. Once they reached it, they would receive a new horse that was ready to go while the previous one rests. It sort of works as a relay system. Something tells me that method is what invented the sport of Track Relay Racing.”

“So wait. Equines exist where you're species are from?” Twilight asked.

“And that they were used for such horrendous labor?” Rarity gasped.

“First off, I should mention that the horses were not abused in anyway. They were trained and got the breaks they deserved as I mentioned before. Plus, that system isn’t even used anymore. It only lasted from 1860 to 1861. You could say the system was useful, but not very efficient as anyone would think. From then on, new and more effective systems were invented throughout the years. Secondly, yes there are species of equines on most human worlds, but none of them can talk, or have wings or horns.”

“So you’re saying they're basically all earth ponies, right?” Fluttershy asked.

“Basically, yes,” Aaron replied.

“Well it is true earth ponies are well known for their strength and energy,” Twilight stated.

“That explains why I’m never too tired to throw a party!” Pinkie said enthusiastically while wearing a party hat and having a noisemaker in her mouth that wasn’t there a second ago.

Aaron wondered if Pinkie possessed some sort of supernatural power, but that seemed rude and ridiculous to ask. Plus, he realized he had wasted more time conversing then contacting. He needed to stay focused.

“Okay, I’m going to try hailing the ship now. Let’s just see how well your magic worked, Twilight,” Aaron said.

Twilight just nodded. She wasn’t exactly sure how well she did.

Aaron activated his suit’s COMM transmitter to help relay the signal he was about to give out by pressing the power switch on his helmet.

“Pony Express, this is Sierra-408 Aaron Jensen. I have survived the slipspace jump, but I’m shipwrecked and in need of assistance. Over,” Aaron said into his helmets build in COMM mic.

Since he wasn’t receiving static this time, Aaron knew that his signal would patch through; hopefully.

***

BRIDGE OF PONY EXPRESS

1612 HOURS

Captain Kenwood stared out of the window of his ship, thinking about what needed to be done about continuing to run the idea of Pelican slipspace travel. Should it still happen, or should the idea be cancelled since it seemed that they have lost Aaron?

It had been three hours since the test jump, and the ship hadn’t received a single attempted transmission from the presumably dead Spartan--yet. He was already assumed dead shortly after the jump was completed when he didn’t report in after an estimated amount of time a slipspace jump took, depending on distance of course.

They still had the coordinates that Aaron provided through, but they needed his confirmation to see if the jump was safe, especially for the corvette that had its own Shaw-Fujikawa translight engine.

After a while, Kenwood finally made his decision.

He ordered that the provided coordinates be terminated, and that the plug on the new slipspace project to be pulled before more soldier’s lives were taken unnecessarily. It’s more worth perishing by Covenant then technology.

Before he gave the go ahead, one of the corvette’s COMM officers received a strange, but familiar signal.

“Captain, I’m getting a UNSC signal,” he reported.

“Where is it coming from?” Kenwood asked.

“Apparently somewhere from the vector that Sierra-408 provided us with.”

“Is the channel secure?”

“I have no idea sir, but the signal is way off the charts. It’s something I’ve never seen before at all.”

“Well secure or not, let’s hear what it is!” Kenwood ordered.

“Yes sir,” the officer said, letting the transmission play.

“Pony Express, this is Sierra-408 Aaron Jensen. I have survived the slipspace jump, but I’m shipwrecked and in need of assistance. Over,” it played. Aaron was alive!

“Quick patch us through! Who knows how long the strength of that signal will last!”

The officer obeyed and quickly activated the response signals from the Express.

***

A few moments quickly passed after Aaron sent his transmission that would hopefully reach the location to where the Express was located in the universe. So far he didn’t get an immediate response like he had hoped.

Twilight looked a bit worried.

“Do you want me to try another spell?” she offered.

“No, just give it a little more time,” Aaron replied. “If nothing happens, then you may.”

“Okay.” Twilight said.

A few more moments had passed. There was still no response. It was then that Aaron gestured to Twilight to let her try another spell.

Nodding, Twilight once again closed her eyes as she concentrated her mana into her horn.

Before she could get into her full concentration, she was interrupted when a response miraculously transmitted from the radio.

“This is Captain Kenwood of the UNSC: Pony Express. Spartan Jensen, is that you?”

Aaron didn’t hesitate to respond. “Affirmative sir,”

“What happened to you? We thought your status was KIA.”

“Apparently the systems onboard the gunship were disabled after the jump was complete, and I was knocked unconscious as well,” Aaron explained. “Luckily I’ve crash-landed on a hospitable planet teeming with life. It also has friendly contacts.”

“Well, what are they? Is it human?”

“Not exactly,” Aaron replied while looking at Twilight and her friends who seemed a bit uncomfortable. “But they seem to have the same kind of intelligence like humanity. The atmosphere is even tolerable to us.”

“You still didn’t answer my question about what they were.”

Aaron became a little sheepish.

“Well if I told you sir, you would think I was crazy. With respect, I suggest that you follow the coordinates I provided you with before I made the jump--if you haven’t already gotten rid of them that is. It might be best if you came to see for yourself.”

***

Kenwood sighed in relief on the inside. He couldn’t believe he was about to recklessly delete valuable coordinate data. If he did that, Aaron may have never been found if he was still alive!

What concerned him though, was as to why he would think a respectable soldier like Aaron would be off his rocker? He never talked anything like this before, but decided to go along with it.

***

“Okay, just mark an LZ for us, and we’ll be on our way to make contact with you, and whatever else is there with you. If these beings are intelligent like you claim they are; this could be a historical first-contact scenario for all the UNSC.”

“Understood sir. I should also recommend that landfall should be done via Pelican. No need to make an impressive entrance with the corvette in atmosphere if you know what I’m saying?”

“Consider it done Spartan. Pony Express out.”

With that, the COMM radio clicked off as Captain Kenwood disconnected for the time being.

Aaron turned toward Twilight and her friends.

“Well looks like we’re all set. Do any of you know any place that is wide enough and clear for a good LZ?” he asked.

Twilight and the girls thought for a moment.

Fluttershy then spoke up.

“Um...excuse me Aaron, but what’s an LZ?” she asked.

“It’s a military initial meaning landing-zone,” Aaron replied. “It’s where the captain’s dropship is going to land and meet up with us.”

Twilight was the next one to talk. Apparently she knew a perfect place for the dropship to land.

“I believe Ponyville Park would be your best bet. It has many wide open spaces that should accompany your captain’s ship well,” she explained. “I’ll just have to warn everypony there to clear the designated area of choice.”

“Thank you, Twilight. Now I believe would be a good time to get your friend, Applejack. If she wants to get information about the debt we owe her and her family, now is the chance to do so.”

"Okay," Twilight said. "I think I'll be best if we teleport to the farmhouse. Celestia will lower the sun in a couple of hours to make way for Luna's moon to rise. It's the only way your comrades can arrive while it's still daytime."

Aaron wasn't sure how he felt about teleportation, but he knew Twilight had a point. Better to get reunited today then tomorrow.

"Okay, I'm up for it," he finally said.

"Then take my hoof," Twilight said extending one of her hooves to Aaron. It was the only way she could teleport him and her together. Good thing she got all her energy back to perform teleportation spells.

"Me and Fluttershy will see you there," Rainbow said.

"Wait! What about me and Pinkie?" Rarity asked rather perturbed about having to trot all the way.

"Can't you teleport? I mean you are a unicorn," Rainbow asked.

"Well I know that darling, but I've always used my magic for designing and styling. I've never had time to learn such advanced magic," Rarity stated proudly.

"How about you guys take my other hoof then," Twilight suggested. "I'll be able to bring us all."

"Okey dokey lokey!" Pinkie said excitedly and grabbed Twilight's other hoof.

"Well if it must be done to avoid getting my hooves dirty, then so be it," Rarity said and grabbed Pinkie's hoof which completed the conduit to teleport them all.

"Okay, here we go," Twilight said as she closed her eyes and channeled her magic which eventually made all four of them to vanish in mid-air leaving Rainbow and Fluttershy to travel by their wings.

Back at the Apples’ farmhouse, Applejack told her family members about the incidents that had occurred, from the alien ship resting in their cornfield, to the encounter with Aaron in the Everfree Forest, and then to the reception they got in town.

The Apple family was intrigued about this human called Aaron, but had the same kind of frustration toward their crops being vandalised.

“Your great grandfather worked day in and day out to perfect every inch of that cornfield,” Granny Smith started shaking her head sadly. “Shame tah hear about its state now.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed sadly.

“Well didn’t ya say he was not awake or somethin’ when he arrived?” Apple Bloom asked. “Ah’m sure it was jus’ an accident.”

“An...ACCIDENT?!” Applejack snapped, startling the little filly. “You should know damn well that it was no accident, Apple Bloom!”

“Applejack!” Granny Smith scolded. “You should know better than to use that kind of language and tone in front of Apple Bloom. Ah know yer frustrated darlin’--so are all of us, but there’s no reason to take it out on yer little sister!”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed a bit sternly now.

Applejack’s ears went down to a sad droop as she stared at the floor shamefully.

“Ah’m sorry granny,” she said. Her tone was now quiet and full of regret. She then looked at Apple Bloom who was afraid now to make eye contact with her.

Applejack gently trotted over to her frightened little sister and softly placed a hoof on her shoulder, making Apple Bloom flinch a little.

“Ah’m sorry sis fer screamin’ at ya like that. Granny’s right. Ah shouldn’t be angry at you. Ah jus’ let the worst of mah emotions get the better of me. Ya must think Ah’m a terrible sister.”

“Ah didn’t think that at all, Applejack. Ah should've never made that assumption in the first place.” Apple Bloom said, still not looking into Applejack’s eyes.

“No, it was a good assumption," Applejack reassured. "Ah mean Ah would probably cause an accident too if Ah wasn't awake. What irks me through is that he fled the scene of the crime after he crashed. Ya would think he would immediately come over here and tell us himself."

"He was probably scared sis. Considerin' we're alien to him like he is to us."

"Scared or not, he owes us all big time for what he's done to our crop," Applejack stated officially.

"Did he at least promise that he would help pay for our damaged crops?" Granny Smith asked.

Applejack thought for a moment.

"Ah don't recall him sayin' anything like that when Ah was with Twi an' him. If he does decide ta show up 'round 'ere, Ah'll make sure ta make him promise; whether he likes it or not."

It was then that a bright flash of light emitted from outside the windows of the farmhouse. Applejack somehow knew that was Twilight's teleportation magic. a wave of concern then washed over her.

"Y'all find somewhere ta hide," Applejack suggested to her family members. "If that alien is still with Twilight, Ah don't want him ta hurt ya."

Granny and Big Mac both nodded, but Apple Bloom didn't. Her curiosity was at its breaking point now.

"But sis, Ah wanna see this alien. Ah promise Ah'll be careful," she pleaded.

"No, Apple Bloom. It's too risky. Ya gotta go with granny and Big Mac now. When it's safe, Ah'll let y'all know alright?" Applejack argued becoming more testy.

Apple Bloom knew she wouldn't get through to her big sister by just using words, so she just decided to use action instead.

She bolted toward the front door where the flash emitted from.

"What do ya think yer doin', Apple Bloom! Get back 'ere now!" Applejack ordered, but Apple bloom refused to heed her sister's demands.

When she opened the door, she did see Twilight and her two friends Pinkie and Rarity, standing at the door which would've relieved all stress in the Apple family home, but when she spotted the tall and intimidating stature of Aaron, that stress would become even worse!

Chapter Nine: A Bitter Apple in the Reunion


For a moment, Apple Bloom just stared silently at Aaron with widened eyes and a wide, frightened frown. She never pictured an alien to be this intimidating, especially when it was expressionless.

Twilight took notice of Apple Bloom’s reaction and began to reassure her.

“It’s okay, Apple Bloom. Aaron is not going to hurt you. We just came here to get Applejack.”

Hearing her name called, and the sound of Twilight’s voice, Applejack went to the front door to investigate.

She was both surprised and glad to see her friends. Apparently, Rainbow and Fluttershy had just arrived at the door to join the group.

When she laid eyes on Aaron though--and the way her little sister was reacting to his presence, she became frightened for her little sister’s; and the rest of her family’s safety. Applejack somehow knew that Twilight would do something like this!

“Why did you bring that alien here, Twi?” Applejack demanded. “Are ya out of yer mind!”

“Applejack relax,” Twilight reassured. “Were just here to retrieve you.”

Applejack raised a brow.

“What? How come?”

“We successfully managed to contact Aaron’s ship,” Twilight replied. “The captain will meet us in the park when the area is clear.”

Applejack relaxed a bit, but was still tense from the current situation. She would be at full peace when the debt to her family’s crops were paid for, and that Aaron and his compatriots would hopefully leave Equis soon afterward.

“Okay, Ah’m comin’,” Applejack said. She then faced Apple Bloom, who looked worried.

“Stay here with granny and Big Mac, sis. Y’all be safe if ya stayed here.”

“But Ah wanna’ come too,” Apple Bloom insisted. Her curiosity was beginning to overtake her fear.

“Do what yer big sister says, Apple Bloom.” Granny Smith instructed firmly, giving her eldest granddaughter support. “She’s right. It’ll be best if ya stayed with Mac an’ me while yer sister and her friends take care of this matter.”

Apple Bloom really wanted to argue with her big sister and grandmother. She may have been intimidated at first about seeing what an alien actually looks like, but now she wanted to find out about where it came from--and how it lives its life. However, both Applejack and Granny Smith had authority and she didn’t. Big Mac had authority as well, despite not having leader material.

“Fine,” Apple Bloom sighed. “Ah’ll stay here with everypony else.”

“That a girl,” Applejack said with a small smile before facing Twilight and the others. “Okay, let’s get this over with.”

With that, Applejack left with Twilight and the others, leaving the Apple family to wonder what would become of their damaged property, and Applejack.

PONYVILLE PARK

4:52PM

When Aaron and the girls finally arrived at Ponyville Park, and got the designated LZ clear, he radioed in to the Express to give the green light for the captain to arrive. Aaron also sent the slipspace coordinates that will transport the corvette closer to Equis’s atmosphere to shorten the ETA.

While they all awaited Captain Kenwood’s arrival, Twilight and her friends were a little bit nervous about meeting Aaron’s comrades, but they knew this was the only way of setting the record straight with the damaged crop dilemma. Afterwards, Aaron may leave along with the rest of the UNSC to resume their duties. That way, life in Equestria and all of Equis can be normal once again--hopefully anyway.

The COMM radio suddenly buzzed to life as Captain Kenwood began to send his transmissions to Aaron.

“Jensen, we have exited slipspace and I have my Pelican prepped for launch. Ready to receive LZ coordinates,” Kenwood reported.

“Copy that sir,” Aaron said, and programmed in the coordinates of his current position to the captain before sending them. “Have you received them successfully?”

“Affirmative Jensen. ETA, five minutes,” Kenwood replied.

“Roger that sir. Awaiting your arrival now.”

The COMM radio then turned off as Kenwood signed out.

Aaron turned to face Applejack who looked worried, but quite expectant of what was to come of her family’s crops.

“Well, Miss. Applejack, I should tell you now that I can’t be sure of how the UNSC will help repay your family for the damage done to your farmland.” he suddenly confessed sadly. “It may not even be today or tomorrow, or ever, because we may have other more urgent matters to attend to for the moment.”

Applejack was both stunned and angry at Aaron’s last minute remark.

“What? Why did ya have tah wait till now to tell me that?” she demanded.

“Sorry. It’s just that it’s been a really hectic day for me, so I sort of forgot, alright?” Aaron excused.

“Heh. Sorry my flank,” she retorted harshly. “You are the most uncunning,untrustworthy, and most dishonest varmint that’s ever set hoof on this world!"

Twilight and the girls gasped in shock.

“Applejack, don't talk to Aaron like that,” Twilight scolded.

“Hey it’s her opinion, she can live with it if she wants to,” Aaron said shrugging off Applejack’s brutality as if it was nothing.

Twilight was confused now.

“What do you mean by that, Aaron?” she asked. “How can you dismiss that? She should apologize to you.”

“Well since Applejack is considering me an adversary instead of an acquaintance, she has the right to say what she wants about me. Sure I’ve tried making amends and ends meet already by a simple apology, but it seems to me that they’re not going to connect anytime soon. That being said, everyone cannot be made into a friend or ally. Enemies are meant to hate one another until some kind of consolation is made, and believe me when I say that’s rare word to use when you're at war, or anywhere else that sees fit,” Aaron explained.

Upon hearing this bizarre information, Twilight became even more confused and flustered.

Her eyes became dilated and shifted constantly from side to side while her breathing increased and became short. Her mane became a bit frazzled as well.

Seeing her friend in high distress, Rarity took Twilight by one of her hooves and reminded her to take it slow and take in heavy breaths, which Twilight obliged to. Rarity then glared at Aaron.

“You should be ashamed of yourself for telling her such a thing! That’s not the way things work around here!” she scolded.

“Well maybe not here on this planet,” Aaron stated calmly. “I was referring to where I and the rest of humanity come from. Sometimes it isn’t really peaceful or harmonized like your world is. From the looks of it, it doesn’t look like its known any sort of chaos at all.”

“Actually it has," Twilight explained now calm and collected. "When Discord first broke free of his stone prison, he threatened to thrust Equestria into eternal chaos--and the harmony that binded everypony together as friends. What you just said to me about how not everyone can be made into friends, that’s what I was forced to see and believe for the rest of my life. Thankfully, Celestia saved me from that point of view by reminding me that there was no reason that friendship can’t be worth fighting for.”

“And I agree with you, but some fights just can’t be won, alright? Look, we can’t argue about this for the rest of the evening. The main point is that sure, our intelligence is similar, but our worlds are far too diverse from each other. Since you're one of this country's leaders, Twilight, along with your astounding brilliance, you should've already known that.”

“Technically, I’m not a princess who rules Equestria,” Twilight explained a bit sheepishly. “Celestia and Luna are the main rulers here. My sister-in-law, Cadence rules her own kingdom to the far North. I’m just the princess of friendship.”

“Well in that case then, I believe it will be better if the captain conversed with Celestia and Luna instead. Then hopefully we can reach some sort of compromise for the damaged crops, and hopefully peace between our species,” Aaron suggested. “I probably should’ve set the vector to wherever your princesses live.”

“Well I don’t think you have to worry about doing that,” Pinkie said surprisingly happy.

“How come?” Aaron asked curiously.

“Because she’s on her way now,” Pinkie replied gazing up and pointing a hoof at the sky.

Aaron and everypony looked up to where Pinkie was indicating.

Sure enough, a white chariot with golden decor being pulled by two white pegasus guards was en route to where Aaron and the others were currently holding their position.

To everypony’s surprise, Luna was accompanying her older sister, looking well rested and healthy once again.

When the two royal sisters stepped out of the chariot after it touched down on the ground, everypony except Twilight and Aaron bowed down. The reason being since Twilight was now a part of royalty, she could act as if Celestia, or any other princess was a normal pony.

For Aaron though, he at first didn’t know what to make of what he was seeing.

Celestia was very close to the same height as him, while Luna was half the size of her own sister. However, he knew that these two beings were something of strong importance. So instead of bowing, he saluted them as if they were commanders or captains.

Twilight looked at Celestia and Luna with a relieved, yet confused look on her face.

“Celestia? Luna? What’s going on? What are you doing here? Most importantly, how did you know that we would be here?” she asked.

“Relax, Twilight,” Celestia reassured with a smile. “Nothing bad is going on at all. Spike sent me a letter telling me that he was worried about you and that you’ve been gone for so long. Plus, he’s mentioned your new friend here.”

She indicated to Aaron who was still saluting.

She gently strode over to him and said, “At ease, soldier.”

With that statement, Aaron stopped saluting and put both of his hands behind his waist  to still express respect, even if this being wasn’t associated with the UNSC. But it was clear to Aaron, that she had the equivalent amount of authority as to any commanding officer.

“So you must be Aaron, if I’m not mistaken?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Aaron confirmed, nodding. “Or should I refer to you as, ‘your majesty’?”

“Whatever you feel comfortable with,” Celestia reassured with a small grin. “Can I just ask that you please remove your helmet so I can see the face of whom I’m conversing with?”

Like most Spartans, Aaron felt uneasy about removing his helmet even though it was the second time, but this was an order given.

Aaron gently removed his helmet and held it at his side to let Celestia examine his features.

“Hmm. Something tells me you’ve haven’t been serving long,” she said.

“Seven years to be exact,” Aaron confirmed. “But I can tell you those seven years were hellish when you're at war.”

“That’s exactly why we came here to discuss with you.”

Aaron raised a brow.

“You have? Well as I told your fellow royal highness and her friends, I don’t have the authorization to share classified intel. My captain is on his way now in hopes of settling any dilemmas here,” he explained.

“Well, is it okay to ask as to why my sister is dreaming about your race fighting a bizarre enemy that nopony has seen before?” Celestia asked, giving a bit of a suspicious indication to Luna.

Aaron peered over to where Luna was standing. She looked rather uncomfortable, and a bit scared.

“I really have no idea, ma’am, and I’m as confused as the rest of you. Look, if it’s some kind of premonition for what is to come in the future, then I think it’s best to trust me and the rest of the UNSC to offer our allegiance to you and your subjects. We’ll do what we can to help you,” Aaron explained.

“In that case then, when your captain arrives here, we wish to discuss this matter with him and you further. If there truly is a great threat coming to Equestria and the rest of Equis, we’re all going to need your help. But for the moment, our trust to you isn’t as high. We need credible reasons to fully offer our alliance and reason of peace,” Celestia stated. “When is your captain arriving, anyway?”

“Would that be him?” Twilight asked as she pointed a hoof toward the sky.

Everyone looked in the indicated direction in time to see an operable Pelican steadily approaching them.

To Twilight and everypony, a operational Pelican was more intimidating than a broken one like Aaron’s.

Fluttershy whimpered and cowered behind Rainbow who was just staring at it in amazement. She thought about how awesome it would be to race against something like that. She just hoped it was more faster than the current speed it was traveling at.

The Pelican then rotated itself to face the back hatch to Aaron and everypony as it neared the ground. This action kicked up a strong wind, and bits of dirt that were blown onto everyone when the Pelican finally touched down.

“Aah! My hair!” Rarity cried angrily. “How uncouth!”

“Sorry about that, miss. But a Pelican is going to need all the boost it can to lift off the ground,” Aaron explained with a slight chuckle.

“Well would they mind landing farther away next time? Don’t you know how long it takes for me to style this mane just right?” she demanded as she tried to return her mane to its beautiful curly style.

“Next time, I’m sure I can put word in for you to do so alright?” Aaron offered.

“You better,” she huffed in dignity.

The back hatch to the Pelican then opened up to reveal Captain Kenwood along with a few Marines wielding MA5D’s. Not only that, but AJ and Zeke were also present.

“Sir,” Aaron said and saluted Kenwood.

“At ease, Spartan. Glad to see you alive and well,” Kenwood replied with a return salute, then he focused on the strange equine creatures that were staring back at him with utmost curiosity. “Are these the friendly contacts you told me about earlier?”

“Yes sir, Celestia and Luna are the head monarchs of this country. I believe they called it, Equestria; and that the planet we’re on is called, Equis,” Aaron replied.

“Thanks for that intel, Jensen. Let me converse with the two monarchs. Why don’t you take a little time to catch up with Harrison and Fredrickson. They’ve missed you, if you haven’t already guessed.”

“I already believe I had, sir,” Aaron replied with a smile and walked over to his fellow Spartan friends.

“Did you guys really miss me?” Aaron asked with a smug smile.

“Well everyone onboard the ship thought you were actually dead, so in a way--yes,” AJ replied, shrugging his shoulders. “Fredrickson here was also driving me crazy with all his crazy ideas for your afterlife.”

“Hey, they could happen.” Zeke excused. “Plus, what if the Aaron were talking too right now is just a ghost?”

“If I was a ghost, could I do this?” Aaron asked and flicked Zeke hard on the nose. Since he wasn’t wearing his helmet, Zeke’s face was exposed to all sorts of harm.

Zeke held his nose with both of his hands and groaned in pain.

“Okay, you’re definitely not a ghost,” Zeke fessed in a nasally and muffled voice. “Just please don’t do that again.”

“I won’t. I just had to do something to be convincing,” Aaron said chuckling. “You’re not very easy to convince after all.”

“So true,” Zeke shrugged still rubbing his sore nose with one hand.

Twilight and her friends were intrigued, but a little confused about the bond that Aaron had with his two friends. Sure they were glad that Aaron actually did have friends, but the affectionate rough-housing threw everypony off, especially Twilight. She just figured though that humans had a different way of friendly interaction--even if it didn’t appear friendly.

She wanted to meet Aaron’s compatriots, so she walked over to them with the rest of her friends nervously in tow.

“Um..hello there,” Twilight said to them.

AJ and Zeke turned to Twilight in amazement.

“Whoa! A talking horse!" Zeke stated. "Quite adorable as well."

“First of all, we’re ponies!” Rainbow snorted. “Second, I’m awesome, and not adorable!”

“And apparently full of sass as well,” Zeke unwisely added.

“I dare you to repeat that!” she threatened, knocking her forehooves together.

“Stop it, Rainbow. You’re not helping to make peaceful contact in anyway if you’re just going to keep making threats,” Twilight warned.

“Didn’t you hear what he said to me?”

“Hey, I didn’t mean it alright.” Zeke said, surrendering his hands. “Just thought I’d point out the obvious. Plus it wasn't directly pointed at you.”

“Argh! Fine. But you’d better watch yourself next time, because you do not want to make me angrier than you already have now,” Rainbow warned.

“She has a very short temper...um...no offense,” Fluttershy said sheepishly toward her closest friend.

“None taken. They should know not to mess with somepony like me,” Rainbow stated proudly.

Fluttershy flew over to Zeke.

“Are you okay, sir? Do you need a bandage or anything, because I can get you one if it really hurts,” she offered him.

“I’ll live, miss,” Zeke said smiling confidently. “It’s just a bruise. Just give it some time and it will fade on its own without the need for medical attention. Thanks anyway, though.”

“Um..okay then--and you're welcome,” Fluttershy said and smiled nervously before rejoining her friends, where she felt more secure.

“So, how long have you known Aaron?” Twilight asked AJ.

“Well, we’ve only met when he first set foot on the Express which was a few weeks ago,” AJ explained. “I know that doesn’t seem long, but we clicked fast. We are all soldiers after all.”

“So your friendship was instantaneous then?” she asked growing ever more intrigued.

“You could say that, yeah.”

“Wow. You have to tell me more about how humans like you bond in your military. I just wish I had a quill and paper to take notes on.”

Unfortunately, Twilight didn’t get to because Celestia had to interrupt.

“Twilight,” Celestia said as she approached with Luna and Kenwood.

“Yes?” Twilight replied looking at Celestia with curious eyes.

“Captain Kenwood and I have decided to discuss important matters with us in private. We will be doing this back in Canterlot.” she explained with an unnerving, serious look on her face.

“Can my friends come to?” Twilight asked.

Celestia shook her head sadly. “No, what we have to discuss cannot be shared with your friends, or anypony else without the authority.”

Twilight and the girls were shocked by this, because whatever Twilight was informed with, she normally had the right to share it with her friends. It was one of the things making their friendship strong. Who knows how it will affect them if a secret had to be kept.

“But, Celestia, I..” Twilight was cut off when Celestia raised her hoof.

“No buts, Twilight. I know this is hurting you and your friends--but the decision is official.”

“But don’t I have the right in the decision making?” Twilight asked, becoming slightly irritated. “I do have the same kind of authority as you and Luna, right?”

“I’m afraid the answer is no, Twilight. Not until you have developed your own kingdom to rule. Now please, we can’t afford to waste anymore time. If our world is possibly in trouble, we need the help of the UNSC military to back is up; and the only way they're going to give their allegiance is if we discuss their classified matters out of earshot of everypony else.”

Twilight could not believe what she was hearing!

It’s never been this way for as long as she could remember. She would never leave her friends out of any information that could be used to save Equestria, or all of Equis.

She wanted to argue, but she knew that it would only make matters worse for her, and everypony. Celestia did know best after all, so Twilight knew she could never win an argument with the great monarch.

She just hoped she could make it up to her friends somehow.

“Okay, I’ll go,” she sighed, defeated, before turning back to her friends, who looked equally disappointed. “I’m so sorry, girls.”

“Oh you don’t have to be darling. The princess knows what she’s talking about,” Rarity reassured with a comforting smile. “Don’t worry about us, okay? We’ll stay here in town when you get back.”

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked, still unsure.

“Positive. Now, you must be on your way. If Equestria truly is in danger, then you must go at once.” Rarity now urged. “Trust us.”

“I’ll throw a big party for you when you get back!” Pinkie said enthusiastically as usual.

Twilight wanted to say something more, but decided not to do so. She trusted her friends with all her heart. If they were sure about this, so was she.

She then turned to Celestia. “Okay, lets go.”

Celestia smiled a bit. “Then hop in the chariot. Kenwood and the rest will follow in their Pelican.” she explained.

Twilight nodded and did what she was told. Aaron and the rest of the UNSC boarded the Pelican.

Before either one could take off, Applejack trotted over to Celestia and spoke up.

“Wait. Have you an’ that captain discussed what yer goin’ ta do about mah family’s crops?”

Celestia expressed a sad look. Not a good sign.

“Well, we have discussed it, and they're going to remove the wreckage from your field--but they need the credits to pay your family for other matters. Besides, our barter system is too different from theirs. I’m sorry, Applejack.”

Applejack has heard enough of all these worthless apologies! This was torture to her, and the rest of her family. Just then, something inside her mind and heart went black and cold. She was no longer thinking clearly about what she was saying, or doing.

Her face turned redder than an apple while her pupils shrunk and eyes squinted to express her rapidly growing rage. Her Stetson apparently appeared to begin smoking as if it was about to catch on fire!

“NO!!” Applejack screamed at the top of her lungs, startling everypony, and making Fluttershy yelp and hide. “No more of these damn “I’m sorry’s”! Ah can’t take it anymore! These good fer nothin’ humans are nothin’ but trouble! Ah’d rather have our world attacked than tah support these Celestia-damn motherbuckers!”

Celestia and the other ponies gasped in shock. They couldn’t believe, even Celestia herself that her name was being cursed at by an Element of Harmony. Applejack was likely to get banished for performing such a reckless deed!

“Applejack, please!” Fluttershy begged desperately, while cautiously approaching the enraged mare.

Applejack shot her a look of menacing hate that made Fluttershy jump back. What Applejack was about to say would do the utmost damage to the sensitive pegasus.

“SHUT UP, FLUTTERSHY!! NOPONY ASKED YA TA SPEAK!”

A wave of tears began to flood Fluttershy’s heartbroken eyes as she tried to say something, but nothing came out but sad whines that quickly escalated into sobs as she quickly flew away.

“How could you, Applejack?!” Rainbow demanded before flying off after her distressed friend.

Applejack was then shocked by her own demeanor, but she was still very upset to express regret. She then began to back away.

“Leave me alone! All of you! Just leave me alone, and don’t bother tryin’ ta find me! Ah don’t need anypony, okay?!”

With that statement, Applejack galloped away as fast as she could.

She was fully aware of what she has done, and is not proud of it. She had a minor eruption with her little sister, but the one that happened now was possibly the worst one yet! Who knew of what would become of Fluttershy after this--the same could be said for herself. The only thing she could think of now was to find a place to hide away and wallow in deep self-pity and regret. She may have just severely damaged the friendship she had with the girls.

As the sight of Applejack faded away, everypony wanted to go after her to calm her down, but of course they already knew it would make matters worse. Plus, other things needed to be attended to right now. Hopefully by then Applejack would be alright, and she could apologize to Fluttershy, Celestia, and everyone else she has wronged.

Aaron wanted to be the one to chase after Applejack alone because he knew this was his doing after all, and he needed to make it right. But how could he after what just happened? He felt like he needed to apologize to every single one of the mares, even Celestia--but this was possibly just a phase. When everything was alright, then the apologies could come.

What really mattered now was the topic at hand.

If all of Equis was really in danger, then they needed to prepare any way they could. But it seemed ridiculous that it was all based on a dream.

Surely sometimes the imagination is just a tool for ideas that may not seem possible, like one day pigs would be able to fly or something silly like that. However, sometimes the imagination can bring ideas into a reality which is where inventions come into focus. As for a recurring nightmare or a dream, that’s a conflicting subject right there.

One thing that is crucial and that Twilight or Aaron didn’t know about, is that when Twilight used her magic on Aaron’s COMM radio; not only did she enhance the signal to reach far into the deep depths of space, she made the channel unsecure which allowed all available ears to listen and trace.

She might have have just unwittingly and unknowingly started a countdown to a doomsday clock.

Chapter Ten: The Shipmaster's Intent

ASSAULT CARRIER, SAVIOR’S LIGHT

1720 HOURS, COVENANT MILITARY TIME

HAWKING SYSTEM

Shipmaster, Dzen ‘Nbek gazed out the observation window of his carrier’s bridge examining every star system and cozmo as far as the naked eye would allow. He usually did this when he was deep in thought, or when there was no adversary in sight to engage in battle.

Like many of the troops in Jul ‘Mdama’s fleet, Dzen escaped Requiem before it was destroyed, along with the brave souls that decided to stay on its surface and fight until the end. Now with the Infinity presumably destroyed along with the other half of the Janus Key, the entire Covenant Remnant has been put at a standstill for a while.

Luckily, Jul has made an unlikely ally of Dr. Halsey who apparently wants vengeance on the UNSC who tried to execute her for her unusual and eccentric crimes.

The attempted execution was performed by Spartan Commander, Sarah Palmer (65287-98303-SP) who only managed to shoot a round into the left arm of Halsey with one of her dual-wielded MGHs. Halsey survived however when Jul grabbed her, and teleported away to safety with the assistance of a Promethean Knight.

The result was amputation which was done by Jul himself with a T1 EW/S.

Sensing a troubled mood with the shipmaster, executive officer, Osan ‘Rolam decided to see what was wrong. They both spoke in their native Sangheili language.

“Is everything alright, shipmaster? You look troubled.”

Dzen sighed, “I wish I could say so brother, but my tongue can’t find the means to make my answer clear, nor truthful.”

“Pardon my haste for my invasive questioning. I only wished to find a way to ease your troubles.”

“And I appreciate your concern, but who knows when the humans will find a way to discover, and obtain every last bit of Forerunner technology before the Didact’s Hand can without the second half of the Librarian’s Gift.”

“I highly doubt that. Humans don’t clearly understand how our lord’s relics work,” Osan reassured.

“That’s very true, brother. The only human that does is Halsey, and praise the Didact that she’s on our side--but I can’t get this feeling out of my chest that she will betray her loyalty to us once more. It was foolish of her to give the other half of the gift to her own kind. It makes no sense though, because they wanted her eliminated.”

“I’m as confused as you are, shipmaster. But surely if her species really wants her gone, then truly her safety is with us only.”

Dzen nodded, “Agreed, but my mind is still not at rest. Every second that ticks by, the closer I feel that the humans will find their solution with or without the gift, or Halsey. Every mind in this vast universe evolves over an amount of time. I just know one day that our adversaries will succeed before we do. Such failure will not be taken kindly from ‘Mdama, nor the Didact himself if he was still here.”

“Even evolved minds will make mistakes, shipmaster. Even time itself would see to it.”

“But when, exactly?” Dzen asked, now very suspicious.

Before Osan could think of a convincing answer to the shipmaster’s question, one of the carrier’s COMM specialists reported something.

“Shipmaster ‘Nbek, I’m receiving a very strong and unsecure human signal. Permission to patch though,” he said.

“Do it,” Dzen ordered, with a hint of excitement in his tone. He couldn’t believe the lunacy that the enemy has performed! Things were starting to look up to him now.

When the COMM officer initiated the playback of the signal, it was obviously a two way communication. This is what it transmitted:

“Pony Express, this is Sierra-408 Aaron Jensen. I have survived the slipspace jump, but I’m shipwrecked and in need of assistance. Over,”

“This is Captain Kenwood of the UNSC: Pony Express. Spartan Jensen, is that you?”

“Affirmative sir,”

“What happened to you? We thought your status was KIA.”

“Apparently the systems onboard the gunship were disabled after the jump was complete, and I was knocked unconscious as well. Luckily I’ve crash-landed on a hospitable planet teeming with life. It also has friendly contacts.”

“Well, what are they? Is it human?”

“Not exactly, but they seem to have the same kind of intelligence like humanity. The atmosphere is even tolerable to us.”

“You still didn’t answer my question about what they were.”

“Well if I told you sir, you would think I was crazy. With respect, I suggest that you follow the coordinates I provided you with before I made the jump--if you haven’t already gotten rid of them that is. It might be best if you came to see for yourself.”

“Okay, just mark an LZ for us, and we’ll be on our way to make contact with you, and whatever else is there with you. If these beings are intelligent like you claim they are, this could be a historical first-contact scenario for all the UNSC.”

“Understood sir. I should also recommend that landfall should be done via Pelican. No need to make an impressive entrance with the corvette in atmosphere if you know what I’m saying?”

“Consider it done Spartan. Pony Express out.”

When the transmission ended, Dzen couldn’t believe how clear the signal was, despite it not being in the proper range. This intrigued Dzen’s interest greatly, along with what species the humans have come across. He just hoped that all the beings of this unknown planet haven’t sided with the enemy yet. He couldn’t afford to waste anytime.

“Set a slipspace course for the origin of that transmission, but let’s take heed. We can’t afford to be discovered by our enemy yet. Let’s keep our profile low until we know we are ready,” Dzen ordered.

“What of ‘Mdama? Surely he should be informed of our discovery as well,” Osan suggested.

“I understand, brother. But if our numbers are large, we would fail in our efforts to gain relevant intel about our enemies’ intentions, and the ways of the beings that reside on the planet. If we’re lucky, we can make them join our cause against the human threat that puts the Didact’s intentions in jeopardy. We will inform the Didact’s Hand when we have the intel we need to overwhelm the humans,” Dzen explained. “Now give the go to initiate the jump, but keep our coordinates out of tracking range.”

Osan was a bit hesitant at first, but quickly obeyed.

“Yes, shipmaster.”

A distorted ripple appeared in front of the carrier’s bow before it became an enormous slipspace portal that was meant for the size of the carrier’s length and mass.

In a few moments, the carrier was fully consumed by the portal before it disappeared from real space.

EQUINUS SYSTEM

A extremely massive exit portal appeared as the carrier exited from its slipspace jump.

As planned, the carrier was out of tracking range of their enemy, so they weren't engaged as they exited.

Far off in the distance, Dzen saw a lively and colorful planet which had to be where the transmission had originated from, and where the humans had to be. He wanted to be sure though.

“So this is the planet that the transmission hailed from?” Dzen asked. He was unsure because the planet looked very similar to Earth. Not like that was an issue or anything, but it was mentioned that their was no humans present on the planet, which confused him greatly.

“Yes, shipmaster. This is directly where our adversaries have unwisely transmitted to us,” Osan confirmed. “A human corvette has already been reported in the orbit of the planet. If we attempt to make landfall, we would surely be spotted.”

Dzen scratched his mandibles as he thought of a solution to make his approach stealthy. It didn’t take him long to think of a clever tactic.

“Sent out a small scouting party via stealth corvette to a secured and isolated area that would made a good location for a camp. Any topographic areas that meet that requirement?” Dzen asked.

A large holographic image of the planet appeared in front of Dzen via a holo-table.

“There are a few locations that are suitable, shipmaster,” Osan replied. “There’s a thick forest to the southeast of our adversaries’ current position. Schematics show that there is a ruin located deep within there that would be perfect for a command outpost. There’s even a bog there that can supply the Unggoy with an unlimited methane supplement.”

“Interesting. Please continue,” Dzen said.

“A second possible location is a desert that is to the southwest, and it’s farther than the location to the forest. Don’t worry, it has a river that can supply water for our troops.”

“Anywhere else?”

“Finally, there seems to be some sort of cave system that is located within the largest mountain of this continent. There’s even a tunneling system that runs beneath the area of where the humans are as well. Of course that would be too risky for a camp, but it would be perfect for the Kig-Yar to recover the mineral supplies that lies within. Let’s just hope they don’t get too carried away with their greed.”

Dzen took a moment to think things over.

“I believe a couple of these locations can be useful for a certain purpose,” Dzen finally said. “The desert area would be perfect for the main base, but we may need a cloaking shield to destroy any curious eyes. The ruin in the forest will be a command outpost, along with the boggs being an Unggoy support and breeding area--of course we have to keep their numbers minimal so they won’t give away one of our positions. As for the tunnel and cave systems, I believe it’s too risky for now. Let’s hold off on that solution until we can know for certain that it is safe.”

“You should also know that the planet is occupied with a moon that is similar to the one found by Earth. It might serve well for a camping location for our ranger-class troops, and a main COMM outpost,” Osan suggested.

Dzen took another moment to process this new information before reaching his conclusion.

“Once our desert base is complete, dispatch scouts to the intended locations, even its moon,” Dzen ordered. “We’ll be able to hone in on our enemies’ movements and intentions more easily now. One thing I ask is that we shouldn’t harm any of the beings that inhabit this new world, but if any of them begin to threaten our intent, or have taken the side of the humans, the order shall be given to silence them without question. Their bodies should be disposed of as well to avoid wound identification. Understood?”

“Understood, shipmaster,” Osan replied bowing his head.

Chapter Eleven: Revealations and Responsiblities

CANTERLOT CASTLE

5:31PM

Throughout the trip back to Canterlot, members of both parties never spoke a word. The event with Applejack had clearly shaken them both up, so they didn’t bother to speak a single word, in fear of saying something wrong.

Twilight had it worst, because she has never witnessed this side of one of her friends at all. Sure she saw Applejack angry lots of times before, but that blind rage she expressed was nothing compared to previous times because she never lashed out so severely, especially at Fluttershy.

She knew the good Applejack was still there--buried by all the hostility of the Applejack back at the park. They just had to get her back somehow. Of course, that responsibility mostly resided with Aaron, since it was mostly his fault.

Aaron felt really guilty for what he has caused.

Not only did he only fail to owe Applejack and her family a debt, but he caused a friendship between two equine aliens to fall apart in a harsh and brutal way. The situation has obviously gone from bad, to worse.

When everyone finally arrived at the castle, Celestia gave instructions to follow her and Luna. Twilight walked behind both of the sisters because she didn’t exactly know what part of the castle the briefing would take place in. The UNSC followed last while simultaneously admiring the decor.

They couldn’t believe how illustrious it was with the clear white nylon tiles, and the tall white pillars holding up the grand ceilings which either had a large skylight, or golden chandeliers dangling from them.

Celestia and Luna apparently led everyone to the Grand Dining Hall that already had servings of food prepared.

Most of it consisted of fruits and vegetables, while a few trays of hayburgers were displayed; a favorite food for Twilight.

“Excuse me your majesty, but why did you bring us to your dining hall?” Kenwood asked. “We certainly didn’t say anything about being in the need of food for the moment.”

“I know, but I just figured you would like something to eat while we discuss our pressing issues. Surely you must be starving after a long day,” Celestia replied with a small smile.

“Well that’s very generous of you, but we can’t take advantage of your hospitality, especially after the unfortunate events that have taken place.”

“Don’t let it get to any of you. It is perfectly clear that Applejack is just going through a really rough time right now. I know that she didn’t mean what she said to me, Fluttershy, and the rest of you,” she reassured with a comforting smile and tone, even though it was hard to tell if she was really being sincere. She had to admit she was deeply offended, but Celestia knew that Applejack would eventually pull through and apologize for what she has done.

“Now please, I insist that you all take a seat and help yourselves to the servings. I’ve even arranged the rooms you will be staying in tonight.”

Aaron was surprised on how kind Celestia was to his comrades. She certainly expressed no hesitancy at all, but he was still pretty sure that she didn’t fully trust them yet; not until she knew what the UNSC can do.

Kenwood, and the rest of the UNSC personal, decided to follow Celestia’s orders and make themselves comfortable in their chairs, and help themselves to whatever looked appetizing. Apparently bananas were also up for grabs as well because Celestia assumed that humans would like bananas.

When everyone was properly seated and were self-served, the briefing began.

“So, Captain Kenwood. What can you tell me, and everypony here, what you know about the enemy that your species are fighting in my sister’s dreams, and your fellow soldiers, Aaron?” Celestia asked.

Celestia explained the concicendential dream dilemma of Luna and Aaron to Kenwood when they spoke in private.

Kenwood at first thought that it was just all imagination, but when Celestia gave clear descriptions of UNSC combatants, and the return fire of Covenant troops--he then knew that something was definitely up.

“Well, the first thing you would want to know ma’am is that the enemy we’re engaging in this so-called dream or vision is called, the Covenant,” Kenwood replied.

Twilight raised a brow.

“You mean, as in religion?” she asked.

Religious activities wasn’t a very huge thing in Equestria, but the word covenant did show up on a few occasions underneath the topic. Twilight herself didn’t believe is such practices because it seemed ludicrous to praise something that didn’t even exist. The only creatures or beings that Equestrians worshipped were the princesses.

“That’s pretty much it, Princess Twilight,” Kenwood said. “These aliens look to an ancient civilization known as the Forerunners as some sort of gods or deities.”

“Why? Did they have magical powers as well?” Twilight asked.

“Not exactly, but they did have unique engineering skills. The old Covenant particularly had a main interest in these,” Kenwood said and activated a hologram from his data-pad which projected a 3D schematic diagram of a large ring-like object. This confused everypony.

“Why would this, Covenant take interest in just a plain old ring?” Celestia asked.

“I can assure you, your majesty, that this is not just an ordinary ring,” Kenwood began officially. “What you're gazing upon now is a device used to destroy all sentient life in the galaxy, or the entire universe if it's more powerful than our references say.”

Twilight and everypony else was still confused.

“Um..captain. How can a single and simple ring destroy every living creature in the deep regions of space, when it only is small enough to fit around anypony’s horn or hoof?” Twilight asked.

“Well are there any equine species on your planet that are large enough to have a horn or hoof that has the diameter of ten-thousand kilometers?”

“Uh..no,” Twilight replied not knowing what to make of the return question.

“So wait. You mean to tell us that there is a giant ring somewhere in outer space that is capable of mass destruction?” Luna asked, clearly worried.

“Not just one. Intel tells us that there are six rings. There used to be seven, but one of them was destroyed six years ago. These ring-like installations are called, Halos,” Kenwood explained.

“Well I can see why they would be called that,” Twilight stated. “But why would these beings be so interested is such a weapon?”

“The old Covenant believed that when one or more of these rings were fired, it would start a sublimation event called, The Great Journey that they believed would take them to where the Forerunners resided and share their power with them.”

“Well, does the Covenant you're fighting now have the same intention?” Celestia asked, gravely concerned.

“No,” Kenwood replied which made everypony sigh with relief. He then swapped the projection of the Halo with an image of an Elite wielding an Energy Sword.

“After these squid-jaws discovered that their prophets’ intentions were false, they sided with us in order to take out the last and head prophet of the Covenant, Truth--and stop him from firing all of the Halo rings simultaneously via activation from the Ark.”

The diagram of the Sangheili was then replaced by the image of the eight-armed installation.

“After the replacement for the destroyed Halo was fired, both it and the Ark were destroyed because of the replacement’s lack of completion and stability.”

“So what does the new Covenant want then?” Twilight asked.

“We believe that this Covenant wishes to find, and collect, every piece of Forerunner technology that is scattered throughout the galaxy. If they do so, humanity will likely be eradicated since they do still find us rather bothersome,” Kenwood said. “But that’s not the only problem we have.”

“What?” all three princesses asked.

Kenwood then changed the projection again, this time displaying an image of an elderly woman in a lab coat.

“A chief ONI scientist, and war criminal by the name of Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, has apparently sided with the enemy,” he said.

This greatly shocked and confused everypony. They didn’t understand why a human would betray its own kind so coldly like that. They however understood that since Halsey was a criminal, she would be wanted by the UNSC; so the only safe place to be would be by the enemy themselves.

“It’s been the Express’s mission, along with all the UNSC to track down Halsey, and the Covenant Remnant leader, Jul ‘Mdama and make them face hard justice. This is why we can’t really stay here and learn about your ways, but if Jensen’s and your sister’s dreams are telling of a future invasion, this could be our chance to apprehend Halsey and ‘Mdama, or at least capture an allaby of his for whereabouts. The question is when this attack may happen, or if it may even happen at all?”

Celestia put a hoof under her chin in thought.

“I’m not sure myself, captain. But like I mentioned before, if our kingdom--and all of Equis is at some kind of risk against a Covenant invasion, then surely it has to be up to the UNSC to guarantee our safety, because surely the military we have here won’t be suited well against what the Covenant has to throw against us; and judging from the intensity of my sister's and Aaron’s dreams, it certainly isn’t pleasant.”

Kenwood nodded. “I understand, your majesty. If a Covenant threat does happen to fall upon this planet, let our military do all the fighting while yours helps out with civilian evacuations, and to flee as well until the planet is secured.”

“Wait a minute,” Twilight said. “This is our planet too. Surely everypony could find a way to fight by your side.”

Kenwood raised his hand.

“I’m afraid that’s out of the question ma’am. We know that is is your world and you wish to help defend it, but we cannot allow your species to become involved within our conflict and affairs with the Covenant. They mostly want to kill us, and not you. If you become part of our military, they will surely eradicate the innocent lives of everypony here. Surely you must understand,” Kenwood explained.

“Yes. But..” Twilight began before being interrupted by Celestia.

“Kenwood is right, Twilight. We cannot afford to get the citizens of Equestria, and all of Equis involved in their fight. It would mean the end of all of us, and our world if we interfere.”

As much as Twilight wanted to be persistent as she normally was, she always knew that Celestia knew better than she did after all. Twilight closed her eyes and then sighed in agreement.

“Okay. Sorry for making such a brash statement. I only wished to help.”

“I’m glad for your offer, Princess Twilight. I’m sure if the stakes demand it, then perhaps maybe we can induct a selected group of your soldiers into our cause. Of course they would need our training though, and would probably have to mostly consist of unicorns because they could use their magic to carry and use weapons,” Kenwood said.

“Actually, the unicorn guards already know effective combat spells,” Celestia said. “Surely that would be more efficient to you, and them.”

“Understood, your majesty. I believe that it maybe a little too early to discuss war tactics though. Instead, we should discuss how long our stay is going to be. The UNSC, and the rest of humanity can’t really make arrangements to permanently settle on Equis because we don’t wish to corrupt the balance of harmony the keeps your civilization in check. Do you have any suggestions, Princess Celestia?” Kenwood asked.

“Hmm,” Celestia began as she thought. “I’m not exactly sure, but I suggest that you should stay long enough for the Grand Galloping Gala that will be taking place here at the castle in just a few weeks. It should be a great way to experience and share our diversity with one another, and to see if harmony can happen between human, and pony. You may then be free to leave the day after.”

This suggestion greatly concerned Luna.

“Um...sister. Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she asked.

“Why would you ask such a thing, Luna?” Celestia said, clearly taken aback by her younger sister’s skepticism.

“Because what if some ponies don’t appreciate the presence of humans staying on our world, even if it is temporary?” Luna replied. “I’m fearing a chance of rebellion.”

“Calm yourself dear sister,” Celestia assured. “Something can work out. Plus, Aaron needs to make amends with Applejack, and her family. If he can change their opinions about him, then surely word can truly spread that harmony can be accomplished between two different species who are at a small conflict with one another.”

Aaron felt a bounty form over his head as all eyes focused on him.

As uncomfortable as it may have been, Aaron knew that he had a huge responsibility to meet, and that was to find a way to owe his debt to Applejack’s damaged property in hopes of earning her trust, and restoring her happiness.

“Do you wish for me to do that now, your majesty?” he asked.

“I think it’ll be best if we just give her tonight to cool off. Reconciling with her will be easier if she had some alone time, or the comfort of her own family members to calm her down and make her more willing to listen,” Celestia suggested.

“I understand,” Aaron said nodding.

“Good. Now if you would follow me again, I will lead you to your rooms. I’m sure you'll find them most comfortable.” Celestia said, and began heading for the door leading to the hallway.

“I’ll give order to the Express to initiate a drift orbit around the planet. It will help save fuel,” Kenwood said.

“I tell ya. This is like taking a vacation at a five-star hotel, but instead it’s a castle,” Zeke  randomly remarked.

“Uh yeah, Fredrickson. We kind of know that already,” AJ said, rolling his eyes.

“Hey. It doesn’t hurt to be excited about the obvious,” Zeke retorted.

Everyone knew that statement made little to no sense at all.

Celestia suggested that Twilight head back to Ponyville to reassure her friends and Spike that everything was going to be alright. Twilight of course was a bit unsure at first, but didn’t hesitate to agree with her old mentor.

When Aaron was finally shown to his room, he admired the grand decor that was similar to the style around the castle. So maybe it wasn’t that impressive, but what really looked inviting to him was the wide and comfortable looking bed that was proudly displayed and prepared in front of him.

Good thing that Kenwood used a special armor unlocking device on Aaron, and his fellow Spartans before they could settle into their suites. Their armor would then be carried back to the corvette. This would make relaxing so much better and easier.

As Aaron slowly drifted off to sleep, he thought about how his day would go tomorrow with Applejack and her family. He knew it wasn’t going to be smooth sailing, but he had no other choice.

He had to make things right for her, the family, him, and all the UNSC.

Chapter Twelve: Beginning to Dig Toward the Core

5/4/2014

9:00AM    

The very next morning, Aaron woke up surprisingly from a good night’s sleep.

He didn’t have his recurring nightmare, or any dream at all. This didn’t concern him at all, because he felt more livelier than he ever felt before during his time serving on the Express.

One reason for his sudden restful night could be the light atmosphere of the interior of the castle, and the comfortableness of the room and bed. Of course, the nightmares could’ve gone away on their own without the need for a new place to rest.

When Aaron got out of the bed, he made sure to remake it to the way it was before, because that was one of the routines all soldiers had to follow after a period of rest--plus it was showing courtesy to their pony hosts. There was no need to be disrespectful by expecting them to do their work for them. He also made sure to turn on the beacon feature on his COMM watch to signal his activeness. This way he could be found anywhere and anytime when he is needed by Kenwood, or any other UNSC personal.  

As he stepped out into the hallway, he was greeted by AJ and Zeke who apparently seemed ready to enter his room. Like Aaron, they were both wearing the usual plain white t-shirt with baggy military pants and black boots. The dog-tags were exposed in sight in front of their chests.

“Morning guys, how did you sleep?” Aaron asked.

“Better than I have in a long time,” Zeke said. “Those beds can beat those raggedy old cots onboard the Express anyday.”

“Same here, but what about you, Jensen?” AJ asked. “Did you have your usual nightmares?”

“Thankfully and strangely, no,” Aaron replied. “I’ve gone an entire night without a nightmare, or any sort of subconscious vision.”

“Well that’s quite good. Hopefully that means you're ready for your task today,” AJ said.

“What task?” Aaron asked, raising a brow.

“You have to make amends with that country pony that you pissed off yesterday. Boy, you're lucky she didn’t decide to knock your nuts off,” Zeke said shaking his head while smirking. “Princess Sun-Ass has requested your presence in the castle’s courtyard.”

He then began to chuckle, “A chariot is waiting for you, m’lady.”

Aaron just rolled his eyes, “Ha ha, real funny. But what of the captain? What are his orders?”

“None so far,” AJ replied. “He went back to the corvette to keep a lookout for anything suspicious above atmosphere. He understood the dilemma you’re having, and has given you the temporary freedom to mingle with the inhabitants of the town. Small parties of UNSC personnel currently in Ponyville are already busy doing that, but first you should settle your issues with Applejack, and her family."

Aaron nodded, “I understand. But just which way is the courtyard?”

“Don’t worry, the princess sent us to retrieve you. Follow us,” AJ reassured, and began leading the way.

When AJ and Zeke finally got Aaron to the courtyard, a chariot was prepped for his arrival with two pegasus drivers already hitched up. Celestia was also present as well, with a neutral expression on her face.

“Thank you for retrieving Aaron, you two. You may be dismissed.” she said.

AJ and Zeke just saluted before heading back into the castle. Celestia then focused her sights on Aaron.

“Have you found a solution to help complete your task?” she asked him with an emotionless tone.

Aaron may not have had any dreams throughout the night, but at least that gave him the opportunity to think things through. He had a solution, and it only required his memories of farming.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied.

Celestia smiled a bit. “Good. Now go at once. I wish you well with Applejack, and the rest of the Apple family.” she said, while giving a slight nod.  

“Yes, ma’am,” Aaron replied, nodding before climbing aboard the chariot.

Aaron wasn’t sure how he felt about riding in a chariot though, because it was way too different from flying or riding in a Pelican, which would’ve been preferable, but at least this was a way of feeling fresh air blow against your face instead of being in a stuffy atmosphere. The only worry was falling out, or swallowing bugs. That’s why Aaron kept his mouth sealed shut the entire time.

The chariot dropped him off at the front gate of Sweet Apple Acres.

“Thanks for the ride, guys,” Aaron said to the two pegasus guards.

They only replied with a proud snort before taking off back toward the castle. It’s then that Aaron faced the direction of the farmhouse, took a deep breath, and started on his way.

Aaron knew he wouldn’t get any good reception from any members of the Apple family, because he was sure that Applejack told them of his failure to pay his debt to them. Hopefully anyone of them would be willing to listen to what he had to offer.

When he reached the front door of the farmhouse, he took another breath before giving the door a few knocks. He then waited for somepony to answer.

Within moments, the door opened up just a crack to reveal a disapproving green eye that was attached to a red coat of fur.

Before Aaron could at least say something, a deep male voice uttered, “Nope,” and practically slammed the door on Aaron’s face.

Aaron knew his presence would not be praised at all, but he was determined to make reason. It would take more than a simple door close to the face before he decided to step down. Actually; he wouldn’t let up no matter what.

Aaron knocked the door again, and this time more firmer and persistent. The door then swung wide open to reveal an agitated Big Mac!

“Didn’t Ah give ya the impression ta scram?” Big Mac seethed.

“Yes, you did,” Aaron replied maintaining a calm composure. “But I’m not going anywhere until you can hear me out.”

“For what?” Big Mac demanded. “It’s already perfectly clear tah us that you an’ yer fellows can’t owe us squat because we don't have the same kind of barter systems or somethin' like that!”

“Which is why I’ve thought of a compromise that can make up for that issue. Now please, if you will just listen to me, we can put this behind all of us.”

“That sounds nice, but Ah think you’ve caused all of us enough trouble and disappointment as it is--now beat it!” Big Mac ordered, and began to shut the door on Aaron again once more, but this time Aaron caught it before it completely closed on him.

The result was a pushing match between Big Mac and Aaron as both guys struggled over which way the door should go.

Aaron had three times as much more strength as Big Mac so he could easily win this fight, but he held back in fear of damaging the door, or injuring Applejack’s older brother which would make things even more worse!

Hearing the grunts of struggle, Granny Smith followed by Apple Bloom and Winona. When Winona saw Aaron at the door, she began to growl and bark at him.

“What in tarnation is goin’ on here, Mac?” Granny Smith demanded. When she saw Aaron, she then knew what was the cause.

“What are you doin’ here?” she asked Aaron suspiciously.

“He jus’ trying tah offer us somethin’ he can't own,” Big Mac replied instead, still struggling with the door.

“Let this boy speak fer himself, Mac.” Granny Smith instructed.

“But, granny,” Big Mac pleaded ,but was cut off when Granny Smith shakingly rose up a hoof.

“Whad’ Ah say, Mac?”

Big Mac just sighed, “Yes, granny.”

Seeing that he was free to speak, Aaron took his chance, but he had to make it count.

“Look, ma’am. I’m fully aware of the errors I have made,” he began. “I know I’ve failed to keep my word about owning my debt to this entire farm, and I regret it deeply. All that I ask is to share an alternative option that involves only me without charge, or any sort of catch.”

Granny Smith took quite a moment to think things over. She didn’t trust Aaron like the rest of them did, but she believed in second chances.

“Mac, let the boy in,” she finally stated.

Big Mac’s mouth hung open as he kept struggling to get the door closed. He couldn’t believe that his grandmother was actually going to invite a distrustful alien into their farmhouse!

“Ya can’t be serious, granny. Nope!”

“Ah’m completely serious, Mac. The boy has an honest face showin’ thanks to the lack of that metal coverin’ it. Now do as yer told, or Ah’ll send ya tah work without any brunch!” she ordered.

Big Mac hesitated for a bit at first, but decided to follow his grandmother’s request. He just hoped she knew what she was doing.

He loosened his grip on the door so Aaron could steadily make his way in.

“Will you please take a seat?” she asked indicating to the chair that was nearest to him.

“Of course, ma’am,” Aaron replied taking his seat.

As the three Apple family members went towards their seats, Winona began whimpering.

“It’s okay, girl,” Granny Smith reassured. “Just relax and stay calm. We jus’ wish tah have a little chat with this human. Why dontcha go check up on Applejack to see if she’ll let you in to comfort her.”

Winona was unsure at first to follow this command, but went along with it anyway and trotted up the stairs.

When the border collie vanished from sight, Granny Smith focused her attention back on Aaron.

“So tell me….what’s yer name again?” she asked.

“Aaron.”

“So tell me, Aaron. What is this offer of yours? We’re listenin’.”

“Well; I was thinking that instead of owing money, I should take the liberty upon myself to replant the damaged crop, along with repairing the soil and making it fertile again. I used to be a farmer after all,” Aaron explained the best way he could. Sure it seemed like a casual solution, but when it came to farming--nothing was really that impressive.

The Apples were quite unsure of what to make of Aaron’s statement, and if it was true. Anyone could say they used to be something and get away with it. It was a very easy lie to tell.

“Are ya sure you can pull this off, or even get it completed in time?” Granny Smith asked suspiciously.

“Yes, ma’am. Celestia has planned the UNSC to stay for three weeks. I can get the job done way before then. The skid is only a mile long.”

Granny Smith shook her head in skepticism, “There’s no way in Tartarus that you can do all that work on yer own. Ah’ll get a few hooves around here tah help ya out,” she said.

Aaron was completely puzzled now.

“But, ma’am. The damage was completely my fault. Surely I should be the only one to do this alone,” he insisted.

“Oh don’t be foolish. Ah know yer gonna need help with this, and ya will get it whether ya like it or not. Ah swear you and Applejack are almost the same. Both tryin’ tah do more than what is asked in order tah please. We already know where that can go,” Granny Smith explained.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed indifferently remembering the time Applejack tried to buck every apple tree during Applebuck Season. She became so tired, that she became delirious and ditzy.

Aaron couldn’t tell if that was a compliment or an insult, but decided not to think about it too much. Instead, he thought about Granny Smith’s advice. He immediately realized how right she was. It would save him a lot of trouble and time if he had some backup. He remembered that when you are a SPARTAN-IV fireteam member, going lone wolf never had any good reasons. It would practically be a suicide mission!

“I’d appreciate the help. I’ll get started right away since I don’t have any orders from command,” Aaron said.

“Um..Mr. Alien?” Apple Bloom asked shyly. “Do ya think you and my big sis are ever gonna get along?”

Aaron looked down at the little filly whose eye pupils were wide with sadness and concern.

“I hope so,” Aaron replied unsurely. “Speaking of which, where is she?”

Granny Smith stared down at the floor solemnly, “The poor dear has isolated herself in her room since last night, refusing to come out. Me and Mac haven’t seen her like this since the passing of my daughter, and her husband.”

Aaron immediately knew what she meant.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” he said sympathetically. “How did it happen?”

“We agreed to never speak of it again,” Granny Smith replied, shaking her head.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be invasive.”

“It’s alright dear. Ah’m glad yer curious an’ all, but its somethin’ that’s been hauntin’ this family ever since. Applejack was the one who was broken the most. She never came out of her room since that day.”

“Did she at least eat?” Aaron asked, concerned for Applejack’s heath. He worried that his influence has once again triggered an emotional and traumatic experience for the poor farm pony.

“We did deliver her meals, but she only opened the door and took them in when nopony was around,” Granny Smith said. “It’s like she didn’t want anypony tah see ‘er in the condition she was.”

“How long did this go on?” Aaron asked.

“After a week was up, we decided this was the last straw. We needed her to come out and see the family again, and to get back tah work on ‘er chores. Me an’ Big Mac got ‘er the one thing that could possibly mend any broken heart.”

--

1999

“Careful, Lil’ Mac. Don’t let that box slip off yer back,” warned  sixty-eight year-old Granny Smith to a ten year-old Big Macintosh, who was carrying a medium sized present that was decorated with a platinum white and purple checkered pattern. There were a few punchered holes on all sides of the box, including the top.

Little Mac was a strong colt, but steadying a fragile gift while walking up the stairs proved to be quite a challenge. One false move, and disaster would happen.

When he finally did manage to make it up the stairs to meet Granny Smith, he sighed with relief.

Both of them went to Applejack’s room and Granny Smith knocked a hoof on the door.

“Applejack, me an’ Lil’ Mac have somethin’ fer you!” she called.

“Ah ain’t interested. Please jus’ go away,” replied Applejack indifferently from behind the door. She was a six-year-old filly at this time.

“It’s been a week. You can’t stay in there fer the rest of yer life!” Granny Smith insisted.

“Ah can, an’ Ah will. Now jus’ leave me alone! Ah don’t need anypony alright, an’ Ah certainly don’t need ya!” Applejack retorted.

“Please, Applejack. Me an’ Lil’ Mac got this present jus’ fer you. We know that this is a very difficult time fer you, an’ ya have the right to grief; but ya can’t be like this forever. Yer Ma an’ Pa would’ve wanted you tah move on without them. Their both watching over all of us as we speak.”

There was a moment of uneasy silence before Applejack opened her door a crack to reveal only half of her face. Her expression was quite disdainful.

“How do ya know what yer talkin’ about?” she asked coldly. “They never told me anythin’ like that at all.”

“Of course they didn’t darlin’, but Ah know my daughter all too well,” Granny Smith explained. “She told me that if anythin’ had happened to her, she would always be lookin’ over me.”

Tears then began to flow down Granny Smith’s face as Lil’ Mac pulled her close in a hug.

“It didn’t seem logical though because Ah thought I’d go before her, but it looks as if fate had other ideas.”

“Oh don’t use that fate hogwash with me, granny!” Applejack carelessly snapped, startling Granny Smith and Little Mac. “Ya know Ah don’t believe in that. They died because of me, alright? How can ya help me feel better if yer gonna lie tah me? Ah’m the one who normally does that, so why should you?”

“Apples never lie, young filly,” Granny Smith stated firmly. She was getting fed up with her granddaughter’s stubbornness. “And neither shall you. What Ah want tah know is why ya do it? All this dishonesty, an’ self-blame”

“Because the truth hurts me! Alright? There, Ah said it! Y’all happy now?!!”

The noise of Applejack’s yelling caused a cry of a one month old foal to emit from another room that was a door away from Applejack’s room on the opposite side of the hallway.

“Great, now ya woke up Apple Bloom. Now me an’ Lil’ Mac have to go an’ calm ‘er down. Hopefully this will give ya sometime tah think about yerself, an’ yer actions,” Granny Smith scoffed and headed for Apple Bloom’s room, followed by Little Mac. They, however, left the present at Applejack’s door.

Applejack gazed down at the present, not really impressed by it, even though it did look appeasing--but Applejack knew she would be disappointed.

Before she shut the door again, she heard a strange sound coming from the present. It sounded like some kind of whimper.

Applejack, now curious, opened the door wider and brought herself closer to the present to listen for the strange sound. Sure enough, it happened again, but slightly louder.

Applejack then swung the door wide open to step out into the hallway while looking out for her grandmother and older brother. They were thankfully still in Apple Bloom’s room trying to subside her wails.

Being quick on her hooves, Applejack trotted to the other side of the present to push it into her room before once again closing, and locking the door behind her.

Applejack stared at the present at first, not knowing if she should open it or not, but her inquisitiveness always got the better of her--also it always got her into trouble.

Feeling brave, Applejack gently unwrapped the wrapping paper which contained a brown cardboard box with holes in the exact locations of its wrapping paper.

When Applejack got the box opened, she peered inside. What she saw completely vaporized her anger and troubles.

Huddling in the corner of the box was a brown and white border collie puppy staring back at her with sad eyes. It appeared to be shaking a bit with its ears down and tail in between its legs. It apparently got scared by all of Applejack’s anger and negativity.

Applejack stared back at it with surprise and astonishment, but there was something in her heart that was waiting to get out. It was joy.

Applejack gently reached for the puppy with both of her hooves, but it whimpered some more and tried to make itself smaller from her grasp.

“Oh no. Please don’t be scared, doggy. Ah ain’t gonna hurt ya,” Applejack cooed gently.

The puppy relaxed a little bit, but it still seemed uncomfortable.

Applejack slowly extended her hooves, and used them to carefully and slowly take the puppy from the box.

“See. That wasn’t so bad,” Applejack said with a small smile. An expression she thought would never come back.

“My name is Applejack. Do you have a name, doggy?”

The puppy stared at her as if it didn’t know what Applejack was talking about.

“Oh, you don’t? Ah guess that means Ah have tah name ya, huh? Hmm, let’s see. How about, Sparky?”

The puppy responded by putting its ears back and emitting an annoyed growl.

“No? Okay. How does, Chester sound?”

The puppy still showed no signs of enthusiasm. It’s then that Applejack realized the puppy was female.

“Oh, my mistake.” Applejack blushed. “Ah’ve been given ya boy names when you were a girl all along. Here. Give me a moment tah think.”

Applejack thought of every possible female dog name. It somehow didn’t take her long to think of the perfect one.

“How about if Ah called ya, Winona?”

This time the puppy’s ears perked up and a happy smile formed on her face. She then gave a happy bark and began to lick Applejack’s cheeks enthusiastically.

Applejack began laughing as if she’s never done it in years as Winona mercilessly licked her non-stop. All the dread and agony were washed away with a newfound feeling of happiness and light.

Drawn by sounds of laughter from Applejack’s room, Granny Smith and Little Mac  decided to investigate the matter with baby Apple Bloom in Little Mac’s tow. She was thankfully calm now, and happy to hear positive sounds.

Both of them noticed that the present that they have given her wasn’t out in the hallway anymore, which meant that Applejack must’ve taken it in.

Hearing the heartwarming squeals of laughter from Applejack, and the sound of a happy Winona barking, Granny and Mac knew that they had a ray of sunshine back on the Apple family household. They decided to leave Applejack with Winona for a bit so she could bond some more with her.

After a while, Granny Smith and Little Mac heard the sound of hoofsteps coming down the stairs. It’s then that they turned to see Applejack out of her room, and coming down the stairs to join them.

She looked bright, but her expression was remorseful.

“Applejack? What’s wrong, darlin’?” Granny Smith asked.

“Ah jus’ wanna say Ah’m sorry fer shuttin’ y’all out,” Applejack began. “Ah should’ve let ya be with me tah help me through my troubles, but instead Ah treated y’all like dirt. Ah wish Ah never said any of those hurtful things at all.”

Applejack trotted over to her grandmother and hugged her while emitting small sniffles and weeps.

“There, there. It’s okay, Applejack,” Granny Smith reassured, while embracing her granddaughter. Little Mac joined in to comfort his younger sister.

“No it ain’t alright. Ah said such awful things to you an’ Mac. How can ya say its alright after the way Ah’ve treated y’all?”

“It’s a lesson of forgiving and forgetting. You may have said horrible things to us, but that doesn’t mean we would stop loving you,” Granny Smith explained smiling.

“R-really?” Applejack sniffled. “Ya really mean that?”

“Really,” Granny Smith replied, hugging Applejack tighter.

“Eeyup,” Little Mac added.

“Thank you both so much. Also fer Winona as well,” Applejack said, and broke the hug as she wiped tears away with her hoof.

Granny Smith and Little Mac were at first confused because they didn’t know what Applejack was talking about, but then they both figured out that Applejack had already given her puppy a name already, and smiled.

“We knew you would love ‘er,” Granny Smith chuckled, who was soon to be joined by Applejack and Little Mac.

It was from that day forth that a heavy atmosphere was lifted from the farm and all its occupants.

Applejack became more mature and responsible for her actions, and she swore by Celestia that she would be more truthful with her loved ones and friends, if she found any since Winona seemed to be her only friend for now.

The challenge of being honest with herself still proved to be a challenge though.

--

Aaron was quite moved by Granny Smith’s story even though he didn’t really show emotion thanks to hard discipline. He was rather intrigued though, because Applejack reminded Aaron of himself when we was at that age. Always rambunctious and hard to handle. Of course it couldn’t mean anything, really. Most young kids are like that.

“Well..uh...thanks for telling me all that even if I didn’t really request any sort of story. But thanks anyway,” Aaron said, smiling a bit.

“Yer quite welcome, dear. Now, when do you wish to begin your work again?” Granny Smith asked.

“I said I could begin now if you want me to,” Aaron replied. “I want to prove that I’m more than just some kind of strange alien that seems selfish when I’m truly not. I may be a soldier, but that doesn’t mean I’m inhumane. I want to prove that us humans aren't all bad beings at all. I’ve made an error that gave me a bad name, and I wish to be rid of it. I just hope your eldest granddaughter can find it in her heart to forgive me.”

“Ah’m sure she will, Aaron. Ya jus’ have tah prove yerself. Ya better get tah work now. Celestia won’t keep the sun up forever,” Granny Smith said.

“Yes, ma’am,” Aaron said and saluted, before making his way out of the house.

Little did Aaron and the rest of the Apple family know, was that Applejack was eavesdropping on the entire conversation, beginning with Aaron and Big Mac fighting over the door.

She sat at the top of the stairs petting Winona, who was fast asleep by her side.

Applejack knew that she would have to forgive Aaron sooner or later for his will to make things right and peaceful. It was part of being a true friend, even if they weren't really well acquainted with each other.

If she and Aaron could make peace, that means she can make up to Fluttershy, and the rest of her friends for the way she behaved back at the park.

She just hoped Aaron would do a good job, and finally fulfill his debt to the farm. It was the only way things could get better for everyone, and everypony in the future.

Of course if the future wasn't dark and menacing as portrayed in Luna's and Aaron's visions, her optimism was at a down low followed by fear.

  

Chapter Thirteen: Beginning to Sow the Seeds

12:22PM

Three hours.

That’s how much time it took for Aaron, and everypony involved helping him, to repair the damaged cornfield. Without any help, Aaron could have spent many days working on the repairs all by himself.

The ponies that were helping Aaron were at first unsure whether or not they should listen to a human, but after hearing about how much Aaron knows about farming--they conceded to join him.

The tasks involved were using hoes to re-even the soil layout first, then compost was mixed into it to make it fertile once more. That was possibly the smelliest task ever.

Finally, spare corn seeds were planted with water to follow. Sure, the corn wasn’t going to grow immediately, but Aaron knew that it would only be a matter of time before the replacement stalks would catch up to the untouched ones.

“Nice work, everypony,” Aaron stated. It was funny that he started using that word when it was only his second day on Equis, but it seemed logical to use because all of the citizens of Ponyville were ponies after all.

“Thanks, Aaron. Glad we could be of assistance,” one of the farmhooves said, nodding.

“The pleasure was all ours,” said another one, before they headed off for something to eat. It was the lunch hour, of course.

Aaron was very impressed with the progress that was made. Surely this was his debt paid in full to the entire Apple family. He just hoped now that he could make peace with Applejack and earn her trust, along with everypony who hasn’t come to the terms of trusting an alien at all.

“Nice work if Ah do say so myself,” said a familiar elderly mare voice.

Aaron turned to face Granny Smith, who was now wearing a sun bonnet on her head.

“I sort of said the same thing,” Aaron said smiling. “I wish that the corn could already be grown though.”

“Oh don’t worry about it, dear. Patience an’ time are the only thing that matter now,” Granny Smith reassured.

“Good to hear. Hey; how is Applejack getting along?” Aaron asked, now concerned.

The look on Granny Smith’s face told him that her answer wasn’t going to be very relieving.

“Well, the good news is that since she heard about the deed ya have performed fer us, she had the motivation tah leave ‘er room an’ get back tah work on ‘er chores,” she replied.

“And the bad news?”

“The bad news is that her performance on her tasks are below what they normally are,” Granny Smith explained. “Her depression is wearing her down. Not only that, but she’s afraid.”

Aaron raised a brow.

“Afraid of what?” he asked.

“Ah’m afraid you, darlin’, an’ the rest of yer company as well. She won’t tell me why though, because ya proved tah be very pleasant, an’ ya kept yer word about repairing the cornfield. Ah jus’ don’t see what has gotten’ into that granddaughter of mine,” she said shaking her head.

Aaron took a quick moment to think. He had a pretty good idea about what was on Applejack’s mind.

“Miss Smith. If I may, will it be alright if I speak with Applejack for a bit?” he asked. “If she is afraid of me, and the rest of the UNSC--then I have to give her the reassurance she needs so she doesn’t have to fear us.”

“Well. Ah don’t know,” Granny Smith replied, scratching a hoof to her chin. “Ya make a good point. Ah think you should go an’ try tah talk to ‘er, but take it easy won’t ya?”

“I will,” Aaron said, nodding. “You have my word. Where is she right now?”

“She’s in the apple tree orchard Ah believe. Follow me, please.”

Granny Smith led Aaron to the area of the apple tree orchard where her eldest granddaughter was assumed to be. Sure enough, they both saw Applejack during her apple bucking chore.

Like Granny Smith described, she looked very glum on the face--and she wasn’t knocking off as many apples like she normally could.

Aaron wasn’t sure if he should approach Applejack alone, considering they both haven’t really started off on the right hoof. He didn’t want his first sentence to make matters worse.

Granny Smith knew what Aaron was thinking just by examining his facial features, along with his hesitance.

“Don’t worry darlin’, Ah’ll handle this. Jus’ sit back fer a bit until Ah tell ya its okay to make yer approach,” she instructed.

“Yes, ma’am,” Aaron said.

Granny Smith then began trotting over to the tree that Applejack was currently working on. She made sure to have a small smile on her muzzle to make her elder granddaughter more comfortable.

“How ya holdin up, Applejack?” Granny Smith started.

Applejack stopped her chore to acknowledge her grandmother’s presence.

“Oh. Howdy, granny,” Applejack replied with a weak and forced smile. “Ah think Ah’m doin’ okay so far. Why’d ya ask?”

“Ah was only seeing if you were alright.”

Applejack became confused.

“Of course Ah’m alright, granny. Why wouldn’t Ah be?”

“Well fer one thing, ya haven’t been in the best of moods since last night, an’ yer chore performance isn’t lookin’ good either.”

“Ah jus’ had a rough afternoon yesterday, that’s all,” Applejack excused becoming slightly more defensive. “It don’t mean it’s goin’ tah change me forever.”

“Ya didn’t even tell us what happened yesterday. Ya jus’ stormed into the house, and then galloped up to yer room without sayin’ a single word.”

“Well maybe it was mah own buisness, alright?” Applejack stated, now becoming clearly agitated. “Ah was gonna tell ya when the time was right.”

“As in referrin’ tah right now?”

“That’s not...maybe...Ah mean...ugh! Ah don’t have time fer this, granny!” she finally snapped. “Jus’ let me get back tah work, alright? My job means more tah me then explanin’ mah feelings fer everypony tah hear. Now please jus’ let me get on with mah chores! Okay?”

Granny Smith just sighed. She knew this approach wouldn’t get her anywhere fast. It was best just to cut to the chase.

“Is it about that fella, Aaron?”

Applejack once again paused from her task.

“What about him?” she huffed indifferently. “Ah already know he repaired the cornfield, an’ Ah’m glad he did. Why should Ah be upset over somethin’ like that?”

“Ah didn’t say ya were. Ah was jus’ wondrin’ why ya still aren't happy?”

“Look, granny,” Applejack groaned. “Ah jus’ had a really bad day yesterday, an’ my mood is jus’ the aftershocks. They’ll go away, honest. Ah jus’ need some time tah think things over.”

“Well have ya thought about yer reason fer being’ scared of Aaron, an’ the rest of his company?”

Applejack just snorted and got back to her work without saying another word. She was getting sick and tired of answering her grandmothers’ nosey questions.

Granny Smith turned her head to the direction to where Aaron was hiding and called, “You can come out now.”

Aaron stepped out from behind one of the apple trees that he had hid himself behind. Granny Smith didn’t say he had to hide though, but Aaron thought it would be better if he stayed out of sight for the moment.

When Aaron finally presented himself, Applejack stared at him with surprise, but was rather miffed with her grandmother.

“Ya were tryin’ tah set me up, wern’t ya?” Applejack demanded.

Granny Smith was about to say something, but Aaron cut her off so he could speak for her.

“No, Miss. Applejack. Your grandmother didn’t set you up for anything. I was the one who talked her into this. I only wished to speak with you,” Aaron explained.

“Well, what do ya want, then?” Applejack asked, a bit unnerved.

“I only wish to make amends with you, that’s all,” Aaron replied sincerely. “The cornfield has been fixed up, and I thought that would finally bring peace between us--but it seems as if there’s something else that seems to be troubling you.”

“Well, yeah. There is."

“What is it then?”

“Your species bein’ here. That’s the problem,” she finally fessed.

Aaron just sighed.

“I understand, Miss Applejack, but our agreement with Celestia is clear. We are assigned to stay here for a few weeks to keep an eye out for anything that might threaten your planet. We will take our leave of you the next day after this gala of yours,” he explained patiently.

“Fine.” Applejack said, now sounding calm. “But Ah think it’s best if ya jus’ let me be. Don’t get me wrong; Ah’m glad ya put yer time an’ effort into fixing our cornfield, but what you’ve put me through was jus’ too much tah handle.”

“I see,” Aaron said standing his ground. “Matter of fact, I can’t blame you for being upset with me at all. If I was you, I would probably feel the same way.”

“Well, there’s somethin’ that we can agree on,” Applejack stated. “So if ya don’t mind, will you kindly leave our farm?”

“Applejack?” Granny Smith began, but Aaron raised his hand.

“It’s alright, Miss Smith,” he reassured. “I’ll do it. But before I do go, can I ask you one thing, Applejack?”

“What?” she deadpanned.

“How are you going to make it up to your friends, especially Celestia, for what happened yesterday at the park?”

Applejack was immediately caught off guard from this question, but it had a straight point.

Through all her moping, Applejack didn’t think of one single solution for how she was going to apologize to her friends and Celestia for how she had behaved towards them. The scared and heartbreaking image of Fluttershy’s face suddenly burned back into her memory, along with what she said to the shy and very sensitive pegasus.

This memory brought a wall of tears to Applejack’s eyes as she hid her face behind her hat, and turned away from her grandmother and Aaron to cover up her emotions.

Aaron turned to Granny Smith, unsure of what he should do now. She used her hoof to gesture toward Applejack to indicate that he should go and do what he could to comfort her.

He nodded without hesitation.

He strode steadily over to Applejack’s side and got down on both of his knees to nearly be at eye level with her. Applejack sensed his presence, and shied away from him a bit.

“Listen to me, Applejack. I may not be a social worker, or have a counseling degree; but I know it isn’t healthy to hide your feelings from others. You’ve shown hostility to hide fear, and now you're trying to hide your remorse for all of it. I can tell you that this won’t help you get the forgiveness you deserve, and a simple I’m Sorry won’t earn it.”

“Then what can?” Applejack practically pleaded, while struggling to choke down sobs. “Y’all saw what Ah did back there. That wasn’t me at all. Ah’m nothin’ but a...a...m-monster!” she said while letting a squeaky sob escape on the last word, and to Aaron’s surprise--she actually embraced him while burying her face deep into his shoulder, emitting suppressed and muffled cries of despair. With her emotional dam finally broken, she needed somepony, or somebody to find comfort in--even if it wasn’t someone she liked.

Aaron didn’t hesitate to return the embrace to the troubled mare. He knew that there was good in her, he just had to force it out. He just held her close and let her have time to release all the waterworks. He then looked over to Granny Smith, who was giving him an approved smile.

“You’re not a monster, Applejack,” he reassured. “You were just angry, that’s all. You can still make this right. If you want me to, I can be by your side to support you even if you told me to leave you alone. It’s really your choice.”

When Applejack got some control over herself, she looked up at Aaron with tear-stained eyes and a pleadful expression.

“Do ya think you can come with me? Jus’ this once? Ah know what Ah said before, but Ah don’t think Ah can do this alone. Ah mean, what if Fluttershy won’t forgive me, or even listen tah what Ah have tah say? Worse yet, what if she stopped talkin’? Ah could’ve made her a mute!”

This thought brought more emotional pain to Applejack, but Aaron intervened before she wasted even more time feeling sorry for herself than focusing on what really mattered at the moment.

“Don’t jump to conclusions just yet. We can’t be sure if that’s even true.”

“Ya don’t know Fluttershy like we do. The poor thing is fragile as a baby hen. Celestia knows what has became of her after this! She could easily shut everypony out of her life, even her friends who want to be there for her,” Applejack explained, while sniffling a bit.

“Then there’s only one thing we can do now, and that is to find out for ourselves,” Aaron said. “Since you guys know her so well, you should consider that she’ll re-accept you as a friend if you’re that close. It may take some work, but I know you’ll  find some way to get through to her.”

“Ya think so?” Applejack asked unsurely.

Aaron didn’t wish to give Applejack false hope so he just looked into her sad emerald green eyes and said, “I can’t be sure. It’s between you and her. The only thing I can do is wish luck to you both, along with the others.”

Applejack knew that meant that her friendship may not be re-accepted from Fluttershy, or the others. She has made some bad decisions in her life, but this one seemed just pure evil, which she knew she wasn’t. Applejack knew that she was better than that.

Finally getting some of her strength back, Applejack propped herself up on all four of her hooves and said, “Let’s go. Ah don’t wish tah wait any longer than Ah have to. Ah gotta make this right, no matter what happens.”

Applejack sounded like the willing and honest mare she was born to be! Aaron was finally seeing Applejack as her true self, and he was very impressed.

Aaron and Applejack waved goodbye to Granny Smith, who returned it as they headed over to Fluttershy’s forest-side cottage.

Along the way, Applejack seemed to keep Aaron close by her side.

It seemed awkward for both of them, but Aaron knew that Applejack needed a shoulder to lean on during this friendship crisis of hers.

Sure she didn’t like him before, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Who knows. Sometimes your enemy could become your greatest friend.

Chapter Fourteen: Finally Setting Things Straight

There was pretty much an uneasy silence that went on between Applejack, and Aaron. It wasn’t because that they were still having issues with one another; as a matter of fact--it seemed as if they had finally made amends meet. However, the fear of her life possibly ending in the future by the humans still remained.

Aaron still feared for her life as well.

He didn’t want to tell her that the human that was making her board the soon-to-be-doomed Pelican was him. If he told her that, it would immediately destroy their budding friendship--at least that it appeared to be anyways since Applejack seemed to need him for the moment.

When Fluttershy’s cottage started to come into view, Aaron looked over to Applejack, who appeared to be growing more worried with each step.

“It’s okay to be nervous, Applejack,” Aaron reassured her.

“Who said Ah was nervous?” Applejack excused. “Ah’m jus’ feelin’ a bit uneasy fer the moment.”

“That’s the same thing.”

“What’s yer point?” Applejack asked, becoming annoyed.

Aaron decided to back down before things went downhill for the both of them once more.

“Nevermind. Look, I know you can do this. If your connection between you and her is really that strong, then surely she can find some way to forgive you.”

“Yeah, but like Ah said before, Fluttershy is the most sensitive, and the most easily scared one out of all six of us. She’s even afraid of ‘er own shadow,” Applejack explained.

Aaron was familiar with that sort of phrase, but never actually thought it was possible. When you're in the military, especially being a Spartan--fear was a very small concern.

“Look. My main point is don’t doubt yourself over this. If you can show Fluttershy that you're still the same pony she knows, she might give you another chance.”

“Ah hope yer right,” Applejack said doubtfully, while staring at the ground.

As Aaron and Applejack neared the cottage door, Applejack immediately stopped in her tracks. Aaron turned to her to see what was up.

“Applejack? What’s the matter?” he asked.

“Ah don’t know how Ah’m gonna do this,” she replied nervously.

Aaron took a moment to think.

“How about if you hang back for a bit until I can give Fluttershy the will to allow you in to talk to her. Would that make it easier for you?”

“It might,” Applejack replied unsurely. “But Ah don’t know if it’ll work.”

“Only one way to find out,” Aaron stated while strolling up to the door. He then began knocking.

“Miss. Fluttershy, are you in there? It’s Aaron. I wish to speak with you please.”

A voice came from the other side of the door, but it wasn’t Fluttershy’s--it belonged to Rainbow Dash!

“What’s the password?” she asked.

Aaron was completely thrown off by this.

“Password? What password?” he asked suspiciously.

“The password so I don’t happen to open the door for Applejack.”

“Do I sound anything like Applejack to you?” Aaron asked.

“Well you could be some sort of henchmen for her, if I’m correct.”

“You could say that,” Aaron said.

“Well then I’m definitely not going to open this door,” Rainbow stated officially.

“Look, Miss. Rainbow Dash. Applejack is fully aware of what she did yesterday at the park and she wishes to make it up to all of you--especially Fluttershy. Please allow her to try and make amends,” Aaron explained.

“Fluttershy doesn’t want to see Applejack--or anypony else. Now go away!” Rainbow ordered rather brutally.

Aaron was about to protest, but was interrupted and surprised when the voice of Twilight spoke up.

“Rainbow, that is not true at all,” she scolded. She was soon joined by two other voices.

“Am I invisible now? I didn’t even know I could do that,” Pinkie said, rather enthusiastically.

“Pinkie, darling. We’re pretty sure you don’t possess any kind of supernatural power like that,” Rarity said. Her expression then turned suspicious since she and the rest of them knew Pinkie did a number of questionable antics.

“Do you?”

“Guys! You ruined the cover I was trying to give us all!” Rainbow complained. “You know we can’t let AJ anywhere near Fluttershy. Not after what she did!”

“First of all, we never agreed to that--you did, Rainbow,” Rarity stated. “Secondly, we all know what happened--but that doesn’t mean we should immediately shun Applejack out of our friendship. Everypony deserves a chance to trial themselves.”

“I agree with Rarity, Rainbow. We should give Applejack a chance to try and redeem herself back into our friendship. It only seems right,” Twilight said.

Aaron heard the silence of Rainbow’s momentary hesitation before she said, “Fine. If that’s what needs to be done, then so be it--but no promises that I can ever forgive her.”

Both halves of the door swung open slowly and steadily to reveal to Aaron all five of Applejack’s friends. They were all huddled on or near the couch where Fluttershy was moping.

Twilight and Pinkie sat on her right, while Rarity occupied her left. Rainbow of course was hovering in the air above Fluttershy, whose eyes were red and puffy from what could only be caused from excessive crying.

Gazing at the floor, Aaron noticed a few sleeping bags positioned in a random area and position. This indicated that the mares spent the night with Fluttershy in order to comfort her anyway they could. The poor mare needed the friends she knew who wouldn't treat her so cruelly.

Aaron then turned around behind him to face Applejack who was still at the spot she stopped on, which was the bridge crossing the small brook that flowed in front of the cottage.

“It’s alright, Applejack. Your allowed to come in now,” he said to her.

Applejack nodded and steadily made her way toward the cottage with a hint of determination, and anxiety, painted on her face. It wasn’t a compatible pair of emotions to say the least--but this sort of situation demanded it.

When Applejack entered the cottage, Fluttershy immediately diverted her gaze away from the cowpony and cowered. Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie tried to comfort and reassure Fluttershy the best way they could; but the shy pegasus didn’t uncurl herself.

Rainbow however, was giving Applejack a stink-eye expression which unnerved her even more, but she couldn’t let Rainbow’s intimidating personality get in the way of trying to save her friendship with Fluttershy, and the others.

Aaron then faced Twilight and said, “Will it be best if I leave you guys alone to settle this?”

Twilight gazed back at him with a neutral look and replied, “Yes it would, Aaron. You may go.”

“Understood,” he said, and made his way out of the cottage before closing the door behind him.

When all six mares were finally alone, there was quite an uneasy silence at first. Applejack was met with looks of expectancy and concern from everypony except Fluttershy, who still refused to make eye-contact.

Rainbow, however, maintained her disapproving scowl.

Taking in a breath, Applejack decided to address Fluttershy first, because she was the main victim of her rage fit.

“Fluttershy,” Applejack began, keeping her tone soft and full of sincerity.

Fluttershy peeked out a bit from her hooves to get a glimpse of Applejack’s remorseful expression and eyes. It brought a bit of relaxation to the shy pegasus, but it still wasn’t enough to make her fully open herself up to Applejack.

“What happened yesterday at the park. What Ah did...no….what Ah said to ya was the worst thing Ah’ve ever done in mah entire life. Ah didn’t mean it at all. Mah emotions overwhelmed me so much that Ah completely lost a grip on mahself. That pony that was so hostile towards ya wasn't me at all. Ah didn’t have control until it was too late--then Ah ran away from the problem tah wallow in mah own pity instead of tryin’ tah make it right then an’ there. Ah admit Ah’m a terrible friend, an’ ya have every right tah not forgive me. Ah deserve it.”

“You sure do!” Rainbow spat.

“Rainbow!” Twilight, Pinkie, and Rarity shouted at the same time.

“Sorry,” Rainbow muttered indifferently.

“Ah want us tah be friends again,” Applejack continued while struggling to not cry. She was very hurt by Rainbow’s outburst, but she knew Rainbow made a good example.  “All of us. Ah did us all wrong, even Celestia. Ah wouldn’t blame her if she threw me in the dungeon, or banished me in the moon. What Ah did cannot go unpunished whether ya accept my apology or not. Surely y’all can find somepony who can take my place as a bearer of honesty. Ah wouldn’t mind it one bit.”

Thinking of such things made Applejack’s bottom lip quiver, but she refused to break down like an immature filly, and swallowed every sob that threatened to escape her mouth. Tears were leaking from her eyes, however.

“Ah’m sorry fer what Ah’ve done tah ya Fluttershy. What Ah’ve done to y’all,” she finally said and waited for any sort of response.

What she got was silence.

Taking it as a sign of not being forgiven, Applejack’s ears drooped lower and her fight with her building crys was weakening quickly. She turned away and faced the door as she prepared to leave.

“G-goodbye, g-girls,” she sniffed. She then looked at Twilight who was beginning to shed tears along with Rarity and Pinkie, whose mane was now flat, and whose coat seemed to be strangely darker. Rainbow just had her back turned to hide her face, but it was a sign that she was hiding her true feelings and emotions.

Fluttershy was now fully out of her shell, but looked as if she didn’t know what to do.

“Send a letter to the princess telling her that Ah accept any punishment she has tah offer me,” Applejack said to Twilight. “But at least give me sometime tah say farewell to mah f-folks. Ah’m sure t-they can find somepony to run the farm w-without me somehow.”

Applejack quickly looked away from Twilight and the others before they could see her face, and headed for the door. Before Applejack could touch the knob, Fluttershy miraculously spoke up!

“Applejack, wait!” she called.

Applejack spun around to face Fluttershy, who look saddened and had the tone indicating she didn’t want Applejack to go.

“I know you didn’t mean what you said to me,” she began. “I understand completely that you weren't thinking correctly. You can’t do this to yourself.”

“That’s nice of ya tah say, Fluttershy--but Ah already know what Ah’ve done is jus’ plain evil. Ah can’t be forgiven for that at all.” Applejack said, solemnly looking into Fluttershy’s eyes. “As a mare of honesty, Ah have tah face up fer what Ah did. Ah can’t jus’ wait fer it tah go away.”

Applejack once again turned away from Fluttershy and the others, then put her hoof on the knob.

Before she could at least turn it, Applejack was embraced by a pair of butter-colored hooves that wrapped around the bottom part of her neck. She then felt something moist that made a spot on her coat damp. It was nothing other than tears that ran from Fluttershy’s pleading eyes.

“Applejack, please don't’ go!” Fluttershy pleaded. “Don’t you know how much you mean to all of us? Don’t let what happened yesterday be the moment when our friendship ends. Sure I was hurt and offended by your actions, but that doesn’t mean I’m not kind enough to offer forgiveness no matter how bad things can get between us. You will always be my best friend--along with the rest of us. Without you, our group will never be the same. We all love you, Applejack.”

The feelings that took over Applejack were surprise, relief, and pure happiness. She was even more surprised of how long Fluttershy spoke since she was normally very timid, and only spoke in one sentence most of the time.

“D-do ya really mean that, s-sugarcube?” Applejack asked in a slightly broken voice.

“Of course I do. Right, girls?” Fluttershy asked.

“Why wouldn’t we?” Rarity said, and joined in on embracing the cowpony. “We may have driven each other crazy on a couple of occasions because of our polar worlds, but that never made us despise one another. Instead it made us learn more about each other. If you were not here, those memories wouldn’t be precious anymore.”

The other mares followed the same suit.

“My parties wouldn’t be as much fun if you were never able to attend them anymore,” Pinkie said with her mane and tail still flat.

“It was very hospitable when your family offered me your food when I first came to Ponyville,” Twilight said. “Sure I was reluctant to accept your friendship at first, but when the spark ignited--I then realized I should've shown gratitude. You truly are a great pony, and a great friend.”

Rainbow was hesitant at first because she wasn’t sure if she should believe Applejack or not. What Applejack did to her closest friend was absolutely unexcusable, but she was surprised that Fluttershy still wanted to be Applejack’s friend. It confused her, but if Fluttershy was willing to re-accept Applejack as a friend--then she should too.

“I’m sorry for the way I treated you when you were just trying to apologize,” she said. “I was only trying to protect Fluttershy from getting hurt even more.”

“It’s alright, Rainbow,” Applejack said with a small smile. “Ya were only stayin’ true to yer element.”

“I should just say, without you around, drinking cider wouldn’t be as enjoyable as it normally is.”

This caused everypony to laugh in a way that felt like it hadn’t been in a long time. It meant that Applejack was successful at bringing back her friends that she was about to lose. It meant the world to her, but she felt a small part was missing from this happy moment.

“Girls. Ah think there’s someone we should all thank for all this,” Applejack said.

“Who?” they all asked in unison.

Instead of giving an answer, Applejack gently broke the group hug and opened the cottage door to reveal Aaron sitting on one of the bridges rails with his back turned to them all.

She signaled for her friends to stay at the door of the cottage while she trotted over to Aaron’s side.

“Howdy, Aaron,” she said.

Aaron turned to face Applejack, who seemed to be smiling and was apparently okay now, but there were small signs that she had been crying recently.

“Oh hello, Applejack. Did everything go okay?” he asked, a bit concerned.

“Everything went fine. Ah’ve managed to make up tah Fluttershy, an’ the girls.”

Aaron smiled. “Well that’s fantastic to hear, Applejack. I’m very proud of you.”

“Actually, Ah’m the one who’s proud of ya.”

Aaron became puzzled.

“Really? How so?”

“Well ya see, if you didn’t come by tah talk some sense in tah me, Ah would’ve lost  mah best friends forever. Worst yet, mah confidence. Ya truly taught me a lesson about friendship, even if ya didn’t even know about it.”

“Well, I’m glad I was able to assist you. I’m still very sorry about the cornfield, though.”

“Oh. It’s jus’ a field, silly. Ah know that I’ll recover in all good time,” she reassured. “Right now, Ah want tah tell ya thanks fer what ya did for me--what ya did fer all of us.”

Applejack then looked over to her friends and called, “C’mon girls. Let’s give Aaron the thanks he deserves fer bringing us all back together again.”

The mares cheered and rushed toward Aaron faster than he could react! He was quickly wrapped up in a tight hug given by all six of them.

You could say this was an awkward, and uncomfortable situation for him considering that they were all naked--but he was satisfied that he did something good that didn’t involve any killing or violence of any sort.

Not complaining about how tight they were squeezing him at the middle torso, Aaron placed each of his arms over the backs of every one of the mares and gently pulled them in closer.

If Zeke saw him doing this, he would be teasing Aaron about it for days.

This was a truly beautiful, and harmonized moment--but it was unfortunate that it was being observed through the scope of a T27 SASR being wielded by a Kig-Yar sniper that had positioned himself yards away in a tree that sat upon one of the highest hills that overlooked Ponyville.

Chapter Fifteen: Covenant Contact - Badlands

COVENANT FOREST OUTPOST, FORMERLY THE CASTLE OF THE ROYAL PONY SISTERS

1257 HOURS

Commander, Huwn ‘Crolun strolled around the interior of the base-turned castle, and observed the work of his troops. ‘Nbek did put him in charge of the outpost, so it was his duty to make sure every soldier was working their hardest in effort to boost their ranks, and performance in combat. However with some of the lowest disciplined Unggoy, they pretty much gave him a headache.

He walked out to one of the balconies that overlooked the front of the base to see a few Unggoy driven T32 RAVs patrolling the area below, keeping a lookout for any enemy presence.

Since the bridge gaping the crevice between the castle and the forest was taken out when he and his troops made landfall last night, the chances of enemies or curious eyes intruding the area were cut in half. Of course if an adversary was capable of flight, then they would be able to cross without a problem.

To avoid all concerns, the old castle has been heavily fortified with a T55 A-I SG turret placed on each of the high tower balconies like the one Huwn was currently standing on, with an Unggoy positioned on it. Not really the best job.

Within certain corridors of the castle was a strategically mounted T52 DESW plasma cannon. These would be used to cut down heavy groups of hostile infantry within the confined quarters leading to highly important areas or assets of the base. More than one would be required depending on the level of importance. Mgalekgolo would act as extra support.

Finally, a few Kig-Yar snipers would be placed on the roofs of the castle to have a higher vantage point for lookout, and for picking off enemies more efficiently.

One Kig-Yar sniper by the name of Voc was currently send out on a reconnaissance mission to investigate a village that was seen when the cloaked stealth corvettes were dispatched.

Voc decided his best location to gain recon was to station himself in a tree that stood on top of one of the highest hills overlooking the village.

It’s there that he got a clear glimpse of the inhabitants of the planet through the scope of his T27. The inhabitants that Voc observed seemed to consist of four-legged creatures with varied colored coats and hairs.

The lack of opposable appendages concerned Voc, because how would ‘Nbek convert these beings into allies if they couldn’t hold a weapon, or operate any other sort of machinery? However Voc observed that some of these beings seemed strong enough to lift heavy supplies on their backs. Maybe they could help the Unggoy with their cargo transport.

During his observation, Voc spotted what ‘Nbek feared--a human was being embraced by six of the odd beings. This was a sign of some sort of peace being made. It’s then that Voc radioed in to ‘Crolun.

“Commander ‘Crolun. This is sniper Voc. I have a confirmed sighting of a single human with six of the inhabitants of this planet. Requesting permission to engage,” the raspy voice of Voc said into ‘Crolun’s armor COMM network.

‘Crolun knew the orders were to not kill the inhabitants of the planet unless it was absolutely necessary. Plus it was still too early to call in a strike force.

“Negative, Voc. Stand down and return back to here. I’ll notify ‘Nbek of your finding,” ‘Crolun ordered.

“Affirmative, commander,” Voc said before he signed off.

‘Crolun made his way back to the main command chamber which used to be some sort of throne room for whatever once inhabited the castle. It was there that he could contact ‘Nbek.

Before his carrier entered atmosphere, 'Nbek deployed a couple of spire installations that would be useful for cloaking the citadel, and his carrier which now held its position in atmosphere directly above the site of the citadel.

The spire installations that ‘Nbek deployed haven’t been used since the invasion on Reach, but since this planet seemed to have some kind of value to the Covenant’s intentions--measures must be taken no matter what. Plus, it would only be a matter of time before the humans would expand their territory.

“Shipmaster ‘Nbek. Commander Huwn ‘Crolun of the forest outpost. Standing by for reconnaissance report,” ‘Crolun said as he activated the main COMM interface that linked with ‘Nbek’s carrier.

“Report in,” ‘Nbek transmitted.

“One of our snipers have gotten visual of a human being embraced by six of the strange inhabitants that occupy this planet. I fear that they may have already made allies with our enemy before we could,” ‘Crolun said, sounding slightly agitated.

“Do not worry just yet, brother. I have dispatched a couple of scout Phantoms to an area that is confirmed to be completely inhospitable that no human would dare set foot in,” ‘Nbek reassured rather calmly.

‘Crolun was completely perplexed by ‘Nbek’s area of choice to send a scouting party. If the area was inhospitable, it could mean big trouble for any of the troops on board both of the dropships.

“With respect, shipmaster. Why would you put the lives of our troops at risk by dispatching them to a place where survivable resources are lacking?” ‘Crolun demanded.

“I’ve made sure to send them with the supplies needed for a temporary camp if fate demands it,” ‘Nbek replied. “Once the supply is low or spent, it will be certain that they will return back to the citadel safe and sound. What I do hope is that they will find something there that can assist our Covenant. We hope the Didact can grant them good fortune along the way. Do not lose your faith in him.”

'Crolun hesitated for a quick moment because he wasn’t sure if he believed in the words of the shipmaster, but then he thought about what the Didact himself would do in a situation like this, and reconciled.

“I won’t, shipmaster. The Didact will always watch over us. I’ve never lost faith in him, and I’m not about to start now,” ‘Crolun stated.

“Very good,” ‘Nbek stated contently. “I wish you luck with your duty, brother--and your troops.”

“Likewise, shipmaster,” ‘Crolun said one last time before disconnecting the transmission.

Even if ‘Crolun was reassured to not question his faith in the Didact, he didn’t want to admit that he still doubted that the troops dispatched to such an isolated and unresourceful region would survive, even if supplements were brought along.

There could be dangerous creatures out there that would probably outlast the ammunition that the troops had in their weapons to defend themselves with.

What sort of creatures would inhabit such a harsh place? The answer to that question was about to be revealed.

CHANGELING CAVE, BADLANDS

Queen Chrysalis sat authoritatively on her throne, which was obviously made from poorly crafted rock and stone so it really didn’t have any regal appearance to it at all. If her, and her changelings didn’t get thrown out of Canterlot and banished to this forsaken land--having an actual throne would’ve been possible.

Ever since that day, Chrysalis has been trying to plot revenge against her foes, especially against Princess Cadence and her husband, Shining Armor who were the ones responsible for their banishment. So far she has come up with nothing because like her subjects; she was starving.

There was no pony that ventured into this region of Equestria, and that meant that there was no love to feast on at all.

They tried to settle for hunting down plants to eat, but so few ever grew in the barren soil. Plus even if such food was found, it didn’t appease with the queen or her subjects because love was the best nourishment for changelings.

Chrysalis was strong-willed at first by encouraging her subjects that they would make it through this--and get what they deserved. It was a way a leader should be--but as time drew on without a hint of hope, Chrysalis slowly became demoralized and weak from her ever growing hunger. It was surprising that she still managed to sit up straight on her throne despite her deteriorating strength.  Surely it would only be a matter of time before she could no longer maintain this posture before collapsing on the floor in a weak heap.

“Your highness,” said one of the changeling lookouts as he hurriedly entered his queen’s ‘throne room’.

“What’s the matter?” Chrysalis demanded. “What is the meaning of this unannounced and improper entrance?”

“There are a couple of strange objects heading this way, and fast my queen. It’s nothing I have ever seen before,” the changeling reported.

“What do you mean by, strange?” Chrysalis asked.

Before the changeling could respond, an ever growing droning sound got closer and closer to the cave entrance. Her subject was right about whatever was causing this droning was rather quick.

Driven by curiosity, Chrysalis cautiously made her way toward the source of the noise. When she came to the cave entrance, she couldn’t believe what she saw.

Hovering only a few feet away from her were two dark purple bulbous, but aerodynamic alien crafts with a single turbine or either side of the bulgy bow of the ship, with three thin movable fins on the stern.

Hanging from the bottom front of the ships was some sort of strange mechanical appendage that seemed to look around which influenced Chrysalis to hide behind a tall boulder that occupied the caves’ lip.

These alien ships that Chrysalis was seeing were nothing other than the two T44 TC Phantom dropships that ‘Nbek sent out for scouting purposes.

Peeking from around her hiding spot, Chrysalis saw both of the Phantoms underbellies shoot a greenish beam of light to the ground. It is then that the occupants of the dropships were softly deployed on the ground within the beam.

One Phantom deployed a Sangheili minor wielding a T55 DER/A with a squad of eight Unggoy. Six minors wielding a T25 DEP, and two imperials with a T33 GML.

The other Phantom dropped off a squadron of ten Kig-Yar. Five minors with all T25s and a point defense gauntlet that emanated a shield with a blueish hue to it. Three heavies  with T33s whose gauntlets displayed yellow shields, and two snipers. One wielding a T27, the other a T51 C.

Chrysalis didn’t know what to make of the strange creatures she was seeing, but they were obviously intruding on her territory. Gathering her breath, she stepped out in plain sight and said, “Who dares set foot on our…”

Before she could finished her sentence, the army of aliens began firing on her in a heap of startlement and surprise!

“Aah!” Chrysalis screamed and dove for cover back behind the boulder as the shots kept coming. She then realized that she was hit because part of her tail was singed off by a few bolts of plasma. A plasma round also got her in the side leaving a nasty third degree burn combined with a pink crystalline shard resting in it. It soon exploded which made her begin to bleed. This combined injury made Chrysalis cry in agony from the extreme pain.

Hearing their queen in distress, the changelings never hesitated as they quickly flew out of the cave to see Chrysalis lying on her side groaning and bleeding behind her cover. They then turned their attention toward the aliens who continued their engagement to where their queen was hiding. The boulder was tough, but it was practically turning into molten liquid from the combined and surpressed plasma fire.

Not wasting another second, the changelings engaged the hostile aliens to try and save their queen!

They began to fire their mystical green mana from their horns onto the squad. When they did that, the Covenant immediately began firing at them! At least their attention was now drawn away from Chrysalis.

The changelings really had no trouble dealing with the Unggoy because of the relatively weak armor. They even managed to land headshots which killed immediately. The  Kig-Yar however proved to be more of a challenge because of the speed and agility they moved with while dodging the changelings attacks. The dexterity if the Kig-Yar allowed them to fire while evading, and their keen eyesight made them land a fatal shot each time. Their shield gauntlets made them a difficult target as well.

The Sangheili however was the worst foe.

Everytime a shot hit the tall bipedal creature, the changelings noticed some sort of electromagnetic field that seemed to incase the entire body. It seemed to get brighter however as the changelings continued their fire on it. When it got bright enough, the Sangheili slipped into cover behind another huge bolder for several seconds, then reappeared again with his body shield fully charged and began firing again.

Since the changeling numbers were three times more than the Covenant’s, surely they would prevail in no time--but hope for that began failing when the sides of the Phantoms opened up to reveal a mounted plasma cannon on each side. A single Unggoy was then stationed at each of the guns and began firing.

The auto-cannons mounted at the front of the dropships began firing ballistic rounds of plasma onto the changelings as well, cutting down their numbers at an alarming rate!

Chrysalis could only watch as her minions were either torn to shreds by the suppressed plasma fire, or witnessing their blood and guts exploding from their bodies due to supercombine explosions.

Chrysalis was slowly losing consciousness from the lack of blood she had. She knew she was going to die.

She always visualized her and her minions demise to be more settling and less painful. She would even be willing to do it in an effort to overthrow Celestia and take the throne of Canterlot. What happened just now was anything close to that.

As her eyes slowly began closing, she saw her remaining changelings fight to the end. She knew that they were all going to perish in a short amount of time.

Before her eyes were completely closed, she caught a glimpse of something huge looming over her and staring hard into her face.

It had piercing yellow reptilian eyes with black corneas. Its mouth was made up of four appendages that contained razor sharp teeth. It was none other the Sangheili minor!

After that, the sight of the world to Chrysalis turned pitch black.

After of what seemed like hours, Chrysalis became conscious again--and surprised that she was still alive! But unfortunately she was restrained.

Her eyesight wasn’t clear yet so she couldn’t see where she was, or what was keeping her from moving at will.

When her vision finally did clear, Chrysalis discovered that she was sitting at a wide purple hued table that separated her from a huge chair whose back support was in a half-oval shape. She happened to be seated in the other one.

Looking out the windows that the room thankfully had, she saw the clear blue sky that overlooked to be what had to be the San Palomino desert.

Looking down at herself, she noticed her mid-torso was wrapped in some kind strange ooze that covered her wound. She then noticed that her hooves were cuffed with a strange light that seemed to emit without any sort of attachment to it. The same object was embracing her horn which didn’t allow her to use it in anyway, and an even bigger one had her near her neck, and prevented her from using her wings.

Chrysalis tried to wiggle free, but the cuffs gave off a strange energy that pounded her entire body with immobilizing pain.

“Aah!” she cried. “What is the meaning of this? Let me go at once!”

“I’m afraid that’s out of the question really,” said an intimidating male voice which seemed to come from the chair across the table. Whatever it was, it had its back turned to her. “Those cuffs will deliver more painful shocks if you keep struggling. They will soon become fatal. You should be lucky that we spared your life. Of course it was me who gave the order.”

“Well who are you, and what do you want from me?” Chrysalis demanded angrily, but she was surprisingly terrified. A very rare emotion for her.

The chair that looked away from her suddenly turned around to reveal a similar mandibled mouthed creature to the one she saw back at the cave, but his armor style was different. It was commander-class.

“I am Shipmaster, Dzen ‘Nbek,” the alien responded surprisingly in the Equestrian language, compared to the gibberish that she heard when her and her minions were under attack. However thanks to a Sangheili’s bizarre jaw structure, his articulation with the letter ‘S’ wasn’t really that good.

“Commander of the carrier, Savior’s Light which you are currently on, and supporter of Jul ‘Mdama--leader of the Covenant Remnant,” Dzen explained. “Now who may I ask, are you? More specifically; what are you?”

“I’m…Queen Chrysalis,” Chrysalis replied, a bit hesitant and unsure of the situation. “Ruler of the Changeling Kingdom--or at least I used to be.”

“So that’s what you are,” Dzen said rather intrigued. “Now tell me, what does a changeling do?”

“First I demand why your minions attacked and killed all my subjects, and why did you kidnap me?!” Chrysalis hissed.

“Calm yourself,” Dzen reassured uncomfortably calmly. “I was notified of the engagement when it took place. I issued for my troops to spare a few of your compatriots and bring them onboard.”

“Well, where are they? Where are you keeping them?” Chrysalis asked, like a hysterical mother who lost her child.

“In the brig, of course.” Dzen casually replied. “They will get used to their accommodations, but enough about that. Now it’s time I told you what I need from you.”

“What is it then?” Chrysalis asked, now getting a little suspicious, but at the same time nervous.

“Your allegiance, of course. I know what happened back at your region wasn’t a good first contact scenario between our races, but dishonorable actions can find a way to make peaceful ends meet. At least you haven’t become acquainted with the human enemy.”

Chrysalis became puzzled.

“I don’t even know what a human is, but I don’t think I should offer any any of my allegiance to you strange beings. Plus, what can you offer for me, and my subjects?” she demanded.

“Whatever you wish,” Dzen replied not breaking his composition.

Chrysalis raised a brow.

She wasn’t sure if this alien was being sincere or not. Attacking her and her changelings was a serious offense, so trusting this creature was tough--but she witnessed the strength and potential that his troops had in combat. It was nothing compared to the potential of her changelings. The changelings had magic, these aliens had actual weapons.

“Well. Canterlot would be nice,” she finally said. “But that blasted alicorn, Cadence and that husband of hers ruined everything!”

“An alicorn? Interesting,” Dzen said intrigued. “What may I ask is an, alicorn anyway?”

“A powerful pony with more stronger magic than a unicorn. Of course that cursed Celestia and that no-good sister of hers has the power to raise and lower the sun and moon.”

“So...they’re like gods then?” Dzen asked with a hint of excitement now in his tone.

“That’s what their subjects all say. It’s absolutely revolting!” Chrysalis stated with disgust, but Dzen was very interested. This was the kind of power that the Forerunners didn’t possess.

“Here’s the situation, Chrysalis,” he said. “So far we are keeping our profiles low from our enemies in effort to gain intelligence on what their up to. We are, however unable to get close enough to get full information. Perhaps I could send out a Zealot scouting team for close-quarters reconnaissance. Their camouflage would probably be useful for this task.”

“Well, me and my subjects have the ability to look like anypony at will. That’s what us changelings are known for doing. Also, stealing their love as well.” Chrysalis stated, now sounding like her proud and cocky self.

“Hmm,” Dzen thought. “If what you are saying is true, then your kind would be useful for such an operation. If you can help us bring in one or more of these, alicorns, we shall fulfill your wish. Surely they can tell us what we want to know about this new world as well. So what do you say? Do we have a compromise?”

Chrysalis took a moment to think things over before giving her final answer.

The thought of finally throwing the princesses of their thrones and taking her rightful place as ruler of Equestria brought a sinister grin to Chrysalis’ muzzle.

“We do,” she finally stated.

“Excellent.” Dzen said, satisfied with her making the right choice.

With these shape-shifting creatures now on his side, Dzen has now gained a more stealthy advantage for recon purposes which is exactly the main role Chrysalis's changelings will play. He just needed to find the right time and place to put them in action.

Chapter Sixteen: Lunch at the Apple Residence

After what seemed like hours instead of seconds of embracing their newfound human friend, Aaron, Twilight and her friends finally released him.

Aaron was glad to see the mares back together, and that he could breathe properly again considering that they were hugging him a little too much. He should be thankful though that they haven’t come around to mistrust him anymore. He truly set a good influence for himself, and the rest of his military companions.

Just then, a low rumble emitted from Applejack’s stomach.

She then gazed down at her stomach and rubbed it while chuckling a little.

“Looks like Ah’ve been so worked up lately, Ah forgot tah eat. Whad’ya say we all go back to mah farm an’ have ourselves some late lunch? It’s all on me,” she suggested.

“Sounds like fun!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“I think that sounds delightful, darling,” Rarity stated. “I think our own concerns have made us each skip our own servings of grand nutrition.”

The rest of the mares nodded in agreement.

“I think a quick bite would be good for me as well,” Aaron said, smiling. “I don’t think I had anything this morning.”

“Well c’mon then,” Applejack urged. “Ah can’t let ya an’ the girls starve to death! Let’s get a move on, y’all!”

Applejack led her friends, and Aaron, back to the farm. While on the way, Aaron was examining the contents on his COMM watch to the interest of Rainbow Dash, who was hovering somewhere above him. If something looked cool to her, she got quite inquisitive--and the high and advanced technological look of it was total eye candy.

“Say, Aaron. Do you know where I can get an awesome looking gadget like the one you have on your wrist there?” she asked.

Aaron looked up at Rainbow, then back to his COMM watch before putting his gaze on her again with an amused smile on his face.

“I’m afraid it’s not that easy. You have to be inducted into the UNSC military to get one; and I’m only being blunt there,” he replied.

“Oh c’mon,” Rainbow complained. “Why can’t you tell me the whole process? I’m totally fit for combat!”

She then fluxed her forehooves.

“I’m afraid it is not as simple and easy as you think it is,” Aaron explained. “You would have to go through months of intense training and battle simulations before officially serving as a soldier. As for a soldier of my specialty, the training is even more brutal and longer. As a bonus, you get poked with needles. A lot of needles.”

“Bah. Needles weedles,” Rainbow spat cockily. “Rainbow Dash is not afraid of a pathetic little needle.”

“Um….you kind of are,” Fluttershy stated timidly.

Rainbow’s cheeks then turned pink as an embarrassed expression came across her face, but she tried to retain her bold composure.

“Maybe when I was four, but I’ve overcome it. I swear,” she excused defiantly.

“Right,” Fluttershy said as she rolled her eyes. She knew Rainbow all too well, and that was just enough to know that Rainbow wasn’t telling the truth. Whenever Rainbow has her physical, the doctors have to hold her down against her will before they perform a sedation to knock her out and relax her body so the injection can go smoothly. Rainbow only wakes up with a small ache to where the needle was inserted.

Before things could get more personal, Rainbow decided to change the subject.

“I wonder how my team is doing in bringing in a warm front from the San Palomino desert?” she asked.

“Why would you ask, Rainbow? You were supposed to go and help them. Remember?” Twilight stated bemusedly.

“Hey. I wanted to make sure Fluttershy was going to be okay. You know I can never leave a friend hangin’,” Rainbow protested.

“Does that also apply to your co-workers as well?” Twilight asked, now suspicious.

Rainbow was about to say something, but nothing came out. She hated when she got outwitted by Twilight’s brilliance.

“Look. I know Cloudkicker’s agility and speed is somewhat close to mine, so I know she can do well in assisting Thunderlane, Flitter, and Cloudchaser for what needs to be done. They can do well without me for a bit.”

“Then perhaps you should probably go and check up on them, darling,” Rarity suggested. “It would be perfectly okay for all of us.”

“I could,” Rainbow began, as she looked up and put a hoof to her chin as she thought. “But I think I should eat first. I won’t be any good at anything of my stomach is empty now, wouldn’t I?” she smirked.

Twilight just face-hoofed and sighed. Now she was the one who got outwitted by Rainbow. She couldn’t deny that food would deliver the energy Rainbow needed to fly far off and join her weather teammates.

“Don’t worry, Rainbow. Granny’s meals will stuff ya like a hungry snake who jus’ swallowed a good sized field mouse whole,” Applejack reassured with a proud grin.

This saying made Fluttershy squeak and bring tears to her eyes at the thought of such a horrific sight.

SWEET APPLE ACRES

1:30PM

The food that the Apple family offered Aaron and the girls were fresh helpings of apple fritters with the side of apple fries, and applesauce. The beverage was applejuice. As a non-apple serving--there was fresh corn on the cob.

Dessert, was of course going to be Granny Smith’s famous apple pie!

“So, Mr. Alien,” Apple Bloom began.

“Please. Call me Aaron,” Aaron said with a friendly smile.

“So, Aaron. Can you earn a cutie mark for whatever it is that you do?” she asked curiously.

Aaron became puzzled by the young filly’s question.

“I’m afraid I don’t know what a cutie mark is,” he said.

“It’s a very special symbol that expresses who you are, and what you're good at,” Twilight explained.

“Oh I see,” Aaron said, finally getting it. “I suppose getting a promotion badge is sort of similar to getting this cutie mark thing, but if it’s referring to something very specific as to what I’m good at, then I guess it would represent my skills with an M45D.”

“What’s that, darling?” Rarity asked.

“A tactical shotgun, of course,” Aaron replied proudly. “Very effective to use during close-quarter combat scenarios and boarding operations. Of course when you’re in the open, it’s not the ideal loadout.”

“How come?” Rainbow asked. “It sounds like a cool thing to have always.”

“Well, the farther a target is from the barrel, the less damage it will receive,” Aaron said.

“Can you please explain? Also, I wish to take notes on this,” Twilight said, magically plucking a quill from her wings and presenting a blank scroll in front of herself, along with an ink pod.

“Sure,” Aaron replied and looked around for something that could help give him a visual prop. It just so happens that there was a bowl of apples that sat in the center of the dining table.

Aaron took one of the apples in his hand and got ready to give his little lecture about the physics of a round of a shotgun--with an apple.

“Pretend that this apple is an unused shell that hasn’t been fired yet. Now in reality, an actual shell for a shotgun is a metallic eight-gauge cylinder that is loaded with gunpowder that detonates with the trigger is pulled.”

“So? Ya don’t use apples then?” Granny Smith asked.

Aaron chuckled.

“No. Of course not, ma’am. There may have been guns invented that did shoot apples, or potatoes. But those kinds of weapons are just used for amusement. This is an actual war weapon we’re talking about here. Now back on topic. When the target is in the designated range of the barrel, it will receive the full blow and impact from the entire round, causing full damage.”

“What happens to the round as the distance grows?” Twilight asked as she ballistically continued to scribble down notes.

“Well. Pretend now that this apple is slowly and steadily breaking down into tiny fragments as it inches farther and farther away from the point of fire. Pretty soon, it would be nothing. This is why it would be a good idea to carry a secondary weapon that is good for mid to long-range scenarios. When I first made landfall on your planet, I used an MA5D for close to mid-range combat if it presented itself. Plus I used it for navigation since it had a compass feature. As my secondary, I chose the M395 Designated Marksman Rifle for mid to long-range purposes. It happened to be the weapon that Miss. Pinkie Pie here was messing around with,” he said, indicating to Pinkie who sat across the table from him.

All eyes then focused on the pink party pony who smiled and chuckled nervously at the unsettling stares she was getting.

“Whoopsie,” Pinkie shrugged. “It was just a simple mistake.”

“Just be thankful that a piece of hot lead wasn’t embedded in anyone,” Aaron sighed.

The mares who witnessed the incident nodded.

“So? What happens to somepony when they receive the full force of the apple?” Apple Bloom surprisingly asked because the answer wouldn’t be suitable for a pony her age. Even her family members noticed this.

“Um, Apple Bloom. Ah think it’s best if ya don’t find out,” Applejack said worriedly.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed.

“But Ah…,”

“No, Miss. Apple Bloom. Your sister and brother are correct. It’s best if I don’t go into any detail,” Aaron stated visualizing the horrific images of victims of a full potential shotgun round. He even visualized the Innie who attacked him back on his farm.

“Okay then,” Apple Bloom said clearly disappointed. She always thought she was old enough to handle anything the world threw at her--of course her family begged to differ.

The rest of the late lunch for the Apples, Aaron, and Twilight and her friends carried on smoothly without anymore awkward or gore-intended conversation. Everyone enjoyed their meals, and the apple pie that was offered at the end.

Aaron couldn’t believe how delectable and rich the food was on this planet, and that it was near the same as the food back on Earth. The reason for being near the same was because since the inhabitants were ponies, they would probably eat hay or whatever is on the equine food chart.

When everyone was finished, they all helped clear the table and put their dishes away.

While helping to clean up the pots and pans, Granny Smith felt a faint ache in her chest area. She uttered a small groan as she rubbed the irritated area. Her nearby family members and everyone else were luckily within earshot as they turned their gaze toward her.

“Granny. Are ya alright?” Applejack asked obviously very concerned.

“Ah’m fine, dear. Jus’ some aches and pains Ah’ve been gettin’ fer a while now. It’s jus’ part of bein’ old an’ worn down,” she reassured with a small smile. “Nothin’ tah wory about at all.”

“Are ya sure? Wouldn’t ya like tah see a doctor or somethin’?”

“Oh don’t be silly, Applejack. Ya think jus’ because Ah have a tiny cramp means Ah have tah be looked over by a few white coats? Bah!” Granny Smith stated, clearly proud and disgusted.

“Well? Ah,” Applejack stuttered, trying to say something meaningful and convincing since her grandmother was quite touchy at such an age.

“No, granny,” she finally managed.

“That’s what Ah thought,” Granny Smith affirmed. “But of course Ah’m feelin’ quite low. Ah think Ah might go to bed a little early today if any of y’all don't mind?”

“Of course not, granny,” Apple Bloom said. “We can even help ya if ya want.”

“Much appreciated, dear,” Granny Smith said, smiling at the little filly as they began their walk up to her bedroom.

“Ah’ll help too,” Applejack offered, but was unexpectedly pardoned.

“It’s alright, Applejack. Let yer little sister handle this. Why don’tcha continue tah help clean up here with the others. Ah’ll be fine. Ah swear by Celestia,” she said.

“Oh. Okay then,” Applejack said softly as her ears drooped a bit. She then felt Twilight’s wing drape over her back.

Twilight looked at Applejack with a calm and reassuring expression, but it seemed sort of forced.

“Your grandmother is tough, Applejack. She’ll be okay,” she said.

“What Ah don’t understand is why she didn’t tell us about this problem she’s been having until now?” Applejack asked a bit suspicious.

“Perhaps it was because she didn’t wish to worry you, or your brother and sister,” Twilight replied, a bit uncertain if that was even the correct reason.

“Still it doesn’t seem right. She told me once that since Apples were supposed tah be honest, we should never hold anythin’ back--good or bad.”

“And she is correct. But sometimes there are situations where somepony like your grandmother doesn’t wish to share anything,” Twilight explained. However her choice of words worried Applejack even further.

“What sort of situations, Twi?” she asked, but sounded more of a pleadful demand.

Before an answer was given, a sound of some sort of horn honked just outside the door of the farmhouse. Then Aaron’s COMM watch buzzed to life.

“Spartan Jensen. This is Kenwood. Acknowledge?” his watch transmitted.

“This is Jensen. Go ahead sir,” Aaron said into the terminal.

“Incase it hasn’t arrived already, I’ve sent a transport Warthog to your current location,” the captain responded.

Aaron headed over to the front door and opened it to get a peek outside. Sure enough, a transport-class M12 FAV driven by a single marine was parked outside the front of the farmhouse.

“It’s here, sir,” Aaron confirmed. “What’s the situation for this matter, though?”

“Apparently, a single pegasi mare has been mortally wounded somehow in a region they’re calling the San Palomino Desert by performing some kind of cloud-clearing method with her rear hooves which is the area of damage. She stated that ‘the clouds felt like they were on fire’. Sources say the cause for this is unknown for now, so I need you to go to the towns’ hospital and help with the diagnosis of the injuries. Her companions are even there to tell you what happened," Kenwood informed.

“On it, sir. I’ll leave immediately,” Aaron said.

“Good luck, Spartan. Kenwood out.”

Aaron then turned to Twilight and company.

“I need you all to stay here,” he instructed back in his business tone. “Something has come up, and it requires my immediate assistance.”

“As is something,” Rainbow retorted sarcastically. “That something happens to be one of my friends you’re talking about, and she’s badly hurt! I have to be there by her side.”

“I understand, Rainbow. But there was no order given about visitors just yet. I’m sure the wardens will allow you to see your friend when we know what has happened to her. Now I’m begging you please. Just stay here and let me handle this on my own. Everything will be fine, alright,” Aaron reassured, before climbing into the passenger seat of the Hog before it sped away leaving everypony dazed and not knowing what to do, but Twilight knew what Rainbow wanted to do just by looking at the pegasus's determined expression.

“I know what you’re thinking, Rainbow. But we should really let Aaron go this time. He has his business and we have ours. Whoever was hurt, they are going to be okay, alright? You just have to trust him.”

“Trust, smust! I don’t care what Aaron says about us staying here. I’m going to find out what’s going on, no matter what!” Rainbow snapped and flew off quicker than Twilight could act to catch her.

“Get back here, Rainbow!” Twilight barked, but to no avail. Rainbow was already beyond her.

“Y’all go after ‘er. Ah’ll stay here an’ help look after granny,” Applejack suggested.

Twilight looked back at Applejack and nodded.

“Alright then,” she said and faced her remaining friends. “Let’s go, and quickly. Celestia knows how much trouble that mare can cause!”

The friends nodded before beginning their pursuit with Twilight and Fluttershy taking to the air. Fluttershy was constantly muttering, “Oh my goodness” over and over again.

As for Pinkie and Rarity, they were forced to trot.

“I don’t know how much more running my hooves can take,” Rarity complained.

“I don’t know why they called that funny vehicle, a Warthog,” Pinkie chimed. “It doesn’t even look like one.”

“Then what does it look like to you then, Pinkie?” Rarity asked curiously.

“I’m thinking maybe….a Puma,” Pinkie stated with a *squee*.

Chapter Seventeen: Plasma Pollution

PONYVILLE HOSPITAL

2:21PM

The Warthog drove up and stopped at the front entrance to drop Aaron off before heading off to its next destination.

Aaron was a bit baffled at the size of the building, and at the fact it had only three floors. How was this supposed to be convenient to the population of Ponyville, which was quite big, along with how spread out the village was? Of course he knew this wasn’t the time for making judgements. Somepony has been hurt under mysterious circumstances, and it was his current task to try and find out what.

As Aaron walked through the doors and into the lobby, he was once again greeted with a sea of pony eyes that observed him. Even if Celestia did grant his kind access to the public places in Ponyville with reassurance with their protection they were providing, humans were still an interest to observe.

Ignoring his unwanted attention, Aaron strolled up to the front desk to address himself to one of the front desk administrators.

“Can I help you, sir?” she asked. Since the UNSC has thankfully become acquainted with the public facilities of Ponyville, the administrator showed no signs of being afraid or nervous.

“Yes. Spartan Aaron Jensen of the UNSC, ma’am. I've received orders from command to investigate the unknown injuries of a pegasi by the name of,” Aaron pulled out his datapad that contained the profile of the patient’s name. “Cloudkicker.”

“Let me see here,” the administrator said as she looked through the patient files. Finally she found Cloudkicker’s most recent update.

“Ah yes. She should be in Room 218.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Aaron said with a nod, before heading off for where Cloudkicker would be receiving treatment.

Within several moments of Aaron disappearing into the elevator to head up to the second floor, Rainbow Dash literally burst through the front door, startling everypony within the lobby. Luckily none of them were elderly ponies with a weak heart condition.

She then raced up to the front desk and demanded, “Where is he?”

“Who?” the administrator asked confused.

“That Aaron guy. Which room did you send him too? One of my weather team members is hurt and I demand to see her now!”

The administrator immediately knew what Rainbow meant, and reverted to business attitude and composure.

“I’m sorry, Miss. Rainbow Dash. But Mr. Jensen’s tasks have to be done without the views of unauthorized personnel. I’m going to have to ask you to leave until further notice.”

“But my team is in there. How come they get to be in there while I can’t?” Rainbow insisted.

“Because they were witnesses to the accident and brought the patient in. Since you weren't there, you don’t have the clearance.”

“But I..” Rainbow began, but was cut off from a hoof raise.

“There’s no excuse that you can make. Rules are rules. Now, please leave or I’ll have to get security,” the administrator warned firmly--but Rainbow unwisely held her ground.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Rainbow hissed. “Not until I can see my friend.”

“So be it then,” the administrator sighed and triggered the silent alarm. A few seconds later, Rainbow was completely surrounded by earth, unicorn and pegasi pony security guards with a hint of determination on their faces.

Rainbow had to admit to herself that she was intimidated by being outnumbered, but she knew she was brave and didn’t let anypony stand in her way from what she desired. Even if it meant a reckless deed.

Before she could do anything stupid, Twilight and Fluttershy rushed through the door in a nick of time. Rarity and Pinkie soon joined them.

“Rainbow!” Twilight scolded. “What on Equestria has gotten into you?”

“Get out of here, Twilight. All of you. I can handle this alone,” Rainbow insisted.

“Handle what? What were you about to do?”

“None of your business! Now go!”

Since Twilight wasn’t getting the answer she wanted, she turned to one of the security officers.

“What’s going on here?” she asked him.

“I’m afraid your rainbow-maned friend here was trying to trespass into a patient’s room without authorization, your majesty,” he replied.

“That patient happens to be one of my weather teammates! Why is that so hard to believe?” Rainbow demanded with thin patience.

Twilight sighed and turned back to Rainbow.

“Look, Rainbow. I appreciate that you’re showing great concern for one of your teammate’s injuries, but there is such a thing as taking it too far. Celestia knows what would've happened if we didn’t come here sooner. You have to think about your actions, Rainbow; or they may turn against you.”

Rainbow fell silent for just a moment to process what Twilight just told her.

She admitted to herself that she may have gotten a little out-of-control, and Celestia knows what she could’ve done.

She now felt helpless, but still angry.

“Then what am I supposed to do, Twilight?” Rainbow asked quietly with a hint of disdain, while turning away from her alicorn friend.

Twilight gently put her hoof on Rainbow’s neck which made her flinch a bit, but Twilight didn’t cease.

“All you can do is wait. We’ll all be here for you. I promise,” Twilight assured calmly, while the four other mares joined in the comfort.

Twilight then turned to the security officers.

“You may stand down now, gentlemen,” she said.

They nodded and returned back to their assigned posts.

It didn’t take long for Aaron to find Room 218 because two UNSC marines were standing guard on either side of the door with MA5D’s at hand. When they noticed Aaron, they righted their rifles and saluted.

“At ease, marines,” Aaron confirmed. “Is the patient named Cloudkicker in there?”

“Yes, sir,” replied one of the marines. “The doctors have awaited your arrival.”

He then opened the door to let Aaron in.

When Aaron entered the room, he was greeted by the eyes of the company which consisted of Nurse Redheart of course along with a few UNSC medics attending and checking over Cloudkicker who was currently sleeping at the moment. She was hooked up to machines that were inserting blood, and doses of morphine into her body to relieve her pain.

Standing at one side of the hospital bed were Cloudkicker’s two weather teammates, Thunderlane and Flitter looking down on her with anxiety and glumness painted on their faces.

Nurse Redheart then acknowledged Aaron and addressed him.

“Are you Aaron, sir?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied. He then looked down on Cloudkicker’s feeble state. “How is she doing so far?”

“Well luckily her condition is stable, but her injuries are far more severe then we have thought possible. It just seems so strange though that it came from a cloud,” Redheart replied shaking her head. “It just doesn’t make any sense. Clouds are not supposed to burn ponies since their texture is water.”

“Well if the water is heated to a certain point, it could cause scalding,” Aaron said even though he was confused at the point that clouds were actually vaporized water. Perhaps the clouds on this planet were made up of something else that Aaron didn’t know about.

He then turned his attention toward Thunderlane and Flitter who gazed at him worriedly.

“Can either one of you tell me how this incident occurred?” he asked.

“Well,” Flitter began nervously. “We were somewhere in the Palomino Desert to help bring in a warm front toward Ponyville you see, and for some reason; these strange clouds began appearing out of nowhere.”

“Define, strange.”

“They appeared to have a bit of a light-purplish color to them,” Flitter replied. “That’s one thing.”

“There was also a peculiar smell to them as well,” Thunderlane added.

“The clouds smelled? Of what exactly?” Aaron asked with a familiar sensation of dread beginning to creep over him. He knew what the color purple meant.

Thunderlane put a hoof under his chin as he recalled his memory.

“It’s hard to describe really, but it definitely smelled foul; as if it came from a polluting production factory like the ones in Detrot,” he explained.

“That’s probably what it is then,” Aaron concluded. “If they had an unnatural color and odor to them, then they’re not made from water.”

“But there was nothing there that was producing the clouds at all,” Flitter stated. “It’s as if the source was invisible or something.”

“I see,” Aaron said. He then turned to Redheart.

“Can you please describe the nature of the victim’s injuries?”

“Sure,” she replied, and turned to Flitter and Thunderlane. “You two may go now. This is classified patient records.”

Both Thunderlane and Flitter nodded and left the room. When they were finally out, Redheart turned back to Aaron.

“Well...it appears as if whatever was inside those pollution clouds that Flitter and Thunderlane described--it caused the coat and flesh to melt off which almost went to the bone. Thankfully it didn’t,” she explained, looking a little pale in the face despite having a white coat; but her expression and the way she choked with the words indicated how sickened she was. In all her life and career, she has never seen an injury so gory before.

Aaron’s suspicions were confirmed now.

He knew what caused Cloudkicker’s injuries, and the strange purple clouds; which in fact were NOT clouds at all. It was industrial smoke, and not the human kind either--it was Covenant.

Whenever the Covenant found a secluded area, far away from enemy territory; they would construct main bases, or citadels to be precise.

These installations were industrious due to construction and development of vehicles, weapons, and ammunition that would be given to certain Covenant units. The result was purple smoke that consisted of plasma waste which on contact with skin or other organic material, would singe.

As for the reason for not being able to see the facility, Aaron knew that they were using spires to cloak its location, even the flagship that resided in orbit above the site.

Aaron knew now that the citizens of Ponyville and all of Equis would be at the mercy of the genocidal alien collective if action wasn’t taken soon!

“Thank you, ma’am. That will be all,” he said.

“But don’t you know what could cause such a ghastly injury?” Redheart insisted. “Because if you do, I’m sure we can stop this before something like this happens to somepony else!”

“Let us handle it, ma’am,” Aaron reassured calmly. “The procedure that you're doing, along with the assistance of the medic marines will make Cloudkicker pull through. Trust me.”

Redheart was unsure and suspicious at first, but reluctantly chose to believe Aaron’s statement.

“Very well then. We’ll carry on then.”

Aaron then nodded his approval.

When Aaron came into the lobby, he was both surprised and a little irritated to see that he was once again disobeyed by Twilight and her friends--except Applejack who wasn’t anywhere to be seen. They were all gathered around a disgruntled Rainbow Dash.

“What are you guys doing here? Didn’t I make myself clear to stay back in Ponyville while I dealt with this?” he demanded.

“Why didn’t you tell the administration that I was part of the weather team so I could see whoever was hurt?” Rainbow demanded. “Plus, who is it? Is she going to be okay?” she was now near hysterical.

“We’re sorry, Aaron,” Twilight said now sounding defensive. “But Rainbow wanted to make sure one of her weather teammates was alright. I should admit I disapprove of you not informing the hospital administration of her membership so she could visit. Why would you neglect to do such a thing?”

Aaron didn’t expect to be counter-questioned like this, but Twilight did have a point. He should've been mad at himself for misjudging the persistence and determination of these ponies.

“Well I actually thought that you would actually listen to me this time, but I guess I was wrong,” he replied shaking his head. “Look if it makes any of you feel any better; the patient’s injuries are critical, but with the treatment being provided--recovery and survival for her is positive. But from this point on; you will do as you are told, or punishment with interfering with the UNSC operations will be authorized. Do I make myself clear?”

The mares simultaneously nodded and said yes, even through Fluttershy practically whispered it with fright. She didn’t want to face punishment if it meant that she couldn’t see her friends, or pet animals anymore.

“Good,” Aaron confirmed. “At least Applejack set a good example.”

“She needed to stay home to help look after Granny Smith. She may have gotten sick or something. The poor thing,” Fluttershy stated sympathetically.

Aaron surprisingly raised a brow at this because he wasn’t aware of the situation when it happened back at the farmhouse, and he was quite concerned; but for the moment now, he had to focus his mind on the main issue at hand. The Covenant were assumed to be on Equis, and he needed to bring that to Kenwood’s attention for the sake of Twilight, her friends, and the entire planet.

“I see,” Aaron finally said. “I wish her to get well soon. But now if you’ll excuse me please, I need to report back to the Express to brief Kenwood of a pressing matter. Surely Celestia and Luna should be involved as well.”

This statement took Twilight by surprise because since when would she be excluded from a discussion involving her mentor? She thought she was supposed to be onboard with the controversy between the royal sisters, and the UNSC.

“But what about me? Shouldn’t I be involved in this too, along with my friends?” Twilight insisted.

Aaron shook his head.

“No. What I ask of you now is to stay here and make sure everyone here is prepared for anything that might happen. If any of you have family or relatives living in far-off locations, you should tell them to get prepared for anything as well,” he instructed.

“Twilight, dear. What is he talking about?” Rarity asked worriedly. She couldn’t bear to think of her little sister, Sweetie Belle in harm’s way.

“Is it some kind of special surprise party that I didn’t know about?” Pinkie asked, clearly disappointed that she couldn’t get involved.

“What are you up to?” Rainbow asked suspiciously with stink-eyes.

“I wish I could explain it to all of you, but I can’t. Look. We won’t let any further harm come to any of you if you just do what is asked of you--and I’m asking that you all remain here until further notice. We swore to protect you, and that is what we intend to do,” Aaron stated before activating his COMM watch and linked it to the transportation channels.

“This is Spartan Jensen reporting. Requesting transport to the Express. Over,” he said.

“Roger that. Sending a Pelican your way now,” reported one of the officers onboard the corvette. “Any reason through, sir?”

“I have assumed intel I wish to relay with the captain. I also request that Celestia and Luna come aboard too for the brief.”

“Consider it done, sir. Pony Express out.” the officer said before he signed off.

A few moments later, Aaron’s Pelican arrived for him.

Before he stepped on, he turned back to the five worried mares who just stared back at him.

“I know you’re scared. To tell the truth, I am too,” he assured. “This world of yours is too peaceful and harmonious to be harmed in any sort of way. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you guys, or the ones that you hold dear. We’ll do anything we can to protect this planet. You just have to have faith, whether you choose to believe in it or not. Hell, I’m not even superstitious to follow that sort of thing; but we all have our ways.”

With that, Aaron climbed aboard the Pelican and the back hatch began to close behind him.

Before the hatch was completely closed, Aaron said, “One more thing. Make sure to tell Applejack I wish her well, along with the rest of her family.”

Twilight and her friends could only watch then as the remainder of Aaron’s sight was masked by the hatch as it finally closed completely and sealed before the Pelican took off for the outer atmosphere.

“What’s going to happen to him, Twilight?” Fluttershy softly asked.

“Him? More like the planet? That human knows something; and surely you do too,” Rainbow stated pointed an accusing hoof at Twilight.

“Rainbow! It isn’t polite to point hooves at anypony, and to make accusations as well,” Rarity scolded.

“Oh shut it, Rarity! I didn’t even ask for your input,” Rainbow spat.

Rarity gasped in offense.

“How dare you speak to me in such an uncouth way! That’s especially no way to speak to a friend who is trying to help others,” she huffed indifferently

“Oh yeah? Well what are you going to do about it?” Rainbow challenged.

Sensing a conflict about to unfurl, Fluttershy squeaked and dove for cover in a bush. Fortunately though, Twilight jumped in before hooves would fly--but she looked very troubled.

“Enough! Both of you!” Twilight shouted, coming in between the two feuding mares. “What is happening to our friendship here? For Celestia’s sake we need to stay together here, and twice something has happened that nearly tore us apart! I know that Aaron, and the rest of his race being here is getting to most of you--frankly I’m scared too. But we need to stay together. Our friendship is very strong and powerful, and we can’t forget that. It would surely disappoint Celestia, Luna, and all of Equestria.”

There was an uneasy and unnerving silence coming from everypony for a moment. Then finally it broke when Rainbow softly spoke up.

“I’m sorry, Rarity, for snapping at you like that; and I’m sorry, Twilight, for aiming an accusation at you. I deserved to be scolded like that.”

“I forgive you, dear,” Rarity said with a small smile and extended a hoof to Rainbow's, who gently lent her own hoof so they would touch. Twilight did the same.

In seconds, all five mares were holding each other close to let each know that they cared about their friendship deeply, and they would not let the affairs and their suspicious of the UNSC stand in their way--even if it meant that it could be the end of their world as Twilight knew it.

Aaron may have been blunt, but Twilight knew secretly that the enemy of the UNSC had found Equis without him even saying it.

Chapter Eighteen: Assignments

PONY EXPRESS, EQUIS ORBIT

1527 HOURS

When Aaron arrived back onto the corvette, he made his way to the bridge where Kenwood would be waiting for him, and hopefully the royal sisters as well. They needed to be informed after all incase their subjects, and their world would be involved in a galactic war.

As he entered the bridge, he saw Kenwood, Zeke, and AJ all present and waiting for his arrival. Celestia and Luna were, for the moment, absent.

“Excuse me, sir. But where are Celestia and Luna?” Aaron asked.

“They should be here soon,” Kenwood replied. The captain wasn’t entirely sure when their arrival would be, but hopefully it would be soon.

“Perhaps they just have to finish their duties before they can get into their arrival Pelican,” AJ assumed.

“Or maybe they prefer a space chariot instead of an enclosed winged and armored box,” Zeke added.

After about several more moments, Celestia and Luna entered the bridge with the escort of two marines who apparently were leading the way. At least that way, the two sisters wouldn’t have to be worried about getting lost on a strange alien ship.

“Princess Celestia and Luna. Thank you for coming,” Kenwood addressed.

“It’s our pleasure,” Celestia replied with a slight nod. “But do you please mind telling us what this is all about?”

“Also; can we please have a better choice for transport next time?” Luna complained. “Those flying machines of yours are not very suitable to our liking.”

“Don’t be rude, Luna,” Celestia scolded.

“Our sincere apologies that your trip here wasn’t convenient to your preferences, your majesties. I’ll give order to put the Express in atmosphere so you can get back to Canterlot when we open our hangar doors for one of your chariots,” Kenwood explained. “I’m sure that would suit you better.”

“Thanks for your generous offer, captain,” Celestia said with a small smile.

“Don’t mention it. But now, let’s get to the reason here,” Kenwood said and faced Aaron.

“Go ahead, Jensen.”

“Thank you, sir,” Aaron said nodding. “Well what I’m about to share with you is just an assumption through--but it’s a pretty credible one because I don’t know what else on this planet would cause it.”

“Cause what?” Celestia asked raising a brow.

“Purple clouds that can burn off fur and flesh at just a touch,” Aaron replied officially.

This statement made Celestia and Luna’s eyes go wide with surprise and shock! Why would this human say such a suggestive thing?

“No. We don’t know anything on our planet, or our kingdom that would cause such a thing. Equis is supposed to be pollutant free,” Luna said.

“Well it looks like it’s not that way anymore,” Aaron said shaking his head.

“But who is doing this, though?” Celestia demanded for the sake of the safety of her and her sister’s subjects. “Pollution is illegal on Equis.”

Aaron decided it was the moment to just cut to the chase.

“I do not wish to cause alarm to you, your majesties--but I fear that the Covenant has made landfall on Equis, and that they have a citadel base set up somewhere in the region the witnesses are calling the San Palomino Desert. The pollution is the result of the citadel’s manufacturing installations,” Aaron stated keeping a calm composure and tone even though he was nervous to report this--especially to the princesses.

The room and atmosphere were dead silent for a bit, but the jaws of Celestia and Luna hung open with their eyes dilated to express their fear and shock.

“Are you sure your suspicions are correct, Jensen?” Kenwood asked, unsure about Aaron’s claim.

“I would never kid about my reports, sir. Especially if I requested to give one,” Aaron said with a now serious tone and expression.

“W..what are we going to do?” Luna asked, visibly shaken. “Everypony’s going to perish if we don’t do something!”

“Like I mentioned before, the Covenant want humanity dead, not your species,” Kenwood reassured. “Plus, they wouldn't come here unless they were looking for something.”

“But for what? You mentioned to us that this diverse extra-terrestrial collective seeked objects left behind by this Forerunner race,” Celestia demanded, expressing close to the same hysteria as her younger sister. “Me and my sister have never been acquainted with the Forerunner empire at all when it existed. We are immortal after all, so we would’ve been aware of their presence in our universe.”

“I'm as confused as you are ma’am. But what we should figure out now is how they found your planet in the first place,” Kenwood stated.

There was yet another brief moment of silence as everyone thought of a credible theory for how the Covenant could’ve found Equis.

Just then, Aaron spoke up.

“I think I may have an idea,” he said.

“What?” everyone else said in unison.

Aaron then faced Kenwood.

“Sir. When I contacted this ship from the surface of the this planet; was the channel I was transmitting on secure?”

“We weren't exactly sure,” Kenwood replied shaking his head. “But the COMM officer reported that the signal you were transmitting to us was way above what was necessary. Can I at least ask you how you managed to pull this off?”

Aaron was put at a fork in the road situation now because he had two options that each had their own dire consequence. Either he lies to save the relationship between the UNSC and the equines--also to save Twilight from being punished by Celestia since it included her involvement. This choice could also damage his reputation as a respectable soldier.

The other choice being is to tell the truth, but it would have the opposite effect.

Aaron was tempted to tell the truth, but thought back for when Twilight saved his life from a pack of angry Timberwolves when he was exploring the Everfree Forest. Sure his first contact with Twilight was sort of rough at first, but it smoothed out. It took a bit longer with Applejack though, but he believed he won over her friendship as well. He couldn’t throw that all away after it just happened in a brief moment.

Something about the planet made Aaron want a bond with the equine creatures, even Twilight and her friends. More specifically; it was Twilight and her friends.

The influence they had on Aaron was showing him that he could not only be friends with his fellow soldiers, but with civilians of an unknown but highly intelligent equine race.

“I’m afraid I don’t have any clear idea at all, sir,” Aaron lied. “I’m just going to guess that when the Pelican crashed, the impact somehow must’ve jumbled the signal transponders--but miraculously kept them intact. I’m as confused as the rest of you, I admit.”

“Very well then,” Kenwood said. “Still, I advise that you, Fredrickson, and Harrison go to the site of this incident at once. If the Covenant somehow intercepted your transmission, and traced it here--we have to take action before they can put whatever plans they have here into motion.”

“But why haven’t they engaged us yet?” AJ asked. “If they knew we were here, why haven’t they tried to eradicate us from the picture?”

Aaron took a brief moment to think.

“My theory is that they’re curious about this planet like we are,” he said. “They're probably trying to gain as much intel as they can before they go into action.”

“What will they do though?” Celestia asked. “They aren't going to hurt our subjects as your captain said, right?”

“I wouldn’t think they would, ma’am. But they would want something with your subjects. But I assure you, we’ll get to the bottom of this.”

Celestia was hesitant at first because she wasn’t exactly sure if Aaron was being sincere or not; but she remembered the faith she put into the UNSC for the protection of her ponies. She also recalled the plan they discussed if the Covenant found Equis.

“Should I issue our own military to start evacuating everypony?” she asked Kenwood.

Kenwood put his hand up to his chin as he thought out the situation.

“Not yet, ma’am” he finally said. “The planet isn’t under siege. As far as we know, the Covenant are holding back on any sort of confrontation for the time being, but I’ll have Jensen and company recon the area. Just stay here and look after your people. You should also notify Princess Twilight of the situation as well. Speaking of which, where is she?”

“I told her to stay in Ponyville, sir.” Aaron said. “I wanted her to look after her friends and to make sure they prepared themselves if anything happens.”

“Understood,” Kenwood stated and faced Celestia and Luna. “When we give word for a possible evacuation, do whatever you can to gather all your subjects together and inform them of the situation. I’ll be sure to get as many of the UNSC fleet as I can to Equis so they can help in the evacuation procedures. Is that clear, your majesties?”

Both Celestia and Luna nodded.

“Yes, captain,” Celestia said, before turning to Aaron and his friends.

“I wish the three of you good luck. Please report back anything you find, and be careful. The fate of Equestria, and all of Equis rests on all three of you--and all the UNSC.”

“Will do, ma’am,” Aaron said. “I wish both you, and Luna the same luck to help look over your subjects.”

“Let’s get going,” Zeke urged. “The longer we stand here talking, the more time we’re giving the Covies to draw out their plans.”

“Fredrickson is right. Report to the armory and get yourselves suited up and prepped for your mission. Who knows what the Covenant are up to, but let’s not wait around to find out,” Kenwood ordered.

“Yes, sir,” Aaron, AJ, and Zeke said and saluted in unison before leaving the bridge.

Kenwood then faced Celestia and Luna.

“I’ll bring the Express down and have you two dropped back off in Canterlot. No need to keep you up here.”

“Thank you, captain.” Celestia said.

“We greatly appreciate it,” Luna added, relieved that she wouldn’t have to get in a stuffy Pelican again.

Chapter Nineteen: Ghost Town Citadel

PELICAN DROPSHIP 406

EN ROUTE TO APPROXIMATE COVENANT POSITION, SAN PALOMINO DESERT

1635 HOURS

Aaron, Zeke, AJ, and a squad of eight marines sat in the seats of the passenger and cargo hold of the dropship all armored up with weapons in hand.

Zeke’s MJOLNIR-GEN2 armor suit was donned as full red and white GUNGNIR class with a light blue visor. Being the heavy weapons specialist, his weapon system consisted of the M739 LMG as a primary; and a ARC-920 as a secondary.

AJ donned a dark blue and yellow SCOUT class armor suit with a deep red visor. His weapon system of choice was the SRS99-S5/AM as a primary since he knew deserts would have very long lines of sight along with possible high vantage points. His secondary weapon was a M395.

Aaron went this time with a BR85 as his primary, and his signature M45D as a secondary incase the situation turned to close quarters; or if orders were changed to infiltrate the citadel if the opportunity seemed possible.

After about several moments without anyone saying a word, the pilot spoke up.

“Uh, Spartan Jensen. You're gonna want to see this,” he said through the COMMS.

Aaron got up from his seat and made his way to the pilot.

“What is it, pilot?” Aaron asked as soon as he entered the cockpit.

“Didn’t intel say the citadel was cloaked and shielded?” the pilot counter-questioned.

“Affirmative,” Aaron replied. “Why would you ask?”

“Because of that,” the pilot said, pointing to a certain area.

When Aaron looked in the direction of interest, he was quite baffled.

About two clicks away from the Pelican’s current location stood the indicated Covenant citadel--but it was unshielded, uncloaked, and showed no signs of being in operation. However, Aaron still was cautious.

“Approach low and set us down half a click away from the citadel’s position,” Aaron ordered to the pilot.

“Yes, sir,” the pilot said and began to decrease the Pelican’s altitude.

Aaron then headed back to the cargo and infantry hold where he was greeted with curious glances from his allies.

“What’s going on, Jensen?” AJ asked.

“Apparently the intended Covenant citadel appears to have no signs of occupancy, and has no shields or anything to cloak it,” Aaron replied.

“Maybe they knew we were coming and headed for the hills because they were afraid of us,” Zeke remarked.

“I highly doubt that, Fredrickson,” AJ said. “We know that these freaks would never flee from a fight; unless the entire installation was completely under the control of Grunts.”

“Whether I want to say it or not, but I think Fredrickson maybe half correct,” Aaron said.

“Well. What am I fully correct on?” Zeke asked.

“The part about them knowing we were coming,” Aaron stated. “We got a confirmed fact that the citadel was cloaked and shielded from the witnesses. Since it’s not that way anymore after we confirmed it’s vector, the Covenant are definitely on to us.”

“Well that’s a reassuring thought,” one of the marines remarked.

When all eyes glanced at him, he decided to remain quiet.

“Intended LZ looks clear, everyone. Touching down now,” the pilot reported.

After a few moments, Aaron and company felt the Pelican slowing down its flight before hovering in one spot. Then it decreased a little more altitude before there was a slight bump from the Pelican landing. The back hatch then opened up to reveal the dry and barren landscape of the San Palomino Desert.

“I hope you’re going to be alright all by yourself, lieutenant,” Aaron said to the pilot who needed to stay in position incase they needed emergency evac.

“Don’t worry about me, sir,” the pilot reassured with a cocky smile. “I can beat the heat. I’ll even set up for a sun-tanning party when you get back.”

“Looking forward to it,” Aaron chuckled before the pilot closed the cockpit hatch over his head.

“C’mon, everybody. Lets get a move on before our ride out of here gets a sunburn,” Aaron said to his company.

They then began their half a mile hoof to the apparently empty Covenant stronghold. A Warthog or two would’ve been more convenient for travel for both Spartan, and Marine units, but the engine noises the vehicles gave off would blow their cover. This had to be a foot operation.

After nearly half an hour of trekking through rough and hot terrain, Aaron and his fire team got a good visual of the Covenant citadel, but not before getting low so they wouldn’t be spotted. AJ however was instructed to climb to the top of a moderately high cliff with a smooth, but rocky backside so he could get a better visual angle of the base.

Once he reached the top, he looked through the scope of his sniper which was currently set at 5x. He then carefully examined each part of the citadel, and the grounds around it.

“See anything, Harrison?” Zeke asked after a bit.

“Negative,” AJ replied. “Not a Covie in sight.”

“Try looking closer,” Aaron suggested.

AJ flipped a switch on the scope which zoomed it to 10x. He then scanned again in the same process.

“There’s still no signs of activity anywhere,” AJ confirmed.

“Understood,” Aaron said and activated his COMM watch. “Captain Kenwood, do you read? Over.”

“Affirmative, Jensen. Has your team found anything yet?” Kenwood replied.

“Yes, sir. We have a confirmed sighting of the citadel. But surprisingly it isn’t cloaked or shielded as our sources said it was. Also, there are no Covenant forces in sight.”

“Can we have a visual please?”

Aaron gave a nod to AJ who pressed a button near his visor which would transmit a visual to the bridge of the Express.

***

A first-person visual of AJ’s perspective appeared on the main interface of the corvette’s bridge in front of Kenwood.

As Aaron described, the citadel wasn’t shielded--and lacked Covenant presence which seemed very suspicious to the captain. He wanted to know what the Covenant were up to and whether they were present or not.

***

“Here are your new orders. I want you and your team to infiltrate the citadel and find the main control center. Hopefully there we can find out what the Covenant are really up to. Be careful though, and be ready for anything.”

“Understood, captain,” Aaron affirmed. “I’ll be sure to let you know if we need backup on anything.”

“Will do, Spartan. Good luck,” Kenwood transmitted before signing off.

“Ah. It’s been awhile since we have ever broken in to an enemy stronghold,” Zeke remarked with a chuckle. “It seems too easy though, since the Covies have deliberately abandoned their own base.”

“It could be a trap, Fredrickson,” AJ reminded. “We all know how tricky these bastards are.”

“I knew that,” Zeke excused.

“Cut the chatter, guys. Let’s get a move on before we get discovered before we should be,” Aaron urged.

No one said anything more as Aaron and his team carefully made their way toward the citadel while checking around the areas where an enemy could jump out and attack them. AJ constantly checked high and far vantage points with his sniper rifle where Jackal snipers could plant themselves and pick off the Spartans, and their Marine company unexpectedly.

After a long, and pretty much too easy foot-log, Aaron and company finally arrived at the entrance to the citadel, which looked more frightening and intimidating up close. The main command building towered what seemed to be nearly over a hundred feet, and glowed its symbolic dark shade of purple in the sun.

In front of the group was the main door to the installation which looked locked down and sealed. This was pretty much the first official obstacle to the mission.

“Great. Now what?” Zeke asked. “We didn’t bring anything to hack the controls.”

“You got me,” AJ said.

“Hmm. I wonder,” Aaron murmured to himself as he cautiously approached the door.

“What are you doing, Jensen?” Zeke asked, confused by Aaron’s unimpressive action.

Not responding, Aaron touched a single part on the door’s interface which caused the door to miraculously give off an approving *bing* before opening up. Aaron’s team readied their weapons when this happened incase there were any surprises laying behind.

“How did you do that?” AJ asked a bit baffled by how easily Aaron managed to unlock the door which would’ve needed an unknown and complicated password, or code in order to unlock.

“I frankly have no idea,” Aaron replied. “But it could be part of a trap that you assumed, Harrison. Let’s stay sharp, everyone.”

When they entered the citadel, they were given a sight of complex corridors which would make navigation difficult, gravity lifts and descends in between certain floors, terminals for a specific task or operation, and weapons caches to supply any useful weapons to Covenant troops--or Aaron and his squad--if they needed them.

To help his squad navigate, Aaron took out his NAVPAD and brought up the schematics of the entire installation. It even displayed where they currently were.

“Looks like this one corridor here will take us directly to where we need to go,” Aaron said, pointing at the route.

“What if it’s infested with guards, though?” AJ asked. “Surely the Covenant would know we would take that way.”

Aaron pressed a few buttons on the NAVPAD to switch its mode which would point out hostile forces. The result was blank. There were no other souls in the citadel besides them.

“Perhaps they abandoned this base after all,” Aaron said. “But let’s not stick around here any longer than we need to.”

Aaron led his squad through the intended route while still having their weapons ready for anything that might pose as a threat, despite the installation being vacant. But they knew to never let their guard down no matter what.

After making their way through the suspiciously quiet corridors of the citadel, they finally made it to the citadel’s control center. The large mass of the room and terminals proved otherwise.

Aaron issued six of the marines to set up a defensive perimeter around the room while he had the last two to guard the main door. Aaron, Zeke, and AJ however walked up to the main interface and began to hack into its systems with the help of his neural implants.

It was time to discover all of the Covenant’s intentions for Equis; but the question was would he get to discover anything in time?

As the interface was being hacked, the two marines standing guard at the main door held their position with their backs turned away from the door. It was rather boring for them both because it was pretty much a lame job.

After several seconds passed, the marines heard the *bing* of the door opening behind them.

They both swung around and readied their MA5D’s to fire on whatever was about to enter the room. Strangely, there was nothing there that would’ve triggered the door to open because it was automatic.

“What just happened?” one marine asked his partner.

“I don’t know,” the other replied. “Maybe Spartan Jensen just hit the wrong button and it opened by mistake.”

“Could be possible. Or maybe there’s just a glitch with it’s own controls.”

“Very possible.”

Shaking off the incident, the marines turned their backs once again to the now opened door. Shortly afterward, one of the marines felt a huff of hot air travel down his neck. If felt like he was being breathed on.

“Dude, that’s creepy.”

“What?”

"You breathed down my neck. That’s what.”

“What are you talking about? I’m over here.”

The marine turned to his partner who was, sure enough, standing far enough away from him so he couldn't have been close enough to perform such an invasion of space.

If his partner didn’t breathe down his neck, then what did?

Chapter Twenty: Ambush

As Aaron hacked into the Covenant network, he didn’t find as much information as he had hoped for about battle tactics--but he found the location schematics of other Covenant encampments on the moon, and an ancient ruined castle located deep within the Everfree Forest.

“If the Covies thought they were being clever about hiding from us, they sure were wrong,” Zeke remarked.

“I’m pretty sure they would reveal themselves sooner or later anyway,” AJ added. “That’s one thing you can expect from them.”

“What we really need to know is what the Covenant are after,” Aaron stated. “Celestia said that neither her--or her sister--have had an acquaintance with any Forerunner civilization or piece of technology. There should be no reason that they should be here if this planet doesn’t have what they’re looking for.”

“Well, if they’re making small settlements in a few areas around the continent, and the moon, then they intend on doing something,” AJ said.

“I’ll see if I can look further into their databases to see if I can find out what the leader of this fleet wants with with the equine planet,” Aaron said, before tapping more holo-switches and buttons on the Covenant terminal.

Before Aaron could at least find a reasonable file on the Covenant network, he was interrupted when he heard a brief and pained scream of a marine near the main door of the room.

Aaron, AJ, and Zeke spun around in time just to see the already dead marine suspended in the air with two glowing blue tongs of shaped plasma sticking through the center of his torso.

The marine’s partner in a startled state, began firing full auto from his MA5D on to the source of the shaped plasma, which happened to be an Energy Sword wielded by an Elite Zealot that was at first cloaked. It’s no wonder that the door opened up without anyone or anything on the other side.

Since the shields of Zealots were the strongest of the five Sangheili military ranks, he had the brief time to grab the other marine by his neck and snap it like a twig with a flick of his wrist, all the while still having his first victim staked on his sword.

“Engage!” Aaron ordered and readied his BR85 ready for combat, before he began firing rounds onto the Zealot’s shields that were halfway close to breaking.

Zeke and AJ--along with the help of the remaining marines, joined Aaron in a chorus of suppressive fire to finish off the Zealot’s shields, and hopefully finish him off.

When his shields finally broke, the Zealot quickly dove behind a small barrier for cover.

“Marines. Take the right flank. Harrison and Fredrickson, we’ll take the left,” Aaron instructed.

Both parties moved towards their flanking position in hopes of cornering the Zealot and preventing him from getting another chance in recovering his shields. But as they closed in, the motion sensors on all three of the SPARTAN’s HUD’s were infested with a cluster of random moving blue dots.

“Aw crap. He’s using active camo,” Zeke stated, clearly disgusted.

“Calm down, Fredrickson. I’ve got this,” AJ muttered and activated his Z-5080 SRSA/V armor ability. He did have a VISR 4.0 tech suite after all.

The Z-5080 was one of the pieces of Forerunner technology obtained by the entire UNSC fleet from Requiem. This ability allowed AJ to see through all solid objects no matter the depth. Of course the range went as far as his motion sensor’s, which was twenty-five meters in diameter.

AJ focused his gaze toward the direction of the blue dots which seemed to be quite a dark area of the room. It’s there that he saw the outline of the Zealot who was steadily making his way over to the Marine’s position.

“There!” AJ called and began firing his M395 which revealed the sneaky Sangheili to all.

Now knowing that his enemies had a way of seeing past his ruse, the Zealot let out an enraged roar and made a charge at the Marine squad who continued to fire their MA5D’s in desperation. Unfortunately when the magazines ran empty, they had to stop and take a quick moment to reload. However their moment wasn’t long enough because this gave the Zealot an opportunity to slice them down one by one. This only left one of the Marine’s alive--but instead of killing him, the Zealot grabbed him by his neck, and placed him in front of his body in means of using him as a human-shield.

Aaron gestured to Zeke and AJ to stop firing. He didn’t want to run the risk of friendly fire.

“What are you waiting for?” the marine choked. “Get him. I’m not worth it.”

“We don’t leave people behind,” Aaron insisted. “Besides I suggest that we don’t kill him.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Zeke asked.

Aaron didn’t answer the question directly. Instead he made direct eye-contact with the Zealot.

“If you want to live to see another day, squid-jaw, I suggest you put that marine down and come with us.”

The Zealot just chuckled and began speaking in English.

“What makes you think I would go with such foolish humans as yourselves?” he asked. “But I’ll answer one request.”

Quickly and without mercy, the Zealot drove his Energy Sword threw the Marine’s chest, and dropped his limp body to the floor.

“I guess we’ll have to do this the hard way, then,” Aaron stated and aimed his BR85 at the Zealot. AJ and Zeke then followed suit.

“You’re going down.”

The Zealot roared and began his charge toward the three Spartans.

Aaron decided to switch to his M45D since things were about to get a little too close for comfort. Plus, the shells were strong enough to pop shields. Aaron could easily fire one shell to destroy the Zealot’s shielding and make him stumble, then use a follow-up one to finish the job--of course Aaron needed the Zealot alive. This could be the UNSC’s chance to find out what the Covenant want from Equis, and where Jul ‘Mdama is.

When the Zealot came within range, Aaron fired a shell from his M45D which made the Zealot’s shields shatter and make him stumble, just like he planned. Then Aaron charged forward and rammed his body into the Zealot’s chest, knocking him to the floor.

“Restrain him, guys,” Aaron instructed to AJ and Zeke.

AJ positioned himself over the Zealot’s head and proceeded to hold him by his wrists while Zeke took the legs. Aaron placed his boot on the chest area and pinned it down. He then threateningly aimed the barrel of the M45D at the Zealot’s temple at point-blank range.

“Now you will come quietly, or better yet, why not just tell us now about what your buddies are up to, and where ‘Mdama is right here. It’ll save us the labor of hefting you around to the Express,” Aaron firmly said.

“I will NEVER dishonor my shipmaster’s honor!” the Zealot bellowed and used his head to knock Aaron’s shotgun from his hands before miraculously breaking free of AJ and Zeke’s restrainment.

The Zealot then grabbed Aaron’s M45D and turned it on him.

“There’s no chance you’re taking me on now! Especially not all three of us!”

It was then that two more Zealots' showed up and restrained AJ and Zeke from coming to Aaron’s aid. They both tried to get free, but the Zealots' had a pretty good grip on both Spartans.

Aaron knew now that this mission was a failure.

Who knew what would become of the UNSC now to defend Equis, but Aaron knew that Kenwood would contact all available units in the fleet to fill up the small gap that Aaron and his friends would make in their absence.

His mind also went to Twilight and her friends.

After all the trouble of making him feel welcome on their planet, this was going to be the end of it? It was disappointing, but making sacrifices was part of being a soldier--but this sacrifice seemed to be in vain.

Aaron could only close his eyes as the barrel of his M45D clinked against the surface of his visor.

“‘Mdama will reward me greatly for this,” the Zealot said triumphantly and squeezed the trigger. What came out of the barrel came to the confusion of the Zealot, and Aaron.

Instead of a M296 lead shell exploding in his face, it was a glob of green paint!

The Zealot drew the shotgun away from Aaron’s face to get a better look at it. It was then that the shotgun’s molecular structure mysteriously changed into a rubber substance which made it droop in the Zealot’s hands.

“What is the meaning of this?!” the Zealot demanded clearly not amused with what he was set up with.

“Oh hohohohoh,” responded a mischievous male voice that seemed to come from all sides of the room, yet had no origin. “There should be no meaning to anything at all. If there was a meaning to anything, it wouldn’t be fun now would it?”

Chapter Twenty-One: Chaotic Intervention and Covie Interrogation

The Spartans and the three Zealots looked around for the source of the mysterious voice, but couldn’t find anything. It was completely empty save for the six of them in it.

“By the Didact, what was that?” the Zealot restraining AJ asked, looking around in confusion.

“Show yourself, coward!” the Zealot wielding Aaron’s M45D ordered. It was assumed that this was the leader of the trio.

“As you wish,” the voice replied in a sung way. “But I would prefer that you say please next time; and that I take offense to being called such a name. Sheesh!”

Just then, the Zealot that had Zeke groaned and used one hand to hold his head while using his other one to keep on Zeke.

“Brother? What’s wrong?” the head Zealot asked.

“It’s my head. It’s...ah!” he replied while turning his face away from his compatriots.

The head Zealot approached his troubled ally and proceeded to put a hand on his shoulder in order for him to make eye-contact. But when he did so, his ally did face him--but what the head Zealot saw wasn’t the face of his brother at all!

“Hello!” Discord exclaimed while popping into his full form, making the head Zealot jump back in surprise--along with Zeke .

“What have you done with my brother, demon?!” the head Zealot demanded when he recovered from his sudden shock.

“You mean both of them.” Discord’s voice replied from the Zealot that had AJ. The Zealot then poofed into a second Discord before merging with the first one. “You weren't accompanied at all by your buddies. It was me the entire time.”

Discord then poofed into a Shakespearean outfit with a skull in his lion claw.

“Was my acting great, or what?” he asked eagerly.

“You will pay for your insolence!” the head--and real Zealot bellowed and got ready to strike the mischievous spirit that impersonated his allies.

“Wrong answer,” Discord stated and snapped his eagle talon, which turned Aaron’s M45D into a restraining rope that snaked and stretched all around the Zealot’s body.

The Zealot struggled to get free, but the rope was surprisingly way stronger than the Zealot; so escape wasn’t going to be an option.

Discord then turned turned to the three Spartans who were trying to make sense of what they were seeing, or what Discord even was.

“What? I don’t get a ‘thank you’ at all for what I did for you? Well that’s very rude of you,” Discord remarked, disgusted while crossing his arms and turning away from Aaron and his companions.

“Well, we are grateful for your assistance,” Aaron said. “We just didn’t count on getting any. Who are you anyway?”

“Private Discord reporting for duty, sir,” Discord replied, saluting while wearing a marine uniform that wasn’t on him a second ago.

Discord.

Aaron remembered Twilight mentioning that name back at the park. From what she told him about Discord’s deeds, he wasn’t sure that this being could be trusted.

“I can read what you're thinking, you know?” Discord stated, rather annoyed. “I’ll have you know I am reformed now. Thanks to my good friend, Fluttershy.”

A picture of him and the quiet pegasus poofed into his paw, and displayed it to Aaron.

“Okay. I believe you,” Aaron said sincerely. “Sorry for making such accusational thoughts. Thanks again for your help. Can I ask how you found us; and how you got in here?”

“Being a creature of chaos, I have the ability to sense mayhem wherever it might be,” Discord explained proudly, now wearing formal clothes that are mostly worn by public speakers. He even had his mane and facial hair spoofed up.

“Whether it’s the natural kind that doesn’t have my imprints on it, or the violent kind which happened to be this situation. To tell the truth, I don’t fancy it at all.”

Discord then poofed into a floating chair with a bag of popcorn in his talon.  A TV appeared, and was levitating as well.

“It’s like watching a bad horror movie,” he stated while throwing a kernel at the television’s screen.

“Well now that we’ve exchanged pleasantries, we have to get this squid-jaw back to the Express for questioning,” Aaron stated while looking at the Zealot that started hatefully at him. Aaron then activated his COMM watch.

“Pelican 406. This is Jensen. Do you copy? Over.”

“This is 406. Go ahead, Spartan,” the voice of the pilot replied.

“We have a Zealot-class Elite restrained and ready to be taken into custody aboard the corvette. Setting a beacon for you now.”

Aaron pressed a button on the watch that would initiate the beacon, and the coordinates that the pilot needed in order to find Aaron’s position.

“Beacon received, Spartan. Beginning my approach now.”

“Copy that. Jensen out,” Aaron said before disconnecting his transmission, and turning to face his team.

“Let’s move out, guys.”

Both AJ and Zeke nodded before they began to escort the Zealot out of the room.

“Isn’t there anything else I can do to help you?” Discord asked, clearly bummed that Aaron and his team obviously now had control over the situation.

Aaron stopped for a moment to think.

“How about you give word to Celestia and Luna about the apprehending of this Covie,” he suggested. “Twilight should be notified as well.”

“Can do, sir!” Discord exclaimed before getting into a cab that appeared out of nowhere. It then disappeared into thin air, leaving Aaron and the others still in confusion.

“Well that was interesting,” Zeke stated.

“I swear several of my brain cells just died,” AJ remarked.

“Let’s just get out of here before more unexpected surprises show up,” Aaron suggested.

The Spartans nodded in agreement.

PONY EXPRESS

CAPTAIN KENWOOD’S READY ROOM

1700 HOURS

Aaron and his team brought in the cuffed Zealot where Kenwood was waiting behind his desk for the interrogation. Of course, the princesses were the ones who were going to be the main questioners. The UNSC just had to wait for their imminent arrival.

Soon enough, there was a brief but not blinding flash of light as Princess Celestia, Luna, and Twilight appeared before everyone’s eyes. At least teleportation seemed more convenient to the three alicorns then the UNSC’s Pelican dropships.

The Zealot stared in awe at the princesses.

He never seen such fascinating creatures before. These had to be the beings that his shipmaster had mentioned in obtaining.

“Thank you for coming onboard again, Celestia and Luna,” Kenwood addressed. He then faced Twilight. “I’m glad you could be here as well, Princess Twilight.”

“It’s no problem,” Twilight replied with a smile. She then looked around the room admiring the interior of the ship. Of course this was only a small portion of it, but it was still impressive to her. However when her eyes laid on the four-mandibled alien, she felt a wave of fear overcome her. These creatures were more terrifying than she imagined recently; of course she knew that this was one of the diverse species in the Covenant, and the leading class.

“Is this one of the members of the Covenant military?” Celestia asked Kenwood.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied. “Jensen and his squad managed to obtain him from the citadel with the help of some other being that lives on your planet.”

“Discord,” Luna corrected. “He told us himself.”

“Right,” Kenwood replied nodding. “It was thanks to Discord that we could bring this Covie in for the interrogation, which I will mostly leave you three in charge of. If you don’t mind, that is.”

“Not at all, sir,” Celestia replied with a slight sneer at the Zealot. She knew that this alien intended on doing something to her little ponies, along with the rest of his allies.

“Good. Now I think we should get started,” Kenwood said and faced the Zealot. “Let’s start off with an introduction. What’s your name, squid-jaw?”

“The name’s Hvu ‘Umam,” the Zealot snarled, irritated by the offensive nickname that the humans give his species.

“Okay, Hvu. The princesses here are going to ask you some questions, and you will give them proper answers. Understand?”

Hvu just gave a bemused grunt expressing his disdain.

Kenwood then indicated to AJ who pulled out an M6H and pointed it at Hvu’s head. Since his armor shielding was disabled, he could be killed with a single round to the head if correctly applied.

The princesses flinched a bit because they didn’t know if the alien was going to be killed right then and there in cold blood. Plus, they were never use to such a threatening gesture. Frankly though, AJ just kept the pistol to Hvu’s cranium with his finger off the trigger-- but in position to pull it.

“If you wish to see another day, I suggest to do as you’re told. Or else I’ll give the green light to Harrison here to blow your ugly head off. I hope that makes everything clear to you?”

“Fine. I’ll talk,” Hvu huffed, clearly defeated.

“Good,” Kenwood nodded, contented. He then turned to the princesses. “He’s yours now.”

“Thank you, captain,” Celestia said as she, Luna, and Twilight gathered around Hvu, but were cautious enough not to get too close to him.

“So tell us, Hvu. What does your military want with our world?” Celestia demanded, while giving Hvu a deathly stare with an insistent tone that she used before she challenged Queen Chrysalis to a duel that nearly cost her life.

“Oh it’s not what I want. It’s what Shipmaster ‘Nbek wants,” Hvu replied calmly.

“And that would be?” Luna asked.

“You alicorns of course,” he replied with a unsettling smirk on his mandibles. “The mentioning of your power has caught the attention of the shipmaster greatly.”

All three of the princesses gasped in shock. They were not expecting such an answer like that at all. It completely conflicted with what they’d heard from the UNSC.

Celestia however quickly returned to her authoritative state.

“Who mentioned our power to your shipmaster?”

“I’d rather die by the humans’ hands then dishonor my orders about keeping ‘Nbek’s sources anonymous.”

“We have no power to offer you,” Celestia stated. “There’s nothing on Equis for your shipmaster, either. We’ve been told of your empire’s interest with Forerunner technology; but we don’t have it at all. If the UNSC let’s you contact your shipmaster, I suggest you tell him to get off our planet immediately.”

“Ignorant as the humans, I see,” Hvu stated with disgust. “We know our lords have placed their relics all over the entire universe. Your planet does have relics. We just have yet to find them.”

“Celestia isn’t ignorant!” Twilight shot, finally speaking up. She knew that no one could speak of Celestia in such a way. “She and Luna always speak the truth. You and your comrades are the ignorant ones!”

“Twilight,” Celestia began, but Twilight kept ranting on.

“The UNSC has informed us of the ways of your old Covenant. How they thought  activating some kind of gigantic ring would bring salvation instead of causing death and destruction.”

“That was the foolish San’ Shyuum that made us believe such a thing!” Hvu argued. “But we know the Didact’s intentions are real.”

Just then at that moment, something quickly flashed in Celestia’s head that made her feel a bit disoriented. She groaned and rubbed her temple with a hoof.

“All you alright, sister?” Luna asked, offering to help Celestia stand up if she needed it.

“I’m fine, Luna,” Celestia reassured. “Really I am.”

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked, now concerned for her old mentor’s well being.

“Yes, Twilight. I said I was okay. I’m probably just a little tired right now.”

It was odd though, because Celestia knew she always got well rested, and was ready to take on anything. But at the moment that Hvu mentioned the name, Didact; she felt very uneasy for some unknown reason. It could've not been some kind of coincidence could it? No. It had no logic to it at all.

“Look, your majesty. If you feel like you're becoming ill or anything. We can end this session now. I’ll have this split-lip escorted to the brig for holding,” Kenwood offered.

“Well that’s very nice of you to offer; but I insist it’s no big deal,” Celestia persisted.

“Sister. I believe we have heard enough from this insidious creature,” Luna stated while glaring at Hvu. “We should really get back to Canterlot now and have you looked over. It’s only for your safety.”

“But,” Celestia began, but Kenwood raised his hand to prevent her from saying anymore.

“Your sister is right, Celestia. I believe we’ve heard what we needed to hear; for now anyway. We’ll be keeping Hvu in custody just incase we need to get more answers from him. For now, all hands can stand down until further notice. I suggest that everyone now can return to their quarters for the night; and your majesties, you may head back to Equis. We apologize for this constant need of your attention."

"Not at all, captain. This is the sake for all our subjects, and the planet after all," Celestia reassured with a small smile. "If you need us, then we'll come without hesitancy. We have a responsibility just as much as you do."

"I guess I'll head back to the library now," Twilight said. "This day has been quite hectic lately."

"I hope your friends are well," Aaron said. "Plus, how is Granny Smith? Fluttershy said that she caught an illness or something."

"Applejack said that she was doing alright for now, and that she's comfortably in her bed," Twilight replied. "I hope that she's okay though. I can't imagine how Applejack, and the rest of her family will react if something awful happened to her."

Twilight was now looking very worried, but Aaron gently placed a hand on the back of her neck to express comfort.

"It's alright, Twilight. You are her friend. You know you can be there for her when she needs you the most. Surely you already have known that, right?"

"Of course I do," Twilight replied, a bit defensive. "I can imagine..."

"Don't imagine it; if it's going to make you worry so much. Just like where I come from, you never know what fate has in store for you, your friends, and everypony around you. Sure you have magic so you think you can take on whatever it throws at you, but there are some things you can't prevent, even with magical powers."

"Like what?"

"This world of yours is still alien to me, and the rest of us, so I can't be sure. But let's not think about that now. You should head back home and get some rest. Who knows what tomorrow going to bring us."

"Okay, I will; but I should mention though that the mayor of Ponyville wishes to speak with you tomorrow. Your teammates too. She wants to know if you have found anything else inside the citadel. Have you?"

Aaron took a few seconds to recall the events inside the citadel's control room before the ambush.

"I did find out the location of a few Covenant camps, but I'll save that intel when we meet with your mayor."

"Do you think somepony else is going to get hurt anytime in the future?" Twilight suddenly asked.

Aaron couldn't think of a clear answer, but he had to say something to comfort the concerned alicorn.

"I can't be sure, but I hope it's not going to be you, your friends, or any of your family members."

SAVIOR’S LIGHT

“How could that fool, Hvu have been captured by the enemy?” Dzen vented while pacing around the bridge’s holo-table. “He’s one of the best Zealot’s I have in this fleet. This makes no sense at all!”

“Times change,” Chrysalis stated, expressing her disgust in ‘Nbek’s ignorance. “Surely you would’ve already known that.”

“Don’t get intelligent with me!” Dzen hissed, making Chrysalis shrink back a little. “I know all of my troops well enough to know that they can never do anything to get themselves captured.”

“Well, sometimes even the most perfect idiots can make the smallest error. I don’t know. Anyway; are you at least going to attack them now in order to get your troops back or get revenge, or what?” Chrysalis asked.

Dzen scratched his mandibles as he thought.

As far as he knew, whenever he put his own plan in action, it would somehow fail which was uncommon in the past. He needed a new tactic, and Chrysalis is the only alien ally he has.

“I think it’s about time you started making some of these decisions,” he finally said to Chrysalis.

“Oh I thought you’d never ask,” she breathed sarcastically. “It’s about time you let me do something for once.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Dzen warned. “Just tell me what you think we should do.”

Chrysalis took a moment to think. She then came up with an idea.

“How about you withdraw all your troops wherever they are stationed now, and bring them back to the carrier. Then we should head to the far North. I’ve heard from one of my scout changelings that the Crystal Empire is back, and is being run by that no-good Princess Cadence, and her irritating husband, Shining Armor. It’s rather sad to think of him that way since he submitted to me when I imprisoned the real Cadence and took her form.”

“So? What are you suggesting exactly?” Dzen asked.

“A relocation, of course," Chrysalis replied with a wicked grin. "Plus I plan we do a very special pick-up while we're there."

    

Chapter Twenty-Two: A Meeting With The Mayor

PONYVILLE TOWN HALL    

5/5

9:30AM

Aaron, AJ, and Zeke left the Express for Ponyville earlier in the morning to meet with the mayor of Ponyville as promised. Since the SPARTANs were once again relieved of duty for a bit, they could wear their light military clothes. They were currently waiting outside the doors of the Town Hall to be let in by one of the mayor’s associates.

“I wonder why the mayor is so curious about what you found on the Covenant tactical network?” AJ asked Aaron.

“I really have no idea,” Aaron replied, shrugging. “But she does have the authoritative rights to know what’s going on, just like the princesses.”

“What concerns me is that she may not be the most trusting,” Zeke stated.

Both Aaron and AJ turned to him, raising a brow.

“What do you mean by that, Fredrickson?” AJ asked.

“Well you know how most mayors are. They think their ideas for what’s best for their town and its citizens will save them; and their reputation. But it turns out it will lead to disaster instead,” Zeke explained.

Aaron and AJ both looked at each other, then focused back on to Zeke with uncertain stares.

“What?” Zeke asked.

“I think you’re being a little stereotypical if you ask me,” Aaron finally said.

“Yeah man,” AJ added. “We can’t make false assumptions about someone we haven’t even met yet. Plus, are you forgetting that it was her consentment that allowed UNSC personnel like us to stroll around Ponyville to study its traditions, and look after its inhabitants?”

“No. I haven’t forgot at all,” Zeke excused.

“Then lets not make up anymore accusations, alright?”

“Alright, fine. Sorry for opening my big mouth,” Zeke backed, not wanting to sound anymore stupid then he already made himself seem.

A few moments later, a young mare with a light tan coat, orange eyes, and a dark brown mane and tail tied up in a bun came out of the main doorway to greet Aaron and his friends.

“The mayor will be seeing you now. Please follow me,” she said in a matter-of-official tone.

The three Spartans just nodded, and followed the mare in. She had to be one of the mayor’s associates just by the way she looked, and the way she addressed them.

While they followed the associate, the Spartans glanced around at the decorative interior, which consisted of stone pillars, light white linoleum floors, old time looking but beautifully renewed furniture, and portraits of previous mayors.

    

After a brief moment of strolling and sight-seeing, the door to the mayor’s office was reached. Unlike most of the doors in the building, these were double in frame, and size. They were also the double-door model as well, and decorated with grand wood engravings of plants and ponies.

The mayor’s associate placed both her hooves on the door, and pushed them open to reveal Mayor Mare, ready at her desk with her forehooves clasped in front of her, and giving the Spartans not a stern look, but a very expectant one.

“Hello, gentlemen. I’m glad that Princess Twilight has notified you of my request,”  she said.

“Pleasure to be here, ma’am,” Aaron said respectfully. “You wish to know what we’ve found in the Covenant citadel. Correct?”

“Very,” Mayor Mare replied, nodding. “I wish to find out if you have found any relevant information on what this, Covenant intends on doing with our world. Princess Twilight has informed me of a possible evacuation, but I have no idea how the towns ponies are going to react to this. We can’t have a full blown panic, if you know what I mean?”

“We all do, ma’am; but as far as we know, the Covenant have been excellent at keeping below our radars lately, until now that is. It was at the citadel that we’ve found that they have been setting up camps in both an ancient castle that resides deep within the Everfree forest, and on the moon where they have somehow picked up on our tactical info. We have also just learned from a captured Elite Zealot that we interrogated yesterday, that the shipmaster of the invading fleet is interested in the powers of the alicorn princesses.”

The mayor's eyes widened.

“You mean that’s the main reason they're here? To capture, and possibly harm our most respected monarchs?”

“We don’t know about harm, since they want to protect any valuable assets they acquire, or wish to acquire,” AJ explained. “They only harm or kill those that stand in their way of that goal; which is us humans of course.”

The mayor then seemed to settle down a bit, but still expressed concern.

“I see,” she said. “Have you discovered where this shipmaster is currently residing? Surely if you found him, then maybe you could take him down and force these aliens off our planet.”

“We intend on doing that,” Aaron said. “But not before we bleed information from him about Jul ‘Mdama’s whereabouts.”

“Who’s he?” the mayor asked, raising a brow.

“The leading hinge-head of all the Covenant Remnant fleets,” Zeke said. “He’s a threat to all humanity, and with that traitor Halsey; who knows what he can do. Hell, it might partially explain how this fleet got the jump on us like this.”

“As for finding the shipmaster and his carrier, we’re currently on that, but scouting Broadswords have not yet confirmed a sighting of the ship,” Aaron explained. “We have to assume it’s well cloaked, or holding a distant position from ours.”

“What about the camps then?” the mayor asked. “Haven’t any of your soldiers checked them out yet?”

“The captain did send out a couple of small nimbled recon parties to do so,” AJ confirmed. “We haven’t received any reports yet, though.”

“Can you check?”

“Yes, ma’am,” AJ replied, and activated his COMM watch.

“Pony Express. This is Harrison. What’s the news on the reconnaissance of the forest castle, and the planet’s moon?”

“Harrison. This is Kenwood. I read you. I was going to just report to you now that both recon parties have spotted multiple Covenant ships vacating the area and retreating to the North, leaving both areas empty and deserted. I have already issued all available units to give chase and engage.”

“Understood, sir. Thanks for the update. We’ll be with you as soon as we can. Harrison out.”

He then faced Aaron and Zeke.

“We should get back to the corvette, the Covenant are on the move with unknown intentions.”

“Okay,” Aaron said nodding. He then faced the mayor. “Sorry, ma’am, but we have to cut our meeting with you short. We’re sorry for the inconvenience.”

“It’s perfectly alright, sir. As long as they’re moving away from my town, I’m fine with whatever you need to do,” the mayor replied, looking even more relieved.

Receiving their light, the Spartans just nodded, and walked out of the office in unison. A possible new mission was awaiting them once they got back on to the Express. What it is? Who knows what.

However, they already may be too late for what was to come.

SAVIOR’S LIGHT

SOMEWHERE HIGH ABOVE THE SKIES OVER THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE

“So, this is the empire one of your scouts mentioned?” Dzen asked Chrysalis while admiring the elegant and flat landscape pattern that could be seen from orbit.

“Yes it is,” Chrysalis replied smirking. “Looks like it has changed quite a bit since Sombra ruled it all those years ago. I preferred it when it was ominous and full of despair. Now it’s bright enough to burn out anyone’s eyes.”

“What are we looking for here exactly?” Dzen asked, suspiciously. “You mentioned to me that you wished to pick-up something while we are here to provide food for you, and your remaining changelings. You told me it was love. Who or what can give your species such a thing?”

“Why, the Princess of Love herself,” Chrysalis replied. “Feel free to annihilate any foe that stands in your way, just make sure you save some ponies for extra snacks; or use them as laborers, I don’t know. The main thing is to get Cadance in one piece, nothing more than that.”

Dzen hesitated for a quick moment to think before turning to one of his pilots.

“Initiate our descent into atmosphere, and ready all units on board for an assault. The princess is to be left unharmed. Understood?”

“Understood, shipmaster,” the pilot said and began a descending course into atmosphere.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Abduction

CRYSTAL PALACE, CRYSTAL EMPIRE

10:02AM

“C’mon, honey. Can you at least give me a hint of what the surprise is?” Princess Cadance asked her husband, Shining Armor who was leading her through the halls of the palace, while she was blindfolded.

“If I did that, then it wouldn’t be much of a surprise now would it?” Shining replied with a slight chuckle.

“No. I guess it wouldn’t. But I don’t know why there would be a surprise for me today. I mean it’s not my birthday or anything; and that our two year anniversary was last month.”

“Well I know that, dear. But sometimes I just like to spoil you too much.”

Cadance giggled and blushed a bit.

“Oh you're too kind, but you really don’t need to do this.”

“But I want to,” Shining argued playfully. “Plus, we’re almost there anyway.”

“Alright then,” Cadance said, now playing along. “I can’t wait to see what the surprise is--or to be able to see again.”

The couple both laughed at that statement.

When Shining got his wife to the destination of interest, he used his magic to undo her blindfold. When she could finally see again, she discovered that Shining led her to the grand dining hall, and that the table in front of them was dressed up with fancy dining cloth and candles. Platters of scrumptious food were also added to the scene.

Cadance’s eyes widened and her mouth hung open in surprise. This was the reaction that Shining was expecting from Cadance.

“Well? What do you think?” he asked.

“I’m amazed, darling. Did you do this all by yourself?”

“Well...sort of,” Shining said sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head with his hoof. “I had some of my men help out with the festivities while the cooks made the food. I just designed how everything would look. I hope that’s okay.”

“Why of course,” Cadance said now practically laughing. “There’s no way on Equis that anypony could do this sort of thing by themselves. Besides I would never expect you to cook anyway.”

“Hey. I could learn if I had the time,” Shining shrugged and pulled out a seat for Cadance. “After you?”

Cadance just smiled and took her seat. He then scooted her in before he took his own chair.

“So? What’s the occasion for all this anyway?” Cadance asked.

“Well. I just figured since I got a day off from duty, I should do something special for you and me. The best I could come up with was an early lunch for us.”

“That’s so thoughtful of you, dear,” Cadance stated with an approving smile, then glanced at the entrees displayed on the table in front of her. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“Start anywhere,” Shining encouraged. “I am waiting for you to take the first bite or sip anyway.”

Cadance just nodded and looked at each of the servings; but before she could at least make a choice, one of Shining’s men, Flash Sentry bolted into the room without asking for permission.

“Captain,” he said, nearly breathless.

“Lieutenant Sentry? What’s going on?” Shining asked a bit surprised, and a little irritated by the interruption.

“Sorry for barging in, sir, but there’s some kind of massive object heading directly for the kingdom. It’s causing grave concern for the citizens,” Flash reported.

Shining raised a brow and hesitated for a bit, but decided to investigate what this was all about. He excused himself which Cadence allowed, and made his way to the main balcony which overlooked nearly the entire kingdom.

When he looked down below, he noticed that all of the citizens have gathered in the streets pointing their hooves into the sky. They also appeared to be murmuring conversations in between themselves. Shining couldn’t make them out, but they were definitely mixed with curiosity, and anxiety.

When he looked at the sky, he could see why Flash was urgent to get to him.

Shining’s jaw practically hung wide open as an enormous alien ship with a bulky, but oval-rounded and hooked bow slowly, but menacingly approached the palace.

The bow was connected to a narrow but aerodynamic neck which arched at an upward angle before it ended at the backend of the ship which appeared to be slightly smaller than the front.

What in Celestia’s mane is that? Shining thought to himself.

***

“What is that place?” Dzen asked, indicating to the large white crystal structure.

“That’s the Crystal Palace,” Chrysalis replied proudly. “Where Sombra once ruled with a solid hoof.”

Chrysalis then formed a dreamy look on her face and eyes, and spoke like a mare with a school-filly crush. “I wish I could’ve been his queen,” she sighed. “We could’ve ruled all of Equestria together.”

“Fascinating I’m sure,” Dzen said, clearly not interested in Chrysalis’s fantasy. “But let’s stay focused on what matters most here. Does the princess keep secret of any valuable artifacts, or have the knowledge of the locations of any Forerunner tech?”

“I don’t know about the forerunner part, but if you're looking for something truly valuable to this empire--try the Crystal Heart. It’s the main source of all the kingdom’s revolting happiness and magic, but it definitely provides the love that my changelings need. I’m pretty sure there could be other items of interest, but I’ll leave that to you and your minions to figure out,” Chrysalis explained.

“Very well,” Dzen said and turned to one of his officers. “Give the green light for all troops onboard to leave the carrier. One unit focuses on the palace to obtain the princess while the other is to find this Crystal Heart.”

“Yes, shipmaster,” the officer nodded.

***

“What do we do, sir?” Flash asked Shining while he continued to stare in awe at the extraterrestrial ship.

Snapping out of his trance, Shining faced Flash and said, “Notify all guards in the palace to be prepared for an engagement. Celestia knows what that thing could be capable of.”

“Yes, captain,” Flash saluted and trotted as fast as he could back into the palace.

When Shining turned around again to glance at the ship, he noticed a swarm of flying objects leaving the underbelly of the ship. The objects could not be identified because they were too far away for the moment, but he noticed that this swarm was breaking into two separate routes. One was descending down toward the town, and the other one was heading straight toward the palace!

As a few of the objects drifted closer, he noticed that they had a sleek and aerodynamic wing structure, and that the noise they made was an eerie wailing sound that literally sent a shiver up Shining’s spine.

Just then and without warning, all three of them fired an individual ball of bright green projectile of light which travelled fast like a meteorite towards him!

Reacting just in the nick of time, Shining lit up his horn and projected a magical force field around himself as the projectiles collided and exploded against the force field. However, the combined explosion caused the field to falter; and the strong impact shockwave knocked Shining off of his hooves and on to his side.

“Aah!” he cried as he hit the ground.

Hearing the cry of her husband, Cadance quickly hopped to her hooves and trotted out to the balcony.

“Shining? What happened? Are you okay?” she asked, worry deep in her tone. She then noticed the massive alien ship, and the swarming alien crafts that were now causing the citizens of the empire to panic and flee.

“What’s happening?!”

“Get back inside, Cadance!” Shining finally replied. “We’re under attack!”

“By what?” Cadance was know near hysterical.

Before Shining could answer, he noticed that the same aerial crafts have circled back for another bombing; but this time, the flanking crafts performed a strafing run while firing out a series of blue bolts that burned spots on the floor of the balcony. The center craft however fired another green projectile.

This time out of fear for her and her husband’s sake, it was Cadance’s turn to project a protective forcefield around her and Shining.

The blue bolts bounced off with ease while the green projectile detonated on impact with yet another forceful shock, but Cadance managed to hold her ground, and her shield was still intact.

***

“Shipmaster, this is Bvem ‘Zule of Banshee Squadron Delta. We have a sight on a winged and horned equine that is producing a stronger barrier around it, and its compatriot. Our weapons didn’t have any affect at all,” the pilot transmitted to Dzen.

“Show me,” Dzen ordered.

A first-person view of the pilot’s Banshee HUD displayed the real-time footage of what Bvem was seeing. Sure enough, the equine that Bvem mentioned showed up on his HUD for both Dzen, and Chrysalis to see.

“That’s Cadance right there!” Chrysalis announced, pointing with her hoof.

“Understood,” Dzen said and turned back to the COMM terminal. “That winged and horned equine is our primary target. Do not kill it, but don’t let it get away. Clear?”

“Yes, shipmaster,” Bvem replied.

***

When Cadance saw that the hostile alien crafts were making a retreat, she brought down her shield in hopes that it was safe for now.

“Are you hurt?” she asked him.

“No. I don’t think so, but I have to get you somewhere safe and link up with my men,” he replied and led her back inside the palace; but not before magically locking up the balcony door behind them.

As Shining and Cadance entered one of the palace’s corridors, they were greeted with the sight of all the palace guards quickly sprinting to their battle stations with their unit leaders shouting orders over the thundering of hooves.

“What’s going on, gentlemen?” Shining asked one of his guards that were passing by.

“A group of unknown hostiles are trying to break through the main entrance to the palace, sir!” the guard replied. “We’re trying to barricade it now with magic, but it’s not going very smoothly!”

“Understood, lieutenant. Listen. Can somepony please find an escort for my wife and lead her to a safe room?”

“I won’t leave you, Shining!” Cadance pleaded. “Please let me stay with you!”

“I can’t let you come to harm!” Shining insisted. “This kingdom needs you to be safe. I need you to be safe! I swear by your Aunt Celestia that I’ll come back for you. Right now I need to to go with my men to a safe room. I’ll be okay; I promise.”

Cadance hesitated for a good few moments with small worried and scared tears running down her face. She wouldn’t know what she would do if she lost the only stallion she ever loved. She knew however that she would never remarry if he was ever killed in battle. Despite all these facts, Shining was right. The ponies of this kingdom needed their princess if they survived this sudden and unannounced attack by unknown intelligences.

“Okay,” she finally said and brought Shining in for a farewell kiss which he passionately embraced. “I love you, Shining.”

“I love you too, Cadance,” Shining replied with a comforting smile before nodding to one of his men to lead Cadance to safety.

Shining followed his men to the main palace door where sure enough he saw that most his men were using their magic to barricade the doors which were shaking and bulging violently as whatever was on the other side was trying to breach it.

Shining lit up his horn and did his best to support his men.

With Shining’s magic added to the barricade, his men had a lot of strain taken off of them, and that the doors weren't bulging as badly as before. They definitely had a chance of prevailing now; but then--something unexpected happened.

The crystal interior of the palace which normally glowed with a natural brightness during the daytime seemed to grow a bit dim, as if an overcast blocked out the sun--but it was a clear day outside. Then, all of the crystal guard’s coats lost their sparkle and reverted to a dim and flat characteristic. Not only that, but their magic became incredibly weak that the magical barricade began to severely faulter.

Shining immediately knew that something must’ve happened to the Crystal Heart: the empire’s most valued treasure, and power source of magic for the crystal ponies.

The doors then began bulging again as the hostiles outside began to try and break them down again, but with much more force and desperation.

Flash Sentry bolted up closer to the doors and focused every ounce of power he had to support Shining, since they were the only two unicorns that weren't affected by the sudden loss of power in the crystal magic. Unfortunately, it did neither of them any good.

Finally after one final effort, the crystal doors were finally bashed down, and were flung to the floor where they shattered into a zillion tiny fragments as if they were made of glass.

It was then that everypony saw two large hulking, and bipedal creatures that stood in the frame of where the doors once were.

These creatures stood at a towering height of at least twelve feet and three inches. There were four spikes on it’s back; the front ones appeared to be slightly smaller in height then the back ones. On one arm, these creatures wielded some sort of metallic three-clawed sphere with multiple green bulbs of light sticking out from it. On the opposite arm was a large shield-like appendage. On its head was a helmet with two small green openings which looked like eyes.

Glancing at the gaps between their armor, Shining noticed a cluster of orange wormlike entities moving within the cavity. It was a disturbing sight, but not as what was about to come.

Flash tried to get close to the creature to try and stab it with his spear, but before he could land a blow, the beast brought up its mighty shield, before swinging it down on to Flash and crushing him to the floor as if he was an insect. He was already dead as his blood and pieces of his bones and organs, splattered across the normally clean floor.

Shining felt like he wanted to vomit right then and there at what he witnessed, but strangely he was more shocked than sickened. Whatever these things were, they attacked without a hint of mercy.

The two hulking creatures then parted separate ways to allow room for their allies that were waiting to attack behind them.

The first group of aliens that Shining saw pile into the foyer were short and stocky, and seemed to be wearing some kind of backpack that attached to a mask that covered the area of where the nostrils should be. Tiny clouds of green substance seemed to puff out from the backpack on a common occasion.

Coming in second were reptilian-like beings that displayed both blue and yellow shields; and finally, a tall and four-jawed alien entered behind both parties. It then raised its four-fingered appendaged claw and pointed at Shining’s remaining soldiers.

“Wort wort wort!” it cried.

After that, the creature raised its weapon with his allies following the same suit, and began firing upon the guards with a series of blue and green bolts of plasma, along with streams of glowing purple crystalline shards.

Shining’s men fought back the best they could against the hostile alien invaders, but their armor wasn’t tough enough to tolerate the foreign plasma that melted their armor plates like acid, along with the fur and flesh that lied beneath, and the homing in pink crystal projectiles that imbedded--then violently detonated.

Shining watched in horror as his men fell one by one quicker than they were fighting. soon he knew he would be joining them if he remained there.

Just then, he heard the blood curdling scream of Cadance echoing behind him.

Without a second of hesitation, Shining rapidly spun around and sprinted as fast as he could to find Cadance. Who knows what had happened to her to make her scream like that.

As Shining sprinted through the corridors, he called out Cadences’ name in hopes of hearing a reply. Sure enough, he heard her scream again and calling out his name for help.

When he reached another corridor, he was horrified to find the two bodies of Cadance’s escorts laying in an ever-spreading pool of their own blood. Both of them appeared to be stabbed in the abdomen.

Tracking out of the blood pool were a few three-pointed footprints that led into the bedroom of him and Cadance. It was behind the closed doors that he heard a struggle and muffled screams of his wife.

Using his back hooves, he bucked the door open to reveal three of the four-jawed aliens apprehending Cadance!

One of them had red armor with a four pink dot pattern on its helmet. It was the one that was holding Cadance by her head with one hand, and wielded a glowing blue blade in the other.

His two allies had a different variety.

One donned bluish armor with a dark purple rifle in his hands, and the other had a mix of dark red and blue. On its helmet was a silver mohawk-like design. The weapon he wielded was a dark orange rifle with glowing light green LED lights. This was none other than the T50 DEW/H.

Noticing her husband, she began to struggle and yell for him.

Becoming fed up with the shrill noises emanating from the equines mouth, the Sangheili Zealot lifted her off the floor and headbutted her, knocking her out cold.

Now seeing that his wife was assaulted, Shining’s fighting spirit and bravery kicked into full gear as he yelled and charged at the three Elites.

The Zealot turned to his allies and spoke an order in Sanghelian. Both Elites nodded and faced Shining, ready for battle while the Zealot made his way to the bedrooms balcony, with Cadance’s limp figure dangling in both of his arms.

Shining lit up his horn and fired a beam of magic on to the minor-class Elite whose shields did severely flare since they were not very strong unlike the other ranks.

Unfazed by the impact, the minor shot a few bursts of plasma from his T55 which made contact with Shining’s left shoulder. However, Shining’s adrenaline was severely rushing so he didn’t feel the singeing pain of his shoulder practically being melted off.

Shining lit up his horn again ready to fire another beam on the minor in hopes of finishing him off. But before he could, the Sangheili commander fished a T25 from his hip and charged up a bright green sphere of overcharged plasma before firing it on to Shining’s horn. When it made contact, the horn literally dropped and dripped as if it was made of hot candle wax.

With his horn being struck, Shining finally felt the pain of his two wounds and made him a bit disoriented. He was so out of it that he didn’t notice that the alien that had Cadance was stepping into a column of green light that shot down on the balcony. When he entered it, the Zealot, along with Cadance, were lifted up into the bowels of the hovering ship which was designated by the Covenant as the DP-T56 GS/UH. A Lich to be put in formal terms.

Their objective may have been complete, but the two Sangheili wished to finish off the dishonorable equine that had so foolhardily challenged them.

The commander put his T25 pistol back on to his hip, and re-wielded his T50 which he placed on his back. He then fired a few concussive blasts on to the unprepared Shining which burned his body even more while simultaneously hurling him against a wall.

Shining groaned as he struggled to get up. He didn’t want to stop fighting these things even if he was wounded severely. His spirit was that strong; but how strong was the question? Even Shining himself didn’t know the answer.

Before he could at least get to his hooves, the commander grabbed Shining by his neck and dangled him off of the floor, practically choking him since Shining struggled to pry the Sangheili’s fingers from his neck, and tried to gasp for air.

This time, the Sangheili minor grabbed his own T25 from his hip and closely pointed it at the side of Shining’s head with a charged shot ready to go.

“You were unwise to challenge me and my brother,” the alien said now in Equestrian. “Such a deed by your species should be punished without mercy; but we’re giving you the option for any last words or requests you may have.”

“Kiss...my...flank,” is what Shining managed to gasp out with disdain in his eyes

“So be it,” the commander said and nodded to his ally to fire his shot.

Before the minor could release his finger from the trigger, his shields suddenly popped, and his head jarred as a round of hot lead raced into his head, and through his cranium which killed him instantly. His charged plasma shot headed for the ceiling and burned an indentation above.

The commandeer spun around wildly to see a group of human marines ready in position. The marine responsible for his brother’s death beared a SRS99 with its barrel now pointing at him.

“Alright, split-lip,” the Marine Sergeant stated. “How about you put that pony down and play with us for a bit. Unless your chicken.”

Miffed by the human’s taunt, the Sangheili commandeer huffed and limply dropped Shining on to the floor without a hint of care. Shining fortunately landed on his flank, but he immediately collapsed to his side since he was too weak to hold himself up from the immobilizing pain, and the blood loss.

“Let’s dance then,” the sergeant stated while readying his M395 along with the rest of his squad which had MA5D’s.

Shining didn’t have a good view of the battle between the two different alien species because his sight was blurry and that his disorientation had worsened. At least one thing he could tell was that one of the aliens who shot his assailant was on his side--at least that’s what it  appeared to be anyway. However, it didn’t change the fact that he was mortally wounded.

He knew he may not make it out of this alive. Not only that, but he thought about Cadance, the princesses, his parents, and most of all: Twilight.

He could only imagine the grief she would go through if he died. She would be crying every day and night while wailing his name, and begging for him to come back to her.

Thinking this as consciousness slowly drifted from him, he managed to let one tear escape from his eye as he thought, “I’m sorry, Twiley. I’m sorry, Cadance. I’m sorry, Celestia and Luna. I’m sorry, everypony.”

The world then blackened around him as Shining finally lost consciousness.

Chapter Twenty-Four: We Never Leave Friends Behind

“I wonder what the Covenant are after to the far north?” AJ asked while examining the topography of Equis on his DATAPAD while he, Aaron, and Zeke walked back through the corridors of Ponyville’s town hall. “There’s nothing there but a snowy wasteland.”

“I would think those split-lips would hate the cold since they seem reptilian-like,” Zeke stated.

“I think you’re thinking of Jackals, Fredrickson,” AJ corrected.

“Hey. It could be both,” Zeke excused.  

“Whatever the reason, we need to get there,” Aaron said. “It’s not just a few scouting parties: it’s the entire fleet that found the planet. This could be our chance to find and capture this Shipmaster ‘Nbek. He knows where ‘Mdama and Halsey are--and why he has taken an interest to the princesses.”

“Because they’re hot?” Zeke chuckled.

“I’m pretty sure that’s not the reason,” AJ deadpanned, unamused. “Besides that’s just wrong to think about.”

When the three Spartans exited the town hall entrance, they were surprised to find Twilight and all five of her friends waiting for them there.

“What’s going on? What are you guys doing here?” Aaron asked curiously.

“Twilight told us you and your friends were visiting the mayor,” Pinkie chimed. “What’d you think of her?”

“Uh,” Aaron murmured as he, and his team thought of the right thing to say. “She was cooperative. That’s for sure.”

“Attentive as well,” AJ added.

“She had a nice office,” Zeke managed to muster.

Rainbow Dash then face-hoofed and said, “We didn’t come to ask of how their meeting with the mayor went, Pinkie. Remember?”

Pinkie took a brief moment to think.

“Oh yeah! Uh. Then what did we come here for? I forgot already.”

Rainbow just sighed and faced the Spartans with a firm gaze.

“We wanted to know what you told the mayor; and what the hay is going on around here.”

Aaron looked at Twilight who had a shameful look on her face.

“I’m sorry, Aaron. I couldn’t do anything. Besides I think it’s about time that my friends get involved with this. They have every right to know what’s happening here besides just me, Celestia, and Luna.”

“Twilight,” Aaron began.

“No. Listen to me, Aaron,” Twilight now insisted. “Twice already our friendship has been severely pulled ever since you and your comrades set foot on Equis. If I’m the only one in the group who has the right to know what’s going on, it may put an end to our friendship for good. Please just give them a chance. Surely all six of us can aid your causes.”

“Um, Twilight. I don’t really want to be part of this,” Fluttershy said quietly, and clearly nervous. “It could be really dangerous.”

“Fluttershy is right, Twilight,” Aaron said. “It was clear the first time that we met that you shouldn’t get mixed up with beings like us. What we do can’t be solved by a means of friendship. If it’s any consolation, we can exclude you from your current involvement in our affairs if you wish.”

“That won’t change anything. I know that you and the rest of the UNSC are trying to be the heroes’ of our world; but me and my friends are heroes as well. We saved Equestria from danger with only the power of our friendship. It’s sad to hear you humans can’t see the fact in that wherever you come from--but here it’s different as Rarity had mentioned before.”

Twilight and the friends then stood proudly except for Fluttershy who looked very uneasy by the situation.

Aaron now could see now that Twilight wasn’t going to let up on him until she got what she wanted. As much as he hated to admit it, he did cause a couple of turbulent moments in the friendship of Twilight’s friends. The first one being with Applejack, then the minor conflict between Rarity and Rainbow. He knew what he had to do now.

“Alright,” Aaron finally said. “I’ll notify the captain of your request, Twilight. But are you really positive you wish to have your friends involved?”

“Yes,” Twilight stated officially.

“Very well then,” Aaron confirmed and activated his COMM watch. “Pony Express, this is Jensen. Requesting transportation to the corvette. Over.”

Moments later, the transport Pelican arrived at the front of the town hall. This action did cause some startlement among the citizens of Ponyville, but fortunately they were warned to clear the area so nopony would get hurt.

When the back hatch of the Pelican opened up, Aaron walked up the ramp followed along by Zeke and AJ. When Aaron turned back to face the mares, he saw that they were hesitating.

Both Twilight and Rainbow looked a bit unsure as if they really wanted to hop aboard. Rarity cringed as if she was thinking about all the dirt and musky smells in the compartment. Fluttershy was obviously terrified by her dilated pupils and how she trembled. Applejack, remembering what would become of her if she set hoof on one of those flying machines, made her as near equally scared as Fluttershy.

“What’s the matter?” Aaron asked.

“Isn’t your ship in atmosphere so at least few of us can get there by flight?” Twilight asked.

“No,” Aaron replied. “I got a confirmed word from Kenwood that he has settled the corvette out of atmosphere to the far North of here.”

Just then without warning,Twilight zoomed directly into the infantry-holding chamber without hesitation.

“What is it?” Aaron asked, now a bit taken aback by Twilight’s sudden change in demeanor.

“My brother and Cadance!” Twilight exclaimed. “They reside in the Crystal Empire which is in the frozen northern regions of Equestria.”

“That’s impossible,” AJ stated while checking back over his DATAPAD. “Topography indicates there’s no signs of settlement there.”

“It is there!” Twilight insisted. “But please let’s not waste anytime arguing. The Covenant maybe invading there!”

“Covenant?” Twilight’s friends asked in unison while gazing at one another in confusion.

“We’ll explain later, but Twilight could be correct. We got a report that all Covenant units are heading north of here. Whatever their up to, it has something to do with this Crystal Empire of yours,” Aaron said. “Now will the rest of you please board the Pelican. I know it looks terrifying, but it’s the only source of transport we have for the time. We won’t let anything happen to any of you. We Pinkie promise.”

Aaron then raised his right hand, and cupped it over his eye to the confusion of Zeke and AJ who just gawked at him.

"Do what I’m doing, guys,” Aaron insisted.

Zeke and AJ first looked at each other with their brows raised skeptically, then their gaze went on to Pinkie who was glaring at them with a cupcake in each of her hooves that were not there a moment ago. When they focused back on Aaron, they noticed that his gaze was flicking desperately back and forth on to them, and the cupcakes that Pinkie was holding. It was then that they knew that Aaron was trying to tell them something that had to do with the actual cupcakes.

Not wanting to find out the consequence, both AJ and Zeke did the same gesture as Aaron. As a result, Pinkie smiled and put the cupcakes into her poofy mane.

One by one, the friends began boarding the Pelican even through Fluttershy practically had to be nudged to get going.

When Rarity boarded, her suspicions were confirmed when she noticed the small specks of dirt that were clinging to the bottom of her hooves.

“Ohhhhh. When was the last time this floor was even washed?” she complained, even though her tone was more of a whine.

“It never was,” Zeke stated unwittingly, making Rarity nearly faint. Luckily Fluttershy was nearby to prevent her from getting hurt.

The last one in line to board was Applejack, but before her hoof even touched the boarding ramp, she hesitated before pulling it away.

“Ah’m sorry, but Ah jus’ can’t do this,” she admitted with shame. “Y’all go on ahead without me. Ah know y’all will be alright.”

“C’mon, AJ!” Rainbow urged. “This is Cadance and Twilight’s brother we’re talking about here. Doesn’t that have any meaning to you at all?”

“Of course it does!” Applejack retorted defensively. “But surely y’all remember what might happen tah me if Ah got on one of these here Pelican thing-a-ma-jigs.”

“I’ll give order to the pilot to look out for any threats,” Aaron reassured.

“Ah’m not takin’ any risks,” Applejack stubbornly stated. “Ah know y’all won’t let Shining Armor or Cadance down. Y’all can do this without me.”

Before anymore words could be exchanged, Discord appeared and said, “You really like to prolong things don’t you, Applejack?”

Recovering from the startlement he gave her, Applejack glared at the draconequus while reverting to a proud composure.

“Ah do not!” she argued. “It’s jus’ that--”

“Yeah yeah, we know. You're afraid that this...what is this thing called again?” Discord asked.

“A Pelican,” Aaron said.

“You're afraid that this Pelican is going to get shot down and make you, and whoever else is onboard meet a horrific fate,” Discord stated while performing a dramatic pose.

This made everypony feel uneasy once more.

“Oh calm yourselves. You all should know that this isn’t going to be the Pelican that will make you all meet your end.”

“How would ya know that?” Applejack asked suspiciously. The rest of the friends, along with the Spartans were intrigued as well.

“Well for starters it seems way too early in the plot for such a thing like that to happen. Besides it will completely throw off the reader.”

“The who?” everyone asked in unison.

Discord just sighed and reached through the viewing screen of the reader’s computer/mobile phone with his talon and partially dragged the reader into the story world for the characters to look at.

“This is the reader,” Discord explained. “If you all keep up this dialogue and don’t move on to the next thing, he/she is going to get bored.”

Discord then returned the reader back to where he/she came from before sealing up the tiny portal with a zipper that floated in midair.

Everyone and everypony was now confused as to what just happened, but they knew Discord was right.

“Okay,” Applejack finally said. “Ah’ll go, but Ah ain’t gonna like it.”

Aaron stepped down the boarding ramp and extended his hand to Applejack to offer encouragement.

Applejack first gazed at Aaron’s hand, then looked up to his face which was nodding at her to go ahead and take it. She then did so.

“You can do this, Applejack,” Aaron reassured as they both walked up into the holding area.

“Ah know,” she said quietly.

Aaron just nodded and called into the pilot’s cockpit.

“Everyone’s abroad, lieutenant. Let’s get going.”

“Yes, sir,” the pilot said and initiated the Pelican’s flight sequence before it took off into atmosphere.

During the trip, Twilight’s friends were having diverse feelings about the Pelican’s movements, and the noise the engines’ made.

Fluttershy was whimpering and cowering while holding Rainbow for comfort. Rainbow did her best to ease her friend’s tension by pulling her close in a hug; all the while trying to relieve her stress in being in such a tight area, and not being allowed to fly.

Rarity was shifting around constantly to prevent herself from getting dirty by the Pelican’s interior sediments, but was having no such luck at all--and it made her want to cry.

Pinkie seemed to be smiling and enjoying the ride as if it was a rollercoaster at a funfair. Whenever the Pelican banked a bit when it turned, she squealed and laughed with delight.

Applejack was full of anxiety as her eyes shifted around nervously, and her forehoof tapped against her leg anxiously. In her head she was screaming that this seemingly terrifying flight would be over with soon.

Seeing that Applejack had no area of comfort, Aaron strode over to her side of the hold and sat down next to her all the while gently resting a hand on her shoulder. She flinched a bit from his touch, but miraculously calmed down a bit now that she had a friend by her side.

Twilight was the most troubled however, and she knew nothing would ease her mind about what could’ve become of her brother, and Cadance.

Cadance came to consciousness with a migraine headache that left her confused and disoriented for a bit. She couldn’t remember what had happened.

When she tried opening her eyes, bright light greeted them which forced them back shut. Cadance blinked several in order for her eyes to get adjusted before blurry images of her surroundings began to appear. The only thing she could make out so far was that she was lying on a small purple bench.

When her vision became fully into focus, she discovered that she was in a small, symmetrical, square room with a single white light in the center. The bench that she was currently lying on was one of three that were placed against each wall with an opening with some sort of electrical-energy barrier covering it.

“W..where am I?” Cadance asked herself aloud.

“The brig of the Savior’s Light of course,” mockingly replied a familiar female voice that Cadance knew all too well.

Cadance steadily got to her hooves and walked over to the energy barrier to get a better view of the outside. Just as she feared, she saw the cheese-legged, insect-like Changeling queen with few of her minions who looked weak, but very hungry. Standing on both sides of the changelings were two of the four-mandibled aliens that she suddenly remembered had attacked her earlier. They both donned their minor-class blue armor with their weapons at hand.

“What’s going on here?” Cadance asked with a mixture of fear and anger in her tone. “What have you done with my husband?”

“Oh I am so over him now,” Chrysalis replied expressing her disinterest. “Besides this had nothing to do with him. It has to do with you.”

“Me? What do I have to offer you?” Cadance asked perplexed, but frightened.

“It’s not entirely me, but I won’t explain the details. What me and my changelings need from you is some nourishment,” Chrysalis said and nodded to one of the aliens who walked over to one side of the barrier which miraculously vanished from sight as he put his hand on a holographic switch.

Seeing this as a chance to escape, Cadance spread her wings as she prepared to take off, but before she could get a single flap from her wings, the other alien raised his rifle and shot a couple bolts of blue light at the center of one of Cadance’s wings. The burning pain stunned Cadance's body and caused her to scream in agony.

“The pain from getting struck by plasma is a bitch isn’t it?” Chrysalis asked sadistically. “Believe me I’ve already been there. But let’s not waste anymore time talking--it’s time for feasting.”

She then turned to her two Sangheili escorts before her and her changelings stepped into the holding chamber.

“Leave us alone for a moment, boys. We wish to play a very private game with the princess here. Also please close the barrier. Surely she’ll try to escape again.”

The two Sangheili nodded and did as they were told.

When the room was clear, Chrysalis and her minions surrounded the stunned princess and began to restrain and hold her down against her will.

Cadence wanted to scream and fight off her captors, but she couldn’t. She could only lay there and submit to her distress.

Chrysalis then positioned herself above Cadence’s body which was being forced to lay on the backside with all four of her hooves spread apart suggestively.

“I have to admit, I’ve never done female on female before,” Chrysalis said with a sultry smile and expression. “But perhaps I could make an exception. Besides when I’m done with you, my changelings will have their go as well. I hope you can deliver the same amount of  love to them and me, just as you do with your pathetic husband--who is possibly dead now. My new friends do have a way of killing without mercy after all.”

The words demoralized Cadance even more that she lost all thought of fighting and let herself go limp as tears began to flow from her eyes.

“Oh don’t be sad, dear. You should’ve know better than to marry a soldier after all.  Surely you could have known what would happen in the long run,” Chrysalis chuckled wickedly. “But enough of all this sympathy and grief. Let’s get down to business, shall we?”

In saying that, Chrysalis lowered herself down on to Cadence's body, and began her fun, with her changelings soon to follow.

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Rolecall of Restriction

HANGAR OF THE PONY EXPRESS

ORBIT ABOVE THE FROZEN NORTH

1103 HOURS

When Twilight’s friends heard the pilot’s announcement of their imminent landing from the intercom linking to the cockpit, the tension they currently had was lifted off of them--of course the feeling of currently being on a massive alien ship still made them a bit uneasy.

Everypony and everyone heard the Pelican’s engines dimming down a bit as it gently descended to the hangar’s floor. The humming noise of the landing gear being deployed emanated from underneath where everypony was sitting. All the sounds concluded when there was a slight bump from the landing gear touching down.

The back hatch of the Pelican then began to open up, and Aaron--followed by AJ and Zeke got up and proceeded to lead the mares out of the Pelican.

As planned, Kenwood was waiting for them near the Pelican’s docking zone.

On the way to the corvette, Aaron, with their condolences, created profiles of each of the five mares, and sent them to Kenwood for analysis. When they would arrive, Kenwood would make their acquaintance, and confirm their files to upload to the ship’s databases.

“Gentlemen. We’re lucky to have you back,” Kenwood said, saluting them, which the three Spartans returned. He then focused his eyes on Twilight and her friends.

“So these are your friends, Princess Twilight?”

“Yes, sir,” Twilight nodded, still looking worried. She was anxious to know about her brother or Cadance, but she knew now wasn’t the time to be impulsive about that information--even if she really needed it.

Kenwood and Twilight’s friends shared a brief moment of silently studying one another with their eyes before words could be exchanged.

“It’s very nice to meet you five, and I welcome you aboard my ship,” Kenwood stated officially, but with politeness. “Let me just look over your files that Jensen sent me, and all I want you to do is see if this information is correct. Clear?” Kenwood asked as he pulled out his DATAPAD.

Twilight’s friends just nodded without saying anything.

“Good. First up, Pinkamena Diane Pie. Age twenty-one. Occupation as a baker at Sugarcube Corner and festivity planner.”

“Yep! That’s me!” Pinkie gleefully said. “I’m surprised however that you didn’t even ask me to throw a welcoming party for our arrival on this big ship thingy.”

“I assure that wouldn’t have to be necessary,” Kenwood pardoned, which surprised Pinkie, and made her a little bit glum from disappointment.

“Rarity Gemma Belle. Age twenty-two. Owner of Carousel Boutique where you work as a clothing designer, and stylist. Correct?”

“Yes. That’s correct,” Rarity nodded.  “Forgive me if I’m being uncouth, darling--but I truly believe that Pelican of yours needs full attention to cleanliness, and maybe some more attractive exterior and interior coloring. Perhaps I could--”

“Sorry, ma’am. Protocol prohibits the tampering, or any sort of civilian renovation to UNSC equipment,” Kenwood interrupted, uninterested in Rarity’s unannounced offer. Rarity just decided to remain silent, even if she wished to make an argument about it.

“Rainbow Prism Dash. Twenty-one. Cloudsdale Weather Factory employee and head of the Ponyville Weather Team.”

Rainbow just nodded. She really wasn’t sure what to make of this situation, but she clearly didn’t like it. Something about giving her and her friends their personal information to these humans seemed kind of suspicious.

“Fluttershy Marie Posey. Twenty-three. Animal caretaker.”

She did the same action as Rainbow; and frankly, had the same thought.

“Finally. Applejack Anne Apple. Twenty-two. Resident apple farmer and agricultural provider at Sweet Apple Acres.”

“That’s correct, sir,” Applejack confirmed meekly.

“Good. I’ll just now upload these to the ship’s records,” Kenwood stated as he pressed a holographic switch on his DATAPAD which initiated the downloading sequence.

“Excuse me for asking, sir. But what is the reason for downloading my friend’s personal information into your ship’s files?” Twilight asked curiously.

“Because, Miss Sparkle,” Kenwood said officially, but looked kind of sad. “Since your friends wish to be involved in this matter; I’m afraid they're not allowed to leave this ship until this conflict on Equis is finally resolved.”

Chapter Twenty-Six: Reconcile and Accomodate

“WHAT?!” Twilight and the friends exclaimed simultaneously in mixed feelings of shock and anger.

“I’m sorry, but it’s part of protocol,” Kenwood explained calmly. “We didn’t wish for the rest of your friends to join in this matter, Princess Twilight; but it seems they insisted on imposing.”

“Hey! Do not call my friends imposing!” Twilight shouted, clearly infuriated at the UNSC’s deception and accusations. “They had every right to know about this from the beginning, but no--it all had to be kept from them!”

Twilight then snapped her attention on Aaron, who looked uncomfortable over the situation.

“How could you do this to us, Aaron? After all of us accepted you as our friend! Is this how you repay us? Are all humans this way?!

Twilight and her friends gave Aaron a seething stare, except for Fluttershy who looked emotionally hurt.

“No, of course not,” Aaron protested. “You guys brought this upon yourselves, alright?”

“Well didn’t you think about how this would affect the loved ones they would be leaving behind back in Ponyville? How they would think of you for this sort of imprisonment!” Twilight demanded.

“Who’s going to take care of the animals?” Fluttershy weeped. “Please. I don’t want to be here.”

“Mah family needs me to help out on the farm as well,” Applejack insisted. “How could ya forgotten about that?”

“Applejack. I..” Aaron began.

“You do realize I’m leaving behind a younger sister who is capable of causing trouble,” Rarity cut in. “Celestia knows if she’s messing up my dresses now as we speak.”

At a thought like that, Rarity began fretting again.

“You didn’t think this through at all, did you?” Rainbow asked, disgusted.

Aaron was going to make a return argument, but he couldn’t find the words to say. He couldn’t believe how many times he has been outwitted by these mares, and he didn’t like it--but they always had valid points.

Aaron then turned to Kenwood and said, “Sir if I may make a suggestion, couldn’t we just have them on a parole instead of an imprisonment? They don’t look like as if they would commit any crimes against any of our protocols.”

Kenwood put a hand underneath his chin as he thought.

“I don’t know, son. These equines may have come in peacefully, but I’m not sure if we can fully put our trust in them from slipping up any classified material to unwanted ears.”

“Please, captain,” Twilight begged. “I know them well enough that they won’t give away anything to anypony.”

“Uh, Twilight. I sort of stink at keeping secrets, remember?” Pinkie confessed with an embarrassed smile and a squee.

“That’s why I’ll use the same spell that Trixie used to remove your mouth,” Twilight replied.

Pinkie emitted a nervous gulp. She never truly recovered from the horror of having her mouth removed. Franky through, it brought everypony else a sigh of relieve for a bit.

“I’ll be sure to restore it when necessary,” Twilight assured, making Pinkie relax again.

Kenwood took another moment to think.

“Very well then,” he finally said. “Your friends will be allowed to maintain their normal lives in Ponyville, but you will be under surveillance.”

“You don’t mean you're going to be watching me when I take a shower, do you?” Rarity asked, appalled. “I’ll have you know I won’t stand for such perversion!” she harrumphed.

“No, ma’am,” Kenwood assured. “We respect civilian home privacy. It will only when you go out in public, or have unauthorized guests over.”

Rarity studied Kenwood’s face carefully to be certain that he was being sincere with her. Not only did Rarity have keen eyes for fashion, but also for perverted intentions. A mare of her class attracted all the stallions in town, but it was mostly for a slice of her pie. She didn’t mind as long as she found them as attractive and petite as she was.

“Very well,” Rarity affirmed. “But don’t think that I won’t be scanning carefully for anything suspicious.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said, now calmly. The rest of her friends looked relaxed as well. Just then, an audible rumbling came from her stomach. It was soon followed by similar rumbles by the rest of the friends.

“I assume that you all have skipped lunch?” Kenwood asked Twilight and the friends.

They all nodded wordlessly.

Kenwood turned toward Aaron and said, “Jensen. Since you are the only soldier here who is well acquainted with Twilight and her friends, why don’t you show them to the mess hall for some proper nourishment. When they’re finished, will you show them to their cabins? We’re going to be stationed here for a while.”

“Yes, sir,” Aaron replied, nodding.

“Wait. How are they going to contact their loved ones of where they are?” Twilight asked worriedly. The friends looked equally concerned.

“I’ll give word to send telegrams to their homes to notify their family members that they are safe with us, and will be returned when everything has calmed down a bit,” Kenwood assured.

That seemed to relax Twilight and the rest of the mares. As long as somepony knew where they were, that would ease most of their tensions.

As Aaron escorted the mares to the mess hall, there was at first uncomfortable silence between them both. Aaron assumed that they were probably still a bit mad at him about earlier, but that couldn’t be right since it seemed that they have made up. Still, Aaron knew that deceiving them like that had an impact on their trust for him.

After it seemed like the entire trip was going to be dead silent, Twilight finally spoke.

“I’d like to thank you for what you did for my friends back there,” she said softly.

“For what?” Aaron asked, confused.

“For maintaining their rights to stay in Ponyville. I should probably apologize for snapping at you, and your captain like that."

"It's fine, Twilight. I had you and the others worried, and you had the right to be. Neither one of you should be taken away from your own homes and lives. You know, I should be the one who is sorry. For everything. Sometimes I think it would've been better if I didn't become acquainted with any of you at all."

"Now why would you say that?" Twilight asked, clearly confused.

Aaron opened his mouth for a reply, but all he did was draw a blank.

"Never mind," he said a bit embarrassed. "It was a dumb thing for me to say. I'm glad that I've made contact with such interesting beings as yourselves. The rest of the UNSC should feel the same way, too."

Twilight and her friends looked at Aaron and each other with concerned and confused expressions painted on their faces. It seemed as if Aaron was keeping something from them that he did not want them to see or express. They had to admit that they were a bit uneasy being around him now because he was being mysterious and unpredictable, but they were still thankful for what he did for them.

The best thing now was to just go with it.

"If you say so," Twilight sighed.

As Aaron and the mares entered the mess hall, all current eyes within the room focused their gaze on Twilight and her friends. Just like Aaron, they felt very uncomfortable in this type of situation.

"W-why are they s-staring, A-Aaron?" Fluttershy whimpered while hiding her face behind her mane and tail.

"Doesn't this captain of yours teach these unkempt gentlemen some manners?" Rarity added. "It's very uncouth to stare at a lady you know."

"There just curious about you guys as we are of you,” Aaron explained. “Your species are the first non-hostile contacts that the entire UNSC has encountered, after all.”

“Oh,” the mares said. They really didn’t have a reply to this new fact.

“Just ignore them and help yourselves to whatever looks tasty. We do have vegan entrees to meet the standard equine nutrition requirement.”

The mares nodded and headed for the serving tables.

Twilight and her friends were surprised and delighted by all the vegetable and fruit servings that these humans had, and were grateful that it was being shared with them. The entrees consisted of peas, potatoes, carrots, corn, tomatoes, and to Applejack’s appeasement--apples.

Once they all had what they wanted, they seated themselves at one of the occupied tables. Aaron joined them to make sure they didn’t seem like outcasts, and to make them more comfortable in this strange environment. Plus, he was the only familiar human that they knew.

“Wow! This is delicious!” Rainbow remarked, now sounding content and enthusiastic instead of bitter and disdainful. She was practically stuffing her face so her words were a bit muffled.

“I second that. This cuisine is simply divine,” Rarity added with an equally positive attitude. She used her magic, to Aaron’s mesmerization, as she levitated utensils to delicately slice up her portions into bite-size slices before putting them into her mouth to be chewed with grace.

“Say, for dessert, do you have any cake or sweets?” Pinkie asked Aaron eagerly.

“No, I’m afraid we don’t,” he replied. “All soldiers diets are strictly prohibited to only high nutritive supplements of food to stay in healthy fighting condition. Anything else that doesn’t have the required vitamins and minerals for good health is out of the question.”

“Aw poo,” Pinkie stated, disappointed that she wasn’t going to get candy; which was a good thing of course since she was hyper enough as it is.

“But we do have some Hot Cocoa if that makes up for anything,” he added.

“Yippe!” Pinkie cheered and darted for the drinks' dispenser.

“Ah gotta hand it tah ya, Aaron. This is the best food Ah ever tasted,” Applejack stated , impressed while eating nearly the same way as Rainbow. “Of course it tastes nearly the same, but Ah ain’t gonna complain.”

“Glad you’re enjoying it,” Aaron said with a smile and turned his attention toward Twilight, who was surprisingly just looking down at her food, solemnly and barely touching it.

“Twilight? Are you okay?” Aaron asked, now concerned. Her friends then followed suit as they set their sights on her.

Twilight then snapped out of her daze.

“Huh? Uh, yeah. I’m okay. Why do you ask?”

“You haven’t touched your food, darling,” Rarity said.

“I guess I wasn’t as hungry as I thought,” Twilight excused, trying her best to sound convincing, but it was obvious to everyone that she was hiding something.

“That’s ridiculous,” Rainbow stated. “How can you not be hungry at lunchtime?”

“Surely somethin’s on yer mind, sugarcube. Ya can tell us, you know,” Applejack added, providing the assurance that Rainbow should’ve.

“I know, but like I said: I’m fine. Really.”

“Darling…,” Rarity began, but was interrupted when Twilight suddenly brought down her hoof and slammed it hard in frustration against the table, startling everyone. It even captured the attention of the other souls in the mess hall.

“Didn’t I say I was fine?! What part of that is so hard to understand?!” Twilight snapped. She then quickly realized what she had done and relaxed, but remorsefully.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, her voice cracking a little. She then faced Aaron. “I think I wish to see my room now, if that’s okay with you.”

“Of course, Twilight,” Aaron confirmed. “I’ll show you at once.”

He then faced her friends.

“If any of you feel ready, I’ll show you to your cabins as well.”

The friends just nodded. They couldn’t find what to say, but they knew their alicorn friend was deeply troubled at this moment.

Without a second of hesitation, the mares followed Aaron to the lower area of the ship where the cabins were located.

Once Aaron and the six friends arrived at the cabin quarters, he showed them which room each one of them would have individually.

The cabins weren't really impressive and it left a distasteful atmosphere to Rarity, but their were no fancy suites for her so she would have to deal with what she got--even if she had to do it against her will.

Aaron gave the mares the right to visit each other in any of their rooms, but were not allowed to venture in any other part of the ship without a UNSC personnel escort.

“I hope you all are going to be comfortable,” Aaron said. He knew that was a dumb thing to say, but nothing else came to mind.

“We’ll make it work! Don’t worry about a thing!” Pinkie said gleefully, trying to lighten up the heavy atmosphere, but to no avail.

“We’ll be fine, Aaron. Don’t worry about us,” Twilight assured with a small smile, but was still strangely sorrowed.

“Okay then,” Aaron said, but was unsure if Twilight’s statement was the truth. “I’m going to check in with my team and Kenwood to see if there’s any updates on any intel. If anything happens, stay in your cabins and seal your doors until any UNSC personnel are there to give you instructions. Understand?”

The mares nodded.

“Good. I’ll be back to check on you later. Just relax or visit. Don’t worry, you’re safe with us.”

With that, Aaron walked away leaving everypony to wonder what they would do next. Twilight however was already in her room and was already to close the door behind her.

“Twi. We’re really worried about ya. Can you at least tell us now what’s troublin’ ya. We’ve never seen ya like this before,” Applejack said.

“Now’s not the best time, girls,” Twilight replied, still sounding depressed. “I won’t want to yell at you all again. I think it’s best if I’m alone for a few moments. Maybe then we can all talk alright?”

Twilight’s friends looked at each other and back to Twilight with concern and suspicion painted on their faces, before a decision was made.

“If that’s what ya think is best, sugarcube, then we accept. Right, girls?”

The remaining friends were hesitant for a quick moment, but went along with Applejack’s response.

“Thank you,” Twilight said, looking a bit relieved. She used her magic to press a switch on her door which initiated its closing and auto-seal process.

Twilight’s friends could only watch as Twilight disappeared behind the door, inch by inch until their vision of her was completely cut off.

For a few seconds, Twilight’s friends just stood there like statues as they pondered on the situation. They knew they had to be there for Twilight, but she was refusing their comforting company, which worried them greatly.

Giving in reluctantly, the friends decided to head for their cabins, but not before they heard a faint sound from Twilight’s cabin.

Now rushing to the door and pressing their ears against it, the friends could make out the clear audible chokes of Twilight sobbing uncontrollably.

At first they couldn’t understand what was making their friend cry so badly and wanted to be let in; but then it quickly dawned on them.

The UNSC mentioned earlier that this thing they're calling the Covenant invaded the Crystal Empire where Twilight’s brother, Shining Armor and his wife, Princess Cadance resided.

From what they heard, the Covenant had to be the UNSC’s enemy, which meant that both Shining Armor and Cadance may surely have come to harm. No wonder why Twilight was very upset.

The anxietal thoughts now came to everypony and pushed them toward nearly the same state as Twilight.

The big question is, what became of both Shining Armor and Cadance?

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Damsels' Distress

Cadance was beginning to gain consciousness once again, but this time, she felt a little more disoriented than the time before. She hoped that this time she would wake up in her bedroom with Shining Armor back in the Crystal Empire. Surely this was a nightmare she was having.

When her eyes opened, she discovered that she was still in her prison cell abroad some sort of strange extraterrestrial ship. It wasn’t a dream at all; it really happened.

The last thing that Cadance remembered before blacking out was that Queen Chrysalis, and what appeared to be a few of her changelings, had pinned her down on the floor where they along with Chrysalis brutally raped her in means of feeding. It would explain why her nethers were aching and burning.

The lingering pain made her groan and cry out. Not only that, but she remembered what Chrysalis told her before her molestment, “I hope you can deliver the same amount of  love to them and me, just as you do with your pathetic husband--who is possibly dead now. My new friends do have a way of killing without mercy after all.”

This recurring thought made Cadance shed tears once more. She didn’t want to believe it was true, but there was no way of finding ways to debunk the statement. These aliens weren't hesitant to attack anything on command or instinct. It proved when one of the creatures shot at the base of one of her wings to cripple her.

As she wept, she heard the distinct binging sound of the brig’s door opening up as someone entered.

Thinking it was Chrysalis again, Cadance turned her head away to hide her face. She didn’t wish to be mocked for her emotions again.

The footsteps that approached her were making a clunking sound as the steps hit the ground indicating that the feet were bigger, and armored.

Looking up, Cadance saw that it wasn’t Chrysalis; but was one of the split-lip aliens which happened to be an Sangheili minor with a T51-C in hand.

This didn’t make Cadance feel any better at all. Both these aliens and Chrysalis have become the icons of torment and torture to the poor alicorn princess of love.

“Please,” Cadance begged backing herself up into a corner and cowered like a scared filly. “Spare my life! I’ll do anything you wish!”

“So you’ll come then? Good,” the alien said in clear Equestrian, and with contentment. “Hopefully that means you won’t be any trouble to me on the way there.”

“W-where are you taking me?” Cadance stuttered, fearful that she was going to lose her life if she went with this creature.

“The shipmaster wishes to speak with you about one of your artifacts retrieved from your keep,” he replied and deactivated the cell barrier. “Now get a move on, and don’t give me any trouble on the way or you’ll regret it.”

To make himself clear, the minor shot a round from his Carbine near one of Cadance’s hooves making her jump up and yelp.

After gaining a bit of composure, Cadance nervously stepped out of her cell and followed the alien out of the cell block.

As the Sangheili led Cadance through the interior of the carrier, she observed the structures of the corridors which looked the same with the textures, lights, and the symbolic purple paint job.

As they approached a door that was lighted green, it automatically opened up with the repetition bing chime. Cadance noticed that some doors were lighted red which probably indicated they were locked.

Cadance also caught sight of other alien species that walked past them. One being a group of Unggoy that were carrying small packages of supplies to an unknown location of the vessel. The group was being escorted by a single Kig-Yar that trailed behind them to make sure they weren't goofing off or slacking.

As the group passed, one of the Unggoy took notice of Cadance and stopped dead in his tracks to gawk at her in mesmerization. In doing this, his fellow companions bumped into him yelping is surprise and spilling the contents held in their packages, which to Cadance looked like some kind of dark blue balls.

The Kig-Yar let out an angry series of chirps at the downed group as if he was yelling at them for making such a foolish mistake. When the Kig-Yar finished his undistinguished rant, one of the Unggoy pointed a hand at the faulty Unggoy as if the Kig-Yar asked who was responsible for the disaster.

The Kig-Yar then strolled over to the blamed Unggoy, brought one of his claws up, and swiped it across the side of the Unggoy’s face drawing three lines of luminescent blue blood. The Unggoy then cried out in pain and grasped the side of his injured face with one hand.

Cadance was shocked that not one of his companions did a thing to help him out. She couldn’t figure out why a fellow soldier fighting on the same side would do such a heartless thing to an ally.

“You could feel sorry for the little gas-suckers,” the Sangheili remarked as if reading Cadance’s mind. “But this is how these little runts learn how to be better soldiers; and what better way than to place them with their rival cannon fodder.”

“How can they be so cruel?” Cadance foolhardily asked. She had to admit to herself she had little to no tolerance for mistreatment of weaker beings. “It was nothing but a simple error.”

“I can assure you that what those sniveling grunts were carrying in those packages were T1 antipersonnel latent plasma explosives. If one happened to be ignited within a cluster of the rest of the supplies, it would blow this carrier in half. Then where would we be?”

Cadance silently thought about the alien’s explanation. It wasn’t hard to come to the conclusion that most of the occupants onboard the vessel would be sucked into the vacuum of space to suffocate to death.

“My sediments exactly,” he said. “Now we’re almost to the shipmaster’s quarters. If you give him any trouble, I think you would know what you’ll have to face.”

Cadance gulped. She knew what could happen if she did anything wrong. She just hoped it would all be over quickly. Since the alien said it was an object from her kingdom, she shouldn’t have any trouble explaining it to him.

After about several more moments of seemingly endless walking, the Sangheili brought Cadance to a locked door which looked like all the others, except this one had a holographic terminal displayed on it’s right-hand side.

The Sangheili used one claw to interact with the interface while he slouched his Carbine over his shoulder with the other.

When the door turned green and binged opened, the Sangheili led Cadance into Dzen’s ready room where he was already there expecting them. The two aliens then began communicating in a strange language that Cadance couldn’t decipher at all.

Momentarily, the shipmaster said one final thing in Sangheilian. Whatever it was, Cadance noticed that her escort performed a head-bow, then turned around to begin leaving the room indicating that Dzen excused him to carry on other duties.

When the two were finally alone, Dzen calmly said now in Equestrian, “Please take a seat.”

Cadance didn’t hesitate to follow the instruction, but her uneasiness of her situation never faded away.

“So you are Princess Cadance, correct?” he asked.

“Yes, shipmaster,” Cadance replied. She knew addressing him by his designation was the proper way to show respect.

“Good. Now, you have been told the reason for your summoning here if I’m not mistaken?”

Cadance then recalled the memory of what her escort told her.

“I do,” she said. “You wish to know more about an object you found from my kingdom that you have obtained.”

Cadance was angry on the inside because she knew she had been robbed, but didn’t want to let it show in fearing it may cost her her life.

“Quite so,” Dzen confirmed. “Since it seems you are the leader of this keep, you can tell me what I need to know without giving me any trouble.”

“I wasn’t the only leader,” Cadance remarked, trying to fight back another wave of sorrow.

“Well, who is it?” Dzen asked intrigued. If there was more than one oracle that ruled this part of the planet, he wanted them all in order to get more information about what he needed to know about possible locations of other Forerunner artifacts.

“My husband,” she replied with a suppressed sob.

“What is the meaning of this sudden sorrow of yours?” Dzen asked, now puzzled by the equine oracle’s sudden change in demeanor.

“Your followers killed him!” she snapped while wailing once again. She couldn’t believe that this was happening to her. First her kingdom gets attacked, then is foalnapped, wounded, her husband is presumed dead, raped by changelings, and now being questioned. This was all too much to take and it was taking a heavy emotional toll on the princess.

After hesitating for a bit in baffled silence, Dzen calmly assured, “My fleet has no intention on eradicating your race since you are not the enemy we fight in this war.”

“Then why did Chrysalis tell me that you have done so?” Cadance demanded. She assumed she was still being used as a pawn in a mind game.

“That undisciplined changeling? She’s being overzealous. Our main adversary are the humans. If your spouse is an important asset as yourself, then both of you would be here.”

“Then where is he?” Cadance seethed with tears of anger and despair streaming down from her eyes.

“I cannot be sure. A couple of my Elites that infiltrated your stronghold went MIA shortly after your obtainment. It should be no coincidence that humans were reported within the structure as well. If I’m not mistaken, I would say that the humans have your husband to get even with us. Such a deed a this lies between honor and foolishness.”

Cadance calmed down a bit, but still wasn’t fully assured. It seemed like a very possible scenario. Strangely for the moment, she felt like she needed the help of her abductors in order to be hopefully reunited with Shining Armor.

“If you say what is true, then do you know where they would take him?”

Dzen took a moment to think. After serving throughout the entire Human-Covenant War, he knew that an enemy’s flagship was always the priority target either for destroying, or obtaining an important asset that would help the entire Covenant Empire reach its goal, whatever it might be. As far as Dzen knew, the Pony Express was the ship of main interest.

“I have a pretty good idea,” he finally said. “But first, I insist that you tell me what this is for.”

He then reached under his desk and pulled out a medium, clear white crystalline object that was in the shape of a heart.

Cadance eyes widened in surprise.

“The Crystal Heart!” she exclaimed. Her anger had now returned. “What are you doing with it? The empire can’t thrive without it!”

“So it does serve a strong purpose after all,” Dzen remarked, still sounding unusually calm. “Of course the purpose of your keep is of no interest to me. what can you tell me about it’s connection to the Forerunners?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Cadance protested. She had never heard of such a civilization before.

“Surely you do,” Dzen insisted, his patience already starting to run thin. “Our lords have left their relics throughout the galaxy, or across the entire regions of space.”

“I’m telling you, I don’t know anything about these things you’re calling forerunners. The Heart won’t be useful in your possession. You must return it to the empire’s square where it rightfully belongs!”

Cadance had completely forgotten about the consequences she might face if she didn’t mind herself around Dzen. she only thought about the safety of her kingdom, and her subjects that inhabited it.

Already frustrated with Cadance’s incompetence, Dzen opened up the door to his ready room and let in a couple of his minor class Elites who seized Cadance on both sides and restrained her. they even put an energy cuff on her horn to prevent her from trying any magic in means of attempted escape, even if she didn’t know any teleportation spells.

Cadance struggled, but both Sangheili had a good grip on her.

In Sangheilian, Dzen ordered, “Take Cadance back to her cell and have her guarded there until I can think of what needs to be done.”

The guards nodded and began to take Cadance out of the ready room and back to her holding cell.

On the way back through the interior of the carrier, Cadance never stopped thinking about what would become of her, her subjects, the planet, and most of all--Shining Armor.

“Please, Aunt Celestia,” she prayed in thought. “Please let Shining be okay, and that these mentioned humans are not hurting him in anyway.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Sibling Reunion

PONY EXPRESS MEDICAL BAY

1318 HOURS

The dark void that Shining Armor spent in for who knows how long began to show signs of gradually becoming lighter. Not only that, but muffled and slightly incoherent voices that he didn’t recognize became apparent.

As the light got brighter, the voices became clearer to him.

“He’s coming to.”

“Give room. Don’t crowd him.”

“Sir. Can you hear us?”

Shining emitted groans as the light began to show what environment he was in, but it was all the blur for the moment.

To try and clear away the blur, Shining opened and closed his eyes constantly while gently moving his head side to side. It was working because everything became more detailed with each blink and movement of the head.

When his sight was fully clear, he discovered that he was in some sort of infirmary or hospital room that he didn’t even recognize. What was most shocking to him was the company that was surrounding him were not ponies, but the same beings that saved him from another alien species that attacked him and Cadence.

Remembering his wife, Shining immediately shot up from his bed, but he was greeted with a nearly immobilizing pain that stopped him immediately.

“Argh!” Shining screamed and partially collapsed back onto the bed. A few of the apparent non-hostile aliens then held him gently.

“Take it easy, sir. Your plasma injuries are quite severe. You need to relax. We can give you some more morphine if you wish,” one of the aliens said. Since he was wearing a red cross on his uniform, Shining knew that it was a doctor.

“W-what happened? Where am I?” Shining asked, still a bit terrified.

“You’re in the infirmary section aboard the UNSC corvette, Pony Express,” the doctor replied. “You have been recovered by Marine Squad Eagle from a Covenant assault on your kingdom.”

“So, is that what those things were that wiped out most of my men? I don’t understand. What’s happening, and where’s my wife?”

“We’re afraid we haven’t heard any reports regarding your spouse. If you care to give us a description, we will be able to send out a search priority to all available units,” one of the medic marines replied.

“She’s an alicorn princess with a light pink coat and light purple eyes. Her mane and tail are the hues of plum purple, dark pink, and light yellow,” Shining explained the best way he could.

“Okay. Thank you, sir,” said the marine, who was taking notes of Shining’s description.

“You still haven’t answered my question of why we’re being attacked by this….Covenant, right?”

“As far as we know about Covie intentions, they are always seeking to either capture the planet, or search for any Forerunner artifacts that are hidden around--or underneath it,” replied another unnamed marine.

Shining was at a loss of words now. Sure these beings weren't hesitant to answer his questions, but it was suspicious to him that they knew quite a lot about their enemy.

“You didn’t happen to bring them here on purpose; have you?” Shining asked, now sounding perturbed.

“Of course not, sir. But the captain had suspicions that they would come here eventually.”

“Then why didn’t you let me and my men know when you first came to our planet? If you did, we would’ve been properly prepared, and Cadence would still be here at my side!”

Shining was practically fuming right now. He lost a majority of his men to an enemy that was unknown--and more powerful and dangerous than the standard armies of Equis.

“Please, sir. You must stay calm. Your treatments will be ineffective if you let your stress levels rise,” the doctor stated while keeping a moderate composure.

Shining wanted to continue arguing. He just couldn’t believe that he wasn’t informed when these humans first made landfall. He knew that the Crystal Empire was isolated, but it wasn’t very hard to reach. It’s as if the UNSC were picking favorites.

Before wanting to protest another word, Shining reluctantly agreed to calm down: but it didn’t mean he was going to give in to trusting humans so easily. He suspected they were up to no good, even if they did appear to be allies. He needed some way to test them. He then remembered his other most prized family member--his younger sister.

“Well. If you have nothing on my wife yet, then what has become of Twilight?”

“You mean, Princess Twilight?” the doctor asked, raising a brow in curiosity.

“Yes,” Shining dragged indifferently.

“Last time we heard, she was on board the ship,” one marine stated. “And that was quite recently.”

“If what you say is true, then I insist on seeing her this moment.”

“You’re not well enough for any visitors yet, sir,” the doctor protested. “You should probably get some rest. I’m sure by then we can allow her to see you.”

“I don’t care about how well I am!” Shining protested, growing impatient and angry once more. “I want to make sure that she’s okay--and I don’t want to hear any reassurance from you! I need to know it face to face. I will not rest until I get the truth.”

The doctor was hesitant at first because he knew the medical protocols; but he also knew that Shining was a captain of the military since he received Shining’s personal records. He felt foolish though that he might have missed his family relations.

After a few more brief moments, the doctor sighed and said, “I’ll give word to the captain to send an escort for the princess to make your attendance.”

“Thank you,” Shining said, now calm and relaxed like the doctor requested.

“It’s my honor, sir,” the doctor said one final time and went over to one of the ship’s intercom transponders to relay his request to the bridge.

No sooner than he was catching up with Zeke and AJ and having nice to questionable conversations, Aaron found himself backtracking through the Express’s interior toward the cabins where he left Twilight and her friends who hopefully got settled in okay. He was still concerned about how Twilight acted earlier during lunchtime in the mess hall. He knew she had something painful on her mind, and lashed out when trying to be assured that it was okay to speak about what was troubling her.

Aaron thought it had to do with her brother since he heard that he was in the medic bay. Hopefully if that’s the case, Twilight can be rest assured; of course his current condition might prove to be a problem. If he was fully alive however, that was good news to everybody.

As Aaron entered the section that contained the mare’s cabins, he was surprised to find all five of Twilight’s friends standing outside the door with all looks of angst painted on their faces. They all had their ears pressed up against the door as if they were listening in or something.

“What’s going on?” he only managed to ask.

“Twilight is crying. That’s what’s going on,” Rainbow stated sarcastically.

“Poor dear has been at this for nearly half an hour,” Rarity added, but was sympathetic.

“Why?” Aaron cluelessly asked. “Does she suffer from homesickness or something like that?”

“No, brainless! She’s worried about her brother and Princess Cadance!” Rainbow snapped harshly.

Aaron was taken aback for the moment, but quickly remembered what his task was.

“I’ll have you know I was sent down here to let Twilight know that her brother is here on the ship, and alive, too.”

The friends fell silent for a brief moment because they weren't sure what to make of this sudden news. Frankly, they didn’t know if it was true or not.

“You're not sure if yer jus’ sayin’ that, right?” Applejack asked, making sure Aaron wasn’t making this all up in order to make everything seem better. She didn’t want to be suspicious or distrustful of him again since he proved to her, and the rest of them that he could be worthy of being their friend. Of course, friendship and trust is constantly tested.

“I’m telling the truth,” Aaron assured while maintaining patience the best way he could.

“Oh, yeah right!” Rainbow scoffed. “That excuse is older than…...oh I can’t even think of anything!”

“Older than the version of you that was into fashion like Rarity?” Pinkie asked randomly.

Both Rainbow and Rarity gazed at Pinkie dumbfounded and confused at the statement.

“Uh..sure. Whatever,” Rainbow said, shaking off her bewilderment.

Just then, the door to Twilight’s cabin hissed and began opening, which made Fluttershy jump and squeek before she dove for cover behind Rainbow.

When the door was fully opened, Twilight stepped out with red and puffy eyes along with a minorly messy mane, coat, and tail. This sight nearly made Rarity jump out of her skin as well.

“Girls. What in Equestria is all this commotion about?” she asked sounding tired and unlively. She then noticed Aaron was back.

“Oh hello, Aaron. Is there something you need?” she asked while wiping her eyes and sniffing a bit.

“I’ve been sent by Kenwood to retrieve you, Twilight. There’s somepony here that wishes to see you.”

“Who is it?” Twilight asked. It concerned her that Aaron didn’t give out a name.

“It’s your brother, Twilight,” Aaron replied without hesitation. “He’s on board the ship.”

“What?! Where?!” Twilight asked with a strong hint of excitement in her tone. Her demeanor had changed completely once again.

“He’s in the infirmary. He’s been severely wounded, but I heard that he’s strongly clinging on to life.”

Twilight’s depression and anxiety took hold of her again. That was news she didn’t need to hear, and it made Aaron wish he wouldn't’ have said it.

“Will he live? The doctors can heal him right?” Twilight asked with a pleadful tone. She was very close to breaking down once again.

“I’m afraid that is not my call,” Aaron replied, shaking his head sorrowfully. “But we must go at once. It’ll be best if your friends stay in their cabins to. The doctor said he would only allow only one visitor, which is you, Twilight.”

“Now see here….” Rainbow began, but was cut off when Twilight defensively raised her hoof.

“No, Rainbow. Aaron is correct. I’m sure soon enough we may all see him; but for this moment, it needs to be only me. I trust him,” Twilight said, now sounding grim and determined. Twilight’s friends were seeing a whole different her, and it severely concerned them. It even took Rainbow aback.

“Well. If that’s what ya think is best, Twi. Then we’ll do it,” Applejack assured with a forced smile. “Ah know yer brother we’ll be happy tah see ya, and that he’ll get well soon.”

Applejack then faced the rest of the friends.

“C’mon y’all. Let’s jus’ tend to our cabins and settle down fer a bit. All this fussin’ is wearing me out.”

As much as they were worried, they knew Applejack was right. Rainbow still wanted to protest, but always knew she wouldn’t get anywhere fast with the cowpony’s stubborn personality.

“Fine. We’ll remain here,” Rainbow grunted with disdain. “But don’t count on holding us back after this.”

Rainbow then turned around and went into her cabin alone before sealing the door behind her without even saying anything.

The remaining friends didn't know what to make of the situation, but thought it was best if they retired to their cabins as well--but not before glancing at Twilight and Aaron one last time to give reassuring nods before their doors closed.

As Aaron led Twilight through the corridors, he noticed that she was staring straight ahead without even looking around to observe every interior detail as she normally would have. This meant she had her mind focused on one thing only, and that was her brother.

When they finally reached the door leading into the infirmary, Aaron turned to Twilight and asked, “Are you ready?”

Twilight just wordlessly nodded.

“Alright then,” Aaron said and tapped the door’s keypad to unlock and open it.

When the door was fully opened, it revealed the waiting company, and an awake Shining Armor that immediately made eye-contact with Twilight. When she saw him, she immediately trotted as fast as she could to his side. When she saw how truly bad he looked, she started to sob once again.

“There there, Twiley,” Shining said gently with a small smile while using his somewhat good hoof to reach over and touch her shoulder in comfort. “I know I look pretty messed up, but I’ll pull through.”

“B--but your h-horn,” Twilight choked, indicating to the bandaged and gauss stubble where his horn once was.

“It will grow back in good time,” he assured while pulling Twilight closer. She gently hugged him so she wouldn’t hurt him by accident. “To tell the truth, I was way more concerned about you then my horn.”

Twilight smiled and chuckled, but it was mixed with another sob.

“I was so worried about you as well,” she managed to say. “When I heard that the Covenant was heading for the Crystal Empire I...I,”

Twilight couldn’t even finish her sentence as she hid her face on his shoulder to suppress more despairful wails.

“I know, Twiley. Before I blacked out from my injuries, my thoughts went to you, and the rest of our family. I was wishing that you didn’t have to go through what I did.”

“But what happened to you? How did you get like this, and where’s Cadance?”

It was now Shining’s turn to began shedding tears of his own.

“I was trying to save her from the hostile creatures,” he sniffed. “But I failed. They attacked the palace, killed my men, then captured her. It just happened all so fast. I can hardly remember any details.”

Twilight then turned toward Aaron with a plea-filled look on her face.

“Please tell me, Aaron, that you and your fellow soldiers can find and rescue Cadence.”

“We could,” Aaron assured. “But we haven’t received any intel on where they possibly have taken her.

“Actually,” one of the marines interjected while pulling out in DATAPAD. “Eagle’s recon scouts spotted and tracked a Covenant Lich from a portion of the Crystal Palace, to where the supercarrier is said to be located. Not really surprising since the flagship is always the point of main interest.”

“That’s probably where their keeping her imprisoned then,” Aaron stated. “Yet, what do they seek with this Cadance? Last time as I recalled, the shipmaster of the fleet had a main interest in Celestia and Luna.”

“No, it was every alicorn on Equis,” Twilight corrected, now sounding glum. “Our magic is what the shipmaster wants to use.”

“So? The Covies wish to have magical powers or something? I wouldn’t see how that could be possible,” another marine dumbly stated.

“I wouldn’t say so,” Twilight replied shaking her head. “Our magic is way more powerful than a unicorn can muster. As tempting as it would be for them to take away our magic for themselves, I have a theory they plan on exploiting us in their efforts to find Forerunner artifacts--or worse.”

The room fell silent for a bit. They weren't really sure of what to make of Twilight’s jumped-to conclusion, but it did seem logical. The Covenant did exploit a few humans in the past in order to interact with Forerunner technology, after all.

“Well if they already have Princess Cadance, does that mean they already have a way of locating every Forerunner artifact in the galaxy? Scratch that--the universe?” Aaron asked, raising a brow.

“Not yet,” Twilight assured. “Each alicorn’s magic is different in someway, and is harmless if used individually.”

“So what happens if more than one of your forces are combined?” Aaron asked.

Twilight gave Aaron an unsettling look.

“You don’t want to know,” she only said.

Aaron and the rest of the UNSC personnel fell silent again in hesitation as they thought over what Twilight just told them. Sure they didn’t know about the way actual magic worked, but they knew it could be apocalyptic if that was even the correct word for it. No matter what the cause, only one priority came to mind: find and secure Cadence before she comes to any more harm.

“I’ll report to Kenwood about your theory, Twilight,” Aaron finally said. “You and your friends must remain here and help look after Shining Armor. What needs to be done is a high risk mission that only highly trained Spartans like me can handle.”

“But, Aaron I..” Twilight protested but he cut her off.

“No, Twilight. There’s no way in hell I’m involving you in this sort of situation. You’ve seen how dangerous the Covenant is already just by what they did to your brother, but boarding one of their ships is an even greater cost--especially the flagship. Before, I’ve let you and your friends get the best of me--well not this time. You and the rest of your friends will be throwing your lives away or at their mercy if I give in to anymore of your protests. You must put your faith in us alone to bring Cadance back alive.”

“And what if you can’t?” Twilight argued. She wanted to help, no matter what the cost. She was surprised at herself that she was willing to be sacrificial, but she didn’t let it get to her. It’s as if there was a soldier that she didn’t even know was inside her, was beginning to emerge out of her. It had to be the same desire that made Shining Armor want to join the Royal Guard.

“An apt question if there was somewhere else to place your hope. There is not, I’m afraid,” Aaron shrugged.

“But…”

“He’s right, Twiley,” Shining interjected. “His species obviously know more about these hostile aliens then we do. As much as it pains me to say, I trust them to this for us; yet I strongly expect success.”

“But, Shining,”

“No more buts,” Shining insisted. “I don’t wish to fight with you, Twilight. We’ll just be wasting time doing so. We don’t have the same military hardware or training as they do. We both should know this already.”

Twilight was now at a loss of words. It got on her nerves sometimes when her brother outsmarted her own wits, but that was because most of her studies consisted around learning new spells, not military practices--of course she would make an exception to read about them.

Giving up, Twilight sighed.

“Fine. But if they fail, then we do it my way,” Twilight warned.

“I expect we are agreed then,” Aaron said and faced two of the marines who appeared to be in need of a task.

“Will you gentlemen please escort Twilight back to Barrack Block E where her friends are awaiting?”

“Will do, sir,” one marine nodded and began to escort Twilight out along with his partner.

Aaron then faced Shining and said, “I know that your faith in us isn’t in full, but we have our ways of making sure our rescue operations are not a fluke.”

“Do whatever you must, but make sure my wife isn’t harmed in the process,” Shining stated firmly, but it was addressed as a strict order.

Aaron’s only reply was a confirmed nod before he walked out of the room and toward the bridge.

As they went their separate ways, Aaron and Twilight had the same thought: this fight needed to be over with, and fast.  

Chapter Twenty-Nine: A Part of Ways

BRIDGE OF PONY EXPRESS

1331 HOURS

“So let me get this straight, Jensen,” Kenwood said, thinking. “The Covenant now wish to use alicorn magic to eradicate humanity?”

“Technically, it was to help them locate every Forerunner artifact in the universe,” Aaron corrected. “But it might be possible. They would do anything they could to remove us from the picture, after all.”

“And judging by the energy readings of this kind of magical force,” AJ added while looking over the calculations on his DATAPAD. “If Twilight, Celestia, Luna, and every alicorn on Equis were to combine all their magic together--it would create a force that would be equally powerful to a pulse from a Halo; maybe even more than that.”

“Well, I’m going to have nightmares for a while just thinking about that,” Zeke stated.

“But what will they do with us when their goal is complete?” Celestia asked worriedly. Both her and Luna teleported on board once they heard the news about Cadance and Shining Armor.

“I don’t know, ma’am,” Kenwood said, shaking his head. “Either they’ll find a way of disposing your kind, or they will make you continue to work as their slaves.”

Neither one of these options made Celestia or Luna feel any better. Already thinking about what the Covenant are doing with her niece was bringing Celestia to tears, but she fought in order to not look weak. Luna was truly seeing how her sister was feeling and brought her into a comforting embrace.

“You have to bring Cadance back to us,” Luna said, now taking Celestia’s strong will and her place in speaking. “Who knows what your adversaries can do with just one of us in their possession.”

“Will do, ma’am,” Kenwood said nodding. “But recovering your fellow majesty isn’t the only priority we have in store.”  

This got both of the princess’s attention.

“What do you mean?” Celestia asked.

“Do you know what the term, uppercut means?” Kenwood asked both the princesses.

“Yes. We believe we’ve heard about this word before,” Luna replied. “But we’re afraid we don’t know where you're going with this.”

“Well, six years ago. This tactic was used once during the Battle of Reach as a means of destroying a supercarrier like the one here,” Kenwood explained. “It was a very effective move..but--”

“What?” both princesses asked simultaneously with a look of worry and intriguement.

“It came at a cost of life to SPARTAN-052,” Kenwood continued, shaking his head sadly.

“Don’t forget about the shitload of Covenant ships that arrived soon afterward that caused Reach to fall, sir,” Zeke added.

Both of the princesses gasped in shock. That catch was better left unuttered to them.

“Yes, Fredrickson. I was getting to that,” Kenwood sighed. “There was no way of knowing that the Covenant would send in a lot more reinforcements then what seemed predicted.”

“So what’s the point of this operation if you know it’s going to fail, and make you sacrifice one of your soldiers?” Celestia demanded. She was highly suspicious of this tactic, and believed she shouldn’t allow it to happen.

“We’re not going to do it the exact same way,” Kenwood assured and brought up a 3D holographic model of a late Covenant CSO-class assault carrier from the bridges holo-table. “UPPER CUT was done by delivering a Pelican-transported slipspace drive to one of their corvettes. The corvette was then initiated into a re-fuelling sequence which made it automatically set it’s course to attach to the midsection of the carrier. Once the bomb detonated, the entire midsection of the ship was sent into the slipspace stream forever; resulting in the carrier to be cut in half.”

The entire procedure and result was displayed on the holo-table before it switched to a model of a CAS-class carrier which was the Savior’s Light’s classification.

“What we intend on doing is to split units into two boarding groups. The unit to retrieve Cadence will board at the aft-stern section of the ship since that area is closest to the detention-cells, while the other will infiltrate the bow to initiate a detonation of the ship’s reactor core.”

“And guess who’s the lucky bastard for the job,” Zeke stated with a proud and cocky look on his face.

“It’s you of course,” AJ blatantly stated, making Zeke frown.

“Why do you always have to be a spoiler, Harrison?”

“It was obvious--and that I was here when it was assigned to you,” AJ dead-panned.

“Focus, soldiers,” Kenwood ordered firmly making Zeke and AJ stand down. “I suggest now that you all get geared up and ready to go. This will be the most suicidal mission I’m putting you men on.”

“Excuse me for interrupting, captain. But why is it suicidal?” Celestia asked. “Isn’t there an extraction plan once both of your objectives are complete?”

“There is; but it’s a very risky solution,” Kenwood replied officially. “There are two hangar bays that will contain ships that could be used for escape. The hangar bay that we’ll go for is the main gargantuan one, but no doubt it will be guarded and occupied by heavily armed troops along with vehicles in the interior of the chamber.”

“But surely there has to be another way,” Celestia insisted.

Kenwood shook his head.

“Sometimes there is, and sometimes there isn’t. Maybe your military has different customs than we do. Then again, maybe it doesn’t. Either way, we all should know that we have to make sacrifices in order for the greater good.”

“Greater good? You already mentioned that one of your soldier’s deaths was in vain! How can we come to terms with believing you that your operation will not just cause Equis to follow the same fate as Reach?”

Celestia was becoming hysterical while Luna just looked on at her sister’s falling demeanor.

“The Covenant wanted Reach to fall because it was the UNSC’s main point of military technology and command,” Kenwood explained, maintaining a calm composure. “It was also where the late SPARTAN-II’s were trained. The Covenant knew if they could claim Reach, they would have the upper hand to eradicate all of humanity. No offense, your highness. But  Equis doesn’t seem to have the same strong military fortifications that Reach had--or has no significance to the entire UNSC fleet. Besides, the old Covenant was responsible for Reach’s fall. The way we see this Covenant under ‘Mdama’s control, he only takes it over until what needs to be done--then he leaves.”

Kenwood neglected to mention to Celestia and Luna was that once ‘Mdama got what he wanted from Requiem, he destroyed it. Kenwood couldn’t see how ‘Mdama would send Equis to a similar fate since it wasn’t artificially made--but his intentions were always unpredictable. It wasn’t his duty to give out false hope, but there was no other approach to do what needed to be done. Both Cadence and Equis needed to be saved, no matter the consequences. This was going to be the battle that would hopefully end it all.

Celestia and Luna fell silent for a brief moment. They couldn’t find a reply to Kenwood’s statement at all. As offensive as it sounded, they knew that Kenwood was right. Equestria’s military was less fortified since it was a seemingly harmonized continent. War has been done before with Griffindonia, but that was millions of years ago as Celestia and Luna recalled. Conflict was then ceased after that time.

After several more moments, Celestia finally spoke up.

“If you think that this is the right thing to do, then so be it.” Her voice was surprisingly calm now, but it sounded a bit ominous. “But if Equis falls, it’s all on the entire UNSC’s head.”

“Understood, ma’am,” Kenwood confirmed, showing not to be intimidated by Celestia’s imposing stature. He then turned to Aaron and his companions. “I’m issuing Pelican 184 to deliver you, Jensen and Harrison for the recovery; and 412 for Frederickson and Valley Company to neutralize the core. You have until fourteen-hundred sharp to report to the hangar bay. Clear?”

“Yes, sir,” the three Spartans said in unison.

“Good. Now go at once.”

Aaron and his team then left the bridge to follow their orders leaving Kenwood with the two princesses.

“I know you're worried, your majesties--and you have every right to be,” he assured. “I’ve seen my fair share of death and fallen worlds. We’ve already promised you that we’ll defend Equis anyway we can, and I’m not about to let that promise break.”

“I hope you won’t,” Celestia replied with a bit of a sneer. She was never this cynical at all, but when it came down to her and her sister’s planet and their subjects--Celestia was a much different monarch, which scared Luna quite a bit. She hoped the UNSC could pull this mission off without flaw or inconvenience.

However, the brief wasn’t as private as anyone thought.

From a secret position which happened to be the room’s ventilation duct, a miniaturized Twilight Sparkle was listening in on the brief.

Apparently just right after she was escorted back to her room and pardoned her friends in order to get some sleep, Twilight used a spell to shrink herself to the size of a Breezie which allowed her to easily slip in between the grate which blocked entrance to the duct.

She then used a navigation spell to locate the bridge in a labyrinth of metal tunnels and shafts. The journey was a bit rough sometimes because small pockets of air would blow her off course, making flying a bit difficult; so she then decided just to teleport to the closest area of the bridge, and just in time to hear the brief from beginning to last.

Judging by the way she saw and heard Celestia behave, Twilight could tell that her old mentor was deeply troubled and distrustful of what Kenwood had planned. Twilight knew now that she had to help, even if it was against Aaron’s and Shining’s wishes. What conflicted her though, was to get her friends involved. She didn’t want to hold them back anymore, but the risks were way too high; no--beyond that! Twilight knew she’d be putting her friend’s lives on a very thin line if they were to tag along with her. She had to do this alone, even if it meant giving up her life for it.

Twilight lit up her horn and teleported back to her cabin.

Once she was in, she restored herself to her normal size before walking over to her saddlebag. She then levitated a piece of paper, quill, and ink bowl out of it before placing it on a desktop before she began writing on it.

As she wrote, she thought about her entire life as far as she could remember it. From her first attendance at the Summer Sun Celebration, to her brother leaving for the Royal Guard, to earning her cutie mark and hatching Spike. Just thinking about him now brought tears to Twilight’s eyes once again, but she stopped herself from crying this time. She needed to be strong.

She no longer wanted to be a sensitive and eggheaded little alicorn princess anymore. Twilight and Shining may have taken different paths in their lives, but it didn’t mean that they couldn’t merge together one day.

When she finished writing, she folded the paper into a standing tent-like style where she wrote, To My Friends on one of the exterior faces in large enough print so they would easily notice it whenever they managed to get access to her cabin.

With her deed now done, Twilight lit up her horn as she casted the shrinking spell on herself once again before flying into the air ducts en route to the Express’s hangar bay where the assigned Pelicans would be launched.

Twilight may have found a new will, but it didn’t mean she still wasn’t clever enough to take mental notes of the Pelicans’ numbers.

Nearly thirty minutes have passed by since Twilight’s friends have last heard of her, or even bothered to check up on her since they feared disturbing Twilight would not make her any better. But now there was an urge to.

Rainbow was the first one to exit her cabin. She proceeded to knock on her friend’s doors and coax them out to join her. Rainbow then stated that they were going to barge in, uninvited.

“Are you sure we should do this, Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked nervously. “It’s very rude to do this while she’s trying to calm down.”

“She’s had plenty of time to cool down,” Rainbow protested. “Besides, she should know already that her friends can be there to help her--whether she wants them there or not. I’m telling you, she’s not right in the head.”

“Rainbow, darling. You really shouldn’t speak of Twilight that way. She knows what’s right from wrong,” Rarity scolded.

“Oh yeah? What about that time when she nearly made the entire town want her cheesy stuffed animal?”

“That was one time,” Rarity stated with dignity. “I was meaning to say she had a different state of mind after all that.”

“Ah wouldn’t be sure ‘bout that,” Applejack interjected with concern in her tone. “Ah never seen Twi snap like that ever before back in the mess hall.”

“I agree with Applejack,” Pinkie added. “I know when somepony has a dark state of mind; or how they feel if they ever lost someone they cared about, kind of like how the Master Chief lost Cortana onboard that creepy space banana-shaped ship that vaporizes its victims into digital dust.”

The girls just stared a Pinkie with a look of disbelief and confusion on their faces. Pinkie just gave them an embarrassed *squee* in return.

“Anyway,” Rainbow said, acting like Pinkie didn’t even say anything. “How in Equestria are we supposed to open these darn things?” she asked, now studying the door’s mechanism.

The rest of the friends joined in looking over every detail and button to try and find the opening switch.

“Ya got me on this one, y’all,” Applejack said. “Besides, Ah don’t know anythin’ ‘bout these fancy contraptions.”

“It’s quite robust,” Rarity agreed. “Yet very unpleasing to the eye. If it was more genuine than it is now, I would’ve picked the correct button this instant.”

“I got nothing,” Pinkie confessed.

“Uggghhh!” Rainbow groaned in frustration and slammed her face against the wall.

“Um. If it isn’t any trouble if I may point out something,” Fluttershy quietly said. “Isn’t that green LED light the one you need to press to get in?”

Rainbow pulled her face from the wall and looked at the light that Fluttershy indicated to. Rainbow was a bit hesitant at first, but decided to test Fluttershy’s theory.

When Rainbow put one of her hooves on the light, a beep and a hissing noise made her flinch back. The door then clicked multiple times before it finally began opening to reveal an empty cabin, to the friends’ shock. They immediately bolted into the room and looked around.

“What ‘n tarnation?” Applejack gasped. “She’s gone!”

“Yeah, Applejack. I think we already noticed that,” Rainbow spat sarcastically.

“But how can this be possible?” Rarity asked. “We didn’t even hear her door open earlier; and with how noisy these doors truly are, one or all of us would’ve heard it.”

“Maybe she shrunk herself down to the size of a Breezie, and escaped through that air vent,” Pinkie stated, pointing to the grate over the duct.

“Now’s not the time for jokes, Pinkie!” Rainbow ordered, making the party pony shrink back.  “Twilight has disappeared without a trace! Doesn’t that even make you care?” Rainbow was already fed up with Pinkie's nonsense, and just senselessly snapped.

“Of course it does,” Pinkie said quietly, close to tears. “I was just--”

“--making a foolish statement in hopes of making light of a serious situation?” Rainbow mockingly finished. “I hate you break it to you, Pinkamena Diane Pie, but you should know already that sometimes the world isn’t always a happy place filled with ice cream and what not. Sweet Celestia, I just can’t believe how ignorant you are sometimes!”

Within seconds, Pinkie’s coat turned a dark shade of pink while her mane and tail flattened into straight hairs as she began sobbing into her hooves.

“Oh nice goin, Rainbow! Look what ya did!” Applejack scolded while bringing Pinkie in for a comforting hug.

“Take that back and apologize to her this instant!” Rarity insisted, siding by Applejack.

“Oh what, I can’t be the Element of Honesty too?” Rainbow coldly asked. “What more could be said? Surely you would have said the same thing, AJ!”

“Ah would do no such thing,” Applejack retorted defensively. “Besides if Ah did, Ah would’ve been more a lot more gentle and considerate of her feelings.”

“Well if you two won’t agree with me, at least Fluttershy will! Right, Fluttershy?”

Rainbow glanced at Fluttershy, but was surprised to see that Fluttershy had her back turned to her, and that she could be heard emitting despairful whines and whimpers.

“What?! You too? I don’t believe you guys at all! Twilight has ditched us and none of you are taking it seriously! Some friends you have turned out to be! Well you know what: I’ve had it, with all of you! When this is all over, hopefully you can find a new bearer of loyalty!  Oh wait, I already have a candidate for you--that no good Aaron!” she exploded before flying top-speed out of the room with angry and disdainful tears leaving her eyes.

The room was silent for a bit except filled with the muffled sounds of Pinkie and Fluttershy weeping.

When Pinkie finally seemed to calm down, all eyes went on to Fluttershy, who apparently hasn’t stopped crying at all.This grew concern from the others.

“Fluttershy? Are you okay, darling?” Rarity asked.

Fluttershy didn’t respond verbally, and kept on weeping.

The friends then walked over to Fluttershy in order to comfort her. When they were near her shoulders, they discovered that Fluttershy had some sort of paper with writing in her hooves. It looked like some kind of letter.

Fluttershy’s tears stained some of the wording on the letter, but not enough to easily decipher it. What it said made everypony's heart skip a beat, and hold each other with the same misty eyes as Fluttershy.

Dear, Friends.

As you’re reading this letter right now, I’m sorry to say that I have already left the ship to assist Aaron and his fellow soldiers to rescue Cadance.

Incase you're asking; no I didn’t get permission from Aaron, my brother, or the rest of the UNSC to tag along. Frankly I don’t care what either of them will say. They need me, and they should know that. I’m sorry. That should be said for you girls as well, and it is--but I need you to be safe, and alive.

I say that because I overheard them discussing that the operation their initiating is perilous and suicidal. I know that neither of you haven’t had any run-in’s with the Covenant yet, or witnessed the power they have. Surprisingly, neither have I--but I’ve seen one of their soldiers, and what they did do my brother. It’s scary I tell you; but the silly thing is, I’m not afraid anymore.

I don’t how I came to be this way. It could be the same will my brother had that influenced him to join the Royal Guard. My father was once in the military too. It must be all in the family, what can I say?

The main point is, I’m willing to trade my life for you girls--and all of Equestria and Equis. You’ve been the greatest friends anypony like me could ask for. Who knows what could’ve become of my life if Celestia hadn’t made me go to Ponyville. Sorry, I didn’t mean...it’s not like that. If it wasn’t for you guys, I would be at a dull and boring place, and that Celestia’s sun would never rise again. Besides, you girls have taken me on an exciting adventures, but you guys are my main adventure that has no conclusion to it--and I never want it to: but sadly today, it looks like it may have found its resolution.

If I don’t make it out, I want to let you guys know that I will always be watching over you, and waiting until it’s your time. Then I know that we’ll all be together again. I will never let the love I have for all of you go with me; it will always be there in your heart like I will.

Be sure to tell Celestia, Luna, and Cadence thanks for what they’ve done for me, and the rest of us. Also let my mother and father know ...actually, just give them this letter. It’ll save you the trouble. My brother and Spike should receive this as well.

I’m sure everypony would be notified of my farewell sooner or later, but I made sure all  five of you were the first ones to see it. So once again I say thanks, and bid my parting to all of you.

                                                           Sincerely your beloved friend, daughter, sister, and princess,

Twilight Glow Sparkle.

Chapter Thirty: Fight to the Finish, Part I - Turning Points


PONY EXPRESS HANGAR BAY

1400 HOURS

“This is it”, Aaron thought to himself as he, AJ, and members of Marine Squad Echo boarded their assigned Pelican. He knew that not many of them will get out of this alive, or if any would make it out at all. Aaron knew that the Covenant got more aggressive when their flagships get infiltrated, especially when they knew their human foes are going to take something of theirs, or blow it up to oblivion.

The weapon system that Aaron went with was his usual M45D, and the M363 RPD that would prove useful against clusters of infantry in tight quarters. His Armor Ability of choice for the mission was the T3 RDM/C to be used as a means of stealth in tricky situations, which he knew would be many.  

AJ went with an MA5D and the M6 G/GNR to use against any heavy enemy armor when they entered the carrier’s main hangar bay. His Armor Ability was the Z90 PCE/A: a Forerunner photon emitter that fuses particles of light into a barrier which could deflect most enemy return fire. This was yet another piece of Forerunner tech the UNSC has taken from Requiem.

Echo’s weapons system varied of MA5D’s, BRH5, and M395’s as primary; all M6H’s as secondary.

***

Flying unnoticed because of her Breezie-size, Twilight looked down at where Aaron and his squad were just beginning to board the Pelican.

Twilight set her eyes on a single marine that was in position to board the dropship last. It was then that she quickly and swiftly flew toward him with her eyes set on one of his ammo pouches. Sure it would probably be dark, cramped, and stuffy--but it would be convenient enough for safely stowing away.

She flew near the button-latch of the pouch and did her best to pop it open. Unfortunately though, she was too small to have the strength for a successful attempt.

With very short time on her hooves, Twilight just decided to use her horn to poke a hole in the thick leather and proceeded to using her hooves to widen the hole so she could squeeze herself in. She managed to get her upper body inside, but she got stuck at her wing section.

Since she couldn’t use her hooves anymore, Twilight used telekinesis to stretch the leather further which caused the rest of her body to pop in successfully, but she landed face first onto one of the ammo clips.

“Ouch!” she cried, her voice squeaky as a result of her size. She then quickly covered her mouth with one hoof in fear of being discovered. Thankfully, the marine didn’t hear her.

Assured that she was safe, Twilight lit up her horn a bit to get a better look at her surroundings. Frankly there wasn’t much to see at all except several clips of ammunition that acted as the floor.

Twilight admitted to herself that it wasn’t the comfiest seat for the ride, but it had to do. She just prayed that the trip wouldn’t be very long.

***

“Everyone’s on board, pilot. You are free to take off,” Aaron reported to the cockpit.

“Copy that, sir,” the pilot replied and initiated the take off sequence for the Pelican.

The flight to the supercarrier was not going to be an easy one since it would be supported by many fighters and its own weapon systems. To prepare for this, Kenwood successfully received more ships from Captain Lasky to help aid in the operation. Infinity would be standing by for extra support if Kenwood’s fleet needed more backup.

During the flight, Aaron’s mind reflected back on to Twilight and the rest of her friends. He wondered if this mission would save, or doom their planet like it did Reach. Even if he wasn’t serving during that time, he could imagine how horrible it was, and the casualties that went with it.

“Hey, Jensen? Are you alright?” AJ asked with a look of concern hidden behind his visor. Aaron was wearing his helmet too, but somehow AJ could tell that there was something on Aaron’s mind.

“What? Uh yes. I’m good,” Aaron assured.

“Uh huh,” AJ uttered skeptically. “Look, man. I know you're nervous about the outcome of this mission; so am I. But look at it this way, if ‘Mdama does somehow rear his ugly head to Equis along with the rest of his fleet--we’ll get him, and hopefully end all this.”

“I still don’t feel any better,” Aaron muttered. “Sorry if this sounds a bit cheesy, but I think I can’t stand the thought of the citizens of Equis going through hell like humanity has gone through for the past twenty-years. This planet , and their inhabitants won’t be able to handle the full force of a true Covenant invasion. The Crystal Empire already went through a minor hell--but full planetary assaults are a whole new story. Hopefully Captain Lasky can see to bringing most, if not the entire UNSC fleet here in order to protect it as if it was Earth itself.”

AJ and all the members of Echo gazed at Aaron with looks of concern and bewilderment. It seemed to them as if Aaron was going soft, which was unlikely of many soldiers in the UNSC--but it was possible.

As much as they either wanted to laugh at Aaron or question his statement, they knew he proved a point somewhere. The equines on this planet had the same intelligence as humanity did. Plus, they all remembered that the UNSC had duties to protect innocent lives,  even if the current clients they were serving were not even human.

“I’m sure something could be worked out,” AJ assured. “Besides, I think it was mentioned that if ‘Mdama would arrive here--apprehending him and Halsey would be a little more easier.”

“I would go with, convenient,” one marine of Echo stated. “There’s nothing really easy about apprehending a Covie--especially the leader of an entire fleet.”

“I second that,” a second marine agreed.

The rest of the squad followed suit.

“Well you get the idea anyway,” AJ said, slightly embarrassed from overcompensating.

From the safety of the ammo pouch, Twilight heard every single word that was discussed. The thought of a massive Covenant fleet overtaking all of Equis terrified her. It would mean the end of all harmony, and the world itself.

Just then, the pilot radioed in over the intercom, “Carrier in sight. Standing by for immediate assault.”

Please, Celestia. Let us make it through this alright, and that we succeed in hopefully ending the invasion of our planet, Twilight prayed anxiously. She knew this was going to be a rough ride.

Meanwhile on the bridge of the Light, Dzen analyzed the 3D holographic image of Equis and the positions of his troops and ships either on, or above the planet’s surface.

Chrysalis then entered the bridge, looking a bit winded and in a little pain. It was then that Dzen acknowledged her, and her condition.

“I take it that you’ve managed to reproduce your drones without any trouble?” he asked her.

“Yeah. Except about the part when laying multiple eggs at once takes a heavy toll on energy, and your pain tolerance toward it,” Chrysalis replied a bit cynically.  

“You should be grateful though that I reserved one of the Unggoy breeding chambers for you,” he replied, unfazed by Chrysalis’ attitude.  “And that I didn’t assign a dishonorable warrior to guard the entrance to your chamber.”

During her time on board the ship, Chrysalis has spotted few of Dzen’s Elites outside a locked door with an T1 EW/S in hand. The sounds that emitted behind the door were noisy, and questionable--and it certainly irritated the guard since he looked down at the floor and growled to himself.

“I am grateful,” Chrysalis protested. “Sorry if I seemed a bit crabby. If you were a changeling queen, I’m sure you would understand what I have to go through.”

“Believe me, I think I already know,” Dzen stated.  “My own wife had her own troubles while delivering our own children.”

Chrysalis just sighed, wanting to drop the subject now before it got more uncomfortable.

“Anyway, anything new with your adversaries lately? It’s been awfully quiet. Almost too quiet to be exact.”

“The humans are always keeping us in suspense,” Dzen explained. “You can call it a cowardly move, but in fact-- it’s an honorable one.”

“Say what?” Chrysalis asked, perplexed.

“You see, my people believe in fair conflict and discipline. It’s culture that has run throughout the centuries on our homeworld. In short of saying, we may despise our foes--but we respect their combat if it’s honorable enough.”

Chrysalis was still baffled at Dzen’s explanation and tried to make sense of it. Since she was the sadistic and merciless type--respect and honor didn’t appear in her dictionary.

“Hm. It seems as if there’s a lack of mutualism between our ways,” Dzen sighed, a little disgusted. “No matter, I’m sure you’ll learn sooner or later.”

“Yeah. That’ll be the day,” Chrysalis muttered indifferently, rolling her eyes.

Just then, the alert alarm emitted from the hologram of Equis.

“What’s that?” Chrysalis asked, a bit startled by the sudden turn of events.

Instead of giving Chrysalis a direct answer, Dzen turned his attention toward the hologram to notice that the entire human fleet that was occupying Equis was en route to his location.

“Bring all weapon systems online, and send out troops for engagement!” Dzen ordered to his crew.

“What in Cerberus’s name is going on here?” Chrysalis demanded, irritated at the lack of answers she was receiving.

“The humans have gone on full offense,” Dzen finally explained, a bit perturbed. “Their  entire fleet is going to engage us--and my ship is their primary goal.”

Chrysalis at first didn’t understand why Dzen’s adversaries would be interested in his carrier, but it didn’t take her long to figure out what the reason might be.

“Correct me if I’m wrong; but I think it’s super obvious that they’re after Cadence,” Chrysalis stated. “Guh! Damsel-rescue situations make me sick!”

Dzen nodded in agreement.

“Form a tight defensive barricade at and near the entrance to the brig! Don’t let them recover the asset princess!” Dzen ordered back to his commanding officers.

The officers nodded and hurriedly exited the bridge.

“Isn’t there anything I, and my changelings can do to help?” Chrysalis insistingly asked. She was willing to do anything to help her newfound allies not face defeat.

Dzen took a moment to think.

“Can your minions mold their hooves into something poseable to hold weaponry?” he asked her.

Chrysalis held up one of her holed-hooves and managed to spring out three finger-like and poseable appendages in a series of green flames.

“A very rare action we perform, but it does have some benefits when it seems necessary,” Chrysalis said proudly.

“Good. You may be dismissed now to link up with your minions and prepare them for combat. No doubt the humans will find a way onto my ship somehow,” Dzen said.

Chrysalis nodded and made her way off the bridge toward her changeling’s quarters. She may again lose some of her children, but it was for the sake of keeping Cadance in their grasp.

Back on the Express, a miserable and disgruntled Rainbow Dash walked the lower corridors of the ship all by herself. She was confronted by several crewmembers to ask why she was wandering the ship alone without any escorts. Her only excuse was that she wished to stretch her legs, nothing more. They were a bit suspicious of the technicolor-maned pegasus’s testimony, but accepted it--but they warned her to not go into any restricted areas, or harass any soldiers on break.

As she walked, Rainbow thought about how much she hated herself for being so cruel towards Pinkie and the rest of her friends. She knew she didn’t mean any of it, but she could not understand why her own friends turned against her when Pinkie was trying to make light of a very serious situation. Twilight abandoned them without a hint of an explanation or a motivation for it! Heck, even a farewell would’ve been acceptable: said or written.

Not only did she worry about Twilight because she was her best friend, but she also had an attraction to the nerdy alicorn. Rainbow was indeed a lesbian after all, but a very closeted and conflicted one.

She pretty much fell for any attractive mare she saw, but what held her back was the thought of them possibly already being married to a stallion--or another mare if they had the same sexual preference as she did. Another thought being was that her reputation would be ruined if anypony caught her showing open affection toward another mare. She feared of ridicule and scrutinization from everypony--even if Celestia did legalize and accept homosexual marriages between ponies.

Now having to be loyal to five mares, Rainbow’s troubles seemed to die down a little since she had friends to make her feel more comfortable; but it didn’t get rid of her heart’s desires.

She was mostly drawn to Applejack because of her strong and athletic body--along with her drawl.

Her other attraction was to Fluttershy, since they were friends ever since they were fillies at Flight Camp. However, Rainbow knew that Fluttershy's insecurities’ and skittishness would prove to be a problem for any intimate advances. Besides, Rainbow figured that Big Mac would suit Fluttershy better since they were both of a timid nature, and adored animals.

Pinkie was funny, but obnoxious at times; and Rarity was way too prim and posh for Rainbow’s taste.

As for Twilight, yes Rainbow thought of her as a boring egghead, but couldn’t help but think about how adorable she was when she became awkward at times. Now becoming an alicorn, Rainbow found Twilight to be even more alluring.

However Rainbow knew now that her relationship with all her friends has come to yet another abrupt bump--a rather huge one, metaphorically speaking.

Surely by now she would go back to Pinkie and the others to try and make amends meet; but she couldn’t.

It was in her mind that they didn’t seem to care about Twilight anymore, which was a false fact indeed, but something was preventing her from seeing reason. It was a feeling similar to when she was brainwashed by Discord, yet this time it wasn’t his doing.

Sure Rainbow could decide to head back to her home in Cloudsdale when this ordeal with the UNSC was over, but strangely--it was nothing like that.

Rainbow had no idea who she was anymore, or what her purpose seemed to be without anypony to be loyal to. Without anypony to serve, she felt useless and to be thrown away.

It was at this moment that Rainbow had come across a door marked, BRIG on the top of it. Of course, it was imprinted with a restriction marker on it.

Rainbow did agree that she wouldn’t enter off-limit areas onboard the ship, but something inside her mind was telling her to break that agreement. It was either part of her mischevious personality fragment: or something ominous in nature which was unlikely for her.

Rainbow first hesitated a bit to debate with herself if she should open the door just to have a quick peek inside. Sure it seemed harmless, but what if there were cameras watching her either on the outside on the interior of the chamber? Surely then the alarm would sound and soldiers would be on her in moments.

Rainbow normally knew a little better than to get herself in trouble with the forces of authority, but this emptiness she was experiencing was influencing her to not care anymore. She felt like she needed to be condemned, just to face what she has done to her friendship.

Rainbow carefully looked around before she proceeded to activate the switch on the door’s pad, which resulted in the door hissing before it smoothly slid open.

Rainbow once again checked her surroundings before she stepped into the semi-dark and eerie atmosphere of the brig’s interior.

As she looked around, she found out that the brig was a long corridor with doors to cells on each side. The design of the interior wasn’t that much different from the rest of the ship’s, but Rainbow somehow sensed the dread of a soul that would be condemned to this place. Also, the lighting wasn’t all that good to add more of a sinister feeling.

Before Rainbow proceded any further into the corridor, she made sure to shut and seal the door behind her to avoid suspicious eyes from anyone who might pass by that area.

As Rainbow walked farther anther down the brig’s corridor, she began to think that she should be locked up in one of the cells just for what she may have caused in her relationship with her friends. To her, this felt like the turning point in her life. It was better for her to be condemned then to be free and cause everypony more stress and heartbreak.

The point of all this, she was the one who gave her friends their cutie marks and united them later in life--but she could also be the one to tear everyone of them apart for good. She didn’t want to think of it that way, but it seemed highly logical--and Rainbow just knew who to blame for making her reluctantly realize it.

“Stupid UNSC, stupid me, stupid everything! Why did things have to turn out like this? If that obnoxious Aaron didn’t crash on our planet, everything and everypony would be alright, and I would still have friends--but no. Feathering Celestia just had to let them stick around here and cause trouble!”

Rainbow didn’t care that she had just cursed Celestia’s name. Rainbow was currently in the same dark mind as Applejack was back at the park, but in a way deeper void.

“You think the humans are incompetent and meddling, too? Well that makes both of us then,” a strange male voice said from one of the dark cells.

Rainbow froze in her tracks. She wasn’t expecting anyone else in the area with her at all, and it terrified and startled her quite a bit. A lot, actually.

“W-who said that?” Rainbow stuttered, forgetting to put on her normally brave face and abrasive tone.

“Calm yourself, equine creature. I mean you no harm,” it reassured.

“Y-yeah right! That’s what they all say? Where are you anyway?” Rainbow demanded. Her boldness starting to come back a bit.

“A few cells ahead from where you are,” it replied. “I should warn you though that I am not one of your kind--or the humans that occupy this very vessel.”

Rainbow steadily, but cautiously walked forward to where the voice was coming from.

“I swear if you try anything funny, y-you won’t like what I will do to you,” Rainbow nervously threatened.

When Rainbow reached the third cellblock from her, she first peered into the left cell to only see nothing but a cot, bench, sink and toilet with no occupant. But when she peered into the right cell, it was a different story. What she saw made her mouth hang open in shock.

Sitting on the side bench-wall of the cell, looking directly back into her eyes was a tall and bipedal, reptilian-like creature with pale but freckled skin. Instead of having five fingers like Rainbow saw on the humans, it had only four, and were claw-like.

Rainbow was entranced by the piercing yellow eyes that it had, but horrified by its mouth that split into four appendages--and the razor sharp teeth contained within.

Rainbow could only stand there and gawk without an effort of a word coming from her mouth.

“I sense your fear,” the creature said. “But you should know I have no intention of harming you.”

That didn’t help Rainbow relax. The creature’s arms looked ripped with muscle that would be perfect for either snapping her neck, or choking her to death.

“Your kind is not the enemy; the humans are. You already knew that without me even breathing a word. You are indeed a worthy one, aside from your fellow compatriots.”

“W-what are you talking about?” Rainbow managed. “Who are you, and what are you?”

“The name’s Hvu,” the creature replied. “I was once a great and loyal warrior to my commanders, and to the people I served back on my homeworld. These humans captured me and took my honor away from me by taking my armor, and weapons before imprisoning me here.”

“Well….sorry to hear that,” Rainbow sheepishly stated. She was surprised at herself that she was starting to feel bad for this new alien species by the name of Hvu. Perhaps she knew what it feels like to have your pride taken away from you: because that’s how she felt moments ago.

“Hope is not lost for me though,” Hvu assured. “Surely they are storing my armor and weapons on this ship somewhere. Surely if you help me out of this cell, I can find it so that I may return to my comrades.”

“Whoa whoa whoa!” Rainbow stalled, finally finding her nerve and voice. “You really expect me to just help you escape after we just met is such a place as this? I don’t think I can trust you. I can’t trust anypony, or myself. What makes you think I can just let you go after assuring me we have some sort of mutual concern?”

“Because you are the wise one that goes above the rest,” Hvu replied, maintaining his patience. “Your fellow species are oblivious to what the humans are really capable of. You already know that they have caused nothing but dishonorable codes to your world. I clearly overheard you say that your own compatriots have shamed you for your own concern about a certain ally of yours. They don’t believe you at all. Well guess what, I believe you all the way….I believe I haven’t caught your name.”

“Rainbow Dash,” Rainbow said uncertainly.

“Your blood and honor is strong, Rainbow Dash. You are the arm and the blade of the authority of your planet. That is truly something that should not go unrecognized or disrespected.”

“Well. I am pretty awesome,” Rainbow said with a familiar smirk and egotistic tone. She was beginning to feel like her old self again.

“My point exactly,” Hvu implied. “But the humans are starting to take that honor away from you. It’s not too late now to take back what they have stolen from you; but time is running out as we speak.”

“Then what can I do?” Rainbow desperately asked. The last thing she wanted to do was to completely lose her honor that Hvu told her that she had. She knew now that she was way more important than she had before.

“The only way to save your honor to assist me in getting free. As a reward of gratitude, I will help you any way I can to help you reclaim the honor that is being taken from you.  It’s your choice however if you wish to help me or not. Whatever you decide, I will honor it. It’s what my people believe in.”

Rainbow now found herself at a fork in the road situation which she hated a lot, but it was the main test of her Element.

Either she helped Hvu to get back her dignity and honor, or let him remain in his cell to leave her on her own to figure things out.

What to do? she fretfully thought to herself. What to do?

Chapter Thirty-One: Fight to the Finish, Part II - Flawless Cowboys and Escaped Convicts


Cadance was once again back in her prison cell with the thoughts of never seeing her friends or loved ones ever again. Not only was she a prisoner, but was used as a source of food for Chrysalis’s drones.

Every hour or so, one or a few changeling drones would be allowed in her cell which was guarded constantly by two Sangheili minors, to rape her for her love. This was the reason why Cadance was now restrained in her own cell.

Cadance pleaded for her captors to show mercy, but it was replied by either cold shoulders, or an energy electrocution that was delivered from her chains. Technically however, it was normally a combination of both. In the end, Cadance could only weep and submit to her pain without any hope of being rescued.

She began to think that being imprisoned in the Canterlot Mountains was way better than being trapped on board an alien ship. Truthfully, it was not, because she had no food or water to aid in her survival. If Twilight didn’t get imprisoned in the mountains with her, Cadance would’ve been dead in days. Still, she wasn’t used as a pleasure toy or a cuisine to changelings. Being taken advantage of was putting a toll on her dignity and peace of mind.

As unconscious sleep began to fall upon her, she was snapped out of it when an alarm came on out of nowhere.

At first she thought the ship was about to blow up, but then she noticed that the guards were apparently putting one of their hands to one side of their heads as if they were listening in on instructions.

Momentarily, Cadance’s cellblock was filling with multiple troops either with weapons, or fortification gear which consisted of barriers, supplies caches,  and turrets.

It was obvious to Cadance that they were setting up for an assault; possibly a rescue party.

***

From the cockpit, the Pelican pilot saw a flurry of purple streaks beginning to exit from the bottom of the Covenant Supercarrier, and it’s sides where the docking bays were located.

“Enemy has begun engagement! Bring all weapon systems online!” the pilot ordered over the intercom to the escort ships.

The separate Pelicans that accompanied Aaron, AJ, Zeke, and their Fireteams were being supported by a fleet of five Paris-class heavy frigates, three Autumn-class cruisers, and hundreds of YSS-1000 fighters, GA-TL1 interceptors, and F41-EM strike fighters.

The Savior’s Light unleashed several hundred T31 XMFs’, T26 fighters, about ten T52 Gunboats, and a few CRS-class light cruisers.

    

Fighters from both sides were the first to engage one another.

The UNSC fighters unleashed a torrent of anti-armor and shield piercing lead rounds. while the Covenant returned fire with their signature plasma bolts. However, when a T26 was in the right angle of its enemy, it could land a devastating fuel rod blow to the enemy’s shielding and hull integrity.

Missiles proved quite useful for quickly eliminating Banshees due to their light armor, but with a T31 (Seraph), they proved ineffective with the fighter’s shielding. However, machine guns were able to penetrate the shields until they broke. it was then that missiles could be launched to finish the fighter off. This sort of engagement was mostly left to the Sabres’.

Soon, the heavier ships joined in the exospheric dogfight above Equis. The frigates began firing rounds from their M910 point-defense machine guns which aided in the takedown of either Banshees’ or Seraphs’, while cruisers used their M58 AMDS against Phantom Gunboats, and against the Covenant’s own cruisers.

The Gunboats countered with a volley of their plasma torpedoes which obliterated several of the UNSC fighters that were unlucky enough to unintentionally be in the trajectory of fire. The UNSC cruisers could avoid the torpedoes thankfully if they used their emergency thrusters--but unfortunately this was only a temporary tactic since it may run the risk of the vessels reactor overheating.

The CRS cruisers fired their pulse laser turrets to engage and destroy enemy fighters within a medium range. When an enemy got closer however, its plasma turrets were engaged to strip shielding, and eventually melt the enemy’s Titanium armor hull until it finally vaporized into shrapnel.

Through all the chaos of the battle, the boarding Pelicans did not fully engage in the attack. They both were Gunship-class so they managed to clear themselves a path either with their GAU/53 70mm MBHRC Autocannon or the M8C G/GNC which acted as the basic M6G/GNR.

The pilot of Aaron’s Pelican performed constant maneuverable banks and turns to avoid taking fire. As a bonus, he even performed barrel rolls and loop-de-loops. Twilight was definitely spot on about the ride not being pleasant, and she regretted it because she was starting to feel a bit queasy from the pouch.

I wonder how often Aaron has to go through something like this? she nauseously thought to herself.

As the carrier neared, the Covenant fighters seemed to grow more fanatical in their efforts to destroy the Pelicans by attacking in flanking and head-on groups rather than individually.

The pilots requested some backup in order to shake off the fighters, but it was doing little good for distractions.

The pilot tried desperately in firing the Gunship’s weapon systems at anything he could while continuing evasive maneuvers. Unfortunately, his attempts were in vain because in a matter of short moments, one of the Banshee fighters managed to place a precise fuel rod shot in one of the Pelican’s engines!

The interior alarm sounded as the Pelican began to lose control and began a collision course with the carrier.

The pilot tried his best to steady the Pelican, but the controls were not fully responding to the pilot’s intentions. He also radioed in a distress call and told everyone on board to brace themselves.

Never in her life has Twilight been this terrified.

Shakes and anxiety about failing her exams or turning them in tardy was one thing, but this was a hundred times worse!

She may have had the will before to give her life for her friends, and everypony else that she cared for--but this was way too early for that deed to be done. At this point, her, Aaron’s, and everyone else on board would’ve died for nothing.

Despite wanting to scream in a frenzied panic, Twilight wished to try using magic in hopes of making sure the Pelican made it to the carrier in one piece. She may have been small, but that was not stopping her from attempting spells at such a size.

Closing her eyes tight and focusing her mana quickly into her horn, Twilight concentrated on what needed to be done--and hoped that she would be successful.

As the pilot struggled to gain control, the Pelican somehow, but miraculously began to even out--but it was still on a collision course.

The pilot aimed the Pelican directly at what looked like the entrance to one of the carrier’s shuttle bays. Even if he somehow got control over his Pelican, he knew the landing wasn’t going to be pleasant--and he couldn’t have been more right.

The Pelican fishtailed from side to side and banked a bit just moments before hotly zooming through the shuttle bay’s open passage, and skidding head-on into a pillar.

Aaron and his team, which was doned as Bravo, had already braced themselves for the impact before it happened, yet it left them a bit shook up. Unfortunately, the force of the impact killed a few of the marines of Echo, and the pilot. The surviving marines only had minor to moderate injuries. As for Twilight, she was disoriented, but unharmed.

She had already had enough of being in the ammo pouch and quickly got out of it before she was discovered.

    

“Are you alright, Jensen? Do you read me? Over,” Zeke radioed over Aaron’s COMM.

“I read you,” Aaron replied a bit weary. “We’ve lost our pilot and few of our fireteam members, but the rest of us are alright--I think. What’s your status, Fredrickson?”

“We’ve got a lot of bad guys on our tail, but we have effective covering fire. We should arrive sometime later,” Zeke replied.

“Copy that, but make it soon,” Aaron urged. “Who knows what the Covies have planned for Cadance, or the rest of us.”

“Also try not to get yourself killed,” AJ added in. “If you or the princess dies, it’s all over.”

“Thanks for the encouragement,” Zeke replied, strangely in high spirits before he ended the connection.

“He’s probably going to get himself killed, right?” Aaron asked AJ.

“I’m not going to take bets,” he replied flatly.

“Fair enough. Now let’s get ready for engagement. The Covies have probably already secured a defensive perimeter around our crash site, and are ready to fire on anything that dares to emerge from it,” Aaron warned. “Now everyone take some additional ammo. These boys won’t need it,” he ordered, indicating to the unlucky marines. The surviving marines nodded and began taking ammo from their fallen comrades. Aaron and AJ did the same thing.

Twilight’s marine was one of the fallen ones unfortunately, and she was in a pouch that AJ took.

When Aaron and Bravo team were finally prepped up for combat, Aaron signaled for his team to ready their weapons as he proceeded to open up the back hatch which was miraculously still functional after the impact.

As the door opened, they were greeted with rounds of plasma and needle fire as Covenant troops engaged, just as Aaron had predicted.

To clear the Covenant squad that was pinning them in the Pelican which consisted of one Elite Minor, five Grunt Minors, and three Jackal Minors, Aaron grabbed his M363 from his belt and fired a grenade which latched itself onto the Elite’s chest.

Before the Elite had a chance to recover and pull the grenade off, Aaron manually detonated the explosive which thankfully obliterated the entire group.

“Move out!” Aaron ordered and lead his team out of the Pelican.

As soon as they exited the wreckage, Bravo noticed that more Covenant troops have perched themselves on higher decks, and that a few Jackal snipers were in the area either with a T51, or a T27.

“Get to cover behind those barriers,” Aaron said and pointed to a few Covenant barriers that were luckily in the room.

As Aaron and his team ran for cover, the Covenant began firing on them once again, but way more aggressively.

Few of the marines were strafe-shooting in order to provide some covering fire. They had no trouble dealing with either Grunts and unshielded Jackals since they could be taken out more easily with headshots. Of course shielded Jackals however took two shots to kill with a BR85 or M395. One at the notch of their shields to make them flinch and expose themselves; the second to finish them off. Unfortunately, Elites were much tougher. The MA5D equipped marines excelled at stripping or weakening their shields with suppressive or short controlled burst fire, but didn’t have enough bullets in their magazines to finish the job.

Aaron and AJ also performed their part in the strafe-shootout as well. Of course that had to beware of how much damage their shields were taking. It was worse when either a Jackal or Grunt charged up their T25s’, and fired an overcharged plasma bolt which temporarily neutralized their whole shield, leaving them vulnerable to suppressed enemy fire, and snipers willing to take off any head that popped up. Both Spartans managed to evade a few attempts already by diving behind supplies crates which were scattered in the area.

Aaron and his team were successful at getting behind the barriers, but several of the marines were weary from their combined injuries from plasma, and the crash. What was even worse was that they were still pinned down.

“Any ideas, Jensen,” AJ asked Aaron.

Aaron took a moment by peeking through the cracks of the barrier to analyze the enemy positions, ranks, and weaponry. He then began to mentally formulate his tactic.

“Hold position here and don’t move until I say so,” Aaron finally said. “I’m going to take care of that bastard right there,” he indicated to the commander-class Elite wielding a T51 C.

He  was standing at the same level as Aaron’s team and was accompanied by three Grunt Minors with T25s’ and two Imperials both wielding T33s’.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” AJ asked, concerned.”

“Positive,” Aaron assured. “If things are starting to get ugly or goes amiss, go ahead and engage at your own discretion.”

“Alright then,” AJ confirmed. “Just be careful out there.”

Aaron just replied with a nod before he vanished into thin air as he activated his T3.

Aaron had exactly forty-four seconds to make it to his intended zone before his camouflage shut off and needed to cooldown, which took seventeen seconds.

Aaron quickly but carefully made his way behind the targeted Elite who seemed unaware of his cloaked presence. As long as Aaron moved carefully and kept a certain distance, the distortion from his camouflage wouldn’t be noticed and give away his position to attentive enemies.

Just when the timer of the T3 on his HUD turned red to indicate that it was about to be used up, Aaron swiftly pulled a combat knife from his waist and tackled the unsuspecting Elite before he rammed it into the back of the head where the brain and spine connected, which resulted in a quick and painless death.

The Grunts yelped in surprise before fleeing in terror. However, the three remaining Jackal snipers began to fire upon Aaron.

Thankfully the snipers couldn’t fire their rifles in a ballistic succession because just two rapid fire shots caused the T27 to overheat. Also that it only had ten uses before the battery would be in need of recharging.

Aaron did what he could to make himself hard to hit because one shot to the body would pop his shield and leave him exposed for a follow up shot to kill him . On a worse case scenario, a single shot to the head even with his shield fully charged would be a fatal one. That’s why he hid himself behind another supplies crate.

As he rested for a bit behind the crate, he noticed that his motion sensor picked up five red dots that were approaching him and moving into a flanking formation. Apparently the fleeing Grunts must have mustered up their courage to fight, or were ordered by one of the snipers to flush Aaron out.

Aaron readied his M45D incase one or two of the Grunts dared to get too close to him; but as if they knew Aaron’s intentions, the red dots disappeared at a certain distance where his shotgun would prove ineffective.

Aaron had once again been pinned, but thankfully his T3 was already fully charged and ready for another use. This meant he could proceed to sneak up on one of the Grunts and assassinate it. However, Aaron knew he had made himself predictable so surely the Grunts were now on full alert. He had to try a different tactic.

Aaron wished to conserve his remaining three grenades for his M363 until the princess was recovered, but it seemed as if he was forced to use another one.

Aaron activated his T3 again and backed up a bit from his cover in order to get some distance so he hopefully wouldn’t be spotted by an attentive enemy. Once he got the distance he wished, Aaron crouch-walked to the side in order to get a view of the Grunts that were remaining stationary, but were looking around constantly at full attention.

Aaron selectively chose one of the Grunt Imperials’ as his target before aiming his M363 at it. When the reticle on his HUD turned red, he fired another grenade at the Grunt, sticking him right between the eyes.

In a panicked frenzy, the Grunt screamed and ran toward his fellow allies who just stood frozen in their places, not knowing what to do.

The Grunt was out of Aaron’s visual range, but the M363 had a built-in motion sensor which displayed itself whenever a grenade was launched.

When Aaron saw that the central and circled red dot was in a close proximity of four other red dots, he once again manually triggered the detonation to mop up the whole squad.

“Engage now,” Aaron ordered over to his team via COMM.

AJ and Echo squad fired upon the unsuspecting snipers, bringing them down in seconds.

“I tell you, Jensen. That was pretty ballsy of you,” AJ stated as Aaron regrouped with him.

“What can I say? I have a knack for being a daredevil,” Aaron shrugged.

“Save it for the circus,” AJ chuckled. “For now, we better get some new and useful weapons. Who knows if these firefights are going to get more intense the deeper we go into the ship.”

“Agreed,” Aaron nodded and hinted to Echo squad that they should do the same.

Aaron and his team scavenged bodies and the post-firefight battlefield for dropped weapons and ammunition, along with grenades.

The marines that either had BR85s’ or M395s’ as their primary weapon, swapped their M6Hs’ for T25s’ as a more complementable sidearm. Aaron decided to swap out his M45D for a dropped T51 C because of its higher rate of fire and precision. As for AJ, he decided to abandon his MA5D and replace it with a T33 since he knew there would possibly be firefights in straight corridors. As for his M6 G, he traded it with a marine for another MA5D.

“Ooh, sparkly,” the marine commented when the weapon was given to him.

Of course AJ wasn’t going to keep the rifle. Instead, he swapped it for a T27 which was dropped by one of the Jackal snipers. Sure it seemed like a ridiculous choice since there were very few areas within a Covenant ship where sniping could be possible.

Throughout the entire first firefight, beginning to end, Twilight finally witnessed Aaron and his comrades in action against Covenant forces. She was both intrigued and a bit appalled by all the blood-spattering action that took place. The constant firing of guns deafened her a bit as well, but thankfully it was a temporary state.

Twilight had read books about the Pony-Griffon War, imagining how gruesome the violence was since both sides attacked either with spears or mortar cannons. What happened just now between the UNSC and the Covenant didn’t match anything to what her books described. If all of Equis became involved in something like this, it would be the end of everything that Twilight, and everypony else knew.

When she noticed that Aaron and his team were starting to proceed to the deeper parts of the ship, she quickly but quietly flew after them. She also made sure to keep her guard up because something told her that more Covenant encounters would be coming, far more deadlier than the previous. If things begin looking rough for Aaron and his squad, she knew she had to perform intervention whether it got her in trouble with the UNSC or not.

She would do anything to save her homeworld, and everypony she cared for--including her closest friends. She just hoped they were alright.

On the bridge of the Express, Kenwood, along with the accompaniment of Princess Celestia and Luna, spectated the firefights via a first person POV camera linked to each active marines’ HUD.

Celestia and Luna were shocked on how aggressive and mercilessly the Covenant fought the UNSC forces. Luna however was the most disturbed because this is exactly what she saw in her visions. Plasma searing off flesh, lead bullets ripping through bodies and taking off heads, and needles impaling armor before violently detonating causing a bloody mess; it was all too much for Luna to take.

“I’ve seen enough,” she stated while closing her eyes and turning her head away from the main interface terminal. “I can’t stand to see anymore of this offensive fraying.”

“I know, sister,” Celestia said while putting a comforting hoof on Luna’s shoulder. “It’s been ages since we’ve seen such conflict. I guess we let those times slip away from our memories.”

“You have permission to leave if you are not comfortable, your majesties,” Kenwood offered.

“We’ll be fine, captain,” Celestia assured while still comforting Luna. “But I’m afraid I can’t watch anymore either. Me and my sister will remain here, though, incase there’s something you really want us to observe.”

“So be it,” Kenwood nodded and turned back to the interface to continue his monitoring.

Moments later, an officer came onto the bridge to announce that four of the mares wished to enter the bridge. Kenwood thankfully gave permission allowing Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy to enter the deck and join Celestia and Luna.

Both Celestia and Luna acknowledged and smiled a bit to see four of the Elements of Harmony safe and unharmed, but were concerned when two of them were not present.

“Where’s Twilight?” Celestia asked.

“And Rainbow Dash?” Luna added.

The friends didn’t answer the questions. Instead, Fluttershy gave Celestia a folded up piece of paper. The look on her, and the rest of the friends’ faces was pure angst, indicating that whatever was on the paper, it wasn’t going to be good news--or a friendship report.

Celestia telekinetically took the letter from Fluttershy’s hoof and unfolded it to reveal that it was a letter; a shocking one at that.

As both Celestia and Luna read the letter, their eyes went wide with shock and their mouths hung open with disbelief. Soon, tears began to trickle from their eyes--especially when they discovered that Twilight’s full name was signed.

Celestia then dropped the letter and gazed back at the four friends.

“How did this happen?” Celestia said quietly, but with hints of how upset she was.

“We have no clue,” Applejack replied solemnly. “We wanted tah talk to her, but she insisted that we let her be.”

“I don’t understand. She would never do something like this at all. Didn’t all of you try to make her see reason for letting you in, even if she didn’t want you around?” Celestia asked in a semi-stern tone.

“We wanted to,” Rarity said. “But by thinking we were being good friends, we let her tend to her wishes.”

“Good?” Celestia asked darkly while glaring daggers at the friends. “The deed that all of you performed was not one that even good friends would do! Why would any of you let her push you away when she really needed you the most?”

The calm and quietness of Celestia’s tone was gone now, and it scared the four friends because they have never seen the princess this angry before--especially when it was directed at them.

The four friends couldn’t find an answer in fear of enraging Celestia more. They knew now they have made an error in the meaning of friendship and harmony. Strong waves of guilt began to build up in each of them.

“Well?” Celestia seethed, making the friends cower even more. Fluttershy even began to cry.

“What’s going on here?” Kenwood intervened. He couldn’t understand the sudden hostility of Celestia toward one of her most respected subjects.

Celestia didn’t say anything, and just stormed off the bridge without even bothering to take Luna with her. Normally, Celestia wouldn’t do such a thing, but Twilight somehow felt like her own child; and the anxiety of losing one was in Celestia’s mind. The thought of what the Covenant were doing to her niece made it worse.

Luna was heartbroken by her older sister’s abandonment, and it brought back memories of being alone for a thousand years on the moon. Reliving this memory brought Luna down to sit on her haunches and sob.

The four friends took the liberty upon themselves to comfort Luna the best they could.  They understood how the Princess of the Night felt about Celestia’s changed demeanor, and it worried them greatly. All they could do is hope that everything will turn out good in the end.

Upon not receiving a response, Kenwood focused his attention on the dropped letter before he proceeded to pick it up and read it. When he was finished, he immediately understood what had made Celestia upset. Princess Twilight had illegally stowed away on a UNSC operation, and that she’d somehow found out about the mission itself.

Kenwood was about to notify Aaron and his squad about Twilight’s interference, but he was interrupted when one of his officers made a report saying, “Sir. One of our Pelicans is launching unauthorized; it’s one of the experimental models with a slipspace drive.”

“What?” Kenwood asked, stunned.

“Uh, captain,” another officer said. “I’m getting a report saying that Cell 182 in the brig has been opened, and that it’s empty.”

Cell 182 was where Hvu ‘Umam was kept.

“Order the pilot of that Pelican to stand down, and have all available security units find ‘Umam and re-arrest him,” Kenwood ordered.

“I’m trying, sir. But the pilot must’ve shut off the transponders. I can’t make contact at all,” the first officer replied.

“And I’m getting nothing from security,” the second officer added. “Their beacons are active indicating they’re still alive, but none of them are responding for now.”

“Sir,” the first officer said now sounding glum. “The Pelican has jumped without providing a set of coordinates.”

Kenwood didn’t understand what the meaning of these events were, but it didn’t make him see that they were somehow connected. What he wanted to know was how it happened? No convict could escape the brig and bring down security without an accomplice.

He decided now he should just contact Aaron and his team about Twilight’s stowing and inform them of what has happened.

The identity of ‘Umam’s accomplice would have to be looked into later. Right now, the only thing the UNSC could do was to hopefully get the Covenant off of Equis, and save Princess Cadance from their grasp.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Fight to the Finish, Part III - Magic's Sacrifice

As what was expected for Aaron and his team, the firefights with Covenant troops got more and more brutal with each encounter within the corridors of the carrier.

At first it was going rather smoothly because there were more Minor-class troops then the Majors; but soon as they got closer and closer to the brig’s entrance, Major and Heavy-class troops became more common, along with a pair of Mgalekgolo at one point. As a result, Aaron and AJ had only two marines left out of the surviving eight.

Aaron’s team were currently now engaging the last squad of Covenant troops outside the entrance to the brig. This squad contained four Grunt Imperials: three equipped with a T33 and one with a T25 who only fired overcharged shots. One Elite Commander that was stationed in the center of the corridor with a mounted T52, and two Warriors who both beared the dreaded T33-LAAW.

The cover that Aaron and AJ had was an interior dent on one side of the corridor's wall while the two remaining marines stationed themselves behind a supplies crate which was on the opposite side, and a little farther down from Aaron’s and AJ’s position.

With unpredictable pacing of timing to emerge from cover for a brief moment to shoot, Aaron’s team managed to only take out the Grunts with well placed headshots. Unfortunately, this only left the attentive and well disciplined Elites that greeted Aaron or his squad with a barrage of suppressive plasma fire, and a series of heavily explosive fuel rods--and on a few occasions, an attempted stick by an active T1 AG.

Twilight, who managed to survive every firefight that Aaron and his team fought due to her seemingly unnoticeable size, could only spectate from the safety on top of a ceiling pipe to analyze the situation that was at hand.

She couldn’t decide if she should intervene now and risk getting in trouble with the UNSC, or hold back and let the chances of Cadance being rescued be reduced to practically nothing.

However, she didn’t have to make a choice at all.

“Jensen, Harrison. This is Kenwood. Do you read me?” Kenwood transmitted into Aaron and AJ’s COMMs.

“Loud and clear, sir,” Aaron replied. “What’s wrong?”

“Two things. First of all, you know that Covie you and your team brought in from the citadel located in the San Palomino Desert that was donned as Hvu ‘Umam?”

“Yeah?”

“Well he somehow escaped his cell and stole one of our slipspace-equipped Pelicans to get away.”

“What? How can that be?” AJ asked.

“Our only theory is that ‘Umam was assisted by a currently unknown suspect aboard this ship. We’re looking into it now.”

“What’s the other situation?” Aaron asked.

“Well it seems as if Princess Twilight Sparkle has stowed away into your mission,” Kenwood replied, matter-of-factly.

“That can’t be possible. She wasn’t even on the Pelican. Same thing with Fredrickson’s,” Aaron denied.

“Well her friends found her cabin empty with only a letter telling of her intentions to aid you in the recovery of Princess Cadance. We don’t know how she found out about it, or how she even got aboard your dropship unnoticed--but I’m afraid it’s the truth.”

Aaron hesitated for a bit to make sense of Kenwood’s information. First a captured Covenant soldier escapes the ship with help from an unidentified rebel, then an equine princess that is under UNSC protection stows away on a high risk operation?  This had to be the most unusual experience that Aaron ever had in his entire career.

“Jensen? Are you still with me?” Kenwood said, snapping Aaron out of his daze.

“Affirmative, sir,” he said. “We’ll keep a look out for her, but right now we are pinned down near the entrance to the brig. We have several casualties and don’t have much ammunition left to clear the area.”

“Understood, Jensen. But I’m afraid you’re way into deep of a hotzone to send reinforcements and additional supplies your way. You’re going to have to work something out, and as soon as possible because if Fredrickson is successful with his part of the operation, you and everything else aboard that ship is going to get obliterated if you do not get out in time.”

“I know,” Aaron said, glumly. “We’ll make this work somehow. You can count on us.”

“Good luck. Pony Express out,” Kenwood transmitted one last time before he disconnected, practically leaving Aaron, AJ, and any other innocent soul onboard to perish without any good benefit.

“So? How exactly are we going to work this out?” AJ asked, skeptically. He knew that Aaron had overcompensated, and was making sure that Aaron knew that he had regretted it.

Aaron took another moment to think.

If what Kenwood said was true, if Twilight was really aboard the carrier with them this entire time--then the mission would be way more easier then it would have been since Aaron knew that Twilight possessed great power, especially when she saved him from the Timberwolves back in the Everfree Forest.

At the same time, he was mad at her for performing such a reckless and illegal deed. If Twilight ever made it out alive with them, Aaron knew that she would have to face punishment either by the UNSC, or her own kind.

The main point was that Twilight was not needed for the operation, but truthfully she was. She seemed to be the only hope for success in Cadance’s recovery. Decisions for her discipline would have to be seen to later.

Instead of answering AJ’s question, Aaron turned away from him and seemed to focus his attention somewhere behind their position.

“Twilight!” he called, to the confusion of AJ and the remaining marines. “If you truly are here! We need your assistance!”

***

Twilight was surprised at her name being called by Aaron all of the sudden, and it really cut her off guard. But then it dawned on her that the letter she left behind in her cabin was discovered by her friends, which was of course intentional; but she didn’t expect them to rat on her. She wanted to be upset with them for possibly getting her in trouble with Aaron, her brother, Celestia, and the entire UNSC.

Despite all that, she was even more baffled that Aaron was now asking for her help that she intended on giving him, and his squad.

She was a bit hesitant at first because she feared the consequences she might face later on, but if it meant that Cadance would be returned home safe and sound, then it was well worth it.

Twilight closed her eyes to began to cast a spell to return her to her real size.

***

“Are you really sure that Princess Twilight is onboard with us, or the fact that she has  even been following us through this hellish place the entire time without us even noticing?” AJ asked, uncertainly. “I mean, we had some pretty intense battles on the way here. Frankly I would like to think that a stray round might have already killed her.”

As soon as AJ had finished his statement, a faint purple light began emanating from the ceiling of the corridor just behind from where the marines were.

All eyes in the vicinity watched in utter fascination as the light began growing bigger and brighter at a steady rate. Soon enough, both UNSC and Covenant  sides had to look away and shield their eyes to prevent from being blinded.

When the light subsided, all eyes gazed on to Twilight’s revelation in full size. She stood at full attention with an emotionless, neutral look.

The three Elites stood down from their weapons, but still had at them at hand incase their human foes tried anything funny--but any alicorn princess was to be left untouched.

“Twilight. Over here,” Aaron called to her in a whispered volume.

Twilight looked over to where Aaron and AJ was stationed. Aaron was giving her a non-verbal hand gesture to get her to join them in their position. However, Twilight hesitated and now focused her attention on the three Elites guarding the entrance to the brig cellblock where Cadance was being held. Just by analyzing their body language, Twilight already knew that they weren't going to shoot at her.

Taking a breath, Twilight steadily but cautiously approached the three Elites who continued to stand down their weapons.

“Twilight! What are you doing? Get back here!” Aaron ordered in a hushed whisper, but Twilight didn’t heed his wish. She continued to proceed without a hint of stopping.

In a panic, Aaron gestured for his squad to stay put while he decided to go after Twilight. However when he revealed himself, the Elites raised their weapons to Twilight’s startlement.

When she noticed they were not trained on her and instead somewhere behind her, Twilight noticed that Aaron had come out from his spot. It didn’t take her long to put two and two together.

“You must stay here, Aaron,” she said to him, matter of factly. “I can handle this on my own.”

“Don’t be a fool, Twilight,” Aaron insisted. “It was already stupid of you to come here without a moments regard of your own life. Have you no fear?”

“I’ll admit I was scared, and still am,” Twilight confessed, but still had a hint of determination in her tone. “But Cadance feels more like a real sister to me than a sister-in-law, and I need to be there for her, no matter what the cost might be.”

“You’re speaking of throwing your own life away! You do realize that don’t you?”

Twilight hesitated her response for a bit.

“I do, Aaron,” she finally said. “But it’s what a hero is supposed to do so in order to save what he or she loves, right?”

Now Aaron hesitated as he seeked out a proper response.

“Yes. But this is not the battle you’re supposed to be fighting. It’s ours,” he insisted. “Have you even considered how your friends and loved ones are going to feel if you don’t make it out of here alive?”

She hated to admit to herself that Aaron had a strong point. She knew how much her friends and family loved her enough that they didn’t want anything to happen to her at all, and it brought a feeling of regret and shame to herself. However, she refused to crack by focusing back on her will to help rescue Cadance with her own life balancing on the tightrope.

“Of course I do, but surely they have to understand and hopefully move on without me. I know them well enough that they will do so. Now stop trying to hold me back and waste time. There’s nothing you can do or say to stop me because I’ve already made up my mind. Just trust me, okay?”

No more words could be formed in Aaron’s mind. Twilight had a talent of making rational and logical statements that he couldn’t seem to counter; and just trying made him get into a looped argument with her. The only thing he could do was to stand himself down.

“If that’s what you wish, your majesty, then so be it.”

Twilight just nodded and continued to proceed toward the brig’s entrance.

When she finally approached the Elites, they stared down at her in an intimidating way since they were taller than she was, but Twilight refused to show fear even if she was a little scared. Besides, it was not the first time she looked danger straight in the eye and miraculously didn’t run away from it.

“Ohw era uoy?” the Elite Commander asked her in the Sangheili native tongue. It occurred to Twilight that this alien didn’t know how to speak Equestrian.

Raising her hoof while lighting up her horn, Twilight used a spell to translate what the Elite said. She intercepted it as: Who are you?.

Not only did this spell give her the skill to understand a foreign language, it had a special side effect as well.

“Ge ma, Princess Twilight Sparkle,” she fluently replied with no trace of an accent. “Ge dnamed ot es Princess Cadance siht tantsin!”

The three Elites seemed to hesitate for a bit as if not knowing if they should give in to Twilight’s request, but then they remembered how fortified the brig was incase the humans breached the location and successfully obtained Cadance.

“Ecnis uoy era eno fo eht yloh sgnieb ‘Nbek spihsrow, neth wort--tub ekat deeh,” the Elite Commander warned and signaled for his allies to clear a way for Twilight.

Twilight nodded and turned her head back toward where Aaron and his team were positioned.

“Tnod tel meht ni,” she told the Elite Commandeer while pointing her hoof at Aaron’ and the marine’s location.

The Elite Commander nodded and opened the door for Twilight. When she was finally inside, the door automatically closed behind her, preventing Aaron and his squad from seeing what would become of Twilight within the Covenant brig.

As soon as she entered the cellblock, she was shocked to discover that multiple changeling drones were hovering overhead, wielding Covenant weapons in appendages that stuck out at the end of their hooves. Their weapon systems being a T25 or a T33.

There were also Covenant troops present, and have fortified the area with one T55 A-I SG with a single T52 DESW placed on either side.

Standing in the middle of the room was the one changeling that Twilight did not forget.

“Queen Chrysalis?!” Twilight gasped in both shock, and anger.

“Oh what? You’re not happy to see me?” Chrysalis asked with an innocent tone, but was clearly coated with sarcasm.

“No! Not one bit,” Twilight seethed while glaring daggers at Chrysalis. “Not after nearly killing Celestia, and almost turning my friends and family against me!”

“Oh my. Somepony sure knows how to hold quite the grudge. Two years should be quite a record for you,” Chrysalis cackled.

“Enough!!” Twilight screamed, enraged by Chrysalis’s taunting. “Where’s Cadance?”

Chrysalis shook her head, tsking.

“Such impatience, and even more annoying as an alicorn now,” she stated while signaling to her Covenant allies to clear a view of a certain cell. “Try looking there. I should tell you that we haven’t made quite a presentable display.” Chrysalis then looked as if she was trying to not chuckle.

With strong anxiety within her, Twilight trotted as quickly as she could to the indicated cell, without looking up to notice that all weapons were being trained on her.

When Twilight looked into the cell, she was relieved that is truly was Cadance--but not in a great condition at all. It nearly wanted to make Twilight almost gag.

Cadance was lying in a puddle of bodily fluids of mixed urine, feces, and semen which originated from the changeling drone’s feasting sessions. Her coat and mane were oily and moist from the unhygienic atmosphere of the cell, and she appeared to have lost weight as well--but not in the healthy way since she almost seemed a bit bony.

Her eyes seemed a bit dazed and glassed, but she was still alive; but she wouldn’t remain that way for long if she stayed any longer in such a hostile environment. Apparently since ‘Nbek found Cadance to be useless to his intentions, he finally came to the idea that she should be executed in a slow, but unpleasant way by having wastes from his ship to be dumped in her cell with an anti-ventilation barrier put over it so Cadance would asphyxiate from the lethal gases. Frankly, it was Chrysalis who gave him the idea. She wanted nothing more than to have Cadance removed from the picture once and for all.

Twilight was on the verge of tears from seeing her sister-in-law is such a horrific state, but the feeling immediately ceased and turned to pure rage when Chrysalis said, “I warned you that it wasn’t going to be a pretty sight, but at least you know where your precious princess is. Hopefully you’re happy now.”

“No,” Twilight hissed, ominously. She then snapped her attention on Chrysalis will a raging inferno in her eyes. “I am NOT happy at all!! You will pay for what you have done to her!”

Twilight then furiously screamed and flung herself at Chrysalis with her wings in means of tackling her and beating her to a pulp, but was unfortunately stopped when a well placed Carbine round found its way into Twilight’s base wing appendage.

Twilight gasped from the sudden inflicted pain, and crashed to the floor with an audible crack when she landed hard on her other wing. She had just fractured the bone of her right wing while her other burned like Tartarus from the radioactive round implanted within it. The combined injuries and intense pain from them pretty much immobilized Twilight from getting up and continuing her will to fight. Just attempting to recover made her cry out and collapse back on the floor.

“You know, I never seem to grow tired from watching my new allies shoot down ponies and inflict traumatizing pain on them,” Chrysalis remarked with a sinister snicker and grin. “At the same time, I feel sort of bad for them--but then I remember that they deserve it.”

Chrysalis walked up to Twilight and looked down on her with a look of contentment while Twilight glanced back up at the queen with a look of hatred still painted on her face, but she was too crippled to get up and fight with her hooves.

Chrysalis then gently, but mockingly, stroke the bangs of Twilight’s mane with one hoof. Twilight flinched and became more agitated with each affectionate, but fake stroke.

“You have such a pretty face,” Chrysalis cooed with a silk, but sadistic tone. “It’s a shame that you wish to ruin it by coming here in misguided hopes of saving poor innocent Cadance. I thought all alicorns were more wiser than this, but it seems you have proven me wrong. Well, given the fact that you were once an obnoxious unicorn: frankly, I would’ve seen this coming anyway.”

Sick of being mocked and taunted continuously by Chrysalis, Twilight decided to use her magic in means of a last resort. She closed her eyes and began focusing her mana.

As if already knowing what Twilight was up to, Chrysalis quickly lit up her own horn and zapped Twilight’s forehead, frying her horn and bringing the purple alicorn close to unconsciousness.

“I swear you’re making this too easy for us,” Chrysalis laughed. “What would Celestia think of you now if she saw you like this. Not only are you a wedding crasher, but a wannabe solo hero as well. I swear I don’t know what that sun-flank sees in you, or anypony else for that matter. But you know what, I don’t think they’ll ever get to. It’s time that this is finished, permanently--and then I don’t have to worry about banishment again.”

Chrysalis’s smile grew even wider and ever more evil than it normally was. She then looked at one of the Zealot-class Elites.

“Can I borrow that real quick?” she asked him, indicating to the sheathed and inactive T1 EW/S on the side of his waist.

The Zealot looked down at his weapon and back to Chrysalis before mysteriously showing a sign of being hesitant to her dismay.

“She’s not worth anything to our intentions, just as Cadance is,” Chrysalis hissed impatiently. “Both of them are not capable of what ‘Nbek seeks! Trust me!”

The Zealot took a moment to think, but gave in to Chrysalis’s request and threw the handle toward Chrysalis who caught it in her magic. She then telekinetically flicked the switch located somewhere on it which ejected a beautifully bright blue, but sharp and hot blade of shaped plasma from the handle’s sides.

Chrysalis then held the edge of the blade close to Twilight’s neck at a hair-breadth distance that Twilight could already feel her neck burning even if the blade wasn’t touching her flesh, but it sure was cooking the hairs of the coat.

Twilight couldn’t move or speak, but she was aware of her situation. The only thing she could do was weakly focus her glance either at the blade being held at her neck, and Chrysalis’s devilish smirk.

“Normally, I’m not the type of girl who would start collecting heads, and mount them as trophies around a palace--if I could ever get one,” Chrysalis stated. “But yours might make the nice first addition.”

Chrysalis then raised the sword up and positioned it at an eighty-degree angle above Twilight’s head, ready to slice it off.

“Forgive me for saying such an original thing in this type of situation but: any last words?” Chrysalis asked.

Twilight glanced over to where the entrance to the brig was located. A strange smile then crossed her face. In a weakened voice, Twilight uttered, “You’re screwed.”

Chrysalis didn’t get why her victim would say such a thing in the face of her own demise; still, Chrysalis still counted it as a last statement.

“Goodbye, princess,” Chrysalis cackled and prepared to bring down the sword onto Twilight’s neck, but she was stopped when a strange pain traveled through the center of her body.

Chrysalis gasped, and dropped the sword when her magic ceased. Thankfully the blade vanished before the handle landed near Twilight’s head.

Chrysalis then looked down at her chest where she saw that a smoking hole had appeared, and that green blood was profusely leaking from it. It was super obvious that she had been shot, but by what?

As Chrysalis slowly turned her head to face her attacker, the pace she was bleeding at made her vision a bit blurry, and that she began to feel dizzy.

When she looked over to the door to the brig, she noticed that four bipedal beings were standing there. They were not one of her fellow Covenant allies since two of them had covered faces, and that their armor was way different than that of an Elites’.  The other two had their faces present, and looked nothing like any of the other species in the Covenant that Chrysalis knew. It drew her to the conclusion that these were the humans that ‘Nbek mentioned to her. The one that had shot her wielded a T51 C.

Before she could at least say something to them, one of the humans nailed her between the eyes with a Carbine round. The human was none other than Aaron.

His squad had miraculously brought down the three Elite squad when their attention was diverted for the moment when they heard a commotion from within the brig.

The corpse of the once feared changeling queen slumped down next to Twilight. Chrysalis’s dead open eyes stared back into Twilight’s with no emotion at all.

Now seeing that their queen was dead, the changeling drones began to attack with their weapons, and their own magic in a furious rage. Covenant troops then joined in on the firefight, even if an order wasn’t given to engage.

The odds looked pretty bad for Aaron’s team since they were outgunned, and that they now had to deal with a brand new insectoid-like species that could fight on the wing, even if they were not Drones, but a decent substitute.

Fortunately since AJ decided to rip the T52 cannon from its stand, he had no trouble at all bringing down the unarmored changeling drones with a barrage of suppressed plasma fire while Aaron and the two marines engaged the ground-based Covenant infantry. Aaron brought down Grunts and Jackals with well placed headshots with his T51 while the two marines bombarded the hell out of the Elites with the two obtained T33 Fuel Rod Cannons.

When all enemies within the vicinity were finally eliminated, Aaron and AJ secured Twilight while the marines were ordered to bring down the barrier keeping Cadance contained in her hostile prison cell.

“Twilight! Can you hear me?” Aaron asked her.

Twilight could hear him, but his voice sounded muffled and distant. Her vision faded in and out of focus for a bit before it became stable. Aaron’s voice also started to clear up too as Twilight steadily regained her senses of consciousness, but the lingering pain was still there.

“T-thank you, Aaron,” Twilight finally managed to say. A look of worry then crossed her face. “Is Cadance alright?”

“Norton and Jones are securing her now,” AJ said as he looked over to the two marines just as they managed to bring down the barrier to Cadance’s cell. The two marines then gagged and covered their noses and mouths.

“Whowee! That’s foul!” Norton exclaimed.

“Jesus Christ!” Jones cursed.

“What is it?” AJ asked.

“Looks as if the Covies turned this prison cell into a gas chamber in order to kill the princess,” Jones stated.

Aaron saw that Twilight looked extremely anxious from the marine’s report.

“Is she still alive?” Aaron called over to them.

Both Norton and Jones made their way into the cell and held their breaths as they inspected Cadance’s vital signs.

“A pulse is there, but it’s weak,” Jones reported. “She needs full medical attention, and heavy doses of fresh oxygen.”

“Looks like the same can be said for Princess Twilight,” AJ said. “One of her wings is fractured, and the other has been wounded at the base appendage. The injury on her forehead is yet to be determined.”

“Understood,” Aaron said and turned to Twilight. “We’re going to get both of you out of here. Can you walk on your own.

“I. I think so,” Twilight replied. Since her legs didn’t get shot at or landed on the wrong way, she knew she could try. She just had to be careful with her crippled wings.

“Good, but we need to move asap. Who knows when…”

Aaron was interrupted when the entire ship seemed to rumble and shake. The emergency alarm began to blare.

“What’s going on?” Twilight asked, confused and alarmed.

Aaron activated his COMMS and asked, “Fredrickson! Did you just detonate the core already?”

“If you felt the entire ship shake and heard a rumbling sound; then yes,” Zeke replied.

“Well why didn’t you give me and Jensen a warning then?” AJ demanded.

“Sorry. There’s a shitload of bad guys who keep popping up in every direction. It was a now or never situation!” Zeke excused.

“Listen, Fredrickson. We have recovered Cadance, and Princess Twilight had stowed away on the mission,” Aaron said.

“What? How?”

“There’s no time for an explanation now. Both princesses are in dire need of medical attention. Twilight has both of her wings crippled, one from a Covie round, the other fractured. Cadance’s condition is far more severe and she’s running out of time. Do whatever you can to rendezvous with us at the gargantuan bay, but make it quick.”

“Copy that,” Zeke transmitted before signing out.

Aaron then turned toward Norton and Jones.

“Can one of you carry Cadance?” he asked.

“I’ll do it,” Norton volunteered.

“I’ll be watching his back and act as an extra muscle if he needs it,” Jones said.

“Good,” Aaron confirmed. “Let’s go.”

“Do you think we’re going to make it through this successfully?” Twilight asked Aaron with grave worry on her face and in her voice.

“That’s what I intend on us doing,” Aaron replied, confidently. But deep down, he was as equally as concerned as Twilight. That’s a funny thing about being part of an op: you never know if it’s going to succeed or not.

The push toward the main hangar bay wasn’t as complicated as the one toward the brig because most Covenant troops were too busy moving towards their evacuation shuttles than to engage in battle. The troops that did engage were small and very nimble so Aaron’s team managed to clear them out with ease. Of course both Aaron and AJ were on the front lines of engagement while Norton and Jones brought up the rear. Twilight was sandwiched in the center. Her horn wasn’t damaged severely so she could still perform spells to offer support, but she had to be cautious to not over exert herself.

Finally, both parties managed to meet successfully with each other in the intended RV point; but now there was a huge problem.

The Phantom that was stationed in the center of the chamber, and the UNSC’s only use in a means of escape was guarded on both sides by multiple Jackal snipers wielding T27s’, Elite Commanders with T50s’ while Warriors bore T33 LAAWs’, four Hunters--two on each side, and finally two T26 AGCs’ stationed on either side of the Phantom. They have already began bombarding the only path for reaching the Phantom with a series of heavy mortar shots. The infantry then joined in by firing at Aaron’s team, forcing then to take cover behind a large Covenant barrier.

“Great! Now what?” Zeke fretted. “We don’t have enough men or firepower to deal with this infantry, or those Wraiths’.”

At this point, neither Aaron nor AJ could think of a solution. Even years of hard training could not help them in this sort of situation. If a desperate run and engagement was made, they would surely fail the mission, and doom the planet and it citizens that they agreed to protect.

For a brief moment, no one said a word as they continued to think of some kind of plan. It was either make one or a few sacrifices of life to save some--or give up each life over nothing.

Finally, Twilight spoke up.

“I think I have an idea,” she said.

“What?” Aaron and the rest of the squad asked in unison.

Instead of answering them, Twilight lit up her horn and casted a protective forcefield over the route to the Phantom, and the drop ship itself. Twilight seemed to be straining herself a bit since her eyes were closed tight and that she gritted her teeth.

The shots that the Covenant were firing were either deflected or detonated upon impacting the field’s surface.

“Twilight? What are you…?” Aaron began.

“Go!” she barked. “All of you get to the ship with Cadance and get out of here! I don’t know how long I can hold this spell!”

“What? No! We won’t leave you, Twilight!” Aaron insisted. “This entire ship is going to blow up in a matter of moments!”

“You have to!” Twilight protested, more urgently. “There’s no other way, alright? You’ve got to trust me on this!”

“But you’re just as equally as important as an asset like Cadance! Think about your friends, your family, and your future here! Don’t either of those things matter to you?”

Twilight took a brief moment of hesitation to think before she said, “Of course they do. But they must accept that this was my choice in order to save them, and the entire world. I must confess that most of my life was unexciting before I learned about the meaning of friendship. I would’ve became a boring and dull old librarian if I didn’t discover the spark at all.  Now that I did, my life and my destiny became more clear--and that was to become a hero of harmony, along with my friends. Now it appears as if I must be one for the entire planet and ponykind.”

“Twilight, please,” Aaron begged, but Twilight cut him off.

“No, Aaron. I need to do this. You must let them know I did it for all of them, and that they should move on with their lives--but to never forget me, and that I will always be with them. I've told you this once already, haven't I?”

Aaron could see a single tear roll down Twilight’s cheek, but she showed no expression of breaking down. Instead, she had the expression of a brave and proud soldier that was willing to give up anything to save what was the most important. It had Aaron in awe.

A second sound of an explosion occurred, and the rumbling was more intense than the previous ones. Time was running out, and fast!

“Just go already!” Twilight shouted, continuing to struggle with her spell. “I can’t do this much longer!” The injuries she obtained, especially to her forehead and horn, had apparently had temporarily weakened her durability to cast spells; also that the firepower the Covenant inflicted on her field wasn’t making it any easier as well.

Aaron hesitated for a quick moment as he argued mentally with himself to keep protesting with Twilight, but he knew the reality of the outcome if he did so.

“Thank you, Twilight. You’ve done a selfless deed not only for the UNSC, but for your entire world as well. We’ll be sure to honor you for this, and we hope that all of Equis will do so as well,” Aaron stated, and then turned to his comrades. “C’mon, let’s go while we still can!”

Aaron’s team nodded and raced for the Phantom while Covenant troops continued to fire on the forcefield around them. It seemed strong, but it looked like it could falter at any moment if Twilight’s strength runs out.

Aaron quickly touched the terminal which activated the Phantom’s gravity lift which raised Aaron and the others into the ship’s interior with a still unconscious Cadance in tow. She was still unaware of the current situations that had taken place.

Aaron took command of the Phantom’s cockpit and initiated the departure sequence. In seconds, the Phantom succesfully escaped the hangar bay as soon as Twilight’s forcefield dissipated.  

As Aaron piloted the Phantom back toward the Express, he could only prepare himself for the news he had to deliver. He knew that Kenwood would understand, but as for Celestia, Luna, Cadance if she ever recovers, Twilight’s friends, and everypony in Equestria--they may be the ones who will not take it so lightly.

Just thinking about how Twilight’s loved ones would be affected made Aaron shed one single tear. It’s been years since he’s been this emotional, and it surprised him quite a bit; but for some reason, Twilight felt almost like a second sister to him. Now that it occurred to him that he’s lost both of them, it really hurt Aaron badly; but he refused to make a show out of it since now wasn’t the time. He wished to be alone if such theatrics took place.

***

Twilight watched with a small and weak smile as Aaron’s Phantom made it out of the hangar’s barrier, still in one piece and untouched.

Once the forcefield disappeared as her magic ran out, Twilight slumped to the floor while watching her wounded wings. Thankfully though, Twilight knew she might get new ones in a matter of a short time.

Twilight noticed that all Covenant troops that decided to remain onboard had gathered around her with their weapons drawn, but they did not fire on her at all. They sensed their impending doom so they knew it would be worthless to kill Twilight in cold blood.

There was another sound of an explosion that erupted from somewhere within the ship, but this time it was followed by a rumble that loudly grew at a steady pace. It was none other than the ship’s hull finally imploding in a fiery eruption that was heading for the main hangar bay.

It was at this moment that Twilight’s entire life flashed in front of her eyes from beginning to end. This experience brought Twilight to tears, but it made her smile and have a sense of peace. She knew she had lived a great life, but it was too bad that it was going to end this early.

Just as the blazing inferno of plasmatic fire reached the hangar bay and was just about to engulf Twilight, she closed her eyes and waited for her end. Just as she did so, she felt as if someone or something grabbed her, and wrapped her in a warm and relaxing energy.

She didn’t know what it was, but she assumed that it was the feeling that everypony got when they meet their end, no matter what the cause was.

One thing that Twilight sensed was that the hooves that Death, or whatever had seized her, had a grasp that seemed....irregular.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Of Mournings and Miracles

PONY EXPRESS

1625 HOURS

Since Kenwood had grown tired of watching the engagements aboard the Covenant Supercarrier, he decided to shut off the main interface and to observe the carrier itself, along with Equis that sat just below it. He constantly wondered if his fleet could truly save Equis, but he never got his hopes high because he knew the Covenant wasn’t capable of giving up so easily when it came to fighting for what they believed in.

He also worried he might fail Celestia and Luna as well. If this operation failed in any way, Kenwood knew that both princesses would lose trust for him, and possibly all of humanity as well. He couldn’t imagine these peaceful equine aliens to become a new enemy at all. It would make the war even more difficult as it was already.

It had been two hours since the operation began, and Kenwood would’ve thought that it would’ve ended somewhere in between those two intervals--but it did not.

The assumption was made that since Covenant Supercarriers were more complex to perform ops on than a battle cruiser, that way more time would be spent before the objectives of both boarding parties would be complete.

As Kenwood pondered deeper into his thoughts, he was interrupted when one of the officers’ reported, “Sir. I’ve got readings that all bogeys within the vicinity of the carrier are making a retreat from both the carrier and a few areas from the surface of the planet.”

“What?” Kenwood asked.

Before he could question the reason, Kenwood heard the distant rumble of an explosion from outside his ship.

Kenwood looked just in time as he saw the entire hull of the carrier vaporize into a mass of blue and pinkish fire. The operation was a success!

The crew of the bridge clapped and cheered as all surviving Covenant fighters and ships jumped into slipspace portals. Since their flagship had been destroyed, protocol within the Covenant military clearly stated that a full retreat was mandatory--even if the numbers within a fleet are still efficient enough for engagement.

Kenwood only smiled, but there was still a hint of concern within him. What troubled him was that he hadn’t got a report from neither Aaron, AJ, or the members of Marine Fireteam Echo. Also, he wondered if the princess was recovered.

“Can any transponders be tracked from any of our boarding parties?” Kenwood asked one of the COMM officers.

“Negative for now, sir,” he replied. “But I’m beginning to receive a strange signal from one of the enemy’s ships.”

“Clear it up if you can,” Kenwood instructed.

“Aye aye, sir,” the officer nodded and began to work on his task.

Kenwood feared it might be a last minute confrontation with the Covenant, or a taunt from them. Fortunately though, the officer had no trouble at all clearing up the signal.

“Sir, it’s Jensen,” he reported. “He’s inbound with a stolen Phantom, and they have Princess Cadance with them. He’s requesting medical personnel for her, and a place to land for the ship.”

“Tell him to land in Hangar B. I’ll have a medical team standing by there. Also, give word to Celestia and Luna, along with Twilight’s friends to meet up in there as well,” Kenwood ordered. Hopefully this would be a great reunion for the equines--but then again, it may or may not be that relieving as anyone might think.

Moments later within the designated hangar bay, Princess Celestia and Luna, along with only four of the Elements of Harmony, were awaiting Aaron’s imminent arrival. Each one of them would be happy and excited that Cadance was finally rescued and being brought back to them, but the medical crew that stood beside them with a gurney with a rebreather hooked up to it was a real concern, since it meant that someone or somepony was in serious trouble.

“I’ve got a really got a bad feeling about this,” Rarity stated.

“Ya always have a bad feelin’ about somethin’,” Applejack said, shaking her head. “But Ah have tah agree with ya. Whatever happened onboard that strange spaceship, it couldn’t have been good.”

“I’m just glad it’s finally gone,” Fluttershy quietly stated.

“I hope that Twilight or Dashie are alright,” Pinkie said, still looking down in the dumps.

“I’m sure both of them are alright, darling,” Rarity assured, but out of false confidence.

“If Rainbow is alright, then how come she still hasn’t bothered tah show up after what we’ve been through so far?” Applejack asked with a mood of suspicion. “This isn’t her at all.”

“I’m surprised that you still care about her, even after the way she treated you,” Rarity said to Pinkie.

“I know,” Pinkie said quietly. “But I know that the Dashie we still love and care for is still there somewhere. It was truly my fault for upsetting her like that.”

“Don’t pity yerself, sugarcube,” Applejack said while wrapping a comforting hoof on the back of Pinkie’s neck. “Frankly, Ah agree as well that the Rainbow we know was overtaken by all that anger and stress. Ah should know because I already went through somethin’ like that back at the park.”

Applejack then realized what she needed to do at that very moment.

“Princess Celestia?” she asked, cautiously.

“Yes, Applejack?” Celestia replied calmly, but she still looked and sounded sorrowed.

“Ah know this was awhile ago, an’ Ah didn’t mean to hesitate for an apology. But Ah’m…”

Applejack was interrupted when Celestia gently raised her hoof. She then managed a small, comforting smile.

“I know what you’re referring to, my little pony,” Celestia said while gently putting a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “This has truly been a hard time for all of us since the UNSC arrived on our world.”

She then turned to the nearby medic team and said, “No offense.” They only gave a shrug for a response.

“The thing is that I’ve already forgiven you, Applejack. We’ve all made errors and yours is no different from the rest.”

“Thank you, princess,” Applejack said with contentment for finally getting closure.

“Don’t mention it,” Celestia said, still with a small smile on her face. It then turned to a sad frown. “I must apologize as well for being short will all of you, including you, Luna.”

“I know, sister,” Luna assured while embracing Celestia in a comforting hug. “I never pretend to know how you feel--even if I was oblivious at first, all those years ago.”

Just then, Aaron’s Phantom approached and entered the bay through the vacuum-lock shields and docked itself in mid-air with the gravity lift emitting from its underbelly. This time it streamed down instead of up.

Aaron was the first one to gently drift down from the drop ship's interior to greet the two sisters and the friends; along with ordering the medical team to take position near the gravity beam with the gurney ready.

“Aaron. Oh thank heavens you’re alright!” Rarity dramatically stated. “You had us all worried sick.”

“I did?” Aaron asked as he removed his helmet so he could properly address himself to a conversation.

“Well...yeah. But just a bit, though,” Rarity replied with a bit of an embarrassed blush. “The main point is that you’re here, and that you’ve managed to get rid of that horrific extraterrestrial craft that had been plaguing the atmosphere of our planet with who knows what kind of pollutants.”

“But there’s still Princess Cadance,” Applejack interjected. “What’s the news on her?”

The answer was given when the sick and injured love princess was already being wheeled on the gurney, and strapped with the rebreather over her muzzle, attached to a tank of fresh oxygen, which was automatically being pumped from the tank and into her system. Not only that, but the mares saw that Cadance was wounded in a few areas, including her wings.

“Cadance!” Celestia exclaimed, full of emotion before she galloped to one side of her niece to try and get closer to her--but an escorting medic restrained her from getting too close to the gurney.

“Stop blocking me!” Celestia shouted. “I need to be with her!”

“Ma’am, I need you to relax,” the medic restraining her assured calmly, but it was in vain.

“Relax?! How can I when my only niece is in such a poor and critical state?! I can’t relax until I know she’s going to be okay!” Celestia ranted hysterically.

“She will be hopefully as long as she keeps getting fresh oxygen pumped into her lungs,” the medic replied. “Now please leave us to her. When she’s ready for visiting hours, we’ll be sure to let you know.”

“But!” Celestia protested, but was stopped at a doorway guarded by two marines. She knew she could teleport right through them, but she still had the conscious telling her that in doing so would just make matters worse for herself instead of better. She could only give in and trot back to her sister and the friends before she slumped down on her haunches, struggling not to sob. Luna held her older sister tight, trying to calm her down--but Celestia was far from getting over her grief.

“What the hay happened to her?” Applejack demanded while holding her friends who were near equally disturbed to Cadance’s condition.

“Apparently, the Covenant had put a major amount of the ship’s local wastes in Cadance’s cell, which was barricaded with a anti-ventilation shield. The result was the methane gases from the wastes were being concealed and constantly being inhaled by Cadance which would eventually lead her to asphyxiation,” AJ explained.

The equines didn’t understand AJ’s concept.

“It means she was breathing and choking on the smell of Covie shit,” Zeke stated.

All of the mares gasped in shock, and Rarity looked like she was about to faint.

“That’s exactly what I just said,” AJ said with annoyance.

“We’re very positive that she’ll make a full recovery though,” Aaron interjected before  things got quickly out of hand. “She wasn’t exposed long enough before there was nothing that medical attention could do. It will just need to take some time. Her wounds aren't that bad either, they will take a lot longer to heal up I’m afraid, but she’ll pull through just fine.”

Aaron wasn’t sure if he said the right thing, or gave any false hope, but it seemed like the logical thing to do. Besides, he was experienced enough to know medical conditions; despite not having a field in doctorology.

At first, the mares said nothing at all as they processed what Aaron told them, and to question if they should believe him--but then this hesitant silence was broken when Celestia asked out of the blue, “Where is Twilight?”

Aaron’s heart seemed to skip a beat, and he felt his blood run cold for a brief moment. His stomach also felt like it was beginning to shrink and constrict, making him almost want to vomit; but couldn’t. He saw this kind of question coming: especially when that the princesses acknowledged that Twilight didn’t leave the Phantom at all with Aaron, or his squad mates.

“I said. Where. Is. Twilight?” Celestia gritted with growing impatience. “Answer me!”

Aaron closed his eyes and bowed his head. AJ and Zeke followed the same gesture. This was a sign to the equines that they were not going to like the answer at all.

“I’m sorry, your majesty,” Aaron said remorsefully. “But Princess Twilight gave her life in order for us to successfully bring back Cadance.”

At first, not a word or sound was given from either the princesses, or the friends. It was dead silence. The expressions they had were mere shock, but Aaron could see their eyes  filling up with tears, and their lower jaws beginning to tremble.

Celestia then broke the silence with a scream of angst before it became a series of wails, both of despair and anger. She even stomped a hoof to clearly express how upset she truly was for possibly losing the best student she’d ever had. Also, one that posed as a daugher-figure as well. Nopony knew if this would be grief that Celestia would ever get over. Matter of fact, it was worse than the way she felt after she banished Luna.

Luna hugged Celestia tight and devolved into her own set of sobs as well. It was thanks to Twilight that she was freed of the Nightmare’s grasp, so she was forever in Twilight’s debt. To Luna, Twilight felt like another sister to her, but younger--and Luna always wanted a little sister. Now that she gained and lost one, the Princess of the Night’s heart broke into shambles.

For Twilight’s friends; Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy held each other close and cried into one anothers shoulders. Applejack however just took off her hat and pressed it close to her chest as she let three streams of tears leak from each of her closed eyes. Her ears were drooped low and her mouth quivered consistently as she held her her sobs, but several of them successfully got past her lips.

“I know this is all too much for all of you to take, but it was her decision,” Aaron explained the best way he could. “She told me that she wishes for all of you to move on with your lives and to not mourn over her constantly, but to remember her always.”

“B-but why w-would she do t-this?” Rarity choked. “And why alone?”

“I have no idea myself, Rarity,” Aaron replied, shaking his head. “One thing I did notice of her is that she had the soul, and bravery of a soldier. She would’ve made an excellent Marine or Spartan.”

“But what are we going to do?” Fluttershy whimpered. “Without Twilight, how can we be the Elements of Harmony without magic?”

“Ah guess we have tah find somepony else who’s a unicorn, and start over from there,” Applejack sniffled.

“No!” Pinkie wailed. “Nopony can ever replace Twilight! Ever!” she sobbed harder into Fluttershy’s shoulder who didn’t seem to mind at all.

“If Twilight wished for us to move on without her, then I think we should respect her wishes,” Rarity stated, gaining some composure. “I never doubted her at all.”

“I just wish we could see her one last time,” Pinkie emotionally whispered.

As soon as Pinkie finished saying that, AJ glanced out the hangar window in time to see some sort of object hurtling toward them.

“Uh..guys,” he said, still transfixed on the object. “What’s that?”

Everyone and everypony turned in time to see the object hurtling closer and closer to the hangar bay. There was no time to close the blast doors to the bay’s windows!”

“Everyone get out of the way!” Aaron shouted.

UNSC personnel and the equines scattered to clear the way of the object’s apparent impact zone. Thankfully, everyone and everypony made it out of the way just as the object passed through the shields and skidded along the floor of the chamber until it came to an abrupt halt near an opposing wall.

When it seemed that the object had finally settled in a resting zone, all souls began to slowly and cautiously approached the mysterious object that could not be detailed since it seemed to be covered in black soot.

When Aaron, along with the princesses and the friends got close enough, they were startled when a pair of yellow eyes with red pupils suddenly appeared on the surface of it.

As they were recovering from their shock, the object began to take the form of a snake-like body with random limbs, and an unusual tail. It then began to shake itself off which expelled the soot off of it. When the soot cloud cleared, the object turned out to be Discord who was wearing a crash test helmet on his head!

“Whoo! That was some ride I tell you!” Discord exclaimed in high spirits. “Of course performing exoatmospheric stunts is not something you should try at home, unless you have unworldly abilities that allow you to breath in outer space where it’s always dark, and a bit chilly, too.”

He brushed what looked like snowflakes from his coat, but when they hit the floor, they turned into bits of paper.

Discord then analyzed the faces of Celestia, Luna, and the four friends.

“Now why does everypony seem so glum?” he asked dumbfounded. “I thought this is a time to be happy and full of joy since those pestering aliens have finally fled our planet. Of course, I was still quite impressed from the mayhem they have caused during their visit,” he parenthesized.

“Twilight’s dead!” Pinkie blurted out of the blue before she went back to blubbering all over again.

Discord stood puzzled for a moment, not knowing what to make of the situation. But then he remembered why he arrived on the corvette in the first place.

Snapping his talon, a blue box with red wrapping ribbons appeared out of thin air and into his talon’s grasp.

It looked like some kind of present, but was big enough to contain a full grown pony. It also seemed to have holes punched in around it as if to grant air to whatever was contained inside.

“Well. I’m sorry for your loss, and I offer my condolences to all of you,” Discord said sincerely, but it seemed to be staged. “Which is why I offer you this gift. Please accept this as a token of my sympathy.”

“I’m afraid now isn’t the time for gifts, Discord,” Celestia said through gritted teeth, but her eyes still leaked tears. She wasn’t in the mood for whatever the mischievous draconequus was trying to pull.

“Oh don’t be so cynical, Celestia. I’m offering you an honest gift from the heart,” Discord protested while literally opening up his chest to display his heart that was still pumping in his lion claw. This disturbing sight made most witnesses cringe with disgust.

Discord then put his heart where it belonged and closed the ‘hatch’ to his chest.

“Look, if none of you want to open it, that’s fine. So being the good friend I am--perhaps I should do it myself. Sure it may seem a bit uncourteous of me, but this is really important. Last chance for anypony who wishes to open this present themselves.”

Nopony moved a muscle.

“Suit yourselves, but I still think you’ll be surprised anyway. Scratch that, maybe overjoyed.”

With that, Discord undid the bow on top of the present which caused all sides to fall down flatly on the ground to reveal a blinding purplish light, forcing everyone and everypony to avert their eyes.

When the light slowly began to die down and allowed every soul to look back, the light began to shrink down and seemed to take the form of a pony.

Soon enough, the details began appearing--and they were already recognisable to the princesses, and the friends. They could only sit and stare with their mouths hung wide open in awe.

When the light had completely dissipated, there laying down in a fetal but relaxed position was Princess Twilight Sparkle who was alive, and without any sign of injury on her!

“Twilight!” her friends cried gleefully and galloped over to her side. Both Celestia and Luna trailed behind them, along with Aaron, AJ, and Zeke who were quite baffled by what they were seeing.

Twilight emitted a groggy groan when she heard the voices of her friends calling her. She attempted to open her eyes, but the sudden light forced them shut.

She blinked several times to adjust her eyes and bring them into focus. It didn’t take her long to work out that the four figures standing over her were her friends.

“G-girls? Is that really you?” she wearily asked them while struggling to pull herself up, but she slumped back down, emitting another strained and frustrated grunt.

“Yes it is!” Pinkie cheered and quickly pulled Twilight up before embracing her in a tight hug; joyful tears flowing from her eyes, and her mane and coat to their rightful color shades and textures.

“Oh thank goodness yer alright!” Applejack added while embracing the dazed alicorn as well. “We thought ya were a real goner!”

“Well...thanks, Applejack. But what happened to me?” Twilight asked

“Who cares, darling. What matters the most now is that you’re here with us, and that you’re alive and well,” Rarity said, and joined in on the group hug.

Fluttershy was the last one to join in, but she was too busy weeping tears of happiness to say anything.

“Uh, excuse me? Don’t I think I deserve a thank you for what I’ve done for you all?”  Discord asked, clearly offended that we wasn’t receiving any kind of recognition.

“Wait,” Twilight said, breaking the group hug so she could face Discord. “You did this?”

“Uh, yeah. How else would have you gotten off of that exploding ship and back onto this one, without the need for any kind of space travel?” Discord replied a bit sarcastically.

“But I was going to…”

“Ah ah ah! Don’t even bother to think about it, Twilight,” Discord tsked. “I just saved your life and healed your wounds; and that’s where we’re going to leave it, alright?”

Twilight wanted to continue asking more questions because none of the events that occurred before her mysterious arrival back on the Express made any sense at all, but decided to follow Discord’s advice and drop the subject. Besides, when Discord was present: nothing was supposed to make sense at all.

“Thank you, Discord. For what you’ve done for me. What you’ve done for us all,” Twilight said with a small and content smile. Her friends and the princesses gave the same expression. “You have our eternal gratitude--I believe even the UNSC’s.”

“Well I’m touched, really I am,” Discord stated, looking and sounding a bit enthusiastic and uncomfortable. He was quite a stranger to gratitude because the deeds he’s done in the past never granted him such a thing, even when he thought he was doing something right instead for his own amusement.

“Forgive me if I’m excusing myself early, but I don’t think I’m ready to get myself involved in such a cheeky scene as this. So..uh.. later!” Discord said before quickly snapping himself out of the presence of everyone and everypony, who only stood in bewilderment while few chuckled.

“It’s great to have you back, ma’am,” AJ said to Twilight, nodding.

“You really are the leather neck, aren't ya?” Zeke added with a chuckle.

“I suppose so,” Twilight replied, not really understanding the term.

“I’m just glad that conversation back on the carrier, wasn’t our last,” Aaron stated with a relieved smile. “You wouldn’t believe the way I felt about how I would face your friends, and the princesses about...well, you know.”

“Promise us, Twilight, that you will never do something like this again,” Celestia stated while looking at Twilight with a stern but pleadful look. “You should know better than to do something like this.”

Twilight looked down at the floor with a shame and guilt painted on her face.

“I promise, Celestia,” Twilight said quietly. “And I’m sorry for causing you, my friends, and everybody else so much grief. I hope you all can ever forgive me.”

Celestia brought a hoof under Twilight’s chin to make eye contact. Celestia glanced down at Twilight with a motherly look and talked to with her soothing tone that Twilight and everypony else knew so well.

“You are one of the best prized pupils I’ve ever had in my whole eternal life,” Celestia said. “I could never stay mad at you for long, but abandoning your friends and the ones you love isn’t something I find tolerable.”

Twilight glanced back down at the floor with tears already beginning to well up in her eyes.

“But,” Celestia continued to make Twilight look back into her eyes. “You’ve managed to help our human allies to save Princess Cadance, and all of Equis from a terrible alien threat to it’s very existence. I have to say, many princesses are not willing to sacrifice their own lives for their country, or world. You have truly stood out among the meanings of royalty.”

“Is that good, or bad?” Twilight asked, uncertainly.

Celestia just gave a light chuckle.

“I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to that ,” she confessed. “But I have to say that it’s a very noble and selfless gesture; but don’t let that sort of thing get to your head, now. You and your friends have a lot of responsibility for the future of Equestria. Don’t forget that, alright?”

“Yes, Celestia,” Twilight nodded. “pardon me if I’m changing the subject, but where’s Cadance? She’s okay, isn’t she?”

“She should be in the medical wing now,” Aaron said. “She has a chance of life, but her recovery is going to take some time.”

Twilight took a quick moment to think.

“If we can go back home to Ponyville, I can look up a recipe for brewing a potion that might help her get better more efficiently. Uh, not implying that your ways are inefficient, it’s just that…” Twilight ranted awkwardly to Aaron before he dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

“It’s alright, Twilight,” Aaron assured with an amused smile. “Whatever you think is best for her. I’ll report to the captain to set a course back for Ponyville, okay?”

“That’ll be good,” Twilight confirmed with a nod.

“Does this mean we can all go home and back to our normal lives without our every movements being watched?” Rarity asked, clearly still uncomfortable with the parole arrangements that were made for them all.

Aaron put his hand under his chin as he thought.

“I’ll have to discuss it with Kenwood,” he said. “You guys are still pretty much part of our interloping, so I can’t be sure of what he will say. But I assure you that you’ll be able to get back to your old lives in a convenient manner. We just have yet to figure it out.”

“Fair enough, I guess,” Rarity implied without much impression.

“Ah bet Spike will be happy tah see ya again, and that yer okay,” Applejack stated.

Throughout all of this war, drama, and chaos, Twilight had nearly forgotten about her Number One assistant. She felt bad for nearly leaving him without a hint for his own future.

“Yeah. I think he would,” Twilight said with a relieved smile.

“I'm sure Angel has been worried about me this entire time, and will be happy to see me as well,” Fluttershy said with relief as well. “He really likes it when I make him his favorite salad serving.”

“Are you sure he hasn’t been throwing a big party or something while you’re away?” Pinkie asked with a raised brow.

“Now, Pinkie. Angel knows better than that,” Fluttershy gently scolded. “He would never do such a thing to hurt my feelings.”

“Heh. If you say so?” Pinkie shrugged.

As Twilight and her friends ventured back to their cabins, Twilight suddenly asked, “Hey, where has Rainbow Dash been? I’m surprised she wasn’t even with you guys back at the hangar.”

Her friends looked glum at the mentioning of the cyan pegasus’s name.

“What’s wrong, girls? Is there something I should know?” she asked, now a bit worriedly.

“It’s a long story, Twi,” Applejack stated. “But Ah don’t think it’s the best time tah explain it now. Once we all get some recuperation back at home, Ah’m sure one of us can be in the mood tah tell ya, okay?”

Twilight uneasily hesitated for the moment because she somehow knew that Rainbow had gotten into deep trouble somehow, and she wanted to do whatever she could to help; but at the same time, she knew Applejack was right. Rest and recuperation is what they all needed right now.

Twilight knew that Rainbow would turn up soon; and if not that, hopefully eventually.

As for Aaron and Luna, they were still puzzled as to the meanings of their nightmares that haunted them earlier before all this happened.

A Covenant invasion just occurred on Equis, but it didn’t line up with the visions they had been having at all. This had to mean something, but what?

Couldn't it have been a false lead, or an inaccurate warning of some kind? Neither Aaron nor Luna could be sure for certain.

Whatever the answer was, both Aaron and Luna somehow but reluctantly accepted that something was not finished--but just getting started.

Epilogue: Where Loyalty Now Resides

COVENANT DESERT OUTPOST CAMP

SURFACE OF HALO: GAMMA (INSTALLATION 03)

1523 HOURS

Sangheili Commanders, Kwn ‘Nosel and Gseu ‘Ahrmonro patrolled around the camp, making sure each one of their soldiers wasn’t slacking off in any way or form.

The Venusian characteristic of the ring made every single day on it unbearable to spend. In order to survive these brutal conditions, all the Covenant units stationed on the ring scouted for natural resources of water which was thankfully provided on the surface by lakes or oceans. Still, the heat of the day slowed down the working performance of some of the troops, especially the Unggoy.

Thankfully by this hour, the temperature was starting to cool down a bit, and that the darkness of night was visibly approaching on one side of the ring.

At first, there was pretty much silence coming from the COMM stations which allowed the groaning and whining of a few Unggoy to be clearly heard, but then silenced when disciplined by the Commanders themselves, or the Kig-Yar who gladly accepted their role of being extra security eyes.

Just then, the COMMs’ buzzed to life as a transmission was being broadcasted.

“This is Shipmaster, Dzen ‘Nbek of the Savior’s Light. Does anyone read me?”

Apparently Dzen managed to escape his doomed carrier, via a Seraph, in the nick of time before it was obliterated into almost nothing.

Gseu went over to one of the COMM transponders to transmit back to Dzen.

“We read you, brother,” Gseu replied. “What’s your status?”

“My carrier has been neutralized by the human enemy. Requesting option for a landing zone.”

“I’ll send you the coordinates for this camp. Stand by,” Gseu instructed.

Soon enough, Dzen’s Seraph appeared in sight and steadily descended into an clearer area before being parked just inches above the ground.

“It’s great to have you with us, brother,” Gseu greeted when Dzen left the fighter.

“Likewise,” Dzen nodded. “But I don’t think ‘Mdama will be pleased for the compromising and destruction of my ship.”

“How did this even happen, brother?” Gseu asked.

Dzen explained everything to Gseu about the discovery of the planet called Equis, the beings that resided on it, and the human imposition to his plans--and how they destroyed his carrier.

Gseu was intrigued at Dzen’s story, but wasn’t really sure if he believed him. He needed some kind of physical evidence.

“Tell me this, haven’t you at least managed to obtain some kind of artifact from this planet?” Gseu asked, suspiciously.

“Only this,” Dzen replied, shamefully, and showed Gseu a crystalline object that was in the shape of a heart. Gseu just eyed it with curiosity, and skepticism.

“Well? What does it do?” Gseu asked,

“I’m afraid I don’t know,” Dzen replied, shaking his head. “The being responsible for it refused to give me the nature of its abilities, so I had to have her executed for her incompetence.”

“I see,” Gseu said. “This won’t change the fact through that ‘Mdama will be displeased with your actions.”

“And I’m willing to accept my punishment,” Dzen countered.

“Very well then,” Gseu said and strolled back over to the COMM transponder. “I’ll contact him at once.”

Before Gseu could interact with the terminal, another transmission came in--but its wave pattern was different. More specifically, it was human.

“This is Zealot, Hvu ‘Umam. I’m inbound with a human vehicle they call a Pelican.” Hvu transmitted.

This time, it was Dzen who responded to the transmission.

“This is Shipmaster, Dzen ‘Nbek. Is that really you, brother?” Dzen asked.

“Affirmative,” Hvu confirmed. “Requesting a landing zone now.”

“Send him the coordinates of this camp,” Gseu instructed, and Dzen did so.

Momentarily, Hvu’s drop ship came into sight.

Seeing that it was an enemy vehicle, most of the Unggoy fled in terror while the Kig-Yar got into their battle stance, but were ordered to stand down by Kwn.

When the Pelican finally touched down, Hvu climbed out of the cockpit in his full armor, and was welcomed by his fellow comrades. Dzen of course was the first one to speak up.

“How did you manage to escape the humans?” he asked. “Last time I remember, you were captured and imprisoned on their ship. I don’t understand.”

“I was assisted, brother,” Hvu replied with pride.

“Assisted?” Dzen puzzled with a raised brow. “You mean a rebel human helped you escape?”

“She wasn’t human,” Hvu denied. “She was one of the inhabitants of the planet we were stationed on.”

Dzen wasn’t sure if he should believe Hvu’s claim. Just like Gseu, he wanted some credible evidence.

“Hold on; she’s in the back,” Hvu said and went back over to the cockpit to open the back hatch of the Pelican.

When the hatch fully opened, both Dzen and Gseu--along with every other soldier in the camp glanced with curious eyes on a cyan-coated equine creature with feminine scarlet eyes, wings, and a multi-colored mane and tail. The look on her face expressed that she seemed a bit uncomfortable and uneasy when she looked upon the other Covenant soldiers in the camp.

“You have spoken the truth, brother. I am quite impressed if I do say so myself,” Dzen applauded. “But what do you intend we do with her? She doesn’t look she is faring well against the climate of this ring.”

They noticed that the equine was starting to pant from the exposure to the sudden humid air.

“I think that ‘Mdama would want to have a look at her, along with Halsey,” Hvu replied. “Besides, I made an oath to help her since she helped me.”

“An oath?” Dzen questioned. “Explain yourself.”

Hvu told Dzen how he came across the equine during his imprisonment, her ordeal, and what he promised her.

“I see,” Dzen confirmed. “Very well, then.”

He then turned toward Gseu and said, “You may still wish to mention my errors to ‘Mdama, but let him make this creature feel comfortable and welcome to our campaign. I hope that can be understood.”

“We’ll do what we can,” Gseu assured and went over to the COMM transponders to contact Jul’s carrier, the Song of Retribution.

Hvu then faced his equine compatriot and asked it in human language which it clearly understood, “Are you ready to have a new life with us in order to reclaim the honor that your own species had taken away from you?”

“If it means getting rid of those humans that interfered with the harmony of our world: then yeah, I’m in,” Rainbow Dash replied with a look of determination painted on her face. “Besides, I need to be loyal to some kind of side since it seems that my own friends have betrayed me. I wouldn’t know where else to go if I hadn’t met you.”

Hvu gave an approving nod.

“Good,” he said. “We agreed to make you feel more comfortable with us; and that you will soon become acquainted with Fleetmaster Jul ‘Mdama. I’m sure he will be interested in seeing such a being as yourself.”

“Uh...thanks?” Rainbow uncertainly replied. She really didn’t know how to react to the compliment.

“Do have any requests that you wish to be answered?” Hvu offered.

It didn’t take long for Rainbow to think of a need.

“Yeah. This heat is killing me. I need to take a dip somewhere.”

Rainbow then observed the distant land masses and water bodies which covered the entire arc of the ring which stretched across the entire sky high above her head.

“We’ll find you a transport ship,” Hvu said.

“Actually, I want to fly,” Rainbow insisted. “I’ve been stuck to the ground so long that it’s driving me crazy! Also that it’s caused my wings to get cramped and stiff from a lack of use.”

“If that’s what you wish, then so be it,” Hvu nodded. “Just follow along the ground and be careful not to fly too high. The atmospheric properties of Halos’ are slightly different than that of a planet.”

“Sure. Whatever to say,” Rainbow stated before flapping her wings to warm them up before she took off, leaving behind a technicolor vapor stream in her midst.

As Rainbow vanished from sight, Hvu thought to himself, Her mind may not be disciplined just yet, but she makes a potential soldier for our Covenant.

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Halo: The Foreshadowing Dream

Mature Rated Fiction

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