Author's Notes:

Theme for this chapter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmfSVTfvtgA

Later...

Twilight breathed in, savoring the still air. The stagnant smell of parchment and ink filled the room, its shelves and walls standing like giants reaching for the mural on the ceiling above. It was quiet, delightfully so. It allowed her mind to meander rather than focusing on whatever was happening close by, and that was a luxury she needed now. She needed to think.

Though the library was empty, torrents of the last few days' events ran through her mind. She struggled to keep everything straight. From the night it had all started, where she'd mistaken falling wreckage from a Covenant Remnant space ship for a meteor shower. To the next morning, where she'd gone to find what she believed to be a crater, only to find a Remnant console, what she had later learned was a piece of communication technology. That same afternoon, where she'd seen the Swords of Sanghelios crash land in the mountains, and gone with Rainbow and Spike to investigate, only to be caught between Remnant Zealots, and the Arbiter and Shipmaster.

How the princesses had offered the Swords asylum at her suggestion, and how with Dash being hurt by a Zealot's strike, Princess Luna had flown them back to Canterlot's Medical Wing for a doctor's attention. How her friends had come up from Ponyville to see them in that same room, with Dash hooked up to a heart monitor and Spike still having nightmares when he'd go to sleep.

She was glad that part was gone, and that they'd recently been quartered in a room that wasn't meant for somepony who was sick or dying. The extra space in the East Wing's rooms didn't hurt either.

From there though, it all began to blur. The aliens... Trottingham... her brother in battle armor... a flag draped casket and seeing a side to her alicorn mentors, a violent side, she had never seen before. And now this newest part... a declaration of war, and an appeal to the militaries of the world. It was all too much to rationalize, but grasping the world around her was vital to her future, her friends' future, the future of all of Equestria. Hence, why she'd come to the library.

Sunlight colored by stained glass danced in through the windows, and lit up the royal crest in the floor tiles. It was there that the claps of the young mare's hooves against the floor came to a stop, her eyes downcast in thought. But a reflection of crimson light teased at the corner of her eye, and blinking away her discomfort, she looked in an irritated way to whatever had interrupted her train of thought.

Her gaze found a glass case, set into one of the bookshelves, to be what was reflecting the sun's stabbing light. She recognized it from the other day, and a jumbled memory came to mind.

"The prophecy," she whispered under her breath, and with her attention seized, she slowly made her way over to the case.

Her horn lit, and the clasps holding the hinged case's lid fell open to unveil the parchment containing the prophecy, and she gingerly removed the bound scroll from its bed of red velvet. She unfurled it in front of her eyes, and as she began to read, she heard the door behind her crack its seal.

She stopped and whirled around, to see a familiar face walking quietly towards her.

"Rarity," she said in surprised greeting, "I didn't expect you to..."

The white mare only smiled.

"But I knew you would be in a place like this at a time like now," she said as she crossed the floor space to her friend, "I wanted to make sure you were... well, that you were doing alright."

Twilight hesitated, but eventually responded, "Yeah sure. I'm just fine."

Rarity didn't seem to buy it, but she said nothing. From the way her hoof pawed the ground, Twilight could tell she wasn't quite her old self either. Twilight quickly went away from the subject; they had a long way to go, but they were all dealing with their situation in their own ways, some a little better than others.

"How'd you know to find me here?" she asked, drawing another friendly smile.

"We all have our place we go to escape, to think. I have my needle and thread, you have your books" Rarity responded, her sapphire eyes hosting the dancing, colorful light, "Any time we had a problem that needed solving, you'd always end up in a library somewhere, scouring these books for an answer that was already tucked away somewhere in that brilliant mind of yours."

"Thanks," the lavender mare blushed, before she turned her eyes slightly downwards, her smile vanishing, "I just can't help but think we don't have a book with the answers on how to deal with aliens. I don't even know where to start looking."

Just then, something behind Twilight's eyes clicked.

"Then again," she began again, looking back to the text in her magic's grip, "This could be pretty close."

Rarity took a step closer, her friendly smile replaced with a more stern expression, the normal glittering in her eyes dull.

"That old scroll?" she asked.

"It's a prophecy," explained Twilight, "the one Princess Luna read us the other day."

They read the unfurled scroll separately and silently, Twilight holding its curved medium aloft in a sparkling aura.

For I have seen fire in the heavens and on earth. I have seen worlds colliding, and the fate of Equestria decided by angels of light and of darkness. In the depths they fought over whether this world would burn. But before Terminus is won, stars shall be swept from the sky, setting the lands below to flame. And the Fallen shall rise from the ashes to claim what is theirs, all as the Oracle has professed. This and much more will come when martyr's blood flows like dusk over the horizon.

"Make any sense of it?" Rarity asked upon reaching the bottom, shrugging as she breathed a sigh of futility.

"Fire in the heavens and on earth," reiterated Twilight, recalling one of the prophecy's lines.

There was a moment of thought between them.

"Battles?" Rarity suggested suddenly, her eloquent speech pervaded by excitement, "I mean Trottingham was on fire yesterday, and earlier, the Shipmaster said something about a battle they'd had in orbit."

Twilight nodded, and thought that maybe, they were onto something.

"Angels of light and of darkness," Twilight reread another line of the scroll, "They're already calling the Swords Equestria's Angels in the newspapers."

Rarity, ebullient about their study, nudged Twilight's side.

"What about the rest of it?"

Twilight shrugged, saying, "I don't know. It's still cryptic."

She paused again, looking up from the scroll, and realized something aloud.

"If Star Swirl was right, even if just a little bit, then this prophecy is happening around us. This scroll contains elements of the past, present and future, and as time goes on, more may prove right. But this is too vague to cling to. We'll only know if he was right in hindsight."

"It's curious," Rarity admitted, her curled mane bouncing as she shook her head, "This whole thing is. Everything seems to be a riddle."

"Indeed."

The deep new voice was followed quickly by heavy footfalls, and the two turned again to see a pair of newcomers.

"Arbiter, Shipmaster," Twilight said in greeting as she put the scroll away, the clasps falling back into place, "What brings you here?"

"What else would bring one to a library?" scoffed Shipmaster 'Vadum as he trode across the Royal seal, "I wish to learn."

Rarity shook her head at the alien's petulant remark, and Twilight made an unaffected response.

"About what?" she asked.

"Magic," came the reply from the Arbiter this time as the two reached their unicorn company, but as the silver clad Sangheili's mandibles parted to speak once more, he was interrupted by a distant carillon's tone.

"What is that?" he asked, his head turning to the nearest window; as he spoke, a much nearer note of thunderous tolling rattled in through the room, indicant that Canterlot's brass had begun to ring as well.

"The bells," answered Rarity a bit solemnly, "Every settlement in Equestria has a bell tower. At noon upon a declaration of war, they ring, and they won't ring again until the arrival of peace."

"Perhaps we should savor their tone then," suggested the Arbiter, reflecting the Equestrians' sentiment, "Who knows when we will hear them once more."

When the bells finished ringing after about a minute, the Arbiter continued from where he'd left off.

"Hopefully it will be sooner than later," he said.

"War seems a dreadful thing," Rarity added, a trace of pity in her voice, "I can't imagine living that for as long as you."

Shipmaster 'Vadum was quick to clarify their reasoning.

"Not for the coming of peace, but because peace's arrival means the Remnant will be dead."

Rarity's and Twilight's eyebrows raised at the bluntness of the comment, but they quickly continued the conversation as if nothing had been said.

"So, then," began Rarity anew, "why is it that warriors such as yourselves have come to this place of learning? Why does magic interest you so?"

The Arbiter cocked his head at her while the Shipmaster behind him crossed his arms, leaning on his back leg.

"I have seen laws of the universe turned around by it," answered the Arbiter with tact, "and I am afraid I do not understand how. In the least I am curious, but then again, it may have the potential to aid us greatly."

Twilight shot a glance to Rarity, then shrugged.

"Well, I'm sure we could help you find a book."

The Arbiter clicked his mandibles.

"Perhaps," he began before gesturing to the Equestrians before him, "but as you are linked to the subject matter..."

Again, the mares shared a glance, but the Arbiter continued without waiting for their approval of his request.

"Tell me, how does magic work?"

Twilight's brow furrowed as she thought of an explanation suitable for someone who had no previous experience with such a thing.

"It's something that comes to unicorns with practice, and much greater is at the employ of the few alicorns there are."

The Shipmaster stopped her, stepping forward suddenly.

"It comes in tiers?" he asked, his armored shell gleaming.

"There are some that are more adept than others, but alicorns have the most powerful magic of all. All ponies have some degree of it within them, but only unicorns and alicorns can manifest it into an act, something called a spell. Having a horn helps to... tap into it."

Now the Arbiter stepped forward, excited.

"Tap into it?" he repeated, looking to the Shipmaster before concluding, "It's a network."

Rarity took her turn to speak.

"It connects everything," she explained, "It's a part of everything. It links us all together. Magic is what's at the core of harmony. How do you think Equestria's stayed at peace for thousands of years?"

The Equestrians could see the inner workings of thought expressed on the Elites' saurian faces as they began to understand. It was a half a minute before the conversation continued.

"You said that all ponies have magic within them? Is this so with the other species?" asked Shipmaster 'Vadum, prompting a shaking head from the Element of Magic.

"And if it connects everything," he pressed on, "from where does it originate?"

Now, as opposed to the beginning of the conversation, the mares in the room looked confused.

"What are you getting at?" asked Rarity.

The Arbiter answered, saying, "What you have described to me is a metaphysical energy that can be manipulated by the appendage on your brow."

As he finished, he reached out, touching the end of Rarity's horn.

"Don't do that," she said in retort, backing away from his hand, "It's sensitive."

The Arbiter looked back to the Shipmaster at his newfound discovery regarding the nature of unicorns' horns.

"Nerve endings."

The Arbiter began pacing, gesturing with one hand while his head was downcast.

"Like all energy, magic must have a place of origination," he thought aloud, "The sun is the starting place for warmth and light. The wind originates from a difference in pressure, which originates in the atmosphere, which originates from gases attracted to a large body due to gravity. Magic, therefore, must also have a source. And if ponies are in tune to that magic, its source must be in a place associated with your species."

Twilight's jaw was thrust forward as the Elites finished, and Rarity's expression was one of pure bewilderment. The mares looked to one another, and then turned back with the same expressions.

"This is insane," Twilight rebutted, "How can you make such conclusions after only being here for a few days? Magic has been one of the most extensively researched topics in our history, and here you're trying to erase everything we already know."

"I know nearly nothing of the nature of magic, and so I am not saying what you have learned is wrong," came the Arbiter's immediate reply, "I am inquiring as to its origin. All I am saying is that while it is unique to your kind, we have seen it before."

"Do you yourself know definitively how it is that you came to know magic," inquired the Shipmaster, his tone challenging, "or has it always been there?"

Twilight took her time to make reply.

"There is... speculation, among those that study it."

The Arbiter's strong voice became softer as he took a step towards his Equestrian counterparts, his hand extended as if to implore for their ears.

"We have seen things, as we have travelled the galaxy, as we have sought communion with our gods. Their power was, in many ways, very similar to yours. The way it can be focused into a weapon, like what your soldiers used yesterday. Telekinesis, telepathy, teleportation: these are all things that our gods could do, and we see them yet again here. The gods achieved these things through technology, but you seem to have attained them biologically, and that is the part where I become confused."

Twilight, calmed by the Arbiter's new approach, lowered her defenses a bit.

"I understand your curiosity, but why do you think it will help us? Very few have the ability to weaponize magic. It's harder than you might think."

The Arbiter bent a bit to look Twilight in the eye, amber meeting lavender, and with his voice bringing back some forgotten trace of awestruck humility, slowly said, "I saw the princess move the sun with magic. That is a titanic act of might, and forgive me, but it should not be attainable to a race of such a relatively low civilization tier. And if the Remnant's reason for being here is proven true, then our gods were here once long ago. You see, this is all intertwined more than you might think, and I believe it may be the subject for our salvation, or our annihilation. Which will be our future, we have yet to see."

Twilight looked to the floor, the marble tiles sparkling in the sunlight like a sea at dawn, and she looked back up into the Arbiter's fiery eyes. She sighed, and resigned to the possibility of his insinuations.

"You're positive that your gods could do these things?" she asked sincerely.

"Yes," came the strong reply.

"And you're positive the Remnant is here because they're looking for something to do with them?"

"Yes," came the Sangheili's baritone voice once more.

Twilight sighed again.

"Well, you might just be right. It's a theory at least. That's how just about any discovery begins," she turned to Rarity, whose expression was well beyond overwhelmed, and continued, "I think what we should do next is cross research."

The Arbiter seemed pleased, and a content hum resounded from his barreled chest.

"I'll start pooling resources," the lavender mare continued, "We'll do some scouring on magic theory while you train our armies. That's what the princess said you would be doing. I'll bring any leads I may find to you. Then, bring your knowledge to the table. For now, we'll be librarians instead of champions."

The Arbiter's mandibles curled into a smile, and with a bow, he said "Very well."

Then, he turned to go, Shipmaster 'Vadum close behind, but not before his ivory helm turned down in a respectful bow, despite his previous demeanor. Once they'd gone, Twilight turned back to Rarity.

"Let's get started."

Rarity's sapphire eyes held much more emotion than she conveyed when she simply nodded agreement.

"I'll go get the others."

Four days later...

The Arbiter and Captain Shining Armor, both clad in heavy, gleaming metal, sat down heavily in the grass of the courtyard after a long while of training. It had been a long few days, the hours between dawn and dusk filled with engraining lessons of war into the minds of the Equestrian Royal Guard. While they were soldiers, and already had quite a grasp on the concepts of fighting and battle strategy, the lessons imbued into their practice by their Sangheili teachers were tailored to combatting the Covenant specifically. Weaknesses in armor configurations, gaps in standard formations, how to defeat combat harnesses' shields, the most effective fencing techniques against typical Sangheili swordsmen; the last was a favorite lesson of most of the black clad Elites.

An allusion to an earlier lesson was on the Captain's face in the form of a bruise. As he removed his heavy helmet, he felt the spot on his temple where a Sangheili gauntlet had met his skull.

"You sure do seem at home in that dueling ring," Shining admitted as he flexed his jaw and rubbed the sore spot, "You'd make a fine teacher at the school of hard knocks."

The Arbiter chuckled.

"It would have been worse if we had been foes in reality. A simple energy dagger would have made such a blow fatal," he smiled as he paused, "But, I did have to correct your tendency of focusing solely on your opponent's blade, as if only his blade could hurt you."

Shining returned the laugh good naturedly.

"Are you always like that?" he asked, receiving a cocked eyebrow from his much larger counterpart, "Battle, war, honor, oh I could have killed you there. Swords swords swords!" And why is it always a sword? You could fight much more effectively from a safer distance with your Plasma Rifles and Carbines."

The Arbiter shook his head at the stallion.

"War is not meant to be safe. And as for the swords, a sword is the soul of a warrior. As your sword arm gains strength, so does your spirit. And the stronger you soul in battle, the more dangerous you are with any weapon."

Shining nodded, once again remembering the pervading seriousness and general lack of humor that was so characteristic of the Elites' personalities. As he leaned back, his muscles sore but warm, he eyed the training yard, hardly recognizable now as the courtyard it was. Their stolen Phantom was parked near the gardens, the Ghosts it had come with arranged neatly in a row off one of the ventral doors. The console they'd salvaged was among their equipment, but its screen was dormant, as it had been for days. The grass was trodden down in certain places, marking unofficially where the dueling ring, the training yard, and where they had their lessons were.

He looked down at his helmet, the crimson phoenix feather crest like a crescent flame in the midday sun. Even this, his own armor, had changed since the aliens' had begun integrating their two militaries together. A single black wire, running up the side of his cheek guard, identified the recently installed communication device that had been salvaged from the helmet of a dead Remnant Elite. Apart from the new radio, the whole of his gilded shell glistened a faint red with arcane energy. Ever since they'd made the discovery that arcane weapons, like Abraxas, could match an Energy Sword while standard steel and iron was easily melted through by the Covenant plasma blades, all of their equipment had been enchanted. It had made the mages of Canterlot especially busy, but their fighting force much more capable.

As Shining reran everything he'd learned, the Arbiter at his side seemed bored, occupied elsewhere with his thought. Shining turned to him, and tried bringing him back.

"Anything else you use to be stronger in battle?" the Captain asked.

The Arbiter chuckled, but then his voice went much lower.

"I think you already know that," he answered, "The day we first fought together in the valley, did you fight for yourself?"

Shining was slow to respond as he remembered how his first battle had made him feel.

"No."

"What did you fight for?" the Arbiter asked.

Shining was slow to answer again, but he made reply with conviction.

"For my stallions... for my family... for my home, and everything here."

The Arbiter once again smiled.

"To answer your question... remember what you fight for. If you will still fight for it when death stares you down, it is a cause worth fighting for."

There was a moment of silence between them, until Shining Armor spoke up again, and the Arbiter listened respectfully to what he had to say.

"When I was still in the Royal Guard, before I was promoted to Provost Marshal, Captain of the Guard, I was in this same Special Forces unit. I served with more than half of them; new faces have since come and some old ones gone. We were close. Then, I was married, and Equestria was a piece of my past. It was still home though, despite my newfound responsibilities in the Crystal Empire. But as soon as I heard what was going on back here, and that Celestia wanted my help, I came as quickly as I could."

The Arbiter nodded like he knew the feeling before the prince asked him, "How long have you and your Elites been together."

The Sangheili's mandibles clicked.

"Since this Civil War began," he said matter-of-factly as he leaned back, bracing his weight with his arms against the ground, "Some of them, like the Shipmaster, since even before that, back in the days of the Covenant. I know each of them better than most of my own family."

As he finished, he turned around to face the others nearer the training grounds' center, and the Captain turned with him. He pointed, and Shining's eyes followed.

"The pair in the dueling ring, those who wield two swords each," he rumbled as he gestured to two Sangheili facing one another while the rest of their brothers looked eagerly on, as if admiring a masterpiece, "they are and Denzu 'Zamamai and Sev 'Ikaporamai. They are swordsmen, aristocrats, warriors of unquantifiable renown and honor. They had both earned respite from war, but even in their age, they sought me out once the Covenant had been broken, and asked to fight for our people alongside us."

The duo in question clashed blades to the faint exclamations of their audience, and the Arbiter and Shining shared a smile at the sight of their comradery. In the mass gathered around the circular dueling ring, Sangheilli, Equestrian and even the Mgalekgolo stood side by side, intermingled. It was amazing how far they had come in just a few days.

The Arbiter pointed again, this time to the two Elites with Beam Rifles on their backs, the snipers. They shared the same height, the same posture, arms crossed and shoulders cocked. One leaned to the others ear, whispering something and causing the other to throw his head back and laugh.

"Xar and Xan 'Putum," the Arbiter said, naming those in question," Twins. They are the youngest in our company, but they fight with hearts of fire. Their bravery is matched only by their marksmanship, and as a pair, no enemy of ours is safe from them."

Shining was fascinated as the Arbiter went on. This was the closest thing to an introduction he had received from the Elites. Until now, they had been empty suits of armor, no more than a rank and a weapon, a nameless subject matter expert on war. And as he was gifted the knowledge of these prestigious warriors' names, he couldn't help but feel he had earned their trust. It was then that he realized, they all had earned his as well.

"Ichiko 'Wattinree is the son of the late Imperial Admiral," The Arbiter said as he singled out an exceptionally tall Sangheili, every slot on his obsidian, glyph marked armor fitting a weapon, "He has yet to achieve the greatness his father attained, but he is, without doubt, among the swiftest and most intelligent warriors I have ever fought alongside."

A slender finger identified another, a very scarred individual with a somewhat mangled arm and one white eye, as he laughed at something one of the Equestrians he stood beside said.

"Chak 'Ahrmonro is selfless beyond compare. I have lost count the number of times where he has thrown himself between a comrade and a grenade, or braved enemy fire to help another through the fray. How he is still alive is a mystery, but his kindness and his courage make us all glad he is."

The Elite with the most foreboding scowl of a face was next.

"Kev 'Xellus had nearly all the members of his immediate family killed by the San Shyuum when they betrayed us. He is not the same warrior I knew in the Covenant. His rage gives him strength, as is so for all of us, but unique to him is his ability to control his anger and unleash it in combat. Never have I met one more ferocious."

Shining's heart dropped a bit as he heard the story, but he knew none of them wanted his sympathy. Rather, he followed the Arbiter's nod to the next, a thinner Elite with a lighter armor configuration than the others.

"Krain 'Rolam is among the best pilots in my fleet, just as he is one of the best at tinkering with such technology. He understands the tools of war better than most, which is what makes him so precise. The helmets you and your kinsmen wear were outfitted with communicators by none other than he."

The duel was suddenly finished as one of the aristocrats disarmed the other with a twirl of his blade and a grappling move. The coalition cheered the victor, before he helped his counterpart back to his feet and returned to the crowd while the next pair made ready to take their turn in the ring. The Arbiter continued as one of the Hunters suddenly became irritated, undoubtedly by the insects that had taken such a liking to them, causing quite a ruckus.

"Many of their families have been torn apart by our race's war," he said, looking between Shining and his brothers as they gathered around the flailing Hunter, trying to calm it like ranchers around a kicking bull, "War is a rift torn in the ground, and we find ourselves standing on opposite sides of the canyon of those we hold dear. Brothers fight against brothers, fathers fight against sons. When individual conviction and action overlap, when all are forced to decide what they believe, such things happen. We are each other's family now, until this war can be brought to an end. We are far more than friends, more than comrades."

Shining nodded, looking down at the grass as, for the first time, he connected on this level with the aliens.

"I understand," he said simply, but the look in his eyes said much more.

Again, the two paused, but Shining went on, this time with his focus on the war effort.

"So from what you've been teaching us," he began "does the Covenant use the same tactics?"

The Arbiter's mandibles clicked as he too came back into soldier mode, and his arms crossed as he looked to the sky.

"Not their standard forces," he answered, "Typically, they employ shock and awe campaigns. My warriors and I are a part of the Separatist Covenant Special Warfare Group. We have taught you guerilla tactics, cloak and dagger, things of the like. These are the ways with which to most effectively delay the Covenant, as we are currently too small a force to oust them all together."

Shining sighed as he imagined the legions of Covenant above them.

"Hopefully that will change soon," he reflected, "With the arrival of the leaders of the other nations later today, maybe we can come together to be a sizeable enough force. And I'm sure that once we give them the knowledge and capabilities you've given us, we just might have a chance."

The Arbiter fell into thought for a moment, and asked curiously, "How many nations are there?"

"Including Equestria, eight: The Griffon Kingdoms encompass the most territory of any of the nations, and are almost directly to Equestria's Northeast, across the Sea of Amore. Their High King, Gilderoy, will represent the kingdoms here. Then there's Tauren, home of the Minotaurs, just south of the Griffon Kingdom's borders. And then south of them, right on the equator, is Saddle Arabia, led by Caliph Ayesha in both church and state. Below them is the continent of Zebrica, home to countless zebra tribes. North of the Sea of Amore is the White Sea, which is where the archipelago of the Shetland Isles are. Then, to the north of Equestria is the Crystal Empire, and to our south are the Badlands, where the different species of dragons live, wyverns, tarragons, drakes and the such. That's where they winter, and lay their eggs."

The Arbiter thought a moment again, and asked, "Have they ever come together before?"

Shining frowned.

"Not all of them. Equestria has been more or less on good terms with the whole of them, but many of the other nations hate each other. The peace of Equestria is not a constant the world throughout."

"What do you mean?" asked the argentite Elite.

"Well, to start, the dragons aren't even a nation. They're more of a race, a species. They're nomadic, and they migrate like birds. That, and they're rather destructive. Most countries lie in some species' migration path, and every year a maverick drake will burn a field or a hungry wyvern will steal some livestock. Most don't see them as anything more than animals, let alone trust them."

The Arbiter began to see Shining Armor's point, and he too found himself glaring as the stallion went on.

"You've got the Minotaurs who hate the Arabians. They went to war over resources a few decades ago, and never quite made peace. Then, there's the rivalry between the Griffons and the Shetland ponies. The Shetland Isles and the Griffon Kingdoms are separated by the Dire Strait. All seaborne trade between the East and the West passes through that strait, and so they're always jockeying for control of the seaway. They've never gone to war, but they've come close more than a few times."

The Arbiter sighed now, and muttered, "Getting them to join us may be more difficult than expected."

"Yeah," agreed Shining rather inarticulately, before optimistically adding, "But if anypony can do it, it's Celestia and Luna."

The Arbiter nodded at the thought, accepting it with hope that it was true. But, as they got up, their conversation over, to rejoin those they'd left, a sudden flash of green near the Phantom caught the Arbiter's eye. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who had noticed, and one of the Sangheili twins ran over to the console.

"Arbiter!" he called over his shoulder, "The Remnant is communicating!"

Suddenly, Shipmaster 'Vadum appeared at his side, and asked excitedly, "What are they saying?"

There was a moment where there was no reply, but eventually the message was deciphered.

"Kar 'Vol is headed for the surface! They think they may have found a holy site!"

"Where?" yelled Shining Armor, now the entire population of the training yard gathered behind him.

"In Equestria!" came the answer, "Nearly one hundred miles Northeast!"

"Warriors!" roared the Shipmaster without hesitation, "to the drop ship!"

The cockpit of the Phantom jolted and shook around the Shipmaster as he guided it, soaring near the speed of sound barely above the trees. The mountains were behind them, and now nothing but forests and plains stretched before them as they coursed towards Kar 'Vol's landing site. The main screen in front of him displayed his view, as well as his Heads Up Display.

They flew without escort; the princesses and the Elements were left behind at the castle. Such an opportunity as the Justiciar of Truth could not be passed upon, and soldiers of the coalition were already to arms when the call came in. To tell them, and wait for them to make ready, would have taken too long, especially when their window of opportunity was likely no greater than an hour wide.

Shipmaster 'Vadum reached to the ship's intercom, pressing the button before speaking into the microphone.

"We are nearing the Remnant," he said to those in the hold behind him, "We will make contact in no more than four minutes."

Not a moment later, he heard the voice of the Thel 'Vadam over the intercom.

"Warriors, today we have been blessed with the chance to lob the head off the Covenant snake that coils around this world! But do not think that 'Vol will submit easily! He is fierce and cunning, and will fight as savagely as each and every Covenant Loyalist he has brought to the surface with him! Remember what you have learned, and have courage as you stand in the fires of battle once more! None shall stand alone! We are brothers, all of us! We have been since we first bled together, and we shall be for all time! Now, as brothers, let us deal a blow to our enemy that they will never forget!"

There were some roars of approval from the Phantom's cabin, and Shipmsater 'Vadum hummed to himself in agreement as well before he once again spoke into the intercom, adding to the Arbiter's speech.

"No mercy will be shown to us by these Covenant dogs, brothers! Show them none in return! Let us remind this world who we are!"

Now the voice of Shining Armor came over the intercom.

"Once we enter the fray, we'll be using the battle-net for communication, not the Phantom's intercom! Remember to maintain shadow protocol once we reach that point! Use only codenames! We don't want the Covenant to learn anything!"

They came ever closer to the Covenant, but the rolling hills and trees prohibited them from establishing visual contact. Still, from the transmission's coordinates, Rtas 'Vadum knew they were near, and he opened the Phantom's ventral doors for a hastier engagement when they would finally have that chance. The rush of air tearing past the craft's hull drowned out all other sound, and the Shipmaster once again reached down to press a button on the console to reestablish communications.

"Switching over to the battle-net!"

The tone of the established communicators growled in 'Vadum's ear, and now on the battle-net, he heard his call sign used by Captain Shining Armor.

"Seraphim, are there any signatures on the scanner?"

He checked the circular screen in question, seeing it still blank before he made reply.

"I picked up a single drop ship and a pair of fighters earlier as they came in for a landing, but no capital ships have entered the atmosphere!"

The voice of another Equestrian came over the battle-net.

"Can they detect us too?" he asked.

"We're flying less than a hundred feet off the ground," the Shipmaster answered over the wind rushing over the drop ship's hull, "We are undetectable to them."

As he spoke, he pulled back on the controls, pitching the nose of the Phantom up to crest a tree topped hill. When he recovered, he saw the northeastern woods giving way to the cold grey plains. Sporadic farms and homes were spread out across the frosted ground, but one of the homes was plagued by figures on its property, as well as the signature blue glow of Covenant spires and energy shields.

The Shipmaster, having located their quarry, roared into his communicator.

"Warriors, prepare for combat!"

They flew closer, the drone of the Phantom's engines like a storm, and the silhouettes of Elites, Jackals and Grunts became visible against the earth.

"Landing party, platoon size!" called the Shipmaster, "I'm coming in on an attack run. I'll soften them up before they are put to your swords, brothers!"

As he finished, the nose cannon of his vessel let loose a fury of fire, and lavender explosions began erupting among the ranks of the Remnant on the ground. Blue bolts of plasma came up in greeting, but they were not enough the breach the armored exterior of the ship.

The Phantom dashed over the Remnant' landing zone, leaving it pockmarked with smoldering craters and littered with wounded and dead. The Shipmaster rolled the Phantom as he finished his bombing run, and lowered it to the ground as the Arbiter, on the ventral plasma cannon, began firing bursts of searing blue at the Covenant who were still standing or returning fire.

First, the Hunters leapt from the cabin, landing with an earth shaking impact on the cold ground. After them came the rest of the Phantom's passengers, with the exception of the Arbiter, who continued hosing the Covenant line with plasma. They hit the ground and went prone while the Hunters and the Phantom soaked up the majority of the enemy fire, and the voice of Shining Armor came in over the battle-net.

"Seraphim, we are on the ground! Hold your course so you and Archangel can provide a base of fire."

The Shipmaster's brow set in determination, and he conducted what he had been advised, the nose gun of his Phantom engaging targets with a brutal efficiency. On the screen, the crosshair of his weapon found muzzle flashes and silhouettes against the smoke, and as he fired, he witnessed the ragged aftermath of his accuracy on what had once been Covenant bodies.

Meanwhile, the Arbiter, with his boots hanging out of the Phantom, sat on the ventral door while the muzzle of the plasma cannon lit his face up blue. The number of enemy combatants had already been diminished by at least half, but there was still plenty to shoot at. An Elite Major stood up to fire at him; a well aimed burst put him back down much faster than he'd risen. A pair of Kig-Yar went to relocate, lowering their shields for a moment while they dashed towards the nearby farm structures. The Arbiter walked his shots on target with one long moment of sustained fire; sending both of them into the frost hard. Once more, he sprayed the enemy position, keeping them down while the Hunters did the same far below, and then he reached for his communicator.

"Ground team, this is Archangel," he growled, "When we have killed these stragglers, I shall join you, but do not wait around on my account! We must prevent them from escaping!"

Then, the Arbiter looked back towards the cockpit, and yelled, "Seraphim, take us on another run!"

The Phantom rolled with the Shipmaster's hand, and they slowly drifted over the battlefield with guns firing. But then, through the smoke and drifting ashes, a shadow emerged. It matched the outline of an Unggoy, and it appeared to be winding up. The Arbiter moved to swivel his plasma cannon towards the approaching Grunt, but it was outside his muzzle's range of motion. He reached for his Plasma Rifle, but it was too late. The Grunt's arm was already moving forward.

"Brace!" he yelled to Shipmaster 'Vadum, and the clink of something hitting the bottom of the hull rang through the chilled air.

"Grenade!" yelled the Arbiter once again, but seconds passed, and no explosion occurred; the Arbiter did not wait any longer to draw down on the Unggoy, who was now running away, and put three bolts into its back. When its methane tank came loose, the sudden release of pressure sent it shooting across the plains like a bottle rocket.

"Was it a dud?!" came the voice of the Shipmaster.

"It matters not!" replied the Arbiter as he went back to the door gun, "Maneuver around, I need a better angle on the Sangheili down there! They have our force pinned down!"

As another stream of plasma bolts came from the ventral doors, the troops on the ground were suddenly reprieved, allowing Shining Armor to lift his head once more. No later had the air cleared than he heard the voice of who he now knew was Chak 'Ahrmonro in his helmet.

"Abraxas! You and your unicorns, Seraphim, Archangel and the snipers maintain a base of fire on those Covenant! I will take all the rest on a maneuver onto their side, and clear through their ranks!"

"You heard him, engage!" yelled Shining as he lead the way, rising up a bit as his horn glowed red, "Suppressive fire!"

Blue and red beams of both magic and plasma began cutting through the smoke while the Elites began working their way around. The cries of the Remnant began growing weaker, until they stopped all together when the Swords of Sanghelios moved from their flank and through their position, and with swords and energy daggers, finished off the remainder. They moved on a small distance from the Remnant, and took a knee, weapons brandished still. 'Ahrmonro, once they were set, came back into the Captain's communicator.

"Captain, move up. Check the bodies. We will watch your back."

Shining Armor did just that, and began searching the many Grunts and Jackals, and fewer Elites, kicking away their weapons and checking their armor configurations for rank or glyphs indicant of certain positions. As he and the team he led performed their task without the hindrance of living Covenant resistance, the Shipmaster set down the Phantom just beyond the craters. The Arbiter jumped from the cabin, and the ship rose back into the blackening sky. The Arbiter drew his sword, its blue light piercing in the ashen air, and trotted to Captain Shining Armor's side as he left the limp body of a Sangheili Major.

"Archangel, we've checked these bodies. There aren't any Zealots here."

The Arbiter looked around slowly, his amber eyes a bit reddened by the smoke in them, before agreeing, "And so few. Why would such a small force come for such an important investigation? And if 'Vol said he would be here, then where is he?"

A Sangheili voice came over the battle-net.

"He must be inside. We will take him at once!"

Immediately, every one of the black Elites ran to the farm structures, and began stacking up outside of the barn and the farmhouse. But, as they ran, the Shipmaster's voice once again vibrated in the ears of the coalition.

"This is Seraphim. I am reading intense thermal signatures from those structures, far too hot to be any organics!"

The Arbiter stood erect, Shining Armor at his side, and looked fearfully to the farm. The other Elites, the Hunters now lumbering up to join them, seemed not to notice. The Arbiter put a finger to his ear, and addressed the Phantom.

"Seraphim, are your scans showing anything characteristic of a holy site?"

There was a pause before an answer came.

"Negative. There's nothing, not even a hundred meters below the surface. This is only a tundra. Nothing more."

Shining Armor sighed nervously, "What else could be in that barn if not organics? Where else could 'Vol be? What else gives off heat like that?"

The Arbiter froze, looking to his brothers as they got ready to breach the door. He searched his mind for an answer to Shining Armor's question. Too hot to be organics, and impossible to be anything not alive in the cold. What else could put off heat like that?

When he realized what it was, his hearts stopped.

Plasma.

"It's a trap," he said, his voice a hoarse whisper in the northern wind.

The Elites approached the doors of the buildings, and the Arbiter turned towards them. When the warriors on point made ready to kick the doors in, he began running to them.

"It's a trap!" he yelled, but it was to no avail.

It was too late. Black boots splintered the doors inward, and the Swords funneled in through the doorways with the Hunters close behind.

"No!" yelled the Arbiter, sprinting now, when the entire complex imploded.

There was no sound at first, just a tumultuous ball of blue flame that expanded outward, engulfing everything in and around the buildings. Then, with the shockwave came the force, and the thunder, and the Arbiter as well as each Equestrian still checking the Covenant's position, were thrown into the air as if they weighed as much as a doll.

Then, there was silence.