Author's Notes:

Theme for this chapter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN2Xs-MvxLw

Shadows stretched across the land, and a sound like the distant hum of a violin echoed through the hills and reverberated through every stone, tree, field and structure of the secluded section of earth. Trottingham stood nestled in the bosom of the Unicorn Range like an oasis, a small patch of comfort in the midst of harsh terrain, fields of corn and wheat expanding out from the farm houses, stores and town hall of the settlement's heart in rows. The rocky slopes of the sierras rose up on either side of the valley like a 'V', and beyond the fields of golden crop, the grass between the ascendant peaks waved in the late day's breeze like a restless verdant sea.

The distant hum grew into a shrill wail, becoming louder and louder like an approaching scream as the valley lost its peace. The eerie sound's source of gravitational propulsion drives became obvious when, in the distance from the quiet town, blue vapor trails and dust swirls approached as if a supernatural force to be reckoned with bore down on the subtle municipality in haste.

Four Type-32 Rapid Assault Vehicles roared over the valley floor in a spearhead formation with tremendous speed, four winged equines soaring no less quickly intermittently between each Ghost in the formation. Just overhead, slightly behind the echelon of vehicles, pegasi and alicorns, a single, massive Type-52 Troop Carrier lingered, as if watching over its smaller allies as they raced through the green grass below.

The Arbiter, driving the foremost Ghost in the formation, looked behind him briefly to the drop ship, and putting his hand to his headset's communicator, hailed its pilot.

"Shipmaster 'Vadum," he addressed, "how does this vessel suit your command?"

The sound of the Phantom's engines was present in the response as the battle-net buzzed to life within his silver helmet.

"The Shadow of Intent it is not, but I still retain my ability at steering these Phantoms. Our force is well kept within the cabin. Though the foreign nature of this method of travel was quite present within Captain Shining Armor and his flightless comrades as they boarded the craft."

The Arbiter reoriented his eyes forward, focusing on the Ghost's display on the console above his hands on the controls as they guided the nimble vessel across the valley floor. He looked to his left to see a white alicorn keeping pace with his own vehicle no more than two meters away, and to his right to see a black alicorn doing the same, the sisters' expansive wings vigorously pumping and the grass beneath them swaying as if being buffeted by gale force winds. And beyond them, the azure blue trails of the other three Ghost's propulsion drives streamed behind as if they were lambent tails on a kite, the menace they posed to those who opposed them obvious in the low posture of both the vessels and the black-clad Elites slouched at the controls. The other two pegasi, both clad in the elegant albeit recently corrupted armor of the Guard flanked the formation, small swirls of dust and pollen following each hefty wing beat.

The Arbiter's attention was suddenly seized as he heard the voice of Princess Celestia call out from his side.

"We are approaching Trottingham! Not long now!"

The argentate Elite nodded in response, and pressed the throttle forward ever so slightly, his Ghost's engines' pitch going up as if complaining against the exertion. It was not long before the formation entered an extensive wheat field, the last patch of land between them and the now visible structures of Trottingham in the relative distance. The echelon skimmed over the surface of the field, just above the gilded stalks, and as they raced forward they persistently closed the distance between themselves and Trottingham, and by extension, the Element Bearers and Guard members that were supposedly somewhere within. Near the middle of the field, the Arbiter once again accessed his communicator.

"Shipmaster, when we reach this settlement, relinquish the troops you harbor on the outskirts," he ordered, "We shall comb the town as one body, and you shall be our eyes. Stay within the drop ship, and guide us as you deem fit."

As he concluded, the Arbiter remembered the Type-50 operators still in the hills, and furthered his prior orders for them to traverse the ridgelines of the Unicorn Range and rendezvous with the rest of the force at Trottingham.

"Over watch unit, you will need to quicken your pace to a new firing position. Your vigilance will likely be needed. Contact me once you are within view of the settlement."

No response came, as none was necessary, but his communicator shortly crackled to life once again.

"Arbiter, I do not doubt your instinct, but I fail to see why the Remnant would show interest in an agricultural settlement."

He looked to his left, the Sangheili operating the farthest Ghost looking his way with one hand on the controls, the other raised to his headset. The voice of 'Vadum came over the battle-net, putting a voice to his thoughts as the Phantom he flew descended lower to the valley floor, its contoured hull gleaming in the late day's light.

"We do not yet know that the Remnant is what has caused the lack of a response from the Elements and their escort. Then again, I can think of no other likely cause for such a thing to happen."

"Nor I," the Arbiter chimed in, "Though I do not believe the Remnant would be here for the farms."

"What else could they be here for? The Shipmaster furthered, "It is very nearly impossible that they already were able to ascertain the champions' identities as well as their location. They cannot be hunting them, correct? And the princesses specified that this town has little to do with their martial infrastructure."

"When I have found an answer, you will be the first to know," the Arbiter responded, only to have Celestia join the conversation with a remark of her own.

"Our first task must be to find the Element Bearers, and secure their safety!" she yelled over the Ghosts' and Phantom's engines, flying forwards all the while, her spear leveled as if she were jousting an unseen foe, "Once that has been done, we can play detective!"

As she spoke, the Princess of the Night performed a barrel roll over the top of the Arbiter's Ghost, leveling off on her sister's wing, and below the roar of the engines, spoke to her.

"Sister," she began, the electric whir of the gravitational propulsion drives drowning out her voice to all save her intended audience, "are you sure we should bring the aliens into the town? They will be inevitably seen by anypony who would look in their direction."

"At this point, it does not matter," came the answer as Celestia kept her eyes forward to dissuade any notion of her keeping of secrets, "This turn of events has forced our play, and keeping the knowledge of their presence contained is undoubtedly less important than ensuring the Elements continue in their ability to defend Equestria."

The wheat field suddenly ended, the structures of the town looming all the nearer, and the Arbiter brought the Ghost to a screeching halt. He pulled back on the controls and released pressure on the throttle, turning the Ghost perpendicular to its momentum, causing it to skid to a stop just within the town's limits. The other three Ghosts followed his lead, and the winged equines opened their wings to the air, slowing themselves in an instant to alight within the now stationary formation with perfect aerial grace.

The Shipmaster guided the Phantom into their midst, and set down on the edge of the wheat field. The ventral doors opened, and the two Mgalekgolo, accompanied by Captain Shining Armor, three more Elites and the remainder of the Equestrians, leapt a small distance down to the ground below. The Arbiter jumped from the cockpit of his Ghost, pulling his Plasma Rifle from his hip before he hit the ground, and with a wave of his hand, brought the entire coalition to his flanks.

The Elite in silver led them to the beginnings of the town, taking cover along the wall of the nearest building, a two-story shop with a sign on top that read Clydesdale Grain in large white letters. The Arbiter peered around the corner of the store to observe the town while the sound of the Shipmaster's Phantom's engines roared to life as the craft took off once again. The settlement was simple; one dirt road ran down the center of the structures, which were all aligned alongside the main street. On the far side of the town, making an endpoint for the town's only road as it stood as if watching over the municipal structures in its shadow, was a two story building painted white with a red roof, large windows, and two separate wings on either side of a main entryway. It was obvious that this structure was of importance in relation to the smaller shops and homes lining the main street it commanded.

As the Arbiter memorized every alleyway, shadow and building he could see as he leaned slightly around the corner of the store, he realized just how devoid of movement the settlement was. He felt Shining Armor at his side, looking on as he was, as he realized that there was no sign of any of the residents. The wooden walkways running along each side of the dusty street were empty, and each of the windows were vacant of silhouettes. There was not even a sound, save for the drone of the Phantom's engines as it climbed a safe distance into the sky above, and the faint tolling of a bell in the wind as it coursed through the air and stirred the carillon in the town hall's bell tower.

The Arbiter looked down as he heard the Captain's breath escape.

"It's a ghost town," the stallion breathed, and he looked up to the Arbiter with a look between fear and confusion as further silence confirmed his statement.

The Arbiter glared down the street once more, and he ran a finger over the smooth surface of his Plasma Rifle, reminding himself of its presence.

"Spread out in two squads," he ordered, his voice a hoarse whisper, "Go nowhere alone. Advance from structure to structure until Equestria's champions have been found."

Growls and nods of agreement went through the ranks of the Elites, while bated breath was held among the Equestrians as the Arbiter looked into the blue eyes of Shining Armor behind his gilded helmet, and furthered, "Captain, you and your own will come with me."

As the Arbiter spoke, a contingent of the Elites sprang from their place along the wall of the store and sprinted across the street, taking up positions along the outside wall of the structure opposite the Arbiter's position. Meanwhile, the Hunters took up a position in the center of the street between the two groups of the coalition, their looming bulk imposing as they stood shoulder to shoulder with verdant shields ready.

"You search the town," Princess Celestia began before taking to the air once again, hovering for a moment with her sister at her side, "Luna and I will begin checking the rural homes spread out through the valley."

As the alicorns sped off to a distant barn, the Arbiter looked up again to the Shipmaster hovering above the town in the Phantom, and he put a finger on his helmet's communicator.

"Shipmaster, circle the settlement. Should anything catch your eye, inform us immediately."

His words had immediate effect, as the craft dove to an altitude below one hundred feet, and patrolled outside the town's limits, the gun beneath its nose swiveling like a raptor looking for prey.

The Arbiter looked back to the Equestrians behind him, and then across the way to his brothers in black; every soul in the town was looking to him, waiting for his word, waiting for his orders, waiting to follow him. The Arbiter only raised his hand, and took in a breath. When he let the air back out, he allowed his hand to descend, and no sooner had he drawn breath again than he'd whipped around the side of the wall with his Type-25 pointed down the street as his brothers mirrored his movement across the road.

With a wave he shepherded the Equestrians forward while he covered their advance, forcefully saying, "Search the building," as Shining reached the doorway to the grain shop.

The Captain threw the unlocked door open with ease, and they filtered inside, the Arbiter entering the structure last to see the Equestrians dispersing into all corners of the store, hauling their armored weight up stairs or throwing stacks of seed out of the way to check every nook and cranny of the shop.

The absence of the building's potential occupants was declared when a strong voice yelled from upstairs, "Clear!"

"Onto the next," replied the Arbiter, and he led the way back into the street.

He checked the street once again, his weapon sweeping across the motionless setting before him as he leaned out of the doorway of the grain shop. The Equestrians again came trotting up behind him, making for the neighboring building so as to continue the search, but the Arbiter caught the leading Captain by the shoulder plate, and offered words of warning.

"Calm and careful," he reminded Shining, sharing a nod before they moved on together.

The search of the next building, a tavern by the looks of it, yielded nothing except a few bottles left open on the bar with condensation still coating the outside of the glass. In the same fashion they scoured the third building, a metallurgy shop with embers still smoking in the forge, but no residents were within.

Again, the Arbiter and his equine company went to move on, the ponies dashing from building to building while the Arbiter covered their advance, but when the Sangheili left cover to join them, he found the ponies frozen in the entrance to an alleyway, their advance stopped midstride. It didn't take a second glance for the Arbiter to confirm the reason for their pause.

In the alleyway, slumped against the wall, lay one of their own.

A pool of red gathered around his motionless figure, avian appearing footprints in the crimson damp, and his torso was blackened as if burned. His armor was no longer gold, and the wall behind him was discolored as well. The brow of his helmet slouched over his breast, concealing his face, but his horn alluded to his identity.

In mortified horror the Equestrians watched their comrade as if they expected him to get back up, and tears mixed with the blood at their hooves. For pity's sake the Arbiter mirrored their silence, but he clung to the alleyway's walls and kept his amber eyes moving, ever vigilant in his search for foreign movement.

Eventually, the Arbiter shattered the vigil with a hushed address.

"Captain?" he murmured, causing a shift in the reverence of the Equestrians.

"It's Sergeant Chevron," admitted the prince, his voice cracking as he spoke.

The Hunters moved up through the center of the street as did the Elites on the walkways across the road, passing the alleyway as they advanced in their unhindered search, and seeing that they were not drawing any fire, the Arbiter deemed it safe to allow his watch to falter. He turned from his post, and stopped watching the Equestrians' backs long enough to join them.

But, as he approached, something caught his eye. On the wall opposite the dead pegasus, a splotch of color was out of place.

"This is not Equestrian blood," the Arbiter noticed as he passed a finger through the dark, drying purple splatter opposite the Equestrian casualty; upon a second look, the blades in the dead guard's gauntlets were stained the same color, "It would appear he died fighting."

The Arbiter looked closer at the fallen pegasus' body.

"These wounds were inflicted by a Storm Rifle," he said, pointing to the stallion's torso, the breast plate all but melted.

"But these wounds here," he continued, pointing to a pair of aligned holes in the abdomen, "these were done by a sword."

There was no response from the Equestrians; whether or not they took comfort in their comrade's spirit went unknown. Two of the guards lifted his stiff, armored body from the dirt, and moved him back inside the building they'd most recently cleared, leaving a trail of red through the street and into the doorway. As the casualty's solemn bearers returned, the metal over their faces doing little to hide their grief, the Arbiter reached for his headset.

"All units, take heed. We have primary evidence of Remnant activity in this settlement. We are clear to engage any Covenant forces on sight from here on. Stay alert. Active camouflage is likely being employed."

The heartbreak lingered in the coalition, refusing to disband as the equines seemed to lean on each other in mutual embrace. The alleyway became noisy with sniffles and whimpers, and as the Arbiter began to depart from the Equestrians, he noticed another lavender tinted discoloration on the ground. Drops of the fluid led down the alleyway, and around the backside of the buildings.

"A blood trail," he muttered to himself, and upon whirling around, said to Shining, "We can catch his killers, if we make haste."

"I'd rather find the Element Bearers, the townsfolk, and the other three assigned to the security detail first," came the glum response, "My sister won't have let the Elements become separated, and Gale Force won't have let them off on their own. I'd wager that if we find one of our missing ponies, we find them all."

The Arbiter clicked his mandibles, thinking of a way to sway the prince in his favor.

"I can tell the others to continue searching the town if it brings you comfort," the Arbiter replied after a frustrated growl, and he pointed to the indigo blood in the dirt, "But I cannot turn away from this opportunity, for at the end of it lies our quarry."

A silence followed, and the Arbiter furthered his argument with an authoritative step forward.

"I advise you trust me, Captain," he rumbled, "for I know far more of warfare than you."

"You know far more of killing than me," corrected Shining with equal authority, "I'm not here to kill, I'm here to keep Equestrian lives safe."

"And if you and I kill the Remnant in this town," reasoned the Elite, "there will no longer be a threat to defend your citizens from."

Shining looked to the others, and they back at him. He ran a hoof through his crimson crest, and sighed.

"Alright," he agreed, nodding to himself.

The Arbiter returned the nod, and reached for his helmet.

"Brothers, the Captain and I have found Covenant blood," he explained, "We are going to follow it, and hunt the Remnant that entered the town. Divide your forces, and secure the rest of the buildings in the same fashion as we have been."

He looked back to the Equestrians as his communicator clicked off, and from the other side of the street, half the Elites bounded across the road to pick up clearing structures where the Arbiter and the Equestrians had left off.

"Follow me," the Arbiter bid, and he turned his eyes downwards to the splotches of purple fluid in the dust.

The Arbiter followed the blood trail with a predatory grace, finding tiny dots of indigo in the tan earth of the town, as well as disturbances that made the outlines of partial tracks. He pointed them out as he went, quietly explaining what it was he was seeing to those behind him.

"It was a Sangheili that took the hit," he whispered, pointing out the color of the blood and the shape of the tracks.

"By the looks of it, he wasn't hit very hard," Shining added, noticing the decreasing volume of blood in each intermittent stain in the town's earth, "The wound may have begun to clot already."

The Arbiter nodded agreement, and lifted his Plasma Rifle to a more ready position, his dominant hand on the trigger and his other hand cradling the weapon for support. His steps became less eager and more cautious, more tense, as the blood trail paralleled the main road from behind the buildings. The setting sun cast an orange glow over the town, and each westward facing window reflected sharply. The sounds of doors violently being thrown open from the main road persisted, as the other Elites continued searching the town, and in the distance, a metallic glint hinted at the princess' progression in their search as well.

As the Arbiter knelt, inspecting the earth for sign in an elongated gap between tracks, the voice of one of the snipers in the mountains came over his headset.

"Arbiter, over watch unit is in position. We have a vantage point over all outdoor areas of the settlement."

The Arbiter committed the detail to his mind, but kept on his search, amber eyes scouring the soil for anything out of place. It took a moment, but he was able to reacquire the blood trail, the Equestrians' learning to mimic his pattern of circling around until a fresher sign could be located.

The trail led to the end of the town, to the outside wall of the building nearest the town hall on their respective side of the road, but it was here that the blood trail ended. The Arbiter stopped as well, and puzzled as he tried to discern where his quarry had gone as a hunter would. He stood to the side as the Equestrians silently watched him, and he visualized the path most likely taken with a pointing finger to aide in his thoughts' progression.

"They were moving this way," he said to himself, "clinging to cover and never straying from the paths of the town. If they had continued..."

The Arbiter's words trailed off as he completed the line made by each point of blood, and when his finger traced the path, he found the town hall on the other end of his extended arm.

"Captain," he rumbled, "what service does that structure provide?"

"It's a governmental building," the stallion explained in a hushed voice, "That's where the mayor's office is. It serves as an administrative center for town meetings, minor court hearings. Every town has one similar."

"Is knowledge stored there?" furthered the Arbiter.

"There are documents of minor political and historical importance in the upstairs archives, but it's not exactly a library," he explained, "Apart from the mayor's private collection, there should only be deeds to land tracts, maybe a constitution or two."

Just then, the Sangheili's ear was greeted by the electric voice of the Shipmaster.

"Arbiter, I am reading thermal signatures in the structure ahead."

The Elite focused on the windows of the town hall, but found them motionless with the shutters drawn.

"The Remnant surely does not know what you have explained, and we know they will be seeking documents of importance," he said slowly to the Equestrians at his back, "In the Covenant, archives and throne rooms were synonymous. High Charity, our capital city, stored all of the compiled knowledge of the empire. We have had no concept of the two being separated until now. Ready your weapons."

"We're going in there?" asked one of the guards, a pegasus with wide green eyes behind his helmet's eye slots.

"Such is our duty," replied the Arbiter without looking away from the town hall, "The Remnant must be purged from this world and the rest of the galaxy. If you wish to depart, I will not stop you."

He looked back.

"Who will go with me?"

"I'm right behind you," came the voice of Shining Armor, and the blue crested brows of the other six Equestrians descended in agreement as well.

The Arbiter checked the windows again, hefted his Plasma Rifle, and upon releasing a breath, sprinted across the roadway to the grand double doors of the town's capital. He threw himself against the outside wall of the building, and waited for the galloping hooves of the Equestrians who'd come after him to fall silent at his sides before giving the nod to one of the pegasi, motioning for him to open the door while the rest drew their weapons.

"It's locked," the hovering stallion said as he tested the door.

"The first that has been so," recalled the Arbiter, before pointing around the side of the southernmost wing of the structure, "Noise is our enemy. Check for alternate entrances."

It did not take long for a door on the side of the large building to be found, and as they had done at the front of the structure, the coalition stacked up. Gingerly, the Arbiter nudged the door, causing it to swing open on squeaky hinges. Ducking through the doorway, the Arbiter found himself in a study, the mayor's office, large chairs and sofas spread comfortably around a desk, but every bookcase in the room was empty. Dust floated through the air, and the soft falls of metal horseshoes and boots dully thudded through the room as every corner was searched.

"This room is empty," whispered a guard, and the coalition followed the Arbiter towards the center of the structure.

On the far side of the apartment, a large white door loomed. The Arbiter strode to its threshold, and leaned against the painted wood with a shoulder, pushing it open with his weapon ready. The opened door revealed a much larger, more cavernous room than the first. Rows of benches were arranged before a trio of elevated seats, behind which was another set of large double doors. This room was the center of the building: the courtroom.

The silver clad Elite slowly made his way down the center aisle of the rows, his head swiveling from side to side as he inspected his surroundings for anything out of place, but he found nothing. He heard the Equestrians behind him as they aided his search, their hooves far from predatory as they made a subtle noise on the wooden floorboards.

The search of the courtroom, while thorough, was unyielding, and as the Arbiter allowed himself to breathe freely for a moment more, Shining Armor made his way across the aisle to him.

"If you could maybe ask the Shipmaster exactly where what he saw was..."

The Captain was interrupted by a squeaky hinge coming to life a distance away from any of the Equestrians in the room, and all present whirled around to the courtroom's door connecting to the north wing to see its white door swinging slowly open. The Arbiter trained his Plasma Rifle on the doorway, dropping to one knee behind the backrest of the nearest bench while Shining, and the rest of the Equestrians, did much the same, their horns kindled, wings buzzing, and all their weapons raised.

At first, nothing emerged from the north wing, and as the Arbiter's amber stare waited for a target, a familiar face came into view. Lavender fur, laid back ears, a horn protruding from a mane of dark hair: Twilight Sparkle.

The Arbiter allowed his weapon's muzzle to drop, and the mare waved them over, but not before hissing a very faint, "Shh."

The coalition quickly did as they were bid, ducking into the doorway to join the mare, and to find the room on the other side of the closed door very cramped. Apart from the six Element Bearers, the talismans of their namesake still about their necks and Twilight's forehead, and the three missing guards, dozens of stallions, mares and colts, almost all of them without wings or horns, were also concealed within, clutching each other as they cowered in the dark at the sight of the Arbiter.

The alien gauged the room intently. Myriad fearful, confused eyes looked at him, both young and old, and despite his own returned oscillating gaze, his attention was seized as new company surrounded him, not the equines with whom he'd arrived.

"Brothers, we have found the missing Equestrians," he said as he pressed against the side of his helm, "If able, find a way to notify the princesses. They lack the communication devices we have."

"Twiley," whispered Captain Shining Armor upon seeing his sister and pulling her into a brief embrace, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"No, none of us are... well, except the mayor there," the mare, her crown catching the meager light, responded urgently but quietly as she gestured to one of the older mares in the room; Fluttershy was tending to her coronet, which was not broken, but the ankle was regardless in the process of being bandaged, "She took a stumble getting here."

"What happened?" asked the Arbiter, looking down at the ponies around him.

"We could ask the same of you," chided an Equestrian stranger, a mare with yellow fur and a blue mane, stepping forward with a very fearful anger in her eyes, "What's going on here? What even are you?"

The Arbiter looked her way.

"If you must know who I am, know me as he who hunts that which is hunting you," he growled in the darkness, "If you would accept this, then you have nothing to fear from me. Rather, mind the radicals that seek your blood's spilling."

"The Arbiter and his own are friends of Equestria," furthered Shining Armor, stepping between the tall alien and the now wide eyed mare who'd posed the comment, "They've proven to be friends of Equestria more than once already today. You have nothing to fear from him."

This seemed to give the citizens some measure of peace, but the matter persisted, and one of the guards picked up where the mare had interrupted once again.

"We were attacked. It had to be the Remnant," said the guard, an earth pony, explaining, "We had no idea it was coming. Most shopkeepers were still conducting business when it happened. Sergeant Chevron ordered us to round up all the citizens and the Elements, and keep them safe. He was wounded while covering our exfiltration from the town. Haven't seen him since."

"He didn't make it," said Shining in response, looking away as he said the words; the ears of the other guards laid flat as they heard the words, and some eyes filled with tears.

"Did you ever see your assailants?" asked the Arbiter shortly after as the rest of the Element Bearers came over, their expressions solemn with the news of Chevron's death.

"Not hide nor hair of 'em," Applejack answered grimly, rubbing her forehead free of sweat; the amount of bodies crammed into a single room made the air very close and uncomfortable.

"The first lasers came from the West, I think," added Rainbow Dash, "back in the direction you guys were headed before we split."

"And you've been hiding here ever since?" asked Shining, prying for details; he received many nods for an answer.

"We could hear them outside," Twilight furthered, her voice trembling slightly, "We thought they were looking for us, so we guarded the door and hoped they wouldn't think to look here."

"Luckily, they never did," added Rarity, making her way over from the crowd of Trottingham's residents.

The Arbiter turned away slightly from the others before him, and bent down to Shining Armor's ear.

"Captain, this changes the nature of our mission greatly," he said, "These citizens may not be warriors, but they can and will be engaged by the Remnant should they present themselves as targets. If we seek to confront our foe, they must be out of danger."

A short silence followed the Arbiter's comment as the Captain weighed his potential options. But, not long after, the silence was shattered as the sound of breaking glass resonated through the building from the second floor. All present looked up.

"What was that?" somepony asked in a terrified whisper.

The sounds of footsteps stomped down through the ceiling, and the room cowered down, families gripping their loved ones and stifling the frightened mewls of the foals. The Equestrian Royal Guard drew their weapons once again, and waited by the door with the Elements behind them, Fluttershy and Rarity seeing to it that the masses stayed quiet and away from the windows, Twilight and Pinkie Pie moving furniture to barricade the door if need be, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash waiting behind the guards with set jaws and determined brows.

"Shipmaster, can you confirm any other signatures in the structure?" the Arbiter asked calmly into his communicator.

"I see nothing apart from you," came 'Vadum's voice over the headset.

The Arbiter emitted a soft groan, and in the shadows, a filly whimpered, her hushing mother trying to comfort her rapidly beating heart.

"Over watch unit, your perspective?" the sterling Elite asked again.

"We cannot identify the intruders. If the Shipmaster's thermal imagery is now clean, the Remnant may have grown wise to our activity and activated their camouflage modules."

The Arbiter nodded, and once again, hissed into his helmet's communicator.

"Brothers, come at once to the town's governmental building. The Remnant is on the second floor," he paused shortly before continuing, "I will be engaging momentarily."

The eyes of all in the room suddenly snapped to the Arbiter, the words just having left his mandibles, and his amber eyes returned the stare.

"Captain, get them to safety," he said, looking at a cowering foal while he addressed the armored stallion not far from his sister's side, "Out the door through which we entered. I will cover your retreat."

The stallion gave a nod, as the Arbiter removed his sword hilt from his waste with his fee hand, and the Elements prompted all to quickly rise while the guards secured the town hall's central courtroom once again. The Arbiter exited the room last, following the procession of ponies of all shapes and sizes, and where they continued on, he took a turn.

A short moment of quiet footsteps yielded the find of a staircase, through the doors behind the courtroom's judge's chair, and the Arbiter gingerly began to ascend the steps to the second floor, his breath controlled and deliberate, just like the muzzle of the Plasma Rifle in his steady hand. The sounds of commotion from his yet to be seen foes persisted in growing volume as he neared the summit of the winding, narrow stairwell, almost too narrow for his wide shoulders to navigate without his armor bumping the walls. He stopped at the top of the staircase, an open doorway leading out into a second story room, and he listened from concealed safety behind the corner, the wall between him and the entities he'd heard. As he listened, the deep, authoritative voice of a Sangheili made itself known.

"Make haste," came the voice, "The Justiciar wants any information we can bring him, that we may find a lead our scans of the planet's surface failed to yield."

The Arbiter breathed deeply, quietly, and listened further, the weight of the weapons in his hands comfortable and strangely elegant.

"What can we learn from simple scrolls?" came a different voice amidst the sound of paper's ruffling.

"Their contents are yet to be known," said a third voice, higher pitched but undoubtedly belonging to a Sangheili, "We will know once the inscriptions of the indigenous race have been deciphered."

The Arbiter let a breath out, and hoisted his Plasma Rifle close to his chest, preparing to use it as quickly as possible once he turned that corner and the bolts started flying.

"Take everything," came the baritone first voice, "We cannot afford to be remiss. The human doctor assured Fleet Master 'Mdama of an artifact's presence on this world, and we must have it prepared for his return once he has dealt with the remainder of the Separatist fleet."

The Arbiter readied himself, activating his active camouflage, and began to lean unseen around the corner, when the sound of excitement from the within the room, as well as the floor below him, catalyzed his move.

"Heathens and heretics, in the streets!" yelled one of the Remnant within, and as the hostile sounds of myriad objects hitting the floor and Storm Rifles activating resonated through the room, the Arbiter sprang into action.

Clinging to the wall, he swung around the corner, his Plasma Rifle raised, and upon seeing no targets and a few scrolls floating conspicuously in the air, he sprayed the room indiscriminately with plasma bolts. As his shots met their marks, and the harnesses of the cloaked foes within the archives glowed blue with each hit, he realized just how outmatched he was; he'd drawn his weapons on no less than six Remnant Sangheili, and while some of them still clutched the prizes of knowledge within Equestrian documents, books and bound parchments, those that had darted to the windows upon seeing the Equestrians fleeing now turned their still cool weapons to the Arbiter as he fired burst after searing burst from around the corner.

One of the Elites fell, the scrolls he'd held spilling to the floor along with his own blood, and as the active camouflage modules of the damaged harnesses began to fail, each of the room's occupants came into view.

A volley of shots beat the Arbiter back around the corner, his previously invisible exterior glowing blue as his camouflage module shorted out, and he blindly returned fire as incandescent balls of plasma bored holes through the wall behind which he took shelter. Withering fire slowly crept nearer to his flesh, when a sound like an electric whip came cracking through the windows, and the heavy sound of bodies falling amidst the shattering of glass bore testament to the Type-50 operator's accuracy.

"Targets down," came the voice of a Sangheili over the Arbiter's battle-net, and with the fire he'd been taking momentarily diverted, he once again rounded the corner to return fire.

His foes no longer invisible, targeting was much easier, and as the Arbiter aimed down the length of his rifle, he found a Sangheili in purple armor, the pattern of a diamond in large blue nodes on his helm's crest, looking back at him from the opposite end of his Type-25, dozens of scrolls held under one of his arms and a sword in the other.

The Arbiter knew the nature and importance of his quarry, and announced into the battle-net for all to hear.

"Zealot!"

"Kill him!" the Zealot roared in return as he pointed the twin prongs of his Energy Sword to the Arbiter, and as he beat for the rear of the cavernous archives, he bellowed again, "Kill them all!"

The Arbiter was able to fire off another burst as the nearest Elite, a Sangheili Commander, brought his Storm Rifle to bear on his torso, and as his foe fell limply to the ground the Arbiter was forced behind cover once more by the concentrated fire of the rest of the Remnant in the room. He tried to return fire, knowing the criticality of bringing the Zealot down, but he could not move; the walls of the top of the staircase were already black and smoldering, and the beginning of a fire was forming in the wood of the structure.

The Arbiter prepared once again to lean around the corner, but as he went to move, a glowing blue ball landed at the stairs' summit, a rising electric whir accompanying its pulsating, energetic surface. The Arbiter's eyes widened as he realized what was lying at his feet; a plasma grenade. With a surprised grunt of effort, he dove back down the stairs, crashing through the railing and landing hard on the first floor once again as an explosion rocked the position he'd occupied. Looking back up, the Arbiter saw the staircase decimated; there was no way of re-engaging the Remnant through his previous means.

As he looked around, searching for a way back up, he saw the streaking blue lines of plasma fire descending from the top floor to the street, and upon bounding to the window, saw the Equestrians, still led by Shining Armor, drawing fire as they took shelter within the nearest of the town's structures. Some of the unicorns were returning the Remnant's aggression, but they were undoubtedly pinned down.

"Shipmaster," the Arbiter said into his communicator as he vacated the courtroom for the south wing and cautiously stepped outside, "I need your guns to bear on the town hall's second story immediately! The Equestrians' lives depend on it!"

With hardly a delay, the Shipmaster's Phantom descended from the sky above, and hovered above the Equestrians' position in the shop, the craft's powerful engines driving the dust of the streets up into a ferocious twister. Through the howling sandstorm, the Arbiter watched as the Remnant shifted their fire onto the drop ship's hull to no effect, the glow of the shots piercing the opaque air like lightning.

Then, with the intensity of imminent thunder, the Phantom's weapons system roared to life. Lavender flashes burned through the swirling, dusty wind, and with each strike of the vessel's heavy plasma shells, the Remnant's fire decreased and the area of the town hall's second story that remained intact diminished. It did not take long for the Covenant's return fire to cease altogether, but even then, the Shipmaster remained persistent in his engagement of their now silent position.

Eventually, the Shipmaster's guns fell silent, and the dust storm quelled as he lifted into the sky once more, yet as he departed, his voice came over the battle-net.

"Thrice now, I have saved you Captain," 'Vadum said, chuckling slightly, "As the day persists, your debt to me grows."

The Arbiter, now outside the town hall, placed his hand on an architectural ledge on the building's outer wall, and hoisted himself up. As he began to climb for a second story window, darkened by smoke, he heard the relatively distant voice of Shining Armor calling after the ascending Phantom.

"Thank you, my guardian angel," said the stallion sarcastically albeit gratefully in the distance, oblivious to 'Vadum's comment, and the Arbiter caught a glimpse of the Equestrians as they made for the safety of the first grain shop they'd cleared.

Watching them as they went, the Arbiter witnessed as the distant glints of the princesses' armor sped in from the outer farmhouses, and Luna and Celestia landed among their citizens, forming a defensive perimeter along with the guards around Trottingham's denizens and the Element Bearers. The Arbiter knew the princesses would, according to their word, see to it that their Equestrians stayed safe while the Swords of Sanghelios saw to the Remnant threat.

The Arbiter finished his climb, his height allowing him to push the second story window open while only being a meter or so off the ground, and lifted himself into the structure's interior. The archives were black in smoke from multiple crackling fires, and the building creaked with each step the Arbiter took. Yet, apart from the sounds of the fire, the room was quiet; no voices, no movement apart from his own, and the argentate Elite drew his sword out of suspicion.

He reached for his headset, the glow from his blade illuminating his face.

"Secure the perimeter," he said to the others, "Brothers, make sure none of the Remnant escape. I shall flush them out to you, should any still draw breath."

The Arbiter continued his search, looking to confirm the Remnant were indeed dead, and for that, he needed to find bodies. It did not take long to find the first two; a pair of Sangheili Commanders, one with the left portion of his torso blown away, the other missing his legs, bore the evidence of the trauma caused by heavy plasma shells. But the Arbiter looked closer, inspecting his dead foes, and noticed a very unique glyph on both the Commanders' definitive head crests.

They wore the insignia of the Silent Blade. The Arbiter knew this unit, a Remnant Special Operations Group rival to the force he himself deployed with. But, the Arbiter had yet to find the true prize among the smoldering dead.

Throwing over bookcases and sifting through the ashes, the Arbiter found the charred remains of two more Sangheili Minors, but the Zealot proved elusive. Apart from that, he knew not how many bodies to expect; the enemy fire he'd received as a greeting upon entering the archives had prevented him from taking an accurate tally of how many foes he had to contend with, and so, he remained cautious albeit persistent.

As the area he had yet to search became smaller than the portion of the archives he'd scoured, the Arbiter grew tense. If anything were to happen, he knew it would happen soon, and that he would soon make contact with any surviving Remnant. He kept his sword raised, and his finger on the trigger mechanism of his Plasma Rifle.

Then, as he stepped over a small cluster of flames, the electric popping of a sword being drawn seized the Arbiter's attention. He looked up, and saw a glacier blue sword cutting through the smoke and ash in his direction. Caught off guard, the Arbiter quickly parried, stumbling backwards as he raised his sword long enough to block another descending flash of the ion bound plasma blade.

The Arbiter ducked the third slash, only able to see the glowing weapon of his foe and not the weapon's wielder himself, and backpedaled away from his oncoming attacker firing his Plasma Rifle at the signature of his enemy's sword. As the radiant bolts passed by his quarry, the light illuminated purple armor, an arm clutching a collection of scrolls and books opposite a sword wielding hand. Yet, as the Arbiter regained the upper hand, his ranged weaponry giving him the advantage, the Zealot turned and ran off into the smoke, the sound of glass exploding outwards marking his departure from the burning building.

"Zealot, coming out!" the Arbiter yelled into his headset, and as he pursued, the sounds of Carbines and Plasma Rifles alluding to the Zealot's path, voices came over the battle-net telling him exactly what he did not want to hear.

"He was too swift for my mark!" came the voice of one of the SpecOps Elites, just as the Arbiter's sterling boots impacted the earth outside the town hall, his leap from the flaming structure hardly large enough to cripple his momentum.

"He is running for the hills!" came the voice of another as he rolled, regained his feet, and ran after his brothers' arcing bolts of plasma as they traced the Zealot's route of escape.

"After him!" yelled the Arbiter as he led the charge across the green plains and crops in pursuit of the high-valued target, "He must not escape!"

Blazing a trail through a field of corn after the fleeing Zealot, the Arbiter heard the voice of the Shipmaster in his ear.

"Arbiter, I am reading multiple inbound aircraft! Covenant Phantoms, four of them!"

He looked up, identifying the silhouettes of the craft mentioned by his comrade. Three of them made for the town, but the fourth made a landing destined to make landfall just beyond the corn field, and a surge of adrenaline prompted the Arbiter's legs to pump faster.

Bursting through a wall of corn, the Arbiter cleared the field of crop, and found himself looking at the Remnant Phantom less than fifty meters away, the Zealot he was pursuing just beginning to step up into the ventral door of the drop ship. And helping him up was a hand armored in gold.

The Arbiter froze, his Plasma Rifle at his side, as he locked eyes with the Sangheili Warrior as he lifted the Zealot, the stolen documents still under his arm, into the vessel's hold. The Arbiter knew there was only one Sangheili in the Remnant's local fleet that could hold such a high rank, and as the enemy Shipmaster pointed in his direction with an authoritative bark, the Phantom's ventral door gunner swung to bear on his position. The Arbiter dropped to one knee and fired into the Phantom's hold as four more of his brothers erupted from the corn field at his back doing the same, but the Phantom lifted off before any of their rounds could strike flesh. Plasma rained down on them as they kept on firing, and the Arbiter yelled frantically into his headset.

"Shipmaster, demonstrate your skill! The Zealot is escaping on board the fourth vessel, along with Kar Vol himself!"

"I am outgunned!" came the response, and the Arbiter looked up to two of the other three Phantoms bearing down on 'Vadum's craft; the third, however, was making for his own position.

"Strafing run!" one of the SpecOps Elites cried out as he took a prone position, anticipating the searing downpour of fire, but it never came.

The Arbiter could only look on in awe as a prism of light intercepted the incoming Phantoms as they broke formation, and while no damage was done to them at first, their flight faltered as if being buffeted by a powerful wind. And while the Elites watched in consternation, the three incoming drop ships turned to granite.

The massive boulders, exactly the size and shape of the Type-52s, continued in on a vector, striking the ground outside Trottingham with tremendous force, causing them to break up on impact. The boulders landed all around the Arbiter and his comrades, while all they could do was put their hands up to shield their eyes from the rocky debris and dust thrown up by each impact.

And when the dust finally cleared, the Arbiter looked back to where the light had originated, to see Equestria's champions hovering in a circle in the middle of Trottingham's street, their eyes glazed over white and their talismans connected by a ring of energy. Inexplicable awe filled his heart, and his thoughts were voiced by a black armored Elite at his side.

"Champions' might," he murmured, his voice trembling slightly, "All our lives are owed to six children."

"Discard any doubt as to their worth," furthered another as he replaced his weapons in their respective places on his armor, and began the trek back to the town; the Element Bearers' power began to fade, and they dropped back to the ground once more.

"Gather the bodies," the Arbiter said, ignoring what had just transpired as he watched the fourth Phantom, the one transporting the Zealot and Kar Vol, become a miniscule speck against the painted sky, "Covenant and Equestrian alike."

The Arbiter looked up to see the Shipmaster's vessel cruise in steadily to the heart of Trottingham, setting down on the street with its doors down. The Equestrians now milled about the town openly, looking at the desolation, smoke and craters pockmarking their once peaceful town, and the princesses led them to 'Vadum's craft. The Arbiter breathed in the smoke, and placed his steaming Plasma Rifle on his hip. Nothing more could be done here, and while the body count told a story of victory, the Arbiter could not help but feel he'd failed; his prey had escaped.

He sighed, and strode past his brothers back to the town, his amber glare set like the stone the Covenant craft had been turned to.

"We are done here."