“...And I still can’t believe that I fell for it,” Garrett ended, finishing the last drops of his second margarita.

The spartan patted Garrett on the shoulder. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. I would’ve fallen for it, too. I mean, I would have done anything to be fighting for Earth again.”

“I told you that I didn’t go off with a big bang,” Garrett murmured.

“Excuse me?” Dante answered. “You blew up two assault carriers without using a MAC or a nuke, and you managed to piss off two members of royalty to the highest degree. That counts for something.”

Garrett shrugged. “I guess... but those never happened in reality. I know it’s stupid of me to be thankful for the fact that I didn’t really kill any Covenant, but at least I didn’t start a war with another group of aliens.”

“Either way, it’s all in the past now, and you did what you could,” Johnny said.

Garrett out the window, staring at the glowing nighttime cityscape. He returned the glass to the bartender. “I guess I did, but I still feel stupid that I actually sided with Discord. I mean... he sounded like it was all possible.”

“It’s easy to trick those who have no idea about certain topics,” his mother said. “Besides, he drugged you in some fashion.”

“At times like this, son,” his father said, “it’s good to remember who the real enemy is.”

“Even though my fight wasn’t against a Covenant, it still hurt as much when I lost it.”

“There are a few defeats more triumphant than victories.”

“Yeah,” Garrett replied. “At least I’m still protecting them from my own self. Anyway, I’ll get some shut eye.”

“Your room is in the building right next to this one. Just tell them your name, and they’ll do the rest. See you tomorrow, son,” his mother said before everyone returned to their conversations and drinks.

Once outside, Garrett paused for a moment and took a deep breath, sucking in air that felt pure to him. He nearly forgot how it was like to smell something that had no trace of suspicion, fear, war, death, or even the artificial scent that oxygen tanks and filters gave. Turning to his right, he easily found the building which would have been his new home.

The structure itself was enough to turn the heads of even those who had not much appreciation for architecture. The glass building was shaped like a single groove of a strand of DNA. Gentle streams of water lined the sides, mixing incoming and outgoing rays of light in a hypnotic rainbow of colors. Large terraces offered more than enough space for a private pool.

Garrett entered the building and looked around. There were enough decorative lights inside to make ONI buildings look like busted bulbs. Each hotel staff member was a cheerful, smiling individual who was clothed in a simple suit which was made with the finest silk fabrics.

He approached the main receptionist. “Excuse me, I have a room under the name of ‘Garrett Archer.’”

The woman said with a calm smile, “Your room is the penthouse on the top floor. It’s the door to the end and on the right. Just put your hand on the handle, and it’ll do the rest. Also, it’s right next to your parents’ door.”

“Thanks.” Garrett easily kept his composure. His thoughts, however, were overwhelmed like an enthusiast getting a super car. Hot damn! Seriously?!

He entered the glass elevator and quickly climbed the floors. He looked outside, watching everything shrink. The lights of the buildings in the afterlife easily made each structure stand out, as if they were having a visual show against each other.

With a gentle beep that sounded like a piano’s notes, the elevator came to a gentle stop, and the doors slid open. Garrett found his door at the end of the hallway, and when he placed his hand on the knob, it unlocked. The windows had a view of nearly one hundred eighty degrees. Various sources of light ranged from the sides of the tables to the railings on the second floor, combining into a beautiful mixture of art and engineering. A massive screen mounted on a wall provided more than enough quality for a movie.

Garrett climbed up the stairs, entered the walk-in wardrobe, and took his shirt off. He ran two fingers across the left side of his chest as he looked carefully at the mirror.

“...No mark,” he murmured before switching to a set of sleeping clothes.

He proceeded to bed and pulled the blanket over him. The overall feeling of just lying over there made him feel like an equal to royalty

“Damn, is this how Celestia sleeps every night?” Garrett whispered to himself. “I... could get use to this.”

He tapped the console on the small table next to his bed. All the lights around him dimmed down and flicked off. After issuing another set of commands, the windows slid open, allowing the constant, cool breeze of fresh air to enter his room. He closed his eyes and easily fell asleep, succombing to a soft snore. Despite not having his hand on any form of weaponry or not being in any set of armor, Garrett felt relaxed, the weight on his shoulders finally falling off.

Luna made the moon gently move into place as Celestia lowered the sun to disappear. In real time, it was just yesterday that the incident occurred, yet for them, it felt like an eternity. The night was more silent than ever. Even the melody of chirping crickets was absent. It was as if nature itself knew of what happened, and it was giving a moment of silence for respect, despite the fact that the news had not spread beyond the castle doors.

Gently wrapping her forelegs around Celestia, Luna gave a tight embrace. She gently returned the hug.

“I still can not believe that he is gone...” Luna muttered.

“Even the greatest have limits,” Celestia hushed. “But it just gives us a bigger reason to stop them... so nothing like this can ever happen again.”

They parted, with Celestia returning to her bedroom and Luna going downstairs.

With deep thoughts running through her mind, Luna made her way down the hallways of the castle. Once she made it to the gardens, she found a unicorn sitting under a tree, the silhouette showing that he or she was looking up to the sky. Curious, she passed by all the flower bushes and fountains and approached him or her, only to discover that it was Twilight, who was holding a bowl that had several spoons.

“Twilight?” Luna asked. “You are suppose to be sleeping, are you not? Why are you here?”

Twilight turned to face her. “Your highness,” she said with a bow, “I can’t sleep. I... got a lot of things on my mind right now.”

Luna settled down next to her.

“I can’t take him off of my mind...” Twilight murmured.

“Neither can I,” Luna said.

“...I’ll miss him.”

“I will as well.”

“What do we do with him?”

“His ship will serve as his tomb for the time being. He will be properly buried once the UNSC gets a hold of him.”

“What will happen if they find out about it?”

“...I do not know.”

Twilight took a spoon and scooped up a bite from her bowl.

“What is that you are eating?” Luna asked.

Twilight smiled a bit. “There was this one time that Garrett was in a good mood... so he decided to make himself a bowl of strawberries and cream.”

She tipped the pot, showing the sliced fruit mixed with various ingredients. “He thought that nopony was watching him, but I was able to keep a careful eye out. I... tried to recreate what he did, but I’m pretty sure I got it wrong.”

“Would you like to try, your highness?” Twilight asked, offering a spoon.

Slowly, Luna took one with her magic, carefully scooped up a serving, and took a bite. At once, her tastebuds registered an almost perfect balance between fruit and sweetness. “It is wonderful, Twilight,” she said with a smile.

Twilight chuckled and looked up. “I wonder how a strawberry from Earth would taste like...”

Luna focused her attention to the night sky as well, surveying the stars.

“I also wonder which star Earth is closest to,” Twilight added. “Garrett told me a few things about it.”

“Oh?” Luna asked.

Twilight nodded. “Sometime in the past, he told me about the music, the nature, the beauty... and all of that stuff... Those seemed to me enough reason for him to fight for them.”

“Can you tell me a little bit more about what he told you?”

Twilight ate another spoonful. “Well... for one, he told me that humans love building high and touching the clouds. He also said that there are times in the morning when he jogs in the city park, which he said is filled with cherry blossoms...”

In the company of a squad of guards, Celestia found herself walking down the various corridors of Canterlot castle. The daylight seeped in through the windows, lighting up the hall and getting reflected off the marble surfaces. Head-turning tapestries and various banners were hanging in different locations that would have given her a sense of pride, but she found none as the memory of Garrett’s death was still fresh on her mind.

“...Give me a scan of his body,” said a voice through a door, making everypony come to a halt. “I want to know how he came to this.”

“Yes, sir,” came a second voice.

Celestia gave a gasp. The guards looked at each other and gave multiple blinks.

“Your highness,” said one guard, “Garrett’s body is in that room.”

“Sir,” said the second voice again, “I’ve detected the same kind of damage formed by torture via electricity, multiple bruises, and a deep burn on his skin. All I can say about it is that its appearance was no accident. Someone intentionally marked it there while he was restraint.”

With every phrase that the second voice said, Celestia felt a nervous feeling tighten her throat. By the time the word “restraint” was said, her heart was already racing faster than an adrenaline rush. She opened the door with magic and quickly entered the room in the company of her guards, who were equally concerned.

Inside, Celestia and her guards found a human officer in white uniform. He was accompanied by a squad of ODSTs, and a medic was scanning Garrett’s body with a datapad. The two groups were silent, looking at one another, save for the one who was inspecting the dead soldier.

“Colonel Stanford,” the medic continued, “the bruises were formed by an object with the same area-” he shot a look at Celestia “-as a horse’s hoof.”

The ODSTs instantly cocked their guns and raised them. The royal guards stood motionless, knowing that a simple flinch would have spelled their quick end. Colonel Stanford stared straight into the eyes of Celestia, whose jaw was hanging in disbelief.

“Open fire,” Stanford ordered the troopers, not breaking eye contact to even blink.

As told, the ODSTs squeezed their triggers, and the sound of guns echoed throughout the corridors.

“No!” Celestia shouted, waking herself up with a jolt. She found herself drenched in sweat and gasping for air in her own bed. Judging by the light entering her room, she guessed that it was the middle of the night. Shaking, she wrapped her forelegs around a pillow like it was a real individual.

“Just a dream,” she whimpered, her lips quivering and tears streaming down her face. “Just a dream...”

She gave the pillow an even tighter hug. “Garrett...” she cried softly. “I’m so, so sorry...”

That dream made her realize that they had more and more conflicts to face. Not only did they have to deal with the immediate threat of Discord and Nightmare Moon, they also needed to find a way to explain to the UNSC why they had an ODST die right before them.

The fear of having a four-way war between the citizens of Equestria, those corrupted under Discord, the UNSC, and the Covenant offered no form of comfort to Celestia, forcing her to stay up until the time of dawn.

How she wished that there was someone else with her.

A full week went by after Garrett passed away. Everypony, from the guards, to the princesses, to the six from Ponyville, were mourning and disturbed to the point where they were nearly unfit to fulfill their duties. The tough challenge of trying to not get the news out was a long process that was next to impossible. No journalists were permitted to enter the castle, nor was any conversation about the incident allowed to be talked about outside the palace and with members who were not directly involved. More guards were deployed for patrolling duties, but to the relief of those aware of the situation, no citizens seemed to be troubled by the larger presence, assuming that it was just a diplomat visiting for a few days.

On the day of the memorial service, the room that contained the Longsword was filled with guards in formation. Luna, Celestia, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and the rest accompanied a coffin that was wrapped in a glowing aura of magic, making it float. They were all silent, their solemn expressions betraying their emotions. Some tried to hide it but to no avail. Many held nothing back.

An ODST helmet was resting right outside the casket.

The burial box slowly levitated its way to the interior of the ship and was laid horizontally down on the upper level. They opened the coffin to say their last goodbyes.

Clad in his armor with the exception of the headpiece, Garrett lay inside box. His eyes were still closed, and his face had a blank expression. Somehow, he looked like he was at peace. The sarcophagus had a special enchantment that kept him preserved as fresh as when he would be alive, and he was laid down in such a way that the first thing one would have seen when going up the ramp would have been the ace of spades and phoenix’s feather strapped to his shoulder.

“I already miss him...” Rainbow Dash murmured.

“It ain’t easy letting things go, sugarcube,” Applejack said. She heaved a sigh. “Really wish that he could’ve made it f’er cider season.”

Celestia took a closer look at Garrett’s face. “It’s strange, really...” she said to him, hoping that he could have heard her. “When you first appeared, I thought of you as another threat to Equestria, just like Discord and Chrysalis.”

She closed her eyes. “After everything you did to us and after what we did to you, I never thought that you could have made such bond with us.”

“...Remember how he said that we can keep him in our hearts if we live by his values?” Luna asked, recalling Garrett’s words to his family. “Let... let us look at his soul and see what traits he has kept with him.”

“But... I thought only you can do magic that involves the soul,” Rarity said.

Luna shook her head. “The Elements of Harmony have, in simple terms, the same capabilities of soul-tapping magic like my sister and I.”

Knowing her cue, Celestia made the chest that contained the elements and a mirror teleport before them.

Each pony got their respective piece and formed a circle around the casket. With auras surrounding their horns, the princesses made the glowing orb of Garrett’s soul rise above his chest, resting easily on top of his armor. The sphere bloomed to life and opened into a white, glimmering lotus. Its light was like a gentle heartbeat at peace. The reflections on the mirror dissolved as his memories came into view.

The view rebuilt into a room that had moonlight seeping in through the windows. A small bed lay along the sides, accompanied by reclinable chairs and a table that had a digital alarm clock. Shelves filled with toys and gadgets lined the walls.

“Daddy!” A small child’s voice echoed.

Garrett rushed inside the room, clothed in sleeping wear and with a glass of water in his hand. He quickly switched on the lamp. “Sarah?” He asked. “What’s wrong?”

“I had a bad dream again...” she murmured. “I saw the scary aliens and--”

Garrett cut her off. “Shh,” he hushed. “It’s all right. It’s just a dream. Besides, it’s the holidays. The scary monsters don’t like being creepy during this time.”

He made her take a sip of water, and he allowed her to hold his hand tightly near her chest. He sat down on the chair next to the bed. “It’s just a dream, Sarah. It never happened.”

“But... it’s dark. They might sneak up on me because I can’t see them.”

Garrett switched off the lamp, masking him in shadow. Sarah flinched and whimpered slightly as the light disappeared. “Do you see me?” he asked.

“No...”

“But you know I’m here, right?”

“...Yes..”

Garrett flicked the light on. “See, Sarah? You can’t see me, but you said that I’m here. Why?”

“Because I know that you’re with me in my room.”

He nodded. “Yes, you know I’m here, but it’s not because I’m in your room. It’s because you know that I’m with you-” he pointed at her heart “-in there. No matter what happens, even though I’m not with you physically, remember that I’m always with you. But, if you’re ever in doubt, just look over your shoulder, and, even if it’s dark, you’ll know that I’m there. Okay?”

“...Okay.”

Garrett smiled. “That’s my girl.”

He kissed her on the forehead and turned off the light. “Good night, Sarah.”

“Can you play me that special music like what you always do?” Sarah asked.

“Sure,” Garrett replied. He reached over to the desk, activating a small screen. After gesturing the command, the gentle, calm keys of a piano resonated throughout the room, with each note inviting anyone to have a comfortable slumber.

Garrett carefully stroked her head as she gingerly fell asleep. Once the last note came out, he was sure that Sarah was fast asleep.

“Whatever happens,” he whispered, “I will never let the Covenant bring harm to you or Claire.”

He tried to stand up, only to feel resistance on his hand. He turned and found Sarah grasping it, holding it like a stuffed teddy bear and knowing that she had someone looking after her.

Pausing for a moment, Garrett looked at her long enough to for him to cherish the memory. Slowly, he sat back down, reclined the chair back, and adjusted to a comfortable position. He closed his eyes, falling asleep.

A gentle touch to the side made Garrett wake up again. He found Claire sitting and sleeping on the other reclining chair, her head resting on his shoulder. He reached for the shelf above his head with his free hand and got a blanket. Spreading it out between the two of them, he wrapped his arm around her and shared the warmth.

He looked over his shoulder to look at the time, and it ticked right on to twelve o’clock. “Happy Holidays, everyone,” he whispered before going back to sleep with a small smile on his face.

Garrett was outside and was with the freshly buried caskets of his parents. He was bidding his relatives and friends goodbye, patting them on the shoulder as a last act.

When he finally reached Sarah and Claire, they embraced each other tightly, as if it was the last time they would have been seeing each other. Once they let go, Garrett lowered himself to one knee.

“Sarah,” he said, “daddy will be gone for a while.”

“Where’re you going?” she asked.

“There are people out there that need help, and... I guess you know what’ll be happening next.”

“When are you coming back?”

“I... don’t know.”

She quickly wrapped her arms around him, hugging him, and he returned the embrace. “I’ll miss you,” she said after releasing her grip on him.

“I’ll miss you, too.” Garrett pointed to Sarah’s heart. “Just remember, okay?”

Sarah nodded. “I love you, daddy.”

“That’s my girl,” he said, attempting to make a smile. “I love you, too. Never forget that I’m always proud of you.”

Garrett stood up. He and Claire then gripped each other again, embracing one another.

“Garrett...” she whispered. “I’m scared...”

“Shh...” he hushed, attempting to comfort her. “It’ll be all right.”

“What if we don’t see you again?”

“You will,” he murmured back.

“But-”

“No buts, sweetheart. When I get back and see you two again, it’ll be when this war is over, or at least nearing to an end.” Garrett pulled out a small box. He flicked it open, showing the wedding ring to her. It still kept its shine and eye-catching glitter. “Look, I’ll make you a promise. The first thing we’ll do when we get back is go to the park. There, I’ll have the special strawberries and cream and fruit salads that you love so much.”

“You never told me the recipes,” Claire said, trying to smile.

“It’s the side of my family’s secret. Besides, it’ll make you look forward to me coming back even more, no?”

“Don’t make a promise just for us. If there are still others out there who aren’t with the Covenant, I want you to do whatever you can to protect them, even if they’re not with the UNSC.”

Garrett was silent.

“Okay?” Claire asked.

“...I promise,” Garrett said, giving one more tight hug before letting go. He turned around and found the ODST officer in uniform looking for him. Knowing what he should do, he gave a last farewell to everyone around him, from his friends to his relatives.

He made his way to the soldier and shook his hand.

“You signed up for ODST training. Am I correct?” the officer asked.

“Yes sir,” Garrett said.

Purple shapes and metals began moulding into view. Blue circuits and terminals on the walls were the sources of light in the dark rooms and hallways. Garrett was tied to a chair, beaten and scarred with a fresh cut on his neck. An elite zealot was in the room, finishing a round bruising and barraging, and a prophet was watching from his chair, enjoying himself as he watched two zealots drag an ODST into the room.

“Johnny!” Garrett shouted.

The sangheili pair dropped Johnny in front of Garrett.

The zealot activated his energy sword and pointed it straight at Garrett. “Say goodbye to your friend!” he spat.

“No!” yelled Johnny. “Let him live! K-kill me instead!”

Garrett looked at him in shock. His body froze and his breathing changed. “Johnny... don’t do this...”

“Shut up, Archer,” Johnny said, his voice shaking. “W-we all know that... you’re one of the b-best shots... in our battalion. Y-you need... another day to fight.”

“Don’t throw your life away for me!”

Johnny shook his head slowly. “R-remember... Reach, Garrett. Remember our original home. D-don’t let Reach happen again. The UNSC... needs one of the b-best alive, and y-you’re... one of ‘em.”

The zealot raised his sword high.

“Goodbye... Archer.”

Garrett watched in horror as the sword went through Johnny and stopped inches away from him.

Trees rapidly grew from the ground. The branches and trunks twisted and curved out at angles. They spread out to the point where the leaves nearly blocked out the sky.

Garrett was lying on the ground, his arm bleeding and flowing with red, and the mud was already getting soaked with blood.

Luna lay unconscious beside him, the small scratch from the flying serpent beginning to bleed as well.

Garrett groaned as he got to his knees, clutching his arm. It shook slightly as more and more pain was shooting through like needles. He inspected Luna’s wound.

“Damn... that thing nicked her at a big vein,” he cursed.

Garrett pulled out a small medical kit from his rucksack. He then properly disinfected the wound and applied biofoam, wrapping it all up with a bandage. Clutching his chest, his breathing started to wheeze.

“Anaphylactic shock... or something,” he murmured to himself, reaching for the injection in his pocket.

He brought the needle out and was about to inject it into himself, stopping when he realized that he heard that Luna was having trouble breathing as well. She was also succombing to the starting stages of the reaction to the venom.

Garrett paused for a moment and cursed to himself. His training experience told him to prioritize his mission and go back to Earth, but he had no possible way to repair his ship with the tools he had. At the same time, he still remembered what he swore to his family. “The things I do to keep a promise...” he murmured before injecting Luna with the adrenaline shot.

He then wrote the message on the bandage, saying that she will recover. Hearing the hooves of Celestia and the royal guard quickly approaching, he packed up his gear and limped away as fast as possible, holding his bleeding arm as it leaked a few drops of blood every now and then.

Marble walls reflected sunlight as Garrett and Celestia were outside the princesses’ private library, both of them sticking their heads through the opening in the door.

“Wow, that’s a cute one,” Garrett whispered, grinning stupidly as he was watching Luna snore. Celestia giggled, also trying to prevent waking her up.

“She had a busy night last night, and it would be rude to wake her up,” Celestia said, closing the door with her magic. However, it was probably the loudest sound she ever heard when the mechanism clicked. The sound of Luna giving a quick snort came next, followed by her hooves approaching the door.

“Is somepony there?” she asked.

Garrett and Celestia started to pace away from the library. They were too late, however, and the white, marble doors swung open, revealing an alicorn curious of the situation.

“I have to admit, you were pretty adorable,” Garrett said with a sinister grin.

“W-what?” Luna stuttered in shock.

Garrett chuckled and replied, “You were snoring inside the library.”

Celestia giggled, “Yes, and it was quite of a cute one.”

“S-stop it!” Luna stuttered again, blushing. “I do not snore!”

“You’re blushing, that means you do!” Garrett said with a laugh.

“You have no evidence that I snore!” Luna answered back.

“If you do that spell thing where you look into my mind, I can show you,” Garrett insisted, giving a nod to Celestia.

“Never!” yelled Luna.

The passing guards nearby broke out in laughter, and Garrett and Celestia joined in, savoring the first friendly laugh they ever had with each other and leaving Luna giving an adorable pout.

The real Luna was smiling and giggling herself with a blush of pink running across her cheeks. Everypony else chuckled and laughed out loud along with her.

“I never did break the snoring,” Luna chuckled to herself, resulting in even livelier laughs from the rest.

The next scene expanded into the top of a hill that had a view of Ponyville. Everypony gathered with Garrett around the picnic table as he set up.

“Garrett, what’s this?” asked Twilight.

Ignoring her, Garrett tapped the side of the box. The sides opened wide, and crystal glasses rose from the holes. Everypony was silent and intrigued as he opened the main cover. Once he took it off, a fine, cold mist began escaping from the opening. He reached in and pulled out two glass bottles.

“I... was saving this sparkling wine for when we win the war,” he said as he was pulling the corks out with his knife. “Since... they found Earth... I’ll take every victory I can get.”

He began pouring everypony a glass, revealing the straw-yellow drink from within.

“I’m still a human, no one died here, other than that werewolf freak, and this world hasn’t been found by the Covenant.” Garrett raised his glass. “Cheers to being alive... I guess.”

“No,” Celestia said as she raised her glass with magic. “Cheers to those who we care for.”

Everyone smiled and nodded in support of the new reason to celebrate, including Garrett.

“May we never take them for granted,” added Luna before all of them clinked their glasses and took a sip.

Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight saw a light flicker like a candle from above. Looking up, she discovered that the Element of Magic tiara on her head was emitting a soft yet powerful purple glow that was capable of being seen from any distance in the darkness. She turned to everypony else. Only then did she realise that the others, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy, also had their pieces of jewelry giving off lights like candles.

“Your highness,” Twilight said, “the girls and I want to give something to him before we close it.”

“Go ahead,” Celestia said, motioning her.

“Thank you.” Twilight gave a nod to Fluttershy.

Slowly, Fluttershy approached the coffin. She opened her wing, revealing a small box tucked gently among her feathers. Gently, she placed it right next to Garrett’s helmet and popped it open, revealing a medal. It was a diamond-encrusted shield that was divided into six sections, like a crest, of pink, white, yellow, purple, cyan, and yellow-orange.

After having enough of what was showing on the screen, Garrett sighed and opened the door to the balcony. The midday sun was shining in the cloudless blue sky. He leaned on the edge and watched the surfers enjoying the waves on the beach. Looking to his right, he found his father doing the same on his side of the floor.

“Hey, dad,” Garrett said, “could I ask you something?”

“Hmm?” his father asked.

“...Can we ever be forgiven for what we’ve done?”

He shrugged. “There’s always a chance for forgiveness. Why’d you ask?”

“It’s nothing, really.” Garrett turned around pulled out the remote from his pocket. He then switched off the screen, which was showing the final images of him merrily drinking the sparkling wine with Celestia, Luna, and the rest. “...Just asking...”