All of Canterlot was drowsily awoken with the start of a new day. Even though a few wounds from recent events were still healing, everyone was in good shape and doing better. However, the bitterness in some guards was still present.

Garrett and Downburst were walking down the halls, both of them satisfied after an early breakfast.

“Slept well?” Downburst asked.

“Good enough,” Garrett said. He looked out to see Philomena with the birds chirping their morning songs. “At least the photographers can’t get in here. Even better, Twilight, her friends, and even the princesses have been acting like they want to hug me more often.”

“I envy you,” Downburst chuckled. “Anything interesting in the newspaper this morning?”

“Nothing much, other than an article about the local magazine and publishing companies coincidentally having all their printers break down. I quote, ‘It’s like someone grabbed a sledgehammer and just smashed everything.’ Any idea who’s responsible?”

Downburst shook his head. “Nah.”

The two of them entered the barracks. Many of the royal guards were in the middle of switching shifts. Those who were to watch the night were preparing for bed while the ones in charge during the day were securing on the last bits of their armor. Casual chatter was all about, filling the rooms and halls.

“On the downside of moving back here,” Garrett continued, “my shirts are still disappearing every now and then. Somehow, by the end of the day, I always find them in my footlocker.”

Many mares who heard giggled. Downburst pointed to them with his hoof and did an I-am-watching-you motion.

The two of them moved on and entered Downburst’s room. The few luxuries it had were additional room, more storage space, and privacy.

Downburst opened the chest next to his bed and pulled out a small can. “You said needed some polish, right?”

He tossed it over to Garrett’s palms.

“Thanks,” Garrett said. He looked to his right and found a piece of rubble sitting on top of Downburst’s desk. It was dirtied with mud and ruined with scratches, and a large dent was smashed upon the center. Worn out hammers and screwdrivers were laid next to it.

“You actually kept it?” Garrett asked, placing the polish on the table and inspecting the ruined shield relic.

“Just thought that we could get some useful clues out of it. So far, I found nothing.”

Shaking his head, Garrett sighed, “You really should just destroy this thing. It’s nothing but--”

“Follow,” a voice whispered, silencing the room.

Garrett shifted his attention to the shield. There was a barely noticeable flicker from the runes. “That... sounded like Galea.”

The light on the shield flickered on, and the runes glowed with orange.

“Come,” it breathed again, this time with Starswirl’s voice.

“This never happened before,” Downburst murmured.

“I have a lot of tools back in the Longsword,” Garrett said. “Let’s open this thing and power it up.”

The two of them laid out their tools on the second level of the ship. There was a plasma saw, a battery pack, cables, and a datapad for recording and scanning. The shield was lying down on the floor. Its lights were glowing as if they were breathing.

Garrett held the plasma saw and slowly etched it along the surface of the relic. He carefully melted his way through the first layer and made a square right around the dent. Downburst lifted the cover and plugged in the cables that were linked to the battery. Almost immediately, the inner workings of the shield blinked to life, sparks flying from within. A small red cube the size of a palm began glowing inside, and it flowed with energy like swirling water.

A beam of light shot out of the cube and landed on Garrett’s screen. It, too, flickered to life. Pixels began dancing across, lines crawled out from the point of contact like insects. Shapes and figures took form. Once all the movement stopped, the result showed a mixture of straights curves, and there was a massive X mark, accompanied by a red path that highlighted the way. Some of the shapes were filled with color while others were plain, hollow outlines.

“It’s some sort of a map,” Downburst said, standing up and approaching the screen.

“How would you know?”

“I’ve seen enough flight patterns and diagrams to know that this-” he pointed to a corner with a hoof “-is Canterlot Castle.”

Garrett leaned closer. “I see your point, and if I’m right, this thing is pointing straight at the Everfree Forest.”

“Specifically,” Downburst added, “the old ruins of the princesses’.”

“Come,” the shield whispered.

Garrett’s eyes widened, and he froze, dropping his plasma saw.

Downburst stared at him. “You all right?” he asked.

“First Galea, then Starswirl, and finally my own dad. Like it or not, I’m going out there.” Garrett gestured the command on his datapad to upload the coordinates to his helmet’s VISR. He walked down the ship and pulled out an ammo box from the armory.

“Please tell me you’re not going there alone,” Downburst said.

“Sadly, I will,” Garrett replied, still staring at the contents of the box.

“And you expect those bullets are enough to help you?” Downburst asked.

“High explosive ammunition,” Garrett said, showing off a few magazines. “This case even comes with shotgun grenades.”

Downburst sighed. He turned and found Garrett already strapping on his armor and grabbing a shotgun. “What will I do when everypony starts asking?”

“Tell them I went out for a trip. If I don’t make it back within one--no, two days, alert them send a few guards to investigate.”

“The princesses will get suspicious about it, no?” Luna asked.

The two of them turned, finding her leaning on the side of the wall. Her eyes were fixed on Garrett, and they easily expressed the thought of her not being impressed with what she was seeing.

“You made a promise to stop putting yourself in danger for us,” she said as she lowered her head, looking away. “Not even a week, and you are already going back to fighting.”

The two soldiers lowered their heads. Downburst and Garrett exchanged looks.

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” Garrett murmured grimly, knowing all too well that they would refuse to let him go. “But my parents are dead, and whoever this is, he’s using them, Galea, and Turbulence to lure me in. If it wants me, so be it. I just want answers. That thing out there knows me, and I’m going out to discover how and why.”

Luna still kept silent and shook her head, her eyes closed. Garrett dropped his weapons and ammo and approached her. He gently placed his hand on the back of her neck. “Ma’am, please,” he begged deeply. “I don’t know what kind of sick mind would use the dead as tools, but I need to know.”

“If you do not come back...” Luna started.

“I can’t make any promises,” Garrett said.

“Then we will not let you go.”

Garrett placed the ammo box on the ground and held in in place, his grip squeezing tight. “Ma’am, stop acting as if I belong here like I’m part of a family. I am a human in a world full of ponies and other inhabitants. Equestria is not my home, no matter what you try to tell me.”

“Then where do you belong if you don’t have Earth?” Luna asked.

Garrett looked at her. “I don’t know. But if there’s a chance for me to meet other humans out there, I’m taking it, and I’m not letting anyone stop me.”

Their gazes locked for a moment. Luna kept silent. She closed her eyes, and a glowing aura surrounded her horn.

Garrett felt an object float into his grip. He looked down and found an assault rifle encased with Luna’s magic resting gently on his palm. “Thank you.”

In silence, Luna slowly nodded.

Memories of hisses, fangs, and venom flooded back to Garrett’s mind as he stood outside the border of the Everfree. Its trees blotted out the sunlight, and strange clicks and hisses were coming from places unseen. It was as if the forest itself was waiting for him and excitedly welcoming him as a guest.

Armed to the teeth with bullets and explosives, he raised his assault rifle and carefully entered the forest. A shotgun was waiting on his back, loaded and ready to be drawn as well. Ordinarily, he was sure to feel like he was being hunted, but as he made his way through the forest, it was as if everything and anything within a five meter radius fell silent and creeped away. He somehow found himself following a route that was shaped exactly as the way shown on the map.

Garrett eventually found the old ruins that used to hold the Elements. The fog and mist had cleared, and the door was unlocked. When he entered, he found much of the interior clean of rubble and age, as if someone swept the area with a broom, but there were still a few traces of old spider webs and dust every now and then.

“Well, I’m here,” he said out loud as he unpolarized his visor.

He heard no response. With a low grumble, Garrett sat next to a pillar. He stared at the structure which used to hold the Elements of Harmony. Standing on the center, it still lay dormant in its sleep.

“Not bad for architecture,” Garrett murmured.

The sound of clanking and shaking metal suddenly filled his ears. He felt an object moving in his rucksack like there was a small creature inside. After pulling it out, he found the shield relic moving in his hands like it had a pulse.

On the structure in the center of the room, balls of light formed where the Elements used to lay. Beams shot out and met on the floor, right in front of Garrett. It coursed with electricity like a plasma lamp. The shield on his arm shot out of his palms, flew straight into the sphere, and disappeared from sight.

Instinctively, Garrett grabbed hold of his assault rifle and aimed it straight at the ball.

The sphere of electricity imploded upon itself, and a human took its place. It was a male that looked like a ghost with blue wisps. He raised his arm and offered it to Garrett.

“Come,” he said in the voice of his father. “Follow.”

“Let’s stop and think for a moment,” Garrett said. “I was brought to an old ruin by a strange creature that killed two of my teammates and is currently luring me in by using ghosts. What will I get if I join you? And why the hell should I not be expecting to get a knife to my backside?”

“Answers. Why would we want to harm you? If we did, we would have killed you the moment you entered this planet.”

Sensing the logic, Garrett cautiously walked forward and extended his hand. The moment he touched the ghost’s palm, a white light emerged from the point of contact, forcing him to close his eyes shut. Even his visor was not able to polarize and filter the excess quick enough.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a dimly lit cave, which was hollowed out and without any stalactites and stalagmites anywhere. In front of him was an earth pony. It wore the exact same armor as a royal guard, from the armor on the flank to the chestpiece. However, it was colored in what Garrett thought of as brushed steel. Instead of a coat, there were only more pieces of metal. The galea and tail were moving with energy like a gravity lift, flowing with electric blue. Instead of a face, there was nothing but a dark piece of what appeared to be a visor.

“Never knew robots existed in this kind of place,” Garrett murmured to himself. He unpolarized his visor again.

The pony lowered itself down to a bow. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you,” it greeted with a hint of cheer in its female voice. “I hope you enjoyed the world of Equestria. Rest assured that the work done here shall be all yours.”

“What do you mean by ‘all mine?’”

“There are many things that need explanations,” she motioned him to follow her with a hoof.

“Mind giving me your name first?”

“I have none. I am only a steward.”

Gripping his weapon tightly, Garrett slowly followed the robot as she lead him deeper into the cavern. His instincts told him that he was being followed, evident by the soft steps. He spun around and raised his assault rifle to look face to face at the red windigo slowly approaching him.

It completely ignored him and walked forward towards the earth pony. Garrett stepped aside and allowed it to pass him, weapon still set on it.

“You have served your purpose,” the steward said to the pony. “Your services are no longer required.”

The windigo nodded, and it faded away like a spirit. The steward turned around and continued heading deeper down the cave. Garrett kept silent as he followed her. Eventually, they found themselves at the end. Nothing but a wall of solid rock met them.

“Two ponies, a unicorn and a pegasus, were attacked by that thing earlier,” Garrett said. “What happened to them?”

“We did the best we could have to stop the infection,” the steward replied as she looked at the wall, scanning her head back and forth.

“‘We?’ You mean there’s more of you?”

“Yes and no.” The steward tapped on the wall with her hoof. Pulses of energy traveled throughout the surface of the rock. Glowing blue symbols began to form. Light seeped out in a neat line right at the middle of the stone, splitting it in half. It then opened up like a doorway, and inside was a hall that looked much like one from Canterlot Castle but scaled down and had the ceiling dramatically lowered. Dark blue marble was everywhere, and aqua strokes flickered along the sides.

The steward continued bringing him down the halls, passing intersections and other openings. No other ponies were present; it was as if the place was abandoned. Garrett found it easy to hear his boots echo. Finally, they stopped in a room that was a massive sphere, three stories high. In the middle of it all, there was what looked like a box with a large panel on top, and a white crystal was floating above it in an aura.

“I shall prepare everything needed to answer your questions here, but it will take some time,” the steward said. She pressed on the panel with her hoof, and it sparked to life, expanding into an even larger set of controls. A screen floated above and looked as if it was made of pure, flowing energy, and it reminded Garrett of AIs. Symbols and shapes formed on the display, flickering on and off and moving from place to place.

“If it pleases you,” the steward said, “you can look around and explore our work. I will notify you when we are ready. I do not recommend touching the stone work.”

“Stone work?”

The steward tapped on the side of the console. A platform rose next to her, and a ball of light formed. A statue quickly took its place. A frozen ODST in full combat armor was sprinting with an assault rifle ready. It looked exactly like Garrett, save for a lack of a phoenix feather and an ace of spades.

“Impressive detail,” Garrett commented.

The steward tapped on her console again.

“Mayday, mayday, mayday! This Garrett Archer of the Eighth ODST Battalion. I have crashed and require evac. The coordinates to my ship are in this message. To any UNSC-” static cut in “-please send backup ASAP!”

Garrett was silent for a moment. He gripped his assault rifle even tighter, contemplating whether he should use it or the shotgun instead. “How did you find that?”

“Your answers shall come later.”

Garrett gave a low growl. “Fine.”

He turned around and made his way out.

“Please take note that the cavaliers are still asleep, and they are not yet ready to wake up,” the steward said as Garrett was at the exit.

“Cavaliers?” Garrett asked, turning. “What cavaliers?”

The steward remained silent, still busy with her work.

Garrett murmured inaudible words. Turning around again, he walked through the exit and picked the hallway on his left. The first thing that came to his mind was a museum. Machines wrapped in alloys that looked like they were powered by steam stood everywhere. They ranged from suits of mechanical pony armor all the way to diagrams and scale models of grand airships.

An open doorway caught Garrett’s eye. When he entered, he found an entire floor filled with the same ponies that looked exactly like the steward. This time, however, they all had wings. Yokes were mounted on them, and they had cylinders that extended in front of them, making them look like double-barreled tanks on legs. All of them were still, and none of their lights were on. Farther back were stone statues of humans posing in various positions, and an onlooker would have thought they were actually legitimate living creatures.

“A sleeping army,” Garrett murmured to himself before turning around and continuing on.

Garrett stopped at the sight of an opening that looked more recent. Curious, he made his way out. As he did so, it was as if everything around him was rippling very slightly. It was almost discreet, had he not paid attention. He found himself in yet another massive cavern the size of a stadium, and the distorted effect disappeared. Instead of the organized pillars, the walls were lined with uneven rocks that stacked on top of one another that eventually formed a dome. The floor was made out of various stones like a natural cave.

Garrett lit up a flashlight and found a rectangular entrance in the center, where a ramp lead to it. Far above his head was a massive flat piece like a bridge. He went into the opening and felt the ground turn from stone into metal. Looking around, he found out that the architecture similar to the one of Canterlot Castle was no longer present.

Every step he took was echoed within the halls. Dust had covered everything, yet Garrett somehow felt like he had been in someplace like it before. Eventually, his helmet started detecting a lower change of temperature. Pillars sloping diagonally lined the walls, with one of them having a build up of a white substance surrounding it.

It finally occurred to Garrett that he was holding his breath, and he felt his heart pumping his veins. He exhaled and went to said pillar. As he approached, his boots sunk into the substance like slush. Looking up, he stared straight at the construct and placed his palm on it, feeling a sensation of ice.

He swiped his hand across to wipe away the dust and moisture and peered in. A woman’s frozen face met him.

“Jenny?!” he gasped.

His instincts kicked right in, and he immediately pressed his hand on the side of the cryo-tube, activating a control panel. He punched the defrost procedure. With the restricted view he had, Garrett saw Jenny’s face quickly thaw out and gain color. The canopy opened with a hiss, and she stumbled out, not wearing a stitch of clothing on.

Garrett caught her in his arms. She gagged and coughed violently, breathing heavily and gasping afterwards.

“Easy there, Aves,” Garrett said.

Jenny looked up to see his face. Her eyes narrowed.

“Ar...Archer?” she stuttered.

“In the flesh, Jennifer,” Garrett said. He felt Jenny wrap her arms around him and squeeze him with a hug.

“Damn it, Archer,” Jenny said, smiling with the awkward sense of reunion. “Where the hell have you been?”

“Long story,” Garrett replied, returning the smile. “Short version, I finished my mission on Madrigal’s moon, had a slipspace incident, and crashed here. I’ve been on this rock for months.”

Jenny let him go and looked around, scanning the dark hallway. She went to a rectangular case beside the cryo-tube and wiped the dust off to reveal a locker and her set of ODST armor within. She quickly placed the pieces on.

Garrett offered her his assault rifle and ammo, and she accepted them. “Careful,” he warned, “that thing’s loaded with explosive ammunition.”

“Where are we?” she asked. “How did I... we get here?”

Garrett crossed his arms. “You tell me.”

“We went into deep space with this frigate, which was modified to be a stealth ship for covert ops, and instead of marines, we used ODSTs. Probes picked up Covenant chatter and intel about them having an interest in a certain planet, so we went in unnoticed and found a crashed ship. It was pretty small, really. The only few things we got were a few artifacts, and that’s it. As a bonus, we stole some of their tech. The CO told me to get some rest and--”

Her eyes opened wide. “The artifacts! Where are they?”

“Artifacts?” Garrett asked.

She slipped on her helmet and turned on her comms. “Hawker, you read me? Damn... Granite? Kosh? Anyone?!”

Jenny switched her attention to Garrett. “We need to check on the artifacts--no, scratch that. Only one artifact is our top priority. Everything else can go.”

Garrett drew his shotgun and activated his VISR. “Lead the way.”

Both of them cautiously tread the path, weapons raised and ready. They kept their lights off and relied on their memory of the ship layout and the help of their VISRs. No one else met them, and the only noises they heard were their breaths and footsteps.

After some time, they finally found the door to the bridge. Jenny was the first to come in, followed by Garrett. They scanned the room. Everything in there looked dead. Consoles were off, chairs stood abandoned and knocked down, and no sign of life was there.

Jenny went to a nearby terminal and ran her palm across the screen. It flickered to life, and she started gesturing her commands.

Meanwhile, Garrett continued looking around the bridge as he was buried deep in his thoughts. He looked at Jenny for a while, wondering how she came. Switching his attention to the rest of the command center, his mind moved to the bigger questions such as why he never found out about their presence. “Let me get this straight, you have no idea how you got here?”

“Not a single clue,” Jenny replied. She tapped a recording.

“My name... is Athena,” the recording said. The audio skipped and gave static every now and then.. “I am... I don’t know w-what I am anymore. I served upon the UNSC-- what was the n-name again? UNSC Night Stalker, right. I am... can’t think. The crew? All gone, or at least I think they are. Only the crystal can get me back to shape. But, I don’t know what’ll happen to me afterwards. They offered me so much help, and I always found joy in talking with them. I have seen so much potential here to develop and create. The crystal--”

There was a burst of static and a loud moan, and the recording stopped.

“I think it’s a good idea to see what the cameras have to say.” Jenny tapped the console again.

The screen showed much of the crew busy with their duties. Colonel Stanford was among them and in deep conversation with the commander of the ship. Both of them had their undivided attention at a holotable. An AI was on the display as well, watching them plan.

“We’re holding position, as of the moment,” the commander said, pointing to the ship near the planet. It had just finished orbiting the moon. She pulled up a chart. “Energy levels are getting higher the closer we go, and they’ve been spiking like crazy for the past few days.”

She directed her attention to the AI. “Athena, any sign of development in the area?”

Athena pointed to a sector of the planet, which Garrett recognized as Ponyville. “I’ve been detecting all kinds of life and sparks of energy coming from Area Bravo. I suggest we land on the calmer sides of the planet before actually going there. Some probes and stealth recon drones managed to hone in on a creature with immense energy signals. Believe it or not, we even found structures that may suggest that societies do exist.”

Pulling up a holographic tablet, Athena showed them a picture of a tall creatures standing on two legs. Its limbs looked like they came from various animals from goats, to reptiles, bats, lions, and other animals.

Forming another panel, Athena showed the officers a detailed image of an immense castle hanging off the side of a mountain, surrounded by smaller buildings and houses. Some members of the crew shot looks and murmured among one another.

Stanford nodded. Before he could had given a response, alarms started going off.

“Energy levels just shot off the charts in Bravo!” a crew member shouted. “Seven sources! Six of them appear to be combining together and aiming at the last one!”

The hologram showed a massive dome form on top of Ponyville. It then exploded into a wave of particles that quickly spread out, and the frigate was in no position to dodge.

Screens showed many soldiers and personnel trying to outrun the burst. They were sprinting as fast as they could down the halls, but when the waved passed, they froze and turned to stone before the display died to static.

“Slipspace drive’s going haywire!” a deckhand shouted.

“It’s the artifact!” Athena yelled.

The energy quickly came to the bridge, and everyone had the same reaction, save for Colonel Stanford and the ship commander. The two lowered their heads and closed their eyes.

The recording blacked out as the final moment froze, signifying the end of it.

“If that’s what happened,” Jenny said. “Where is everyone?”

Garrett stood silent, his body frozen as the realization hit him. “Oh God...”

“Why?” Jenny asked.

“Follow me!” he barked before taking off. Instincts kicked in, and he readied his shotgun.

Jenny followed. “Why--”

“I know where they are!” he shouted. “Turn on your VISR, and keep up!”

Garrett powered his way in full sprint. The closer he felt he was to the room full of cavaliers, the more his heart pumped. He jumped off the boarding ramp of the frigate and continued down the halls. Jenny did her best to stay the same speed, but the alien feel kept her uncomfortable and made her slow down every now and then.

They slowed to a halt in front of the sleeping cavaliers.

“What the hell is this place?” Jenny breathed.

Garrett did not respond. He marched towards the human statues at the far end of the room, and he approached the first one standing straight. Jenny followed and stopped beside him. Both of them looked at the frozen Stanford then switched their attentions to the rest of the crew. They ranged from still sprinting for their lives to screaming their final voices.

They were silent out of respect, not knowing whether they could still save their colleagues.

Closing his hand to a fist, Garrett walked out of the room, accompanied with Jenny. He proceeded back up to the circular area with the console. The steward was standing straight like a butler next to it.

“We are ready to answer your questions,” the steward said.

The console’s holograms expanded. In the center, a bearded pony wearing a pointed hat and cloak adorned with stars and moons came into view. He had a small look of hope on him.

“I imagine this being very strange to you,” he said. “Time is short, and it is only a matter of time before he comes back.”

“Before who comes back?” Garrett asked.

A second pony came into the display and went to Starswirl’s side. To Garrett’s eyes, he was unmistakable, despite being out of his armor. With the pride of a war veteran and soldier, Galea stood tall with his chest out.

“Hello, Garrett,” Galea said flatly.

Starswirl shifted his attention to Galea. “I believe you have met these individuals?”

“Yes, sir,” Galea said, nodding. “Not the girl, though. Just the male.”

“And how the hell are you to related?” Garrett asked sharply, pointing at them.

Starswirl closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I shall start from the beginning. Over a thousand years ago, to be exact. Much of our tribes were still divided, hated each other. However, some of us, including ourselves, put aside our differences for the interest of Equestrian development. We were a small group, really, pioneering for the future of Equestria and always welcoming individuals with new ideas...”

Taking a puff of smoke from his pipe, Starswirl scanned the stars of the night. He and his group eased back on their grass, surrounding the campfire. They just finished setting up their tents on the top of a mountain. The company was composed of a unicorn, a pegasus, and an earth pony.

Telescopes and various charts stood outside Starswirl’s tent. The others had objects varying from simple contraptions of cogs and springs, plates of armor, and even more inventions.

“Interesting star arrangement tonight, eh, chaps?” Starswirl asked. He pulled out a parchment with magic. “I told you making camp atop Smokey Mountain was a good idea.”

“Go ahead and talk about how much you worship of the stars and moon,” the earth pony chuckled. “Empennage and I, the almighty Spanner, will be busy actually making progress and pushing our world forward.”

Empennage, the pegasus, raised her canister. “Cheers to that!” she giggled.

The two of them burst out to laughter.

The unicorn next to Starswirl snorted hot air. “Watch your tongue!” he spat. “Magic is much more complicated than your silly little wind-up toys--”

Starswirl placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Calm down, young apprentice. We each have our own ways to brag about our accomplishments, past, present, and future.”

“But--”

“I think my next magic lesson for you is the power of a sense of humor, Gousset,” Starswirl chuckled.

Gousset sighed. “Fine.”

The sound of rocks crumbling caught everypony’s attention. On the side of a nearby mountain, a bright blue sphere of light formed. The trees and stone around it were being sucked in. Pulses of power flashed and boomed, and the sound of explosions literally rocked the sierra. It imploded upon itself, and everything fell silent.

“What the heck was that?!” Spanner shouted. “Did your little horn-head princess go on her--!”

“Shut it!” Empannage shouted. “Starswirl already said that Princess Platinum can’t be involved.”

She spread her wings and took to the air. “I’ll go in and scout it out.”

“Are you crazy?!” Spanner asked. “You don’t know what you’ll find down there!”

“And what do you suppose we do?” Gousset asked Spanner. “Just sit here and head to bed?”

The blast had made a clear hole down to the center of the mountain. The rocks formed a sphere, and it was so neatly done it looked like someone hollowed it out. In the center of it all was a massive, dark object. It stood on the ground, focusing its weight on the rear half. The other part was composed of two bridge-like structures.

“Still think Princess Platinum is involved with this?” Gousset asked Spanner, receiving a shake of a head in response.

Starswirl was the first to take the step forward. The rest of the company followed behind him. He made his way to a rectangular opening towards the back.

“Looks a lot like something I would build,” Spanner murmured, still gripping his wrench with his teeth.

“Loosen up on that thing,” Gousset said. “You’ll most likely smash the first thing that moves--”

“Shh!” Starswirl snapped. He pointed to the entrance with his hoof to appeared to be a tall cylinder that had a glowing light flickering on top of it. He turned back to his team. “Whatever we see here never exists until we are sure that it is safe and we understand it, clear?”

They all nodded.

“Good.” Starswirl proceeded forward and climbed up to the cylinder. He tapped it with his hoof.

From the flickering light, a slim character took form. It stood on two legs, and a pair of arms accompanied the body.

Hair from the head was covered with a bronze helmet, and a cloak covered the main body. The individual adjusted it so it covered itself again. He or she had what appeared to be a white jewel, floating right above the palms and staring at it with fixed, focussed eyes.

“Hello?” Starswirl asked.

The little character shot him a look, eyes wide open as if it had just been broken from a trance. “Where am I?” it asked in the voice of a female.

“Inside a mountain, madam,” Starswirl replied, tipping his hat out of respect.

“The planet,” she whispered herself. She shot the crystal one last look, and with a snap of her fingers, it disappeared. “Damn it, I knew Bravo was bad news.”

The group gave each other looks, confused.

“Do you have a name?” Starswirl asked.

“Athena. How did I get here?”

“You tell us,” Gousset said. “One second we were enjoying our camp, the next, a huge ball of light came out of nowhere. Then you came.”

“A little more specific, please,” Athena asked.

Gousset leaned towards Starswirl. “We should alert Princess Platinum.”

“Princess who?” Athena asked.

“Horn-head leader,” Spanner blurted.

Athena formed an image in front of her and showed it to the group. The figure was a tall pony that had a horn and wings. Her mane was of various colours and flowed in the air. Her coat was white, and on her flank was the image of the sun. She stood tall with an elegant authority. “This ‘horn-head?’” she asked.

Everyone gasped.

.

“Is that... an alicorn?!” Starswirl awed. “Where did you find that?!”

“I thought they were myths!” Gousset breathed.

“Horn-headed and feather-limbed?!” Spanner grumbled. “What is this world coming to?!”

Athena made the pictures disappear. “So, it’s pretty clear that you have no idea what I’m talking about.”

Her words went unnoticed, as the company was busy shouting remarks and aggressively debating.

“An alicorn!” Empennage shouted. “Looks like Commander Hurricane’ll have some competition! This outta be an interesting fight!”

“A fight?!” Gousset retorted. “She may be what it takes to finally settle our differences!”

“Oh, sure!” Spanner snorted in annoyance. “Fancy horn and big wings for the pegasi and unicorns! But what’ll us earth ponies receive in the end?! More work and unfair share?”

“Enough! All of you!” Starswirl shouted. He cleared his throat loudly, forcing the group back together. “Where did you find the alicorn?” he asked Athena.

“Look exactly east of this place, head straight forward, and stop at the sight of a mountain,” Athena replied. “On the face of said mountain should be a castle-like structure. We found the specimen nearby.”

“That would be our plan for a city, complete with a castle,” Gousset said.

Athena raised her palm. “Wait. Are you telling me that the ‘castle’ hasn’t been constructed yet?”

Starswirl shook his head.

“That means...” Athena’s eyes opened. She pulled out a chart and studied its contents. “Oh, no. Please... don’t tell me.”

“Something gone wrong?” Gousset asked. “You can’t fix the damage?”

“Worse,” Athena replied. “Much, much worse than being stranded here. If I’m correct... I’ve traveled back in time.”

“Can’t you just travel back to the future as easy as pie?” Spanner asked.

“It’s more complex than that,” Starswirl said. He shifted his attention back to Athena. “I shall attempt a simple spell to see how far in the past you’ve gone.”

His horn lit up, and the entire ship itself became surrounded with an aura of magic. It disappeared later on.

“Over a thousand years,” he said in awe.

Athena lowered her head, closing her eyes.

“How did you perform the trick to travel through time anyway?” Starswirl asked.

“And I’m suppose to just tell you information because...?”

“Because, through what I see, you have no choice,” Gousset said flatly. “Either you talk or we can not help you.”

Athena took a deep breath. “We go to a dimension known as Slipstream space. There, we literally dance with the very fabrics of space and time themselves and travel faster than light. We create special drives that allow us to do this. We are known as humans, and we are currently at war with an alien faction known as the Covenant. When we go to Slipspace, we literally punch our way through with brute force. The Covenant, on the other hand, are more precise and faster at traveling.

“However, recently, we discovered an ancient race which are the things our enemy worships. Turns out, they understand Slipstream space so well compared to us to the point where they make the Covenant look like baboons playing with sticks. This ‘third’ faction knows how to accelerate, slow down, and, we hypothesize, lock time while keeping a certain mass in a protective bubble. I have a feeling that they are involved with this ship going back in time.”

Everypony stood silent.

“Fascinating!” Starswirl exclaimed. “And without the use of magic at all!”

“Please explain in a language we can understand, thank you very much,” Spanner said.

Starswirl turned to him. “Many assume that time is a strict progression of cause-to-effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective point, it is more of a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey... stuff, and these creatures--”

“Humans,” Athena corrected.

“--These humans found out how to manipulate it.”

“In simple terms,” Athena said, “that sums it all up.”

“What do we suggest we do now?” Gousset asked.

“We build a workshop here, in this cave,” Starswirl said. “Like I said, nopony should know. This is a secret among us only-” he shifted his attention to Athena “-and we will do whatever we can to help you.”

Athena smiled.

“Are you all right?” Spanner asked.

“Y-yeah,” Athena replied, getting back up. She opened her eyes, which were softly blinking red. “Just a headache... and that feeling telling me I’ve forgotten something important.”

Within two days, the group managed to set up a drape over the hole like a tent. From the outside, it looked exactly like the kind of improvised workshop Starswirl and his company would make, a scene which many ponies had gotten used to.

They transferred all of their equipment to the inside of the cave and also set up tents inside. Spanner, with the help of Empennage, managed to grow their needed food by using glass domes which were built nearby outside, thus they were completely self-sufficient.

Starswirl had been particularly closer to Athena compared to the rest of the group. There were some times where he would spend the entire day with her, talking, learning, and drawing concepts.

Athena, however, was very careful with the words she used to make sure that she was sharing safe information, and she never allowed any of them to go beyond where she was, passed the projector in the hangar.

Starswirl, aided by Gousset, was able to create and develop a crystal which can house entities like AI units while Spanner and the rest were busy with building a simple body to hold Athena.

“You sure this will work?” Athena asked, inspecting the body, which looked like a very rough bronze impression of a unicorn.

“Absolutely,” Spanner said. He raised up an AI core with a smile. “This thing you lent us really helped in actually building it.”

He lowered his voice down to a murmur. “Still can’t accept the fact that it’s a horn-head.”

“To be honest,” Gousset added, “It’s not so different converting crystals to store magic.”

Spanner came to the side of the body and opened up a panel. He reached in and pulled out a blue diamond. “Let’s get this over with.”

He approached Athena’s projector and pressed it to the side.

Athena took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her holographic image disappeared, and a wave of energy traveled throughout the projector. The blue crystal turned on like it had a light inside. Spanner quickly placed it back inside the unicorn body.

There was a moment of silence, the glow from the diamond resonating from the inside. Then, the unicorn’s eyes opened, revealing blue irises. On top of the head, a hologram of Athena appeared. She looked down upon her new self and chuckled.

“I like this cute little hologram projector you put on here,” she admired with a smile.

Starswirl chuckled, sticking his chest out with pride. “Anything to suit a fine guest of our land.”

Athena nodded and smiled. The red aura in her eyes glowed ever more brightly. “Anyway, back to work, then. Is there anything you can start me with?”

Waving a hoof, Starswirl motioned her with a smile. “Follow me, madam.”

The synthetic body stepped forward. With a snap of her fingers, Athena made the crystal appear holographically in front of her. “Lead the way,” she said, her attention obviously shifting to the artifact.

“I believe this is a start of a very interesting union as we know it,” Starswirl added. “This land can march on to prosperity, thanks to you. Perhaps you can share with us the reason to why you are so attracted to that crystal of yours--”

“Never!” Athena shouted at the spur of the moment.

Starswirl and the rest jumped back in surprise. They turned and found Athena’s pony holding up an alien-looking cylinder with magic, pointing straight at them. Her entire body danced with red like flames of rage, and the look on her eyes were of a killer’s.

“All I care about is getting back home!” she continued with a shrill cry. A fine red beam of light shot out from the side of the cylinder and aimed right at Starswirl’s forehead. “I don’t care about you or anything else about this rock! This is nothing more than survival of the fittest, and if I have to dispose of you to complete the objective, then I will!”

Spanner dashed forward and swung his wrench against the synthetic robot’s head, stunning her. Empennage twisted, raised her hind legs, and bucked Athena’s jaw. She was literally lifted off of her hooves and sent flying, crashing into the wall. Gousset grabbed hold of her weapon with magic and tossed it away.

Starswirl stood there, shocked and frozen.

Athena lay on the ground, moaning. The sudden hit made all the red in her disappear. Spanner raised his wrench again.

“No! Wait!” Starswirl seized the tool and held them all back with his magic.

“‘Wait?!’” Gousset half-shouted. He tried to fight free of the spell, but his power was far inferior. “She nearly killed you!”

“Whatever did try was not her!” Starswirl retorted, still holding them. He turned to Athena. Her body was severely dented in several locations, sparks erupting every now and then. At first, it looked dead, but all thoughts were pushed aside when it opened its eyes.

Her hologram blinked to life, and her body stood back up weakly. All her features were back to shades of blue.

“Athena?” Starswirl asked.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured.

“What happened to you?”

Athena lowered her head and closed her eyes. “I am an artificial intelligence. I don’t live as long as normal living beings. I die much earlier than others. But first, I become rampant, insane.”

Spanner lowered his guard, listening intently. Everyone else did the same.

“I don’t know why it’s happening to me so early,” Athena continued. “I’m still young for AI standards. All I can guess is that my journey through time might have altered it, and I believe-” she pulled up the crystal hologram “-that this thing is the solution.”

“And what makes you so sure of that?” Gousset asked.

“It... talks to me, listens to me. I talk back, and it understands.” Athena looked like she was about to say more, but she kept silent. Her attention was consumed back into the crystal like a child looking at a toy.

“Athena?” Starswirl called out.

Athena shook her head. “Sorry, lost my focus back there.”

“You’ve been growing too attached to that,” Starswirl added.

“Well, she did say it had the possibility of holding the key to solving her problem,” Empennage said.

“But at what cost?” Gousset asked.

“Only one way to find out,” Athena murmured. She made her body turn around and approach a dense-looking box. It opened wide, a glow resonating from somewhere within. An aura surrounded her horn, and the crystal artifact floated out.

“Wait,” Starswirl said. “How do you know that this is safe?”

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” Athena replied.

Mathematical symbols formed beyond the crystal and circled around Athena. A small ball formed in front of her, murmuring unknown words, and she talked back to it naturally. They chattered for some time and left the ponies in wonder.

“Latin,” she said to Starswirl and his group calmly. “An old language of ours.”

“Construct,” the sphere said to Athena, “do you accept my offer?”

“Yes,” Athena replied.

A holographic helmet formed in front of her. It had a very basic and round shape with a visor meant to cover her entire face. There were a few details that made it look alien. Athena pulled off her headpiece and slipped on the new one. Her image distorted for a moment, then came back to normal later on.

“Athena?” Starswirl asked. “How are you now?”

Athena turned around, her head completely encased with the alien-looking helmet. “Let’s get to work. I’m all ears and ready to assist.”

Everyone breathed sighs of relief. Somehow, Starswirl thought that if Athena’s body had a moving face, she would be smiling.

With the new member on the team, progress in inventing machines and concepts skyrocketed. Every day, they were either making a new machine or drawing another idea. Athena, however, played on the safe side and mostly referenced her ideas to Leonardo da Vinci, a so-called ‘librarian,’ and a ‘didact,’ though none of them understood.

They managed to move the growing domes to the inside of the cave and create artificial sources of lighting via manipulating and enchanting gemstones. When the windigoes’ wrath of winter came, they all agreed to seal themselves in a protective bubble to block them out, with Athena spearheading the operation.

“Tell us again how it works,” Spanner asked, inspecting the invention. It looked like an orb of pure obsidian with streaks of blue running across. Gousset, Starswirl, and Empennage watched in silence.

“Once I activate this, the entire cave will be in a time-locked bubble,” Athena replied. “Thus, nothing here is capable of decay.”

“How will we know when it is safe to go outside?” Empennage asked.

“We won’t,” Athena replied flatly.

Spanner shot her a look. “But--”

“This is much like what was needed to be done to save the universe from infection,” Athena cut in. “If it weren’t for preservation, every living thing, including this world, would be in a fate worse than death.”

Starswirl stood silent. The look on his eyes was lost in deep thought.

“We have already managed to have a fixed, sufficient sources of water and food,” Athena added.

Empennage switched his attention to Starswirl. “This is insane!”

Lowering his head and closing his eyes, Starswirl sighed. “The windigoes outside will freeze everypony if our tribes do not settle together. It would spell the end of our races, if taken to an extreme.”

Gousset gasped. “You can’t be serious with this!”

Ignoring him, the horn on Athena’s body glowed with an aura of magic. Streaks of light flashed across the walls. The sound of rocks cracking and shuffling reached their ears. Sunlight seeping in was slowly fading away, and with a loud and hollow bang, the final ounces of light coming in died out. Starswirl lowered his head. His regret was ever present.

“So... what do we do now?” Spanner asked.

“We build for a new era,” Athena said, trotting off into the distance.

Finding no other options, Spanner and Empennage followed and disappeared into the workshop.

It was as if time had been lost in the cave. Everypony forgot how long they had been trapped inside, and even with the help of calendars and tools to tell the date, they refused to know. They kept themselves busy by building whatever Athena and Starswirl planned.

“Well?” Spanner asked. “How did we do?”

Athena looked at herself on the mirror. Instead of dented and old bronze plates, her body was composed of smooth pieces like a guard’s armor, and a visor covered the face. The mane and tail parts moved with energy, and this time, she lacked a horn.

“Excellent,” she said. “This platform is improved.”

“Impressive work, if I do say so myself,” a cold voice said.

Everyone except Athena jumped. They turned, finding a ink-black alicorn, tall and with her mane flowing with energy. Her eyes were teal slits, striking fear into their hearts and making them freeze. Her horn glowed, and they were all lifted to the air and shoved against the wall.

“So, this is where the almighty Starswirl hid himself,” she said as she trotted around the workshop. “Fascinating.”

She stopped at the sight of a model of a zeppelin. “Well, what do we have here?”

She levitated the schematics in front of her.

“Interesting...” she said, running a hoof along the lines.

Another object caught her eye.

“A crossbow?” she asked, inspecting the bronze weapon. It had no string, and it looked like a generic tool. Carefully, she floated it up. Lights along the sides lit up with a glow, exactly the same color as her own magic. Her eyes opened in amazement.

“What a prototype,” she commented.

The magic holding them against the wall disappeared, and everypony fell to the floor.

“Why not we put it through a test run?” Nightmare Moon asked, pointing it straight at Empennage.

“No!” Empennage begged. “Please!-”

The crossbow fired, and the bolt pierced Empennage’s heart. She collapsed onto the floor, not moving an inch. Spanner gagged, and Starswirl felt his body freeze solid. Gousset started growling.

“Excellent,” Nightmare Moon chuckled. She pointed it at Spanner. “Perhaps you would like to join her.”

Spanner stood silent. He closed his eyes with a tear sliding down his face. There was thump of a crossbow, and another body fell.

“This world...” Athena grumbled. “This world is unfit. Action is required to force it into order.”

“Starting now!” Gousset barked. He charged forward and tried to slam a hoof onto Nightmare Moon, only to be shot at with the crossbow.

Athena dashed forward with unseen speed. She managed to rear up her hind hooves and buck Nightmare Moon right on the crest of her armor. She gasped and took a step back to get balance again.

However, it was not enough. Athena had an aura of violet wrap around her. She was lifted up to the air and thrown hard against the wall.

Before he knew it, Starswirl found the crossbow fixed on him, and a wicked smile was across Nightmare Moon’s face.

“Thank you for your generous gifts, Starswirl,” she said. “Your contributions to Equestria shall be seen by all, present and future.”

Starswirl closed his eyes and lowered his head.

“That creature is of pure evil,” Gousset said.

“I am afraid so,” Starswirl sighed. “With what I know of, there is nothing we can do now. We are in the afterlife, where we can not come back to life.”

Gousset grumbled. “I could have stopped her... somehow.”

Wisps of blue formed before them and built up on top of one another. Slowly, A translucent image of Athena’s body appeared. “It’s time for action,” she said.

Starswirl felt his jaw fall. “How... how did you get here?”

“Our research of souls and the help of the crystal proved to be very useful,” Athena said. “Still, what do you suggest we do with... her? She left as soon as she killed you, and she closed the cave shut. However, our time-lock still works.”

Silence passed by, with no answer being muttered.

“Say, Athena,” Gousset said, “if you can bring yourself here and back, can you, by any chance, bring a soul back to the living world?”

Athena was silent for a moment, her head lowered. “According to Starswirl’s notes, if we can provide a body, then, theoretically, yes.”

“Can our growing chambers for our food be altered to grow a body?”

“Human technology has made us capable of cloning organisms, even before we crashed here,” Athena said matter-of-factly. “And, I have to be honest, I have been doing things behind your backs. In order to prevent suspicion as to why all of you disappeared, I flash cloned copies and sent them back in time, right to the point where you ‘disappeared.’ How I did so is top secret.”

“Clever girl.” A smile of anticipation formed on Gousset’s face. “Let’s get busy, then.”

Starswirl grabbed him by the shoulder with a hoof. “What are you planning to do?” he asked in a serious tone

“Take down the monster that killed you,” Gousset replied. “And watch over the new land.”

“This is absurd!” Starswirl argued.

“To avoid suspicion, you must come up with a new name,” Athena said. “Also, your memory shall be wiped clean if you transition back to the living world. But, when you go back here, they will all return to you.”

“I understand,” Gousset replied.

“What will your name be, then?” Athena asked. “I calculate that we can re-use names after sometime.”

“Gousset!” Starswirl barked. “This is against the law of life!”

Gousset ignored him. “Call me Galea.”

The two ODSTs stood in silence. Starswirl kept his head low. The brim of his hat covered his eyes.

“That’s it, then?” Garrett asked.

“For over a thousand years,” Galea said, “we’ve been doing this.”

“I watched as Athena’s mind slowly corrupted itself into thinking that humans were the saviors of this world,” Starswirl said. “She continued building and expanding underground. As she was building her army, she kept up with helping Galea and his attempts. I did all I could to stop him from doing this on and on, but he never listened. Nightmare Moon never came back, and I fear that my plans and notes offered her countless amounts of resources for her own use.”

“Nightmare Moon was stopped,” Garrett returned. He looked at Galea. “You could’ve just ended it there. What made you go back?”

A side of the wall slid open. It creaked and shook the ground, revealing another spherical room.

“Dear God...” Jenny awed

The entire room was filled with pods, each one holding a unicorn suspended in a liquid. The cloning tubes lined the side of the wall in a massive circular formation. Three rows, stacked one on top of the other like a library shelf, provided enough copies to last for centuries. One chamber was empty, meaning to Garret that it used to be the womb of the Galea that he knew.

“This land needed protection, even after Nightmare Moon,” Galea said. “There’s still a lot of dark things going on here, and I’m willing to live and die again and again just to see peace remain.”

“After all this time?” Garrett asked.

Galea nodded. “Always.”

Garrett shifted his attention to the steward. “Your name... it’s Athena, isn’t it?”

The steward tilted her head. “I have not heard that in a long time.”

“Why the human worship?” Garrett asked.

“This world is unfit to be ruled on its own because it has too much chaos and disarray. The only way to bring true peace is through an external source of law and order, and the humans are more than capable of doing so.”

“So, you’re telling me that we should eliminate their right of being free?” Garrett growled, clenching a fist.

“If it is to preserve the peace and life, then yes,” the steward replied.

“What makes you so sure that humanity is capable of being in control?” Jenny asked.

“I have been watching.” The steward walked over to the console and tapped a button. A screen formed, and it showed a montage of news reports that ranged from the ODSTs handling missions flawlessly all the way down to the twenty-first century, where the British SAS efficiently shot down targets in the Killing House. The individuals acting as hostages ranged from the prime minister all the way to royalty.

“Humanity has the capability of striking fear into the hearts of many when needed,” the steward commented. “Quick, efficient, and brutal. I have made frequent portal trips in the past, and I have seen the power of destroyers such as Discord and Chrysalis. With what Nightmare Moon has recently been capable of doing, every ounce of strength will be needed to bring her down.”

The steward made another screen appear. It showed a pegasus standing on a room with her hooves restraint to the floor. Her eyes were teal slits, and her coat looked like it had black slowly finding its way to cover her. A sense of misery was shown on her face.

“The poor pegasus has been through so much,” Starswirl commented empathetically. “Nightmare Moon’s power and corruption of her soul has seriously taken a toll upon her. An unforgivable crime, if you ask me.”

Garrett cringed and started feeling a knot form on his throat, and Starswirl easily spotted it.

“Do not worry,” he attempted to say as the screen disappeared. “She is perfectly fine now.”

“The purging of the infection went through successfully,” Athena added.

Jenny looked hard at the steward. “Why didn’t you stop her from causing so much hell?” she suddenly asked Galea.

“She wouldn’t listen,” Galea grumbled back. “And, I have to be honest, with everything that’s been going on... from a soldier’s perspective...”

He lost his words and closed his eyes. “Start the transfer,” he mumbled.

The steward nodded. “Understood.”

“Damn it, Galea!” Garrett growled. “Don’t do this!”

“Coming from the man who killed himself and had a second thought,” Galea shot back.

Jenny shot a look at Garrett. “You what?!”

Garrett smashed his fist against the console. “Don’t you dare bring that into this!” he shouted, completely ignoring his comrade.

“No, Garrett!” Galea snarled. “Tell me! Why is it all right for you to die and come back to life?! Why is it wrong for me to do it?!”

With a loud roar, Garrett smashed the butt of his shotgun on the console. “Shut up!”

“Tell me!” Galea barked with all his might.

Silence was the response. Garrett’s fist tightened, and his growl raised. “I came back because I made a mistake. You’re going back to life because you can. To return to the world of the living to fix a bad choice once is tolerable, but to revive a soul with a clone repeatedly for a period of over a thousand years is unacceptable. You’re turning yourself into a tool.”

Galea shook his head with distaste. “You’re pathetic.”

“The cycle shall continue,” the steward added. “Always has, always will be. He set his purpose and held true. Soon, under a new leadership, Equestria shall learn the true meaning of peace and--”

A loud bang cut off the steward. An explosion destroyed her neck and sent her flying to the wall. Her robotic body clunked to the floor, emitting sparks. The headless pile of scrap refused to move.

Garrett stood there, pointing his shotgun right at where the steward used to be.

“Garrett, what the buck was that for?!” Galea shouted.

“You’re right, Galea,” Garrett murmured. “You’ll always bring yourself back, be born in a new body, and die... over and over again.”

He shifted his gaze to Jenny. “Weapons free, Aves.”

Jenny flicked the safety off of her rifle. The two of them turned and polarized their visors, heading straight into the cloning room.

“What’s next, Garrett?!” Galea shouted rapidly.”What’s next on your agenda?!”

Starswirl lowered his head and smiled slightly. “Thank you, Garrett.”

The pair stopped at the door, and Garrett and Jenny raised their weapons and set their sights at the closest occupied cloning tubes.

“Garrett, what are you doing?!” Galea yelled.

Garrett cocked his shotgun, and the empty shell came flying out, bouncing upon the ground with loud thunks. “Mercy.”

The two of them squeezed their triggers. Gunfire ripped through the air, and muzzle flashes lit up the room.

“Damn you, Garrett! Damn you!” Galea’s roars were quickly drained out as Garrett and Jenny continued letting the explosive rounds fly. Empty ammunition shells, unspeakable horrors, and shards of glass rained about their feet as a unicorn threatened to scream his lungs out.

Author's Notes:

If this chapter sounds a lot like Halo 4, just know that I had this planned out for a long time, even before the game was on shelves. If you're not a fan of me drifting away from the main story line, I apologize. Rest assured that this would be the last time that this happens on this story.