After giving a loud yawn, Luna, with her eyes barely able to stay open, dragged herself to her four-poster bed. She locked the door with her magic and placed her jewelry in their respective boxes on the table beside her. Slowly, she pulled the blanket over and allowed the finest fabrics of Equestria to cover her. As she was about to close here eyes, a letter suddenly appeared right above her table, landing softly on top of her jewelry box. Will read later, she thought to herself as she drifted off to sleep.

Discord stood triumphantly on top of a pillar as he watched Luna and Celestia look at Equestria in shock after he performed his own strand of twisted magic on the land. “Priceless!” he cried, bursting out in uncontrollable laughter. Tears were flowing out of his eyes as he began coughing.

“Thou shall not escape with such acts!” yelled Luna with the most volume her voice could have given as she held up the Elements of Harmony with her magic.

“Oh, but I already have!” replied Discord as he continued to laugh his lungs out. “Victory for Discord! Oh, how I wish I can save this moment for an eternity!”

Luna and Celestia exchanged looks, and they finally gave nods to each other. They both focused their magic on the Elements of Harmony, making it release a wave of energy that quickly encased Discord, who was still laughing like a psycho.

It started with his feet, slowly climbing up his body and freezing each part into stone. He cared not about what was happening and continued enjoying his entertainment, savoring it until the very last laugh. Once it was done, Discord, the spirit of chaos, was a statue, defeated and trapped. Frozen, he collapsed to the ground with a loud bang, but the bang sounded too real.

Luna’s senses were coming back, and she was hearing footsteps sprint across her room. Opening her eyes, she found a human skidding to a halt right next to her bed. For a split second, they were looking eye to eye until he shouted, “Oh crap!” Luna watched the ODST pull out a knife, and the last thing she recalled was him reaching out to her with his hand.

With hearts pumping like drums, everypony rushed up the stairs of Luna’s tower with all the speed they could muster. Celestia was the first up and found her sister’s door broken open. Inside, right beside the bed and table, the trooper was holding the letter and Luna up by the neck with his left arm, and his right had his knife near her throat. Luna trembled as the stalemate began. Her breathing was irregular as the knife was mere centimeters away from her neck.

“Great, now this one knows. What’s next? You’ll be broadcasting it to the entire planet?” he growled as he dropped the letter.

Celestia felt her anger reach to a boil inside her. The time for negotiations ended, and the time for actions started. Her horn glowed brightly as spears materialized by her sides, floating freely in the air. Each was aimed straight at the human’s head. “LET HER GO!” she snarled with her wings spread out, ready to charge at the blink of an eye.

“Don’t try anything. One wrong move is all I need. Wrong moves include bluffing with that crap you’re doing right now.” Garrett moved closer to the window behind him, with Luna still in his grasp. He looked over his shoulder and discovered that the castle stood high on the mountain side. It would have been a long fall to the ground. Damn it! So much for roping down the wall again. He looked back at the ponies on the far side of the room. “Listen, like I said, I don’t want to hurt you and make things ugly, but I will if I need to. So how about this, lay down flat on the ground, lay your weapons down, and I’ll release her. That includes putting the weapons away, lady.”

Everypony hesitated, still suspicious about the terms.

"Do it!" Garrett snarled.

The spears floating in the air slowly disappeared. Celestia, with anger flourishing throughout her face, was the first to lay down on the floor, and everypony else followed. The unicorns threw their crossbows right at Garrett’s feet, and the pegasi made their clouds disappear. Altogether, they went down to the ground as well.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” said Garrett as he slowly walked to the group. He released Luna from his arms, and she dashed towards her sister’s embrace. He quickly reached for his rucksack and pulled out three gray sheets. He connected them to his arms and legs. Once he was done, his entire body was webbed together like a frog’s foot.

As the reunion took place, the trooper shot a hole his size into the window with his submachine gun and kept his weapons. He charged right through the improvised exit and jumped out into the open air. After gaining reasonable distance, he extended his arms and legs and opened up his wingsuit.

“He’s getting away!” screamed the captain.

“No he won’t!” yelled Rainbow Dash.

“No! Wait!” cried Celestia. It was too late. The pegasus took off, flew through the window, and chased down the gliding soldier.

Garrett glided over the skies of Equestria, absorbing the silence, openness and freedom of the alien air. He looked back at the castle as he savored the new air of the sky. The farther I am from that place, the better, he thought to himself.

“Hey!” barked Rainbow Dash as she charged at the soldier. Her anger was more powerful than a raging bull. It was personal for her to see the princesses in danger and to see such threat merely slip away freely, and she knew what action her loyalty would do. They began free falling down to the ground, fast. She aimed for his head, but her hooves merely clunked off after every strike. On her account, it was still loud enough to let her know that she hit him hard, and he would have felt it somehow. She tried at the visor as well, but it yielded the same result. She let go and left him free falling down. Flapping her wings even faster, she ascended high into the sky. Finally, she turned in an arch and charged down at him, ready for round two. She was not the only one prepared.

Garrett watched as Rainbow Dash sped up towards him, and she raised her hoof to begin another volley of blows. He brought his head back, waiting for the right time. His VISR easily showed the distance in between him and her, and it was draining fast. The moment their faces were a mere foot apart, he thrust his head forward, ramming his forehead into hers, but he was careful not to hit too hard. He spun out of control in the sky, losing track of his opponent.

Before he knew it, he was alone again. Garrett continued to glide down and searched for a safe place to land as. He expected for another volley, yet it never came. Every second felt longer to him. After more time burned, and after no more attacks, he sighed in relief and thought, That outta give her the message to live me alone. Now I can start looking for a place to land. Still have to be careful for the next time if she charges me. He looked back, and a cold chill shot through his spine like lightning. Oh, no...

Garrett quickly turned in a circle. He fixed himself to catch the falling and unconscious Rainbow Dash in the air. Once he caught her, he was descending even faster to the ground. He angled himself to fall next to a river. The parachute automatically activated, and he slowly glided towards the riverbank filled with trees, with the pegasus in his grasp.

The human and the pegasus hit the ground hard. Garrett’s training kicked in as he quickly stuffed his parachute and wingsuit into his rucksack and picked up the unconscious Rainbow Dash. He placed her over his shoulders and started to run. He ran as fast as his feet could carry him and the pony, to the point where he nearly collapsed out of sheer exhaustion. He had no idea where to go, but all he knew was that he was even more trouble with a hostage. The last thing he needed would be the Covenant. Crap, this is one time I actually don’t want to punch an elite in the face.

From the safety of the high clouds, he watched as the ODST made his escape to the forest. He chuckled as he thought, For one creature, he can put up a very good fight. Yes, he is perfect for my cause. Now all I need to do is convince him to join me. If I can get more creatures like him, I can overthrow Celestia and Luna within one day. Let the games begin.

Celestia and the others stayed with Luna in her bedroom in an attempt to calm her down after the ordeal. Luna was shaking as she covered her face with her hooves. The hole in the window filled the room with light, making her cast a shadow over her sleeping quarters.

“We were all caught off guard when he woke up. It will be alright,” hushed Celestia as she embraced her sister. “We will get her back. I promise.” The princess made the sun and moon start their exchange of positions. She turned her attention to the captain of the guard. “Captain Galea!” Her voice was stern.

The captain also felt a sense of responsibility. It was his job to make sure that threats like Garrett were to be controlled, and he failed. Every inch of his body itched and craved for payback. He replied firmly, “Yes, your highness?”

“I want extra guards posted in every town of Equestria. I want roaming patrols all around. I want a bounty for any bit of information we can get about the escaped alien. I want wanted posters everywhere. Most of all, I want Rainbow Dash and the alien alive.”

“It will be done,” he replied as he made his way out. Already he was drawing his crossbow, making sure that it and his armor had a nice polish. After all, he needed to look good when he hunted Garrett down.

Twilight and the others stood behind the shattered window and watched the setting sun. Pinkie Pie’s enthusiasm was drained away. Her eyes, which used to hold so much joy and laughter, were replaced with eyes of worry and concern.

“If ‘ya think about it,” said Applejack, in an attempt to cool everypony’s nerves, “he could have killed us all right there, but there was somethin’ inside him that was stoppin’ him from shootin’ us dead. I saw it in him. Even said so himself that he don’t wanna to hurt us. He hit back for self-defense. Reckon’ we convince him that we’re not with them aliens we saw in his memory, and he could give us back Rainbow Dash!”

“You do have a point, dear,” said Rarity, attempting to second the thought. “What did stay him from eliminating us?”

“So there is good in him,” murmured Fluttershy. “Maybe... maybe we can help him.”

“I don’t know. I just don’t know,” sighed Twilight. “Oh, Rainbow Dash, please be alright!”

Rainbow Dash felt cold, wet cloths press over her head. Now this is the good stuff! This is really awesome after I fought with-- wait a minute. She slowly opened her eyes, and found Garrett without his helmet in front of her. He was the one applying the cloth. It was the dead of night. A campfire made the his shadow cover her. His eyes looked down on her with no anger whatsoever.

She began to struggle, but her wings and legs were tied together, and she found herself tied to a tree. Her body started to pump adrenaline and only encouraged her to struggle even more. Garrett placed his hand on her side.

“Woah, easy there, lady! You got hit hard. I’m just trying to heal the damage I’ve caused.”

Rainbow Dash continued struggling. Her anger was beginning to burn. “Sure I will! Right after pigs fly!”

“Hold still, will you? I’m not gonna hurt you. Stop trying to escape. Those things are made of the same material we use for ascension cables. In other words, it’s useless to even try to break free,” Garrett said in a remarkably calm voice. He wet the cloths again, and placed it on her forehead, again. Rainbow Dash just continued to struggle in the knot.

“Can you stop moving?”

She continued to attempt to free herself, focused on trying to slide free and getting payback.

“Stop struggling! Look at yourself! Your scraping yourself against the cables!”

She did not stop and continued to move, ignoring his warning.

Garrett had enough. His instincts switched from “I’m seeing someone new” to “hostile identified.” He slammed his fist down to the ground with a loud thump. “Stop moving and shut up or I’ll knock you out again!” He yelled. His eyes glared right into Rainbow Dash like ice. A simple message reached into her in an instant: he could kill her easily and get away with it.

Immediately she stopped and looked at Garrett in fear.

Garrett quickly realized what he was doing. He even found himself having his hand gripping his knife, with a small piece of the blade already exposed. Wow, not even a day after meeting them and I’m already pulling out a knife to silence. He immediately withdrew himself, ashamed and embarrassed. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to yell at you. Anyway, just please hold still while I undo the damage I’ve done to you.”

“For what? So you can eat me later on? And you still didn’t answer my question!”

Oohh, she’s bold. “Listen, I always help those who are not with the Covenant. Go get some sleep. We’re already off with a bad start. I don’t want to make it any worse. Besides, I, and many other humans, hate eating horse meat.”

“Least there’s a chance that you won’t eat me. By the way, I’m not a horse. I’m a pegasus.”

“Lady, you’ve got no idea how screwed up the idea of a flying horse... pegasus is in my race’s perspective.”

“And stop calling me ‘lady!’ My name is Rainbow Dash! We know you’re name is Garrett Archer. We read it on your necklace thing.”

“I was wondering where my dog tags went. Go get some sleep.”

Rainbow Dash cautiously closed her eyes and turned her back against Garrett as the crickets chirped in the night. She tried to fake that she was asleep, failing miserably. When I get my hooves free, he’s going down.

Garrett, on the other hand, looked up and watched the moon and the stars shine. I need to get some food for me and for her. There’s definitely no way that she’ll be eating meat. No way will she eat my rations, because I’m saving those as a last option. Looks like I’ll have to do some shopping in the town.

The morning sunshine woke up Rainbow Dash. Despite the uncomfortable space, her temper finally managed to cool down. The light made her finally see her surroundings clearer. The tree she was tied to was massive and its leaves covered the entire campsite, which was beside the river. Right across it was the Everfree Forest, and she felt as if it itself was watching her. Its trees and self-moving clouds made her uncomfortable and scared.

The campfire still burned warm in its place. Beside her head was a canister full of water and a heaping basket of apples. She slowly angled herself to be able to reach the apples with her mouth. She got one from the pile and took a bite. Her eyes opened wide, and she spat it all out, knowing all to well that they were from Sweet Apple Acres. After she took it, Garrett, in casual clothing, walked into her sight. He had his own heaping basket of apples.

“Morning,” he greeted as he gave a nod.

“How’d you get all of this?”

“You were asleep for eight hours. You’ll be amazed how much I can do in four. Eat up. You’re getting breakfast in bed.”

Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder and found three boxes filled with apples and another box of medicines stashed next to another tree.

“You’ve been stealing all of this?!”

“What else could I do?”

“Turn yourself in, duh.”

“Can’t afford to do that at this time.”

“Why? You’re already doing bad. Might as well raise the white flag before things get worse.”

“You don’t get it. If I turn myself in, I’ll be hanged for what I did. I fought with the guards, I nearly killed you and your friends, I took your princess hostage, I destroyed parts of your castle, and I took you as my prisoner. In the ODST book, that’s a reward of death by firing squad.” Garrett placed his pile of apples on the floor as he continued, “There’s only one way to know how much mercy your princesses have, and I don’t intend to find out. I’m your land’s most wanted criminal, so I have no choice but to live a life of theft. I’m sorry. Besides, I’ve already made a name for myself. They placed wanted posters with my face everywhere.”

Garret brought out a poster with an impressively accurate drawing of him.

Wanted
Name: Garrett Archer
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Wanted for: Resisting arrest, attempted murder, and kidnapping
Note: Armed and extremely dangerous

“I’m actually amazed they drew me so well.” He took an apple from his own pile and got a huge bite. “Keep eating,” he said with a mouth full of fruit. “You’re starving. I know it.”

Rainbow Dash reluctantly continued eating. “We don’t hang criminals.”

“Hell, maybe I’ll be the first one.”

An eerie silence passed by, and Rainbow Dash decided to break it. “Garrett?”

“Yeah?”

“When you were talking to the alien about living safe, you were talking about Sarah and Claire, weren’t you?”

“I’ll tell you when the word ‘classified’ means ‘open.’”

In the middle of the night, Rainbow Dash waited until Garrett was asleep. He himself slept in his casual clothes beside her. She spotted two objects clutched in his right hand, and they were within her reach. Carefully, she opened his palm and picked them up. The two objects were a laminated picture and a small string that was lined with colorful beads that spelled out “DADDY.” She turned her back against Garrett and allowed the light of the campfire to give her more light for a better view of the picture. Upon further inspection, it was of Garrett with two other humans, and the words “DADDY’S PROMISE” were scribbled in a corner.

The first human was, in her eyes, beautiful. Long, blond hair reached to the area slightly higher than the abdomen. The other was the smallest in the photo, bearing much resemblance between Garrett and the other. Golden-brown hair fell right past the shoulders. Garrett himself looked like he was a man with a perfect and happy life. They all smiled in the photo, happy and safe.

Wow, Garrett looks so... happy. Maybe--

“You’re not suppose to be looking at that.”

Rainbow Dash felt a shock travel up her spine as she turned around, finding Garrett staring straight at her.

“Give it back,” he ordered. Rainbow Dash let go of his possessions, and he quickly snatched them away from her.

“You look really happy in that photo. Is that your family?” she guessed.

Garrett remained silent, acting like she said nothing. “Go back to sleep.”

The other hid in the shadows of the trees as he stalked Garrett and Rainbow Dash, taking note of every single detail, including the picture. He has a family? That was easy. He teleported away from the campsite.

Five days passed since the first time Rainbow Dash woke up and found herself in captivity. Eventually, the pegasus was able to be more open and convince the human to start talking in a system of information trade. However, every time they were about to reach a sensitive topic, such as family, Earth, among others, Garrett would have quickly ended the conversation. At late afternoon of the sixth day, the trooper, fully armored, snuck into a market in Ponyville and picked up pieces of food which easily fit inside his pockets. He carefully crept through the shadows to avoid the ponies, waiting up to hours for an opening. Halfway to the forest where his camp lay, he heard hooves go closer to his position. Instinctively, he covered himself in leaves and laid down absolutely still.

The hooves drew even closer. Through his polarized visor, he spotted a group of five royal guards, including the captain, all wearing shining golden armor. The unicorn guards had their crossbows drawn, and the pegasai guards had their wings spread out, ready to conduct lightning and ready to slice anything. The group inched even closer, to the point that they were standing on top of Garrett himself.

“Stay sharp,” Galea said. “He may be somewhere nearby.”

“Gotta give him credit for hiding well inside the perimeter,” said the first

“Yeah,” said the second.

“The town folk have really gone all-out with giving him names,” said the first. “Hey, I’ve heard them call him Reaper, Ghost, and Shadow.”

“Shadow?”

“They said that he moves in the shadows like him and it are one, hence his name.”

“When I get my hooves on him, I’m going to rip him to shreds and make him beg that he never woke up,” said the captain.

“If we can’t have him as a prisoner, then let’s make sure that we have him as a trophy, and I’ll see to it that his helmet is to be mounted on top of the fireplace,” added a pegasus guard. He opened his wing and sliced a tree in half. It toppled down with a loud crash. “I’ll make sure that I’ll be the one who does it.”

“Come on, let’s continue our patrol,” said the captain.

Damn, I’m famous. The group moved away and off of Garrett. He waited for ten minutes for any sign of movement. Once it was clear, he doubled back to his camp.

The entrance of his camp was well concealed. The only way in was through a small tunnel of roots underneath a tree. He went inside the tunnel, carefully closed the lid with camouflage, and crawled through and out of the tunnel into an open space where his camp stood.

Back in his camp, the tied up Rainbow Dash was napping with her head resting on a root. Garrett added more wood to the fire and placed an open canister filled with water on top. He mashed the ingredients and poured them into the soup. The result yielded a nice, thick broth. He looked back and the pegasus was wide awake.

“What’s cooking?” she asked.

“I honestly have no idea. You know, your Ponyville friends have called me things like Reaper, Ghost, and Shadow.”

“Shadow?”

“Yeah, me too. They said that I move like the shadow is my kind of element.”

“That sounds like an awesome name, though. Seems fit for a guy who sneaks around like you.”

“Twenty credits or whatever-currency-you-use say the next name they call me is something along the lines of Cobra.”

Rainbow Dash forced a smile. “You’re on.”

Garrett took a share of the soup and left it half full for Rainbow Dash. He moved closer and tipped the canister at her mouth. She slowly drank and he saw in her face the smile of satisfaction.

She’s been really cooperative. She even stopped trying to escape. I guess I have to reward her. Garrett slowly untied her hooves and extended the rope keeping them together, then tied them again. He dared not to touch her tied wings. Her hooves were free enough to walk around with, but were still bound together to prevent any running.

“Thanks,” she said as she stretched her legs.

“You’re welcome.”

Garrett’s training and instincts, however, were shouting at him on the inside. What are you doing, Garrett? Why the hell are you doing this? Is it because she’s not a Covenant? Are you trying to be friends with her? She’s your prisoner, you idiot! Point your gun at her head or something! What’s next? Bedtime stories and goodnight kisses?

At the same time, the same thoughts ran through Rainbow Dash. What are you doing, Rainbow Dash? Are are you trying to be friends with the guy who’s taking you prisoner? What do you want him to do? Make him close enough to be your friend so you can convince him to turn himself in?

Luna, Celestia, and the remaining bearers of the Elements of Harmony stood in front of Garrett’s computer. The screen stayed the same as he left it last time, black, and his data drive was still plugged in.

“Please remind why we are back here,” moaned Rarity.

“The more we know about him, the better,” answered Twilight.

“Exactly,” added Celestia as she placed her hoof on the screen, which beeped to life. It showed many files, and she selected the first that was on the selection. The moment she pressed her hoof on the screen, it showed a blank line, asking for a password. Dismissing it, she moved on to the next, and again, it requested another. On and on, each was demanding an answer for access. “Each of these files are protected with a password,” she said as she gave up more than halfway through.

“Wait,” said Luna as she came closer to the screen. “This last one...” she pointed it out, “...is labeled, ‘Reach.’ This is what Garrett’s friend mentioned before he...” She broke off as she tapped on the file, and to their surprise, it was not protected by a password. The file opened and even more programs were shown. Luna tapped on the first program, and the screen began to transform into a video.

UNSC ORBITAL DEFENCE PLATFORM ANGEL’S PROTECTION
AUGUST 14, 2552
SECURITY CAMERA 5
COMMAND CENTER

The naval men and women were cheering as they watched the Covenant Supercarrier, Long Night of Solace, exploded in half by the improvised slipspace bomb.

“Hoorah!”

“That’ll teach ‘em not to mess with the UNSC!”

“Bring out the champagne!”

An AI’s automated voice interrupted, “Slipspace rupture detected.”

All the crew went silent and looked outside the window. Another Covenant supercarrier came into view, and another came out of slipspace, then another. Suddenly, there was a massive wave of supercarriers coming out of slipspace.

“My God...”

“It must be their whole damn fleet!”

The commander snapped, “All crew, to your battle stations!”

Every naval member immediately sprinted to their consoles and started typing down commands so fast it sounded like machine gun fire.

“MAC round ready!” yelled an officer.

The entire station spun around and pointed straight at a supercarrier. “Target acquired!” yelled another.

“Fire!” barked the commander.

“On the way!” screamed the officer as she pressed the switch. A streak of light came out and was heading straight at the supercarrier. The super-charged MAC round tore the ship in half and sent it spinning out of control.

“Reload! Get me a new firing solutions!” ordered the commander.

The entire station spun around again and aimed at a new supercarrier. “Target acquired!”

“MAC ready!”

“FIRE!”

The next supercarrier broke as well as the round pierced through it like butter.

“Slipspace rupture detected,” said the AI again.

Another supercarrier came out of slipspace right next to the station. It opened fire with its plasma batteries and tore a hole through the command center. Every crew member inside screamed as they were sucked out through the vacuum and into the darkness of space. The command center fell silent in a matter of seconds.

“Breach in command center. No survivors.”

RECORD ENDED

Garrett finally finished setting up the camp fire for the night. The heat easily reached Rainbow Dash and she sighed in relief as the warmth surrounded her. He suddenly froze and stared at her. “Rainbow Dash, hold perfectly still,” he said as he slowly moved closer to her. He walked as if he was on a minefield.

“Huh? What’s happening?”

“Don’t freak out, but there’s something behind you.”

“What?! What is it?!” Her answer came quickly as she felt two long legs crawl on her back, then four, then six. The surprise traveled through her spine in a cold shock, even making her tail shoot up like when Pinkie Pie tricked her into thinking that there was a dragon. She gasped and nearly squealed, but she covered her mouth with her hooves.

“Don’t squeal,” Garrett said firmly as he stopped in front of her, poised to strike.

“What are you doing?!” she hissed. “Get it off me!”

With a quick attack like a snake, Garrett seized the spider by the legs, leaving it dangling in the air.

"Get rid of it!"

Garrett took a long look at the spider and sat beside Rainbow Dash. He forced on a smirk. “You know... us ODSTs are trained to get protein and energy from all sources.”

Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped. “You’re not gonna...” She was too late and watched as Garrett ate the spider whole. Every bite was a crunch, and he had the strangest look at his face. The fact that she was watching him eat another animal scared her even more, and it reminded her that she herself could be potential food.

“I know... It’s not fun.” He spotted her look of fear. “I hate horse meat, remember? On a side note, this spider doesn’t help a lot when you’re trying to talk.”

“So... uh... How does it taste like?”

“Bullcrap. Could use some garlic, though. Lots of it.” He looked like he was about to vomit. "Okay, a ton of garlic."

Rainbow Dash broke out in laughter as she watched Garrett try to swallow it down with even more disgust on his face. Tears were filling her eyes she watched him try so much to hold it down. She desperately wished she had a camera.

Once he was done, he couldn’t help but laugh as well. His smile was friendly and without any hostility. “Next time, I’ll save one for you.”

Two guards, both of which were unicorns, patrolled the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. Armed with their magical crossbows and lamps, they carefully scanned the area, eyes trained on finding their human.

“I’m still amazed he’s been hiding so well. No other criminal has been on the run for so long,” said the first.

“I know, right? Captain Galea’s getting mad, and he’s been ordering the other commanders around like crazy. I’m actually starting to feel sorry for them,” added the second.

“Still... of all the guards... why us?” asked the first.

“What do you mean?” asked the second.

“I mean, we’re not exactly the bravest pair to patrol the forest.”

“...True.”

Fear started to fill them. Each tree looked like a face that was ready to attack them.

The first tried to laugh. “Heh... creepy tree... right?”

The second gulped. “Yeah... just a tree...”

“I mean... look at them! They’re just... No... don’t look at them...” the first muttered as he tried to pull his eyes away from the trunk.

“Hey! Wait a second!” shouted the second guard as he grabbed the first by the shoulder with his hoof. “There’s something strange about this trunk.”

“I told you I don’t want to look at them!” snarled the first. “Besides, all the trunk here have something ‘strange’ on them!”

The second acted like the first said nothing as he shined his light on the tree, following the strange roots all the way to the middle of the trunk. However, there was an odd, grey pattern along the wood. As the two followed it, they eventually found themselves looking straight at a silver-blue visor staring right back at them.

“Wait a minute...” said the first.

“...Damn it...” came another voice.