Garrett ducked right on time as three crossbow bolts flew passed him and stuck on a tree. It was quickly encased in ice the moment all three of them made contact with it, and he swore he thought the feathers of one of them might have scraped his helmet.

“After him!”

“Don’t let him get away!”

“Remember! We want him alive!”

Dawn was approaching as Garrett was sprinting through the forest, with the royal guards in pursuit. His adrenaline-pumped body made him run the fastest he ever ran in his entire life. His heart was pumping so hard he could feel it bump against his armor. He jumped over a fallen log and climbed over a ditch. Waiting on the other side, however, were Luna, Celestia, and Captain Galea. The rage-filled faces were impossible to miss.

“Oh crap!” Garrett turned to his right and tried to make a run for it, but not before the captain shot a powerful bolt from his crossbow next to his feet. The ground exploded as it hit and launched him into the air. Right before he landed, they all caught him with their magic and pinned him to a tree. Directly afterwards, they pinned his arms and legs, restricting any movement.

“So we meet again, Garrett,” Luna hissed as she moved closer. The grudge from their last encounter still lingered within her, and it pleased her that it was her turn to be in control. The other guards caught up and watched the interrogation.

“Seizing my arms and legs already? Now I’m impressed.” Good idea, Einstein. Next time tell them that water is wet.

“Enough of this!” yelled Celestia as her and Luna’s magic tightened around his throat. “Where’s Rainbow Dash?”

The trooper refused to respond and struggled to free himself from his bonds.

The captain decided to take it another step further, and his magic began crushing Garrett’s body. Every single piece of protection that clothed him contracted around him. He screamed in pain as his own armor squeezed the life out of him.

“Where is she?!” demanded Galea, raising his crossbow and aiming it straight at him.

“Not so much, captain,” ordered Celestia as she released her magic from Garrett’s throat. “We need him alive so he can talk.”

The captain reluctantly stopped crushing him, but still kept him pinned to a tree. After this interrogation, his helmet is mine, he thought to himself.

Luna released her magic from the throat as well, but also kept him pinned.

Garrett, on the other hand, was trying to collect as much breath as he could after being strangled in magic. I first received orders to go back home, now I’m here being tortured by ponies. What the hell have I gotten myself into?

“She’s safe and alive... for the moment,” he breathed.

“For the moment?!” growled Galea.

“I’m her lifeline. I’m what’s keeping her alive. If it wasn’t for me, she would be starving right now.”

“What do you mean?” asked Celestia.

“I’m the man who’s been feeding her. I’m the man who’s been giving her water and food. I’m the man who’s been taking care of her. Take me away, and Rainbow Dash will have an empty stomach for a while,” Garrett said coolly.

Luna had enough. The anger inside reached to a point of being like a supercharged MAC round against a defenseless Covenant banshee, and her voice boomed with enough volume to be heard in Ponyville. “WHERE IS RAINBOW DASH?!” She got carried away and sent a strong shock of lighting right into Garrett. A bone-chilling scream of agony came through, the same scream of agony that he made when he was captured by the Covenant. She stopped the voltage and watched as he tried to recover.

“Just like the Covenant! You’re just as merciless and as ruthless as they are!” he spat.

In an instant there was the silence of guilt and shame, minus the sounds of Garrett wheezing and moaning. Celestia and Luna both exchanged each other looks. Neither of them wanted to start a war with an alien race, nor did they want to be seen as ruthless as the Covenant.

The captain, on the other hoof, took it personally as an insult. He dashed right into Garrett’s front and smashed his helmet with the butt of his crossbow. It was so loud and strong that it made the guards cringe.

“You will not talk to our princesses like that!”

“Oh, who’s this guy? You’re pet?! Let me guess, I bet he’s the one who’s going to be torturing me! What’s first? Electricity? How about whipping?!”

Celestia took a step forward. “Garrett, let me explain.”

“Then convince me that you’re not gonna fry me again!”

As Celestia took another step forward, nerve-scraping hisses and rattles broke out into the sky. She jumped back in shock as a group of freaks from the Everfree Forest made their quick appearance.

Out from the bushes behind Garrett, a nest of thirty flying serpents flew out, hissing and rattling their tails as they finally found suitable prey. Each of them had their fangs opened wide to expose their primary weaponry, accompanied by shark-like teeth on the side for tearing meat. Some were flying around, flapping their wings and showing off their long bodies reaching ten feet, and some were on the ground, standing as high as four feet. Each reptilian wing was able to match a pegasus’s, and they were literally as sharp as a manticore’s claw. Green scales reflected sunlight brightly, and the ones on their forehead were extra thick and tough, making it look like it was actually a piece of scale armor. Such protection was accompanied by yellow, powerful snake eyes in a head as large as an anaconda’s. It would have been an amazing sight if they were not planning to kill.

“What the hell are those things?!” Garrett yelled.

“Defend the princesses! Now!” ordered the captain.

They all dropped Garrett from their magical grasps, and he took it as a cue to get out. That he did, and he charged through the bushes, not looking back.

“Flee, Garrett! Like a coward!” yelled Luna as she shot a lighting bolt at a flying serpent. Celestia was already fighting off other beasts. All the royal guards scrambled and began to take on the others.

Captain Galea and the nest leader circled each other in a showdown, each determined to see the blood of their foe spilled on the ground.

The serpent attacked first with a charge, attempting to sink its fangs into him, and the captain shot its forehead with his magical crossbow, making it jerk and miss him. It then flew to the air again, aiming to slice him with the weapons on its wings.

He rolled to his side, narrowly dodging it as it scraped the ground.

The nest’s plan was going into place, as one serpent hid in the shadows, eyes fixed on one pony.

Garrett continued running; if he would have been on a hundred meter sprint, he would have already won first place twice. He continued running, then stopped abruptly to sit down next to a tree to take a breath. The past few days of running have taken a toll on him. He was hungry and was desperately in search of food, daring not to touch the ones he reserved for Rainbow Dash. After spotting, a small, purple flower on the ground he took off his helmet, picked up a petal, and performed the edibility test. He sloshed it around his mouth, bearing no uncomfortable symptoms. It’s safe to eat, he told himself as he started picking more petals. Weird how these petals are in shades of purple and have the shape of... hearts? Either way, they taste pretty good. Right before he sat down, a snap of a twig made him raise his guard again, and he quickly placed on his helmet.

“Who’s there?!” he demanded.

A zebra walked into his sight, wearing a hood, and she showed no sign of hostility. “I did not plan to make our paths meet, for I only seek the plant you eat.”

Garrett looked down on his palm, which still had a few petals. “And what is this plant?” he asked, still cautious.

“The plant you are eating is Heart’s Desire, known to ignite the inner fire.”

A scream of pain echoed to his ears, and made all of his hairs stand erect. True enough, a voice that was his yelled at him inside, GO! Immediately, he started sprinting back and readying his weapons. At the same time, a flashback was going through his mind.

Garrett, in his freshman college years, was walking down the hallways of the University of the Inner Colonies, which itself sat next to the UNSC Army College. Carrying only an apple, he savored every bite. He looked up and watched as other students walked along the sidewalks of the upper floors, proceeding down to lunch.

Garrett suddenly lost balanced and landed on his hands. He watched as his apple fell to the floor, rolling to the left, then suddenly make violent jerk to the right, and another even more violent one to the left. Screams of terror filled the room as the paintings hung on the walls came crashing down.

“Earthquake! Get to cover!” yelled a student.

At once Garrett crawled to a table next to him. As he braced himself, he found a woman standing in the center of the room, screaming in terror. She was right below a ceiling that was ready to crumble. Before he knew it, he found himself rising from under the table, flipping it over, and sprinting right into her. He lifted her up with his own arms and tried to make it to cover.

It was too late, however, and the ceiling came crashing down right on top of him. As a last ditch effort he dove forward, and they narrowly missed getting crushed by falling debris. He covered the girl with his own body and stiffened himself to prepare for whatever hell was about to come. The last thing he recalled seeing was another large piece of concrete landing on top of them, stopping inches right above him.

The shaking finally ended. It was dark, and debris covered him and the woman he saved. Garrett coughed and tried to get up, only to get stopped by a heavy piece of concrete pressing down on his legs. The person bellow him was still breathing and alive.

“You alright?” he coughed out.

“Y-yeah. Thanks. I owe you.” The girl brought out a small flashlight key chain and shined the light around Garrett and herself.

They were completely encased in rubble, with only two feet of space going up. Garrett gave another scan and found a small hole just big enough for the woman to fit through, with light shining at the far end.

“You go ahead and squeeze through that hole.”

The woman made her way through the hole. Garrett tapped her leg. “I want you to crawl your way out. Call for help from the UNSC center and get yourself to the hospital wing. Got it?”

“What about you?”

“My legs are trapped. Broken, maybe. My neck hurts a lot. Listen, don’t care about me. Get out of here now.”

“But--”

“Now.”

She nodded and crawled her way out, leaving him behind in his sarcophagus of concrete.

A spark of hope finally came when Garrett heard footsteps above him. He knocked on a piece of metal as hard as he could to at least get attention. “Help! Please! Down here!”

“Hey! There’s another live one over here!” came a voice muffled by the concrete in between Garrett and the source.

The piece above was lifted up, and two marines in full combat armor came like angels. It then became clear to Garrett the extent of the damage. The building itself was still standing, but the ceiling has collapsed.

The first marine activated his radio. “Pilot, I’ve got another one! He needs evac ASAP.”

“Roger that!” replied the pilot.

A pelican lowered a stretcher down from the hole in the ceiling, and Garrett’s heroes secured him to it.

"Thanks. I owe you guys.

The second marine grinned under his helmet. “A girl pointed us here. You owe her big time, kid. Trust me, ladies like it when you return their favors.”

The other shoved him away. “Relax, kid. He’s just being an a-hole.” He waved his hands to the pelican and the stretcher began rising.

“She owed me, too. I guess we’re even.”

“Step Two complete, kid. Step Three: the first date!”

The first gave the second a blank stare. “You’re a real piece of work.”

Luna held the side of her front leg. The serpent in the shadows ambushed her, but she was able to dodge it at just the right moment. However, it scratched her with one of its fangs, and it sent her into a shock due to the toxins. Small ounces of blood began to trickle out of the scratch.

The nest hissed in excitement as the scent of fresh blood reached their nostrils, but a different hissing noise made them stop and look down. Right next them was a high explosive, fragmentation grenade, primed and set off. The explosion sent shrapnel out into the air and killed four of the flying serpents. Amidst the chaos, Garrett, adrenaline-pumped, jumped through the bushes, roaring his battle cry and firing his submachine gun, which he fitted with a bayonet that was his multi-purpose knife.

He took down a serpent with a storm of bullets and stabbed another one with his blade, literally lifting it up to the air before taking five shots on its abdomen. He pulled his submachine gun out of the dead animal and sprayed a burst to another serpent’s head. Once they realized what happened, Garrett lobbed another grenade at the group, bringing down three before taking cover behind a tree. Opposite to him, taking cover behind another tree was the captain.

“Hey! I know you and I both hate each other to death!” Garrett yelled.

“You think?!” the captain snarled back.

“But if we want to save your princesses and kick some ass, let’s put aside our differences! Agreed?”

“Agreed!”

“I’ll keep them pinned while you and your troops cover her! On my mark!” yelled Garrett as he removed the bayonet and kept his silenced submachine gun into his rucksack. He then pulled out another version without the suppressor and attached the knife.

“I’m the captain, and I give the orders!” objected the unicorn.

“I don’t care about your damn orders! On my mark! Three! Two! One! SUPPRESSING!”

It was as if time slowed down as the captain watched Garrett dash out of cover first and fire a strong spray of bullets right into the nest. The loud cracks of gunfire made him cringe as he tried to use his magic on his crossbow to target two serpents. His crossbow was firing specialized bolts which froze them in ice. He and the other guards pushed on with the ODST in the lead, and they eventually came to Luna’s side.

Garrett kept the heat on. His suppression of bullets quickly depleted the ammo clip, and he swiftly replaced it. He shot three down in bursts and jammed his bayonet to the body of another. The beast screamed in pain, and he killed it with a three round burst. The nest leader gave a hiss, which ordered all the flying serpents to aim right at Luna, who was still covering her ears in an attempt to suppress the noise of the gunfire.

She instantly realized that she was being targeted, she and was too late to do anything as the nest leader flew through the air, jaws open wide. She closed her eyes, waiting for the feeling of fangs biting her. The sound of impact quickly reached her ears, but she did not feel a thing. Opening her eyes, she found Garrett in between them and her with an activated the Covenant shield gauntlet on his left arm, with the serpent’s fangs still being pressed against it. His right hand still had his submachine gun.

As Garrett was still fighting off the fangs, he saw one more flying serpent charge at his three o’clock position. He raised his weapon and killed it with a burst that ended with a click.

“Damn it!”

With the availability of his right hand, he quickly removed the blade and held it on his hand, dropping the submachine gun. He switched his attention to the nest leader, which still had its fangs pressing against the shield. He bashed off the beast and rammed his shield right into its face, causing it to stagger backwards.

The other guards and serpents stood by and watched as Garrett separated from his foe. They all took it as a cue to charge and fight.

“Hold it!” Garrett yelled as he motioned them to stop. “I want zero interference.”

The guards stayed back and so did the serpents. They started to cheer, hiss, and rattle their tales as the two combatants circled each other; Garrett, with a Covenant shield gauntlet and a knife on his hands, versus the nest leader, armed with sharp teeth, intimidating fangs, venom, and a very bad temper. It gave a loud hiss and incited its nest.

Celestia and Luna felt shocks travel through their spines as they knew that he was fighting a very powerful foe.

Garrett, on the other hand, kept his cool. “All hiss, and no guts.”

He was the first one to move. He switched his blade into a reverse grip and charged. Swinging his arm in an arch, Garrett was able to catch the flying serpent right where he wanted it.

The serpent, on the other hand, flapped its wings and dodged him right on time, but not before the blade sliced it near the jaw and across its face. The beast fought back with a slash of from its wing. Garrett’s knife received the full force of the blow, causing him to drop it. With a quick swipe, he pulled out his pistol, flipping it around and holding the barrel as the grip. Striking in a large arc, the hand grip of the magnum smashed into the area behind the flying serpent’s eye. He literally hammered it down and continued striking the monster before jumping back.

The serpent was already losing its balance, retreating as it tried to recover.

Garrett charged again. He jumped into the air, aiming for the tree next to the flying serpent. The moment his right foot came in contact with it, he kicked off again, launching himself in another direction.

It became clear to the serpent what his true attack was, but was too late to do anything as Garrett’s boot came in contact with its face, causing it to fall. The royal guards cheered as the ODST picked up his knife from the ground for the finishing strike, but another loud hiss broke out from the bystanders. Another flying serpent took a cheap shot and struck Garrett by the chest plate with its wing, knocking him down. There was a loud outburst of protests as he landed on the ground.

Garrett lost grip of his weapons, and the nest leader slithered and took a position on top of him. He instinctively raise his shield to block him, and the beast furiously slashed it. It slowly started to change color. From purple it turned orange, then red, and with one last strike, it died. Then the nest leader pinned his arm to the ground with one wing, noticing the part of his arm that was not covered by armor. It opened its jaws wide, revealed its fangs, and bit, breaking through the layer of kevlar.

One spine-chilling and stomach-turning scream of pain ripped through the air as the fangs made their way through his arm. Garrett even unpolarized his visor, showing his expression of agony. He sent his right hand straight at the serpent’s head, pulling it away and removing its fangs from him in the process.

The captain finally saw the opening, and he fired three bolts from his crossbow right at the serpent. At once, it froze solid and was encased in ice. Him, Celestia, and the other royal guards charged at the entire nest, chasing them away and out of Luna’s and Garrett’s sights, thinking that he was incapable of doing anything anymore.

Luna watched Garrett clutch his arm and moan in pain. He was barely moving. She slowly dragged him to her with her magic and inspected his wound. The fangs went in deep, and the venom was already burning him inside, easily shown by his face. The ground on where his arm used to be before he was dragged was soaked with blood. He may not make it, she thought to herself. The least she wanted to do was to make him know that she was thankful for his bravery. She tried to give an assuring smile, but it was impossible to hide it.

He weakly mumbled, “I’m... sorry...”

“Garrett, we-”

Garrett cut her off as he forced a cloth on her snout. Luna’s world quickly faded to black, her hearing became muffled, and she relaxed as the anesthetic knocked her out.

“Fall back!” ordered Celestia. “We’ve driven them off far enough!”

“We have to get medical attention to Princess Luna!” yelled the captain to his troops as they charged through the forest back to where Garrett’s duel took place.

There, they found Luna fast asleep, and the limb where she was hurt was bandaged. Garrett and all of his weapons were gone. On the bandage itself, there was a small text written in marker.

Cleanly dressed the wound. Even added some biofoam for extra measures and gave her my first and only shot of adrenaline to prevent anaphylactic shock. She’ll be fine. -Garrett

PS: If I die from this venom, I’ll kill you.

Rainbow Dash watched Garrett crawl out of cover, clutching his arm.

“You alright?”

“Don’t ask,” he growled. After limping around and refilling Rainbow Dash’s canister of water, he suddenly collapsed in front of her, wheezing and gasping for air.

“Garrett!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she removed his helmet. She felt sick as it was all coming to her. His face was white and on the line. She placed her foreleg on his forehead, discovering that he was burning hot with a fever.

He spoke in a barely audible whisper, “Is this how it feels to die? Should have just let that thing finish me off. Dying this way blows.”

Rainbow Dash reached for a small box, hoping to find anything that could have helped. Opening the box, she found ten potions ranging in a variety of colors, and they had strange markings that reminded her of the ones she saw in Zecora’s home. Every breath Garrett took sounded like it would have been his last, making her heart race even more.

“Which one do I use?!” she asked, with fear too present in her voice.

“The... red one... and... yellow one...” he breathed.

After quickly uncorking them, she forced the potions down his throat. Almost immediately, his fever was starting to go down.

“Check... rucksack... biofoam...” he mumbled.

Rainbow Dash then searched his pocket and finally found the canister and a few bandages. After reading the instructions, she inserted the tube in the wound and pressed. The sensation of burning ants crawling around the wound made Garrett wince in pain. After dressing the wound to the best of her abilities, and after an hour of forcing more potions down his throat, the pegasus sighed in relief as she found him stabilized.

“Thanks, I owe you.”

Garrett slowly got up and filled up another canister of water. He then washed off the blood from Rainbow Dash’s hooves and his own armor.

The night was chilling to the bone. Rainbow Dash’s body shook uncontrollably. It was impossible for her to sleep. Every breath would come out as a white mist on those merciless hours.

Garrett, in full combat armor, watched as she tried to hold herself together in a fetal position. Time for a fire, he thought to himself. As he reached to his chest plate, his heart skipped a beat. He looked down on his armor in disbelief, but finally came acceptance. The pocket which had his lighter was ripped off when the serpent took the cheap shot at him. Crap! He looked back at Rainbow Dash, even more worried that she may not survive the night, and he did not want to have her death on his account.

I’ve been conditioned to handle temperatures like this. What the hell am I suppose to do? Let her die freezing? No way will she be able to survive this chilling night. He weighed in his options. A: Let her get sick from this cold, probably even die because of it, and get an even bigger bounty on my head. B: ...Damn it...

Rainbow Dash felt a warm piece of fabric cover her entire body. She opened her eyes and found a wingsuit covering her. ODST armor was in front of her, scattered on the ground. Garrett himself was in casual clothes, exposed to the night.

A wingsuit alone is not enough to keep her warm.

Rainbow Dash looked back at him with her mouth agape. Is he crazy?! He has nothing to protect himself against this cold!

Garrett sat right beside her, rested his back on the same tree where she was tied to, lifted her up, and placed her on his lap. He used pieces of his armor to cover exposed parts, and covered her with his own arms.

Rainbow Dash easily received his body heat. She felt warm under the blanket of his clothes and his limbs. She rested her head on him, and heard his rhythmic heartbeat, which took her mind off the fact that she slept right next to the Everfree Forest. Deep inside he’s not so bad, she thought to herself. When she finally stopped shaking, she finally spoke out, “Garrett?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Go to sleep.”

Rainbow Dash started to feel that Garret’s hands were trembling, and she remembered that, despite giving him the potions, he still had a fever. His teeth started to chatter, and she could feel his entire body shake, with him desperately trying to fight it. She knew it was a losing battle. “You’re even colder than I am.”

“N-not c-complaining,” he said in between chatters. “Sh-shut up and s-stay warm.”

“Why are you being nice to me?”

“R-returning the f-favor. G-go to s-sleep. Th-that’s an o-order.”

Applejack and Big Macintosh proceeded outside to buck the apples off the trees. They opened the barn doors, and the light and fresh air seeped in, filling the building with life. The apple orchard stood in its usual beautiful shades of green, accompanied by dots of red. The dawn colored the sky in the vibrant colors of orange, purple and pink. The birds began their morning songs as the moon faded out of sight.

“Nice to see the warm sun after the chillin’ night,” smiled Applejack.

“Eeyup.”

“Well, them apples ain’t gonna buck themselves.”

“Eeyup.”

“I’ll buck the apples on the other side of the orchard, and you buck the apples on this side of the orchard, ‘kay?”

“Eeyup.”

She moved to the very end of the orchard and found the three guards who always passed by that part of the orchard by that time of the morning.

“Mornin’ boys!”

“Good morning, ma’am.”

She placed the buckets beside the tree trunk and kicked the tree with her hind legs. The day would have gone as usual, kick, hear the apples fall and thump, and bring them in. Instead, no apples fell down. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked up. All the apples in the tree were picked cleanly off, and some branches were cut off.

“Ahh horse feathers, we’ve been robbed... again.”

The three guards approached the seen of the crime.

“You have to give him credit for staying hidden so well,” commented a guard as he flew up and inspected the trees.

“Yeah, I guess you’re--” the shine of a small plastic-foil packet laid near the roots caught Applejack’s eye. “What the hay is this?” She picked up the pack and took a look at the front.

UNSC-GRADE PROTEIN BAR
FOR THE HUMANS IN THE FRONT LINE
CHOCOLATE FLAVOR

The guards stared at the little package. It was the first time that they ever got anything that was sure to be form him. One of them finally straitened up. “Get the princesses and the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. I think we’ve just found a trace to our illusive alien.”

Applejack whistled to the barn. “Winona! Get over here! I need ‘ya for somethin’! Apple Bloom, get my rope!”

Rainbow Dash woke up even before dawn came. She was still under the protective blanket of Garrett’s armor and gear, but he himself was not there anymore.

“Garrett? You here?”

Garrett, still in casual wear, crawled out of the tunnel of roots carrying two heaping piles of apples. The trooper laid down the piles right next to Rainbow Dash. He filled up her canister of water and placed it beside her head.

“You can have your stuff back,” said the blue pegasus.

“Hmm? Oh yeah, thanks.”

“Feeling better?”

“Better than before you forced down those potions.”

He slowly placed on the armor, but did not put on the helmet. He crouched next to Rainbow Dash and moved the pile of apples even closer. “Well, here’s breakfast.”

Since he gave Rainbow Dash more leg room by loosening her ropes, she was able to eat the apples with her hooves. Garrett crouched in front of her and also ate an apple.

As their meal went on, they watched as the sun and moon begin their exchange of place. The moon slowly walked to the horizon as the sun climbed out and into sight. The sky turned from the sacred night, to vibrant pink and orange. The clouds were highlighted in gold and silver from the East. Finally, the sun rose up to the sky like an Olympic torch. It was a thing of beauty.

“It never gets old, does it?” said Garrett as he finished his apple and turned to Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah... First time I ever noticed a sunrise like that... Kinda reminds me of when I did a sonic rainboom.”

“You know, even though we’re from different corners of the universe, it’s nice that we can both just stop and appreciate the same simple things in life. It’s nice that we can both just look at the same thing and appreciate its beauty--”

A bark of a dog interrupted him. He quickly placed on his helmet and polarized the visor. Out from the tunnel, Winona charged out, accompanied by Applejack and the three guards. Everywhere around Garrett, thirty more royal guards were landing from above. A carriage landed near the river, and out came Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, who no longer had the bandage, and the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Pinkie Pie had a bag on her side and was growling. She opened the bag and revealed that it was filled to the brim with cupcakes.

“You’re gonna to give him cupcakes?” Twilight asked in disbelief, resisting the urge to facehoof.

“Does it look like I’m gonna ‘give’ him cupcakes?! No! I’m gonna assault him with extra sugary cupcakes and a thing called ‘diabetes’ Pinkie Pie style!” she snarled as she grabbed one and raised it high.

Twilight rolled her eyes as she and the others, including Fluttershy, were ready to rope Garrett down.

The guards surrounded the human and the pegasus by the tree. The ODST stayed absolutely still. He was still crouching and facing Rainbow Dash.

Out of the corner of the her eye, Rainbow Dash spotted him slowly reaching for the pistol on his waist.

Celestia’s voice boomed through the campsite. “We have you surrounded!”

All the royal guards and the princesses were poised to attack as Garrett slowly unbuttoned the holster and placed his hand on the grip.

“Garrett,” Rainbow Dash pleaded as she shook her head, “Please, don’t do it.”

After a short pause, Garrett removed his hand from his pistol and took off his helmet, revealing an emotionless face. He looked at Rainbow Dash. He had no more options, but he did not want to give up. He untied her and let her wings spread freely after being tied for so long. Finally, he stood up and took a deep breath. “Go.”

Rainbow Dash stood up and galloped to the care of her friends, who greeted her with hugs and cheers.

“Rainbow Dash! It’s so good to see you’re alright!” cheered Twilight.

“Rainbow Dash! Oh it must have been absolutely awful to be in the hands of that ruffian!” added Rarity.

“We were all so worried!” said Fluttershy as she was hugging her.

“Woohoo! Let’s celebrate with a party!” cheered Pinkie Pie.

“Come on, everypony! Quit pilin’ up on Rainbow Dash here! She needs room to breathe!” said Applejack as she was motioning them to loosen up.

Rainbow Dash smiled back at her friends. “It’s good to see you guys again!” As quick as the happiness of freedom filled her, worry began to make its way through her.

“Uhh... surgarcube? Y’alright?” asked Applejack

“I am... it’s just that... well...” She turned to Garrett, who was still standing still with his back facing her. “Garrett?”

Garrett said with a sigh, “Sorry, Dash, I’m not going to be taken prisoner again...” He raised his pistol and made the end of the barrel press against the side of his head. “...Not while I still have a chance.” His finger slowly came to the trigger.

“NO!” cried Celestia. In an attempt to stop him, she started to cast a spell to stop the trigger, but she was too late.

The moment Garrett heard the word, it was as if time slowed down around him. He spun around and threw his final flashbang. With one quick trigger, he shot it in the air with his pistol, closing his eyes before the round came in contact with the canister.

They were all caught completely off guard. The moment they came to, he was gone, and his helmet was gone as well.

The captain snapped, “He’s still nearby! Go! Go! Go!”

All the pegasi took off to the air while all the unicorns crawled through the tunnel and fanned out, with their crossbows drawn by magic.

Garrett continued sprinting. His camp was his only fallback plan, and it was gone. He had no more plan, and he just needed to run. He was already worn out and felt like he could not go any further. Even worse, the flying serpent venom and fever were still having effects on him, slowing him down even more.

Everywhere around him he could hear wings flap, hooves hit the ground, and guards yelling in pursuit. He heard crossbows fire and jumped to the side right on time to see them fly passed his sides, landing in the stump right in front of him. It was quickly encased in ice. Immediately he took cover and activated his VISR for any open area.

On all of his sides, he could see golden armor highlighted in red fly through the air and charge through the forest. The only open route he still had that did not have a guard was a clear shot through the forest and into a clearing. One more time, Archer, he told himself. He took one deep breath, and he sprinted with whatever strength he had left, ducking and dodging crossbow bolts, lighting bolts, and pegasi flying down as he finally made it to the clear.

One...

As he got even closer, the sound of rushing water became louder and louder.

More...

When he reached the end, without even thinking, he jumped with whatever his body could still give, falling down to the rapids.

...Time.

The last thing he could remember was his boots breaking the surface of the water, followed by the rest of his body.

Soaking wet, gasping, and unable to stand up, Garrett dragged himself up the riverbank. Every inch he moved felt like a mile. He dumped his helmet and felt the air rush into his lungs. He let his face rest on the ground and allowed the water to drain out of his mouth. His ears could hear hooves get closer and closer. He heard them come to a halt in front of him. Closing his eyes, he prepared for the worst.

“Please... make it fast," he begged.

Instead of what he expected as a ruthless beating, he felt a pony go under his outstretched arm and help him get up. Opening his eyes, he found Rainbow Dash by his side, carrying his weight.

Before he could even give her his thanks, he heard even more hooves crash down like thunder in front of him. Looking up, he found Luna, Celestia, the captain and a squad of ten pegasi guards glaring at him. They were barely five meters away. Behind the ponies were two carriages, one for the royal sisters, and one that was obviously meant to be for him.

Rainbow Dash turned her attention to the guards, standing high, still offering herself as a support, and blocking the way between the ponies and the human.

“Thanks for helping me, Dash,” Garrett said as he stopped at his knees.

“Hey, I owe you for keeping me alive. It’s what friends do.”

“And I owe you for saving my life, but I want you to leave.” He took his hands off her. “This is my conflict.”

“I don’t leave my friends behind!” she protested.

“Friends help each other, and I’m helping you by telling you to leave.”

“And I’m helping you up! Don’t handle things on your own! You’re just scared!”

Garrett paused for a moment and looked at her. Somehow, he could hear an explosion and a dying soldier whisper into his ears. “You’re right, Dash. I am scared. I’m scared of others stepping in the way and getting hurt because they’re trying to protect me. I’m scared of all this useless torture. I don’t want the same thing that happened to Johnny and the other guy happen to you. No one else, including you, should get hurt. It’s not fair for you to get stuck in the crap that I’m in. Want to return the favor of me helping you? Leave. Now.”

“But--”

“Follow a damn order!” he barked.

Rainbow Dash stood still like a statue, eyes wide open with shocked.

“Please... for once, listen to the lieutenant. I want to do this alone.”

Without giving a response, Rainbow Dash left his side and flew away with a guard escort of two.

Garrett shifted his attention to Celestia and Luna, closed his eyes, and continued standing on his knees. “I surrender. If you will give any harm to Rainbow Dash, give it to me. I’m the one who started all of this, and I’m the one who deserves it all. I’m willing to stay in the mess I made.”

“Gallant,” Luna commented. She turned toward Celestia. “Let us make sure that he has no more gear to surprise us with.”

“Agreed.”

Together, they both used their magic to open each pocket Garrett had. One by one, they emptied each pocket and floated the contents into a chest on their carriage, which already had many of the contraband that he used to have, such as his lighter. Every object, from his weapons, to his rations, to the gear in his rucksack, he surrendered willingly. The final pocket opened, and out came Garrett’s pictures of Sarah, Claire, and his parents. Next, his relics of home, his parents’ dog tags and a small, black box the size of his palm floated out. When he opened his eyes and saw them floating between him and the ponies, he immediately shot himself up.

“NO!”

He swiftly tried to reach for them, but was stopped as the pegasi guards bucked him to the ground. They began beating him, and he covered his head with his arms in a futile attempt to protect himself.

“Stop!” ordered Celestia. At once, they stopped. She took a careful look at the objects and floated them right in front of her.

Garrett slowly dragged himself across the ground to Celestia. He tried to reach up to retrieve his relics, but his hand fell short by mere inches and was shaking in the air.

Celestia payed extra attention to Garret’s, Sarah’s and Claire’s smiles on the photo. They, in her eyes, reminded her of the family love she shared with Luna. She remembered her little sister’s cheerful smile, which she kept reminding herself that it was worth fighting for. Carefully, she placed them into the chest and looked at Garrett, who was looking back at her, defeated and helpless.

“It’s over,” Celestia said, confused whether to feel proud and happy that he has been captured, or sad and pitiful that he was already suffering too much. “Give him a cell in the castle with a bed that fits his size.”

All of the guards, including the captain, cheered and celebrated as they brought Garrett to the second carriage, chained and restrained. They taunted him as they shut the door, and without muttering a single word, he placed on his helmet in shame. He was so drained and weak that all he could do was rest his head on the metal bars.

As the royal sisters got on to theirs, Celestia opened the chest again and brought out the black box. She opened it with her magic, and inside lay a diamond and sapphire ring shining brightly against the sun. It was so beautiful that it even made Celestia herself envious. There was a text printed on the inner side of the box, where it would be above the ring if it was closed. Celestia and Luna both read it.

I was the happiest and luckiest woman in the universe when I married you. No matter where you are or no matter what happens, Garrett, I’ll always remember you, and you’ll never leave my heart. I’ll always love you. I’ll see you back home! - Claire

Celestia then brought out the family picture. Staring at them, she and Luna reflected on what they knew about Garrett’s war, which was next to nothing.

“They have beautiful smiles,” Luna finally said as she shifted her attention from the ring to the picture.

“Much like yours.”

“He looks so happy... Why would he leave them behind?” said Luna, also feeling confused on her emotions.

Celestia shifted her attention to the captain. “Captain!”

“Yes, your highness?”

“When we get to the castle, see to it that Garrett receives proper medical attention. You and the other guards are to not give any harm to him whatsoever.”

“Understood.”

Garrett lost count of how many potions and spells the doctors gave him. By the time they actually finished giving him medical attention, it was already dusk. He barely cared. He was just glad that he was able to start recovery. They brought him to his cell. A massive mirror spanning one side of the wall lay opposite to his bed; a twin size bearing the scent of fresh woodwork. He was no idiot and he knew that the opposite side of the mirror had an observation room.

Garrett lay down on the bed. He spent so much time sleeping in a cryo-tube and on the ground that he forgot how soft a bed could truly be. It felt alien to him. He felt exposed that he did not have at least one hand on any sort of weapon or any armor on. For a strange reason that he could not comprehend, he felt safe. He closed his eyes and quickly felt relaxed. Exposed... but safe, he told himself before sleep took him over.