Celestia and Luna took turns on who would be in Canterlot and who would be in the hospital to oversee Garrett’s recovery. The healing process was slow, but the two managed to stay by his side and watch every minute, making sure that no harm would come to the already weakened trooper. The doctors said that he would be able to be walking again in five days, but he was able to stand up by the third.

On the fifth day, Celestia and Luna flew to the sky, lowered the moon, and raised the sun as usual. Ever since Garrett discovered that Earth had been found, the pictures of planets being glassed never left Celestia’s mind. Every now and then, she thought of how it would have felt like to see endless pools of melted earth in cities and fields. She imagined just one image of a town, such as Ponyville, being destroyed by plasma with its inhabitants. Her mind instantly rejected it, disgusted, horrified, and determined to prevent it, but the fear of failing was always there. And yet humans are dealing with that on a daily basis... she thought to herself.

“Sister?” Luna asked. “Is something bothering you?”

Celestia sighed. “There are a lot of things in my mind, Luna. I... I just don’t want to talk about it right now.

Luna silently nodded and flew to the direction of Canterlot.

Celestia landed and made her way to the hospital entrance. Right outside the building, a tent was erected to house a few guards and Garrett’s mongoose. Immediately after she entered, Turbulence approached her.

“How is Garrett?” Celestia asked.

“Your highness, he’s been up and running ever since yesterday, and he’s been begging the doctors to let him get some fresh air ever since last night. Since they couldn’t find anything wrong with him anymore, they discharged him this morning. The nearby innkeeper offered him a place to sleep if he needed it.”

“And where is he now?”

“He asked for a ride to the mountain. Said something about needing a lot of time to think. If you want, we can go there.”

Celestia felt her sense of responsibility kick in. She knew that Garrett needed as much help as possible, and the fact that he was alone offered no form of comfort.

“I think it would be good if you tell me which mountain he went to,” she said as she spread her wings, “but please, let me go alone.”

Celestia flew with as much speed her wings could have offered, avoiding and dismissing any guard who became curious. Of all the mountains, Garrett, why here? she wondered as the peak came into her view. How she wished that the bright, sunny day would have offered her any ideas on what to say to him. I wonder where that dragon went ever since Fluttershy scared it away, a thought in her mind whispered.

Celestia pushed the question aside as she landed right outside the cave of where the massive beast used to sleep in. She felt her hoof step on something. On the ground lay Garrett’s picture of him with his family and the small box that contained his wedding ring. She grasped them with magic, brushed off the dirt, and took a look. The picture itself was still in shape. The jewelry inside the container was still shining like a priceless masterpiece. Despite revealing that the ODST’s most treasured items were still in good condition, they still offered no clue to where the trooper was.

“...Garrett?” she called out.

His voice was defeated.“...Why am I here, Celestia? Why am I not on Earth?”

Celestia was silent as she turned and looked at the view of Ponyville, knowing that Garrett had the same view.

“I... I could just walk away from everything right now,” Garrett said. “Leave it all behind and... what will I do then?”

Celestia closed her eyes and sighed. “No one will stop you. You’re free to choose your own way.”

Garrett was silent.

“Don’t be afraid, Garrett. The choices you make are all right.”

“But I still have questions, ma’am. As far as I know, they’ll linger on like memories... Was I right to give my life to the UNSC and have them run it for me?”

Another moment of silence.

“Garrett... You’re a soldier who gave his heart to a wonderful woman and child, and you willingly looked at fear straight in the eyes and banished it.”

“That raises another question,” Garrett said. He stood up from his cover in the bushes and came walked into Celestia’s view. He was clad in his full set of combat armor. “Are we all in a fight of good guys versus bad guys? Good to conquer evil? Truth to fight the lies? Are any of us saviors or destroyers? Or is it always black versus white in a chess game?”

Celestia tried to say something, but she found no words to answer.

“It’s already checkmate, ma’am. They found Earth... my home... my family... Now... if it’s all gone, what’s left to fight for?”

With her magic grasping the ring and the picture, Celestia inserted them into Garrett’s pockets. “You still have your friends, Garrett. They’re still something worth fighting for, and we’ll always be there, ready to help you.”

Garrett was silent for a moment.

Celestia went to his side. “Look at me, Garrett.”

Garrett did as he was asked. Celestia used her magic to remove his helmet, leaving nothing in between them. His face was not holding back the feeling of failure. His eyes looked down, avoiding eye contact.

“Do you know who Nightmare Moon is?” Celestia asked.

Garrett slowly nodded. “While I was in the hospital, Twilight’s been reading to me Equestrian history. It was something about Luna’s bitterness and refusing to lower the moon... then a thousand years of exile.”

Celestia continued, “I thought I lost her... she was everything to me. You love Sarah and Claire, and I love my sister just as much. After I banished Nightmare Moon, I became a total wreck. There were some nights where I woke up from horrible dreams, breathless. I was being haunted by the thought that I could have done something to prevent Luna from forcing me to do what I did. The guilt was so strong that I found myself covering my face with a pillow to cry until dawn.” She swallowed. “I thought I lost the feeling of love ever since.

When I was lost, my friends supported me, just like what we are doing to you know. They reminded me that I protected and cared for Equestria, and the citizens cared for me as well. I knew how miserables their lives would have turned into if I didn’t stop Nightmare Moon. Just like you said, the sight of your neighbors smiling again is something worth fighting for.”

With a small bit of magic, Celestia lifted Garrett’s chin so he could not avoid looking at her. “My point is that I too have lost family and many others, yet my friends were there for me. They never left my side and made me remember who I was. They... we’re here for you.”

Celestia picked up the ODST helmet with magic and placed it on his hands. “What kind of an individual are you, Garrett?”

“I... I fight for what I believe is right. I protect those who can’t defend themselves. I make sure that hope still shines among the darkest of times... I am an ODST.

“And is Equestria any different from Earth?”

“...No. There are still people getting hurt and losing hope.”

“What does your duty call for?”

“As a member of the United Nations Space Command...” Garrett lost his words as he got the message.

He looked at his own reflection on the visor. “Yeah... maybe there are still a few things worth living and fighting for, but it’ll be hard without a family...” -he placed his palm on the pocket which had his ring- “...or a home.”

Celestia looked at the view of Ponyville and took a few steps forward. “Don’t let them go, then, but loosen your grip. If you keep holding on, you’ll never see what’s in stock for the future. Don’t stop living on.”

Garrett sighed. “Letting go... one of the hardest things in life... only to be rewarded with freedom... If I were to let go of everything right now... that means-” he placed on his helmet “-hoorah.”

His last words had the same kind of tone that shouted out loud “I’ve got nothing to lose,” making Celestia’s pulse quicken. She quickly turned and found Garrett standing as straight and as stiff as a statue, teetering over the edge.

“Garrett, don’t even think about it,” she ordered.

“So many things have gone wrong already... the Covenant... the war... Earth... my family... I want something to go right. Just once... just...”

Celestia was too late to react and watched in horror as Garrett jumped off with his body stiff. He was pointing straight down like an honor guard statue, head first. It was as if time slowed down as she watched him take the leap.

“GARRETT! NO!”

Faster than a bullet, Celestia spread open her wings and flew down to catch Garrett, but he was falling at an incredible rate. She would have been too late by the time she caught up to him.

Celestia felt her body pump adrenaline as she repeatedly called out Garrett’s name, but he offered no response as the ground was coming closer.

Garrett, on the other hand, allowed the energy to build up as he avoided Celestia and focused his aim on following the valley. He knew he was dealing with death. Ordinarily, he would have panicked like every other individual who saw the threat of the afterlife. Hell, it’s part of my job, he thought to himself. Ever since I joined the corps, I’ve been seeing you on a daily basis... That acceptance drove out the fear of death, and with that, so did the panic.

When there was just a few seconds separating him and hitting the ground, all of that energy forced his mind to say one clear message, disposing every other thought.

He then barely scraped the ground before gliding out of the hanging valley and into the open sky, with nothing else holding him back while a very shocked princess chased after him. At that moment, with death rushing up to greet him, Garrett finally let go the weight on his shoulders.

“Garrett!” Celestia yelled. “I will have a word with you after this!”

“We’ll see about that!” Garrett felt something grab hold of his body and freeze him in place. “Oh come on!”

Celestia caught up to Garrett. “Now, about earlier...”

“You’re not my mother! And I regret nothing!”

After an eternity of convincing Celestia that it was the only way for Garrett to free himself, the hours came by. Repeated wingsuit glides in the company of the princesses, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and a few royal guards finally made the ODST feel less alone.

Afterwards, Garrett gathered the two princesses and six heroines of Equestria and brought them to a hill. On top of it sat his mongoose ATV and a picnic table. The cloudless sky, the view of Ponyville, and the songs of the birds were enough to make it the ideal place for a group of friends to meet.

“Garrett, you were insane back there,” Rainbow Dash cheered. “I mean, fighting monsters and freaks is one thing, but scaring the princess like that was probably the craziest thing you did so far! What was going through your head?!”

“...I was letting go,” Garrett said with a smile. “That second before you see death? That overused moment where your life flashes before your eyes? I didn’t see it, and I wasn’t ready to just end it yet. I still think there are still a few things worth living for.”

He walked to his mongoose, picked up the large, black box which the princesses saw back in Ghastly Gorge, and brought it to the table.

He then placed the box in the center of the table and motioned everypony to take a seat.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everyone smiled and nodded in support, including Garrett.

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

The sweet, fruit-flavored taste of a fine drink massaged Garrett’s taste buds. Flavor was not the only thing that made the first sip special. The fact that he was sharing his treasures with his new friends showed just how much he needed them, which was just as much of they needed him. Trust and friendship were the true essences of it.

“Wow... this is good,” said Rarity. “Much better than the other drinks Fancypants served at his tasting parties.”

Celestia smiled. “I agree.”

“Let’s finish these two bottles, then,” Garrett said with a confident smile. “It’s not everyday something like this gets to happened.”

Everypony cheered in excitement before they started to savor every drop of their drinks.

“Mighty generous of ya, yer highness,” Applejack said with a smile as Celestia showed her to a guest room in Canterlot Castle.

Celestia smiled as well. “When I heard that you were coming for the farmer’s market this year, I thought that it would have been nice to give you a place to stay while it’s going on here in Canterlot afterwards. How was it, anyway?”

“It was nice. Saw a few of mah cousins from Appleloosa. Couldn’t really talk to them much, had to buck the apples back at the farm an’ take care of the stall in the market here, y’know?”

“At least you were able to see them. Well, I hope you enjoy your stay,” Celestia said as she started to walk away.

“Uhh... princess?”

Celestia stopped and turned. “Yes?”

“...Is Garrett okay? Been a week since he shared his wine... thingy with us, an’ we didn’t really hear from him since.”

Celestia gave a slow smile. “He’s been doing well.”

She pointed over the balcony and revealed Garrett, who was in his casual wear and sitting down in the garden with his back against the tree.

“Can ah talk to him?” Applejack asked.

“It would be good if you did.”

The afternoon sun and the songs of the birds made the garden a perfect place to meditate, find a sense of peace and slow down amidst the fast times. When Applejack found Garrett, he was still there by the tree, staring at the descending sun.

“Y’all right, Garrett?” Applejack asked as she came to Garrett’s side.

“Oh... hey, Applejack,” his voice was soft and carried little enthusiasm. “Why are you here?”

“Princess Celestia gave me a room to stay fer the night.”

“What for?”

“Canterlot was hosting this year’s farmer’s market. Ah spent all day an’ night bucking apple trees an’ handling the stall fer two days.”

“Must have been tiring. Reminds me of my time back at boot camp. Woke up at five and drilled until two in the morning for days. On the bright side, I learned how to sleep while marching.”

“Ouch. Mind if ah join you in... whatever you’re doin’?”

Garrett shrugged. “I’m just watching things go along. In fact, you actually came right on time for the sun to go down, something that I usually reserve for when I spend time with... my family.”

Applejack took a seat beside Garrett and also watched the sun go down. It slowly descended out of sight and highlighted the clouds with orange as it went away. It was like watching a torch slowly burn out as its fuel was sucked dry. Finally, the moon came out of its hiding spot among the clouds, and the crickets began their own orchestra of sound.

“Earth may be gone,” Garrett said with a smile, “but that’s at least one thing I know that the Covenant can never destroy, no matter how much they try.”

“Never noticed them sundowns being like that before. Gosh, they’re pretty.” Applejack gave a yawn. “You ain’t so bad, Garrett.”

Garrett was quiet again as he listened to the crickets. His moment was quickly interrupted as he felt something land gently on his shoulder, followed by the undeniable sound of a snore. He turned his head and smiled as he saw Applejack sleeping like a small child, exhausted after a very long day. He picked her up like how he would carry Sarah when she fell asleep and began walking to the earth pony’s room.

“Time for bed, you big baby,” Garrett whispered as he was carrying her.

Applejack gave him a soft kick. “Who you callin’ a baby?” she murmured before dozing off.

The next morning, after breakfast, Garrett began putting on his armor in his ship. Piece after piece, he secured them into place. He looked at his left shoulder pauldron and was amazed that the feather and ace of spades were still intact.

I swear, you two really are luck- he was cut off as he heard something land behind him. Garrett casually placed on his helmet and polarized the visor as he began feeling suspicious.

“Hello, Garrett.”

“Morning, whoever the hell you are,” Garrett said as he pretended to ignore the voice and place his empty magnum pistol in his holster.

“I admit, I’m quite impressed with how much progress you’ve had ever since day one.”

Still ignoring the voice and not looking at the owner, Garrett moved to the automated medical table and opened the side panel, revealing it to be filled with magnum pistol magazines and specialized grenades. A split second afterwards, all of his training kicked in. The ODST grabbed a magazine, spun around, loaded and cocked his gun, and rested his finger gently on the trigger.

“I don’t know what you want with me, but I bet that you just want to cause some trouble.”

The owner of the voice laughed. “Oh, why do I want to give you a hard time? I just want to give you something... special.”

Garrett felt pulse quicken and made his finger press on the trigger ever so slightly more. He used his left hand to retrieve the remaining magazines and specialized grenades from the medical table.

“Oh? And what would that be? The order to shoot you?” Garrett taunted after he finished placing the magazines and grenades into their respective pockets.

“What if I told you that you can still save your wife, daughter, and home?”

Garrett froze for a second and slowly removed his finger from the trigger. “...Keep talking.”

A tea set, accompanied by the two empty bottles of sparkling wine, sat on a table which stood in the center of Celestia’s private study. The sunlight seeped in through the window and lit up the room. The table was in the center, a bookshelf was placed near the wall, a clock hung on the wall, and a crystal chandelier hung from the ceilings. Several paintings of ancient and modern-day Equestria hung on the wall, depicting the vast history of the land.

Celestia walked to the window and looked at her view of Canterlot. As she did so, she floated over one of Garrett’s empty bottles and took a smell of the container. It still bore a slight scent of one of the best wines she ever tasted. Satisfied, she returned the piece of glass to the table.

A knock on the door made her attention come alive. “Come in,” she said in her usual, graceful voice.

The door opened, and an ODST stood there.

“Ma’am, permission to check a book. I read an article somewhere, and I just want to compare it with something.”

Celestia smiled and motioned him in. “Go ahead.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Garrett made his way to the bookshelf, picked a book, and set it on the table.

When Celestia saw the book, she could not recall what were its contents, nor did she ever remember putting it in her shelf. Must have been placed there and forgotten long ago, she told herself.

“What are you looking for, anyway?” Celestia asked.

Garrett was quickly flipping through the pages. “Just feeding my-” he stopped at one page and paused, “-my need of info.”

The moment the page landed flat, Garrett felt something make his hands freeze like a statue. Immediately afterwards, a strange feeling of dust began crawling on his skin and up his arms. He felt it climb up his spine and position itself at the back of his head. The ODST tried to scream in panic, but something kept him quiet. It even controlled his breathing to make it sound like he was breathing normally.

The horror kept on moving as Garrett felt the dust-like material pierce the back of his head like a needle, sending a cold sensation through his skull. It began feeding him with the belief of two certain spells. He stopped struggling to move. Rage was naturally building up inside him as he was believing its possibility every step of the way, yet there was also another anger, that was not his, adding to his already growing hate.

Can you hear me, Garrett? a voice in Garrett’s head spoke, the same voice he heard in his ship.

I can’t believe I trusted them...

Oh, the truth hurts a lot, doesn’t it?

After all this time... why?

Don’t you get it? Look back at pretty much everything they asked and wanted you to do. In the end, it was all for their benefit. They just wanted to look better and wanted to see you all sad and lonely, and when you finally break down, they can show off their image of ‘loving rulers’ to its full potential. Now you see what I wanted to give you, freedom and a way home. I have one more question for you. When you’re going to ask them to perform the spell for you, what makes you so sure that they’re just going to do it?

Garrett felt his blood run hot like boiling water.

Let’s have a moment of thought, shall we? Like you said, ever since I crashed into this place, I’ve been threatened, nearly killed, told to become soft, used as a tool, beaten to a pulp, lied to, and became worried sick that my family is dead and my home is destroyed, only to have the information to save them stowed away. And now, I finally have a way out of all of this. What in the hell makes you think I’m just going to ‘ask’ for it?

You do realize that you can’t take them on alone, right?

All help will be appreciated, Mister...

...Discord. The voice gave a chuckle. Well, you heard him, Moony.

With pleasure.

Through Celestia’s eyes, however, the scene was completely different. The moment she saw the ODST flip to the page, he froze, and the alicorn herself felt a strange sense of magic appear out of nowhere.

“...Garrett?”

Celestia started to slowly walk to him, but with every step she took to get closer, the more she felt the dark power grow stronger, and the more she felt her concern grow.

“What are you reading about?” she asked.

As she came to Garrett’s side, where the power was at its strongest, she felt her blood run cold like ice once she read the heading of that one page.

HOW TO PERMANENTLY TRAVEL BACK IN TIME AND HOW TO TELEPORT ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
BY STARCHURN THE MOUSTACHED AND “THE DOCTOR”

But another message has been scribbled below the title.

I told you to keep him on a leash. Oh well, have fun.

Garrett turned to Celestia. “I can’t believe you, Celestia,’ he growled after slamming the book shut. “How long have you had this damn book?!”

Celestia backed off. Despite his visor being polarized, she easily saw a face that wanted answers on the spot. She even noticed her own expression of shock reflect off the glass. “Garrett, take it easy-”

Garrett cut her off by flipping the table and making the glass items fall to the floor, shattering into bits. “DAMN IT! AFTER ALL THIS TIME, YOU NEVER EVEN TOLD ME ABOUT THIS?! I COULD HAVE BEEN ON EARTH!”

Garrett marched after Celestia.

“Do the spell! Now!” he ordered, but there was something different in his voice. It was as if he spoke in the tongue of three individuals.

“Garrett... what happened to you?” Celestia asked as she felt three threats in her presence. “Why are Discord and Nightmare Moon part of your voice-”

“It’s called seeing the truth!” Garrett sprinted and attempted to tackle Celestia, but he was stopped as two guards managed to intercept him in mid-flight.

Celestia saw Commander Downburst jump in between her and Garrett.

“Seize him!” Downburst shouted before he guided Celestia out of the room, and the princess sprinted out without hesitation.

“No!” Garrett shouted as he got to his feet. “Damn you!” He shouted to the two guards.

He quickly attacked the first guard with two fast punches, followed by a kick that made the pony fall with a loud clunk of his armor.

The second guard leaped and tried to wrestle Garrett down to the ground, but the ODST grabbed hold of him in the air by the back of the neck and brought his knee up to the chest plate, forcing the air out of him and knocking him breathless.

“What’s gotten into him, your highness?!” Downburst asked as he and Celestia were racing down the wide corridor which was lit up by the various, large windows. The shining marble walls and floors reflected the princess’s face of pure shock and fear.

Turbulence sprinted to them, breathing heavily and feeling her sense of duty kicking. “Downburst! What’s happening?!”

“Garrett attacked Celestia!” the commander yelled. “He’s taken out two guards and attempted to tackle the princess.”

Turbulence’s jaw fell down to the ground. N-no... he wouldn’t... ever, she thought to herself. “W-why?”

Celestia shook her head. “Something... someone made him-”

“CELESTIA!” Garrett yelled with a three-voiced mouth that could have made a spartan whimper. He stood on the carpet in the middle of the hallway, moving his fingers like how a gunslinger would prepare for a fast draw.

“Your highness, please get to someplace safer,” Turbulence whispered as she and Downburst took positions ahead of Celestia.

“There’s no need for me to beat the crap out of anyone,” Garrett growled. “Just do the damn spell!”

“Garrett!” Celestia called out. “I can’t! It’s impossible! Nopony is capable of doing it!”

“LIAR!” Garrett broke into a sprint, targeting Celestia. “Get the hell out of my way!” he yelled to the commanders.

“Stand down, soldier!” Downburst shouted. “You’ve already-”

Downburst was cut off as Garrett pulled out his M6G magnum, aimed at the two commanders, and fired twice.

Celestia felt sandpaper scrape her raw nerves as she saw the two muzzle flashes and heard the two loud bangs. She saw her two commanders having faces of pure shock, jaws hanging from their heads in disbelief that he shot them without hesitation. The two struggled and staggered to keep on standing, but they eventually fell down to the ground. The sun princess had no time to analyze the situation as she saw Garrett’s pistol change to its new target, her.

“Garrett, please, don’t-”

Garrett cut her off by pulling the trigger, but Celestia, on the other hoof, flapped her wings just in time. She felt a sense of relief as she knew she dodged the attack, that was until she felt something pierce her hind leg and wing.

Luna levitated over a cup of tea to Applejack. “Did you have a good sleep?” she asked.

“Sure did, princess.” Applejack took a sip. “Dunno how ah found myself in bed when ah woke up. Coulda sworn that ah fell asleep someplace else.”

A panic knock on the door made the two ponies snap into attention. A guard entered, panting heavily.

“Your highness!” the guard called out, “Celestia is in danger!”

Applejack and Luna froze. Before anything else could have happened, two loud bangs echoed through the hallways, making cold shocks travelled up their spines. Another loud shot came by, and their blood froze solid like ice, followed by two more.

The moment that final shot was heard, Luna and Applejack broke into action by sprinting down the hallways and to the source.

Celestia crashed down to the carpeted, marble ground and yelped as her wing and hind leg became numb.

“It’s funny, really,” Garrett said. “Ordinarily, you’d be out by the first shot.”

Celestia turned her head, fearing to see two red, bleeding holes pulsing with pain in her body. Instead, she found two small syringes on where the rounds hit. Her shot limbs began losing the sense of feeling, barely being able carry out what she wanted them to do. Instinctively, she pulled them out with magic. Realizing just what Garrett loaded into his gun, the sun princess looked at her two fallen commanders, finding out that they were fast asleep with syringes sticking out of their necks.

Somewhere, deep inside, Garrett’s still in there, Celestia thought to herself. Which means that...

“Garrett, look at yourself!” Celestia shouted as she struggled to get back up, staggering ever now and then. “You’re an ODST! A defender of peace and humanity! A protector of all things right! You know this is wrong! You have to fight it!”

“Look at myself?! Look at yourself!” This time, the two other voices took a considerably larger part of his. Their owners were invading Garrett’s body. He inserted a fresh magazine of ammo into his gun. “You’re talking as if I’m a tool! An instrument to be disposed of when no longer needed!”

Celestia stood silent, shocked as she realized that her words sounded parallel to his.

“Damn it! They were right about you! I can’t believe that I was too blind to see. News flash, princess, I have the liberty to make my own decisions!”

Garrett broke into a sprint and leaped into the air again, focused on tackling Celestia down to the ground. Again, he was encased in a magical, glowing aura. It floated him away from the alicorn, and gently set him down on the ground.

Luna, Applejack, Captain Galea, and thirty guards galloped passed Celestia, blocking the way in between her and Garrett. Some split off and began treating the sun princess.

“Have you gone insane, Garrett?!” Luna shouted.

“Go to hell!”

Garrett felt the strange feeling of dust climb up his legs. It started encasing his body, glowing silver as it did so. Finally, it finished outlining his current battle armor, and it reminded him so much about how Sangheili energy shields glow when damaged. The trooper smiled as he inspected the new addition. Not only did it made him feel more protected, but it also made him feel as powerful as a spartan, or for Equestrian terms, an alicorn hunter.

Thought you would need it. Also, you now have the power to do a few things you want. You still can’t teleport or time travel, though. Enjoy.

Thanks.

“I said it once, and I’ll say it again,” Garrett said as his armor glowed, intimidating everypony. “Give me the princesses, and we can all go home without any violence at all, happily ever after.”

“You’ll have to go through me first,” Captain Galea announced before he prepared his stance. The other guards, now numbering over fifty, did the same. Even Luna joined the blockade, determined to not let any harm come to her sister.

“Fifty two against one?” Garrett half-asked, half-taunted. “That’s not fair.”

He looked up and found ten marble statues of armored pegasi stood right above the large, glass windows. With a snap of his fingers, Garrett made them come to life. They took off from their stands and flew down to his side, ready to fight for him until the end.

Garrett snapped his fingers again, and the armor of the statues started shifting and changing form. The plates were sliding over one another and were molding as they did so. Eventually, they took the shape of a somewhat ponified set of green marine battle dress uniforms, accompanied by large, gold visors which covered the faces like an EVA helmet. As a finishing touch, the ODST had the face plates have wolves scratched in on them.

Having seen enough and wanting to prevent more violence, Applejack broke into a sprint and stopped right in front of the ODST and his pegasi. “This ain’t like ya, Garrett!” she called out.

“Get out of my way, Applejack!” Garrett barked.

“No! Ah ain’t gonna let ya hurt the princesses!”

“Then that marks you as a threat.”

Garrett brought out a small handkerchief from his pocket. He quickly seized Applejack by the neck and forced the cloth on her snout. She tried to fight and resist by kicking and thrashing about, but the anesthetic made her slow down and made her limbs fall. Her eyes slowly rolled back and closed shut, leaving her fast asleep. She was hanging in the trooper’s grasp. Once he knew that the drug did its duty, the ODST seized her by the mane and flung her unconscious body away. She landed on the side of the hall with a thud.

“Garrett...” Luna said, disbelieving what she just saw. “No... You... you have been turned into a... monster!”

“Too bad, Luna. I’m still me.” Garrett kept the handkerchief and switched his attention to his ten pegasi. “Get me a princess.”

The statues nodded. Five of them spread their wings wide and took to the air, and the other half sprinted towards the guards.

However, before any physical contact was made, Luna summoned lightning bolts with her magic and quickly aimed them at the statues. She destroyed two before the other three started evading, but, despite their incredible agility, their attempts were useless.

Luna fired another lightning bolt with magic, but the three pegasi dodged it effortlessly. Not wanting to waste any time, she grabbed hold of two and held them in place. Then, she destroyed them with two bolts. The final one made a direct dive for the princess, only to get hit by another crack of lightning.

The five sprinting on the ground, however, were a different story. They were more agile on the ground and easily dodged the lightning bolts Luna magically shot at them, and they started jumping up in the air and kicking off the walls to avoid getting hit. Using the same tactic she used on the airborne ones, she seized the five of them with magic and fired her lightning bolts at them, demolishing the stone figures. She then threw the rubble away and back at Garrett, who still stood still.

Garrett slowly shook his head in disapproval. He kicked away the head of a statue. “No matter how hard you try, you can never make a good marine with a simple magic spell. These stupid statues are even worse than rookies. You have to train him from the ground up in boot camp.”

He activated his energy shield gauntlet. “Anyhow, it was fun playing around, but I’ve got business to attend to.”

Garrett’s right hand began glowing as a fine, dark dust began crawling on the surface of his battle armor and into his right palm. Eventually, it began to take the form of a black, T-handle baton.

“The tonfa, nightstick,” Garrett said as he was inspecting his weapon, “is the preferred weapons used for law enforcement. Capable of delivering one painful blow, one after the other. I learned how to use weapons like these in the martial arts course during training.”

He gave a chuckle as he remembered the deadly and painful moves he studied in boot camp.

“Combine it with a stun baton-” he flicked it, and it began flowing and sparking with electricity on the sides used for striking and blocking, “- well, let’s not go into the details.”

With a body full of adrenaline, twisted magic, rage, and the desire to bring the pain, Garrett charged forward and sprinted with all the speed his legs could have given him.

“Take up positions, and set your bolts to stun!” Galea shouted.

The guards started forming a wall and aiming their crossbows at Garrett, ready to absorb his head on attack. They began shooting at him stun bolts to slow him down, but his shield easily absorbed and deflected the attacks.

Just a few meters away from the wall of guards, Garrett used his borrowed magic to deploy a portable, single-use, holographic gravity lift. The guards looked at the deploying device in confusion as they continued shooting at him. By the time his shield gauntlet was beginning to fade to orange, the ODST finally took the step on the piece of equipment and launched himself into the air. During his flight he deactivated his shield gauntlet and summoned another electrified tonfa for his other hand.

Luna and the guards, including Galea, looked at the airborne Garrett in awe and were too late to react as he came crashing down on top of the group, starting a brutal engagement of close quarters combat.

Garrett was hitting nearly every guard he saw. The amount of times he felt his batons strike something was quickly racking up. From one, it hit five, then seven, and he believed he was at ten by the time his sense came to. He was encircled by the guards, and Galea and Luna were still standing. Somewhere, a very small part of him felt relieved, yet another part wanted to see them bruised.

Before another thought crossed his head, out of the corner of his eye, Garrett saw another guard attempt to bring him down with a tackle. Instinctively, he punched the guard in an arc with his his nightstick. Right before the guard fell, the ODST pushed him away.

Two more guards tried to bring him down. The first one tried to strike Garrett with his hoof, but the attack was blocked by his baton. The ODST then hooked the pony’s foreleg with his leg and pulled, bringing down the guard. He then finished him off with a strike from the tonfa.

He heard movement behind him. Naturally, Garrett turned and swung in another arc, but he stopped his baton as he saw who it was. He felt a small shock travel through his spine as hesitated when he saw that the pony was Luna, who was also looking at him.

Both of them were speechless as they felt conflicts growing inside them. Garrett saw them as his friends, Celestia, Luna, the guards, the six heroines of Equestria, and the rest. Luna saw the human as her friend as well, but this moment was different. They saw each other as enemies, threats that needed to be stopped one way or another.

It was as if that during those quick seconds, they conveyed a simple question to each other. Where did we go wrong?

Before another moment could have passed, another guard brought up his hind legs and gave a strong kick to Garrett, knocking him back a few steps and snapping him back into attention.

“Captain! We should get the princesses out of here! I’ll hold him off!” the guard shouted. Galea nodded, and he immediately escorted Luna and a limping Celestia out of the fight in the company of ten guards.

“No!” Garrett shouted as he threw away a baton and pulled out his magnum. “Damn you!”

He shot the guard on the neck, and the pony fell as the tranquilizer round quickly took over his body.

“Pin him down!” yelled another guard.

“Bring it, assholes!” Garrett taunted with anger feeding every word. He raised his arms wide to welcome them.

All the remaining guards leaped to the air and attempted to pile up on Garrett and wrestle him down.

The ODST quickly lowered himself to one knee and pressed his palm against the floor. When he did so, a wave of energy detonated and stopped all the guards who were trying to bring him down. They were stuck, frozen like how a set of spartan armor would be in armor lock. Their eyes were still moving, though, glancing at each other in disbelief.

Garrett was not done yet. He pulled out the specialized grenade from his pocket, removed the pin, and dropped it on the ground, letting it roll on the floor. He quickly secured his helmet, making sure it had an air-tight seal.

The grenade went off, releasing a gas into the area. With a snap of his fingers, Garrett let go of the frozen guards and allowed them to inhale the chemicals. Some tried to panic and flee, and some tried to stay standing, but the power of the substance was too strong to fight.

“We can’t go anywhere while he’s still out there, your highness,” Galea said as he opened a nearby door.

After he opened wide, Celestia, who was starting to feel the drugs spread out throughout her body, settled herself down and rested a part of her body on the wall. The tranquilizer rounds made her too weak to even use magic. She familiarized herself with where they were. Stained glass windows showed the villains of Equestria and how they had been defeated. Tapestries hung from the sealings, and a bouquet of flowers decorated every marble pillar.

“Sister... what happened to him?” Luna breathed. “He has magic... and the voices of Discord and... Nightmare Moon...” she gulped “...me.”

“And doesn’t it sound more badass when it’s mixed with mine?” Garrett asked.

Everypony, even Galea and the guards, felt sandpaper scrape their raw nerves again as they turned and found Garrett standing beyond the doorway. His armor still had the strange, energy shield-like glow.

Garrett pressed his palm on the floor, and a large sphere surrounded Luna and made her stay afloat in the air, sealing her off from them.

She tried to beat her way out with her hooves, and she also tried blasting it open with magic, but it kept her trapped inside. Her fear started to build inside her. She knew that Garrett was capable of doing anything he wanted, and there was almost no one stopping him. She continued to frantically beat against the shield.

Garrett turned to the guards. “I don’t have all day to deal with you dirtbags.”

He brought out another specialized grenade, pulled the pin, and allowed a small amount of gas to seep out before throwing it to the group. Almost immediately, many guards fell from the effects. Galea was struggling to stand as he gasped for clean air, only to inhale more of the chemicals.

Garrett broke into a sprint for Galea. He pulled out his pistol and shot the captain twice. The pony’s face was filled with shock as the rounds pierced his neck. The ODST finished off his attack with a push kick, sending the unconscious pony into a short flight. He held nothing back when he gave that blow.

And that asshole deserved every bit of it, he thought to himself.

Friend of yours?

The absolute best.

Do not waste your time and energy on him. Focus on Celestia.

Roger that.

Celestia struggled to stay on her hooves. A small amount of gas reached her nostrils, and her eyes began to droop. She immediately realized just how fast the anesthetic gas worked and began backing off from the chemicals.

The gas continued to spread around her. If she had moved any further, she would have been breathing in even more of the drugs. Amidst everything, she managed to hear the echo of walking boots around her. Finally, she saw a shadowy figure among the mist that made her blood freeze.

Luna felt her adrenaline take over. She started to bang on the bubble even harder, blasting it with incredible amounts of magic with every blow of her hoof.

“Moment of truth, Celestia.” Garrett raised his magnum and started to slowly walk to Celestia. “Who am I? Am I your friend? Your pal? A shoulder to lean on when you’re down? The one alien, the one human you first met that actually earned your trust and friendship?”

Garrett fired three rounds to the ground directly in front of Celestia, making her flinch in shock.

Luna started to hit the shield even harder. “NO! GARRETT! NO!”

“Or am I your pet?” Garrett continued. “A tool? An instrument? A thing to be used to our own advantage and pleasure, only to be disposed of when no longer needed?”

Garrett charged, grabbed Celestia by the throat, and slammed her against the wall. “WHO AM I, CELESTIA?!”

Celestia had no other options. The anesthetics made her too weak to use magic, and she was cornered.

“You’re... you’re our friend, Garrett,” Celestia breathed as Garrett’s grasp on her throat was making it difficult to say anything. “We don’t care if you’re an alien. We always wanted to protect and care for you. That spell you saw... it doesn’t exist.”

“Please...” she begged as she pointed to the feather, his symbol of trust, on his left shoulder pauldron, “...listen to me. It’s a lie. Even I can’t do it. Nopony is capable of doing so. Deep down, somewhere in your heart, you know this is wrong. We’re your friends... not your enemies.”

Garrett growled and tightened his grip.

“...Please...”

Do it.

Do it.

Garrett brought out his knife. He showed her the blade by pointing it to her neck and slowly inching it closer. “You and I have different opinions on what makes a good friend-”

“-NO!” Luna shouted. She raised her hoof to give one more blow to the shield. Combined with enough power to crush Nightmare Moon in a second, she finally destroyed the bubble, making it shatter like glass. She grabbed hold of Garrett with magic and yanked him away from Celestia. She then flew to her sister and turned to face the ODST. The anger inside her was like a rogue bull. She gave one powerful flap of her wings that cleared the room of the gas and forced the trooper against the wall.

“YOU WILL NOT HARM MY SISTER!” Luna yelled with a voice magnified with so much power and magic, it was a wonder the glass windows did not break. To give a warning to Garrett of how much power she had, the alicorn set up an electrical field in front of her sister that spread out wide in intimidation. She began moving forward towards Garrett, anger feeding every hoofstep.

The electrical field was disturbing Garrett’s VISR. Annoyed and pissed off, he removed his helmet and tossed it aside, revealing another horror to Luna and Celestia. All of his features were in the shades of grey, except for his eyes. They were slits that glowed teal like a neon light against the night. Whoever it was that wore the armor, it was not the Archer they used to know.

Garrett cracked his neck and knuckles. “Now this will be interesting,” he said as he summoned a tonfa and activated his shield gauntlet.

He charged first. Luna tried to stun him by shooting him with a lightning bolt on low voltage, but he merely blocked it with his shield. Garrett held nothing back as he swung.

Luna flapped her wings back just in time. The baton was so close she felt the wind in front of her change direction. She forced Garrett away with a push of magic.

Garrett was about to charge again, but he heard more movement behind him. He turned and found the red, windigo-like pony walking up behind him. It was carrying the unconscious Applejack on its back. Instinctively, the ODST disposed his tonfa and unsheathed his knife.

“...A windigo?” Luna said in disbelief. “No... you are different.”

“The hell do you want?” asked Garrett.

The windigo-like pony offered no response. It moved closer to the point where its face and his face were only inches apart. It gave a small motion that was similar to a sniff, and the glow in its eyes grew like the the fires of rage in hell.

The strange spirit’s mane burst into a flame and snarled at Garrett. It then dissolved into a bright, yellow mist that surrounded Applejack, who was left floating in the air.

Applejack finally opened her eyes. Only, her lime-green eyes were replaced. No trace of her old feature was found, only bright, glowing, white light. The strange mist around her began forming translucent armor that floated off of her.

“What the hell?!” Garrett shouted as he prepared his stance.

Applejack, who was still floating above the ground, looked at Garrett. Four translucent pylons emerged from her armor and aimed straight at him. Bright beams of yellow shot out of them and held the trooper up in the air, making him drop his knife.

Garrett screamed like he was being burned alive. In reality, the greyness of his features looked like it was burning off of him, little by little. His energy shield gauntlet sparked with electricity and died, permanently.

Luna and Celestia watched in both horror and amazement as they saw whatever was controlling Applejack attack Garrett with no mercy. As they watched the magic that influenced him “burn” off, they also sensed that it was weakening. When the last bit of grey burned off of him, trooper’s voice returned as his, and he still continued screaming as the four pylons were still in control.

Finally, the pylons let go of him, making him fall to his knees. The armor on Applejack detached from her, and she was dropped down to the ground, staggering as she came to.

“H-huh? W-what... happened?” she mumbled. Her lime-green eyes fluttered as she was trying to overcome her disorientation.

The armor transformed back into the red, windigo-like pony again. It looked at Garrett one more time before teleporting away, and it was gone.

Luna rushed to Garrett and was still confused after what happened. Cautiously, she halted next to him. He looked up to her, his eyes and features back to normal.

“L-luna? W-wha--?” His eyes opened wide. “Oh God...”

A fine bit of dark magic began climbing up his leg.

“Oh no...” Luna breathed. She backed away and instinctively seized Garrett’s knife with magic.

Garrett groaned in pain as grey started to slowly climb up his neck.

“Please... kill me...” he managed to beg. “Make it stop...”

Luna stood there, awestruck and in dread.

Garrett’s eyes were starting to turn back into teal slits again.

“...Please...” he hopelessly breathed as the two other voices were coming back.

He has already suffered too much, she thought to herself. Luna raised Garrett’s knife high with magic.Tears filled her eyes as she knew she was about to give more pain to an already broken person who she knew as her friend, and he knew the same, somewhere, deep within his heart.

“Sorry... Garrett,” she whispered.

With her magic grasping the weapon and making it glow, Luna quickly brought the knife down. She closed her eyes right before she saw the blade enter his neck. Garrett gave a stomach-turning yell of pain that echoed throughout the castle corridors.

The moon princess pulled the knife out of him. Luna dared to take a look at what she did. The knife went deep. A dark fluid reached all the way to the handle, dripping off the tip of the blade, and it gave off a white mist.

The grey that was climbing up the ODST faded away, and his eyes returned to normal. The stab wound itself was glowing white and was also leaking the mist. It quickly closed, and Garrett collapsed with loud clunks of his armor, his breathing erratic.

Luna tossed away Garrett’s knife and came down to his side.

“Sorry...” she echoed her words.

Garrett’s eyes slowly closed shut.