I Against I, Me Against You

by Flynt Coal

Final Chapter - Always Red Versus Blue

“CELESTIA!” Luna cried out desperately as she swooped low over the volcanic wasteland, searching desperately for any sign of her white coat. “SISTER?!”

She circled around to check the ashen fields again, her heart beating faster and the pit of fear growing deeper in her gut every second she didn’t see Celestia’s familiar white coat. Several minutes passed before Luna finally saw it: Celestia’s always immaculate white coat was tarnished by a mix of gray ash and black burns, but it was unmistakable. However, Luna’s fear only grew when she realized Celestia wasn’t moving.

“Tia!” Luna shouted as she dove forward and landed beside the broken alicorn. Carefully reaching a hoof forward, Luna gently shook her sister’s body. “Sister…?”

No response. Celestia’s body was still.

“Sister, please…” Luna whimpered, and she felt the tears begin to well up in her eyes when she realized that she was already gone. “You can’t… you can’t do this!”

Luna closed her eyes as the tears flowed freely, and she tried desperately not to think about the reality of the situation.

“C-come now, Luna…” a weak voice said, causing Luna’s eyes to shoot open. Celestia looked up at her through barely open eyes and smiled weakly. “I may have made many mistakes recently, but I’m not about to leave you to clean up my mess alone.”

Luna gave a weak laugh through the tears before wiping them from her eyes. “Does your lust for theatrics know no bounds?” She then looked over Celestia’s body. The burns all over her body were oozing blood and pus. “Come. Let us get you medical aid post haste.”

As Luna struggled to heft Celestia’s dead weight onto her back, the solar princess gave a trembling sigh. “I wasn’t joking earlier…” she said weakly. “We’re going to have a big mess to clean up.”

Celestia had said as much before when she first told Luna about her involvement with Project Freelancer. It had been one of the reasons that secrecy had been of the utmost importance to her.

“Don’t think about that right now,” Luna said as she stood with Celestia on her back. She adjusted her balance a bit before spreading her wings and heading towards where she saw the Blue Thunder heading. “First you need to heal.”

Despite her words, Celestia muttered, “You didn’t see the morning papers, did you?” She was right. Luna had been too busy ensuring their forces would be ready for the attack on the Mother of Invention to bother reading the morning’s newspaper.

“The Staff of Charon flew right by Canterlot…” Celestia continued. “It… it’s on the front page of every newspaper in Equestria. The entire country finally knows about the existence of the humans. They… they’re connecting the dots. Asking questions. They know we know something about all of this.” Celestia sighed as Luna scanned the skies for any sign of the mountain the Blue Thunder disappeared around. “So many ponies died in my war with the Director. They deserve to know. I’m going to tell them… I’m going to reveal everything.”

Luna remembered what Celestia had said would likely happen if she revealed the role she played in Project Freelancer’s actions in Equestria.

“There will be many who will clamor for my removal,” Celestia went on. “And if Church succeeded in reaching the UNSC… I’ll have the Oversight Sub-Committee to answer to as well.”

Luna spotted the mountain that the Blue Thunder retreated to and flapped her wings harder as she raced toward it.

“Maybe it is time for me to step down as princess,” Celestia said with a sense of calm finality. “I’ve had a good run. We can start to accelerate my plans for Twilight... I am confident you will do fine on your own until she is ready. And I can always be there to give counsel.” Celestia closed her eyes and rested her head on Luna’s shoulder. “If stepping down will salvage a relationship with the UNSC and keep order and harmony within our nation… I’m ready.”

Luna merely rolled her eyes. “And here I thought I was the melodramatic one,” she scoffed. “Tia, you forget that what you are considering is only a worst case scenario. What happened to the sunny optimism you are known for?”

Celestia opened her eyes and looked at Luna plainly for the first time in ages. There was no mask of serenity. No calm, stoic facade. There was only plain fear. “But… how can you be sure ponies won’t blame me for all that has happened? Especially when they learn that none of this would have come to pass if I hadn’t been so desperate to save you?”

“Sometimes, sister, I think you give our little ponies too little credit,” Luna said, keeping her concentration on the sky ahead of her. “Or have you forgotten all of the ways I too have wronged them? If our ponies can forgive me for all I have done as Nightmare Moon, then surely they will forgive you as well.”

Luna had a hunch she knew what this was really about. “I know more than anypony how hard it can be to forgive yourself. But you mustn’t let that guilt shape the course of the rest of your life. ‘Tis better to simply let it go and try to move on.”

Luna was well aware of the incredible hypocrisy of her own words, but in that instant it didn’t matter if they were true. What mattered was that a true smile finally adorned Celestia’s burned face.

“Since when did my baby sister get to be so wise?” she asked with a content sigh.

“Since always!”

Already feeling a little winded, Twilight skidded to a stop before the overturned Pelican at the foot of the cliff she and her friends had stood on moments ago. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity were all right behind her. Spike watched from the cliff top with the huragok floating nervously beside him. Twilight had insisted that the situation was much too dangerous for a baby dragon and for the first time, Spike agreed.

Twilight hadn’t wanted to teleport them all too close to their enemy—it was far too risky. Nevertheless, seeing the hulking monster insert the A.I. chip into the back of its helmet with one hand and holding Church’s limp body in the other made Twilight regret that decision. The Meta looked almost unrecognizable as whatever it had been before.

Its white armor was charred black, blood staining it in various places. Its visor was cracked, and its movements seemed slow, but one look at the blue and green arcane power radiating from its right and left hands was all Twilight needed to see to know it was dangerous. Then she heard the hum of its armor powering up and saw the shimmering overshields appear around its body, and Twilight knew that its armor abilities were back at full strength. She swallowed, forcing the fear back down as the walking nightmare that was the Meta turned to face them, throwing Church’s body to their feet with a threatening growl as distant volcanoes rumbled ominously. This wasn’t going to be easy.

“So, uhm… any bright ideas, Twi?” Applejack asked nervously as the monstrous Meta took a step toward them.

Each of Twilight’s friends looked at her expectantly, putting on their bravest faces. “I might have a few ideas…” she said as she extended her magic to reach into her pocket dimension. Yes! They’re still here.

In five consecutive flashes of light, a piece of golden regalia appeared around the neck of each of Twilight’s friends. Finally, a golden tiara topped by a six pointed star appeared on Twilight’s head, and the six friends stared down the monster with determined expressions. Twilight caught a glimpse of two tiny holographic ponies on each of the Meta’s shoulders, and a familiar third figure in cobalt armor flickered in place as he desperately tried to get away.

Before they could use the Elements of Harmony, Twilight suddenly remembered the last time they used them. Images of the Meta’s A.I.s—of Church’s fragments—flickering and going out in the wake of the Elements’ purge played in Twilight’s mind.

“We have to get Church away from the Meta first!” Twilight said. “We can’t risk using the Elements with him still inside.”

“And how the hay are we supposed to do that!?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as the Meta reached out and levitated a group of large boulders in the blue and green glow of its M.I.s magic.

“Improvise!” Twilight shouted as the Meta launched its first attack.

The six ponies scattered in the wake of the onslaught of boulders. Rainbow Dash wasted no time in taking to the air, but the Meta merely extended a hand and suddenly she was enveloped in a magical glow and slammed hard into the ground. Applejack ran forward and attempted a good hard buck before the Meta could slam Rainbow into the ground again, but the attack barely made the monster flinch through its powerful overshields. An almost half hearted kick sent Applejack sprawling back.

The Meta then whirled around to face Pinkie Pie and Rarity, who’d been preparing a sneak attack behind it with the party cannon and some magic. The M.I.s in the Meta’s possession summoned magical fireballs, and the Meta hurled them at the two ponies with lightning speed. Rarity only barely managed to bring up a magical shield in time to protect herself and Pinkie Pie. The glowing blue dome started to crack very quickly under the Meta’s onslaught, and Twilight had to act fast, launching a quick but unfocused burst of magical energy at the Meta.

The monster was unfazed through its overshields, but its attention was drawn away from Pinkie Pie and Rarity’s weakening shield. Twilight tried to access the vast database of spellcasting knowledge in the depths of her mind, but found herself slow and foggy. Whatever Sunset Shimmer had done to her during their fight must have seriously impaired her M.I. abilities.

Whatever the reason, Twilight forced herself to charge a proper magical attack, throwing up a magical shield around herself to buy some time. The Meta merely decided to take another approach, stomping the ground with a magically aided foot and a furious snarl. The ground shook beneath Twilight’s hooves as cracks started to form. The ground opened up to swallow her, a river of magma waiting for her at the bottom of a small widening ravine, and Twilight had to stop her spellcasting to dive onto solid ground. Unfortunately, the ground wasn’t solid enough, and the piece she stood on collapsed.

Twilight’s stomach lurched and her heart jumped in her chest as she fell, but in an instant she felt somepony’s hooves grab her and stop her descent. She looked over her shoulder to see Fluttershy straining every muscle in her little body to carry her to safety. The Meta snarled and summoned more magical fireballs, but Twilight raised a shield to protect herself and Fluttershy before the attacks could close in. Behind them, the overturned Pelican creaked and groaned before it fell into the widening chasm below.

As Fluttershy began to bring Twilight in for a landing by Pinkie and Rarity, the Meta punched the ground with two glowing fists, and the ground rose to meet them. Columns of rock shot out of the ground, sending Twilight and Fluttershy spiraling out as well as knocking Pinkie Pie and Rarity off their hooves.

Before the Meta could follow up with another attack, it was beset by a combined assault from Rainbow Dash and Applejack, allowing Twilight and the others a moment to climb to their feet. It was all they had time to do before Applejack and Rainbow were simultaneously tossed aside. With a wave of its hand, the Meta cast another spell through its M.I.s, and a large ball of fire appeared over Rainbow and Applejack’s inert forms. Twilight quickly reached out with her magic and teleported the pair to her side before the large fireball came down.

With the six of them once again standing together, Twilight cast a shield around all of them before the Meta turned and started launching more fireballs. She winced as she felt the Meta’s attacks begin to chip away at her shield, and the deja vu that came with it. Twilight looked around at her friends. Each one of them looked bruised, battered, and exhausted. Either from the fight with the Meta or one of the other fights they got into on the Mother of Invention.

“I don’t know… how much longer… we can keep this up…” Rarity panted.

“Yeah, nothing we’re doing is getting through to it!” Pinkie exclaimed, pointing at the Meta. “That cruiser can repel friendship of this magnitude!”

Twilight winced again as another attack struck her shield, starting to form cracks on its surface.

“Um, Twilight?” Fluttershy started, and when Twilight looked at her, Fluttershy looked back with big sad eyes. “I really… really dislike to say this, but… I don’t know if we’re going to be able to save Church.”

“What?” Twilight sputtered. “No. Fluttershy, I know it looks bad, but we can do this!”

“How?!” Applejack exclaimed, rounding on Twilight next. “We’re struggling jus’ to survive against that thing!”

“No… t-there must be some way… some angle we’re not seeing….”

Another much larger attack rocked Twilight’s domed shield, making it flicker unsteadily. Twilight wiped her nose with a hoof as something started oozing out of it, and her heart beat faster when she pulled it away and saw it stained red.

“Twi, if we don’t use the Elements to stop this thing right now, we’re literally gonna die!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

Looking at the sorry state of each of the other five ponies, Twilight had no choice but to agree. The task of retrieving Church was impossible. With both a Smart A.I. and two M.I. fragments, the Meta was all but invincible, save against their one final weapon. She’d known the truth of the situation from the beginning, but had denied it to herself in the vain hope that she could save him.

Each one of her friends looked to her with fearful, urgent eyes. She knew she had to do it. If not for her, then for her friends.

“But…” Twilight whimpered, tears filling her eyes. “Church is my friend too!”

Then Twilight glanced up to the top of the cliff where Spike was watching. The little dragon was frozen with fear, yet unable to look away from the battle below. It was then that Twilight knew what had to be done, no matter how much it hurt. So with another whimper, Twilight closed her eyes and cleared her mind as she tapped into the Element of Magic’s power, and in a moment she felt the strain on her shield vanish as her Element filled it with fresh magical power. As she and her friends were lifted into the air, the Meta powerless to stop them, Twilight desperately searched for any sign of her friend within the monster.

“I’m sorry, Church…” Twilight muttered, tears falling from her eyes even as they were glazed over by glowing white power. “Please forgive me….”

As magical power continued to build within the Elements of Harmony, Twilight’s ears twitched as she thought she heard something at the edge of her hearing.

“What’s that sound?” Rainbow Dash asked, the disruption of focus causing the Elements to begin powering back down.

“Is that… music?” Rarity asked.

Twilight’s hooves touched the ground again along with her friends, and then she was able to hear it much more clearly. An aggressive beat filled the air in the distance, slowly growing over the distant rumble of earth.

Talkin’ that shit. Talkin’ that shit.
Each and every day I be talkin’ that shit.
Talkin’ thAT SHIT.
TALKIN’ THAT SHIT.

She turned and looked to the sky, and sure enough, a Pelican dropship was flying low straight towards them. Somehow, against all laws of physics, a set of hydraulics was making it bounce up and down in the air in time with the beat of the rap song blaring from its speakers.

“Wow… it’s so majestic…” Pinkie Pie sighed serenely as the ship flew directly over their heads.

Just as the Pelican passed over an equally stupefied Meta, its nose tilted up and it stalled in the air. Its engines shut down, and the dropship made true to its name and dropped like a brick. The Meta only had time to give a panicked snarl before it was crushed under several tons of space faring metal. The crash broke whatever system was playing the rap music, and just like that, the volcanic wasteland was silent again.

“Huh. Well, that… sure happened,” Applejack said.

“Who could have been flying that thing?” Fluttershy asked.

“Oh, I think I have a hunch….”

At that moment, the Pelican’s rear bay began to open, and in a few short seconds, five men in red and blue powered armor piled out.

“Dammit, Grif!” Sarge exclaimed. “Only you would crash a ship I literally just repaired!”

“Oh, you fixed it?” Grif deadpanned. “I guess that would explain why it stalled in the air for absolutely no reason!”

“A good craftsman never blames his tools, Grif.”

“I’m not blaming the tools! I’m blaming the craftsman!”

“Hello!” Caboose waved at the six dumbfounded ponies.

“Whuh…? What are you all doing here?” Rarity asked.

“Rescuing you girls, of course!” Donut exclaimed, before immediately backtracking. “Uh… not implying because you’re girls that you’re helpless and need a strong man to save you or anything. Pfft! What am I, the patriarchy?”

“But… I thought you all wanted to go home?” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah. What happened to ‘not risking your lives for a bunch of ponies you’ve got no stake in’?” Rainbow Dash asked sardonically.

“Okay, I think you’re paraphrasing us just a little there,” Tucker said.

“Don’ get me wrong. We’d still rather be goin’ home,” Sarge declared, pulling out his shotgun. “But I figured we could make time to help out some friends.”

Twilight smiled. “Thanks, guys!”

“Besides, it looks like the danger’s already passed!” Tucker exclaimed.

On cue, the Pelican that the Reds and Blues had arrived in groaned as it started to shift. Slowly, the dropship began to lift off the ground as the Meta forced itself to its feet, holding the ship over its head. With a feral roar, the burned Meta pushed the Pelican over and turned to face the group.

“You just had to open your fucking mouth…” Grif said.

“Jeez, what does it take to stop that thing?!” Rainbow exclaimed.

One thing about the Meta stood out to Twilight at that moment. “Its shields are gone….”

Sure enough, the Meta was no longer covered in a glowing, shimmering layer of overshields. Whatever device had been powering them sparked and sputtered. She guessed that the armor enhancement generating the Meta’s shields had been damaged when the ship landed on top of it. As far as Twilight could tell though, the Meta still had Church.

“It still has Church, but it’s weaker now!” Twilight exclaimed, a bit of hope finally returning. “Now that we’re all together, we can save him.”

Putting one hoof forward, Twilight stood together with the five other ponies and five armored humans, the eleven brightly colored individuals forming a rainbow of their own as they formed up before the Meta.

“ATTAAAAAAACK!” Caboose cried.

“Hey, that’s my line!” Sarge shouted.

With a unified shout, six ponies and five humans all charged straight at the towering burnt monstrosity. With an alarmed growl, the Meta actually took a step back before activating its cloaking device and disappearing in place. The ponies and humans immediately skidded to a stop and instinctively formed a tight circle, the Reds and Blues aiming their weapons in every direction.

“There!” Rarity cried, pointing to a distorted shimmer in the air that her keen eye for detail immediately picked up. Donut, who was beside her, quickly followed up with a shot from his BR, hitting the Meta square in the shoulder, turning it visible again.

The charred monster immediately threw a magical barrier around itself before the rest of the group could launch a full counterattack. As the others tried to think of a way through the barrier, Grif and Fluttershy exchanged a look.

“I think it’s time for you to let out your monster, Fluttershy,” Grif said.

With an understanding nod, Fluttershy took wing and flew right up to the Meta’s barrier. She closed her eyes and took a breath before opening them with the full power of the Stare. She saw her own eyes Stare back at her in the distorted reflection of the Meta’s broken visor, but this time she didn’t let it get to her. Fluttershy continued her Stare unrelenting, and in a few moments, the Meta’s shield grew unstable.

A hail of gunfire flew past Fluttershy and rained down on the weakening magic barrier, shattering it. The rest of the group all charged forward, but this time the Meta rushed to meet them. It avoided a blast from Sarge’s shotgun before knocking the man’s trademark weapon away. The monster pulled a fist back to follow up with a powerful punch, but it was stopped by a rope lassoing around it.

Applejack stood firm as she held the end of the rope around the Meta’s right arm in her mouth. Before the Meta could respond, Sarge lunged forward to throw a punch of his own. The Meta caught the attack in the palm of its unrestrained hand, but Rainbow Dash swooped in from above, flying straight into the monster with both forelegs extended. The strike knocked the Meta off balance, and before it could retaliate, Rainbow took off again. Sarge hit it with a one-two punch as his two subordinates moved around to get a clear shot with their rifles.

Seeing this, the Meta grabbed Sarge and held him between Grif and Donut, taking advantage of the momentary lull in their attack to try and yank Applejack off her hooves with the rope still lassoed around its arm. Applejack was ready for it though, and used the momentum of the Meta’s sharp pull to leap through the air, delivering a flying kick with all four hooves to the Meta’s side.

As it staggered from the blow, its grip on Sarge loosened, and the man in red delivered a sharp elbow to the Meta’s chin, freeing himself from its grip. The Meta instead called upon the magic of its M.I.s, extending an arm and sending Sarge flying back with a blast of energy. That was when Rainbow Dash and Tucker made their move. The blue pegasus swooped down, holding Tucker by the pits of his arms. The man leapt down towards the Meta, energy sword in hand, and brought it down right towards the burned creature’s extended arm.

The Meta roared in pain and frustration as Tucker’s sword removed its arm in one clean swing. It nailed Tucker with a furious strike with its remaining arm, knocking the man to the ground, then immediately began looking for where the next strike would come. Twilight couldn’t imagine it had expected to be beset by a dress. Rarity summoned several works in progress from her pocket dimension and flung them over their enemy’s head. The Meta snarled as it struggled to untangle itself from the various articles of clothing.

“Hah! Looking fabulous, dear!” Rarity taunted.

“Nice!” Donut exclaimed, holding out a fist, which the fashionista bumped.

As the Meta ripped away the half finished dresses, and the others readied another attack, Pinkie Pie looked at Caboose with uncertainty.

“What should we do?!” she asked.

“Simple,” Caboose said. “We bring out O’Malley.”

Pinkie Pie gave a confused tilt of her head. “O’Malley? But how? He’s gone!”

Caboose shook his head. “No. We just need to get angry, and say random threatening things!”

“I don’t know if I can do that.”

“It’s easy,” Caboose said. “You just need to think about things that make you mad!” He then balled his hands into fists and concentrated. “Spiky kittens… raisin cookies mixed in with chocolate chip… BABIES IN MOVIE THEATRES! WHY WOULD YOU EVEN TAKE A BABY TO A MOVIE!? IT ISN’T CAPABLE OF FOLLOWING A STORYLINE! RrrraaaaAAAAAAAAAUGH!”

Caboose charged forward and knocked the Meta back with his body alone. “My name is Michael J. Caboose. And I. Hate. States!”

Caboose unleashed one furious punch after another, pushing the Meta back towards the chasm it had opened up with its powers earlier. The Meta finally forced Caboose back with a magical blast, only to find itself confronted by a pink pony with a straight-as-a-ruler mane and tail.

“And my name is Pinkamena Diane Pie,” she said, swiveling her party cannon to face the burned figure. “And I! Hate! Meanies!” Pinkie exclaimed, punctuating each word with a blast from her party cannon.

The Meta stumbled back as it was hit by blow after blow from Pinkie’s party cannon until it finally spun and collapsed right on the edge of the lava-filled chasm. As the others all regrouped around Pinkie and Caboose, Twilight wasted no time in jumping onto the Meta’s back and reaching for it’s helmet with her magic. In a few moments she found the A.I. slot and with a sharp yank, pulled out Church’s chip. She gripped the M.I. chips in her magic next, pulling them from the back of the man’s neck swiftly.

With a furious growl, the Meta threw Twilight from its back and slowly pulled itself to its feet. Church’s A.I. chip in her magical grasp, Twilight took a few steps back until she was safely in the company of her friends—pony and human alike. The two sides stared each other down for several seconds. Fresh blood seeped through the Meta’s armor as it stood at the edge of the chasm, hunched over as it panted with exhaustion. The Reds, Blues and ponies stood and waited for the Meta to make a move, but no move came.

Instead, the Meta looked down at its one remaining hand. It was covered in blood, both dried and fresh. It looked up at the gathered ponies and humans one last time, and in that moment Twilight realized the Meta was gone and in its place stood Agent Maine. But the Freelancer moved one leg over the edge of the chasm and before Twilight or any of the others could react, Agent Maine was gone too.

Gasping, Twilight raced to the edge and looked down. Maine was waist deep in the lava below, and was sinking without a sound. In a few more moments, Maine’s helmet disappeared beneath the boiling magma, and just like that, the entity that had haunted them for the past few weeks was gone.

“W-why did he do that?” Fluttershy asked, her voice trembling.

“Yeah, that was a pretty bold strategy, but I’m not entirely sure it paid off for him,” Grif said.

“Maybe he started to see clearly again…” Applejack said shakily, respectfully removing her hat.

Sighing, Twilight turned away from the chasm and looked down at the A.I. chip in her magic, letting the other two fall to the ground. “Church? Are you there? Can you hear me?”

A few nerve-wracking moments passed, but a cobalt blue holographic figure appeared in front of Twilight, and the unicorn M.I. sighed with relief.

“Man… I don’t want to spend one more moment inside another Freelancer’s head as long as I live,” he groaned, and Twilight smiled.

Tucker cleared his throat loudly. “You’re welcome, asshole.”

“Right. Thanks guys,” Church said. “Guess you’re not such a bad group after all.”

Twilight looked around at all of her friends, and the ponies and humans looked back. They were all okay. She looked up at the cliff, and saw not only Spike and the huragok looking down at them, but an Equestrian airship coming down for a landing. A dusk blue alicorn swooped in beside it, carrying a wounded but breathing white alicorn on her back.

“It’s over,” she said with a relieved sigh. “It’s finally over.”

But when she looked down, Church’s attention was elsewhere.

“You’re right, Twilight. But I think there’s still more that we can do.”

Twilight followed his gaze and saw the distant wreckage that was the Mother of Invention.

“I know he’s already beaten,” Church continued. “But… it might be good to get some closure.”

Nodding, Twilight turned to the others. “You guys go back to the airship.”

“You sure you don’t want us to come with you, dear?” Rarity asked.

Twilight nodded again. “This is something Church and I need to do ourselves.”

With understanding looks, Twilight and Church’s friends all turned to leave. “We’ll be waitin’, sugarcube,” Applejack said, putting her hat back on.

“Yeah, just don’t take too long,” Tucker said.

As the ten of them left, Twilight levitated Church’s A.I. chip over to the blue armored synthetic body on the ground, and in a few moments, Church climbed to his feet with a groan.

“Alright,” he said. “Let’s go find the Director….”

---

Slowly, her eyes fluttered open and her head throbbed. She didn’t know where she was, just that it was dark and damp. Drips of water echoed around her. A cave then. She groaned as she tried to sit up, but the action only made her head pound harder. Feeling her head with a hoof, she found that it was wrapped in damp bandages.

“Whoa now, take it easy, Shimmer,” a harsh, scratchy voice said.

Rolling over on the ground, Sunset Shimmer saw a single female griffon crouched by a fire pit below a hole in the ceiling, a couple of bags of supplies around her. Her heart sank into her stomach when she saw that it was the acting commander of Whitewater’s Equestria branch. Gilda Graywing quietly ate out of a can of military brand non-perishables. As her eyes began to adjust to the dark, Sunset Shimmer took a look around the cave. Rows of shelves lined the walls, each stacked with wooden crates filled with equipment and supplies. A row of weapons sat against the wall near what she surmised was the entrance, and another door sat open to a room full of sleeping cots.

Sunset Shimmer shifted into a more comfortable position. “Where…?”

“The Badlands. About twenty miles north of the Mother of Invention’s crash site. This cave is one of a few emergency fallback positions Whitewater has in this area,” Gilda answered. “We’ll be safe here. For now.”

“Here.” Cracking open another can of rations with her sharp talons, Gilda tossed it towards her. Sunset tried to catch it in her magic, but only got a headache as the can clattered to the ground in front of her. As she dug into the contents of the can, Sunset tried to remember how she got here, but her mind was drawing a blank. It was like the events of the past few days were an incomprehensible blur.

“So, what happened?” Sunset asked.

“The explosives in the engine room went off as planned. Found you in the wreckage, patched you up and brought you here,” Gilda said before taking a bite of her own food. “I was meaning to ask you about that, actually. I figured you would’ve been long gone by the time the ship went down.”

“Oh, right. I was… held up….”

That was when she remembered her battle with Ancora. Her defeat. And then what happened after. She and her creation shared minds, and in that moment Sunset’s whole world was turned upside-down. In that moment, she had the chance to look at her actions from an outsider’s perspective. When it was over, Sunset could suddenly see the big picture much more clearly. Ever since parting ways with Celestia, it was like she was looking at the world through a haze of red. Now that the haze was lifted, Sunset felt sick thinking about everything she’d done.

Looking at Lieutenant Graywing, Sunset’s mind was suddenly filled with images of another griffon. The scene of Whitewater’s former commander bleeding out before falling over a cliff played out in front of her again and again, tormenting her. Making her feel like vomiting.

“Lieutenant, I…” she started, chucking up words instead of sick. “There’s something you need to know. About your father.”

Gilda stopped eating and leveled a steady glare at Sunset as she continued.

“It wasn’t Rainbow Dash or her comrades that killed Godfrey,” Sunset swallowed. “It was me. Well… sort of. Donovan actually pulled the trigger. Ultimately he decided it was the best course of action, but at the time… I agreed. Your father’s blood is on my hooves as much as his, er… hands.”

It was a bittersweet sensation to get the truth out like that. Sunset still felt horribly sick, but at the same time… she felt like she could breathe a little easier. Still, the horrible feeling in her gut was out in full force as she waited for Gilda’s response. Her ears wilted as she expected to be on the receiving end of a griffon’s righteous fury. Waited to feel the sensation of her claws tearing her limb from limb. At least this way, she wouldn’t have to live with the crippling guilt.

Instead, Gilda’s answer was a calm, “I know.”

When the griffon merely went back to her meal, it became apparent that Sunset’s retribution wasn’t coming. Not today, at least. Her head spun as she tried to process this. She knew that if she thought someone had wronged her like that, she wouldn’t hesitate to inflict swift vengeance. After all, it was why she was in this mess in the first place.

“Wha… but… t-then why save me?” Sunset asked trembling. “You could have just let me die. You should have just let me die!”

“Oh, believe me, I wanted to,” Gilda said with a grin that quickly turned sad and wistful. “But as a dear friend recently told me, you can’t always get what you want. Sometimes it’s better to just… let things go.”

The pair of them ate the rest of their meal in silence, and Sunset’s guilt stricken mind raced. Let things go. It appeared to be the wise thing to do. It certainly seemed like it would be easier to simply let go of the horrible guilt churning her stomach. But then she thought of Celestia. And Ancora. And everyone else she had wronged. Thought about how she had spent years blaming all of them for her lot in life, when now the answer was clear as day that she had no one to blame but herself. Would any of them be willing to simply let things go after all she’d done? Could she honestly blame them if they couldn’t?

“How…” Sunset started after a long silence. “How can we ever make things right?”

Gilda shrugged. “Honestly? I don’t know that we can. I guess all we can do is just… do better.”

---

As Twilight and Church approached the smoking wreckage of the Mother of Invention, they found a small handful of soldiers in gray armor milling about just beyond the ship’s hull. Many had their helmets off. All of them were nursing wounds.

“Enemy contact!” one of them cried out as the pair approached.

The soldiers who could still stand turned and raised their weapons at Twilight and Church, but a soft, melodic voice rose before they could fire.

“Stand down, men,” the Counselor said, putting a hand on the rifle of the nearest soldier and gently but firmly pushing it down. The others followed suit. “It’s over. There’s no point in drawing out this conflict any longer.”

The dark skinned man wore a brace around his neck, and his gray and black uniform was covered in blood. Whether it was his own or one of the soldiers’, Twilight couldn’t say. Despite how frail and weak the remaining forces of Project Freelancer looked, Twilight fixed them with a hard glare and remained alert as she asked, “Where is he?”

“The Director is still aboard. In his office,” the Counselor answered without hesitation. “He refuses to evacuate the ship and, much more frustrating, refuses medical attention.”

Twilight knew Church still had the ship’s schematics. Finding the Director’s office wouldn’t be a problem.

“You sure gave him up fast, considering you’re his right hand man,” Church noted.

The Counselor gestured with an arm to the bleak destruction around them. “I have been loyal to the Director for nearly thirty years, and just look at where it’s gotten me. My devotion to the project over the past few years hasn’t been out of loyalty to him, but to ensure that the rest of us wouldn’t fall because of his pathetic ambition. You can see how well that turned out.”

With a scowl, the Counselor turned away and took a seat on a large rock nearby. “So go and kill him, or bring him in or whatever it is you’re here to do. His fate is no longer of any concern to me.”

Without any other words Twilight and Church left the Freelancer personnel behind and entered the derelict Mother of Invention. Church led the way through numerous winding corridors dimly lit by the red emergency lighting system.

FILSS’ voice spoke over the P.A. system, sounding broken and disjointed. “Error. System malfunction. Error. System malfunction….”

Occasionally they’d have to clamber over piles of rubble, or find an alternative route around a collapsed hallway, but eventually they found it. The door to the Director’s office lay open, inviting them into its darkness. A voice emitted from the darkness. A woman’s voice, jovial but sad.

“Church, I have to go. Don’t make me hurt you….”

Twilight didn’t know about Church, but she couldn’t make out much inside the office. The outlines of bookshelves lined the walls, but the crunch of paper at her hooves indicated that the books themselves had been knocked from the shelves during the crash. Jagged pieces of metal jutted from the ceiling where it had collapsed.

At the center of it all sat the Director, his weathered face illuminated by the light of the datapad in his hands. He wasn’t wearing his glasses, and his face was cut at the forehead. He hovered over the device like a man huddled over a fire, trying desperately to keep the withering embers alive.

The Director didn’t look up from his datapad as he addressed them. “Alpha. Ancora. How good of you both to come and see me before the end,” he said weakly.

A closer look at the man confirmed what Twilight suspected. One of the pieces of rubble from the ceiling was sticking out of his stomach, a steady flow of blood coming from the wound.

“This isn’t a social call, Director,” Twilight said, keeping her voice steady. “We’re here to take you back to Canterlot, where you’ll be held until the UNSC arrives. Then you’ll answer to them for your crimes.”

The Director looked up at her and gave them a sad smile. “Look at me, Ancora. I’m not going anywhere like this. No. I’ll answer for my crimes in the life after this one.”

“Why don’t you instead start by answering to us?” Church asked. “Was all of this really just for the sake of one woman?!”

Twilight understood to an extent why the Director did all he did to Church, but there was one very big thing she did not. “And how do I fit into all this? Why create me? Was I just another part of your plan to bring her back?”

“She deserves to know,” Church stated. “We both deserve to know everything!”

“Yes,” the Director answered. “You were the next step in bringing Allison back, Ancora. Agent Texas is truly remarkable. Her mere existence, a miracle. But she’s still just a shadow. She could never hold a candle to Allison, not with her… faulty programming. Even a full A.I. based on her would be imperfect, with the inevitability of Rampancy always looming. You, Ancora, were to be the cure to that unfortunate condition. You would have finally made her perfect.”

Twilight’s hooves trembled as the dull ache in her throat sent a fresh rage burning through her. “So that’s it?! You created me—you gave me life—just so you could use me to find a way to fix her?! Why? Why is this so important?”

“Because memory is the key,” the Director answered, looking at her with pale green eyes. “It is our memories that define us in life. But in death, we are defined only by others’ memories of us. I thought if I could bring her back, she… she wouldn’t be remembered as a failure.”

Dr. Church looked back down at the datapad in his hands, and the video file playing on repeat. “Now, though? I realize I’ve been lying to myself. I suppose… what I really wanted in the end was closure. To hear her say that one word.” The Director’s hands shook as his already frail voice trembled. “Because no matter how many times I watch this… she still doesn’t say it….”

Twilight glanced down at the image on the datapad’s screen, and glimpsed a beautiful woman with blonde hair dressed in drab green.

“Just don’t say goodbye…” Allison said, smiling sadly. “I hate goodbyes….”

While a lump formed in Twilight’s throat, Church stepped forward, glaring at his maker through his helmet. “So what?! You think you’re the only one in the galaxy who’s lost someone? What about all the others, huh?! The Freelancers. York. North and South Dakota. CT. Maine.”

“Derpy Hooves,” Twilight added. “And Arcane Star. All of the ponies in the Guard. And in Dodge.”

“And Simmons!” Church exclaimed, and Twilight’s heart stopped for a moment. “What makes her life so much more important than all of theirs?!”

The Director was silent for several moments before replying, “I thought you of all people would understand, Alpha. I had to try….”

Church shook his head. “No. All you had to do was let her go and move on.”

Suddenly feeling incredibly overwhelmed, Twilight bit her lip and fought back tears as she tapped Church with a hoof. “Come on, Church. Let’s go. There’s nothing more for us to do here.”

Nodding, Church turned and followed Twilight to the exit to the Director’s office.

“Alpha, wait a moment,” the Director called back. A bit of blood was oozing from his mouth, and his eyes looked more faded and distant. “May I… ask one final favor from you?”

Church turned and went back to him while Twilight waited outside. She heard hushed murmurs coming from within, but paid no attention to the words themselves. In a few minutes, Church returned and urged her forward. Twilight looked back into the office one last time. The Director sat in his chair where they’d found him. He was completely still.

“Um, Church?” Twilight asked once they were outside again. Her heart beat nervously as she considered the implications of something Church had said earlier. She had suspected the worst when the Reds and Blues had showed up down a member, but she had to know for sure. “About Simmons….”

---

Even now, over a thousand years after Unification, each of the three pony tribes still held onto their respective funeral traditions. Earth ponies were buried in the ground so that they might become one with the earth they toiled. Pegasi were burned in great funeral pyres, their ashes scattered to the winds, returning them to the sky. And unicorns were locked away in eloquent tombs along with what worldly possessions of theirs they did not choose to pass down to others, preserved by spells for all time.

But the Royal Guard and subsequent branches of the military did not adhere to any of the three tribes’ traditions. Having been formed after Unification, and consisting of all three pony races, the Guard and its branches honored its dead with simple memorial pieces, allowing the loved ones of their fallen members to put them at rest however they saw fit. Twilight had always found that fascinating, if a little macabre. Especially considering her brother’s choice of career.

On this appropriately gloomy, overcast Canterlot day (apparently the weather team had been notified of the service that was being held) Princess Luna stood by the memorial piece that had been erected for those that fell in service to Equestria against Project Freelancer. No official public statement had been made yet on the nature of the conflict between Equestria and the extraterrestrial humans, but Luna had made assurances that a press conference would be held as soon as her sister was able.

This particular memorial piece was crudely constructed from what appeared to be a variety of ship parts from one or all of the crashed human warships. It was covered by photos and memorabilia of or belonging to the many pony soldiers who died, and each of their names were scrawled into the surface. As Luna began the standard memorial speech, citing the fallen’s courage and heroism, dozens of ponies in finely polished armor stood at attention. Twilight spotted Sunny Side among their ranks, and wondered whether Tex was with her.

When Luna finished her speech, each of the respectfully attentive soldiers took a step forward and left something for their comrades, sometimes a trinket of some personal import, and sometimes only words. Twilight stood to the side and waited respectfully until all of them were gone. After that, another set of guards escorted a familiar group of Red and Blue armored humans into the courtyard. Evidently, secrecy was still a priority as far as the human sim troopers were concerned, despite the humans being all but public knowledge by now. Each one of them approached the memorial and studied it until they found the one name that wasn’t like the others.

“Here you go, nerd. You can have this back,” Grif said quietly, taking out some sort of card with numbers printed across it and placing it before the memorial piece. “Just, uh… ignore most of the charges on it. They were a, uh, gift. Yeah….”

Sarge stepped forward next and set down a calculator, and Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle sadly when she realized that each of the Reds were leaving belongings they had taken from Simmons at some point.

The Blues were next, Caboose and Church each left a rifle magazine for a lack of anything better. Tucker decided to leave a magazine of a totally different kind.

“For when you try to bone an angel and inevitably strike out,” he said with a nod.

Twilight gave all of them a nod before they too turned to leave, and then it was just her alone in the courtyard. Taking a deep breath, Twilight approached the memorial piece and sat down in front of it. Photos of mares and stallions both in and out of armor looked back at her. A few smiled politely for the camera, but most grinned mischievously as they engaged in a variety of on base hijinks. Twilight scanned the list of names until she found the one she was looking for. Even in death, Richard Simmons was an odd outcast that stood out like a sore thumb. It occurred to Twilight then that she didn’t know whether the human military shared any funeral customs with that of ponies, but decided she would honor him the way the Guard did all the same.

Sniffling, Twilight reached out with her magic into her pocket dimension and pulled out a single object. Eyes watering, she looked down at the hastily constructed radio headset in her magical aura. It was funny how such an awkward looking thing had made her more open to communicating with the goofballs and outcasts of Blood Gulch she’d come to appreciate so much.

“Thank you,” Twilight sniffed, returning the headgear to its original maker. “For everything.”

Wiping her eyes, Twilight looked back to the list of names and found her gaze landing on another. Her fragile gaze hardened as the single word looked back at her. Washington. Church had told her all about what he had done—the good and the bad. In truth, she still wasn’t sure how to feel about him.

“Do not hate Agent Washington, Twilight.”

Twilight looked over her shoulder to find Princess Luna standing there. She wasn’t sure how long the night princess had been there, but evidently she had deduced what Twilight was thinking.

“I don’t,” Twilight admitted. “I understand why he did what he did. I just… wish he hadn’t, y’know?”

“In the end, I think, so did he,” Luna said. “Elsewise, I don’t think he’d have given his life to keep young Pinkie Pie and Applejack safe.”

“Yeah. I know….” Twilight had wanted to trust him so badly. It felt weird to think she had been both right and wrong about him at once.

“However, despite where we stand, I did not come to you to discuss the dead,” Luna continued. “Neigh, I am here to inform you that Celestia is awake, and that she has asked for you.”

Swallowing, Twilight followed Luna as she led her into the castle. She knew the coming conversation needed to happen, but dreaded it all the same. Celestia was another person she had desperately wanted to trust. Now, Twilight knew what she had to do, but she wasn’t sure that she could. Nevertheless, she went with Luna towards the heart of Canterlot Castle.

After following Luna through winding castle corridors and layer upon layer of magical security, the pair of them finally arrived at the Royal Infirmary. Luna waited back while Twilight quietly and unsurely walked across the sterile white room to the large bed in the center. Celestia smiled at her from her position on the bed. Her perfect white coat was gone in many places, covered with gauze and bandages, and her mane was limp and lifeless, but Celestia’s smile remained as warm and full of life as it had always been.

Still, it was hard for Twilight seeing her beloved mentor so frail. As if she needed more reason to see her in a different light than ever before.

“My faithful student,” Celestia greeted with a hoarse voice. “It is such a relief to see you alright.”

The princess reached out with a foreleg, inviting Twilight into a hug. Twilight didn’t move.

“That’s not surprising,” Twilight said, unable to keep the bitter edge from her voice. “After all, I’m sure you knew exactly what they were doing to me.”

When Celestia winced as if she’d just been struck, Twilight bit her lip. “Sorry. That sounded bad. I’m just… tired, I guess.” She hadn’t exactly had a good night’s sleep since… she didn’t actually know when. “So… how are you feeling?”

“All things considered, I’m feeling… okay,” Celestia answered. “I guess I have my fast alicorn healing to thank. The doctors say I’ll be able to return to my duties tomorrow. Then I’ll hold a press conference and Equestria will finally know the truth about the humans and my… involvement with Project Freelancer. For better or for worse,” Celestia sighed. “I’m tired of secrets.”

Twilight nodded. “You and me both.”

There was an awkward pause as Celestia looked down at her hooves. “Twilight, I… need to apologize. I went about all of this completely the wrong way. I should have told you everything sooner. I almost did, actually. In the Dreamscape.”

Twilight tilted her head. “Why didn’t you?”

Celestia took a trembling breath before she answered, “I was scared. I was afraid of what would happen if you were to find out. Of how you’d take it. I was afraid of losing you.” Celestia gave a bitter snort. “And my fear almost caused exactly that to happen.”

When she finally looked back up at Twilight, there were tears in her eyes. “Twilight… I am so sorry! I-I’ve failed you….”

Needing no other invitation, Twilight did what she should have done earlier. She went forward and wrapped her forelegs around her mentor, holding her tightly. The pair of them sat together on the large hospital bed for a few minutes, silently holding each other. Finally, Twilight’s grip loosened a bit, and she and Celestia separated.

“T-there’s… something I’ve been meaning to… t-to talk to you about,” Twilight said, suddenly unable to control her trembling.

Celestia raised a curious eyebrow, which only hurt Twilight more. She always seems to know what I’m about to say, but not this time. How could she? This would only make what had to happen even harder.

“I-I think…” Twilight fought back tears. Why is this so difficult? “I think that… it’s time for me to move on from studying under you.”

Her heart broke as Celestia muttered, “Twilight…?”

“I’ve thought very carefully about it, Princess. So much has changed. Even if I forgive you for everything… nothing will be the same. Because I’m not Twilight, your faithful unicorn student. I’m Ancora. A walking embodiment of your mistakes.”

This is for her own good as well as mine, Twilight thought. I’m nothing but painful memories for her.

Celestia looked down with watery eyes for a moment before looking back up at her with the same serene expression she’d come to know.

“If that is your decision, I cannot stop you. However, I urge you to spend some time with your friends first before making anything final,” she said with the first genuine smile that day. “After all, the most important lessons you’ve learned were not taught by me….”

---

Three days after Princess Celestia made her press conference about the humans and Project Freelancer, Equestria was a nation rife with tension. The media seemed to be split right down the middle between defending Celestia’s actions surrounding Project Freelancer and tearing her apart. Equestria was divided between ponies who wanted friendship with the so-called ‘humans,’ and those who wanted them off of their planet. Twilight wasn’t even sure how the other nations were taking this news, but she could only imagine a few of them were using the incident to cast doubt on Celestia’s trustworthiness as a leader.

Thinking about it, Twilight couldn’t help but wonder whether Celestia should have waited for another press conference to announce the impending arrival of the UNSC. There had apparently been rioting in Fillydelphia and Vanhoover as a result of the news. Then again, without a way to remain in touch with the Chairman of the Oversight Sub-Committee, there was no way of knowing when UNSC representatives would even arrive. Twilight supposed it was better to rip that particular band-aid off now than to wait a couple of days only to have another human ship arrive without warning. It was either that or Celestia just wanted to come clean on everything.

Indeed, the only detail about the past few weeks Celestia had left out was Twilight’s identity as Ancora. Twilight was thankful for that. She would reveal that information to the world herself when she was ready.

However, even as the state of Equestria grew more and more unstable, Ponyville remained as carefree as ever. The preparations for Pinkie Pie’s “We Beat the Mean Freelancer People” party had finally come to fruition, and tonight the entire town was taking part in the festivities. Despite Celestia’s address, Twilight wasn’t even sure all of the townsponies really knew what they were celebrating. However, she also knew that most of them probably didn’t care and just wanted to enjoy another spectacular Pinkie Pie party. And Pinkie Pie had really pulled out all of the stops for this one.

The entire square around the circular structure of Town Hall was decorated with streamers and balloons. Bakers and confectioners sold all kinds of tasty snacks from booths around the square, and performers dotted the area, doing things from stupid pet tricks to juggling fire and other gravity-defying acrobatics. Fireworks exploded in the night sky, forming all manner of colorful shapes. There was even a stage where Pinkie had managed to get that one really popular DJ with the glasses to play.

Despite all of this, Twilight found that her heart wasn’t really into it. Sure, she found that she never really enjoyed herself at large parties, but something was different this time. Twilight had been looking forward to this party back when they were still trying to stop Project Freelancer. Now though, with so much weighing on her mind, Twilight had this inexplicable feeling that she didn’t really belong.

Hoping to find some of her friends, Twilight waded through the sea of bodies until she eventually found Grif and Fluttershy talking by one of the food stands, food unsurprisingly spilling from Grif’s arm. She was about to go over to them when she caught part of their conversation.

“...that was unreasonably dickish, and I’m sorry,” Grif said.

“It’s okay, Grif,” Fluttershy reassured. “You’d just lost your friend. You were upset.”

“Yeah, but I still took it out on you when I could’ve taken it out on Sarge or Donut…” Grif stopped talking when Fluttershy hugged him, startling him enough to drop the pile of food in his hand.

Deciding she didn’t want to interrupt their moment, Twilight moved on, catching one last comment from each of them as she left. “Aw, I dropped my corndog!”

“What’s a corndog…?”

As Grif and Fluttershy’s voices drifted into the rest of the noise, Twilight spotted Donut and Rarity sitting on a park bench together. They were chatting excitedly as they each flipped through a magazine.

“Ooh! What about him?” Rarity asked, angling her magazine towards Donut so the pink soldier could see.

Donut looked over and rubbed the chin of his helmet before saying, “I dunno… I don’t like the way the colors of his outfit clashes with his coat.”

Rarity’s snout scrunched as she fixed the man with an annoyed look. “Okay, so maybe this particular outfit doesn’t look great on him, but Trenderhoof’s articles are simply brilliant. And that tall, lean but well-toned physique… unf!” Rarity bit her lip and started fanning herself as Donut giggled.

“Hey guys,” Twilight said as she approached. “What are you doing?”

“Oh heEEEey Twilight!” Donut greeted. “We’re just comparing celebrity gossip from our respective worlds.”

“Seeing as Equestria will be making official contact with humanity in the near future, I thought it would be prudent to catch up on, uh… current events,” Rarity explained.

“Ah,” Twilight nodded. “Well, celebrity gossip isn’t really my thing, so I guess I’ll just leave you to it.”

As Twilight turned to wonder off, Rarity’s ears perked up as she leaned forward. “Oh! Donut and some of the girls were going to check out that new indie band playing later. What were they called again, Donut?”

“Trotcadero?”

“Yes, that one,” Rarity said with a nod before looking back at Twilight. “You’re welcome to join us if you like, Twilight dear.”

“Maybe…” Twilight said half-heartedly before moving on.

She passed Sarge on her way to the cider barrels. The Red leader stood before a small crowd of fillies and colts, the Cutie Mark Crusaders sitting at the front as he regaled them with tales of his exploits.

“And so it was just me, my shotgun, and a cavern of danger…” Sarge said. “I wasn’t sure where I was at first, but then I saw Donut and I knew I was in the fiery depths of Hel—lo, Twibite!” his voice suddenly sounding suspiciously innocent, as if he were trying to hide something.

“Sarge, you’re not destroying the innocence of these impressionable young foals, are you?” Twilight asked seriously.

“Pssh. Of course not!” Sarge exclaimed defensively.

Scootaloo looked over her shoulder and up at Twilight innocently. “Twilight, is it really customary for human soldiers to ‘dangle their pears’ over the faces of their beaten enemies?”

“And why pears?” Applebloom asked. “Why not apples?”

Twilight simply glared at Sarge.

“What? I was only half their age when my daddy showed me how to properly teabag a fresh kill!” Sarge said.

“Okay! I think it’s time for all of you foals to head home,” Twilight said urgently.

“Aw, but Twilight. Sarge was going to tell us about the time he beat a chimera into submission and rode it!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

“Well, it’ll have to wait until another day.” Twilight then came up with an idea to get the foals moving. “Wouldn’t want anypony’s parents to ground them because they were out late.”

With that, the foals scattered, grumbling.

“Hmph. Spoilsport,” Sarge grunted as he made his way to one of the snack booths.

Satisfied that she’d (for the most part) averted another crisis, Twilight maneuvered her way past drunken ponies until she made it to where the cider barrels were set up. After giving out fresh mugs of cider to a group of ponies, Applejack looked over at Twilight and smiled.

“Howdy Twi! Cider?” Applejack asked, reaching for an empty mug.

“Sure,” Twilight answered and waited as Applejack filled the mug from the tap before taking it in her magic.

Twilight sipped at the cider for a few minutes while Applejack handed out mugs to more ponies. Her mind was a thousand miles away. Suddenly, Twilight was brought back to the present when a foreleg draped itself across her back and she suddenly found herself supporting the entire weight of another pony.

“H-hi *hic!* Twi!” Rainbow Dash said with a wobbly grin inches from Twilight’s face. Her breath smelled of hard cider as she started snickering. “Pffft… yer hair’s likea curtain!” Rainbow then grabbed Twilight’s bangs and pulled them down over her eyes before parting them. “Presenting… Twilish face!”

Twilight’s face was not amused. “Rainbow, how much have you had to drink?”

“Eeeeeh…” Rainbow lifted a hoof to eye level. “Dis much?”

“That… you just pointed at your eyes. That doesn’t tell me anything.”

“Maybe you oughta sit down a minute, Rainbow,” Applejack suggested, gently taking the heavily intoxicated pegasus by the hoof and leading her to a bench. “I’ll get ya a water.”

As Applejack went to do just that, Rainbow sat and squinted at Twilight. “W-*hic!*-why d’ya look so sad?”

“What?”

“We won!” Rainbow slapped her chest with a hoof. “We beat aaaaaaall the Freelancer people. Y’should be *urp!* happier than yeh are nao….”

“Rainbow’s got one thing right,” Applejack said as she brought the mare her water. “You look a li’l down, sugarcube. Somethin’ on yer mind?”

‘Something’ would be putting it lightly, Twilight thought. “I dunno. So much has happened. So much has changed and I…” Twilight sighed. “I’m not sure who I am anymore.”

Applejack gave her a confused look. “What do ya mean?”

Twilight looked down as her heart sank a little deeper. “Guess I can’t expect you to understand. You’re a pony. I’m not.”

“Now Twilight, don’ you think fer even a moment that jus’ because yer an M.I. construct means yer not a pony,” Applejack said with a concerned frown. “Okay? You still think like a pony and feel like a pony, so it don’ matter one bit whether you were born like a pony too.”

It was good to know that her friends didn’t see her any differently, but Applejack’s reassurances only scratched the surface of the things plaguing Twilight’s mind. But before either mare could continue the conversation, the sound of shouting rose over the din of voices around them.

“Look, it was an accident, dude! Chill!”

“No, you need to apologize for bumpin’ into my marefriend!”

Twilight and Applejack looked to the source of the noise and saw the familiar form of Tucker as he argued with a large, burly stallion. A meek, pretty mare stood just beside him, silently begging the stallion to just drop it. The stallion ignored her though as he and Tucker fronted on one another, both of them wobbling slightly. Rainbow Dash had abandoned her water and now had front row seats to the tense standoff, munching on a tub of popcorn she’d found somewhere.

“I will knock yer lights out, you alien freak!” the stallion shouted.

“Bring it, bitch!” Tucker shot back, shoving the angry stallion. The stallion shoved back, and before anyone knew it, there was only fists and hooves.

Applejack sprang forward in an instant, but was stopped by the timely appearance of Pinkie Pie and Caboose. The pair of them moved in as if to break up the drunken brawl. Instead, each of them pulled out a microphone.

“And there they go, ladies and gentlecolts!” Pinkie announced as both Tucker and the stallion pulled each other to the ground. “The first round has begun and already the combatants are both on the ground! Each of them are fully committed to their offense and neither side is conceding an inch!”

“Y’know, they-they-they’ve both been training for this fight since the off-season, and neither side is conceding an inch!” Caboose added.

Twilight couldn’t help but crack a smile at the sight of Pinkie and Caboose commentating a bar brawl, but by the time Applejack and a few others broke it up (despite Rainbow’s drunken efforts to start it up again), Twilight found her thoughts drifting back to her melancholy. By the time Applejack looked back in her direction, Twilight was gone, her mug of cider sitting half empty on the bench she’d been standing beside.

She knew her friends would be disappointed, but Twilight suddenly didn’t feel like hanging around the party anymore. She knew she didn’t belong, and she couldn’t just go on pretending like nothing’s changed. Maybe if she went to bed early enough, she might actually get some sleep tonight?

Ponyville turned quiet as all the noise of the party faded behind her. The pops of fireworks echoed across the dark empty streets and the music morphed into a single unidentifiable beat in the distance. Crickets came to replace the murmur of voices, and the sound of a fountain provided the new soundtrack.

“Calling it an early night?”

At the sound of the familiar voice, Twilight turned around and saw Church approaching her from down the street.

“Maybe,” Twilight answered, taking a seat on the edge of the fountain. “What are you doing out here?”

“Just needed to step away for a bit,” Church said, sitting beside her. “You probably noticed this about me, but I’m not great around people. And parties like this tend to bring out the really stupid ones. Honestly, between my attitude and some of the opinions about humans right now, I’m surprised I haven’t gotten into a fight yet.”

Twilight allowed herself to smile a little. “Tucker actually did.”

“Really? Fuck, wish I could’ve seen that. Did he bring honor to Blue Team?”

“He fought valiantly,” Twilight said with a barely suppressed grin.

Church laughed. “He and his opponent were just rolling around on the floor, weren’t they?”

“Pretty much!”

The two of them had a good laugh about that. They sat in comfortable silence for a little while after. Somehow, Twilight wasn’t as eager to rush home now that she was with Church.

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Twilight said, breaking the silence. When Church indicated she had his attention, Twilight proceeded to ask, “Before we left the Director in his office, he called you back. What did he want?”

Church hesitated before answering. “He gave me a message to pass along to someone else.”

“Tex?”

“No,” Church shook his head. “But someone else close to him.”

“Oh,” Twilight said, nodding even though she didn’t really understand. Who else could he be referring to?

Twilight decided it ultimately didn’t matter. At least, not to her. Right now, she had her own problems to worry about.

“So, Twi. What’s really buggin’ ya?” Church asked. When Twilight gave him a confused look, Church just chuckled. “Yeah, you’re about as easy to read as… well, a book.”

Twilight was ready to tell Church the same thing she told Applejack, but then it hit her. Suddenly, Twilight’s weary heart was filled with some hope when she realized Church was the only other person who knew exactly what she was going through.

“Church, how did you… cope?” Twilight asked, looking at him with big, desperate eyes. “When you found out you’re the Alpha, how did you come to terms with it?”

Church crossed his arms. “Honesty, I didn’t do a very good job of that at first. You were there, you saw. First I denied it, then I ignored it. Hid from it. Took Tex literally ripping me out of my body and shoving me into a computer for me to finally face it. All things considered, you’re handling this a lot better than I did.”

With a sad smile, Twilight just shook her head. “I resigned as Princess Celestia’s protègè. I couldn’t…” Twilight sighed, trembling. She hadn’t made it official yet, but even so….

Suddenly her eyes started to fill with tears and Twilight couldn’t stop them no matter how hard she tried. “I can’t study under her knowing the things I know. Our whole relationship was based on a lie! All of my relationships are based on a lie! My family…” Twilight looked in the direction of the party and sniffed. “M-my friends….”

Unable to continue, Twilight put her face in her hooves and sobbed. It was after some time that Twilight realized she could feel the comforting presence of a hand on her back. She looked up to see that Church was still there, quietly patting her.

“We’re really two of a kind, aren’t we?” she sniffed, wiping away whatever tears remained. “Our whole existence is just lies and disguises.”

That was why it felt like she no longer belonged. Why she no longer knew who she really was. Because when the veil of all the lies was finally lifted, Twilight Sparkle was destroyed. All that was left now was Ancora, and that person was a complete stranger to Twilight Sparkle’s friends. Ancora whimpered as the horrible realization threatened to bring on more tears.

“Oh that is such bullshit!” Church exclaimed, shocking Ancora from her depressive state. “Yeah, the circumstances of our existence is pretty fucked up, but through all this, I learned a few valuable lessons.

“See, the Director may have fucked up in a lot of ways, but he was right about one thing: Memory is the key. It’s what defines who we are. My memories as Church may be fabricated, but your memories as Twilight Sparkle are real. And that means so are your friendships.” Church put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “All of them. Y’know, you’re a pretty lucky person, Twilight. You’re surrounded by friends that care about you. And aren’t you the one always saying that friendship is magic?”

Tears filled her eyes again, but this time they were accompanied by a joyful smile. “Thanks, Church…” Twilight Sparkle reached over and wrapped her hooves around the man in cobalt blue armor, hugging him tightly. With some trepidation, Church hugged her back, and Twilight couldn’t help but let out a little content sigh as they held each other. “You’re a good friend, you know that?”

Thinking a little about what Church said as he comforted her, Twilight thought it was only fair to return the favor. “You’re not alone either, okay? You have good friends too.”

“Well… I don’t know if I’d call them good, but… yeah,” Church sighed. “They’re alright.”

“Hey, Twilight and Church! Twilight and Church!” Pinkie Pie’s high-pitched voice immediately caused the pair to break away from their hug as the energetic party pony ran toward them. “Dashie just challenged Grif to a cider chugging contest!”

“She did?” Twilight exchanged a look with Church. “But… she’s already smashed.”

Pinkie simply nodded profusely, and Twilight sighed. “Guess I should make sure she doesn’t kill herself.”

Twilight got up and looked back at Church. “You coming?”

Church seemed momentarily distracted by something before replying. “I’ll catch up. There’s something I need to do first.”

Church remained seated at the edge of the fountain as he watched Twilight and Pinkie Pie go. When they disappeared around the corner, it was a simple matter of waiting for the inevitable snarky comment.

“It’s too bad Pinkie Pie interrupted that little moment you guys were having,” Tex said as she appeared in front of him. “You and Twilight are such a cute couple!”

Fortunately, Church already had a response ready. “What’s the matter, Tex? Jealous?”

“Of that level of sap? Please.”

“Oh, bite me.”

The two remained silent for a few seconds as Church leaned back and looked up at the stars.

“So where’s that pony you’re always with?” he finally asked.

“Sunny? She… needed some time with her thoughts.”

Church nodded. He’d certainly had plenty of that over the past few days. Even now, the image of the broken shell of his creator bleeding out in his dimly lit office filled his mind’s eye. In a way, it was what led him to this moment.

“Tex, I… there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about,” Church started. Okay. Took the first step.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I’ve been thinking a lot about the conversation we had before we stormed the Mother of Invention.”

“Oh,” Tex said with a hint of distaste. Church had to agree that it wasn’t one of her stronger moments.

“I’ve also been thinking a lot about… the Director,” Church continued. “The more I think about it, the more I realize that everything that’s happened, happened because he couldn’t let go. The memory of Allison consumed him, and in the end, destroyed him.” Church forced the memory of the Director’s dying look from his mind as he pressed on. “I… don’t want to make that same mistake.”

Tex was silent as she looked at him. Church knew that she knew where he was going with this.

“I’ll never forget you, Tex,” he said. “But… I’m ready to move on.”

It felt like some time before Tex broke the silence. “So… you’re breaking up with me?” she asked with a single joyless laugh. “I mean, we haven’t dated in years, but I guess it’s good to know it’s finally official.” Tex sighed. “So… what now?”

“Do whatever you want,” Church said. “Stay here with Sunny, go back to our world. Or even just… rest.”

Church knew what would happen when an M.I. remained in the open without an enchanting gem or a person’s mind tied to it.

“Rest, huh? I think I’d like that…” Tex said whimsically. “Hey, Church? Thanks. It’s been… one hell of a ride.”

“Yeah.”

Tex lingered a few moments longer before her image started to fade. “Well… so long, Church.”

“Goodbye, Tex.”

---

The drinking contest had actually gone a lot better than Twilight had feared. She and Pinkie had arrived at the table where Grif and Rainbow Dash sat surrounded by a crowd of onlookers before the contest had begun. Rainbow had promptly vomited on the table and Fluttershy volunteered to carry her home. However, Grif had been disappointed the contest had ended before it began, and challenged a much more sober Applejack. The man had done so much trash talking that Applejack eventually accepted, and the pair drank each other to a stalemate.

It was after that when Rarity and Donut wandered over, saying they were going to check out the band about to play on the stage in the park. The others went with them, but Twilight headed back towards the emptier part of town first. There was something she wanted to do.

On her way back to the party, she had passed by a familiar mare who looked much the way she had earlier that night. Sure enough, after spending some time searching, Twilight found Sunny Side sitting alone under a tree near the edge of town.

“Not enjoying the party?” Twilight asked, startling Sunny from whatever world she was lost in.

“No…” Sunny said, before immediately backpedalling. “I mean, it’s a great party. Your friend’s really outdone herself. I’m just… not in the mood, I guess.”

“I know the feeling,” Twilight said, sitting next to her. “Still, if I’m not at one of Pinkie’s parties, I’m usually at home.”

Based on the way Sunny flinched away at that remark, Twilight guessed her intuition was at least partly right. Rarity had mentioned the mare had been on the Mother of Invention during her rescue, and that she had troubles that went beyond Project Freelancer.

“I... don’t want to deal with any of that right now,” she said.

“Sunny, if you’re having problems at home, you can always come to me and my friends,” Twilight said.

At that, Sunny quickly turned to face her and shook her head. “What? No no, it’s nothing like that. My aunt and uncle have been nothing but kind to me ever since… Dodge City happened. But that’s just the problem. I took that kindness and threw it in their faces!”

Twilight looked at her, silently letting Sunny know that she was listening, and with some hesitation, the guardsmare continued, “Things… aren’t looking good for my sister. We’re running out of options, and instead of facing that, I ran off to chase mercenaries. That’s the second time I’ve abandoned my family when they needed me! How am I supposed to face them now?!”

“They’ll understand,” Twilight said, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “Losing a sister must be hard. I can’t even imagine what that must be like.”

Sunny looked over at her with a thousand yard stare. “Don’t sell yourself short. Trust me, Twilight. We both know the extent to which you’ve experienced the pain of loss.”

Twilight wasn’t entirely sure what she meant by that, but she could only guess it had something to do with the experiments that she had been victim to. Sunny merely returned her gaze to her hooves, and suddenly she couldn’t control the flow of words escaping her lips.

“Little Bright Side was such a good… sweet little filly….” The flow of tears were the next thing to escape Sunny, and Twilight reached out and held her as all of the pain she had been running from all this time was finally allowed to catch up. “S-she didn’t deserve w-what happened to her!”

Twilight continued to hold Sunny Side as she finally found the courage to face all of the emotion she’d been keeping bottled up behind a stone soldier’s mask.

“It’s okay,” Twilight whispered. “You’ll make it through this.”

“H-how...?” Sunny whimpered. “My sister… my parents… my friends in Dodge… I-I’ve lost everything!”

“You still have your family right? And you still have me and my friends,” Twilight stated, and Sunny looked up at her, her tear-soaked face showing the first signs of hope. “See? You haven’t lost everything. And I promise, everyone you still have will help you get through this. Okay?”

Wiping her eyes with traces of a smile, Sunny nodded. “Okay.”

“Now, I was about to go join the rest of my friends at the Trotcadero performance. I’m sure they’d love it if you’d come along.”

Sunny nodded again, and together the two of them left to do just that. Along the way, Twilight was surprised by the appearance of her parents, who told her they’d just arrived, having left the Crystal Empire as soon as word reached them she was okay. After emotional hugs and reconciliation, Twilight went with Sunny to the performance.

They arrived to the sight of Caboose and Pinkie Pie doing robot-dances very unfitting to the soft, melodic yet rustic sound of the band playing. The others shrugged and quickly followed suit, with Tucker and Donut actually dancing extremely well, Sarge attempting to single-handedly bring back disco, and Grif quickly getting tired and collapsing. The ponies all joined in, with Rarity dancing eloquently and Applejack doing a square dance. Even drunk Rainbow Dash made a surprise appearance, despite Fluttershy’s beleaguered attempts to bring her back home. Church shoved one too many ponies that got close to him and inadvertently started a mosh pit.

Twilight just looked at the mish-mash of styles and barely coordinated movement and smiled, glad that she had such a colorful group of friends. She then proceeded to dance her own heart out, her own eccentric series of moves flooring the others as the band sang about roses and violets.

---

Dear Princess Celestia,

Through all of the crazy events of the past few weeks, I think I’ve learned a few valuable lessons. Namely, I’ve learned that friendship comes in many forms. No two groups of friends are alike, and more importantly, the quality of friendship from one group to another cannot be measured or compared. Even a group of friends that seem discordant and argumentative can forge the strongest bonds….

“Listen up, men!” Sarge proclaimed as his two subordinates stood at attention outside the barn of Sweet Apple Acres.

Grif noticed that something wasn’t right about the farm. After their mission to save the ponies from the Meta, the Reds had brought the ship they used back to the farm to make final repairs before heading home. But when Grif checked where they’d landed it that morning, it was gone.

“It has recently come to my attention that Simmons’ passing has left us with a gap in our chain of command,” Sarge continued, unaware of Grif’s thoughts.

“In other words, you miss the feeling of lips on your ass,” Grif snarked.

“Yeah, me too…” Donut mused, resulting in queer looks from the other two Reds. “What? I said I miss Simmons too.”

It was a few awkwardly silent seconds before Sarge cleared his throat to continue. “Now, after much deliberation, denial, bargaining, and acceptance, I have selected a replacement Second-in-Command from the two of you.”

“Really? You’re not gonna make us compete against a wrench and a skull?” Grif deadpanned.

“Because I’ve been itching for a rematch!” Donut exclaimed, before grumbling, “Stupid skull. Thinks he’s better than me because he doesn’t need skin….”

“Oh, believe me. You two idiots are literally a last resort,” Sarge explained. “Unfortunately, my attempt at hiring outside help fer this position hasn’t really turned up anything useful.”

“Excuse me?” a female voice added itself to the conversation. The three Reds looked over by the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres to find a beige earth pony mare with a brown mane and tail approach. “Is this the job interview for ‘Second-in-Command of Red Team?’”

“That was yesterday, missy. Didja even read the fliers I put up?”

The pony stared at them blankly for one or two seconds before continuing anyway. “My name is Sandalwood, and I like hayburgers and long walks on the beach. I have a number of talents in aromatherapy and martial arts, and I’m extremely enthusiastic in getting to know you humans better, and with time, maybe even becoming an honorary….”

“What part of yesterday don’ you understand?!” Sarge shouted.

“THE PART WHERE I WAS TOO BUSY BANGIN’ YOUR MOM YESTERDAY TO SHOW UP!” Sandalwood threw her hooves up in a way that looked like aggressive gang signs. “Whut?!”

The Reds were silent, too stunned to come up with a coherent reply for a good four seconds.

“Hmm… she certainly has what it takes to fit in with us…” Sarge mused.

“Too late. You already made your decision, and you can’t change it. That’s the rule. It’s in the Red Army handbook.” Grif hoped no one would call his bluff on having actually read the Red Army handbook. The last thing he needed was to serve under a random pony who very well could be some kind of psycho.

“Fine. The new Second-in-Command of Red Team is Grif.”

“Wait, what?!” Grif, Donut, and Sandalwood all cried.

“Look, as much as I hate to say it… Grif, you’re the most qualified person I know for the position. You have experience both as a commanding officer of this squad and of a whole pony battalion,” Sarge said, pointing a warning finger at him. “But don’t think this means I’m gonna be easy on you from this point forward! I reserve the right to call you lazy and stupid on every occasion you give me to do so!”

Grif sighed, but nonetheless felt himself smile. “Wouldn’t have it any other way, Sarge.”

Indeed, friends who regularly bicker and argue with each other probably have the closest bonds of all. Because at the end of the day, they’re always there for each other when it’s important….

Tucker’s peaceful afternoon napping under the tree that served as Golden Oaks Library was abruptly interrupted by two gratingly familiar voices.

“Tucker,” said Caboose.

“Tucker!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie.

“Tucker.”

“Tucker!”

“Tucker.

“Hi Tucker!”

“Tucker!”

“TUCKER!”

“TUCKER!”

“WHAT?!” Tucker shouted as he got to his feet in front of the pair. Caboose and Pinkie Pie both stared at him, the latter seated on the former’s shoulders.

“Where’s Church?” Caboose asked.

“How the fuck should I know? What do I look like? His babysitter?”

“We checked the library,” Pinkie Pie held up a small potted tree carved out to look like Golden Oaks. “We checked Sugarcube Corner,” Pinkie held up a small gingerbread house and took a bite before tossing it aside. “We checked the farm,” Pinkie held up a small, to-scale model of Sweet Apple Acres. “We checked the big box where I put all of my bad emotions,” she held up a large trunk with a piece of paper taped to it. On the paper, Pinkie’s Box of Sad was scribbled in crayon, with a crude doodle of the pink pony with overly large tears coming out of her eyes. “We checked everywhere!”

“Everywhere…” Caboose repeated.

“Well, I don’t know where he is, okay?” Tucker said. “I haven’t seen him since yesterday….”

I’ve also learned that it’s important to let some things go. Whether it be the memory of a better time, or a friendship that just isn’t meant to be. What’s important is that we keep moving forward….

Rainbow Dash waved to Fluttershy as she flew over her cottage, relishing the feeling of the wind in her now mostly-healed wing. The butter-yellow pegasus was having a picnic just outside with a group of her animal friends, among them was the huragok Sometimes Sinks.

She flew all the way to the center of town where a lonely pink mailbox sat. Landing in front of it, Rainbow reached into her saddle-bag and pulled out an envelope. She glanced down at the address in Griffonstone for a moment before placing her letter to Gilda in the box and closing it.

Even if their friendship was over, it felt wrong to Rainbow Dash to just let it end without a proper goodbye. That, and she owed Gilda at least one letter after all the ones she’d failed to reply to. A few bits were enclosed as well, as a final thank you for her help. Rainbow hoped they would help Gilda out of her situation in some way, if only because it made her feel a little better.

But letting go doesn’t always have to be the end. Sometimes, the things we let go of come back to us in ways we don’t expect….

“Sunny! Sunny, wait up!”

The high-pitched squeal nearly made Sunny Side tear up for the fourth time that day. A mere week ago, she had completely resigned herself to the fact that she’d never hear her sister’s tiny little voice again. Grinning from ear to ear, Sunny Side turned around and watched the little fuzzy blue blur race down the track towards her, the filly’s back legs supported by a wheeled contraption.

“You’re the one with the wheels, Bright,” Sunny giggled. “You should be waaay faster than me now!”

The doctors had called it nothing short of a miracle. Sunny thought she was dreaming when they took her into Bright Side’s hospital room and she found her sister, eyes open, looking up at her. The little filly had actually been a little confused when both Sunny and her aunt and uncle broke down in tears of joy.

That was another thing Twilight Sparkle had been right about. Aunt Carrot Top and Uncle Written Script had accepted her apologies almost immediately. Although her repeated disappearances had made them worry, they were quick to reassure her that they understood what she was going through and comfort her.

“Okay, put me on a hill!” Bright Side exclaimed, and Sunny giggled.

She was paralyzed from the waist down, and in all likeliness would never use her hind legs again, but she was alive. What was more, she kept going with the same bright optimism she always had.

In the end, a true friend is someone you never have to let go of. Someone who will always be with you in spirit.

Even if they’re not here right now….

“Church?” Twilight opened the front door to Golden Oaks Library.

“Chuuuuuuuurch!” Spike called out from his position on her back.

“Church, this isn’t funny. Everyone’s looking for you!”

But when she searched her home she saw nothing but books on shelves. The only thing out of place was a lone sniper rifle sitting on the table.

Always Your Faithful Student,
Twilight Sparkle

---

The rolling hills at the foot of Canterlot Mountain were silent save for crickets chirping and the wind blowing through the grass. Further up around the mountain’s far side, the city of Canterlot slept. To Princess Celestia, the whole scene was incredibly familiar. Indeed, the night felt much the same as it did the first time Equestria met with the human race.

Just like before, Celestia waited for the arrival of the human ship with a company of guards around her. Standing at her side was her faithful student. Celestia was glad that Twilight had chosen to continue her studies under her. She was right that things would never be the same after all that had happened, but they could only learn from it and move on. At the moment, Twilight seemed distracted by other thoughts, and Princess Celestia suspected she knew what was troubling her.

“Do not look so down, Twilight,” Celestia said, gently rubbing her shoulder. “I am certain Church still values his friendship with you.”

“I know,” Twilight sighed. “It’s just… I really thought we were past the whole ‘can’t say goodbye’ thing. I mean, he could’ve at least left a note or something.”

“I’m sure he had his reasons,” was all Celestia could think to say. She wished she could say more, but the truth was, she really had no idea what Church’s reason for leaving so suddenly could be.

She didn’t have time to dwell on it, as a pegasus soldier stationed above shouted down, “Ship sighted!”

Celestia gave the signal, and her guards proceeded to lay down and light up the gemstones that would guide the ship’s descent. Three weeks after the defeat of Project Freelancer, a star had been spotted in the night sky that did not belong, and as before, Celestia managed to reach out with her magic and make contact.

Things in Equestria had settled down over the course of those three weeks, and most ponies weren’t quite as afraid of the idea that they were not alone in the universe. There were still quite a few who openly stated their disapproval of First Contact, but Celestia was cautiously optimistic that things would be better this time around as long as they played their cards right.

But that was a whole other issue of its own, Celestia knew. The coming relations needed to be handled delicately. She, Luna, and Twilight had agreed: Celestia’s removal from the throne was not a term they were willing to accept. However, they were determined to work towards a compromise that would satisfy the enroute representative of the UNSC.

The Pelican dropship that flew down the makeshift runway was not painted with the standard olive green colors that Celestia had come to expect, but instead was colored a more pale blue. The Pelican rotated in place before slowly touching down as it had before, several of the guardponies around it backing away uneasily. The ones that remained steadfast had either seen a ship like it before during the conflict with Project Freelancer, or were part of the contingent that had been with her when she first greeted the Director all those years ago.

The rear bay opened, and a squad of human soldiers poured out, forming two rows along the sides. The body armor they each wore was much more simple than the full powered armor of the Reds, Blues and Freelancer agents, and their helmets left their faces exposed.

After only a moment, an unarmored man stepped out of the ship and made his way toward the ponies. Standing tall with his hands clasped behind his back, the man wore a finely pressed black suit jacket adorned with shiny gold buttons, a red dress shirt beneath it. The presence of wrinkles on his face and the lack of hair on his head indicated to Celestia that he was an older man—in his fifties or sixties if her understanding of human aging was correct.

Well, here goes, Celestia thought as she took a step forward to meet him. “Greetings. I am Princess Celestia. Warden of the Sun and Co-Ruler of the Three Pony Tribes.” Celestia extended a wing to Twilight. “This is my protègè, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Hello,” Twilight squeaked, before clearing her throat. “Welcome to Equestria.”

With a warm smile, the man nodded. “An honor to make both of your acquaintances,” he said with a calm but powerful voice, his eloquent accent radiating authority. “I am the Chairman of the UNSC Oversight Sub-Committee.” The Chairman extended a hand. “Malcolm Hargrove.”

Celestia took note of the fact that the Chairman did not give a half-hearted attempt at a bow to give her the thin illusion of control. He met her as an equal. It gave Celestia hope for a good working relationship in the future, but she was also wary. She had been hopeful of her friendship with the Director as well.

“I would like to start out by saying that I am profoundly sorry that things between our two species had to start out like this,” Hargrove said as he shook Celestia’s hoof. “Dr. Church has made a terrible mess of things, but I am confident that working together, the two of us can set things right.”

Celestia kept her face carefully neutral as always, but she found herself surprised at the implications of his words. “I am, of course, ready to accept responsibility for my role in these events as well, and am willing to work towards a fair compromise,” she said as the little party of three turned and made their way back to where sky-wagons awaited.

But Hargrove once again surprised her as he smiled and said, “Oh, I don’t think that will be necessary. In light of your role in bringing Project Freelancer to justice, I think we can allow past transgressions to slide.”

“Really?!” Twilight asked, perhaps a touch too earnestly. You always did wear your heart on your sleeve, my student. You may be ready for the responsibility I wish to give you, but it will be some time before you’re ready for the world of politics.

“Yes. What’s most important is that we focus on establishing strong relations between our people.”

“Agreed,” Celestia stated. “Though, I think we should tread more carefully, and with more transparency this time around. I don’t want a repeat of the mistakes made last time.”

“Of course, we’ll take everything one step at a time,” Hargrove said, taking a moment to walk in silence. “We can formulate a long-term plan for UNSC-Equestrian relations back at your palace. For now, I would like to address some more immediate issues. For starters, the UNSC will need to confiscate all of the military’s property brought to this planet both by Project Freelancer and the Insurrection forces.”

This was where Celestia’s perfect poker face came in handy. “That may be a bit difficult to manage. Apparently, more than a few of the human weapons sold to the local branch of the Whitewater mercenary company by Project Freelancer are unaccounted for. My guess is they’re lost in the depths of the global black market. On top of that, the Alpha A.I. has disappeared with a ship.”

Hargrove frowned slightly, and Celestia wondered whether he suspected she wasn’t telling the whole truth. Nevertheless, the Chairman looked ahead and continued.

“Hmm… regrettable. But I suppose some missing equipment is to be expected with an incident like this,” he said. “Secondly, everyone associated with Project Freelancer will need to be returned to UNSC custody for questioning. This includes both the remaining Freelancer personnel you’ve captured... and the group of Red and Blue simulation troopers that assisted you.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Celestia noticed Twilight’s ears perk up at the mention of the Reds and Blues.

“They’re not in trouble, are they?” she asked.

“No. On the contrary, their role in stopping Project Freelancer and setting up a foundation for good relations with Equestria should get them a fair few commendations,” Hargrove reassured. “Again, the UNSC is willing to overlook any... illegal actions they may have taken in the fight against Project Freelancer in the interest of pursuing better relations. How soon can they be ready to leave?”

Celestia glanced at Twilight, and when her protègè nodded, Celestia replied, “Tomorrow.”

As they approached the waiting sky-wagons, Celestia found herself for the first time feeling genuinely optimistic about the days to come. Sure, Equestria was going to be a very different place once the alliance with the UNSC became official, but she was confident they could make it work.

Before they could step into the sky-wagons though, one of the human soldiers with Hargrove put a hand to his earpiece before addressing him.

“Mr. Chairman,” the soldier said before speaking in a low voice. “Transmission for you, sir. From Chorus.”

“Ah,” Hargrove nodded before looking apologetically at Celestia. “I hope you don’t mind if I delay our meeting a little to take that. It might be urgent.”

“I understand completely, Chairman,” Celestia said with a smile before Hargrove started making his way back towards the ship. Suffice to say, she was used to balancing more than one important duty at once. It came with being a politician.

“In our line of work, it sometimes feels like this job is murder, doesn’t it?” Celestia asked in a light tone.

“Too right, Princess,” Chairman Hargrove said, looking back at her with a knowing grin. “Too right….”

---

Fittingly, the sun was setting over the fields beyond Ponyville as the two groups lined up before the rear bay of the blue Pelican. Twilight stood with her pony friends and baby dragon assistant across from the five armored humans. Three Reds and Two Blues stood by the ship’s open rear bay.

“Welp. Yeah. This has been pretty neat,” Caboose stated, “but I think we should get going before, uh, anyone suspects anything suspicious for no reason.”

Caboose then turned around and started an overly casual stroll towards the open Pelican door. Twilight immediately noticed the squirming backpack on his back, and with a patient sigh, levitated it off of him. Unzipping it with her magic, Twilight was completely unsurprised when a familiar pink head poked out and looked around.

“Aww…” Pinkie Pie and Caboose groaned in unison.

Her head downcast, Pinkie Pie moved back in line with the other ponies, and Twilight looked at the assembled Reds and Blues.

“Well, guys…” Twilight started with a watery eyed smile. “I… don’t really know what to say.”

“Goodbye might be a good place to start,” Tucker deadpanned. “And finish. Seriously, I hate these drawn out farewells.”

“Well put, Tucker,” Rarity said. “After all, this is hardly goodbye.”

“I meant more along the lines that they’re played out and totally fucking lame.”

“Agreed,” Rainbow Dash said, folding her forelegs as she hovered in place and tried to nonchalantly look away. A second later, she glanced back at the Reds and Blues anxiously. “Seriously, you guys are gonna come back to visit us, right?”

“Of course!” Donut immediately exclaimed. “And we’ll send tons of postcards from our new bases!”

“I promised myself I wouldn’t cry…” Pinkie sniffed, frantically fanning herself with both hooves. “Does anyone have a hanky?!”

“Here,” Sarge of all people said, pulling a flowery handkerchief from a compartment in his armor. Pinkie took it in an instant and grossly blew into it.

“Yeah, you probably don’t want mine…” Tucker said, shifting uncomfortably in place.

“Why? Is it full of your tears?” Caboose asked.

“Uh… let’s just say it’s full of God’s tears.”

Fluttershy, whose lip had been trembling on and off throughout the farewell, suddenly lunged forward, clinging to Grif in a desperate hug.

“Fluttershy!” Grif hissed through clenched teeth. “I said be cool. You’re embarrassing me in front of my friends!”

The little butter pegasus gave her friend a final squeeze before letting go. “I’m s-sorry! I’m sorry….”

Pinkie Pie leaned over and held out Sarge’s now damp handkerchief. Fluttershy took it regardless and dabbed at her eyes.

“Well, we’ve had a couple of rough patches,” Applejack said. “But it’s been a real hoot gettin’ to know all of you!”

“Yeah, I’ve gotta say, you guys are probably the weirdest group of people I’ve ever met,” Spike said. “And this is coming from a guy who hangs out with Twilight and her friends!”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile at that.

“Hey,” a man in white pilot’s armor said, appearing from inside the Pelican’s rear bay. “Ship’s been ready to leave for the past five minutes. Get your asses on board!”

“Well, I guess this is it,” Twilight said, looking at each of the Reds and Blues in turn. “So long, guys!”

A chorus of farewells echoed from ponies and humans alike as the Reds and Blues climbed aboard the Pelican and its engines started up.

“I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU, TWILIGHT SPORKLE!” Sarge called out over the roar of the engines as the ship started to lift off the ground.

“START BY REMEMBERING MY ACTUAL NAME FOR ONCE!” Twilight shouted back.

“WHAT’S THAT? CAN’T HEAR YOU! ENGINES ARE DROWNING YOU OUT!”

But Twilight could hear Sarge’s shouting voice clearly even as the ship took off. Together with the others, Twilight stayed in the steadily darkening field and watched the ship carrying the Reds and Blues until it was nothing more than a speck in the sky. Finally, Twilight turned around and after picking up Spike and placing him on her back, started walking back toward Ponyville.

It was dark as they entered Ponyville proper, and the rest of the girls parted ways as they made for their respective homes. Soon, it was just Twilight and Spike walking along by themselves. It was then that it occurred to Twilight that it was the perfect time to say something that had been on her mind for a while.

“Hey, Spike?” Twilight asked, looking over her shoulder at the drake. “I realized I never properly thanked you.”

Spike raised a curious eyebrow. “For what?”

“For your part in saving me,” Twilight said with a smile. “I know the others probably didn’t want you to come along, and I probably would have made you stay back too. But… I don’t think I would have been alright if it weren’t for you, so… thank you.”

With a shrug and a shy grin, Spike said, “Well… comes with the territory of ‘Number One Assistant’ I guess.”

A few minutes later, Twilight opened the front door to Golden Oaks Library and she and Spike stepped inside. The warm lights and the smell of books made her feel instantly at home.

“Well, I’m gonna make us dinner,” Spike said, hopping off Twilight’s back and heading for the kitchen. “Want anything in particular?”

“Whatever you want to make should be fine,” Twilight said, her thoughts already moving to the object on the table. “I think there’s still a fresh batch of carrots in the fridge.”

As Spike went to the kitchen, Twilight found herself making her way over to the table where Church’s sniper rifle still lay untouched. Twilight scowled. You left a weapon here, but you couldn’t be bothered to leave a note….

Twilight’s ears perked up as a thought occurred to her. She picked up the rifle in her magic and began to examine it from every angle. She looked down the barrel, she moved the slider that ejected the bullet shells, and finally, she removed the magazine. When Twilight looked inside, she was surprised to find a rolled up piece of parchment in place of a bullet. With a quiet gasp, Twilight gently took the parchment in her magic and unfurled it.

Twilight,

First of all, sorry if you had some trouble finding this note. I hid it cuz I wanted to make sure your dragon buddy wouldn’t think it was one of your letters to the Princess, or something.

I’m sorry I left so suddenly, but I couldn’t wait around for the UNSC to show up and confiscate me as “evidence.” You see, there’s something important I have to do. Someone I have to find and deliver a message to.

I know you’re probably upset that I left without saying goodbye, but I want you to know I’m not afraid of saying goodbye anymore. I didn’t say goodbye because this isn’t goodbye. I mean it when I say you’ll see me again. That’s why I left my sniper rifle. Yeah, I may be shit with it, but after all these years, it’s still kinda important to me. So you just hold onto it for me until I come back, okay?

See you around, Twilight.

Your friend,
Church

---

It was a clear, idyllic night in Ponyville. Crickets chirped and wind rustled the trees. The sky was clear and the stars were out, unaware that they were being watched.

Up on the second floor balcony of Golden Oaks Library sat its two purple caretakers. The purple unicorn Twilight Sparkle was looking through her telescope at the stars above. A sniper rifle sat propped against the guardrail beside her, pointing up at the sky. Her equally purple assistant Spike was standing to her right, looking across the town with an expression of boredom on his little scaly face.

“Hey…” Spike eventually said.

“Yeah?” Twilight removed her eye from her telescope’s lens to look at her assistant.

“Do you ever wonder why we’re here?”

Twilight considered the question for a brief moment before smiling at him. “No, Spike,” she said, ignoring Spike’s clear consternation as she returned her attention to the stars above. “Not anymore.”

End.

Author's Note:

Well... here we are. It's been a real journey writing this, and I hope it's been as enjoyable of a journey to read. I want to give a big thank you to my editors BradtheBrony and Rough_Draft for sticking with me until the end. On top of that, I want to thank you for reading it!

Now, if you're wondering what the future holds, stay tuned for a blog post tomorrow for information on where we're going and general thoughts on the project!

Comments

[Derpytakesovertheworld]

Excuse me, I must find my old copy of CE before I read this...

[Aariadon]

Aw, I was hoping for intracranial adventures this chapter. Guess I'll have to wait for Psychonauts 2 for those.

Now, if you're wondering what the future holds, stay tuned for a blog post tomorrow for information on where we're going and general thoughts on the project!

I find your ideas intriguing and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

I wasn't sure if you were just gonna end it here or not... fans of RvB know where things are heading with Hargrove, Chrous, and the suspiciously-absent Carolina. Simmons being MIA is kinda a loose plot thread though. Sounds like you MIGHT have something more up your sleeve than just this ending, though... but I guess you aren't saying anything either way yet. At the very least I'm looking forward to reading your self-commentary.

[edCOM02]

Always Red Versus Blue (lyric from "Red vs Blue" by Jeff Williams - End of the line folks!

Well... this was the best RVB/MLP crossover fic I've ever read! Of all time! Well done, Flynt! And thanks for giving us a great story to read. And I'm thankful this finale is not as sad as RWBY vol 3 had been!
Now I really want a sequel to this!
ROLL CREDITS!

[Moongaze14]

Wow, it's been a long ride, but this story finally end and it was a beautiful end. The figh with the Meta was amazing and the chapter was emotional with all the funerals and the sadness of Twilight and Sunny. Still, it was heartwarming to see Twilight, Sunset, and Sunny learn to let go of their mistakes and just live their own lives. The farewells with the Reds and the Blues was funny. Thanks for the great story.

[The Slending Angel]

“Mr. Chairman,” the soldier said before speaking in a low voice. “Transmission for you, sir. From Chorus.”

“Transmission for you, sir. From Chorus.”

From Chorus

From Chorus

Twilight,

First of all, sorry if you had some trouble finding this note. I hid it cuz I wanted to make sure your dragon buddy wouldn’t think it was one of your letters to the Princess, or something.

I’m sorry I left so suddenly, but I couldn’t wait around for the UNSC to show up and confiscate me as “evidence.” You see, there’s something important I have to do. Someone I have to find and deliver a message to.

I know you’re probably upset that I left without saying goodbye, but I want you to know I’m not afraid of saying goodbye anymore. I didn’t say goodbye because this isn’t goodbye. I mean it when I say you’ll see me again. That’s why I left my sniper rifle. Yeah, I may be shit with it, but after all these years, it’s still kinda important to me. So you just hold onto it for me until I come back, okay?

See you around, Twilight.

Your friend,

Church

See you around, Twilight.

See you around

See you around

If that isn't foreshadowing for a sequel. then I don't know what fucking is. Weird ass shit with Locus and Felix, ho!

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

I salute you sir. I have enjoyed this story tremendously and will be looking forward to the sequel if there is one made.

[random reader]

Here is a list of my personal opinions on how I would rate this story:

Mechanics: 10/10
I was unable to spot any grammar and mechanical errors, but that might just be because I am terrible at grammar myself.

Characterization: 9/10
All of the ponies, as well as the reds and blues, really felt like they were present throughout the entire story. Everyone was completely in character, and deviations were few and far between.

Originality: 7/10
A lot of this story has already been written by RoosterTeeth, however, you have really done a good job of merging the RvB universe with the MLP universe, to keep things fresh enough to keep wanting more.

Overall: 10/10
I can't really say anything bad about this story overall. It was a good length for a project of this level of ambition, and it met nearly every standard with flying colors. I consider this story one of the crown jewels of fimfiction.net, and rate it as highly as the likes of Project: Sunflower by Hoopy McGee, and Anthropology by JasonTheHuman. Excellent, excellent work.

[DenyTheWitch]

Church is looking for Carolina, that means the possibility of Carolina in the future.

Chairman of the oversight sub committee is here, that means the possibility of Felix and Locus.

PLEASE CARRY ON WITH THIS CORSSOVER, OR SEQUAL, CONTAINING THESE CHARACTERS, PLEASE I'M BEGGING YOU!!!

But seriously good work, this was a very enjoyable read.

[BradtheBrony]

I must say, when I saw this one day sitting in the 'recently updated' section, I didn't know WHAT I was in for. This was all the WAY back in Act 1 (I think Flynt was just 7 chapters in). I started reading, grew to like the story, but saw it was suffering from some typos and other grammar issues. Not enough to detract from the story, but certainly a little spring cleaning couldn't hurt. So as act two starts up, I ask and get accepted to be an editor, even going back to clean up act 1. All in all, I've enjoyed working on this fic, seeing where Flynt would take us all on this fantastically fun journey and see ya'lls reactions.

So all in all, thanks for reading eveyone!

[Regreme]

Amazing fic, I have to say. You've done well.:D

[lord_arm]

This is one of the best xover fic I have read in a long time. Its very well written and lot of the characters didn't seem O.C.

I do have a few complaints about the ending.
It doesn't seem to me that Celestia hasn't really learned her lesson. She still keeping secrets from Twilight about her plan to make her an Alicorn. Once Twilight finds out she will not be happy about it. Expectedly if she finds out about it after she gets turned into one.

Also, I was disported that Twilight still stays a student with Celestia. You would think with have a existential crisis, it would take longer then a few week be for going back to her old life. Though Twilight can't really go back to the way they were. She may think as herself as Twilight Sparkle, but she not really that pony anymore. That pony stops existing once she merges with the other M.I. fragments. Nether is she Ancora. She something else, a mix between both Twilight and Ancora. Something all new but also the some. It might take some time be for her friends and family will notes that something is off about her.

[DauntedSuperior]

I know I'm hoping for to much, but I don't think anyone is dead... a man can dream anyway. In truth I can find reasons for why anyone of the dead main characters still be alive. Simmons was a cyborg with most of his internal organs in Grif, Washington didn't want to be put in jail when the UNSC showed up (cause Tex said he was still alive), Agent Maine is too much of a badass (and his friendship with Washington was too amazing for it to just be introduced and him not come back ), I know I'm too hopeful, but I hate sad stuff.

One of the main reasons I watch Red vs Blue is because the main cast is permanent with everyone coming back because of random bullshit... Could totally have Doc bring back Simmons now that I think about it. The sphere-thing that he was left in also has time move at different speeds if it's like the one in Onyx like Wash said. Could have Doc as the medic for the team sent to research the sight. Could even be how the ponies are brought into the sequel whenever they all cash land on Chorus... if that's the way you go. Thinking about it, I could even see the Meta surviving and secretly coming with them to atone for what he had done...

Of course this is all just the crazy idea of one guy trying to cope with sadness over this story coming to an end. Really glad I read about twenty chapters worth instead of one at a time. Probably would of stopped reading after a few spots, too sad (but so funny too).

...

...

Or ya could just say 'Screw it' and have the aliens revive everyone. They did so for Agent Florida/Flowers back in season five. Food for though.

[part]

What does Donut leave at the memorial?

[Flynt Coal]

6936924 It wouldn't have turned out as well as it did without you guys!

6936550

Originality: 7/10
A lot of this story has already been written by RoosterTeeth, however, you have really done a good job of merging the RvB universe with the MLP universe, to keep things fresh enough to keep wanting more.

Frankly, I must agree with your criticism here. I made the mistake of writing myself into a corner a few times in that regard, where I had no choice but to make certain events play out almost exactly as they did in RvB in order to progress my own story.

6938031 I'm glad you addressed those points, as they were something I was concerned about myself. It was important to me to maintain some level of the status quo to go with both the theme that friendship overcomes everything in MLP, and the theme of moving forward in RvB. Still, I agree that one chapter seems like a short amount of time for Twi to go through such character development, however bear in mind that there's a three week timeskip in this chapter before it happens (and that everything else that's happened in the story up to that point has taken place over roughly three weeks, so you can see how much can happen over such a period of time). Most of that development actually happens offscreen, but her talk with Church and later Sunny was meant to be the moment when she makes the decision to try to just move past it. In the event of a sequel, you'll definitely see how different Twi's relationships with her friends and Celestia has become.

[ThePoneDrome]

Nice AAG reference there. Oh boy.

[Hidden Scorpius XI]

Whelp, this was a journey alright.

The bit with Hargrove and Chorus stinks of foreshadowing. Especially considering who is that Person Church went to look after.

In all, this is a story I really enjoyed through and through. The hardships, the tension, the utter nonsense. And this chapter was a perfect ending for a perfect tale... for now.

I also saw what you did there. "Keep moving forward."

HOWEVER. I'm resentful that W.A.F.F.L.E-O never made it to the narrative.

Can't wait to see your next blog.

[Scorch215]

Well it's over. I am both happy and sad by this fact. This has been an amazing story that I loved reading and I am sad to see it end but also loved the ending.

I'll admit this story was an emotional roller coaster from comletly hilarious to making me actully cry at some parts.

Now I just have one question. Where's Doc?

[Lord Shaxx]

This was just an absolute blast. Thank you so much for writing this.

[PandoraChild]

Holy christ, I legitimately teared up at the end.
That was beautiful.

[the other sans]

and reaching for it’s helmet with her magic

1. Its.

Well, it was one heck of a ride indeed and despite the fact I've never heard of RvB prior to this I picked it up and watched some to get a better picture and overall, enjoyed this story better. I didn't finish the RvB series at all but just listened for the sake of reference.

The ending after though where the letter was divided into parts? Probably the best overall in this story. This story had a good run and guess it was high time to put it to rest. It's easy to just picture it as a good ol' classic ending scene where the character just sum up what they've learned like in the movies.

[warbird]

This was a great story man and with the setup of the Chorus Trilogy and the assurance that mlp and RvB character would see each other again I am happy for the implication that you intend to, someday, start a sequel to this story.

Take care Flynt and good look with your next story.

[Oddball 1]

6938031
Simmons was left in the Ruins with an M.I. that could have potentially saved his life, think about it.

[Hidden Scorpius XI]

6952147
Didn't the M.I. Fragment forecefully merged itself with Twilight?

[zaptiftun]

*stands and applauds*

[Flynt Coal]

6957925 Trust me, that was entirely intentional considering Ian and Anthony actually play those characters in the show!

[Shadow_Wolf_of_Scotland]

Well it took me a month of continuous reading but I finally got through every chapter. Remind me to find some more hobbies. And I couldn't say this is perfect ending to a great story.
However, if I ever meet you, I will punch you the amount of times I've had to say 'phrasing' though this story, God damb man (plus God damb archer)

Plus just because *in another universe*
The drop ship began to land, twilight and celestial bracing, the contingent of guards still standing firm. The drop ship looked almost completely different to those of which the UNSC used it was large with two massive booster, a very long hull which rounded at a angle where a ramp looked to be and what also looked to be a large cannon on top. The colour of the ship also looked to be (place your chapter here (for me deathwatch)) coloured.
http://kofler.dot.at/40k/units/Dark_Angel_Thunderhawk.jpg (Photo of what's arriving)

As it dropped to the deck the ramp on its front began to open, revealing two large men in armour, they stood around 8ft tall and looked to be very bulky their armour looking nothing like the ones the red, blues or project freelancer used. After ten of these firce looking soldier had moved down the ramp another man also appeared out of it, he to wore the same armour the others did this time in a was chrome with golden details littered about the armour (again just add any leader you want here, me I'm using an inquisitor) but he had his helmet removed and what looked to be a flying skull with a large red eye flew next to him. Stepping down the ramp he walked up to both twilight and celestia.

"Welcome I am princess celestia rul-" she was saying before the man in front of them butted in.
"I see that I was mistaken here, these creatures are centient and are able to rule of their own accord without the use of humans. Will continue with normal proceedings on meeting new xeno's race" the man relayed to the skull before pulling out a large gun and pointing it at celestia's head "for the Emperor" he said pulling the trigger on the bolt pistol blowing a large chunk of celestia's head away.
*from here on slaughtering at the palace and a grand invasion of the planet to cleanse it of all xeno life. Now that's grim darkness*

Yeah if you've made it to here forget about the punch, I feel that you have suffered at the hands of my revenge to much so, I give you thanks for a great story and a hope that you will begin a new sequel soon. Your old friend
That last comment that came from out of nowhere.

[Flynt Coal]

6963334 Oh I know. As I mentioned before, I deliberately chose to go with 9 months because I wasn't sure how many people would know about horse gestation periods offhand

[Danny Eclipse]

Can you do a sequel?

[thunderhoof716]

7141673 more than likely, his sister.

[Jack-Pony]

This one goes out to all those who died, your victory was so close...

[DJMEGAMOUTH]

This is one best of the crossovers I’ve ever read thank you.

[CartoonDuck]

I was reading this story back when the first chapter was published, but I never commented. I've felt the need recently to come back to let you know just how much I enjoyed this story. You managed to blend both the RvB and MLP universes so seamlessly, it felt like the writers of both shows had worked on this. You had a clear grasp of all the characters and how they would react to certain situations. This is not only one of the best crossovers I've ever read, but this is one of the greatest stories I've ever read. You should be really proud of this because I think you achieved something truly fantastic. And despite the length, you managed to keep things interesting in every single chapter.

Another great thing is you went beyond just using RvB and MLP, but you added achievement hunter characters and some pretty great OC's. And you managed to use all of those characters without the story feeling too bloated. Your version of Sunset Shimmer was very interesting as well and if you ever write a sequel, it would be so cool to see where you take her story. I hope you do write a sequel one day, but if you never do, I'm just happy you got to finish this. It does work well as a standalone story.

There are some things I wish you would have done differently though, like Doc having a bigger role, or Carolina actually showing up. I also think you should have killed off Alpha Church halfway through the story and replaced him with Epsilon, like in the show. It would have been interesting to see the dynamic between Twilight and the 'new Church'. Despite that, this is one of those stories that stays in your head for a long time, and I know I will be coming back to this many times in the future.

Also, I gotta ask, how do you plot out a story like this? Do you have everything planned or just the major beats and make up some stuff as you go along?

[Flynt Coal]

9897544
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Yes, I would have liked to include Doc and especially Carolina in bigger roles, but I realized that my story was already big and complex enough with the sixteen or so main characters I was juggling (and Carolina's backstory is so nuanced and full of depth that there was no way I could do it justice without taking the focus away from the main plot).

And to answer your question, I had the main story beats including the big plot twist with Twilight and Ancora planned out before I started writing even the first chapter, and the rest I figured out as I went. Many more elements of the plot just happened to fall into place as I tried to bridge the gap from one point to another. For instance, my initial outline never had the Forerunner presence in Equestria play such an important role in the final act. Twilight was originally just a product of Sunset Shimmer and Project Freelancer's research together, until I started writing my version of the desert arc with CT, and started to seriously think about what was really so important about those desert ruins (since the show itself never explained it). I pulled from actual Halo lore about the Forerunners merely as a way to explain what the desert ruins are and nothing more, and that made me realize I could tie that lore into how Twilight was created.

[Killjoy1221]

Something has been bothering me about Sunset's motives. I can understand the director needing to fragment his A.I. He only had 1 and was unable to make more. Sunset was already capable of creating the perfect M.I. that doesn't suffer from rampancy, and there's been no reason from what I can tell that implies she can't just make more. The fact that she made one from Dash proves that.

Sunset's torture of Ancora seems wholely unnecessary.

[Flynt Coal]

10594292
Actually, both the Rainbow M.I. as well as Ancora were suffering rampancy from the moment they were created (as is the problem inherent with all M.I.), as evidenced by both of them genuinely believing they were real ponies. That aside, Sunset's motives were a bit more complicated than simply to create a perfect M.I.

Ever since Celestia dismissed her as her student, Sunset hasn't exactly been playing with a full deck if you get what I mean. She definitely had issues even while she was still studying under Celestia (thanks to the abuse she suffered from her parents and Celestia not acknowledging her own unintentional role as Sunset's surrogate mother), but after Celestia cut all ties with her, she spiraled hard. Her ongoing efforts to collaborate with the Director on the Ancora project became more about personal vindication than any practical application of M.I. theory. Celestia told her "you can't do this", and Sunset spent two decades afterwards obsessing over proving her wrong, completely ignoring the simple fact that Celestia's main issue with her project wasn't "it can't be done," but rather "it shouldn't be done."

[FirewaspRambo]

“Too right, Princess,” Chairman Hargrove said, looking back at her with a knowing grin. “Too right….”

Fuck...off...Hargrove.

[CartoonDuck]

I decided to re-read this story, and I gotta say, it holds up tremendously well! 

Right off the bat, the story takes its time to establish both worlds and its two main characters. Nothing is rushed. You could have had all the characters meet right away, but you took your time. The growing mystery of Project Freelancer's connection to Equestria keeps the reader hooked. There's a real sense that you planned everything ahead of time. All the little hints and red herrings of Twilight’s true nature, and setups that paid off down the line, like Gilda's letter or Sunset Shimmer's introduction.

You could have made a simple plot, but you added so much more! The MI's, Gilda and the Whitewater mercenaries, the OC's like Sunny Side. Sunny was great by the way, I teared up at a lot of her scenes.

The character work was top-notch! Each line of dialogue felt true to the ponies and humans. Almost every notable character had their own story arcs and fitting resolutions. The Reds, for example, were very well written. In 17 seasons, RvB has never given Simmons an arc of his own. In this story, he goes out like a hero. Grif got a decent arc in later seasons, but the storytelling was so abysmal, it didn't matter. Here, his story had actual weight. Sister's death was treated as a tragedy instead of a joke and was the catalyst for him to form a genuine friendship with Fluttershy. 

Speaking of friendships, the way you paired certain reds and blues with the Mane Six was great. I read another story on this site with the same crossover, and I found the pairings to be more superficial than natural. You have some obvious pairings like Sarge and Applejack because they're southern and have a strong work ethic. Church and Twilight became their main characters. Caboose and Pinkie Pie is another no-brainer. I don't recall the other story ever taking advantage of a Simmons and Twilight pairing, which you did at the start of the story. Tucker and Rainbow Dash are cool, but pairing Tucker with Rarity for a good portion is a gold mine for comedy. I love Rarity’s interactions with Donut as well. 

The Ancora twist was crazy! Poor Twilight went through the wringer in this one. How will this revelation affect her in the future? That's one of the many reasons I wish there was a sequel to this story. 

I love what you did with Sunset Shimmer! Her backstory was far more nuanced than in Equestria Girls. I wish she was in the story more to be honest, because she's a fascinating character. Even though she deserved what she got, I still feel bad for her. Knowing that she might spend the rest of her life alone and filled with regret is pretty sad. When I think of this story, she's the character that comes to mind the most. I want to know more about her history with Celestia and her parents. Is her father still alive? Does the public know of her involvement with Project Freelancer? What will she do now and where will she go? Does Celestia think that she's dead? Because the last time Twilight saw her, she was still on board the ship before it went down.

There’s so much more I could say, but I don’t want this review to be too long. So I’ll conclude by saying this is the best story I’ve read on this site. And speaking of which,  do you think you'll ever write a sequel one day? Or do you consider this story to be done for good?