//------------------------------// // What's the GNA? // Story: A Forbidden Spartan // by mattchilly //------------------------------// After a short drive Rainbow and I arrived at the Pelican. “What kind of ship is that?” Rainbow asked. “It’s just a standard GNA dropship though this model has been used for quite some time. Now if you want something special wait till I show you my Sabre or the Honor, now those are something special.” I said as I turned off the Warthog’s engine. “I’ll take your word for it, so how do we get inside?” Rainbow asked just before the hatch opened. “That’s how.” I chuckled as I walked into the ship. “How many people can this ship hold?” Rainbow asked as I locked the Battle Rifle in place. “Depends on which version of the Pelican, you’re talking about. This one can carry two light transport vehicles like the Warthog and carry fifteen people not counting the pilots. You might want to take a seat and strap in, lifting off can get bumpy sometimes.” I said pointing to the chair that was closer to the window. “Got it.” Rainbow said as I helped strap her in. Once Rainbow was ready I strapped myself in and started the engines “Lift off!” As I said this the Pelican began lifting off the ground. Using the sensors on the bottom of the ship I maneuvered the Pelican over the Warthog and activated the magnetic clasps to pick it up and secure it. “Alright, now that the Warthog is secure it’s time to pick up your friend’s.” “Sig, I thought you should now that the energy anomaly I was picking up just disappeared, and everything’s back to normal.” Freya said over the Pelicans radio. “Thanks for the update Freya .” I said before glancing at Rainbow who was looking around trying to find where Freya’s voice came from. “Freya’s not here, she’s talking to us over a Radio from the Honor.” “And where’s that?” Rainbow asked. “In orbit.” I said casually as we flew over the town. Brining the Pelican down to the ground I opened the hatch and spoke over the speakers which could connect to my armors system. “All right everyone. Clime in.” Looking over my shoulder I saw Twilight and her friend’s climb in with Applejack carrying Starlight. After closing the hatch when everyone was in I turned to Rainbow and said. “I’m going to head back and help everyone get strapped in, don’t touch the controls alright?” Rainbow nodded giving me a thumbs up. It took a while getting everyone strapped in and handed Applejack the tranq gun and explained how to use it before saying. “From what I’ve seen you’re the most level headed of the group so I can trust you not to shoot her unless she starts to wake up.” When that was done, I went back to the pilot seat and called back to the others. “Which way do you need me to go?” “North west, when you see a tall mountain with a castle built on the side that’s the place.” Twilight called back. “Got it. Hope you’re all comfortable, this could be a long flight.” *One hour and forty-five minutes later* During the flight my passengers explained about the different races of their land and they asked me lot of questions. Much to Twilight’s annoyance I couldn’t answer most of them due to their answers being classified. After a quick flyover, the city I saw a nice open area which I thought might be the castle’s garden. “All right everyone I’m setting the ship down in what looks like the castle garden.” I said before carefully setting the Pelican down and opening the hatch only for two armed soldiers to run in. “Hello welcome to my ship. I was just dropping off Princess Twilight, her friends and one convict, now can you please lower your weapons before you damage something?” I said after I got out of my seat and standing before the guards who ignored what I said and pointed their swords at me. I looked at Twilight and asked. “Do the guards here always welcome strangers with such hospitality Twilight?” “No and I am incredibly disappointed in them.” Twilight said and upon hearing her voice the two guards jumped in surprise and saluted. “I want the two of you to take this Unicorn to the dungeons, we’ll explain everything to Princess Celestia shortly.” Twilight then pointing to Starlight, and the two guards nodded before moving to cut her loose from the restraints. “Hang on I’ll get her out of there, I don’t want my ship damaged for no reason.” I said as I took a step forward, the two guard’s eyes me wearily before they took a step back. I quickly released the restraints then I nodded to the guards. “She’s all yours.” I said taking a step back, the two guards quickly grabbed Starlight and left my ship. “Well they were pleasant.” I said sarcastically as Applejack gave the tranq gun back. “Please don’t think badly of them, before today we’ve never seen anything like this ship before.” Rarity explained. “Ya, I’ve never seen the Royal guards be such big jerks before.” Pinkie said while crossing her arms. “I agree my guards shouldn’t have been so hostile.” Looking to my right I saw who the new voice belonged to. She as a tall snow white Alicorn in an incredibly elegant dress which portrayed a cloudless day and her multi-colored hair flowed in a non-existing wind, from the description Twilight and her friends game me this must be Princess Celestia. “Hello Twilight everyone, who is this?” I brought my hand up and saluted. “I am the Spartan Sigmund, Grade 3 Lieutenant Colonel, designated as V-9512. Bringing one convict and escorting Princess Twilight and her friends, ma’am.” If Princess Celestia was surprised she didn’t show it. “How come you didn’t do that when we met?” Twilight asked crossing her arms. Holding up two fingers I said. “One I didn’t know you were a Princess when we first met and two something tells me you’re a little more lax about that kind of thing.” “Perhaps we can move this outside so we’re a little more comfortable?” Celestia suggested. Nodding everyone filed out of the Pelican and sat in a semicircle. “I’m still shocked about how advanced your ship is.” Twilight said. I shrugged. “This kind of ship has been in use for over five hundred years. Ever since the days of the UNSC, but still the Honor or my personal Saber are far more awe inspiring if you ask me.” “You mentioned them earlier,” Rainbow said. “When do we get to see them?” “Sooner than you would expect.” Freya said over the Pelicans speakers. “I just finished a scan of the ship and the Honor’s haul needs some repairs. It might have taken the damage after going through that wormhole that brought us here and I don’t trust the androids with trying to fix the haul in zero-g thanks to their poor condition.” At this I looked up and exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me we had gone through a wormhole when I was in cryo-sleep earlier Freya!?” “I didn’t feel like it was necessary at the time.” Freya said her amusement obvious. I could only face palm and reply. “What’s your ETA?” “It will take at least two hours. I need to be careful bringing the Honor through the atmosphere, to make sure the haul doesn’t take any more damage.” Freya said. “What kind of ship did you say the Honor was?” Applejack asked. “I have a feeling most of what I could say about it would go over your heads so all I’ll say for now is, it’s a spaceship.” I said. “YOU CAME HERE ON A SPACESHIP?!”  Twilight screeched in surprise strands of her mane sticking up at odd angles. “You mentioned something called the UNSC, would you mind explaining what that is and a little more about yourself?” Rarity asked as she tried to calm Twilight down. “United Nations Space Command, it was the military, exploratory and scientific part Unified Earth Government, but after the first Covenant War, it became the Galactic Nation Alliance or the GNA for short because the original leaders of the Covenant died and the new one, an Elite known as the Arbiter was allied with the UNSC. Unfortunately with the exception of my diffrent suits armor none of the gear I have on the Honor is from the GNA, it's all UNSC, Covenant, or form some place that is a complete unknown to me. Although the only reason I’m telling you about the GNA is so you understand a little more about me since my situation’s been odd for a very long time.” I said. “What do you mean by that?” Rarity said. “I guess we’ve got some time so I don’t mind explaining. Before I was on the Honor I was one of the many Spartans in the Alliance-Covenant War. You see five hundred years after the war a small group of the GNA splintered off and made the New Covenant.” I sighed as I looked up to the sky explaining what the Covenant and Forerunners were which took almost an hour to fully explain because of all the questions Twilight kept asking. “They disappeared for five years before they returned but when they did their army was just as powerful if not more so then the GNA.” “How is that possible?” Applejack asked. “No one knows. The only way it makes sense is if the army was cloned but that’s impossible and it doesn’t explain how they got so many weapons and ships in such a short time.” I replied. “Why’s it impossible?” Celestia asked. “No one has EVER been able to make working cloning tech. Not even the Forerunners and they were the most technologically advanced race the universe had ever known. If they couldn’t find a way I doubt anyone could.” I explained. “What does this have to do with your situation?” Twilight asked as she finished writing down what I explained about the Covenant or Forerunners on a large scroll. Where she got that scroll I have no idea. “During the war the Covenant sent a ‘small’ force to Earth. During one of the battles I noticed a sniper aiming at my commander and died taking the bullet for him only to wake up seconds later on the Honor.” As I spoke I remembered the moment flashed through my head and my hand reach the center of my chest where my scar was. “If you died how are you here?” Celestia asked. “I have no idea, but I know that wasn’t a dream because I have a scar from that shot.” I said. “You said a Spartan was a solder but you never said what kind.” Rarity said doing her best to change the subject. I took a deep breath before saying. “I can’t tell you much considering almost everything about the SPARTAN projects are highly confidential but I will tell you that I’m much stronger and faster than normal GNA soldiers. Heck this armor weighs just over a ton.” “A TON?!” Twilight yelled in surprise as everyone’s eyes widened in shock. “Not even the strongest Earth Ponies can lift that much by themselves!” Applejack gasped. “Just to let you know I’m almost at the surface. I’m going to set the Honor down near the base of the mountain.” Freya said through my radio. “Freya says she’s almost here and is going to set down at the mountains base.” I said to the others who all nodded. “How come you haven’t taken off your helmet?” Celestia asked. “That’s because standard protocol for the Sixth-Generation of Spartans. Never show your face to anyone you don’t trust with your life, and I mean outside of the normal ‘you’re the shield to the solder next to you’ thing. I mean in more of a ‘you’ll willing to take a bullet for them because of who they are’ kind of way. To this day only three people know what I look like. Commander Avery Johnson the fifth, who’s the one I died for and my two fallen teammates. Hippolyta who was named after an Amazonian Queen and Cú Chulainn who’s named after and Irish/Celtic hero while I’m named after a Norse hero and Freya’s named after a Norse Goddess.” “Where both of your partners human?” Twilight asked. “Hippolyta was but Chulainn was a Snagheili or Elite if you want to use what most Humans called them during the days of the UNSC. Man I miss those two.” I said . “What were your main rolls on your team?” Rainbow asked. “I was the sniper and tech expert, Hippolyta was our explosive and heavy weapons expert and never went anywhere without her Brute Shot, while Chulainn was our close combat and stealth expert and a monster with that energy spear of his. There were other Spartans we worked with but I’ve been told that when the three of us worked together it was more like three bodies with one mind than three different people working together.” I explained. “How did they...pass on?” Celestia asked looking away unsure if this would bring up painful memories. “Hippolyta was pinned down by twenty enemy tanks when she was protecting a satellite uplink and we couldn’t reach her in time but DAMN did she put up a fight! She single handedly took down half of them! Chulainn got swarmed by fifteen Brute Chieftains as he was escorting some rescued soldiers through enemy lines, reports say he killed every last one of them and finished his mission before surrendering to his wounds, but the thing about Spartans is we never die. We’re just ‘missing in action’.” After I finished the clouds parted and the Honor became visible. “There she is, that’s the Honor, what do you think?” I said looking up. “Amazing…” Twilight gasped, as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie sniffed tears still falling down their cheeks. “Come now dry those tears, I’m alright and what was done in the past while it can’t be changed we can learn from it, but I am sorry I upset you.” I said and in a split-second Pinkie’s hair went from straight to its normal fluffiness as she exclaimed. “It’s decided! I am throwing you the biggest and best party you’ve ever been to!” I couldn’t help but smile underneath my helmet. “I’ll hold you to that, and just so you know. NEVER throw me a surprise party. I’ve had far too many ‘surprises’ during the war and I don’t want to hurt any civilians.” Pinkie narrowed her eyes before nodding and said. “Challenge accepted.” Then everyone began laughing as one of the castle guards ran up. “Princess do you know what that thing that came out of the sky is? Should we be worried?” “Don’t worry My Little Ponies, everything’s under control. If Luna’s awake please let her know I’d like to introduce her to someone.” Celestia said before in a flash of light two people suddenly appeared. One was an Alicorn like Celestia and Twilight; she had dark blue skin that reminded me of the night sky, and hair that look like it had stars in it. She was wearing a dress that was made in the same style of Celestia’s and it showed a cloudless night with. The other person looked like someone threw at least ten different animals in a DNA splicing blender. “Well that was easy.” Celestia said grinning. “Why didn’t you tell me we had company Tia? I would have put on something special.” The strange being said pretending to be insulted. “I would have, but I didn’t know where you had gone to Discord. You really need to give us some way to contact you.” Celestia said. “Sigmund this is my sister Princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria and monarch of the Night, Moon, and the Warden of Dreams. And this is Discord the Spirit of Chaos. Luna, Discord this is Sigmund.” “It’s very nice to meet you Sigmund. Sister we saw two of the guards dragging an unconscious unicorn who gave off an incredible magical power to the dungeons; do you know why that is?” Luna said. I brought my hand up to my helmet and exclaimed. “We completely forgot!” I then turned to look at Celestia. “Who your sister described is Starlight Glimmer. She not only managed to convince several people to give up their Cutie Marks but she also tried to use old-fashioned mind control tactics to convert, Twilight and her friends to join her cult after forcefully stealing their Cutie Marks and by the laws of the GNA anyone who attempts mind control must be taken into custody immediately or failing that killed.” “Thank you for bringing her here Sigmund, I dread to think what would have happened if she succeeded.” Celestia said as everyone but Luna, Discord, and herself looked shaken at the mention of someone being killed for breaking a law. “If you were in that kind of trouble why didn’t you call me, and I mean that literally! I would have been there in a moment to help.” Discord said looking at Twilight and her friends it was obvious they were embarrassed. “With everything happening and being thrown into that awful room we forgot you could come help us. Sorry Discord.” Fluttershy said. “Well I’m annoyed but I forgive you. After all it's thanks to all of you I’m learning what it means to be a true friend.” Discord said before giving Fluttershy and her friends a giant hug before snapping his fingers and disappearing. “Well how about I give the nine of you a tour of the Honor? And does anyone know where Discord went?” I said trying to lighten the mood. “It would be interesting to see the inside of a spaceship. Guard please let the captain know where we’ll be. As for Discord he tends to come and go as he pleases so there’s no real way of knowing where he went.” Celestia said. “Well, then shall we?” I said as I walked over to the Pelican. “I got dibs on the co-pilot seat this time!” Twilight said. “I want to see what kind of controls the Pelican has.” “I don’t see a problem with that if you don’t touch the control without permission, it takes at least three and a half years to learn how to drive the Pelican and that’s not counting combat training.” I said as the ten of us walked onto the Pelican. “It’s that complex?” Twilight asked as I helped Celestia and Luna strap in. I didn’t answer until Twilight and I were in the cockpit, glancing at Twilight I said. “I don’t know you tell me.” Twilight didn’t answer and just stared in awe at the controls. “I’ll take that as a yes,” I chuckled. “That’s the co-pilot’s seat.” I said pointing to the correct seat, Twilight nodded and sat down and used her magic to quickly get everything in place. “Taking off.” I said as the Pelican lifted into the air. “This is incredible, not even our most advanced airships can take off from the ground so easily.” Celestia said. “So how many people do you have running the Honor?” “Apart from Freya and I, there’s only a skeleton crew of fifty androids, but they are in some DESPERATE need for upgrades.” I said. “What are androids?” Luna asked. “Robots that are built to be human-like in looks but these are VERY old model so they tend to glitch and need repairs frequently, and now I welcome you to the Honor.” I said as the garage bay doors on the top of the ship opened. After I landed the ship and killed the engines I looked at Twilight to see she was almost bursting with excitement. “Are you going to just sit there while I give everyone a tour?” I said shaking my head amused as I got out of my chair. “Don’t start without me!” Twilight yelled as she scrambled out of her chair only to be met by everyone’s laughter. After everyone had gotten out of the Pelican they looked around in amazement. “This place is amazing!” Twilight said. “Welcome to the Honor’s garage bay, please don’t touch anything on the ship unless Sigmund or I give you permission.” Freya said as her hologram form appeared. “Everyone this is my friend and AI partner Freya.” I said. “Hey Freya, after I put my weapons in the armory I’m going to give everyone a small tour.” “Actually Sig, while you were asleep I’ve had plenty of time to study what little Forerunner tech we have and made a few upgrades for your armors, but since you were asleep for so long I didn’t have it active.” Freya said. “Just focus on sending your weapons back to the armory and they’ll be teleported back. However I haven’t figured out how to teleport vehicles or equipment like the Bubble Shield yet or how to send equipment to you and we’ll need to test to see if you can do this on the field.” “How long has THIS ability been active Freya?” I groaned and followed her instructions making my weapons disappeared. “I activated it half way through the Honor’s descent down to the planet, but I didn’t want to interrupt you’re story.” Freya said before asking. “Are you going to show them the rest of your equipment?” “I was thinking about it, but I was mostly thinking of showing them the bridge, Cryo-chambers and med bay.” “Where is Freya’s body?” Rainbow asked as Pinkie kept poking through Freja’s holograph body. “Would you please stop doing that! I have no true physical body. An Artificial Intelligence is in many ways the copy of a person’s mind in the form of data, but that doesn’t mean we like people’s fingers going through us.” Freya as her hologram form disappeared and she reappeared on one of the screens that was used for video chat that was set up throughout the ship. “HOW! WHAT! WHY! I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!” Twilight yelled her mane looking as if she had gone weeks without brushing it. “I must admit, just from seeing this I am incredibly impressed with your technology.” Celestia said. “I agree sister, and you said the ship we came in is a standard version?” Luna asked. “Yup, there’s nothing special about this Pelican. Before I went into Cryo-sleep I had started on some blueprints to upgrade it, but when we ran low on provisions I had to go into the Cryo-chamber but that’s no longer an issue. So now that we’re here I can show you my custom Sabre.” I said as I walked over to a console and began typing in commands. “Just give me a moment to call for it… and done.” Above us a magnetic crane moved above the Pelican. “What’s happening?” Fluttershy asked as the crane picked up the Pelican. “I forgot to mention that certain parts of the Honor a much bigger that they should be, the garage for example has an incredible amount of the UNSC, and Covenant vehicles from the humble Mongooseand Ghost to the powerful Scorpion tankand Wraith I even saw a few Scarabs and some kind of giant bipedal robot in here.” As I spoke I brought up images of the vehicles so the others could see what they look like. “I hope we never need to see them used in battle.” Celestia said. “While it’s comforting to know, you won’t abuse their power, it still worries me if they fell into the wrong hands.” “No worries there, all the vehicles here come equipped with a scanning device to detect GNA soldiers so they can’t turn on without someone in GNA gear and yes Freya and I checked the non GNA vehicles too. I also keep all armor and weapons locked behind high security doors. It would take a master to get past them and even then, it won’t be undetected.” I said as my personal Sabre was place where the Pelican was by a magnetic crane. “And here is my personal Sabre. It’s been customized with better engines and thrusters that I found in one of the storage bays so it’s faster than, all the other YSS-1000 Prototype Anti-Ship Space plane. I haven’t gotten around to the weapons or armor yet but now that I’ve got some time and I don’t have to worry about rationing supplies I can get back to working on it. So, what do all of you think?” Everyone was speechless apart from Rainbow who let out an “Awesome!” under her breath. “So, who wants to see the bridge?” I asked as I sent my Saber back. "ME!" Twilight yelled excitedly making everyone chuckle.