//------------------------------// // Chapter Seven: The Door to Our Ascension // Story: In the Darkness, The Lone Blades Light the Way // by New Lunar Eclipse //------------------------------// * Italics signify that it is being spoken in the species’ native language, or in the universal language of the Covenant, and that this is the closest possible translation. “Captain Shining! What is going on here? What just happened?” Ultra growled fiercely. “I don’t quite know. It appears that we have been infiltrated by an external group. I don’t know what they hope to accomplish, but they’re obviously up to no good. Now come quickly, we need to tell the Princesses what has transpired!” Shining made a few more hoof gestures in rapid succession, sending more guards charging off before gesturing for the aliens to follow. The Ultra, Minor, and Pip-Pap were quick to follow, a contingent of six guards falling into step beside them. Shining led the group of aliens through a large wooden door and into the castle proper. The aliens took a moment or two to appreciate the lavish interior, reminding the two Sangheili warriors of their Keeps back home. The hallways were tall, with grand arches dominating the ceiling and brilliant gold and blue tapestries hung every few meters. In between the tapestries lining the walls were stained glass windows that cast a radiant, colorful light through the hallways, making the air itself feel alive. “This reminds me of the Humans and the buildings they use in their capitals. I also remember how they burned,” the Minor said softly, loud enough for the Ultra to hear but not quite loud enough for Shining Armor or the other guards. *“Quiet Minor, we do not want to reveal to them our war... not yet. Keep your jaws shut for now. And if you have to, speak in our native tongue.” *”As you wish, Ultra.” The Minor’s temper was easily getting the better of him. After all, who was the Ultra to say he was not allowed to boast victories, let alone in front of Ninshin? The higher-ranking Elite was really pissing him off. The thought briefly crossed his mind to stab him in the back with his spare energy sword, but he thought better of it. *In due time... Shining led the ragtag procession around a corner and stopped before a massive door with three sets of guards on either side barring their entrance. “At ease, gentlecolts. I need to see the Princess immediately, something urgent has come up!” At this, the guards smartly raised their spears and the gate slowly creaked open without any visible force. *How is it that all the doors open automatically in this world? Perhaps they are more advanced than I previously thought... the Ultra mused to himself as he witnessed the laws of physics break yet again. Shining Armor wasted no time in hurrying through the doors, and the aliens curiously followed suit, eager to see what awaited them beyond this obviously important gateway. “Princess Celestia! I apologize for the interruption, but I must speak with you at once!” Shining Armor called out as he trotted across the room. The aliens’ eyes turned towards the source of his attention and finally beheld the regal form of Princess Celestia herself. An ivory-white unicorn sat in a massive golden throne, a brilliant red carpet gracing the floor before it and stretching all the way to the door. Her mane was what immediately drew the Ultra’s attention. It was a strange combination of green, blue, and purple, unlike anything any of the other ponies had, and it was flowing serenely despite the air in the room being perfectly still. The Ultra was baffled by this newest strange occurrence. *Perhaps she is the reason why things work so strangely here... The unicorn stared at the group for a moment longer, surprise clearly visible in her violet eyes before she turned to the pair of unicorns she had just been talking to. “I’m terribly sorry, but it appears something has transpired. If you would excuse me, please.” The two unicorns bowed, mumbling their acceptance, and hastily departed the room. “Shining Armor, what is the meaning of this? What has happened?” “I do not know exactly. When the creatures...” the Minor snorted loudly, but was ignored.  “...arrived they agreed to relinquish their weapons, but the page who took them ran off! He subdued a couple guards and was last seen leaving the courtyard, heading towards the Royal Maze. One of the creatures is currently pursuing him. Princess, why would somepony want to steal weapons?” The Princess’s eyes went wide as Shining Armor described the situation. “Oh no...not them...” “Princess?” Shining Armor questioned. Celestia’s gaze suddenly turned firm. “Shining Armor, there is no time to waste. We must track down this thief immediately! Quickly, let us make haste to the maze. Has the Guard been alerted?” Celestia stood and began swiftly walking towards the exit. As she did so, the Ultra noticed that Celestia was quite a bit taller than any of the equines he had seen before, and as she walked closer he saw her spread a pair of white wings in agitation. The Ultra mulled this new information over. *She has a horn and wings? I haven’t seen any other equines with both these features; it must be a sign of leadership. “Yes, Princess. We are securing all exits now. He won’t get out without a fight.” Celestia nodded approvingly, but before anything could be said a side door burst open, another Royal Guard running flat out into the room. “Captain! Princess! There’s been an explosion in the Royal Plaza, you must come at once!!” The Ultra stepped out of the castle into the bright sunshine. After the guard had hurriedly entered the throne room, Celestia and Shining Armor took off immediately, barreling through the many corridors in a panic. The Ultra and his squad had moved swiftly in order to follow them, poor Pip-Pap having to practically sprint to keep up. Shading his eyes from the brilliant midday sun, the Ultra surveyed the plaza with curiosity. It took up a reasonably large area, with high castle walls encompassing most of it. There were some tables and chairs placed strategically throughout, obviously with the intent of giving ponies a comfortable place to sit and enjoy the beautiful sunshine. There were quite a lot of them in the plaza as well, but they weren’t sitting and enjoying they seemed to be...panicking? Yes, that was it, panicking. Or staring. Almost all of the ponies in the square were standing in a large, circular mass, clustered around some sort of commotion while a few others ran around screaming foolishly, but at the sight of Princess Celestia and Shining Armor hurrying towards the disturbance they quieted. It was dead silent in the plaza except for the contingent of six pegasus guards trotting towards the center from the other side of the plaza. The Ultra heard the Princess say something to the one Royal Guard in the center of the mass of ponies. It sounded like, “that’s enough, Sergeant.” It wasn’t until the Ultra moved closer that he noticed how out-of-place the small cluster of Royal Guards standing in the middle of the circle was. And the smoldering crater. And the small, prone figure who was lying, unmoving, just a few feet away from said crater. Strangely enough, the figure didn’t look like a pony, it was more like... “Bok!!” the Ultra shouted in alarm, before breaking into a sprint, easily overtaking Celestia and Shining Armor as they too headed towards the disturbance. The Ultra briefly heard Celestia shout something at him as he ran by, but he ignored her. A member of his squad was down, and he had every intention of upholding his honor by assessing the situation himself. Two sets of audible footsteps behind him confirmed that the Minor and Pip-Pap were following, also in full-blown sprints. Somepony screamed. Evidently, the sight of three strange aliens charging directly at the crowd was scary enough to warrant panic. Who would’ve known? The sudden outcry caused everypony in the crowd to turn towards the rapidly approaching aliens, and what followed could only be described as mass hysteria. The crowd of ponies began screaming in force, pushing and shoving at each other as they streamed away from the center of the plaza. The Ultra didn’t care what they did, he honestly found the whole situation rather amusing. *Just one less obstacle to deal with. Unfortunately, the Royal Guards were not so intimidated, and three pegasi stood side by side, lowering their spears at the approaching Ultra in a phalanx position. “Halt, creature! This area is under the control of-” The Ultra cut off the guard’s words with a fierce battle roar. Deploying his wrist blade, he bellowed another battle cry as he slashed forward. There was a series of metallic clanks as the sword cleanly cleaved each of their spears in half. Using his forward momentum to his advantage, the Ultra barreled into the now defenceless phalanx, knocking the middle stallion to the ground with a vicious elbow to the jaw. His comrades joined the fray, the Minor dispatching the rightmost guard with a solid punch to the face while Pip-Pap leaped on top of the final guard, screeching a furious battle cry. If the crowd was in hysterics before, the sight of their beloved Royal Guard being attacked by strange aliens sent them into a frenzied terror. The Ultra stood over Bok’s still body, bellowing a challenge to the remaining four guards, who looked at each other tensely. Didn’t the aliens have their weapons relinquished? However, it did not escape the guards’ notice that the creatures had refrained from killing their comrades, despite the ease with which they could have. They nonetheless lowered their spears at the Ultra, but rather than charging they started to surround him a little bit. The Ultra turned to see the Minor standing up after punching out Pip-Pap’s opponent. At least the Minor also had the sense not to murder a guard in front of the ponies’ esteemed leader, thank the Prophets. Looking down at Bok again, he saw the chest containing their weapons clutched securely in his arms, and he stooped down to pick it up. Examining the chest, the Ultra saw that it was sealed with some sort of metallic locking device. Shearing the lock off disdainfully with his wrist blade, the Ultra opened up the chest and passed Pip-Pap his plasma pistol and the Minor a sword. *”Set up a perimeter while I check on Bok. Do not engage them, for they are not our enemies, but we will defend our comrade.” His subordinates nodded, and moved to opposite sides of him, brandishing their weapons at the remaining guards threateningly. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!! Calm down, everypony! What in the hay is going on here?” Shining Armor called accusingly as he ran up to the combat site. The Ultra looked in his direction to see a rather infuriated Captain of the Guard accosting him, trotting briskly in his direction. Pip-Pap moved to impede his progress, but at a grunt from the Ultra he stepped back, allowing Shining Armor to pass. Princess Celestia, serene as ever, hung back to watch the proceedings. “Hey, what exactly is your problem? I don’t know how you act on your planet, but around here you can’t just barge in and start bashing Royal Guards’ heads together! Well? Explain yourself!” Shining Armor demanded, pressing his face as close as he dared to the Ultra. The Minor snorted derisively at the sudden request, but the Ultra ignored him. “Our squadmate was down. We were simply running to get to him, but your men insisted on detaining us. Our leaders constantly preach the importance of kinship, and more importantly, it is dishonorable to ignore the needs of an injured subordinate. We had to reach him, especially when the retrieval of our weapons is on the line.” Shining Armor opened his mouth to say something, but was quieted by one of Celestia’s wings gently touching his back. “It is quite alright, Shining. We are unaware of their customs, and should have informed our guards to be more open to them. Nopony was seriously hurt. We shall forgive them this impasse.” Shining’s jaw worked silently for a moment or two before he finally shut it and nodded. “As you wish, Princess.” Celestia nodded appreciatively before turning back to the Ultra. “Your comrade. Is he well?” The Ultra sheathed his wrist blade and bent down to inspect Bok properly. Nodding to the others, they also lowered their weapons into a passive stance, the Minor’s swords sizzling into nothing. The Ultra carefully turned Bok onto his stomach and cringed when he saw the blackened flesh. It was still sizzling slightly, and ranked of a foul odor even more pungent than his usual salty smell. After a few more moments of inspection he answered. “He seems to be stable, but his right ankle is broken. He has a nasty gash on his cheek and his back and shoulder are badly burned. Tell me Princess, I did not expect your race capable of  inflicting such injuries, how did this happen?” Celestia’s expression darkened before she responded. “Very powerful magic. The kind designed to inflict pain, and possibly even kill. The fact that your friend has suffered such injuries confirms one of my greatest fears...” The Ultra paused in disbelief, taking a moment to absorb what he thought he had just heard. His comrades were similarly bewildered. “Magic?? What sort of devilry-” Celestia held up a hoof to stop him. “Please. All will be explained in good time. For the moment, we need to get your friend the care he needs.” She clopped her front hooves together, and two Royal Guards with a stretcher cantered forth. Celestia’s horn lit up with a familiar golden aura, encompassing Bok’s body with its glow and gently lifting him onto the stretcher. The Covenant gaped as they finally made the connection between the strange auras they kept seeing everywhere. “So...that was...magic??” the Ultra asked shakily. This world truly was strange, and possibly even more advanced than he previously thought, but at the same time less. It seemed that with the use of ‘magic’ the ponies did not need to rely on technology as much, thus it was lagging behind that of other civilizations. Celestia nodded serenely. “A simple levitation spell, yes. Now if you’ll excuse me, the suddenness of today’s events leaves me with a few things I must attend to. Go now and stay with your friend. When he awakes, ask the staff for a meeting with me. There is much we must discuss.” The Ultra nodded in agreement. “Indeed there is...very well. We will stay with Bok for now.” “Then fare thee well, er...how shall I address you? I’m afraid that detail was lost in the resulting chaos.” The Ultra nodded again. “You may refer to me as Ultra for now.” If Celestia was surprised by the strangeness of the name she didn’t show it. “Very well. Fare thee well, Ultra. I await our meeting.” “You as well, Princess Celestia.” Celestia nodded once before turning and walking away with Shining Armor, the two of them talking hurriedly in hushed whispers. The Ultra looked back to Bok, who was now being carried off towards the castle. Jerking his head in that direction, the Ultra set off after him, the Minor and Pip-Pap following close behind. The door to the infirmary closed with a soft thud that echoed down the still halls. The blue unicorn that was their guide turned and began walking down one of the many corridors. With a flash from his horn, the chest of weapons that had been sitting just outside, under the watchful gaze of a pair of Royal Guards, levitated into the air and floated to his side. Fortunately, this time Shining Armor was sure to interrogate the unicorn thoroughly before allowing him to escort the troublesome casket. The Ultra looked around as he fell into step behind the unicorn, his eyes finally resting on the slim form of the Kig-Yar walking next to him. The ponies’ healing magic was truly a marvel. Only an hour after his admittance to the infirmary Bok was once again walking, albeit with a slight limp. His back and shoulders were heavily bandaged, as the doctors were not quite able to fully heal injuries inflicted by such powerful magic. The gash on his cheek was sealed, but not completely, and the Ultra figured Bok would probably bear that scar for the rest of his life. *”Good work retrieving the weapons, Bok. You did well. How are you holding up?” Bok looked up at the Ultra in surprise, but quickly answered. *”Bok feel much better. Ponies good healers. Can walk again, pain in back much less.” The Ultra nodded at the response. *”That is good. We should try to stay in the best possible fighting condition, should it come to that.” Bok nodded in response before returning his gaze to their surroundings, sweeping his eyes around in constant awareness, as his race was wont to do. That was what made Kig-Yar such good scouts, after all: their constant vigilance. The Ultra always felt much safer with a friendly Kig-Yar or two in the vicinity, and Bok was one of the best. The Kig-Yar’s gaze fell on the levitating chest of weapons, and he gestured to it. *”How ponies do that? Weapons moving by themselves. Doesn’t seem possible.” The Ultra’s expression darkened slightly as he responded. *”Apparently, the ponies with horns can use ‘magic’.” Bok turned to the Ultra and gaped openly. *”Magic?? Magic not real! ...Right?” The Ultra shook his head slowly. *”Evidently it is. I cannot explain the things it does otherwise. The ponies’ leader, Princess Celestia, told me herself. Magic is how the doors open by themselves, how things can float without being touched, and how the doctors healed your leg,” the Ultra responded, gesturing toward the Kig-Yar’s right ankle. Bok clicked to himself thoughtfully before responding with a slight chuckle. *That why ponies such good healers. That how bad pony make invisible wall and shoot purple. Purple hurt.” Bok paused for a moment before continuing to mumble thoughtfully to himself. *”Ponies with horn use magic. Ponies with wings fly. Ponies with neither...do something. Not sure yet.” The Ultra chuckled a bit as Bok rambled. *”Good work, Bok. If there is one thing I can count on, it’s your powers of observation. Continue to collect as much information on this world as you can.” Bok nodded in affirmation as the group of aliens followed their guide around a corner, pausing once again before the gigantic door to the royal quarters. The unicorn stepped forward and murmured something to the guards, who promptly stepped aside and opened the doors with their ‘magic.’ Stepping inside the room he called out, “announcing her Royal Excellency, Princess Celestia of Equestria! Your Highness, the creatures from another world would see you now.” The aliens followed the unicorn into the room expecting to see Princess Celestia seated in her throne, but were surprised to see her staring out of a window in the far side of the room instead. She did not speak, or even acknowledge their presence, simply continuing to stare out the window. She seemed...sad. Something was clearly bothering her. The page cleared his throat and spoke again. “Ahem, your Highness? Is something the matter? Shall I call the Guard? The kitchens? Your sister?” Princess Celestia finally snapped out of her stupor, turning her gaze towards the assembled congregation, who in turn was shocked to see obvious tear stains on her cheeks. However, when she spoke her voice was as steady as ever. “No, Cobalt Shine. That will be all. Leave us, please.” Cobalt Shine bowed and left the room, the chest of weapons floating out with him. Just before the doors closed, he addressed the aliens. “Creatures, I am leaving your weapons with the Guardsmen, you may retrieve them once your meeting with the Princess is completed. Good day, sirs.” And with that, the blue unicorn exited the room, the doors slowly swinging shut behind him. The Minor growled as the doors shut, but quieted at a touch from the Ultra. Hastily, he shrugged his arm off his shoulder. Turning to face Celestia, the Ultra inclined his head in respect and spoke. “Princess Celestia. We thank you for this meeting, there is much we wish to inquire about. This world is quite strange to us. But first, your demeanor seems considerably more somber than when we first met. Has something grave occurred?” Celestia was silent for a moment, her eyes shifting between the four aliens before she responded. “When your ship crash landed in the Everfree, I dispatched several patrols to investigate the occurrence. Normally during a meteor shower, all of the meteors burn up upon reentry. The collision of an object of considerable size with the ground is quite unusual. “However, one of my teams failed to report back that night. I sent additional teams to search for them, and I just received word that they found the missing squad. They...they were killed. All of them. Slashed apart by something incredibly sharp.” Celestia’s voice wavered slightly as she spoke the last few sentences, and another tear squeezed its way out of her eyes and ran down her cheek. The Ultra was taken aback by this emotional display. “We are sorry for your loss. It is clear that you care greatly about your subjects, and that is an admirable trait. While we were in the so-called ‘Everfree’ we were attacked by a group of ‘Timberwolves,’ as your subjects called them. We defended ourselves. The Everfree seems like a dangerous place, perhaps your squad fell prey to a group of Timberwolves, or something more deadly?” The Ultra’s thoughts cast back to the monstrous beasts on Reach and shuddered at the thought. Celestia nodded. “Yes, there are several creatures in the Everfree that could be responsible for this tragedy. However, my guards are well-trained in combat and more than familiar with the dangers of the Everfree. I would like to think that they are capable of handling themselves, but I suppose this proves that the forest is more wild and unpredictable than ever...you are fortunate to have made it out mostly unscathed.” The Minor snorted at that comment, eliciting a suspicious glance from both Celestia and the Ultra, but was otherwise ignored. “We are more than capable of dealing with whatever may lie in those woods. I regret to tell you that the only ponies we saw in the forest were the small trio that we followed to the town. I know nothing of your troops’ demise. I am sorry.” Celestia nodded once before she composed herself and trotted back to her throne. Taking a seat, she gazed serenely at the four aliens. “Thank you for your concern, Ultra. I apologize for admitting you during such a vulnerable time, but I only received the news ten minutes ago and did not wish to delay our meeting. I imagine you have many questions you wish to ask me. I will answer them all as appropriate, but I have some questions as well. All I wish to know is this: what are you, and why are you here?” Seeing the Ultra’s hesitation, Celestia spoke again, this time more forcefully. “I have given you plenty of independence during your visit to the castle, despite having no knowledge whatsoever of what you are or what plans you may have. I might add, by the way, that your show of force in the Royal Plaza was most unacceptable, and should it happen again I would be thoroughly displeased. I can no longer risk the safety of my subjects. You WILL tell me about yourselves, or else I will rescind our hospitality and trust. Now, speak.” The Ultra was impressed by this sudden forcefulness. Celestia was clearly a seasoned leader with many years of experience. She knew when the usage of force was appropriate. However, before he could open his mouth to respond the belligerent idiot standing next to him opened his. “How dare you address us in such a manner, you foul Ninshin-” Before the Minor could finish his sentence the Ultra cut him off. Releasing a roar of frustration, the Ultra turned and punched the Minor straight in the jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground and breaking his shields with its considerable force. “You ignorant fool!” the Ultra bellowed in a rage. “Keep your tongue inside your stupid head! Know you not whom you speak to? I am in charge here, and I will do the speaking, not any of you! Am I understood?” Pip-Pap and Bok nodded hurriedly, eager to not incur the Ultra’s rage. The Minor rubbed his jaw and glared angrily at the Ultra, hatred seething in his onyx eyes. For a few tense moments he said nothing, but finally relented. “Yes, Ultra,” he replied, his distaste evident in every word he spoke. The Ultra, still not quite satisfied, spoke again. “When we return to the Covenant, your disrespect will be reported, brother. And you will be punished as the Prophets see fit.” “Yes, Ultra,” the Minor repeated as he stood up. He continued to glare daggers at the Ultra, but said no more. Celestia regarded the Ultra with a raised eyebrow, obviously questioning his sudden outburst. “I’m sorry you had to witness that, Princess,” the Ultra began to explain. “We four are members of the Covenant, a conglomeration of space-faring species that have united with the sole purpose of walking the path towards the Great Journey. I am a Sangheili, as is my red squad member. Bok is a Kig-Yar and Pip-Pap is an Unggoy. There are other species in the Covenant, but they tend not to participate in stealth operations as we do.” The Ultra nodded to his team, and the two Sangheili and Pip-Pap activated their camouflage, their forms slowly dissolving into nothingness. Celestia’s eyes widened as the Ultra’s voice rang out yet again. “As you can see, my team, or at least what’s left of it, specializes in stealth and reconnaissance. Both our camouflage abilities and our weapons are some of our cutting edge technology, which I will admit is quite superior to yours. “As Sangheili, our lives are bound by an inflexible code of honor, one that does not reward cowardice, treachery, or insubordination. A fact that some of us are appearing to forget,” the Ultra finished, glaring at the Minor. The crimson Elite matched the glare with equal, if not greater, hatred. “As for our arrival on your world, I will admit that we are not quite sure what happened. The last thing we saw was one of our enemies with a strange device aboard one of our larger ships. Somehow he must have triggered an explosion that sucked our ship into an unstable slip-space rupture, bringing us here entirely by accident. All we want is your assistance in getting us back to the Covenant, so that we may continue walking the path of honor and glory that will lead us to our salvation.” If Celestia was particularly surprised or angered by the Ultra’s explanation, she did not show it. The Ultra mentally revised his previous assessment of her. She was a very, very good leader. “Very well, my questions are satisfied. As the Princess of Equestria, I would like to personally welcome you to our peaceful realm, and I implore you to keep it that way. You may now ask of me any question you see fit.” The Ultra inclined his head again. “Thank you, Your Highness. First of all, I have noticed that you are the only pony I’ve seen to possess both wings and a horn. Does that make you special in some way?” Celestia smiled slightly as she answered. “Yes, it does. A pony with a horn is called a ‘unicorn,’ a pony with wings is called a ‘pegasus,’ and a pony with neither is an ‘earth pony.’ And I, along with my sister, Princess Luna, am an ‘alicorn.’ I use my magic to raise and lower the sun every day, and Luna uses her magic to control the moon and stars. Together, the two of us maintain harmony in Equestria, and have done so for millennia.” The aliens were silent for a few moments. The ponies controlled the moon and sun? The Royal Sisters had lived for millennia? They were older than even the Prophets! The Ultra finally spoke again. “About this...‘magic’...” At this, Celestia’s ghost of a smile broke into an outright grin. “Ah yes, the question we’ve all been waiting for. The truth is, Equestria is itself a magical land, and all types of ponies have their own innate magic. Pegasus ponies can fly, walk on clouds, and control the weather. Earth Ponies are blessed with immense strength and have a special connection with the land itself. Unicorns can use their horns as a conduit to manipulate the universe around them in a multitude of ways. Alicorns can do all three. There are only three of us, however: myself, my sister, and my niece Princess Cadence.” The Ultra’s head was spinning from all of this information. Before this meeting he was convinced that this world was strange. Now it broke almost every law of the universe he had previously taken for granted. Perhaps this wasn’t real life at all? Perhaps they all died and were sent to some perverse afterlife?? “I will not lie to you Celestia. This world is strange, and some of what you just described troubles me greatly. My comrades and I would like nothing more than to return to the Covenant and resume our efforts to reach the Great Journey. Does your species have any methods of space travel that we may use?” Celestia frowned as she processed the Ultra’s request. “Alas, I am afraid not. We have always been happy here and have never considered life among the stars. I am terribly sorry, but I am at a loss regarding how to help you. Perhaps we could provide you with materials so you can repair your ship. However, I do have one question. What is this Great Journey that you keep mentioning?” The Ultra regarded Celestia evenly, carefully considering his response. “Celestia. I have thought long and hard on how much to reveal to you. Your people have treated us with kindness and compassion, despite our...disagreements. Hopefully by revealing this information we can demonstrate our honor and trustworthiness, and reinforce our need to leave. The Great Journey is the activation of seven Sacred Rings. When this happens we will discover a way to transcend the physical world and become divine, just as our Gods have. All races who are non-believers or unworthy of the journey will be left behind, except for those standing in our way. But have no fear Celestia, for we mean no ill intent.” “And...what happens to those who ‘stand in your way’?” “Princess, even as we speak...we are waging war against defilers of the artifacts: the Humans.” A tense silence settled over the room. Celestia’s face, as always, was unreadable but the Ultra could feel the change in the room’s mood. “A war?” Celestia finally said softly, her voice getting harder with the next words. She stood up swiftly and strode back to the window, staring out at whatever she could find to hold her attention. “I had my suspicions. The way you act, the way you treat each other, the weapons...clearly you are all soldiers. I hoped it was not true, but it seems my hopes have once again been crushed...” Celestia turned once again to face the aliens, her face as stony as ever. “You are soldiers, correct?” The Ultra did not hesitate to answer. “Yes, Your Highness, we are. As Sangheili, we are the leader class of the Covenant. ‘Ultra’ is not actually my name, it is my rank. The same goes for the Minor. I am in command of the remains of this Spec Ops team. Our entire race consists of warriors, for war is our way of life. “Kig-Yar such as Bok are typically used as scouts and shock troops, but on this team he is our sniper. Pip-Pap, and all other Unggoy, are deployed as...support troops. There are other races as well, and each serve their unique purpose to the Prophets, who lead us towards the Great Journey. I assure you Princess, our war does not extend to your people. We have no quarrel with you, and there is no honor to be found from killing innocents. It is the Humans who attempt to impede our progress to the Great Journey.” Celestia’s calm demeanor finally broke, and an expression of anger took over her face as she spoke. “What does it matter? War is all-consuming. Your leaders will eventually find a way to convince you we are your enemies, and then there will be no peace. Why have you not told us of this!? Do you know how hard my sister and I have worked to maintain peace for centuries??” “The war is one of purging! The Humans have desecrated Forerunner artifacts, destroying and misusing them. The Forerunner are our Gods, and the Prophets are their beacons. I implore you to hear my words, Celestia. We mean you no harm, for your people know nothing of the Forerunner. Once the Humans are defeated, we will progress to the Great Journey, and this planet will be left in peace.” “Forerunner?” Celestia asked suddenly, her mood suddenly shifting from angry to thoughtful. “Have they been wiped out...or are no longer around, by any chance?” The Ultra paused, contemplating his next words carefully. “From what the Prophets tell us, for one hundred thousand years they have been extinct. But they live on through their ruins. And from these ruins, we will be guided to, and take, the Great Journey.” The Princess was silent for a long moment before speaking quietly, almost too quiet for the Ultra’s helmet to pick up. “I’m going to need you all to follow me...there is something I believe you need to see.” The Covenant squad compiled and followed her as she exited the room into a long corridor. Five minutes later, the group was still walking, twisting and turning through a part of the castle they had not yet seen. From the feel of the elevation they were heading down into the bowels of the mountain. Soon the light was artificial, its sickly glow being cast by various gems embedded in the walls. It was then that the corridor finally ended, and at this dead end the Princess stopped and motioned to the symbol on the wall directly in front of them. “Well? Does this symbol look familiar to any of you?”