The Mountain Among the Stars

by Johnjohns

V: Beginnings

I could have saved her. I could have saved all of them.

“Testing communication link,” said the pilot. “Zenith, do you copy?”

“This is Zenith one. Read you loud and clear, Maverick four,” replied a female voice, which came from the speakers in the cockpit.

“This is Zenith three, communications checks out green,” said a male voice.

“Roger that,” said the pilot. “Be ready to depart in less than five minutes.”

“Copy.”

“Copy.”

Scott listened to the conversation going on in the pelican, from outside. He sat upon a large, military crate within one of Everest’s large launch bays. Next to him, sat John and Henry, each staring off into a different part of the hangar. The room was large enough to hold two pelican transports, one of which was their ride down to the planet. The other vehicle was currently being worked on by several engineers, who were removing a pair of external fuel tanks on the wings, and replacing them with dual anvil missile pods. In one corner, a group of marines chatted quietly, while several others walked around on patrol.

Scott turned around in his seat when he heard footsteps approaching from behind. Ray and Brian walked up to the three. Brian sat down, while Ray carried a sniper rifle over to the Pelican, and put it in the overhead storage.

“Ray,” began Henry with a sigh. “What are you doing?”

Ray looked over. “What?” he asked.

“I highly doubt that that is necessary,” said John, gesturing at the anti-material rifle.

“Hey,” said Ray, raising his hands in a defensive position. “You never know when you are going to need it.” he finished stowing the weapon away and walked over to the group. “Why are you guys so quiet?”

“Why aren’t you?” asked Brian in a mocking tone.

“Because quiet is boring,” said Ray. He turned to Scott. “What’s the deal? When are we heading out?”

“The admiral should be here any minute,” replied Scott. “Just hang tight for now.”

Ray opened his mouth to speak, but said nothing, and sat down instead. “Do you think that this whole meeting is going to go smoothly, sir?” he asked.

Scott shrugged slightly. “Can’t say. All I know is that it is our job to do everything in our power to make sure that it does. That means we all have to be on top of our game. I mean it. Although it certainly won't be the most dangerous mission we have been sent out on, it might be the most important one yet. Think about it.” he said. “Forming an alliance with these beings could be a crucial factor that would allow us to be able to resist the Covenant more efficiently. Who knows? Perhaps this is the jump-start that we need in order to finally turn the tide of the war in our favor. We cannot screw this up.”

Ray silently nodded in agreement.

“What do you guys think about them?” asked Brian. “The aliens. They look pretty weird to me.”

“Tell me about it,” said John. “These just might be the silliest looking aliens I have ever seen. Heck. They even outmatch those damn Covenant engineers.”

“I don't know man,” said Ray. “Those floaty-squids are pretty funny-looking.”

“Yeah until they explode in your face,” said Henry. “Then they aren't so funny. I dunno. I think that these guys are kinda cute.”

“Bro,” said Ray. “You are an ODST. You lost the right to use that word a long time ago.”

“How so?” asked Henry. “I don’t remember that being in part of the rules.”

“Yeah,” said Ray. “It clearly states in section G one eighteen of the handbook, that Henry is no longer a human being, and because of this, can no longer have any friendly emotions, or live normally in regular society.”

The group laughed.

“Well, guess what,” said Scott. “You two can argue about which alien looks the cutest or the stupidest, another time. Here comes Old King Cole.”

The five men stood up and saluted as Cole walked into the hanger, and over to them.

“Are you boys ready?” he asked.

“Ready as we will ever be, sir,” replied Scott with a smile.

“Very good,” said Cole, walking past him, and stepping into the pelican. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

“Yes, sir,” the group replied. The all picked up their weapons and helmets off of the crates, and headed into the dropship.

Scott walked up to the cabin, and tapped the pilot on the shoulder. “We are ready to head out,” he said. The pilot nodded. Scott returned to his seat, and the troop-bay door closed, and a red light turned on to illuminate the interior. “Strap yourselves in, everyone.” he said, and looked across the aisle to the Admiral, who was fumbling with his harness. “Do you need some help, sir?”

“No,” said Cole, finally clamping his harness into place. “I’ve got it.”

“This is Maverick four, to bridge,” said the pilot from the cabin. “We are ready to go. Requesting permission to depart, over.”

“Roger that Mav four,” said a voice. “Preparing to open hangar bay doors. Stand by.”

Outside the pelican, yellow warning lights flashed inside of the transport bay, and a female voice echoed from a loudspeaker.

“Warning,” said the voice. “All crewmembers please exit the hangar bay immediately. Please store away any loose equipment, and lock down all crates.”

Everyone in the room immediately stopped what they were doing. Engineers picked up their tools and carried them out of the hangar. The soldiers followed behind them, and once everyone was out, the doors to the hallways sealed shut. An alarm sounded as the room depressurized. In thirty seconds, the entire atmosphere of the room had been sucked out, and the interior vacuum became in equilibrium with that of the cold space outside. A loud metallic click reverberated throughout the hangar bay and soon after, the massive, interlocking blast doors began to slide open in opposite directions. What once used to be a wall of over two and a half meters of solid titanium, now moved aside to reveal a void of vast nothingness.

“Maverick four, you are cleared to depart,” said the voice from the bridge. “Have a safe flight.”

“Thank you, command,” said the pilot, while flipping several switches on the ceiling of the cabin. “Maverick four out.”

The pelican shuttered as the engines started up, and the thrusters engaged, lifting the craft off of the deck, rotating it around one-hundred and eighty degrees, and propelling it out through the wide opening. As the shuttle departed, the second pelican in the hangar shrunk away from view, and the doors began to close.

The ship flew outward away from Everest, and then looped back around to pass underneath the cruiser, and towards the mysterious planet, which loomed ominously in the distance. As the pelican passed by Everest, two bolts of light suddenly fired out of the craft’s port side. The lights closed the distance between the Everest and the pelican within a few seconds, but then slowed to flank the shuttle on either side. The two longsword fighters matched the pelican’s speed, and fell into a triangle formation as the three ships flew straight down to the planet below.

Scott leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes, attempting to clear his head of any and all doubts. After all, it was just another mission. However, something told him that there would be a lot less action, and a lot more relative inactivity. Something about being sent onto an unknown planet, filled with alien creatures that supposedly were not going to shoot you the second your eyes met, bothered Scott. I was an odd feeling, and he did not like it in the slightest.

“You alright, Sergeant?” asked John, who sat across from Scott.

Scott nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he said. “I’m fine.”

The reeking smell of phosphorus hovered in the air underneath the starless sky. The atmosphere, being choked out by smoke from the ever spreading destruction caused by the distant Covenant glassing beams, made the sky to look like an ever swirling pool of murky water. An even mix of friendly and hostile aircraft darted to and fro across the grey pool, chasing and killing one another in a never ending dance of chaos and destruction.

The scene above his head and the scene directly before his eyes were no less dreary than the other. Scott jogged alongside the still unfamiliar ODST down Policant Street. City Hall was now only a couple blocks away, and was already showering the two soldiers with the golden light that illuminated from the building. As they reached the final block before the skyscraper, the buildup of abandoned vehicles stopped due to the massive four roadblocks that had risen out of the street, in the middle of each lane. The two passed between the barriers, and made their way down the final, vacant city block.

The building sat upon a raised foundation, that stood about ten meters higher than the street level, and shallow concrete steps were required to scale the wall. The four-laned thoroughfare, upon reaching the building, wrapped around the structure in a circle, and continued in the same direction, on the opposite side. Several smaller streets connected to the circle as well.

As the two approached the building, a large spotlight suddenly cast its blinding gaze upon them, coming from the wall. Thankfully, Scott’s visor adjusted almost instantly so that he could see through the strong beam of light. The two ODST’s stopped in their tracks.

“Friendlies!” called out a voice from the wall. “Coming up the main stairs! Everyone hold your fire!”

The spotlight switched off, and allowed the new arrivals to pass. They climbed up the stairs, and were met by over twenty marines, one of whom rushed over to greet them.

“Troopers,” called the marine as he reached the two. “I’m Lance Corporal, Fox. Thank god you’re here. We are gonna need all of the help we can get. Word has it that all of downtown is lost, and that Covenant forces are coming here next. We only have certain amount of-”

“Corporal,” interrupted Scott. “Where is your commanding officer?”

The marine paused. “He should be in the courtroom, on the third floor,” said Fox. “That’s where the FOB has been set up.”

“Thank you, soldier,” said Scott. He looked over to the other ODST, who nodded.

They both proceeded into the building’s main lobby, which now appeared to have been converted into a field hospital. Instead of civilians waiting for their court appointments, soldiers rested back to back on the benches. Some were asleep, others wide awake, but almost all of them were bloodied and bandaged up in some way.

They both walked into the elevator, and Scott’s new partner pressed a holographic key, to take them to the third floor. The doors slid shut, the elevator climbed up to the third level quickly, and the doors opened again. The two weren’t in the elevator any longer than ten seconds. Before them was a wide hallway, with a solid wall on the left, bearing a single set of double doors. On the right side, were several doors, spaced out every ten meters or so. Scott assumed them to be offices for the city planning board. The other ODST took the lead, and pushed open the double doors that led into the courtroom. Scott followed him inside. In the center of the room, several large tables had been set up, on which rested many computers and heavy metal crates. Thick cables ran across the solid-wood floor from one machine to another. The wooden stands on the side of the room were vacant, as well as the judge’s seat. Several officers were in the room, as well as a guard at each entrance, the closest of whom, walked up and stopped the two ODSTs.

“Hold it right there, you two,” he said. “What business do you have here?”

“We are ODST’s from the 105’s second platoon of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers,” said Scott. “We request permission to speak with your commanding officer.”

“I’m sorry, but he is very busy right now, and-”

“It’s alright, marine,” said a man, who walked up from behind the guard. Quickly glancing at his patch, Scott realized that he was a Sergeant-Major.

“You can stand down, now,” he said to the marine.

The marine nodded. “Yes, sir,” he said, before returning to his post. Scott and the stranger immediately stood to attention before the officer.

“Now,” he began. “How may I help you two?”

“Sir,” said Scott. “Corporal Scott Jeffries, sir. We are ODSTs from the 105’s second platoon. We have orders to assist in the evacuation of any and all civilians from the city. How may we be of assistance, sir?”

“Ah,” said the officer. “Captain De Blanc sent you didn’t he? I was wondering when you guys were going to show up.” he looked past the two. “How many of you came?”

“It’s just us right now, sir,” said the other ODST. “However, there were about another twenty or thirty ODST’s who came down as well. I assume that they will be here shortly. I saw that some of them landed quite a distance from the city center, so that might explain as to why they have not arrived yet.”

“Well,” said the Sergeant Major. “They had better get here fast. Covenant forces are making a hard push uptown. Initial forces will most likely be arriving in less than twenty minutes. We are going to need as many able-bodied soldiers as we possibly can. Much of the garrison here are guys who have been wounded, and transported here, from the front. Unless I say otherwise, you two should head up to the top floor, and see what you can do to help. Pelican dropships have been arriving every ten minutes, to transport civilians out of the city, from the upper landing pad of this building. I have my First Sergeant in charge of the evacuations. You are to report to him, and see what you can do to help."

"Yes, sir," they both said in unison.

“Very good,” said the officer. “Dismissed.”

Scott and the other soldier turned, and quickly marched out of the courtroom, letting the doors close noisily behind them. They made their way back to the elevator, and began their ascent to the top floor. The trip took about forty seconds, and as soon as the doors opened again, the two were thrust right into chaos. The hallway was completely filled with people, almost all of whom were acting anything but civilized. Marines struggled to keep the civilians in line, as they all awaited their rides out of the city. Mothers comforted their crying children, while husbands stood watch, scanning the disorganized scene for any threats to their families. Some people stood with solemn expressions. Others wept quietly to themselves, while a few shouted and cursed at the soldiers, demanding that they be allowed a ride first. Of course, the marines couldn’t allow that. A somewhat sense of order had to be maintained, and that meant that everyone had to wait their turn.

Scott surveyed the scene, and noticed a junior officer approaching rapidly towards them. He had a darker skin than Scott, and he assumed that the man was of Spanish heritage.

“You two,” said the man. “Sergeant-Major Decker sent you two here, correct?”

It was a little difficult to hear the man over the noise of the crowd, but he Scott managed to understand. He looked over at the other ODST with uncertainty, even though he couldn’t see the other’s face behind his visor. “We didn’t catch his name, sir,” said Scott. “But, we were sent by an officer of the same rank, so most likely.”

“Whatever,” said the man. “It doesn't matter to me. I’m First-Sergeant Joseph Ramirez.” he said. “We are up to our wastes in shit up here, and I don’t have time for long introductions. I’ve got another two floors down, filled with angry people that need to be evacuated out of here. Currently, the Covenant are making their advance faster than we have been able to get the civvies out of here. I’ve only got so many pelicans devoted to helping us out, and given the time it takes to pick people up, take them to the ship, drop them off, and come back...” he paused. “Let’s just say that things are going a bit too slowly for my liking, and there isn’t much that I can do about it. I need you two on the landing pad, making sure that no one cuts the line, and making sure that people get onto the dropships safely, and quickly. I have my men spread too far thin, and most of them are maintaining the peace on the floors below us, so I would very much appreciate your help.”

“Sir,” said the other ODST. “Whatever you need, sir. That’s what we are here for.”

“Great,” he said, quickly running past the two and shouting to a marine. “Hey, Bruno! What’s the ETA of the next pickup?”

“Five minutes, sir.”

“Damn,” he said. “What are they doing, taking the scenic route? Tell them to hurry their asses up!”

“Yes sir.”

“Now!”

“Yes sir.”

The two pushed their way through the crowd of nervous people as they made their way down the hallway, to the landing pad. The marine guarding a pair of automatic glass doors let them pass, and the doors slid open. Suddenly Scott was outside again. The platform was wide, and relatively vacant, except for a few soldiers who stood on the platform, holding their rifles at a forty-five degree angle, at waist level. A pair of two marines stood, looking over the railing, on the right side of the platform. One of them turned, and upon seeing the two ODSTs, nudged the marine next to him, and gestured at the two, making an inaudible comment. Scott pretended not to pay attention, and instead walked over to the opposite side of the pad. Below him, about eighty stories down, was the street. He could see in three directions, and could look all the way down every street, on his side of the building. What he saw, frightened him. Approaching from the east, about twenty blocks down, was an entire army of Covenant troops. They swarmed down the street quickly, following behind six wraith tanks, which plowed all of the abandoned cars to the sides of the street, clearing the way for the advance. Looking down some of the others streets, Scott saw much of the same. The Covenant were closing in from all directions, and they would likely be at the building’s doorstep within ten minutes or so. However, that was not all that was approaching. About one or two blocks up from the Covenant push, came small flashes of gunfire. Scott used the magnification feature of his helmet to get a better view.

A couple of fellow ODSTs were scrambling away from the enemy forces, exchanging shots with them as they ran towards city hall. They were the ones who had dropped in that farthest from the city center. Scott could see a few more ODSTs, who were much closer to the building, running as fast as they could, to get inside. Some of the stragglers, weren’t so lucky. He saw one of the troopers, bringing up the rear, drop when several plasma bolts splashed across his chest. Another was brought down in a deadly, pink explosion as a couple Covenant needle rounds chain-reacted, killing the soldier instantly. Those who were lucky, managed to kill a few aliens as they went, and used the cars for cover as they ran. The sight disgusted Scott, and he found himself turning away, unable to watch the slaughter of his fellow soldiers, some of whom he probably knew.

Scott suddenly heard the whine of a pelican’s engines. He looked up, and saw the ship coming down through the clouds rapidly, racing to get to the building as quickly as possible. It leveled out about thirty meters above the platform, and came straight down. Scott made sure to stand clear, so as to not be crushed. It touched down, and the ramp lowered right away. A marine inside started yelling orders.

“Get the next group of civilians!” he yelled. “Come on, we gotta keep this line moving!”

The glass doors that led into the building slid open, and two guards escorted another group of about twenty people out across the platform. Scott walked up to the line of people to make sure that everything was under control. The marines quickly ushered the civilians to the dropship, telling them to walk quickly, but not to rush at the same time. The soldier inside the pelican helped an elderly woman onboard, and then tried to free a young boy from his mother’s shoulders.

“No!” he whined. “Momma, no!”

“Its, ok, Robert,” said the mother, stroking her child’s head. “He’s just going to help you inside. That’s all.”

“Yeah,” said the marine, clearly doing his best to put on a happy face. “Don’t worry, sport. I’ve got ya. Don’t you want to ride in a spaceship?”

The boy nodded, and reluctantly let go, and the man picked him up and set him down in a seat. His mother climbed aboard on her own, and sat down next to her child once he was fastened in. She put her arm around her son, and ran her fingers through his brown head of hair. Scott looked away.

As soon as the last few people were safely aboard, the ramp door closed, and the transport took off, carrying the people off the planet, and to relative safety. Even with the pelican gone, the world outside remained far from quiet. Scott suddenly heard the sharp crack of a high-powered rifle, from below. He looked over the railing again, and saw that one of the marines at the base of the tower was firing a sniper rifle at the oncoming covenant forces. Glancing down the street, he saw several grunts and an elite drop dead, and fall on the ground. The other enemies, towards the front of the advance dogged aside and ran for cover. The wraiths kept on coming, unafraid, as they led the push forward. The marine kept on firing and reloading, but was unable to slow the enemy down much at all. The Covenant were now only ten blocks away. Once they got close enough, things would likely get messy rather fast.

When the Covenant were seven blocks away, another pelican showed up, and another group of twenty people were whisked away to safety. Scott stood next to the other masked ODST the entire time, watching as depressed people walked him by with solemn expressions, all while the Covenant swarm spread towards the heart of the city, rapidly choking out the last remnants of human civilization from the world.

When the next pelican showed up, the Covenant began their assault on the tower. The wraiths angled their main plasma mortar launchers, and began to lob blue bubbles of superheated energy into the defending positions. The marines immediately returned fire, spraying streams of hot tungsten into the front line. The Covenant responded with plasma fire, and suddenly the area in between both forces became no-man’s land, literally choked out by the amount of projectiles flying back and forth. It was awesome in a beautiful, yet terrifying way.

One of the marines on the pad raised his BR55 Battle Rifle, and aimed it over the railing at the enemy troops.

“Stop!” said Scott. “Hold your fire, marine.”

“Why,” he asked, cocking his head to the side. “I have a perfect angle on them.”

“Because we don’t want them shooting back up at us,” replied Scott. “We need to make sure that the civilians get out safely, so lower your weapon.”

The marine grunted, but lowered his weapon nonetheless. As soon as he did, the next pelican came down from the clouds, temporarily drowning out the sound of fighting below. Another group of people were brought out, but this time only half of them were civilians. The others were wounded soldiers, being helped along by their comrades. An audibly distressed woman was shouting from the line; however all of the soldiers turned away from her, pretending not to notice. Scott looked at her, and even though she couldn’t see his eyes behind his visor, their gazes locked. She broke free of the line, and rushed over to him. Other marines tried to grab her, but she escaped his grasp, displaying an impressive amount of strength. Scott braced himself, and she grabbed onto his chest plate, with tears streaming down her face.

“Please!” she cried. “Please, I can’t find my daughter!” she coughed, as she tried to speak though the emotions clogging her throat. “She was wit, me and- and she kept asking to go see her father who was standing further back in the line, but I told her to stay with me, and... then I looked away for one second, and she was gone!” she wept freely as she held onto Scott wish a tremendous grasp. “Please. I saw her running down the hallway, towards where my husband is, further down the line. I tried to call out after her, but- but she didn’t hear me! Please! Please can you help find her? I’m begging of you!”

“Ma’am,” said Scott, trying his best to console the woman, who was now weeping into his arm. “Please calm down. We need to keep the line moving. Your husband and daughter will be on the next flight.” he said, turning her head to look at her. “I promise. Now, please, I need you to help me. Please get onto the transport.”

“You- you promise?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” said Scott. “Your daughter is safe. I won’t let anything happen to her.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” she called, as she was forcefully led away to the pelican, by two marines. Scott gave her a nod, and watched as she was led into the pelican. The door closed, and the ship touched off of the planet for the last time.

Down on the street, the fight had taken a turn for the worst. The remaining Marines who were defending the front door, were falling back into the main lobby as the Covenant ground troops rushed forwards. The building was being quickly overrun, and there wasn't much time left until the Covenant breached the building. The wraiths were now launching plasma mortars at the building itself. Windows shattered under the extreme releases of heat, and concrete exploded off the walls. With each successful impact, the skyscraper shook.

The next pelican descended from the burning sky, and landed forcefully, causing the platform to vibrate intensely. The door from the building opened again, but no civilians came out. Instead, a large group of marines, ODSTs and a few officers came out. Scott recognized Sergeant-Major Decker, and First-Sergeant Ramirez among them. Ramirez was shouting out orders.

"Pack it up, soldiers!" he yelled. "Get your gear. We are getting out of here!"

The marines on the pad did as they were told, and followed the group onto the pelican. Scott ran up to Ramirez.

"Sir!" he called out. Ramirez turned to him. "Sir, what do you mean that we are leaving?"

"This is the last ride out of here, Corporal," he said. "The Covenant are getting uncomfortably close to our ships in orbit, and FLEETCOM is ordering a full retreat. The planet is lost. We are going to rendezvous with Captain De Blanc's forces, and we are going to get the hell out of here."

"But sir," began Scott, looking back at the building. "There are still people here."

Ramirez shook his head. "There is nothing we can do," he said. "We just don't have enough time to get them all out. I'm sorry."

The thought of the woman, worried sick about her daughter, suddenly filled his mind. His heart ran cold and time seemed to slow down around him. He turned around and ran towards the door. He had to find the little girl and her father.

"Corporal!" shouted Ramirez. "Come back here! That's a direct order!" Scott ignored him. Being court-martialed was the last worry on his mind.

As he reached the door, the building shook violently, as if an earthquake was ravaging the city. Scott fell to his knees, as a large cluster of banshees and seraph fighters strafed the building, peppering the right side of the skyscraper with plasma, just a couple floors below the pad. The windows broke, and plasma bolts splashed inside, melting anything they touched. Huge plumes of smoke and fire billowed up past the sides of the building, heating up the air around him. Scott could hear screaming coming from below. Screams that would linger within the darkest places in his mind, and haunt him during his sleep for the rest of his life. The screams of people.

The building shook again and again as the Covenant heavy tanks continued to pound the tower, weakening the structural integrity with each successive impact. A second squadron of enemy fighters made its approach, launching explosive, radioactive fuel rods at the building. Scott looked over his shoulder, and he saw the mysterious ODST standing just outside the pelican, watching him through his visor. Ramirez was still shouting.

"Soldier!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, even though Scott could barely hear him. "Come on, or we're leaving you!"

Scott didn't want to leave. He didn't want to give up hope. As much as the urge to try tore his heart to pieces at the molecular level, he knew that there was nothing that could be done.

Scott got up on his feet, and ran towards the pelican, but he fell again as the building shook. A sudden nauseous, physical weakness was overcoming his body, and he found his muscles unwilling to move. Unable to shake the feeling off, he collapsed, dropping his rifle, and landing on his side. His fellow ODST saw him fall, and immediately ran to Scott's side. He tucked his arm under the semi-conscious trooper's arm, and lifted him to his feet, helping Scott all the way to the pelican. From Scott's perspective, everything was blurry, and the sounds of destruction were distorted to his eardrums.

Two other marines helped Scott in to the pelican, and once he was inside Ramirez yelled up to the cabin.

"Get us out of here, pilot!" he shouted.

The pelican lurched upwards, and the ramp closed as they abandoned the city, ascending high into the atmosphere until the view of the destruction was obscured by the smog.

Scott vaguely noticed at tap on his shoulder. Looking over, he saw the other ODST holding out a canteen to him. Scott took it carefully, his hands shaking, as he unscrewed the lid and took a small sip of the water. He swallowed, and leaned his head back against the inner hull of the pelican, his arms hanging limply to the sides. The other ODST reached up, and lifted his helmet off his head, revealing his features for the first time. He had a young face, with green eyes and a short cut of blonde hair. He said nothing, only giving Scott a quiet nod. Scott nodded as best he could in return. His strength was starting to come back to him, never to leave his body again. He closed his eyes, and tried and failed to bring his mind to a peaceful state as the dropship continued up and out of the atmosphere of Jericho VII.

Scott opened his eyes. The pelican shuttered as it breached the planet’s atmospheric barrier. The fighter escorts remained in a tight formation throughout the descent. Outside, waves of orange heat rippled around the hulls of all three military vehicles. They appeared as though they had been engulfed in massive fireballs, and in a way they did. To anyone watching who didn’t know any better, they could have easily mistaken the atmospheric entry as that of the vessel’s demise. But they weren’t destroyed. They finished they journey through the outer atmosphere, and slowed their descent as they reached the cold inner atmosphere, and upon slowing, immediately cooled the hulls of all three crafts. Soon after, the trio of aircraft broke through the cloud layer, revealing a beautiful countryside below. Sprawling acres of open farmland stretched out in all directions until it merged with the horizon and was lost. The three craft descended to a flying altitude of about fifteen-hundred meters, and proceeded northeast. Directly below them, was a small town. Tiny tan squares signified the thatched roofs of the many buildings that made up the village. It had been decided upon earlier, that they wouldn’t fly too low, as not to make any of the unsuspecting locals nervous. However, they had to come down eventually, and they were going to land right in the heart of Equestria. Scott figured that today was going to be a rather surprising day for everyone.

Soon, the town was left in the distance, and the pelican began to rapidly encroach upon the golden city built on the mountainside. It was perched right next to a crystal-clear blue waterfall, which dumped gallons upon gallons of fresh water into the valley below. The sunlight reflected off of the water, and the golden roofs of the city which let tiny dots of light dance across the pilot’s retina. A massive, ivory-colored wall surrounded the city, containing all of the tall buildings and towers within, which in turn, surrounded the city palace at the very center. The pelican began to lower its altitude as the city drew closer and closer.

“Thanks for the escort, Zenith,” said the pilot. “We will take it from here. You may return to the Everest.”

“Roger that, Maverick four,” said the male longsword pilot. “Good luck.”

The two fighters broke formation, banking off in either direction, and ascending back up past the cloud layer and out of sight.

The city was now directly below the dropship, and Maverick four began to descend rapidly upon the city below. Towers rose up past the pelican as it lowered its way towards the center of the outside courtyard of the palace. Cole had kept his eyes closed throughout the entire journey, and was just opening them now as he was about to make one of the greatest leaps in human history.

The landing gear on the pelican extended, and the craft set down smoothly.

“We have arrived,” called the pilot, from the front. “Looks like they are expecting you, sir.”

From where the pilot was situated, he could see one of the alien figures, which was noticeably larger than the other. It wore a crown upon its head, and was flanked by five guards on either side.

“I think that I see the princess, sir,” he said. “You might want to come up here for a second, and see for yourself.”

Cole unfastened his harness along with everyone else, and strode into the cabin to look out of the window. Cole gathered the same idea. The alien who stood in the center looked to be that of royalty, and matched the description of an alien pony-princess to the letter. She wore a crown upon her head and a golden pendant around her neck. Standing to her left, was a soldier, clad in golden armor. While not as tall as the princess, he towered over the other guards, and was far more muscular. Judging by his appearance, Cole assumed that he was the one in charge of the local military forces.

“That looks like it is probably her,” he said. Cole could see the nervousness spread across the faces of the royal guards. It was obvious that they didn’t like this at all. “And that is probably her Captain.”

“Or the prince,” said the pilot.

“No,” said Cole, shaking his head. “She never said anything about a prince. As far as I know, she’s the only one in charge.” Cole stared out the window for a few more seconds. “However, I could very well be incorrect.” he stared out the glass for another moment. “Well, better get this show on the road. Lower the ramp, pilot.”

“Sir.”

The hydraulic pistons that moved the armored hatch hissed, and the ramp lowered itself onto the cobblestone courtyard. Morning light flooded into the pelican, which quickly drowned out the dim, red, interior light with its superior intensity.

“Wait here, pilot,” said Cole, heading back into the pelican's personnel bay. “And have the pelican ready to take off at a moment’s notice. If something goes wrong, we may need to get ourselves out of here fast.”

“Yes, sir,” said the pilot. “I will keep her engines hot.” Cole nodded to him, and walked over to Scott.

“Are your men ready, First-Sergeant?” he asked.

“Yes, sir,” replied the ODST. “Whenever you are, sir.”

“Well then let’s get going,” said the admiral, brushing past him. “I want you standing next to me.”

“You heard him,” said Scott. “Let’s go, men! Brian, Henry. I want you two guarding the Admiral's left. Ray, John. I want you two on my right. Leave your helmets here. You will likely not be needing them, and we don’t want the aliens to feel nervous.”

“Yes, First-Sergeant,” they all said, getting into position.

“Let’s go,” said Cole, stepping out of the pelican. The soldiers flanked him on either side, rifles strapped across their backs in a non-threatening manner. The six of them rounded the pelican, and were met with strange, alien faces.

Dear my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle,

I am writing to you in regards to the letter you sent me last night. I would like to assure you that everything is okay. I have been aware of the object’s presence since it arrived, and I would like to quell any and all fears or concerns that you may possess. I assure you that the situation is under control, and that we have been handling it just fine without you. I will contact you again if your assistance is needed. Until then, please continue on with your daily routine, and I still look forward to the weekly letters you send me, involving your experiences with the magic of friendship.

As Always, Your Loving Teacher,
Princess Celestia

Twilight’s eyes swam across the expanses of the note, reading it over and over again until the information was successfully mixed together, processed, and stored within her brain.

“Until then, please continue on with your daily routine, and I still look forward to the weekly letters you send me, involving your experiences with the magic of friendship.”

“Continue with my daily routine?” asked Twilight aloud, pacing back and forth within the library. “How am I supposed to continue with my daily routine? Routines only work when there is no change, and quite frankly, things have drastically changed since yesterday.” she paused, falling back on her haunches. “That’s it. She must think that I am incapable of helping her.” she gulped. “What if she is right? What if instead of not needing my help, she simply doesn’t want my help? What if she doesn’t like me anymore? Did I say something I shouldn’t have, in the letter? What if the friendship reports she claims to look forward to, mean nothing to her at all, and she only uses them as a simple means to keep me out of her mane? What if-”

“Calm down, Twilight,” interrupted Applejack. “I can’t take one more minute of your fuss. Do you really think that the Princess that you have known for so long would lie to you? Consider this for just one second, Twilight. What if the princess actually doesn’t need your help?” she chuckled. “I mean, hay, she is an alicorn, remember?”

“I know, I know,” she said, looking down at the floor. “I just wish that she would have filled me in on a little more information, you know?”

“I am sure that she will, in due time,” said Rarity. “She is probably very busy right now. But when has she ever kept you in the dark for an extended period of time?”

“What do you think it is?” asked Rainbow, out of nowhere. Everypony in the room looked at her. Rainbow glanced back and forth between them. “I mean the thingy that is floating out in space. What do you think it is?”

“Not sure,” said Twilight. “Could be anything. It might just be a strangely formed meteorite or something.”

“Could it be a spaceship from another planet?” asked Rainbow, jumping into the air to hover. She took on a flight position. “Filled with ponies from another world? Because that would be pretty flipping awesome if you ask me.”

Twilight sighed again. “It could be,” she said. “It is certainly a possibility. Although, I am not sure whether that would be my first guess or not.”

“Hey,” said Rainbow, touching back down on the carpeted floor. “At least it’s cooler than just some dumb old rock.”

"Yes!" shrieked Pinkie Pie. Everypony else cringed at the cacophonic sound. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Dashie, you are a genius!" she bounced up and down as her brain forced a tidal wave of words out of her mouth. "Think about it. A spaceship party!" she looked around at the others. "In space! That would be the greatest and most amazing party in the history of the world, of ever!" she rushed over to Twilight's side, wrapping a foreleg around the unicorn's neck. "We could eat floating cakes, and play pin the tail in the pony while upside down. We could have zero-gravity dance-offs, and bob for space apples, and swim through floating lakes of confetti. We could-"

"Pinkie!" shouted Twilight. "Please. Can we lower the volume just a little bit? I am trying to think, here." she looked away from her suddenly quiet, pink friend. "Besides, it all depends if they like parties."

The was a pause.

"So you're saying that it is a spaceship, and that there are aliens?" asked Fluttershy.

Twilight looked over. "No, I-" she hesitated. "I don't know, girls. I am at a complete loss right now. I don't know what to do." she looked around at the other ponies. "I thought I knew how to handle the situation, but ever since the Princess sent me that letter..." she glanced back down at the floor. “I just don't know what to do."

"Perhaps it is best that we all do as the Princess instructed," said Rarity. "We should just go about our lives as if nothing new has happened. If Twilight is right, then that thing is probably just a big rock. Nothing to worry about, right?"

"Yeah," said Twilight. "Except that the rock is almost a mile long, and moving at over three times the speed of Rainbow Dash when she breaks the spectral sound barrier." she looked over at Rarity. "Now picture that crashing into a Manehattan, or Canterlot, or Ponyville for any matter." Rarity lowered her head, and Twilight continued. "A rock is a rock. Nothing special. But once it is thrown, the story changes." she giggled awkwardly to herself. "In a way, an alien spaceship might be less dangerous. At least in that case, there would be somepony behind the wheel of that thing. Less likely to crash, you know?"

They all were silent for several seconds.

“Hey Twilight?” asked Fluttershy. “Do you think that it is at all possible that-” she paused, her ears sticking straight up. “Wait. Do you hear that?”

“Hear what, Sugarcube?” asked Applejack.

“That noise,” said Fluttershy. They all tilted their heads up to listen. “It’s getting louder.”

Fluttershy was right. There was indeed a sound. It was a low, rumbling noise, with a small high-pitched tone intermingled within the lower. It grew louder and louder, and the ground began to shake.

“It sounds like something heavy,” said Rainbow.

Twilight tried to come up with an answer. “The concrete wagon isn’t supposed to stop by until next week,” she said. “Unless they feel like pouring my patio early, but... I don’t know what that could be.”

“Well,” said Rainbow, flying over to the door. “Let’s go check it out! We won’t be able to see what it is, from inside.”

The five other ponies agreed silently, and followed Rainbow out the front door. Outside, the sound was much louder, and more defined than it was indoors. Other ponies looked into the distance, their heads cocked to the side as they listened. The six elements of harmony turned to face the direction of the strange sound, which seemed to originate from the hills, to the southeast. The noise grew louder and louder each second, yet the ponies saw nothing. It was as if the sound was coming from some sort of invisible machine.

“Look!” shouted Rainbow. “In the sky, above us!”

Twilight glanced up. Sure enough, Rainbow had spotted whatever was causing the disturbance. Three large, dark grey objects were cutting across the morning sky, flying northwest towards Canterlot. They flew directly over ponyville, about a mile up, and quickly departed. The noise they created quickly died away as they grew smaller and smaller, until they were mere pinpricks in the distance. Twilight watched them go all the way, until they were gone from sight.

“What... were... those?” asked Rarity.

“Of course,” Twilight mumbled inaudibly to herself. “Of course. Why hadn’t I thought of that in the first place?” she looked around frantically.

“Twilight?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Are you alright?”

“Grrrr.” Twilight groaned, face-hooving. “Stupid stupid stupid!”

“What?” asked Applejack. “Why are ya’ll hitting yourself?”

Twilight quickly glanced over to the farm pony. “Because I was right all along, and I never said anything!” she said out loud. “Of course it is an alien spaceship! Why wouldn’t it be? I just didn’t want to believe it!” she exclaimed. “It’s obvious that Princess Celestia would know too. They probably have already made contact with the aliens, over at the palace. That’s why those... machines are probably heading in that direction. They are most likely going to meet with the Princess right now!” she ran back into the library. “Stupid stupid stupid!”

The other five followed her back into the house, where Twilight had frozen.

“Twilight, are you sure you-” began Applejack.

“Trip!” shouted Twilight, rapidly running upstairs, leaving the others behind. “Supplies!”

“Twilight!” called Rarity. “Would you mind telling us what you are doing?”

“Packing!” shouted Twilight. “I’m heading to Canterlot!”

The five looked nervously at one another. “Right now?” asked Rarity.

“Right now!” replied Twilight.

“Are you sure that that is a good idea?” asked Applejack.

“Of course!” shouted Twilight. “Being one of the very first ponies to meet somepony from another planet? I wouldn’t miss this for the world!”

The unicorn returned down the steps a moment later, levitating a large suitcase, which floated gracefully in her wake. She set it down on the floor, and galloped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. The five waited awkwardly for a couple minutes, until Twilight came out. She stopped in her tracks when she saw their concerned expressions.

“Girls?” she asked. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” said Rarity. “There is nothing wrong. We are just trying to look out for our friend.”

“You’re all worried about me aren't you?” she asked. They all nodded.

“Well don’t be,” she said. “I’ll be fine. What’s the worst that can happen?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow, encouraging her to think about what she just said. Twilight looked at the floor, kicking her hooves against its surface. “Oh,” she said.

“Twilight,” began Rarity. “Do you think that it might be a possibility that the Princess didn’t ask for you because she is concerned for your safety?”

“Well,” began Twilight. “I suppose so. But, wouldn’t she have said so in the letter?”

“I can’t say,” said Rarity. “I’m just asking that you think this over before making too quick of a decision. If things go badly over there...” she paused, staring at Twilight with concern. “We just want you to make the best decision.”

“I know,” said Twilight. “And I have thought this over.” she paused, biting her lip. “You see, last night I promised myself that I wouldn’t let the fear of danger get to me anymore. All my life I have been doing things the safest way, and whenever I have been faced with great danger in the past, I froze up. I hesitated because I didn’t know what to do. I let the panic get inside my head, and because of that, I was unable to stop bad things from happening. Sure everything turned out alright in the end each time, but I could have stopped it from happening in the first place.” she sighed. “I don’t want to live that way any longer. I tired of doing nothing. I’m tired of running away from my fears. I want to face them. And what better opportunity to face the fear of the unknown is there, beside what’s going on in Canterlot right now?” she stopped, looking around the room at her friends. “Look, if you girls don’t feel comfortable with this, that’s fine. I am not asking you to come along if you don’t want to.” she looked down at the floor. “But this is something that I have to do. For myself, and for everypony else’s sake.” she lifted up her suitcase, and headed towards the door. “If you see Spike, let him know that there is a note upstairs on my desk, of all the things I need him to take care of, while I am gone. I’m heading to the train station.” she opened the door.

“Twilight, stop,” said Rarity. The unicorn did as she was told, and looked back to the ivory-white unicorn. “If this is that important to you, we understand.” Twilight bowed her head and nodded slowly. “But don’t think that we are going to let you go face a bunch of space aliens by yourself.” Twilight looked up, a smile forming on her face. “We are coming with you.”

“Besides,” said Rainbow. “If things don’t go so well, I’ll protect you. It has been awhile since I’ve given somepony a good flank-kicking.”

Twilight giggled. “Alright,” she said. “But please, let’s not go into this with violent thoughts. That is the last thing that we need. Forming, and maintaining a peace with these beings is the most important objective.”

“I know, I know,” she said. “I’m just saying.”

“Great,” said Twilight. “Well in that case, I should probably go find Spike. I suppose I will bring him along after all. I think that he would be quite interested in what’s going on.”

“Well,” began Applejack. “No sense standin around, doing nothin. I’m gunna head back to the farm, and get ready.” she glanced up at the wall clock. “Can everypony be at the train station by nine? It’s gunna take me about an hour to get ready, and to make sure that Sweet Apple Acres ain’t gunna fall apart while I’m gone.”

“Sounds great, Applejack!” said Twilight with a beaming smile. “Is that alright with everypony else? I want to get going as soon as we can, if possible.”

“Hmm,” hummed Rarity. “I suppose I can make nine o’clock. Although I need to get a lot of things done before I do, so I better get going right away.”

“Alright,” said the purple unicorn. “Pinkie, Fluttershy? Are you two okay with that time?”

“As sure as sugar, Twilight,” said the pink pony, who followed the others to the door. “I had better go tell the Cakes that I will be gone for a day.”

“Possibly a couple days,” Twilight corrected.

“Possibly a couple days,” Pinkie repeated. “You’ve got it, Twilight. That will give me even more time to plan for the party.” she giggled, quickly bouncing out of the tree house library. Twilight thought of asking what kind of party she was preparing for, but it was already too late. Pinkie was halfway down the street in a matter of seconds. Calling after her would have been pointless.

“Alright, everypony,” she said to the rest of them. “See you all in an hour.”

They nodded, and turned away from the unicorn’s home, as Twilight closed the front door. She drooped her head and let out a deep breath, then looked back up to head towards the kitchen. Before she was halfway across the room, there was a sudden knock at the door. She stopped in her tracks, walked back to the door, and opened it. It was Spike.

“Twilight!” he shouted.

“Hey, Spike,” she said, wincing at the outburst. “I’ve been looking for you. Where did you run off to?”

“Did you see them?” he asked. “Did you see those things fly over the town?”

She sighed. “Yes. I did.”

“Well,” he said. “What were they?”

“Spike.” she paused, trying to come up with the right words. “I believe that we may be being visited by a race from another world.”

He stared blankly at her.

“Aliens,” she said.

His eyes widened. “Aliens?” he gasped. “Like... like are they from that thing we saw in the sky last night?”

“I think that might be the case,” she said. “They were heading towards Canterlot, and I am assuming that the Princess has made contact with them, however I can’t be sure. I was just about to go looking for you. Where did you go?”

“Looking for me?” he asked, nervously glancing over his shoulder. “Did you just send the girls out to go find me?”

“Oh, no,” she said. “We were just having a meeting, about what to do about all of this.”

“Oh, okay, good,” he said, letting out a deep breath. “I was a little worried that you thought I was in danger, or causing trouble or something.”

“Oh, not at all,” she began. “I trust you to go out on your own- wait.” she lifted an eyebrow at him. “Were you in danger or causing trouble?”

“No,” he replied with a smile. “I was just going out for a morning walk in the park. It’s been awhile since I have gotten out, so I figured a peaceful walk would do me some good. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”

“Hey,” she said, placing one hoof across her chest. “You are old enough that I can trust you to do what you have said you were going to do. I am not going to question it. Just please, next time, at least write me a note telling me where you have gone. That’s just so that I don’t have a panic attack when I notice that you are not home.”

“Sheesh,” he said, walking past her. “Whatever you say, mom.”

She smiled to herself. “Hey, Spike. Hold up a second.” she said. He stopped, and turned back to her. “Spike, I’m leaving with the girls, and heading over to Canterlot. I want to be there to experience this momentous occasion. This could very well become the most important day in history since the founding of this country.” she paused. “We might be there for a couple days, or longer, depending on how everything turns out, and I was wondering if you wanted to come along. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I just thought you might want to experience this as well.”

He smiled. “I would love to, Twilight,” he said, walking over to give her a hug. “Thanks for letting me tag along. I promise that I will behave.”

“Oh, I’m not worried so much about you misbehaving,” she said. “It’s the behavior of other ponies that concerns me.”

The strange, loud, metal aircraft touched down in the center of the palace courtyard. Celestia stood by the entrance to the palace, facing the alien vehicle. Flanking her on either side, were five of the most highly-trained soldiers, the Equestrian military had to offer. Standing directly to her left, was Captain Shining Armor, who wore his set of elaborate, golden armor. He stood perfectly still, with a menacing stare upon his face. Celestia knew how devoted he was to his job, and that he would do anything to protect her from harm. However motionless he was, he was not unreadable. Celestia could see occasional glimpses of nervousness on his face. This was the very first time that anypony had met beings from another planet, and the uncertainties that came with such an encounter could prove very stressful to a stallion with an already difficult life. There were so many unknowns, and with each, there was a larger margin for error, and that meant that the security of the royal family was sitting upon a very unstable foundation. Things could go well, or things could become out of control, in which case everything could fall apart in a matter of seconds. Shining was not a risk taker, but his devotion to serving the princesses was far stronger than that of his worries.

“Where are they?” asked the Princess.

“I am not sure,” said Shining Armor. “I believe that they are still inside the aircraft.”

The guards remained motionless, but Celestia knew that their eyes were all intently scanning the vessel, searching for any movement.

“Has anyone heard from Princess Luna?” she asked. “She is supposed to be here.”

“I believe that she is on her way, Princess,” said the Captain. “I heard that she was busy finishing up a few things, to get ready. She should be here any moment now.”

Perhaps I should have told them about my sister.

The thought suddenly sprang into the sun princess’s mind. She had failed to inform Cole that she had a sister, and that she also held partial rule over the country. Celestia hoped that suddenly informing the aliens about this wouldn’t complicate things. Logically, it shouldn’t make a difference, but anything is possible.

A sudden hissing sound came from the back of the aircraft, and Celestia could hear the sound of mechanical parts in motion.

“I believe it is opening up, sir,” said one of the elite guards.

“Steady, gentlecolts,” said Shining Armor. “Just remain calm and cautious. Be ready for anything.”

The noise finally stopped and there was a long pause of silence, until Celestia could hear faint voices coming from the craft. Moments later, six figures emerged from the rear of the ship. They were bipedal creatures, with long leg and arms. They were all roughly as tall as Celestia herself, and each had a short cut of hair on the top of their heads. They all wore suits of what Celestia assumed to be armor, and carried a shouldered weapon on their backs except for the alien in the center of the group. He wore a grey uniform, decorated with many medals, and a pair of grey pants. Celestia thought that this one was probably Cole.

The two sides said nothing, and only stared nervously at one another for several minutes. Celestia felt herself go into a cold sweat as she struggled to not appear nervous. Suddenly, as if her body suddenly decided to act on its own, Celestia took a step forward. It was a small step, however it still surprised Shining Armor, who glanced over at his princess with question emanating from his eyes. She took another step, and then another, each one a longer stride than the last. Shining and the other royal guards moved up alongside her. Across the way, the alien leader took a step as well, his guards walking closely at his sides. The two lines inched closer to each other, until they were spaced apart by only three meters of distance. Celestia looked into Cole’s eyes. They were cold, dry, unmoving. His stare seemed to pierce right through her, and she felt as though he was looking into her mind itself. The feeling made her feel even more uneasy, but amongst his seemingly emotionless face, she saw something more. It only lasted a split second, but Celestia could have sworn she saw Cole’s lips curve into a half-smile. However, as soon as it had appeared, it vanished altogether. Celestia decided to be the first one to speak up, rather than continue the intense staring competition.

“Greetings,” she said, glancing nervously back and forth between all six aliens. “I am Princess Celestia. Welcome to Equestria.”

Cole nudged Scott. “Greetings, your Highness,” said Cole, bowing his head before her. His guards followed suit. “I am Admiral Preston Jeremiah Cole. On behalf of my crew, and the rest of the human race, we come in peace. I thank you for allowing us to visit your most great capitol, and for allowing us to arrange this impromptu meeting.”

“You are very welcome,” replied the princess. “This is the first time any of us have ever met beings from another world. It is truly remarkable that you came here. Some ponies used to think that we were alone in the universe.” she smiled. “How quickly things do change.”

“To be honest, your Highness,” said Cole. “We only showed up in this star system because we were forced to. We never planned to come here in the first place. If things had happened a little differently, than chances are I wouldn’t be standing before you, now.”

“I see,” she said. “May I ask why you ventured here?”

“Well...” Cole began. “It will take some time to explain the exact nature of our visit. I would prefer if we could start from the beginning. Both of us. That way we can learn about one another in a way that makes sense to us both.” he glanced over at Shining Armor. “That is if you don’t mind, your Highness.”

“Of course I don’t,” she said. “I am very interested to learn about you... humans?”

“Yes,” said Cole.

“Well then,” she said. “I suppose I should introduce you to the Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor.”

The tall stallion let out a puff of air, starring Cole down. Cole stared with equal intensity back at him. “It is nice to meet you, Admiral Cole,” he said with a grunt.

“And you, Shining Armor,” replied the human leader. He turned to the guard standing at his right. “This is my First-Sergeant, Scott Jeffries. And these are his men.” the five of them did their best to smile.

“Hello, your Highness,” said Scott. “It is an honor to meet you.”

“Likewise,” she said. Celestia was feeling far more confident now that the initial barrier of ice had been broken between the two races. Hopefully they would be engaged in easy conversation, soon. Things seemed to be going well enough, so far. “Well, let us not stand here like complete strangers. We have introduced ourselves, after-all. We shall go inside, so that we converse without having to worry about the snooping ears of others.”

Cole nodded. “After you, your Highness,” he said with a half-smile.

She smiled back, and turned towards the palace, but Shining Armor stopped her. “Princess,” he said, motioning toward the human guards. “What about them?”

Celestia looked back at soldiers. “Let them come, as well,” she said. “They are our guests after all.”

Shining Armor turned back to Scott. “Weapons are not allowed within the Royal Palace, besides those carried by the Royal Guard themselves. I must ask you to-”

“Captain,” said Celestia.

He looked over to her. “Yes, Princess?”

“I said that it is alright,” ordered the Princess. “Let them bring their weapons.”

“But, Princess,” said the Captain. “That puts the entire security of the palace at risk, which places you in danger.”

“It’s okay,” she said, one last time. “I am sure that they wouldn't feel comfortable either, if they were not able to protect their Admiral from danger.”

“I can assure you, Princess,” said Cole. “We hold no hostilities toward you, or your people, and my men will show the utmost respect at all times.”

“I am sure they will,” she said, looking back towards the Captain. “We need to start trusting one another, Shining Armor. That is the only way strong, peaceful bonds can be forged between two unfamiliar peoples. Trust is the most important factor in any friendship. Know that at all times.”

The stallion let out a sigh, and bowed his head. “Yes, Princess,” he said, and then nodded to his fellow guards. “It is alright. Let them enter with their weapons, however...” he looked back to Scott. “You must keep them shouldered at all times. Any attempt to take them into an operable position may be interpreted as a threat, and my guards will be forced to take action. Is that clear?”

Scott, glared at Shining Armor, but nodded. “Very much so,” he said with an intense stare of his own. “You heard him, boys. You are not to draw your weapons anywhere inside the palace, or around the Princess. However...” he said, still staring at the Captain. “I do give you permission to draw them, if Admiral Cole is in danger. Protecting the Admiral is our number one priority and if-”

“How about we all agree to not draw our weapons,” said Celestia. “All of us.”

“I agree,” said Cole. “Let them remain cold. That way no one’s leader is put into any uncomfortable situation. That way everyone gets along, and no one gets hurt.”

“It sounds like a plan to me,” said Celestia, smiling again at Cole. She was surprised to see how willing Cole was to comply with Shining Armor’s security requests. She could tell that he desperately wanted this to go well, probably as much as she did. As long as there were no hard feelings between him and her, then today seemed like it could yield promising results. “Can we all agree to this?” Shining Armor nodded, and Scott did the same. “Good. Now, let us go inside. We have much to talk about.”

The Princess led the way, with her guards following close behind. Cole and his men walked behind the first group in silence. The Admiral looked around, admiring the architecture of the palace. The tall white towers, capped with shining roofs gave it a very majestic appearance. Beyond the perimeter of the palace walls, the rest of the city sprawled out in all directions until they reached the horizon, and dropped into a massive green valley below. Cole wondered how many other ponies had seen them arrive, although he assumed that the majority of the city’s population heard them arrive. Cole figured that it wasn’t every day that a large, metal spaceship showed up in their city. Some of the city might be afraid of them, others surprised, but surely all would have questions. Questions that would need answers. There would have to be a public address soon, to alleviate the concerns of the native civilian population, but Cole was sure that the Princess already had plans to deal with this issue, so he decided not to bring up the topic.

To the left and right of the front courtyard, were large gardens, which wrapped all the way around the castle. They boasted massive lawns of evenly cut grass, and countless species of flora which lined red gravel paths, that weaved their ways through the trees and shrubs. Cole quickly lost sight of the gardens, as they neared the main palace entrance. His attention was directed ahead of him as they walked up the glistening marble steps. The massive, mahogany doors parted before them, and they walked inside. Cole and his men found themselves in the throne room. Huge white pillars stretch up to the tall ceiling, which lingered a good forty meters above their heads. On both sides of the room, doors led to hallways, that spread throughout the building. Near the far wall, was Celestia's throne, and a smaller throne which sat next to it. Cole wondered what the purpose of the other seat was, and who had the right to sit upon it. Cole suddenly noticed a dark-blue figure making its way towards them, from across the room. It was another pony, just as large as Shining Armor, but this one had a horn and wings, just like Celestia. Cole noticed that the being was female, and saw that she wore a pendant around her neck, but unlike Celestia's, it held the image of a crescent moon, instead of a sun. Cole still didn’t understand what the pendants were for, or what the meanings behind the symbols were. The tall pony approached silently, and stopped before them, eyes wide with curiosity.

“Oh, Luna, there you are,” said Celestia. “I was wondering where you were.” she gestured towards Cole. “Luna, this is Admiral Cole.”

“How do you do?” asked Cole awkwardly. Besides her name, he had no idea of who this pony was. She nodded silently to him with a smile.

“Admiral Cole,” said Celestia. “This is Princess Luna. My sister.”

“They have just gone inside the palace,” said Maya. “I have detected no signs of hostility from the Equines. All of their vitals are still displaying as normal, and everything appears to be going well, judging by what I have heard from the Pelican’s external microphones.”

“Well I’ll be damned,” said Ramirez. “He’s done it.”

“This is incredible,” said McMahon. “Who ever thought that establishing contact with peaceful beings, from another world would ever be made a reality.” he glanced around at the others. “I mean after the Covenant showed up, that is.”

“He certainly did,” said Fosco. “Admiral Cole never ceases to surprise me in what he can accomplish. We owe a lot to him.”

“Yes we do,” said Ramirez. He bowed his head. “I shouldn’t have doubted him. He has done so much for us, during our time serving under his command. He has saved our asses from the Covenant more times than I can count, and yet I openly rejected his orders, because I wasn’t ready to believe in peace. He didn’t even court-martial me.” he chuckled to himself. “That just goes to show how much of an ass I have been.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Joseph,” said Fosco. “You only said what you said because you wanted the best for the crew.” he looked at the weapons expert. “Hey, you are sorry for what you said, right?”

“Very much so,” replied Chief-Warrant Officer Ramirez, still looking at the floor.

“And you won’t question his decisions anymore, right?”

“Never again.”

“Than that is what he wants the most,” said Fosco. “Cole forgave you a long time ago. I can tell by the way he acts.” he smiled. “You just need to forgive yourself. If you can do that, then you are golden, my friend.”

“You think so?” asked Ramirez.

“I know it as fact,” replied Fosco.

“Huh,” said Ramirez as he nodded his head. “Thanks, sir.” he looked over to Maya. “Is everything still okay down there, Maya?”

“As far as I can tell,” she replied. “I can’t hear them anymore, although I must say, they were having quite the interesting conversation.”

“What were they talking about?” asked McMahon.

“I can’t tell you,” she answered. “Vice Admiral Cole gave me explicit instructions not to snoop on their conversation. Not that I can help it, that is. But he told me that he will give us all an update when he gets the chance.”

“Then I suppose there is not much else to do, besides wait,” said Fosco. “Anyway, I am going to go get some chow. It’s been awhile since I have had a proper breakfast.” he looked at the other two. “You lads want anything?”

“I’m alright,” said McMahon. “Thanks for asking.”

“I’ll go with you,” said ramirez, turning to McMahon. “If that is alright with you, sir.”

“You two go,” said McMahon. “I’ll stay here and keep an eye on things. Cole left me in command of the ship, and I am not about to let things go to hell if I decide to leave.”

“You sure?” asked Fosco. “I can bring you back a coffee.”

“I’m alright,” he replied. “You guys enjoy a hot breakfast. You deserve it.”

“Alright,” said Fosco, turning towards the door. Ramirez followed him out of the bridge.

As soon as they were gone, McMahon spoke up to the shipboard A.I., “Maya, would you mind if I ask you a question?”

“Certainly not, Lieutenant,” she replied.

“What is your personal opinion on what’s going on?” he asked. “I mean, you haven't said much since we have arrived.”

“About what?” she asked. “The wellbeing of your friends, or Cole and the others?”

“About everything,” he said. “I mean, you are a very intelligent A.I. and I know that you can calculate millions of equations at once-”

“That is correct,” she said, slightly interrupting him. Her avatar smiled at him.

“-But you have never really had much input on what’s going on,” he said. “Surely you must be thinking something.”

“I am an artificial intelligence program with enough processing power to almost be considered sentient,” she said. “I was built to think, and to keep thinking until I expire and my matrices fail me. What exactly are you getting at, Lieutenant?”

He opened his mouth, but stopped himself from saying what he was about to say. He sighed. “Never mind,” he said. “I need some time to myself. Call me if you need me.”

“Will do,” she said. “Although I don’t need to ‘call’ you, to get in contact with you.”

“You know what I mean,” he said, walking over to the Admiral’s chair on the deck.

He sat down in the comfortable seat, and leaned back into a relaxed position, stretching his arms out against the armrests. He gazed out of the bridge windows, at the green planet before him. Miles below on the planet’s surface, Cole was busy talking to a bunch of colorful talking ponies. Yet here he was, relaxing in his commanding officer’s chair. He chuckled to himself, but he also noticed a strange feeling manifest itself in the bottom of his chest. He realized that this might very well be the first time, and the last time he was going to get time to himself, with nothing to do. Working aboard a military starship meant that stressful situations, and dangerous conflicts were never too far from becoming a reality. He decided to enjoy this moment while it lasted by watching the swirling clouds dance below him. It was truly a beautiful, little world.

“Six tickets to Canterlot, please,” said Rainbow Dash as she hovered before the ticket booth.

“Uh, Rainbow?” asked Twilight. “Seven tickets. You’re forgetting Spike, here.”

“Make that seven,” said the pegasus, without visually acknowledging Twilight. “Now are those first-class?”

“Sorry, miss,” said the mare inside the booth. “We only have coach seats available.”

“What!” exclaimed the pegasus. “Now that is a bunch of cr-”

“We will take them,” interrupted Twilight. “How much do we owe you?”

“One-hundred and forty-seven bits,” said the mare. Twilight cocked an eyebrow at her, but decided not to say anything. Twenty-one bits a ticket was a bit steep, but under the current circumstances, she just wanted to get to Canterlot as quickly as possible. Train ticket prices were the last thing on her mind at the moment.

Twilight stepped up, and passed a large gold coin, as well as several smaller coins to the mare, who gave Twilight the tickets in return.

“Thank you,” said the unicorn, who started towards the train. “Let’s go, girls.”

“And me,” said Spike.

“And Spike.” she looked down at him. “Sorry. My brain has been kind of scrambled lately, but trust me. I haven’t forgotten you.”

“Sure,” he said. “Just like you didn’t forget your suitcase, right?”

“Like I said, Twilight,” said Rainbow. “I can easily fly back over to your place and get it.”

“No no no,” she said. “There’s no time. The train will be leaving any minute now, and there is no way that I will be missing it.”

Rainbow shrugged. “Suit yourself,” she said. “Heehee. “ Rainbow Dash giggled. “Suit yourself. Get it?”

“No,” said Twilight sarcastically.

“All aboard!” called the train conductor from across the platform.

“This is it,” said the unicorn. “Do you three have everything you need?” she asked the two pegasi, and Spike,

“I think so,” said Fluttershy, sheepishly. “Although I am still confused as to what we are going to do when we get to the city.”

“I will explain on the ride there,” replied Twilight as she walked over to the train, where the other girls were waiting.

Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack stood eagerly in front of the train, as they waited for the other four.

“Did you get all of your things loaded onto the train okay, Rarity?” asked Twilight.

“Why, yes,” replied the other unicorn, who pointed with one hoof at a pony standing near the end of the train. “That wonderful young stallion over there was most kind to pack all of my suitcases inside.”

He looked across the deck and locked eyes with Rarity. She waved at him. He waved back, looking as though he were about to fall off the platform, and onto the tracks below.

“Anyway,” began Rarity, turning her attention back to Twilight. “How are you feeling, Twilight? It looks as though you are out of it.”

“Oh, no,” replied the purple unicorn, waving her hood in front of her. “I’m perfectly fine. Just a little stressed out, is all.” she walked up the three short steps, and boarded the train. Her friends followed her.

“Well that is understandable,” said Rarity. “I think that all of us are feeling a little nervous, right now.”

“I don’t know what you two are talking about,” said Rainbow, who flopped onto an empty seat, and stretched out her limbs. “But I certainly don’t feel nervous. That is unless it turns out that I can’t fly faster than their spaceship thingy-majigger.”

Twilight giggled as the other girls found their seats, nearby. “And what makes you think that you will get the chance to race their transport?” she asked. “And even if that does happen, what if you lose?”

Rainbow rolled over onto her stomach. “Then we have a problem,” she mumbled.

Twilight smiled at her friend, and took the time to glance around the train car. The ponies around her were engaged in quiet conversation however, Twilight was still able to make out some of the things they were speaking. What she heard was not comforting. There were uncomfortable, lingering words that floated amongst the ponies on the train. Murmurs of uncertainty filled her ears to the brink with rumors of false information.

“I heard from one of my friends, that it was a group of dragons...” said one of the whispering ponies.

“Impossible,” said the mare she was talking to. “Dragons have rarely ever been seen flying this far north, and they certainly don’t sound like that.”

Twilight glanced over her shoulder, only to notice more ponies speaking in hushed whispers. News was already spreading, whether it was true or not. Soon enough, as more ponies learned about the extraterrestrial visit, many would be demanding answers. Twilight just hoped that she could get to the princess before the mobs would. If not, then there was a good chance that the seven of them were not going to be able to get inside the palace. The guards would surely have the Princess’s home locked down until she addressed the public on the matter. Everything depended on beating the clock.

There was a hiss as the air brakes on the locomotive disengaged, and the heavy transport began to roll forward slowly, but quickly accelerated to its normal cruising speed.

Twilight did her best to get comfortable on her padded seat, as she looked out of the window. Ponyville began to grow distant from them, and soon they were travelling past countless rolling green hills, on their way to the giant mountain city on the horizon. The trip shouldn’t take any longer than forty-five minutes, but every second that they weren’t in the city added another layer of stress on Twilight. After looking out the window for several minutes, she realized that the blurring scenery was making her feel nauseous, so she decided to put her head down and close her eyes for a while. She hadn’t gotten any rest the night before, and the long morning was starting to take its toll on her. Before she even realized it, her mind slipped away, and she drifted into light sleep.