Alan walked down the corridor, following who he assumed to be the captain from earlier. It was hard for the Spartan to make any desertions from the armored pony with any other guard. The only hint Alan could tell he was different was that his armor shoulder plates pointed at the ends and his helmet had red bristles in a hawk formation. Very similar to the olden Spartans from Athens. The ones who fought an entire army of Persians just because they would not bow to their emperor. Alan loved that story, especially when Deja told it.
“This way,” the Captain motioned as he turned a corner and into another hallway that had guards lined up like statues. As Alan walked by, he eyed the now shaking guards that refused to break eye contact with the metal beast. He heard clanking armor from violent shakes and the hyperventilation of their extensive breathing. Before long, a door approached the two, Alan was still looking around the hallway, curious at all the symbols and architect that surrounded him.
“This will be your quarters for the remainder of your stay.” The Captain said as he opened the doors. Alan looked inside to find it a rather tight squeeze through the door. What he saw was something peculiar. The living attire was similar to old time Earth living standards. In fact, everything seemed like a watered-down version of earth. Alan had never been there, but that never stopped the teachings of Deja from giving him an accurate understanding of the Victorian living standards. This was another thing to add to the list of similarities between his people and this new race of sentient ponies. As Alan made his way into the center, his head accidentally bumped into the chandelier that swung violently around until he grabbed at it with his hand to stop the momentum. He looked back at the Captain who rolled his eyes at his clumsy antics. Alan decided that this was going to be a fine relationship between them.
“Thank you,” he said blandly.
“The princess would also like you to come to breakfast when you are ready.”
‘Breakfast?’ “I’m sorry, but what time exactly is it?” Alan asked as he lifted left arm to activate his Tactical UGPS. The Captain hesitated as he watched the Spartan closely.
“It’s 6:00 am.” He said slowly as he kept his gaze on the Spartan who moved his four digits on what he assumed to be a padded slab on his skin.
//Equestria//
//Canterlot, 0600 hours//
“What time did I arrive?” he asked again.
“What is it that you are doing?” the Captain asked back, reaching for a spear from one of the guards that was stationed next to the doors.
“Getting my data pad to adjust to your planet’s time,” Alan said as he noticed the Captain’s actions. The captain slowly handed the spear back to the guard as he decided it wasn’t any real threat the Spartan was doing.
“I believe around 1:00 am.”
//Equestria//
//Canterlot 0600 hours//
//Five hours after slip space rupture.//
After Alan finished typing his information in, he lowered his arm and tilted his helmet to face the Captain. The Captain restrained himself from showing any type of emotion let alone his hatred for the beast. After a solid minute of staring each other down, Alan turned his attention to the window that neared the bed to see what appeared to be the planet’s sun rising in the distance.
“I’ll be there momentarily.” Alan said as his helmet kept looking at the majestic ball of beauty rising slowly from the horizon. A sudden warm feeling the Spartan rarely felt, rose from the depths of his subconscious. The Captain turned around but stopped as he heard the Spartan call him out.
“Oh, and if you ever draw a weapon on me again, make sure you use it. I don’t like being fooled into a faked challenge.” Alan said as the door slammed shut from the Captain’s angered buck. Alan stared at the sun for a good five minutes before he sat on the bed’s soft mattress. The frame groaned in pure agony as he sat with his elbows resting on his immense thighs.
His golden plated armor shined from the reflection of the sun.
‘This is the most bizarre situation ever. Of all time. I doubt that anybody will believe what I’ve seen when I get back. Speaking of which, maybe this princess might know how to do just that. Can’t hurt to ask seeming how she’s been treating me like any other guest.’
Alan closed his eyes for a moment as he could feel the warmth of the sun shining through his visor. This brought a sense of comfort and stability he hadn’t had in a long time. Something about this planet’s sun felt natural but also mystical. Alan loved mysteries and unexplained challenges. Maybe that’s why he felt more adaptable to this given situation, being in a different environment didn’t mean his strategies and knowledge changed. Nope, just his surroundings.
Alan sat for another good five minutes, putting the events in order before he decided now was a good time to head down to the royal dining room. With another squeak from the bed, he walked to the doors and opened it to find another Spartan looking directly at him. Her hair was the same dark Auburn. Flowing majestically in the air. Her bright purple eyes looked him up and down. She placed a hand on her hip as her other arm held her Air assault helmet. Her marble white armor shined radiantly, making her face glow with beauty. Alan was frozen in place from the shock and awe she held.
“But… you… died,” he said as he remembered her signature smile. Alan cautiously stepped back a few paces.
“Spartans never die, small stack. They’re just missing in action,” Natalie said as she dropped her helmet onto the ground. Her body arched back as an energy sword pierced her from behind. She screamed in terror as her body was lifted into the air. Blood spilled onto the floor as Alan stayed in place. His body was unresponsive; all he could do was watch the horrible outcome. Alan jolted up off the bed in record time. He could feel sweat soaking the padding in his helmet, his eyes scanned the room to see he was still next to the bed. His ears still heard the high pitch wails of his dear friend echoing in his drums. He walked quickly to the door and opened it to find that most of the guards had snapped their attention back to their post. The Spartan then began to backtrack the path that the Captain had led him on. Turning around the same corner, his higher hearing began to pick up conversations at the end of the halls. Being the curious man that he was, he decided to listen in. He activated his camouflage and patiently awaited his armor to blend almost perfectly with the background. He silently crept towards the sounds as they instantly became voices. He stopped when he made it to the dining area. The doors were already opened, allowing the Spartan to visual see who was talking.
“I do not trust it, Princess.” The voice of Captain rang back into the Spartan’s audio memory.
“You and all of the royal guards. Tell me more about how dangerous it is. Like I’m a young filly who doesn’t know that a burning log burns when you touch it. Or that an Ursa Major isn’t some cuddly bear to play with,” Celestia said as she began to eat.
“Your highness, I wasn’t underestimating your knowledge. I only wish to express my concern of your decision to allow such a thing to be considered a guest.” The Captain’s face expressed much anger and frustration towards Celestia’s stubbornness.
As Celestia swallowed her bite of her favorite sandwich, one of her eyebrows rose in irritation at the Captain’s unwillingness to accept her decision.
“Captain Tri-burner. I understand your concern but you must trust me on this. If we were to show hostility, it will retaliate and I’m pretty sure we might not stand a chance. Not only is its physical features terrifying but what lies underneath I find even more disturbing. This human I believe was meant to kill and destroy. Until we find out more about its intentions, I advise you to not show any signs of oncoming battle with it, lest you doom us all,” Celestia raised her voice to abnormal levels as to get her point across. The Captain’s face seemed to relax as he closed his deep red eyes and pondered the thought for a moment. After a few moments of silence the Captain sighed heavily as he welcomed his leader’s words.
“Very well. I understand now. Forgive me Princess,” he said bowing slightly. Celestia smiled at him as she placed her food back on the plate.
“Apology accepted Captain. I understand the position you are in but you must have faith in me. We cannot deal with this in terms of battle. Please, take the week off to gather your wits. I need you in full readiness to help me.”
“The whole week? But my princess I’ll will not be able to rest without the knowledge of this matter being dealt without me.”
“As I just said, have faith in me. You clearly haven’t been home in a long time. As I recall your son needs you there for him as he adjusts to his new environment. As a favor to me and making up for your apology. Please, go and rest. I’ll take care of things around here.” Celestia’s voice seemed to put the Captain at ease. He lifted his helmet off to reveal a streak of black and red patterns coating his mane which pony-tailed at the end to keep it from spilling out the back of the helmet. He placed his helmet at his side as he bowed again at the princess.
“As you say your majesty. Please take care.”
“As with you Tri-burner.” Celestia copied his motion to show her respect for the solider. As Tri-burner turned around he lowered his head in tiredness from the full twenty four hour service. As soon as the doors shut, Celestia picked her meal up again as she took another bite, savoring each chew as if it were made of golden honey. She closed her eyes to fully embrace the flavors mixing and twirling insider her mouth. After she swallowed, she reopened her eyes to find her reflection from a blue tinted mirror.
“AUUGH!” She jumped in her seat as her eyes opened up to notice the mighty beast bending slightly down at her, his face only inches away from hers.
“Am I interrupting something?” he said sarcastically.
“What… but you were… How?” she stuttered, completely confused. The Spartan raised both his hands up to his face. He balled them and then extended his digits.
“Magic,” he said in a whimsical tone.
Celestia took a moment to compose herself. She then motioned him to take a seat next to her. The Spartan only stood up and straightened his back, enticing a few satisfying cracks that sounded like a magnum round going off.
“I’d rather stand, no offense. I wasn’t made to sit around all day.”
“Indeed.” Celestia eyed him up and down as she took in his presence.
“So your kind is familiar with magic?” she asked curiously.
“Depends on what you consider magic. I know a few tricks myself.”
“I mean in literal magic. Magic I use on a daily base. Like raising the sun for example. My magic is powerful enough to…” Alan quickly brought up his hand as he paused her sentence manually.
“One moment. Your sun revolves around the planet?”
“Yes, so does our beloved moon. My sister is actually responsible for that. She is currently in Saddle Arabia right now, trying to help establish a republic for the new leaders.”
“So Equestria is a country?”
“We are the stronghold of the planet. Most countries come to us for aid and support.” Celestia pointed her horn towards a few dishes that were left across the table. Alan watched her movements as he studied her. When her horn glowed to that same strange aura that he saw while being locked up, he moved his head to get a closer look at the strange anomaly. As she moved at the dishes, they too began to have that same glowing aura around them. Alan couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The dishes hovered up to the edge of the table, showing a series of food. A sandwich with what appeared to be a flora of sorts stuffed between each slice. Another looked like simple fried eggs with leaking yolk soaking the toast with its yellow delicacy. Another was a cup filled with an orange substance with three cubes of ice floating around each other as Celestia adjusted it.
“Please, eat. I do not intend to starve my guests.” She said with a light chuckle. Alan still looked at the food to find it all edible but the flora sandwich, which he dubbed a Flor-wich.
“How did you do that?” Alan asked, motioning his helmet towards her horn. Celestia raised her hooves as she mimicked the Spartan’s earlier motion.
“Magic,” she said in a whimsical tune. Alan looked at her and felt his lips lift into a smile as he complimented her sense of humor. They both looked at each other for a moment before the Spartan chuckled a bit, which made the Princess smile.
“Glad to know that this race has a sense of humor.” Alan took a moment to let his words sink in before reaching up at his helmet. He grabbed each side before he slowly began to pull it off but stopped as the dining rooms opened to reveal a guard trying to hold the doors.
“BRACE FOR IMPACT YOUR MAJESTY!” he shouted as he tried to hold the doors from bursting. The Spartan quickly got into a defensive stance in front of the princess. Celestia notice his actions, and secretly let a red tint appear on her face, flattered by his actions. A sudden wave of reporters burst through like a title wave of grunts, charging madly at one person in the attempt to actually kill them. Alan had been in that situation only once, and it was actual more comedic than threatening to him as they all waved their arms in a hysterical state. This however was unlike anything he encountered, which meant he needed to be creative. Before he could do anything, a hoof on his shoulder caused him to turn around to face a threatening glare from the princess.
“As annoying as they are, they are still my subjects. No harm shall be dealt with am I clear?” she said in a very commanding voice. Alan untightened his body as the crowd moved around the two. He nodded in compliance as she breathed a sigh of relief. Alan stayed as still as he could as the ponies gathered around the Spartan, flashing at every square inch of his body.
“Please, may I have your—“ The Princess’s voice was barely noticeable from the series of shouts coming from the reporters.
“Princess, why is the meteorite walking like an upright pony?” said one.
“It’s not a—” she tried to say.
“Why is it yellow?” shouted another.
“I—“
“Why does it look like a giant metal Minotaur?” said another.
“All will be explained, I just need all of your—“
“Princess, how many light bulbs does it take to screw a lamp?” said an all too familiar reporter. Again all the reporters looked at the mental issued pony with dissatisfied looks.
“How the heck did YOU become a reporter?” said somepony from the crowd.
“I’m a reporter?” The pony looked down at his camera and then back at the crowd.
“I thought this was a tour of the castle, later!” he said before bolting out the room.
Alan mentally pulled out his check list and began to scroll down until he found ‘Race is: Mentally fucked up’ and put a rather large check in the box. The princess rolled her eyes before taking her chance at the awkward silence.
“As I was saying, this is Alan. He is a human who has unexpectedly crash landed here on Equestria. Not only is this historic news for us but for all nations here on this planet. It is my and your sole duty to portray him as a sentient and knowledgeable being. No monster stories, understood?” Celestia said with a condescending tone. Every reporter gave a disappointed sound as they stopped flashing their cameras and began to pout.
“You mean we have to come up with something positive about this? Impossible!” shouted one.
“How can we not use this as the greatest monstrosity of all time?”
“It’s like a horrified legend has come to life and we can’t say anything bad about it. Oh woe is me!” said a rather dramatic reporter.
“I know I am asking the impossible from you ponies, but understand that now is not the time to spread chaos and panic. We need to be absolutely cautious and truthful about his reveal here in Equestria.” Celestia looked into the eyes of each and every reporter. Each one stayed silent as they began to think of ways to present Alan to the world.
“If it helps, you may ask the human questions to help better understand him.” Celestia looked up back at Alan who kept staring into the masses of ponies. The strange thing though was that it looked as if he wasn’t even paying attention at the reporters and instead kept his gaze at a white being standing at the doors. Alan shook his head slightly as the other Spartan disappeared from his sight. Alan looked back at the princess before nodding slightly. Celestia smiled and turned back to the crowd.
“You may proceed.” She said stepping to the side.
All the reporters hesitated as they looked at the golden monstrosity for a moment, contemplating its threatening presence. Some decided to swallow their fear and approach carefully. Each step felt wobbly as a mare unicorn trotted up to the human. She looked up and felt minuscule towards its height, towering over her like a mountain of fear, eying her every move. Alan looked down at the small pony, giving her a few brownie points for being the first. She gulped as she lifted her note pad and quill with her magic, ready for the beast’s answers.
“Ummmm… I... how…” she stumbled a bit as she tried to collect herself. After a moment of thinking, she blurted out the first thing in her mind.
“What’s your favorite color?” she said, sounding as serious as she could. Alan tried to not chuckle at the banal question and instead replied in a more lightened tone as to not frighten the crowd even further.
“Sunrise gold I do believe,” he said as he placed both arms behind his lower back. The mare smiled as she felt a sense of relief wash over her. Soon the other reporters were able to find that hidden courage to ask themselves. One by one they trotted up to ask this legend their awaited questions. Alan took a few glances to try and find the pearl-white Spartan that has recently plagued his mind. Making sure no signs of her were around, he felt a little relaxed and took on the full force of the reporters. Alan was unaware of Celestia’s raised eyebrow, she could sense something extraordinarily wrong with him. Like a presence of forbidden magic was inside his mind, secretly pulling at his hidden strings. She decided it would be for the best to keep the matter to herself for now and further explore this strange anomaly later.
//Equestria//
//Canterlot, 0800 hours//
//Eight hours after slip space rupture//
After the last of reporters had their fill, they burst through the dining room doors. Each pony had something exciting to say about what had just transpired and their eagerness overfilled them as they hurriedly made their way to be the first to post their notes about the legend. Alan had stood still the entire time, not once showing any signs of fatigue or movement. Celestia looked back at the plates of food to find it rather expired. She clapped her hooves in a rhythmic fashion to summon the chef. In record time, the chef stood at attention next to the princess with a hoof placed above his head in a salute.
“Yez, ma Princezz?” he said in a thick accent.
“Would you be so kind as to make another dish for our guest? This seems to have become rather spoiled.”
“Oui, oui, Princezz,” The French sounding cook then quickly ran back to the kitchen to provide the beast his meal.
“Sorry Alan, I thought we could enjoy a decent meal without the mob to deal with.”
“It’s alright; we have people like that back from where I come from too. Except they’re a bit more aggressive.” Alan released his arms and let them slide at his sides. He could still feel the shrapnel wound begging to be addressed but his mind didn’t allow him to focus on that now, now he had to find a way back home.
“Your majesty, I welcome your hospitality and am great full for it,” he said as he turned to face her. “But I must inform you that I must return to my world and, or universe. Anything you can do to help, I’d appreciate that.”
Celestia gave her neutral look as she took in his proposal. She understood that he needed to be brought back but was unsure if she and all the magic in Equestria would allow such a thing to be done. Still she gave an understanding nod and replied with.
“I will do all in my power to send you back,” she said as Alan smiled inwardly. “But you must understand that we are not a technical advanced society yet. We are limited to what we can do with what we have. So please, do not expect an answer in the next twenty four hours.”
Alan felt that little joy leave as soon as she mentioned technical advanced. Truth was that they weren’t even close to the amount of technology that his race acquired. The Genesis was a prototype for testing shield strength and new weapon usage as well as the new stealth systems. That was only a prototype though, latest technology used by man in a test run to see if it would actually move around in space. It was only luck that when they returned to Reach that they found it almost halfway glassed. He would be a window pane if it weren’t for the still functioning Banshee he high jacked before leaving the invasion grounds. He looked down at the table to find fresh new dishes being placed by the chef in a neat row.
“Thank you White Flag, most excellent.” Celestia smiled.
“Bon appetite, ma Princess!” he proclaimed as he hurriedly left to his duties. Alan stared back at the food for a bit before he decided it’d be best to get something in his stomach. He began to grab the sides of his helmet and slowly pulled upwards.
Before he could, a trail of smoke traveled from a nearby window and right up to the princess’s face. It swirled into a ball formation then transformed into a letter. Alan was now even more intrigued by this magic business, so much that he forgot the meal in front of him and focused on the levitating parchment of paper in front of him. Celestia giggled as she opened it.
“A letter from one of my students. It appears it’s from Twilight Sparkle.” Her face slowly became a look of concentrated worry. As she finished, the letter rolled up and vanished in a small flash of light. Celestia rose from her chair and looked at the Spartan with a serious demeanor.
“It appears you aren’t the only strange anomaly to have appeared here.”
Alan tilted his head to the side as he was now even more intrigued.
“We must hurry to Ponyville. Please, follow,” she said as they left the dining area.
‘What could have she have meant by I’m not the only one? What else could’ve made it through?’ Alan thought as he followed the radiant princess. His lead never faltered as they approached what he assumed to be the doors to the front of the castle. They opened in a slow procedure as the bright morning shined through. Alan looked around to find the place extraordinarily beautiful, the view was spectacular and the atmosphere felt warm and abundant with peace. The colors of this world really popped out in front of his eyes, making each object a marvel to observe. Alan could have taken the whole day to study each and every interesting organism that traveled by his visor. The princess led him down a flight of stairs, toward what he could make out to be a massive golden wagon. It had golden waves surrounding the top that ended in a downward spiral on each side. It could have easily fit at least a Warthog inside. The princess opened the door and climbed inside, awaiting the soldier’s presence. Alan took one more look around before climbing inside the needless golden vehicle, moving it around as he tried to balance his weight. When he finally found a place to sit, the princess poked her head out of the window and shouted at the drivers.
“PLEASE MAKE HASTE TO PONYVILLE!” she shouted as the wheels jerked forward with much strain, due to the extra luggage weighing them down. After a minute or two, the wagon began to use the massive weight to propel itself even faster seeming how it was mostly downhill to the small village.
“I would teleport us there, but it seems the Elements of Harmony have the situation under control. This will be a perfect opportunity to tell me exactly what you are and what you aren’t telling me in regards to your appearance,” she said sounding a tad frustrated at the Spartan. Alan stayed as silent as he could, only moving at the small bumps from the rocky path the wagon carried them through.
“This is battle armor. Due to the importance of keeping the specifications of how it functions a secret, I will only disclose what I can,” he said as he bent awkwardly forward, resting his elbows on his thighs.
“I figured it as much to be armor, what I was implying is why a human has to wear it as of now?” she said as she raised her brow.
“War, of course,” Alan simply stated, not wanting to provoke her intelligence.
‘As I figured.’ She thought. “War against who exactly? Us?” she said now finding it hard to keep her voice from raising.
Alan folded his fingers in silence as he stared at her for a minute.
“Are you a homicidal race that is hell bent on committing mass genocide to my people just because our mere existence is a sign of blasphemy?” he asked in a casual tone. Celestia pupils shrunk as she came to terms to his situation. Alan kept silent as he awaited the simple but truthful answer.
“We are a proud race of ponies, who will never even consider such a horrid act on any of other species. No matter how different they might appear. The horrid act brought from an individual, doesn’t mean their whole race must suffer. Please I wish to understand why your species is being persecuted,” her tone became a voice of comfort and sadness as she looked at the Spartan with a sympathetic face.
Alan turned his head out towards the small window as he looked across the land of Equestria. Odd enough, it reminded him of when he was a young boy on Harvest. He remembered the little nighttime walks he would take across the small fields of his parent’s farmland. A farmland that had grown into a very bountiful market that made his life rather luxurious for the time being. The sun shone through his visor once more as the wagon made a turn that let the sun shine through. Alan sat up rather slowly as he quickly lifted his helmet off. A hissing sound later and his face was finally revealed to the princess. A face that looked of one who had endured so much and yet stayed strong. Celestia’s eyes widened as she took in every visible detail he had. The first thing she noticed was that his skin was as white as her coat, explaining his prolonged wearing of his suite. His chin pointed out slightly, hidden by a large layer of hair. His dark brown beard was longer than the military standard length, reaching up to the base of ear lobes. His hair rose from the back of his head and ended at the top front in little pointed ends. The ears were completely visible, as well as the most noticeable scar that reached from under his left eye and stretched across his nose, making it look slightly mangled across the bridge. It ended abruptly on his right cheek, making small split ends. His eyes rivaled the sky as they were a brilliant bright blue. Celestia could have sworn they were made out of pure crystals. She continued to stare at what now seemed to continually become a creature that actually had a somewhat beautiful appearance to him. She never would have guessed that this is what a human was supposed to look like. Alan could say the same for the princess pony, he never thought he’d find an alien race with a goddess like appearances let alone a sense of humor. They eyed each other for some time, taking the presence of each other before Alan cleared his throat.
“I don’t usually don’t take this thing off,” he said as he placed the helmet on the seat next to him. Celestia kept her gaze on his face as she tried to find the emotions that seemed to be locked away in a hidden vault deep within his mind.
“My word, you look unlike anything I’ve ever imagined, amazingly good looking,” she said, unaware at what she just stated. The Spartan rose an eyebrow at the questionable phrase from her. Celestia suddenly face hoofed herself as she realized what she just said.
“I apologize. I was kind of lost in the moment,” she said with a small blush.
“I could say the same,” he said with a grin. Celestia’s face quickly heated up.
“I am amazingly good looking,” he said with a small smile, indicating some humor to taken with that. Celestia chuckled lightly as Alan’s face beamed with a scant amount of joy on it. The wagon hit a rather large bump that cased the princess to be thrown off her seat and land with her face only inches away from the young man. Alan managed to catch her so she wouldn’t hurt herself, wrapping his arms around her soft but stern frame. Celestia had her hooves on each shoulder plate, pulling herself even closer to Alan’s face. Celestia raised her head from his chest plate, and into his brilliant eyes.
She couldn’t help but feel his pain that she could see within, pain nopony should ever go through. She just wanted to reach in and help his tired soul. To give him a sense of peace, something to have hope for. Behind the beauty of his eyes, the pain of seeing horrors beyond her comprehension still poked through like small skewers. As they held each other, Alan could feel that warm presence of the sun, melting through his armor and reaching his insides with a sensual feeling. A feeling he felt only once before, something he always wanted to feel. He remembered looking out at the setting sun of Harvest as a kid. The sunset that always gave him that warm peaceful feeling, wanting to reach out and touch its brilliancy. For now he was touching it, but also holding it in a tight embrace. A goddess was in his arms, a being that resembled memories from his past. Positive memories, something that he never had since the invasion of Harvest. Time slowed as they kept locked on each other’s face. Celestia suddenly blushed radiantly as she slowly backed away from him, nervously sitting back onto her seat. Alan’s face stayed its same neutral expression the entire time she was on him. There was no need for his face to show any signs of emotions because his eyes told everything to the princess. With an awkward cough, Celestia decided to quickly move on from that little stumble and continue on with business.
“Um… I… Thank you. Alan,” she said trying not to make direct contact with his face. Hiding it slightly in her mane as she tried to compose herself.
“Of course, your Highness,” he replied, also trying to avoid her beautiful face. After a moment of trying to gather their wits, Alan decided now was the best to ask something that has been plaguing his mind.
“Would you mind telling me where exactly it is we are going to?” he asked. Celestia turned to face him, completely mind absented from their little encounter a moment ago.
“Oh, yes, we are heading to Ponyville. A place that is responsible for housing the Elements of Harmony. It is a nice little town with abundance of caring ponies,” she said with a smile. Alan wasn’t satisfied though with that answer.
“You said I wasn’t the only strange anomaly here. What exactly do you mean by that?” he asked, sounding serious. Celestia could tell that he probably understood the situation better than herself.
“The letter read from my student Twilight, describes that another large being has been hiding inside the barn of another one of my students. She said that it isn’t hostile, as of yet. But has requested that it might have something to do with you,” she said. Alan began to scratch his chin, rubbing his beard as he thought of other survivors.
“Did she describe it in any detail at all?”
“She said that it resembled you in the same kind of appearance and size, maybe slightly bigger. She said it has no intentions of destruction as of yet and has requested to talk with the leader of this world. Me being leader of this land, I will honor its request. I’m assuming it’s another human. I’m bringing you to confirm and probably explain the situation to him or her.” Celestia said with an air of authority. Alan tried to focus on all those around him at the time of the explosion. His final thought narrowed on that Elite, Batho’sand, or was it Bathou’mus? He was with him when the core overloaded, but wasn’t he dead? Alan remembered seeing his lifeless body on the ground. If he wasn’t, he sure as Hell is going to be if this turns out to be him. Alan picked up his helmet and slid it back on his face, hiding his concealed rage that one of those freaks decided to follow him to another dimension. To a place full of peace and wonder. Alan recalled what the Elite proposed in a peace treaty with the UNSC and what he recalled as the Heretics. But Alan wasn’t going to take any chances here, no matter what this "Redeemed Elite" offered in place of covenant knowledge. This Bathou'mus was no friend of his.
“It’d be best if I go into active camo when we meet it. I have a feeling that this isn’t a human,” Alan stated. Celestia pondered a bit before she complied with his method of dealing with this.
“As you say, but what could it possibly be though?” she asked curiosity.
“Something that should’ve died,” he said with restrained ire.