Ponyville, Equestria; en route to UNSC Forward Base.
Gunnar and Twilight trotted along at a leisure pace under the midday sun, followed closely by their assigned protector and good friend Gabriel Thorne. They were on their way to take a Pelican to the Infinity. Now that the mighty ship was orbiting high above in the vacuum of space, Twilight had expressed an interest in seeing what it was like aboard the ship, in space among the stars, where combat wasn't a factor. Gunnar spoke with Thorne about it who in turn spoke with his superiors. A reluctant Captain Lasky signed the permission form that would allow her aboard. Tensions were still high... but maybe some time in a safe location and enjoying some peace would help them. Twilight's friends and the rest of Majestic would be accompanying them to the ship. Lasky had reserved one of the several observation decks for them and allowed the relocation of some recreational materials to the room, such as books, basic games, and some other luxuries to keep them comfortable. He only allowed it cause he thought they all deserved some peace and relaxation after everything that had happened so far.
Gunnar looked up to see the form of the mighty Infinity orbiting high above in the sky in all her majestic glory. Somehow, the sight brought him a sense of peace and tranquility.
"You know," the stallion said softly, "Somehow... in some way, its a heartwarming and beautiful sight."
Twilight stopped to see what he was looking at. Her eyes rested on Infinity and she felt compelled to nod agreement to his statement. "It is, isn't it?"
"It's one of the most inspiring sights I ever laid eyes on," Thorne admitted once he figured out that they were speaking of Infinity, "I'm proud to call her home."
"It must be amazing when, traveling through the stars in times of peace," Gunnar mused, wondering at the thought.
"It is. I often find myself on an observation deck whenever we aren't getting ready for combat. I could stare at the stars and nebulas, or the strange lights of Slipspace for hours."
"I can't wait to see it," Twilight said, thinking it must be a wondrous thing to behold.
They continued on in a more peaceful silence, minds now at ease. A few minute later, the saw the rest of Majestic Team and Twilight's friends waiting for them at the Pelican. They all smiled at the three when they arrived.
"How's it goin' Thorne?" Hoya asked as he brohugged his brother in arms.
"You know me, I'm always gettin' into some form of trouble or another," Thorne joked, resulting in some chuckles from the group.
"Come on guys," Grant said as she started to walk aboard the Pelican, "We have much to show you while you're on Infinity."
Everyone and everypony nodded to each other, smiles on their faces and minds more at ease as they all boarded the Pelican. Grant activated a screen next to the hatch that led to the cockpit and activated the forward camera feed so they could see Infinity the way it was meant to be seen. The ramp retracted and the rear hatch closed.
"Eagle Actual, this is Raptor Four Niner requesting takeoff clearance," they heard the pilot say into the radio.
"Copy that Raptor Four Niner, takeoff clearance granted. Fly safe. Eagle Actual out," came the response from the Forward Base's flight control center.
The Pelican lurched slightly as it lifted off the ground and accelerated upwards. The ride was a little bumpy as they left the atmosphere, but when they broke atmosphere and the shaking stopped, they all looked at the screen. There she was, Infinity, the most inspiring sight humanity ever developed, and the catalyst for so many victories that solidified humanity's place as Caretakers of the Galaxy. They were the giants now. It set Twilight's mind at ease to know that this mighty race was set on defending the innocent, and it inspired her to fight on when she looked at the size and beauty of the vessel. It reminded her that they weren't alone in this fight, and had powerful allies backing ponykind up all the way through.
"Infinity Actual, this is Raptor Four Niner, requesting clearance to land"
"Roger that Raptor Four Niner, you're cleared for landing in hangar bay A1. Welcome home."
The screen was dominated by the sight of soldiers, flight crew, and what she recognized as some of the strange yet beautiful creatures that were described to her as Huragok, otherwise known as Engineers. The floating, living supercomputers busied themselves with helping their human friends keep up with repairs on a number of vehicles and equipment. Some even helped oversee Marines, ODST's, and Spartans as they carried out some basic exercises with their squads.
One Engineer showed interest in the new arrivals and hovered over. It whistled and chirped at the group, almost in greeting.
"Wow...." Twilight said, near breathless.
She watched as Gunnar slowly and cautiously approached, making sure to be gentle with his movements. The Engineer, displaying the usual timidness of their race, was somewhat reluctant to let him close, but gave in seeing that he had no intention to harm it. Gunnar gently ran a hoof across its head and down its neck a couple times.
"They seem like such gentle creatures.... It pains me to know they were enslaved by the Covenant in the past," Gunnar said with a solemn tone in his voice.
"I'm glad we liberated them," Thorne spoke up, "They've proven to be very helpful and are great friends for alot of the crew. Some of the crew even started learning their sign language so they could communicate with them better. These creatures even helped us create translation programs that allow us to communicate with them. Without the need for sign language. I'll be sure to get you a datapad with such a program on it."
"Thanks Gabriel," Twilight giggled before coming up next to Gunnar to interact.
"They are pretty awesome," Rainbow Dash admitted.
"To think the Covenant would so cruel as to even consider enslaving them. It's just wrong," Fluttershy added.
"They do smell rather strange, though I must agree with both of you," Rarity chimed in.
"Yeah, we're with the Engineers on a way to mask the odor," DeMarco explained, "They seem rather eager about it too, since they appear eager to get along with us."
"I don't mind the smell," Applejack chuckled, "I'm to busy admirin' their personality and abilities."
"Do they like parties!?" Pinkie suddenly chirped.
The group chuckled at her question and the Engineer that was interacting with Gunnar and Twilight looked at her curiously before turning back to Gunnar and Twilight. It nuzzled Gunnar affectionately, letting out a soft cooing sound. Gunnar couldn't help chuckling. Twilight giggled and smiled at the heartwarming sight.
Thorne requested a datapad from one of the technicians, who promptly gave him the one he was using before going to find another. The Spartan activated the translation program on it before giving it to Twilight, who nodded in appreciation.
"Just so you know, it appears Engineers get their names based on their aerial buoyancy at during their first stages of life. His name may sound weird at first but you can come up with a nickname for him if you like. None of them seem to mind it and respond well to it in fact. They take it as a sign of friendship in some cases," Thorne explained.
"I'll keep that in mind," the mare giggled, "Thanks Gabriel."
"No problem."
Twilight turned to the Engineer, who was still interacting with Gunnar. She held up the datapad to show Gunnar and the Engineer, making sure to tell Gunnar that its a translator.
The creature recognized it and let out a few chirps and whistles. Twilight read the text: Hello, my name is Leaks Patched.
"Leaks Patched... hmmmm," Twilight was already considering a nickname, then it hit her. "How does the nickname Patchy sound?"
The creature cooed as it nuzzled her cheek affectionately, casing her to giggle.
Translation: Perfection achieved friend.
The translation the datapad gave wasn't needed though, cause she understood the nonverbal gesture just fine. Gunnar smiled, the sight warming his heart. He then saw Lasky approaching them. The Captain was smiling at them, the sight obviously warming his heart as well.
"I see you all are befriending more of my crew," Thomas mused with a small chuckle.
"So it would seem Captain," Gunnar returned the smile of Infinity's commanding officer. "I'm glad you could bring us aboard."
"I'm glad you could join us. I was reluctant at first since I was concerned about how safe the journey would be. Glad to see my concerns were null and void. Welcome aboard the Infinity ponies. Celestia is already waiting for you at your observation deck. I must ask that you not leave the deck to explore without an escort. I'll assign Fireteam Majestic for that duty, so it shouldn't be a problem."
Gunnar nodded, understanding completely. "Lead the way Captain."
Lasky nodded and started to lead the way. When Patchy began to follow, he stopped and looked at the creature curiously. Gunnar saw this and began to explain.
"It seems this Engineer has taken a liking to us sir. Twilight here gave him the nickname Patchy. He considers us friends now," he informed.
Lasky smiled at this. "Not a problem," he said, "I have no problems with Patchy accompanying us. I'm sure Celestia would be very interested in meeting an Engineer anyways. Hear that little guy? You get to make yet another friend."
Patchy chirped happily in response, then the group was on their way, conversing and socializing with one another. Gunnar once again found him thinking about how wonderful it is to just relax and hang out with friends. His mind wandered a bit as he considered all the wonderful things that had happened since his fluke accident at his workshop landed him at Twilight's Library, and the UNSC had arrived. He found himself looking at Twilight, who was closely followed by their new Huragok friend Patchy. He smiled at the sight. If it wasn't for that mare that he loved, he would not have experienced all these wonderful new friendships. He found himself thanking Celestia for these blessings as the group headed towards the Port Observation Deck.