//------------------------------//
// The Return of King Donut Steel 
// Story: Halo: X Team in Equestria 
// by The Good Dark Lord 
//------------------------------//

November 10, 2552

"... Apology accepted." Braden said to Celestia, who was sitting atop her throne.

Celestia gave a smile and a relieved sigh. "Thank you for your forgiveness, Colonel. When I finally completed my therapy yesterday, the first thing I wanted to do was make it clear to you that I am not your enemy."

"Oh it's okay, all you did was waste several hours of my time and keep a mare with a stack of paperwork just outside the room waiting." Braden snarked while pointing his thumb to the throne room doors.

Said throne room doors suddenly burst open, again, for the hundredth time this story, to reveal a guard. The guard ran into the room towards Celestia. "News from northern Equestria!" He stopped and did a respectful bow. "Uh, your Highness."

"Yes?" Celestia asked.

The guard took off his helmet with his hooves- "How the hell do these ponies do that?" Braden thought - and put it to his chest.

"I am simply to tell you that... IT has returned." The guard dramatically said.

Celestia gave a shocked gasp.

"Really? That's all you have to say? It? Could you be any more damn vague?" Braden deadpanned, making the guard cringe under his gaze.

Celestia turned to the guard on her right. "Find Princess Cadence and Shining Armor." Celestia ordered. "Wait, Shining Armor's doctor said it was okay for him to resume active duty, right?"

"Yes, your highness," the guard answered, "He is fully healed." With that all the guards in the room ran off.

Celestia picked up a pen and scroll with her magic. "My dearest Twilight, you must come to Canterlot at once..."

Braden snapped his figures a couple times, regaining Celestia's attention. "Hey, the human is lost here. What the hell is going on?"

Celestia stared at Braden for a few seconds, and then her eyes widened, as if she just had a brilliant idea. "Colonel... would I be pushing my luck if I asked you and your team to do a favor for me?"





"... We're going to the Crystal Empire!" Twilight announced.

"Huh?" The rest of the Mane Six said in unison.

"And Princess Celestia asked the Spartans to be our security escort! And they agreed!"

"HUH?!"

"That's right," Braden said as he and the rest of X Team walked up to the train platform, "We heard a dictator needed taking out, so we figured we'd help."

"And I assume you are getting some kind of profit out of this?" Rarity asked.

"No. It's our job to do this sort of thing. That and, well, some of us have been getting cabin fever."

James cocked his shotgun with one arm. "It's unicorn season, and I've got a license."

Twilight and Rarity took a couple steps back.





Kenny stared out the window of the train as the bitter, snowy winds rushed by. Snow covered plains stretched on for miles, and in the distance he could see mountains. He was not thinking joyous thoughts.

Braden sat down next to him. "Private, is there any information you can give us about this mission before we arrive? The ponies are in the other compartment, so you don't have to worry about creating a paradox. Now's the time." Richard, Ashley, James, and Rose gathered around in interest.

Kenny shifted in his seat. "Okay guys, here's a quick recap of what we're going up against. We're going to fight King Sombra, an evil unicorn king who is a cheap expy of Sauron with no personality that ruled over the Crystal Empire. A thousand years ago, Celestia and Luna imprisoned him within the ice of the northern tundra, but he took the Empire down with him. And now, both are back."

"Wait," Braden said, holding a hand up, "I've been reading the history books during our stay here. Why have I never heard about these details?"

Kenny rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah... Celestia has a tendency to erase important figures and events from the history books."

"Has something like this happened before?"

"At least twice in the past couple years."

"I'll have to have a talk with her about that..."

The train suddenly stopped, and the door to the front of the train opened, revealing Pinkie Pie. "We're here guys!" The Spartans got off the train with the Mane Six and Spike. The train station they had arrived at was... less than impressive to say the least. A platform and a small building. 

The wind was a continuous force, throwing snow everywhere. The ponies shivered in response to the biting cold, except for Rarity, who was wearing a pink scarf. "Ha! And you all made fun of me for packing so many scarfs!"

Spike followed them out, carrying a ton of Rarity's baggage on his back. He grunted. "I didn't say a word..." And then he slipped on some ice and fell on his ass. The carriers fell, opened on impact, and the scarfs started flying around. "Hey! Come back here!" Nothing in this paragraph was relevant to the plot of this chapter.

"Twilight!" A voice called out from the obscuring wind.

"Shining Armor?" Twilight called back.

Shining Armor stepped out from the winds, wearing goggles and a brown scarf. "Twiley! You made it!" Twilight ran up to him and hugged him. He returned the hug, but he quickly broke off and his face turned serious. "We better get moving. There are things we really don't want to run into after dark..."

"You mean like me?" Braden asked, who was suddenly standing right next to Shining Armor.

Shining nodded. "Yes, like you, you, you, YOU, YOU! AH! IT'S YOU!!!"

"Nice to see you again, Captain."

Shining put himself between Twilight and Braden. His horn glowed. "What the buck are YOU doing here?!?!"

"It's okay, Shining!" Twilight said. "Princess Celestia asked the Colonel and the Spartans to help us out!"

Braden crouched down in front of Shining. "That's right." He tilted his head to the side in a taunting manner. "But I thought we had set our differences aside, Captain. Did we not do that?"

Shining Armor nervously shifted his eyes. "I, we... yes, yes we did, Colonel." His horn stopped glowing.

Twilight smiled, oblivious to the tension. "Wonderful! I'll just be over by the girls until we're ready to go." Twilight went over to the others.

Shining Armor was about to remind them that they had to go right now, when Braden wrapped his arm around his shoulder and whispered to him. "Unless you want to go a second round, you would be wise to remember what I said to you in the hospital." Braden took his arm off Shining's shoulder and went over to the other Spartans.

Shining Armor could only stand there, flustered. Whereas before he only feared the Colonel, he now felt anger, true anger at him. "I'll show you. Even if I can't take you on in a fight, fair or unfair, I'll prove to everypony that I'm better than you, I swear!" He thought to himself. He took a breath to calm himself down. "Alright everypony, come on! We gotta go."

The group of fourteen made their way into the blizzard, with Shining Armor in the lead. "Something keeps trying to get in!" He yelled over the loud wind. "We think it's the unicorn king who originally cursed the place!"

"But Princess Celestia said I was being sent to find a way to protect the Empire!" Twilight yelled back. "If King Sombra can't get in, then it must already be protected!"

Something nearby roared. "ARRROOOOOOOOOO!" Everyone stopped dead in their tracks and looked around.

"What the hell was that?" Richard asked.

"We have to get to the Crystal Empire, now!" Shining yelled.

Suddenly a giant cloud of black smoke rose up from behind the group, growling like an animal. It had a purple mist around its green and red eyes. The Mane Six immediately ran away. Spike was momentarily frozen with fear, knees shaking and still carrying all of that damn luggage on his back. Shining picked him up with his magic for a moment to snap him out of it, causing Spike to drop the luggage, and then they both ran off to join the mares. Rarity's luggage was forever forgotten to the depths of time...

But the Spartans didn't run. Since they were human, they were too badass to be scared by a puff of smoke. And, frankly, they had guns.

X Team fired upon Sombra with their rifles in an unrelenting hail of bullets. Sombra screamed like a bitch in pain and began dodging the gunfire.

"Eat lead, ASSHOLE!" James yelled as he pulled out his rocket launcher and fired at Sombra. Sombra saw the rocket coming and ducked. The rocket continued going skyward.





Above Equestria, IN SPACE

A slipspace portal appeared in the vacuum of space, and a Covenant Banshee exited it. It was piloted by Crackdog Mg'ee, the captain of the Covenant ship that had destroyed The Red Shirt and stranded X Team in Equestria in the first place.

Mg'ee clicked his mandibles. "Soon," He said, "Soon I will have vengeance. It is a tragedy that after my own ship, The Karmic Justice, followed that filthy human ship into that portal, it was destroyed, leaving me as the only survivor after I took this Banshee. But I have finally arrived upon the planet where the human survivors have fled to. I will hunt them down, I will kill them, I will avenge my fallen crew, and most importantly, I WILL RESTORE MY HONOR!"

He activated the thrust on the Banshee and dived down straight for the planet. "FOR THE GREAT JOURNEY!!!!!!"

He had been so engaged in his monologue that he didn't notice that he was flying straight into the path of an incoming rocket until it was too late.

He noticed, but it was too late.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

The rocket hit the Banshee, blowing it up.

*BOOM*

Crackdog survived that, but was killed when he was incinerated while entering Equestria's atmosphere.





"Shouldn't you be hanging out with some polar bears on some stupid island?" James taunted as he did a back flip to avoid Sombra's magical blasts.

"At least that show was better than the SHITTY SEASON YOU KICKED OFF," Kenny added as he pulled out a machine gun turret from behind his back and started unloading on Sombra, "THAT WE ARE UNLUCKY ENOUGH TO BE STUCK IN RIGHT NOW!" He started grenade spamming. "SERIOUSLY? WHY DO WE HAVE TO BE IN SEASON THREE? HUH? BECAUSE IT'S THE FAN FICTION SEASON? IS THAT WHY? VERY FUNNY, AUTHOR!"

Guilty as charged.

Sombra stared in confusion for a moment, but then shrugged it off as nothing and resumed firing blasts of unicorn death magic.

"This is getting us nowhere." Braden grumbled to himself. He looked in the direction the ponies had run off to. He could see a faint blue light not too far off. "Spartans! Fall back to the light!" He ran, the other five right behind him, Sombra in hot pursuit.

They were almost there when Shining Armor rushed past them. Braden skidded to a halt. The other Spartans were about to do the same. "No! Keep going!" Braden ordered. "That idiot's gonna get himself killed!" The other five nodded and resumed running to the light.

Braden returned his attention to Shining and Sombra. Apparently Shining was trying to be a big hero by holding Sombra off. Shining fired a blast at Sombra, which was easily dodged. Sombra responded by bearing down on Shining and eating him.

No, seriously! Sombra just straight up ate Shining Armor in one bite!

Shining responded by creating a magical shock wave from inside Sombra, freeing himself and knocking Sombra back. However, after disorientating Sombra, Shining fell on his side in the snow. Braden ran over to him, scooped him up in one arm. Sombra made a strike at the Spartan. Braden dodged and punched Sombra, knocking the puff of smoke back. Braden took this as his opportunity to run for it.

As he got closer to it, Braden saw that the light was a giant blue dome. He leaped into the barrier, passed through it, and landed on fresh green grass. He quickly took in his surroundings. First, there was grass everywhere. Second, there were two pinkish- purple crystal spires that he guessed served as a gate. Third, there was a crystal- themed city not too far off that had a really shiny palace towering over it.

Also, the others were jogging towards him. He dropped Shining on the ground and approached his team. Twilight ran past him to talk to Shining Armor.

"Colonel, are you injured?" Richard asked.

"Negative, Major."

"Uh, sir?" Rose said, pointing at Shining.

Shining Armor was weakly lying on the ground, panting in pain. Black crystals covered the top half of his horn.

"What's that on his horn? Horn Syphilis?" James asked. Rose slapped him on the back of his head. "Ow!"

Kenny kneeled down next to Shining. "Twilight, how long has it been since Shining left the hospital."

Twilight was tearing up, but not quite crying yet. "About two weeks ago."

"His internal wounds must have been ruptured from Sombra's attack. Thankfully none of his stitches have opened up. I'll carry him." Kenny gently picked up Shining Armor.

The group began walking towards the Crystal Empire. As they did, Kenny took a moment to look at Braden. The latter was looking downwards and away from the others.





Later, after catching up with Cadence and putting Shining Armor in the hospital, again, Kenny was roaming the streets of the city. While the others were cheering up the Crystal Ponies and investigating where the Crystal Heart might be, (he was too, and he already knew where it was, but he didn't want to change the timeline anymore than it already has been) he was searching for a certain someone.

Kenny found him. Braden was slowly walking along a sidewalk, looking up at the tall buildings. The Crystal Ponies, traumatized enough as they were, fearfully gave him a wide birth.

Kenny went up to him. "Colonel."

Braden stopped and looked at him. "Private."

"..."

"..."

"... Well?"

"Well what?"

"What's eating you? And don't say nothing."

Kenny could tell that under the helmet, Braden was glaring at him. "It's none of your concern."

"I have an obligation as a soldier to make sure my commanding officer is mentally fit for duty."

Braden stared, then looked away. "...Kenny... in the show, King Sombra was defeated, correct?"

"Yes, yes they defeated him."

Braden took a deep breath, as if dreading to ask the next question. "Was Shining Armor vital to his defeat?"

"... Yes."

"Private, have I damned an entire population of innocent civilians, just because of a decision I made months ago?"

"You mean when you decided to go overboard and rip Shining Armor a new asshole?"

"Yes."

"Colonel, you of all people should know that every choice, no matter how small, no matter how insignificant, can have a huge consequence in the future. What might have been funny long ago, now has horrifying implications in the present. The choices we make create the future, and what happens, happens. The choices we make define us, show us what we really are, and it is based on those choices that history will depict us. A horrible monster may do something good just once, and he will be remembered as a national hero, while a good saint may make one bad choice, and he will forever be a hated villain."

"But how do we know we can win? How do we know I haven't botched this entire thing?"

"... Braden, what I want you to understand now, is that unlike so many others from the past who regret what they have done, you can right what you did wrong. You can fix this, you can restore order to the timeline of this world. All you have to do, is ask yourself this; are you willing to swallow your pride, and own up to your mistakes?"

Braden stared at Kenny for a long minute, and then turned his gaze towards the weakening barrier. He could see Sombra's dark form behind it, trying to break in.

"... Yes. Yes, I am willing. And I know just what to do."





Shining Armor wanted to cry. Here he was, once again injured and in a hospital bed, helpless. Sad. Pathetic. King Sombra was breaching the barrier, and if he got through, no, when he got through, his little sister and severely weakened wife would have to face him alone. And there was nothing he could do about it.

He heard a door open. He looked to see the Colonel enter his room. Shining Armor narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

Braden pulled a chair and sat down. "I've come to talk."

"Oh, tch, about what? About how useless I am? And how you're going to go and be a big bucking hero? WELL?"

"They need you, Shining Armor."

"For what, so I can get my flank kicked again and then you step in and-"

"Listen. This is not about me, this is about you, Shining Armor."

"Pft, how is this not about you? Ever since you aliens showed up its always been about you!"

"I AM NOT NEEDED!" Braden yelled. "None of us Spartans were needed for this mission! The ponies can win against King Sombra, but they can only win if you are with them. Victory needs you, not me, you."

Shining Armor gaped at Braden. "I... I... but I'm a loser compared to you!"

"Look at yourself. A prince of Equestria, the captain of Celestia's own Royal Guard, underestimating his own worth. Make no mistake, you are worthy, and right now, the Crystal Empire just needs one more hero to survive. And that hero will be you, because you're more important than me. You're better than me."

Shining Armor felt a sudden surge of heroic willpower well up inside his chest.

Braden stood up and held out his hand. "Captain Prince Shining Armor, your wife needs you. Are you going to let her down in her darkest hour?"





X Team was down by the fake Crystal Heart with the Crystal Ponies. Twilight and Spike were at the top of the palace with the real Crystal Heart, and the other main characters were on the balcony.

"So Shining Armor is up there with Cadence?" Kenny asked.

"Yes." Braden answered.

"Okay, good."

"So what's supposed to happen now?"

"Well, the barrier's supposed to drop any second now..."

The barrier surrounding the Crystal Empire promptly dropped.

"He's back! I can't take it!" A Crystal Mare yelled as she got ready to turn and run.

"I've had enough of this." Braden said. He held his hands up. "HOLD YOUR GROUND!" He announced. "HOLD YOUR GROUND!"

The mare stopped, and looked to him, as did all the other Crystal Ponies. Braden briefly turned his head back to look at Sombra, who was hanging back, waiting to see what the Spartan was up to. The rest of X Team kept their weapons trained on Sombra. Braden turned back to the Crystal Ponies.





"Crystal Ponies!" Braden yelled. "Citizens of the Crystal Empire! A thousand years ago, King Sombra enslaved you, and turned your lives into a living HELL! And then, when Princesses Celestia and Luna defeated him, Sombra took you all down with him, robbing you once again of a life of happiness! WELL NO MORE!"

The Crystal Ponies had formed a large crowd in front of Braden and the rest of X Team, their interest piqued. In fact, many of them looked riled up.

"For too long has Sombra had control over your lives! For too long has this tyrant tormented you! Wronged you! And right now, freedom is just within your reach! WILL YOU ALLOW KING SOMBRA TO ROB YOU ONCE MORE?"

"NAY!" The Crystal Ponies roared in response

"The time to fight for your right to live is now!" Braden unsheathed his katana, and held it straight up in the air. "Give me freedom, or give me death!"

All of the Crystal Ponies held one hoof up high. "GIVE ME FREEDOM, OR GIVE ME DEATH!" They yelled as one.

"Give me freedom, or give me DEATH!"

"GIVE ME FREEDOM! OR GIVE ME DEATH!"

"DEATH!"

"DEATH!"

"DEEEEAAAAAATH!!!!"

"DEEEEAAAAAATH!!!!"

"I bid thee stand, ponies, OF EQUESTRIA!"

The Crystal Ponies struck battle stances. Braden turned around and pointed his katana at Sombra. "SPARTANS! PONIES! TONIGHT! WE DINE! IN HELL! CHARGE!"

And so six Spartans and an army of cute and pissed off Crystal Ponies all charged at the evil unicorn king that was currently a smoke monster.

Braden was at the head of the charge, and, when Sombra was only twenty feet away, Braden leaped into the air towards the dreaded king, and delivered a haymaker right on his muzzle. Despite being a puff of smoke, Sombra stumbled back, and, in his moment of weakness, was dog piled by the Crystal Ponies.

The Crystal Ponies more or less took turns punching Sombra around and kicking him while he was down. "Hold him steady!" The Crystal Mare who almost ran off earlier said. A Crystal Stallion got behind Sombra and wrapped his hooves around his neck. The mare and several others began delivering gut punches to Sombra.

Sombra roared in anger and lashed out, knocking the Crystal Ponies back. They all got right back up and got ready to pounce on their former tormentor again. Before any of them could act Ashley fired a sniper rifle round into Sombra's eye, blinding him. Sombra screamed and started flailing about. Kenny, Richard, James, and Rose quickly tackled him and started beating on him.

The Crystal Ponies briefly took their attention off of Sombra and looked at Ashley. "Wow, what was that thing?" One of them asked.

Ashley reloaded. "It's called a gun."

"Cool! Can you show us it later?"

"... Sure."

They were interrupted when Richard abruptly landed between them. Ashley quickly helped him up. James and Rose were likewise tossed away.

Kenny's leg was currently being held in Sombra's mouth. The Spartan took out his magnum and began firing shots in Sombra's face in defiance. Sombra, tired of these games, lifted Kenny up, and slammed him down on the ground. HARD.

Kenny stopped shooting. "Ow..."

Sombra lifted him up again, and brought him down even harder.

Kenny movements were becoming weaker. "Uh..."

Sombra repeated with even more ferocity.

Kenny stopped moving.

Sombra lifted Kenny up again...

And was stabbed in the chest by Braden's katana.

Sombra dropped Kenny and let loose a mighty roar. "AAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!!"

"Damn you," Braden snarled as he drove the blade in deeper, "Damn you to hell!"

Sombra bore down on him, jaws open and fangs exposed. Braden pulled his blade out and slashed upwards at his foe, creating a large gash over Sombra's face. While the villain was once again distracted, Braden sheathed his sword, and grabbed Sombra's head, one hand on his horn and the other on his lower jaw. The Spartan grappled the unicorn king as a bull fighter would a bull, shifting his weight and trying to drive his opponent into the dirt.

An Equestrian Unicorn may be strong... but a Spartan is stronger.

Braden slammed Sombra's head into the dirt ground, and held him there. "Yield." Braden said.

"Never!" Sombra spat back. "RARG! Power! Slaves! Control! Oppression!"

"Wow, you sound just like Parangosky. Are you two related?"

"Hey! Up here!" A voice called out from above. Everybody looked up to see Spike, standing on the ledge of a crystal spire, with the Crystal Heart in his claws. "I got the Crystal Heart!"

Sombra growled, and began wildly thrashing about. He slipped out of Braden's grip and knocked the Spartan aside. "That is MINE!" Sombra said as he reared up and dove into the ground. He began swimming through the dirt towards the palace like a shark, leaving a trail of dark crystals behind him.

Then, a truly massive dark crystal burst forth from the ground, and continued going upwards at the palace at a diagonal angle, with Sombra at the tip.

Spike tripped and fell off the spire, dropping the Crystal Heart in the process. He kept trying to grab it as he fell straight at Sombra.

Sombra's smoke suddenly blew away, revealing a physical body clad in armor and a thick red cape. He expressed brief surprise at his good fortune, and then quickly returned his attention to Spike and the Crystal Heart with newly found vigor.

And then Shining Armor threw Cadence off the balcony.

Cadence caught Spike and the Crystal Heart on her back just before Sombra could get them. Cadence circled around, and landed on the fake Crystal Heart, smashing it to pieces. "The Crystal Heart is returned," Cadence announced to the surrounding Crystal Ponies, "Use the light and love within you to ensure that King Sombra does not!" She then tossed the Crystal Heart over to its holding place, where it stuck, and began glowing.

The Crystal Ponies all suddenly gained shiny, crystal- like coats. But before they did what Cadence told them, they all looked to the Spartans.

Richard, Ashley, James, and Rose looked a bit roughed up but were overall okay. However, Kenny was unconscious, and was being held in Braden's arms pieta- style.

Braden nodded to the Crystal Ponies. "Waste him."

The Crystal Ponies smiled and bowed their heads down to the ground, which suddenly began to brightly glow blue.

Sombra noticed. "What?" The glowing continued spreading throughout the kingdom. "No! NO! STOP!" The glowing reached its apex, creating a snowflake symbol across the land, then all the energy and power came rushing back into the Crystal Heart, which in turn gave off a great pulse. The pulse enveloped the entire kingdom, destroying all of the dark crystals and giving every pony, dragon, and Spartan a new shiny look.

When the pulse hit Sombra, it began tearing him apart, but gave him just enough time to let out one final roar of hate in the face of his defeat.

"RRRRREEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

King Sombra exploded.

A beam of pure energy shot out from the topmost spire of the palace, creating an aurora borealis that could be seen all across Equestria.

The day was saved. *Puts on a pair of sunglasses* Hell yeah.

Cadence and Spike flew back up to the balcony. Shining ran up to Cadence and gave her a big ol' hug. They and the Mane Six (minus Twilight, who was still stuck at the top) turned around to look over the balcony and accept the cheers from the Crystal Ponies.

Except it was not they who the Crystal Ponies were cheering for.

All of the Crystal Ponies had their attention focused on the Spartans. Especially Braden, who they were holding up and parading through the city while chanting "Messiah! Messiah! Messiah!"

Everyone on the balcony stared down at the scene with poker faces.

"I knew that bastard was going to take all the credit." Shining Armor grumbled.





Kenny started to wake up. "Rablabla. Where am I?"

"You're on the train, relax." Richard said. "We're heading back to Canterlot right now."

"Did we win?"

"Affirmative. King Sombra was eliminated and the safety of the Crystal Empire was secured. Our armor was crystallized for a brief time, but wore off once we left the Empire's borders."

"Did anything else happen while I was out?"

"Yes, the Crystal Ponies convinced themselves that the Colonel is their lord and savior."

"Really?"

"It was quite amusing. You should have been awake."





"... I admit, I am surprised." Braden said as he and Celestia watched Twilight giddily prance out the door.

"How so?" Celestia asked.

"I first took you and your ponies to be spoiled naive children, unaware of the realities of the world. The fact that you just taught your student something as mature as the meaning of self sacrifice is... admirable."

"I am getting the sense that this means a lot to you, Colonel Braden."

"... Self sacrifice is the definition of a Spartan, Princess Celestia. Most Spartans have given more than I ever have."

"I see..."

There was a respectful moment of silence between the two.

Braden looked up at the new stain glass window. "So... this is the new one with us in it, eh?"

Celestia nodded and smiled. "Correct. What do you think?"

Braden analyzed the piece of art. At the very top of the window was the Crystal Heart. Below that, was Spike. Below that, were tiny versions of Kenny, Ashley, Richard, James, and Rose standing in a row. Below that, was Braden facing forward holding his katana up with one arm. And below that, were some Crystal Ponies cheering. And finally, at the bottom of the window, was King Sombra, whose head was facing upwards at the rest of the picture and growling.

"It's... detailed." Braden said.

"Thank you." Celestia said. "Say, is it true that the Crystal Ponies are calling you their 'lord and savior'?"

Braden face palmed and sighed. "Yes. Apparently I've inspired the Crystal Ponies and now they want to 'be just like me and my team'. So now you've got Spartan Ponies to deal with. Sorry."

"Oh I'm sure they'll behave themselves. Now if you will excuse me, I must join Luna over by the balcony and talk to her about a very important book."

"Fine, but I'll be sticking around for a while. I still want to talk to you about your little habit of erasing important events in history."

Celestia gulped and nervously shifted her eyes.