//------------------------------//
// Chapter 21 
// Story: Second Contact 
// by SpartanD014 
//------------------------------//

CHAPTER 21


Stepping out of his pelican and back into the now-empty square, Adam surveyed what had been left behind when the griffons abandoned the city. Many of the pony prisoners had been executed, but some were still alive, and were sitting, tied up, on the ground. He moved to go untie them, when he heard footsteps behind him.

“Sir, what happened?” asked the voice of Corporal Dunley. Adam turned to address the ODST, and found that Grant and Ward had followed him out.

“We have a problem,” Adam reported. “There was a dragon in the square. I called for the archer missile to try and take it out, but it survived.” 

“A dragon survived an archer missile!?” Ward asked, surprised. 

“That’s impossible, an archer missile can disable most UNSC warships!” Grant interjected, equally as shocked.

“I’m aware of that, private, but it did survive,” the Spartan said. “And now they’re heading for Canterlot. So we need to get there, and warn everyone.” He then turned to face the prisoners. “But first, we need to untie these prisoners.”

“Sir, with all due respect,” Dunley said. “We really should go now. If the griffons are moving on Canterlot, we have no time to spare.” 

“We have time,” Adam said. “The general said something about meeting up with the other groups in Ponyville. That should give us at least another day.” The ODST nodded, then motioned for the other two to help him untie the prisoners. While they went about doing this task, Adam set his eyes on the medical pavilion that he had seen Night Flyer be taken into. Cautiously, he approached the tent, assault rifle at the ready. He activated his thermal vision, and it only showed a single entity inside. Pushing the flaps aside, Adam stepped in and approached the crippled body of Night Flyer. Despite the amount of trauma his body had endured, the Spartan could still see the steady rise and fall of the pony’s chest, and an occasionally twitch of his face. Careful not to touch any particularly badly burned areas, Adam gently picked up the pony, and removed him from the tent. As he exited, he noticed that the three ODSTs had already almost finished untying the surviving prisoners, who then retrieved their weapons and set about securing the perimeter. When the ODSTs were finished, they ran to Adam, who was just about to enter the pelican. 

“We’re finished, sir,” Grant said. “What’s next?” 

“Good,” Adam replied as he laid the injured pony across three of the seats in the troop bay. “Get some of the pony soldiers to come with us. Have the rest check all of the safe houses and make sure they haven’t all been compromised. Then, we head for Canterlot.” The three marines saluted, then ran off to carry out the Spartan’s orders. Adam himself secured Night Flyer in the troop bay, then entered the cockpit and began starting up the dropship’s various systems. A few moments later, he heard the sound of multiple boots and hooves entering the troop bay, followed by the clicking of seat harnesses. 

“Everyone ready?” Adam asked, turning his head. The ponies and marines all nodded, and Adam closed the back hatch, then began to hover upwards. Once he was a respectable height above the ground, he throttled up the main engines, and shot off towards Canterlot.




The flight to Canterlot did not take long. At top speeds, Adam and his passengers reached the mountain city in just over two hours. As the Spartan navigated over the pristine white towers, he looked down, and was impressed by the amount of preparation that had been done since he had left. Overall, the time he had spent in the Crystal Empire and Manehattan totaled two days, and already Canterlot looked ready to take on a massive invasion force. The city seemed to have been mostly evacuated, no doubt to Infinity, and where hordes of ponies once roamed, there now were only machines of war. Machine gun turret emplacements had been set up at most of the streets, and the Spartan could see vacant scorpion tanks blocking off routes. By far the most well protected area, however, was the castle gates. Gauss cannon emplacements had been set up on almost all of the guard towers. Behind the walls were several mortar stations, and in front of them were more warthogs and scorpions, all of them pointing their weapons down the street. As Adam flew over the castle, he noticed that the large training grounds had been almost completely refit as a base of operations. Multiple pelican dropships, and even a few broadswords, had landed in the field, and Adam saw what looked like marines passing out firearms to unicorns. The training grounds then passed from his view, and all that was left were the castle gardens, at the back of the palace. He set his pelican down in the usual spot, and was pleased to notice that Princesses Celestia and Luna, as well as Commander Lasky, were already waiting for him. Opening the back hatch, Adam ran outside, followed by the ODSTs and pony soldiers. He approached the commander and princesses, and saluted. 

“At ease, Adam,” Lasky said. The commander was about to continue, but Adam interrupted.

“We need to talk,” he said. “It’s important.” The two diarchs looked at one another, then nodded, and turned to reenter the palace. Lasky and Adam followed behind, taking note of the extra guards running throughout the halls. 

“When was the city evacuated?” Adam asked as they strode through the palace behind the two princesses.

“Last night,” the Commander replied. “Infinity sent down Athens and Red Dawn to carry the refugees. The griffons were far enough away that they were able to make several trips, a luxury that the other cities have not been able to have…” 

“We’ll save as many as we can, sir,” stated the Spartan assuredly. Lasky was about to reply when the two pony sisters stopped in their tracks at a small door, which Adam recognized as leading to the planning room. Celestia pushed it open and walked inside, followed by her sister and the two humans. As he entered, Adam noticed that the map table now sported a highly detailed plan of Canterlot, which several areas highlighted for troop deployments and ambush zones. Everyone took up a position around the table, and then all eyes were set on Adam.

“So Adam, what news do you bring of Manehattan?” Princess Luna asked, an air of worry in her voice. Adam sighed, then prepared to recount his tale.

“Everything was going fine,” he began. “We were luring the bulk of the griffon army into an ambush, which, had it worked, would have led to our victory without a doubt. But something that we didn’t expect happened…” The ponies and human watched the Spartan, urging him to continue.

“Princess… you have mentioned in the past that dragons inhabit this world as well?” Celestia nodded, smiling. This smile was replaced with an expression of dread when she figured out what Adam was implying. 

“They have sided with the griffons?” she asked quietly, her pupils tiny dots in her large magenta eyes. Adam nodded solemnly, and let his news sink in. After a few moments had passed, he continued. 

“They ambushed us, and took out our air support fairly quickly. Once they were down, the dragons started burning our soldiers, then called for a surrender. As you can probably guess… they listened.”

“Where were you during this?” Lasky asked, confused. 

“I had been… incapacitated… by one of the longsword crashes,” Adam replied. “The crash took out my shields then knocked me unconscious, making it fairly easy for the griffons to capture me and take me to the one in charge.”

“The one in charge?” Luna asked. “Who is leading their assault?”

“A huge griffon called General Daggerwing,” said Adam. “He’s practically been indoctrinated by Chorus, as have all of his soldiers…

“Anyway, once I broke free, I met up with some ODST’s who had managed to escape and go into hiding. We made a plan to get to my pelican and escape, but we had to abandon it once we saw a dragon standing right across from it.”

“And that is when you radioed in for the archer missile?” Lasky asked, beginning to put the pieces together. Adam nodded in response.

“Yes, but it somehow managed to survive.” Celestia nodded, then stared at Adam.

“This dragon…” she said. “Would you please describe him to me?”

“He was massive,” Adam began. “Easily two and a half times larger than my pelican, and about twice the wingspan. The scales were a very dark red, though the archer missile did stain some of them black…” Celestia looked troubled.

“Two and a half times taller… That is large, even for a dragon,” she started. “I believe that you have just described to me a dragon lord.”

“Dragon lord?” Lasky asked. “What is that?” At this, Luna stepped forward.

“They are an incredibly rare breed of dragon,” the princess said. “Only a few are known to exist. In comparison to most dragons, they are much larger. They also have minor control over magic, allowing them to do things such as form shields around themselves, and greatly strengthen their scales. It is likely that this is how the dragon survived your missile attack.”

“It is also quite odd that one has decided to assist the griffons,” Celestia added. “Dragon lords almost always keep to themselves. That it has decided to work with another species is very troubling, to say the least…”

“That’s not all, princess…,” Adam continued. “The dragon ‘lord’ figured out that the missile came from near Canterlot. It, along with four smaller ones, began flying here. The griffons followed suit, and totally abandoned Manehattan.”

“They are on their way here now!?” Luna yelled, her eyes going wide.

“No, princess,” Adam said, attempting to comfort the night princess. “The general said that they would regroup in Ponyville, which, if I’m correct, would delay them by about a day. We don’t have much time.” Luna looked to Celestia.

“Then we need to prepare,” she said. 

“Agreed,” Adam began. “I’ll-.”

“Hold on, Spartan,” Lasky interjected, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Not yet. I need you onboard Infinity.”

“But sir-,”

“Adam, listen,” Lasky commanded. The Spartan did as he was told, and closed his mouth. “Your armor is damaged. Go to Infinity, get it repaired. Additionally, the Spartan-IV team we brought along is there, waiting for the word. Go up there, get them ready. We can hold the fort down here until you get back.” Once it seemed as though Lasky was done speaking, Adam spoke back up.

“Sir, I don’t work very well with teams,” he noted, flashbacks of his days as an ODST briefly returning.

“I know, Adam, I know,” the commander began. “And I’m not ordering you to work with them. I just need you to brief them, and get them ready for combat down here.” There was a brief moment of silence. Adam still did not want to leave; the griffons could attack at any moment. Of course, the UNSC had been bolstering the capital city and it was now an impressive show of force. Finally, he sighed, then stepped back and saluted. 

“Yes, sir,” was all he said before turning around and exiting the room.




Twilight navigated through the massive crowds of pony refugees who had been sent to Infinity for protection. Last night, two frigates had been sent to Canterlot to take on as many ponies as possible. When all of their trips had been completed, they had managed to rescue 8,000, putting the ship only a few hundred away from its maximum capacity. The humans had begun to run out of room in barracks and cargo bays, so only one room remained open: the Spartan deck. It was the largest part of the ship, and was host to hundreds of the cylindrical devices that had relieved Adam of his armor aboard Lightning. It easily fit over a thousand of the refugees, who were conversing among themselves about the situation on Equis. As Twilight walked, she gauged the general opinion about the humans as apprehensive at best. The humans had shown nothing but kindness to them thus far, but entrusting one’s life to an alien race who had only recently been introduced to the world was not an everyday situation. She understood their doubts, and even shared some of them. But the purple unicorn was determined not to let it interfere with future relations, or with the griffon situation. If she was going to help Princess Cadance keep these ponies calm, she would have to at least appear so herself.

As she walked through the thick crowds, Twilight spotted the reason she had come down to this deck: Princess Cadance. Several hours ago, the two had decided that, if they could not help in Equestria, they could at least help up here. Knowing that the largest concentration of ponies was on the Spartan deck, they had decided that the easiest way for them to calm the civilians down would be to speak to them in large numbers, and show that they were not worried. Twilight began trotting towards the pink mare, who noticed the unicorn approaching and grinned at her. Once Twilight was standing right next to the princess, she sat down, then scanned the crowd.

“There’s a lot of ponies in here,” she noted. “How are we going to get everypony’s attention?” 

“I am a princess, Twilight,” Cadance replied, a soft laugh escaping her lips. “I’m used to this kind of thing. She then turned her attention to the crowd before them, and coughed loudly, amplifying it with her magic. The din of chatter among the ponies slowly died down, until there was perfect silence. Everypony’s eyes were on Cadance.

“My little ponies,” she began. “I know that you are worried. I know that you do not entirely trust these humans. To be honest, I’m worried too. Worried for the ponies who were not given the luxury of coming up here for safety.” Cadance then began pacing back and forth in front of the crowd. Their eyes never left the princess.

“Recognize that being up here is a great gift,” Cadance continued. “Do you realize how lucky we are? To be sitting up here, perfectly comfortable and in complete safety while the ponies below us are suffering through the griffon scourge? While we are up here, in this enchanting starship, ponies like you and me and being forced to sit in constant fear of being discovered. They are forced to stand up and see firsthoof what the griffons are leaving in their wake. We are very lucky.” The ponies stared at the princess, their expressions a mix of confusion and sadness. Was the princess trying to make them feel guilty, or safe?

“Which is why we must be strong! For while we sit up here, the world that we know and love is changing. When we go back, it will not be the same as you remember it. But you must put it upon yourselves to draw strength from this event! Homes can be rebuilt, flags re-sewn. We are being given the opportunity to do that by the humans. For without them… we would already have lost. The humans are our friends. They are here to help, and more importantly, they are here to be there for us for years to come! Cast aside your doubts and your fears! For when the humans drive the griffons from our homes, it will be up to us to restore them to how we remember!” 

As her message began to be absorbed by the masses, smiles began to replace the expressions of fear and doubt. Hooves began to stomp against the light metallic floor of the deck, and the crowd began cheering. Twilight smiled at the reaction, and looked to Cadance. She, too, was smiling, and looking out upon the ponies. Twilight then looked back out over the crowd. Her attention was moved away from the ponies, however, when she saw a small door at the opposite end of the room open. Out of it walked a tall figure, with a golden face. The mare smiled as she recognized it as Adam. This smile was soon replaced with a frown as she began to wonder. What could he be doing up here? Adam then stepped into one of the cylindrical devices, and the process of removing his armor began. A few seconds later, it was over, and the human walked out the same way he entered, the door sliding shut behind him. 




Adam navigated through the tall hallways of Infinity, attempting to find his way to the Spartan barracks. The fireteam that had been assigned to the ship on its trip to Equestria was known as Fireteam Vector. As with most teams, it was comprised of five Spartan-IV’s, with a gunnery sergeant in command. Adam had been briefed about Vector, and knew that the Spartan in charge was Kevin D-121, a graduate of the same class as him. They had performed training operations together, though, because of his difficulty with working with others, Adam typically did not do well. The other four names he did not recognize, as they had been part of the group trained after the Deltas. 

Finally he came to the door he was looking for, the barracks reserved for Fireteam Vector. Adam pressed the ‘open’ button, and it slid apart, revealing a sizeable barracks with five beds, several computers, and a metal table in the center. Standing around this table were the five Spartans, all talking amongst one another quietly, no doubt about the pony situation. Adam cleared his throat to make them aware of his presence. All of their eyes immediately shot up and, upon seeing him, four of the Spartans saluted. The only one who did not salute was standing in the middle of the pack, Kevin D-121. Instead, he navigated around the table, hands clasped behind his back, and approached Adam. They each stared each other down for a moment, before Kevin smiled and held out his hand.

“Adam,” he said amicably. “It’s been a long time.” 

“It sure has, Kevin,” Adam replied coolly, accepting the handshake. Most S-IV’s in the Delta group had made an effort to get to know one another, to make future cooperation easier. This was not the case with Adam, as he usually had distanced himself from the others. The other Spartans had recognized this, and typically would leave him alone. Even when they did try to have contact with him, Adam would frequently ignore them or force them away. This lead to some Spartans disliking him, though they would always put that at the back of their mind during practice missions or exercises. Adam guessed that the only reason Kevin was treating him in a friendly manner was for this same reason, to make cooperation in this mission easier. They let go of each other’s hands, and Kevin began to motion to the other four Spartans. 

“Adam, these are Spartans E-411, E-232, E-059, and E-101,” he said, moving his hand past each of the soldiers as he said their numbers. Each one held their rigid postures and maintained their salutes, staring off at the wall behind Adam. He stepped forward, then addressed them.

“At ease, Spartans,” Adam began. “As you have no doubt been told, I am here to brief you on the situation down on Equis.” The Spartans dropped their salutes, then all turned to look at him, nodding. 

“Well, let’s begin by saying that the situation is not good. Two griffon armies are going to be meeting up in a small town called Ponyville. The first group is the one that attacked Manehattan, and is currently 4,500 strong. The second is exclusively meant to attack Canterlot, and is 10,000 strong.” The four Echo Spartans visibly winced at this number, but kept their attention on Adam. 

“But that’s not all. According to intelligence provided by a few defectors, five hundred and fifteen Forerunner sentinels will be joining in the attack. In large numbers, the griffons can be a very lethal foe. However, compared to them, the sentinels are much worse. Their weapons can easily pierce our armor, and they’ve all been given personal energy shields. Now, our defectors are going to be focusing on them, but they’ll need some help. So as soon as those hostile sentinels arrive, I want you to focus all of your attention on wiping them out. Understood?” 

There was a resounding, “Yes, sir!” from the four Spartans. Adam nodded, then continued. 

“We have already begun to reinforce Canterlot. Vehicles from Infinity have been sent down and placed in strategic locations throughout the city and at the castle. The castle is our main defensive point. It is where most of the refugees who could not make it aboard the frigates are being kept, and also where the princesses are. If we lose them, we lose Equestria. So no matter what, defend that castle with your lives. Any questions?” Nobody spoke, so Adam nodded.

“Good,” he said. “Let’s move out.” Adam turned and exited the room, followed closely by Kevin. Behind him walked the four Echo Spartans, and they began to walk back to the Spartan deck. 




Twilight once again maneuvered through the crowds of ponies on the Spartan deck, trying to gauge the reaction of Cadance’s speech. Overall, it seemed to have the desired effect. Every time a human soldier, a ‘marine’ as she had heard them be called, entered the room to see how everypony was doing, he was no longer met with a tense, fearful silence. Instead, ponies began greeting the soldiers and treating them normally. There were still a few ponies who were not entirely convinced, but they kept to themselves and did nothing to upset the wave of calmness that had swept over the refugees. Deciding that her job was done, Twilight turned to find the exit. Setting her eyes upon the small door, she began walking over to it, navigating through the maze of ponies to get there. As soon as she approached the door, however, it slid open, and Adam walked back through, followed by five other humans clad in the same tight black suit as he. The six humans walked past her, each one approaching one of the cylinders. Twilight spun around and ran behind Adam, stopping as he stepped into one. 

“Adam!” she said happily. “What are you doing back?”

“Getting ready for battle,” he replied as the cylindrical device began spinning around him. 

“Right,” Twilight said. “How is everything going down there?” Adam looked the mare right in the eye, seeming to be thinking about what to say. What did he have to hide? Were they losing? No, that’s impossible, Twilight thought. The humans were far more advanced than the griffons, there was no way that they could not be winning.

“Don’t worry, Twilight,” Adam finally said. “You’ll be able to return home soon.” As he finished the sentence, dozens of robotic arms began spinning around him, attaching pieces of armor to him and soon completely covering his body in the dark gray suit. Twilight then noticed that they had attracted a crowd of onlookers, as many ponies were behind her, watching the machinery at work. The purple unicorn began to watch the other humans, who seemed also to be Spartans, as each of them received their armor. Each suit seemed to look different from the last, likely to suit each one’s combat style. Finally the armor procedure finished, and the six soldiers stepped out of the cylinders, which then receded back into the walls. The humans then all exited the room through the same door in a straight line, the door sliding shut behind them. 




Adam walked down the reinforced streets of Canterlot, admiring the work that had been done to stop the griffons from reaching the palace. An air of tension had settled over the mountain city, and it was visible everywhere the Spartan looked. UNSC soldiers monotonously loaded machine guns with ammunition belts and tanks with shells, while unicorn guards used their magic to levitate barricades and fortify positions. Through it all, nobody spoke. Rather, the soldiers completed their tasks with troubled expressions, trying to mentally prepare themselves for the coming battle. Only minutes after Adam and Fireteam Vector had landed, they had received word that the two griffon forces had met up at Ponyville. That had been only a couple of hours ago, and so far they had made no other moves. What were they waiting for? Scouts had confirmed that all hostiles had arrived, why were they not yet attacking? Adam puzzled over this as he continued walking down the street, until he reached his destination: the palace. 

As soon as he stepped through the massive steel gates, he was met with the sight of dozens of soldiers, both pony and human, preparing in the courtyard. Mortars had been set up with small computers used to calculate trajectory and show where the projectile would land, and several weapon depots were established along the back wall, where ODSTs were showing unicorns how to operate assault rifles. Adam walked through the ranks of soldiers, then pushed open the ornate wooden door that lead into the castle beyond. Much like the rest of the city, the main entry hallway was not lacking in defenses. More machine gun turrets had been set up behind tall columns to provide cover, and several barricades had been pushed to the sides of the hall in a convenient enough spot that they could be pushed back into place should the need arise. More human and pony soldiers lined the hall, all of them preparing various weapons such as M319 grenade launchers and ARC-920 railguns. Adam continued walking through the hall, and began to traverse the well-rehearsed path to the war planning room. Everywhere he went were guards preparing the inside of the castle for battle. They were sparing no expense to keep the refugees and princesses safe. Finally he came to the wooden door and pushed it open, then stepped into the familiar room. Just like when he had last been here, there were three individuals standing around the center table: Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Commander Lasky. They all turned to look at the newcomer, and smiled when they saw him.

“Adam,” Princess Luna was the first to speak. “Welcome back. I trust that you are ready?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he nodded. “There’s no way that we’ll let this city go down.” Luna smiled once more, then looked back at the map. Adam walked forward and joined them.

“As I’m sure you’ve noticed,” Lasky began. “We’ve been greatly reinforcing the city. Most streets are completely blocked off, and we’ve set up defensive positions everywhere that isn’t. Additionally, all UNSC soldiers who were sent to defend other cities are being recalled. They’ll be here soon.” 

“I’ve been meaning to ask, how are the other cities doing?” Adam asked. 

“Compared to Manehattan? Fine,” the commander answered. “I’m not sure why, but, in comparison to the force that was sent to attack Manehattan, the ones attacking Fillydelphia and elsewhere have been fairly weak… And no dragons, either. It seems that they were a Manehattan exclusive as well.” 

“The dragons are few in numbers, and dragon lords even fewer,” Celestia explained. “And they are very divided. I can understand four lower dragons joining in to help the griffons, and maybe a lord, but no more.” Lasky nodded, and rubbed his chin.

“Well, based on the result of the last time we attacked a dragon,” he said. “I think that we’ve got five too many. Aside from the sentinels, they’re going to be the hardest hostiles to eliminate.” Adam nodded in agreement. 

“What can we do?” 

“I made a call to Captain Del Rio about an hour ago,” the commander continued. “And he’s agreed to send down two frigates, in addition to letting us keep Perseus, to provide air support.” Adam’s eyes widened in shock at this news. 

“However, they won’t be able to use MACs. Even if they were firing into the fields below, the shockwave could destabilize the city supports, and send it off of the mountain. Archer missiles will have to be used sparingly for the same reason.” Adam nodded in understanding, then began to regard the map on the table. 

“There are only three entrances to the city, correct?” he asked. 

“That is correct, Adam,” Celestia answered. “One is the entrance at the train station, and the other two are doors leading from the mountain passages. Commander Lasky said that these would make good ‘bottlenecks’.” 

“Mm, I agree, but they won’t hold forever,” Adam said. “The griffons seem to completely disregard their dead. They’ll sacrifice a thousand soldiers just to get through the gates.” Celestia nodded, and sighed.

“Alas, it is all we have,” she said somberly. “There is only one way this ends. The griffons are throwing everything they have at Canterlot. If we stop them here and now, that is it. The war will be over.”

“I don’t know about that, ma’am…” Adam said. “401 Lamenting Chorus is rampant. If this doesn’t work, it’ll just try something else. Maybe not immediately, maybe not for another hundred years. But eventually, it will try again, and again, and again, until it is successful. This does not end with the destruction of the griffons, but with the destruction of that monitor.” The princesses both nodded grimly, then turned and exited the room. 




Adam stood on the balcony joined to his room, looking out on the expansive Equestrian landscape. Helmet in hand, he let the late nighttime breeze blow through his short hair. The Spartan knew that this would be the last chance he got to relax for a while, as the griffons were not likely to let up on their assault at least until they were completely pushed back. Adam, sighed, and let a yawn escape him. He had not slept for the past several days, and it was finally starting to take a toll on him. He rubbed his eyes in an effort to keep awake, and focused on surveying the countryside. It was very different from a UNSC colony. Most of the inner colonies (before they were glassed, of course) were fairly similar to Earth, in that they had massive cities and most land was repurposed for production of goods to ship to the other colonies. To see this much land going totally unused was very different to Adam. 

His train of thought was interrupted as he heard the flutter of wings, followed by a soft thump on the balcony behind him. He felt a presence approaching, and then Princess Luna entered the periphery of his vision. A brief moment of silence passed between the two of them, before the alicorn finally spoke.

“It is beautiful, isn’t it?” she said quietly. All Adam did was nod in response. “Back before my… banishment… I used to spend hours on the balconies, just watching the land. I think that… of all of the hobbies I used to have… I missed that one the most.” The Spartan remembered the brief history lesson he had been given aboard the pelican during the first trip to Lightning, and how Luna had been banished for 1,000 years. It was difficult for him to wrap his head around, that she had been in one place for a millennia, unable to do anything about it but sit and be with her own thoughts… It would have driven him mad. There was another silence, before Adam finally spoke.

“I was born in the city of New Alexandria,” he said. “We had an apartment in one of the tall buildings… It was so tall, we went above the clouds. It gave me a perfect view of everything. I used to spend nights up there, watching the cars on the streets down below. Then to see it all get destroyed…” Luna turned her head and gave the Spartan a look of sympathy, her blue eyes shining in the night. She extended her wing across his back as best as she could, then looked back out over the landscape. 

They each stood in a peaceful silence, simply watching the countryside below them. From their high vantage point, Adam could see much. He saw the edges of the Everfree forest, where he had first landed. On the other side of that, though he could not see it, was Ponyville, where he had turned himself in. It all seemed so simple back then. But because of his rash actions, the peaceful ponies were now forced into a war for their own survival.

“I’m sorry,” he said. Luna looked at him with a confused stare.

“What for, Adam?” she asked, genuinely confused. 

“All of this,” he answered. “It’s all my fault. Princess Celestia was right. If I had just waited, if I had never helped that monitor… You all would be fine, I’d be back with the UNSC, and everything would be peaceful. But I ruined it all.” Luna withdrew her wing, and turned to fully face the Spartan. 

“Adam,” she began. “We do not blame you for any of this. The griffons would have attacked us eventually, it was inevitable. And, as much as I do not want to admit it, without help from you and your kind, we would likely have already lost. We do not blame you, Adam. We thank you.” Adam turned his head and looked at the pony, offering a weak smile. 

“Plus, for what it’s worth… we have all greatly enjoyed your company.” Adam chuckled softly at this, then turned back and continued examining the Equestrian countryside. Luna stayed with him for a few more moments, before she stepped away and spread her wings.

“I must return to my duties, Adam,” she said, and slowly began to hover into the air. He turned and watched as the alicorn rose higher and higher.

“I should probably get some sleep anyway, Princess,” he replied. “Don’t want to be tired when the griffons show up.” Luna smiled and nodded, then with a mighty flap she soared off into the sky, flying to another part of Canterlot. Adam turned and reentered his room, closing the door behind him. He placed the helmet on the bedside table, then lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes. He did not know what exactly what he was going to wake up to, but whatever happened… he knew that it had all been worth it.