//------------------------------// // Origins: Part III // Story: Origins: Equestria // by Sunsette //------------------------------// Meanwhile on Earth, March 3rd 2553 Ten figures stood in front of the wing of a fallen pelican, with pictures, emblems and flowers decorating the space around it. There stood the High Admiral of the UNSC home-fleet, decked with all of his medals and emblems. There were four other Sanghelli, their plasma riffles holstered on their backs. They crisply saluted to their former foes and bend down to kneel in honour. Behind them Thel' Vadamee began walking towards the Admiral. He read the text that covered the wing. In memory of those fallen in the defence of Earth and all of her colonies, March 3rd, 2553. "For us the storm has passed.” He paused, gulping. "The war is over.” he continued, and something in his voice shook, trembled. "But let us never forget those who journeyed the howling dark and did not return, the ones that sacrificed their lives for us, their families for us.” He paused once more, throat unimaginably dry. "For their decision required courage beyond measure, sacrifice and unshakable conviction. "As we start to rebuild, this hillside will remain barren, a memorial for heroes fallen, they ennoble all of us, and they should not forgotten." He ended his speech, saluted to everyone. Both Sanghelli and human pointed their weapons at the greying sky. "Present haught!" ordered the sergeant, and both Elites and Humans fired three rounds towards the sky and saluted once more, but some of their actions were no longer so crisp, so clean. After an hour, both humans and elites all went back to their respected post and left both the Admiral and the Arbiter alone for the moment. The Elite walked towards the human and faced him in the eye. "I remember how this war started, what your kind did to mine,” he said grimly, but there was no anger, no hate. "I can't forgive you, but you have my thanks, for standing by him till the end.” The admiral shakes the arbiter's hand. "Hard to believe he's dead." he paused for a moment, hints of sadness betraying in his voice. The Elite glanced over, glanced towards his capital ship for a moment. "Were it so easy,” said the elite as he lowered his mandibles. The scorching brightness of the room burned Twilight's eye, resulting her to hiss in a regular fashion. She began wiping her eyes from the tears she had when she was passed out. There five ponies looking at Twilight with worrisome faces; Starlight and Spike had just entered the room, bringing cups of tea and apple cider for the rest of the gang. "Oh hey you're awake!" Starlight called cheerfully as she gave Twilight her cup of coffee. Twilight looks like she has a headache, a throbbing, painful one, and Starlight takes notice of it. "Are you alright Twilight?" she asked the lavender mare. Twilight’s eyes had begun to tear up, resulting in drops of liquid falling from her muzzle, dripping onto the wooden floor. She then proceeded to having a breakdown, trashing and crying on the floor. Starlight put a hoof on Twilight’s hair, gently coaxing her to come out of her cries, telling the others to leave the room for the moment. “Alright, sugarcube. Take care of Twi, okay?” Applejack murmured, herding the others out. "It must've been rough, huh?” Starlight asked, wiping away some of the tears from Twilight's cheek. "I still don't get it, why would anypony hurt someone like that?" Twilight replied. "I'm not quite sure myself, but let's set all of that behind and be optimistic for them,” Starlight attempted what she thought seemed like cheerful grin. "They won the war, and had begun rebuilding, just imagine where they’d be in four years, Twilight!" she laid a hoof on Twilight's back and brought Twilight's face to her cheek. "Still, I just feel like we're not helping or playing a role in their conflict for survival. After all, the last time I heard somepony died in combat was several hundred years ago, and yet the humans fought on even though it was a loosing war for humanity.” She wiped some of the tear's once more from Twilight's now crystal-tracked cheeks. "I know it's hard to help them, they live in some place far away. I wish we could help them as well but with our current technological status I doubt we’d be able to help sufficiently anytime soon.” Starlight murmured. She grabbed the tea and gently coaxed it inside Twilight's mouth. "When i entered the vision, all I really saw were those aliens and human' fighting each other,” she said. "You were passed out far longer then I was so I'm guessing that you've seen more things then I have.” Starlight continued softly, levitating the book back to them. “Oh, believe me, I've seen things far worst then what I anticipated." She proceeded to flip the pages of the book, casually skimming through them until she stopped at a very precise chapter. "The flood?!" Starlight exclaimed, trying to muffle the sound of her voice. "Yes, and believe me they're far worse then what this book describes.” She proceeded to tell her friend on how she saw both humans and elites turning into deformed shapes and how they viscously started infecting their former comrades, how a human in shining green armour nearly wiped out all life in the galaxy, all in thanks to a fanatic lightbulb. "Wow, that's quite a lot to take in, I mean you even mention a human snapping his own neck because of this parasite?" "Yep" Twilight replied calmly, She looked at Starlight for a moment before flipping through several more pages. They both sat there in awkward silence only gazing at each other for a few moment's before reading the pages once more. The door onfront of them creaked open and a small dragon walk towards them. "Hey there Spike, what do ya need?" Starlight asked cheerfully. "Well i just want to sit and stay here for the moment you know?" Spike replied. He see's that Twilight and Starlight are reading some sort of book and he gave them a curious look. "Hey i've never seen this book in the library, may i read it?" Spike asked, Twilight nodded and pushed the book towards Spike. He flipped all the pages to go to the beginning of the book. "Chapter 1, Halo?" He gave Starlight a very curious glance. "Is this some sort of Alien conspiracy thing here?" Spike joked, Starlight and Twilight both giggled to Spike's confusion. Chapter 1: Halo Eons ago, long before the reign's of our glorious leader's; Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, lived a race known as the Forerunner's. They have technology that are able to create entire world's, and armour that can enhance their lifespan for thousand's of years. They hold something called "The Mantle of Responsibility," they held the mantle with high regard's and protected the less inferior race's of this galaxy such as ourselves; Ponykind, dragon's, griffons, you named them, they protect them. One galactic day, an unknown force arrived in our galaxy, at first they didn't took action, only looking at the total damage that the new alien's can cause. But the alien force stopped targeting the inferior race's and targeted the Forerunner's instead. They infected every single sentient being in every planet they've encountered. Unlike most parasite's, this infection is very unique. Once it take's controls of it's host, they've gathered all the intelligence the creature has and distribute it throughout the gravemind. It was only in the last moment when they knew that the Forerunner's and the galaxy itself is in great peril. They did obscure actions such as studying and dissecting a infected body for further study, to destroying entire planet's until it's surface is but glass. The war lasted for many year's and they see no end to it, when all hope is lost one Forerunner devised a plan to stop the flood once and for all. They would create massive ring world's that are capable of wiping all life in the galaxy, but before they do that they must collect samples of every creature in the galaxy. Their end grows near when the most advance AI in the galaxy turned against his/her master's and controlled every flood spore in the galaxy. I think that our species; ponykind, and all the creatures in this planet were catalogued in their installations and finally when all hope is lost, the ring's were fired, everything dies. We were all returned in the end but it will never be the same again, the remaining alicorn's devolved and the Forerunner's leaves the Orion arm of the galaxy. Spike read the page again and again, he only chuckled in disbelief. "Really? you're seriously believe this conspiracy theory?" He asked in disbelief once again. Spike glanced at Twilight who seemed to be a little insulted about Spike's "Little comment." "What?" He asked in confusion, both mare's only glared at him, the mood in the air was really unsettling so he stood up. "Well...if you need me than i'll be at my room" he sighed. "Again..." His voice faded as he closes the door behind him. Both mare's only rolled on the floor and started laughing. "Oh Celestia, we put an act!" Starlight wiped a tear from her eye's. "Did you look at his face, he look's like a little filly who just discovered childhood-" Starlight's voice faded away and looked at Twilight, she was shaking her head in disagreement and Starlight groaned. They both look at each other, then the book, then the (now cold) tea. The air breeze against their fur's and Starlight finally made the first move in what feels like an eternity. She laid both coffee and tea on the tray Spike had left behind and proceeded to walk out of the room. Twilight only looked at her friend exiting out from the room and closing the door behind her. Twilight sat there for several second's only looking at her surroundings. 'This room never stop's to amuse me.' Twilight sighed and looked at the book once again, though there was something off, not right, a small piece of paper was sticking out at the back of the book (technically the end of the book.) She looked at the paper in curiosity and flipped the page's of the book and stopped at where the paper was sticking out. The return One faithful day, a dark force will be awoken from it's slumber, it will creep from its hole and venture throughout the land, shower's of fire will drop from the sky and the land will be set on fire, none shall be spared from the coming fire and none can stop it's force from changing the fate of Auries forever Twilight read the paragraph again, again, and again. She's going to go out a lot more often then she usually would. 5 Years later, The fleet of Renewed Justice "I'm detecting storm activity!" An unknown creature shouted, it was dark, really dark only the light from the multiple consoles and holo-projectors were producing light that of a human "light bulb." "Fire all weapon's, burn their mongrel hive's!" The leader of the ship ordered, and soon 60 ship exited out from slipspace and rushed toward's the enemy fleet. Auries did not brought the war to it's very footsteps. The war brought it's conflict to them, and so the reclamation has begun.