May 19th, 2559
//Begin Personal Log
//
//May 20th, 2559
//
//00:40 Local Time
News! Yes news. So a few days have passed since my last log. Here’s what happened. The survey teams have been combing over all their data; suffice to say, they have some very interesting findings. Most of which I can’t understand in their super technical lingo. However, what I do understand is that I now have a changeling named Spotlight living on the ship. He was even bold enough to ask the Director for asylum in the UNSC, citing some very compelling reasons. I’m not worried about it though. He has lost everything, so I can kinda see why he would jump at the chance for a new life on a new world with a new species.
Anyway... so the world (I keep forgetting to ask the name of the planet) now knows of humanity’s existence. So far I am hearing reactions from overjoyed to absolute terror. Most just seem confused. Celestia had me do a live press conference with her on national TV. I even gave the reporters some time to ask questions. Some were about our diet, where we’re from, do we intend to invade and take over, what’s my favorite flavor of icecream, etc.
Celestia then asked if I would take a small group with Captain Silverlight and head to Ponyville. She wants us to start making ourselves more known to help alleviate any fear or uncertainty that the populace might have. So we went to Ponyville and, with the help of Princess Twilight Sparkle and friends, had a very successful outing.
//End Log
It was early in the morning when Daniel awoke to the obnoxious buzzing of his alarm clock. He grumbled and looked out the window only to be met by darkness. The clock read five twenty in the morning; much too early for any sane person to be waking up. He sighed as he checked the date; May 19th 2559. Today was the day Celestia would reveal the humans to the rest of her nation and the world. He, Commander Zerom, and Commander Dior would be there to make a statement and answer some questions. First though, he had a briefing with the Princess.
Daniel, with nothing short of divine intervention, pulled himself from his bed and began his morning routine. By the time he had a showered and shaved it was already five-forty. He had just twenty minutes to grab a cup of tea and get to the throne room to meet with Celestia. Joining him would be Commanders Dior and Zerom.
It was five-fifty in the morning when Daniel made his way to the throne room with a thermos of black tea. As he entered, he noticed Zerom and Dior were already there with Luna and Celestia. Dior was wearing her usual sky blue MJOLNIR armor, while Zerom was wearing his grey working uniform. Celestia seemed to be as awake and alert as ever, despite it being so early in the morning. However, Luna looked like she was about to collapse from fatigue.
“Good morning Captain.” Celestia greeted warmly.
“Morning Princess. No Twilight today?” He replied while taking a seat next to Zerom.
“Not today. She lives in Ponyville and only comes to the castle when I have need of her.” Celestia replied.
“Ah, so like the time you went to the gryphon empire.”
“Exactly.”
Daniel then turned to look at Luna. “I see someone isn’t a morning person.” He said with a chuckle.
“I have no quarrel with mornings. I haven’t had time to sleep, seeing as how I held court last night.” Luna replied dryly.
“Believe me, we can all sympathize.” Zerom said with a chuckle as memories of long watches replayed in his mind.
“So, big day today.” Daniel stated.
“Indeed. Our press conference will be today at two, so you should have plenty of time to prepare yourselves.” Celestia stated.
“So let’s go over the plan. You intend to make a statement first about the gryphon uprising?” Daniel asked.
“Yes. I will also be mentioning the attack on Dodge Junction and Appleoosa.”
“What about the razing of the changeling hives?”
“Not yet.” Celestia said with a shake of her head.
“Alright. Then you want to introduce us?”
“Yes, I will make a transition and give a small introduction. Then I want the three of you to talk a bit about your people.”
“Perhaps it would be easier if we just let them ask questions.”
“That’s fine with me.”
“Captain, what are you going to say if they ask about the war?” Dior asked with concern.
Daniel thought for a moment before continuing. “Then we I’ll tell them about it. Nothing too graphic, but enough for them to get an idea of what happened.”
“You still have yet to really go into any detail about this war with me. If you are going to tell my ponies about this conflict, I would very much like to hear it first.” Celestia said. Her tone indicating that her request was a polite order.
“Alright.” Daniel took a deep breath before beginning. “Thirty-four years ago, humanity made contact with an alien race in the year 2525 near Harvest, a UNSC world. It started as small raids but eventually culminated into a planetary invasion only a year later. The entire planet was destroyed with billions of deaths. After that it turned into open warfare.” He paused and looked to Celestia before continuing.
“It didn’t take us long to figure out that we were horribly outgunned and outnumbered. There were a handful of victories here and there, but they all came at extreme cost. For almost thirty years, the Covenant systematically destroyed our fleets and burned our worlds with the sole intent of extermination.”
“Did you ever find out why?” Celestia asked.
“The popular theory is that it was a religious movement. We later found out that their religious leaders, known only as The Prophets, had deemed humanity an affront to their gods. Stating that we were an obstacle for them to complete their Great Journey.”
“Great Journey?” Luna asked.
“It was a kind of ascendance thing... Tens of thousands of years ago, a civilization known as the Forerunners waged war on a parasitic life form called the Flood. The Forerunners eventually lost, but not before creating and using a super weapon with the capability of wiping out all life in the galaxy. Fast forward to thirty years ago and the Covenant believed that these weapons were holy relics that would complete the Great Journey.”
“So they wanted to end all life in the universe because of this Great Journey?” Celestia asked with a mix of fear and astonishment.
“Yup. Religious zealotry can make doing the absurd seem normal. Now, these weapons are... not your typical weapons. In fact, they are really massive rings in space that we call Halos.”
“Just how big were they?”
“They are massive. About the diameter of this planet.” Celestia and Luna just stared slack jawed. “It gets better. There were eight rings in total scattered across the galaxy. However, there was an even bigger installation called the Ark. It was built as a failsafe where all of the other rings could be fired simultaneously from outside the galaxy.”
“H-how long ago was this?” Luna asked with a shaky voice.
“In December of 2552. That was the date when the Covenant found the Ark and tried to fire it. They came within minutes of succeeding. Hell, it came down to a single soldier to stop the end of the galaxy.”
There was an eerie silence. “So this Covenant really came close to succeeding?” Celestia asked.
“They did. If it weren’t for the Sangheili breaking away from the Covenant then I doubt we would have pulled it off.”
“What caused them to break away?” Luna asked.
“There was a single Sangheili, only called The Arbiter. He was supposed to be the hand of the prophets. Well, that didn’t last long. Their holy warrior began to question the motives of the prophets and even whether the Great Journey was real. I’m not sure what tipped him over the edge, but he began to spread word to the other Sangheili that the Prophets had lied. Soon the Sangheili were actually fighting alongside us to push back the remaining Covenant forces.”
“So these Sangheili went from trying to exterminate your people to fighting by your side. Did your people forgive them?” She asked quietly.
Daniel just shook his head. “No, and I doubt we ever will. Their sins are too great for us to forgive them, even with their help during the end of the war. Although, we now have a peace treaty and a non-aggression pact, but I don’t think we would ever pursue anything further. Quite frankly, none of us want anything to do with them.”
“I see...” Luna said.
“That’s just a brief overview of the Great War. There’s a lot more to it, but we would be here for hours covering the first ten years.” Zerom commented.
“I’m sorry, but I have to ask. How many died?” Celestia asked.
“Just over half our population. I think the last figures were around thirteen billion, but it could be higher.” Dior said calmly.
The room sat in silence as their words sank in.
Eventually Celestia spoke up. “That was... astonishing. I’m not sure what to say...”
“It’s history. There’s nothing to it but to move forward. Something I haven’t really been all that good at.” Daniel replied. “So, now that that unpleasant business is out of the way, let’s talk about the actual conference. Do you want us in full dress uniform, or something else?”
Celestia looked to Luna and then back at the humans. “I think dress uniforms would be best. Although I haven’t seen your dress uniform, I can only assume it would be appropriate.”
Daniel turned to Zerom and Dior. “You heard her, dress uniforms.”
“Aye sir.” The two replied in unison.
“So I know you will be there Celestia, but what about Luna?” The Captain asked.
“Maybe after a nap. I would rather not fall asleep on national television.”
“Good point. Any idea on how long it will take for your room to be rebuilt?”
Celestia responded instead. “It will be a few months. I hired an engineering firm to evaluate the damage to the tower. They said the whole tower was structurally weakened by the blast and recommended having it torn down and rebuilt.”
“Wow. Sorry to hear that.”
“It’s not that bad. It will give me time to finish the first few seasons of Star Trek.” Luna said with a smile.
“Just when I thought I couldn’t love you more, you pull this on me.” Daniel wiped a fake tear from his eye. “I am so damn proud of you.”
Luna just sat there and beamed a smile. Celestia looked at her sister and then the Captain.
“Well I’m glad the two of you are getting along so well.” Celestia said with a smile.
“You kidding? The ship loves her. Even the AI likes her, and he doesn’t even have actual feelings!” Daniel said with vigor.
“Isn’t he programmed to like people?” Luna asked.
“Nope, he’s programmed to obey and protect humans. It’s his personality algorithms that makes him like you.”
“Andrew said he did add a program to let Tommy make smart flank remarks toward you. Specifically you.”
Daniel just stared at her. “Son of a bitch! I knew it!”
“You didn’t know?” Luna asked with a laugh.
“No and I’m probably going to shoot him later.”
“Human friendships continue to baffle me.” Celestia said with a puzzled look.
“Threatening to commit acts of violence against each other is another sign of close friendship. That, coupled with insults and other snide comments provide some incredible comedy.”
“You never threaten or insult me. Does that mean we aren’t friends?” Dior said with a grin as she leaned forward and glared at Daniel.
“We’re friends. I’m just not going to insult or threaten someone who can bench press a car or rip out my spine and strangle me with it.”
“Hmm, good point.” Dior replied as she leaned back in her chair.
“Well what about me?” Zerom asked.
“Fuck you.” Daniel said with a straight face.
“Yup. We’re all good.” Zerom said with a grin. “That conversation sums up human relationships, mostly male relationships.”
“That is... very odd, and yet is seems genuine.” Celestia said with a chuckle. “Well, I think now is a great point to break and get ready for our press conference.”
“Agreed. Meet back here at thirteen hundred hours?”
“Sounds good.”
With that said, all five stood up and went their separate ways.
~~~
Celestia and Luna walked to the lounge connected to the throne room. Once inside, Celestia sat on a couch with a thump before removing her crown and placing it on the coffee table. Luna took a seat across from her sister and watched her with interest.
“Thinking about what Daniel said?” Luna asked her sister.
“How can I not. His story... part of me doesn't want to believe it, and yet I know he is telling the truth.” She said while taking slow deep breaths.
“How are you so sure?”
“I may have cast a truth ward before the meeting.”
Luna raised an eyebrow at Celestia. “Were you worried about him not being truthful?”
“I don’t know. They are still an alien race that we know little about. I just want to be sure they aren’t trying to deceive us.”
“And do you think they are?”
Celestia shook her head. “No. They have been incredibly welcoming and friendly. Especially given all that they have been through.”
“I agree.” Luna said, staring at her sister’s crown on the table. “What about that last part. About the end of the universe?”
“He was truthful. I still can’t imagine anything like that could exist. I mean, we look at national heroes as ponies who have done some extraordinary act of bravery to benefit all of ponykind. But the humans... they stopped the end of the universe. If they had failed... we would all have perished without ever knowing what was coming.”
The two sisters sat in silence for a moment, pondering what to say next.
“However, I know there is more to it than what he said.” Celestia finally spoke up.
“I’m sure he will tell us when we aren’t crunched for time.”
“I just can’t imagine what other horrors he has experienced and hasn’t told us about.” Celestia said quietly. “The thing that really made me uneasy was how he talked about those Sangheili. I could see the hate in his eyes and hear it in his voice every time he mentioned them.”
“They did murder his friends and family along with most of his race. I can understand his feelings.”
“I know. I just wonder if that hate will follow him here.”
“I guess we'll find out. Though it’s more peaceful here, so I doubt it will be an issue.”
“Perhaps. Could you talk to him about it? See if he will open up a bit.”
“I’ll see what I can do. I just don’t want to push too hard.”
“Of course not.”
~~~
Daniel stood in front of a mirror in his bathroom as he adjusted his uniform. His ribbons were neat and straight over his left breast, while his captain’s bars were set on his shoulders. He picked up his pressed hat and made his way to the castle with Dior and Zerom.
Celestia and Luna were waiting for the group as they entered.
“My, you all look very professional.” Celestia commented.
“Thank you ma’am.” Daniel said, slipping into a much more formal attitude.
It was at that point that a guard entered the room and quickly bowed.
“Your highness, the press is ready in the foyer.”
“Thank you.” Celestia replied with her usual warm tone. She then turned to the humans. “Well, I think now is as good a time as ever.”
“Alright then. Just like we talked about.” The Captain said before following Celestia and Luna toward the waiting media. Celestia would first make a few statements and take some questions before introducing Daniel and his crew. Celestia paused and took a deep breath before opening the doors and stepping through with Luna by her side.
A series of camera flashes met the Princesses as they stepped in front of the banks of cameras and eventually took their places in front of two podiums, each loaded with microphones. Celestia let the cameras continue to flash for a few minutes before beginning to speak.
“Thank you all for gathering here today.” She took a deep breath and began. “My dear ponies, three days ago our nation came under attack from a threat to the north.” The room remained silent as Celestia continued. “A force of gryphon terrorists crossed the border of Equestria with a number of airships. They then attacked the frontier town of Dodge Junction in the early hours of the morning. I have sent a detachment of guards to investigate and aid the survivors. I have yet to receive news from them.”
Reporters began raising their hooves as the called for the Princess, hoping she would answer their question. Celestia pointed to a unicorn reporter in the middle of the room. “Yes, you there.”
“Princess, does this mean we are at war with the gryphon empire? I thought they were our allies”
“We are not yet at war with the gryphons. Emperor Coalfeather was forced to flee when these insurrectionists attacked the capital.” Reporters began jotting down her every word. They all then began clamoring for her attention again.
Celestia pointed to a pegasus in the front row. “What is being done to protect us from further attacks of this nature?”
“We are bolstering our defences along the border and in frontier towns.” Celestia then pointed to an earth pony near the back.
“Where is the Emperor now?”
“I can’t comment on that.” She then pointed to another unicorn.
“Would you consider going to war if the attacks continued?”
“Only if a diplomatic solution was impossible. I will not send anypony to die if there are still diplomatic options available.” She then pointed to another earth pony.
“Princess, there has been talk these past few weeks of something strange near the Everfree forest. Ponies reported seeing a streak of light and a thunderous roar pass right over the city and then disappear near the forest. Do you know anything about this?”
“I’m afraid you will need to be more specific.”
Another reporter interjected. “He wants to know if aliens have landed in Equestria.”
A few snickers could be heard in the crowd. Celestia raised an eyebrow and looked at the reporter who was trying to hide behind his notebook in embarrassment. Celestia turned to Luna who only gave a slight nod. Celestia turned back to the reporter and gave her reply.
“Yes.” Silence. A pen was heard hitting the tile as everypony stared at Celestia in shock. Finally a small voice spoke up from somewhere in the crowd.
“Did... did you say yes?”
“Yes. Two weeks ago, an alien spacecraft landed near the edge of the Everfree forest.”
The room erupted into chaos as reporters practically screamed their questions. Eventually Celestia raised a hoof and the room became silent. She then pointed to the reporter who asked the original question.
“Do you know who they are?”
“Yes. They are called humans.” Reporters began shouting additional questions. Things like, where did they come from, why are they here, what do they look like. Once again Celestia silenced the room.
“Perhaps you should direct those questions toward our guests.” Celestia turned to Luna who began to speak.
“I would like to introduce our esteemed guests. Captain Daniel Ryan, Commander Jonathan Zerom, and Commander Lisa Dior.” With that, the three humans entered the room and took places between Celestia and Luna. The crowd of ponies reacted with shock, awe, fear, and surprise. Luna stepped back from her podium and allowed Daniel to take her place.
“Thank you Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, for your incredible hospitality.” Daniel said, looking to Celestia. He then turned back to the waiting crowd of reporters. “My name is Captain Daniel Ryan of the United Nations Space Command. I would like to start by saying that we are not here to invade, nor are we here to bring about the end of your way of life. My vessel was on a mission of exploration when we came across your world. Certain circumstances forced us to make an emergency landing near the Everfree forest.” Daniel paused to gauge the reaction of the crowd. It seemed as though most were now incredibly interested in what the Captain had to say.
“Now, I would like to open this to questions. I will do my best to answer your questions.” The reporters were hesitant to say anything. Soon though, one of the reporters slowly raised his hoof. “Yes, you there.”
“S-s-so you have been here for a few weeks. What... what do you think of us?”
“What do I think... I think your people are very interesting. So far we have been given a warm welcome, making me excited to meet more ponies.”
A few more hooves came up this time. Daniel once again pointed to a random pony.
“How long have you been able to go into space?”
“We began traveling to space about six hundred years ago. For the past five hundred years we have been openly traveling the stars.” Daniel pointed to another pony.
“How many humans are there?”
“Right now, about twelve billion.” A series of gasps sounded through the room.
“What do you think of the recent attacks by the gryphon terrorists?”
Daniel pondered the question before answering. “I think you are in good... hooves. I am confident that both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will be able to achieve a peaceful resolution as to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.”
Another question.
“Have you ever been in this kind of situation?”
“Yes, we have experience fighting this kind of battle.”
“Will you be helping us if it comes to war?”
“I can’t say at this time. It would depend on quite a few factors. However, I will be able to offer guidance and advice.”
The reporters were beginning to relax, more hooves raised as the questions began to flow.
“What do you think of the Princesses?”
“I think they are wonderful. I think you are all incredibly fortunate to have such wonderful leaders. I can tell you that neither of them want to engage in war, but they will not hesitate to protect you.”
“What kind of things do humans eat?”
“Humans are natural omnivores. Although some people do follow a strict vegetarian diet.”
“So, do you eat ponies?”
Daniel chuckled. “No. Equine meat has not been eaten in hundreds of years. If anything, horses were considered a sign of power and wealth.” He could hear an audible sigh of relief from a handful of reporters.
A young voice then captured Daniel’s attention. He turned to look at the side of the room where a young colt was sitting next to one of the reporters. The reporter seemed to be trying to silence the young colt. The Captain then pointed to the colt.
“You. What’s your question?” The unicorn next to the colt began to speak.
“What kind of-”
“Sorry, I was talking to the little on next to you.” All eyes in the room were suddenly on the colt. The colt asked his question, but was very quiet due to his nervousness. Daniel couldn’t hear him and knew he would never hear the child from the stage. He then picked up one of the microphones from the array in front of him. He then walked toward the child with the microphone in hand. He slowly approached the colt, who was nervously hiding next to his father. Daniel then kneeled down next to the colt.
“Alright buddy, what was your question?”
The colt looked at him nervously but slowly stepped forward.
“What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?” The colt asked quietly into the microphone.
A number of chuckles could be heard in the room.
“Hmmm, that’s a hard one. I’d have to say rocky road. It’s chocolate ice cream with nuts and marshmallows. What’s your favorite flavor?”
“Mine’s strawberry.”
“That’s a great flavor.” Daniel said with a warm smile. The colt couldn’t help but share the expression. Daniel then got up and returned to the podium and continued to answer question. Eventually a question was asked that Daniel had been expecting, but still dreaded.
“Have you met any other alien races?”
Silence.
“Yes, but they were nowhere as nice as you all.”
“Were they mean?”
“That’s an incredible understatement.”
“How would you describe them?”
“Evil, genocidal, religious maniacs.”
Almost everyone in the room was quickly confused by the statement. Daniel looked to Celestia who gave him a slight nod.
“Allow me to explain.” Daniel then proceeded to give a basic idea of the Great War, making sure to exclude anything graphic. He told them about the Covenant and the various races that were involved. He then talked about the first contact with the Covenant. Everyone remained silent as Daniel spoke. He then talked about how the Covenant systematically tried to destroy every human world. He made sure to put emphasis on humanity’s victories, but still talked about the numerous defeats. Eventually he began on how the Halo installations came into the battle and what their purpose was. He finished his tale with a description of the battle for the Ark and how a single SPARTAN stopped the prophet. He left out the part about saving the universe from extinction, seeing as how many ponies might not believe him.
For the next half hour, Daniel, Zerom, and Dior answered the reporters questions as best they could. There were a few questions they couldn’t answer. Things like where their homeworld was and how certain pieces of technology worked. Soon though, it was time to end the conference. Celestia thanked everyone for coming and promised that there would be an opportunity for them to talk to the humans again in the future.
Soon Celestia, Luna, and the humans were once again walking through the throne room. Daniel was the first to speak up.
“Well, I think that went quite well.”
“I agree. I must say, that piece with the colt was excellent.” Celestia commented.
“How did you know he was there?” Luna asked.
“I heard a much smaller voice. It lacked the gusto and power of the other reporters, so it just struck me as odd. That’s when I saw, who I assume was his parent, trying to quiet him. I saw an opportunity and I took it.”
“I can say that was absolutely adorable. I could hear the ‘daaaws’ from the crowd.” Celestia said with a chuckle.
“Good. So now what?” Daniel asked.
“Well the only thing left is to see the culmination of our efforts on this evening’s news.” Celestia said.
“Are any of the other nations going to see the report?”
“Probably. Keep in mind though, I have already informed them of your existence.”
“Ok, so there won’t be a massive negative fallout from the other nations.”
“Right. If anything, the other nations will be glued to their televisions for that segment.”
“Cool.”
It was almost five in the afternoon when the group stepped out into the gardens behind the castle. The black and grey hull of the Tuscany shone in the dim sunlight. Now that humanity had been announced to the rest of the world, there was little need to keep the optical cloak running at all hours. The next thing caught the entire group by surprise.
A handful of humans and ponies seemed to be running around in the coned off area of the field next to the wing. They seemed to move in two groups as they threw a small white disk through the air. Occasionally someone would jump up and grab the disk and throw it in the opposite direction, causing everyone to run to the other end. Suddenly, one of the groups began cheering as one of the unicorns caught the disk behind one of the cone lines.
“What are they doing?” Celestia asked no one in particular. Daniel just smiled before answering.
“It seems someone organized a game of ultimate frisbee.”
“Ultimate frisbee?” Luna asked.
“Basically you have two teams and a frisbee; the disk they are throwing around. The objective is to pass the frisbee to your team mates in order to get it across the goal line. However, you can’t move if you hold the frisbee and anyone can try to catch it. It’s quite fun.”
“It seems like it. They even got some of the off duty guards to join in.” Celestia said with a chuckle.
“Hell, I’m sure you could go join in.” Zerom said.
“If I wasn’t so tired right now I would be over there in a heartbeat.” Luna said with a wide yawn.
“Don’t worry, there will be more games.” Daniel said as he continued to walk to the ship.
~~~
It was later that night as Daniel sat in his room watching the news from around the UNSC worlds. Most of it was about the reconstruction efforts on worlds like Harvest and South Africa. He had seen the breaking news story about aliens in Equestria, so far everyone seemed to be taking it very well. Daniel had even gone to the length of recording the broadcast and sending it to Director Burr.
Daniel took a glance out his window and quickly spotted a number of camera crews sitting on clouds. He could see the dull flashes of light as they tried in vain to get pictures of the Tuscany. With a chuckle, Daniel called out for the AI.
“Tommy?”
Tha AI materialized on the corner of the desk. “Yes Captain?”
“Go ahead and bring the running lights online. No need to hide in shadows anymore.”
“Aye sir. Shall I bring all banks of exterior lights on?”
“Yeah. Give ‘em something to photograph.” Daniel said while looking over his shoulder at the photographers.
“Running lights online. Anything else sir?”
“That’s it. Thanks Tommy.”
The AI nodded before disappearing. The Captain leaned back in his chair and gazed up at the night sky. Clouds were beginning to move in on Canterlot. The usual clear skies were being shrouded by a thick layer of storm clouds. With a grunt, Daniel got up from his chair and grabbed his jacket before heading to the nearest lift. He continued on to the nearest airlock before exiting to the upper hull.
He was greeted by the cool air of the night as stars shone above him. The moon bathed the entire ship in a beautiful silver glow. Most of the photographers had already left. To the Captain’s surprise he was not alone up here. Sitting between the engines near the rear of the ship stood Doctor Debbie Micham and Princess Luna. Between them sat a large telescope which the Doctor was currently focusing on an unseen object in space.
“Evening you two.” Daniel said as he walked up to the pair.
Debbie quickly looked up from the telescope. “Oh, hey Cap’n. What’s up?”
“Just getting some fresh air before the storm. Getting some stargazing in while the sky is still relatively clear?”
“Yup, plus the Princess was already up here so I offered to show her some stuff in the galaxy.”
“Cool, find anything neat?”
“Hell yeah, found a pulsar with three planetoids orbiting it.”
“Neat. Did you see Grafton in orbit?”
“No. I didn’t know they were still around.” Debbi replied. “I was about to start looking for Reach.”
“Well then, have fun you two.” Daniel did an about face and walked toward the bow. He stood above the bridge as he gazed over what was visible of Canterlot. The city lights gave off a bright glow against the low hanging clouds. It was calming looking over the city. It reminded him a bit of his hometown of New Alexandria.
Daniel’s mind switched back to the earlier interview and the subsequent reactions. Most ponies seemed excited about the human presence. Some were scared and some thought this was the end of the world. Thankfully the majority of the reactions were overwhelmingly positive. With all the positive feelings of the day, Daniel couldn’t shake a familiar feeling. War was on the horizon, and Daniel knew it. He just hoped Celestia and Luna knew it as well.
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Inb4 rage about harvest inaccuracies
"Thirty-two years ago, humanity made contact with an alien race in the year 2559 near Harvest,"
Oops! This story is set in 2559! Should be 2527. Also, I saw you referring to the galaxy as the universe. Should probably be fixed.
2695045
Fixed. Thanks for finding that.
Harvest; 2525 (more or less)
Ark; 2553
Other than that, good.
Kind of surprised they didn't play some mash up of soccer/hoofball, still, a sweet scene at the end there. The land of sunshine and rainbows really would seem a paradise world to humanity, even with places like the Everfree and it's monsters. Almost too good to be true. Let us hope things don't get too messed up. And I don't mean from the gryphon insurrection, I mean from humanity; we have a terrible track record of finding a good thing and bucking it up, unintentionally or not...
Wait, now I'm confused. Why is Celestia asking about the war as if she had never heard of it beyond vague mention? Did you forget about Daniel's "negotiations" in chapter 3? I mean, he didn't go into much detail then, but he did mention the death count, and religious zealotry.
Also, they had that whole "human friendships" explanation again as if the first one never happened. Are you just completely forgetting things you've already written? Or am I just going insane?
I like the Human and pony relationship here, where humans are the parents.
I think we can all see how Luna became a gamer...
THAT DAMN FRISBEE GAME. MAH GAWD MAN, that shit has taken over my school ever since last year and it's pretty fucking awesome if you ask me. Too bad my health is shit to play it competitively without my stomach finding a reason to complain and feel like I ate shards of glass and knives stabbed into it.
Also I love the chapter as well, also would find it uber awesome if you make changelings and humans have good relations, along with the rest of the races on the planet.
Or have at least some sort of sympathy towards them due to their history and predicaments.
2695941 I remember reading these topics before, so no, you are not going insane.
2695941
Yes the war (briefly) and human friendships were explained. Daniel will progressively open up and tell more details about the war as time goes on. The human friendship thing just got revisited.
2670161
I'd like to note that assumptions are required in this debate. We've been given very little information about the Changelings, so it's pretty much required to go somewhere based off of what we've observed.
About evolution, I would like to point out you're arguing against yourself. A commensalist relationship would allow a changeling to feed off a being to some degree before the effects became noticeable, which would increase survivability past one feeding session. A parasitic relationship, where the effects are immediately noticeable, are more likely to result in suspicion among your target's population, and weariness. We're dealing with sentient species as a prerequisite, so it would be more beneficial to short-term reproduction if you don't get offed the first time you try to feed. This is very likely to happen when half of an enemy tribe (or other form of civilization) is charging after you screaming bloody murder.
Additionally, nothing has been concluded. Your assumptions are just as unfounded as mine - all we can go off of is assumptions, so to call mine unfounded is a moot point. To avoid further debate, lets agree that any assumptions are just that - assumptions, and no 'correct' answer can be garnered. To attempt to reach some correct assumption would be a pointless gesture.
Though I get a headache just trying to understand how you feed off of emotions, there are two paths we can go - emotions as a finite resource or as an infinite resource. Unfortunately, there isn't anything to go off of in-canon that gives any sort of answer, so the best that can be concluded is that how harmful feeding off love actually is is not possible to conclude with certainty. Additionally, the leech metaphor falls flat - note that in the episode Chrysalis has to state that she's feeding off of Shining Armor. With a leech, you know it's feeding off of you, and it can do more than just suck your blood, it can screw with your system. With a Changeling, it's called into question whether it's initially harmful to any extent or not, and it's shown that it's not immediately obvious, so I consider the connection invalid.
Again, assumptions are required. We don't know if there are more hives, so we have to assume. As well, Chrysalis has no basis on how many hives their are - there have been leaders whom have declared themselves the leaders of their race, when they likely aren't the only ones. It could be a political ploy by a despot just as much as it could be a stated fact, it doesn't prove a thing.
And finally, why the hostility concerning inventing? Can we not extrapolate from what we're given? As well, yes they were very clearly a villain race, however they were a very vague villain race. What necessitates them being so flat? Every species has variance, deeming a single species evil is just damning a race to the done-to-death Planet of Hats trope. It isn't interesting, in fact it's quite boring. Why can't some of the Changelings declare that My Species Doth Protest Too Much?
I am certain that number is inaccurate.
Just checked the Halo wiki, it is:
Ugh. Both numbers are still ridiculously low, but nobody ever accused sci‐fi writers of having a sense of scale. Up to you whether you wish to stick with the canonical numbers from Halo or use some numbers that make even a modicum of sense.
4465836
but if you think about it a large chunk of the colanys where relatively new like a city or two and sometimes farmland with some robotic automation so the numbers do add up if you think about it that way
I faved this a while ago and am re-reading (Great story btw).
Something I missed before:
Your use of 'Captains bars' in this chapter is incorrect. A naval Captain is equal in rank to an army Colonel and they wear the same rank insignia; an eagle. Halopedia
Just thought I'd point that out.
EDIT: Also; as of the start of the SPARTAN-IV programme, SPARTANS no longer have any formal rank; they are addressed as SPARTAN <Insert Name Here>. When a SPARTAN is referred to as 'Commander' it is not a formal rank, but merely indicates that that particular SPARTAN is in charge of a SPARTAN contingent/detachment. Click Here
No manchin of the master chief by name?