I Have Returned: Epilogue
And The World Shall Carry On
Two weeks after the second battle of Requiem…..
Jane strode into the bridge of the UNSC INFINITY. Captain Lasky had requested her presence there, and just like he always was, he was right on time.
“Captain, I heard that you wanted me.”
“Yes Jane, INFINITY is getting a new A.I..”
Just then the avatar of the A.I. appeared on the holographic projection desk. She took the form of a young girl in a dress that looked like it came out of the early 1900’s.
“Hello, my name is Pearl.” The A.I. said.
Lasky continued. “Pearl is an experimental smart A.I., one who isn’t made from a human brain. Thus, in her early life she’ll be only developing her personality slowly. She’ll also be more vulnerable compared to other A.I.’s.”
“Then why have her if she is more vulnerable captain?”
“The UNSC thinks that once she matures, she’ll be stronger than any A.I. humanity has. The only cost will be a short period in which we’ll have to make sure she comes into no enemy contact. So we’ll be fine as long as nobody hacks into her.”
“I don’t see where I fit in all of this?”
“With Pearl in, Roland needs a new home. Due to the success of the Master Chief with his former A.I. Cortana, the UNSC wants to test other Spartans with A.I.’s. Basically, we’re giving you Roland.”
Jane was astonished to say the least.
“Captain, are you sure.”
“I’m positive. You’re one of the best Spartan IV’s we have. I already have a medical staff prepared at a space station in orbit around Earth who are prepared to give you upgrades to your neural implants.”
“I…. I don’t know what to say Captain Lasky. Thank you for trusting me with this.”
“It’s no problem Jane. All that I ask is for you to make me proud, and to take good care of Roland.”
____________________________________________________________
Ponyville Present Day.
Jane looked up at Golden Oaks Library in Ponyville. She had not stepped foot in that place for over six years now. Luna, and her old friends were standing right next to her staring at it, save for Crimson who was on his com unit talking to someone.
“Do you want to go in it?” Luna asked?
“I’m fine. I wanted to look at it one more time, for closure. I’m probably never going to come back after this. When I left six years ago I never got a chance to say goodbye because I assumed that I was coming back within a few hours. Boy was I wrong.”
Crimson tapped Jane on her shoulder to get her attention.
“I got word from a scouting team investigating the core.” Crimson said. “They found the elements. They still have magic in them. Glassman theorizes that the concentration of magic in them has lead to them being able to self produce their own magic.”
“Really, that’s fantastic.”
“And now they’re asking for permission to retrieve them.”
Jane looked over to Luna wondering what she was going to say about this.
“It’s alright Jane. We don’t need them anymore. Take them.”
“Are you serious Luna? After everything I’ve done?!”
“Your kind needs them far more than Equestria ever will now. With no magic, there is nothing for us to use the elements on. Just promise me that humankind will help rebuild Equestria.”
“We will Luna. We owe you that at the very least.”
“But let me make one thing very clear Jane.” Luna said as a scowl came across her face while she walked up to Jane. “I will never, ever forgive you for what you’ve done to Equestria these past few days. So many innocent lives were lost because of you.”
Then, the scowl on Luna’s face faded, and she held a hoof out towards Jane.
“But you have my thanks, for standing by till the end.”
Jane shook Luna’s hoof, and managed to give a small smile back to the Lunar Princess.
“I’ll never forgive myself either, but I’m glad I came to my senses. I have all of you to thank for that.”
Now Jane moved onto her old friends. The expressions on their faces ranged from neutral, to confused.
Taking a deep breath, Jane started to talk.
“I’ve betrayed the friendship you’ve all given me during my time in ponyville. I know none of you want to forgive me, and I don’t blame you. All that I want right now though is not forgiveness though. I just want a chance to say goodbye one last time. I never gave you all a goodbye six years ago, and I probably won’t get another chance ever. After this I’m probably never going to come back to Equestria unless I’m on duty. Even if I do come back, chances are slim that you’ll want to see me. I desperately hope that one day time will have healed enough wounds for us to at least talk, but that isn’t likely. So to all of you, goodbye.”
All of them just looked at Jane not knowing what to say, until Fluttershy said.
“Goodbye, and good luck for the future.”
Once by one each of her old friends made a small goodbye to her. Just knowing that they still cared enough to say goodbye warmed Jane’s heart.
Suddenly Jane heard the roar of a pelican behind her. Turning around Jane saw that it was just landing.
An ODST came out of it and ran up to Jane.
“Captain, Roland says that the slip space drive is online, and that we can return to Earth. He sent me to come and get you and the leader of Fireteam Crimson.”
Jane looked back at Luna who smiled at her and said. “Well then, goodbye Jane Arimondo. I’m wish you luck in your future endeavours.
“Same here. Goodbye Luna.” Jane said as her and Crimson climbed into the pelican.
Jane strapped herself in as the pelican took off. Outside the window she could see ponyville in all of its glory one last time.
___________________________________________________
Ponyville graveyard
Luna looked down on the grave of Princess Twilight Sparkle. It was evening now and Jane and long since went back to her ship the UNSC INFINITY.
This time she could finally say a real goodbye to Twilight. For years she never knew what happened to her purple friend. She had countless sleepless nights wondering about her, where she was, what she was doing.
The being who came back though wasn’t Twilight, but that didn’t matter anymore. What mattered was that she finally had her answers, and that she finally had her chance to say goodbye.
Then there was Sarah Palmer. Luna heard from the element bearers about what she was like before she died. She was a social outcast, not well liked. The element bearers though opened her up to the joys of friendship and made her start to come out of her shell. It was a shame that after that Palmer was murdered at the hoofs of Celestia.
“Goodbye Twilight Sparkle.” Luna said to the grave.
Yes, Twilight Sparkle died six years ago. She was never to be seen again. Her death though marked the birth of someone new. Now in Twilights place there was a new hero soaring through the galaxy, and her name was Jane Arimondo.
_________________________________________________________
UNSC INFINITY Bride.
Jane looked down upon the new Equestria once again. This time though, Crimson was alongside her.
So many lives had been lost in the past few days, from pony soldiers, to Spartan Palmer. Jane didn’t know Palmer very well, and most crew members didn’t even like her, despite that though, Sarah Palmer didn’t deserve to die. Even though Celestia was the one who killed her, Jane still felt that she was partly responsible for her untimely demise.
That was just the beginning though as Jane soon got word that her own Fireteam were found dead in the Everfree forest. Another three deaths added to the casualty list. These Spartans on the other hand were people who she fought alongside, people who she knew personally. No matter what, nothing could ever come close to replacing them. They were…. her friends, her brothers in arms.
“So what’s going to happen to you now Jane.” Crimson asked.
“I don’t know Brennan, but I have ties to ONI, they can get me out of this.”
“So after everything you’ve done, you plan to get away with it scot free?”
“No, it’s not like that. If I get convicted of my crimes I’m going to be in a cell for the rest of my life. What good can I do from there. If ONI protects me though, I’ll be free. With that freedom, I can live everyday trying to make the galaxy a better place so that maybe one day I’ll be able to forgive myself for the atrocities I’ve committed.”
Jane looked towards Crimson who gave her a smile.
“In that case, I’ll do whatever I can to help you along the way!”
Just then Roland’s voice came through on the speakers.
“Everything and everyone has been accounted for including the Elements of Harmony. Just give me the order and we’ll be out of here.”
“Glad to hear it Roland, let’s get back to Earth now. It’s time to go home.”
With that a tear in normal space appeared right in front of the INFINITY. Jane could feel the engines come to life as he ship accelerated into the portal to once again soar through the vastness of slipspace into an uncertain, but hopeful future….
The End.
cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/26621435.jpg
I love this story with all my heart. I actually written my own story, just out of waiting for the epilogue... Damn, I really am attached to this story.
Well, time to read it again!
6218517 Glad you enjoyed it!
Well, I wish you can stay. But it is your choice, It's been a blast of reading your story and I wish you good luck in your futures ahead.
6218539 Ah. I see.
This is a story im going to remember for a long time
why announce you're leaving a fandom?
(Salutes) Good luck, dude, with whatever you choose to do next.
6218539
I will wish you luck my friend and I think it will turn out great based on this story. Since you were great in detail with flashbacks, clues, and mystery.
Well I gotta say you've made a better Halo fanfiction then I ever could make. I just placed it on my favorites list so I'll be able to read it again in the future.
I'm sad to hear your leaving the brony fandom. I don't know what the motivation is, but oh well.
It's a shame your leaving the brony community, but best of luck to you.
Wonderful, I have been waiting for the ending of this story for a long time, and now its finally here. It's a shame though that your leaving the brony fandom, you'll be missed . But what's going to be your username on fanfiction.com, I would like to know. Also I got ending I wanted, Humanity gets the Elements of Harmony, now time to blow some Covenant shit up, with friendship
I started to read this story and stopped at the 7th chapter, because I don't liked it. The story seems to have some depth in it and the characters are well developed and have a lot of personality. Also I liked the language in it. However some points doesn't seem to be well researched/contradictory which bothered me a lot and that why I stopped reading it:
1. The tournament: There is no tactic discussion with twilight when she enters the team? No wonder she lost with her team. But how did she become a commander than? Only gaming kids of today could think that a random mix of non-communicating players running for the biggest weapon they can find in a game mode which doesn't have the word 'deathmatch' in it could think this is a wise decision. Even worse when we talk about trained soldiers having a tournament. Please take a look at professional gaming or military education before you write such things. Worsening is that the team leader didn't even know what Twilight was doing ("presumably going for the energy sword").
2. Misinformation: A second big thing is the soldier coming to Luna and telling her that "SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED." and then doesn't say anything any more. Not that it is about Celestia, not hat she presumably was kidnapped and that it would be wise to hurry. Or at least tell her where they are going.
3. Bad Leadership: When Luna hears that Celestia was kidnapped just moments ago and she goes to sleep? Seriously? I hope the HEAD OF STATE(!) would do something if someone was kidnapped from his family. Or would you like it when your sister was kidnapped and the police answer on the phone: Yes, we will take a nap and take a look later. I don't think that the most powerful being, immortal head of state Luna would cover in fear at that moment, but would do something to find her sister.
4. Bad Leadership 2: Same bad situation on board the ship: The captain is dead, the second commander gone rogue. What does the person obviously left in charge do? She abandons the ship with all her man and tries to go after the rogue commander? She has dozens of soldiers at her command, just send them instead!
5. Twilight the killer: She goes to her old home and just starts to randomly kill pony guards without trying to sneak past them or anything? I would assume that you can't get that violent against your hometown (she probably knows half of the guards from the castle). And she has her magic abilities. She could just teleport into the castle or put ponies asleep which would be much less suspicious.
So sorry I won't continue to read. I hope you find some inspiration to avoid such flaws in your future stories.
It was a good story even if we don't know if in the end the ONI is going to clean everything or not... but there are a couple of things that I don't understand...
Why the Elements? Twilight have enough intelligence to know that is best to use Discord that the Elements, not to say a full race of magic user ponies could very well also help. Discord could be enough, a snap of fingers and all the enemies of humanity could be destroyed.
If Celestia is all that powerfull and was the villain, what is the role of Discord? Or Sunset? Not to say, without magic, Discord still have magic? Could Luna link herself to the planet like Celestia and return the magic?
Unfortunately I only have the 360 and my parents won't let me get the Xbox One so now MCC for me. I could have had then entire series, instead I have to live off of Halo 1, 3, 3 ODST, 4, and Reach.
Fuckin' Microsoft not making the MCC for the 360.
6376235 If you're old enough to have a job, just get a job and buy an Xbone. To hell with what your parents say. If you save your money, work for it, and buy it on your own merit, that shows independence and initiative. Your parents will respect the fact that you worked for it, and earned it yourself. If however you are just a young teenager who can't get a job, then I'm sorry because it's your parents money and they have all the say in how they spend it. As for Microsoft, the 360 is almost 10 years old, it needs to just die already to make room for the new generation.
6376323 I am working on finding a job but even if I did save up they wouldn't lets me get one. They are extremely negative with electronics, they don't even like me having an Xbox 360.
6379167 What you do with your money is up to you. As long as you save and use your money responsibly they'll respect that and will be fine with you making a few purchases for yourself. Your parents sound strict, but most parents will ease up when they see their children be responsible. One way to do this is to just get a job. I have a good feeling that if you get a job, start a collage fund for yourself and put most of the money you get from the job into that fund, they'll be fine with you putting some of your paycheck to the side to save up for your Xbox One. It's a win win situation, you slowly ( but surely ) save up money for your Xbone, and your parents will see you being responsible and putting money away for collage, thus making them fine with you putting a small portion of your money to things that you want. It'll take time due to you only being able to put small amounts of your paycheck towards the Xbone, but you'll get there eventually. As an added bonus though, you'll have collage money! Which is great because student debt is a bitch. Like I said, what you do with your money is up to you, but this is a great way to get your Xbox, get your parents respect, and get money saved to help your future education.
6236596
dont foreget the fact that luna doesn't teleport to escape, nor cadence.
nevermind that ponies are tougher and stronger than most of the damage that might just kill a spartan outright.
this fic is fucking shit.
6379413 That.... Is exactly what I was planning to do.
...
...
...
6383377 Agreed.
Or ever, really. Your threats might enslave you but they wouldn't exterminate you. You could always rebel or escape later. If humanity had to choose between our enslavement or another, non-hostile species's extinction, we would probably surrender. Kind of like holding a gun to a hostage's head to make someone forfeit. Of course, we'd be spending our time plotting to remove said gun so we would be free to kick ass.
The Equestrians proved they'd rather outright shoot the hostage themselves and then blame the hostage while pitying the hostage taker.
We don't owe them anything. The only human who did anything against them was you, Jane. And you did so because it was necessary.
Other than killing those guards, stealing an element, and kidnapping Celestia, she hasn't committed any crimes. None of those things are atrocities anyway.
6236596
Don't forget Spartans are super commandos. Their primary tool is stealth. Their greatest weapon is surprise.