On the blood of our fathers, on the blood of our sons

by The dragon hunter

Chapter 15 - Subject: Macto cognatus

Chapter 15 - Subject: Macto cognatus

‘Urgh, dammit. It’s turning into a habit,’ Tarya thought groggily while she slowly woke up. ‘This is the second time in two days that I lose consciousness.’ Her head hurt, but it was nothing compared to the headache she had after that electrical discharge in the engine room. She found it a bit odd that she couldn’t hear the noise of any medical equipment like last time, but given the softness of the bed on which she was laying, she couldn’t complain.

‘Wait a second. Since when were the infirmary beds so comfortable and small?’ she thought, realizing that her feet were dangling in the air over the edge of the mattress.

Reminiscent of what happened in the ship’s infirmary, the Zealot cautiously cracked open her eyelids. She winced a bit when the light pouring through her eyelids caused a new twinge of pain in her head, but her discomfort only lasted for a few moments before fading away. Blinking a couple of times, her vision finally adapted to the light, revealing the sight of an unfamiliar white ceiling and the total absence of any display or icon in her visual field.

‘Something’s wrong,’ she thought just before her eyes widened as memories from the most recent events flooded her mind. The airship, the infiltration in the castle, the alicorn firing in her direction, the falling chandelier- ‘Oh, no no no no no no!’ The young Sangheili sat up abruptly and looked around, confirming her worst fear. She wasn’t in the infirmary of the Last Sunset, she was inside a containment room!

‘I’m a prisoner. Wonderful,’ she sarcastically thought, groaning in frustration.

The cell was small, yet not claustrophobic, with few furnishings consisting of a bed, a small wall-mounted table with a sturdy looking stool fixed to the floor, and a strange device that looked like the fusion between a sink with a toilet, which was partially hidden by a low partition wall to provide a minimum of privacy without hiding the user completely.

One of the walls of the cell was made of a transparent material a couple of inches thick, beyond which there was another room roughly four times the size of the cell. The other room was bare of any furniture, the only notable details was a sturdy looking metal door and a black boxy contraption hanging in a corner of the ceiling, probably some kind of primitive surveillance device judging by the lenses pointed at her.

The young Zealot passed the palm of a hand across the transparent wall. The surface was cool and smooth, without evident signs of a door or passage of any kind, almost as if it was a single massive slab of crystal. She was briefly assaulted by the irrational fear that they had sealed her in the cell, but once she realized how illogical and unlikely it was, she quickly discarded such a thought.

Still, she couldn’t fathom how she had ended up in the cell...

Tarya heard a soft whirring noise and moving up her gaze she noticed the camera adjusting its angulation to better look at her.

‘Well, at least I’m not naked,’ she dryly thought while glancing down at her body. The ponies had removed her armor and weapons for obvious reasons, but at least they had the decency of leaving her black undersuit. Not that it really mattered, given that her species didn’t have external reproductive organs, but having clothes made her feel less vulnerable.

Could she had avoided this situation if she had acted differently? Maybe trying to explain her intentions when that pony - Princess Celestia if she recalled correctly her name - had trapped her using that strange force field? She didn’t know and honestly, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that there was no point dwelling on the past. As far as she knew, not even the powerful Forerunners could change the past. There was only one real question she should be really worried about.

‘What should I do?’

She was a prisoner and thus, following the more traditional Sangheili philosophy, she would have to kill herself, not only to deny her enemy sensible information and a potential leverage over her uncle, but also to regain the honor she had lost when she was captured.
However, the ponies were not technically their enemies and she couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her uncle alone. She was all that was left of his family, there was no way she would cause him more pain. Furthermore, Vraal would most likely blame the inhabitants of the planet for her death even if they were not directly responsible. She shuddered at what would happen. She had no way of knowing if the pain caused by her loss would make him violent, and even if damaged, a CCS-battlecruiser was still able to cause tremendous levels of destruction.

Maybe she could escape? She considered the idea for a few moments, but she eventually discarded it. Beside the fact that she had no idea where she was, where her equipment was, how many guards there were, or even how she was supposed to leave this cell, escaping would not play favorably to their cause, but only increase the mistrust that the ponies probably already had. ‘Trespassing is truly a horrible way to make a good impression.’

The last option was to wait for whoever was supposed to interrogate her and do everything in her power to prevent things from taking an even worst direction by acting as a mediator between their species, even if that would cost her honor.

She made her choice.

Tarya looked right at the camera and gave a nod of acknowledgment to whoever was watching her. In response, the camera zoomed on her with a faint whirring sound.

‘All I have to do now is wait.’

---

“Are you nervous, Luna?” Princess Celestia asked her sister. Both alicorns stood in front of the heavy metal door of the containment cell, escorted by four unicorn guards armed with shotguns, in case things turned ugly. The princess would have usually considered their presence excessive, but given that they still had no idea what they were exactly dealing with, she had preferred to follow the ‘better safe than sorry’ philosophy.

“A bit,” the blue mare admitted, fidgeting with her hands, adjusting an invisible fold in her dress. She had changed her dress with a black one that left her arms uncovered, a necessary decision given that her previous set of clothes had been ruined during her fight against the alien warrior.

Aliens. It still sounded so surreal, but the evidence was irrefutable. Skeletal structure that didn’t match any known species, binary circulatory system, chemical composition of the blood completely anomalous. ‘Not to mention their technology.’ The mere sight of the armor had caused Doctor Time Turner and the other scientists to stare at it like it was some kind of holy artifact. It had been with a certain reticence that they had obeyed her order to limit for now their studies to a superficial analysis without tinkering with the equipment of the prisoner. The last thing she needed was one of them blowing up because they had mistaken a grenade for a radio.

“Me too,” Celestia replied with an excited smile. “It’s not everyday that you meet a creature from another world.”

“And it is not everyday that you meet a creature able to single handedly send twenty-seven guards to the infirmary.”

“Your point?”

“My point is, if they are anything like us, they will send more of them to retrieve their comrade, and I do not think they will ask gently. You have see how dangerous these creatures are. I mean, look at your horn.”

Celestia glanced up at her horn. Her magic had almost completely healed it from the contact with the plasma, just the last half inch closer to the tip was still blackened. A few more hours and there would be no trace left. “That’s why it’s imperative that we establish peaceful relations with them before something seriously bad happens. From what I’ve seen in the throne room, it’s possible to reason with these creatures. Furthermore, contrarily to her teammate, the prisoner had used violence only as last resort and always tried to do as little damage as possible.”

“You sound particularly optimistic, especially considering that last night you doubted that whoever had killed those Changelings could be our ally,” Luna noted.

“I said that we may be able to establish peaceful relations, not become best friends,” Celestia pointed out.

“Maybe you could ask young Twilight Sparkle to befriend them,” the princess of the night half joked.

“I’m not sure getting Twilight in the same room with one of them after she was held hostage with a plasma sword aimed at her throat would be the best idea,” the white alicorn said dryly. Celestia blinked and took a deep breath to chase away the bad memory, then she adjusted a lock of her multicolored mane and gave her sister a smile. “Ready to make history once again?”

Luna let a short chuckle and returned her smile. It had been a long while since she saw Celestia so excited and nervous at the same time. “Do you even have to ask, dear sister?” she asked playfully.

“Let’s proceed then,” the elder sister said, gesturing to one of the guards to open the door. The thick reinforced metal door swung with barely any noise on the well oiled hinges, and the two princesses walked inside the room with their armed escort following them.

The prisoner was standing in her cell facing the entrance, following with her light green draconian eyes the ponies as they closed their distance. The princesses stopped a few steps from the transparent partition wall, with their guards remaining in the back, and started silently studying the creature in the cell, just like she was doing with them.

The gaze of the creature eventually moved toward Celestia’s horn and for a moment the princess could have sworn that she saw a glimpse of guilt in her eyes. Celestia felt her confidence growing a bit.

‘So I was right. She does show empathy.’

Princess Celestia decided to be the one to break the ice. “Greetings,” she said with her well practiced smile. “We already met, but due to the rather, ah, peculiar circumstances, we didn’t properly introduced ourselves. I am Princess Celestia and this is my sister, Princess Luna. We are the rulers of the kingdom of Equestria.”

“We know that you can understand us, otherwise Rainbow Dash would have been wounded not only in the pride but also in the spine,” Luna said, deciding to not yet mention the fact that her partner had engaged in combat the entire palace garrison while trying to rescue her.

“So, would you kindly tell us who and what you are?”

The creature glanced at both of them for a moment, then nodded and moved her jaws.

“I am the Zealot Tarya Rutaen, of the Swords of Sanghelios. As for what I am, I am a Sangheili.”

Celestia blinked. Her voice sounded young, like that of an individual in her late twenties or early thirties, but she could be wrong. It was oddly deep, slightly double toned, with trace of an accent that she could not identify, but not unpleasant. However, what probably surprised them the most was how the creatu- the Sangheili moved her four jaws to articulate the sounds, sometimes closing them to make them resemble the mouth of a pony. It was a sight unsettling yet fascinating at the same time.

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss Tarya Rutaen, considering the circumstances.”

“Likewise, princess,” the Sangheili replied with a tone that sounded sincere. “Believe me when I say that things should have happened differently.”

“I suppose so. It may sound a bit cliché, but to be honest I imagined that our first contact with the member of an alien civilization would have took place in a cornfield in a rural area,” Celestia joked, only to blink a moment later. ‘Considering everything that has happened in the last couple of years, with our luck that place would have probably been Ponyville.’

The prisoner tilted her head and raised one of the small ridges she had instead of eyebrows. “You already figured it out, uh?”

“It was the only logical explanation, unless your people have remained hidden someplace underground for all this time. We took the liberty to run some tests while you were unconscious. Nothing invasive, just a few scans without the interference of your armor,” Celestia hurried to assure when she noticed the worried and indignant expression of the Sangheili. “What we found was… well, different. It doesn’t take a genius to see that your physiology is not of this planet.”

“Not to mention your technology,” Princess Luna piped in. “Your equipment seems to come out of a sci-fi novel.”

“I see. How did you know I would be able to understand you?”

“Earlier in the throne room you were obviously able to understand us, while after a rather, ah, tense confrontation with your teammate, we know that you’re able to speak our language.”

As soon as the words left Celestia’s mouth, the body of the Sangheili stiffened.

“What did he do?” she asked lowly.

‘And here we go with the not so good news,’ Celestia thought. “He tried to rescue you by taking Princess Twilight as hostage, but when his plan failed and we tried to capture him, he reacted violently.”

Feeling her knees get weak, Tarya put her hands on the transparent wall for support, lowering her head and taking a deep breath in attempt to prepare herself for the worst. “How many?”

“Twenty-seven-”

Both princesses flinched when the Sangheili suddenly punched the barrier made of crystal. The guards reflexively aimed their rifles at the Sangheili, but Celestia quickly gestured them to lower their guns. They obeyed, albeit with evident hesitation. Not that she could blame them, the punch had been powerful enough to crack the surface of the enchanted crystal.

“And he dared to accuse me of being unsuited for this mission,” Tarya growled lowly.

“All the guards are luckily still alive,” Celestia said with evident relief of the Sangheili, who was now watching in fascination as the crystal slowly repaired itself.

“It was not luck, Princess Celestia,” Tarya said lowly, straightening her posture. “Our orders were to avoid the use of lethal force in the eventuality of a fight.”

The transparent wall had now completely repaired itself, leaving no trace of damage.

“Interesting,” Tarya mumbled, passing a hand on the smooth crystal surface. “Your technology is more advanced than your primitive facade would suggest.”

“Primitive facade?” Luna repeated with a raised brow, sounding mildly insulted. Even years after her return from the moon, she still took pride seeing how their ponies had progressed since her exile.

“Relatively speaking, of course,” Tarya assured. “Do not take offense from my words, it’s just that compared to us, your people are quite primitive.”

The blue alicorn decided to accept the apology.

“What happened to my teammate? Was he too captured?”

“His status is currently unknown,” Luna said tactfully. “He managed to escape… by jumping from a waterfall.”

The Zealot slowly shook her head and said what they could only assume was an imprecation in her native language. It sounded vaguely like an old dialect of the dragon tongue, yet they weren’t able to discern the meaning of any word. “Have you already found his body?”

The alicorns exchanged a look. “So far all our efforts have been for naught,” Celestia said. “Do you think he may still be live?” she asked after a few moments.

The Zealot though about it for a bit, probably considering if she should reveal what probably was classified information. “Considering he fell from several hundred meters, chances of survival would normally be nearly nonexistent… but the armor he wears is a special model.”

“How special?”

“I’m afraid I’m not allowed to share such details,” she replied, as expected.

“Just like I imagine you’re not allowed to reveal several other things.”

“Consider my situation, princess. We may be holding a civil conversation, but I’m still a prisoner.”

“As consequence of your actions,” Princess Luna said evenly.

The Sangheili remained silent for a few moments. “I am willing to cooperate by answering your questions, princesses. However, do not mistake my words. I will not betray my people by revealing to you sensitive information that may put them in danger. Just like the wellbeing of your subjects is your priority, the same principle applies in my case with my crewmates.”

“As long as you don’t lie to us or hide information that may put our subjects in danger, I find such terms acceptable,” was Celestia’s response. The Zealot looked satisfied.

“You previously said that he was holding back while fighting against our guards,” Luna inquired, unconsciously shuffling her wounded wing. The balm she had applied helped greatly, but she still felt a slight hitch where her feathers were ripped off.

“I assume you’ve already seen the corpses of those Changelings. It should give you an idea of what we’re able to do in combat.”

“So you were actually involved in the attack to the town of Greenville,” Princess Luna said as a matter of fact.

“Not directly. When our aircraft was forced to perform an emergency landing in the middle of the settlement, the inhabitants had already been taken away. By the time we realized the town was not abandoned, the Changelings had already surrounded us.”

“Not exactly the best form of welcoming to our planet,” Princess Celestia commented.

The Sangheili snapped her jaws with a distasteful look. “Their leader, someone that called herself Princess Lamia if I recall correctly, approached us probably out of curiosity. We weren’t looking for trouble, so I tried to speak with her to solve the situation without the need of violence, but evidently she didn’t want to leave witnesses of their actions, so she ordered her minions to attack us.” She growled. “Fools. They must have thought that we were easy prey.”

“Instead you taught them a lesson of humility,” Luna said with the smallest hint of a smile, looking visibly pleased.

“I was the one to lead my team during the counterattack,” the Sangheili said with evident pride in her voice. “We eliminated any Changelings that dared stand in our path, but unfortunately their leader managed to escape. However, I’m confident that we sent them a message that they won’t easily forget.” There was a sinister light in her eyes as she recalled the fight.

“You have our gratitude for killing those creatures,” Princess Luna said with a little smile.

“It wasn’t our fight, princess. We just retaliated to their attack as self defense. However, after I saw what those beasts did to your people… I just wish we arrived sooner.” The expression of the Zealot became sadder, almost regretful.

“You were the one to find Morning Dawn in that storage room,” Celestia said softly.

Tarya slowly nodded. “That filthy parasite stole her identity and devoured her life, then it just left her like she was trash,” she said, clenching her fists and quivering in anger. “That’s not a death worthy of a warrior. She served with honor, and her last thoughts were for her family and her country.”

“I’ll make sure that her parents are informed of her last message,” the alabaster alicorn said solemnly.

“You have my thanks. That’s all she asked me during her last moments.”

The next couple of minutes were spent in respectful silence.

“It must not have been an easy fight, considering you were so heavily outnumbered.”

The Sangheili snorted. “Taken singularly, they weren’t much of a challenge. In group they were more problematic, but nothing that a bit of strategy and discipline couldn’t solve.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but you seem to belong to a warrior culture.”

“Indeed, princess. All Sangheili are trained to fight since the day they can stand and hold a weapon in their hands, without petty distinction of gender or status. Being a warrior is part of our nature, and we consider it a great honor to die in the battlefield.”

“Thanks to your comrade, I have experienced directly the prowess in combat of your kind,” Luna said dryly as she opened her wing, allowing the Zealot to see the missing feathers.

Tarya shifted uncomfortably. “For what it’s worthy, I apologize for the actions of the Commando.” Her gaze then moved to the blackened tip of Celestia’s horn. “And I’m sincerely sorry for shooting your horn.”

“It’s already almost completely healed,” the princess replied, shuffled her wings in a dismissive gesture. “Your teammate told us that you were performing a reconnaissance, but he didn’t explain the reason. So I want to know, and I want an answer as honest as possible: why are you here?”

The Zealot spent a few moments collecting her thoughts before she spoke again. “Our ship reached your solar system as consequence to a malfunction of our engines. Several of our systems were damaged and we were forced to assume a geostationary orbit around your planet while we performed the needed repairs. Given the probability that someone would eventually notice our presence, we decided to send a team on the surface to gather data to better understand your civilization before attempting any form of contact.”

“Let me guess, some sort of ‘know your enemy even if it’s not your enemy’?”

“Something like that,” the Zealot conceded.

“Wasn’t there any other way?”

“Right. An alien spaceship suddenly appears in the sky and starts broadcasting greeting messages on random frequencies,” the Sangheili replied sarcastically. “That would have been the best way to cause worldwide panic and increase the chances of incidents. The fact that your planet is divided in several autonomous countries doesn’t really help. If we had publicly revealed our presence to Equestria, we would have likely caused tensions with the other nations.”

“What was the plan, then?” Princess Luna asked, crossing her arms. “I doubt you were planning to spy on us from the shadows indefinitely.”

“Once we had gathered enough intelligence, we would have contacted you using your encrypted communication frequency.”

Luna looked at her in confusion. “Encrypted frequency?”

“You know, the one that connects this palace with what we assume are the capitals of the rest of the world?”

“You can intercept the communications of the mana windows?” Celestia almost yelled in shock, feeling her body tense. Mana windows were considered the most secure way the leaders of a country could use to speak in private and exchange confidential material. Just earlier that morning she had a conversation with the leaders of Saddle Arabia regarding the plans for a joint military operation!

“Mana window? That’s what you call it? Hmm, interesting. Anyway, no. We’ve picked up the frequency but we were unable to listen or see the conversations.” Celestia seemed visibly relieved. “All our efforts so far had been aimed at decoding the signal and trying to use it with our communication systems to communicate with you.”

“Speaking of communication, you have an excellent grasp of our language,” Celestia noted. “How long have you been studying us?”

“Actually, we reached your solar system less than three days ago. And no, the members of my species do not possess exceptionally fast learning skills.”

“Then how do you know our language?” Princess Luna asked with a raised brow.

---

Tarya knew that they would eventually ask it, but it still made her uneasy. For a moment her jaws closed completely in an almost comical way. “That is a simple question with a complicated answer,” she said nervously, avoiding for a moment their gazes. “You may not believe me, and we ourselves still have difficulty wrapping our heads around it, but… you are not the first alien species that we have encountered that speaks this language.”

Princess Luna and Princess Celestia shared a look.

“So the old tales were true,” Princess Luna commented, intrigued.

“That’s what it would appear, dear sister,” Celestia replied.

Now it was the Zealot’s turn to be confused. “You seem to be awfully calm after such a revelation.”

“Does the word ‘human’ mean anything to you?” Celestia asked with a curious yet somewhat amused expression.

‘Domo ikanon, Nishum, Homo sapiens, Reclaimers… yeah, I’m definitely familiar with that word,’ the young Sangheili thought. “Yes. They’re actually the species that shares your language. They call it English. The real question however is, how can a civilization that has yet to achieve space travel know about the human race?”

There was obviously the possibility that a human ship had crashed on the planet in the past, but she highly doubted that an entire species would adopt an alien language for their everyday life.

Celestia nodded. “There’s an explanation, although most of it’s based on our mythology.”

Tarya snapped her jaws in the equivalent gesture of a shrug. “I’m willing to listen. A legend is still better than nothing.”

“Very well then.” Celestia took a moment to collect her thoughts. “The exact origin of these legends is lost in time, but according to the stories that our parents told us when we were just fillies, a long time ago our world was visited by the last members of an extremely powerful and wise civilization. Our ancestors offered them refuge from a great calamity and as recompense they built portals to connect this world with many others and also taught our ancestors how to access a different plane of reality that exists above this one, a plane that allowed the users to share their knowledge and influence their cultures, even if their minds were not actually aware it.”

‘Sounds like we were right when we theorized this world was visited by the Forerunners. Probably after the Halos were fired. The ponies offered them a new home and as recompense they learned how to have access to the Domain, or at least something similar,' she reasoned. 'A telepathic network that connect subconsciously to the minds of the inhabitants of different worlds, including Earth. The fact they’re not aware of such a connection would explain why nothing like this was ever mentioned in any human file. But than why didn’t our Luminary detected any trace of Forerunner technology?’

“What happened to the portals?” Tarya asked, trying her best to hide her interest. According to the rumors, Jul Mdama used a Forerunner portal to escape to Hesduros from his prison. Maybe they could find one that would allow them to contact Sanghelios or at least the UNSC?

“Lost, destroyed, or simply forgotten,” Celestia said, to great disappointment of the Sangheili. “Anyway, there is no real proof of that they were actually created by a species able to shape the cosmos as they desired, or that such a civilization even existed.”

‘You would be surprised to know how often the legends are actually true, princess.’

---

“Aliens are real. I still can’t believe it,” Flash Sentry said quietly as he kept his eyes glued to the big surveillance screen. The young guard was currently in a control room not too far from the containment cell, along with the six Bearers, Spike and a pair of guards that were sitting in front of a sophisticated working station similar to that of a television studio, recording everything that was happening in the cell.

“And yet it’s true,” Twilight commented as she took notes without looking away from the screen. “This is so fascinating.”

“Yup,” Pinkie Pie said, groaning in disappointment when she realized that her popcorn bag was now empty. There wasn’t a lot of action in this movie, but the special effects surely looked real!

“Ah have a bad feelin’ about that there alien gal,” Applejack said.

Pinkie Pie got closer to the farmer. Too close for her liking. “Is you honesty sense tingling?” she asked with interest, once again ignoring the basic concept of personal space.

“Nah, it’s just ah dun trust somepony who hides in the shadows ta spy on others.”

“Oh, Applejack. She’s not a pony. She’s an alien, you silly!” Pinkie Pie said with a bright smile, apparently missing the point.

“I don’t know, Applejack,” Rarity objected. “I admit that I’m still wary about her, but despite her intimidating appearance, she seems to be a rather educated and respectful individual. Nothing like that brute.”

“He was really scary,” Fluttershy commented nervously. “Oh, sorry Twilight.”

“No, it’s… it’s alright, Fluttershy. Thanks to Luna everything ended up fine.”

Spike wordlessly hugged her. Both he and Flash Sentry had not been present, but they had heard from their friends what had happened in the throne room.

“I should have been there,” Flash said, looking down in shame.

“Flash, while I appreciate your dedication to your duty, there was no way to know that something like that would happen,” she reasoned. ‘Furthermore, I would have not handled it if he was seriously hurt while trying to protect me.’

“What do you think, Rainbow Dash?” Rarity asked to the pegasus.

“I feel conflicted,” she admitted. “On one hand she shot Celestia with that space gun and used me as a meat shield-”

“Which would have never happened if yah hadn’t pulled that there stunt,” Applejack noted.

“On the other,” the pegasus said a bit louder, sending a dirty look at the orange mare, “she saved Fluttershy from turning into a pancake, and if what the princesses said is true... I mean, if she was really evil, she would have just used it as a distraction to escape.” The blue mare furrowed her brow. “Unless… Unless it wasn’t just a complicated scheme to make us think she’s not evil but good, when in truth she’s really evil. But if she’s really evil, then why didn’t she just- Urgh! Too much thinking! Why can’t things be more easy?”

“Because this is reality, darling, not an adventure novel or a Saturday morning cartoon show.”

“Thank goodness! That would be so weird. Can you imagine if our lives were just a show to entertain a mass of strangers and sell toys?” Pinkie Pie said.

The two guards operating the recording equipment looked at Flash Sentry in confusion, but the orange pegasus just shrugged.

“Well, if what she said is true, she was nice with that guard during her last moments,” Fluttershy commented quietly, causing all the ponies in the room to grow silent.

“What do you think Spike?” Pinkie Pie asked to the little dragon. He had been oddly silent and asking his opinion was also a good way to change subject.

“... she looks pretty.” All the eyes in the room were now pointed at him. “I mean, she doesn’t have a tail and her mouth is kinda strange, but, well, you know…”

“Hmm, must be a dragon thing. She has a rather reptilian appearance, after all,” Twilight reasoned, apparently unaware of the blush on Spike’s cheeks.

“Do you think she’s even prettier than moi, Spikey-Wikey?” Rarity asked playfully with a small pout, placing a hand on her chest.

“What? No!” the little dragon said frantically to the white mare. “You’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen Rarity- I mean, no! I mean, not that you’re not pretty, which you are, but you- her-” His ramble ended in an incoherent mumble of embarrassment as he buried his now red face in his hands, while Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Flash Sentry shared a brief laugh at his expense.

“Shhhh! We’re missing the best part!” Pinkie Pie said as she pulled out from her poofy tail a new bag of freshly made popcorn, saving Spike from further embarrassment. “Time for the shocking and predictable plot twist!”

---

“You mentioned that your ship was shot down. How did the Changelings do it?” Celestia asked, worried. If the Changelings had managed to build a larger version of their infantry issued magical powered energy weapons that were able to destroy vehicles, the implications were worrisome.

“Those beasts were not the ones that forced us to an emergency landing. They didn’t even know about us until our ship crashed,” the Zealot said, much to the princesses relief. “Our shuttle was hit by a beam of energy while we entered the atmosphere of your planet, sending our electronic systems offline. We analyzed the vector and tracked down the source of origin of the beam. It was fired from Ponyville’s public library.”

Celestia widened her eyes in surprise and horror, while Luna grimaced. If Twilight and her friends weren’t involved in troublesome situations, they had the tendency to create problems themselves.

Before the two alicorns could say anything in defense of their fellow princess, said mare appeared in the room in a bright flash of light. Judging by her ruffled feathers and a few stray hairs, she must have teleported in a hurry.

“I’m so sorry!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed frantically to an obviously surprised Sangheili. “I was just conducting an experiment, it wasn’t my intention to hit your ship! Please, you have to believe me!”

“I do.”

“I swear, I didn’t know- You do?” That was surprisingly fast.

“I’ve seen what’s left of your device in the basement, it’s obvious it wasn’t a weapon. If anything, it will probably end in the records as one of the luckiest shots in history.”

“You were in Ponyville?” Twilight asked nervously. The Sangheili nodded. “Wait. Does it mean that last night…?”

“Your friend would have found us, were it not for the sudden arrival of you and your bodyguard.”

“Ah-ah! I knew it!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed from behind one of the guards, appearing apparently out of nowhere. To his credit the stallion made only a little startled jump without screaming. “They called me crazy, but I was right! Muhahahahahahahah!”

“Pinkie? Nopony called you crazy,” Twilight assured her. Eccentric, chaotic, or illogical were far nicer and more accurate ways to describe the earth pony mare.

“Oh… can I still laugh though?”

Twilight blinked. “Uh, sure.”

“Good. Muhahahahahahahah!”

“Is she always like this or should I be concerned?” The Sangheili asked to no one in particular while looking wearily at the pink mare.

“Eh, you’ll get used to her,” Twilight assured her with a shrug. “Eventually,” she added after a brief pause.

The Zealot nodded slowly, then blinked in confusion. “How did she get here?”

“From the door, you silly,” Pinkie Pie replied with an innocent smile.

The alien frowned, obviously unconvinced by the explanation. “I don’t remember seeing or hearing you get inside this room.”

“I’m really good at hide and seek,” Pinkie Pie said with sly confidence, placing both hands on her hips.

“Speaking of hiding, I’m quite sure that you paid me another ‘visit’ this morning,” Twilight said as a matter of fact.

“I saw that officer walking in the library to talk with you and I followed him out of curiosity.” By the look she was giving her, the purple alicorn didn’t seem to approve. “As I already said, we were trying to study how your society works and given that you are a figure of authority among your people, I thought it was worth investigating.”

Twilight seemed to accept the explanation, although begrudgingly. Then she seemed to remember something. Something that had to do with the boxes containing the geological samples...

The metal door opened again, interrupting her train of thoughts, and six ponies and a little dragon entered the room.

“Our deepest apologies, your highnesses,” Rarity said, slightly out of breath. “We tried to tell her to stay with us in the observation room, but she didn’t want to hear reason. Mostly because she disappeared before we could actually say anything,” she added the last part with a disapproving look at the pink mare.

“But Twilight left the room before meeee!” Pinkie Pie whined. “And I wanted to meet the alien lady too!”

“It’s alright, Rarity,” Celestia said with a chuckle of amusement. “Since you’re all here, we might as well proceed with an introduction. Everypony - and dragon - allow me to present to you the Zealot Tarya Rutaen.”

Twilight flushed a bit as she realized that she had missed introducing herself after she teleported, but quickly recomposed herself. “Hello, I’m T- Princess Twilight Sparkle,” the young alicorn corrected herself, remembering that this counted as a diplomatic encounter. “And these are my friends,” she said, pointing at each of them, “Pinkie Pie,-”

“Hiya!”

“- Applejack, -”

“Howdy,” the mare said with a tip of her hat.

“- Rarity, -”

“Nice to meet you, darling.”

“- Fluttershy,-”

“Uh, hello.”

“-Rainbow Dash,-”

“Hi,” the mare said, flashing a competitive smirk.

“- my personal guard Flash Sentry,-”

“Ma’am.”

“- and last but not least, my trusty number one assistant Spike.”

“Hi-” the dragon began, only to cringe when his voice chose exactly that moment to break and come out with a high pitched sound. “I mean, ahem, hi,” he said again, trying to sound as deep and masculine as possible.

“It’s a pleasure to make acquaintance with all of you,” the Sangheili said, sharing the amusement of the rest of the room.

One of the guards’ radios suddenly buzzed to life. The mare listened to the transmission, then she addressed Princess Celestia. “Your highness, Mr. Tuning Fork reports that the mana window is active. Someone is trying to call us.”

“What do you mean with ‘someone’? Can’t you be more specific?”

The guard shook her head. “Apparently the code doesn’t match that of any other known device.”

“Hmm, it took them longer than expected, but finally the Shipmaster decided to make his move,” the Zealot admitted. “Excellent timing. I was starting get worried.”

“Shipmaster?” Luna asked, unfamiliar with the term.

“Uh! Is he a master of shipping and an expert of romantic affairs?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Because then I bet he’d be best buddies with Cadence!”

“The Shipmaster is the commander of our vessel,” the Zealot explained, probably missing the meaning of most of what Pinkie Pie had said.

“So he’s basically your leader?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“That’s an accurate description.”

“Do you have any particular advice about how to deal with him?” Princess Luna asked.

“Keep in mind that he’s a warrior, not a politician, so try to be direct, just like he will do. Also, try to act confident, or he will see it as a sign of weakness.” Noticing a few stares at her last remark, she added, “It’s nothing personal, it’s just how our psychology works. Anyway, the fact that he’s calling you is actually a good sign. It means that for now he’s not planning to resort to more drastic and violent measures to have me back.”

“That’s… reassuring,” Celestia commented with an uncertain tone. “Alright, let’s go Luna,” she said, heading out of the room.

A few minutes and four flights of stairs later, the sisters reached their destination. Luna used a quick spell to adjust both their dresses and manes for possible imperfections (a princess must always do a good first impression) and gestured at the two soldiers guarding the room to open the doors.

There was already an occupant in the room, a yellow unicorn stallion dressed in a suit with the distinctive markings of the Arcane Science Department that Celestia recognized as Tuning Fork. She had known him since the time he attended her school for Gifted Unicorns and now the stallion was part of several working teams whose projects were aimed at combining science with magic, as well as being one of the few allowed to interact with the mana window.

“Princesses,” he saluted them nervously, passing a hand through his well kept blue mane.

“What’s the situation, Mr. Tuning?” Celestia asked, mostly for the sake of the stallion, already knowing what was probably happening.

“The map started to work all of sudden, but it makes no sense, your highness! According to the device, whoever is calling it is doing it from the maze in the royal gardens!”

“The signal doesn’t come from the garden, but from above it,” Luna said as she observed the map, while her sister moved to the pedestal with the circular control panel.

“The sky is completely clear, princess. There are no clouds or airships above the castle,” the stallion said in confusion.

“I assure you they’re up there,” Celestia said while she studied the various icons. “Waaaay up there.”

The unicorn widened his eyes and paled when he realized what she was implying. “So the rumors are true?”

Rumors. That word made the princess pause. ‘We were able to cover the confusion of this morning as a drill of the guards, but it won’t take long before the rumors of what really happened spread out of the castle.’ It was imperative to address this matter as soon as possible before some journalist started spreading panic with a highly inaccurate version of the events.

“Thank you for the assistance, Tuning Fork. You can go now, we’ll handle things from here.”

“Princess-”

“You can go now. Thank you,” she repeated with the same kind smile yet with a more forceful tone.

“You know Tia, you can be really scary at times. And the best part is that you don’t even need to be angry,” Luna said playfully once the stallion had left the room.

Celestia simply looked at her in annoyance, before pressing a specific combination of symbols to authenticate the new contact. The moment she confirmed the command, the magical map of the planet on the wall was replaced by a black screen on which were quickly scrolling columns of alien glyphs.

“Alright. That’s new,” Celestia said slowly. There was something vaguely familiar about them, but she was unable to make sense of any of them.

She tapped the central button twice to accept the call and once again the image changed, this time showing a big room characterized by purple and blue smooth surfaces that gave it an almost organic appearance. On the back she could discern what appeared to be a circular metal door, with a red banner at each side depicting a strange golden symbol that resembled a stylized mix between a star and one of those strange double bladed alien swords (1).

She saw several figures standing at the sides of the screen, but aside from the cold light provided by some holographic control stations, most of the room was left in the dark, making it difficult to see them clearly.

What, or rather who she could instead see without problem was the Sangheili standing at the center of an elevated platform, in front of what seemed to be a floating command chair.

‘Oh, goodness. He’s big,’ was the first thought that crossed Celestia’s mind.

Mana windows were built to reproduce images on a real scale of the users to give the impression that they were standing in front of each other while they spoke. The Sangheili on the screen was, lacking better terms, huge. He was easily over two and a half meters tall, with a powerful muscular body clad in an intimidating set of gold-colored armor, topped by a helmet with a protuberance vaguely similar to a large stubby horn. On his right hip was attached the deactivated handle of an energy sword.

The skin of the alien shared the same shade of light brown of Tarya, but his eyes were yellow instead of green. Ignoring the maws filled with sharp teeth, the princess met his gaze. His eyes were the ones of a warrior, hardened by years of violence and fighting, as well as suffering.

“I am the Shipmaster Vraal Rutaen, commander of the CCS-class battlecruiser Last Sunset, of the Swords of Sanghelios,” he introduced himself with his powerful and baritone voice. “I demand to speak with the leaders of the country known as Equestria.”

“You're already doing it, Shipmaster Rutaen. I’m Princess Celestia and this is my sister, Princess Luna. Together we rule over this kingdom.”

“Greetings, Shipmaster,” the princess of the night saluted.

The Sangheili simply replied with a curt nod of his head.

“On behalf of all the nations of this world, we are honored to meet-”

“Let’s cut to the chase, princess,” the Shipmaster interrupted Celestia brusquely. “We both know the reason why I’m contacting you. You have a member of my crew as prisoner and I want her back.”

‘Tarya wasn’t exaggerating when she said he likes to go straight to the point,’ Celestia thought, a bit baffled. He wasn’t exactly hostile, but not even respectful. Either the Shipmaster had no idea who he was talking with, or he simply didn’t really care. For him, she was just the leader of a recently discovered country, not a mare with great magical powers and centuries of experience and wisdom. It was… oddly refreshing.

“I would gladly grant your request, Shipmaster, especially given the importance of this moment for my people, but I’m afraid that things are a bit complicated,” the alicorn said with tact. “The Zealot was captured because she was spying on us, while her teammate is guilty of several crimes, including assault to royalty and wounding several of our guards. Surely you can understand our concerns regarding our security.”

The mandibles of the Sangheili twitched as he looked the princess deep in the eyes. “I wish to see her.”

“I can assure you that she’s fine and no harm was done to her-”

“Your words mean nothing to me, princess,” the Shipmaster said, narrowing his eyes. “I want to see her with my eyes. Now.”

“How dare you make demands, you-!” Luna started with outrage, only to be interrupted by the tip of a white wing pressed against her mouth. Her sister gave a wide apologetic smile at the Shipmaster and chuckled nervously.

“Luna, do not enrage the big scary alien,” Celestia whispered to her sister through the corner of her strained grin. Celestia cleared her voice and addressed the Sangheili again. “I’ll give the order to bring her here, as a gesture of good faith.” The Shipmaster nodded in satisfaction. “However,” Celestia said with a more stern tone, “in return we demand that both sides maintain a civil behaviour. We will not show signs of hostility, as long as you promise the same.”

“Oh, trust me, princess. You don’t want to see me turn hostile,” the Shipmaster said, flexing his jaws in what Celestia assumed was the equivalent of a smile. It was unsettling, to say the least.

“Is that a threat?” the younger princess demanded, narrowing her eyes as she took a step forward.

Celestia cleared her voice loudly. “Luna, why don’t you bring our guest here?”

The blue alicorn seemed about to argue, but a simple look at Celestia told her that she was in ‘big sister mode’.

“I will be back soon,” she said, giving one last hard gaze at the Shipmaster before disappearing with a flash of light.

The Shipmaster growled in surprise when Luna teleported away. He looked at Celestia, but the princess simply shrugged and offered him a small apologetic smile.

“Your sister seems to posses a fierce personality,” the Shipmaster noted after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.

“She tends to react that way when she thinks someone is undermining her authority.”

“I know a few individuals like her. Many are good leaders who only wish the best for their people. Others… not so much,” the Shipmaster said, lost for a moment in his thoughts. “You seem to respond better to provocations.”

‘Was he testing us?’ Celestia wondered, carefully hiding her emotions behind her well practiced mask of serenity. Despite his brusque ways, it was evident that the Shipmaster was an intelligent individual, not some kind of mindless brute. “I’ve learned long ago that a cool head can save you in many situations,” she said calmly. ‘It also helps giving my opponent a false sense of security.’

---

‘The only blade you have to fear is the one you cannot see,’ Vraal mentally quoted the ancient Sangheili proverb as he studied the princess. Celestia may have acted like the embodiment of diplomacy so far, but the Shipmaster had no doubt that she was a dangerous individual, instead being one that studied her opponent while carefully planning her next move. She reminded him of a San'shyuum or an ONI officer, although without any visible trace of slyness or malevolence.

“I’ve watched your speech this morning,” he said, eliciting a small surprised look from the mare. “You seem to really care about your people.”

Her smile remained the same, but her gaze hardened. “I meant every single word. My sister and I will do everything in our power to defend our subjects from any kind of threat,” the alicorn said with a polite yet firm tone.

‘There she is. Strong-willed and fierce, just like I suspected. This is going to be an interesting challenge,’ he thought, starting to feel thrilled. It had been a while since he had met a worthy opponent in strategy games.

---

The moment the two royal sisters left, the room fell in a somewhat awkward silence. Even Pinkie Pie, who was now softly humming a happy tune, didn’t seem to know how to start a conversation.

Surprisingly, it was Fluttershy of all ponies to take initiative. Mustering all her courage, the little yellow pegasus slowly walked toward the crystal wall that separated them from the Sangheili.

Gulping nervously, she moved her nervous gaze upward until she met the eyes of the Zealot.

“Yes?” the alien asked, tilting her head slightly.

The pegasus opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a barely audible noise similar to a weak wail.

Tarya tilted her head. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

Fluttershy looked down in embarrassment and hid her face behind her long hair. She was about to murmur an apology and leave, when she felt a delicate hand touching her shoulder.

“Come on, darling,” Rarity said encouragingly.

“You can do it, Shy!” Pinkie Pie said with a beaming smile.

Feeling her confidence return stronger than before thanks to her friends, the pegasus decided to try again. “I wanted to thank you for saving my life,” Fluttershy said louder.

The Sangheili blinked with the strange vertical membranes she had instead of eyelids, then her expression softened. “You’re welcome.”

“Why did you do it?” Fluttershy asked with a bit more confidence.

“Why should I have not done it?” Tarya asked rhetorically. “It was the right thing, especially considering that I was in part to blame for it.”

“Just in part?” Rainbow Dash repeated with a heavily sarcastic if not somewhat hostile tone.

“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy exclaimed.

“What? It’s true! She was the one to deflect that beam of energy with her glowing-space-shield-thingy.”

“Which probably would have never happened if you had not tried to tackle me. I have to admit, you were really brave to try to engage an opponent that was far bigger and stronger than you all by yourself in that manner,” she said, causing Dash’s chest to inflate with pride, “but you were also incredibly stupid and reckless.” The pride burst out like air from a punctured balloon so violently that it broke the barriers through the eleven dimensions and was ejected in slipspace. “In different circumstances, you could have ended up seriously hurt, or worse.”

The cyan pegasus was about to rebut, but the memory of the Sangheili in black armor using Twilight as shield before charging at Princess Luna through a line of guards made her pause.

“Well, don’t think I’m afraid of you guys. You just took me by surprise,” she said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. That actually earned a chuckle from Tarya. “And, uh, thanks for not breaking my spine like a breadstick,” she added with a more humble tone.

“It had never been my intention to hurt any of you.” Tarya lowered her gaze and shook her head. “It wasn’t supposed to end like that. My orders were to simply observe, avoid detection and do not interact directly with your species, but then…”

“When things didn’t go as planned, you didn’t know how to react and panicked,” Twilight concluded her phrase with a little smile of comprehension. “I know how it feels, it happens to me sometimes.”

“You mean on daily basis?” Spike asked with a teasing grin, earning a light wing slap on his nape. He rubbed his head, but when he raised his gaze he noticed that the Sangheili was staring at him in curiosity. However, before he started feeling uncomfortable, Twilight spoke again.

“Given that we don’t know when they’ll be back, why don’t we play a game in the meantime?”

“Oh! Oh! I love playing games!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed enthusiastically. “What are we playing? Twister? Candyland? Table tennis?”

“Actually, I was thinking about a different kind of game,” the princess of friendship said, looking at the Zealot. “A question for another, and both of us will have to respond as honestly as we can. What do you think?”

The Sangheili looked down to meet the gaze of the purple mare, intrigued by her proposal. “Deal. However, as I have already told Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, there are some details that I’m not allowed to share.”

Twilight nodded in agreement. “Sounds good.” Then she pulled out a little notebook out of nowhere and started scrolling through its pages, each one filled with her neat and precise calligraphy. “Oh, this is wonderful, there are just so many questions I want to ask you! Which should I ask you first…?”

“Actually, I already answered more than a few questions to the other princesses, so I think it’s only fair that I’m the one to start.”

“But- But-” Twilight stuttered, looking at the Sangheili like a filly who had been denied a cookie, but then she sighed in defeat. “Fine. What do you want to know?”

Tarya thought for a few moments before deciding. “Your horns.”

“Uh, I’m sorry?”

“Since I set my feet on this planet, I’ve witnessed both the Changelings and the Unicorns use their horns to do things that should not be possible for living beings. Firing beams of energy... moving objects with telekinesis... teleportation…” she listed off, vaguely gesturing in Twilight’s direction at the last one. “What I want to know is, how do you do it?”

“Well, with magic of course,” Twilight replied as if it was the most natural thing. Really, why was this a big deal?

The Sangheili narrowed her gaze and scoffed. “Do not insult my intelligence, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Magic is just a word born out of ignorance and superstition to explain unknown phenomenon.”

The alicorn, as well as those present, looked at her in shock. “What?! How can you say something like that? I know that your species is more technologically advanced than ours, but you can’t expect me to believe that you think that magic is not real.” Her eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. It was unlikely, but maybe… “You- you don’t know about magic?”

“I’m too old to believe in children stories,” Tarya said in annoyance. “Either you give me a serious explanation, or you can forget receiving any answer from me.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. She may have been a unicorn before her ascension, but she had always been open minded to expand her knowledge beyond the study of arcane arts, thus she knew the value of science. But to disregard the subject she had dedicated most of her life, the very thing that had allowed her to earn her cutie mark and became the mare she was now, well, that was too much.

“Alright, how do you explain this then?” she asked with a challenging tone. Her horn shone brightly and a small vase appeared in the cell.

“Teleportation. The atoms of an object are broken down, turned into a stream of energy and information, and then reassembled to their original form in a different location. An advanced technology, difficult to achieve, but I’ve already seen it before coming here.”

“How about this then?” Her horn glowed again and this time the vase levitated in the air until it was at the same level of the chest of the Sangheili.

“Telekinesis, basically a manipulation of the gravitational field surrounding the object you’re currently levitating,” Tarya said without missing a beat.

“Take it,” Twilight said. “Give it a good look.”

The Zealot was not sure what the alicorn had in mind, but nonetheless she carefully grabbed the vase and examined it. It was a rather unremarkable object, a clay vase without paint or any other kind of decoration.

“Now drop it,” Twilight instructed her after a few moments.

“What?”

“Drop the vase on the ground,” the young princess repeated calmly.

The Sangheili looked at her for a moment, but complied to her request. She dropped the vase, which shattered on the floor in several pieces. A few moments later the different fragments were enveloped by a soft magenta glow and started levitating in the air in front of the Sangheili.

“That’s a creative way to clean up, but you still have to-”

What happened next was like watching a video on reverse. Like the pieces of a puzzle, the fragments of clay assumed their respective position until the vase was once again intact.

“What do you see?” Twilight asked.

Tarya grabbed the vase and carefully examined it once again, looking for imperfections, cracks, anything that could indicate that it was a pile of shards just a moment before. Nothing. The surface was perfectly smooth, without a single imperfection. It looked new.

“I could have used a glass pitcher, but you would have probably suspected that I just melted the edges of the fragments to attach them back to their original form. As you know, when clay is baked, the heat modifies its molecular structure, making it virtually impossible to modify its form once it’s out of the kiln.”

“That’s impossible,” Tarya muttered.

“Oh, wait. I can also do this,” the princess exclaimed and once again her horn glowed.

Instantly the nostrils of the Zealot were invaded by a pleasant smell of food. It came from the vase… or rather, the vase was now food. She applied a bit more pressure with her hands and discovered that it now had the same consistency of bread crust. Not only that, it also had the smell of bread and, as she had confirmed by tasting a small piece, it also tasted like bread crust. Tarya dropped the vase made of bread and slowly sat on her bed, trying to ignore her spinning head.

“How?” she weakly demanded as her mind was trying to find a logical explanation.

“I told you. Magic,” Twilight simply said, crossing her arms and smiling smugly.

The Sangheili massaged her face and took a deep breath. This wasn’t the time for a mental breakdown. “Alright. I’ll keep my mind open and accept that in this place magic is real until I find proof against such an assumption.”

The princess smiled. “That’s all I ask.”

The Sangheili looked at her and chuckled. Aside for shattering her vision of reality, she was starting to like the purple mare. “Your planet is proving to be a truly mysterious place, princess. When we first arrived here, we detected an energy radiation completely unknown. I suppose that’s what you call magic.”

“Are you talking about a widespread environmental radiation?” Twilight asked for clarification. The Zealot nodded in confirm. “That would technically be called mana. It becomes magic once it’s processed and refined through alicornium, the material that composes the inner part of our horns” - she said while tapping her own with a finger - “and that’s also present in traces in other parts of our bodies, like our hooves and feathers.”

“So, to summarize in an overly simplified way, your bodies absorb this ‘mana’ and use it as a source of energy to produce magic?”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that, but I guess that’s the best way to describe the process to someone without any previous knowledge of magic. Just like without sunlight there couldn’t be photosynthesis, without mana it would be impossible to create magic.”

“I see. Where does it comes from?”

“It may be hard to believe, but we still don’t know exactly the origin of mana. The most accredited theory is that in the core of the planet there’s a portal to another dimension where our laws of physics do not apply.”

The Sangheili hummed, intrigued. She was probably just scratching the surface of what she was sure was a very complex and vast argument, but the process at its base was similar to the way the Forerunners powered their technology by exploiting extra-dimensional energy.

“So, are you satisfied with my answer?”

Tarya nodded. “You may proceed asking me your question.”

The alicorn emitted an excited ‘SQUEE!’ and grabbed her notebook. “Spike, take note,” she said, practically shoving a pile of paper and a pen in the young dragon’s hands. “Alright, first question: how-?”

Princess Luna reappeared in the middle of the room, stopping the young princess before she could even start her question. “Miss Rutaen’s presence is required in the communication room,” the blue alicorn said curtly while she marched toward the wall of crystal. “Are you going to be a problem?”

“I already told you my willingness to cooperate with you to solve this situation, princess,” was the reply of the Sangheili.

Princess Luna nodded, apparently satisfied by her answer, then placed a hand on the sturdy transparent barrier. A few moments later the crystal in the point she had touched glowed faintly and a hole appeared, quickly growing in size until it became a passage wide enough to allow the Sangheili to pass through it without problem.

“Crystal magic, I learned it before King Sombra invaded the Empire,” she explained to the stunned Sangheili as she stepped inside the cell. “Do you have any previous experience with teleportation?” she quickly asked.

“Uh?”

“I will take it as a no. Please, do not think about food,” Princess Luna hastily instructed her before grabbing her wrist.

“Wait, what are you-?”

The alicorn’s horn glowed and she and Tarya disappeared in a flash of light along with the four guards, leaving Twilight and her friends alone in the room.

The purple mare looked down at her notebook, then up at the now empty cell, then back at the book, and then one last time at the cell.

“Twilight? Are you alright, darling?” Rarity asked cautiously.

In an impressive display of eloquence and self control, the young princess responded with a loud groan of frustration to the heavens.

---

True to her words, less than a minute after Princess Luna was gone, the door of the room opened and Tarya stepped into the room along with the blue alicorn and four ponies wearing golden armor. The design of their armor was even more primitive than those used by the humans, but they carried firearms, just like Zhar had said in his last report.

The moment Vraal saw his niece, he released a breath of relief that he didn’t know he was holding.

“Shipmaster,” the Zealot saluted him in the language of the humans. Which was the same that these ponies spoke. Weird and surely worthy of further investigation, but right now it wasn’t his main concern.

“Zealot. I sincerely hope that you’re not making a habit of making me worry for your incolumity, young lady,” Vraal said sternly, crossing his arms on his chest.

“I apologize, sir,” Tarya responded, cringing at the the scolding tone of the Shipmaster. “Things have taken an unexpected turn even since this mission began.”

“So I’ve noticed,” he replied dryly. After a few more moments, his gaze moved to the other occupants of the room, studying them. “Are they treating you well?”

“They have been excellent guests, considering the circumstances,” Tarya hurried to reassure him.

“Are you sure? You seem to be a bit dazed,” Vraal noticed.

“I’ve just experienced their system of teleportation, sir.”

Vraal glanced at the now innocently-looking Princess Luna. “I see.”

“Are there any news about Zhar?” Tarya asked with a hopeful tone that quite honestly surprised him. Last that he checked, his niece wasn’t exactly thrilled to work with the Commando.

The Shipmaster shook his head. “We’re still trying to find him with our scanners, but either his transponder is offline, or the thick canopy of the forest is interfering with our equipment.”

“Our guards are looking for your lost man as we speak, Shipmaster,” Princess Luna informed them with a smile. “We’re doing everything in our power to find him.” The way she said it, it sounded more like a threat than a reassurance.

“Your help in the searches is… appreciated,” Vraal replied coolly, staring back at the alicorn. Maybe it was because they were not in the same room, but the mare didn’t seem intimidated at all by the Sangheili, just like her sister.

He felt his respect for them growing a bit.

“If you don’t have any objection, I suggest addressing the elephant in the room,” Princess Celestia said, causing the aliens to look at her in confusion.

“I don’t see any pachyderm,” Tarya stated plainly.

Celestia blushed a bit in embarrassment. “I apologize, it’s a figure of speech. What I mean is that now that we are aware of your existence, we should address the matter of your presence on this planet in a more official way.”

The Shipmaster stroked his lower jaws with a hand. “And by official, I presume you desire to arrange a meeting.”

“That would be preferable, Shipmaster. I’m sure you agree with me when I say that certain matters can only be discussed in person rather that through a screen. And I seriously doubt you would have sent a recon team on the surface of the planet if you just planned to contact us by our special communication network. There must be more, something delicate that needed to be addressed in person.”

‘Hmm, she’s good,' Vraal had to mentally admit.

“Obviously, I assure that during your visit we will take all kinds of measures to insure your incolumity-”

The Shipmaster emitted a barking laugh. Was she really worried for him? How adorable. “I am no longer a youngling, princess. I can take care of myself,” Vraal declared as a matter of fact, moving his hand on the handle of his energy sword.

The gesture didn’t pass unnoticed to the alicorns. “I suppose,” Celestia said with a frown after a few moments.

“I’d need to confer in private with the Shipmaster,” Tarya suddenly said. “Do you mind if we talk for a bit in our language? It will make things faster,” she asked politely to the princesses.

“I don’t see why not,” Princess Celestia said, while her sister simply nodded. Vraal had almost missed the way Luna’s wing subtly brushed Celestia’s arm before she gave her permission, but said nothing.

The young Zealot nodded, thankful, then turned back to the screen. “You handled the situation better than I expected,” she said in Sangheili.

“I had to deal with my fair share of politicians during my life, but I still prefer to fight my battles with the plasma of my sword rather than the ink of a pen,” Vraal admitted, snapping his jaws. “I’m honestly relieved that I don’t need to deploy an assault team to storm the castle in order to rescue you.”

The Zealot chuckled, but quickly stopped once she noticed that there was no trace of humor in her uncle’s expression. “Are you serious?”

“The Major Domo and the Mgalekgolo volunteered for a rescue mission as soon as they heard news of your capture. The only reason they’re not already there is because I denied it, knowing their complete inability to avoid collateral damage,” the Shipmaster said dryly. The Zealot didn’t know if she should have been more worried about their eagerness for a fight or the fact that the words of her uncle were the only thing holding them back. “What have you told them so far?”

“Just that we casually stumbled upon their planet due to a problem to our FTL drive and we infiltrated their castle to gather information about their society. Oh, and their language is one of the many spoken by the humans.”

“I would have preferred if you first consulted with me before revealing certain details, but at least you didn’t mention something really important like our lack of combustible or that we’re basically stuck here for an undetermined amount of time.”

“I know where my loyalty lies,” she said defensively.

“I never doubted it. Now, first of all let’s get you back on the ship, then we can-”

“Actually, it would be better if we postpone the meeting until tomorrow.”

The Shipmaster looked at her in confusion. “Give me a good reason why I should leave you in custody of these creatures any longer.”

“I can give you two. As much as it may sound absurd, these aliens possess strange powers that cannot be explained scientifically, at least not with our actual knowledge. The quickest and most efficient way to learn about them is from the natives, preferably before we start any diplomatic meeting.”

Vraal narrowed his eyes and glanced discreetly at the alicorns. Princess Luna was quietly chatting with her sister, but her horn was glowing a pale blue light. For some reason, he could tell that she seemed to be frustrated, even if she hid it well. “Do you fear a trap?”

“No. So far they have seemed sincere with me, nor have I seen evident signs of deception. I just want to know what we’re dealing with as soon as possible, so that we’re ready for any nasty surprise we may encounter in the future. I’ve already started to gain the trust from one of their younger leaders and her friends. She’s willing to respond to my questions about her world in exchange of non-confidential material.”

“You sound like my sister,” the Shipmaster said, both amused and proud of her. “As she always said…”

“... Words build bridges, swords destroy them,” she quoted what her mother used to say when she was in charge of their keep when the kaidon was absent. “As for the second reason, it would also be a good way to earn their sympathy and gratitude if we let them first deal with their current crisis. Their leaders can’t leave the capital in a moment like this to get on our ship, while the sight of one of our shuttles would only cause panic among the population.”

“Hmm, alright then. Have fun playing the part of the Ossoona in plain sight,” he joked. In truth, he was impressed of his reasoning abilities. It made him hope for a future where his people will be more than just soldiers. “Sorry if you had to wait,” he apologized, switching back to a language the ponies could understand. “As the Zealot has already informed you, our ship suffered damage when we reached your solar system. It will take several hours to complete the repairs, and unfortunately I need to oversee the work of my crew.”

“You could delegate the task of representing you to a member of your crew,” Princess Luna offered.

“Tempting idea, princess, but unfortunately my men are soldiers, not diplomats. No matter how much I may trust them, this is a delicate matter that I need to handle personally. Furthermore, in my culture doing so would be an act of disrespect toward you,” he said, playing the card of the cultural differences. “There’s also the matter that your country is in the middle of a crisis after the recent Changeling raid.”

The gazes of both alicorns hardened at the mention of the insectoid race.

“There have not been reports of new attacks, but there’s still much work to do to bring things back under control,” Celestia admitted. First contact with an alien civilization or not, their people still had priority.

“Then it would be wise to postpone the meeting until the situation has calmed down a bit. Would tomorrow morning be a more appropriate moment or is it too soon?”

The two sisters exchanged a look, silently communicating with their eyes for a few moments, then nodded.

“That would be appreciated, Shipmaster,” Princess Luna said with a cautious yet thankful tone. “We will wait for your arrival by sunrise, if you agree.”

“I find it acceptable.”

“Then it’s settled. The meeting will take place in the castle.”

“I thought the point was to maintain discretion. Wouldn’t the arrival of one of our aircraft cause panic?”

“That won’t be a problem, I assure you.”

“In this case, I’ll take my leave then, your highnesses. I’m looking forward to meeting you in person,” the Shipmaster said, bowing his head respectfully.

“Likewise, Shipmaster Rutaen,” Celestia said as she and her sister bowed back.

“Zealot,” Vraal said curtly, looking at his niece.

“Shipmaster.”

“May your blade lighten your path.”

“And never fail me in the time of need,” she completed the salute.

Vraal looked at the princesses one last time, then gestured to the communication officer to cut the signal. He sat back in his command chair. He rested his head on his clasped fingers, staring intensely at the the screen, which now showed the image of the northern hemisphere of the planet below them.

“You know that all critical systems beside the slipspace drive are already back to full functionality, right?” Haka Guwakai noticed, adjusting his red cloak.

“I’m perfectly aware of it, Haka, but they don’t need to know.” He snapped his jaws. “Lying at them left a bitter taste in my mouth,” he admitted. “I don’t know how Zhar can do it all the time.”

“He’s Spec Ops, deception is part of his life,” the Ultra reasoned with a note of distaste.

The Shipmaster decided to not comment. “Select a small security team for tomorrow’s diplomatic meeting,” he ordered to his second in command. “Only Sangheili. No more than five.”

“You can count on me, Shipmaster. My blades are at your service,” Haka said respectfully, bowing his head and placing a fist across his chest.

“I’d prefer if you stay on board. If there is any trouble, you’ll have command of the ship.”

“Then who will keep you out of trouble?”

“Really amusing, Haka. If your blades are really as sharp as your words, then we’ll have nothing to fear.”

They both shared a short laugh.

“In all seriousness, I’m quite curious to meet them in person myself. Princess Luna seems to have the spirit of a fighter.”

“It’s her sister that worries me the most,” Vraal said, activating a nearby holotank to find the best spot in the castle to land. The gardens offered plenty of space but no cover, while the main courtyard allowed easy access to the castle, but left them vulnerable to eventual snipers.

“Shall we use one of the Stealth Phantoms?”

“No. There’s no reason to reveal that we have aircrafts able to turn invisible, and we don’t need to alarm them with excessive firepower, so we will also keep the gunship in the hangar. A troop carrier will work just fine.”

“As you wish, sir. I’ll go see the Major Domo Kowakan to arrange the escort,” the Ultra said before leaving the command center.

“Any news from Zhar?” The Shipmaster asked to the communication officer.

The officer shook his head. “Still nothing, sir.”

“Inform me as soon as there is any news. I’ll be damned if my best warrior is found by those primitives first.”

---

“Looks like you’ll be our guest longer than expected, miss Rutaen,” Princess Celestia said, looking at the young Sangheili female.

“So it would seem. I hope it’s not a problem.”

“Not at all, my dear,” Celestia replied. “Having an alien as a guest for dinner will be interesting.”

The mention of food caused a deep rumble to resonate through the air. Startled, the ponies looked at the Zealot, who glanced at her stomach in embarrassment. “I apologize, my last meal consisted of a protein bar before the sunrise.”

“It’s a bit late to lunchtime, but that won’t be a problem. Do you have any preferences?”

That made the Sangheili pause. “I don’t suppose meat is a part of your diet,” Tarya said nervously.

“That won’t be a problem,” Princess Luna said with a smirk. “Guards, bring back our guest to her new quarters, and alert the kitchen staff to prepare something that meets the tastes of our guest.”

“New quarters?”

“You didn’t expect us to put you back in that cell, did you?” Celestia chuckled as she opened the door… only to find Twilight Sparkle on the other side, with her group of friends standing behind her.

“Oh, you’re already here. Splendid!” Celestia said, clearly surprised. “How did you know we were about to call you and your friends?”

“Pinkie Sense, princess,” Rainbow Dash responded, jerking a thumb in Pinkie Pie’s direction.

“Oh. Right.”

The two sisters quickly updated Twilight and her friends about their conversation with the Shipmaster.

“Are yer sure that’s a wise idea, princess?” Applejack asked while looking with evident distrust at the Sangheili.

“We’re still taking precautions, Applejack,” the alicorn assured her. “Just because she’ll no longer be reclused in a cell, it doesn’t mean that I’ll leave an individual that was spying us just a few hours ago roam freely through the halls of the castle.” The princess looked at Tarya and gave her an apologetic look. “Nothing personal, I assure you. Just standard procedure.”

“I seriously doubt that anything about this situation can be called standard, princess,” she duly commented. “But I understand you concerns.”

The alabaster alicorn nodded in gratitude before addressing Twilight and her friends. “Anyway, if you don’t have any objections, I would be glad if you could keep company to our guest for the rest of the day.”

Twilight instantly perked up and smiled brightly. “I really hoped you would ask that!”

“Oooooh! This is gonna be so exciting!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, hugging Rarity in enthusiasm.

“I suppose it would be a quite unique experience,” the fashionista admitted, quite thrilled herself.

“You can count on us, Princess,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Oh, uh, I suppose it’s fine,” Fluttershy said.

“Yeeha,” Applejack said with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm.

Flash Sentry simply replied with a firm nod, while Spike gave the princess a wink and a thumbs up.

“Then it’s settled,” Luna said, gesturing the guards to escort the Sangheili to their destination. “See you later, miss Rutaen.”

“Princesses,” the Zealot saluted, before she and the guards left the room, followed by Twilight and her friends.

Before the group could leave, however, Princess Celestia called her old student. “Twilight, do you mind if we have a word with you, please?”

“Sure thing, Celestia. I’ll catch up with you later, girls. And boys,” she added when Spike gave her an annoyed look. “What can I do for you, princess?”

The alicorn chuckled. It still amused her how the young mare kept addressing her that way even now that she too was a princess. “My sister and I were curious to know if anything in particular happened after we left.”

Twilight smiled and she gave them a quick yet accurate summary of the conversation they had with the Sangheili.

“You’re saying that she was unaware about the existence of magic before coming on our world?” Luna mused. “Interesting.”

“Indeed! This may explain why their technology is so advanced, but it also raises so many questions! Just think about all the things we may be able to learn from her!”

Twilight’s enthusiasm slowly disappeared however when she noticed that both Celestia and Luna now had a more somber expression. “Is there a problem?”

“This is yet to be seen, but it is possible,” Luna said dryly.

“But, I don’t understand,” Twilight said in confusion. “From what you’ve told us, your conversation with the Shipmaster went well.”

“Indeed. A bit too much well for our liking, if we have to be honest,” Luna said.

“Do you think that they’re lying?”

“We think that they are hiding part of the truth. The Shipmaster has been quite accommodating with us, considering how eager he was initially to have the Zealot back, only to change his attitude after their conversation.”

“That’s where you and your friends come into play, Twilight,” Celestia said.

Twilight looked at her old mentor in confusion. “Princess?”

“I need you to try to learn as much as you can about her and her people.”

Twilight remained silent for a couple of moments, connecting the dots. “This is not just a friendship lesson, is it?” she asked cautiously. “Are you asking me to be a spy?”

“Of course not, my dear. But you have to keep in mind that you are a princess of Equestria now, and as such you have duties toward our country and our subjects. Their safety is our primary concern and the best way to do it is by knowing what we’re dealing with.”

“I understand,” the young mare said cautiously, obviously feeling unease. “But it feels wrong.”

“If it makes you feel better, it is safe to assume that our guest is playing the same game with us,” Luna offered. “Her intentions and curiosity may be sincere, but do not forget the reason why she was captured in first place.”

‘You’re not really helping her, Luna,’ Celestia thought, looking in annoyance at her sister, who simply ignored her stare. “We’re not asking you to extort from her the secrets behind their technology. You have a natural talent at socializing, Twilight, so just try to be yourself and ask her about things like her family, where she grew up, or what kind of education she received, like you would do while holding a normal conversation. You would be surprised how many useful things you can learn from small details like these,” she said with a reassuring smile.

There was still some lingering doubt in Twilight’s eyes, but the words of Celestia seemed to have put her more at ease.

“I’ll see what I can find out.”

“Thank you, Twilight. Now go, before Pinkie Pie traumatizes our guest with her antics,” Celestia joked, eliciting a small laugh from the younger princess before she walked away down the corridor. The moment Twilight was out of sight, her shoulders slumped and her multicolored mane sagged a bit.

“Stop feeling horrible, Tia,” Luna said suddenly. “You did not corrupt her innocent mind, you just taught her a lesson that she had to learn eventually.”

“I know that being the leader of a country is not always sunshine and rainbows, but I would have preferred waiting for Twilight to gain a bit more experience in politics before introducing her to these games of shadows.”

“Unfortunately, we do not have time for that, so she will have to do a crash course. It is just like you said. We need to know more about the Sangheili and their true intentions, with any means at our disposal.”

“Just like you did when you tried to use that translation spell while they spoke in their native tongue?” Celestia asked with a raised brow. Luna didn’t reply, instead she just crossed her arms and looked away in annoyance. “Why did you even bother? The spell was designed to work with the creatures of this planet, not with aliens.”

“Hmph. It was still worth trying,” Luna said primly, closing her eyes and pointing her muzzle at the ceiling.

“Sometimes you really sound like Rarity, sister. Are you sure you didn’t follow her same school of recitation?”

“If anything, she is the one to sound like me. Anyway, I am going to the astronomical observatory and see if our telescope can find their ship. The thought that we didn’t notice an alien vessel in orbit right above us is unsettling.”

“And I’m going to pay a visit to Captain Steel Shield in the infirmary to inform him about the latest developments.”

“I am sure he will be ecstatic about the news,” Luna said sardonically.

Celestia rolled her eyes. “More likely he will have a stroke.”

Author's Note:

Macto cognatus (I glorify my kin): Latin name used by human taxonomists to classify the Sangheili.

(1) - The symbol depicted on the banners is the one of the Swords of Sanghelios

Comments

[Solana Vin Neighpal]

And here I was thinking you had abandoned this.
Before I read this chapter though, I'm going to start over from the beginning. Been a while, and am going to need a refresher.

[Mkchief34]

Yay!

[The dragon hunter]

7789001
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[platogkrone]

i.imgur.com/LIfq5NV.png
Please, continue!

[The dragon hunter]

7789103 Glad you liked the chapter
(The link to the image you posted doesn't work )

[platogkrone]

7789112 It's this

[Halogen_03]

Nice to see an update, and a pretty hefty one at that. Probably goes without saying, but I always look forward to more of this one. Some stories I receive an update for and go "that's nice", others are "drop what I'm doing and read it now", this one is one of the latter.

I must admit, I was a bit surprised when Celestia was the one to mention humans, rather than Tarya.

[The dragon hunter]

7789947

Some stories I receive an update for and go "that's nice", others are "drop what I'm doing and read it now", this one is one of the latter.

vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/0/0d/Applejack_blushing_S2E14.png/revision/20120124221321
You have no idea how much satisfaction it gives me to hear it

I must admit, I was a bit surprised when Celestia was the one to mention humans, rather than Tarya.

Well, the ponies were the ones aware of this extradimensional connection between different worlds, so Celestia did an educated deduction when the Zealot revealed that they learned speaking English from someone else.

[Halogen_03]

7789968 The line just surprised me, is all. It makes sense once it's explained, but that's after it drops, before that, I read it and go "Oh, st.".

Though, I'll admit, I was looking forward to her explaining "Yeah, the language is one from a species we had a holy war against for over 25 of their years,". Once I saw that language question pop up, I was certain it was going to go down that route, but then... Celstia's question put that route rest... at least for now.

[The dragon hunter]

7790022

"Yeah, the language is one from a species we had a holy war against for over 25 of their years,"

To be honest I considered something like that in the first draft, but then I decided that it was too early for such kind of revelation (relationships are already difficult enough without the ponies knowing about the atrocities committed by the Sangheili during the Human- Covenant War)

[HogPilot]

And it lives...

[The dragon hunter]

7790129 Just like the Flood

[Dustino]

MRW I reach the end of the chapter.
[youtube=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=31g0YE61PLQ]

Awesome chapter!

Partway through I noticed the italic formatting was a little wonky, intentional?

[PapaChanka]

Daddy is back

[Tekket]

HOLY SHIT NEXT CHAPTER IS OUT! YAY! THANK YOU SO MUCH! ALSO, YES, I KNOW I'M TYPING IN ALL CAPS, BUT I LOVE THIS STORY! AND AS SOON AS I FINISH THE CHAPTER I'LL PROBABLY BE DISAPPOINTED I'LL HAVE TO WAIT AGAIN, BUT WHATEVER! ON WITH THE READING!

Edit:
Well, now that i'm done, i'm disappointed again. While it was a FANTASTIC chapter, i read it too fast! ;-;
Furthermore, we'll all have to wait at least another few months and at least one or more chapters before we can see the ponies shock at their first sight of a covenant chip or the Mgalekgolo (which i am dutifully looking forward to. the look on the faces of the princesses after seeing the Sangheili aren't even the only species on their ship, let alone the largest, will be pure gold.
Anyway, The dragon Hunter, Love your story, keep up the amazing work, and i can't wait for the next twenty chapters to come out!

[Kenshinryuu]

So, can Tarya be the one to cut Zhar out of a Changeling pod if he hasn't escaped on his own by the time they track him down??? I kind of want to see the 'princess' rescue the badass. I also can't wait to see Tarya's reaction to some Equestrian cuisine, especially Apple Jack and Pinkie's baking. I'm also eager to see how the negotiations go, though if Changelings attack in the middle of the talks....

[zalla661]

Goodness I've waited so long for this update!

[The dragon hunter]

7790189

7790221 Thank you I admit that it can be a bit confusing at times, but there's a reason for the use of italic in the dialogues: depending from the point of view they are speaking in an 'alien' language (it's not perfect, but it was the best idea I had).

7790554
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THANK YOU MORTAL READER FOR APPRECIATING OUR GLORIOUS STORY! *cough cough* Unfortunately I'm not one of the fastest writers, but be assured that there will be a next chapter and that no matter how long it will take, I'm planning to complete this story

7790650

So, can Tarya be the one to cut Zhar out of a Changeling pod if he hasn't escaped on his own by the time they track him down??? I kind of want to see the 'princess' rescue the badass.

Hmm, we'll see. (And loose the opportunity to see him going berserk?)

I'm also eager to see how the negotiations go, though if Changelings attack in the middle of the talks....

That will be an interesting part to write, especially considering that SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

7790937
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I couldn't resist

[Kenshinryuu]

7791035 How about he goes berserk and almost makes it out only to be recaptured due to a cheap shot to the back just as his shield go down from a heavy attack, then she gets to cut him out of his new more secure pod???

[The dragon hunter]

7793153
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[Cheese Legs]

Needs more grunts, but pretty good so far.

[EMBER SPIRIT SHIELD]

Such good reading material it hurts to stop
such a great chapter I can barely wait for the next one, but alas time is restrictive and causes the time inbetween longer than the author indends.
anyway amazing as alwase keep up the good work.
Hope you have a great day and holiday time in december.

~EMBER SPIRIT SHIELD

[The dragon hunter]

7796576 Thank you
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[pulcheriopolis]

The wait for these chapters is worth it.

[The dragon hunter]

7801128 Thank you
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[SuperAvenger3]

7804217 I asked because I remembered encountering in Halo 2 an Elite wearing golden armor, there wasn't build up nor cutscene before facing him he was just patrolling the area (like every other Elite) but that tough son of a bitch took up to six missiles to the chest.

[The dragon hunter]

7804741
img13.deviantart.net/ca4c/i/2011/340/1/3/ardo___moretumee_by_hellblaze-d4idubd.jpg
This story is played on Legendary Plasma melts armor plates and a direct hit is enough to kill you (like in the books), while taking cover is not optional
ih0.redbubble.net/image.112914588.8449/flat,800x800,075,t.u1.jpg

[Sadora5459]

7804863 next chapter please

[The dragon hunter]

7826644 I'm glad to know you like the story and my portrayal of the Sangheili

[NorrixtheRipper]

When I read a story I prefer it to have regular ponies, not humanoid ponies.

[TheGasMaskedMarauder]

7869234 He's already explained it once,

Having the ponies anthrofied makes the use of guns more sensible and they look better in hands than levitated

[NorrixtheRipper]

7997160 I get that but I just prefer unathrofied ponies, and to be honest I didn't see the explaination at the time I wrote the comment and started the story

[TheGasMaskedMarauder]

7997356 Fair do's, I have however seen one fic that handles weapons with non anthrofied ponies quite well, however it still seems rather wierd, but it can work either way, in this case the Author chose to anthrofy it all to make things easier.

[NorrixtheRipper]

7998100 fallout equestria does it pretty well

[TheGasMaskedMarauder]

7998874

I had actually forgotten that one, but yea, thats another one, I have no issue with either personally, but I tend to lean towards anthros when it comes to using weaponry etc

[NorrixtheRipper]

7999012 we all have preferences, but I think this conversation needs to be moved off this story/ this may not be good for us or it.
Just go to my profile to continue the conversation.

[The dragon hunter]

7999012 7999025
The use of anthropomorphic characters over their original version is often a delicate topic of discussion that I honestly doubt will ever reach a conclusion.
I agree that the original design of the show often offers several advantages over the anthropomorphic design (the readers are already familiar with the characters without having to go through lengthy over-elaborated descriptions that are different in each story; the stories can more accurately follow the events depicted in the show; the fact that the protagonist are quadrupedal sapient creatures add a sense of wonder and a surprise both in the reader and whoever ends up in Equestria; ...), and when I first started working on this story, for a long time I was planning to use the classic design, like I did in my first story. However, as I proceeded drawing the lines for the concept, I realized that for some reason the story didn't seemed to work using the ponies as we see them in the show. The characters seemed out of place in a more dark setting (which is odd, considering that Kkat did a wonderful job with Fallout Equestria, as NorrixtheRipper noted) and there were situations where I personally wasn't able to take them seriously. Let's take for example the fighting scenes: in a previous comment, I mentioned sword fight. Swords as weapons don't really make sense for a race like the ponies, they're unpractical to use for creatures with hooves instead of hands and while it's true that unicorns and alicorns can use their magic, the same can't be said about earth ponies and pegasi, which would be forced to use their mouths
derpicdn.net/img/2015/8/21/962504/large.gif
not really threatening, and even with those characters that are able to use telekinesis, a duel with swords would still look impersonal, like someone piloting a UAV from the ground instead of sitting in the cockpit of a real airplane. The same thing can't be said with a more humanoid design
derpicdn.net/img/2015/8/28/967148/large.png
(This is merely my opinion regarding my story, I'm not saying that normal ponies can't fight, I'm merely saying that I doubt I would be able to write a good fight scene with them).
The weapons are not the only reason why I chose to use anthro characters, there are several other reason, some of which have an explanation in the plot of the story, other are more mundane, however, one of the reasons is because I was curious to try something different and given that the stories with anthro characters have a mixed reputation due to the fact that they're often porn (I'm not shy to admit that one of my stories falls in such category) or are the setting for displaced characters/humans in Equestria (which often end to include a romance between the ponies and the human protagonist with the inevitable NSFW chapters), I wanted to see if a crossover where romance is not one of the central topics and where the humans are barely mentioned would be a good idea.

[NorrixtheRipper]

7999147 thank you, and I am truly sorry for bringing an argument like this to your story's comment section and for you having to write such a long explaination. And tell me, does kind of thing happen often?

[The dragon hunter]

7999159 Nah, don't worry. We all have the right to express our opinion. As for your question, no, not really. A couple of people commented about my choice in the past, but when I wrote my comment I was mostly referring to the site in general. It's not unusual to see a discussion about anthro characters in the comments of a story or, more often, in the forum section of a group.

[Mr Swanky Hat]

You would be surprised how many useful things you can learn from small details like these,

Spy's gather information in a manner similar to completing a puzzle, each individual piece may seem as nonsense at first, but when you have enough of these pieces, you begin to see the big picture

[Atomic_furry]

“Thank goodness! That would be so weird. Can you imagine if our lives were just a show to entertain a mass of strangers and sell toys?” Pinkie Pie said.

OH GODS SHE KNOWS

[Atomic_furry]

So Im a bit confused I saw the words major domo and thought that"oh there are humen on bourd" but i never see any humans so what gives

[The dragon hunter]

9038697
While similar to the English word, in this case Major Domo is not a synonymous of butler. In Sangheili the word "Domo" roughly means "veteran" or "valorous" and is associated to those warriors with a lot of experience or that have shown particular prowess in battle (Halo: Ghosts of Onyx). Major Domo Sangheili is a subclass of the regular Sangheili Major rank, just like the Sangheili Officer we see in Halo Reach.