> Voidrunner
>  by The DM
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> May 5th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: RE-WRITE CURRENTLY UNDERWAY. MANY DETAILS AND SCENES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. OVERALL STORY ARC WILL STAY CONSISTENT.	

//Begin Personal Log
//
//May 5th, 2559
//

My name is Daniel Ryan, captain of the UNSC Tuscany, a prowler class cruiser. I have been a part of this crew for twenty two years. I joined the UNSC in 2537 as an ODST and became captain of my own ship in 2547 after accepting an ONI commission. I have seen combat from Jericho IV to the fall of Arcadia and even the invasion of South Africa on Earth. Even with the war over, times for humanity have been difficult. Food shortages from the razing of agricultural words like Harvest and Arcadia and the Insurrection have hampered the recovery on all worlds. However, for the first time since the war ended, humanity is looking to colonize new worlds in an effort to continue the reconstruction effort. 

That is where I am now. My ship and her crew of eighty are in orbit around Reach while the boys from Traxus Industrial put the finishing touches on our engines and new slipspace drive. Director Burr sent over the list of systems that my ship is tasked with investigating. The one that really interests me in a single planet system near the Horsehead nebula. The guys in astrophysics told me that the planet there is almost like a clone of Earth. It has twenty four hour days, 369 days in it’s orbital period, and a single natural satellite. It is the ideal planet for UNSC colonization. The only thing that is strange is the local gravity well. Reports say that the gravity well wobbles as the planet orbits its sun. It is because of this gravity anomaly that we are being sent to investigate. As long as it doesn’t pose a danger to ships and satellites then we can give the green light to send settlers. 

Anyway, I need to wrap this up. we are getting underway soon and I will be needed on the bridge. I have never kept a personal log, but I felt that now would be a good time to start. 

//End Log

The captain turned off his computer and leaned back in his chair, looking out the window into space. He could see the orbital elevator and the numerous ships docked at it. It was an eerie feeling watching the elevator. He remembered the news videos and survivor videos of the elevators falling during the invasion of Reach. He wore the usual dark grey working uniform of the UNSC, the jacket was draped across the back of his chair, leaving him in his black ODST shirt. The captain was a fairly tall man at six foot one, he had a head of light brown hair and his face was clean shaven. He was of average build for an ODST, but his leadership and people skills made him an excellent officer. 

His ship, the UNSC Tuscany, was an advanced Prowler. A small frigate equipped with various stealth systems and even an optical cloaking device. With the push of a button, the entire ship could vanish from sight. Even the radiation from the engines could be stored in massive heatsinks on the outer hull for up to four hours. His crew was highly trained and had been together for five years. The fifty five sailors, ten ODST’s, and fifteen marines were joined by spartan team Chevron. While it was odd for spartans to accompany an exploration mission, the post war feelings dulled any concerns the rest of the crew had. Unlike the larger ships in the fleet, the prowler crew was very close. Usually the ODST’s, marines, sailors, and spartans all stayed away from each other. However, on a ship the size of the Tuscany, everyone had to learn to deal with each other regardless of their job on the ship. It made Captain Ryan incredibly proud to know that his crew could work together despite obvious differences. Although, the addition of a spartan team could cause some conflicts in the future. 

All that aside he was quite excited for the upcoming journey. His feeling of excitement permeated the ships air as the crew went about their final preparations. Last he knew, the heavy ordnance was being loaded. Even though this was an exploration mission, the ship would be taking a full armament of normal ammunition as well as nuclear ordnance. The captain leaned forward and picked up a datapad to review what was being brought.

The ship would be carrying ammunition for all of her cannons, a full armament of her ship-to-ship missiles, as well as twenty MAC rounds, and ten nuclear missiles. The list went on to show the handful of small aircraft and land based vehicles. There was more in the cargo hold, but a sound broke his concentration.

“Sir, I apologize if I am interrupting, but the shore crew is reporting that all equipment preparations are complete. We are ready to cast off.”

The captain set the datapad on his desk and turned to the holographic display. “Thank you Tommy. Let the bridge know that I am on my way up. I want to get underway by this evening. Are our spartans all tucked away?”

“Yes sir. Do you know what Director Burr wanted them to accompany us?”

“You’re the AI Tommy, you tell me.”

The AI just shrugged. “I got nothing.”

“Well I can always ask next time I talk to him.” Ryan looked out the window one last time before standing up and grabbing his jacket and slipping it on. He grabbed his ball cap from the desk and fit it over his short cut hair. “Right then. Let’s get this shit started.” 

The captain opened his cabin door and stepped into the passageway. There were a handful of people moving about. A few looked his way but none stopped to greet him. It was going to be a busy day onboard and Ryan knew it. He began to make his way forward from his stateroom, passing numerous people all doing something important. Normal naval regulations would dictate the crew would always make way for him by moving to the side of the passageway. However, he was never one for silly things like that. He had made it quite clear that if anyone needed to go somewhere then they would do so, regardless of who was in their way. 

It took only five minutes for him to reach the bridge. Despite the relaxed looks of his bridge crew, he knew just how tense they were. Standing at the central display table was the spartan commanding officer.Her name was Commander Lisa Dior, she was one of the few female spartan officers and would be Ryan’s point person for all spartan ops.

“Afternoon commander.”

She snapped to attention and saluted. “Afternoon sir. Are we ready to go?”

“Yeah, just about. The Traxus guys just called and let me know they were closing up the engines. So we should be good.” Daniel turned and walked up to his station near the front of the massive panoramic window that wrapped around the front of the bridge. From his seat he could see the beautiful gas could that swirled around Reach. It was one of the things that really made him fall in love with his home. 

The ship’s AI then materialized on the central display table.

“Captain, Mr. Traxus is requesting to speak with you. He is down in engineering.”

Daniel sighed. If it wasn’t one thing then it was another. He got up from his comfy chair and began the walk toward engineering. “Tell him I’m on my way.”

“Aye sir.”

It was a ten minute walk to engineering. Once there he saw the numerous civilian contractors working on the engines. It was easy to spot the man he was looking for. Andrew Traxus was not just a civilian contractor, but rather the president and CEO of Traxus Heavy Industrial.

“Hey Andrew!”

Andrew looked over his shoulder, grease marks ran across his forehead.

“Hey Daniel,” he jumped down from the catwalk alongside the reactor, “so the engine overhaul is looking good. However, the Shaw-fujiaka drive is still acting up a bit.”

“Define ‘acting up’?”

“Well... it’s having some power issues. Probably due to it being new. These things just need some miles on them before they start operating perfectly.” I wasn’t convinced. “I know that look. How about this, I’ll ride along and monitor the drive from the bridge?” A large cheesy smile was plastered across his face.

“If I didn’t know better I would say you just wanted to come with us.”

He laughed. “What if I said yes?”

“I would say you better grab a room quickly.”

“Dude, kick ass. Yo Jason, Kerry! Can you guys finish up here?”

The two engineers looked up from their work. “Sure thing.”

“So Daniel, are we leaving this evening?”

I nodded, “Yeah, around eighteen hundred today.”

“Cool, I’m going to head home and grab an overnight bag.”

Captain Ryan then walked out of engineering and headed back to the bridge. Commander Dior was still at the display table looking over some various reports. She looked up as the captain entered the bridge. 

“Everything sorted out?”

“Yeah, Andrew Traxus is coming with us. Something about the FTL drive being wonkey.”

“Was that the technical term he used?”

Daniel shrugged. “Might as well have been. Really, he just wanted to come with us.”

“Does the director know this?”

“No, but I doubt it will be an issue. It is my ship after all.”

“There is still a lot of sensitive information and systems aboard this ship.”

“Yeah, systems that Andrew designed and built.”

The commander knew he wouldn’t budge on the issue. “Alright, you’re captain after all.”

“Yup. I even got my own chair and everything.”

The spartan couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. “So, are we still going to be leaving on time?”

“Yeah, sixteen hundred.”

“Well then, since there seems to be downtime I’m going to check on my spartans.”

“Say ‘hi’ for me.”

She laughed as the thud of her armored boots marked her exit from the bridge. The ship’s pilot, Lieutenant David Vezina, turned in his chair.

“Damn, she’s kinda scary.”

A few laughs could be heard on the bridge. “Yeah, I know that feeling.”


~~~


It was a few hours later that final preparation were being made. All the civilians had left the ship, save for Andrew, and all equipment was accounted for and stowed. The trip would take three days in FTL. It was a common misconception that slipspace travel was instantaneous. 

Captain Ryan then walked onto the bridge with Andrew in tow. Both men took their respective seats as the ship prepared to depart. Commander Dior was standing once again at the display table. 

“We ready to go sir?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Tommy, signal the dock crew to release the shore tethers and prepare to cast off. Mr Vezina, bring engines online and prepare to set course for heading two-seven-nine mark three.”

“Aye sir, making my heading two-seven-nine mark three.”

“Captain, dock crew is reporting all clear.”

“Very good. take us out.” The ship’s engines then roared to life as the ship began to move forward. “Tommy, get me the intercom.”

The AI nodded. “Go ahead sir.”

“Attention all hands, stand by for slipspace jump.”

“Drive’s looking good, Daniel. You’re clear to begin the jump.”

“Alright. Tommy, bring the FTL drive online and begin charging sequence. Navigation, check your math and input the destination equations.”

“Aye sir.” both stations replied in unison.

The hum of various ship systems filled the bridge as everyone went about their business.

“Sir,” said the navigator, “destination equations have been accepted. You are clear to jump.”

“I concur sir.” Tommy replied.

Captain Ryan nodded and looked to his pilot. “You heard ‘em. Let’s punch it.”

“Gladly. Hold on to your underwear!” The pilot then hit a series of buttons. The signature blue event horizon formed just ahead of the ship’s bow. Within seconds, the Tuscany disappeared into the wormhole.

“Well done everyone. Let’s start cycling our other systems. Go ahead and run diagnostics on stealth systems. I would like a full report at the end of the day.”

“Yes sir.” Tommy responded with the usual enthusiasm of a smart AI.

Andrew seemed to be incredibly focused on his monitors. “You okay there Andrew?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m fine.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, well... not exactly.”

I looked at him wide eyed. “Explain.”

“Well, we’re in FTL transit. It’s just that it’s not a perfectly stable wormhole. We’re compensating for the distortions, I just want to figure out where they are coming from.”

“Is there any danger to the ship?”

“Right now, no. I do have a theory though.”

“Go on.

“Well, we have reports of gravitational anomalies in the system, right?”

“Yeah. Would they affect our transit?”

“If they were strong enough, it’s possible. Still, I want to see if we can stabilize the wormhole a bit more.”

“Alright. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

Ryan then began to walk toward the ship’s galley for a well deserved meal and a talk with Chef. A few other crew members seemed to have the exact same idea, as the galley was fairly busy. As the captain waited in line he watched the wormhole fly by through the windows. It was mesmerizing watching the streaks of blue shoot by at the speed of light.

For twenty minutes, Daniel enjoyed a meal with his second in command and close friend, Commander Jonathan Zerom. The two were enjoying their meal when a large shuddered rocked the ship, sending a handful of dishes to the deck. The two men looked at each other before getting up and running to the bridge. As they made their way to the bridge, the ship shook multiple times, each time being more severe than the last. 

The bulkhead doors slid open to reveal a scene of chaos as the bridge crew ran from station to station as they tried to discern what was causing the disturbance.

“Andrew! What’s happening?” The captain asked.

“Fuck if I know! The wormhole is losing stability. If this keeps up we’re going to be spit out into Odin knows where!” Andrew’s face was locked in a focused glare and his voice mirrored his gaze.

“Tommy! Sound general quarters. Vezina, prepare to bring us out of FTL.”

“Aye sir, sounding general quarters.”

A series of alarms began to sound across the ship. Every crew member then dropped what they were doing and ran to their designated stations. Ahead of the ship, the wormhole began to shimmer as it began to collapse. 

“Alright, everyone hang on to something!” The pilot shouted. Everyone on the bridge ran for a seat and fastened the five point harness in each. 

As if on cue, the ship gave one last violent shake as it decelerated from translight speeds. Just off the bow was a single star with a planet and moon.

“Tommy! Damage report.”

“Stand by, all divisions are assessing the damage now.”

“Alright. Nav, where are we?”

“Sir... we’re... we’re there.”

“Excuse me?”

“We’re at our destination.”

“How...?”

“Hell if I know, but that’s our destination planet.”

Captain Ryan unfastened his restraints as he walked up to the window to get a better look at the planet below. 

“Alright, helm, bring us to a stop.”

“Aye sir.” The sounds of the engines died down until they completely faded. The ship continued to move toward the planet.

“Sir, engines are at full stop.”

“Alright, back half.”

“Back half, aye sir.” The engines once again hummed to life as they tried to slow the prowler, however, the ship continued toward the planet.

“Back full Mr. Vezina.”

“Back full!” Nothing seemed to change as the planet continued to grow in size.

“Back emergency!”

The pilot didn’t even voice a response as he pulled the throttle all the way back. “No effect sir! Our course and speed have stayed the same.”

“Well shit...” The captain then turned back to his chair before sitting down and refastening his restraints. The faces of his bridge crew were mixes of worry and focus. “All hands, prepare for reentry.”

A voice came across the intercom. “Bridge, gunnery here, did you just say reentry?”

“Yes I did. Secure for crash landing.”

There was a pause. “Yes sir!”

“Tommy, check landing gear.”

“Landing pads are fully operational.”

“Captain, at our current speed we will reach the planet’s atmosphere in one minute.” Commander Dior said.

“Thank you commander. All hands, prepare for crash landing. Secure all loose articles immediately.”

Nothing further was said on the bridge as the planet filled their viewport. They were moments away from hitting the atmosphere when the captain looked toward his pilot. “David, try and find us a decent landing area. I don’t want to end up smeared on the side of a mountain.”

“Sure thing captain!”

“Zerom, can you get me anything on topography?”

“Not yet. Once we get in-atmo I’ll have more for you.”

“Alright... well then, here we go.”

The window began to glow red as heat built up on the outer hull and flames licked up the belly of the ship. It was night on their side of the planet. The ship’s landing would be a magnificent sight if anyone were on the planet’s surface. 

After about twenty seconds, the flames along the hull died down as the ship began to pull out of it’s dive and began to fly. Soon the Tuscany was sailing just above the high cloud cover, she was still descending whether her crew wanted it or not.

“Sir, our elevation is at twenty thousand feet and falling. Airspeed is two hundred and nine miles per hour and dropping.” The AI reported to anyone who would listen.

“Right, Vezina please tell me you have something.”

“Yeah, I got us a nice big meadow near a forest. We’ll pass just over a small mountain range.”

“Great, just as long as we don’t hit it.”

The pilot chuckled, “Hey man, I got this.”

“Zerom, are we getting any topographic data yet?”

“Yeah, passing the mountain range now...hmmm... that’s strange...”

“Strange?”

“There was an anomaly detected. Some strangely uniform features... and... a power signature... odd.”

“Okay... keep me updated.”

“Sir, airspeed now seventy miles per hour. Altitude four thousand feet.” Tommy reported yet again. Eventually a series of lights could be seen off to the left of the ship.

“Uhh, Daniel, we have a problem... a big fucking problem.”

“What is it Zerom?”

“This planet... it’s inhabited...”

The captain’s heart skipped a beat. “Are you sure?” The commander was about to reply when the captain cut him off “Think about your answer, are you absolutely fucking sure?”

“Yes! We just flew over a fucking city and are about to fly over another one!”

“Shit... alright. Helm! Try to keep us away from any form of civilization.”

“Alright... I’ll try. I’m not getting a lot of response from the engines so we’re kinda limited to our landing options.”

“Are we going to survive the crash?”

“Yeah, as long as nothing causes us to lose speed.”

“Fine, just get us on the ground.”

“That’s going to happen regardless.”

The captain could do nothing but watch as the ground got closer. Soon he could hear the landing struts extend, slowing the ship even further. As they were about to touch down something flew in front of the window and impacted it with a massive thud. Everyone on the bridge was startled at the noise. Ryan was just able to get a glimpse of it as it slid across the right wing. Every head turned to see what the ship had hit. The only thing they could see was something blue lying on the right wing. Seconds later the ship came to a stop as it’s struts touched the ground.

“Tommy... what the hell was that.”

“Unknown sir.”

The captain sat there for a moment before releasing his restraints. “Commander Dior, with me.”

He then walked out of the bridge with the commander in tow.

“Sir, where are we going?”

“Well, we’re going to the armory so I can grab my gear, then we are going topside to see what we hit.”

“Is that really a good idea?”

“Nope.”

“But we’re going anyway?”

“You got it.”

It was another ten minutes before the spartan commander and ODST captain walked out fully clad in armor and armed with an assault rifle. The two made their way to the airlock elevator and began their ascent. The ride lasted only a minute as the pressure inside the airlock equalized with the pressure outside. Soon a green light inside lit up, signaling it was clear to exit. The spartan and ODST looked to each other one last time before opening the bulkhead.

Beyond them was the deck of the ship, but with green rolling hills in the horizon. It was night still, allowing the captain’s black ODST armor to blend perfectly with the hull of the Tuscany, the only thing sticking out was his dark blue visor. The commander’s armor was a light shade of blue with a gold visor, classic of most spartans. The two slowly began making their way forward along the right side of the ship toward whatever it was that they hit. They moved in silence, the only sound being the sound of their armored boots against the hull. 

Soon the object came into view. It was a light blue with what looked like rainbow hair. The creature was equine in nature but sported a pair of wings and a rainbow colored mane and tail.

“Uhh... commander... you’re seeing this... right?”

“Yeah, and I can’t believe it.”

The captain walked up to the creature and took in every detail. “So this is a pegasus... a fucking pegasus... something out of fucking Greek mythology is lying unconscious on my ship’s hull.”

“Don’t forget the part where you ran it over first.”

“Zeus is gonna have my ass for this one.”

The commander laughed lightly before returning her attention to the pegasus. “So, what are we going to do now?”

“Something really stupid...” the captain then touched the side of his helmet and turned on his radio. “I need medical staff topside ASAP. We have a cat alpha injury up here.”

“Copy that, medic’s are on the way up now. Can you give us the nature of the injury?”

“Uhh, possible concussion, multiple broken bones, internal bleeding.”

“Alright, who was it that got hurt?”

I paused. “Doc, I think a more proper questions would be ‘what got hurt’.”

“Excuse me sir?”

“It’s a pegasus. We have an injured pegasus up here. It hit our bow during landing.”

“Oh...kay...”

After a few minutes, medics with a stretcher showed up. They stopped and stared at the unconscious pegasus at our feet.

“Yes it’s a mythological beast, now get over here and get it to medical!”

“Y-yes sir!” The three medics quickly loaded the pegasus onto the stretcher and carried it down to medical. The captain and commander went back to the bridge as the medics left for the infirmary. 

As the captain and commander walked onto the bridge, Tommy materialized on the display table. 

“Sir, medical would like you to report to them at once. They have an update on our... guest.”

“Well what did they say.”

“Your roadkill is awake. And she’s less than happy.”

I groaned. “Ahhhh fuck.”
> May 6th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	// Begin Personal Log	
//
//May 6 2559 
//
//00:49 Local Time
//

Well here I am again. Writing this log... today has been... well it’s been a lot of things. Unexpected being the key one. I guess I should do a recap. In one day, I managed to break a slipspace wormhole, discover a new planet, crash on said planet, and run over a blue pegasus who is currently asleep in a room down the hall. Everyone is freaked out. Turns out this planet is inhabited by a species of sentient equines. Our guest, Rainbow Dash, was able to clue us in a bit to her world. It seems that there are three sub-races of ‘ponies’ as he put it. Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies. If I hadn't been talking to a pegasus, I wouldn't have believed a word of it. 

It was tense for a while down in medical. I might link the after action report to this log for reference. So anyway... this pony thought we were going to dissect her or something. I guess bad alien movies exist on this world as well. 

Lucky for us we managed to get around the language barrier, all thanks to Tommy. Details can be found in After Action Report 5659-03-EQ

Now we also have the issue of First Contact protocol. In our case it was blatantly disregarded as we didn't really have a choice.Hopefully the director will understand just how FUBAR this went... Normally we aren't supposed to make contact with any non-space-faring race. And quite frankly I doubt these ponies have spacecraft. 

Also, lucky for us no one else has found our landing site and I really hope to keep it that way for a long as possible. I spoke with Andrew and he said we could operate the optical cloak for up to seven days if need be. For the time being I have decided to use it. At least until we can do... something... I don’t even know where to go from here...

All I can say is; best first contact ever!

//End Log

“Sir, I would ask that you get down here now! She’s getting aggressive and we really don’t want to hurt her.” The sounds of medical equipment falling over could be heard over the intercom.

“Alright, hang tight. I’m on my way.” The captain turned to the spartan and his second in command. “Zerom, Dior, with me.” The three of them quickly made their way to the infirmary where sounds of a struggle could be heard within. 

The doors automatically slid open with a hiss as the three officers walked in. The captain had to duck as a metal tray was flung at him, the spartan behind him nonchalantly grabbed the flying tray with lightning reflexes before dropping it to the deck. Next to one of the beds was the blue pegasus standing on her back legs and wielding an IV stand like a spear, keeping the medical staff at bay.

“As you can see captain, we have a bit of a situation on our hands.” The medical officer pointed to the irate pegasus.

“Yeah I can see that. Has anyone been hurt?"

"No sir."

"Have you managed to communicate with her?”

“Not yet. Tommy is working on a translation algorithm.”

“Tommy!” The captain called out, ignoring the angry pegasus.

“Yes sir?”

“Have you made any progress on her language?”

“Quite a bit actually. I have been able to identify quite a few recurring phrases. You will also be happy to know that the local language appears to use a similar Germanic root system, much like that of English and German on Earth. While it isn't perfect, it does give me somewhere to start. Speaking of which, how's your German?”

The captain rolled his eyes “Terrible. How long until you can give me something to use?”

“Ten minutes.”

“Really?”

“It will be rough, but it’s the best I can do captain.”

“That’s fine. I’ll try to calm her down in the meantime.” 

The captain then turned his attention back to the pegasus. "Kannst du mich verstehen?" She just looked at him with a confused look. "Well it was worth a shot."

While he couldn't easily communicate with her, he could at least try to show her he wasn't a threat. He slowly moved forward and motioned for the medics to back off. He then set his helmet on the deck and slowly moved into a crouch, lowering himself to below her eye level. The pegasus seemed to become confused at his display, but slowly began to relax. A few minutes later Tommy materialized on the medical display.

“Sir, I have a basic translation algorithm for you. Uploading to your com unit.” Captain Ryan slowly grabbed his helmet and slid it on. He depolarized the visor so his face would be visible. The captain then made a motion with one of his hands that went from his mouth, outward toward the pegasus, beckoning her to speak. She seemed to pick up on this and began at a near shout.

“Who the buck are you?! What did you do to me?! Where the buck am I?!” The pegasus shouted to no one in particular. Captain Ryan quickly moved forward, putting his armored body between the irate pegasus and the ships medical officers.

With his hands extended forward had slowly approached further. “My Name is Daniel Ryan and you’re on my ship. You were hurt so we tried to treat your injuries.” He left out that part of him being the one to cause the injuries.

“Oh yeah!? And just what the buck are you even? Some kind of shaved Diamond Dog?”

“Um,I have no clue what a Diamond Dog is. I’m a human, a kind of highly evolved primate.” She seemed to relax a bit but still held her weapon inches from Daniel’s chest plate.

“What is this place?” Her voice seemed to be a bit more relaxed.

“You’re on board a starship. The UNSC Tuscany to be precise. We brought you here when we found you lying unconscious. Tell me, what is your name?”

“R-rainbow Dash. You said starship? So are you, like, aliens?” Rainbow was now much more visibly nervous.

I chuckled. “A pleasure to meet you Mrs. Dash, and to answer your question, in a way, yes.” 
Rainbow seemed to be taken aback by this answer. She had all but dropped her makeshift weapon as her face lit up with wonder. 

“So you’re tellin’ me that I’m on an alien spaceship?”

“Uhhh, yeah. That about sums it up.”

She then quickly began looking around the room, taking in every detail possible. “So then, why are you guys here?”

“Well, we kinda crashed.”

“You’re telling me that with all this super advanced technology, you crashed?”

Daniel sighed, knowing what was soon coming. “Yeah...”

Rainbow’s lip began to quiver as she dropped her weapon and began laughing on the floor while rolling on her back. 

“Hey Rainbow, how about you let my doctors check you out to make sure you aren't really hurt and then I’ll take you to the galley for some food. Then you can ask questions to your heart’s content. Deal?”

She stopped laughing and looked at the captain from the floor.

“Sure. I’d never turn down a free meal.” She then rolled and got back on her hooves before letting the doctors approach.

The medical examination didn't take long, especially since she was now cooperating. It was quickly determined that she had escaped any major injury, but would be very sore for a few days. Soon captain Ryan, commanders Dior and Zerom, along with Rainbow Dash were all heading to the galley. Every crew member the group encountered moved to the side to allow unobstructed passage, as well as to get a look at their alien visitor. There were a handful of murmurs among the passageways all in regards to the strange new guest.

The galley was empty as the four arrived. The rest of the crew were completing damage control assessments or making necessary repairs. Rainbow was quickly overwhelmed as she entered the room, her vision drawn to the massive window that ran along the wall, providing for an excellent view of the nearby mountain range and the city perched atop it.

“Wow, great view of Canterlot from here.”

“Uh, Canterlot?”

“Yeah, it’s the capital of Equestria.”

“So this planet is called Equestria?”

“Nah, just this country. I doubt the griffins or dragons would be happy if we named the entire planet.”

Everyone’s faces paled as she named the other species that were native to the planet. Zerom was the first to speak. “Hey Chef, I’m gonna need a bottle of whiskey. Don’t bother with a glass.”

The captain just looked at him. “Aren't you still on duty?”

“Pffft, not after what I'm about to do. Imma get totally hammered and fall asleep in my rack. Today has been too much of a clusterfuck for me. Have fun you guys.” The commander then got up and grabbed the bottle and walked out of the galley. Commander Dior just sat there, glancing between Rainbow, Daniel, and Canterlot. 

“Sir, I’m going to go make sure my boys are ready. Sounds like we got some serious shit to watch out for.”

“Ah, don’t worry. The Princesses wouldn't let any of them hurt anypony.”

“No offense blue, but your princesses don’t reassure me in the slightest.”

“Hey, if they can move the sun and moon then they can take care of a measly dragon.”

Again, the room became deathly silent. “Did you just say ‘move the sun and moon’?” The captain asked.

“Uh, yeah. Why?”

“So you mean to tell me... that these princesses can move celestial bodies at will.”

“Yeah, what’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is that it defies every law of physics and natural science. If it weren't for the fact that I am talking to a pegasus I wouldn't believe it for a moment. Planets are supposed to orbit the object with the greatest gravitational mass. Stars always have more gravitational mass than planets.”

“What can I say, I guess our planet is just that much more awesome.” The commander just turned and walked out of the galley, leaving Daniel, Rainbow, and Chef in the room. Chef had brought the pegasus a chopped salad, minus the chicken, which she happily ate.

“So Rainbow, any questions you want to ask?”

She wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Yeah, why are you guys even here?”

“Well, we are here to look for new worlds to colonize.”

“Really? How many humans are there?”

“Last census was around eleven billion.”

“Eleven billion?! There’s only, like, a couple hundred million ponies in the whole world!”

“Yeah, well, our population took a huge hit. It used to be closer to twenty five billion about fifty years ago.”

Rainbow’s face dropped as she realized what Daniel had said. “W-what happened to all those other humans?”

“They died in a very bloody war. Thirteen billion dead over the course of thirty years. It’s a... touchy subject.” Her ears folded back against her head as she looked down at the table. 

“Oh, sorry for... ya know, bringing it up.”

“Don’t be, you didn’t know. Anything else?”

“Just one, is there somewhere I could spend the night? I don’t think I want to fly home this late at night on a bad wing.” she said with a yawn.

“Of course. I’ll show you to a room you can use.” The two then got up from their table and walked out of the galley. 

It was late at night by then, so most of the passageways were clear, only a few sailors were about. Finally the two made it to the berthing deck. Captain Ryan stopped in front of a door before opening it. 

“Here you are.”

Rainbow looked inside before slowly walking in. 

“If you need anything else, just tap this yellow button and the ship’s AI will answer, also, I’m just down the hall.”

“Oh, cool. Thanks Daniel.”

“Well, goodnight.” The captain then turned and walked to his cabin. Rainbow poked her head around the door to see where he went. Sure enough, he walked five doors down before walking into his own room. Satisfied, Rainbow walked further into her room before looking to the door to try and figure out how to close it. To her surprise, it closed automatically when she moved far enough away from it. 

To her surprise, everything in the room was the perfect size. While she was much shorter than the humans, her all around size was similar to theirs. Her attention was then focused on the bed. She suddenly realized just how tired she really was. It had been a long day for her. She had first gone on weather patrol around Ponyville, then she had lunch with Twilight, then took a nap at Sweet Apple Acres, practiced her stunts for the Wonderbolts, gone to see Fluttershy, then she flew home. But she didn't make it home, instead she got run over by an alien spaceship.

As she lay on the comfy bed, she remembered that last part. They had hit her in midair with a spaceship. While the thought initially made her mad again, she then reminded herself that they had been kind enough to make sure she wasn't hurt. They even gave her dinner and a place to sleep, so they couldn't be all that bad.

Sleep came quickly as she settled under the covers, it came to her easier than others on the Tuscany. Captain Ryan sat awake at his computer, writing his most recent log. There was one thing on his mind that prevented him from sleeping. How was he going to tell the ONI director what happened? Sure, Kyle Burr was a very good friend of his. However, what would happen when this situation was revealed?

Eventually the captain’s fatigued mind caught up with him as sleep forced him into bed. These were all problems he could solve later.


~~~


The sun shone through the tinted window of Daniel’s cabin. It roused him from his slumber before his alarm clock had a chance to go off. He hadn't slept well, the weight of the prior day's events had kept him up most the night. He hoped that the pegasus down the hall had fared better. Thinking little of it, he took the time to shower and change before heading to the galley for some much needed breakfast and tea. He had always been a tea man, never really did care for coffee. 

The  events from the previous day were consuming the captain's mind. He still needed to report back to ONI by the end of the week. So far no one knew what had befell the Tuscany. As far as the rest of the world was concerned they were still in FTL.

Eventually Rainbow walked in to the galley in search of breakfast. They crew members who were present in the galley paid her little attention, as they all were trying to eat quickly and get back to their daily tasks. Rainbow silently picked up a tray with a bowl of cereal and fruit before sitting across from Daniel. 

"Hey dude."

"Morning Rainbow. Sleep well?" 

"Yeah."

The captain continued to sip his tea while reading damage reports from across the ship. Most of the damage was easily fixed. However, there was one part that could potentially strand them on the alien world.

"Everything okay? You seem out of it."

Daniel sighed. "Well it seems we are going to be here a while. Something broke in our engines and without it we can't get into deep space. Orbital flights are still doable, but nothing beyond that." He set down the datapad and rubbed his temples. 

"A friend of mine might be able to help you. She's really smart, I'm sure she could help."

Thew captain chuckled. "Somehow I doubt she will understand how to re-magnetize a reactor induction coil." Rainbow just stared at him blankly.

"I'm not even going to pretend to know what you just said."

"Don't worry, I don't even know what I said. I was just reciting the report."

Rainbow couldn't help but laugh. 

"So tell me Rainbow, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm the weather manager for Ponyville. It's easy really." 

"Weather manager? Is that like a meteorologist?"

"Nah, I organize the various weather teams for the Ponyville area. It's our responsibility to make sure the skies stay clear. We also manage and place the storms Cloudsdale sends. Usually takes a week for weather requests to go through."

Daniel was once again at a loss for words. "So you can manipulate the weather?"

"You can't?"

"Fuck no. Whatever the planet wants to do, it does. Nothing we can do about it."

"You can travel in spaceships, but you can't manage your weather? Wow, you guys are weird." Rainbow said with a chuckle. "Hey Daniel,if you guys are going to be here for a while, you might want to learn a bit about Equestria. If you wanted, I could get a few books on Equestria for you."

The captain looked at her in surprise at the odd and sudden. "That'd be great! The guys in astrobiology would love you for it."

"Alright. I'll get the books from Twilight and bring them back." She then got up and took her tray back to the kitchen. Daniel sat with his tea as Rainbow left the galley. She then quickly walked back in. "Uhh, how do I get out?" 

Daniel laughed. "Take the ladderwell all the way up. Then go forward until you see a big set of doors marked Airlock." 

"Cool, thanks again."

Captain Ryan finished his tea before getting up and heading to the bridge. Upon arrival he was handed more reports and requests from departments across the ship. His primary concern was with engineering. The reports from them were less than stellar. The repairs would take time, which they had plenty of, and materials, which they didn't have. 

“Tommy, I want long range radar running around the clock from now on.” The captain ordered.

“Aye sir. Anything in particular we are looking for?”

“Nope, just anything bigger than a bird.”

“You got it.”

Captain Ryan took his reports and settled in his chair. The panoramic windows were heavily polarized, keeping the bridge at a comfortable low light level. Everyone on the bridge was working on something important. Even the scientific labs on board were busy processing data and samples gathered discretely from the area beneath the Tuscany. 

It was four hours later that a proximity alarm sounded on the bridge. The alarm signified that something was within half a mile of the ship. While the cloaking field was online, it wouldn't stop someone from just walking through it. 

“Tommy, report!”

“Captain, proximity sensors are tracking six new contacts just over the hill to the starboard.”

“What is their heading?”

“Heading one-one-seven point three. On their current course they will pass within one hundred meters of the ship.”

“Alright, stand by. I want to see what they do. Alert me again if they get within two hundred meters.”

“Aye sir.”

The feeling on the bridge became tense as everyone was glued to their displays. The captain and both commanders were standing around the display table, watching the holographic display of the ship and the local topography. Just over the hill on the display, six yellow dots could be seen clumped together slowly moving toward the ship. 

“Dior, I want you to get two of your spartans and have them investigate our new contacts. Just grab a sniper and set up on the upper hull. I don’t want anyone leaving the shell. Clear?”

“Yes sir.” Commander Dior said with a salute. The spartan commander turned and walked off the bridge toward the crew quarters for her spartan team.

“Tommy, how far away are they?”

“They are currently two hundred and nineteen meters away, and closing.”

“Alright, sound general quarters. Stand by to bring engines online.”

“Sir, engineering is reporting that engines are inoperable at this time.”

“How long until they can be used?”

“Six hours at the earliest.”

“Damn, well we might have company soon. Any radar contacts?”

“Negative sir. Radar is clear.”

All the captain could hope for was that they remained hidden. He stood at the table, watching the dots slowly approaching the ship. Eventually they stopped on a hill only one hundred and fifty meters off the starboard side. 

“Captains, this is Chevron two, all six contacts have stopped on the hilltop to our starboard.”

“I see that, Chevron. Can you see what they are doing?”

“Yes sir, it looks like they are... well... it looks like a picnic.”

“A picnic? Are you fucking kidding me?”

“No sir. They just pulled out a quilted blanket and a basket of food.”

“Alright, anything noteworthy?”

“Not yet. I do have eyes on what look like two pegasi, two unicorns, and two normal ponies.”

“Alright, patching through to your feed.” The captain tapped a few buttons on the display, bringing up a screen showing the spartan’s vision through the rifle. The only thing that was recognizable was the blue and rainbow maned pegasus. Commander Zerom seemed to be entranced by the group. Suddenly the horn on the purple unicorn lit up followed by six levitating sandwiches.

“Uhh, captain, you’re seeing this... right?”

“Copy that Chevron, we see it. Tommy! Are sensors picking up anything?”

“Negative sir.”

“Well shit. Keep monitoring them.”

“Aye sir.”

The AI then turned his attention back to monitoring every external sensor the ship had. The six ponies just seemed to be enjoying their picnic, blissfully unaware of the Prowler sitting just a hundred meters away. This went on for about an hour, soon three of the ponies began playing with a ball, happily tossing it between themselves. At one point, and orange pony with a stetson threw the ball hard at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow was unable to catch it in time resulting in it flying into the woods at the base of the hill. Dash quickly took off after her prize. 

“Sir, new contact bearing three-one-seven.” The AI announced.

“Source?”

“It looks like it’s coming from deeper in the forest. Captain, the incoming object is large, easily twenty feet tall and about twenty five feet long.”

“Holy shit.”

“Sir, contact is now on a rapid intercept course for Rainbow Dash.”

“Bring weapons online. I want a mass driver shot ready”

“Mass driver online and charging. Gunnery wants to know what kind of ammo they should use.”

“A three ton slug will be fine.”

“Aye sir. Mass driver loaded, awaiting target.”

“Very good.” The captain watched the holographic display as the dot representing Rainbow quickly began moving out of the forest as the much larger dot grew closer. Both had only meters left before breaking free of the forest.

“Captain, Chevron two here, the other ponies seem startled by something. Stand by, I can hear something big moving.”

“We got it on scope down here Chevron two, continue to monitor and stand by to engage possible hostile.”

“Daniel, are you sure about this? It’s bad enough that we broke first contact protocol. Using lethal force in a foreign territory could be a sign of aggression. Not to mention how illegal this could be."

“And tell me commander, would you just sit back and let them possibly die when you could clearly do something to stop it?”

Commander Zerom paused for a moment before smiling. “Can’t say I would.”

“Consider this a diplomatic relations building exercise.Tommy, acquire target and prepare to fire.”

“Aye sir. Target will be exposed in fifteen seconds.”

“Captain, Chevron two, the two unicorns on the hill are doing something. All I can see is their horns lit up.”

“Keep watching. Tommy?”

“Targets have exited the woods. Ten seconds until visual contact. Be advised, engaging with the mass driver will disrupt our optical cloak.”

“Understood.”

Soon Rainbow Dash was visible on the top of the hill, followed closely by what looked like another mythological beast with nine heads. All six ponies quickly abandoned their picnic and began to flee from the monster.

“Sir, target acquired.”

“What the fuck is that thing?”  Commander Zerom shouted.

“Who cares, we're about to kill it.”

"Captain! The purple unicorn is doing something!" Chevron two nearly shouted into his mic.

Sure enough, the unicorn's horn was glowing brightly in a purple aura. As the glow around the horn increased, a similar glow seemed to engulf the rampaging monster. Slowly the entire beast began to levitate off the ground. Even the monster had a look of sheer confusion on each of its nine faces. A blinding flash and two seconds later, the creature was gone. All that remained were the six ponies. Captain Ryan couldn't believe what had just happened. There he was, about to give the order to fire, when a magical unicorn made his target vanish into thin air.

“Alright, what the fuck was that thing?” The captain finally asked.

“If we are continuing with the mythological theme, then it looked like a hydra.” The AI responded calmly.

“Wow. First we find sentient equines, then unicorns, then griffins and dragon, and now hydras. I’m starting to get a bit nervous about being here."

"I would agree, this planet is getting stranger by the minute." 

"Hearing that from an AI is really concerning. Anyway, is that thing on sensors?"

'No sir. It is out of sensor range."

"Alright. Secure from general quarters. Bring the mass driver offline."

"Aye sir."

A series of mechanical sounds resonated above the bridge as the twin mass drivers were powered down and eventually stored in bays inside the hull. There was one thing the captain didn't take into account; the bay doors closing were much louder in atmosphere than in space. All eyes turned to the ceiling as twin clangs signaled the bay doors had closed. Captain Ryan immediately turned his attention back to the group of ponies, who seemed to have also heard the loud noise. The group began to slowly make their way down the hill and toward the Tuscany. 

“Sir, the group is now moving on our location. They will be at the cloaking barrier in twenty seconds.”

“Oh, great.” The captain then walked up to the bridge window. Just off the starboard hull, six ponies could be seen slowly walking toward the ship.

“Shall I roll out the red carpet, captain?” Tommy said jokingly.

“Might as well. They’re about to find us anyway." He sighed and leaned against the display table. "Alright, I’m going down to the armory and then to the surface. I’ll be the one to greet them when they get here. Chevron two, come on inside.”

“Copy that, packing up.” The spartan replied.

“I don’t need to remind you just how dangerous it would be to confront them alone, so I won’t.” Tommy added.

“Thanks Tommy, you know just how to make me feel better.” With one last glimpse, Daniel saw the ponies disappear from sight as the ship’s wing obscured his vision. They were close, and weren't going to leave until they had their answers. With a heavy sigh, the captain left the bridge and headed to the armory. Today had just become much more complicated and potentially dangerous. 

"Please tell me you aren't taking any weapons."

"Only my knife. Besides, after what that unicorn did to that hydra I doubt a rifle would do me any good."

"This is true. Just, be careful captain."

"Wow Tommy, you sound illegitimately concerned for my safety."

"Surely you remember the three laws of robotics?"

"Of course." The captain then turned to walk out the bridge. "Just, keep an eye on them."

"Of course sir. Good luck."

"Don't need it. I make my own."

The captain was nervous. He was about to confront an alien that appeared to have the capability to bend the natural world to its will. He knew that if the unicorn wanted to kill him, there wouldn't be a lot he could do to stop it. He doubted his armor would keep him protected for long. 

He stood at the ramp of the hanger, nervously eyeing the release switch. Once he pressed the green button, the ramp would descend, and only the optical barrier would separate him from the world's inhabitants. As a precaution, a security team had assembled in the hanger, just in case something went horribly wrong. Daniel took a deep breath before sliding his helmet on and hitting the release button. Slowly, the locks holding the ramp in place were released and the massive metal platform descended to the planet's surface. As the ramp lowered he immediately spotted the six ponies all waiting just under the bow of his ship. They were waiting for him, and he was afraid.

But he was an ODST, he could handle anything the universe threw at him. The question in his mind was simple; could he really handle magical colorful ponies?
> May 7th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//May 7th, 2559
//
//19:33 Local Time
//

Well, today has been... odd. Today we learned just what other kind of creatures are native to this world. The example for today was a hydra. I don’t even know how to describe what I saw. The hydra had nine heads and was covered in what looked like scales. Now this was terrifying in and of it’s own. Things got even stranger when a purple unicorn levitated the hyrda and made it disappear with some kind of magical teleportation. Perhaps I should write a bit about our new acquaintances.

First we have Rainbow Dash, who I mentioned in my previous log. Then we have an orange earth pony named Applejack, she’s a local apple farmer. Next was a white unicorn named Rarity, she works as a fashion designer in Ponyville. Then a yellow pegasus named Fluttershy, I’m not entirely sure what she does since she mostly spent her time cowering behind Applejack. Next was a pink earth pony named Pinkie Pie. Now Pinkie was something else entirely. She seemed like she had a constant flow of meth going straight into her blood. I’m really not sure what to think about her. Finally we have Twilight Sparkle, or should I say Princess Twilight Sparkle. Yeah... Princess. The purple unicorn turned out to actually be a different mythological creature known as an alicorn. Essentially a unicorn with wings.

Thankfully everyone stayed calm and collected during our meeting below the Tuscany. It was also wildly convenient having a member of the ruling body show up on my doorstep. We talked for about an hour on various things. I told them a bit about humanity, nothing sensitive or restricted. Just some general information on our species. Twilight was easily the most interested in learning about us. There were a few questions that I couldn’t answer; things like the location of our home world and the finer points of our technology. She was very understanding and did not press for more information. 

Twilight then gave me some general info on Equstria and even lent me the books she had given to Dash. We had a pleasant talk, the others had gone home after about ten minutes. Eventually Twilight needed to go home as well, but not before promising that she would speak to the other princesses about our presence and our intentions. All I was able to tell Twilight was that we were on a mission of exploration, until I have clearance from ONI, I can’t tell them any more than that. 

More information on the encounter can be found in After Action Report 5759-04-EQ

Speaking of ONI, I have a call to make.

//End Log

Captain Ryan leaned back in his chair as he closed his log. It had been a very long and intense day. However, he had made great headway in establishing a sense of diplomatic relations with the ponies. His next task was to inform the ONI director about what had happened. The captain looked out the window into the evening sky. The lights from the capital provided a beautiful glow that contrasted the evening sky. He then looked back at his computer and contemplated the impending call. With a deep sigh, he leaned forward and dialed ONI on his secure channel.

“Office of Naval Intelligence, how may I help you?”

“This is Captain Daniel Ryan calling for the Director. Authorization code sierra-zulu-tango seven seven nine.”

“Transferring.”

The Captain waited as his call was transferred to the director. He opened his after action reports and made them ready to transmit. Soon his screen came to life as the Director’s face came into view.

“Captain Ryan, glad to see you’re alright. I take it you reached your destination safely?” 

“Yes director. However, we hit a snag.”

“What kind of snag?”

Daniel sighed and the director frowned slightly. “You might want to get comfortable, this is gonna take a while.”

For the next half hour, Captain Ryan retold the past few days on Equestria. He then sent his official reports for the Director to read. The two men sat in silence as the reports were read. Eventually Director Burr looked back at Daniel.

“Well Daniel, this is... quite the situation. I can’t say I really agree with your decisions, however, the circumstances were less than favorable. I do have a few questions though.”

“Go ahead.”

“Alright, when your ship fell out of slipspace and began to fall to the planet, why did you not try to change course?”

“We encountered a strong gravitational anomaly which caused our slipspace wormhole to collapse. The resulting collapse caused our primary propulsion to cut out.”

“But you were able to safely land.”

“Yes sir, we came in under auxiliary power and a glide.”

“I see. Now lets discuss your blatant disregard for first contact protocol. Your reports say you had a midair collision with one of the locals.”

“Yes sir.”

“Then you rendered medical treatment to said local.”

“That is correct.”

“Did your medical staff follow proper decontamination protocol?”

“Of course sir.”

“And was a proper security detail provided?”

“...No sir.”

“And why was that?”

“It was an oversight on my part sir.”

“I see. Well Captain, you should count yourself lucky that your guest didn’t turn out to be hostile.”

“Yes sir.”

The Director then rubbed his temples and sighed.

“I’m not gonna sugar coat this, Ryan. Your situation is bad. However, you are going to be the one to fix it.”

“Sir?”

“You heard me Captain. Now, tell me what you think about these ponies.”

“Well, I don’t have a lot to tell that wasn't included in the after action reports.”

“You said you have gained an audience with the other rulers?”

“Yes sir. My meeting is tomorrow afternoon at fifteen hundred hours.” 

“Alright. I’m going to grant you temporary approval for a diplomatic mission.”

The Captain’s eyes went wide with surprise.

“I don’t need to remind you, this is the first alien civilization that we have encountered since the Covenant. And honestly, it would do wonders to morale if we secured relations with a peaceful alien world.”

“It would be a first.” The Captain grumbled quietly.

“Exactly. So, as long as you play this next hand by the book then I might make this planet your responsibility.”

“Uhh... what?”

“Normally I would order you to leave the planet immediately and either continue your mission or return to Reach for a court martial. However, the potential for colonization and the added potential of gaining a friendly alien ally is too much to pass up.”

“I’m still not sure why you want me to do this. Just a few minutes ago you were reprimanding me for failure to follow protocol.”

“As I stated before, morale across the fleet and among our surviving worlds is quite low. Many people are living in fear of another alien invasion, especially after the attack on New Phoenix. So, here’s what I need you to do. I want you to try and secure a diplomatic ally among the Equestrians. People need to see that not all aliens are bloodthirsty killers. We don't want to develop a culture of extreme xenophobia.”

“So you want me to become their friend.”

“Exactly. Be their friend. Show them the best humanity has to offer.”

“My mission is to make friends with talking, colorful, ponies?”

The Director laughed. “Yup. Never thought you would hear that, did ya?”

“Not a fucking chance. Question, can I inform my crew of their new mission?”

“Of course. All I ask is that you update me weekly with your progress.”

“Okay, weekly friendship progress reports. Check. Anything else?”

“That’s enough for now.”

“Alright, I’ll call you at the end of the week with updates.”

“I can’t wait to hear your reports.”

“Oh, before you go. Can I put in for an equipment request?”

“What kind?”

“Engineering needs a new induction coil.”

“I’ll see what I can do. We will need to find a way to navigate around the anomaly before I send more ships your way.”

“Understood.”

“Stay safe Captain.”

“You too Director.”

The video feed then blinked off as the connection ended. In less than an hour Captain Ryan had been reprimanded by his superiors, interrogated on his actions, and then given a new mission in Equestria. 

“Tommy?”

The AI materialized on the corner of the Captain’s desk. “Yes sir?”

“I need to make an all hands announcement.”

“Aye sir. Comm’s open.”

“Attention all hands, this is the Captain. I have just spoken with ONI and they have decided to change our mission parameters. We are no longer strictly on a mission of exploration, but rather a mission of diplomacy. No doubt you have all heard that we made contact with a native species. The Director wants us to open up diplomatic talks with the ponies. He and I both agree that this will be beneficial to both civilizations. I just want you all to know that we will be meeting with the rulers of this nation tomorrow afternoon. Just know, that regardless of how tomorrow goes, I am proud of each and every one of you. I can’t imagine a better crew to serve with.”

“So, I take it the Director isn’t going to hand you a court martial?” The AI asked sarcastically.

“No, he wants me to go make friends instead.”

“Quite the change in pace after wartime.”

“Yeah. A nice change though. I’m almost tempted to leave my sidearm at home.”

The AI just glared at Daniel.

“What? I said almost.”

“Sir, let me just add that I won’t let you leave the ship again without a sidearm.”

“Yes mom... Also, have you made any headway on the books?”

“I have. It took some time to establish how their alphabet works but I managed to figure it out. I am currently digitizing a book on Equestrian history.”

“Seeing anything interesting?”

“Things you wouldn’t believe, sir.”

“Alright, I’ll take a look tomorrow.”

The AI nodded and disappeared from view. There was much on the young Captain’s mind, but the most prevalent thing was the need for dinner. With nothing more to do, he got up and walked down to the galley. 


~~~


The next morning came as the sun once again barely shone through the tinted windows of the Tuscany. The Captain wanted nothing more than to roll over and go back to bed, but today was going to be a big day. Today was his meeting with Princess Celestia and Luna. The two of them would ultimately decide his fate on their world. 

These thoughts followed him as he got his breakfast from the galley. He had hours before meeting Twilight and heading to Canterlot. Most of his time that day was spent in engineering with Andrew Traxus. The two of them were reviewing the repairs being made on the engines and other propulsion systems. 

“So Andrew, do you have any idea what caused this damage?”

“As my report said, there was a substantial electromagnetic feedback from the collapsing wormhole that caused a system overload in the engines and reactor.”

“And that’s why the induction coil needs to be replaced?”

“Bingo. We also had to manually reset the reactor after safety systems scrammed it.”

“But there was no radiation leakage, right?”

“Right. The reactor shut down before any radiation leaked.”

“Well that’s good to hear. How much longer until we can get full functionality?”

“When can you get me a new coil?”

“As soon as the guys in astrophysics can figure out a way to navigate the abnormal gravity well around the planet.”

“Well then, once I have the part; three days.”

“Alright. I’ll go press the physics lab for answers.”

With five hours until his meeting, Captain Ryan headed across the ship to the astrophysics lab. Standing outside the door to the lab, he could hear and feel the bass of loud music coming from within. He braced himself to enter the lab before stepping forward, triggering the automatic doors. 

Captain Ryan was instantly met by a pressure wave as the doors slid open. He quickly stepped inside, allowing the doors to close.

“Doctor Micham!”

There was no response from the female scientist as she moved to the beat of the heavy electronica. She was entranced in both her work and her music. The other lab techs wore heavy earmuffs as they worked.

“Doctor Micham!” The Captain yelled only feet away from her. His words fell on deaf ears as the music continued to overpower him. He then reached over her shoulder and pressed the pause button on her console, causing the music to stop abruptly. 

Doctor Micham quickly spun around, nearly smacking into the Captain’s face.

“Oh, sorry sir. Didn’t hear you come in.” She said in a slightly bubbly voice.

“No shit. I felt the pressure wave through the blast doors.”

“Yeah, pretty sweet isn’t it. So what’s up?”

“I wanted to know if you could tell me anything about our local gravity well.”

“You bet! This place is fucking amazing! Did you know that their star orbits the planet?”

“Wait a sec... it actually does?”

“Ya huh! There has never been a case of this kind of phenomenon existing. It defies the standard model of astrophysics!”

“That’s great Debbie, but what is causing the gravity anomaly?”

“Oh that? That is a result of the star orbiting the planet. While the star orbits the planet, it still weighs the same as a typical star.”

“So the star’s gravity well is moving rapidly around the planet?”

“Exactly!”

“Okay then, can you figure out a way to get around it?”

“Already did! It’s simple really, as long as you slip in behind the moon, you're fine.”

“Great.” Daniel then looked at the seven technicians who were sitting at their stations, still wearing earmuffs. “Why don’t you turn down your music, I’m sure your techs would thank you.”

Debbie’s eyes went wide with shock. “How can you say something like that?! If you can’t feel the music shaking your bones, why play it at all? You of all people should know that!”

“Yeah, but when I play my guitar I don’t have the volume at eleven.”

“Pffft, volume at eleven. My rig goes up to fifteen.”

Daniel just stared at her slack jawed. “You know what, fine. Just don’t let me hear that your techs need corrective surgery for their hearing.”

Doctor Micham just laughed as she turned around and reached for the play button. Daniel then sprinted out of the lab before the music could damage his hearing further. He regathered his senses before making his way to the ship's bridge. There were a few reports waiting for him. Microbiology had found some interesting forms of bacteria in local soil samples. Meteorology was completely in rage over how the ponies seemed to be able to make their own weather and then manipulate it by hoof. The Xenobiology lab was pouring over the texts that Twilight had brought. They included a seven page list of all the species that were named in the book. The Captain just skimmed over the list, intent on reading it later. 

Eventually the time came for him to meet with the Princesses. He had showered and was wearing a more formal uniform as opposed to his usual grey working uniform. It was a composed of a white pressed jacket and pants. His black dress boots were polished to a reflective shine and his hat was just as well kept. The entire uniform was very similar to the uniform of twenty first century naval officers. He made sure to pick up his comm unit, lest he be unable to communicate during his first diplomatic meeting. 

He didn’t have to wait long for Tommy to appear in his cabin. 

“Sir, we have a new radar contact heading for the ship.”

“Point of origin?”

“Judging by its current course I can guess that it came from the capital.”

“Alright. When they get within visual range go ahead and drop the cloak.”

“Aye sir.”

Captain Ryan began to make his way down to the hangar bay where he would disembark and meet his ride to Canterlot. It took only a few minutes for his ride to arrive at the ship. He stood under the bow of the Tuscany, patiently waiting. In front of him landed a covered carriage pulled by two pegasi covered in gold armor. It was an impressive display. Inside sat Twilight, her face lighting up as she spotted Daniel. Her horn lit up as the door to the carriage swung open.

“Good afternoon Captain Ryan. Are you ready to go?”

“Indeed I am.” He made his way to the carriage and climbed aboard, closing the door behind him. The pegasi pulling the carriage began running before quickly taking to the sky. 

Commander Zerom and Commander Dior stood on the bridge at the display table, watching the carriage speed off toward the mountain city. 

“So, Dior, is your team in position to extract him if this goes tits-up?”

“Yeah. I like to think he knows what he’s doing.”

“So do I, but I like to have a plan for the worst.”

“He took a handgun with him, right?”

“Yeah, word is Tommy wouldn’t let him off the ship if he didn’t take a sidearm.”

The SPARTAN laughed. “Sounds like Tommy.”


~~~


The ride to Canterlot took only twenty minutes. All along the way, Twilight was pointing out significant landmarks and places she and her friends had been. He was fascinated with how pristine the countryside looked. During the war he had become accustomed to seeing barren and scorched earth. Seeing such lush and green fields was a gratifying feeling. Soon their flight was over as the carriage landed in front of a massive castle. Captain Ryan was speechless as he and Twilight climber out of the carriage and walked through the courtyard of the massive fortress. All around the courtyard, and high on the walls, guards in golden armor stood guard. At the massive wooden doors stood three ponies. Two of them looked like normal guards while the unicorn in the middle was slightly larger than the two pegasi who flanked him. He wore purple and gold armor and held an air of total authority.

Captain Ryan did his best to remain calm under the gaze of this very intimidating unicorn. As Twilight led him to the doors, the three guards moved to intercept them.

“Shining!” Twilight bounded forward and quickly nuzzled the large stallion.

“Hey Twiley.” Shining Armor couldn’t help but return the gesture to his younger sister. The guard captain then glanced up and made eye contact with the lone human. “And this must be Captain Ryan.”

“Yup. Captain Ryan, this is my brother and guard captain, Shining Armor.”

“A pleasure to meet you Captain Ryan.” Shining walked forward and extended a hoof to the human.

“Thank you Captain Armor. It’s a pleasure to be here.” Daniel met the unicorn’s gesture and shook his hoof once.

The group then moved inside the castle. Daniel was met with a massive hallway of magnificent stained glass windows. Each seemed to tell a story that escaped the his understanding. He followed the group to another set of massive double doors before coming to a halt. Outside was another pair of pegasi guards. Daniel was starting to notice something strange, every guard seemed to have the exact same coat color. He found it odd and made a point to ask about it later. 

The group then walked through the massive double doors, revealing the two ponies waiting in similar thrones. The two alicorn princesses sat in their regal attire as the group entered the throne room. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both looked upon the human in the room with interest and curiosity. Daniel stopped as he approached the stairs leading up to the thrones. He stood at a parade rest until the two alicorns addressed him. 

Celestia spoke first. “Hello Captain Ryan. I am Princess Celestia, and this is my sister, Princess Luna.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both, ma’am.”

“Twilight here has told us a great deal about you. I must say, I was skeptical at first, but that view is quickly fading. As you can imagine I do have a few questions for you.”

“I will do my best to answer them ma’am.”

“I know you will. First off, how long have you been in our nation?”

“This will be the third day, ma’am.”

Celestia chuckled. “You don’t need to call me ma’am, it makes me feel old. You may simply call me Celestia”

“I apologize. I can honestly say I am a bit nervous.”

“Try to relax Captain Ryan. You have done nothing wrong."

Daniel took a deep breath and tried to relax his stance. He was finding it very difficult.

"Perhaps we should conduct this in a less formal setting. Would you be okay with that Captain?”

"I have no objections."

"Excellent. Please follow me."

The group, now including both princesses, moved from the throne room to a room that looked more like a large living room. There was a half circle of couches with a small coffee table in the middle. Celestia and Luna sat next to each other on one couch. Shining and Twilight sat in the middle, While Daniel sat across from Celestia and Luna.

“So Captain, you said you have been here for three days. I am curious as to what brought your people here?” Celestia asked in a soothing and calm voice.

“My crew and I were on a mission of exploration. We were searching for new planets to colonize.” Daniel responded, his voice slightly less stressed as he slowly allowed himself to relax into the couch.

“I see. And you believed that this planet would be a good candidate for your mission?”

“Yes. My ship was sent to investigate the possibility.”

Luna then spoke up. “Did you know, or even suspect, that there might be life on the planet?”

“No ma’am. We were not expecting this.”

“And just how many of you are there?”

“In total, or on this world?”

“On this world.”

“Ninety including myself.” Luna thought for a moment before beginning a new line of questioning.

“What I am most curious about is how you managed to travel through the stars.”

“We used an advanced spacecraft.”

“So your species has mastered spaceflight?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Interesting.”

Celestia then took over. “I take it that you have superiors in your organization?”

“Yes, the Director of the Office of Naval Intelligence oversees all naval activity.”

“And what does your Director think of your situation?”

“I can only say that he is not pleased that our ship has been stranded on your world, but has asked me to pursue diplomatic relations with your nation.” There was still obvious stress in Daniel’s voice. He was not as calm as Celestia would have liked.

“Thank you Captain. I would like to ask a more personal question, if I may.”

“Of course.”

“You seem very nervous. Even more so than most of my own ponies. Why is that?”

“There is... a lot riding on this mission and on its success. You are the first peaceful non-humans we have ever encountered.”

“When you say we are the first peaceful non-humans, does that mean you have met other hostile non-humans?”

Daniel choked up for a moment. “Yes.”

Celestia and Luna shared concerned looks before turning back to the human. His face had taken a somber look and his eyes showed a pain that neither sister had seen in a long time.

“Who were they?” Twilight asked before anyone else could speak.

“They were a collective of alien races known as the Covenant. For thirty years they waged war against my people on the basis of religious zealotry. They believed we were an affront to their gods and tried to exterminate us.”

“That’s horrible...” Twilight couldn't think of anything more to say as she processed what he had just said. She knew that there must be more to his story, but was unwilling to press him for more.

Luna had a look of disgust as she spoke. “So these aliens wanted to wipe you out, simply because their gods demanded it?”

“It’s even simpler than that. Their prophets told them that we needed to be wiped out, and none of them questioned it until the very last minute.”

“How close did they come to succeeding?”

“They to came within a few minutes.”

The room sat in deathly silence for what felt like hours. 

Celetia was the only one with the bravery to break the silence and ask the hardest question.

“How many died?”

Daniel was beginning to lose his composure. A flood of memories long suppressed began to rush through his mind.

“Thirteen billion.” He said softly as he fought to hold his head up; tears fought to break through.

“I think that’s enough for now. Captain Ryan, can I interest you in a cup of tea?”

“That... that would be great right about now.”

Celestia smiled warmly as she got up and walked out of the room. Twilight and Shining shared a look before both getting up.

“I... I’ll see you later Daniel.”

“See ya Twilight.” Daniel mumbled softly. He was hunched over leaning his elbows against his knees while he looked at the floor, unable to keep his head up.

Twilight couldn't help but feel a pang of loss for him. It was clear that he had seen things that no one should be forced to witness. With Shining and Twilight gone, only Luna and Daniel remained. The lunar goddess could see something personal was troubling him ever since he mentioned the war. She used this knowledge and his reaction to formulate her next question. 

“How long ago was it, Captain?” Luna asked softly.

He paused for a moment before answering softly. “Seven years ago, and please, call me Daniel.” Captain Ryan said, still facing the floor.

"Friends?"

"Yeah, and my parents."

“I’m so sorry for your loss.” Luna was unsure of how to console the human. She wanted to change the subjects to something less depressing. “May I ask you something else?”

“Please do.” His breaths were shallow as he fought to contain his emotions.

“I can understand why you stopped to help Rainbow Dash. What I want to know is what influenced you to not only give her a meal, but to then allow her to stay on your vessel.”

“Part of me... part of me was so... excited... to met an alien race that didn't seem to want to kill me on site. What the Covenant did to my people was... beyond horrible. They were the first extraterrestrial contact humanity ever had and they tried to kill us all.” Daniel took a deep breath and sighed. “I guess since I was your first contact, I wanted to be better than them. I wanted your first contact with an alien to be a positive one. I wanted it to be something you would be proud to look back on.” What Daniel didn't realize was that Celestia had been standing silently in the doorway for the past few minutes. 

The sun goddess slowly walked up behind the distraught human before gently placing a hoof on his shoulder. Daniel, surprised by the sudden sensation, turned to see the solar Princess looking down at him with deep understanding and compassion. He looked at Celestia in the eye before feeling a wave of powerful emotion surge through his body. Every ounce of his training told him to maintain his composure and keep his emotions in check. Then the words of the Director echoed through his mind.

‘Show them the best humanity has to offer...’

'...the best humanity has to offer...'

'...humanity...'

A conflict was raging within Daniel's mind: he could either maintain his composure and show the princesses how strong and proud the humans were, or he could let his emotions go and show them that humans were capable of feelings like sadness and regret. To show emotion is to be human, and in that precise moment Captain Ryan did something he hadn't done in years.

He cried.

> May 8th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//May 8th, 2559
//
//19:22 Local Time

So my meeting with the Princesses was... not what I had expected. I was expecting to show up, talk a bit about the UNSC, try to get a better understanding of their culture, try to get them interested in pursuing further relations, and then get to know the Princesses better. Well I succeeded. Except what happened and what I wanted to happen are two very different things.

The whole meeting was less of a diplomatic meeting and more of a trip to a grief counselor. I have no idea how they did it, but they got me to talk about the Great War and how I lost my friends and family on Reach. It felt good... to just let it all out. It was far from a professional meeting. Hell, the whole thing took place in what looked like a living room. My personal conduct was appalling; given that you aren't supposed to cry rivers into the shoulder of the foreign leader you are meeting with. I can just picture countless UNSC diplomats committing mass suicide if they ever found out what happened in our meeting. 

All that being said, the meeting went great. Both Princesses have agreed to let me and my crew stay in their country. They are even interested in pursuing more advanced diplomatic relations with the UNSC. I have yet to contact the Director about what happened, but will likely do so later this week. 

I also learned that both Celestia and Luna will be traveling to Gryfopolis next week to meet with the gryphon emperor, so we will have to wait a week before we can have another talk. Anyway, the supply request for our engines has been approved and a ship is on the way. I wonder if they will have the same issue as us?

Also, more fun from the various science labs. Astrophysics continues to study the strange occurrences in this system. The microbiology lab continues their search for new pathogens that could potentially harm humans, nothing has been found yet. The geology department have begun looking at rock sample from around the ship. I have yet to read their full report. Meteorology continues to throw a temper tantrum over the fact that Pegasi seem to be able to make their weather in a type of cloud factory. The xenobilogy lab has been pouring over the books brought by Princess Twilight. They have reported some very interesting things in regards to pony anatomy. Specifically in regards to skeletal structures and the like. 


//End Log

Both Princesses left the room with Captain Ryan as they concluded their short meeting. As the Captain turned right and left the castle through the throne room, Luna and Celestia made a right and walked to the dining room. They continued up a long spiral staircase to Celestia’s room. The two alicorns walked past a pair of guards at the doors as they silently entered. The pair then sat on a set of opulent cushions, set in front of a fireplace. Luna was the first to speak up.

“So Tia, what do you think?”

Celestia thought back on the last fifteen minutes following Daniel’s emotional collapse. She had been the one to comfort him as he talked about his family on Reach.

“I think we are looking at a new age for Equestria.”

“I mean, what do you think about Daniel?”

“He is... different, but he seems lost in his feelings. There is a lot of sadness within him, but he has managed to turn that sadness into ambition and determination. However, it isn't healthy that he repressed most of his sadness.”

Luna just stared at her sister, slightly slack-jawed. “You came up with all that in half an hour?”

“Years of practice Lulu.” Celestia looked to the fireplace and watched the flames for a moment. “What was your impression?”

Luna thought for a moment. “He seemed nice. I didn’t feel like he was trying to be deceptive or even withhold information. I kinda like him to be honest. I think he could be a great ally and a great friend.”

“I agree. However, we do need to remember to be cautious. They are a very advanced alien race. While Daniel is a nice example of his people, I want to reserve judgment until I can meet more of them. One individual does not set the standard for the masses.”

“I suppose.” Luna looked at her sister and then to the fire. “So what do you think is happening in Grifopolis?”

Celestia sighed. “I hope that the demonstrations will not interfere with our meeting with Emperor Coalfeather.”

“And if they do?”

“Then we will have to make our way  out of the city as quickly as possible. We are taking two groups of guards with us. I’m sure we will be fine.”

“I suppose. Still...”

“There is no point worrying about it, Lulu. I would recommend you get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.”

Luna nodded at her sister. “Alright. I’ll see you in the morning, Tia.” Luna got up and made her way to the door after nuzzling her sister. 

“Tia?”

“Yes Luna?”

“Please give them a chance.”

“I will Luna. I certainly will.”

The Princess of the Night then walked out of her sister’s room, closing the door silently behind her.



~~~



Captain Ryan looked at his screen and sighed as he reflected on the previous night. What was supposed to be a by-the-book diplomatic meet and greet, turned into a therapy session involving him spilling emotional baggage onto the two Princesses. To his surprise, the two alicorns reacted very well to his outburst of emotion. The group had sat for a few silent minutes as Daniel emptied his eyes into Celestia’s fur. The solar Princess sat with a warm smile as she embraced the distraught human. 

The three of them then talked a bit about Daniel’s family and more about the Great War. He talked a bit about his career, starting with his enlistment and ODST training. He then went on to describe some of the missions he had been a part of and the places he had been. He finished his story by telling them about his ONI commission and his first starship command. 

It was then Celestia and Luna’s turn to talk. Celestia began by talking about their life with their parents. Luna remained silent during this period, claiming that she remembered little before her fall to madness. Celestia then went on to talk a bit about her time as Equestria’s leader. Captain Ryan could only sit and listen in wonder as the solar Princess covered the past fifteen hundred years of her rule. As Celestia finished, Luna recounted her difficulties of adjusting to a modern Equestria after her banishment. Daniel couldn’t help but chuckle at a few of Luna’s mishaps with modern technology. He was ultimately impressed by how quickly, and how well, she had adopted the new technologies of her world. 

Eventually the night came to an end as Celestia and Luna had a trip to the gryphon capital of Grifopolis the following afternoon. Daniel said his farewells and boarded a carriage back to his ship. He left the castle feeling he had accomplished his goal and had lifted some of the emotional weight that plagued him. 

His concentration was broken as the ship’s AI materialized on the corner of his desk.

“Sorry, sir. Am I interrupting something?”

“Not at all Tommy. Just thinking.”

“About your meeting last night?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you feel it went well?”

“I feel it was successful. I’m not sure I would say it went well.”

“I see. Well, I have finished transmitting your report to ONI. Director Burr has asked you to call him in two days.”

“Will do.” The Captain closed his log before turning to the AI. “Do you have any further information on our shipment?”

“I do. The frigate Grafton is leaving tomorrow morning for Equestria. Their cargo manifest has been uploaded to your email.”

“They’re sending a frigate on a delivery run?” 

“It would seem so, sir.”

“Wow, I wonder who drew the short straw there?”

“It would seem Captain Daviston did.”

“Yeah, I gathered that.”

“Is there anything else you need, sir?”

“Yeah, can you tell me the distance to Grifopolis?”

“I am unsure of where that is.”

“Twilight said it was north west of Canterlot, in the high mountains.”

“One moment...” The AI seemed to stare at the wall as topographic data was processed at lightning speed. “I believe I have found the place you mentioned. Is this it?” Daniel’s computer screen lit up as it displayed a map of the region, highlighting the area in question.

“Yup, that looks like it.”

“Marking on map. The distance is nine hundred and forty four point three miles. At our top speed of three hundred and fourteen miles per hour in atmosphere, we could reach the city in three hours. May I ask why sir?”

“Just wondering. The Princesses went there this afternoon, or at least they left this afternoon, not sure how long it would take.”

“I might be able to fix that. Judging that your carriage departed at a speed of fifty six point nine miles per hour, it would take them sixteen and a half hours to reach the city.”

“Good to know.”

“Well then, is there anything else, sir?”

“No Tommy, that will be all.”

“Goodnight Captain.” The AI then disappeared from view, leaving the Captain alone once more. 

With a sigh and a grunt, Daniel pulled himself up from his chair and walked to his bathroom. A hot shower would do him good. The Princesses had said they would only be gone for two days. Something about meeting with the gryphon emperor about some kind of insurrection. He hadn’t asked many questions as it was none of his business. 


~~~


The next morning, Daniel woke up the same way he had the past few days. He was beginning to enjoy waking up with the sun. He then remembered that the UNSC Grafton would be leaving for Equestria today. The astrophysics lab had sent their recommendation for navigating the gravitational distortions, hopefully it would work. 

Daniel then went about the rest of his morning routine, eventually ending on the bridge. There wasn’t a whole lot to do around the ship at the moment. Most personnel were carrying out preventative maintenance or running department drills. Only the science labs were really occupied. A report from the xenobiology lab was waiting for him at his console. With nothing more pressing to attend to he picked up the report and read.

The report was a detailed comparison of the ponies of Equestria to the less evolved equines of Earth. There were many similarities and even more differences. The most notable difference was their contrasting body sizes. The other notable difference was the more developed brain of Equestrian ponies. Daniel then skimmed over some of the information that he already knew. To his surprise, the biology lab had already assigned a classification to the ponies of Equestria; Equus Nobilis. It was a stark contrast to the Equus Ferus Caballus of Earth.

He then began reading the next portion of the report. The medical books borrowed from Twilight revealed that the ponies of Equestria had a similar reproductive cycle to that of horses from Earth, being that every female would experience a single estrous cycle during the spring months. The only difference was that the Equestrian ponies only had a single three week cycle, whereas Earth horses had multiple cycles during the spring and summer months. It was an interesting fact, one that the Captain promptly pushed to the back of his mind.

It wasn’t long before the communications officer spoke up.

“Captain! Incoming transmission from the UNSC Grafton.”

“Thank you Chief. Put it through to my station.”

“Aye sir. Patching through.”

The screen in front of the Captain lit up as the Captain of the Grafton appeared. 

“Captain Ryan, glad to see you guys are okay. How’s your world of magical talking ponies?” Dovaston asked with a chuckle.

“It’s really neat. I think I’ll take my next leave here.”

“Sounds nice from the reports I have read.”

“They don’t so the place enough justice.”

“So, you need some spare parts?”

“Yup. I’m wondering though, why did they send you on a delivery run?”

“ONI wanted to make absolute sure that you received the shipment. Guess that translates to sending a warship to make the drop. Speaking of which, where are we dropping this?”

“As close to my ship without hitting it.”

“Alright, I’ll have the crate sent to your front door.”

“Thanks Dovaston.”

“Don’t mention it. We’re also putting some satellites in orbit, part of a request from ONI.”

“Any idea what for?”

“Eh, a few navigation satellites, a communications one, a navigation beacon, and two observation satellites.”

“So basic orbital infrastructure?”

“Pretty much.”

“Neat. Are you guys heading home right away, or are you sticking around for a few?”

“I was planning on sticking around for a few days, make sure all the equipment works.”

There was a thunderous boom as the supply pod impacted the ground in front of the Tuscany. 

“Oh would you look at that, my box is here. It’s like Christmas came early”

“Well damn, they might as well start calling me Santa Claus. Ho ho ho motherfuckers.”

Daniel couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll put a request in with the Director. See if we can make that permanent.”

“You do that. Now I expect you boys at ONI aren’t causing too much trouble on alien worlds.”

“Trouble? Me? Never.”

“Yeah, I’m convinced.”

The two men shared a brief laugh. “Well I gotta go Daniel. I’ll talk to you when we are heading out.”

“Alright, good hearing from ya Dovaston.”

The line then went black. Engineers had already gone out to collect the cargo pod, eager to complete the engine repair. 


~~~


It was five hours later that Andrew had finally given the all clear on the engines. Captain Ryan was in his quarters when he received the news. While he was pleased that the engines were finally repaired, he secretly wished that something would happen. He contemplated running the crew through a nuclear launch drill or maybe a damage control drill. This train of thought was interrupted as a scroll seemed to flash into existence and drop onto his desk. Daniel was perplexed as to how the scroll had just popped into existence in his cabin. Deciding it wasn’t all that important he picked it up and broke the seal holding it closed.

It was a letter from Twilight. She explained to Daniel that a letter from Celestia was received that morning, stating that the situation in Grifopolis had become dire as the insurrectionist movement began to consume the city. While the Princesses had a guard escort, it wasn’t nearly sufficient to hold off an army of angry gryphons. Twilight then went on to state that she wanted to send a contingent of guards to assist the Princesses, but was worried that they wouldn’t make it in time. Daniel thought about this, it would take the guards sixteen hours to reach the city. By then they might be too late. He, however, had a craft capable of reaching the city in only three hours. What better way to relieve boredom than to rescue two Princesses. He then went to open his computer to call Twilight when it hit him; he had no way of directly contacting her.

With no time to spare, the Captain grabbed his comm unit. “Commander Dior, Commander Zerom, please meet me on the bridge.”

The Captain then briskly made his way to the bridge. Once there, he noticed both commanders waiting at the display table.

“So Captain, what’s this about?” Zerom asked.

“We have a developing situation in the gryphon capital. Reports say that insurrectionist forces have stormed the city and have completely blocked it off to all means of escape. We don’t have any information past that.”

“Well that’s sketchy.” The SPARTAN commander added.

“I agree, but it would take a better part of the day for Equestrian reinforcements to reach the city. We can make it there in a few hours.”

“So you want to attempt a rescue?” Zerom asked, slightly astonished at how quickly the situation had deteriorated. 

“Yes.”

“Correct me if I am wrong, but we are on a diplomatic mission, not a combat one.” Dior said with concern.

“I understand that, Commander, but diplomacy is difficult if the person you are trying to conduct diplomacy with is dead.”

“Alright, so then what’s the plan?”

“Well I need to confirm this with Princess Twilight. Unfortunately she doesn’t have any way for us to contact her. So I was going to grab a pelican and just fly to the castle.”

“Won’t that raise some questions among the population?”

“Their bound to find out about us eventually.”

“Still...”

“Look, this is what’s happening. We are going to confirm the report with Twilight and then we are going to Grifopolis to evac the Princesses. Okay?”

“Aye sir.” Zerom and Dior said in unison. 

“Dior, with me.”

Captain Ryan and Commander Dior headed to the armory for their armor and sidearms. Dior was always wearing her armor, so she needed only a weapon. Eventually the two made their way to the lower launch bay where a pelican drop ship was waiting. The two officers quickly boarded the craft and signaled the pilot to take off. 


~~~


The flight to Canterlot lasted only fifteen minutes as the pelican roared through the sky. Neither Ryan nor Dior said a word as they flew. Eventually the aircraft touched down in the same courtyard that Daniel’s carriage had used the day prior. The SPARTAN and Captain both quickly disembarked, leaving every guard in the area to wonder what was happening, none of them tried to stop the two humans. 

Daniel was the first to enter the throne room, followed shortly by the Commander. Twilight sat atop the throne usually occupied by Celestia, her face furrowed into a frown as she read multiple scrolls about the recent incident in Grifopolis. She lowered the scrolls as both humans entered the room.

“Captain Ryan! I take it you got my message?”

“I did. Twilight, this is Commander Dior, she is in charge of our SPARTAN team on the Tuscany. Commander, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

“It’s a pleasure ma’am.” The SPARTAN said with a salute.

“Please Commander, call me Twilight. So Daniel, why didn’t you just write back? You didn’t have to come here in person.”

“Well I don’t exactly have a speedy way of getting in contact with you.”

“Oh... right... I didn’t think of that. Sorry.”

“No worries. Now, what do you plan on doing?”

“I am planning on sending a group of guards to the gryphon capital to aid the Princesses.”

“Okay, then why contact me? You seem to already have a plan.”

“Well... I figured you might have some expertise in this kind of situation. I wanted to see what you thought.”

“I think you are going to be too late. It’s a sixteen hour flight to the gryphon capital. A lot can happen in that time.”

“Do you have a better suggestion?” Twilight asked with interest and concern.

“Send me. My ship can make it there in only three hours. Plus we have the firepower to easily overwhelm any resistance.”

“You have a good point. Alright, do it.”

The Captain nodded before turning and nearly sprinting out of the throne room. The sound of metal boots resonated through the hall as the ODST and SPARTAN made their way back to the pelican. 

Another short fifteen minute flight later, both officers were back aboard the Tuscany. Daniel ran to the nearest console and summoned the AI.

“Tommy, get the ship ready for take off and set course for Grifopolis.”

“Aye sir.”

The Captain and Commander made their way back to the bridge as the sounds of the engines coming to life filled the ship.The bridge was a scene of controlled chaos as everyone got their stations ready for flight. In a matter of minutes, the hull of the Tuscany lifted off the ground for the first time since landing in Equestria. For the first part of the flight, the ship would operate with it’s optical cloak powered on. There was a loud mechanical sound as the landing gear locked in place. The ship then banked to the left and quickly gained speed as it flew over the Everfree Forest.

“Tommy, time to destination?”

“Two hours and fifty one minutes, Captain.”

“See if you can shave that down a bit.”

“Aye sir. I’ll see what we can do.”

“Commander Dior, I want your team ready to go. If we have to fight our way through the city then I want a team ready to drop as soon as we get there.”

“Aye sir.” The SPARTAN did an about face as she quickly left to gather her SPARTANs. 

Commander Zerom looked at the holographic display table before looking to Daniel.

“So Captain, do we have a plan?”

“I’m thinking shock and awe. See if we can use our presence alone to scare them into retreating.”

“And if that fails?”

“Well then we motivate them to vacate the area.”

“And by motivate you really mean a display of superior force?”

“Exactly. We have two mass drivers capable of launching thirty ton projectiles at thirty thousand meters per second. I’m sure those will have quite the impact.” Daniel laughed at his own sentence. Zerom just shook his head. “Well Commander, if you need me, I will be in my quarters for the next two hours. Notify me when we get close.

“Aye sir.”


~~~


The next two hours passed quickly. Daniel was actually down in the armory getting into his armor when a call came over the intercom. 

“Captain, we are ten minutes from our target. Orders?”

“Stand by, I’m on my way up.” He grabbed his helmet from the rack and ran back up to the bridge. Commander Dior and Zerom were already waiting for him at the display table. “Alright Tommy, show me the goods.”

The table shimmered as the image transformed into a topographical representation of the mountain city. Six red dots appeared in the air around the city, and seemed to be moving in slow circles. 

“Captain, I am tracking six unknown radar contacts. Each of them are a bit smaller than our ship, but seem to be moving at a very leisurely pace.” The AI reported.

“Alright, good to know. How long until visual range?”

“Six minutes sir.”

“Very good. Sound battle stations. Bring all weapons online.”

“Does this include nuclear ordnance sir?”

“Yes, arm missiles one and two.”

“Aye sir.” Alarms began to blare across the ship, signalling the crew that it was time to fight. Not four minutes  later, the crew were ready. All stations had reported ready status and two nuclear missiles had been armed. Each Shiva class nuclear missile had a payload of three hundred megatons. Daniel prayed that he would not need such destructive weapons, but was glad he had them just in case.

Soon the city was beginning to come into view. The bridge crew was soon able to see plumes of smoke rising from various sections of the city, as well as what looked like six airships circling overhead.

“Helm, bring us in at one third.”

“Aye sir, ahead on third.” 

Daniel was soon able to make out features of the airships. They all looked like normal wooden sailing ships except they were suspended from a large balloon. They also seemed to hold a number of air to ground weapons as all six were bombing what looked like a palace.

“Tommy, mark targets as hostile and make ready to fire.”

“Aye sir. Targets marked.”

“Weapons control, bring the forward mass drivers online and prep Archer missiles.”

“Yes sir! Archer pods ready, mass drivers are charging.”

“Very good. Standby for orders. Commander Dior, is your team in position in the launch bay?”

“Yes sir. Medical teams are standing by down here as well.”

“Excellent. Tommy, prepare to drop cloak. Weapons, prepare to fire on my mark. Target the two closest airships with the mass drivers and split the Archers among the remaining four.”

“Aye sir.” The weapons officer replied.

“Ahead slow!”

“Ahead slow, aye sir.” Lieutenant Vezina replied.

“Tommy, drop cloak.”

“Aye sir. Cloak is offline.”

This was it. He was about to open fire on an alien world. He out-teched his opponent by easily a millenium. While they seemed to rely on rudimentary cannons, he had access to the most powerful coil guns and nuclear missiles. He almost felt bad.

“Open fire.”


~~~


Celestia and Luna stood with their guards in the emperors office. Emperor Coalfeather himself stood with his two personal bodyguards, the sounds of battle were getting closer as the insurrectionists fought their way through his fortress. Both alicorns looked at him, expecting him to do something.

“So this is it?! We’re just going to stay here until they come to slaughter us!?” Luna asked with fury in her voice.

“They have the entire palace surrounded and the air covered. There is no way out. All we can do now is make a final stand.” The emperor replied.

“This is absurd. Tia, we need to do something!” Celestia looked to her sister and sighed.

“Quite frankly, I do not wish to stay here and fight. However, if we can make a hole in their aerial defences then we may be able to escape that way.”

“Alright, lets do it then. All we have to do is fight our way past six airships.” Luna the turned and glanced out the large windows. The airships were in plain view as their cannons continued to bombard the fortress. 

“Perhaps we can-” Luna was cut off as the world seemed to stop in front of her. 

The lunar Princess watched as a black craft seemed to shimmer into existence where only clouds seemed to exist just moments before. Before she could say anything there were two massive bangs as two streaks of light seemed to shoot from the craft, impacting the nearest airships. Both craft instantly exploded in a shower of flaming wood debris, the balloons floating away as the weight below them was removed. Now all eyes were on the strange craft as it pulled into a wide turn over the city. Dozens of glowing smoke trails seemed to leave the craft at incredible speed as they shot toward the remaining four airships. The sky was soon filled with flashes of light followed by an equal number of explosions.

The airspace over the city was soon filled with the burning wreckage of four airships, each taking only seconds to plummet to the ground below.Soon the sky became clear, save for the single black craft. On the side of the craft, painted in white block letter and accompanied by a familiar insignia, were the words UNSC Tuscany.

“Huh, well how about that.” Luna said with a slight chuckle.


~~~


Captain Ryan watched as all six airships were promptly demolished, leaving him to rule the skies over Grifopolis. He ordered the ship to come to a hover just above the burning palace and to open the ship’s lower docking bay. Hopefully the Princesses and their escorts were alright. 

“Sir, I have an update. Scans are showing large numbers of enemy combatants retreating from the area. It seems your shock and awe plan is working.” The AI reported.

“Well I’m glad to hear that. Any word on our Princesses?”

“Negative sir, I’ll keep looking.”

Daniel didn’t have to wait long for an answer. “Captain, targets found. They are on the uppermost tower to our port side. They seem to also have a single gryphon with them.”

“Good find Tommy. Vezina, bring us in slowly.”

“You got it Captain.” The pilot replied with a cheerful voice.

The ship slowly moved toward the tower that the alicorn sisters were standing on. The smoke from the burning city occasionally obstructing their view.

“Sir, I am tracking multiple contacts heading for us. Recommend bringing point defence online.” Tommy said with concern.

“Agreed.”

A series of mechanical sounds announced the activation of the dozen or so point defence turrets onboard the Tuscany. Each turret was capable of firing seventy rounds per second, making for a lethal wall of lead. The only part that had the captain worried was the open bay doors. While there was a fully armed SPARTAN team down below, he still worried for his other crew members. Still, he had a mission to complete.

Down below in the launch bay, Commander Dior and her SPARTANs were standing on the edge of the lowered ramp, weapons at the ready. The Princesses and gryphon were not more than fifty feet away on the nearby tower balcony. Dior was beckoning them to fly across to her. Princess Luna was the first to take to the sky. She began flying furiously through thick smoke as countless gryphons began to close in on either side. Her hearing was soon overwhelmed as the loud buzzing of ten Gatling cannons filled the air. Only seconds later she was caught by Commander Dior, helping her slow down and avoid crashing into the bulkhead. The SPARTAN then moved back to the ramp’s edge as she waited for the others.

Fueled by Luna’s success, Celestia and both contingent of pegasus guards lept into the air and flew quickly to the open bay. The point defence cannons were keeping a majority of the advancing gryphons at bay. Unfortunately a handful were making it through and were trying to intercept Celestia. The SPARTANs, however, were ready. The sounds of automatic rifle fire soon joined the chorus of cannon fire as more lead was flung into the air. Celestia and the guards were able to touch down with a bit more precision and grace than Luna had managed.

All that was left were the gryphon emperor and his two guards. The three shared worried looks before taking to the sky. All three flew as quickly as possible and hordes of angry fighters tried to reach the escaping emperor. All were promptly shot down by the ships cannons or the SPARTANs rifles. Even with this covering fire, the gryphon emperor flew as fast as possible to the ship. So fast in fact, that before he knew it he had already flown right over the SPARTANs and into the bay. Unfortunately, the launch bay of the Tuscany was only one hundred and twenty feet long. This did not provide ample room for the gryphon to stop in time as he barreled toward a suspended catwalk and the lone sailor standing at his console in the middle.


~~~


Petty Officer Jung was excited. He had been ordered by Commander Dior to man the launch bay door controls. She had also brought an entire SPARTAN team into the bay. He had seen both Princesses and their guards fly into the launch bay. The sounds of cannon fire heightened his adrenaline fueled state. He knew something big was coming. Jung never thought that something big would literally be coming for him in the form of an out of control gryphon. 

He audibly gulped. This was going to really suck.

> May 9th, 2559 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//May 9th, 2559
//
//23:51 Local Time

Well here I am, writing another log. Today was quite exciting, mainly with alicorns, gryphons, and modern medicine. We managed to fly across the country to rescue Celestia and Luna from a mob of angry insurrectionists in the gryphon capital. We ended up retrieving both Princess’s, a dozen pegasi guards, the gryphon emperor, and his two bodyguards. A little more than we expected. 

...
...	
...

Unfortunately I need to keep this brief. I need to head to medical to check on our patients. 

I’ll make sure to go into more detail at a later date. However, a detailed account will be available in After Action Report 5959-06-EQ.

//End Log

Captain Ryan stood at the bridge as the ship began to bank left. The sounds of the engines increased as the ship picked up speed. Daniel turned around and walked back to the table, standing across from Commander Zerom.

“Commander Dior, are we all secured in the launch bay?” The Captain asked over the radio..

“Negative sir! We have multiple casualties down here, some critical.”

“Understood. I’m on my way down. Are the bay doors secured?”

“Negative, Petty Officer Jung in down. We’re trying to get someone to close the doors.”

“Copy that.” Daniel quickly called out for the AI. “Tommy! I need you to override the bay door controls.”

“Aye sir. Sealing bay doors.”

The Captain ran down the hallway to the closest lift. “Dior, are the doors closed yet?”

“Yes sir, they just did.”

“Good. Do medics have a number of casualties?”

“Yes sir, we have thirteen casualties. Five of them are cat alphas, including Jung.”

“Alright, I’m almost there.”

The lift came to a stop and the doors opened. He ran down the hallway and eventually came to the launch bay doors. Once the doors opened, a scene of pure chaos was revealed.

Medical staff were hurriedly moving to various injured ponies, assessing injuries and giving first aid. Daniel quickly spotted the Chief Medical Officer among the chaos. He was in the process of examining a heavily injured pegasus. Celestia was standing over one of her wounded guards, while Luna was sitting on the deck breathing heavily after her short, but hard flight. 

“Doctor Tetrow, tell me you have good news?” Daniel asked.

The doctor looked up from his most recent patient as the Captain called his name. “Well, I can tell you we haven’t had any fatalities.”

“That’s good I suppose.”

“Indeed, we are getting ready to move the cat alphas to medical for emergency treatment.”

“Has the entire deck been decontaminated?”

“Yes sir. Everyone here is clean.”

“Very good.” The Captain’s attention was soon drawn to a horrible coughing noise. He turned to see Luna coughing incredibly hard as she seemed to fight for every breath. Daniel was the first one at her side. He grabbed a stethoscope from a nearby cart as he moved to aid the lunar Princess. She was still coughing and wheezing as she fought for oxygen. 

“Luna, look at me.” The Princess kept sitting with her head facing down. Daniel pressed the stethoscope against her chest, listening to her labored breathing. After a few seconds he was confident he had found the cause of her trouble. Celestia had now quickly made her way to Luna’s side. The solar Princess looked to the Captain with worry.

“Is she alright?” Celestia asked with deep concern.

Daniel just rolled his eyes. It was a very cliche question that every concerned person asked, even when there was an obvious answer.

“No, she has severe smoke inhalation and possible respiratory damage.” Luna proceeded to cough up a mix of phlegm and black specks of soot onto the Captain’s greaves. “That’s just lovely.” 

Daniel grabbed the nearest medical cart and pulled it next to him. He took a medical tag from a drawer and quickly wrote down her condition. He then took the tag and slipped it around her neck. She was classified as a category bravo; serious, but not the most serious. The Chief Medical Officer made his way around Celestia and kneeled next to the Captain.

“I can take care of her, Tetrow. Go take care of the alphas.”

“Alright, let me know if you need assistance.” The doctor then got up and went back to moving the most injured personnel.

“Alright Luna, I need you to try and take a deep breath for me.” The Captain asked calmly.

“Can’t... hurts... too much...” The Princess said between labored breaths. Her eyes were filled with a look of panic as she fought for air. The Captain looked around the room, noticing that all the alphas had already been moved.

“Alright, we need to get you to medical.” Luna only nodded, and with the help of the Captain and her sister, got to her hooves before taking a few shaky steps. It didn’t last long as her front hooves gave out from under her. Daniel and Celestia both reacted quickly and caught the falling Princess before she could hit the deck.

“I need a stretcher over here!” The Captain called out. Two medics quickly ran over with a stretcher before setting it on the ground. The two crew members then looked at the fallen Princess and then back at the stretcher.

“I don’t think she’s gonna fit, sir.” One of the men said.

“We just need to get her to medical.”

“I could just teleport us there.” Celestia said.

Daniel just shook his head. “I’d rather not. Medical is only two decks up.” He then looked to the two medics. “Ready?”

The two men sighed. “Yes sir.” The two medics with the help of the Captain and Celestia managed to get Luna onto the board. She was still coughing up black particles and mucus. It took all three men and Celestia to get Luna into the nearest lift and then onto the medical deck.

The medical deck was busy as doctors and medics moved about, tending to the wounds of various ponies and the one injured human. The four deposited Luna on the closest available bed before removing the stretcher from beneath her. She was still coughing  and her breathing was erratic and shallow.

“I need some assistance in here!” Daniel called out over his shoulder. Two nurses quickly moved to the Captain’s side and awaited his orders.

“What do we have sir?” One of the nurses asked.

“Female, alicorn, age irrelevant. Severe smoke inhalation and possible bronchial damage.” Daniel stated in a matter of fact tone. Celestia stood a few feet away as the three humans began treating her sister. Luna once again coughing loudly as her chest heaved with each convulsion. It was getting harder for her to breathe. “You,” Daniel pointed to the medic across from him, “we need to do a lung rinse. Get me a sedative and prep her for a tracheal tube.”

“Yes sir!” The young nurse quickly moved to carry out his orders.

It didn’t take long for him to return with the necessary equipment. Luna was now beginning to physically panic. She was still having trouble breathing, and was now physically struggling. Her breathing was coming faster and was still shallow, she was on the verge of hyperventilating as Daniel put an oxygen mask over the Princess’s face. She seemed to relax a bit, but was still panicked. 

“Alright, ketamine?” Daniel asked with an outstretched hand. The nurse handed a single loaded syringe to the Captain. 

“Sir,” one of the nurses asked, “will Ketamine work on her? She isn’t exactly human.”

“Yeah, it will.” Daniel then moved to Luna’s neck and readied the drug. Luna, at the sight of the syringe, began panicking even harder. Her eyes turned to pinpricks as Daniel approached her neck. She reared her head back in fear, nearly stabbing the nurse behind her. The man was able to duck, avoiding being impaled by her fourteen inch horn. 

“Hold her down!” Daniel said as he grabbed Luna by the base of her horn, preventing her from stabbing anyone. She began struggling harder as her head was held down by Daniel. Unfortunately, the Captain did not know just how strong she was. To his surprise, Luna was plenty strong enough, even in her weakened state, to pull him around as she tried to free her horn. “I need some more help in here!”

More nurses and doctors rushed to help restrain the Princess. Celestia could only watch as the medical staff did their best to restrain Luna from hurting herself or others. Daniel was finding it incredibly hard to hold on to Luna’s horn with just his arm strength. Deciding that a more direct approach was needed, the fully armored ODST jumped onto the gurney, straddling the Princess’s neck with his thighs while keeping her head in place with his knees. 

With five other people holding down the rest of Luna’s body, Daniel was finally able to slide the syringe into Luna’s jugular vein. He pulled back on the plunger to confirm he had hit his mark. As the syringe contents turned red with blood, Daniel pushed the plunger down quickly. Luna’s body suddenly went rigid as the drug quickly took effect. Seconds later she was relaxed and unconscious. Daniel waited for a moment before dismounting with a sigh of relief.   

Daniel then looked to the other staff. “Help me get her on her stomach. Then we’re going to turn the whole gurney.” Daniel set about tucking Luna’s legs close to her body as the others moved to Luna’s back. The lunar Princess did not resist as the men worked quickly. Her breaths were still shallow and she occasionally coughed.

“Can we get something to put on her horn? I don’t want it doing through anyone's face.” Daniel called out. A nearby nurse ducked into the chief medical officer’s office and came back with a green tennis ball. Daniel quickly took the ball and impaled it on the tip of Luna’s horn.

“Alright, roll her on three. One, two, three.” With the help of the nurse and Celestia’s magic, they were able to roll the Princess onto her stomach. With Luna now properly oriented, the Captain moved to her head. “Tube?” 

The closest doctor brought the tracheal tube before taking a place next to the alicorn’s face. “Ready?” The Captain asked.

“Yes sir.” Daniel then used his thumb and index finger to manually open the Princess’s mouth, allowing the other doctor to insert two tubes. Now that she wasn’t fighting the medical staff, both were quite easy to insert. One tube would supply oxygen directly to one lung while the other tube would rinse the other lung. Then the process would be reversed. The tracheal tubes had a small fiber optic cameras at the end, allowing the doctors to see into each lung. Daniel then plugged the other end of one fiber optic into the nearby monitor.

As the screen came to life, a view of Luna’s throat filled the screen. Celestia was slightly disgusted, but at the same time incredibly intrigued at what she was seeing. The tube slowly moved forward, and an inside view of one of Luna’s lungs came into view. Her lung was filled with soot and other burned material. Daniel cringed slightly, he looked over to Celestia who looked horrified. He then turned to the doctor next to him.

“Alright, let’s start the rinse.” The other doctor nodded as he plugged the other end of the tracheal tube into a canister. The doctor then pulled a small green lever on the canister valve. On the screen a clear fluid began to flow from the tube, slowly filling Luna’s lung and effectively washing away all the material inside. After a few seconds, fluid began to spill out of her mouth and onto the deck; a nearby nurse quickly moved a bucket under her head. 

Daniel was pleased to see the fluid coming from her mouth was consistently black, showing that it was indeed working. Eventually the fluid turned clear again and the camera showed no signs of contaminants. They then repeated the procedure on the other lung. After another fifteen minutes, the tracheal tube was removed and the extra fluid was cleaned up. Daniel removed his latex gloves and walked over to Celestia to give her an update. 

“Well, that should do it. She’ll be able to breath normally again.”

Celestia sighed and bowed her head. “Thank you Daniel. Thank you for... everything you are doing.”

Daniel placed a hand on the Princess’s shoulder. “Hey, you helped me with my problem a few nights ago. It’s only fair I return the favor.” He said with a chuckle. Celestia lifted her head and laughed as well.

“I suppose that’s true. So, when will she wake up?” Celestia said, motioning toward Luna.

“I’ll give her something to take the edge off. She should be conscious again in about fifteen to twenty minutes. Just to let you know, she is going to feel horrible when she wakes up. There was a lot of adrenaline going through her. The thing about Ketamine is that it reacts very badly to adrenaline.”

Celestia once again looked worried. “What kind of reaction?”

“Well, she’s probably going to spend a lot of time puking into a trashcan.”

“I’m just glad that she’s okay.” Celestia said with a yawn.

“Hey, why don’t you go get some sleep. We’ll be in Canterlot in a few hours.”

“You’re flying straight into Canterlot?” Celestia asked with surprise.

“Yeah. We’ll come in under stealth as to not scare everyone. They’ll only be able to hear us.”

“I see.”

“No you won’t.” Daniel said with a cheesy grin.

Celestia facehoofed with a sigh and a smile. “Well then, you should be able to land in the gardens behind the castle. I’ll send Twilight a letter to inform her of what’s happening.”

“Alright.” Daniel motioned for one of the marines at the door to approach. “Lance Corporal, I want you to show the Princess where the crew lounge is.”

“Yes sir.” The marine said with a salute. Celestia and her guide then silently made their way off the medical deck.

Daniel then turned his attention back to the unconscious Luna. With the help of another person they were able to wheel the gurney into one of the empty recovery rooms. The door to the room automatically slid shut as the group moved in. As the other doctor locked the gurney wheels, Daniel pulled out a small syringe of yellow liquid. With one swift movement, he slid the small needle into Luna’s neck before pushing the plunger down.

“Alright then. Give her fifteen minutes then notify me.”

“Aye sir.” The doctor replied.

~~~ 

The first thing Luna could sense was that she lying on her side. She then opened her eyes and noticed was the room was quite dim. She was unsure of where she was, but could hear voices and movement just on the other side of the door. Daniel then walked in through the door, silently closing it behind him. 

“Hey there sunshine. How ya feelin?” Daniel asked quietly. He pulled a chair and trashcan over and sat next to her bed. Luna just rolled her eyes at his greeting. Just as she was about to answer, her eyes went wide and she audibly gulped. Daniel gently grabbed ahold her mane and pulled it away from her mouth. She then quickly moved her head to the side of the bed and vomited into the trashcan. 

She continued to vomit for a few minutes before finally stopping.

“Yeah, about what I expected.” Daniel said calmly as he used a nearby washcloth to wipe her muzzle.

“Thanks...” she said weakly. “So, what happened?”

“Well, we got you to the infirmary when you started having respiratory trouble. However, you kinda started to panic once we tried to sedate you.”

“Really? I don’t remember any of that.”

“I’m not surprised. You were really worked up. Took four doctors and an ODST to hold you down. Nearly killed a guy with that sword on your forehead.”

Luna then looked up at her horn and noticed a green ball on the end. “What is that...?”

“That,” Daniel reached over and pulled off the green ball, “is a tennis ball. I put it there so you couldn’t spear someone by accident.”

Luna chuckled. “Ah, makes sense.” She then vomited again into the trashcan. “How long is this going to last?”

“Well, considering how much adrenaline you had in your blood when we sedated you... I would say about a day. Ketamine doesn’t react well with adrenaline. It leaves you feeling really sick.”

“All this because I freaked out?” 

“Yup. Sucks doesn’t it.”

Luna then threw up again. “I’ll say.” Daniel wiped her muzzle clean. “Is Tia okay?”

“Yeah, she’s fine. She’s sleeping in the crew lounge.”

“Was anyone else hurt?”

Daniel paused for a moment. “Yeah, a few of your guards were really banged up. They’re in surgery right now. I know for sure that one of them had to have a leg amputated.”

Luna began to tear up at this. “Did... did anypony die?”

“No. Everyone survived. Three are in critical condition though. Two of your guards and one sailor.”

“One of your crew was hurt?”

“Yeah, the gryphon emperor flew into him going very fast. It knocked him off the catwalk and onto the deck, forty feet below.”

“But... he survived...”

“Yeah, both did. Though the Petty Officer suffered a broken back, multiple broken ribs, two broken legs, collapsed lung, and a number of other injuries.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Luna, you have nothing to be sorry for. It was an accident, a terrible accident but an accident nonetheless.”

A small stream of tears was flowing from her eyes. “I know... but it’s still horrible...”

“I know Luna. And thankfully we can do something to fix this mess.” Daniel gently patted Luna’s neck before standing up with the trash can in hand. “I’m just going to step out for a minute and grab another can.”

“Alright, I’m...” Luna yawned wide, “I’m going to sleep... really... tired.” Her eyes closed as she finished the sentence. Daniel pulled a blanket over her sleeping form before quietly stepping out of her room.

~~~

Captain Ryan stood on the bridge with both Commanders, all looking at the holographic display table. They were only twenty minutes away from Canterlot, the lights of which were visible against the night sky.

“Alright Tommy, make sure optical cloak is online. I don’t care if they hear us, just so long as they don’t see us.”

“Aye sir. Optical cloak is online.”

“Dior, are all your boys okay after our little scuffle?”

“Yeah, they’re fine. How are our guests on the medical deck?”

“They’re doing well. One pegasus lost a leg, the other is still in surgery.”

“And Jung?”

“He’s also still in surgery. Doctor Tetrow is recommending we medevac him to Reach for proper medical care.”

“Don’t we have a full surgical suite?”

“Yeah, but he’s going to need specialized treatment.”

“Damn.”

“Yup. Kid has a long way to go.”

There was a pause at the table.

“How’s Princess Celestia taking all this?” Zerom asked.

“Quite well. She’s a bit stressed and a bit anxious, but still sane.”

“And Luna?”

“Asleep. I had a little talk with her when she woke up briefly. Her breathing sounds good, now she just needs to sleep off the sedative.”

“That’s good to hear. How’s the emperor?”

“Sedated with a fractured skull.”

“Any good news?”

Daniel laughed. “No one died. Does that count?”

“I suppose it does.” Zerom said, still looking at the holographic display.

“Tommy, how long until touchdown?” The Captain asked.

“Fifteen minutes at our current rate.”

“Mr. Vezina, bring us to ahead half.”

“You got it Cap’n!” The helmsman said happily.

“At our new velocity, we will arrive in thirty seven minutes.” Tommy reported as their speed decreased.

“Alright Tommy. When we get to five miles out, go to ahead slow. Keep the engine noise as low as possible.”

“Aye sir.” Both the AI and helmsman responded in unison.

Daniel could see the lights of the city growing in the distance. He then turned and walked off the bridge and began heading to the crew lounge. Upon arrival he noticed there were seven pegasus guards sitting at a table without their armor. Four of them were bandaged on various areas of their bodies. The Captain then spotted Celestia’s multi-hue tail flowing off the edge of a couch. 

To Daniel’s surprise, Andrew was sitting across from Celestia with a sketchbook and pencil. He would occasionally glance at the sleeping Princess before making adjustments to his sketchbook. Daniel, perplexed by this, moved next to Andrew to get a better look at his work. He was absolutely stunned by what he saw.

“Uh, Andrew?”

“Hm?” Andrew looked up from his drawing, meeting the Captain’s gaze.

“What is that?”

“This? Just an idea I had.” Andrew couldn’t keep a wide grin off his face. He was clearly excited about his latest idea.

“Are you seriously thinking about building that?”

“Maybe. I mean look at this, tell me this wouldn’t look fucking amazing.” Andrew then turned the sketchbook so Daniel could see every detail.

It was a drawing of Princess Celestia in a full set of MJOLNIR Mark VII armor. An M6 G/GNR laser was levitating next to her as she appeared to be charging the weapon at some unseen enemy. Andrew just smiled, much like a small child on Christmas morning.

“That’s... wow... that’s terrifying.” Daniel stammered as he tried to process what the engineer had designed. 

“Well, it would take a long time to make. I would need pinpoint measurements to even begin. It’s more of just an idea.”

“Yeah, an insane one.”

“Are you saying my other ideas are any less insane?”

Daniel thought for a moment. “Nope.”

“Good, thought I might be losing my touch.”

“If you were to have this made, do you really think you could get Misriah Armory to build it?”

Andrew laughed. “As if they have a choice. I own them.”

“You what...?”

“I bought them out a year and a half ago. Just after New Phoenix.” 

“And how the hell did you manage that?”

“Well, the president of Misriah Armory was in New Phoenix at the time, and...well... ya know. Anyway, their board of directors got together and eventually asked me if I would be willing to buy the company for two hundred and fifty billion	credits”

“Damn, so you now own the Misriah Armory and all it’s property?”

“Yup, including the contracts to build the new Mark VII armor.”

“Holy shit, so you really could have armor made for ponies?”

“It would seem so.”

“Wow...”

Daniel then turned his attention back to a sleeping Celestia. He slowly made his way to the sleeping solar Princess. He then gently shook her shoulder in an effort to wake the sleeping alicorn.

Celestia’s head jolted up at the sudden disturbance. “Oh, Daniel. I must have fallen asleep.”

“You’ve been asleep for about two hours. You seemed like you really needed the nap.”

Celestia chuckled. “No argument there.”

“I just wanted to update you that Luna is doing fine and we are getting close to Canterlot. Should be there in about thirty minutes or so.”

“Oh, wonderful. And what about my other guards? The ones who were more seriously injured.”

“One had to have a front leg amputated. The other one’s status is unknown. Last I heard he was still in surgery.”

The other guards at the nearby table turned to the nearby human. One of the pegasi with a bandage over his eye spoke up. 

“Excuse me sir, but do you know who it was?”

“I believe his name was Storm Shroud.” The guards face dropped as his ears went flat against his head.

“Is he okay though?”

“He’s still in critical condition, but he is stable. Some of the best medical staff in the fleet are looking after him.”

“Oh, that’s good...”

“How’s your eye, trooper?”

“Oh, uh... docs said I still might lose it. Said something about the cornea and nerves being damaged.”

“Sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Celestia felt a pang of sadness as she listened to the guard. They had been hurt trying to protect her and Luna. While they all knew the risks associated with their jobs, it was still hard for her. They were all special in her eyes. Each one had a family, friends, loved ones, and a life. She saw them more like her own children than her protectors.

The injures among the guard varied from broken bones, burns, and amputated limbs. Some had been lucky enough to escape without a scratch. Others hadn’t been as fortunate. Daniel looked to Celestia and saw regret. She seemed to regret not being able to personally fix each of her ponies. They had lost pieces of themselves and she couldn’t do anything about it except offer them support in the future.

Daniel, however, did have an idea. And it was just a phone call away. He said goodbye to Celestia and quickly made his way to his quarters. Once inside he opened his computer and began looking for a name and a number. After a quick search, he found the name he wanted; Michael Optikanner. 

Michael was a long time friend of his, as well as the CEO of a medical supply company. He was essentially the Traxus of the medical world; even Andrew agreed with that analogy. Daniel pressed the call button, and waited.

Seconds passed as the screen lit up, showing Michael sitting at his desk with a labcoat across his chair. Michael was a bit older than Daniel at the age of fifty one. However, he looked like he was in his mid thirties. He spoke with a thick German accent and always wore a bow tie.

“Well, if it isn’t Captain Daniel Ryan. How have you been my friend?”

“I’ve been better.”

“I can tell. You look exhausted. Are those ponies giving you a hard time?”

Daniel’s face paled and he looked at Michael in dumbfound confusion. “H-how the hell do you know about that?”

Michael heartily laughed. “I had dinner with Kyle Burr last night. He told me all about your little adventure.”

“Oh... well do you know if he read my recent report?”

“The one you sent yesterday?”

“Yes.”

“He has. We spoke about it at great length. He also told me about the friendship reports you are having to send.” 

“Yeah, I’m going to need to do that tomorrow.”

“So then, I take it you are calling for a specific reason. Tell me, has something developed?”

Daniel then took the time to explain the rescue mission and the resulting injuries.

“I’m sorry to hear that. You said that there were no allied fatalities?”

“No, we dodged a bullet there.”

“Hmmm. Perhaps there is something we could do.”

‘Like what?”

“I might be able to provide some of the more advanced pieces of technology. Things like prosthetic limbs and specialized treatments.”

“You can?”

“I can.”

“Can you fix eyes?”

Michael thought for a moment. “Well, what I am about to say is a company secret. Got it? 

“Of course. What is it?”

“There is a prototype ocular replacement, designed to replace a lost eye. Be it from injury or disease.”

“I’m listening.”

“Well, there have been setbacks. Mainly in getting the technology small enough for humans. However, these ponies of yours have larger eyes than humans. Building an ocular replacement for their size would allow us to practice shrinking the technology while still refining and improving it.”

“I’m not sure I am comfortable with using them as test subjects. Does the implant work?”

“Yes. The only issue is making it work in a smaller unit.”

“So what you really want is to practice the procedure?”

“Precisely. We know the implant works, the only issue is that we can’t see how well it works. These ponies could be the perfect candidates to help us achieve that goal.”

“Okay, you have me interested. How much would this cost them?”

“Cost them? Nein my friend, this would cost them nothing. It is still considered experimental technology. We would give them the eye free of charge, all we ask is that they give us feedback. We’ll even make any future adjustments for free.”

“If you can clear this with the Director, I can try to clear it with the Princess. Although, I’m sure she would want to talk to you in person for this.”

“A Princess would want to talk to me? How could I possibly say no.”

“Good answer.” Daniel said with a chuckle.

“Well then, I have another call to make now. Say ‘hi’ to Andrew for me.”

“If I can get him out of the engine room I will. Did you know he set up a hammock between two reactor coolant pipes?”

“Are you honestly surprised?”

“...No.”

Michael laughed. “Well then don’t worry. He’s having fun and the ship is still flying.”

“Yeah. I’ll talk at you later Michael.”

“You too Daniel. Stay safe.”

With that, the screen went dark. However, Tommy quickly appeared on the desk corner.

“Sir, we are five minutes out and are preparing to land.”

“Great, I’ll be right up.”

The city of Canterlot came into view as Captain Ryan took his seat on the bridge. It was late at night, so very few ponies were out. The roar of the engines had been reduced to a light hum as the ship moved ever so slowly over the cityscape below. 

For the first time in history, humanity was going to land a warship in an alien capital. Soon the castle gardens came into view. The sounds of the landing gear extending could be heard through all seven decks before making a loud clang, signaling they were locked in place and ready to take the ships weight.

“Sir, we are directly above our target landing zone.”

“Thanks Tommy, Vezina, bring us in nice and slow.”

“On it Captain.” Slowly the ship descended toward the ground, kicking up a small windstorm underneath the massive engines.

“Fifty feet.” The AI announced.

A second passed. “Forty feet.”

Another. “Twenty feet.”

Then finally, the ship gave a slight bounce as it made contact with the ground. The shocks in the landing gear compensating and dampening the impact. 

Daniel looked at the castle through the bridge window. “Touchdown.” 
 




> May 10th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//May 10th, 2559
//
//21:44 Local Time

Well, it's been almost a week and we’re still alive . Hell, it only took a few days for us to get involved in an armed conflict. Technically what we did was an act of war. However, seeing as though the gryphon government has all but collapsed I am not worried about a formal declaration of war. Even still, I’ll be talking to Celestia about the possible diplomatic fallout that could come from us opening fire on and killing foreign citizens. It’s an issue I will tackle later.

In other news, Princess Luna is recovering nicely. We kept her overnight in a recovery suite and will probably recommend she stay one more night just so we can keep her under medical observation. 

Also, Andrew had this crazy idea for SPARTAN armor for ponies. While it sounds and looks incredible, there would be numerous logistical issues for it to actually happen. First being that we are dealing with a tier four civilization. Then there’s the issue that the MJOLNIR armor is  highly classified by ONI and the UNSC as a whole. Even if Andrew wanted to make the armor, he would need approval from ONI and I seriously don’t think that will happen any time soon. Although, I will say it was a really cool drawing. 

Another thing I feel like addressing; the use of nuclear weapons. When we went into the gryphon empire I had given the order to arm two three hundred megaton nuclear weapons. I had gotten concerned looks from some of my crew. However, I had no intention of using them. It is standard operating procedure to have at least two nuclear weapons armed during any conflict. If I was to use a nuclear weapon here, it would be a Fury Tactical Nuke. They have almost no radioactive fallout and only a fifteen kiloton payload. 

Anyway, it’s late and I should get to bed, seeing as I have a friendship report to give tomorrow.

//End Log

It was almost midnight in Canterlot. The Tuscany had just landed in the castle gardens. Princess Twilight was waiting with a handful of guards as the ship decloaked and touched down. The guards next to Twilight were visibly shaken as the five hundred foot starship landed just a hundred feet away. There was quite a bit of wind coming from the ship’s engines as the landing gear touched down. 

Daniel was watching the landing from his station on the bridge. The prowler had managed to slip into Canterlot without raising too much suspicion or alarm. The Captain turned and walked to the display table. There was a perfect holographic display of the exterior of Canterlot Castle being projected. Daniel then grabbed his radio and called down to medical.

“Doctor Tetrow, this is the Captain.”

“Go ahead Captain.” Tetrow responded over the radio.

“We just landed and are ready to offload our guests.”

“Aye sir. I still have multiple ponies down here who have not been cleared.”

“How many?”

“Four still critical, and one under observation.”

“Alright. Keep working on them. Update me when their conditions change.”

“Of course Captain.” Daniel then returned his radio to it’s spot on his breastplate.

Captain Ryan then walked down to the launch bay in time to see the main ramp lower. Celestia was standing in the bay with the same seven guards from the lounge. With them was the gryphon emperor and his two bodyguards. The emperor had half his head bandaged while both his guards were mostly unharmed. The medical staff had tried to keep the large gryphon for further treatment but eventually let him go after making sure he wouldn’t suffer further injury. Captain Ryan had been the one to authorize the emperor’s release. 

Princess Celestia smiled warmly as Captain Ryan approached.

“Hello Captain. Again, thank you for all your help.”

“It has been my pleasure.” Daniel said with a smile. 

“I know I already asked a thousand times, but is my sister still alright?”

“She’s fine. She’s asleep in a recovery suite as we speak.”

“So she will be able to leave tomorrow?”

“Yes, however, I would like to hold her for one extra day to make sure she is fully recovered. Just a medical recommendation.”

Celestia looked at Daniel with an inquisitive look. “You seem to be well versed in medicine. Are all UNSC officers like this?”

Daniel laughed slightly “No, I was a combat medic during my years as an ODST. I could easily finish a medical degree if I wanted to become a full time physician.”

“Well, I’m glad we had your skill earlier today, both as a leader and a doctor.”

“If I said I enjoyed today, would you be offended?”

“No, and I will admit, today has been... intense. I am just thankful that it turned out as well as it has.”

“Anyway, back to Luna. Is it alright if I keep her for another day for medical observation?”

“I have no objections, though you may want to ask her.”

“I will when she wakes up. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t overstepping my bounds.”

Celestia smiled. “I thank you for keeping that in mind.”

“Of course. Well, I won’t keep you any longer. I’m sure you and your guards are eager to get some rest.”

“I am. Thank you again Captain. We will speak again tomorrow.”

Celestia then turned and walked down the ramp with her guards behind her. The emperor then approached the Captain.

“Ah, you must be Captain Ryan! I am Emperor Coalfeather, Princess Celestia told me you were the one who made our escape possible.”

“That I am. A pleasure to meet you, your Highness. Sorry about the circumstances that preceded the rescue.”

“Nonsense. That was an impressive display of force. Celestia should be proud to have found such strong allies. I have to ask, I have never seen your kind before. Where are you from? Celestia told me, but I want to hear it from you too. Not that I don’t trust her, it’s just that I wanted to hear it from you.”

“I understand. Well, I can say that we are, in fact, from a different planet.”

“Incredible. And where is this planet?”

“That’s highly classified. Sorry.”

“I see. Also, thank you for seeing to my wounds. Is the one that I ran into okay?”

“He will be.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Now if you'll excuse me, Princess Celestia has offered me a place to stay in the castle.”

“Then I expect we will have the opportunity to talk again soon.”

“Indeed. Have a good evening, Captain.”

“And to you, your Highness.”

The Emperor bowed slightly and followed Celestia down the ramp. Daniel breathed a sigh of relief as the massive avian predator and his comrades walked off the ship. Tommy materialized on the nearby display pad.

“So how’d it go, sir?”

“Better than I expected. He was quite appreciative for our help and even said he enjoyed our display of force.”

“It would make sense. Gryphons have high respect for those who display strength that can rival their own.”

“Reading up on those books?”

“Yes sir. One of us needs to be well versed on this world.” The AI said with a grin.

“Wow, did Andrew have a smart ass algorithm added to your programing?” 

“I’m not at liberty to say. Sorry sir.”

“Uh huh. I’ll find out one way or another. I’ll be damned if a computer gets the better of me.”

“I believe I have heard you say that there is a first time for everything, sir.”

“Why you cheeky little... Well then you also know that I make a point to not trust any computer that I can’t throw out a window.”

“Seeing as my AI core weighs a couple tons and is integrated into the ship, I feel I am quite safe.”

“Oh ho ho. I wouldn’t need to remove your core, just your program chip. Ya know, that little chip that stores all your algorithms and personality traits.”

The AI visibly shuddered. “Y-you wouldn’t...”

“Wouldn’t I?” Daniel said with a shit eating grin. Tommy quickly disappeared from the pad.
“Human, one. Computer, zero.”


~~~


Luna awoke to dim sunlight coming into her room. As she opened her eyes she noticed that her room had changed. Instead of the recovery room she had woken up in last time, this room looked more normal. There was only one piece of medical equipment in the room next to her bed. Looking at the strange machine, she was eventually able to figure out that it was a heart monitor, similar to those found in Equestrian hospitals. Looking around she noticed a pad of paper on the nightstand next to her bed. Using her magic, she picked up the pad and brought it up to read.

	Luna,

Sorry if my writing is poor. While we can make machines to help us speak your language, writing it actually requires some knowledge. 

Anyway, you have no doubt noticed your change in scenery. I felt you would be more comfortable waking up in an actual bedroom, rather than a hospital room; I know I would. We arrived in Canterlot late last night. Your sister and Emperor Coalfeather are in the castle. When you are feeling up to it, give me a call on the intercom. Just press the yellow button on the lamp next to this pad. Tommy will put you in contact with me.

Hope you slept well.

-Daniel

Luna set the pad on the bed and looked at the lamp. Sure enough, there was the yellow button Daniel had mentioned. Before pressing it, she decided to check out the rest of the room from her bed. Across from her on the wall was what looked like a television, though this one was incredibly flat and seemed to be built into the wall. Next to that was a dark grey metal desk and a black chair. To her immediate right was a door, she was unsure of where it went. There was a second door that looked to be thicker and heavier, farther across the room. She assumed this was the main door to get in the room.

With nothing better to do, she pressed the yellow call button with a hoof. A holographic image of Tommy soon appeared on the nightstand.

“Good morning Princess. How may I help you?”

“Oh, uh... Daniel left me a note to call him.”

“One moment.” Tommy stood still while he contacted Daniel. Soon the Captain’s voice came over the speaker.

“Hey Luna, glad you’re awake. I’ll be over to check on you in a few minutes, okay?”

“No hurry. I just read your note.”

“Oh good, so I don’t suck at your language.”

“Not at all, you managed to write it just fine.”

“Sweet. I’ll see you in a sec.”

“Alright.” There was a click as the transmission ended. Tommy then spoke up again.

“Is there anything else I can assist you with, your Highness?”

“Actually yes, is Daniel’s room nearby?”

“Yes, he is five doors to the left of here.”

“I think I’ll go to him. The walk will feel good after being in bed for a day. Thank you Tommy.”

Tommy nodded once as his display turned off.


~~~


Daniel and Zerom were sitting in the Captain’s room when Tommy interrupted and connected Luna to their comm. Daniel told Luna he would be there in a few minutes before disconnecting. He then turned back to Zerom.

The two of them were discussing the various possibilities of advanced diplomatic relations with Equestria and it’s neighbors. Even the possibility of colonization was thrown around. While both men knew it wouldn’t happen for many years to come, the idea was interesting to say the least; despite how far fetched it was. The two continued to talk about how an exchange of technology could benefit or harm either civilization. Both men were interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Enter.” He commanded.

The door slowly slid open as Luna poked her head into the room, she had heard their conversation and was not sure if she should have interrupted them.

“I’m sorry... if you two are busy I can come back later.” Luna said sheepishly.

“No, no, it’s fine. I think we are done for now.” Zerom said. 

“Alright, Zerom. I’ll talk to you after I call the Director.”

Commander Zerom nodded as he slipped past Luna and down the hallway toward the gym.

“Is everything okay?” Luna asked with concern.

“Not exactly. But it’s nothing you need to worry about.” 

“Okay then.”

“How are you feeling? I can see you’re up and walking, so thats a good sign.”

“I’m doing better than yesterday.”

“Good.” Daniel paused for a moment. “I’m curious, what will Celestia do about the other national leaders in regards to our arrival?”

Luna pondered the question for a moment. “Well, she will of course inform them all of your existence and will likely convene a meeting with them. That way it doesn’t look like we are trying to hide the discovery of the millennium.”

“So she'll want me to meet each of these leaders?”

“Probably.”

“Okay, how many are we talking about?”

“Not that many. The gryphons are already here, then there are the dragons, the zebras, I guess you could count the diamond dogs as long as you don’t expect them to show up, the crystal ponies, and the deer.”

Daniel just stared blankly. “I’m so fucked aren’t I?”

“Not at all! You’ve already met Emperor Coalfeather.”

“Yeah, he seemed to like me.”

“Then you are off to a great start. The dragons are... well they will be difficult, but not impossible. They respect only the strongest and brightest.”

“So they would want a show of extreme force, backed up by a quick wit?”

“Pretty much. The zebras will be naturally suspicious of you. They will just take time to get to know you.”

“Sounds simple enough. What else?”

“The diamond dogs are... well, just ignore them. They are a nomadic race with no real defined nation or government.”

“Got it. Next?”

“The crystal ponies. Since you already know me and Celestia, Cadance and Shining Armor won’t be too difficult to win over.”

“So are they related to you in some way?”

“Cadance is mine and Celestia’s niece.”

“Huh, good to know. So that just leaves the deer?”

“Yes. You’ll like them. They value technology over everything else. They have no magical ability, so they supplement this by building wondrous pieces of technology.”

“Sounds like a people after my own heart.”

“Indeed, last I heard they were finishing a prototype flying machine.”

Daniel’s eyes went wide. “So they are attempting flight?”

“Oh no, they have had aircraft for years. My sister and I have been funding a joint project to create a machine capable of high altitude flight.”

“How high are we talking?”

“I think they said it would be able to reach twenty miles.”

Daniel’s jaw nearly hit the deck. “So... an orbital vehicle...”

“I believe so.”

“That... that could change a lot...”

“Really?”

“Question, have either of your nations split the atom?”

“We are still trying.”

“But you figured out the physics behind it?”

“Our scientists say it is possible, plus the deer have already done it.”

“Then my initial assessment of your world was wrong.”

“How so?”

“Well, I initially categorized you as a tier five; industrialized. It would seem as though you are actually a tier four; atomic.”

“And that makes a difference?”

“A huge one. Protocol is different. What else do you know about the deer and their space program?”

“Very little. I did hear a rumor from Celestia that they were going to try and launch some kind of object into space soon.”

“Any idea what it could be?”

“No, sorry.”

“Wow. You might have a tier three civilization as a neighbor... I really hope you do.”

“Well, I bet you’ll have the chance to ask them about it soon enough.”

“I hope so.” Daniel reclined in his chair and stared at the ceiling for a moment before looking back to Luna. “Now then, lets talk about you. Since you are up and walking I think it is safe to release you. Just don’t do anything to extraneous or physically demanding for about a week. Give your lungs time to fully recover.”

“Alright. What about the guards who are still here?”

“We are keeping them under observation for a while. Two of them are still unconscious.”

“But they are all doing okay?”

“Yes. No one died and no one is going to die.”

“That's a relief.”

Daniel looked to the Princess for a moment. “Luna, I have to ask. We have only been here for a week, and yet you have been showing us nothing but kindness and understanding, much like an old friend. Why?”

Luna was caught off guard by this question, but quickly recovered. “Well, it has to do with how you treated our ponies when you first arrived. The incident with Rainbow Dash and later that meeting with Twilight. You showed them kindness and compassion when you had no obligation to do so. You did it regardless of what others thought. Even with the violence and destruction you talked about, you still took the time and the risk to help somepony you knew nothing about.”

“Well, we did kinda hit her.” Daniel said with a nervous chuckle.

“Still, you then stayed and made sure she was okay.”

“So it’s along the line of ‘One good deed deserves another’?”

“Yes, that is an excellent way to put it.” Luna said with a happy nod.

“Can I tell you just how rare it is to find an individual who lives by that? Let alone an entire nation!?”

“Is it really that rare where you come from?”

“Sadly.”

“Then why did you show such an attitude?”

“I was desperate and didn’t want to spark another intergalactic war.”

“And do you feel that you have avoided that?”

“I feel pretty good that we aren’t going to start shooting each other.” Daniel said with a laugh. Luna couldn’t help but laugh as well.

“Well Daniel, I think I’ll head back to the castle and let my sister know that everything is okay.”

“Cool, I might stop by later.”

“Feel free to come by for dinner.”

“I might do just that. Also, if you were wondering you can get off the ship through the launch bay. Just take the lift to the lowest deck and then follow the makings on the bulkhead.”

“Thanks, I’ll see you later Daniel.”

Luna then got up and walked down the hall toward the lift. Daniel sat in silence as he turned back to his computer. Director Burr was expecting a report that night on his progress. Deciding not to wait, Daniel began dialing ONI.

“Office of Naval Intelligence, how may I help you?”

“Captain Daniel Ryan calling for Director Burr. Authorization sierra-zulu-tango seven seven nine.”

“Transferring you now.”

There was silence as the line transferred. Soon the face of the Director popped up on Daniel’s screen.

“Hello Captain, you’re early.”

“Yeah, figured I might as well make my report while everything is still fresh.”

“Alright, I received your written report already on yesterday’s events. All hands are doing okay?”

“Yes Director. One sailor will need a medevac though.”

“Hmmm, Petty Officer Jung if I am not mistaken.”

“Yes sir.”

“Very well, call Captain Davaston and have your man transferred to the Grafton before she leaves.”

“Will do.”

“Now, you mentioned that the Princesses are open to further diplomatic relations?”

“Yes sir. Also, my initial assessment of their civilization was wrong.”

“Oh? How so?”

“I had classified them as a tier five.”

“Yes?”

“In reality they are a tier four.”

“They have split the atom?”

“Just about. They have proved it is possible. There is also a neighboring ally nation that is rumored to be building an orbital vehicle.”

The Director’s face took a look of surprise. “So there is a space capable civilization?”

“Possibly. The reports are unconfirmed.”

“Confirm those reports, Captain. That could be a game changer.”

“I understand, sir. I believe Princess Celestia intends for me to meet with the other national leaders of this world.”

“How many nations?”

“Five. One of which is a possible nuclear superpower.”

“What are the races we will be dealing with?”

“Two sets of ponies, zebras, gryphons, and deer.”

“Deer?”

“Yes sir, deer. They are the ones with the spacecraft.”

“Interesting.” The Director rubbed his chin stubble in thought. “Now Daniel, ONI is preparing to release a statement about your discovery and the progress made. I want you to continue building relations with the Equestrians as well as any of the other races, especially the deer. Understood?”

“Yes Director. Rumor also has it that Celestia is going to reveal us to her nation.”

“That would be a good opportunity for you to show them the best of humanity on a national scale.”

“Win the hearts and minds of the people.” Daniel finished for him.

“Precisely.”

“When will your  announcement be made?”

“Next Monday, so I would very much like to confirm the presence of a space faring race on that world.”

“I’ll do what I can.”

“Good. Well it was a pleasure hearing from you again.”

“I’ll report back later when I have more, sir.”

“Very good. Goodbye Captain.”

The screen then went dark as the connection terminated. Daniel felt relieved that his report had been well received. All that was left was to confirm the existence of a spacecraft. Daniel sighed as he reclined in his chair. On one hand everything seemed to be going smoothly, the Princesses liked him and wanted to introduce him to the other national leaders. On the other hand, there was not a concrete long term plan. 


~~~


Andrew was happily laying in the hammock he had set up in the engine room. While most people would question the sanity of a man who slept suspended between two coolant pipes, no one dared question Andrew. With the engines repaired and no damage to the ship, he really had little to do. He knew the Prowler inside and out, so exploring the ship was out of the question. Then it hit him; there was a whole new world outside. A world of technology that he might not have ever seen. Deciding to capitalize on this opportunity, Andrew rolled out of his hammock and onto the deck. 

He picked up his jacket, sunglasses, and radio before leaving engineering. He was only wearing a pair of grey cargo pants, black work boots, a simple black T-shirt, and a sweatshirt from his favorite band of the twentieth century, Dream Theater. He happily hummed the chorus from one of their songs as he disembarked the ship. Across the courtyard were a pair of Royal Guards standing on either side of the castle entrance. He gave a shrug as he approached the doors.

“Excuse me sir,” one of the guards said as he approached, “before you may enter, the Princesses have requested that you remain in the common areas of the castle. These places include the dining hall, main foyer, and throne room when court is not in session.”

“Oh, that’s cool. I’ll be sure not to wander.”

“Thank you for your cooperation.” The guard said as the doors swung open. 

Andrew removed his sunglasses as he entered the massive dining hall. There was a table that looked like it could easily seat a hundred or more. He continued through the massive room, still humming a tune. At the end of the hall was another set of large double doors with a pair of guards, one on either side of the door. He nodded to them as they opened the door to the throne room.

Inside the throne room were a handful of guards scattered at various doorways or patrolling. Neither Celestia or Luna were at the throne, leaving it empty. There was one thing that caught Andrew’s eye. Three guards were standing near a door, all looking at something on the floor. He quietly moved up behind the three guards until he could clearly hear what was being said and see what they were looking at.

The three guards were circled around a small wood box that someone had left next to a door.

“Any idea what’s in it?” The guard on the far left asked.

“No, but let’s not touch it until Captain Silverlight gets here.” The guard on the right said.

“Let’s just open the lid real quick, that way we can tell the Captain what it is when he gets here.” The one in the middle said to his two partners.

“I guess that makes sense. It doesn’t look locked. Alright, Grace Note, go ahead and open the lid.”

The unicorn in the middle nodded as his horn lit up and the lid on the box slowly lifted up. None of the guards knew what they were looking at. Inside was a black cylinder with a single cord coming out of one end. All around the metal cylinder were wrapped bundles of unknown objects.

Andrew peered over the guards until he could clearly see the mystery object. His eyes went wide with fear as he realized what he was looking at.

“Uh... guys,” all three guards spun around quickly as the human spoke up, “that... that’s a bomb.” The guards looked at the human and then back to the box.

“How do you know that?” The unicorn in the middle asked.

“Because I know what an IED looks like. When did you find this?”

“Uh, like five minutes ago.”

“Okay, no one touch it. Call your superiors and tell them we have a bomb in the throne room.”

“Look, I don’t take orders from you.” The unicorn said with slight contempt.

“Hey, if you wanna deal with a bomb without my help, then go right ahead.”

The pegasus on the left then cut in. “Woah there Grace Note, clearly this guy knows what he’s doing. Let him help, okay?”

Grace Note grumbled. “Fine.”

Andrew then pulled his radio from his pocket. “Captain Ryan, we have a bomb in the throne room. Repeat, bomb in the throne room.”

Daniel’s voice came over the radio. “Say again? I thought you said there was a bomb in the castle.”

“I did. We have an IED in the throne room.”

“Fuck... stand by, I’m sending EOD.”

“Please hurry, I don’t feel like getting blown up.”

Andrew then turned his attention back to the bomb. He pushed past the three guards and began closely inspecting the device. He began to follow the cord in the end of the device as it led toward the nearby door. He crawled on his knees as the cord slipped under the runner rug just outside the door. Andrew didn’t hear the voices on the other side of the door grow louder until the door opened. Still in her conversation with Luna and Emperor Coalfeather, Celestia took a single step out of the room and onto the runner rug. There was a quiet ‘click’ as her hoof pressed down on the rug. Just as Celestia was about to take another step off the rug, Andrew threw himself forward and grabbed her leg, preventing her from lifting it up.

“Don’t. Move. A muscle.” Andrew said with panic in his voice, still clinging to Celestia’s leg.

Luna then spoke up. “What is the meaning of this?! What’s going on!?” 

“Princess, you have just stepped on a pressure pad for the bomb next to this door. If you lift your hoof, we all die.” Andrew said with a frightening amount of calm.

Celestia looked to the small box next to the door and the three guards next to it. She took a deep breath as she tried to calm her nerves. “Okay, what do you want me to do?”

“Wait for EOD. Daniel is coming with a team as we speak.”

Soon the sound of heavy boots on marble filled the throne room. The doors leading to the dining room quickly opened as three fully armored ODST’s and two SPARTAN’s ran in. Captain Ryan was the first through the door.

“Talk to me Andrew. Where’s this bomb?”

Andrew, still wrapped around the Princess’s leg, used a free hand to point to the box. “Right there.”

Daniel nodded. “Trent, get to it.”

A SPARTAN in EOD armor nodded as he jogged to inspect the bomb. The three guards gave the massive human plenty of space to work.

“The rest of you, I want this whole room secured and swept for additional devices.” The Captain ordered.

“Aye sir.” The other four responded before moving out. After a few minutes, Captain Silverlight entered the room with a full contingent of guards. Silverlight was not in a good mood, and it was obvious from his facial expression. He looked at the four humans moving about the throne room in a very meticulous method. 

“What in Tartatus is going on here?!”

Daniel moved to intercept the irate Guard Captain. “We’re dealing with an IED, and I would kindly request that you keep your distance.”

“Really? And what makes you think that you can just waltz in here and start giving orders?!”

“Look, I’m just here for the bomb.”

“And what?! You think you’re better handled for this?!”

“Yes, yes I do.”

“Why you...” 

Trent then interrupted. “With all due respect sirs, please shut up. I don’t need you two arguing while I try to defuse a bomb.”

Both Captains looked at the SPARTAN. Celestia then spoke up. “Yes, can we please stop arguing and focus on the more important matter at hoof?”

“Thank you.” Trent muttered for all to hear.

The room sat in silence as the EOD SPARTAN worked. Eventually the others returned from their sweep of the room, luckily empty handed.

“Commander, anything?” Daniel asked.

“No sir, room’s clear.”

“Very good.”

Eventually Trent got up with the bomb in hand. “All clear.” The SPARTAN reported.

“So, can I move now?” Celestia asked.

“Yes ma’am. We’re all good.” Trent replied.

Andrew finally released her leg as Celestia slowly removed her hoof before letting out a sigh of relief. “Captain Silverlight, I want you to have your guards sweep the entire castle for other devices.” Celestia ordered.

“Yes Princess.” The Captain said with a salute before trotting off with his guards. Celestia then turned to the group of humans.

“Is that the second or third time I have been saved by you this week?” She asked with a chuckle.

“It’s only the second, but it was within a day.” Daniel replied.

“Still, thank you. Especially to you mister Traxus.”

“Eh, no worries. Wanna come watch us blow it up?” Andrew said with a shocking amount of enthusiasm. 

“Maybe later.”


~~~


As night fell on Canterlot, guards were still searching for more explosives with nothing to show for their efforts. Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Captain Silverlight, and Captain Ryan were all sitting in the grand dining hall. There was much confusion over how the bombs had been planted with no one noticing. The popular theory was that a guard or someone dressed as a guard had done it. Captain Silverlight was outraged at the mere notion that one of his subordinates would betray the Princesses. Captain Ryan had argued that nothing should be ruled out until substantial evidence was presented. The two Captains argued back and forth for about five minutes before Celestia put a stop to it.

“Both of you, stop it! The two of you bickering like foals is getting us nowhere closer to finding any solutions. Now, Daniel, you said your crew has experience dealing with these sorts of situations?”

“Yeah, Trent is one of our explosives experts.”

“Very good, I would like you to assemble a team and have them sweep the more sensitive areas of the castle with a mix of guards who I will hoof pick. They will serve as their guides and hopefully learn something in the process.”

“Sounds good. I have three guys who would be perfect for the job.”

“Umm, Daniel,” Luna spoke up, “would it be alright with you if I stayed on the ship? At least until we know the castle is totally safe.”

“That’s fine with me. Celestia, do you have any objections?”

The solar Princess shook her head. “No, and in fact I think it would be a good idea. We have no knowledge of how many bombs are still undiscovered.”

Daniel nodded. “Cool, I’ll make the arrangements with our ship security team.”

“Excellent. Then I think we have a plan?”

“Assemble an EOD search team.” Captain Ryan replied.

“Get a full roster of everypony who was on duty today and where they were stationed.” Captain Silverlight responded.

Celestia nodded. “Lets get it done.” Everyone at the table quickly got up and went about their assigned tasks. Daniel and Luna headed back to the Tuscany to assemble the EOD team. Security at all doorways had been bolstered, but it paled in comparison to the security force keeping watch on the launch bay ramp. Ten marines and four ODSTs stood guard, all armed to the teeth. Two gatling machine turrets had been set up as another layer of protection, both were manned by marines.

Daniel and Luna were quickly granted access to the launch bay. Daniel then informed the watch officer to expect Princess Celestia and Twilight later that night. He then took Luna and showed her to her new room. She thanked him before disappearing inside. All that was left was to assemble the bomb squad. He made his way up two ladders wells before coming to the bridge.

“Tommy, Dior, I need a word.” Daniel called out.

Tommy materialized on the display table while the Commander made her way next to the AI.

“I need to assemble an EOD team. Dior, I want Trent and two ODSTs.”

“Yes sir. I’ll have Trent grab his kit.” Dior replied.

“Good, have him report to the bridge when he is ready. Tommy, page Mikey and Lucas. Tell them to get their gear; full CQB loadouts.”

“Aye sir.”

Fifteen minutes later, both ODSTs and the lone SPARTAN arrived on the bridge. Gunnery Sergeant Mickey Caffee and Corporal Lucas Binkley stood with their helmets in one hand, and a suppressed SMG in the other. Lucas stood at a full six feet tall, while Mickey was easily four inches shorter. However, both of them were shorter than the six foot four SPARTAN. Trent also walked in with his helmet under his arm, but had a shotgun across his back. All three stood at attention.

“At ease boys.” The ODSTs relaxed while the SPARTAN didn’t move. “You guys are going to be doing a bomb sweep with the local guards. They are inexperienced in dealing with this kind of situation. However, they know the area you will be working in, so use them as your guides. I don’t need to tell you how to do your jobs, so I’ll just let you get to it. Oh, and one last thing. If you by chance stumble across the individual responsible for this, please try to take them alive.”

“Yes sir!” All three replied in unison.

“Good, now bring me some bombs. Dismissed.”    







> May 11th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//May 11th, 2559
//
//23:02 Local Time

Yesterday and today have been... interesting. Andrew happened to find an IED in the throne room. Hell, he even went so far as to throw himself on Celestia to keep her from setting the device off. So props to him. 

Anyway, because of this bomb threat, Celestia asked me to have an EOD team help find and disable any other bombs. I wasn’t surprised to hear that there were multiple other devices found. That being said, Princess Luna will be staying on the ship for the foreseeable future. There was a team of guards searching her room for additional bombs. Unfortunately, one of the guards did find one. Too bad it went off only seconds later. Thankfully no one was hurt. However, most of her room was destroyed by the blast. 

Well I better wrap this up, it’s going to be an early day tomorrow. Celestia has asked me to sit in on the interrogation of six individuals who are believed to have planted the bombs. 

//End Log

Trent, Mikey, and Lucas slowly made their way through the castle with an escort of four Royal Guards. Their mission was to locate and disable any hidden explosives. They had already thoroughly searched the kitchen and dining room. Four devices were found and promptly disabled. Another group of marines had then come along and collected the disabled explosives. 

The group then began heading up a large set of spiral stairs. The two guards in the front said they were heading to a very important area of the castle. The group walked in silence until they reached a massive wooden door with gold trim on the edges. 

“So, what’s behind the big doors?” Mikey asked out loud.

“This,” the guard in front began, “is Princess Celestia’s personal quarters.”

“Huh... shiney.” Mikey said with a grin. However, no one could see his face due to his visor being polarized.

As the guard reached for the door, Trent’s hand shot out and grabbed his hoof.

“Allow me.” The SPARTAN said calmly. The guard slowly retracted his hoof and backed away from the door. Trent pulled out a small fiber optic camera and plugged it into a jack in his helmet. He then slid the other end under the door and began to do an initial sweep. 

After a few minutes, Trent was satisfied that the door was safe and clear of any explosives. He retracted the camera and carefully packed it away. The SPARTAN slowly turned the door handle and cautiously opened the door. The inside was well lit by the massive window that led to a large balcony. It was an elaborate room; cushions were arranged in front of a grand fireplace and a large four post bed sat against the opposite wall. There were a few bookshelves along the wall, all filled with various old tomes and other trinkets.

There was a door on the far wall near the balcony which Trent assumed was a bathroom. He looked over to Lucas and the other two guards.

“Lucas, I want you and two guards to sweep the bathroom over there. Let me know if you find anything suspicious.”

“You got it boss.” The ODST and two guards carefully made their way to the bathroom door. Trent then turned his attention back to the bedroom and began to look around. He stood incredibly still, allowing only his eyes to move. Eventually one of the guards approached the SPARTAN.

“A-are you gonna start looking for bombs?” The guard asked quietly.

“Hmm, not yet. The first thing I like to do is to really look at the area. Then I think of where I would hide a bomb if I wanted to cause the most damage. I can assume that the intent here would be to kill the Princess, while making sure the device was well hidden.”

“So, maybe under the bed?”

“Doubt it. So far we have seen two signatures, meaning there are two groups planting these bombs. One group is experienced, while the other has no idea what they are doing. The bomb that Andrew identified was one of the amateurs. The ones we found in the kitchen were well hidden and had creative detonators.”

“So you think that the professionals hid one in here?” 

“I would be disappointed if they didn’t.”

“Okay, so where would you hide it then?”

“Somewhere near the bed. I would want the Princess to be stationary when the bomb exploded. So,” the SPARTAN cautiously approached the massive bed, “we just need to look for any signs of disturbance.” He cautiously removed the top comforter and sheets, leaving them in a pile by the door. The guard just watched in wonder as the SPARTAN carefully but systematically removed the covers from the bed.

He then switched on his helmet light and turned his attention to the mattresses. He continued his search for a few minutes before something caught his eye. A small silver wire was barely visible between the mattress and the box spring. He followed the wire until it reached one of the four posts.

“Why you crafty son of a bitch...” He muttered to himself. The nearby guard heard him as his ears perked up.

“Find something?”

“Yeah, this guy is good. Like, really good.”

“W-what is it?” The guard asked with nervousness. 

The SPARTAN didn’t answer him as he followed the wire along the bed. The wire soon disappeared under the mattress again. Trent responded by searching every edge of the bed for signs of the silver wire. Just below the pillows was the familiar sight. He slowly began to remove the fluffy pillows, revealing a small black pressure square. 

“You sneaky bastard...” The SPARTAN said with a chuckle. He carefully pulled a multi-tool from a pouch on his breastplate and flipped it open, revealing a pair of pliers. With a steady hand, he slipped the silver wire between the cutting edge at the base. With a flex of his hand, the wire was severed. A long second passed before he let out a sigh of relief. 

Trent returned the tool to it’s pouch before standing up. He grabbed the edge of the mattress and slid it onto the floor. Underneath were a number of small wires, each leading to the four posts of the bed. Trent couldn’t believe the ingenuity that this individual had used in planting the bomb, or in this case four bombs.

“Mikey! I need your help with this.” Trent called out.

Mikey was guarding the doorway against any uninvited visitors. He quickly left his position in the doorway and moved to assist the SPARTAN.

“What’s up?” Mikey asked.

“You’re gonna help me remove the bed posts.”

“Uh, why?”

“They’re filled with explosives.”

The ODST blinked in confusion, his face still hidden behind the dark blue visor. “What kind of explosive?”

“Judging from the electric detonation system, I would assume a type of plastic explosive.”

“Are we going to check before fucking with them?”

“Of course. Let’s remove this first post nice and slow.”

“Okay.” The SPARTAN and ODST slowly lifted the bedpost from the frame. The two then very slowly laid the post on the ground. Trent then used his knife to scrape out a small piece of the explosive inside. It was a pale, putty like material.

“Yeah, it’s a plastic.”

“So it won’t go boom if we touch it?”

“No. It’s safe.”

“Oh good. I would like to keep all my limbs and fingers.”

The SPARTAN turned to the ODST. “And yet you signed up for EOD?”

“...Shut up.” Mickey grumbled, Trent laughed. The door to the bathroom opened as Lucas and the two guards exited.

“Well, bathroom’s clear.” Lucas announced.

“Good, come help us with these posts.” The SPARTAN ordered.

Lucas and the guards began removing the other posts, carefully laying them next to the others. Soon there were four identical bedposts laying on the ground.

“Alright, let’s get these down to the ship.” Trent quickly picked up all four posts before anyone else could move.

“Uh, Trent, do you want some help with that?” Mikey asked.

“Nah, I got it.” 

The group left the Princess’s room with Trent carrying all four posts. As soon as the doors were closed, Lucas pulled out a roll of red tape. He made a single long line, covering the area where the door met the frame. It was a tamper seal, if anyone from then on opened the door, they would know.

The group were beginning to make their way down the tower when something shook the tower. A  second later, a defining explosion shattered almost every window in the tower. The explosion was close, not more than a few hundred feet away. Everyone quickly moved to a blown out window to see where the blast had come from.

Sure enough, the tower opposite them was billowing smoke through a large gaping hole in the wall. A slight glow of fire could be seen through cracked and shattered windows. Mikey and Lucas looked to the others in the group, all eyes were affixed to the burning tower. Trent was the first to speak up.

“Hey guys, what was in that tower?”

“That looks like where Princess Luna’s room was.” One of the guards responded. 

There was dead silence in the room as everyone processed what had been said. The sounds of yelling and hooves on marble could be heard throughout the surrounding area as fire alarms began ringing. 

“Mikey, Lucas, take these back to the ship. Tell them what happened.” Trent said with a placid tone. Everyone began moving down the tower and to their destinations. The two ODSTs jogged with all four bombs back to the ship, while Trent and the guards all sprinted to the nearby tower. 


~~~
  

Daniel was sitting in his ship’s conference room with Celestia, Luna, and Coalfeather. They were discussing the findings of the EOD teams, as well as who may have been responsible.

“Alright, Princess Celestia, do we have any idea of who might have left these devices?” Daniel asked.

“Not yet, but I would like to start ruling out suspects.” Celestia replied.

“Alright, what do we know for sure?” Luna asked.

“Well, the Emperor and his guards were with us all morning, and the guards outside their rooms reported that they were there all night.” Celestia said.

“Plus, I would not think of harming the ponies and humans who had saved my life.” The Emperor said in his own defence.

“I can vouch for my crew. No one but me left the ship last night, nor are we missing any ordnance.” The Captain stated. 

“I am waiting on Captain Silverlight to get a report of all the guard positions last night and this morning.” Celestia said. 

“Anything else?” The Captain asked. No one spoke up. “Alright, I can have Andrew take a look at the devices. He might be able to tell us where they were made, and who made them.” Daniel sighed and looked out the window. He was met with a view of the castle gardens and bright sunlight. It would have been brighter if the windows didn’t automatically polarize, reducing the amount of light that shone through. 

However, before anyone could speak a thunderous boom echoed through the ship. Everyone looked around in confusion as they tried to pinpoint where the sound had come from. Tommy then materialized on the conference table.

“Sir, we have reports of an explosion in the castle. A single tower has been severely damaged and fires have been reported.” The AI said calmly. 

“Casualties?” The Captain asked.

“Unknown sir. Chevron three is responding. Corporal Binkley and Gunnery Sergeant Caffee are en route back to the ship with explosives found in Princess Celesita’s quarters.”

“Alright, alert medical that they might be receiving casualties. Do we know what was destroyed?”

“One moment, sir.” The AI stood on the table for a moment as he processed data. “Sir, reports are stating that the explosion originated inside Princess Luna’s quarters.”

Luna’s face became overwhelmed with anger. “You have got to be bucking kidding me!” She practically shouted.

“These reports have not yet been confirmed. However, numerous sources are reporting the same location.”

“Is there anything left?” The lunar Princess asked, still clearly angry.

“Unknown. Apologies, ma’am.”

Luna set her chin on the table as she sat in her chair, a scowl dominating her face. “Well this bucking sucks. Why did MY room have to get blown up?!”

“I’m just glad you weren’t in the room.” Celestia said, trying to lighten the mood.

“Besides, now you have another reason to stay on the ship.” Daniel said with a chuckle.

“I suppose.” Luna sighed.

“Alright, first things first. Tommy, sound general quarters.”

“Aye sir.” The general quarters alarm began blaring in every compartment on every deck, signaling it was time for action. 

“Celestia, do you want my crew to help fight the fires?” Daniel asked.

“That won’t be necessary. I don’t want to put your crew in any more risk than they currently are.” Celestia replied with a shake of her head.

“Alright. I’ll have everyone sit tight.”


~~~


It was a few hours later when the sun finally set over Canterlot. The fires had been extinguished quickly, but smoke still wafted out of the gaping hole in the tower. Princess Luna had been up to what was left of her room in order to recover anything that the fire and blast had spared. Not much was left, but Luna had managed to save a few things. She had packed what was left into a duffle bag and slung it across her back with a loud sigh. 

Daniel was waiting outside her chambers as she walked out with the single bag. He raised an eyebrow in surprise at the single bag.

“That’s it?” He asked with surprise.

“Yeah, this is it.” Luna grumbled. 

“Damn, I’m so sorry.”

“Well at least I didn’t have all that much to lose. Most of the important things survived the fire.”

“I guess there’s that. C’mon, let’s head back.” Daniel turned to head back down the stairs with Luna in tow. A pair of castle workers passed the pair on the stairs, carrying a large rolled up tarp. Security around and inside the castle had been bolstered and all public access had been shut down. 

EOD had reported that a total of twenty two bombs had been found in various locations around the castle. The only bomb to have gone off was the one in Luna’s room. The rest of the devices were being held under heavy guard by the crew of the Tuscany. Daniel really wanted to just pile them all together and throw in a grenade, but it was doubtful that Celestia would be okay with him setting off a few hundred pounds of high explosives and incendiaries. Eventually the two reached the landing ramp of the ship. Marines and ODSTs stood at attention with weapons ready, the entire ship was on high alert after the first bomb was found. 

Captain Ryan and Luna boarded the ship without so much as a word spoken. It was clear to the Captain that Luna was almost boiling with anger. Not only had someone destroyed her belongings, but someone had tried to kill her and her sister. Daniel proceeded to walk Luna to her temporary quarters. The lunar Princess walked in and deposited her duffle bag on the bed with a sigh. Daniel just stood in the doorway as she slumped against the wall.

“You okay?” Daniel asked.

Luna just sighed again. “No, no I’m not. Somepony has spent the last day trying to kill me and my sister. I can’t remember the last time somepony made an attempt on either of our lives. So this,” she waved a hoof in the air, “is all a bit overwhelming.”

“Having someone try to blow you up and being forced to take refuge on a spaceship with an alien race that is easily half a millennium more advanced... yeah, I understand completely.” Daniel walked into her room and took a seat on the floor next to the Princess. “This is gonna sound weird, but I would recommend talking to Chef.”

Luna turned to face Daniel. “Chef? As in an actual chef?”

“Yeah. It’s the unbelievably unoriginal nickname we gave the ship’s cook. Not only can he cook incredibly well, but he is also great if you need someone insightful to talk to.”

“You’re serious... aren’t you?”

Daniel just nodded his head. Luna looked to her duffle bag and then to the door. “Maybe I’ll give it a shot.”

“I think you’ll be surprised just how helpful he can be.” Daniel patted her on the shoulder before standing up. “Well, you know where and how to find me.” The human quietly left the room, leaving Luna to her thoughts.

The Princess sat there and came to a realization; it was almost midnight and she hadn’t eaten all day. With a heavy sigh she got up and removed her crown, setting it on the night stand. She then made her way toward the galley. The humans she passed in the hallway gave her polite nods as they walked by. She returned their gestures with a smile and a nod of her own. 

It was odd, Luna had only known these humans for about a week, and yet they showed her nothing but kindness and respect. It was something she made a mental note to ask Chef about. She wouldn’t have to wait long to get her answers and her meal, as the galley was only three compartments away. She silently entered the room and began to look around. 

Inside were a handful of humans, all quietly taking among themselves and generally enjoying their evening meal. A few of them shot curious glances toward Luna, but generally paid her little heed. The Princess walked up to the counter where a stack of trays were waiting. She levitated a tray off the top and moved down the counter. There were a five buffet trays set out for her to pick and choose from. She scooped some cheesy macaroni onto her plate, followed by some mashed potatoes and finally a hearty helping of salad. She quickly passed by the tray of cooked chicken. 

She sat at a table near the window, giving her a view of the night sky she had worked to create. A few crew members were also gazing at the stars from their tables. It made Luna happy seeing them truly enjoying her work. She just wished more of her ponies would do the same. Her smile faded as this thought crossed her mind. With a sigh, she banished the thought and began to work on her meal.

She became lost in thought as she reflected on the past seven years. How difficult it was to adjust to a thousand years of change. The only thing that didn’t seem to have changed over all those years, were ponies impressions of her. Even after her banishment had ended, many ponies still treated her with distrust. This train of thought was suddenly broken by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Luna looked up to see a human in an apron standing by her table.

“Seat taken?” The human asked.

Luna blinked a few times, trying to process what he said. The human in front of her was a bit older than most of the others she had seen and met. He stood at about five foot nine and had a head of thick brown hair with signs of greying at the edges.  “Uh, no. Go right ahead.”

“Thanks.” The human said as he sat across from the Princess. “You alright? You’re lookin’ troubled by something.”

“It’s nothing. Just some foalish thoughts.” She said, trying to dismiss her previous thoughts.

“Oh now, I wouldn’t say that. They’re certainly important, otherwise they wouldn’t be causin’ you such troubles.” He said with a warm smile. 

“How could you possibly know that?” Luna asked with curiosity.

“Why, I can always tell when somethin’s bothering one of mine.”

“I’m not exactly ‘one of yours’ per say.”

“Sure ya are. Just because you’re not be an official member of the crew, doesn’t mean you won’t be treated like one.”

“You talk about the crew like they’re your children.”

“They might as well be. They’re always comin’ to me for advice or for someone to talk to. Hell, there ain't a soul on board that hasn’t sought my counsel. Even them SPARTANs have come to me.” The man’s warm smile never faded from his face.

Luna eyed the man curiously. “You must be Chef.”

“Indeed I am. Cap’n tell you about me?”

“Yeah, he said it would be a good idea to come talk to you.”

“I bet he did. Especially with what happened today, terribly sorry by the way.”

“You heard about it?” Luna said as her ears went flat against her head in shame.

“Yup, felt it too.” Chef noticed her change in posture. “Now hold on, there ain’t nothin’ to be ashamed of. You’re here, and you’re alive. I’d call it a successful day.”

Luna chuckled and relaxed a bit. “I suppose you’re right. The only thing that was lost were some trinkets and such. Things that can be replaced.”

Chef paused for a moment, glancing through the window toward the night sky. “So I take it you will be staying with us for the foreseeable future?”

Luna nodded as she continued her meal. “Yes. While there are plenty of places for me to stay in the castle, I would feel more comfortable staying here. I’m less likely to be blown up in my sleep.”

“This is very true. I can only feel sorry for the poor fool who tries to attack this ship.”

“Why would you ever feel sorry for somepony who attacked you?”

“Have you heard the term ‘Kick the hornets nest’?”

“No, but we have a similar saying.”

“Well it’s kinda like that. Except these hornets are super augmented space marine hornets with nuclear weapons and a spaceship.”

This elicited a series of giggles from Luna. “That’s an interesting way of describing it.” Luna said as she finished her dinner. “Chef, that tasted great.”

“I’m glad you think so. Main meals are served starting at six in the morning, lunch is at thirteen hundred hours, and dinner starts at eighteen hundred. But you can always come by at any time in between and I’ll happily make something. Also, I always keep two pots of coffee and a pot of hot water going.” Chef pointed to the three pots sitting on a small table near the end of the food line.

“That’s very kind of you. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. You’re an honorary crew member now.”

Tommy then materialized on a nearby display pad. The AI faced Luna and Chef before speaking. 

“Princess, Captain Ryan has requested your presence on the bridge as soon as possible.”

Luna nodded. “Alright, tell him I’ll be right there.” Tommy nodded before blinking out of view. Chef then stood up and picked up Luna’s tray.

“You head on up to the bridge. I’ll take care of this.” Chef said as he walked back to the kitchen.

“Thanks again Chef.” Luna sat there for a moment trying to think of where the bridge was. She remembered it was on the uppermost deck at the bow of the ship. Satisfied with this, her horn lit up as she disappeared in a flash of light. 

Luna rematerialized on the bridge, much to the surprise of the crew who were there. Daniel and Celestia were standing at opposite sides of the holographic display in the middle of the room. “You needed me for something?” Luna asked.

Daniel stammered for a moment as he tried to process what had just happened.

“Uh, yeah... that was fast.”

“Site to site teleport spell.”

“Huh, that’s pretty cool. Anyway, we have a slight situation.” He pressed a few buttons on the display console. A view of the Tuscany came into view. The ship sat in the middle of a green circle, two yellow dots could be seen next to the doors leading from the gardens into the castle. A set of three more yellow dots were off to the side of the ship, only fifty feet from the green circle.

“What’s going on?” Luna asked.

“Our proximity sensors picked up these three contacts moving off the port side wing.” Daniel pointed to the three yellow dots.

“So a group of guards are on patrol.” Celestia responded.

“That’s what we thought. Except they have been standing there for almost an hour. The only thing there is a large rose bush.”

“I see. I’ll summon Captain Silverlight, perhaps he will know more.” Celestia’s horn began to glow as she reached out to the guard captain.

“What’s with the green circle? Some kind of perimeter?” Luna asked.

“It’s the border of our optical cloak. As long as they stay on that side of it they won’t be able to see us. However, anyone can just walk right through it.”

“Yet you can still see out.”

“Exactly. Don’t ask how because I have no idea how it works. All I know is that it does.”

Not long after, a new dot appeared on the display. This one was moving straight toward the cloaked starship. 

“Looks like your Captain is here.” Daniel then reached for the intercom. “Security, let him through. Have someone escort him to the bridge.”

“Aye sir.” A voice replied. 

A few minutes later, the bulkhead doors slid open as a marine and Captain Silverlight entered. Silverlight looked around in wonder for a moment before walking up to the waiting Princesses. He stopped at the table and popped a quick salute.

“You wanted to see me, Princess?” 

“Yes, are any of your guards scheduled to patrol the gardens this evening?”

The guard Captain thought for a moment. “No your Highness. This area has been off limits since this morning.”

“I see. Then can you explain what three guards are doing out here at this hour?” Daniel then brought up a live camera feed from one of the ship’s hull cameras. Even in the darkness, the one unicorn and two pegasi were clearly visible.

“I have no idea. I’ll make sure to reprimand them for this.” Silverlight turned to leave, but was stopped by Daniel.

“Wait! Don’t confront them. I want to see what they do first.”

Silverlight looked at Daniel with confusion, then to Celestia. The solar Princess just nodded. “Alright. What are hoping to accomplish?”

Before Captain Ryan could answer, Tommy appeared on the corner of the display table.

“Sir, all three are now moving towards the ship. They will reach the cloaking field in fifteen seconds.”

“Copy that. Can you tell me anything else?”

“Negative sir.”

Everyone at the table could only watch as the three yellow dots approached the green circle denoting the border of the ship’s cloaking field.

“Captain, they have stopped just outside the field.”

Daniel retrained a hull camera on the group. He watched as the unicorn’s horn began to glow with a dull blue light before the entire group disappeared. “Did they just teleport somewhere?”

“No, a teleport would have had a bit more flash to it. That looked like an invisibility spell.” Luna replied.

“Huh, that’s cute. Tommy, are they still on proximity sensors?”

“Yes sir. They have now crossed under the field. Their speed as increased as well.”

“Switch to thermal imaging.”

“Aye sir.” The camera that Daniel was using quickly changed from the normal color view to an enhanced thermal imaging view. The ground and sky soon became differing shades of black and grey, while the visible parts of the ship were a bit brighter. However, the three invisible ponies were glowing bright white against a dark background.

“Oh look. I found them.” Daniel deadpanned. “Tommy, are they doing what I think they are doing?”

The AI nodded. “It does appear they are attaching something to our hull.”

“How peculiar.” Daniel said with a smirk. He then reached for his radio. “Security, we have a situation under our port side wing. I need a team to deal with this immediately.” Daniel then looked to Celestia. “Can I have them engage with non-lethal weapons?”

The solar Princess nodded. “As long as they try to take them peacefully first.” Daniel nodded in understanding.

“You are clear to engage with non-lethal ammunition. But try to take them without a fight first.”

“Aye sir.” Came the reply. “Staff Sergeant Kelly Verrez, Master Sergeant Ahmad Anas, and SPARTAN Raze are responding.”

“Wow, two ODSTs and a SPARTAN. That’s quite the team.” Daniel said with an amused smile. He pressed a few buttons on the display console and brought up the helmet camera feed for Raze. 

The SPARTAN’s HUD popped up in a small portion of the holographic display. He was following closely behind the two ODSTs who were both equipped with silenced SMGs, while Raze was carrying a combat shotgun. Everyone on the bridge watched as the scene unfolded.


~~~


Lieutenant Commander Raze, along with the two ODSTs, silently crept beneath the Tuscany. The sound of their movements were drowned out by the various humming sounds emanating from the ship. Even though Raze was wearing GUNGNIR armor, he was still able to move silently through the grass. Just beyond the port side landing strut was where the bridge had reported three cloaked ponies. Thankfully, Raze had come prepared for this. He toggled on his armor ability and began to peer through the darkness. 

With the help of a Prothean Vision armor unit, he was able to quickly locate and mark all three ponies. Even looking around, he could see various members of the crew moving about inside the ship. he chuckled to himself as he turned back to his targets. All three were now within thirty feet of the ponies, who were still trying to attach something to the ship’s hull. They seemed to be whispering something, but it was too faint for either the SPARTAN or the ODSTs to hear.

“Alright boys and girls, time to announce our presence.” Raze said over the radio.

“On your mark, LT.” Kelly replied.

“Remember, Captain wants them to come peacefully, but we can sure as hell take them by force if they want to be difficult.” Raze reminded the other two.

“Copy that.” Both ODSTs replied.

“On my mark. Three.”

“Two.”

“One.”

“Mark.”

All three soldiers ran forward and ambushed their unsuspecting prey.

“All of you! On the ground! Now!” The SPARTAN yelled in a commanding voice. The unicorn, startled by the sudden intrusion, dropped the invisibility spell, revealing the three ponies. One of the pegasi quickly tried to take to the sky, but ended up running into the wing of the ship directly above his head. Ahmad quickly fired a few rounds into the pegasus, temporarily paralyzing him in multiple places. The unicorn then began charging a spell as the other pegasus tried to flee on hoof. Raze noticed the unicorn’s spell and countered with a single shotgun blast to the chest. Kelly and Ahmad both began firing on the remaining pegasus as he tried to run. Unfortunately he was unable to outrun the hail of bullets as almost every single one collided with him.

In a matter of seconds, all three ponies were covered in pink markings where the stun rounds had hit. All they could do was moan in pain as the three soldiers unceremoniously began picking them up. Raze had no problem hefting the unicorn over his shoulder, while the two ODSTs had to carry one pegasus between them. Another pair of marines joined them and retrieved the last pegasus.

The SPARTAN chuckled as he walked back to the ship. “You should have just listened.” The unicorn on his shoulder responded with another moan of pain.


~~~


Daniel, the Princesses, and Silverlight watched on the thermal camera as the three man team quickly overwhelmed and subdued the three ponies. Daniel almost felt bad for sending a SPARTAN after them. Almost.

“So, where do you want them?” Daniel asked no one in particular. 

“Captain Silverlight, can you see to it that they are taken to the dungeon?” Celestia asked.

Silverlight nodded with a salute. “Of course, your Highness.” Silverlight then turned to his marine escort and left the bridge. 

Daniel once again reached for this radio. “Hey, Andrew. Grab Trent and go check out what those guys were trying to stick to the ship.”

“Okay, let me just get down from my hammock.” Andrew’s voice replied for all to hear.

“Why the hell do you even sleep in the engine room?”

“Because the engines talk to me in my sleep.”

“The engines talk to you?”

“Uh huh.”

“And what do they tell you?”

“One sec... they say... you’re a fucking faggot.”

“God damnit... I should’ve seen that coming.” Daniel said with a sigh. Celestia looked worried while Luna was trying to stifle laughter. 

“You really should’ve. Anyway, I’ll go grab Trent.” The radio went silent as Daniel set it on the table.

“Didn’t you say that you two were good friends?” Celestia asked with concern.

“Yeah. It’s a guy thing. Most human male friendships revolve around the creative use of insults and belittling comments. The harsher the insult, the closer the friendship.” Daniel said with a shrug.

“That’s... odd...” Celestia replied. The notion of using insults to express friendship was something she couldn’t fathom.

“You get used to it.”

Celestia yawned and shook her head slowly. “Well then. Since it seems the excitement has died down I feel that this would be a lovely opportunity for me to retire for the night. I will contact you tomorrow when we get information from our would-be bombers. Have a nice night Captain.”

“Goodnight Princess.” Celestia vanished in a flash of light as she teleported away. “That’s way too flashy for me.” 

Luna just gave stared at him stonefaced. “That pun was bad, and you should feel bad.”

“And yet I don’t.” Daniel said with a grin.

Luna just shook her head with a smile. “Well then, I think I’ll follow my sister’s example and go to bed. It’s been a long day.”

“Goodnight then. I’m not far behind you. Just gotta wrap up some things here.”

Luna nodded in acknowledgment before teleporting to her room.

“Stupid, flashy, teleporting, magical, talking ponies.” He muttered.


~~~


The next morning was like every other for the Captain. Get up with the sun, get dressed, have breakfast, read confusing reports from the science labs, throw said datapad on the floor in frustration, storm off to the bridge. The usual. 

Daniel was sitting in his chair on the bridge trying to make himself look busy, in reality he was playing Tetris on his datapad. The sound of the bulkhead doors opening brought his attention away from his “work”. Luna casually walked in and sat right next to Daniel’s chair.

“Morning.” The Princess greeted.

“Morning. Sleep well?”

“Meh, I was up late.”

“Ah.” The Captain set the datapad on the arm of his chair as he turned to face the Princess. “I was wondering, last night you said it had been quite a while since anyone had made an attempt on your life. Do you remember how recent it was?”

“No, as I said, it was a long time ago.”

“I couldn’t have been that long ago.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, there’s no way you’re old enough to not remember the last time someone tried to kill you.”

Luna looked at him in slight confusion. “How old do you think I am?”

Daniel’s eyes went wide. “Woah, woah, woah. A very wise admiral once said ‘It’s a trap!’ And this, this is a blatant trap.”

“Admiral Ackbar said that. And no, this isn’t a trap. I just wanted to see what you thought.”

Daniel’s jaw was on the floor five decks down. “H-how do you know that glorious name?”

“I... may have stayed up all night watching the six Star Wars films in the ship’s library.”

“I...I... wait, which one is your favorite?” His tone becoming serious.

“The Empire Strikes Back. Why?” Luna was startled as Daniel lunged out of his chair and wrapped his arms around her neck in a hug.

“I love you.” He said with his face buried in her fur. He suddenly looked up at her, still wrapped around her neck. “What did you think of Jar Jar Binks in episodes one and two?”

“Eh, I found him rather annoying. I kept finding myself wishing he would take a blaster to the head. If for nothing else than to leave him unable to speak.”

Daniel just blinked and smiled. “Yup. I love you. Not a doubt in my mind.”

It was at this point that Commander Zerom walked in. The first thing he saw was Daniel, half out of his chair hanging on to the neck of Princess Luna. Both seemed to be happy about something.

“Uh, Captain. What the fuck are you doing?”

“Go on Luna. Tell him what you told me.” Daniel said happily.

“Okay. My favorite film is Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, and Jar Jar Binks is an abomination.”

Zerom’s jaw hung open as he stared at the Princess. He walked forward and joined the hug. “This is the best day ever.”

Luna happily wrapped her wings around the two humans and smiled. She felt that she truly had friends with these humans. Even though she had only known them for a week, they were more welcoming than her own ponies. Most ponies looked at her in fear or even resentment at times. The alien visitors in her backyard, though, treated her like a friend. 
> May 16th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//May 16th 2559
//
//23:11 Local Time

Can I just start by saying how this planet never ceases to amaze me? Not only have we met magical talking ponies, found about the existence of multiple sentient races, and broken almost every law of physics, but now we have found another race of magical shapeshifting pony-like things. Surprise, they’re called changelings. 

Anyway, so the field survey team that we sent out today brought back this changeling. Oh, and Celestia and Luna are less than happy about it. The two of them can’t fathom why I didn’t just kill the thing when it arrived. Frankly, I know nothing about this new race. Celestia seems to think it is the spawn of Satan and Luna won’t even look at it. The only reason Celestia didn’t squash it was because I convinced her to let me keep it on the ship.

I wonder what could cause such a reaction in the Princesses...

//End Log

It was the morning of the sixteenth of May. Five days since the bombing incident in Canterlot castle. Six guards had been arrested for treason, attempted murder, attacking foreign dignitaries, domestic terrorism, and a number of other charges. For the past few days, Princess Celestia had tried to get them to talk. Unfortunately they were proving to be more difficult to crack than anyone had anticipated. Nevertheless, life continued.   

In the spirit of further exploration and scientific advancement, Captain Ryan had obtained permission from Princess Celestia to send a survey team to the edge of the Everfree Forest to collect various samples. Biology wanted to get soil samples and plant samples, while geology wanted to go rock hunting.  Celestia had granted their request and sent a handful of guards to help guide the scientists.

Sergeant James Hodges and Lance Corporal Yaraon Morrow were not happy to be up before the sun had even come up; even ODST’s liked their beauty sleep. The two men were taking their time getting into their armor as well as grabbing the weapons they would need. Their role in the mission would to be to acts as a security team for the scientists. After the hydra incident, Captain Ryan had insisted that they bring heavy weapons. Sergeant Hodges had already picked up his battle rifle as well as a SPARTAN laser. Corporal Morrow just stared in shock at his weapon choice.

“Good god man. I thought we were a security team, not dragon hunters.” Yaraon said.

“I’m taking no chances after hearing about that fucking hydra. Who knows what other bat shit crazy things live on this planet. Besides, dragons are real here.”

Yaraon just blinked at his fellow ODST. “Good point.” He then got up from the bench and walked to the weapon locker. His assault rifle was waiting for him on the wall rack with his name above it. James had to stifle a bout of laughter as Yaraon walked back with a rocket launcher.

“When in Rome.” Yaraon said.

~~~

It was early morning when the expedition group, consisting of five royal guards, four marines, two ODSTs, Doctor Karen Yarow, Doctor Glenn Quin, Doctor Parker Varez, and a handful of lab techs, all left on a pair of Pelican dropships. It was a twenty minute flight to the edge of the forest; their destination happened to be the original landing site for the ship. 

The aircraft flew low with their loading ramps dropped down, giving a magnificent view of the landscape below as they sped toward the forest. The group sat in silence as they passed over rolling green hills. The royal guards on board were mesmerized by the sheer speed the Pelicans were capable of. As the royal guards watched the landscape fly by, the lab techs were double checking their equipment and notebooks. Doctor Yarrow, head of the xenobiology lab, was especially excited for this mission. It would be her first time getting to closely study the life forms of the planet. 

It wasn’t long before the Pelicans began to slow down as their destination loomed. The air in both cabins was filled with excitement and nervousness as the landing gear finally made contact with the ground. Sergeant Hodges and Lance Corporal Yarrow were the first ones off the Pelicans, followed by the marines and guards. The aircraft kept their engines running, just in case they needed to make a quick escape. 

James quickly brought his rifle up and began scanning the surrounding area through his scope. “All clear. Go ahead and start unloading.” 

The sound of aircraft engines slowly died down and the rest of the team disembarked. It was a beautiful day, a few small clouds were the only thing that stood out against the vibrant blue sky. A light breeze kept the heat of sun at a comfortable level. All in all, it was a perfect day for science in Equestria. Even the royal guards seemed to be enjoying their outing.

Soon everyone was quickly unloading various cases of scientific equipment. Each team had brought about four hard cases full of survey equipment. Things like shovels and hand picks to handheld spectrometers. Once their equipment was gathered near the aircraft, James spoke up.

“Alright. Everyone gather round so we can get this started.” Everyone moved to form a semicircle around the ODST. “So here’s how this is going to work. There will be two troopers for each survey team. The rest will be on overwatch by the edge of the forest. I want a single royal guard with each team. They know what’s dangerous and what isn’t. Listen to them and trust their judgment.” James paused to look at his crowd before continuing. “Now, if something goes wrong, I want everyone to get back to the Pelicans as quickly as possible. Last time we were here a fucking hydra came stomping out of the woods, so let’s try to avoid that. Questions?”

Doctor Parker Varez raised his hand. “How long do we have?”

“Did you read the briefing that was sent to everyone last night?” James asked with slight annoyance.

“I did. I just want to be sure that it hasn’t changed.”

“Until sundown. Anyone else?” No one moved. “Alright, get your escorts and go do whatever it is you sciencey guys do.” James then turned to face the remaining marines and guards. “Keep an eye on your motion trackers. Pay extra attention to the forest. If you see something, say something. Clear?”

“Yes Sergeant!” They all called out in unison.

“Glad to hear it.”

~~~

It was just after midday as everyone was having a lunch break in the shade of the Pelican wings. Doctor Karen Yarrow was passing around a specimen they had found near the edge of the woods. It looked like just a normal blue flower, except it was secured in a level three biohazard container. Eventually the container made its way to James.

“So Karen, what’s with this flower?” James asked.

“That, is called Poison Joke.” James just looked at her with an incredulous looks. “No, seriously. Our pony guide said so. Apparently it functions like Poison Oak, but instead of a rash it causes a practical joke.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“I’m serious. He said there was someone who came into contact with it and her voice was dropped by about four octaves. Then there was a unicorn whose horn became spotted and had the firmness of a wet dish towel.”

“But none of our guys touched it?”

“No. The proper handling procedures were used. The unicorn with us helped pick it up.”

“Okay good. I would hate having to explain to the Captain why one of the lab techies came back covered in polka dots with a third arm coming out of his forehead.”

Sergeant Hodges continued to enjoy his sandwich when he was once again interrupted, this time
by his radio.

“Sergeant, we have something on motion tracker in the forest.” One of the marines reported.

“Alright. Sit tight, I’m on my way.” James wrapped his remaining sandwich and set it down on a crate. He then stood up and slipped his helmet on before picking up his rifle and laser. “Yaraon, lets go. Marines said they found something.”

Both ODSTs made their way to the group of marines and royal guards. They were standing on a nearby hill, watching the forest for signs of movement. One of the marines beckoned them forward.

“Sergeant, we’ve been seeing at least nine contacts moving around in the woods. Nothing visual, just motion trackers.” The marine said.

“Alright then. Let’s try something.” James then took a few steps forward. “Hey! Get the hell away from here!” He shouted at the woods, trying to scare off any wild animals.

Everyone stood in silence, expecting something to happen. Sure enough, all nine yellow dots appeared on their motion sensors, this time they were moving straight for the group at a moderate speed.

“Well that didn’t work.” James said with dripping sarcasm. “Get ready lads.” Every trooper quickly aimed their rifles at the forest, waiting for some horrible monster to come charging at them. “Wait for my order.” James said calmly.

Suddenly, a single black figure came running out of the forest toward the humans and guards. It was small, black, and pony shaped. It had a small black horn and solid blue orbs for eyes with a small pair of fangs. James was unsure of what to make of the creature as it ran straight toward him. It looked afraid, as if something was chasing it. In fact, something was chasing it. Soon after, eight large gryphons came flying out of the woods in pursuit of the pony.

“Uhh... fuck?” James commented.

“Please! Help me!” The black pony screamed at the top of his lungs.

James looked to the guards who seemed to be as confused as him. “Open fire! Take down the gryphons!” James ordered.

The air was soon filled with the sounds of automatic gunfire as marines and ODSTs fired upon the charging gryphons. The lead gryphon was the first to call as a wall of depleted uranium shells tore through his skull and chest. The two behind him were dispatched with an equal number of bullet holes. They continued to fly head first into the gunfire, determined to catch their prey. However, three bursts from a battle rifle was enough to end the hopes of another gryphon. 

The gunfire suddenly died out as the human’s weapons fired their last shots. Every marine quickly began scrambling to reload as the four remaining attackers pressed forward. James, however, didn’t bother reloading. He picked up his laser and began charging it at the closest gryphon. His target watched with curiosity as a small red light began emanating from device on the ODST’s shoulder. Two seconds later the weapon discharged in a massive beam of super energized particles. The gryphon was instantly vaporized, leaving nothing but ash behind. 

Yaraon then brought up his rocket launcher. He took careful aim at the gryphon in the middle of the three remaining. Looking through the weapon’s sight, he picked his target and kept the weapon trained on it. The weapon gave a solid tone and a green light as it locked on to the gryphon. The ODST let out a slow breath before pulling the trigger.

With a loud pop and a flash of light, the rocket flew toward the gryphon. It took only a second for the weapon to collide with its target, killing it and it’s two friends in a fiery explosion. Everyone kept their weapons up as the black pony got closer.

He was breathing heavily as he sat on his haunches in front of the group. “Th-thanks for that.” He said, panting heavily.

“Who the hell are you?” James demanded; rifle still trained on the newcomer. 

“Spotlight. My name... is Spotlight.”

“Okay Spotlight, what the hell are you? Cause you don’t look like any other ponies I have seen.” James looked to the guards, they seemed to be very on edge.

“That’s because I’m a changeling.”

“Okay... I need to call this in.” James then opened a radio channel back to the Tuscany. “Captain Ryan, this is Sergeant Hodges. We have a bit of a situation.”

“What kind of situation, Sergeant?” The Captain replied.

“Sir, we found something called a changeling being chased by eight gryphons, near the edge of the forest.”

“Go on...”

“Well, we were forced to engage the gryphons. Luckily we had superior firepower.”

“So where is this changeling now?”

“With us, sir. I wanted to see what you want us to do with him.”

“You said there was only one of them?”

“Yes sir. He’s exhausted and probably injured.”

There was silence for a moment. “Alright, I’m recalling all of you. Bring this changeling with you. I want to talk to him when you get here.”

“Aye sir. I’ll have us packed up and out of here in a few minutes.”

“Good. I’ll see you when you arrive. I need to talk to the Princesses about this.”

“Aye sir.” The line went dead.

“So James, plan?” Yaraon asked.

James looked to the panting changeling. “Pack everything up. We’re going home.”

“W-what about me?” Spotlight asked with panic.

“You’re coming with us. Captain Ryan would like to speak with you.”

~~~

Daniel stood on the bridge for a moment after talking to his away team. They had just informed him of the changeling and of the gryphons who ambushed them. It was now his responsibility to report this to Princess Celestia. He stared at the holographic display before picking up his hat and walking off the bridge. As he began his walk to the throne room, his mind began milling over the possible implications of a gryphon attack so close to the capital.

Perhaps the insurrection is bleeding over into neighboring nations. Is anyone else having this in their borders? Can the UNSC get involved? Should the UNSC get involved? What about this changeling? I really hope Celestia has a plan.

Daniel’s internal monologue was cut short as he reached the throne room doors. The royal guards gave him a quick nod before opening the door. Inside, Princess Celestia sat on her throne as she read various levitating reports. She looked up and smiled as Daniel walked in.

“Ah, Captain Ryan. How goes your survey team?”

“Not too good. They were ambushed by a group of gryphons just minutes ago. No one was hurt, but all eight gryphons were killed.”

Celestia’s face darkened. “They were ambushed?”

“Yes ma’am. They also found something called a changeling being chased by the gryphons.”

“This changeling, where is it?”

“He is currently with my men on their way back to the ship. I was going to question him when he arrived. I just wanted to inform you of what happened.”

Celestia sat in silence as she lost herself in deep thought. “I want to speak with this changeling as well”

“Fine by me. They should be here in about fifteen minutes.” 

“Very well. Shall we?” Celestia got up as she began to walk out of the throne room with Daniel at her side. 

~~~

Spotlight was having a really shitty day. He had been forced to sleep in a bush until his pursuers had found him. It had been like this ever since he had escaped Dodge Junction. It seemed no matter where he went, he would be hunted by gryphons. First they had destroyed his hive in the Badlands, then they had attacked the town he had taken refuge in. Now he found himself in the conference room of some hyper advanced alien spacecraft. The alien who had found him, Sergeant James Hodges, sat next to him at the table. 

It was not long before Captain Ryan, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna entered the room and took seat opposite the ODST and changeling. Both alicorns stared at the changeling with suspicion and borderline anger.

“Alright. Sergeant, I already have your report on the gryphon attack. What I am interested in is this changeling. So, mister Spotlight, I am Captain Daniel Ryan. This is Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”

Spotlight dropped his head as he looked at the Princesses. “H-hello.” He said nervously.

“Now, I would like to know why you were being chased. Go back as far as possible.” Daniel said calmly, noticing the changeling’s nervousness.

“Well, it started about seven days ago out in the Badlands where my hive was.”

“Are you a part of Chrysallis’s hive?” Celestia near demanded.

“N-no, your highness. My Queen was Metamorphia. Although Queen Chrysallis’s hive was attacked at about the same time as ours.”

“Attacked by whom?” Luna asked.

“Gryphons. Their airships came in the early morning. We didn’t think anything of it, seeing as how our hive is on a major air trade route. In fact, our hive is often used as a landmark for navigation and as a waystation for travelers. We thought they were just traders heading to Equestria. It was only after they started bombing us did we realize what they really were.” Spotlight just looked down at the table as his ears pinned back against his head.

“By midday they had already killed almost everypony inside. A hooffull of us were able to escape over the Equestrian border and to the town of Dodge Junction.”

“How many escaped?” Celestia asked, her voice still stern and intimidating.

“S-seven. your highness. Only seven.”

“And your Queen?”

“Killed.”

“Go on.” Daniel said.

“So we were allowed to stay at the local Inn. The townsponies had seen the smoke from the Badlands, so when we told them what had happened they were more than willing to let us stay.”

“I really don’t like where this is going.” Daniel commented.

“Then three days ago we came under attack again. The same airships that attacked my hive.”

“Wait, are you saying that gryphons attacked an Equestrian city?” Celestia was now growing angry.

“Y-yes, your highness. Myself and a few ponies were able to escape. Most of them followed the railroad tracks toward Appleoosa. I got separated from them when gryphons began chasing the survivors.”

Pure fury could be seen in Celestia’s eyes as she grit her teeth. “And they chased you into the forest where you were eventually found by the UNSC.”

“Y-yes.”

“I will have multiple detachments of guards sent to Appleoosa at once. I can not fathom how an entire town is destroyed and nothing is said.” Celestia said.

“I may be able to expedite that process. The frigate Grafton should still be in orbit. They said it would be about a week or two to set up a few satellites.”

“What could they do?” Luna asked.

“Well, they have an actual warship. Not an intelligence gatherer. Let’s see if I can get ahold of them.” Daniel pressed a few buttons on the table, causing a screen against the wall to come to life. A few more presses and a video call to the Grafton was started.

“Daniel. How’s it going?” Captain Daviston said with a smile.

“Not good Rich. We have a problem down here.”

“Oh? Am I on a video conference?”

“Yes you are. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, meet Captain Richard Daviston. Commanding officer of the UNSC heavy frigate Grafton.”

“A pleasure to meet you, your highnesses.”

“And to you, Captain.” Luna replied.

“Now how can I help you?”

“Well, I’m transmitting a set of coordinates. I need you to take a look and see if you can spot a group of airships.”

“Alright, one sec.” Richard turned his attention to another screen. Crew members could be seen moving around in the background, going about various tasks. “Yup, I see them. Five airships about four miles north east of a small town.”

“I need you to MAC them.”

“I’m sorry, did you just ask if I would bomb them from orbit?”

“Yes I did. They already burned and murdered two whole cities and are about to do it again.”

“Well when you say it like that.” Daviston turned and began shouting orders. “Veronica, sound general quarters and bring the MAC online!” 

“Aye sir.” The feminine AI replied. Alarms began sounding across the ship and crew members could be seen quickly moving to their stations on the bridge.

Captain Daviston then turned back to the conference room. “I’ll patch our video feed through.” A small screen appeared in the corner, showing a top-down view of the advancing airships. 

“Sir, MAC is charging and four shells have been loaded.” The AI reported.

“Captain, enemy aircraft are on heading two one nine point three. Speed, forty five knots. Altitude, two one five feet.” A male voice said from off screen.

“Targets acquired.” Said the AI

“Aim for the middle airship.”

“Ready to fire, sir.”

“Cry thunder!” 

A loud bang could be heard over the video call as the ship’s massive MAC fired it’s thirty ton projectile at the planet. On the live video feed the airships continued their advance until a small bright object slammed into the top of one of the airships. The shell then continued through the debris and collided with the ground. The shockwave from both impacts was enough to destroy three airships, leaving two of them barely flying. A second bang came from the Grafton as it fired again. The last two airships were trying to turn and run, but to no avail. The second shell tore through the sky and destroyed both remaining craft. All that was left of the invading force was a pair of large craters and flaming wrecks.

“All targets neutralized.” Captain Daviston said.

“Nice shooting Richard.” Daniel commented. Celestia just continued to watch the live feed, staring in awe at the destruction.

“Let me know if you need anything else wiped off the face of the planet.”

“Will do.” Daniel pressed a few buttons and the screen turned off. “So, that issue has been dealt with. The more pressing issue now is the fact that gryphon insurrectionists are bleeding over into neighboring nations.”

“You... you just destroyed them... like it was nothing.” Spotlight stammered.

“Yes. Yes I did. Believe me, there are scarier weapons out there than just an orbital MAC.”

“And just what is a MAC?” Celestia asked.

“Magnetic accelerator cannon. It uses magnets to propel a projectile down the barrel instead of using a chemical propellant.”

“I must say, that was rather impressive. You stopped them from reaching Appleoosa without even being on the planet.” Luna commented.

“Years of practice and plenty of things to practice on.” Daniel replied.

“Well, thank you again for intervening. Now, we still have this changeling to deal with.” Celestia said.

“Look, if he’s going to be an issue then I’ll just keep him on the ship. That way he’s my responsibility.”

The Princess glared at Spotlight. “Fine. However, while he is not on your ship, he must be escorted by one of your crew. Understood?” Celestia said sternly.

“Of course. Sergeant Hodges, please show Spotlight to his quarters.”

“Aye sir.” The ODST and changeling quietly got up and left the room. 

“Celestia, I would like to talk about a few things before you go.”

“Do you need me here?” Luna asked.

“You don’t have to stay, but you can if you want.” Daniel replied.

Luna nodded before teleporting back to her room. 

“What is it Daniel?” Celestia asked.

“The changelings. You looked like you were about to lunge across the table and strangle him. I’m curious as to why.”

Celestia sighed. “About three years ago, a changeling hive led by Queen Chrysallis invaded Canterlot during my niece's wedding. The changeling Queen even went so far as to take her place in the wedding.”

“So they really can shapeshift?”

“Indeed. It’s why no pony except Twilight knew the real Cadence was gone. Once we exposed the imposter, she had an army of changelings attack the city. It was only because of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence that we were able to beat	the invaders.”

“So you despise all changelings because of the actions of a few?”

Celestia sighed deeply. “When you say it like that it sounds incredibly foalish and shallow minded.”

“Look, I totally understand though. Hating an entire race because of the actions of a few. Although, in our conflict we hated them because of the actions of the masses. Kinda similar, but I still get it.”

“I suppose.”

“Here’s a question. What would you do if Queen Chrysallis showed up on your doorstep begging for your help? After all, you did hear that her hive was attacked. So what if the survivors, if any, showed up here?” Daniel had turned his chair to face Celestia. She pondered the thought for a moment.

“I... I’m not sure. While part of me would want to just obliterate them, I would probably hear them out first.”

“Hypothetical, Chrysallis and a very small number of changelings have come to you asking for refuge after their home was destroyed by gryphons, which it sounds like has happened. She has offered you anything as long as she and her changelings are allowed to stay. What are your terms?”

“Unconditional surrender of her hive. She and her changelings would be subject to my rule as long as they were in Equestrian borders.”

Daniel smiled. “Good, now I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of that happening.”

“I know.” Celestia said with another sigh. “What else did you want to talk about?”

“The diplomatic meeting with the other national leaders. I was wondering when that would happen?”

“Yes, the meeting. It was scheduled to take place here in Canterlot just after the Summer Sun Celebration, however, with recent events I am going to try and move it forward. Hopefully to next week.”

“I see. And when do you plan on revealing our existence to the rest of your nation?” 

“As soon as possible. News of the attack will reach my ponies, they will need something more positive to keep their spirits up. It has been many generations since Equestria was last in a conflict.”

“Just how many are we talking?”

“It has easily been over nine hundred years.”

“Wow.”

“Indeed. It was a war against a syndicate of diamond dog packs. I personally led the final battle.”

Daniel just stared at her blankly. “You personally led a battle that happened nine hundred years ago?”

“Yes I did. It was the last time I was directly involved in any sort of open combat.”

“So you’re over nine hundred years old?”

“Very much so. How old did you think I was?” Celestia asked with a smirk.

“Again, it’s a trap. Luna tried the exact same thing on me.”

Celestia couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh don’t worry. I just want to hear your answer.”

“I figured you to be about... mid to late thirties.”

Celestia was now fully laughing. “You’re much too kind. I am actually seventeen hundred years old. Give or take a few decades.”

Daniel’s jaw almost hit the table. “Seventeen hundred... as in one thousand seven hundred years?”

“That’s correct.”

“Dear Odin... just how long do alicorns live?”

“Upwards of ten thousand years.”

“I...I...I don’t even know what to think anymore.”

“Luna is only about twelve hundred years old.”

“That’s still well over a millenium!”

“Keep in mind that a thousand of those years was spent banished on the moon.”

“Yeah but... wait, what?”

“Her banishment.” Celestia became worried as Daniel wore a look of utter confusion. “You didn’t know?”

“What do you mean by banished?”

Celestia let out a long sigh. As she was about to begin, Daniel held up a hand to stop her. He was staring at the door as if he expected someone to walk in. Celestia just looked at him and then to the door.

“You might as well come in.” He called out. A few seconds later the door slid open and Princess Luna slowly walked in. A slightly embarrassed look on her face.

“Sorry, I was just wondering what was taking you two so long.” She said sheepishly. “Is everything okay?”

“Not really, but we’re dealing with it. Why don’t you come have a seat. I have the feeling that this next topic involves you.”

Luna noticed the look on Celestia’s face and quickly knew what was coming. Luna quietly walked to the chair next to Daniel.

“Alright. Please continue.” Daniel motioned to Celestia.

“A thousand years ago, I... chose, to banish my sister to the moon. She had become a being of pure evil called Nightmare Moon. Her intent was to overthrow me and bring about an eternal night. However, I used a powerful magical artifact known as the Elements of Harmony to banish her to the surface of the moon.”

“Why?” Daniel looked over at Luna who was staring straight down at the deck with her ears pinned back. 

“I let myself get consumed by my jealousy of Celestia. Everypony worked and played in her sunlight, but they hid away and slept during my night. The effort I put into each night sky was ignored and I was shunned by all. I lived in my sister’s shadow for decades. It felt more like ‘Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria, and that one other alicorn that might be related in some way’.” Luna said quietly.

“I used to think that I was forced to banish Luna.” Celestia continued. “Now though, I see I had a choice. It was my neglect that really fueled her feelings of isolation and jealousy. While I was basking in the love of everypony, I was paying little attention to the needs of the pony closest to me. And because of that, she spent a thousand years in absolute isolation.”

“But that all changed, right? I can’t imagine anyone would hold a grudge after a millenium.” Daniel said.

Luna shook her head. “Not quite. Even after my return I still harbored some resentment. Yes the madness had been stripped away by Twilight and her friends, but I still feared Celestia. I thought that she wouldn’t hesitate to banish me again if I made any slip ups. This... this brought it’s own problems. For about two years I fought severe depression and paranoia. It even got to the point where I contemplated... and attempted... suicide. I thought that no matter what I did, everypony would still hate and fear me... Even to this day most ponies avoid me. Those that do face me are usually reduced to nervous wrecks.” Tears were slowly flowing from Luna’s eyes as she continued to look at the deck. Even Celestia seemed to be losing her composure as Luna’s words sank in. Daniel just sat there in shock. 

“Lulu... I... I had no idea your depression was... that bad. Why didn’t you come to me?” Celestia asked with choked breath.

“Because I was scared! I had no friends and no one I could confide in. I believed you were just looking for any reason to send me back to the moon.” 

The room was deathly silent. No one knew what to say or even if anything should be said. Daniel got up from his chair and wrapped his arms around Luna’s neck. Luna responded by burying her face in his chest and continued to softly cry. Celestia just sat and watched the display before getting up and wrapping both Daniel and Luna in her giant white wings. No one dared move or say anything to ruin the moment.

~~~

Spotlight couldn’t believe his incredibly bad luck. A few days ago his friends and family were murdered and his home burned down. Then a few days later, the kind ponies who took him in were killed and had their homes destroyed. Next he was chased through the woods by angry gryphons. Now here he was, on an alien spaceship in Canterlot. Maybe things were finally looking up. Soon Spotlight’s train of thought was broken by a knock on his door.

“Come on in.” He called out.

The door slid open as Captain Ryan walked in. The left shoulder of his jacket seemed to be wet, but Spotlight quickly dismissed it. “You doing okay Spotlight?”

“Yeah, just getting a feel for everything. Thanks again for this.”

“No problem. Chef wanted me to check if you had any special dietary needs.”

“Well... kinda. Changelings actually feed off of emotional energy, in addition to normal food.” Spotlight said with a shy grin.

“You... feed? Off of emotions?”

“Yeah.”

“That... that is the coolest thing ever.”

“Wait... really?”

“Hell yeah dude! I didn’t think anything could feed off of emotions. Now, when you feed on emotions, does the person you feed on know it?”

“Not unless I were to spend more than twenty minutes feeding on one pony. After that it would start to manifest as a slight headache. I tend to only feed for ten minutes at a time.”

“Again, fucking awesome.” Daniel said with enthusiasm. "So do different emotions have different tastes?"

"Yeah, love and happiness taste the best." 

"But other emotions are... edible?"

"Uh huh. The ones I don't like are anger and sadness. They're just... unsatisfying."

"So you can tell different emotions by their taste?" 

"Easily. Why?" 

"Because I think you might be our ticket to cracking our suspects in the dungeon. Hell, I could probably get you a job at ONI. I'm sure they would love to have someone who could just read anyone's emotions."

"That could be cool. Not like I have a whole lot left here anyway." 

"Well then Spotty, let's see what the Director says."

Spotlight watched as Daniel walked out of his room, motioning him to follow. Spotlight complied and walked behind the Captain as he entered a room with his name next to the door. It was an exact layout of the room Spotlight had, except for the various trinkets and personal items around the small room. Daniel pulled the chair out from his desk and sat down. He powered up his computer and tapped the Director's name. 

The call screen came up as the call to Reach was placed.

"Office of Naval Intelligence. How may I help you?"

"Please patch me through to Director Burr. Authorization  sierra-zulu-tango seven seven nine."

"Transferring."

There was a pause as the call connected. Soon the Director's face came on the screen.

"Daniel, what a pleasant surprise. To what do I owe this pleasure?" 

"Things have become complicated here in Equestria. A gryphon insurrection has begun to spill over the national borders of their country. We found out today that an entire town was destroyed. Only one survivor was found." 

The Director took a somber look. "I see. Was anything done in response?" 

"Yes sir. We tracked the enemy airships heading toward another settlement. The UNSC Grafton engaged with her MAC before the airships could get close. All targets were eliminated."

"And the Princesses authorized this strike?"

"They were in the room when I gave the order. We all watched it happen."

"You said there was a single survivor?" 

"Yes sir. Director Burr, this is Spotlight. He was the sole survivor of two attacks.” Daniel motioned to the changeling sitting behind him.

“I see. I’m sorry to hear about your home.” The Director said to the changeling.

“Thank you Director. I’m just glad I have somewhere to stay. My kind are not really welcome in Equestria.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“A few years ago a different hive attacked the capital. Now, almost everypony hates the changelings. The actions of a few have ruined life for the rest of us.”

“Sorry to hear that. Alright, Captain Ryan, keep me updated.”

“Of course Director.” Daniel replied.

“Director, I would like to make a request, sir.” Spotlight nervously spoke up.

Director Burr looked at the changeling with curiosity. “I’m listening.”

“Sir, I would like to request asylum with the UNSC.”

Captain Ryan and the Director were stunned by this sudden request. “And why are you looking for asylum?” The Director asked.

“There is nothing left for me here. My friends, family, and home are all gone. All that is left is a nation that would love nothing more than for my kind to disappear.”

“You have known us for less than a day. What makes you think this is a good idea?”

“Because, in the few hours I have been here, Captain Ryan here stood up for me in the face of the Princesses. It was also his crew that saved my life and offered me a safe place to stay. I feel that there is much more for me with the UNSC than on my own in Equestria or with the deer.”

“That’s an interesting view.” The Director continued to scrutinize the changeling. “You’re willing to leave behind everything that was once familiar and jump into one of the greatest unknowns, just because you don’t exactly fit in?”

“Yes sir, and I really have nothing to lose.” Spotlight said with confidence. 

The Director leaned back in his chair and continued to examine the changeling. “Alright then. I will authorize this as long as Captain Ryan approves of it as well.”  

“I have no objections, sir.” Daniel replied.

“Well then Spotlight, your request is approved. I will get in touch with immigration and have papers drawn up for you.” The Director said with a smile.

“Thank you sir. This... this means a lot to me.”

“Welcome to the UNSC.” The Director said before terminating the link.

Spotlight just stood there as he processed what had happened. Daniel then patted Spotlight on the back in congratulations. 

“Tommy. Please add Spotlight here to the ship’s roster as a civilian contractor.”

“Aye sir. Change complete.”

“Well Spotlight, welcome to the UNSC.”

The weight of what happened was now sinking in. He had been given a fresh start on life, and he couldn’t be happier.


> May 19th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//May 20th, 2559
//
//00:40 Local Time

News! Yes news. So a few days have passed since my last log. Here’s what happened. The survey teams have been combing over all their data; suffice to say, they have some very interesting findings. Most of which I can’t understand in their super technical lingo. However, what I do understand is that I now have a changeling named Spotlight living on the ship. He was even bold enough to ask the Director for asylum in the UNSC, citing some very compelling reasons. I’m not worried about it though. He has lost everything, so I can kinda see why he would jump at the chance for a new life on a new world with a new species. 

Anyway... so the world (I keep forgetting to ask the name of the planet) now knows of humanity’s existence. So far I am hearing reactions from overjoyed to absolute terror. Most just seem confused. Celestia had me do a live press conference with her on national TV. I even gave the reporters some time to ask questions. Some were about our diet, where we’re from, do we intend to invade and take over, what’s my favorite flavor of icecream, etc. 

Celestia then asked if I would take a small group with Captain Silverlight and head to Ponyville. She wants us to start making ourselves more known to help alleviate any fear or uncertainty that the populace might have. So we went to Ponyville and, with the help of Princess Twilight Sparkle and friends, had a very successful outing.

//End Log

It was early in the morning when Daniel awoke to the obnoxious buzzing of his alarm clock. He grumbled and looked out the window only to be met by darkness. The clock read five twenty in the morning; much too early for any sane person to be waking up. He sighed as he checked the date; May 19th 2559. Today was the day Celestia would reveal the humans to the rest of her nation and the world. He, Commander Zerom, and Commander Dior would be there to make a statement and answer some questions. First though, he had a briefing with the Princess. 

Daniel, with nothing short of divine intervention, pulled himself from his bed and began his morning routine. By the time he had a showered and shaved it was already five-forty. He had just twenty minutes to grab a cup of tea and get to the throne room to meet with Celestia. Joining him would be Commanders Dior and Zerom.

It was five-fifty in the morning when Daniel made his way to the throne room with a thermos of black tea. As he entered, he noticed Zerom and Dior were already there with Luna and Celestia. Dior was wearing her usual sky blue MJOLNIR armor, while Zerom was wearing his grey working uniform. Celestia seemed to be as awake and alert as ever, despite it being so early in the morning. However, Luna looked like she was about to collapse from fatigue. 

“Good morning Captain.” Celestia greeted warmly.

“Morning Princess. No Twilight today?” He replied while taking a seat next to Zerom. 

“Not today. She lives in Ponyville and only comes to the castle when I have need of her.” Celestia replied.

“Ah, so like the time you went to the gryphon empire.”

“Exactly.”

Daniel then turned to look at Luna. “I see someone isn’t a morning person.” He said with a chuckle.

“I have no quarrel with mornings. I haven’t had time to sleep, seeing as how I held court last night.” Luna replied dryly.

“Believe me, we can all sympathize.” Zerom said with a chuckle as memories of long watches replayed in his mind.

“So, big day today.” Daniel stated.

“Indeed. Our press conference will be today at two, so you should have plenty of time to prepare yourselves.” Celestia stated.

“So let’s go over the plan. You intend to make a statement first about the gryphon uprising?” Daniel asked.

“Yes. I will also be mentioning the attack on Dodge Junction and Appleoosa.”

“What about the razing of the changeling hives?”

“Not yet.” Celestia said with a shake of her head.

“Alright. Then you want to introduce us?”

“Yes, I will make a transition and give a small introduction. Then I want the three of you to talk a bit about your people.”

“Perhaps it would be easier if we just let them ask questions.”

“That’s fine with me.”

“Captain, what are you going to say if they ask about the war?” Dior asked with concern.

Daniel thought for a moment before continuing. “Then we I’ll tell them about it. Nothing too graphic, but enough for them to get an idea of what happened.”

“You still have yet to really go into any detail about this war with me. If you are going to tell my ponies about this conflict, I would very much like to hear it first.” Celestia said. Her tone indicating that her request was a polite order.

“Alright.” Daniel took a deep breath before beginning. “Thirty-four years ago, humanity made contact with an alien race in the year 2525 near Harvest, a UNSC world. It started as small raids but eventually culminated into a planetary invasion only a year later. The entire planet was destroyed with billions of deaths. After that it turned into open warfare.” He paused and looked to Celestia before continuing.

“It didn’t take us long to figure out that we were horribly outgunned and outnumbered. There were a handful of victories here and there, but they all came at extreme cost. For almost thirty years, the Covenant systematically destroyed our fleets and burned our worlds with the sole intent of extermination.”

“Did you ever find out why?” Celestia asked.

“The popular theory is that it was a religious movement. We later found out that their religious leaders, known only as The Prophets, had deemed humanity an affront to their gods. Stating that we were an obstacle for them to complete their Great Journey.”

“Great Journey?” Luna asked.

“It was a kind of ascendance thing... Tens of thousands of years ago, a civilization known as the Forerunners waged war on a parasitic life form called the Flood. The Forerunners eventually lost, but not before creating and using a super weapon with the capability of wiping out all life in the galaxy. Fast forward to thirty years ago and the Covenant believed that these weapons were holy relics that would complete the Great Journey.”

“So they wanted to end all life in the universe because of this Great Journey?” Celestia asked with a mix of fear and astonishment.

“Yup. Religious zealotry can make doing the absurd seem normal. Now, these weapons are... not your typical weapons. In fact, they are really massive rings in space that we call Halos.”

“Just how big were they?”

“They are massive. About the diameter of this planet.” Celestia and Luna just stared slack jawed. “It gets better. There were eight rings in total scattered across the galaxy. However, there was an even bigger installation called the Ark. It was built as a failsafe where all of the other rings could be fired simultaneously from outside the galaxy.”

“H-how long ago was this?” Luna asked with a shaky voice.

“In December of 2552. That was the date when the Covenant found the Ark and tried to fire it. They came within minutes of succeeding. Hell, it came down to a single soldier to stop the end of the galaxy.”

There was an eerie silence. “So this Covenant really came close to succeeding?” Celestia asked.

“They did. If it weren’t for the Sangheili breaking away from the Covenant then I doubt we would have pulled it off.”

“What caused them to break away?” Luna asked.

“There was a single Sangheili, only called The Arbiter. He was supposed to be the hand of the prophets. Well, that didn’t last long. Their holy warrior began to question the motives of the prophets and even whether the Great Journey was real. I’m not sure what tipped him over the edge, but he began to spread word to the other Sangheili that the Prophets had lied. Soon the Sangheili were actually fighting alongside us to push back the remaining Covenant forces.”

“So these Sangheili went from trying to exterminate your people to fighting by your side. Did your people forgive them?” She asked quietly.

Daniel just shook his head. “No, and I doubt we ever will. Their sins are too great for us to forgive them, even with their help during the end of the war. Although, we now have a peace treaty and a non-aggression pact, but I don’t think we would ever pursue anything further. Quite frankly, none of us want anything to do with them.”

“I see...” Luna said.

“That’s just a brief overview of the Great War. There’s a lot more to it, but we would be here for hours covering the first ten years.” Zerom commented.

“I’m sorry, but I have to ask. How many died?” Celestia asked.

“Just over half our population. I think the last figures were around thirteen billion, but it could be higher.” Dior said calmly. 

The room sat in silence as their words sank in. 

Eventually Celestia spoke up. “That was... astonishing. I’m not sure what to say...”

“It’s history. There’s nothing to it but to move forward. Something I haven’t really been all that good at.” Daniel replied. “So, now that that unpleasant business is out of the way, let’s talk about the actual conference. Do you want us in full dress uniform, or something else?”

Celestia looked to Luna and then back at the humans. “I think dress uniforms would be best. Although I haven’t seen your dress uniform, I can only assume it would be appropriate.”

Daniel turned to Zerom and Dior. “You heard her, dress uniforms.”

“Aye sir.” The two replied in unison. 

“So I know you will be there Celestia, but what about Luna?” The Captain asked.

“Maybe after a nap. I would rather not fall asleep on national television.”

“Good point. Any idea on how long it will take for your room to be rebuilt?”

Celestia responded instead. “It will be a few months. I hired an engineering firm to evaluate the damage to the tower. They said the whole tower was structurally weakened by the blast and recommended having it torn down and rebuilt.”

“Wow. Sorry to hear that.”

“It’s not that bad. It will give me time to finish the first few seasons of Star Trek.” Luna said with a smile.

“Just when I thought I couldn’t love you more, you pull this on me.” Daniel wiped a fake tear from his eye. “I am so damn proud of you.”

Luna just sat there and beamed a smile. Celestia looked at her sister and then the Captain.

“Well I’m glad the two of you are getting along so well.” Celestia said with a smile.

“You kidding? The ship loves her. Even the AI likes her, and he doesn’t even have actual feelings!” Daniel said with vigor.

“Isn’t he programmed to like people?” Luna asked.

“Nope, he’s programmed to obey and protect humans. It’s his personality algorithms that makes him like you.”

“Andrew said he did add a program to let Tommy make smart flank remarks toward you. Specifically you.”

Daniel just stared at her. “Son of a bitch! I knew it!”

“You didn’t know?” Luna asked with a laugh.

“No and I’m probably going to shoot him later.”

“Human friendships continue to baffle me.” Celestia said with a puzzled look.

“Threatening to commit acts of violence against each other is another sign of close friendship. That, coupled with insults and other snide comments provide some incredible comedy.”

“You never threaten or insult me. Does that mean we aren’t friends?” Dior said with a grin as she leaned forward and glared at Daniel.

“We’re friends. I’m just not going to insult or threaten someone who can bench press a car or rip out my spine and strangle me with it.”

“Hmm, good point.” Dior replied as she leaned back in her chair.

“Well what about me?” Zerom asked.

“Fuck you.” Daniel said with a straight face.

“Yup. We’re all good.” Zerom said with a grin. “That conversation sums up human relationships, mostly male relationships.”

“That is... very odd, and yet is seems genuine.” Celestia said with a chuckle. “Well, I think now is a great point to break and get ready for our press conference.” 

“Agreed. Meet back here at thirteen hundred hours?”

“Sounds good.”

With that said, all five stood up and went their separate ways.


~~~


Celestia and Luna walked to the lounge connected to the throne room. Once inside, Celestia sat on a couch with a thump before removing her crown and placing it on the coffee table. Luna took a seat across from her sister and watched her with interest.

“Thinking about what Daniel said?” Luna asked her sister.

“How can I not. His story... part of me doesn't want to believe it, and yet I know he is telling the truth.” She said while taking slow deep breaths.

“How are you so sure?”

“I may have cast a truth ward before the meeting.”

Luna raised an eyebrow at Celestia. “Were you worried about him not being truthful?”

“I don’t know. They are still an alien race that we know little about. I just want to be sure they aren’t trying to deceive us.” 

“And do you think they are?”

Celestia shook her head. “No. They have been incredibly welcoming and friendly. Especially given all that they have been through.”

“I agree.” Luna said, staring at her sister’s crown on the table. “What about that last part. About the end of the universe?”

“He was truthful. I still can’t imagine anything like that could exist. I mean, we look at national heroes as ponies who have done some extraordinary act of bravery to benefit all of ponykind. But the humans... they stopped the end of the universe. If they had failed... we would all have perished without ever knowing what was coming.”

The two sisters sat in silence for a moment, pondering what to say next. 

“However, I know there is more to it than what he said.” Celestia finally spoke up.

“I’m sure he will tell us when we aren’t crunched for time.”

“I just can’t imagine what other horrors he has experienced and hasn’t told us about.” Celestia said quietly. “The thing that really made me uneasy was how he talked about those Sangheili. I could see the hate in his eyes and hear it in his voice every time he mentioned them.”

“They did murder his friends and family along with most of his race. I can understand his feelings.”

“I know. I just wonder if that hate will follow him here.”

“I guess we'll find out. Though it’s more peaceful here, so I doubt it will be an issue.”

“Perhaps. Could you talk to him about it? See if he will open up a bit.”

“I’ll see what I can do. I just don’t want to push too hard.”

“Of course not.”


~~~


Daniel stood in front of a mirror in his bathroom as he adjusted his uniform. His ribbons were neat and straight over his left breast, while his captain’s bars were set on his shoulders. He picked up his pressed hat and made his way to the castle with Dior and Zerom. 

Celestia and Luna were waiting for the group as they entered. 

“My, you all look very professional.” Celestia commented.

“Thank you ma’am.” Daniel said, slipping into a much more formal attitude. 

It was at that point that a guard entered the room and quickly bowed. 

“Your highness, the press is ready in the foyer.” 

“Thank you.” Celestia replied with her usual warm tone. She then turned to the humans. “Well, I think now is as good a time as ever.”

“Alright then. Just like we talked about.” The Captain said before following Celestia and Luna toward the waiting media. Celestia would first make a few statements and take some questions before introducing Daniel and his crew. Celestia paused and took a deep breath before opening the doors and stepping through with Luna by her side.

A series of camera flashes met the Princesses as they stepped in front of the banks of cameras and eventually took their places in front of two podiums, each loaded with microphones. Celestia let the cameras continue to flash for a few minutes before beginning to speak.

“Thank you all for gathering here today.” She took a deep breath and began. “My dear ponies, three days ago our nation came under attack from a threat to the north.” The room remained silent as Celestia continued. “A force of gryphon terrorists crossed the border of Equestria with a number of airships. They then attacked the frontier town of Dodge Junction in the early hours of the morning. I have sent a detachment of guards to investigate and aid the survivors. I have yet to receive news from them.”

Reporters began raising their hooves as the called for the Princess, hoping she would answer their question. Celestia pointed to a unicorn reporter in the middle of the room. “Yes, you there.”

“Princess, does this mean we are at war with the gryphon empire? I thought they were our allies”

“We are not yet at war with the gryphons. Emperor Coalfeather was forced to flee when these insurrectionists attacked the capital.” Reporters began jotting down her every word. They all then began clamoring for her attention again.

Celestia pointed to a pegasus in the front row. “What is being done to protect us from further attacks of this nature?”

“We are bolstering our defences along the border and in frontier towns.” Celestia then pointed to an earth pony near the back.

“Where is the Emperor now?”

“I can’t comment on that.” She then pointed to another unicorn.

“Would you consider going to war if the attacks continued?”

“Only if a diplomatic solution was impossible. I will not send anypony to die if there are still diplomatic options available.” She then pointed to another earth pony.

“Princess, there has been talk these past few weeks of something strange near the Everfree forest. Ponies reported seeing a streak of light and a thunderous roar pass right over the city and then disappear near the forest. Do you know anything about this?”

“I’m afraid you will need to be more specific.”

Another reporter interjected. “He wants to know if aliens have landed in Equestria.”

A few snickers could be heard in the crowd. Celestia raised an eyebrow and looked at the reporter who was trying to hide behind his notebook in embarrassment. Celestia turned to Luna who only gave a slight nod. Celestia turned back to the reporter and gave her reply.

“Yes.” Silence. A pen was heard hitting the tile as everypony stared at Celestia in shock. Finally a small voice spoke up from somewhere in the crowd.

“Did... did you say yes?”

“Yes. Two weeks ago, an alien spacecraft landed near the edge of the Everfree forest.”

The room erupted into chaos as reporters practically screamed their questions. Eventually Celestia raised a hoof and the room became silent. She then pointed to the reporter who asked the original question.

“Do you know who they are?”

“Yes. They are called humans.” Reporters began shouting additional questions. Things like, where did they come from, why are they here, what do they look like. Once again Celestia silenced the room.

“Perhaps you should direct those questions toward our guests.” Celestia turned to Luna who began to speak.

“I would like to introduce our esteemed guests. Captain Daniel Ryan, Commander Jonathan Zerom, and Commander Lisa Dior.” With that, the three humans entered the room and took places between Celestia and Luna. The crowd of ponies reacted with shock, awe, fear, and surprise. Luna stepped back from her podium and allowed Daniel to take her place.

“Thank you Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, for your incredible hospitality.” Daniel said, looking to Celestia. He then turned back to the waiting crowd of reporters. “My name is Captain Daniel Ryan of the United Nations Space Command. I would like to start by saying that we are not here to invade, nor are we here to bring about the end of your way of life. My vessel was on a mission of exploration when we came across your world. Certain circumstances forced us to make an emergency landing near the Everfree forest.” Daniel paused to gauge the reaction of the crowd. It seemed as though most were now incredibly interested in what the Captain had to say.

“Now, I would like to open this to questions. I will do my best to answer your questions.” The reporters were hesitant to say anything. Soon though, one of the reporters slowly raised his hoof. “Yes, you there.”

“S-s-so you have been here for a few weeks. What... what do you think of us?”

“What do I think... I think your people are very interesting. So far we have been given a warm welcome, making me excited to meet more ponies.”

A few more hooves came up this time. Daniel once again pointed to a random pony. 

“How long have you been able to go into space?”

“We began traveling to space about six hundred years ago. For the past five hundred years we have been openly traveling the stars.” Daniel pointed to another pony.

“How many humans are there?”

“Right now, about twelve billion.” A series of gasps sounded through the room.

“What do you think of the recent attacks by the gryphon terrorists?”

Daniel pondered the question before answering. “I think you are in good... hooves. I am confident that both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will be able to achieve a peaceful resolution as to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.” 

Another question.

“Have you ever been in this kind of situation?”

“Yes, we have experience fighting this kind of battle.”

“Will you be helping us if it comes to war?”

“I can’t say at this time. It would depend on quite a few factors. However, I will be able to offer guidance and advice.”

The reporters were beginning to relax, more hooves raised as the questions began to flow.

“What do you think of the Princesses?”

“I think they are wonderful. I think you are all incredibly fortunate to have such wonderful leaders. I can tell you that neither of them want to engage in war, but they will not hesitate to protect you.”

“What kind of things do humans eat?”

“Humans are natural omnivores. Although some people do follow a strict vegetarian diet.”

“So, do you eat ponies?”

Daniel chuckled. “No. Equine meat has not been eaten in hundreds of years. If anything, horses were considered a sign of power and wealth.” He could hear an audible sigh of relief from a handful of reporters.

A young voice then captured Daniel’s attention. He turned to look at the side of the room where a young colt was sitting next to one of the reporters. The reporter seemed to be trying to silence the young colt. The Captain then pointed to the colt.

“You. What’s your question?” The unicorn next to the colt began to speak.

“What kind of-”

“Sorry, I was talking to the little on next to you.” All eyes in the room were suddenly on the colt. The colt asked his question, but was very quiet due to his nervousness. Daniel couldn’t hear him and knew he would never hear the child from the stage. He then picked up one of the microphones from the array in front of him. He then walked toward the child with the microphone in hand. He slowly approached the colt, who was nervously hiding next to his father. Daniel then kneeled down next to the colt.

“Alright buddy, what was your question?”

The colt looked at him nervously but slowly stepped forward. 

“What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?” The colt asked quietly into the microphone.

A number of chuckles could be heard in the room.

“Hmmm, that’s a hard one. I’d have to say rocky road. It’s chocolate ice cream with nuts and marshmallows. What’s your favorite flavor?”

“Mine’s strawberry.”

“That’s a great flavor.” Daniel said with a warm smile. The colt couldn’t help but share the expression.  Daniel then got up and returned to the podium and continued to answer question. Eventually a question was asked that Daniel had been expecting, but still dreaded.

“Have you met any other alien races?”

Silence.

“Yes, but they were nowhere as nice as you all.”

“Were they mean?”

“That’s an incredible understatement.”

“How would you describe them?”

“Evil, genocidal, religious maniacs.”

Almost everyone in the room was quickly confused by the statement. Daniel looked to Celestia who gave him a slight nod.

“Allow me to explain.” Daniel then proceeded to give a basic idea of the Great War, making sure to exclude anything graphic. He told them about the Covenant and the various races that were involved. He then talked about the first contact with the Covenant. Everyone remained silent as Daniel spoke. He then talked about how the Covenant systematically tried to destroy every human world. He made sure to put emphasis on humanity’s victories, but still talked about the numerous defeats. Eventually he began on how the Halo installations came into the battle and what their purpose was. He finished his tale with a description of the battle for the Ark and how a single SPARTAN stopped the prophet. He left out the part about saving the universe from extinction, seeing as how many ponies might not believe him.

For the next half hour, Daniel, Zerom, and Dior answered the reporters questions as best they could. There were a few questions they couldn’t answer. Things like where their homeworld was and how certain pieces of technology worked. Soon though, it was time to end the conference. Celestia thanked everyone for coming and promised that there would be an opportunity for them to talk to the humans again in the future. 

Soon Celestia, Luna, and the humans were once again walking through the throne room. Daniel was the first to speak up.

“Well, I think that went quite well.”

“I agree. I must say, that piece with the colt was excellent.” Celestia commented.

“How did you know he was there?” Luna asked.

“I heard a much smaller voice. It lacked the gusto and power of the other reporters, so it just struck me as odd. That’s when I saw, who I assume was his parent, trying to quiet him. I saw an opportunity and I took it.”

“I can say that was absolutely adorable. I could hear the ‘daaaws’ from the crowd.” Celestia said with a chuckle. 

“Good. So now what?” Daniel asked.

“Well the only thing left is to see the culmination of our efforts on this evening’s news.” Celestia said.

“Are any of the other nations going to see the report?”

“Probably. Keep in mind though, I have already informed them of your existence.”

“Ok, so there won’t be a massive negative fallout from the other nations.”

“Right. If anything, the other nations will be glued to their televisions for that segment.”

“Cool.”

It was almost five in the afternoon when the group stepped out into the gardens behind the castle. The black and grey hull of the Tuscany shone in the dim sunlight. Now that humanity had been announced to the rest of the world, there was little need to keep the optical cloak running at all hours. The next thing caught the entire group by surprise.

A handful of humans and ponies seemed to be running around in the coned off area of the field next to the wing. They seemed to move in two groups as they threw a small white disk through the air. Occasionally someone would jump up and grab the disk and throw it in the opposite direction, causing everyone to run to the other end. Suddenly, one of the groups began cheering as one of the unicorns caught the disk behind one of the cone lines.

“What are they doing?” Celestia asked no one in particular. Daniel just smiled before answering.

“It seems someone organized a game of ultimate frisbee.”

“Ultimate frisbee?” Luna asked.

“Basically you have two teams and a frisbee; the disk they are throwing around. The objective is to pass the frisbee to your team mates in order to get it across the goal line. However, you can’t move if you hold the frisbee and anyone can try to catch it. It’s quite fun.”

“It seems like it. They even got some of the off duty guards to join in.” Celestia said with a chuckle. 

“Hell, I’m sure you could go join in.” Zerom said.

“If I wasn’t so tired right now I would be over there in a heartbeat.” Luna said with a wide yawn.

“Don’t worry, there will be more games.” Daniel said as he continued to walk to the ship.


~~~


It was later that night as Daniel sat in his room watching the news from around the UNSC worlds. Most of it was about the reconstruction efforts on worlds like Harvest and South Africa. He had seen the breaking news story about aliens in Equestria, so far everyone seemed to be taking it very well. Daniel had even gone to the length of recording the broadcast and sending it to Director Burr.  

Daniel took a glance out his window and quickly spotted a number of camera crews sitting on clouds. He could see the dull flashes of light as they tried in vain to get pictures of the Tuscany. With a chuckle, Daniel called out for the AI.

“Tommy?”

Tha AI materialized on the corner of the desk. “Yes Captain?”

“Go ahead and bring the running lights online. No need to hide in shadows anymore.”

“Aye sir. Shall I bring all banks of exterior lights on?”

“Yeah. Give ‘em something to photograph.” Daniel said while looking over his shoulder at the photographers.

“Running lights online. Anything else sir?”

“That’s it. Thanks Tommy.”

The AI nodded before disappearing. The Captain leaned back in his chair and gazed up at the night sky. Clouds were beginning to move in on Canterlot. The usual clear skies were being shrouded by a thick layer of storm clouds. With a grunt, Daniel got up from his chair and grabbed his jacket before heading to the nearest lift. He continued on to the nearest airlock before exiting to the upper hull. 

He was greeted by the cool air of the night as stars shone above him. The moon bathed the entire ship in a beautiful silver glow. Most of the photographers had already left. To the Captain’s surprise he was not alone up here. Sitting between the engines near the rear of the ship stood Doctor Debbie Micham and Princess Luna. Between them sat a large telescope which the Doctor was currently focusing on an unseen object in space. 

“Evening you two.” Daniel said as he walked up to the pair.

Debbie quickly looked up from the telescope. “Oh, hey Cap’n. What’s up?”

“Just getting some fresh air before the storm. Getting some stargazing in while the sky is still relatively clear?”

“Yup, plus the Princess was already up here so I offered to show her some stuff in the galaxy.”

“Cool, find anything neat?”

“Hell yeah, found a pulsar with three planetoids orbiting it.”

“Neat. Did you see Grafton in orbit?”

“No. I didn’t know they were still around.” Debbi replied. “I was about to start looking for Reach.”

“Well then, have fun you two.” Daniel did an about face and walked toward the bow. He stood above the bridge as he gazed over what was visible of Canterlot. The city lights gave off a bright glow against the low hanging clouds. It was calming looking over the city. It reminded him a bit of his hometown of New Alexandria. 

Daniel’s mind switched back to the earlier interview and the subsequent reactions. Most ponies seemed excited about the human presence. Some were scared and some thought this was the end of the world. Thankfully the majority of the reactions were overwhelmingly positive. With all the positive feelings of the day, Daniel couldn’t shake a familiar feeling. War was on the horizon, and Daniel knew it. He just hoped Celestia and Luna knew it as well. 
	
	
	
	

> May 22nd, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//May 22nd, 2559
//
//19:38 Local Time

Oh boy, where to start... The interrogations. So today we finally made progress with our bombers. I had asked Celestia if I could take a crack at them with Spotlight’s help. She was hesitant, but eventually agreed to let me try. I can happily say that we got results, all thanks to Spotlight and his awesome ability to read emotions. I will say, we came up with some creative methods to get them to talk. Anyway, more details on that can be found in after action report 52259-09-EQ.

So we also have our meeting with the other national leaders in two days, so that should be fun. Celestia said there would be a representative from the deer, dragons, crystal ponies, zebra, gryphons, and even the minotaurs. Now, in terms of tech, it sounds like the deer are the most advanced since they have little to no magical ability. Then we get to the ponies, they seem to have less technological progress, but have supplemented that with incredible magical ability. Next are the dragons. Celestia said that they place little value in technology, seeming to rely on magic and raw brute strength. Strangely enough, the zebras seem to be more like shamans than anything else. They are kinda like the Amish from Earth. Set in their traditional ways to the point of almost shunning anything new from the outside world. Finally we come to the gryphons and minotaurs. Both have very little magical ability and only basic technology. They seem to favor brute strength, much like the dragons.

Anyway, I should get some sleep. It will be a long day tomorrow.

//End Log

It was raining when Daniel woke up. The steady sound of rain against his window was a welcome change from the glaring sunlight of the post-dawn hours. Once again, Daniel went about his normal morning routine of a shower, shave, and breakfast. There was nothing special planned for the day, leading the Captain to enjoy an actual breakfast in the galley. 

Inside the galley were the usual morning crowd of sailors and marines. However, two pony figures stood out from the sea of humans. Princess Luna was sitting alone at a table with a cup of coffee and a newspaper. Spotlight was sitting a few tables away with a cup of hot chocolate and a datapad. With a tray of pancakes and tea in hand, the Captain made his way to Luna’s table.

“Morning.” Daniel said as he sat across from the lunar princess.

“Morning.” She said with a yawn.

“Let me guess. Night court?”

Luna only offered a slow nod in response. 

“Long night?”

“Yes. Celestia asked me to talk to our bombers. She hoped that I might be able to get them to talk.”

“And?”

“And nothing. They still refuse to say anything.”

“Want me to take a stab at them?”

Luna raised an eyebrow as she eyed Daniel. “You want to try questioning them?”

“Sure. After all, I command an information gathering starship and work for the Office of Naval Intelligence. I think I can gather intel from a less than cooperative unicorn.” He said with a grin.

“Fine with me. You want to waste your time with them, be my guest.”

“I’ll bet I can get one of them to talk.” Daniel said smugly. 

“Oh really now? Willing to put a wager on that?”

“Sure. What are your terms?”

“Hmmm.” Luna tapped a hoof against her chin. “If you fail, and you probably will, you have to attend the night court in full drag.” She said with a mischievous grin. 

“How the hell do you know about drag?”

“Saw it in a movie.”

“Which one?”

“Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

Daniel’s face paled. “Oh god why...?”

“Deal?”

“...Fine. But if I win, you have to hold night court after dying your mane and tail pink. Like, bright pink.”

“Hmmm... deal. You have until midnight. Oh I am so looking forward to seeing you in a dress.”

“One day? Fine, but I get to use one team member.”

Luna brought a hoof to her chin as she thought on it.

“Fine with me.” She replied

Daniel then turned around to face the changeling in the room.

“Spotlight!” Daniel yelled across the room. “Get over here!”

Spotlight picked up his mug and datapad and trotted over to the table.

“Morning Princess. What’s up Captain?”

“You still interested in doing some work for ONI?”

“Sure. Sounds like something I could get behind.” Spotlight said with enthusiasm.

“Sweet. you’re coming with me to an interrogation.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah, I don’t want to end up in drag.”

Spotlight blinked in confusion. 

“Uhh, okay.”

“Great. I’m giving you a field commision. Congratulations, you are now Intern Agent Spotlight.”

“Woah, that quick?”

Daniel nodded. “It’s just a title for now. Let’s see how this goes and we can talk about making it official.”

“Won’t you need the Director’s authorization to do that?”

“Yeah, but it would help if I had a reason to offer him.” The captain said with a shrug.

“Wait a sec. Are you turning him into some kind of secret agent?” Luna asked.

“Pretty much.” Daniel said with a grin.


~~~


It was two in the afternoon and Daniel had just finished interrogating the third bomber, deep within the castle dungeon. So far nothing had been gained. Spotlight had sat next to him the entire time, reading the emotions of the pony in question to discern truth from lie. However, the last three ponies had all been tight lipped. It was time for a change in strategy. 

A thought crossed the Captain’s mind as he looked at the file of the fourth bomber. This unicorn was the youngest of the six. Perhaps with a bit of motivation he could be broken easier. Daniel began to grin as he formulated his plan. Spotlight noticed this and sensed his change in emotion.

“You okay there Captain?”

“Yeah, I just had an idea.” Daniel then looked to the hallway door as it swung open, revealing Princess Celestia and Captain Silverlight.

“Captain Ryan. Have you had any luck yet?” Celestia asked warmly.

“Nah, they’re all staying silent. Though I did just come up with a plan for our number four.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. He’s the youngest of the group, and therefore the most inexperienced and more impressionable.” Daniel looked to the interrogation room door and then to the holding cell door. “I’m going to need a few things.” He said, looking to Celestia.

“Such as?” 

“A sack of potatoes, a bucket of water, a box of cornstarch, some red food dye, a wood spoon, a unicorn volunteer, and a handgun.”

Celestia looked at Daniel with a confused look. “That’s... an odd list. How will this help us gather information?”

“I want to try and scare this kid into talking. Make it seem as though I got mad at the last guy and killed him.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?”

“Well, the water, starch, and dye are the ingredients to making a cheap fake blood. The potatoes will sound like a body hitting the ground. While the gun will be our source of execution.”

Celestia nodded to a nearby guard who promptly left to gather the necessary materials. “What about the volunteer?”

“Well I need this kid to see my ‘victim’. Here’s how we do this. We hold the kid out here while I scream and yell inside the interrogation room with our volunteer. Things get heated and I pull my gun and shoot him. Really I will be firing a training round into the air. Then the bag of potatoes falls off the chair, acting as our dead body. Next the volunteer is dragged out of the room, trailing fake blood.”

“That’s... morbid.”

“All it needs to do is scare him. I really don’t care if he thinks I’m some kind of killer. In fact, that would be wonderful.”

“Still. This seems a bit extreme.”

“I suppose.”

The guard soon returned with all the supplies in his magical aura. 

“Sir, here are the items you requested. Though I was only able to get strawberry syrup instead of red dye.”

Daniel’s hand began reaching around his hip before freezing. “I also need a gun.”

“I’ll get one. Training rounds?” Spotlight asked.

“Yeah. Just tell Chief Carlson that it’s for an interrogation, he’ll understand.”

Spotlight nodded before quickly trotting off.

“Now... I just need a volunteer.” Daniel said as he tapped his chin. “What color are our prisoner’s coats?”


~~~


Private Orange Glow stood in the hallway outside the interrogation room. His escorts stood stoically at his side. To say he was nervous would be an understatement. He had done his best to hold off from saying anything to his interrogators up to this point. However, from the way he had been retrieved from his cell he could tell something was different. His mind instantly went to the worst case scenario. Perhaps Princess Celestia would interrogate him personally. If that was indeed the case then he would have little hope of holding up against her.

Standing in the hallway, Orange Glow could hear yelling coming from the room. It was a male voice, one he did not instantly recognize. The voice quickly became louder, allowing Orange Glow to hear what was being said.

“Alright. Here’s how this is going to work! I have four more of you shitbags in detention cells, all of which I can squeeze for answers! So quite frankly if you don’t want to cooperate then I might as well just move on to the next one!”


“You’ll get nothing from me and like it!” A second voice said in defiance.

“Fine! I don’t need your bullshit anyway!” A metallic click was heard followed by a loud bang. A dull thump later and everything went silent. 

A few seconds later the door opened as Captain Ryan exited the room, followed by Spotlight and a Royal Guard who was dragging the dead body of a unicorn. Orange Glow looked at the white unicorn and at the single gunshot wound to his head as it left a trail of blood on the floor. The group walked around a corner before the human and changeling returned.

“Take him inside. I just need to deal with this fucking mess first.” Daniel said with irritation.

Orange Glow was on the verge of hyperventilating as he sat in the room. The interrogation chamber was spartan, save for a single metal table and two chairs. A large one way mirror was set into the wall directly across from Orange Glow. He could only guess at who might be behind it, if anypony.

Soon Daniel and Spotlight entered the room. Both looked incredibly irritated. Daniel took the seat directly across from Orange Glow while Spotlight sat by the door, watching the pony in question all while sensing his emotions. Currently the pony in question was experiencing fear, bordering on sheer terror.

“So, Private Orange Glow, do you have any idea why you are here?” Daniel asked with a glare.

“N-n-no.” He replied quietly.

Daniel slammed his fist on the table, making the pony jump. “Bullshit you don’t! You know exactly why you’re here! You and your little buddies tried to blow up the fucking castle! Remember that part?!”

Orange Glow gulped but remained silent. Daniel leaned forward in his seat.

“Let me spell this out to you. You’re fucked. Like, really fucked. Attempted assassination of a government official and foreign dignitaries, domestic terrorism, and high treason are each their own death sentence from my world. And you managed to get all three in a single day.”

The dark orange unicorn said nothing but look down at the table.

“Hey Spotlight! What do they do to terrorists, assassins, and traitors here in Equestria?” 

Spotlight remained neutral as he answered. “Thrown into Tartarus if I’m not mistaken.”

“And how well do you think this pudgy little fuck would hold up in a place like that?”

“I’d give him about three minutes before Cerberus turned him into a new chew toy.”

“Lovely.” Daniel turned back to Orange Glow. “So, I’m gonna be nice and give you some choices. Option one, you stay silent and die in Tartarus to some massive three headed dog. Option two, you cooperate with me and I put in a good word with Celestia.”

“...I’ll never talk.”

“Are you sure about that? All I want is some simple information.” Daniel said with a mischievous grin. “Kid, I don’t think you really grasp the severity of your situation. No one but the Princesses knows you’re here. That means I can do whatever I want to you and no one will be the wiser.”

“Like how you killed that last pony?”

“Exactly. Now, if you want to join your friend in the bullet-to-the-brain club, they by all means keep this up.”

The unicorn remained silent.

“Look, I’ve had a long day so far. Just tell me what I want to know and then I can be on my way. Hell, I might even arrange for you to get a hot meal tonight.”

“I-I’ll die with my knowledge. Y-y-you’ll get nothing from me.”

Daniel began to chuckle. “I bet you practiced that in the mirror. Spotlight, does this kid seem like the martyr type to you?”

“Not in the slightest. He’s just a scared kid who’s in way over his head.”

“I-I’m not afraid of you.”

“Mhm...” Daniel quickly stood up and pulled the unicorn’s head down to the table. He quickly unholstered his handgun and pressed it to the side of Orange Glow’s head. “What about now! Are you fucking scared now!”

Orange Glow closed his eyes tight as he clenched his teeth.

“Who hired you?!”

Again, nothing. Daniel then pulled the slide back on his gun.

“I’ve got two more ponies who can be squeezed for information! Right now you are about as disposable as a used condom! So start talking before I have a second kill for the day!” Daniel shouted into the unicorn’s ear.

A slight trickle of tears began flowing from Orange Glow’s closed eyes. His breathing was erratic as his heart raced. His focus was on the cold metal of the weapon pressed to the side of his head.

“Who! Hired! You!” Daniel said as he flipped the safety off with an audible click.

Orange Glow was now shaking as the end seemed to loom over him.

“Last fucking chance before I blow your pathetic fucking brain all over this table!”

Still nothing.

“Fine.” Daniel said with a deadly calm.

“Wait!” Orange cried out. “Windscar! His name... his name is Domri Windscar!”

The Captain kept the gun to his head for a moment longer before returning the weapon to his holster. He then let go of the unicorn as he sat back in his chair.

“See. Was that so hard?” Daniel said as he looked over his shoulder and grinned at the mirror, knowing full well who was on the other side.

“Tell me about this Domri Windscar.”


~~~


It was hard for Celestia to watch the opening part of the interrogation. To see the young stallion so terrified and scared, even if he had been a part of the plot to kill her and Luna. Luna on the other hand was fascinated at what was happening. Daniel seemed to be trying to break down any confidence left in the pony before going and showing him just how helpless he was. 

Celestia had wanted to outright reject Daniel’s proposed plan, but conceded quickly. In the time that her guards had been questioning the ponies, they had gained nothing. The human however, had gotten the name and was currently getting the personal details of the leader behind the attack. All after just a few minutes. She couldn’t deny that Daniel’s method was effective; brutal and unforgiving, but effective. Celestia looked to her sister and was a bit surprised at her expression.

“Luna, are you alright?”

“Fine.” Luna huffed.

“It’s fine if you want to take a break from this.”

“What? Oh, not at all. This is utterly fascinating. The elegance and ease that he used to break Orange Glow. I’m mad because I lost a bet.”

“A bet?”

Luna sighed. “Yeah. I bet him that he wouldn’t be able to get any of the ponies to give information. If he failed then he would have to attend the night court in full drag.”

Celestia just looked at her with confusion.

“It’s when a human male dresses in clothing designed for a female. It’s rare cultural thing. Anyway, if I lost though, then I would have to dye my mane and tail bright pink for night court.”

Celestia had to bring a hoof to her mouth to stifle a bout of laughter.

“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up.”


~~~


Daniel and Spotlight exited the room after thirty minutes of taking notes and asking more questions. They had managed to get a virtual goldmine of information from the young unicorn. Things like who had arranged the attack, the location of their handlers, how much money was offered, and a few other details. In exchange for his cooperation, Orange Glow was to be moved to a regular holding cell as opposed to solitary confinement. This way he would at least have an actual bed and even a small window to the outside world.

The human and changeling walked in to the observation room where Celesita, Luna, and Silverlight were all sitting. Silverlight was still trying to get the remains of the fake blood from his mane.

“So, how’d I do?” Daniel asked smugly.

“I know, I know. You win.” Luna said with a roll of her eyes.

“Not only that, but you gathered some very interesting bits of information.” Celestia added.

“He knows more, but I’m gonna give him some time to recover before we press him again. He’s already broken, so getting the rest should be simple.” Daniel then turned to the Captain Silverlight. “Nice job by the way. He thought you really were dead.”

“Glad to hear it. This stuff is a pain to get out of my coat and mane.”

“Warm water and soap. Of you could just lick it off. It is strawberry flavored after all.” Daniel said with a grin.

Silverlight just rolled his eyes. “So he had no idea who I was?”

“Not a clue. He was probably too scared to connect the dots about your identity.” Daniel then turned to the one way mirror. “I’m just glad he didn’t look up.” He said as he looked to the pink spot on the ceiling where the training round had hit.

“Well, I’m just glad that’s over.” Celestia said with a sigh.

“Same. Anyway, I’m gonna head back to the ship.” Daniel and Spotlight turned and made their way out of the lower dungeon.


~~~ 


The two eventually made their way through the rain and back aboard the Tuscany. They were going over their findings with Commander Zerom and Dior.

“So a quarter of a million bits?” Zerom asked with shock.

“Yup. I guess each one was getting paid that for their roles in the bombings.” Daniel said with a nod.

Spotlight was happily sipping on a cup of hot chocolate through a straw. He was also using one of the holes in his hoof as a makeshift cupholder. He gave a content purring noise as he enjoyed his drink. “I’m just glad we got something concrete from him.” Spotlight then looked to Daniel. “So, I done good today?”

“Ya done good, Spotty.”

Spotlight smiled as he continued enjoying his drink.

“So, what’s the next step?” Dior asked.

“Well, I suspect Celestia will act on the information gained from our little talk with Orange Glow. I’ll probably go back in a few days to squeeze him for more info.”

“What are your thoughts given everything that’s happened over the last few weeks?” Zerom asked.

“I think this has two possibilities. One being that this whole gryphon uprising will just fizzle and die before anything can really escalate. The other possibility is that this turns into all out war.” Daniel paused and glanced out the window. “I really hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“If it were to come to a war, do you think the Director would let us get involved?” 

“Doubtful. It would take something serious for us to get involved in a combat role.”

“What would qualify as serious?” Spotlight asked.

“If we were directly attacked and sustained significant damage.” Dior replied for the Captain.

“Exactly. So unless the gryphons decide to shoot us down, don’t expect us to see combat. Again, this is all assuming the gryphons are going to start a war with someone we’re involved with.” 

“So Captain, what’s next for us?” Zerom asked.

“We have a meeting with various other national leaders. After that? No clue.”

The table sat in silence as the rain continued to softly patter against the window. Spotlight was almost done with his drink as he looked into the mug despondently. To his surprise, someone reached over his shoulder and poured more of the delectable chocolate drink into his mug. His eyes widened when the same unknown figure topped off the drink with a hearty cover of whipped cream. The changeling quickly turned around to see Chef standing behind him with a bottle of whipped cream and a silver pitcher of hot chocolate. Spotlight turned back to his drink and quickly buried his nose in the whipped cream mound in his mug. 

Everyone at the table could only watch as the changeling practically inhaled the whipped cream. After a few seconds though, he was forced to come up for air. His entire muzzle was completely white, pieces of whipped cream were slowly dripping down his fangs which he quickly cleaned off with a wipe of his tongue. All four spectating humans began laughing.

“What? What’s so funny?” Spotlight asked.

“You. Well more specifically, your face.” Daniel replied between bouts of laughter.

“Oh god why am I laughing this hard? Why is this even funny?!” Zerom said as tears flowed from the corners of his eyes. Even Dior’s face was beginning to turn red.

“It hurts to breath.” The SPARTAN said.

Spotlight turned to look at Chef who only offered a shrug and a smile.


~~~


Later that night, Spotlight had just gotten out of a nice hot shower when he noticed the computer in his quarters had an unread message for him. He pulled himself up on the chair and used his magic to use the mouse and open the message. It was a mass email to every person on the ship. Most often these types of messages included weekly schedules and other important pieces of information. 

This one was different. It had an “URGENT” subject line followed by a single sentence.

Please view the following attachment.


Spotlight shrugged and clicked the attachment. His jaw hit nearly hit the desk as an image popped up.

It was a picture of  him grinning with his face covered in whipped cream. Someone had then gone and added a caption at the bottom.

This is the face of true evil.

He was certain he could hear someone laughing through the bulkhead.


~~~


It was the next morning as the crew of the Tuscany arose to a sunny day. The weather reports had pointed to the next three days being clear and sunny before a second storm would be moving in. Of course it was always helpful to have an actual weather schedule to reference. Captain Ryan had decided to give the crew three days of shore leave. He had even cleared it with Celestia and Captain Silverlight to allow small groups of the crew to explore Canterlot. This news was met with thunderous cheering that echoed through every passageway.

One group in particular was excited to be heading into the city. Ahmad Anas and his group of five had planned on visiting one of the mountain city’s best tourist points; an observation platform that offered a magnificent view of the valley below. 

Ahmad was met by a few others as he entered the main launch bay where their Falcon waited. Staff Sergeant Kelly Verrez and Gunnery Sergeant Philip Ballas sat with Lieutenant Victor- 913, one of the SPARTANs of Chevron team. He was a monster of a Russian, standing at six foot seven. The three sat in the cabin of the Falcon as they waited for the others. Even though they were on shore leave, everyone was still wearing their armor and carried a sidearm.

“Jeeze Ahmad, what was taking you so long?” Kelly asked with a grin.

“Oh you know, muslim things. Praying to Allah for the death of all the infadels. The usual.” Ahmad said with a shrug.

“Wait, isn’t your name arabic for ‘Very Commendable Friendship’?” Philip asked.

“Ironic right?” Ahmad said with a grin as Kelly and Victor began laughing.

“I’m not sure if I should be worried or if I should be laughing too.”

“Da, it is funny.” Victor said with a thick accent. 

“Speaking of infidels, where’s our pilot?”

It was then that Junior Lieutenant Gary Stokes jogged into the launch bay with his helmet under one arm.

“Sorry I’m late. We all ready?”

“Yup. Let’s go.” Kelly said as everyone took their seats in the aircraft. The clearance out the front of the ship was only a few hundred feet. While the distance would normally be a problem for any aircraft trying to take off or land, the Falcon was able to navigate the turn with ease.

Soon the entirety of Canterlot came into view as the small aircraft passed the castle. It would be the first time humans had set foot in the actual city of this world. A few pegasi in the air did double takes as the aircraft sped toward its destination. Some of the braver ones even flew alongside the Falcon, but still gave it plenty of room due to the spinning rotors. Kelly was happily sitting at one of the door guns, waving to any pegasi they passed. Victor only gave a chuckle at her enthusiasm. 

Soon the ride was over as the Falcon touched down at the overlook. Most ponies watched in awe as the aircraft gently touched down on a large grassy field next to the actual structure. The five humans eagerly disembarked their aircraft as they prepared to begin their day in the city. The crowd of ponies had diminished slightly as some began to go back to enjoying their own day. 

“Wow. This is... incredible.” Ahmad said as he looked around in awe. The large park was bustling with activity as ponies from around the city enjoyed the sunny day. “So then. Shall we head over to the overlook?”

“Let’s go! That’s why we’re here after all.” Kelly said with bustling enthusiasm.

“You go ahead. I’m going to find a nice tree to meditate under.” Victor replied.

“You not coming big guy?” Philip asked.

“Hет; no. It’s not that I don’t trust pony construction, but I am not sure they had someone like me in mind when they built it.”

“Dude... they built it to hold numerous people. All of which add up to weigh more that you. You’ll be fine.” Gary said.

“All the same. I would rather just relax.”

“Alright. Suit yourself.” Ahmad said as the three ODSTs and Marine made their way to the overlook.

Victor made his way to a large oak tree before sitting cross legged with his helmet on the grass next to him. He closed his eyes and began taking slow deep breaths, allowing his mind to take in every sound, smell, and feel.

The rest of the group was happily moving through the overlook. It was much larger than they had anticipated. Rather than just being a platform hanging off the side of the mountain, it was almost like a museum. There were numerous info plaques along the massive windows that stretched across the entire face of the building. There doors on either side of the main observation room that led to a pair of balconies that wrapped along the exterior of the building. 

The platform was filled with numerous ponies all out to enjoy the day as the humans entered. They got a few glances and nervous looks, but those were quickly forgotten as everyone went about their business. Ahmad and Kelly were reading a plaque that described the original founding of Canterlot when Kelly began furiously tapping Ahmad’s shoulder. She was discreetly pointing to a group of schoolkids on a field trip.

“That has to be the most adorable thing I have seen.” She whispered.

Ahmad gave a smile and a chuckle as he returned to his reading. 


~~~


Victor was enjoying the small breeze that ran through his short brown hair. His eyes were still closed as he continued to meditate on the events of the past few weeks. He had seen and heard things that existed only in fantasy books and stories. Yet here he was, living those same fantasy stories. His concentration was soon interrupted by a small voice.

“Umm, excuse me. Mister?”

Victor slowly opened a single eye as he looked to the source of the voice. To his side stood three young ponies. Two young colts and a filly stood a few feet away from him, eyes filled with wonder and curiosity.

“We...uh... we were just wondering... why are you just sittin’ under this tree?” A pinto colt asked.

“A very good question.” The SPARTAN said with a warm smile. “It is called meditation. I use it for many things.”

“L-like what?” The filly asked sheepishly.

“Well, I can use it to calm myself if I get angry. Or I can even use it to think back on a past even to better understand it. In this case I am simply using it to better enjoy the world around me.” The three young ponies looked between each other and then back to the SPARTAN.

“Can... can we try?”

The SPARTAN chuckled and smiled. “Of course you can. Here,” Victor picked up his helmet and moved it to his other side, making room for the three ponies, “have a seat in the shade.”

The three ponies did as the human said. “Now. I want you to close your eyes and relax. Let your breathing slow to a nice comfortable rate and allow your mind to wander. Don’t necessarily think of anything, but rather focus on the sensations around you.” 

The three ponies closed their eyes and followed his instructions. “Now try and focus on a single thing. Let’s say the feeling of wind blowing through your coat. Really focus on it.” The group sat in silence for a few minutes as the breeze continued to shift direction.

“Now, focus on the sounds around you. Pay attention to the sound of the wind moving through the leaves. Notice the soft sounds of the grass moving against the breeze.” The SPARTAN paused to let the ponies focus. “Now notice the birds. Listen to how they speak to one another. Their songs carry messages just the same as how I am speaking now.” Victor was particularly interested in the song of what sounded like a robin. “Now go further than that. Tell me what else you can hear.”

“I can hear someponies having a picnic.” The teal unicorn filly said. “One of them asked for another bread roll.”

“Very good.” Victor replied. “What else can you hear?”

“I can hear the tree branches moving.” The grey unicorn colt stated.

“Indeed. All around us the wind is moving through the tree branches, making a symphony of sound. A symphony that often goes unnoticed by many. Anything else?”

“I hear somepony walking.” The pinto colt answered.

“Pipsqueake! What are you doing?!” A voice called out from behind the group. Victor opened his eyes as he turned to see the source of the disturbance. A light red unicorn mare was approaching the group. “I am so sorry if they were bothering you, sir.” The mare said to Victor.

“Da, do not worry. They were simply curious about me.” The three young ponies seemed to shrink away from this newcomer. “May I ask your name?”

“Oh, I’m Garnet, their teacher.”

“A pleasure to meet you Mrs. Garnet. I take it you are a part of the school group that is here?”

The teacher looked at the human with surprise. “How did you know that?”

The SPARTAN let out a small chuckle. “I could hear the voices of many young children playing together, as well as a few older voices who seemed to have an air of authority to them. With this I was able to conclude that a school group was visiting today.”

“That’s quite impressive Mr...?”

“Victor. My name is Victor.”

“Well Mr. Victor, thank you for making sure these three didn’t get into trouble.”

“It was my pleasure. Really.” The human then turned to the three children. “Before you go, I want you to focus on one thing that you find interesting. It can be any sound, smell, or feeling.”

The three once again closed their eyes and began to observe everything around them. Garnet just sat there with a perplexed look. A few minutes passed before the filly spoke up.

“I can smell something kinda salty. Not like food... but something.”

“What led you to this smell?”

“The wind. I was focusing on the wind in my mane when I noticed a kind of salty smell. It’s gone now, but it was there for a moment.”

“Hmmm. What could it be then?”

“I dunno.”

“Don’t give up. Focus. What was it that made you notice that?”

“It reminds me of something...”

“Good. Follow that memory.”

A few seconds passed before the filly got up in excitement. “The ocean!”

“Very good.” Victor said with a smile. “The high altitude of this city exposes us to many higher air currents. Some of these can carry sea spray for many miles.” He then turned back to the other two and waited for their answers.

A minute later, the grey unicorn spoke up. “I can feel something strange. Like the mountain is moving. But its different.”

“Good. Focus on this feeling. Try to describe it.”

“Its like... little pulses. Some bigger than others.”

“And what do you think could cause these pulses?”

“I... maybe... The train! The train to Canterlot!”

“The next train doesn’t arrive for another three hours though.” Garnet said with surprise.

“He could feel the slight vibrations of the train going through the tunnels near the base of the mountain.” Victor replied.

“How is all this possible?” 

“They have learned to open their minds to the world around them. Be it the call of a songbird or the feeling of a train passing below.”

“Oh! I hear something!” Pipsqueak said with surprise. “It sounds like... rocks moving... and... metal?”

Victor looked at the colt with a perplexed look before he too began to notice the sound. It was the sound of small rocks falling and bouncing off larger rocks. This was accompanied by the very soft sound of metal groaning as if it were under great strain. Victor kept his eyes closed as he turned his head until he was facing the source of the noise. He slowly opened his eyes and was surprised at what he saw.

He was looking directly at the base of the observation platform. The sounds of rocks cracking had become a bit louder while the metallic gorans had also grown in volume. The SPARTAN silently got up while keeping his gaze on the overlook. 

“Is... is everything alright?” Pipsqueak asked with worry.

“I’m not sure. Those are not good sounds.” Victor replied with a hint of worry.

There was an ear splitting crack as a large section of cliff beneath the overlook fell away from the mountain. Victor watched in horror as one of the three metal support struts was ripped from the bottom of the building and began to plummet to the valley below. The SPARTAN quickly turned around to face Garnet as he picked up his helmet.

“Mrs. Garnet, I need you to go and make sure all your students are out of that building.” The SPARTAN said as he slipped his helmet on. The school teacher was staring in shock as the entire building began to tilt and an awkward angle. “Mrs. Garnet!” Victor practically yelled.

“Oh, yes! Of course!” The school mare began to gallop toward the building. All around, ponies were trying to figure out what was going on. Their questions were soon answered as a flood of panicked ponies began to pour from the overlook. 

The SPARTAN turned back to the three children at his feet. He crouched down as he spoke.

“I want the three of you to go sit by my aircraft until this is over. Alright?”

The three were clearly scared but nodded their understanding.

“Good.” The SPARTAN said as he began to run to the collapsing building. 

> May 23rd, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//May 23rd, 2559
//
//16:11 Local Time

I am proud of my crew. I know that is blatantly obvious, but I am even more proud of them right now. They aren’t some cliche group of people who simply support the captain in his heroic endeavours. Not even close. They are all heroes as far as I am concerned. Hell, I even owe a few of them my life.

//End Log

The scene at the observation platform was a scene of pure chaos. Most of the ponies inside the collapsing building had already rushed out into the adjacent park. Word of the incident was quickly making its way around the city and to the ears of every emergency responder. Already a handful of guards had arrived to help control the panicked crowd. By this time, the entire platform was tilting at a thirty degree angle. Large cracks had already began to form where the first support beam had given out. It was becoming clear that the structure would soon tear itself apart.

Ahmad, Kelly, and Philip were standing at the entrance of the dying structure, intent on making sure everyone was out.After a few moments, the three ODSTs slowly made their way through the mass of ponies and toward their aircraft. Victor was easy to spot among the sea of ponies. The massive SPARTAN stood by the Falcon with Gary and two groups of schoolkids. The school teachers were busy counting their students as the ODSTs walked up.

“Alright. I think everyone is out.” Kelly said aloud.

“We shall see.” The SPARTAN replied. “Mrs. Garnet, are all your students accounted for?”

The red mare looked around at the students and then to the SPARTAN. “Yes, all mine are here. How about you, Cheerilee?”

The purple school mare was still in the process of counting her students. She seemed to pause at one point and began looking around frantically. 

“No... no, no, no, no! I’m missing three!” Cheerilee exclaimed in a panic.

“Alright, tell me what they look like. Perhaps they are just mixed in the crowd.” Victor said reassuringly. 

“One’s a white unicorn filly with a purple and pink mane. The other is an orange pegasus filly with a magenta mane, and the other is a yellow earth filly with a red mane and a large bow.” She shakily replied.

“Where did you last see them?” Victor asked calmly.

“Inside the building.” The school teacher pointed to the collapsing building with a hoof.

“Ahmad, you said everyone was out?” The SPARTAN asked.

“I think so. No one else has come out.”

“Did you search the building?”

“Kinda dangerous in its current state.”

The SPARTAN gave him an incredulous look. “And when has that ever stopped you?”

Silence.

“Good point.” The ODST climbed into the cabin of the Falcon and began pulling out equipment. “Kelly, Philip, lets go do something incredibly dumb and dangerous.” Ahmad handed the other two ODSTs a pair of backpacks and began walking back to the structure.

“Uhh... parachutes?” Kelly asked with surprise.

“Yeah. Being in a collapsing building a few thousand feet up makes me think it would be a good idea to have them.”

“Good point.”

The three continued their walk until they came to a group of pegasi standing around a table with a handful of unicorn guards. A yellow pegasus with a fiery orange mane seemed to be barking orders at the others at the table.

“Look, that whole bucking building could come down at any second. I couldn’t send any flyers in there without the possibility of them becoming trapped should the thing fall.” She then looked to the closest unicorn guard. “If you can get some unicorns to help hold the building up then I can send in some ponies to search for anyone trapped inside.”

“I’ll see what I can do, Captain.” The unicorn said with a salute before walking off. A light blue pegasus turned to his counterpart.

“So Spits. What’s your plan?” Soarin asked.

“It all depends on if those unicorns can hold up the building long enough for us to get inside.” She let out a long sigh as she looked to the building. “Soarin... how could something like this happen...”

“Excuse me ma’am. Are you in charge here?” Spitfire turned around and came full face to face the three ODSTs.

“Unofficially, yes. And you are?”

“Master Sergeant Ahmad Anas. This is Staff Sergeant Kelly Verrez and Gunnery Sergeant Philip Ballas.”

“I’m Captain Spitfire of the Royal Air Force and this is Lieutenant Soarin. You three here to lend a hoof?”

“Yes ma’am. So I take it the building hasn’t been cleared yet?”

“No, it’s too unstable for us to send anypony in there to check it.” The captain said with a shake of her head.

“Do we really have time to wait? Especially if there is anyone trapped inside.” Kelly asked with concern.

“I’m hoping that some of the unicorns here could help keep the building from falling. Though I’m not holding my breath.” She said with irritation.

“Alright, while you wait for the unicorns to get it together we’ll go check for anyone who's trapped.” Ahmad replied.

“You're kidding... right? That entire building could come down at any minute, taking you with it.”

“Then there isn’t a moment to lose.” The three ODSTs began jogging to the front doors with Spitfire and Soren hot on their heels.

The group stopped as they looked inside the broken structure. It had begun to crack down the middle as it continued to lean to the side and forward. Anything that wasn’t bolted down to the floor had slid across to the far wall in a massive heap.

“Well this should be fun.” Ahmad cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted. “Is anyone in there!?”

Silence.

“In here! Somepony help!” A faint voice called back.

“Well fuck. Who wants to go first?” Kelly asked.

“Dibs.” Ahmad said as he slipped his helmet on. He then checked his harness to make sure the parachute was secure before making his way inside.

“He’s insane...” Soarin commented in utter shock.

“Would you be surprised if I said he was one of the more level headed of us?” Kelly said with a grin. Soarin was at a total loss for words as his jaw hung open. Spitfire just shook her head with a sigh.

Ahmad carefully made his way through the ruined interior of the platform. Large cracks and holes had formed in the floor and ceiling, all results of the incredible strain the building was under. The ODST had to be careful to only walk near the walls where the floor was the strongest. 

“Say something if you can hear me!” The ODST called out.

“Back here!” The small voice replied once more. 

He took the next left and continued down the hall to what was once the gift shop. This area of the building had been seriously damaged when the supports gave out. Parts of the ceiling had fallen and the floor felt especially unstable. Unfortunately, the entrance to the gift shop was mostly blocked by a fallen piece for ceiling. However, there was a small opening near the base of the door that the ODST could crawl through. It would be a tight fit, but it wasn’t impossible.

Dropping to his belly, Ahmad began to crawl through the opening. Inside the gift shop was very similar to the rest of the building. Display cases were smashed, racks were toppled over, various items littered the floor, and pieces of large debris covered the area. As Ahmad turned on his helmet light, his goal came into sight.

Huddled in a corner were the three missing kids. Unfortunately, one of them seemed to be pinned beneath a piece of concrete. 

“Over here!” The yellow earth pony called as she waved her hooves over her head. Ahmad carefully made his way across the room. The three fillies stared in utter shock as the human entered the room.

“Y-y-you’re one of those humans, right?” The yellow filly asked shakily.

“Indeed I am. My name is Ahmad Anas. What are your names?” He asked calmly.

“I-I’m Sweetiebelle.” The unicorn said nervously.

“And Ah’m Applebloom, and this here is Scootaloo.” She said pointing to the trapped pegasus.

“Wonderful. Tell me, are you in Mrs. Cheerilee’s class?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?” Sweetiebelle asked.

“She was worried about you and asked us to find you.” The building gave a loud groan as it shifted slightly “Why are you kids still in here? This place could come down at any moment.” The ODST asked.

“Its Scootaloo, she’s stuck.” The unicorn pointed to her friend. Sure enough, the ODST could see the debris keeping the filly pinned to the ground.

“Alright.” He began looking around before noticing a large hole in the ceiling. He stood up and pulled a blue smoke flare from a pouch on his armor. Ahmad grabbed one end of flare and broke it off. Seconds later, blue smoke began spewing from the open end. He threw the flare out the open hole and onto the roof above.

“Lets get you unstuck.” The human grabbed the sides of the slab of concrete and slowly lifted it off the filly. She let out a cry of pain as the weight shifted on her back leg. With a final heave, Ahmad flipped the debris onto the floor. Unfortunately for the human, the small section of floor gave out. He watched the slab fall through the floor and continue to fall to the valley floor below.

“Hey, you found em!” Ahmad spun around to see Kelly looking in through the open hole in the ceiling. 

“Yes, this one is injured. You bring a rope?”

Kelly reached to her side and produced a black nylon rope. “Of course. What kind of girl would forget her nylons.” 

Ahmad chuckled as she lowered one end into the building. He grabbed the rope and brought it back to the injured filly. 

“This is going to hurt a bit, but we need to get you out of here quickly. Okay?”

Scootaloo only offered a nod as she closed her eyes and clenched her teeth. The ODST began to tie a makeshift harness out of the rope. Occasionally he would touch a sore spot, earning a pained yelp from the filly. 

“Alright, pull her up.” With Ahmad holding her, Kelly began to slowly pull the pegasus filly up through the opening in the ceiling. 

“Got her. Next one?”

“Toss it down again.”

There was an ear splitting crack as the building began to pitch downward even further. Kelly was caught by surprise and began sliding across the roof toward the edge of the building. She was able to stop herself from going over the edge by grabbing at one of the many holes in the roof.

“Kelly! Are you okay!?” Ahmad called out to his partner.

“I’m fine!” She replied.

The building lurched again as a powerful jolt signaled the collapse of a second support beam. With little time to spare, Ahmad began to improvise. He picked up the rope and began tying it to both of the remaining fillies. They looked at him in fear as he quickly finished tying them together.

“W-what’s going to happen to us?” The unicorn asked.

“We’re going to be fine. I promise.” He then turned to the now open doorway. “C’mon, we need to go now!” He got up and quickly made his way to the door. The two fillies only inches behind him. The three continued down the hallway back to the main observation room as another loud groan echoed through the air. Ahmad stopped at the back wall and picked up the rope. He then clipped both ends to his harness. He knelt down to the two fillies.

The building gave one last loud groan before it shook again. Ahmad looked to the large window across from him as he unholstered his pistol. 

“W-what was that?” Applebloom asked with panic.

“Girls. I want you to know something. No matter what happens, you will be okay. I promise you I will get you back to your families. I just need you to trust me. Okay?”

“O-o-okay... promise?” Sweetiebelle said as tears flowed from her eyes.

“I promise. Now, cover your ears.” The two fillies did as he said. The ODST then leveled his weapon at the window and fired three shots.

The bullets instantly shattered the large window, leaving only open sky. There was another loud crack as the building pitched forward even more. Furniture and other debris began spilling out through the open window and into the air. Ahmad checked the harness one last time before picking up both girls and running forward. The angle was steep enough that a single jump was all it took to launch the ODST and two fillies through the shattered window and into the open air.

There was a moment of peace as Applebloom looked back. She could see how much the platform was leaning forward and the massive crowd gathered at the edge of the mountain. Numerous pegasi were hovering just over the collapsing structure. She could make out a black figure on the roof, trying to climb it’s way to safety. She was startled when the figure began quickly sliding down the steep angle before going off the side. 

That was when gravity kicked in.

~~~

Victor watched as the pegasi team hoisted an orange filly from a hole in the roof. He breathed a sigh of relief as he recognized her as one of the missing kids. The SPARTAN touched the side of his helmet to radio back what was happening.

“Captain Ryan. Do you read me?”

“I hear ya Victor. Hows the overlook?”

“Sir, we have a major situation here.”

There was a pregnant pause. “Victor I have you on speaker with the Princess. What kind of situation are we talking about?”

“Sir, the entire building is in the process of collapsing. Something happened to the support beams holding it up and now it is leaning at a twenty eight degree angle.”

“Is anyone trapped inside?” Celestia asked.

“Yes ma’am. However, Master Sergeant Anas is currently inside the building and is in the process of rescuing them. We believe there to be three children stuck inside. The first one was just lifted from a hole in the roof.”

“I see. I will have all resources diverted to helping with the rescue effort.”

Everyone jumped back as a loud bang was heard followed by what sounded like three gunshots.

“Sir it’s getting worse. We just lost another support beam. There are at least three individuals still inside.”

“Shit. Alright, I’m on my way.”

“Aye sir.” Victor turned as he heard a series of screams and gasps. He quickly ran to the side of the platform at got a perfect view of what was happening.

He watched as Kelly lost her grip and slid down the roof and over the side. He then saw Ahmad go flying through the main window with two children under each arm.

“Captain! Kelly has fallen and Ahmad jumped off!”

“What!”

Victor watched as the structure gave one final shudder before breaking off and plummeting through the air.

“Sir... we lost the building. Ahmad and Kelly are currently in the air with what I believe to be the missing children.”

“Are they wearing any kind of gear?” Daniel asked frantically. 

“Yes sir. Both are wearing parachutes.”

“Of thank Odin.” He said with an audible sigh. “Keep track of them. I’m grabbing a Pelican and will be there in minutes.”

“Copy that. Sir... it seems a pair of pegasi are in pursuit. Orders?”

“Nothing. Stand by until I arrive.”

“Aye sir.” Victor continued to watch as the structure got smaller and smaller. He then turned to the nearby ODST. “Philip. Go after them.” The SPARTAN ordered. Philip just looked at him with astonishment.

“Seriously?”

“Either you jump off this cliff after them, or I throw you off this cliff. Your pick.” The SPARTAN said dryly.

“Well when you put it like that...” The ODST slipped his helmet on before running past a group of unicorn guards and doing a front flip off the edge.

~~~

Ahmad continued his rapid descent toward the valley floor. Sweetiebelle and Applebloom had been screaming in terror at the first few seconds of their fall, but had now fallen silent. For Ahmad, this was easy. He had made hundreds of jump before in every weather condition imaginable and in almost every combat situation imaginable. So doing a tandem jump from a collapsing building was a piece of cake.

A few seconds into their jump, Kelly had managed to catch up. While they would never hear each other over the rushing wind, their radios still worked fine.

“So Kelly, how’s it going?” Ahmad asked with a chuckle.

“Oh ya know. I was just hanging out on the roof then decided to take a dive.”

“That was a bad set of puns and you should feel bad.” 

Kelly laughed. “How are your passengers?”

“Better. They were screaming for the first few seconds, but I think they are just along for the ride now.”

“Neat. Speaking of which, how much altitude do we have left?” Kelly asked.

Ahmad looked to the left of his HUD. His altimeter read 6,421.

“We got about six thousand feet to go.”

“Wow. So we have a few minutes of this crap?”

Ahmad nodded. “Yup.” 

Kelly looked over her shoulder and watched as the fallen building scraped against the mountain and broke into thousands of pieces. 

“Glad we weren’t riding that thing.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

As the pair continued their descent, Ahmad noticed something approaching on his motion tracker.

“Hey Kelly, something’s coming this way.” Ahmad looked back and noticed a yellow and orange spec becoming bigger and bigger. He soon recognized it as the form of Captain Spitfire. 

The pegasus pulled along side the ODSTs as she matched their descent speed. She tried yelling something to them, but her words were lost to the wind. The Captain gave up trying to communicate and settled for just following closely. Occasionally Spitfire would look over her shoulder, as if she was expecting something to be behind them. Each time her gaze was met by open blue sky.

A minute and three thousand feet later, Ahmad was contemplating where he would try and land. The only obstruction was the forest, but that was about thirty miles to the west. He then looked to the south and saw only rolling green hills. To his east was the sheer face of the mountain he had just jumped from, and to the north was a single large airship.

He did a double take as his mind processed that there was a massive elegant airship coming low from the north. He noticed it had a pair of banners that seemed to resemble some of the flags he had seen around the castle. His attention was grabbed once more by Spitfire, who was eagerly motioning toward the airship before making her way to it. 

The airship was unlike anything Ahmad had imagined. The entire vessel was almost four hundred and fifty feet long and sixty feet wide, making it almost as long as the Tuscany. Rather than the airship be suspended from a single large balloon, this one seemed to have a pair of purple balloons attached to the side of the hull.

“I think she wants us to land on the airship. Thoughts?” Ahmad asked over his radio. Kelly said nothing as she quickly changed course. Ahmad sighed and followed. 

Both ODSTs were now on a collision course with the massive airship. As they got within six hundred feet of the craft, both humans pulled their ripcords, causing their parachutes to deploy. Spitfire turned to make sure the humans were still behind her, but nearly stopped when she saw they had slowed down considerably and were now suspended beneath two massive cloth canopies. She decided to hoover is place for a moment as the pair caught up.

Applebloom and Sweetiebell gave out a small yelp as Ahmad was jolted by his parachute opening. They both looked up at the canopy and then at the ground. Ahmad looked down at them.

“I told you we would be fine.” He said with a chuckle.

“What is this thing?” Sweetiebelle asked.

“It’s called a parachute. It lets me safely fall from really high up.”

“It looks like it’s made out of some kind of fabric.” She replied.

“That’s because it is. It’s a material called nylon.” Ahmad said back.

Soon Kelly and Ahmad caught up with the waiting pegasus. She looked confused, worried, and a bit irritated all at the same time.

“You alright there Captain?” Kelly yelled.

“Yeah, well, kinda. I gotta say, I wasn’t expecting... these.” She said while motioning to the parachutes.

“They come in real handy.” Ahmad responded. “You keep looking over your shoulder. Everything okay?”

She paused for a moment. “No. I lost sight of the other pony that was with me.”

“The Lieutenant, right?” Ahmad asked.

Spitfire nodded before looking back at the airship. She noticed a number of armored pegasi guards on the upper deck, all eyes were fixed on them.

“Seems our welcome party is ready. Just let me do the talking alright?” Spitfire said while looking to both humans.

“Yes ma’am.” Both ODSTs replied in unison.

Spitfire flew ahead of the humans and prepared to touch down on the deck. The soldiers on deck seemed to tense up as she approached. As she prepared to land, she was able to spot the one pony she had hoped was aboard. With a sigh of relief, she touched down.

A white unicorn with a two-tone blue mane stepped forward to meet Spitfire. He held himself with authority and purpose. Spitfire instantly snapped a hoof to her forehead in a salute.

“Prince Armor, I’m sorry for dropping in on you like this.” She said in her best officer tone.

“Relax Captain, it’s quite alright.” Shining Armor said as he looked over her shoulder to the approaching humans. “Are they with you?”

“Yes sir.”

“Let them land!” The Prince commanded. Instantly the guards all cleared the deck to allow the ODSTs plenty of space to land. 

Kelly was the first to touch down. She had come in much too quick and had hit with a loud thud. She was forced to roll as to avoid injury. 

Ahmad was able to land with much more grace and control, mainly due to the extra weight on his sides. Both ODSTs quickly grabbed their parachutes and rolled them up. Ahmad then unclipped the two fillies at his sides and set them down on the deck. He then looked up to the unicorn standing before him.

“Thank you for letting us land, sir.” He said politely.

“It was no problem. Although I am curious as to why you have two fillies with you.”

Ahmad let out a nervous chuckle. “It’s... it’s a long story.”

It was then that another pony walked onto the deck.

“Shining, is everything alright?” A female voice called out.

“Everything’s fine dear.” Shining replied.

“Princess Cadance!” Spitfire said with another salute.

“Hello Captain. Who are your friends here?” The pink alicorn asked.

“Princess Cadance, Prince Armor. This is Staff Sergeant Kelly Verrez and Master Sergeant Ahmad Anas.”

Both ODSTs snapped to attention and saluted. Cadance let out a small giggle as she looked to her husband. “Please relax. There will be a time for formalities later. What I am interested in is what brought you here, and with two children?”

As Ahmad was about to begin his story, he was interrupted yet again.

“Clear the deck!” A voice called from overhead.

All eyes went skyward as a third ODST was parachuting in. This one however, had something much bigger attached to his chest. Spitfire paled as she recognized the limp form of Soarin. Seconds later, the third human and Soarin touched down on the deck. Spitfire rushed forward to her fallen friend and began to check him over. The only thing she could see was the deep gash on his head.

“What the hay happened!?” She demanded.

“I’ll tell you exactly what happened.” Philip replied.

~~~

“Well when you put it like that...” The ODST slipped his helmet on before running past a group of unicorn guards and doing a front flip off the edge. He quickly folded himself into a streamlined shape and plummeted to the ground below at over a hundred and fifty miles per hour. As he fell, he noticed two shapes ahead of him. He recognized them as Spitfire and Soarin from earlier. Both seemed to be following Ahmad and Kelly. 

A minute later, Philip was just behind the pair of pegasi. They had just reached the falling building and were navigating through it. Philip watched as the golden pegasus nimbly flew through the debris without any effort. Soarin was hot on her tail as he tried to follow her maneuver. He was doing well up until the point where the entire falling structure slammed into the cliff face, causing the massive structure to explode into millions of pieces. 

He tried to twist and dive around the flying debris, but was met with limited success. He managed to avoid the first large chunks, but was caught off guard by a much smaller slab of concrete. Unfortunately for Soarin, the slab connected with his forehead, leaving him unconscious and bleeding at seven thousand feet.

Philip was far enough back to avoid the debris, but was still close enough that he could grab the falling pegasus. He quickly pulled himself into a steeper dive until he was just a few feet away from Soarin and the now smashed building. With a free hand, Philip grabbed the falling stallion by the tail before quickly redirecting his body away from the destroyed structure. It took only seconds for the ODST to move clear of the falling building.

Now clear of instant death by falling concrete, Philip loosened the lower strap on his harness before slipping Soarin through the open loop. He then quickly tightened the lower part of his harness over the unconscious stallion. Philip continued to secure Soarin by passing him under the upper part of the harness. 

With the unconscious Soarin now safely secured to his harness, Philip began searching the sky for his teammates. Looking to the west revealed only a large dark forest, while the east revealed the stone face of the cliff he had just jumped from. As Philip looked to the south, he was met with a lovely view of rolling green hills that eventually led to what looked like a small village off in the distance. However, looking to the north finally yielded the targets he was searching for. 

Not more than seven hundred feet away were the canopies of Ahmad and Kelly. What was odd though, was that they seemed to be heading toward a massive airship. Philip looked down at Soarin who was still bleeding from the wound on his head. The wound looked fairly deep, but hopefully his skull wasn’t broken. Though Philip was quite certain that the pegasus would have a nasty concussion. The ODST then put a hand under Soarin’s jaw and held his head back against his black armor. WIth his free hand he reached over and pulled the ripcord.  

His entire body jolted as the parachute opened. Philip slowly released Soarin’s head and grabbed ahold of both control handles. He then looked back to the airship and noticed that both Ahmad and Kelly had already landed.

“Well then, here we go.” Philip said to himself. “Clear the deck!” He shouted for all to hear.

~~~

Spitfire and a team of and the ship’s medic were tending to Soarin’s wounds as Philip recounted what had happened. Cadance and Shining stood in awe as the ODSTs recounted what had happened in the past hour. 

“So... what brings you two to Canterlot?” Kelly asked.

“Well, we and many of the other national leaders are coming to meet with Captain Ryan and Celestia. Shining and I wanted to arrive a day early so we could get some time in with friends and family.”

“Neat.” Kelly said with a grin.

“What about you? Were you visiting the outlook?” Shining asked.

“Yeah. Princess Celestia and Captain Ryan let us take some shore leave in the city. So five of us decided to take the day and visit the platform.” Ahmad answered.

“Wait... there were five of you?” Shining asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes sir. The other two stayed behind to help with the survivors.”

“I see.” The deck went silent for a moment. “Well we should be in Canterlot in about an hour.”

“Great. I’m just gonna lay here on the deck.” Ahmad said as he walked to the edge of the deck and promptly laid down. 

~~~

Daniel stood with Celestia and Victor stood at the edge of the mountain. Most of the civilians had left the area as emergency crews began combing over the area where the observation platform once stood. Pegasus teams were flying around while inspecting the area that once held the three massive support beams. So far the investigation had turned up nothing.

Celestia sighed as she shook her head. “How does something like this happen...?”

“I would love to say it was an unfortunate accident. Though I have my doubts.” Daniels replied as he turned to the massive SPARTAN. “So other than the three kids in the building, were all the children accounted for?”

“Da. Mrs Garnet and Mrs. Cheerilee can account for all their students. It seems that Scootaloo was the only one who sustained significant injury.”

“Well I guess we got lucky in that regard. Now all we need to do is find our missing ODSTs.” Daniel stated.

“We won’t have to look far.” Daniel turned to see Celestia reading a scroll. “Actually we won’t have to look at all. They were picked up by my niece and her husband and will be in the city within the next two hours.”

“Wonderful. Saves me the trouble of having to search for them.” Daniel replied.

Victor slowly turned his head to face the Captain. “Right, because the homing beacons in their armor make that soooooo hard.” The SPARTAN said sarcastically.

Celestia softly chuckled at the remark while Daniel just glared at the massive SPARTAN. The three continued to sit in silence as the midday sun was transitioning to the late afternoon. So much had happened in the last few hours that it just didn’t feel real. So many lives could have been lost, thankfully that tragedy had been avoided. 

“Well then. Might as well head back to the ship.” Daniel stated.

“I agree. There is nothing we can do but get out of the way.” Celestia replied.

With that said, everyone returned to their respective aircraft and headed back to the castle.

~~~

Daniel stood in the lift as he waited for the upper airlock to open. It was still a lovely sunny day, and because of this, a number of crew members had opted to spend it just enjoying being outside. As he stepped out onto the hull he was met by a handful of sailors and marines, all just laying in the sun. Most were either reading on beach towels or were napping. Daniel spotted one individual in particular and made his way across the hull toward her.

Commander Dior was happily reading while enjoying the sun. She wore only a bikini top and exercise shorts. A stark contrast to her half ton body armor.

“Enjoying shore leave?” Daniel asked with a chuckle.

Lisa lifted her sunglasses to look at Daniel. “Yes actually.” She said as she returned to her book.

“I take it you heard about what happened at the overlook?” Daniel said as he sat next to the SPARTAN.

“I did. Sounds like a bad situation that was salvaged at the last second.” Dior pulled a piece of red ribbon from under her towel and placed it in her book to mark the page. “So there were no serious injuries?”

“There were two. One child and one rescuer.” Daniel said with a sigh.

“But both are alive?”

Daniel nodded. “Two other kids were hospitalized, but only as a precaution. They’ll probably be released later today or tomorrow morning.” 

“Does anyone have a clue as to why the whole damn thing fell off?” Dior asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Not that I am aware of. They were just beginning to investigate when we all left.” Daniel said as he looked out toward the valley.

“Well what do you think? Sabotage or just a freak accident?” Lisa said as she sat up on her towel.

Daniel sighed. “While I don’t have a lot of information to go off of... I am leaning toward sabotage. It’s just a bit too convenient for this to happen just two weeks after the castle bombing.”

Lisa shifted her gaze over the valley as well. “Lovely view.”

“Yeah. Not sure how long it will be like this. I can hear the drums of war beginning to play. I just hope the Princesses are ready to do what’s necessary to protect the nation.” The captain sighed.

“Well then. Better savor these moments.” The SPARTAN said as she picked up her book and began reading again.

 
	
	

> May 24th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//May 24th, 2559
//
//23:01 Local Time

Today was... enlightening. Investigators at the observation platform collapse site have turned up some very disturbing pieces of information. It would seem that my suspicions of sabotage were not far-fetched in the slightest. They reported finding scratch marks, indicating that someone had intentionally weakened the stone face holding up the support beams. So far there are no leads on who might be responsible.

Luckily there were only a handful casualties and no deaths. Hell, only two ponies were hospitalized, so I would call it a successful day. Word has it that Celestia is planning on awarding the three ODSTs some kind of medal. I believe it was called the Equestrian Service Star. 

Two other things. First off, the other national leaders arrived only about two hours ago. So the first meeting will take place later tomorrow. There was a bit of surprise when a gryphon ambassador from the new regime showed up. So saying there was tension would be putting it mildly. Hell, Celestia recommended I wear full body armor and bring an easily concealed weapon. Although I bet her definition and my definition of “easily concealable” are two different things. 

Now for today. The two kids that Ahmad saved from the observation platform were going home today. Celestia was just going to send them via pegasus chariot, but I offered to drive them. Celestia thought it was an odd request; I told her that it would be a wonderful public relations move. She agreed and said she would leave the decision to the kids. 

Sure enough, they were excited to get a ride home from some extraterrestrial badasses. 

//End Log

It was ten in the morning as Daniel waited in the launch bay with three Warthog all-terrain vehicles. They would travel in a standard convoy formation. Leading the group was a Warthog with a gatling turret, followed by the second vehicle which had additional seating where the turret would normally be, then ending with another vehicle equipped with a gauss cannon. Celestia had asked Captain Silverlight to accompany the group for reasons unknown to the guard captain. However, Daniel knew exactly why.

He sat against the gauss turret as he thought back to Celestia’s words.


~~~


“I would like you to take Captain Silverlight with you on this trip.” Celestia had told him.

“That’s fine. If anything, I would be surprised if you didn’t send someone with me.” Daniel said with a chuckle. 

Celestia shared in the chuckle before continuing. “There are other reasons for sending him.”

“Oh? Do tell.” He said with interest.

“You’ve... seen him around the castle. Yes?”

Daniel nodded.

“Then you have seen how he acts around his subordinates as well as myself and Luna.” Celestia said with a slight sigh.

“He is always acting very professional and conducts himself with the utmost precision.” Daniel replied.

“Indeed he does. Though this is... a problem of sorts.” 

“How...?” Daniel asked with a bewildered expression.

“I’ve seen him outside of the castle... he has trouble differentiating his work life from his personal life. I’ve asked him to take days off and relax, but every time he just stays home and waits. He doesn't go out with friends, he never willingly takes a day off, and he certainly doesn’t enjoy being away from the castle.”  Celestia said as she cast her gaze toward the floor.

“So his work is his life... Yeah. I know a few like that... What would you ask of me?” Daniel asked with a nod.

“I want you to help him with something my own student struggled with for years.” Celestia let out a single chuckle. “He needs someone to truly call a friend, and since you are both in the military I feel that you are uniquely qualified for this.”

Daniel sat across from Celestia in silence as he contemplated her words. “Yeah. I think I can do that.”


~~~


“Captain?”

Daniel brought himself back to reality and looked to his left. Staff Sergeant Kelly Verrez stood with Master Sergeant Ahmad Anas, both in full armor with their helmets in hand. 

“Yeah Kelly?” Daniel replied with a small grunt.

“You okay? You looked like your mind was in orbit around Earth.” Kelly said with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m fine. Just thinking about something Celestia told me.” Daniel replied with a shake of his head.

“Anything we need to worry about?” Ahmad asked with concern.

“Nope.” Daniel sighed as he laid his head against the bed of the Warthog. “So who wants to drive the other hogs?”

“Well, who all is coming?” Kelly inquired with her hands on her hips, while Ahmad just stood quietly at her side.

“Me, you two, Zerom, Silverlight, Spotty, Victor, and our two passengers.” Daniel replied while counting on his fingers.

“I’ll drive the lead.” Kelly said enthusiastically.

“Alright, take Victor with you. Zerom and Spotty will take the third vehicle. I’m driving number two.” Daniel ordered with a nod.

A few minutes passed before Zerom, Spotlight, and Victor showed up. Victor was wearing his usual Mark V Commando armor, while Zerom was wearing a simple dark grey working uniform. Spotlight followed the pair into the hanger while wearing a custom made black jacket with the ONI emblem on the shoulder.  

Daniel quickly sat up and jumped out of the Warthog, before walking over to the group.

“Alright, lets get a briefing done before our passengers arrive... So as you all know we will be transporting two kids back to the town of Ponyville. Princess Celestia has authorized this as an opportunity for us to gather positive press and public relations.” Daniel was interrupted when Kelly raised her hand. “Yes, Kelly?”

“If we are just giving two kids a ride home, why are we running a small convoy?” Kelly asked with curiosity.

“It’s the nature of our passengers. They are the younger siblings of two very important individuals. Remember Rainbow Dash’s friends? The ones we met just after we landed.” Kelly nodded in response. “Well the six of them are national heroes: the Elements of Harmony.”

“The Elements of Harmony?” Victor asked with an incredulous look.

“Yeah. Princess Celestia said something about them being the wielders of a very powerful magical artifact. But that is irrelevant. Our job is to take these kids home, and that is exactly what we are going to do.” Daniel turned to the Warthogs before continuing. 

“Kelly and Victor will take the lead vehicle. I will be driving the second vehicle with the two kids, Ahmad, and Silverlight. Hog three will be Zerom and Spotty. Sound good?” A series of murmurs and other sounds of agreement came from the group.

It was then that Silverlight, Applebloom, and Sweetiebelle walked up the landing ramp and past the guards stationed at the edge of the landing bay. Daniel quickly beckoned for them to approach.  

“Morning everyone. Ready for a road trip?” The Captain said with a smile.


~~~


The trio of vehicles slowly drove through the morning streets of Canterlot. Silverlight was nervously riding in the passengers seat next to Daniel while the two girls were sitting in the back row seats with Ahmad. Daniel could hear the three happily telling stories and just enjoying the trip. He chuckled and turned to the nervous pegasus sitting next to him.

“You alright?”

Silverlight turned to the human. “Yeah... I’m fine.”

“Really? Cause you don’t seem fine.” Daniel wasn’t buying it. He had seen this kind of nervousness before. 

“It’s just... why would the Princess ask me to accompany two fillies back to Ponyville? Is she expecting trouble? Why not just send them back with a pegasus chariot? It would be much faster.” The guard Captain looked the human in the eye. “Do you have any idea?”

Daniel began laughing quietly. “Silverlight... Relax. Alright? No we aren’t expecting to be attacked. Yes a chariot would be faster, but do you know why she allowed us to do this road trip instead?”

Silverlight shook his head.

“Because it would be more fun.” Daniel said with a smile as he continued to follow the lead Warthog. They were driving a modest fifteen miles per hour through the streets. Daniel found it odd how few vehicles there were. Most traffic just seemed to be ponies walking, though there were a few carriages that seemed to operate as taxis. 

“Umm... Captain Ryan... do you know why Princess Celestia asked me to accompany you? Not that I mind. It just seems... odd.” The nervous pegasus asked.

“You can go ahead and drop the formalities. And yes, I do know why.” Daniel said with a nod.

Silverlight looked over at Daniel, expecting more of an answer.

“Are you going to share?” Silverlight asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Nope.” Daniel replied with a smug grin. Silverlight just looked at him blankly before leaning back in his seat.

A few minutes later the convoy sat just outside the city walls. Ahead of them was a long winding mountain road that went on for miles. The road was made of tightly packed cobblestone that eventually gave way to a generic dirt road. Daniel smiled as he pulled alongside Kelly’s vehicle, while Zerom slowed his vehicle and pulled alongside Daniel.

Daniel looked between the two drivers before smirking. 

“Ready?” The others nodded in response. “Last one down the mountain scrubs the engines with their toothbrush!” Daniel said as he floored the accelerator. His Warthog quickly kicked up a rooster tail of loose dirt as the wheels spun on the cobblestone. The vehicle suddenly lurched down the road as the tires grabbed ahold of the road.

Silverlight went wide eyed at the sudden acceleration and was practically gripping his restraints. The girls in the back began cheering at the sudden increase in speed. Daniel, however, was laughing as the wind blew through his hair. 

“Dude, relax. Enjoy the ride!” Daniel shouted over the wind as he pressed a few buttons on the center console. Silverlight could swear he was beginning to hear something over the roar of the wind. Daniel turned a knob on the dashboard, causing the air to come alive with music. 


Play



~~~


About twenty minutes into the journey down the mountain, Daniel spotted what seemed to be a waggon pulled over to the side of the road with a single light blue unicorn walking around it. Being a good samaritan, Daniel stopped his Warthog next to the waggon. He instantly noticed that one of the wheels had broken, and that a light blue unicorn mare, with a purple wizard hat, was trying to fix it.

“Excuse me. Do you need any help with that?” Daniel said to the mare.

She quickly spun around to where Daniel was parked. “You? The Great and Powerful Trixie needs help from nopony! She has vanquished an Ursa Major and is quite capable of fixing a broken wheel!” 

Trixie threw her hooves into the air for emphasis. Unfortunately for her, she hit her spare wheel, sending it rolling down the mountain. Trixie and Daniel watched silently as the wheel disappeared from sight.

“Kay.” Daniel said as he stomped on the accelerator and sped off down the road. Trixie continued to look where her only spare wheel had rolled off to. 

“Curse you wheels!” She cried out.


~~~


An hour after their race began, Zerom came to a skidding halt at the base of the mountain road. He quickly unfastened his restraints and stood on the hood of the Warthog. Looking around, he noticed he was the first one to arrive. 

“Woooo! We win!” He cheered from the hood of his vehicle.

“We won?” Spotlight asked enthusiastically. 

“Yup! No engine scrubbing for us!” The Commander said with a smile.

A few minutes later both Daniel and Kelly came rocketing down the road. They were neck and neck as they reached the bottom. Both drivers stomped on the brakes and pulled the secondary brake handle, causing both vehicles to skid to a halt.

Daniel looked to Kelly before removing his sunglasses. “Tie?”

The other ODST nodded quickly in agreement. “Tie.”

Zerom just shook his head as he climbed back into the drivers seat and sped off from the group. Kelly and Daniel quickly sped off to follow him. Daniel then turned to Silverlight.

“Alright. Pick the next band or album.” He instructed.

Silverlight used a hoof to scroll through the wide musical selection before selecting an album. 

“Is Sonic Firestorm any good?” The white pegasus asked.

“Oh yeah. It’s good.” Daniel said with a chuckle.

Silverlight shrugged and pressed play. 


Play



~~~


The group continued to drive for another two hours before any resemblance of civilization came into view. Daniel could barely make out the shapes of small two story buildings off in the distance. 

“Methinks we are getting close.” Daniel stated. “Hey girls! This is Ponyville, right?” Daniel called back to his passengers.

“Yup. That’s Ponyville alright.” Applebloom replied with excitement. 

“Alright guys, that’s our town up there. Follow my lead.” Daniel called out over the radio.

He then turned off the main road and drove across the grassy hills leading to Ponyville. Occasionally he would accelerate quickly up a hill, causing the Warthog to catch air as it went over the crest. The repeated jumps would elicit cheers and laughter from his passengers in the back, even Silverlight seemed to be enjoying the ride.

However, the fun eventually had to come to an end as the town of Ponyville loomed. 

“Alright, Sweetiebelle, where are we going?” Daniel called back to his passengers.

“Into town. My sister lives at Carousel Boutique.” Sweetiebelle replied. 

“Just tell me where to turn.” Daniel replied with a shake of his head.

Through a series of left and right turns, a couple of U-turns, a few hard stops, and a powerslide or two, the convoy eventually reached Carousel Boutique. Sweetiebelle practically jumped out of the Warthog and ran up to the door. Daniel watched as Ahmad walked behind the excited filly and waited patiently.

The door swung open, revealing a white unicorn whom Daniel recognized as one of Twilight’s friends. While the Captain couldn’t hear what was being said, it was very clear what was happening from her facial expressions and the vice-grip hug she was giving Sweetiebelle. It was a heartwarming reunion.

After a few tender moments, Ahmad waved goodbye and walked back to the Warthog. Once again, the humans continued their trek. This time to Sweet Apple Acres. As they drove, Daniel began making random turns and stops.

“Uhh, Daniel, what are you doing?” SIlverlight asked.

“I think we’re being followed. Don’t look now, but I think I saw something overhead.” Daniel stated calmly. Silverlight nodded and began to subtly glance at the sky. 

It was an nice day, only a few clouds to be seen in the vast blue sky. Though Silverlight could swear he had seen something move on one of the clouds. He quickly turned his attention back to the journey ahead.

“Yup. I saw it too. Looked big. Too big to be a pegasus.” He stated flatly.

“Gryphons?” Ahmad asked from the back seat.

“Possible. Though why would they be following us?” Silverlight asked with a hint of worry.

“No idea. Maybe they want an autograph. Or maybe they’re here to try and kill us. Humanity is quite a big wildcard right now.” Daniel said with a shrug.

Soon the convoy found themselves driving up the main road to Sweet Apple Acres. They were surrounded on every side by a never ending sea of apple trees. The sight of so many fruit trees was absolutely stunning to the humans. Even the rural farming areas on Reach couldn’t compare to the massive scale of this single apple orchard. As Daniel marveled at the ocean of trees, he caught sight of two brown and white figures dart into a tree just a few hundred feet from the nearby farm house.

“Ahmad. I need you to take the wheel. There’s something I need to check out.” Daniel said.

The arab man said nothing as he climbed forward and carefully switched seats with Daniel. The Captain picked up his helmet and slid it over his head before lifting a cargo hatch and pulling out a suppressed SMG. With a satisfying click he chambered a round.

“Alright, slow down to ten and then accelerate after five seconds. Okay?” The Captain called forward.

“Got it. Dropping speed.” Ahmad replied.

As soon as the vehicle had slowed down, Daniel jumped off the side and rolled as he hit the ground. Not missing a beat, he began running deeper into the orchard.


~~~


Palatas was one of the best scouts in clan Windblade. He had spent years honing his skills and was now teaching his newest apprentice in the ways of stealth and information gathering. The two gryphons had been tasked with gathering as much information about the aliens a possible. So far the pair had been trailing the group for about half an hour. Not once did the aliens show any sign that they knew about being followed.

Now Palatas and his apprentice sat in an apple tree, watching as the alien vehicles pulled up to the farmhouse and stopped. He watched silently as a young filly jumped out of the larger vehicle and walked to the door with one of the aliens next to her. A light green mare opened the door and quickly pulled the filly into an embrace. From where Palatas was sitting, it seemed they were talking to the alien, though he was too far away to hear what was being said. An orange mare with a hat then joined the group. She began talking to the alien at the door, eventually ending with a hoofbump.

“Move over, I can’t see.”

Palatas spun his head around and stared directly into the reflective blue visor of one of the aliens, sitting on the branch right behind him. The reflection quickly disappeared, revealing a sinister smile. 

“Have at thee, cur!” Daniel shouted with a grin.

Before the gryphon could react, the alien lunged forward and tackled him out of the tree.


~~~


Ahmad was happily walking back to the Warthog after saying goodbye to Applejack. She had been incredibly grateful that the human had taken the risk to not only save her sister, but he had also made sure she made it home safely. The ODST found the whole thing to be quite heartwarming. 

 Though he was now starting to wonder why Daniel had gone and jumped off the Warthog. He shook his head and figured it was better not knowing. Though his ignorance was about to be shattered.

A few feet away, a gryphon and ODST dropped from an apple tree and hit the ground with a dull thud. The gryphon let out a shriek as Daniel quickly got on the gryphon’s back and promptly dislocated a wing. All eyes, including Applejack’s, were now on the two. 

With a quick twist, Palatas managed to throw the human off his back and into a nearby tree. He then turned to the stunned ODST and lunged. Daniel quickly regained his senses and rolled out of the way, allowing the large gryphon to crash into the tree. Palatas snapped his head around and refocused on the human as Daniel reached for a long knife on his breastplate.

Daniel was now squaring off against off against the massive avian predator. He instinctively drew his kukri and waited for the gryphon to attack again. He did not have to wait long, as the gryphon once again charged at him. This time Daniel merely sidestepped and brought a fist against the gryphon’s head. The strike caught Palatas off guard and left him momentarily dazed.

The ODST then did a charge of his own. He ran forward and used all his weight to knock the gryphon on his side. Palatas was not amused, and once again threw the human off. Daniel hit the ground before quickly getting back to his feet. The two fighters continued to circle each other, trying to predict what the other would do. 

Palatas was convinced that the alien would try to counterattack again. While it was unlike any gryphon to fight defensively, his aggressive attacks were only working in the alien’s advantage. Daniel, though, was formulating how he would strike next. So far the gryphon had proven to prefer aggressive charges and reckless assaults. Both of which were easy to counter. But now his opponent was hesitating. Perhaps it was time to go on the offensive.

Daniel dashed forward and brought his kukri against his opponent. The gryphon brought an arm up to defend himself against the attack. Daniel’s blade met gryphon flesh as it left a deep red gash in Palatas’ arm. The gryphon then brought his good wing around and caught the ODST in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. Palatas used this opportunity to try and pounce on the downed ODST. However, Daniel managed to roll out of the way, just as a gryphon claw slammed down in the dirt where his head once was. The human sprung to his feet again and resumed his defensive stance. Palatas was now limping as the two fighters circled each other once more. 

This time it was Palatas who moved first. The gryphon lunged to the right, but quickly changed direction and tried to come at the ODST’s left. Daniel anticipated this and jumped to the right. As the gryphon overshot, Daniel quickly brought his kukri across the avian predator’s rear left leg.

Palatas was growing desperate as he limped around on only two good legs. The human was much faster, stronger, and cunning than he had ever imagined was possible for such a small creature. The gryphon lunged forward once more, this time stopping short of making physical contact. Daniel reacted and swung his blade into open air. Palatas quickly spun around and knocked the blade away with his only good arm. Daniel was taken by surprise as he was very quickly disarmed. 

The gryphon then closed the distance and reached out to grab the human. The ODST quickly spun to the right, making it difficult for the predator to get a solid grasp. Daniel then used his momentum to bring his elbow against the gryphon’s head. The hit was hard enough to nearly knock the large predator on the ground. Daniel used this opportunity to put some distance between him and his enemy. Once again they found themselves slowly moving in a circular motion, eyes locked.

While both fighters waited for the other to move, someone else decided to take the initiative. Suddenly, the sound of a roaring engine become more apparent. Daniel instinctively jumped back, while Palatas just stood there with a confused look. He turned his head to see where the noise was coming from. He never got his answer. The last thing the gryphon saw, was the towing winch on the front of Zerom’s Warthog.

With the screech of tires and a loud thump, Palatas went flying into a nearby tree trunk. Daniel got up and dusted himself off before looking to the Warthog. Zerom was standing in his seat with his hands raised above his head.

“Gooaaaaaaaal!” The Commander shouted. 

“Dude!?” Daniel shouted with an exasperated tone.

“I felt left out.” Zerom said with a shrug.

“So do you feel better? Now that you totally stole my thunder... asshole.” Daniel said with an exaggerated frown.

Zerom was looking at the tree where Daniel had fallen from, he could swear that something else was nearby. Before he could say anything, a second gryphon shot from a nearby tree and began to fly away.

“Shit! Daniel!” Zerom yelled.

“I see him! Don’t let him escape!” Daniel ordered.

“Okidoki!” Zerom said happily as he jumped into the bed of his Warthog. 

The Commander lifted his sunglasses as he got behind the massive gauss turret. He quickly took aim at the fleeing gryphon and pulled the trigger. The railgun fired a single shot into the air, followed by an explosion. Everyone watched as the fleeing gryphon was instantly obliterated.

“Got him, coach.” Zerom said proudly.

Daniel stood speechless as he watched as the gryphon was vaporized by the gauss shot. He then turned his attention to the nearby apple farmer.

“Hey Applejack. Mind helping me tie this guy up?” Daniel asked.

“He’s still alive?” She responded in shock.

“Yup. Fucked up, but alive.” The ODST said with a nod.

It took only seconds for the skilled farmer to securely tie up the unconscious gryphon. 

“Heh, I can’t wait to show Celestia what we caught.” Daniel said with a chuckle.


~~~


The drive back to the capitol was calm and fairly uneventful compared to the rest of the day. There were only a handful of travelers out in the midday, not enough to really slow them down. As the group ascended the mountain highway, Daniel noticed that the broken down wagon from earlier was nowhere to be found. Either its owner fixed the wheel, got help getting it back to town, or she pushed it off the mountain and just walked back. It wasn’t until the convoy was reaching the city limits that things began to get a bit more interesting.

Everyone watched in wonder as three massive dragons flew right over their heads and into the city. This was followed by a pair of airships that looked strikingly similar to the ones they had obliterated only a few weeks prior. Just behind the airships was a single fixed wing aircraft with four jet engines suspended from the wing. It was an aircraft design that Daniel had never seen, nor could have really imagined. The fixed wing was then followed up by a pair of very menacing looking black airships. The head of the airships seemed to have a giant bull’s head with a massive pair of horns.

“Huh... well ain't that a sight...” Daniel muttered over the radio.

“Thar be dragons afoot.” Zerom replied in a bad Irish accent. 

The trio continued their drive through the city with little interference. Even as they drove through the bustling midday streets, they could clearly see the newly arrived aircraft. Daniel found the very different aircraft to be quite interesting. He was able to easily figure out which aircraft belonged to which race.

The deer had clearly flown in on the fixed wing aircraft. The presence of multiple jet engines was enough to attest to this. The minotaur airships were also very easy to spot, seeing as how both aircraft had a massive metal bullhead on the bow. Finally the gryphon airships. These were easy to identify, mainly due to the fact that he had already shot down a few.

Pulling up to the castle, the convoy was met by a small army of solar guards. They were quickly ushered into the courtyard where they parked alongside one of the far walls. A group of solar guards quickly made their way to the ODST’s convoy.

“Captain Ryan, Captain Silverlight.” The guard said with a sharp salute.

“At ease, sergeant. I take it the ambassadors have arrived?” Silverlight asked.

“Yes sir. They all just headed inside to dine with the Princess.” The guard replied.

“I got something to take to the dungeon... is there an easy way to get there?” Daniel asked with a smile.

“What do you have?” The guard asked with a surprised expression.

Daniel walked to the back of Zerom’s Warthog. With the Commander’s help, he then lifted a large burlap sack out of the back and set it on the ground with a thud. The Captain slowly undid the knot keeping the bag closed and revealed the unconscious gryphon within.

“I need somewhere to keep this and I figured the dungeon would be a great place.” Daniel said with a grin.

“Uhhh... yeah, go ahead and take him to the dungeon.” The guard said with a slightly bewildered tone.

“Sweet.” Daniel and Zerom picked up the opposite ends of the sack and started toward the castle doors. “Well c’mon! We’re gonna need everyone to come with us.” 

The rest of the group quickly caught up and formed a protective barrier around the Captain and Commander.


~~~


Celestia was making her way down from her personal quarters and toward the dining hall. It had been a fairly uneventful day up until about half an hour ago when all the national leaders started to arrive. As she turned a corner toward the dining hall, she was met with an odd scene.

A group of ODSTs, a SPARTAN, and a changeling, were all standing outside a broom closet with the worst innocent looks imaginable.

“Hey Celestia! How’s it goin?” Daniel said with a cheesy smile.

“Alright, what did you do?” She deadpanned. 

Daniel bit his lower lip. “Oh... nothing...”

“What’s in the broom closet?” The Princess asked while peering over Daniel’s shoulder.

“Probably a bunch of brooms.” Kelly replied with a nervous smile.

Celestia turned her gaze to the changeling in the group. “What is in that closet.” Celestia said while glaring menacingly into the changeling.

“Uh... uh... uh...” Spotlight looked between Daniel and then back to the solar Princess. “It may or may not be an unconscious gryphon spy...”

“Damn it Spotlight! What did I say!?” Daniel nearly shouted.

“I’m sorry! She’s really scary!” The changeling cried out as he tried to hide behind Victor’s leg.

Celestia just shook her head and sighed. “I want the full story, but not right now. Just... take it to the dungeon and then come see me.”

“You got it.” Daniel quickly said as he pulled the door open and dragged the brown sack out into the hall.

“Oh shit. That’s the gryphon leader... right?” Zerom quietly asked.

Celestia whipped around and noticed the large gryphon was making his way down the hall toward her.

“I’ll distract him. Hide in the closet for a second and then get that... thing, out of here.” Celestia then turned her attention back to the approaching leader. She stood in the hallway as the gryphon walked right past the broom closet.

“Emperor Windblade, how nice of you to join us this evening.” Celestia said with a rehearsed smile.

“Princess Celestia, gracious a host as always. I’m curious, where are these humans you claimed to have met?” The massive gryphon asked with a grin. Unknown to the gryphon, the broom closet door behind him slowly opened, allowing a group of ODSTs, a Spartan, and changeling to silently file out with a large brown sack between them. 

Celestia watched discretely over the emperor’s shoulder as the group made their escape. “They will be joining us shortly. There was a matter in Ponyville that Captain Ryan wanted to attend to. He has just recently arrived back in the castle, so I expect he in preparing for tonight’s dinner.”

“Ah, so we will all get a chance to meet these humans tonight?” 

“Of course. At least three of them will be dining with us tonight.” Celestia said.

“Wonderful, then I will meet you in the dining hall.” The Emperor said with a slight bow before turning and leaving. 

As soon as he was out of sight and out of earshot, Celestia let out a long sigh. 

“Those humans are bucking insane...” She muttered to herself.


~~~


Daniel and his group had just successfully deposited their catch in the castle dungeon and were now preparing to attend a rather formal dinner with many national leaders. Captain Ryan, as well as Commanders Zerom and Dior, walked down the loading ramp and toward the castle. All three were wearing their most formal uniforms.

Just as they were about to enter the rear doors to the dining hall, Daniel turned around and looked at both Commanders.

“Let’s keep our usual hijinks to a minimum tonight, don’t want to really piss anyone off.”

“Easy enough.” Zerom replied.

“Both of you wearing a vest?”

Dior pounded a fist against her chest. “Yup. Plus I’m carrying.” She said as she patted the handgun at her side.

“Here we go then. Time to make some motherfucking history.”

With that said, Daniel pushed open the doors and stepped into the dining hall.
	
	
	
	
> May 25th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//May 25th, 2559
//
//22:08 Local Time

Can I just start off by saying how much I hate, no... despise gryphons? I mean fuck... it took twenty minutes for my nose to stop bleeding after the meeting went south. Though I should be more mad at the minotaurs for instigating the whole thing. So yeah, as you can probably guess, the meeting thing nearly ended up in a brawl between the gryphons, minotaurs, and us humans. I suppose it’s a good thing I decided to take Celestia’s advice and wear full combat armor.

Anyway, the gryphons, minotaurs, and zebras are all leaving tomorrow morning to return to their respective nations. The deer however, have elected to stick around. All I know is that their Queen wants to meet with me and Celestia tomorrow morning. Hopefully that doesn’t end with me having to kick someone elses ass.

I also learned today that dragons can magically change their body sizes. So the huge dragons we saw flying in were present at the meeting, just in the form of two average sized humanoids. 

So yeah... weird shit happened. Although, I will say it was still a productive meeting.

Now for the part that worries me a bit. I’m not sure if Celestia realizes this, but I’m guessing that the gryphons are gearing up for something big. If I had to guess, I would say they intend to declare war against Equestria and Ecotonia by the end of next month. Call me paranoid, but that’s my prediction. 

//End Log

The dining hall was alive with the sound of a dozen conversations as Daniel, Zerom, and Dior entered the room. They were met by an incredible sigh. Before them sat a massive circular table where the usual long one once sat. Around the table sat three of each race. A number of guards were clearly visible along the walls and at each entry point, just in case something went wrong.

Celestia was the first to notice the humans and beckoned them over with a nod of her head.The room suddenly went silent as all eyes at the table shifted to the three humans. Celestia then stood to address the table.

“Everyone, I would like to introduce Captain Daniel Ryan, Commander Jonathan Zerom, and Commander Lisa Dior of the UNSC,” the Princess said with her usual warm smile.

“Heh. These are the super powerful aliens you spoke of? They look like sickly shaved diamond dogs.” The large minotaur chief said with a chuckle as he leaned back in his chair. 

“That’s enough.” Snapped Celestia as she turned to Daniel. “Captain Ryan, allow me to introduce our world’s leaders. Chief Grey Horn of the minotaur tribes, King Varen Windscar of the gryphon empire, High Shaman Rezana of the zebra nation, Queen Cervidae of the deer empire, Flight Master Garon of the dragon nomads,and Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire.” 

“A pleasure.” Daniel replied with a polite nod to each.

Everyone in the room then took their seats as waiters emerged from a side room and placed menus in front of everyone. The room remained silent as everyone decided what they would have to eat. As Daniel was deciding on dinner, he glanced up to see Varen eyeing him with a scrutinizing gaze.

“Is there something you need, sir?” Daniel said with a blank face.

The gryphon chuckled. “No, I’m simply interested to see what you pick for diner.”

Daniel closed his menu and looked across the table at the gryphon king. 

“Care to make a recommendation?” Daniel said as he leaned back in his seat.

Varen smiled slightly before replying. “The sauted chicken breast is good. Though hydra steaks are incredible when done properly.”

Daniel turned to the waiter behind him. “I’ll take a hydra steak, medium rare, and a hard cider.”

The gryphon king began to chuckle. “A predator eh?” He then turned to Celestia. “I’m surprised you’ve been keeping a bunch of carnivores in your midst.”

“Omnivores actually. Humans are omnivores.” Daniel corrected.

“Just the same.” Varen said with a smile.

“Hmph. I don’t care if they eat meat. They still look puny and weak.” Chief Grey Hoof said with a scowl. He then turned his gaze to Dior. “Though, I can’t fathom why you would allow your cows to serve in any sort of military role. They are weak and inferior.”

“I’m going to stop you right there.” Daniel quickly stated. “First off, referring to a human female as a cow is considered incredibly insulting. I’ll just write that off as ignorance on your part. Second, humanity got past gender differences a long time ago.”

“Still, a female has no place on the battlefield.” Grey Hoof said as he brought a fist down on the table.

“This coming from the guy who looks like a bull fucked a monkey.” Dior commented with a straight face.

The room was silent for a moment before the gryphons and dragons erupted into laughter. Chief Grey Hoof glared at the SPARTAN with pure rage, but dared not to act upon it. Queen Cervidae and her two aids were doing their best to not laugh, while Celestia merely shook her head. Cadance and Rezana sat in shock as they tried to process what Dior had just said.

“Celestia,” Garon said as he wiped a tear from his eye, “these humans are the greatest thing I have ever seen. Insulting a minotaur chief to his face without even hesitating.”

Eventually the table broke out into smaller conversation as everyone waited for their meals to arrive. Daniel was happily talking with the deer queen next to him when dinner finally arrived. A unicorn waiter set a large, thick cut steak in front of Daniel, followed by a silver mug of hard cider. The room once again became silent as everyone enjoyed their meals.

Daniel was happily enjoying his steak when he reached for the hard cider. He took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of the drink. It smelled of green apples with a much sharper and more pointed scent beneath it. He wasn’t sure what was giving it that smell, but shrugged and took a sip.

He immediately regretted his decision as he nearly choked on the drink. This earned a chuckle from the gryphon king.

“What’s the matter? Equestrian liquor too strong for you?” the gryphon said with a smirk.

“No, just wasn’t expecting the salt.” Daniel said as he choked on the remnants of the drink. “I was expecting something with alcohol.”

The gryphon king smiled at this. “Humans drink alcohol?”

“Yeah, ethanol to be precise.” Daniel said with a nod.

“Waiter!” Varen called out. A unicorn waiter quickly trotted up to the king. “Bring the good Captain a glass of dragon fire whiskey.”

“Right away, sir,” the waiter said as he trotted off.   

Celestia looked to the pair with an uneasy gaze. “Just make sure the two of you keep it under control. I don’t need this turning into a drinking contest.”

“Of course, Princess.” Varen said politely.

A few minutes later the waiter emerged from a side room and placed a glass of a dark red liquid in front of Daniel. The human carefully picked up the glass and took a deep whiff. It had a very powerful spice to it and a few other scents that Daniel couldn’t identify. With a shrug, he took a sip and then downed the entire glass.

Varen and most of the table watched in shock as Daniel drank the entire glass in a single gulp. He then set the glass down and seemed to ponder what he had just drank.

“Hmm, now that’s better. Interesting flavor... a nice mix of spice and sweet with the lovely smoky taste that I would expect from a whiskey.” Daniel said with a grin.

Soon dinner came to an end as waiters quickly moved in to remove the empty plates. Everyone at the table continued to engage in light conversation, until Princess Cadance spoke up.

“So, Captain Ryan, tell us a bit about yourself.” She said with a smile.

“Alright.” Daniel said with a nod. “Well I’ve been a UNSC ODST for twenty years and an ONI ship captain for ten years.”

“UNSC? ODST? ONI?” Queen Cervidae asked with her head tilted in confusion.

“UNSC is short for United Nations Space Command. ONI stands for Office of Naval Intelligence. ODST stands for Orbital Drop Shock Trooper.” The Captain replied.

“Wait... orbital? Like... space?” The deer Queen said with a look of absolute shock.

Daniel nodded. “Yup. ODSTs use a special vehicle to drop from the underside of an orbiting ship. It’s a form of rapid deployment onto a planet’s surface.”

“That’s... incredible. And it’s totally safe?” The Queen asked with enthusiasm.

The Captain laughed as he shook his head. “Not in the slightest. There is a chance you could burn up in the atmosphere, and die. Or you could crash into another pod, and die. Then you could be hit by anti-air guns, and die. Finally, you could hit the ground too quickly, and die. So no, it’s not safe at all.”

“Then why would your military make anyone do it?” Queen Cervidae asked with a horrified look.

“ODSTs are all volunteers.” Daniel stated matter-of-factly.

“I see. Still, I can’t imagine why anyone would willingly put themselves in such incredible peril.” The queen said, slightly relieved.

Daniel then turned back to Cadance. “Does that answer a bit?”

“It does.” The pink alicorn replied. “Though I suppose I will save my other questions for tomorrow.”

“Princess Celestia, I’m surprised your sister isn’t here.” Garon asked as he leaned forward in his seat.

“She will be joining us later after night court.” Celestia stated.

“Oh joy.” King Varen deadpanned.

“What was that?” Celestia said with an accusing tone. 

“You heard me. I don’t want to even be in the same room as Nightmare Moon.” The King huffed.

Celestia was doing her best to glare a pair of holes through the gryphon king’s head as she replied.

“Don’t you dare refer to my sister as that monster. She has every right to be here, and nothing you say or do can change that.” Her tone was dripping with venom as she continued her stare.

“Alright, alright... let’s just all calm down before someone does something foolish.” Daniel said in a calming tone.

“Yes, Celestia, perhaps you should take the human’s advice.” The gryphon said with a smirk.

Celestia shot him an angry look before turning back to the conversation.

“Another question, if I may. I noticed one of the castle towers is missing.” The dragon said with an inquisitive look.

Celestia sighed. “Nothing gets by you, does it Garon.”

The dragon merely chuckled.

“There was... an incident a few weeks ago that rendered Luna’s tower uninhabitable.” Daniel cut in.

“Oh? Mind sharing what that might have been?” The Zebra shaman asked with an inquisitive look.

“Not at this time. We are still investigating the exact cause.” Celestia quickly finished.

It was at that point that the table occupants began to file out of the grand dining hall and back toward their respective quarters. Daniel and the two Commanders were quietly walking back to their ship when a voice caught the Captain’s attention.

“Captain Ryan! A moment?” Queen Cervidae called out behind him.

Daniel turned to face the deer queen approaching from behind. She was about as tall as Luna, with a dark brown coat covered in small white spots across her back.

“You two head on back.” He said to the other two humans. “Yes, your Highness?”

“Please, call me Cervidae.” The Queen said with a chuckle.

“So how can I help you?” The Captain said while standing at a parade rest.

“Well, I was hoping to get a glance at your spacecraft. If that’s alright, of course.” She said with a sheepish grin.

“I suppose I could show you a bit. Word has it that you are preparing to launch a spacecraft of your own.” The Captain said as the pair began to make their way to the Tuscany.

“Ah, so Celestia has mentioned that project. Yes. It is a joint effort between our two nations. Equestria has provided a substantial amount of funding and various tools. Ecotonia has been providing the science and the construction.” The deer Queen said with a proud grin.

“Is this going to be a manned flight?” The Captain asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m not sure I understand.” 

“Sorry, poor choice of words. Will this spacecraft have a crew?” Daniel asked with a shake of his head.

“Oh, yes. There will be five crew members. There will be three deer, a pegasus, and a unicorn.” She replied with a nod.

“I’d love to see the ship sometime.” Daniel said with a smile.

“Well... that’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about.” The queen said as they reached the door to the gardens.

“Alright, beyond this door lie the castle gardens and my ship. Ready?” Daniel asked, trying to build suspense.

“Oh yes.” Cervidae said with excitement. Daniel paused before opening the door to reveal the gardens.

As the door swung open, the pair were met by nothing. The ship was nowhere to be seen.

“Ummm... where’s the ship?” Queen Cervidae asked while looking at Daniel with a concerned face.

Daniel sighed and rolled his eyes. “Figures. One sec.”

The Captain reached into his pocket and pulled out a small electronic device.

“What is that?” The deer queen asked while trying to get a better look at the strange device.

“It’s a personal data pad; basically a small tablet computer. It does a lot of different functions, however, it also lets me check on the ship’s systems. I can even control some of them from here with an override command. So let’s see here... ah, here we go. Optical cloaking field.. off.”

As Daniel pressed the button on his data pad, the optical cloak around the Tuscany shimmered and vanished, revealing the Prowler sitting proudly in the gardens. 

“Shall we?” The Captain said, motioning toward the open hangar ramp.

As the pair began to make their way to the ramp, another voice caught the Captain’s attention.

“Daniel!” 

The human sighed and turned to see who was trying to get his attention. This time, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor were trotting up to meet him.

“Yes Princess?” Daniel said politely.

“Have you seen Luna around? No one seems to know where she is?” Cadance said with concern.

“What do you mean no one knows where she is? Wasn’t she in the throne room?” Daniel said with worry.

“She was, but a few minutes ago we heard yelling coming from the throne room. When we went to check on it, the room was empty.” Shining Armor reported.

“Alright... I think I know where she is. C’mon.” Daniel said, motioning for the two to follow.

The four of them quickly made their way into the hangar bay of the Tuscany. Queen Cervidae was trying to take in every little detail of the ship as the entered, while Cadance and Shining remained focused on finding Luna. The group quickly moved out of the the hangar deck and into the passageways that made up the ship’s interior. Crew members would quickly move against the bulkheads to give the group space to pass.

“Captain, I have to wonder how your ship deals with foreign contaminants. Surely there are decontamination protocols you must follow.” The queen asked while still looking at every piece they passed.

“That’s an interesting point. When we first arrived the ship was completely sterile, and it still is. Though the crew have been acclimating to the new environment. There are multiple systems that all work to keep the ship clean and safe. See the lights above you?” The queen looked up at the lights in the ceiling. “Those lights are actually giving off low level UV rays, killing any microorganisms that were living on you. Even the air is filtered and bombarded by UV light an other decontaminants.”

“That’s incredible.” Cervidae said with continuing wonder.

Eventually the group reached their destination; the galley. Daniel motioned for the group to stop before slowly sliding the door open. Inside were three figures sitting at a table. Luna, Chef, and Spotlight were all sitting together in silence at a table near a window. Three metal mugs and a pitcher sat in the middle of the table. The only audible sound was the hum of the engines.

Daniel turned to Cadance and Shining. “Yup. She’s here.” He said as he stepped aside to allow them entry. 

Cadance and Shining slowly made their way in and began walking toward Luna’s table. Daniel and Cervidae simply watched from the doorway. The three occupants at the table quickly looked to see who had entered the room. Luna’s ears were pinned back until she saw Cadance walking toward her. Though Shining Armor froze about halfway across the room with a snarl on his face as he spotted the changeling sitting at the table.

Spotlight noticed this and quickly turned back to the table and dropped his forehead against the tabletop. 

“Ah shit.” He muttered.

“Relax Shining, he won’t bite.” Luna offered quietly.

Shining hesitated for a moment before approaching the table, never taking his eyes off the changeling. 

“Luna, what happened? I heard yelling from the throne room and then you were gone when I went to check.” Cadance said with a wing draped over Luna’s back.

“The new gryphon king decided to pay me a visit.” The lunar Princess replied weakly. The fur around her eyes still damp. “I’m not ready for this kind of thing...”

“Nonsense. You’re doing a great job with the night court.” Cadance said warmly.

“Cadance... nopony comes to the night court.” Luna deadpanned.

“Oh...” The pink alicorn said sheepishly.

“But why did you come here?” Shining asked, never taking an eye off the cowering changeling.

“Because I’ve been living here for the past two or so weeks.” Luna said with a slight shrug.

“Really? Why not in one of the guest chambers?” Shining was rather taken aback by her answer.

“You want to know why? Because quite frankly these humans have been kinder to me in the past few weeks than most ponies have been in a few years!” Luna practically shouted back.

Cadance looked to Chef who only offered a shrug. 

“I-I-I’m sorry Luna... I didn’t know...” Cadance said meekly. 

Daniel glanced out into the hallway and flagged down a passing crew member. The crewman quickly made his way to Captain Ryan and the deer Queen.

“Yes Captain?” The crewman said while standing at attention.

“Queen Cervidae, this is Master Chief Greg Cazaras, he will give you a brief tour of the ship. I would love to do it myself, but I have a feeling I’ll be needed here in a moment.” The Captain said with an apologetic tone.

“There is no need to apologize, Captain. It is quite alright. I will see you in the morning.” Cervidae said as she bowed her head.

“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Daniel watched as the two made their way down the passageway and toward the bridge. He then turned back to the galley and walked up and sat between Luna and Chef.

“So Luna, I’m curious as to what Varen said,” Daniel commented as he poured himself a cup of hot chocolate. 

“He said I had better stay away from the meeting tomorrow or bad things might happen.” Luna replied as she looked down at her reflection in the table.

“That’s vague and incredibly cliche. Did he say anything else?” Daniel asked as he shook his head in disappointment. 

“Oh, some things about me not fooling anyone. How I’m still Nightmare Moon and how I will be the first one to die.” The lunar Princess said as she ruffled her wings, causing a loose primary feather to fall to the deck.

“Woah, woah, woah. First one to die?” Spotlight instantly shot up in shock.

Luna nodded. “He didn’t go into anything further than that, so I’m not sure what he meant.”

Daniel bit his upper lip for a moment before speaking. “Well... if that doesn’t constitute a threat, then I don’t know what does.”

“Yeah. Though, there really isn’t anything you can do about it.” Shining added.

“Well, nothing direct at least. We can take preventative measures.” Daniel said with a slight grin.

“Such as?” Shining asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Now that would spoil the surprise, wouldn’t it.” Daniel chuckled. “Well, I think we should get some rest. Big day tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Wouldn’t want to be late to the party.” Spotlight said with a sarcastic chuckle.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Daniel said as his eyes drifted to the indigo feather on the deck. He reached down and picked it up before twirling it in his fingers. “Hmmm... I have an idea.” He said as he glanced to Luna.

The alicorn looked at him and the feather with a perplexed look. “Ummm... okay?”

“Spotty, go get Andrew. We’re going to the armory.” Daniel said with a sly grin before getting up and walking out of the galley.

“Umm... yes sir?” Spotlight said with a tilted head, even though Daniel was already long gone.


~~~




It was early the following morning as all the foreign leaders were filing into the grand hall that had been used for their dinner the previous night. What was different about today was the attire. Each leader was wearing something ornate, whether it was a set of elaborate armor, or a long elegant dress, everyone had something to show their status. Everyone was already seated when the three humans entered, and Luna, entered

Everyone, including Celestia, was shocked at what the humans were wearing. Daniel was wearing his usual ODST body armor and helmet. Commander Dior walked beside him in her Mark V Security armor, while Commander Zerom wore a set of standard marine combat armor. What no one noticed was that each human carried an energy sword hilt, which they had happily liberated from a Covenant supply pod back on Reach. What everyone did notice was that their armor was all a very familiar dark indigo, the same color that belonged to a certain Princess of the night who stood next to the ODST.

King Varen looked ready to explode, while Celestia was utterly confused at the display. Her confusion was only doubled as she noticed a single indigo feather hanging from Daniel’s left pauldron. 

The four quietly took their seats and removed their helmets before setting them on the table in front of them.

“Well then. Now that we are all here, shall we begin?” Celestia said while looking to each leader.

“I thought I made it clear that I would not be in the same room as that loathsome bitch.” Varen said with a snarl.

“And I thought I made it clear that she has every right to be present at this gathering.” Celestia countered with an angry glare of her own.

“Well this is going great so far.” Dior said with an amused smile.

“Be silent, cow. I can tolerate the Princess’s being here, but a lowly female such as yourself has no place in politics.” Chief Grey Horn said with absolute arrogance.

“Captain, permission to kill him? Slowly?” Dior asked as she looked to Daniel.

“Only if he hits first,” Daniel said with a shrug.

“And you!” Varen shouted as he pointed at Daniel. “How could you possibly stand to be around that whore of a Princess! I thought you were better than that.” 

Daniel’s face contorted into an intense glare as he looked to the gryphon king before standing up and leaning over the large table. 

“Alright, listen here you scraggly feathered fuck. I’m getting tired of you bitching and complaining about every little thing that you disapprove of. Especially when you decide to pick on someone who has done nothing, nor said anything ill, about you. So sit the fuck down and shut your ass up until you have something constructive to add. Clear?” The table sat in stunned silence as the human finished his rant. “Am I fucking clear?! I expect a fucking answer!” 

“I am a king! You have no right to speak to me in such a tone!” The gryphon king shouted back.

“King? You led a fucking military coup and ousted the actual Emperor.” Daniel said with a scoff

“How could you possibly know that!” The gryphon said with a deep snarl.

“Like it was hard to figure out. Hell, I know this whole time you’ve been bullshitting me with this fake sense of friendliness.” Daniel said with a smirk.

“I take offence to that!” The gryphon shouted.

“You can’t bullshit an expert bullshitter. And quite frankly you have been spouting more bullshit than that minotaur.” Captain Ryan said, pointing to Chief Grey Horn.

“I’ve had enough of you. Here you stand, insulting the honor and integrity of both myself and Chief Grey Horn. We hereby challenge you to a duel of honor.” The gryphon sneered.

“That is quite enou-” Celestia said as she was cut off by Garon.

“Princess, you of all ponies should understand how important honor and tradition are to both the gryphons and minotaurs. If you try to stop this duel then you will be dishonoring both of their cultures. A course of action which I feel would be counter productive to our goals here.” The dragon stated calmly.

Celestia sighed and bowed her head before motioning with a hoof for the duel to proceed. “Very well. Though you must conduct this duel outside in the gardens. I will not have it in my castle. Fair?”

“More than so.” Varen said without taking his eyes off Daniel.

“Let’s go then.” Daniel said as everyone at the table stood up and made their way outside.

Everyone in the dining hall quickly filed outside to the castle gardens. The four fighters quickly found themselves in a ring comprised of the various leaders and their aids as well as a number of guards that seemed to grow with every passing second.

Daniel and Dior quickly fitted their helmets and prepared themselves. 

“So is this a fight to the death or till one guy surrenders?” Daniel asked as he checked his gear.

“You may not kill your opponent.” Garon announced.

Daniel nodded and looked to Dior. “Good luck, Commander.”

“I make my own luck.” The SPARTAN replied defiantly. 

Garon then stepped in to the middle of the ring and looked to the four fighters.

“In respect to the traditions of both the gryphons and the minotaurs, we are here to settle a dispute of honor. It will be a duel, not to the death, but to subdue. The fights will happen one at a time, starting with Chief Grey Horn and Commander Dior.” With that, the dragon walked out of the ring and joined the spectators. 

Grey Horn and Dior began to circle each other, the minotaur chief snorting and glaring at the SPARTAN. With a stomp of his hoof, Grey Horn leaned forward and prepared to charge. Dior quickly stopped circling her target and prepared for the minotaur to attack. In a flash of movement, the minotaur charged the human with his horns pointed forward.

Everyone gasped as the human stood strong and leaned forward to receive the charge. She brought her hands forward and prepared for the impact.

“What is she doing!” A voice murmured.

“Is she crazy?” Another said with shock.

“Well this won’t last long at all.” The gryphon king chuckled.

To the shock of everyone in the ring, the SPARTAN grabbed the charging minotaur by the horns and was quickly sliding back in the dirt. However, she remained upright and started to push back. In a few seconds, Dior had completely stopped the charging minotaur and was holding his head by the horns. 

In a single move, she brought her armored knee up, where it connected with the chief’s jaw, sending him flying onto his back. Everyone watched in stunned silence as the human incapacitated the minotaur chief in a matter of seconds. Though, there were two others who did not approve of the results. 

Grey Horn’s two aids rushed from the circle and attacked the SPARTAN. The first aid swung at the human, his fist hitting her square in the back. The impact made her stagger forward for a moment before she turned around to face her new attacker. The two minotaurs stood next to each other as they faced the SPARTAN.

“You hit like a bitch.” Dior said with a laugh.

Both minotaurs ran forward and began to swing, trying to catch the SPARTAN on the side. The first minotaur swung high on her right, while the second one tried to jab forward into her gut. The SPARTAN jumped back to avoid the jab and then grabbed the fist of the one on the right. She quickly pulled his arm down, causing him to fall to the grass. She brought an armored boot down on the minotaur’s back, pinning him to the ground. 

The minotaur on the left took advantage of this and rushed forward, knocking the SPARTAN back, freeing the first minotaur. Both fighters looked at the human and ran forward with renewed vigor. They quickly began throwing wild blows, trying to connect with the heavily armored human. 

Dior seemed to be enjoying herself as she blocked and deflected every attack. After spending almost a minute deflecting and blocking, she felt it was time to end the fight. 

In one swift motion she kicked the minotaur on the left in the chest, sending him to the grass. She then spun around and brought a fist against the side of the other minotaur’s head. While he was stunned, she wrapped an arm around his neck and began to choke him out. 

Dior, now with a minotaur suffocating in her grasp, twisted and pulled him to the ground with her as she straddled the minotaur’s neck. As the first minotaur struggled to break free, she wrapped her legs around the other’s neck, squeezing with her thighs. 

“Shh, shh, shh. No tears, only dreams.” The SPARTAN whispered into the minotaur between her thighs. 

A series of gasps followed as everyone watched the SPARTAN choke out both minotaurs at the same time. After a few seconds, the one under her arm began to slow his struggle, before becoming still. The one between her thighs was desperately trying to break the human off, but to no avail. As his body spent the last of it’s oxygen, he slowed down and eventually stopped moving. Dior gave it a few seconds before releasing both unconscious minotaurs. 

The SPARTAN untangled herself from the mass of bodies and stood proudly over her opponents. 

“Well that was fun.” Dior chuckled as she looked around. 

A couple dozen guards and human sailors had joined the crowd of spectators. The humans all broke out cheering as the SPARTAN walked out of the ring. A number of guards proceeded to remove the three unconscious minotaurs from the fighting ring in preparation for the next round of combat.

“Alright Varen. It’s just you and me now.” Daniel said with a grin, his visor unpolarized.  

The two fighters stepped into the ring and assumed positions similar to that of Dior and Grey Horn. Daniel chuckled as glared at the gryphon across from him.

Varen was the first to attack, lunging forward toward the ODST. Daniel quickly dropped and rolled to the right, dodging the charge. Varen suddenly used his wings to propel himself forward to close the distance to the human. 

Daniel was caught by surprise as a massive eagle claw caught him in the breastplate, causing him to stumble and fall onto his back. Varen quickly got on top of the human and pounced on his chest repeatedly. 

He continued to repeat this until Daniel brought his head forward, catching the massive avian predator in the face. As Varen screeched in pain, Daniel scurried out from under the predator and quickly struck the king in the head multiple times. 

The two proceeded to trade blows and block each other’s attacks for almost a full minute before the gryphon king grabbed the human by the helmet and pulled him to the ground. Daniel twisted to his right and pulled back, slipping out of his helmet. The king looked at the piece of armor and dropped it to the ground. 

“Not so tough without your armor it seems.” The king sneered.

“Still good enough to whomp your sorry ass.” Daniel replied with a laugh.

Varen lunged forward and used his wings to kick up a dust cloud, blinding the human. While Daniel was temporarily blinded, the gryphon swung a hard right hook and caught the Captain in the face. 

Daniel was sent rolling across the grass circle before coming to rest at the hooves of Princess Luna. He looked up at her as blood flowed freely from his nostrils and the corner of his mouth. He shot a grin up at her as the gryphon king grabbed the human by the feet and dragged him back to the center. Just as he was about to finish the human, Daniel quickly brought a foot up into the gryphon’s crotch, slamming into a particularly sensitive area.

Varen screamed in pain as Daniel casually got up and got stood in front of the king before bringing his fists up. Daniel then began to narrate his movements.

“Up, down, up, down, left, left, right, right, A, B!” Just as Daniel finished his dance, he brought a single fist up under the king’s chin. 

The Captain then walked back behind the stunned gryphon before bending over and wrapping his arms around the king’s waist. With a mighty heave, Daniel lifted the gryphon up and quickly bent backwards, using the gryphon’s weight to propel him up and over the ODST before falling back down on the king’s head. 

Only one of the fighters got up from the maneuver. Daniel slowly stood, shaking off bits of grass and wiping blood from his facial wounds. He shot the gryphon one final glance before walking back toward the Tuscany.

“I’ll be in medical if anyone needs me.” Daniel called out over his shoulder for all to hear. 

Everyone stood in shocked silence for a moment before the dragon Flight Master began to slowly clap. This was soon echoed by the stomping of hooves from the guards and energetic clapping from the human spectators. 

Zerom looked around the circle and chuckled. 

“Well that was fun. Shall we break for lunch?” He said with a beaming smile.
	
	
	
	
	
	
	

> May 28th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//May 28th, 2559
//
//23:44 Local Time

So... yesterday the rest of the national leaders left, except for the deer. Queen Cervidae has opted to stay an extra day to talk with me about her space program and if we were interested in observing the launch. I was more than happy to accept her offer.

Now, the actual meeting was boring. Though, it was much more calm with the minotaurs and gryphon king unconscious. I can safely say that the dragons think very highly of humanity, especially after we openly thrashed the two idiots in front of everyone. Hell, even the zebras have warmed up to us. All in all, it was a productive meeting. 

Now for something new. 

Spotlight came to me yesterday with a request: to return to his hive and see what has become of it. I presented the idea to Celestia, who wasn’t all that excited about us delving into a changeling hive. It took some convincing, but she eventually gave us the go-ahead. So tomorrow morning we will be heading into the field to explore Spotlight’s old home. 

I even went ahead and set up a computer so Celestia and Cervidae could follow along on my helmet camera, giving them a first person view in the hive. 

Also, Andrew received a supply case today from the Grafton. He won’t tell me what was inside, saying it’s a surprise. The only hint he gave me was that it was for Spotlight, and it’s something every ONI agent needs when working in the field. I shudder to imagine what he has done this time.

//End Log

It was early in the morning as the exploration team assembled in the hanger. A total of twenty personnel would take two Pelicans out to the Badlands where the changeling hive stood. The crew would consist of four SPARTANs, ten ODSTs, Spotlight, Daniel, and Doctor Yarow’s team. Everyone was milling about the hanger, packing away survey equipment and checking weapons. No one knew what they would find at the hive. Perhaps it was an abandoned city, perhaps some new residents had moved in, maybe there were unknown survivors. The only answers would have to come from exploring the hive.

As time passed, Daniel began to do a head count. There were supposed to be twenty going on this little trip, but it seemed the resident changeling was nowhere to be seen. Andrew said he needed to borrow Spotlight earlier in the morning, but surely the two had finished whatever it is they needed to do. As if on cue, the door to the hanger slid open to reveal Andrew sporting a massive grin.

“There you are. Where’s Spotlight, we’re gonna be late if we don’t get this shit going soon.” Daniel said with a hint of annoyance.

“Relax Daniel, I promise you this will be worth the wait.” Andrew said as he looked over his shoulder. “Alright, Spotlight. C’mon out!”

All eyes were glued to the door as nearly every jaw hit the deck. In the doorway stood Spotlight, clad in a full set of modified ODST armor. He levitated his helmet next to him in a light green glow as he looked around the room at the series of bewildered expressions.

Daniel was the first to speak.

“Umm... Andrew... what the fuck did you do...?” Daniel stammered.

“Last week I had some measurements taken of Spotlight and a custom set of armor made. Can’t have an ONI operative running around in the field without any protective gear.” Andrew said with a chuckle.

“You do realise the Director is gonna flip his shit when he catches wind of this.” Daniel said with a stern glare.

“No he won’t. He’s known about this for weeks. I cleared this with him when I had the original thought. Since Spotlight is a full member of the UNSC and is considered an ONI agent, he is entitled to the equipment and training available to all ONI agents.” Andrew replied with smug satisfaction.

“So this is the surprise you were hiding?” Daniel chuckled with a raised eyebrow.

“Yup. Surprised?” The crazy engineer said with an enthusiastic nod.

“Hey Spotty, nice gear.” Daniel called out. “Alright everyone, let’s go for a field trip.”

The away team quickly began boarding their aircraft as the sound of engines filled the hanger. Daniel stood on the lowered ramp of his Pelican as it maneuvered out of the hanger and into the open sky. The flight to the Badlands would take them only an hour. During the flight, Spotlight was intently reading a small book, Daniel noticed this and walked over to the changeling.

“Whatcha readin’ there?” Daniel asked inquisitively.

“This? The manual for my armor.” Spotlight replied without looking up from his book.

“So Andrew set you up with an advanced set of combat armor, but didn’t teach you any of the basics?” Daniel dead-panned.

Spotlight shook his head. “Nope. But he did give me the manual.”

Daniel sighed and shook his head. “Fucking figures. Alright, put the book down and let’s go over some basics.”


~~~


Just over an hour later the two Pelicans touched down just outside the changeling hive.

It was a massive circular structure, comprised of many monolithic terraced towers that seemed to branch off from a single spiraling tower in the center. The central spiral tower looked to be easily eight hundred feet tall, with a handful of smaller towers occasionally reaching higher. Daniel stood in awe as he took in every detail of the massive city.

“Spotlight... this is your hive?” The Captain said in dumbstruck awe.

“Yup. I’m surprised it’s still in tact. Figured the gryphons would have razed it.” The changeling said with a sigh.

“James, Philip, Nick, stay here with Yarow and the Pelicans. I’ll radio when it’s clear for you to enter.” Daniel ordered. A series of affirmatives quickly followed. “Everyone else, lets move in.”

The group slowly made their way forward with weapons drawn. They soon found themselves standing in the shadow of the massive hive while looking at the massive archway that made up the entrance. The only thing the ODST could see beyond the entrance was a long dark hallway that seemingly lead nowhere. As the group made their way through the archway and into the massive entry hall, they were met with an unexpected sight. 

The entire hive was hollow. The massive spiral tower in the center was really a huge atrium that went all the way up. Rather than the darkness Daniel was expecting, the entire atrium was bathed in a beautiful blue light that shone through massive stained glass windows, each easily eighty feet high and twenty feet wide. The humans found the hive to be indescribable.

“Celestia... are you seeing this?” Daniel said over his radio.

“I am, Captain, and I’m just as stunned as you are.” The Princess replied.

While the view was breathtaking, the smell was unbearable. Daniel quickly found himself pressure sealing his armor and switched over to his own air supply. 

“Odin’s beard! The fuck is that smell!?” Corporal Binkley exclaimed.

“That my friend, is the smell of death.” Master Sergeant Anas replied calmly.

“I got bodies over here!” Trent called out.

“Same, lots of ‘em.” Raze echoed.

“Fan out in groups of three. I want this whole place marked. Victor, you bring sensor drones?” Daniel asked over his radio.

“Da, of course Captain.” The russian man replied.

“Go ahead and pop off a few. See if they can get some detailed scans of this place.” 

Victor opened a pouch attached to his tight and pulled out four softball sized objects. He pressed a button on each, causing a pair of rotors to extend at the equator. He then threw each on in the air, allowing them to fly up and into the atrium.

“Drones away.” The SPARTAN reported.

“I see that. We’re already getting data.” Daniel said with a sigh. “Keep poking around, report in if you find anything of interest.”

“Captain, there are a few places I would like to check out.” Spotlight interjected as he looked up at Daniel.

“Sure. Lead the way.” Daniel replied as he brought his Battle Rifle against his chest. 

The two made their way past numerous dead changelings as they ascended a ramp that spiraled up along the wall. The pair went up five floors before Spotlight moved off down a hallway. Daniel was horrified at the number of dead changelings that littered the floor in this single passageway. He brought up a finger and tapped the side of his helmet, turning on his light.

He instantly regretted the decision as his flashlight illuminated the walls, revealing massive swaths of green blood sprayed everywhere.

“Fucking hell, it looks like someone ran down the hall with a fucking chainsaw...” He muttered to himself as he carefully stepped over bodies.

Eventually Spotlight led Daniel to a single door. A trail of slain changelings still stretched both ways down the hall. The Captain looked to Spotlight just as he kicked down the door he was standing in front of. The changeling silently entered the room, followed closely by a very cautious ODST.

Inside was what could only be described as an apartment. There was a small living space with a kitchenette in the corner. A door to the left led to what Daniel assumed would be the bedroom and bathroom. The most stunning feature, however, was the massive glass window that overlooked the open atrium. 

Daniel watched in silence as Spotlight walked around the room. It was odd, nothing seemed disturbed. It was as if the attacking force had rushed in, slaughtered everyone inside, and then left. Take away the bodies and blood, and only a pristine deserted city would remain. Daniel was brought back to reality as Spotlight returned with two books and a stuffed frog in his rucksack. 

“Let’s go.” The changeling said, devoid of any emotion.

“What is this place?” Daniel asked while looking around at the room.

“My old home. Now c’mon, there’s one more place I need to go.” The changeling said as he walked out the door. Daniel followed him out, making sure to properly close the door behind him.

They went back down the ramp and into the atrium. Spotlight then proceeded to walk along silvery path toward what looked like a throne. Sure enough, the bodies of what looked like changeling guards littered the area around the dias. Spotlight paused and looked around before trotting around the throne and heading to a large set of double doors. With Daniel’s help, the two large wood doors swung inward, leading to the queen’s chambers.

The sight inside was something out of a horror movie. Dried blood and body parts were scattered everywhere. Furniture was smashed and often used as stakes to pin dead changeling to the walls. In the center was a single body, much larger than the rest. This changeling had an actual mane and stood at a height just under Celestia. Spotlight froze as he saw what was left of his Queen.

The changeling slowly removed his helmet and stared at the body with his ears pinned back. Even though he lacked visible pupils, Daniel could see the despair in his eyes. The Captain sighed as he sat next to Spotlight and put a hand on his shoulder.

“How do you want us to handle the body?” Daniel asked quietly.

Spotlight hesitated before answering. “A funeral pyre would be best.” He replied softly.

“All clear in here. Can I get a stretcher brought to the atrium?” Daniel called out over his radio.

“Right away.” James replied over the radio.

Daniel looked around the room and at the bodies. Most of them had massive lacerations across their necks and backs. Some of the more unfortunate ones had literally been ripped limb from limb and left to bleed to death. He hadn’t seen brutality like this since the Great War. 

HIs concentration was broken at the sound of boots entering the room. Daniel turned to see James and Dior carrying a stretcher.

“Take the big one outside. We’re burning the body.” The Captain ordered.

“Yes, sir.” The SPARTAN replied as she and James carried out the slain changeling queen.

Spotlight sighed as he took one final glance around the room. “Would it be possible to destroy this place? I don’t want my home to be defiled by pillagers or animals.” He said calmly.

“I... maybe. Though it would probably take a Fury nuke to even dent this place.” Daniel muttered skeptically.

“Could we do it?” Spotlight asked with interest.

“You... you want to nuke this place?” The Captain asked with shock.

“Only if it would leave this place as a pile of rubble.” Spotlight stated matter of factly. 

“I’m not sure Celestia would be happy about us detonating a nuclear weapon in her borders. Right Princess?” Daniel said aloud, knowing the Princess was still watching and listening through his helmet camera.

“Actually, we’re fifteen miles outside of Equestria. The Badlands are not claimed by anyone, hence why the changelings live here.” Spotlight interjected.

“Oh.” Daniel said with surprise. “Then nevermind. Hey Princess, wanna see a nuclear detonation?”

There was some muffled sound over the radio, as if someone were adjusting a microphone. 

“Captain, Queen Cervidae here, you have working nuclear weapons?” The deer Queen asked.

“Uh, yeah. Do you?” Daniel replied.

“No. We proved it is physically possible, but we have yet to complete such a device.” The Queen said with disappointment.

"Wanna see one go off?" Daniel asked with a chuckle.

"What are the dangers associated with such a weapon?" Celestia asked with deep concern.

"Well, the weapon we would use has a one to three megaton payload. I would probably go with a two megaton bomb for this hive." Daniel reported as he looked around. "Then you have the radiation, though a Fury nuke produces almost none. Next you have some small sismic activity, nothing too serious. All in all it's safer than you would expect."

"I'm not too sure about this. I've seen the research around nuclear weapons from the deer, and quite frankly it scares me." Celestia replied firmly.

"Then this is a great opportunity. You know the theoretical power, but you haven't seen what one can actually do. I feel it would be a valuable learning experience." Daniel countered.

Celestia sighed over the radio. "Very well. Go ahead." 

"Great. Though it will take time to get a bomb out here seeing as we didn't pack any." Daniel chuckled.

"Excellent. Would it be possible to send someone out to observe the detonation?" Cervidae asked. 

"Yeah, just tell the crew chief in the hanger that you will be sending an observer with the bomb. I'll call and tell them to expect you." Daniel said happily.

The Captain proceeded to walk with Spotlight out of the Queen’s chambers and back to the atrium. Doctor Yarow’s team was busy taking samples of everything they could get their hands on. From dried blood splatter to the walls themselves, everything was being documented and catalogued. 

Spotlight walked beside the stretcher carrying his fallen Queen until it reached the middle of the atrium.

“Right here.” Spotlight said solemnly as he gazed at the slain changeling Queen.

“So you want to burn the body?” Daniel asked.

Spotlight nodded without saying a word.

“Well, if we wait an hour, I can make it so she goes out in a spectacular fireball.” The Captain offered.

“Yeah... let’s do that.” Spotlight sighed as he walked away.

“Alright everyone, listen up! In about an hour a Pelican will arrive with a nuke. We are going to arm said bomb right here in the middle of the hive and detonate it, hopefully reducing this place to a smoking crater.” Captain Ryan announced to the group.

“Why are we nuking this place?” One of the lab techs asked with concern.

“Last wishes of the changeling who lived here. They don’t want their home to be defiled by grave robbers and thieves. Plus it is customary to burn the bodies of the deceased.” Daniel replied.

“So we’re burning bodies with a nuclear bomb?” An ODST asked with a chuckle.

“Bringing down the city and burning the bodies all at the same time. Call it efficiency.” Daniel said with a grin. “So finish up here and pack it in. We’re moving out in half an hour.”

A series of murmurs echoed through the atrium as the group of humans began finishing their exploration. 

“Captain. Drones have finished mapping the city.” Raze called out over his radio.

“Great. Pack ‘em up and lets get ready to move out.” Daniel said as he picked up a pair of supply cases.

“Captain Ryan, We’ve got something of interest out here.” Lieutenant Perez said over her radio.

“What is it, Perez?” 

“Sir, I’m seeing a large smoke plume about thirty or so miles to the south west.” The ODST reported.

“How long ago did you notice it?” The Captain asked, still carrying supplies out of the atrium.

“About five minutes ago. It sure as hell wasn’t there when we arrived.” Nicole said with a hint of worry.

“Copy that. We’ll check it out after we blow this place,” Daniel replied as he set down the cases in the entry hallway.


~~~


About an hour and a half later, Daniel was carefully setting a small metal device next to the changeling Queen. Spotlight and Trent stood just behind the ODST as he tapped a few buttons on the egg shaped device.

“Alrighty. Bomb’s armed. Time to get the fuck outta town.” Daniel said as he began to jog out of the hive, Trent and Spotlight hot on his heels.

The three broke out into a full run as they passed the entry arch for the last time. They would be the last living things to ever set foot, or hoof, in the hive. Spotlight shot a final glance over his shoulder at his former home before turning his attention back toward the nearby aircraft.

As soon as the trio made it back to the waiting Pelicans, they quickly took off to put some distance between them and the two megaton bomb sitting in the hive’s atrium. It was determined that a buffer zone of six miles would be enough to shield them from the brunt of the explosion and radioactive fallout, while still providing a good place to view the detonation.

The Pelicans gently touched back down in the sun baked soil as the humans once again disembarked. Queen Cervidae had sent Doctor Huemul, a leading nuclear physicist in Ecotonia, to witness the destructive power of the nuclear weapon. 

“Okay, everyone who is not in armor will need to remain inside the Pelicans when this thing goes off. The flash alone is enough to cause severe burns and blindness. We will tell you when it is safe to come out. I would recommend strapping in so when the shockwave hits, you aren’t thrown against a bulkhead. Clear?” The Captain quickly said.

“Yes, sir.” Everyone replied.

“Great. Let’s get to positions.” Daniel said enthusiastically. “Princess, you still with us?”

“I am. Are you ready to proceed?” Celestia asked over the radio.

“We are. Is it just you watching, or do you have a crowd?” Daniel inquired with a chuckle.

“I’m here with Luna, Shining, Cadance, and Silverlight,” the Princess replied.

“Well, then get ready for a show.” Daniel said as he stood in full view of the hive. “Take one last good look.”

The ODST pulled out a small cylindrical detonator with a red cover over the trigger. Using his thumb, he flipped the cover off and placed a finger on the trigger.

“All hands! Stand by for nuclear detonation!” He yelled out for all to hear.

Everyone who was not in armor, and even a few with armor, quickly took refuge in the Pelicans, while most just hid behind the aircraft. A few of the more adventurous ones took places next to Daniel.

“Hey Captain.” Ahmad said as he put a hand on the Captain’s shoulder.

“Yeah?” Daniel said as he turned to face Ahmad.

“Knock, knock.” Ahmad said with a grin.

“Who’s there?”

“Allah.”

“Allah who?”

“Allah hu akbar!” Ahmad shouted as he used Danie’s hand to squeeze the trigger.

“Oh you mother fucker...” Daniel deadpanned. 

In a split second there was a blinding flash of light as the bomb went off. Almost a full second later a thunderous roar filled the air, followed shortly by a massive shockwave which sent a few people rolling across the desert. As Daniel looked upon the hive he was impressed to see that only the central spire had been blown off. Most of the surrounding walls had survived the blast, a testament to changeling construction. The Captain looked around as SPARTANs and ODSTs were picking themselves up and dusting off. 

Ahmad was laughing hysterically as Daniel got up and walked back to the Pelicans. He and Ahmad had been blown back almost a hundred and fifty feet. 

“Oh god... oh god it hurts to breath!” Ahmad said, still laughing.

“How long have you been sitting on that joke?” Daniel asked with a glare.

“Longer than you could possibly imagine. Thank you for giving me the perfect opportunity to use it.” The ODST barely managed to say through labored breaths. 

Daniel shook his head and brought a hand to his helmet. 

“All clear.” He called out over the radio.

A single massive mushroom cloud loomed over what was once a proud changeling hive. Now, only a radioactive shell remained. Doctor Huemul was feverishly taking pictures of the cloud and of the ruins left behind. He had personally worked on the team that proved nuclear weapons were possible, seeing one in action was gratifying and slightly terrifying. Numbers and graphs were easy to look at. Actual destruction was much more difficult.

“And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the conclusion of today’s nuclear detonation. Please watch your step, as the flash may leave temporary blindness and deafness.” Raze commented with a chuckle.

“So now what?” Dior asked as she approached the Captain.

“Well I want to check out that smoke plume to our west.” Daniel said as he pointed to the still rising plume of black smoke.

“Sounds like fun.” The SPARTAN stated.

“Science team! Go on home. We’ll see you guys tonight. Everyone else, mount up. We got one more place to visit.” Daniel announced before boarding the Pelican one more time.


~~~


The flight toward the source of the smoke plume was very short, only about fifteen minutes. To everyone’s surprise, the smoke was actually coming from a smoldering changeling hive. 

“Two hives in one place? Hot damn, this must be our lucky day.” Raze shouted with a laugh.

“Hey Spotty, any idea who controlled this hive?” Daniel shouted over the roaring engines.

“Yeah. This one belongs to Queen Chrysalis. Or... did.” Spotlight said as he looked at the burning hive.

“Sir, fire looks like it’s centralised to the north side of the structure. The entrance on the south side seems okay.” Yaraon reported.

“Contacts! Port side! They’re taking off and heading for us!” The Pelican pilot shouted.

Daniel ran to the back of the Pelican and reached into a ceiling compartment. In a single fluid motion, he pulled the rear gatling gun into a firing position and began to spin the barrels. As soon as the first enemy flyer was in range, he opened up a storm of lead.

It took only seconds for the ODST to clear the sky of enemies. 

“Gryphons. Keep your eyes wide, we’re not alone here. Pilot, land just outside the entrance and keep the engines going.” Daniel turned around to face everyone in his Pelican. “Alright. If the gryphons are here, then it means there is something they want. If they want something in that hive, then so do we. I want two teams to split up and find whatever it is these bastards are searching for. Find it, kill anyone in your way, and bring it back. Questions?”

No one replied.

“Then let’s go kick ass!” Daniel shouted as he raised his battle rifle above his head. Everyone in the cabin did the same as the two dropships landed. 

There was a moderate sized gryphon camp just outside the entrance to the smoking hive. Daniel looked around at the bodies that littered the area, figuring those gryphons were merely sentries. 

“Alright lads, if it’s a gryphon, shoot it. Let’s get to work.” Captain Ryan said as the humans and changeling entered the hive.

Much like the previous hive, there were bodies and blood everywhere. Though the blood and bodies here seemed much more fresh, as if they had died only a day or two ago. Daniel noticed this, but continued forward to the atrium. 

The grand atrium of this hive was very similar to the first hive, the only difference being the windows were a light green color instead of dark blue. Fires could also be seen burning on the upper levels of the hive, presumably set by the gryphons. 

“Captain, Chevron three here, I have eyes on multiple gryphons trying to break into what looks like a throne room.” Victor reported.

“Any idea how many hostiles we have?” The Captain asked as he led his fireteam toward the Russian’s position.

“I count six hostiles. They seem very intent on getting into that room.” The Russian said with anticipation.

“Well if they want it then we can’t let them have it. Stand by.” The ODST ordered as his team moved forward.

Daniel quickly met up with the SPARTAN and his team along the far wall near the throne room doors. Six gryphons stood at the door, trying as hard as they could to open it. Victor shook his head and chuckled. 

“Mind if I take them? I feel I could use the exercise.” The Russian said with a menacing grin.

“Sure thing big guy. We’ll shoot any that try to run.” Daniel said with a thumbs up.

The massive SPARTAN nodded and began walking toward the unassuming gryphons.

“You evil son of a bitch. What have you done?” Dior said with a chuckle.

Victor casually walked up behind the gryphons who seemed to focused on their task, that none of them noticed the massive human walk up right behind them. He stood there and watched them struggle with the door for a few moments before announcing his presence with a cough.

The gryphons immediately stopped what they were doing and slowly turned to see the massive man behind them.

“Привет. Hello there, allow me to help you with that.” 

Victor quickly reached out and grabbed the closest gryphon by the head before swinging him around and slamming him into another, killing both. The others tried to fly away, but Victor quickly grabbed two by the tails and pulled them back to the ground. He used a massive armored boot to crush one’s skull and smashed the other’s head against the door. The other two gryphons had managed to evade the SPARTAN, only to be cut down by a hail of gunfire from a number of unseen ODSTs. 

“Da, that was most enjoyable. I even came up with poem.” The Russian said with glee.

“Oh yeah? Let’s hear it. Daniel said as he walked up to the door with the others.

“Wake up in the morning feeling strong like bear.
Take off my shirt, chest is covered in hair.
Brush teeth with vodka, drink the rest.
This is what makes, mother Russia the best.”

Everyone stared at the SPARTAN in surprise.

“You came up with that during the slaughter?” Kelly asked in bewilderment.

“Da, it felt appropriate.” Victor said as he nodded.

“That’s great. Now time to get the doors open.” Daniel said as he placed a hand on the door handle and began to pull.

Though no matter how hard the Captain pulled, the doors would not budge. After a few seconds of struggling he turned to the others.

“A little help here?” He said, slightly annoyed.

“Uh, Cap...?” Spotlight said.

“What?” Daniel replied quickly.

“Those doors open inward... ya gotta push.” Spotlight said, pointing to the edge of the door frame. Daniel followed his hoof and noticed a lack of external hinges. 

“...fuck.” The Captain muttered in defeat. “Victor, mind opening them?”

“Of course, Captain.” The Russian said as he placed a palm against each door. “Ready?”

Everyone nodded as they raised their weapons, ready to attack any hidden enemies. With a mighty shove, the doors swung open and almost ripped themselves from their hinges. To everyone’s surprise, six changelings went sliding across the room, as if they had been trying to hold the doors shut. Even more surprising was that they were alive, and not the only ones inside.

Everyone froze as a small crowd of changelings slowly looked toward the humans. Their helmet lights illuminating looks of absolute fear and despair on each changeling. Most quickly covered their faces, as if they didn’t want to see their death coming. 

Daniel stood there speechless as he slowly lowered his rifle. Everyone else did slowly followed his example.

A total of thirty changelings sat huddled together in a mass of bodies against the far wall. Some were struck with fear, while some couldn’t bring themselves to look at what stood in the doorway. There were even what looked like changeling children hidden amongst the adults in the room. 

Daniel was the first to slowly step forward and enter the room. This elicited a series of whimpers and muffled cries from the fear stricken changelings. The human slowly brought his hands to the side of his helmet before twisting it slightly and pulling it off his head. Spotlight was the next to follow the Captain into the room; he too removed his helmet.

“Please, we’re not here to hurt anyone. Well, anyone but the gryphons.” Daniel said calmly.

A few changelings seemed to shift from fearful to outright confused. 

“My name is Captain Daniel Ryan.” Daniel said as he slowly attached his helmet to his hip.

A single changeling slowly stood and walked forward from the group. It stood just a bit taller than the others, and unlike every other changeling he had met, this one had an actual mane and tail. The changeling stopped in the middle of the room and eyed the human.

“My name is Aria. I guess, Queen Aria now.” The changeling female said with a sigh. “Why are you here? You don’t look like anything I have ever seen before.”

“Uh, we’re not really from around here. We came here when we saw the smoke rising from your hive.” The Captain stated.

The changeling continued to eye him until she noticed Spotlight.

“You.” Aria said as she pointed a holed hoof at Spotlight. “Who’s hive are you from?”

“Queen Metamorphia. At least, until the gryphons killed everyone.” Spotlight replied solemnly.

“Metamorphia is dead?” Aria replied in shock.

Spotlight nodded in response.

“Why are you with these... things, then?” Aria asked while looking at the Captain.

“These humans were kind enough to take me in.” Spotlight said with a smile.

“I see...” Aria said as she looked to the humans behind Daniel.

“If I may, I would recommend we get everyone out of here. The whole place is kinda on fire.” Daniel stated with a hint of worry.

“And where would we go?” Aria asked bluntly.

“I could see if Princess Celestia would be willing to take you in.” Daniel offered.

Aria chuckled. “So you know the Equestrian Princess? No, even though I don’t share my mother’s ideals, her sins have become mine.” 

“So... Chrysalis is...?” Spotlight stammered.

Aria nodded. “Yes. My mother died two days ago. A gryphon blade mortally wounded her. We tried to save her... but...” The changeling let out a deep sigh.

“Regardless, we need to get you all out of here. We can figure out where to take you later.” Daniel pleaded.

“How do I know you won’t just kill us later?” Aira asked with a slightly accusing tone.

“Because if I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you. I’m not some generic villain who goes on a monologue before killing someone.” Daniel stated with a shrug.

His answer seemed to catch the changeling off guard as her ears pinned back is surprise.

“Very well.” Aria then turned to the remaining changelings. “We’re leaving.”

“Besides, it’s either us or the gryphons.” Daniel said with a grin.

“I suppose my options are very limited then.” Aria said dryly.

“Seems so. Now if you will excuse me, I need to make a call. Commander Dior! Make sure everyone gets out. I don’t want anyone left behind!” Daniel called out. 

“Got it. I’ll assemble them near the Pelicans.” The SPARTAN replied.

Daniel nodded as he broke off from the group and slid his helmet back on.

“So Princess, I assume you just saw all that?” Daniel said to his viewers.

“I did... though I’m not sure what to make of it.” Celestia said with unease.

“Any possibility of them getting a place to stay?” The ODST asked hopefully.

“Again, there is a lot to consider here. Even though Chrysalis is... gone, I can’t help but worry about her daughter.” The solar Princess replied.

“I suppose. But are you going to hold her accountable for something her mother did?” Daniel asked with a hint of surprise.

“Her mother tried to take over Canterlot and use my ponies as a free food source. So I am a bit inclined to believe she will follow in her mother’s hoofsteps.” Celestia stated firmly.

“Have you met this changeling before?” Daniel calmly asked.

“...No.” Celestia said after a pause.

“Then how can you be sure she is just like her mother?” Daniel continued to press his point.

“I...” Celestia stammered.

“Princess, do you believe in giving people second chances?” Daniel asked with a chuckle.

“Well... yes.” She eventually replied.

“When Luna returned, you could have easily sent her back to the moon for another millenium, but you didn’t. You gave her a second chance. Right?” Daniel asked with an unseen grin.

“I... I suppose so.” Princess Celestia slowly replied.

“Then consider this the changeling’s second chance.” Daniel said with a smile.

There was a pause on the radio.

“Alright... Bring them to Canterlot. I know of a place where they can stay for now.” Celestia said with a defeated sigh.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help keep an eye on them. Though, I think they’ll just be happy to have somewhere to go.” Daniel said with confidence.

“I suppose so. How long until you arrive?”

“Not sure. I need to figure out how to transport thirty changelings, with only room on board for forty total.” Daniel chuckled nervously.

“Then I will leave that in your very capable hands.” Celestia replied calmly.

“Yeah, I’ll probably have to call for a third Pelican. And Celestia, try not to worry too much. Everything will be fine.” Daniel stated reassuringly.

“I want to believe that, I truly do. I suppose only time will tell.” The Princess said with a deep sigh. Daniel nodded as he left the hive to rejoin the others.

“Once more into the breach.” Daniel said with a shake of his head and a smile.
	
	

> June 4th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//June 4th, 2559
//
//18:07 Local Time

Well it’s been a few days since we found the remnants of a second changeling hive. Luckily we weren’t stumbling through a total graveyard. We managed to pull thirty survivors and even found them a place to stay until a more permanent solution could be found, to which I have a crazy idea.

Anyway, today was the summer solstice in Equestria. A day marked by a festival called The Summer Sun Celebration. Fun right? So then why was our resident midnight Princess looking quite depressed? Well, as it turns out, the Summer Sun Celebration is also a celebration of the day Nightmare Moon was banished. So I can easily imagine how it might be a touchy day for Luna. Though this doesn’t mean we didn’t have fun.

And now for some interesting analysis on our changeling hives. Those things are fucking amazing. The hive we nuked stayed mostly intact for about twenty minutes before finally collapsing completely. We’re not quite sure what they use to make those hives, but it’s some seriously strong shit. 

//End Log

It was still dark out as Daniel heaved himself out of bed. It was only six thirty in the morning, the sun wouldn’t be up for another half hour. With a deep sigh and a yawn, the Captain pulled himself up and began his morning routine. 

Daniel was contently reading a news article on a datapad as he ate his breakfast in the galley. It was an article on how reconstruction crews were still finding bodies in the ruined town of Voi, just outside New Mombasa. The Captain shook his head at the thought of Voi. 

The Captain was eventually brought out of his reading as someone took a seat opposite him. Sitting across from him was a very tired looking Luna.

“Long night?” Daniel said with a chuckle.

“You wouldn’t believe it even if I told you.” She grumbled.

“That bad?” The human asked calmly.

“I got tired of ponies coming into the night court and shouting ‘Down with Nightmare Moon’. I eventually had the guards lock the doors for the night.” Luna said with a sigh as she set her head on the table.

“Wow. That fucking sucks.” Daniel said with an astonished look.

“Indeed it does.” Luna sighed deeply. “It’s like this every year.”

“Captain Ryan, a moment?” Daniel looked over to see Doctor Yarow standing next to his table.

“Take a seat.” Daniel said, gesturing to an unoccupied chair.

Doctor Yarow quickly sat down and pulled out a number of datapads.

“Sir, I’ve been going over the images and scans of the changeling hive structure and noticed a few things that were out of place.” Karen quickly said.

“Slow down, and take your time. Now, what kind of things?” Daniel continued.

“Well, I found it incredibly difficult to believe that the gryphons could slaughter and entire hive and not suffer a single fatality. We only saw changeling bodies.”

“Keep going.” Daniel prompted.

“What she means to say is that the gryphons removed their dead.” Said Chef as he stood next to the xenobiologist.

“You think they took their dead with them?” Luna asked with a surprised look.

“Without a doubt. It’s a brilliant strategy really. Slaughter an entire civilian and military population and then remove your own fallen from the piles of dead bodies. That way if someone were to come looking, they would only see dead changelings. It might make people think the gryphons are strong enough to kill hundreds of thousands without losing a single warrior.” Chef said firmly.

“That’s... incredibly insightful.” Luna said with shock.

“It’s part of my job.” Chef said with a shrug.

Luna just sat there with a horribly confused look.

“He’s got a doctorate in applied psychology.” Daniel stated.

“Then why is he working as a cook?” Luna said with an exasperated tone.

“Meh, I like food.” Chef replied with a beaming grin.

“Anyway, what else ya got for us.” Daniel chuckled, quickly looking back to Karen.

“Well, not a whole lot more. How are the other changelings doing?” Yarow asked.

“Fine. Celestia said she wanted to talk with me about them later today.” The Captain added after a sip of tea.

“Isn’t today some kind of holiday?” Yarow asked as she looked to Luna.

“Yeah. Summer Sun Celebration. Lovely day.” The Princess replied dryly.

“Okay then. I’ll head back to the lab; lots to do.” The xenobiologist quickly replied before getting up and walking back to her lab.

“So... any plans for today?” Luna asked, looking back to Daniel.

“None that I can think of.” The Captain said before pausing. “You've been enjoying sci-fi movies, right?”

“Yeah.” Luna responded with interest.

“I know exactly what we can do today.” Daniel announced with a grin.


~~~


Celestia and Zerom were happily chatting as they made their way through the Tuscany’s halls. The Commander and a few others had gotten front row seats for the raising of the sun that morning. Even though it was just a sunrise, it felt much more powerful and dramatic.

“Commander, I was wondering something.” Celestia said as the two continued to walk.

“Oh?”

“I was wondering how my sister has been doing on the ship. She’s... not the most sociable pony.” Celestia replied while carefully picking her words.

“You want to know if she’s getting along with the crew?” Zerom responded with a smile.

“Exactly.” Celestia said with a nod.

“Well, I’d say she’s getting along fairly well with everyone.” Zerom said as he opened the door to the crew lounge. Neither the Princess nor the Commander were prepared for what was inside.

The lounge was packed with sailors, marines, ODSTs, and even a few SPARTANs, all watching something on the large, wall mounted TV. Daniel sat on a stool in front of the group with an acoustic guitar and Luna by his side.

Zerom and Celestia stood in shocked silence as Daniel and Luna began leading the group in a song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOQ5m4btECM

The two watched and listened until the song finished. Celestia stood slackjawed while Zerom stood with a grin. The Commander looked to Celestia and chuckled.

“Yeah, I’d say she’s getting along pretty well.” 

Luna then quietly took a seat on one of the couches as Firefly continued to play on the screen, while Daniel quickly made his way toward Zerom and Celestia.

“Catch that little show?” Daniel asked with his guitar still in hand.

“Firefly marathon?” Zerom replied with a chuckle.

“It’s classic sci-fi, how could we possibly not.” Daniel responded dramatically.

“I had no idea you played an instrument.” Celestia added.

“Yeah, well being out in space for years gives you time to pick up new hobbies.” Daniel said with a shrug. “So what brings you two here?”

“I was just checking up on my sister, to which I have to say thank you.” Celestia replied with a warm smile.

“Oh?”

“Ever since she has been staying on your ship, she has been much happier around the castle. You’ve no doubt heard of how some ponies treated her upon her return?” Daniel nodded. “Well, I was worried she would continue to isolate herself; doubly so with her staying on a spaceship. Though, it seems quite the opposite has happened.”

“Princess, I guarantee that if you walked into that room and asked if anyone would be willing to take a bullet for Luna, every hand would be raised. They see her as another crew member and would protect her as such.” Daniel stated with a grin as he stepped out of the doorway and into the hall.

“Really?” Celestia replied with surprise.

Daniel laughed and held up a hand. He then turned and opened the door to the lounge and peered in. The credits of the episode were rolling as everyone got snacks and drinks.

“Yo! Some asshole is outside threatening to shoot Luna!” Daniel yelled into the room.

“The fuck?!”

“He’s fucking dead.”

“Ah hell naw!”

Almost everyone in the room then drew a weapon of some sort, mostly handguns and submachine guns. Luna just sat on the couch confused as every weapon echoed with metallic clicks as weapon slides moved.

“Satisfied?” Daniel said, looking over his shoulder at Celestia. “Too late, guards got him.”

“Aww.”

“I wanted to kick his ass.”

“Dibs on the next one.”

Celestia stood in stunned silence. She had never expected the humans would be so willing to rush out and kill someone just for threatening her sister. Even with the possibility of injury and death, the humans didn’t hesitate.

“Anyway,” Daniel continued, “could we talk about our new changelings?”

Celestia sighed. “Yes, there are a few things I would like to discuss.”

“Then let’s walk and talk.” Daniel said as he began to slowly walk down the passageway with Celestia and Zerom.

“I just wanted to let you know that I have decided to grant Queen Aria temporary asylum,” The solar Princess began.

“I’m glad to hear that. You didn’t sound too thrilled about them a few days ago.” Daniel added as he glanced over to her.

“I was caught up with the fact that she was Chrysalis’ daughter.” Celestia replied with a sigh.

“She’s the one that tried to invade during Cadance’s wedding?” 

“Indeed. It was because of this that I instantly thought that Aria would be just like her mother. I had to remind myself that the sins of the parent are not passed to the child.” Celestia answered with a hint of regret.

“At least you can recognize your mistake. And this isn’t coming from a saint by any stretch of the imagination.” Daniel chuckled..

“I just need to sit down with Aria and have a discussion about her plans. I just want to be sure she isn’t plotting something. Call me paranoid.”

“You’re not paranoid. Besides... I may have had Spotlight talk with Aria.” Daniel said with a shy grin.

“Oh? Did he learn anything?” Celestia said with a critical eye.

“He reassured me that Aria has absolutely no intention of trying to do anything stupid. She understands how dire their situation is and would not try to compromise the safety of her remaining changelings. She’s an endangered species and she knows it,” Daniel reported.

Celestia seemed to ponder this for a moment as the group continued to walk through the passageway. 

“Then I suppose I can push aside the thought of a second changeling invasion.” Celestia replied with a light chuckle.

“I’d say so. Besides, it’s the gryphons I’m worried about.” Daniel answered with a shrug.

“True. However, we can continue this at a later time. For now I need to head back to the castle,” Celestia said with a nod.

“Alright. Try not to have too much fun.” Daniel responded jokingly.

“Oh trust me, I won’t.” Celestia deadpanned before teleporting away.


~~~


It was late that night as Luna sat in her room aboard the Tuscany. It had been a relaxed day of watching Firefly with some of the crew. Though as she sat in her room, one question occupied her mind: what did humans dream about?

Being the Princess of the night, she had experienced and shaped the dreams of many ponies. Never had she seriously considered trying to dream walk into the dreams of an alien species. Though there were a few potential issues. For starters, Luna didn’t know if humans dreamt at all. Nor did she know how the humans might react if they caught her messing in their subconscious minds. Perhaps it would be better if she simply observed the dream, rather than try to shape it.

The Princess sighed as she glanced at her reflection in the polarized window. She had no idea what she might find in the minds of the ship’s crew. Though she was also excited about seeing what humans dreamt about. 

Luna walked across her room toward the bed. While it was nowhere near as extravagant as her old bed, it was a strange and enjoyable change. She kicked off her silver slippers and placed her crown and necklace on the desk, before pulling herself onto the bed with a small hop. With a deep breath, Luna closed her eyes and focused her magic. Her horn lit up as she began to probe the ship, looking for minds that were asleep and dreaming. 

She didn’t have to look long, as her magic reached into the engine room. Oddly enough, Andrew was sleeping suspended between two cooling pipes. Without hesitating, Luna entered the subconscious mind of the dreaming engineer.

As the dream came into focus, Luna found herself standing in a very unfamiliar place. She was looking over the sea from what looked like a kind of seaport. As she turned around, her eyes went wide. Before her was a massive sprawling city of skyscrapers and small aircraft. The closest tower provided a bit of insight to where she was. Painted up the side of the massive skyscraper was the word TRAXUS. 

The air was suddenly filled with the sound of metal crashing against metal, followed by the ground shaking. Luna looked around and noticed two new pieces of the dream. On either side of her were a pair of what looked like giant metal humans, each at least two hundred feet tall. The two robots quickly ran forward and met in the middle of the open seaport. They then began throwing punches at each other, as if they were boxing.

Luna quickly took flight and quickly moved toward the tower. She could barely make out a group of humans standing on a large overhang. Seven humans stood on the platform while two stood much closer to the edge than the others. Both were holding joysticks and were focusing on the two giant robots fighting in the open area.

The alicorn quickly identified Andrew, but was unable to recognize the other human next to him. Luna then turned her attention back to the giant fighting robots, just in time to see the blue robot on the right throw it’s red opponent to the ground before stomping on the red one’s chest. The blue robot quickly turned around and climbed to the top of a nearby warehouse before looking back to face the red robot. With a mighty leap, the blue robot jumped from the warehouse and shifted all its weight over the right elbow. 

The human spectators all gasped in excitement as the blue robot slammed into the red robot, elbow first, causing the red robot to explode in a massive mushroom cloud. Andrew slowly turned to his opponent and grinned.

“And that’s why it’s called an atomic piledriver.” Andrew said with a grin. 

Before his opponent could react, the floor panel exploded, catapulted him over the flaming wreckage of the red robot and into the sea. The engineer set his controller on the ground and climbed aboard a very large alligator. 

“Heeya boy!” Andrew shouted as his picked up a set of reins. The alligator began slowly walking away.

“Interior, crocodile, alligator. I drive a Chevrolet, movie theater!” The engineer chanted as the large reptile walked away. The surviving blue robot began dancing  as the engineer continued to sing. Luna stood in stunned silence before leaving the dream.

“Okay, seriously, what the fuck was that?” Luna muttered in absolute shock as she opened her eyes.

This proved it; Andrew was totally insane. Not that she was surprised, but this was a great piece of evidence. What would the other dreams look like? Luna began to laugh softly as she thought back to what she had just witnessed. With another deep breath, Luna reached out with her magic and began looking for the next sleeping mind. 

A new mind grabbed her attention as she probed the ship. Just down the hall from her, Daniel was experiencing what felt like a dream.


~~~


Luna opened her eyes to see she was in the same city as Andrew’s dream. Only this one looked more like a warzone, as most of the skyscrapers were on fire and explosions could be heard echoing. A group of fifteen ODSTs, twenty marines, and seven sailors were all taking cover by two doors to a nearby building. Luna looked at the digital sign that stood above the glass doorway

“New Alexandria starport... what the hay is a starport?” Luna muttered to herself.

The Princess then made her way toward the group at the entrance to get a better vantage point to what was going on.

“Alright, listen up! Our mission right now is to hold this starport. There are thousands of civilians onboard those transports, waiting to leave. Too bad they can’t take off with this fucking corvette right over our heads. Though, Noble team is working a plan. So, we hold here until they can clear the sky. Got it?” A series of nods were all he got in response. “Great. If it isn’t human, fuck it up.”

The soldiers quickly took defensive positions by the doors, weapons pointing in every direction. A few minutes passed with only the sounds of war echoing through the city. A lone marine dared break the silence.

“Hey Commander, what... what’s the plan after this? I mean, after the transports leave.” The marine asked shakily.

“We’re going to make our way back to Traxus tower where I managed to find us a ride off this rock.” Daniel replied.

“Contact!” Another ODST shouted. Luna noticed that it sounded exactly like Ahmad.

“Light ‘em up!” Daniel shouted before opening fire with his Battle RIfle.

Luna got a good look at a group of pudgy little bipedal aliens. They were only about four feet tall and wore massive tanks on their backs. As she was trying to further analyze them, the humans proceeded to quickly kill the entire group in a hail of gunfire. The alicorn watched in horror as blue blood splattered with every bullet.

“Shit, that was just a scouting group. Get ready! They’re coming!” An arab voice yelled.

Sure enough, another group of aliens came running down the street. Though these ones were much taller, about seven feet. They were also much more muscular and much better armored. The humans wasted no time in firing on the new threats as every rifle began to spew projectiles.

“Focus your fire! Take ‘em down one at a time!” Daniel shouted over the gunfire.

Luna watched as the human’s weapons turned and fired on the closest alien. For the first few seconds the alien began to glow gold before the glow disappeared and it began to convulse as bullets tore through it’s body. The Princess turned back to the human’s position in time to see three of them die in a blue explosion. Even with the deaths of three marines, the others never stopped fighting.

For every alien killed, at least two humans died. Daniel was ducked behind a concrete barricade as he reloaded his rifle. He looked across to one of the other barricade positions just in time to see two massive green projectiles slam into the barrier, obliterating it and all the marines behind it. The Commander quickly looked over his cover at the new threat.

“Hunters! Spread out!” Daniel yelled. 

A group of marines quickly broke cover and began to run to a nearby overturned truck, only to be cut down in a hail of plasma. Daniel quickly popped up and squeezed two bursts into the head of the closest alien, killing it instantly. 

“Ahmad! Kelly! We should have some heavy weapons inside. Get it and fucking kill these hunters!” The Commander ordered.

“You got it!” Kelly replied as she and Ahmad ran into the starport.

Daniel and the remaining fighters continued to suppress the other aliens, allowing the two ODSTs to retrieve the weapons. Occasionally the shields on one alien would fail, leaving him vulnerable and quickly killed.

“Seems like the shields on an Elite are all they got going for them.” One marine said jokingly, just as a shot from a needle rifle went through his head.

A marine who was sitting next to the one that just died looked down at his fallen comrade. “Ya really think that? Cause that Elite seems to disagree.”

The starport doors opened as Ahmad and Kelly ran back to the firing line, both with their new toys.

“Some kind fellow left us a pair of lasers! How thoughtful.” Kelly said with a grin.

“You got those from a dead guy, didn’t you?” Daniel deadpanned.

“What makes you think that?” Kelly replied with fake shock.

“The blood splatter on the side.” Daniel sighed as he pointed to the red blotches.

“Huh... why didn’t I notice that.” Kenny pondered.

“The fuck does it matter? Let’s kill the hunters.” Ahmad announced.

“We’ll suppress while you charge the shot. Got it?” Both ODSTs nodded. “Suppressing fire!”

Every rifle began firing, forcing the remaining few Elites to dive for cover, leaving the Hunter pair exposed. The two ODSTs picked one Hunter and charged their weapons. Two seconds later, a pair of red lasers shot out of the shoulder mounted weapons, leaving two neat holes in the Hunter’s body. The massive alien fell face forward as orange blood splattered everywhere.

The other Hunter, enraged by the death of it’s companion, began to charge at the human line. Kelly and Ahmad quickly aimed and fired another two lasers, killing the charging alien only a few feet from the barricades.

The only thing remaining were the handful of Elites who charged the humans in a final desperate attempt to take the starport. The human fighters made quick work of the Elites, killing each with a torrent of gunfire.

“Fox Actual, this is Paladin 3-3, where the hell is Noble team? That fucking corvette is still above us.” Daniel yelled into his radio.

“Sit tight Paladin, Noble is on the way,” came the reply.

“Does Duvall think it’s a fucking picnic over here? We just fought two Hunters and an Elite kill squad!” An exasperated marine cried.

“Shut the fuck up, dude. It’s worse on the other side of the bay.” Kelly snapped.

"This is civilian transport 6 Echo 2, I need to go now, Sergeant Major!" came over everyones radio.

"Hold on, Echo 2. Stalwart Dawn, I have multiple commercial craft loaded with civilians. I have got to get them out of this city. I need air support, now!" The Sergeant Major replied.

"As soon something frees up, you'll be the first to-" Came the reply from the Stalwart Dawn.

"Not good enough!" Duvall interjected.

"I've got six hundred souls on board, Sergeant Major! I can't wait any longer!" The transport pilot cried.

"Negative, Echo 2, I can't cover you! Do not take off!" Duvall pleaded.

To everyone’s horror, the sound of a ship taking off emanated from the starport as a single transport ship rose just above the roof, only to be immediately shot down by a plasma torpedo from the corvette overhead.

"Mayday! Mayday!" The pilot cried.

"6 Echo 2, can you maintain altitude?" Duvall replied.

"Negative! We're going down...!" The radio transmission cut out as a loud splash erupted from the bay.

“Did... oh fuck... oh fuck man!” One of the marines cried as he grabbed his helmet with both hands.

“Pull it together, marine!” Daniel commanded.

“Contact!” One of the ODSTs yelled.

All attention was diverted to a single Elite standing four hundred feet from the human’s defensive line. Daniel’s eyes went wide as he recognized what it was.

“Zealot!” Daniel yelled.

While the normal Elites were fierce warriors, they could be easily taken down by coordinated fire. Zealots, though, were nearly unstoppable. Their shields were hardened, their armor nearly impenetrable, and they carried only the deadliest of weapons. 

This Zealot happened to be carrying an energy sword. A two prong blade of pure plasma, capable of slicing through just about any material on the battlefield.

Luna watched the hulking Zealot slowly walk forward with its sword in hand. One of the lesser Elites ran from cover to join his brother, only for the Zealot to bring the sword up, slicing through his neck. The Princess watched in horror as the headless body of the Elite hit the ground with a thud, slain by his own comrade. 

Just as the humans were about to fire upon this new threat, it disappeared. The humans began scanning the area in a panic; even Luna was confused and worried.

“Well this fucking sucks.” A marine commented.

A split second later, the Zealot reappeared as he brought the sword forward, impaling and killing a marine. The Elite let out a roar as he began swinging and stabbing, killing someone with every move. Soon the massive Elite set it’s sights on Daniel and charged. 

Everyone began focusing their fire on the Zealot, but to no effect. The massive alien killed the marine next to Daniel before knocking the Battle Rifle away and grabbing the ODST by the neck. The Zealot then slammed the helpless human against a wall while still maintaining a tight grasp on his neck. 

The Elite pulled his sword back and prepared to finish off the dangling human. As the sword shot forward toward Daniel’s chest, a well timed kick from the human knocked the blade off course. Instead of two plasma blades spearing through his chest, only one blade made contact. The ODST screamed in pain as the blade sliced through armor, bone, and eventually his left lung. The Elite chuckled as he brought his face closer to the human.

There was a high pitched whining sound as the Elite spun around and noticed Kelly with her SPARTAN laser pointed directly at him. With a quick backhand, he knocked the ODST and her weapon to the ground. Ahmad quickly reacted and pumped two shotgun blasts into the Elite at close range. Still with one hand on the energy sword, the Elite kicked the ODST away, sending him sprawling across the street. 

The Zealot then turned back to Daniel, only to be uppercutted in the jaw. This was followed by a double beep sound and a tingling sensation. Daniel quickly brought both his knees to his chest and delivered a kick to the Zealot’s chest, staggering him backward. As the Zealot prepared to finish the human, it’s vision was engulfed in a blue glow, just as a massive explosion blew the upper body off the Elite. 

The impaled ODST reached forward and grabbed the hilt of the sword before deactivating it, allowing him to drop back to the ground. He staggered a bit before slumping against the wall. The remaining humans quickly gathered near the fallen Commander.

“Ah shit. Do we have a medic here?” One of the marines cried out.

“Yeah, fucktard. I’m the medic.” Daniel wheezed.

“Nice job with the Elite. Plasma grenade to the jaw. I’ll have to remember that move.” Ahmad said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, just skip the whole getting stabbed part.” Daniel replied with labored breath. “At least he was nice enough to use a plasma weapon.”

“The fuck does that matter?” A marine asked in shock.

“For starters it cauterized the wound, so I won’t bleed to death. Also it burned away most the nerves, so it doesn’t hurt nearly as much as a normal stab wound.” Daniel said with a pained chuckle.

Just then, thunderous explosions echoed overhead as multiple missiles impacted with the corvette. The ship began to turn and flee as trails of purple fire leaked out through the damaged hull.

“Nice timing... Can someone hand me a can of biofoam?” Daniel wheezed.

Ahmad pulled a olive green can from his pack and handed it to the Commander. Daniel pulled a pin on the can and inserted the nozzle into his wound with a pained grunt. The foam stung like hell at first, but soon gave way to a cool and soothing feeling as the anesthetic kicked in.

“Looks like it’s time to go. Where to boss?” Kelly asked as Ahmad helped Daniel to his feet.

“Traxus tower. By the way, anyone here a pilot?” Daniel asked as he threw an arm over Ahmad for support. 

“Uh, I can fly.” A lone sailor raised his hand.

“What’s your name?” Daniel said with a nod.

“Ensign Vezina, sir.” The marine replied.

“What kind of craft can you fly?” Daniel asked while still clutching his wounded side.

“I’m rated for everything up to starfighters, sir.” The ensign replied proudly.

“Great. You’re going to be flying a Prowler, congrats. Let’s get the fuck outta here.” Daniel ordered.

Ensign Vezina stood in shocked silence before jogging to catch up with the group of survivors.

“Commander, why are we going after a Prowler? There are plenty of evac ships taking people off world.” Ahmad quietly asked.

“Because, those things are fucking death traps. The Covenant control the space around this planet.” The Commander replied.

“And a Prowler will fare better than a frigate?” The ODST asked sarcastically.

“Not in open combat, but Prowlers have optical and sensory cloaking systems. No one will know we left.” Daniel said with a grin.

“Huh, I suddenly like this plan a whole lot more.” Ahmad said with a chuckle.

“Besides, I’ve already got some other survivors at Traxus Tower waiting for us.” Daniel added.

“Like who?” Ahmad asked curiously.

“Lieutenant Jonathan Zerom has a group of other wayward sailors and marines along with a small group of civies.” Daniel replied.

“So we’re gonna try and slip past the Covies with a Prowler... this is not how I imagined the fight going.” Ahmad said as he shook his head.

“Yeah, and I wasn’t expecting to get stabbed. Life is full of disappointments.” Daniel replied sarcastically. 


~~~


Luna had seen enough. From people being decapitated, to entire ships full of people being shot down, enough was enough. She focused her magic and severed the spell that linked their minds. As the spell faded, Luna opened her eyes to see the familiar interior of her quarters. What she had just witnessed was no dream, nor was it a nightmare. It was a memory, a flashback of sorts. It was eye opening, to experience firsthoof what humanity had gone through, even if it was only a small sliver. 

She had just seen more people die in that memory, than in the past two hundred years before her banishment. And yet, despite all the bloodshed, despite almost being exterminated, humanity stood strong. They faced certain annihilation and didn’t flinch. 

Her thoughts drifted back to Daniel and the crew. There was much more to these people than she ever suspected. They were a very tight knit group. Everyone looking out for the safety and well being of the guy next to them. It made Luna happy, knowing that these humans included her in that group. 
	
	
	
> June 7th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//June 7th, 2559
//
//20:38 Local Time

It’s been just over a month since we landed in Equestria, and things just keep getting stranger. Today I had the lovely privilege of meeting a Draconequus, a chimera of sorts, as well as Celestia and Luna’s nephew. I’m really not sure what to think of the two, seeing as how we all just got back from a very impromptu trip. At least it gave the Grafton a chance to see Equestria.

I’ve also had some time to spend getting to know Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. The two of them have been taking some extra time to visit friends and family in Equestria before heading back to the Crystal Empire, to which they offered to have me and my crew visit. I told them that we would be happy to, once an opportunity arose 

Though for some reason, Celestia has been quite stressed recently. She has just seemed on edge and worried about something. But every time anyone asks, she just says it’s nothing. I’d like to say she isn’t losing sleep over it, but we all know that’s not true. So Luna decided to do something to lighten her spirits.

Anyway, in two days we are packing up and flying to Praris, the capital of Ecotonia, to watch them launch the joint spacecraft. So that should be fun to go do. 

//End Log

It was early in the morning as Daniel was rudely awoken by a knocking on his door. The Captain looked to the clock on his night stand.

“Four in the morning... who the fuck needs me at four in the morning...” Daniel muttered as he pulled himself out of bed, wearing nothing but a pair of baggy sweatpants. 

There was another knock on his door.

“Enter.” He called out.

The door slid open as Luna poked her head into the dark room.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” Luna asked sheepishly.

“Yeah, but whatever. What’s up?” Daniel asked groggily.

“I need your help with something.” Luna said as she entered the room, closing the door behind her.

“With what?”

“Well, you know how stressed Celestia has been lately?” Luna asked.

Daniel replied with a nod. “Yeah.” 

“And you have a bit of musical talent, right?” Luna inquired with a raised eyebrow.

“I like to think so,” Daniel answered with a chuckle.

“Then would you be willing to lend your musical ability in helping me cheer her up?” Luna replied , grinning from ear to ear.

Daniel paused for a moment before answering. “Sure. Just tell me when you want to do this.”


~~~


Celestia was not having a good day. It had started with a rather bad cup of coffee. Followed by holding the day court, which turned into a shouting match between three nobles. Then she received a letter from the gryphons and minotaurs, both threatening to declare all out war on her and the deer. Over a millenium on peace was on the brink of being destroyed, and Celestia felt truly helpless to stop it.

“Tia?” A familiar voice brought Celestia out of her depressing thoughts and back to the real world. Luna stood next to Celestia’s throne, looking at her sister with concern.

Celestia quickly put on a fake, but well rehearsed smile. “Hello, Lulu.” 

Luna softened a bit at her sisters employment of the nicknames they had used for each other when they were still fillies. “Is everything okay? You seemed out of it.”

“I’m fine. I was just thinking about some things.” Celestia replied, keeping her facade up.

“I know you better than that. Something is bothering you deeply, what is it?” Luna asserted.

Celestia chuckled softly. “It was a hard day in court. The nobles are squabbling among themselves more than usual.”

“Uh huh... I’ve seen you deal with the nobles before; never have I seen you get so distraught over their antics. So what is it really?” Luna deadpanned.

“For some reason the coffee this morning was atrocious, not a nice way to start the day.” Celestia answered, not noticing the pair of letters Luna was currently reading.

“Really? Are you sure it isn’t because there are two nations threatening us with all out war?!” Luna nearly shouted.

“Not so loud Luna.” Celestia’s smile broke as she looked to her sister with a frown. “Yes, alright. They have been sending threatening letters for the past few days. Though I think it is merely them pounding their chests trying to intimidate us.”

“Right, so the line about burning Canterlot to the ground is just them pounding their chests?” Luna asked with dismay.

Celestia sighed as she took the letters from Luna. “I know they’re serious. I just want to believe that they aren’t.” 

“So what are we doing about it? Shouldn’t we have the army and airforce prepare?” Luna responded with a hint of urgency. 

“I’ve already sent out orders to have our forces begin training and arming.” Celestia responded with a sigh, her ears going flat against her head.

“So you are already mobilizing troops?” Luna was slightly shocked at how quickly her sister had responded to the threat.

 A single tear rolling down Celestia’s cheek. “Yes, I have already given the order that will endanger the lives of many of our ponies.”

Luna sat next to her sister in silence. Centuries of peace had made both Princesses forget the horrible cost of war. Ponies would die if war broke out, and Celestia was the one who would give that order. However, Celestia was determined that no matter what, she would stop her ponies from coming to harm. Even if it meant some of them would have to die.

“C’mon, Tia. I know what might make you feel better.” Luna offered with a smile.

 Celestia replied with a sigh as she wiped away a few stray tears. “I can’t. There are still four hours left in court.”

Luna turned to the open doorway. “Guards! Please inform any waiting petitioners that the Princess has been called away on an urgent matter and they will have to wait until tomorrow, or attend night court.” 

The two guards looked to Celestia, who offered nothing in response, then back to Luna.

“Yes, your highness.” They replied in unison before slipping through the doors. 

“There, problem solved. Now c’mon, I know what will make you feel better.” Luna said in a much more excited tone.

Celestia slowly got up from her throne and followed her younger sister toward their shared lounge. “And what might that be?”

“Well, I know how you always enjoyed having quintets perform, so I made some calls.” Luna replied happily.

“Luna, while I appreciate the thought, I’ve heard most modern music groups.” Celestia stated.

“I know, but this one is different than all the others.” The indigo alicorn responded.

“Oh? And what makes this group so much more different?”

“They’re a bit more... exotic.” Luna said as she opened the door to the lounge.

Celestia’s eyes went wide as she noticed five humans standing in the middle of the room with various musical instruments. Before she could say anything, they began to sing in perfect harmony, all pointing at her.

"Carry on my wayward sun
There’ll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don’t you cry no more.”

Celestia watched in stunned silence as the band played. She recognized Daniel who was standing in front of the group with an odd six stringed instrument and did a bulk of the singing. Zerom stood behind a keyboard and also had a microphone in front of him. Celestia then looked to the short and stocky ODST sat behind a drumkit, who she believed was named Mikey. Next was a human who she didn’t recognize. He stood behind a microphone and was also playing a similar six string instrument to that of Daniel’s. Then there was a human who Celestia recognized as the pilot of the Tuscany. He held an instrument that only had four strings and was longer than the other two six string instruments.

After a few minutes, the group finished their song and looked to Celestia who still sat in awestruck silence.

“I... I’ve never heard such... music...” The Princess said, mouth still agape.

“Looks like she needs more convincing.” Daniel chuckled as he began to play.

As the song progressed, Celestia felt her mood improving. She found herself forgetting about the gryphons, the minotaurs, the nobles, and all her worries. For a moment, she was here with her sister, enjoying music from another world. 

Luna looked to her sister and wrapped a wing around her. Celestia replied by slightly leaning against the smaller alicorn as the humans continued to play, enjoying themselves as much as Celestia was.

The group continued to play a few more songs before coming to the end of their set. Celestia sat quietly on a couch with her sister as the final song came to an end.

“Thank you... that was... incredible.” Celestia said with a heartfelt smile.

“Glad you’re feeling better. Makes having been woken up at four in the morning much more bearable.” Daniel replied with a chuckle.

“Indeed. And thank you Luna, for setting all this up.” Celestia added as she hugged her sister.

Daniel removed his guitar before gently leaning against an amp. “So, got any other plans today?”

“I have to meet Discord and Prince Blueblood at the train station this evening.” Celestia stated.

“Don’t worry about that. Daniel and I can get them.” Luna quickly interjected.

“You sure?” Celestia asked her younger sister.

“Of course. Plus it will give Daniel a chance to meet the two of them.” Luna replied with a nod.

“Is this okay with you, Daniel?” Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow.

The Captain responded with a shrug. “Fine by me. When does their train arrive?”

“This evening, around seven.” Celestia answered.

“Great, we’ll be there.” Luna replied happily.


~~~


Seven rolled around as Luna and Daniel sat in a Warthog outside the Canterlot train station. The pair received a few curious glances, but nothing more. Daniel was wearing his usual ODST armor, while Luna had decided to forego her normal regalia. 

“So, this Discord guy... what’s he like?” Daniel asked, turning to Luna who was sitting in the passenger seat.

“He’s... interesting; the self proclaimed Lord of Chaos.” Luna said with a roll of her eyes.

“Huh... magical abilities?” 

“Yup. Chaos magic.” Luna replied with a nod.

“So he’s some chaos driven unicorn, anything else?” Daniel mused with a chuckle.

“He’s not a pony, he’s a draconequus.” Luna corrected.

“The fuck is a draconequus?” Daniel asked with a scoff.

“A chimera of sorts. Though he was a statue for a number of years.” Luna shook her head as she recalled the memories.

Daniel paused and looked to Luna dumbly. “Okay, start talking.”

“Short version is that Discord went crazy and plunged Equestria into a few years of chaos and mischief. Day and night times varied, seasons and weather changed on their own, strange creatures were created, just general chaos.”

“That’s it? That sounds like a normal day on Earth. Seriously, you just named the normal conditions of every planet in the UNSC.” Daniel deadpanned.

“Then the two of you will get along great.” Luna said sarcastically.

“I take it there is some bad blood between you two?” 

“ You can say that. He’s only been reformed for a few years now. Even that took Twilight and her friends quite a while to accomplish.” Luna responded dryly. 

“And yet...?” Daniel pressed.

“He and Celestia have... history.” Luna said with hesitation.

“Ah...” Daniel mumbled.

“Yeah. Celestia was forced to turn him to stone shortly before my fall to madness.” 

“So what about Prince Blueblood?” Daniel said, quickly wanting to change the subject.

“Honestly, I’d take Discord over Bluebood any day.” Luna replied with a shrug. 

“Wait, what?” Daniel continued with a dumbstruck look.

“While Discord is unpredictable, mischievous, and the all around spirit of chaos, he is still fun to be around. Blueblood... he’s a Prince, and he won’t let you forget it.” Luna said with a sigh.

The Captain chuckled. “Let me guess, arrogant, narcissistic, egotistical... am I missing any?” 

“Nope, that’s about it. The only reason he gets away with any of it is because he is technically Celestia’s and my nephew.” The lunar Princess answered with a deep sigh.

“Huh, so he’s the son of a third sister whom you have never mentioned? That seems unlikely.” Daniel said, trying to piece everything together.

“I have no idea anymore, and quite frankly, I don’t care.” Luna replied with a dismissive snort. 

The pair sat in silence for the next fifteen minutes, quietly watching the night sky, until the sound of a train whistle brought them back to reality. Daniel watched as the steam engine slowly pulled into the station and as dozens of ponies crowded near the doors, eager to board. 

“There they are.” Luna said, motioning toward the forward most car. 

The lunar Princess quickly dismounted, followed closely by Daniel, before making her way toward the pair. Prince Bluebood was a unicorn of a slightly taller form than the average stallion, though his well kempt blond mane could be the envy of every mare. He held his head high, as if he was trying to ignore the common ponies around him. The draconequus however, was much more relaxed as he walked through the crowd. It was odd for Daniel, seeing another bipedal creature. Discord was easily tall enough to look a SPARTAN in the eyes.

“Hello, Auntie Luna.” Blueblood greeted, never shifting from his holier-than-thou stance.

“Hi, Blueblood. Hey, Discord. How was the Crystal Empire?” Luna said to both.

“It was good. They truly know how to treat a Prince right.” Blueblood said with a proud smile.

“Ya know, I was expecting to be bored out of my skull. Thankfully that wasn’t entirely the case. Those crystal ponies know how to have fun.” Discord beamed.

“I’m glad your trip was successful. I’m sure Celestia will be glad too. Anyway, this is Captain Daniel Ryan of the UNSC Tuscany.” Luna said, motioning to Daniel with a hoof.

“Ah, so you’re the human I have heard reports about. Tell me, have you had a chance to meet the other leaders of the world?” Blueblood asked while carefully eyeing Daniel.

“Yeah, I had a lovely little sit down with the other leaders.” Daniel replied, thinking back on the duel.

“Oh? And how did that go?” Blueblood continued.

“It went fine up until the part where I had to suplex the gryphon king and Commander Dior had to choke out three Minotaurs at once.” Daniel said matter of factly.

Blueblood looked horrified at the last part while Discord began laughing and threw an arm over the Captain’s shoulder.

“Oh I just knew I would like you ever since I first heard about you. Now, I’m thinking of a number between one and ten.” Discord quickly asked with an excited expression.

Daniel looked to Luna in a confused manner. The alicorn merely shrugged.

“Fish.” The Captain replied after a few silent moments. 

Discord’s jaw hit the ground in a literal manner before wrapping both arms around the human and pulled him into a tight hug, suspending him in the air.

“I love these humans!” Discord exclaimed. 

“Well, I’m glad I was so well received.” Daniel chuckled. 

Discord then set the human down and looked to Luna.

“So, we heading back to the castle?” The draconequus asked.

“Yeah, so lets go.” Luna replied before walking back to the Warthog.

“We’re going in that thing?” Blueblood asked, as if offended.

“Is that an issue?” Daniel replied, putting his helmet on.

“How could you expect me to ride in something so... uncivilized?” The Prince stumbled for his words.

“Umm... I don’t think that word means what you think it means. Anyway, it’s either you ride with us, or you walk back.” Daniel answered with a chuckle.

“Or I could just teleport us all.” Discord offered.

“No.” Luna quickly interjected.

“Awww, why not?” Discord asked, slightly hurt.

“Because, chaos magic is notoriously unreliable for teleporting places.” 

“But I’ve been practicing normal magic. Blueblood can tell you, I’ve gotten good.” Discord pleaded, pointing to Blueblood.

“He actually has been practicing.” Blueblood offered.

Luna sighed. “Alright fine. Just, don’t screw it up.” 

Everyone climbed into the Warthog, with Daniel and Luna in the front, and Discord and Blueblood in the back.

“Alright, one express trip to the castle coming up!” Discord seemed to focus on the spell as an orange aura encompassed his claw. With a pop and a flash, the Warthog and its occupants disappeared.


~~~


The blinding light of the teleport gave way to a very sharp jolt, as if the Warthog had been dropped from a moving Pelican. Daniel had been smart enough to brace himself against the steering wheel, keeping him from smashing his head against it. Though, that was not what worried him.

What really worried the Captain was the barren landscape in front of him. Gone were the buildings of Canterlot, replaced instead with a never ending sea of grey. Daniel slowly looked to Luna who had a truely horrified look on her face. All eyes slowly shifted to Discord, who was trying to hide behind Luna’s seat.

“Eh heh... so I may need a bit more practice.” The draconequus said sheepishly.

Luna let out a blood curling scream and she lunged at Discord, tackling him out of the Warthog and proceeded to beat him mercilessly. Blueblood just sat in shocked silence as he looked to the sky. Daniel too looked up and chuckled.

“Huh, well that’s new.” Looking up, the Captain saw the entirety of Avalon. “So this is the moon huh? Neat.” 

Blueblood never said a word, keeping his eyes on the planet. Luna was still straddling Discord’s chest while using her front hooves to deliver blow after blow to Discord, who was trying in vain to protect himself.

Eventually Luna got up and walked back to the Warthog before sitting in the passenger seat. 

“So... this is the moon.” Daniel stated, trying to break the silence.

“Yes, yes it is. I suggest you get to love it seeing as how we will be here for a long time.” The lunar Princess said angrily. 

Daniel looked back to Discord who was using a paw to stop a nosebleed while leaning against the Warthog for support.

“So, can’t we teleport back off the moon?” Daniel asked.

 “No, no we can’t...” Luna stated, glaring off into the barren landscape.   

“I’m not really familiar with this whole magic thing, is there a reason?”

“The moon is unique in that it is a one way magical barrier. Spells to teleport away from the moon don’t work. Once you teleport to the moon, you’re stuck there.” Luna grumbled.

“But what about the whole thousand year banishment thing?” Daniel replied.

“That spell is a bit different. Think of it as a delayed teleport. It’s a loophole in the moon’s barrier. Basically, once the spell is cast it teleports the target to the desired location, then after a set time it teleports them back.” Luna answered with a sigh.

“So it counts as a single spell from the planet.” 

“Exactly. But because we arrived with a one way spell, we’re pretty much fucked.” Luna said with a snarl.

“Umm, Auntie, how are we even breathing right now?” Blueblood asked with concern.

“Magic. I would expect you of all ponies to understand that, Blueblood.” Luna replied with clear disappointment.

“So the moon has a magical atmosphere?” Daniel inquired with bewilderment.

“Pretty much.” Luna said as she leaned back in her seat.

Daniel then got out of the Warthog and walked around for a moment, constantly looking up at the planet. Luna watched him, but paid little attention, her mind still furious at Discord.

“Look, Luna, I’m sorry.” Discord offered sincerely.

“Sorry? You’re sorry?! You trapped us all on the moon, and all you can say is sorry?!” The Princess yelled.

“I thought I could control it, I really have been practicing.” Discord said sheepishly.

“I was a bucking foal for agreeing to this...” Luna muttered.

Daniel then walked back to the Warthog and climbed back into the driver seat. He then turned the engine on and buckled his restraints.

“What are you doing?” Luna asked, still agitated.

“I was gonna drive around on the moon. Maybe go jump a few craters, see if I can’t find some cool space rocks for the science guys back on the ship.” The Captain replied happily.

“You don’t get it... we’re not leaving here. We can’t leave.”

“Uhhh, spaceships?” Daniel stated with a grin.

Luna paused for a moment as she looked at Daniel’s expression before he continued.

“Grafton will be here in about an hour to pick us up. As far as Celestia knows, we stopped for a bite to eat.” The Captain replied as he began to drive around the lunar surface. 


~~~


The group spent the next hour driving around the lunar surface, jumping massive craters in the low gravity, finding ancient space rocks, and generally having a good time. The group was in the process of writing “UNSC” on the moon using the tire marks of the Warthog. So far the U had come out well, but the N and the S were lopsided and horrible. Soon though, the radio came to life.

“Tuscany Actual, this is Grafton. How copy, over?”

“We hear you Grafton.” Daniel replied.

“Tuscany Actual, stand by for pick up. We have you on sensors and will be touching down in five mikes.” 

“Tuscany Actual copies all. Thanks for the ride, Grafton.” Daniel answered.

“Glad we could help. Grafton out.” The radio went silent again as Daniel gave up on his moon writing.

“See, told ya it would be fine.” Daniel said with a chuckle.

“I’m just wondering, how are we going to explain my current condition?” Discord asked, his nose wrapped in gauze bandage and a number of bruises covering his face.

“We’ll say you grabbed some mare’s ass in the restaurant and she beat the ever living hell out of you. None of us intervened because we were either laughing too hard or were enjoying the display.” Daniel replied with a smile.

“That’s... insane... I like it.” Discord said with a pained smile.

“Good, cause that’s what I’m going with.” Luna commented dryly.

“Oh c’mon Luna, it all turned out okay in the end.” Discord said.

“We wouldn’t be in the bucking position, had it not been for you!”

“Hey look, the ship’s here.” Daniel quickly interjected before things got violent again.

Sure enough, the Grafton was slowly descending toward the surface of the moon. Her landing struts slowly extended from the underside of her hull, causing dust clouds to erupt from the weight of the ship. Grafton was quite a bit bigger than the Tuscany. Though, this was because the Grafton was a proper warship. She was much longer, more narrow, and much better armed than her Prowler counterpart. Luna sat in stunned silence as the much larger ship touched down. 

Daniel began driving toward the frigate's lower cargo bay, near the back of the ship. The bay doors were already open, with a few sailors standing on catwalks. With the aid of a ramo, the Warthog grove up and into the ship. Daniel then shut off the engine as the bay doors closed behind them. The entire ship vibrated slightly as the landing gear retracted and the entire frigate took off back toward Canterlot.

“Well, Daniel this was certainly one of the last places I expected to find you.” Captain Daviston said from a nearby catwalk.

“Yeah, well, I like to mix things up. I don’t wanna get too predictable.” Daniel replied with a shrug as he got out of the vehicle.

Daviston casually made his way down a set of stairs as everyone else got out of the Warthog.

“Princess Luna, Prince Blueblood, Discord, this is Captain Richard Daviston.” Daniel said, motioning to his friend.

“A pleasure Captain, and thank you for getting us.” Luna said with a polite nod.

“Any time ma’am. So, just how the hell did you get on the moon without anyone noticing?” Daviston asked, looking straight at Daniel.

“It’s a long story...” Discord interjected quickly.

“Actually it’s not. That one there,” Daniel said pointing to Discord, “fucked up a teleportation spell and got us all sent to the moon.”

“Huh... well then.” Daviston replied, at a loss for words. “We’ll be in orbit in about half an hour. Join me on the bridge?”

“Oh, but of course.” Daniel replied, locking his arm around Daviston’s.

Daviston sighed, but couldn’t help but chuckle. He had known Daniel for over ten years, this was just normal for him. The group walked through the passageways of the warship until they finally reached the bridge. It was a similar design to that of the Tuscany, though it was more narrow and box-like.

“So, how’s life on the planet?” Richard asked as he sat in the Captain’s chair.

“It’s interesting. Definitely interesting.” Daniel replied.

“In a good way?”

“I’d say so. I mean hell, we’ve met a race of magical talking ponies. I’d say that counts as a good kind of interesting.” Daniel replied with a shrug. “You read any of my reports?”

“I have. You think the gryphons are really going to go at it?” Daviston asked.

“I’d like to think they are just beating their chests like fucking gorillas, but the ONI agent part of me says otherwise.” Daniel replied.

“Fucking spooks.” Daviston said with a chuckle.

Daniel looked over to see Blueblood staring out the window, while Discord was busy talking to the ship’s AI. 

“So Luna, would Equestria be ready for war with the gryphons? I know you have the solar and lunar guards, but there must be an actual army.” Daniel asked.

“At this time, no. The guard is the army. It pains me to say it, but centuries of peace has made us soft. So no, we are by no means ready for a war.” Luna replied with a deep sigh.

“Ah, don’t worry. Soft things can be more easily shaped and molded into what is needed. It’s the more rigid things that have problems changing.” Daviston added.

“Look at this motherfucker getting all philosophical. They teach you that in officer school?” Daniel chuckled.

“Not quite, though I suppose you wouldn’t know that, seeing as how you probably slept through OTC.” Daviston countered.

“Touche.” Daniel said with his hands raised.


~~~


The ride back to Equestria was uneventful. Discord happily sat on the deck and talked with the ship AI, Blueblood stared silently out the window, while Luna swapped stories with Daniel and Richard. Though with their trip complete, it was time to go home.

“So Daniel, am I dropping you off in the city, or what?” Richard asked.

“Nah, we have a cover story to maintain, so a warship showing up would kinda blow that.” Daniel replied with a shake of his head. “I was just gonna borrow a Pelican.”

“Go for it.” 

With that said, Daniel and the others made their way to the lower launch bay before entering one of the Pelicans.

“Alright everyone, grab a seat. This is gonna be a fun one.” Daniel chuckled as he made his way toward the pilot seat. “Luna, wanna ride shotgun?”

“Sure.” The alicorn replied.

Discord and Blueblood tool seats opposite each other. Daniel then walked by and pulled the restraints down over their heads, holding them against the seat.

“Is this really necessary?” Blueblood asked with indignation.

“Yup. I don’t want to have to hose your remains out of the cabin when we land.” Daniel mused as he locked Discord’s restraints. 

“What, ah... what exactly are we going to do?” Discord asked curiously.

“Simple really, we’re going to do an orbital drop. Essentially free fall from a few miles high before pulling up and flying the rest of the way to our destination.” Daniel stated.

No one knew what to respond with.

“Since there are no more questions, lets go for a ride.” Daniel said happily as he buckled his own harness in the pilots seat. Luna sat in the copilot’s seat, located in front of Daniel.

“Everyone ready?” Daniel asked over the intercom.

“Yup!” Came the excited voice of Discord.

“Great. Sealing cabin.” With a dull thud, the ramp folded up, sealing the cabin.

“Grafton Control, this is Tuscany Actual, ready for launch.” Daniel said over the radio.

“Copy that Tuscany, you are clear to launch. Have a nice day.” 

“How about some music?” Daniel asked as music began to play over the intercom.


With a loud click and a shudder, the Pelican dropped from the underside of the Grafton and quickly pitched nose-first toward the planet. Daniel pushed the throttle all the way forward as the drop ship sped toward the planet surface. 

“This song is amazing!” Discord shouted over the roar of the engines.

“I figured you’d like it!” Daniel shouted back.

Soon the Pelican began to shake as it came into contact with the atmosphere. Occasionally the entire craft would violently jolt, causing Blueblood to yelp in surprise. Luna looked over he shoulder to see flames engulfing the craft as the continued their descent.

“Uhh, Daniel... is this thing supposed to be on fire?” Luna asked with concern.

“What did she say!” Blueblood shouted in terror.

“Yup. That’s normal for re-entry.” Daniel replied calmly.

“Oh... okay...” 

The drop ship continued to plummet toward the ground at an incredible speed. Discord seemed to be enjoying the ride, throwing his arms in the air as if it were a rollercoaster. Blueblood, however, was in a state of pure terror, shrieking at every jolt. Eventually, though, the ship began to slow. The flames that liked up the hull went out as Daniel pulled into a more level flight. 

“Hey Luna, check the map in front of you and tell me where we are.” Daniel called forward.

“Ten miles west of Cloudsdale, coming up on the Wonderbolts academy.” Luna replied.

“Neat.” Daniel replied.

The rest of the flight back to Canterlot went by without any major incident. It had been an interesting night, one which everyone onboard was more than happy to see come to an end.

“Now remember the cover story. Discord grabbed that mare’s ass.” Daniel repeated.

“And she totally kicked his ass. Got it.” Luna replied.

Daniel brought the Pelican over the city and around the back of the castle, where he quickly docked in the Tuscany’s launch bay.To everyone’s surprise, and somewhat fear, Celestia was waiting for them.

“Shit.” 


~~~


 Celestia paced in front of the four as they sat on couches in her private lounge. Nothing was said  as the solar Princess continued to pace. Discord quietly sat next to Blueblood, holding an ice pack against his bruised face. Luna and Daniel sat together, across from Blueblood and Discord. Eventually Celestia stopped her pacing and turned to the group.

“Discord... I can’t begin to fathom why you would do something so... foalish.” Celestia began.

“I was just trying to help.” Discord muttered through his icepack. 

“I understand that, but I can’t understand how such a simple thing like a teleport spell could go so wrong.” Celestia continued.

“I... I kinda made a mistake.” Discord mumbled.

“We know.” Blueblood commented.

“That’s quite enough, Blueblood.” Celestia quickly cut in.

“Well at least it didn’t end with us stuck on the moon for the next eternity.” Daniel said with a shrug.

“Indeed. You’ll have to thank Captain Daviston for me when you get the chance.” Celestia added.

“I’m sure you’ll get a chance soon.” Daniel chuckled.

“Anyway, Discord, no more teleporting until you’ve had more practice. You’re still new to pony magic, so keep practicing. I don’t want a repeat of tonight. Got it?” Celestia said with an intense glare.

“Yes Celestia.” Discord replied in a defeated tone.

“Good. You can all go now.” Everyone in the room silently got up and began heading in various directions, though Daniel stayed behind.

“I’m curious, Discord seems like a free spirit who doesn’t really answer to anyone, so how do you do it?” Daniel asked, leaning against a nearby table.

“Let’s just say I’ve had time to learn his quirks and how his mind usually operates.” Celestia stated with her usual smile.

“Oh? So you would say you know him a bit better than the average pony?” Daniel pressed.

“I would say so.” 

Daniel began looking at Celestia with a critical eye. She seemed to return his look with interest.

“How long were the two of you dating?” Daniel soon concluded.

Celestia recoiled slightly in shock. “I’m impressed.” 

“That’s why ONI pays me the big bucks. So, back to the question at hand.” Daniel replied.

“A few decades. Keep in mind, time is different when you live for upwards of ten thousand years.” Celestia said with a smirk.

“Yeah, humans live for about two hundred years. So the two of you were dating for awhile?” Daniel continued.

“Yes, just up until Luna’s descent into madness.” Celestia replied.

“Were the two events related?”

“I’m afraid they were. Discord was becoming more distraught as Luna turned to darkness, I’m ashamed to say he saw and even tried to stop it. I was blinded by the love and admiration of everypony, that I was ignoring my sister and even Discord’s attempts at bringing it to my attention.” Celestia said with a deep sigh.

“So he tried to get your attention by acting out with chaos?” Daniel questioned.

“Indeed. He thought that if he could bring my attention to what was crumbling around me, I might see the turmoil that was consuming Luna. Instead, I convinced myself he had gone mad and had him imprisoned in stone. Again, not a proud moment.” The solar Princess concluded. “Though I am happy to see him back and functioning at a, mostly, normal pace.” 

“Well, I’m glad things worked out.” Daniel said with a nod. 

“Just, do me a favor.” Celestia quickly added. 

“Of course.”

“Please keep this to yourself. I don’t need this getting out to the masses.” Celestia said with pleading eyes.

Daniel looked at her in confusion. “Princess, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Celestia smiled at this. “Thank you.”

> June 12th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//June 12th, 2559
//
//22:10 Local Time

Wow... today was just... wow. Princess Celestia has ramped up the Equestrian military in preparations for a war with the gryphons and minotaurs. While there are some in her court who don’t believe war will happen, a vast majority agree that it is inevitable. Because of this inevitability, the Princess made a very bold request of me: to train ponies in the art of war.

Though this request was a rather difficult, it was not impossible. After some deliberation with the Director and my other senior officers, we have begun to train them. Though, I should add some perspective. The tech of Equestria is most similar to that of the Americans in 1980, however, their military is still using tech and tactics seen in the 1700’s. It appears as though we have a lot of ground to cover before they are even close to a substantial fighting force. 

I did end up making a request to try and supply them with small arms; things like rifles, and other small firearms. Though the Director was not really too keen on sending them weapons at this point, he did say we could help them develop their own. Andrew took this news and locked himself, and a few Equestrian engineers, in an armory. No one has seen him or the ponies since. 

//End Log

Daniel sat in the galley with Spotlight and Zerom in the early morning. The sun had yet to rise, and still the three were awake, much to their displeasure. They sat silently as they waited for the last two members to join their table. Spotlight was contently drinking hot chocolate from a mug while Daniel enjoyed a cup of tea.

A few minutes passed when the doors to the galley opened as Princess Celestia and Luna walked in.

“Morning.” Zerom said groggily. 

“Good morning everyone. I apologize for asking you to be up this early.” Celestia replied as she took a seat next to her sister.

“It’s fine. It’s only,” Zerom paused to look at his watch, “O’ four hundred.”

“So, what’s so important that it couldn’t be said in two hours?” Daniel asked.

Celestia sighed. “It’s the gryphons. I am certain that they will declare war on us. When? I can’t say, but it will be soon. That being said, our military is...”

“Totally fucked.” Luna added sarcastically.

“I was going to say lacking, but yes. It is nowhere near capable of fending off the gryphons.” Celestia finished with a shake of her head.

“So where do we come into this?” Spotlight asked with a tilt of his head.

“I wanted to know if the UNSC would be willing to train some of our ponies.” Celestia finally stated.

Silence permeated the room as everyone milled the thought over.

“It’s... possible.” Daniel began. “The short answer is yes. Though it depends heavily on whether or not ONI will approve of such action. Mainly because this is quickly turning from an exploration mission, to a diplomatic relations mission, and now to a black op and a proxy war.”

“I understand. Though, I would not ask this of you if there were a better alternative.” Celestia replied sadly.

“Alright. I can’t make any promises, but I’ll see what I can do. Zerom, Spotlight, I want you two to talk with some of the military leaders here. I want a full report on their style and technique by mid day. Then I will want a demonstration by four. Got it?” Daniel ordered.

“Aye, Captain.” Both responded in unison.

“I have a question.” Luna said, raising a hoof. “What would it take for the UNSC to get directly involved?”

“It would take something big. Short of shooting us down, the UNSC will avoid direct involvement.” Daniel said with a shrug. “So is that it?”

“Yes. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to prepare the sun.” Celestia stated warmly as she got up and teleported back to the castle.


~~~


 Zerom and Spotlight walked through the castle with a pair of guards as their guides. They were heading to meet with the three heads of the Equestrian armed forces. Their job today was to gauge just how underprepared the Equestrian military really was. From the way Celestia had said it, it sounded bad. The two officers entered a large room with a conference table in the middle. Four ponies sat in either side of the table, only one of which Zerom recognized. The human and changeling quickly and quietly took a pair of seats near the head of the table.

“Commander Zerom, Agent Spotlight, a pleasure to see you again.” Captain Silverlight greeted. “Allow me to introduce the others. This is Captain Nightshade, head of the night guard. And this is Captain Spitfire and Lieutenant Soarin of the air force.”

Zerom looked to the night Captain. She was one of the rare thestrals that he had seen around the castle during the night hours, though he had never really seen any outside the guard. Her golden cat-like eyes scrutinized the human and changeling, as if trying to detect a hidden motive.

“So, Commander, why are we all here today?” Spitfire began.

“Well, ma’am, Princess Celestia has asked the UNSC to evaluate and, if necessary, train the military of Equestria.” Zerom politely replied.

The bat pony snorted a laugh. “Is that so? Are you trying to tell me she doesn’t think we are up to the task of taking on the gryphons?”

“Yes, ma’am. That’s why she asked us to evaluate you. She wants to be certain that you can fight them off.” 

“So what do you need from us?” Silverlight quickly asked.

“Captain Ryan has asked for me to have a demonstration setup. He wants to see the guard in action.” Zerom responded with a nod.

“That’s it? Fine, we’ll show you just how ready the guard is.” Nightshade announced pridefully. “Anything else?”

“Just a few things, ma’am. What kind of weaponry do your troops carry?” Zerom asked as he and Spotlight began taking notes on their respective datapads.

“Our ground forces are equipped with the standard issue Galandof heavy launcher.” Silverlight replied.

“Is it a type of ranged weapon?” Spotlight inquired.

“It is.”

“Do you have one with you?” Zerom continued.

“No, but I can have one brought up.” Silverlight said, motioning to a nearby guard to fetch one of the weapons.

“Alright, effective range?” Zerom asked as he continued to take notes.

“About fifty feet.” Silverlight answered.

Both officers stopped their notes and stared blankly at Silverlight.

“That’s it?” Spotlight asked in shock.

“Well... yeah. The long barrel version is accurate to one hundred feet, though it’s a more specialized weapon.” Silverlight replied, slightly confused.

“Oh boy...” Zerom muttered.

“Why? What are the range on your weapons?” The thestral Captain asked smugly. 

“Standard assault rifle is accurate to about a hundred and fifty meters. Snipers are effective out to two and a half miles.” Zerom replied bluntly.

This time it was the ponies turn to be shocked. 

“T-t-two and a half... miles...” Spitfire stammered.

Zerom and Spotlight nodded in response. It was then that a guard entered the room with one of the weapons under his wing. Silverlight took the weapon from the guard in his magic and set it in front of the human and changeling.

“This is the weapon.” The Captain announced.

To Zerom it looked like an old blunderbuss, though with a slightly more narrow barrel and with an odd appendage on the side. The human picked up the weapon and began to inspect it. 

“What kind of ammunition do they use?” The human asked, never taking his eyes off the weapon.

“A single prepackaged cartridge.” Silverlight replied.

Zerom then put a hand on the weapon’s barrel and the stock. With a single swift motion, the human split the weapon in two, tearing the barrel from the stock. The rest of the table sat in silent shock as the human tossed the broken weapon on the table.

“With all due respect, this thing is a piece of crap. I’m no SPARTAN, and if I can tear it apart, then it’s crap. This... thing, will not win you any battles. I can only pray that your tactics and field strategies can make up for this.” The Commander deadpanned.  


~~~


Daniel leaned back in his chair after having a lengthy talk with the Director. he had expressed concerns over the training to the Equestrians, but eventually gave into the idea. One of the only conditions had been that the UNSC would not provide modern weapons until other conditions had been met. Though this did not apply to weapons created by Equestria. A knock on the door brought the Captain back to reality.

“Enter.” He commanded.

The door slid open as Andrew stood in the doorway. He was wearing a very dirty set of dark blue coveralls with a pair of heavy work gloves in one of the cargo pockets. It looked like Andrew had been crawling around in engine ducts.

“Jesus, Andrew. The fuck have you been?” 

“Doing some work inside the engines. Can I tell ya how nice and shiney they are now? Well, not actually shiney, just really really really fucking clean. Like, clean enough to eat off of. Just, don’t eat off them. Kinda radioactive, and by kinda I mean very. So... just don’t do it.” Andrew rambled excitedly.

“That’s great Andrew. What the fuck do you want from me?” Daniel replied sarcastically. 

“I kinda need some advice.” Andrew said with a cheesy grin.

“What’s this? The great Andrew Traxus is coming to me, a measly ONI agent and UNSC Captain, for advice? This is surely a tremendous moment.” Daniel boomed sarcastically. 

“Yeah yeah, laugh it up asshole. So... Equestria’s going to war... any chance we could supply them with some gear? I’d be happy to donate.” 

“Yeah, no. Director isn’t too keen on sending weapons just yet.” Daniel responded quickly.

Andrew’s eyes light up and he nearly began jumping up and down. “Oh oh oh! Does that extend to shit they build here!?”

Daniel sighed. “No. No it does not.”

“Wooooo!” The engineer cheered as he ran down the hall.

Spotlight was walking down the passageway as an eccentric Andrew came barreling toward the changeling. Spotlight froze in his tracks as Andrew simply jumped over him, continuing to run. The changeling poked his head in the open doorway to a confused Daniel.

“Hey Cap’n. What was that about?” Spotlight asked with concern.

“I think I’ve just unleashed a horrible monster upon the world...” Daniel muttered as he tried to piece together what had happened.

“Should we be worried?” Spotlight replied, looking back down the hallway. 

“Probably.” Daniel said with a chuckle.

“Well what was he going on about?” Spotlight continued to ask.

“I suspect he is going to go build new weapons with the Equestrians. Though, I’m not sure how far he’s going to get with their primitive military tech.” Daniel said with a hint of relief.

“Well, just ‘cause their military tech is not the best, doesn’t mean that their manufacturing capability is lessened.” Spotlight pointed out.

“Ah shit.” Daniel replied as he reached for a radio. “Chief Carlson, you copy?”

“Go ahead, Captain.” The armory chief answered.

“Has Andrew come by your neck of the woods recently?”

“Yes, sir. He was just here.” Jacob replied.

“What did he need?” Daniel asked with a bit of worry.

“He came and got a case of .50 cal and a case of 7.62 rounds.” 

“Thank you chief.” Daniel replied as he set the radio back on his desk. “Tommy, is Andrew still aboard the ship?”

“Negative, sir. He just left.” The AI responded.

“Did he mention where he was off to?” Daniel quickly asked.

“He mentioned something about going to see someone named Quicksilver. Not sure who this individual is.” The AI replied.

“Is Luna onboard?” The Captain asked with a bit of irritation. 

“Yes sir. She is currently in her quarters and it seems she is awake. Shall I put you through?”

“Yeah.” Daniel commanded as he leaned back in his chair. “Luna, you there?”

“Yeah, what’s up?” Luna replied with an audible yawn.

“Do you know somepony named Quicksilver?”

“Yeah, she’s one of the armory chiefs.” The lunar Princess replied.

“Great, thanks. Now go to bed.” Daniel said with a chuckle.

There was no reply as the line went dead. Spotlight continued to sit in the doorway as Daniel got up and grabbed his hat and sunglasses. 

“Well c’mon Spotty, let’s go see how you and Zerom did with the military.” Daniel ordered as he stepped past the changeling.

“Right behind ya.”


~~~


Daniel stood beside Zerom and the two guard Captains on a balcony overlooking the training fields along side the castle. Before them were four divisions of guards, all decked out in their respective armor and carrying training weapons. They stood at attention in neat organized lines as they stood before their commanding officers. 

“What do you think, Captain?” Captain Nightshade said with a smirk.

“I’m not making any judgements until I see them in action. You have a demonstration I take it?” Daniel asked calmly.

“Indeed,” Silverlight answered as he turned to face the waiting soldiers. “Division! Form ranks!” 

The solar and lunar guards broke their neat blocks as they made a pair of lines facing eachother with about sixty feet between each side. 

“Make ready!” Nightshade commanded.

Every pony drew their weapon and aimed it at the line across from them.

“Fire!” Both Captains yelled at the same time. 

A thunderous sound preceded a volley of non-lethal training rounds soaring across the open field. A bulk of the ponies on both sides collapsed to the ground as the rounds met their marks. Daniel watched in stunned silence as the remaining ponies reload their weapons and fired a second volley, the lunar guards wiping the remaining solar guards out.

“There. So what did you think?” Nightshade asked with a grin.

“What... the fuck... was that? Was that a joke? Please tell me this was a fucking joke.” Daniel asked in all seriousness. 

Nightshade and Silverlight looked shocked and slightly hurt at Daniel’s reaction. 

“Holy shit... you’re serious...” Daniel said as he removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair. 

“What was wrong with that, huh?” Nightshade asked with an angry glare.

“Your fighting style is archaic and your weapons are shitty. Right now, you have no hope of fighting off the gryphons.” Daniel stated bluntly. 

“Then what would you recommend?” Silverlight quickly interjected. 

“Take everything you know about fighting and warfare, and forget it.” Daniel said with a chuckle.

“So what, you think you could take on two whole legions on Equestria’s finest!?” Nightshade challenged.

“Yeah. A single marine fireteam could wipe out every single soldier on this field. No problem.” Daniel deadpanned.

“Prove it.” Nightshade challenged Daniel with a snarl.

“Fine, I’ll get a team over here with semi automatic rifles.” The human responded.

“Use whatever weapon you want, it won’t matter.” Nightshade said with arrogance.

“Fine. Call the Princess, I want her to see just how bad it is.” Daniel replied as he called his marines on the radio.


~~~


Twenty minutes later, Princess Celestia and Captain Spitfire joined the others on the balcony. Two entire legions of Equestrian soldiers stood in neat rows as they stared at the six marines across from them. Nearly two hundred ponies were facing only six marines, a setup which Nightshade believed would be over in moments. 

“So, ten minutes of prep before we get this little scenario underway?” Daniel asked with a smile.

“Pft, take all the time you want.” Nightshade replied confidently. 

Daniel gave an order over his radio as he looked to Silverlight and Spitfire. The marines in the field quickly broke into pairs and began to entrench themselves in foxholes. Silverlight and Spitfire both looked very curious and a bit worried, while Celestia held a neutral stare.

After about ten minutes, the marines gave a thumbs up. They were ready.

“We’re good to go.” Daniel stated. 

“Legion! Make ready!” Nightshade yelled at the troops.

“Stand by, guys.” Daniel whispered into his radio.

“Aim!” Silverlight continued.

“Fire!” Both Captains yelled. 

The front two lines of the legion fired their weapons against the entrenched humans, only to hit the dirt. The humans responded with a war cry as they popped up from their holes and began firing automatic rifles, each shot taking out a pony with a training round. The sound of automatic gunfire continued as dozens of ponies fell to the human’s gunfire. Eventually the humans needed to reload, just as the ponies were prepared to fire a second volley.

The marines noticed this and quickly moved from their foxholes and ran for cover at the edge of the field. The ponies fired again, missing every shot. The marines split into two groups and quickly began moving and firing at the flanks of the legion, cutting down even more ponies. 

“Legion! Left face!” Nightshade yelled as she watched the marines fight on the sides of the field. 

The legion of ponies kept their lines as they all turned to face part of the fireteam on their left side. The team on the right quickly capitalized on this and began gunning down ponies from the rear, cutting massive holes in the legion’s lines. Nightshade gritted her teeth as she watched the humans effortlessly take out dozens of her ponies.

“Legion! Fire!” Nightshade screamed. 

The legion took aim at the marines, who quickly dove behind a concrete wall only seconds before the ponies opened fire. The three marines quickly popped up over the wall and spread a wall of training rounds into the ponies, taking out even more of the lines. This was too much for the few remaining ponies who dropped their weapons and turned to run, only to run into the other part of the marine fireteam. 

After only a few minutes of fighting, every pony lay on the ground, stunned and in pain. The marines, however, were unscathed.

“What the hay was that!?” Nightshade screamed at Daniel.

“That, was a slaughter.” Daniel pointed out.

“I’ll say.” Silverlight muttered in shock.

“Your soldiers didn’t hold their lines!” Nightshade continued to yell.

“Yeah, no shit. Why the hell would they just stand there for you to shoot at?” Daniel smirked.

“But... you can’t do that!” Nightshade stammered.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m alive, and all your ponies are dead. Who the fuck cares how they did it.” Daniel said with a chuckle.

“What exactly do you call that kind of fighting?” Spitfire quickly interjected.

“Guerrilla warfare. It is what all modern combat is based around, and it what I will be helping you master.” Daniel said proudly.

“I’m glad to hear that. Especially after this little display.” Celestia added with a hint of disappointment before walking away.


~~~


It was late in the evening and no one had heard from, or seen, Andrew or Quicksilver. Daniel, Silverlight, and Celestia found themselves standing outside the armory door, which was inconveniently locked. Daniel looked to Silverlight who quickly stepped forward and produced a keyring in his magical grasp. 

As the door to the armory swung open, Daniel was stunned at what he saw. 

Across the floor and various tables were random parts of metal and machinery, along with the discarded husks of dozens of Equestrian firearms. Andrew was standing around a forge with five other ponies, contently working on some new device.

“Andrew!” Daniel shouted.

The engineer’s head shot up from his work to glance at the Captain.

“Hey Daniel! Come check it out, we just finished putting it together.” Andrew said enthusiastically.

“And just what is ‘it’?” Daniel asked as he stepped forward with Celestia and Silverlight following behind.

“Behold!” Andrew shouted as he moved aside, giving a full view of his newest creation.

Before them stood a full sized, six barreled, gatling gun. It was strangely beautiful, clad in gold trim and darker gunmetal. It sat on a pair of wheels and sported an ornately carved shoulder rest for the shooter.

“Andrew...” Daniel stammered.

“Yes?” The engineer asked in a sing song voice.

“Did you... did you make a gatling gun?” 

“Yes I did.” Andrew beamed proudly.

“You made... a fully automatic, gatling gun... out of spare parts?” The Captain continued, totally bewildered by the creation before him.

“Yes.” Andrew replied with a nod.

“And I take it you taught them how to make these things?” Daniel said, motioning to the ponies that stood behind him. 

“Well they did help make it, and besides, you said this would be okay.” 

“You what?” Celestia asked.

Daniel quickly raised his hands, trying to defended himself. “What? No, that was taken way out of context. I said we were not authorized to send weapons at this time. I then said that if the Equestrians developed their own weapons, then it would be fine.” 

“So Andrew decided to accelerate that process?” The solar Princess asked as she looked to the other ponies.

“It seems like it,” Daniel stated “Does it work?”

“One way to find out.” Andrew said with a grin.

With a bit of help from the armory ponies, they managed to get the new weapon outside and set up. A few hay bales had been set up for their target shooting pleasure. A few curious guards stopped what they were doing to watch the new weapon in action. Andrew pulled a box of 7.62 rounds, from which he removed a belt of the rounds and placed them in the gun’s receiver. 

“Ready?” Andrew asked excitedly.

“Yeah, sure. Show us what this abomination can do.” Daniel said as he shook his head.

Andrew grabbed a crank on the side and began to wind it, rotating the barrels and firing a round with every tick. Celestia watched in amazement as Andrew cranked the gun as fast as possible, spewing a steady stream of bullets down range. The hay bales at the end of the range were quickly chewed up and utterly destroyed by the massive volume of projectiles.

After almost a minute of continuous firing, the gun came to a halt. 

“That was fun.” Andrew stated with a laugh.

“How did you not melt the barrels?” Daniel asked.

“Because of her!” Andrew exclaimed as he grabbed Quicksilver under her forelegs and picked her up, pulling her into a hug. “She enchanted the barrels to dissipate heat much more efficiently. Think about it; magically enhanced technology. The possibilities are endless!”

The unicorn mare was caught off guard as Andrew picked her up, and looked at Daniel with a bit of concern. 

“Andrew, put the pony down.” Daniel smirked.

“No. Mine.” Andrew replied, holding the unicorn tighter.

“Should I be worried?” Quicksilver asked, slightly concerned.

“You’ll be fine, he just gets a bit clingy.” Daniel said dismissively. 

The unicorn sat still in the engineer’s embrace for a few moments before spinning around and wrapping her hooves around Andrew’s neck, returning the hug. 

“Aww, Andrew made a friend.” Daniel cooed sarcastically. 

Andrew looked over Quicksilver’s shoulder and grinned like an idiot before mouthing, “You’re fucking jealous.”


~~~


Luna sat in her room, browsing on the computer. She had already seen a number of movies the ship had to offer, as well as music and books. Though there was one program that caught her attention. Under the folder labeled “Programs” was an application entitled “Team Fortress”. With a shrug, she clicked on it. Perhaps this was a different kind of human media.


~~~


Daniel sat down at his computer, intent on unwinding with a video game. It was quite common for members of the crew to set up multiplayer games on the ship’s local network. By far the most popular game among the crew was in fact, Team Fortress 4. It was originally a series made incredibly popular in the early twenty first century. Though this version of the game had been released only twelve years ago, following the incredible failure of Team Fortress 3. This was mainly due to the fact that Team Fortress 3 was developed and published by Electronic Arts, who promptly filed for bankruptcy and soon closed its doors forever. 

Daniel sighed as he relaxed into his seat and logged into the ship’s server. To his surprise, there was already a game in progress. With a bit of thought, he decided on playing engineer and pressed play. As soon as he spawned, he was confronted with a major issue; his team was losing. Badly. It was going to take some serious work, but he was determined to turn this game around. 

With his trusty sentry gun in hand, Daniel rushed forward to the closest control point where he promptly deployed the stationary turret. For the next few seconds, Daniel continued to beat against the turret with a wrench, upgrading it to level three. Satisfied with his work, he turned to retrieve more metal for his dispenser, only to have his head cut off by a demoman’s great sword. Daniel stared at his screen for a moment before hitting the respawn button and trying again. 

For the next ten minutes, Daniel and his team mates were slaughtered over and over again. Each time by a different character. Hitting the Tab button on his computer brought up the scoreboard, and revealed something horrifying. A single player was responsible for all their deaths.

“Who the hell is Nightmare?!” Daniel shouted over the ingame comms. 

“Hell if I know.” One of his teammates replied.

Suffice to say, the game was soon lost.

“How the hell does someone go eighty seven and four?!” Someone shouted in the game.

“Well boys, it’s been fun, but I think I’ll call it a night.” A very cocky and sultry voice answered.

Silence followed as Daniel tried to put a face to the voice and the name. The realization hit him like a freight train.

“Luna!?” 

“Oh hey, Daniel! I didn’t know you were here.” Luna replied cheerfully. 

“... How long have you been playing this game?” Daniel deadpanned.

“About an hour.” Luna said cheerfully. 

Daniel stared at his computer screen, still stuck on the scoreboard.

“I’m done. GG everyone.” Daniel said exasperatedly as he shut down his computer. 

Perhaps a book would be a better choice than a competitive video game. Though, Daniel was now questioning the possibilities of Luna discovering video games. She had already spent a few days watching movies and T.V. shows, of which she had taken a keen liking to Sci-fi. Then she had spent a while listening to various forms of human music and reading various digital books. Now though, her attention was drawn to video games.


~~~


Luna happily sat in her quarters after thoroughly beating everyone in that game. It had been quite fun, beating the humans at their own game, but now it was time for bed. She had court tomorrow and would need her sleep to make it through the night. But perhaps there was something else she could do before going to sleep.

Daniel’s memory was still fresh in her mind. She desperately wanted to know what happened before the battle at the star port. Intent on finding out, she settled down to dreamwalk. 

As her mind wandered through the ship, she noticed many dreams happening as she went through the passageways. She had seen almost every kind of dream since her return, everything from nightmares of foals, to dreams of riches and power, and even a few more... erotic dreams, a few centered around her sister. Though, she never even considered delving into those, and for good reason. 

Eventually Luna came to the sleeping mind of Daniel. It would be fairly easy to coax out the memory she was looking for. The dreamscape quickly began to form, to which the Princess eagerly dove into.


~~~


Luna watched as the world formed around her. She was out on the street this time, standing at the foot of massive skyscrapers. Looking around, she quickly caught sight of Daniel, Ahmad, Kelly, and a few other marines. They were in the same city as before, it was still burning, and still under attack. 

“Yo, Commander, where we headed?” Kelly called out.

“Evac is at Traxus tower, so that’s where we’re headed.” Daniel replied.

“Joy. Just when I thought today couldn’t possibly suck more.” A marine commented sarcastically.

“It’s either Traxus tower, or you can take your chances with the Elites.” Daniel offered dryly.

“Ya know, Traxus suddenly sounds much better now.” The same marine replied with fake enthusiasm. 

The group continued to walk through the streets, passing burning cars and dead bodies. Many of them civilians, cut down trying to flee the Covenant. The group continued past, never giving the dead a second glance. Luna grimaced at how quickly they dismissed the deaths.

After almost half an hour of evading the Covenant, the group finally reached the base of Traxus tower. They had only had to fight a handful of small patrols, nothing more serious than an Elite or two. Luna followed behind as the troops continued into the lower part of the tower.

“Commander! Movement!” Ahmad shouted, raising his weapon and pointing to overturned lab table.

Everyone aimed their weapons at the spot, waiting for something to attack.

“Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!” Someone shouted.

Slowly, a small group of humans rose up from behind the table, their hands raised in the air. Half of them wore lab coats, while the others wore light brown coveralls. 

“Who are you people?” Daniel quickly demanded.

“My name is Andrew Traxus, and this is Michael Optikanner.” One of the humans in coveralls said slowly, pointing to a tall man in a lab coat.

“What the hell are you doing here? The order to evacuate was given an hour ago.” Ahmad asked, slowly lowering his weapon.

“We can’t evacuate. Cargo port got bombed by the corvette overhead. We were packing up the last of our data and were going to try and find another way out.” Andrew said, slightly panicked.

“So the evac point is a wash?” Daniel asked in an irritated tone.

“Seems so. But we have a plan.” Andrew said with a grin.

“Oh? Do tell.” Daniel inquired. 

“There’s a prowler in a hardened hanger near the cargo port. She was supposed to be launched next week, but obviously that isn’t happening.” Andrew continued.

“Then why haven’t you gotten the hell out of here?” Kelly jumped in.

“Because we wanted to secure all our important data. Now though, I would like to ask your assistance. We need only another half hour to finish the data backup, after that we will be ready to go. If you can buy us that time, the prowler is yours.” Andrew quickly offered.

“Woah, woah, woah. Half an hour?” Daniel asked in shock.

“I know, but it’s important.” Andrew pleaded.

“Dagger seven, how copy over?” The voice over the radio asked.

“Go for dagger seven.” Daniel replied.

“Dagger seven, we need you to move your team to the starport. Civilian transports are ready to launch, but are pinned down by the corvette overhead. We’re working a plan to free them, but we need someone to protect them from ground assaults, over.” 

“Solid copy. Dagger seven, out.” Daniel answered with a sigh. “Looks like you just got your thirty minutes. Half of you will stay here and cover this area. The rest of you, let’s go.” 

Luna knew what came next, so she skipped that part of the memory, fast forwarding to their return. Through the doors stumbled the remaining troops from the starport. Some of them were injured in some way, though most of them were lying dead in the street.

“Alright, Andrew, you all set?” Daniel wheezed.

“Yeah, lets get the fuck outta here.” The engineer said enthusiastically. 

With that the group slowly moved through the subterranean parts of the Traxus complex. A few other civilian survivors had found their way into the lower halls, happily tagging along with the group heading to the hidden prowler. 

“So... did everything go okay at the starport?” Andrew asked, trying to break the silence.

“More or less. Three of the four transports made it away.” Kelly answered.

“Well I guess that’s good.” Andrew replied sheepishly.

“Question, is anyone here a medical professional?” Daniel asked in a pained voice.

“Ya, I am.” Michael replied in a thick german accent.

“Great, I’m gonna need someone to take a look at a stab wound when we get to this ship.” Daniel said in a slightly relieved tone.

It took another ten minutes of winding corridors and dark rooms to finally reach the hidden hangar. Daniel was truly impressed at what he saw. Sure enough, a brand new prowler sat in the hanger, untouched by the war raging just on the other side of the hanger doors.

“Alright, everyone get on. I don’t wanna stay here any longer than I already have.” Andrew announced, quickly making his way across the catwalk toward the airlock.

The rest of the group followed in silent awe as they made their way to the ship. Everything about it was new, it smelled, felt, and looked like it had just rolled out of the shipyards. As soon as the group entered, the ship began to come to life.

Daniel, with the help of Michael and followed by a few other marines and medical staff, made their way toward the infirmary. Andrew and the others took a different route and headed to the bridge.

As soon as the bridge doors opened, the ship’s AI manifested on the central display table.

“UNSC AI serial number 546-PC-002, designation: Tommy. Beginning normal operations.” The AI flickered off, but quickly rematerialized. “Good afternoon, sir.”

“Tommy, bring all systems online and prep for launch.” Andrew commanded.

“I’m sorry sir, only authorized UNSC personnel are authorized to access those commands.” The AI replied politely.

“We don’t have time for this bullshit.” Andrew muttered. “Tommy, master override code, sabertooth crocodile.” 

Tommy froze for a moment before becoming animated again.

“Yes, sir. Beginning launch procedure.” The AI replied.

Andrew looked around to the man Commander Ryan had said was a pilot. “You, take the helm. Tommy and I will help you fly this thing outta here.”

Vezina hesitated for a moment, but quickly took a seat next to Andrew.

“Bring all stealth systems online and then seal all airlocks.” Andrew commanded.

“Airlocks secure. Optical and sensory cloak online.” Tommy reported.

“Great. Open main hangar doors.” 

Everyone on the bridge watched as the massive hangar doors slowly slid open, allowing sunlight to fill the dark room. The windows of the prowler quickly polarized, as to not blind the pilots. The fires of the city caused the sunlight to come as an eerie orange glow, rather than normal sunlight. 

“Punch it!” Andrew shouted as the pilot slammed the throttle forward, causing the ship to lurch forward as the engines roared to life.

Luna watched from the bridge as the entire ship pitched up and began to head into the sky. Looking to the side offered a view of the ruined city, showing just how widespread the devastation was. To her horror, it was more than just the city, it was the whole planet.
	
	

> June 14th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//June 14th, 2559
//
//20:44 Local Time

Space, the final frontier. 

So yeah, today was fucking awesome. This morning we all got on the Tuscany and flew to Ecotonia where we watched them launch the joint Equestrian-Econtonian spacecraft. Andrew was busy having a nerdgasm as he combed over the deer spacecraft. I get the feeling that he is going to be spending a lot of time on this world.

Anyway, while we were with the Princesses in Ecotonia, Staff Sergeant Timothy Pastor and Sergeant Jessica Quay stayed behind to begin training Equestria’s military. They are starting with combat instructors before moving to normal troops. 

Also, the Grafton finally got her chance to land here on Avalon. Celestia even gave permission for the crew to get a few days of shore leave when we arrive back in Canterlot. It seems the fun never ends in the UNSC.

//End Log

Daniel stood on the bridge in the early morning hours, mug of tea in hand. He was waiting for Celestia and Luna to show up so they could get going. They still had to fly to Ponyville to pick up Twilight and her friends before flying to Ecotonia. It was going to be a big day for both Equestria and Ecotonia. Today they would launch their joint spacecraft, taking the first step toward the stars. 

Though, this moment was also a major stepping stone for the the UNSC. This event would solidify the human’s involvement on Avalon and would open even more doors for diplomatic relations. Two space faring civilizations, working together for the betterment of all.

Daniel chuckled at this thought. With a war just over the horizon, it was nice to see civilizations still reaching for their dreams. If anything, the threat of war might have motivated both nations to finish and launch the spacecraft in a much shorter time frame. As the Captain continued to muse with his own thoughts, Celestia, Luna, and Discord all exited the castle and made their way onto the waiting prowler. 

The Captain’s attention was broken from his thoughts as Spotlight and Zerom walked on to the bridge, both wearing the standard grey uniform of a UNSC officer. The only difference for Spotlight being an ONI patch where the UNSC emblem would have sat. Both individuals took their respective seats and began their own preparations for launch.

“Captain, Chief Ronkovich here. Your passengers are all onboard. We’re clear down here,” the hangar chief reported over the ship’s intercom.

“Copy that, Chief. Stand by for take off,” Daniel replied, mug still in hand.

The Captain looked around the bridge, making sure all of his crew were ready. With a satisfied sigh, he took a sip of tea and began issuing orders.

“Alright, helm. Bring us starboard to heading two-nine-three. Ahead slow,” The Captain ordered.

The pilot replied as the engines began to roar to life. “Aye sir, heading two-nine-three.” 

Slowly and very smoothly, the entire hulking mass of the prowler lifted off from the gardens and began to bank to the right. As the ship took off, the three landing struts slowly retracted into the hull, ending with a resounding thud as they locked in place.

“Sir, we’re clear of the castle,” the ship’s navigator reported.

“Alright, go to heading one-four-four, and make your altitude three hundred fifty feet,” Daniel replied.

The ship banked to the right and began to descend down the mountainside of Canterlot. The doors to the bridge opened once more as Celestia, Luna, and Discord walked in.

“We’ll be at Ponyville in about thirty or so minutes. Twilight knows we’re coming?” Captain Ryan asked, looking over his shoulder toward Celestia.

Celestia answered with a chuckle. “Yes, I suspect she has been preparing for this trip all night.” 

Luna wasted no time in sitting on the deck next to Daniel’s chair, getting a perfect view of the landscape ahead of them.

“Great. Helm, ahead full.” Daniel commanded.

“Aye, sir. Ahead full.”

The hum of the engines became a bit louder as the ship picked up speed. It was a familiar sound to everyone onboard. Even Luna had come to enjoy the hum and gentle vibrations of the engines. 

“Sir, twenty-two minutes until we arrive,” the navigator reported, looking up from her console.

“Very good. Tommy, time to Ecotonia?” Daniel asked casually.

“At our current speed, two hours and six minutes, with favorable atmospheric conditions.” The AI replied.

“Alright, good. I’ve given us two and a half hours to get there, so we should be spot on with our arrival. I take it Queen Cervidae knows we are coming?” Daniel announced aloud, waiting for anyone to answer.

“Yes, I sent her a message this morning. She is eagerly awaiting our arrival,” Celestia responded from beside her sister, while Discord was eagerly looking at every possible screen on the bridge. Even with the eccentric draconequus trying to look at everything, most of the crew simply ignored him. 

“Perfect, let’s go grab our last passengers and then burn hard toward the deer,” Daniel announced with a pleased grin. Today was a day for science, and quite frankly, nothing could dampen his mood.


~~~


Twilight sat with her friends at the Ponyville library, waiting for Princess Celestia to pick them up. While Twilight watched Canterlot for any signs of a royal chariot, her friends milled about and talked amongst themselves. Spike, however, was savoring the moment of rest after spending all night packing various things for the launch of the spacecraft known only as the Starchaser. Twilight had insisted on taking six blank notebooks for her personal notes, as well as a number of pens and other things of which Spike could only guess what they were for.

While her friends continued to talk and joke amongst themselves, Twilight looked up at the clock and ruffled her wings nervously. The Princess had said she would be by at eight thirty to pick them all up, and with it being eight twenty-seven and still no chariot to be seen, she began to worry.

“Twilight, relax. She’ll be here,” Spike said, trying to reassure the distraught alicorn. 

Twilight replied in an uneasy tone. “I know... but I still can’t help but be nervous. Princess Celestia is always prompt and always on time. It’s not like her to be late.” 

Spike sighed as he walked back downstairs to join the others while Twilight continued to glance between the clock and Canterlot.

“Hey,Twi! I think our ride is here!” the voice of Rainbow Dash called from downstairs.

Twilight shot one more confused glance outside her window, trying to spot Celestia’s chariot, only to be met with clear sky. With a hint of hesitation, she picked up her saddlebags and trotted downstairs to join the others.

The other five were already outside and looking up. With curiosity, Twilight joined their gaze and went wide eyed at the sight above her. There, floating above the town of Ponyville, was the Tuscany. The bat-like ship simply hovered in place over the town with a barely audible hum. Soon an opening appeared in the underside of the ship as a smaller craft dropped from the belly. It made a series of turns before slowing down and landing only a few feet in front of the library. 

The smaller craft kicked up clouds of dust as its engines slowed, allowing it to land. As it touched down, a ramp lowered from the back and a familiar figure walked off. 

Commander Dior greeted them with a salute. “Princess Sparkle, good to see you again.” 

“Good to see you too Commander. Is the Princess onboard?” Twilight asked with relief.

“Yes ma’am. All that’s left is to get all of you onboard, and then we can head to Ecotonia,” the SPARTAN replied.

“This is gonna be awesome!” Rainbow cheered.

The SPARTAN stepped aside and motioned for everyone to board the aircraft. 

“Captain, this is Chevron Actual. All passengers accounted for. Returning to the ship.” The SPARTAN reported over her radio as the Pelican took off.

“Solid copy, see you when you get here.” 


~~~

 
“Captain, Pelican has docked. We’re ready to go,” Tommy announced.

“Understood. Helm, ahead full,” Daniel ordered.

“Aye, sir,” the pilot quickly replied.

Daniel looked over at the ship’s navigator. “Ellis, heading one-eight-seven.” 

“Aye, sir. Heading one-eight-seven,” Petty Officer Ellis responded.

“Captain, your passengers are in the crew lounge,” Tommy reported.

Daniel sighed as he leaned back in his chair. The ship was on its way, everyone was safely on board, and it was a beautiful day.

“Tommy, give us a funky beat to fly to,” Daniel said with a chuckle and a grin.

“Aye sir. Now playing the most funky thing in the ship’s audio banks” The AI responded as music began to play over the sound system. Daniel paused for a moment, looking at the AI.

“I don’t think this is the funkiest, but I commend your creative use of the english language. Gold star,” Daniel said with a grin while giving a thumbs up. 


~~~




Queen Cervidae quietly walked through the space center with the facility and project directors. Today was the culmination of the efforts of two nations, a day where they would send five brave souls into the great black void that waited for them beyond the atmosphere. The stress levels were incredibly high as everyone went about their jobs. 

As the deer Queen walked through the sunlight halls of the space center, she couldn’t help but think of the impending launch. Billions of bits and thousands of work hours all would boil down to one moment. Though there was one thing that still needed to happen, Celestia dna Luna needed to arrive.

The Queen glanced at a nearby wall clock as it read 10:37. 

“Radar, has anything entered the airspace around the facility?” The deer Queen asked into her radio.

“Not yet, ma’am. Everything is...” 

“Everything is what?” Cervidae asked when the response paused.

“Uh, something big just... showed up. It’s... huge, and heading straight for us.” The radar operator sounded a bit worried.

“How big?” the Queen pressed.

“One hundred and sixty two meters long, three hundred and fifty meters wide,” the operator answered nervously.

Cervidae began scanning the sky for the massive object described by the terrified operator. Sure enough, there it was. Flying in from the north was the massive black hull of the Tuscany. Cervidae let out a sigh of relief as she reached for her radio.

“Turn on runway lights and have someone direct them to land on pad two,” the Queen ordered.

“So that’s the alien spaceship?” the project director asked with an amazed look.

“Indeed it is. Don’t worry, the humans are quite nice,” Cervidae said reassuringly.

The three deer watched as the prowler descended and flew along the length of the runway before slowly turning off and landing on the nearby landing pad, with the help of a few crew directors outside.


~~~




Daniel reached for the ship’s intercom as the cloaking bubble dropped.

“All hands, prep for landing,” he calmly ordered.

“Sir, runway lights have come online,” Tommy immediately reported.

Sure enough, the runway ahead of them came to life in a pattern of lights. 

“Alright, helm, bring us in for landing.”

“Sir, starboard side. Looks like they’re trying to wave us in,” the ship’s navigator announced.

“Huh, so they are,” Daniel said with a chuckle. “Vezina, do what you can and work with the ground crew.”

“You got it!” the pilot replied cheerfully as he slowed the ship further, turning off of the runway.

A whirling sound echoed through the ship as the landing struts lowered from the ship’s hull. Crew members moved quickly around the ship, making sure everything was in place for landing. It was during this time that Celestia and Discord quietly entered the chaos that was the ship’s bridge. Daniel was issuing orders across the ship’s intercom, while the rest of the bridge crew made sure their respective departments were ready for touch down.

“Just when I didn’t think I could love these humans more than I already do,” Discord said as he wiped away a tear.

The entire ship suddenly gave a small jolt as it settled down on it’s landing struts. The engines soon became much quieter as they powered down to an idle. The Captain slowly rose from his chair and made his way toward the door.

“We’re here,” Daniel said to Celestia as he stepped by her and made his way to the hangar. The solar Princess looked to Discord who was already following on Daniel’s heels. 


~~~




Queen Cervidae stood on the landing pad in front of the Tuscany, eagerly awaiting her distinguished passengers to disembark. The two deer on either side of her were shifting nervously as the main ramp of the docking bay slowly lowered. Descending from the alien spacecraft were the three Princesses of Equestria, followed closely by the Elements of Harmony, and finally Captain Ryan and his two Commanders.

The deer Queen walked toward the descending Princesses and greeted them all with a warm smile.

“Celestia, Luna, Twilight. I’m so glad you could all make it today,” she said enthusiastically.

“I couldn’t imagine missing something like this,” Twilight exclaimed with vigor.

“Then shall we move inside? We’re going to be doing a briefing at noon.” The Queen said, motioning toward the massive space center.

The group casually moved through the wide hallways of the space center, making small conversation amongst each other along the way. 

“So Captain, what do you think of our little operation here?” The Queen asked as she walked alongside the human.

Daniel glanced out the windows that lined the entire wall, looking out over the entire facility. “I’m impressed. This is quite the operation you have here.”

“I’m glad to hear that. We’ve pooled a lot of resources and money into this place.” The Queen said with pride.

“I’m just glad to see a nation’s leader taking an active interest in applied science and development.” The Captain replied.

“I would be a fool not to. And besides, it has been an incredible project to be a part of.” 

“You’ve been working on this project?” Daniel asked with an inquisitive eye.

“Indeed. I have an advanced degree in applied physics and a minor in theoretical astrophysics.” Cervidae smiled as she recounted her credentials.

“Holy shit. That’s... that’s impressive. What kind of things have you worked on?” Daniel asked with sheer amazement. 

“Well, one thing that has interested us has been the possibility of traveling at light speed.” The deer Queen replied.

“Oh? What have you found out?” Daniel pressed.

“We have found that it is... difficult. The amount of energy required would be beyond something we could produce. We came up with an equation for such a theory.” Cervidae continued.

“A theory? Do tell.” Daniel said with an expectant grin. 

“It all boils down to a few variables, explained by E equals MC squared.” Cervidae finished.

Daniel smiled as she recounted the theory of mass-energy equivalence. “Well, since you know that, I’m going to let you in on another little problem with lightspeed. It’s called time dilation.” 

Cervidae looked to Daniel with interest as he continued. “Basically, time moves differently at light speed.”

“Yes, we theorized that lightspeed would affect the passage of time. Do you know how severe it is?” The Queen asked.

“It’s intense. For example, if you were to travel at lightspeed for five days, fifty years might pass in normal space. It’s because of this that makes it an unfavorable method of transportation.” The Captain finally finished.

“Hmm, we had theorized this was the case. It’s interesting, getting to hear just how severe the dilation can be.” 

“Yeah, light speed is an interesting thing. Though, I’m no expert in that field,” Daniel replied.

The group continued to walk until they came to a large conference room. Inside were numerous ponies and deer sitting around a massive table. All wore lab coats with varying patches, denoting which department they worked in. All rose as Cervidae and the Princesses walked into the room. 

“Everyone, please sit.” Cervidae instructed, to which everyone quickly ended their conversations and took their seats. “I want to start out by thanking everyone for their hard work over these past few months. I know the threat of war has had a lot of us on edge, but I’m just glad we were all able to keep our heads and get this done.”

A round of hoof stomping and clapping echoed through the room. “Now, we are only a few hours away from our very first spacecraft launch. I don’t know about you, but I’m very excited. We have a fantastic crew for the Starchaser, of whom I am immensely proud of. These brave ponies and deer are going into the greatest unknown.”

More hoof stomping and clapping resounded as the five astronauts stood and bowed to the Queen and Princesses. “Does anyone else have something they want to add?” The Queen asked, looking around the room.

“I’ll add something.” Daniel said as he stood up. Everyone went silent as the Captain stood, setting his hat on the table. “All of you are about to take a tremendous leap into the unknown. Space is not an easy place to tame. It is a cold, scary, hostile, and generally unforgiving place. But to those willing to take the risk of exploring it, the rewards can be beyond your wildest dreams. Space is, and always will be, the final frontier.” Daniel then took his seat at the conclusion of his speech. 

“Thank you for that, Captain.” Cervidae said as she stood again. “Now, I want everyone to get some lunch. We are only three hours away from launch. So get a meal, a nap, or whatever. Sound good?”

A series of affirmatives echoed through the room as deer and ponies alike filed out of the conference room.

“They seem highly motivated,” Daniel commented.

“They’re the best group I could have ever imagined working with on this project.” The Queen said with pride.

“Is it possible for us to see the Starchaser?” Twilight asked while levitating a notebook and pen.

“Of course. Follow me,” Cervidae replied, motioning toward the door.


~~~




Twilight was constantly impressed by the massive complex. Everywhere they went was fraught with technology and other high tech pieces of equipment. Something that she had come to expect from the space center. Though as the door to the hangar opened, there was something she didn’t expect.

Inside was a large, white, plane shaped vehicle. The entire vehicle was a stunning two hundred feet long, but only thirty feet wide. It sported a pair of large wings starting at the middle of the fuselage and sweeping back, supporting a pair of large jet turbines. What was unexpected was the lone human climbing inside one of the jet turbines while a group of deer held the ladder for him.

“Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me.” Daniel muttered as he spotted Andrew climbing all over the spaceplane. Spotlight stood nearby next to the forward landing gear.

“What’s he doing?” Twilight muttered, taking notes the entire time.

“Andrew!” Daniel called out, slightly irritated.

A loud thump was heard, followed by a series of explicative words. Soon the head of the engineer popped out of the turbine.

“What?!” Andrew yelled back.

“The fuck are you doing?!” The Captain shouted.

“I’m figuring out how this thing works!” Andrew said with vigor. “It’s fucking awesome!”

“I’m glad you think so,” the Queen replied.

“Queen Cervidae, this is Andrew Traxus. He and his company are responsible for designing and building almost every single UNSC warship in the fleet.” Daniel said, motioning to the eccentric engineer.

“A pleasure, Mr. Traxus.” Cervidae replied. “So you like the Starchaser?”

“It’s phenomenal! You’ve managed to make a vehicle that is capable of normal atmospheric flight and then punching through to orbital flight. All with the same two engines!” Andrew shouted from within the massive engine.

“It was quite the feat to make it work,” the deer Queen responded with a chuckle.

After a few seconds, Andrew finally climbed down the ladder. “That thing is so cool. Now, I’ve only looked at her engines, but I’m willing to say she will definitely fly. Not a doubt in my mind.”

“Well, we need to get ready for launch, so how about a deal. I’ll give you one hour to make all the observations and measurements you want. Then we need to get it to the runway,” the Queen began.

“Fair enough.” Andrew replied with a nod.

“Then, once it lands, you can assist the other engineers in taking it apart.” 

Andrew’s eyes lit up. “Done! Deal! Where do I sign? Want me to sign in blood?! Let’s do it!” The engineer exclaimed, setting the blade of a knife against his palm.

“No, no, no. You don’t need to... do that.” Cervidae quickly interjected.

Andrew put the knife back on a nearby table before grabbing a notebook and a few measuring tools. Cervidae watched him rush back over to the spaceplane, eagerly taking every detail and writing it down.

“I just got one question. How fast does this thing go?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“In orbit, we estimate about seventeen thousand miles per hour.” The Queen replied.

Rainbow’s face paled at the sheer scope of how fast a machine could travel. 

“So, shall we head to the control room? My husband is there, and I am sure he is dying to meet you all.” Cervidae asked.

“Of course. Lead the way.” Celestia answered for the group.


~~~


The group spent the next hour meeting with the control team who would be responsible for monitoring everything about the launch. Queen Cervidae’s husband, King Sambar, had spent the hour excitedly talking with Daniel, Zerom, and Dior. Cervidae couldn’t help but laugh at her excited husband. 

Though, now it was time to work. The Starchaser had been moved out to the runway, the astronauts loaded inside, and everyone was at their seats. Daniel and Zerom sat near Cervidae at the end of one of the long control desks. Both men wore headsets, allowing them to hear and communicate with the Starchaser.

“Alright everyone, we’re five minutes away from launch. Begin pre-launch checks.” The Queen announced.

Various deer and ponies began to announce their status.

“Power, go.”

“Life support, go.”

“Navigation, go.”

“Engines, go.”

“Communications, go.”

“All primary systems are go.”  

“Tracking systems, go.” Daniel said at the end.

“Very good. Two minutes left.” Cervidae announced. “Passing control to Doctor Brocket.”

“I have control.” Brocket responded. “Bring engines online.”

“Engines online.” The propulsion team leader replied.

“Thirty seconds. Stand by for ignition and release brakes.” The Doctor ordered.

“Standing by for ignition.” A female astronaut announced.

“Five, four, three, two, one, ignition.” Everyone watched the video feed on the massive screen in front of them as the spaceplane lurched forward and began accelerating down the runway.

“Starchaser is moving. All systems looking good.” Doctor Brocket leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Alright everyone, it’s in their hooves now. 

“Tuscany, you still have them on tracking systems?” Daniel asked in his radio.

“Aye, sir. They’re on a solid trajectory. Orbital velocity achieved in five minutes and sixteen seconds.” Tommy replied.

For the next few minutes, very little was said as everyone watched the Starchaser get closer to orbit. It was a tense moment in the control room, eyes shifting from their respective monitors and the large video feed. But soon, the room erupted into cheering as the Starchaser finally made orbit. Daniel breathed a sigh of relief as the ship made its way into a more stable orbital pattern.

“Control, we’ve done it.” The orbiter finally announced over the radio.

“We see you up there. Soon, the whole world will be watching.” Cervidae replied, wiping a few tears from her eyes.

Though the mood was interrupted by a single alarm coming from one of the monitors.

“Director, we have a single alarm coming from life support.” One of the deer reported. “Pressure is dropping in oxygen tank two.”

“How much is leaking?” The Director answered, slight worry in his voice.

“It’s a slow leak, maybe two or...”

“Or what?” Brocket asked.

“We... we just lost the tank...”

“What!?” Brocket yelled across the room.

“Control, this is Starchaser. We might have an issue.” One of the astronauts called over the radio. 

“We see it, Starchaser. Stand by.” Doctor Brocket replied.

Everyone watched as the pressure in the entire main cabin began dropping. Soon only the command capsule was all that was left with any air. 

“Control, the ship just shook, and we’re seeing a lot of debris. Oxygen levels are reading nearly empty.” The astronaut reported.

“Repeat, did you say debris?” The project Director asked with alarm.

“Affirmative. We suspect there is a large hull breach.” A second astronaut reported as calmly as possible.

Daniel looked over to Brocket with a worried glance. “If the pressure hull is breached, there’s no way they are going to survive reentry.” 

“I know...” The deer said, looking back to his monitor with a hint of despair.

“So what are our options? Do they have space suits?” Zerom finally spoke up.

“Not really. They have pressure suits that can let them survive in low pressure environments. But they don’t have suits that would allow them to survive in space for more than a minute or two.” Cervidae replied.

“How much air do they have?” Daniel asked, adjusting his headset.

“There is an emergency tank in the command module that holds only twenty minutes of reserve air.” Brocket answered, looking around at the rest of the control team. 

“Can the command module decouple from the main body?” Zerom asked.

“No. The entire craft was designed to take off and land as a single vehicle.” Cervidae replied.

Daniel sighed as he rubbed his temples with his thumbs. “Alright. So they have no air, a dying spacecraft, no method of surviving in space, and no way of detaching from the main vessel. Am I missing anything?” 

“That about covers it.” Zerom replied.

“So what are our options?” Daniel asked the entire room. To his dismay, no one said a thing. “Is there a second vessel we could send up?”

“That’s the only one we have.” Cervidae answered. 

Zerom them looked up at Daniel with a grin. “Call the Grafton. She’s already in orbit and could easily mount a pickup.”

Daniel wasted no time grabbing his radio and switching to Grafton’s frequency. “UNSC Grafton, this is Tuscany Actual. How copy, over?”

“We read you Tuscany,” Captain Daviston’s voice replied. 

“Grafton, we have an emergency situation developing in low orbit. An Ecotonian spacecraft has suffered a catastrophic failure and is in dire need of rescue,” Daniel continued.

“Copy that. How bad is it?” 

“They are running on emergency air reserves, and the hull is blown open,” Captain Ryan said calmly.

“Shit... Alright, we’re on our way. Though we are currently on the dark side of the planet. ETA is going to be thirty five minutes,” Daviston answered.

“Not good enough. They’ll be out of air in fifteen minutes. Use slipspace if you have to.”

Daviston sighed before replying. “Alright, does Tuscany have the ship on sensors?”

“Affirmative. Transmitting position.”

There was a pause as the data was sent. “Got it. Moving to intercept.”


~~~




Captain Daviston quickly ended the conversation before turning to his crew.

“Set course to intercept with that ship. Ahead flank, alert medical crews to be standing by at the cargo bay.” Richard ordered.

“Aye, sir.” The helmsman and AI replied.

“Time to intercept?” The Captain asked.

“Twenty-eight minutes.” The AI responded.

“Go to one ten on the reactor and reevaluate.” Daviston quickly commanded.

“Time to intercept, twenty two minutes.” The AI replied.

“Damn it. Veronica, go to one thirty on the reactor.” Richard ordered once more, his tone becoming tense.

“Aye, sir. Time to intercept, eleven minutes. Warning, reactor meltdown in two minutes.” The AI warned.

“Noted. Stand by to induce emergency coolant and ventilate the reactor housing.” Richard said, watching space fly past the ship’s bridge.

After a few minutes, the coolant was added to the reactor and additional vents were opened, preventing it from melting down and destroying the frigate. Though the maneuver shaved off almost twenty minutes from their travel.

“Sir, visual contact on the Starchaser,” Veronica announced.

“Alright, slow us down and prepare to launch Pelicans,” the Captain quickly ordered. 

“Aye, Captain.”

For the next three minutes, the Grafton drifted forward toward the disabled spacecraft. The debris field around the ship became more apparent as they got closer. 

“Come up on their starboard side and then match speed when we pull in front of them.”

“Got it, twenty seconds.” The helmsman replied, biting his lip in concentration. “Alright, in position!”

“Launch Pelicans.” 


~~~




Eclipse sat in her seat aboard the Starchaser, trying to keep her mind from going to the worst case scenario. As a pegasus, she hated confined spaces, thought the opportunity to be on the crew of the very first spacecraft was too much to pass up. Her friend, Frosty Glow, was sitting next to her. Being a unicorn, he had fewer issues with such confined spaces. 

“Alright, Roe. Can we reroute the oxygen from the engines so we can continue to breath?” The unicorn asked.

“Yes, though it would require going into the depressurized section.” The white tailed deer replied as he rubbed the stumps of his antlers. 

“So whoever tries to do that will probably die?” Eclipse asked.

“We all would. As soon as this bulkhead opens, all our air leaves.” Another crew member said.

The cockpit was quickly flooded by a bright blue light from outside. Everyone brought up a hoof to shield their eyes from the intense glow.

“What... the buck...” Frosty said as he looked outside.

Everyone onboard was silent as they watched the massive metal hulk of the Grafton come into view. The alien ship seemed to slow down as it pulled in front of them, before a pair of large doors opened in the ship. Suddenly, four smaller craft flew out the back of the frigate, speeding toward the Starchaser.

The astronauts onboard could only watch in silent awe as the four smaller craft maneuvered around the disabled ship. One craft stopped just in front of the Starchaser, before lowering it’s loading ramp. A pair of humans in space suits slowly floated out the back while holding a pair of heavy duty cables and clamps.

It quickly became apparent to the five astronauts what the humans were planning. A sense of hope quickly spread through the cramped cabin. Roe fumbled for the radio, all while still watching the humans work.

“Control, this is Starchaser. The humans are here!” Roe nearly shouted in excitement. 

“We’re all glad to hear that. How are you all doing?” Cervidae replied over the radio.

“The air is getting a bit thin, but everyone seems better now that rescue is here.” Roe said with a content sigh.

“Alright. Sit tight.” The deer Queen said calmly.

For the next few minutes, the air in the cabin became increasingly thin as the Pelican crews worked. There were a few loud clangs and shudders as the humans attached multiple towing clamps to the exterior hull, preparing to tow the dying spacecraft into the waiting cargo bay of the Grafton. 

Frosty looked over to Eclipse, only to see her slumped over in her chair, her restraints keeping her from floating about the cabin. His attention was shaken once again by a sudden lurch. The entire ship slowly began moving forward as the Pelicans slowly towed the Starchaser toward the waiting warship.

Frosty slowly reached over and gently shook his friend. Eclipse groaned as she weakly opened her eyes. The lack of oxygen was beginning to take it’s toll on the crew. Frosty found it difficult to focus and even more difficult to move. The cabin suddenly filled with a bright white light as the Starchaser was successfully pulled into the Grafton’s cargo bay. Everything suddenly became harder to move as the ship’s gravity was turned back on. 

With a titanic effort, Frosty unbuckled himself and struggled toward the hatch. It would need to be unlocked if his rescuers wanted any hope of getting into the ship. Though the lack of oxygen made it nearly impossible for him to muster up the strength to deactivate the locks. Darkness crept into the stallion’s vision as his brain shut down.


~~~




Daviston stood on a catwalk as soon as the cargo bay was repressurized and the gravity turned back on. Rescue crews immediately swarmed the ship, trying to find a way to open the hatch. Richard shook his head at the lack of immediate results.

“Hey! If you can’t get the hatch open, just get a torch cut through the fucking hull!” The Captain yelled.

The crew reacted and quickly abandoned what they were doing, rushing for any available power tools. A team of three sailors, armed with a plasma can, compressor, and plasma torch began cutting into the hull near the access hatch. Other teams began climbing through the hull breach, intent on attacking the interior bulkhead with plasma cutters and pneumatic wedge drivers.

The crew trying to cut through the outer hull was having very slow progress. They were forced to switch to non-thermal tools, due in part to the very effective heat shielding on the outer hull. Though with the use of pneumatic wedge drivers and other tools, the door was finally giving out. With one final effort, the door cracked and was quickly pulled off. 

The crew at the outer hatch froze as soon as the noticed the stallion laying at the base of the hatch. Medics quickly rushed past the the sailors and loaded the pony onto a stretcher. The other team then cheered as they got the second internal hatch open, allowing even more access to the ship. Medical crews rushed through the two openings, quickly pulling out the other unmoving crew members.

“Doctor Calhoon, how are they?” The Captain asked.

“They are all alive, and right now that’s all I can tell you.” The medical officer replied bluntly.

“That’s good enough for me.” Daviston chuckled as he sighed with relief. 


~~~




Daniel sat in the control room, waiting in silence for any update from the warship. Celestia and Luna watched the massive display with baited breath, while Twilight sat with the other Elements of Harmony. Suddenly, the radio came to life.

“Tuscany actual, this if Grafton.” Daviston’s voice called out.

“Go ahead, Grafton.” Daniel said as he fumbled for the radio.

“Vessel is secured and the crew are being taken care of by medical.” Richard said proudly.

“How are the crew?” Cervidae asked.

“All five were unconscious and at different states of oxygen deprivation. Though, we expect them all to survive.”

The deer Queen sighed with relief as her husband laid a hoof on her shoulder. 

“Grafton, I’m transmitting coordinates for you to land at.” Daniel said as he began tapping on his datapad. 

“Coordinates received. We’re going to do one more orbit before coming in for landing.” Daviston replied.

“Tuscany copies all.” Daniel said as he set down the radio before standing up. All eyes shifted to the Captain. “They’re all okay.”

Cheers erupted in the control room as the good news was delivered. It was only three-thirty in the afternoon, and yet everyone was exhausted. In an hour, the Grafton would land, and the astronauts returned home.


~~~




It was eleven at night as Celestia walked through the passageways of the Tuscany. She had just finished talking with Queen Cervidae and King Sambar. A quick analysis by the engineering teams and Andrew quickly ruled out the possibility of sabotage. The culprit turned out to be a faulty O-ring on the second oxygen tank. It was a relief knowing that the disaster was caused by a mechanical failure and not espionage. 

The solar Princess quietly walked in to the crew lounge, where there were quite a few people and ponies napping on the couches. Twilight and her friends were all sleeping in pairs on the couches along the outer wall. Daniel’s feet were dangling off the side of the couch, though there was something else there.

With quiet steps, Celestia peered over the couch and smiled warmly when she saw the scene before her. Daniel was laying on his back, while pressed against the backrest of the couch. Luna was lying right next to him on the edge of the couch with her head resting on his chest, rising and falling slowly with each breath. The Captain’s left arm keeping her from falling off the edge.

Celestia then took a seat and decided to read a bit while Commander Dior made the ship ready for take off back toward Canterlot. This time, though, the Grafton would be following them. Next to Celestia sat Commander Zerom, sleeping while sitting upright. As the Princess got comfortable on the couch, Zerom fell over, still asleep. Celestia looked at the human who was now using her back as a pillow. She let out a light chuckle as she levitated a nearby blanket over the sleeping Commander.

The ship’s engines began to hum and vibrate as the entire ship slowly lifted off the ground before turning and heading north back to Equestria. Celestia was determined to relish the moment as she looked around the lounge. There was a sense of peace that made the solar Princess happy. Her sister was happy, Twilight and her friends were happy, and even she was happy. Though, how long would that all last with war just over the horizon?
> Crew Q&A
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//NOTE: This “chapter” is optional. It is NOT important to the story, nor does it really add anything of importance. It is merely for fun and should not be taken seriously.

A large crowd of humans and ponies sat, waiting in the massive entry hall of Canterlot castle. Before them was long table with multiple chairs set up on one side, much like one would find at a convention panel. Today was going to be an exciting day for the journalists, Princess Celestia had organized the event as a way to build relations between humans and ponies. 

After a few minutes, a number of the crew from the Tuscany entered the room, followed by both Celestia and Luna. Everyone moved to their respective places and quickly sat down. Celestia moved closer to the microphone set in front of her as she prepared to speak.

“Thank you everypony for coming today. I know you all have some questions you would like to ask, so we will get started right away,” The solar Princess stated. A number of hooves and hands went up, trying to gain the attention of the panel.

“You there. The guy with a black jacket,” Daniel said, pointing at the crowd.

“Thank you. I have two questions. First to the SPARTANs. How do you feel about the SPARTAN IV program?”

Dior leaned forward as she formulated her answer. “It’s quite a bit different from the days of the SPARTAN II and III programs. It’s safer and more successful. As to how I feel about it? I enjoy being a SPARTAN.”

“Really? You enjoy being an intergalactic badass for a living? Shocker,” Andrew smirked, leaning forward to look at the SPARTAN.

“What can I say, not everyone’s cut out to be this awesome,” Dior said with a shrug, earning a hearty laugh from the other SPARTANs at the table.

“Alright, and now a question for Andrew,” the reporter continued. Andrew instantly leaned forward expectantly. “Can you calibrate stuff like Garrus Vakarian?”

“Pfft. Bitch please. Most of my stuff can calibrate itself. Hell, that’s ninety percent of why I install an AI in just about everything I own. I’d put an AI in my shaving razor if it would improve performance. So to answer your question: I’m better.” the eccentric engineer replied.
 
A bit of laughter echoed through the room as the next reporter stood. “Hello there. My question is to any ODST or SPARTAN. Have you, or someone you know, ever contracted the helljumper’s disease?”

“I’ll answer this one,” Ahmad replied, leaning forward toward his microphone. “None of us on the Tuscany have contracted it, though I knew a few guys who did get it. Luckily they were killed by the Covenant before the disease could kill them. Since then, changes have been made to the drop pods and to the shielding around FTL drives.”

“Thank you. Now, have any of you SPARTANs met the Master Chief or any other SPARTAN II?” The reporter asked.

Trent leaned forward as he answered. “I did actually get a chance to meet him during a crew change on Earth. He’s... very quiet. If it’s not business, don’t expect to have a lengthy conversation.” 

“Great, now to Andrew. Have you been able to reverse engineer any recovered Forerunner technology?”

Andrew began to chuckle as he spoke. “Ah, yes. We have made some progress in figuring out how all their cool toys work. We have had quite a bit of success with hardlight shields. Though weapons still prove to be problematic.”

The reporter sat down as an ice blue pegasus stood up. “This is a question to all. What would you do if gryphons tried to destroy the Tuscany and ponynap Luna?”

Every human at the table began laughing. 

“I would wish them good luck,” Kelly said with a grin.

“Yeah, followed by the full fury of the UNSC seventh fleet bearing down on their heads,” Jonathan added. 

“Basically it would not end well,” Daniel finally finished.

The pegasus finished taking notes before sitting down. A human reporter was next to stand.

“Now, my first question is to the SPARTANs. What is up with this helmet?" 


The SPARTANs all looked at their datapads as the opened the picture. A few began laughing while others just groaned.

“Oh... that thing. Yeah, we don’t like to remember that it exists,” Raze answered with disappointment. 

“Oh be quiet. I’d wear it,” the SPARTAN at the end of the table said with a grin.

“Well Mark, that’s because you’re as queer as a three dollar bill,” Raze replied with a chuckle.

Dior couldn’t hold in her laughter as she put her head down on the table as she laughed.

“Pfft, you're just jealous of how absolutely fabulous I am.” Mark said in a sing song voice, making everyone at the table laugh even harder.

“Oh god it hurts to breath!” Andrew said as his face turned red from lack of oxygen.

The reporter eventually recomposed himself as he prepared his next question. “Now my next question is a two parter for Captain Ryan. Has humanity regained itself in space? And, would the races of Avalon be able to expand and colonize without stepping on the toes of the UNSC?”

“Humanity has recovered very quickly in our ability to field spacecraft, so thats not really an issue,” Daniel replied with a dismissive wave, “Now, if the races of Avalon wanted to expand, I can’t imagine any issues with it. They are technically considered a planet under the UNSC sphere of influence, so quite frankly, the UNSC would not only let them expand, but we would even give them a list of possible destinations.” 

“Great. Now for the whole crew: red or blue?” 

“Blue,” Daniel replied.

“Nah man, red,” Andrew challenged.

The table quickly devolved into the humans shouting either red or blue, ending with a fifty-fifty split.

“So yeah, looks like it’s evenly split. Even though we know blue is master race,” Daniel nnounced with a chuckle.

The reporter thanked the panel before sitting down. A light blue pegasus then stood.

“So Andrew, do you have ADHD?” The pegasus asked bluntly.

“ADHD. Attention Defi... oh dude! That guy has a fez! That’s so cool!” Andrew shouted while waving at a pony wearing a fez. 

“Does that answer your question?” Daniel asked with a smile. 

“Oh yeah,” the pegasus said while sitting down.

A yellow pegasus reporter then stood up, intent on asking a question or two. “Does it bother you that Princess Luna is sleeping with you and holding you as if she was your girl?”

A series of “Oooo’s” echoed across the table. Daniel sighed, while Luna’s cheeks turned bright red. Celestia couldn’t help but laugh at her sister’s reaction.

“Uhh... no comment.” Daniel quietly muttered into his mic.

“Oh come on!” Andrew shouted across the table.

“Yeah, I wanna hear this,” Zerom said with a shit-eating grin.

“Oh fine. Does it bother me? No, why would it?” Daniel replied, trying to divert the question.

“Oh please. There’s more to it than that.” Celestia said while chuckling at Daniel’s discomfort. “The two of you were quite adorable on the flight back from Ecotonia.” 

“Why me...” The Captain muttered.

“Hey. It’s your fault for sleeping with Luna.” Andrew said dismissively. 

“What!” Luna shouted at Andrew, causing the engineer to hide behind Dior.

“If she comes for you, I’m throwing your ass out there,” the SPARTAN said threateningly.

The other humans at the table continued to laugh at the scene unfolding in front of them. “Oh god, this day just keeps getting better,” Zerom said between laughs. 

 The reporter jotted down the responses before sitting down. Finally, the last reporter stood up. A grey earthpony with a recorder on a lanyard. “Now, my question is for Princess Luna. Have you had any trouble with any human video games? If so, which ones?”

The lunar Princess quickly recovered from the previous embarrassing question. “Hmmm... the only really challenging game I have come across was Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The Water Temple has been giving me so many problems, but it hasn’t been enough to deter me,” she replied proudly. After that point, the questions began to taper off until the room sat in silence.

“Well, I think that’s enough for today.” Celestia began to address the crowd. “Thank you all for coming today. We will see about doing another session like this at a later date.

With it all said and done, the reporters gathered their belongings and made their way out of the castle. Daniel and the others at the table also got up, going back to their own work.


 

> June 18th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//June 18th, 2559
//
//00:19 Local Time

Thirty-eight hours without sleep, ten pounds of high explosive, six hundred and fifty civilians, and one passenger train. What happens when you mix all those together? A lot of dead and wounded civilians, and a bunch of really angry marines. For the past day and a half, we have been helping to assess the damage from what is being called a terrorist attack on the Canterlot train station. 

What’s different about this attack? We know who planned it. Our good buddy Domri Windscar might know how to plot a terrorist attack, but he sucks at being discrete. I’m going to be brief... I might expand on this more tomorrow morning.

//End Log

It was ten in the morning, two days after having gotten back from Ecotonia. A group of marines were playing a three-way game of capture the flag against a group of solar and lunar guards. The crew of the Grafton was enjoying some much needed leave in Canterlot. Captain Ryan and Daviston were enjoying a nice breakfast with Celestia and Luna, talking about the events that took place only a few days ago. 

Further analysis of the Starchaser confirmed the theory of the blown O-ring. Queen Cervidae and King Sombar had even sent a letter of commendation and thanks. Andrew had continued to look over the findings of the deer engineers in charge of determining what went wrong and how they could fix it in the future. Quicksilver and Andrew had also been working on some new kind of weapon for the Equestrian infantry. All in all, life was good.

“So, Captain Daviston, what do you think of Equestria so far?” Celestia asked as she put a few more pancakes on her plate. 

Richard took a sip of orange juice as he formulated his response. “It’s... beyond anything I could’ve ever imagined. Hell, I wouldn’t believe such a place could exist, had it not been for Daniel here.”

“I didn’t even believe it when I first landed. You took it quite well,” Daniel replied with a chuckle.

Luna yawned as she finished a waffle. It had been a long, boring night for her. It was still quite rare for anypony to attend the night court. She continued to nurse a hot mug of coffee, sighing as the caffeine took effect.

“I’m surprised Twilight isn’t joining us,” Luna said as she set down the mug.

“She went out earlier with Rarity. I believe they were going to a little cafe by the train station,” Celestia replied as she poured syrup over her pancakes.  

“I wonder if I could get the others to play capture the flag with us?” Daniel mused with a chuckle.

“Well, I’m sure you could get Rainbow Dash and Applejack to participate. Both of them are quite competitive ponies,” Celestia replied between bites of her breakfast.

“Well then, I’ll go see them after breakfast,” Daniel replied.

Luna laughed sarcastically. “Yeah, good luck getting Rainbow up. From what Twilight has said about her, she likes her sleep quite a bit.”

“You wanna play?” Zerom asked the lunar Princess.

“I’m afraid not. I’m barely keeping myself awake fueled by coffee,” Luna answered.

“Eh, no worries. There’ll be other games,” Jonathan said with a shrug as he turned his attention back to the omelet in front of him.

“So,” Celestia began, “what are your plans today?”

Richard set his fork down and thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. I was going to see if these two wanted to head into the city. They’d probably know more about what there is to do, seeing as they have been here longer than me.” 

“Well, I can suggest heading to the garden district. There are a few really nice museums. There is also a small theater in that district,” Celestia said, trying to think of other things the humans might be interested in.

“Worst comes to worst, we’ll just wander the city and see what we find,” Daniel suggested with a shrug.

Though, their relaxing day was not meant to last. There was a loud, dull crack, followed instantly by a thunderous boom that shook the very foundation of the castle. Glasses on the table clattered together as the windows shook slightly. Everyone at the table looked to each other, waiting for more to come. 

“What was that?” Luna asked, looking to the doors leading to the throne room.

Richard brought a hand up to his ear, listening to the radio chatter from his marines in the city.

“Well... seems our day just increased to suck-factor nine. Marines from around the city are reporting a large explosion and fire near the train station,” Richard said, keeping the earpiece pressed against his head.

“Guards!” Celestia called out.

In an instant, four guards rushed into the room, stopping by her side as they waited for orders.

“Get Captain Silverlight. Tell him to send every pony he can spare to the train station,” the solar Princess ordered.

“Right away,” the guards responded before galloping out of the dining room.

“Captain Daviston, are any of your marines at the trainstation?” Celestia quickly asked.

“Are any marines at or near the trainstation?” Richard asked into his radio.

There was a pause before a response came.

“This is Sergeant Forester, I’m at the train station with multiple marines,” the sergeant replied.

“Yes, there are marines on site,” Richard said to Celestia.

“Find out where the explosion originated.”

“Sergeant, can you tell where the blast originated?” Richard asked the marine.

“Yes sir, blast looks like it originated from the train that was parked in the station,” the marine answered.

“They’re saying the train is looking like the epicenter,” Daviston announced. 

Daniel palled at the answer before grabbing his own radio. “All hands, general quarters, general quarters. Man your battlestations.”

Captain Ryan and Zerom immediately got up from their seats before quickly making their way out to the Tuscany. Guards across the castle were busy mustering, before heading down to the train station. 

As Daniel and Zerom walked onto the ship, the Captain pulled the intercom off a nearby bulkhead.

“All combat personnel, prep for combat and rally in the hangar,” Daniel ordered before heading to the armory. “Zerom, you’re my ready five. Okay?”

“Ready to launch in five minutes, got it,” the Commander said as he took off for the bridge.


~~~




Every marine, ODST, and SPARTAN gathered with their gear in the launch bay, eagerly waiting for Captain Ryan to show up. Daniel walked into the bay after a few minutes, clad in his usual black ODST armor. He carried his helmet under his arm with Luna’s feather still hanging from his left pauldron. He quickly ascended a catwalk, overlooking the assembled troops.

“Alright, listen up! About ten minutes ago, multiple explosions ripped through a passenger train in downtown Canterlot. Marine from the Grafton are already on the scene and guards from the castle are en route. We are going to head to ground zero, where we will provide security and help with rescue operations.” Daniel paused as he looked around the sea of faces. “Now, the train had just arrived in the station, so expect high civilian casualties. Keep your eyes open for anything suspicious, and keep a round in the chamber. Got it?”

“Yes, sir!” the crowd yelled in response.

“Let’s move out, marines!” Daniel shouted back, raising his helmet over his head before putting it on.

Everyone in the launch bay quickly grabbed their helmets and racked the bolts of their weapons. They then broke into groups of twenty before boarding one of two waiting Pelicans. Thirty-two humans flew from the Tuscany and headed straight for the pillar of black smoke, rising from the commercial district of Canterlot.

Both Pelicans banked sharply to one side as they flew over the city. Bellow emergency teams rushed through the crowded streets as ponies around the city stared at the rising plume of smoke. Even among the ponies, human marines could be seen running along side the emergency vehicles.

As the Pelicans touched down, pegasi fire teams were already dousing the burning train using dark rainclouds. Five of the eight passenger cars were reduced to charred husks, with parts of the station itself being burned. Everywhere around the train were the bodies of those caught in the explosion and subsequent fire. The smell of burnt flesh hung thick in the air.

With the Pelicans parked, and the troops unloaded, the rescue work could begin. The humans quickly broke into eight groups of three, allowing them to cover the most ground while still maintaining security.

“Silverlight!” Daniel called out as he walked across the soaked cobblestone street.

“Oh thank harmony,” the guard Captain said as he trotted over to Daniel. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you.”

“Oh, I can fathom guess. How are we doing?” Captain Ryan asked, looking to the still burning train.

“Well, the train is still burning and we have over six hundred civilian casualties, most of which we expect are fatalities,” the unicorn grumbled.

“Six hundred?!” Daniel gaped.

“One hundred and twenty ponies in each car. Multiply that by five, and you get the number on the train. That’s not even including the number of dead on the station platform,” Silverlight recounted with a shake of his head,

“Where are the survivors being taken?” 

“Canterlot Royal Hospital. Though, we are waiting for the fires to go down before searching the train.” Silverlight responded.

“Woah, woah, woah. You haven’t even searched the train yet?” Daniel asked with shock.

“We can’t, not with the fires still burning.”

“So the fatality number is just going to rise,” Captain Ryan said, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Yeah. I’m not expecting any kind of happy ending,” Silverlight replied, pinning his ears against his head in anger.

“Shit... do we have any kind of confirmation on how this happened?” Daniel asked as he walked beside Silverlight, heading toward the train.

“Survivors are saying all train cars exploded at the same time. Each blast seemed to originate in the middle of each car. This all happened as passengers from Fillydelphia were getting off, so the station was very crowded,” Silverlight said, continuing to walk.

“Maximum effect. Anyone see anything before hand, er, hoof?” Captain Ryan inquired.

“No clue. We can question survivors after we contain this situation,” Silverlight answered, waving a hoof in the air. 

“Fantastic...” Daniel grumbled.

It took almost twenty minutes for the fire teams to extinguish the blaze, even so, they continued to dump rain on the smoldering wreck. Though it did nothing to quell the stench of burned flesh. All around, medical personnel were laying white sheets over the dead. Royal guards and marines had finally set up a secure perimeter around the train station. Daniel walked along the length of the ruined train, looking for anything out of place. 

All around the train, and inside, was the burned luggage and debris from the train. Daniel even passed a number of blackened and burned bodies of passengers and bystanders. Though, one thing caught his attention: a single piece of color stood out amongst the black and grey. At his foot was a lightly scorched stuffed doll of Celestia. The Captain slowly knelt down and picked up the waterlogged toy, knowing that whoever this belonged to had likely died in the train. On the underside of the toy was the name “Periwinkle”. With a sense of dread, Daniel pulled himself into the train car beside him, still holding the toy.

The smell of burnt upholstery and bodies was even more prevalent in what remained of the train car. Slowly, the Captain made his way forward toward the next car, passing dozens of dead ponies, many of whom were still in their seats when the blast occurred. He then came to a stop when one seat caught his eye. The remains of three ponies were sitting across from each other. One body in particular was much smaller than the two others. 

Looking around the burnt car, there was no doubt in Daniel’s mind that this was the owner of the toy. The Captain sighed as he continued to look around the car. The rain from the pegasi overhead still fall over the rescue teams as they dug through the debris. Though by now, it was more of a recovery than a rescue. 

“Captain?”

Daniel slowly stood up and turned around. A lunar guard was standing a few feet away from him, trying to get his attention.

“What is it?” The Captain replied.

“Captain Silverlight wanted to know if you needed any assistance?” the batpony asked.

Daniel looked back at the charred remains of the passengers. “Yeah, you can start by carefully removing these bodies. Make sure you keep them all together. We need to know what car they came out of so we can later identify them.”

“I’ll go grab some help then,” the batpony replied, pausing to stare at the bodies.

“Hey, listen to me.” The mare broke her gaze and looked up at the ODST. “Just get them off the train and move on. I know it sounds cold, but you can’t grieve for them now. We have a job to do first.”

The thestral nodded silently before leaving to find extra hooves to help move the bodies. Daniel finally put the toy in a pouch on his thigh and moved on to the next train car. He was met by the same scene as the previous car. The roof was blown off in the middle, everything was burned to a cinder, bodies lay in their seats, and everything smelled of burnt and metal. 

The Captain silently made his way through, taking pictures and thoroughly documenting everything in the hope that they would be able to piece together this disaster. He was about finished with the car when his radio came to life.

“Captain Ryan?”

“Go for Ryan,” he replied.

“It’s Silverlight. Are you still in the train?” the guard Captain asked.
   
“Yeah. I’m about finished documenting car number three. What’s up?” Daniel replied calmly.

“I have teams offloading the remains of the other cars. They’re keeping them all together as for easier identification,” Silverlight replied.

“Alright. Anything else?”

“Well, I was going to send a few guards to talk with some of the survivors, see if there is anything we might have missed,” the unicorn said.

“Sounds good. Go ahead and take any of my guys, I’m sure a few of them can be useful to you.” Captain Ryan responded as he finished his observations.

Daniel shook his head in disbelief as he looked back over the car. Hundreds dead or wounded and very little evidence to analyze. Their only hope for finding the culprit, or culprits, would be with the survivors of the attack.


~~~




Flitter was having a horrible day. She and her sister Cloudchaser were just waiting for their train to Ponyville when an explosion destroyed the train from Fillydelphia. Flitter had managed to escape the blast without more than a few scratches, but her sister had not fared so well. A large piece of metal had impaled her sister’s back leg. 

As she sat in the hospital waiting room, visions of her sister’s blood filled her mind. One second they were waiting on the crowded platform, the next... Flitter sighed deeply as she tried to remain calm. The waiting room was filled with ponies waiting to hear the fate of their loved ones, many of whom were already in tears, fearing the worst. 

The pegasus looked up from her despair in time to see a number of royal guards, as well as a few humans, enter the waiting room. They quickly broke into pairs and began talking to ponies around the room. One pair of humans, a marine and an ODST, made their way across the room toward Flitter. She watched as they slowly approached.

“Excuse me, miss?” The ODST began.

Flitter looked up at him as he held his helmet under an arm.

“My name is Sergeant James Hodges, and this is Corporal Chase Drall. We were hoping to talk to you about what happened today. I know it’s rather soon, but we need to find out who did this. Would you mind talking to us a bit?” The ODST asked, crouching down to look at the pegasus.

Flitter looked at James with hesitation, but eventually nodded.

“Thank you.” James and Chase both pulled out notepads and pens. “So, what’s your name?”

“Flitter,” she replied quietly. Both men began taking notes.

“What can you tell us about the moments before the blast. Think of anything that struck you as odd,” the ODST began.

“Nothing really. We were just sitting there, waiting for our train.” Flitter replied, choking back tears.

“You said we. Was someone else with you?” Chase asked.

“My sister.”

“Okay. Think of anything; sights, sounds, smells, odd feelings, anything at all.” James prompted.

“I... I can’t... there’s nothing that was... odd...” Flitter answered with choked breath.

“That’s fine, just breathe.” James said as he tried to calm the distraught mare. “Just, close your eyes and describe everything you can remember.”

The pegasus complied as she followed his instruction.

“Now, think back to before the blast. The train had just pulled up to the station and the doors opened. Where were you sitting?” James began.

“We were sitting on the platform... in front of the fourth train car.” She replied.

“Alright, good. Now, the door to the car opens, and everyone starts to get off. What do you see?” The ODST continued.

“I...I saw a lot of ponies. They were trying to get off the train and onto the platform, while other ponies were trying to squeeze onto the train.” 

“Alright, what about the ponies. Was there anything off?” Chase asked.

“There... maybe...” Flitter answered.

“Okay, focus on that. Was this pony getting on, or getting off?” James pressed.

“Getting off... and he... wasn’t a pony.” Flitter said, slightly surprised at herself.

“Ok, great. Focus on that individual. What was he?”

“A gryphon... yeah, there was a gryphon.” Flitter replied, starting to shake slightly.

“It’s alright. Just take a deep breath... Now, are you sure there was a gryphon getting off the train?” The ODST said reassuringly.

“Yeah... he looked... I don’t know... but I just wrote it off as normal,” the mare answered, a bit more calmly.

“Was there anything else?” The marine asked.

“No... that’s all I can really remember before the... well... you know...”

“That’s fine. Do you think you could describe this gryphon?” James asked with a hint of excitement.

“Yeah, I think so,” Flitter replied.

For the next fifteen minutes, James sketched out the gryphon described by the traumatized pegasus. Despite the horrific event, she was able to give a detailed description for the ODST. James looked at his drawing, looking back at him was a gryphon of above average build. This was worth reporting back with.

“Thank you for your time, Flitter. This could help us catch whoever did this.” James said in parting.

“Just.. promise me you’ll catch whoever did this.” Flitter replied with a pleading look.

The ODST nodded as he and Chase made their way back to ground zero.


~~~




The search of the train by EOD had revealed surprisingly little. It was clear where the bombs had detonated, but there was a surprising lack of any physical evidence. Trent had determined that a high power plastic explosive with a powerful incendiary had been used, but he was unable to find any sort of detonator. 

“Captain, I’ve searched every car, and still the same thing. Explosive residue, but no detonator,” the SPARTAN said over the radio in frustration.

“Alright, I’m sending Silverlight to you. Getting a second pair of eyes on the area might help,” Daniel replied.

“Copy that,” Trent said with a sigh.

A minute later, Captain Silverlight arrived next to the SPARTAN.

“So, this is where the bomb exploded?” The unicorn asked.

“Yeah. I know what kind of explosive was used, I just can’t find any sort of detonating mechanism,” the SPARTAN responded.

“Are you sure there was a detonator?”

“Plastic explosives can’t explode without an electronic detonator,” the EOD specialist said.

“What if it wasn’t electrical?” Silverlight offered.

“I don’t follow,” the SPARTAN said blankly.

Silverlight’s horn lit up as he focused on the epicenter of the blast. After a few seconds, the unicorn’s horn stopped glowing.

“Wow... so that’s how they did it...”

“What did you do?” Trent asked with curiosity.

“They used a magical detonator. Basically a small enchanted crystal that gives off a small spark when activated. This one was activated remotely by an identical crystal,” the unicorn announced proudly.

“So... they used magic to set these off? Oh shit...” Trent quickly began speaking into his radio. “Captain, we have a big problem. These bombs were set off using magic.”

“Set off with magic? They can do that?” The Captain asked..

“That’s what Captain Silverlight is saying,” the SPARTAN replied.

“Alright, good work. Just keep doing your thing,” Captain Ryan responded. 



The thought of magically detonated explosives was sinking in, as Daniel thought of the implications of such weapons. Magic was still something he hadn’t fully taken into account.

“Captain Ryan.” James called out.

“Sergeant Hodges, what do you need?” Daniel replied.

“Sir, we interviewed a few survivors. We’ve got something interesting,” the ODST announced.

“Oh?” Daniel took a batch of drawings from James and began to look them over. 

There was a diagram of the train station, and the locations of everyone interviewed. What really caught the Captain’s attention was the numerous drawings of gryphons. Even more shocking, was that all these drawings were of the same gryphon.

“All these ponies saw this guy?” Daniel asked as he held up one of the drawings.

“Yes sir. A few of those are from guards who had also interviewed survivors.” Chase replied with a nod.

“Wow... good work guys. I think I know who can help us identify this guy.” Daniel said with a sly grin.


~~~




Orange Glow was worried as to why he had been so hastily brought from his cell and dropped in an interrogation room. He became even more worried when a familiar human and changeling walked in the door.

“H-h-hey now... I told you everything I knew!” Orange Glow quickly said, going on the defensive.

“I know you did,” Daniel said with a smile as he sat across from the terrified pony.

“Then.. then why are you here?”

“Well, I just wanna ask you some things. Did you ever meet Domri Windscar in person?” The Captain asked.

“Yeah, only twice though. We worked through the lower ranked gryphons in the organization.” Orange Glow said, relaxing slightly.

“So do you think you could identify him if you saw him?”

“Definitely. He’s fairly noticeable,” the ex-private said confidently.

“Noticeable? How so?” Spotlight asked with a tilt of his head.

“He has a good sized chip in his beak on the left side. That and he’s bucking huge.” 

“So is this him?” Daniel said as he laid out a number of the drawings on the metal table.

“That’s him! That’s him!” Orange Glow replied energetically.

“Wonderful. Once again you have been quite helpful. I’ll make sure to put in a good word for you with Celestia.” Daniel grinned.


~~~




“So you’re sure of this?” Celestia asked with a suspicious look.

“Multiple sources gave that description to multiple artists. Orange Glow was able to describe prominent features before even seeing the drawings. I’m convinced.” Daniel replied.

“Alright. I’ll send a group of guards to have him detained for questioning.” Celestia said as levitated the drawings back to the Captain. “Guard!”

A single solar guard quickly trotted into the throne room and saluted before waiting for orders.

“Find Captain Silverlight, and wake Captain Nightshade. Have them both come to the throne room at once,” Celestia quickly commanded.

“Right away, your highness,” the guard said as he cantered off.

“I will find the responsible party, and I will bring them to justice,” Celestia said with determination.

“I have no doubt about that,” Daniel commented. “This whole thing reminds me of some of what I saw on Reach. This many dead at once was a daily occurrence during the war.” 

“You think Domri is involved?” the Princess asked again.

“As I said, I’m convinced he’s involved.”

“I suppose we'll find out when we get the chance to question him,” Celestia mused.

A few minutes later, both guard Captains entered the throne room and stood at attention.

“Thank you for coming. I apologize for having to wake you, Captain Nightshade,” Celestia said. “But we have a possible lead. I want you to send some guards to detain Domri Windscar. He has a residence in the noble district of the city. We need to ask him a few questions.”

“I’ll have some guards sent out right away, your highness,” Silverlight said with a bow.

“Excellent. Captain Nightshade, I need you to rouse your guards and have them bolster the defences around the city.”

“Right away, your majesty,” the thestral mare bowed as she flew off to wake the other guards.

Daniel glanced down at his wrist as he checked the time. Eight hours had passed since the blasts had been reported, making it six in the evening. Though, Daniel suspected that he would be awake for much longer. It would be about forty minutes before the guards returned with Domri, a time period in which Daniel spent coordinating his troops and going over data with the teams in the field.

An hour passed without any word from the six guards. When two hours passed, everyone began to worry. Their fears were realized when a single guard limped into the throne room. His armor was dented and torn, with blood flowing freely from multiple lacerations. 

“Spotlight! Go to the ship and get Doctor Tetrow!” Daniel yelled as he ran to the wounded guard. Spotlight nodded and galloped out toward the Tuscany. 

“What the hell happened?” Daniel asked as he began tending to the injured stallion.

“They... they ambushed us... as soon as we knocked...” the guard said weakly, “killed everypony... left me... to warn you...” he said as he coughed up a good amount of blood. Celestia watched in horror as the unicorn fought for every breath.

“Alright, just hang in there,” Daniel replied, trying to stop the bleeding. Though it was too little, too late. Daniel watched as the life faded from the guard’s eyes, holding the unicorn tight as he finally died.

Doctor Tetrow and Spotlight then ran into the room, only to see Daniel slowly close the unicorn’s eyes. Celestia and the guard Captain’s stood in stunned horror at what had just transpired.

“Princess, I would like to retract my previous statement about Domri,” Daniel said, armor covered in the unicorn’s blood. “I would consider this an admission of guilt.”

“I would agree. Silverlight, muster every guard you can. We need this gryphon.” Celestia ordered.

“Right away,” Silverlight said as he ran off to gather his remaining guards.

“Princess, we have no idea how many gryphons he might have. Perhaps some reconnaissance would shed some light on that,” Nightshade offered. 

“I agree, though how would you like to go about that?” Celestia asked.

“I can do that,” Daniel replied, raising his hand.

“How?” The thestral Captain inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Daniel smiled. “Magic.”


~~~




It was night time as Daniel and Master Gunnery Sergeant Graves stood atop the highest tower in the castle. It just so happened that the observatory tower offered a great place to stargaze, as well as a fantastic place to set up a sniper.

From his vantage point, Mike could see just about the entire city. The ODST calmly laid down on the floor and set up his bipod, next to him was Daniel with a spotting scope, while Captain Nightshade sat behind the pair.

“So... what is this thing?” The thestral asked, pointing to the rifle.

“Remember the weapon that I said could shoot over a mile and a half?” Daniel asked. The pony nodded. “Well this is it.”

“All teams, this is Spectre Actual, we have eyes on target building. Count five occupants, all gryphons,” Mike said into his radio.

“Copy that. We have all exits covered. Is our target inside?” 

“Affirmative. We have solid I.D. on Domri.” Daniel replied.

“Understood. On your go.”

“Alright... here we go.” Mike mused as he took aim at the gryphon near the front door. This gryphon had the misfortune of being the only stationary target with a clear line of sight through the window. 

Mike took a deep breath and put his finger on the trigger. The ODST slowly released the breath, pulling the trigger as the last of the air in his lungs escaped.

There was a thunderous bang as the rifle recoiled from the supersonic projectile. Daniel had a perfect view of the gryphon as the bullet shattered the window and hit the gryphon square in the forehead, practically vaporizing what was once the gryphon’s face.

“Kobe,” Mike chuckled as he admired his handiwork.

At the same moment, dozens of guards backed up by SPARTANs, rushed the various doors to the residence. There were a few bouts of gunfire as gryphons tried to resist, only to be cut down. To everyone’s relief, Domri surrendered without a fight.

“Geronimo. Target secured.”

“Good show. We saw that one from up here.” Daniel chuckled into his radio. “Any sign of the missing guards?”

“Affirmative. We have five bodies here. They’re pretty fucked up.”

“Alright. Recover them when you haul Domri in,” Captain Ryan instructed.

“Copy all. Good hunting.”

Mike looked over his shoulder to a shocked Nightshade.

“... Damn it... I can’t think of another witty response...” Mike said as he hung his head in shame.

Daniel patted the fellow ODST on the back. “It’s alright, we can’t win ‘em all.”


~~~




With the fires put out, the injured taken to the hospital, Domri arrested, and a PR nightmare on the way, Celestia sat down in her study. The next part of her job was a painful one; she now had to write a letter to the family of everypony who lost a loved one. 

While most rulers would just make a broad public statement, Celestia preferred to take the time to address the family of each victim. She levitated a huge stack of blank paper to the middle of her desk where she then produced a black pen from one of the drawers. Seven hundred and sixty three letters, for seven hundred and sixty three dead. The hospital had done an incredible job of identifying the deceased by using the train’s passenger manifest. 

With a deep sigh, the solar Princess began to write.

Two floors down, Silverlight and Daniel sat in the guard Captain’s office. They both sat with a stack of six blank pieces of paper. Silverlight had a stack of official royal letterhead, while Daniel had a stack of UNSC letterhead. For the next hour, the two would write letters to the families of the deceased guards.

“What was the name of the guard who died at the castle?” Daniel asked.

“Corporal Golden Ice,” Silverlight replied, never looking up from his current letter.

With that piece of information, Daniel began to write.


~~~




It was an overcast day in Canterlot. The streets were almost deserted, and many shops remained closed for the day; save for a single Warthog driving through the city. Three individuals had set out to inform the families the fate of the deceased guards. It was a grim task, but Captain Silverlight would not have anypony else do it. These were his ponies, and he would be the one to deliver the bad news, though, he was thankful that Daniel and Jonathan were with him. Both humans had insisted on going with him, Daniel claiming that he was equally responsible, since the ponies died on his intel. 

Daniel brought the Warthog to a stop, just outside a townhouse in the residential district of the capital. It was a modest, three story building. Land values in Canterlot made it a lot cheaper to build high than wide.

The two humans, dressed in full dress uniform complete with pressed officers caps, carefully dismounted. Captain Silverlight, clad in his golden armor, followed them to the door. The guard Captain stood between the two humans, a letter and a flag in his saddlebags. Daniel held his letter in his left hand, while Zerom held a UNSC flag in his left. 

“Ready?” Daniel asked, looking straight ahead at the door.

“Not really, but we have a job to do,” the stallion replied as he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

The sound of hooves scurrying inside was clearly audible to the three soldiers. The door quickly opened as the three were met by the gaze of a small foal. Daniel cringed internally. Having a child involved in this would make it incredibly more difficult.

“Hey there. Is your mom home?” Silverlight greeted, trying to put on a brave smile.

“Mommy?” The child called over his shoulder. 

A few seconds later, a beige unicorn mare walked up to the door. Her expression of curiosity quickly melted and was a replaced by a look of sheer dread. Her fears were only realized as the three individuals at her door slowly brought up formal salutes. It was the sign that every military family feared. The foal looked at the three with curiosity, unsure of what the display meant. His mother though, quickly pulled him into a tight hug as she began to sob.

Silverlight and the two humans lowered their salutes as they produced the letters and flags. The mare looked at the pair of flags and letters and then to the soldiers who stood silently at her door. With a nod, she took the objects in her own magic as she set them on a nearby table. The unicorn then slowly closed the door without saying a word. 

The three turned around and walked back to their vehicle. Through the entire exchange, not a word was spoken. Nothing needed to be said, their actions were loud enough.
	
	
	
	
	
	
	

> June 20th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//June 20th, 2559
//
//23:59 Local Time

Seven hundred and sixty three civilians dead in a single day, with six guards also killed. I guess you could say the entire nation is fairly shaken by the tragedy. Some ponies are crying out for vengeance and justice, though many are just plain scared. Thankfully, Celestia is doing a great job at holding a strong face for her ponies. They need a strong leader to look to after this week’s attack. 

Anyway, I can report success with interrogating Domri. I decided this would be a great opportunity for Spotlight to try his...er... hoof, at interrogations. My god, that little guy can be terrifying. I’d feel bad, but the intel we got from him was so damn valuable. Once he was “persuaded” to talk, he began spilling every scrap of information he had. Because of this, certain countermeasures are being discussed.

Aaaaaan finally... Aria, the now Queen of the changelings, has... well... made a very bold request. She asked me if I could set up a meeting between her and Director Burr. I told her I would ask the Director. Suffice to say, he agreed to a video conference with her. 

//End Log

Spotlight sat in silence as he waited in the interrogation room of Canterlot castle. It was the exact same room where Orange Glow had given up the handler behind the castle bombings, and it would now be the room where the same mastermind would spill all his secrets. Celestia and Daniel sat with the two guard Captains behind the one way mirror. 

The door to the room flew open as two SPARTANs dragged the large gryphon into the room, propping him up on a chair with his hands still cuffed. His face was bruised, with trails of dried blood coming from his beak. The two then moved back to stand in the corners behind the gryphon. Spotlight opened a plain grey folder and began to quietly read through the papers, occasionally flipping to a new page. 

Domri sneered at the changeling across from him “What, nothing to say?”

Spotlight ignored the gryphon and continued to read.

“You are the worst interrogator ever,” the gryphon chuckled.

The changeling calmly closed the folder and looked up at the gryphon. “What happened to your face?”

“Why don’t you ask your friends here.” Domri replied, motioning to the SPARTANs with his head.

Spotlight looked to the pair with a neutral expression. 

“He tripped going up the stairs,” Commander Dior said with a shrug.

“Da, he needs to be more careful,” Victor added. Spotlight knew that wasn’t true, but he really didn’t care.

“So, Domri,” Spotlight sighed as he leaned forward slightly, “let’s start with something simple, okay? Why bomb a train?”

The gryphon began laughing. “What? You think I’m going to tell you everything just because you asked nicely?”

“I was hoping.” 

“You’ll get nothing from me, and you’ll like it,” Domri sneered.

“Hmm, really now,” Spotlight mused as he leaned back.

“There is nothing you can do to make me talk. I will happily take my secrets to the grave,” Domri replied defiantly.

“I just want to know what led you to bombing a passenger train? Is that really so much to ask?” Spotlight asked calmly.

Domri shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “I’ve nothing to say to you, so you might as well kill me and be done with it.” 

Spotlight grinned slyly, revealing his fangs. “Kill you? Oh, no no no. I don’t want you to die, despite your horrendous actions. On the contrary, I want you to live a long life. Especially since you will be in Equestrian custody.”

“You can take that file and choke on it,” Domri said with an intense glare.

“Nah, I think I’d rather read it. There’s some really neat bits of information here. Where you’re from, who your parents are, who your extended family is, pretty much everything about you.”

Domri just sat silently as the changeling stared straight at him.

“C’mon, Domri, do we really need to draw this out any more?” Spotlight said with an annoyed expression.

The gryphon snarled at Spotlight as he continued his silent defiance. 

“Do you care about anything? Anything at all?” Spotlight asked.

Domri sneered as he replied. “Of course I do.”

“Well, I already know you have no regard for life, so I’ll ask something else. Do you value family?”

“Family is everything. Without family, you are nothing,” Domri said with pride.

Spotlight chuckled as he spoke. “That’s funny, considering you just destroyed a couple hundred families.”

“They were weak.”

“So... if I put a bomb under your mother’s ass and set it off, she’d be okay?” Spotlight shook his head and laughed. “Somehow I doubt that.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Domri shouted in frustration.

“So then help me understand, how are they weak?” Spotlight asked as he tilted his head.

“You couldn’t possibly understand,” the gryphon grumbled.

“So, what you mean is you have no clue? Okay, got it.” Spotlight mused as he pretended to write in the file. “Now, let’s talk a bit about your family.”

“Why? Aren’t you supposed to be interrogating me about the train?” Domri asked with a bit of surprise.

Spotlight shrugged. “Why bother? Might as well make small talk, seeing as how you don’t want to talk about anything I want to.” 

“My family is of no concern to you.”

Spotlight grinned at the gryphon as he began to sense a new emotion from the gryphon; fear. “So what happened to you? Did mommy and daddy not hug you enough?”

“Piss off,” Domri sneered.

“Did your sister hog the shower every morning? Is that why you’re so damn angry?” Spotlight pressed. Unfortunately, Domri’s fear quickly turned back into anger. “What about your brother, huh? Did he just annoy the shit out of you? It’s alright, lots of ponies have annoying younger siblings. Only difference is that those ponies don’t become mass murdering terrorists.”

Spotlight grinned from ear to ear as Domri’s tried to lunge across the table, but was quickly restrained by the two SPARTANs behind him. 

“So, your brother was a bit of a shit, huh? I get it, you'd rather be an only child,” Spotlight teased, continuing to fuel the gryphon’s rage and fear.

“I hope you die a horrible death, you pathetic piece of shit!” Domri shouted.

“Wow, such hostility. Ya know, since you have been nothing but trouble, maybe we should go pick up your brother and question him. I’m sure he’ll be more cooperative.” Spotlight chuckled as he continued. “Plus, I have no reservations against offing him if he resists.”

This comment was enough to push Domri over the edge.

“Don’t you dare bring him into this,” Domri snarled at the changeling.

Spotlight grinned at the gryphon’s reaction. “Oh? Hit a nerve did I?”

“He has nothing to do with this,” the large gryphon asserted.

“You say that, but your fear says otherwise. I think he is involved. Perhaps we should just detain him, seeing as how you are being uncooperative,” Spotlight challenged, trying to get more emotion out of the gryphon.

“Leave. My brother. Out. Of this,” Domri replied.

Spotlight chuckled as he read the gryphon like an open book. He didn’t need to sample his emotions to know how desperate Domri was. “You gotta give me something other than that. Let’s make a deal then, okay? You cooperate and answer all of my questions truthfully, then I’ll forget you have a younger brother.” 

“Fine. Deal,” Domri quickly replied.

“Fantastic. So, the train, was this attack orchestrated by your cousin, Varen?”

Domri grumbled as he answered. “Yes.”

“Why?” Spotlight continued.

“He wanted to break the will of the ponies. To show them that defiance will be punished by death,” the gryphons replied with anger in his voice.

“Defiance? You say that like the rest of the world is already under your control.”

“It might as well be. The rest of you weaklings are only fit for being subjugated,” Domri sneered.

Spotlight silently mulled Domri’s response over. “So that’s what the bombing was about. It was a show of strength, something you want the whole world to know.” 

“Yeah, you got it,” Domri replied smugly.

“Obviously Equestria and Ecotonia aren’t going to just roll over and surrender, so when does Varen plan on declaring war?” Spotlight asked with a wave of his hoof.

“Soon enough.”


~~~


Jonathan sat on a balcony of one of the castle’s many towers. It was late afternoon as the human simply sat in silence, watching the city below. He idly swung his feet in the air as he dangled his legs off the ledge while resting his chin on the marble banister. 

The sound of approaching hoofsteps brought the Commander out of his contemplative state. Princess Celestia quietly sat down next to Jonathan, matching his gaze by looking out over the city. 

“Evening, Princess.” Jonathan said as he continued to gaze out over the city.

“Good evening, Jonathan,” the solar Princess responded.

Zerom lifted his head off the banister and shot the Princess a curious glance. “Is everything alright?”

“Given the circumstances? Yes, everything is fine.” Celestia said with a chuckle. “I simply wanted to talk.” 

“Oh? About what?”

“I was hoping to get a better understanding of Daniel. Specifically, why he acts the way he does,” Celestia stated.

Jonathan began chuckling. “Yeah, you and the rest of the UNSC.”

Celestia shared in the laugh before continuing. “I’m just curious about his attitude and where it comes from. He doesn’t strike me as a typical military officer. He’s...”

“Childish, impulsive, a bit immature and carefree?” Zerom cut in.

“That’s not how I would have phrased it, but yes.”

Jonathan sighed. “It’s all a defense mechanism.”

This answer caught the Princess off guard, earning her an expression of confusion. “How so?”

“Well, first off, he’s been an ODST for twenty years. Ten of those have been as an ONI agent. Hell, I remember how he was when we first worked together. He was described as a model officer, always played it by the book and followed every protocol to the letter. It’s because of his success as an officer in the UNSC that he even got the job with ONI.”

“So when did that all change?” Celestia asked.

Zerom looked back out over the city as he continued. “Seven years ago, Reach was sieged and subsequently destroyed. There were almost no survivors on a planet of billions. Now, we all had been subject to the horrors of war for decades. Over half the human population, killed over thirty years. Those costs weighed heavily on all of us. I think he finally broke when the rest of his family was killed on Reach.”

“The rest of his family?”

“Yeah, he originally lived on a planet called Harvest with his parents. They died when the Covenant attacked and burned the planet. Daniel was lucky to have made it off the planet in the early days of the siege. He was eighteen at that point.”

Celestia nodded as she imagined the scene, finding it hard to imagine an entire planet burning. “So he joined the UNSC after that?”

Jonathan nodded. “Correct. It was also a time where the UNSC was desperate for volunteers, especially officers. Now, I’m not sure how, but a few requirements for officer training were waived for him and a few others.”

“When did the two of you meet?” Celestia asked.

“We first met in a lifeboat on the UNSC Belfast.” Jonathan said with a chuckle.

“A lifeboat?”

“Yup. The ship was destroyed over the planet Arcadia. We were one of the lucky ones able to get to a lifeboat before the ship exploded. Luckily, the Pillar of Autumn was nice enough to pick us up.” Zerom paused as he reflected on the memory. “Fast forward a few years to Reach. The final days of that fight was were I really noticed the changes in him. Gone was the strict and uptight officer, replaced by someone who only had the military left. No family, no home, and waning hope. Sadly, it was a common theme among many of us.”

“So he reached a breaking point.” Celestia commented.

“Right. Granted, he dealt with his grief a bit differently than others. Some broke down and cried, others became emotionless husks, a few turned toward hard narcotics. I knew a few guys who even committed suicide. Though, Daniel just up and changed his whole outlook on life. Was it a good way of dealing with it? Probably not. The only thing that saved his career was the fact that he was still a great officer. Hell, he would have been discharged as soon as the war ended if he wasn’t so good at getting results.” Jonathan chuckled to himself as he remembered some of the more... eccentric hijinks the pair had gotten into. 

“So that’s why he acts the way he does? Grief?” Celestia asked with a bit of surprise.

“Mostly. He desperately wants to forget the pain of loss... just like the rest of us.”

“Did you lose anyone in the war?” the Princess asked softly.

“We all did, I’m one of the many orphans of war. My family and friends all died on a colony called Green Hills. Luckily I was on Reach, attending school. Though, after that, I enlisted with the UNSC Navy. My grief turned into anger and bitter hatred toward the Covenant. In some ways, Daniel’s coping mechanism was much healthier than mine.”

“Well, I’d say you both turned out okay,” Celestia replied.

“Well... thanks.” Jonathan mumbled as he set his chin on the railing again.

The pair continued to sit on the balcony, watching the sun slowly set over Canterlot. The train station had finally been cleared of all debris, though it still remained closed. The cityscape briefly reminded Jonathan of his home in New Alexandria. The Commander sighed as he continued to gaze out across the capital. Jonathan caught a glimpse of Daniel and Aria talking in the garden below. 

“Huh... I wonder what they’re doing?”


~~~


It was late evening as Daniel and Aria made their way through the castle, heading toward the south gardens. It was rare to see any changeling, other than Spotlight, outside of the east wing of the castle. 

“So, Captain, I want to talk to you about my future and the future of my changelings,” Aria began. 

Daniel looked at her as they continued to walk. “Ah, go on.”

“I’ll put it bluntly. We’re not welcome here. In fact, I doubt we would be welcome anywhere on this planet,” the changeling queen continued.

“I’m sure Equestria will warm up to you eventually,” Daniel responded.

Aria sighed. “As much as I hope that to be true, I can’t risk it. There are only thirty of us left, and Equestria is still very anti-changeling. All it would take is one big angry mob to wipe us out.”

“So, I take it you have a solution?” Daniel asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I said we wouldn’t be welcome anywhere on this planet. Key word; this planet. Get where I’m going with this?” 

Daniel chuckled and nodded. “I’ve got a pretty good idea. Continue anyway.”

“I want asylum for myself and my changelings. There is nothing for us here, and I can’t help but wish for a fresh start. Much like the one Spotlight was able to get.” 

The pair finally reached the gardens as Daniel pondered her request. “I see... I’ll have to talk with the Director. He’ll also want to meet with you to discuss the possibility.”

“Thank you, Captain. All I can ask is that you try,” Aria replied sincerely. “I know there are ways we can be useful in your world.”

“Oh?” 

“Imagine a psychologist who could literally read the emotions of their patient, or a doctor who can sense when someone is in pain. How about a comedian who can assume multiple forms and voices, or a guard who can sense when someone is lying. I promise you, there are many things my changelings can do,” the changeling queen stated, trying to convince Daniel.

“Yeah, I can see it. I’ll put a call in with the Director tonight,” Daniel replied.

Aria breathed a heavy sigh of relief. “Thank you, Captain. It really means alot to all of us.”


~~~


Commander Dior grumbled as she made her way down the ramp of the Tuscany. Andrew had sent her a message, requesting her presence at the Equestrian armory; something about a new weapon. The SPARTAN was clad in her usual armor, repainted to a sky blue with black accent stripes at various points. 

Upon reaching the door, a series of voices came from the other side. Remembering that she really didn’t care, Dior knocked hard enough to crack the wood, leaving a fist shaped indentation in the wood.

“Come in!” Andrew called out from inside.

Lisa pushed the door open and stopped as soon as she saw into the room. Andrew was standing over Quicksilver, holding her tongue in one hand, and a bottle of hot sauce in the other. Discord was sitting on a workbench, giggling and laughing at the scene unfolding in front of him. The unicorn mare sat on her haunches as Andrew kept the bottle hovering over her tongue, ready to dump the liquid fire onto her. 

“Andrew... what the fuck are you doing?” Dior deadpanned.

“Settling an argument. Wanna help?” Andrew replied with a grin. Quicksilver quickly began shaking her head in fear while Andrew still held her tongue. Discord was happily eating a large tub of popcorn as Dior walked forward.

Quicksilver’s eyes went wide as the massive SPARTAN loomed over both her and Andrew. With one hand, Dior grabbed Quicksilver by the scruff of her neck and Andrew by the back of his shirt. She then pulled the two apart and lifted them both into the air, before walking them to a nearby workbench. Discord nearly choked on his popcorn as the SPARTAN easily hoisted and carried both pony and human.

“Now,” Dior began as she set the two of them down, “what is it that you wanted me to see?”

“Oh! Right!” Andrew shouted as he ran over to the table Discord was sitting on. With a shove, Andrew pushed Discord off the table and opened a large drawer, pulling out a strange rifle-like weapon. “Behold! The newest weapon in the Equestrian arsonal.”

Dior looked at the rifle with an inquisitive eye. “Oh? The ponies made this thing?”

“Yup. With a bit of guidance from me. Here,” Andrew said as he handed the rifle to Dior, “try it out.”

Dior hesitantly picked up the weapon and took aim at a nearby crate. She lined up the sights and pulled the trigger. The weapon began rapidly shooting purple shards of pure magic from the barrel, each hitting the crate in the center before punching through it and leaving a scorch mark on the wall.

“Holy shit. You’ve been busy,” the SPARTAN commented.

“Pull back that little lever and put this cartridge in,” Quicksilver instructed as she levitated a glowing green crystal.

Dior did as she was instructed and fired the weapon with the new crystal installed. Instead of the purple magic shards, a series of green blobs hit the crate, causing it to bubble and dissolve.

“No way...” the SPARTAN muttered in disbelief. “How many of these do you have?”

Andrew grinned as he spun on a nearby stool. “There are fire crystals, acid crystals, shock crystals, explosive crystals, frozen crystals, tri-shot crystals, and I think high energy crystals. Each one gives the rifle a different elemental projectile.”

“... I want one.” Dior said bluntly. “This is... oh god... this is amazing. What’s the effective range?”

“About the same as an Assault Rifle,” Andrew replied. 

Lisa began turning the weapon, looking at every angle. “And the ponies built this?”

“Yup. Turns out they just needed a kick to get them to think outside the traditional box. I simply suggested they try to combine magic with military tech... and boom! This is what came out,” Andrew answered as he fell off the spinning stool.

“Are they easy to make?” Dior asked.

“You bet. The magical components are so simple, that any average unicorn could enchant them in about a minute. The machined parts are all replaceable and easy to make.” Quicksilver announced proudly.

The SPARTAN nodded in approval as she set the weapon on a table. “Well shit, nicely done you two.”

“Oh, oh oh oh oh! Show her the one that we made!” Discord shouted from the floor.

Andrew quickly got up and skipped over to another workbench. He picked up an ammo case and set it on the table next to the SPARTAN. He slowly opened the lid and reached in, picking up a spherical object.

“Here, catch.” Andrew said as he tossed the bright pink orb to Dior. 

Lisa instinctively caught the ball and looked at it. Her heart skipped a beat as she gazed at the device. It looked like a grenade, felt like a grenade, was textured like a grenade, and had a primer like a grenade. The only logical conclusion was that this, in fact, was a grenade. Her conclusion was only solidified as the pink grenade exploded in her hand. Though instead of a blinding flash and searing pain, there was only a pop, followed by nothing but pink covering her visor. 

Discord and Andrew began laughing uncontrollably as Dior stood in the middle of the room. The SPARTAN slowly brought her hands up to her helmet and removed it. Her normally blue armor, and a fifteen foot radius of the room, had been covered in a pink cottony substance. The first thing that hit her was the smell. It was very sweet, as if it was all made of sugar.   

“Woooo! Cotton candy grenades!” Discord and Andrew cheered together. Dior looked into the ammo case and quickly spotted five more brightly colored grenades.

Lisa grinned as she slowly picked up the five remaining grenades and carefully armed all five. The SPARTAN then rolled all five at Discord and Andrew. Neither of them noticed the grenades at their feet as they continued to high five and laugh. Though, their celebration was cut short as all five grenades exploded, covering the pair in multi-colored cotton candy.

“Ya know, those things are great stress relief. Keep up the good work,” Lisa replied as she walked out of the workshop, still covered in the pink fluff. 


~~~


Luna was having a really crappy start to her day. In an hour, she would have to hold Night Court, where once again she would be bored out of her skull. It wouldn’t be so bad if she had gotten a decent night’s sleep. With a sigh, the lunar Princess continued to look into her coffee cup as she sat next to a window in the galley.

“Troubles?” Chef asked as he topped off her mug.

Luna snorted as she replied. “Irony, actually.”  

“Oh?” Chef said as he pulled a chair up.

“Nightmare.”

“How is that ironic?” Chef asked with a perplexed expression.

“When you are the guardian of the dream realm, it is.” Luna responded as she took a sip of coffee.

“I see. What was it about?”

Luna shook her head and waved a hoof. “It’s stupid. Not even sure where it came from.”

“I’m all ears.” Chef declared as he leaned back in his chair.

The Princess sighed as she realised he wasn’t going to drop the issue. “I had a dream that the Tuscany was destroyed. I know it’s silly.” 

“What else?”

“What makes you think there is more?” Luna asked with a hint of worry.

“Because, something really has you shaken. So what else happened?” Chef replied calmly.

“Well... it was graphic. I saw the bodies of the crew strewn about the corridors, fires burning in almost every room, others crying out in pain as they slowly died, then there was the blood...” Luna paused as she stared at her reflection in the mug. “There were also some gryphons... standing over Daniel and Jonathan... even Andrew was there...”

Chef sighed as he put a hand on Luna’s shoulder. “It was only a dream, nothing more.”

“I know... but it felt so real. That’s what really scared me.”

“That’s all it is; a manifestation of your fear. Is this ship invincible? Far from it.” Chef stated, “Is the crew immortal? Not a chance. Are they highly trained specialists? You bet. Would they fight to the death? Of course. Still, it would take a considerable amount of force to bring this ship down.”

Luna seemed to accept this answer and quietly continued to sip on her coffee. Chef was right, she was letting her fear effect her. Perhaps she would watch a movie after court. Luna took a long drawn drink of her coffee as she prepared herself for the coming night. Pushing the disturbing dream to the back of her mind, Luna set off for her royal duties.


~~~


Though, for the next seven hours, nopony entered the Lunar Court. It was a fairly typical night for Luna, she occasionally conversed with the guards, read bits of a book, and even tried her hoof at a crossword puzzle, anything to distract her from thinking about the nightmare. Though, the silence of the Lunar Court was broken as a Lunar guard walked in, followed by an elderly looking unicorn mare and a young unicorn colt. 

The mare walked forward with a nervous tremble, while the colt walked beside the guard, without a hint of fear. Luna was so surprised by the visit, she almost thought she was dreaming.

“Welcome to the Lunar Court. What are your names?” Luna asked, finally finding the words she needed.

“My name is Errant,” the colt replied.

“A-and I’m Orchid Breeze,” the mare answered.

“To what may I help you with this evening?” Luna asked.

“Well, I’ve been having a lot of nightmares... I was wondering if you might be able to do something,” the colt asked, his brave facade cracking under Luna’s gaze.

Luna tilted her head as she inspected the colt. “How long have these nightmares been occurring?”  

“Like... twice a week... for a few months... but they have been getting worse these past few days,” Errant replied with a hint of embarrassment.

Luna tried to mimic her sister’s warm smile as the colt shrunk a bit at the mention of his nightmares. “There is no reason to be ashamed. Everypony gets nightmares, even me.”

Errant perked up and looked at Luna with wonder. “Even you? But... you’re Princess Luna!”

“It’s true.” Luna said with a wave of a hoof. “Why, just tonight I had a nightmare of my own.”

“Really? W-what was it about?” The colt asked with wide eyes.

Normally Luna would have told off anypony who asked about her dreams, but this one was much different. “I had a terrible dream where I lost all of my friends and my home. The worst part was that I couldn’t do anything to save them.”

“That sounds terrible,” the colt mumbled.

“It was. But that is why I try to watch over the dream realm. Sadly, I can not catch all nightmares, and for that I am sorry.” Luna replied with a bow of her head. 

“W-w-well that’s okay. There are a lot of ponies, that must be a lot of nightmares to stop,” the colt replied.

“Indeed there are. Perhaps there is something I can do for you,” Luna said as she got up from her throne and walked down the steps. She stopped a few feet in front of the colt, smiling at him. “Now, close your eyes and relax. This will only take a moment.”

Errant did as the Princess instructed, and closed his eyes. Luna ignited her horn as she slowly touched the tip to Errant’s head. A slight surge of magic washed over the colt as Luna cast her spell. A second later, Errant looked up at Luna with a curious glance.

“W-what was that?” Errant asked.

“Do you know what a magical ward is?” Luna responded.

Errant paused as he thought up an answer. “Yeah, a kind of shield. Right?”

Luna nodded as she spoke. “Indeed. Think of the spell I used as a shield against bad dreams. You should now be able to sleep without nightmares for a few months. Though, if they do come back, feel free to return.” 

Errant’s eyes lit up as he lunged forward and hugged Luna’s leg. “Thank you so much, Princess!”

Luna was severely caught off guard by the display, but soon embraced the colt in her massive wingspan. “Now then little one, I suggest you get some rest. Who knows what tomorrow might hold?”

“I will! Thanks again, Princess!” Errant called out as he and Orchid Breeze walked out of the throne room.

For a few moments, Luna just sat there, totally stunned at what had just happened. Her trance was soon broken by the soft sound of bootsteps echoing through the now empty throne room. A familiar figure stepped out of the shadows and walked toward the stunned Princess.

“Well, I’d say that went quite well,” Daniel said as he sat down next to Luna.

The two of them sat in silence, enjoying the feelings of what had just transpired. The Princess looked to the ODST sitting next to her as tears threatened to break through.

“Yes,” she said as she wiped away a tear, “that was... incredible.” 

Daniel chuckled and gave her a pat on the back. “For all it’s worth, I’m... quite pleased with how you handled it, and I’m sure that kid is going to go tell all his friends how amazing Princess Luna is.” Luna leaned slightly against Daniel as they continued to sit in the middle of the room. 

The Princess sighed deeply. “You know... I think I could get used to this.”
	
	

> June 25th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//June 25th, 2559
//
//20:54 Local Time

So much has happened in the past five days; both good, and horribly tragic.

The Director had a video conference with Queen Aria to discuss her asylum request. I am happy to report that the changelings will be leaving for Reach tomorrow afternoon. A transport ship is being dispatched to pick them all up. So there’s a happy ending in the regard.

Discord and Andrew have also been doing great. Dior told me about the cotton candy grenades they made, as well as the new rifles. I gotta say, I’m quite impressed.

Though all of this is overshadowed by the events of today. Hell, this morning I woke up on Equestria, and now I find myself writing this with the Tuscany parked at the Traxus facility in New Alexandria. Where the fuck did today go so wrong? Well it all started with breakfast. 

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//End Log

It was a typical morning for the Tuscany. Crew members pulled themselves out of bed to begin their day. The night watch shuffled off to bed while the rest of the crew took their places. Daniel and Jonathan casually made their way off the ship, heading toward the great hall for breakfast with the Princesses.

All across the city, ponies got up and went about their daily routines. Most trotted off to work after bidding farewell to their loved ones at home, children began their new day of having summer vacation adventures, and some simply stayed home to sleep in. 

As Daniel and Zerom walked across the field, they could clearly hear the sounds of birds chirping in the early morning sun, as well as the sounds of dozens of ponies being worked to the bone by human drill instructors. Though, it wasn’t long before both officers found themselves in the grand dining hall. 

Princess Celestia and Luna were already at the table, with Prince Blueblood sitting next to Celestia. Luna looked absolutely exhausted as she drank from a mug of coffee. Both sisters looked up as the two men walked in.

“Morning, you two,” Celestia greeted.

“Yeah... what she said.” Luna grumbled, clearly not amused about having to be awake.

“Morning.” Daniel replied as he and Zerom took their seats.

A number of servants quickly entered the room to take everyone’s orders. Though, an odd rumbling sound quickly filled the dining hall. Everyone at the table turned to look in time to see the doors to the east wing burst open. Through the doors came Discord and Andrew. Both seemed to be riding on a couch, mounted to tank treads, with Andrew driving the contraption. Daniel let out a long sigh as Andrew and Discord drove their couch across the hall and parked it next to Daniel’s chair. The treads on the couch quickly folded up and retracted inside as the sound of it’s engine died out. Celestia and Luna both stared at the contraption with surprise, while Blueblood did his best to ignore the whole thing.

“I told ya it would work!” Andrew shouted while Discord laughed as they both removed their goggles.

“I’m telling you, ponies will throw their bits at you if you sold these things.” Discord said between fits of laughter.

“I can see it now: Traxus Motorized Couches,” Andrew moused out loud, ignoring everyone else at the table. 

“Did you two build all that last night?” Luna asked.

“Yup. Didn’t sleep,” Andrew announced proudly.

“So... how’s it powered?” Daniel asked with a hint of concern.

“A fusion coil in the back,” Andrew replied.

Daniel and Zerom shared a glance before scooting their chairs away from the nuclear powered couch. 

“Oh come on,” Discord said, “it’s perfectly safe.”

“Discord, do you have any idea what a fusion coil does when you kick it?” Zerom asked sarcastically.

The draconequus shrugged. “Uhhh... no.”

“It usually explodes... violently,” Daniel answered.

Andrew waved dismissively. “Pfft, it’s fine. I made sure to protect the coil.”

“May I ask where you got the couch from?” Celestia asked.

“From Blueblood’s room,” Discord stated nonchalantly. 

The Prince’s face paled as he stared at the couch and then to Discord.

“What!? Why my couch?” Blueblood wailed.

Discord chuckled. “What? You think I’m going to use my own couch? I turned that into a giant funnel cake last week.”

Everyone at the table shared a collective sigh. “Is your whole life just a giant carnival?” Jonathan asked.

Discord snapped his fingers, materializing a funnel cake on the plate in front of him. He then proceeded to pick up the plate and throw it like a frisbee across the room. Everyone watched as the plate seemed to orbit the room before heading straight back toward him. With a loud snap, Discord caught the plate in his mouth and ate the entire thing, plate and all.

“Chaos, baby,” Discord replied with a wink. 

The unicorn servants soon returned with plates of food in their magical grasp, setting each one in front of their respective owner. All conversation ceased as the food was presented, though Blueblood continued to glare at Discord and Andrew.

“You both owe me a new couch,” the Prince grumbled between bites of his crepes.

Andrew looked down at the floral pattern couch and shrugged. “Yeah, sure. Though ya gotta admit, this is pretty cool.”

Blueblood merely glared at the engineer as he continued his breakfast. For the next thirty minutes, the meal was enjoyed in silence. 

Luna was the first to finish her meal. “Alright, I’m going to bed. I’ll see you all later.”

“Sleep well, sister,” Celestia replied with a smile.

Luna merely nodded as she trudged off toward the ship.

“So,” Daniel began as he pushed his empty plate away, “what’s on the docket for today?”

“Quicksilver and I are going to make some more adjustments to the new rifles,” Andrew replied.

“You two seem to be spending a lot of time together,” Daniel commented while looking at the engineer with a sly look.

“Well... yeah, she’s awesome.” Andrew replied nervously.

“Just what are the two of you doing... late at night... with no one around... alone in the workshops... just the two of you...” Jonathan said in a sultry voice. 

“We should also go check on the new recruits. Word has it that the drill sergeants are more brutal than anything in the Equestrian military,” Zerom announced.

Daniel nodded and he leaned back in his chair. “Lovely. Perhaps a surprise combat drill will be fun for them.”

“Well then, I will leave that in your very capable hands.” Celestia said as she levitated her plate to a nearby waiter. 

 “Alright, Discord. Let’s rock and roll.” Discord and Andrew engaged their mechanized couch and slowly backed away from the table. They both then donned their goggles and drove away.

“Ya know, I think the daisy floral cloth would look fabulous on our tanks,” Jonathan chuckled.

“Did you see the cupholders on that thing? Crazy bastard thought of everything,” Daniel added with excitement.

Zerom nodded. “I bet it even has seat warmers.”

“Well, Zerom,” Daniel began with a grin, “let’s gear up. We have a training exercise to plan.”


~~~


The two officers stood atop a balcony overlooking the training grounds. Below them were over two hundred new recruits, all being trained by a handful of marines from the Tuscany. Both men on the balcony chuckled as they prepared to initiate their plan. 

“So, the instructors know what’s about to happen?” Jonathan asked.

Daniel rolled his eyes as he slipped his helmet on. “Yes, yes. I made sure they all know the plan.”

“Alright. Let’s make some chaos,” Zerom said with a chuckle.

The Captain pulled out a remote detonator and flipped off the safety. “Here we go.” 

Daniel pulled the trigger and waited for the pyrotechnics to go off. Seconds passed as nothing happened. Zerom slowly looked at Daniel with a disappointed look. 

“Did you take off the safety?” the Commander asked sarcastically.

“Yeah...” Daniel replied as he inspected the detonator.

Zerom shook his head slowly. “Is it synced to the proper channel?”

“Again, yes.” Daniel replied in frustration.

“Is it turned on?” 

Silence. Daniel pressed a switch on the bottom and looked back to Zerom. “Don’t say anything.”

The Commander just laughed. 

There was a loud explosion behind them as the castle shook slightly. Both men froze and looked at each other.

“Didn’t you say there would only be some flash powder and smoke?” Jonathan asked.

“Uhh... yeah,” Daniel replied with a hint of worry and confusion.

“Aaaaand that sounded like a lot more than just smoke and flash...”

“Yeah...” The Captain answered as both men slowly turned around to see a massive smoke plume rising above the castle. 

“I... I don’t think we did that...” Zerom commented as the plume continued to rise. 

“Ya know what sounds great right now?” Daniel asked as he touched his radio.

“What?” 

“General quarters! General Quarters! All hands, man your battlestations! This is not a drill!” Daniel shouted over his radio as he took off into the castle, Zerom hot on his heels.

Inside the castle, guards were rushing toward the throne room. Sporadic gunfire and shouting echoed through the halls.  Both men ran down the nearest staircase and back into the dining hall. Jonathan quickly broke off and ran back toward the ship, while Daniel ran toward the throne room with the rest of the guards. 

As the Captain entered the throne room, dozens of guards were engaging an even larger force of gryphons. The large oak doors of the castle had been shattered and blown off their hinges. The ODST instinctively drew his sidearm and quickly joined the firing line, taking a spot next to Captain Silverlight behind an overturned table.

“Silverlight! What the fuck is going on!?” Daniel shouted.

“Gryphons blew the door off the hinges and stormed the throne room. The Princess was up in her chambers when they attacked,” Silverlight replied between shots.

“Where the hell were the guards on the ramparts!?” 

“They were at their posts. We suspect they are all dead, though,” the unicorn grumbled.

“Alright.” Daniel said as he brought a hand up to his radio. “Tommy, I need all combat units to the throne room now. Get Dior and her SPARTANs over here with heavy weapons.”

“Aye, sir. Shall I bring ship weapons online?” The AI asked.

“Yeah, lock down the ship afterwards. Keep Luna safe,” Daniel commanded.

“Aye, Captain. All combat personnel are responding.”

Daniel and the solar guards continued to fight against the gryphons. Unfortunately, the gryphons were gaining the upper hand through superior training. Though that balance was soon toppled once the first group of marines and ODST’s stormed the throne room with fully automatic weapons. 

“Lieutenant Klondas, take your group and cut around through the south gardens. We need to push them back into the courtyard!” Captain Ryan shouted over his radio.

The marine nodded and quickly took off with his squad. 

“Captain Ryan!” Daniel turned around to see Commander Dior and her SPARTANs running up from behind. “I hear you need some extra firepower?”

“Why yes. Yes I do. Would you also happen to have a weapon for me? I’m running out of pistol clips,” Daniel replied in a sing song voice.

The SPARTAN reached down and pulled an SMG off of her thigh armor and handed it to the Captain. “Now, where do you need us?”

“I need a few SPARTANs here to help us push these bastards back. I want you and two others to go secure Celestia,” Daniel ordered.

Silverlight ducked back into cover and looked up at the SPARTAN. “Take some of my guardsponies. Your best bet would be to get the Princess to the vaults below the castle.”

“Good call. Make it happen!” Daniel said as he popped over the table and continued to fire at the attackers.

“Trent! Victor! On me!” Dior shouted as she began sprinting back toward Celestia’s tower.

Daniel watched the three SPARTANS, a few guards, and some marines, run off to make sure the solar Princess was safe. To the Captain’s relief, more troops continued to pour into the throne room. Among them, Ahmad and the rest of the ODSTs.

“Ahmad, about damn time,” Daniel chuckled.

“Sorry, Binkley forgot his purse on the ship,” Ahmad said jokingly.

It was at that point that Corporal Binkley stood up, holding a rocket launcher on his shoulder, and fired into the line of the gryphons. The missile screamed out of the tube and blew a considerable sized hole in the floor, killing everyone around it.

“See, aren’t you glad we went back for it?” The ODST retorted. 

Soon though, the tide of gryphons came to an abrupt halt, though gunfire still echoed from outside. 

“Everyone push up! Hold them at the doors!” Daniel shouted and charged forward, followed closely by his fellow ODSTs and marines. 

“You heard him! Move up!” Silverlight echoed, rallying the guards.

The guards followed their Captain and rushed up behind the humans. To their surprise, a second group of marines had successfully flanked the gryphons, giving the rest of the troops time to take up better defensive positions. 

“Captain, we have the Princess. Heading down to the vault now.” Dior reported over the radio.

“Copy that. We’ve got them pushed back to the courtyard,” Daniel replied as he reloaded.

All around him were the bodies of both gryphon and pony. Luckily, a single human had yet to fall. For the next ten minutes, the gryphons were slowly whittled away until they were ultimately pushed back to the courtyard gates. 

“Someone get up there and seal the gates!” Silverlight called out.

“Belay that! Keep fighting, don’t let them escape!” Daniel interjected as he unloaded a few shots into the nearest gryphon. 

Silverlight looked at the ODST with concern as muzzle flashes reflected off his visor. To everyone’s surprise, a loud explosion was heard from behind them. After a few seconds, Daniel’s radio came to life.

“Starfire down, Starfire down, We need medics.” Came the calm, but angry voice of Dior.

“En route,” Daniel replied, “Silverlight! Keep up the fight!”


~~~


Commander Dior led a group of two other SPARTANs, four marines, and five solar guards. Their mission was to move Celestia from her chambers, down to the vaults below the castle. Thankfully, the Princesses chambers were only a short jog from the front lines in the throne room. 

Outside Celestia’s room, were a pair of scared looking solar guards. The SPARTAN ignored them and knocked on the door. 

“Princess Celestia? It’s Commander Dior.”

Celestia slowly opened the door to look at the SPARTAN and her group. “What is the situation, Commander?”

“Not good. Gryphons have stormed the courtyard and neutralized all forces on the ramparts. Marines have joined the guards and are currently pushing them back. We now need to move you to a more secure location,” the SPARTAN reported.

“The vaults, I take it?”

Dior nodded and opened the door further. “Yes, ma’am.”

With that said, the group of soldiers formed a defensive ring around the Princess, with Victor taking the lead. As they moved down the spiral stairs of the tower, the sounds of gunfire and yelling became more distant.

“Sounds like our guys are getting the upper hand,” Trent commented. 

“Stay focused,” Dior barked.

For the next few minutes, the group quickly made their way through the hallways toward the vaults. They only paused at an intersection as the guards checked around the corner. Just as the signal to continue was given, a thunderous boom resonated from the Commander’s left. As if the noise wasn’t enough, something solid impacted her, sending her crashing into a nearby wall. 

As the SPARTAN picked herself up, and shook the ringing out of her ears, she noticed over a dozen gryphons pouring through a smoking hole in the wall. Trent was pushing rubble off of himself, while Victor was busy fighting off three attackers. Two marines lay on the ground next to Celestia, neither of them showed signs of moving. The Princess herself was busy using her magic to fight off the attackers. 

Dior watched in slow motion as Celestia fired a beam of what looked like pure sunlight into a gryphon, vaporizing it in an instant. She then turned and fired on another attacker, vaporizing the gryphon’s upper torso. The Princess then levitated a large piece of stone debris before hurtling it into a nearby gryphon. The predator was unable to react fast enough to avoid the large stone from colliding with his head, killing him instantly.

Unfortunately, her defenders were too scattered by the blast to provide adequate defence. Dior charged forward just as a large gryphon tacked the solar Princess to the ground. Lisa continued to charge forward as the gryphon sunk it’s talons into Celestia’s shoulder and chest, and his beak into her neck. 

Celestia screamed in pain as her attacker bit down, easily biting into her vulnerable neck. Though the attack was short lived as the Princess watched two armored hands grab the upper and lower jaws of her attacker. The gryphon held a look of sheer terror, as Dior slowly began to pry open the avian predator’s jaws with her hands. 

The rest of the soldiers had finally picked themselves up and began to fight back against the ambush. Celestia watched as Dior picked up the gryphon by his jaws and continued to pull. The SPARTANs visor depolarized to reveal an expression of absolute fury. The gryphon began to scream as Dior slowly ripped off his lower jaw. With one last effort, the gryphon’s jaw came off as Dior let out a bloodcurdling war cry. 

The enraged SPARTAN then dropped her prey and promptly crushed his skull under her boot. With her bloodlust satisfied, she turned her attention back to Celestia. Two guards were holding bits of cloth against the wounds on her neck and chest. 

“Did they hit the artery?” Dior asked.

“Y-yeah... she’s losing a lot of blood,” one of the guards stammered.

“Trent. Foam her, now,” the SPARTAN ordered. 

As the EOD specialist did as he was instructed, Lisa brought a hand up to her helmet and spoke.

“Starfire down, Starfire down, We need medics.” Dior stated with deadly calm.

“En route,” came Daniel’s reply.

The SPARTAN looked around angrily for any surviving gryphons. When she didn’t find any, she turned her attention to the two marines laying on the ground. Dior didn’t need to be a medical expert to know that they were both dead. 

Trent had quickly applied a thick ring of biofoam around Celestia’s neck, preventing her from bleeding to death. Even with their quick action, Celestia had already slipped into unconsciousness. A few moments later, Daniel and Ahmad came rushing down the hallway.

“What the fuck happened!?” Daniel asked.

“Ambush. They were waiting for us to come through here. They used an absurd amount of explosives to blow the wall here,” the SPARTAN reported, pointing to the smoking rubble.

“Fatalities?” Daniel asked as he began to tend to Celestia’s wounds.

Lisa looked around at the bodies that littered the floor. “Sixteen hostiles, five friendlies. Two marines.”

“Is she going to be okay?” Ahmad asked as he crouched next to the fallen Princess.

“She’s stable for now, but we need to get her proper medical treatment,” Daniel replied.

“The medical wing isn’t too far from here.” One of the solar guards stated.

“Not happening. This place is no longer secure,” Daniel answered.

“Then where?” the guard asked.

Daniel looked to Victor as he spoke. “We need to get her to the Tuscany.”

Victor nodded as he carefully picked up Celestia, setting her over his shoulders. Ahmad kept pace beside the SPARTAN, supporting the Princesses head.

“Tommy, inform Doctor Tetrow he’s getting an Alpha,” Daniel ordered. “And get the Director on the line.”

“Aye, sir. Mind telling me what’s going on?” the AI asked.

“Not right now, Tommy. Kinda busy.”

The group slowly made their way toward the Tuscany. Unfortunately, gryphons were busy swarming the ship, trying to break in. Daniel laughed slightly as the ship’s turrets made quick work of anyone who got too close. 

To the Captain’s surprise, his radio began to ring. “Go for Ryan.”

“Captain Ryan, your ship said to call you,” Director Burr said.

The gryphons attacking the ship soon turned their attention to the group carrying Celestia. Daniel was the first one to open fire on their attackers as they charged at the group. There were quite a few gryphons who got close enough for the humans to strike out with knives and other melee weapons.

“Yeah, though Tommy’s timing sucks!” Daniel shouted as he continued to fire.

“Uhh... I can call back.”

“No, no. You’re here, you might as well stay.” The Captain quickly reloaded, ramming the empty clip into the eye of the closest gryphon.

“Jesus. The fuck did that guy do to deserve that?” The Director asked with a chuckle.

“You really wanna know? These fucks went and tried to tear out Celestia’s throat.”

“Woah, woah, woah. Is she dead?” Director Burr asked with shock.

“No, Dior’s team managed to stop the bleeding, though she needs immediate treatment. We’re loading her onto the ship for medevac,” Daniel replied.

The Director’s face then appeared on Daniel’s heads up display. “Okay, why did you need to tell me this?”

“Because, there are no secure locations with the medical equipment we need. So we’re coming home.”

The Director’s eyes went wide at the revelation. “Wait, what!? Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Afraid not. Reach is the best place with the medical facilities and security we need.” Daniel said as the ramp to the Tuscany lowered. 

“Surely the castle has the appropriate medical facilities?” The Director countered.

“Mostly, though the entire place is under attack. Plus, I doubt the security of the castle at this point. That also rules out local hospitals, since they are less secure than the castle,” Daniel said as he and the other marines provided covering fire for the SPARTANs.

“What about the deer? From what I have heard, they are quite the technological civilization,” Director Burr asked.

Daniel sighed as he reloaded. “No offence to them, but I doubt their ability to keep her safe. They like tech, but I’m not that confident in their military.”

“The UNSC Hopeful is near Earth. She could be in orbit around Avalon  in two days, one if you meet her halfway,” the Director offered.

“Too long, she needs treatment now. Reach has the closest medical facility that can provide the necessary security.”

There was a pause as the Director rubbed his temples. “Okay fine, I’ll need to clear this with the high brass,” the Director replied.

“Well, if we save Celestia’s life, then Equestria will love us forever. Perfect for diplomatic relations,” Daniel chuckled.

“Look, I’ll make some calls and see what I can do.”

Daniel and the rest of the team quickly made their way through the ship, heading toward the infirmary. “Great. It’s gonna take us a few hours to get there. Think you can get me priority landing?”

“Don’t push it. You’re already putting me in a really shitty position. Just keep her alive long enough for me to get you a solution.” Director Burr said with a scolding glare. “You owe me big time.”

“You got it..” Daniel said as he ended the call. “Alright, you guys reload and head back out there. I want this castle secured by the time I get back.”

“I’ll personally make it happen.” Dior replied aggressively. 

The group quickly got out of the way of the medics and went about their tasks. While the rest of the group made their way off the ship, Daniel rushed up to the bridge.

“Vezina, get us in orbit. Tommy, spin up FTL drive and engage optical cloak,” Daniel began ordering. 

“Destination, Captain?” The AI asked.

“Reach. Go to FTL as soon as we clear the planet.”

“Understood. Bringing systems online,” Tommy replied.

The entire ship roared to life as the engines kicked in, lifting the entire form of the Tuscany off the ground, all while hidden behind its cloaking bubble. The ship’s pilot made a hard right turn and began to ascend to the void of space. As the ship continued to ascend, Daniel made his way toward the crew quarters, looking for the resident alicorn. 

“Daniel, what the hay is going on?” Luna asked, stopping Daniel in the hallway.

“Did you just wake up?” Daniel asked.

“Yeah, alarms started going off and everyone was just running around like the whole world was ending.”

“Well... that’s not entirely inaccurate,” Daniel said nervously. “Gryphons ambushed the castle, killed a lot of the guards and broke into the throne room. Marines are currently pushing them back.”

“Then why are we flying away? Shouldn’t we stay and help!?” the Lunar princess yelled.

“Because... there was an incident... involving your sister.”

Luna’s eyes went wide at the mention of Celestia. “W-what happened?”

“She and her escorts were ambushed. She suffered multiple deep laceration to the neck. Doctors are stabilizing her right now,” Daniel replied, placing a hand on her shoulder. “We’re heading to Reach right now. Director Burr is arranging medical treatment for her once we arrive.”

“I want to see her... now,” Luna demanded.

“As soon as medics have her stabilized, she’s all yours.”

“All hands, stand by for FTL jump.” The ship’s intercom announced.


~~~


For two hours, the Tuscany silently flew through the area between normal space. It took only half an hour for the medical team to stabilize Princess Celestia. Unfortunately, they had to also deal with a hysterical Luna. Daniel and the Director had spent almost the entire flight trying to secure landing permits and medical clearance. Luckily, they were able to secure their permits and clearances before dropping back into normal space. 

Even though Tuscany had emergency clearance, the ship still had to navigate through the dense traffic in Reach’s orbit. There was more than one instance where the ship had to take evasive action to avoid colliding with other ships. 

“Alright, Bring us in for landing. Head straight for the hospital,” Daniel ordered from his chair.

Vezina looked over his shoulder at Daniel. “Straight for the hospital? Aren’t we landing at the starport?”

“Negative.” Daniel shook his head. “Hospital staff are waiting for us.”

The entire ship began to glow as it hurtled through the atmosphere. It was nighttime in New Alexandria, though the city lights were bright enough to be seen from space.. Ahead of them, the lights from the hospital landing pad blinked, signaling the ship to approach. Daniel watched as skyscrapers passed the frigate on all sides. 

As the ship approached the hospital, one issue became apparent; the landing pads were meant for small aircraft, not frigates. The pilot quickly noticed this and turned to Daniel for instructions.

The Captain nodded as he silently acknowledged the problem. “Just get us as close to the pad as possible. Then pull into a hover while we make the transfer.”

“Got it,” the pilot replied as he focused on the landing. 

“Medical, prep patient for transfer,” Daniel called out over the intercom.

“Aye, Captain.”

The Captain quickly got up from his seat and headed to the launch bay. 


~~~


Three agonizing hours later, Luna found herself sitting silently in an empty waiting room. Marines stood at every door, while a pair of SPARTANs stood at the doorway to the recovery rooms. The Princess didn’t notice the strange man enter through the elevator.

He was a bit older Daniel, with well kept salt and pepper facial hair. He wore a long, black overcoat with a grey business suit underneath. He slowly approached the lunar Princess.

“Princess Luna?” the man asked.

Luna looked up at the strange man with an inquisitive gaze. “Yes?”

“Mind if I sit?”

Luna nodded silently as the man removed his coat and sat across from her. “My name is Director Kyle Burr. Perhaps you have heard of me?”

Luna nodded. “Yes, I’ve heard your name quite a bit. Nice to finally meet you.”

“Likewise. I simply wish it were under better circumstances.” The Director paused as he pulled out his datapad and set it on the table. “I’ve spoken with the doctors about your sister. They’re saying she is going to be fine, thanks to the quick thinking of the team on the ground.”

“I know... they told me her throat was slit by a gryphon’s beak... and that she lost a considerable amount of blood,” the lunar Princess mumbled, looking down at the floor tile.

“Then you should also know that the best medical minds in the UNSC are working around the clock to keep her alive,” the Director replied, trying to reassure her.

“Not to be rude, but, why did you want to meet me?” Luna asked with a raised eyebrow.

The Director chuckled. “An opportunity to meet one of the famous Equestrian Princesses is not something I want to pass up.”

Luna recoiled, slightly in shock. “Famous?”

The Director nodded. “Oh yes. Believe it or not, your world is very famous right now. Every night, people go home to watch the news, hoping for more information on planet Avalon. Your world is currently the focus of the galaxy. As the first non-hostile aliens we have ever met, you can imagine people are fairly excited.”

“R-realy?” Luna stammered.

“Indeed. In fact, you’re a bit of a fan favorite. A lot of people have heard your story, Princess. And if there’s anything that humans enjoy, it’s a good underdog story. Falling into despair and madness, being banished by your own sibling, then making a miraculous turnaround before returning to power. And, quite frankly, people love you,” 

“How many?” Luna asked wide eyed.

“A few billion, give or take.”

The Princess sat in stunned silence. Most ponies feared her, some might even hate her, but to hear that billions of humans actually liked her was a bit overwhelming.

“So... humans like that kind of story?” Luna asked, still bewildered at the thought.

The Director nodded. “People like seeing a story where someone makes a tragic mistake, but ends up better for it. It’s a kind of feel-good happy ending type of story.”

“How would my story make people feel good?” Luna countered, not sure how to interpret the Director’s statement.

“Well, believe it or not, your story is a classic theme. The protagonist is living a happy life, then something happens to disrupt that. Then the protagonist tries to fix the problem, only to have it backfire horribly, falling into years of despair. Then, despite everything that had gone wrong, he or she, manages to recover and comes out better than before.” 

“Director... I need to get back to Equestria as soon as possible,” Luna stated.

“Of course,” the Director began, “the Tuscany is departing in two hours. I’m heading there now, if you want a ride.”

“That would be great. It beats sitting around in a waiting room all night.”

With that said, both parties got up and walked to the nearby elevator. The ride up to the landing pad gave Luna a few moments to gaze out through the glass walls of the elevator. Before here was a sprawling metropolis, with towers that seemed to pierce the clouds. She noticed the clock in the elevator displayed “2:14 AM”. Though she could hardly believe it. 

Even at this late hour, the city seemed as busy as Canterlot did on a mid afternoon weekend. All around her, lights flashed on the sides of towers, aircraft sped along unseen arial traffic lanes, and even trains sped between buildings.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” the Director said with a chuckle.

“Is it always this way?” Luna stammered.

Director Burr nodded. “This is a fairly typical night scene. With eleven million people here, it’s bound to have someone awake at every hour.”

Soon the elevator reached the top floor, revealing a waiting Pelican with a pair of ODSTs waiting beside it. The pair made their way across the pad and into the cabin of the waiting aircraft. The ODSTs followed them in, just as the aircraft took off.

“So, where are we going?” Luna asked as the Pelican left the hospital.

“Traxus Tower, Tuscany is there for resupply,” the Director replied 

For ten minutes, the Pelican flew through the city, carefully weaving around massive towers. Occasionally, Luna could swear she heard the faintest sounds of music coming from various buildings. Eventually the Pelican reached it’s destination. Luna was surprised when the Pelican landed at the exact same building she had seen in Andrew’s dream.

Below them, the Tuscany sat in an open cargo bay as crates of equipment were loaded onboard. The ground crews seemed to be struggling with a particularly bulky crate, all while other pieces of equipment were removed by humans in white lab coats. Daniel was standing on a catwalk, observing the work below.

Luna ignited her horn and quickly teleported herself, and the Director, right next to the Captain. The Director blinked and staggered backwards as the flash from the spell faded.

“Next time, warn me when you do that,” the Director said as he rubbed his eyes. Their ODST escorts looked around in sheer confusion as they hurried down the nearest staircase to the catwalks.

Daniel chuckled as he looked over his shoulder. “You get used to it.”

Luna found it hard to look away from the loading effort taking place just below her. All around the ship, people were double checking equipment and loading every imaginable type of supply. From food, to mass driver slugs, to water, everything needed to be taken with them. Then a thought crossed Luna’s mind.

“It’s funny... the more I look at the ship, the less it seems like a starship, and more like a small city,” Luna mused with a chuckle.

“Yeah, that’s a pretty accurate comparison. Starships have to be able to operate like a small town,” Daniel replied.

“Small town? Try telling that to Infinity,” the Director laughed.

“Clearly she didn’t get the memo,” Daniel said sarcastically.

“When you think about it, the ship has it’s own form of government, it’s own utilities, culture, population... everything,” the Princess commented, still impressed with her revelation.

“So if the Tuscany is a small town, what would that make me?” Daniel asked with a grin.

Luna brought a hoof to her chin and tapped it as she thought. “I’d say you would be a Count.”

Daniel thought for a moment and nodded. “The Count of Tuscany, I like it.”

The three continued to watch the ground crews work for another ten minutes. Down below, Doctor Micham gave Daniel a thumbs up, indicating that all their gear had been offloaded. 

“So, ready to head back?” Daniel asked as he turned to look at Luna..

“Yeah... I need to raise the moon before anypony realizes I’m gone,” Luna said with a nod.

“Alright, just head down the catwalk to the port side airlock. I’m just going to oversee the rest of the loading,” Daniel replied with a yawn.

Luna turned to the Director and bowed slightly. “Thank you, Director. For everything you have done for us.”

“It’s been my pleasure, your highness. And don’t worry, we’ll take good care of your sister.”

Luna nodded once more as she teleported onto the ship. The Director sighed as he stood next to Daniel, leaning against the railing.

“I have a meeting with the joint chiefs of the UNSC tomorrow morning. They know Celestia is here, and they want to talk about what our next step is going to be,” the Director began.

“Well, that’s good. Anything in particular you’re going to try and push?” Daniel asked.

“From what you reported over the past few weeks, the subject of a military intervention will be proposed,” Director Burr continued.

Daniel looked at the Director in surprise. “Seriously?”

The Director nodded. “Yeah, though it depends on a few things. The Equestrians or Ecotonians must request our help, we’ll need general public approval, and we’ll need the approval of the head brass.“

“So you need us to hold the gryphons off?” Daniel asked as he watched additional dock crews continue to load cargo onto his ship.

“Basically. Think you can do that?”

The Captain nodded. “Just so long as I can have the Grafton for support.”

Director Burr chuckled. “She’s all yours.”

“Great,” Daniel stated as he watched the dock crew push a rather large crate into the loading bay.

“Any idea what’s in that crate?” The Director asked.

Daniel pulled out his datapad and began to scroll through the cargo manifest. “It’s something for Andrew... something called The Great Equalizer. Looks like a prototype MARK IV Armor Defense System.”

“So a Mantis?”

The Captain nodded. “Yeah, though this one is about fifty percent bigger, experimental armor systems, upgraded weapons, and a whole lot of other things that I can’t describe.”

“Sounds like fun,” the Director commented as the ship’s loading ramp closed. “Looks like they’re ready to fly.”

“Yup. Time for me to head out,” Daniel replied as he made his way toward the airlock.


~~~


It took just over five hours for the Tuscany to reach orbit over Avalon. It was only six in the evening as the ship began the reentry process. Luna sat silently next to Daniel as the ship descended through the atmosphere. As soon as the city of Canterlot came into view, the Princess let out a sigh of relief. 

“Nervous?” Daniel asked.

“Of course. Though, I’m glad we made it back before the sun needed to set,” Luna replied.

Zerom leaned forward to look at Luna. “So... you’re in charge of the sun and moon now?”

The Princess nodded. “As well as the day court, for the time being.”

Slowly, the entire ship extended it’s landing struts as it set down in the same spot in the north gardens. Outside, a number of guards and marines stood, waiting for the loading ramp to lower.

“We’re home,” Daniel announced as the ship lurched upon landing.

As the sound from the engines died down, the loading ramp lowered, allowing fresh cargo to be unloaded. Andrew and Quicksilver were the first to rush up the ramp to begin unloading. All around the landing site, marines sat in small group. With the fighting long over, the troops allowed themselves some time to relax.

Daniel looked up at the castle as he reached the bottom of the ramp. Light plumes of smoke still wafted up from the front and sides. Final reports indicated that over eighty guards had been killed, with another hundred or so wounded. That stood in contrast to the twelve marines killed, and twenty seven wounded.

“Captain?” A nearby marine said.

Daniel turned to face the marine. “Yes?”

“Does al this mean we’re finally going to war with the gryphons?”

The Captain paused as he looked back to the castle. He let out an audible sigh as he spoke. “Yeah... we’re to going war.”






 

> June 29th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//June 29th, 2559
//
//19:37 Local Time

Well... we’re back in Canterlot. The gryphon assault left us with a few things to think on. Mostly, how vulnerable this castle really is. Investigators found out that the guards on the ramparts had all been overrun at the same time, preventing any kind of alarm from being raised. We were eventually able to push the attackers back, though we suffered just over one hundred fatalities, some of which were marines. 

Anyway, the changelings finally made it to Reach, Director Burr says they are adapting well and are generally excited.

Good news. Doctor Optikanner called this morning to tell me that Celestia finally woke up. He said that the Princess was quite confused at first, but was very understanding once everything had been explained. However, due to her injuries, she will not be able to speak properly for some time. Turns out the gryphon that attacked her, also managed to damage her vocal cords. 

Another complication that has arisen from this is that Celestia doesn’t speak english. While we used translation algorithms in our headsets to communicate, Celestia’s only means of communication is writing... and no human on Reach knows how to read equish... so they called in a changeling to translate. 

//End Log

Dozens of camera flashes nearly blinded Luna as she stepped out into the courtyard of the castle. At the base of the steps, nearly a hundred reporters stood with various cameras and other recording devices. The Princess let out a nervous sigh as she approached a podium covered in microphones. Behind her, Daniel and Zerom stood in their formal uniforms, more for moral support and good looks than anything else.

“Good afternoon everypony.” Luna began to speak, “I will be brief. Four days ago, the castle was besieged and nearly overrun by a large force of gryphons. The death toll so far has reached one hundred and sixteen, including twelve humans.”

A number of hooves went into the air as they tried to get the Princesses attention. Luna pointed to a nearby unicorn.

“Do we know of any affiliations the gryphons might have had?” the reporter asked.

Luna nodded as she answered. “We have confirmed that they were elite shock troops from King Varen’s empire.”

The crowd exchanged gasps and whispered comments as her words sank in.

“Is Princess Celestia alright?” another reporter shouted out.

Silence. Luna’s breath caught in her throat as the crowd looked to her for an answer.

“My sister is doing well,” Luna replied. She desperately hoped the reporters would leave it at that. 

“Was she in any danger during the attack?” a unicorn asked.

Luna fought back a sigh as she answered. “ Yes, my sister was caught in an ambush as guards tried to move her to safety. She was badly wounded, but has since gotten treatment and is responding well.”

The crowd erupted, as ponies began shouting their questions. “Where is she getting treatment!?”

“That is classified. Just know she is somewhere safe and away from the conflict,” the Princess replied.

“Does that mean you will be taking over her responsibilities?”

Luna nodded. “Until she has recovered, I will be acting in her stead. Day court will still be held at the normal time.”

Some of the reporters held nervous looks at the mention of her taking over the day court, even if it was only temporary.

“In addition,” Luna said as she tried to mask her irritation, “the guard will begin asking for volunteers to help defend Equestria.”

Numerous ponies began shouting their questions at the lunar Princess. However, one question  was heard above all others.

“Does this mean we are at war with the gryphons?” Once again the crowd fell silent as they looked to Luna.

“It does.”


~~~


Varen stood at a podium in his throne room with a large crowd of journalists seated in front of him. They sat quietly as the king prepared to address them. A number of gryphons held television camera, while others settled for taking photographs. The king raised a hand, signaling he was ready to start.

“Thank you all for coming today. It is with great pleasure, that I can announce that Princess Celestia has been fatally wounded in a daring raid against Canterlot,” the King said with pride. 

“Although,” the King’s tone quickly became somber, “we lost many brave warriors in the attack. However, for every one of our warriors, four of theirs fell! And that, is what I consider a success. Even now, the greatest military minds are plotting a devastating strike against Equestria and Ecotonia!”

The crowd applauded and let out a series of cheers. Varen basked in the crowds admiration for a moment before raising a hand, silencing everyone.

“Just know, we will not stop until both Equestria, and Ecotonia, are ours. No matter what challenges we face, we will be victorious!” With his short address done, Varen left the podium and returned to his private quarters.

King Varen sat in his lavish quarters as he watched Princess Luna address her nation on TV. He frowned at the part where she had said Celestia was alive and well. His own scouts had reported that the solar Princess had been fatally wounded. Either Princess Luna was lying, or something happened to save her sister. Perhaps the humans were involved in some way. If the humans were indeed responsible for saving Celestia, where would they take her for treatment?

The King’s concentration was taken from Luna’s address, as a knock resounded on his door.

“Enter,” the King commanded. 

Two gryphons slowly entered the kings quarters. Varen’s military advisor, General Forden Galerun, and his assistant stopped and bowed to their king.

“Your highness, you asked to see me?” Forden asked.

Varen muted the TV and moved to his desk. “Indeed. Sit.”

Both gryphons took seats opposite Varen.

“I can’t help but wonder at your troop’s failure to kill Celestia. You assured me the attack would be enough to destabilize the Equestrian leadership. Now though,” Varen said as he pointed to the TV, “they seem more rallied than ever.”

“They were not expecting such resistance from the outsiders. There was no way our troops could have known.”

Varen scowled as he pulled out a small tape. “Do you know how these humans fight? Because I do.” The king got up from his desk and put the tape into his TV. “This footage was shot by one of your own scouts. Watch as this one human manages to rip off the jaw off one of your troops.”

The General watched in silent horror as Dior tore off a gryphon’s jaw, before smashing his head under her boot. “I do not want a prolonged war with the humans. What I do want is a plan that can easily, and quickly, remove the human presence, as well as the Equestrians. Think you can do that?” Varen asked.

“Of course, sire. It shall be done,” the General replied.

“Good. The time for intimidation is over. We must move on to more direct methods.”

“Right away. Is there anything else, my King?” General Forden asked.

Varen rubbed his beak as he eyed the General’s assistant. “What is your name?”

The assistant was deep in his own thoughts, though he suddenly looked at Varen. “Hawthorn Irongust, your majesty.”

“Hawthorn... tell me, you seem to have something on your mind,” the King prodded.

“It’s... nothing, sire,” Hawthorne said nervously.

Varen waved a dismissive claw at the nervous assistant. “I will be the judge of that. Now tell me.”

Hawthorn took a deep breath before he spoke. “Well... if we managed to destroy their starships, what’s to stop them from seeking vengeance?”

The gryphon King chuckled at the question. “That is a good question. Once we have weapons capable of destroying their ships, they will learn to keep their distance. Even dumb animals know to not stick their noses where it hurts.”


~~~


Celestia was met with dim light as she cracked her eyes open. The first thing she noticed was that she was on her side, and that she was not in Canterlot. The room she was in was well furnished, a couch sat against the wall opposite the door to her left. A decent sized window gave the Princess a view to a world she did not recognize. Her attention was brought off her surroundings and to her neck as she slowly brought a hoof to rub an itch, only to be met with bandages.  

To her surprise, the door to her room opened slowly as a human in a lab coat walked in with a pad of paper and a pen. He was a slightly elderly man with a clean shaven face. The doctor stood at five eleven and wore a welcoming smile. He also had an earpiece identical to the one that Daniel and his crew wore to communicate.

“Princess Celestia,” the man began in a thick German accent, “my name is Doctor Michael Optikanner.”

Celestia opened her mouth to speak, only to have the Doctor hold up his hand. “Please try not to speak. Your vocal cords have yet to fully heal. If you need to speak, I would request that you write it out.”

The Princess nodded as she tried to levitate the paper and pen, only to find it nearly impossible in her weakened state. Optikanner took note of this and brought it to her, holding the pad while she could focus on lifting the pen with her magic. It took considerable effort, but Celestia finally wrote out her message. With a nod, the Princess indicated that her message was complete.

Michael brought the pad up and sighed with a scowl. Sure, he could understand the spoken equish language, but he could not read it. Celestia noticed his confusion and rolled her eyes, chastising herself for thinking he could read her writing. Suddenly, the doctor perked up.

“That was my mistake. I forgot that we wouldn’t be able to understand your written language. Though I think I know a workaround.” The Doctor pulled out a small electronic device and tapped rapidly on the screen before dropping the device back in his lab coat pocket. “Okay, so we’ll stick with simple questions first. Do you know where you are?”

Celestia shook her head.

“You are on Reach. Specifically, New Alexandria Hospital. Captain Ryan dropped you off four days ago. You were in pretty rough shape when you arrived,” Optikanner said.

Celestia looked out the window at the unfamiliar cityscape and then back to the doctor. She then pointed at her wound with a hoof and looked at Michael. 

“Your wounds?” Celestia nodded. “Severe laceration to the throat and trachea. You lost about thirty five percent of your blood in a matter of seconds. Your voice should be back in a week or two, with full use returning in a few months.”

The Princess nodded in understanding as she gently rubbed the bandages. 

“I would avoid touching the bandages. You don’t want to disrupt the stitches and reopen the wound. We still don’t have that much blood on reserve for you,” the Doctor said. 

This caught Celestia by surprise as she looked to the red drip bag connected to a tube, flowing into her neck. 

Michael looked at the blood bag proudly. “Ah yes, the blood. Well, normally we would access the blood bank and get you a transfusion. Surprise, we don’t have any blood on stock for your species... so we took a small bone marrow sample and grew the blood in a lab.” 

The Princess looked at the Doctor wide eyed, clearly impressed. A knock on the door brought the pair out of their conversation.

“That must be the translator,” Michael stated as he walked to the door and opened it.

Celestia was surprised to see a small changeling enter the room. Though, she caught a glimpse of a single SPARTAN standing outside the door.

“Princess,” Michael announced as the changeling stood next to him, “this is Neume. She will be acting as our translator for the time being. She has been hired by the Office of Naval Intelligence as a translator. As such, she is required to keep everything confidential and within the confines of this room. She will be the main communication link between you and our medical staff.”

The Princess eyed the changeling with a hint of suspicion, but quickly banished her judgment. If the humans thought Neume could be of help, who was she to disagree. Especially when they were the ones keeping her alive. 

“Now,” Optikanner began as he pointed to the remote attached to her bed, “if you need anything at all, just press the yellow button. This button here will turn on the TV on the wall, and these will change the channel.”

Celestia nodded and smiled as both Michael and Neume left her room. Now alone, the Princess began to wonder what was happening in her nation. She instinctively reached for the remote, and searched for a news station. Though it then dawned upon her, there would be almost no word from home. But one headline nearly made her jaw drop.

“ONI Director, Kyle Burr, Speaks on State of Equestria”

The Princess watched as the Director stood at a podium covered in microphones. The rapid clicking of cameras and hushed conversation could be heard as the Director prepared to speak.

“Thank you all for coming. No doubt you most of you have heard about and seen the picture from four days ago,” the Director began as a series of photos went up on a projector next to him.

The first picture was taken from an apartment window overlooking the hospital. Even though it was taken late at night, the Tuscany could clearly be seen hovering over the landing pad. The next picture was of the Director walking across the landing pad to a waiting Pelican. To his left was the silhouetted form of Princess Luna. She blended in well with the dark background, but still stood in contrast to the humans around her.

“Four days ago, the UNSC Tuscany, made an emergency landing at New Alexandria Hospital. Onboard, she had a badly wounded VIP, who needed immediate medical treatment. After speaking with UNSC leadership, I can now confirm that this individual was, in fact, Princess Celestia.”

The crowd let out a bout of hushed murmurs as the Director continued.

“According to Captain Daniel Ryan, the liaison officer in Equestria, there was a sudden, and coordinated attack on the capital of Canterlot. At this time, we don not have exact numbers in regards to casualties, though we are looking at our options.”

A number of hands went up, as reporters clamored to have their question answered. The Director looked around the room before pointing to a man near the front. 

“Director, are any UNSC forces currently in the country? Or is it just the Tuscany?”

“At this time, only the Tuscany is on site. However, we are considering the idea of sending other warships. Though, that will all depend on a number of factors.” Most of what the Director said was true, save for the part on the number of ships on site.

“Sir, just how dire is the situation in Equestria?” Another reporter asked.

Director Burr paused as he thought for a moment. “We have seen a sharp increase in violence coming from the gryphon empire. As you know, a passenger train was also bombed in the capital only a few weeks ago. After a lengthy interrogation, agents were able to determine that the bombers were acting on orders from the gryphon king.”

“If we are on such good terms with the ponies, why haven’t we sent troops to aid them?” A woman asked as she stood up to ask her question.

The room looked to the woman and then to the Director. He was caught off guard by the blunt question. “There are certain procedures that need to be observed. One of the biggest being public approval. I am not willing to send men and women into combat without having the support of those back home.”

“I’d say most of us here are supportive of helping the Equestrians,” the reporter countered. Before the Director could respond, the crowd slowly began to clap, eventually erupting into full on applause. This caught the Director off guard.

“Alright, I’m going to ask everyone watching this to share your opinion. I want to know how many people would support sending troops to fight for Equestria. You can answer this poll by going to our website.”

Celestia sat in her bed in stunned silence. It seemed humanity was more than just willing to send troops to help her ponies. If anything, they seemed shocked as to why they hadn’t already. This gave the Princess renewed hope. She wasn’t blind to her military. It was painfully obvious that even with the UNSC training, they wouldn’t stand a chance against the gryphons. However, if the UNSC sent troops directly, then there would be a chance. 

She continued to watch the press conference as various UNSC officers spoke to the crowd. Though nothing could compare to the speech given by the Director. 


~~~


Daniel, Luna, and Spotlight stood in the armory of the Tuscany with multiple weapons laid out on a table. They ranged from handguns all the way up to rocket launchers. Two cleaning kits and multiple magazines sat on the table.

“Alright, today we’re going to be doing basic weapons training. All crew members on this ship are required to be experts with the basic M6G Magnum. It fires a 12.7mm armor piercing, high explosive round. Both of you will need to master this weapon. That includes being able to maintain it. Every crew member on this ship is capable to stripping this weapon and reassembling it in ninety seconds... blindfolded. You will be able too.”

Daniel picked up one of the weapons and slammed in a clip, before racking the slide back. 

“Not only will you be able to maintain the weapon, but you will also be an expert at using it. Okay?” The Captain asked. Both Luna and Spotlight nodded in acknowledgement. “Great, now let’s talk about gun safety.”

For the next half hour, Daniel instructed both individuals on proper weapon safety, ending with a detailed demonstration of how to operate and disassemble their handguns. With his supervision, they both made their first attempts at disassembling the weapons. Ten minutes later, both weapons sat in pieces. 

“Well, that was a good start. Now, reassemble the weapons and then do it again. Rinse and repeat until you can do it in two minutes. Tommy can help you keep time,” Daniel said with a grin.

“And what about you?” Luna asked.

“Imma go get a snack. Call me when you get it down to two minutes,” with that, the Captain turned and walked out of the armory, leaving the Princess, Spotlight, and the armory chief.

“Well then... we should probably put these back together... I doubt he’s gonna let us move on until we both can do it.” Spotlight said with a nervous chuckle. While he and Luna got along well enough, he was still nervous about being left alone with her. 

While the two of them practiced with their weapons, Daniel walked back to his quarters. He needed to check in with the Director before it got too late in New Alexandria. As he sat down and opened up his computer, he noticed a message waiting for him. Curiously, it was from the Director.

“Call me ASAP,” was all the message read.

After calling the front desk, and getting transferred to a holding line, the Director’s face came up on the screen.

“Hello, Captain,” the Director began.

“Evening, you said to call?”

Director Burr nodded. “Indeed. Two things, though. First, we held a press conference about the state of Equestria today. People were shocked to hear of the developing conflict.”

“I bet they were,” Daniel chuckled.

“That’s not even the surprising part. The surprise came when I was asked repeatedly, why we haven’t sent troops to support our allies in the region.”

Daniel blinked dumbly at this. “I’m sorry, are you telling me that people want the UNSC to intervene?”

“Yes I am. We even ran a poll on our web page, asking people if they think we should involve ourselves in the conflict. The results have been staggering. In the first day, eighty six percent in favor of direct intervention, nine percent against, and five percent unsure,” the Director replied proudly.

“Okay, but one web poll does not equal support for armed conflict,” the Captain countered.

“I know. Planetary leaders will be asked to vote on a war proposal at the end of this week. As long as more than sixty five percent vote in favor, then you will be seeing us soon,” Director Burr said with a smile.

Daniel let out a sigh of relief and a chuckle. “Glad to hear it. Intelligence here has indicated that the gryphons are going to move against Ecotonia soon. I’ve sent the Grafton to back them up.”

“Good. Do what you have to,” replied the Director.

“So... what’s the second thing you wanted to talk about?”

Director Burr leaned back in his chair and smiled. “Ah yes, I have new about Princess Celestia.”

“Oh?” Daniel asked with a raised eyebrow.

“She woke up this morning. A bit confused, but that was to be expected. Though, there was a bit of oversight on our part.”

“What kind of oversight?” Captain Ryan asked suspiciously. 

The Director chuckled as he spoke. “Well, thanks to the language algorithm, you provided, we have been able to speak with the races of Equestria. Though, this proves to be an obstacle when speech is not an option. Since Celestia is currently unable to speak, the only means of communication is through writing. See the problem yet?”  

Daniel rubbed the bridge of his nose as he sighed. “No one can read their writing.”

“Right, and we can’t spend the time to run every message through an AI for translating. So, we hired a changeling to act as a translator,” the Director said proudly.

“Ah ha! I told you they would be useful,” Daniel cheered as he threw his hands into the air.

“I didn’t doubt your judgment. I’m simply reaffirming that you were right about them. We have them temporarily settled here at the Olympic Tower. So far they seem to be quite happy with their new surroundings. Anyway,” Director Burr said as he got back on topic, “we can address that issue later. You can let Princess Luna know that her sister has woken up and is doing well.”

The Captain nodded. “Will do. And since we are on the topic of language, I have an idea.”

Director Burr looked at Daniel with an inquisitive glance. “Do tell.”

“I know a certain pony who, from what I have been told, would jump at the opportunity to teach new ideas to others. I’m sure I could talk to her and see if she would be willing to teach the equish language to a few ONI agents,” Daniel mused as he wrote down a few notes. 

“That would be fantastic. See what you can do,” the Director replied.

“So... anything else?”

The Director shook his head. “That about takes care of it.”

“Great,” Daniel replied, “then I’m going to go check on my students. Spotlight and Luna are running through weapon drills.”

“Then I’ll let you get back to work. I’ll forward you the medical file for Princess Celestia in a few minutes,” Director Burr said.

“Sounds good. I’ll talk to you later.” With that, the Captain ended the call. His datapad beeped as Celestia’s file was downloaded. With a few taps, Daniel began to review her file. 


~~~


About an two hours later, Daniel returned to the armory with a sandwich and a drink. He sat down next to Chief Carlson and tore off a bit of the sandwich, offering it to the Chief. Carlson silently nodded his thanks as he took the piece. Both men watched in silence as a blindfolded Luna and Spotlight continued to go through weapon drills. 

“How have they been doing?” Daniel quietly asked the armory Chief.

Carlson took a bite of the sandwich bit before whispering. “They’ve been at it nonstop for two hours. Though it shows, they’ve got it down to about a minute and a half.”

“Huh... fast learners,” Daniel quietly chuckled. 

“I’ll say.”

After another ten minutes, the pair slammed their weapons on the table as they finished. A buzzer sounded, and Tommy appears on a nearby display pad.

“Time: fifty nine point seven seconds!” The AI shouted as he threw two handfuls of holographic confetti into the air around him.

Luna raised the blindfold just in time to see Tommy throw the confetti. She chuckled as she helped Spotlight with his own blindfold. 

“So... we done good?” Spotlight asked with a goofy smile.

“Yeah, ya done good,” Daniel replied as he stood up.

Luna rubbed her stomach as a loud grumble emanated from it. “He heh, c’mon Spotlight, let’s go get some lunch.”

“Before you go,” Daniel said as he got up and pulled a datapad from inside his jacket, “take this. You’ll want to read the update on your sister, as well as the Director’s press conference.”


~~~


Zerom was enjoying a nice walk through the castle. It was a quiet day around the castle. Carpenters and stonemasons were busily working on the remaining damaged areas after the attack. The Commander stopped in the throne room and quietly looked around. There were more guards in the room than before, a heightened security measure.

Though the silence was broken as a beige unicorn stallion walked in, followed closely by a guard escort. The unicorn looked panicked as he glanced at the empty throne.

“Is the Princess available?” the unicorn asked his escort.

“Not at this time, but perhaps I can help you,” the Commander replied as he walked over to the unicorn.

“Oh thank harmony.” The unicorn said as he reached into his saddle bags and pulled out a plain envelope. “This morning, the mailmare left this in my mailbox by accident. I didn’t know it wasn’t for me until I read the letter.”

Zerom reached forward and took the letter from the unicorn, and began to read it. His eyes went wide as he continued to read, eventually folding it up and tucking it into his jacket. 

“And you received it this morning?”

The unicorn nodded. “Yes, though I brought it here as soon as I realized what it said.”

“You did the right thing,” Commander Zerom said. “I’ll make sure the Princess and Captain Ryan see this.”

The unicorn nodded and left the throne room with his guard escort. The commander watched the unicorn leave before turning around and heading off to find the Captain. The guards he passed looked at him with a hint of concern, but mostly maintained their composure.

it didn’t take long for the Commander to find Daniel. He was in his quarters, looking over intelligence reports from Ecotonia. A large force of gryphons had been reported near the deer’s border, posing a serious threat. Because of this, Daniel had sent the Grafton as a show of force. if he could delay the start of open warfare, then he might just be able to buy time for the UNSC to send troops and materials.

“Captain, we might have a developing situation.” Zerom called out as he knocked on the closed door.

There was a slight pause before the door slid open. “What is it, Commander?”

“This showed up today in some unicorn’s mailbox. He brought it to us as soon as it arrived,” Zerom said as he handed over the letter. 

The Captain took a few moments to quickly read it over. He slowly shook his head as he tossed the letter onto his desk. “We need to confirm this threat before we act. This could be a diversion to draw our attention away from a different target. Have a surveillance drone in the airspace over Manehattan, I want to see any attack coming from miles away.”

“Aye, sir,” Zerom replied as he took off down the passageway.

Daniel looked back to the letter and frowned. If what the letter said was true, then he could be witnessing the first major military offensive from the gryphon army. With a sigh, he stood up and grabbed the letter before heading toward the galley where Luna and Spotlight were having lunch.

The Captain passed numerous crew members on his way to the galley. Sure enough, Luna and Spotlight were still inside, enjoying lunch.

“Luna,” the Captain began as he took a seat at their table, “we might have a serious situation.”

The Princess looked at Daniel as he set the letter on the table and slid it toward her. She picked it up and quickly began to read it. Though her expression quickly dropped as she continued to read, eventually setting it back down on the table, staring at it blankly. 

“Do you think this threat is credible?” She asked quietly.

“We’re not sure yet. We are sending a recon drone out to the Manehattan region. It will give us an early warning if the gryphons do decide to attack. However, I do think it will be an opportune target, seeing as it is the largest city near the border. The seaport there will also make it a high value target. That being said, it would also make for a great distraction,” Daniel commented.

“So, we should be ready for either possibility,” Spotlight replied. 

“Right. Though we really need to know when, and where they will strike. That’s why we are sending out the drone.”

“I want to know immediately if it finds anything. Manehattan has a population of eight hundred thousand, if we needed to evacuate the city, it would take time. Time which, if the city was under siege, we might not have,” Luna stated grimly.

Daniel nodded as he stood up. “I agree. I’ll see what I can do about drafting an evacuation plan by tomorrow morning.”    

Daniel sighed as he plodded back to his quarters. This was it, the war was getting under way. It seemed as though his plan to stall the war from getting started had failed. The gryphons were moving fast and aggressively. If they took Manehattan, then they would have access to a sea port, allowing them easy access to land additional troops. No matter what, the city could not be allowed to fall.  
	

> July 2nd, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//July 2nd, 2559
//
//22:58 Local Time

I’ll be brief. The gryphons made their move against the city of Manehattan two days ago. The city garrison has been doing a fantastic job at keeping the attackers at bay until the civilians could be evacuated. Now though, the gryphons are attacking with renewed vigor. 

In a city of eight hundred thousand, only seventy five thousand remain. A number of guards from Canterlot have been dispatched to bolster the defences around the city. However, I doubt they will be able to hold the city for more than another two days. Even if I were to send marines, there are so few of us that it would make very little difference. 

I now have a quick meeting with Luna and a few others on how we can evacuate the remaining civilians.

//End Log

It was midday as Luna stood around a large map of Manehattan, looking at the sections of the city marked in red. Joining her were both guard Captains, as well as Daniel and Jonathan. About a quarter of the city was outlined in a thick red line, showing where the gryphons had seized control. In the past two days, the gryphons had taken control of the sea port, allowing them to land large numbers of troops in the heart of the city. 

“Alright, we’re in day three of this siege. What’s changed?” Luna asked.

“Local garrison is reporting a massive influx of gryphons troops. Multiple ferries have been sunk and a number of airships have been shot down. We’re running out of ways to transport civilians,” Silverlight reported.

Daniel then pointed out the two rail lines leaving the city. “Both rail lines have been destroyed, making it impossible for trains to make  it into the city.”

Luna scowled at all this information. “What about the roads?”

Jonathan sighed. “They are still in tact. However, some civilians have tried making it out in small convoys. These land groups never make it far. They are easy prey for the gryphons patrolling outside the city.”

The group stared at the map as they tried to come up with ways of evacuating the remaining civilians. Daniel sighed and rubbed his eyes as he stared at the map. 

“We sent a relief force to the city a few days ago, right?” Captain Ryan asked.

Nightshade nodded. “Yeah. They left yesterday via train.”

“Do we know if they reached the city?” the Princess asked.

“We haven’t heard anything, your highness. Though that could be because of broken communication lines,” the thestral guard replied.

“Perhaps,” Luna said as she looked to the humans. “Is your drone still in the air over the city?”

Daniel nodded. “Yeah, we can keep it in the air for another three days.”

“Can you check the footage from it and see if the guards ever made it to the city?” the Princess asked.

“Of course.”

“Good. Now, what are our options for evacuating the remaining ponies in the city?” Luna inquired.

“Well... we still control the airship aerodrome. We could use airships to shuttle ponies out if we could provide them cover,” Silverlight offered.

“How many can you fit on a single airship?” Daniel asked.

“Depends. Though on average, about two hundred,” the guard Captain replied nervously.

“That’s... one sec,” Daniel pulled out his datapad and did some quick calculations. “Do you have four hundred airships just sitting around? Because that’s how many you would need to evacuate everyone.”

The solar guard Captain looked back at the map as he tried to think of another plan.

“What if we try moving ponies in larger land convoys. Perhaps the larger numbers will give them a better chance,” Nightshade suggested.

“Or they could just become even bigger targets,” Jonathan countered.

Once again the room became silent. Though that silence was broken as the doors opened, allowing Andrew to quietly make his way to the table. 

“Sorry I’m late.” The engineer apologized as he took a spot next to Daniel. “So... evacuation.”

“Right. Can you think of a way to evacuate seventy five thousand ponies?” Daniel asked.

Andrew tapped his chin for a few moments as he gazed at the map. With a snap of his fingers, he turned to Daniel. “Why not use heavy transports? You know, the ones we used back on Reach.”

“But, those only carry around five thousand,” the Captain replied.

“So it would take a few days. Is that a problem?”

“Yeah. We have thirty hours... at best, before the city is overrun,” Jonathan stated.

Andrew sighed as he looked back to the map. “How crazy of a plan are you willing to accept?”

“At this point, it doesn’t matter. Give me the craziest idea you have,” Luna answered as she stared at Andrew.

“Okay... star liners,” Andrew said with a grin.

“Star liners?” Luna asked.

Daniel sighed. “Basically a cruise ship in space. They’re huge. Most can carry some ridiculous amount of people. Like... twenty thousand.”

Luna’s eyes went wide as she stammered for words. “Why don’t we use those?”

“Because the UNSC doesn’t operate any. They are strictly civilian craft. Plus, getting even one of them would be next to impossible on such short notice,” Jonathan replied.

“Uhh, hello? This guy right here builds them.” Andrew said as he pointed to himself. Everyone then turned to Andrew. “I... may have gotten a work order to build a pair for Virgin Galactic. They were supposed to be delivered in two weeks.”

“So you’re telling me you just happen to have two cruise ships laying around?” Daniel asked with a chuckle.

“Well... yeah. Pretty much. Though I would need to call Virgin and ask if they would be okay with letting us use them,” Andrew replied as he pulled out a small device.

“Are you calling them right now?” Jonathan asked in surprise.

Andrew nodded as he pressed a button on the phone and set it on the table.

“Hello?” A voice asked from the phone.

“Hey, Greg, it’s Andrew.”

“Andrew! How are you?” Greg asked.

The engineer chuckled. “Oh, I’m doing okay. Though, something big has come up, and I really need your help.”

“I see. What’s up?”

“Well... have you heard of planet Avalon?” Andrew replied.

Greg laughed at the question. “Who hasn’t?” 

“Right... so I’m actually on Avalon right now,” Andrew bluntly stated.

“Really? Dude... how did you manage to swing that?”

“Long story... not really... but that’s beside the point. I’m here with Princess Luna and Captain Daniel Ryan... and we need your help,” Andrew answered.

There was a pause on the other side of the phone. “You’re kidding... right?”

“I’m afraid not, Mister Greg,” Luna replied.

Another long pause followed as Greg processed what had just been said. “Okay... what’s going on?”

“We need to evacuate seventy five thousand civilians from a city under siege. We’re under a really tight timeline and need this to happen in hours,” Daniel replied.

“Seventy five thousand in a few hours!? That’s... insane...” Greg said with a hint of worry.

“Greg, if you help us with this, I’ll provide free maintenance and repair to your cruise ship fleet for the next five years,” Andrew quickly offered.

“Plus you’ll be saving tens of thousands of ponies,” Luna added on.

“Alright... alright. Send me the location and I’ll have the ships in FTL in two hours. Andrew, you can go ahead and use the two at your facility. I’ll call once they are in orbit,” Greg said as he tried to hide his excitement.

“Greg, you’re a lifesaver,” Andrew said as he picked up his phone.

“I know. Say, any chance of me getting to meet Princess Luna?” Greg asked with hope.

“Oh, believe me. If this works, I’m going to want to meet the man responsible for making it happen,” the lunar Princess replied.

“Now, Mr. Branson, I need to ask you to keep this secret. No one can know outside of yourself and the crews operating the ships. Deal?” Daniel asked in a serious tone.

“Sounds good. See you all soon,” came Branson’s reply. 

Andrew returned his phone to his pocket as he looked at the faces around the table. “So... good plan?” 

“It’s crazy... but it’s our best hope for success,” Daniel replied. “Now all I gotta do is talk to the Director about this.”


~~~


Greg Branson leaned forward as he stood over his desk. His mind was still reeling from the conversation he had just had with the CEO of Traxus Industrial. He needed to get four entire cruise ship crews ready to fly in only two hours. Impossible? Not for the great-great-great-great-great-great grandson of Sir Richard Branson, the man who started Virgin Galactic back in the early twenty first century. 

With a sense of renewed vigor, Greg reached for his office intercom. 

“Sebastian, get me the four best cruise ship Captains in my office. I don’t care what you have to do. Also, put out an emergency alert to their crews, have them ready to go in an hour,” Branson ordered.

“Right away, Mr Branson,” came the reply over the intercom.

Greg turned around and sighed as he looked out the window of his office. Before him stood the starport of New Mombasa, located in South Africa. Just beyond the starport sat the massive crater left by the Covenant. A stark reminder of their search for the Ark, as well as what they had done to the city. 

“Mister Branson, the Captains you requested are on their way. They should be here soon. I have also put out the alert to their crews,” Sebastian announced.  

“Fantastic. Alert the ground crews to prepare two cruise ships. Do whatever it takes to have them ready to fly in two hours,” Greg replied.

For the next twenty minutes, Greg researched and read every bit of information available on planet Avalon. Unfortunately, the UNSC was being very tight-lipped on any information not given out in official press releases. The most recent bits of information did state that there was a large conflict brewing on the planet, though the severity of which was not yet clear. Now though, it seemed Greg would get a front row seat to whatever happened.

“Sir? The Captains are here.”

Greg relaxed and let out a sigh. “Thank you, Sebastian. Send them in.”

The door to his office swung open as his four best cruise ship Captains entered. “Is everything alright, sir?”

“For now. Please, have a seat,” Greg said as he motioned for the group to sit. “Now, I understand that this might seem a bit strange, calling you all in on such short notice, but it is important. What I am about to tell you is top secret. Not in regards to company secrets... but to the UNSC as a whole. Understand?”

The Captains nervously looked at eachother before nodding. “Of course, sir.”

“Thirty minutes ago, I received  a call from Andrew Traxus and an ONI officer. They need our help in evacuating seventy five thousand civilians from an active war zone. The trick is, they only have a day to evacuate everyone. They called us first, so we will be heading out in two hours. Your ships are being prepared, and your crews are on their way,” Greg announced as he leaned back in his chair.

“Where are we going, exactly?” one of the Captains asked.

Greg smiled as he spoke. “You are all going to Avalon.”

The room went silent as the others tried to figure out what had just been said.

“Sir... did you just say... Avalon? Like... Equestria?”

“Indeed. I take it you are all aware of the developing situation in Equestria?” Everyone nodded. “Well, it’s more dire than anyone thought. So... if there is anyone here who does not feel that they are capable of doing this, now is your only chance out. It will be dangerous, so I understand if any of you don’t wish to undertake this assignment.”

For a few seconds, no one said or moved. Greg smiled when none of the Captains moved. “Fantastic. Well then, ladies and gentlemen, if there are no questions...”

“Sir, will we be getting UNSC assistance once we arrive? I can’t imagine having four massive star liners just sitting out in the open in an active war zone,” a female Captain asked with concern.

“As soon as you arrive, contact the UNSC Tuscany. She will provide further instructions and inform you of the finer details of their plan. Though, I can assume they will do everything to keep you safe,” Branson answered.

With that said, the Captains got up and went off to their respective ships. Greg then picked up his desk phone and dialed Andrew’s phone number. 

“Andrew, the ships will be leaving in an hour. I’ll have them call you once they reach orbit,” Greg announced.

“That’s great, have them call Captain Ryan when they arrive. He’ll give them further instructions,” came Andrew’s reply. 

“I’ll pass that along. Have things developed any further?”

“It’s slowly getting worse.” Andrew announced with worry in his voice. “Attackers have captured a third of the city and are putting a lot of strain on the defenders.”

“The star liners should be in orbit in about six to seven hours,” Greg replied. 

“Sounds good,” Andrew said followed by a defeated sigh.

“Everything okay with you?”

“Yeah... a few good friends are in that city right now. She and a few others volunteered to help evacuate the city. Though I haven’t heard from any of them in a few days,” Andrew responded.

“I’m sure they’re okay. Let’s just focus on one thing at a time, she’ll probably turn up afterwards.” Greg said, trying to comfort his friend.


~~~


Daniel sighed as he leaned back in his chair. He had just finished informing the Director of their plan. He was not happy about it, but understood how desperate the situation was. While he had the reluctant approval of ONI for this operation, one issue still loomed. Where would the refugees go?

Sure, the refugees could go to any of the other major cities, though that would put a lot of strain on the city’s infrastructure. The refugees could also be broken up and sent to many cities, allowing the strain on cities to be mitigated, but at the cost of possibly breaking up families. It was then that a thought crossed Daniel’s mind. What if the star liners became the refugee camps?

They already had the necessary infrastructure, they were away from the fighting, and could make it easier to keep families together. It was an idea that he would need to talk to Greg Branson about when the ships arrived. His train of thought as a knock resounded on his door.

“Enter,” the Captain commanded.

The door slid open as Jonathan poked his head in. “We’ve got a bit of a situation.”

“Something new happening in Manehattan?”

Jonathan shook his head. “No. A lone airship has been spotted to the north. Tommy thinks it’s a gryphon airship that got blown off course by a strong storm.”

“Can we confirm the presence of a storm in the northern region?” Daniel asked with a raised brow.

“Yes, sir. What do you want to do about the airship, if anything?”

“Alert Luna, but arm one of our archer missile pods. Also, send a drone into the area to keep an eye on them,” Daniel ordered as he stood up and grabbed his jacket. 


~~~


The sun was setting as Hawthorne looked over the railing of the airship he was on. He knew they had been blown off course by the storm, though the Captain assured everyone on board that they would not be delayed. This made Hawthorne relax a bit. He carried important documents from King Varen himself to one of the largest fortresses on the Equestrian border, orders that could not be delayed. 

The young gryphon sighed as he rested his head on the railing, letting the sound of wind force him into a relaxed state. Though, as he looked to the sky, something small caught his attention. A small black figure seemed to be following the airship. It didn’t look like any kind of bird, nor any other kind of winged creature. 

For the next ten minutes, the object seemed to continue to follow them without slowing down. This began to worry the young courrier. Not wanting to let his paranoia overwhelm him, he strode down into the bowels of the ship, heading to his room. Once inside, removed the satchel and set it on the nearby bed. Varen had instructed him to never leave the bag unattended. With a sigh, Hawthorne sat down at a small desk, but could not keep himself from staring out the small window in his room.

Sure enough, the small black shape was still following. Standing up, Hawthorne walked over to the window and looked to the ground. They were flying along side a large snow covered mountain range, while below them opened into a vast, snow covered valley. As the young gryphon sat back down on the edge of his bed as he gripped his satchel. In his claws were the words and supreme orders from his king. 

With a thunderous boom and a violent shake, Hawthorne was thrown from his bed and onto the floor. He could feel the ship begin to rapidly descend as more explosions echoed throughout the ship. He could hear wood and iron splintering and cracking as other gryphons cried out in pain. Hawthorne carefully picked himself up and glanced out the window. 

All around his window, flames licked up the side of the hull as the entire airship quickly fell from the sky. He watched in horror as the entire bow section of the ship broke off, and fell to the valley below, leaving a massive flaming wreck. Hawthorne could see the ground rapidly approaching, causing him to panic.

He needed to get off the ship before it hit the ground. With a surge of adrenaline, Hawthorne picked up his bag and rushed out the door. The inside of the hallway was filled with smoke, flames, and debris. This left him with only one way to go. Turning on his heels, the young courrier dashed toward the stern of the crashing airship as he listened to the screams of dying gryphons. As he reached the rear end of the ship, he spotted the door to the engine room and quickly threw it open.

Inside, most of the machinery was on fire or left in heaps of twisted metal. Though a single door to his right caught his attention. With desperation filling his mind, Hawthorn put on a burst of speed and jumped over a fallen boiler, using his wings to glide over the obstruction. Putting all his strength into it, the courier threw the door open and quickly leapt from the burning airship.

the one thing he didn’t notice was the altitude of the crashing airship. As he jumped out, he noticed he was only about sixty feet from the ground. Not having enough time to gain altitude, Hawthorne folded his wings in and braced himself as he crashed into the deep snow on the valley floor.


~~~


Daniel chuckled as he watched all five archer missiles impact the airship from above. The drone feed showed large chunks of the ship falling away, as the entire craft quickly began to fall. While the missiles hadn’t exploded on contact with the balloon, they had instead gone through and left gaping holes before slamming into the deck. 

As the air in the balloon rushed out, the ship began to pitch forward as the hull cracked in half, allowing the bow to fall away in a flaming wreck. Luna gasped as she watched the ship break apart in mid air. Though as the scene unfolded, the drone’s focus switched to the rear of the ship as a small object flew out just seconds before the hull shattered and exploded on the valley floor.

“Did you see that?” Luna asked.

“Yeah... switch to thermal view,” Daniel replied.

The drone’s video feed quickly switched to the familiar black and white infrared. Against the snow, it was easy to identify heat sources. The largest, of course, being the burning wreck. Though there was one heat source that seemed to be slowly moving. 

“Lone survivor?” Jonathan asked.

“Possibly, or it could be a piece of debris,” the Captain countered.

As if on cue, the unknown heat signature began to move slowly toward the wreck.

“I’m gonna have to go with survivor,” the Commander said with a chuckle.

Daniel rolled his eyes as he reached for the ship’s intercom. “Commander Dior, please report to the bridge.”

Luna stared at the display for a few moments before it switched back from thermal view. Zoomed in on the screen, was the unmistakable form of a lone gryphon. He looked to be in pain as he scoured over the crash site. 

“What is he doing?” the lunar Princess asked.

Daniel looked back to the screen and watched the gryphon dig through the wreckage, eventually pulling out what looked like a white bedsheet. The gryphon then produced a long piece of wood and tied the sheet to one end of the plank, making a large white flag. He then looked to the drone overhead and began waving his flag.

“Now... is it just me, or is that gryphon waving a giant white flag?” Commander Dior asked from the doorway.

“Ah, Commander, I want you to take some SPARTANs and go pick this guy up. It’s a twenty minute flight north by Pelican.” The SPARTAN saluted and quickly walked away. Daniel then turned back to the screen and chuckled. “I wanna know why this guy isn’t trying to flee the crash site.”


~~~


Hawthorne’s breath was labored and pained as he waved his makeshift flag. He hoped the figure above him could somehow alert someone that he needed help. Though after waving the flag for five minutes straight, and seeing no change in the figure, he dropped the flag and sat next to a piece of burning wreckage in an attempt to keep warm. 

For the next twenty five minutes, Hawthorne sighed as his mind ran through the worst case scenarios. There were a few major possibilities. He could become hypothermic, and die. He could suffer from unseen internal injuries, and die. He could be preyed upon by the multitude of savage creatures that inhabit the north lands, and die. Or something completely unseen could drop from the sky, from which, he would probably die. the gryphon noticed a theme with his train of thought.

However, his eyes widened as a dull roar soon filled the valley. He slowly turned around to see a large metal aircraft land only a few meters away. His heart skipped a beat as four large humans slowly stepped out, each one pointing a different weapon at him. He recognized one of them from the video the King had showed him from the attack. The one in light blue armor who had ripped a warrior’s jaw off kept a small weapon in one hand and a set of manacles in the other. 

Not wanting to provoke the humans, he slowly brought his front claws up, keeping them above his head. The humans paused as he brought his hands up, but began slowly moving toward him once he had stopped. The SPARTANs eventually surrounded him while keeping their weapons trained on him.

Dior then threw the manacles at his feet. “Put them on.”

Hawthorne looked at the steel manacles and carefully picked them up before securing both his front claws in them. 

“You fly, you die. Got it?” the light blue SPARTAN asked in a more demanding fasion.

Hawthorne nodded silently as he trembled in fear. He could almost feel the smirk on her face as she turned around and walked back toward the waiting aircraft. The SPARTAN behind him gave him a forceful shove to get him walking. 


~~~


The city of Manehattan was in absolute chaos. The local garrison of guards were doing their best at keeping the attacking gryphons at bay, all while seventy five thousand ponies waited eagerly for a way out of the city. Unfortunately, the sea port had been seized by the attackers and was now being used to ferry in additional troops and supplies, the rail lines leading in and out of the city had also been bombed, and roads were too dangerous to travel. This left the aerodrome as the only possible means of escape. To make matters more difficult, it was a very cloudy and smokey day, making it harder for aircraft to navigate. Though, this didn’t dissuade six Equestrian airships from holding position overhead, protecting the crowd below. 

Word had spread quickly over the past day for every civilian to pack a single bag per pony and to assemble at the aerodrome. Though nopony knew how they would be evacuated. To make matters worse, the fighting was getting closer to the city center, threatening to make the airspace quite dangerous. 

There were rumors spreading among the civilians that a fleet of airships would be arriving that day to pick them all up. Though, nopony could be certain of anything. The lack of information was making a lot of ponies very nervous, the sounds of warfare drawing closer was doing nothing to make anypony feel better. A dull hum slowly began to fill the air, causing some ponies to look around in confusion.

As seconds ticked by, the hum turned into a distant roar. Eventually, the ponies on the ground could not only hear the roar, but they could also feel it. All conversation stopped as the ponies around the aerodrome held their breath. 

Everything continued to vibrate as four gargantuan starships slowly descended from the cloud cover. Any gasps from the crowd were drowned out by the roar of each ship’s six massive engines. Slowly but surely, the first star liner pulled up to the aerodrome tower. While normally used to dock airships, the cruise ship had very little trouble sidling up to the tower. 

As the ship made it into position, three gantry arms swung out, connecting walkways to entrances in the ship’s hull. The other three ships hovered patiently while they waited for their turn to load. The airships then moved into a protective stance above the star liners, making sure any gryphons would be dissuaded from attacking the ships.

“Everypony, listen up!” A unicorn guard with a megaphone shouted. “All ponies with a number one on their card, please move into the aerodrome and up to the boarding area. Once on board, please follow the instructions of the ship’s staff. This will help us get through the loading process quickly.”

A series of murmurs echoed through the crowd as ponies began moving into the building. As the first group of ponies began boarding, a second ship moved into position on the opposite side of the tower. While the ships began loading, the sounds of fighting only grew in intensity.

“Please! Keep moving!” guards shouted, trying to move the crowd along. 

Clover and his sister, Lavender Bloom, nervously moved along with the massive crowd of ponies. They had lost sight of their parents and were surrounded by strange ponies. They had no tickets, and were very frightened. The two young ponies continued to move forward in the middle of the crowd, despite not knowing the fate of their parents. 

“Every pony, keep moving! Keep moving!” A guard commanded at the base of one of the walkways leading to the ship.

Clover gulped audibly as he looked up at the massive star ship. It was larger than anything he had ever seen, or even dreamed of. Many ponies found themselves pausing before going across the walkway, staring at the sar liner before them. Lavender made sure to stick close to her brother as they made their way toward the open door of the massive ship. 

Inside the ship, nearly two dozen marines ushered ponies forward, directing them deeper into the ship. Gathering his strength, Clover guided his sister toward the nearest marine. The young colt tapped the marine on the leg as he looked up to him.

“E-e-excuse me?” Clover asked, his knees trembling in nervousness.

The marine looked down at the small colt and filly and slowly knelt down. “How can I help you?”

“Well... we don’t know where our parents are...” Clover answered.

“Do you have your tickets?” Clover shook his head. “Do you know which ship your parents were supposed to be on?” Again, Clover shook his head. “Alright, what are your names?”

“M-my name is Clover, and this is my sister Lavender Bloom.” Clover replied as the marine wrote down their manes.

“Great, my name is Jordan. What are your parent’s names?” the marine asked as ponies continued to file in.

“My mom is Golden Thread, and my dad is Spruce Meadow,” the young colt responded.

“Alright,” Jordan said as he looked to another marine. “Lieutenant, I’m going to take these kids to the auditorium. Okay?”

“They lost?” the Lieutenant asked.

“Yes, sir,” Jordan replied. 

“Alright. I’m going to send any other wayward kids to you. I doubt those two will be the only ones,” the marine officer said with a sigh.

Clover and Lavender followed the marine through the ship. As soon as the ponies got on the ship, they were moved to a waiting area until they could be processed and then sent to the auditorium for an orientation. Jordan led the two kids through the crowd of ponies and into the massive auditorium. The three continued walking along the wall until they reached the front row.

“Have a seat,” Jordan said, motioning to a pair of seats. Clover and Lavender jumped up onto the plush auditorium seats.

“What’s going to happen now?” Lavender asked as she looked at Jordan.

The marine cleared his throat before he answered. “Well, the ship is going to take off soon. Then once we reach orbit, the Captain is going to come down and talk to everyone.”

“When will we be able to find our parents?” Clover asked with teary eyes.

“Probably tonight. Once all the ships are in orbit, we will be able to start reuniting ponies with their families,” Jordan replied. Clover nodded as he wiped away a single tear. 

Back outside, most ponies were becoming increasingly anxious as the sounds of artillery only grew in frequency and intensity. Slowly, the fighting was making it’s way to the star ships. However, after an agonizing  hope was renewed as the engines of the first star liner flared to life. All eyes watched the massive ship pull away from the loading tower and off into the sky. After only a few seconds, the entire ship disappeared above the clouds.

Cheering erupted from the crowd as the first star ship escaped the war torn city. As soon as the first ship escaped, the third cruise ship pulled into position alongside the tower and began to take on passengers. This same maneuver was followed soon by ships two and four. To the credit of the city garrison, not a single gryphon made it to attack the starships. Though their time was running out. If the remaining guards couldn’t make it onto the last ship, they would be left behind to the gryphons. 

However, if the guards all flooded to the remaining ship, the gryphons would overrun them and have easy access to the waiting star liner. To prevent this, the guards slowly made a retreat toward the waiting starship, before breaking off and rushing aboard. Thankfully, the gryphons were more interested in taking control of the city, rather than trying to take down the massive ship.

As the last hatch sealed shut, the fourth and final star liner lifted off and headed into the heavens above.


~~~  


Clover and Lavender Bloom sat in one of the ship’s lounges, mindlessly looking at the planet below them. It was surreal for everypony on the ship. It was now dawning on everypony that they were, in fact, in space. Clover sighed as he thought of what the ship’s captain had said in the auditorium. 

Not only would they not be going home, but everypony onboard would be staying in space until the war was over. Many of the adults seemed relieved at this revelation. They also seemed to shudder when mentioning something about massive refugee camps. Clover wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but he knew that whatever these refugee camps were, they couldn’t be good.

Clover sighed again as he continued to gaze out the window. Suddenly, his vision went black. He panicked and brought his hooves to his eyes, only to hit something big covering them. The obstruction removed itself, causing him to whip around, trying to find the source of the disruption. His jaw dropped and his eyes began to water as his mother stood behind him with a warm smile. Lavender Bloom was already embracing her father, causing Clover to leap from his seat into his mother’s embrace. 

Jordan chuckled at the reunited family. All across the cruise ships, families were being reunited. Life was looking up for the refugees of Manehattan. Instead of spending the remainder of the war in a shanty refugee camp, they would be spending it on a luxury star liner, far away from the danger and horror of war. 

> July 5th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//July 5th, 2559
//
//23:05 Local Time.

>>UNABLE TO RETRIEVE LOG
>>...
>>...
>>...
>>RETRIEVING BACKUP LOG
>>...
>>...
>>...
>>DATA CORRUPTED
>>...




>>ERROR CODE: 93412

//End Log

Three days passed since the evacuation of Manehattan. Nearly seventy five thousand civilians were now living aboard four space liners from Virgin Galactic. Many others from Manehattan had begun to flow into nearby cities, including Canterlot. Though there were still over one hundred and seventy thousand civilians and guards missing. Of those, Quicksilver and her fellow engineers in the guard were among the missing. 

Not having Quicksilver and her team around left Andrew with very little to do, and a lot more to worry about. He spent much of his free time working on the MANTIS he had stored in the hanger. Since Quicksilver’s disappearance, Andrew had become more reserved and downtrodden. It worried many of the crew, seeing him so far removed from his usual happy-go-lucky attitude. Even Discord was finding it difficult to pull the engineer away from the MANTIS. Sadly, Andrew’s mood was only destined to get worse as the day went on.

“Andrew, you in there?” Daniel asked as he slowly walked around the massive crate which housed the experimental MANTIS.

The sound of a toolbox being knocked over echoed from inside the crate, followed by a number of explicatives. After a moment, Andrew emerged from the crate while wiping his hands on the pants of his stained coveralls. “Did you find the missing armory engineers?”

Daniel paused before answering. “No, not yet. Though the cruise ships are still processing all the refugees. We won’t know for sure until they finish processing.”

Andrew grumbled at this answer, but found it difficult to argue with. “Yeah, okay.”

“I gotta ask. Why are you so... invested, in this. I know you and Quicksilver are friends... but this is borderlining on something else.”

“We’re just... good friends,” Andrew seemed to stumble for his words.

“Just friends? You’ve spent almost every day for the past three weeks in her workshop,” Daniel replied with a coy smile.

Andrew looked around the room nervously before answering. “I... okay, yeah. It might have been a little more than that.”

Daniel put two and two together and sighed. He had had suspicions about Andrew and Quicksilver, but to hear it almost confirmed was unexpected. “Wow... that’s... wow.”

“Just promise me you won’t go spouting this to everyone? I don’t need the Xenophile title attached to my name,” Andrew said with a deep sigh.

“Of course,” Daniel replied with a nod.

It was then that Captain Silverlight nearly galloped into the open cargo bay of the ship; a look of sheer terror plastered across his face. “We have a serious problem. Princess Luna has requested that you and Zerom meet her in the castle.”

Daniel nodded as he made his way off the ship with Andrew following close behind.


~~~


The three humans stood with Princess Luna and both guard Captains, all crowded around a large TV in the Princesses private lounge. On the screen were a number of gryphons and minotaurs, as well as twenty ponies with black bags over their heads.

“Citizens of Equestria. My name is King Varen Windscar. As you all know, Princess Celestia is dead, your puny nation is quickly being taken by the might of our armies, and not even your human allies are able to stop us. But you need not despair!” The king exclaimed with a smile. “All you need to do, is surrender peacefully, and you will not be harmed.”

The gryphon King snapped his claw as a minotaur led a single pony from the group of twenty. He positioned the pony in front of the camera and then pulled the bag off. Andrew’s fist clenched as Quicksilver was revealed on camera.

“Defiance, however, will be punished.”

Everyone watched in silence as the minotaur pulled out a long knife and pressed it against Quicksilver’s neck. Even facing her own death, she held her composure. 

“No... no, no, no, no, no.” Andrew muttered.

“Oh shit... is this being broadcast on open channels?” Daniel asked quickly.

Silverlight nodded. “Yeah, this is on a public access channel.

The minotaur smiled as he quickly slid the blade across the unicorn’s neck, allowing a torrent of blood to cascade from her throat.

Andrew let loose a rage filled scream as he lunged forward at the screen, only to be held back by Daniel and Jonathan. 

“And that,” Varen said as he chuckled at the dead unicorn, “will happen every day until the whole of Equestria surrenders. Tick tock.” With that said, the screen went blank as the cameras shut off. 

Andrew was physically shaking with rage as he continued to stare into the blank screen. The Captain slowly released the hold he had on Andrew’s shoulder. The furious engineer quickly stormed out of the room as he muttered incoherently. 

“Should we be worried about him?” Luna asked with concern.

Daniel shook his head as he looked at the door. “He just needs some time.”

“There’s nothing he can really do. He doesn’t have clearance for any weapons or vehicles,” Jonathan added.

Daniel nodded and turned back to Luna. “Well... now we have something to really worry about.”


~~~


A few hours passed while Daniel and Luna worked on a defence plan with Captain Silverlight and Nightshade. Intel reports had just come in, detailing a possible gryphon attack on the cities of Vanhoover, Fillydelphia, and Trotterdam. 

The Princess nodded to the two guard Captains, signaling that they could leave, before sitting next to Daniel.
 
“C’mon, lets go grab some dinner,” the lunar Princess suggested.
 
Daniel slowly shook his head. “I wanna go check on Andrew first. Make sure he hasn’t done anything incredibly dumb.”
 
Luna chuckled. “Then do you want to get some food?”
 
“Yeah, haven’t really eaten anything in the past few hours.”
 
With that, the two got up and made their way toward the ship. As Daniel and Luna approached the hangar ramp, the Captain noticed that the crate housing the MANTIS prototype was open and empty. As soon as the pair were aboard, Daniel walked to one of Tommy’s display pads.
 
“Tommy, where’s Andrew?”
 
No response.
 
Daniel waited a moment before calling out again. “Tommy?”
 
Still no response.
 
Now the Captain was becoming paranoid. He pulled out an attached keyboard and began furiously typing. After a few seconds, the image of Tommy appeared on the display pad.
 
“AI debug mode enabled.” Tommy announced.
 
“Oh shit…” Daniel muttered.
 
“Is something wrong?” Luna asked with concern.
 
“I hope not…” Daniel replied as he reached for the radio. “Zerom, I need you in the hanger now.”
 
“Aye, sir. On my way,” the Commander replied.
 
Daniel took a moment to look around the hanger to see if anything else was missing. Sure enough, one of the two Pelicans was missing. Daniel’s heart skipped a beat as he turned back to the console. He typed out a few more lines of commands and then closed the keyboard.
 
Tommy’s image fluttered and shifted before returning to its normal state.
 
“Yes, Captain?” Tommy asked.
 
“Tommy, where’s Andrew?”
 
“He was just in here a few minutes ago,” the AI cheerfully replied.
 
“What time was that?” Daniel questioned.
 
“Fourteen hundred hours, give or take.”
 
There was silence as Daniel stared at the AI. “Tommy, it’s nineteen hundred right now.”
 
Tommy visibly recoiled in simulated shock. “One moment. Checking operational logs.”
 
“He’s off by five hours? How is that possible?” Luna asked.
 
“Debug mode is used for error checking and making adjustments to his programming. During that time he is basically disconnected. Without being active, he won’t record anything, including the passage of time,” Daniel replied worriedly.
 
“Sir, my internal logs show that debug mode was entered by Andrew Traxus at fourteen twelve today. Internal clocks have now been adjusted,” Tommy stated.
 
“Okay… do you know where Pelican two is?” the Captain asked.
 
Tommy shook his head. “No sir, but I can begin looking for it.”
 
“Do it, and run a check on all our weapons. Make sure nothing is missing,” Daniel ordered as he turned and made his way toward the bridge.
 
“Aye, sir.” The AI called out as he disappeared and went about his tasks.
 
Luna silently followed Daniel, who nearly ran over Zerom in the hallway. The Commander quickly changed direction and fell into step behind the Captain. The trio soon reappeared on the bridge and quickly moved to the central display table.
 
“Tommy, have you located the missing Pelican?” Daniel asked as he pulled up a map of Equestria.
 
“Yes sir. He is on heading two-seven-nine with an airspeed of eighty six miles per hour,” The AI reported.
 
A small projection of the aircraft appeared in the far north, near a lone mountain pass leading to the Gryphon Empire.
 
“Luna, is there anything of interest near there?” the Captain asked as he zoomed in on the region.
 
“Yes, a pair of mighty gryphon fortresses known as the Domos Lapidaes. They guard the only mountain pass between our two nations,” the Princess replied with a nod.
 
Captain Ryan continued to stare at the table as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Tommy, check your sensor logs. Did Andrew trace the broadcast to those forts?”
 
“One moment.” The AI stated. “Yes, sir. It seems he did.”
 
“That means the other prisoners are likely being held there. It would make sense, really.” Luna stated as she stared at the map.
 
“Woah, he’s stopped.” Zerom pointed out.
 

~~~

 
Andrew landed the Pelican only half a mile away from the massive fortresses. He flew without lights as to avoid being spotted in the night sky. The snow, while odd for the summer months, would be a slight hindrance for moving quietly. Luckily, subtlety was not a high priority. Tonight was about two things, and two things only. Revenge for Quicksilver, and rescuing the remaining prisoners.  

The engineer gently detached the massive MANTIS before landing the aircraft. As he locked up the aircraft’s systems, he took a moment to gaze at the robotic monstrosity he had created. It stood at twenty five feet tall and sported an impressive armament of weapons. A gatling gun and flamethrower on the left arm, while the right arm ended in a powerful mechanical hand with a rocket pod attached to the wrist. Boosters on the back would allow the entire machine to clear obstacles that couldn’t be traversed on foot.

With a feeling of anger and hate, Andrew climbed up the back of the machine and into the pilot’s compartment. As soon as he strapped in, the back closed and the MANTIS roared to life. About half a mile away stood the gates of the first fort. He had traced the broadcast back to this very location, and was now intent on seeing the place burnt to the ground. With fire in his heart, he set off at a brisk pace. 

The gryphons had no idea what was about to happen.


~~~


Gyrovis stood at his post, watching for anyone who dared approach the main gates of the fort. He wasn’t sure why he was there, really. No sane person would even think about attacking them. Then he saw it.

A massive bipedal... thing, was moving quickly toward the gates. Gyrovis couldn’t believe it. he watched in slow motion as the behemoth charged forward at the gates, and slammed against them. While the massive doors held, they let out loud snaps followed by an eerie creaking sound. The gryphon watched in silent terror as the machine merely punched the gates, breaking them down.

All over the fort, gryphons were rallying to fight off the invader, only to come face to face with the metal monster. The gryphon quickly ducked behind the ramparts in an attempt to avoid being seen. The large machine seemed to scan the area before raising it’s left arm at the growing group of gryphons, and let out a torrent of flame. 

Anyone caught in the stream was instantly set alight, screaming in pain as flames consumed them. Other gryphons began raising their rifles at the monster, but were met with no results. Their bullets simply pinged off the hull harmlessly. However, the machine took notice of this and opened up with a torrent of gunfire from it’s large machine gun. The effect was devastating, as countless defenders were cut down, many were simply cut in half. 

A number of gryphon soldiers finally managed to group up to try and down the massive rampaging machine. The group of twenty soldiers quickly took up firing positions on top of a nearby building, trying to hit the MANTIS from the side. All at once, the gryphons opened fire with their bolt action rifles, only to watch the bullets ricochet off into the snow and other buildings. Andrew took notice of this and turned to face the gryphons. 

All their eyes went wide as the MANTIS unleashed four missiles from the right wrist launcher. The four missiles impacted the building, causing it to collapse, killing everyone on the roof and everyone inside. 

The juggernaut continued to rampage through the fort, setting fire to anything that moved. Every building along the way to the keep was set ablaze. Soon the entire fort was giving off an eerie glow as flames lit up the night sky. The only sounds were from the burning timbers and the large MANTIS moving through the fort.   

Gyrovis continued to peek over the wall and watch the machine continue it’s rampage, stopping only to set a nearby building on fire, and then killing the occupants as they tried to escape the burning structure. 

One by one, buildings caught fire and their occupants subsequently slaughtered. Any gryphon who stood to oppose this intruder was quickly, and brutally, cut down. Many were gunned down, while others were set on fire, though an unlucky few were simply crushed under the machine’s massive foot. 

Gyrovis continued to watch from his vantage point as the unstoppable mechanical monster continued to make it’s way toward the keep. Surely the guards would be able to bring the monster down once it got into the deepest part of the fortress.


~~~


Andrew held no emotion on his face as he effortlessly killed any gryphon who was not quick enough to fly away. Even then he would often shower them in a hail of gunfire. He made sure to set fire to every building he passed, indiscriminately killing any who emerged from the burning structures. Soon, though, Andrew found himself standing at the front door to the keep. Inside was sure to house the fort commander, one of the many gryphons from the earlier broadcast. 

The engineer quickly ignited the booster pack, and effortlessly jumped over the wall surrounding the keep. He landed hard in the middle of a gryphon formation, crushing the center of the group. With a chuckle, he ignited the flamethrower and slowly doused the area in fire. Gryphons screamed as the tried to douse the flames, but many found it nearly impossible to do so. As the soldiers continued to burn, Andrew looked into the nearby window of the keep. There, standing with an awestruck expression, was the base commander. 

In an instant, the right arm of the MANTIS shot through the window and grabbed the gryphon. Slowly, Andrew retracted the arm and used it to pin the helpless avian predator to the ground. Very calmly, the human opened up the back of the MANTIS, and dropped down to the snow. 

Commander Turisten watched as Andrew slowly walked up to him and crouched down.

“Look at me,” Andrew commanded. Turisten struggled against the mechanical hand holding him down before looking at the human with a furious glare.

“When I get out of here, I’m going to skin you alive and leave you to freeze!” The gryphon spat.

Andrew continued to stare at the Commander. “Look behind me. See the smoke? I single handedly destroyed your fort. And I’m also going to destroy the one next door.”

The gryphon laughed as Andrew pulled out a knife from his boot. “Is this supposed to scare me?”

“I really don’t care what you feel.” Andrew growled as he drove the knife into the gryphon’s neck. 

It took only seconds for the predator to bleed out. As soon as Andrew was sure the gryphon was dead, he allowed the gryphon to fall from the MANTIS’s grip. The engineer pulled a toolkit from the back of his MANTIS, retrieving a staple gun in addition to a large blade. Rolling the gryphon onto his back, Andrew plunged the knife into the upper torso and pulled down, cuttung open the gryphon’s body. Quickly, the human tore out the internal organs and threw them aside, before returning to the back of the MANTIS. 

This time, he returned with a five megaton Fury nuke. He tapped on the keypad and grinned as he shoved the metal device into the gryphon’s chest. Using the staple gun, he closed the cut and left the body in the snow. 

With renewed vigor, he set out to find where the remaining ponies were being held.


~~~


 Cobalt Gaze sat in the large cell with the other prisoners, as well as Quicksilver’s body. Outside, the sounds of battle raged. Everypony was huddled together as the screams of the dying grew only louder. Then, their world began to shake. 

Every few seconds, the walls of their cell shook with a thunderous boom. Dust and bits of loose masonry fell with each boom. After a few solid hits, the wall opposite the bars began to cave inward. With another two strong hits, the wall crumbled as the entire room was quickly filled with light. 

As the ponies vision returned, they were greeted by Andrew, standing in the open hole in the wall. Cautiously, they all looked at him. The human merely chuckled as he stepped into the cell, illuminated by the flood lights from the machine behind him.

“C’mon. Let’s go home,” the human announced.

The ponies looked around nervously, but soon got to their hooves and began moving toward the open hole. Three unicorns helped carry Quicksilver’s dead body, causing Andrew’s face to drop. He knew she was dead, but to see it in person was entirely different. 

The ponies watched nervously as Andrew climbed back into the MANTIS and began to walk slowly toward the gates of the keep. He unleashed a salvo of rockets, reducing the wooden gates to splinters. The ponies followed behind the massive machine as it moved through the ruined fort. 

As they walked, they passed a handful of survivors trying to fight the fires, only to abandon their tasks as soon as they spotted the massive killing machine. Andrew, however, paid them little heed as he continued to lead the rescued ponies out of the fort. 

Ten minutes later, Andrew and the ponies finally reached the Pelican. With twenty seats, there would be just enough room for all of them to fit. What the ponies didn’t know, was that there was a very powerful nuclear explosive poised, and ready, to detonate. Without saying a word, Andrew took the helm of the Pelican and quickly took off toward home.


~~~


Gyrovis breathed a sigh of relief as the massive mechanical death machine finally left the fort. Just below the gate were a few gryphons, staring at a burning building. Cautiously, Gyrovis glided down to land beside them. As soon as he landed, the others looked at him.

“Did you get a good look at what did this?” one of the gryphons asked.

“Yeah, it walked right under me,” Gyrovis replied.

“Will you two quite yammering and help me get this fire out?” An older gryphon barked as he threw another bucket of water onto a burning building.

“What? Are you going to put out the fires with that bucket?” a gryphon with black feathers asked sarcastically.

“Damn right I will. There might still be gryphons inside!” With that, the old gryphon threw another bucket of water onto the flames. The building suddenly groaned and promptly collapsed, showering the group in ash and embers.

“Okay, I’m not sure anything else can go wrong today.”

“Yeah, yeah. C’mon, let’s get to the other fort. The commander there will want a full report prepared for the king,” Gyrovis announced.


~~~


“Sir, the Pelican is moving. It appears to be heading back to the ship,” Tommy reported.

Daniel let out a sigh as he watched the aircraft on the display table. “Good. Is the drone on scene yet?”

“Yes, sir. Opening stream.”

In the corner of the map was a live feed from the nearby surveillance drone. Smoke and fire bellowed from one of the forts, evidence of what had happened. Suddenly, there was a bright light, and the feed was suddenly lost.

“Nuclear detonation detected. Communication with drone has been lost,” Tommy reported.

All eyes shifted to the map. The area around the twin forts was replaced by a growing red circle and a yellow radiation symbol. “What... what just happened?” Luna stammered.

“I don’t believe it... I thought you said none of our weapons were missing!” Daniel nearly shouted.

“Sir, all our nuclear ordnance is accounted for,” Zerom replied, trying to calm the angry Captain.

“Shit... well, this got a lot more complicated,” Daniel muttered.

“Yeah, have fun telling the Director about this...” Zerom deadpanned.

Daniel rolled his eyes as he left the bridge and made his way toward his quarters. He would have two hours until Andrew returned to the ship, plenty of time to break the news to the Director. With a sigh, the Captain sat down at his desk and powered on his computer. 

“Evening, Captain. What can I help you with?” The Director asked.

“Sir, we’ve had a situation.”


~~~


After about two hours of straight flying, Andrew and the rescued ponies finally touched down in front of the Tuscany. Standing at the base of the ramp was Captain Ryan, Princess Luna, Commander Zerom, and three SPARTANS. The engineer knew exactly why they were waiting for him.

Slowly, the ponies began to disembark, only to be met by medical staff waiting nearby. Though, Andrew walked straight over to the base of the ramp. As soon as he approached, Daniel descended the rest of the way. In a single motion, the Captain pulled Andrew into an embrace for a few seconds. Andrew was not prepared for this and hesitated before returning the gesture.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” Daniel asked as he took a step back.

Andrew rubbed the back of his head. “To be honest, I wasn’t really thinking. I was just... kinda, doing.”

“At least you’re not dead. Plus I’m a bit impressed with the number you came back with,” the Captain said with a slight grin.

“So... what happens now?”

Daniel looked to the rescued ponies and then back to Andrew. “Well, the Director has ordered you back to Reach. He wants to personally debrief you. You’re in a shit load of trouble, but he feels that keeping this under wraps would be the best course of action.”

“So... I’m not going to be spending the next million years in jail?” Andrew asked.

The Captain shook his head. “No. You’re still a valuable asset to the UNSC. Though, expect there to be a hefty fine. You will also be barred from Avalon without proper authorization. You'll need to talk to the Director for the full list of what he is going to do to you.”

“That’s fair. If it would be possible, I would like to leave as soon as possible.” Andrew stated as he looked up at the ship.

“I think that would be a good idea,” Daniel replied.

“And I want to make one last request. I want to take the five surviving unicorns from the armory with me. I want to continue making weapons for the ponies, and those five unicorns are the only ones who know how to do the enchantments,” Andrew pleaded.

The Captain sighed and looked to Luna. “I’ll ask the Director. You’ll need to ask Luna and the five ponies.”

“I have no objections.” Luna stated from farther up the ramp. 

“Alright. The UNSC Pony Express will be here in a few hours. Pack your stuff and take care of any last minute things,” Daniel instructed with a nod.

“Heh, the Pony Express. Kinda funny, considering the destination and the passengers,” Andrew mused with a chuckle.


~~~


Six hours later, the Pony Express landed at the Traxus facility on Reach. Along the way, Andrew had had a lengthy discussion with the Director. Now though, Andrew was able to get back to work. While he was no longer on Avalon, he could still play a pivotal role in Equestria and Ecotonia’s survival. With the help of the five unicorns, he would be able to mass produce magical rifles for both nations. 

It was a bittersweet feeling seeing home. He knew what had happened on Avalon was unforgivable and incredibly illegal. He had single handedly killed thousands of gryphons in ways that reminded him of the Covenant siege on Reach. 

As the ship touched down in the cargo port, the ponies on board remained glued to the windows. The city of New Alexandria was beyond anything they could have ever imagined. As the doors opened, the ponies followed Andrew onto the tarmac of the massive cargo port. The ponies all jumped as a cargo transport took off from a neighboring port. 

“Welcome to my home. This facility is the heart of my company; my pride and joy. If you need it built, it can probably be built here. C’mon, I’ll show you where you will be staying. We’ll do a tour tomorrow morning.”


~~~


Daniel walked into the galley for a quick dinner with Luna. Ahmad, Kelly, Zerom, and Dior were all sitting at a table near one of the windows. Upon seeing the pair enter, Ahmad waved them over. Daniel and Luna grabbed two trays of food and joined the group.

“So, Andrew went AWOL and nuked two gryphon forts. Neat,” Kelly mused as she ate her meal.

“Yeah, luckily the UNSC is still going to be sending help.” Daniel said as he ate.

Dior leaned forward to look at the Captain. “So we’re getting official UNSC aid?”

The Captain nodded. “Yeah, Director Burr informed me that the Seventh Fleet will be arriving in six days. Twelve ships, including the Infinity, will be arriving at the end of the week. A couple hundred thousand marines, ODSTs, and SPARTANs, all raining down from the heavens. We just gotta hang on for a few more days.”

“A hundred thousand!?” Luna stammered.

“Probably more like a quarter of a million. The UNSC will want to make sure this ends quickly and cleanly,” Zerom added as he took a sip of his drink.

“So we’re now at war?” Ahmad asked. 

“Officially, yes,” Daniel replied.

“Would you say this could be our jihad?” the ODST asked with a sly grin.

“I suppose.” Daniel answered with a perplexed grin.

Ahmad’s expression never shifted as he continued to speak. “And everyone is coming to take part in it?”

“It seems that way. Why?” Daniel finally asked with suspicion. 

“My jihad brings all the boys to the yard,
And they’re like: Allah Akbar,
Damn right!
I put a bomb in your car,
I hate to go but I have to hajj.”

Everyone at the table groaned as Ahmad sang his little tune.

“Did you just come up with that, or have you been sitting on that joke forever?” Zerom asked with a shake of his head.

“You have no clue how long I have wanted to use that one!” Ahmad cheered.

Daniel turned to Luna and chuckled. “See what I get to deal with on a daily basis.”

Ahmad threw an arm around the Captain as he spoke. “Don’t deny it, you love this.”

Luna could only laugh at the two as Daniel struggled to move out from under Ahmad’s arm.

> July 6th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//July 6th, 2559
//
//19:29 Local Time

Six days. All I need to do is hold for six days. Then, Admiral Reynolds will show up with the seventh fleet and put this conflict down for good. Should be easy. Should be. However, with every passing hour, that goal seems more and more difficult. Allow me to explain...

We interviewed Hawthorne today, the captured Gryphon courrier. He was surprisingly cooperative. I didn’t really need to rely on scare tactics to get him to talk. It was a nice change of pace having someone just willingly spill all their secrets. Hell, he even encouraged us to go through his bags to look at the various missives and other communication between King Varen and various field commanders. 

While they do have radio communications, they are nowhere near secure. So sending messages through couriers is a good way to make sure the contents of those transcripts stay secret... until said courrier is captured. Oh well, his loss.

But anyway, the reports we received yesterday that suggested an attack on another major city turned out to be true. In fact, every city named on the list is going to be attacked in the next few days. Though all that pales in comparison to a piece of intel we gathered from Hawthorne. 

Turns out that Varen intends to march on the Crystal Empire, going after some powerful magical artifact known as the Crystal Heart. So now we really have something to worry about.

//End Log

Daniel sat with Spotlight in their usual interrogation room. This time with Hawthorne, the gryphon courrier, on the other side of the table. The Captain let loose a relaxed sigh as he calmly laid out a pad of paper and a pen, along with his usual datapad to record the audio of the interrogation.

“So, Hawthorne, we picked you up carrying quite a few documents from King Varen. Mind telling us what was in them?” The Captain asked calmly.

“They were orders to the regional field marshals. Specifying targets in Fillydelphia, Vanhoover, Trotterdam, as well as the Crystal Empire,” the young gryphon replied nervously.

Daniel’s eyes went wide at the last target. “Woah, woah, woah. The Crystal Empire? Why?”

“Varen wants the Crystal Heart,” Hawthorne replied.

Spotlight then leaned forward with an inquisitive gaze. “Why would he want the crystal heart? It’s used to keep beings of darkness at bay, and can only be utilized by the crystal ponies.”

The gryphon nodded. “He knows that. The king has no intention of actually use it, he want it for it’s immense magical power. While the king can’t use its magical abilities, he can always break it and unleash all the power within.”

The changeling’s jaw dropped at the realization. Daniel looked to Spotlight with concern. “And I take it that’s bad?”

Spotlight nodded. “Smashing the Crystal Heart would be the equivalent of setting off a twenty megaton nuke. Anything caught in the blast would be vaporized, and unlike a normal explosion, it wouldn’t be slowed by solid objects. if he used it on Canterlot, he could make the whole mountain disappear in an instant.”

“...Shit.” Daniel muttered as he looked at Hawthorne suspiciously. “Why are you telling us all this?”

“Because... I have no love for the king. That, and you seem like the only person capable of bringing him down.”

The human blinked at this revelation. “Ummm... what?”

Hawthorne chuckled. “Did you think that every gryphon supported Varens crusade?”

“Well... kinda.”

“Not even close. For the past two months gryphons have been fleeing cities in droves. Many heading to neighboring countries. Entire cities lay empty as their occupants try to escape the coming onslaught,” Hawthorne calmly replied.

“So, gryphons have been evacuating in mass droves... Sounds like Varen’s support base is crumbling,” Spotlight mused.

“Indeed. Those that defy him, and stay, are conscripted into the army. A sadly large portion of his army is made of conscripts. Most of the actual warriors are held in reserve,” Hawthorne announced with a shrug.

“So by telling us everything, it’s your way of getting back at him?” The human asked with a smirk.

“Pretty much. I would have come to you myself, but I was afraid Varen would send assassins after me before I could reach you. So imagine my joy when your troops came and picked me up,” the gryphon laughed as he leaned back in his chair. 

“Interesting. Do you know when he plans on attacking the various targets?” Spotlight asked as he picked up a pen in his magical grasp.

“The seventh of this month. I’m not sure what today is, so I can’t tell you how many days,” the gryphon said anxiously.

Daniel sighed as he looked over his shoulder at the one way window. “The seventh is tomorrow.”

“The king is intent on capturing and subjugating the population. He will use a large force to try and scare the ponies into surrender. As long as there isn’t a big fight, he will spare their lives,” Hawthorne said with a shake of his head.

“Yeah, well we can’t let him just have the Crystal Empire. Thank you Hawthorne. You have been quite helpful,” Daniel said as he stood up and picked up his datapad. 

As he and Spotlight exited the interrogation room, Princess Luna and Captain Silverlight were waiting in the hallway.

“Well, that was easy,” Silverlight chuckled.

“Yes, but can we be sure he was being truthful?” Luna asked as she looked at the door.

Spotlight quickly nodded. “He was. If anything, he felt relieved to be talking to us; excited almost.”

“So he really does want to help us?” Silverlight asked the changeling.

“Quite badly. Whenever he mentioned Varen, he let out a little spike of hate. So I can also believe that there would be many who others would oppose him,” Spotlight replied with a nod.

“I suppose so. It’s nice to know that there are those who don’t support this stupid war,” the Solar Captain said with a sigh.

“Indeed. Just remember, the sins of the few do not pass to the many. Not all gryphons are evil killers,” Daniel cautioned. 

Silverlight sighed and nodded. “I know, it’s... just, hard.”

Captain Ryan patted Silverlight on the shoulder. “C’mon, we got a lot of work to do before the fleet gets here.”

“Right, like securing the Crystal Heart,” Luna said as the group walked up the stairs to the castle proper.

“Exactly. We should get a warning to Shining Armor and Princess Cadance as soon as possible. They need to know what’s coming,” Daniel said as he typed notes on his datapad.

“And I’ll send word to the local garrisons and inform them of what’s coming. That might give them a chance to evacuate the civilians,” Silverlight commented as they continued to walk.

“Sounds good. I’ll relay all this back to ONI and the Grafton. Captain Daviston will need to hear this as well. I would recommend putting Canterlot on high alert. I can’t imagine the gryphons would conquer surrounding cities without taking a swing or two at us,” Daniel replied as he put away his datapad.

“Maybe they wanna cut off supply lines. Starve the city out and make them more open to the idea of total surrender?” Spotlight asked.

Daniel shook his head. “I doubt the gryphons are that patient. Everything we have seen points to them wanting to go on the offensive. They are tired of us and will want to kill us all quickly. Waiting for starvation could take months, all very valuable time that we could use to fight back.”

“Still, we should be ready for anything,” Luna announced as she opened the doors to the throne room.

“Six days. We just need to defend for six days. Then Admiral Reynolds will rain hellfire from orbit. it is truly a beautiful sight, seeing thousands of troops raining down from space,” the Captain said with a chuckle.


~~~


King Varen gazed at the report on his desk with absolute fury. Two of his largest fortresses had been reduced to ash and rubble without so much as a warning. The only thing that suggested something had happened, was the giant fireball seen the previous night. Scouts had returned that morning and informed him that both strongholds had been obliterated.

There were no survivors or witnesses from either forts. The only reports had come from traders passing over the mountain range. As such, he had no idea of the size of the force, or even who was responsible for such an attack. Though the King had his suspicions. 

The ponies lacked the know-how, or the will, to make and use a weapon capable of such destruction. Nor could the deer be responsible, seeing as how they were busy trying to hold his armies at bay. The only logical conclusion was that the humans were somehow behind the attack. Though the thought of humans having a weapon capable of such destruction made the king uneasy.

The large gryphon shook with anger as he threw the scroll across the room, nearly hitting a messenger entering the room.

“What do you want!?” the King snapped.

“Apologies, sire. But General Galerun has asked to see you. He said he has a solution to the human problem,” the messenger replied nervously.

Varen’s eyes went wide as a smile crept across his face. “Did he now? Well then, it seems something good has come of this day.”

The king quickly got up from his chair and strode passed the messenger. He quickly made his way down to the northern workshops of his fortress in Alba Regia, the new name of his capital city. Varen didn’t bother knocking before entering the room.

Before him was a large machine and a single large cloud floating near the ceiling. There were a few gryphons scattered around the room, as well as a large red dragon.

“General Galerun, you said you have a solution?” the King asked as he looked at the machine.

“Yes, sire. But first, allow me to introduce Galwrog. It was with his help that I was able to create this machine,” the General said eagerly.

“This looks like a pony cloud making machine,” the King mused as he continued to look at the large machine.

“That’s because it is. Taken directly from the weather factory in Cloudsdale,” Galwrog said with a chuckle.

“I see, and how is a cloud machine going to kill the humans?” The King asked with a hint of disbelief. 

“Simple. General, will you please demonstrate?” The dragon instructed. 

A nearby gryphon flew up to the lingering cloud and moved around inside the cloud, to no effect. Then the gryphon flew down and picked up a piece of scrap metal. With a heave, the gryphon threw the piece of metal into the cloud. 

As soon as the metal came in contact with the cloud, it flashed red and vaporized the metal before vanishing. The King’s eyes went wide with surprise as both cloud and metal disappeared. Galwrog simply began chuckling at the King’s surprise.

“H-how?” The King stammered.

“Simple, the machine is infused with dragons breath. Specifically, mine. The clouds it produces are perfectly safe if you were to touch it. But once it comes into contact with anything metallic...” the large dragon said with a smile.

Varen couldn’t help but feel impressed by the display. “And you think that this will be enough to take down the human ship?”

Galwrog laughed. “Of course, this is magical dragon fire. As soon as that ship touches one of these innocent looking clouds, it will have a ten foot hole in its side.”

Varen slowly paced around the machine, taking in every little detail. “Could we mount this on an airship?”

The dragon shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”
 
King Varen smiled as he chuckled. “General, have this fantastic machine loaded onto your fastest airship. I want a minefield of these clouds placed around the Crystal Empire. That way if the humans show up, they will only meet a swift demise.”

“It shall be done, sire,” the General said with a bow. 

With that taken care of, the King turned back to Galwrog. “I’m curious, why are you helping us? What’s in it for you?”

Galwrog laughed. “Simple, I was promised gold.”

The King shared the dragon’s laugh. “And gold you shall have. Especially if this machine manages to kill the humans.”

“Trust me. They’ll never see it coming,” Galwrog said with a sly grin.

The King left the workshop with a smile on his face. Finally, something he could use to fight the humans with. As the King strode through the halls of his fortress, he couldn’t help but feel a bit excited. He had a clear and decisive plan to beat the Equestrians, and their human allies, in a single blow. The deer would fall even faster once the ponies were under his control. Then, there would be nothing stopping him from surging out and taking the surrounding nations.

Never had the dream of world conquest been so close at hand. 


~~~


The sun gently shone through the curtains of Celestia’s room, gently bringing her out of her slumber. The Princess took a deep breath as she opened her eyes. To her continuing surprise, nothing about this hospital felt like a hospital. The way it looked, felt, and even smelled betrayed the fact that it was, in fact, a high end hospital. 

Only ten days ago, she was brought here on the verge of death. Now, though, she was ready for the next step in her recovery: physical therapy. She still felt weak and couldn’t use magic for any length of time. Basic levitation was the extent of her abilities, and even then, only for a very short time.

Celestia sighed as she shifted in her bed. The various IVs and wires connecting to her had since been removed, allowing her to rest more comfortably. While she was grateful for the time to just rest and relax, she wanted to at least get up and walk around. Her thought process was soon interrupted as Neume entered the room with a breakfast tray in her magical grasp.

“Morning, Princess,” the changeling quietly greeted as she closed the door behind her.

Celestia gave a single chuckle as she scribbled out a note 

“I’ve told you, you can just call me Celestia. We’re not in Equestria right now.” A smile crossed Neume’s muzzle as she set the tray down on a side table.

“Right. Doctor Optikanner has you scheduled to begin basic physical therapy this afternoon.”

Celestia perked up at this and quickly began to write.

“Finally, it will be such a relief to get out of bed.” The changeling let out a small chuckle as she sat down on a couch across from the bed.

“I can imagine. Being stuck in a bed for even a few days would probably drive me crazy.”

Celestia nodded and continued to write.

“Luckily I haven’t had much energy to become bored. Spending most of the day sleeping was at least keeping me sane. Though now I just want to get up and actually move.”

Neume nodded as Celestia ate the breakfast provided. It was definitely not what she would expect to be eating in a hospital. When she thought of hospital food, she thought of cold sandwiches and jell-o cups. So every morning when she received a bowl of hot cereal, fresh fruit, a sweet roll, and a glass of orange juice, she had to remind herself she was actually in a hospital and not on a vacation. 

As she finished her meal, she scribbled out another note for Neume.

“Have you heard anything from Equestria?” 

Neume shook her head. “No, I haven’t heard anything. Though I’m sure the Director would be able to tell you more.”

The Princess nodded as she set her breakfast tray back on the side table. “Did the Doctor say what time he would be coming by?”

The changeling nodded. “Yeah, he said it would be around one. Do you want me to grab you a book until then?”

Celestia shook her head. “I have a few that I still want to get through.”

“Alright, I’ll be back around one. Have a nice morning,” the changeling said as she picked up the empty tray and left.

With a smile, Celestia picked up the datapad and opened the last book she was reading. While the title Learning English For Dummies might have been a bit mean for an educational book, it was incredibly helpful. For the past few days, Celestia had been trying to grip the basics of the English language.  

It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy having Neume around, she really did like the changeling, she just wanted to be able to better interact with the humans. While she couldn’t easily practice speaking the language, she could certainly practice writing it. After a few hours of practicing the new language, Doctor Optikanner and Neume entered the room. 

“Hello, Princess. How are you doing today?” The Doctor asked as he pulled out his own datapad and began taking notes. 

Celestia picked up her usual notepad and began to write. Neume watched what the solar Princess was writing, only to look at the page in confusion.

“I... I’m not sure what this says...” the changeling stammered.

Doctor Optikanner walked over and looked at the paper.

“I am feel good.”

The human began to chuckle. “Wow, how long have you been practicing this?”

“3 day,” the Princess wrote as she cracked a slight grin. 

“Impressive. The fact that you can even write after only three days is outstanding. Good to see your mind is still sharp. Now,” the Doctor said as he pulled up her file, “I want to get you started on light physical therapy as soon as you are feeling up to it.”

Celestia nodded eagerly. 

“Great. Let’s see how you are doing first. Try and stand up,” the Doctor said as he moved to Celestia’s side.

Ever so carefully, Celestia brought her hooves to the floor, before finally standing. She was a bit wobbly as her legs got used to bearing her weight, but she stayed upright. She took a few experimental steps and smiled as she successfully took a few steps.

“Very good. Hold out your right front leg,” Doctor Optikanner requested.

Celestia complied, allowing the Doctor to gently feel the muscles in her leg, seeing if there was any atrophying. Satisfied, he moved to her left front hoof. He repeated the process and made a few notes. Untimately he came to Celestia’s rear legs. The Princess did her best to hold her composure as the Doctor gently felt the various muscles in her back legs. Starting on her croup and moving slowly down her flank, occasionally pressing into the muscle and making a few notes. As he moved down her leg, he gently took her hock in his hand and slowly moved her leg in slow circles while keeping a hand pressed against her hip, right on top of her cutie mark. After only a minute, Michael Optikanner finished his examination of her legs and smiled.

“Alright, there is little sign of muscle atrophying, but that is to be expected. Now, I have one question, do you swim?”

Celestia nodded with a slight grin.

“Excelent. Then if you would follow me,” the Doctor said, motioning toward the door.

It was a slow walk, but quite refreshing. Celestia was simply enjoying the feeling of getting to stretch her legs and wings. After a few minutes of walking, the small group came to the aquatic therapy ward. Inside were a number of long narrow pools as well as a pair of larger normal pools. The entire ward was empty as Celestia walked forward to one of the smaller pools.

“Let me know if the water temperature is comfortable,” Optikanner asked as he set down a stack of towels on a nearby table. 

Celestia nodded and slowly eased herself into the pool. The water was quite warm, and incredibly soothing. She closed her eyes and let out a content sigh as she allowed herself to sink up to her chin in the water. She then let her wings droop from her sides as she relaxed into the warm water.

The Doctor chuckled at the alicorn as he walked to the side. “I see the temperature is just fine. Let’s begin with some simple exercises.” 


~~~


Andrew sat at a long conference room table. He would soon be meeting with six other CEOs from companies throughout UNSC space. The goal? To rebuild Equestria after the war was over. The engineer chuckled as he looked over the directive from the Office of Naval Intelligence. All of this would be a part of Andrew’s penance. 

A knock on the door shook Andrew out of his thoughts. The door swung inward as Michael Optikanner and Greg Branson walked in.

“Hello, Andrew,” Optikanner said as he and Greg took seats at the table. 

“Afternoon. Busy day?” Andrew asked with a chuckle.

“No more than usual,” the Doctor replied.

Greg reached forward and poured himself a cup of coffee after pulling out his own datapads. “So who else is coming to this?”

“Vyrant Telecommunications, Agra Sol, Australium Construction Corp., and COBB Industrial,” Andrew answered.

Greg look at Andrew with surprise as a grin crossed his face. “Wow, you’re pulling in quite the team.”

“Yeah, this is gonna be a huge project,” the engineer said with a nod.

After a few more minutes of idle conversation, two more people entered the room. Lucia Vyrant, of Vyrant Telecoms, followed by Sebastian Forarro, of Agra Sol. Both were in formal business suits, a stark contrast to the other three sitting at the table. While Optikanner was wearing his usual lab coat, Greg and Andrew were both wearing fitted jackets and semi-formal slacks.

“Afternoon,” Sebastian greeted as  he took a seat next to Lucia, sitting across from Greg and Michael.

These two were soon followed by the final attendees. Charles Gallaras of COBB Industrial, and Steve Hale of Australium Construction Corp. Both men took the final two spots at the table, allowing the meeting to begin.

“Alright,” Andrew began, “thank you all for coming. Today, I want to present an opportunity to do something truly incredible. As you all know, a war is raging on the planet Avalon. I can say that I have seen it first hand; the ruined cities, refugee tent towns, and the fear in the population. In a few days, the UNSC is going to be making a major move on the planet. As such, there will be a major reconstruction effort needed. That is where we come in.”

Sebastian leaned forward as he spoke. “So, you want all of us to help with this reconstruction?”

“I do. Virgin Galactic and Optican have already pledged support,” Andrew said as he motioned to Greg and Michael.

“Are we dealing with a total loss of civilian infrastructure?” Charles asked as he typed notes.

Andrew nodded. “From what we have seen, the occupying forces tend to raze everything in their path. This leaves all utilities and any manufacturing capabilities reduced to ash.”

Everyone at the table nodded as they all made brief notes. Lucia was the next to speak up. “So, would the UNSC be reimbursing us for our aid?”

“No,” Andrew replied as he shook his head, “this will be totally on us.”

This earned the engineer quite a few interested glances. “So, what’s the incentive for us?”

“While you will be taking a loss for this project, you will be helping an alien civilization rebuild after they were ravaged by war. Not only are they the first friendly alien civilization we have met, but they are possibly the highest profile thing in the news right now. Wouldn’t you want to be know as the group who rebuilt Equestria? You can’t buy that kind of advertising,” Andrew replied with a smile. This statement raised quite a few eyebrows and earned a number of satisfactory nods. 
  
“I like it. I’m in,” Sebastian said with a smile.

“I agree. Though there are a few concerns I have,” Steve replied. “You said most of their manufacturing capabilities were shot. Transporting all the equipment necessary will be costly and take a lot of time. I understand that this planet lacks any form of orbital infrastructure.”

“You are correct. Thankfully, Branson here has agreed to ferry the first few waves of man and materials. Our first goal will to be establish a manufacturing center on the planet. One massive facility, capable of producing anything we might need. Then, getting an orbital elevator running will be the second objective. After that, we will be properly set up to quickly start working,” Andrew replied.

Everyone at the table nodded and continued to jot down notes. 

“Alright, you’ve sold me,” Steve said with a nod.

“Me too,” Charles responded.

“Lucia?” Andrew asked.

The Vyrant CEO looked around the table with a calculating gaze. “What about work force? Will we need to bring full crews, or will we be able to hire locals?”

“Right now, expect to bring crews. Though I will ask about hiring ponies,” Andrew replied as he made himself a few notes.

“Sounds good. When do we start?” Lucia asked.

“As soon as I get the all clear from ONI. So probably two to three weeks. Will that be enough time to get everything you need in order?”

“Plenty of time,” Steve responded with a grin.

“Well the, I believe we are done here. Should you have any further questions down the road, feel free to e-mail me,” Andrew said as everyone stood up and collected their belongings. Andrew smiled as everyone filed out of the conference room. Looking out the large window afforded him a grand view of his facility and the nearby spaceport. 

He was happy, knowing that he had successfully convinced six others to join him in rebuilding Equestria. The seven of them would bring the ponies back from the ashes, and propel them into a new age. These, magnificent seven, were going to save Equestria.


~~~


Admiral Nathan Reynolds sat at his desk within the Olympic Tower on Reach. His fleet had been given the task to reinforcing the Equestrians against the gryphons. His force of twenty ships had been reduced to twelve due to mechanical issues on a few. However, with the Infinity leading the way, he would still have more than enough troops to retake the planet. 

In his best case scenario, the mere presence of his fleet would break the fighting will of the gryphons, allowing him to simply walk in and retake the planet. Even if it came down to fighting, he would take a play from the Nazis of the twentieth century: blitzkrieg. His forces would have to move fast and hit hard, overwhelming any resistance. Though from the reports he had read, the technological gap between him and his foe should make any resistance laughable.   

Reynolds leaned back in his chair and picked up a datapad from his desk. King Varen Windscar, this was the guy he would have to go up against. The Admiral wanted nothing more than to personally crush the gryphons.
	
	

> July 12th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	//Begin Personal Log
//
//July 12th, 2559
//
//10:31 Local Time

Not much time to write this. We’ll be arriving in the Crystal Empire in twenty minutes. The whole damn place came under siege this morning. Thankfully we were able to get word to the empire a few days ago, allowing them time to evacuate. Now we just need to pick up the Crystal Heart, along with Cadance and Shining Armor. 

I’ve also been informed that the seventh fleet went into slipspace this morning, making their arrival time in about two hours for the bigger ships. Finally, the end of this pointless conflict is in sight. 

Luna was not happy about us flying off to the Crystal Empire, but settled on making me do a Pinkie Promise that we would return. She knows that we are the only vessel capable of reaching the Crystal Empire in any sort of timely fashion

In other news, the cities of Vanhoover and Trotterdam surrendered quietly to the gryphons. Fillydelphia, however, has been putting up one hell of a fight. Seems there are still those who won’t give up so easily.

Anyway, the refugee tent cities have been growing as more and more ponies flood into the camps. The one to the south east of Canterlot is by far the largest, with something like 1.6 million refugees. That will be an issue for after we win.

>>...
>>...
>>DATA FRAGMENTED

//End Log

It was a fairly sleepless night for Daniel. A lot of it had been spent making final preparations with the Director and Admiral Reynolds. The final troop count was going to be a bit less than originally thought, now closer to a hundred and fifty thousand troops as opposed to the quarter of a million originally planned. Still, it would be plenty big enough to deal with the gryphons.

Around six in the morning, the Captain was interrupted by Captain Silverlight banging on his door.

“Enter,” the Captain called out.

The unicorn had a panicked look on his face as he levitated a scroll to Daniel. “We just received this from the Crystal Empire. Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor stayed behind to make sure all the civilians escaped. They are now trapped with the Crystal Heart.”

“Damn it! Why didn’t they evacuate when we said so?” Daniel cursed.

“Princess Cadance said she wouldn’t abandon the crystal ponies, and Prince Armor seemed to believe that their army could hold the gryphons off,” Silverlight replied.

“Does Luna know this?”

Silverlight nodded. “She sent me to tell you and ask if you might have a solution.”

Daniel leaned back in his chair as he looked at the scroll. “Well, it’s too far away for conventional airships to reach. Our only option, it seems, is for the Tuscany to fly there and pick them up.”

“I’ll inform the Princess. When do you plan on leaving?”

“Three hours. I’ll need time to prep the ship,” the Captain said as he stood up and grabbed his hat.

Silverlight nodded and quickly made his way off the ship. Daniel sighed as he quickly strode down the passageway heading to the bridge. 


~~~


“I got the message off to Cadance and Shining. They should be ready for you by the time you arrive,” Luna said as she walked beside Daniel.

“Great, then the pickup should be easy,” the human replied as he made his way toward the waiting Prowler.

“Daniel, promise me one thing. Okay?” The lunar Princess said as she placed a wingtip on Daniel’s shoulder.

“That depends.”

“I want you to Pinkie Promise me you will come back,” Luna said in a commanding tone.

The Captain sighed and shook his head. “I’m not sure I can guarantee that. Every time I step out there there’s a chance I might not come back.”

“That’s too bad, because you’re not leaving until you Pinkie Promise me.”

Daniel shook his head in defeat. “Alright, what do I have to do?”

“Repeat after me. Cross my heart, hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye,” Luna said as she made a series of gestures to go along with the rhyme.

“Seriously?” Daniel deadpanned.

“Seriously. No one can break a Pinkie Pie Promise... or so Twilight says,” the Princess replied.

Captain Ryan let out a small groan as he began. “Cross my heart, hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye. Happy?”

“A bit. Now go save the world,” Luna said as she nodded toward the ship.

“I’ll be back before you know it.”

Thirty minutes after the Tuscany took off for the Crystal Empire, Luna found herself on the ramparts surrounding the castle. A large force of gryphons had made its way through the valley and was preparing to strike at Canterlot.

Now though, the Princess was standing next to her remaining soldiers, preparing to fight off the coming horde. A number of airships had already begun their ascent up the mountain, followed closely by thousands of gryphon infantry.

Luna looked to her soldiers one last time. Each of them was carrying the new spellgun developed by Andrew Traxus and Quicksilver. As the airships rose higher, the infantry stopped to hover just beyond the range of the ponies weapons.

All at once, the gryphons charged. The ponies responded by firing into the charging horde, dropping a gryphon with each shot fired. Even Luna was throwing offensive spells at the charging soldiers, taking down large groups with every spell.

That’s when the airships began to fire. The Princess winced as a piece of wall was shattered, killing the ponies behind it. The gryphons quickly pulled up and began to dive over the main wall. The ponies tried to follow them, taking shots at any gryphon they could find, but numbers were just not on their side.

Captain Silverlight had just blasted a gryphon in the side of the head when he was tackled by a charging gryphon. The guard captain yelled as the gryphon dug its claws into his shoulders. Just as the gryphon was about to finish off the guard captain, his head began to shake before it imploded in a flash of dark blue light.

The stunned guard captain looked around in stunned awe before noticing Princess Luna standing beside him. Her horn then ignited once more as Silverlight was flipped back onto his hooves. 

“Are you okay, Captain?” Luna asked as the stallion dusted himself off.

Silverlight nodded. “I’ll live.” 

Luna looked to the north and sighed. She hoped Daniel was having an easier time.


~~~


“Sir, port side, top of the tower!” Vezina shouted as he pointed to the small group of ponies standing on the uppermost level of the massive central castle. 

“Copy that. Tommy, disengage cloak, then drop the ramp and get us close,” the Captain ordered.

“Sir, gryphon airships are closing in on us. Point defence is engaging,” Tommy announced as every turret began firing.

“Dior, we have every eye in the Empire on us. We kinda need to make this quick.” Daniel asked over the radio.

“Just about done! We need another twenty seconds!” The SPARTAN shouted back over the sounds of small arms fire.

Daniel nodded as he looked back to the pilot. “You heard her. Twenty seconds and pull away. Go to heading two-one-seven and stand by for orbital insertion.”

“Aye, sir,” the pilot replied.

“Sir, a storm is moving in from the south, recommend using it to cover our escape,” the AI stated.

“How big is the storm?” The Captain asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Sensors show that it extends all the way to the Equestrian border,” Tommy replied.

“Good to know,” Daniel mused as he reached for his radio. “Dior?”

“Take off!”

“Vezina, heading two-one-seven, ahead full. Bring cloak online,” the Captain commanded.

The entire ship leaned to the left and quickly began to pick up speed. After a short time, the Crystal Empire faded into the distance. It was unclear if the attacking force realized that their prize had just flown over their heads.

“Sir, storm front approaching. Five miles to intersect,” Tommy announced.

“Copy that. Get under the storm and then get us into orbit. I wanna use the clouds to mask our ascent,” Daniel ordered. 

The ship continued to fly under the clouds for another five minutes before finally pulling up. As soon as the spacecraft touched the clouds, an explosion tore through the upper hull, shaking the ship violently enough to throw some people from their seats.

“Tommy, report!” Daniel shouted as crew members picked themselves off thed deck.

“Unknown. LiDAR is only showing the storm, no ships in the vicinity,” the AI replied in a puzzled tone.

“Vezina, get us above the storm,” the Captain ordered.

Once again, the pilot pulled up on the yoke, only for the ship to once again shake violently as alarms began to sound.

“Sir, hull breach on deck eight. Fire suppression systems engaged,” the AI reported.

Daniel looked at the sky in confusion. “Go to heading two two nine and increase altitude to five thousand feet.”

“Aye, sir,” Vezina answered as he turned the ship on its new heading. 

As soon as the ship tried to pass above the cloud cover, another explosion tore through the already damaged section of the ship. 

“Warning, hull breach, decks seven and eight. Multiple fires detected. Engine capacity down to seventy three percent, optical cloak offline,” Tommy stated as he announced the damage report.

“What the fuck is going on?” Daniel nearly shouted as he continued to scan the sky above.

“Sir, it only happens when we try to ascend above three thousand feet,” Zerom announced as he continued to glance at various monitors.

“Noted. Let’s just keep stay below the clouds for as long as possible. I can’t imagine we would keep running into this problem all the way to Equestria,” Daniel said as he sat back in his seat.

“Sir, what’s going on? Are we under attack?” Dior asked over the radio.

“Negative. We’re not really sure what happened, but we haven’t been pursued,” the Captain replied calmly.

“Alright. Passengers are secured in the conference room,” the SPARTAN stated.

“Good to know, we’ll be in Equestrian airspace in about thirty minutes, and then in Canterlot in about an hour.”

“Copy that, I’ll pass along the message,” Dior said as the transmission ended. 

For the next twenty minutes, the flight went fairly undisturbed. The fires had been extinguished, and the affected areas had been patched with temporary plating. Cadance, Shining, and Dior had since joined the Captain on the bridge as they crossed into Equestrian airspace.

“Sir, LiDAR is showing multiple airships ahead. Recommend course correction,” Tommy warned.

“Hostiles?” The Captain asked.

“They appear to be sieging the city, so I would say so,” the AI replied.

Daniel grumbled as he looked at the sensor readings. “Vezina, think you can get us above the clouds?”

“Yes, sir. There’s a thunderhead coming up that we could easily slip into and hide in,” the pilot announced as he began to turn the ship.

“Alright. Make it happen,” the Captain said as he looked to the sky.

Vezina let out a nervous sigh as he pulled up on the yoke. For a moment, the ship pierced the clouds without any reaction. A second later, the ship was rocked by another explosion.

“Warning, hull breach, hangar deck. Engine capacity down to forty percent.” the AI announced.

“Get us higher!” Daniel shouted.

“Sir, we’re between cloud layers,” Zerom said as he gestured outside. 

Sure enough, the Tuscany found itself in between two massive cloud layers that seemed to be supported by pillars of cloud randomly inside.

“Have you seen anything like this before?” Daniel muttered as he gazed out at the massive storm structure in front of the ship.

“It’s a common storm structure used by pegasi,” Princess Cadance commented.

Again, the ship shook as a thunderous boom echoed. “Warning, hull breach, deck six. Starboard stabilizers offline, class D fires detected.”

The ship then flew through another pillar, causing an explosion to tear through the already wounded ship. “Warning, hull breach, automated point defence systems offline. Class D fires detected across multiple decks, fire suppression systems are engaged across all decks.”

“Avoid the pillars!” Daniel shouted as Vezina tried to fly around the oncoming pillar, only to fly straight through it.

There was a flash of red light and a thunderous roar. “Mass drivers offline, LiDAR offline, primary communications array offline. Class D fires burning across multiple decks. Casualties are being reported across all decks. Multiple fatalities,” Tommy announced.

“Sir, we’re twenty minutes from Canterlot. We need to get out of here if we’re going to survive,” Zerom said worriedly.

“Can we ascend through the cloud cover?”

“I would not advise it. Upper cloud cover is almost three kilometers thick,” Chief Ellis replied.

“Damn it, alright. Drop us below the storm. I’d rather take my chances with the gryphons,” the Captain commanded. 

Vezina took a moment to find an open patch of air before sharply angling the ship downward. As expected, there were multiple explosion as the ship pressed through the clouds.

“Warning, hull breaches detected across all decks, class D fires burning on all decks. Fire suppression systems are being overwhelmed. Engines down to thirty percent. Reactor housing has been damaged, power output reduced to eighty percent,” Tommy warned. 

“Son of a bitch...” Daniel muttered as he looked at the damage report. 

With the current state his ship was in, combined with the virtual wall of gryphon airships ahead of him, the prospect for survival was beginning to dwindle. To his horror, many of the airships around Canterlot began to turn toward him. 

“Sir?” Vezina asked as he looked over his shoulder in concern.

The Captain sighed as he looked at the approaching fleet.

“Sir, we don’t have weapons capable of fighting them off,” Tommy stated.

Daniel looked over at Cadance and Shining Armor. The pink alicorn held a look of fear as she clutched the Crystal Heart, while Shining sat with a protective hoof over her shoulder. There were two options for the Captain: he could try to run the blockade and possibly kill everyone on board, or he could give a single order to possibly save everyone.

“Tommy, sound evacuation. Abandon ship,” Daniel ordered as he stood up and picked up his ODST helmet. 

Everyone looked at the Captain in shock before Zerom spoke. “You heard him. Everyone out.”

“Sir, auto navigation is offline. I will be unable to hold this course without active input,” the AI announced.

“Understood,” Daniel replied as he slipped on his helmet and took a seat at the helm. “Commander, make sure everyone evacuates. The Crystal Heart needs to make it off this ship.”

“Sir, what about the small fleet standing between us and the city?” The SPARTAN asked.

“Don’t worry. They’ll be more interested in bringing me down than chasing a few lifeboats,” Daniel said as he picked up the yoke. “Tommy, download yourself to the Commander’s armor. Get those two out of here, you’re in charge now, Dior.”

The SPARTAN snapped a salute. “Aye, sir. It’s been an honor, sir.”

“Likewise, SPARTAN. Now take Tommy and get the hell off my boat,” Daniel replied with a chuckle.

As everyone on the bridge quickly walked off, Daniel tapped a few buttons on his wrist computer, causing him to broadcast the song over his radio. 

“Twenty minutes? Easy,” the Captain smirked to himself.


~~~


The ship began to shake and rock as the gryphon airships began to bombard the dying spacecraft. Luckily, Kelly, Ahmad, the other SPARTANs, and the surviving ponies were already waiting for them outside the bridge.

“All of you, with me,” Dior ordered.

Cadance stuck close behind the SPARTAN as they moved through the ship, having to take detours as they ran into collapsed sections. The Princesses breath would catch in her throat every time they passed a dead crew member. The farther they went into the ship, the worse the damage got. 

As they made their way toward the nearest life boats, dull thuds and small explosions could be heard, followed by the shouts and screams of the dead and dying. Fire sprinklers were often rendered useless, allowing fires to ravage entire sections of the once proud ship.

Continuing through the ship revealed a few crew members who were trapped under and behind debris. With a quick levitation spell, Cadance lifted the burning debris, allowing the injured crewmembers to be pulled out. The others trapped behind were also able to duck through the small opening. Among the survivors were the armory chief and Chef.

The now much larger group, continued to move toward the lifeboats. Cadance looked around and noticed that each human never said a word. It was a bit unsettling, but she could understand why they were like this. In these corridors, the pink alicorn had seen more death than her entire life. Even as she escaped the Crystal Empire, she hadn’t seen any actual dead bodies.

Suddenly, an explosion tore through the section they were in. Kelly rushed forward and tackled the pink alicorn to the deck, shielding her from the now torn open hull. Two unlucky unicorns screamed as they were sucked out of the ship.

“Kelly!” Ahmad shouted as he crouched next to his friend. As Cadance went to offer her thanks to the ODST, Ahmad rolled Kelly off her. Embedded in her back was a large piece of shrapnel. Ahmad placed a hand on the side of her neck, feeling for a pulse. The ODST was visibly shaking as he removed his friend’s ID tags.

Cadance couldn’t believe that this human had just died to save her life. Commander Dior quickly helped the alicorn to her hooves and motioned for the others to follow. The rest of the group continued to move along the outer passageways until they came to a number of circular doors with flashing red lights around their perimeter. 

The SPARTAN pulled a lever in the hull, causing the doors to quickly slide open.

“Everyone in! Now!” The SPARTAN commanded. 

Quickly, ponies and surviving humans piled into all four lifeboats. As they all sat down, the restraints slid down over their heads and the doors slammed shut. After a few seconds, the escape engines on each lifeboat exploded to life, jettisoning each pod from the dying ship.


~~~


Wing Commander Archilies watched the burning human ship as it continued to fall. Curiously, parts of the hull plating split and slid upward, exposing four cylindrical objects. The gryphon’s curiosity was compounded as all four objects were quickly shot from the hull. Part of the commander wanted to chase after the objects, but he was far more interested in the larger target.

“Sir, what of those four objects?” One of his subordinates asked.

“Ignore them. Our prize is still the big one,” the wing commander said with a grin as he pointed at the dying starship.


~~~


Daniel could hear the popping sound as each lifeboat ejected from the hull of his dying ship. Surprisingly, the door to the bridge opened, causing the Captain to look at who had defied his order to abandon ship. Taking the co-pilot seat was Commander Zerom in a set of ODST armor.

“Zerom, what the fuck are you doing? I said to abandon ship!”

“I’m telling you to go fuck yourself. Friends don’t let friends do stupid things alone,” the Commander chuckled as he set his newly acquired helmet on the console in front of him.

“Okay, but why the armor?” Daniel asked with a sigh.

“Well, I’ve always wondered how comfy this stuff was. Suffice to say, I’m impressed,” Zerom replied.

“Yeah, well, engine capacity is down to five percent, leaving us on a crash course to the valley below Canterlot,” Daniel replied as he focused on flying.

“Are the gryphons still chasing us?” Zerom asked as he tapped on the console in front of him.

Daniel nodded as Zerom slipped his helmet on. “Yeah. Looks like they either don’t care about the escape pods, or they didn’t notice.”

“Yup, I’m tracking the lifeboats now. Looks like they will be touching down in Ponyville in two minutes.”

The Captain let out a sigh of relief. “Good. So the Crystal Heart is safe.”

The two men sat in silence as their ship was continuously rocked by enemy cannon fire. Fires were burning out of control on every deck, and almost every major system was offline.

“Stand by to eject FTL drive and main reactor,” Daniel ordered.

Zerom began tapping on his console before nodding. “Ready.”

“Eject them now.”

There were two loud bangs as both the slipspace drive and main reactor were swiftly ejected from the ship. Zerom let out a small cheer as both of their recovery beacons and parachutes activated.

“One minute to impact. Still mad I came along?” Zerom asked as the ground grew closer.

“Shit, Zerom, you’re practically my brother. I couldn’t really be mad at you if I tried.” Daniel replied with a chuckle.

“Looks like the song is about to end. Perfect timing. Got anything you wanna say before we hit the ground?”

Daniel paused for a moment as the song reached its climax before singing over the radio.

“Go and tell the world, 
My story!
Tell them of my brother,
Tell them about me!
The Count of Tuscany!
Yeaaaah!”

The entire ship shook violently one last time just seconds before slamming into the ground, gouging a massive scar into the ground as the ship slid to a halt.


~~~


Luna was tired and quite injured. She was covered in small gashes and bruises. The Princess was also fairly certain she had a few broken bones. But all that paled in comparison to what her ponies were going through. Unfortunately, her magic reserves were running dangerously low. If the fighting kept up for much longer, she would be unable to move the sun at the end of the day. 

“Princess! It’s the Tuscany!” One of her troops shouted.

With renewed hope, Luna galloped along the upper wall until she had a clear view of the valley. Though her hope was soon shattered as she spotted the starship. Instead of the magnificent dark grey hull, flames bellowed out of massive holes as long trails of black smoke leaked from the ship. Even worse, was that the Princess noticed the ship was slowly falling.

Luna cried out in fear as the Tuscany continued to drift closer and closer to the ground. This fear was amplified by what she had just heard from Daniel’s radio. Even in her exhausted and wounded state, she had to do something. 

Gathering up all the energy she had left, she cast a single spell on the dying ship. As the spell resolved, she watched the proud ship, the place she called home for the past two months, slam into the ground, kicking up a massive wave of dirt and debris. It was the last thing she saw before falling unconscious.


~~~


High in orbit, Admiral Reynolds stood on the bridge of the Infinity as he listened to the Tuscany broadcast her final words, before finally crashing into the ground. Orbital images showed the scar she left behind, as well as the trail of flaming debris. With a steady hand, he reached for the fleet wide intercom.

“All ships, this is the Admiral. We’ve just lost the Tuscany. Battlegroup Zeus, you are clear to begin orbital bombing. Three salvos of MAC rounds, followed by Archer missiles, just like we rehearsed,” the Admiral ordered as he continued to look at the wreckage of the Prowler.

With a neutral expression, he watched as the ships of Battlegroup Zeus aimed their bows toward the planet surface. When all at once, they fired their powerful MAC rounds into the ranks of gryphons far below.

“Alert all troops. Prepare for ground assault.”


~~~


King Varen watched from his command tent as the once mighty human warship crashed into the ground. His troops all cheered as if they had just slain a mighty beast. The King himself couldn’t help but smile at the burning wreckage. He wanted to personally oversee the sacking of Canterlot, and the capture of Princess Luna. However, getting to see the human ship crash was just icing on the cake.

In a split second, everything changed. Three blurs fell from the sky and blasted massive craters in the ground, vaporizing every soldier in their radius. Six more of these objects slammed into the ground over the course of a minute. Just when he thought it was over, hundreds of streaks of light fell from the sky.

The King was forced to watch as his mighty army was enveloped in balls of fire as the streaks slammed into the ground. There was nowhere to run while fire continued to rain down from the heavens. Varen slowly looked to the burning starship wreckage and came to a startling conclusion. Perhaps he had just pissed off a sleeping leviathan.


~~~


Celestia sat in her hospital room, happily reading a book on her datapad. Neume was laying on the nearby couch with her own datapad. Both mares were drawn from their reading by a knock on the door. Neume looked to Celestia who only nodded.  

“Yes?” Neume called out.

The door swung open as Director Burr walked in, carrying his long coat.

“Hello, Princess. Doctor Optikanner says you have been doing quite well in your physical therapy,” the Director said as he hung his coat on the back of the door.

Celestia jotted down a quick message and levitated it to the Director. To his surprise, it was written in english. While it wasn’t perfect, it was still understandable. 

“It is good to getting out of a bed.”

The Director chuckled as he pulled up a chair. “That’s good to hear. Though I am here for something else. The gryphons have pushed up and captured two more cities. Reports are coming in now that they are attacking Canterlot.”

Celestia’s face dropped as she processed the news.

“However,” the Princess perked up as the Director grinned, “the UNSC seventh fleet has just arrived in low orbit. They have begun orbital bombardment and will soon launch ground troops.”

Celestia scribbled out a quick message and handed it to Neume.

“That’s great. Is my sister alright?” Neume read out.

“I’m not sure yet,” the Director said with a shake of his head.

Celestia eyed the human curiously as she took the pad back from Neuma and wrote another message.

“Something else has you troubled,” the changeling said.

Director Burr nodded. “We lost the Tuscany. She was shot down after returning from the Crystal Empire. Only four lifeboats were recovered.”

The room sat in silence for a few moments. Celestia then wrote down another message.

“How many survived?” Neume asked.

“I’m not sure. Each lifeboat can hold ten. If each lifeboat was full when it landed, then forty. We’re not sure if anyone survived on the ship,” the Director said as he bowed his head. “If you would like, I can get you the live feed from the UNSC Infinity. That way you can watch and listen to what is happening.”

The Princess nodded and handed the Director her datapad. The human tapped a few buttons and handed it back to the alicorn.

“Just tap the camera icon in the upper left. It will automatically connect to the Infinity,” Director Burr said as he stood up.

“Thank you,” Celestia said in an incredibly pained and hoarse whisper.

The Director cracked a small smile as he grabbed his coat and walked through the door.

 
	
> July 12th, 2559 (Part 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Admiral Reynolds looked at the topographical map and sighed. Gryphons were currently storming the city of Canterlot and Ponyville. However, the momentum of the attacking force had just been halted by the orbital bombardment from battlegroup Zeus. Now it was time for the second phase of the assault. With a steady hand, the Admiral picked up the fleet-wide intercom and spoke. 

“All ships, this is the Admiral speaking. Moments ago, we lost the Tuscany and an unknown number of her crew. The gryphons here, see themselves as the apex predators of this world. They see themselves as untouchable. We are going to prove them wrong. All troops, suit up and prepare to drop! When the gryphons look to the sky and see our fiery judgement raining down upon them, they will raise their hands to the heavens, and they will know fear!”

Although he couldn’t hear it, he was sure the troops were all cheering as they donned their gear. With a satisfied smile, the Admiral set the microphone back in it’s holster.

“Roland, as soon as you get the all clear, send the pods and dropships,” Admiral Reynolds ordered.

The AI nodded. “Aye sir, standing by for confirmation.”

A few minutes passed before hundreds of slight popping sounds echoed through the Infinity as she released her drop pods in waves. Looking around at the rest of the fleet, Admiral Reynolds smiled as he watched thousands of drop pods eject from the bellies of every starship, followed by over two hundred Pelican dropships. Well over a hundred thousand ODSTs, SPARTANs were on their way toward the planet surface.

“Sir, all pods are away,” Roland reported as the Admiral watched the last of the pods enter the atmosphere.

“Copy that.” A sly grin crossed the Admiral’s face as he reached for the radio. “All ships, switch to an open channel and sound off.”

“UNSC Infinity, on station.”

“UNSC Trafalgar, on station.”

“UNSC Gibraltar, standing by.”

“UNSC Armageddon’s Edge, on station!”

“UNSC Applebee, standing by.”

“UNSC Pony Express, on station.

“UNSC Iwo Jima, on station.”

“UNSC Minotaur, on station.”

“UNSC Leviathan, on station.”

“UNSC Dawn Under Heaven, standing by.”

“UNSC Grafton, on station!”

“UNSC Bermuda, standing by.”

“UNSC Paris, on station.”

“UNSC Stalwart Dawn, on station.”

“UNSC Bellerophon, on station.”

“UNSC Hopeful, in orbit.”

“All ships on station,” the Admiral confirmed before switching back to the secure channel. 

“Sir, all pods have landed. Ground forces are now engaging enemy elements across three fronts,” Roland announced with a nod.

Admiral Reynolds turned and walked to the large display table showing a map of the area around Canterlot. “Begin descent to the planet’s surface. Alert the carriers to launch strike fighters after we clear the atmosphere.”

“Aye sir, beginning descent.”


~~~


Silverlight was having an absolutely terrible day. First the gryphons had begun their siege of Canterlot, then the Tuscany went down in a ball of fire, and now Princess Luna was unconscious and injured. Though as he looked out at the valley floor his heart sank. Legions of gryphon soldiers were making their way quickly toward the base of the mountain and the town of Ponyville, while dozens of airships were surrounding and bombing the city with their massive deck guns.

It seemed all was lost until three extremely loud bangs resonated overhead, followed by three massive explosions in the valley below. This same event happened two more times, followed by hundreds of lesser explosions as more objects continued to rain down from the sky.

Silverlight stared slack jawed at the sheer destruction before him. In mere seconds, the once mighty gryphon army had been pulverized. The survivors in the valley were thrown into total chaos as the bombing finally subsided. With explosives no longer raining down from the sky, Silverlight turned his attention to the wounded and unconscious Princess. This, though, was interrupted by countless sonic booms overhead. 

Slowly, Silverlight shifted his gaze back toward the heavens, only to be met by thousands of streaks moving across the sky. He could have sworn that some of them were heading right for him. This fear was confirmed as dozens of the objects suddenly became larger and let out thunderous roars before slamming into the ground around him.

As the dust settled, the pegasus Captain looked around as smaller booms echoed around him, followed by the dull sound of metal hitting the ground. Now, over twenty fully armed ODSTs and SPARTANs were standing in the gardens with him. 

“Captain Silverlight?” One of the SPARTANs asked.

The pegasus shakily looked up at the massive human. He was clad in dark green armor and had a reflective golden visor, allowing the Captain to see his own reflection.

“Y-yeah, and you are?” Silverlight replied, still stunned by what was happening around him.

“Sierra 1-1-7. We’re here to help retake the city. Where do you need us?” the SPARTAN replied curtly.

“Uh, cut around the castle and link up with our forces at the main gates. They could use some help holding off the gryphons,” the Captain stammered, still awestruck as more troop pods continued to rain down around the city and surrounding countryside.

The large SPARTAN only nodded at the troops behind him before quickly making his way around the edge of the castle.The pegasus quickly turned his attention back to the wounded Princess before him.

As he delicately began checking over her wounds, the ground began to shake and a dull roar filled the air. Looking back to the sky, Silverlight’s jaw nearly hit the ground once again. Sixteen massive UNSC warships gracefully descended from the heavens, most coming to a stop over the city. Many of the ships were over a kilometer long, with the largest being nearly six kilometers in length. 

What really caught Silverlight’s attention was one of the relatively smaller frigates continue flying forward at a nearby airship. He wanted to shout out for the human ship to pull up to avoid the impending collision, but remained silent as the scene continued to unfold. The frigate, with the name Grafton clearly painted on her side, simply plowed through the closest airship before speeding off toward Ponyville with another ship named Armageddon’s Edge. 

Silverlight once again turned his attention back to Luna as he began to search for anything to at least bandage her wounds. Though his attempts were soon interrupted as three Pelicans touched down among the empty drop pods. As soon as their landing gear hit the ground, marines began pouring from the aircraft, casting long shadows on Silverlight as they charged past him. 

However, a single shadow refused to move from his view. Looking up, he was met by a tall human, wearing a uniform very similar to that of Daniel’s. This one, however, had more ornate decorations and insignias. Even the man wearing it seemed to command more authority and respect. In addition to a single pistol on his hip, he was flanked on either side by two marines, all with assault rifles drawn.

“Captain Silverlight?” the older man asked.

The guard Captain could only nod as he failed to form a cohesive sentence. 

“My name is Admiral Nathan Reynolds of the UNSC Seventh Fleet. I’m here to solve your gryphon problem,” the human said with a grin.

Silverlight continued to stare at the human slack jawed, unable to think of anything to say. The Admiral chuckled and looked down at Luna. His expression hardened as soon as he noticed the nature of her wounds.

“Get her to the Infinity, now,” Admiral Reynolds ordered.

The four marines wasted no time in grabbing a stretcher from the Pelican, carefully slipping it under the Princess. The Admiral then turned back to Silverlight and quickly inspected him.

“You should go with them and get your shoulders check out. My boys will have this place mopped up in no time at all.”

Silverlight wanted to protest, but something kept the guard Captain from voicing any kind of objection. He merely nodded and limped into the back of the Pelican, taking a seat across from where Luna was strapped in. Without warning, the aircraft gave a slight jolt as it lifted off the ground and made the quick flight up to the Infinity. 


~~~


The occupants inside the lifeboats were violently shaken as the orbital bombing began. While they weren’t in the direct line of fire, the resulting pressure waves were strong enough to shake their small crafts. Inside lifeboat number one, Cadance was clutching the Crystal Heart as she kept her eyes squeezed shut. Shining Armor, on the other hand, was clutching his stomach in a vain attempt to keep his breakfast down. 

The violent shaking continued for a few minutes until a single alarm began rapidly beeping.

“What does that mean? Are we gonna crash!?” one of the ponies cried out.

“Well, kinda. It means we’re about to land. Hang on to something. This part is usually the most dangerous, especially if the airbrakes don’t deploy,” Dior calmly from the pilot’s seat of the lifeboat.

Sitting in the co-pilot seat next to her, Spotlight gulped as he made sure his helmet was secured before wrapping his forehooves tightly across the front of his harness. As the seconds wore on, a new alarm began to sound. This time a much lower tone that blared every second.

“And what does that one mean?” the same pony asked with worry.

Dior looked at the blinking orange light and sighed.

“The airbrakes are about to deploy. Hang on to something, this part usually hurts.”

Every pony and human leaned their heads back and grabbed onto the front of their restraints. Seconds later the entire craft jolted violently as the airbrakes opened, pitching the lifeboat into a semi-controlled dive. Cadance let out a slight shriek at the sudden shift in orientation while Shining Armor simply vomited. 

After what felt like an eternity, the lifeboats hit the ground with bone breaking force. A number of the humans and ponies cried out as lifeboat skidded across the ground before coming to a stop upside down. 

“Oh fuck me! Who puked!? It’s all over me!” one of the humans shouted from the rear of the lifeboat.

 “Sorry, couldn’t hold it,” Shining replied weakly. 

Dior ignored the two as she undid her restraints, using her a free hand to gracefully flip over before helping Spotlight out of his own seat. The pair then carefully began helping the others escape from their inverted positions. It took only a few minutes to get everyone unfastened and back on their feet, or hooves. 

The Commander then proceeded to pull out a long green hard case from underneath one of the benches. Opening it revealed ten handguns and twenty clips. Each human, as well as agent Spotlight, picked up a firearm and the respective number of magazines. The SPARTAN gave one final nod to the crew before opening the rear hatch of the lifeboat.

Sunlight instantly filled the dimly lit cabin, blinding most of the occupants. This blindness soon gave way to a full scale battle raging on the outskirts of Ponyville. Drop pods and Pelicans covered the area near the base of the mountain as UNSC troops engaged the approaching gryphon force, though Ponyville was still very much exposed.

Just over the river, in the heart of town, Princess Twilight and her friends were trying to direct as many ponies as possible away from the fast approaching gryphon army. Though many of the ponies required little to no convincing. Even fewer ponies noticed the four lifeboats land at the edge of town.

Dior quickly motioned for the other crash survivors to follow her as she moved into the small town of Ponyville. Normally the SPARTAN would stand her ground and fight off the charging army. However, her primary objective was to keep the Crystal Heart safe. With that in mind, she and the rest of the survivors followed the fleeing ponies south into Whitetail Woods. 

Twilight, still trying to usher along other ponies with her friends, failed to notice the gryphons closing in on her from the north, west, and east. As the young Princess looked around for any remaining ponies, a loud screech resonated from overhead. Twilight looked up just in time to see three gryphons drop large nets over her and her friends.

The young alicorn quickly discovered that the net on her was heavily weighted and had hooks on the ends, allowing them to dig into the ground as she struggled. While the six ponies tried to free themselves from the net, dozens of gryphons quickly filled the town square. A few gryphons quickly charged forward to drive large stakes into the ends of the nets as Twilight and her friends fought to pull off them off. 

“It’s over my dear, you and your friends have lost,” one of the gryphons said smugly.

Twilight looked around in a panic. Sure enough, gryphons were surrounding her on every side, even a few were hovering over her. Though one thing caught her eye in the distance. “I still have a few tricks left.”

Twilight quickly summoned every ounce of magic she had and looked to her friends. It would take everything she had to pull something like this off. Mentally focusing on her friends, she shot one last glance at her intended target: Infinity.

With a deep breath and a smirk, Twilight and her five friends disappeared in a flash of light, leaving only six empty nets in the middle of town.


~~~


David Glisnow was contently going about his work aboard the Infinity. His job was a simple one, transporting small loads around the ship. At the moment, he was humming an intense guitar solo from a very catchy song while tapping on the steering wheel of his Warthog. His cargo of small arms ammunition and grenades securely strapped into the cargo bed of his vehicle. Without warning, a bright flash of light appeared in the middle of his path. Without hesitating, the human threw the wheel of his vehicle to the left, causing the entire Warthog to slide hard to the left. This sudden change in direction also caused the entire vehicle to flip, rolling sideways as he scraped along the wall before coming to a stop upside down.

From his inverted position, the man noticed something very peculiar in the middle of the road. Six brightly color ponies all looking around in confusion, two of which promptly collapsed. One looked dead tired, while the other just looked dead. 

Carefully unbuckling his harness, David gently lowered himself from the crashed vehicle before grabbing both his radio and his handgun. 

“This is Petty Officer Glisnow, I have an overturned Warthog on motorway D-133 as well as six unknown alien contacts,” the human announced into his radio as he tightened the grip on his handgun.

“Copy that, Petty Officer. Security and recovery are on their way,” Roland replied.

Slowly, the four other ponies got to their hooves and began to look around. Noticing the confused looking human with the gun, Rainbow took it upon herself to initiate contact. With a wave of her hoof, Rainbow beckoned the human over. The human stayed next to his overturned vehicle, ignoring the pony’s gesture. 

“Dude, it’s okay. I’m not gonna hit you or anything,” Rainbow announced as she rolled her eyes.

David looked at the pony with a confused expression as he made sure the safety on his gun was off. 

“Uhh, hello? You gonna say something?” The pegasus said in a more annoyed tone.

Once again, the human looked at her like she was speaking a different language. Then it hit her, she was speaking a different language. Knowing that talking to the human was a lost cause, she turned her attention to the rest of her friends. 

Both Twilight and Fluttershy were lying unconscious on the metal deck. Applejack and Rarity were both checking on their fallen friends, while Pinkie Pie was busily taking in every detail of the motorway. The only thing she could determine was that this area was used by wheeled vehicles, much like the one that was overturned .

After a few minutes, the sounds of engines began to resound from further up the motorway. Sure enough, five more vehicles that looked exactly like the overturned one showed up. Though all were driven by humans wearing what looked like very heavy body armor. All five vehicles came to a quick halt as nearly a dozen soldiers dismounted from the vehicles. One human, wearing only a uniform was the first to step forward. Rainbow looked up from her friends to glance at the new humans.

“My name is Thomas Lasky, Captain of the Infinity. Mind telling me who you are and why you are on my ship?” A relatively young human said as he slowly made his way forward, flanked by two SPARTANs.

“Oh, uh, I’m Rainbow Dash. Nice to meet ya. I’m pretty sure my friend Twilight here teleported us onboard. ” the rainbow maned pegasus motioned to the unconscious purple alicorn.

Laskey raised an eyebrow as he looked behind Rainbow . Sure enough, two ponies were lying motionless on the deck. There was something about the purple pony that stood out to the Captain. Curiously, Laskey pulled out his datapad and quickly shifted through some pictures. His eyes widened as he looked back to the six ponies. 

“Sergeant Major, get both of those ponies to medical,” the Captain ordered.

Two marines and SPARTANs quickly moved forward with a pair of stretchers. Both Rarity and Applejack took a few steps back as the humans gently lifted the two ponies and carried them to one of the vehicles. Without waiting for orders, the four humans climbed into the Warthog and quickly sped off, heading deeper into the massive starship. 

“Miss Dash, would you and your friends please come with me? You’re not in trouble, I simply want to ask you a few questions about what’s happening on the ground,” Captain Laskey asked as he motioned to the remaining Warthogs.

“I guess so,” Dash said as she looked back at her friends. They all seemed nervous and hesitant to even move. 

Laskey nodded before motioning to one of the Warthogs. Rainbow did her best to stick close to her three friends as they boarded the Warthog, climbing into the open bed of the vehicle. Laskey proceeded to take the passenger’s seat, while a SPARTAN climbed into the driver’s seat. 


~~~


Pain. It was the first thing Twilight felt as she finally regained consciousness. Her head felt like somepony had used her skull as a trampoline. As she tried to open her eyes, another throb of pain racked her mind again as she was blinded by overhead lights. She groaned as she clenched her eyes shut, trying to block as much of the light as possible. The sound of a door opening brought Twilight from her pain fueled tranced. The rhythmic sound of bootsteps filled the room as a single individual walked in.

“Princess Sparkle, I’m Corpsman Sievers. How are you feeling?” A female human asked.

Twilight only offered a groan before speaking. “My head is throbbing like crazy. Could you turn down the lights?”

“Of course, ma’am,” the corpsman replied. “Better?”

Twilight slowly opened her eyes, letting out a sigh of relief at the darkened room. “Much. Thank you.”

“You were brought in here with the symptoms and signs of a major stroke. Thankfully, we’ve determined that you haven’t suffered any neural damage,” the medical officer replied.

“It wasn’t an actual stroke. Severe magical exhaustion often manifests with the symptoms of a stroke,” the young alicorn groaned as she rubbed the base of her horn with a hoof.

“I see,” the corpsman said as she jotted down notes. “Is this only possible for unicorns and alicorns to be affected by?” 

Twilight nodded. “Yes, only magic users can be affected by magical exhaustion.”

“Alright. I ask because we have a pegasus in the room next door. We can’t find anything wrong with her,” Corpsman Siever replied.

“Yellow pegasus?” Siever nodded. “That’s Fluttershy. She’ll just need to sleep it off. She’s easily startled.”

“Corpsman! I need your help in here!” A voice shouted from the main room.

Without missing a beat, Siever turned and jogged into the other room. Two more ponies had been brought in. The unicorn looked like he was going to puke, while the alicorn was doing her best to comfort him. 

“My name is Corpsman Aneston and this is Corpsman Siever. Can you tell me where it hurts?” Aneston asked as Siever brought a trashcan to the pained unicorn.

“My neck, shoulders, and barrel. We were in a crash,” the alicorn replied.

Corpsman Aneston carefully began to check her over for more severe injuries. Luckily her only injuries were bruises where the restraints had held her. Shining, on the other hand, was busy emptying his stomach contents into the trashcan.

“Alright, Misses...”

“Cadance,” the alicorn replied.

“Cadance!?” Twilight exclaimed from her room.

Candance’s head spun around as she looked to the source of the voice. 

“Twilight!” The pink alicorn turned away from the humans and trotted into Twilight’s room, embracing the young pony. “I was so worried about you.”

Twilight happily nuzzled Cadance. “So was I. Luna told me that Captain Ryan was being sent to get you and Shining. All I could do was wait until the two of you got back. Do you know where he is? I kinda want to thank him for saving my brother and the best foalsitter ever.”

Cadance hesitated and her expression dropped. “Twilight, he... I don’t think he made it.”

Twilight’s eyes went wide as her breathing quickened. “But... how?”

“The gryphons destroyed the ship. He and Commander Zerom stayed behind to make sure we could escape. I’m not even sure how many made it off the ship.” Cadance replied with a shaky voice, images of the crashing ship replaying in her mind.

The sound of Shining Armor vomiting caused both mares to look at the stallion. He was laying on a cot while Corpsman Siever held his mane back with one hand and held a trashcan with another.

“What happened to Shining?” Twilight asked with concern.

Cadance chuckled slightly. “He got a bit airsick. I’d say he would make a terrible pegasus.”

Twilight couldn’t help but laugh at the joke, even if it was at her brother’s expense. A knock on the wall brought both alicorns back to reality. 

“Captain Laskey.” Cadance greeted with a nod.

“Hello, Princesses. I see you’re both doing well,” the Captain replied.

“Yes we are, I also want to thank you for everything you have done for us,” Cadance said with a grateful nod.

“Though, I do have one question. Do you know where Princess Luna is?” Twilight asked with a hint of worry.

Captain Laskey nodded. “She was transported to the UNSC Hopeful for medical treatment about half an hour ago. Last I heard, she was still unconscious.”

“But she’s okay?” Cadance asked.

“You would need to ask the medical staff for a full report, but yes, she’s fine,” Laskey replied.


~~~


Varen watched in silent horror as over a dozen massive warships descended from the clouds. Thousands of streaks of light filled the air before slamming into the ground. All around him his generals were running around the command tent, sending orders to their troops in Canterlot and Ponyville. If he could take control of the Elements of Harmony and the last Equestrian Princess, then there would be nothing to stop him.  

That was when he heard it over the radio. Everyone in the tent froze as the names of sixteen human warships were listed off over an open channel. After that, the sky opened up. He was only minutes away from seizing control of the castle when the warships emerged. He watched as the airships around the city moved to intercept the new threats, only to hear his radio spring to life once more.

“Choo choo motherfuckers!” Someone shouted as one of the smaller ships simply plowed through an airship.

To the king’s horror, more streaks of light impacted the ground less than a kilometer away from his tent. Even worse was when the streaks of light turned out to be black pods, each with a human soldier inside. The king’s troops never had a chance to react as the humans opened fire, killing anyone who tried to fight back. 

Varen finally turned away from the fighting only to turn directly into a group of SPARTANs. The human quickly punched the king, throwing him to the floor with a bloody and cracked beak. The entire tent was quickly ripped apart as human soldiers filled the area. The generals caught in the sudden ambush were quickly subdued and dragged away.

Two SPARTANs kept the gryphon king pinned to the ground as another human walked up next to the king.

“Hello Varen. I’m glad I finally get to meet you,” the human said with a grin.

The king struggled to look up at the human. “Do I know you?”

“No. But I know you. My name is Admiral Nathan Reynolds, and you have made the terrible mistake of gaining my undivided attention,” Reynolds replied as he squatted down next to the king.

“I have nothing to say to you,” the king sneered.

The Admiral shrugged. “That’s fine. I just wanted to personally be there when we took you into custody. I was kinda hoping you would have put up a fight, but I guess this works too. If it makes you feel any better, your troops have been surrendering by the thousands. Seems they have lost the will to fight.”

The king continued to struggle under the crushing weight of both SPARTANs, with little success.

“If you’re curious, you will be taken to a UNSC holding facility where an ONI agent will come have a nice little chat with you. Then, you will either be put up on trial for war crimes in Equestria, Ecotonia, or on Earth. Lucky you,” Reynolds said as he stood up. “Take him to the Infinity.”

The SPARTANs nodded as they hefted the king up and dragged him to a waiting Pelican. As the king was flown to the Infinity, Reynolds boarded a second Pelican. 

“Pilot, take us to the Tuscany,” the Admiral ordered as he took a seat next to the forward bulkhead.

The pilot nodded as the aircraft lifted off the ground.


~~~


Spitfire and Soarin flew as fast as they could toward the burning wreck of the Tuscany. As soon as the humans had cleared out the castle, the two had taken off toward the ship as fast as they could. The possibility of survivors was enough to motivate the two Wonderbolts to check out the ship. 

As the pair neared the burning wreck, they began to scope out possible entry points. A large gash in the upper hull offered them easy access to the inside of the ship. While dashing into a burning frigate was not something they expected to do, their training in search and rescue tactics would help keep them safe.

Soarin looked to Spitfire for direction as she angled toward the hole. The Wonderbolt Captain only nodded as she flared her wings, braking before touching down just inside the ship. Soarin followed her lead and landed just behind her. 

The interior of the ship was filled with smoke and debris, though with a quick flap of their wings, the lingering smoke was pushed out the hole.

“Where should we start?” Soarin asked as he looked around.

“The bridge would be a good place to start,” Spitfire replied.

The light blue pegasus looked down the only hallway that wasn’t obstructed by debris. “Looks like this is our only option. Any idea where the bridge might be?”

“Yeah, did you see the massive panoramic window at the front of the ship?” Saorin nodded. “I would start there. So we gotta stay on the upper decks and go to the right.”

“You got it boss,” Soarin replied as the pair walked down the hallway. 

After a few minutes of walking, and passing a few burned bodies, the pair arrived at a reinforced metal door. The emergency release handles provided something for the pair to push against. With some effort from both pegasi, the door slowly slid open. The inside of the bridge was almost completely destroyed. Monitors were shattered, chairs overturned, ceiling panels and wires hanging down. Then, all the way forward, two figures sat slumped over in two seats.

Both ponies carefully made their way around the fallen debris, making sure to avoid any fallen wires. To their surprise, the massive windows had managed to stay in one piece, despite being cracked and bent. Slowly, Spitfire walked up next to one of the two figures. 

The human was held in his seat by a five point harness. The only indication that he was injured was his shattered helmet visor. Blood slowly trickled down the front of his armor from a large number of gashes across the left side of his face. The other human was in a very different state. His helmet had held, but his left arm had been amputated just below the elbow. A large piece of debris resting just next to what was left of his arm. 

Both ponies quickly checked the humans for any sign of life. It was difficult to determine anything with the amount of armor the two were wearing. Taking a risk, Spitfire undid the restraints holding the human to his seat. With a single fluid motion, the Wonderbolt Captain hefted the human onto her back. Soarin repeated the action with the second human before following Spitfire out of the wrecked ship. 


~~~


Admiral Reynolds looked out the back of the Pelican as they circled the smoldering wreckage. Two other Pelicans followed just behind the Admiral’s aircraft, waiting to search the ship. Though something caught his eye. 
Emerging from a large hole in the upper hole were two equine figures, both seemed to have black figures on their backs. Reynolds pounded on the bulkhead to alert the pilot.

“Set down on top of the ship.”

“Aye, sir,” the pilot replied as he throttled the engines down. 

The other two aircraft followed the lead Pelican as it touched down on top of the Tuscany. Before the aircraft could come to a complete stop, Admiral Reynolds stepped off the ramp and walked toward where he had seen the two figures. Sure enough, two ponies emerged on top of the ship, both carrying a human on their backs. 

Spitfire and Soarin stopped only a few feet from the human, allowing him to get a good look at the pair.

“Sir, Captain Spitfire of the Royal Equestrian Airforce. We found these two on the bridge. We’re not sure about their injuries, we think they’re barely alive,” Spitfire said as human medics carefully picked the two humans from their backs. 

“Well, Captain, allow me to thank you for your service. We’ll take these two from here,” Admiral Reynolds said as he watched medics load the two humans onto one of the Pelicans.

“It was our pleasure, sir.” Soarin said as he began coughing.

“You okay, son? Why don’t you two go with them. Get checked out by medical.”

Soarin nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

Admiral Reynolds sighed contently as he watched the two ponies climb into the back of the aircraft. He watched as search and rescue teams began moving into the ship, checking for any other survivors. He couldn’t quite place a finger on it, but he suspected that the only survivors had just flown away. With his work here done, he boarded his Pelican and took off toward the Infinity. There was still quite a bit a of work to do.
	
	
	
	
	

> July 13th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Captain Horatio Nelson stood at the front of the bridge in the UNSC Trafalgar. To his left and right were the ships Dawn Under Heaven and Bermuda. Their three ship battle group consisted of a carrier, Halcyon-class cruiser, and a Strident-class frigate. Before them sat the smoldering ruins of the port city of Baltimare. Many of her once proud building now lay in blacked piles of ash and rubble. 

Nelson rubbed his stubble as he looked down from the bridge of his carrier. Every so often, he could make out the shapes of gryphons running and flying through the city. While stealth was never on his priority list, he did want to try to avoid alerting them as long as possible. Though it now seemed the secret was out. 

“Midas, I want Sabers and Longswords in the air now. Have Shortswords and Hawks focus on taking out any ground targets,” Horatio ordered as he walked back to a nearby display table, where a map of Baltimare was being projected.

“Aye, sir. Launching aircraft,” the AI replied as the first fighters came off the catapults. 

“Alert the Dawn and Bermuda that they are clear to begin ground assault,” Horatio added.

The AI merely nodded before the first wave of dropships left the cruiser and frigate. As the Captain watched the map, five red spheres slowly rose up from the ruined city and began to slowly fly away. Curiously, Horatio walked back to the large window that made up the front part of the bridge. With a pair of binoculars, he began to search for the five contacts. Sure enough, five airships were trying to gain altitude.

“Midas, alert Sabers. Have them engage the airships,” Horatio shouted as he continued to watch the airships rise.

Seconds later, three Sabres, followed by two Longswords, screamed past the bridge of the Trafalgar and flew straight toward the ascending airships. The human watched silently as all five airships exploded as the fighters made a single strafing run. The flaming debris quickly crashed down to the city ruins below. 

Horatio nodded his head silently as he watched the various fighters engage any gryphon trying to fly away. This was coupled with the sounds of the carrier’s point defence cannons kicking into action every time an enemy combatant strayed too close to the ship.

From his high vantage point, it was clear to the Captain that the gryphons were carrying out a scorched-earth policy. Loot and destroy the area, rendering it unusable by anyone. The entire city was like this. Burned out buildings, smashed windows, and various other scattered debris. Capturing the city would be easy. Rebuilding it would take time and resources.

However, now was the time for fighting, not worrying about the difficulties of the future. With not much better to do, Captain Nelson tapped a few buttons on the map display and pulled up the helmet camera feed from one of his squad leaders.

The squad of marines had just disembarked their Pelican when they immediately came under fire from across the street. While the inferior weapons of the gryphons were nowhere near a powerful as the standard assault rifle carried by almost every marine, they could still kill.

The gryphons continued to fire their semi automatic rifles for a few more seconds, keeping the humans in a burned out and destroyed building. As soon as the gunfire stopped, three marines pulled grenades off their belts and lobbed them at the gryphon’s position. With no time to react, the grenades exploded behind the wall, killing anyone unlucky enough to be within the blast radius. 

As the humans slowly made their way across the street to confirm the kills, the squad leader began muttering to himself.

“My god... these poor fuckers probably have no idea what kind of weapons we have. Shit, they might not even know what a grenade looks like...”

Satisfied that their targets were neutralized, the group continued their push toward the city center. There was occasional fighting along the way, but nothing that really wanted much more than a few rifle bursts and an occasional grenade. With Sabers and Longswords keeping the skies clear, the marines could focus on the ground. 


~~~


It was clear to all parties involved that the gryphons were at a horrible disadvantage. Robbed of their flight ability left many in disparaging states of mind. One group of gryphons in particular were having a very bad time. 

They were hopelessly pinned in a burnt, two story, building across from the remains of town hall. While many of their brothers and sisters had opted to fight, these five decided to hide. They were low on ammo, out of basic supplies, and out of hope. 

Their fear only spiked as they heard the doors to the building come crashing down, followed by the sounds of numerous footsteps. The five gryphons quickly took positions behind overturned desks and broken doors as they waited. They didn’t have to wait long as nine humans with rifles slowly made their way up the stairs. 

While the room had no working lights, the bright lights attached to each of the human’s weapons provided ample illumination. With great care, the group of humans continued their search of the building. Chorsis, one of the gryphons hiding behind an overturned desk, gripped his rifle and clenched his eyes shut. he knew that if the humans found him, they would most likely kill him on site. 

To his relief, the sounds of bootsteps became increasingly dull before disappearing altogether. Chorsis let out the breath he was holding and leaned his head forward on the side of the table, producing a small thunk. Then he heard it. Numerous metallic clicking noises, much like the sound he heard when he loaded his rifle, echoed through the room. The humans were still there. Looking at the wall behind him lit up only confirmed his fear. 

His fear climaxed as the table he was leaning on was violently kicked backward, throwing him onto his back. This sent his weapon sliding across the floor until it hit the far wall. Suddenly, a blinding light filled his vision. As he raised his claws to block out the light, he found his arms quickly pinned to the ground by two humans.

“You move, you fucking die!” the human shining the light in his face shouted.

“All of you! Weapons down and hands where we can see them!” Another marine shouted. 

Slowly, the remaining gryphons set their weapons on the ground before slowly sitting back on their haunches and raising their front claws. Chorsis then found himself flipped onto his stomach where his front claws were quickly bound, only wide enough apart to allow him to walk. He assumed the others were receiving the same treatment as he heard numerous ratcheting sounds. 

“Trafalgar, this is Whiskey two seven. City center is secured. Requesting evac and prisoner transport,” one of the marines said as he brought a hand up to his head.

“Copy that, two seven. Transport inbound.”

The humans then led the group of gryphons outside into the city square. The sight infront of Chorsis nearly caused him to freeze. Hundreds of humans were standing around as two massive aircraft began setting down what looked like buildings. He even heard on the the humans comment on something called a “modular command center”. 

His assumption was confirmed as the two halves were quickly welded together and smaller structures were set down around the command center. It was then that Chorsis knew it; they had no chance at winning. With this revelation confirmed, the gryphon began to laugh.


~~~


The UNSC Minotaur and Leviathan both cruised along the western coast of Equestria. Since making their landing, they had helped with the liberation of Canterlot, and were now on their way to secure the city of Los Pegasus. 

Unlike other pegasi cities, Los Pegasus was easily accessible to non-fliers. This meant that Unicorns and Earth ponies alike could enjoy the sights and attractions of the very touristy town. However, this also allowed legions of minotaurs easy access to the city. 

With a relaxed sigh, Captain Agitha Theseus leaned back in her chair. On her right was the beautiful coastline of Equestria, to her left was the UNSC Leviathan and the White Tail Woods. Just beyond that, flashes of light signaled the explosions of artillery and other high impact munitions.  

The ship’s clock read that it was starting to turn to evening, though the sun remained in it’s noon position. Shrugging that minor piece of information away, Agitha focused on the fast approaching city. With the city in visual range, the full scene unfolded.

While most Equestrian towns had quickly been overrun, Los Pegasus was still putting up a fight. And to the Captain’s surprise, they seemed to be holding the minotaur legions at bay. A thought then dawned on her; she was about to destroy minotaur legions with a ship named the Minotaur. Irony is a cruel bitch like that.

The ponies had managed to erect barricades at each of the three entrances while the lack of gryphons allowed the pegasi to bomb the minotaurs with lightning clouds. It was an effective tactic, but sometimes difficult to aim. 

It was during one of such bombing runs that the human warships were spotted. The pegasi pushing the black stormclouds simply stopped in their tracks as the destroyer and cruiser made their presence known. By simply flying over the battlefield and then sliding to a halt over the battered city, every fighter on the field stopped and looked skyward.

With a smirk, Captain Theseus reached for the intercom. “Solomon, give me the external speakers. And launch a drone. I want to hear their response.”

The AI nodded. “You’re good to go, ma’am.”

Agitha stood up and cleared her throat as she walked up to the panoramic window on her bridge.

“Attention minotaur forces. This is Captain Agitha Theseus of the UNSC Minotaur. Surrender your weapons and cease hostilities immediately, or I will be forced to open fire. You have one minute to comply.” With her ultimatum delivered, Agitha turned to the weapons control officer. “Bring archer missiles online and arm the fifty millimeter guns.”

“Ma’am, the fifties are only point defence cannons,” the weapons officer replied with a raised eyebrow.

“I understand that, but if you haven’t noticed, just about anything on this damn ship will be an effective weapon. So unless they start hucking nuclear missiles at us, use the cannons for ground attack,” Agitha replied with a slight scowl.

“Yes, ma’am. Bringing point defence cannons online. Archer missiles are ready to fire. Just give me some targets.”

The Captain glared at the young officer and pointed at the window with exaggerated sweep of her arm. The officer, knowing what she was suggesting, turned sheepishly back to his monitor and made the necessary adjustments to the weapons.

It was then that they received a response from the drone.

“Now you listen here, you dirty, hairless apes! If you think your flying machines and your skins of metal will stop true, minotaur strength, then allow me to personally send you to whatever hell you believe in!” One of the minotaurs shouted as he waved his axe high in the air.

“Huh... oh well.” Agitha said with a shrug.

With a dull thump from inside the ship, a single fifty millimeter shell was lobbed at the offending minotaur, vaporizing him and the six others around him.

“Nice shot!” Agitha shouted with a chuckle. The weapons officer grinned and gave her a thumbs up before returning his attention back to his bank of monitors. After that first shot, every gun on both ships began to rain down on the legions below. 

The effect was instant as the minotaurs broke ranks and began a desperate charge toward the city, only to be cut off by a continuous barrage of explosive shells. The ponies of Los Pegasus were too stunned to even duck down behind their makeshift cover as the warships above them mercilessly pounded the ground in front of them.   

For the next two minutes, nothing was heard over the constant bombardment. Soon through, the ship’s guns became silent, allowing the dust and smoke to clear. Where once stood legions of minotaur warriors, now only lay craters and scorched earth. Not even bodies remained after the vicious onslaught.

While many would call two minutes of constant bombing to be excessive and unnecessary, Captain Agitha believed otherwise. As far as she was concerned, the town was now safe and secure. With a content sigh, she stood up from her captain’s chair.

“Alright, well done people. Inform the Infinity that we have secured the town. Now, ready a Pelican. I wanna meet with the ballsy guy who held off an army for this long.”


~~~


General Pudu stared straight ahead as his Gryll sped over the Equestrian landscape. All around him, other light transports and Scarabaeus main battle tanks rolled toward the frontier town of Appleoosa. It had taken all of the deer by surprise when the gryphons suddenly withdrew from the border regions of Ecotonia. If it hadn’t been for the Grafton telling the Queen about the siege on Canterlot, then the deer might have missed the opportunity to aid their Equestrian allies.

The General looked up as a formation of Crotal attack aircraft passed overhead. If everything went according to plan, the Pudu hoped to catch the gryphons off guard as they tried to make their way up the mountain. Reports had been flowing in in the early part of the previous day, but suddenly went silent around noon. Something had gone wrong.

This fear was amplified as the massive convoy passed through the Macintosh Hills, only to see smoke rising from the town of Appleoosa. With a single order over the radio, every tank and transport vehicle prepared for combat. The tanks took the lead, allowing the smaller and lightly armored troop transports to take cover behind them. Even over the roaring engines, Pudu and his troops could hear the sounds of a raging battle. 

As the General and his troops emerged from the south passage, numerous ponies came out to see what was happening. Their looks of shock and joy only served to spur the deer General onward toward the rising smoke. 

Just north of the town, a group of frontier ponies had erected a fairly sizeable barricade of everyday items. This wall was the only thing keeping the minotaur legion from simply rushing into the town. Luckily the ponies had help in the form of multiple buffalo tribes from the surrounding plains. While the two groups of defenders were fighting admirably, they were slowly being whittled away by the might of the much stronger minotaurs. Until the deer arrived.

“Commander Mazama, take your division and swing west around the barricade. Commander Pavlod, I want you to swing east. My division will go right up the middle. Wait for my signal to fire,” General Pudu shouted into his radio over the rushing wind.

A series of affirmatives sounded over the radio before both groups of tanks and Gryll broke off from the main body of the convoy. The General ignored the confused looks of the ponies defending the wall as his lead tank smashed through the gate of the barricade, sending splinters and wood chunks flying. 

As soon as they passed the wall, all eyes on the battlefield turned to the deer as the tanks lined up. The minotaurs watched in utter confusion as the heavily armored vehicles lined up in a horizontal line, allowing the infantry to dismount in safety. Pudu smirked as he looked to the east and west flanks. His forces had managed to surround the field and were about to level it.

The buffalo quickly took note of this and began a hasty retreat to the north. With a new, and much more worthy opponent in front of them, the minotaurs began to charge. Pudu chuckled as he reached for his radio.

“All tanks, fire at will.”

The air was split as dozens of tanks began firing their main cannons. Pillars of dirt, debris, and bodies shot up where each shell landed. After almost thirty seconds of continuous shelling, the deer infantry took over.

While lacking the intense magical ability of the Equestrian army, the deer were much better equipped. Each soldier wore a harness that held a semi-automatic rifle attached to a mouth trigger. All the user needed to do was bite down to fire the weapon.

As the tanks continued to fire shots into the rear of the minotaurs, the infantry opened up with their own gunfire. As the first wave went off, almost every minotaur in the front two rows fell. General Pudu couldn’t fathom why the minotaurs favored axes and broadswords over modern firearms. Bringing a knife, no matter how big, to a gunfight just didn’t seem like a smart thing to do. 

Once the minotaurs got within a hundred feet of the deer, a new weapon emerged on the battlefield. Overhead, the sound of dozens of rotors signaled the arrival of the Ecotonian Airforce. The lightly armored Cortal aircraft were held aloft by a pair of rapidly spinning rotors, allowing them to hover over the battlefield.

This provided a stable platform for their pilots to aim their tri-barrel rotary machine guns. The charging force was once again hammered, this time by almost fifty aircraft machine guns. The effect was almost instantaneous. With the support of the aircraft, the divisions of tanks and infantry were able to cut down every last minotaur before they could even reach the Ecotonian lines. 

As the dust settled, General Pudu looked around at his forces. Not a single troop had been touched, and all his tanks were still operational. So far, things could not be going better. 

“Commander Pavlod, I want you to stay behind and help protect this town. The rest of us will continue on our path to Canterlot. Radio back if you need reinforcements. General Capreol should be only two hours behind us,” Pudu ordered as his troops climbed back into their vehicles.

“Yes, sir. Stay safe,” the Commander replied.  

After a few moments, both divisions reformed and continued their push north. Rather than head straight up through Ponyville, General Pudu opted to follow a western arc. By crossing over Ghastly Gorge and coming in across the Unicorn Range, Pudu hoped he might be able to catch the gryphon’s exposed flank. 

An hour of driving later, Pudu had successfully crossed the bridge at Ghastly Gorge. Now he was cutting across the rolling hills that made up the Unicorn Range. That was when one of his tanks reported something unusual.

“General, we’re seeing something up ahead that doesn’t look right. Some kind of machine. Never seen anything like it,” the soldier reported.

Perplexed, the General reached for his radio. “Alright, pull over. Let’s see what this is.”

At his command. every vehicle stopped their advance. General Pudu quickly got out of his vehicle and trotted up to the lead tank. The low elevation of the valley floor, combined with the high tree line, obscured Canterlot from their position.  Sure enough, a large metallic object sat at the base of the hill. Oddly, the object seemed to be made of a glowing, slowly spinning wheel, attached to slightly concave cylinder. The entire thing was covered in slamm blue lights and was only seven feet tall and twelve feet long.

“What is it?” the lead tank driver asked with wonder.

“I dunno, never seen anything like this before,” the General replied as he slowly walked up to the mysterious machine. 

As he inspected his, his eyes caught on what looked like scratch marks and burns on the object’s casing. Small dents could easily be seen dotting it’s surface. Whatever this thing was, it had been through some rough times. Not wanting to mess with the mysterious object, Pudu walked back to the tanks.

“Call in a Erucha, I don’t want to leave this thing just sitting in the open. I also want a few vehicles to scout out up ahead. See if there is anything else like this.” At this, five Gryll sped off up the hill toward the tree line. 

Twenty minutes later, three large Erucha heavy cargo haulers approached from the west. While not the fastest things on land, they were more than capable of handling even the heaviest loads, making them excellent at carrying heavy cargo. As the massive tracked vehicles came to a halt, the radio came to life once more.

“Uh, General... we may have a serious problem,” the scouts announced.

Pudu shook his head as the Erucha crew quickly attached lifting cables to the strange device. Luckily the small crane on the vehicle was strong enough to lift the object.

“What is it?” The General asked.

“You... may want to come up to the hilltop. I’m not sure you would believe me otherwise.”

Pudu turned and trotted to the nearest Gryll and pointed at the hilltop. The driver stomped on the accelerator and took off for the hill. As the vehicle crested the hill, Pudu could see the other five Grylls all sitting in a line, their crews watching an unimaginable spectacle. 

Before them, sixteen gigantic human warships mercilessly pounded the valley below. The sounds of warfare echoed off the trees as massive explosions left craters in the land. Equally stunning was the smoldering wreckage at the base of the hill. It was difficult to recognize, but the deer General could have sworn it was one of the human ships that had visited the nation a few months ago.

About a hundred feet down the hill was another object. This one was easily twice as big as the other object they had recovered. Though instead of numerous lights and moving parts, this one was a simple triangle shaped box.   

As the deer silently took in the scene in front of them, Pudu came to a realization. The two objects must have come from the crashed human warship. The general grinned as he reached for the radio in the nearest Gryll.

“Erucha two and three, we have another object here to recover. It’s a bit bigger so you may need both cranes,” Pudu ordered as he watched a number of small aircraft descend onto the wrecked ship, followed closely by a warship that looked just like the Grafton.

“Right away, sir. If you don’t mind me asking, what are we going to do with these things?” One of the Erucha drivers asked.

“Simple. We’re going to return them to their rightful owners.”


~~~    


“Princess Twilight, Princess Cadance, glad to see you’re both doing alright,” Captain Laskey said to the two ponies sitting across from him.

“Thank you again for all of this,” Cadance replied with a gentle nod. 

“It was no problem, ma’am. If I may ask, what’s your next step? Canterlot and Ponyville are both retaken and secured. I take it ponies will need some form of familiar leadership to look up to,” Captain Laskey stated as he leaned back in his chair.

“Well, I guess the two of us will have to take over all of the duties usually left for Princess Celestia and Luna,” Twilight said with a sigh.

“Especially moving the sun and moon. Though I’m not sure how difficult that will be,” Cadance replied as she put a wing across Twilight’s back.

“Oh my, I nearly forgot about that.” Panic suddenly filled Twilight as she looked around the room. “Captain, what time is it!?”

“Six forty three.”

Twilight’s pupils shrunk to pinpricks as she looked to Cadance. “We need to lower the sun! It hasn’t moved since noon!”

“Calm down, Twilight. We can handle this.” Cadnace said as she tried to reassure the younger mare. “I apologize, Captain, but we will need to go. The sun and moon aren’t going to move themselves.”

“Of course. Will you need a ride back to the surface?” Laskey asked as he picked up his radio.

“Yes, that would be most helpful,” Cadance said with a nod.

“Alright, Sergeant Jin here will take you down to the launch bay. Also, I’ll have the quartermaster prepare quarters for the both of you; at least until the castle is returned to a livable state,” Laskey said as he stood up.

“Thank you very much Captain.” Cadance replied as she and Twilight turned to leave. A marine standing next to the door opened it as both alicorns made their way out of the room.

With both Princesses gone, Laskey slumped back down into his seat.

“Rough day, sir?” Roland said from a display pad on the Captain’s desk.

“You have no idea. I take it you have something for me?”

“Yes, sir. Reports from the field. I gotta say, some of these are fairly interesting,” the AI said with a chuckle.

“Alright, lay it on me,” Laskey said as he turned to look at the AI.

“First off, search and rescue found no additional survivors aboard the Tuscany. However, her flight recorder was recovered and techs are going through her data logs before the crash,” Roland replied.

“Speaking of the Tuscany, how are Captain Ryan and Commander Zerom?”

“Both are aboard the Hopeful, however, they are being transported back to Reach along with Princess Luna and a few others. The UNSC Pony Express will be docking with Hopeful in the next half hour,” Roland said as Laskey nodded.

“Good to hear they’re going to make it. What’s next?” Captain Laskey asked.

“Well, this is where things get a bit interesting. Grafton has successfully recovered the FTL drive and reactor from the Tuscany. Apparently the Ecotonian military made a push up from the south and recovered both devices during their push north. In addition, the deer have secured the border town of Appleloosa,” Roland announced.

Laskey looked at the AI with a surprised expression. “Huh, so the deer are here. Nice to know they’re with us. What else?”

“The Minotaur and her battlegroup were successful in breaking the siege of Los Pegasus. Captain Theseus has reported that the city was being used as a large refugee destination. She has requested additional ships and supplies to reinforce the area.”

“Granted. Send the Iwo Jima and Gettysburg, and have a few firebases sent to the area. Make it easier to fly in more supplies,” Laskey ordered as he stood up from his desk and retrieved a coffee mug. “Next?”

“The Trafalgar and her group have made contact with the city of Baltimare. Unfortunately, the city has been completely destroyed. Still, a few reports have come in stating that gryphon soldiers are losing the will to fight. Many are just laying down their arms and surrendering peacefully,” Roland reported as the Captain poured himself a cup of coffee.

“Great, ONI will love having more things to play with. Got anything else to add?”

“The Armageddon's Edge and Leviathan are preparing to move against Cloudsdale. However, UAVs and other orbital sensors are not showing a strong enemy presence. It is possible that the city has held out against the attacks,” the AI announced as he pulled up a map of the area.

Laskey took a sip of his coffee and stroked his chin. “Interesting, an entire city made of clouds. Guess that makes them immune to ground attacks, and being a city for fliers warrants that they would be experts at defending from aerial attacks. Though I’m certain a few other factors might have influenced this.”

The AI nodded. “My thoughts exactly. Anyway, that’s all I have for now. I’ll keep you updated as more news arrives.”

“Thank you Roland,” Laskey said as the AI vanished. 


~~~ 


It was a nice late summer day on Reach, a day that Celestia was currently enjoying. For the first time during her stay in New Alexandria, she was laying on the grass with the sun beating down on her back. Having the warmth of the sun was a very welcome and comforting feeling. With a content sigh, Celestia set down the datapad that she was reading on. 

With a massive yawn, the solar Princess rolled onto her back and began to writhe in the grass. She smiled as she continually rubbed the grass into her coat. It was invigorating, being able to smell grass again. Just being outside was incredible on it’s own. With a grin on her face, Celestia continued to roll around on her back, driving blades of grass and flecks of dirt farther into her coat.  Neume chuckled as she glanced over to the white alicorn before turning back to her own book.

“Enjoying the day, I see,” Optikanner said with a chuckle.

Celestia turned her head sideways and rested her cheek on the grass to get a better view of the human. From her very undignified position, she could see the grinning human. With an embarrassed chuckle, Celestia rolled over and quickly stood back up. With a quick shake, most of the loose grass and dirt fell from her coat. 

“It would be shame not to take experience of such great day,” Celestia wrote in broken english on a floating notepad.

As the Princess looked around the massive skyscrapers of the city, five red and white pelicans touched down on the nearby landing pads. Curiously, both Celestia and Optikanner walked to the edge of the park. Looking down on the landing pads, the two could just make out a number of figures being taken off of the aircraft. None of them were recognizable, until a blue form caught Celestia’s eye.

Even at a distance, Celestia could easily make out the form of her younger sister. With a worried expression, she looked to Doctor Optikanner. The human rubbed his chin before looking over at the Princess.

“It seems we have some new guests. Neume will have to take you to physical therapy today. I expect my attention will be required shortly,” Optikanner said with a sigh.

Celestia watched the Doctor walk briskly back into the hospital. Neume was quick to walk up next to Celestia. She cast the alicorn a worried glance.

“Are you okay?” Neume asked with concern.

“I’ll be fine.” Celestia quickly wrote on her notepad.

The changeling could taste the worry coming from the Princess as she watched numerous patients being unloaded from the aircraft. Neume was able to barely catch a glimpse of a dark blue figure being wheeled into the hospital’s trauma ward. Quickly making the connection between the dark blue figure and Celestia’s worry, Neume was able to determine the identity of the dark blue figure.

“I’ll tell you what, let’s get you to physical therapy and then I’ll go check up on the arrivals. Deal?” Neume said with pleading eyes.

Celestia nodded solemnly and followed the changeling back into the hospital. 


~~~


Spotlight waited patiently outside the office of Director Burr. He had landed on the Pony Express only twenty minutes prior. To his surprise, ONI agents had been waiting for him as soon as he had stepped off the spacecraft. They had said nothing during the short flight back to Olympic Tower.

This is where the young changeling found himself, not even given time to change out of his combat armor. Truthfully, he was a bit nervous. His nervousness only increased as the double doors swung open.

“Agent Spotlight, come in,” the Director said firmly.

Without missing a beat, Spotlight jumped up from his chair and trotted into the Director’s office before taking a seat facing the black metal desk. Burr quickly walked back to his seat and leaned back as he looked at the changeling.

“I take it you have no idea why you are here?” The Director asked with a neutral expression.

“Yes, sir.”

“Then allow me to clarify. You are being put up for a job review. Normally this would take place between you and your commanding officer, which would be Captain Ryan. Though given recent events, that is not possible. Therefore, I will be conducting your review,” Director Burr stated as he set a grey folder on the table.

Spotlight watched in silence as the human began reading through the top few papers before looking up.

“I have to say, you received a lot more field training in one month, than most probationary agents receive in their first two years on the job. Captain Ryan sites you numerous times as being instrumental in cracking difficult subjects. He even cites an incident with one Domri Windscar as a testament to your abilities as an agent. Do you have anything you would like to add?” The Director asked with a hint of a grin.

“Only that working with Daniel has been the high point of my life. As such, I would love to continue working with him,” Spotlight replied nervously.

“I see. Well that might be a challenge. It all depends on how well he can recover from his injuries. At any rate, I also hear that Infinity recovered a near treasure trove of intel from the gryphon command center. Hell, they even managed to capture the king. So here’s where we stand. There is a lot of data that will need to be cataloged and analyzed. Feel like taking on that task?”

“Of course, sir,” Spotlight replied eagerly. 

“Excelent. Talk to Agent Rolvinov down in cryptology. She’ll get you set up with an office to work out of,” Director Burr instructed as he pulled out a clear plastic object. “Also, you’ll need this. it’s your security badge. Welcome aboard, Field Agent Spotlight.”

The young changeling couldn’t help but grin at this as he took the keycard. Imprinted on the front was the ONI seal with his face printed just below it. Even as he read over his name, he couldn’t help but shake with excitement. He was now a full blown field agent of the Office of Naval Intelligence.

“Wear it proudly. Also, you might want to stop by the locker rooms and shower before heading down to meet with Rolvinov. You kinda smell like puke,” the Director said with a chuckle.

Spotlight blinked as he sniffed his side. Sure enough, it smelled like vomit. “Oh, right. Someone threw up in the lifeboat.”

“I’m not surprised. Those things aren’t really built with a smooth ride in mind.”

Spotlight tried to stifle a laugh as he got up from his seat. “Well, thank you, Director.”

“Good luck, Agent Spotlight.”

With all said and done, Spotlight tucked his new ID into a pouch on his side before happily trotting out the door.
	
> July 20th / October 9th, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Admiral Reynolds let out a content sigh as he sipped on his morning cup of coffee. A week had gone by since the UNSC had made their initial attack from orbit. He now stood on the bridge of the Infinity and gazed over the capital city of Canterlot. It had taken his troops the better part of a day to drive out the invading gryphons and minotaurs. After that, securing the city was even easier. 

This scene repeated itself all over the nation. Cities being liberated and shifted to UNSC control in sometimes as little as a few hours. Suffice to say, the admiral was very pleased with his troop’s progress.  

Now though, Reynolds could only sit back and watch the ships of battlegroup Aries on the planetary map. They had already made significant progress toward the Crystal Empire, or what was left of it rather. After that, Aries and Medusa would link up and begin the invasion of the gryphon home lands. 

At this moment, however, Admiral Reynolds couldn’t help but look out over the burnt husk that was once the Tuscany. Salvage crews had already began their tedious work of stripping the ship of any sensitive or salvageable materials; this included any human remains. Sadly, fifteen burnt bodies had been recovered, while another forty six were still unaccounted for. 

As the admiral continued to scroll through various maps, he heard a pop and felt something resting on his shoulder.

“Hey there buddy. How’s the whole alien invasion thing going?” Discord asked as he pulled the human in for a hug.

“First off, don’t touch me. Second, don’t teleport onto my ship without permission. Third, where the fuck have you been hiding this past month? The whole world goes to shit and no one can find your scaly ass,” the admiral growled as he set down his coffee mug.

“Well, if you must know, Blueblood and I were enjoying some quality bonding time. I took the young prince off to Saddle Arabia for a nice vacation. He needed some time to relax,” the chaos lord replied with a grin.

Reynolds sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “And where is the good prince now?”

“Still in Saddle Arabia. I thought it would be more fun to leave him there and see how long it took him to get home,” Discord replied with a hearty chuckle.

“God damn it Discord. If I didn’t have clear instructions to put up with your bullshit, I would have your ass thrown into space before you could snap your fingers.” Reynolds announced as he removed the draconequus’ hand from his shoulder. “Now, I need you to go down and help Princess Twilight and Princess Cadance. They say you have experience moving the sun and moon.”

“Oh, yes. I’m sure they will need my help now that Celestia and Luna are gone,” Discord replied smugly. “Looks like chaos might not be so useless after all.”

“Just keep it in check. I've got plenty of whoop-ass on this ship, and I’m not afraid to use it,” Reynolds said with an intense glare.

Discord’s smug grin soon faded as he put his hands up in a defensive manner. “Alright, alright. You’ve made your point. No excessive chaos.”

Reynolds nodded and picked up his coffee mug before turning back to the map. “Glad to hear it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a few calls to make.”


~~~


Beep, beep.

This was the first thing Daniel could clearly make out in his rather confused state. His mind was still a bit foggy as he tried to focus on the sound. It seemed to be occurring at regular intervals every few seconds. Unsure of what could be causing the beeping sound, Daniel proceeded onto his other sense.

His eyes were still closed, and he could feel something covering the left side of his head. In addition to the head coverings, Daniel noted that he was laying flat on his back on what he assumed might be a bed. Combining the idea of being on a bed with a steady beeping sound led him to believe that he was in a hospital.

Rather happy that he wasn’t dead, the captain slowly opened his right eye, but quickly shut it as the lights from the room nearly blinded him. Wincing in pain, Daniel moved on to his other senses. The room smelled of antiseptics and other light cleaning agents. Typical for a hospital.

Though one sensation was not typical for a hospital. Every few seconds, a warm, humid, flow of air would pass over his right hand. Perplexed by this odd sensation, Daniel once again tried to open his eye. 

Slowly, his eyelid receded, blinding him for a few moments as his vision adjusted to the sudden increase in light. After a few seconds, Daniel was finally able to get a good look at his surroundings. Sure enough, he was in a fairly non-descript hospital room. Across from his bed, Commander Dior and Spotlight slept in a pair of chairs. The SPARTAN, minus armor, was resting an elbow on the chair’s armrest while holding her head up with a hand as she slept. The changeling, however, was lightly snoring as he curled up on his chair while using Dior’s lap as a pillow. 

Daniel managed to let out a silent chuckle as he watched the pair for a moment. His attention then turned to the hot sensation on his right hand. Looking to his right he was first met by the familiar horn of Princess Luna. The lunar Princess was sitting in a chair directly next to him, even going so far as to rest her head and neck on his bed. 

With quite a bit of effort, Daniel slowly lifted his right arm before placing his hand just behind the alicorn’s ears. He closed his eye once again and slowly rubbed one of her ears as he drifted off to sleep.


~~~


A few hours passed as late night made way to pre-dawn. Daniel once again slowly edged his way back to the conscious world, only to be greeted by a pair of hushed voices. Slowly opening his eye once more, he noticed that Dior was now sitting up and talking to none other than Michael Optikanner. Spotlight was still asleep in Dior’s lap, the SPARTAN even going so far as to keep a hand on his back to prevent him from falling onto the floor. Noting the warm feeling on his right hand, Daniel looked down to see Luna still asleep with his hand on her head.

It was clear to the captain that the two were having a hushed conversation, presumably about him. 

“Speak up, I can’t hear you,” Daniel croaked.

Both heads instantly swiveled to look at the captain. Optikanner was the first to address him.

“Well, looks like you’re awake. How’re you feeling?” The doctor asked as he walked over to Daniel’s side before handing him a cup of water from the nightstand.

Daniel slowly drank the contents of the cup and let out an audible sigh. His parched throat instantly felt better as he emptied the cup. “Well, not feeling a whole lot of anything right now. Painkillers and all that.”

Optikanner chuckled at this. “True. Though I suspect we can back off on the drugs now that you’re awake. It also looks like the swelling on your face has gone down. Here,” the doctor said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of black fabric, “you’ll need this for the time being.”

The captain slowly lifted his left hand and picked up the object. holding it in one hand, he let the rest of it extend. Looking at the object dangling in front of him, he shot Michael a deadpan glare. “An eye patch, seriously?”

The doctor nodded as he tried to hide his grin. “There’s a reason, I promise. When you were brought in, your injuries were... extensive. Your rib cage was nearly shattered, both collar bones were broken, numerous internal injuries, severe blood loss, and a badly broken skull. However, those all were rather easy to fix. The one that is a bit more noticeable is your eye.”

“So... what exactly happened?” Daniel asked as he felt the bandages over the left side of his face.

“During the crash, your head snapped forward, smashing your visor into a console. The helmet did a good job of protecting most of your head, but your visor couldn't take the sudden impact, and broke. As a result, your left eye was almost completely destroyed.”

The captain sighed as he looked at the eye patch again. “Joy. So when do I get a new eye?”

“You already have it. Right now you have a fully functional ocular implant until we can fully clone a new eye for you. Contrary to flash cloning belief, eyes are one of the things we tend to not use flash cloning for. There are just too many thing that could go wrong. So, until a new eye can be cloned for you, you will have to make due with the implant,” Optikanner stated as Daniel continued to look at the eye patch.

“I see.... kinda,” Daniel replied with a shit-eating grin. 

Michael groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “Well I see that part of your brain is still intact. Not sure about the rest of it.”

Daniel chuckled. “So the eye patch is to limit the strain put on the ocular nerves while they adapt to the new piece of hardware in my head?”

“Precisely. By the way, the left half of your skull had to be reconstructed. It’s now made of high strength carbon fiber. So... yeah,” Optikanner said as he flipped through his personal datapad.

“Neat. Any word on Zerom?”

“Yes. He’s been up for the past week practicing with his new arm,” the doctor replied with a nod.

“New arm?” Daniel asked with concern.

“His left arm had to be amputated from the shoulder. He now has a fully functioning mechanical arm,” Optikanner stated with a satisfied smile.

“So you gave him a robotic arm?”

The doctor nodded with a chuckle. “Of sorts. Don’t worry, he won’t be able to break you in half with his index finger.”

“That’s good. I already have six SPARTANs aboard my ship,” Daniel responded before it dawned on him that he no longer had a ship, or even a complete crew. “Hey, Michael, do you know how many made it off the Tuscany?”

Dior was the one to respond. “That’s... not important right now.”

“Lisa, how many made it off the ship,” Daniel asked with a bit more force.

The commander paused before answering. “Thirty six, including myself and the VIPs.”

Silence filled the room as her words sank in. It was during this silence that Luna finally woke up. Opening her eyes, she noticed the somber looks on everyone's faces. Not wanting to interrupt, she decided to stay quiet and simply enjoy the sensation of Daniel petting her ear. 


~~~


A few days had passed since the captain had woken up. In that time, he had been brought up to speed on bits and pieces of the battle taking place on Avalon. He knew UNSC forces were making a steady push into gryphon territory, usually taking entire cities without a single shot being fired, as well as the number of towns and cities found to be nearly empty. Reports were indicating that most civilians had fled their homes at least three weeks before the planetary invasion even began.

Daniel sighed contently as he set down his datapad. He had to wonder where most of the civilians had run off to. Though those were thoughts for a different time. Right now, he could simply enjoy the feeling of being outside, even if it was in the confines of a wheelchair. Taking a deep breath, Daniel closed his eyes and listened to the world around him. 

The sounds of air traffic mingled with the light wind that blew between the massive skyscrapers. On a normal tower, the wind created would be so intense that anyone would be hard pressed to hear anything other than the roar of the wind. However, modern architectural designs had mitigated this issue almost completely. 

Though there was one sound the captain failed to notice. Without warning, something covered his face. While startled at first, he soon realized what, or rather whom, the feathered texture belonged to. Smiling, he turned his head to the side and opened his eyes. Standing behind him, with her wings now wrapped around his torso, was none other than princess Luna. 

With a chuckle, Daniel held her wing against his chest as he turned back to the city sky line. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

The indigo alicorn set her chin on his shoulder and shared in the view. “It really is magnificent.”

“It’s often called humanity’s crown jewel,” Daniel replied.

“I can see why.”

The two continued to stare out over the city, Daniel pointing out prominent landmarks while Luna listened intently. However, neither of them heard the door to the park open. Celestia, Neume, and Zerom, quietly strolled out into the park. Neume was using her magic to push the commander’s wheelchair while Celestia walked beside him. The trio stopped when they noticed Luna and Daniel silently gazing at the city. With a warm smile, Celestia quietly walked forward before draping a wing across her younger sister’s back.

Without moving her head from Daniel’s shoulder, the younger alicorn looked to her older sister and smiled. Neume pushed the commander’s wheelchair up along side Celestia before taking a seat in the grass.

“Nice to be home, eh captain?” Jonathan asked with a chuckle.

“Yeah, though this isn’t the homecoming I had in mind. My ship destroyed, most of her crew dead, you’re missing a limb, and I’m missing an eye,” Daniel replied as he looked to Zerom.

The commander chuckled as he looked at Daniel’s face. “I was gonna ask about that.How’s your head holding up?”

“Eh, it’s fine. I’ll have some light scarring for a while, though it will eventually go away,” Daniel replied with a dismissive shrug.

“That’s fine, you were already an ugly son of a bitch to begin with,” Jonathan retorted, causing both men to chuckle.

“Hey, at least you now have a fighting chance with the ladies,” Daniel countered with a verbal jab of his own.

“Ouch. You wound me,” Zerom replied with a hand over his heart in mock agony.

“Good, die quieter will ya?”

The sisters couldn't help but giggle at the banter going between the two humans. It was comforting to Celestia to see the two in such good spirits, despite what had transpired two months ago. The two men continued back and forth for a few minutes before the sound of the door opening caught their attention.

This time, two humans walked out. Doctor Optikanner and Director Burr slowly made their way over to the group, both carrying datapads. 

“Afternoon, Director,” Daniel said with a nod.

“Good to see you up and about, Captain. Had us a bit worried for the past few months,” the Director replied as he stood in front of Daniel.

“So... to what do we owe this pleasure?” Zermon asked with a hint of concern.

“Well, I just wanted to come check up on the two of you. After all, I only just received word that you were back in the world of the living,” Burr said with a chuckle.

“Technically, I never left. I was just in a coma,” Daniel countered.

“You know what I mean,” the Director said with a sigh. Luna had to stifle a chuckle at the Director's reaction. “Anyway, I also wanted to give you a bit of an update on the war you helped to start.”

“Oh, so now it’s my war?” Daniel replied with a smug grin.

“Yeah, so Admiral Reynolds is knocking on the gryphon capital as we speak. As soon as his forces managed to crush what was left in Equestria, they were virtually unopposed as they moved north. Unfortunately, the Crystal Empire has been all but razed. There’s really not much left other than smoldering ruins.”

“And Princess Cadance?” Daniel asked with concern.

“She and the Prince are safe in Canterlot. She and Princess Twilight have been taking on the day-to-day roles of the country,” Burr replied as he pulled out his datapad and began to read from a list.

“So they’re handling the sun and moon?” Zerom asked with a hint of shock.

“No. Discord has been taking care of their orbits. While it isn't as precise or graceful compared to our fantastic Princesses here, it is enough to keep the planet running,” Burr answered.

Now it was Celestia’s turn to look shocked. “And he’s willingly helping without causing havoc?”

Burr nodded. “It took a few death threats and some bribes, but he’s being very cooperative as of late. Admiral Reynolds assures me Discord won’t be a problem, and quite frankly, I’m happy to leave it at that.”

“That’s... surprising, to say the least,” Luna added. 

“Yeah, but really, he doesn't have much of a choice. If he wants to keep his lifestyle, then he has to help us. Simple as that,” the Director replied with a grin.

“Well that’s good. So... any news on my ship?” Daniel asked with a raised eyebrow.

“A bit.” The Director stated as he flipped to a new page on his datapad. “Salvage teams have almost completely stripped the wreckage of anything valuable. The FTL and main reactor were recovered thanks to the Ecotonians, along with the AI in Commander Dior’s armor. I’ll never understand why you chose to save the AI instead of yourself.”

“Tommy was more than just an AI to us. He was the soul and mind of the Tuscany. Besides, on a ship as small as a Prowler it’s a bit more meaningful than, say, the AI of the Infinity,” Daniel replied with a shrug.

“I suppose,” the Burr said as me put his datapad into his coat pocket.

There was a brief silence as both parties thought of something to say. It was Jonathan who finally broke the silence.

“So... I take it we should be expecting medical discharge papers soon?”

The Director looked at the commander and eyed his prosthetic arm. “Not if you don’t want to. You have full functionality with that prosthetic, right?”

Jonathan moved his arm around and eyed it from various angles. “Yeah...”

“Then I see no reason why you can’t continue to serve on a bridge crew. In fact, I recall a SPARTAN who also had a similar prosthetic. SPARTAN B-320, if I’m not mistaken,” Burr replied as he crossed buttoned his coat.

“Huh, alright. What about ugly over here? Do I still have to put up with him for another twenty years?” Zerom asked bluntly, earning an elbow from Daniel.

“Allow me to answer that one,” Optikanner said as he cleared his throat. “While it would be perfectly reasonable for the Captain to return to service as a ship’s commanding officer, I would advise against any intense field work for a while. Basically no getting into major firefights for at least a year or two.”

“And you’re okay with this assessment, Director?” Daniel asked with a twinkle of hope in his eye.

Burr nodded. “As long as you stick within those terms.”

“Sweet. So what about my ship? And my crew?” Daniel asked.

“You’ll have to talk to Andrew about that. As for your crew, I’ll have some names pulled for you to look at at your leisure,” the Director said as he rubbed his chin.

“Sounds good, anything else?”

The Director seemed lost in thought for a moment before pulling out his datapad. “I almost forgot. Someone published a book about Equestria while you were out of it. Here.”

Daniel reached out and took the datapad from Director Burr. On the screen was the cover of an e-book. “Equestria: For Dummies. Seriously?”

Burr nodded with a grin. “Take a look at the author.”

Daniel eyed him skeptically before glancing back down. “Written by... Twilight Sparkle?!”

“It’s true,” Celestia concluded. “It also sounds like she is writing another book just like it, only about magic instead.”

“That can only end well,” Zerom mumbled.

“She’s already put in for access to the library once this war is over. She literally began to drool after I mentioned the size of it.”

“Really, a scholar from another world salivating at the idea of looking into the collective knowledge of an entirely different race? Go on, tell me more,” Daniel added sarcastically.

“Anyway, I need to get going. I’m glad you’re all doing well.” The Director said as he took his datapad from Daniel.

“Good seeing you, too,” Daniel added as Burr walked back into the hospital.

“Well then, shall we move back inside?” Optikanner asked.

“Yeah, I could go for some dinner,” Zerom replied as he stretched his good arm.

It took the group a few minutes to walk the distance to the cafeteria. Neume was once again pushing Zerom’s chair, while another nurse was seeing to Daniel. As they all gathered around a table, and a few trays of food brought out, a few more questions came up.

“So, guys, there’s one thing that hasn’t been addressed yet. How the hell did we survive the crash?” Daniel asked as he looked at the others.

“Oh... right, you weren't there for that conversation. Luna, do you want to tell him?” Zerom asked as he dug into his meal.

The younger alicorn merely nodded. “Short version, I saved you.”

Daniel looked at her with raised eyebrows. “And if I wanted the long version?”

“Well, there’s not a lot to it. I saw the ship going down, but I was too tired from all the fighting to really help. So... I pushed myself a bit too hard trying to slow the ship’s descent. I was trying to use my magic to grab it, much like I do with moon. Unfortunately, I didn't have nearly enough energy to bring it to a full stop,” the lunar princess replied sheepishly.

“So that was you that shook the ship just before we hit the ground?” Daniel asked wide eyed.

Luna merely nodded and fumbled with her fork as she tried to eat. Daniel noticed the odd behavior and made a few inquiries.

“Why shy away from that? You saved both our lives!” The captain asked.

“It’s because she was hurt in the process,” Zerom finally added.

“How badly?”

Luna could only look down at her plate as the conversation continued.

“She suffered from a severe stroke and even had some cerebral hemorrhaging. Doctors got to her quickly and prevented any serious lasting damage,” Jonathan finished.

“Is that why you haven’t been using any magic today?” Daniel asked as he put an arm over Luna’s shoulder. The princess could only nod in response. “But it’s not gone forever, right?” Another nod put his mind at ease. “Then there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Look at it this way, all four of us will have some crazy stories to tell when we get back.”

This seemed to boost her mood enough to bring her eyes back to the others at the table. In her mind, he was right, there would be quite a few stories to tell after this one.       		    
> December 3rd, 2559
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was early December in New Alexandria. A light coating of snow covered the city as life continued unabated. Daniel sighed contently as he looked out the waiting room windows. Slowly, the captain limped over to a nearby couch and continued to wait. Today was supposed to be the day of his release from the hospital. For nearly two months, he had gone through a fairly intense physical therapy, all designed to get him moving again. 

While he wouldn’t be rushing off into combat any time soon, he was at least functional enough to move on his own. Now that he was free of the hospital, there were quite a few loose ends to deal with. The biggest one being his lack of a starship or crew.  Daniel chuckled dryly as he ran through a mental list of things that needed to be dealt with.

However, his train of thought was soon interrupted as the doors to the patient wing opened. Emerging from them were none other than Jonathan, Celestia, and Luna. Daniel slowly rose as the three signed their discharge paperwork at the front desk before walking over to him.

“Well, I for one, am glad to be getting out of here,” Zerom said with a nervous chuckle.

“Agreed,” both Luna and Celestia replied.

“I hear that. Anything we want to do today?” Daniel asked as the group stood by the elevator doors.

“Well, we should stop by and check in with the Director at some point,” Zerom offered.

Daniel nodded as his phone vibrated in his pocket. “True, all we need to do now is find a ride there.”

“There’s a motor pool at street level we could use,” Zerom said as he reached for the elevator call button.

“Actually, it seems we have a ride waiting for us on the landing pad.” Daniel announced as he put his phone away.

“Oh?” Luna asked with curiosity.

The four entered the elevator and began their ascent to the landing pads near the roof. As the doors to the elevator slid open, they were greeted by an idling Pelican with a man leaning against the side.

“Well, well, well, looks like you four could use a ride outta here,” Andrew called out as he walked over to the group.

“Wow, I’m surprised you’re here. Figured the Director would hang you up by your thumbs after what happened,” Daniel teased as he hugged his friend.

“Nearly did. I made some quick deals and got out of anything too painful. Can’t wait to tell you all about it,” Andrew said with a chuckle. “Princesses, you’re both looking splendid, despite everything that’s happened.”

“You’re too kind, Mister Traxus,” Celestia replied in near perfect english.

Andrew looked at Celestia with a clearly impressed expression. “Now that’s something. You’ve been here for a few months and you’ve already mastered the english language.”

“It’s surprisingly similar to equish. Many of the roots and verb conjugations are nearly identical to english and german,” Luna replied with a smirk.

“While I would love to stand here and discuss language all day, I would really prefer not to be standing in the snow while doing it,” Zerom stated as he looked to the sky.

“Ah, right. Climb on everyone. We’ve got dinner plans at eight, and I figured you all might want to freshen up before then,” Andrew said as he climbed into the pilot’s seat.

Daniel cocked an eyebrow as everyone took seats in the aircraft. “Dinner plans?”

“Yup. I figured you all might want to have something other than hospital food, so I got us reservations at Club Errera,” Andrew replied as the Pelican took off.

Zerom’s jaw nearly hit the deck. “You got reservations there? How? Their usually booked weeks in advance.”

Andrew chuckled as he weaved around the numerous skyscrapers of the city. “The guy who owns it was a college buddy of mine. We had a lot of the same mechanical engineering classes.”

“Huh, good to know.” Zerom muttered, fairly surprised.

“I’m sorry, but what kind of place is Errera?” Luna asked.

Daniel leaned over as he spoke. “Errera is a pretty famous night club here in the city. It was even used during the fall of Reach as a staging point and a signal jammer by the Covenant.”

“You said you wanted to see the nightlife,” Jonathan chuckled. 

As the Pelican continued it’s flight, Daniel noticed a few smaller aircraft were starting to follow them. “Hey Andrew, looks like you picked up a tail.”

Andrew looked to a monitor feed from a rear facing camera on the hull. “Ah hell, figures they would catch on sooner or later.”

“Is something the matter?” Celestia asked as she too looked through the small viewport at the back of the Pelican.

“Well, not really. You see, your presence here is no secret, nor is what you did on Avalon. As such, the press have been clamoring for every scrap of information out there. Hell, ONI had to put a no-fly zone up around the hospital to keep those leeches away. Also why we are flying in a company aircraft and not an ONI one,” Andrew replied as he banked around a skybridge.

“What do they want from us?” Luna asked.

“Anything, everything, you name it. The four of you are quite the hot topic in the media right now. Besides, the prospect of getting photos, or even a few words, from an alicorn princess is just too much of an incentive for the media. The station that gets an interview with the two of you will see their ratings in the fucking stratosphere.”

“Guess we weren’t as subtle as we thought,” Jonathan replied.

“Yeah, in this regard the two of you were about as subtle as nuclear detonation. Everyone knows your stories, now they want to hear your takes.” Andrew said as he flew into the company hangar at the Traxus complex. “Besides, the war on Avalon is still at the forefront of the media. Public support hasn’t dropped below ninety percent since open military operations began.”

The group dismounted the Pelican and began to follow Andrew through the maze of corridors and elevators that made up Traxus Industrial Complex. Soon enough, they found themselves standing outside of Andrew’s office. With a nod to his secretary he opened the door.

His office was, for lack of a better word, homely. The wall across from the door was made of large, curved glass panels that flowed with the curved shape of the building. Inside the office was a large wooden desk with a executive chair behind it. Along one of the side walls sat a couch that was pulled out to make a bed. Celestia was the first one to mention anything odd about the office. 

“I see you keep a bed in your office,” Celestia mused as she looked at what appeared to be a small closet built into the wall next to the couch.

Andrew rubbed the back of his head nervously. “Well... yeah. I kinda live here.”

Both ponies looked at the engineer with interest. “You... live here? In your office?” Luna asked with disbelief.

“Yeah, I’m here most of the time anyway, so owning an apartment didn’t really make sense. So when we rebuilt the tower after the war, I made some design changes. A pull out closet over there, a small bathroom through that side door, and I can always just hit up the cafeteria for food,” Andrew stated as he looked around the room.

While Andrew was giving the tour of his home/office, Daniel and Zerom were looking out over the construction yard. One of the shipyard bays caught their attention. While it was mostly a skeleton of a ship, the shape was unmistakable.

“Hey Andrew, whatcha got going on over there?” Daniel asked while motioning to the shipyard.

“Oh, that? Just a new commission from ONI. She’s a prototype Prowler. First UNSC ship built with magic in mind. Hell, even her weapons have been redesigned,” Andrew said proudly.

“Built with magic in mind?” Zerom asked.

Andrew nodded. “Yeah. We learned a lot from the loss of the Tuscany. She was brought down with magic, something that our countermeasure systems were not prepared to handle. So, in light of that, we began working on ways to defend against magical attacks. Her hull plating and superstructure have been enchanted by teams of unicorns, all designed to mitigate the impact of magical attacks.”

Daniel looked at Andrew with a surprised expression. “Huh, quite the improvement. And all her other systems work normally?”

“We think they will. Small scale testing says everything will work. So now we just gotta build the damn thing and see if it works at full scale,” Andrew replied.

“Seems like a lot of effort to build an entirely new ship,” Luna added as she sat next to Daniel at the window.

“It would be the same amount of work to dismantle an existing ship, enchant everything, and then reassemble it. Besides, with the Tuscany gone, there’s an open spot in the Prowler corps,” Andrew answered as he put on a new jacket. “If you all want to shower or whatnot, feel free to use mine. It’s just through that side door.”


~~~


The group of five relaxed in their seats as the Pelican lifted off from the cargo port and quickly zoomed off toward the heart of the city. Andrew had opted to take a regional delivery aircraft in order to sneak past the waiting hordes of the media. Their pilot was careful to stick to the appropriate skylanes in order to keep their ruse in tact. With any luck, they would make it to Errera without anyone noticing.

“So, Andrew, is there a reason you’re not flying this one?” Zerom asked as he leaned back against the bench seat.

“Uh, yeah. I doubt any of us will be in a condition to operate complex machinery after tonight. Besides, the delivery guys run this route all damn day. No one is going to look at this Pelican and say, ‘Ya know, that looks like a delivery craft, but I think it has two alicorn princesses and two ONI operatives.’ People generally don’t think like that,” Andrew replied with a chuckle.

Zerom raised his hand. “Well, technically I’m UNSC. Not ONI.”

“Pshhh, details,” Andrew said dismissively.

After a short ten minute flight, the Pelican lowered it’s landing ramp as it prepared to touch down on one of the landing pads. Even from outside the club, the throbbing bass could be heard coming from within. As soon as the wheels touched down, the five passengers disembarked and made their way toward the doors. 

The exterior of the nightclub was unlike any building in Canterlot. Both princesses could only stare in awe at the mass of lights and holographic projections along the wall. The outside area of Errera looked as if it was designed to be used as additional space for patrons. However, the only sound was coming from the music inside.

“For a Friday night, you’d think Errera would be using the overflow patio,” Daniel commented as the group made their way toward the doors. 

“Guess it’s an off day?” Zerom offered.

“No such thing. Errera doesn’t have any off days.”

Andrew was the first to walk into the interior of the club. As soon as the doors parted, the music stopped and the lights on the exterior stopped flashing, reverting to a casual slow pulse. The hallway leading inside was almost pitch black, illuminated only by faint light from mood lighting in the ceiling.

“Huh, who wants to venture into the dark spooky tunnel first?” Zerom asked with a chuckle.

“Hey, it could be worse. You could show up here and have to fight a pair of hunters and a bunch of other Covies, only to be forced into calling a SPARTAN team,” Daniel replied as he followed Andrew inside.

Zerom thought about that for a moment before shrugging. “Good point.”


Luna wasted no time in catching up to Daniel, while Celestia opted to stay a bit closer to Zerom. As Andrew was just about to walk through the final set of doors, he cast one last glance behind him. The group was now standing in the dark hallway waiting for the doors to open. Andrew smirked as he turned back to the doors and walked forward, to which the doors promptly slid open.

The club was packed as music blared and lights flashed. The group was stopped almost immediately by a hostess. 

“Captain Ryan, if you would please follow me to your table,” the hostess said as she motioned to the stairs. 

Daniel shot a curious glance back to Andrew who only offered up a shrug. With nothing more to say, the group made their way up the stairs. Errera was much larger than anyone would expect at first glance. While it wasn’t very wide, it did cover four floors with a massive atrium, giving everything a very open feeling. It was a very sobering sight for both ponies in the group. Night clubs existed in Equestria, but nothing of this size and intensity.

“Here we are. Someone will be right along to get your drink orders,” the hostess said before walking away.

Their table was on the third floor balcony, giving them a perfect overhead view of the main dance floor below. Situated around the table were four chairs and a pair of large plush cushions. Sitting at the head of the table was a single man who stood up as the others approached.

“Andrew, right on time,” the man said as he checked his watch.

“You know it. Everyone, this is Oliver Stanton. Oliver, you already know these two morons, but may I introduce Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,” Andrew stated as he motioned to the group.

“A pleasure to meet you, mister Stanton,” Celestia said as she took a seat on one of the cushions.

As everyone took their seats, Andrew leaned over to whisper in Oliver’s ear.

“Aren’t those the cushions from the couch in your office?” The engineer asked with a sly grin.

“Pffft, no. What would make you think that?” Oliver said in a sing-song voice.

Andrew could only chuckle as he leaned back in his chair. After everyone got settled in, and drink orders were taken, did conversation around the table begin. 

“This is quite the establishment,” Celestia mused as she continued to look around.

Oliver chuckled as he looked to the holographic display in the middle of the atrium. “It really is. Though this place looked a lot worse after the war. Daniel here can attest to that.”

“What can I attest to?” Daniel asked as he leaned forward.

“That this place was barely standing after the war,” Oliver replied as he took his drink from the hostess.

“Uh, no. This places wasn’t standing after the war. The whole planet got glassed, remember?” Zerom said as he took a sip of his drink.

Oliver pondered this before nodding. “True. But anyway, I’m more interested in the pair of Princesses here; two of the most closely followed individuals in UNSC space.”

Luna arched an eyebrow at the comment. “Seriously?”

“Of course. Equestria has been in the headlines since the announcement of it’s discovery. If you think I’m kidding, you should have seen the news coverage when it was revealed that Princess Celestia here was flown in for medical treatment. The whole galaxy wanted to know why,” Oliver said with barely contained excitement.

“I’m still not entirely clear on why either of us would be famous to your people,” Celestia replied between sips of her drink.

“You must keep in mind that you’re the first truly peaceful civilization we have ever encountered. And with us being only a few years out of a massive galactic war, people needed hope that the universe didn’t just want us all dead,” Andrew added.

“I guess. Though I can’t imagine everyone has been so enthusiastic,” Luna commented.

Oliver nodded slowly as he spoke. “This is true. There are some who are extremely xenophobic. Some of them want nothing to do with any other races. Others would rather bomb other civilizations into oblivion, for fear they might become a threat. Though the vast majority of humanity are supportive of an open partnership between the UNSC and races of Avalon.” 

“That’s good to hear. Nice to know that I won’t have a lynch mob chasing me down with pitchforks and torches,” Luna said dryly. 

Oliver chuckled. “The only mobs you might have to deal with are those looking for autographs and pictures. So replace pitchforks and torches, with pens and cameras.”

Luna seemed to mull this over for a moment. “Sounds preferable to the lynch mob. And how would one go about acquiring such a mob of adoring fans?”

“No,” Daniel said as he shook his head with his hand raised. “We’re not doing that. You’d be stuck here for the next six years signing autographs and taking pictures.”

“Don’t forget kissing babies,” Zerom pointed out.

“Now you’re making her sound like a real politician,” Andrew replied with a laugh.

“To be fair, both of our positions have very lengthy political responsibilities,” Celestia added.

Luna began tapping her chin as she thought aloud. “Hmmm, perhaps if this whole Princess thing doesn’t work out, maybe I could become an author and sell my books on human worlds. They already seem to adore me, so selling a book to them shouldn’t be that hard.”

Oliver’s jaw dropped but was soon replaced with a stunned smile. “I love they way you think. If you ever need a publicity agent, I know a few.”

Eventually, two servers came to the table with meals for the evening. The conversation died off as soon as dinner was set down, allowing everyone to savor their meal while the music from the club continued to pound from every direction. More than once, Luna found herself looking through the glass railing down at the dance floor below. The younger princess was mesmerized by the sheer volume of humans dancing through the night. While it wasn’t the most elegant of dancing, they at least seemed to be enjoying themselves.  

“A bit different from what you’re used to, isn’t it?” Daniel asked as he twisted around in his seat to match the alicorn’s gaze. 

“Very. Seeing everyone here enjoying the night, just as they would the day, is a welcome sight,” Luna replied as she continued to look at the dance floor below. 

Oliver smirked as he noticed Luna staring down at the dance floor. With the motion of a hand, a server walked over. Oliver quickly whispered something into the server’s ear. After a few moments, the server returned with a microphone and handed it to Oliver.

As the princess continued to watch over the dance floor, Oliver took a spot standing at the edge of the balcony. The music slowly got quiet as he brought up the microphone.

“Welcome, everyone. I am so very glad to be sharing this wonderful night with you all.” The crowd around the club began cheering and clapping as all eyes turned to the third floor balcony. “Tonight, is a very special night. We have a number of incredibly special guests joining us.”

Oliver turned around and grinned before pointing to Daniel and Zerom. “First off, we have the heros of Avalon; Captain Daniel Ryan and Commander Jonathan Zerom!”

The two men tentatively stood up and walked up to the edge of the balcony. The entirety of Ererra burst out into thunderous applause and cheering as the two men came into view. The two found it a bit staggering to be regarded as heros. Even so, they were more than happy to fill the image, waving to the crowd below before turning back to their seats.

“And now, two individuals I know you will all be excited to see. I know I sure was. Allow me to present the Princess of the sun, and one of the two diarchs of Equestria, Princess Celestia!”

The crowd exploded with cheers and applause as Celestia stood and walked up to the balcony, waving to the crowd as they continued to holler and cheer. The solar Princess was slightly surprised to be receiving such a warm welcome. She knew that humanity viewed her and her sister in a positive light, but to see it for herself was something different altogether. 

After a few seconds of waving, she turned back to her seat. “And last, but definitely not least, the one and only mistress of the night, Princess Luna!”

The noise coming from the crowd below was staggering. If the sound from Celestia’s entrance was loud, then the sound greeting Luna was deafening. The Princess continued to look around in silent awe as the cheering continued. Eventually it started to die down as Oliver raised his hand, prompting Luna to take her seat once more.

With one final wave, Oliver turned off the microphone and took his seat. “Well that got everyone excited. If you need any more proof that humanity is behind you, just go take another look over the balcony.”

The two alicorns occasionally glanced over at the balcony, catching glimpses of the humans below. Everyone at the table continued their meals in relative silence until waiters came to take away the plates.

“That was awesome,” Andrew groaned as he leaned back in his chair.

“I must agree. I didn’t know you could cook eggplant like that,” Celestia added as she carefully levitated a glass of water.

Andrew then leaned forward to get a better view of Daniel and Jonathan. “So guys, now that you’re free from the hospital, what’s the plan?”

Daniel thought for a moment before speaking. ‘Well, both of us are being allowed to return to limited active duty. Basically we’re going to be sitting around a base all day doing logistics. We’re both restricted from any intense field work for the foreseeable future.”

“Last I heard, the UNSC was moving against the gryphon capital. Some soldiers I talked to said gryphon civilians were literally weeping with joy as the marines moved through smaller towns. They said is was scarily similar to the liberation of Europe from the Nazis,” Oliver added.

“Good to know there weren’t massive civilian casualties,” Zerom replied with a sigh of relief.

“Indeed. Seems support for the war wasn’t as widespread as first believed,” Daniel stated with a nod.

After a brief pause, Oliver spoke up. “So, when are you heading out?”

“Tonight,” said a voice from behind. Everyone looked over to see the Director standing along the wall. 

“Director, I wasn’t aware you would be joining us. I’ll have another chair brought over,” Oliver said as he looked for the closest waiter.

The Director raised and hand and chuckled. “That’ won’t be necessary. I just wanted to drop by and check up on everyone. As well as to tell you that the Pony Express will be leaving dock tonight at midnight. So if you’re looking for your ride back to Avalon, that’s it.”

“Thank you, Director. For everything,” Celestia said with a bow of her head.

“It was no trouble at all. Just happy to help. Enjoy your evening.” With that said, the man slipped his overcoat on and turned to leave.

“Well, seems we have a flight to catch. I should probably swing by my apartment and grab some things,” Daniel mused as he looked to a nearby time display.

“Sounds good. You’re at the Oceannis Tower, right?” Andrew asked.

Zerom nodded as everyone got up from the table. “We both are.”

As the group said their goodbyes to Oliver, and made their way out of the night club, Luna couldn’t help but find herself already missing the fast paced nightlife. It was refreshing for the lunar princess to see so many out enjoying the night. Even if she wasn’t responsible for this one, it was still a nice feeling.

It was a short flight to the Oceannis Tower. The Pelican gently touched down on the rooftop landing pad, allowing the humans to disembark.

“Keep the engines running. This won’t take more than ten minutes,” Daniel called out as he summoned the elevator. 


~~~


Daniel breathed a content sigh as he leaned back in his chain, rubbing his eyepatch. They were finally on their way back to Avalon, and would be arriving early in the morning. Even if he would be restricted to logistical and clerical work, it would be better than sitting around in a hospital all day. 

Looking around the crew lounge, Daniel could easily see Celestia and Luna catching a nap on one of the couches. Zerom was busy reading through reports from around the nation. Most of them consisting of requests for supplies by the harder hit towns.

With a glance over his shoulder, the captain watched as the blueshift of shipspace suddenly gave way to the normal inky blackness of normal space. Daniel casually got up from his seat and walked over to the two ponies, before gently shaking them. 

Celestia merely cracked an eye as Daniel crouched down.

“We’re home.” 

 

 

> March 9th, 2560
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was early March in Equestria as ponies across the country woke up and prepared for a new day. Children bid farewell to their parents as they trotted off to school, and adults said their  sweet goodbyes to loved ones as they went to work. It was peaceful once more in Equestria. 

The war with the gryphons had been hard on everyone. Entire cities had been razed, thousands killed, and the entire world pushed to the brink of war. But one year ago, something 
extraordinary happened; the citizens of Equestria learned that they were not alone in the universe. 

Now, with their new friend and ally, ponies across the country were waking up to a few new additions. As part of the treaty agreement with the UNSC, the ponies would be placed under 
the protection and jurisdiction of humanity. Affairs of state would still be held solely by the princesses, but in matters of interplanetary relations, the UNSC would take point. 

This treaty also came with new additions to pony cities across the country. Modern medical facilities had been erected. Even basic utilities such as power, water, and waste disposal had been brought to modern times. More noticeably, however, were the two spaceports and orbital elevators. Ponyville Starport and Phillydelphia Starport had been built soon after the defeat of the Gryphon Empire, with the orbital elevators near Ponyville and Phillydelphia following soon after. 

It took some getting used to, but the ponies had grown accustomed to seeing human 
architecture interspersed within Equestrian cities. It was even becoming more common to 
see humans walking through cities, even though most of them were UNSC workers or civilian contractors. 

Though one of the most important structures erected was nothing more than a piece of hull plating stuck in the ground. Within Canterlot Central Park stood a piece of armor plating 
recovered from the wreckage of the UNSC Tuscany. On it were inscribed the names of those 
who had fallen during the rescue of Princess Cadance and the Crystal Heart. 

From her vantage point in the park, Princess Luna sat in front of the monument with the Harmony Orbital Tether in the background. However, her gaze once again was drawn to the 
wrecked starship further down the valley. To her it was more than a burnt hunk of aluminum,
it was a tomb for many of her closest friends. The final resting place for so many that she had 
grown to know and care for. 

Ever since the monument with the names of the crew was erected, she had made it a morning ritual to greet the new day in the presence of the friends she could no longer speak with. As the orbital elevator began its morning ascent, Luna began to read the names in silence. 


Petty Officer Gordon Stens


Petty Officer Hubert Franks


Airman Hector Tallas


Ensign Frank Torres


Master Chief Petty Officer Greg Cazaras


Seaman Emily Flint


Commander Theodor Gimple


Chief Petty Officer Jack Lorenzo


Seaman Markus Xiao


Petty Office Norman Jezeral


Seaman Glenn Bernstein 


Seaman Tessa Glenn


Airman Erika Voyas


Petty Officer Paul Horchis


Seaman Don King


Chief Petty Officer Deborah Allen


Petty Officer Joe Lutz


Junior Lieutenant Paul Dukas


Lieutenant Bella Dartok


Airman Samuel Barber


Petty Officer Iannis Xenakir


Commander Thomas Tallir


Seaman Jonathan Tavener


Petty Officer Franco Salavanes


Chief Petty Officer Sergi Ronkovich


Junior Lieutenant Merlyn Sue


Airman Wesley Porter


Petty Officer Hubert Jackson 


Lieutenant Commander Anderz Bjorkland


Corporal Lucas Binkley


Lance Corporal Yaraon Morrow


Staff Sergeant Kelly Verrez


Sergeant James Hodges


Gunnery Sergeant Philip Ballas


Corporal Nick Gerrard


PFC Harry Farks


Master Sergeant Vince Borvian


Private Kasandra Hendrikson


Captain Erika Choral


Sergeant Max Kandof


Private Sarah Martinez


Staff Sergeant Kyle Sorchin


Corporal Chase Drall


Sergeant Jessica Quay


PFC Lawrance Umas


Lieutenant Veronica Westlake


Lieutenant Jeremy Klondas


Sergeant Fernando Roselli 


Private Chen Xi


Staff Sergeant Miles Kalandria


Of the eighty crew members, only thirty survived the crash. Luna had long since learned that fighting her sadness was a pointless battle. The place she had lived for months, and most 
of the people she spent that time with, was gone. She had tried to save them, but it wasn’t enough. In her mind, she failed them. Allowing her tears to flow freely, she placed a hoof on the monument and bowed her head as the sun began to rise.

As her sister’s celestial body barely poked over the horizon, the sound of footsteps on grass caught her ear. Most ponies had learned to leave her be during this sacred morning ritual of hers. Curiously, she looked over to see who had intruded on her silent reflection. 

Sitting in the grass next to her was none other than Andrew Traxus. Rather than meeting her gaze, he stared out over the valley at the rising sun.

“You okay?” Andrew asked quietly.

Luna merely nodded without looking up. The two sat in silence for a few minutes as the sun slowly rose higher above the hills.

“Did anyone ever tell you about the time Deb caused a mass panic?” Andrew asked with a cheerful grin as he looked to the clearly distraught pony.

Luna wiped away a few loose tears as she looked up to meet his gaze. “As in Chief Engineer Deb?”

“Yup,” Andrew replied with a grin and a nod. “This one time while we were in port, a few families came aboard to see loved ones and get a brief tour of the ship. Well, Deb thought it would be a great idea for them to see the engine room. So while she was explaining the basics of nuclear reactors, she started shouting ‘It’s reaching critical mass!’. So all the engineers began screaming and ran out of the engine room. You can probably guess that the civilians who were 
with them were freaked the fuck out and began to run too.”

Luna looked at him with a horrified expression. “What happened after that? Was Daniel angry?”

Andrew laughed as he nodded. “Oh you bet. Everyone in engineering had to clean every 
window and mop every floor by hand. You see, a reactor has to get to critical mass before it 
starts generating power in any substantial quantity.”

“So Deb and the others acted like it was melting down, when really it was just turning on?”

“You got it.” Andrew replied with a chuckle.

Luna couldn’t help but let out a tearful laugh as she imagined the engineers running through the corridors yelling in fake panic. “I could totally see Deb doing that.”

“Yeah, she was always a fun one. Hell, I loved all the guys in engineering. The sense of 
camaraderie and professionalism was always present. I know those guys fought it till the bitter end,” Andrew commented as he looked to the wreckage of the once proud starship.

“You think so?” Luna asked.

Andrew nodded as his tone took on a somber tone. “I know so, their final stand was recorded by Tommy before he was ejected.. They ignored the evacuation in order to keep the ship flying as long as possible. They had to manually balance the power consumption and keep the secondary generators running. It’s amazing to think that five guys kept the entire ship powered while it was falling apart.”

“It still hurts to think about all of them,” Luna mumbled as she looked back at the list of names.

“It’ll hurt for a while. Though you should think about what they died for. Do you think their 
sacrifice was worth it?” Andrew asked as he leaned forward, still watching the sun rise.

“They died so we could beat the gryphons,” Luna replied shakily.

Andrew nodded his head back and forth as he thought about her answer. “Basically. But it’s more complicated that that, isn’t it? They died saving Cadance and protecting the Crystal Heart.”

“Yeah…”

“Wouldn’t you agree that keeping a powerful magical artifact, such as the Crystal Heart, was rather important?” Andrew asked as he glanced over at the alicorn.

“Yeah…” Luna replied as she stared at the grass.

“So their deaths were not in vain. By keeping the Crystal Heart safe, they deprived the gryphons of a potentially devastating weapon. Therefore increasing the chances of successfully driving the gryphons back and saving thousands upon thousands of lives,” Andrew stated as he motioned to the wreckage.

“I know… it’s just… you guys were my first real friends since… well… you know,” Luna muttered solemnly.

Andrew draped his left arm over her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. “I understand. But you know what? They’re not gone. They’re all still here,” Andrew said as he motioned to the 
wall before placing a hand over her heart, “and here. Remember that, and they’ll never truly be gone.”

The two sat there for a few silent minutes as the sun continued its journey over the horizon.

“So, Andrew, what’s going to happen to the Tuscany?” Luna asked.

Andrew sighed as he looked toward the wreckage. “She’s already been rebuilt, her sea trials begin tomorrow.”

 Luna perked up at this as she looked to the engineer. “Sea trials?”

“I know it’s not an accurate term, but it’s what we call it when a ship goes out for the first time to test all her systems. It’ll only take a few days,” Andrew replied with a nod.

“But it’s not the same ship…”

Andrew chuckled as he raised a finger. “Actually, that’s not entirely true. Yes, the body of the ship was ruined. But the heart and mind of the ship were saved. So think of it as reconstructive surgery.”

“The heart and mind?” Luna asked with a perplexed expression.

“The ship’s reactor and Tommy. The thing that gives the ship life, and the thing that lets it think,” Andrew replied with a smile.

“Huh, I’ve never really thought about it that way,” the princess responded with a nod.

“So yeah, we cleared the ship for launch last week. Now all they had to do was get a crew,” Andrew stated as he continued to look out over the valley.

“Please tell me Daniel is still captain. I haven’t gotten a chance to see him since he went back to Reach,” Luna asked with pleading eyes.

The engineer nodded as he spoke. “It took some convincing and some other deals, but yes, the ship is still his.”

“Ok good,” Luna said with relief.

“In fact, one of the terms of his reinstatement was a homeport change,” Andrew said with a sly grin.

“To where?” Luna asked with a perplexed expression.

“Well, seeing as how Avalon is the newest planet to join the UNSC, and it is also near the 
border of UNSC space, ONI feels it would be prudent to station someone with a considerable amount of experience on that border world. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he also has some expertise with the locals, wouldn’t you agree?” Andrew asked with a grin.

Luna’s eyes grew wide as her ears perked up. “So the Tuscany is now stationed here?”

Andrew nodded with a chuckle. “Yup.”

“So I have to wait another week before getting to see anyone from the ship… great,” Luna said as her expression dropped again.

“Oh don’t be so quick to jump to conclusions, your highness. The first stop on the sea trial is the Harmony Tether. Now, if you somehow found out that they’re arriving at nine thirty in the morning, I’m sure you would be able to just walk onboard.”

“Hmmm, how many of the original crew are still around? I’d imagine some of them would have taken this opportunity to retire,” Luna asked as she looked to the orbital elevator.

“All the survivors from the original Tuscany are onboard the new one. So I don’t think you’ll have any issues getting onboard,” Andrew remarked with a grin.

“But what about my duties here? I can’t just disappear for four days,” Luna replied.

“Luna, you’ve been holding this country together without the aid of your sister for quite a while now. I’m pretty sure if I talked to your sister she would be more than willing to let you got for until Saturday,” Andrew stated with confidence.

The princess thought for a moment before nodding. “It would be nice to see everyone again…”

Andrew clapped his hands together as he rubbed them together. “Great! I’ll talk to Celestia during court and let you know during night court.”

As Andrew stood up to head off to the castle, he patted the indigo alicorn on the back. “You should get some rest. I’ll come find you this evening. See ya later Luna.”

“See you tonight Andrew,” Luna called out in response before turning back to the memorial wall and placing a hoof on it. “I’ll see you all tomorrow.”


~~~<<<>>>~~~


Luna happily trotted through Canterlot in the early morning, as he saddlebags bounced with each step. The sun had just come up and everyone was beginning their daily routine. Most ponies were quite surprised to see the lunar princess outside the castle, let alone at any time other than midnight. Though for her, she had a plan. Andrew had successfully convinced Celestia to let her have a few days of rest and relaxation, and as such, she was on her way to the Harmony Tether.

First though, she had to stop by the park as promised. A few ponies were there with young foals, enjoying the early morning calm. They seemed startled by the princesses sudden 
appearance, but said nothing as she slowly walked up to the wall and placed a hoof on its face.

“Morning everyone,” the princess said softly, “I’m off to meet up with the rest of the crew. Turns out they rebuilt the ship and are running her through something called ‘sea trials’. I know it’s not the exact same ship, especially with so many of you unable to be there, but it will be nice to be somewhere familiar. Well, I gotta go guys. I’ll be sure to say hi to the others when I see them.” With her conversation over, Luna slowly backed away from the wall and walked slowly out of the park.

The bystanders at the park watched in silent awe as their princess spoke, and then walked away. No one was quite sure what had just transpired, but nor were they ready to question it.

Having completed her first stop that morning, Luna headed into the city toward a UNSC office that had been set up. There she boarded a pelican bound for the Harmony Tether. After a quick and silent flight, the pelican touched down just outside the main terminal of the space elevator. With a quick thanks to the pilot, Luna stepped off the aircraft and headed inside.

Luckily the terminal was fairly empty, save for a few human and pony workers. The ride up the elevator was a fairly quick fifteen minutes, it gave her a magnificent view of the planet as she rose higher into the atmosphere. As the features of the planet grew too distant to make out, the view of the upper terminal grew larger. It was a large circular structure with eight arms branching off from the central station. Jutting out from each arm were six docking arms.

There were a few ships docked at the moment, but one in particular brought a slight smile to her face. Docked onto one of the innermost arms was the familiar shape of a Prowler. As soon as the elevator doors opened, Luna was trotting out. Moving through the landing area, the Princess made her way into the main atrium. Above her was a massive dome of reinforced glass, giving a beautiful view into the depths of the universe. While she would have loved to sit there and stare into the abyss for hours, she had more pressing matter at hoof.

Keeping in mind where the ship in question was docked, Luna trotted up the escalator and headed down the third arm of the massive station. She passed numerous shops that were still closed or under construction before finally getting to gate 3-2. Standing just before the doorway were two ODSTs. Both had their helmets on, obscuring their faces. But Luna recognized the curved blade attached the shoulder of the man on the right.

“Hello Ahmad.” Luna said with a smile.

Ahmad seemed startled by this as he snapped out of his daydream. After coming back to reality, he pulled off his helmet and jogged forward to hug the lunar princess. The other ODST could only stand there in silence and watch.

“It’s good to see you, my friend.” Ahmad said as he broke away from the embrace. “Luna, this is Corporal Noob Lord.”

“That’s not my name...” the other ODST muttered.

“Shut up, Noob Lord.” Ahmad barked. “So what brings you all the way up here?”

Luna chuckled at the other ODST before replying. “I‘m coming with you, actually. I got some time off and decided to come see you guys.”

“Oh? Does Daniel know?” Ahmad asked with a grin.

Luna shook her head. “Nope. I was thinking of surprising him. Wanna help?”

Ahmad’s eyes went wide as a grin grew across his face. “Noob Lord, cover here for a few. I have to escort our esteemed guest to see the Captain.”

The ODST sighed as his head drooped. “Yes, sir.”

Luna had to fight back a few giggles as she walked with Ahmad aboard the Tuscany. She had sorely missed the banter of the crew. It was just something that she couldn’t really experience back at the castle.

“So, Luna, how’ve these past few weeks been for you?” Ahmad asked as they walked through the ship.

“It’s been rough. Keeping a war-torn country together is rather exhausting. Plus not having any of you guys around... well, it hasn’t helped.” Luna replied with a sigh. 

“I feel ya. The first few weeks back home were tough for everyone. Lots of guys had survivors guilt, especially Daniel. Hell, even I had some low points. Though I have Chef to thank for helping me get through it all,” Ahmad said with a solemn nod. 

“I think I’ll be paying him a visit soon. Talking to my sister about what happened has helped a bit, but it’s just not the same,” Luna replied.

“Understandable,” Ahmad said as he stopped and leaned up next to a door. “Well, here we are. Recognize it?”

Luna looked at the door number and nearly dropped her bags. Taking a step forward, the doors slid open to reveal an empty cabin. It was just as she remembered her old one back before the crash. Allowing her saddle bags to slide off her back, she sat on the floor in the middle of the room. With a deep breath, Luna began to take in all the familiar smells that this room held. From the slight odor of the metal to the smell of recycled oxygen. With a quick jump, Luna flung herself onto the bed with a flop. While most ponies would complain that the mattress was uncomfortable, Luna felt it was perfect. 

“I’m glad to see that everything is still to your liking, Princess,” announced the electronic voice of Tommy.

Luna paused and looked up to the ceiling with a smile. “It’s good to hear your voice again Tommy. I really did miss you.”

“Likewise, your highness. Will you be joining us on our voyage today?” the AI asked.

“I will. Though don’t tell Daniel. I’ll do that,” Luna replied with a grin.

“Of course. Take care, Princess. It’s good to see you again.”

Ahmad could only watch with a smile as Luna became reaquainted with her mattress. “I hate to break up this scene, but we gotta go surprise a certain Captain.”

“Right,” Luna said as she rolled off the bed. “Let’s go.”

The pair continued their walk through the ship before stopping at Ahmad’s cabin. “Just gotta grab something.”

Luna nodded as the human quickly slipped into his room before emerging again with a rubber chicken in hand. The lunar princess raised an eyebrow at the bright yellow chicken.

“Do I even want to know?” She asked.

Ahmad chuckled as he held up the chicken. “It’s going to be part of my distraction so you can surprise Daniel. Trust me, this joke will be worth it.”

After a few minutes of idle chatter while walking through the ship, the pair came to the door leading onto the bridge. 

“Alright, I’ll go on first and distract him. Then you can do... whatever it is that you were planning on doing. Okay?” Ahmad said as he shoved the chicken into a pocket.

“Got it.” Luna replied as she took a deep breath.

Ahmad gave her one last smile before walking onto the bridge. Inside, the bridge crew were going about their pre-flight checks. Vezina was sitting sideways in his chair with a book, while Dior and Zerom were on either side of Daniel’s chair. To Luna, they seemed to be discussing the ship’s course. That was, of course, until Ahmad stepped in front of them all, forcing them to keep their backs to Luna.

“Hey Cap, how long are we gonna be in port?” Ahmad asked.

“Another hour or two. Why?” Daniel replied as he set down his datapad.

“Cause I wanted to go rock out. Wanna join me?”

“As much as I would love to just have a jam session, we kinda need to get underway soon. Maybe tonight,” the captain responded with a nod. 

“Alright. I’ve got some free time, so I’m going to go rock out,” Ahmad said as he pulled out the rubber chicken, “with my cock out.”

Zerom had to stifle a bout of laughter, as Dior sighed and shook her head. Daniel, however, chuckled as he rubbed his eyepatch. “How long have you been sitting on that joke?”

Ahmad rolled his eyes. “Waaaaay too long. Also, surprise!”

Daniel looked up at Ahmad just as his vision went dark. Realizing that someone was covering his eyes, he reached up to remove the perpetrators hands from his face, only to find feathers. Perplexed, his mind began to scour through the individuals he knew with wings. It couldn’t be Spotlight, he only had one wing. That was when he recognized the familiar scent of the owner of these wings. With a smile, he slowly peeled off the wing covering his right eye before turning around in his chair. 

“Miss me?” Luna asked with a smile.

Daniel tapped his chin as he looked at the alicorn. “Maybe a little bit.”

Luna rolled her eyes as she pulled him into a hug. “Get over here.”

Zerom chuckled as he gave Ahmad a thumbs up. The ODST took a bow before turning and leaving. Eventually the two broke from their embrace.

“So, where’re we going?” Luna asked as she looked out into space.

“That’s what we were planning. I’m thinking about taking a trip around Orion’s Belt. Fairly standard for a sea trial. I expect we’ll be back around Friday,” Daniel replied as he repositioned himself in his chair.

“Great. I’ve already put my stuff in my old cabin,” Luna responded with a grin.

Daniel raised an eyebrow as he looked at the Princess. “You’re coming with us? Doesn’t Celestia need you here?”

Luna shook her head. “I managed to get some time off. She felt that I had earned a few days to reprieve from government. Didn’t you see the message Andrew sent you?”

The captain slowly reached for his datapad. As he turned it on he was greeted by a waiting message from Andrew. “Huh. Well alright then.”

“So we’re leaving in an hour or so?” Luna asked. 

Daniel shrugged. “Really we could leave whenever. An hour was just the arbitrary number I picked. But now that you’re here, I see no reason to delay our departure. Sound good?”

Luna nodded as she looked forward through the main window. “Sounds great. So what’s in Orion’s Belt?”

“Nothing special. It’s just three stars.... but since you’re here, why don’t you pick our first destination.” Daniel replied with a grin.

“Really?” Luna asked with a shocked expression.

“Go for it. Pick a star or planet from the star chart,” Daniel said as he motioned over his shoulder at the display table.

Luna instead took a seat next to Daniel and began to scour the sky in front of her before stopping on a star. 

“Right there,” she said pointing with a hoof, “second star on the left.”