Halo Derpy Grunts of Equestria

Chapters

Chapter 1: Landing in Style
Chapter 2: I think I woke it up...
Chapter 3: Freedom to Squeak
Chapter 4: Nipple Academy
Chapter 6: Up to the Castle, Down to the Caves
Chapter 7: The More Problems You Solve...The More You Make
Chapter 8: He believed He could Fly
Chapter 9: The Quest
Chapter 10: Cliffhanger...or...what do you call those other things?
Chapter 11: YapYap's Last Hurrah
Chapter 12: Caves and Secrets
Chapter 5: He Stops Twitching

Chapter 1: Landing in Style

(7 hours earlier)

They had been on the Covenant cruiser, Redemptive Penance, when a slip-space anomaly struck the ship. The grunts were patrolling the mid-deck when the corridors shook with tremendous might. They felt a low hum turn into a buzz as a purple wave began to transform into some ghastly space nebula. A sharp, screeching sound filled their ears and the squad fell to their knees. Then it was all-quiet. BANG! The cloud cut clean through the ship and began to engulf the corridor ahead of them.

The elite, in his blue-clad armor, incinerated before their eyes; the grunts ran for the hangar.

The phantom gunboat was a space gunboat boarding craft. The grunts were not allowed to use anything but the turrets on it. However, it was their only chance of escaping this slip-space disaster. The doors were thankfully open and the grunts stepped in, pressing a console command on the holographic screen: the same one that elite officers usually press.

A gloomy violet glow took over the cabin as the doors shut the grunts in. The major, known as Flipyap, ran to the cockpit. The holographic commands were overwhelming. He didn’t even know where to start. He tentatively pressed a bright red button, the cannon below switched with a pang. Flipyap hastily tried to close it when the gun let out a burst of magenta energy.

There was an explosion and a red elite could be seen flying in the air, his last words being “BLARG!” as he crashed into a pile of containers that were filled with plasma grenades. The crate glowed with blue energy as part of the ship disappeared in a flash of light and plasma.

I am…so…dead thought the grunt. He had to keep trying but there were to many buttons and he felt like he would accidentally kill himself if he tried another button.

“Uhhh guys..” he squeaked,” I don’t know how to drive this hunk of junk.”

“What do you mean-“ his brother, Yapflip said just as a loud hum turned into a thunderous roar. The Redemptive Penance was tearing itself apart. The grunts held on to each other as they felt themselves being lifted into the air.

Whatever happened on that day is still unexplainable, but we can say that the grunts were thank fully unharmed by the anomaly. The phantom, along with other pieces of the ship, jettisoned out the other side of the slip-hole into another region of space. It was unpredictable and pieces were shot across the surface in a shower. The phantom however, managed to survive the atmospheric pressure as it descended into the atmosphere of the unknown planet.

Twilight Sparkle and the other ponies watched in awe as a meteor shower rained on Equestria’s moonlit plains. She looked around at her friends and saw that they all shared in her bewilderment.

“Hey Twi’” Applejack motioned, “I thought there weren’t supposed to be any meteor showers scheduled for tonight.”

“I’m as stumped as you are,” Twilight said.

“Well whatever they are, they’re heading for the Everfree Forest.” Said Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy gave a yelp and started to run towards the forest.

“Fluttershy,” Twilight called, “Why are you going closer to the shower?”

All the yellow mare could say as she flew off was “What if someone got hurt.”

Chapter 2: I think I woke it up...

It was the sound of a thud that woke Fipyap from his unconscious state. He saw his brother lying a few feet and motioned for him to wake up. The grunt woke with a startle. His eyes were beady but in a way, revealing as to his emotions. Right now it was a mix of relief and worry.

“Nice driving there.” Yapflip remarked to his younger brother. Yapyap Jr., or Yapyap as his nickname was called, was in a corner. Being the nephew of a noble, heroic grunt, with the same name, who died on the halo ring, Yapyap Jr. was expected to rise to his uncle’s potential. Sadly, that was not the case and he ended up being a minor among the grunt population.

Yapflip threw a plasma battery to where the grunt woke with a snap. He looked around and scowled, “There are easier ways to wake one up.”

The major looked around and saw that the whole ship had gone dark. He began to push to one side to see if the wall would budge. The ship suddenly gave a groan and the grunts felt themselves fall to the edge as the ship tumbled down. When they got back up, Yapyap pushed with all his might at the door. It flipped open.

Cautiously, they stepped out. The phantom was a wreck. Flipyap looked around to see his other two comrades nearby, their shiny orange armor glinting in the moonlight.

The trees were a fresh, bright green. They went forward. Going back into the phantom, Yapflip found two plasma pistols and a needler. Yapyap was more experienced in needle weaponry, so he grabbed the gun. Yapflip was fine using his plasma pistol.

They nervously crept back out into the moonlit forest. Tiny specks of bright orange littered the landscapes like frozen fireflies, remains of the once mighty vessel they were a part of. The grunts started to wobble forward, still suffering from the effects of their less-then-comfy landing.

As they walked, they noticed that the forest was a bit odd and mysterious, with a mist clutching onto the forest floor. Yapyap Jr. watched their flank and could have sworn he saw something move. Then he heard a snap and that was about all he needed to observe to know that they were being watched.

“Hey Flipyap,” hissed Yapyap Jr., “I think someone is watching us.”

“What makes you think that?” the grunt asked in a tone that indicated that he was already on edge as it was.

“Well I just heard a snap and I thought I saw a shadow move.”

Flipyap only gave a shrug and said that it may have been a bird.

Flipyap, although younger then his brother Yapflip, had excelled to the rank of grunt major while his fellow brother stayed as a minor. However, it was rather by choice as Yapflip felt he could get away with mistakes as a minor. No one really cared for the lesser grunts and rather ignored them, considering them a nuisance anyway. Yapflip used this to his advantage, skipping guard duty and climbing a tree, watching the stars at night. He was caught every now and then but since most Covenant soldiers were worried about the next bombing then punishment, he was always let off with a stern warning. Not that he cared anyway, for he couldn’t return home. For a grunt, Yapflip was surprisingly proud of his race and believed in another Grunt Rebellion, one that would free his people and allow them to return home.

The last Grunt Rebellion had been a disaster in terms of casualties. However, the grunts themselves were no longer treated as cannon fodder. That alone gave them hope in a better future.

Yapyap Jr. was scanning the forest again. He was sure he saw that flash of black again. That was when he saw a gray and orange blur in the distance. The grunt was tempted to fire but thought better of it and decided to follow.

“Where are you going Yapyap?” Flipyap called out.

“I thought I saw something.”

Flipyap gave a grunt of frustration. Sometimes, he wondered what caused that grunt to be so foolhardy. They followed their orange comrade to the site where he saw the figure. The area looked devoid of any life-form passing through it.

“You’re eyes are seeing things,” Yapflip said, “Seriously I think we should just find someone who’s alive and-“

There was a crunch and all three froze in place. Yapyap was the first to turn around, a pair of white fangs staring down at his head. A red mane surrounded a golden-rod, hairy face. Two dark, gray eyes stared at him. A dark-red scorpion tail appeared over the trees. The manticore eyed the three strange gnomes with a burning rage. He had already been struck by a hot piece of metal from the sky. And then these intruders had waltzed into his home with their loud, annoying voices. Well he was hungry and they would make a great midnight snack.

Flipyap felt a warm, slimy substance clump on his head. He didn’t need to know that there was a beast behind him. He made a scream and ran, twisting his torso halfway to shoot his plasma pistol at the monster. Yapyap was screaming as well. In fact all of them were exercising their vocal cords.

Fluttershy was pacing through the forest, her wings flying at full capacity. After she had checked up on the pets in her house, she was checking the Everfree Forest for any animals that may have been hit by the unexpected meteor shower when a roar made her stop in her hoofsteps. It was the manticore, but along with some other high-pitched squeals.

They fired everything they had at the manticore, but with only a few wounds inflicted. Yapyap Jr., in a last ditch effort, lunged his gun at the beast’s head. The commotion stopped for a second, the gun hitting him square in the eye. The beast bellowed with a large scream of pain and lunged his claws at the three grunts. Yapflip flew in the air at the shockwave, landing on a branch. Flipyap crawled under a log, only to have it be picked up by the beast. Its one good eye stared him, a malicious look of pure anger. Flipyap closed his beady eyes. Yapyap Jr. was flying in the air. The feeling of weightlessness made him want to vomit when a he felt a swift and hard surface latch onto him. He fainted.

Flipyap tried to throw his gun at the beast, but it flew aimlessly into the air. Yapflip cried out, “Hey come at me you big bloke!” The manticore was surprised at this little grunt’s bravery. Flipyap felt himself levitate in the air as the monster dropped the log. A sharp pain came to his head as it rebounded on the wood. Then darkness surrounded him.

Yapflip gave a yelp as he was caught in between the creature’s clutches. He gave one last yelp before the creature opened its mouth, saliva dripping like a gooey monster of sorts. A flash of yellow appeared and it was all black.

Chapter 3: Freedom to Squeak

Fliyap was in a dream. He saw his home planet Baholo. There was fire and chaos as the planet was invaded. It was being glassed. Flipyap stirred, his gut suddenly tense. It was a Covenant cruiser glassing his home world. There were no humans, just the Covenant.

He woke with a startle to find himself in what may be to him a large demon settlement. A blanket had been keeping him warm. He had slept soundly with his armor on, for it had been a good many times where he had needed it on nighttime patrol. A delectable assortment of toast and cookies lay before him. In an opposite bed, sat his two grunt minors.

He flung a piece of toast and watched as it marked Yapyap Jr.’s head. The grunt woke with a shout that made Yapflip flip out of his bed and onto the floor with a loud thump. There was a sound of clopping as someone came up the stairs. Yapflip looked up, his eyes revealing his emotions once more. This time though, it was a mix of bewilderment and fear. A yellow figure on four legs looked up at them, startled. Her hair was a bright blossom pink and its eyes were large and had teal-colored pupils in them. Her face showed gentleness and kindness, as if all the innocence of the world had been packed into one creature. Yapyap was the first to speak.

“Who…who are you?”

The yellow pony shuttered back, revealing a pair of yellow-feathered wings.

“I…my…I…” the pony whimpered, and fled downstairs.

“Uhhh,” Yapyap said,” what did I say?”

Fluttershy locked the door and trotted towards Ponyville. When she had saved them from the manticore, she had thought she had saved a bunch of animals. However, they apparently could speak her language, with only their squeaky voices indicating that they were of another planet. Apparently, they were likely aliens. She was scared of aliens, although she never met any before.

She began to think about the time that Twilight had helped her in taking care of some foreign animals that had fallen off a circus cart. Maybe Twilight knew a thing or two about aliens.

Twilight was stacking books on her shelf when she heard a tentative knock at the door. Only one pony knocked that way. She hastened to open the door to see Fluttershy.

“Why hello Fluttershy,’ Twilight cheerfully said, “I was worried when you ran towards that meteor shower. We were scared that you had gotten injured.”

Fluttershy gave a small smile, and it seemed to make the day grow brighter and the trees stronger. Fluttershy had that sort of aura about her.

“Well I wasn’t hurt, but a few of the creatures in the Everfree Forest were.” Fluttershy seemed to whisper,” I had to nurse this big manticore back to health because he was struck by one of those things. Good thing I did too because afterwards I found that he was trying to eat these weird little creatures.”

“What kind of creatures?” Twilight asked in confusion.

“Well I was thinking you could help me with that. I have never seen creatures like this before in the forest. They can also speak our language, which is even weirder if you know what I mean. I think they came in that shower and that they may be…aliens.”

Twilight gave a laugh before saying, “Oh Fluttershy, everypony knows that there is no such things as aliens.”

However Fluttershy answered back, “Well I think you should come and see for yourself…if you don’t mind.”

Twilight had nothing else to do. Today was supposed to be organizing the agricultural books but she figured that she could have Spike do it for her.

“Why not.”

The purple unicorn and yellow pegasus walked up to the cheerful looking cottage. There, they entered silently, only to hear a commotion upstairs. Twilight could make out words she understood, although they were loud and squeaky. Maybe I was wrong Twilight thought. If these were indeed aliens, or at least something Equestria has never seen before, it would be all the same to message the Princess. Maybe she would know what to do.

Upstairs, the grunts were arguing over what to do next. Flipyap and Yapyap wanted to run for it but Yapflip thought that the creature they had seen was rather nice and kind-looking.

“Are you crazy?” Flipyap scolded his brother,” you have no idea what she could do to you.”

“Well it can’t be anything worse then that big monster in the woods. What if we bump into another one?” remarked Yapflip,” That thing wanted to eat us, if this creatures wants to eat us, wouldn’t we have been eaten?”

Yapyap admitted that Yapflip made a good point. That was when they heard the sound of clopping. The grunts froze, for their window of escape was now closed. Two creatures came up this time. The creature accompanying the first was purple and had a protrusion on its head. It also had no wings. Flipyap saw that the new creature had a bewildered look on its face. The grunt didn’t know how to respond to this but then she spoke.

“Are you really…ummm…aliens?”, Twilight asked.

Before anyone but Yapflip could blurt out a response, the grunt said, “Listen here four-legged demon, we are…”

Yapyap gave Yapflip a look of disgust and cut short the grunt.

“Hold on to your nipples Yapflip,” interjected Yapyap Jr., “I haven’t seen any demons like this before. We are aliens, now are you demons?”

The unicorn took no time to think about her answer before answering.

“No we aren’t demons. My name is Twilight Sparkle. As you know, this is my friend Fluttershy. We are ponies from Equestria. I myself come from the capital Canterlot and Princess Celestia is our leader.”

The grunts were as confused as they knew little about ponies. From what they heard, a pony was something that the demons rode, but nowhere did it say that they were intelligent.

“How do we know you aren’t a demon spy?”

“Well what do you call a demon?” asked the unicorn.

“Well where we come from, there are these big bad demons that try to kill us with their big guns. They ride things like you and so that makes you the enemy…I think.”

Twilight gave a loud laugh before responding, “That’s just silly, no one rides a pony. We don’t know what humans are but believe me we are just as stumped as you are.”

Flipyap was the first grunt to ask the question that was on everyone’s minds.

“How can you speak the language of the Demons then?”

“What?” Twilight asked, confused, “we aren’t speaking any language. We speak the Pony language. Its you who are speaking our language.”

The grunt had a quizzical look on his face before he said, “Well, we learned how to speak Demon when the Covenant taught us.”

“Ummm, if I may ask…” Fluttershy silently motioned, “what’s a Covenant?”

Now the grunts knew that these ponies were not with the enemy. Fliyap had heard stories of grunt interrogations and knew that demons got straight to the point. If these were demons, they were rather dumb for questioning a grunt so low in ranking. The low ranking grunts never got any attention or were given access to relevant Covenant information. Probably the most Flipyap himself got was a few bits, but most of his initial training was how to use a gun.

“Well the Covenant,” Yapyap Jr replied, “is the army we came from. You see, our race was sort of mashed in with these big, meanie giants and well we fight along these large things called elites. We have all these cool vehicles and weapons. However…”

“If you want a real grunt’s opinion of the Covenant…” Yapflip interjected, “the elites are mean, the war sucks, we are the lowest of the low, and the food is the only yummy thing.”

“Shut up you loud-mouth, do you want be killed by the leader?” hissed Yapyap.

“Why would he be killed?’” asked Fluttershy.

“He’s betraying the Covenant,” Flipyap replied, “Yapflip isn’t supposed to say bad things about the Covenant or the Great Journey. He can get into big trouble for saying…”

“And just who is going to kill me?” the angry grunt uttered.

“You don’t know if they will come looking for us.” Yapyap said.

“And then what?” Yapflip sardonically remarked, “What if they don’t look for us. You saw the wreckage. No one was supposed to live through that. If they know anything about what happened to the vessel, you’d think they care? There isn’t anything to look for and they’re far too busy fighting their loony war while we grunts are all being put on the front lines as cannon fodder!”

“Yapflip!” Flipyap’s voice rose, “don’t say that. At least we have guns.”

“But we didn’t before the Grunt Rebellion!” his brother yelled back, “The Covenant gave us nothing until we fought back. Then they gave us weapons, but never our freedom. I heard that we didn’t even have a choice. We joined because we were scared?”

“Regardless of choice,” Flipyap argued, “the Covenant keeps us safe from the Blue Death and the harsh winters. We would be killing each other for food if it wasn’t for them to save us. Let’s face it, we are better off with the Covenant.”

“No we aren’t,” Yapflip spoke, “we are bullied and thrown into a war we don’t want to fight. I have kept quiet for too long but now for the first time ever, Flipyap, we don’t have the Covenant watching our backs while we talk. Remember our family? Our whole egg clutch, thrown in this big ugly war? I want to see our family Flipyap.”

Flipyap saw the hatred and sadness that had been in his brother’s beady eyes speak out all at once. He had to agree with his brother. Yet there were some things that they did have now.

“Remember Nipple Academy?” Yapflip asked.

“You mean boot camp.” Flipyap quietly replied.

“Yeah, but the only good part about it was the food nipples.”

“What is…errr…Nipple Academy?” Twilight asked, a sound of embarrassment in her voice for obtruding on the grunt’s argument.

“I remember.” Flipyap said.

Chapter 4: Nipple Academy

Planet Balaho

(5 months before slip-space disaster)

The Instructor was not a position favored by the Sangheili. While their brothers fought valiantly, instructors were assigned to train Unggoy . This only fueled the fires of rage towards the inferior beings.

Yapflip and Flipyap exited the dropship along with several others. Though there was no need for the Unggoy to wear their methane tanks here, the Sangheili here required to wear air filters. The Unggoy were forced into a straight line, others more willing than most. The only garments they bore were loincloths, and it was cold.

The brothers were shivering. They looked around and could see other grunts and brothers around each other. The elite spoke sternly.

“You scum shall refer to me as master!” said the Sangheili, “Failure to do so will mean immediate expulsion from the cause.” He motioned to two other Sangheili bearing plasma rifles. One of them snickered in an alien tongue.

“Yes master!” The Unggoy were in no position to deny.

On the instructor’s command, the Unggoy were herded into a barred-off section. The brothers were herded in first, then the others. They were led to what looked like a mess of wires and poles.

The Sangheili then locked the gate.

“Run the course as fast as you can. The first five to finish get to eat.”

There was a large uproar as the Unggoy pushed, shoved, and crashed into one another to get through. The pathway was so narrow; it was a challenge all on its own. That didn’t stop the Unggoy from trampling each other, desperately trying to be the first across the wall. Yapflip watched in horror as the ones he came to know clawed at each other, fighting for what seemed like survival.

Sucking in a deep breath of methane, Yapflip grabbed his brother and rushed into the frenzy. He glided up the pile of Unggoy to a wire where he tossed his brother on.

“Hold on!” Yapflip yelled as he grappled his arm on the wire, using it to hold him against the multiple arms trying to pull him down. He slid with his brother past the crowd to where a few lucky Unggoy were trying to make it through the next obstacle. Large, blue beams of plasma moved side to side. Yapflip saw one grunt tentatively make his way to the field, where he tried to jump the moving beam of light. Sadly, he wasn’t able to jump in time as the beam cut clean through his mid-waist. Fluorescent blue blood squirted like some sort of glowing fount over the ground, illuminating the cracked surface below.

Yapflip came up to the ridge where it began, he glided down with his brother, but instead of trying to jump, he laid on his back, using his arm to hold his frightened brother down.

“Stay down, those beams are bad.” His brother hissed as they crawled over the multiple corpses of trainees.

“Why…why are they dead Yapflip?”

Yapflip gave a sigh, for his brother was born a few days late.

When they arrived at the opposite ridge, they found themselves on the side of a chasm. Running the width of the chasm were several bars.

There’s no other way, thought Yapflip. If I go now, I might be able to get ahead. Already several gray blobs were at the beginning of the last obstacle course, wondering how to get through. Using his legs and one arm, Yapflip heaved himself and his brother to the nearest bar, to where he set his brother on an opposite bar.

“Get your arms under this thingy,” Yapflip sternly ordered, “I won’t leave you.”

The grunt held on with all his might as his brother came to pick him up. The instance was continually repeating. Yapflip tossed his brother to an opposite poll to where he himself would then leap towards. They were near the end of the obstacle course when he heard a distance murmur of voices and grunts. The maniacs were now toying with the bars, pushing others off and into the gully below, where the surface glowed of blue blood, like some sort of polka-dotted stain.

He grabbed his brother, and using his other hand, swept from bar to bar, stress and pain clawing at his tired arm.

The other grunts looked ahead and gave shout as they led chase. Suddenly, Yapflip saw gray blurs leap ahead of him and onto the ridge. With one final roar of frustration, the grunt flew onto the rocky surface of the ridge. His vision began to blur as grunts walked past him, some laughing and taunting him.

Flipyap stayed behind to tend to his brother’s weakened body.

“Okay?”

“Yep”, Yapflip said, though his voice was abnormally soft. It seemed like an eternity when suddenly there was a thunderous BANG and screams echoed in the still, frosty air.

Yapflip’s body surged with adrenaline as he rushed his brother across.

A black plume of smoke rose in the air, like some ghostly monster of myth and legend. Scattered around it, were various clumps of grey stained with glowing blue blood.

Yapflip didn’t want to think of what might have happened, but he decided going slowly was the best. As they walked past the smoke, he saw a small purple object lying on the ground. He moved towards it when a grunt pushed past him.

“Watch out dummy!” the gray Unggoy barked as he ran forward, oblivious to the purple object. There was a flash of blue and a scream as the grunt and surrounding field erupted into a roar. Debris landed among the surface, setting off other objects in bright, blue explosions.

Yapflip carefully got up and led his brother down a winding path, careful to avoid the purple objects. Finally their bare feet met the Covenant end point.

Standing still at the front of the entrance, a stern elite looked at both grunts and gave a snort.

“Go and collect your reward!” he barked.

At the end of the end point, was a long purple corridor that led to several large machines filled with delicious and succulent food. Both grunts hobbled over to the machines where they gorged themselves until their stomachs felt like they were going to blow up. They looked back to see if any other grunts made it, but the corridor was empty and lifeless, save for an elite in red armor.

The stern figure strode towards the pair and said stiffly. “It appears that our training course was a little…well… too hard for your species.” Both grunts looked at the elite with puzzled faces.

“I mean,” the elite said between gritted teeth, “that you have overqualified the course as all the others are well…beyond help.”

The elite then motioned to another room in the complex. The grunts crept closer to the purple door he mentioned. It opened with a soft hum.

Orange, chest-plated armor stood on a rack. At the back of it, was a triangular backpack. It looked to bulky and uncomfortable for any Unggoy to wear.

“What’s this?” Flipyap said as he stared wide-eyed at the armor.

“This is Unggoy class armor. It comes with a methane tank built to supply you with enough air for a good few days or so. You will be transported to a new planet for training with this armor.” The elite seemed to grind his teeth when saying this. He then walked away towards another officer, who began to talk in a language they didn’t understand.

Flipyap tried the armor on, however he found the tip of the backpack towards the ground and the plate backwards.

“Here, let me take a look at it.” Yapflip said as he slipped his brother into his orange clad armor. The little grunt looked around and gave a smile, the first smile he had had in a long time.

“You look like a shade crab in that,” his brother chuckled.

And then they found themselves laughing, until they could laugh no more. It was a laugh that you might hear from a child.

(2 months before slip-space disaster)

The rest of Unggoy training was fairly simplified and more grunts were surviving the exercises. At the end of every course, there was a large amount of food dispensers, dubbed “Food Nipples” by a few of the older Unggoy, who called themselves veterans. Yapflip loved to hang out with the veterans, who told stories of the old Covenant and the war that involved grunts.

Flipyap, on the other hand, stuck with learning how to be a better combatant, training every night. Eventually it won him the rank of major.

“There was a day,” a grunt veteran said, ” when we didn’t have any guns and were literally getting blown up in front of the demons!”

“But that isn’t right.” Yalpflip said.

“What isn’t?” the veteran asked.

“I mean, why should we be bullied? We ought to have all the things everyone else has?”

“Well,” the veteran sighed, “we joined them cause we were scared. We joined and got food and shelter.”

“That doesn’t make it right.” Yapflip said with a tone of finality as he strode off.

As the nights went by, there were rumors that the demons, also known as humanity, would be cleansed soon. As soon as news spread of ships being loaded with warriors, Yapflip and Flipyap were put into a squad of five that was led by an elite in blue clad armor.

Redemptive Penance

(1 day before slip-space disaster)

The ship itself was enormous and filled with so many items and gadgets that Flipyap wanted to touch and play with all of them. However, he was forbidden by his elite commander to even think about touching anything,

“How do I do anything?” he angrily replied.

The elite laughed and said, “Maybe you should prove your worth as a warrior.”

“How do I do that?” Flipyap asked.

“You weaklings will never be able to follow the warrior’s path,” the elite growled,” you are all cowards and will die cowards!”

Flipyap was silent when the elite strode off, and when he was sleeping in his corridor on the night before the slip-space disaster.

Chapter 6: Up to the Castle, Down to the Caves

The night was cold, but Yapflip was used to it as he and the one, whom he now knew was Rainbow Dash, trotted down to the rest of the group. The other three ponies stood silently, depressed and the pink one appeared to be bewildered.

Flipyap turned and gave a long stare at his brother. As if suddenly given an overdose of methane, the grunt leaped up and grabbed his brother in a tight hug.

“I was worried for you.”

Yapflip had to swallow hard before he could say his next words without choking up.

“I’m-I’m sorry Flipyap.”

The silence that followed was as quiet and still as the pieces of twisted metal around them. Then, Yapyap spoke.

“Let’s go back now…it’s getting chilly.”

There was a murmur of agreement as the group headed back to Twilight’s library. There, the grunts were introduced to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. They were told of the other ponies and the Princesses who ruled the land.

Back at Ponyville, the grunts saw that most of the lights were now off.

Entering through the doors, they saw a purple dragon, which they would later find out to be Spike, sleeping over a table. All of a sudden a purple aura surrounded him and lifted the dragon up.

“Poor thing, he must have been up waiting for us,” she said.

Yapflip was still thinking of Twitchy.

If only Twitchy didn’t die, he’d be with us instead.

Twilight turned to face the group.

“Well we’ve all had a long night, I think we should all rest and meet the Princess tomorrow, if that’s alright with you of course.” She gestured to the grunts.

There was a collection of yes’s from the trio of aliens.

As they followed Fluttershy to her cottage back at the Everfree, Flipyap found himself seeking comfort in his brother. He knew it was absurd yes, but death always made his limbs shake and he found that his arm couldn’t grip anything properly.

Yapflip didn’t seem to notice, and if he had, he didn’t seem to care.

Everfree Forest: Zecora

Zecora couldn’t shake the feeling she was being watched. She was filling the last pothole the bandits had created when she heard a rustle.

She arched her head instantly at the sound, but the forest was unmoving.

The green eyes observed the creature before it thoughtfully.

He didn’t know where he was, only that he had been somewhere else before…

No matter though, he thought to himself. He would feast on this morsel soon enough.

As the owner of the eyes moved closer he heard a rustle, turned, and saw a tall, hairy dog walk over to one of the holes.

On second thought…who needs only one? I am sure where one hides, many more can be found.

Fluttershy's Cottage:

Fluttershy had tucked all three grunts into a single bed where she then gave them some extra blankets. When all the grunts had been tucked in, she asked them if they would care for a lullaby.

“A what now?” Yapyap asked.

“Oh…well…um…it’s a little made up piece of fiction that…well mothers…or fathers….will sing to their fillies….or colts….to make them go to bed.”

“Well hey I see no problem in that.! Me nocturnal grunt. No body make me go to sleep.” Yapflip tried to puff his chest while saying this, but it was ineffective.

“ Well here it goes…”

And Fluttershy began to hum a tune that suddenly flowed like a gentle stream.

Hush now, quiet now,

The grunts began to feel their brains relax.

It’s time to lay your sleepy head.

Yapflip began to snore.

Hush now, quiet now,

Flipyap began to sink into the sheets.

It’s time to go to bed.

Yapyap eyelids closed as he drifted off into sleep.

Fluttershy gave a small sigh of relief as she headed downstairs to tend to her animals. As she began to put her animal companions to bed, she began to think about the little aliens that had traveled all the way to Ponyville.

They did not have appearances like the ponies at all. They had odd features, and dark, colorless skin. Why, not even Discord could make something like that!

Yet, they still shared some qualities of little foals or colts. Maybe they were babies. But how could anybody make something as young and innocent as them go through such a horrid time.

She thought back to the little grunt with no waist. Oh, how his friends were sobbing. How the one called Yapflip ran off and had to be chased by Rainbow Rash.

Fluttershy didn’t want to think about this anymore. Why should there be fighting if all that came with it was simply more sadness?

Canterlot:

Twilight had wanted to take the grunts with her to Canterlot by herself, but decided on bringing the whole gang. On the way, the grunts were able to meet Rarity, the white unicorn fashion designer.

When she had seen their armor, well…she didn’t exactly compliment it. From what she was telling all the other ponies, Yapyap could tell that this one was picky when it came to…well…everything.

Canterlot was a towering castle perched upon a mountain. Tall, stately building were fitted amongst tiny shops and other picturesque places to give the capital of Equestria a heavenly look. Every shop seemed to have something different from the former.

The grunts couldn’t believe the variety of ponies that were seen. There were large stallions and tall mares. They were all the colors of the rainbow and each one seemed to reflect their personality perfectly.

The majority however, consisted of unicorns.

When they reached the castle, a pegasi stallion ordered them to halt. As Twilight spoke to him, Yapyap couldn’t help but feel a bit intimidated by the horse. The guard’s armor reminded him of the “big meanies” that had commanded him.

I hope none of them survived the crash.

Yapyap couldn’t believe what he had just thought.

The court of Princess Celestia was lavishly decorated with stained glass walls depicting Equestria’s history.

A cold blizzard, a warm summer, a dragon in a village, six mares destroying a freak of nature.

Flipyap couldn’t believe his eyes as he saw light pour in from the windows. It seemed so unreal. He was used to seeing either a dark sky or a burning star. Never though, had he expected such a place as this. And he hadn’t expected their leader to look so…majestic and graceful.

The Princess herself was a tall unicorn, or pegasi, with a flowing mane of soft colors and gentle eyes. Her face was a mixture of both horror and curiosity, though it was impossible to identify which was the dominant. Who knew what was also going on in her mind?

“So Twilight, these are the “aliens”?”

“Yes Princess,” the unicorn bowed before the ruler, “these aliens came down in a ship that had crashed in the Everfree Forest.”

“They cannot fix it back up.”

Yapflip, of all the grunts, decided to speak at this moment.

“Well we can’t really fix it. It really big! Like super-ginormous big!”

Yapyap decided to take over.

“We can’t go home. Our ship suffered really bad crash. Nobody was supposed to live through the impact. No one will look for us.”

“I see,” the Princess said, “well then, why don’t you tell me the whole story then…”

Meanwhile…

Diamond Dog Caves:

Crash was running through a light corridor, his tongue hanging out and dripping sticky saliva down on the earth.

He was running, running for his life, running to safety.

He was almost to the door. He could use it to escape then. By the name of sapphires, he had to!

He was only a few yards away…now a few feet…almost there…

CRUNCH!

He felt his leg snag on something and Crash came tumbling down.

It was only then that he realized that his leg was being pulled into the shadow of the cave, where he looked into two green eyes that stared hungrily back at him.

“Somebody! Anybody! HELLLLLLPPPPP MMMMMEEEEEE!”

The morsel continued to fight him as he squeezed it with ease. Then the prey became still.

That’s better.

Now that he was filled up, he could think clearly.

He wasn’t stupid, though many would apparently be opposed to that.

Back at his home, he was the one who gave orders.

The one they feared.

The one they respected.

The one they served.

But not anymore…

The faint smell of sweet air made him stop in his tracks.

He wasn’t built for the air of this world. He figured that out when he had awoken here. However, he was good at adapting, if only for a brief time.

He needed real air. Before it was too late…

Canterlot:

The Princess listened attentively to the grunt’s report on who they were and what had happened to them.

Celestia never thought it was possible that a power that had the ability to turn a creature into something that resembled Discord, was also capable of deceiving so many into doing things much worse than chaos.

Yet this Covenant was just that. They believed in chaos. Frankly, they might as well be chaos as all they seemed to do was cause it.

The three Covenant soldiers who stood before her, however, didn’t seem chaotic to her.

Under different circumstances, she would have sent them to the moon.

Yet, maybe…just maybe…her faithful pupil would be able to change them.

“Based on what you have told me, I should have sent you to the moon.”

The mane 6 gasped in shock at the Princess’s harsh words. Even Yapflip’s eyes widened and his arms dropped down so that he was on all fours.

“However, I feel that as long as each of you decide to adhere with one of the ponies, then maybe you will learn to socialize and become a part of Equestrian society.”

There was a sigh of relief. The Princess saw the daylight flood in. The sounds of chirping enticed her to go outside.

“Thank you so much Princess. You don’t know how much it means to us as well as the aliens!”

“I know you will do a glorious job my star pupil. Now, I think I am going to go outside and get some fresh air…”

Just then, an alarm went off in Yapyap’s head.

AIR!!

How could he have forgotten? They had been on this planet for at least two nights already! Sooner or later, their tanks would run out and then what would they do?

Yapyap was now hyperventilating and shaking like he was in a blizzard.

“What’s wrong Yapyap?” Flipyap asked, “Aren’t you happy that we get to stay here instead of the Moon?”

“AIR! Our tanks need air!”

And with that Flipyap found himself laughing. He was laughing then stopped as he fainted to the floor.

Oops…

Chapter 7: The More Problems You Solve...The More You Make

“What do you mean we don’t have air!” Yapflip was saying as he and Yapyap followed the nurse ponies taking Flipyap to the hospital.

“What do you mean we don’t have air?!” Yapflip exclaimed as he and Yapyap followed the nurse ponies taking Flipyap to the hospital.

“We have no gas! No gas means no breathing! No breathing means dying!” Yapflip was hysterical as they waited for their comrade in the waiting room. Several ponies were looking at the strange creatures as if they were some sort of rabid animals.

Yapyap couldn’t blame them, though. He felt like a wounded dog surrounded by predators. Yapflip wasn’t doing any better. The grunt was banging his arms against the wall and moaning to himself.

Twilight and the other ponies had followed the grunts to the hospital. They didn’t know what they meant by gas, but it sounded serious.

Sitting in a chair, Yapflip’s breaths turned ragged. He couldn’t think straight. He felt as though the world was falling down around him.

The double doors flung open and Flipyap trotted out, his face weary. As he did so, Pinkie Pie locked the grunt in a bear hug that nearly squeezed his tank into a two-dimensional sheet of paper.

“Flipyap are you okay?” Yapflip needed to know.

His brother’s eyes widened and he screamed at the top of his lungs. “We have no AIR!” Once again the grunts went into a series of spasm attacks, jumping up and down, and rolling on the floor, crying.

Diamond Dog Caves

The caves were quiet. On the ground, a few pickaxes were lying idly.

His breath came in rasps.

His body felt heavy

He didn't know how much he could take. He needed to get to the source soon.

His life depended on it.

Canterlot...later that day.

The dining hall of the Canterlot Castle was a magnificent room, with large stained-glass windows facing towards the setting sun. The ceiling was adorned with a large glass chandelier, and a beautiful mural, depicting the story of the princesses.

A long mahogany table was littered with decadent treats, though all were foreign to the Unggoy. They found it laborious, as they were forced to remove their masks periodically.

Princess Celestia sat at the head of the table, sipping at a floating cup of tea. Flanking her was Twilight and her friends.

“Why is it you cannot breathe our air?” She questioned the aliens at the other end of the table.

"This air is foul,” Flipyap stated. “On our home world, the air is breathable to us. The tanks on our backs carry the air with us, but it’s almost all gone.”

Suddenly, Fluttershy spoke. “I think I understand.”

The group’s attention was aimed at the yellow pegasus. “How?” Twilight asked her.

“Well,” she began, “it’s kind of like how fish need water. The way fish work is different from ponies, and they can’t breathe air.”

“Are you calling us fish?” Yayap asked, slightly offended.

Yapflip spit the morsel he was eating on to the table.

“Oh, not at all,” she reassured them. “I’m only saying that, maybe you work differently from ponies.”

There was an eerie silence as the princess began to think about what to do next. "Would you mind if I had a sample of this ‘gas?’"

"Not sure," Yapyap said cautiously. “There’s not much left to give.”

“I assure you that you will get it back, and if we’re lucky, plenty more.”

Before he could say anything, a valve along the side of his pack twisted violently, a loud hiss being the only assurance of a broken air seal. The valve quickly closed, and a small, almost miniscule pellet of opal began to materialize in front of the princess’s face.

“This,” she explained, “is the gas in a solid state.” Then to the guard standing at the door, “Call BossomBerry and tell him that I request his assistance." The guard bowed and left the sight of the Princess. In a matter of minutes, a tan unicorn in a white coat stumbled out of the purple double doors of the dining hall.

"Your highness,” he bowed.

"Good evening, Bossom. I'm sorry for rushing you in here, but I need an expert’s opinion." An aura surrounded the pellet, and it was given to the unicorn, who picked it up with his blue aura.

He looked at the pellet, confused. “What exactly am I looking at?”

“A solidified gas of which, I am not familiar with.”

He inspected the pellet, and looked back up at the congregation. “Though it is rather hard to read in this state, it’s clearly recognizable as Methane, though an incredibly concentrated amount here. Though I suppose that’s what happens when you solidify a gas. It must’ve taken hundreds of thousands of pounds of pressure to compress-“

“Do you know where we might find more?” Celestia interjected in the doctor’s ramblings.

“Of course,” he said, flustered. “It’s nothing rare, I assure you. It is commonly found among the swamp regions of Equestria, and even more common in excrement.”

“Excrement?” Pinkie Pie said. “What’s that?” Twilight whispered something in her ear, and she went into an extreme laughing fit.

“What? What is it?” Rainbow Dash asked next. She then whispered the same definition to her, and she shot up twenty feet in the air. "Ewe, gross!"

Only then had the doctor noticed the bipedal creatures sitting amongst them. He quickly rushed to the side of the nearest, Yapflip, and gasped. “Egad! I’ve never seen a specimen quite like this before! Princess, have you adopted more pets? Normally I might disagree, but the abstract natural design of these creatures is so flabbergasting and foreign that it might even-“

“They are not my pets,” Celestia interrupted the doctor once more. “They are our guests.”

He backed away from Yapflip. “Oh, I’m incredibly sorry, sirs. I’ve just never seen creatures quite like yourselves. Do you hail from the land of the Zebras?”

“We are great space warriors!” Yapflip exclaimed, deciding to toy with the irritating unicorn. “We are here to collect all of your brains to use in our awesome machine!” He feigned a leap, and the doctor went scrambling towards the far wall, his heart racing at both its ability to speak, and the not-so-idle threats it delivered. Though he calmed at the sight of the group laughing, and saw that it was merely a joke.

"Why is it you needed the gas examined, Princess?"

"Our guests require it to breath. They aren’t from Equestria."

His heart began to race again. They were from space after all. “I see,” he stated, trying not to let the fear back into his voice. “Well, one could easily gather more at the Everfree Forest. Though it may need some refining.”

"Then establish a team and retrieve more. I’m afraid our guests are running out of time.”

“I see,” he stared blankly at the wall for a moment. “Then I’ll be off as soon as I can. You need not fret, princess.” And with that, he raced out the double doors, which echoed throughout the dining hall with a loud clang.

Flipyap sighed as he sat back down in his chair, munching on an apple fritter. Princess Celestia had decided that until there was news of what could be done, the grunts would have to suffice on what they had. As they left Canterlot, the Princess did leave these last words.

"Remember, in order to stay here, each of you must stay with a different pony. I will leave the decision up to you."

As they walked down from the castle, it was decided that none of the grunts would stay with Fluttershy, as she had animals to take care of, or Applejack, who had enough on her plate already.

The grunts all agreed that if any grunt should stay with the white unicorn, it should be Yapflip. Yapflip was opposed to his idea however.

“She doesn’t like us much,” he had said.

That meant that the grunts had to stay with Twilight, Rainbow Dash, or Pinkie Pie.

"Are you sure you can handle one, Pinkie?” Twilight asked. “You are pretty busy with-"

"I can handle it Twilight,” she interjected. “It will be like a super-uber-long slumber party! Besides, it’s not like they’re babies. At least, I don’t think they’re babies. And if they are, then they’re really, really smart talking babies!”

"Well then...I guess it’s up to them who wants to stay with who."

The grunts huddled and discussed how they were going to split up.

"I want to stay with Rainbow Dash," Yapflip said.

"Okay, um...I think I want to stay with the purple one. She seems less crazy than the others." Flipyap stated matter-of-factly.

“Then that leaves me with..." Yapyap contemplated the remaining options.Suddenly his eyes widened.

“Oh no, you’re not putting me with-“

“Then it’s settled!” The huddle was broken, and a reluctant Yapyap walked over to the energetic Pinkie Pie.

****

Cave System

He wasn't sure where he was anymore.

He needed sustenance.

He was going to die if he didn't get it.

He thought back to what had happened to his fellow kin when they had been in this situation.

Worse than corpses.

He needed to push on.

****

Ponyville

Yapflip followed the cyan pegasus as she floated above him, talking about all that they would do.

"Now you have to mind Tank, he’s a tortoise. He’s also my pet, not food. Got that?”

As she spoke, Yapflip saw the grand home the pegasus was boasting about. It was a white cloud, with a large tower erected among the center. Alongside it a rainbow waterfall. It seemed to defy everything he knew.

****

Spike didn't take kindly to his new guest. He laid in his basket, pretending to sleep as Twilight took the grunt through her vast collection of books.

First an owl, now an alien. Jeez Twilight, are you trying to make a pony zoo or something?

Flipyap was amazed at the vast array of knowledge being presented before him. He picked it up quite quickly, which surprised him, though it wasn't like he had ever had this chance before.

"So tell me more about the unicorns!" the grunt squealed like a little foal.

Twilight was delighted that her new guest was so interested in her books. Nopony had ever paid attention to it and the most guests she had ever had were the school fillies and colts who came to do a book report. Then there was the occasional unicorn who would come in, glance at the shelves upon shelves of books, and walk off.

****

Pinkie Pie was jumping up and down in glee. She was going to throw a party as soon as she could for the aliens on their arrival. However, she would be content with a new roommate. Just wait until he meets Gummy.

Yapyap was dragging his arms along the ground as he marched to the gingerbread house of Sugarcube Corner.

Yapflip, When I get my stinking hands on you, you’re gonna pay.

Chapter 8: He believed He could Fly

Sugarcube Corner

Yapyap stood in awe at the gingerbread bakery of the pink pony. Inside, there was a variety of cakes, pies, and other confections.

A blue earth pony with a similar, but more subtle, mane to Pinkie gave a sweet smile at the prancing mare, but her eyes windend in confusion as to the companion she brought with her.

"Uhhhh Pinkie, who or what is that?"

Pinkie giggled and said cheerfully.

"This is an alien, Mrs. Cake, he's staying with me and Gummy if that's okay."

Mrs. Cake still didn't seem convinced, but she mustered up her reply.

"It's fine Pinkie, just keep the place neat and tidy okay?"

"Oki Doki Loki!"

As they went upstairs, his mind drifted back to the day of the crash. The Redemptive Penance was indeed an impressive vessel. It was part of the Divine Justice Fleet, a small group of assault cruisers who's sole purpose was to cut off outer rim shipping routes. Few grunts actually knew this information, but Yapyap wasn't an ordinary grunt to begin with.

His mind drifted off to home and he felt himself scowl.

I'm glad I never get to go back.

Back on Balaho, there laid a sea of memories that were to excruciating to re-live. He never told his comrades about this though for two reasons. The first being that most of them didn't get to live past 2 weeks. The second, was that all of them dreamed of home. To go back home was as heavenly a thought to the Unggoy as a promotion was to an elite. The difference however was that elites got to live that dream. Unggoy did not.

Pinkie's room was larger then his preconceptions had made him think. A bed big enough to support two brutes, if they could handle sleeping in pink sheets and blankets. Just then he felt a clamp on his stubby foot.

Turning around, he saw that a small green, scrub grub with legs and purple eyes, had just attempted to bite his leg. With a squeal, Yapyap jumped into the wall, bumping his head and trying to shake the green creature off him.

Pinkie, on the other hand, fell on the floor laughing.

"What's so funny?" Yapyap screeched at her.

"The reaction you gave to Gummy!" she giggled.

"You gave this thing name!"

"Yeah silly! He's my pet?"

"Your pet!" Yapyap said in disbelief. "That thing is big ugly pest!"

"No he's not!" and with that she gently tugged at the creature's tail.

The thing known as "Gummy" let go and Yapyap sighed in relief.

After putting the little green animal back to a bowl of food, she turned to Yapyap and pulled him up faster then he could count to 1.

"So what do you wanna do?"

"Uhhhh...rest?"

"But it's only 8:00! And tomorrow is a day off!"

"I feel tired."

Pinkie seemed to ponder on this for a while. Apparently,the idea of not doing something fun was as alien to her as the "dwarf" standing before her.

"I know just the thing!"

With that she dashed downstairs and came up with a cupcake in her hand. It was dark and covered in some sort of goo. All in all, it looked...disgusting.

"Try it," she chirped.

Yapyap stared dismissively at the unusual morsel being presented to him.

"Me no think that's good for grunt."

"You haven't even tried it." Pinkie Pie argued.

"It look weird."

"Well you can't judge something based on just looks," Pinkie explained, "you need to give them a chance and maybe that thing will show you more then you had ever thought was possible."

The words hit Yapyap like a sniper's bullet. He had never thought about getting to know any of his other comrades. Sure there were divisions in the ranks, but was it really because all those warriors did badly, or was it that they had just judged them on a race entirely. Each race was born into its duty. It was just rotten luck that grunts had to get the worst position.

"Okay," Yapyap muttered.

His hand tentatively reached out and snatched the snack. He slowly lifted his mask and took a nibble at the morsel. Suddenly, his insides seemed to burst in energy. His taste buds, that had been wore down for so long on Covenant food, seemed to leap in joy at the new and exotic flavor.

In seconds, Yapyap gobbled up the delectable cupcake.

"That was...AMAAAAZING!"

Pinkie snickered at Yapyap's reaction. "Are you ready to have the best-ultra-slumber party of the year?"

"YEEEAAAAAAAAAAA" Yapyap jumped up and down like a filly on Hearth's Warming Eve.

"Then let the party BEGIN!" and with that Pinkie produced what looked like a cannon. Suddenly confetti and balloons flew like projectiles over the room. The kaleidoscope of color made Yapyap's head ache with dizziness.

"I need more of those tasty food nipples...I mean...what do you call them again?"

"Cupcakes!"

"I needs them. NOW!"

Yapyap couldn't remember well what happened last night, except for the fact that he had scarfed down probably a whole baker's dozen of cupcakes in 30 seconds, had likely ran up the walls, tried to pin a tail on a cardboard pony, failed at it, and had more hyper reactions later on before he fell on the floor and began to snore.

The grunts was surprisingly light despite his tank.

Pinkie gently laid him on to her bed and cleaned up the confetti. She had never seen the quiet alien so happy before. In her eyes, he was just a young foal. Yet, he had the attitude of a guard. A guard who had experienced more in a few days then most ponies have to bear in a life time, if ever.

Few ponies ever met the real Pinkie. She never wanted to show it in fear of what it would make others think of her. But after seeing all that's happened, she felt like the world was crashing down. Her careful image could be shattered or she would have a nervous breakdown.

She needed to find a way to vent out this pressure.

Cave Entrance

He needed to find a way out of here.

As he dug dismissively with his tendrils, the ground began to break and light flashed down.

Ahhhhh...he thought contently.

Freedom at last

Twilight's Library

Flipyap woke up to find he had been sleeping over a dust tome on Unicorn magic.

"Uhhhh..." the grunt rubbed his head

After some amazing food nipples that the ponies called "toast" and "waffles with syrup" he decided to check up on his brother.

"Would you like me to teach you about the Zebra Revolution," Twilight called out to her new roommate.

In a perfect world, Flipyap would have said yes. However, his head was throbbing from the lack of sleep. On average, an adult grunt slept more then the younger ones. At least 10 hours, 7 at the very least.

"Not now Twilight," The grunt moaned, "I think I ought to visit Yapflip and see how he's doing,"

BOOM!

The force sent Yapflip holding on for dear life.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Rainbow Dash had just asked him if he would like to try sky sledding. Being the adventurer he was, The grunt said yes. Well...the result was anything but excitement.

"Your going to kill both of us!" the grunt pleaded after the pegasus.

"No I'm not" Rainbow spat back, the saliva disappearing in a blur.

The sled was actually a pillow tied to a harness. Yapflip was now digging his gray arms into it as if it was the lottery food nipple that the Covenant would host every now and then on the ship.

With another dash and the sound of a boom, the pegasus raced over a small hill and darted side-to-side by some of the apple trees. On the ground, Applejack and a tiny yellow filly were cheering.

Yapflip didn't care. For all intensive purposes he wanted to be on solid ground. Dear Truth and Mercy, put me on land

Soon, his wish was answered when the pegasus landed with a halt. The pillow, flew over the rainbow mane of the high-flying pony and crashed head-long into a tree.

Yapflip stumbled out, and landed face-first onto the rocky soil.

Their was a stifle of giggles that soon erupted into a wave of laughter.

Slowly getting up, the grunt stared the group of ponies and pointed a finger accusingly at Rainbow Dash.

"Never...ever...EVER...do that again."

And with that note, he sat down and rubbed his forehead.

"I have to say Rainbow" Applejack began, "that stunt sure was amazing, except for that part where Yapflip went high-flying into that tree there."

"Nopony can handle the velocity I put myself through," Rainbow Dash said with an air of pride in her voice.

"And it looks like aliens can't handle it either," the little filly squealed.

"Oh forgive me partner," Applejack motioned to the grunt, "Yapflip, I would like you to meet my sister Applebloom."

"Howdy there alien," Applebloom adressed the grunt warmly, "Applejack told me you were in this huge space thingy that crashed! It must have been scary! Wait until Big Macintosh and Granny Smith hear about this."

Yapflip only managed a chuckle before he looked onward to see his brother racing towards him.

"I was looking for you everywhere Flipyap."

The Unggoy came to a halt and saw the pillow embedded in the branches of the tree.

"Uhh...did I miss something?"

Everfree Forest

The feeling of fresh air feels like paradise after being in the caves for so long.

He was looking over a hill and at a pleasant-looking town below.

Soon...soon...

He was going to find his goal soon.

His mind drifted back to the past. It took him a while to remember.

The sound of a hum turn into a bang and his whole world tearing itself apart. And then he woke up in this forest, pieces of debris and his former masters scattered around him.

He remembered his past.

But the memory only brought pain to him.

The aroma of food filled his sense with delight and he silently followed the smell to a lovely-looking cottage.

There would be food somewhere here...he needed to find it.

So with his acute senses ready, he went up to the cottage.

And opened the door...

Chapter 9: The Quest

The aroma of a thousand pleasant scents drew him closer. He felt...calm.

How long has it been since I felt calm? He thought.

True, he never was much of a warrior, but then again most warriors weren't good at what he did.

"Go there!"

"Do this!"

That was all they said. That wasn't at all what he needed.

His tendrils were now rubbing against the surface of the wall...the smoothness reminding him of a distant past so long ago that it was before time itself.

What was he doing?

He was doing what he had always done. Right?

What was his past?

Why was he forgetting it?

The sight of a yellow creature caught him off guard.

It was a pony by the looks and specs of it. It had a pink mane that flowed over her poppy yellow coat like a scenic waterfall.

Her teal-colored pupils gazed up at him.

"Why hello there, you look like you need a check-up...if you don't mind of course."

It would be easy to snatch this creature and bring it back to the caves. There he would have company and entertainment. He always wanted to dissect something.

Sugarcube Corner

In the warmth of the bakery, there was a mess of pots trays, and empty bags of flour as the pink pony hummed and stirred the bowl of cake mixture before putting it into the oven to be heated and eventually accompanied by a colorful assortment of sprinkles, sugar, and frosting.

However, she had an assistant to help her.

"Cooking is for girls!" Yapyap whined as the pink pony directed him to mix the flour with the water and butter.

"No it isn't silly," Pinkie laughed as she continued to stir her own pot, " Mr. Cake bakes all the time. There was this one time, where he baked this huge, ginormous cookie for his two itty bitty twins. But then I invited everypony to come and have a bite and boy did we party afterwards!"

All the grunt could do was heave a sigh and get back to mixing. After about another few minutes, the pink pony took both his and her pots and placed them into the oven.

"Now we have to wait before we add all the decorations. You know I always wanted Rairty to help me with that part of the process. But she always gets sooooooo dramatic about staining her mane and having bits of dough clinging her to her coat."

Pinkie Pie was an enigma to Yapyap. It wasn't just because she was extremely too happy and seemed to be on a hyper rush whenever she got up from bed. It was that she was just so pure and full of innocence as well as bliss. Back at home, he had only seen that kind of peace once. Then once again when he was drafted into the armada.

Both those times never lasted, could it mean the same fate for this wonderful creature before him?

Sweet Apple Acres

When Yapflip told the story of how he had taken Rainbow Dash on a bet about whether or not he could handle her speed, and how he ended up catapulted into a tree, Flipyap fell on the floor laughing as if he had overdosed on the methane gas.

"What's so funny?" Yapflip sneered at the grunt who was making dirt drawings with his body.

"Oh come on Yapflip," Flipyap managed to say without breaking down on the floor again, "you've got to admit that even you looked like big dummy for trying that."

"Oh and not like you would do it!" Yapflip spat back.

"What's going on here" Yapyap Jr. intervened along with Pinkie Pie in tow.

"Nothing Yapyap, just go back and..."

But Flipyap blurted out the entire story before Yapflip could finish. By the time his brother concluded the tail, Yapflip wanted to go into a tree and stay there for the rest of his life.

Yapyap on the other hand, found himself rolling in the dirt as he cackled madly over his fellow comrade's blunder. He was still cackling until his noggin received the sharp blast of Yapflip's palm. The other palm collided with Flipyap's head.

"How do you like that you laughing hooligans?" Yapflip 'snided'.

There was a chorus of giggles from the tiny little filly known as Applebloom, who was being joined by a bright orange pegasus and a creamy white unicorn. The three fillies shared in a warm embrace before introducing themselves.

"I'm Applebloom, and these are my Cutie Mark Crusader pals Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo."

The orange pegasus was eyeing the dwarf in front of her with an expression between disgusted and intrigued.

"Are you guys like..." she began, "...aliens?"

"Why yes little grunt," Yapflip began before he was pummeled by Yapyap Jr.

Rubbing his gray rock of a forehead, Yapflip stared down at his assailant.

"What was that for?" he chided.

"That isn't a grunt numbskull," Yapyap Jr. hissed, "she's a pony"

"Well excuuuuusseee me," Yapflip blurted out, clearly annoyed, " she look like she could make good grunt."

"Yeah," Flipyap added, "she could be good grunt who runs like coward right?"

There was another outburst of laughter as Applejack and the Cutie Mark Crusaders joined in. Only, Scootaloo and Yapflip refused to join in. As the laughter continued, Yapflip was thinking back to the day before training. When he was little, and his older siblings told him stories next to a minuscule Flipyap about how there was once a time in the distant past where Unggoy could laugh freely and do as they pleased. Yapflip always held on to that idea when he was younger, but dropped the idea until the day he met the veterans at training.

Yapflip could only now grin at the congregation of interplanetary species before him. Was this not why he had rebelled so much? Just to see his comrades laugh once in a while? But they never did and he ended up watching the stars.

"Hey there," said Twilight as she, Spike, and Rarity traveled into view.

"Yapflip here thought he could fly higher then a goose in a strong wind." Applejack repeated the story and there were a few more laughs, until Yapflip ended up waving his arms into the air, demanding that they stop it already.

"Hey," Rainbow Dash looked around, "Has anyone seen Fluttershy?"

"I would think that she would still be at her cottage, tending to the animals you know," Twilight said.

"Well since we are all here," Pinkie Pie's sly look only made Yapyap's eyes widened in disbelief as she proclaimed the next words.

"LET'S ALL HAVE A PARTY!!"

"But we had one last night," Yapyap Jr. moaned.

"Oh don't be such a winy pony Yapyap," it was remarkable at how she had learned his name so quickly, "besides I want to throw something for the other aliens."

"Well then a party is in order," Rarity chirped, "let's all go and get Fluttershy."

The cottage looked forlorn in the sunlight that was dancing off the grass. An ominous silence griped the party of ponies and extraterrestrials as they began to march their way into the seemingly peaceful cottage.

"Fluttershy is never this quiet," Twilight murmured as the group proceeded forward.

"Darling, I feel that our dear Fluttershy is in need of some rest," Rarity said before she went on in a long lecture of how sleep made you more attractive. Most of the grunts droned her voice out, except for Flipyap, who seemed genuinely interested.

The bright, strawberry-red door stoof ajar, allowing a beam of light into the otherwise dark structure. The group stopped, and Yapflip sniffed the air for danger. Using a tactic they had seen several 'demons' do in the movies that were sold in the black market, they positioned themselves along the walls before Yapflip dived head-first, a large wooden stick griped firmly in his chubby palm.

"Show yourselves cowards!" Yapflip howled, the club spinning like a turbine.

After about a good minute of inspecting the scattered pots and pans as well as the overturned furniture, the grunts ruled the area as safe.

"Sweet Celestia!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed at the sight of the debris lying idly over the house.

"If I didn't know any better," Pinkie Pie pondered out loud as a mysterious, gray cap appeared over her head like some sort of demon helmet, "I'd say that our good-kind-never-hurt-anypony friend has been foal-napped!"

Yapyap Jr. could only stare at the pipe sticking out of her mouth, letting bubbles of gas into the air before disappearing in a pop.

"Celestia only knows where she is..." Twilight looked up at the sky, every muscle in her face contracting to hide the fear that was slowly taking hold of the entire group. They began to search the premises for any sign of their friend, but the search was fruitless, except for a pair of hoof-prints leading into the Everfree Forest.

"For all we know, Fluttershy is in there," Rainbow Dash stuck her cyan hoof towards the icky, sickening group of trees that signaled the border of that horrible...horrible woodland.

"We can't send anypony in there, maybe the police will help us," Twilight began.

"Sadly, I think it could take them days and who knows how far they would have gotten, those monsters." Rarity looked like she was ready to tear something apart.

"Well I guess then they are our only hope, cause who else is going to try and go..."

"I'll do it."

All eyes turned to face Flipyap, who looked suddenly like he was about to have a spasm.

"I said...I will go...I like that pony...we find her for you ponies."

"Really?" Applebloom suddenly shoved her way through the assembly to stare face to face with the insect-like alien dwarf. "You'll do that for good 'ol Fluttershy?"

"Yeah, we will," YapYap Jr. joined in, " and we will bring her back!"

Yapflip simply gaped wide-eye at his fellow soldiers. "Are you CRAZY! That forest is filled with bad stuff. BAD STUFF I TELL YOU! BAAADDD!"

Flipyap looked at his brother, and did something no one, grunt or pony, expected. He laid his arm over his shoulder.

"Brother, this pony saved us. We would be dead if not for she being nice pony. We need to do this. I no asking you to join."

Yapflip could have sworn that at that exact moment, his brother, looked exactly like him, when he had sacrificed his own safety to get his brother through that dastardly training course.

"I'm going." he whispered.

"And so am I," Rainbow Dash soared into view, "no one, pony or no pony, messes with the mane six and gets away with it."

"Wait!" Pinkie Pie shot her hoof up to stop the rescue party from proceeding forward onto their new quest. "I want to say a few words to Yapyap Jr."

Yapyap walked up to the mare who took him to the side.

"What do you need Pinkie?" Yapyap asked.

"Please be safe there, I know you said you were a fighter and all..."

"I said what?" the grunt inquired with a bewildered tone.

"At the party, you said you fought 'many demons and warriors on that great..."

But his palm muffled the next words before they could be uttered into the still air.

"No...I...don't want to talk about that."

"Oki doki loki then, but please," suddenly Pinkie's piercing blue eyes showed no hint of humor or laughter, "please do try not to end up...like that one alien back on the ship."

Yapyap knew she was referring to Twitchy. If only she knew though how special a grunt he was.

"I promise."

The snout suddenly transformed into an illuminating smile that made Yapyap Jr. feel something he had never felt in a long while. An emotion he was sure he had repressed.

After pulling out an impressive array of supplies for the mission, Pinkie gave Yapyap Jr. one more hug.

Twilight handed Flipyap a tiny, green notebook with a stylized flower embezzled on its cover. "Just so you know what is safe and what isn't"

Rarity gave them all a wave of her hooves, wishing them good luck and that the grunts were not as 'repulsive' as she thought they originally were.

"Don't worry," Rainbow Dash called back, "we'll come back with Fluttershy you'll see."

"In the meantime, we will get the police in case she is in Ponyville," Twilight shouted back, "We will send you a letter through Owloysius ok?"

"Who's that?" Flipyap blurted back.

But he had to turn and dash to catch up with the others.

The last thing he heard was a chorus of cheers as he, his fellow Unggoy, and the cyan pegasus dashed down into the dark, forbidding woods.

Chapter 10: Cliffhanger...or...what do you call those other things?

The moonlight shined through on a tranquil meadow, where a small creek was winding over a soft, carpet of wavy grass. The moon itself seemed to only enhance the image.

"This place looks niiiiicccceee," Flipyap seemed to gaze at the field, as if he could sleep on them. Yapflip was, however, busily looking over a squirrel that was just now examining an acorn it captured. It was decided that the grunts would get berries as Rainbow Dash would gather wood for a fire.

"Come check this out," Yapflip motioned for his brother to come by and observe what appeared to be several attractive blue flowers. Picking a tiny morsel of a berry, the grunt tentatively stuck it into his mouth.

"Why did you do that Yapflip!" his brother scolded, "You don't know if its poisonous."

But his brother just continued to stuff berries into his mouth until his eyes grew wide and his mouth contort.

"Brother," Flipyap looked puzzled, "What's wrong?"

At that moment Rainbow Dash did a fly by and in a pinned both grunts to a tree, her eyes wide with terror.

"That's Poison Joke, you have to stay away from that stuff," she said, her eyes wide like saucers. Apparently, at that moment, Yapflip's eyes widened and he attempted a scream, only to find that his tongue had swollen into a lumpy mass of blue polka dotted meat.

All Rainbow Dash could do was facehoof herself. for the rest of the night, Yapflip was silent, unable to speak. Yapyap had brought back some useful berries from a nearby creek, and they ate over the fire.

"Oh boy," Rainbow Dash said as she took a cloud and laid her cyan body against it, "I am poofed."

"You can say that again." Flipyap motioned.

Yapflip moved his lips as if to say he was also famished, but his vocal cords refused to make a whisper.

Yapyap had heard about the mishap with the berries and had decided that it suited him to have the most talkative grunt sitting out for a while. The moon painted platinum streams and silver slivers of grass. All in all, it had been a good day.

As the adventurers went to bed, the silhouette of a mare could be seen running through the trees until she reached a hill. From this vantage point, she could see the campfire twinkling like a lost firefly. A wide brimmed fedora hat occupied her top, as a violet and black jumpsuit covered her body. A mask with two clear, glass-like holed for the eyes seemed to be as emotionless as the surrounding shrubbery. Her source had been right. With a raise of her front hooves, she dashed off, the purple cape fluttering behind her.

****

Daylight came and the group hiked up a hill to reach what appeared to be an imposing cavern. Towering waterfalls emanated white wisps of steam as they poured into the ant-sized river below. The group hugged their bodies against the red sandstone as they inched across the turns and drops.

Rainbow Dash was about to make a turn when Yapyap pinned her to the wall.

"It's bad drop." he said, motioning to the wall ahead.

Sure enough, what had appeared to be solid rock was nothing more then a few twigs. The group gasped in surprise.

"I knew that drop was there," Rainbow floated up and flew over it, but after giving a glance back, seemed to lost the smug look on her face.

"Perhaps you should take the lead Yapyap," she said before she gave an awkward chuckle.

The group was now moving over a rock, pebbles falling into the abyss below. If it wasn't for Yapyap's surprising skill in finding the hidden traps, Flipyap was sure he and the whole group would be riding on Rainbow's back more times then they would like for comfort.

Rainbow Dash was doing well to fly beside the trio, aiding the lead grunt in discovering any drops, though she herself was surprised at how he could tell when a rock was going to fall a good whole minute before it did. They were now about to cross a bridge when she saw her.

A black figure among the sandstone. A wide-brim hat. Mare Do Well!

Normally, Rainbow Dash would be glad to accept a friend's help, but not like this. No...this was something else. This figure seemed too quiet. Too far away. Too...suspicious.

She slowly began her advanced, but before she was within a mile of her postion, the figure took off and vanished. Dashing straight towards the direction of the forest.

"Hey Dashie," Flipyap called out, "mind helping us out?"

With a sigh the pegasus returned back to observing the rocky path ahead, her mind still plagued by the thought of who that mysterious stranger was and how it had seemed so familiar. It wasn't like her to say that stuff like this happened often, but it was sure something that had triggered a memory she had never thought possible.

As she sighed, she continued to point out rocky crevices, allowing the grunts to carefully sneak by them. It was, in all respects, another job that she was willing to do. As she pointed her hoof towards another shear drop, the rumble of earth made her freeze. It continued to shake until for some reason, it abruptly stopped.

"Well whatever that was," Flipyap commented, "I'm sure glad it wasn't here."

As if answering to his cynical response, the rocky path ahead collapsed in a heap of dirt and debris. All around them, bridges of sandstone crumbled into the river below, making ant-sized splashes.

Rainbow instantly dived for the grunts, grabbing each one of them with her hooves as she dodged a bright boulder trajectory towards her hoof. She managed to grab a wide-eyed Yapflip and howling Flipyap. As she went to get Yapyap, who had instinctively clung to the wall, the surface the tiny grunt had managed to latch onto slid like melted butter. The grunt had only enough time to latch onto a stunted root that had been unearthed. His grey fist clung fiercely, but it would only be a matter of seconds before he lost his grip.

"Hold on," Rainbow Dash screamed as she tried to inch closer to the struggling alien. But alas, the whole cliff was raining down on them. If she tried again, all of them would plummet to their deaths. Yapyap seemed to stare at the pegausi for a while before sighing.

"Go on without me," he cried, "just get those two out of here, I'll be fine."

"No you won't!" Rainbow yelled back angrily. She was furious at how this grunt was willing to so foolishly give his life away.

But deep down, she knew exactly why. They would all die if she tried to rescue him. As she watched, the grunt tried to make a grin underneath his mask before his sweaty palm slipped off the splintered wood, his body tumbling towards certain doom.

All Rainbow could do was watch as time slowed itself to watch the grunt tumble down with the rocks.

Goodbye Yapyap she thought, her eyes beginning to swell with fresh tears.

...to be continued...

Chapter 11: YapYap's Last Hurrah

Falling.

Maybe it wasn't really falling, just flying.

No. It was definitely falling.

Maybe falling with style?

If style involved certain death.

Yapyap Jr. was never one to fear death. He had seen it before, in many shapes and forms. He had seen friends, brothers, and comrades of all denominations fall prey to the great predator that was death. From the cold chill on his home planet that took the slightest soul, to the anti-tank round that reduced a battalion to cinders in ten seconds flat.

Death had always been with YapYap, and yet it never preyed upon him. Why it never did, was a question he asked himself several times. But alas, his answer always came up short. What was the Covenant if Death hadn't been a part of it? What was his life worth if out of an entire cruise...only him and two others survived. Why did Death always take someone, but never him?

Well, he supposed Death finally grew bored of his antics and allowed itself to finally indulge in his eminent demise. Closing his eyes, the cyan figure of Rainbow Dash growing ever smaller, he made a small prayer that the Deacon on the ship would sometimes say.

I may be optimistic. But that's okay.

Our race may be enslaved. But I am free.

And if death wishes my demise.

Then let it be.

For there is faith within me.

Yapyap could see the rocks below, closing his eyes to await the fate that would overtake him. Scenes of his life flashed before his eyes. He recalled the date of his birth, and then his induction to the military.

He had met a love that he would talk to across the fence of the training facility, but alas that too came to an end when the Blue Death took her from him.

As it turned out, his life was not filled with ups and downs, but only downs. He had survived total annihilation by the smallest of possibilities, a possibility he was sure was impossible.

“Well, I hate life, so gooooooodddd riiiiiddd—aaa…AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

A purple blur suddenly whooshed past the grunt, and before Yapyap could object, it had tightened a grip onto his lower torso, heaving him upwards as the small rocks below grew smaller by the second.

The cloth-like feeling made the grunt squirm, but alas he was overpowered as the “thing” merely tightened its iron-like hold.

“Wha-what are you?”

Yapyap stopped to stare at the creature before him. It was equine in shape, with a purple piece of apparel he recognized as a hat, but the equine’s face was covered by some piece of cloth with two blue goggle-like eye-holes to see through. YapYap could only gape blindly at the creature as he was lifted to the safety of the ledge.

Once they reached the top, however, the pony unceremoniously dropped YapYap onto the grass, causing the grunt to glare in the thing’s general direction.

“YAPYAP!!”

Looking up, he spotted Yapflip and Flipyap dashing down the hill, arms spread in a wide “C” as to strangle the grunt in a bear hug. Well, at least Yapyap thought it was a bear hug until the two grunts nearly suffocated him with an iron press.

“I thought you were a goner,” Flipyap sobbed, “don’t ever do something like that to us again ok?”

Yapyap grinned at the two grunts, relieved to see they hadn’t been injured. “You can count your scrub grubs I won’t be doing a stunt like that again.”

Rainbow Dash landed a few feet from the trio, eyes darted at the mysterious figure hovering over them. By this time, Yapyap had caught her stare and finally got a good look at his savior.

The equine had a mare’s body, with a dark purple cape and wide-brimmed hat. Her face was covered by a dark blue cloth with two eye-holes to see out of. Connecting the cape to the leather jumpsuit was a large emblem with an “M” emblazoned with fierce pride.

“Mare-Do –Well?” Rainbow Dash murmured, “But…how…I thought you guys said you’d-“

But before anyone could do anything, the mare jumped over the grunts and into the woods, vanishing from sight within a few seconds.

Yapyap had time to only blink before Yapflip decided to ask the question that was on all three of their minds.

“And just who the hell was that?”

The cyan Pegasus grew red as her eyes thinned to slits, “That was Mare-Do-Well. She was the temporary hero of Ponyville till I discovered that it was just some of my friends pulling a prank. However, I was sure they had destroyed the suits. Nopony could have…”

“Perhaps it’s not your friends,” Flipyap suggested, eyes focused on the forest,” perhaps she’s someone new. Someone who’s using it against you.”

“And why would you suggest that?” Rainbow Dash hissed, “it’s not like she’s trying to make a comeback. Maybe Twilight or Pinkie thought I wasn’t going to be enough for you guys and decided to hop in at the last minute to save the day.”

“Well,” Yapyap murmured, “she did save my skin.”

Rainbow turned her gaze from the forest to the grunt, eyes red with malice, “And while I’m thankful to her for saving you, she could have done it without the disguise!”

“Maybe she’s scared,” reflected Yapflip, “sometimes grunts get scared, ponies get scared too?”

Rainbow Dash thought for a moment before answering, “I suppose you’re right. Perhaps she didn’t think she wanted me to brag about it to her, especially after what happened last time…”

“Well I don’t know about you guys,” Yapflip interrupted, “but we’re kinda without a ravine to cross so that means the trail is gone! And I think now would be a good time to go-“

But the Pegasus held the grunt back, her magenta eyes locking with his. “Are you saying you’re chicken Yapflip?”

“Chicken!?” Yapflip cried incredulously, “CHICKEN! I AM NO COWARD RAINBOW DASH!”

Then getting up, he turned to his fellow grunts, “Let’s find Fluttershy and kick some booty!”

(Several hours later)

“I think my booty needs a rest…” Flipyap groaned.

The “way” around the ravine turned out to be through a cluster of hills, cliffs, and streams. The forest canopy was a labyrinth of vines, branches and leaves with no solution and no entrance. Soon, even the grand Pegasus Rainbow Dash had to reduced herself to walking among the trio of gray, sweating aliens.

They had finished plowing over the great plains and were now nearing the other side of the ravine, which was just after the cluster of small brown hills that formed the border between the plains and the edge of the red rock ravine. As they approached the end of the cluster of hills, Yapflip decided to make small talk with Yapyap.

“Hey Yapyap, did you ever…errr…talk to your uncle?”

Yapyap seemed to freeze for a second, paralyzed by the words spoken through his comrade’s respirator.

“A bit, why?”

“Before I was taken away,” Yapflip began, “ My father said that he once fought with Yapyap, but that it had been a long time, he old now but he would talk highly of your uncle.”

“I never really knew that grunt, “Yapyap sighed, “he never visited that much.”

“He died on the ring right?”

Yapyap slowly nodded his noggin before gazing back at the stragglers they were leaving behind. Flipyap was barely keeping pace with Rainbow Dash following closely behind, mostly out of spite for the grunt. After all, while the pull of gravity was similar, there was some minor differences that took time to get use to.

Seeing as the topic of his uncle was disturbing Yapyap, Yapflip decided to change the subject to the mysterious mare that had saved his life. “What was it like to be saved by that masked horsy-thing?”

“Like a blanket gripping your backpack,” Yapyap explained, “she was very silent too, I never heard her till she was right next to me.”

“Pretty swift if you think how she went invisible in the forest.”

What are you two talking about?” Rainbow Dash barked, eyes glaring at both grunts. By now, she had caught up with the pair and must have been listening intently on their conversation.

“Well,” Yapflip began, “just…Mare Do Well?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash huffed, “well she ain’t nothing compared to the hero you’re traveling with.” Then as an added measure, she puffed her chest.

“Hey guys,” Flipyap called out, “I think I found the tracks!”

Sure enough, the ground below was riddled with hoofmarks indicating that there was a good chance their pegasus friend had been here before. As they followed the tracks, little did they know that a dark shadow among the trees was following close behind. A shadow with a wide-brimmed hat and cape.

The Valiant Crusader was a super-carrier of immense capabilities. The head of its own fleet, the ship was used among other ships to fight off the human menace, although allegiance was beginning to turn the tides. The Covenant was losing support, and the rumors of rebellion were breaking out.

With the new Jiralhanae in place, many elites feared their positions would be next. Right now they were orbiting Balaho, ready to strike if the Prophets gave the word. But sooner or later, the crew would be forced to make a choice.

The trail had ended into the mouth of a large cave, whose dark interior seemed to beg the group to enter inside. However, the groan and grumble of rocks sliding against sheer walls and the fact that there was a squirrel skull casted off a few yards away.

Whatever this thing was, it was bad. Slowly, the trio took a deep breath.

And stepped inside.

Chapter 12: Caves and Secrets

He was dashing towards the Phantom, the artillery already sending chunks of dirt into the air as soldiers left and right were blown into bits, their bones becoming shrapnel that impaled their comrades.

They had just made it past the first brigade when the loud honking of a warthog got his attention.

“Yapyap look out!-“

BANG!

Yapyap stood rim-rod straight in the darkness, his beady eyes already examining the sleeping silhouettes of his fellow comrades.

“Just a spook-dream…” Yapyap muttered to himself.

Seeing as sleep was no longer an option, the unggoy decided to stretch his arms and take a stroll around the damp cave. It was an impressive structure that, according to Rainbow Dash, was constructed by Diamond Dogs in order to harness the power of a legendary crystal that, as of now, was lost to Equestria.

Despite this, riches still lay hidden in the cave’s depths, enticing countless explorers and remnants of the Diamond Dogs to find it.

However, instead of inspiring awe, it only brought upon a deep sense of regret. How many planets had the Covenant wiped out in the blink of an eye? All in the name of the Prophets and the Great Journey. How many secrets that were non-holy did each planet hold? How many secrets were destroyed due to religious zeal and uncontrolled fanaticism?

He barely recalled his home world Balaho, but it was filled with wonders beyond imagining. The hidden glacial caves and the methane swamps teeming with wildlife. Their planet was not a paradise like the others, but it was home. Despite its frigid temperatures and methane-filled environment, he still dreamed of home. He had had a farm back then…but alas life changes in mysterious ways. Life. The one bane of every creature’s existence.

And yet here was a planet untouched by violence, or so it seemed. A planet that had no worries of large-scale invasions, slavery, or even religious expeditionary extermination. No, this was a planet free of Covenant. Perhaps it was only right that so few made it out of the crash.

He was gazing at a couple of stalactites when he noticed the fluorescent hue coming off the walls. A blue aura that caught his eye and beckoned him forward like a moth. As he slowly made his approach, he noticed the light was coming from an underground stream that ran under the mountains. In fact, the reason for the glow was because the water was flowing through some oddly shaped crystals found nowhere else except under the stream.

“Beautiful isn’t it?”

Yapyap nearly gave a howl of alarm before a soft hoof muffled his cry, his eyes turned to see no one other then…

“Mare-Do-Well?”

The mare simply nodded, her eye-slots directed at him so that he could see his reflection clearly. When she spoke, her voice was soft and gentle, like drop of morning dew. And yet it was eerie and sinister, maybe even cynical to keep a guise over such cheerfulness. Yapyap was sure that under that façade was a morning pony. One who rose early and greeted cordially. But at night, they must have changed into their polar opposite. Regardless, she was still his savior.

“I owe you life.”

The mare tilted her head in confusion. Yapyap merely chuckled. “You are modest mysterious mare, but you save me and therefore I owe you life. I cannot give riches so life is all I can give.”

“I do what I can because I care about others.”

“If only it were so common on my world.”

“So I was right to say you are not from here.”

Yapyap gave a grunt in reply. “You could say that, but I’ve been away from home for so long I might as well come from nowhere.”

“I used to feel like that too.”

The grunt’s eyes widened in curiosity, “How can you come from nowhere. Rainbow Dash said you were a great hero. Well, at least you seem to be somepony I met before…”

“Ahhh…” Mare Do Well seemed to grin under her mask, “Perhaps we have met and perhaps we haven’t. Perhaps I am merely a shadow in the night. You seem to have the same thing.”

Yapyap’s blood ran cold. “You don’t know that.”

Mare Do Well took the moment to escalate her argument, “Oh but I have. You aren’t as boastful or as, and forgive me for this, idiotic as your fellow comrades.”

Yapyap nearly wanted to slap her for that, but then again, this mare could be just as scared as he was. Was he not also probing into her life.

“Perhaps both our alter-egos shall remain…at this stage at least…hidden.”

“Agreed.”

“So,” Yapyap began nonchalantly, “what brings you here?” His face was directed at the stream but his eyes were trying to pinpoint Mare Do Well’s expression.

“It seems a certain somepony was foalnapped by an unknown assailant. I am merely assisting her would-be rescuers should something happen to them.”

Yapyap didn’t need to hear it twice to know she was referencing to him. As if it was his fault that the seemingly peaceful ravine was a deathtrap.

“Well are you going to rest?”

“I already did,” Mare Do Well chuckled, “sometimes meditation is the best rest one can get in these dire times. And I would have gotten more if a certain someone hadn’t stumbled upon me.”

“Well like I knew you were there.” Yapyap protested.

Mare Do Well merely crossed her hooves, “Perhaps we will see each other in the coming battle Yapyap.”

“I look forward to it.”

And then the mare darted off, dissolving in the darkness, her cape being the last thing he saw. For a while, Yapyap just sat there, meditating by the banks of the tranquil stream. The rushing water rubbing and eroding the stones. The crystals never ceasing in the mysterious hue they projected. He had meditated before, when he had the time. What was it about his past that made him so afraid.

There was a time he thought it was justified. To leave the past as it was. But then he saw Twitchy, and the recognition on his fading eyes was a tell-tale sign of change looming over the mountains. He was a unggoy known by everyone and yet recognized by no one.

How could someone…anyone…understand it?

Chapter 5: He Stops Twitching

Flipyap couldn’t tell how much time had passed.

Twilight Sparkle was the first to break the silence.

“Excuse, me but what is Nipple Academy?”

Yapflip sighed. This is going to be a long story.

Everfree Forest

Evening

Under the stars and moon, a zebra was picking herbs. The trees provided shade, but it wasn’t like she needed it.

‘ Zecora was now on her way back, careful to avoid any holes left by the diamond dogs. Those bandits had already stolen several important gems for her potions. They weren’t going to get her gems this time though. She was already half-way done burying all the holes. The problem was though that the dogs kept making new ones.

As she headed for home, she noticed a shine near the hill. It was barely visible but seemed to reflect the moon.

Zecora had been both mesmerized and confused when the meteors rained down over the forest. She had been worried of a forest fire, but then the mysterious speckles of light faded into the darkness.

Meanwhile…

Twilight’s Library:

The two mares had taken a few moments to recover from the story the grunts had told them. They now knew about the training, the war, the Covenant, the ship, and the disaster.

Twilight Sparkle was in between shock and confusion; she didn’t want to say something that she would regret later, but these aliens made her have so many questions that she couldn’t resist asking.

“So do you think…I don’t know…maybe you could…well…”

“Spit it out,” Yapflip interjected.

“Doyouthinkyoucouldtakeustothatcrashsite…if you don’t mind of course.”

“Uhhhhh…sure…whatever she said…” Flipyap motioned, rubbing his head in confusion as to what the unicorn had just blurted out.

“Um, she said… she wanted to ask you if you, if you wanted… would be so kind as to lead her to the crash site.” Fluttershy said.

Under the circumstances he experienced last night, Flipyap would have called the mare crazy. However, Fluttershy’s voice seemed to seep into his brain and control it if, for only a moment.

“Alright,” he said, before any grunts could answer back.

“Are you crazy!” Yapyap Jr. screamed, “You want to go back?”

But already the group was out the door and on their way to the Everfree Forest.

The moonlit path seemed to be a platinum road along a green, mint colored forest.

Flipyap couldn’t remember his homeworld. A lot of the Unggoy that he had known had told them that it was just a freezing ball of cold. There was nothing good about it and frankly, it was good riddance now that they were in the Covenant. In a way, Flipyap seemed to comfort at that thought. After all, he had only remembered the training on his planet. This forest however, seemed like where he would end up in the Great Journey.

Yapflip looked to the stars and sighed.

“What’s wrong?” asked Twilight Sparkle.

“Have you ever just stared at those blinking lights in the sky and think if there was a home out there?” Yapflip seemed to whisper, as if his own words sounded alien to him.

“Well,” Twilight began, “I do find myself enjoying those stars in the sky on a clear night. Now that Princess Luna is back, the night seems more radiant and the stars themselves have never twinkled brighter.”

Yapflip knew what the feeling was like. Whenever a grunt had asked him why he looked at the sky all night and never got any sleep, he would only reply curtly with the saying, “Cause I am not a sleepy dummy like you.” He never wanted to tell them anything more then that. In a way, he was scared of what they may think of him.

When he stared at the stars, he always wondered if there was something bigger. Of course there were those meanies and every species in the Covenant that was bigger then him. Yet, he didn’t mean big as in…well…big. Big to him was something of a whole different level. Big was something measured in one’ self rather then in one’s size. That was why he always believed they stood a chance against the other species. Maybe he was placed on this planet to think otherwise.

Yapyap Jr. seemed quiet. He had been looking around and behind the group, expecting something to come up behind him. He was sure he had seen a shadow. This time though, it was fast, zipping by like a rocket.

Maybe I bumped my head too hard in that crash.

WHOOOSH!

Two dark figures seemed to shoot out of the bushes and onto the startled, and screaming, group. Yapyap grabbed a stick and was about to whack one of the creatures when it turned around to face him in the moonlight.

If there was ever such a thing as a fever you could get from playing with needlers, this was surely the result of one who had it. This creature before him was pink all over and had a wacky hair doo to top it off.

“What in the name of…” Yapyap began to say as the pink pony jumped up on him and yelled at the top of her lungs.

“Got you! Hey wait a second…who are you?”

The other figure got up, revealing a rainbow colored main and a cyan coat. She was laughing.

“Boy did we get you,” the rainbow pony said, “You should have seen the looks on your faces.”

Yapyap just stood there, dumbfounded. He was almost ready to make a mess in his armor, not to mention attacking an unarmed prankster.

“That,” he panted, “wasn’t...funny.”

“Oh come off it now…” the rainbow pony suddenly stopped mid-sentence to look at the creature before her.

He looked like a mix between a crab, an insect, and well…Scootaloo. She wondered if they acted like chickens too. Noticing another one of those things hiding behind a bush, she decided to test her theory out.

“BOO!”

Yapflip yelped and fell flat on his back. The rainbow pony was on the ground, laughing her guts out.

“HEEEEYYYYY!!!” Yapflip said in anger.

When Twilight got up, she seemed to be annoyed and relieved to see these two ponies.

“Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, what in Celestia’s name are you doing scaring these aliens for?”

The rainbow pony stopped rolling on the floor and looked up. It was then that Yapyap noticed that she bore the same feathery wings as Fluttershy.

Though she certainly doesn’t act like her he thought bitterly.

“Wait,” the one called Rainbow Dash slowly began to say, “aliens?”

Fluttershy had just gotten up when Pinkie Pie seemed to tackle her friend down in a bear hug.

“Oh Fluttershy! Are these really super-icky-not-wanting-to-ever-touch-space-invaders?”

“Well,” Fluttershy whispered, “Yes. I did find them in the Everfree forest. They certainly are strange little critters. They told us stories of giant ships that travel space and…”

Pinkie Pie gasped and then looked at the grunts with a suspicious eye. Now Yapflip would never have expected something as cute and cuddly as this creature to ever cast a negative doubt in his brain, but he couldn’t help but become frightened.

Fluttershy didn’t seem to notice at all.

“He’s not a bad pony if that’s what you think.”

Pinkie Pie’s gaze suddenly erupted into a joyous grin as she said, “Well of course he isn’t a pony silly!”

Realizing the joke, all four ponies began to laugh.

Flipyap got up and looked to see two new ponies laughing with the others. That was when he saw the sheen. It was not a regular sheen that you would see. Unless, of course, you were staring at a Covenant ship.

Crash Site: Northern Hills of Everfree

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had decided to accompany the group as they made it to the top of the hill.

What a loudmouth Yapflip thought as he saw how the rainbow creature was talking about a heroic deed she did in the town and how Twilight hadn’t been there to see it.

Then again, I shouldn’t be pointing hooves. WAIT! I have fingers! Yapflip made a grunt of frustration. Was this pony language getting to his head?

They had just made it to the top of the hill.

What they saw next made everyone stop in their tracks and made Pinkie Pie begin a spasm of dramatic gasping.

What was left of the Redemptive Penance was a mess of hull, vehicles, and wreckage. A broken seraph lay near a splintered tree. What appeared to be a piece of the middeck was lying on its side.

Flipyap had seen the wreckage from the phantom before, glowing like fireflies. The field now had been smoldered, but thankfully no fire had erupted in the forest. That was when Flipyap noticed bright blue fluorescent blood near one of the pieces of hull.

He ran down the hill and right towards the hulking piece of ship, that apparently consisted of two decks that had been broken off. The top deck was a corridor, nothing special, but the bottom left was already embedded in dirt and sand. It was part of the Unggoy R and R areas.

A small figure was against a wall within the building, a trail of blue blood leading away to a small compartment used for trash disposal.

The rest of the group had caught up, only to stare in silence as the Unggoy in the ship panted. Flipyap was by the grunt’s side already.

The Unggoy before him though, made him stop dead in his tracks. The poor grunt had no legs; in fact, he didn’t have a torso at all. The grunt looked up and said in a stuttered voice, “H-Hhhh—hhhH---Hi there…Flip-Flipyap.”

Flipyap ran to the grunt and tried to lift him up, but it was no use. There was already so much blood on the ground that it was a miracle he was still alive.

“Hey—hey there Twitchy.” Flipyap could barely say his words clearly.

Twitchy was the nickname given to the grunt known as SabSab. It was because the grunt had a disorder that made him twitch and stutter. Not that it annoyed any grunt. Most Unnggoy just left Twitchy to himself, sitting in a corner to examine his only friend: a plasma pistol.

“Twitchy?” Yapflip said as he came up to where the grunt was.

“You’re bleeding…badly.”

“No—nnnn—no—no kidding Yappy,” Twitchy managed to say.

“Can’t you do anything to help him?” Yapyap said to the ponies.

“I’m afraid that only Nurse Redheart could help him,” Twilight said,” and I don’t think she has blue blood in her supply closet.”

Twitchy gave a yelp of pain and began to breathe faster.

“I-I-I thought I could hide in the compart---compartment you know…just to stay safe. I always thought I was trash any-any-anyway. No—no---no one wanted trash…no ---no—no one want—wanted me. It was so-so-so scary. There—there—was so so—much mu—much pain…and-and noise”

“It’s ok, you gonna be okay Twitch. Don’t go now…please don’t leave us here.” Flipyap quietly pleaded with the wounded comrade before him. A comrade he had bluntly ignored until this point.

“Its-its-so-so co-cold here. I al—always—always wanted to be like you Flipyap. You—you—made me feel like—like I wasn’t just a no—no—nobody.”

“Just hold on a bit longer Twitchy,” Flipyap was near tears,” just please hold on.”

“I-I-see my home. My—my –momma made me—those—nice mud—mud—crab shakes. I—I—want to go ho—home now. I don’t—don’t –don’t want –want –to die. I want—want—to see my my…momma…”

And with that, Twitchy stopped twitching.

There were sniffles, but Yapflip suddenly darted off the hill and deeper into the crash site.

“Yapflip!” Flipyap seem to sob his name.

“Let him go for now,” Fluttershy said in an almost whisper-like voice.” He-he just needs some time to himself.”

Yapflip ran off into the dark trees of the Everfree. He grabbed a rock and threw it like he would a plasma grenade. It rebounded with a pang off the hull of wreckage. He screamed, he yelled, and he finally fell to his knees sobbing.

Why..Why him? Why did Twitchy go? He didn’t do anything!

He was just trying to go home!

That last thought had been said out loud.

Yapflip wanted to stay there. Stay until he died. He didn’t care anymore. Twitchy was a nice grunt. He deserved to have friends. He wasn’t supposed to die. Yapflip was supposed to die. He was the rebel. He was the screw-up. He was the annoying scrub grub. The talkative butt head. He should have died. Twitchy should have lived.

He began to shiver. A cold, crisp wind was blowing against him. He wanted to freeze. That was when a soft warm hoof went on his shoulder.

“Listen Fluttershy…I know…”

But it wasn’t Fluttershy at his side.

It was the cyan flying pony that had scared him earlier. Her face however, showed no playfulness. It was just sad. The maroon-rimmed eyes seemed to stare into his own beady gray ones.

The words expressed in that stare said a million words. But its one clear message was this. Don’t blame yourself.

“Oh…its you.” Yapflip shrugged the hoof off his shoulder.

“I saw that little alien there. Was he your friend?”

“No,” Yapflip said bitterly, “he was always by himself. We all thought he was crazy. He was nice though. He gave me food nipple when I needed one badly. He said that a big grunt like me needed more food to satisfy my big, grunty thirst. Not even Flipyap does that for me.”

“So why are you wanting to hurt yourself?”

“Cause I deserve to die now. Twitchy needed to live. He was nice grunt. Not bad grunt. Not silly grunt. Not any grunt.”

“You know,” the pony said, “I am not much to talk about things like this. I usually like to brag about myself but, when I lose something so important to me, I feel like crawling into a hole and just staying there.”

“Why haven’t you hid in hole?”

“Because I knew that wouldn’t help my situation and it won’t help yours if you keep blaming yourself.”

Yapflip turned to finally face the pony forward. He noticed that she was using her wings to levitate a few feet above the ground. What he did next was something he didn’t expect at all to happen.

He had latched his arms around her in a hug.

But get this.

She hugged back.

Zecora was nearing her hut now. The forest was calm, cool, and serene. Just then a glint shone over a tree.

And two green, luminous eyes watched the zebra trot along the forest floor.