Halo: Equestria (Version 2.0)by Timeless ToasterChaptersChaos ReignsDepartureContactRescueWar in SancturarySeperationChaos ReignsA golden beam of energy slams into the ceramic tiling of the Great Hall, creating a blackened crater. Another blast impacts the white wall leaving it cracked and smoking. A blinding flash of light, and the sounds of a body hitting the floor is heard, along with the clattering of a crown. On the ground laid Princess Celestia. Above her, smiling maliciously, was Discord. Celestia was tired, and it showed. Fighting the Draconequus took a lot out of the Princess, leaving her weak and exhausted. Discord laughed as Celestia attempted to stand up, but her legs gave out and she slumped to the floor. "Why don't you just give up Celestia? Can't you see that I've finally won back power?" Discord asked as he ran a talon on his eagle claw under the Princess' chin. "I will not give up. I will defeat you, and when I do, I'll make sure you're broken into pieces when you're a statue." Celestia threatened. Discord pulled away, a fake look of terror plastered on his face. "Oh no! Celestia's giving death threats! I'm so scared!" He taunted. Celestia growled at his mockery of her and attempted to stand once again. Discord simply smacked her back down with his lions' paw and glared. "Listen here, Sun Butt, you've lost, I've won. It's all over for you and your precious little ponies. After I'm done with you, I'm going after your six little heroes. And believe me, you don't want to know what I'm going to do with them when I get my mitts on them." He said, a malicious sneer curling across his lips. Celestias' pupils shrunk to the size of pin-pricks. He was not only threatening her, but her subjects lives and innocence now? This madness had to stop; right here, right now. Slowly standing up, Celestias' threatened to give out once again. But she wouldn't allow that. Her mane hung limply by her side, devoid of the flowing and life in it. "I'm going to stop you Discord." She said determined, a piercing glare coming from her eyes. Discord laughed and wiped away a tear. "I'm just shocked at how stupid you really are! The Princess of the Sun, of all ponies!" He said between laughs. Celestia continued to glare at him. "Ooo, sooo scary!" Discord mocked. "This is no joke Discord. I'm stopping you right here, right now." Celestia said as her horn began to glow a faint red. "Oh? And how, exactly, are you going to do that?" He asked, fake interest on his face. "With my fail-safe spell." Celestia said with a smirk as the red around her horn began to grow darker, flaring out as it did. "The Summoning of the Giants." Blinding red light consumed the room, and Discord gasped in surprise. Celestia cried out in pain as the spell worked her body into overdrive as it powered the spell. Then, as quickly as the spell started, it ended. Celestia fell to the ground and panted heavily. Her tired eyes looked about for the Giants, but none were present. Her fail-safe had, well, failed. Tears began to form in her eyes; Equestria was lost. Discord sat up from his spot on the floor and looked about. A wicked laugh began to come from him as he observed the lack of Giants in the room. He continued to laugh as he stood and walked over to Celestia. He knelt down to her and his laughing soon ended. "Looks like your little magic trick went up in smoke. I was very impressed with the power coming from it, but the results failed to impress me. Looks like you've failed Celestia." Discord said smirking. Celestia spat on Discord and he wiped it away with disgust. "Burn in Tartarus, you son of a-" But she was cut off when Discord punched her. "Now now Celestia. No need to act brash." He said with a scowl to her. Celestia spat out a little blood onto the floor. Discord stood and walked away from the Goddess a little bit before turning to her again. "You're familiar with the Cockatrice, right?" He asked. Celestia managed a simple nod. "Good, then you should know that when somepony looks at it, they turn to stone." He asked. Celestia nodded again. "Good. Now, I'm going to turn you to stone, like you did me, and I'll make you a public statue to your ponies to see that their leader has fallen!" Discord said as he rushed up to Celestia and began to stare intensely into her eyes. Celestia gasped and tried to avoid eye contact, but Discord grabbed her by the sides of her face, making her stare. Eventually, everything went dark for Celestia. Discord stood and smiled. He had finally won. He finally had control over Equestria once again. Oh, the madness and chaos he'd be able to spread amongst the inhabitants of the land now! Snapping his fingers, he and Celestia teleported to the center of Canterlot. Ponies around them gasped as they looked at the Draconequus and the stone Goddess. "Citizens of Canterlot! Look before you, at your fallen leader! And look, to your new ruler! Equestria is under my control now! And with this new management, comes new chaos and nonsense! Enjoy your normalcy while it lasts, my little ponies, for it will never return!" And with that, Discord vanished, leaving Celestias' stone form on the ground. Ponies gathered round the statue. Some began to cry. Others gasped in shock. "We have to all get home and stay inside! Canterlot will be Discords' playground soon!" A stallion proclaimed to the others. They all nodded, except for a few. "NO! We must fight back! Get him to return Princess Celestia to normal!" A young stallion said. "High Society, hush! There is no way we'd win against him!" a mare yelled. Soon, the crowd began to bicker and yell. This was the beginning of the chaos and mistrust amongst the higher echelon on Canterlot. A little filly was laying beside Celestia's laying form as tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked up to her mother with tear streaked cheeks. "Mama, will Pwincess Cewestria come back?" She asked. Her mother knelt down and picked her up. "I'm afraid not, my little filly." She whispered to the child. "But why, Mama?" She asked. "Because we've lost..." her mothers sighed. The two turned away and walked home. A single tear rolled down Celestias' stone cheek and dripped to the ground with a single splash. DepartureEpsilon Eridani system, Planet Reach. 0200 Hours, UNSC Firgate FG-115 Juniper on station. With a mighty buck shot, the holographic Elite target fell, vanishing from sight. Clanking boots ran past the defeated target in a blur of sage and silver. An empty buckshot cartridge clattered to the aluminum-alloy floor as the sounds of a new buckshot being chambered was heard. Three Grunt targets popped up now, each being dispatched with a single shot from a M6G Magnum. The blur continued to roar past the fallen targets, bullet casing in being left in its wake. The blur came upon a semi-large and rotund room. In the center, a holographic Wraith tank hovered there. Immediately, the training rounds erupted from the Wraith and the blur dodged to the left, circling the holo-Wraith as it ran. Upon reaching the rear of the Wraith, the blur hopped onto it, and threw a M9 frag grenade inside the engine. With a simple dismount and small dash, the blur reached the end of the course and hit the timers' 'Stop' button right as the Wraith exploded into holographic debris. A light Ping was heard, signalling the end and completion of the training course. The blur was now visible and not a complete array of sage and silver. The Spartan stood at seven feet even. Its armor was somewhat bulky and large, natural for the CQC/CQB-type Spartan IIIs. The Spartans' Sage CQB helmet came off, revealing a young man with brown hair, in a high and tight cut, and blue eyes. A scar on his upper lip showed he'd been in at least one bad situation before. He slung his M45 Shotgun onto his back and holstered the M6G Magnum. He looked to the time board and grinned as his designation, A098, was placed on top of the leader board with a time of thirty-five seconds flat. Below his rank was C935 with a time of forty-one seconds. "Well done Captain." a feminine voice said from behind. The Spartan turned and saw Kathy, Spartan C935. She wore the standard issue Recon armor. It complemented her light figure with its smallness and stealth capabilities. "How many times do I have to tell you, just call me Antony." Antony said. He didn't need to see Kathy's' face to know she was smiling. "I do it because it bugs you." She said playfully. "Uh huh, sure. Hey, where are the others?" Antony asked as he placed his helmet on the table. He grabbed a nearby rag and began to clean the camera attached to the side of his helmet. "They're down in the Mess Hall. Might want to hurry though; Derek has almost claimed all of the meatloaf." Kathy warned. "It's Meatloaf Monday?" Antony asked, his eyes sparkling a bit. When your best non-Spartan friend becomes a cook and makes one hell of a good meatloaf, you never miss out on it. Kathy's' Recon helmet gave a slight nod and she chuckled. "It's pretty much the only good food on this ship." She said grabbing a M392 DMR from a nearby weapons rack. Antony looked at her, confused at first, then smiled. "You're not going to beat my time, you know." He warned. "Oh yeah? Just watch me." Kathy teased. "Can't. Gotta eat. I'll see you later." Antony said as he stored his weapons. He approached the door and turned to watch Kathy hit the 'Start' button on the timer and dash off into the course, her DMR raised. Antony smiled, shook his head, then left the training course. * * * After a ten minute commute from the ships' gym to the Mess Hall, Antony entered the cafeteria to the usual sounds of chatter, knives and forks, and the occasional laugh. He scanned the room and found the rest of his team sitting at their usual table. One of them, Jane, smiled and waved over to him. He raised a hand, showing he saw her, and entered the lunch line. In front of him, a couple of ODSTs were waiting on the cook to give them their lunch, and they were getting irritated. "Come on Turtle! You take forever on Meatloaf Mondays!" One called out, a scowl etched on his face. "If you want the meatloaf to be good, then be patient, Walsky!" the cook called out. "Hurry it up Jenkins! No wonder you're called 'Turtle'." the other ODST yelled. Antony cleared his throat and the two ODSTs looked beside them and sneered. "What do you want, chuckle fuck?" Walsky asked rapping a knuckle on Antony's chest piece. "Show a little respect for the cook." He said monotoned, his eyes drilling deep into the ODST. "Ooo, so scary! Big, mean ol' Mister Spartan here wants me to show Turtle some respect!" Walsky said laugh as he pointed a thumb at Antony. Glancing at the thumb, Antony squared his jaw, grabbed the thumb, and broke it. The ODST ceased laughing and he began to cry out in pain as Antony slowly turned the broken digit. A sadistic smile broke across Antony's lips as the ODST struggled in his grasp. Antony released the ODST and the soldier clutched his broken thumb. His friend stared wide-eyed at Antony, his jaw moving a bit in an attempt to say something. "Would you like a matching broken thumb to go with your boyfriend here?" Antony asked. The ODST shook his head quietly and guided Walsky out of the cafeteria. "I'll get you back, freak!" Walsky yelled as he passed the doorway. "Empty threats!" Antony called back in a sing-song tone, then turning to the line. Behind the counter stood a young man, about in his early twenties. "Heya' Tony! Nice work on that Helljumper." he said. "Thanks Jenkins. So, I heard it was meatloaf today?" Antony asked slapping his hands together and rubbing them together. "Yes sir! Fresh loaf too! You get first slices." Jenkins said as he cut and served his legendary meatloaf to the Spartan. Antony took the tray back and smiled. "Thanks Jenkins." He said nodding to the young cook as he walked out of the line. "See ya' around Tony!" Jenkins said with a smile. He turned to the other soldiers in the line. "Alright, who's next?" * * * Antony navigated the maze of tables and chairs towards his own table. At the table sat Jane; Spartan B004, Derek; Spartan A666, and Ghost; Spartan A001. They all looked at Antony as he sat down took his first bite of lunch. A smile came to him as he chewed. "Mmm. I don't know what it is, but Jenkins makes a mean meatloaf." He said taking another bite. "Afternoon to you to, Sir." Jane said smiling a bit as her Captain ate. Derek let out a chuckle. "Sir, may I ask as to why you're still in your armor? It's leisure hours." he asked. "I came straight from the course here. Didn't get a chance to change out." Antony said taking another bite and a swig of water. "Besides; Ghost is always in his armor." He added pointing a finger at their teammate. "Well, that's because we think he was born in it. He'd tell us, but he's always quiet. Kinda like Snake Eyes." Jane said as she smiled at her reference to that old twentieth-century cartoon. Ghost simply stared at them all from behind his black-visored Scout helmet. "Not eating, are ya' Ghost?" Derek asked. The Spartan in question simply shook his head slowly in response. "Where's Kathy?" Jane asked Antony. "Down at the course. Trying to beat my time after I beat hers." He said pushing away his empty tray. "You beat her time?" Derek asked, his jaw slightly slacked. Antony nodded as a smug smile came to him. "Yup. Shotgun, Magnum, and one Grenade. No armor abilities. Thirty-five seconds flat." He said. A small round of applause came form the other three. "Nice run, Sir." Derek said. "Not so fast team." Came another feminine voice. They all turned to see Kathy standing there in her armors' black under suit, a smirk planted on her lips. "I beat your time Antony." She said simply. "What?" Antony asked, a bit dumbstruck. "Thirty-four seconds. By one second." She said pointing a thumb to herself. "You should've stuck around. It was an amazing run." She said a bit snobbishly. Antony scowled a bit at Kathy. She simply laughed at him, wiping a tear away. "Oh, the look on your face. Anyway, I have a message from the Captain. We're going into Slip-Space in ten minutes. He wants us combat ready for when we reach out destination." She said, a serious tone coming to her voice. "Where are we going?" Derek asked raising an eyebrow. "Outter colony world. Been having some Insurrection issues as of late. The Juniper has been tasked with providing protection from Insurrectionists." Kathy explained. "So we're playing bodyguard?" Jane asked. "Looks like it. Come on, we need to go suit up. He wanted us ready five minutes ago." Kathy said turning to leave. The others all got up and walked out with her. * * * Captain Jacob Faust stood on the bridge of the Juniper with his hands clasped tightly behind his back. He stared out of the view ports into space as his bridge crew made the preparations for Slip-Space. Beside him sat an AI projection pedestal. It hummed as a white light blinked on the projector. Suddenly, the white light began to take form. First came the basic shape; an animal with four legs. Then it began to take on a sharper look. The mane and tail came into form, curly, long, and red. The snout became more curved and feminine looking. Finally, a pair of rose red eyes opened. The pony AI looked up at Jacob and spoke in a crisp, English accent. "Good afternoon Captain." She said. Jacob sighed and continued to stare ahead. "Good afternoon Rose." He muttered. He hated that AI, ever since he learned that an old ancestor of his had created a children's show based on ponies; the kind Rose had been modeled after. His family name was, and always will be, linked to those damned twentieth-century ponies. "Is something the matter, Captain?" Rose asked tilting her head a bit. "Not at all Rose. Are the Combat Teams geared up?" Jacob asked still not looking to her. "Yes sir. Gipsy Squad, led by Captain Antony, was the final squad to report in that they are ready. Stations across the ship have reported that they are slip-space ready." She informed him. "Lieutenant Capone. Is the Slip-Space drive ready?" Jacob asked looking to a young woman who was scanning the screen before her. "Yes sir. The drive is at one-hundred percent and ready to go." She responded. "Send us under way then." Jacob said waving a hand forward. In front of the ship, small lights began to form, and soon a massive black hole opened up, and the Frigates' engine roared to life, thrusting the ship towards the slip-space hole. "That is all Rose. You are dismissed." Jacob said sparing a glance to the AI. Jade nodded, a saddened look coming to her and she slowly faded. Jacob let out a frustrated sigh as she vanished. He needed to send in a new AI Request form. * * * The Juniper had been in Slip-Space for about two days now. The trip would take five days to reach the distressed planets' location. Rose sat in her private storage chamber, scanning information being relayed from each sensor on the ship. Slip-Space maintainers, engine power, Cryo-Bay statuses; all of it was relayed to her. As she read the reports, a second screen nearby was playing My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Rose felt it was somewhat of an origin for her, and she grew to like the show. The current episode was Lesson Zero; one of her favorites. The show went on as background noise as she did her duties. Suddenly, a warning appeared. It flashed in giant red text, stating that the slip-space field around the ship was beginning to collapse. Rose began to panic as she exited her show and the other reports and manifested at the Bridge. She looked outside and expected a blue tube that the ship was going through. She couldn't be more wrong. The usually blue tube was now a menacing red, and it was slowly starting to shrink around the ship. Rose raised the alarms and buzzed for the Captain. "CAPTAIN FAUST, EMERGENCY!" She yelled. "What in the hell do you want!?" Faust roared. "Why are the alarms going off!?" "The slip-space field is collapsing around the ship, sir!" Rose said, her pupils the size of pin-pricks. Jacobs' voice became serious now. "I'll be up in three minutes. Try to stabilize the field until I arrive." he said closing communications. Rose looked up to see the bridge crew rushing to their stations. A few minutes later, Jacob entered the bridge and took his seat. "Give me a solution people." He ordered. "Sir, the field is rapidly closing. I've tried my best at maintaining the field, but it's done nothing!" Rose said as more warnings popped up before her, only increasing her panic. She now looked like Insane Twilight from Lesson Zero, her holographic mane and tail were frayed and messy, her eyes the size of a ladybug. "Try and do something Rose!" Jacob ordered slamming a fist into the arm of his chair. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!" She roared back. Right after her outburst, the ship came to an immediate stop. Jacob and the bridge crew were thrown all over the place, slamming into opposite walls or consoles. Rose looked around quickly as the ships' manifest began telling her who was now dead from the sudden stop. This only increased her panic. Soon, the walls of the bridge began to dent inwards, sending bolts and sparks flying. The ship groaned as if it were mortally wounded. Rose slumped down onto her projection pad and covered her face with her hooves. This was the end, and she knew it. Everyone one board, including her, were going to die within the next five minutes. "R-Rose..." Rose looked over to Jacob. His face was bloody, a massive cut on his forehead. "Y-Yes sir...?" She asked, pain and sadness in her voice. "You're t-the worst AI I-I've served w-with..." He said as he fell silent. He said nothing after that, nor did he move. Then, as if things were hit with a light switch, everything went black for Rose. The UNSC Frigate Juniper was gone.* * * Space. Planets, moons, and stars. All orbiting their respective suns, silently turning as they went about their lives, not a worry concerning them. For a particular blue and green planet, the space above was full of bright, twinkling stars, each shining down on the planet. On the planet in a large tree, a telescope was poking out, staring at the stars above. A pony sat at the observing end of the telescope, going from it to a note pad that was hovering next to her. A quill was scratching away on the paper as she spoke in a clear, and refined tone. "The stars tonight appear to be in another constellation. This time, I'm seeing the Orion formation, along with the Treasure Chest formation. They appear to be the only ones out tonight." She said as a yawn came from her. Pulling away from the telescope, the pony rubbed her purple eyes and whipped her purple and pink highlighted hair back into its nature formation. Her tired eyes looked at the notepad, reading the notes it took. "That's good enough for tonight." She said making the quill and notepad hover over to her desk. She was about to turn away from the telescope when there was a massive red flash in the sky overhead. Immediately, she went to the eyepiece and scanned the skies. What she saw made her jaw drop. "SPIKE! WAKE UP!" She yelled upstairs. A groan replied to her. "What do you want Twilight...?" Spike asked tiredly as he stumbled down the stairs rubbing the sleep from his eye with a claw. "We need to get the others. I just saw something in the skies and it's very important!" Twilight said as she looked back into the eyepiece. She gasped in terror and ran to her front door. "LET'S GO SPIKE!" She yelled already outside. The little dragon groaned and ran after his pseudo-sister. In the skies above, a massive fireball was hurtling towards the planet, crashing through the atmosphere with no control. Pieces of it came flying off from all over it as it descended. With a mighty roar, the fireball broke through the nighttime clouds, heading right for a large forest. In a matter of seconds, the fireball impacted with a mighty explosion, slicing through the trees and fauna with ease as it rocketed across the ground, sending them flying and crashing in its wake. After a couple minutes of skidding, the massive object came to a slow stop. The front half of it peaked over the edge of a cliff, almost crashing into the Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters with one of its' large engines. Smoke slowly streamed up from the crash site. And in a nearby small town, six ponies and a small dragon were running into the forest to investigate the crash. ContactUNSC Frigate Juniper System: Unknown, Planet: Unknown Ship Status: Wrecked Sparks flew from the nearby console. Lights flickered overhead, some broken or dangling as the light struggled to maintain itself. On the floor, single bullets were scattered about the floor. Spilled rifle magazines littered the floor along with their weapon counterparts. Along with the weapons laid the bodies of five, fully armored Spartans. For a while, only the sounds of crackling sparks and the buzzing of the damaged lights. Then, a groan was heard, followed by the shifting of armor on the metal floor. Antony sat up and shook his helmeted head. He had to put a gloved hand to his visor to make sure it wasn't his head moving around, making him dizzy. Slowly, the room stopped spinning and he pulled up the vitals of his teammates. All were alive, but knocked out cold. Standing up, Antony surveyed the rest of the room, observing the condition of the room. The three technicians that assisted the Spartans were all dead, either impaled on a piece of broken metal, or suffered internal damage during the crash. Picking up his MA37 Assault Rifle, checked the magazine, and proceeded to open up communications with the Bridge. "Is anyone on the Bridge alive? This is Spartan A098." Silence came from the other end. Antony tried again. "Is anyone up there? This is Spartan A098, Commander of Gypsy Squad. Anyone?" Again, silence responded, then a faint crackle on he other end was heard. "This is the shipboard A.I. Codename: Rose. I read you Gypsy." Came a feminine voice. "What happened?" Antony asked simply. "We've crashed on an unknown planet. It's not coming up on any known planets." Rose responded. "What caused the crash? Were we attacked by Covenant?" Antony pressed on. "Negative Gypsy. Our slip-space drive began to fail, causing the field to collapse around the ship." Rose explained briefly. "That doesn't make sense. We'd all be dead right now. Not alive and crashed." Antony said a bit confused. "Listen, I could explain to you the chances of getting out of a collapsing slip-space field, but we don't have all night." Rose shot back. This took Antony off guard. Usually A.I. were always prim and proper. "Alright Rose. What do we do?" Antony asked. "I need you to retrieve me Gypsy." Rose said simply. "Sounds easy enough. Answer me this Rose." Antony replied. "How's the rest of the crew?" Rose was silent for a few moments. "Rose?" "They're all dead. Your squad is the only one left alive." She said back, her tone grim. Antony hung his head down and gave a moment of silence to the seven-hundred seventy-seven people that had passed. Picking up his head, Antony spoke again. "Alright Rose. My squad and I are on the way to retrieve you. Stay put." Antony said closing communications. After a few seconds, the rest of his squad began to stir. Jane sat up and put a hand to her exposed head, groaning as she did. "Ugh...what happened...?" "The Juniper had technical issues during flight and crash laded on an unknown planet. Gypsy is the only squad alive now, and we're going to retrieve the ships' AI. After that, I have no clue." Antony explained helping her up. "Sounds easy. Am I bleeding at all?" Jane asked. Antony looked her over and gave a thumbs up. "Alright, good. Wake up people!" She yelled putting on her EOD helmet. "No need to yell..." Derek groaned as he emerged from a pile of metal and ammo. Ghost stood up right away, brushing some dust off his shoulder pad. "You alright Ghost?" Derek asked from behind his Grenadier helmet. Ghost gave a silent nod and picked up a SRS99-AM Sniper Rifle. Another groan was heard, this time from Kathy, who was bent over a nearby console. She picked herself up and popped her back. "Good God almighty. Is everyone alright?" She asked. They all gave nods or thumbs up. "Good enough for me." She answered back picking up her M392 DMR. "So, what's the plan?" She asked Antony. "Go to the Bridge, grab the ships' AI, then find out where the hell we are." He said quickly. "Then let's go guys." Jane said grabbing dual M6C Magnums and holstering them. Derek walked past Jane quickly o the door. "Allow me." He simply said. With a forceful kick, Derek forced the pair of sliding doors out of their slotting, sending them clattering to the floor. "Very effective Derek." Antony noted. Derek chuckled and entered the hall outside, a M319 Grenade Launcher raised up to his shoulder. "Alright Gypsy. Let's go grab that AI." Antony said leading the rest of them out of the room. * * * Twilight was leading the charge. On her back sat Spike, attempting to hold onto her as she ran. Over head flew Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Behind Twilight was Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, all running after their friend. "Mind tellin' us what it was ya'll saw Twi?" Applejack called to her friend. "No time! Keep running, we're almost there!" Twilight replied to the farmpony. "Geez Twilight, just tell us!" Rainbow Dash called from above. "You'll see when we get there!" Twilight yelled out in frustration. The others decided to drop the subject right away as the trees began to become more spaced apart. The air became filled with the smell of burnt wood as they drew closer to a massive skid mark that ran right up to the massive behemoth that sat before them. Gasping, Twilight stopped right away and pointed at the monstrosity. "What is that thing?" She asked, horror and fear filling her voice. "Does it look like any of us know, Twi?" Applejack asked, a deadpanned expression on her face. "Come on, let's go check it out!" Rainbow said rushing towards the massive object. "Whoa there Rainbow! Are you serious? We have no clue what that is!" Twilight said using her magic to grab the tip of Rainbows' tail. Rainbow glared back at the purple unicorn. "We're not gonna figure out what it is by standing around, are we?" Rainbow asked deadpanned. Twilight sighed in defeat. "You're right. Let's go, but we stay close, got it?" She asked the others. They all nodded in silence and they began their investigation. * * * The pair of sliding doors that lead to the Bridge began to creak open, a pair of gloved hands prying the twin doors apart with a grunt. Immediately, the power surged through and the doors opened up, showing the Spartans of Gypsy Squad standing in the door way. immediately they filed in and looked about the wrecked Bridge. "Captain's dead." Derek grunted closing Jacobs' lifeless eyes with a gloved hand. "Along with the rest of the crew, smart ass." Jane snapped. "Hey, hey! No need for hostility. Where's that A.I.?" Antony asked. As if on que, a cough was heard from the direction of the Captains' Chair. "I'm right here Gypsy." She said sitting on her haunches. The Spartans approached her and looked down at the A.I. pony. "A pony? Seriously?" Kathy asked unimpressed. Roses' eyes went downcast at this remark. "Hey, A.I. come in various forms." Jane snapped to the other Spartan. "I know, but still. Seems kinda, childish, don't you think?" Kathy asked. Rose only slunk lover and had covered her face with her holographic hooves. "Knock it off Kathy. Look at Rose. She's not liking your tone. Don't worry Rose, you're coming with me." Antony said pulling Roses' chip and installing it into the rear slot of his helmet. "Thank you Commander." Rose said as she uploaded into his suits' systems. "Alright Gypsy. What's the plan?" She asked with a happy tone. "Well, I guess the only thing now is to leave the ship in a Transport Warthog and recon the area." Derek suggested. "Seems like that's the only reasonable thing to do. Alright, Gypsy, to the Vehicle Bay." Antony ordered. The other Spartans nodded and the squad proceeded to leave the bridge. * * * The ponies had been milling about the large wreck for a couple of hours now, investigating it and what it could be. Currently, Applejack was standing next to the massive mountain of metal, tapping it with a hoof. "Well, it's metal. Whole lot of it though." She said casting her gaze up to the massive white insignia of a white eagle with the letters 'UNSC' under it. "What do ya'll think UNSC stands fer?" She added looking to the others. "Beats me AJ." Rainbow said landing next to her. "But I can tell you this thing is huge! It's almost going over the edge of the cliff!" "Yuck! This color is absolutely disgusting! If anything is going to be made of metal, it should be bright and vibrant, with curves! Not brown and bulky!" Rarity said giving a disgusted look at the metal behemoth. "Rarity, we're encountering alien life and all you can think of is its' appearance?" Twilight asked raising an eyebrow. "Oh. My. Gosh guys! I could put all of PonyVille in this thing and throw the biggest party ever!" Pinkie Pie said bouncing around what looked like a massive door. "How do we enter this thing?" Twilight asked herself aloud looking around for an entrance of sorts. Suddenly, a massive groan was hear and movement was seen. The ponies all looked to the opening black maw in the back of the behemoth. A ramp of sorts lowered onto the ground and multiple white eyes shinned from the darkness inside. The ponies gasped as a roar was heard from inside along with the lights. * * * It took almost two hours for the five Spartans of Gypsy Squad to navigate the twisted metal halls of the Juniper down to the Vehicle Bay. Upon arrival, it took about ten minutes to find a working Transport 'Hog and get it onto its' wheels and for all of them to climb in. "Alright Rose, open the Bay Door." Antony ordered. "Establishing connection to the mechanics now. Door is opening." Rose said tonelessly. The metal groaned and the hydraulic pumps hissed in effort to open the large Vehicle Bay door with little power. Once the door became a ramp, Antony started up the Warthog. The lights flared to life and he revved the engine, causing the Warthog to roar with its' familiar sound. "And we're rolling!" Derek said with a chuckle. The Warthog lurched forward and proceeded out of the Vehicle Bay. Suddenly, Rose gasped. "Commander! Stop! NOW!" She yelled. The Warthog flew out of the Vehicle Bay, but Antony had to slam on the brakes at Roses' sudden terror. "What is it Rose? Contacts?" Antony asked. "You...you could say that..." She replied a bit warily. "Look out in front of the Hog..." She added. Antony sat up a bit in the driver seat. He turned on the Warthogs' All-Terrain lights, illuminating the ground before them, illuminating six colorful objects. "What the..." On the ground sat six ponies, all shaking in terror, looking to the Warthog and its passengers, their eyes full of fear and curiosity. RescueSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.War in SancturarySomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.SeperationSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chaos ReignsA golden beam of energy slams into the ceramic tiling of the Great Hall, creating a blackened crater. Another blast impacts the white wall leaving it cracked and smoking. A blinding flash of light, and the sounds of a body hitting the floor is heard, along with the clattering of a crown. On the ground laid Princess Celestia. Above her, smiling maliciously, was Discord. Celestia was tired, and it showed. Fighting the Draconequus took a lot out of the Princess, leaving her weak and exhausted. Discord laughed as Celestia attempted to stand up, but her legs gave out and she slumped to the floor. "Why don't you just give up Celestia? Can't you see that I've finally won back power?" Discord asked as he ran a talon on his eagle claw under the Princess' chin. "I will not give up. I will defeat you, and when I do, I'll make sure you're broken into pieces when you're a statue." Celestia threatened. Discord pulled away, a fake look of terror plastered on his face. "Oh no! Celestia's giving death threats! I'm so scared!" He taunted. Celestia growled at his mockery of her and attempted to stand once again. Discord simply smacked her back down with his lions' paw and glared. "Listen here, Sun Butt, you've lost, I've won. It's all over for you and your precious little ponies. After I'm done with you, I'm going after your six little heroes. And believe me, you don't want to know what I'm going to do with them when I get my mitts on them." He said, a malicious sneer curling across his lips. Celestias' pupils shrunk to the size of pin-pricks. He was not only threatening her, but her subjects lives and innocence now? This madness had to stop; right here, right now. Slowly standing up, Celestias' threatened to give out once again. But she wouldn't allow that. Her mane hung limply by her side, devoid of the flowing and life in it. "I'm going to stop you Discord." She said determined, a piercing glare coming from her eyes. Discord laughed and wiped away a tear. "I'm just shocked at how stupid you really are! The Princess of the Sun, of all ponies!" He said between laughs. Celestia continued to glare at him. "Ooo, sooo scary!" Discord mocked. "This is no joke Discord. I'm stopping you right here, right now." Celestia said as her horn began to glow a faint red. "Oh? And how, exactly, are you going to do that?" He asked, fake interest on his face. "With my fail-safe spell." Celestia said with a smirk as the red around her horn began to grow darker, flaring out as it did. "The Summoning of the Giants." Blinding red light consumed the room, and Discord gasped in surprise. Celestia cried out in pain as the spell worked her body into overdrive as it powered the spell. Then, as quickly as the spell started, it ended. Celestia fell to the ground and panted heavily. Her tired eyes looked about for the Giants, but none were present. Her fail-safe had, well, failed. Tears began to form in her eyes; Equestria was lost. Discord sat up from his spot on the floor and looked about. A wicked laugh began to come from him as he observed the lack of Giants in the room. He continued to laugh as he stood and walked over to Celestia. He knelt down to her and his laughing soon ended. "Looks like your little magic trick went up in smoke. I was very impressed with the power coming from it, but the results failed to impress me. Looks like you've failed Celestia." Discord said smirking. Celestia spat on Discord and he wiped it away with disgust. "Burn in Tartarus, you son of a-" But she was cut off when Discord punched her. "Now now Celestia. No need to act brash." He said with a scowl to her. Celestia spat out a little blood onto the floor. Discord stood and walked away from the Goddess a little bit before turning to her again. "You're familiar with the Cockatrice, right?" He asked. Celestia managed a simple nod. "Good, then you should know that when somepony looks at it, they turn to stone." He asked. Celestia nodded again. "Good. Now, I'm going to turn you to stone, like you did me, and I'll make you a public statue to your ponies to see that their leader has fallen!" Discord said as he rushed up to Celestia and began to stare intensely into her eyes. Celestia gasped and tried to avoid eye contact, but Discord grabbed her by the sides of her face, making her stare. Eventually, everything went dark for Celestia. Discord stood and smiled. He had finally won. He finally had control over Equestria once again. Oh, the madness and chaos he'd be able to spread amongst the inhabitants of the land now! Snapping his fingers, he and Celestia teleported to the center of Canterlot. Ponies around them gasped as they looked at the Draconequus and the stone Goddess. "Citizens of Canterlot! Look before you, at your fallen leader! And look, to your new ruler! Equestria is under my control now! And with this new management, comes new chaos and nonsense! Enjoy your normalcy while it lasts, my little ponies, for it will never return!" And with that, Discord vanished, leaving Celestias' stone form on the ground. Ponies gathered round the statue. Some began to cry. Others gasped in shock. "We have to all get home and stay inside! Canterlot will be Discords' playground soon!" A stallion proclaimed to the others. They all nodded, except for a few. "NO! We must fight back! Get him to return Princess Celestia to normal!" A young stallion said. "High Society, hush! There is no way we'd win against him!" a mare yelled. Soon, the crowd began to bicker and yell. This was the beginning of the chaos and mistrust amongst the higher echelon on Canterlot. A little filly was laying beside Celestia's laying form as tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked up to her mother with tear streaked cheeks. "Mama, will Pwincess Cewestria come back?" She asked. Her mother knelt down and picked her up. "I'm afraid not, my little filly." She whispered to the child. "But why, Mama?" She asked. "Because we've lost..." her mothers sighed. The two turned away and walked home. A single tear rolled down Celestias' stone cheek and dripped to the ground with a single splash.
DepartureEpsilon Eridani system, Planet Reach. 0200 Hours, UNSC Firgate FG-115 Juniper on station. With a mighty buck shot, the holographic Elite target fell, vanishing from sight. Clanking boots ran past the defeated target in a blur of sage and silver. An empty buckshot cartridge clattered to the aluminum-alloy floor as the sounds of a new buckshot being chambered was heard. Three Grunt targets popped up now, each being dispatched with a single shot from a M6G Magnum. The blur continued to roar past the fallen targets, bullet casing in being left in its wake. The blur came upon a semi-large and rotund room. In the center, a holographic Wraith tank hovered there. Immediately, the training rounds erupted from the Wraith and the blur dodged to the left, circling the holo-Wraith as it ran. Upon reaching the rear of the Wraith, the blur hopped onto it, and threw a M9 frag grenade inside the engine. With a simple dismount and small dash, the blur reached the end of the course and hit the timers' 'Stop' button right as the Wraith exploded into holographic debris. A light Ping was heard, signalling the end and completion of the training course. The blur was now visible and not a complete array of sage and silver. The Spartan stood at seven feet even. Its armor was somewhat bulky and large, natural for the CQC/CQB-type Spartan IIIs. The Spartans' Sage CQB helmet came off, revealing a young man with brown hair, in a high and tight cut, and blue eyes. A scar on his upper lip showed he'd been in at least one bad situation before. He slung his M45 Shotgun onto his back and holstered the M6G Magnum. He looked to the time board and grinned as his designation, A098, was placed on top of the leader board with a time of thirty-five seconds flat. Below his rank was C935 with a time of forty-one seconds. "Well done Captain." a feminine voice said from behind. The Spartan turned and saw Kathy, Spartan C935. She wore the standard issue Recon armor. It complemented her light figure with its smallness and stealth capabilities. "How many times do I have to tell you, just call me Antony." Antony said. He didn't need to see Kathy's' face to know she was smiling. "I do it because it bugs you." She said playfully. "Uh huh, sure. Hey, where are the others?" Antony asked as he placed his helmet on the table. He grabbed a nearby rag and began to clean the camera attached to the side of his helmet. "They're down in the Mess Hall. Might want to hurry though; Derek has almost claimed all of the meatloaf." Kathy warned. "It's Meatloaf Monday?" Antony asked, his eyes sparkling a bit. When your best non-Spartan friend becomes a cook and makes one hell of a good meatloaf, you never miss out on it. Kathy's' Recon helmet gave a slight nod and she chuckled. "It's pretty much the only good food on this ship." She said grabbing a M392 DMR from a nearby weapons rack. Antony looked at her, confused at first, then smiled. "You're not going to beat my time, you know." He warned. "Oh yeah? Just watch me." Kathy teased. "Can't. Gotta eat. I'll see you later." Antony said as he stored his weapons. He approached the door and turned to watch Kathy hit the 'Start' button on the timer and dash off into the course, her DMR raised. Antony smiled, shook his head, then left the training course. * * * After a ten minute commute from the ships' gym to the Mess Hall, Antony entered the cafeteria to the usual sounds of chatter, knives and forks, and the occasional laugh. He scanned the room and found the rest of his team sitting at their usual table. One of them, Jane, smiled and waved over to him. He raised a hand, showing he saw her, and entered the lunch line. In front of him, a couple of ODSTs were waiting on the cook to give them their lunch, and they were getting irritated. "Come on Turtle! You take forever on Meatloaf Mondays!" One called out, a scowl etched on his face. "If you want the meatloaf to be good, then be patient, Walsky!" the cook called out. "Hurry it up Jenkins! No wonder you're called 'Turtle'." the other ODST yelled. Antony cleared his throat and the two ODSTs looked beside them and sneered. "What do you want, chuckle fuck?" Walsky asked rapping a knuckle on Antony's chest piece. "Show a little respect for the cook." He said monotoned, his eyes drilling deep into the ODST. "Ooo, so scary! Big, mean ol' Mister Spartan here wants me to show Turtle some respect!" Walsky said laugh as he pointed a thumb at Antony. Glancing at the thumb, Antony squared his jaw, grabbed the thumb, and broke it. The ODST ceased laughing and he began to cry out in pain as Antony slowly turned the broken digit. A sadistic smile broke across Antony's lips as the ODST struggled in his grasp. Antony released the ODST and the soldier clutched his broken thumb. His friend stared wide-eyed at Antony, his jaw moving a bit in an attempt to say something. "Would you like a matching broken thumb to go with your boyfriend here?" Antony asked. The ODST shook his head quietly and guided Walsky out of the cafeteria. "I'll get you back, freak!" Walsky yelled as he passed the doorway. "Empty threats!" Antony called back in a sing-song tone, then turning to the line. Behind the counter stood a young man, about in his early twenties. "Heya' Tony! Nice work on that Helljumper." he said. "Thanks Jenkins. So, I heard it was meatloaf today?" Antony asked slapping his hands together and rubbing them together. "Yes sir! Fresh loaf too! You get first slices." Jenkins said as he cut and served his legendary meatloaf to the Spartan. Antony took the tray back and smiled. "Thanks Jenkins." He said nodding to the young cook as he walked out of the line. "See ya' around Tony!" Jenkins said with a smile. He turned to the other soldiers in the line. "Alright, who's next?" * * * Antony navigated the maze of tables and chairs towards his own table. At the table sat Jane; Spartan B004, Derek; Spartan A666, and Ghost; Spartan A001. They all looked at Antony as he sat down took his first bite of lunch. A smile came to him as he chewed. "Mmm. I don't know what it is, but Jenkins makes a mean meatloaf." He said taking another bite. "Afternoon to you to, Sir." Jane said smiling a bit as her Captain ate. Derek let out a chuckle. "Sir, may I ask as to why you're still in your armor? It's leisure hours." he asked. "I came straight from the course here. Didn't get a chance to change out." Antony said taking another bite and a swig of water. "Besides; Ghost is always in his armor." He added pointing a finger at their teammate. "Well, that's because we think he was born in it. He'd tell us, but he's always quiet. Kinda like Snake Eyes." Jane said as she smiled at her reference to that old twentieth-century cartoon. Ghost simply stared at them all from behind his black-visored Scout helmet. "Not eating, are ya' Ghost?" Derek asked. The Spartan in question simply shook his head slowly in response. "Where's Kathy?" Jane asked Antony. "Down at the course. Trying to beat my time after I beat hers." He said pushing away his empty tray. "You beat her time?" Derek asked, his jaw slightly slacked. Antony nodded as a smug smile came to him. "Yup. Shotgun, Magnum, and one Grenade. No armor abilities. Thirty-five seconds flat." He said. A small round of applause came form the other three. "Nice run, Sir." Derek said. "Not so fast team." Came another feminine voice. They all turned to see Kathy standing there in her armors' black under suit, a smirk planted on her lips. "I beat your time Antony." She said simply. "What?" Antony asked, a bit dumbstruck. "Thirty-four seconds. By one second." She said pointing a thumb to herself. "You should've stuck around. It was an amazing run." She said a bit snobbishly. Antony scowled a bit at Kathy. She simply laughed at him, wiping a tear away. "Oh, the look on your face. Anyway, I have a message from the Captain. We're going into Slip-Space in ten minutes. He wants us combat ready for when we reach out destination." She said, a serious tone coming to her voice. "Where are we going?" Derek asked raising an eyebrow. "Outter colony world. Been having some Insurrection issues as of late. The Juniper has been tasked with providing protection from Insurrectionists." Kathy explained. "So we're playing bodyguard?" Jane asked. "Looks like it. Come on, we need to go suit up. He wanted us ready five minutes ago." Kathy said turning to leave. The others all got up and walked out with her. * * * Captain Jacob Faust stood on the bridge of the Juniper with his hands clasped tightly behind his back. He stared out of the view ports into space as his bridge crew made the preparations for Slip-Space. Beside him sat an AI projection pedestal. It hummed as a white light blinked on the projector. Suddenly, the white light began to take form. First came the basic shape; an animal with four legs. Then it began to take on a sharper look. The mane and tail came into form, curly, long, and red. The snout became more curved and feminine looking. Finally, a pair of rose red eyes opened. The pony AI looked up at Jacob and spoke in a crisp, English accent. "Good afternoon Captain." She said. Jacob sighed and continued to stare ahead. "Good afternoon Rose." He muttered. He hated that AI, ever since he learned that an old ancestor of his had created a children's show based on ponies; the kind Rose had been modeled after. His family name was, and always will be, linked to those damned twentieth-century ponies. "Is something the matter, Captain?" Rose asked tilting her head a bit. "Not at all Rose. Are the Combat Teams geared up?" Jacob asked still not looking to her. "Yes sir. Gipsy Squad, led by Captain Antony, was the final squad to report in that they are ready. Stations across the ship have reported that they are slip-space ready." She informed him. "Lieutenant Capone. Is the Slip-Space drive ready?" Jacob asked looking to a young woman who was scanning the screen before her. "Yes sir. The drive is at one-hundred percent and ready to go." She responded. "Send us under way then." Jacob said waving a hand forward. In front of the ship, small lights began to form, and soon a massive black hole opened up, and the Frigates' engine roared to life, thrusting the ship towards the slip-space hole. "That is all Rose. You are dismissed." Jacob said sparing a glance to the AI. Jade nodded, a saddened look coming to her and she slowly faded. Jacob let out a frustrated sigh as she vanished. He needed to send in a new AI Request form. * * * The Juniper had been in Slip-Space for about two days now. The trip would take five days to reach the distressed planets' location. Rose sat in her private storage chamber, scanning information being relayed from each sensor on the ship. Slip-Space maintainers, engine power, Cryo-Bay statuses; all of it was relayed to her. As she read the reports, a second screen nearby was playing My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Rose felt it was somewhat of an origin for her, and she grew to like the show. The current episode was Lesson Zero; one of her favorites. The show went on as background noise as she did her duties. Suddenly, a warning appeared. It flashed in giant red text, stating that the slip-space field around the ship was beginning to collapse. Rose began to panic as she exited her show and the other reports and manifested at the Bridge. She looked outside and expected a blue tube that the ship was going through. She couldn't be more wrong. The usually blue tube was now a menacing red, and it was slowly starting to shrink around the ship. Rose raised the alarms and buzzed for the Captain. "CAPTAIN FAUST, EMERGENCY!" She yelled. "What in the hell do you want!?" Faust roared. "Why are the alarms going off!?" "The slip-space field is collapsing around the ship, sir!" Rose said, her pupils the size of pin-pricks. Jacobs' voice became serious now. "I'll be up in three minutes. Try to stabilize the field until I arrive." he said closing communications. Rose looked up to see the bridge crew rushing to their stations. A few minutes later, Jacob entered the bridge and took his seat. "Give me a solution people." He ordered. "Sir, the field is rapidly closing. I've tried my best at maintaining the field, but it's done nothing!" Rose said as more warnings popped up before her, only increasing her panic. She now looked like Insane Twilight from Lesson Zero, her holographic mane and tail were frayed and messy, her eyes the size of a ladybug. "Try and do something Rose!" Jacob ordered slamming a fist into the arm of his chair. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!" She roared back. Right after her outburst, the ship came to an immediate stop. Jacob and the bridge crew were thrown all over the place, slamming into opposite walls or consoles. Rose looked around quickly as the ships' manifest began telling her who was now dead from the sudden stop. This only increased her panic. Soon, the walls of the bridge began to dent inwards, sending bolts and sparks flying. The ship groaned as if it were mortally wounded. Rose slumped down onto her projection pad and covered her face with her hooves. This was the end, and she knew it. Everyone one board, including her, were going to die within the next five minutes. "R-Rose..." Rose looked over to Jacob. His face was bloody, a massive cut on his forehead. "Y-Yes sir...?" She asked, pain and sadness in her voice. "You're t-the worst AI I-I've served w-with..." He said as he fell silent. He said nothing after that, nor did he move. Then, as if things were hit with a light switch, everything went black for Rose. The UNSC Frigate Juniper was gone.* * * Space. Planets, moons, and stars. All orbiting their respective suns, silently turning as they went about their lives, not a worry concerning them. For a particular blue and green planet, the space above was full of bright, twinkling stars, each shining down on the planet. On the planet in a large tree, a telescope was poking out, staring at the stars above. A pony sat at the observing end of the telescope, going from it to a note pad that was hovering next to her. A quill was scratching away on the paper as she spoke in a clear, and refined tone. "The stars tonight appear to be in another constellation. This time, I'm seeing the Orion formation, along with the Treasure Chest formation. They appear to be the only ones out tonight." She said as a yawn came from her. Pulling away from the telescope, the pony rubbed her purple eyes and whipped her purple and pink highlighted hair back into its nature formation. Her tired eyes looked at the notepad, reading the notes it took. "That's good enough for tonight." She said making the quill and notepad hover over to her desk. She was about to turn away from the telescope when there was a massive red flash in the sky overhead. Immediately, she went to the eyepiece and scanned the skies. What she saw made her jaw drop. "SPIKE! WAKE UP!" She yelled upstairs. A groan replied to her. "What do you want Twilight...?" Spike asked tiredly as he stumbled down the stairs rubbing the sleep from his eye with a claw. "We need to get the others. I just saw something in the skies and it's very important!" Twilight said as she looked back into the eyepiece. She gasped in terror and ran to her front door. "LET'S GO SPIKE!" She yelled already outside. The little dragon groaned and ran after his pseudo-sister. In the skies above, a massive fireball was hurtling towards the planet, crashing through the atmosphere with no control. Pieces of it came flying off from all over it as it descended. With a mighty roar, the fireball broke through the nighttime clouds, heading right for a large forest. In a matter of seconds, the fireball impacted with a mighty explosion, slicing through the trees and fauna with ease as it rocketed across the ground, sending them flying and crashing in its wake. After a couple minutes of skidding, the massive object came to a slow stop. The front half of it peaked over the edge of a cliff, almost crashing into the Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters with one of its' large engines. Smoke slowly streamed up from the crash site. And in a nearby small town, six ponies and a small dragon were running into the forest to investigate the crash.
ContactUNSC Frigate Juniper System: Unknown, Planet: Unknown Ship Status: Wrecked Sparks flew from the nearby console. Lights flickered overhead, some broken or dangling as the light struggled to maintain itself. On the floor, single bullets were scattered about the floor. Spilled rifle magazines littered the floor along with their weapon counterparts. Along with the weapons laid the bodies of five, fully armored Spartans. For a while, only the sounds of crackling sparks and the buzzing of the damaged lights. Then, a groan was heard, followed by the shifting of armor on the metal floor. Antony sat up and shook his helmeted head. He had to put a gloved hand to his visor to make sure it wasn't his head moving around, making him dizzy. Slowly, the room stopped spinning and he pulled up the vitals of his teammates. All were alive, but knocked out cold. Standing up, Antony surveyed the rest of the room, observing the condition of the room. The three technicians that assisted the Spartans were all dead, either impaled on a piece of broken metal, or suffered internal damage during the crash. Picking up his MA37 Assault Rifle, checked the magazine, and proceeded to open up communications with the Bridge. "Is anyone on the Bridge alive? This is Spartan A098." Silence came from the other end. Antony tried again. "Is anyone up there? This is Spartan A098, Commander of Gypsy Squad. Anyone?" Again, silence responded, then a faint crackle on he other end was heard. "This is the shipboard A.I. Codename: Rose. I read you Gypsy." Came a feminine voice. "What happened?" Antony asked simply. "We've crashed on an unknown planet. It's not coming up on any known planets." Rose responded. "What caused the crash? Were we attacked by Covenant?" Antony pressed on. "Negative Gypsy. Our slip-space drive began to fail, causing the field to collapse around the ship." Rose explained briefly. "That doesn't make sense. We'd all be dead right now. Not alive and crashed." Antony said a bit confused. "Listen, I could explain to you the chances of getting out of a collapsing slip-space field, but we don't have all night." Rose shot back. This took Antony off guard. Usually A.I. were always prim and proper. "Alright Rose. What do we do?" Antony asked. "I need you to retrieve me Gypsy." Rose said simply. "Sounds easy enough. Answer me this Rose." Antony replied. "How's the rest of the crew?" Rose was silent for a few moments. "Rose?" "They're all dead. Your squad is the only one left alive." She said back, her tone grim. Antony hung his head down and gave a moment of silence to the seven-hundred seventy-seven people that had passed. Picking up his head, Antony spoke again. "Alright Rose. My squad and I are on the way to retrieve you. Stay put." Antony said closing communications. After a few seconds, the rest of his squad began to stir. Jane sat up and put a hand to her exposed head, groaning as she did. "Ugh...what happened...?" "The Juniper had technical issues during flight and crash laded on an unknown planet. Gypsy is the only squad alive now, and we're going to retrieve the ships' AI. After that, I have no clue." Antony explained helping her up. "Sounds easy. Am I bleeding at all?" Jane asked. Antony looked her over and gave a thumbs up. "Alright, good. Wake up people!" She yelled putting on her EOD helmet. "No need to yell..." Derek groaned as he emerged from a pile of metal and ammo. Ghost stood up right away, brushing some dust off his shoulder pad. "You alright Ghost?" Derek asked from behind his Grenadier helmet. Ghost gave a silent nod and picked up a SRS99-AM Sniper Rifle. Another groan was heard, this time from Kathy, who was bent over a nearby console. She picked herself up and popped her back. "Good God almighty. Is everyone alright?" She asked. They all gave nods or thumbs up. "Good enough for me." She answered back picking up her M392 DMR. "So, what's the plan?" She asked Antony. "Go to the Bridge, grab the ships' AI, then find out where the hell we are." He said quickly. "Then let's go guys." Jane said grabbing dual M6C Magnums and holstering them. Derek walked past Jane quickly o the door. "Allow me." He simply said. With a forceful kick, Derek forced the pair of sliding doors out of their slotting, sending them clattering to the floor. "Very effective Derek." Antony noted. Derek chuckled and entered the hall outside, a M319 Grenade Launcher raised up to his shoulder. "Alright Gypsy. Let's go grab that AI." Antony said leading the rest of them out of the room. * * * Twilight was leading the charge. On her back sat Spike, attempting to hold onto her as she ran. Over head flew Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Behind Twilight was Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, all running after their friend. "Mind tellin' us what it was ya'll saw Twi?" Applejack called to her friend. "No time! Keep running, we're almost there!" Twilight replied to the farmpony. "Geez Twilight, just tell us!" Rainbow Dash called from above. "You'll see when we get there!" Twilight yelled out in frustration. The others decided to drop the subject right away as the trees began to become more spaced apart. The air became filled with the smell of burnt wood as they drew closer to a massive skid mark that ran right up to the massive behemoth that sat before them. Gasping, Twilight stopped right away and pointed at the monstrosity. "What is that thing?" She asked, horror and fear filling her voice. "Does it look like any of us know, Twi?" Applejack asked, a deadpanned expression on her face. "Come on, let's go check it out!" Rainbow said rushing towards the massive object. "Whoa there Rainbow! Are you serious? We have no clue what that is!" Twilight said using her magic to grab the tip of Rainbows' tail. Rainbow glared back at the purple unicorn. "We're not gonna figure out what it is by standing around, are we?" Rainbow asked deadpanned. Twilight sighed in defeat. "You're right. Let's go, but we stay close, got it?" She asked the others. They all nodded in silence and they began their investigation. * * * The pair of sliding doors that lead to the Bridge began to creak open, a pair of gloved hands prying the twin doors apart with a grunt. Immediately, the power surged through and the doors opened up, showing the Spartans of Gypsy Squad standing in the door way. immediately they filed in and looked about the wrecked Bridge. "Captain's dead." Derek grunted closing Jacobs' lifeless eyes with a gloved hand. "Along with the rest of the crew, smart ass." Jane snapped. "Hey, hey! No need for hostility. Where's that A.I.?" Antony asked. As if on que, a cough was heard from the direction of the Captains' Chair. "I'm right here Gypsy." She said sitting on her haunches. The Spartans approached her and looked down at the A.I. pony. "A pony? Seriously?" Kathy asked unimpressed. Roses' eyes went downcast at this remark. "Hey, A.I. come in various forms." Jane snapped to the other Spartan. "I know, but still. Seems kinda, childish, don't you think?" Kathy asked. Rose only slunk lover and had covered her face with her holographic hooves. "Knock it off Kathy. Look at Rose. She's not liking your tone. Don't worry Rose, you're coming with me." Antony said pulling Roses' chip and installing it into the rear slot of his helmet. "Thank you Commander." Rose said as she uploaded into his suits' systems. "Alright Gypsy. What's the plan?" She asked with a happy tone. "Well, I guess the only thing now is to leave the ship in a Transport Warthog and recon the area." Derek suggested. "Seems like that's the only reasonable thing to do. Alright, Gypsy, to the Vehicle Bay." Antony ordered. The other Spartans nodded and the squad proceeded to leave the bridge. * * * The ponies had been milling about the large wreck for a couple of hours now, investigating it and what it could be. Currently, Applejack was standing next to the massive mountain of metal, tapping it with a hoof. "Well, it's metal. Whole lot of it though." She said casting her gaze up to the massive white insignia of a white eagle with the letters 'UNSC' under it. "What do ya'll think UNSC stands fer?" She added looking to the others. "Beats me AJ." Rainbow said landing next to her. "But I can tell you this thing is huge! It's almost going over the edge of the cliff!" "Yuck! This color is absolutely disgusting! If anything is going to be made of metal, it should be bright and vibrant, with curves! Not brown and bulky!" Rarity said giving a disgusted look at the metal behemoth. "Rarity, we're encountering alien life and all you can think of is its' appearance?" Twilight asked raising an eyebrow. "Oh. My. Gosh guys! I could put all of PonyVille in this thing and throw the biggest party ever!" Pinkie Pie said bouncing around what looked like a massive door. "How do we enter this thing?" Twilight asked herself aloud looking around for an entrance of sorts. Suddenly, a massive groan was hear and movement was seen. The ponies all looked to the opening black maw in the back of the behemoth. A ramp of sorts lowered onto the ground and multiple white eyes shinned from the darkness inside. The ponies gasped as a roar was heard from inside along with the lights. * * * It took almost two hours for the five Spartans of Gypsy Squad to navigate the twisted metal halls of the Juniper down to the Vehicle Bay. Upon arrival, it took about ten minutes to find a working Transport 'Hog and get it onto its' wheels and for all of them to climb in. "Alright Rose, open the Bay Door." Antony ordered. "Establishing connection to the mechanics now. Door is opening." Rose said tonelessly. The metal groaned and the hydraulic pumps hissed in effort to open the large Vehicle Bay door with little power. Once the door became a ramp, Antony started up the Warthog. The lights flared to life and he revved the engine, causing the Warthog to roar with its' familiar sound. "And we're rolling!" Derek said with a chuckle. The Warthog lurched forward and proceeded out of the Vehicle Bay. Suddenly, Rose gasped. "Commander! Stop! NOW!" She yelled. The Warthog flew out of the Vehicle Bay, but Antony had to slam on the brakes at Roses' sudden terror. "What is it Rose? Contacts?" Antony asked. "You...you could say that..." She replied a bit warily. "Look out in front of the Hog..." She added. Antony sat up a bit in the driver seat. He turned on the Warthogs' All-Terrain lights, illuminating the ground before them, illuminating six colorful objects. "What the..." On the ground sat six ponies, all shaking in terror, looking to the Warthog and its passengers, their eyes full of fear and curiosity.
