Prologue: Did I Ever Tell You That?
I loved you. Did I ever tell you that? Much is lost with time, yet so much remains. Like you and I. And yes, my love remains as well. If I never told you, I apologize. If there's any part of you that yet remains, please know that I still love you. But I have not forgotten my duty. Which is why I will not rest until everything you loved is destroyed.
They were our most sworn enemies. They fought against us, fought against what we protected, fought against themselves, fought against everything and even fought against the inevitable. They are chaos, we are order. There is a place for them and your task was finished after you Indexed the last of them. The Mantle is our responsibility, always was our responsibility, not theirs. Yet you kept doing so much more, giving them a Geas, protecting them, sacrificing everything you had just to save them. After all this time, your legacy survives to blight everything we stand for. I imagine if you still breathed, you'd be smiling. As always.
I must admit, I find them inspiring in a way. Their courage, tenacity, ambition, it's all very remarkable. It survived everything from the parasite to our own judgment and even Indexing. The three of us are all very alike; Forerunners, parasite and humans. We refuse to allow ourselves to be defeated but only one can hold the Mantle. I refuse to let it be either of the hungry ones; we were the most worthy. Even in death, that is more evident now than ever. The fact remains: we were the only ones that were worthy. Until now.
At last, I realize what it is you want. You want them to take up the Mantle. You gave them everything, showed them the steps on the Great Journey we were supposed to take together. It was our destiny, not theirs. And even on the edge of defeat, as you Indexed every other race beyond the Line, you stacked the deck not in our favor but in theirs. You never intended for us to win or even survive. You wanted them to be Forerunners. Out of all the creatures in the galaxy, you chose our enemies. After all this time, I finally understand why you ordained they would be the Reclaimers.
They were your favorites.
There was a lot we didn't tell each other. We had our duties and spent time together so there wasn't a need for words. I suppose I should be expecting you to surprise me every now and then. Maybe I can still give you a surprise or two. I know there was much I never told you but I hope I remembered to tell you I love you. And I still do. But I know there's one thing I am certain of after all this time, one thing I never told you.
I have my own favorites. And it is time for them to take up the Mantle.
Canterlot Castle, Equestria
The night sky sparkled high overhead. All clouds had been cleared so the expanse of stars stretched out and shone brightly, uninhibited and unobstructed. The stars practically illuminated the castle courtyard themselves but they were outshone by one very bright object amongst them: the moon.
Princess Luna trotted with a happy, almost giddy spring in her hoofsteps as she and her sister walked down the steps to the courtyard.
"You've taken very good care of it," Luna said, looking up at the night sky. "Did I ever tell you that?"
Celestia looked over to her. "Taken care of what?"
"My moon," she replied happily. "It's absolutely beautiful. I can tell you took very good care of it in my absence."
"Oh," Celestia almost blushed but she returned the smile. "Of course. I thought of you... every night when I raised it," her tone was a tad sorrowful. It had been Celestia's duty to raise both the sun and the moon in the thousand years before Luna returned. Unfortunately, it had been a duty acquired after she was forced to banish her sister into the moon itself centuries ago. It was something she still regretted to this day, even as she was happy to have her sister back and redeemed. The lonely nights she raised the moon alone still caused a dull feeling to form in Celestia's throat and chest.
But tonight was a night for celebration and Luna reminded her older sister of that. "I could think of nopony else I would want taking care of the moon in my stead. Thank you so much, Tia," she said, stopping to hold her sister's hoof.
Celestia practically had tears in her eyes. "It will always belong to you, though. And tonight, I'm making sure it shines extra bright for the occasion."
Luna's eyes practically lit up. "You're making the moon shine brighter?"
Her older sister nodded. "I positioned the sun so the moon would reflect a little more light this evening," she smiled. "It is a special occasion; we don't get nights like this very often."
The younger sister hugged the white alicorn. "Oh, thank you so much, Tia. It looks beautiful."
Celestia hugged her back and for a moment, all was quiet as the two embraced. "You're welcome. Happy birthday, Lulu."
At the front of the courtyard, Twilight caught a glimpse of the two princesses embracing as she and her friends arrived. Among the first guests to arrive, they passed through the gates and walked the cobblestone paths through the entrance.
"Stars sure are bright out tonight," Applejack said, looking up.
"The castle looks absolutely dazzling as well," Rarity commented. Most of the lights in the castle were dimmed; the only light in the courtyard came from the few lanterns hanging on the corners of the wall. The entire space was illuminated by the pale glow of the moon overhead giving the landscape an other-worldly beauty.
Twilight noticed herself as they entered the courtyard. "I think they even left the lamps unlit so you can see the stars better."
Pinkie Pie nodded, bouncing merrily. "And it'll be easier to see the fireworks when they get started!"
"That's not the only thing you'll be seeing," Rainbow said, hovering close by. "Once the party really gets started, you'll see the night lit up by one of my patented Sonic Rainbooms."
AJ raised an eyebrow. "Another Sonic Rainboom?"
"At night?" Pinkie asked, curious. "Wouldn't that make it a Sonic Nightboom?"
Rainbow smiled, flying past. "You'll see..." she said with a wink.
"I just hope none of the animals are frightened by the festivities," Fluttershy commented, looking around.
Twilight giggled. "I'm sure they'll be just fine. Let's go over and see the princesses before the party starts."
"Good idea," Applejack agreed. "Gonna be a lot of ponies showin' up. Somethin' tells me this is gonna be a night to remember," she said, looking over her shoulder at the skies above.
UNSC Prowler Now You Don't
"You're crazy. Did I ever tell you that?"
Fred-104 grinned. "Many times," he replied. "You know, you could try to stop me," he looked over to her.
"Unfortunately for us both, I like crazy." Leaning against UNSC Prowler Now You Don't's bulkhead, Doctor Catherine Halsey stood with her arms folded and chuckled as she watched the Spartan continue to assemble his equipment. She could stop him if she wanted to. Not with weapons but with words, with knowledge. The Spartans were her children and she had to continue playing the part of the knowing mother to them. Especially now that there were so few of them left.
"It's not like we haven't done this before," Fred replied, donning his helmet. He preferred his traditional Mk. 6 MJOLNIR armor but this required a more specialized version. "Could've sent Bob or Cliff for this one."
"Bob-B738 and Cliff-B744 are needed to protect Earth and the fleet," Dr. Halsey said. "And me. Besides, you are better-equipped for this mission."
"Is that so?" Fred asked, smirking. "Hey, Bob? Cliff? You just hear that? Dr. Halsey says you're not equipped enough for this sortie."
"Eh, we'll stick to the cockpit anyway."
"Yeah Freddy, somebody's gotta be ready to catch you." Bob and Cliff were two specialized Spartan-IIIs piloting UNSC Sabres escorting the Prowler. Brent, an ODST pilot, was in a third Sabre just behind the Prowler. Dr. Halsey didn't have much respect for the Spartan-III program, mostly because she hadn't been involved with it. And because of Noble Team on Reach. Halsey felt a kinship with her Spartan-IIs like Fred, John, Linda and Kelly but she clearly didn't extend that to other members of the Spartan family.
"Or what about Settlement?" He looked over Dr. Halsey's shoulders at the two Hunters standing by her side. It was a bit odd seeing the letters UNSC imprinted on their shields and their Marine-green armor, but stranger things had happened lately.
"Hrrrrrnngg. Errrrrrrrrrr." The Hunters raised up and then lowered themselves into their armor, their way of saying "No thanks." Mostly, the Mgalekgolo liked to play with Admiral Anthony "Touchdown" Taylor and his daughter on Cairo Station and his ship, the UNSC carrier Friendly Advice. Halsey was borrowing them to conduct research on their armor with Virgil's help.
"Well I guess I've been out-voted," Fred said, checking his suit's systems. "Can't let John have all the fun."
The EVA MJOLNIR armor still had all the comforts of the normal suit: half a ton of protection, gel layer in the event of a breach, crystal portion for AI software and augmented hydraulics so Fred could move fluidly in it. Unlike the typical Mk. 6, the EVA variant was designed for ease of movement in the depths of space. It also included a rather large, shiny facemask on it that made it look like one of the first astronaut's helmets. On the chest appeared to be some kind of controls Fred didn't know the function of; he only noticed it because it forced him to find another place for his knife.
"John doesn't do anything he does for fun," Dr. Catherine Halsey informed him. Having seen both John and Fred raised from the age of 6, felt like more of a scientist than a parent. Able to discern her children from each other even when they wore identical suits of the armor she'd designed for them, she felt she knew her Spartans better than any other human. Even if John and Fred were almost the only ones left. The ones that weren't "missing in action", anyway.
"No... but he does have fun," Fred said, continuing to get ready. He finished preparations and stepped inside the airlock. Fred and John shared a lot of things; reflexes, nerve, endurance. They were both almost super-humans in their own right, capable of feats that seemed almost unnatural. Soldiers, leaders, Spartans, Fred and John represented the best qualities humanity could put together, heroes built to save their race. But they were not entirely alike.
John did enjoy what he did although his feelings were shielded by his duty. The war with the Covenant had taken its toll on all of them, Spartan-II's included. Still, they continued fighting whatever threat humanity faced despite losing so many of their friends. John fought on, was the true soldier humanity needed whenever they needed him. He never flinched from his duty and although he was serious all the time, Fred knew John had fun in almost every minute of it. Unlike John, Fred didn't feel the need to mask his feelings. After seeing so many friends die, Fred still hadn't forgotten his duty. But he had forgotten how to have fun. Somehow, he didn't think he was going to find it again talking with Dr. Halsey.
The airlock door closed in front of Fred. "John enjoys everything he does... that's why he's so good at it."
"Of course he's good at it," the doctor practically scoffed. "You're all the best that we could make you. It's what you were designed for, what you were made for. Being good is what you were built to do."
"Absolutely, Catherine," Fred agreed. The casual use of her first name made the graying scientist's face turn into an un-trademarked scowl. "But you weren't the only ones who built us. We also built each other, developed as a team. Sometimes, I think you forget that. You forget what real brotherhood... what real friendship means, ma'am."
"Please," Halsey couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Your friends are the results of my crimes against humanity. The Spartans are-"
"Humanity's next step?" Fred finished for her. "That's what I don't understand, Catherine. How can you know what's next for humanity... when you don't even understand what humanity is now? What we're fighting to protect right now? Maybe that's why you don't know what John's like. Why he never takes off his helmet."
Dr. Halsey stepped forward like a threatened animal. "Are you claiming you know my Spartans better than I do, Frederick?"
"No, ma'am," Fred answered. "I'm claiming you don't know us at all."
Dr. Halsey frowned and punched the button on the side of the wall with a balled fist. The door behind Fred burst open and he was blown out into space.
