As the ponies and humans walked down the corridors of the Infinity, Celestia couldn’t help but notice that the Marines and Spartans were all stern-faced, expressions ramrod straight. She looked away and at “Chris”, who apparently was the one who had initiated contact with their world. She couldn’t see his face due to his helmet being on, but she could sense his apprehension.

“We’re here. Sit yourselves down. We have a lot to discuss.”’

They had arrived at a small conference room with a long silver table and several chairs. Twilight could see the familiar outline of Roland gazing at them, and he smiled and waved at the Equestrians.

“What’s that?” Cadance asked.

“I’m Roland. The ship’s AI, at your service.”

“AI?”

“Long story. We should get started,” Chris said and everyone sat down, Rarity taking a bit longer, because she had to load her suitcase into a cabinet, but she eventually sat down.

“First off, what are those creatures that you were fighting doing here?” Cadance asked.

“We don’t know. The Covenant aren’t exactly ones for talking. They believe that the Forerunners, some ancient race, are some sort of god. They fought a thirty year war with us, with over twenty billion casualties, over a mistranslation. The New Covenant, Led by Jul M’dama, are complete fanatics. What’s worse is that one of our top scientists, and the founder of the Spartan-II Program, Dr. Catherine Halsey, is now working with them. We tried to rescue her when she was captured, but she thought it was an assassination attempt. Now she works for M’dama, purely out of wanting revenge against the UNSC. Long story.”

“ I see. Anything else we should know?” Luna asked.

“They don’t negotiate. I don’t doubt that they will be back. We don’t know where or when. Just that they are completely dedicated to their religion, and they wish death upon any that they deem to be a heretic. Humans included.” Chris replied.

“Wow. That’s rather dark,” Shining Armor said.

“Dark indeed, sir.” Palmer replied.

“We help you out. We’ll train whatever soldiers you have to use UNSC weaponry. That will give you an edge. But you should know that we can’t fight this war for you. Only advise and intervene when we can.” Lasky said. “We are low on manpower as it is.”

“Thanks very much, Captain. Everything counts,” Luna said.

“Wait. I’m getting three contacts inside the room!” Chris said.

As the Marines readied their weapons, Chris looked around. Then he noticed that the cabinet that Rarity had stowed her luggage in had noises coming from it. He pulled it open and three small ponies came tumbling out. The Marines raised their weapons almost as soon as they hit the ground.

“Wait! That’s my sister and her friends!” Applejack yelled, causing the Marines to back off, but Chris stayed where he was, still pointing his gun at them.

“How did you get aboard this ship? ANSWER ME!” Chris asked sternly.

“Ummmmm….” the fillies all stammered.

“Let me deal with this,” Twilight said and Chris lowered his shotgun.

“Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE! We told you to stay at home!” Twilight said angrily.

“Well, we wanted to come with, so we snuck in inside Rarity’s luggage. Thought we could get our cutie marks in stealth skills or negotiation.” The fillies stammered.

“Whatever the reason, this is a RESTRICTED area aboard this ship. The Marines were told not to let any pony or human in until the talks were finished. How did you get in here?” Chris asked.

“Rarity brought her luggage in and stowed it in the cabinets, so we got out of the suitcase and listened,” Applebloom replied.

“Listen here, you three. The UNSC doesn’t like children sneaking aboard their ships. Especially since they just got out of a battle. If I hadn’t intervened, things would be a lot worse off for you,” Chris said angrily. “Now, you three can stay. HOWEVER, you must be SEEN, and not HEARD. I don’t want to hear a PEEP out of you three. If I do, I’ll make sure that Twilight teleports you home faster than you can blink, and you won’t be allowed anywhere NEAR this ship again. UNDERSTAND?” Chris said angrily.

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good. Sit down, you three.” And they did shakily.

“Glad we got that resolved. Let’s continue, shall we?” Roland said with a smile.

“Well, what’s next? Any Questions?” Lasky asked.

“Crimson, just got word. Your new recruit has arrived, courtesy of Fireteam Thunderbust. Head down to the hangar and bring him up,” Palmer said, and Crimson walked out after a salute. Suddenly, the large screen showed a middle aged man, with a brown beard, now flecked with gray, wearing a UNSC captain’s garb.

“Who’s that?” Twilight whispered to Palmer

“Captain Wurtz. Captain of the UNSC Red Rider.” Palmer replied.

“UNSC Infinity, this is UNSC task force 165. We are orbiting the planet. Where can we land?”

“This is Infinity. Land close to us. Coordinates being transferred now!”

“Recieved! Infinity, we are on station!”

As the screen turned black, Lasky smiled as he turned around in his chair.

“Well, the reinforcements should be landing soon, but I doubt that this plateau is going to hold four UNSC ships. We need a new location.”

“There’s a large plain southwest of Canterlot. You can relocate there. I think everything has been resolved. We’ll deal with the ponies, you deal with the Covenant.” Celestia replied.

“Great. Sounds fine.”

“Captain! This is Miller!” a Spartan’s face appeared on the screen.

“What is it, Miller!” Palmer replied.

“The Covies have a landing zone southwest of a large city. They’re unloading forces as we speak.”

“Copy that. We’ll reroute our forces. Prep all Marine and Spartan Fireteams. Get ready to engage!” Palmer replied.

“Copy that, Commander!”

The Ponies paled.

“What’s wrong?” Lasky asked.

“That’s Manehattan, one of the largest cities in Equestria. THere are over 15,000 inhabitants there!” Cadance gasped out.

“Understood. We’ve stopped them once, we will stop them again!”

At this moment, Chris walked in, accompanied by Grant and a new Spartan. He was Cyan and Purple, and he carried a shotgun. His armor, Twilight noticed, looked like what a Pilot’s or aviator might wear.

“Hey, we miss anything?” the Cyan spartan asked.

Author's Note

And it's back!

One more OC slot left!