Broken Mirror: Side Stories

UNSC Infinity

Palmer was on the bridge going through reports from the numerous department heads from across the ship. If they were to be believed, Infinity would be able to jump to slipspace in a matter of hours. "Here's hoping the eggheads don't get it wrong." muttered the Spartan as she put down her tacpad.

"So I'll take it you've come back a conquering hero?" asked Lasky as he approached.

` "If you consider that the Enclave retreated and we had minimal casualties, then I'd chalk it up as a win." Palmer handed the Captain her pad. "Looks like we should be good to go soon."

Lasky looked over the details on the pad before looking back up at Palmer. "That's good. Anyway, you have your bags packed?"

Palmer cocked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because I want you to stay here."

Palmer laughed. "And just abandon my duties? Really?"

"Spartan Thomas has already been briefed and is familiarizing himself with the current command situation." stated the Captain. "Majestic will come with us, while DeMarco is staying here as well."

"And what do you expect me to do?" asked the Spartan.

A wry smile grew across Lasky's face. "Last I checked, you're due a vacation."

________________________________________________________

Ponyville, Two Hours Later

"I still don't like it." groaned Palmer.

"Cheer up Commander." said DeMarco as he followed her off the Pelican. "Would one day off kill you?"

Palmer turned to DeMarco, anger blazing in her eyes. "I'm getting left on a backwater planet. That right there stands to kill me."

"Whatever you say Commander." said DeMarco as he fished some coins out of his pants pocket. "Look, let's just grab a bite to eat and we'll worry about the rest later."

Palmer rolled her eyes and followed DeMarco into the town square. "Bit busy, don't you think?" she asked as she tried to navigate the crowd.

"Since when was that a problem?" asked DeMarco as he managed to get away from the conglomeration of bodies. "And I think I found where to eat."

"Really?" asked Palmer. "And where would this fine establishment be?"

DeMarco pointed at an bakery, decorated to look like a cinnamon bread house. "Kinda hard to miss Commander."

Palmer shrugged and led her companion into the establishment. The first thing that hit her was the smell of the pastries. She took a sniff of the air, nodding her head. "Alright, good move DeMarco."

"They could probably do without some of the decorations." said the Spartan as he nodded towards one of the candy-cane pillars. "I mean, it's a bakery. Do you really need to decorate the place with giant fake candy?"

"Eh, it's not my property so it ain't my call." said Palmer as she walked up to the counter. Behind it was a older blue mare with a pink beehive. "Any chance I can get a recommendation?"

"On what?" asked the mare.

"I'm not really the connoisseur of baked goods that I was when I was a kid." said Palmer.

"I see..." the mare tapped her chin before she snapped her fingers. "Pinkie!" she yelled. "Get me a batch of your brownies and an apple pie!"

"Okie-dokey!" yelled a voice from the kitchen.

The mare looked back to Palmer and smiled. "Consider it on the house."

"You sure?" asked DeMarco as he tried to fish out some bits.

"Please, I've heard enough of the war stories from Tremble and his men. As far as I'm concerned, you two earned it." she said. "Pinkie will bring it all out once she's done."

Palmer and DeMarco grabbed seats at an open table by the front door. "Not bad, eh Commander?"

Palmer shrugged. "I guess."

"Someone order some brownies!" yelled a pink mare as she placed a pan down on the table before disappearing.

"What the hell?" muttered Palmer.

"Oh, almost forgot the pie!" said the mare as she hung down from the ceiling. "Wait a minute..." she disappeared once more before popping up from under the table. "I don't know either of you!"

"You make that sound like a problem." said DeMarco.

"That's because I know everyone in Ponyville!" She grabbed DeMarco's hand, shaking it rapidly. "I'm Pinkie Pie by the way."

"Charmed." Said DeMarco as he pulled free of the mare's grip.

"That's great! See you two later!" Pinkie said as she stepped away from the table. Before either Spartan could blink, she took off like a rocket out of the bakery, leaving a trail of dust in her wake.

"There is no way in hell that any of that was normal." Said Palmer as she allowed her gaze to follow the dust cloud.

"Well, the food's good." said DeMarco. He had grabbed a chunk of brownie out of the pan and stuffed it in his mouth while the Commander was distracted.

"Can you have some tact?" hissed the Commander. She took a fork and grabbed a chunk of brownie before taking a bite. Palmer rolled the morsel around in her mouth before she devouered the remaining piece on her fork.

"And what was that about tact?" questioned DeMarco.

Palmer swallowed her food and smirked. "Consider yourself excused."

________________________________________________________

Two hours later

"Alright DeMarco, you were right." said Palmer as she led her companion out of Sugarcube Corner and into the evening light.

"About what?" he asked.

"Stopping there for food."

"And here I thought you'd thank me for making you be social."

Palmer chuckled and started walking towards the town square. "Sure, whatever... Hey, you hear something?"

DeMarco nodded as the pair kept walking. "Someone's probably having a party."

WELCOME TO PONYVILLE!

Palmer and DeMarco jumped at the crowd's yell as they walked into the town square. Someone had gone out of their way and brought in speakers, lights, food and a DJ. All of that was topped off with a banner across the town hall that said "Welcome to Ponyville Paul and Sarah!"

"How the hell did they know our names?" asked Palmer.

"Because I told Pinks." said a voice from behind the pair.

"Well thanks Tremble, you just messed up my night." said Palmer as she turned to face the marine.

"I don't think so." chuckled the marine. "Pinkie, hit it!"

"Okie-dokey!" yelled the mare from the stage as she brought life to the speakers.

DeMarco nodded as a smile crept across his face. "Now that's an oldie."

"Lucky for us I was smart enough to save copies of my music from my terminal back on Earth." said Tremble as he led the two into the crowd.

"And who thought it was a good idea to try to give supersoldiers a heart attack?" grumbled Palmer.

"It's better than Pinkie dropping out of the sky in a drop-pod." said Tremble with a chuckle. "Now that was a party..."

"Wait, so a local got their hands on a SOIEV?" asked DeMarco

"Nope." Tremble paused and looked back at the Spartan. "Just Pinkie being Pinkie."

"He's not kidding." said a purple dragon as he brushed by. "She just pulls some of her ideas out of thin air."

Tremble shrugged. "Like he said."

By this point, DeMarco had started tapping his foot. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

Palmer sighed and shook her head. "You know what? Fuck it. I'm in."

"You heard the lady Pinkie, turn it up!" yelled Tremble.

The music from the speakers started blasting from the increased volume, shaking the air around the crowd. And where was Palmer? For the first time in years, she forgot she was a soldier and remembered she was a human being.

________________________________________________________

Ponyville Castle, the Following Morning

Palmer groaned when the sunlight first hit her face. Most of the previous night's party was a blur of energy and alcohol mixed in with old music from Earth.

A knock came from the door, and the purple dragon from the party poked his head in. "I've got breakfast ready."

Palmer rolled out of bed as the dragon left. She was still wearing her same regulation uniform that she had on when she first left the ship the previous day. "Really need to get a better wardrobe..." she muttered.

Palmer slipped out of her bedroom and was bombarded with the smell of fresh pancakes. The odor was strong enough to follow down to the castle kitchen, where the dragon and DeMarco were busy munching away on their own stacks.

"I get the impression I'll be putting on some weight while I'm here." she said as she sat and grabbed one of the spare plates and acquired her own stack of pancakes from the tray in the center of the table.

"It'll get old fast." said the dragon. "Tremble had the same issue."

"Had, as in past tense?" asked Palmer

"He started watching what he was eating after his uniform started getting too tight." The dragon slid over a bottle of syrup. "Anyway, I'm Spike."

"I've heard that name before." said DeMarco. "You're the local egghead's assistant."

"I'm not an egghead!" yelled Twilight as she walked into the kitchen.

"DeMarco, can it." ordered Palmer. "Princess, do you do scientific experiments with potentially deadly consequences?"

"But it's science." said Twilight as she grabbed a stack of pancakes.

"Can it blow up in your face?" asked Palmer as she cut into her own food.

"Well, of course it can."

Palmer swalled her pancakes and turned her attention back to DeMarco. "Ok, she's an egghead."

DeMarco dropped his fork on the table, arms out wide. "Told you!"

"I'm telling you I'm not an egghead!" insisted Twilight.

"But you are." said Palmer. "Every egghead I've ever dealt with was or is working on something that could fail catastrophically and get us all killed. Like the black hole that I'm waiting for someone to create and destroy Infinity."

"Seems rather irrational." pointed out Spike.

"Well, you didn't watch a planet go flying into a star and make it go supernova." pointed out the Commander as she took another chunk out of her stack.

"Then what's your point Palmer?" questioned Twilight.

"It's simple really." said Palmer as she pushed her plate back. "Science is a bitch."

"But without science, you wouldn't have gotten that armor." pointed out Spike.

Palmer paused, exchanging glances with DeMarco before returning her attention to the dragon. "Alright, point taken."

"Moving on." groaned Twilight. "Anything you plan on doing Palmer?"

"I'm thinking something along the lines of a hike..."

________________________________________________________

The Everfree, Castle of the Twin Sisters

Palmer climbed over another log before stepping into the fog filled clearing surrounding the Castle of the Twin Sisters. She looked around at the piles of rubble strewn about the clearing before she sat down on a large stone block. "Well, it's different."

"You think so?" questioned DeMarco as he broke free of the treeline. "It's a pile of broken junk. I can think of plenty of places like this."

"DeMarco, is it really all that bad?" questioned the Commander. "It's peaceful-"

Palmer was cut off when she was hit behind the head with a large rock, knocking her to the ground. DeMarco spun around to face their attacker, but was knocked to the ground himself. As Palmer tried to get up, she turned over to face a thin black figure standing over her before she blacked out.