Cloaked Shield

It was all quiet in the red-lit cabin of Pelican gunship Uniform 404, otherwise known for its unflattering call sign of Ugly. Only the constant noise of the whistling air and the continuous drone of the dropships' engines was the only thing that broke the silence while he grimly stood by the open ramp door. Looking and taking in the vast valley as a grainy purple from his HUDs night vision, as it twisted and turned like a gigantic serpent far below.

Turning his attention back down, Ossis 'Relcam examined the T-55 storm rifle he had used during the fight. The barrel had a long crack running through it. The cooling shroud had deformed, warped by the extreme heat from continuous firing. By all rights, the weapon wasn't in any shape for a firefight. Or anything else for that matter.

Sounding with a barely audible hiss, 'Relcam thumbed a button on the side of the shroud, and the conical charge coil slid straight out without complication. As he secured the damaged rifle to his back mag-plate, 'Relcam felt the deck plates beneath his hooves give a faint vibration as something jumped down and sat down behind him.

'Relcam knew who, or rather what it was; it was one of the reasons why they intentionally left the ramp door open. They claimed motion sickness the moment his Allencourt put the Pelican into a slight banking right-hand turn even though they had wings and fly for a living.

The USE pilot turned his head enough to see which one of the four passengers it was. Back there with its rear left leg treated and bandaged up from a near-death experience with a needler was one of the four intelligent sentient equines, four-legged creatures that inhabited this world and called it home.

With gun grey coats, dark purple manes and tails, along with a set of bluish set of light metallic armour they wore, the equines were practically identical to one another — apparently, it had something to do with the thing imbued within their armoured chest plates.

From what they've learned from these equine's squad leader, they were that of a nocturnal subspecies — usually referred to as a 'Batpony' or 'Thestral' in their spoken tongue of Ponish.

This Ponish was, as 'Relcam and his people knew it, a rendition of basic standard English that humans typically spoke in, only mired by a few quirks he'd picked up on.

The more he observed the batpony; there were some physical features of the equine that was of some interest to him, such as the leathery wings and furry tuff-tipped ears. He further noted that the batpony and its fellow brethren overall size was if only by the slightest, just a fraction taller than the average Unggoy.

"I guess I should say thank you. For what you did," the batpony suddenly spoke up, having to raise its voice over the rumble of the dropship's engines.

'Relcam noticed the stallion didn't have the nerve to put his fear aside to look at him.

'Relcam didn't care nor blame the thing for feeling that way. It reminded him how humans who have never seen a sangheili before up close react. Or in this batpony's and its fellow squadmates case, a Covenant squad firing plasma and needle rounds at them.

He turned around to face the batpony who talked sitting with his back towards him. The pony, now mostly stripped-down of what ancient-looking and outdated silver-ish blue light purple armour leaving only the chest plate remaining.

"For saving my life, our lives. You know, after, after what Starfire did when…" the batpony nervously rubbed the back of his neck with a hoof. "Look, I'm not good at this, but it's just… uh, I don't know how things would've turned out if you didn't- we didn't..."

'Relcam turned his head down to the Storm rifle in his hands, "A mistake of both our own making. For poor judgements can heal quickly but lives take time," and inserted the conical charge.

With a low audible whine, the status lights of rifle glowed blue as the battery was accepted. 'Relcam didn't pay much attention as the batpony near his boots sharply whirled around at the sound.

"It's not over, is it?" inquired the batpony in apprehension, his gaze fixated on the storm rifle in the sangheili's hands.

'Relcam turned his attention from the rifle to the batpony and saw the equine's large eyes filled with a familiar emotion he'd seen from countless humans before. On Reach. On Xanthi. On Augusta... humans who couldn't escape the Covenant onslaught.

The thought triggered a memory of the end times when he served in the final years in the Covenant of the Human/Covenant War. 'Relcam remembered where he was when he learned the truth about the Great Journey and the lies. The blood of the countless deaths of the humans he had killed in the name for following the lies of the false prophets.

"No," 'Relcam said plainly, turning back to fiddle with the rifle. "Our struggle against the Covenant resurgence continues. There will always be another place; another world caught in this tedious conflict. What we fight for is the return of peace and order, while the Covenant seeks to destroy and burn everything we once strived for as they preach and blindly follow their false idea of what the Great Journey was always to be."

The batpony turned back and slumped. 'Relcam knew what the equine was possibly going through. Its response was just like a defeated human would do.

It was the first emotion he felt when he first learned the truth of the Covenant.

'Relcam noted both the humans he'd seen and interacted with were quite similar to how these equines expressed their emotions now that he thought about it. The equine was probably praying to whatever ancestors he had that this entire ordeal was just a terrible dream and that he'd wake up and everything would be just the way he remembered it.

Reaching over for the destroyed rifle from his back, 'Relcam switched the gun out for the new one before turning around for the cockpit, leaving the batpony to his thoughts of woe and despair as he stared somberly into the night.

On his way towards the cockpit, 'Relcam bypassed the two other batponies trying to get as comfortable as they could on the jump seats or the cold floor.

Stowing the destroyed rifle in an empty compartment above the bay's portside weapons rack, 'Relcam touched the door control to the cockpit.

"How are they doing back there? Doing well?" asked Allencourt cheerfully, glancing over her shoulder as 'Relcam stepped into the cockpit proper and the door slid behind him with a hiss.

'Relcam only grunted in response and pulled himself up and into his pilot seat.

"Okay. I'll take that as a no, then. Though it could be worse."

Tapping a few inputs on her holoscreen, Allencourt handed the Pelican's flight controls back to him.

With 'Relcam flying and having travelled further down the valley, Allencourt growled with vexation and hit the hull next to her head with a fist. "Shit…"

'Relcam's flexed his mandibles in concern, "Again?"

"Yeah. The radio…" Allencourt threw her hands up in frustration. "And there goes the radar."

The radarscope cluttered with false contacts, cleared with a proper readout before returning to a cluttered state and repeating the process.

"The radio is but a trivial matter. Once the Dark Zone goes…"

"Yeah, once. Once the DZG goes - big emphasis on ONCE, and right now, it hasn't been gone for a while now."

"Hmm,"

"Roan should've reported it in ages ago. And with the radio down, I can't contact Gallipoli's ATC ACI to tell about Phoenix protocol, and them back there…?" she slumped in her seat and slowly shook her head. "What the hell have we landed ourselves into this time, Ossis?"

"One big mess." said 'Relcam. "But perhaps this is an advantage that we can bring to our foes. Tell me. How do you think this reign, the diarchy of these two whatchamacallit hierarchs, that they spoke very proudly of, would react to threat the Covenant poses to them on their homeworld?"

Allencourt looked through the cockpit window and spotted the flying mare batpony still fully clad in the silver-ish medieval armour guiding them to this city, outside through the tinted cockpit windows.

She thought back to the altercation that became a surprise ambush by Covenant from three directions.

"Same as us. Probably take it the same way as they did back there. Dunno how they'd react when they learn that the Covies fired upon the ponies first when we fired back."

"One would think that these ponies would already know of the Covenant's existence. From what we know, it's probably been months."

"They probably never saw them. Maybe because Elites like to hide in the shadows."

"We do not hide in the shadows, human," 'Relcam growled deeply from that quip. "The Covenant have been here for a while. These... things, should have at least have known that something was amiss."

Allencourt shrugged. "Maybe they know. Maybe they don't. But whatever their reason for ignoring it, that all changed now, hasn't it?" she glanced upwards.

"Looks like this is the place. Jeez, that's some view."

And what a view it was.

Even though bathed in darkness and falling rain, through his purple-washed night-vision, 'Relcam could see that the ponies description of their fair city wasn't that far off. Perhaps a little exaggerated but he expected that.

The Keep was small yet impressive considering it was built by creatures without hands, though seemingly flawed. More attention-grabbing than the practicability of keeping out unwanted guests or if it was to sustain a long siege. However, what impressed 'Relcam the most was the way that a segment of the Keep jutted over the edge, further than physically possible. It reminded him of the impossible feats of what the Forerunners could do with their massive constructions.

He witnessed the batpony that had been guiding them flying alongside and indicate with her outstretched hoof towards one of the many docking platforms jutting far out in the open sky.

Allencourt grumbled. She wasn't that thrilled with the parking choices. The platform wasn't precisely low-key as she thought, but it had to do. There were no other places large enough for their Pelican, especially a gunship, to land and still be in military jurisdiction.

Well, aside from an area situated on a mesa far from here and a previous conversation about a short runway on the palace side. But that was out of the question. If the Covenant had any fliers in the area, and they probably did after that battle in the clearing, Allencourt wanted to be as far from any strategic structures as possible.

'Relcam eased back on the controls and flared the Pelican in for a landing.

As the dropship neared the docking arm of the cleanest white platform either pilots had laid eyes on, a slurry of blue orbs impacted the ground off their bow with splashing against the cockpit.

"Contact! Contact! Pair T-54s are coming in at a point one five! Angels twenty-nine thousand descending fast." Allencourt called, observing the radarscope fill with a swarm of red dots behind the two that were coming at them before it cut out from the flux. "They're angling right for our six at point eight five!"

Honed years of instinct and combat experience, 'Relcam reacted to the threat and slammed the throttles to null power while pulling back the stick.

Despite its cumbersome appearance, the dropship responded immediately and stalled. 'Relcam pulled the controls further back, and the dropship flipped over on its back as it fell off the edge of the landing platform. 'Relcam allowed the Pelican to drop farther than he needed before rolling right side up and putting some distance from the alien city.

The batpony that had guided them in looked up from her covering position on the ground as the pair of Banshees blasted out of the clouds after the dropship, grav-drives howling.

"They must've redlined their drives to catch up to us. I can see their anti-gravity drives showing up as white-hot on thermals."

"We cannot allow them to have control of the skies above the city," 'Relcam stated as began expertly flying backwards. "I'll hold this direction and drag them back. You get their attention."

"Gotcha,"

Even with one boot resting on the emergency thruster pedals, Allencourt still felt the heavy vibration of the nose Gatling gun spur to action. 70mm autocannon rounds rushed out to meet the two onrushing Covenant aircraft.

Despite being equipped with energy shielding, the shields of the two Banshees were no match for the Pelican's firepower.

The first one hand nowhere to turn and flew right through the literal hail of 70mm rounds. The Banshee fell apart, disintegrating as the 70mm tore into the craft before a cannon round found its drive core, blowing the Covie up in a flash of blue. The second Banshee met an identical fate. Its flaming carcass careened into the wooded valley, ending in another explosion.

'Relcam yanked the Pelican back around and punched it, burning north.

"Did that do it?"

A bolt of lightning lit up the atmosphere, and at that moment, there was a flash of something reflective caught Allencourt's attention.

"Yep, we have more contact. Multiple bogies are streaking in for our five O'clock."

In the storm, wreathed sky and seemingly appearing from all directions came alive with multiple blue lights belonging to Banshees boosting their anti-gravity drives to their limits.

"Inbound at a 600-knot closure," Allenourt guessed, glancing at her scope as it blinked briefly back to life, lighting up with multiple paired unfriendly signatures.

"Your count?"

"Looks like ten flights paired Type fifty-four on steep attack vectors. That's over 20 Banshees. RWR briefly nailed two ships of Type twenty-nines for top-cover."

"Vampires," 'Relcam grumbled. "Wonderful."

Twenty-something Banshees he could deal with, this flying rig could take the hits. But 'Relcam wasn't looking forward to confronting those things. Vampires were the bane of any aircraft pilot, regardless if it was UNSC, USE, or even Covenant that found themselves facing off against them. And there were two of them, too.

A flight of three Covenant Banshees screamed in head-on, their plasma cannons blazing. Plasma struck the underside of the Pelican as 'Relcam rolled it on its side. Allencourt jammed her finger down on the trigger as the Banshees zoomed past the canopy, a white flash marking a kill on one of them.

"Aw, shit," Allencourt cursed in panic as one of her computer screens caught her attention, "Shit, shit shit shit shit!"

"What's the matter?"

"I just remembered. We still have those other batponies in our cabin. We never told them to get out."

"Then the priority is to get them out,"

As Allencourt keyed the intercom and told their stunned passengers to leg it, a flurry of plasma zoomed by them as another flight of Covie Banshees entered effective firing range – their twin heavy plasma cannons blazing like strobe lights.

'Relcam jammed his thumb down on his trigger, hoping that the M8CG/GNC laser gun was still enslaved in its forward-firing position. With delight, he watched as the broad beam of ruby red energy perforated the canopy of the Banshee. Its shields did little to resist and flared out like a popped soap bubble. The Covie craft tumbled to the ground in many pieces.

"They're away," Allencourt announced, watching the batponies leave on the cabin camera as they eagerly spread their wings and flew off. As they did, she keyed her radio to another channel as the dogfight heated up.

"Sergeant Starfire, you still out there? This is Flight Officer Captain Elizabeth Allencourt of Pelican gunship 404, Get your wings into gear…"

…engaged by multiple Covenant craft. I've let go of your squad. We'll provide a distraction and stall the Covies so you can go and tell your people of the danger." Starfire heard the human pilot's reply ring sharply her ear, courtesy of a modified earpiece fixed on one of her tuff ears. "I've advised the rest of your charge to do the same."

Lagging behind the battle and having caught up to the rest of her squad that was sitting on a low hanging cloud catching their breaths, Starfire was thankful for what the human and her other alien compatriot had done. But at the same time, she believed she could be of assistance.

"And I thank you for your help, but I, for one, are still quite able. Equestria is my home, my world, and by all rights, it falls under my duty, not yours, to protect and those who inhabit it," Starfire stressed out into the throat microphone as she flew hard through Equestrian's skies to catch up to the fight.

When she got there, it was a furball of metal and energy. Purple-blue alien craft dived, dodged, spun, and weaved all over the place. All of them were trying to get an attack solution on the heavy yet nimble dropship that was the centre of all the attention.

"I can sympathise with what you're experiencing despite our short time together. We have experienced such bravado from others like that a bit too much lately in this war. But this, even for you, is suicide. While we admire your sheer tenacity at going at Covenant troops despite knowing nothing to zilch about them… or us for that matter, I'm still bound and obliged by UNSC First Contact law of the Phoenix Protocol to inform you that any slip up with these guys - no matter how marginal - will likely result in you ending up in a body bag. And I'm pretty sure our superiors will have both our asses once I write up a report explaining how you got yourself grilled alive. Do you understand what I'm getting at?"

The alien has a point, Starfire. You're a squishy pony with ornamental armour up against aliens that have technology far exceeding all of what ponydom had achieved put together.

She tucked her wings in, rolled over on her back and sharply dove for the deck. "As soon as I joined up, dragged my flank through basic of the E.U.P for one year and then CARG for three years and graduated top of my class, all graduates had to swear an oath. An obligation we ponies of the Royal Guard, the Night Guard, and that of the E.U.P. to some extent cannot break. To serve as the Princess's protectors, as the nation's saviours, to those under their charge, with everypony we are charged to, to upkeep peace in Equestria. Whether that be in times of a great crisis or war, we will try our best to uphold it… no matter the cost."

Starfire had no idea what prompted her to add that last bit. It was never part of the oath when she graduated from the strenuous training regime of the CARG with flying colours.

Feeling like there was something huge tailing her, Starfire looked over her shoulder and saw the purple-blue bulbous prow of a Banshee.

It's plasma cannons fired.

Starfire felt the scolding plasma near misses nip past her flanks as she zoomed off, looking for a solution and get rid of it. She didn't have to look for long.

Lit up like one of those trees on a cold Hearth's Warming Eve, the Pelican she'd guided to Canterlot airship docks, Starfire blurred past the nose, and the gunship tore apart the Covie craft. She watched as the Banshee spiralled from the sky trailing blue fire. An entire wing having been sheared off by a scything spread of 70mm Armour-Piercing rounds.

"Fine," She heard the human relent, "But if I say that this gets more hectic than it already is, you're out of here. Am I understood?"

A small smirk crept into the corner of Starfire's mouth. "Crystal."

"Good. Be warned as you climb. There is more than just us and those Banshees up here."

Starfire frowned confused. "More?"

"What?"

"Oh, you mean other alien craft?"

"Well, yeah, what else is there?" Allencourt half-heartedly joked. "Don't answer that."

'Relcam chimed in. "While Banshees are of no need for concern at the moment, mere pests. Our primary concern is that two aircraft called Vampires that are on top-cover. They are a close support fighter. Bulky in a sense and their front somewhat resembles the mouth of an Orzil. Its main offensive-"

"What's an Orzil?" Starfire interjected.

"That would be a large beetle-like creature found on his homeworld," Allencourt clarified.

"The main weapon is a heavy needler," 'Relcam continued to explain, "is positioned on its dorsal end and is a danger to anything airborne, whether that be metal or flesh. It has two plasma cannons it wields on its flanks. Mainly used for anti-personnel roles."

"Cheers for the ongoing nightmares, Ossis," Allencourt took in a deep breath. "Anyways, Starfire do you remember those small needle pink crystalline things the enemy fired at you and your kind? The pink crystal stuff that shatters into tiny-tiny fragments that I pulled as much as I can out from your buddies sides?"

Starfire refrained herself from speaking as the vivid traumatising and terrifying memory flashed before her.

The human's voice quickly brought her back to the present. "Now think of those things about the size of a truck, a trailer or whatever the hell you guys use to haul big, heavy stuff."

Starfire felt sick immediately as the sudden terrible outcome of what one would do to somepony. What six could do if- Breathe, Starfire, breathe...

"Then you have a plan?"

The human was surprisingly calm with her solution. "Of course, we have a plan. You think we don't have a contingency of dealing with this antique. Although, usually, that kind of plan kinda involves taking them out with some backup. Like Sparrowhawks or a Falcon or ground side anti-air vehicles, or a ground-unit packing some heavy ordinance…"

Starfire had a terrible feeling in her gut as what the human was going to ask of her.

"Whatever. You get up there and see if you can force… well, lure the Vampires down to us so we can take them out?"

Starfire was shocked, she should've expected it to be honest, but not in the way how the gears in her head ground to a halt, and she sprung her wings out as a result.

All forward momentum disappeared, and Starfire came to a jarring halt in mid-air before dropping straight down into a layer of storm clouds.

Another Banshee had taken a fancy to her, one of the last few remaining, overshot the batpony and banked into a hard right turn. The pilot was baffled when the equine didn't reappear on his scope as it would've fallen out from the bottom of the grey clouds.

"Bait? You're asking me to be bait?" Starfire cried in alarm.

"Pretty much," came the reply. "You did say you wanted to help in any way possible. So what's it going to be?"

Starfire clenched her teeth and blew air through her nose. "I'll do it."

As the Banshee that had its hots for Starfire came around for a second pass, the Covie pilot thought long and hard of the reports he read about which of these equine creatures could do the impossible.

The thought clicked, and he deployed the air-brakes.

"Alright. Just remember to do it quick and fast. We're damn close to your capital, and there's no telling what damage the covies would do regardless of what you've told us about your leader's abilities … I can't believe magic like this is a thing, Ossis. ONI is going to have a field day when they get their hands on-"

The Banshee came to a less graceful slewing halt in mid-air and pivoted on the spot; plasma cannons pointed directly at the cloud the batpony enter.

Starfire's emotions were spurring into turmoil alongside her stomach. She didn't want to agree with what Allencourt had said, but she was right. They were quite literally a stone's throw from Canterlot city.

"When I see them, how am I going to get them to follow me?" Starfire asked as a new electrical surge of adrenaline coursed through her body.

"Land on the canopy of one of them located just behind the two prominent "boom" like wings - looks like a concave maw, and then start making faces. I'm positive that should get their attention. It's what I'd do if I were in your ssshoo- hooves."

The Covenant pilot clenched his controls, peppering the cloud with a long stream of plasma directly into it.

Starfire poked her head out to see the Banshee down below that once was on her tail, hovering in place and pelting plasma into the wrong cloud. Seeing an opportunity too great to pass up and for a little experiment to sake her curiosity, Starfire got out and pushed part of the cloud she hid into a position right above the hovering Banshee while it continued to fire plasma into the clouds surrounding it.

When the cloud was in a position where she wanted it, she bucked both hind legs into it hard. The cloud responded, and a lightning bolt shot out, striking the Covenant craft and arced its way from nose to tail and all across the canopy.

The Covenant pilot didn't know what happened when his craft gave a sudden shuddering dying whine or why every indicator light winked out before his eyes.

"And if it doesn't?" Starfire added, watching in awe as the Banshee's anti-gravity drive leapt into gear a second too late and pancaked into the forest belly first, erupting in a satisfying explosion.

"Do something else. I'm ninety-nine per cent sure that whatever else you can come up with will piss the covies off enough to come after you. We'll be ready with a stake and a hammer when you bring em' past. The Vampires are still currently cold, but if those covies go hot before you get there, all of us are gonna be up shit creek without a boat. No pressure. Good luck, Sergeant. Allencourt, Out."

And with that as the transmission ended, leaving Starfire to look up to the solid thundercloud cover. Her expression hardened with determination as she focused on the mission.

"Fox!"

The missile blasted out of the pod on the wing of the Pelican and corkscrewed through the night. Guided by its onboard radar, the rocket curved down and rammed its high explosive warhead into the Banshee's canopy.

'Relcam pulled the gunship out from under the storm layer as the Covie exploded behind them in a blazing cloud of blue.

"I don't know if you can be so sure of yourself of this cocked up plan of yours that this will work." 'Relcam said, unconvinced.

Allencourt let loose a burst of cannon rounds as a Banshee that crossed their path. She smiled as a wing sheared off and the thing spun out of control. "She'll pull it off. I can feel it. Why? You worried?"

"I'm concerned. And it's not your style. We met these equines in the most hostile way possible, and before we could explain ourselves properly, the Covenant showed up. And, yet, you just recently piled a whole lot of whimsical faith on a mind that is still trying to comprehend–"

"Break, right!"

'Relcam flung the Pelican hard right just in time to see a flash of a Banshee's wingtips fly past the canopy and into the forest below. Its end signified by a blue fireball of death.

'Relcam's eyes went wide. The Covenant were employing a new tactic, a tactic he'd only seen employed in the last year of the First Covenant War. The Covies had begun using suicide tactics and using their aircraft as makeshift guided missiles to try and ram the gunship out of the sky.

Allencourt blasted a Banshee to kingdom come as it missed and attempted to loop around for another try. "Look, don't worry, I told you, I got a gut feeling about her. About them. I don't specifically know what that is, but I know something good will come of it in the long run."

"You better hope so," 'Relcam grumbled before he mumbled something else.

"Hey!" Allencourt shouted, "Just because you said it that way doesn't mean that I still don't understand what you just said. She'll do fine."

Piloting one of the two Covenant T-29 Vampire's, Ranger Turse 'Uerumee scanned his cluttered scope of the ensuing proverbial "knife fight in a phone booth" that raged below the infernal cloud cover.

'Uerumee was not that surprised to be called out to deal with a few of the subspecies of the technicoloured equines, mostly to deal with the ones that flew that along with its others desecrated the holy planet below with their foul footsteps. However, what else sent his blood into a rage as one of the dropships belonging to one of the most hated races infernal military aircraft popped in and out of the storm cloud layers, chasing, rolling and firing upon the Banshees he was ordered to protect.

UNSC.

Humans.

The sighting sent his blood to a raging boil as a long and distant memory he thought he had banished from his mind resurfaced.

'Uerumee remembered the time when he watched through the scope of his focus rifle as high ranking humans attending a summit held on Sanghelios with the false Arbiter along with the grand council of Kiadons made an official speech of joint unity, cooperation and lasting friendship between both sangheili and humanity to bring the galaxy into a new golden age.

Heretics! The lot of them!

Thud.

Huh?

'Uerumee snapped his head up at the sound and saw a four-legged creature he recognised as a batpony, one of the many kinds that must be wiped from existence from this world, standing on the outside of his canopy.

You little pest! Get off my ship!

'Uerumee jerked his Vampire violently from side to side to try and dislodge the stupid thing off. But the batpony remained stubbornly glued to the outside. Before he could even think of rolling his craft inverted, the batpony stomped down with its two back legs hard on the canopy.

Crrraaaack!

Right before 'Uerumee's eyes he saw the impacting stomp caused the entire canopy to turn into a billion spiderwebs that emanated from the impact site, compromising the entirety Vampire's canopy and making it nigh impossible for him to see out of the shattered cockpit.

Enraged at the gall of this batpony, 'Uerumee grabbed his inactive energy sword and positioned it under the distorted form of the pest standing on his cracked canopy.

Starfire heard the satisfying shattering of glass sound beneath her hooves as the purplish metal-like skin cracked and splintered under her stomp.

Choosing between which Vampire to pick on, Starfire carefully decided that merely making faces while standing on flying war machine's nose wasn't going to warrant much in the alien pilot's eyes other than a lacklustre nuisance to them, but perhaps breaking something would.

In all honesty, when she saw the canopy fracture beneath her rear hooves into a billion series of cracks across its entirety like a giant spider web, she didn't think that her effort would be that effective. She figured it would've at least taken five more hits to do that kind of damage.

Schwizz!

Starfire jerked her head back, recoiling instinctively as two pointed crackling cyan blades stopped inches from where her muzzle used to be.

Stepping away and onto one of the twin booms of the war aircraft from the apparent danger and gazing down, she watched as the two-pronged sword she had seen in use elsewhere retract from the now perforated canopy before it was gone altogether. Then the shattered canopy was entirely booted off by an aqua green coloured boot.

Exposed to the storm, Starfire could see the various glowing blue and pink alien interfaces inside the cockpit used to control the craft. It was also the place where the sangheili pilot was now standing up in the light, who had an ignited energy sword and lunged at her aggressively despite being a few thousand feet off the ground and little room to manoeuvre.

Starfire ducked low, the heat from the energy sword, making the back of her neck prickled as the twin blades slashed over her head.

She darted around the Elite as it swung at her again, and landed at the rear of the alien craft and instinctively reached back for the sheath that carried her weapon.

As she reached, she recalled something. A specific something that happened in the aftermath of the clearing as her hoof grasped at the empty sheath where her sword should've been.

"Shnarr jah kiree!"

Starfire spun around as the language failed to translate and almost unknowingly butted her head against the silver armoured legs of the massive alien pilot.

Attempting to back up, one of the Elite hands shot out and clenched tightly around Starfire's throat before lifting the struggling batpony to its eye level.

"You think work with nishums stop destruction?" He spat at her in broken Ponish and brought its sword up so she could see it.

Starfire spat back in the Elite's face.

Wiping away the saliva that coated its faceplate with the back of his sword hand, the Elite tightened his grip around Starfire's throat.

"Disgusting filth! I'll see to it that your death will be painful!"

By now, beads of sweat poured down from under Starfire's helmet and rolled down her face as the intense heat from the energy sword caused her to swelter from it as it drew within inches of her nose.

"My face the last thing your pathetic eyes will see."

He brought the sword back in preparation to strike just as a blurred grey-purple thing slammed into the backside of the alien pilot. The Elite stumbled forwards, its shields flaring as the thing on its back, holding on for dear life.

Starfire was released from the Elite's grasp as it roared in angered frustration as he groped behind himself.

As the Elite swung around, his back now to her, Starfire could now see what the grey-purple thing was that attacked it.

A batpony had collided and plunged his service issued sword deep into the Elite's unarmoured part of the neck. Starfire watched, stunned as the batpony busily worked his blade back and forth, the dark purple blood of the Elite pilot flowing from the wound.

The batpony gave a quick twist of his blade, and the Elite bolted upright, its thrashing and vain attempts to rip the batpony off its back coming to a sudden halt. The energy sword dropped from the alien's hand and blinked off.

Starfire watched on as the Elite fell to its knees. Eyes wide in utter shock of disbelief and unceremoniously slid off the Vampire. Tumbling off the aircraft and vanished into the storm.

Starfire looked over to the panting hard batpony who had brazenly assaulted the Elite from behind as he sheathed his sword.

"Nightbreak?" Starfire turned to the batpony in astonishment. "What by Luna's ire are you doing up here?! I specifically told - No! I ordered you to stay with the others and report back. No matter what happens to me."

"Nopony goes at it alone. You know that. We all took the oath." Nightbreak declared firmly. "It's the first thing the instructors drilled into us back in training. And I couldn't just sit by thinking as we twiddled our hooves waiting to hear from somepony in the morning that you got yourself killed, or worse."

"This," he gestured to the hovering alien craft under their hooves, "is something we should be doing together as a team, as soldiers... as friends, to protect those of Equestria and the other races we have welcomed to our land."

He was right. But what he did was still reckless, the alien could've killed him even if Nightbreak attacked from behind. If this was revenge because of what one did to his right hind leg in the attack in the clearing and their first encounter with the Covenant, it was uncalled for.

Nightbreak looked about himself and the alien craft they stood on. "So? Got any bright ideas on how we are going to take out this thing and the other one, together?"

Starfire's mind raced as she looked down at the sturdy and robust purple-blue airframe under her hooves. Then, off to the side, her eyes fixated on something teetering precariously near one of the boom wings.

"I've got an idea," smirked Starfire, looking over at the inactive energy sword.

"Well, you don't see that every day," Allencourt remarked, genuinely surprised as she saw Starfire blur past at speed outside the cockpit window and into the lowest grey layer of the storm.

But the batpony officer was not alone as a pilotless Vampire spiralling down out of an anvil cloud in a flat spin. The brief glimpse of an energy sword plunged into the engine.

"Second Vampire. twelve thousand descending in a hard left turn for our friends." 'Relcam called out as he put the dropship on a vector that'll intercept it.

"ASGM still acquiring lock… going guns."

The Pelican shuddered as the stream of yellow autocannon fire reached out and strafed the Vampire's side.

Chunks of Covenant airframe shredded off as the explosive rounds punched through.

The heavy needle cannon weapon on the Vampire's dorsal surface rotated and now pointed in their direction. The rounds of Blamite glinted with a sinister neon pink glow as lightning struck around both aircraft.

"Come on you covie bastard, put it off for-" A shrill growling tone sounded in Allencourt's helmet. "Good tone! Fox, fox!"

The Vampire, also having acquired lock on that same time, fired its payload a scant moment later.

Four ASGM-10 missiles and their high explosive tipped warheads shot out of their pods, their rocket motors kicking in seconds later, and homed in towards target.

At the same time every single one of the six four foot long crystalline rounds of blamite sliced through the air towards their target. The unnatural tracking abilities of the pink crystal homed in towards the dropship in earnest like a pack of ravenous bloodhounds.

'Relcam stomped on the thruster pedals and angled the dropship to present a smaller profile, while at the same time dispensing chaff of a particular kind designed by the R&D people in the Office of Naval Intelligence that was intended to confuse any tracking munition. Covenant or otherwise.

The Covenant pilot did the same when he saw the missile's track towards him with deadly intent, deploying a bright bluish orb countermeasure of some type that didn't fall behind it, but instead shot out ahead.

The orb fooled two missiles.

The Vampire blew apart. Exploding in a massive ball of white light as it took the two remaining ASGMs directly to its cockpit. One came in from above while the other looped around underneath and then up and collided with the underside.

There wasn't time to breathe a sigh of victory as the crystalline pink blamite continued to track towards them — each round holding the genuine prospect of a gory death.

"They're coming up on your right!"

"Breaking left!" cried 'Relcam, still dumping chaff and flares.

The flares fooled three.

The deceptive move avoided one.

The starboard side wing and engine copped the rest.

The three four-foot-long blamite rounds punched deep into the wing and detonated with a tremendous BANG. The blamite perforated the area of impact and turned that side of the Pelican into a flying sieve.

From where she had initially directed the UNSC Pelican to land, Starfire and her squad could only watch on in horror. Their cheers whenever they saw the big green craft appear from the stormcloud banks turned to horror as it reappeared, spinning wildly out of control from the sky. Fire engulfed its starboard side.

Over her earpiece, Starfire heard the desperate call for help.

"Mayday, mayday, mayday! Pilot 7-8-dash-9 C-W-3 Allencourt of dropship Uniform 4-0-4 to all UNSC and USE monitoring this frequency. We're hit and going down. I say again; we're hit and going down. Be advised: Protocol Phoenix in effect. I say again: Protocol Phoenix is in effect. Encountered four Echo Tangos that are part of an intelligent civilisation of equines. Activating our beacon. Ossis! Hold on- I-"

Starfire never heard the rest of the transmission as, with screeching straining engines, the Pelican disappeared from view as it plunged into the dark green floor of forest far below.

A moment later there was a reverberating boom and panicked squawking cries of birds as they fled their trees and spooked animals howling and barking from having being awoken from their slumber by the explosive crash.

Then it all went quiet.

They could only stare. Starfire felt a deep emptiness form in her heart as she stared at the smoke that started to slowly rise a little aways from where the dropship had plunged into the forest.

An hour earlier. The Main Hall of Canterlot Academy of the Royal Guard armoury...

"Tia?" asked Princess Luna, concerned. Turning her armoured helmeted head as they walked down the length of the great hall.

"What is it, dear sister?" Celestia turned to face Luna walking alongside also clad in similar combat armour.

Celestia's armour, burnished gold, on the other hoof only covered her head, legs and chest. The rest was exposed. But there was a more substantial reason for that other than having a better range of movement. And it was a secret only known to her and the gruff old stallion that forged it. Her mane was also kept in check with rings to keep it from being a nuisance if the battle did occur.

Luna's armour, which was silver and gleamed like polished annealed steel, covered the majority of her body. Head, chest, flank, legs; even individual plates of it included her cutie mark. Her mane and tail were free of such restrictions and flowed freely.

While there were things that set apart the two princesses armour from each other, there were, however, three things in common.

Both had a prominent curved spike that stuck out from their helmets that followed beneath their horns. The second was that both sets of armour reflected each sister's profession.

And lastly, both of their armours were imbued with personal magical runes and enchantments. Even to this day, nopony in the CARG or E.U.P knew the full effects and capabilities of the runes inscribed.

Out ahead and behind the two princesses as they transversed the palace's halls was a small contingent of Night Guard of batponies and night orientated Royal Guards.

Leading was Greystone, a batpony with a dark olive green coat and grey mane; he was the Captain of the Night Guard and overall commander of the garrison of the guard here in Canterlot.

"I still see that this decision to armour up still weighs heavily on your mind. And it troubles you. Is there something that you need to tell me?"

Celestia shifted her head over at her little sister, the silver armour she wore glinting majestically in the flickering torchlight like the brightest stars in the night sky. Luna could always tell when she was worried, whether she wanted it showed or not.

"It's nothing," said Celestia.

A lie and Luna knew it. The body posture, the brief eye contact showed as passed through a set of open double doors.

Celestia let out a stressed sigh, "If this disc described is indeed from the same things as this other craft from earlier tonight. What would it stop it from comprehending our attire? A peaceful intent that we represent and not going against those set from its masters?"

They passed through another set of double doors and to the outside into the cold and damp night air.

The late-night stars high above twinkled brightly without a care in the world of what turmoil was occurring below, and the moon slowly drifted for the horizon. Eventually, it would reach it and be time for Celestia to commence the day with the rising of the sun.

Luna bit her lower lip. "You and I both saw the large grey autonomous machines did not try to bring harm to us. Surely you don't mean it like that, Tia?."

Celestia came to a halt mid-stride. "I'm not one to make such a decision like this lightly, Luna. Had it been-" she was interrupted when all of a sudden, a shrill buzzing sound and the thundering of hooves pounding the cobbled street.

Zig-zagging its way around a grove of small trees in a flash of grey, a disc-like object, about a meter in width all around and flat, came zipping towards the princesses and gathering of pony guards.

The little thing was perfectly circular like the Night Guard had described. Apart from a few stubby antennas as well as a few dozen small holes that appeared to have been stopped up with a reflective surface dotting around its circumference, the little machine's core was hollow and contained rapidly spinning fan blades.

Both princesses got a unique chance to see these fan blades in the centre gullet of the machine as it reared up to stop itself from colliding into Celestia.

"Apologies, Your Highnesses," a unicorn from the Royal Guard came up. One who had been chasing it and began profusely apologising about his squad's failure to contain it.

The unicorn was almost out of breath, panting hard from galloping down the path that led from the sculpture gardens, bowing apologetically while the disc sharply rotated to zip off in a new direction only to come face to face with another Royal Guard.

"Once we received word that you were coming to deal with it, we sought to contain it, for a time. It slipped through and," the Royal Guard fumbled in his words and indicated at the grey machine with an upward nod as the thing faced down three in-rushing pegasi guards flying low from opposite directions. "We've been trying to reestablish a perimeter since."

The three Royal Guards came together in a crunch of silver armoured limbs as the disc zipped temporary skywards and out of harm's way.

Luna winced. "Yes. 'Trying' is putting it lightly..."

As if to add insult to injury, the machine did a series of backflips despite its otherwise unwieldy aerodynamic dimensions.

The three guards groaned in pain, emitting muffled curses as they readily set about trying to untangle themselves.

"Just may I inquire as to how it managed to get past you and your charge in the first place?" asked Luna as the disc stopped its flips and lazily buzzed back towards Celestia.

The small flying machine bypassed Celestia and stopped, hovering so close to the tip of Luna's armoured muzzle that, if she had ever wanted to, headbutt it.

When the unicorn guard didn't respond immediately, Luna's eyes hardened, her lips taught in a thin line and an ear flicked in irritation.

The guard stiffened to attention, not knowing that the princess had reacted not at him, but rather at the machine because of the annoying droning buzzing sound it consistently produced to keep itself aloft.

"We cornered it, but we... we didn't account that it'll fly over the wall," the Royal Guard responded in embarrassment.

Behind them, there was a series of groans accompanied by the sound of armour shifting and metal striking metal. Evident sounds of a few guards face-hoofing by the cringe-worthy choice of words.

Celestia mentally rolled her eyes while still keeping a straight face and her trademark placid nature. Leave it to Lulu to trip up a guard in full view of his peers and his commanding officer.

"Well, at least it is here, and there is no need for another game of hide-n-seek when it decided to go into the hedge maze," one guard openly voiced, which was met with many agreeing murmurs of others before a commanding grunting noise silenced them.

Yes, indeed. But the question on Celestia's mind now was: 'Now that it was here and now not playing hide and seek. What to do with it?'

It didn't look like it could do any harm. But as evidenced by many years of personal experience and what she and her sister had discovered in the Equestrian night, looks could be deceiving.

Celestia watched with a stern expression; although secretly in fascination as the grey disc spiralled slowly around her little sister. 'It' starting up from the hooves first before working its way up to her head.

Luna also well kept a wary eye on it as well. More out of concern for her safety for every second of the way as it made its way almost behind her for the third time.

The disc came to a stop just before it could round Luna's backside a fourth time.

Celestia continued to be intrigued with the little thing as it inched closer to Luna's flank.

A sudden flash of white light came from the 'front' of the disc, startling everypony and temporary blinding those who had their complete attention focused on it from the same angle as the flash.

As the multitude of sunspots from the flash cleared, Celestia released just as to what had occurred when Luna gasped in shock.

It just took a picture of Luna's cutie mark at an angle that could be considered the lewdest thing somepony could do.

Sharply turning to look at her sister's face, she saw Luna had flushed a deep rosy red before she spun about to confront and stare at the machine with fury.

Celestia understood very well what was going through her sister's mind. But due to the circumstances of how it all happened right there and so quickly, she couldn't help it and tried to suppress a laugh. It didn't work as well as she thought it did.

"Really!? You think that's funny?" Luna scowled back at Celestia who made the noise of an escaping laugh mixed with a snort.

"Oh, Luna. I'm sure it's just as curious as we are," Celestia let out one last giggle with a cough as she composed herself and gestured calmly at it with a hoof. "Who or whatever this UNSC is, they are quite curious towards us. It means us no harm, that can be as seen so far with this."

"Riiight. But what of my public image, Tia," Luna shot her eyebrows up and pointed an accusing hoof at the little flying disc machine. "That thing just took a picture of my butt without my consent!"

"Your image is fine… sort of, judging just by the angle it was taken. But what do you want me to do about it? Give it a hard slap and say: 'Naughty little thing' or thereof? Perhaps give it a good whack with my sword. Inevitably that will paint a fantastic impression with those observing, or going to watch if and when it returns."

Luna groaned in vexation, glaring daggers at her sister. "Wish it does yours next."

"And if it doesn't?" Celestia responded with a sly smile. The machine moved away from Luna and came to hover in front of her.

"I'll do it myself… When you're in the bath!" Luna chided, a little evil smirk forming in the corner of her mouth.

Celestia softly smiled as she rolled her eyes at her sister and watched the machine's moment as revolved around her head and eventually down her side as it had before.

"Looks like you may get your wish, sister."

The little machine was fascinating to observe. Almost mesmerising in a way as it glided around her length. It was almost like watching a leaf dance as it took to the air by the slightest gust of wind.

But then something odd happened as it arrived midway down her body. It suddenly jerked away as if it had been startled by something. Spun, tilted up, and-

CRACK!

Everypony flinched as a thin dazzling beam of purple energy shot out of nowhere and struck the dead centre of the machine, blowing it apart.

"What the-?" some guards started to exclaim only to be cut off by a loud firework-like explosion going off at ground-zero.

The disc drone exploded violently. Blasting chunks of itself and shrapnel over a wide area before whatever remained dropped to the ground in heavy metal crunching whump.

Everypony spun on the spot, some facing in different directions trying to locate the source of origin of the beam while others formed a protective ring around the princesses, their training and duty kicking into overdrive.

Another dazzling beam of energy zapped out of the dark, missing the remains of the drone entirely and struck a batpony in his flank.

The Night Guard didn't have time to scream, let alone express any emotion other than his eyes boggling in shock as the beam went right on through his armour-like it was tissue paper.

In the fraction of a second it took the Night Guard to register he'd been hit, the shot punched out his back in a shower of red blood and gore.

The beam continued, ricocheting off a flagstone, tore through the chest armour of another, killing the batpony instantly, before exiting in the same manner and dissipated its murder spree against a stone statue holding the flag of Canterlot.

ZANG!

Luna threw up a hoof to shield her eyes from the dazzling bright flare that emanated from her sister's armour.

The protective enchantments imbued in it successfully and harmlessly dispersing the beam that had struck Celestia somewhere between where her left-wing joint was. The shot was even strong enough to topple her onto her side.

Disarray and confusion spread quickly through the ranks of the guards. Many could only stare at the traumatising horror before them as their fellow compatriots lay dying or dead before them in pools of their blood and guts.

It was then a chilling call rang out from somewhere out among the towers where the most prestigious and influential of the pony citizens of Canterlot resided. The cry cut through the night air, like somepony, was strangling a rooster.

Still squinting from being blinded, Luna spun in the direction of where she heard the off-key grating crowing call.

Royal and Night Guards finally came to their senses over the shock; they began to do everything in their power to save their struck brethren.

After a couple more rapid clearing blinks, Luna saw a dazzling sky blue light appear off in the dark then a flash of purple. Her adrenaline surged.

Luna cast a blue opaque magical barrier in front of herself as well as for everypony in time just as another thin purple beam flew out of the dark at them.

ZAMPH!

Luna was shocked.

Not because the beam had been glaringly bright when it struck but because whoever had fired it, the blast was aimed right between her eyes.

Luna watched, mesmerised, as the impact rippled out like a stone thrown into a pond as her protective barrier safely disbursed the energy.

Looking through her magic shield and coming into sharp focus, Luna pinpointed precisely where the beam had originated.

While her night vision was superb - a trait that all Alicorns shared with pegasi and subspecies of batponies, many of whom still proudly serving the Night Guard - Luna could only make out a series of small glowing vivid blue lights among the balconies of noble towers.

The light was a dead giveaway as it was very out of place compared to the only other light source in the of the dull, faint yellow glow of the electric-lit street lamps below.

There was never any doubt in hers or any pony's mind, or Celestia's if she asked that this light belonged to the thing that was attacking them from afar.

Luna took off with a great beat of her wings, dropping the magic barrier as she sped in the direction of the blue glow of light.

The bright blue light shifted position and disappeared, winking out of existence.

No!

Luna mentally kicked herself as she landed on the balcony where she had spotted the unearthly light.

She had been so naive to rush for the attacker by 'flying' there she forgot that whoever it was could see her leave from such a distance under cover of night and in this type of lighting conditions.

Luna stamped the ground hard in frustration. She should've teleported.

She looked to her left to where she had seen the light before it had disappeared and saw leaning up against the railing a long and sharp angular object.

An object that immediately made her feel sick as it shone in the light of her horn with a smooth and disconcerting purple colour sheen. Luna swallowed her sickness and steeled herself as she enveloped the exotic weapon in her telekinesis magic to examine it closer.

The weapon in question was unmistakably alien in origin and design. A fat wedged-shaped barrel that tapered to a sharp, menacing point at one end while at the other it ended with a large chevron. A small channel glowed a brilliant magenta pink ran from the centre of sharp end to a circular mechanism with a circular hollow centre and five shimmering, glowing pink circles.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that no pony could use such a thing. A hand-held weapon obviously because it wasn't designed to be used by somepony.

Luna had no idea how much time had elapsed as she was too absorbed in studying the weapon when the beating of multiple wings and the unmistakable rattle of shifting armour she was acutely accustomed to sounded behind her.

"Princess Luna? Is that it? Is that the weapon that killed my men?" demanded Captain Greystone, announcing his attendance.

Without uttering a word, Luna levitated the weapon over and gave it to him. Turning around and with a flick of magic, she opened the balcony doors a crack.

Luna jerked her head back, recoiling almost immediately as the overpowering smell assaulted her senses. Her nostrils greeted by the foul stench of something dead and decaying, and most of all, the unhealthy overabundance of fear she could taste at the back of her throat that almost made her throw up on the spot.

Luna pulled her head away and shot Greystone a sentencing glare. "I want patrols through the city streets until I say so otherwise and triple the guard on every entrance, and personally see to it that you and a portion of your men will guard the main entrance to this tower. Seal it off. I don't want this thing to escape. It has a trial I wish it not to miss."

"But if you find whoever this is proving to be too difficult to handle," a displeased Celestia added as she approached. "You must do what is right."

Greystone turned his attention from the alien weapon and towards the princess. No doubt, silently asking if she was sincere in the order. He shouldn't have bothered as a flash of emotion in the princess's eyes told him he was skating on thin ice right now.

Greystone nodded, "Of course, Princess," and left. Only the other Night Guard remained as did the alien rifle leaning up against the railing.

Celestia opened the doors wide, avoiding gagging from the smell like her sister had done earlier.

Luna addressed the batpony as her sister entered the building through the glass balcony doors, "Nightshade. Remain here. If anything that doesn't look like a pony or without our say-so tries to flee through these doors, do not hesitate to use extreme prejudice."

Nightshade nodded sharply, "As you say, Princess." and promptly placed a forehoof ready upon his short-sword hilt.

Luna took the exotic weapon in her magic and brought it inside.

"I heard from Greystone they're dead but not the how?" Luna asked as she propped the weapon against the wall, shut the glass-windowed balcony doors and drew the curtains closed.

"The second Night Guard was shot through the heart. The first died of his injury on his way to the Academy infirmary." Celestia lowered her head in sorrow, "Before he was covered and taken away, I saw that he had received second to third-degree burns to his skin from where the beam had struck and heated his armour to a rainbow shine… I assume that is the weapon?"

With a quick flick of magic from her horn, Luna levitated the alien rifle over to her sister.

Celestia felt a wave of anger pass through her as she scrutinised the weapon. Even in her hold, her pleasant soft golden aura didn't help ease the ire of what she witnessed unfold.

Such a horrible way to die. Why would anything design such a thing? Celestia thought to herself. Of course, she already knew why. A war of sorts had arrived in on their world and was using Equestria as their battlefield. A war fought between something called the UNSC and perhaps two other parties.

She put the rifle down and toggled the light switch for the room.

Revealed immediately in front of the two sisters was a shocking sight. Ravaged by something fierce, the room, its walls and ceiling were scorched from either missed blasts of magic or whatever their attacker had been using.

Wooden tables had overturned. Bookshelves toppled. Most of the grand dining table in the centre burned near to cinders. Broken glass lay smashed and littered on the floor like some miscreant young pony had gone and dumped a load of glitter.

As she searched, going from room to room, seeing the resulting destruction, the violence, it shocked Celestia as to how of a domestic noise had been made to have gone unnoticed and unreported.

Celestia turned from the hall, around the corner into another room and stopped in her tracks.

All the air sucked from her lungs as Celestia forget all of the destruction and chaos, the anger and despair vanishing as her searching gaze fell upon what lay in the middle of what remained of a broken and smashed timber glass coffee table.

Contorted in unnatural positions on the carpeted study, having been ruthlessly bloodied and broken were two ponies. Each a mare. One a cerise unicorn, and the other a light green Earth pony.

Celestia came over and carefully knelt next to the unicorn and carefully parted the mare's mane from her face.

She closed her eyes and a tear formed as she mourned for the two.

Celestia knew them both. Not from important meetings. Not from celebratory events.

Not that.

The circumstances of how she knew were more on a personal level.

The two ponies were Sapphire Dream and her girlfriend Riverbed. Both were the proud owners and operators that ran the 'Elite Equine Spa'. A place that Celestia went to relax, to unwind, to alleviate the burdens on her mind and body from dealing with the stresses and the hardships faced when dealing with many problems and challenges presented in the Court.

The tear that rolled down Celestia's cheek evaporated when she saw something that made blood came to a boil.

Where Riverbed's cutie mark should have been, there had been attempts to remove it physically with something red-hot. Deep cauterised wounds crisscrossed, some deeply bordered around the cutie mark. She looked over to Sapphire Dream and saw the same thing, only this time she couldn't make out the mark at all on the mare.

"When we catch that responsible creature, they will rue the day they had ever set foot in Equestria," Celestia snarled horn aglow and looking back to the open door.

Luna was paused in the doorway and quickly figured out Tia wasn't speaking to her precisely but rather about something else, back the way they came.

She cast a cautious glance back over her shoulder, and she felt it.

A cold shiver ran down Luna's spine. "I sense it too."

Returning to the room, they had first set foot in; it didn't take Celestia long to find the disturbance. There was a shifting movement from behind the ferns of a potted plant. The doors and windows were still closed, so there wasn't a draft to be had.

Then she saw it. She steeled herself for what she prepared to do, channelling magic into her horn.

"Do you think it was so easy?" spoke Celestia lowly without emotion, facing the warped section of disturbed air sitting beside a wilted potted fern. "To try hide for what barbarity you have committed?!" and let loose an electrified blast at the distorted shape.

Luna watched impassively as the sparkling magic struck centre mass of the warped haze.

The cloaking field that concealed the figure failed immediately, revealing a hunched over and sinister-looking biped avian, as large as the tallest stallion, nearly clad from head to toe in sleek and completely alien black armour, and screaming incoherently and writhing in agony as electricity coursed across its body.

Even as it dropped on its knees, the bird creature was as tall as an average pony but far from tall as either alicorn princess.

Everything about its physical appearance told both sisters it was agile. Fast. Its legs were reverse jointed much like a bird but stockier. Its head, was covered by an armoured plated neck, had a sharp beak with bony facial features, two amber eyes with one covered by a semi-transparent mechanical eyepiece that glowed a calm crystal blue. Extending from under the creature's helmet was a plumage of long dark black feathers, many of the tips dyed a blood red.

Celestia restrained herself from using another blast as the alien fell to the floor accompanied by a glowing red blade of sorts that fell out of its right feathered arm's three-fingered grip.

The glowing red blade shattered as it impacted the floor.

Celestia walked up and stood over the alien as errant electrical current from the magic continued to make its presence as it coursed across the creature's blackened armour plates.

The strength of magic she had channelled into the spell was enough to knock out an adolescent dragon out cold. So, it was quite a surprise to Celestia when she went to move it to see that the avian creature was still conscious.

"You both will pay dearly for that," the alien growled in heavily accented Ponish. "Not that mine has come to be already,"

It propped itself up in a kneeling stance from the floor with one arm while the other clutched at a part of its heaving chest, a sliver of reddish blood oozing from under its claws.

Luna halted the alien's motions as she encased its body in a deep blue glow of her magic. With great force and a magical aura more heavily deeper in colour around its red-throated neck, she hurled the creature up against the wall with a loud thud.

There were a series of snapping sounds that came from within the alien, followed by the screeching of agony from its beak.

"Who sent you? Why did you kill them? Why did you try to kill us!" Luna demanded, her voice long teetering on the brink of using the Royal Canterlot Voice.

Instead of answering, the alien had other ideas.

With a hacking cough, the alien creature spat a glob of thick bright purple liquid at one of the princesses.

Luna turned her head, and the glob of the alien's blood splattered across the side of her helmet.

"No matter how you go about this, Woona," the alien chuckled in a menacing tone, blood dripping from its beak as Luna became even more livid. "Your pathetic little rule of yours will not last."

"H-how did you k-know of that name?" Luna stammered, willing every part of her body not to tear the creature apart right then and now.

The alien smiled back at her unperturbed through a bloody row of needle-like teeth and bony facial covering.

The action ticked Luna off even more. It yawned, pointed one of its sharp talons indiscriminately at Celestia. "Did you honestly think that you were alone in your room every night?"

Celestia's subtle surprise twitch disappeared as soon as the emotion tried to show and locked eyes with the alien. It laughed back.

"I know everything about you and your kind, and this one…" the alien snorted. "Well, let's just say it's a desire to keep tabs on you until the time came."

The alien suddenly flinched as if he was startled by something before reaching down and pulled something large, circular and most of all, golden from a pouch strapped to his leg.

"I'm fairly sure you'll recognise this." The alien tossed Celestia's neck regalia piece at her hooves and flinched again. "It was considered by you, your 'good luck charm' after all."

Celestia remained quiet but her right eye twinged as the neckpiece clanked to the floor before her hooves.

Celestia knew something was amiss when she didn't find her necklace where she thought she had left it five nights ago. Back then she thought it was a result of one of Luna's pranks and mentally made a note to give her a week to return it before confronting her about the matter. Ironically tonight was the night she was supposed to have confronted her about it.

"Enough of this! Who are you? What's your name?" Luna barked.

"Tor-Yen," the alien announced, utterly unfazed by the furious princess before it. "Best overall Kig-Yar and T'vaoan alike. Clan Meh'k. Band came seeking profit. We rightly got the score and… slaked our lust for blood." Nodding towards the two dead mares on the floor.

"Why?"

The alien twitched as it continued to laugh. "With these here, one could say I was curious."

Right at the words 'I was curious', the alien's voice suddenly dipped the octaves lower than it had before. Its voice was gravelly, downright devoid of all emotion and dripping with sheer malice. It was as if Celestia was suddenly talking to somepony else.

At this point, Luna was grinding her teeth in anger by just the alien's carefree manner while Celestia was holding back her vexation. Just.

"And my ponies? The guards?" Celestia asked.

The alien flinched as its shoulders raised and fell. A shrug. "More fun probably for him. Perhaps deen I more time to practice this ciahcra speech speak."

The twitches and muscle spasms were more prominent than ever before like it was struggling to maintain control of something.

All of a sudden, the alien screamed at them.

"Can't you hear it? It chants to them for your slaughter, and I am his puppet!" it said in hysterics, alternating between fear and anger. "Three Geks for every equine limb lost! Ten if it results in a headshot! Fifteen is scratch off!"

Not only had it up and confessed that it was a cold-blooded killer and murderer; the alien was batshit insane.

The alien's mocking laughter that followed snapped Celestia's patience, and her horn glowed to an intense glare and shocked the creature again, and purple blood trickled from one of its nostrils before Luna upped the pressure to its throat.

The alien craned its head back up at them and spat out a globule of more purple blood as it spoke.

"Hehe, is that the best you got… Woona?" it said, giving Luna a menacing, sinister smile through sharp bloodied teeth despite missing a few and a shattered jaw.

Luna's irises shrank to pinpricks as she delivered a mighty blow straight to its chest. The alien tried to double over but couldn't because of the princesses magical containment field.

"As I drown in realities looking for the light of redemption as it drags you out from safety. How does torturing this reyarteb and shattering his every frail bone in his body is going to help your small pathetic desufnoc minds find the answer?"

Celestia re-focused back on the alien's eyes and noticed something alarming. The irises had changed. Gone was colour of sap amber, replaced with a deep hollow haunting red. The room seemed to take a dip in temperature as well with this change, and she felt a freezing chill flow through her and her heart the longer she focused on them.

"What do you mean?" Luna angrily pressed.

The alien's irises turned pitch black like looking into an infinite deep void and began glowing with a red aura around its edges. Its broken jaw reset with a foul crack before it answered in a rasping manner, but now more in a dark and depraved demonic twist.

A shock wave of red and black mixed magic blasted out from the body of the alien and slammed into the princesses, levitating them off the ground for a brief moment before flinging them across the room.

"Of the eons, you have hidden the artifacts, believed that our God remained out of reach. You have failed!"

Luna smacked headfirst into the overturned couch, knocking her senseless. For her part and thrown clear into the opposite wall, Celestia rebounded off it and landed face-first in the blood-soaked carpet.

"This glorious Covenant will reclaim that of what we seek from your hoarding clutches and bring the end of this world and those beyond! The extinction of your pathetic little race, the eradication of your taint from this world's surface by our cleansing might is a blessing bestowed by the Gods! And we, WE. ARE. THEIR. INSTRUMENTS!"

The alien's claws surged with haunting deep red magic. The same sinister red aura filled its soulless eyes and reached out towards a dark blue semi-circular weapon with a glowing green tip lying on the floor. The gun rocketed across the room and into its awaiting hand.

The next thing Celestia knew, she felt the alien grab and turn her head sharply, and she was staring down the weapon's charging coil pointed between her eyes.

Celestia tried with all her might to get up, but the dark magic possessed alien possessed more strength than it had and pressed its taloned foot down even harder on her body, right against the small of her wing, preventing her from using them to bat the creature off of her.

Across the room, coughing in horse retching and shaking her head as she struggled to breathe and clear her vision of the dizzy haze, Luna shakily got back onto her hooves and looked to where she had last seen her sister. As she did, her heart leapt from her chest and into her throat.

The alien was standing with a taloned foot pressing down hard upon her sister, pinning her to the floor. The long sleek purple weapon it had used to kill two Night Guards levitated and slowly travelled across the room and affixed itself to its armoured back. The other half-circular gun it held in its claws buzzed loudly as green energy collected at its tip as a bright ball of light.

The alien leaned in closer, seizing hold of Celestia's throat with a weapon free hand and yanking her head closer.

At that moment, something in Luna's eyes ignited. It was a look that hadn't shown itself for a thousand years.

"Sing your final song, Celestia. Bringer up the sun; daughtered by the remaining bane towards my tnemnosirpmi." the alien spat out and sneered. "For this shall be the way—"

"THALL SHALT HARM NO PONY NO MORE NOR MY SISTER!"

The alien snapped its head up to see Luna, her hooves shrouded by a ring of blue fire that whipped like a whirlwind around the base. Her horn surged with magical power, and her eyes turned completely white from the result.

The alien whipped the pistol around to fire at Luna instead.

A surge of blue magic slammed full-on into the buzzard's chest, cannoning it backwards. The stored energy gathering at the tip of the pistol discharged harmlessly into the ceiling.

For its part, the alien was thrown clear across the room, smashing straight through the doors in a hail of glass, before slamming and bursting through the metal railing of the balcony and plummeting down out of sight with a furious screeching scream.

Standing her ground for a few more, Luna blinked out of her emotional magic, fuelled rage and quickly rushed over to her sister's side, looking her over for any sign that her sister was hurt.

"Sister? Sister, are you okay? Come on, Tia. Speak to me. Say something!"

Celestia groaned. "I'm a little shaken, but I'm okay." she coughed hoarsely, reassuring Luna with a sincere smile. she rose gingerly to her feet. "Thank you, sister."

Luna let out a sigh of thankful relief. "I thought it was going to..."

Celestia shook her head. "I wouldn't… never leave you behind. Not like that. And surely not by one controlled by that kind of dark malefic magic." she gazed towards the shattered remains of the glass doors.

"Good aim by the way. It outwardly shows your skills are showing through ever since you began teaching once again at the Royal Guard Academy."

"It's been… enlightening. Although not as much has changed since the last time. A further revision in tactics with dealing with such a powerful force such as the one we encountered may be a prudent course of action."

"Princesses..." a worried voice began to say.

Both Celestia and Luna turned from each other to the noise to behold a barely composed Nightshade. He was shocked for having witnessed the alien rocket through the doors in an explosion of glass and hurtle past him, smash through the cast iron railing and over the edge, screeching all the way.

Celestia noticed he was standing right at the opening where Luna had blasted the alien out through.

"Are you… Are you alright, princesses?" He began as both princesses came towards him.

"We're fine," assured Celestia. "And you, sister?"

Luna turned her head away in what appeared to be discomfort before she coughed loudly and began to rub the back of her sore neck uneasily.

Nightshade breathed out a sigh of relief and nodded in understanding.

Back outside, Celestia turned her attention to the smashed balcony railing and cautiously peered over the side.

Far below, surrounded by a cautious closing ring of no more than fifteen Night Guards and those of the Royal Guard that also included Captain Greystone, lay the broken body of the alien.

Even from way up here and despite the dim lighting of the streetlights and the returning storm as lightning flashed somewhere overhead, Celestia could see the outline of a starburst of bright purple of the creature's blood on the sidewalk far below.

"A good thing we didn't go through with the usual strategy, sister," Luna remarked, joining her.

Celestia cocked an eyebrow and quickly glanced over.

"Oh? And what might that have been?"

"Delve into its mind after knocking it out and – through me and to some degree of you – convince it to reveal its reasons for being here. That would've backfired horribly because of that dark magic."

Ah, yes. That option. "You're right. It wouldn't have worked."

Celestia teleported with Luna doing the same and both princesses re-appeared not a few steps away from the crowd of night and royal guard surrounding the motionless body of the alien but keeping a wary eye on it.

Celestia moved over, and the crowd of guards parted, allowing her access to the creature.

As she came close, the alien's eyes snapped open and looked at her. A deep gurgling of Ponish emanated from the creature's throat.

"You … you delayed no-thing…"

Even after crashing through a pane of glass, a metal railing, and plunging at least five stories that were surely enough to kill anypony regardless, the alien had somehow beaten the odds and survived.

Almost.

Its bright purple-red blood was slowly draining into the gutter as it clutched to the last thread of its life it had left. The alien gurgled out another string of words.

"I-It seeks you … whispers from encaged … deranged …"

Celestia could see that the alien wasn't affected by the possession the dark magic or whoever was controlling it anymore. But the alien still harboured ill towards her in its words.

Luna came alongside and placed a wing on Celestia's shoulder.

"Leave it, sister. It only wants to scold us even more. It deserves this fate like the murderer it is."

Celestia didn't say anything and kept quiet as she glanced over at Luna before turning back to the alien.

Seeing that she wasn't going to Luna gave a strained frustrated huff and left.

Celestia wanted to make sure it didn't harm anypony else, and, to a lesser extent, to hear what the creature had to say as its lifeblood slowly drained from its body.

"Not without … lost control … cannot see you, cannot sense you" the alien coughed, a dark slurry of blood flowed from its long beak. "You'll need … p-p… p-... please."

The word 'please' struck a chord with Celestia and it must have outwardly shown through her trademark stoic expression, because at that moment and with its last remaining strength, the alien brought up a metal, rust red, half-dinner plate with a small circular hole in the middle device from its leg and held it up for the princess to take.

The sudden movement triggered the ring of guards that surrounded him to immediately close aggressively around, levelling their spears down at the Kig-Yar with two guards resting the sharp tip of their spears millimetres away from the alien's beak.

Cautious not to let her guard down, Celestia took a small half-step forward towards the Kig-Yar and the object it was trying to give to her.

"Princess Celestia, hold on a minute. What if it's a trick?" Greystone said, concerned. "From what I've seen, it's already tried to kill you, and for all, we know it's probably some explosive."

The alien overheard the captain's words and held the device up further. "Not that. Never that…" it managed to grate out. "… salvation."

Celestia's horn glowed, and the object in the alien's outstretched claw did the same. She did not move to remove it yet, though.

"Why?" Celestia asked sternly, locking her steely gaze with the alien. "Why should I take this? After all the atrocities you have committed against my people and Equestria? After all that you have committed against us tonight?"

The alien's arm fell limply to the ground, allowing the device to be free within Celestia's magical grasp and closed its eyes. Its breathing becoming more shallow and laboured with every passing second.

"Ivph jah choice, different … Could not. Zealot … jamataa here. Judgement. Test … 'Arahk comes … sacred vorhan … it is the tahshee … sangayri isha iqurre … teedah kahnoh uhso jeeneh…"

With a final exhale of air, the alien ceased all movement and finally became still.

The only sound was the ominous rumble of thunder punctuated the silence.

As the rain began to fall once more from the regathered storm, Celestia gazed down at the dead body of the alien and then to the object still held aloft in her magical grasp.

The constant sound of shhhhh as the rain began to come down harder, Celestia addressed Greystone sternly.

"Clean this mess up and secure the tower. I want this encounter kept quiet until we figure out how much danger this poses to everypony in Equestria and us."

Greystone nodded and looked to the body of the alien. "And this thing?"

Celestia eyed the dead T'vaoan for a second. "Take it to the Royal Academy mortuary for study. I want you to discover more about what it is and what we face."

Greystone saluted and turned sharply, barking orders to his subordinates.

For her part, Celestia trudged through the rain over to where Luna was standing, separated a-ways from the scene, a faint glow of shield spell protecting her from being drenched by the storm.

As Celestia drew abreast of Luna, she could see very well her sister was upset.

"You shouldn't have listened to it," Luna grumbled. "After all, it has done. It killed four ponies without any thought to its actions, and yet you show pity for it. Here I am asking 'why?'"

Celestia gave Luna a wary look. She still had much to catch up on in terms of learning forgiveness. "Nopony in their right mind would sympathise with what terrible crimes the creature committed. Even though you thought I went too far with it, know I did not, but everything deserves a second chance." and teleported both of them where they ended up back in Canterlot castle throne room with herself dripping wet while Luna was not. "Not many can understand the power that dark magic can influence those with a weak mind and make them do their work."

Luna blew air through her nose. "So, this device thing? It is going to give us all the answers we've been thinking hard for?"

Celestia rotated the alien object in her magic. "Truthfully? I don't know what this is." she frowned. "But it said 'salvation'. Our salvation, probably."

"The preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss." Luna defined and loosely twirled a hoof towards the half-circular device. "I get it, okay? … Did it say how to use it before it died?"

No. No, it didn't. Not once. Celestia thought. She shook her head.

Luna gave a visible sarcastic smile. "Oh, well, by all means," and trotted to her seat.

"It can't be that difficult, sister," said Celestia as she too trotted over to her throne and sat. "It wouldn't have given it to me so willingly if it hadn't thought we could use it."

Celestia looked back at the object. The alien wouldn't have given it to her if that was the case. No, there had to be something here. She flipped the device over and saw something in the light that caught her eye.

Scratched into the object was a series of tiny characters. Crude characters carved in Ponish. And very recently too by the looks of it.

Squinting and peering closer as she read the scratched words, she flipped the object back over and conjured up a quill – minus the inkpot that usually came with it – and threaded the quill's tip into the small hole she'd seen near the centre.

Despite the thunderstorm outside, the audible click that came from the device sounded like Discord had cracked a whip in a cavern through a loudspeaker.

The object began to vibrate slightly, whirring a strange humming noise before abruptly, a thin orange-red band of light filled the space at the top of the device, making it a near-perfect circle.

Celestia slowly and tentatively reached out and lightly touched the light. What she felt surprised her. It was solid to the touch.

She lifted her hoof off the light and the device – now powered on – began to produce a strange high pitched chime and a bunch of weird, intricate triangle-like symbols, each one a different colour than the last began appearing on the hard-light surface before disappearing completely. Leaving all but three blue symbols behind which began to pulse in a slow and steady blinking pattern.

Celestia moved her hoof to touch the centre blue pulsating triangle.

"Maybe Greystone is right about this being some explosive," Luna gave her sister a wary look while she adjusted her cushion so she could leave in a hurry if need be.

Celestia's hoof was poised a mere millimetre above the flashing glyph. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained,"

"At least you're feeling adventurous about this. Because if this is indeed what Greystone said it was…" Luna paused briefly before voicing more on her mind. "You're going to cop most of the blast."

"Well, thanks, sister," said Celestia sarcastically. "Your outlook on self-preservation in situations involving me is enlightening as always." and touched the flashing icon.

Luna gave a glancing smile.

The triangles suddenly began to blink quite rapidly before disappearing. When nothing happened after about five seconds, Luna quickly moved to get up.

"Well, I'm out of-" she began saying, mid-rise from her cushion before the ring of light flashed in time to the grating amount of splutters and a hacking squawking of a familiar rasping voice that emanated from the device.

"Reigning alicorn leaders of the world designated as H-D-1-1-3- … Kitgial! The name given in the contract is of no importance. I am no more with them."

The voice belonged to that of the alien they had confronted in the tower and defeated.

"One you, jah, hope understood the scrawl I left on the underside of the data-disc and are hearing this. Writing in the flat-face mainstay language is murder to my claws as is my voice. So I will tell why short of course and information for reasons jamahtaa klual from the Covenant. My betrayal.

Tor-Yen, heed my call. T'vaoan. Mehoh, former marksman and grand lieutenant Meh'k, forgive me of my oath-breaking the contract and listen with forgiveness to betrayal and those of princesses of those who listen. I've made sure data are in language they can understand. Only few access here. Demons to the UNSC, their constructs or a sangayri ally of theirs also able to access this to understand this struggle. They'll help you, that I'm sure. They will come. I feel it. But is hard to predict. No word of flat-face or sangayri retaliation fleet in neighbouring system for days…"

There was a sound of rasping gagging, strangled coughing, and undeliverable squawking before his voice returned.

"Argh! I… cannot… waver… etuloser lortnoc… sdaerps ssenkrad, sedaf thgil… sorry for what will… suteiuq… for what will become… Started to feel… drags closer to void, prison as time counts. I've compile together many weeks prying on chatter about patrol zones, camps, and staging zones. I cannot assume will be accurate,"

A loud piercing squelch of static cut across the voice as the recorder failed to record before the alien's voice resumed his speaking, albeit some way through a sentence that made no sense.

"... though removing squatters through death is common, abductions are profitable. The central Spire is close to the centre and a Dark Zone even more so. The exact location of the Spire is finicky; however, DZG is very close. Note for you: a DZG setup closes enough will and can interfere with your…"

Another wash of static cut through the recording.

"There is last thing. In between bouts of its actions, I have taken many pauses to deal the other members of strike team positioned strategically about your home. I cannot say others that set for same way. But hope is start to atone for sins past…"

"Princess Luna! News from the watch of the airship docks!" one loud and unnerved voice spoke up.

Luna turned sharply up away from listening to see a guardsmare galloping in and heading towards her in alarm.

"Judge my nefarious actions of death if you will, but do not ignore the words of those who saw the sun before you… ungh… Deyaled ylerem si ti for what he sees of you and ruoy kind: Utmost noitalihinna. I can only hope that hguorht by siht selfless snoitca, thgif siht ni ecnereffid a ekam ot egdelwonk uoy ot trapmi I… Htaed uoy ni hsiler ll'I dna uoy dnif lliw I! Srethguad, dekaolc reverof edih tonnac Uoy!"

The message ended on a chilling psychotic note. Whatever sinister presence had infected the alien's mind, had completely overtaken it entirely.

She turned to face her sister. "Luna. If the alien said in this and what is true about others in the city, then-" and saw empty air instead.

Celestia wrinkled her brow and looked about in disdain. "Where did you go now?"

It didn't take her long to spot where her sister had gone.

Her sister was in the middle of the room off to one side and having a quick one-sided conversation with a unicorn from the Magical Corps. Better known throughout the E.U.P by their nickname of Magi.

Celestia got up and started to head over to her sister when something moved out of the corner of her eye that caught her attention.

Said something was grey stallion pegasus with an orange stripe in his steel grey tail. The pony strolled casually into the open doorway only to stop dead centre in the opening.

However, while his body was facing her, his head wasn't. It was looking the other way, so he was looking behind himself.

Regardless of where the pegasus stood and the fact the throne room magnified any sounds created within she couldn't hear what was being said.

She watched as his mouth opened and closed and his body tense up. It seemed as if he was arguing with somepony, yelling to whoever was there.

Celestia decided to confront the pegasus about why he was doing here. Not because it was very late at night, it was because nopony aside from staff and the guards were supposed to be here.

As Celestia approached, something caught her eye as all of a sudden the orange strip of his tail visibly changed to white before cycling to a reddish gold and started to glow and shimmer – much like her mane and Luna's shimmered due to their magical reserves – in that colour.

That was not normal.

That was never normal.

Celestia quickened the pace towards the pegasus just as he turned sharply back to face where he was looking and locked eyes with her.

Paf!

Startled by the loud sound and bright flash of light that went with it, Celestia broke eye lock and sharply looked back to see that the unicorn pony had teleported away and that her sister was coming over, appearing quite concerned. Celestia twisted back to the pegasus in the entranceway.

He was gone.

"Tia? What's wrong?" asked Luna concerned, noticing her sister's confused expression, "you seem distracted."

"There was… never mind." Celestia shook her head. "What did the Magni have to say?"

"During our hunt of the alien sniper, some keen far-sighting Night Guards along with a Magni at the airship docks saw this dark green bulky craft attempt to land on one of the platforms. They also spotted two purple-blue alien-looking aircraft come out of the clouds soon after. These two were described much in the way of the one we saw tonight."

"And what happened to the bulky craft?"

"It waved off its attempted landing and fled, however, drawing the alien aircraft with it. When it did, one of the guards described a symbol of a white eagle with its wings spread wide on the side of it."

Celestia felt her stomach knot just as the floor shuddered violently. It was like an earthquake had struck Canterlot.

As the floor continued to shake, all of a sudden, something purple passed by her that appeared to have come from behind. Celestia's knees buckled as she felt an overwhelming sense of sleepiness and a tremendous sense of vertigo before the blackness consumed her.

Feeling the ground shake and seeing a wall of purple energy cascade over herself and Tia, Luna's legs gave way, and she pitched forward, collapsing face-first into the floor, the blackness of unconsciousness slowly engulfed her.

However, before she lost consciousness, the last thing she remembered was not the sight of her sister falling, collapsing down next to her, but it was of a serene view of a white sandy beach with, oddly, a setting blue sun in a midnight blue sky and a strange comforting feeling of a significant figure nearby. And it, whoever it was, was whispering low into her ear over the sounds of crashing ocean waves and merry laughter.

"With me by your side, along with your sister. These coming days are going to be just perfect… You remember, do you not? You always loved this since you were small…"

Bridge of UNSC Halberd-class II Arkhangelsk.

The steel grey arrowhead profile of the UNSC destroyer cruised through the sky, prowling cautiously through the planet's lower atmosphere as the pelting rain hammered away pointlessly on the hull outside.

As the Halberd-class II passed over a ridge, one of the crewmembers at his station called out an alert.

"Commander! Energy spike at 1-7-9 at 1-3-0 southeast of our position."

Standing by her commander's chair, reacting on gut instinct that was usually never wrong, Song 'Yu' Jia gave her orders.

"Navigation, come about to heading of 2-6-0. Get us moving into that steep valley."

"Aye-aye, commander. Coming about to course 2-6-0. Diverting forty per cent power to engines."

If someone had eyes on the warship from the outside, they would've seen the destroyer take on easing slanting dip, a smooth rolling list, as the ship moved for the valley in front of it.

With a few engagements against the Covenant remnant and more than a dozen engagements in space in the ongoing Resurgence War, five successful in-atmosphere counterinsurgency operations, she wasn't afraid to put the Arkhangelsk through its paces when it even came.

As Jia issued a series of further orders, the crewmember that reported the initial energy spike spoke up: "Commander, I don't think it is Covenant. The energy signature… it's just not right."

Jia glanced in his direction from her chair, "That still does not convince me, Lieutenant Jürgens. That could mean its Forerunner instead of Covenant. Which in all data books I've read is a far worse prospect."

"Commander, Lieutenant Jürgens could be right on this one." the navigator backed up with without turning around in his seat. "It's not the Covenant. And it's hardly Forerunner." He tapped his screen. "The energy discharge matches nothing been recorded before. I'm running it through what ONI has in their databases to see what they've got. But that's a long shot. With ours, currently, it's saying the signature doesn't match any known output. However, it was artificial and—"

The console chimed, finding a result.

"Organic? What the hell?" he frowned, peering at the result given on his screen.

"Keep it up on your monitor." Jia got up out of her chair to check to see if her navigation officer was correct when an ensign turned in their seat.

"Ma'am. Roan has reported in on our frequency having completed their mission in neutralising the DZG, and long-range communications are back and green across the board…"

Odd that the Spartans would be using them for a relay. "I'm sensing a 'but' coming from this,"

"But our hyperscanner is no longer being jammed anymore," replied the officer, obvious befuddlement plastered across his rugged face.

Jia ultimately turned to face him. "Come again?"

The ensign looked back at his screens. "All environmental and surface scanning sensors are operating at one hundred per cent. The readouts are telling me that the anomalies never existed or posed a problem to its operations in the first place."

"That's impractical," stated Jia firmly. "Check and re-check your parameters. The data gathered by the Echo Of Stars told that the anomalies interfered near constantly with any UNSC or USE hyperscanner regardless of tuned settings."

"Ma'am, I don't know what to make of it. Radar, Ladar, SWIR, LWIR," he listed off names of the different systems quickly, hands now dancing over the holo-screens as he checked and triple checked each system. When he finished, he indicated to his screen with a stumped expression. "Everything is there. All back and working as expected. No anomalies detected."

Jia frowned. "If if this is indeed the case, then we must assume the Covenant has theirs back too. That is if they had not got around the problem already in the first place."

She turned to the officer to her right first. "Lieutenant Jürgens, get me the origin point of that energy discharge. Lieutenant Fey, reposition for a higher atmosphere course and get jamming countermeasures online, full-spectrum spread. You detect anything remotely Covenant, jam the crap out of it!"

"Aye-aye, Commander." came in the multiple stern replies of the crew.

"Ma'am," the weapons officer turned from his monitors as the Commander returned to her chair. "Should I divert reactor power to the MACs and start charging sequence?"

Jia leaned an elbow on her armrest, contemplating on the supposed future course of action. "No, Kirillov. The best course of action right now is to determine the exact location, the reason why, and what gave that energy discharge. Fleetmaster 'Surum works best on flexible answers not speculation from a now supposed 'working' hyperscanner for this planet." She let out a strenuous sigh as she drummed her fingers on the chair's armrest. "Spin up the Rampart's and warm the Archer pods."

Lieutenant Kirillov nodded back in compliance. "Yes, ma'am."

The lieutenant's fingers danced over the numerous holographic screens, arming Archer pods and setting up targeting sector screens for the crisscrossing fire network of the five M870 50mm Rampart point defence guns placed in strategic points about the Halberd-class II destroyer. Usually, an A.I. would have been monitoring and coordinating these tasks on the fly, but Jia didn't have the luxury of one due to the shortage of artificial intelligence when the Arkhangelsk was pushed out from its assembly cradle of the Reyes-McLees Shipyards over Mars just a few months ago.

Lieutenant Jürgens turned in his seat with good news. "Ma'am, I've pinpointed the origin of the energy spike, and I'm picking up a distress call far north of it on the low band emergency frequency."

That got Jia's undivided attention.

"On bridge loudspeaker,"

"Aye-aye, ma'am. Putting it through now."

The distress message that came through was choppy and heavily riddled with static, but the message was clear enough to understand.

"Mayday, mayday, mayday! Pilot 7-8-dash-9 C-W-… of dropship Uniform Four Zero Four to all UNSC and USE monitoring th-… We're hit… -own. I say again... hit and going down… Phoenix in... I say again: Protocol Phoenix is in effect. Encountered four Echo Tangos tha- … -telligent civilisation of equines. Activa- … Ossis! Hol- … -st, thrusters! Can't cont-… Brace-" the call cut out abruptly before the message repeated.

The message looped, and Jia with the bridge crew and even the Arkhangelsk herself seemed to go quiet.

"Did she just say what I thought I heard she say?" an officer of the crew inquired.

'Protocol Phoenix in effect...', Jia thought before snapping to and issued an order. "Lieutenant Jürgens! Get me a scan of the surrounding area around that distress beacon location."

"On it, Commander!"

It had not been even a minute that elapsed by when the hyperscan was complete and was then put up on the centre view screen for all to see.

What happened next was a mix-match reaction of half-expressed expletives from few as everyone else had suddenly lost their will to speak.

"Commander!" an officer hollered. "Atmospheric slipspace rupture detected! Exit vector at point 3-3- Arghh!"

Everyone on the bridge, sitting or not, was either thrown violently sideways out of their seats or were knocked to the floor as the broad Covenant Corvette's prow ‒ a Sangheili Hekar Taa-pattern Blockade Runner to be precise ‒ glanced off the destroyer's rear port side as it exited from slipspace into the atmosphere of the planet.

The only saving thing that prevented the UNSC destroyer from incurring catastrophic damage from the ramming and very possibly breaking in two was the active protective energy shielding that took the entire brunt the blow.

The prow of the Corvette continued to push the rear of the Arkhangelsk, shunting the destroyer out of the way and sideways until both starships came almost parallel to each other in the sky.

On the bridge, officers scrambled back into their chairs and called out with urgent status warnings and situation reports.

"Commander! Shields took a massive hit! System's showing only seven per cent charge and imminent collapse!"

"Multiple Banshees, Phantoms, and Spirits just launched from the Corvette's forward launch bays,"

"Commander! Corvette's plasma lines are heating; they're preparing to fire!"

"All hands, Battlestations! Quick launch our Broadsword. Keep those fighters off our engines," bellowed Jia. She pointed to the weapons officer, "Lieutenant Kirillov! Bring point defence to bear on the Corvette, light the bastard up!"

Almost immediately the hull of the destroyer reverberated with the vibrations of the point defence as further orders, including directing counter-boarding teams to areas as a hollowing cry of 'Shields are gone!' from a senior officer and flow of reports of enemy borders just after it.

A plasma torpedo from the Corvette impacted the hull and sent a shaking rumble that could be felt all the way up on the bridge.

Commander Jia's expression turned grim as damage reports flooded in. "Kirillov, Archer Pods 1 through 8! Target solution on the port prow and engines."

"Archers away!"

A hailstorm of fifty millimetres raked the Corvette as a swarm of over a hundred Archer missiles streaked out of their launch tubes and impacted the prow and the starboard engine. Covenant ship hull rendered and tore from the explosions. The vessel must've lost all of its shield strength from ramming them a while ago as Jia saw a flash of silver briefly in resistance from the destroyer's raking point defence fire before flicking out as the multitude of Archer missiles impacted shortly after.

Jai saw as their single Broadsword fighter blasted past the bridge viewports on an attack run on the Corvette. There was a massive explosion that erupted at the rear of the Corvette as the exoatmospheric supremacy fighter delivered a lucky critical blow with new blossoms of fire and explosions chaining throughout the length of the ship. Nanolaminate armour tore away and created massive holes in other critical areas inside.

Despite initially having the surprise, the size and weight advantage, the Covenant Corvette was faltering in its return fire and had begun to take on a substantial list to port. Meanwhile, the UNSC Arkhangelsk didn't let up and continued to pound and gut the hell out of it mercilessly.

"Commander!" an ensign cried in warning. "New heavy contacts at point 2-3-6!"

Off in the distance, three Covenant warships appeared from slipspace and did something unexpected. Instead of turning and engaging the Arkhangelsk and tipping the balance of favour to the Covenant in the strange broadside duel, they instead changed course, wheeling around and away from the fight.

"Lieutenant Jürgens, keep track on those ships! Relay their course information to Commander Selena," Jia ordered, pointing towards the two Covenant Man O' Wars and single CCS-class battlecruiser as the glow of their repulsor engines grew ever brighter.

She knew where the covie ships were going, and it made her sick.

"And get me Fleetmaster 'Surum on the channel, now!"

Starfire dreamed.

Her mind raced with the fleeting feelings of recent events.

Ones of her waking up in the barracks of Canterlot on the setting of the sun and putting on her recently polished to perfection armour, rounding up the members of her patrol with smiles and cheery moods all around. Then the first order of the night from Princess Luna herself, 'Patrol the eastern part Canterlot and sweep north of the valley, and that of Cantermount range'. Then flying above a forested area as her patrol searched the ground below.

And then the nightmares came.

These involving a massive matte green metal machine of unknown origin and design sitting in the middle of a clearing and two tall figures were pointing strange weapons at her patrol.

Then in another nightmare featured imposing tall creature with a mouth for two pairs of mandibles, jutting out and roaring at her. More so at those stood further behind with the words: 'Heretics! The removal of your filth on this holy place is at hand!'

The inrushing haunting cyan two-pronged blades were swinging for her head. Cleaving clean through her steel sword as she tried to block it, only for them to be blocked by an identical energy blade in a meeting of clashing blue sparks.

Hollering of: 'Get down!' and 'Get to cover!' while blue and green bolts accompanied by abnormal loud cannon-like sounds echoing again in the air.

Pink crystalline shards were sticking out the right-hind leg of one of her charges. Then something later told about being thankful it had been six instead of seven.

As every image ended, Starfire always found herself standing alone inside a red-lit area, grey uncomfortable looking metal seats lining the walls, and gazing down at a bloody scene of death and devastation.

A loud sound of crashing thunder jolted Starfire awake, and in doing so, she inadvertently breathed in a mouthful of muddy water from a puddle she collapsed in.

"Euuugh!" exclaimed Starfire as she spat out a mouthful of the murky, foul stew.

Now well and truly awake, Starfire looked about herself as the rain fell upon her. Her face fell into despair as her vision adjusted to the night dark. It looked just as grim and murky than it had been.

Stretching away from Starfire was the start of a path of destruction created by the Pelican as it crashed into the forest belly first.

Starfire suddenly heard a series of multiple footsteps, the sounds of splashes and a crack of a twig being stepped on behind her. She whirled around, wings out and hooves up in hoof-to-hoof combat stance ready to defend from those who decided to sneak up and attack her from behind.

What she saw there instead was the rest of her patrol.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Take it easy, Starfire." an alarmed Nightbreak exclaimed, hooves up in a non-threatening stance. "It's just us."

"Nightbreak," Starfire relaxed, and she fell back onto all fours. "You know I don't like surprises. Especially after what's going on tonight."

"Sorry. You okay?"

"I'm fine," She turned to the other two batponies gathered either side of Nightbreak. "Adlyn? Eirlys?"

Both guard mares shared an almost identical stiff nod. "As good as we'll ever be."

Starfire nodded and looked at the trail of burnt and extinguished destruction that had been left behind when the transport went down in flames.

"Does anypony know where that wave of magical energy came from?" said Nightbreak as he hoofed over his backup dagger to Starfire.

"I have no idea," answered Eirlys. "I think it came from somewhere behind us. I think from - that direction."

She pointed in a northerly east direction, towards the towering Canter mountains.

"We better get moving. Alive or dead, I'm not going to forgive myself if we didn't help in some way after they saved us. I have a point." Starfire said and set off first.

Eirlys fell into step next to Adlyn with Nightbreak taking up the rear.

"Do you think...?" asked Adlyn.

"I don't want to think about it." Eirlys cautiously looked about as they travelled further down the slope towards the river bank.

Nightbreak looked to them both, "Well, while you all just thinking about it. I'm just saying it. Covenant."

"Don't be absurd, Nightbreak," said Adlyn, rolling her eyes. "We hardly even know anything about the aliens except they want to kill us. And I don't think the aliens can do magic. At the very least, I think our new alien friends would've at least mentioned something about it."

"How would you know that Adlyn, hmm? How can you know that the aliens aren't holding back? You know, like our protocols when it comes to secrets."

"Whatever the case, none of the aliens we fought had horns."

"They could've used something else. Like a wand, or even their hands!" proclaimed Nightbreak.

"Hands… pfff, come on."

Nightbreak looked to Eirlys. "Eirlys, come on, back me up here. You know what I'm on about, right? It's in that book I read."

Eirlys levelled her gaze. "Nothing in that is real. We all know Griffons cannot do that. They're more into potions and industrialism. It's just a fiction novel written up by the novelist to give the rush and excitement to the reader."

Despite being able to see in the dark quite well, Nightbreak managed to trip over an exposed root but caught himself from tumbling as they began to move down the wet and slippery slope towards the river. "He could very well be telling the truth."

"For your information, Nightbreak," Adlyn piped in, "I've read the other books by that somepony, and he is a she. And that mare got one crazy imagination."

Feeling insulted, Nightbreak brought up a retort that sounded a lot better in his head which earned him giggles from both bat mares.

Starfire sharply looked over her shoulder. "Cut the chatter, guys. We're here."

The three looked ahead of Starfire and saw the source of the column of smoke they had been using to hone in.

"By Luna's grace…" breathed Eirlys, looking at the strewn carnage of the crash site.

Situated entirely exposed out in the open and lying on its side, half in half out of the river with its nose buried half-submerged in the river and bits and pieces of the once-great alien aircraft were everywhere.

Starfire couldn't help but again look in shocked awe as she got closer at one of the broad pivotal wings – one which housed one of the massive engines – had been completely sheared off in the crash and now the thing lay speared into the ground at a slanted angle. To the untrained eye, somepony might mistake it as a ramp built to nowhere.

Separated a bit from Starfire and Nightbreak, Eirlys and Adlyn ambled through the carnage around them.

"I hope they survived this," whispered Eirlys. "I'd want to know if- mmm?!"

One of Adlyn's wings was firmly pressed tightly over Eirlys's mouth.

"Look, I know how you feel, and it's been a long time since then." hushed Adlyn in a firm voice. "But things are different now, and now is not the time. You know we have our orders. We can't disobey them. Think of the consequences of what it'll bring if we do it wrong? Especially with those two here."

Eirlys frowned. "You're exaggerating this a bit, Ad. I think she deserves to kn-"

"No. No. Nuh-uh-no. There are and is a time and place. And right now? Is not now and not now. Got it? Cause if any of us so much as blurt out anything about that to Starfire now, any trust we had and everypony else will be all for nought and we'll be buried six feet under. Now come on." Adlyn hurried over to where Starfire was standing near what remained of the rear of the Pelican.

The ramp door that was previously open when they had left was sealed shut. Nopony could see any apparent means of reopening it.

"Know any way to open the door from out here?" asked Nightbreak.

"If there is a way, I don't see it," Starfire looked at the side of the Pelican. "And even if we did find it, I doubt that we'll be able to use it anyway."

"Why?"

Starfire gestured to her and his hooves.

"Oh,"

The warbling wail of multiple alien engines alerted Starfire and her squad to the sky above.

Following the river downstream, the batpony squad saw two Banshees out ahead of a purple ship that looked like a beetle's carapace, with a third of the former trailing behind it. Starfire watched as the alien craft followed the river before rounding the river bend and disappeared out of sight.

The two Banshees flew over again and landed a little way upstream and out of view. Starfire let out a strained sigh of relief. It was more likely the Covenant had seen the crashed Pelican rather than them. Otherwise, they'd be dead.

"What now?"

Starfire saw six little squat aliens with strange triangle-shaped packs on their backs led by two Elites run into view from around the river bend.

"No time. Find a place to hide and stay quiet," she ordered.

The squad split into groups of two. Starfire and Adlyn took cover under the torn-off wing. Nightbreak and Eirlys managed to find a spot under a large slab of the unremarkable fuselage.

In her spot, Starfire couldn't see very much. But despite the limitations of that, she could still hear what was going on around out there.

There was a rattle of stones as the two Elite moved closer and more rattling when they stopped.

"Brother, this is not the way things should've gone. I knew it that when Dur squadron did not report in, the heretics had arrived in system."

"Indeed. We have lost many to nishums shameful tactics tonight, yes. But we will push them back soon enough, and they will fall to our might like the weaklings they are."

Starfire wondered why these two were speaking in Ponish and not in their native language she'd heard from before.

As she pondered the thought, she heard the unmistakable noise of the alien's boots crunching on stones almost next to her head.

"Arr! I cannot recall where the override is."

There was more skittling of rocks as one of them moved.

"It's on this side, brother. Down to the right ... Right there! No! The one next to the panel I'm pointing at, fool!"

A loud grinding sound of something been torn off from the dropship's hull caused Starfire and Adlyn to cringe from the ear-grating noise. The mechanical groaning made a high-pitched squealing and stopped.

She heard one of the Elites kick something metallic - probably the stuck door - while the other gave a deep growl of displeasure.

With the door open ajar, something coming from inside the dropship caught Starfire's ear. She could hear muffled radio chatter of combat reports.

"...Lima 2-7 to Tango 1-4, we have eyes on thirty enemy heavy foot-mobiles due north and advancing towards your position. We're going to move up and give suppressive fire until you're back in the safety of the defilade. How copy? Over."

"Tango 1-4 to Lima 2-7, thanks for the heads up. Didn't have good eyes out that way. I'll pull back as you lay down the hurt and knock them dead. Out."

"Overlord, this is Mike 2-2. Requesting reposition to the north-west of Mike 2-1 to help take on those T-54 RAVs that are hounding them. How copy? Over."

"Mike 2-2, Overlord. You're clear to move at your discretion to waypoint six to support Mike 1-2 on clearing those RAVs. Out."

"Break! Break! Break! Tango 4-2, 4-3! Orient turrets northwest! Covie armoured column of T-26's and T-58's have just crested the hill at your one O'clock at 0-5..."

"These nishum's radio is undamaged, and I think I saw movement." One of the Elites said. "Without the DZG, their location can be pinpointed and call for help."

"Not for long. That is why we're here to finish what Lur squadron failed to accomplish." The other replied resolutely. "Be vigilant and watch my back as I place the charge."

It wasn't a second later when there was a louder shuffling and skittering of rocks on the other side of the crashed Pelican that put both Elite pilots on heightened alert.

"What was that noise? A pony?"

"I do not know, Duram. But it's dead either way." "You three! With me."

Starfire heard the telltale sound of one of the Elites ignite an energy sword and then walk by her spot in search for the cause of the noise.

One second later, when there was a grunting exclaim of surprise. A heavy slicing wet thunk-! And then the sound of rocks shifting as something collapsed to the ground.

Starfire heard the other Elite spin and ignited its energy sword. It slowly moved cautiously towards where the falling noise occurred. "'Kursum? Did you kill-"

The Elite's words were cut off mid-sentence, giving out a brief alarm of surprise that ended in the same thunking noise but with an added strained drowning gurgle before the sound of something falling to the ground.

Chancing it, Starfire poked her head out and could see one of the Elite pilots lying on its back, dead, purple blood staining the rocks around its neck. Standing over it, facing away from her, was a heavily armoured figure in think dark steel blue armour and a very aesthetic looking helmet with what looked like a spike, or more accurately a horn, protruding from the front.

Starfire watched in silence as the armoured figure spun something that flashed silver in its hand before inserting it somewhere between its armoured shoulder plates. A masculine voice, devoid of emotion, came over the headset she still had.

"Roan Leader, crash site secure. Going for the antimatter charge."

A female voice, also without emotion, responded. "Good. After that, join Roan Two over on the Pelican ramp door."

"What of you?" asked the male voice.

"We're going to see ourselves to those four equines taking cover amongst the wreckage. Get to the bottom of this Phoenix protocol once and for all. Starting with the one staring at you at your six."

There was a sudden bark from what sounded like a dog and multiple crunching sounds of boots on the stones next to her.

Looking up, Starfire gasped as she found herself staring up at an Elite. Her shocked reflection reflected in the thin curved sky blue visor of its accompanying dark maroon red swept-back helmet.

Cradled in the sangheili's hands and pointed in roughly her direction was a long purple weapon. The silver barrel having a stripe down either side glowed an ominous and menacing neon green.