Chapter Fifteen
A Living End

February 26th, 2531
Land of Equestria, Cygnus arm
Control room of Covenant Supercarrier Divine Wind
Shipmaster Thar 'Saramee

Thar shoved Princess Celestia to the side as he stood on his command platform, the display screens showing Ponyville as they steadily approached the town. The Shipmaster had also brought Twilight to the bridge so they could both watch the destruction of their land.

"You are weak, Princess. Your world is filled with feeble whelps that are worthy of neither intelligence nor life. The Unggoy fight more courageously than you do! The glassing of your planet and kingdom will be the last thing your pathetic eyes ever see" Thar declared.

"You are wrong, Thar. All beings in the universe are worthy of life, even your Covenant. The Forerunners thought so, or else they wouldn't have saved all life in the galaxy by sacrificing themselves" Celestia explained, earning a smack across the face from Thar.

"Heresy! How dare you claim to know the Forerunners' will! I should strike you down here and now, but I shall not" the Shipmaster said.

"If you will not listen to the truth, then perhaps you should see it" the Princess stated, channeling magic to her horn and delving into Thar's mind, showing him the genesis of ponykind.

-=-=-=-

"Librarian, are you sure this is a prudent plan? The Equestrians were the ones that unleashed the Flood upon the galaxy, they are the ones that forced the humans to fight us, and they are the reason we lost our war against the parasite. Your husband, the Didact, greatly opposes saving the Equestrians, as well as designating them the Inheritors" the Forerunner Master Builder said.

"My husband also opposes labelling the humans the Reclaimers as well as entitling them with the Mantle when they come of age, but this is for the good of the galaxy. The Equestrians are noble and good-willed; they will serve excellently alongside humanity. Ensure that they are safe on their shield world, as well as humanity, and then we will fire the Halo Array. I will ensure that all other species are properly indexed" the Librarian answered.

"Librarian, what of the Didact?" the Master Builder asked.

"I will deal with my husband. Now go, Master Builder."

The Librarian ended the communication with her companion and opened up one last transmission with the leader of the Equestrians, the Goddess Sun.

"Madam Librarian, is it time?" the Goddess inquired.

"Almost, Goddess Sun. I have one last loose end to tie up, and then we will fire the Halo array. I understand your reservations about this but you must know that we, the Forerunners, hold the Mantle alone. At least for now. Your kind will be safe, and when the time comes you will obtain the Mantle alongside humanity. I can't forgive you for unleashing the Flood upon the galaxy, but I can understand your desire to save them from us. In a way you were right, Goddess: all beings in the universe are deserving of life, even the Flood. I have safely preserved their kind on several Installations. We swore to keep the galaxy safe and preserve all life within it, and if we must sacrifice ourselves to ensure that then so be it. Take care of all species under you, Goddess Sun. And goodbye."

"Goodbye, Madam Librarian" Goddess Sun said, stepping back from her communications node and looking at her sister, Goddess Moon.

"Are they doing it, sister?" Goddess Moon asked, flanked by her stoic guards.

"Yes, Goddess Moon, the Forerunners are going through with their plan to fire the Halo array. We will be safe here, and then we will start our kingdom anew free from the influence of the Forerunners. They have designated us the Inheritors of their Mantle, and said that when the time is right we will obtain it alongside the humans and rule the galaxy together."

"When the time is right, dear sister. For now I believe we should make our plans to build our kingdom. There are several issues already arising, such as the appearance of a chaotic God and a dark stallion seizing control of the Crystal Empire" Goddess Moon stated.

"One step at a time, sister. First, we must craft our subjects once again on this new plane of existence. And I think we should pick new names for ourselves; how do 'Princess Luna' and 'Princess Celestia' sound?" Goddess Sun asked.

"They are fine. So be it, sister."

"Very good, Luna. Now, let us get to work; there is a lot to do, and even though the Forerunners are evil beyond all measure, they were still gracious enough to grant us eons of time to reshape the galaxy" the newly christened Princess Celestia stated, leaving the chambers with her sister and stepping outside into the night on the balcony of the hovering tower the Forerunners built them on a mountain-side.

"I think this land needs a makeover, do you not agree?" Princess Luna asked.

"I do, and I believe we shall start here at our home city, Spring of Eternal Paradise" Celestia answered.

"What should its new name be?" Luna declared.

"...Canterlot."

"So be it, sister."

-=-=-=-

Princess Celestia ended the flow of magic to her horn and Thar 'Saramee stumbled back, holding his head. When he looked up he saw the Forerunner glyphs on Celestia's chest and crown pieces glowing.

"By the GODS..." Thar exclaimed, horrified by what he had done in the past week and the overwhelming truth he had been faced with; ponykind, along with humanity, were designated by the Forerunners to be the rulers of the universe.

Hanging his head in shame Thar 'Saramee lead the two ponies down to the hangar bay and released them before returning to the control room. He knows what he must do now.

Tapping several keys on the displays Thar felt even sicker, knowing his hands were coming into contact with things created by a machine of sin and lies. The bridge officers were oblivious to what he was doing, and Rav 'Taramai had been killed when one of the valiant human warriors tackled him out of a window.

Thar keyed the external speakers that were normally used to recite ancient decrees before glassing a planet, which is what the bridge officers thought he was about to do.

"Creatures of Equestria, the time has come. Before this ends I shall leave you one final message" Thar announced, preparing to recite an oath that finally made sense to him.

"So full of hate were our eyes that none of us could see. Our war would yield countless dead but never victory. So let us cast arms aside and like discard our wrath. Thou, in faith, will keep us safe whilst we find the path."

Thank you, Princess, for letting me finally see Thar thought, letting up on the key as he reached for another. "Goodbye...ponies. And goodbye, Twilight Sparkle. I am now forever...yours" Thar 'Saramee spoke, his last words unheard by anyone but himself as he activated the Divine Wind's self-destruct mechanism.

-=-=-=-

March 4th, 2531
Land of Equestria, Cygnus arm
Grounds of Ponyville
Commander Michael Preston
Mission: none

Michael Preston disembarked from the Warthog and entered Ponyville Library, wishing to bid his final goodbyes to Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Just a few days ago a UNSC battlegroup lead by an ONI agent named Ocelot had arrived to find the Covenant on the planet defeated and the human survivors fixing up the place.

And now the battlegroup was to take Commander Preston and all other UNSC personnel back to Reach, cancelling Preston's mission.

To say he was upset was a grand understatement.

"Michael!" Twilight called out as the human approached; the Commander had told them all to just address him by his first name. "It's time to go, huh?"

"Yes... But I'll never forget you or this place, Twilight Sparkle. Maybe, when the war is over, I'll come back" Michael said.

"I think we'd all like that" the lavender Unicorn responded, watching as the Commander dropped to one knee and embraced her in a hug.

Twilight swore she saw a tear trickling down his face when he stood up.

"Thank you, girls. It was a pleasure to have met all of you" Preston told them, preparing to leave when he remembered something, fishing into his pocket and handing a device to Twilight.

"What's this?" the mare asked, looking down at the screen.

"My datapad; it's got a picture of me on it, so you may have something to remember me by" the Commander explained.

"Thank you, Michael" Twilight declared, a sad smile on her face.

Commander Preston gave Twilight a kiss on her forehead and stepped back, saying "goodbye" before leaving the library. Twilight saw him board the Pelican outside and watched it until it could no longer be seen; all the ships had returned to space, leaving the ponies the only creatures left in Equestria.

They were alone once more.

Twilight lowered her head and cried, hoping one day Michael Preston would come back to them.

-=-=-=-

Princess Celestia stepped through her bedchambers and out onto the balcony, looking out across her grand kingdom. The repairs to her tower as well as all of Canterlot had been finished a few days after the Divine Wind exploded, and the repairs to the rest of the cities a few days after that.

Her chambers had not yet been cleaned, however, leaving many scorch marks and a few pools of dried blood on the floor, the tacky stains tainting the otherwise pure carpet.

Looking at one of the stains in particular reminded the Princess of Luna's death; the funeral was tomorrow, and it was not something she was looking forward to.

The Princess sighed and took her crown off, turning into simple Celestia with a flick of the magic. She idly ran her hoof along the Forerunner symbols etched upon the gold headdress, lost in thought.

I hate you, Forerunners, but I must thank you. For if it were not for you, our greatest enemy, we would have never survived our worst nightmare Celestia mused before returning the crown to her head and looking up at the sky, wondering what else might be up there.

-=-=-=-

Epilogue

Commander Michael Preston was returned to Reach where he was debriefed extensively before allowing to resume his duties. He was assigned to a Marathon-class cruiser titled Everlasting Freedom where he served the remainder of his time fore the war. He reached the prestigious rank of Lower Rear Admiral before being killed in the Battle of New Jerusalem, one month after the fall of Reach and two months before the end of the war.

Twilight Sparkle adjusted life as an earth-pony with only some difficulty, her assistant Spike helping her through most of the process. She was able to regrow her hown by 2540.

Rainbow Dash never got over the deaths of three of her friends and the loss of her wings; after the end of the conflict in Equestria she quickly spiraled into a deep depression. She muddled through it before finally taking her own life in 2535.

Applejack was fitted with mechanical legs from the UNSC doctors and adjusted to them quickly. Though they are not strong enough to buck trees with they are more than stable enough for her stand on so she may strike the trees with her forelegs. She lives and works on Sweet Apple Acres to this day.

Scootaloo made a full recovery and grew up to live a normal life, along with her friends. The three of them were some of the few more psychologically traumatized by the Covenant Conflict, though with the help of extensive therapy they have learned to cope.

Princess Celestia mourned over her sister's death for the appropriate amount of time before continuing her duties as ruler of Equestria. She curses and thanks the Forerunners every night, and remains in power to this day.

Equestria was eventually repaired in full, leaving the only evidence of the Covenant Conflict in the minds of those who survived it.

The UNSC attempted to return to Equestria when the war was finished, following the coordinates Michael Preston left behind. They still have not yet found the planet, and suspect the Commander uploaded false coordinates.

When the Divine Wind exploded it took with it the knowledge of the location of Equestria, and the Prophets were unable to locate it before the complete destruction of their Covenant in 2552.

To this very day no other alien species has discovered Equestria.

And no one ever will.

...

Except the Flood.

-=-=-=-

Soundtrack listing. Order of 'Chapter number, name of song in relevance to the story, actual name of song.'

Chapter 2: Theme of Thar 'Saramee. 'Revival' sample, Halo 4 OST.
Chapter 8: To Canterlot. 'Pelican Escape', Red Vs. Blue Season 9.
Chapter 10: Dark Theme of Thar 'Saramee. 'Nemesis', Halo 4 OST.
Chapter 10: Theme of Commander Preston. '117', Halo 4 OST.
Chapter 11: Assault on the Divine Wind. 'Brothers in Arms', Halo: Combat Evolved OST.
Chapter 12: Last stand of Private Jenkins. 'Suicide Mission Metal Rendition', Mass Effect 2.
Chapter 13: The Final Battle. 'Awakening orchestral version', Halo 4 OST.
Chapter 14: Genesis of Ponykind. 'Legacy', Halo 4 OST.
Chapter 14: Nirvana. 'Green and Blue', Halo 4 OST.

Author's Note

End of Ever Wonder What's Up There!

A/N: I would like to thank Michael Blackburn for beta-reading the original story; though he did not beta-read this remake his help was still invaluable shaping that story into what it is and thus shaping this story into what it is(a million times better). I would also like to thank all my old readers and the many new ones that have stumbled across this story and liked it well enough to leave a comment.

Thank you all for reading, and I hoped you enjoyed. If you like this story be sure to check out the sequel, What Else Is Up There, and then the final story of the trilogy: The Last of What's Up There. This is Codename: One, and I'll see you starside!

Legal note: Commander Michael Preston, Shipmaster Thar 'Saramee, and all related characters belong to me. Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia, and all related characters belong to Hasbro. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro. Halo belongs to 343i.