Kestria

"Spartans, we need you to meet Fluttershy and Rarity to make them comfortable for tomorrow. If that's alright, Princesses." Twilight asked. Celestia nodded in approval. "Alright, let's get a move on."

"Hey, you remind me of me. Got a real 'no-bullshit' attitude." The emerald colored Spartan commented.

"Don't curse around Fluttershy or Rarity." Twilight said.

"Damn, better get a filter." Sky said mockingly. 4728 growled for a second, and stopped. They followed Twilight, yet the entire town stared at them as they trekked through the well worn road. They came to a stop on the outskirts.

"Now, you two know she isn't called Fluttershy because she loves meeting new ponies. Be welcoming." She said, knocking on the door.

A pale yellow pegasus answered, with an equally light colored pink mane. "H-hello?" She said, looking up at the two large armored bipedal creatures, and shivered.

"Hi Fluttershy, this is Spartan Sky and 4728." Twilight said, pointing to the respective Spartan upon saying their names.

"Hello Mr. Sky and Mr. 4728... I'm Flu..." The Spartans heard her clearly, saying her name, but Twilight didn't. It took just that to bring 4728 to hysterical laughter.

"Wh-why is h-he laughing? Is-did I do s-something embarrassing!?" She asked, cheeks turning bright red.

"No, I'm just a girl is all. Sorry about him, Fluttershy." Sky knelt down and held out her hand to shake her hoof. The pegasus slowly and hesitantly returned the gesture, shaking all the while as her blush faded. Twilight shot 4728 a scowl as he laughed.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry." Fluttershy said. Sky made sure to be gentle with the hoof, thinking she may be as frail as her personality.

"I should be sorry." 4728 said, calming down from his laughing spree.

"It's alright, I can see how that was funny." She said with a nervous laugh.

"We just wanted to say that we'll be protecting you in our journey through the Everfree Forest to return to our ship." Sky said.

"O-oh, ok." She said.

"We'll be leaving then, don't want to overstay our welcome." 4728 said.

"Goodbye, I'll see you tomorrow?" Fluttershy said. Twilight whispered in her ear. Her eyes went wide with fright and shook her head, backing into the cottage.

"I have never seen shyness like that, ever." Sky said.

"Indeed." 4728 said.

"Sky, you don't talk much, do you?" Twilight asked.

"It's a blessing." She replied.

"Meh, you're both no fun." 4728 said. After a quick walk through Ponyville, they reached Rarity's boutique. Twilight entered, and told them to wait.

"So, what do you think?" Sky asked.

"I like em'. Except the blue alicorn. Too... Nosy." 4728 said. "They can read minds."

"I can see why they lead these ponies." Sky said. "They are literally built to do it. Teleportation, ability to move planets, and so on." Sky said.

"That's the most you've talked this entire time.

"Good to know, I'd rather keep my time in the UNSC a secret." Sky said. 'I wonder how Grace is doing.' She thought back to the Foxtrot IV program. She had led a Spartan Fireteam against UNSC rebellion as well as Covenant soldiers shortly after the war.

"These, are the Spartans." Twilight said rather loudly.

"That's our cue." Sky said, stepping inside carefully through the door.

"This is 4728 and Sky."

"Oh my... Aliens with a taste for fashion? Wonderful!" Rarity said, complementing their dark green and light blue armor.

"Thanks. Your... Mane looks pretty cool too?" 4728 said, trying to cover up his confusion.

"That's nice of you, dear." Rarity replied.

"As I was saying, they are going to protect us when we go into the Everfree Forest tomorrow." She whispered something to Rarity that not even the Spartans could hear. Rarity was deep in thought for a moment, and then went closer to the Spartans than she was already. She analyzed their... Emblems? Why would she do that? "Alright, let's head back to the library to see about your sleeping arrangements." Twilight said.

"Goodbye Spartans, see you soon!" Rarity said. She said the last part quieter. This spurred some questions in his mind. 'There's a trap, right?'

When they reached the door to Twilight's and opened it apprehensively, worried for a trap. 4728 kept his hands at his sides, to quickly grab his Magnum, but when they opened the door, they were met with quite the opposite of a trap.

4728 opened the door and was met with cannonfire. Except, it was confetti cannonfire. It scared the crap out of him, but he shrugged it off. If he was going to be abrasive to another race like this, it would make him no better than the Covenant.

"Happy Welcome-Aliens-To-Equestria Party!" Pinkie Pie shouted in 4728's face.

"Reminds me of my drill sergeant. Already more welcome here." 4728 remarked, walking in and seeing all the ponies he'd met that day, including Celestia and Luna, as well as others he didn't recognize at all. All eyes were on the two large creatures.

"Hello." Sky said. It got real awkward, so the princesses introduced them.

"These are the Spartans. They are here because they are lost. Treat them as if you were lost in an alien land like they are." Celestia said. The ponies resumed their business, talking and eating. Sky made a march to Celestia, while 4728 was approached by Applejack.

"I heard your story from Twilight. You fight other aliens?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's true. All of it." 4728 responded.

"How did it start?" The orange mare asked.

"Chance meeting between a human cargo ship and a small Covenant vessel. Resulted in an entire planet getting turned into glass. We organized a response that resulted in a massacre. That was every battle for the next 20 years until Sigma Octanus, our first major victory." 4728 said. He thought about hearing news of the victory on Reach. That was a single day before the Covenant reared their hinge heads.

"What happened at Sigma Octanus?" She asked. It was truly all a haze to him. Sigma Octanus was nothing to him, happening just before Reach was invaded. The event must have knocked it from his mind.

"I forget, I just remember hearing about it."

***

4728 was sitting in the passenger seat of a Warthog, his legs resting on the dashboard. He had become addicted to Tetris, almost an ancient, yet simple game. You had to match blocks together as they fell. They were seemingly infinite, but that would defeat the point if they weren't. The only way to lose is if you were to allow the blocks to reach the top.

"Hey, 4728, word from the higher ups! We won at Sigma Octanus yesterday! Spartan 2s kicked their asses back to where they came!"

4728 raised his eyebrows to that. "What did you say, James?" He asked. He couldn't believe his own ears. The unstoppable force known as the Covenant finally met the bitch that was defeat.

"We won a battle with the Covenant. We're also needed back at base. Andy's rounding up the others." The dark blue Spartan said. His gold accents had turned into a greenish color with all the battles he had seen. His Grenadier armor never looked better, at least. His entire team was being given a small break in the war, so repairs were being made for the first time.

"Why?" 4728 asked, hoping for the best. Foxtrot Command and leniency were as close as Pluto is to the Sun.

"They said it was a surprise for you." James said. He worried because of this. Foxtrot Command never faltered in making his life harder. Any 'surprise' was most likely the burden of another Spartan or a suicide mission he always managed to dig them all out of.

"Dammit. Let's see what shit they have for me now." 4728 said to himself. They drove a good mile to base, and met with the others.

"Nice to see you all again, wish it was better circumstances." 4728 said to his team. He glanced out the door and noticed many other Spartan Foxtrots arriving.

"That's unusual. We don't see too many other Foxtrots. Let alone a few teams." Andy commented, clad in his reddish grey Gungnir armor.

"You can say that again. Let's get to where they want their briefing." The emerald colored Spartan said. The Foxtrot Command officers were strange, as usual. They wore heavy armor, for whatever reason seemed impractical to 4728. He entered a room with a holographic table, but his team was stopped, and he did so as well.

"Your team will have to wait here." One of the officers said. He knew from experience not to piss these guys off.

"I'll be back." 4728 said. Bitterness seeped from his voice as he resumed his walk, save for his team.

"Ah, the man of the hour. Joseph, meet the other Fireteam leaders I've called together here. But you don't care right now, you care about your team. The Covenant found Reach." He paused to let his words sink in. 4728 looked to the other five Spartans, who all were colored different and uniquely. He could feel their glares. "We decided to organize a Spartan Company. 30 Spartans in a single unit, unstoppable." No, that was suicidal. To force that on a specific single soldier to lead them. He KNEW what he was about to do. His purpose here. "Joseph here has shown his... 'Expertise' in leadership. Thus, he is taking control of you and your teams." 4728 would argue against, but he knew better than to fight Foxtrot Command. He could be transferred to another squad, and the thought terrified him. He'd grown up with these soldiers. "I'll allow you all to get acquainted." He finally left. The blows would stop coming.

"Now that he's gone, really meet me." 4728 said, before being shot down by Echo leader.

"I read his file. Most of his losses were sacrifices for time. Whether they be willing or unwilling, pushing the Covenant back for just two minutes to escape with their tails between their legs." She said. She wasn't wrong. There were only three Spartans he lost not under those circumstances, but that was it. All the others died to keep him in the fight with his family... Of course he never shared that Team Jammer was his family. Foxtrot Command had the idea that any Spartan III Foxtrot engaged in a romantic relationship would be executed. They believed that it would interfere with their efficiency in the battlefield should a Spartan decide against orders for their significant other. But, that never stopped anyone on Team Jammer.

***

"That's how I got into Frostfall company. Sky knows more about Sigma Octanus than I, Applejack." 4728 said. He had little remorse for his losses. For where Echo Leader was wrong, was the fact his Spartans left behind were willing to die. None of them were. All of them, unwilling, but swallowed their pride and stayed behind, not because they wanted to. Because it was what they thought was right.

"I'll ask her later. Want a drink?" She asked. A drink sounded good. He realized how thirsty he had become in the past day.

"That sounds awesome right now." He removed his helmet, revealing dark brown hair, and a heavily scarred tan face. It surprised the ponies that his real skin contrasted so much from his armor.

She passed him a bottle with 'Hard Cider' written on it. He uncorked and gulped it down. Might have been alcohol, but it was still a drink. His liver was enhanced, and could take the beating.

"Got any food?" He asked. The Spartan was passed a small tray of different foods. He tasted a small block of cheese. He expected a horrible taste, as he was accustomed to military rations. It was the greatest thing he had ever eaten. Most of the food he ate growing up was artificially flavored and made. This however, had probably become his favorite food.

"I think it might have gone sour... Are you okay, sugarcube?" Applejack asked, a worried expression on her face.

"This is the greatest thing I've ever eaten!" 4728 unintentionally exclaimed. Both Rainbow Dash and Applejack were taken aback by this.

"Well, all the food I've eaten comes from a factory. This, to my knowledge, didn't." 4728 said. He ate several more of them. Applejack looked at him differently for a second.

"That's interesting." The orange mare said.

"Yeah. But I seriously haven't eaten anything 'real' before. I hope to never go back now." 4728 said. Applejack, curious about Sigma Octanus, went to Sky, who was talking with Princess Celestia.

"You downed that cider like it was water." Rainbow Dash observed.

"Wasn't exactly good for my system, but I needed a drink." The Spartan said.

"Well, I'm the best drinker in Ponyville. It'd be a nice competition to see who can have the most without getting knocked out." Rainbow suggested.

"You're on. Just warning you, I'm not an average pony." The alien warrior said.

"Let's find out." Rainbow Dash went and brought several cases of the beer over. 4728 had devoured the entire plate of food by this time. Dash decided to announce the contest.

"Everypony! Me and the alien are going to have a drinking contest! If you want to see him lose to me, feel free to watch!" She shouted. All eyes were on them, except Sky, who had buried her face in her hands. All 4728 remembered was cracking open his first drink.

***

"Ugh... What happened..." 4728 rubbed his temples, but found that he couldn't do so. A cyan lump prevented him. And then came a loud snore. Bottles of Hard Cider littered the ground on which they slept. The cyan lump arose to form a pegasus, and she stretched her wings. An angry purple alicorn came downstairs with cleaning equipment. She poked 4728 with a broom.

"Get up, you both have to clean the library! Next time you have a drinking contest, go somewhere else!" Twilight shouted. He had a headache, but he got to work anyway while the pegasus lie there, tossing and turning, trying to get back to sleep.

"Go for the couch. I'll clean. You don't seem heavy enough to knock over a book shelf, anyway." 4728 said.

"Ugh... Who won?" She asked groggily.

"Let's call it a tie. I don't really remember." 4728 compromised. He lifted the bookshelf back into place. He saw books quite literally everywhere that could belong to the shelf. He sighed and resumed cleaning. Twilight came down the stairs again.

"Sky went for a run. She said she would meet you at the... Rally point." She had to think about the last part for a moment, having almost forgotten. "Rainbow, I think you should get ready as well. This journey probably won't be an easy one." The mentioned pegasus nodded, and went to leave.

"Seeya, Rainbow Dash." 4728 said. He turned to Twilight as he picked up another bookshelf as if it were a Lego brick. "I didn't do anything too weird last night, did I?"

Twilight's response was concealed within blushing and giggling. She composed herself, and spoke. "You started showing off your strength, and proceeded to break that lamp, and wear the lampshade on your head." She said.

"Was anyone impressed?" 4728 asked.

"They were frightened, then Sky explained that you were 'crazy drunk'." Twilight answered, laughing a bit. "You should have seen Rainbow. She started reading a book about how great she was." By this time, 4728 finished his work, and went to the door. "Where are you going?" She asked.

"Morning exercises. We need to stay in shape, anyway." The Spartan said before running outside. It took little effort to spot Sky, and run to her.

"How many drinks did you have last night?" Sky asked.

"At least 15... I have the hugest hangover."

"Jesus, that's enough to kill a horse! I would have stopped you if I'd known. Who was the mare who came close to beating you, again?" Sky said.

"That Rainbow Dash girl. Pegasus girl. How was your talk with the Sunbutt?" 4728 asked.

"Well, I have knowledge that Sunbutt and her sister are over 1000 years old." Sky said. They moved to the pre established meeting point where they would see the princesses.

"Really? That's some bullshit." 4728 said.

"Apparently her kind get pretty old. She told me that if we were to join their society, she'd consider having us protect her, and apparently shit hits the fan a lot around here." Sky said.

"What happens in a place as rainbow and sunshine as this?!" 4728 asked.

"Plants coming out of the forests and attacking, bug creatures swarming a wedding and nearly killing them all, as well as Chaos gods, my point, they could use our help." Sky explained.

"Hmm... Sounds fun." He said. Then he noticed the Mane 6 approaching with the princesses in tow. "After we get the Pelican back, we'll join." 4728 said.

"Spartans, this is your test. Defend us on the way. The Everfree Forest is dangerous, but I want to see who is more so." Celestia said.

"Understood." The two said together. A journey awaited them both in these woods...