Chapters "Sky... You've accessed restricted files classified by the Office of Naval Intelligence, and have been sentenced to death." Commander Palmer said as she entered Sky's quarters. Sky was a Spartan 4 Foxtrot, not only one of the greatest, but a Fireteam leader. She led team Daylight, a five Spartan team that, despite most being savage killers, became her family.
The Spartan Foxtrots were a rather interesting part of history. It started with 5000 individuals in 2535. Most individuals died in augmentations due to the 4/5 chance of survival. That was known as the Foxtrot 3 program. Most who weren't killed in augmentations, the 1250, died in their near suicidal missions against the Covenant. These were usually small operations, as the Foxtrots were a well kept secret.
On her most recent mission, she had found out something that had been kept from her. A carefully guarded secret by ONI, to make Sky join the Spartan 4 Foxtrots willingly.
Her brother.
Still alive, Spartan 4728 had been taken to the Spartan 3 Foxtrots in 2539. She however, had seen her brother marked as deceased, being separated during the invasion of Kholo by the Covenant.
"Sky, since you're one of my favorites, I'm gonna help you out of here. Pelican is docked in a hangar nearby. I don't have clearance, so finding your brother is up to you. Good luck." Palmer said.
"Thank you." Sky said, for the first time. Palmer understood her sincerity as she left the room.
***
Old Covenant shipyards, Sanghelios
4728 walked with a small squad of Marines, watching for suspicious behavior, which was getting greater and greater.
Ever since Jul M'dama sent some of his Storm Covenant to Sanghelios, the planet had been on full alert. The reason 4728 had a small squad of Marines with him was to keep citizens calm. If the Sangheili saw a Demon, and one that had disabled so many Covenant soldiers, they'd freak out.
Which had proven possible on several occasions within the past few days that had one such Sangheili raise a weapon on the soldier. It didn't end well, and communication has been a little shaky since.
When an unidentified Pelican exited Slipspace, it only caused more of a problem.
The UNSC and Covenant had agreed to limit the amount of soldiers garrisoned at Sanghelios, so reinforcements of any kind would probably throw the alliance down the drain.
Sky knew what she would do was to throw a wrench into ONI's plans. It was also going to get her to her brother. Her plan was to fake a Covenant rebellion. She checked to make sure the six plasma grenades on her belt were ready. Traitor kills would be necessary to complete this mission.
The Pelican touched down in the Hangar of the Covenant space station. She activated her camouflage and walked away from the ship as Marines investigated it. With her, she carried Autosentry, but that was her go-to in combat missions, or to get out of a tight spot in stealth.
Marking her brother's Friend or Foe (IFF) tag, she tossed a plasma grenade into the group of Marines gathered at the Pelican. Almost immediately, alarms sounded, and the station was alerted to the attack. Her brother's IFF moved to her side of the station.
"Perfect..." Sky whispered. She crept through the halls carefully, waiting for the conflict to begin.
Coming into a storage room, she hid behind a few boxes next to an Elite holding a Covenant Carbine. A human soldier and an Elite officer were arguing in the center of the room, and it started involving all the guards. Pulling out her own Carbine, she fired four shots from her Carbine, killing the Marine.
The others began fighting. One marine reported the Sangheili engaging them.
"This is Delta 3 27, Elites killed our captain, help!" Sky heard one yell as she crept toward the surveillance camera, and disabled it, taking the memory chip.
Sky left and saw more Marines arguing with Sangheili. She tossed a plasma grenade over the elites and into the crowd of marines. The Elites glanced behind them, and saw nothing as the humans opened fire after recovering. Sky had already moved further toward her brother.
Ascending a floor, UNSC engaged Elite forces, which swiftly killed the humans. Sky's invisibility ran out, so she pulled out her shotgun, and killed the elites, spinning to get all the targets.
She then advanced. The station was in chaos, the UNSC garrison and Sangheili forces engaging. Sky just walked through the combat, reaching her brother's IFF location. Sky took a deep breath, and exhaled.
She opened the door and found her brother engaging the Sangheili as well, using a DMR. Sky assisted her brother, killing ones that got too close with her shotgun. After they stopped for a bit, her brother decided to ask questions.
"Who the hell are you? One of those asshole Spartan 4s?" 4728 asked.
"I'm Sky, your sister from Kholo, remember, Joey?" Sky said, ignoring her brother's abrasiveness. She knew her brother would probably say that, but she knew he'd probably get nicer as she got to know him again.
"You're dead." 4728 said, looking at her through his blue visor.
"No, I'm not. ONI made it look that way. I've got a Pelican in the Hangar that'll get us into Slipspace." Sky said.
"Sky... How do I know if you're really my sister?" Sky paused as she heard him say that.
"You've got to trust me." Sky said. 4728 paused, and thought.
"Alright. It's nice to have you back, Sky!" 4728 said, hugging her. If it wasn't for her armor, Sky would have died from the hug. 4728 was half overjoyed that his sister was alive, but still just a bit of skepticism remained. Sky hugged back, and they went to leave.
"What was all that stuff about asshole Spartan 4s?" Sky asked as they rounded a corner.
"One Fireteam worked with me before. They were pretty much jackasses and tried to attack me this one time on the INFINITY. Sky, as you can tell, you've gotten bigger than me with your augmentation. That's why they gave me a hard time. I kicked their asses, and was almost sent to the brig by Commander Sarah Palmer." 4728 explained. By that time, they'd reached the hangar, which was occupied by more Sangheili and Marines. The UNSC were falling back.
Engaging and killing elites that got in their way, the duo reached their ship. Sky began the exit procedures, and started flying away.
In space, Covenant ships and UNSC ships began firing at eachother. Sky just barely missed getting hit with a plasma torpedo. Two orbital Banshees flanked them and peppered the back of the ship with small plasma bolts. Two Longsword Bombers flew by and destroyed them, moving on to other targets.
"That was close." Sky said, exhaling loudly.
"Where are we going?" 4728 asked.
"Home." Sky said, engaging the Slipspace drive.
The Pelican shook as it was thrown off course, jumping to a system in the middle of uncharted space.
When it finally exited, it looked like a common colony world was out there, but little did they know, it was where their destinies lie.
Dambro was flying aimlessly, in the middle of nowhere. His island had been destroyed just hours ago, and he had been flying since. He'd thought about little else except that place. The good times, his friends.
He was a Toa, an elemental of sorts. He had control over Fire and Water, giving him the name Dambro, Toa of Steam. He was also a maroon Pegasus, with a dark blue mane and tail.
He spotted an island, and flew closer. It looked more like a large continent, stretching across the horizon.
Upon reaching it, he landed in a forest. He walked for a bit, and saw ponies falling from the sky.
Dambro knew he couldn't save them all, but he could try, as demoralized as he was from his defeat hours ago. So, he took to the sky. The ponies proved to be a lot heavier, so he only was able to save one.
Descending, he laid the pony that, upon further examination, wasn't a normal pony. There were holes in it's feet, it's wings were paper thin, and also had holes in it's horn.
'Is this a dead alicorn?!' Dambro thought. He hadn't seen or heard about too many alicorns in his lifetime, but maybe they decayed rapidly after death.
His thoughts were pushed aside as the alicorn began to stir.
"Ugh..." She, yes, she said.
"Are you okay? You just fell from the sky." Dambro said.
The alicorn just stared at him, looking him over. 'A pony... Helping me?' She thought. 'How... Intriguing.' "I'm fine. Who are you?" She asked. Dambro saw her try to get up, but fell on her leg. So he went to help her.
"I'm Dambro, Toa of Steam. Your leg's probably broken... Who are you?" Dambro said, lifting her foreleg around his neck.
"I am Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings. Except... Well, I shouldn't be too open to a kind stranger, should I?" She said. Dambro nodded.
"Do you know a doctor nearby? I'm no expert, but I could put your arm in some kind of cast if you need it." Dambro offered.
'No doctor would want to help me. And I'm lost... That invasion was a bad idea.' Chrysalis thought. "You do it." She said. Dambro looked around. He could try wrapping several leaves around her foreleg.
"Lay here. I'll go get some leaves to wrap around your leg." Dambro said, and took off to the sky, to find larger leaves.
Chrysalis thought about what was going on. 'Dambro seems nice, but too nice... He's not from here, is he? Or heard about that attack. Maybe I can use that to my advantage... Or, I could try turning over a new 'leaf'. Live in solitude and leave the world behind... Sounds boring.' Chrysalis thought. 'Maybe though, with someone by my side, it would be better.' She said, looking at Dambro as he appeared from the brush, holding several leaves in his mouth, galloping toward her.
"Hrr r eh lffs." Dambro said, and laid them down in front of Chrysalis. She looked at him quizzically "Er, here are the leaves. I'll clean them and make the cast." Dambro said, noticing her confusion, and shut his eyes, concentrating on the leaves before him. Dirt arose from the leaves as he channeled his water control, and Dambro began tying them together on Chrysalis' leg.
"Is that too tight, Queen Chrysalis?" Dambro asked, stepping away.
"For all your trouble, you can just call me Chrysalis. It's fine, thanks." She said.
"Is there a village nearby I can fly you to?" Dambro offered.
"I don't know. We should probably find shelter. It'd be a while before we find anything nearby." Chrysalis answered as truthfully as possible. "Although, there might be a cave nearby we can spend the night in." She said.
"...Okay." Dambro said, looking around for a cave.
"How did you do that back there with the leaves? Usually Pegasi here can't use magic." Chrysalis asked.
"I'm a Toa. We can use only certain spells if we aren't unicorns. Just elemental things. You don't have any Toa here, do you?" Dambro asked, helping her through the woods.
"No. Since you're so kind as to help me, I guess I could tell you what I am. I'm a Changeling, who can turn into other ponies at will." She said. Dambro thought about that for a second.
"Can you turn into me?" Dambro asked. Chrysalis did so, and Dambro stared.
"Okay, now my mind has been blown. You can stop if you want." Dambro said, looking at himself, which had a twist. Green eyes replaced his orange hues.
"Yeah, it's usually a lot to take in." Chrysalis said. 'Maybe he'll get used to it' She thought. It was wonderful, the thought of acceptance.
"This cave over here seems alright, Chrysalis." Dambro said, and their rather short walk came to an end.
Dambro let Chrysalis lie down on the cave floor. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but Dambro would see about doing his best to help her.
Little did Chrysalis know, she had helped push the thought of his home far from his mind. Chrysalis thought once more as Dambro left. Suddenly, a tree fell, not too far off from the cave's entrance.
"Dambro!" She called out. The pegasus poked his head out from the side.
"Yeah?" He called back. "Just making sure nopony can get in here, but we'll be able to leave just fine. I'm gonna make a cushion of some sort with these leaves." He said.
'Maybe he already enjoys my company?' Chrysalis thought. 'That will make it easier to get him to not care about the other ponies... Maybe we could raise a family, too. Live in isolation...' Chrysalis wandered in her thoughts, thinking about the advantages of never seeing ponies again, other than Dambro. Then, she thought of something.
What if he didn't love her back? Then, she wouldn't be able to live, since Changelings fed off of love. She pushed the thought aside as Dambro once again did his magic on the leaves, cleaning them, and laying them in a pile the size of Chrysalis. Then, he helped her over to the pile. It wasn't very comfortable either, but it was better than the cold hard floor of the cave.
Outside, darkness fell. Dambro stared out, looking for any trouble that would dare surface.
"How did you get up there in the first place?" Dambro asked.
"Long story, but I guess we have time." Chrysalis said. Dambro nodded for her to continue. "I was trying to help my people, by impersonating a princess, who was going to be married. It would have gone without a hitch, but the sister of the groom found out. But, everyone was still convinced I was the real deal. So, she was ignored. When nopony was looking, I teleported her to the caves beneath the city, with the real princess. The two escaped and made it just before I was going to be 'married'. So then I attacked the city, but the real bride and groom did this true love bullshit. Then you saved me." Chrysalis explained. Dambro looked at her.
"How is it helping your people to hurt others?" Dambro asked.
"I was willing to do anything for them, you must realize they were starving. Us Changelings... We need love to survive. The emotion." Chrysalis explained.
"I don't know... What are you going to do now?" Dambro asked.
"I want to live away from ponies. In solitude." Chrysalis said.
"But you'll die." Dambro said in a concerned tone.
"That's why I... I... I think I want you by my side. Although, I don't think you love me." Chrysalis said. She lay and wait for a response for several moments.
"I'm not sure." Dambro replied. "I'll stay here until you're healed..." Dambro said. He looked at Chrysalis, analyzing her.
"Oh..." Chrysalis said, becoming depressed about not being loved.
"It's not that I wouldn't be happy to have you as a marefriend, I just don't know you, and you don't know too much about me, and I've had the worst day one can have!" Dambro's volume rose with the last part. He realized that. "I'm... Sorry." He said.
"How?" Chrysalis asked. "I've gone through my worst defeat. And considering living in exile. What happened?"
"I used to be a hero. Kind of like how you do the- did the best for your people, I did the best for mine. I had a team that I knew my whole life. An island paradise, with happy inhabitants. It was all great, until I was attacked earlier today. I don't know what they were. Beings straight from the greatest depths of Karzahni. They burned the villages, killed my people, killed my team. And, in a way, killed part of me." Dambro said. Chrysalis felt something unlike anything she'd felt before. Sympathy. She saw the stallion before her as one facing struggles that she was also facing.
"That's... I'm sorry." Chrysalis said, disappointed with herself for thinking she was going through the worst that any other had gone through.
"You have no reason to be sorry." Dambro said, looking down at the cave floor through his Kanohi Faxon, the Mask of Kindred, which allowed him to use the power of animals. "If anything, I should be sorry for you. I tried to save more of your Changelings, but I couldn't."
"Well, you saved me at least..." Chrysalis said.
"Yeah. You don't mind sharing the leaf pile, do you? I'm not sure I can sleep on the cave floor. I swear on my life I won't push you off." Dambro said.
"Not at all." Chrysalis moved over slightly, allowing Dambro to lie down.
"Thanks, Chrysalis." Dambro said. He walked over and laid down. A rather cool breeze went over the two, causing them to shiver.
"Um, would it be alright if I snuggle you? It's a little cold, and with the extra body heat..." Chrysalis explained awkwardly.
"I don't see why not. Crap, I forgot I can build a fire... I can't do it in the dark, so let's snuggle for survival then." Dambro said, turning to Chrysalis and closing the distance between the two.
Chrysalis hugged him tightly. Dambro hugged back gently, careful to not hurt her. She rubbed his shoulder with her head, and yawned, Dambro beginning to do so as well. They fell asleep shortly after.
***
When Dambro awoke, he was surprised. The alicorn in the cast was still there, meaning everything that happened yesterday really happened, not that there was much of a doubt in his mind. He had his wing draped over Chrysalis like a blanket, as well as his forehooves. Dambro felt wetness on his mouth, and realized that he and Chrysalis' muzzles were touching.
He wasn't sure what to do. He blushed, and thought about continuing the kiss, or pulling away. He decided to continue the kiss as Chrysalis woke up, cheeks turning a bright red. The two began to-
Well, that escalated quickly.
Princess Celestia and Luna met on the balcony of Canterlot Castle, discussing Chrysalis' invasion.
"We heard from Twilight what happened. Did she really... Beat thou?" Luna asked. Celestia sighed, and turned to her younger sister.
"Yes. I'm not as invincible as I thought." Celestia said, and fell silent.
"We sent some soldiers down there to find them, if somehow they survived the fall. We think it's not likely, but better safe than sorry." Luna said.
"But Luna, this means I can't protect my ponies from her." Celestia said.
"She was just lucky to get such a shot, sister." The Princess of the Night said reassuringly.
"Even so, we have no fallback except the Elements of Harmony to stop chaos engulfing all of Equestria." The Princess of the Day responded.
"Maybe assistance from the stars will come eventually." Luna said, gazing upward as she brought the moon down, and her sister brought the sun up.
"Hopefully, who knows when the next time I am useless to stop an attack will be." Celestia said.
"Other than Chrysalis, we have yet to see any others who can best you at combat. So don't fret, sister." Luna said.
"If you say so." Celestia agreed.
2 years later...
Dambro was making sure Amity, he and Chrysalis' daughter, wasn't getting into trouble as she wandered their house that was the cave. Over the past two years, Dambro had spruced up the place with Chrysalis' help. There had been enchantments made to keep unwanted guests from entering the small part of the world they could call their own.
Of course, most important of all, Amity, their first daughter had entered the world. She was a Water Toa, but had her mother's eyes, as well as horn and wings. As Amity walked, she fluttered her wings every so often. She went to the door of the house, leading outside, but waited for Dambro to open it. Her mane was a dark blue, complemented by her brighter blue fur. Her yellow eyes lit up as she wandered outside, jaw dropping as it did every time she went outside, showing off her fangs, with her dad.
She went over to the small play area Dambro built. He had made a miniature fortress for the filly. Amity ran around it a few times, then saw a tree, her tree, that she loved to climb. She hopped on it, fluttering her wings to get higher when she couldn't climb.
When she reach the highest she could go, she triumphantly stomped. Dambro flew up to her, making sure she didn't fall. All was well for the three living there. Something would come along and change that.
***
"Sky, let's land. Careful, we aren't sure about gravity." 4728 warned.
"I know, Joey." She said.
"Stop calling me that!" 4728 said.
"Why, Joey?"
"My name changed. Spartan 4728 or 4728 is what I go by now." He said. His time during the Human Covenant War changed him quite a bit from how he acted on Kholo, but his time on Kholo was miniscule in comparison to that in the war.
The ship, after entering atmosphere, was fine.
"See? I know what I'm doing." Sky said. 4728 sighed and looked around. There was a village below them. The Pelican began making a beeping noise.
"Dammit! We're losing power, gonna go down!" Sky informed. She grabbed her armor abilities and went to the back of the Pelican. 4728 followed, not sure what Sky was gonna do.
"What are you doing, Sky?" He asked
"Jumping." She said. She waited for the ground to come closer.
"Tell me when." 4728 said.
"Now." Sky said, jumping from the ship, 4728 following.
They landed in a small farm area, surrounded by trees.
"Where the hell are we?" 4728 looked around.
"Does it look like I know?" Sky responded
"What's the plan now, Sky?" 4728 asked mockingly.
"Figure out what's going on here." Sky said, pulling out her Promethean Vision ability from a satchel she'd grabbed on the way off the Pelican.
"How many of those do you have?" Joseph asked.
"Three." She said.
"Is that even safe?!" 4728 asked.
"Yes. I'm a special kind of Spartan, a Foxtrot, like you." Sky said. "That's why they wanted me for the program in the first place. They saw how good you were, leading a team and all."
"Oh..." 4728 said. Sky turned on her Promethean Vision, that highlighted any living thing.
"Only thing is, I had a choice to do it. You were taken." She said.
"I know about the Fours, Sky. They were all willing to join the Spartans." He said.
"I joined it so I could avenge you." Sky said. 4728 stopped and thought about what she just said. Had she cared about him that much, to risk her life with the augmentations? Apparently so.
Chapter 4, The New Alexandrian Massacre
"They showed up near Applejack's farm. They didn't hurt anyone, but threatened to if they were harmed. They're fast, and almost faster than Rainbow. They've run from the rest of their species, and I speculate they'd be happy to join us." Twilight reported.
"Uh... I'm not quite sure about that last part." 4728 said.
"Yeah. Can we have time to think about that?" Sky said.
"Why, of course! We'd hate to force anyone, especially aliens, into our society." Luna said.
"We would like to see your combat capabilities in the Everfree Forest, too." Celestia explained.
"We're hoping to get our ship out of there, so that's a win-win." 4728 said. Celestia smiled.
"Excellent, we'll leave tomorrow then." Celestia said.
"So you're an Alicorn... You all possess the ability to teleport?" Sky asked.
"We have many unique qualities, but the biggest is the ability to raise the sun and moon." Celestia explained
"You're joking. There's no way." 4728 said.
"Remind me to show you sometime." Luna said.
"This is real. This is all really happening." 4728 said to himself.
"Indeed, Spartan." Celestia said. "If you wish for a moment to take this all in, we would be happy to allow you that."
"N-no, I think I'm fine. How about you, Sky?" 4728 stuttered as he thought over what was happening.
"Yeah, it's a bit hard to take in. Horses-" Sky was interrupted by Twilight.
"Ponies." Twilight said.
"Ponies that control magic." Sky finished.
"I'd like to know more about what you did, 4728." Celestia asked.
"Ah, a war story you desire." 4728 said. "It was at Reach, the worst defeat of the war. I was a part of several large covert operations. We were attempting to bring a Mass Driver cannon to a strategic defense point. It's basically a big gun."
***
"Spartan Foxtrot Company Frostfall, is everyone ready?"
"Yes sir. Frostfall Bravo is ready." One of the two remaining Spartan Foxtrot squad leaders said.
"Frostfall Charlie is ready as well." The second spoke up.
"Frostfall Alpha, form up on the gun. Bravo, Charlie, stand by in case we need reinforcements." 4728 said. Everyone was depressed. Fireteam Jammer was the only team at full strength, most of the other Spartans had been lost in their previous two operations elsewhere. "If we do this right, we won't need it." He said confidently. 4728 sat in the Mass Driver, as another Spartan Foxtrot, James, prepared to drive the truck pulling it on the large flatbed.
Twin Warthogs flanked them as they began driving. Behind them, at the NAPD(New Alexandria Police Department) motorpool contained the rest of Frostfall company, which was 12 Spartans, prepared to assist with a Scorpion and three Warthogs, which wasn't much. That was why 4728 didn't want a big convoy, it would attract unwanted attention.
"We need to get to the city fast, Covenant ships moving in from the East." One of his other Spartans said.
"Word from Command, Noble team pushed back the Covenant for the moment." Andy, the only Spartan in the company with Gungnir armor informed.
"That should make this easy. Get the Mass Driver moved, and face little Covenant resistance. This is great." Robert, the team's Sniper commented.
"You didn't say where the Covenant were moving to, did you?" Max, the team's medic asked, observing the Covenant ship moving toward their location.
"Put it out of it's misery!" Robert shouted.
"Shields are up. Can't." 4728 said.
"Covenant, up ahead." Max said. He sped his Warthog forward, putting the jeep in front of the small convoy.
"Take em' down!" Michael, the team's Heavy said, firing the Warthog turret, mowing down the Covenant Grunts.
"Hey, Joe, we have a Wraith up ahead. You want to do the honors?" Robert asked. He was on the flatbed calling out targets.
"I don't want to take out the bridge. I'll call for the calvalry."
"Frostfall company, Covenant have a Wraith on us. Bring the Gausshog."
"Acknowledged. Sending reinforcements." Frostfall Bravo leader said.
"Max, Faith, circle the Wraith and tear it down." 4728 ordered. Faith was their greatest close quarters fighter, but an excellent driver as well.
"Gladly." They said, and the Warthog behind them sped forward. They circled the Wraith, and the vehicle wasn't nearly fast enough to escape the good half a million bullets pumped into it's armor. Robert kept watch, killing any Covenant soldiers that would dare attack his fellow Spartans.
"Warthog with Gauss cannon augment as requested." The Spartans from Frostfall Bravo said, driving to assist.
"Welcome to the fight." 4728 said.
"Several Covenant Specters heading up at us. Banshee patrol heading over." Robert said. About 5 Specters headed up the highway, carrying two Brute passengers each. That just opened up more opportunities for Robert to further his kill count.
"Machine gun hogs, target the Banshees. I want our Gauss focused on the Specters." 4728 ordered. The Warthogs moved accordingly, the Covenant aircraft meeting a swift end. The bridge made a loud groan.
"Something big is on the other side, Frostfall Leader." Robert observed.
"We'll find out what soon. I'll keep the gun warm." 4728 said, squinting his already enhanced eyes to try finding their enemy. Then, he sighted it. Massive, purple, and large legs. No doubt in his mind. "Scarab, other side of the bridge. Frostfall company, move to us. Can't this thing go any faster?" 4728 asked himself. He angled the gun at the Scarab, charged, and fired. Took the anti air gun clean off, but the rest of the vehicle was unscathed.
"Damn, how do you stop that thing?!" Max shouted. The Mass Driver round, by chance, took out one of the bridge supports. It caused the large bridge to shudder, not meant to hold a Scarab tank.
"This thing is gonna fall..." Andy said. 4728 wondered for a moment, and glanced back to the other side of the bridge that they were in the middle of. It went over a vast chasm, and that frightened him. Not the deadly hot plasma that could turn him into a crisp at a moment's notice, the height gave him more unease.
"Dammit. Get us the hell out of here!" 4728's order was in vain as both Scarab's brought the bridge down. The bridge broke magnificently, plunging Covenant and Spartans alike into a dark abyss.
***
"Then what happened?" Rainbow Dash asked. The others were listening closely. Sky included, having known little of 4728's past.
"Well, I don't remember it clearly, but here's what I believe happened." 4728 said. He continued on with his tale.
***
The green and blue Spartan looked up. The chasm wasn't as deep as he thought, but it was still deep.
"Frostfall, anyone out there?" 4728 looked about. The Mass Driver was a lost cause. Purple blue flames licked the Covenant Scarabs, and the hellish black smoke emanated from human vehicles. Crackles of gunfire could be heard all around him. They were short, then stopped suddenly, met with a roar or a thud.
"Robert, Max, James, Faith, and you. We need to find just Michael then." Andy said.
"Thank god." 4728 sighed. His relief was cut short as a hammer collided against a part of the now heap of scrap that was the Mass Driver cannon. It was at this moment that 4728 realized his weapons consisted now of only his Magnum.
The unmistakable roar of frustration sounded from a rather angry Brute. It was no Chieftain, yet it wielded a Gravity Hammer. 4728 made haste in dodging the second attack, firing his pistol at the Brute.
"Anyone left in Frostfall, get us an evac immediately. This Mass Driver ain't going anywhere." 4728 said. The third attack was going to kill him, no doubt, but as the hammer came down, it missed him as he heard a new roar, a machine gun.
"I'm still here, comms busted." Michael said.
"Took you long enough."
"Popping smoke on our LZ. Get there." Andy said. From the heap of scrap they stood on, they saw red smoke emerge from farther down the heap. The two Spartans began their journey to the beacon of hope that they could leave.
The Covenant would still fight tooth and nail to stop that. Falling into a gorge, suffering heavy losses, they still fought like they had been dealt none of that.
They reached the smoke. Spartans were scattered about, some in need of medical treatment immediately. Almost as soon as they arrived, several Brutes jumped over various pieces of debris. They opened fire, killing two Spartans who were helpless, injured and missing limbs. Max had been at work in patching them up as best as he could, but dived away. The Spartans had been given enough time to raise their weapons and kill the Brutes with no mercy. The aliens howled and screamed, but there is no rest for the likes of the wicked.
The Covenant Brutes were the closest related species to the humans, but larger and more ape like. Their name shouldn't fool anyone, they truly are known for their savagery. Even to go as far as consuming their enemies. While most other Covenant species did this, the Brutes would torment and enjoy the agony of others.
"That was Charlie Leader." Max said, standing above the newly dead body.
"Let's get out of here." 4728 said, seeing the Pelican come into view. Max looked to the Pelican and back to the rubble. He did this several times.
"Why can't they just stop?" He asked. 4728 watched the crestfallen Spartan salute. Faith patted his shoulder.
"I wish I knew." 4728 said to himself.
A Pelican came down from the sky. As their ticket off the battlefield descended. It seemed as if it came straight from heaven, door opening like the brightest light in the deepest darkness. The battlefield comforts no one.
***
"Turns out that the only people that made it out was my team and Frostfall Bravo." 4728 said, concluding the story.
"So, you were a type of Commander?" Celestia asked.
"A pretty bad one, yes." 4728 confirmed what she said, with a bit of shame.
"You were more concerned for Jammer Team than the rest of Frostfall company. Why?" Luna asked.
"That's an interesting assumption." 4728 said. "I'll answer that IF I join you. Stay out of my mind." 4728 whispered the last bit to the alicorn.
"You seem quite capable to handle yourself in battle." Celestia commented.
"Thanks, I aim to please." 4728 said.
"You talk to please..." Sky groaned. Luna fought the temptation to see into her mind as well.
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Chapter 5, The Obligatory 'Meet the Mane Six' Chapter Part 2
"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...
"Let's get going." Twilight said, and they headed out.
The trip was uneventful, a few howls, but Sky knew wolves wouldn't have packs larger than their group. Applejack let them know, in a kinder way, the wolves wouldn't have the balls to attack them.
That is, until one such wolf jumped out of the bushes. It looked as if it were made of bark. That's actually a really good pun, Hasbro, considering they're named Timberwolves... And whatever, back to the story.
"This is where the fun begins!" 4728 said, raising his DMR and firing, getting a headshot. Damn, bro, where'd you get that accuracy?!
"Like Crawlers, just none of that laser face bullshit." Sky said. More jumped out, and were promptly killed. Sky reloaded her shotgun. 4728 noticed one had taken the chance and had gotten by, and to the princesses. He ran and grabbed it, pulling it back with one arm. With the other, he got his knife and severed it's head.
"You okay?" He asked.
"Yes, thank you, Spartans." Celestia said.
"That was AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash yelled. It was surprising for a pegasus that had to be suffering from a hangover had such energy.
"Rather barbaric, if you ask me..." Rarity said, but no one really paid her any attention. Fluttershy was terrified, but Twilight encouraged her on.
"Thanks, it was nothing compared to what we're used to." 4728 said.
Later, they came across some sort of lion, which was asleep.
"Sky, watch it. Quietly." He said. Sky crept over to the Manticore, and waited. 4728 guided the others through the forest around it. Sky hoped it wouldn't wake, to put such an interesting creature to death wouldn't be fair in her mind.
4728 kept a close eye on everyone, especially Rainbow Dash. This, was not normal. He knew alcohol had to have effects on all organisms, right? He swore he saw a faint black aura around her. Twilight seemed to have this same anomaly.
"Everyone, stop." 4728 said. They all froze. He approached Rainbow, but put his weapon away, resting his hand on his thigh.
"What is it?" She turned around. He knew something was up.
"How many bottles of Hard Cider did you have last night?" He asked it as a trick question.
"Uhhhh... 5." She said. She didn't remember the number is what she told him this morning.
"Wrong. What did you do to Rainbow, you sick son of a bitch?" 4728 asked, and the others wore surprised expressions except Twilight.
"Come on, if that Manticore wakes up-" Twilight began to argue.
"Sky will kill it. Where's Twilight? And say it before I paint the Everfree red." 4728 threatened. The others looked scared, yet Celestia and Luna tried to keep a straight face. He never liked to threaten, but the fact Twilight, the one that was generous enough to offer them a place for the night, had been killed without their knowing. And Rainbow, who seemed just as nice. His point was, they didn't deserve that fate.
"You caught us." The false Twilight said, before blasting him with a powerful spell. It did nothing, but as he brought his arms down for a punch, it collided with the fake Rainbow. He was hit with sadness for doing so, but it never stopped him from kicking the other imposter away into a tree.
"Celestia, Luna, what are these?" He . The Manticore woke, and Sky stood in its way. It went to hit her, but she dodged the slash and shot it twice with her shotgun, making it fall back into a deeper slumber.
"I don't know!" Luna shouted. The shadowy imposters limped to fight again, but 4728 shot them both to keep his pain minimal. Killing Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, though they weren't real, was rather horrifying for everyone, but with different effects.
"You monster!" Rarity shouted.
"That wasn't the real Twilight." 4728 said, examining their remains, which decayed rapidly, dissolving into the air. He hoped so at least.
"I guess they passed this trial?" Twilight said, walking out from behind a tree with Rainbow. 4728 shrugged.
"You know, I really thought I killed them. Never do that again, please." 4728 said, realizing this was Celestia's doing. She created the evil replicas. 4728 understood she wanted to make sure they were ready for anything, but her own student? She could have just had a bunch of other stuff attack them.
"I apologize, I didn't know you had an attraction to Twilight or Rainbow Dash." Celestia said with a smirk. More effective than Foxtrot Command at embarrassing individuals, she was.
"I'm not really into horses." 4728 said.
"But they're ponies." Sky whined, and 4728 could practically hear the grin she hid behind her helmet.
"Sky, don't even." 4728 said. Like Sky's grin, sadly, the blush he donned made his armor useless as well. Twilight and Rainbow were blushing already, but both weren't interested in 4728 in that way either. They all moved on, deeper into the woodland. The closer they got, the more hilly the area became. They came across a cave, and something sent them all to the ground. It soared above them.
"DRAGON!" Applejack shouted.
"Sky, distract it! I'll try getting a missile lock." 4728 yelled. The two split up. He waved for the princesses to go to the cave with the Elements of Harmony. Sky pulled out her Carbine and fired. The bolts bounced off the scales, rather than burning holes like it should have.
The dragon stretched it's neck and shot a long blast of fire at Sky. She couldn't move in time, so she was hit full force.
https://youtu.be/zix51voNETI
The ponies gasped when Sky reappeared, unscathed as 4728 fired two rockets that struck the creature on it's back, causing it to fall out of the sky.
"I feel like I just absorbed this thing's soul!" 4728 said, and roared, pumping his arm up and down.
"I'm disappointed. It wasn't very tough." Sky said, getting a closer look at the creature.
"Still, we killed a MOTHERFUCKING DRAGON!!! Now we are more than Spartans; we are Dragon Slayers." He said with a burning pride that seemingly couldn't be put out.
"Twilight's assistant was a dragon." Sky said, killing 4728's mood.
"Dammit." He said.
They moved on, and saw the Pelican.
"There's the objective. Let's try to carry it out. We CAN flip a tank, after all." 4728 said. Sky shrugged and looked inside. Under her helmet she smiled, and picked up her favorite weapon, the SAW. It was a bullet hose, so it came with around 400 rounds. Sky had brought along much more than she'd need, having a rack of weapon clips and various items lining the walls of the Pelican. "What's that?" 4728 asked, looking at her SAW.
"This right here is the SAW. It can turn an Elite's armor into Swiss cheese in seconds." She explained. "Sad thing is that it's medium range only." Sky said. Twilight had come with them into the ship, curious about what was inside.
"So Twilight, what do you think of our ship?" 4728 asked.
"Pretty impractical in design, clearly isn't recreational. How do you even fly this?!" She asked.
"It's... A long, boring story." Sky said.
"Alright..." Twilight sighed disappointedly.
"Let's try carrying it." 4728 suggested, walking out and around to the front.
"You're gonna try to carry this back?!" Twilight asked.
"We're humanity's strongest; we can probably do it, the two of us." Sky said.
"All of you should get in. Make it more of a challenge for us." 4728 said, going back to the cargo area of the Pelican. The ponies entered hesitantly, one was a bit more scared than the rest. Knowing Sky wouldn't care as much as him, he knelt down and spoke to her.
"I know this looks scary to you, but believe me, one of these has been the only way out of a bad situation." 4728 said. She still wouldn't get in, so 4728 picked her up and placed her in the vehicle. The Spartans were at the back and front of the vehicle.
"Joe, lift in 3, 2, now!" Sky yelled as they began to lift the ship out of the ground. Holding it above their heads, they began to walk back the way they had come.
"They're pretty strong." Luna said to her sister.
"They also have bested a dragon in a minute, our guards couldn't pull off such a feat, even with their numbers." Celestia commented.
"Do you think that maybe that these two are fulfilling your wish that you made a few years back?" Luna asked.
"Exceeding it, more like. They have more strength than the entire guard put together." Celestia said.
"Wait, princesses, you want these two to be your guards?" Twilight asked.
"Only if they consent to it, yes. Of course, if trouble ever arises elsewhere, they'd be sent to that place. They would also join you on some occasions." Celestia said.
"But Celestia, we know little about their culture and such. What if they try to hurt us?" Twilight said.
"Stay positive. I'll ask you and Rainbow Dash to help them on their first mission so you can get to know them." Celestia said. "If there's any trouble, I will handle it."
"Alright, princess." She said.
***
"Can we set this down here? It's right outside your farm, Applejack." 4728 shouted to them.
"It's fine, sugarcube!" She shouted back.
The craft shuddered as it was set down.
"There we go. Princesses? You alright?" 4728 asked.
"Yes, we thank you for providing protection." Luna said.
"We'd like to know now, do you wish to join us? To be our personal guards?" Celestia asked. 4728 looked at Sky, who nodded.
"Yes. It'd be a nice change of pace for us. And, considering this new environment, it's sure to be exciting." He said.
"Welcome to the Royal Guard, Spartans Sky and Joseph." Celestia and Luna said.
"Sky, you shall be my guard, Joseph, you shall be Luna's. We will meet in Canterlot to discuss your first mission. I bid you farewell, Elements of Harmony." Celestia said, and most of the ponies, as well as Spartans disappeared.
***
"WARN ME BEFORE YOU DO THAT NEXT TIME!" 4728 shouted. He was on the ground, breathing heavily, in the throne room of Canterlot Castle. The experience of being teleported usually made 4728 quite nauseous, which triggered the reaction.
"I'm sorry, I should have considered that you two had never teleported." Celestia said.
"You teleported us?" 4728 asked. He'd been teleported several times, the worst several times ever. He barely had time to think about the fact he had to protect his least favorite pony so far.
"Why am I here?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"4728, I have magical abilities beyond your imagination. Rainbow Dash, I need you and Twilight here for your own mission." Celestia said.
"What's the mission?" 4728 and Rainbow Dash asked. This mission would be where previously separate destinies would cross, be reforged, and changed once again.
"I'm tasking the Spartans with finding Queen Chrysalis. So long as she is alive out there, she is a threat to Equestria. She attacked this castle years ago, and nearly succeeded. You shall begin your mission tomorrow morning. Flash Sentry! Show the Spartans to their rooms at once." Celestia called for a pegasus in golden armor at the end of the hallway.
"Yes, princess!" He shouted, and waved for the Spartans to follow. Soon, they had left, and it was just the princesses, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash.
"Twilight, Rainbow Dash, I'm giving you a harder job. Find out as much as you can about those two. If anything happens to you, I won't hesitate to help you." Celestia said.
"Alright, princess. But how are we supposed to figure out anything?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"You've both become masters of friendship in the past few years. It's time to put your skills to use, for everyone." Celestia said. "Now then, you should be off to your chambers as well."
"Yes, princess." Twilight said. She and Rainbow Dash left for their usual rooms. They'd been to Canterlot on more than a few occasions. This was a new adventure, that Sweetie Belle would say would resolve itself in 30 minutes.
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Chapter 3, The obligatory 'meet the Mane Six' chapter, Part 1
"Alright, it looks like the area is clear. Just a bunch of horses on Promethean Vision." Sky said.
"Hmm. Weird." Joseph said.
"You can say that again. There's a village, but nothing but horses!" She said, taking a few minutes to scan the general area.
"Well, maybe whoever lived here abandoned the-"
"Well I'll be damned." Sky interrupted him. "There's unicorns and pegasi as well."
4728 doubled over and started laughing. "You, you're smoking something, and I want some!" 4728 said between his hysterical laughing fits.
Sky shrugged. "I'm not on drugs, either way, they wouldn't affect us, dumbass." Sky said. 4728 calmed down.
"So there's really-" 4728 was cut off.
"Yup." Sky answered for him.
"Maybe they're sentient?" 4728 asked.
"That's not possible." Sky said. She got up and made sure her shotgun was ready.
"Alright. I've heard unicorn blood tastes good, but that was just from a book." 4728 said.
"You read?" Sky asked.
"A little bit. Mostly kill things." Joseph said.
"Let's get a move on." Sky said. They moved through the orchard with caution. 4728 had his DMR raised, as if expecting something awful to happen.
They came to a clearing. A red horse was pulling a wagon, another small yellow one with a bow in the wagon.
"Is that a-" 4728 started.
"Yes." Sky interrupted. The two walked out, and noticed an orange one that had been rather close. It was kicking the tree, and apples were falling.
"Hey, this one's smart." Joseph remarked.
"Applejack, look out!" Someone yelled. Sky turned toward the voice.
"Whoever's there, come out now." She yelled.
"What are y'all doin' on my farm!?" The horse in front of 4728 yelled. 4728 thought for a split second before laughing.
"I WAS FUCKING RIGHT!!! WHO'S THE DUMBASS NOW!?" 4728 said loudly, doubling over as he laughed.
Sky shrugged. "Sorry!" Sky shouted. "We don't want to hurt you, lest you hurt us."
"It's alright, sugarcube. What're y'all doin' on my farm though? And what're you?" 'Applejack' asked.
"Well, I'm Sky, and this is Joseph. Our ship crashed in that forest. We could use some help if anyone here could show us the way." Sky asked.
"Sure, but first y'all should probably talk to Twilight. She'll have some questions for you before you go to your ship." Applejack said. "I'm Applejack by the way. Nice to meet you." She held out her hoof, and Sky assumed it was a handshake, so she shook the horses foreleg.
"Nice to meet you too, Applejack. Can you show me to this 'Twilight'?" Sky asked.
"Alright, sugarcube. I gotta make this fast so I can get back to work. Follow me." Applejack said, sprinting off. Sky waved for the calmed 4728 to follow. The two caught up with ease.
"Contacts, above us." 4728 glanced at the sky. Pegasi looked down at them. One light blue pegasus dove down and began pursuing them.
"Why are you chasing Applejack, huh!?" It yelled.
"We're following her to Twilight's house. Back off, civilian." Sky said. 4728 laughed lightly at that.
"I'm no 'civilian', I'm Rainbow Dash! Fastest flying pegasus in the universe!" She shouted as she flew.
"So you're an illegal immigrant?" Sky asked. 4728 slowed down, he was cracking up at this. The most funny thing to him was how stoic Sky was.
A pink pony bounced at 4728's pace.
"HiI'mPinkiePie!Youmustbenewhere!DoyoulikepartiesIcouldthrowyouonetonightifyouwantmeto!" She shouted. 4728 couldn't understand her, so he nodded. "YAY! I need to go plan after Twilight tells Celestia about you two!" She said.
"What!?" 4728 asked.
"Oh, nothing." She said. "You might want to look forw- ah, too late." 4728 had hit a tree, breaking down a wall, where he slammed through several bookcases before stopping. His shields broke, then he was knocked unconscious.
"Twilight! Spike! Are y'all alright?!" Applejack shouted.
"Yeah! What are these things?" Twilight yelled, pointing at something behind her bookcases.
"Umm... They're friendly? That one wasn't looking where he was going, so he kinda ran into y'all's library." Applejack explained.
"Where's my brother?" Sky asked, poking her head in, the door being incredibly small compared to her.
"Um, uh, Twilight?" A voice called. On the stairs looked to be a Covenant grunt, but purple and green.
"Ms. Twilight, get down!" Sky yelled, reaching for her Magnum. Before she could, she was hit by a purple blast.
"You shouldn't have done that!" Sky yelled before charging the purple horse in the center of the room.
4728 awoke, and saw Sky rushing at the pony, and with lightning swiftness, tackled Sky.
"First Contact protocol, Sky. No fighting." Joseph said. Twilight noticed this. "Sorry about..." 4728 looked at the several wrecked bookshelves, scattered books, and a huge hole where he entered the building. Rainbow Dash had entered through there, and was hovering by Applejack. "Uh... Sorry." 4728 said.
"I'm sure we... We can work something out." Twilight explained, regretting her action immediately. If the creatures could withstand a powerful stun spell from point blank, what could they do?
"Yeah. Right now we need a guide to our crashed ship in that forest." Sky said.
"Alright. I'll gather the Elements of Harmony, and we'll take you in there tomorrow. It'll take a while to convince Fluttershy to join us." Twilight informed. "In the meantime, I'd like to talk to you two about your business in Equestria." Twilight said, pulling over a desk and chair. The two Spartans sat on the floor.
"We're... We've run away. My family comes first, and he's the last one I have." Sky said.
"From who?" Twilight asked.
"The Office of Naval Intelligence and the United Nations Space Command, as well as everything in our galaxy." Sky said.
"What are you?" She asked.
"I'm a Spartan, humanity's ultimate soldier. So is he." Sky gestured to 4728.
"So wait up, you two are close, so why do you use foul language around eachother?" Applejack asked.
"We're close enough that it doesn't matter." 4728 said.
"Damn straight, boy." Sky said.
"I can only imagine what my mother would do if she heard Shining Armor say that to me." Twilight whispered to her friend Applejack. Both Sky and 4728 heard this, making note of her having a brother. With a dumb name, at that.
"Where exactly, in the galaxy are you from?" Twilight asked. "Spike, send a letter to the princesses, tell them there are aliens in my library." She said, turning to the dragon
"Kholo. Human Colony world." 4728 said.
"What is that armor made of?" She asked.
"Titanium Grade A. Approximately 1000 pounds. Don't try anything, because on top of that is a weak energy shield." 4728 said.
"What is the Office of..." She asked.
"Naval Intelligence. Everything's worst nightmare. The United Nations Space Command is slowly being turned into it's puppet. Part of the reason we ran in the first place." Sky said.
"So, if you're their strongest warriors, what do you fight?" Twilight asked.
"We fought the Covenant Empire for about 15 years, once the war ended, we just are stationed around the galaxy, putting down terrorist groups where ever necessary." Sky said.
"Do you mind if I tell the princesses? They could use your help with many things." Twilight said.
"Hold up. First, I want answers about you and your species." Sky said.
"Alright, shoot." Twilight said.
"What are you? Pony, pegasus, unicorn, what?" Sky asked.
"I recently was transformed into an Alicorn, which is when a pony like me has a horn and wings. Across Equestria, you'll find many pegasi and unicorns, even regular ponies." Twilight responded.
"Noted. What's with all the friendliness? Is that normal?" Sky asked.
"That's how it usually is here in Ponyville, everyone's super friendly." Twilight answered.
"Why haven't I seen any other alicorns besides you?" 4728 asked.
"There's not too many left. Some just disappeared at random, and others are just in hiding. They're the most powerful of our race, like you." Twilight said.
"Do you know how many are left?" Sky asked.
"Four, including me." Twilight replied.
"Who are the others?" Sky asked.
"Princess Luna and Celestia, who rule Equestria together. There's also Cadance, who rules the Crystal Empire." She said.
"Alright. I think that's enough questions for today, if you don't mind. Do you want to gather your squad and get to our ship?" 4728 asked.
"Well, we'll wait until tomorrow. I don't think you'll fit in a bed, but you could try the couches." Twilight explained.
"We'll take the couches then." 4728 said.
"We appreciate your hospitality." Sky said.
"Is he okay?" 4728 asked, pointing to the dragon, who looked sick.
"No, that's probably the response from the princesses." Twilight said as, in a burst of flames, a letter was formed, and landed in her hands.
"We're a hot topic then." Sky commented.
"Horrible and unintended pun, sister." 4728 said.
"Dear Twilight-" She was interrupted by 4728.
"Do you HAVE to read aloud?" 4728 asked. Anything that could read, doing so aloud, was what could set him off at any point in time. Rainbow Dash glared at him.
"If you want to know what's going on, then yes. I have to read aloud."
"Can I at least read it?" 4728 asked. Twilight shrugged and handed it to him. "Wow, real paper. Only see this stuff in museums nowadays-"
"GET ON WITH IT!" Rainbow and Sky yelled.
"Jesus, fine." 4728 paused and began to read, but a bright flash emanated from the center of the room. 4728 threw the letter and picked up his DMR. The letter landed at Twilight's hooves, and as she noticed the princesses, she looked down and read.
"Me and Luna will be there shortly. I can't wait to meet the new aliens! See you soon, Princess Celestia." Twilight said, scowling at 4728, who lowered his weapon. Sky saluted, and so did 4728. Twilight and Rainbow bowed.
"At ease." Celestia said, and the four returned to normal posture. She was almost as tall as 4728. Her sister was a little bit shorter, but just so that it was noticeable.
