Halo: The Interlopers

Several days later, Knife team was back aboard the UNSC Deliverance, where they were getting what Emmerich called “early birthday presents”. Within one minute, their upgraded armor was fitted to them.

“Your armor is visually unchanged, as you can see. What you also likely noticed is how quickly it was fitted. The first upgrade is a modular replacement system. This allows the armor to be put on in around a minute by a trained crew, or in three to five minutes by just the wearer. It also allows for faster internal and external modifications, which can now be made in the field in many cases.”

Knife team moved around in their suits, seeing if there were any differences in how it handled. There were none whatsoever; the armor felt like the same reliable suits they’d worn for years.

“The second upgrade is the direct integration of two armor abilities into each suit. Ethan, yours has a more energy-efficient armor lock and a holographic projector capable of creating multiple holograms at once that move realistically and even seem to fire tracers at the enemy, although they do no harm. Jason, yours has a stronger drop shield and performance enhancer module, so you'll be able to move even faster and jump even higher than before."

Emmerich put on a wry smile.

“Mark, yours is extra special; in addition to your active camouflage module and drop shield, you can shape and form energy and plasma from your left gauntlet. You can create an energy sword or a hexagonal shield similar to what Jackals use. It’s thought-linked like MJOLNIR armor has always been for regular motion, so it’s simple to use, albeit more visible than regular cover or a knife. Activating the sword limits your wrist motion, so you don’t have to worry about mutilating your hand. Lastly, it’s linked directly to your suit’s power source, so it won’t run out of power for it.”

Several test dummies emerged from the floor, durable ones that had been used for hand-to-hand practice by armored SPARTANs. They showed evidence of frequent use, being covered with scratches and contusions.

Mark moved his left arm to face diagonally downwards and in front of him, and ignited the energy sword by focusing on it, the same thought-link function that moved his armor activating. The blade glowed blue-white, electricity arcing between the two prongs. Mark practiced swinging it; he had experience using energy swords, but having one integrated into his suit meant he’d have to learn to use it without wrist motion. That meant no flicking his wrist to eke out a win in swordfights against Elites.

Mark tested the sword on a pair of test dummies, thrusting the blade into ones chest and pulling it upwards through its shoulder. The next one he methodically dismembered, amputating each limb before making thrusts at where the vital regions would be.

Next he tried out a shield, activating it with his mind. It was blue, similar in size to a Jackal’s shield, but with a more geometric shape. It acted as a solid object, so it would cause no damage from simply touching it, but being "solid", it could be used as a weapon if it struck something with enough force.

“The shield is stress-already tested, it won’t malfunction or die in the middle of combat. Do you want me to have some turrets fire a few rounds at you?”

“Yeah, I wanna see how much it’ll kick when it gets hit.”

Two auto-turrets emerged from the floor plating, and took aim. Mark readied his shield, and crouched. He gave a nod, and the turrets began to fire at him.

The bullets glanced off his shield, barely moving Mark’s arm a millimeter. If the versions Jackal’s used kept them from flinching when they were shot, his armor and vastly superior strength would outdo any compensation mechanism built into their gauntlets. He let it go on for a bit longer before he signaled for Emmerich to cease fire.

Mark finished by bludgeoning two more test dummies with the shield, a purpose in which the device performed as expected; fairly well.

“All right. Now, you said you’d decrypted the data?” Mark asked the AI, deactivating the shield.

“Yes, I’ve already briefed Admiral Hunt on it, as well as the captains of all the fleet’s ships.”

“Sounds bad already,” Ethan commented.

“It is. The Covenant remnants that attacked Canterlot were more than just raiders out for blood. They came from a fleet of thirteen ships that’s hiding in-atmosphere, less than two kilometers above the surface of Equis’ magnetic north pole. The forces there are strong enough that we couldn't detect them until now. Composition is one CAS-class assault carrier, three CCS-class battlecruisers, four CRS-class light cruisers, two CPV-class heavy destroyers and three SDV-class heavy corvettes.”

“Fuck! They could’ve wiped out half of Eagle Sword already if they wanted to!” Ethan exclaimed.

“The reason they didn’t is likely a shift in strategy; they can’t afford to lose ships anymore. The Covenant doesn’t have the endless resources and manpower they used to. In fact, that is the reason they targeted Equis. The fleet had been passively observing for a over a month, and decided to strike at the leadership of what they determined to be the strongest nation on the planet, believing that by toppling them, they could cause the rest of Equis to capitulate. They intend to integrate the planet’s inhabitants into a renewed Covenant, and use its plentiful natural resources to facilitate the construction of a new fleet,” Emmerich explained.

“Let me guess, by becoming the most powerful faction of Covenant remnants, they expect to attract smaller groups, further solidifying their power, allowing them to become the center of a resurgent Covenant?” Jason inquired.

“Pretty much,” Emmerich responded. “UNSC High Command has already been notified, but they can’t spare more than a few ships. We’re stretched thin as it is, with all of the cleanup ops already going on. We’re on our own here. Admiral Hunt is already planning ways to destroy the fleet with minimal casualties. He’s considering an ‘OPERATION: UPPERCUT’ style solution among others, but the problem with that would be getting a Shaw-Fujikawa drive into the right position, and getting their ships close enough to deal a crippling blow to most of their fleet.”

“Lastly, we’ve located an encampment used by Covenant forces south of Ponyville, in the Everfree Forest. The Admiral wants you take them out.”

***

“Princess, we’re taking care of it,” A UNSC officer explained.

“You discovered a Covenant encampment just miles from Ponyville and respond without my authorization, and you didn’t even tell me?” Celestia demanded.

“We only discovered the camp two hours ago, and sent a team to eliminate it an hour ago. We were attempting to gain an audience with you so that we could inform you. If it helps, we have gained authorization for you, your student and her five friends to view our operations in real-time through our command center at Cavalia Joint Service Base. This applies to future ops as well.”

“Twilight and her friends are in Ponyville, I hardly think they’d make it in time to see anything. I’ll go to your command center. Perhaps in the future they can join us. I’ll bring my sister.”

***

Mark was riding on a UH-144 Falcon helicopter, en route to the designated landing zone. The craft’s compact design allowed it to enter places the larger Pelican could not, which gave it greater flexibility for operations in dense areas like forests and cities. It also allowed for an overall lower profile, making it stealthier and generally superior for special operations originating from bases on land.

In this case, all of these traits made it ideal for this operation. Knife team was being deployed to eliminate a Covenant camp in the Everfree Forest, several klicks south of Ponyville.

The moon was out that night, bright, although not so much as the sun; fitting for the deceptive tranquility of the night. Below them, trees and foliage skimmed by, the Falcon low enough that the gunners' boots almost touched the leaves below them.

“All right, we get in, plant bombs in the major structures, and get the hell out. Of course, it probably won’t be that simple; nothing ever is. Expect heavy resistance, maybe even a few Wraiths,” Mark said.

“Ha! Well, good thing I brought my friend ‘Spanker’!” Ethan replied, referring to the M41rocket launcher he typically carried in addition to his AR.

“Hey, at least Wraiths can hit their target from more than a hundred meters. That’s more than you can say buddy!” Jason chimed in.

“That’s your job man, I just get into medium or close range, and wreck shit!”

“Hey, keep the competition down to kill counts, all right you guys? I don’t wanna hear any crying after one of you hurts the other’s feelings. Got it?” Mark retorted to both of them.

“Got it boss. Yo Jason, whoever gets the most kills gets to drive the vehicle!”

“All right then, I’m in!” Mark said, smiling under his helmet.

“All right, this is the LZ, sirs.” The pilot said. “Looks like you’re gonna have to jump, I can’t get any lower.”

“Thanks, lieutenant. We’ll make do. All right, this is our stop people. Jump out on my mark. Three, two, one, go!”

Knife team jumped for it, falling a mere eight meters to the ground, the trees slowing their descent enough to prevent anything more than quiet grunts when they hit the dirt. Knife team shouldered their weapons, activated their night vision, and headed towards the objective.

About thirty seconds after touchdown, Ethan, who was on point, signaled for them to stop; he made a fist and held it up at head level. He then gestured for them to move up slowly.

“Check it, green blood trail. Ever seen something like this?” Ethan whispered, running his finger through the fluid.

Their helmets prevented any sound from escaping; their comms were untraceable and impossible to tap, only those with proper codecs could hear what they were saying. They knew this, but they whispered anyway.

“No. Surgeon, take samples; might as well get some for the lab rats. Flash cloning might work just as good on these aliens. Besides, maybe somepony could figure out what it is for us after it’s cloned.” Mark whispered back. He used the word “somepony” on purpose, indicating that he believed one of the locals could possibly identify it, and the others caught that too.

Jason did as Mark said, and gave the samples to Mark to carry. He put them in the hard-case built into his thigh armor. That would protect the samples during combat better than Jason’s pouches. Following that, they moved on towards the objective.

The forest was surprisingly dense, approaching jungle-like concentration of flora; known information however, indicated that it was not a rainforest. The plants impeded Knife team’s progress only slightly, and they barely made a sound, certainly none audible above the ambient noise level.

Around three minutes later, they came within sight of the camp, and halted.

***

From the command center at Cavalia JSB, Princess Celestia and her sister Princess Luna could see and hear what Mark, Jason and Ethan did. She was intrigued by the behavior Knife team exhibited. She hadn’t even been aware of their group’s moniker before now, and suddenly she realized how familiar they were to danger; they displayed no perceptible fear as they proceeded through the forest she knew was unknown to them, only caution. She had also listened to their banter before the mission, and during the operation; their sudden transition from competitive banter to quiet professionalism astounded her.

When they landed, she noticed their vision become illuminated and green-tinted.

"Why did everything just turn green?" Celestia asked.

“They activated their armor’s night vision function. It illuminates the surrounding area for the user without revealing their position like a flashlight would, and it isn’t limited in range like one either. If some random pony walked by, things wouldn’t appear any different to them, it’s all an effect of the camera amplifying ambient light,” A human technician answered.

So they can see in the night as if it were day. I daresay they’ve got the upper hoof then, even against a whole camp of hostile aliens.

Luna thought along similar lines, thinking that if Knife team operated under cover of night so often, perhaps they had a unique appreciation for it.

They saw the team come to the clearing.

“Knife Actual, this is Raptor, targets in sight. I count four structures; a comms building, barracks, warehouse and vehicle depot.”

Celestia was fascinated by the smooth, rounded architecture the Covenant used as opposed to the angular and functional design used by her UNSC allies. The iridescent blue and purple hues used on their buildings and vehicles struck her as another contrast to the dull and discreet colors of the human military.

***

Knife team assessed the situation before them, always wanting to maintain peak efficiency during an op. “Proper planning prevents poor performance,” SCPO Mendez, one of the SPARTAN-IIIs instructors, had taught them.

Behind the depot, and out of sight of the rest of the camp, were a half-dozen sleeping Grunts, their methane tanks vertically oriented and swaying ever so slightly as their lungs filled themselves with air. Grunts had a tendency to sleep on the job, and no amount of deaths inflicted by the enemy deterred them from doing so.

Just next to Grunts was a plasma battery, likely intended to recharge the vehicles inside. It was large enough that if it were destroyed, it would blow the depot sky high. Fortunately for them, only Ethan’s rocket launcher and the team’s explosive charges had enough power to blow it; they wouldn’t have to worry about stray bullets or plasma bolts causing an explosion that could kill them all.

The door to the communications building was guarded by a pair of minor Elites, their blue armor matching the needle rifles they wielded. A Jackal sniper team stood on the roof, providing overwatch. In all likelihood there were more enemies inside the structure, and likely higher-ranking than those outside.

The barracks were likely to be filled with hostiles, so if possible, the team would plant a bomb outside it and detonate it first. Failing that, they would try to lure as many back inside as possible, probably with Ethan’s upgraded holographic decoys.

The warehouse was unguarded, and more than likely empty. However, the team didn't take any chances, and assumed it was populated by guards and clerks on the inside. Rule number three, Mark thought, never let your guard down in the field.

“Surgeon, you hold back, provide overwatch; give us a heads-up on any activity you notice that we can’t see. Maverick, stay low, take out those sleepers behind the depot. Plant a charge near the battery, out of sight. I’ll take the warehouse and plant a charge there. After that, you use your decoys to create a distraction, and I’ll plant another charge inside the comms building. Draw the barracks’ inhabitants out and I’ll plant a charge there. That should eliminate most of the residents, at which point we assault the comms building and kill everyone in it; from there we search for any intel or tech that might aid us, and after we find it, we get out and blow the place,” Mark quietly explained, “Any questions?”

“Yeah, one.” Ethan whispered, “Do bombs count towards our kill-score?”

That made Mark chuckle a bit. “No, seeing as there’s no way to accurately judge how many die from a given blast without a thorough and time-consuming check, they won’t count. Hold fire until you’ve been discovered or until I give the say so. Move out.”

With that, Ethan moved through the dense foliage towards the sleepers, circling around so he could approach them from out of sight of the rest of the camp. Mark activated his active camouflage device, and moved towards the warehouse.

Reaching a point where he could approach the sleeping Grunts, Ethan moved slowly and cautiously, careful not to make any sounds. The ambient noise level was already fairly high, loud enough that he didn’t have to worry, but he preferred to err on the safe side when sneaking.

He pulled his knife from its sheath, and one by one, he drove it into each of the methane-breathing aliens’ necks, their wheezing ending each time he did so. Killing all of them took twenty-two seconds, and after the deed was done, a layer of luminescent aqua ooze coated his blade. Ethan wiped it on a nearby bush, out of sight of any investigators, and moved the bodies out of the clearing and into the forest.

The plasma battery and the building were separated by about a meter, enough room for Ethan to squeeze in. He withdrew a small satchel of C-12 plastic explosive from his armor, and planted it on the battery, facing the vehicle depot to ensure maximum destructive efficiency.

At the same time, Mark had reached the door to the warehouse. The door was really just an opening, with nothing keeping out stray wildlife, or SPARTANs for that matter. His upgraded suit would allow him to silently run while fully cloaked for a grand total of thirty minutes. Thankfully, he wouldn’t need to cloak for that long.

Entering the building, Mark drew his combat knife. He knew he had an energy sword in his gauntlet, but that’d be much more conspicuous than he wished, however deadly it would be. Creeping in, he spotted two red blips on his motion tracker.

It was two Elites; a blue minor with a holstered plasma rifle and an orange major using an energy sword, who seemed to be berating his subordinate. The energy sword was pointed directly at the minor, which gave Mark an idea. He snuck up behind the major, and kicked him in the back, sending him flying forward and his sword into the minor’s chest in a flailing mass. The sword punctured the minor’s lungs, leaving him unable to scream as he quickly but painfully died. The sword quickly detected the lack of pressure on its hilt, and deactivated on its own.

The major began to roar, his mandibles expanded and his whole mouth revealed. Mark drove his knife through the roof of the Elite’s mouth, into the alien’s brain, killing him instantly. The entire ordeal had unfolded in exactly seven seconds, and the building filled with the stench of blood and burned flesh.

Mark planted a charge between a crate of fuel rods and a box of plasma grenades, but not before taking a few grenades for himself. The resulting explosion would be boosted by the secondary explosives, and likely drowned out by them. It was remotely possible that the entire base’s destruction could be made to seem like an accident.

“Depot charge planted.”

“Warehouse charge planted. Maverick, move to position outside the barracks and await my signal.”

“On it.”

“Surgeon here, we have a Wraith moving out of the depot, currently heading towards the barracks; advise you wait until it’s passed to begin diversion.”

“Copy Surgeon.”

They waited for three minutes. The Wraith idled outside the barracks, on the side facing towards the base’s center. It had no idea that a SPARTAN waited on the other side, and seemed to wait almost in spite of the enemies it was unaware of.

“Wraith isn’t moving. Maverick, you’ll have to draw the current tenants out.”

Ethan did as Mark told him. He threw an armed fragmentation grenade at the building, and when it exploded, the whole compound awoke.

Elites, Grunts and Jackals rushed out towards Ethan, who had deployed numerous decoys, all of whom appeared to be firing at the approaching mob. The real Ethan fired a rocket at a more tightly packed section of the group, killing twelve of them and reducing them to chunks, dispersed among the raining dirt. The returning fire was intense, and Ethan took cover behind a rock.

Mark snuck into the barracks during the chaos. It was completely empty, with not a single Covenant soldier present. Inside the building there were methane stations, made to fill up the Grunt’s tanks. Mark spotted them immediately, and placed a charge between a tightly-packed cluster of the devices; methane was a very combustible gas, and Mark knew this.

De-cloaked, and drew his grenade launcher as he headed out to flank the hostiles assaulting Ethan. His first shot landed between a lance of Grunts and shield-using Jackals in front of them. When it exploded, it killed eight of them. Mark slid another round into the launcher’s breech, and fired at a silver-armored Elite ultra. The round detonated on impact, removing the alien’s shield and killing a trio of Grunts behind him, all of whom were throwing plasma grenades.

The now armed explosives cooked off, exploding and killing the group. The real Ethan jumped out from behind cover killed two Jackals with his assault rifle now that he was no longer suppressed. Mark shot three Grunts in the head with his DMR, on round each, and then unloaded into an Elite major, taking down his shields before delivering a fatal punch to the officer’s throat.

Mark and Ethan approached the comms building. Ethan fired a rocket into the rear of the Wraith that’d been harassing them earlier, hitting the exposed exhaust vent and destroying it. He reloaded the launcher, putting a new cylinder into the assembly.

“Surgeon, weapons free!” Mark ordered. As he finished the sentence, Jason complied. Four shots rang out in as many seconds, getting as many headshots. The sentries outside the comms building dropped like sacks of bricks, their blood blending in with the outer shell of the structure.

“I got this, boss,” Ethan said. He planted a small shaped charge on the door, just big enough to blow the doors inwards and disorient anyone in the receiving room with the blast. Mark and Ethan took positions on the sides of the door, their weapons fully loaded, and their minds clear.

“Three, two, one, breaching!”

The charge detonated, sending the doors inwards. Mark and Ethan headed in, their senses sharp and ready to detect any danger. Lo and behold, it appeared.

A pair of Elite zealots charged at them, needlers and plasma rifles firing. Ethan dropped his assault rifle and attempted to engage the hulking creature in melee combat. They threw bone-shattering punches at each other, their shields flashing and the impacts echoing in the chamber.

Mark holstered his rifle and ignited his sword. The zealot did the same. The two locked eyes, or at least seemed to, given that Mark’s visor still had its solid blue polarization, preventing the Elite from actually seeing his eyes.

The zealot initiated the duel with a thrust, which Mark dodged and parried, using his own sword to push the crackling blade aside. He countered with a downward swipe, that the zealot dodged, which was followed by a swing upwards and to the left. That glanced the zealot’s shields, and made him flinch.

The other zealot threw Ethan back outside in a feat of strength astounding even for a seasoned Elite warrior. He drew his sword, and joined the duel. He began by sweeping low with his blade. Mark dodged by jumping on a nearby table, and the swipe he dodged left a scorch mark where his left foot had been.

The two zealots charged at him, and Mark threw a plasma grenade to disperse them. The explosion stunned them for a split second, which he used to close the distance with the newcomer and eviscerate him, driving his sword into the creature’s lower chest, and bringing it upwards, separating the Elite’s ribcage from his spine and finishing him.

Now it was just Mark and the one zealot. They struck and parried with their swords, sparks flying each time the energy blades met. They took down each other’s shields numerous times, only to have them recharge while they blocked and dodged.

Mark’s shields went down yet again, and he retreated to the other side of the room. He grabbed a small plasma battery and threw it at his attacker. The explosion took down the zealot’s shields, and the Elite charged at him again.

Mark had been knocked onto his back by the explosion, and as the massive alien attempted to deliver a finishing blow, Mark blocked him. Their blades locked, Mark realized that one of the prongs of his sword was inside the Elite’s, and made a move. He kicked the beast hard enough to stun him slightly, and ran the blade through the zealot’s hand.

The appendage was horribly damaged, and the zealot’s sword dropped, deactivating as it did so. The beast stood up, and roared in agonizing pain, clutching its hand. Mark roundhouse kicked to alien into the wall and stabbed him through the chest multiple times. Each thrust was accompanied by a sizzle as the intense heat from the blade boiled blood and popped blood vessels inside the victim.

After that, Mark deactivated his own sword. He ran outside to check on Ethan, his rifle drawn, and he found him and Jason fighting off a group of Covenant returning from patrol. Mark finished off a lance of grunts led by an Elite officer. The firing stopped, and a semblance of peace seeped over the team.

“Sorry Raptor, woulda helped you earlier, but these bastards came back from patrol. Judging from the size of the barracks, I’d say there’s way more than what we saw. We’d better blow the place and exfil,” Ethan explained.

“It’s fine.”

***
As a Princess, Celestia had never witnessed such violence first-hoof, nor even heard anything more than vague mentions of it. Seeing these humans who had just days before nobly protected her morph into killing machines was absolutely shocking.

This is what their job is? Ending lives with such nonchalance, killing enemies while they sleep, it’s monstrous! But I suppose that given the nature of this enemy, it’s all too necessary.

“Knife Actual, this is Raptor, requesting exfil,” Mark said over the radio. No pony or person detected stress of fatigue in his voice; he sounded as calm as before the battle.

“Raptor, we are dispatching a Pelican to your position. It’s loaded with ODSTs, they just finished their own op nearby. ETA five minutes, how copy?”

“Solid copy, Knife Actual. We’ll check for any intel and get prepped to leave. As soon as we’re at a safe distance, we’ll blow the place to Hell’s junkyard.”

***

Ethan planted the last charge inside the comms building. While the team was exploring the inside, Jason found something.
“Boss? I got something here, I think you’ll want to see it.”

Mark walked in, expecting to see a trove of data or something like that. What he saw instead was what looked like a black-colored hybrid of a small alicorn, a hymenopteran insect of some sort, and a chunk of Swiss cheese.

“No intel here, I think this outpost was compartmentalized information-wise.” Ethan strode in as he finished the sentence. “What the hell is that?”

Knife team heard talking in the background of the command center, and a female voice came on.

“This is Princess Celestia. That creature is called a changeling; it is a hive creature capable of infiltrating populated areas with ease by mimicking the inhabitants. A few weeks before you arrived, we’d just stopped a coup attempt by their queen, Chrysalis. They survive by leeching off of others’ emotions, most of all love. It makes them stronger as they do so. Ironically, the attempt was stopped by love.”

“Okay, do they have these holes in them naturally? And should we bring this one back to study?”

“Yes, they do. And no, the chance that it could be faking death is too high, leave it there.”

“Got it.”

The Pelican arrived moments later, with a dozen ODSTs inside. There were only ten seats, meaning Knife team would have to stand for the ride out, like two of the Helljumpers they were riding with. They jumped in, grabbed onto the handles on the bay’s ceiling, and the dropship began to lift off.

About thirty seconds later, the Pelican was a safe distance from the camp.

“Helljumpers,” Mark began, “I hope you like fireworks, ‘cause we’ve got a little show for you!” He produced a detonator. After massaging the button with his thumb for a few seconds, Mark pushed the big red button, and the whole compartment cheered.

Behind them, a massive group of blue and orange explosions turned the empty camp into a crater, scorched by conventional and plasma explosions.

***

Back at the command center, alarms went off. Personnel began to scramble, some headed to their posts, others to rally points to await orders.

“What’s going on?” Princess Celestia demanded.

“Why doth the trumpets blare so harshly?” Luna agreed.

“Incoming bogeys, lots of ‘em!” A radar technician yelled.

“What are these ‘bogeys’ thou speak'st of?”

“A radar or visual air contact whose identity is unknown. Computer counts several thousand small ones, around two meters in length. Several dozen larger ones too, signatures read as older model Pelicans and Falcons. Definitely not UNSC, though.”

"How did these forces gain access to your equipment?"

"Well, there are a bunch of ways. The most likely one is that they looted from UNSC stocks in the chaos of the various invasions, and bought a lot of it on the black market. Another possibility is that they're a PMC, in which case they might've been supplied by us back during the Insurrection."

“All units, report to combat stations immediately. We have detected a large airborne force headed towards the Canterlot area, both the castle and the city. They are not, repeat not friendly. Radar indicates some of them are using older model Pelicans and Falcons, check your IFFs before firing on aircraft,” the loudspeakers blared.

“We have to get back to Canterlot,” Celestia said.

“Ma’am, I’m afraid I can’t let you do that. We don’t know what’s out there, and you’re safer in here.”

“I can’t just abandon my subjects!”

“And your subjects can’t afford to lose you. If at least some of the hostiles out there are using UNSC aircraft, then they’re likely using UNSC weaponry, too. You’ll be able to assess the situation from here, and you’ll be safer.”

***

“Oh, I’m so excited!” Pinkie squealed.

“I know, can ya believe Twilight’s brother invited us to his birthday? I mean, it’s so cool that his birthday is less than a month after his wedding! That means another awesome party!” Rainbow Dash agreed.

“I just wish this train would go faster, and that we didn’t have to get on it at one in the morning,” Spike complained.

“We’re only a few minutes from the station Spike, we just have to wait a little longer,” Twilight Sparkle said to him. She was so excited to see her brother, she hadn’t gotten to even talk to him at the diplomatic reception a week ago; she was able to hug him, but not much else. That meant that this was essentially the first time she’d get to see her Shining Armor since the wedding.

“Ummm, why is it getting dark all of a sudden?” Fluttershy asked.

Rarity walked to a window. “Well, we’re probably just going through a… Oh dear.”

Above them, a swarm of thousands of changelings blotted out the night sky, and the moon.

“Have you noticed that bad things happen whenever we go to Canterlot?” Spike asked, seeing the cloud of insectoids.