The last of what's up There

Chapter Four
...And Reconciliation

Date: November 6th, 2555(assumed)
Location: interior of a Micro Dyson Sphere
Individual: Spike the Dragon
Time: unknown

Spike awoke with a start, staring at the bright blue sky which was obscured not by Spartan-035, but by clouds.

The baby dragon rolled over and saw the Spartan, Wilhelm, sitting on a nearby hill, looking out over the land they were in. Spike slowly got to his feet and approached the Spartan, sitting down next to him.

"Hey, Wilhelm, ready to go find out where we are?" the baby dragon inquired, watching the Spartan slowly turn to face him.

"I already know, Spike. I met another survivor while you were asleep, a Griffon named Gilda. She explained everything to me in full detail; the Prometheans, their reasons for their war against us, the reasons behind the Reclamation, and where we're at" the Spartan replied, taking his helmet off.

"Then...where are we?"

"The interior of a Micro Dyson Sphere; it is a small bubble, about the size of a house, that contains an infinite planet inside it. The Reclamation teleported all living things in Equestria here and killed the Prometheans and Flood, a species I'll tell you about later. Point is, we're very far away from Equestria and technically, by the very definition of a Dyson Sphere, don't even live in the same galaxy or dimension" Spartan-035 explained.

"But...we're alive, right?" Spike asked, scared of the answer he might receive.

"Yes, Spike, we are alive. And it seems this place has all we need right now; water, warmth, and shelter. The Griffon, Gilda, told me there's a group of ponies nearby that are trying to set up places for everyone to live. They might need my help, though. Let's head over there, yeah?" Wilhelm responded.

"One second; I'd like to be alone on this hill for a moment... Personal reasons" Spike said, standing up.

"By all means, take all the time you need" Spartan-035 stated, getting up and walking a fair distance away.

"Twilight...I don't know if you can hear me, but...I just wanted to tell you a few things. I love you, and I'm sorry for everything that went wrong. You were my mother, my big sister, and my greatest friend all in one. You were what kept me going during the darkest days of Thar 'Saramee's extermination campaign, the darkest days of the Covenant's return to Equestria, the darkest days of the Promethean war, and I know you fought valiantly against the Prometheans before they killed you. I know you fought hard and long, determined to live so you could protect me. Sadly, that was not the case, but I don't blame you, nor am I angry at you for dying. You did the best you could, and in the end I had Robert to protect me. And so, I just want to tell you one more thing. One last thing that will allow you to rest in peace, knowing that you did your best to protect me. And one last thing that will allow me to move on with my life" Spike said quietly.

"I forgive you."

"I forgive you for dying, for breaking your promise to keep me safe. I forgive you... You will always be my mother, big sister, and friend. You will always be a hero of Equestria, even if her inhabitants live in a new dimension, and you will always be in my heart and mind. You are what kept Equestria alive through the past twenty years, not the humans. You guarded us not in a literal sense, but a metaphorical one. We live on not as a state, a country, or kingdom...but as an ideal. Were it not for this ideal Equestria would've died long ago, during the Covenant Conflict of 2531. And if it were not for this ideal being passed on by you to me we would've died along with the Reclamation. Thank you, Twilight. I love you."

"And I forgive you."

Spike looked up at the sky, feeling the warmth of the sun beating down on his face as he closed his eyes, basking in the peace one last time. Peace he had not felt since before Thar 'Saramee and the UNSC first arrived at Equestria. Despite the 20 years in between the first two conflicts peace had never truly befallen Equestria after Thar 'Saramee's campaign, and Spike had always lived in torment and fear. Now that his mission was complete and Equestria was finally safe, reborn in the Dyson Sphere, he could finally rest. He could finally have peace.

The baby dragon turned around and finally ventured down the hill to begin walking toward the location of the pony settlement nearby, the Spartan leading the way since he knew where to go.

"So, Gilda's here and she told you about this group of ponies nearby?" Spike asked, looking to make small-talk to pass the time.

"Yeah... You know her?" Wilhelm replied.

"Sort of... She was friends with one of my old pony friends. Last I saw of Gilda was about a year before Thar 'Saramee first arrived in Equestria all those years ago."

The two carried on in silence, eventually the pony settlement coming into view after close to 30 minutes.

"Spike... There's something I have to tell you pertaining to Twilight's death" the Spartan suddenly said, knowing the truth would have to come out sooner or later.

"Save it for later, Wilhelm. For now...I just want to enjoy the peace" Spike said, wanting to enjoy peace he hadn't felt in years.

Peace at last.

It wasn't going to be a perfect day, but it was a start, and that was enough to make Spike smile.

*-*-*

The end of Gilda's Plight.

A/N: it's finally over; The Last Of What's Up There is finished, and with its closing I leave behind the memories the entire trilogy created. I hope you all enjoyed reading the trilogy as much as I enjoyed writing it; I love and appreciate you all, and the memories I created here are ones I hope to carry to my dying day. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy Halo 4 when it comes out. And as always: I'll see you starside.

Legal note: Spartan Wilhelm-035, Thar 'Saramee, and all related characters belong to me. Spike the Dragon, Twilight Sparkle, and all related characters belong to Hasbro. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro. Halo belongs to 343i.

Special thanks to:

Michael Blackburn, my beta-reader for this trilogy.
The Halo Wiki, which provided great info to keep me brushed up on the Prometheans and Forerunners.
PadwanTGL, SciFiMisc, GhostShadow6661, and all the other loyal readers that have stuck with these stories from the beginning. You're all special to me, but these three are my true fanboys.
And finally, the countless amounts of media that pushed me on through the darkest nights and brightest days to write this trilogy. Halo's expanded universe and Metal Gear Solid's music are two of the biggest things that contributed to my inspiration.