The Covenant

Chapters

Prologue
First Strike
Sharpshooter
Buck Wild
Close Call
Sunburst

Prologue

June 1, 2543 Ponyville, Equestria

Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath, enjoying the early morning air. She had awoken early today, and decided to step outside and watch Celestia’s beautiful sunrise. Slowly, the golden orb rose into the sky, the stars disappeared, and the world around her became brighter, warmer, and livelier. She heard clattering inside, the library, and knew Spike had awoken and started breakfast. As she trotted back inside, she thought she heard a strange whirring sound, but dismissed it. After all, stranger sound had been heard before and proven to be nothing.

“What an excellent meal, Spike,” Twilight sighed, her belly full and content.

“As always,” the little dragon boasted. Suddenly, the whirring sound returned, but this time it was much closer. In fact, it sounded like it was right outside! They rushed through the door and stopped. In front of them, floating above the ground was a strange object. It was a deep violet and shaped roughly like a bunch of bananas with the curved side facing up. Underneath, some round, pink, glowing deviced appeared to be keeping it aloft. Curious, the ponies of Ponyville gathered around nearby, watching and waiting for what it would do next.

They didn’t have to wait long. A door opened up on the side of the craft, and several strange being s hopped out. Most of them were small, about the same height as a pony, but standing on two legs. Their backs were hunched, and they looked around nervously through their beady little eyes. However, there was another creature. This one was also bipedal, but it was much taller, even taller than Princess Celestia. It was clad in blue armor that, while well-polished, was not very ornate, nor did it have many distinguishing insignias on it. It breathed in the calm Equestrian air, and sighed. It then began to speak, revealing that its mouth was split into four mandibles.

“Citizens of Equestria!” it began, “We are here to offer your kind a glorious opportunity. By joining our covenant, you will all be able to partake in the Great journey towards salvation! Instead of burning when the fires come, you will be carried away to become the gods of a new universe!”

Applejack cantered over to Twilight and whispered, “What in tarnation is that guy talking about?”

“I have no idea,” was Twlight’s hushed reply.

“Even now, one of our prophets is discussing this offer with your own leader,” the creature continued. “But even if she does not agree to join, I am here to offer you, as individuals, a chance to join our cause. What say you?”

“That’s crazy talk!” Rainbow Dash yelled. The rest of Ponyville’s citizens muttered in agreement. Twilight noticed that all her friends had gathered around her as well.

The creature called out again, “I understand your hesitation. Many other beings that have joined our covenant were reluctant at first, but none have regretted that decision.” The creature paused, looking around at the crowd’s reactions. “I see you are still not convinced,” he continued. “Perhaps it would be best to wait for your leader’s decision.”

Princess Celestia carefully observed the strange being before her. It was skinny and gray, its neck and limbs resembling worms. It floated around on a portable throne, clearly too old and weak to move around by himself. Around him, several stood guards at attention. These guards were bipedal, and were clad in ornate crimson armor, with intricate glowing yellow inlays. Some of these guards were armed with staffs, while others held long, two-bladed knives that seemed to be made of blue light.

“No,” Celestia said.

“Just think of the opportunity! You could have eternal life! Unlimited power! All would bow before you, worshipping your very existence,” the worm creature proclaimed.

Celestia chuckled, and said, “I don’t mean to sound boastful, but I already have all that here.” A few of Celestia’s own guards allowed themselves a few light smirks before regaining their composure.

“But what of your subjects?” the creature asked. “They could share in all this glory. You wouldn’t want to deprive them, would you?”

“Why would they want any of that? They’re perfectly happy right here,” the princess countered.

“Because otherwise, they will burn with the rest of the unfaithful when the Great Journey arrives,” he warned.

Celestia tilted her head back, and her horn began to glow. Outside, a shimmering effect could be seen in the sky. The creature heard a report from his communication device. “My prophet, an energy shield has enveloped the planet! Nothing can get through!”

The creature glared at the princess. “I am more than capable of protecting my people, mister prophet. I think our discussion is over,” she said.

The prophet nodded to one of his guards. In one swift motion, the guard leaped at the princess, swung his blade, and sliced her horn clean off. The shimmering shield outside dissipated. The royal guards leaped into action, but were quickly slaughtered by the prophet’s own guards.

As the princess gasped in horror at the events that had just transpired, the prophet leaned in close to her. “Now you see. We will have this world. You can share it with us, or we can take it from you. The choice is yours,” he whispered.

She stood there a few moments, still in shock. Finally, she lowered her head and sighed, “Okay. You win. Equestria… will join your covenant.”

Twilight Sparkle paced nervously in front of the library, waiting for word on the princess’s negotiations. It had been several hours since the tall creature had stopped speaking. During that time, several more craft had arrived in Ponyville, bringing more strange beings with them. Some of the newcomers looked like hybrids of dogs and birds, while others were simply giant apes. She let out an impatient sigh.

Suddenly her assistant, Spike leaped to his feet, a familiar sensation in his gut. He belched loudly, and a scroll materialized out of the green flames that followed. Spike opened the scroll and read aloud. “ Let it be known on this day that, by the authority of Princess Celestia, the nation of Equestria shall be fully integrated into the mighty alliance known as the Covenant.”

The meaning of the words took several moments to sink in. “Your leader has chosen wisely,” the tall creature announced. “Now, we need able-bodied individuals to serve in our glorious military, to fight our enemies for the glory of the Covenant.” The creature turned to the six friends gathered in front of the library. “These six look like good candidates. Load them into the Phantoms!”

“You’ll have to catch me first!” Rainbow Dash challenged. She took to the sky, but didn’t get far. Several spikes shot through the air, piercing one of her wings and sending her tumbling to the ground. The spikes had come from a weapon held by one of the ape creatures, who growled in impatience.

All through Ponyville, many other ponies were being rounded up. “Are we going to be okay?” Fluttershy asked as the six friends reluctantly climbed aboard one of the vehicles.

“I don’t know,” was all Twilight Sparkle could say.

First Strike

March 17, 2544 - Grashmul City, Dosiac

“One last thing, Chieftain,” the young Jirahanae grunted. “There seems to be a problem with one of the Equans.”

The gray Chieftain stood watching out the open window of his quarters, his rust-colored dreadlocks flapping noiselessly in the slight breeze. He rolled his eyes. “No surprise there,” he grunted.

“Apparently, one of the fliers is particularly cowardly,” the Minor continued.

Cocking an impatient glance at the brown-furred lackey, he growled, “The Unggoy are ‘particularly cowardly’. What’s your point?”

“True, my Chieftain, but even they are growing impatient,” he explained. “For once, even I agree with those rats- something must be done about her.”

“It’s the yellow one, isn’t it?” he grumbled. The Minor bowed his head in confirmation. Shaking his head in annoyance, the chieftain turned back to his window and sighed. “I will think of something. Dismissed.” The blue-armored Minor bowed and left. The chieftain strummed his fingers against the windowsill as he gazed upon the city. While much of it was a marvel of Covenant engineering, most of its architecture was still strictly Jiralhanae in nature. Scars of wars that ended centuries ago could be seen everywhere. The chieftain could feel his heart swell with pride at these reminders of his grand heritage. As he dwelled upon the history of his race, an idea began to form inside his head. His eyes wandered the cityscape until they fell upon an ancient auditorium, where many generations of his ancestors had fought to the death in games of skill. A clever smile began to form upon his face.

Two Days Later

The seats in the arena were packed. Most of the audience consisted of Jiralhanae, though numerous Unggoy and Kig-Yar could be seen as well. The stadium roared with excitement at the upcoming event. In the VIP box, the chieftain observed the group with smug satisfaction. “Quite a crowd you’ve gathered, little one,” he mumbled to no one in particular. Rising, he pounded the bottom of his hammer against the floor, sending the audience from enthusiastic cheering to silent anticipation.

“Brothers of the holy Covenant,” he began, “you have all gathered here for one reason: to see an epic battle between two unworthy challengers to see who is worthy of being absolved of their evil deeds!” In the arena below, two gates opened. In one, a haggard-looking Jiralhanae staggered out. “In the north corner, we have the Jiralhanae criminal Ranaxus, accused of thievery and dishonorable murder!” The crowd jeered at the newcomer, who simply ignored their taunts.

On the other side of the arena, a yellow ball of fur was thrown out onto the dirt floor, and the two gates were closed. He continued, “In the south corner, we have the Equan Minor Fluttershy, accused of cowardice. Competitors! Neither of you will be able to leave this arena until one of you has been killed. You may begin…” he paused for a moment, and then once again slammed the base of his hammer against the floor. “NOW!”

“Can’t we talk about this?!” the yellow pegasus whimpered. Her opponent, ignoring her pleas, charged at her with a mighty roar. Terrified, Fluttershy took to the sky, trying to stay out of the ape’s reach.

The brutish criminal leaped as high as he could, swiping at the yellow pony just beyond his reach. When the realization that he couldn’t attack her that way finally entered his thick skull, he began to search for alternate means of attack. Looking around, he spotted a pile of bones; no doubt a previous combatant whose corpse had not yet been removed. He lumbered over to the skeleton and started hurling bones at the pegasus, whose fear gave her the agility to dodge each one.

Finally, after several minutes, the chieftain pounded the bottom of his hammer on the ground twice, signaling the end of the round. Several Unggoy entered the arena to prepare for the second round. Some carried water for the two combatants, while others carried a pair of crates in, one for each side. The crates were opened, revealing a pair of spikers and a pair of plasma pistols. The criminal eagerly took the spikers from his crate, while Fluttershy hesitantly took the plasma pistols from hers. She clumsily attached them to the weapons slots on the sides of her helmet, slid the control bit into place, and tried to steel herself the best she could for the next round.

The chief pounded his hammer once, signaling the Unggoy to leave the arena. Once they were gone, he pounded twice, signaling the start of round two.

With an angry roar, the criminal charged forward and opened fire with his weapons, while Fluttershy took cover behind the crate. When he got to his opponent’s side of the arena, he dropped his weapons for a moment and lifted the large purple crate. The yellow pegasus squealed in fright and took off just in time to avoid being crushed as he slammed it down on her former position. Without missing a beat, he picked up the lid to the case and threw it at her like a disk. She did an aerial backflip to avoid it (something she did not know she could do), and it bounced harmlessly off the energy shield protecting the audience. The thief snatched up his weapons and started shooting again. The pegasus deftly avoided the deadly spikes, performing maneuvers that would have made her old friend Rainbow Dash proud. Her luck, however, soon ran out.

A few stray spikes tore through her left wing, sending her spiraling to the ground. Dust kicked up into the air as she landed with a thud. The Jiralhanae sauntered over to his fallen opponent, chuckling to himself as he did so. The dust cleared, revealing a trembling and wounded pegasus in its wake. The criminal smiled, raised his weapon, and pulled the trigger.

…Nothing happened. He had used up all of his ammunition. It did not matter, though, as the spikers still had the two deadly blades attached to their underside. Smiling wider, he raised one of them to strike a killing blow.

Desperate, the pony screamed and began tapping the buttons on her control bit repeatedly with her tongue. The ape reeled as bursts of plasma seared his flesh. Her eyes closed tightly, she kept up the assault until the weapons’ safeties activated, deactivating the pistols to allow them to cool. Opening one eye, she saw her opponent lying on the ground, his skin still smoldering from the assault. What have I done? she thought.

“The duel is finnished! The Equan Fluttershy is the winner!” the chieftain declared. The crowd burst into cheers, until another hammer pound silenced them once more. “Show’s over! Get back to work!” he declared. Grumbling, the crowd began to disperse. Exiting the VIP box, the chieftain made his way down to the arena’s edge. As a team of Unggoy removed the burning corpse, the chief leaned over the side and asked, “Now, was that so hard?”

Sharpshooter

September 17, 2547 - on board the Covenant cruiser Infuriating Sacrifice

Rarity observed her reflection in the highly-polished section of the wall that she often used as her personal mirror. Her once-beautiful violet mane was now just stubble. It was just as well, she figured. It would surely have clashed with the black and green armor she now wore. She had put up quite a fuss when the Sangheili tried to shave it. “If you don’t hold still, I may cut your hide. You wouldn’t want any scars on that beautiful skin of yours, would you?” the Elite had grunted at her slyly, invoking her sense of vanity. How ironic, she mused, as she glanced at her left cheek’s reflection. Not a month later, a human sniper’s bullet had grazed her there, leaving a hideous scar behind. In the past, such a blemish would surely have devastated the former fashionista, but now, she didn’t even care.

“I suppose I’d better finish getting ready,” she mumbled to herself. She glanced at the helmet that hung on its recharging post on her wall. It, like her armor, was mostly green, with black around the edges. It was meant to cover most of her head, except her muzzle, horn, and eyes, of course. A clear visor was positioned over the large hole for the eyes. The top of the helmet was equipped with a permanently-attached beam rifle. It was miniaturized to fit on the helmet without obscuring vision or being unwieldy, and it was slightly offset to the right to make room for her horn.

With a sigh, she concentrated her magic upon the helmet. It was enveloped in a pale blue glow as she undocked it from its post and levitated it to her head, lowering it carefully into place. The visor’s heads-up display flickered to life as it began its system diagnostics. When it displayed the “OK” symbol, Rarity smiled and headed for the door.

As a tone sounded and the portcullis opened, a familiar sight greeted her. It was one of her roommates, a rather annoyed-looking blue pegasus. Her armor was similar to Rarity’s; it was green and black specialist armor. Unlike hers, however, it was not meant for stealth. The torso was wrapped in a pair of ammunition belts, one on each end of the torso. These belts held glowing lime-green rods that fed into the fuel rod gun attached to her belly. “It’s about time! We’re going to be late,” she groaned.

“What are we doing today, again?” the unicorn asked.

“We got some new recruits from Equestria a few days ago. The Sangheili have selected the best of them to become special ops ponies like us. Now it’s our job to train them,” the pegasus explained.

They walked through several corridors until they reached a pair of doors, one on each side of the corridor. “Well, this is it. One on the left’s mine; you get the one on the right,” she said, motioning to the doors. “Good luck.”

Rarity nodded and entered the training arena. She tapped a display and began to read her trainee’s credentials. As she did so, she heard the tone of the door signaling its use, followed by the tapping of hooves against the floor. It was a stallion, by the sound of it. “You’re late,” she said as she turned around. “You really need to learn to show up on-” She paused as she took in the sight before her. There was no mistaking it. That pristine white coat, those blue eyes, that golden mane, and smug expression… there was no mistaking it.

“Blueblood?!”

“That’s Prince Blueblood to you. Need I remind you that I am royalty?” he corrected, his air of alleged superiority never wavering.

Even now, he still thought he was better than everypony! Rarity realized, though, that here, she was his superior. “Not here, you’re not!” Rarity countered, putting on the best trainer attitude she could. “Here, you are barely a Minor, the lowest of the low. I am your superior and you would do well to remember that!” She couldn’t help but enjoy the shocked expression he wore as she finally put him in his place.

Before he had a chance to say anything in reply, Rarity got down to business. “I see that your target practice score was three out of twenty. Not very impressive, but that’s three more than any of the other recruits had.”

“For your information, I took my time with those shots. If I must resort to such barbaric violence, I will not simply fire away hoping to hit something like some common hoof soldier,” he snubbed.

“Hmm… I don’t like the attitude, but that is the right mindset for a sniper. I see now why they chose you for this. There may be some hope for you yet.”

[h][/h]

After half an hour of basic tests to familiarize Blueblood with the new helmet weapons system, they began with target practice.

“Not bad,” Rarity commented. “You’re definitely getting the hang of this. But that was just targets standing still. Now we try out moving targets.” She trotted over to the supply case and pulled out two orbs with her magic. She pressed a button on each, then released them. The targets flew around the room in a blur of motion. Blueblood spun in place, trying to aim. Thinking he had a good lead on one, he fired. The target accelerated and the shot went wild.

Rarity stood watching, amused as the pompous pony made a fool of himself trying to hit the target. Finally, he stopped, slid his control bit out, and gasped for breath. “This isn’t fair!” he gasped.

“What’s the matter? I thought you so much better than everypony,” Rarity said half-mockingly.

“They’re moving too fast! Nopony could possibly hit those things! It’s almost like cheating,” he whined.

“Well then, if they can cheat, it’s only fair that you can cheat, too, isn’t it?” she suggested. Blueblood gave her a questioning look. She explained further: “You’re a unicorn. You have magic. If the targets won’t slow down, then make them slow down.”

“Okay, I suppose it’s worth a try…” Blueblood looked around. He gulped, slid his control bit back into place, and began to concentrate. His horn lit up a pale blue, and the silvery orbs began to show a slight aura of a similar color. He strained harder, and finally, the orbs began to slow. They were still sipping around at incredible speed, but at least now they were slow enough to be seen. Blueblood paused a moment, then fired. The shot flashed through the room, piercing both orbs and sending them flying apart in a shower of blue sparks. “I did it!” he gasped.

“Very good,” Rarity praised. “Now let’s try four drones.” She couldn’t help but widen her grin as her trainee groaned.

[h][/h]

“Oh, what a day,” Rainbow Dash groaned as she plopped down onto her bunk, her armor already laying on the floor after shaking it off the moment she entered the room.

“You said it,” Rarity agreed as she methodically removed her own armor. “Do you know who they gave me to train?”

“Nope,” her blue bunkmate replied.

“Blueblood. Prince Blueblood. That very same pompous fool I tried to date at the Gala. Can you believe it?!” Rarity griped.

Dash chuckled. “I bet you had fun running him through the ropes.”

“You bet your flank I did. It was almost worth putting up with his constant complaining,” Rarity replied. With a sigh, she added, “I suppose it could be worse. I could’ve had to train that gray mailmare form Ponyville!”

“Yeah, imagine that,” Dash groaned with more than a little sarcasm dripping from her voice.

“Rainbow Dash, what’s wrong?” the unicorn asked. “Don’t tell me you got the gray mailmare!”

“Yup,” Rainbow said simply. She rolled over to face her friend. “Did you know she’s the only soldier in the galaxy to have a negative target practice score?”

“How does one even get a negative score?” Rarity asked.

“By destroying everything except the targets,” Dash replied, and added, “That’s two Wraiths, five Banshees, three Ghosts, and even a Spirit drop-ship, all with just a single plasma pistol!”

“How is that even possible?!” her bunkmate gasped.

“I don’t know. She doesn’t know. Nobody knows! But for some reason, the Sangheili were impressed and thought it would be a good idea to strap a fuel rod gun to her belly. ‘If she can do this with a plasma pistol, imagine what she could do to the humans!’” the pegasus griped.

After a lengthy silence, Rarity finally finished putting her armor away and crawled into bed. “Well, we have planetside training with our new apprentices tomorrow,” she noted, “so I suggest we get some sleep. It sounds like we’re both going to need it.”

Buck Wild

January 12, 2545 – Abandoned UNSC colony

The Phantom’s rumbling abruptly stopped indicating it had safely entered the atmosphere of the planet. “Now, what were we talkin’ about?” Applejack asked her small Unngoy companion.

“I noticed you were staring at those guys,” the little guy squeaked, pointing at the two hulking giants occupying much of the dropship’s interior space.

“Oh yeah. What are they?” the orange mare asked.

“You mean you’ve never fought alongside Mgalekgolo before?” The pony shook her head. “ Well, that one’s Timoka Mata, and the other is Tomobi Mata Risa.

“That’s a bit of a mouthful,” she noted. “I think I’ll just call ‘em Tim an’ Tom. That all right?” she asked. The two giants gave no indication of having noticed her.

“I don’t think they care either way,” the grunt observed.

Applejack stood in what was once a garden plaza of some sort. From what she had heard, this was once part of a human colony until they were driven out. Good riddance, she figured. Still, she had to admit that from what she could tell, these humans were adept at agriculture. No doubt they’d be helpful back home on the farm if they weren’t so…

A shout from the commanding Sangheili snapped her out of her musings. He turned towards a storage crate and opened it. Several spheres floated out and flew lazily to several spots in the courtyard. Once they had reached their assigned positions, they started projecting holograms of a peculiar creature. They were tall and thin, standing upright on two legs. Their fur was extremely sparse, except for their manes, which were cut extremely short, if not shaved off completely. They all wore green uniforms and held strange dark gray guns.

Humans.

The grunts were up first. They opened fire on the projections, which ducked for cover and returned fire like the real ones would. Indicator lights on the Unggoys’ chests lit up when that particular individual was “seriously wounded”. After a few moments, all the fake humans had been eliminated.

Next, it was her, the Kig-Yar, and the few other ponies that had accompanied them. Applejack took a deep breath as the orbs moved back into position. She slid the control bit for her two plasma rifles into her mouth.

Suddenly, several objects rocketed down from orbit, landing just outside the courtyard. They looked like tiny drop pods of some kind. The commander immediately drew his energy sword, followed quickly by the rest of the group. That’s not good, Applejack thought.

Seconds later, the courtyard erupted in weapons fire. Humans —real humans— stood in the balconies of the adjacent buildings. They were well-armed, too. AJ gasped as the commander was felled by a burst of red light. The rest of her comrades were dropping like flies. Thinking quickly, she ran towards a dead tree near the edge of the courtyard. Winding up, she let loose on the tree with a well-placed buck. Years of farming experience channeled through her legs and into the tree. It groaned and cracked from the force of the strike, before falling over right on top of a balcony of humans. It crashed into the side of the building, bringing it down to the ground. Anything that was inside would be in no shape to fight.

Turning around, she saw the weapons fire had stopped. The humans had all been eliminated. However, so had the rest of her group- all except the two Mgalekgolo, “Tim” and “Tom”.

“I reckon we better-” she started, but the two giants turned to leave without paying her any heed. “…get outta here,” she finished.

The trio ran down a random human-made street. Explosions in the distance indicated that they were not the only ones who had gained a two-legged pest problem. Applejack’s ears twitched as she heard an all-too-familiar whirring sound. She leaped back, and sure enough, out of an alleyway came a four-wheeled human vehicle. The human standing on the back turned his vehicle’s turret towards them and opened fire. Tim and Tom raised their shields to block the bullets. They tried to return fire, but with their faced blocked, the driver could easily dodge their beams.

As the humans drove around them, Applejack leaped at the vehicle, hooking her legs on the side. Before it even had a chance to react, she let loose with a volley from her plasma rifles point-blank into the driver’s face. Turning her head, she fired a few more bolts at the gunner. The vehicle rolled to a stop. She hopped off the vehicle, only to find that her two teammates were already walking away. Muttering a curse under her breath, she chased after them.

They had only gone a short distance when AJ noticed a flash of movement in the window of an overhanging section of a building. She saw a pair of gray tubes sticking out- a human missile launcher. Spotting a discarded wheel on the ground she gave it a buck, sending it through the air. The weapon fired, launching its ordnance towards the two armored companions. It struck the pony’s airborne wheel and exploded, alerting the pair to the enemy’s presence. They whirled and fired, sending the human ducking for cover. Applejack ran under the overhang and bucked the support pillars, jumping away just in time to avoid the collapse. The human crawled out of the rubble, only to be met by the intimidating presence of Tom. The last thing he saw was a three-ton shield heading right towards his face.

As the trio continued their way towards the edge of town, they encountered a nearly-constant stream of resistance. The humans put up a formidable fight, but quickly fell to Applejack’s plasma rifles and her partners’ cannons. Finally, they reached a dead end—the road was blocked by a large mound of rubble from a collapsed building. They turned around, only to see a large human vehicle pull out of an alley to box them in. It looked more like a small building on treads than an actual vehicle.

The back opened up, and out came a stream of human soldiers. Applejack, Tim, and Tom immediately opened fire. The pony cursed under her breath as her left gun’s firing slowed, and then fizzled to a stop. She continued to fire with her right as Tim and Tom took out the humans who tried shooting from the windows of nearby buildings. As the last two humans emerged from the transport, her second gun fizzled to a stop. “I’m out!” she yelled as she pulled the guns off her helmet and tossed them into the air. As they fell, she whirled around and bucked them at the soldiers. The rifles flew dead-on into the humans’ faces, sending them to the ground.

Panting, Applejack perked her ears to listen for more action. Her partners had stopped firing, meaning they had dispatched all the targets. Or so she thought.

A series of rapid whooshing sounds made themselves known. Over the rooftops came a human aircraft. Its rotors spun much like the pedal-powered flying machine she had seen Pinkie Pie fly around in a few times. The pilot and gunners immediately opened fire. Applejack ducked behind her partners, who raised their shields to block the rain of metal.

A gust of wind hit the aircraft, blowing it out of place. As the pilot struggled to regain control, the Mgalekgolo took the opportunity and raised their cannons, firing at the craft. They let out only a small stream, which fell far short of their target. The green glow of their weapons went dark.

As the wind began to die down, Applejack was struck with an idea. It was crazy, maybe even suicidal, and had almost no chance of success. Still, she realized it was their only option. She climbed on Tom’s shield, yelling, “Throw me at ‘em!”

With a great sweep of its arm, the giant sent the pony flying through the air towards the aircraft. She hooked her foreleg around one of the cockpit supports, shattering the glass in the process. She pried the cockpit open, punched out the pilot, and climbed in, grabbing the controls to keep it steady. “Whoa, nelly,” she gasped.

An explosion rang out from below. Peering out from her vantage point, she saw the human transport had moved out of the way to make room for yet another vehicle—a tank. Tim and Tom had taken shelter inside a building, but who knew how long that was going to last?

Well, she had gone this far, so she decided to press her luck. She leaped out of the cockpit towards the tank. She landed on the cannon and grabbed it with her forelegs. With a swift kick of her hind leg, she knocked the gunner unconscious. She let go of the cannon and gave the canopy a few swift bucks, knocking it free and exposing the driver inside, who quickly fell to another buck in the face. The tank’s engine shut down and the cannon moved to point straight ahead.

As she breathed a sigh of relief, she heard the familiar hum of a Phantom approaching. She looked up at the cockpit of the human transport vehicle and chuckled at the driver staring at her incredulously. She stuck her tongue out mockingly at him as the Phantom’s gravity lift pulled her in to safety.

Author's Note

I was in the mood to write something, but I wasn't in the mood to write comedy. That left one option: this. I can finally stop kicking myself (or at least not kick myself so much) about not updating.

In case you aren't too familiar with all the in-depth Halo stuff, here's a terminology guide matching the descriptions in this chapter with their more commonly known terms from the games:
Human transport vehicle: Elephant
Human vehicle w/turret: Warthog
Human aircraft: Falcon
Human tank: Scorpion
Missile launcher: Rocket Launcher
Objects from orbit: ODST drop pods
Unggoy: Grunt(s)
Mgalekgolo: Hunter(s)
Kig-yar: Jackal(s)
Sangheili: Elite(s)

Close Call

January 12, 2545 – Abandoned UNSC colony

After the last human fell in a burst of pink crystals, Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath and stood to survey her surroundings. Everywhere she looked laid a pile of dead bodies. Some of them were human, while some were her alien comrades. Some were even familiar ponies. They all had one thing in common, though: none of them were moving. No one on either side had survived the battle, save for herself.

I’d better meet up with command and find out what’s going on, she thought. She programmed the coordinates into her golden armor’s computer, causing a blue waypoint to appear on her heads-up display. She started off in that direction, only to stumble over another body. This one was a black pegasus stallion. Thunderlane…

She shook her head; there was no point in dwelling on it. After all, for him, the Great Journey had already begun, had it not? Besides, she still had herself to worry about. A human could pop out anywhere and ambush her while her guard was down.

She levitated a Kig-Yar’s needle rifle and removed its ammunition cartridge, then opened a section on her armor and inserted the ammo into the slot. With grim determination, she started off down the street. All the ponies who had died here had been under her command, and by Celestia, she was determined to see that their deaths would not be in vain.

Twilight Sparkle stopped at a bench and sat down. She had been walking for several hours and still had a significant distance left to go. What she wouldn’t give for a Spectre or a Revenant that moment… Heck, at this point, she’d even settle for a human vehicle. There were plenty of those lying around, but none of them appeared to be in working order. She sighed.

Her ears perked up. She’d heard something. It was a crunching sound, almost like… footsteps! Those were definitely footsteps she heard stepping through the gravel. Twilight leaped from her seat and hid behind one of the human civilian vehicles.

As she watched, she saw the distinct form of a human walk by. This human seemed different from the others, though. It wore dark-colored armor fitted with various accessories. The helmet looked tough, with a round gold-colored visor in front. As it walked away, Twilight realized she hadn’t been spotted. This meant it was easy pickings. She slowly eased out from her hiding spot and lined up a shot with the needle rifle mounted on her helmet. She pressed the button on the inside of her helmet’s bit with her tongue three times, sending a trio of needles out towards the unsuspecting foe.

To her surprise, the needles simply bounced off harmlessly as a golden shield surrounded the human, who whirled and let loose a barrage of gunfire with its assault rifle. Twilight dived back behind the vehicle. This was impossible! Since when do humans use personal shields?

She didn’t have long to dwell over it as an all-too-familiar blue glow landed in front of her: a plasma grenade. She threw up a magical shield just in time to protect herself as the grenade burst in a destructive flash of plasma. The force of the explosion sent the vehicle she’d been hiding behind flying in pieces. Twilight dashed down the street as the human resumed shooting, making sure to keep a magical shield over her backside. It wasn’t easy—the projectiles fired from the human’s weapon were powerful, and put a strain on her abilities. With a steady stream of them pouring out, she had to find cover soon. Noting that the nearest building’s corner was made of concrete, she ducked into the alleyway.

The alien stopped firing. She risked a glance around the corner, only to duck back behind as another spray of bullets streamed past. The human was approaching quickly; she had to think of something, and fast. She looked around for something to use. There was nothing but trash in the alleyway she was in; that would do her no good. She looked out into the street. There! On the other side was an upended vehicle. That, she could use. Flaring up her magic, she teleported across the street behind the vehicle.

She ducked down to see where her target was without giving her position away. Spotting the human, she began to envelop the car with a telekinetic hold. The human noticed the movement and turned to fire. However, only a clicking sound came from his weapon—it was empty. Grinning, Twilight threw the car at her foe. The armored being simply dropped its weapon and braced itself. Twilight gasped in shock as it caught the vehicle in its hands and casually tossed it aside.

As the creature pulled out its sidearm, Twilight once again took off running down the street. It fired several shots, each of which either missed or bounced off her shield. She grunted in frustration; while there wasn’t a steady stream of them, Twilight noticed that each the pistol’s shots actually put a bigger strain on her magical shield than those of the human’s rifle. At this rate, she wouldn’t last much longer. Risking a glance back, she saw the creature was actually gaining on her. That was impossible. No human could keep up with a pony… right?

The firing stopped. She turned her ears back, listening for a certain sound. She had trained to listen for certain sounds, even over the sounds running hooves and boots. It had served her well quite often, and was one reason why she was still alive. Sure enough, she heard it: a barely audible click, followed by softly scraping metal. The creature was reloading its weapon. This was her chance!

Dropping her shield, she charged her magic for another spell. With a flash, she vanished from the street and reappeared in the upper story of the nearest building. As her vision cleared, she unhooked the bit of her helmet and locked it in the standby position on the helmet’s side. She then started to take in her surroundings. Dust and debris was everywhere. The windows against the walls had shattered a long time ago—likely when the Covenant had first arrived. A staircase leading downstairs could be seen against the opposite wall. Her eyes began to adjust to the dimmer light, and she was able to see a number of shelves lined with objects. She barely stopped herself from gasping. Books, magazines, datapads, memory cores… she had just winked into a human library! Despite the mortal danger she was in, she couldn’t help but smile in excitement. She hadn’t been in a library of any kind since the day she left Equestria. She levitated a datapad off the nearest shelf and looked it over. She pressed the power button, and was mildly—and happily—surprised to find it still worked as a title screen appeared. Recalling her studies of human languages, she identified the language as “English”, the language most similar to Equestrian, and thus the first one most ponies learned. The title read: “Encyclopædia Britannica, 67th Edition –published 2528”. She turned the pad off and slipped it into a storage compartment inside her armor. That would provide some good reading later. She wished she could stay and browse the books more, but she had more important issues to deal with, not the least of which was that strange human outside.

From the periphery of her vision, she spotted an object fly through the window. She snapped her head around and spotted a human grenade land on the floor. She covered it with a shield just in time to block the explosion. She then heard the sound of heavy boots running up the stairs, and the human’s armored form rushed into view. Twilight took off running, and jumped through the window. She tucked herself up and came to a rolling landing on the street. As she stood, she heard splintering wood as the human also dived out the window and landed on its feet. Twilight started to run, but was forcefully knocked to the ground as the human tackled her from behind. It was then that she noticed just how impossibly heavy the human—or rather, the human’s armor—actually was. She struggled, but couldn’t move. The human wrapped one arm around her neck and grabbed her muzzle with its other hand. Realizing its intent, she immediately grabbed her muzzle in a telekinetic grip and fought the human’s attempts to twist her head backwards.

The human’s strength was incredible. It was taking nearly all of her magic to keep her head on straight. As her head started to turn, she realized she couldn’t keep up the struggle much longer. Desperately, she looked around for anything that would help. She saw plenty of debris and a few cars strewn about, but anything large enough to have an effect would require using more magic than she could afford without losing the struggle against the human’s mighty pull. Her mind raced as she shut her eyes from the strain. This is it, she thought. I’m going to die. This thing’s going to kill me.

Bright flashes of green filled her vision. Opening her eyes, she saw a group of four Unggoy firing in her direction. Specifically, they were firing at the monstrosity lying on top of her. The creature let go of her chin to grab it sidearm. This is my chance! she thought. She let loose a burst of magic, sending the creature tumbling off her and into the wall of the library.

Seeing a flash of gold in the claws of one of her rescuers, she leaped out of the way as it fired a volley of glowing green cylinders at the attacker. The creature lunged to the side and rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the shots, which slammed into the wall and tore a gaping hole through it. The creature whipped out its sidearm, only to have it knocked out of its hand by a blast from Twilight’s horn. As the pistol went flying down the street, the creature paused for the briefest of moments. It then took off running down an alley next to the library just in time to avoid another fuel rod cannon blast. “We’ve got it on the run! Let’s move!” Twilight yelled as she took off running in pursuit, the Unngoy patrol flowing close behind.

As they emerged from the other side, Twilight looked around. She saw a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she saw the creature climb into a rugged-looking abandoned vehicle and start it up. She turned to an Unggoy wielding a plasma pistol. “Stop that vehicle,” she ordered. Nodding, the Minor charged up its weapon and let it loose. As the vehicle pulled out onto the street, the blast hit it square on, shutting it down with an electromagnetic pulse. The creature leaped out of its ride just in time to avoid being blown to bits as a fuel rod gun blast hit, destroying the truck in a ball of flame. The creature looked around, and then dashed across the street into a building. Her eyes shifted up to the sign above the entrance. Once again recalling her studies of human languages, she read it out loud: “Bob’s Gun Shop.” Realizing the meaning of the words, she yelled, “Oh, ponyfeathers. Take cover!”

She and her new underlings dived behind the charred remains of an armored human vehicle as shots rang out. One of her cohorts stood and pulled out a plasma grenade. With a yell, he threw it over the vehicle towards the enemy. Another shot rang out, and the grenade exploded in midair. “Well, that didn’t work,” he grumbled.

The Unggoy holding the fuel rod cannon stepped out and unleashed another volley of shots. These, too, were shot out of the air by the creature before another shot rang out and pierced the small soldier’s skull. As he fell, Twilight heard a high-pitched sound start coming out of his weapon. Twilight picked it up with her magic and hurled it at the creature’s position. With a burst of green, the weapon self-destructed, the explosion tearing out the front of the building. Flames raged out of control, heating up the ammunition stores within. Seconds later, the entire building exploded, the blast sending several adjacent structures crumbling to the ground as well.

“I think we got it,” Twilight gasped as the brief surge of adrenaline left her short of breath. More movement crossed the periphery of her vision. She turned her head and saw a violet shape approaching—a Phantom. “Oh, good; they must’ve seen the explosion,” she muttered. Moments later, the drop ship came to a stop over the middle of the street. With a sigh of relief, Twilight stepped out of her cover and stood beneath the Phantom’s gravity lift, followed closely by the three surviving Unggoy. As the lift pulled the four of them in, Twilight thought to herself, That was a close one. What kind of human was that? No, not a human— it was more like a demon…

With a loud hum, the Phantom took off to meet up with its command post. Back on the battlefield, the fire continued to smolder amidst the wreckage. A short distance from the flames, the rubble began to shift, followed by an armored hand bursting through.

Author's Note

Many of you complained that the ending was too easy, that there was no way Twilight could take down a Spartan by herself, and looking back, I agreed. Here is the rewritten version.

Sunburst

July 7, 2543 – Canterlot, Equestria

Celestia slowly strode through the hallways of Canterlot Castle, her mind absorbed in thought. How did it come to this? How could I let them just take everything? She sighed and glanced wistfully at the top of her head, which was once graced with a long, sharp, elegant horn, which was now conspicuously absent, cut off by one of the very creatures that now roamed her country.

She stopped in front of a large set of double doors. This was the entrance to the throne room, a place where she once ruled the ponies with kindness. Now, an alien creature ruled from there, one who cared little for her little ponies’ needs. With but a hint of trepidation, she raised a forehoof and pushed one of the doors open. Taking a moment to compose herself, she strode in to the room, hopefully exuding her usual air of confidence.

Inside, the one known simply as “the Prophet” was seated atop his hovering throne, listening to one of his bodyguards give a report. “‘Smashed’? What do you mean the Harvester was ‘smashed’? What could possibly do such a thing to a Harvester?” the Prophet demanded.

“We do not know, Hierarch. The excavation crews are searching the nearby caves, but none have returned,” the Sangheili messenger replied.

Celestia had seen one of their Harvesters before. It was a large mining vehicle with a powerful tunneling beam. It was about half the size of her palace. There was only one thing she knew of that could inflict that kind of damage to something so large. “Sounds like you’ve got an Ursa Major hoov- er, hands,” she noted, unable to completely hide her smirk.

“A what?” the Prophet asked in confusion.

“An Ursa Major. It’s a large creature native to this planet,” she explained. “A newborn cub alone is the size of one of your Scarabs. An adult could stomp one flat as though it was an insect.”

The Prophet instructed the messenger to research the creature in the castle library and dismissed him. He then turned to the Princess. “While your information is helpful, I don’t think I like your tone,” he began. “I’ve been meaning to speak with you about your role in our covenant. I’m beginning to wonder why I keep you around. I am in charge of the planet’s government and religious affairs, and your sister is capable of taking care of the day and night cycle. I see no reason for you to stay here, eating the palace food, distracting the servants who could be more useful elsewhere…” As he spoke, his guards formed a circle around the princess.

“Those adornments are Covenant property. Remove them from her person and get her out of here,” the Prophet ordered. The Sangheili were on her in an instant. Despite her struggles, they pinned her down and took her royal regalia. Then they picked her up and carried her out the door and towards the entrance to the palace. Opening the door, they unceremoniously threw her out the door and down the steps.

Celestia tumbled to the ground and groaned. She could already tell she was going to be sore the next morning from the fall. She rose to her hooves and looked around. Ponies were staring in shock, not quite sure what to think of what they had just seen.

“Don’t be alarmed,” she assured them. “I will return when I’ve recovered my magic. It may take a while, but be patient. Until then, just go about your business as usual.” As the ponies murmured among themselves, she flared her wings and took off into the sky before they could inquire further.

As Celestia soared away from her former home, she found herself lost in thought. She couldn’t go back to Canterlot—the ponies there would insist on still treating her like a princess, which would likely put them in danger from the Covenant guards. No, she would have to go somewhere else; somewhere she was sure the locals would treat her normally. But where? She couldn’t think of anyplace in Equestria where that would happen.

As she continued her flight, she noticed a storm up ahead, and rose to fly above it, still lost in thought. Perhaps she should try somewhere outside of Equestria, then. Of course, there was no guarantee the locals wouldn’t treat her like a slave, which would make it very difficult to return when the time came. Maybe there was some obscure corner of Equestria where the ponies knew little about her…

As she thought this, she failed to notice a hollow roaring sound approaching. Suddenly, a magenta form burst through the cloud bank just ahead of her—a Covenant Banshee aircraft. Startled, Celestia banked right, to avoid it. She heard a loud crunch of bone and felt an immense jab of pain as her left wing collided with the Banshee’s right one. Her flying disabled, she found herself tumbling out of control towards the ground.

She hit the cloud layer beneath her. The clouds slowed her descent, but she was falling too fast for them to catch her. She burst through the bottom and into a canopy of trees. Celestia tumbled through the branches before finally slamming to a halt in a puddle of mud.

Groaning in pain, Celestia struggled to her hooves and assessed her condition. Her right foreleg was sprained from the impact, and she was covered in scratches and bruises. Her left wing hung limp— it would take at least a year to heal properly, assuming she could find a doctor. The weather hadn’t looked like much from above, but on the ground, she now knew it was a veritable downpour. She needed to find shelter before she froze. With another painful groan, she started limping forward.

Celestia wasn’t sure how long she had been walking. She’d been following what she assumed to be a trail through the woods, but the ground was so soggy, it was hard to be sure. She knew she needed to find shelter quickly; the already-dim light was starting to get darker. Luna must be lowering the sun right about now, she figured. She spotted a variety of animal burrows, but none were large enough for even a foal to hide in, let alone an adult of her stature.

She arrived at a clearing. She didn’t dare head out into the open with this much rain, so she started walking around the edge, making sure to stay under the branches. As she reached about halfway around, she looked up and spotted an abandoned cabin on a hilltop. She increased her gait, relieved at having found a place to stay.

Suddenly, she felt like something was wrong. Her earth pony senses were making her uneasy. Sparing another look up, she spied the cabin just in time to see the ground beneath it give way, turning the building into a pile of timbers. Her ears lowered in disappointment at its destruction. Then a realization hit her: a mudslide like that wasn’t going to stop no matter how many trees were in the way, and it was heading right towards the clearing! She broke out into a trot, hurrying out of its path as quickly as she dared in the damp conditions. She could hear the rumbling and the crack of trees falling as the mudslide drew closer.

Finally, she found herself at the other end of the clearing just as the mudslide broke through. It rolled right behind her, missing her by just over a hoof length. She took a few more steps to avoid being caught in the debris before finally pausing to release the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. Having narrowly averted one crisis, she continued on to find a place to stay for the night, hopefully one built on flat terrain.

She must have been travelling through the cold and rain for nearly an hour before she finally came across the first signs of civilization—a wooden fence. However, despite its shortness, she was in no condition to jump over it, leaving her no choice but to go around and find an opening. After about five minutes of searching, she finally noticed a broken section ahead of her. Her morale slightly bolstered, she quickened her pace as much as she dared. She had barely gone three steps, however, before she slipped in the mud and fell into a puddle. She rose to her feet again, now covered in even more freezing water. She noted with concern that she no longer felt cold, a sign that hypothermia was setting in. She was running out of time.

After carefully stepping through the gap to avoid being hurt by the exposed splinters, she raised her head to assess her location. The forest had given way to what was clearly an orchard. Fruit trees grew in regular rows all around her, though in the darkness, she couldn’t see what kind were growing. Squinting into the distance, she saw what appeared to be a light. With her destination in sight, she trudged on ahead.

Apple Bloom sighed as she watched forlornly at the rain pattering on the window. Applejack and Big Macintosh had been gone for about a month now, drafted into an alien army to go fight other aliens she’d never heard of. She missed them dearly. Every day, she was afraid a Covenant messenger would show up saying one of them had been hurt, or worse. They’d likely try to put a positive spin on it—some rubbish about how they died with honor for Covenant glory, or something like that.

She could hear Granny Smith in the kitchen shouting orders at the farmhooves as dinner was prepared. With her brother and sister gone, along with half the adults of Ponyville, someone had to help. The Covenant had assigned two Unggoy to them, but they weren’t good for much more than errands. Thus, they had to hire someone else to pick up the slack.

Apple Bloom noticed a flash of dark crimson feathers with a pale orange head fluttering out with a pot of soup. It was Ginger, the griffon they had hired to assist in the farm labor. She wasn’t as skilled or efficient as the older Apple siblings were, but she was still perfectly capable of getting the job done. As she set the pot in the center of the table, another figure made itself known—a little purple dragon carrying a stack of bowls. Spike had been staying here since Twilight was drafted with the others.

“Apple Bloom, I think I hear someone at the door.” The filly was snapped out of her reverie as the griffon addressed her.

“Alright, I’ll go check,” she replied. She hadn’t heard anything, and she found it unlikely that anyone would be out in this weather, especially this far from town. Still, a griffon’s senses were known to be sharper than those of a pony, so perhaps she had indeed heard something. There was only one way to find out. She grasped the handle and pulled the door open.

Standing in the doorway was an incredibly tall figure. It was panting and covered in mud. Its breathing was shallow and it looked at her with tired eyes, glazed over from fatigue. Despite the sorry shape this pony was in, she was still clearly recognizable. “Princess Celestia?!” Apple Bloom gasped.

The former princess opened her mouth to reply, only to have her eyes roll back as she slumped over onto the ground. The little filly screamed.

Consciousness slowly returned to the former princess. She felt something holding her broken wing in place, and another soft, warm object covering her body. The sound of a fire crackled nearby. What stood out the most, however, was the fact that she was dry.

Opening her eyes, she surveyed her surroundings. She was inside somepony’s home, lying on a pile of cushions on the floor. A large blanket covered her body. Lifting it up, she saw her wing and foreleg had been bandaged. She noticed a tube sticking out of her foreleg, which led to an IV machine. She surmised someone had taken it from the hospital. It made sense, in a way—in the shape she was in, it would’ve been too dangerous to take her to a doctor, so they must’ve brought the doctor to her.

She lowered her blanket and took in the rest of the room. A fireplace cracked close by, with a little yellow earth pony filly asleep in front of it. Celestia realized she must have tried to stay up all night, keeping watch over her. The ex-princess smiled at the thought. Turning to look out the window, she saw it was still dark and raining.

With a bit of concentration, she reached out with the tiny sliver that remained of her horn. While she may not be able to raise the sun (or anything else, for that matter), she still retained a slight connection to it. It was her special talent, after all. Making the connection, she felt for its location. Judging by its distance below the horizon, she calculated that it was a little past three in the morning. She let out a sigh as she severed the connection. Then she closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.

Apple Bloom stirred as the first rays of sunlight hit her face. Shielding her eyes, she cracked them open. She felt stiff- she wasn’t used to sleeping on the floor, but it was for a good cause.

Before her thoughts could go any further, she heard a small chuckle. She turned to the source. “Princess! You’re awake!”

“Yes, and I’m feeling much better, thanks to your hospitality.”

Apple Bloom then began a tirade of speech as she rapidly described the events of the previous night. “After ya fainted, Ginger, a griffon we hired ta help around the farm, pulled ya in and got ya set up by the fireplace. Then, she flew through the rain all the way to the Ponyville hospital an’ brought back a doctor an’ stuff to fix ya up. Spike wanted to stay up an’ keep an eye on ya, but he fell asleep right away so Granny Smith took him to bed and I tried to watch over you instead, but then I fell asleep, and-”

“Shhh. Slow down,” Celestia interjected. “Now, I’m not even sure where I am. You mentioned we’re near Ponyville, right?” Apple Bloom nodded. “I noticed some sort of orchard outside, and the last time I checked, the only orchard near Ponyville was Sweet Apple Acres.”

“That’s right,” Apple Bloom confirmed.

“And you’re the little filly who lives here. That would make you… Apple Blossom?”

“Apple Bloom,” the filly corrected.

“Right, sorry,” Celestia said sheepishly.

“‘S’all right. Ah can’t expect ya t’ remember all yer subjects’ names,” Apple Bloom assured her. “Now, could ya tell me why you were out-” she began, but was interrupted by the sound of hoofsteps coming down the stairs.

The two ponies looked up to see two figures standing at the bottom of the staircase. One was a tan unicorn with a brown mane and a heart monitor for a cutie mark. The other figure was a more familiar violet dragonling. “Princess! You’re okay!” Spike cried as he rushed forward, only to be stopped by the unicorn’s magic.

“Hold on there, little guy. She may be awake, but she’s still in no condition to have a dragon jumping onto her,” he said before turning to the alicorn. “I’m Doctor Stable. You gave us quite a scare last night. Would you mind telling us what happened?”

“I’m kinda curious, too,” another voice said. Celestia saw a red griffon enter the room from what she assumed to be the kitchen. “Breakfast will be ready soon, by the way,” she added.

“You must be Ginger,” Celestia said, and received a nod in response. “All right then.” She began to recall her story, starting with the incident at the palace, which garnered a few gasps from all those present. She told them of her accident with the Banshee and her travails through the woods, up until she collapsed at their doorstep. As she spoke, she noticed another pony enter the room—an elderly green mare.

After a long pause ensued as her audience absorbed the information, until the old mare spoke up. “That’s quite a story there, prin- er, missy.”

“Indeed. A smaller pony would likely have perished,” the doctor added. Spike and Apple Bloom simply stared, still not sure what to think.

“Breakfast is ready!” Ginger called, holding a plate stacked with pancakes. With impressive dexterity, she grabbed another plate and tossed the stack. She moved the second plate through the stack of pancakes so that the top two landed on it, while the others remained neatly on the first. She then nudged a small lamp stand over next to the former princess and set the second plate down on top of it.

“Come on; up to the table,” Granny Smith instructed.

“Can I eat in here, please?” Apple Bloom begged.

“Me too?” Spike added.

“All right—just this once,” she relented as the griffon served up their plates as well. She and the others in the room then headed out into the dining room.

Setting their plates on the floor, the three began their meal. “So, whatcha gonna do now that ya ain’t a princess no more?” Apple Bloom asked between mouthfuls.

Celestia thought about this for a moment. “Well, first, I have to rest and recover from last night’s injuries. After that, I thought I could find a job like any other pony until my horn grows back.”

“You can do that? Grow your horn back?” Spike asked incredulously.

“I know a spell. It could take years, though, especially considering how little I have left,” Celestia explained.

“Well, I’m sure yer welcome to try helpin’ out around here,” Apple Bloom offered. “Things have been tough ever since Applejack an’ Big Mac got drafted by those aliens.”

“I’d like that very much,” Celestia replied.

Author's Note

I thought about writing a side story about Celestia's adventures in Ponyville, but I realized I don't have enough ideas. Therefore, I'm going to let one of you readers write it instead. Send me a private message if you're interested, and if you're a decent writer, I'll tell you what I had in mind.