Ch. 6: If this armor could talk
September 2, 2552
1300 hours

Twilight could feel her heart beating out of her chest as the sound of those odd weapons firing erupted behind her. She had no idea if the Spartan was alright; no idea if he would have lasted this long, or even had been able to put up a fight. Twilight didn't want to think that human could ever be hurt. In fact, he seemed incapable of that fact. No one was invulnerable, although this Spartan thought he certainly was. She couldn't bear the thought of him being hurt, or worse. He was a friend now, and she knew that friends helped friends. That was why he let her get away while he stayed behind, to fight off an impossible amount of enemies. All just to save her and her planet.

He was like a knight in shining armor, really.

But that's what ate away at the mare. He let her go, instead of taking her offer to help. Just because she didn't want to use a weapon, didn't mean she was helpless. In fact, she saw herself stronger for that fact. Weapons were nothing but tools of destruction, and that Spartan should learn that a better weapon than any gun or sword is ones brain.

Twilight stopped her long crawl through the tunnels, thinking over the decision in her mind. Should she keep going, get out and tell the Princess what he did and why he did it? Or should she stay and help Nathan in any way she could, no matter what he said. That is what friends do, after all; they stick by each other through thick and thin, which is why the decision was rather easy to make.

Twilight awkwardly turned herself around in the confines of the tunnel, crawling her way back up the way she came. She didn't understand what was driving her towards this decision, other than the obvious, 'he's my friend' argument. But Twilight couldn't help feel she needed to do this, that if she didn't it would haunt her for the rest of her life.

The closer Twilight got to the bridge, the more she noticed how eerily quiet it had gotten. After all the sounds of sizzling and the splatting of molten lasers, the silence seemed even more ominous. Twilight crawled up the slight incline that led to the entrance hatch, cautiously peeking over the edge to see.

It wasn't pretty at all.

The sight of dozens of dead and dying alien corpses littered the bridge, with one triumphant Spartan standing amidst it all, his stance strained and his body shaking from adrenaline overload. Twilight could tell that this kind of feeling wasn't new to the Spartan in the slightest. Or maybe it was, she didn't know. He seemed like a calm and collective one when in the heat of battle, but something about the way he held himself now, after the bout, spoke volumes to just how hard he had been fighting the now lifeless corpses.

The Spartan quickly made his way over to a nearby control panel and threw one of the weapons he held away, which housed an array of glowing, pink crystals on its bulbous top. "Almya? Is Twilight off the ship yet?" Nathan asked, his hand hovering above a button, if Twilight's point of view was correct. He was obviously talking to that blue human that he kept in his helmet, but Twilight couldn't hear what she was saying. To an outsider, it would appear as if the Spartan was talking to himself.

After a long moment, the Spartan finally let out, "Hold it! Ha! If I'm right, and this works..." Nathan pressed a few buttons, Twilight not having any clue what the Spartan was doing. "And... Ah-ha! There we go; I have a two minute timer set in! That should-"

Before the Spartan could finish talking, a very, very large alien, the ones with the four jaws, appeared out of thin air, slamming its four fingered fist into the back of Nathan's helmet. Twilight let out a silent gasp as her hooves went to her mouth in shock. Twilight had no idea of the technology involved with these creatures, but it terrified her to know they could be hiding in plain sight, but couldn't be seen until they wanted to, or it was too late.

Nathan whirled about, blocking another blow, and sending the massive alien's fist into the control panel. All at once, alarms and red lights began to blare, alerting whoever remained on this ship something was about to happen. Twilight remained stapled in place, too shocked to move by the scene that was unfolding.

The fighting between the two was practically a blur, each one going at each other with a flurry of punches, blocks and kicks; moves that would make the best of the Royal Guard look like a bunch of colts tussling on the playground. Even though the two seemed dead even, Twilight knew the fight was all over the moment Nathan's helmet was ripped from his head.

The Elite threw the helmet into the wall just above Twilight, with the mare letting out a startled eep in surprise and fear. She watched as the alien delivered blow after blow to the Spartan's exposed face, sending droplets of blood flying every time the man's head was rocketed to the sides from the blows. finally, the Elite stopped, winded, reaching across the floor for something. Twilight saw what it was, and knew it was game over for Nathan.

That is, unless she did something.

Twilight didn't even hear their words exchanged, all she did was fix her eyes on the Elite, raising the Sword high, about to strike, but she was already in motion as well, unaware of the fact until she noticed a curved gun in her magical aura, firing wildly at the Elite. She was yelling, too; her voice high and a bit croaky from trying not to cry during her friends beating.

Many of the bolts went in random directions, but a few managed to hit the Elite, burning armor, and one lucky shot hit the Elite in the side of the head, melting through its helmet just enough to burn the skin beneath. That momentary laps in the beasts judgement gave the Spartan ample time to come back with a massive strike to the inside of its mouth between the tree jaws.

The Elite stumbled off Nathan, running as fast as it could off the ship. The Spartan went to give chase, but a panicking hiccup escaping Twilight's lips stopped him cold. He turned to see the poor mare, breathing heavily, limbs shaking, and her breath coming out in rapid gulps. Nathan could tell she was in emotional shock. He had seen it dozens of times with new boots who had gotten their first kills. It was traumatizing, and if someone wasn't their to guide them through the shock, the might never recover from the trauma.

Without saying a word, the Spartan got to his feet, grabbed his helmet and went to her side, grabbing the gun from her aura before finally saying, "Hey. You did good, Twilight. You did really good." Twilight finally snapped out of her stunned stupor upon hearing Nathan's voice. She looked up at his bruised and bloodied face, and oddly found a sense of peace in it. She thought that would be the last time she saw him when he ordered her to go into the tunnels, when he was about to be stabbed through by that monster's glowing sword.

The scared mare let out a large breath, smiling as she hugged Nathan around the neck, her eyes running with tears as she held him tight. "I-I couldn't... I couldn't let you stay all alone! I had to c-come back! That's what friends do! They help each other, and-"

"HELLO?! THIRTY SECONDS UNTIL VERY BIG BOOM?!

The two looked down at Nathan's helmet when Almya spoke. Nathan put the helmet on, and nearly froze when he heard what his AI actually said. As soon as he heard the words, he grabbed Twilight, placed her on his back in a piggy back fashion and ran for the busted bridge windows.

Twilight screamed as the two slid down the slanted ship back below the tree line. All along the ships hull were explosions, which Twilight assumed meant the ship was about to go up in a huge ball of flame. The two kept sliding, faster and faster. They were going down the ship like a roller coaster, and Twilight wasn't one for carnival rides. Once they reached the bottom, Nathan didn't miss a beat and was off again, as fast as he could run.

"Ten seconds! You two aren't going to clear the blast zone in time!" Almya warned. A Covenant ship, even that small, could let off an explosion one thousand meters in diameter. The two weren't even close to that distance away. At best, they'd get five hundred feet away, maximum, before the ship went critical.

Nathan quickly turned around to Twilight, yelling, "Twilight! Teleport us!"

"Where?! I have to be able to see it!" Twilight yelled back, her voice full of fear and unintentional excitement. Nathan looked around, and noticed the woods clearing to the bog from before.

Nathan pointed to the bog. "There! Now! Farthest end!" He ordered. Twilight nodded, sucking in her breath as her horn lit up, surrounding the two in a field of light. Once the Spell was ready, and Twilight had her destination in mind, the two vanished from their run-

Appearing just above the mucky water. Nathan splashed down, bringing Twilight to his front. "Deep breath!" He yelled just before plunging the two of them into the water. Twilight sucked in all the air she could, but managed to get a lung full of water. Couging beneath the surface, she tried to struggle back up, but Nathan held her tight as an enormous shock wave washed over the area, pushing the two back down.

Nathan noticed her distress and, knowing the incredible heat above would kill Twilight, he did the only thing he could. Ripping his helmet off, he plugged Twilight's nose and sacrificed his own air to allow Twilight the precious seconds to stay bellow the water line and live.

Twilight's eyes shot open, and she barely saw Nathan's face pressed to hers, their lips now joined. She felt the hot air from his lungs fill her own, cooling the burn from lack of oxygen. Twilight knew this was just a life saving technique, but she couldn't help the feeling of her heart fluttering and the millions of butterflies now taking refuge in her stomach. Twilight had never been kissed before, but she heard Rarity talking about her first kiss. She said it was the most magical, most intense thing a filly can experience.

And she was one hundred percent right with that hypothesis.

Twilight let out a little moan, wrapping her forelegs around the Spartan's head. She felt her tongue make a darting motion for his lips, giving them a lick. This caused the Spartan to let out a surprised grunt into her mouth, which caused her tongue to slither its way through. Twilight could feel her body getting hotter and hotter. She couldn't tell if it was because of this intense moment, or because the swamp was heating up due to the incredible heat of the ships detonation. Either way, it was glorious.

Nathan pulled his head away, bringing them both back up to the surface. Twilight took in a breath, but nearly suffocated on how hot the air was now. What magical moment may have just occurred was now destroyed by the horrible scene before her. For a very great distance, trees were pushed down to the scarred and glassed earth. The bones of animals unlucky enough to be on the surface when the explosion happened now littered the area, which caused Twilight a huge amount of distress. She began to hyperventilate as she continued to look at what was once the Everfree.

Nathan paid no attention to the destruction they had miraculously survived. Instead, he focused on Twilight, going over what in the Hell just happened between the two of them. He had no choice but to give her some of his air, but the whole pulling him in and tongue thing was definitely not a part of the deal.

"I-It's... It's all gone..." Twilight muttered, wiping her eyes. "Everything is gone..." She was in total shock for a second time in under a minute. It was amazing that only a minute had gone by since their escape from the ship. Honestly, to her, it felt like an eternity. It felt like the world had aged around them a million years, turning into nothing but a barren wasteland of death and destruction.

Nathan shook off the bizarre moment and donned his helmet, carrying Twilight back onto solid ground. The Spartan had to climb their way back up the bank of the swamp because the water level had gone down about four feet. luckily they were deep enough to not be vaporized by the blast.

As soon as Nahtan's head popped over the surface of the bank, he was face to face with over five dozen guards, each one trying to point a various weapon in his direction, some flying overhead with bows and arrows trained down. Only the Spartan knew that those weapons wouldn't do a thing, but kept that to himself. Didn't want the locals to feel hopeless about their defenses.

Nathan, however, wouldn't let the guards faze him. He climbed his way back up and gently placed Twilight back on the ground, where she was immediately surrounded by guards and guided away. Once she was a safe distance away, the Captain from before, Shining Armor, stepped forwards, glaring daggers at him.

"You... You could have gotten my little sister killed!" He spat, pulling Nathan's head down towards his, only getting his own angry stare back from the Spartan's helmet. "Come on. Take the helmet off and face me like a stallion, you coward."

Nathan could feel the anger building up in him. He wanted nothing more than to headbutt the stallion, give him a solid knee, whatever, to show him that he was nothing of the sort. However, the soldier complied, removing his helmet to show Shining Armor his bruised and bloodied face. Shining seemed taken aback by the injuries the soldier had received. This asserted that he was never in combat, never had seen the brutal death and mutilation a body could endure during war. This Captain was as green as grass, and the Spartan could see it clear as day. Beating the Stallion in a fight would be like fighting a little Grunt.

"There. My helmets off, Captain. If you truly are what you say, then you would have known how to handle civvies during a city wide emergency. Unless they don't teach you that in daycare..." Nathan's words were harsh, but he felt them true. The Royal Guard, all of them, were about the worst trained military he had ever seen in his life. And he could tell that just by looking at each and every Guard around him.

Each Guard, now feeling insulted, pointed their spears closer, with Shining Armor exhaling smoke through his nostrils. "You think you're special, just because you have that fancy armor, huh? How would you fair against my soldiers without it? How many seconds before you fell like the hideous slug you are?"

Twilight rushed passed the guards, getting in between the two feuding soldiers. "Both of you! Stop! This isn't helping anything! Nathan was just-"

"Don't you dare give it the satisfaction of calling it it's name, Twilight!" Shining yelled, turning to his sister, who recoiled in fear. "When we get back to the castle, I swear, you're in for-"

Shining Armor never finished that sentence, because a light slap across the muzzle by the Spartan sent him tumbling to the dirt. Nathan didn't know why the stallions words towards Twilight angered him so, but made it a point that she was not to be threatened by bullies, even one who is related.

Twilight looked up at the Spartan, shocked. "N-Nathan! Why did you do that?! He was just being overly-protective! You didn't have to hit him!" She shouted, rushing to her brother, who was groaning as he sat back up.

"Sorry, ma'am. It was just a tiny slap. Barely used any of my strength there." Nathan rebutted, walking forwards, but stopped as each spear poked at his armor. Shining Armor got to his hooves and dragged Twilight to the back of the formation.

"Alright, we're executing him! Right now! Stallions, prepare your weapons!" He ordered. Each stallion in the formation readied whatever they held; be it sword, spear or bow, and encircled the Spartan, who rolled his eyes and placed his helmet back atop his head.

"Really? Well, alright, if you're going to let your emotions run how you engage an opponent, I won't stop you." Nathan said, smiling beneath his helmet. Twilight was aghast as she tried to rush forwards and stop the madness, only to be restrained by Shining Armors magic and a firm hoof on her tail for good measure.

"It was nice knowing you, freak!" Shining shouted. "You may attack when ready, Stallions!"

Once that order was given, each one of the guards let loose whatever weapon they had, firing arrows, rushing with swords, stabbing with spears, but each hit jut bounced off with Nathan unmoved, arms crossed as he glared at Shining Armor through his visor. The stallion could tell that the alien was staring at him, feel the weight of those eyes boring into his skull like a thousand needles. The rising fear caused Shining to gulp a bit nervously in response.

Just as quickly as the execution started, it stopped, with each guardspony realizing their weapons were meaningless to the Spartan. Each soldier backed away in fear and disbelief as Nathan marched forward, the guards parting like a sea of gold and white. Nathan's soul target was Shining Armor, the arrogant, poor excuse for any kind of leader. He would make sure this stallion never made the same mistake again.

Time for a training exercise for the Stallion.

"Almya, disengage armor locks. I want to get this suit off." He ordered. Almya was taken aback by the comment, but complied nonetheless, releasing the locks around his armor. Nathan stopped right in front of the Stallion as he began taking off his armor, bit by bit, starting with the feet, then moving his way upwards gradually until nothing but the black mesh suit remained.

Shining Armor, Twilight, and the rest of the guards stood there in disbelief, looking over the man, who now seemed so much smaller compared to what he once was in his armor. "No armor, no shields, just me. You want to see how a real soldier operates, you tell your men to try again. You have their blood on your hands, and you deal with whatever consequences befall you. I was no threat to you, Captain, but it's clear you are a threat to me. So, go ahead, give the order. I won't kill a single one of these stallions. I'll just send them to the hospital for a month."

Shining Armor weighed the aliens words, turning to each of his men, who had confident smiles adorning their faces. Without that fancy armor, what was he anyways? He couldn't be as strong as he gloated. A stallion trained in the Royal Guard was the strongest creature in Equestria. With that proud thought in mind, Shining Armor shouted, "Well, here's your wish granted. Stallions! Attack!"

"No! Please don't!" Twilight shouted, but it was too late. Each guard ran in, surrounding Nathan once again. The Spartan laughed as two guards with swords rushed in sloppily, one with a sword, and one a spear. Nathan jumped over the first stallion's swing with the sword, and kicked the second stallion with the spear in the jaw before it even got the chance to make a move, breaking his teeth against the metal hilt of the spears shaft. The other stallion received a swift punch to the jaw, knocking it out cold.

An archer high above, feeling confident, shot an arrow Nathan's way. The Spartan dodged it with super-human reflexes, grabbed the arrow off the ground and whipped it back at the archer with tremendous speed. The arrow flew through the air like a throwing knife, eventually embedding itself in the archers shoulder blade. The pony screamed as he plummeted to the earth, landing in the glassed ground with a solid thud and crash as glassed earth and bones broke.

Another daring pony threw its spear like a javelin, only to have his efforts dashed when the Spartan sidestepped and swiped it out of midair. Breaking off the spear head, The Spartan began spinning the shaft about, hitting any other pony who dared charge him.

Shining Armor began backing away, his eyes wide and his heart racing. He dragged Twilight along with him, who no longer protested. She felt her heart sink as she saw so many ponies fall to the Spartan's violence. This was a side of the soldier she had never seen, nor wanted to see. This was his angry side. Was this side only showing because of Shining Armor? Was he just... trying to protect her? She couldn't help but feel her heart flutter at that. What had that kiss done to her?

"Come on, Twilight! Stop dragging your hooves! We have to leave, right now!" Shining said quickly, still dragging his stunned sister away. Twilight simply couldn't get her body to work any longer. All the shocks, all the surprises of the day had finally done their toll on the poor mare.

Shining Armor continued to back away, keeping his eyes on his sister, lest she end up slipping away again somehow, and the fact it was comforting to finally see her again. He didn't want this to be the last time he saw his little sister. He wanted to see the two of them grow old, each one having their own family. He had completely underestimated the alien, and now he was making-

"Oof!" Shining grunted as he backed into something as solid as a rock. He thought it was a rock, until he turned to see the Spartan, with nary a scratch on him. While Shining was so focused on his sister, he hadn't noticed that each of his Stallions were now laying in the charred dirt, some un-moving and some groaning in agony, cradling their respective broken bones.

Shining's pupils were pinpricks as he got between the beast and Twilight. Even though he was riddled with nothing but fear, he had a duty to protect his sister. He wouldn't let anything happen to her as long as he was alive. "S-Stay back! I won't let you hurt my sister, you monster!" He bellowed, pulling out the dagger from his armor. Nathan lunged forward, snatching the object from Shining's magical aura and crushed the blade like a tin can in his grasp.

"You don't get it, Armor! I. Am. Not. Your. Enemy! The only reason I still say this is because your sister has faith in me! She, I can't believe I'm admitting this, saved my life! I owe her that much, and I want to see her safe as much as you do! Now, stand down, and round up your men! You're lucky-"

Shining Armor and Twilight watched as the Spartan was launched like a rocket across the battle scarred swamp, a mixture of a yellow and blue aura wrapped around his body. Knowing who it could undoubtedly be, the two ponies looked up to see two very disgruntled Princesses descending from the sky. Approaching the Spartan who was now pinned against a burnt out tree.

"EXPLAIN THIS!" Luna bellowed, grabbing the Spartan by throat with her magic and squeezed. The Spartan knew he couldn't do anything against it, so held his breath as long as he could. "EXPLAIN WHY THE FOREST LAYS IN RUINS AND OUR GUARD LAY IN HEAPS!"

Celestia approached as well, using her own magic to release Luna's grip around the Spartan's throat. Nathan took in a quiet gulp of air, glaring at the two of them. They wanted an explanation, he'd give them the short of it. "Ship detonated, and I was to be executed. There you go." He stated, a bit harshly at that.

Celestia narrowed her eyes at the Spartan as she spoke. "The forest will reclaim this area again soon enough. Trees can be replanted, wildlife reintroduced, but the lives of my little ponies cannot be replaced. You did not kill anypony today, thank whichever God you believe in for that. For if any one of them had been killed, you would not be here to discuss this matter."

"Sister, I say we end this, right here, right now! The creature is too dangerous to be kept alive!" Luna argued, but Celestia held up a hoof, silencing her.

"You are to be placed in a magically sealed room, Spartan. Obviously dungeon walls cannot hold you or your strength. We will confiscate your armor and you will be released if we deem it fit you are no longer a threat. Is that understood?" She asked, letting Nathan fall to the ground.

The Spartan got to one knee and looked up, wanting to just fight his way out of the mess he was in, but knew he'd never make it. Not with the Princesses "magic" to help them. The Spartan nodded, but added a condition. "I request to keep my helmet, if that is alright with you."

"This is not alright with me." Celestia stated harshly. You are to be given nothing but confinement for what you have done. We will deliberate with the Council Elders on whether or not you should ever see the light of day again. You will come with us, right now. Is that understood."

"Clearly." The Spartan grumbled, feeling a set of cuffs lower onto his wrists again. He tried breaking them, to show that he wasn't held so easily, but these cuffs held fast, and any struggle only tightened their grip around his wrists. Nathan stopped his struggling, and Celestia smiled smugly at his arrogance and helplessness.

"You will not be breaking out of anything this time." She said to the Spartan as he was led out into the open, where a chariot came down from the sky. Four guards jumped off the open vehicle, surrounding the Spartan as he was forced aboard.

Now that the Spartan was aboard her chariot, Celestia now turned her attention to Shining Armor with a frown. "You could have caused the death of your entire platoon, Captain. You foolishly pitted your stallions against an unknown force, without provocation. I'm sending medical ponies to bring them back to Canterlot for treatment. I am very disappointed in your actions, and disciplinary action will be taken against you. You are to come to the throne room this evening for your punishment."

Shining Armor hung his head low and accepted the reprimanding. "Y-Yes, your Majesty." He sighed, bowing. The Princess was right, of course. He could have gotten each one of them killed. Ponies with families, dead because of his anger towards the creature. Whatever punishment Princess Celestia had in store for him he would take without question.

Celestia turned to Twilight now with the tiniest hint of a smile on her face. "And you, my young student, have gotten yourself into quite the trouble over the past two days. We have much to talk about when we arrive back at Canterlot. Come on." Twilight obeyed and followed Celestia aboard the chariot, taking a seat across from the Spartan, who gave her his own slight smile before resuming looking at the floor. Once the Princesses were aboard, with Luna carrying the heavy armor in her magical aura, the chariot was off, with some degree of difficulty.

Once back at Canterlot, Nathan was hauled off in magically bound chains to the dungeon once again. Twilight, Luna and Celestia stayed back with the chariot for a moment, before Celestia instructed Luna to take the armor inside the Castle for study. This just left teacher alone with student, a student who seemed to have a lot on her mind.

"Twilight, I hope you know what you did today was very, very foolish. You don't know who this human is or what he is capable of, nor should you be so trusting of him." The Princess scolded. Twilight frowned, shuffling her hooves against the ground. She had never been scolded by Celestia before, and this was just a lot to take in for the young mare.

"B-But... I didn't mean to... I mean, I do trust him, because he did save me and my friends... And... well, I... um..." Twilight stammered on, unsure of where she was going with her argument. Princess Celestia narrowed her eyes in suspicion, wondering why her student was so tongue tied. Twilight had never, ever been a mare easily tied up with words, but here she was, blabbering on nonsense, her cheeks red, and her voice cracking.

Celestia suddenly realized that this was something she had seen many times before in her long, long life. Many ponies go through it, and it's always awkward the first time, just like this. Twilight... liked this human! And Celestia was sure of it.

"Twilight!" She suddenly gasped, causing the mare to snap her lips shut as she looked back up at Celestia with concern. "You... have feelings for him, don't you?" She asked.

Twilight felt as if her brain hit a wall when Celestia asked this. "N-No! What? D-Don't be ridiculous! Why would I..." Twilight could see Celestia's 'you're a terrible liar face', and let out a long sigh. "O-Okay... fine." She relented. "But, I don't know what to do about it! I mean, he's brutish, rough, and dangerous, but... I've seen his other side, and it's absolutely wonderful! I mean, when we were in the swamp and he kissed me-"

"HE KISSED YOU?!" Celestia shrieked, her eyes as wide as saucers.

Twilight shook her head viciously. "W-Well, not exactly! I mean, when we were in the explosion, we had to hide underwater so we wouldn't burn to death from the incredible heat. I accidentally got water in my lungs, and he gave me some of his air. It was a kiss of life, Princess, but... I was the one who turned it into something more..."

Celestia, who was just about to run that human through with her own horn over what Twilight said, calmed herself. Clearly he was only trying to save her, but the fact of the matter was that that 'kiss' brought forth these foreign emotions in her student. Emotions not easily gotten rid of once acquired.

"Twilight, no matter what, you cannot give into your feelings for this human. No ifs, no ans, and no buts about it. Am I understood?" Celestia asked. Twilight shuffled her hooves, remaining silent, until Celestia affirmed her previous words with a firm stomp of her hoof. "Am I understood?"

"Y-Yes, Princess... Y-You are." Twilight muttered, quickly walking into the castle. Celestia could hear the sniffles coming from Twilight as she walked away and felt bad for making her student feel like that, but she had to be stern about the situation. The human was no good for Twilight, and he would only bring her pain. A soldier of his caliber would always die, not because they weren't good enough, but because they were too good. Celestia had personally seen the training of advanced soldiers back in her younger days, back when war was rampant in Equestria. The soldiers who were the best, were always given the most impossible tasks, and would almost always die, but not without giving the rest of their people a chance to live another day. Was that what this 'Spartan' was to the rest of the human race, a beacon of hope to light the way to the next day? Would anyone even notice, or care, if he died?

It was clear to Celestia that the only way to get these answers was to talk to the Spartan face to face, and in a magically sealed prison, she would be in absolutely no danger from him. Celestia decided that would be the best place to start, and set a course for his holding cell.

Before the Princess could get there, however, she was stopped by one of her personal scientists on site. She smiled at him, but his face was more of concern that happiness. "Yes, Test Tube? What seems to be the matter?" She asked the worried scientist.

Test Tube gulped and rubbed his hooves together nervously. "W-Well, we brought the armor back to the lab for analysis, but, we've... hit a snag." He said. Celestia raised a brow, and Test Tube went on. "W-Well, this... human mare won't let us access the armor, and she's... um... how do I put this?"

"She's what?" Celestia asked, trying to get down to the matter at hoof before she asked where this other human even came from. That was just one more annoyance added to her plate of BS for the day.

"Well," Test Tube went on, "She's... threatening to detonate the armor."

"What?!" Celestia yelled, rushing for the lab station. She knew her scientists were only here to study and help create new plant life to introduce to environments, and uneducated in the way of this kind of technology. Still, the last thing she expected them to do was turn the Spartan's armor into a bomb!

Celestia could hear Test Tube hot on her heels, but paid him no mind. The only thought on her mind right now was to stop this new human from blowing up the next scientific breakthrough of the century and kill innocent ponies.

She just hoped there wasn't going to be another explosion in one day...

Author's Note

Update! Not much to say really. Things are slow, works killing me, and the only time I get to relax is when I'm smoking and drinking with my pals from work. hopefully updates come out quicker, but, eh... At least they're coming out. See you next chapter