As the day passed and night fell, Fireteam Crimson and Captain Lasky, accompanied by the Element Bearers and Spike, boarded the waiting Pelican and set off for Canterlot at a modest speed. Earlier, Princess Celestia had notified them that the emissaries from the other races on Equis had arrived and were settling in, waiting for the summit to begin. Lasky and the Spartans then received their orders and Lasky's impromptu speech from the Infinity, relayed to the ship from Fleetcom and ONI.

Now, as the Spartans checked over their gear and armor, Captain Lasky straightened his uniform out and did some last-minute touch-ups with Rarity's help. In the meantime, the other Elements waited in their seats for the Pelican to land.

"So, what can we expect?" Rainbow Dash asked Twilight. "What's going to happen when we get there?"

"Probably a lot of talking and not much action." Twilight replied. "It's mostly a ceremonial summit, but it's an important one nonetheless."

"Agreed." Lasky nodded as he and Rarity finished up their work. "If you're worried about how things will go, Rainbow Dash, we'll be fine. Commander Palmer's going to be present, along with two Marine squads and Fireteam Crimson. If security becomes a problem, we can handle it."

The ponies and Spike nodded gratefully, except for Rainbow, who gave a more subdued nod, as she didn't seem as reassured as she could've been by the Captain's statement. As the Pelican turned to the right and approached Canterlot, the Spartans finished their gear check and took escort positions near the door.

"Pilot! Are we good to land?" Chris called out over the radio.

"We're all clear, Spartan!" the dropship pilot replied. "Landing in twenty seconds!"

As the Pelican set itself down inside a large area inside the Solar Gardens, the occupants disembarked to see Commander Palmer and her accompanying Marines in security positions around an outside speaking platform.

"We're all set." Palmer said as Lasky approached the podium, while the emissaries came into the gardens and took their seats, accompanied by Celestia, Luna, and another female alicorn accompanied by a stallion that Lasky assumed was her husband, from the wedding rings present on their horns. "Crimson? You good?"

"Yes, ma'am." Chris replied as the Spartans took two-and-two posts next to either side of Lasky. As the ambassadors entered the room, Chris identified a dragon, two Griffons and two minotaurs, a trio of deer, and a pair of zebras. A set of Middle-eastern inspired ponies then entered, followed by the married couple. Then, an insectoid pony entered, and giving a small sigh at the married couple, sat as far away from them as she could. Chris recorded the interaction via his VISR camera, and then turned to Lasky.

"Captain, you are clear to proceed."

As the noise quieted, Lasky took the podium and began to speak.

"Greetings to you all, my name is Thomas Lasky, Captain of the UNSC Infinity. My escort includes Commander Sarah Palmer, leader of the UNSC Spartan fireteams aboard Infinity, Spartan Fireteam Crimson, and UNSC Marine squads Diamondback and Cobra."

"We come to this world in peace, as our original mission was to investigate a beacon sent to us from a race we know as the Forerunners. I'm not exactly up to speed on everything the UNSC knows about the Forerunners, and there are many things that are classified and I cannot publicly reveal them to you. But for now, I will do my best to tell you of human history."

"Our homeworld of Earth, in the Milky Way Galaxy, Sol System, Orion Arm cluster, for most of human existence, was the only planet we knew of that could support life. For generations, we looked to the stars to expand our kind."

"With the discovery of Slipspace and the resulting development of faster-than-light travel, the UNSC was able to colonize about eight hundred extraterrestrial worlds capable of supporting life. Though this period of time was troubled primarily by the Insurrection, a terrorist group that opposed the UNSC's rule in the colonies, it was one of relative peace."

"That was the case until the Covenant came."

As Lasky told the emissaries of the major points of the Human-Covenant War, the delegates listened intently, including the insectoid pony who seemed to want to keep her distance from the married couple. Then, Chris noticed the two Griffon ambassadors were being a little too...antsy for his tastes. They were talking to each other, while being quiet enough that no one else would hear them.

"Laura?" Chris asked over the comms.

"Yeah?" the female Spartan replied.

"Keep an eye on those Griffons. I think they're up to something."

"Copy."

As time passed and Lasky neared the end of his speech, the Spartans were given the signal to return to their Pelicans. As Chris passed by the Griffons, he glanced at them, looking them over. At first, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, until he saw a small cable running behind their ears, then what it was connected to.

"A radio?" he thought. "They're spying on us...why? What are they after?"

Thinking quickly, he contacted Roland to request a radio tap from Infinity's comm systems.

"I copy, Spartan." Roland replied. "Sending tap to your feed now, with translation included."

As Chris moved to sit down, keeping each of the Griffons in his line of sight, the tap began broadcasting what they were saying.

"So...they seem ignorant enough."

"I wouldn't be so sure. Whatever brought these humans here has to be inside the city. When all our preparations are complete, tomorrow evening, we will proceed."

"Of course, Griese…"

As the griffons flew off as one, the radio tap went quiet. Chris gave a sigh and opened a comms feed to Roland.

"What'd you find, Spartan?"

"Those two Griffons are planning something, and they mentioned finding whatever it is that brought us here. They might be going after Astute Sigil's Control Room."

"Check, I'll forward that to Captain Lasky as soon as you're back on Infinity." Roland replied. "I'll also notify Astute Sigil to lock down all Forerunner tech under his control."

"Thanks, Roland. Keep us posted."

====

At the same time in Ponyville, the Red-colored Phantom carrying the Banished recon team flew silently over the town, searching for an isolated place to land. The Grunts, Jackals, Brutes, and Goliaths aboard were all quiet in anticipation of what was to come.

Pavium, accompanied by Voridus, strode to the cockpit and ordered a report.

"I've got a potential landing site at this forested area here." the Pilot replied. "Prepare yourselves to drop in via the Grav-lift."

"Understood." Pavium replied, attaching his mask to his helmet, which folded over to connect with the face shield, and Voridus did the same. As the Phantom came to a halt, the Marauder is carried was set down, and the Ghost bikes soon followed. Two Grunts mounted up, and Pavium and Voridus led the way into a nearby fruit orchard.

"I'll say one thing about this place, brother…" Voridus whispered. "It is well kept."

"I agree." Pavium replied. "But be careful. We do not know if there are locals out at this time."

"I doubt there are." a nearby Brute shrugged.

"Doubt can be misleading, brother." Pavium growled quietly. "Keep your thoughts to yourself. And be quiet. We cannot risk detection here."

The Brute nodded and motioned for the two Ghosts to move forward. As they approached the edge of their part of the orchard, Pavium sniffed the air and motioned for everyone to take cover. As they watched quietly, one of the locals, a youth by the looks of it, along with a larger one wearing a yoke and carrying a lantern came into view.

"I know I saw something come this way, Big Mac." the youth said. "And it was really stinking big."

"Maybe." the big one replied.

"Don't you believe me?"

"Maybe."

The little one sighed and they both looked up at the sky for a few moments, before the large one spoke.

"Let's head back home, Applebloom. We'll tell Applejack about it in the morning."

"Alright, alright...but I know I saw something."

"Not saying you didn't."

As they departed, Pavium gave a small frown and motioned for the Banished to return to the landing zone. After a few more minutes of walking, they brought down the Phantom and boarded the Grav lift. Pavium placed a small tracking and scanning device into the ground, and then covered it with a nearby wooden bucket. Once all hands were accounted for, the Phantom flew off towards the sky, back to the waiting stealth cruiser.

Author's Note

UPDATE!

Yeah, this really needed to be finished. I forgot I had as much progress as I did for this story. Rest assured it'll receive more updates shortly.

Next time - A diplomatic breakfast with Captain Lasky, the Griffons make plans for a heist, and the Banished watch from the shadows...