Halo ODST: The Great Journeyby ReachedChaptersThe Divine WindMoon WatcherThe Wind GuidesThe Wind's GlitterFriendsThe Divine WindAuthor's Note I hope you enjoy this little story of mine. I am doing my best to write and make a good story. Please note that some chapters may change from time to time, as I come back and edit them to be, well, better. This is one of those chapters. I hope to bring (hopefully) better versions to all of my chapters soon. The Divine Wind And so, The Great Journey begins. Light pierced the windows of the Pelican, illuminating the inside of its dusty interior. Dust waved, like stars in the beams of light that intruded the tinted windows. It was a fresh morning, and the Pelican stood timelessly as it had forevermore. The Pelican, a common universal ship, was docked on a grassy meadow, surrounded by nothing but blooming flowers and other flora of appeal. Vines grew from the ground and interlaced around the old ship, moss covering its sides. The metallic plane had become one with nature there, clearly for many years before. One would expect such an old structure to weather away, yet the Pelican seemed to persist, everything. Not even the sun seemed to mark the Pelican's shiny silver of paint. Near the pelican, in a very similar state of disuse and yet somehow, perfect condition, was an old building, of clearly similar origin. The building was small in size, with no alluring attributes, all but a small shine a hole on the door produced. No more than Two-Hundred Meters in the area. Alike the ship that was nearby, nothing seemed to leave a mark on its surface. Not even the water, which should have weathered it all away twice over. But this morning was different than the others. There had been a sudden shine of light, brighter than the sun itself. Inside of the old Pelican, in the building, and outside of the pelican. A figure had suddenly appeared as if from thin air, leaning onto the back of the Pelican's cargo doors, slumped over. One could have taken this strange figure, in black-clad armor, as merely another relic of a similar type to the building and ship, but unlike the two, it was very alive. His chest rose and tell in a rhythmic pattern. He slept soundly, through some of the mornings. Dew formed on his solid black visor, and not even the animals were disturbed. A bird had perched itself on his shoulder, only to flutter away when the figure had suddenly awakened in a shock. He coughed, quite loudly, his hand reached to his helm. His fingers rubbed against the solid metal of the helmet, just for a moment. He was fine, it seemed. All knew him as The Rookie. It was what he was called for most of his teenage to adult life, even although he was never completely new to what he was doing. The Rookie leaned his head back, onto the surface of the pelican that was behind him. He didn't really care what had happened just now. All he knew was that he needed water. He reached for his side, his hand moving onto his water canteen. It wasn't full, but it was neither empty. He took it out of its sheath and moved it upwards. He moved his helmet out of the way and took a sip of the water. It was then, that The Rookie swore that he had drunk the best water in the world. As he did put the water canteen back into its place, which was on the right side of his waist, he did realize that he had to get up, he had to find out what had just happened. And so The Rookie did let out a soft sigh as he pushed his body forward. His hand moved down to touch the ground, his fingers grabbing hold of the fragile grass below for just a moment before he stood up. He looked around now, finally taking a look at his surroundings. And, it was a sight to behold. A whole grassland stood before him, and a gentle breeze did come from his back to sway the wind to its favor. Poppies did linger about, in large groups, along with few other types of colorful flora. But their distinct red color, they did stand out. They were beautiful, and it did take The Rookie aback for just the moment. He stared at the field, watching the swaying of the flora, and the occasional view of a bird flying by. But nothing seemed to break the sound of the gentle wind, the wind that had brought him here. It felt like an eternity as The Rookie did look at the field, a very pleasurable one, but The Rookie knew he would have to get up soon. And, so, he did. The Rookie now finally looked around him, this time paying attention to the two objects that he had not paid any special attention to when he looked out; even if he did see them. Right behind him, there was the Pelican. The ship looked untouched, yet the moss that had crept up its sides showed that it had been there for a while, even if it did not show any weathering. And nearby, there was the building that he had glanced over. It was in that similar state of disuse, but not of disrepair of any type. The Rookie took a good look at the two, and he did recognize that they must have been here for a reason. The Rookie had, just only moments ago, been held, hostage. Now, he had suddenly awoken here. Perhaps he had hit his head and lost his memory or some other reason, but he knew that these buildings were his way to get back home. Now, it was time to check that old Pelican. He had to get home. The Rookie stood next to the Pelican's side and pressed the red button, in order to open the cargo bay doors. He wasn't expecting to find anything, but having the ship alone was nice enough. The Rookie looked inside, his visor automatically adjusting to the darkness inside of the cargo bay of the Pelican. There were many, many things inside of the Pelican, it made the Rookie stand back in wonder as he looked in. A mongoose stood at the ready, lined up next to several pallets of supplies, all about his height of Six Foot, One. (186 Centimeters). Perhaps the UNSC had sent him on a secret mission to scout for many, many months, and left him some of their best supplies. He must have hit his head too harshly in order to have forgotten that, though. There were water purifiers, water canisters, food kits, first aid kits, ammo, knives, and a small assortment of weapons and weapon parts, and this is just what he could see in the first two pallets. And despite how disused the plane looked, all of the objects said they were manufactured January First, 2560. That couldn't be right. It had just been January Third, 2554. Nothing made sense. But that didn't matter now, Rookie had to keep investigating. The Rookie moved into the cargo bay, the dust that settled in now dispersing. It would have made him cough if not for the mask that was implanted into his helmet. The Rookie moved onwards, eventually reaching the pilot's seat. All of the controls were perfectly kept, other than the layer of dust on them. On the pilot's seat, two keys laid. The Rookie reached for them and inspected them. One was most likely for the plane, and the other for the other building he had noted earlier. Now that he had seen this pelican, he knew that he had to investigate the building. Perhaps there was some clue as to why he was here in there, or at least more supplies. The Rookie stocked up on a few supplies before he stepped out of the Pelican. He took a pistol and an SMG and locked his newfound Pelican. He made his way to the building he had seen earlier, a lowered pistol in his right hand. By the look of the building, he figured that the building would be abandoned like the Pelican also was. He arrived at the building, and the dim light that he saw earlier had suddenly become bright, so bright that The Rookie couldn't help but look away. The brightness dissipated soon enough, and the door opened before the silent ODST. The trooper looked at the door with some hesitation before he walked into the building. It was very small, at first glance it was a simplistic barracks. All seemed normal, a few beds lined up with other necessities people would need, a bathroom and a small kitchen, but in the middle, there was a table lit up with a map, of what seemed to be the environment around the building. The Rookie holstered his weapon and walked towards the table, looking down onto the map, the darkened visor of his helmet reflecting the light of the surface. As he looked at it, a figure appeared, a figure that made him stand back. It was an AI, a reddish light in hue. It was odd enough, but the figure of the AI was... Very strange. It was a little horse, seemingly feminine in nature, with large eyes, and what seemed to be a UNSC insignia on its rump. The rookie had never seen a "smart" AI before, but he knew they were supposed to be modeled after humans, not... whatever this was. "Boy, am I glad to finally meet someone else! It feels like I've been here eons!" It said, making it's way to the edge of the table, towards The Rookie. "What... are you?" The Rookie said, breaking the silence he had carried since he had arrived. "I'm Vea, I am an AI, created by the UNSC. Well, I think. I'm not really sure how I arrived here, nor what happened to those who made me or this structure. To avoid rampancy, I have kept data usage to a minimum. This means I am not too sure how long I have been here, either." The AI said, looking up at the ODST, clearly delighted by the sight of him. "And... Why are we here?" The Rookie asked, looking at the AI as it looked back at him. "I am not too sure. All the knowledge I have about our whereabouts are two queries." "And those are?" "Equestria, and, The Divine Wind." Moon WatcherAnd so, The Great Journey continues After The Rookie had been told about the two queries, he had asked a couple of questions, and while the results were less than desirable, he had learned a deal of knowledge of this new land. Vea had, long ago, started to send a distress beacon out, one that should have been at the range to the extent of the solar system, but there had never been a reply back, not yet. Vea had some control of this building, but she had been completed, and utterly thoughtless for what must have been decades to centuries in order to maintain her mental state. After AI's take a certain amount of data, they begin to corrupt, so in order to maintain her status, she had been completely dormant this entire time. She estimated that she still had almost a full lifespan that most AIs can retain, seven years. The planet itself was quite a mystery. All of the information that Vea had was that it was called Equestria. This planet had an odd system, that being that the world itself was stationary and that the moon and sun rotated around it, sometimes suddenly and instantly, and at other times not at all. It seemed that there was a mechanism controlling it. As for creatures, there were a few instances of mythical animals that Vea had claimed to see before. Dragons, in the standard European style from Earth, seemed to be real here, as well as manticores. Vea had not seen any other animals out of the ordinary though, and she had seen deer, squirrels, and other animals that seemed to originate from Earth here. As for a strange anomaly, Vea had claimed to see other, potentially sapient creatures like her in the past, flying in the distance. It seems that the foliage covering the building and the Pelican have both been enough to disguise them from all of these creatures that could have caused damage. And, as for The Divine Wind, Vea had no knowledge of it, other than a possibility of linkage with the covenant's beliefs. Vea had somehow known about the covenant, even though she had been dormant for quite a while. It seemed as if time had passed as if years of The Rookie's life had passed without him knowing, but a subsequent scan on him revealed him to be the same age he was when he was on Draco III, Twenty-Eight. Vea thought that The Rookie had somehow been put in a cryo-pod and sent here, a flawed guess, but there was nothing else to base this off of. To guess the year on Earth was impossible, as they could not tell where they were on the map, they were off of all UNSC maps they had available. The Divine Wind was most likely linked to The Great Journey that the covenant believed in. There were many questions and almost no answers. Now, it was late in the afternoon, and the building grew quiet as all the noises outside dissipated, leaving a tired rookie and his newfound AI ally. He sat now, on a bed. He had taken the liberty of taking off his amor. There was no need for it now. He had only just taken a shower, in what felt like eons without one, and ate one of the Ready-To-Eat meals he had found. The AI seemed to stare at him from the edge of the table, as he rested on the bed, clearly troubled. "You are... Dead?" She asked, breaking the silence of the setting. The Rookie's eyes had grown heavy, but the question woke him right awake. He looked over to the Vea, his face obscured in the darkness. "I am?" Rookie had replied, after a moment of silence, sitting up. His face still was hidden behind a veil of darkness, even Vea couldn't get a look at him. "Well according to your date, in your system, it is 2560. My files on you, they say you died. January, 1554." She said. Even through her alien look, could The Rookie see her confusion and discomfort. She had good reason for it, this was all... Very strange. To say this didn't trouble him would be a very lie. "Blood Type O+, Enlisted July 7th, 2547, born on Luna. Referred to as, "quiet." Your first battle, The Battle of New Jerusalem. You were among the only survivors. At the Raid of Mount Haven, you were again one of the only survivors..." The Rookie quietly looked down. He remembered those events. He remembered a dying Gage Yevgenny telling him all about his life, and sending him off before he detonated Mount Haven. That's where he swore to forever fight the covenant. He ran with almost no gear, running from ODST that had defected, the covenant, and a bomb with nothing. When he finally reached salvation, he was told Reach, humanities largest military instillation, had been lost. All seemed so lost then. "You were promoted to Lance Corporal, and moved to a new squad. You then fought in the defence of Earth on New Mombasa. Alone, you travelled and found your squad, after days of fighting alone in city ruins. You saved an engineer. An engineer that changed the tires of the war. You were redeployed after the end of the war to quell rebellions. And on Draco III... You were held hostage and murdered." The Rookie let out a soft sigh as he heard this. He hadn't dwelled much on that realization, but he knew that it had happened. To have a gun pointed at you, then suddenly awake in a poppy field... That's not right. All this thought and rememberable was shaking him to his core. He didn't want to remember any of this. As far as he knew, it was in the past. "And so I died." He whispered before beginning to put on his amor again. He needed to find a way back to the UNSC, and back to Luna. He was born on the Earth's moon, and he wanted to return, perhaps soon. With a soft click, his helmet was snapped on and it's HUD lit. "I'm going to take that Pelican out, to the edge of the atmosphere. I want to see the moon." He said, looking at Vea who had been watching him with a mix of curiosity and confusion. She shook her head, and nodded. "Take me with." She said, motioning to a chip on the side of the table. He nodded, and removed her core from the table, holding it in his hand. The Rookie made his way to the pelican, the sky dimming around him. He entered it and went into the cockpit. He put Vea into the Pelican's AI slot, mostly reserved for simpler AI. She suddenly appeared beside him, and already seemed quite eager. She looked around, and took in her environment. "Being out of that old shack feels amazing. Would you like me to fly?" The Rookie looked at the eager pony and nodded. She grinned, and the Pelican's engines roared on. The plane that had been still so long now began to lift, and lift, until it was a hundred, then two hundred, then a thousand feet in the sky. It didn't take the old, resilient ship much to fly into the planet's atmosphere. There, Rookie looked out of the Pelican's windows, and into the bright, large moon before him. It reminded him of his home. He sat in the chair, and stared and stared, Vea seemingly understanding. And so The Rookie looked, his eyes growing heavy yet again. Before he had noticed, sleep overtook him, the last image remaining in his mind being that gorgeous moon. "So it hath chosen thee? A troubled, but good man. I will save thee." A voice, loud, but yet, clear and elegant in determination spoke. The darkness around him seemed to spark, to envelope him. Then, just for a moment, he saw her. Another like Vea, but dark as the moon and bright as the stars, infinitely more incapsulsting. "Farewell. Find me soon, moon watcher." The Wind GuidesAnd so, The Great Journey resumes. Was that a dream? The... woman, or mare, he saw, that was too real to be a simple dream. His train of thought was quickly broken, though, it made him wave it away. It was just a dream. "...kie? Rookieeee?" A bothered voice spoke. The Rookie sighed and sat up, his eyes quickly glancing at the time in his HUD. Seven A.M. It seemed as if time here was similar as it was on Earth, and most of the other planets he had been on. "Finally! You suddenly fell asleep just by looking at the moon! Jeez. It's morning, and I've let you sleep long enough. I think it's about time for you to get up." Vea told him, in a clearly annoyed tone. Her front right hoove did a little stomp, a little action that Rookie couldn't help but be amused at. It was strangely adorable. "Sorry." Was all The Rookie said in response after staring at her bemused for a moment, standing up with a slight stretch. He hadn't intended to fall asleep there. The moon must have been too... comforting. It reminded him of home, all too much. He was born and raised on Luna, Earth's moon, after all. Looking at a celestial object for that long must have made him quite sleepy. But that wasn't worth thinking about, not right now. "Do you have a plan? Of what to do?" The Rookie had asked, finally standing up with a soft sigh. The Rookie, as intelligent and capable as he believed himself to be, wasn't a leader. He was fine enough leading himself, as he had done several times in the past. Surviving was in his very DNA. But, with someone else's 'life' seemingly attached to his, he needed her input, even if he technically was the reigning member of the UNSC here. "I've thought of many possibilities, and I do have a plan!" Vea's eyes seemed to lighten up just a bit, her eyes widening as she moved back and forth, her hooves making a soft tap with each 'touch' to the Pelican's floor. "When we were up in the air, I did, in fact, notice a building. It is... strange, it's location makes no sense, and the technological level of the building is that of an era before ours. We may have in fact, traveled in time." Vea said, walking right up to The Rookie. She looked up at him, and he looked down at her. "And... so, we should tread carefully, and visit that building. "Sounds good." The Rookie had replies after a slight moment of hesitation. He grabbed his SMG, which he had placed on the chair beside his, and slung it onto his back. He needed to get home, back to his friends. That squad he was with, they were the last real reason he had to go on for. It was his duty to return to them. "You coming?" He asked, giving a quick glance at the mare beside him, her translucent body shimmering, turning from the light red it usually was to a pink. She nodded, and The Rookie promptly removed her glowing chip from the Pelican's system. Normally, an ODST's helmet would never have a chipset made for AI. Those were reserved for the enhanced spartans and their Mjolnir armor. But, because of The Rookie's past work with the engineer that he had helped save on New Mombasa, and the city's AI system, ONI, the Office of Naval Intelligence, had given him a helmet with a chipset. He reached behind his head and inserted the chip into the slot. His helmet dimmed for a moment before the HUD had become a translucent red. It seemed as if she had an effect on his HUD too. "Ready to go! Lead the way." He heard a voice speak. The Rookie nodded and walked into the cockpit of his Pelican. The lights inside turned on, their dim light illuminating the Pelican's cargo bay, and it's many pallets of supplies. The Rookie's head lightly craned to the Mongoose, a sort of four-wheeler to travel, alone on mostly. It didn't take him long to take a gas canister and put it on the back-side of the Mongoose, just in case he needed more. He opened the door of his pelican and pushed the bike out, the feeling of fresh air flowing through his helmet. It made him enjoy it, for just a moment. "How far away is the objective?" He had asked after he had shut the door of the Pelican. "About Eighty Kilometers. You should make it there in an hour or two if you go through the plains. The Rookie gave a small nod and kicked on the mongoose. Its engine roared alive, the sound of a new engine being clear. He reared his hands forward, making his way to the mark on his HUD. It was time to finally investigate this world. The Wind's GlitterAnd so, The Journey recommences The Mongoose's engine rumbled, it's the firey roar contrasting so heavily with the silent beauty of the plains around it. Its rider was, of course, was The Rookie. He silently looked forward, his hands strongly attached to the Mongoose's handles. He had been traveling for about three hours now, and the marker on his map was growing closer and closer. "I believe it would be best to continue on foot, from here, Rook." Vea's voice spoke from his helm. "Right." The plains that they were in before were now turning into hilly, rocky terrain. And now, Rookie's vision of the world was more clear than in the wide plains where he had started in. There was a large, expanse of a mountain range before him, towards the north of this land. The building they had seen earlier, was an abandoned shack. It seemed to be made out of wood, something The Rookie had almost never seen. There was nothing interesting in the shack, other than it's strange, short doorways. However, when they had arrived at that abandoned shack, they had noticed something in the distance that they had not seen before. In those large snowy mountains, there was a large, white tower, of a pearly white. It glimmered brightly, even from where they were. It seemed that there was also a city around that area, but it was hard to tell from their vantage point. Henceforth, their objective had turned to that white tower, and what was in it. They had traveled for a while before arriving here. The Rookie went into a bush, turned off his Mongoose, and took it's key, stuffing it in one of his packs before he hopped off. It was well concealed enough now. He took a hold of his gun and began to make his way up one of the smaller mountains. It didn't take him long to climb it, he had done much more in less time. He trudged through, ignoring the strange fact that the plains had been a perfectly temperate temperature, and yet here, it was beginning to become quite snowy. When he was at the top, he saw the city, in its full glory. Crystals. That was the thought that went through his mind when he did look at that city. It was a large expanse of a settlement, seemingly made of pure crystals. He had never seen anything of this, not before. He had once seen a small forerunner outpost, the predecessors of humanity, and it stunned him, but not to this degree. The way that the building glittered, reflecting the sun's warm, loving gaze onto him. The way that the tower gazed onto him, even up here, gave him a sense of calm that he had never felt, certainly not from looking at a city. "Where am I?" He whispered as he toggled his helmet's visor, to three times the intensity, so he could see the city closer. "I haven't got a clue, myself." He heard Vea's voice whisper, the same tone of surprise in her voice as she saw what he saw. As he did look onto the settlement with the visor zoomed, he saw what seemed to be variations of, well, Vea all walking about. They were hard to see from this distance, but they seemed to be walking about, doing what one would in a normal human settlement. It reminded him of Luna, before the wars. Everything was oh so... calm. As The Rookie looked at the settlement, Vea's voice surprised him. "Hostile!" The Rookie backed up with surprise and turned around, only to face a pack of wolves. They had snuck upon him, and his systems hadn't registered it. It seems that Vea was distracted, taking in all the view of that city and that she too had only just noticed. The Rookie whispered a curse, and raised his favored weapon, the SMG, to the wolves. They snarled, and their teeth did shine a gnarly yellow. There was a total of six of them, and they were approaching him from all sides. From where The Rookie was, it was impossible to back up more. There was a snowy hill behind him, and falling would not be to his advantage. So, he would need to fight. His finger went to squeeze the trigger of his gun, but, he couldn't press it. He was frozen. A memory from before, one he did not know existed came to him. When he was on Draco III, with his squadmates, his friends, they were to quell a rebellion. It had all gone smooth, all until the end. The rookie had gotten himself into a trap, as he attempted to win the battle over. He was held, hostage. He knew that. That's what he did remember. What he didn't know, what had implanted itself into his mind only now, was the shot that rang out as his helmet's visor cracked, and the looks on his friend's faces as they watched him die. It all came now. He felt his death, just now. "Rookie! Rook! Shoot!" Vea yelled out. "You have to shoot now!" The Rookie fell to his knee and coughed loudly as he was brought back to. Vea's yells to regain his attention worked. He squeezed the gun's trigger once, and the familiar sound of a bullet sounded. Boom. Click A wolf was stopped, only mid-jump towards Rook, it's jaw opened wide as it fell short. The bullet hit, right on the mark. The Rookie raised his gun, and shot the other five, in quick succsesstion. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Click They all fell, after they all did too run at him. The Rookie looked at their bodies, the blood of the canines now seeping into the soft snow and soil below, tainting them with their wicked blood. Rook did fall on his knee and take a couple of deep breaths, regaining his composure soon enough. He had seen worse, his death, it shouldn't be enough to stop him. Not at all. The sound of silence that followed the small battle was sickening, it made The Rookie's mouth dry. "Are you fine?" "I am." The Rookie replied, bluntly. He reached for his side and grabbed his canteen. He raised his helm, only just slightly, and took a small sip of the water inside, the dryness in this throat fading away with its refreshing taste. "Let's keep going." He said, taking out the clip he had just used with his gun. He put it into a pack and clicked another one in. He stood back up and stepped over the wolf that had almost got him, beginning to make his way down that mountain, towards the glittering city. He had to investigate further. And so, The Rookie trekked onwards, through the snow. He did walk closer and closer until eventually the zoom on his visor was no longer necessary. Now, he was on a marbled path that lead into the gates of the city, and the glitter of the stones was right before him. The Rookie was now noticed by the inhabitants of the city, and they did look at him. Some were curious, simply staring at him, others ushered themselves away as he did walk through the gates. What seemed to be a mother, and her child rushed into a building, while what seemed to be a male looked at him with more curiosity than anything, only a few meters away. "This is strange." The Rookie whispered as he looked at the inhabitants of the town. They all were very alike Vea, but instead of her strange glow that could be assumed to be from her AI nature, they were all made of the same crystal that she was. Vea herself was a mare, and from what The Rookie could tell, she was shorter but more 'adorable' than most of these 'people.' The Rookie did also notice that unlike Vea, which had no 'strange' features, some of these people did have a single horn or a pair wings. "Indeed. It seems we have found where my creators took their inspiration." Vea spoke as The Rookie continued onwards. He was now nearing the pearly white tower, and he could see a sort of crystal castle near it. "Perhaps it would be in our best interests if I appeared next to you. It seems that these people are somewhat unsettled by you." "Not yet," The Rookie said as he walked on, "I would rather not have you found out, just yet." The Rookie was now near that castle, and he had passed what now was hundreds of onlookers. People in the streets stopped to look at him or to hide, some murmuring among themselves. And now that he was in what seemed to be the town's square, which was more of a circle of glittering homes and 'people,' he was looked upon all sides. None of them seemed to have ill intent towards him, though he did manage to hear a couple of mentions of a resemblance to a 'Sombra.' The Rookie was now stopped on the 'street' of this square, apprehensive as to what could happen, with what seemed to be dozens, if not a hundred of onlookers looking towards him. The time now seemed to go still. They were all looking at him now, wondering what he was, what he was doing, and who he was. The silence was broken, though, making The Rookie back up in surprise. What seemed to be another child or foal, with wings, flew towards him with a slightly goofy-looking smile. What seemed to be the child's mother, who looked on in shock, fainted, in quite a comedic way. Her 'hoof' raised to her forehead, and she fell onto a bystander's side. "What are you? Are you a bad guy?" The child spoke as it did a little lap around Rookie, it made him do a three-sixty just to keep looking at her. "If you are a bad guy, you'll be in a lot of trouble you know! Miss Twilight and her friends stopped even Lord Sombraaah!" The child was suddenly encapsulated by a light red and suddenly pulled back quickly, back into the crowd. The Rookie was all too confused by that, but a sudden noise took that train of thought from him. Footsteps, or 'Hoovesteps' loudly clicked against the crystal floor behind The Rookie. He turned, to find four distinct-looking of the 'ponies' approaching him. They wore different attire than the rest, which seemed to be crystal armor and helmets, with a royal aura surrounding them. They must have been the guards of that tower, and they must have come to investigate the commotion of the disturbance in the town. "We have been asked by Her Majesty, Princess Cadance Mi Amore Cadenza, for you to immediately seek an audience with her. You have been granted an escort, and have been asked to follow immediately." The way the guard spoke, it made it clear that this was not a choice. As dangerous as this could be, The Rookie was confident he would be fine. He always was. "Lead the way." FriendsAnd so, The Great Journey carries on He could feel the air somehow change now that he followed them. They were of course the guards that were sent for him. There were four, in total, in the beginning. Now, there were six. They flanked him on all of his sides, each of them walking with the elegance and grace one would expect of a truly strict honor guard. Each step seemed to match a tempo invisible to the common ear. Somehow, The Rookie couldn't even picture spartans walking in that manner. They were too... noisy. Bulky, and with no seeming elegance in any way. But alike the Spartans from his world, these guards all moved with a clear purpose, one that looked as if it had been repeated, rehearsed, and followed through on many occasions. To make their ruler's will true. Some of them had wings, enchanting, and dignified in all their might. And some others, they had horns, spiraling until they reached a sharp point. It was something The Rookie would see out of a very fairy tale. It seemed like he was suddenly transported into a world of strange high fantasy, where mystic horses made of crystal ruled, something out of a children's book. But this was no fantasy and no dream. The manner that they walked onwards, with clear diligence, was too real. Now that The Rookie was not plagued by anticipation and paranoia, from many onlookers. That was not to say that he was not ready to fight back; his hands rested on the matte black of his gun, his fingers tracing over the small indents on the surface. The Rookie was ready to fight back if they had somehow provoked him, but they had not done so, yet. They had treated him, at least to his knowledge, with at least some respect. This was a much better alternative than being immediately attacked or demanded to go into a dusty, old cell. "Stay calm. This was... probably our best chance to get home. Just listen to what I say, and we'll probably get out of here just fine." A familiar voice spoke. It was Vea, an AI he had found when he had arrived in this strange land. And he knew she was much smarter than himself, being an AI came with a very strong intellect. All The Rookie had to do, was to follow her advice. This was, their best chance to find others like them. It could be a secret planet that had been hidden away from common knowledge from people like him, and even to the AI, like Vea. Perhaps these 'people' had a way to contact his homeworld. It was almost certain that humans were not already present here, because of the amount of time that Vea had attempted to contact others. She had spent, many, many hours looking for a single bit of data containing humans, and there was nothing. Nothing but the old building and Pelican. But, all of this was beside the point. The Rooke had to focus on the matter on hand now. That being that he was being 'escorted' to a ruler's castle. He, and Vea, were hoping to have a peaceful interaction with them, and hopefully, secure safety as they stayed here. This was, according to Vea, the best possible route to survival. It would be better to fight with the seemingly primitive technology now, than a prolonged guerrilla fight later. The Rookie didn't see another way, anyway. Vea may have been modeled differently, but she so far had shown a duty to him, as almost all the AI did. Their jobs were to protect humanity, after all, and so far, Vea was doing that job quite well. It took them just a few more moments of walking through pearly halls and glimmering stone paths when they arrived at gates of seemingly pure ruby. The four guards in front of him, uniform in motion, all walked forward and opened the doors for him. A shining light pierced through the rift, almost celestial in sight, only growing more so as it opened more. Finally, they opened, revealing the full glory that was hidden behind. A vast, elegant hall stood from here to the end of the room, which must have been several dozen meters. Two tall thrones stood on the other side, which themselves gave an aura of authority and prowess throughout the hall. To either side of the hall, where galleries, a few meters up in the air. On them, many of these beings watched, hushing amongst themselves as they looked down at The Rookie. These were clearly the nobility of this land. their posh styles and mannerisms all clear at just a sight. It was strangely similar to tales of grand halls of ancient nobility from Earth, it made The Rookie question stand and look at the onlookers with uncertainty. Was this really home? And by home- His thought was interrupted when a sudden voice had called out behind him. Looking away from the gawking nobility on the galleries, he turned to face the booming voice behind him. "As requested by our noble and great princess, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, the unfamiliar and novel newcomer to the Crystal Empire has been brought forward!" The voice of course came from one of these horses, ponies, from what seemed to be a male with grey fur and a shinning red as a mane, in quite an elegant matter. The Rookie paid him no heed and turned back to face the front of the room. All the room seemed to immediately quiet down, all of those that The Rookie could see bowed, in a short, and regal form. It was only then that The Rookie had seen her. In the two thrones, were two more of these ponies. It was not the thrones that had been giving off the aura of authority, but those that sat in it. The one on the left, he was one of those with a horn, with a blue mane and white coat. He looked serious, and he was donning an armor, one that looked very regal. It seemed as if he was worried, if not, threatened to The Rookie. Having only a glance over him, The Rookie looked to the one that had really caught his attention. Just the sight of her, made him grasp his weapon tighter. She was taller than the rest, that was for certain. The Rookie could feel a pink atmosphere radiate from her, her hair clearly having been a little hastily, but well done, along with her attire. He could see that this event had to be of some importance, she must have hurried to meet him head-on, to determine if he was a threat. The other thing that The Rookie had seen was that she had both horns and wings. This was not something he had seen in any of the others, and the HUD in his helmet, that Vea had been operating, discreetly told him the same thing. "Proceed with Caution." Was flashed on his screen, for just a few moments. It made The Rookie let out a sharp breath. He had almost forgotten to breathe. This was overwhelming. "Hello, newcomer. I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, as you may already know. I rule the Crystal Empire, a peaceful and yet powerful force in Equestria. We Equestrians have felt a strange imbalance of magic, one that had only been felt when King Sombra was at his height, and can only surmise that you are what brought upon this distress. Therefore, I must ask, who are you, and... are you a threat?" The pony said with clear determination, but yet, there was distress somewhere hidden behind her voice. It seemed that this was a much more significant deal than what The Rookie had come here initially thinking. The voices on the gallies around him began to speak again, much more hurriedly, some of them now looking at The Rookie with looks of fear, or of clear hostility. "I..." The room quieted as The Rookie began to speak. "I am The Rookie." The man, gripping onto his rifle, took a deep breath. With the resolution he had gathered on the march here, he steeled himself and continued to speak. "I am from a... distant land. I am a peacekeeper. I am under the direct command of a group of nations, a United Nations, who seek peace and prosperity and seek to deploy a strong force to keep harmony. I am a soldier of peace, and of war, and, the last of these United Nations. As a united power, we are a threat to all who dare oppose us, but to those who also seek peace, we are friends. Your Highness, no, I am not a threat to your Empire, if you are not a threat to our United Nations, I am a friend, if you are ours." That was the best speech that a quiet person like Rookie could give. He had never spoken to such a large group, much less represented his whole galactic empire, to a group of new species. The Rookie felt his heart racing and found it difficult to not begin to panic. This was a job meant for those above him or the super-soldiers. He was just an ODST. It seemed that his speech was wrong though, as silence seemed to last for ages as he and the Princess looked at one another. It was in reality a tense few seconds, but the Princess seemed to like his answer. She smiled and stood up from her throne. "Then I, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, declare us... Friends!"
The Divine WindAuthor's Note I hope you enjoy this little story of mine. I am doing my best to write and make a good story. Please note that some chapters may change from time to time, as I come back and edit them to be, well, better. This is one of those chapters. I hope to bring (hopefully) better versions to all of my chapters soon. The Divine Wind And so, The Great Journey begins. Light pierced the windows of the Pelican, illuminating the inside of its dusty interior. Dust waved, like stars in the beams of light that intruded the tinted windows. It was a fresh morning, and the Pelican stood timelessly as it had forevermore. The Pelican, a common universal ship, was docked on a grassy meadow, surrounded by nothing but blooming flowers and other flora of appeal. Vines grew from the ground and interlaced around the old ship, moss covering its sides. The metallic plane had become one with nature there, clearly for many years before. One would expect such an old structure to weather away, yet the Pelican seemed to persist, everything. Not even the sun seemed to mark the Pelican's shiny silver of paint. Near the pelican, in a very similar state of disuse and yet somehow, perfect condition, was an old building, of clearly similar origin. The building was small in size, with no alluring attributes, all but a small shine a hole on the door produced. No more than Two-Hundred Meters in the area. Alike the ship that was nearby, nothing seemed to leave a mark on its surface. Not even the water, which should have weathered it all away twice over. But this morning was different than the others. There had been a sudden shine of light, brighter than the sun itself. Inside of the old Pelican, in the building, and outside of the pelican. A figure had suddenly appeared as if from thin air, leaning onto the back of the Pelican's cargo doors, slumped over. One could have taken this strange figure, in black-clad armor, as merely another relic of a similar type to the building and ship, but unlike the two, it was very alive. His chest rose and tell in a rhythmic pattern. He slept soundly, through some of the mornings. Dew formed on his solid black visor, and not even the animals were disturbed. A bird had perched itself on his shoulder, only to flutter away when the figure had suddenly awakened in a shock. He coughed, quite loudly, his hand reached to his helm. His fingers rubbed against the solid metal of the helmet, just for a moment. He was fine, it seemed. All knew him as The Rookie. It was what he was called for most of his teenage to adult life, even although he was never completely new to what he was doing. The Rookie leaned his head back, onto the surface of the pelican that was behind him. He didn't really care what had happened just now. All he knew was that he needed water. He reached for his side, his hand moving onto his water canteen. It wasn't full, but it was neither empty. He took it out of its sheath and moved it upwards. He moved his helmet out of the way and took a sip of the water. It was then, that The Rookie swore that he had drunk the best water in the world. As he did put the water canteen back into its place, which was on the right side of his waist, he did realize that he had to get up, he had to find out what had just happened. And so The Rookie did let out a soft sigh as he pushed his body forward. His hand moved down to touch the ground, his fingers grabbing hold of the fragile grass below for just a moment before he stood up. He looked around now, finally taking a look at his surroundings. And, it was a sight to behold. A whole grassland stood before him, and a gentle breeze did come from his back to sway the wind to its favor. Poppies did linger about, in large groups, along with few other types of colorful flora. But their distinct red color, they did stand out. They were beautiful, and it did take The Rookie aback for just the moment. He stared at the field, watching the swaying of the flora, and the occasional view of a bird flying by. But nothing seemed to break the sound of the gentle wind, the wind that had brought him here. It felt like an eternity as The Rookie did look at the field, a very pleasurable one, but The Rookie knew he would have to get up soon. And, so, he did. The Rookie now finally looked around him, this time paying attention to the two objects that he had not paid any special attention to when he looked out; even if he did see them. Right behind him, there was the Pelican. The ship looked untouched, yet the moss that had crept up its sides showed that it had been there for a while, even if it did not show any weathering. And nearby, there was the building that he had glanced over. It was in that similar state of disuse, but not of disrepair of any type. The Rookie took a good look at the two, and he did recognize that they must have been here for a reason. The Rookie had, just only moments ago, been held, hostage. Now, he had suddenly awoken here. Perhaps he had hit his head and lost his memory or some other reason, but he knew that these buildings were his way to get back home. Now, it was time to check that old Pelican. He had to get home. The Rookie stood next to the Pelican's side and pressed the red button, in order to open the cargo bay doors. He wasn't expecting to find anything, but having the ship alone was nice enough. The Rookie looked inside, his visor automatically adjusting to the darkness inside of the cargo bay of the Pelican. There were many, many things inside of the Pelican, it made the Rookie stand back in wonder as he looked in. A mongoose stood at the ready, lined up next to several pallets of supplies, all about his height of Six Foot, One. (186 Centimeters). Perhaps the UNSC had sent him on a secret mission to scout for many, many months, and left him some of their best supplies. He must have hit his head too harshly in order to have forgotten that, though. There were water purifiers, water canisters, food kits, first aid kits, ammo, knives, and a small assortment of weapons and weapon parts, and this is just what he could see in the first two pallets. And despite how disused the plane looked, all of the objects said they were manufactured January First, 2560. That couldn't be right. It had just been January Third, 2554. Nothing made sense. But that didn't matter now, Rookie had to keep investigating. The Rookie moved into the cargo bay, the dust that settled in now dispersing. It would have made him cough if not for the mask that was implanted into his helmet. The Rookie moved onwards, eventually reaching the pilot's seat. All of the controls were perfectly kept, other than the layer of dust on them. On the pilot's seat, two keys laid. The Rookie reached for them and inspected them. One was most likely for the plane, and the other for the other building he had noted earlier. Now that he had seen this pelican, he knew that he had to investigate the building. Perhaps there was some clue as to why he was here in there, or at least more supplies. The Rookie stocked up on a few supplies before he stepped out of the Pelican. He took a pistol and an SMG and locked his newfound Pelican. He made his way to the building he had seen earlier, a lowered pistol in his right hand. By the look of the building, he figured that the building would be abandoned like the Pelican also was. He arrived at the building, and the dim light that he saw earlier had suddenly become bright, so bright that The Rookie couldn't help but look away. The brightness dissipated soon enough, and the door opened before the silent ODST. The trooper looked at the door with some hesitation before he walked into the building. It was very small, at first glance it was a simplistic barracks. All seemed normal, a few beds lined up with other necessities people would need, a bathroom and a small kitchen, but in the middle, there was a table lit up with a map, of what seemed to be the environment around the building. The Rookie holstered his weapon and walked towards the table, looking down onto the map, the darkened visor of his helmet reflecting the light of the surface. As he looked at it, a figure appeared, a figure that made him stand back. It was an AI, a reddish light in hue. It was odd enough, but the figure of the AI was... Very strange. It was a little horse, seemingly feminine in nature, with large eyes, and what seemed to be a UNSC insignia on its rump. The rookie had never seen a "smart" AI before, but he knew they were supposed to be modeled after humans, not... whatever this was. "Boy, am I glad to finally meet someone else! It feels like I've been here eons!" It said, making it's way to the edge of the table, towards The Rookie. "What... are you?" The Rookie said, breaking the silence he had carried since he had arrived. "I'm Vea, I am an AI, created by the UNSC. Well, I think. I'm not really sure how I arrived here, nor what happened to those who made me or this structure. To avoid rampancy, I have kept data usage to a minimum. This means I am not too sure how long I have been here, either." The AI said, looking up at the ODST, clearly delighted by the sight of him. "And... Why are we here?" The Rookie asked, looking at the AI as it looked back at him. "I am not too sure. All the knowledge I have about our whereabouts are two queries." "And those are?" "Equestria, and, The Divine Wind."
Moon WatcherAnd so, The Great Journey continues After The Rookie had been told about the two queries, he had asked a couple of questions, and while the results were less than desirable, he had learned a deal of knowledge of this new land. Vea had, long ago, started to send a distress beacon out, one that should have been at the range to the extent of the solar system, but there had never been a reply back, not yet. Vea had some control of this building, but she had been completed, and utterly thoughtless for what must have been decades to centuries in order to maintain her mental state. After AI's take a certain amount of data, they begin to corrupt, so in order to maintain her status, she had been completely dormant this entire time. She estimated that she still had almost a full lifespan that most AIs can retain, seven years. The planet itself was quite a mystery. All of the information that Vea had was that it was called Equestria. This planet had an odd system, that being that the world itself was stationary and that the moon and sun rotated around it, sometimes suddenly and instantly, and at other times not at all. It seemed that there was a mechanism controlling it. As for creatures, there were a few instances of mythical animals that Vea had claimed to see before. Dragons, in the standard European style from Earth, seemed to be real here, as well as manticores. Vea had not seen any other animals out of the ordinary though, and she had seen deer, squirrels, and other animals that seemed to originate from Earth here. As for a strange anomaly, Vea had claimed to see other, potentially sapient creatures like her in the past, flying in the distance. It seems that the foliage covering the building and the Pelican have both been enough to disguise them from all of these creatures that could have caused damage. And, as for The Divine Wind, Vea had no knowledge of it, other than a possibility of linkage with the covenant's beliefs. Vea had somehow known about the covenant, even though she had been dormant for quite a while. It seemed as if time had passed as if years of The Rookie's life had passed without him knowing, but a subsequent scan on him revealed him to be the same age he was when he was on Draco III, Twenty-Eight. Vea thought that The Rookie had somehow been put in a cryo-pod and sent here, a flawed guess, but there was nothing else to base this off of. To guess the year on Earth was impossible, as they could not tell where they were on the map, they were off of all UNSC maps they had available. The Divine Wind was most likely linked to The Great Journey that the covenant believed in. There were many questions and almost no answers. Now, it was late in the afternoon, and the building grew quiet as all the noises outside dissipated, leaving a tired rookie and his newfound AI ally. He sat now, on a bed. He had taken the liberty of taking off his amor. There was no need for it now. He had only just taken a shower, in what felt like eons without one, and ate one of the Ready-To-Eat meals he had found. The AI seemed to stare at him from the edge of the table, as he rested on the bed, clearly troubled. "You are... Dead?" She asked, breaking the silence of the setting. The Rookie's eyes had grown heavy, but the question woke him right awake. He looked over to the Vea, his face obscured in the darkness. "I am?" Rookie had replied, after a moment of silence, sitting up. His face still was hidden behind a veil of darkness, even Vea couldn't get a look at him. "Well according to your date, in your system, it is 2560. My files on you, they say you died. January, 1554." She said. Even through her alien look, could The Rookie see her confusion and discomfort. She had good reason for it, this was all... Very strange. To say this didn't trouble him would be a very lie. "Blood Type O+, Enlisted July 7th, 2547, born on Luna. Referred to as, "quiet." Your first battle, The Battle of New Jerusalem. You were among the only survivors. At the Raid of Mount Haven, you were again one of the only survivors..." The Rookie quietly looked down. He remembered those events. He remembered a dying Gage Yevgenny telling him all about his life, and sending him off before he detonated Mount Haven. That's where he swore to forever fight the covenant. He ran with almost no gear, running from ODST that had defected, the covenant, and a bomb with nothing. When he finally reached salvation, he was told Reach, humanities largest military instillation, had been lost. All seemed so lost then. "You were promoted to Lance Corporal, and moved to a new squad. You then fought in the defence of Earth on New Mombasa. Alone, you travelled and found your squad, after days of fighting alone in city ruins. You saved an engineer. An engineer that changed the tires of the war. You were redeployed after the end of the war to quell rebellions. And on Draco III... You were held hostage and murdered." The Rookie let out a soft sigh as he heard this. He hadn't dwelled much on that realization, but he knew that it had happened. To have a gun pointed at you, then suddenly awake in a poppy field... That's not right. All this thought and rememberable was shaking him to his core. He didn't want to remember any of this. As far as he knew, it was in the past. "And so I died." He whispered before beginning to put on his amor again. He needed to find a way back to the UNSC, and back to Luna. He was born on the Earth's moon, and he wanted to return, perhaps soon. With a soft click, his helmet was snapped on and it's HUD lit. "I'm going to take that Pelican out, to the edge of the atmosphere. I want to see the moon." He said, looking at Vea who had been watching him with a mix of curiosity and confusion. She shook her head, and nodded. "Take me with." She said, motioning to a chip on the side of the table. He nodded, and removed her core from the table, holding it in his hand. The Rookie made his way to the pelican, the sky dimming around him. He entered it and went into the cockpit. He put Vea into the Pelican's AI slot, mostly reserved for simpler AI. She suddenly appeared beside him, and already seemed quite eager. She looked around, and took in her environment. "Being out of that old shack feels amazing. Would you like me to fly?" The Rookie looked at the eager pony and nodded. She grinned, and the Pelican's engines roared on. The plane that had been still so long now began to lift, and lift, until it was a hundred, then two hundred, then a thousand feet in the sky. It didn't take the old, resilient ship much to fly into the planet's atmosphere. There, Rookie looked out of the Pelican's windows, and into the bright, large moon before him. It reminded him of his home. He sat in the chair, and stared and stared, Vea seemingly understanding. And so The Rookie looked, his eyes growing heavy yet again. Before he had noticed, sleep overtook him, the last image remaining in his mind being that gorgeous moon. "So it hath chosen thee? A troubled, but good man. I will save thee." A voice, loud, but yet, clear and elegant in determination spoke. The darkness around him seemed to spark, to envelope him. Then, just for a moment, he saw her. Another like Vea, but dark as the moon and bright as the stars, infinitely more incapsulsting. "Farewell. Find me soon, moon watcher."
The Wind GuidesAnd so, The Great Journey resumes. Was that a dream? The... woman, or mare, he saw, that was too real to be a simple dream. His train of thought was quickly broken, though, it made him wave it away. It was just a dream. "...kie? Rookieeee?" A bothered voice spoke. The Rookie sighed and sat up, his eyes quickly glancing at the time in his HUD. Seven A.M. It seemed as if time here was similar as it was on Earth, and most of the other planets he had been on. "Finally! You suddenly fell asleep just by looking at the moon! Jeez. It's morning, and I've let you sleep long enough. I think it's about time for you to get up." Vea told him, in a clearly annoyed tone. Her front right hoove did a little stomp, a little action that Rookie couldn't help but be amused at. It was strangely adorable. "Sorry." Was all The Rookie said in response after staring at her bemused for a moment, standing up with a slight stretch. He hadn't intended to fall asleep there. The moon must have been too... comforting. It reminded him of home, all too much. He was born and raised on Luna, Earth's moon, after all. Looking at a celestial object for that long must have made him quite sleepy. But that wasn't worth thinking about, not right now. "Do you have a plan? Of what to do?" The Rookie had asked, finally standing up with a soft sigh. The Rookie, as intelligent and capable as he believed himself to be, wasn't a leader. He was fine enough leading himself, as he had done several times in the past. Surviving was in his very DNA. But, with someone else's 'life' seemingly attached to his, he needed her input, even if he technically was the reigning member of the UNSC here. "I've thought of many possibilities, and I do have a plan!" Vea's eyes seemed to lighten up just a bit, her eyes widening as she moved back and forth, her hooves making a soft tap with each 'touch' to the Pelican's floor. "When we were up in the air, I did, in fact, notice a building. It is... strange, it's location makes no sense, and the technological level of the building is that of an era before ours. We may have in fact, traveled in time." Vea said, walking right up to The Rookie. She looked up at him, and he looked down at her. "And... so, we should tread carefully, and visit that building. "Sounds good." The Rookie had replies after a slight moment of hesitation. He grabbed his SMG, which he had placed on the chair beside his, and slung it onto his back. He needed to get home, back to his friends. That squad he was with, they were the last real reason he had to go on for. It was his duty to return to them. "You coming?" He asked, giving a quick glance at the mare beside him, her translucent body shimmering, turning from the light red it usually was to a pink. She nodded, and The Rookie promptly removed her glowing chip from the Pelican's system. Normally, an ODST's helmet would never have a chipset made for AI. Those were reserved for the enhanced spartans and their Mjolnir armor. But, because of The Rookie's past work with the engineer that he had helped save on New Mombasa, and the city's AI system, ONI, the Office of Naval Intelligence, had given him a helmet with a chipset. He reached behind his head and inserted the chip into the slot. His helmet dimmed for a moment before the HUD had become a translucent red. It seemed as if she had an effect on his HUD too. "Ready to go! Lead the way." He heard a voice speak. The Rookie nodded and walked into the cockpit of his Pelican. The lights inside turned on, their dim light illuminating the Pelican's cargo bay, and it's many pallets of supplies. The Rookie's head lightly craned to the Mongoose, a sort of four-wheeler to travel, alone on mostly. It didn't take him long to take a gas canister and put it on the back-side of the Mongoose, just in case he needed more. He opened the door of his pelican and pushed the bike out, the feeling of fresh air flowing through his helmet. It made him enjoy it, for just a moment. "How far away is the objective?" He had asked after he had shut the door of the Pelican. "About Eighty Kilometers. You should make it there in an hour or two if you go through the plains. The Rookie gave a small nod and kicked on the mongoose. Its engine roared alive, the sound of a new engine being clear. He reared his hands forward, making his way to the mark on his HUD. It was time to finally investigate this world.
The Wind's GlitterAnd so, The Journey recommences The Mongoose's engine rumbled, it's the firey roar contrasting so heavily with the silent beauty of the plains around it. Its rider was, of course, was The Rookie. He silently looked forward, his hands strongly attached to the Mongoose's handles. He had been traveling for about three hours now, and the marker on his map was growing closer and closer. "I believe it would be best to continue on foot, from here, Rook." Vea's voice spoke from his helm. "Right." The plains that they were in before were now turning into hilly, rocky terrain. And now, Rookie's vision of the world was more clear than in the wide plains where he had started in. There was a large, expanse of a mountain range before him, towards the north of this land. The building they had seen earlier, was an abandoned shack. It seemed to be made out of wood, something The Rookie had almost never seen. There was nothing interesting in the shack, other than it's strange, short doorways. However, when they had arrived at that abandoned shack, they had noticed something in the distance that they had not seen before. In those large snowy mountains, there was a large, white tower, of a pearly white. It glimmered brightly, even from where they were. It seemed that there was also a city around that area, but it was hard to tell from their vantage point. Henceforth, their objective had turned to that white tower, and what was in it. They had traveled for a while before arriving here. The Rookie went into a bush, turned off his Mongoose, and took it's key, stuffing it in one of his packs before he hopped off. It was well concealed enough now. He took a hold of his gun and began to make his way up one of the smaller mountains. It didn't take him long to climb it, he had done much more in less time. He trudged through, ignoring the strange fact that the plains had been a perfectly temperate temperature, and yet here, it was beginning to become quite snowy. When he was at the top, he saw the city, in its full glory. Crystals. That was the thought that went through his mind when he did look at that city. It was a large expanse of a settlement, seemingly made of pure crystals. He had never seen anything of this, not before. He had once seen a small forerunner outpost, the predecessors of humanity, and it stunned him, but not to this degree. The way that the building glittered, reflecting the sun's warm, loving gaze onto him. The way that the tower gazed onto him, even up here, gave him a sense of calm that he had never felt, certainly not from looking at a city. "Where am I?" He whispered as he toggled his helmet's visor, to three times the intensity, so he could see the city closer. "I haven't got a clue, myself." He heard Vea's voice whisper, the same tone of surprise in her voice as she saw what he saw. As he did look onto the settlement with the visor zoomed, he saw what seemed to be variations of, well, Vea all walking about. They were hard to see from this distance, but they seemed to be walking about, doing what one would in a normal human settlement. It reminded him of Luna, before the wars. Everything was oh so... calm. As The Rookie looked at the settlement, Vea's voice surprised him. "Hostile!" The Rookie backed up with surprise and turned around, only to face a pack of wolves. They had snuck upon him, and his systems hadn't registered it. It seems that Vea was distracted, taking in all the view of that city and that she too had only just noticed. The Rookie whispered a curse, and raised his favored weapon, the SMG, to the wolves. They snarled, and their teeth did shine a gnarly yellow. There was a total of six of them, and they were approaching him from all sides. From where The Rookie was, it was impossible to back up more. There was a snowy hill behind him, and falling would not be to his advantage. So, he would need to fight. His finger went to squeeze the trigger of his gun, but, he couldn't press it. He was frozen. A memory from before, one he did not know existed came to him. When he was on Draco III, with his squadmates, his friends, they were to quell a rebellion. It had all gone smooth, all until the end. The rookie had gotten himself into a trap, as he attempted to win the battle over. He was held, hostage. He knew that. That's what he did remember. What he didn't know, what had implanted itself into his mind only now, was the shot that rang out as his helmet's visor cracked, and the looks on his friend's faces as they watched him die. It all came now. He felt his death, just now. "Rookie! Rook! Shoot!" Vea yelled out. "You have to shoot now!" The Rookie fell to his knee and coughed loudly as he was brought back to. Vea's yells to regain his attention worked. He squeezed the gun's trigger once, and the familiar sound of a bullet sounded. Boom. Click A wolf was stopped, only mid-jump towards Rook, it's jaw opened wide as it fell short. The bullet hit, right on the mark. The Rookie raised his gun, and shot the other five, in quick succsesstion. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Click They all fell, after they all did too run at him. The Rookie looked at their bodies, the blood of the canines now seeping into the soft snow and soil below, tainting them with their wicked blood. Rook did fall on his knee and take a couple of deep breaths, regaining his composure soon enough. He had seen worse, his death, it shouldn't be enough to stop him. Not at all. The sound of silence that followed the small battle was sickening, it made The Rookie's mouth dry. "Are you fine?" "I am." The Rookie replied, bluntly. He reached for his side and grabbed his canteen. He raised his helm, only just slightly, and took a small sip of the water inside, the dryness in this throat fading away with its refreshing taste. "Let's keep going." He said, taking out the clip he had just used with his gun. He put it into a pack and clicked another one in. He stood back up and stepped over the wolf that had almost got him, beginning to make his way down that mountain, towards the glittering city. He had to investigate further. And so, The Rookie trekked onwards, through the snow. He did walk closer and closer until eventually the zoom on his visor was no longer necessary. Now, he was on a marbled path that lead into the gates of the city, and the glitter of the stones was right before him. The Rookie was now noticed by the inhabitants of the city, and they did look at him. Some were curious, simply staring at him, others ushered themselves away as he did walk through the gates. What seemed to be a mother, and her child rushed into a building, while what seemed to be a male looked at him with more curiosity than anything, only a few meters away. "This is strange." The Rookie whispered as he looked at the inhabitants of the town. They all were very alike Vea, but instead of her strange glow that could be assumed to be from her AI nature, they were all made of the same crystal that she was. Vea herself was a mare, and from what The Rookie could tell, she was shorter but more 'adorable' than most of these 'people.' The Rookie did also notice that unlike Vea, which had no 'strange' features, some of these people did have a single horn or a pair wings. "Indeed. It seems we have found where my creators took their inspiration." Vea spoke as The Rookie continued onwards. He was now nearing the pearly white tower, and he could see a sort of crystal castle near it. "Perhaps it would be in our best interests if I appeared next to you. It seems that these people are somewhat unsettled by you." "Not yet," The Rookie said as he walked on, "I would rather not have you found out, just yet." The Rookie was now near that castle, and he had passed what now was hundreds of onlookers. People in the streets stopped to look at him or to hide, some murmuring among themselves. And now that he was in what seemed to be the town's square, which was more of a circle of glittering homes and 'people,' he was looked upon all sides. None of them seemed to have ill intent towards him, though he did manage to hear a couple of mentions of a resemblance to a 'Sombra.' The Rookie was now stopped on the 'street' of this square, apprehensive as to what could happen, with what seemed to be dozens, if not a hundred of onlookers looking towards him. The time now seemed to go still. They were all looking at him now, wondering what he was, what he was doing, and who he was. The silence was broken, though, making The Rookie back up in surprise. What seemed to be another child or foal, with wings, flew towards him with a slightly goofy-looking smile. What seemed to be the child's mother, who looked on in shock, fainted, in quite a comedic way. Her 'hoof' raised to her forehead, and she fell onto a bystander's side. "What are you? Are you a bad guy?" The child spoke as it did a little lap around Rookie, it made him do a three-sixty just to keep looking at her. "If you are a bad guy, you'll be in a lot of trouble you know! Miss Twilight and her friends stopped even Lord Sombraaah!" The child was suddenly encapsulated by a light red and suddenly pulled back quickly, back into the crowd. The Rookie was all too confused by that, but a sudden noise took that train of thought from him. Footsteps, or 'Hoovesteps' loudly clicked against the crystal floor behind The Rookie. He turned, to find four distinct-looking of the 'ponies' approaching him. They wore different attire than the rest, which seemed to be crystal armor and helmets, with a royal aura surrounding them. They must have been the guards of that tower, and they must have come to investigate the commotion of the disturbance in the town. "We have been asked by Her Majesty, Princess Cadance Mi Amore Cadenza, for you to immediately seek an audience with her. You have been granted an escort, and have been asked to follow immediately." The way the guard spoke, it made it clear that this was not a choice. As dangerous as this could be, The Rookie was confident he would be fine. He always was. "Lead the way."
FriendsAnd so, The Great Journey carries on He could feel the air somehow change now that he followed them. They were of course the guards that were sent for him. There were four, in total, in the beginning. Now, there were six. They flanked him on all of his sides, each of them walking with the elegance and grace one would expect of a truly strict honor guard. Each step seemed to match a tempo invisible to the common ear. Somehow, The Rookie couldn't even picture spartans walking in that manner. They were too... noisy. Bulky, and with no seeming elegance in any way. But alike the Spartans from his world, these guards all moved with a clear purpose, one that looked as if it had been repeated, rehearsed, and followed through on many occasions. To make their ruler's will true. Some of them had wings, enchanting, and dignified in all their might. And some others, they had horns, spiraling until they reached a sharp point. It was something The Rookie would see out of a very fairy tale. It seemed like he was suddenly transported into a world of strange high fantasy, where mystic horses made of crystal ruled, something out of a children's book. But this was no fantasy and no dream. The manner that they walked onwards, with clear diligence, was too real. Now that The Rookie was not plagued by anticipation and paranoia, from many onlookers. That was not to say that he was not ready to fight back; his hands rested on the matte black of his gun, his fingers tracing over the small indents on the surface. The Rookie was ready to fight back if they had somehow provoked him, but they had not done so, yet. They had treated him, at least to his knowledge, with at least some respect. This was a much better alternative than being immediately attacked or demanded to go into a dusty, old cell. "Stay calm. This was... probably our best chance to get home. Just listen to what I say, and we'll probably get out of here just fine." A familiar voice spoke. It was Vea, an AI he had found when he had arrived in this strange land. And he knew she was much smarter than himself, being an AI came with a very strong intellect. All The Rookie had to do, was to follow her advice. This was, their best chance to find others like them. It could be a secret planet that had been hidden away from common knowledge from people like him, and even to the AI, like Vea. Perhaps these 'people' had a way to contact his homeworld. It was almost certain that humans were not already present here, because of the amount of time that Vea had attempted to contact others. She had spent, many, many hours looking for a single bit of data containing humans, and there was nothing. Nothing but the old building and Pelican. But, all of this was beside the point. The Rooke had to focus on the matter on hand now. That being that he was being 'escorted' to a ruler's castle. He, and Vea, were hoping to have a peaceful interaction with them, and hopefully, secure safety as they stayed here. This was, according to Vea, the best possible route to survival. It would be better to fight with the seemingly primitive technology now, than a prolonged guerrilla fight later. The Rookie didn't see another way, anyway. Vea may have been modeled differently, but she so far had shown a duty to him, as almost all the AI did. Their jobs were to protect humanity, after all, and so far, Vea was doing that job quite well. It took them just a few more moments of walking through pearly halls and glimmering stone paths when they arrived at gates of seemingly pure ruby. The four guards in front of him, uniform in motion, all walked forward and opened the doors for him. A shining light pierced through the rift, almost celestial in sight, only growing more so as it opened more. Finally, they opened, revealing the full glory that was hidden behind. A vast, elegant hall stood from here to the end of the room, which must have been several dozen meters. Two tall thrones stood on the other side, which themselves gave an aura of authority and prowess throughout the hall. To either side of the hall, where galleries, a few meters up in the air. On them, many of these beings watched, hushing amongst themselves as they looked down at The Rookie. These were clearly the nobility of this land. their posh styles and mannerisms all clear at just a sight. It was strangely similar to tales of grand halls of ancient nobility from Earth, it made The Rookie question stand and look at the onlookers with uncertainty. Was this really home? And by home- His thought was interrupted when a sudden voice had called out behind him. Looking away from the gawking nobility on the galleries, he turned to face the booming voice behind him. "As requested by our noble and great princess, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, the unfamiliar and novel newcomer to the Crystal Empire has been brought forward!" The voice of course came from one of these horses, ponies, from what seemed to be a male with grey fur and a shinning red as a mane, in quite an elegant matter. The Rookie paid him no heed and turned back to face the front of the room. All the room seemed to immediately quiet down, all of those that The Rookie could see bowed, in a short, and regal form. It was only then that The Rookie had seen her. In the two thrones, were two more of these ponies. It was not the thrones that had been giving off the aura of authority, but those that sat in it. The one on the left, he was one of those with a horn, with a blue mane and white coat. He looked serious, and he was donning an armor, one that looked very regal. It seemed as if he was worried, if not, threatened to The Rookie. Having only a glance over him, The Rookie looked to the one that had really caught his attention. Just the sight of her, made him grasp his weapon tighter. She was taller than the rest, that was for certain. The Rookie could feel a pink atmosphere radiate from her, her hair clearly having been a little hastily, but well done, along with her attire. He could see that this event had to be of some importance, she must have hurried to meet him head-on, to determine if he was a threat. The other thing that The Rookie had seen was that she had both horns and wings. This was not something he had seen in any of the others, and the HUD in his helmet, that Vea had been operating, discreetly told him the same thing. "Proceed with Caution." Was flashed on his screen, for just a few moments. It made The Rookie let out a sharp breath. He had almost forgotten to breathe. This was overwhelming. "Hello, newcomer. I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, as you may already know. I rule the Crystal Empire, a peaceful and yet powerful force in Equestria. We Equestrians have felt a strange imbalance of magic, one that had only been felt when King Sombra was at his height, and can only surmise that you are what brought upon this distress. Therefore, I must ask, who are you, and... are you a threat?" The pony said with clear determination, but yet, there was distress somewhere hidden behind her voice. It seemed that this was a much more significant deal than what The Rookie had come here initially thinking. The voices on the gallies around him began to speak again, much more hurriedly, some of them now looking at The Rookie with looks of fear, or of clear hostility. "I..." The room quieted as The Rookie began to speak. "I am The Rookie." The man, gripping onto his rifle, took a deep breath. With the resolution he had gathered on the march here, he steeled himself and continued to speak. "I am from a... distant land. I am a peacekeeper. I am under the direct command of a group of nations, a United Nations, who seek peace and prosperity and seek to deploy a strong force to keep harmony. I am a soldier of peace, and of war, and, the last of these United Nations. As a united power, we are a threat to all who dare oppose us, but to those who also seek peace, we are friends. Your Highness, no, I am not a threat to your Empire, if you are not a threat to our United Nations, I am a friend, if you are ours." That was the best speech that a quiet person like Rookie could give. He had never spoken to such a large group, much less represented his whole galactic empire, to a group of new species. The Rookie felt his heart racing and found it difficult to not begin to panic. This was a job meant for those above him or the super-soldiers. He was just an ODST. It seemed that his speech was wrong though, as silence seemed to last for ages as he and the Princess looked at one another. It was in reality a tense few seconds, but the Princess seemed to like his answer. She smiled and stood up from her throne. "Then I, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, declare us... Friends!"
