“Roland, what’s our ETA?” Admiral Lasky asked as he stood at the front of the Infinity’s bridge, gazing out into the abyss of Slipspace before them. The various officers on the bridge were silent as they worked at their stations. Though, some did occasionally whisper to another adjacent crew member.

“Thirty minutes at current velocity, sir.” Roland replied. “I’ve also gotten confirmation that the Eternity and the Spirit of Fire are keeping pace with us, and will arrive at the same time we do. The Shadow of Intent is also on its way, though they are behind us by about three quarters of an hour.”

“That's good to hear.” Lasky nodded. “Keep me posted, and notify me when we arrive.”

Roland saluted and blinked out. Lasky turned at hearing heavy footsteps, and gave a small grin at the approach of Spartan Commander Sarah Palmer.

“Commander. Did things get too quiet for you on the S-Deck?” Lasky smirked.

“Hardly, and you know I come up here for my peace and quiet.” Palmer replied, moving to stand at the main holotable. “Everything’s squared away on our end. Spartan Locke just informed me that their rookie is settling in nicely.”

“Good.” Lasky nodded, exhaling deeply. “We’re still on schedule for our arrival. I imagine the locals will have plenty of questions for us.”

“If we can understand them, and if there are any.” Palmer frowned slightly..

“Well, Commander, there is a 97.53 percent chance that there are sapient inhabitants on the target planet, based on my calculations.” Roland chimed in. “Supporting my math is that the text that was spliced into the original Forerunner beacon is completely new. Not only that, the data package contained population growth charts over a one hundred to one hundred-fifty year period.”

“Finally, if there is active Forerunner technology on this planet, there has to be a reason or cause for it to come online.” He finished. “Oh, Admiral, I’ve also taken the liberty of reminding all personnel in the Task Force of current UNSC First Contact Protocols.”

“You’re right on top of things, as ever.” Lasky nodded in appreciation. “Good work.”

“Just doing my duty, sir.” Roland replied. “Oh, we should be dropping out of Slipspace momentarily. Arrival at the destination point is imminent.”

As the Infinity, Eternity, and Spirit of Fire exited slipspace, a pristine, Earth-like world appeared. Lasky was spellbound momentarily at the sight of it, as it was a beautiful thing to witness. There were several smaller land-masses around one large, central continent, and each continent was populated by various biomes and environments.

“All ships are clear of Slipspace.” Roland reported. “Should I alert the hangar bay and available teams for a terrestrial landing?”

“Not just yet.” Lasky replied. “Let’s see what this planet has to offer. What do our initial scans have to report?”

“Well, the planet’s current scan data does match the initial data package’s observations. There’s a habitable atmosphere of similar composition to Earth’s, as it’s a nitrogen and oxygen mix with various other trace elements.” Roland said, bringing up readouts on the holotable.

“There are two main continents with various biomes on each, such as desert, two forms of tundra, plains, mountains…essentially, it's almost like a pre-Industrial revolution Earth in environmental and atmospheric terms. Protective gear won’t be necessary planetside.” he finished.

"Any signs of Forerunner technology or structures?" Lasky asked again. "Or any indication of where those could be?"

"Well, not at the moment, but our scans are just beginning to process, so I’d recommend we give it time." Roland replied. "Though, there’s something odd that I’m scanning, not sure what it’ll mean for us.

“Whatcha go for us?” Palmer asked.

"There appears to be a massive energy field, seemingly coming from the planet itself or on a planet-wide scale." Roland raised a holographic eyebrow as he sorted through the readouts on the holotable. "It's not like anything we've seen before, and that includes all known Human, Covenant, or Forerunner energy sources."

"What can you tell me?" Lasky said, glancing at the displays.

"Well, the field seems to be enveloping the planet like a veil, so to speak." the Infinity's shipboard AI replied. "Apart from being of an unknown form, it does seem to be influencing something on the planet below, judging by the way it ebbs and flows in real time. I would advise we hold off on landing until we know what we're dealing with."

"Agreed." Lasky nodded. "Lt. Teague, you have the conn. I'm going to alert Fleetcom that we've arrived and are beginning observation."

"Aye, sir!" the UNSC Lieutenant in mention called back. Lasky departed from the bridge, and began to walk down the hallway to his cabin undisturbed.

As Twilight blinked her eyes open, she looked over at the grandfather clock over in the corner of her bedroom. She noted that it was about two o'clock PM, and feeling very much refreshed, she headed to fix herself a late lunch.

To her surprise, she found not only her friends and Spike, but Princess Luna as well, were waiting for her in the dining room.

"What's going on?" she asked, seeing that her friends' faces were laden with worry.

"Well, while you were resting, Princess Twilight…" Princess Luna replied. "It appears that visitors have arrived in the heavens above."

Twilight immediately recognized what Princess Luna was referring to, and sat down, her head now feeling rather weighted and dizzy.

"Who are they?" she managed to ask.

"They are not the Forerunners, I can assure you of that." Luna sighed. "I can only assume they are the Reclaimers that the Didact and Librarian spoke of. However, all of our attempts to communicate with them have not been successful."

Twilight looked over at her friends, who didn’t seem too surprised by this revelation. Judging from this, she reasoned that Princess Luna must have informed them about her and Celestia’s interaction with the Forerunners. She then asked if this was true.

"Yeah, she told us while you were asleep.” Applejack replied, her normally stoic voice now sounding a little fearful. "It was quite a story, but that's not even the problem right now. What are we going to do about those aliens?"

"Yeah, AJ’s right.” Rainbow Dash said, trying to hide being a confident facade, but it was noticeable that she was scared. “We can’t just sit around and wait for them. There’s no telling what they’re planning!”

"That is true, and I’m all for airing on the side of caution…” Rarity added. “But there’s so much we don’t know here in this situation. I say we keep trying to communicate with them.”

The ensuing discussion lasted for a few moments, until Pinkie Pie jumped into the air and proudly yelped “Eureka!”, causing everypony present to flinch.

“What is it, Miss Pinkie PIe?” Princess Luna asked.

“Well, seeing as we can’t decide on something to do, why don’t we just do nothing?” Pinkie suggested, earning a look of confusion from all present.

“Lemme explain really quick.” She quickly added. “We know those aliens are coming sooner or later, so why waste time coming up with a really complicated plan? We’ve got to tell everypony that they’re coming and get ready for them!”

“Huh.” Twilight said flatly. “That makes sense to me…somehow. What do you all think?”

The others soon voiced their agreement, including Fluttershy, who had been curled up and quivering in a ball on a nearby couch.

“I’ll handle alerting the citizens.” Princess Luna said as she headed for the main doors. “You should all wait here until I fetch you.”

As the Element Bearers nodded and headed for the Castle's living room…had they been outside, they would've seen three winged shadows fly across the town and towards the grasslands to the northeast…

Thirty minutes earlier…

UNSC Infinity, Hangar Bay 7

The hangar bay, once relatively quiet, was now spun-up for action. Several maintenance teams moved caches of items for the planned upcoming First Contact meeting aboard a quartet of Pelican dropships. The crewmembers in the hangar had only just received the "Clear to proceed" alert from Admiral Lasky, which was confirmed by Roland. Everyone on the Infinity knew a First Contact was going to happen soon, and the consequences of a second failure would not be pleasant for the UNSC.

After all, their failed First Contact with the Covenant had inevitably been responsible for over twenty-three billion human lives being lost over the course of twenty-seven years.

There was an unspoken order known among everyone aboard all three UNSC vessels to not make the same mistakes again. The three Spartan fireteams and one Marine squad that were to deploy had been briefed thoroughly on the current protocols for a First Contact, and had been warned to not engage the locals in combat unless absolutely necessary.

Spartan Fireteams Majestic, Crimson, and Osiris, along with Marine Icebreaker Squad were selected for this operation, primarily due to their myriad of experience in different combat deployments. Other reasons included Spartan Olympia Vale's language training, Spartan Emily Russel of Fireteam Crimson's proficiency in recon and field psych-ops, and Spartan Gabriel Thorne's leadership skills.

For these reasons, all three teams were to work cohesively, with no one fireteam in command of the others. Each fireteam leader would work with the other two to decide the best course of action for the unit.

However, they were reminded that live-fire, whether provoked or unprovoked, was to be used only as an absolute last resort, and to engage in diplomacy as much as possible. Once the UNSC had established contact with the locals, the command staff of the UNSC Infinity, Eternity, and Spirit of Fire would come down and take over negotiations.

Now, as the thirteen Spartans and seven Marines boarded their waiting Pelicans, Spartan Brighton looked over his weapon of choice, a DMR, for what seemed to be the seventh time since they departed from the barracks.

It was fresh off the assembly line, and Brighton could see his faint reflection in the freshly cleaned lens of the weapon's scope.

"Are you still with us, Spartan?"

Brighton snapped himself back to reality, turned to look at Spartan Locke, who had spoken, and gave a confident nod.

"Good." Locke replied. "Pilot, are we all set?"

"Affirmative!" the pilot of Osiris's Pelican called back over the comms. "We're heading downstairs in t-minus twenty seconds!"

"Brighton, strap yourself in. This could be a bumpy ride!" Vale called out, and Brighton quickly secured his seatbelt strap. As the other three Pelicans flew out of the hangar towards the planet below, escorted by a pair of Broadsword fighters, the Spartans aboard each made themselves ready for what would come next.

Once the four dropships broke through the planet's atmosphere, the Broadswords shook their wings before beginning their return flight to the Infinity.

"Where's our landing zone?" Spartan McCord asked the pilot of Fireteam Crimson's Pelican.

"It's a large grassland near what appears to be a small town, Spartan!" the pilot replied. "From what Infinity ops has told us, it's our closest spot for a quick landing, yet far enough away that we can avoid interference from the locals. We'll be landing in t-minus 90 seconds!"

"Alright then!" McCord barked to his fireteam. "Get ready, Spartans! We'll hit the ground running and head to the settlement as soon as we're mobile. Once we do, keep weapons down and fingers off the triggers. We don't want any accidents! Am I understood?"

The other Spartans called back in the affirmative, and as the Pelicans angled out and began their landing sequences, each Spartan present stood up and formed a single file line behind the door.

The ensuing shudder throughout the four Pelicans marked that they had landed safely, and once the doors opened, the Spartans exited and quickly set up a perimeter. The Marines of Icebreaker Squad quickly unloaded the containers carried aboard each Pelican, and once everything was on the ground, the four dropships took off for the Infinity.

After a few minutes of arranging, the six Marines under Lieutenant Murphy reported that the containers were secured and locked up tight, and they were clear to depart.

"Then we know our heading." Spartan Thorne motioned towards the southwest, where the settlement could be seen faintly on the skyline. "Move out!"

As the group headed for the town in the distance, Spartan McCord's eyes were locked on both the area in front of him and his HUD's motion tracker. A good distance away to their right was the treeline of a very tangled and old-looking forest, which was mired in bushes and foliage.

"Do you think anything lives in that forest?" Spartan David Crosse, a member of Fireteam Crimson, wondered out loud. "It doesn't look inviting, if you get my meaning."

"Well, I agree with you on that one." said Spartan Laura Harper, Spartan McCord's second in command. "The thing is, there's no telling what could live on this planet at all based on scans alone. We're in uncharted territory."

"At least we can breathe the air down here," said Spartan Anthony Madsen. "This world feels so…natural, pristine, even. Just thinking about the amount of untapped resources here is giving me a headache."

"Try to Imagine the look on a Liang-Dortmund bigwig if they were here." Spartan Tedra Grant chuckled, and it didn't take long before quiet laughter spread through the rest of the detachment.

"Alright, focus up." Spartan McCord called out quietly. "Looks like there's a settlement ahead…and it looks like they're expecting us."

"What makes you say that?" Spartan Brighton wondered, and then he, along with the others, saw exactly what made McCord make the connection. There was a large crowd of equine aliens, with coats, manes, and tails of all colors, spread out near what was undeniably the town's main entrance. Some of the equines had horns, others had wings, a good number had neither, but the two equines in front had both. One was taller than the other, with a blue coat, and a mane and tail that resembled a starlit sky, and was flowing in the air despite there being no wind. The other was more normal looking, with a lavender coat, a purple and pink mane and tail. They both bore an image on their flanks, with the first having a crescent moon and stars, and the other had a large four-pointed star with smaller stars around it.

As the UNSC Marines stepped back and lowered their weapons while the Spartans approached, the two lead locals approached, and to their surprise, the blue one bowed her head and motioned for the other to do the same.

"Welcome, Reclaimers." the blue equine said, and every single member of the UNSC detachment did a visible double take.

"I didn't mean to startle any of you!" she, or at least judging from the blue one's feminine voice, soon followed up, quickly added. "You are the Reclaimers that the Librarian spoke of, aren't you?"

Spartan McCord, after clearing his throat, took off his helmet, causing both of the lead equines to raise their eyebrows.

"Yes, that would be us, seeing as that's the Forerunner term for humanity. I'm just…surprised that you're not only able to speak English, but that you also know who we are. May I ask why that is?"

"It's a long story, and with all due respect, perhaps we should take it inside my castle." the other equine suggested as she motioned to a large, crystalline tree. "We can compare notes there, where it's more private."

"We'd appreciate that, thank you." McCord nodded. "My name is Christopher McCord. I'm a Spartan-IV in service to the United Nations Space Command, or UNSC. I'm in command of Spartan fireteam Crimson. This is Spartan Jameson Locke, he leads Fireteam Osiris, and Spartan Gabriel Thorne, he leads Fireteam Majestic. We're accompanied by Marine squad Icebreaker, led by Lieutenant T.J. Murphy."

"Well met, all of you. I am Princess Luna, Alicorn of the Moon, and Mistress of the Night, one of the two Royal Sisters of Equestria. This is Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Magic and one of the six bearers of the Elements of Harmony."

"Now, shall we head inside and proceed with negotiations?" Princess Luna asked, and the Spartans nodded.

"Though…" Twilight murmured, causing everyone to look at her. "I'm not sure I have enough room for all of us in my castle. Seeing as it was made for ponies and not humans…no offense…I don't think it'll be comfortable."

"No offense taken." Spartan Locke replied. "We'll figure something out."

"Well, if I may, Princesses…" siad an older-looking mare with a gray coat, who wore glasses and a casual suit. "Ponyville Town Hall should have enough space for all of you. I'd be a little cramped, but I bet you could all squeeze in."

"Oh, thank you, Mayor Mare." Twilight replied, visibly relieved. "Follow us, we'll show you the way."

"Sounds good." McCord nodded. "Thorne, let Admiral Lasky know that preliminary First Contact was successful, and we're moving to another location. If he or anyone else wants to come down, I bet now's the best time."

"Copy that." Thorne nodded, and as they began to follow the Equestrians through the crowd, the Spartans could hear plenty of hushed words being said about them. However, the locals seemed to be quite curious about them, and one mint-green mare seemed rather unable to contain her excitement as they passed by her and another who was presumably her friend.

"Are we clear to proceed with this, Thorne?" McCord asked.

"Yeah, I just got off with Admiral Lasky." Thorne replied. "He's on his way down now, along with Captains Altan and Cutter, and some other UNSC representatives. Dr Halsey is on her way as well, since she's Infinity's ONI handler. I'm not sure who else will be coming. The Admiral did say he thinks it'd be better if we waited until they get here to begin formal negotiations."

"Understood." McCord nodded. "Anything else?"

"Roland reported they're fueling up a set of Pelicans now, so it shouldn't be too long before they get here." Thorne added. "When they do, we'll be pulling security."

As the Spartans entered Ponyville town hall, each of them had to duck under slightly to enter, as it was clearly made for shorter beings, not fully armored Spartan-IVs. There was a little bit of laughter when Madsen, distracted by waving back to three rather excited young equines, ran his head into the door frame.

Madsen, being caught off guard by the impact, nearly cursed out loud, but the resulting laughter from the crowd made him roll his eyes and wave as he entered, and this time he remembered to duck.

"Thanks for the PR boost, Madsen." Spartan Hoya called, causing everyone to laugh again. Madsen simply raised his middle finger at his teammate. Once the Spartans were all seated on the floor, as the available wooden chairs wouldn't hold their weight, Princess Luna and Princess Twilight cleared their throats.

"Where would you like to start?" Twilight asked as she took out a fresh notepad and pen. "I imagine there's a lot to go through."

"There is, but we're not cleared to tell you just yet." McCord replied. "Command thought it wise to let official UNSC representatives do the talking. I don't want to disappoint you, but those are our current orders."

"I see, and I understand completely." Princess Luna said. "Is there anything we can discuss?"

"Not at the moment." McCord said. "However, if it's possible, can you clear an area for us? The UNSC reps need a place to land."

"As you wish." Princess Luna nodded, and as they headed back outside, the Alicorn of the Moon repeated what Spartan McCord had requested. The crowd immediately dispersed, and only a few moments later, two additional Pelicans landed in the town square. As the Spartans and Marines stood at attention, Admiral Lasky, Captains Altan and Cutter, Doctors Halsey and Glassman, and Professor Ellen Anders disembarked.

After a round of introductions, Princess Luna used her magic to pull the chairs from inside the hall to them, and they were soon set up so everyone had a place to sit. She also coated the chairs with a pale blue aura, and when Spartan McCord took a seat, the chair didn't buckle or collapse at all.

This astounded the humans that were present to a great degree. Even Dr. Halsey, who was rarely seen as anything other than stoic, raised her eyebrows in surprise as she took notes and video.

"What was that?" Admiral Lasky asked.

"Magic." Princess Luna replied. "I suppose we'll have to explain when negotiations are finished, but for now, shall we go first? Very well, then."

"About one thousand years ago, shortly before my exile to the moon…the Forerunners came to Equestria, led by the Didact and the Librarian…"

Author's Note

Well, this has taken the place as my longest chapter written, if I remember correctly.

Anyway, I'll be heading out on a trip soon, so that means more time to write. I do hope you enjoyed this update, however.