The robotic voice rang out loudly, startling everyone present as they looked all around for the source of the voice. That was when suddenly, the platform Kieran was standing on began to descend down like an elevator.

“Uh… S-Sir!?” Kieran exclaimed as he began to lower down with the platform.

“Everyone join in! This is our chance!” Maverick firmly ordered. Without hesitation, the rest of the group crowds in on the platform as it begins its descent.

“Up, down, down, up. Jesus, can’t this place make up its mind?” Kieran complained, earning no other comment from anyone.

The platform continues to descend, crystal walls covering all sides not allowing anyone to see where they were going. Finally, after what felt like several minutes, the walls expanded outwards to reveal a large chamber. The crystalline walls soon turned into walls of silver-like metal. As the descent continues, Twilight looks down and is stunned by what she sees, what looks to be a hidden alien laboratory was just below them. The platform finally rests at the bottom, allowing everyone to step off.

All over, there was large machinery, instruments, panels, and even large glass tubes that looked large enough to fit a pony inside. All of it was, intense. It was hard to take in as everyone began to observe the lab around them. There were tables and many different screens and computers filling the lab. It looked completely different from any high-tech labs Twilight had seen on the Ad Meliora.

“What is this place?” Rainbow Dash asked quietly but loud enough for everyone to hear.

“No idea, but this metal, it matches the reports of Forerunner tech we have on record,” Maverick stated as he got close to the center console.

“So… What do we do? This place looks a little run down and covered in dust.” Ember spoke up, not daring to touch anything.

“We need to get Reagan down here; he could probably—” Maverick was suddenly cut off when he got too close to the central console. The main screen suddenly lights up, causing him to jump. A scanner quickly passes over him, scanning him head to foot.

“Reclaimer, identified.” Said the same robotic voice from earlier. Twilight, who was standing close to Maverick, was startled to see that she too was suddenly scanned. “Neural Physics user, identified.”

“Reclaimer? Neural Physics?” Shining Armor repeated, becoming increasingly confused. Once the scans were done, the entire lab seemed to come alive. Lights were activated, and screens showing an unknown language turned on. It was as if someone turned the on switch for everything present.

“What’s going on? Why is everything turning on!?” Twilight exclaimed loudly as her head dashed back and forth looking at everything suddenly turn on.

“I don’t know.” Maverick said, trying to keep his cool. He held onto his weapon firmly, pointing it every which way. Finally, the center console lights up fully and begins to speak again.

“Playing Journal entry number 1 of 70.” The artificial voice said before a blue light was then emitted, pointing at the ground. As the light warms up, a hologram is projected. The figure being projected was someone no one had ever seen before. He looked oddly humanoid, but he was taller, lacked a nose, and had paler skin. He looks straightforward, not looking at anyone in the room.

“Greetings to whoever finds this place. My name is Faber-Of-Will-And-Might; former Master Builder of the Forerunner Empire.” Said the holographic figure with an unrecognizable accent.

“Forerunner…” Maverick says in a whisper as he puts away his gun.

“Is this a pre-recorded message, or is this an actual AI?” Kieran asked as he, too, stepped forward.

“I think it’s the latter, Espartano,” Carlito answered as the Hologram continued to speak.

“The fools at Maethrillian saw it to remove my status as the Master Builder.” Faber scowled. “No matter. The Council may charge me with crimes against the Mantel for my work, but it bothers me none. I will do what I must to find a solution to end the Parasite’s grasp on the Galaxy whether they like it or not. And with Mendicant Bias seeming to defect to the Flood, time is of the essence. So I have exiled myself here, on this primitive planet away from the Council and far from the Flood.”

The holographic image of Faber then approached one of the main tables where many tools of unknown use lay before him. He picks up one and examines it.

“So, to whoever finds this place, I am recording my procedures so that one day, what I do can be recreated, should the Parasite return, and that the Halo Array may not be the only option for those who combat the Flood in the future.” The projection of Faber then sets the tool down. “During my time on Installation 07, my initial experiments have yielded no results. It appears that Humanity has no real immunity to the Parasite; what a waste of my time.”

The group continues to watch the hologram closely as he continues to ramble, most of his words flying right over their heads. Faber then turns and approaches the other side of the room, approaching an empty glass container. As the Hologram gets closer, a new hologram emerges inside the container. To their shock, it was a pony. But, it looked clueless as it stared up at Faber like it didn’t have a single thought going through its mind like it was just a simple animal. Twilight’s eyes widen at the reveal as the projection of Faber kneels down to look at the pony.

“And here on this planet, I find this species called the Equui by my fellow peers. These beasts of burden usually work as a labor force for most of the other species. Today, these creatures are my newest test subjects. From studies, we know the Flood possesses a hivemind. What purpose would a mindless animal benefit them? Or perhaps, the answer to the Flood avoiding such creatures lies within the very minds of this species.” Faber taps the glass with his finger, startling the primitive pony as he does. He chuckles with amusement and then stands to full height.

“I will be recording my full journey of experiments to find the answers I seek. My research in stopping the Flood forever must be preserved, no matter how vile the Council claims it to be. I shall return, once my research begins to yield more progress.” The hologram of Faber dissipates for only a brief moment.

“What…in the hell was that all about?” Came the voice of Tex. The confusion evident in his voice.

“You saw the same thing as us, Sergeant. How the hell should we know?” Kieran replied, looking at the ODST.

The one who remained quiet the most was Twilight as her mind sped into overdrive. Most of what she heard sounded familiar. She begins to recall back on the ship where Captain McCormick questioned Discord. Her eyes widen upon realizing that most of what Discord has said is being confirmed in this very room. With such names being mentioned as Faber, Forerunners, Halo, and also…

“Umm… What’s the Flood?” Ember asked as most eyes fell upon her. Twilight looks at the Dragoness, as well as her brother, who also looks very confused.

“Well, from what Discord initially told us, the Flood was this great darkness that caused so much suffering and death that the whole galaxy needed to be reset. Everything died, and then life needed to restart.” Twilight said aloud.

Ember is a bit caught off guard by Twilight’s answer. She said it so casually despite describing something so terrible, the Galaxy needed to be cleansed. She looks down towards the ground to process this info.

Before anyone could speak,

“Entry #7. Significant progress has been made, though it does not yield good news. Examining these creatures so far has not given me anything crucial, but it has given me some ideas. First off, a cure cannot be found within this species either. It appears that no matter what, as long as the organism, alive or dead, still has an intact nervous system, it can be infected.” Faber spoke as he approached one of his test subjects, a pony just standing casually in its glass containment chamber. Not being able to understand why it was in such a place. “Perhaps a demonstration is in order.”

Faber turns to the side and motions for something. Coming into frame was one of Faber’s security guards who approached with a large test tube in his hands. Faber takes it and turns around. Inside was what appeared to be a fleshy ball, squirming around like a pulsating tumor. Twilight, Tex, Carlito, Rainbow Dash, and Spike recoil in disgust upon seeing the creature in the test tube.

“Ugh, what the hell is that!?” Carlito shouted his question.

“It looks like an infected testicle!” Tex answered as he stepped closer to look at it. As he did, the holographic projection of Faber held up the test tube to his own face and glared at the creature.

He then turned towards the primitive pony in the container and approached. On the side of the container was a small port where Faber inserted the large tube and then backed away. Everyone watching stepped in closer to see what was about to happen. None of them were prepared for the absolute horror they were about to witness.

From the side of the container, a small hole opens to allow the spherical creature to crawl out. The primitive pony trots closer to it, curious as to what it is. As it did, the spherical creature did not hesitate to pounce. It jumps and uses its tendrils to wrap around the pony’s neck, causing it to freak out. Everyone watching jumps a bit at the creature’s speed as other parts of its tendrils make small cuts in the pony’s neck and begin to burrow their way into its new host. Everyone’s faces shift to that look of absolute terror as they watch the process.

“JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!!!” Tex yells out as he watches the tiny parasite begin to burrow into the pony’s chest as its animalistic cries of pain are deafening.

Twilight’s eyes seem to freeze in place and widen as she watches the pony in complete agony.

The process, however, was far from over as the tendrils finally connected to the pony’s spinal cord and began to web out. The pony’s pained cries soon shift to that of gurgling as its organs begin to shift, and its bones begin to audibly crack. The pony raises its head and the group watches as a long spike-like appendage erupts from its shoulder, spraying the glass with blood. Almost everyone by now was having some sort of physical reaction as the process continued. The pony’s fur began to flake off drastically as it began to throw itself against all the sides of the container. Huge boil-like pulsating tumors erupt from the skin, and a large mass explodes out of its chest, with three flower-like antennas growing out.

‘WHAT THE FUCK!?!?’ Tex shouted in his head again as he took multiple steps away from the holoprojection. As he does, Carlito is heard audibly gagging. Within a few seconds, the sniper rips his helmet off and throws it to the ground. He turns around and dashes to a corner in the back where he is heard emptying the contents of his stomach. Kieran could be heard gagging as well as he averted his eyes. Watching this any further would only cause him to vomit as well.

The pony throws itself to the ground and convulses violently, its cries and gurgles being distorted into a deep guttural sound, one that sounds like they come from the very pit of Hell itself. The sharp spikey appendage grows longer The neck seems to snap and all the fur falls off the pony, with only its bare skin left visible that was now a sickly, putrid green hue. Just as it seemed that the whole spectacle was over, the Pony then began to rise, moaning and groaning like the Devil himself. It turns towards Faber and then begins throwing itself against the glass, trying to get to him.

Faber hadn’t even so much as flinched during the entire process while everyone else was left disturbed.

Ember was shaking and trembling, not just from disgust, but also from fear. Her eyes were wide as she shook in place on the ground, having fallen over during the mutation. Once the transformation was complete, she slowly turned around and covered her mouth with both her hands. The Dragon Lord didn’t fully understand what she witnessed, but it did terrify her just how badly and painfully that ‘Squishy Ball’ mutated that poor pony.

Maverick only stood still. Despite hardly reacting, underneath his visor, his eyes were just as wide. He felt his heart sink and his stomach clench. His breath became choppy, and he was on the verge of losing his cool. Standing next to him, facing away from the hologram was Shining Armor, who also just shook in place. He was more focused on keeping himself from hurling on the spot as well.

With the transformation complete, someone else was also heard throwing up. A quick look revealed it was Rainbow Dash, who just barely made it through the whole process before vomiting. After puking her guts out, she then broke down on the spot, hiding her face from the others as she was unable to fully comprehend what she just witnessed. Unlike everyone else, Twilight remained where she stood. Her eyes never once looked away, nor did they blink during the whole thing. She just stood there, horrified. Unable to move, unable to speak, unable to even think. She had thought she had seen it all. The destruction of her planet’s cities paled to the cosmic terror projected right in front of her. She could feel Spike hiding behind her, his weeps breaking the Alicorn out of her paralyzed state as she turned and looked. She could see Spike pressing his face into her tail, not daring to look at the Hologram.

“What…the fuck…did that thing…just fucking do!?” Tex shouts as he points at the now infected pony as it thrashes against the glass to get to Faber. Nobody answered; no one had an answer.

“See?” The hologram of Faber spoke again, as if he heard Tex’s question. “Some of my worst fears are coming to fruition. It doesn’t matter what species it is. The Flood will infect whatever host it can get its tentacles on. The more I examine the Flood, the more I start to believe that there is no cure.

The Holographic projection pauses and fades a second time as the entry ends. Everyone was left speechless, hardly believing what they just witnessed. Twilight blinks a few times before looking at the others. Everyone was fidgeting uncomfortably after what they witnessed. Was that even real? How can something so unapologetically monstrous even exist? Everyone remained silent, unable to speak about what they saw. Carlito covered his face with his hands and shook his head while Tex paced back & forth.

Finally, Faber’s hologram reappears but this time, at the center of the room.

“Entry #28! For the first time in a long time, I believe I have made my first breakthrough!” Faber exclaimed quite loudly and began walking towards what looked to be an operating table. “If a cure is out of my reach, then a new solution to the Flood problem must be found, and I believe I found it!”

It was then revealed that as soon as Faber reached the operating table, there laid another primitive pony test subject, this one was currently dissected. Its chest cavity split wide open with many organs missing, and it was missing the top of its skull, having its brain exposed. Disgust grew upon the faces of the group, but after what they had just seen, they were no longer surprised.

“These primitive creatures, the Equui, are truly fascinating. More specifically, their minds are what fascinate me the most. A quick examination has me hypothesizing that these creatures are not as primitive as they look. Their minds are complex, their anatomy is very similar to that of the Humans. If their brains resemble those of humans, then why is their intelligence that of a simple animal? Perhaps their full potential as a species can be modified. But how, though, is the question.” Faber pauses for a moment and sighs.

“Call me crazy, but in order to test this hypothesis, I must look to the Precursors. A species so complex, so advanced, that they could even blur the lines of science and philosophy. I believe if the Equui truly have their inner potential locked within their very minds, then we must unlock their minds. The key, I believe, is Neural Physics.” Faber stood up straight and turned around as if he were talking to someone in the same room as him.

“It sounds crazy, I know. But think of it! The Precursors themselves were at one point a Tier 6 species that evolved to Tier 0. They are obviously infinitely more advanced than we could ever be! The evidence is there! Their Star Roads and Orbital Arches are proof that Neural Physics exists! The concept that the universe is alive may sound ridiculous to even the smartest minds! But the proof is there, the Precursor artifacts are living proof! Everything is alive! And to have a species that can use Neural Physics on our side, it may be what we need to finally tip the scale in this war against the Parasite!” Faber had a crazed look in his eye and his face full of determination. As if he fully believed everything he was saying.

“I must find a way to implement Neural Physics into this species.” Faber turns around again and places his hand on the corpse of the dissected pony. “My quest for a cure has failed. But this has opened a new door for me, I will not have my research lead to another dead end.”

The holo projection fades again, leaving everyone in silence again.

“This is fucking crazy!” Tex shouted, gaining everyone’s attention. “This is what the Covenant is after!? The work of a fucking batshit alien!?”

“Easy there, Sergeant. There are still multiple entries we have to go through. The list said there were seventy in total.” Maverick’s voice was shaken and not in his normally stoic tone.

“Sir, the shit I’ve just seen, is like something out of a horror movie! What does Covenant want from this place!?” Tex yelled again, obviously in a disturbed state.

“If we keep watching, we may find out.” The Spartan commander spoke quieter, trying to calm down Tex. In response, the ODST sergeant just held up his hand.

“I really don’t want to watch any more of this. This is fucking sickening.” Tex stated, not even baring to look Maverick in his visor.

“Same here, amigo.” Everyone turned to see Carlito walking back to the others pressing a hand to his chest.

“If you two want to leave, there is only one way out.” Maverick spoke as he pointed towards the elevator that brought them down here. “That’s your way out. And after that, you have all those stairs to climb, and you aren’t going to be levitated this time because the rest of us are staying right here. If whatever the Covenant is looking for is found in these holo diaries, then my duty is to stay here till we find it and prevent its information falling into Covenant hands.”

Tex and Carlito stood still as Commander Maverick stared them both down. Tex and Carlito slowly look at each other as the Commander turns to await the entry to begin. He and the others did not have to wait long.

“Entry #35, I believe I have done it. Using existing Precursor technology with my own engineering. I believe I have made a device that not only extracts Neural Physics, but also injects them into a living organism. I am ready to begin testing one with this device.” Faber boasts as he holds up his new tool. It was glowing and had a cylindrical shape. Twilight gasps loudly as she is able to recognize it.

“I…I can’t believe it! Is… Is that…?” Twilight stutters as she is at a complete loss of words.

“Twilight, what’s wrong?” Maverick asks, looking towards the alicorn.

“That’s Grogar’s Bewitching Bell.” Twilight could not believe her eyes as she watched Faber hold up the Bell. The color drains from her face as the powerful artifact is believed in Equestrian Mythology to give and take away any pony’s magic with a single blast.

“As this was made with precursor technology, it is practically indestructible. With this new device, I am ready to begin testing. I have plenty more test subjects in which to test this device. Let us see if my work has been paying off.” Faber turns around and the holo-projector reveals another primitive pony behind him, chained around the neck to keep it from running away. He holds up the Bell and aims it directly at the pony. The bell blares its deafening ring and a yellow and black beam fires from it, striking the pony.

Everyone watched as the blast was enough to knock the pony back quite a bit. Faber lowers the Bell and quickly steps forward to admire his work. The pony begins convulsing on the ground, letting out small cries of pain. Everyone holds their breath as the poor creature writhes in pain. It lets out one final scream as its head suddenly explodes, covering everything close to it in blood and brain matter, including Faber. Twilight gasps hard and covers her mouth at the display as the hologram of Faber stands still. Finally, he lets out a soft sigh, aiming the Bell back at the creature’s body and extracting the neural physics he just blasted it with.

“Test #1… is a failure. I should have known. The Precursors are the only ones known to be able to handle the raw power of Neural Physics. The Equui’s mind and body cannot handle such raw power. I need to correct this, I need to find a way for these creatures to handle this kind of power without breaking down. I need to modify them somehow… I need to keep working!” Faber was sounding more and more frustrated with each entry of the holo-projector. He fades away again, leaving Twilight with a whole bunch of questions.

Her mind begins to race, her knowledge about the Bewitching Bell now being thrown for a loop. It was believed to have been made by Grogar himself to not only store his own magic, but also to take away magic from others. And here it is revealed to have been invented by Faber himself, using technology from an unknown species called the Precursors. Twilight feels a huge migraine begin to set in as she tries to process this revelation.

She is hardly given the time when the hologram begins the next entry.

“Entry #42. After a total of 37 tests, I have come to the conclusion that in order to implement Neural Physics into the Equui species, they must undergo a type of metamorphosis so that their bodies and minds do not break down once they are introduced to Neural Physics. I again look towards the Precursors for the answer. One special trick the Precursors were able to do, was shapeshifting. Being a ‘Trans-Sentient’ Species, they were connected to the very fabric of the universe. Allowing themselves to accomplish physics-defying feats. This is crucial not only to my work, but also crucial in understanding Neural Physics in general. The belief that everything in the universe is alive is the core concept of Neural Physics. This is how the Precursors could perform such actions as shapeshifting and telekinesis. As they were not bound to such rules of physics like we all are.” Faber began to lecture. Explaining his research so far.

“I believe that once I can get the Equui to shapeshift out of their original form, then they will be able to grasp and harness the power of neural physics. With the remaining Precursor technology left at my disposal, I can do just that… with this.” Faber holds up a large spherical object. Once again, Twilight recognizes it.

“Is that what I think it is!?” Rainbow Dash exclaims, looking to Twilight for an answer.

“It can’t be! That’s impossible!” Spike stares at the object in awe.

“I… I….” Twilight was unable to answer. She didn’t understand how two powerful magical artifacts were in the possession of Faber.

Faber then turned around and faced his newest subject, a brown pony that looked around curiously. He held up the sphere and sighed.

“Please… let something finally work.” Faber whispers as he uses his other hand to gently caress the orb. It begins to glow a light pinkish color and a wave-like aura emits from it, floating towards the brown pony. The pony stepped back, cautious as to what was approaching it, till it was fully surrounded. Before their very eyes, the pony’s body effortlessly and seemingly painlessly began to stretch. Wings started to form on its back, one feathery, the other more like a bat wing.

Twilight raised an eyebrow at the different wing types the pony had just grown, but the transformation continued. Its body grew longer and thinner, and horns began to sprout from its head. One an antler, the other a spiral-like horn. The features it was growing seemed… familiar. It was then one of its forelegs turned into a lion’s paw, and then the other turned into an eagle’s talon. Now, it was becoming obvious with the transformation of who this test subject was.

Twilight’s jaw hit the floor as the final stages of the test subject’s transformation finished with one of its hind legs turning to a dragon leg, and its tail becoming long and scaly.

“…Discord?”

Author's Note

Hello everyone, it’s me k00l. Another chapter is out and with it, a tone of lore drop! Our plan here is to combine 343’s lore with Bungie’s lore with the story of MLP. If either of us get anything wrong, please do not hesitate in letting us know.

It would be very helpful to us and we would definitely appreciate it!

So, a secret lab is right underneath the Crystal Empire, and the Forerunners have played a part in Equis’ creation. Can’t say no body’s ever heard that one before.

The hidden past of Equis is finally being unearthed. And knowledge even unknown to the two ancient alicorn sisters are revealed.

And that’s not too cliche, nor is Faber having made the Bewitching Bell. But what about this orb? Well, we think you might know what it is.

Anyway, until next time.