AiE: Spartanon-Beta in Eq., by Spartanon 10-11-15

>”Omega three. Execute now! NOW!”
>You are Anon-B094
>You look up from the dying Elite to see several dark grey and purple ships descend from the clouds
>Dozens of teardrop-shaped Seraph fighters pour out from each, diving into strafing runs
>You can see grav lifts engaging and dumping thousands of fresh troops onto the red, dusty field
>With those kinds of numbers against two hundred Spartans, you all will most likely be dead in the next few minutes
>But teams are already inside the refinery, and they need a minute to plant the charges
>There’s only one thing you can do now, and it’s not to run
>Even from hundreds of meters away you can hear Covenant crying out prayers to their gods along with curses aimed at you
>Some are already firing their weapons as they run, not caring that their fire is completely inaccurate

>You grab the dead Elite’s energy sword and charge with a hundred other Spartans of Beta Company behind you
>They yell out another warcry, and you join them as you cross the reddened field

>You fire your MA5K in bursts as you run, each round hitting its mark
>Scores of Elites, Jackals, and Grunts die as your fellow Spartans do the same with Battle Rifles and the few M19-B launchers that still have ammunition
>The aliens respond shortly afterward with a wave of plasma and explosive crystals
>To your right, Jane lurches back as a bolt of blue hits her neck
>She tumbles to the ground and out of sight, her heartbeat and blood pressure dropping rapidly

>The Covenant are now only a hundred meters away
>You load your last mag with the need to murder on your mind
>You break into a dead sprint, nearing 30 kilometers an hour
>The Covenant line is running at full tilt as well, with Elites breaking off from the lowly rabble to meet you first
>The one minor directly in front of you raises duel plasma rifles and fires
>As the bolts fly towards you, you raise your left arm and activate your looted shield gauntlet
>The rounded plasma barrier flashes into existence, then blinks white an instant later when plasma slams into it
>The shield quickly turns red and collapses after only two bursts, but it’s done its job:
>You fire point-blank as you lunge at the two-meter tall alien

>The next minute is nothing but deadly chaos
>You and your fellow Spartans move through the melee like reapers, moving with speeds not even Elites can follow
>You snap necks, stab hearts, and shoot the heads of dozens of Covenant
>At some point you wield your stolen energy sword and bisect an oblivious Elites

>You are about to turn around to stab another when a new sun appears to the north
>There is a pause, a moment of silence before the blast hits
>Then you and everyone around you are blown off of your feet and into oblivion

>For an instant, there is only light and heat
>Then darkness
>Then light again and a sense of falling

>You open your eyes to find clear, blue sky instead of Pegasi’s dusty orange
>For the several seconds of being in freefall, you are confused
>You turn your head to look down just in time to see a mountainside come up to meet you
>You hit the hardened, sloped rocks with a *CRUNCH* and you bounce into the air
>Blurry greys, blues, and greens mix as you spin wildly
>With your inner ear overwhelmed and your body suddenly wracked with pain, you are unable to stop yourself from descending the mountain

>You finally hit the grassy bottom and stop on your still-churning stomach
>It takes a minute for your mind to catch up to what just happened
>What the fuck just happened?
>The refinery detonated, then suddenly you’re wherever you are right now
>Everyone…
>No, don’t think about that
>Make sure you’re safe first

>You allow yourself another minute to rest your aching everything
>You slow your breathing to listen what’s around you
>At first there is silence
>But as you lay there, birds begins to renew their calls
>You can hear rodents move through the foliage around you
>Even through your suit’s filtration system, the air feels musky and contains a number of smells
>So much activity
>Jungle
>The complete opposite environment of Pegasi Delta

>Another sound you hear are rocks rolling after you
>Nothing huge, but they do budge you a bit when they hit
>Metallic rattling catches your ear, though
>Rather large, long judging by the pattern of the rattles
>Your rifle
>It comes to a stop right beside you
>You strain your neck to turn your head
>Your MA5K lays there, intact
>A small victory

>Enough resting, it’s time to move
>Carefully, you start to lift yourself up
>A sharp pain in your right arm suggests you may have strained something
>Nothing broken, though
>It would take a lot more than a mere fall to break your augmented bones

>You rise into a crouch and look around for the first time
>An actual jungle
>The colors remind you a bit of Onyx
>…Dammit
>Jane, Adam
>Everyone’s gone
>You look into the cloudless sky
>There’s no trace of whatever brought you here
>Is this heaven?

>No
>If this was heaven, you wouldn’t be in your armor
>Your gun wouldn’t be here
>Speaking of which, you reach over and pick it up
>Your Semi-Powered Infiltration armor links with the weapon and shows the amount of rounds you have left
>Seven 7.62x51mm FMJ rounds left
>Enough to kill an unshielded Elite if you go for the upper body
>You check yourself, and the Jackal shield gauntlet is still intact
>You also have the energy sword, along with your combat knife

>And you’re still alive
>If you’re still alive, that means others could be alive too
>Yeah, there’s still a chance
>You still have something to keep going for

>You look into the dense forest again
>You slowly stand up, ready to start the search
()()()
“This is Spartan Be-Zero-Nine-Four to Beta Company elements.”
>…
“Beta Company, please respond.”
>*RRRrrRrrrw*
>A couple of hours have passed
>Your stomach has been getting really loud lately
>Considering the last time you’ve eaten was on the carrier All Under Heaven, roughly ten hours ago, it’s understandable
>So, what to eat in this lively jungle?

>You’ve seen several critters that look nearly identical to those native of Earth, and you’ve passed plenty of wild berries
>The problem is, despite the rather eerie resemblance to Earth fauna and flora, you’re not sure if everything’s poisonous to you or not
>Well, your suit doesn’t have anything that can help you, so the only way of finding out is actually trying something
>If you’re going to do that, it better be in a safe spot away from any threats
>And judging by the few roars you’ve heard earlier, you know there are bigger creatures out there

>With your stomach rumbling again, you walk over to a bush and casually snap off a stick filled with red berries
>You then start looking around for a secluded spot
>Hmm, there
>You hop into a ring of trees covered by thick bushes
>After checking to make sure there were no traps, you sit down and remove your helmet
>The smells of the jungle come at you in full force, both pleasant and foul
>You do your best to ignore it and focus on your potential food source

>You set down your helmet and pick a berry from the stick
>You hold it up in a small ray of light to examine it
>Bright red, spotless
>The stem comes right off
>It doesn’t have a sent either
>You pop it in your mouth
>Smooth besides some dirt
>You bite into it
>It’s filled with a gel-like substance
>Very sweet
>One of the sweetest things you have ever tasted, actually

>You chew the berry for a minute, turning it into a tasty paste
>You haven’t gone into cardiac arrest yet
>Or started hallucinating
>These berries should be clean, then
>You quickly devour all of the berries on the branch
>Absolutely delicious
>You take the time to head back to the bush you found them and pick off some more berries
>You eat until you’re filled, which consisted of picking the bush bear
>Hopefully you can find more of those berries
>But your stomach’s satiated for now, so it’s time to keep moving
>Another hour and six futile broadcasts later, and you come across another bush of those sweet berries
>Instead of eating them on the spot, you make a pouch made out of large, thick leaves and a kudzu-like vine
>You store the berries inside and then strap it to your belt before moving on

>As you continue moving through the forest, the terrain begins to change
>The ground starts to flatten out
>More space appears in between trees
>Despite the sun lowering, the place is becoming brighter
>Not that it mattered to you, since your eyes could practically see in the dark
>Finally, you push through some thick ground cover and come across a clearing

>A dirt trail
>It’s narrow and being encroach on by plants, but it’s something artificial
>Man made?
>The Covenant do make trails of their own
>Usually they just glass the place, though
>Either way, it’s something to follow
>Heck, maybe other Spartans might be down this trail
>It’s worth a shot

>You start to walk down it, away from the mountains, when you hear voices
>You spin around and drop into a crouch
>”…it’s nothing good!”
>”But what if something good IS at the end?”
>”Nothing good is ever at the end! The last time we followed prints almost had us eaten!”
>Footprints?
>You look down, and sure enough you could see the depressions of your boots in the grass
>Whelp, you’re an idiot
>Time to hide

>You flex your fingers in a certain order, and your photoreactive panels activate
>The light around you begins to bend until you are nearly invisible
>You make it doubly so by carefully moving just to the side of the path and lying flat
>You wait for the assumingly two unknowns to come closer, still arguing on whether or not they should keep following your trail
>Their voices seem off
>They sound too deep to be Grunts, but not as…civilized as Elites usually talk
>Whoever they are, they’re speaking English, so you’re going to get some answers out of them

>The voices get closer, and you shift your weight onto your legs, ready to pounce
>You slowly take your rifle and mag-lock it to your back
>You might not need it

>The leaves start to rustle
>One, two figures emerge
>There’s a flash of metal
>”They stop he-“
>You lunge with your fist
>*CLANG*
>”What?!”
>Before he can say another word, you drive your fist into the furry gut of the next unknown
>He-it, doubles over, yelping in pain
>You grab the back of its huge neck and slam it into the bushes
>It doesn’t attempt to get up
>Instead it whimpers, like a dog

>Now that you can take a look at it, it does look like a dog
>Man
>Thing, with clothes
>You look to the first dog man, and it’s wearing a medieval-age knight’s helmet
>It’s clutching its head in agony
>Looking back down at the prone dog man, you figure how you’re going to interrogate these two

>You crouch by the non-human, and position your knee just over its neck
>You take out your knife and present it in front of the thing’s face
>Its yellow eyes finally open, then widen at the sight of it

“Hello there.”
>The thing’s eyes switch between you and the knife
“I’m not one for small talk, so you better answer my questions. Understood?”
>The thing frantically nods
“Where are we?”
>”E-Everfree! Big forest, lots of beasties.”

>You’re about to ask your second question when you notice the other dog thing is shaking itself out of its stunned state
>You apply pressure to your captive’s neck and point your knife at it
“You’re going to answer my next question: what are you two?”
>It stares at you behind darkened slits before answering, “Diamond Dogs”
“Dogs that like diamonds?”
>It nods hesitantly
>Interesting

>You lift your knee off of your captive, and he takes in a big gulp of air
>Still keeping the standing dog in your peripheral vision, you focus back on your captive
“Next question:”
>You point at the trail
“Where does that path lead?”
>”Path leads to Ponyville. L-lots of smelly ponies.”

>Ponyville?
>Lots of ponies?
>Must be some major trading hub

“Last question: have you seen any more of me?”
>”No! Not at all! First time we’ve seen beastie like you.”
>Damn
>Well, you still got some information
>Such as there apparently being a human settlement not far from here, albeit strangely named
>Ponyville?

>”W-what are you? Minotuar?”
>You step off of the dog and back away, keeping your distance from both of them
“You could say that.
Listen, I’m going to pretend I never saw you two. I suggest you do the same about me, or else I’ll find you. Understood?”
>The prone Diamond Dog quickly stands up and joins its partner
>Both nod enthusiastically
“Good. Now get!”

>The two are out of sight in just a few seconds
>You watch them go, sheathing you knife in afterthought
>You start to back up down the path as you take out your rifle again
>When you’re certain the dogs won’t follow you, you turn and start jogging down the side of the dirt trail
>Ponyville?
>That better be just a nickname
()()()
>The sun’s almost down
>Your pouch, off of your belt and next to you, is now filled with berries
>Most are the red ones, but you also found some blue ones that had a bitter sent and a sour taste to them
>A nice contrast with the sweet ones
>You grab a bunch and dump them into your mouth as you huddle inside the little shelter you made out of branches and leaves
>It’ll do for a while
>While you could keep going, you really need some sleep
>Pegasi and your trip here has taken a toll on you, even with your augmented body
>A good night’s sleep is your best option right now
>If you can get a good night’s sleep, that is

>The only two things keeping you from breaking down are six years of training, and the fact you’re still alive
>That meltdown wasn’t an ordinary explosion
>It somehow sent your whole body and equipment to a different place instead of scattering your atoms everywhere
>Unless you were a special case, which you doubt, then everyone was sent somewhere as well
>But since you appeared here alone, then other “rules” are in play too
>Perhaps distance was scaled by that explosion
>Someone a meter behind you was tele’d a continent away, or at least a ways outside of comms range
>This forest doesn’t help with transmissions either
>Maybe you should’ve climbed the mountain first
>Oh well, it’d be a waste to turn back now
>You’ll find someone, sooner or later

>You replace your helmet and shift into a sitting position against a tree, knife in hand
>Eyes shut, you try to relax mentally, wishing you could fall asleep instantly
>Because now you can hear /everything/
>A rodent is scampering for its hole here and there
>Nocturnal predators both on the ground and in the air are on the prowl, occasionally catching a nightly meal
>Nothing disturbs you, though
>Like they collectively avoid foreign elements
>That or they all know to avoid things carrying sharp objects
>Or perhaps… they all…

>”Okay Mr. and Ms. Badger-“
>Human, female
>Hundred-four degrees
>Thirty meters
>Not someone you know
>You activate camo and snap forward onto your armored belly
>All of your attention is focused on that voice
>”He should be fine now. Make sure he gets some sleep, and if he gets worse come right back to me, okay?”
>Sounds like a doctor
>Or considering this a sketchy forest at twilight, a rather brave veterinarian

>You slowly crawl to a small opening in your shelter
>No sight of the owner of the voice, but she’s there
>You’re tempted to break cover and get sights on her, but if you cause too much of a ruckus getting out of your carefully-built shelter you might spook her
>Slowly, then
>You stretch your arm forward, cautiously pushing aside stiff twigs and loose wood
>You can hear them softly snap and cr-

>Something big smashes your shelter and onto your leg
>It’s on fire
>You turn to face whatever found you, but the giant paws that’ve clawed into your leg pull you right out
>The beast roars as it rips you from your shelter and flings you to the side
>In the moment you’re spinning in the air, you catch a glimpse of what somehow caught you
>A lion with wings and a scorpion’s tail
>You have no idea how it snuck up on you
>You spin around, and your vision is filled with a tree trunk
>Glass shatters

>You hit the ground still spinning
>With your free arm, you throw yourself back onto your feet
>You ready your knife to-

>You can’t see
>You try to open your eyes, but they feel like they’re open
>You can’t see

>You hear growling in front, ten meters
>The lion is circling you
>You keep your knife raised as you match it
>You may be blind, but you’re far from helpless

>”WAIT!”
>What?

>The female starts to talk in a scolding tone, but you start to have trouble hearing
>The adrenaline’s already wearing o-Christ, your face!
>It takes physical effort not to claw at your ruined visor
>Are your eyes even intact?
>You can’t feel anything besides a hot brand in your eyes

>With erratic breathing, you try and listen for the lion
>Or the girl, if she hasn’t been eaten already
>”Um, mister, can you hear me?”
>Oh
>That’s surprising

>You slowly nod, not sure what to do
>From the sound of it, she’s pretty tall
>And coming a little too close for your liking

>”Are you-“
>You hear the softest of gasps “You’re bleeding.”
>You hear a faint *swoosh* and you sense something coming up to mere centimeters from your face
>You tense up and grip your knife even tighter
>Scaring (for all you know to be) a civvie won’t get you anywhere, but yet anyone can slit your throat right now
>”Oh no, that glass is pretty deep.”
>Well, that ain’t good
>You suddenly feel something grab and tug on your free hand
>”Come on. I can help you at my house.”
>Between being surprised of this girl not being nervous in front of a Spartan and your face melting, you don’t resist being led by her
>You almost want to say, “Yes, ma’am.”

>With the lion thing completely forgotten, you’re led by a tall girl, who sounds like a very young adult, to what she claims to be her house
>All the while a large bird is flapping its wings right where she is
>Constantly, too
>Ah, screw it, she’s helping you out and sounds kind enough, so what if she has wings?

>Your brain’s /really/ starting to hurt now
()()()
>The headache is starting to subside
>What wonders simply sitting down on a soft couch can do
>It creaked a little when you sat in it, but for once you’re glad you’re wearing cheap SPI armor and not the heavy power armor the Spartan IIs wear
>You sit there while the girl is getting medical supplies (you hope)
>As she collects whatever she needs, you carefully feel along your broken visor
>It still hurts, but the pain has died down to a simmer
>The firm material that made up the faceplate had shattered into large sharp shards, and a lot of them have dug into your nose, brow, and cheeks
>Thankfully, the ones in your forehead and some in your cheeks have simply fallen out, but you still have the ones cutting downward to take care of
>The shards that have fallen out are in a rolled-up rag, since you insisted the girl on collecting them
>You might not be able to fix your helmet yourself, but you hope somebody on this fringe planet can or at least provide a suitable substitute

>”Here we are.” The girl calmly states as she enters the room again
>You feel something being flopped onto the spot right next to you, and the girl begins to take small metal utensils out of a pouch
>”I’m sorry I don’t have anesthetic, so this might sting, okay?”
>You grip your knees and breathe deeply
“Okay.”
>With the care of a mother, the girl takes each shard and pulls it out, starting with your nose
>After pulling each out, she quickly stems the subsequent bleeding with swabs and stitches
>It’s a very slow and painful process, but discipline born of six years of training helps you in staying still and letting the girl work
>Her soft, doting voice helps a lot too

>At some point, she asks timidly, “Do you, um, have a name, mister?”
“Anon, ma’am”
>”Oh, that’s a nice name…” her voice trails off
“May I know yours, ma’am?”
>”Oh!”
>She stops for a moment, though luckily she wasn’t pulling out a shard
>”It’s…um-“
>She whispers something that, despite you having really good ears, you must have misheard
>Futtershy?
>No, that can’t be right
>The last shard in your nose being pulled out interrupts your train of thought

>Eventually, after what feels like a couple of hours, the girl carefully stitches up the final cut
>You try to open your eyes, but between the stitching and the swelling your eyelids can only open up a sliver
>It also stings a lot, but you do your best to ignore it and try again
>You still have your vision, thank God, but it’s so blurry you can hardly make out anything beyond a dozen centimeters
>Something else is off as well, because when you first open your eyes you see a moving mix of pink and yellow
>It’s where the girl is while she’s putting away her supplies
>The pain grows stronger and your eyes themselves begin to sting, so you decide to keep them closed for now

>Pink and yellow: such a weird color combination
>However you do find the eccentric getup somewhat understandable
>Her demeanor is something that’s rather unique for you
>Despite a few instances, she’s stayed calm in the presence of a Spartan, albeit a young and injured one

>”Okay…!” you hear her sigh as she returns from storing her supplies
>The sound of softy flapping wings approaches you
>”How are you feeling, Mr. Anon, sir? Um, if you don’t mind me asking…”
>You turn your head to the faint sound of her voice
“I’m feeling much better, thanks to you, ma’am. This should heal up on its own in a couple of weeks at the most now.”
>”O-only a couple of weeks?”
>You nod, and there was a pause before Ms.-
>Miss…
>Ms. Fleurette?
>Ms. Shia?
>”Well, um, actually, one of my friends can help you.”
>You tilt your head
“Really?”
>”Yes, she’s very skilled. I’ll go and talk to her in the morning… I mean, if you want me to.”

>Now you’re curious
>You open your mouth to ask if this friend was a doctor, but you hear the girl let out an extremely soft yawn
“You can do that in the morning like you said, ma’am. You can go to bed, I’ll sleep in a bit.”
>”Oh. Okay, but do you want to sleep on the couch? N-not that I’m saying you can’t, but-“
>You raise a hand
“Don’t worry about me, ma’am. A couch is much better than on the forest floor.”
>”O-okay. Goodnight, Mr. Anon, sir.”
>You nod
“Goodnight, ma’am.”

>As she moves up some stairs to your right, you take stock of the situation
>Your eyes aren’t pulped, so you’re only out of action temporarily
>These locals seem to be very welcoming, if this girl (whose name you still don’t know for certain, so you’ll just call her “ma’am”) is anything to go by
>You’ll be up and active before you know it, and you can continue your search
>Which reminds you:
“This is Spartan Be-Zero-Nine-Four to Beta Company elements.”
>…
“Anyone of Beta Company, please respond.”
>Again, nothing
>You’ll try again when the girl goes to get her friend
>For now: much-needed sleep
>Taking a minute to stretch, you slowly lay down on the couch
>Your feet dangle over the side, but like you said: it’s better than the forest floor
>You set your broken helmet on your armored chest, and try to relax
>The random thuds and scurrying in the walls keep you up for the next hour, but eventually you become used to them and fall asleep
()()()
>You wake up to the sound of something walking around on hard wood
>You can also hear very faint and pleasant humming
>Apparently, your host allows large animals in the house
>It’s not your problem, so you won’t say anything
>The girl spends the next several minutes feeding the many animals in and around her house
>You lay there patiently and listen as the girl moves back and forth, accompanied by dozens of small critters

>One such critter lands on your stomach and begins to tap on the hardened plates violently
>”Please, Angel, let him rest.”
>The tapping increases to rapid thumping
>Angel?
>”He’s been through a lot. He says he’ll be fine, but I know Twilight can help him.”
>Twilight?

>”I better go get her. Please let Mr. Anon sleep, okay?”
>The thumping stops
>Apparently, the little ass understands people
>”Thanks, Angel. I’ll be back in a bit.”
>The girl leaves with her horse, leaving you with Angel
>And as soon as the front door closes, he starts thumping your stomach again

>He gets in three thumps before you snatch the critter by his back
>He flails in your grip and kicks your helmet into your face
>The burn returns with a vengeance, and with your free hand you push it onto the floor with a hollow clatter
>You raise your head and open your eyes
>A ball of white is what you see

>You whisper to him,
“I sure hope you listen to your caretaker, buddy. You wouldn’t want me to be grouchy when her friend comes and helps me.”
>Whatever she meant by “help”
>Probably some medicine to take care of the swelling
>You let the little fuzzy little devil go, and he hops right off, leaving you to your thoughts

>What to do when you regain your sight completely?
>Well, ask your hosts about this place, you guess
>This must be some very weird fringe planet that despite having similarities has a very different ecosystem from Earth
>One intelligent species that speak English but don’t look like a spacefaring race
>And the few animals you’ve encountered understand English too
>One of which is an asshole

>After figuring out the planet’s situation, you’ll go to whoever’s running this place and give them the rundown
>Nothing too detailed, just that slipspace mumbo-jumbo got you here, and you need help finding your fellow Spartans
>No mention of the Covenant, no mention of the number three
>With you being a Spartan, there should be no muss or fuss

>You relax until the girl returns a while later with her friend
>The door opens and there’s even more clopping
>Guess you really are near “Ponyville”
>”H-here he is, Twilight.”
>There is a momentary pause before something quickly clops right up to the couch
>You hear some sort of discharge, and you can hear your helmet scrap against the floor for an instant
>Someone’s examining it
>After a few seconds of your host making her way to your couch, your helmet is set back down on the floor

>You hear a new voice
>Female, about the same age
>”Is he awake?”
>”I hope not, Angel has been watching him.”
>Yeah, you better not see that deceptive little rodent
>”Don’t worry, he shouldn’t feel anything, but Fluttershy?”
>Even though she was whispering, you DIDN’T mishear that
>What the hell is with these names?
>”Y-yes?”
>”Should we really help this guy? I’ve never seen anything like this, but it looks somewhat similar to our guard’s armor. He’s a soldier, no question.”
>Who’s this, some pacifist who hasn’t seen Spartan armor?
>You’re pretty sure ONI’s been very thorough in their announcement of the Spartans
>Practically everyone’s at least heard of them, but maybe not everyone’s seen a pic of them\

>”But Twilight, he’s very polite, and he didn’t harm any of the animals.”
>Almost stabbed one to death and could’ve snapped the neck of another, but technically yes
>”Did he call you: ma’am?” Twilight deadpanned
>”Um, yes.”
>You hear Twilight sigh
>”That’s how they all are, Fluttershy. They’re professionals. That’s how they’re trained.”
>Not too far from the truth
>You learned early on that manners can get you places, like to your colony overseer or whoever’s in charge
>”Please, Twilight. He’s very lost and he’s very hurt. He doesn’t show it, but he’s in a lot of pain.”
>Oh, well… that’s pretty perceptive of her

>Twilight stays silent for a few seconds, before deciding,
>”Alright, but I want to ask him some questions when he’s healed.”
>The feeling’s mutual

>”Okay, here we go…”
>Wait, what does she mean by that?
>You don’t hear any bags being opened, just a pony readjusting its hooves on the wooden floor
>You were about to ask the girls what they were doing, but then something blankets your face
>It’s not smothering you, but instead it’s a cool, pleasant feeling
>Instantly, you can feel the swelling going away
>In no time it’s gone completely
>Even the stitching is coming out without any discomfort, and cuts are being closed without any pain

>In seconds, your face feels completely healed, and the blanketing feeling goes away
>Twilight gasps and huffs air, as if she was holding something heavy
>You apprehensively open your eyes, and the low ceiling comes into view with complete clarity
>You have no words
>You absolutely cannot understand what Twilight just did

>You slowly sit up, and Twilight becomes quiet
>You feel around your face, and it feels like your injuries never happened
“I… I don’t know how you did that, ma’am, but thank you-“

>You turn your head, and the dainty little room is empty
>Save for two small and very-strangely colored horses
>They have big eyes

>You look around the room, in the doorway that led to possibly the kitchen, and the stairs to your right, but you find no one
>Just the horses, who happen to be staring at you
>You begin to stare right back

>One has canary-yellow fur and a very stylized pink mane
>The other is lavender with black hair with a purple strip running through it
>Is that a horn?

>OKAY, time for a few tests
>You pinch a stray strand of your hair and pluck it
>It hurt, so you’re not dreaming
>Unless the berries’ effects had to take some time to kick in, you’re pretty sure you’re not hallucinating
>Just to be sure you slap yourself a couple of times and blink very hard

>While you’re doing that, the lavender… unicorn raises it front hoof cautiously and says,
>”Uh, hello?”
>You freeze with your eyes wide
>It talked for certain
>It knows English
>It’s definitely intelligent

>You slowly raise a finger and point at… her
“You are Twilight?”
>The unicorn smiles proudly and nods
>You switch over to the other horse
>”Any you’re Fluttershy.”
>Her gaze falters
>”Um, yes, Mr. Anon, sir.”
>You lower your finger slowly, and stare at them for another five seconds, before muttering
“I /have/ to be dreaming.”
>You lay back down on the couch and roll over, with your back facing the horses
>This riles up “Twilight”
>”H-hey!”
>Something grips your entire body, and you’re somehow flipped over to face them
>You now have a decent frown on your face
>”You are not dreaming, ‘Mr. Anon’, if that’s your real name.”

“That’s what they always say.”
>You flip back over again
>You refuse to acknowledge that this is happening
>Maybe it’ll all go away if you keep it up
>Instead you’re flipped again
>Now the unicorn is in an unpleasant mood as well
>”Listen here, mister-“
“No.”
>You flip over for the third time
>”Um, Twilight?”
>”Twilight” responds with a reasonable, adult response:
>”AURGH! That’s it!”
>Your body is gripped much more tightly, and you’re thrown out of the couch and over the unicorn’s head

>Something tells you she’s angry
>And if she can grip your body like this, then it’s time to skedaddle
>You twist your spinning body in midair and land on your feet
>Using your momentum, you reach the front door an instant later
>In a single fluid motion, you open the door, slide on through, and slam it shut
>You keep moving along the side of the cottage that looks like it’s inside a hill, using the vibrant vegetation for cover
>You’re out of sight a moment before the door opens again
>You stop and listen

>”Shoot, he’s gone.”
>There’s a pause
>”Well, at least he forgot his helmet.”
>It’s busted anyway, so you don’t need it
>However, a few ONI spooks won’t like it if these “ponies” get access to your suit, broken or not
>”Mr. Anon?”
>Fluttershy
>You’re not sure why she’s calling for you with an inside voice
>”He’s gone, Fluttershy. Probably heading back into the Everfree Forest.”
>…
>”Don’t tell me you’re going to follow him!”
>”Twilight, he’s running because of you.”
>No bite in that voice at all
>She must be really concerned about you if she’s arguing like this
>”Okay, maybe I overreacted a bit, but you saw how fast he moved, Fluttershy. He’s dangerous.”
>You can barely hear her then say acidly, “And he didn’t answer any questions.”

>”Maybe if you fix his helmet, he’ll let you ask some.”
>”I don’t know, Fluttershy…”
>Fluttershy heads back inside
>”Here, he had me gather the pieces that were broken off.”

>You risk heading back to the door and taking a peek
>Fluttershy unrolled the rag that held the broken shards to your visor, and placed them beside your helmet
>Twilight’s horn lights up, and the pieces actually float into the air
>She inspects the pieces, and like a puzzle she fits them into place
>”He better answer some of my questions.” She utters before leaning forward
>Her horn lights up even brighter, and your helmet begins to glow too
>There’s a brief flash of light, and Twilight raises her head again
>Your helmet looks brand new
>”There, now let’s go find him.”
>The helmet glows again, and floats up and over to the unicorn’s side

“That won’t be necessary.”
>Surprised, the two ponies whip around to find you in the doorway, a neutral expression on your face
“Since you so generously fixed my equipment, I’ll answer a few of your questions, but I also have a few of my own.”
>Twilight is caught off guard, and your helmet slowly lowers to the ground
>”You have questions for me?”
>You raise an eyebrow at her
“Why wouldn’t I? From what I know, I’m not seeing things, so you are a genuine member of a species I have never seen before, and I assume you have never seen a Spartan before.”
>Twilight’s brow scrunches inward, then she matches your expression somehow
>”A Spartan?”
()()()
>Equestria
>A nation that is considered to be a world superpower, a key figure in the political realm of this planet
>After discussing with one Ms. Twilight Sparkle for a couple of hours, you classify Equestria and the surrounding nations as a sub-type 1 civilization
>But while the planet has a significantly less electric output than Earth in the 20th century, the Equestrian population boasts skills that rival and even surpass some of your own technology in terms of repairing, healing, and a number of other fields
>The source of this superiority is the ability to utilize a certain type of energy that surrounds this entire planet, known commonly as “magic,” and the most prominent users of this energy are unicorns like Ms. Sparkle
>Despite this obvious advantage with “magic,” these Equestrians are not a spacefaring race, and according to Ms. Sparkle, has never seriously considered putting effort into a space program
>Yet apparently the Princess of the Night, Luna, has been to the moon, and stayed there for a millennia in exile
>When she finally came back a few months ago and tried to freeze the planet to death, Twilight and her friends defeated the renegade, and her sister, Celestia, forgave her traitorous sister and now the two rule over Equestria side-by-side as Princesses
>You’re not really sure what to make of that
>Even when you try, your head starts to hurt

>And of course, no one on this planet, to Ms. Sparkle’s knowledge, know of the Spartans, the United Nations Space Command, the United Earth Governments, and the Covenant
>But humanity itself, to your surprise, are known to the world as mythical creatures, a mirror of the two beings sitting in front of you
>The purple unicorn is barely sitting, though, and she’s soaking in every word you’re saying
>You have never seen someone be so enamored with someone explaining humanity’s position in the galaxy

>She also hates it when you tell her that something is classified
>Like you
>What does 094 mean?
“Classified.”
>How does your armor work?
“Classified.”
>How many other Spartans exist?
“More than one, but I can say no more.”
>”What that you got in your arms?”
“…My weapon?”
>”How does that work?”
“I’ll only show you if I have to.”
>What’s the Covenant?
“I will only tell you about the Covenant when they become relevant, ma’am.”
>You pray they don’t, otherwise you and this world would be right n’ properly FUBAR
>The little unicorn merely pouts some more
>Kinda cute, to be honest

>Jesus, if you were a stereotypical spook, you would’ve killed both her and Fluttershy and burned down the house
>They’re way too curious for their own good
>But thankfully, it’s the yellow pegasus that asks the question you can and want to answer:
>”Um, why are you here, Mr. Anon, sir?”
“I’m lost, actually. A few friends of mine, along with myself were teleported by some malfunctioning machinery,”
>Not to oblivion, you hope
“And I believe some of my friends may be on this planet along with me, so now I’m trying to find them.”
>Twilight’s now even more curious, “Do you know how many?”
“No.”
>”Well, what will you do when you find everyone?”
“Find a way to contact the UNSC, or if you can, give us a way off the planet.”
>Twilight ponders for a moment
>”Hmm, I’m not sure if I can help you, but I’m sure the Princesses can.”
>Really?
“Can you take me to them?”
>The unicorn gain a smug look, “I can write a letter right to her, and she’ll read it right away.”

>You’re such a lucky motherfucker, you couldn’t hold back a smile
>You have a direct link to the leader of a nation of magic-wielding ponies
“Excellent, when can you do that?”
>”When I get back to the library.”
“How long would that take?”
>”Not too long.”
“Alright, but I would like to inform the Princess of my dilemma as soon as possible.”
>”Okay, what would you like me to write?”
“I’m capable of writing my own letter, ma’am.”

>After Fluttershy went and found a piece of paper, a feather, some ink, and a few spare newspapers,
>Why a feather /and/ newspapers?
>She gives them to you, and you go to a counter to write out a letter
>You dip the feather tip, but look to Twilight
“Only you and your two Princesses will read this, right?”
>The unicorn nods adamantly
“Okay then.”

>What to write to fill up the whole page?
>Well, Dear Your Majesties Celestia and Luna for starters
>Monarchs love their flattering titles
>Then state who you are, with as many titles and intimidating word in those titles you can think of
>What titles do you have?
>Let’s see: Spartan, Petty Officer Second Class, UNSC Navy, Human… Demon?
>Nah, leave that out for now
>Alright, then what?
>You were… partaking in defensive operations, yeah
>Best defense is a good offense, the Covenant can attest to that
>Complex machinery was damaged during heavy fighting
>That’s right, keep it vague, but lengthy
>Machinery had a meltdown, resulting in a mass teleport
>You find yourself here, and you believe more of your fellow Spartans may be on this planet as well
>You were /severely/ injured when you were attacked by wildlife, but two of their civilians treated your injuries
>You are vehemently grateful,
>Vehemently, that’s a nice word nobody uses these days
>And you ask for their assistance in finding other lost Spartans so you all can leave this planet and continue to do your duty, defend humanity, all of that wonderful bravado
>You hope for their support, and are willing to discuss further details through Ms. Twilight Sparkle
>Sincerely (in very flowing cursive):
>Anon-B094, [Insert every title here]

>And done!
>You reread the letter, satisfied, before laying it out to let it dry
“There we are.”
>You look to Twilight and Fluttershy-

>And they’re both asleep on the couch
>You stare at them as they’re cuddled up to each other, with Twilight snoring rather loudly
>Did it really take that long to write your letter up?
>It must have

>Whelp, better wake them up
>With silent steps, you walk over to the two Equestrians
>You bend down to Twilight’s level
>Should you shake them or just play a solo match of the penis game?
>Screw it, just shake her
>You slowly place your hand on her shoulder and push
“Twilight…”
>The unicorn twitches, and nudges her head into Fluttershy’s mane
“Twilight.”
>You nudge her harder
>”Nnn, n’mr’tstsss…”
>You sigh
>The experimental way it is, then
>You move to the side of the couch, and lay flat on your back
>Well out of sight
>You take in a few deep breaths
>Then kick the couch hard

>”AH!”
>*BOOM*
>A concussive force blasts from the couch and into the center of the room
>Your letter, the ink, and the newspapers go flying
>Along with anything else that wasn’t bolted down
>”Wa-what?”
“Ms. Sparkle,”
>You slowly pop your head over the side of the couch
“I’m done with my letter.”
>She remembers what has happened in the past few hours, and calms down
>”Don’t scare me like that, Anon.”
>/Like that/?
“Okay, ma’am.”
>"Alright, just give it to me and I'll be heading ba-"
>She sees the state of Fluttershy's living room
>She freezes for a moment, wide-eyed, before her horn lights up
>You duck for cover as heavy winds start to pick up tossed objects

>It only lasts for a few seconds, thankfully, and afterwards you hear Twilight give a satisfactory, "Hmph."

>She hops down from the couch, and walks across the now clean room to the front door
>Your letter floats into view and is rolled up into a scroll

>"I'll be back tonight, so don't run off on me."
>She opens the door and finally turns
>The smug is gone in an instant

>You look to Fluttershy, and the pegasus is cowering behind her own hair
>"Anon-" starts Twilight
"I'll keep her company, ma'am."
>The unicorn gives you a smile
>"Thanks."
()()()
>The door closes slowly, and you’re left to tend to a shaking pegasus
>You walk around to make sure Twilight didn’t leave anything lying around, but the unicorn was thorough
>You end up in front of Fluttershy, looking down at her
“Ms. Fluttershy?”
>She’s still shivering
>You kneel down so you’re level with her
>Looking around and listening carefully, you determine it’s safe to take off your helmet
>You set it down beside her, and she stops shivering to peek out
“You okay, ma’am?”
>The pegasus looks up to you as her breathing calms down
>Her gaze only lasts for a second before it falters
>She nods her head
>”I…I-“
>You go and sit by her other side, creaking the springs
“Don’t worry, you don’t have to tell why.”
>You keep your body ramrod straight, but you hang your head back to stare at the ceiling
“I was deafly afraid of loud, sudden noises too.”

>You hear Fluttershy shift in her seat
>”W-was?”
>You bring your head forward to look down at your heavily-armored hands
“Yeah. The Le… my teachers were really good in getting me used to them. I could focus on more important things, then.”
>”Who were your teachers?”
>You look down at your host, surprised by her change from being timid to talkative
“I can’t say much, but,”
>Shit, you dug yourself into this one
“They were tough, without a doubt. They had to be.”
>You start staring at the floor, remembering the years of training exercises and mind-straining classes
“At first, we all hated them for it. The stuff they had us do for training was unfair at best, and we were constantly tested.”
>You let out a sigh
“But that was part of their plan, I guess. The only way to get through training was to rely on each other. Alone, we could only do so much, so we formed into teams, and we started to come out on top consistently.”
>Some pleasant memories of the team you lead pop into your head
>You sure hope they’re still alive and somewhere around here
>Jane took a nasty hit, though, the last time you saw her
>You can only pray she’s okay now

>”So that’s why you want to find other Spartans.” Muttered Fluttershy, as if to herself
>You nod with a very faint smile on your face
“And if your Princess can help, then it would certainly take much less time for me to find anyone who’s in your country.”
>Fluttershy at first smiles, but then realizes something worrying
>”I hope none of your friends get hurt, wherever they are.”
“Don’t worry. They’re as tough, if not tougher than me. They’ll stay safe.”
>The yellow pegasus gives you a smile, “That’s good to hear.”

>You give a smile in kind, but then shortly afterwards comes the incident you’ve been trying to avoid:
>Awkward silence

>Normally you’re fine with that
>You and your team had many moments before they became comfortable
>But this isn’t Camp Currahee, and Fluttershy’s not a part of your team
>Hell, you can’t picture her fighting anything effectively, even with six years under Mendez

>The silence is broken by the universal chiming of a clock, and judging from the 12-characters and two hands it’s a little before noon
>”Oh, I better go feed the rest of the forest animals.”
>Fluttershy hops off the couch and moves towards the kitchen area
>”Some of the bigger ones come later,”
>She pauses and hesitantly turns back to you
>”Would…would you like to help?”
>Well, what are your choices?
>Wait for Twilight all day sitting on this couch, doing nothing
>Or getting some exercise and learning a bit more about Equestria’s wildlife
>Yes, from the sounds of it you’re going to encounter more of those lions, but Fluttershy seems to be capable of calming them down
“Sure.”
>You grab your helmet and follow her to where she stores the foodstuff
()()()
>For the rest of the day, you follow Fluttershy around the area surrounding her house, carrying bags and baskets of varying sustenance
>You find yourself feeding a myriad of different animals, many of which are nearly identical to creatures back on Earth
>At first they avoided you and only went to Fluttershy, but after she started talking to them they began to eat the feed you had
>After lunch, which consisted of some spare fish for you, a brave squirrel accepts many of the nuts you had with you
>You watch the critter disappear into the brush
>”They’re starting to like you.”
>You look over to a slightly dirty, but smiling Fluttershy
>Under your visor, you give a small smile back

>You look around, admiring the scenery here at the edge of the forest
>It’s another sunny day, with a few tiny clouds lazily floating above
>The blues, greens, and browns are extremely bright compared to your rather dull, sage green armor
>So bright that some of the yellows are reflecting-
>Wait, that’s gold by the house

>You tense up
>Big and armored Equestrians round Fluttershy’s house and move towards the two of you
>Six of them, four of them carrying spears
>One is a unicorn, another is a more lightly-armored pegasus
>Canterlot Guard, if Twilight didn’t lie to you

>You whisper harshly to your host
“Ms. Fluttershy, get behind me.”
>At first, she’s startled and confused, but once she sees the Guard she quickly moves so that you’re between her and them

>They all stop a dozen meters away from you

>The encounter starts off with the apparent leader of the team stepping forward and addressing you with a surprisingly young yet loud voice
>”Human, by order of Princess Celestia you are hereby placed under arrest!”
>Arrest?
>The only response you can give is tilting your head, cracking your neck, and asking,
“Excuse me, sir?”
>”Princess Celestia has deemed you a danger to the well-being of the citizens of Equestria, and will be brought into custody. Do not make an at-“
“I will not do that.”
>Like you thought he would, the young “soldier” is caught off guard
>”You… It would not be wise to defy the Princess, human.”

>You tilt your head the other way, eliciting another crack
“Actually, I think it’s perfectly reasonable. Ms. Twilight Sparkle and Ms. Fluttershy here can attest I am no active threat to Equestria or its inhabitants. That, and I’m pretty sure my request for assistance was just a request, and not a demand.”
>The team leader, appearing that he came to a conclusion, shakes his head
>”That is irrelevant, human. You will either come with us peacefully, or we will force you.”
>You straighten your head out
“That sounds like a threat, sir.”
>Now with his confidence somehow back, the leader lowers his head
>”It might be.”

>There’s no diffusing the situation
>These guys were given orders straight from the Princess
>Why she would have you arrested is beyond you, unless of course she’s a typical Orwellian bitch, who happens to be immortal
>If that’s the case, then you better get the fuck out of here and continue searching on your own
>But first you have to deal with this team

>You shift on your feet, adjusting the near-empty, hoplon-shaped basket in your hands
>On your back, the almost-dry MA5 starts to feel a little heavier
>You note the energy sword on your thigh, the Jackal shield on your left wrist, and the knife on the left side of your breastplate
>You can easily take on the four “earth” ponies
>The pegasus might give you some trouble
>It’s the unicorn you’re watching closely
>She’s a misty-light green under the armor, and since she’s part of the guard she must be skilled
>And yet she’s with a team, and is in the back
>Like a tank, it looks like she’s powerful, but has to be supported
>And there’s a perfectly good forest behind you to help isolate her
>But first: a distraction

“Well then, sir, I-“
>You throw the basket at the leader like an oversized frisbee
>Seeds and other foodstuff fly everywhere
>The unicorn’s horn lights up, and that’s the last you see before you turn around
>You hop over a stunned Fluttershy and make a break for the treeline
>In two seconds you’re in, and you sprint to get much green behind you in the few seconds it’ll take for the guards to follow you

>You get about a klick in before vaulting over a large root and diving into a hole made by the root system of a very old tree
>You reorient yourself quickly and control your breathing so you can listen for the soldiers
>It takes a couple of minutes, but you’re ready to go when you finally hear snapping twigs and foliage being pushed aside

>How to approach this?
>Killing all of them is the first thing you think about, and you quickly dismiss it
>That would only make Ms. Goddess Complex send more soldiers, and ponies or not, your current odds against an entire army of unicorns and other soldiers aren’t very positive
>You could evade them, but eventually you’ll have to search jail cells and dungeons to see if any Spartans were more unlucky than you
>Having to sneak in areas full of unpredictable magic-wielding beings doesn’t sound like fun
>The only other option you could think of right now is scare these guards off
>Make it clear that trying to track down and catch you is just not worth it
>Make them the messengers to Her Majesty

>Flexing your fingers, you let your mouth curl upwards just a bit as light bends around you
>It’s time for some psyops

>Carefully, you crawl out of your hole and start scanning the area
>From the sounds of it, they’re all grouped together and advancing as one from the way you came
>As you start moving across the visually cluttered ground, you begin to formulate a plan on how to scare the ever-living crap out of these ponies
>According to Twilight, Equestria hasn’t seen any major conflicts in millennia, outside of a few isolated incidents and a standoff or two between other species
>These guards, while trained, probably haven’t seen any real combat
>They don’t know what it’s like to be under fire, to have their lives on the knife’s edge
>That, and no native on this planet outside of two civvies knows how a human fights
>The deadly unknown: the greatest fear a being could have
>That will be your best bet to send these ponies’ morale plummeting
>You continue to crawl through bushes and low-hanging branches, until the guards’ shining golden armor come into view
>They’re in a line formation, two meter spread with the unicorn in the middle
>Even from a distance you can tell they are afraid
>Their eyes are darting everywhere, snapping towards any bird or rodent that moves within sight
>Despite that, they’re advancing towards the small incline you’ve placed yourself behind
>Behind you is the ancient tree with the hidey hole
>That will be your first fallback position, and you’ll improvise from there
>For now, you need to isolate that unicorn

>So it’s time to start things off with a bang
>You slowly reach over your back and grab your MA5k
>You may have only seven rounds left, but right now you only need a single, well-placed shot
>You take aim at the unicorn
>You slide your gloved finger over the trigger, and hope the pony doesn’t have a passive shield

>You flick the safety off, and the guards snap toward the sound
>The is a moment of silence as you slowly squeeze-

>*BRT*

>The unicorn’s legs are swept out from under her, and she drops with a startled cry
>”Basil!”
>You shift to the right, and the pegasus is already flying at you, a look of rage and pain on his face
>Shifting your grip on the rifle, you pop up and strike across his chin with the buttstock
>You continue forward to let him fly past you and crash into the ground a few meters away

>You don’t look back, but instead look towards the other guards
>All of them are in varying degrees of agony, with three of them on the ground and pawing at their ears
>The fourth one, also clutching at an ear, has a leg over the downed unicorn
>He’s looking down at Basil’s bleeding leg
>Basil herself is barely conscious, disoriented from both the loss of blood and falling on her face

>Movement to your left takes your eyes off of the unicorn, and one of the earth ponies are charging at you
>With his head very low, it’s clear he hasn’t completely shaken off the ringing in his ears, and is blindly charging with his spear leveled
>With an almost casual speed, you kick away the weapon before it pierces your leg, spin around, then roundhouse kick the guard in the head
>With a *DONG* the guard gets knocked out and slams into the ground
>Two down

>You go on the offensive, charging the four remaining guards as they recover
>The stallion caring for the unicorn sees your faint image coming at him, and he raises his spear to point at you
>You merely leap up and over him, moving fast enough to dodge the speartip
>The other spearpony had just shaken off his tinnitus, and he looks towards the pair
>You watch for an instant as he sees you and gains a look of sheer terror

>Before he can even grab his spear, you pick him up with your arm and put him in a headlock
>Still running, you disappear into the trees with a screaming guard
>You tighten your grip as you run, cutting off his oxygen and silencing him
>After a few seconds of running, you move behind a tree and focus solely on chocking the guard into unconsciousness

>You tighten your grip even further, lifting the rather small alien soldier up into the air
>Slowly, his kicks and gurgled cries become weaker and weaker, until he goes limp

>Tucking his unconscious body under your arm, you look around the tree and spot the two last spearmen looking in opposite directions, with the unicorn laying down in between them
>”Where is he?” you hear the protective stallion ask to no one in particular
>You want to keep them on the fritzes, so you take the knocked-out pony and toss him towards them

>The body causes a ruckus as it lands and rolls through foliage
>You watch as the subordinate spearpony yells out, “Tip!” and runs towards his comrade
>The protective pony shouts, “Private! Wait!” but to no avail
>The private runs straight to his buddy, and looks him over for injuries

>You give him two seconds before you pounce on him
>He screams when you land on him, bucking the air out of instinct
>That’s all he does before you clobber him in the helmet with your fist
>It stings, but the pony only falters and sags
>A second punch makes him join his buddy in la-la land

>There’s another moment of relative silence as you crouch there, breathing heavily
>You look back at the last pony standing
>He’s staring at where the private disappeared into the brush, ramrod stiff
>He has no clue on what to do

>You decide to give him something to think about
>With a click, your helmet is now amplifying your voice, making it sound like you’re all around him
“YOU HAVE MADE A GREAT MISTAKE, COMING AFTER ME!”
>The pony starts to look around, trying to figure out where you are
>In reality, you’re moving stealthily in a circle
“BUT IT IS YOUR PRINCESS WHO IS REALLY AT FAULT HERE, NOT YOU!”
>You lock your rifle onto you back, and slowly grab the hilt on your belt
“IF YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF HUMILITY, YOU’LL GIVE HER THIS MESSAGE:”

>You shoot out of the brush, take two bounds forward, and then leap
>The stallion turns and is just fast enough to see you in the air

>Metal dents, and the pony yelps in pain as you pin him to the ground
>An instant later, you activate the energy sword and stab down
>The spearpony lays still when he notices a two-pronged blade of plasma is sticking into the ground mere centimeters away from his face
>You bend down so that your head is right above his
“Don’t follow me. If you do, I’ll give you and your country a war you’ve never seen.”

>You pull the sword out of the ground, and hop off of the stallion
>He takes in a gulp of air, and starts to turn his head towards you weakly
>”Wh…wha-“
“We’re done here, sir. Let it go.”
>With that, you spin on your heel and begin to walk away from them

>No sooner had you deactivated the sword and put it on your belt that something blasts you in the back
>You’re thrown forward, but you roll and pop right back up and onto your feet
>You look back, and find that Basil is still barely conscious and very pissed
>Her horn’s glowing a much darker green
>She takes in a raspy breath and utters
>”You monster.”
>That strikes a cord
“Ma’am, you have no idea what a monster is when you’re calling me that.”
>You begin to walk towards her again, reaching over your shoulder
“If you want a monster, then I can start by showing you what happens to horses with ruined legs back where I-“
>”THAT IS ENOUGH!”

>In an instant, the sun becomes blindingly bright
>The ground shakes, and some immense force takes a hold of you and throws you back
>You tumble through the foliage, but recover into a crouch and become near-invisible again
>You look to where the unicorn was, and someone new is there now
>And they brought the sun with them

>You stay crouched, your helmet at maximum polarization
>Even then, it’s hard to see the single horse-shaped figure in the center of the light source
>You can see the figure is sporting large wings, but at the same time you see that the light is originating from a long horn on top of the being’s head

>The light begins to dissipate, and you further note the golden jewelry adorning the rather normal-sized white horse
>It’s definitely a she from the eyes and mystic, flowing mane
>If she is who you think she is, then there’s no way out other than to be diplomatic

>Taking in a deep breath, you stand up out of the thick brush and deactivate your photoreactive plates
>You begin to slowly walk towards the newcomer, trying to move as mechanical as possible
>You watch as she lowers her head near Basil, and light appears on her injured leg
>The hole heals up, and the bullet is pushed out and onto the grass
>The unicorn is speechless

>You are about ten meters away when the unicorn, pegasus hybrid lifts her head back up to stare intensely at you
>You stop and pause before you ask,
“Princess Celestia?”
>The radiant horse slowly nods
>”And you must be Mr. Anon.” she stated as a matter of fact
“Yes, ma’am.”

>More silence, and you decide to break it by spreading your arms to present yourself
“Are you here to arrest me?”
>The Princess looks to the side and ponders for a moment, before saying casually,
>”No.”
>Oh?
“And why not, ma’am?”

>Her horn begins to glow, making you tense up
>But instead of atomizing you, the Princess simply lifts the unconscious guards up and brings them to her
>As you watch the pegasus float past you, Celestia answers almost cheerily,
>”Because we can help each other.”
>That sets an alarm off in your head
>What constitutes as a favor for a nigh-immortal pony princess of the sun?
>You can figure that out later
>For now, be glad she hasn’t conjured up some sort of barrier ball around you and decided to practice nuclear fusion inside it

“Alright then, ma’am. Let’s talk.”

>Fast forward a few minutes, and you’re all sitting comfortably in Fluttershy’s living room
>The yellow pegasus is sitting right next to you on the couch, doing her best to be completely silent
>Facing the two of you are the guards
>Awake, healed, and flanking the Princess
>All of them are staring at you
>A couple still look frightened of you
>A couple are indifferent
>You must’ve hurt the pegasus’s pride since it looks like he really wants to smash your face in

>The Princess, on the other hand, has a very calm expression
>She’s the one to start negotiations
>”Well then, Mr. Anon. Allow me to formally introduce myself:
I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestira and protector of this world.”
>You didn’t hear that last title from Twilight
“And I am Second Class Petty Officer Anon-B094. Spartan of the United Nations Space Command.”
>”And to inform those who do not know, why are you here, Spartan?”
“I’m lost, separated from my company, and I want to find any other Spartans who are on this planet, ma’am.”
>The guards exchange glances, but the Princess continues
>”You have my condolences, Petty Officer, and I am willing to help you, however…”
>You brace yourself
“You want me to help you in return.”
>”Yes, but do not worry. It is nothing you aren’t familiar with.”
>That makes you raise an eyebrow under your helmet
“You have… a /mission/ for me?”
>The Princess smiles, “Yes, but I will tell you what it is later. In Canterlot.”

>You slowly lean back and stretch out your arms, one of which can easily reach over Fluttershy’s shoulders
“Very well, ma’am. When do you think you can brief me?”
>”The briefing will be tomorrow afternoon, as soon as the day court closes. I will retrieve you then.”
>That doesn’t sound efficient at all
“Why can’t we go to Canterlot right now?”
>The smile remains, but her voice has a hint of caution, “Let us simply say that you would not want certain officials to know of your presence, at least not until I speak with them.”
>You can agree with that
>You don’t want to lose another good night’s sleep and spend a day with bureaucrats if you can help it
“I understand, Princess. I’ll stay here then,”
>You turn to Fluttershy
>”That is, if you don’t mind, ma’am.”
>Your hostess shakes her head meekly, “Oh no, not at all.”

>”Then it’s settled. I shall return to Canterlot.”
>The Princess gives you an inquisitive look, “I am sure you will stay out of trouble?”
“I will do my best, ma’am, but I cannot promise anything.”
>That seems to be enough for her, and she looks to the lead guard
>”Let us go, sergeant.”
>The sergeant looks to you, a look of uncertainty on his long face
>”But your majesty: shouldn’t we stay to make sure he doesn’t do anything.”
>The Princess thinks this over
>You stare at the guy because he apparently forgot what happened twenty minutes ago
>”I am sure our guest will behave himself. Besides, having guards surrounding him won’t help him make friends.
>Do not worry, it is only for a day.
>Now, let’s head back and debrief you and your team, sergeant.”
>”Wha-“
>A flash of light and a *BANG* later, and it’s just you and a shaking Fluttershy
>You absentmindedly pet her on the head

>First off: did she just tele’d out of here?
>It seems so
>Secondly: you just realized something
>You can’t help but smile
“She’s good.”
>You look down at Fluttershy, and she’s peeking out from behind her hair
“I just realized she sent those guards to test me.”
>You lean your head back and stare at the ceiling
“Goddamn, she’s crafty.”

>The rest of the day goes by, uneventful
>At least until Ms. Sparkle comes barging in on you and Fluttershy
>The rather disheveled unicorn looks around the first floor, ignoring the two of you
>Giving up her search, Sparkle lets out a sigh of defeat and looks to you
>”She left, didn’t she?”
“The Princess? She left hours ago, ma’am.”
>You resume cleaning your rifle on the floor, its inner parts neatly laid out on the towel in front of you
>Twilight nods and clops over to your side
>”I really need get more clocks for the library.”
>You nod and continue to clean your weapon
>And you clean it with a silent unicorn sitting right next to you
>You notice this after a minute and turn to her
“May I help you, ma’am?”
>”No thank you.”
>She doesn’t even look at you
>You mentally shrug and resume cleaning

>Twilight observes silently until you are almost finished putting your rifle back together
>”So you didn’t use any magic to make that?”
“Nope, just a thorough understanding of science.”
>You clack on the top casing
“Chemistry, metallurgy, and a need for distributing kinetic energy
>Your helmet links up with the weapon, and it’s ready to go into a firefight
>That is, if you had the ammo
>”So, can you demonstrate it?”
>You are about to dismiss that casually, but a higher-functioning part of your brain stops you
>Perhaps there is a way of getting more ammo
>It’s a long shot, and you’ll be pissing off ONI, but it would help you immensely with your mission
“Not right now, firstly because I have very little ammunition for it, and secondly it’s a little loud.”
>The unicorn merely deflates a little
“But I could give you a very detailed demonstration if you help me.”
>That makes her perk right up, and you smile as you grab the magazine and one of your 7.62 bullets
“If you can replicate maybe a hundred of these and put them all in a few of these, I’ll show you what this thing can do.”
>You present the mag and round to the unicorn, and she’s actually drooling at the sight
>Her magic snatches the items out of your hands, and she moves to be right infront of your face
>”THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU I’ll be right back!”
>And just like that, the giddy librarian gallops out of the house and into the night
>You and Fluttershy stare after her, until you stand up and stretch
“Well on that note, I’m gonna get some shut eye.”
>You plop onto the couch and relax as best you can
>Fluttershy carefully comes up to you
>”Um, okay then. I’ll…see you in the morning.”
“Night, ma’am.”
>You close your eyes and listen to her walk around for a few minutes, before she heads upstairs to her bedroom

>Onyx’s skies sure are pretty at night
>You probably could make out more of the constellations Deep Winter taught you and the rest of Team Delta if you weren’t in the middle of the forest
>Moving through the bushes doesn’t help either
>Your hoodie is getting caught on everything and you’re making a lot of noise
>Maybe you should start using the trees like Simon
>But then as soon as the instructor sees you darting between them you’ll be put on your butt for a while
>That’ll look good in front of your team, who are all surrounding this one instructor whom you saw going prone in this mound-filled clearing

>He took a shot at you all earlier, and while you do need to go ring that bell you convinced your team that you could use his weapons to go straight through any other obstacle
>You scan the one dip you thought you saw the instructor drop into, and notice a large piece of flattened grass, right next to some recently overturned dirt
>That’s him
>A muzzle flash and a bang confirm
>He’s shooting at Mouse
>You bolt out of the bushes, straight for the man looking the other way
>He hears you and rolls over on his back
>The movement makes him barely visible, and you lunge at the translucent, golden visor
>You’re too fast for him to line up a shot, so he lifts his armored legs
>You run right into them, and the instructor uses your momentum to fling your small body over him

>You roll forward as you land, but before you can stop yourself you find yourself falling through the ground and into a hole
>A very deep hole
>So deep that when you land at the bottom, you could hardly see anything
>You get up and strain your neck to see where you fell from
>You can see the hole, but…
>It’s bathed in white light
>You weren’t knocked out, so this is really quick for someone to shine a light down
>The only person you can think of with a light is the instructor, and he should be getting his butt handed to him by everyone else
>So why the light?

>You continue to stare up at the only source of light down here until you hear hissing
>You start to see things move around at the top of the hole
>The light is so intense that you don’t know for certain what’s up there
>Though those insectoid noises are becoming more intense
>Your eyes are adjusting to the light, but and as soon as you start to see thin points of shadow popping in and out of sight, they start to crawl down

>Big ones
>Dozens of big ones
>You experience every bodily reaction associated with primal fear
>That takes long enough for them to make it halfway down the hole
>You finally think about flight, and you look around for somewhere to go
>Because you were staring at the light for so long, you have to run to the walls to feel for an opening of some kind
>Instead of mud and stone, your hand goes over cold, sticky string that smells like iron
>You’re too concerned with survival to be grossed out by it and find a very small hole to crawl into, just as they get to the bottom

>You crawl faster than you did in the mud pit with 12.7x99mm carpeting the area above your head
>There’s more sticky crap lining the walls and ceiling, and it’s coating your entire body
>Some of it’s getting in your face and around your mouth as your head scrapes along the top, but less hacking, more trying not to get eaten
>The hissing is getting closer, and you quickly forget about everything but crawling and breathing
>You almost don’t notice the dark-blue light that’s slowly getting brighter

>The ceiling suddenly disappears, and you pop up to start sprinting
>The adrenaline and your elation keeps you from looking up for a second, and you immediately run into something soft and yet firm
>You bounce back and land square on your bottom, and your elation is quickly replaced by confusion
>You look up through shining stringy crap, and the confusion is replaced by terror
>The thing in front of you isn’t one of them
>It’s even bigger
>It’s radiating a dark aura
>And its eyes are glowing a furious white
>You back away from it, forgetting about the tunnel you just crawled out of

>They make sure you remember by bursting out of it and grabbing you
>Your vision is filled with silver chitin and wiry hairs
>And fangs
>Fangs as long as your forearm

>You kick and scream, scream and kick, but one has a vice grip on your arms and pull you into the tunnel
>You twist and contort, throwing everything into breaking free as the blue light disappears
>The hissing becomes deafening
>With one final scream you throw yourself forward

>Your helmet clacks against the wooden floor as it rolls across the dark room
>You stare at it for a moment before you remember where you are
>Slowly, you calm down and tell yourself it was just a bad dream
>You stand up and check around and inside the couch, just to be safe
>As you do that, you hear the soft clopping of someone cautiously coming down the stairs
>You look over and see a sliver of unkempt pink hair and yellow hooves
>You ask quietly,
“Fluttershy?”

>You spot soft, blue eyes stare back at you
>”A-anon? Are you…”
>You nod your head, your heart rate finally back to normal
“I’m okay, ma’am.”
>You rake a gloved hand through your shortly-cropped hair, oily from the lack of a shower
“It was just a bad dream.”
>You barely hear an, “Oh.”
>Silence follows for a bit, but you break it by looking at the clock
>It’s half-past five in the morning
>The sun should be coming up soon
>You have all day to wait for the Princess
>Fluttershy told you last night she didn’t need help today, but you didn’t feel like sitting here and twiddling your thumbs
>And you didn’t want to stand still with that dream still fresh in your mind

“I’m going for a walk.”
>You move across the room to your helmet, your armored boots making deep *thump*s against the wood
>You pick up your helmet and then head for the door
“Sorry for waking you, ma’am.”
>You don’t wait for an acknowledgment and swiftly exit your hostess’ house

>The sun slowly rises above the horizon, and you’re still walking
>You’ve been walking along a convenient little road that snakes around Ponyville
>So far you haven’t run into any”pony,” but that’s expected since it’s so early
>You might run into Fluttershy and Sparkle’s friend, Ms. Applejack, though
>You know how farmers tend to get up pretty early to tend to their crops
>Or apple orchard in her case
>And you are heading somewhat in the direction of the farm
>Perhaps you could pay a visit?
>It really depends on if Ms. Sparkle told any”pony” else about you
>You expressed your desire for keeping a low profile, but if AJ sees you there might be problems
>Ah, you’ll just walk around the outer perimeter of the orchard; scope it out a bit

>So you do just that, and are surprised by how large the orchard is
>The farm must have a lot of hands/hooves if they hope to get all of these nice-looking apples to the markets in a short time
>You’re tempted to take a ripe red one, but you remind yourself it’s not right to steal from farmers who aren’t innies

>You continue to walk along the edge of the of the orchard, looking either inside or away at the Everfree
>Your mind wanders to the time you trekked through that mysterious forest
>Maybe sometime today you should head over to Ms. Sparkle’s library and read on some of the wildlife
>Like that giant mutant lion that was able to sneak up on you

>You look back to the orchard, and stop when you spot a structure
>Small, wooden, raised off the ground several meters
>A treehouse
>What’s a treehouse doing this far away from the farm?
>Does the Apple family have a bunch of youth?
>Damn your growing curiosity, now you need to check it out

>You move behind one of the many large trunks dominating the orchard and peek around it
>You don’t see anyone or anypony near it, so you better go in and satisfy your intrigue before that changes
>With the coast clear, you sprint to the ramp and quickly ascend to the top
>You move to the window and look inside
>Curtains!
>The worst enemy of observation
>With your path clear, you flank the door and pull out your knife out of habit
>If only you had a sidearm, too

>You carefully open the door, not going in until it opens fully
>Pie-ing the doorway, you detect no booby traps
>With one last look outside, you enter the treehouse and close the door

>You take a look around, and there is no doubt in your mind this place is a base of operations for a shadow group
>A map of the local area on one wall, with several circled locations
>Several posters of a couple different ponies, with most of them showing a peculiarly-colored pegasus
>Construction tools and writing utensils
>A marked spot on the floor under a lamp meant for interrogations
>A small podium for propaganda-filled speeches

>So this planet /does/ have their own insurrectionists, however colorful they may seem
>Good thing you found this place
>You can definitely gain some brownie points with the Princess if you report it
>Making a mental mark on your map, you prepare to exit when you hear high-pitched voices approaching the treehouse
>You stayed too long
>You dun goofed, kid

>The area surrounding the structure is too open for you to make a run for it without getting spotted
>That means you have to hide in a confined space and wait for these contacts to leave
>Even with your active camo, there’s a very good chance you’ll be discovered if they enter
>Doesn’t mean you’re not gonna try
>As you hear several hooves and something else walk up the ramp, you move to the corner just bedside to were the door opens up, curl up into as small of a ball as you can, and flex your fingers
>Your suit bends the light around you, and you become a little, almost unnoticeable blob of transparency and slightly distorted air
>Almost
>A few seconds after you settled in, the door bursts open and four figures enter the room

>The first three were ponies, very small ponies
>One yellow and red earth, one white and light-purple unicorn, and one orange and purple pegasus
>Taking the rear was a creature you haven’t seen before
>Short, purple and green, scaly, young looking if you’re indeed perceptive
>He fits Ms. Sparkle’s description
>This little lizard must be Spike
>A pity for her, but awfully clever to have someone so close to a student of the Princess
>You wonder if the kid has the stomach if wet work needs to be done

>You watch as the young innies slam the door shut, and then raise an eyebrow when Spike jumps at the loud noise
>He seems skittish
>He must be new; a real shame

>Back to the “fillies” you note their determined demeanor
>The orange filly in particular is quick to make sure all light sources were out, save for a small crack in the curtains
>She produces a table and stubby chair from… somewhere, and places them in the center of the single room
>The other two fillies grab Spike and plop him onto the chair
>”Uh, girls, aren’t you taking this-“
>”Shhh…” the orange filly reaches across the table and shushes the dragon with her hoof
>”All you need to tell us is what Twilight told you about the alien.”
>Alien?
>Crap, Ms. Sparkle did tell other people about you
>Her assistant and adopted brother makes sense, though

>Spike tries not to look at the very attentive fillies that are all but interrogating him
>”Well, he’s big and green…”
>The fillies haven’t moved a centimeter
>”And he’s a soldier, I think.”
>”Is he a /secret agent/?”
>Navy Operative is more like it
>Or ONI muscle
>Whichever branch you’ll be thrown into when you get back
>”M-maybe. Twilight did say he was polite.”
>”So he IS a spy?!”
>They have deduced too much
>You know what to do, but you decide to wait it out for a bit
>It’s actually kinda cute watching Spike squirm under these fillies intense gaze
>The actually wording of protocol didn’t specifically say /kill/, just keep them from divulging this information, however warped it may be
>And kids, especially innocent ones, are persuaded easily
>Intimidation’s a good option here-

>A knock on the door interrupts your thoughts
>”Applebloom!” booms a heavily accented woman’s voice, “Yer better not be interrogatin’ Spike again!”
>The yellow earth filly with a red ribbon in her hair turns to the door and answers in a similarly accented, albeit squeakier voice,
>”We’re not inter-interrago… we’re just talkin’ ta him, Applejack!”
>…
>”Yer interrogatin’ ‘m, girls.” Applejack deadpanned

>First name basis
>Same accent
>Condescending tone from the older one
>They’re either sisters or cousins
>Jesus, how deeply ingrained is this cell?

>The other fillies start arguing with Applejack, trying to reason how they did NOT drag Spike all the way over from the library and are questioning him against his will
>That might be the dragon’s saving grace, for now you just have to rescue him and bring him back to Ms. Sparkle
>But first you have to blow this cell wide open
>And your key witness is just outside the door

>Said witness surprises you by suddenly opening the (unlocked?!) door, bathing the room in sunlight
>She moves the argument inside, but you ignore it:
>You’re spot is now bathed in light, and you think the white one just noticed you

>Well she didn’t notice you, specifically
>She just noticed how the light’s acting rather strangely in your corner
>While really good at hiding someone from people in an open area, active camouflage isn’t that great up close
>It’s fine if you get a glance, but a keen eye can easily spot the distortion of light
>This filly has a keen eye, and is too curious for her own good
>As the others continue to argue something about how Applebloom shouldn’t meet with strange aliens, the world shrinks down to just you and the one with green eyes
>It’s getting smaller as she slowly creeps up to you
>You note that the door’s still open
>That’s your ticket for a fast getaway
>All that’s in your way is this little filly
>You haven’t heard her say anything during all of this, so now’s your chance
>Just as she stops in front of your legs and looks up at you, you say in a low voice,
”Thedistractionsayswhat.”
>”What?”
>Not hard enough to break bones
>Hard enough to send her flying into Applejack
>In the second it takes for everyone to realize what just happened, you’re on your feet and out the door
>Screw the ramp, it’s only a few meters
>You don’t even need to roll, you’re already running
>You’re only running further into the orchard, but there’s no changing course now
>A certain part of your brain tells you disappointingly:
>This is what happens when you don’t do thorough recon
>It’s only going to go downhill from now on
>And it’s not even late morning

>About ten minutes later, you dive into the small depression offered by two hills
>You try not to make too much noise gulping down air and keeping your legs from cramping up
>You ran through the orchard, around a barn and house, through more orchard, and over a dozen very steep hills
>Despite being chemically augmented on top of having an Olympic athlete’s body, your legs feel like jelly
>Your lungs are on fire
>And yet you’re pretty certain Applejack is still on your ass

>You look over the lip of the hill and see the town not too far away
>Scanning for a moment, you see that no one is out in the streets
>Given how early it is and how similar these ponies are to humans, it’s understandable
>You look across town, and even without magnification you can see a lone oak tree dominating one of the much wider streets
>That has to be Twilight’s library
>Perhaps you need to pay a visit in order to smooth things over with certain individuals
>Though maybe you should just head back to Fluttershy’s
>You look over your shoulder
>AJ’s four hills behind you, and still has her green eyes set on you
>Twilight’s it is then
>You pop up and break into a dead sprint down the hill towards the closest stone bridge, ignoring the heavily accented shouting behind you

>Over the river
>No contacts in front
>Your armored boots make distinctive *thud*s as they pound against the dirt and occasional stone
>Past the first block
>Still no contacts
>You should probably turn into another street to lose the farmer
>You pass another block, and now you can see a building that’s sticking out from the rest
>It’s entirely organic

>And it’s just your luck to have the front door open
>You dive into the next alleyway, but you quickly pick yourself back up to start sprinting again
>Just to make sure that you don’t run into whoever came out of that building, you cross two streets before resuming your bound across town

>You almost get to where you only need to cross back over, but you’re forced to dive into an alley again
>This time you stay prone and watch as a blue blur flies by right above the rooftops
>A pegasus, great
>Certain that it’s already a ways always, going at that speed, you stand back up and prepare to cross back over to get to the library
>You stop when you hear AJ call out faintly in the distance, “Rainbow Dash!”
>Who now?
>You move to the end of the alleyway, towards the library, and look down the street
>About three blocks down is the orange pony, and a blue pegasus is hovering above her
>Even with your excellent hearing, you can’t make out what AJ’s telling this Rainbow Dash
>But you can guess
>If that flying pony joins in the search, then it’s only a matter of time before you’re caught

>You’re ready to sprint straight for the library two streets down, when-
>*knock**knock*
“Hm?”
>You turn towards the sound that originated in the alley, but find nothing
>You look down and immediately back up, almost reaching over for your rifle
>That cupcake wasn’t there before
>You look further into the alley and freeze
>You spot poofy pink hair
>The hair rises, and your eyes lock with a pair of bright blue
>Several seconds of silence pass
>Shoot, you were found out

>Now what?
>You can’t just make a break for it, lest this one alerts the others
>You have to take her out, but she’s well out of arm’s reach
>Without moving your head, you note how your particular spot is encased in shadow
>It’s the only idea you have, so you execute it and smoothly flex your fingers
>In a second, your body become nearly invisible in the shadow of the alleyway

>It’s the pony’s turn to go “Hm?” and slowly emerge from her hiding spot
>Earth pony, fur matches the poofy mane in color
>With a smile she trots over to you with a spring in her step
>Her eyes are closed and she’s humming a soft tune
>Well, okay…?
>Just before she runs into you, you slowly lift your hand out front
>The pony practically trots straight into it
>In one fluid motion, you grab her, lift her up, turn her around, and apply armored arm to neck
>She gags once, but several tight squeezes knock her out cold
>She didn’t even struggle
>You can ponder over that later
>Right now she’s coming with you
>You can explain everything to her with Ms. Sparkle
>You tuck the pink pony under your arm and peek out of the alley again
>The pegasus and the farmer are gone
>You have no idea in which direction they went
>They could be anywhere, practically around the corner
>But they’re out of sight, so now’s your chance
>You bolt out of the alley and cross the first street, the pink pony’s tail trailing behind you
>The second street is deserted too, and you only have fifty or so meter in between you and safety
>You slow down in the last alley, taking the time to check the area
>It’s clear, and you run straight for the low-hanging window and crouch under it

>You rapidly knock on the glass while you constantly look both ways
>You keep knocking for a good ten seconds before you hear Ms. Sparkle
>”Alright, I’m coming! You can stop now!”
>You comply, and not two seconds after you stop does the window open and Twilight looks out
>”I do have a door, you kno—Anon?”
“Here.”
>You lift up the unconscious pink pony and set her on the windowsill, much to the unicorn’s surprise
>”Pinkie Pie?!”
“So you know her?”
>”What did you do!?”
“I incapacitated her, ma’am. Please, can we discuss this inside?”
>”And why is that?!”
>She really needs to stop shouting
“Because I’d rather explain myself to Applejack and a blue pegasus with you to vouch for me.”
>”But why-“
“Please, ma’am, can we take this inside?”
>With a groan, the unicorn lifts “Pinkie Pie” up and into the tree
>You squeeze through and hastily shut the window behind you
>Giving yourself a moment to bask in relief, you turn around and take a good look at the library
>Rather spacious and bright, despite there being only a few other windows
>You wouldn’t mind doing some research in here

>You look to Twilight as she brings out some pillows from somewhere and rests Ms. Pie on them, before turning back to you with a deep frown
>”So why aren’t you at Fluttershy’s?”
“I went for a walk, ma’am.”
>She raises an eyebrow, “And that ended up with you over here, carrying an unconscious mare with you?”
“Things escalated, ma’am.”
>She smacks her face with her hoof, trying to stay calm
>”Can you elaborate?”
()()()
>You move to a spot where you’re sure you can’t be seen from the outside and sit, folding your armored legs
>Twilight sits back on her hunches in front of you, well out of arm’s reach
“Well, I decided to go for a walk when I woke up pretty early and I didn’t feel like sleeping in. A few minutes after sunrise I came across your farmer friend’s orchard. I walked around the perimeter for a decent amount of time, but then I came across a treehouse of sorts.”
>You note how the corner of Twilight’s lips twitched at the mention of “treehouse”
“I got curious since it was a pretty remote spot and it was in the middle of all’ve the apple trees, so I looked inside to investigate.”
>Now you can tell Ms. Sparkle is putting effort into keeping a calm expression
>Suspiciously
>You smell something fishy
“Ma’am, do you know where your assistant is?”
>The calm expression is replaced with a slight frown
>”Well, yes, he’s with the fillies.”
“Fillies? Were there three of them?”
>The frown remains, but her eyes narrow
>”Yes. Did you meet them?”
>Don’t dodge me, unicorn

“Ms. Sparkle, does Equestria have any insurrectionists?”

>It takes a moment for that particular word to register, and her face scrunches up in complete confusion
>”Insurrectionists?”
“Yeah, ‘independents,’ ‘revolutionaries’…”
>Come on, nothing?
“Terrorists?”
>That makes Twilight reel back, eyes wide
>”T-terrorists!?”
>Is that the tone of denial you’re hearing?
>You think it /is/!
>You lean forward, a sudden shit-eating grin under your helmet
“So they ARE innies!”
>You’re now seeing a mix of horror and anger
>”Those fillies aren’t terrorists!”
>You point an accusing finger at her
“Then why were they interrogating Spike for information about me? And why was he answering with some accuracy?”

>Twilight tries a couple of attempts at speaking, but in the end she simply does the closest she can to pinching the bridge of her nose and groaning
>Keep pressing, you’re so close to striking gold!
>You slowly lean back as you tell her,
“Loose lips sinks ships, ma’am, and I think we all know what will happen if word of my presence gets out too soon.”
>You can see the pitchforks and torches already
>Twilight finally looks back up to you, still looking a little miffed
>”Then why did you take a walk knowing you couldn’t be seen.”
>Stay in control, keep her on the ropes
“Hey, I didn’t know there was a cell operating from where I walked, a cell you just so happen to know about.”
>Now she’s up on all fours and seething
>”For the last /bucking/ time, they’re not TERRORISTS!”
>You give her a moment before you lean in and say softly
“That extreme passion tells me otherwise ma-“

>The door bursts open with a *boom*
>The two of you turn to witness an orange filly on a scooter pulling a wagon
>In the wagon are the other two kids and a certain dragon
>All have looks of sheer horror as they speed across the room and into a bookshelf
>The resulting avalanche of physical texts buries them completely

>As a few books on top stop moving, you and Twilight could only stare blankly
>You haven’t even moved from your seat
>The stillness is broken by Spike digging himself out of the pile, quickly followed by the fillies
>They extract themselves groggily from the crash, moaning and holding their proportionately large heads with a hoof
>That all ends when the yellow one with the red ribbon spots you all of a sudden and points
>”There he is!”
>The other two shake off her dizziness and look to you
>The orange extends her tiny wings and shouts, “Get ‘em!”
>You finally realize what’s happening and reach for your knife as the trio charge you

>”That’s ENOUGH!”
>Both you and the kids are engulfed in a purple glow, and are stopped dead in your tracks
>You strain your eyes to look over, and the purple unicorn is now officially pissed
>She starts talking in a /perfectly calm/ voice,
>”Girls, I can explain everything if you let me.”
>”Twilight, no! He’s brainwashing you!”
>”I SAID, let me explain.”
>That shuts them up, and they get released
>You, on the other spell, get lifted up into the air
>You’re too concerned with your wellbeing to move at all
>”And /you/ can sit over there and not say /anything/ until the Princess comes back to pick you up.”
>She levitates you over to the opposite side of the room, and sets you down so you’re facing the wooden wall
>”Okay?” the unicorn asks menacingly sweet
>You barely manage to squeak out a,
“Yes, ma’am.”
()()()
>The next several hours are absolutely boring for you as you sit in the metaphorical corner of the circular room
>Twilight is very adamant in keeping you quiet, and she doesn’t even let you turn around
>It doesn’t help that the fillies are constantly asking you questions, much to the annoyance of both you and Ms. Sparkle
>The monotony of their questions are at least broken when Twilight’s friends start to come over
>The first one is AJ, and Twilight had to get the farmer from not attacking you as soon as she saw you
>She calms down quickly after Twilight introduces you, and goes on to tell Applebloom off from interacting with you in any way
>This eventually makes the others stop as well, and you silently thank the farmer for that

>The second friend to visit is a newcomer
>From the sounds of her ladylike voice and posh demeanor, she has a hint of a prima donna
>She did express much concern over Ms. Pie, though, who is still out cold
>She feels relieved when she finds out Ms. Pie was not seriously harmed, but then goes completely silent
>You can feel those judgmental eyes look you over
>You remain still as a statue as you hear her hooves clip clop against the wooden floor
>She doesn’t touch your armor at all, but you swear she’s mere centimeters away from your back
>This Ms. Rarity scrutinizes you for the better part of a minute, and ends her inspection it by slowly walking around to the front
>You spot the white and purple unicorn out of the corner of your visor, and you watch as she sizes up your helmet
>With a final “hmph,” she walks back to the center of the room
>”I have to say, darling, I’m impressed with the materials, though the whole design is rather drab.”
>You keep yourself from telling her that looks are the last thing she should be worried about

>A couple minutes later, Fluttershy and a new pegasus enter the library

>Your hostess softly expresses her relief in seeing you alright, but the other set of wings quickly go over to where you believe Twilight to be
>Even though you can clearly hear her, she whispers to Ms. Sparkle in a raspy voice
>”Hey Twi, is that the blaster on his back?”
>”Blaster?”
>”You know, his ray gun?”
>”Well, I don’t think it’s a ray gun. It’s more like a miniature cannon.”
>”Oh…okay.”
>What, ballistics isn’t cool enough for you?
>If Twilight conjured up more bullets, then you will definitely give a demonstration
>Somewhere that’s not in the middle of town
>Maybe

>You continue to listen to the small crowd of Equestrian citizens as they went about with the usual small talk
>They catch up with each other, and you can tell they are a close knit group
>It also turns out that the fillies are pretty close as well, with two of them having older sisters and the one named Scoots an admirer of one Ms. Rainbow Dash
>All of them talk about how it’s been a while since they were able to get together like this
>Did they plan for this?

>Eventually, your thoughts are interrupted when Ms. Pie wakes up
>She makes this obvious immediately by announcing,
>”Hey! It’s almost lunch!”
>Just as she says that, you hear the thick *whoosh* of a heavy blanket being unfurled, followed by the clacking of plates
>The chatter quickly comes back with surprise and general merriment, but they all begin to quiet down when Ms. Rarity asks,
>”While I ever do so appreciate your foresight, darling, wouldn’t this be a little more appropriate for an outdoor picnic?”
>”Oh don’t worry, Rarity! It’s just a Super Secret Inverse Outdoor Picnic. And the reason it’s a Super Secret Inverse Outdoor Picnic is because we have a Super Secret Outdoor Guest.”
>Silence reigns as everyone in the room turns towards you
>Seconds roll by as tension builds, only for it to be defused by Twilight sighing
>”Alright, Anon, you can join us.”
()()()
>Lunch
>With ponies
>Today you have lunch with ponies and a baby dragon
>Never, absolutely never in your short life did you think this would happen
>A small part of you is reeling against the absurdity of this entire situation and wishes that you simply died back on Pegasi
>The rest of you is melting in sugar-induced ecstasy

>At first you were extremely wary and cautious, as was everyone else
>You kept silent, and everything in general was awkward
>Then Ms. Pie plopped a simple cupcake down onto your plate
>After careful inspection, you popped off your helmet and ignored the many pairs of eyes on you
>You carefully took a small bite out of the treat… and you couldn’t stop since
>Right now you’re devouring an obscenely large cookie
>You get halfway through it before remembering to breathe
>A gulp of air, and then a gulp of that sticky grape juice before it’s back to the cookie
>You finish the delicious disc in seconds, and lean back with a content sigh
>Culinary bliss

>You pull yourself forward and notice that everyone has stopped eating to stare at you again
>They haven’t eaten nearly as much as you have
>You notice Ms. Rarity, out of the corner of your eye, pat her mouth with a floating napkin
>”My, my, darling, you sure have a taste for sweets.”
>You look down at your plate, and besides a few wrappers it’s completely clean
>You had an entire pile of stuff a few minutes ago

>Now self-conscious, you wipe the stains on your chin away and brush the accumulated crumps off of your breastplate
>You tell her in a very neutral tone,
“Sorry ma’am. I just never had a meal quite like this.”
>It’s extremely sweet, but you just consumed more calories than you would have with a normal day of breakfast, lunch, and dinner
>Your blood pressure’s probably in the red
>Your stomach’s ready to burst
>You see Ms. Pie beam at the statement regardless

>”Are you always this hungry?” asks Ms. Dash, and you turn to the pegasus sitting next to you
“No, they feed us well whenever we’re not in a training exercise.”
>She perks up at this, “What kind of training do you do?”
>Wait, crap
>Walk carefully here
“You know, teambuilding stuff: carry logs, camp out…”
>Capture the flag in the middle of a heavily guarded outpost
>”You had a team? What was it like?”
>Crap, she reminded you
>You stare downwards, suddenly lost in memories
“Well, there were four of us. Small, but we were very close.”
>”Like best friends?” butted in Ms. Pie, and you shake your head
“Nah, more like family. We all were.”
>You smile for some reason
“We came from all over the place, but with no one else around, it was kinda natural for us kids.”
>Your slip-up sent the questions flying

>”All over the place?”
>”Kids?”
>”No one else?”
>”Where were your parents?”

>The last one hits you right in the chest
>No, not now
>Myrmidon
>It’s all ash
>Your family, your REAL family
>You were supposed to go with them
>The monsters were everywhere

>”Anon?”
>You blink, and realize you were clenching your fists tightly
>You relax and take a slow, deep breath
“Sorry, I-uh… I can’t really say much more.”
>No one says a word for a long, until Ms. Twilight finally finds the courage to speak up
>”Anon, I’ve been meaning to ask for a while, but exactly how old are you?”
>With a steeled expression, you look to the librarian
>You can tell she’s dreading the answer, but curiosity has forced her to ask
>You oblige by answering in a completely calm voice,
“I’m twelve years old, ma’am.”

()()()

>The Princess comes a few hours later
>She actually teleports in with a flash and a *bang*
>She’s greeted with the sight of you and Spike loading rounds into magazines by the stairs, with opened ammo packs everywhere
>You give her a slow and low nod, while Twilight and Spike rush up and bow
>Smiling, the Sun Pony Goddess lets her student and the dragon rise, thanking them and having them pass on her thanks to their friends
>The Princess then walk daintily up to you, still slowly loading the last mag
>”I’m glad to see that you’re well stocked, Petty Officer.”
“Thanks to your student, ma’am.”
>You load the 30th round in, and place the mag on the last open spot on your magnetic belt
“I wish we could farm ammunition and magazines like peas and melon back where I’m from.”

>You stand up, grabbing your recently cleaned and fully loaded rifle, then stand at attention
“I’m ready to go when you are, ma’am.”
>Celestia smiles warmly, but says, “Perhaps you should say thanks to a few certain ponies first.”
>Oh yeah
>You look over to Ms. Sparkle and Spike and nod,
“Thank you, Twilight, Spike, for everything. Send my thanks to Fluttershy too, can you?”
>They both smile
>”Sure thing, Anon. I hope you come back soon.”
>You hesitate before giving her a small grin and telling her,
“We’ll see.”
>Celestia gives you a moment to put on your helmet before the two of you are enveloped in the teleportation spell

>With a flash and a *bang,* you find yourself in an open courtyard filled with statues
>You look around, and the only other living soul around besides you and the Princess is a single Canterlot Guard a ways away, staring up at one statue in particular
>You note his lack of a helmet, and that immediately tells you all you need to know
>Celestia goes further and has you follow her to the stallion

>The Guard turns to his Princess and bows, but rises on his own
>They exchange formalities, and then Captain Armor turns to look at you
>You look down at him and begin the staring contest
>It only lasts a few seconds before the Captain loses
>”Have you told him anything yet, your majesty?”
>”I haven’t, but you can fill him in on the way.”
>With that, the Princess turns towards the castle that you’ve just noticed to be HUGE
>The Captain follows her, and you match pace with him

>”So you’re a genuine human…”
“Yes sir, and I understand you have a mission for me?”
>”That I do. What do you know of the Griffins, Spartan?”
>You scrounge up what you remember from that world history book Twilight gave you after your weapons demonstration
“That they’re one of the many intelligent species of the planet, and they’re the second biggest power of this world behind your people. While your country is run by a duel monarchy, the Griffin nation is a republic.”
>The three of you exit the courtyard and start walking through a few isolated gardens
“I actually find it a little disturbing. From what I’ve read, it’s pretty much a complete copy of a civilization we had a few thousand years ago.”
>”Really?”
>You nod
“It’s actually a little disturbing, sir, but besides different names and a few cultural hiccups, the Griffin Republic is the same as Rome during its late Republic years.”
>”What happened to Rome? Is it still around?”
“Oh no, sir. The Republic lasted for a few centuries, then became an Empire which lasted for a few more. Ultimately it deteriorated until it was fractured by foreign powers. Then the Dark Ages began, and the name alone says everything.
Judging by the way things are going and how old the history books Ms. Sparkle had on the Griffons. I’d give the Republic a century until an emperor appears.”

>There is a moment of your boots thudding and the Captain’s hooves clip-clopping against the stone path
“Of course I could be wrong about this, but with this uncanny amount of similarities, I can’t help but believe that history is going to repeat itself… sir.”
>The Captain takes it all in stride
>”I see, Spartan. I never expected to have a little history lesson, or at least from someone who wasn’t Twilight.”
>I look to the Guardpony
“You know Ms. Sparkle?”
>The Captain lets out a chuckle, “I should know. She’s my sister.”
>Whoops
“I apologize, sir.”
>The smile remains, ”It’s quite alright, Petty Officer. I’ll give you a pass since you’re new here.”

>Now you’re all in the halls of the castle, following the Princess as she navigates her way to whatever destination she has in mind
>You begin to ascend a spiraling stone staircase when you speak up
“So sir, why is Equestria interested in a failing Republic on the other side of the ocean?”
>The Captain’s smile disappears and has given the way to business
>”Officially, we’re going to be sending a delegation to work out a revision of the trade rights we have with the Republic.”
“And unofficially, sir?”
>”Twofold. The first reason is rather serious.”

>You look out of one of the small windows you’ve been passing at regular intervals, and you note that you’re going up pretty high
>”A few days ago, one of our cargo ships never arrived in the Griffin port it was heading for. We suspect it came under attack by pirates that originated from an area along the Griffin coast that’s pirate territory. The barge in question is called the Helping Hoof.”
>Search and rescue?
>Resource acquisition?
>You can do those
>But why send an entire delegation, and send you along with them if that’s what the Princess wants
“May I ask why this is high on your priority list, sir?”
>”While pirate attacks near the Hook Gulf aren’t unheard of, an entire barge disappearing, especially one as reputable as the Helping Hoof, has the higher ups in a bit of a panic. We just lost an entire shipment of valuable exports and delayed a large shipments of imported goods, either of which are not sitting well with the related businesses.”

>Jeez, are you going to the top of this tower?
>Your thoughts are interrupted by the Captain coming a little closer as you climb up the staircase
>”And I don’t even need to mention that over a dozen experienced sea ponies were abducted with their ship. I’m sure you know how serious the Princess is when it comes to the lives of her subjects.”
“I know, sir.”
>Given how she introduced herself before you could have a word with that unicorn Guard about monsters, you don’t doubt the wrath she’s holding in
>Why is she?
“No offence, sir, but why doesn’t she find the crew herself?”
>”If you’re part of the senate, and some griffin flies in screaming about the Princess ransacking the gulf, how would you react?”
>Stay calm, verify that the griffin messenger isn’t loony, then attempt to find out why the Princess is ransacking the gulf
>But then again, you’re not a sissy of an alien politician
“I understand, sir, I’ll find them. What’s the second reason?”

>The Princess FINALLY stops on a floor and heads down a short hallway to a set of deep blue double doors
>”You’ll find out soon enough, Spartan.”
>The Princess stops at the doors and waits for the two of you to join her
>Her eyes were closed, but she opens them as you approach
>”Anon, what have you read about my sister?”

>Oh
>These doors lead to /her/ room
“That… she went renegade a millennia ago. It’s only been a couple of months since she came back and was, well, redeemed.”
>The two ponies remain silent, and you give another look at the ornate doors
“She has the ability to enter people’s dreams, and is in charge of the night while you’re in charge of the day.”
>The Princess tilts her head in an odd fashion, like she’s the slightest bit of annoyed
>”But do you know what she is like, as a pony?”
>You lower your head in the same manner and give an incredulous look behind your helmet
“Is there a reason you’re asking me this, ma’am.”

>The Sun pony takes a step back, her horn glowing
>A lock is worked, and one of the doors open just enough to let you through
>”Since you are going to work with her, then it would make sense for you to get to know her.”

>You look inside the room, and you can’t see anything
>You give one last look to both the Princess and Captain Armor, but something tells you you’re going in that room one way or another
>Well, if they wanted to kill or trap you, Ms. Sun Goddess over here could’ve easily done that
>With a deep breath, you slowly walk past the Princess and the Captain and enter the dark room

>You’re not two paces in when the door closes, leaving you in complete darkness
>With a small *click* your night vision activates, and you scan the regal bedroom now adorned in a eerie green filter
>It’s rather large, but then again this is royalty you’re talking about
>Speaking of which, where is she?
>You move further into the room with a high ceiling, turning yourself around as you look
>Is she trying to spook you?
>Not a very smart move
>You look over the doors to check and make sure Ms. Luna wasn’t simply hiding behind the doors
>They’re cle-

>You snap back around at the familiar sound of something large scuttling behind you
>You barely catch a glimpse of thin, silver legs darting behind the massive bed
>You immediately reach over your chest and take out your knife
>You contemplate bringing out the sword, but you don’t want to waste its power on one little arachnid
>Little…

>Lowering into a combat stance, you carefully circle the bed, listening for anything else in the room
>As you move, a part of you wonders how a silverskin somehow got here
>There’s no way it could’ve gotten here
>Wait, that could mean it’s just an illusion
>Yeah, Luna’s the master of dreams, right?
>Surely she’s just testing you on something, like if you can figure out if it’s an illusion
>You snap around the bed, knife ready, and find nothing
>The spider shoots out from under and leaps up at you

>Your vision is filled with silver chitin and wiry hairs

>Out of conditioning and instinct you duck and stab
>Metal slices into chitin, and you throw the weight of the spider over you and into the floor with a *CRACK*
>You raise your knife and try not to get a good look at the flailing mass beneath you
>With profanity you never thought you’d use spewing forth, you stab and stab and stab until the thing stops screeching and writhing

>You slam the knife in one last time, and you give yourself a moment to calm down
>It’s dead, it can’t hurt you; it’s dead
>You pull the knife free and wipe it clean off the thick carpet
>A soft glow in the room makes you twirl around and into a defensive crouch
>Standing there on the bed is that being from your nightmare

>Things become awkward fast
>Turns out that Onyx-native spider really was an illusion
>And now you have a knife drawn on numbero dos
>She apparently didn’t think she’d get this far
>You simply stare at each other until Celestia and Captain Armor enter
>It still takes a while for the two of you to relax
>It’s then that you all get down to business
>Sun Princess starts by bringing out what looks to be a very primitive tape recorder and placing it in the center of the room
>”Now that the two of you have met, we can begin the briefing.”
>She starts the recording with a soft *click*

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Mission 01—A Helping Hand:
[Anon]: Is that a recorder?
[Celestia]: Do you mind?
[Anon]: As long as you bury it deep in your files, I won’t.
[Celestia]: Don’t worry, this won’t become public in a long time, if at all.
[Anon]: Fine with me, ma’am.

>Celestia gently clears her throat
[Celestia]: As Shining has told you, the Helping Hoof has disappeared, and the culprits are pirates operating in the Hook Gulf.
[Anon]: What details can you tell me about the Helping Hoof?
[Celestia]: It is the most modern and publicized general cargo ship we have. It’s commanded by Glittering Shores and a crew of twenty three of our best sea ponies.
[Anon]: I assume “sea ponies” is just a title and not another species.
[Celestia]: Correct. Most of the crew is comprised of earth ponies, Captain Shores included, but his first mate is a pegasus named Strato. There are a couple of unicorns as well. Each of them have years of experience.

[Anon]: What makes you certain that pirates captured the ship?
[Celestia]: We received a ransom letter at high noon today. It was sent by the Blue Talons, and they’ve claimed responsibility for the ship’s disappearance.
[Anon]: Pretty bold for a gang of pirates.
[Shining]: The Blue Talons is one of the biggest pirate groups in the world. Their decentralized organization allows them to have independent groups operating in waters around the world.
[Anon]: Sounds like you’ve had to deal with them before, sir.
[Shining]: There were a few instances along our coast, but nothing as bad as this.
[Celestia]: Which is why we’re asking for your help, Anon.
[Anon]: You want this situation to be handled discretely?
[Celestia]: Yes. The disappearance of the Hoof alone is causing major ripples in the news. If word gets out that pirates captured it, there is going to be, at the very least, a lot of heated debates that we don’t need.

[Anon]: Has anyone else read the ransom letter?
[Celestia]: No, the letter was sent directly to me, and I believe you should know what it said.
[Anon]: What are their demands?
[Celestia]: The Talons are willing to release both the crew and the ship to us in exchange for three things. The first two are the Hoof’s cargo and a substantial “finder’s fee.” The second is “any bipedal beings of interest you are in contact with.”
>Beat
[Anon]: That’s awfully specific, ma’am.
[Celestia]: I thought the exact same thing, Anon. There’s no doubt they were asking about you and your kind.
[Anon]: Is there any way they could’ve found about us this quickly?
[Celestia]: I can only think of two possibilities: either we have a mole, which is extremely unlikely, or they have found one of your friends and want more.
[Anon]: With respect, ma’am, I don’t think they could’ve captured any one of us.
[Celestia]: If they’ve received the same training as you have, then you’re probably right. If anything, your friend may have stumbled into this group, and now they’re curious.
[Anon]: Maybe, ma’am, but we’ll only know for certain when we get to the Griffon coast.

[Celestia]: Of course, Anon, and when you get there, your tasks are as follows: Locate my little ponies and bring them to a place where you can contact me and I can retrieve them.
[Anon]: You have communications equipment, ma’am?
[Celestia]: Just because we rely on magic doesn’t mean we don’t delve into the field of electric appliances, Anon.
[Anon]: Alright then. When do we leave?
>Luna activates a teleportation spell, and she and Anon disappear from the room

>There is a moment of silence
[Shining]: Do you really think another Spartan’s out there?
[Celestia]: I don’t know for certain, but for his sake I hope there is. He has such high hopes he isn’t alone, I’m afraid he’ll do whatever it takes to find them.
[Shining]: Whatever it takes…

====
Mission 01—A Helping Hand
Starring:
Spartan III Anon-B094
The Alicorn Sisters
Enemy Combatant: The Blue Talons Pirate Group
Guest Starring:
Glittering Shores
The Helping Hoof Crew
The Hydra

>The weather sure is rough when there aren’t any weather teams to control it
>Wind constantly smacks into your transport, carrying spittle from the ocean below
>The fact that it is still flying in a straight line is a testament to the ones piloting it
>You still keep from having your feet dangle over the lip, for you can’t swim very well with your armor on, even in calm waters
>You’re glad you get this whole chariot to yourself
>Your radio crackles as it receives a call from Princess Celestia
>”Anon, we suspect the Blue Talons are holding both the Helping Hoof and its crew in the Ursan Mouth. It is the largest natural cave in the region, and the only place able to hide a ship as large as the Hoof.”
>The chariot begins to descend, and you crouch to look over the front and scan the coastline
>A thin, rocky beach, dominated by high cliffs
>”My sister will be able to provide you with intel on the surrounding environment.”
>A rather pompous voice speaks over the comms
>”We have studied well, Spartan, it would be wise to consult us often.”
“I’ll call you when I need to, ma’am.”
>You can just barely hear her “hmph” at you, before Celestia comes back on
>”However you may go about this, Anon, please focus on finding my little ponies and bringing them back.”
“I’ll call you when I have them, ma’am.”
>You don’t get the satisfaction of another “hmph” and resort to watching the four pegasi fight to bring the chariot over to the several-hundred-meter cliffs
>They don’t try to land; you have to jump the remaining height with a *thud* lost in the howling wind

>The chariot circles around, and you notice the lead pegasus looking down to you as they pass over
>You are just able to hear “Be careful down there, Spartan!”
>You turn on your speakers and yell, with an amplified voice,
“Careful heading back to Luna!”
>You take a minute to watch them fly back out to sea, where they’ll turn south once out of sight and head to were the rest of the delegation is

>Now you’re on your own, with an alien coastline to scour
>”Thy destination is a few leagues to the north. It cannot be missed. Make haste, Anon.”
>Well, not really
>You sigh before checking your weapons
>MA5K: full, with plenty of spare mags
>Pilfered energy sword: it worked the last time you used it
>Jackal shield: Should work, but you don’t plan on utilizing it
>Then of course your knife is there where you left it
>You turn north and break into a steady jog, making sure to /not/ silhouette yourself on the many ridges

>About forty five minutes of uneventful running later, the Princesses admit that they’ve casted a sight spell on you
>Whatever you see they can see, and Luna has taken every opportunity to tell you trivia about everything of note you’ve seen
>The coastline (locally called “The Rusties” for their color)
>Those large birds that are heading with the wind (deified in old Equestria and the buffalo tribes)
>That plant you’ve just trampled over (usually found in vineyards where it’s turned into a wine-like juice)
>Your training is the only thing keeping you from shutting off your radio
>You’re so distracted by Princess Guidebook, you almost fall into the giant crack that runs through the middle of a huge lump in the cliff
>Approaching carefully and looking though the crack, you fight against a sudden sense of vertigo

>You were a few steps from plummeting at least a hundred meters and making a stain on the metal deck of a cargo ship

>Celestia begins to think out-loud over the radio
>”That’s the Helping Hoof. No doubt about it.”
>You look along its length, noting a few lit torches down at the very bottom, towards the back of the cave
>”It doesn’t look damaged, but the cargo’s gone.”
“That’s not a problem, is it ma’am?”
>”No. The shipment was mostly processed goods and materials. A great loss, yes, but nothing that will threaten us directly.”
“Whatever way, ma’am, they have to had moved the cargo somewhere. There’s more to this cave than just what we’re seeing.”
>Luna sees this as another opportunity
>”Yes, the Ursan Mouth is a labyrinth of caverns of a variety of sizes. We have yet to discover any official maps, but we are certain the Blue Talons posses some.”
“So I have to find some pirates, but first I have to get down there.”
>You carefully lower your head below the crack and look around, but there’s nothing on the ceiling to latch onto
>And of course you didn’t bring grappling gear or a jetpack
>There /has/ to be a way down from up here

>You move away from the crack and look around the coastline, noting the rolling hills that are further inland
>It’s by luck that you spot a silhouette appear on top of one
>You flex your fingers, and you’re rendered nearly invisible as you watch the contact approach
>Eagle’s head, talons, and wings on a lion’s body
>It’s pulling a tarp-covered cart
>This has to be a griffin, but just to be sure you call Luna
>”A griffin. The Blue Talons prefer to recruit locally; thou should expect more, but also expect a few diamond dogs and minotaurs.”
>You sit still and observe as the lone pirate slowly crosses over the hills and heads in your direction
>It’s going to walk right over to you
>A grin slowly etches across your face
>You slowly lower yourself onto your stomach and crawl towards your only current source for information
>You get to where you’re a few dozen meters form him, but the griffin suddenly stops
>You freeze

>Did it spot you?
>No, it isn’t looking at you
>Why is it just standing there, looking bor-

>The ground begins to move, and you find yourself sliding backwards
>You can hear machinery work beneath you
>A hidden entrance?
>Metal replaces the grass, and the griffin walks onto the artificial floor
>Staying calm, you crawl off the fake landscape and join the griffin on the apparent elevator
>The bored pirate continues to stare at nothing as the platform begins to descend at a slow rate

>Not good
>The photoreactive panels on your Semi-Powered Infiltration armor may last longer than the active camo stuff used by covies, but even ONI’s toys don’t last forever
>You have to get off and out of sight
>The rushing of wind and echoing sounds tell you that there’s space behind you
>Slowly, so as to not overburden the panels, you crawl backwards and over the lip of the platform
>The griffin looks up at the closing entrance, and you take the opportunity to slide over the edge and hang
>There’s only a soft pang of titanium against steel, and that’s lost against the loud machinery working around you
>Free from discovery for now, you look around from your new position
>You’re in a pretty large mineshaft, supported by crossing steel beams
>You look down, and you can spot the bottom several stories below, lit up by powerful light fixtures
>Already you can tell those are going to be a pain in the butt
>You won’t risk getting spotted by dismounting to the front, so you look at the back of the bottom
>You spot what appears to be a vent, and it looks big enough for you to fit in it
>Once the cargo elevator gets low enough, you begin to swing back and forth
>When the elevator’s only a dozen meters from the bottom, you let go, flipping in the air and across to the back wall
>In a fluid motion, you land into a summersault and dive into the vent, just before the elevator could squish you against the hard stone floor

>Not wasting any time, you quickly deactivate the cloaking panels and crawl further into the vent

>Once you hit a T-junction, you stop and call the Princesses
“This is Anon: can you two hear me?”
>Celestia answers, her calm voice distorted a little with static, “There’s a little interference, Anon, but we hear you. I see you’ve made it inside.”
“Yeah, now I just have to find my way around.”
>Luna pipes in, “Unfortunately, there is little we can do to assist thee in this.”
“Don’t worry, I have a way that’ll help a little.”
>”Such as?”
>You remember and execute the specific sequence of finger flexing, and shortly after a soft pinging could be heard
>Celestia realizes what you’re doing and suddenly becomes very interested
>”Echolocation?”
“Yeah. ONI stuffed a lot of gear into these suits to make up for them not being fully powered. They didn’t put Infiltration into SPI just because of the camo.”
>Luna seems indignant from the declaration
>”Well, then we guess thou only needs us for our company.”
“Trust me, ma’am, I still need your help. These gadgets are pretty situational, and I still need your intel. I’m running blind here and I don’t know my enemy very well.”
>And you don’t want to deal with a support team that doesn’t like you on top of the stress of this mission
“I’m going to look around for a bit, see if I can figure out where the crew’s being held. I’ll call you if I need help.”
>Celestia answers, “Very well, Anon. Stay safe.”
>You shut your radio off, then watch as the suit maps out the surrounding tunnel system

>Once you hit a T-junction, you stop and call the Princesses
“This is Anon: can you two hear me?”
>Celestia answers, her calm voice distorted a little with static, “There’s a little interference, Anon, but we hear you. I see you’ve made it inside.”
“Yeah, now I just have to find my way around.”
>Luna pipes in, “Unfortunately, there is little we can do to assist thee in this.”
“Don’t worry, I have a way that’ll help a little.”
>”Such as?”

>You remember and execute the specific sequence of finger flexing, and shortly after a soft pinging could be heard
>Celestia realizes what you’re doing and suddenly becomes very interested
>”Echolocation?”
“Yeah. ONI stuffed a lot of gear into these suits to make up for them not being fully powered. They didn’t put Infiltration into SPI just because of the camo.”
>Luna seems indignant from the declaration
>”Well, then we guess thou only needs us for our company.”
“Trust me, ma’am, I still need your help. These gadgets are pretty situational, and I still need your intel. I’m running blind here and I don’t know my enemy very well.”
>And you don’t want to deal with a support team that doesn’t like you on top of the stress of this mission
“I’m going to look around for a bit, see if I can figure out where the crew’s being held. I’ll call you if I need help.”
>Celestia answers, “Very well, Anon. Stay safe.”
>You shut your radio off, then watch as the suit maps out the surrounding tunnel system

>Five minutes of crawling through the carved-out ventilation system later, and you come across an opening
>It’s an overhanging metal grate, situated in the ceiling
>There are steel doors lining each side of the dimly-lit hallway
>After a few seconds, a griffin guard walks into view
>Decorative leather armor and a rapier
>Despite your helmet insulating your voice, you whisper,
“Do griffons speak our language?”
>Luna answers with a little more static, ”They should.”
“Good, I’m going ask a few questions.”
>You wait for the guard to walk away, then activate the suit’s panels
>Carefully, you lift the loose, rusted grate up into the vent and set it aside
>You slip through the opening legs first, then slowly lower yourself out of the vent
>The guard still has a ways to go before the end of the hallway, so you take your time dropping down onto the floor
>The area under the vent isn’t well lit, so you move to the side and lay down

====