"My, my, such high expectation of this story, from what love I am receiving…. Were so many of you hoping I would bring out such a thing? To bring you a hero that is so unpredictable? Well then." Places fingertips together, and leans in. "How about you find out a little something about our newest friend, hmmm?" Silver Star suddenly bounces up and boops you right in the nose! Sending you right back into the story. "Have fun, everypony!~ Daddy says this guy gonna be the best! ~"

Chapter Two

"Commander!" A Sangheili's voice echoed within Aythai'Vadam's mind. "Don't follow the Demons!" The Sangheili Stealth Operative started to shift, uncomfortably, as the memory's voice played throughout his mind. "It's a trap, why can't you see-AGH!" The sound of an energy sword activating cut the Sangheili off, before it roared out in pain.

The yell forced Aythai'Vadam's eyes to snap open and lunge forward… But the chained cuffs around his wrist prevented the Sangheili from going any further than an upright position. He slowly laid back down on to the white sheeted bed, was he in some kind of prison? No, he could feel the bandages around his boy, and hear the beep of a nearby heart monitor. He was in some hospital! A shameful place, for one of Sangheilos' warriors.

When the doorknob clicked, Aythai'Vadam quickly pretended he was still asleep, keeping his eyes barely open. He needed to know where he was, and what was holding him captive here. Most would have broken the chains, and tried to fight their way out of this place… But a Sangheili knows how foolish such a tactic is, along with how short lived it would be. Right now, he needed to collect what information presented itself.

The door slwly opened up, and a human-like creature made her way inside. While her body held human aspects, Aythai'Vadam knew she wasn't due to the long ears, orange coat, short muzzle, blonde tail, and hooves for feet. If anything, she reminded him of those equine creatures that the human's called "horses". She had a strangely large hat resting on top of her long, blonde, hair, but her long ears pushed it up a bit. Her cloths were somewhat simple, to say the least. Her shirt was white, with a brown leather jacket reaching to the top of her hips. The shirt exposed most of her stomach, which told him that it was rather warm out. She wore, what humans called, blue jeans with brown leather chaps over them.

In her arms, was a basket filled with apples, each one a shining red color. They were in good condition, which told Aythai'Vadam that these apples were well taken care of and freshly picked. She sat them down on to a dresser next to is bed, before sitting in a chair off to the Sangehili's right. "Hey there, big guy… Sorry it took me so long ta visit ya today. Doc said yer vitals are stabilizing, after a week since yer crash. Said ya could wake up any day now, figured ya might want somethin' better ta eat, rather than what the hospital might offer ya." She giggled at some joke, that he didn't quite understand. Though, he wondered how she knew the Human Language, something he learned during the years the Covenant warred against the humans. After all, during Recon Operation, you had to know what your foe was saying.

Aythai'Vadam found her rather interesting, to say the least, at the fact that she thought of his appetite and health. Most wouldn't treat such a strange creature o, he half expected these natives to actually kill him… Not tend to is injuries and bring something for the Sangheili to eat.

"My friend, Twilight, keps talking about how she has all these fancy question fer ya, fer when ya finally wake up that is. But Princess Celestia said she'll have ta wait." The female leaned back into her chair, frowning. Aythai'Vadam wondered why this female was frowning now. "Don't know why ah waited so long ta tell ya, this, somethin' just felt like it wasn't right just yet… But mah friends and ah couldn't save the rest of yer crew, ah'm afraid ya were the only survivor." Oh, that's why. "One of'em died in my arms, told us ya were in the ship's cockpit and that ya might still be alive…" She shook her head a bit, smiling up at him. "By the way, ah'm Applejack… You've probably heard me say that several times now."

In all honesty, Aythai'Vadam didn't know her name, until now. "Ms. Applejack, I'm afraid your visiting time is up." A male voice called out, as a white coated male, wearing gold armor, a spear in hand, and had a matching white horn; walked into the room. A warrior, of some sort, from what the Sangheili could tell. "I am sorry."

"But, ah had way more time yesterday… Why the drastic cut in time?" Applejack asked, Aythai'Vadam could hear the confusion in her voice. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Her majesty, Princess Celestia, felt that with his vitals now stabilizing… He could become very dangerous, rather quickly." The warrior didn't know how right he was. "To prevent risks, she required that all visits be shortened and observed."

Aythai'Vadam liked this leader, she was careful and knew a threat when she saw it. "Oh, alright, guess ah don't have much of a choice, do ah?" Applejack asked, the warrior shaking his head, while she placed a hand on to the Sangheili's chest. "Can't wait ta see ya walkin' around, big fella… Always welcomed at Sweet Apple Acres."

Her touch, even the words, felt warm to the Sangheili. He couldn't explain why, but such a feeling felt good to the warrior, while also being familiar. It was like the touch of another Sangheili, the very same words of his people. For a split second, Aythai'Vadam felt like he was back home, on Sangheilios, with a female Sangheili sitting next to him and not this orange female creature.

Then, in the same split second, the feel was gone and so was this "Applejack", as the warrior closed his room's door. Aythi'Vadam looked around, for a moment, noticing that these creatures had removed his body suit. That means he was either naked, with the sheets being the only thing covering him, or they at least left his undergarments on his body. This also meant those creatures had taken his armor and weapons, and that he needed to acquire more. His problem, there was probably more than one guard outside the room, and he highly doubts this "Princess Celestia" underestimated him.

Carefully, the Sangheili broke his cuffs before grabbing hold of the heart monitor, and got out of the bed. The marble floor was cold, it stung his feet a little, and the scent of sterilization filled his nostrils. Rolling the heart monitor with him, only stopping when it creaked to make sure the warriors didn't suspect anything, Aythai'Vadam made his way over to the room's window.

From what he could tell, he village outside was a small rural one. More than likely, a backwater town with some minor defense force, to handle feral animals and petty criminals. A perfect place for him to escape, quietly, without raising much of an alarm and lethal response. The forest, where he knew the Phantom had crashed, was just outside of that village. "Good, just have to find my way out of here and around that village." The Sangheili said, moving back over to the bed and began to think on how it is going to do that.

He had to find a way past those guards, along with not alerting the hospital's medical personnel. Aythai'Vadam reached over to the basket of apples, and grabbed one of the freshly picked fruits. An idea suddenly came to mind, the apple was thick, and heavy, enough to work for his plan. Quickly, the Sangheili hopped back into the bed, and positioned himself like before. Once done, he readied the apple by pulling his arm back… Then, sent said apple through the window!

The moment they heard glass shattering, the two warriors, from outside, quickly bursts into the room, weapons at the ready. The warriors looked around, and Aythai'Vadam noticed that one didn't have a horn like the other, noticing that their captive hadn't moved, and started to search for an intruder. One, with the horn, made his way over o the bed, while the one without a horn walked towards the window. "The creature is still here, asleep, anything on your end, Star Bright?" The warrior, with a horn, asked while kneeling to check under the bed.

'Star Bright', as the warrior called him, checked the shattered window. "Negative…" He said, eyeing how the window was broken, not noticing what transpired behind him. "It's strange, Dawn Fire, from what I can tell? The glass was broken from the inside." The warrior waited for his comrade to respond, but only silence followed. "Dawn Fire?" When he turned around, Star Bright saw his comrade in the bed, hooked up to the heart monitor, knocked out, and the Sangheili missing! "Dawn Fire!"

The warrior rushed over to the bedside, not noticing the Sangheili gripping against the ceiling above him. The very moment a thud sounded behind him, Star Bright froze up. "Honorable, to see to your fellow warrior, Warrior Star Bright." Aythai Vadam said, as the warrior turned around, and now noticed the, nearly naked, seven foot-four tall Sangheili. "But your compassion blinded you, from an obvious threat still within this room."

Star Bright quickly thrusted his spear towards Aythai'Vadam, but the Snagheili moved to the side and used his superior strength to snap the weapon in two. To Aythai'Vadam's surprise, Star Bright attempted to tackle him to the ground, despite being dwarfed by him, but he proved to be far too heavy. The Sangheili responded by slamming his fist into the warrior's back, grabbing the back of his head and throwing Star Bright into the wall.

Getting another surprise, Star Bright quickly recovered and tried to land a few blows against Aythai'Vadam's mid-section. He managed to land one, the armored fist causing the Sangheili a burst of pain, but it wasn't enough. Before the warrior knew it, Aythai'Vadam had ahold of his head again, and slammed Star Bright face first into the ground. Without hesitation, the Sangheili lifted his foot up, and brought it back down on to the warrior's back. "Normally, I would have given you an honorable death, one you rightly deserve, Warrior Star Bright… But I cannot draw too much attention to myself by doing so." Despite the warrior being knocked out, Aythai'Vadam felt like the explanation was needed. Plus, killing these two would be an error in judgement, their comrades would become even more ruthless in their search of him.

The Sangheili's gaze went around the room, the other warrior still passed out, as his eyes found the basket of apples. He placed a hand over his stomach, feeling it rumble a bit. It had been around a week since he last ate, so maybe just one or two won't hurt.

-Ponyville Hospital Lobby-

"But AJ! Ah wanted ta see the alien!" Applebloom complained, crossing both arms over her white and green collared shirt. When her sister said shew as visiting the alien they rescued, the filly hoped she'd be allowed to see it… Not wait in the lobby, until her sister was done.

Applejack sighed, keeping both hands in the pockets of her jacket. "Now, Applebloom, ah said ya could come alog, nothin' about ya seein' the big fella." She noted, shaking her head about the filly's strange curiosity. "Besides, PrincessCelstia has put new resrictions on visitin' him, it seems. The only reason ah can, is because ah helped save him… Which makes the big guy mah responsibility."

"Applejack!" A mare yelled, causing the farm mare to turn around, and see Nurse Redheart practically sprinting toher.

"Nurse Redheart? What's got ya in such a hurry?" She asked, Applebloom staying next to her older sister. "Ya look like Twilight that one time she accidently spilt ink on one of her books."

The nurse mare seemed frantic, her eyes wide in panic. "Applejack, I need you to tell me, did anything seem off about that alien anything at all?" She asked, making the farm mare worried about him.

"Ah noticed his eyes lids were a bit twitchy, but nothin' else." Applejack's eyes became wide, realizing what could have happened and even noticed the Nurse had her basket, which was strangely empty. "Is he alrigh'? His condition didn't get worse, did it? And why are ya carrying mah basket, along with where are the apples that were in it?"

"N-No, Applejack, dear… By what you just told me, he was awake, when you were there!" Nurse Redheart noted, still a bit frantic. "You're lucky to be alive, right now…" She motioned to the basket. "As for this? Well, it seems somepony had a bad case of the munchies, when he woke up… They were all eaten, core and all."

"The big guy was awake, the whole time?" She thought, smiling a bit. "Is he still awake? C-Can ah see'em?"

"I would assume so, since he's gone from his room." The nurse answered, cauing both Applejack and Applebloom to lower their ears. "He knocked out both Royal Guards, hooking one of them up to his heart monitor, hence why we didn't notice at first."

Applejack nodded, looking down at her younger sister. "Applebloom, ya need ta go home, while ah go and get the others." She looked at Nurse Redheart, a serious look on her face. "Maybe she can help track the big guy down, before he gets himself hurt."

The nurse nodded, rushing off to inform a doctor, while Applebloom looked up at her. "Ya sure ya don't need any more help, AJ? Ah mean, the girls and ah can be of some help!"

"No, Applebloom, ya need ta get home." Applejack turned around, and started to leave the hospital. "Ah already have an idea here he's goin', and it's too dangerous fer ya."

Applebloom watched her older sister walk away, scowling a bit because of the 'you're too young' card being played. "We can handle ourselves…" An idea suddenly struck the filly's mind, making her smile. "Ah gotta find the girls!" And, with that, she rushed off.

-Friendship Castle-

Twilight was examining one of the strange weapon, that the alien had on him. She eyed its log, smooth, elegantly designed; frame, runnin her hand across it. The alicorn already tested the weapon's weight, herself, and discovered that it was too heavy for an average pony. This told her that the alien's kind were strong, which confirmed some of her other research. But, what confused her about it, were the purple crystal-like spikes near the weapon's scope. Her tests told her that they were some sort of munitions or the alien's weapon.

Twilight added the notes to what information the doctors had sent her, which left the princess with a single conclusion about the alien. Wherever he came from, their world bred his species to be harsh, brutal, and a warrior-like race. "Scale thickness, muscle definition, mandibles filled with razor-sharp teeth, narrowed eyes, overly oxygenated blood…" She read off the notes, shaking her head. "Even the body design points to his people being meant for battle…Just what is he?"

"Trouble, if we don't' find him." Applejack yelled out, as she walked in. "Big guy escaped the hospital, did a number on his guards, according to Nurse Redheart."

Twilight's wings flared open, panic appearing over her face at the new information. "That thing is loose in Ponyville!? Please tell me no pony is hurt, Applejack!"

"Nah, just the Royal Guard's pride, ah think." Applejack sighed, shaking her head. "And ah doubt he's gonna be hangin' around Ponyville, wouldn't make sense."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Applejack? Why wouldn't it make sense?" The princess instantly went back to her notes, pulling page after page bac. "According to what I gathered, a warrior like him would look for a challenge."

Applejack smirked at what Twilight had missed. "Twi, how in Equestria can he do that, without weapons or clothing?" Twilight instantly blushed, not believing she forgot such crucial information. "Plus, the big guy is in unfamiliar territory… Surrounded by the unknown." The farm mare walked over to her friend, and eyed the strange weapon. "What anythin' would really do, right now, would be ta go ta familiar ground."

Twilight's eyes snappd open, realizing what her friend was trying to say. "The ship!" She shouted, looking up at Applejack. "He's going there, torearm and get his berings! But…" Tilight started to think on it. "How are we going to find him? Everfree Forest is huge, and he has a head start on us."

"That will help us find the big guy." Applejack mired towards the weapon, Twilight gaining a grin of her own, after realizing what she meant

"Alright, I'll get a letter to Princess Celestia, inform her of recent events and see if she can help some way." With that, the youngest princess rushed off to find her assistant, and send the letter.

Applejack sighed, looking towards a window facing the Everfree Forest. "Ah hope the big guy doesn't get himself any more hurt than he already is." She shook her head, not believing her luck right now. "Why do ah have the feelin', he's gonna be more trouble ta mah family than he's worth."

-CMC Club House-

"Alrigh'! Ah call this emergency meetin' of the Cutie Mark Crusaders ta order!" Applebloom said, as she tapped a hammer on to the desk, with a smile on her muzzle.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell looked at one another, before they looked at their friend. "What's going on, Applebloom? Did something happen?" Scootaloo asked.

Applebloom nodded, still smiling. "Yep, ah was at the hospital, and heard some news about that alien, that was caught a week ago." At the word 'alien' the other two were hooked. "He's escaped!"

"What!?" Sweetie Belle squeaked.

"Cool!" Scootaloo chirped.

"What are you talking about, Scootaloo? That thing could be dangerous!" Sweetie Belle noted, somewhat panicking. "He could hurt somepony!"

"That's the thin', Sweetie Belle, the others think we can't do anythin' about it." Applebloom said, still smiling, as the other two looked at her. "Ah propose we go, and recapture this alien. Prove that we can handle ourselves, and do what they can now!"

Sweetie Belle shook her head. "Applebloom, my sister said this thing was huge. It dwarfed even your sister, maybe even Big Macintosh."

"Which means it'll be even better, if we catch it before they do." Applebloom walked up next to Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo on the other side. "Think about it, Sweetie Belle. If we catch'em, they can't say we're too young fer anythin'!"

"I don't know about this, Applebloom…" Sweetie Belle said, not feeling very confident about this idea. "What if it's too much for us to handle?"

"Then we lead it ta the others, h'm sure they can handle'em." Applebloom noted.

Scootaloo nodded, smirked. "Yeah! I bet Rainbow Dash is way more than a match for that alien, anyways!"

Both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle rolled their eyes, before the white unicorn nodded. "Alright! I'll do it!" She chirped, smiling.

"Great! Let's get us some supplies and catch us an alien!" Applebloom said,holding her hand up.

The other two Crusaders pressed their hands against hers, all shouting. "Cutie Mark Crusaders: Alien Catchers!"