Chapter Four
Suspense is building

February 17th, 2531
Unknown star system, Cygnus arm
Town of Ponyville, land of Equestria
Twilight Sparkle
Mission: study friendship
New directives: study the human race

Twilight smiled as she looked over her notes on the humans, skimming them for any spelling mistakes or inconsistencies. The humans had imparted her important knowledge regarding their state as travellers and their names.

Commander Michael Preston, Staff Sergeant Christopher Grimesy, Private First Class Leroy Jenkins, Private Alfred Jameson, Lance Corporal Stephen Narest, and Private Cole Ramsey Twilight thought, musing over how peculiar their names were.

Though they were no more peculiar than Thar's name.

Thinking of the Sangheili made Twilight restless with anticipation; the warrior was to return to Ponyville today and the Unicorn had a lot more questions to ask him; they would pick up right where they left off.

Now I'll have two species to learn about! I wonder if Thar's ever met any humans... It doesn't seem likely.

A knock came to the library's door and the Unicorn trotted over to it; the library was open to ponies so the knock would have to mean that the being at her door wasn't a pony.

Opening the door Twilight saw Thar 'Saramee standing before her, one of his U-shaped dropships hovering in the street behind him. The craft rose into the sky and headed back to Canterlot.

"Twilight Sparkle, may I come inside?" Thar asked, the Unicorn stepping aside as a signal of confirmation.

"We have a great many things to discuss, Thar. I wish to know more about the Covenant; how they were formed, who leads them, that sort of thing" Twilight explained.

The Sangheili only nodded as Sparkle picked up her writing utensils and a few sheets of paper; Thar watched curiously as she grabbed a feather and dipped the tip in a small bottle before pressing it to the paper.

"So who leads the Covenant?" Twilight began.

"Three holy hierarchs named Truth, Mercy, and Regret. The Holy Ones were bestowed with all the knowledge of the Forerunners and lead our quest to begin the Great Journey" Thar answered.

"What is the Great Journey?"

"It is the unified goal of the Covenant; to find and activate seven sacred rings which will send a holy wind through the galaxy, turning all true believers into Gods" the Sangheili said.

In spite of his descriptive answers Twilight found all of this to be very vague; how does a holy wind turn people into Gods? Who could construct not one, but seven devices that turn people into Gods?

The more and more she learned the more she became skeptical, but then again she had never studied religion because she doesn't believe in what she can't see.

And Pinkie sense? You believe in that and that can't be seen her mind chirped.

No, she's seen that in action, it exists.

"If you'll have no objections I would like to learn more about you ponies" Thar requested, though he wasn't sure what else he could learn considering that Twilight told him everything about their race and what comprises their civilization.

"Oh, what a wonderful idea! There are two ponies in town, Lyra and Bon-Bon, they could tell you quite a bit about what it's like to live in this town; I don't have the time right now, I've got company coming by soon" Twilight said, writing down the address of the two mares and handing it to the Shipmaster.

"So be it" Thar replied, exiting the library and heading in the appropriate direction.

Looking back at her notes Twilight checked the information she had gleaned from the Sangheili about the Covenant and smiled, feeling as giddy as a foal in a candy shop. She had page after page of notes on society, anatomy, and technology from both alien species in Equestria and knew about things as simple as a human microwave to a Covenant starship's fusion engines.

"What fascinating information, I'll need to remember to ask Commander Preston how humans travel across space so quickly. His ship is fast, for sure, but space is expansive; it's at least 21* light years from here to the nearest planet" the Unicorn said to herself.

Just then she heard footsteps coming down the stairs and saw Spike poke his head out, scanning the foyer like he was searching for something.

"Hi, Spike, did you lose something?" Sparkle inquired, the baby dragon looked up at her.

"Is that alien freak gone?"

"Spike! I raised you better than that, he's not a 'freak'" Twilight scolded him, to no avail.

"I know you thought the same thing when he first showed up" Spike responded, folding his arms over his chest.

"Well... OK, you win. But please, Thar is just as much a person here as the rest of us" the Unicorn reminded him.

"Alright, alright. To be fair he does look kinda cool; all that armor makes him look so amazing!" the baby dragon exclaimed, earning a smile and eyeroll from the Unicorn.

Boys... Hey, that reminds me; Commander Preston and his men are supposed to come back soon Twilight thought.

"Spike, I need you to head to the stationery store and get me some more paper and ink. The humans will be back soon and I want to ask more questions" Twilight told him.

"Oh great, more creepy aliens" the dragon commented exasperatedly.

"Spike!"

"Right, sorry" Spike said sheepishly, rushing out of the library with the money in hand.

Twilight sighed.


"So then I told him 'read it? I wrote it!'" Private First Class Leroy Jenkins yelled, finishing a joke he was telling to a rainbow-maned Pegasus, Rainbow Dash.

The pony broke out laughing, rolling on the ground and slapping her hoof into the dirt. Leroy himself allowed a chuckle; no matter how many times he told that joke it was still funny.

The two were standing outside a local bakery by the name of Sugarcube Corner, Sergeant Grimesy and the Commander were inside with the rest of the squad on some kind of milk run for the librarian Twilight Sparkle.

Well, cupcake run, rather Jenkins thought, smiling wily.

Rainbow Dash had finally regained her composure, wiping a tear of mirth from her face and still giggling she looked up at the young PFC and said "you know, you're a pretty cool guy, Leroy. I like you."

"Aw, you don't mean that" Jenkins replied, a faint shade of red coming to his cheeks.

"No, I do. You're really cool" Dash reaffirmed, making sure the Private got it this time.

"Thanks, that means a lot coming from you."

"Of course it does! I am the coolest pony in Ponyville, after all" the Pegasus boasted, earning an incredulous look from Leroy.

"Yeah? Prove it" was all the human had to say, Rainbow taking the challenge immediately.

Right around the corner Thar 'Saramee entered the home of Lyra and Bon-Bon, the Elite unnoticed by PFC Jenkins.

When Rainbow Dash finished her stunts she floated back down to where Leroy was still standing, his brow was cocked but no other signs of impression were present.

"OK, that was pretty cool" the human stated, Rainbow soaking up the praise like a sponge in water.

"Maybe someday you'll see my signature move, the Sonic Rainboom!" Dash said with a flap of her wings.

"That sounds nice."

Just then Sergeant Grimesy stepped out of the bakery carrying a cardboard box, immediately followed by Commander Preston and the rest of the squad.

"Jenkins, quit flapping your lips and carry this damn box" the Sergeant ordered, shoving the box into the Private's arms.

"Yes, sir!"

"Where you guys going?" Rainbow asked, watching the Sergeant turn to face her.

"Back to the library; damn Twilight Sparkle chick has been told to keep an eye on us but all she ever does is ask questions! 'Grimesy, who made your shotgun?', 'Grimesy, why does your dropship defy gravity?', 'Grimesy, why you always picking on Jenkins?', that sort of thing" the Staff Sergeant exclaimed, obviously upset at Twilight's never-ending barrage of questions.

"She's an egghead, all she ever does is ask questions" Dash stated.

"Yeah, yeah."

The Marines quickly got on their way and soon made it to the library, setting their equipment down and taking seats next to it. Jenkins handed the box of cupcakes to Twilight.

"Thank you, Leroy. Now, I want to ask questions about your weapons; please set them out on the table" the Unicorn requested.

"Are you insane, girl? You honestly think we're just gonna hand our guns over to you? Who's to say you won't shoot us?" Grimesy protested.

"They won't be loaded, Sergeant" Commander Preston said, grabbing his shotgun and unloading the shells from the tube.

After several minutes Preston had set out an MA5B**, and M6D, and an M90 Mk1 shotgun, with mags for the first two and a round for all three. The guns were unloaded and the safeties were on.

Preston began with the assault rifle. "This is the MA5B Individual Combat Weapon System, it is a gas-operated, magazine fed, fully automatic assault rifle that fires the heavy 7.62mm NATO round from a sixty-round magazine. The top of the weapon sports an electronics suite that houses the digital ammo counter; in short it's this little screen which tells the operator how many rounds remain in the magazine" the Commander explained, Twilight writing as fast as she could.

"Next up is the M6D Personal Defense Weapon; it fires a 12.7x40mm semi-armor-piercing high explosive round from twelve, eight, and seven round magazines. The twelve and eight round magazines stick out from the bottom of the grip but the seven-rounders fit flush. Unfortunately all mags in my armories are seven rounders. The M6D is also issued with a KFA-2 2x zoom smart-link scope; it tethers to the heads-up display of a SPARTAN's helmet or the eye-piece on a Marine's helmet."

Twilight made a mental note to ask about Spartans.

"And last but certainly not least is the M90 Mk1; it's a pump-action shotgun that fires an 8-gauge shell from a twelve round dual-tubular non-detachable-type magazine. It's rugged and durable, and can put a world of hurt on the bad guys. We have other weapons, too, such as the XBR55 and the SRS-99 AM sniper rifle" Preston finished.

"OK. Tell me about the Spartans" Twilight requested.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to share any details; all you need to know is that they're very powerful super-soldiers" the Commander answered.

"OK, that's all I need to know for now. Would you like to know anything about us that you haven't already been told?" the Unicorn offered, setting her quill and paper down.

"I saw two ponies in town the other day, an aqua one and a cream one; I'm pretty sure they're lez's" Sergeant Grimesy stated.

"'Lez's'?" Twilight said, unsure of what he meant.

"Lesbians" the human said in more basic terms, met with a blank look from Twilight.

"Damn, how do I explain this in a way you'll understand?" Grimesy wondered aloud, thinking for a few moments before he thought of something.

"I think they are in a relationship" Grimesy said, enunciating his words very clearly.

"Oh, yes. That's Lyra and Bon-Bon I believe, and they are indeed Ponyville's resident fillyfoolers. At least the two that are publicly known" Twilight told them, the Marines dumbfounded by her terminology.

"'Fillyfoolers'? Commander Preston said, unsure of the word rolling off his tongue.

"Yes, that is the politically correct word for a mare that is romantically attracted to her own gender" Sparkle explained, confusing Grimesy even further.

"Say what now?!"

"Fillyfooler is their word for lesbian, Sarge" Jenkins answered, earning a scowl from the Sergeant.

"Let me guess; you got some kind of fancy word for guys who like other guys, huh?" the Sergeant inquired.

"Yep! Those are called coltcuddlers!" Twilight exclaimed.

Grimesy cursed Equestria's strange terminology.

"Are you a fillyfooler, Twilight?" Preston asked, watching a blush come to Twilight's face.

"I...like both" the Unicorn answered.

"Hot" PFC Jenkins commented.

"Forget it, Marine, not even human girls like you" Grimesy reminded the soldier.

Before their argument could continue Commander Preston stepped forward and said "alright, what about this Pegasus Jenkins was talking to? Rainbow Dash? She must be the biggest fillyfooler in the entire world, right?"

"Nope! She's a hundred percent straight!" Twilight responded.

Preston cursed his disproven logic.

"About this Lyra and Bon-Bon couple; could we meet them? Maybe get to know them better?" Leroy said to Twilight. The rest of the Marines knew the truth, however; he just wanted to see some lesbian-pony action.

"Sure, here's the address; they might have some company right now, however" the Unicorn told them, sending the humans on their way with the address of the fillyfoolers.

Once they were a fair distance from the library Sergeant Grimesy began to pick on Jenkins again, looking at the Marine and asking "so what about lesbian ponies turns you on, Private?"

"Well they're lesbians, and the ponies around here are darn cute. What's not to like?" the Private asked, earning groans of disbelief from his comrades.

"You are a freaking weirdo, Jenkins" Grimesy stated as they came up on the address written on the paper.

"This is the place. Jenkins, knock on the door" Private Cole Ramsey jokingly ordered, his thick British accent full of bemusement.

"I'm not gonna knock, you knock!" Jenkins replied defensively.

"Why don't you knock, Jameson?" Lance Corporal Narest asked, earning a fear-filled look from the soldier.

"No way! These things are freaking aliens" Private Jameson protested.

"They're not really aliens, just lesbians. Man, I swear, if we ever fight any Covenant you'll be screwed; you'll probably crap yourself and flee, screaming the moment one of those Grunts looks at you" Jenkins teased.

"Shut up, Jenkins" Jameson retorted.

Sergeant Grimesy perked up at the use of his catch-phrase and yelled "Private Jameson! You trying to take my job?!

"N-no sir, Sergeant" Alfred answered, beginning to sweat.

"Really? Because you'd be really good at it" Grimesy replied, confusing the young Marine before turning to face Jenkins.

"Shut up, Jenkins!"

Commander Preston was about to knock on the door himself when it opened, an aqua-colored Unicorn standing in the frame, apparently roused by the yelling outside her door.

The back door in the kitchen closed.

"Oh, the humans! Can I help you?" the Unicorn inquired, wondering why the one was sweating so profusely.

"Um, yeah, we just came by to say hi and maybe make friends" the human said, the tag on his shirt saying 'Jenkins'.

"I thought we came here to watch hot lesbian action" Ramsey joked, his accent adding an extra layer of humor.

"Shut up, man!"


Thirty minutes earlier

Shipmaster 'Saramee walked up on the door of the home where the quadrupeds Lyra and Bon-Bon lived, knocking on the door lightly so as not to break it.

I wonder if they will enjoy seeing a seven-foot tall Sangheili knocking at their door Thar mused, looking up and down the street. Several ponies were watching him with fear.

Been here for a week and the majority of them are still terrified of me. Whatever the Shipmaster thought as the door finally opened.

A cream-colored female quadruped stood before him, dwarfed by his massive size. With how tall he was it was a miracle he still fit through their doors and in their homes.

The female nearly screamed at being this close to the Sangheili.

"Greetings, I am Thar 'Saramee, Shipmaster of the Divine Wind. I have been directed here by the librarian Twilight Sparkle to speak to the residents of this home, Lyra and Bon-Bon" Thar explained, finding their names sounded ridiculous coming out of his mouth.

Bon-Bon gave him a strange look but then realized the alien probably had no idea what she and her partner looked like.

"I am Bon-Bon, and by all means, come in" the female said, allowing the Sangheili access.

"Lee-lee, the Sangheili is here" Bon-Bon called out as she entered the kitchen area while Thar opted to wait in the living room.

"OK, let me just finish up these cookies" another female's voice, presumably Lyra's responded.

"I'll handle the cookies, you just tend to the guest" Bon-Bon whispered, though Thar still heard it due to his enhanced hearing.

An aqua colored female came out of the kitchen and sat upright on a couch, motioning for Thar to join her.

The Sangheili complied but instead took the couch across from her, immediately finding its cushion uncomfortable; it barely supported his weight, and he felt like he was sinking into the furniture piece.

He remained sitting.

A few minutes later Bon-Bon came out of the kitchen carrying a tray of light-brown discs, with lumpy black protrusions on them. One of the discs took on an aqua glow as Lyra's horn did the same, the disc levitating through the air to her mouth where she then bit down on it, beginning to chew.

Thar watched this act with studious eyes, curious as to what exactly she was eating. His constant staring unnerved Lyra and she asked "what? Do you want one?"

"What are they?" the Sangheili asked, watching as Lyra and Bon-Bon looked at each other in confused shock.

"It's a cookie...don't you have cookies where you come from?" Lyra said.

Thar slowly shook his head.

"Well, do you want one? They're good."

In response to this the Sangheili flexed his mandibles, reminding the two that his mouth structure was very different, though this didn't deter Lyra in the slightest.

"You've got to eat somehow; come on, give it a try" she insisted, watching in earnest as Thar tentatively reached out with his hand and grabbed one of the 'cookies', nearly crushing it in his massive hand. The Sangheili slowly turned it over between his fingers, inspecting all sides of the foodstuff like it was an alien life form.

"You eat it, Thar, not play with it" Lyra commented.

Eyeing her with contempt Thar placed the cookie in between his left mandibles, biting down and quickly reducing the cookie to mush before shovelling it into his mouth with a mandible.

It was repulsive.

"By the GODS, what did you put in these?!" the Shipmaster demanded, feeling like he wanted to retch.

"Nothing, I just baked them... My cooking isn't THAT bad... Is it?" the aqua female stated.

"Perhaps not... What was in them to begin with?" Thar asked.

"Chocolate chips, sugar, and all sorts of other delicious things" Lyra explained, still wondering if her cooking was really that bad and why nopony had ever mentioned it to her.

"I'm not entirely convinced they were delicious, though I believe they are too sweet for my taste. Your gesture was appreciated, however" the Shipmaster told her.

"You're welcome. So tell us, why are you here?" Lyra inquired, speaking to quell both her and Bon-Bon's curiosity.

"I was curious about you quadrupeds and wished to learn more; the librarian Twilight Sparkle directed me here, citing you two as an excellent source when seeking information on what it's like to live in this town" Thar answered.

"You know Twilight? I know her from when she lived in Canterlot" Lyra commented, grabbing another one of the cookies and eating it. How she was able to stomach its sweetness was beyond the Sangheili's comprehension.

"She once lived in Canterlot? Fascinating."

"She was born there, I think. Hey Bonny, why don't you go get us something to drink?" Lyra suggested, blushing and smiling when Bon-Bon kissed her on the cheek before heading off to the kitchen.

Thar's internal alarms went off instantly the moment Bon-Bon kissed the other female; same-sex relations by the Covenant AND the Sangheili. In the Covenant they decreed it was against the Forerunners' will, and the Sangheili decreed it was dishonorable as it prevented a couple from continuing their bloodline.

The Sangheili imposed exile on same-sex couples, but the Covenant imposed death.

"By the Gods..." Thar exclaimed, Lyra staring at him in suspicion.

"What?"

"You two are...married?" the Shipmaster inquired, knowing Lyra could feel the apprehension coming off him in thick waves.

"Actually, not yet...but the wedding is just a month away. Do you wanna come?!" Lyra asked with enthusiasm, excited to be marrying the mare of her dreams.

"HERESY!" Thar thundered, standing in a flash and flinging the coffee table across the room and drawing his energy sword in one swift motion; flicking the handle the blade ignited into existence and better illuminated the fear painted on Lyra's face.

Approaching the terrified female the Sangheili drew his arm back and prepare to stab her through the heart when Bon-Bon screamed "STOP!"

Much to his own surprise Thar actually did stop, hesitating to kill them knowing that they were subjects of the Goddess Celestia, a being so obviously connected to the Forerunners.

He could not hurt descendents of the Forerunners knowing that the punishment would be unparalleled.

Thar's focus came back to reality and he saw the fear stricken on Lyra's face; her eyes wide as she watched the energy arcing between the prongs of the blades and her body huddled up tight on the couch.

There was a dark spot underneath her haunches.

The Sangheili deactivated the blade with another flick and inwardly cringed knowing he had just thoroughly dishonored himself by drawing a weapon of great honor and not using it.

"I apologize" Thar solemnly stated, returning the coffee table to its rightful position before heading through the kitchen to the back door as a knock came to the front door, most likely other ponies who had come to investigate the deep yelling.

Quickly leaving the area the Sangheili went to the forest at the edge of the town, staring into its dark expanse in thought.

I can only hope the Gods can offer their forgiveness 'Saramee mused, his ears picking up the sound of wing beats behind him.

Turning around the Shipmaster saw Rainbow Dash lazily drifting towards him, her wings propelling her along.

Her kind reminds me of the Yanme'e.***

"Hey, salami, what're you doing out here?" Rainbow asked, coming to a stop and using her wings to keep her afloat.

The winged female had taken to calling the Shipmaster 'salami', for reasons he did not know.

"Offering my prayers to the Gods in the hope they may forgive me" the Shipmaster answered, earning a confused look from Rainbow.

"OK, that sounds...great. Say, wanna come with me to visit Fluttershy?" the Pegasus said.

"The yellow one of your kind? She is absolutely terrified of us, and I do not contend that my visit would bode over well for her."

"The only way to conquer your fears is to face them" Dash stated, earning a nod to the affirmative from the Sangheili.

"Indeed... So be it, lead the way" he said, following Rainbow as she lead him to the cottage nearby.

This should be interesting.


*7 reference
**All the MA5B's seen in this story are the Halo: CE Anniversary versions
***The Yanme'e are the drones AKA buggers.


Legal note: 'Thar Saramee, Michael Preston, and all related characters belong to me. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and all related characters belong to Hasbro. The Prophet of Truth, the Prophet of Regret, the Prophet of Mercy, and all related characters belong to 343i. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro. Halo belongs to 343i.