One Night I Just Started Typing

[Midnight Star]

One night I got bored and just started typing. About three hours later, this is what I had. A nameless MLP and Halo cross over fic, where four Spartans land on an anthroized Equestria. You can tell at the beginning that this was supposed to go somewhere. But as you get closer to the end, you will notice that there are less details and I start running out of things to say. I was clearly getting tired and the idea was escaping me. Just decided to post this because fuck it why not. I may or may not continue this. Heck, I might even go back and try and make it better. For now, the rough, unedited version.

[Midnight Star]

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A.I. GHANDI REPORT

1430, MAY 21, 2528 DWARKA SYSTEM
-STATUS: ALL CLEAR

0900, MAY 22, 2528 DWARKA SYSTEM
-STATUS: COVENANT CONTACT…ENGAGED

1200, MAY 22, 2528 DWARKA SYSTEM
-STATUS: COVENANT GROUND ASSAULT INITIATED…ALL GROUND FORCES MOBILIZE

1530, MAY 22, 2528 DWARKA SYSTEM
-STATUS: SPARTAN SQUAD KATANA-CODENAME: SNOW SIRENS-LANDING CONFIRMED

0830, MAY 23, 2528 DWARKA SYSTEM
-STATUS: DWARKA LOST…ALL FORCES FULL RETREAT
A.I. TRANSFER CONFIRMED…NEW LOCATION…UNSC CRESCENT MOON

ERROR…ERROR…
SPARTAN SQUAD KATANA MIA…CONFIRM LAST KNOWN LOCATION…
LAST KNOWN LOCATION CONFIRMED…PELICAN ENROUTE TO UNSC CRESCENT MOON…CONTACT AFFIRMATIVE…LANDING SEQUENCE INITIATED…SLIPSPACE JUMP INITIATED…LANDING NOT CONFIRMED…

ALERT ALERT
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PRESENCE CONFIRMED…INITIATE COLE PROTOCOL…
UNSC CRESCENT MOON BEGIN SEARCH PATTERNS…ACKNOWLEDGE?…

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Bullets and plasma whizzed through the air. Bullets flew towards alien targets, while plasma sailed towards human targets. This particular battle between the Covenant and the UNSC ground forces had been lasting for almost three hours now. And the UNSC were being pushed farther and farther back. The four SPARTANs standing at the head of the human troops were holding their own. But they had to help their fellow man before wading into battle without back up.

These SPARTANs were of Katana squad. They were also known as the Snow Sirens. Why? Because they were all silent as the snow, and because the squad was made up of all females. Their armor had been specialized with white lines on their helmets and armor. They all carried different weapons, since they all had their own place within the squad. The leader and heavy weapons specialist was SPARTAN-001 Zandra. She preferred to be called Z. She carried a machine gun turret and a Spartan Laser. The demolitions expert was SPARTAN-022 Sarah. She held a shotgun and a rocket launcher. She even duel wielded them at times. Then there was the team's sniper, SPARTAN-007 Artemis. She of course carried a sniper rifle and a pistol. The final member was the medic and rabbit of the team, SPARTAN-151 Dani. She carried twin SMGs and a battle rifle. The one thing in common besides the armor, was the fact they all carried katanas. They thought it would help symbolize them as Katana squad. Also, Z and Dani happen to be twin sisters. Enough introductions, back to the battle.

Z ducked under a shot fired from a carbine wielding jackal. She turned her turret on the bird-like alien and opened fire, splattering bright purple blood on the wall behind it. "We're getting overrun!" she shouted into the comm. Dani ran up to her sister, trying to give her cover. "Command just called. They gave the order. Full retreat. We're giving up Dwarka." Z narrowed her eyes. Not another colony lost. She shook her head. "You heard her. Full retreat. Get back to the Pelican and let's get out of here." She turned and ran, soon followed by the rest of the squad.

The rest of the UNSC forces had fallen back behind them without really letting them know. They would let the SPARTANs cover the retreat. They never died right? But they didn't seem to care they that had left them behind. Maybe SPARTANs were just resources that could be tossed away. There were a lot right? Right?

Z got to the Pelican and jumped in, throwing her turret to the side and heading into the cockpit. She started up the transport as the others climbed in. "Is the 'hog secure back there?" There was a clunking of boots as someone moved back to check on the vehicle. "All good back here," came Sarah's reply. Z nodded and closed the hatch. She got the bird in the air and took off for the atmosphere. She noticed that they were receiving a transmission. She opened up the line and looked at the screen to a see an older looking man in a captain's uniform. "Captain." she said flatly.

The man looked at her. "Spartan. This is Captain Tiberius of the UNSC Crescent Moon. You have two minutes to get up here and into the hanger before we bug out of the system. That's all the time we can give you. So I suggest you hurry."

Z nodded. "Understood captain. 001 out." She cut the transmission and took a deep breath.
There was a voice in her ear. "You better speed up or we won't make it in time." came the female voice.
Z sighed. "How much faster Brook?"
The A.I. did some quick calculations. "Full throttle would probably be best."
Z looked down at the throttle. It was already there. "I find one problem with your plan. We're already going top speed."
"Not good." came Brook's reply. Z gritted her teeth. Whenever the A.I. said something like that, something bad happened. "Come on baby…you can make it…" she muttered as the Pelican left the atmosphere and entered the emptiness of space. Though it wasn't so empty right now. The hulks of destroyed UNSC ships littered the orbit around the planet. As did the mostly intact Covenant fleet that had come to destroy Dwarka. There was one frigate left and it was getting pounded. Z narrowed her eyes. This was going to be close. She could already see the slipspace activating and opening the hole in space. She tried to push the Pelican faster. She could see the hanger now and headed right for it. They were about to enter it, when they passed into slipspace. Everything went black.

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Luna looked into the sky as there was a flash of light. This was not normal for the Equestrian night sky. She should know, she was the princess of the night. She narrowed her eyes at a small line of light heading for the castle. Wait, heading for the castle!? It was getting bigger and bigger, revealing a hunk of burning metal heading for the castle! She put a hand over her mouth. What was she supposed to do? This had never happened before. She tried to think quickly, panic overcoming her thought process. Finally she came to a decision. It was to late to make it completely avoid the castle. She quickly looked over the balcony and confirmed her suspicions. The gardens were empty. Perfect. She'd just make it crash there instead. Her horn glowed as her magic took effect. She closed her eyes as she realized how hard this was going to be. Slowly, but surely, the comet tilted downwards. Seconds later it crashed into the gardens with a boom. Metal flew in all directions, fire exploding out and covering the trees and bushes. Luna slowly opened her eyes and peeked over her balcony. Not to bad. At least nothing looked too damaged. Besides the tree of course. She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She quickly moved inside as guards made their approach to her door.

Celestia sat up straight in her bed, her eyes wide in alarm. That crash would have awakened the whole castle! She jumped out of bed and threw on her night robe. She ran out of her room and to a window. Her eyes widened as she saw the burning hunk of metal sitting in her garden. The fires were spreading throughout the whole area, but she didn't care. She wanted to make sure nopony was hurt. Guards were approaching, worried for their princess's safety, but she waved them off. "Put out the fire! Quickly! Make sure nopony was injured in the crash!" The guards nodded and ran off. Celestia took a deep breath. This could've been worse. It could have crashed into the castle. Somepony would have been hurt for sure if that happened. She turned and went to check on her sister. She would have seen the whole thing. There was one thing she knew for sure: it was going to be a long night.

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The fight to put out the fire had lasted all night and into the late morning. It had taken so long, that Celestia and Luna had gone and addressed the citizens of Canterlot, assuring them that everything was alright. Though even after that, it had taken many reassurances by the two sisters to keep everypony calm. Finally, the citizens has gone about their normal business. But not without sidelong glances at the smoke rising from the castle, worry and doubt playing through their eyes.

Celestia looked at the still smoking wreckage before her. The hunk of metal looked strangely like a vehicle of some kind. It worried her. Something might be alive in there. Or worse, there was something in there, but it was not alive. A guard walked over to her. "We found another piece of the wreck. It looks like a separate vehicle entirely." Celestia blinked and bade the guard to show her. The guard led her to one of the railings over looking the lower part of the garden. Below, buried in burning bushes, was indeed another vehicle. Though this one was much different. It was smaller and was very open. It had wheels as well, and a weird contraption on the back. Celestia frowned. "Leave it be and make sure nopony gets near it. I want to be sure there are no-" She was interrupted by a guard running over. "There's something alive in that thing!" Celestia's eyes widened at what he said. She ran towards the other vehicle, her dress flowing behind her.

Luna looked at her in alarm from where she stood. "Dear sister! What is it that makes thou move with such haste?"
Celestia looked at her younger sister as she ran past. "Something is alive in there!" She ran to where the guard led her, which was the front of the vehicle. There was glass covering some kind of area with two seats inside. In one of the seats was an unmoving…thing. It looked like a green and white, armored being. It was sort of shaped like them, but something was off about it. She frowned as she looked it over. "It's alive?"
The guard nodded an affirmative. "Though it is unconscious. And we think it's hurt."
Celestia looked at him. "Is there anyway inside? Or anyway to wake it up?"
The guard shook his head this time. "No ma'am. Something about this metal makes it hard for us to get our magic through. We could barely get a reading from that being."
Celestia bit her lip. This was the strangest…okay, one of the strangest, things to ever happen in Equestria. There was nothing they could do now but make sure no other ponies got to close. "Seal off the gardens. Make sure nopony gets near here. We don't want to cause a panic." She stood and headed back towards the castle. She had to get the castle prepared. Her student, Twilight Sparkle, and her friends would be arriving for a visit later that day. There wasn't much time.
The guards saluted and moved about the courtyard, blocking it off and draping tarps over the vehicles. They then stood guard. Waiting. Waiting for something, anything.

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Z groaned as she opened her eyes. Her armor was powered down. She couldn't see anything, nor she could she move at all. She sighed. "Brook, you awake in there?" Her voice was muffled by the helmet, but that shouldn't be a problem. She shivered as she felt a cold wave fill her brain. She noticed her suit starting to power on as well as a voice filled her ear. "It's about time you woke up. I was getting lonely." Z couldn't help but smile at the A.I.'s words. "How long was I out?"
Brook sniffed all hoity-toity like. "About a day."
Z rolled her eyes. "Wasn't that long." She sat up slowly and groaned again, rolling her shoulders. She had no idea she would hurt this much. She looked up, out of the cockpit's window. All she saw was a burnt tree and a blue sky. "Brook, where the hell are we?" She got out of the pilot's chair and stretched, trying to get rid of some of the aches in her joints.
"I have no idea." said Brook. "We're nowhere in UNSC controlled space. And from what we've gathered, we're nowhere in known Covenant space either."
Z frowned. "So…we're in unknown space? Wonderful…" She headed through the door into troop bay, closing the door behind her. She switched on the lights on the sides of her helmet. She looked around the troop bay, seeing weapons scattered all over the floor. She finally found her three squad mates sprawled on the ground near the seats. She headed towards them, her boots clunking on the metal floor the only sound in the Pelican. As she reached the team she knelt. "Brook, activate their comms. I want to know if they're awake." There was click in her ear as they were activated. She heard a muttering and smirked. She knocked on Sarah's helmet. "Anyone home in there?"

There was a growl. "Very funny Z. Activate my armor already. I'm tired of laying here."
Z chuckled and stood up. "Brook, go ahead and activate her."
There was a whir from Sarah's armor and she sat up, holding her helmeted head. "Thanks boss…"
Z held out her hand for Sarah. "No problem."
Sarah took her hand and pulled herself up. "So. How long we been out? And where are we?"
Z sighed and crossed her arms. "Whole day. As for where we are, that's unknown."
Sarah punched a wall, leaving a dent. "Unknown? You mean we're stranded?"
Z nodded. "I'm going to go do some reconnaissance. Stay here, and wait for the others to wake up. Anyone, or anything, tries to get in here besides me, blow it's head off."
Sarah picked up her shotgun and cocked it. "Will do boss."
Z smirked a bit and headed to the ramp. She went to the wall and found a box with a red exclamation point on it. She opened the box and stared at the lever inside. It was red, and printed on it in white was, 'PULL ON ME IN CASE OF FIRE'. She shook her head. Fire was not a reason to pull this. She pulled it and the ramp began to lower. Her visor polarized as the sun shone in. Though it was being filtered through a tarp. Z blinked in surprise. There must be something sentient out here if there was a tarp.

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A whirring, metallic sound echoed from under the tarp. The guards near the ship turned to tarp covered vehicle. They then looked at each other. "What do we do?"
"I don't know."
"Should we go tell Celestia?"
"Maybe."
"Or should we stay here and make sure nothing leaves?"
"That sounds like the right idea."
There was a pause. "We could split up."
"Sounds good." One guard ran off to get backup and get Celestia. The other stayed, watching the tarp for something to come out. About half a minute later, more guards ran up to behind the lone stallion standing there and he smirked. Nothing would stop them now. Then the tarp was pulled off in a single motion by something from inside. All the guards jumped at the movement and lowered their spears. When the tarp made it to the ground, the being responsible turned out to be the armored figure from inside the vehicle. It was a lot bigger than they had originally thought. It was easily over seven feet tall. They all stared wide-eyed at the being, their spears starting to droop a bit.

The being looked them over slowly, dropping the tarp. The guards could see that there was a sword on it's back and quickly raised the spears again. Though didn't exactly look very confident. Then it spoke. "I must have hit my head really hard. Cause it looks like there are…pony people pointing spears at me." The being was confirmed to be a female, young too by the sound of it.

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Z looked at the things in front of her. They seemed dumbfounded she could talk. Though she was still trying to process what she was seeing. Sure, she had seen the Covenant before. She had fought them for three years now. But even after that, this was shocking. Nothing like these creatures had been seen before. They looked like humanized ponies almost. The top halves of their bodies seemed human enough. Though they were covered in white fur. Their faces pushed out into slight muzzles, and they had horse ears sticking out of the top of their heads, but besides that, they seemed human. Even with blue looking hair that seemed to go down their necks like manes. Now the lower halves of their bodies were funky. Their legs looked sort of human, save the fact there were hooves instead of feet at the end of the legs. Plus they were bow legged like horses as well. And also, she could see tails coming from their rumps as well. Yeah. Really weird. They seemed normal sized though. They stood at around six foot or so. But she still towered almost a foot over them at seven foot two. They were wearing clothing, sort of. They wore golden armor on there chests and groins, plus a little on their thighs. But other than a golden helmet with a blue plume, they were un armored. She had no idea whether to draw her katana and pistol, or surrender. She decided to speak again. "Take me to whoever is in charge."

One of the ponies cleared his throat. Maybe he was getting the lump of fear out of it. "She's coming here right now…" he said shakily.
Z shrugged and leaned on the Pelican, crossing her arms. "I can wait." She looked them over, smirking within her helmet. She could tell that was not the reaction they had expected.
All the guards gaped at her. Definitely not what they had been expecting. They lowered their spears and looked at each other. She didn't seem like a threat right now. They continued to watch her carefully for any movement.

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Celestia followed the guard towards the crash, a frown on her face. She was annoyed that Twilight and her friends had begged to go with her until she complied. This was beyond important! They could be meeting brand new beings for the first time, and the six mares might blow it. Though she couldn't help but smile. She understood their curiosity and their excitement. She felt the exact same way. She glanced back at the six, seeing their excited faces. Save for Fluttershy, who just looked nervous and shy like always. She looked ahead as they entered the garden. She blinked when she saw the amount of guards surrounding the vehicle. Then she saw why. The armored being leaning on the vehicle was a lot bigger than she had expected. She and her sister stood at seven and half feet tall, much taller than other ponies. But this being was almost as tall as she was, just a couple inches shorter. The six mares behind her gasped at the sight. They themselves stood at about five and half feet. So this being towered over them like she did. When the being saw them approaching, it stood straight and walked forward. The guards reacted by pointing their spears at it. She could tell they were scared of the armored being, so she did not scold them. She simply walked forward and raised her hand. "Lower your spears." The guards glanced at her, then did so. The being eyed them as it moved forward to meet Celestia. They stood facing each other for a moment. "Greetings." said Celestia, after a moment. "Welcome to Equestria. I'm Princess Celestia."

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Z looked up at the princess, though she didn't have to raised her head very far. This pony was much taller than these other ponies, but she had the same kind of body type as the male guards. Except for the generous bust of course, and the slimmer body. Plus the colorful hair and tail that seemed to flow in wind that did not exist. She also wore different clothing, though not that much different. She wore a flowing, strapless, white dress that split around her mid thigh, showing off her legs. On the dress was a golden breast plate that only covered her breasts. Plus she wore golden gauntlets and anklets. On her head was a golden tiara. Z suddenly realized she was staring and saluted. "SPARTAN Zandra-001." She spoke like she would to a superior officer. Well, she figured a princess was a high enough authority for it at least. The princess looked surprised at her. She seemed to fumble for words for a moment, before speaking again.
"Well…um…SPARTAN Zandra-001. How did you come to be here?"
Z paused and lowered her arm. "Call me Z ma'am. And I think it would be best if we went somewhere private." She looked at the guards.
The princess nodded. "Of course follow me." She turned to go, but Z did not move. She blinked and looked back. "Is something wrong?"
Z nodded. "None of your guards are to approach our ship. If they attempt to get inside, my team will not hesitate to kill them." She stood still as the princess stared at her in surprise.
"W-Well…um…" she stammered. "I-I think we'll be able to do that." She looked at the guards and they all nodded quickly.
Z paused, then nodded. "Lead the way ma'am."
The princess walked off again, Twilight and her friends following. They didn't look so excited anymore.
Z opened up comms to Sarah. "You're not going to believe this. We're on a planet of humanized pony things. They call it Equestria."
Sarah laughed. "You're joking, right boss?" There was a silence. "Damn. What the hell did we get ourselves into?"
Z shook her head. "No idea. But these ponies are back in the middle ages compared to humans. They have a princess and not a single firearm or car that I can see. You know what's even weirder? Some of these things have wings or horns. The princess has both. This is completely FUBAR. If any of them try to get in, fire a warning shot. They continue, blow some heads off."
"Got it boss." came the affirmative.
"Anyone else awake yet?"
"Nope. Still sleeping like babies."
Z chuckled. "Call if either of them wakes up. Oh, and if they attempt to get in."
"Got it boss."
Z cut the comm and looked around at the princess and the six other female ponies she had been following. They were staring at her strangely, like she might be crazy. She realized she must have left her helmet speakers on. "I was talking to my team."
One of the smaller ponies, a lavender one with purple hair, stepped forward. "What do you mean middle ages? And what are humans?"
Z looked at the little pony. "When we're in private." she said flatly.
The pony nodded quickly and scampered after the princess with her friends.
Z once again followed, shaking her head.

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Twilight glanced back at the being again nervously. "What do you girls think?" she asked her friends.
Applejack shrugged. "She said she was a SPARTAN 'er somethin'. Whatever that means."
Rarity nodded. "I'm guessing it has something to do with that dreadful armor."
Pinkie Pie smiled. "She's a human from Earth. It's like here but not here."
The other five stared at her. "How do you know these things?" asked Twilight.
Pinkie shrugged. "I just do. It's not that hard to figure out."
The five continued to stare, until Rainbow Dash broke the silence.
"Well," said the athlete, "I hope they're strong and fast so we can have race. I've been waiting for some challenge." She grinned as she thought of winning against a being like this. She actually flapped her wings and rose into the air. The being stared directly at her. Rainbow gulped and floated back down, walking again. The being looked back at Celestia.
Twilight shivers. "It's like she didn't approve."
Fluttershy gulped. "I-It's hard to tell with that h-helmet…" she said softly.
They all glanced at the being just before they entered the throne room.

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Z entered the throne room and looked around. It was pretty big. Stained glass pictures lined the walls between columns. She jumped and spun around, her hand on the handle of her katana, as the doors closed behind her. She hadn't seen any guards outside, and there were no guards in here. She narrowed her eyes and looked around.
There was a chuckle from the princess. "I just used magic to close the doors."
Z slowly turned to her. "Magic. You're joking right?"
Celestia shook her head, now sitting on the throne. "I am not joking."
Z relaxed and walked towards the throne. She looked at the six mares, pausing for a moment. "Should they be here?"
Celestia nodded. "It is my wish for them to be here."
Z looked the quaking mares over once more, then shrugged. "Whatever." She looked at Celestia. "No one else can hear us in here?"
Celestia shook her head. "Anything said here stays here."
Z nodded. "Good." She paused, turning off her speakers. "Brook. Beep if Sarah calls."
"Are you sure about this Z?" said the A.I. "Taking off your helmet in front of unknowns?"
Z chuckled. "Not exactly unknowns. But they don't mean any harm. I can tell." She pulled the helmet off, revealing her youthful face.

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The seven ponies in attendance gaped at the SPARTAN. Twilight shook her head. It shouldn't be possible. The girl had to be her and her friends' ages at least! But she was still almost built bigger than Celestia! Then again, the armor might make her bigger. Still, the girl was large for being so young. Her skin was oddly pale. She had short cut, dark brown hair that she had in a short ponytail. Her eyes were bright green. They would shine in the light if they weren't filled with…things that shouldn't been in a teenagers eyes. What scared everypony the most, was the scar that went over her right eye.
Celestia recovered first. She cleared her throat. "Um…Z, if you don't mind me asking…How old are you?"
Z kept a completely straight face when she said, "Seventeen."
The six mares' mouths dropped farther. Yep, same age as them.

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Z glanced at the six little ponies, then looked at Celestia. "I should explain." She took a deep breath. "Humans are at war with an alien alliance known as the Covenant. We've been at war with them for three years with no end in sight. But before I get to that, I'll explain the SPARTAN program. Back in the year 2517, the United Nations Space Command was at war with a group of terrorists known as the Insurrection. To try and end this war, a secret branch of the UNSC decided to start a project known as the SPARTAN II program. 75 children, all aged around six, were kidnapped from their homes and taken to Reach. We were trained to be the best soldiers in the UNSC. Secretly of course. In 2525, we were augmented. We were made stronger, faster and smarter. We were fourteen, but we looked like eighteen year old Olympians. Only 33 of us passed that test. The others died or were crippled. In the same year, we received this armor, known as MJOLNIR Mk. V. Also in the same year…the Covenant began attacking us. Now we're back to where I left off. It's three years after the Covenant first attack, 2528. My team and I were retreating from a recently fallen world known as Dwarka. We were about to board the frigate UNSC Crescent Moon when they entered slipspace. My best estimate is that we fell out of the stream and crashed here. And now we're here."
A few minutes passed as the ponies took in the information and processed it. Surprisingly, Fluttershy recovered first this time. "You mean…you're a soldier? You…kill?" she whispered.
Z nodded. "Yes. It's either kill or be wiped from existence. Humanity is fighting to continue existing at this point. So yes. I kill."
Fluttershy shuddered and looked down. Applejack wrapped an arm around her and held the shy pony gently. The other four friends didn't really want to speak after that. Celestia looked at her. "Why are you in war when you are so young?"
Z sighed. "I just told you. We didn't have a choice. And after we had been trained, we didn't really care. We just followed orders."
Celestia nodded slowly. The next pony to speak was Rainbow Dash. "What happened to your eye?" she said quietly.
Z reached up and placed her free hand on the scar. "Elite charged me and slashed me with an energy sword. Would have died if I didn't have my turret. Or my team."
Celestia blinked. "What is an elite?"
Z shook her head. "For me to show we need a holoprojector. The only one on this planet is in our Pelican."
Celestia nodded. "I would like to see."
Z nodded and put her helmet back on. "Then let's go." She turned and headed to the doors.
Celestia rose and followed, the other six ponies trailing behind her.
Z headed back to the Pelican, turning off her speakers. "Sarah, we're coming back. See if Dani can get the holoprojector working."
"Why's that boss?" asked Sarah.
"We're going to put on a bloody show for the princess."
Sarah chuckled. "This is going to be good."
The comm cut out and Z looked back at the princess and the other ponies. She still didn't know their names. "What are your names?" she asked flatly, still looking at the six.
The lavender unicorn gulped. "Um….I'm Twilight Sparkle…"
They went in order after that. First the blue pegasus with rainbow colored hair and tail. "Rainbow Dash." Then came the pink pony. "Pinkie Pie." Then there was the orange pony with blonde hair and tail. She was wearing a cowboy hat as well. "Applejack." She had a notable southern accent. Then the white unicorn with purple hair and tail spoke up. "I'm Rarity." Finally, it was the butter colored pegasus with pink hair and tail's turn. She seemed to speak, but even with her heightened hearing, Z couldn't hear her. "Say again?" She said it again, a bit louder, but still not audible. Z tilted her head. The little pony squeaked. "I'm Fluttershy!"

Z nodded slowly. "Good to meet all of you." She looked ahead. That whole conversation had lasted long enough for them to reach the garden. She headed to the Pelican, walking past the guards and to the Pelican. She knocked twice on the ramp and waited. Seconds later two more knocks came back and the ramp started to lower.

Soon Sarah was revealed, her shotgun up and ready. When she saw Z however, she lowered it. "Boss." She looked at the princess, then glanced at Z. Z nodded quietly. Sarah saluted Celestia, just like Z had. "SPARTAN-022 Sarah." Celestia nodded, her eyes wide at the sight of Sarah, who was bigger than Z. She stood about as tall as the princess herself, and looked like she was as muscular as Big Macintosh. Z walked inside, Sarah walking next to her. "Dani has the projector online, as well as the Pelican. Though it's not flying anytime soon."
Z sighed. "Wonderful." She looked at the seats were Artemis was.
Artemis rose and looked at Celestia. She saluted. "SPARTAN-007 Artemis." This SPARTAN was smaller than Z. Around two inches.

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Celestia nodded to her, then continued looking around the ship. It was so…boring, yet amazing at the same time. Both walls were lined with seats that had some kind of bars on them. Above them were racks filled with metal objects. She didn't really want to know. But the color was very dull. She guessed that didn't mean much in war though. She suddenly remembered something. "Excuse me. I just remembered something." Z and Sarah looked at her. "There was a…um…vehicle thing that we think fell off…"
Z looked at Sarah. "It's the 'hog. Take Artemis and give it a look." Sarah nodded. She walked out of the Pelican with Artemis, passing the six smaller mares, who all stared up at them. Sarah nodded to them and Artemis just looked at them quietly. The two SPARTANs left the ship.
Celestia looked at Z, who was heading to an open door. "Only you and I will fit. The six have to stay here and watch the screen." She paused. "Actually, the screen might be better." She walked into the cockpit and pulled something out of her head.
Celestia blinked. "What is that?"
Z glanced at her. "An A.I." She plugged it into the ship.
"A wha-?" started a confused Celestia, then she jumped when a small, blue woman appeared on the pad. She gasped. "W-What!?"
The blue woman looked at her. If she had had a different color than blue, she'd be wearing a white toga lined in gold. On her feet were golden sandals, and twined in her pure white hair was a golden wreath. "Greetings princess." came a gentle, slight mechanical voice. "I am the A.I. designated Brook. A.I. stands for 'artificial intelligence'. I am basically a super computer in miniature."
The princess just stared. "Um…."
The little blue figure seemed to have a realization. "I forgot. Your society has not advanced enough to have computers yet."
The princess just shook her head. "I'll wait out here." She walked back into the bigger area of the ship. One of the SPARTANs exited with her. She was the same size as Z. The armored figure saluted Celestia. "SPARTAN-151 Dani." Celestia nodded to her and looked at the screen as light filled it. All seven ponies looked at it in fascination.

Suddenly a video appeared on it. It was from Z's helmet cam. It showed her jumping over a wall and landing in front of a group of small purple things that wore orange backpacks and masks on their face. They communicated with barks, like dogs. Suddenly Z stood straight and showed she had a giant metal thing in her hands. It started to spin and suddenly loud bangs and flashes came from the end. The four little things were torn to shreds, blue blood spraying the ground as they fell to the ground, dead. There was the sound of a muffled female voice, followed by Z's voice. "It's nothing Dani. Just some unlucky grunts." She moved on, looking around and keeping an eye out for anymore Covies. She turned the corner and faced the back of a huge, hulking, blue armored creature with spikes coming from it's back. It's skin was orange, and it's arms were massive. One arm was a giant cannon looking thing, while the other was a shield. It hadn't noticed Z yet, so she quickly, but quietly, moved on. She activated her comm. "There are hunters out here. Keep an eye out." She kept moving, her eyes still darting around. She then stopped, her eyes falling on two armored things walking on two legs. They looked almost like reptiles, their mouths splitting into four mandibles. Their hands had four fingers and their legs were bowed. They both turned and saw Z. One took a blue weapon from it's belt and aimed it at her. Her weapon began to turn and then began to fire. Something flashed around the first reptile, then vanished. Purple blood sprayed from the creature as it fell with a guttural scream of pain. Z turned her weapon on the second creature, only to find it charging her, a glowing, blue sword with two points in it's hand. Z started to fire, making the field around the creature flare. It seemed almost like a unicorn shield. It went down just as the creature reached her. It swung its blade at her head. Z raised her weapon and slammed it in his arm, making his aim and blade fall short. It sliced right through the helmet though, knocking half of the video out into blackness. The remaining half showed Z using her weapon to force the reptile on the ground. It roared in her face, the mandibles coming apart and showing razor sharp teeth. There was the sound of a blade leaving its sheath, then the blade of her katana came into view. She forced it through the reptile's neck and it stopped struggling. Z fell back, propping herself up on one arm. She was panting heavily, holding the katana up in case more enemies showed up. The video ended there.

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The ponies stared at the now blank screen. There was so much they were learning in one day. Most of it was horrible. This though, seemed to take the cake. The pictures of the three creatures appeared on the board again, along with a weird, bird-like creature holding a shield. It had spines on its head and no wings. Z stepped out of the room, pushing the chip back into her head. "These are the four species of the Covenant we know the most about." She pointed at the smallest one. "This is a grunt. Cannon fodder and basically an annoyance. Dangerous in numbers." She pointed the bird-like creature. "This is a jackal. They usually travel in pairs or in teams of four. They are the long range soldiers for the Covenant." She pointed at the giant, blue armored creature. "This is a hunter. They always travel in pairs. They are considered the most dangerous species in the Covenant. But they are seen so rarely, that no one really knows the damage they can do." She pointed at the last picture. "This…is an elite. The advanced and best soldiers in the Covenant. They command the troops and are extremely well trained warriors to boot." She sighed. "What you saw in the video was my first hand to hand combat experience with an elite. I nearly died. If I didn't have my turret, I would have been killed."

Celestia looked at her. "And…you are at war with these creatures?"
Z nodded. "Yes ma'am."
Celestia looked down. "I'm sorry."
Z actually blinked in surprise. "No need to be. Nothing to be done but fight and win."
Celestia nodded slowly. "We have things to talk about. May we return to the castle?"
Z nodded. "Go ahead. I know the way. I have to check with my team first."
Celestia nodded and turned, leaving the ship. The six mares followed her closely, all looking slightly traumatized by what they had seen.
Z sighed and looked at Dani. "Well sis, what's the diagnosis?"
Dani looked at her. "This ship isn't going anywhere without repairs. I'll leave the details for you to figure out."
Z nodded. "Alright. See if you can find a way to get this moved. We'll probably be taking it out of here and somewhere less public."
Dani nodded. "On it." She walked out of the Pelican.
Now that she was alone, Z sat in one of the seats and just started to think, to plan. So much had happened that day. First the call to Dwarka, where they had fought nonstop for hours until they had been pushed back to the last surviving city. The call for retreat. The botched up landing on the frigate, that led them to being sucked into the slipspace jump in a Pelican. Now they had crashed on an unknown planet. So far, things weren't to bad. But that could change quickly. She had no idea what kinds of things this planet held, what enemies there could be. She hated it when she didn't have all the information. And right now, she had little to none. Z pulled off her helmet and rubbed her temples. She needed a plan. First, get the Pelican and Warthog to a more private location. Second, find a place to stay that's out of the way. Third, recon. Learn more about the area and it's inhabitants. She paused. Maybe those six little ponies could help with the last two parts. She nodded. She would ask them about it when she went to talk to thee princess. She replaced her helmet on her head and stood up. She'd gather her team and go to Celestia now. She walked off the ship and began to do just that.

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Celestia sat on the throne, thinking about what they had seen. The six mares were talking to each other, looking scared and nervous.
"How can we trust them? They're killers!" said Fluttershy, looking the most scared out of all of them.
"They're not killers, they're soldiers. Plus they said they were attacked first!" said Rainbow Dash. She was the one defending the new arrivals the most. Celestia didn't know why.
"She's right. Maybe we jus' misunderstand 'em." said Applejack. She seemed to be on Rainbow's side, though she still looked nervous.
Twilight nodded. "Agreed. And there is a lot we could learn about them if we give them more of a chance to explain."
Pinkie seemed to not be paying attention, cause she was going off on one of her unstoppable talks. "I wonder if they like parties. Cause if they do, I need to throw them a 'Welcome to Equestria' party. Oh, and a 'Welcome to Canterlot' party. Oh! And a 'Burning Fireball' party!" She was bouncing up and down now, thinking of all the party possibilities.
Rarity was the quiet one for a change, looking thoughtful. Though Celestia could guess what she was thinking about. Making that armor look more fashionable.
Celestia sighed, sinking back into her own thoughts. All of them were right of course. Those newcomers were killers, but they were trained soldiers like her guards. And they seemed peaceful enough. They hadn't attacked yet anyways. They seemed on edge, but they were in a strange place. They were strangers in a place they had never experienced before. All the war they had been through would not have prepared them for this. She understood them, in a sense. She figured that under all that armor and training, they were scared and confused. Plus they were seventeen, the age of the other six mares in the room. All they had known for most of their lives was war. She sighed again. No one deserved that. She looked up as the conversation among the mares stopped. The doors to the throne room had opened and all four of the SPARTANs were walking towards them. Celestia stood from her throne and walked down to meet them. All four of them stopped and saluted the princess, who nodded to them. What surprised her next, was when all four of them lifted their helmets off. There was Z, with her young face, pale skin, short brown hair, green eyes and scar. Dani was next, who looked like a replica of Z, but with no scar and slightly longer hair that she kept loose around her face. Then there was Sarah. Her face was young, but it seemed rougher than the others. And her skin, while paler than it should have been, was also slightly more tanned. Her hair was black and very short, kept almost to a buzz cut on the sides, but the top was longer and spiked up and forwards. Her eyes were hazel and strangely very gentle. Her face had a couple of smaller scars on it in random places. Finally Artemis, who had the most youthful and most pale skin out of all four of them. Her hair was also the longest, falling down to around her shoulders. It was bright blond and styled in curls. Her eyes were very bright blue. If they weren't wearing the armor, all four could be considered pretty.
Z cleared her throat to stop the stares. "We need to talk."

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Z waited for the princess to give a nod before starting. "I have two requests." She waited for another nod, which she received. "First, we require a more private place to hide our Pelican and our Warthog." When she saw the confused look on Celestia's face, she continued. "Our two vehicles." She received another nod. "Second, we need a place to stay, out of the way in a place with little population." She looked at the six mares. "Do you six happen to live in a place like that?"
The lavender unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, jumped and then glanced at her friends. She finally looked at Z and nodded. "Yes ma'am."
Z nodded, still looking at her. "Then I would like to ask if we could stay with you until we can either repair our ship or contact our command."
The six mares huddled up to discuss.

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Fluttershy shook her head. "I'm not so sure about this…"
Twilight looked at her. "But this is the perfect chance to learn more about them!"
Rainbow nodded. 'Yeah! I want to know some stuff about them too!" The other five looked at her, surprised. Rainbow looked at them. "What? It's not like Twilight's egghead stuff."
Applejack looked around at her friends. "They can stay with at Sweet Apple Acres. Ah can keep em busy with work. It would be heep'a help too."
Rarity shrugged. "I see no problem with it really. As long as they follow the rules."
Fluttershy looked at her."Which we will need to make."
Twilight nodded. "Then we'll let them stay?" All her friends gave a nod.
Pinkie grinned. "Yay! I get to throw them so many parties!"
The huddle broke and they all turned to the SPARTANs. "You can stay with us. But there will be rules."
Z nodded to her. "Understandable." She turned her gaze to Celestia. "That is all ma'am."
Celestia nodded. "I will have your vehicles taken to Ponyville immediately."
Z paused. "We'd like to go with them. That way we can make sure nothing sees them, and we can stay unseen as well. It might also be faster."
Celestia thought for a moment, then nodded. "I'll see what I can do."
Z nodded. "We'll wait in our ship until then." All the SPARTANs replaced their helmets and left the throne room.

Celestia soon left to see about getting a wagon reinforced with magic to carry the ship.
Twilight turned to her friends. "Let's start coming up with the rules." The five other mares nodded in agreement.

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After nearly two hours, everything was finally ready. A cart had been prepared and brought to the crash site. With the help of most of the unicorn guards and the SPARTANs, the ship was lifted on to the cart and secured in place. The SPARTANs brought the Warthog up and got it latched to the front of the cart. All four stood in front of Celestia and saluted once more. "Thank you for all your help your majesty." said Z.
Celestia smiled and nodded. "Of course. Stay safe on your trip."
Z nodded. "We will." She turned to the six mares. "Alright. Where are we staying in…uh..Ponyville you called it?"
The…cowpony?…stepped forward. Z remembered her name was Applejack. "Ya'll will be stayin' on muh family's farm."
Z nodded. "Then you'll be sitting in the front with Sarah and I. The rest of you, pile in the Pelican." She led Applejack and Sarah up front to the Warthog, while Artemis, Dani and the other five ponies went to the Pelican.

The two pegasi flew up inside, but the other three needed a step up from the SPARTANs. After they were all inside, the Artemis and Dani climbed in. Artemis helped the five ponies strap into the seats while Dani contacted Z. "We're ready back here."
Z nodded and helped Applejack into the passenger seat while Sarah climbed into the back, grabbing hold of the turret. Z then climbed into the driver's seat and started up the Warthog. "Let's roll." She hit the gas and the vehicle lurched forward, dragging the cart after it. "You're the navigator Applejack." she said after they had finally left the city. "Tell me where to go."
Applejack nodded. "Head that way."
Z turned the wheel to correct their course. "Alright. We should get there in about an hour or so, judging from what the princess told me."
Sarah leaned over the turret, looking down at the little pony in the passenger seat. "So. We're going to your farm huh?"
Applejack looked up at the hulking SPARTAN and nodded quietly.
Sarah nodded and gave a small chuckle. "I was a farmer's kid before I was taken to be a SPARTAN."
Applejack was intrigued by this. "Really? What kinda farm was it?"
Sarah shrugged. "Wheat and dairy mostly. What about yours?"
Applejack smiled. "Apple farm."
Sarah paused. "Apples? Wouldn't that be an orchard?"
Applejack blinked, then shrugged. "Dun know."
Sarah stood straight again. "Well. Guess it's good to be getting back to my roots."

In the back, no conversation was really being had. The ponies were to nervous to say anything, and the SPARTANs weren't exactly the best conversationalists. Finally, Rainbow Dash couldn't stand it anymore. "So uh…who's the fastest one of you guys?"
Dani looked over from where she was standing hear the cockpit and raised her hand slightly. "That would be me. Second fastest in the whole SPARTAN program."
Rainbow blinked. "So who's the fastest?"
Dani turned away. "Her name is Kelly."
Rainbow nodded slowly. "Would you like to race when we get Ponyville?" She was nudged by Twilight, who gave her a look to be quiet. Rainbow just shrugged and looked away.
After a pause, Dani said, "Sure. After we get settled and hear your rules first."
All the ponies stared dumbfounded at Dani, who looked at them.
"What? We may be soldiers, but most of us still like to have fun once in a while. Only SPARTANs like Z and John are super serious and don't really know what fun is."
Twilight decided to press on a certain point in that statement. "Who is John?"
It was Artemis who answered this time. Her quiet voice barely carried over the wind outside and the sound of wheels on the ground. "SPARTAN-117 John. The best of all us. Our leader."
Rainbow blinked in surprise. "I thought Z was your leader."
Dani shook her head. "Just of the squad. John leads all the SPARTANs."
The Pelican fell silent again. This time it stayed silent. Though it didn't stop Rainbow or Twilight from trying to start up a conversation. Even Pinkie almost started rambling, but was stopped by the stares of the SPARTANs. It was an awkward ride to say the least.

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About three hours later, the sun was setting and the moon was coming out. Artemis looked at the sky. "That's different. The sun and moon are changing places."
Twilight blinked. "It's always been like that." The two SPARTANs looked at her, making her gulp. "W-Well the princesses have always been in charge of raising and lowering the sun and moon."
Dani tilted her head. "Wait. The princesses do that?" She paused. "There are two?"
Twilight nodded. "Princess Celestia's younger sister, Princess Luna. You didn't meet her while you were there, but I'm sure she'll find a way to meet you later." She waited for the SPARTANs to nod in understanding. "The princesses raise and lower the sun and moon with their magic, which is extremely powerful. They've always done it. Celestia has been doing it for over 1000 years."
Dani looked at her. "1000 years? That's impossible. Nothing can live that long."
Rarity looked at her. "The princesses can. They are basically goddesses."
Dani frowned. "Seems a bit…"
Artemis shook her head. "Seems completely logical to me."
Dani looked at her.
Artemis looked right back. "This planet operates under a different set of rules than ours. We just need to accept everything."
After a pause, Dani nodded and looked back at the mares.
Twilight cleared her throat. "Well, that's basically it. There's a lot more, but I'd rather say it to all of you at once. Easier than explaining it twice."
The two SPARTANs nodded and looked away from them. After a couple of minutes silence, Dani spoke up again. "Z says we're nearing our destination." Artemis stood and got ready for anything.

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Z saw the apple trees before she saw the barn and farm house. She whistled under her breath. "That's a lot of apple trees."
Applejack nodded, smiling widely. "Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres."
Sarah chuckled. "It's a lot bigger than our farm was."
Applejack made a mental note to ask all about her old family farm when they had the time. "Ya'll can stop behind th' barn. We'll cover your thingy-ma-bob with hay so muh family doesn't see it."
Z nodded and headed that way. "Sounds like a plan. But you'll have to explain us."
Applejack sighed. She had forgotten about that part. She began to think as Z stopped the Warthog and cart behind the barn. She and Sarah climbed out. Z went to Help Applejack out as Sarah headed to the back to help the others out. Soon they were all gathered next to cart, facing each other. On one side, nearest the cart, were the SPARTANs, all standing in a line. Facing them was the line of ponies.
Twilight cleared her throat. "First rule: No armor or weapons. We don't want you scaring everypony." They all nodded. Reasonable enough. "Rule number two: For living on Applejack's farm, you have to help with everyday chores." They nodded again. Also reasonable. They had to pay rent for living on someone else's property. "Rule three: If any of us need help at all, with Applejack's permission, you come help us." They paused, before nodding. Slightly pushing it, but all six were their hosts. Not just Applejack. "The final rule is…" Pinkie Pie grinned and bounced forward. "You have to attend a welcome party!" They all blinked, staring at the bouncing, pink, pony girl.
After a pause, Z cleared her throat. "Um….Party?"
Pinkie nodded. "Yep! A party! Mandatory for all visitors!"
The SPARTANs looked at each other. They had never been to a party before. They wondered what it would be like. Before they could get too deep into their thoughts, Rarity cleared her throat in a very lady-like way. "Now. Please get out of that dreadful armor."
The SPARTANs all piled into the Pelican and started to take off their armor. It was a long process, considering all the bolts that had to be undone and the wiring that had to be detached. This was going to take a while.

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While the SPARTANs were changing, Applejack had the girls help her with piling hay around the strange vehicles to hied their presence. About twenty minutes later, they had almost finish when the SPARTAN's exited the Pelican. They looked much different without armor. They definitely looked more female now that their busts could be seen. Generous busts in Z and Dani's cases. They all wore the same kind of clothing though. They all wore tight, black, tank tops that cut off at their bellies. They showed off their muscular arms and six packs. They also wore long, cargo pants colored very strangely. There were splotches of all shades of green and brown. On their hooves were black boots. Unless….they weren't hooves. In which case, they were feet. Around there necks, they were silver beaded necklaces. And on those necklaces were two little sheets of metal. It was very strange. Rarity looked them over. "Not bad. The pants and boots could use some changing up. But the tops are very nice." She started running ideas through her head on how she could make them look better.
The SPARTANs looked at her in confusion.
Twilight decided to clarify. "Rarity runs the Carousel Boutique. It's the local clothing shop."
The all nodded. Z stepped forward. "Do we look good enough to pass as…almost normal?"
The mares looked at each other. All of the SPARTANs still stood over a foot taller than them, though they were a few inches shorter without armor. And their pale skin nearly shone in the light. Z and Sarah still had scars on their faces, plus it looked like Artemis had a large burn scar on her left side. And other than the large muscles, especially on Sarah, they seemed normal. Enough at least.

Twilight was about to answer, when a there was the sound of a man clearing his throat to their right. "'Scuse me AJ. But what in tarnation is goin' on back 'ere? And who are these here strangers?" came a calm, deep voice.

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Captain Tiberius sat in the captain's chair on the bridge of the UNSC Crescent Moon. They had been searching the area where the SPARTANs could have been lost for almost two weeks now. The only place left to go at this point, was unknown space. He tapped a pipe he always kept with him against his lip. They had two options. First, was to return to Reach and declare the SPARTANs MIA. That would mean giving up the search and all hope. Second, they could head out into unknown space and continue searching. That could put the whole crew in danger. Logically, it made sense to go with the first option. Morally however, the second option made more sense. Captain Tiberius had a policy: Never leave a man behind if they can still hold a rifle. He didn't plan on leaving those soldiers behind in unknown space. He stood. "Set course into unknown space. Let's find those SPARTANs." The crew moved to obey his commands. The captain stuck the pipe in his mouth. 'Hold on. We're coming.' he thought to himself.

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The SPARTANs spun, instinct kicking in as they faced the man. They all got into fighting stances, just as Applejack rushed forward. "Just um…friends."
The man was huge. He was bigger then Celestia. He had to be at least seven and a half feet tall, maybe more. He had huge muscles rippling through his bare chest and arms. the coat covering him was deep red. His messy head of hair and cropped tail were tannish in color. His eyes were bright green. He looked the SPARTANs over as they started to relax. "Friends…" He looked down at Applejack. "Tell me the truth AJ."
Applejack bit her lip, then sighed. "Alright. They's aliens. They crashed in Canterlot. I sort of offered 'em a place to stay on the farm." She shuffled her hooves nervously. "So uh…they can stay right?"
The stallion looked at the SPARTANs, then at Applejack. "Talk to Granny." He turned and headed off to get back to work.
Sarah was the first to speak after the man had left. "Whoa. He was huge. And that's something coming from me." She looked at Applejack. "Who was that anyways?"
Applejack turned to her. "That was my big brother, Big McIntosh. We jus' call 'im Big Mac."
Z stepped forward. "He took that really well. We might as well meet the rest of your family before they discover us like he did."
Applejack nodded and led the large group towards the house. Before they got there, Twilight stopped. "I think I should head back to the library. Spike will be expecting me and I don't want him to get worried." Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity stopped as well. "I must get back to the boutique. There are orders that need filled. And I'm sure Sweetie Bell will be wondering where I am." said Rarity in a dramatic voice. Fluttershy looked down. "I um…I have animals that I need to take care of…sorry…" Pinkie grinned. "And I bet the Cakes need help with the twins or Sugar Cube Corner." There was a pause as they all looked at Rainbow Dash. She blinked and looked around at all of them. "What? I have nowhere to be." The four mares who did have to go, said their goodbyes and walked off. They waved to the small group before continuing on to town.
Applejack took a deep breath. "Alright. Let's go talk to muh granny." She led the SPARTANs and Rainbow up to the house and inside. In the kitchen, a voice came. It sounded old and it was clearly female. "Applejack! Is that you?"
Applejack smiled. "Yeah Granny! We have comp'ny!"
"Comp'ny! Why didn't you say so!" said the voice. A small woman, with green fur and white hair, walked out of the kitchen and looked up at her granddaughter, her friend and the visitors. "Oh my Celestia. You fellers are mighty big."
Applejack chuckled a bit. "Granny, this is Zandra, Dani, Sarah and Artemis. They're not from here. This is Granny Smith guys."
Z stepped forward. "It's nice to meet you ma'am."
Granny Smith blinked up at Z. "Well it's nice to meet ya'll too." She looked at Applejack. "What else do you have to say young'in?"
Applejack sighed. "I kind of offered them the extra rooms here. They promise to help on the farm as long as they can stay here."
Granny Smith nodded. "I'm sure we can manage. Dinner is almost ready. Get 'em settled and then go find Applebloom." She looked at Rainbow Dash. "Will you be stayin fer dinner?"
Rainbow Dash glanced at Applejack, then shook her head. "Nah. I'll be fine. Thanks though." She looked at the orange mare again. "See you later AJ." She turned and headed out of the house.
Applejack looked up at the SPARTANs. "Follow me. I'll show ya'll to yer rooms." She turned and headed up the stairs. The SPARTANs followed closely, looking around. The house almost seemed to small for them, but then again, that large guy, Big Mac, lived here. So it couldn't be that bad.

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Z sat on the bed she would be sleeping in for the time being. It was a bit small for a woman her size, but she didn't mind to much. It's not like they were prepared for people their size. Then again, they'd never seen humans before ever. Or so she gathered from the reactions so far. Save for Granny Smith and Big Mac. They seemed pretty okay about it. Though she assumed it took a lot to surprise the big guy, and the older lady had probably seen enough to not be surprised by something like them. Though, she had been surprised about their size. She shook her head. They seemed like nice enough people. They hadn't been suspicious and they had agreed almost immediately to let them stay. Plus the work couldn't be that hard. It definitely wouldn't be as hard as what Mendez put them through. It couldn't right? She stood up. It had to be close to dinner time by now. She had been sitting for almost half an hour, just thinking.

As if on cue, there was the sound of a triangle beating and a yell from Granny Smith. "Chow's on!" Z went to the door and walked out of the room. The other three SPARTANs walked out at the same time as her. They all looked at Z, waiting for her as usual. She nodded and headed for the stairs. The others fell into step right behind her. She figured that, no matter how weird it felt to them, they would all have to get out of the military routine and act….normal. Well, civilian normal at the least. Yeah. It was going to be hard.