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                        Remembrance                        
                     -by Demonfire463-                     
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                Chapter 1 A Rude Awakening                 
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Chapter 1 A Rude Awakening
Chapter 1
I slowly open my eyes. Oh God, where am I? What happened? Shit, my head. I look up at a panel with a large X on it and a lever over it. I tug down on it, but it doesn't budge. Shit! "Command? Command do you copy? Hello? Anyone! This is Sierra-285 of the UNSC Pillar of Autumn, can anybody hear me?" Only static responds. Dammit. Somebody knocks on the metal pod I lay in.   
"Hello?" Someone calls. Sounds like a little girl. An orange light illuminates the pod. I can see somebody through a small panel of bulletproof glass on the hatch door.   
"Anybody in there?" Another young girl calls.   
"Yeah, I am. Can you hear me?"   
"Yup, we can hear ya." A third voice calls.   
"Awesome, think you can help me get outta here?"   
"Sure thing mister!" The first voice says.  
"There should be a red lever on the top of this thing! Pull it down and stand back." They do as I ask. There is a click, then a deep clunk. I push up and out, the door comes off. "Thank God, I hate bein' in those damn things." This world is bright, probably midday. I step out of the metal pod in my Spartan Armor. Three young girls stand before me. One with curly red hair, one with straight, short, pinkish hair, and one with curly purple and pink hair. "Well, that sure is interesting."   
"What is that?" The second one asks.   
"Gee, you're real big!" The third voice says.   
"Are you made of metal?" The first voice asks. I hold up my hands to tell them to slow down.   
"Whoa now, let's start simple. Who are you, and where am I?"  
"I'm Scootaloo!" The owner of the second voice says.   
"Sweetie Belle!" The girl possessing the first voice does a curtsy as she says her name.   
"And Ah'm Applebloom. Good to meet ya." She holds out her hand for a handshake. I shake her hand gently.   
"I'm Maxwell. Master Chief Maxwell Anderson of the UNSC Infinity, you can call me Max. Now for my second question."  
"This is Equestria, the greatest place in the whole wide world!" Sweetie Belle says.   
"Hmm. Never heard of it. Have the Covenant been here?"  
"Covenant? What's that?" Scootaloo asks. I glance left and right to check for Coveys. Looks clear.   
"You'll know 'em when you see 'em. Trust me. Is there anywhere else we can go? Somewhere less...exposed?"   
"Think he could stay with us at the farm?" Applebloom asks the other two.  
"He can't stay at the Boutique, Rarity doesn't like surprise visitors."  
"Rainbow Dash's house doesn't have a guest room."  
"The farm it is! Follow me!" With that, I take the shotgun off my back and the three girls lead me through the thick forest to the outskirts of a small town. It's nothing like the massive cities that now cover Earth and other planets, where the hell am I? Equestria, what planet is that even on? I've never heard of it before.
I flick my head back once to put the visor on my helmet up. The sun makes our shadows long and turns the room an orange gold color. My eyes dart around the room to everybody there. I'm standing by a wall, surrounded by four members of the Apple Family. A girl of average height eyes me warily. Applejack. She's wearing blue jeans and an orange plaid shirt with a leather vest. A cowboy hat sits on her head, her long blonde hair is tied in a loose ponytail which has a band around it at the end. Her bangs sit just above her brow.   
"So wait, what's yer name again?" She asks.   
"Maxwell Anderson."   
"And yer a soldier?"  
"Of sorts." Her brother Big Macintosh seems to be sizing me up. He's wearing a red flannel jacket that fits tightly over his muscles, and blue jeans. He is chewing on a piece of wheat. I nod quickly once and the visor clicks back down, concealing the part of my face it covers.  
"I think he could stay. We can always use the help around the farm." He says, looking to Applejack. She glares at him.   
"Now ya know as well as Ah do, we don't need any help."  
"Couldn't hurt though." He responds.   
"He could be dangerous! We don't know where he's from or who he fights for, we just know that his job is to kill people."   
"Ahem, not precisely."   
"Shut yer trap!" She snaps.   
"Applejack! Don't be rude!" Big Mac scolds.   
"He has no business here, and you know that! He should just go!"   
"Stop your arguing." An old woman on a rocking chair lets out a deep breath, which silences the bickering siblings. She's wearing a faded green dress that looks even older than her, and a reddish shawl over her frail shoulders. Her grey hair is tied up in a tight bun, with a couple strands sticking up out of it. "The guest room is the third door on the right, down the hall." I nod.  
"Thank you."   
"Dinner will be ready in an hour if you like."  
"Much obliged." I exit the room to let the family speak of the matter by themselves. I enter through the door leading to my room. The bed creaks with my weight when I sit on it, and it's a tad short, but it'll do.   
"Applejack, you should at least give 'im a chance ya know."   
"Why? He's a murderer! He kills other people for pay!"   
"Applejack!"  
"He chose to be what he is, he decided to kill for a livin' and yer sayin' Ah should give him a chance?" There is a pause. I take off my helmet and remove my shoulder plates.   
"Not everyone is given a choice Applejack. Some people get drafted, pulled in because their home needs troops. He could easily be a drafted soldier, forced to kill. And that's another thing, he is a soldier. He isn't some crazy person with a taste for blood. He fights for a cause that he sees is just, regardless of whether he was drafted or not. Ya ever think about that?"   
"Ah...ah guess not Big Mac. Ah'm mighty sorry."  
"Perhaps Ah'm not the one you should be apologizin' to."   
"Yer right. I'm gonna go say I'm sorry to 'im." I hear footsteps down the hall that gradually get louder. They stop. Somebody knocks on my door, presumably Applejack. I stand.   
"Can Ah come in? Please?" I walk over and open the door.   
"Sure thing. Come on in." I stand aside and let her in. She sits on the bed. I pop off the torso piece of my suit and take in a deep breath.   
"What are you doin'?"  
"Takin' a breath. My work isn't easy. No fun either, usually."   
"Ah'm sorry about before." She looks away. "Real sorry."   
"Water under the bridge."  
"Can we…start over?" She looks me in the eye. I smile.   
"Sure. Well, I'm Chief Maxwell Anderson, Spartan number 285 of the United Nations Space Command assigned to the Pillar of Autumn." She chuckles and I hold out my hand. She stands and we shake hands.   
"Ah'm Applejack."   
"So, I trust you've got some questions about my work?"  
"If ya don't mind?"   
"Ask away."   
"Well, alright. Were you forced into bein' a soldier? Or did you sign up?"  
"I was raised to be a soldier. I was a boy of strong physique for my age, and one day I was taken from my home to the UNSC training camp and laboratory."  
"Laboratory?"   
"You think I'm naturally this tall? Injections of chemicals and special compounds help to create the ultimate soldier. They made me strong, they trained me well. I'm a Spartan II. Spartan IIIs are a cheaper alternative to IIs, and Spartan IVs are specially trained elite soldiers."   
"So they just…took you?"  
"Mhm." I sit down on the bed, she immediately sits beside me. Applejack puts her arm around my shoulders, though I'm much taller than her and her arm doesn't quite reach.   
"That's horrible. Why would they do that?"  
"Children's minds are more malleable, they don't have as many memories of their family, and those they have are easily forgotten." My eyes water and my voice gets shaky. "I can't remember what my parents look like. Never knew my own mother." I hold back a tear. She hugs me fully.   
"Well, Ah don't know mah parents either. They left me, Big Mac, and Applebloom a long time ago. All we ever had was our Granny Smith." I return the hug.   
"Better than nothing right?" We remain in the hug a while longer. We break and she stands.   
"Dinner's almost ready, want some?"  
"I would love some, thanks." She starts to walk to the door. "Oh! Careful!"   
"Huh?" She steps on my battle rifle and trips over my shotgun. I grab her arm and catch her before she falls. I get her back standing up.   
"You okay?" I chuckle. "I should pick up my weapons. At least you didn't trip over a grenade."   
"Would ya please?" She says, smiling. "Now let's go eat." I follow her to the dining room. "Aren'tcha gonna take off yer gloves?"  
"Wish I knew how, I can take off the helmet, the shoulder plates, and the chest piece. Underneath that is the black suit you see now. Goes from my neck down to my toes." I sit down.   
"Applebloom said she found you in the Everfree Forest." Big Mac says.   
"Is that what that place was called? Hm."   
"What in tarnation were ya doin' in a place like that?" He asks.   
"What? The woods? I don't see what's so dangerous about it. I've been in places much worse and I'm still in one piece." Granny Smith comes to the table to set down a variety of apple-based foods, including a pie.  
"Dig in." The old woman says. We do so without hesitation. These are delicious! Better than MREs for sure!   
"Mmm! Did you make these?"   
"We all did! Do you like 'em?" Applebloom responds.   
"They're delicious, better than MREs."  
"MREs?"  
"Meals Ready to Eat. Used in the military a lot. Just add water and it's good to go." I chow down on more helpings, Big Mac laughs.   
"Hungry aren't ya?"   
"Heck yeah, I don't know how long I was stuck in that escape pod but I'm starving."   
"You said you were in places worse than Everfree?" Applejack asks.   
"Mhm." I say with my mouth full.   
"Like where?" I swallow.   
"God, where do I begin? Well, I was stationed on two Halo rings and somehow I got landed on Requiem, a Forerunner planet. Ran into some Coveys there along with their new pals the Forerunners. Little bas-" Applejack clears her throat, then nods her head in Applebloom's direction. "I mean, jerks."  
"Hey! Tomorrow, you should meet mah friends in town!"  
"That would be nice, but I really should train a little."   
"Aw c'mon. They're real nice girls, ya sure?" She smiles at me and mouths 'It'll be fun.' to me.   
"I guess one day off won't kill me."   
"Great, you'll like 'em." We finish dinner and stay up a bit longer. I'm second to go to bed, first being Applebloom.   
"Goodnight everyone!"  
"Goodnight!" They say. I walk to my room and shut the door.   
"And you said he should leave." I hear Big Mac say to Applejack.   
"Alright, Ah was wrong, he's a real nice guy. He doesn't kill by choice neither, which makes me feel a bit better. Ah'll introduce him to the gals tomorrow." That will be nice, more friends.   
"That's real nice of ya Applejack. I'm about ready to hit the hay, goodnight all."   
"Night Big Mac." Their conversation ends there and I drift off to sleep. For the first time in a long time, it's a real sleep. Not a cryo sleep or chemical sleep or knockout sleep, it's just…normal sleep.
Author's Note
I know this is a little rushed, but I'm trying to improve that flaw in my writing. If you see any OTHER things wrong with this story please let me know, feedback is much appreciated. And about Hollow, terribly sorry that I haven't been active in posting updates, my apps keep crashing. Please comment, enjoy!

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                  Chapter 2 Introductions                  
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Chapter 2 Introductions
Chapter 2
A dim sliver of light shines through the window and I bolt up out of bed. I open the shades, dawn. I put all of my armor pieces back on. Upon snapping the torso pieces in place, my energy shields go up. I put on my last piece of armor: my helmet. I stand straight up. I fall forward onto the ground and catch myself in a perfect push up position. Wearing the heavy armor, I begin my morning exercises.   
A few hours later, Applejack knocks on my door.  
"Come in." I say. She enters and sees me doing push ups.   
"Exercisin' Ah see."   
"Of course… I don't want…hah, to get too soft, huf… now do I?"   
"How many you at?"   
"4,588; 4,589; 4,590." They start to slow down greatly. "4,596; 4,597; 4,598." I'm really struggling now. Sweat drips onto the inside of my helmet, more than before. "4,599." I go down for the last one. "Four, agh, thousand-" I'm stuck at halfway. "Six, urg!" Almost there! "Hundred!" I let myself drop onto my face. I take my helmet off. Applejack hands me a rag. "Thanks." I wipe my face and the inside of my helmet.   
"Geez, forty-six hundred push ups? You give Big Mac a run fer his money. How much does that armor weigh anyway?"   
"Too…damn…much." I take big breaths between words.   
"Breakfast is ready. After that we can head into town to see the gals."   
"Huf, sounds good." I painstakingly push myself up to my knees, then stand. I wobble a bit and feel lightheaded. Applejack helps me stay standing.   
"Y'alright there sugarcube?"   
"I'll be fine. Thank you." She leads me to the table and plops two eggs on a plate. She slides the dish to me and tosses two pieces of toast and bacon onto the plate. "Nice toss!"   
"I'm pretty athletic ya know, all that farm work."   
"I am too, what with training and whatnot."   
"Trainin'? Like all them push ups?" She laughs.   
"Yeah, those are horrible when you're wearing Spartan armor!"   
"I believe it, well eat up. Got a big day ahead of us."
She takes me to a bakery in town. Someplace called Sugarcube Corner. I look up at the sign, then down at the door. 'Come on in!' The sign reads. I open the door and walk inside, holding it for Applejack. Soldier though I may be, I'm still a gentleman. A girl with very curly pink hair greets us.   
"Hiya Applejack!"  
"Hey Pinkie Pie, how are ya?"  
"Oh I'm faaaantastic! Who's this?" Pinkie asks. She's dressed oddly; very colorful. She's wearing denim shorts with suspenders over a pink striped short-sleeved shirt. She has kept a smile on her face this whole time, and a genuine one at that.   
"This is mah new friend Max. Max, this is mah friend Pinkie Pie." I take off my helmet and hold out my hand for a handshake.   
"Pleasure to meet-"   
"Ohmygosh! A new person in town and I wasn't told before now? Oh I have so many preparations to make! But it's no problem, I'll be ready by this evening!"  
"She wants to throw you a party, if you'd like that is."   
"Oh, that won't be necessary."   
"Nobody's ever turned down a party before...you sure?"  
"Perhaps another time would be better. I'm still getting used to this place you know, and I still have a lot to get used to." Like no Coveys.   
"Well, if you really want to. Oh! But here, take this!" She hands me a delicious looking cupcake with pink frosting and blue sprinkles.   
"Wow, thanks! I'd best be going now, it was a pleasure meeting you Pinkie Pie."   
"You too Max! Take care! Say hi to the others for me!" We exit the bakery and she waves goodbye.   
"Well, she was interesting."  
"That's Pinkie for ya."   
"Are all your friends like that?"   
"No way, Pinkie's somethin' else for sure. Let's go to the library next."   
"Whatever you say." I unwrap the cupcake and eat it. Even more delicious than it looked!
Next place Applejack leads me to is a giant tree with windows and a door. A tree with windows and a door huh? I guess I've seen stranger things before. Like aliens that have four mandibles or breathe methane. Like shields made out of light and weapons that are giant rings with biomes on them. Applejack knocks on the door. A boy in a purple hoodie answers. He has green hair and one sharp tooth that doesn't quite fit in his mouth.   
"Hey AJ, what's up? Who's this?"   
"Hi Spike, this is mah friend Max. Is Twilight home?"   
"Yeah, hang on a sec." He shuts the door. A moment later a girl answers the door. Her hair is a dark purple with a streak of pink and a streak of light purple in it. She's wearing a white polo shirt under a light purple sweater vest, and dark violet slacks.   
"Hi Applejack. Hi uh, Applejack's friend." She smiles at me.   
"Hey Twilight. This is mah friend Max. Max, this is Twilight Sparkle."   
"It's a pleasure." She says, holding out her hand. We shake hands.   
"The pleasure's all mine."   
"She knows magic by the way Max. She's really good at it too!" Twilight Sparkle blushes.   
"Oh stop, I'm okay at it." She smiles and her face turns a brighter red.  
"Magic eh? This I'd like to see."   
"Well, okay." She waves a finger and levitates a book over to herself. Both her finger and the book are surrounded by some kind of violet aura. "See? Some people can do it, others can't."   
"Hey, that's pretty cool!" I say. The kid from before walks back up.   
"She can do a lot more than just levitation, by the way I'm Spike." I shake his hand as well.   
"Maxwell Anderson, nice to meet you."   
"We should get goin' Twi, we still gotta go to Rarity's, Fluttershy's, and Rainbow Dash's houses."   
"Okay, bye then. Thanks for stopping by! It was nice to meet you Max."   
"You too!"   
"Bye Max!"  
"Bye Spike!" We walk into town further. This time we stop at a clothes store. I look inside the windows. An expensive looking clothes store. We walk in and a bell above the door jingles.   
"Rarity! Ah brought someone I think you should meet."   
"Just a minute!" A voice calls in a sing-songy tone.   
"She's probably workin' on a dress. Shouldn't be long." After about fifteen minutes, a girl walks up to us.   
"Terribly sorry about that Applejack, I was struck with inspiration!"   
"Don't worry about it Rarity." Rarity looks at me and sizes me up. She's wearing a white dress shirt with short sleeves and a purple skirt that goes down to just above her knees.   
"No doubt you're the one Sweetie Belle told me about. Tall, metal suit, well-built physique, not a doubt in my mind you're the one."  
"That sounds like me alright."   
"I am Rarity, I run the local boutique."   
"I'm Maxwell Anderson of the UNSC."   
"Pleased to meet you, Maxwell Anderson of the UNSC. Say, Applejack, have you stopped by Fluttershy's yet?"   
"Nope, we're headed there next though, why d'you ask?"  
"Can you bring her this for me? She has been expecting it for quite some time, but I've been so full of ideas and orders recently, would you mind?"  
"Not at all." Rarity hands her a small brown box.   
"Oh, thank you so much dear. It was nice to meet you Maxwell."   
"Nice to meet you too Rarity." She goes back to work and we leave. Rarity closes the door and we start to walk away.   
"Say, Max, Ah've got a real important question for ya."  
"Go for it."   
"You kill, a lot right?" I sigh.   
"Yes."  
"Do you... Do you enjoy it?" I stop. She turns around and looks at me. "Do you?"   
"One time. I enjoyed killing one Elite, that's all. Jul M'dama. He killed many good soldiers, and many of the men in my sector. The second I got my hands on him, I loved pulling the trigger. But what I think you're asking is whether I enjoy all of the mindless bloodshed, and the answer is no. I hate ending the lives of those I shoot, alien or not."   
"I'm sorry, I just-"  
"You figured since I'm a soldier that I enjoy my job? That I enjoy ending the lives of these creatures? I only kill them because I know that if I don't, they will kill me and everyone else in the UNSC if the get the chance. Now I have a quick question for you, not as deep as that one though."  
"Alright."   
"Do you feel the same way about me as you did last evening? Before our chat?"   
"Honestly, a little bit."   
"How so?"  
"You don't like killin' so that makes me feel better, but still. Ah just don't like the fact that you still kill things or that you brought weapons around my little sister."   
"I assure you, I will be careful. You can trust me. I will use my weapons only for the protection of the residents of this town, including your family. And I won't kill a single human being for the duration of my stay."   
"Wait, what?"  
"I can't stay forever, I have a duty to perform. I won't abandon the UNSC, I'm no deserter. I'll try to find a way back to wherever my ship was. I'm going to find my squad and assist in their endeavors 'til the day I die."   
"But why? They took you from your home and transformed you into the man you are today, and you're gonna stay loyal to 'em? Why? Ah don't get you."   
"I can't just leave them to die in the midst of a war, I can't risk the Covenant getting to humanity completely, and I can't risk the honor of myself. If I left, knowing how many people would die as a result of my absence would kill me inside. It would be a fate worse than death."   
"Ah'm sorry for prying, let's get to Fluttershy's now." We resume the walk.
She takes me on a path that leads quite away from town. I don't love the idea of being so secluded, but I'll get over it. It's after noon now, and I'm starting to get pretty hungry.  
"Don't worry, almost there." A bush to our right rustles. I whip my shotgun off my back and cock it.   
"What was that?"   
"Ah dunno, probably just some critter. Put that thing away would ya?" A small rabbit jumps out from the bush. I sigh and put the gun back on the magnetic plate on my back.   
"Sorry."  
"It's fine, you're just a little jumpy from all your war experience."   
"I guess." We keep walking. Shortly, we reach a cottage.   
"Can you take your guns off, maybe set 'em outta sight?"  
"Sure, but why?"  
"Fluttershy's real shy and nervous. I don't want her ta be scared of yer weapons. Yer already seven feet tall and covered in metal, which will probably shake her a little bit."   
"Ha, yeah, good point." I take of my weapons and lean them up against the wall of the cottage. Applejack knocks on the door.   
"Who is it?" A timid voice asks.   
"It's Applejack, and a friend."   
"Who's the friend?"  
"Well gee, ya have to meet him ta find out." She chuckles. The door opens just a crack. A blue eye stares at me from the other side of the door.   
"Hello there."   
"H-hello. Who are you?"   
"I'm Max. And you are?"   
"Oh. I'm-" she trails off.   
"Sorry?"   
"My name is Flutter-" she quietly mumbles.   
"Come again? Fluttersomething?" She opens the door completely.   
"Fluttershy." She nervously holds out her hand. I gently shake it.   
"Nice to meet you."   
"What...are you? Oh, um, if you don't mind my asking."  
"Seven foot tall man covered in metal? I would have questions too if I were you." She laughs softly.   
"This is yours by the way." Applejack hands her the box.   
"Oh yay! It's here!"  
"What is it anyway?"   
"Sewing supplies, I like sewing in my spare time." She seems obviously more comfortable talking with Applejack than with me, which is understandable. "Would you like to come in for some lunch?"   
"No thanks, we'll probably eat in town. Then we're off to go see Rainbow Dash."   
"Okay, goodbye then." She closes the door and we head out.   
"She's probably at the track, that's where she spends a lot of her time. Ah think you're gonna like her." We arrive at a cross country track. One girl is running, and pretty fast at that. She has multicolored hair and she looks like she runs a lot. She's wearing a light blue sleeveless shirt and blue sweat pants. Another person is standing on the inside of the the track, he's holding a stopwatch. Rainbow Dash runs past him then slows to a halt. We walk up to the track.   
"Plus point two seconds." The man says.   
"Wow, not bad." Rainbow Dash pants. "But I bet I can do better! I'll beat that record!"   
"What record is that?"   
"Spitfire's record. I'm tryin' to beat it. I'm only a fraction of a second away. Hey AJ!"   
"Hi Dash!" The two friends hug each other and I hold my helmet under my arm. They break the hug.   
"Who's this?" She asks.   
"Oh, this is Max. Mah sister and her friends found him in Everfree."   
"What the heck were you doing in there?"   
"Waking up."   
"From what?"   
"Well, judging by the giant metal pod I was in and the small crater it made, I'd say crashing."   
"You were alone?"  
"Yeah, I'm between AIs right now."  
"AIs?"  
"Artificial Intellegences."   
"So, why'd you crash?"  
"Wow you ask a lot of questions."  
"Well, I'm curious."   
"I guess you have reason to be after all. I don't remember. A lot of stuff before the crash is a blur. Last thing I remember is boarding to leave Requiem. Which is the planet I was on before I came here."   
"Okay, well good luck on remembering all that."   
"Thanks, you're pretty fast by the way."   
"Hyeah, thanks."  
"We should race sometime."   
"Good luck on that too, I'm the fastest runner in all of Equestria!"   
"Maybe. See you around then."   
"Hey Max, Ah'm gonna stay here with Rainbow Dash okay? Here's some bits so you can go and get lunch in town." She hands me some coins. I put my helmet back on and watch my shields regenerate.   
"Thanks, see you back at the farm."  
"See ya." I walk into town and find myself back at Sugarcube Corner. I walk in and a skinny man is standing behind the register.   
"How can I help you sir?" He asks.   
"Is Pinkie here?"   
"Yes she is, might I ask who wants to see her?"  
"Max, a friend."  
"Sure thing." He smiles. He walks through a door and comes out with Pinkie Pie.   
"Oh, hi Max!"  
"Hey Pinkie."  
"Whatcha doin'?"  
"Just stopping by. I was just wandering through town to find someone I met, and found myself here. You know of any good places to eat lunch?"   
"Why don't you eat here silly?"   
"Thanks, but I really don't have much of a sweet tooth."   
"Oh, well you can always buy something from one of the stands on the street, or find a restaurant to eat at. There are tons further in town, can't miss 'em!"   
"Alright, sounds good. Thanks Pinkie."  
"You're welcome, hey!"  
"Yeah?"  
"Maybe we can hang out later? Whenever you're ready to have that party."  
"Sure thing. Bye!"  
"See ya!" I exit the bakery and head deeper into town. I stop at a stand selling sandwiches, and purchase one. I take off my helmet, lowering my energy shield, and take a bite. A child taps on my leg. I look down to see Scootaloo.   
"Hey kid."  
"Hi Max, did you meet everyone yet?"  
"Yep, just met Rainbow Dash. She's really fast."   
"Fastest in Equestria!" I pick her up.   
"Well, we'll just see about that now won't we?" I hear a click in the distance. I turn to my right to see an Elite about 40 yards away, holding a UNSC sniper rifle. BAM! Scootaloo and I both scream as the bullet hits us and pain jolts through my right arm. I fall behind the stand, taking the child with me. My helmet hits the ground a few feet away, out of reach. Chaos ensues as the civilians flee, knocking over anything in their path away from the shot. Scootaloo's still screaming, I put my left hand over her mouth to silence her. I put my index finger of my other hand over my mouth. Everyone else ran from the scene as soon as the bullet left the barrel and now the town square is empty. I can faintly hear the footsteps of the Elite. I look at the girl and pull my magnum off my leg. I crouch behind the stand with my magnum in my left hand. "Alright, listen. You're gonna be fine okay? You're gonna be alright." The footsteps get louder. "I'm not gonna let you die like this Scootaloo. I promise." I wince at the pain in my right arm. The Elite stops. I listen. I see him in the reflection of the orange visor of my helmet that I dropped. My grip on the magnum gets tighter and the pain stops. I jump up and put the business end of the pistol between his four jaws and squeeze the trigger. It kills him instantly and blood splatters behind him. The pain in my arm comes back, so much that I drop my magnum and hold the wound with my left hand. I rush back to the stand.   
"Scootaloo? Scootaloo!" I crouch down next to her. "Are you okay?" She takes her hand off her leg, both of which are covered in blood. "Aw shit. Okay, look. You're gonna be okay, alright? Where's the hospital?"   
"I already called." I look up and see a man in a lab coat and spiky brown hair, sort of slicked back. "A nurse should be here any moment. Are you alright sir?" I look at my bleeding arm.   
"I'll be fine, take care of her."  
"Am I gonna be okay Max?" Tears are rolling down her face.   
"You'll be fine. The bullet didn't get you very badly 'cause it went through my arm first. It saved your life, and probably saved your leg. You'll live." Fluttershy rushes to me.   
"Max! Are you okay?!"   
"I don't know."   
"What happened? Scootaloo? Oh no!" I notice a green backpack that she's wearing.   
"What's in there?"   
"My sewing kit, it has the wrong color thread, I was on my way to Rarity's to get a new spool."   
"Get it out." She fumbles with the pack and drops it. "Now please!"  
"Sorry!" She pulls out a needle and some thread. "What do you want me to do?" I show her my arm, which is bleeding badly.   
"Stitch it up, please."  
"Oh, I don't think-"  
"Please! That sniper slug punctured a big artery in my arm, if the bleeding doesn't stop then I'll die in a few minutes!" She starts crying.   
"But I can't!" I put my hand on her face.   
"Yes, you can. You have to. Try at least. Please." She wipes away the tears.   
"...Alright. I'll try." I hold out my arm and sit down, she kneels beside me to work on it. She threads the needle and sticks it in my arm.   
"Ack!"  
"I'm sorry!"  
"You're fine, keep going." My arm tenses up with her touching the area around the wound and with the needle going in and out of my arm. Damn Elite, hit me right in the bicep. I'm gonna blast the next one of those motherfuckers that I see. She cuts the thread and ties it at the end. I look down and see a line about and inch and a half long of sewn flesh.   
"There. Finished." I look at Scootaloo, and the nurse holding her. There's a white bandage over a part of her shin with a blotch of red in the middle. I can tell the bleeding is stopping, she'll even get to keep her leg. Lucky girl.   
"She's lucky. She can walk away from this with only a scar. She'll live, and even keep her leg." Fluttershy silences me with a tight hug. "I'll be fine too, thanks to you." I feel warm tears fall onto my mesh suit and I hug her back. "You okay?"   
"Why did he do that? That, that, that thing?"   
"He's on the other side of the war I fight. It's an Elite, a Covenant soldier. Stupid fucker almost got me. He would have too." She looks at me. On the ground, we're about at eye level.   
"So, you'll be okay?"   
"Yes. And thank you." She nods.   
"Are there any more of them?"   
"No, these things only travel in groups, especially when doing assault missions like this. I've fought enough to know. He must have been a straggler, maybe a survivor like me. But from a Covenant ship, maybe a Lich. I put my magnum back on the magnetic plate on my thigh. I pick up my sandwich and my helmet, then stand up. "I'm going back to the farm, to get some rest; let this heal up a bit. I'd appreciate it if you and Scootaloo would drop by when you can."  
"We will." I toss the sandwich in a garbage can. I lost my appetite.
In the forest, another Spartan waits. He scopes in on the Elite's corpse, and on the injured soldier and little girl. Though he uses a sniper scope, he ran out of ammunition for his weapons long ago. All that he has left is his combat knife, which has remained sharp due to intense care.   
"Impressive kill Spartan."  
"He will pay for this." An Elite says. The Elite is standing next to this Spartan.   
"That soldier ceased to be of use long ago, you know that as well as I do."   
"The Spartan will prove to be a fight."  
"How many soldiers are left here?"  
"Two units, not enough if he has reinforcements."  
"Well, I didn't. He is our only shot right now, I don't intend to miss it."   
"The UNSC will crumble before our eyes."  
"Indeed it will. I'll make sure of it." He puts the sniper down and looks at the small town through the hole in his visor.
Author's Note
Not sure if I'll continue this, but here's chapter two of my experimental story! Hope you guys like it, enjoy!

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                    Chapter 3 Stranded                     
//-------------------------------------------------------//
Chapter 3 Stranded
Chapter 3
I lay in my escape pod, and look mindlessly out the small glass panel. I reach my hand up in search of a lever, my hand connects with something. Indeed it's the lever. I yank it down, it's followed by a clunk and a hiss. I shove the door off the pod. Upon stepping out, I notice the large antenna on my escape pod. Wow, didn't lose the comms device. Let's try to send a message to Infinity then.   
"Hello, this is James Patton, Sierra-140 of the UNSC Infinity do you copy? Command? Atlas Squad? Anybody please answer me!" I hear static only. God dammit!   
"Patton, we gotcha." The signal's weak and staticky, but I can make out most of what they're saying.   
"Thank God. Where am I?"  
"Your location is un----- we have no coordinates on your location. You're gonna have to ------------- get there."   
"What? You're breaking up!"  
"You're gonna -------- survive until we can --------------"  
"Repeat last." C'mon, don't give up on me. Only static responds. "GOD DAMMIT!!!" I slam my fist on the pod in frustration.   
"Sierra-140, do you copy?"  
"YES! Yes I'm here!"  
"Thought we lost you for a second 140, I have a message from Command."  
"Tell me what it is!"  
"Naturally, it's for you after all. Unfortunately we have no idea where you are. Somehow, we have no readings on your armor."   
"Where's Roland?"  
"That's another thing, your AI may have been terminated in the crash or in subspace."   
"...so, you don't know where I am, my AI's gone, and you have no readings on my armor?"  
"Correct."   
"So how do I get home then?"  
"Well..."  
"As you can imagine I'm a little concerned." I say with a strong tone of irritation in my voice.   
"Of course. But the thing is 140..."  
"What? WHAT?!"   
"We are --------------"   
"You're what?!"   
"We are listing you---------"   
"Dammit!"  
"You are now MIA. I'm sorry."   
"You can't do that, you can't just...can't just leave me here!"  
"Terminating signal." A female robotic voice says.   
"NO! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME HERE!!! WHERE AM I?! COMMAAAAAAND!!!" Only white noise responds, just static and I remain on the channel. I snap the antenna on the pod with my hand and pull the sniper off my back. I take the magazine out and click back the bolt. None in the chamber, four rounds in the clip. I take my magnum off my leg and do the same. One in the chamber, two full mags. No grenades. I frantically look left and right to check for Covenant soldiers. Nothing. I pull my knife out of the sheath on my chest. The blade shines brightly in the sunlight, the silver glint shines on my eyes through my visor. A bush rustles behind me, I whip around to see what it is. Nothing, just a bush. I squint at it. The bush seems disfigured, all wavy. I load one round into my sniper and hold it at my waist, ready to fire. I squeeze the trigger and the Elite charges. With his shields down and his camouflage inactive, I fire off another shot. It connects with his head and he falls dead to the ground. Several more Elites emerge from the trees and bushes of the forest. Some of them have Assault Rifles and Battle Rifles, one holds a shotgun, another holds a sniper rifle. The one holding the shotgun is a general, shown by his bright orange armor and his helmet. He walks over to the body and lightly kicks it.   
"You killed him."  
"He would've killed me." I shoot my remaining two bullets at the general, but his shields don't even break. I drop the sniper as he approaches.   
"You attempt to kill me now." He grabs me by the throat and lifts me off the ground so we're at eye level. "Yet, you do not. You seem to lack the same drive to eliminate us that other soldiers of your kind possess. You've still a magnum and your combat knife, why do you halt?"   
"I don't, ack, owe the UNSC anything anymore." I choke out. He drops me and I take a few big breaths.   
"Why do you say this?"   
"Those bastards, they listed me as MIA when they couldn't find my location." He hits me in the face hard enough to break my visor over my right eye.   
"You lie."   
"Oh yeah? They terminated my AI and left me for dead here, wherever the hell I am. Where are we?"   
"Unknown location. So you wish to see the UNSC burn for what they did to you?"   
"I want to ignite the fire that turns them to ashes. I want to see the Infinity in pieces!" I shout. He laughs.   
"Then join us. We will put an end to every UNSC soldier that crosses our path. With our supplies and your training, we are unstoppable!"   
"Keep your supplies, even take my magnum." I toss it at an Elite. "The only weapon I'll need is my knife. I'll keep the sniper for the scope though. I'm not gonna guess where you got these weapons, I got a pretty good idea that you 'borrowed' them." He laughs at this.   
"Well, let's go find a way onto the Infinity. You can have your revenge and we can reach our goal, everybody wins."   
"Except the UNSC." I chuckle.   
"Exactly. Let's move."
Author's Note
Flashback from Patton if you didn't notice. Just clarifying. Working on another chapter sorry I haven't updated for a while guys. Please comment what you think/like/favorite this story. Thanks guys. Enjoy!

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                  Chapter 4 Up In Flames                   
//-------------------------------------------------------//
Chapter 4 Up In Flames
Chapter 4
"Hey, Max!" Scootaloo calls. It's been a few days since the bullet, I haven't used a shot since then either. If that Elite wasn't a straggler, I want to be ready. She hops over to me on her crutches.   
"Hey kiddo!" My arm is pretty healed up. Not fully, it still stings when I put enough force on it. Fluttershy walks up to us timidly and silently. "How's the leg Scootaloo?" I lean down closer to her.   
"Nurse Redheart said I should stay off of it for a while. She'll call when I can walk on my own again. Your arm okay?" My God, everybody has such a weird name on this planet. Definitely not on Earth. I stand back up and move my arm around a little, as if I were popping my shoulder back into place.   
"Gettin' there. Still hurts from time to time. I'll know when it's fully healed. Thanks again Fluttershy." I turn to her to see her blushing.   
"Oh, i-it was nothing. You're welcome." I didn't think she would do so well under pressure like that.   
"I wonder if any other Spartans from Infinity will crash down here."  
"If they're like you than I really hope so!" Scootaloo says enthusiastically.   
"Hey, thanks." I tussle her short hair with my hand.   
"Still carrying those weapons around?" She eyes the guns on my leg and back.   
"Yeah...if any more Elites try something funny, I'll be ready."   
"So what do you do here?" Fluttershy quietly asks.   
"Oh, I chop down the old trees. Course now I only got one arm for a while, still accurate, just less power. And I'm done for today, wanna go do anything in town?"   
"Oh, um, I was actually going to go home. Feel free to join! I-if you'd like I mean."   
"That sounds nice too, Applejack doesn't mind too much where I go as long as I don't get killed and make it back in time for dinner." She smiles at me and turns to Scootaloo.   
"You can come too if you like."   
"Sure! Sounds fun, Applebloom is busy and Sweetie Belle is helping Rarity with her dresses, so I'll tag along!" She leads the way back to her cottage in the woods.
I sit down on Fluttershy's couch and Scootaloo sits on my lap. I set her crutches aside.   
"Would you like some tea?" Fluttershy asks us.   
"No thank you." I say.  
"I'm fine."  
"It's no trouble."   
"No need, thank you though." Critters scamper throughout the room, and birds fly above us, stopping occasionally to perch themselves on various objects above us, or on my armor. She's got her own little section of nature in here. She sits beside us on the couch. She picks up a small white bunny and holds him close to herself.   
"This is my bunny, Angel. Angel, say hello." He folds his arms and looks away from us. "Don't be rude Angel!" She scolds.   
"Heh, is he always like this?"   
"He doesn't seem to like new faces. He's fine around me and my friends, but not strangers." I take my helmet off and put it on Scootaloo's head.  
"Woah, cool!"   
"I would let you talk to Roland, but he went rampant so I had to get him replaced. Before I could though, I landed here."  
"Roland?" Scootaloo asks.   
"He helped me on my missions, he was kind of a computer program. Hey there Angel! How ya doin' bud?" The rabbit ignores me. Worth a shot.  
"Maybe he'll warm up to you later. Sure you don't want some afternoon tea?"   
"I'm sure, thank you though." There's a knock on the door.   
"Excuse me." Fluttershy stands and walks to the door. She looks out the peephole and then unlocks the door. "Hello Twilight, what are you doing here?"   
"Hi Fluttershy, do you know where Max or Scootaloo are? I asked Applejack and Rarity but they didn't know either." I take my helmet off of Scootaloo and put it back on my head.   
"They're here actually. Just in there." The two walk in and I set Scootaloo next to me on the couch.   
"Hi Max, hi Scootaloo."   
"Hey Twilight." We say in unison.   
"What's up?" I ask.   
"Well, I was reading today and I came across something that could help you and Scootaloo out."   
"Great, what is it?"  
"A healing spell!" Her eyes beam and she smiles. She really loves her magic. "Of course, it's entirely up to you. If you'd rather heal naturally then that's fine. But this will really speed things up!"   
"Nurse Redheart said no magic. Sorry Twilight."   
"My wound's almost healed, thanks anyway." Her shoulders slump down.   
"Oh, well okay."   
"Hey, would you mind if I stopped by later? Just to talk a bit?" She perks back up.   
"Not at all! Feel free, if I'm not there then Spike should be."   
"I'll try to stop by later today."   
"See you then! Bye Fluttershy, bye Scootaloo." She waves and walks out the door.   
"Maybe I'll go visit Rarity and Pinkie Pie today too."   
"Have fun. I should go feed the other animals. Be right back." She goes into another room.   
"So Scootaloo, do you live with Rainbow Dash?"  
"Yeah, she adopted me. We're sisters now." She smiles greatly.   
"Adopted you?"  
"Yeah, my mother was all I had left. After she died, Rainbow took me in."   
"You...had no family but your mom huh? Now you got Rainbow?"  
"Yeah. She's a fantastic sister, I wanna be just like her when I grow up!"   
"No family...I know what that's like for sure." She seems very surprised when I say this.   
"You do?! Nobody else had no family, only me. What happened to your parents?"  
"I don't know."  
"Did you have any brothers or sisters?"  
"I don't know."  
"Where did you live?" I sigh in response.   
"You sure ask a lot of questions, so did Rainbow Dash when I first met her."  
"She just wants us both to be safe."  
"I want this whole town to be safe. I'm sorry by the way."  
"Huh? For what?"  
"Your leg."  
"Why are you sorry? It wasn't your fault."  
"That Elite was aiming for me. If I hadn't been in the town square with you, he never would have fired." Probably.   
"Some people are just in the wrong place at the wrong time is all." Fluttershy says, standing in the doorway. "You can't help it, it just happens."   
"Thanks Fluttershy." I stand up. "Well, I'm gonna go to Twilight's now. Thanks for having us!"   
"I'll stay here a bit longer actually. Bye Max!" Scootaloo says.   
"Goodbye Max!" They both wave as I leave and shut the door behind me. I never said this on Requiem, but I really hope this is an uneventful day.
I knock on the door to Twilight's home. Spike answers.   
"Hi Max."  
"Hey Spike, is Twilight home?"   
"She's out buying more quills, she should be back soon though. Would you like to come in?"   
"Sure." He stands aside and I walk in the house.   
"So, how did you get here?"  
"I...walked?"  
"No, like how did you get to Equestria?"  
"Oh, escape pod. I don't know what happened but it must have been pretty bad. I hope the Infinity's okay." I walk to another room and sit down in a chair. He follows.   
"Infinity?"  
"It's a ship. Infinity, Forward Unto Dawn, and the Pillar of Autumn are three of the largest ships in our possession. Infinity is the one I was on. Are you and Twilight brother and sister?"   
"What? No, she does have a brother though."  
"Really, I'll have to meet him before I leave."   
"Shining Armor is his name, he's captain of the princess' Royal Guard."   
"Guard duty? That sucks. Princesses? Wonder if they know I'm here."  
"They do, Twilight wrote to them about your arrival." The door opens. "Hi Twilight! Max is here!"   
"Hi Spike, hello Max!" Twilight Sparkle walks in carrying a handful of quills and inkwells with corks in them. She levitates three books off of a shelf and sets them on an end table. Geez, magic. First it's aliens, then it's zombified fungus aliens, then metal planets, now it's magic. Good Lord.  
"My healing spells are getting a lot better, I'm learning from Rarity."  
"I thought you were the main magic-user of this town."  
"Well, I pretty much am, but Rarity has a lot of experience with healing spells. Since she sometimes has accidents with her sewing machine and has a little sister to take care of."  
"Makes sense. So what's your plan for today Twi?"  
"I'm gonna read some, have dinner, and write to Celestia."  
"Celestia?"  
"The princess, her sister doesn't teach me so I don't really write to her. They're both really nice."  
"I should meet them, maybe I can meet your brother while I'm at it."   
"Spike told you about my brother huh? You can meet him sometime if you like."   
"I'd like that."   
"So...are your people in a war of some kind? If you don't want to talk about it I completely-"  
"Yes." I interrupt.   
"Oh, why? Your enemy is the Covenant?"  
"Yes, and the Flood, and the Forerunners, who knows what will want to attack us next."   
"Well, I won't pry."  
"Thanks." I say, intensely relieved. I look outside, it's getting dark already. Orange streaks of light glisten across the darkening sky and fades into purple. It's dusk.   
"Will you be spending the night here?"  
"No thanks, I'll get back to Applejack's. Thanks for having me here Twilight."  
"Thanks for coming over!" She smiles. I walk outside and shut the door. Interesting character that one. I begin the trek to Sweet Apple Acres in the twilight, soon to be night.
About two thirds of the way there now, no light left in the sky, save for the large, bright moon and abundance of stars. I pick up the pace a bit, and shortly I reach the farm. Only one light is on in the house, odd. I open the door and walk down the hall leading to the dining room. Upon entering, the whole Apple Family is tied to chairs, the table is thrown up against the wall.   
"What the hell?"  
"Mmph! MM-MMPH!!" A beaten Applejack grunts but has her bandana tied in her mouth as a gag.   
"There you are, I was wondering when you'd come around here." A voice says behind me. I whip around and somebody punches me hard in the throat, knocking me to the ground. I stand, choking on what's probably quite a bit of blood. He goes for another punch, this time I block and kick him in the chest with much force. It sends him into the wall, stunning him for just a moment. I quickly take Applejack's bandana out of her mouth and I notice her face. She's badly scratched and has been beaten.   
"What happened to you?" I ask tenderly. She looks at me tearfully, then worry flashes over her face.   
"Look out!" She shouts. I turn around and block another attack with my forearm. With our forearms pushing against each other, I stare at him and his combat knife, which is now only a few inches away from my head. His helmet: Orbital, no painting on the Solar visor, which has a hole punched in it around his right eye. EOD Torso Armor, Rogue Shoulder Plates. Standard UNSC combat knife.  
"Holy shit! Another Spartan?!" His reply is a rebel yell and a punch to my head with his other arm. I gain my balance before I hit the ground and unsheathe my combat knife.   
"Look soldier, all I want is a way to Infinity."  
"The way you're treating an ally, I don't think I can oblige." He screams and tries to stab me. I sidestep right and grab his right arm, the one with the knife. I twist it violently clockwise and he shrieks in pain. "That's just plain rude." I pull his body downward and simultaneously thrust my knee upward to his head. He is flung back onto the floor. I hear him groggily groan in pain. "Applejack, what the fuck happened?!"   
"Ah'll explain later, untie us please." Her eyes are watering and there's a distinct sense of urgency in her voice.   
"Okay, hang tight." I cut the ropes off Applejack, Big Mac, and their grandmother. Before I can cut Applebloom loose, a boot hits me in the back. I look up to the other Spartan from the ground, he has an orange cylindrical object in his left hand. What is that? It seems familiar...   
"'Member these?" He flaunts the object. "Used on the installations, great against Flood and large groups of enemies. Ring any bells?" OH FUCK!!! He chucks the object at Macintosh, who flinches just enough to only be nicked by it. Luckily he's unharmed. The object hits the wall behind him and bursts into flames, quickly engulfing most of the room.   
"FIREBOMBS, GET OUT NOW!!" I holler. He throws two more at me, I dodge both. Reflex training taught me well, pay attention and don't screw up at boot camp. The entire room, and probably a majority of the old wooden house by now, is already being swallowed by flames. I turn around and cut Applebloom's ropes. "Run!" I say to her. I roundhouse kick the enemy spartan in the head and bolt to my room. While sprinting, I snatch my weapons and leap through the window, breaking the glass. Applejack rushes to me shortly after I land.   
"Oh no, are you okay?!" I brush off some of the char and ash from my armor.   
"Fine." I count the family. Granny, AJ, Macintosh, all here. Wait...   
"Where's Applebloom?!" I ask frantically.   
"Still inside! If she doesn't get out soon she won't make it!" Large creaks and cracks are heard as some of the rafters fall inside the house. I struggle to my knees, then to my feet.   
"I'm going back in!" Applejack looks at me worriedly, but says nothing, as I pick up my magnum and reattach it to my leg. She nods and silently wishes me luck. I look back at the house. The window frame to my room collapses, forcing me inside another entrance. I look at a weak section of wall and start running. Shoulder first, I crash through the wall.
Fire is everywhere, and with one bad arm and only a pistol I'm not exactly combat ready. A man screams to my left. I turn my head just in time for a fist to hit my helmet, sending me back a few feet and causing be to lose my balance. I stand straight up and powerfully Spartan Kick him down the hallway he attacked me from.   
"Max? Is that you?" Applebloom calls.   
"Yeah, where are you?"  
"At the top of the stairs, please hurry!" I rush down the hallway and leap over the other Spartan, who is holding his gut in pain. When I reach the staircase, I see Applebloom standing at the top of it. The stairs are entirely engulfed in flames, then it collapses. She is still on the second floor though, but the fire's getting there fast.   
"You're gonna have to jump!" I shout.   
"I'm scared!"  
"Don't worry, I'll catch you!" She clutches the top railing but nods her head. She closes her eyes and leaps to me. I reach up to catch her, but right before she lands in my arms a fist hits me in the back of my head. Damn he's strong! The blow knocks me onto the floor. I roll onto my back and look up at the Spartan in steel colored armor, with a red visor that helps him to see in the fire. He pulls out his combat knife with one hand and holds Applebloom in his other arm, she's desperately trying to escape his grip and she is crying. He holds her closer and puts the knife to her throat, taking another step towards me.   
"It's a real shame, but casualties are a large part of any war." He presses the icy blade closer to her neck. "No exceptions."   
"NO!" I kick him in his right knee with great power, so hard that it bends backward, breaking his leg. I scoop Applebloom up and charge through the flaming door. Applejack and Big Mac run over to us. We're laying on the ground where we landed. Applebloom is hugging me close and I take my helmet off.   
"Are y'all okay?" Applejack says.   
"She's got a few burns, and I'm fine." I reach down to my leg to retrieve my magnum, only to find an empty magnetic plate of armor. "What the-" I'm interrupted by several shots of the magnum behind me. We all cover our head with our hands, but one bullet glazes me about an inch below my right eye. A few more shots are fired, for a total of eight, but I'm not hit. That's the mag. He pauses and I look to every member of the Apple Family present. Applebloom's fine, so is Granny Smith. Big Mac seems unharmed as well, and I'll deal with my venial wound. I look to Applejack, who had fallen to the ground. Two spots on her shirt are dark red, and I jump up and run to her side. Tears are running down her face and her breaths are short. She looks at me, I set my helmet on the ground and look her in the eyes.   
"Am I...gonna be okay Max?" I look at the wounds. One just below her stomach, one just below her right collarbone.   
"I...I don't...BIG MAC!" I turn and shout. "Get a doctor here as soon as possible!" He nods and sprints in the direction of town. "Applebloom!" She rushes to us. I open the med kit on my left leg and pull out a syringe of painkiller and a roll of gauze. I inject Applejack's arm and hand Applebloom the gauze. "Keep pressure on the wounds when I say."  
"O-okay." She's crying almost as much as her sister. I take out my combat knife and grab a small bit of wood off the ground nearby. I put the stick in Applejack's mouth.  
"Bite down. This is gonna hurt." She does as I ask and shuts her eyes tight. I start to dig in the upper wound with my knife, she grunts with extreme pain. It brings a tear to my eye to listen to her suffering. "I'm sorry Applejack." I say fighting tears. The knife hits a small piece of metal and I pry it out. Luckily it didn't hit the bone. I look at Applejack's face, now covered with sweat from the pain and the heat of the night. She sighs, partially relieved. "This one." I tell Applebloom. She pushes down on her sisters bleeding shoulder with the gauze, both of them grimace. I look down at her lower wound, the blood matted her shirt to the hole in her flesh so I can't see much of the wound. I lightly pull the shirt away from the wound and see a shiny object not very deep in her abdomen. Thank God. "Only one more Applejack. I'll make it quick." She nods and wipes tears and sweat off her face. I take in a deep breath, and exhale. I swiftly tug the bullet out of her stomach with my fingers. She screams with pain, the stick still clenched between her teeth. I take the wood out of her mouth and look her in the eyes again. "Finished." I say. She sobs in reply.   
"Thank you." She chokes out. I look at Applebloom, then down to her crimson-covered hands. Rage swells up inside me.  
"I'll be right back." I put my helmet back on and watch my energy shields recharge. I stand and turn towards the house, engulfed in flames but still standing. Knife held tightly in my fist, I step towards the house.   
"Wait!" The old lady says. I turn back to her. "Don't you want that?" She points to the shotgun I left on the ground. I hold the knife up, smeared with Applejack's innocent blood, and wipe it off on my chest piece.   
"No guns. Just this, but I'll be damned before I see her blood tainted with his. I'll kill that bastard." I wipe the knife clean and walk back into Hell to fight the devil.
The fires burn brighter and much larger than before, the house crumbles as time passes. At the end of the main hallway is a Spartan. He's wearing black armor and has a cracked red visor. The hole in the visor has gotten larger, and the cracks branch out closer to the edges of the Orbital helmet. Holding an empty magnum in one hand and a shimmering combat knife in the other, he stares at me.   
"I was aiming for you ya know." I'm silent. "But I still hit garbage, this trash was just easier to kill." He chuckles. I scream and charge at him. He throws the knife and sticks in the armor of my left forearm, but I still run at him. I see a hint of fear in his eyes, then widen the hole in his helmet with the strongest punch I've ever thrown at anyone or anything. It knocks him far left and I pull the knife out of the armor on my left arm, the blade didn't puncture my skin. I drop his knife into a large patch of flame to my right. "Hehehe, angry huh?" I pick him up by the armor at the top of his chest piece. "What are you gonna do about it?" He smiles.   
"Nothing I'll regret." I shove his face against one of the fiery walls, and I'm sure to let the flames in through the large hole in his helmet. He screams and struggles in agony but I hold him firmly against the fire. He hits me in the face and I lose my grip. He continues screaming and limps quickly out of the house, all the while having his hands clutched open with his fingers curled in front of his burning face, desperately trying to put the fire out. One of the rafters crashes in front of me and flames shoot up over the front of my body. I hurry out of the house and stop to kneel by Applejack. Big Mac is here now as well, so is someone I haven't seen before. He's wearing grey scrubs underneath a medical coat, his brown hair is slicked back, though it looks like he did it with his hand and it spikes up a little bit. He's kneeling down on the other side of Applejack, next to her younger sister. I take my helmet off.  
"You the doctor?" I ask.   
"Yep." He continues cleaning the wounds with Applejack occasionally wincing at the pain.   
"I'll uh, leave you to it then." I start to get up but Applejack grabs my hand.   
"He says I'm gonna be okay." She faintly whispers with a weak smile.   
"But you'll need to rest for a few days for sure." He says. She looks pale, especially in the night and with her weakened condition. She puts both of her hands on mine.   
"Don't worry about me though, get them a place to stay." She says softly. "What happened to the other one?"   
"He ran away." Her five friends run up to us.   
"Are you okay?" Fluttershy asks.  
"What the heck happened?!" Rainbow Dash questions.  
"What on earth happened to you both?" Rarity says looking at our wounds, mostly Applejack's though, I'll just have a scratch on my face for a while.   
"I saw a bright light over here for a while." Twilight says. She is stunned when she sees the remainder of the house: charred rubble and glowing coals with some ashes and some spots still on fire. "Oh my Celestia." I turn to Pinkie Pie, whose hair is straightened. She's staring at the wounds on Applejack's body with a vacant yet depressed expression. I put my hand on her shoulder and she jumps, like I snapped her out of her trance.   
"Is she...?"  
"She'll live with scars, and she's gonna need a week or so's rest...but it'll be okay." She hugs me tightly, I return it to comfort her. Rainbow Dash rips us apart and punches me in the face, hard, right where the bullet scratched me. "Ack! Son of a bitch!"  
"This is your fault!" She screams at me.   
"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity scolds.  
"It is! How many people got shot before you came here?! How many people's homes were burned to the ground before you got here?!" Fluttershy covers her ears and begins to sob.   
"I didn't do this! I'm sorry it happened, she's my friend too!" Pinkie Pie hugs Fluttershy and cries with her. I feel the wound on my face, now a bit bigger, bleed some more. Twilight comforts the two and joins them in the hug.   
"If I had known this would happen, I never would have been your friend!"   
"I thought you were loyal! Whatever happened to that!" Now we're screaming at each other even louder. Rarity slaps me, then Rainbow. On the fucking wound!  
"ENOUGH!" She shouts. Everyone gets silent, you could hear a pin drop. "Rainbow Dash!" She stomps a foot and stands straight up to scold her, fists at her sides. "Stop it! Don't blame him, he would never do this!"   
"There's another Spartan. He's insane. He tried to kill us."   
"And Max! Why do you seem to attract danger everywhere you go?!" Rarity asks.   
"Not like I try to, I'm a soldier. These things happen."   
"There's another Spartan?" Twilight asks. "I take it he's not friendly."   
"Well he's the one who burned the house down so interpret that any way you like. Applejack. I know now probably isn't a great time but what did he want and what did he do to you?" She sits up slowly.   
"He interrogated me. He wanted to know where ya were." She says painfully.   
"Why only you?"   
"He was probably gonna kill me. You walked inside before he could interrogate the others."  
"What?" Rainbow Dash is pretty confused about this.  
"When I got home this evening, they were all tied up and I got assaulted by him. Within a minute or so he set the place on fire and tried to kill all five of us. Almost got two of us too." I look to Applejack and Applebloom. "Let's find you a place to stay hm?"
Author's Note
Alright. Dunno how long Chapter 5's gonna be. Hit a big wall of nothing happening... Well anyway, here's 4, check out Hollow. If you're a Dark Souler then I think you'll like it. It's my best story so far. Or if you are strictly an FPS gamer, stick with this. Regardless, enjoy Chapter 4, 5 will be up...eventually.

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            Chapter 5 Getting Back On Our Feet             
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Chapter 5 Getting Back On Our Feet
Chapter 5
It's almost noon. Applebloom and Granny Smith are staying with Rarity, Big Mac is with Twilight, Applejack was moved to the hospital, and I'm with Rainbow Dash. Last night was when we had that heated argument that Rarity broke up.
I look into the bathroom mirror and strip the old gauze off of my face. It's stained with dried blood and I toss it in the waste bin. I grab replacement gauze from the cabinet.   
"Few more attacks like that and this place will be FUBAR before next week." I say to myself.   
"FUBAR? What's that?" Rainbow asks. I jump.  
"God damn Rainbow, scared me. It means Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition."   
"Good morning by the way." She says halfheartedly.   
"Hell, it's almost noon." I look at her in the mirror for a second, she's starin' off into space. I turn and face her. "Something on your mind?"   
"Yeah. Look, I'm real sorry about last night."   
"Honestly, I think-"  
"No, I was way wrong. It's not your fault these things are attacking. I'm sorry I said so. Applejack is like my best friend, when I saw her...like she was-is, I lost it a little."   
"Admitting something such as that? A heartfelt apology? Who are you and what have you done with Rainbow Dash?" We chuckle.   
"But seriously. Can you forgive me?" I stare at her for a second.   
"Honestly I think you were right though."   
"Don't say that. It's not your fault."  
"Why? You were right. If I wasn't here then Applejack and Scootaloo wouldn't be hurt and the Apple Family would still have their home."   
"Don't be so hard on yourself." She gives me a light punch on the shoulder.   
"Which is exactly why I need to leave as soon as possible."  
"What?"   
"I need to get back to where I belong: the battlefield. Until I get there more people will get hurt. Or I could fight against them, but I don't even know what I'm dealing with here. One rogue Spartan and who knows how many Coveys. As if another Spartan isn't hard enough to kill. Course I can't leave them here alive either or people will surely get hurt."   
"Stay. Please. If you weren't here then Applejack would be dead. She told me that you told her family how to do first aid on her at the time. Hooves said if it wasn't for that she would have died for sure. You even got the bullets out. All he had to do was better clean and dress the wounds. He sounded pretty impressed to me."   
"I was built for the battlefield and serve the UNSC. I can't stay here."   
"You have to!" Her voice is almost a shout all of a sudden. "If it wasn't for you, my best friend would be dead, and the rest of my friends might have been too. Don't you understand?" She calms down and smiles at me. "You may have been built for the battlefield, but this is where you belong. So stay. Besides, it's a battlefield now." I respond with a sigh. Good point.  
"No promises, but I'll stay a while longer. At least till we get this rogue Spartan and Covenant thing straightened out."   
"We can talk about it more after that though, right?"   
"I hope so."  
"Good. So, breakfast?"  
"Lunch please. I'm gonna put more gauze on this first."  
"It didn't look that bad when I first saw you."  
"No but you and Rarity made sure it looked worse when you last saw me."  
"Is that where I hit you? I thought it was weird that there was blood on my knuckles after that. I'm sorry."   
"Bloody knuckles aren't bad, you get used to 'em. Especially when it's not yours."   
"A fighter huh?" I fit the gauze over the wound on my face and grab the medical tape from the cabinet.   
"Boxer. Three time runner-up on the Infinity. I could knock out a fully trained Marine in under twenty seconds."   
"Impressive. Well I'm gonna go make lunch."   
"Have fun." She starts to walk away. "Oh and Rainbow."  
"Yeah?" She stops and turns around.  
"I forgive you." She smiles.  
"Thanks Max." She proceeds into the kitchen and I finish taping the gauze to my face.
I walk into the hospital and see a nurse sitting at the front desk. She looks up and smiles at me. I approach her.   
"I'd like to see someone." I take off my helmet. She looks a little uncomfortable when I reveal the gauze on my face but soon regains herself.   
"Of course." She says with a friendly smile. "Patient's name?" She pulls out a form on a clipboard and a pen.   
"Applejack."  
"Visitor name?"  
"Maxwell Anderson."  
"One moment please." She picks up a phone and dials a number. "Somebody named Maxwell Anderson here to see you Miss Applejack. Shall I send him in?" She pauses a moment. "Okay. I will. He'll be in in just a moment." She hangs up and looks back up at me. "Room A6, third on the right just down that hallway." She points me in the right direction.  
"Thanks. Can I leave this at the desk?" I hold up my helmet.   
"If you wish sir." She takes the helmet and puts it in a drawer of the desk. I walk down the hallway and go through the door labeled A6. Applejack is laying on a bed with a tray of unfinished food in her lap. She is hooked up to an IV and is wearing a hospital gown. She looks at me, concerned for only a moment. She hides her worry with a smile.  
"Hi Max. Glad to see you."  
"You too. You're looking a lot better."  
"Feeling much better too. Doc says I'll be here for another few days and then I'm free to go." She smiles.  
"You looked worried a minute ago. What's up?"  
"You're wearin' gauze on yer face is what's up. What happened?"  
"Spartans are trained to be good with firearms. He grazed my face with a bullet before he got you. Thank God you'll be okay."  
"Mhm. You helped though ya know. It was a bit painful but it got the bullets outta me. Doc was real impressed at that. He just had to-"  
"Better clean the wounds." She stares at me for a moment. "Rainbow Dash told me."  
"Oh. How is she?"  
"Fine. She apologized for punching me in the face and blaming me for this but..."  
"What?"  
"I don't know. Maybe she was right."  
"Now stop. You and I both know that's not true."  
"Do we? How many were shot before I came here? How many homes were burned down?"   
"They would be here regardless of whether you were or not. You're the only reason everyone here is still alive."   
"I'm also the reason two were almost left dead."  
"Almost. Almost dead and dead are two very different things."  
"Bye Applejack." I sigh.  
"Bye Max." I leave the hospital, taking my helmet on the way out.
I return to the ashes of the farmhouse. Some large pieces of charred wood stick out of the ashes that remain. A glint in the ashes catches my eye. I walk through and retrieve it. The Spartan's knife, discolored from the heat, still has a sharp blade and a good grip. A hand on my shoulder makes me jump. I turn to see my gentle friend standing there, her hand still on my shoulder.   
"Are you alright?" Fluttershy says.   
"I'll be fine." My shaky voice says otherwise. She wraps me in a tight hug, which I return without hesitation. "Thanks." We stay in the hug a while longer.   
"Can you come over for a bit? If you'd like to, if you're busy then you don't have to." I release the hug and nod. We walk to Fluttershy's cottage on the outskirts of town.
Finally arriving at the cottage, I throw the enemy's knife into the ground and enter my friend's home. Angel gives me a nasty look.   
"Angel, don't make faces! Mommy has to talk to Max alone." The bunny shies away from being scolded, and then skitters away. We sit down on her couch and I remove my helmet. "Did you visit her Max?"  
"Yes, she's recovering well so far. I need to kill this Spartan, before someone else gets killed first."  
"I hope nobody else gets hurt." She looks up at me and gasps. "What happened to you?"  
"Last night, a bullet grazed my face and then...further dispute didn't help." She stares at me confused. "Rainbow punched me then Rarity slapped me."  
"My goodness! Why?"   
"They had to vent their anger somehow, I don't blame 'em."  
"Can I see?" Although I feel like Fluttershy wouldn't do so well around blood, I peel off the gauze bandages. She gasps when she sees my wound.  
"Don't worry about it, it's just a scratch."  
"A bad scratch, my gosh!" She leaves the room for a moment. When she comes back she has a first aid kit in her hands.  
"That won't be necessary."  
"Nonsense, my animals get hurt sometimes. I take care of my friends." She smiles and rummages in the kit.   
"Well, that's real nice of you. Thanks." She dabs antiseptic on my face with a cotton ball. "So, um, how's it look?"  
"Not so bad now, I guess it just needed some good cleaning. Just one more little dab there." She puts down the cotton ball and puts a bandage on my cheek. "There, all done."  
"Thank you, I didn't clean it this morning 'cause I figured it'd be fine."  
"What did you do in the UNSC?"  
"Oh. I was second in command of a small squad of Spartan II soldiers. CQC and Magnum expert. I also have a bit of medical training."  
"Who else was there?" She sounds genuinely interested and curious.   
"Well, there was Ivan, our sniper. Also good with any kind of precision weapon, DMR, Battle Rifle, the usual stuff. Then there was George. Explosives. Grenades, rockets, land mines, if it went boom then he had it somewhere. He used to be an engineer too, so he also acted as our mechanic. You know how I have a pistol? His was basically a handheld grenade launcher. Karl was heavy weapons expert. He stuck to turrets, SAWs, and shotguns mostly. He and Ivan taught me more about weapons, which explains my shotgun and Battle Rifle. Carson was the leader. He had mastered the Assault Rifle and a lot of alien weaponry. He was also our vehicle man. What about you and your friends?"  
"Twilight kind of leads us when the princess gives her a job to do, like stop Discord or something like that. Your friends sound wonderful."   
"Yeah, we were a tight group of guys. I'd rather not talk about it though. Ya know, since I'm not gonna see them for a while." I don't know how long it'll be. Please don't bring them back up.   
"I understand. Would you like anything to eat or drink?"  
"Nah, thanks."   
"Well, it's almost lunchtime."  
"I'll live. Say, Fluttershy."  
"Hmm?"  
"When was your last war?"  
"We haven't had any conflicts in 1000 years. Only a few incidents really."  
"I see." Yeah. I need to stay here. If they get attacked by more Covenant and I'm not here, scientifically speaking, they're fucked. "I'm heading out. Bye Fluttershy. Thanks for having me."  
"Bye Max."
I walk to Rarity's house/shop. The small bell above the door rings as I enter. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom wave when they see me. Rarity continues working, facing away from me.   
"Hello, may I help you?" She says without looking up. I remove my helmet.   
"Rarity. Turn around would ya?" She looks at me and lights up.   
"Max! What a pleasant surprise this is!" She gets up and hugs me. Up close I notice how she looks more. Her hair is slightly messy, her clothes wrinkled, she looks generally tired.   
"You okay?"  
"I'm fine, just a little swamped in work is all."  
"You ever need any help then just ask, you know."   
"Thank you Max, what happened to your face?"   
"First the Spartan, then Rainbow Dash, then you. Fluttershy cleaned it up a bit."  
"My goodness! I'm so sorry about that, even a lady may tend to lose her temper on occasion. Have you visited Applejack?" At the mention of her name, the two young girls rush to me, eager to hear about Applejack.   
"I have actually."  
"How is she?" Applebloom asks. I crouch down to the two girls, Rarity does the same.   
"She's in good condition, feeling a lot better. You can go see her today if you want to." Rarity and I stand up. I make sure the younger ones can't hear. "And about this rogue Spartan-" She silences me with her hand.  
"I don't want to know. I have a good idea." I nod, understanding that she knows what I was about to say.   
"Well, I just stopped by to say hi."  
"You certainly brightened up my day Max." She says with a genuine smile.  
"That's what I'm here for, see ya 'round. Bye girls." They all wave at me and I exit. I hear them talk after I walk outside.  
"Is Max gonna kill the person who hurt my sister?" Applebloom asks.   
"I don't know sweetheart." Rarity responds. Assuming he doesn't kill me first, then yes.
I knock on Twilight's door. Spike answers. "Hey Max. Come in."  
"Thanks."  
"Hi Max!" Twilight says. She wraps me in a tight hug, which I return.   
"Somebody's happy to see me." We let go. "Where's Big Mac?"  
"Hospital, you should go too."  
"I did actually. Did you?"  
"Yeah, I dropped off a book. In case she wanted it you know."  
"Right."  
"I hope she'll be okay." Her eyes get watery and I remove my helmet. "If she leaves us I don't know what we'll do." Her voice strains to get the words out. I hug her again.   
"Come on now." She cries onto my armor. "Don't cry, she'll be okay." The tears stop.  
"I know, she's tough. She'll pull through. I just worry."   
"The shots weren't fatal."   
"I know. I just hope she's doing okay without us. Cooped up in a hospital, having to stay in a bed all day, I'd lose it if I didn't have a good book or someone to keep me company."  
"She'll be fine. And don't worry about that other Spartan either. I can handle him and any Covenant soldiers."  
"Promise me you won't get hurt."  
"C'mon. I know I'll get hurt. I can't even promise I won't get killed."  
"WHAT?!" Shit. Your big damn mouth Max. Should not have said that.  
"I'm sure I'll be fine, I'm a good fighter. I beat him once, I can easily do it again."   
"I don't want you to fight him again, but what other option is there?"  
"Seems like he's all we have to worry about though."   
"I hope so." Something hits the door and we both look, it sounded almost like a rock. I walk over and reach to open the door. I put my hand on the door handle and a blue explosion blows me back. Twilight screams and Spike runs down from upstairs. Five Elites and three Jackals storm the house. I shoot two Jackals with my magnum, the third blocks with his shield. Picking up a Plasma Pistol, I overcharge a shot and fire at an Elite. I drop the weapon. One Elite attempts a stab with an Energy Sword. I dodge, break his arm with a powerful punch, and rip the sword from his grip. I stab the injured Elite in the neck and run for the one I fired at before. Several pink crystals fly past my head and I slash and kill two more Elites. One Elite grabs Twilight and Spike. I punch through the Jackal's shield and pistol whip him for the kill. The sword's last energy fades away and I drop the useless weapon.   
"Halt!" The Elite shouts. Two left. Three more Elites rush in, I guess they were waiting outside in case things went sour. Well dammit. As trained, I begin to analyze the situation. The Elite holding my friends has a Sticky Detonator on his thigh next to an Energy Sword that's not on. The one that was here has a shotgun and an Assault Rifle. The three that just came in all have different weapons. One's got a Battle Rifle and a magnum. Another just has a bunch of grenades and a DMR. The last one has a SAW, that's a scary weapon in Sangheli hands. I have five shots left in my Magnum and a good combat knife, this should work. I unsheathe the knife and aim my pistol. "Stand down. You have a choice." He says.  
"You have a choice. Let them go and I'll kill you later, or you all die now."  
"Last chance." The Elite tells me. I hold my ground.   
"Your choice." I retort. I fire at the one holding Twilight, hitting him right in the skull. I take his detonator and fire at the one holding the SAW. He panics and I unload my pistol into the grenade Elite. I take two plasmas from his corpse and clip them onto my sidearm plate. I drop the magnum and stab the shotgun Elite. His body falls and I take his shotgun. I kill the BR/Magnum Elite with one shell and kick the terrified SAW Elite out the door. He lands on the ground by some townspeople. They flee to a safe distance. I take the rest of the grenades from the other Elite's body and roll them down to the Elite outside. I arm and throw both plasma grenades at him, he dies in a series of explosions.
TP POV  
The Spartan walks up to Fluttershy's door, his red visor almost entirely gone, a deranged smile on his face. He bangs a fist on the door.   
"One moment." Fluttershy calls from inside. She opens the door and gasps, paralyzed with fear at the sight of his half burnt face.   
"Hello there." He knocks her out with one punch to the forehead.
Author's Note
Wow Patton, now ya done it. Tell me what you think of Chapter 5 in the comments. Sorry it took so long. The combination of a bad case of Writer's Block plus school starting really delayed my writing. But, nevertheless, here it is. Enjoy!

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                  Chapter 6 Search Party                   
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Chapter 6 Search Party
Chapter 6
After not seeing Fluttershy for a few days, we decided to go on a search for her. Twilight Sparkle organized a large group of people to go search in different areas of the town and surrounding areas. I'm stuck with the forest. I'm also alone since nobody else wanted to go in the forest because it's dangerous. I stand at the edge of what they call the Everfree Forest, where I was found. Before me, there is a shadow under the canopy of the trees. I step forward. Well, I've been here once before. Can't be all that bad.
After searching for quite some time, I see some old ruins in the distance and I sprint towards them. Dang, this place looks like it was part of a castle once. Like fate arranged it, there he sits. The rogue Spartan, just on the other side of the room. Fluttershy is tied up and gagged next to him. Rage flows through me just looking at him.   
"There you are. Thought you'd run faster for someone you've taken such a liking to." Fluttershy flinches as the Spartan gently touches her face. I now notice that there is a large bruise on her forehead.   
"Don't you touch her!" I shout. He steps away from her. "Wait, you can-"  
"Walk? After you broke my leg?" He tears through the mesh suit on his right thigh and rips a piece off. His leg is made entirely of metal.   
"How'd you lose it?"  
"Energy Sword. I really hate Elites. But now they can help me. I sent a small group on that suicide mission to go after you."  
"You knew I'd kill them? Aw, I'm flattered."  
"I figured that if you killed them, no harm done. If they killed you, bonus." I look at his face. Covered in third-degree burns, his face is red and black. Also rather misshapen from the intense heat. Almost all the glass is broken off his helmet now. Only about a fourth of the original visor remains.   
"If the Elites can't kill me, what makes you think that you can?"  
"I better know my environment." I look to Fluttershy, who is crying and shaking her head.   
"You sound confident, how 'bout a fight?" He charges and jumps for a drop kick. I kneel and lean back to dodge under it. I whip back up and turn around. I firmly plant both feet as he runs toward me again. He jump kicks, but a second to early. I grab his foot and flip him over me. He lands face first against the stone floor. "Jumping too early? Rookie mistake. Though I am an expert." He gets up and punches. I grab his fist and pull his head downward into my knee. "This is just pitiful, haven't I done that before?" He remains standing however. I kick him in the chest and he bends over from the blow. I punch him in the back of the head and he falls onto his face again. He doesn't move. "Finally." I walk over to Fluttershy who is still shaking her head. I take the gag out of her mouth. "Hey Fluttershy." I say softly.  
"It's a trap!" She shouts.  
"What?" I'm grabbed by the neck and thrown back. I trip and fall onto my back.   
"You didn't think I'd be that easy did you? The way I fought you last time?" He says with a chuckle. He pulls out a detonator and gags Fluttershy again. "Bye-bye Spartan."   
"NO!" He clicks the detonator and the pillars supporting the structure explode. He grabs Fluttershy and runs out the back. The ruins collapse on me. I black out.
I open my eyes to darkness. My body is in pain. Massive weight sits on top of me. "Zecora said the blast was over here!" Pinkie Pie shouts. It's muffled, but definitely her.   
"Are you sure?" Rarity asks.   
"Look at the charred marks on the stone, whatever happened here wasn't natural. Definitely an explosion." Twilight says.   
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's start looking!" Rainbow shouts. My head is pounding and I try to move. Nothing. I can still feel all my limbs, doesn't feel like anything's broken. At least I got that going for me. I hear the rocks being moved, both physically and by use of magic. A small sliver of light hits my face when a rock about six feet above me is removed. A pair of hands moves another stone, then another. Rainbow Dash looks down the small hole in the rubble she created. She looks right at me and her eyes widen. "Girls! Girls! I found him! Help me out!" Within a minute, most of the rocks are moved. My upper body is free now, and Twilight grabs my right hand with her magic. Rainbow Dash grabs my left hand and they both drag me out of the debris. Rainbow takes my helmet off. "You with me Max? Max!" She lightly slaps my face but I can't find the strength to respond.   
"Please Max." Pinkie says.   
"Water." Twilight says. "Give him some water."  
"Right." Rainbow takes out a water bottle and pours some water in my mouth.   
"Max, please. Come back to us." Rarity says. I cough on some of the water.   
"Ugh, I'm fine. I'm fine." They all sigh in relief when I speak.   
"Thank Celestia." Rarity says.   
"Thank goodness you're back, I was getting worried." Pinkie says. Rainbow simply smiles at me.   
"Thanks. Thank you all." I slowly and painfully stand up, with the help of Twilight and Rainbow. We share a group hug. "How long was I out?"  
"Five days. That's when we left to look for Fluttershy. You didn't come back so we went to look for you." Twilight says.   
"Did you find Fluttershy dear?" Rarity asks. I pick up my helmet.   
"I did. He took her. I've gotta get her back." I step forward and flinch at the pain.   
"You need to rest." Rainbow says. "You can't go after her like this, you'll get killed!"  
"Well you can't fight him, or you'll get killed. And we have to hurry...or Fluttershy will get killed." I walk to the back exit of the ruins. I see exactly what I'm looking for just a few feet away. I walk over to the red shard of glass. Since our armor weighs so much, footprints aren't hard to find either. "You all stay in town. I'm gonna finish this." I remove my helmet.   
"No way, she's our friend too." Pinkie says.   
"I understand, but that doesn't matter to him. If anything it gives him more incentive to kill you. I'm going alone. But I sure as hell ain't coming back alone. Wish me luck." Twilight walks up to me and looks in my eyes for a moment. Tears welling up, she closes her eyes and hugs me tight.   
"Good luck." We break the hug. .  
"You too Twilight." Pinkie jumps up and hugs me even tighter  
"I'll miss you. At least until you and Fluttershy get back anyway. Then I won't have to miss you anymore and we can have a party!"   
"Thanks Pinkie." We let go. Rarity approaches me next. She gives me a kiss on the cheek and hugs me close, making me blush a bit.  
"Do be careful darling."  
"I will be. Thanks." We hug a while longer, then release. Rainbow Dash walks up last. At first she says nothing. After a while she lightly punches my arm.   
"Do me a big favor would ya?"  
"What's that?" I say with a smile. She hugs me tighter than anyone before, I return it.   
"Please don't get killed. I don't wanna have to explain that to anyone. Especially Applejack." She starts to cry. Well I certainly didn't expect that out of Rainbow Dash. I hug her a bit tighter.  
"Hey, c'mon. Don't cry. I'll be fine. Don't cry Rainbow." We let go and she dries her tears.  
"I'm not crying." She sniffs. I smile at her.   
"You really want me to come back in one piece don't you? I only wish you could see it."  
"See what?"   
"See me kick that Spartan's ass. I'll see you after this is all over."  
"Okay." With that, I put my helmet on and follow the trail to the Spartan. The others go back home.
Author's Note
Tell me what you think of Chapter 6 in the comments section. I wrote the ending, now to write the stuff in between! Please like/fav but especially comment! I love your guys' feedback in actual words but likes are good too, enjoy Chapter 6, Chapter 7 will come soon!