HALO: The New World

Become.

Become.

Food. Become.

Food. Become. Change. New. Food?

Become. Change.

Become. No.

Change. Food. New Mombasa. Food.

Burn. New. Glass. Become. Parents. Gone.

Become. Food. Food? No, other.

What? What happened? Become. No.

I remember. The Flood. Change. Food. No, I won’t become a monster like you.

Losing. Trouble. Memories. You nasty son of a bitch, you will PAY for what you’ve done! Battle. Fight. Control. Change. NO! Become.

Become.

Become.

Become. No. Twilight…

Become.

TWILIGHT!

I opened my eyes to find I was lying on the floor where I fell. Wait… My eyes were already open… Why… Why is my vision yellow? Where’s my HUD? Wait, there’s my shields… Armor ability… What’s with the blackish strands in my sight? What’s that popping sound?

I could hardly feel my body. It was as if wasn’t even in armor anymore. Then I felt the metal floor on my bare skin. Wait… I never could have taken off my armor. Deep breaths… Deep breaths… Why is my breathing bubbling? I feel… Different. I need to see what happened to me.

After some searching, I found a highly reflective piece of Forerunner alloy, and promptly fainted at the sight of myself.

I came to again. I had to calm down, getting upset won’t help. I was a Flood Spartan. I knew that now. It was like the War Games matches I had played, where the “Infected” had mutated an arm into a Flood Talon, and there was no sign of their armor. The helmet had been absorbed into the head, leaving a pair of fleshy mandibles. Tan, with red highlights on parts, massive, fast, and deadly. Me. I had become that.

I was amazed that I was able to move voluntarily, if I had been changed by an Infection Form. Speaking of which, where was it? I returned to the place where I had fallen, and saw a battered, deflated Infection Form on the floor. I had crushed it in my mental struggle as I transformed. This gave me some satisfaction, knowing that I had killed my attacker even as I failed. But where was Tohl?

I heard a growl of anger, and turned around to see my friend. At least, what remained of him. The Infection Form had taken him over fully, pushing his head aside at a sickening angle, developing tentacles on one arm, leaving the other a dark brownish tan. His gold armor remained, so I knew it was him. The monster that had been my partner roared again, before charging at me, seeing that I was not one of his new kind, a Flood.

I only felt sorrow, as I prepared to slay the creature that ran to me. A tear slipped from my non-existent eye, a yellowish drop of salty water, before I brought my talon to bear and impaled him, making his body writhe in desperation before the Infection Form popped.

-------------------- Twilight’s POV --------------------

I had gathered the Elements of Harmony as soon as I could, before sending a letter to Princess Celestia about what occurred. A sky chariot took us to Canterlot, and then to the building that Alec with the Princesses. We entered, lighting our way so we could see the path.

Suddenly the group heard a strange, bubbly bellow, and the sounds of heavy footsteps running towards something. Fluttershy shrunk back, only for Rainbow Dash to push her back to the rest of us. We traveled to the source of the roar, and saw a seven-foot tall monster with a huge claw on it’s arm shed a drop of something from it’s “face”, before swinging the claw at what looked like… Tohl. Tohl! He was different though… Fleshy, tan, his head bent at at a sick angle, and a strange pod with red tentacles in the place where his head would be. The tall creature stabbed Tohl on it’s claw, where the Elite squirmed before falling limp, as the pod exploded into scraps of flesh. I couldn’t hold back my lunch, nor could anypony else, including the Princesses, and we all puked onto the metal floor.

-------------------- Crimson’s POV --------------------

I heard the sound of ponies upchucking yet again, but in multitude. I let the body of my past friend fall to the ground, and looked to the source of the vomiting, easily pinpointing it with my new hearing. I saw the Elements of Harmony, as well as the Princesses. They all looked sick, and then scared when they saw that I was coming towards them.

I walked to them, hoping that I could show them it was me. I held out my hand and claw to show I was unarmed, but it must have seemed threatening because then Celestia knocked me out with a spell.

I was drifting in a sea of nothing. No memories, no feelings, just nothing. I heard nothing. I saw nothing. I felt nothing. I was nothing. Then, a golden glow suffused the landscape of void. A swirling tunnel of sunlight and moonlight formed, and I seemed to be pulled into it.

I came to, lying on the cold floor of the Canterlot palace for the second time. I was facing the great, vaulted ceiling, with the faces of Celestia and her sister in my vision. A look of fear and trepidation was on that of Luna, while I saw the same visage of grim curiosity on Celestia’s face. My mind nearly shattered yet again, and I attempted to scoot backwards, failing for I was held in the gold aura again. I was pinned down, helpless yet again. Then the horns of the Princesses lit simultaneously, and they touched them to my forehead.

I was fighting the Flood in the room again. I stopped to reload, Tohl doing the same, leaving the Sentinel as our only defense. It fell, and we switched to our Energy Swords, shouting an ancient saying as we rushed to meet the raging tide of Flood Forms that hungered for us.

We fell. I felt the neural penetrator pierce my neck seal, tapping into my spinal cord, melding the filthy presence with my mind. It changed me, as I fought for dominance, only winning after I lost.

The images swirled, tossing myself into the memory of having to kill my friend. I had no emotions, no tears left to shed, for I had used them long ago. I was stone now, a cold, steel blade, ready and waiting for only the right one to wield me. The recollection disintegrated, revealing the shocked faces of the Princesses. They looked to each other, before gazing at the monstrosity that I was now in empathy. They released me, and walked away.

I sat, thinking on all I had experienced. I finally had time to examine my situation, to see all that I had seen, to muse on what brought me here. I decided that a different force did bring me and Tohl to this land, but I knew not what it was. It had saved my life, as well as that of my friend, but it didn’t help save us from the Flood. My recollection of that was new, suddenly being part of a massive, all-consuming hive mind, if only for a short time, had reset my emotions, so that they were no longer overwhelming. It had set me to the factory standards of the Flood, a blank slate.

I used that as a base upon which to build my identity. First, my name. I am Alec-S250. I am Fireteam Crimson. I am a Spartan IV. I fight for the UNSC, Earth, and her colonies. My parents are dead. I am away from my friends and allies. I have no hope of rescue. I am now a Flood, but a free one. I killed my only other friend in this world.

I did not know to consider Twilight Sparkle a friend or not. She had torn my mind, but she also helped pick up the pieces of the puzzle and resolve it. She had forgiven me, and claimed to be my friend. Everyone else I knew as allies, or hostiles.

My thoughts were interrupted, as the lavender unicorn herself entered the chamber that I resided in. I was in an unfurnished marble room, with a single window, giving a perfect view of the mountainside. Twilight seemed shocked and scared, seeing the sight of the giant mutant slumped against a wall. I looked up at her, before dropping my head to my chest again. I had attempted to talk earlier, but all that came out was blurbles and fluid popping noises. I had no means of communication. I was alone.

The last of my kind. And the first. I had no hope.

I was nothing.

Twilight walked towards me, seeing my tan and crimson head resting on my fleshy chest. I could feel my armor as a part of myself, built in like an exoskeleton, one that is hidden under muscle and beige tissue. She sat down in front of me, before taking my datapad out of… Somewhere, it just seemed to blink into existence… And floated it to me. “I’m so sorry, Alec. I heard that you can’t talk, so maybe you can use this. You gave it to me back at my library, remember? You said it would give me answers.”

I remembered. I remembered that day, when Rainbow Dash tried ramming me, when I entered the library, the day that I fell asleep in a long time. I remembered. I took the datapad in my normal hand, and settled it on my knees, selecting the notepad function. I began to type, slowly, painfully, “I remember. I remember what happened to me. I wish I didn’t, but I do.”

She read the text that I wrote, and replied in a somber tone, “I’m sorry. I wish I could help. I… I wish I could. I always want to help my friends… And you, you’re my friend. Just… Let me or the Princesses know if we can help. Goodbye, Alec.”

She left the room, leaving me with streams of yellow tears running from my fold where my eyes had been. I had a friend who wanted to help. I swore in my mind that I would do the same for her. And I would try to get back to my own form, of being a Spartan IV, and return to the UNSC. And I would have it protect this planet. From itself, Insurrectionists, and any outside threat.

This world… Was now under my protection.

-------------------- Twilight Sparkle’s POV --------------------

After I visited Alec in his room, I returned to my library. I felt terrible for him, for all he had gone through, and now he was a monster. He didn’t act like one, but he looked like one, and that’s what most ponies judged others by. I did consider him a friend, especially after he saved our lives.

As soon as I opened the door, I was confronted with my friends. Rainbow Dash was sitting on the couch, looking bored, but glancing longingly at the Daring Do books. Applejack was chewing on a strand of straw, Rarity was fussing over Spike, Fluttershy was trying to hide behind the table, and Pinkie was… Where was Pinkie?

“HIYATWILIGHT!HOW’SALEC?HUH?HUH?HUH?HOWISHE?TELLMETELLME!”

“Gah! Pinkie! Don’t do that! Alec is fine. I just went to visit him up at Canterlot, where he has his own room at the castle. And that monster from earlier? That… That was him.”

The room visibly gasped in shock, with Pinkie Pie squeaking like a balloon. Rarity pretended to swoon as she fell onto her red couch, the straw fell out of Applejack’s mouth, Fluttershy eeped, and Rainbow Dash punched one hoof into the other, looking ready for a fight.

“No no no, not like that. That thing he told us about called the Flood? Tohl and him were infected. Alec managed to regain control of his mind and body, but Tohl… Didn’t make it. He was just a mindless death machine when Alec killed him. And Alec… He wants to forget what he did.

“He wants to go home.”