Spartan, Warrior of war.

I take a deep breath noticing Celestia and Luna walking toward me, “Lord or War! A moment please!” I let out the breath knowing what they want to talk about.

I feel a small mental kick from Karma, “There being NICE Spartan. Treat them nicely AND with respect. Understood?”

‘Understood.’ I turn to the Princess doing the traditional Spartan smile, “Hello Princesses. I am sure your well but what bothers you?”

Luna, the governess of the night and everything of the night could not look the Spartan in face, or the helmet he never takes. Mostly because everytime she tries to she remembers the night the God of War awaken and claimed the Spartan, “We wish to know if thy are ok.”

“I'm fine Princesses.”

Celestia steps forward, her horn on level with my helmet if I stand upright and she holds her head high, “You're having nightmares. Anyone near your room, thats magically attuned, can tell if not by the screams but by the magic fear and fire.”

“I'm fine. Is it all Princesses?”

They sigh walking by me, “It would be nice if the public were to see your face. Even we have not.”

“No can do Princess.” I walk past them to the training field to practice my aim.

“My. Little. Fucking. Pony.” I feel my eye twitch as I look out from the tree line to see the country town of Ponyville dancing and singing through another day of peaceful pony life. I can't even hear the main lyrics because the AI in my head spoke up drawing my attention from it. Bless her

“I call bullshit. I know I suddenly existed but this. I call bull shit. WHERE ARE THE INSTRUMENTS GOING FORM?!?”

.”I don't know Karma. I call shenanigans also. I mean REALLY? FUCKING PONIES?!?” I take a deep breath sitting down leaning on a tree looking at the town slowly winding down from the dance and song. Even though my mind briefly drifts to how alive Karma sounded from her previously machine like speech.

I began to laugh looking at the cute ponies walk and fly through the town going on with their daily life even though only minutes ago the whole town. THE WHOLE TOWN. Was in song in dance so perfectly in tune and the movement in sync it looked like they planned the whole thing from the beginning.

I feel myself calm grabbing my pistol softly as I get up from my resting position, “Water reserves low. Recommend finding a stream or river where we can get fresh water but dirty water should be good with the filtration system in place. Also if you can find an explanation for that music! I feel my logic martiax glitching trying to figure it out.”

“Understood. And warning the music might gain the explanation ‘Magic.” The Spartan does necessary jazz hands to highlight how honestly messed up and bullshit stuff like that is, “If this My little pony expect A LOT of magic.”

Karma is quiet and I feel that's going to be a rare occurrence, I’ve noticed that she roughly has Cortana’s core personality, snide and sarcastic but hints or care a compassion show by the mention of the water tank. I take a quick look around charting the stream that travels in ponyville tracking where a safe place to gather water AND to overlook the town for the safest way in.

My mindset falls into a Spartans, cold, calculating, fast, and effective. I note three places each with their down. Two follow bends into a slight hillside blocking view from the town. One nearer the forest but a lower hill meaning easier to be spotted from the air and the other farther from cover but higher and nearer town. The run would be long and chance of being spotted high. But the hill is higher , chances of being spotted from sky much much lower. At night I could hunt for meat and other edible things.

The last one is closer to the small hill but the stream is in the big scary forest called… COME ON! I should know what's it called there were WHOLE episodes done off it! Fuck its called creepy forest, “I recommend the higher hill. Even if they do spot us we already have planned first contact Spartan.”

“The risk is worth the reward?”

“It is Spartan. Worse they’ll try to smack us with their hooves but the shields and armour can take it.”

“Acknowledged.”

I look through the branches looking for the best route there as I travel down the tree line till I reach the best place to run, and I mean BOOK it. I get in a runner's starter pose resting my foot on a large healthy oak tree to kick off for my best start as every advantage I can get is good. I look around waiting till no pegasus is in the air or too far to see. I take out with a push of my foot on the oak tree CRACKING it but I dont stop instead I keep my head low and center of my mass lower to decrease drag as I run across the countryside into the hills. I run for two minutes till reaching my target area which I dig my heels into the grass digging it up in a straight line almost like an air way.

“Good work Spartan. Now if they see us they have a nice place to land.”

“Kinda had no other option. I had to book it and I VERY underestimated a Spartans running speed. Plus how heavy the damn armour is yet it doesn't FEEL heavy at all!” I giggle as I prove my point my doing a small hop that knights that train their whole lives to wear a set of armour couldn't pull off!

I hear her sigh and I’ll admit it. Its weird how RIGHT it feels to talk to her even we only knew each other for half an hour, “I can't blame you. Just refill your water supply. The fission reactor is taking hydrogen form the air to fuel itself and it does fill you water supply but slowly. Its best to refill it then to wait for it to be filled by the system. And incase were about to die the self destruct code is 3-4-3-0-1-0-6-0-4-3-0.”

“How big would be the blast range?”

“Enough.”

 I nod to the AI even though she's not physically there but...She gets the gesture, “Umm I have brief memory how to take off the Helmet but can you display a guide for the on and off process?” I chuckle awkwardly as the new found memories I have definitely show its possible BUT this IS a different armour then the memories AND they don't seem to go past Halo Combat evolved for some reason. So Mark V and Mark VI quirks of the armour are unknown to me INCLUDING how to take off the helmet itself. I know for a fact the rest of the armour needs a dedicated machine for that process though.

I look through the schematics taking note of the similar seals to the Mark V helmet. I reach and undo them, the action is followed by the hiss of air and the helmet being deprived of a power source forcing it to shut off. I turns off the shields also Karam AI disc is sending a tiny bit of power the speaker and mic to monitor me. I hymn to myself walking to the river side and getting on my knees to scoop water.

I look into the reflection and I don't recognize the man in front of me. MAN not teen like I am but MAN. Early mid to late 20’s by looks alone but...The scars make it much worse then one would think. Paler than polcin skin caused by never taking the armour off outside or honestly during anytime. Scars all over the face. Deep pits pocketed all over along with the fact my regular long dark chocolate hair is GONE. I mean bald, shaven head gone. But the rest...The rest I’m glad I did live through getting. One eye is a milk white immediately declaring that eye blind...but a small camera is sticking out from the socket most likely giving my my depth perception. The worse though was the mass of green mass on the side of my neck showing where the flood shore tried burying past the armour and well infecting me.

I screamed. Oh I definitely screamed. A ear splitting, headache inducing, BLOODY MURDER scream. I am not me. HELL my good eye is fucking BLUE! ITS SUPPOSE TO BE BROWN! I did not just gain a Spartan body. I-I got one. I feel bile rise up my stomach and I can't help but vomit to the side quickly. After that I quickly and shakingly filled the small tank with water.

I stay there for a moment before I hear Karma’s voice, “Put on the helmet Spartan! That scream could be heard from the town!” I turn to her hearing a small gasp from the helmet before I slide it on, locking the seals, making sure it's secure as it powers up and shields reach 87% before I see a Cyan pegasus circle in the air once before screaming something.

It dives toward me an air cone forming aiming directly for my chest. Everything becomes much, much slower as I can see its wings beat once more, and again watching how the feathers work with the air.

Wait….Wait….Wait….NOW!

I side step grabbing its front let then I let its momentum Carry me for a 180 degree spin before letting go of it’s leg skipping it across the water surface till it splashes in the middle of the river. I look to the forest and BOOK it. I mean I ran faster than I did last time. I use a tree or three to slow my run only then looking behind me.

The Cyan pony is in the air and BUGGING me, My memory of the show is detearing at a rapid pace. Fucking damnit! I take a deep breath as four ponies run to my last hiding spot. A purpl- “Lavender.”I mental sigh correcting my mental list. A “lavender” pony, an orange pony, a whit- “Albastar.” White pony. Haha I can FEEL her annoyance. And a pink. BRIGHT pink. Bouncing. Mother fucking pony. Some fading memory tells me to stay away from her.

I sigh turning away walking deeper following the river. River means fresh water. Freshwater mens renewable water source. Fresh water means animals. Animals mean food. Food and water means survival. And survival means living.

I simply follow it deeper toward near a mountain. I smile a bit to myself seeing a cave on ground level IN the mountain meaning shelter. That means I can rest without worry or predators along with keeping out of pony sight because let's face it. I attacked one of them even though it looked like an attack but for all I know it could've been a greeting.

A few minutes of walking I diverge from the river to the cave mouth when I hear Karma speak up. Again. I swear if it's not useful I’m taking out her AI chip and putting it in my pocket with the infinite bullets.

“Spartan?”

“Yes?”

“I'm picking up movement near the cave. Larger than a pony and bipedal. Taller than you and definitely NOT human. I recommend HIGH caution along with preparing to kill the creature. Also as if you could EVER live without me.~”

“Understood.” I hear her make a upset noise as well upset about something. I sigh as I take out my Assault Rifle resting it in the standard fire position for movement and front lines along with sieges an assaults.

I position myself behind a tree, hidden from the mouth of the cave, where the blip on my radar probably and hopefully cannot see me.. I watch my radar tracking the animal waiting till it seemed to turn its back on me. The dot on the radar walks away from me ideally back into the cave. I slide out of the cover quickly and quietly like a ghost holding my Assault Rifle in a firefight pose never letting it drop or relax. I keep the reticle over the center of mass. “Holy shit is that a black dragon?”

Karmas beautiful response? “I quit. Fuck this world. Fuck you. Fuck that tree, and that tree but DEFINITELY that fucking tree!” The tree she was talking about? a creepy slightly rotten oak collapsing under its own weight as it seemingly been carved out like a pumpkin. Sharp teeth and all.

I laugh at her trying to keep the assault rifle steady but failing as my stomach squeezes and begs for oxygen I am wasting on LAUGHING MY ASS OFF!

The goth dragon stops and turns around flaring its winds as fire rises in its maw, “WHO  DARES TRESPASS ON MY HORDE LAND?!?”

 Speakers on. Thank you Karma, “See can't live without me.”

“Dude breath ment. I'm wearing an air tight suit and I STILL can smell reptile breath.” I'm lying but the comment seemed to confused it as the fire dies down and its head tilts in a human show of confusion and shock.

“A talking metal golem? No there no magic in it.”

“See don't have to be all scary dragon of doom.” I lower my assault rifle slightly keeping it aimed at the ground but in a position to be almost instantly brought up, aimed, and fire.

“I'm sorry but WHAT THE BUCK ARE YOU?” The dragon seems more confused.

“I'm a Spartan.”

“Spartan?”

“I'm a Spartan on the run form ponies.”

He laughs, “What did they do this time?” My eyebrow ries at the mention of THIS time.

“Blindly attacked me.”

“Ah. Come on in an-”

“SPARTAN BEHIND YOU!” I turn around rising my rifle till the rectal lays middle of my HUD scanning the trees as I notice a dot rapidly closing in. Muscle memory takes over as I aim into the thick foliage and open fire waiting till I hear the “click, click, click.” Of an empty clip before checking my radar again. No dots. I replace the clip on a forming habit turning to the dragon.

“You ok?”

Now a Black dragon of doom hiding in a cave covering it ears tearing up is a sight to behold, “WHAT? I CANT HEAR YOU!”

I giggle like a schoolgirl because why not? “WAIT A FEW MINUTES FOR THE RINGING TO STOP!” I see him give me a thumbs up. Strange how he knows what that means. Still I think he invited me in before I rudely interrupted him with sustained gunfire.

I take his invention walking in the cave thinking how to show everything was ok so I did the best thing I could and smiled. A spartan smile is very different form a regular smile. We put the pointer and middle finger to the center of the mouth piece and spread the fingers in a way lips spread to smile.

I do a mental cheer as the friendly Black dragon grins showing off its sharp teeth and to the back a few molars. A omnivore huh? “I THINK I'M BETTER NOW.”

I chuckle as turn my speakers up a little higher, “I THINK YOU SHOULD WAIT ALITTLE LONGER.” The dragon nods getting up walking deeper in the cave. My human curiosity forces me to follow. Seeing only his tail turn a few corners. We pass a good size room completely empty except for its strangely clean along with the path were walking on seems melted into a very smooth stone. Most likely pleasant to walk on but I continued on following him till we arrive at the very back where a good few TONS of gold and jewels lay in a bed like form.

“This is my horde. Its strange, usually my dragon instincts tell me to defend it. Maybe I don't see you as a threat.”

“I'm not”

“I got a job for you. In it for you is a claim on part of my horde.”

I tilt my head looking at him.

“Admittedly...I'm a weak dragon. Very weak in terms of my age, in my late teens. My only redeeming quality is I can do magic but scales are soft, my fire doesn't burn as well so i'm subject to bullying and other dragons taking my horde. Defend it and I shall share my horde.

Now this caught me off guard. A dragon horde means everything to it. To GIVE part of one's horde is hard to think of. It's like giving away a body part! “I..I agree.”

The dragon jumped and squealed. Pleas- “I got it on camera.”

Now I remember why I keep you.

“Um..Mister?...”

“Spartan.”

“Mister Spartan pick anywhere in the caves and its yours. “

“The front room.”

“Agreed. My name is Drake.”

And that's the start of a beautiful friendship.