Chapter Thirteen
The Ultimate Sacrifice

February 26th, 2531
Equestrian star system, Cygnus arm
Covenant CSO-class Supercarrier
Commander Preston
Mission: destroy Covenant ship
5:39PM

"Alright Marines, pay attention. The Covenant have captured a very important pony and we're gonna bust her out before proceeding with the rest of the mission. Let's buck up and move out" the Commander announced.

The two teams headed through a door and into the corridor beyond, briefly taking into account the fact that the hall was easily fifteen feet tall.

"How fascinating. What kind of aliens comprise the Covenant that need this much space?" Twilight wondered aloud.

"Covenant Hunters are about twelve feet tall" Preston answered.

"Hunters? I don't think I've seen one yet" the lavender Unicorn lamented, sounding almost disappointed.

"Pray that you never do."

Silence befell them once again as they continued on their way through the ship, and with that silence came Twilight thinking about Thar. Now, with her closer to him than she had been all week, the Unicorn couldn't help but think about her former Sangheili friend and what he was doing.

Thar admired us, worshiped us, thought us to be his Gods. Why did he change? And furthermore, why did he capture Rainbow Dash? Does he think she knows something? Has he been torturing her?

Twilight rejected that last thought immediately; Thar may be at war with them all but he wouldn't torture an innocent pony, especially one he had been friends with.

He didn't have a problem slashing Fluttershy in half and kicking Scootaloo down the street. Face the facts, Twilight; Thar is a bloodthirsty monster bent on killing you all some part of her mind chirped at her.

The Unicorn struggled to remove these thoughts from her mind, not knowing where they had come from. No, Thar is just doing what he's been ordered to. He's not fighting us because he likes to.

If that were true he wouldn't get such a kick out of killing ponies in such gruesome and violent ways. Like Pinkie, to be sure. I wonder how she died; quick and painless, or slow and horribly?

"Preston...how did Pinkie die?" Twilight asked in a whisper.

"She was killed by a plasma bomb landing behind her; it wasn't pretty, but she didn't suffer long" the Commander answered.

There you have it, Twilight, Pinkie's death was slow and horrible Twilight's mind chirped.

No, she died just a few seconds after it hit near her. It wasn't too horrendous... I hope Twilight reasoned with her mind.

To no avail. I wonder what it would be like to watch that. You know how violent superheated plasma is; it probably boiled her alive, cooking her like a hotdog on a grill.

Twilight nearly threw up at this.

Just face up to the reality, Twilight; Thar 'Saramee and his warriors are violent monsters, and will scramble over each other just to kill you and everyone you love. Every single. Last. ONE!

"NO!" Twilight screamed, covering her head with her hooves and cowering down. All the Marines dropped to one knee and scanned the hall with their rifles at the sudden noise.

"What's wrong, Twilight?" Commander Preston inquired, crouching next to the Unicorn and putting a hand on her shoulder.

Everyone was staring at her.

"I-it's nothing. I was just thinking about something" the lavender Unicorn sheepishly answered.

Preston huffed and stood, shouldering his MA5B and motioning for everyone to keep moving. "Let's go" he growled.

Several minutes of uneventful walking later the teams reached the brig and began searching the cells for Rainbow Dash, finding most of them empty.

Finally, just as they were about to give up and head on to the next brig Private Cole Ramsey yelled out "here! I found her!" and the teams ran over.

Spartan-021 approached the holographic console and deactivated the energy barriers and Commander Preston rushed in, strapping his MA5B to the magnetic strips on his back and struggling to free Dash from the gravity bands holding her in place.

When they were free Rainbow Dash slumped forward but her wings stayed where they were, and when Twilight investigated she gasped in horror; where Dash's wings should be connected were just two bruised and cauterized stumps of flesh. They had been slashed clean off.

Twilight knew of only one weapon that could do such a thing; an energy sword.

"We gotta get Rainbow Dash outta here" Private Jenkins declared, grabbing the unconscious Pegasus when Preston handed her to him.

"Agreed. Let's get back to the hanger and have one of the Pelicans take her back to Canterlot, then we can clear this ship" the Commander responded, leading the group back the way they came to the hangars.

When they reached the final hall Commander Preston said "hangar should be just up here" and he upped his speed to a light jog, reaching the door as it slid open, allowing them all to-

-Step right into the faces of the Covenant Shipmaster and four Hunters.

"OH HELL!" Preston shouted, sealing the door as the Hunters charged up their cannons and the Shipmaster drew his sword. The group doubled around and entered the hangar through another door, coming under fire from the Covenant.

"Mike-416, we need you at the starboard hangar bay right now!" the Commander stated over the radio, opening fire with his MA5B.

A fuel rod slammed into the floor near them and Preston got back on the radio. "M416 and E419, we need both of you here right now!"

"Copy that, Sir. We're on our way" the pilot of M416 replied.

"Oh man, we're gonna die!" Private Jenkins exclaimed, not sounding too bothered.

In the chaos they all failed to notice the Shipmaster sneaking up on them from behind, his energy sword glowing violently as he stalked over to them. When they finally did notice, it was too late.

The Shipmaster snatched Twilight up by the neck and she screamed in horror, prompting Private Jenkins to whip around and fire a shot from his M6D. The round nearly hit Twilight's leg as it bounced right off the Elite's shield.

The Shipmaster swung his sword at Jenkins and missed as the Private ducked; instead the sword blade went wide and connected with Rarity's horn, slicing the magical outlet clean off and eliciting a terrible shriek from the mare.

"Put her down!" Jenkins ordered, keeping his magnum trained on the Elite; he was so large that Twilight's entire body barely covered his chest, but the Private couldn't risk shooting him.

The Elite snarled and a fuel rod struck near the humans, dazing them long enough for him to make his escape.

When Jenkins looked back up the Shipmaster was gone.

Just then the Pelicans arrived, nearly being destroyed by the Hunters as they let loose with their chain-guns, ripping most of the Covenant in the hangar to bloody ribbons as the humans grabbed Rarity and made their way to the Pelicans.

"That massive Elite took Twilight!" Jenkins yelled, hoping to go back and save her.

"We're getting off this ship, Marine" Sergeant Grimesy told him, ordering Ramsey to grab Rarity.

The British Private had almost reached M416 when the Shipmaster dropped down from one of the balconies, slashing Ramsey's right arm off and making him drop Rarity to the ground.

The Private tried to pull his M6D from his holster with his left arm but was unable to before the Shipmaster stabbed him straight in the heart.

While this commotion was going on Rarity shakily got to her hooves and was about to run for the Pelican when the Shipmaster grabbed her and tossed her across the hangar where a mob of Grunts and Jackals descended upon her.

The fashionista's scream of terror turned to a gurgling and pathetic sputter as the ravenous aliens ripped her apart; legs and entrails briefly catapulting into the air before slapping back down in arcs of blood.

Jenkins tried to leap out of the Pelican to help her but was grabbed by Sergeant Grimesy; in a fit of anger the young man smashed the Sergeant across the face with his rifle and stole his shotgun, jumping out into the hangar as the two Pelicans took off.

E419 was about to re-enter the ship when the energy barriers came to life, sealing them out forever.

Jenkins stood and racked the pump of the shotgun as several Elites approached, laughing heartily with their swords drawn, lead by the Shipmaster.

Private Leroy Jenkins took aim and fired on the Elites, killing one with a load of steel pellets as the others rushed for him.

The first Elite reached Jenkins and thrust his sword forward, cleanly missing as the Private stepped to the side and unloaded a shell point-blank into his side, blowing his shields and killing him instantly.

Leroy pumped the action and blasted another Zealot away, leaving him alone with the Shipmaster.

"It's time to end this you split-chin son of a bitch" Jenkins growled, reloading the shotgun and standing defiantly before the Elite.

The Shipmaster approached the Private and swung his sword, missing when Jenkins ducked low and pulled the trigger on the shotgun; the Shipmaster's shields flared but otherwise held.

Leroy rolled to the side and fired again, breaking the Elite's shields and was about to fire again when the Shipmaster slashed his shotgun in half, leaving the Private with only his M6D.

The Shipmaster tried to stab Jenkins once more and missed, allowing the Private to empty his M6D's magazine into the Elite; every round bounced off his armor and he grabbed Jenkins by the back of his head, allowing the Private to pull his knife and stab the alien right in the eye.

The Elite roared in pain and dropped the Private, who was about to stab him again before he was kicked away by the enraged alien.

The Shipmaster stabbed forward once again and Jenkins ducked, hearing the energy sword slash deep into the bulkhead. The Elite kneed Jenkins in the face and grabbed him by the throat, pinning him to the wall.

"I am Thar 'Saramee! YOU, human, are inferior!" the Shipmaster declared, preparing to kill the Private.

Jenkins spat right in the face of the Elite and said "Inferior or not I just kicked your fucking ass."

His last words before Thar 'Saramee killed him.

-=-=-=-

February 26th, 2531
Epsilon Eridani system
Planet Reach
Office of Naval Intelligence CASTLE Base
ONI Section III Agent OCELOT

Agent Ocelot stepped into the secure briefing room to speak with his subordinates, hoping to discuss with them the plan for aiding Commander Preston and the planet of intelligent Ponies he had discovered.

"I have been lead to believe you have showed them all the footage?" Ocelot asked his Colonel friend, the one he had talked to earlier in the week in the very same room.

"Yes; they know as much as we do."

"Good. Now, gentlemen, we have all seen the footage and know what has been discovered. The Covenant have also discovered this planet of Ponies. Commander Michael Preston and his Marines are doing their best to hold them off but won't last very long. The Colonel has authorized me to mobilize a battle-group to aid Preston, and now I just need green-light from the UNSC to-" Ocelot started, cut off when one of the Admirals in the room stood and objected.

"Hold on a minute, why in the hell are we allocating valuable ships and personnel to aid a planet of talking horses?"

"Commander Preston's mission was to find intelligent and friendly forms of alien life; these ponies are all that he's found thus far" Ocelot answered.

"You think a race of talking horses can help us against the gravest threat we have ever faced? A conglomerate of alien races whose empire spans most of the known galaxy?" the Admiral declared. "Get real, son!"

"Then what do you propose we do, Admiral Ackerson?" Ocelot inquired, folding his arms over his chest.

"Well, the way I see it, the Covenant are after one thing and one thing only; humanity. They don't care about these horses, they're just caught in the crossfire. Now you tell Commander Preston to get his ass off that planet and return to UNSC space" the Admiral stated.

"And if the Covenant absorb the ponies into their empire? Or if they come after us on their own? We can barely hold our own against the Covenant, the Outer Colonies are falling, and the only thing that's kept us from falling completely are the Covenant's interest in strange artifacts and Dr. Halsey's Spartans! We can NOT survive a war on two fronts, Admiral!" Ocelot protested.

"Dr. Halsey's freaks can't save humanity, humanity will save humanity! We need true and blue humans to fight off the Covenant, and with that we need Commander Preston. Get him off that planet" Ackerson exclaimed.

Ocelot stood from his chair and calmly approached the Admiral, looking him dead in the eye and saying "you can disrespect those ponies, you can disrespect me, you can disrespect everyone else in this room, you can even disrespect God himself, but don't EVER disrespect those Spartans!"

"Stand down, son" Ackerson growled.

"I'm helping the Commander one way or another, and may God help you if you try to stop me."

-=-=-=-

Commander Preston and his two Marine squads returned to Canterlot and immediately took Rainbow Dash to the infirmary in the refugee center, getting her the aid she needed. With Dash safe and sound the Commander, MCT 7, and the Spartans headed up to Princess Celestia's chambers.

"I thought you were going to destroy the Covenant ship. Did something go wrong?" the Princess asked calmly.

"There was a problem; we found Rainbow Dash and tried to get her off the ship when we ran into Thar and dozens of Covenant. We got her off but Rarity was killed and Twilight Sparkle was captured" Preston answered.

"You must go back and save her! She must live!" Celestia declared, worry in her voice.

"It's too dangerous; all we can do now is find some way to destroy the ship from the outside" the Commander replied.

"But you'll kill my student! You'll kill Twilight!" the Princess exclaimed.

"I'm sorry to say, Princess, but it's better one more dies than everyone in your kingdom and planet. I know it's hard, but it's the only choice" Preston told her.

Celestia hung her head and nodded, distraught at the circumstances. She left the humans and stepped outside onto the balcony. Preston looked back and saw Sergeant Grimesy still holding his nose.

"It's broken, Sir. Goddamn stupid Jenkins running off into the ship" the Sergeant grumbled.

"Head down to the infirmary, Grimesy" the Commander ordered.

Jenkins, Ramsey, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Lyra and Bon-Bon, plus hundreds more...all dead Preston thought, listening as Princess Celestia came back into the room.

"Human, the Covenant ship is on its way here to Canterlot!" the Princess exclaimed.

"Shoot. Alert all personnel, order all vehicles to load up and prepare for a fight. The Covenant are going to throw everything they got at us, and I want them held off for as long as it takes for us to get very civilian out of this city. Spartans, you stay with the Princesses, I'm going down to the infirmary to get the wounded out first" Commander Preston said, briskly heading for the door.

"Yes, Sir!" Spartan-021 responded.

"One more thing, Spartan; any Covenant breach this room, you give them hell" Preston growled.

"With pleasure, Sir."

-=-=-=-

Author's Note

A/N: Next up: the final battle

Legal note: Commander Michael Preston, Shipmaster Thar 'Saramee, and all related characters belong to me. Dr. Catherine Halsey, Admiral James Ackerson, and all related characters belong to 343 Industries and Eric Nylund, respectively. Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia, and all related characters belong to Hasbro. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro. Halo belongs to 343i.