Halo: Mane team

Chapters

Chapter 1: The End
Chapter 2: Unwelcome Revelations
Chapter 3: Let the fun and games begin
Chapter 4: First test
Chapter 5: First to fall
Chapter 6: Homecoming
Q&A: 1
Chapter 7: Assault

Chapter 1: The End

HALO: MANE TEAM

Chapter 1: The End

The year was 2017.

Ponykind flourished under the care of Princess Celestia and her sister Princess Luna. Space Tech grew in popularity which eventually led to giant space craft, lifting thousands of ponies into space. Planets were found, colonized, and Ponykind grew. With the help of super reactors, powered by a bit of the princess powers, planets were able to send light messages to each other. It was like having the recipient right next door.

Yet, many ponies looked at the stars and longed for a life without the princesses. The Insurrection came to life, an illegal band of outlaws the attacked every ship leaving Equestria.

Stuck with not much choice left, the Princesses formed the United Pony Space Control (UPSC). It was a part of the Equestrian military and controlled space, hence the name. They built weapons, ranging from Short-range Atmospheric Defence Transport to Far-range Interstellar Heavy Wartime Strikers. The Insurrection was beaten back, and they cowered. UPSC reigned among the stars. It wasn't unusual to see a frigate sitting in a docking bay anymore.

Authors note: Warning, Time jumps Setting jumps and POV jumps will be highlighted with ~~~~~

The year is 2029.

All contact was lost from the space colony Nixas.

Curious, since Nixas wasn’t the furthest from Equestria. Advisors to the princess tell her that perhaps somepony forgot to maintenance the super reactor, and that she should not worry. I, for one really didn't believe this. The super reactors were built to last.

Days stretched to months, still no contact. Reports of “Disappearing cargo ships” and “strange purple lights” filtered back from passing ships. The princesses started to worry, for Nixas was a major source for food exports.

Princess Celestia herself decided to travel onboard Super cruiser Auraskate with Frigates Manticore and Aegis fate to Nixas. The Mane 6 accompanied her.

Oh right. I should probably introduce myself. Name is Lance Gravedawn. A technician, First class. I’ve been assigned to the Auraskate and have been on tour for about 4 years. No friends. Loner. Unicorn. Male. 'nuff said.

Right, back to the story. We emerged from the Chronal Matrix, or as you people would say, a teleport field. The first thing we saw was Nixas. What was first a fertile ball of soil and water now was reduced to a glassy, crackling ball of flames and devastation. Secondly, hovering above Nixas, a lumpy, purple coloured spaceship lurked, much unlike the streamlined, rectangular UPSC ships.

I had the good luck (or bad, whatever way you look at it) to be on the bridge when we spotted them. Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow, and nodded at the ship A.I. The hologram nodded back, and sent the Manticore forward with a traditional greeting for meeting aliens.

The frigate broadcasted on an open frequency: “Greetings. We come in peace and with hopes of friendship.”

Looking at the horrified face of Fluttershy and the shooty look from Rainbow dash, I was pretty sure the latter hope was busted. Thrown into a hole, filled with dirt, with a house on top of the hole with Pinkie Pie living in it.

The ship turned towards us, tiny pinpricks of light manifesting upon the hull of it. Suddenly, the same frequency crackled to life. “YOUR DEMISE IS THE WILL OF THE GODS. WE ARE THEIR INSTRUMENTS.”

Pretty much everypony was stunned. I was also sure that jaws weren’t supposed to be able to drop like that.

Remember the pinpricks of light? Yeah, those detached off the hull and raced towards the Manticore. They made contact......And melted through the twelve inches of Xanthonium A battle plating like a hot knife through butter. I could hear the screams of tortured ponies as they were simultaneously exposed to scorching plasma and the icy coolness of space.

The Manticore lurched to the right and intercepted the remaining plasma balls before they hit the Auraskate.

I understood what the captain was thinking. By doing that, he had saved the Auraskate, was in a position to launch escape craft towards the Super cruiser and also positioned himself for a last counter attack.

On the hull of the Manticore, hundreds of missile silos opened. A flurry of Compensator HE missiles flew towards the target. Her sister ship, the Aegis fate, opened her main weapon silo. A High-power Piercer Cannon charged up. Electricity coursed around the barrel, mixing with a bit of rune magic. It turned into a solid band of electric blue, before discharging a tiny metallic slug about the size of anyponies foreleg at four times the speed of sound. The slug raced the Compensator missiles towards their prey.

The slug impacted against their ship, followed by the missiles, turning the view screen into a brilliant flash of light. Shouts of cheer echoed around the ship.

For a moment, I thought we had won.

The cheers faded away as the screen recovered. Sitting in the debris of a hundred spent missile capsules and the splinters of the slug, the ship recovered, unharmed. An energy shield shimmered around the thing.

"No" whispered Princess Celestia. More pinpricks of plasma launched off their ship. The torpedoes mauled the Aegis fate, sending her burned out hulk into space. The last salvo flew straight at the bridge. Everything slowed to a crawl. I vaguely remember jumping and pushing both the Princess and the Mane 6 off the command stand and telling them to run for the escape pods.

The Princess stood, smiling a sad smile. Then, using her magic, she pushed us and the bridge crew out into the corridor. I gasped as I again understood her intentions. She nodded, and sealed shut the door. I fell to the ground, eyes shut in preparation for the grim pony.

"No time to waste, y'all hear?" I turned and looked at the orange mare talking to me. I slowly stood up, and nodded. She smiled, and then asked "Look, there ain’t any time to get to the escape pods, so where is the closest shielded room here?" Racking my brains, I went over the schematics for the super cruiser in my head. "Uh... I guess cryogenic room E4 is the closest now." I croaked. The mare nodded, and shouted at the confused crowd of crew members. "This colt knows where to go. Everypony follow him"

Looking at the crowd, I blanched. The lives of thirty ponies I didn't even recognize depended on me now. 'Well, here goes' I thought, before speeding into the bowels of the cruiser.

~~~~~

Celestia literally stared into the face of her enemy. 'Hell, I've got to keep this thing away while the crew escapes?' She thinks.

"You want to destroy this ship? Pay for it first!" She screamed through the radio. Opening all the Compensator missile silos and the High-power Piercer Cannon, she removed the secondary safeties so that the weapons were cleared to rapid fire . Thousands and thousands of HE missiles followed the fifteen slugs the Cannon was able to launch before cracking every rune on the barrel.

The alien ship never stood a chance.

Only problem was, once launched, Plasma torpedoes continue to track targets of opportunity.

"Told you so." Muttered the tired princess before plasma torpedoes plowed through the reinforced glass, totally obliterating the bridge, the command stand and her.

~~~~~

Boom...crash...boom...crash.

They were the only sounds I could hear as I lead the crew to cryogenics chamber E4. I skidded to a halt before the door and punched in the code. "Quickly, Inside!" I shouted. Standing by the door, I waited while the ponies ran in. Only Applejack stayed back.

"Say, what’s that noise?" Listening closely, I heard a very distinctive whine.

"Oh crap! The Chronal Matrix is destabilizing! No time to explain! Get in!" I shoved her through and shut the door. 'No time. No time' I thought to myself as I turned around and cast a improvised shield spell in the corridor.

Flames roared through the ship and flew down all the passageways, incinerating everypony not fortunate enough to reach a shielded area. For me, flames licked at the edge of my shield. 'I must hold on, so that the shield around E4 can manifest correctly' I thought. Already the strain was evident as I ground my teeth and dug my hooves in. Suddenly, my spell dropped with a pop.

Damn.

Footnote: Go ahead, Level up yourself. It seems every good story I've read need one.

Abilities upgrade :

Shield spell Upgrade Level 2

"Capable of deflecting small arms fire now. Giant fireball? Not a chance"

Sweet talker Upgrade Level 1

"You can now talk your way out of sticky situations with 20% percent increased chance to get out...alive"

I do not own either My little pony nor Halo

Please support official releases

Chapter 2: Unwelcome Revelations

HALO: MANE TEAM

Chapter 2: Unwelcome Revelations

The fire ball flickered at my failing shield, not a hooves length in front of me. I gulped and tried again. Nothing.

Of all times to get a magical burnout, why now?

I withered and curled up in a ball in front of the sealed door. 'Why' I thought 'Didn't I go in when I shoved Applejack in?' I resisted the urge to facehoof. I thought of the thirty mares and Colts behind the door and realized that the shield had indeed manifested.

One job done.

Looking into the flames, I reflected back into my life. The first time I dismantled my father’s camera, his livid face melting into a soft smile at the look of my four year old face, the arguments between me and him when I signed up for the army, the look of surprise on his face when I told him I would be serving on board the Auraskate, that sense of accomplishment when I got the marksman award. The regret in my father’s voice when they talked about my mom and how she died in a sky car accident. At some point, I must have drifted off into stupor cause when I woke up, I was lying on the floor of the cryoroom, looking into six very concerned faces.

I trashed about before sitting up. "Whoa there, Sugarcube." That voice again. I looked around the room. Everywhere, I saw smiling faces and looks of thanks. "What? What happened?" I mumbled.

"Long story. But we have plenty of time." Applejack proceeded to explain that when I fainted (Fainted? I was day dreaming!), Twilight put up a much stronger shield around the door and me. Rarity unlocked the door while Rainbow and Fluttershy "Loop-the-looped around and caught you in the nick of time." Applejack finished. While she explained, I took the chance to try to recognize any familiar faces. There was the Helmsmare Katy Santiago, and there was Weapons control colt Jae Paul. Many faces I didn't recognize, but the six mares which still were telling me how they saved my life definitely logged in my memory. Anyponies who didn't recognize them can go and dip their head into the reactor now.

I looked through the window, at the remainder of the Auraskate. I silently mourned the thousands of ponies that didn't make it to safety. Twilight sent a distress call, and suggested we go into cryo as help was a long wait away, the Chronal Matrix being as slow as it was. The crew dwindled as each one went to his or her assigned "Freezer". One by one, the capsules closed and trapped them in deep sleep. I wandered to my "Freezer", Number twelve, and was mildly surprised to find my customized sniper rifle, waiting for me in a nook under the machinery. I caressed it happily. I had gotten my marksmanship with it. Sticking it back into its nook, I laid down onto the foam mattress and pressed the close button. The cover hissed shut with a sigh, and immediately , cold gas filtered in. I fell into a fitful sleep.

~~~~~

The rescue frigates indeed had arrived, but in force. There was the Frigates Thundering Nomad and Providence Archer, But there was also the Super cruiser Alliance Warhammer, and when there is a super cruiser, there's a member of royalty around. The onboard A.I. for the Providence established a handshake protocol with what was left of the circuits of cryoroom E4. She slowly started the thaw process for the crew and monitored each ones bio signs. There was a minor heart murmur in one of them, which she quickly corrected.

Even though the battle was a long time ago, the main horror of my dreams was the suggestion that I could have done better. Saved more lives. The last words from my father echoing around my head...

Make me proud, son.

~~~~~

The A.I. observed a surge of activity in Lance’s brain--an effort to yank himself out of REM--and upped the dosage of the intravenous medicine. Standard operating procedures dictated that subjects be kept in sleep during thaw. The meds took hold of him, and he sank deeper into his dream.

~~~~~

The horrendous screaming of tortured ponies, their hides melting. the roar of launching Compensator missiles, the boom of finality when the High-power Piercer Cannon activated, the strain of engineers in the reactor room, trying to divert energy to recharging weapons, the constant clattering of hooves as ponies rushed about.

I flinched in reaction to my rising body temperature. But also to the quickening of images and sounds running through my mind.

Ponies being sucked into the void through gaping holes in the hull, the clanging of alert bells around the ship, the disbelief in the Princess's voice

The Princess.

~~~~~

Lance awoke and gasped, drawing in a mouthful out freezing vapour that filled his cryotube. Quickly, the A.I. initiated an emergency purge. Somehow, with more than three times the recommended amount of meds, he had over ridden the final stages of thaw. The A.I. simply noted the anomaly, carefully withdrew the IV and the catheter, and opened the tube's plastic lid.

~~~~~

It wasn't long before the Alliance Warhammer sent out rescue transports, tugging the shielded rooms into the docking bay of the Alliance Warhammer. The thirty ponies within the cryoroom slowly filed out. I didn't know where to go, so I grabbed my sniper rifle and simply followed the mass around, as medical ponies checked us for injuries.

I heard a collective gasp. Spinning around, I spied royal guards and deduced that somepony important was coming. Like everypony else, I bowed. Through half closed eyes though, I saw an... aging dark purple Alicorn?

Of course Twilight zoomed straight to her, you know, being her dead sister's student and all that. Her eyes widened for a moment as she glanced at the purple mare suddenly in front of her. "Twilight...Sparkle?" she whispered. I registered shock in her voice. "Why so shocked, Princess?" the mare replied.

"L...Let's talk in private." She stuttered. The purple mare retreated with her friends and the Princess to a dark hanger. Their conversation was becoming more and more heated, more gestures being exchanged. I saw it first, that slight droop of the shoulders, the sudden gasp, the flattening of ears. "Something bad, I think." I mutter to myself.

Huh. Oh well, I was feeling hungry, so I left in search of the mess hall. Wandering around the cruiser, I got lost soon enough. Hey, didn't I just past that door? Hm... Trotting around some more, I came across the reactor room. Looking through the observation window, I spotted the reactor. Weird, it had a much different look compared to the reactors on board the Auraskate. I was so transfixed by it that I didn't notice the door open behind me.

I yelped as I felt a sharp pain on my hindleg. Turning around, I only had time to see an angry guard, before the tazer he hit me with completely shut down my nervous system. I was knocked out cold even before I hit the deck.

~~~~~

"Ouch... Anypony caught the licence plate of that Manticore that hit me?" I moaned as I slowly woke up. Sitting upright, I take stock of my surroundings. Hm... Gunmetal gray walls, electro-lazar bars.

Yep, I was in the brig.

No problem. I just sit in one corner and wait for somepony I can holler and shout at.

~~~~~

Three shouting matches later, another guard came and unlocked the electro-lazar gates. "The Princess wants to see you. Command deck. Now." He tells me.

"Uh huh... one itsy bitsy teeny weeny problem."

"Oh? What would that be?"

"Where's the command deck?"

"You have got to be kidding me...Okay, erm... walk out the door, take a lef..." The guard paused, looking at my blank look. He recognized a total klutz when he saw one. "Never mind. I escort you there." Turning around, he walked out the door. I slowed down to grab my sniper, and then I followed him.

~~~~~

Trotting onto the command deck, I was immediately grabbed by one very energetic pink pony and pushed into the conference room just off the main bridge. Recovering from the shock of being bounced across the floor, I stand up. Huh... the same Alicorn with the Mane 6.

"Lets dispense with the pleasantries. One senior technician, Lance Gravedawn. Am I correct?"

"Yes?"

The Alicorn pauses, and glances at me "Twilight here tells me of your bravado while saving both them and the crew of the Auraskate. Impressive, if not stupid."

Typical. I save the day and somepony calls me stupid.

Damn. I hate mares.

"Have you heard of the Stallion-2 project?"

My ears prick up at the sound of that."Hm... I can't say I have."

"Okay, the Stallion-2 project was dreamt up by Celestia herself, in case of a war. Basically, it allows subjects to become masters of a particular field, whatever they choose it to be. Also, the subjects physically alter, becoming supersoldiers."

"One question. Why?"

I had a gut feeling, but I had to confirm it.

"Twilight, explain."

The purple mare only nodded. "Remember the alien ship we encountered at Nixas?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, they are back. And they want to kill us all."

That one simple revelation stunned me. I turned and asked: "What year is it?"

Applejack slowly broke the news. "Honey, the year is 2049."

I mentally reeled. Turning back to the Princess, I muttered: "Okay, explain everything. Start from the beginning."

With a deep breath, she started.

Footnote: Whew. I finally finished. Well Filles and Gentlecolts, I will be away for a couple of weeks for my holiday. The "On Hiatus" sign really means that. Oh, and I really am in need of ideas, I mean, Chapters 3, 4 and 5 I have planed, but other than that, I still don't know what to write. Any suggestions? Write it in the comments below. They will be taken seriously.

Abilities upgrade :

Heat shock Upgrade level 2

"The time spent in front of the fireball has hardened you. Scalds and other flame related injuries now deal 20% less damage."

I do not own either My little pony nor Halo

Please support official releases

Chapter 3: Let the fun and games begin

HALO: MANE TEAM

Chapter 3: Let the fun & games begin!

After an enriching one hour, The princess had totally filled me in on the situation.

I was a very tired and unhappy colt.

In the 20 years we were away, the so called "Covenant" had cut a path straight through our territory. They struck at Nixas, working from the far reaches into the core worlds. The UPSC was totally overwhelmed by these new enemies. Now, even our beloved home planet Equestria has been overrun by them.

It struck me with a touch of sadness that I would probably never see another proper sunrise on Equestrian soil.

"Okay. Now that I know about it, what are we gonna do?" I murmured, pondering to myself. In response, Luna turned around and addressed the Helmsmare:"Full power to Yaasha, please." "Aye, coordinates locked, Chronal Matrix at you command, Princess."

"Launch us." Running up the power, the Helmsmare yanked on the activation panel. The stars stretched, and we slipped into the teleport field. "Transition successful. ETA, half an hour." Now she turned to me. "Yaasha is a secret military installation on the edge of the far reaches. It was built for one purpose. The Stallion-2 project. You've been selected as their newest recruit."

The sudden revelations really didn't surprise me. I mean, come on, what for a meeting with the princess if it wasn't something big? "Alright. Can I spend a bit of time getting my stuff?" I asked. "Sure. Meet in shuttle bay 14 in half an hour." She smiled.

Of course, the moment I stepped out of the bridge, I was again assaulted by one pink pony.

God damn, why won't she just SHUT UP?

~~~~~

After half an hour and plenty of asking for directions, I finally stumbled down to shuttle bay 14, toting my sniper rifle and kit bag of BDU. Standing on the ramp of a Raptor troop transport was a pilot with a slightly bemused look on his face. "You Lance?" "Yep."

"Strap on in. They're waiting for you."

He turned around and walked to the cockpit. I picked the jump seat closest to the ramp and sat down. The ramp groaned as it slowly closed, the hold darkening. The pilot gunned the thrusters and the Raptor hopped up and forward, diving out of the hanger. I watched as the boxy Alliance Warhammer receded into interstellar space. Suddenly, the stars around it warped, and it moved towards to rift.

My heart started to pump faster as I thought that they were gonna leave us here. I also realized that Luna wasn't there. Twilight noticed my look of alarm and smiled. "Don't worry. They'll be back."

Well, they better.

Descending through the atmosphere, the Raptor shuddered and shook like a thing possessed. Then the pilot opened the air breathing engines and smoothed out the ride. Rocketing toward a flat plain, the plane flared out for a bone-jarring landing. It idled over a very well worn patch of grass.

With a rumble, the Pelican started sinking into the ground as we slowly moved down a long shaft into a large underground cavern. The ramp lowered and the seven of us trooped out. Rows of scout transports lined one side of the large cavern. Another wall boasted some sort of battle tank. What caught my eye most actually, was the shadow of three mares.

"Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo?" My companions chorused. The three turned around. They approached us warily.

"How do you know our name?" The yellow earth pony asked. Applejack answered for us all. "I think I'll recognize my own little sis."

AB blinked. "Oh my stars, Applejack, Is that you?"

"After only 20 years. I ashamed of you."

"Whudda- hud-d-duh- hud-d-duh- huh?!" Scootaloo stuttered.

"When you didn't come back 20 years ago, we thought you died."

"Uh huh. Well, I see you've gotten your cutie marks."

The three positively beamed. "Yeah! Finally, after trying so many things."

"You know, I still don't think that Luna forgave us for building that obsidian portal to that blocky, 8-bit world...." Scootaloo started.

"Huh? What portal?"

The three of them immediately clammed up. "Nothing, sis! Absolutely nothing." Applebloom replied.

"Okay? Lets move on."

"Oh yes, the Stallion-2 project. Follow me." Applebloom turned around. Trotting after her, I pretty much kept to myself, quietly surveying my surroundings. We passed room after room down this long corridor.

"Who's your friend?" I suddenly realized that they were talking about me.

"Oh him? He's Lance. One hell of a brave guy. A bit stupid, sometimes."

Only our timely arrival at our destination saved me from saying anything I would have regretted, like the four letter word that was perched on my tongue. "Here's the heart of the Stallion project!" Sweetie Belle said. I peered through the door. Seven shiny tubes formed a ring around a center console. Each seemed to have its own operating console. Cables and wires stringed the sides of the room. We were led inside and shown to different tubes.

"Okay. Its simple. Place your hoof on the screen. Let the system read it, then a menu will pop up."

I did as told. The screen warmed up.

[Welcome, Lance]

[Please choose an option. Fill in all forms.]

[1) Skill increase]

[2) Designation]

[3) Code name]

[4) Weapon of choice]

[5) Special talents]

I didn't know what else to do, so I tapped the first option.

[Skill increase chosen]

[Specify what do you want to be]

I typed in: Sniper

[Sniper chosen]

The system backed out to the main menu.

[Choose another option]

I slowly trawled through the questionnaires. When it came to the 'Special talents' part, a dialog box popped up. It seemed that I could choose what sort of ability I would posses!

"Lets see, Stealth? Hm.. How 'bout airstrike? Or maybe calling in an AG 192 Gunship. Final decision Tac nuke? Nah."

Eventually, I settled for stealth.

"Everypony done?" Sweetie inquired. "Now, Just lie down in the pod, like a cryotube."

That simple? I lay down and the pod whispered close. Immediately, needles poked into my right foreleg. "Don't worry. It's part of the procedure. Now just sleep, and the system can begin."

Here goes.

~~~~~

Three days later

In the shadows, three figures converged

"How are they doing?" one mentioned

"Fine. Actually, better then planned" another said

"What was the actual wash out rate of this project?" the third said

"Almost 100%. Most subjects rejected the modifications. Others became... different."

"Chances for the current batch?"

"No idea. These are strong ponies. They could either totally gum up the system, or come out stronger than ever."

"Lets hope its the latter, shall we?"

"No problems there."

"Come. Its been more that 72 hours. Time to go and welcome them back to reality"

~~~~~

Three days earlier

I woke up in a empty firing range. "Whats happening?" I wonder to myself. There were no sounds of rifles discharging. Empty.

"Why hello there!" I turned around to see a smiling robot. Wait... Smiling?

"Hello. I am a pony interface trainer, You can call me PIT."

"Okay PIT. Where am I?"

"You have accepted the stallion project right?"

"Yeah?"

"Then you probably are inside your own dream. Here, I am tasked to train you the best I can in 72 hours."

"Wow. Training in my mind. Great idea, But don't dreams fade away once I wake up?"

"Normally, yes. But as we speak, certain chemicals are working within your brain, building memory links for your chosen profession. Here, I will quickly skim through what it had built already."

"I'm sorry?"

"Okay. Lets say your building a building. The chems in the real world are making materials, waiting to be used. Here, in your dream, I will help you build a strong foundation. When you wake up, You can immediately place all materials to use, provided correct stimuli."

"Sounds cool. Can we begin?"

"Sure! Lets get basics down first. What rifle do you use?"

"Uh... A SRS 45, With tactical rails and inbuilt Oracle thermal scope." I answered. PIT turned and moved over to a work bench. It started materializing the weapon out of thin air.

"Fancy. Do you know that there are currently only ten SRS 45's with your specifications?" PIT informed me.

It spun around. In its grip was a prefect replica of my rifle. "Any other weaponry?"

"Sure. I work with a Colt 6.5 caliber, 115 grains of black powder."

"Powerful." PIT gave me the weapon. "Okay. What do you wear?"

"May I ask a question?"

"Shoot"

"Why all this? Its starting to feel realistic."

"Scientist have determined that the more realistic the dream, the more you remember about it."

"Um.. okay. I wear a Number 4 BDU."

"Battle dress? Camouflage? Digital or normal?"

"Digital."

"Hera you go." PIT handed me the clothes. I immediately put it on. "Look good. Lets begin."

Over the course of the next two days, PIT had run me through the test firing rooms, each boasting its own properties, ranging from sunny to overcast, dark or bright, forested or no-ponies-land, urban or rural. I excelled in all of it.

It slowly introduced me to the Mark.5 stallion powered suit and all its capabilities like auto medicine dispensers, the armor abilities and the special shield.

It also taught me all the different enemies that we faced.

The Elites were stronger, and should be taken out at range.

The Hunters were slow and correspondingly heavily armored.

Grunts and Jackals could be dealt with easily as they had nothing that could penetrate our armor.

In a blink of an eye, Two days passed. The final test approached. "So, let me get this right. All I have to do, is survive? Straight through that city, infested by the covenant? Just get to the LZ?"

"Yes, yes and yes. You will, of course, have help." PIT replied

"Oh really? Who is it?"

"Only you and Rarity remain untested. Your other team mates already have passed their test. They will provide help. This Fluttershy? She will be at the LZ. Rainbow Dash will provide air power in her Avenger. Twilight will be in constant contact with you from the LZ. Applejack and Pinkie Pie are waiting at the halfway point, in an abandoned workshop. The scenario is that you and Rarity, the sniper and the spotter, is the last to extract, but covenant anti-aircraft have forced Fluttershy to stop on the other side of town. Are you ready?" PIT explained.

"As I will ever be." I reply. I suited up into the Mark.5 and harnessed all my weapons. PIT opened a door and gestured me in. Before I left, I gave the robot a quick hug and thanked it for its insights. Smiling knowingly, it shoved me through the door and waved. After I walked about 5 steps, It shut the door, and the door vanished.

Footnote: HAHA! Cliff hanger! I suck.

Abilities upgrade :

Speaking to yourself again? You now have an awesome voice in your head that can provide battle insights.

I do not own either My little pony nor Halo

Please support official releases

Chapter 4: First test

HALO: MANE TEAM

Chapter 4: First test

With the door behind me gone, I had no choice but to move forward. The Mark.5 powered up.

Systems Interface Check

Matrix initializing

Auto-Doc spell ready

Warning. Shield will now manifest.

The air around me suddenly moved with a crackle. Was it working? I didn't know.

Inventory Checker Spell online

Weapons Handling Spell online

Green Across The Board

Keep It Clean

Suit Checks Complete

Next waypoint set

The helmet's HUD shimmered to life. A motion tracker appeared on the bottom left hoof corner. An arrow appeared on the HUD, pointing to a target not too far away. Trotting at a brisk pace, I moved to the designated area. I could see a vague outline of a pon... scratch that, a unicorn lying on the ground facing the city. The HUD tagged and tracked the prone figure.

Moving close, I finally realized that it definitely Rarity. "Hello sunshine. You're a bit late." The stealth dissolved to show a white colored Mark.5 armor. "Sorry, my toaster wasn't working." I replied with a bit of sarcasm. She laughed. Oh boy, that laugh sounded like fine china tinkling in the breeze. "Updated your HUD, darling. Shall we move in?" she said.

I took a look at our position and the halfway target.

"Let's move."

~~~~~

The crack of my sniper rifle was loud.

Five hundred meters down the street, an Elite cried out. It fell, my bullet blowing its brains out the back of its helmet. "Way forward is clear." I reported to Rarity.

"Understood. Moving." She replied. I watched closely as the white armor advanced and took cover behind a destroyed truck.

"Steady. I spot covenant armor, up on the bridge." I swiveled and watched as the Wraith stopped dead center on the top of the bridge.

Well crap. That Wraith was sitting on top of our next waypoint. I targeted the secondary gunner. Six hundred meters? I wasn't sure I could hit it, and I didn't want to alert it to our position. "I think we should call this in." I told Rarity. She agreed, and opened a line to Rainbow. "Targets marked, oh and Rainbow? Try not to blow up the bridge. We need it." I heard over the inter TEAM COM.

"Fox 1, I hear ya Rarity." The answer was to the point. Seconds later, the Wraith disappeared in a cloud of smoke and dust. "Target destroyed."

"Good shot, Rainbow."

"My pleasure."

~~~~~

We advanced to the halfway point without too many problems. There, we met two of our compatriots, as promised.

"Howdy there, mates. How was your trip?"

"Better than most." I replied. "I'm almost outta ammo. Got any?"

"We stand right on top of an armory. What do you think?"

"Yes."

~~~~~

After a trip to the armory, I had an extra twenty clips of sniper ammo, and I also reloaded my Colt. Rarity loaded up on SMG ammo, Pinkie grabbed flamethrower canisters and Applejack got rockets. Celestia knows how the suit can carry so much ammo, but I wasn't gonna complain. We advanced down the abandoned streets with caution.

"Be advised, Extraction team. Radar detects a giant group of covenant armor approaching LZ. Advise on destroying the suppression fire so we can come get you." Twilight's voice came through my radio. The HUD updated itself.

New objective received: Destroy covenant AA gun

The arrow pointed towards my left and upwards. I stopped and looked in its approximate direction.

I didn't like the tallest building in the city anymore.

~~~~~

One hundred and forty five levels filled with what was once covenant patrols but were now either burnt or mutilated corpses later, we reached the top of the building. The AA gun was right there, ready and ripe for destruction. But we hit a... slight snag.

We encountered a pair of Hunters. My armor was still smoking from where it took a direct hit from their cannons. Our cover was slowly breaking with the constant pounding from their guns. "Pinkie! You have the hologram ability right?" I shouted over the din of exploding fuel rods.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Can you use it to distract them? I have a plan." With that, Pinkie twisted around the wall, just long enough to launch the hologram the right way. I activated my stealth and followed right after it. Just as I predicted, the Hunters took the bait and turned to attack the hologram. It gave me enough time to charge up to the first one and climb up its back. Unsheathing my knife, I proceeded to gut the mass of worms that formed its head. Gooey, orange worm bits covered my armor. The remaining worms wailed, and it fell over.

Then I realized my mistake. I shouldn't have been on its back. The carcass fell directly on top of me, pinning my leg down. My shield crackled once, and failed. The dead hulk still had enough mass to break my hindleg's bones. I screamed once, long and loud. What the hell? It was a dream! Its not supposed to hurt! The Auto-Doc spell kicked in and placed my broken leg in a stasis spell. It also administered an anesthetic to my leg so it wouldn't be so painful anymore. It would have to do for now.

The other problem was that my stealth spell had dissolved, so I was now in plain sight. The other Hunter noticed me. The worms comprising its face flexed in an approximate feature of a smile. It swung around and pointed its fuel rod barrel at my visor. I could see the round, sitting inside its gun. I stared cross-eyed and gulped as the barrel glowed brighter in preparation to fire.

Then, two things happened. Applejack popped out of cover and launched a rocket directly at the gun barrel of the Hunter. The explosion knocked the barrel away from my visor and the Hunter staggered.

The other thing was the fuel rod round meant for me flew towards the AA gun instead. It exploded in a flash of purple smoke and debris.

The Hunter recovered and charged towards Applejack. Too fast to maneuver, it couldn't evade the 105mm shaped charge she fired off. Flaming bits of hunter started raining from the sky. The three of them rushed over to me. "Get this thing off of me." I mutter through gritted teeth. The three of them look at each other and shrug. They push the body off of my injured leg.

Applejack made the call. "LZ team, objective complete. Awaiting extraction. Be advised, we have wounded."

"Roger that. Warming up the engines. Hold for five minutes, you hear? Five minutes."

More waiting. Yay?

They shifted me into a sitting position, stretching my injured leg out in front of me. "Man, that was dumb." I whisper in a horse voice. "Yes. It was both brave and dumb." Rarity replied.

"Heads up. I'm getting an increase in enemy activity down below." Applejack said.

Suddenly, Pinkie freezes. Her tail starts to twitch

"You might want to hold on to something. Preferably sturdy. And anchored to this roof." She said before grabbing a pipe.

"Pinkie, what is going to fall out of the sky now?" Applejack asks with a hint of...was that fear?

A deep rumble echoed from the building. "What was that?" Rarity echos my thoughts.

The building, almost imperceptibly, began to slant. I felt it first. The fallen pieces of debris started to move to one side of the roof.

"Well... most probably us."

"What was that? Run that past me again?"

"We are gonna fall."

~~~~~

I crawled over to the side of the roof and peered down. After getting over the vertigo, I see the source of the problem. There was a big hole on one side of the building. Banshees? There were four of the things orbiting the building. The building slowly cantered past 50 degrees

"Don't move. There are four Banshees, slowly orbiting this building." I whisper over the COM.

"LZ team. What's your status?" Applejack calls.

"Moving to your location now. We can see you." The Raptor was visible off in the distance.

"How tall is this building?"

"145 levels, or figuring about ten meters every level, 1450 meters. Why?"

"Cause if they don't get here now, they're gonna have to catch us."

I look upwards at the figure hanging above me."No. Really?" Sarcastic little me.

"LZ team, Your gonna have to catch us, clean and easy."

"Roger. I can do that."

"Here goes nothing and everything!" Applejack shouts as she lets go. Halfway down, I let her past before letting go and following her. "Yee Haw!" Pinkie shouts as she also falls.

"I don't like this." Rarity complains before following us into the foggy clouds.

Free falling through the skies, I spread my legs out in a X-shape. Taking stock of the situation, I immediately start to look for the three different armor colors that should have fallen with me. I see Applejack's orange armor and Rarity's white armor. No pink?

Just as I think about it, a curled up ball of pink zoomed past me. I check Pinkie's biosign. "Pinkie! She been knocked out!" I hear Rarity's shocked voice over TEAM COM. Dammit, her biosignature agrees to that.

Seeing no other choice, I dive after her. Behind me, the Raptor catches both Rarity and Applejack, then zooms to get me. I fall fast, evading debris while keeping that ball of pink in my FOV. 'Come on!' I wished I could go faster, but I had already reached my terminal velocity.

"Lance! Break off!"

"I can't! She's my teammate!"

"Its just a dream test remember? She will be fine! Now pull out! That's an order!"

Crap this. I spread eagle and watch as Pinkie fell faster than me. I try to avert my eyes as she hits a... Banshee? Her biosigns peaked as she became aware again. Aware enough to hijack the Banshee.

"I'm fine." She calls out over the radio. I breath a sigh of relief. The Raptor pulls ahead of me, and I fall into its welcoming embrace. "All people secure. Let's head home." Twilight announces.

Fluttershy pushes the throttles of the transport to full and does a sling shot up into the air.

She halves the throttle and lets Rainbow's Avenger fighter plane and Pinkie's Banshee catch up. Flying in formation, the trio fly towards a rip in the sky. As they enter, I suddenly feel the urge to sleep. Giving into the sense, I hit the deck and fall fast asleep. Around me, I also hear thumps as the ponies got ready for a transition...

~~~~~

... Back to reality.

The tubes opened and the seven of us stumbled out.

"That was fun! Can we do it again?" Pinkie screams.

"Unfortunately, no. The system has denatured, so it can't be used again." Scootaloo replied.

"Just when I was getting used to that suit." Rarity whines.

"They're just next door. While you dreamt, our nanobots were hard at work developing the same suits you had in your dreams." Applebloom calls over her shoulder as she walks through a door.

My mind was reeling. Where had ponykind developed such things? In the twenty years we were gone, we had become so technologically advanced. I could also see Twilight was having the same problems.

"Something troubling you, Twilight?" I had to ask.

"No. Its... its just that everything seems to be moving much more quickly now. The suits, the war and now these, what do they call them?"

"Covenant?"

"Yeah. Lance. Do you think we are moving too fast?"

"The whole universe is moving too fast, Twi. I think we're just trying to keep up."

Just as I finished my sentence, alarms began blaring in the chambers.

"Sound like the Covenant found us, eh Lance?" She looked at me

"Suit up guys! We are gonna bring the fight to them!" Fluttershy shouts.

Footnote:My other story is on track and steaming. Special thanks to Jolttix, MarineMarksman, Da Dr P3PP3R, DashWithRainbows and John Smith for the names that helped the story soar.

Abilities upgrade :

Pain resistance Upgrade level 2

Thanks to that Hunter, Melee damage is reduced by 20%

I would have owned either My little pony or Halo, but then I took an arrow through the knee

Please support official releases

Chapter 5: First to fall

HALO: MANE TEAM

Chapter 5: First to fall

Fluttershy piloted the Raptor with skill and grace, flipping us around the asteroid belt. Behind us, several covenant Seraphs followed.

"Getting hot here, Rainbow!" Twilight shouted into the COM. Streaks of plasma flew past the view port.

"I know. Just hang on!" A seraph exploded into a purple puff of smoke as the Avenger blew past us.

"Screw this," said Fluttershy. The Raptor did a loop, so we were now flying backwards and upside down. Fluttershy opened up with the Gatling, and blew several thousand rounds at the Seraphs. The bullets ripped through the purple alloy and speared the pilots. The Seraphs wobbled out of control and smashed into asteroids sending flaming purple particles off into space. I heard a fait yay through the com as Fluttershy came back on course.

"Okay. Where's the ship that was carrying those?" She shouted. "Over there!" Pinkie gestures. The covenant battleship had floated into view.

The COM crackled into life. "This is Yaasha control. We are now leaving the atmosphere. Can you hold them off for ten minutes?"

Twilight hits the return button. "Wilco. Get those engines running hot. I don't know how much time we can net."

"How are we gona even damage that thing?" Rarity wondered aloud. I thought for a moment.

"Twi! What type of missiles is this bird carrying?" I turn to the purple unicorn.

"Hold on... Hammer III high explosives. Why?"

"We can't damage it from the outside. Why not destroy it from the inside?" I tell her.

"Brilliant! Make it happen." She turned away from me.

Huh? She wasn't this cold a few minutes ago. I decided that the war was getting to her, turned and grabbed a jetpack. I switched out my SRS for a BR-55.

Pinkie sidled over. "You're gona need a wingmare. I'll come with you." She grabs a MA5K, a smaller, more compact rifle

"I'll come too." Applejack grabs a jetpack. She looks at the remaining armaments and grabs a grenade launcher

"Thanks, but I'd really rather do it alone."

"Heh. You're just like Twilight."

"Five seconds to vent." Fluttershy calls out, sealing the cockpit.

The troop bay doors opened. The three of us stood on the edge of the ramp, watching the stars unfurl. The purple ship slinked into view.

Fluttershy was yelling through the com, “GO, GO, GO!”

"Now or never, girls." I mutter as I jumped off the ramp, pushing the throttle to the max.

~~~~~

The stars spun in my field of view. Round, and round, and round. They looked so pretty when they made these little rings of light. But it also meant that I was gyrating.

Way too fast.

"Gah!" I could only spit that word around the massive G-Forces pushing my mouth closed. I couldn't breathe normally, nor move normally. Raptor. Purple battleship. Stars. Raptor. Planet. These all flashed by in a second as I spun out of control. It started me thinking about that nursery rhyme about going round the posies. But I knew that I was just trying to think to block out the fact that I was spinning round. I realized I was quickly headed towards the battleship, and that if I didn't stop, I would smash into the side of it.

At that very second in time, somewhere, a comet wobbled in its orbit before speeding on, somewhere, a cyclone stopped moving before going on, but here, in that split second, my mind cleared. Facts and instructions began flashing through my mind. Instinctively, I yanked back on the throttle and looked upwards. My spin decreased in intensity until I could breathe again. I stopped and hovered in space. The new found wealth of information astounded me. I wasn't even sure if I was myself anymore. My HUD beeped and logged two other friendlies into my screen. I waited for the orange and the pink dots to move close to me before starting the pack again. THIS time towards the ship.

~~~~~

Our boots hit the hull with a thump. They immediately turned magnetic to adhere to the hull. Motioning towards a cannon on the hull, the three of us trudged towards it. The cannon had a view screen on it.

Perfect.

~~~~~

Kia Vadamee really didn't like the deep blackness of space. He always made sure his armor was vacuum proof before even stepping on board a ship. But now, he was just enjoying some quality time in the turret. The Elite hummed an old war chant his father had thought him. Something about Dovakiin, he couldn’t quite remember. He sent ball after ball of plasma rocketing towards the pesky pony ship flitting about the asteroids. His radio crackled, and the commander came over the line with the news that Seraph team 6 was decimated by the very ship he was aiming at. He was to destroy it.

So absorbed by his new mission he was, that he didn't notice the pair of black titanium reinforced boots flying straight at the view screen.

His dedication of hatred towards space would save his life.

~~~~~

The view screen crinkled and burst inwards as 45 kilograms of pony sheathed in dense midnight black titanium alloys smashed into it. I burst right into the turret and magicked out my BR-55. The Elite jumped out of his seat and turned towards me. Too close to utilize the rifle's ranged attack, I did the second best thing available. I flipped the rifle over, grabbed it by the barrel and swung it like a baseball bat. The Elite goes face first into his control console, knock out. Boom. If he was this weak, then ponykind really was kind of pathetic.

"Got gun and bullets, but I use it like a baseball bat." I say to myself as I float down by the door to hack it. Applejack and Pinkie Pie climbed through the hole I made. “Ya got to do what ya got to do partner. Here, let me do that." Applejack takes over my feeble attempts at hacking and opens the door. Forcefully. The air inside doesn't blow out, like I would have expected. It stays on one side of the doorway, like some kind of immovable jelly.

Applejack hangs back with her grenades aimed down the hallway. Pinkie and I advance, checking the corners, clearing out rooms. We became pink and black killing machines. Open doors, see enemies, spam an entire clip, and pick up alien tech, leave. That was our routine.

We stopped outside of a heavy looking door. It was the same purple alloy that the covenant used for everything but the door looked twice as thick and had a stout looking rotating lock on it.

“I don’t think you’ll be able to blow this one open AJ. Pinky you’d better hack it.”

“Okie Dokie Loki! Just give me a sec.”

AJ watched our backs as Pinkie set to work. It took about a minute but she finally got the door open.

The door cracked open and revealed three very surprised Elites in the same formation we were in. Pinkie came face to face with one, arm outstretched to unlock the door, yet somehow managed to get her sidearm clear of its holster and unload half its clip into the face of the Elite before she got a plasma pistol to the face. I reached down and grabbed her out of the way as Applejack unleashed hellish crossfire with a two plasma rifles she had found. I brought up my BR and shot one of the remaining Elites in the chest while Applejack hosed the third one with plasma. It was all over in a matter of seconds. “Now that’s what I’m talking about!” said Applejack. “An honest to Celestia turkey shot!”

I checked again to make sure that the Hammer III warhead was in my nearly limitless backpack. Pinkie forged ahead. I lost sight of her as I hung back and gave the inventory spell a few seconds to reorganize my cluttered pack and the shield spell a couple more to recharge. While waiting, a flashing light caught my attention. A... terminal of sorts? I looked at the alien gibberish on screen and gave up attempts to read it. Jacking a hack plug into a likely looking hole, I breathed a sigh of relief as it instantly started downloading and decoding information. Humming a few bars of winter wrap up, I watched as the information took up nearly a quarter of my suit's memory space.

Everything done, I followed the path Pinkie took. I decided to look at the information. It seemed like messages from the Covenant. To... Yaasha? I got really interested.

~~~~~

///AUTOMATED REROUTE COVENANT SHIP REG-40801ABY

///FILE ACCESS GRANTED

///WORM-PROTOCOL FIREWALL ENABLED

///FILE ERASED

TRANSMISSION XX087R-XX

ENCRYPTION CODE: DELTA

PUBLIC KEY: NOT APPLICABLE

SENDER: CODE NAME BLACKWIDOW

RECEIVER: CODE NAME SURGEON

SUBJECT: IMMEDIATE CALL FOR REINFORCEMENTS

/FILE DESTROYED/

/RECONSTITUTION COMPLETE/

/START FILE/

We've received the next batch of recruits for the transformation. The problem is, they may very well actually survive the prolonged exposure. Will require help to DISPOSE of these new recruits.

Packages have been delivered and sabotaged according to plan. Operation underway and on schedule.

Hopefully, we won't need the backup plan.

Are you surprised?

/END FILE/

/RESCRAMBLE-DESTRUCTION PHASE INITIATED/

PRESS ENTER TO CONTINUE

~~~~~

///AUTOMATED REROUTE COVENANT SHIP REG-40801ABY

///FILE ACCESS GRANTED

///WORM-PROTOCOL FIREWALL ENABLED

///FILE ERASED

TRANSMISSION XX087R-XX

ENCRYPTION CODE: DELTA

PUBLIC KEY: NOT APPLICABLE

SENDER: CODE NAME SURGEON

RECEIVER: CODE NAME BLACKWIDOW

SUBJECT: IMMEDIATE CALL FOR REINFORCEMENTS

/FILE DESTROYED/

/RECONSTITUTION COMPLETE/

/START FILE/

Understood BLACKWIDOW. Reinforcements are on their way.

No, I'm not surprised. We've planned for such a problem.

/END FILE/

/RESCRAMBLE-DESTRUCTION PHASE INITIATED/

PRESS ENTER TO CONTINUE

~~~~~

The hidden meanings astounded me. We were no doubt the 'new recruits' mentioned in the message. Somepony was working inside, helping the Covenant! What exposure? What packages? I didn't understand.

Then again, I wasn't a very smart pony.

Still reading on, I wandered down the hallway, looking up only to search for the next dead alien body. Blood and goo painted the purple walls with a light bluish hue. When the dead bodies started to become less frequent, I closed the data viewer and looked around for another trail of blood to follow. Trotting into another hallway, this one was covered in scratch marks. Looking at one up close, I noticed that the cuts were prefect.

Too prefect.

It looked like the metal had actually peeled away from the incision. I had a gut feeling and switched over to thermals. The HUD lit up in hues of red, orange...

and white around the slashes.

Oh Celestia no…

I raced down the hallway forgetting any means of personal safety. I rounded a corner and anything that wasn’t Pink I shot. Elite, Grunt or Jackal, whatever got in my way was blown away with the fiery rage of 9.5 x 40mm rounds or a swing of the butt of my rifle.

Twisting round another corner, I found what I was so keen to reach.

The Command room.

It was brightly lit and in the center was Pinky. Around her were the Commander and his Elite guard. She had fought them all of with what looked like a stolen energy sword. She was gasping for breath as I reached her and when I got closer I got to see up close what an energy sword could do.

Pinkies left front arm was cut clean off and her lower body armor looked like it had been fused to her skin, searing the lower organs in her body.

She was pointing to something. I looked up and one of the Elites was still living. I went out of my mind with rage. I took the sword Pinky had been using and grasped it with my magic, then sent it flying straight at the Elite. He was so surprised to find a trusted weapon of the covenant flying toward him the he couldn’t get his own sword up to block. I speared him through the chest, then using my magic I yanked out the sword and cut off his head with one vicious stroke. I watched the head fall to the ground then hurried back to Pinky’s side. I yanked my helmet off and leaned over her.

“Pinkie, we’ll get help. We're going to get you out of here.”

“Nopy Lance, forget me, take this.”

She held out a data chip. “This is all that I’ve found on this ship.”

“I have the same info Pinkie, I found it a while back.”

Pinkie’s voice was going softer the longer we spoke. “Nopy again Lancey. This contains the name of the person who betrayed us.”

“I promise, I will kill them. I will hunt them even if it kills me.” I spoke through gritted teeth as my eyes teared up.

Pinkie turned to face me. I could see it took quite a lot of effort.

“Don't cry, silly. I’m finally going home. I’m going to meet the Princess. The next great adventure beyond the forth…"

As she was talking I was embracing her in my hooves and the bright light that was always present in her eyes faded as she spoke her final words. The ghost of her last smile was still present as I closed her eyes. I quietly wept as I took the chip from her hoof. Standing up, I replaced my helmet, plugged the chip into my system and started to read half-heartedly. Most of the info I had, but then I came to a document that I had never seen before.

~~~~~~~

///AUTOMATED REROUTE COVENANT SHIP REG-40801ABY

///FILE ACCESS GRANTED

///WORM-PROTOCOL FIREWALL ENABLED

///FILE ERASED

TRANSMISSION XX077F-XX

ENCRYPTION CODE: GAMMA

PUBLIC KEY: NOT APPLICABLE

SENDER: THE PROPHET OF TRUTH

RECEIVER: COMMANDER TA’WEE

SUBJECT: SPY

/FILE DESTROYED/

/RECONSTITUTION COMPLETE/

/START FILE/

My dear Commander. How can you know that we can trust this pony? Is she not with them and around them. She could be a double agent. I have trusted in your judgment so far my son but without further proof then I will have to have her killed.

Consider it the will of the gods.

/END FILE/

/RESCRAMBLE-DESTRUCTION PHASE INITIATED/

PRESS ENTER TO CONTINUE

~~~~~~~

///AUTOMATED REROUTE COVENANT SHIP REG-40801ABY

///FILE ACCESS GRANTED

///WORM-PROTOCOL FIREWALL ENABLED

///FILE ERASED

TRANSMISSION XX1255R-XX

ENCRYPTION CODE: GAMMA

PUBLIC KEY: NOT APPLICABLE

SENDER: COMMANDER TA’WEE

RECEIVER: THE PROPHET OF TRUTH

SUBJECT: SPY

/FILE DESTROYED/

/RECONSTITUTION COMPLETE/

/START FILE/

I am sorry. It seems you have misread my earlier messages. There are in fact more then one. There are three. They have all passed the tests you have set. One has given her true name:#//##%$^*#!@#

~~~~~

Sensing something was wrong, I quickly yanked the chip. It fizzled for a bit and burnt. Looking at the chip, I suddenly felt a surge of anger. Stupid chip, Pinkie died for that Information. Sighing, I set the self destruct on the ship. Five minutes.

Walking back the way we came, I met up with Applejack. I think she saw my face and the streaks of blood on my armor and immediately knew what happened.

2:32...

The countdown timer ticked the seconds off inexorably.

1:05...

We planted the remaining Hammer III warheads in the turret. As an afterthought, I grabbed the Elite.

0:33...

Crouching on the hull, we held to one another. We pushed off with all our strength, multiplied by our STALLION armor.

0:00

The entire ship shuddered. Gouts of plasma spewed from power lines along the ship, The hull bubbled, blistered and boiled.

The ship exploded.

Applejack clung to me.

A million fragments flew past us, cooling from white hot to bright orange to dull red, then faded into the inky blackness of the night.

Pinkie's death had shown us that the Covenant were not invincible. They could be defeated, but at a very high cost.

We quietly floated towards the Raptor.

~~~~~

After the Raptor was docked in the Yaasha frigate Absolution and overseeing the jailing of the Elite, I immediately tracked down Sweetie Belle.

"Sweetie, can we talk?" I ask. She turns and regards me with her soulful eyes.

"Sure."

Pulling off my helmet, I proceed to look her straight in the eye. “There is a couple of traitors in our midst.”

She stiffens slightly. “I see. Evidence?”

"Here." I send the messages to her, but I copy them, just in case.

"Very well. We will find the traitors. Oh, and Lance?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry about Pinkie."

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Writer: Calamity

CO-WRITER: Jolttix

Jolttix,thanks for shining this piece of bull crap into a gem worth reading.

Chapter 6: Homecoming

HALO: MANE TEAM

Chapter 6: Homecoming

The Absolution headed to the Sol system, en-route to Equestria. As it traveled, Scootaloo introduced us to a few more advanced components of our suits and weaponry in the kill house.

"Your suit has an integrated computer, able to measure nearly everything, including your pain. Start your on board computers, now."

My HUD flashed and sprang to life.

SUIT SELFCHECK COMPLETE.

"Which brings us to your on board medic. It's a spell that automatically dispenses medication to injuries. Painkillers, antibiotics, salves, stimulants, even some drugs. Don't over use it."

Lots of good that did to Pinkie.

"Your suit also has a magically enhanced backpack, with space for up to a fair sized table. Weaponry-wise... Walking tank status achieved. You can carry a max of three Primaries and two Secondaries. Grenades are limited to four of each type."

She walked to the vault and opens it. After rummaging around for a bit, she pulls out a hoof full of grenades. Placing them in a row on the table, She goes back to lecturing.

"Okay, before me lies all six types of grenades we've made."

"The Frags." She gestures to a spherical one with a simple greenish-black finish.

"The EMP." A tubular one, with a white band running the circumference.

"The Flashbang." A hexagonal tube.

"Antipersonnel." It looked like a bulked-up version of the Frag. Red band.

"Smokes, every color." a octagonal tube, colored with the color of smoke issued.

"Lastly, the QED." This one was encased in a clear Fiberglas box, which was encased in another Pexiglas box, encased in a vacuum box. What does this unassuming little spherical grenade do to warrant such precautions?

"Okay, covenant stuff. Most of these you know of."

"Plasma's." Glowing blue ball. Deadly, to be avoided.

"Spike's" Can on a stick, plus extra sharp thingys on it.

"And, lastly, Incendiaries." Looked like a Frag, but with glowing orange ends.

"This is the kill house. Its a good place to test fire new weapons. Why not give it a try? Lance, you're up first."

I barely had time to think before being shoved through the metal door way into the kill house. Drawing my BR-55, I waited warily for targets. I heard a faint whirring sound, and my BR-55 came up to adress it.

~~~~~

Three hours later, I slumped to the ground, panting. "Good job, Lance. Training simulation complete. Deaths, 2. Kills, 20948."

Damn. That kill house spanned almost the entire ship, with environments like crowded buildings to open fields.

"ETA Equestria, twenty minutes. Mane squad, report to your Falcon." The PA blared.

I got to my hooves and reloaded my BR-55. Trotting to the arms room, I grabbed the rest of my armament. Placing my weapons on their assigned latches on my armor, I made my way to the hanger. The battered and carbon-scored Raptor proudly stood there, with teams of engineers hastily giving it one last look over. I watched with semi-interest as one particularly yellow mare ducked underneath the Raptor and place a square object on the hull.

Hm... I could fell that itch to look at the box, but Twilight motioning me to a first aid stand, tucked away in one section of the hanger. I went to her. "What's up, Twi?"

"Medications, and let's refill your onboard medic." She plugged a hose into the section of armor over my thigh. She also takes out a long needle.

"What's that for?" I begin to shake as the needle approaches. Did I mention that I'm afraid of needles?

"Well, Equestria is overrun by Covenant, so not many ponies are left to take care of the world. Natural sicknesses and diseases are rampant. Now, this here is a mixture of potent antibodies and vaccines to help combat everything that nature dare's to throw our way. Now stand still!"

I try to jerk away, but the suit's onboard computer registers that the refilling hose is still attached and powers down the suit. Immobile, I can only gulp and hope it's painless.

I think my screech alerted the Covenant on the moon.

~~~~~

The Raptor blazed its way into the atmosphere, where several UPSC Ships hovered around. It seemed that the Covenant was beaten back space-wise, but it was a totally different story on the surface.

Parts of Equestria burned. I could see several firefights on the surface as we skimmed the clouds.

"Coming into Appleloosa AFB." Fluttershy announced over the radio. The four of us in the troop bay unstrapped and stood to stretch for a bit.

Suddenly, a large red crimson Wraith trundled up a hill and opened fire.

The plasma bolts stitched the engines of the Raptor and burned its delicate components. It belched vicious amounts of smoke and flames.

"Going down! Hang on everybody!" Fluttershy screamed over the radio.

The Raptor begun to do barrel rolls and the Gees pinned us to the sides of the Troop bay.

"What the hell was that?" Rainbow cries.

"There! It's flat enough!" Twilight pointed to a flat desert.

"Here we go! Hold on!" Fluttershy says.

The Raptor hit the dried plains and shredded. Armor plates, antennas and weapons pods all fell away. Then, it hit a rock and broke into two. I was tossed free.

I was spinning, falling and flying all at the same time. I felt, like a puppet, only without strings. Then the ground reared up beneath me and I hit the too solid floor with a sickening thump. The visor cracked like spiderweb and obscured my view.

I gasped for breath as my windpipe temporarily disconnected from my lungs. Finally answering my stricken bodies cries for rest, my mind shut down, and I blacked out.

~~~~~

Sounds... I could hear talking in the background. Slowly, I cracked open an eyelid. Bright moonlight entered my eye as I looked around.

"Great! You're awake." An familiar voice wafted through my woozy consciousnesses. I tried to see who it was, but I didn't have the energy. "Hang on. This will help."

I felt something being stuck to my foreleg, and my mind slowly cleared. Sitting upright, I blinked several times to get used to not having flaming plane parts flying around. I was in a small dingy little room. Standing off to one side was my armor.

I reached over my foreleg and tapped the pad. "What is it? And where am I?"

Applejack blinked. "Oh that. It's a stimulant pad. You're in Dodge junction. Place has been abandoned for several years now. But god, you were mighty strong just now."

"What happened?"

"Well. The jet crashed and Fluttershy broke her wing. Twilight was bleeding badly, and Rarity had half a rifle jammed down her throat. You immediately got up, even though you're bio showed you had a punctured lung, Picked up Fluttershy with your magic, and carried Twilight and Rarity. We barely got to Dodge and you immediately set Fluttershy's wing, patched up Twilight, and preformed the most amazing teleport magic on the rifle. Then you collapsed and had a full cardiac arrest. It was the Celestia's own work keeping you alive."

"I don't remember any of this. Then again, I'm not a smart pony." I give a small smile as I crawl out of bed.

Following her out of the room, I realized that it felt... good to be out of the armor for a while. Even with the large caliber pistol strapped to my flank, it just was nice to see the night sky without a visor.

A small campfire was going on in the middle of the town. As we approached, I felt at ease with the formally foreign ponies. Applejack and I sat down at the fire. Small talk about the sky ensued as I kept mostly to myself. I saw Rarity daintily touching Fluttershy's bandaged wing and heard a small "Ouch" every time. I saw Twilight with her many scars. I saw a large blue-colored object hurtling at me at speeds only-Celestia-knows.

"What'syourstory,huh?Howoldareyou?Doyouhavechildren?Aretheycute?Anypegasus?TELL ME!" The rainbow-maned pegasus shouted into my face.

I gave her my most deadpan look. "Mind getting off me first?" I suggested quietly. The pegasus blinked and backed off.

"Yeah Lance. What's your story? You're a blank slate as of now." Twilight asked.

Looking around, I sigh and move to the campfire. "Fine. Here's my story..."

~~~~~

"I was born in the year 2000, in Stalliongrad. As a child, I loved to play, oh yes... I was so childish back then.

The years passed. I failed a couple of important exams, meaning I couldn't get a nice job. I had to settle with a internship with my father, who was a businesspony. We flew all over Equestria, and I met many different ponies, even Zebras. When the idea of space came up, I was so intrigued that I studied day and night about it.

Of course, that meant that I was selected as one of the few lucky ones to fly with my family. The Pioneer was a comfy ship. We traveled over the course of five years, finding many suitable planets and settling some ponies down there as the pioneers of space colonies.

My family was dropped off on the planet Formor. It was beautiful. Lush green forests, clear blue lagoons. We set up camp, along with several other families. Then...

We waited. Soon, other ships arrived, carrying more ponies. Our small camp soon turned into a big bustling city. Life was great. I grew up, I got a decent job and I even met the love of my life."

"Seriously? What was she like?" Rarity interjected.

"Well... She was a light blue mare, had a really pretty red and white mane, and her name was StarLight. We met over the funniest of incidents. I was reading a book one day while walking in the park, when she crashed into me. She was doing the exact same thing, except she carried way more books. Both our spells popped and tons of books fell on our heads. We looked at each other and burst out laughing. I helped her up and we began to pick up the books. After a fashion, We cleaned up the mess and walked away. I completely forgot about the incident, until she knocked on the door of my modest apartment. When I opened the door, I asked her,'What are you doing here?' And she replies, in that sweet melodious voice of her's, 'I seem to have taken your book on warfare.' and gave it back to me.

Not knowing what else to do, I invited her into my apartment. We slowly started talking, mostly about ourselves and the worlds at large. By the end of the day, we knew each other pretty well.

After a few months and a couple more meetings, I finally screwed up enough courage to ask her to... marry me."

"Oh, that's beautiful! How was it?" Fluttershy asked.

I sadly smiled and shook my head."It never happened. On the day before the wedding, the Insurrection attacked my town. They burned and stole and killed. We ran. We ran like we never did before. I led her to my private ship, with Innies on our tails. We were on the ramp... the bucking ramp, when she took a stray bullet through her leg. She half limped, half dragged herself up the ramp. I helped her shock laden body into the ship's infirmary, before strapping down and taking off.

I rushed her to the orbital UPSC hospital, where they treated her wounds and saved her life. Then... One day, as I left the hospital to visit my parents on another guarded colony ship, they bucking struck again. Suicide Innie ships rammed the guard ships and disabled their heavy weaponry, just enough to slip a tac nuke onboard the hospital."

Gasps echoed all around as I started to shed bitter tears.

"They blew it up, my love, my life, my hope and dreams... All gone. That's when I skipped back to Equestria and joined the Army. I thought that if I could help stop these bastards, then there would be a few less lonely ponies in the universe..."

I screwed up my eyes and faced the ground, weeping uncontrollably.

"An... and I sti... still haven't... haven't gotten the buck ov... over it. Why?" I asked as my tears wet the dusty ground in front of me. "Why? I... I prayed to Celestia... asked for... for closure... and no difference..."

I heard the sound of approaching hooves, and felt the warmth of somepony's body around me.

"There there." Rainbow whispered into my ear as she hugged me. "Grieve your heart out. This is the time for your closure."

That I proceeded to do, cursing the heavens and hell, cursing Celestia and Luna, weeping with only the five pairs of attentive ear's around me and the stars to listen.

~~~~~

The warmth permeated through my every pore, as the sun slowly rose in the sky. I sat up and surveyed my surroundings. There were only crackling remains of the fire, slowly glowing to their doom. I enjoyed the rising sun to the fullest, then rose to get my armor strapped on.

After re-entering the confining space of my armor, I walked out and sat with my helmet off, watching the distant dust bunnies hop across the ground.

"Feeling better? I made a bit of cocoa" I turned to see Rainbow approach with two cups balanced on her flanks.

"Yeah, much. Thanks." I took the offered cup. Taking a sip, I gagged at the taste.

"Dear Celestia! What is in that drink?" I turn to see Rainbow rolling in the dirt, laughing her heart out.

"Everypony falls for the mud joke!" She cried out over he laughter.

Rolling my eyes, I trot towards the writhing pegasus. "I have a suggestion."

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she snorts."What is it?"

"You try it."

Her eyes widen as I advance with a glint of malice in my eyes. "Uh oh."

Understatement of the century.

~~~~~

As Twilight packed her own belongings up, she could hear shouts and sounds of a scuffle outside her shack. Confused, she poked her head out to see a very afraid Rainbow run past, followed by an infuriated Lance, who, weirdly enough, was wielding two cups with what looked like wet mud.

"Come back here, you little piece of dipshit!" Lance screams as he turned the corner, hot on Rainbow's tail.

Sighing, Twilight turned back to the room, where Applejack waited. "Just Lance looking to rearrange Rainbow's innards."

As Applejack opens her muzzle to speak, Rainbow dodges in and pants heavily. "He's a...a mad pony, I tell you."

Applejack nods. "Finally, one who can't take a good joke."

"He's fast too. I haven't met anypony as fast as that, except maybe you Applejack." Rainbow pants as she peeks out the door. She comes back in, but the door stays open for about half another second before shutting.

Applejack noted the discrepancy and started to edge away from Rainbow. Seeing genuine concern in her friends eyes, Rainbow asks. "What's wrong?"

"You haven't tasted your own mud, that's what's wrong." A voice with a slightly creepy tone emanated overhead.

Dash freezes, and looks up. Materializing from the rafters is an upside down Lance, nearly face to face with her.

He winks and whispers, "Gotcha!" before dumping the contents of the two cups on the surprised mares head.

Shaking her head, Twilight smiles as the stallion jumps down from the rafters. Suddenly, a loud howl echoed around the entire town.

The three mares look at each other, a bit scared. "What was that howl? Didn't hear it before." Applejack murmurs.

Only Lance reacted badly. He crouched into a fighting stance.

"What is it, Lance?" The three mares ask.

"Firewolves." He replied simply.

Writers note: OH CRAP! I DIDN'T POST THIS TWO WEEKS AGO? I'm so sorry. I though that this went up more that two weeks ago. Please forgive me for the long wait and frustrations.

Oh yeah. Next chapter will be a Q&A chapter. So leave a question in the comments below or PM me and I'll get right onto it.

PLEASE! I NEED QUESTIONS TO GET MY CUPCAKE MONEY! I NEED MY CUPCAKES!

Calamity, out

Q&A: 1

Q & A: Terminal #4.

Welcome to the first Q&A session! Here, I'll be answering the more Frequently Asked Questions.

Now, I understand that many have chosen to keep themselves anonymous and as such, I will respect their wishes and not mention their names. Many good questions, folks, But only the top ten got through.

Of course, if I fail to answer your question of choice, Do leave a comment with your question and I'll get straight back to you!

Let us begin!

Reminder: Questions are NOT actually in order of how many times asked.

1) Will they meet Cortana?

(Asked 207 times...)

Hm... Interesting question. My answer is no, because 'Cortana' is a bit overused. No, they will meet some other A.I.

Don't ask who cause I'm still working on it.

2) Why is there always a long wait in between chapters?

(Asked 189 times...)

If you didn't already know, I'm actually a student, which means I don't get very much time on the Computer. Even when I do, I can't write an entire chapter in an hour, now can I?

3) Is this story going to lapse into a "Fallout" kind of style?

(Asked 150 times...)

Of course not. Since when has a Halo crossover ever gelled with a Fallout crossover?

Of course, if you do find one, I'll gladly eat my own mane.

4) Why all the references?

(Asked 109 times...)

I was just feeling a wee bit lazy to invent newer weapons, so I recycled the names. Don't worry, there will be some original weapons. All my ship names are original, and the types of vehicles are also original.

5) Who's the traitor?

(Asked 76 times...)

... That I can't reveal.

6) Why did you chose to write a war story? And why Halo?

(Asked 57 times...)

Well... To tell the truth, it all began with a simple dare from my friends. "Watch My little pony and write a war story for seven weeks!" They dared me to do. At first, I shunned MLP, but after a few days spent sitting in class and being pestered by my classmates, I started my quiet career with the stories:

http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/02/story-cupcakes.html

http://www.fimfiction.net/story/316

Yes. I was that hardcore.

And Halo for fun.

7) Who is your favorite pony?

(ASKED 206 TIMES... WTF PEOPLE?)

8) Do you like the idea of another partnership with plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz?

(Asked 47 times...)

Hm... Nah.

And I don't like extended words.

9) Will you be writing more?

(Asked 32 times...)

Let me check my schedule...

10) Do you love Fluttershy?

(Asked 21 times...)

Hm...

Forgive the word usage but...

FUCKING OBVIOUS ISN'T IT?

End of first session. Comment, rate and watch.

Questions still accepted.

Chapter 7: Assault

HALO: MANE TEAM

Chapter 7: Assault

Not long after the initial howls, Rarity, carrying an injured Fluttershy, scooted into the shack.

The howls grew and magnified in intensity. Even in the middle of a god-forsaken desert and in my full body armor, I felt a chill creep up my spine as the hulking giants lumbered into view.

"Celestia... Mutants..." Applejack murmured as the wolves snorted fire, setting some of the old wooden buildings ablaze. If was funny, because the wolves themselves were made of wood... A giant crack snapped me out of my reverie.

One wolf keeled over, dead. Fifty-cal, straight through its head. The rest turned and looked warily around. "Twilight, who fired?" I asked, but I already kind of knew her answer.

"Not us. My radar is detecting movement along the outer rim of the town." She pointed in a direction, and I could see a pillar of smoke. "May be allies. Let's find out?" Rarity suggested.

Thinking quickly, I weighed the risks. "We'll need to get past those wolves. Safely. Only Twilight and me." I took out the sniper rifle.

~~~~~

We skirted the edges of the central square, out of sight in the shadows. Occasionally, a wolf would approach and get quickly sidetracked by a hastily thrown stone. Eventually, we reached the smoke column. Hiding in a small ditch, we surveyed the area.

A UPSC troop transport lay on its side, armor doused with flames. I could barely make out the burnt and charred bodies of Marines, lying to one side. I turned and talked to Twilight. "I'm gonna go out there. Stay back and cover me. Okay?"

She nodded and took out her assault rifle. Cautiously, I moved into the open and approached the truck. Reaching the door, I knelt and placed my hooves on it. I looked back and saw Twilight biting her lip in concentration and nodding madly away.

I pushed my ears to the door, ignoring the flames licking at my helmet. I could hear sounds of bodies moving inside. Then, a resounding gong as the door shuddered. I tapped on the door. Immediately, it fell silent. Too silent.

I was about to get up and leave when I heard small tapping noise. Leaning back to the door, I could hear a pattern...

. --- ./.---/---../../--- --- ---/...../..... R A D I O 5 5

Not understanding too well, I tuned to the 55th wavelength and immediately heard voices.

"Hello? Anypony out there? We're trapped in the truck. Please respond." And the message repeats.

"I'm here. Outside the doors." I quickly replied, motioning for Twilight to get to my side. She clambered out of the ditch and raced to me. I motioned for her to tune to wavelength 55.

"Thank goodness! Please, get us out of here. The door is stuck from the inside and we have wounded." The voice answered.

"Alright. Hang on in there." I turned to Twilight. "How are we going to get them out?"

"That's an assault troop transport. The doors are built to withstand a blast, yet still get easily kicked open in event of a crash. I'm guessing bucking it could work." She answered.

"Okay. Um... I need you guys to move to the sides of the transport. It's gonna get ugly." I reported over the radio and heard quick scrambling inside.

"Done. Ready when you are." The voice inside told me.

Me and Twilight turned around and raised our legs up high, powered by our hind muscles and the acceleration provided by the suit.

The doors buckled and twisted, but held securely. "Again." I said. We raised our legs and slammed down on the doors. The doors twisted even more and I could peer into the truck. I saw the Marines crouching in the corner of the truck and gave them a hooves-up.

"One more time!" We raised again and slammed the door. It finally gave way and flew inwards. Smoke and dust filtered out of the interior. Clambering inside, I tapped somepony on his shoulder and grabbed him, bringing him outside.

We repeated the process until we pulled out the ten ponies stuck inside. I clambered back inside to retrieve some weapons.

"Uh Lance? Could you come out here?" I heard the uncertainty in Twilight's voice and reversed out of the transport, carrying ten assault rifles, along with my sniper rifle.

I emerged out of the transport and squinted in the bright light of Celestia's sun. "No, wait. Celestia is gone..." I mumbled as I blinked quickly to accustom to it. When my sight returned, I immediately turned my focus to her problems.

The Marines were all pointing their assault rifles at us. I watched Twilight quickly drop all her weapons. I kept my hold on my arsenal. "Lance... Drop them..." Twilight kicked my back leg.

"Yeah. D..D...Drop them." The one obviously in charge pointed at me, shaking a bit. I sighed heavily and let the weapons clatter to the floor.

"W...Who are you?"

"Look, there's no time, Staff Sergeant...?" I quipped.

"Whooves."

"Nice to meet you, Whooves. Now, there is a pack of crazy timberwolf mutants roaming this town. We have to get out of here. Can that truck drive?" I guestured to the burning carrier.

"I guess, but it is an oven in there if you don't put out the flames first."

"Lance, that will have to wait. Our piority one injured is in danger!" Twilight reached for her ear Com.

I looked to the skies and saw Rainbow with her assualt rifle, flying around. A sudden burst of flame catches her, setting her armor ablaze.

"This one's hard." That was all she muttered before falling out of the sky.

"RAINBOW!" Twilight shouted, charging away.

"So, will you help us?" I turned back to Whooves.

"Wha... Yeah, of course!" He turns to his little squad and starts to issue orders.

~~~~~

Turning a tight corner, I lobbed a frag grenade right down the throat of the approachng firewolf, taking genuine pleasure in the firewood produced. I turned and galloped back into the 'safe' house. I waved to make sure the three snipers and Rarity up top wouldn't blow my brains out accidentally.

The door was guarded by Applejack and two machine gunners from Whooves team. She was busy juggling several grenades, to the amusement of the other two.

Inching by slowly, I finally entered the 'War' room. Whooves and Twilight were conversing over a holo map, one of the few pieces of equipment that survived the crash.

In the back, Rainbow lay, sprawled across the floor next to Fluttershy, forming an impromptu medical bay.. Both their armor was stacked within the Armoured Vehicle, which we somehow managed to wedge in through a hole in the wall.

“Yes, Lance?” Twilight jerked me out of my reverie.

“Reporting one kill, instinct tells me more inbound.” I stood there, stiffly watching the two for reactions.

“Great. That’s one less mutant to worry about. Although the sudden increase of heat in this area has attracted the attention of the Covenant. We have several Ghosts approaching. If we head out now, there’s a slim chance that we’ll get away. Break that, and we’ll be sitting ducks.”

“How ‘bout we wait? The covenant can slug it out with the mutants, thereby reducing both numbers. Then, when they are weak, we can roll out and head for Appleloosa.” Applejack shouted from the doorway.

Twilight contemplated the suggestion, sat back, and nodded. “Seems legit.”

~~~~~

I watched from afar, the battalion of Ghosts fighting against the mutants. Plasma bolts served no purpose other than to piss the monsters off. Those mutants simply waddled up to the vehicles and flipped the occupant out of his seat, or fried them where they stood with fire.

For every three Ghosts destroyed, however, the Covenant brought down one mutant. Soon the field was littered with hissing bits of machinery and sparkling wood.

Of the original thirty Ghosts, perhaps five survived. The mutants were completely wiped out. “Snipers, train, 320 degrees north, wind speed five, height, ten meters below. Pick your targets.”

One by one, the five ghosts were highlighted and designated to me, Rarity and the three other snipers.

“Take your shots.” In unison, five shots rang out, each taking its target through the head.

Reloading quickly, I headed down stairs. "Twilight, the area is clear. We have to move, now."

Nodding, she begins to issue orders to move the wounded into the deepest part of the Carrier first. Then she and Whooves will drive, leaving Rarity and me on top, keeping an eye out, while Applejack and the five Marines stood close to the back hatch.

The Armoured transport quickly was filled, and the poor suspension creaked in protest of the serious overload.

"Let’s head out!" Rarity motioned to Whooves, who gunned the engine. The Carrier moved forward almost imperceptibly at first, and then it accelerated, bringing the lumbering beast into the open. The Carrier soon left Dodge junction behind in its dust trail.

I spent most of the five hour drive trying to help care for the wounded Marines and the rest on overwatch on the roof. At around the fourth hour, my eyes stung and drooped from watching millions of particles of sand pelt my scope.

~~~~~

“Lance. Are you okay out there?” Twilight asked through Team Com. For the past four hours, she had watched him perform various medical procedures and tending to the patients non-stop. “Hello? Lance?”

All that greeted her was the soft sound of someone snoring lightly. Twilight smiled ruefully. “Seems like he’s overworked himself again.” She said to Whooves.

“Be thankful that you’ve got him. I’d wish for him to be on my squad. It would be so awesome...” Whooves keeps his eyes glued to the dusty terrain ahead.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. He is a mighty fine stallion. A bit brash at times, but a good, strong friend nonetheless. He’s... Nice.” Twilight leaned back into her chair.

“What’s that? Is that a little bit of love I hear?” Whooves teased.

Twilight blushed a furious red. “That’s not true. You take that back right now!”

“Oh really? Twilight’s in love, Twilight’s in love!” Whooves used a singsong voice.

Twilight invented a darker shade of red to blush, and was opening her mouth to retaliate, when several bullets perforated the windscreen in front of her.

"What? Where did those come from?" Was all Twilight managed to get out before a plasma burst caught her straight in the head.

Blood splattered all over Whooves, who instinctively called for full military power.

~~~~~

I don’t know about you, but a sudden increase of speed that slams your back into a turret is guaranteed to wake me up.

“Ow. What in the hoof is going on?” I barely managed to steady myself on all fours when the Carrier crested a hill and caused me to lose my balance again.

“Jeez, Whooves. Careful.” I crawled to the hatch and swung myself down into the interior. The wounded were all okay, and the others holding on for dear life.

So what the hell is going on? I opened the small hatch between the bay and the driver’s seat and looked through.

Firstly, Bullet holes in the windscreen.

Secondly, Whooves is as white as a sheet, and sported new, red splatters everywhere.

Putting two and two together, I tensed and looked at Twilight.

The purple unicorn mare was facing away from me, and from this angle, with her cheek pressed against the chair, she almost looked... serene.

I slowly pulled her shoulder back and around to see the other side of her face.

“Mother of god...”

~~~~~

“Whooves! How much further? I don’t think I can keep this rejuvenation spell up for very much longer!” I kept my hooves planted tight on Twilight’s shoulders and constantly channelled magic onto her face.

“It’s in sight! Hold on!” Whooves gunned the engine and sped across the rocky terrain. Twilight stirred, and for a moment, I could actually pretend she was alive. In fact, she was neither alive nor dead, just, somewhere in-between.

I cradled the limp body in my grasp.

“I’ve already lost one; please don’t make me lose another.” I whispered to the comatose Twilight.

~~~~~

The Armoured Carrier drove straight into the unloading bay, just because it was the closest to the medical bay.

I watched, tired out of my wits, as they wheeled Twilight’s body away. I followed, walking with half-drunken like steps.

“Ho there, you ain’t in any state of health to be walking at all.” Applejack’s rope curled around my leg and sent me sprawling.

“I’m perfectly fine. Just... Tired.” I yawned, against my better instincts.

“Uh-huh? Well, you just lie here; I’ll go get the quartermaster to sort us up with a bunk.” She untied the rope around my legs.

“Okay, thanks.” I nodded and smiled. Did she really believe me? Evidently, cause she left with a furtive glance back at me. Rarity followed, making noise about how I was “So inelegant, just lying on the floor.”

Fat chance, my friends. I clambered off the ground and left the bay. Now, I just needed to get... there...

~~~~~

Applejack returned with a forklift and looked at the small crack where Lance once lay.

"That boy. Always getting into trouble." She shook her head and frowned.

"How can you be so composed? We've got a tired STALLION-2 on the loose and he may be cranky." Rarity suggested.

"Oh, no. He won't. There's only one thing on his mind now." Applejack replied softly.

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

Applejack pointed towards a sign with an obvious dent in in. The sign read: "Medical bay."

"He's looking for Twilight."

~~~~~

When did all these corridors get so narrow and long? I wandered on, stumbling now and then. Sometimes, when I run into some personnel, they would turn around and go back the way they came.

Was I really that scary? Nevertheless, after quite some time and damage to the walls of the base, I finally reached the medical bay. Pushing open the door, immediately, all eyes were on me. Ignoring those eyes, I made a beeline for the bed that contained Twilight. They had set up a medical healing field around her, so I knew batter that to go and touch it. I just pulled a chair over, and lay down on it, next to her.

Nopony stopped me. In fact, some did come to offer condolences, or offer to get me some food or drink. I just ignored them, watching Twilight intently instead.

Eventually, it must have been late at night; the room began to empty out, instead being filled with a skeleton crew. Whooves dropped by and we traded jokes and laments until he had to go. I just sat there. Willing for Twilight to wake up.

I guess I must have fallen asleep at some point, cause I woke up later, my motor functions at minimal. I felt... drained. I don’t think a 15 minute nap is good enough to revive me after two days out in the field.

I also found myself lying on Twilight’s bed, head facing her.

I heard more than saw the entourage approaching. The doctors whispered quickly and fluidly. The floor shook ever so slightly. A loud voice demanded: “How is she?”

“If you mean Twilight, She’s that one over there, in the purple armour. Extensive bone destruction, Loss of sight, maybe magic as well. Facial features may be deformed after this.” The doctors answered.

“I see. What about the other one?”

“The one in black armour has yet to reveal his face, but a preliminary examination suggests he is suffering from magical burnout.”

I heard the curtains being drawn, and slowly turned my head to face the stallion asking the questions.

His eyes were a moderate cerulean, matching his mane. He was dressed in an officer’s uniform, sporting three stars on the epaulette. His cutie mark...

Was a blue shield with a pink-purple six pointed star in the middle, and it also has three light blue stars above the shield.

“Twilie.” He muttered as I fell asleep again.