Halo 2: Shadowed pasts and Ancient Runes

Chapters

Growing bonds
I need a weapon.
Forging a machine
That gray area
Those you thought you knew
Deceptive war machine
Return
Unexpected Allies
Were it so easy...
Arrival
Put your wings on
Cleaning house
Highway to Hell
It looks like a flower
The way the world ends...
Revelations
A timeless chorus
What once was lost...
A shadowed past
Changing of the Guard
Chaos is a WONDERFUL thing!
Ancient Runes
Swapping roles
The one you destroyed
When I make a promise
Announcement: First story is back up!

Growing bonds

Chapter 1: Growing bonds
Planet Equis
October 3, 2552
1043 hours

Nathan, Spartan G129, walked through the newly built weapons factory in the capital city of Equestria. The sounds of machines and ponies working filled the air with a deafening drone. The noise was lost to the Spartan, however. He had been through more explosions then he'd care to admit in his short life. Now, it was replaced by the noise of progress and industry; a noise that was going to save his new home one day.

Nathan looked around at the Equines from the catwalk he was on. They were all working below, reverse engineering covenant plasma technology, creating brand new weapons for use in the Royal Guard and police forces. It was amazing that they were able to figure out how to do it in a month, when his own scientists barely scratched the surface.

"This civilization was smarter than we gave them credit for." Nathan mused as he continued his watch.

It probably had something to do with Twilight's endless studying of Covenant devices and how they worked. She had kept Nathan up countless nights trying to go over the basic concept of directed plasma weapons. Sometimes even talking about it during their more... intimate times.

But, thanks to her, they now had weapons to counter the Covenant should they ever return. Nathan happily walked up to the door to Twilight's office, giving his card a quick swipe through the reader. He waited a moment before it registered him and slid open. Twilight turned from her desk and smiled happily when she saw her fiance'. Nathan smiled as well, sizing up his mare. She was wearing a simple blouse and had on her rectangular reading glasses. She was smiling up at Nathan, but still was keeping one eye on her research.

"Nathan! How have you been?" She asked quickly, trotting over to Nathan and nuzzling his chest. "I haven't seen you since you left to check on the perimeter defenses. How are things over there?" She asked happily.

"Could be better." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he leaned down to share a kiss with Twilight. "We managed to salvage some Covenant AA turrets from the crash sights. They're taking longer to set up than I'd like, but other than that, things are ahead of schedule. How are things here?"

Twilight smiled and showed Nathan one of the weapons. "This is one of the prototypes. Please don't fire it. It is active. Rainbow Dash made that mistake and now I need a new wall." She explained, looking over to the half melted metal behind her. Nathan laughed, causing Twilight to roll her eyes.

"And how about the-" He trailed off, lightly gesturing to Twilight's underside.

Twilight smiled and rubbed her stomach. "Growing bigger by the day." She winked. Nathan smiled as he inspected the gun. It looked like a regular plasma rifle, but the grip was double wide and the triggers were on the top and bottom, which would allow a guard who couldn't use magic, to fire the weapon with his teeth. He set it back down and sat by Twilight's side, inspecting the factory before him through the view port.

It was a little upsetting to the Spartan that Princess Celestia had asked him and his team to set up defenses around Equestria and her boarders. He had only wanted to settle down after he learned of Twilight's pregnancy, which was just after his proposal to her. He let out a long, heartfelt sigh as he turned away from the factory. "And here I thought we'd finally be living in peace..." He said sadly. Twilight looked up and matched his downtrodden expression.

"Both the Princesses and I agreed it was essential to build up Equestria's defenses. We can't be caught unprepared again when the Covenant show up at our doorstep. I would like to remind you that this weapons factory was your idea." She finished, lightly punching his arm.

He smiled and stumbled lightly with the hit, laughing lightly. "Yeah, but I didn't think we'd be the ones running the place." He said halfheartedly. Twilight nodded in agreement.

"Well, they needed the sharpest mind in Equestria for the research, and the ones who know about advanced technology and war to help with the designs. I'm sure your team is happy with what they're doing."

Nathan looked around the hanger to see if he could spot Cam and Bill. There was no sign of any other human anywhere. Usually his team was here, at least they were before he left a month ago. "Where are those two idiot?" Nathan asked when his search was unsuccessful.

As if on cue, Cam burst through the hanger doors, riding on one of the prototype hover craft. It flew wildly from left to right, smashing into crates and racks of weapons.

"Whoa! Look out bellow, everyone!" Cam yelled, riding the thing like a bull. Twilight face hoofed and grabbed the device with her magic, stopping it on a dime. Cam let out a surprised yell as he flew through the air, right into a stack of boxes. Nathan sighed and shook his head as he watched the man stand back up and shake off the incident.

"Alright, that thing still needs more work in the steering department." Cam tolled the ponies who were surrounding him. A team of scientists nodded and took the hovercraft back outside for more testing. Cam shook off the dirt and looked up after wiping himself off to see Nathan in Twilight's office.

"Well all be a son of a Grunt! Nathan!" Cam ran up the stairs and burst into the office. As soon as he saw it was indeed his CO, he quickly ran over, hugging his old friend. "Haven't seen you in almost a month! Those magic healing sessions are doing wonders for your face!" He said, smiling happily.

Nathan ran a hand across the now scarless surface. Every night, Twilight had done healing regiments to restore his face to its former self. His eye was even back to normal, too.

He smiled and pat Cam on the shoulder. "You still look like shit though. How's Rainbow Dash?" He asked.

Cam rubbed his neck. "She kinda had to move out of her cloud house in order for us to live together. She's still kind of irked about it, but I made sure that anything we got for the new place, she liked, so it's working out better now."

"So you think!" Rainbow Dash yelled from across the hanger. Every pony watched her as she hovered slowly over to the booth. Cam's face paled as he watched her fly closer and closer, trying to use Nathan as a shield against her unusual furry.

Rainbow flew into Twilight's office, getting right in Cam's face. "Where the heck are my snacks I asked you to get me?" She bellowed. Nathan and Twilight turned to each one of their friends in unison as they spoke.

"Babe, Nathan's here and I wanted to-"

"SNACKS! NOW!" She yelled. Cam bolted out of the room like a bat out of hell, be-lining it for the Cafeteria. Rainbow Dash huffed before looked over to Nathan. smiling wide, she hugged him tightly and shook him back and forth.

"Nathan! How've you been you big lug?" She asked, giving him a playful noogy.

Nathan was puzzled by Rainbow's erratic behavior, but shook it off as just her having a bad day or something. "I'm okay. How are things for you and Cam?" He asked as Rainbow released him from her bone crushing hug.

Rainbow looked back down to the floor as Cam ran as fast as he could for the mess hall. She facehoofed sighing heavily. "That feather brain is lucky I love him so much, otherwise he'd be living in the streets."

Cam came running back out of the cafeteria, sprinting up the stairs to Twilight's office with a stack of snacks, from apples to cupcakes, on a platter. He took a few long breaths from the run he made and bowed mockingly to Dash. "Your snacks, your highness." He said sarcastically.

Rainbow snagged an apple and took a bite, glaring at Cam. "Well? Back to work!" She yelled. He threw the tray down and ran out the door for dear life, not wanting to upset Floor Manager Rainbow Dash any more than he apparently already had.

"See you guys later!" Rainbow Dash smiled, flying off after Cam. Nathan watched as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, switching from pissed beyond measure, to caring in five seconds flat.

"What in the hell is up with her?" Nathan asked confused.

Twilight shrugged, going back over to her desk to review the paperwork she had been previously working on. "She won't tell anypony. I have no idea and I really don't want to know."

Nathan chuckled and smiled at Twilight. He quickly reached out and snagged her papers, throwing them over his head as he picked her up playfully. Twilight let out a giggle, wrapping her forelegs around his neck.

"What are you doing?" She asked, still laughing. "I have work to do." She went to reach for her desk, but Nathan kicked the entire table back three feet.

"Let's just go back home for a little while, huh? I want to spend some time together. Please?" He pleaded. He hadn't seen Twilight in over a month, and in that time, he'd never felt more naked without her, even in full MJOLNIR armor.

Twilight smiled and gave him a long, loving kiss. "Okay. We've been working non-stop anyway. Let's treat ourselves." She said happily. Nathan had come prepared for that. He pulled out two tickets to the opera, which Celestia had graciously given him, at the Canterlot theater.

Twilight smiled happily and let out an excited squeal as she hugged him tighter. "Oh!How did you know I wanted to see The Hoofcracker?!" She asked excitedly. Nathan laughed and tapped her nose as he spoke.

"A little birdie told me. Now let's go get ready. I still have my Navy uniform, you still got the white dress. We'll go in style!" He smiled, walking over to the door to finally get out of this place.

Twilight cocked her head up at her human. "What seats did you get us?" She asked. Twilight kinda had the feeling he ended up getting them the nose bleeds. Being a soldier didn't pay well enough to be with the sky noses.

Twilight was indeed surprised when he answered, "Balcony seats. Right next to Princess Celestia." He said it so casually, as if it were an everyday thing to be the Princess's personal guest to the play of the year.

Twilight nearly screamed herself silly. "You're the BEST!" She yelled, kissing him full force on the lips. Nathan carried her off, out of the Hanger and into the fresh air. The sun burned at Nathan's pale skin, but after being out of his armor more and more, he had begun to take on a darker complexion. Twilight still thought he was as white as a ghost though.

"Now, we got a few hours to kill. Let's make them fun." Nathan said suggestively, sliding his hands down Twilight's back. She cooed happily as she tightened her grip around Nathan's neck.

She smiled, eyes half closed, just dreaming about what he had in store for her. It had been a month since they last had contact with one another, and she had an itch that really needed scratching.

"Oh. Let's..." She giggled quietly as the two walked away from the base.

The opera was grand! Twilight had spent the night, side by side with the Princess, watching a show she'd heard about for months from the Royal guards who escorted her to work everyday. Even though she saw Princess Celestia a lot, she had never really gotten the time to talk to her when she was off from her daily tasks. It was a magical night, and it was all thanks to her beloved fiance'.

Twilight looked over to Nathan as they walked down the empty corridors of the castle together. He seemed so airy and happy tonight, and it wasn't just being back with Twilight that got him excited. "What is he planning...?" Twilight thought, staring up at Nathan to see if she could get a read on what he had in store.

A lone guard began walking towards them in the opposite direction, smiling up at Nathan. Nathan left Twilight's side to go talk to him. She stared curiously as he handed the guard a pouch with bits in it, then let the guard go back on his way.

The guard walked past Twilight and smiled. "Enjoy your evening Miss Sparkle." He said politely, trotting off back into the depths of the castle.

Nathan returned to Twilight's side, grinning like a school filly. "Alright. Close your eyes." He instructed.

Twilight bit her lip and did as instructed. She felt Nathan's hand make contact with the back of her head as he led her forward, guiding her so she wouldn't crash into anything. She heard the door to their room open and he nudged her inside.

"Can I open them?" Twilight asked anxiously, prancing from hoof to hoof.

Nathan smiled and let out a deep breath. "Go ahead. Open your eyes."

Twilight opened her eyes slowly, blushing when she saw the room set like a fairy tale romance. Candles lined the tables and windowsills, casting a romantic light across the large foyer. Flower petals traced a path across the floor, cutting into the bedroom. She smiled at Nathan, her face bright red.

"N-Nathan. You shouldn't have... Wow..." She stammered in excitement. Nathan scooped her up and kissed her.

"Anything for you, Twi. Now, where to first? We can get cleaned up after a long day of work, or we can go straight to bed. Your choice."

"Bed." Twilight said quickly, barely giving him time to finish the sentence as she quickly leaned in to kiss him. Nathan carried her to the bedroom and slowly opened the door. Twilight giggled at the romantics he'd gone through for her.

The bed was littered with rose petals with a large bouquet sat nestled between the pillows. Candles adorned every possible inch of the tables and shelves.

"I over did it, didn't I?" He asked, smiling coyly. Twilight giggled and slapped his arm, keeping one foreleg wrapped around his neck.

"I don't know..." She said playfully, hopping from his arms and into the bed. "I don't think you've done enough..." Twilight reclined on her side, tracing the silk sheets with a shy hoof.

Nathan hopped in next to her and smiled, unbuttoning his dress uniform. "I'll be more than happy to rectify that, ma'am."

Twilight giggled when he called her that. It always brought back memories of when they first met. She leaned in and kissed him, letting the romance seep in. They quickly threw their clothes away and sunk under the covers, losing themselves in a state of sexual euphoria.

Rainbow Dash sunk into the bed as Cam poured himself another drink. His eighth drink already that night! Ever since he had left the UNSC, Cam was no longer bound to their rules. That meant he could drink as much as he wanted, when he wanted. Cam stumbled to the bed, crawling lazily next to Rainbow Dash. She rolled her eyes and continued to look away from him.

"Rainbow, I gotta tell you, our new place? It isn't sho bad!" He hiccuped. Rainbow Dash sunk further into the sheets, crossing her forelegs tightly across her barrel. Cam chuckled and turned her head with his hand. She kept the same, unamused look

"What's wrong, doll? You've been like this for weeks now! Is there something botherin' you?" He took another swig of alcohol, hissing as he stuck his tongue out from the burning taste.

"I'm-" She began, but Cam cut her off.

"OH! Is it that time of the month?" He laughed. Rainbow rolled her eyes for what felt like the billionth time that day.

"No, Cam. I'm-"

"Oh, how about-"

She cut him off, unable to take his stupid drunken ramblings any longer as she shouted, "I'M KNOCKED UP!!"

Cam spit his entire beverage across the room and stared wide eyed at her. "How in the fuck is that possible?!" He demanded, sitting bolt upright.

Rainbow shrugged, trying to relax her posture, but she felt like she had a stick jammed in her backside. "Dunno." She deadpanned, staring up at the ceiling.

Cam stroked his chin. "Alright, this leads me to my next question. Have there been other penises?"

Rainbow threw a pillow at his face and began to tear up. Cam couldn't take anything seriously, and this was a serious matter. "Just you, Cam..." She sniffled, curling up on her side.

Cam sighed heavily and laid back down. "Oh boy. This is... Wow. Well, lets put this down in the science logs of discovery. Aliens can knock up aliens."

Rainbow rolled her eyes and couldn't suppress the giggle. Even when she was feeling down, he always knew how to cheer her up with his stupid personality. "Cam you're an idiot, but I love you." She said, nestling up next to her big oaf.

Cam smiled and hugged her back. "I love you, too, Skittles."

They stayed that way for the rest of the night, eventually falling asleep in each others arms. But, one thing was on Cam's mind before he ended up passing out.

"If I knocked up Rainbow, does that mean Nathan... Nah..." And quickly after that thought, Cam fell quickly to sleep.

I need a weapon.

Chapter 2: I need a weapon.
Earth. Cairo Station
October 3, 2552

"The plating was about to fail. There's viscosity throughout the gel layer." The Master Guns continued as the Master Chief finished adjusting his new armor. "Optics? Totally fried. And lets not even talk about the power supply. You know how expensive this gear is, son?" He asked, waving the power cell around.

The Master Chief took the new helmet and placed it on his head. It hissed as the magnetic seals locked it in place. "Tell that to the Covenant." He said in his deep voice, making Master Guns stiffen slightly, but quickly relax.

Guns waved a dismissive hand as he went on. "Well, I guess it was all obsolete, anyhow. Your new suits a Mark VI, just came up from Seongnam this morning. Try to take it easy until your used to the upgrades."

The Chief nodded and stepped onto the targeting test platform. He blew through it easy enough, then made his way to the shield recharging station.

His old suits shields took about fifteen seconds to fully recharge. The Mark VI did that in half the time and he was surprised by the durability of it. His old suit paled in comparison to the VI's.

"Bingo!" Master Guns yelled as the Chief's shields recharged. "As you can see they recharge a lot faster. If your shields go down, find some cover. Wait for the meter to read fully charged."

Master Chief looked over as the elevators parted and Sergeant Johnson strolled into the army, wearing his Marine dress uniform. He looked over the Gunny, then back to John.

"That, or he can hide behind me." He looked to the Chief over and smiled. "You done with my boy here, Master Guns? I don't see any training wheels..."

Master Guns rolled his eyes. "His armor's working fine Johnson, so shut your chilly hole." He said sarcastically. He looked back to the Chief and smiled. "You're free to go son. Just remember, take things slow."

Johnson smiled and patted John on the back. "Don't worry, I'll hold his hand."

Guns walked over to the elevator before it shut. "So, Johnson. When are you gonna tell me how you made it back home in one piece?" He asked curiously.

Johnson shook his head. "Sorry, Guns. It's classified."

Gun's scoffed, crossing his arms across his chest. "Pfft. My ass! Well you can forget about those adjustments to your A2 scope, and you can most definitely forget-"

He was cut off as the doors fully shut and the elevator lurched upwards. "Well, he's in a particularly fine mood. Maybe Lord Hood didn't give him an invitation."

The elevator opened two levels above the armory to an awaiting tram. Johnson smiled, looking at the big blue globe outside the window.

"Earth. Haven't seen it in years. When I shipped out for basic, the Orbital Defense Grid was all theory and politics. Now look. The Cairo's just one of three hundred Geo-sync platforms. That MAC gun could put a round clean through a Covenant Capital Ship. Coordinated fire from the Athens and the Malta. Nothin's gettin past this battle cluster in one piece."

He looked up as a Halcyon cruiser flew overhead, accompanied by a squadron of long sword fighters. "Ships've been arrivin' all mornin. Nobody's sayin much, but I bet something big's about to happen."

They both turned around as the doors behind them opened. The Chief watched as marines stood around, cheering and hollering as automated cameras floated around the duo. The Chief frowned slightly and leaned over to Johnson.

"You told me there wouldn't be any cameras." He said, a bit nervous around the floating machines.

"And you told me you were gonna wear something nice!" Johnson shot back as he straitened his jacket. "Folks need heroes, Chief. Give's 'em hope. So smile, will ya? While we still got somethin' to smile about."

The marines at the bridge doors saluted as the Chief and Johnson stepped through. They were met by more crewman in Naval dress, who also cheered them as they entered. They both walked down the ramp and stood in front of Lord Hood.

They gave off crisp salutes, which Hood promptly returned. "Gentlemen. We're lucky to have you back..." He said. He was about to go on when one of his aids whispered in his ear. He looked over to the holo panel with a frown on his old face.

"Report." Hood said flatly. Cortana's graceful image shot out of the panel. She crossed her arms and slanted her hips, just like she always did when she was on edge.

"Another whisper, sir, near Io. We have probes enroute." She stated. Hood looked back to John, Johnson and Miranda and frowned.

"I apologize, but we're gonna have to make this short." He said looking over at the screen. Cortana looked up and smiled at The Chief and Johnson.

"You look nice." She said addressing neither one in particular.

"Thanks."
"Thank you."

The Chief and Johnson both looked at one another, then back to Hood when he cleared his throat. "Sergeant Major, the Colonial Cross is awarded for acts of singular daring and devotion. For a soldier of the United Earth Space Corp, there can be no greater honor. Thank you."

The crowed cheered and Johnson relished in the praise. Hood turned to the small woman beside the both of them and held out a medal.

"Commander Miranda Keyes. Your father's actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service. His bravery in the face of impossible odds reflects great credit upon himself and the UNSC. The Navy has lost one of its best."

A single tear ran down the Commanders face and she saluted. Cortana's silhouette popped back up, looking a little panicky.

"Slipspace ruptures, directly off our battle cluster." She stated. Hood whirled around to her.

"Show me."

The ships appeared on the large screen in front of him. "Fifteen Covenant Capital ships holding position just outside the kill zone."

A voice came over the radio and the blips representing the UNSC fleet began to move towards the Covenant ships.

"This is Fleet Admiral Harper. We are engaging the enemy."

Hood shook his head. "Negative, Admiral. Form a defensive perimeter around the cluster." He turned to Cortana. "You have the MAC gun Cortana. Soon as they come in range, open up."

She nodded. "Gladly."

Hood turned his attention back to the diminutive Covenant fleet. "Somethings not right... The fleet that destroyed Reach was fifty times this size."

A panicked crewman shouted from the back of the room. "Sir, additional contacts! Boarding craft... and lots of 'em!"

Hood frowned. "They're going to try and take our MAC guns offline... Give their Capital ships a straight shot at Earth." He turned to the Chief. "Master Chief? Defend this station!"

The Chief nodded. "Yes, Sir." He turned fast to Johnson. "I need a weapon."

Johnson smiled happily, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "Right this way."

Regret went for the bridge of his Super Carrier as it came out of Slipspace. The bridge was a place he loathed being, but he wanted to give orders to the fleet himself when they arrived.

"What pitiful spec of world have we here?" He asked, boredom etched in his voice. The Ship Master gulped.

"My Lord! There are Human inhabiting the planet!" He called out. Regret shot forward.

"What?! Let me see!" He commanded. The forward screen showed hundreds of Human ships. He also gazed upon the three hundred Magnetic Accelerator Cannons. He shot his chair back in surprise. "How could Truth not have known this planet was inhabited?! He said he'd personally sent a stealth craft here to scout it!"

Regret pushed his anger aside and looked at the confused Elites around him. "Send all boarding craft! Take out those stations! I want a clean shot to their planet! All those who believe in the salvation of the journey, shall be a shield for their Prophet! Who is worthy?!"

All at once the Cruisers began to surround the Capital ship as it flew forward. None wanting to upset their lord. Regret licked his lips in anticipation.

"You'll regret this, Truth. I swear on the forefathers I will make you pay for your treachery!"

Forging a machine

Chapter 3: Forging a Machine
Research facility 99893: Coordinates unknown
October 4, 2552

Laurence, SPARTAN G399 stepped up to the platform and gazed at the armor before him. It was sleek, elegant, and above all, more advanced than anything the UNSC has ever made.

"What do you think of it, Laurence? You shall be the first of a new breed of Spartans." A voice over the intercom said. Laurence smiled as he ran a hand down the armor designated for him. It was a deep green color; its new shine reflecting his young face back at him.

"It's nice. What about my team?" He asked puzzled.

"Gary, Selina, and Sharif shall receive the same. Your group is the first of many you know. And this trial run shall be the ultimate test of the Spartan IV program."

"What is our mission?" Laurence asked, a little impatient. The images of three men snapped on the screen. One was tall and handsome, the other one short with short hair and large eyes. The third was a face that Laurence would always remember.

Spartan G129: Nathan.

"These men are wanted for treason. They faked their own deaths and are now aiding an unknown alien species. I want them, dead or alive, it doesn't matter to me. Can you complete this mission, Spartan?"

Laurence grabbed the helmet and put it on. "I'll accomplish it with ease, General."

Nathan shot up from the bed. His breathing heavy as sweat dripped down his forehead. He looked down to Twilight who was still sound asleep. He let out a shaky sigh as he stood and walked for the balcony.

Nathan looked out at the setting moon. It was bright tonight; brighter than it had been in weeks. He smiled lightly and twirled his helmet in his hands, relishing in its weight.

He heard the quiet hoof steps behind him and slowly turned his head to see Twilight standing behind him, a bit bleary eyed from just waking up. "You should get some sleep, Twilight. You are going to be busy today."

Twilight sat by Nathan's side and looked out over Equestria with him. "What did you dream about?" She asked worriedly. He exhaled loudly and looked over at her.

"The same dreams I've been having for weeks." He said flatly. "The men who I fought beside suddenly turned against me. I could do nothing to defend myself and they..." He trailed off. Twilight put a hoof on his arm. "They killed everyone."

Twilight wrapped herself around him now. "It was just a bad dream, Nathan. You can't let it get to you."

Nathan sighed again. "I know. Lets get to sleep. I don't want to piss off Floor Manager Dash today."

Twilight chuckled and followed him back to the bedroom, happy to have been able to help her love with a little problem. She had learned long ago not to dwell on nightmares, and that they weren't real. Hopefully she'd help Nathan see that.

(0900 hours)

Twilight swiped her card key and the door to her office slid open. Almya, who had been lazily sitting on the back table, jumped down and greeted her new caretaker.

"Good morning, Twilight. How was yours and Nathan's romantic evening?" She asked with a hint of mischief in her voice. Twilight let out a laugh and took a seat in her rolling chair, preparing for another day of work.

"It was amazing!" Twilight sighed dreamily, recalling everything the two of them did last night. She quickly banished the thoughts for later and began going through her work. "Did you find anything wrong with my equations I gave you?" She asked.

Almya shook her head and smiled. "None. You're one smart cookie, Miss Sparkle."

Twilight blushed a little, taking in the praise. She had always been a smart pony, and working with alien equipment was one of the best learning experiences of her life.

Twilight put on her glasses and opened the files Almya had made for her last night. "Ah, the productions ahead of schedule I see. Are the shipments going out to the police and military forces across Equestria yet?" Twilight asked, bringing her glasses down. Almya nodded.

"Pegasus lifted earlier this morning. The kingdom will be armed to the teeth in the event of any attack." She hesitated a second. "Are you sure this is for the better of Equestria?"

Twilight threw her glasses on the table and levitated her glass of juice to her mouth. "I don't know, Almya. We can't leave all of Pony kind susceptible to invasion again. It was a miracle you all arrived when you did."

"Indeed." Almya said happily. "Shall we start our morning exam?"

Twilight nodded and walked over to the couch, laying down as a large machine was lowered on her stomach. Almya walked over as an image popped on the screen to the side, showing the growing fetus residing in Twilight's belly.

"Hmm. Normal growth pattern, average heart rate. Still too early to tell the sex of it..." Almya trailed off for a minute, examining all the data. "Well, looks like you're going to have a very smooth pregnancy, Twilight. You're all done. Would you like a lolly pop?"

Twilight laughed and rolled her eyes. "No, thank you. Lets just get to work. Can you patch me through to Rarity please?" She asked.

"Alright." Almya said happily as she disappeared back into the holoprojector. The personal com rang, and a familiar voice came on.

"Hello?" Rarity said, her tone just as posh and Canterlotian as ever.

"Hello Rarity! It's been such a long time! How have you been?" Twilight asked Happily, glad to hear her friends voice again.

Rarity gave a gasp as she spoke again."Twilight! Darling! It's been ages! How is everything over in Canterlot? Still working on those... weapons?"

Twilight giggled lightly and nodded. "We're all caught up on our weapons quota. How are you doing with Bill? Still working on armor for the royal guard?"

Rarity giggled excitedly. "Oh we're smashing! We managed to engineer the same shield system from their armor. Now our Royal Guard and police forces will have the best protection. I do have to get back to work, but do send my regards to Nathan and Cam, would you?"

"I will Rarity. Take good care of yourself, okay?" Twilight asked her friend.

Rarity chuckled. "I will. Ta ta, Dear."

The line clicked off and Twilight reclined in her chair. Almya, knowing the call was over, came back out of the holoprojector and smiled at her caretaker. "It's good to keep in touch with old friends. You should take the day off and spend some time with them all."

Twilight frowned. The would be a lovely idea, but what if something were to happen while they were picnicing on the grass? There was no time to relax while the galaxy was at war and that was something Twilight came to realize pretty quickly when the Covenant first showed up.

"War time doesn't allow days off." Twilight said flatly, putting her hooves up to her face from the mental exhaustion of it all.

Almya gave Twilight a sideways look, still keeping a small smile. "You sound more and more like Nathan each day." She chided, shaking her head. "Don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing..."

Twilight ignored the comment and got back to her work. Hopefully all the devices they built wouldn't have to be used at all. It was a dream she knew wouldn't be fulfilled.

Laurence had donned the new MJOLNIR powered assault armor for the first time. It was like nothing he'd ever worn before. The sheer power, the raw strength of it. His PSI armor was like pots and pans glued together. But this? This suit was a work of art and it showed. His team had no problem adjusting to their new equipment either. They wore it proudly as they strutted through the halls of the Stealth Ship.

The four Spartans walked to the bridge, stopping at the doors as the AI processed their identifications. Once they were cleared, the door hissed open and the Spartans strolled in, giving the Captain a salute.

"Ma'am!" They all said in unison. Captain Alison Meen saluted back with her one arm.

"Welcome to my ship, Spartans. We just arrived if you care to see it." She stated, gesturing to the view port. The Spartans stepped forward and stared at the virgin planet before them. No city lights, no large, sprawling metropolises. It was as peaceful and unpopulated as could be.

"Ma'am? I'm getting plasma readings from this region of the planet." One of the crewman stated, pointing to the section of the planet on screen. The Captain smiled, knowing that they had found their targets. This mission was going to be the simplest mission to date.

"That's where the traitors are." She turned back to the Spartans. "We have drop pods waiting. Kill anyone in your way. No holding back."

The Spartans nodded and ran for the hanger at top speed. Laurence knew his team was up for this, but they still had their objections.

"Hey Laurence. Looks like we get to kill our brother." Gary said flatly.

Laurence shrugged nonchalantly as he and the others turned down one of the halls. "He stopped being our brother the minute he betrayed the UNSC." He said quietly.

Selina pipped in with her high, feminine voice. "Why would he do that? He loved the military. He seemed like a loyal Spartan to the end."

"What could have changed him?" Sharif asked in his Arabian accent. Laurence shrugged again, not enjoying or caring about the conversation.

"Don't know, but lets just take them down and be done with it." Laurence said halfheartedly. He didn't want to admit it, but killing another human just felt off to him. He had been fighting the Covenant for far too long.

Pushing his thoughts aside, Laurence led his soldiers to the drop pods in the back of the hanger. The Spartans saddled up, strapped in, and dropped feet first into hell.

That gray area

Chapter 4: That gray area
Planet Equis October 5, 2552
01232

Twilight shot up from her desk when the cloud sensors were tripped. She galloped over to the control console and saw four objects, falling fast.

"General alert!" Shining Armors voice came over the com. "All hooves! Man your stations!"

Twilight shot up and began wiping her documents. "Almya, purge data, now!"

"On it, ma'am!" She said quickly.

Nathan was on the other side of the hanger, inspecting weapons with Cam when the alarm sounded. They both looked to one another, then ran for the lockers. They flung them open and began to don their armor, with the help of Unicorn scientists of course.

Twilight ran in the locker room as they had finished getting ready. "Well, looks like you guys didn't need any incentive to get ready." She said with a smile.

"What do we have?" Nathan asked, putting on his helmet. She frowned.

"We have four objects coming down fast. Take a look." She held up her hoof held video screen and showed him a snap shot of the objects. Nathan recognized them instantly.

"Drop pods?" He blurted. Cam stood and looked at the screen.

"What the hell is the UNSC doing back here? And why aren't they sending a diplomat? They're just putting soldiers on the field? This goes against every regulation in the book."

"They're invading!" Nathan shouted angrily. He ran out of the room, grabbing some of the original Covenant weapons still in stock.

Nathan ran for Twilight's office and placed his gauntlet on the holopad Almya jumped into the chip in his head and sighed happily.

"It's been a long time since I was in here." She chuckled. Nathan ran out the room, followed by Cam and jumped into one of the experimental craft.

It hummed to life, lifting a foot off the ground. Twilight ran over and smiled up at him. He removed his helmet and leaned down to her.

"Come back safe, Nathan. That's an order." She kissed him hard on the lips.

He nodded and put his helmet back on. "I promise." Nathan and Cam hit the clutch and zoomed off into the direction the drop pods.

Laurence felt the pods shoot open and slam hard into the ground. He activated the explosive bolts and the door flew free.

Laurence dove free and ran forward as bright balls of red and green plasma erupted the earth around him. He dove behind a rock as his teammates ran up on his position.

"Forward stationary guns, guys. Lets see what this armor can do." Laurence said happily. They nodded and burst from the cover.

They ran at fifty miles per hour, nearly double the speed their old armor could handle. Laurence rolled as a plasma mortar landed just a few feet away.

What would have drained his old shield system instantly, barely left a mark. The new armor worked like a charm!

Laurence dove into the encampment, Battle Rifle poised. He shot the gunner, but a shield system deflected the bullets.

"These bastards have shields too?" Selina yelled. Gary grabbed her and rolled as another mortar detonated a few feet from her previous position.

"Keep shooting!" Laurence yelled. The creatures ran forward, clutching plasma weapons in their mouths, and some gripped them with nothing. They just floated around them.

Laurence and the others decided the only way to end this was with a good old fashioned fist fight. He dove at the gunner in the turret and threw him to the ground. He stomped the stallion, taking it's shields down, then shot it in the head.

The other stallions fired on him and his team furiously, but his shields held strong.

Gary was about to break a Pegasus's neck, when something fell on him from above. Laurence whirled to see a man clad in green armor, the bright Security helmet glistening in the sunlight.

Nathan!

Laurence fired on him with his BR, his armor blocking the recoil. Nathan rolled and shot his dual wielded plasma rifles at him.

"Almya, link me to his com system!" Nathan yelled, taking a BR shot to his head. Luckily the shields took it.

"I'm in." She said. Nathan spoke.

"Stand down, soldier! Now!"

Laurence tackled Nathan to the dirt, but Nathan tucked into it, kicking him off. "I said stand down! NOW!" He yelled one last time. Laurence didn't listen.

"You are under arrest by order of the UNSC on grounds of treason!"

Nathan knew that voice. "Spartan G399. Laurence, right?" He asked. Laurence hesitated but quickly recovered grabbing Nathan's head and throwing him to the ground. Nathan grabbed Laurence's arm and smashed him to the ground as well.

Laurence threw a punch, but Nathan grabbed his arm and locked his gauntlet. Frustrated, he threw another, only to have the same thing happen. Nathan stood, wrapped his arm around the Spartan's neck and locked it in place, closing the mans windpipe enough so he wouldn't fight back.

Gary, Selina, and Sharif aimed at Nathan, but he kept himself behind Laurence the whole time.

"Let him go, traiter!" Sharif yelled. Nathan smiled in his helmet.

"Ah, Spartan G354. How's it been Sharif?"

"Do as he says!" Selina yelled back to him.

"Spartan G221. Selina." Nathan said nodding.

"And I'm Spartan G190. Gary! Whoopee! Now that we're all reacquainted, how about you put him down, accept your arrest, and hand over the other two!"

Nathan laughed. "I didn't know my Spartans turned into invaders! Tell me, how does it feel to be no better than the Covenant?" He asked.

Laurence shouted and tried to break free, but Nathan clamped his arm around the man tighter. Nathan leaned in and whispered in his ear.

"You were always a terrible fighter, Larry! You shouldn't have come here."

The ponies came over and surrounded them all. Selina, Gary and Sharif went back to back holding their weapons at the ready.

"Tell your men to stand down now, Spartan, and we'll let you live." Nathan ordered. Laurence remained silent.

"Ah, fuck this!" Selina yelled. She began to fire her weapon, the bullets pinged off the shields of the ponies in front of her.

"Bad idea!" A voice said from above. She looked up to see Cam jump on her and tackle her to the ground. They rolled twenty feet and came to a stop in a mud puddle. He landed with his knee in her back and her face down in the puddle.

"Hello, Selina. Still fucking sloppy as always!" He goaded. She let out a frustrated scream and tried to roll away, but was unsuccessful as well.

Sharif and Gary put their weapons to the ground and put their hands up. Nathan pushed Laurence to the ground.

He stood, about to challenge Nathan, but Nathan pointed an M6D pistol at his face.

Laurence smiled. "My shields will just deflect it." He challenged. Nathan smiled and waved a power cell in his face.

"Not without this." He laughed.

Laurence checked his HUD, and to his surprise, the shield bar was gone, as well as radar, and health monitors.

"You're sloppy, kid. You could stand to learn a thing or two about what it takes to be a soldier!"

He finished by punching Laurence in the head, knocking him out cold. Nathan looked over to the others and removed his helmet.

"You are now prisoners of Princess Celestia. I hope your punishment is as severe as your crimes." Nathan said coldly. They looked to one another and shifted.

"Get them to the Phantom!" he said loudly. The Royal guards nodded and guided the Spartan captors to the transport. Cam walked over to Nathan and took off his helmet.

"Jesus, even our own brothers are against us." He said rubbing his head in frustration. Nathan kicked the dirt.

"Yeah, well, they stopped being our brothers when they betrayed us..."

Those you thought you knew

Chapter 5: Those you thought you knew
October 5, 2552 Detention center
1453 hours

The Spartans armor was removed and they were all shoved into a hijacked Covenant detention center. The plasma barriers fell, sealing them inside. Nathan, Cam and Twilight walked out of the room and back into the bustling military base.

"Why did they attack us? I thought they were on our side!" Twilight asked astonished. She still couldn't figure out how they knew Nathan, Cam and Bill were still alive either. Nathan shrugged.

"Doesn't matter at this point. I'm just glad they suck miserably at fighting, otherwise we'd be dead."

Twilight gulped. She couldn't understand how Nathan was always so calm during these types of situations. Then again, she wasn't used to death being her tea buddy. She rolled her eyes and shook her head at his calm attitude.

Nathan frowned as they walked past those other Spartan's armor. He walked over and inspected the devices carefully. They were each their own separate colors. Laurence's green, Selina's Pink, Garry's black, and Sharif's red. The visor was a tiny slit, the mouth guard covering 80% of the face plate. The rest of it was something to behold as well. The plates were all smooth and even, as apposed to the rough bumps and indents in Nathan's. The black mesh was replaced by some sort of flexible metal. He had no idea what it was.

These weren't normal suits of armor.

"We need to have a chat with our guests. But, we'll let the shock of their capture sink in."

Twilight looked up and her fiance' and sighed. "Can we talk?" She asked. He and Cam both stopped and looked at her. She rolled her eyes. "Alone?"

They both stood still. "Without you, Cam?" Cam gave a nod.

"Oh, sorry." He said. He nodded to Nathan and strolled off. Twilight led Nathan down an empty hall and sat him down on the floor, taking a seat next to him.

"Nathan, I want to talk about our future."

Nathan half smiled and nodded. "Alright. What is it you want to talk about?"

She gulped. "Well, when the baby arrives, I was hoping you'd hang up your armor for good."

Nathan stared at her wide eyed. What if someone attacked the planet? What if they tried to take her away from him?

What if they killed her?

Twilight saw him in thought mode and put a hoof on his shoulder.

"We have more than enough guards to protect the planet, and well..." She looked away and frowned lightly. Nathan knew what was going on. She was afraid of loosing him. And with a child on the way, well, retirement seemed like the best course of action. For her sake.

"After we find out what this is all about, I promise I'll put my old life behind me. I'll settle down and help you raise the child, okay?"

Twilight smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Alright. I'm glad you understand." She said happily.

She stood and Nathan did the same. "I just hope we can find out answers to this." He said, sounding more unsure by the minute. Twilight nodded in agreement.

"I know. Me too."

Laurence paced his cell for the hundredth time, his Spartans staring at him in frustration. Gary stood and punched at the shield door across the room.

"Do you mind, Sir? You're pacing is getting a little tedious!" He shouted, sitting back down. Laurence exhaled explosively and slid down the purple walls.

"How in the fuck did this species pull all this off?" He asked astonished. "This is all Covenant tech! How'd they get it to work?"

Sharif shrugged. "Well, they do have three Spartans who know quite a bit about Covenant technology. Maybe they helped them set it up."

"What about their weapons?" Selina pointed out. "They looked Covenant, but not." She said trailing off.

"Reverse engineered?" Sharif pointed out.

Laurence shrugged. "If so, then this species could be more of a threat to us than we realize. Who knows what could happen if they figure out space travel."

"So we quell the uprising before it happens?" Gary asked. Laurence shrugged.

"I guess. For the good of the UNSC and the human race."

Sharif snorted. "A lot of good we'll be in here." He spat. Laurence sighed again.

"True. Well, we'll just have to-"

He was cut off when the prison's doors parted, and Nathan and a purple unicorn strolled in.

The Spartans looked at the pair in anger.

"You four aren't doing anything of the sort. You think that they are the bad guys, you're wrong. So I'm going to talk to each of you, one by one. I expect you to answer me, or my partner here will be more than happy to preform a memory spell."

They all looked at the purple unicorn, who's nose was wrinkled in anger and horn glowing. They looked to one another, then back to Nathan.

"Selina? You're first." He said, lifting the shield on her cell. She walked out and was instantly cuffed by Twilight.

"For every ponies safety. You understand."

Selina nodded and followed Nathan and Twilight down the halls. She received hard stares from the Stallion guards who passed her by, knowing what her and her team did to one of their own.

Nathan opened a heavy metal door. One light hung over the metal table and chair. Nathan pushed Selina into the chair and sat opposite of her.

"Tell me why you're here." Nathan said flatly. She turned away and folded her arms across her chest.

"It's classified."

Nathan slammed his fists on the metal desk, denting it. Twilight recoiled in surprise.

"Don't give me that!" He said loudly. He then threw her helmet onto the table. "What kind of armor system is this?"

"It's classified." She retorted. Twilight tensed, expecting the same reaction from him, but he just smiled and placed his M6D on the table.

"I'm going to ask you one last time. What are you doing here, and what kind of armor is this?"

She gulped and looked at the gun, then back to him. "I- we... It's-"

He cut her off and fired the gun right past her head. She screamed and Twilight took a step back out of fear.

"Do you really want to say, 'It's classified' again, Selina?"

She began shaking uncontrollably. "W-w-we were sent to bring you in a-and w-w-we're testing the Mark VII a-armor." She said, barely holding back the tears.

"You're team has always been sloppy." He goaded. She shifted and slumped in her seat. He went on, pulling out a file Almya had printed out for him. He threw the pictures on the table one by one.

"You see the carnage of these victories?" He asked. She gazed at the pictures. Covenant camps burning and Covenant corpses piled into rows upon rows, waiting to be burned. Marines standing around happily with the Spartans, celebrating their victory.

"These are the victories of me and my men." He said quietly. "Do you want to see yours and your teams?"

She gulped and nodded. Nathan threw an empty folder on the table and she frowned.

"You have none, soldier. You and your team have no victory. Your assaults? Sloppy. Your strategies? Non-existent. I can't even begin to imagine why you four were chosen."

Selina slammed her fists down as well, leaving her own tiny dents in it. "At least we didn't betray the UNSC!" She shouted.

Nathan laughed. "You think our decision was that of betrayal? You think we're 'aiding an unknown, possibly hostile species'? You don't know the full extent of what my men and I have been through, do you?"

Twilight gave him a quizzical stare as he threw down the next folder, the pictures spilling out. It showed the flood, the people who had been turned, and the corpse of the Gravemind.

Selina put a hand to her face at the creatures in the picture before her. Nathan picked them back up and leaned in close to her.

"I can tell you've never seen anything like that. Let me just say what I've been through in that battle. I lost two of my men, Shelly and Issac, and I nearly lost my sanity and my life. Me and my remaining men retired. It may not have been an official way, but it was the only way a Spartan can exit the fight."

"By playing dead?" She asked angrily. "You have a duty to the UNSC! You can't just exit the war when we need all the soldiers we can get! And not just any soldiers. We need you..." She trailed off.

Nathan looked down to Twilight who sighed and quickly walked out the door. Nathan nodded to Selina and followed her.

"Twilight? Are you okay?" He asked. She looked up and sighed.

"No. How did I know they wanted you back in the war? And what in Celestia's name was that?!" She asked angrily. Nathan shifted uneasily

"Sorry, Twi... Just interrogating, that's all." He said apologetically. Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Your idea of interrogating is pretty gruesome, you know that? You shot at her!" She protested.

Nathan shook his head. "I didn't shoot at her, I shot next to her. There's a big difference." Twilight got an angry look on her face.

"Sometimes, I don't even know who you are! I just-"

She suddenly backed away and clutched her stomach, moaning in pain. Nathan hastily grabbed her hoof and looked her over.

"Twilight? What's wrong?" He asked nervously. She gave him a cringed look and tried to force a smile.

"I-it's fine. It's just the baby." She said waving him away. Nathan shook his head.

"No it's not. Come on. Let's get you back to your office."

Almya turned her head quickly as Nathan burst in with Twilight in his arms. She stood quickly and walked over.

"Is everything alright?" She asked. Nathan put Twilight on the couch and lowered the machine onto her stomach. He turned to Almya and frowned.

"Start a scan. I want to see what's going on."

Almya nodded and activated the device. An image popped on the screen of the still growing fetus. Almya studied it carefully. "Hmm. It's heart rate has elevated, and it seems to be... shifting. What could cause this?"

"Could it be caused by stress?" Nathan asked quickly. Almya shrugged.

"Unknown. But it could be a safe bet. Twilight?" Almya said turning to the unicorn. Twilight looked at her with pained eyes. "I need you to take deep, relaxed breaths, alright?"

Twilight nodded and began to breath in large, rhythmic breaths. Almya looked back at the screen and smiled.

"Alright, things seem to be going back to normal. Twilight, I think it would be a good idea if you took a few days off." Almya said. She put a holographic hand on her shoulders and smiled. "Doctors orders."

Twilight nodded. She didn't need to argue with that. She had been wanting to take some time off anyway for other reasons. She nodded to her AI. "Alright. If the Doctor ordered it."

Twilight shakily stood, Nathan helping her the entire time. Almya smiled at the two and stood. "You two should go back home. Get some rest. You had quite the day and I think it'd do you both some good."

Nathan nodded and ran a hand through Twilight's mane. "Let's go home, sweetheart. I'll make you a nice dinner. Sound good?"

She smiled. "Sounds good." She said happily. They left the office and shut off the lights. "Goodnight, Almya!" They called out in unison. She smiled and laid on the table, twiddling her thumbs.

"Ah, what it's like to be in love." She sang, shutting down for the night.

Deceptive war machine

Chapter 6: Deceptive war machine
October 5, 2552
Installation 05: 'Delta' Halo
Sacred Icon chamber

"Johnson? Are you alright?" Miranda called out. She looked over at the man, knocked out cold. "Johnson!"

The Arbiter seized the moment. He jumped from his cover and slapped the SMG's from her hands. He hesitated, unsure what to do next, as a field enveloped her, knocking her out cold.

The Arbiter followed her body to see Tartarus grab her out of the air, taking the Sacred Icon from her belt. He smiled over to the Arbiter, but it was a smile of deceit.

"Excellent work, Arbiter." He bellowed. "The hierarchcs will be pleased." The Arbiter shook his head at Tartarus as more brutes came from the shadows. He clutched his wound tightly and stepped forward.

"The Icon... is my responsibility." He protested. Tartarus chuckled.

"Was your responsibility." He snorted. "Now it is mine. A bloody fate awaits you and your incompetent race. And I, Tartarus, Chieftain of the Brutes, will send you to it!" He bellowed. The Brutes around him cheered. The Arbiter felt smaller and smaller by the second.

"When the Prophets learn of this, they will have your head!" He protested. Tartarus aimed the Gravity hammer in the Arbiters direction and smiled.

"When they learn? Fool. They ordered me to do it!" He squeezed the shaft of his Gravity hammer. A large pulse came out, knocking the Arbiter off the ledge into the pit below.

Truth turned his head as Tartarus returned with the Icon, and a reluctant Miranda and Johnson in tow. The Prophets looked to one another, then back to the humans. 343 Guilty Spark, who had been suspended in a beam, turned towards the two and let out a chirp of amusement.

"Ah, Reclaimers! I see you have the Index. We must hurry to the control room before the Flood destroy all!" He said with a little bit of urgency.

Truth held up a hand to silence the monitor and floated towards the humans in his midst. "One thing that is most regrettable about you filth, is that you seem to have the magic touch when it comes to activating the objects of our lords. That is a secret that will die with both of you, though."

Mercy strolled over now and scoffed at the pair. "You humans are weak. It is a blessing you were left behind when they ascended into Gods. For we had the pleasure of slowly eradicating your existence from their worlds!"

Johnson scoffed. "Yeah, I'm sure they'd be thrilled you burned their worlds to glass!" He spit. Mercy waved a hand.

"It is their will that you were destroyed, no matter the price."

Johnson frowned. He hoped he'd get to him, but it seems that their belief had an answer for everything. He turned to Miranda and shrugged.

"Tartarus. I want you to take the female and the oracle to the temple. There she can start our journey. Your Brutes can take the male to the rest of the prisoners for execution. Tell them to make it slow." He finished, smiling down at Johnson.

Johnson stuck his tongue out in a childish manner as they were walked down the halls out of the chamber. Truth turned to Mercy.

"Let us go, Mercy. We have our Covenant to address."

Before they left, however, he whispered into his mic to Tartarus. "Has your fleet been sent to that back water cesspit?" He hissed. Tartarus grunted.

"Yes, holy one. They will be their in a day."

Truth smiled then left the chambers with an unaware Mercy in tow.

Nathan opened the door to their room and let Twilight in first. She groggily walked inside and sat on the couch. And, sure enough, she instantly opened a folder filled with her work. Nathan rolled his eyes, not even going to attempt to argue with her.

"What do you want for dinner?" He asked her from the kitchen. She looked up and shrugged.

"Anything is good to me. Oh, wait! Could you make me a dandelion sandwich? I've been craving one all day." She said, slumping in the couch in anticipation of the meal.

Nathan smiled. "Already getting cravings, huh?" He asked. She nodded and let out a loud 'mhmm'. He made the sandwich, making an extra just in case and lit the fireplace. He went over to the couch and was quickly snuggled up to by Twilight.

"Thanks." She said happily. He kissed her head and picked up his M6D pistol, taking it apart in seconds and started to clean it. She watched in awe as he cleaned the firing mechanism and then reassemble the gun in lightning speed, then as he took his helmet and started to clean that as well.

Could she really stop him from being a soldier completely? He was born a soldier. It wasn't like he could just hang his armor up for good. And after what happened with the other Spartans, it was just a wake up call to him that he couldn't leave his old life behind. She snuggled up closer and held him tight.

"Can I ask you something?" She said. He nodded. "What do you think of this pregnancy?"

He sighed loudly, unsure of what to make of it. "Well, it's unexpected, that's for sure. Not to mention it doesn't seem physically possible... But I couldn't be happier."

"Really?" She asked hoping he was sure.

He nodded. "Absolutely. I can't wait till the day I can be called dad."

She smiled, almost tearing as she cuddled as close as she physically could. "Lets invite our friends over tomorrow. I want to see them all again."

"Sounds reasonable." Nathan said nodding. He looked down when she didn't answer to see she was sound asleep. He looked at the plate where the second dandelion sandwich sat. Curiosity got the best of him. He grabbed it and took a small bite. He chewed once, twice, and then nodded.

"Not bad..." He said quietly, munching the rest of it down. Once finished, he placed his head on the back of the couch and slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Hello?" Gary yelled. "Hey, we're hungry here!" he bellowed across the prison block.

A couple minutes later, ten guards came in. Four of them levitated plates with bread and cups with water to the captive humans, all the while having weapons pointed at them in case they tried to attack.

Laurence turned as a large stallion pushed a small mare forward. She lacked wings and a horn like the others and didn't seem like she'd pose a threat to anyone at all. She looked unsure and gave Laurence a sideways glance. The stallion cleared his throat.

"Go on, Private! Don't be a coward. Give him his food!"

She squeaked lightly as he pushed her forward. She placed the tray on the floor and quickly backed away. One of the guards, feeling devious, locked the cell door before she could escaped the human. She screamed lightly and pressed herself in the corner as Laurence continued to stare at her.

"Have fun!" They yelled, running away.

"P-p-please. Don't hurt me." She said quietly, shutting her eyes tight and shaking like a leaf. Laurence cocked a head and studied her. She was a light gray color with a light yellow mane. She was small and her big emerald eyes could have held the moon and its entirety.

"I won't hurt you." He said quietly, turning away. She opened her eye and peaked at him. She stared at him curiously. He was tall. Much taller than she was. He had pale white skin and his eyes, something about his eyes spoke to her. They were hard and dangerous, but when she stared into them, she could see the kind hearted soul that tried to make itself known.

"W-what's your name?" She asked curiously. She recoiled when he glared at her. He let out a chuckle and shook his head.

"Why do you care?" He asked.

"I don't. W-well I mean I d-do. But, not like that... I mean, not in an interested way, like..." She let out a squeak, her cheeks turning crimson. Laurence smiled.

"Laurence." He said, taking a bite of the bread in front of him. The mare turned and smiled.

"S-Star Trot." She said shakily, walking up and extending a hoof. He ignored it and she pulled back, blushing in embarrassment. She sat three feet in front of him, rubbing one foreleg against the other. Laurence looked out at the prison block. The other guards either forgot about her, or they didn't care what happened to her. Then he got an idea. A deviously crafty idea.

What would it take to get her on our side...?

"Seems like your friends don't care what happens to you, huh? Locking you up with a dangerous alien?" He asked, trying to hit a sweet spot. She pulled back and sighed.

"N-no. They're just playing around." She tried to rationalize. He shook his head and stood over her. She began to shake.

"I'm sure they know what I'm capable of. If I wanted to I could break you neck in a second." He leaned into her face. She gulped and tears etched trenches on her cheeks. He smiled and sat in front of her.

"But I would never do that to someone as sweet as you."

She sat up and blushed, wiping away the tears. "R-really? You aren't going to hurt me?"

He waved a hand. "Oh, of course not. After all, if you were part of my team, I'd never let anyone or anything hurt you." He knew he had her by the look on her face.

"Why'd you even join the military if they're just going to treat you like that?" He asked. "You clearly don't have a horn of wings like the others. Is that why they treat you so poorly?"

She cringed. "M-my father is high up in the Royal Guard. He was a unicorn who fell in love with an Earth pony. He expected to have a unicorn child as well, a son. But he was... doubly disappointed. He got an Earth pony daughter. He was ashamed, but he still wanted me to join the military. He never... treated me right." She cringed at the last part and began to tear.

"What'd he do?" He asked curiously. She began to cry and curl into a ball.

Did he...

He looked at all the signs. She was shy, very withdrawn, and didn't like talking about family matters. She was abused...

"Star Trot... did he..." Laurence began. She nodded and sobbed louder. Laurence couldn't help but feel remorse for the poor mare. He hesitated for a second, then placed a hand on her arm and stroked it.

She couldn't suppress the feeling she was getting from his touch. His hands were so soft, and the pressure he applied was somewhat firm, yet more comforting than she had ever felt. She looked up at him and quickly hugged him.

Laurence was a little taken aback. He had never been hugged before. It was alien to him. He felt her tears dampen his prison shirt and her sobbing breaths on his chest.

"Y-you're the first one I've ever told... Please... you have to help me!" She pleaded. Laurence looked down at her.

"What about your mother? Doesn't she know?" He asked. She shook her head.

"M-my mother died a couple years ago. That's when he started..." She stopped and began to shake.

"Started raping you..." Laurence said with a hint of anger in his voice. She nodded. This was going smoother than he thought.

"If you can get me out of here, I'll make sure he can never hurt you again." Laurence said, kind of hugging her back. She sobbed again.

"Kill the monster! Kill him for what he did to me..."

Laurence looked out to see his team staring through their cells. They had heard the whole exchange. Gary was leaning against the wall, rubbing his temples with a thumb and pointer, Sharif shook his head, and Selina wiped a tear away.

Laurence turned when he heard the guards return, laughing loudly. Star Trot let go and backed away. A green unicorn walked up to door and opened it.

"Come on, Private. Lets get home." He said loudly, still laughing, the stench of alcohol on his breath.

"C-coming...Daddy." She said quietly. The stallion slapped her rump and rubbed it sensually, placing his hoof in the crease between her thighs, grinning deviously as he did. She shut her eyes tight, a silent tear trickling down.

That son of a...

Laurence shot forward, grabbing the unicorns arm and snapping it clean. He yelled in pain as Laurence threw him across the room. The other guards held up their weapons and fired.

Laurence charged them fast, knocking them all to the ground. He kicked and punched each one in the head, knocking them out cold.

He turned to the corner where he'd thrown that sick bastard. The stallion cradled his arm, wincing in pain.

"You stupid Alien! Do you think you can get away with this?!" He yelled. Laurence ran forward, wrapping his hands around the monsters throat.

"Do you think you can get away with what you've done to your own daughter, you animal?!" Laurence shouted, spitting in his face.

"Bu- wha- how?" He then turned to his daughter who was turned away, hiding behind her short blond mane. He had hate in his eyes. "You little bi-"

Laurence slammed the stallion into the wall again, causing him to yell in pain. Laurence had fire in his eyes now.

"You don't EVER talk to her again! Ever! Star Trot? Open the cells. Get my team out."

She nodded and pressed the buttons to each cell, the Spartans ran out, retrieving the weapons from the unconscious soldiers.

"Traitor!" He hissed at his daughter. She gave him an angry stare. Laurence squeezed the stallions throat tight.

"My face shall be the last you ever see!" He hissed. The stallion was about to protest, when Laurence snapped his spine. He let the body go and it fell to the floor with a thump.

He turned back to Star Trot, who had a blank look on her face. He went over and put his hands on her shoulder.

"Come with us." He said simply.

"What?" She and the other Spartans asked in unison.

"Yeah! Come with us! We could use someone as brave and helpful as you. What do you say?" He asked. She looked around to the others and smiled.

"Yeah... Yeah! I will!" She said happily. Laurence grinned.

"Good. Go get some of that shielded armor and we'll get ours." He said standing back up. She nodded and ran out of the room.

"Lets move Spartans!" He yelled. They all nodded and ran out of the cell block. Laurence smiled deviously.

I'll show you who's the better Spartan, Nathan. You'll see soon enough!

Return

Chapter 7: Return
Covenant Cruiser: Heart of Warriors
October 6,2552 0800

High Chieftan T'dor Oluum sat in the captains chair in his new Super Carrier, looking down at the body of the former Sangheili ship master. He scoffed and kicked it down the ramp, eliciting loud laughs from the Jiralhanae.

"How much further, my Lord?" One of the Brutes asked, throwing the body of another Elite to the ground, taking its place at the navigation console. T'dor scowled.

"A few hours at most, brother." He said slumping in the chair out of boredom, twirling the Gravity hammer in his hand.

"When we get there, are we to try and reactivate the sacred device?" Another Brute asked.

The Chieftan smiled. "No. We are to kill as many of the unholy filth as we can before we ascend on the Great Journey!" He bellowed. They all cheered and celebrated, knowing that their time to rise was at hand.

The Elites were now unworthy to continue to serve in the Covenant and the Brutes now held the power, all the glorious power as the head warriors to the Prophets. They would lead the path to the Great Journey. But for now? They would put fear into an entire planet before their ascension.

Nathan sighed at the scene before him. The Spartan captives had broken free, sending 9 guards to the hospital, and leaving one dead. Twilight walked beside him, examining the scene. She saw the blood stains that littered the purple floor and cringed. It was a miracle no one had died.

Well, not everyone...

Nathan bent down and examined the corpse. His arm was broken and his neck was snapped clean from his skull. Nathan frowned and shut the unicorns eyes.

"What was his name?" Nathan asked the lead investigator. The Stallion flipped open his notebook and read the name.

"Uh, Major Solar Trot, Sir. He headed the guard here."

Nathan leaned in curiously, examining every inch of the dead stallion. He put his helmet on and activated the IR scan and traced the body. The dead stallions hoof glowed white. He waved his hand to one of the medical examiners, who quickly trotted over.

"Swab and chemical." Nathan said simply. The orange unicorn pulled out a cotton swob, container and chemical from his bag.

"What did you find?" Twilight asked. He shrugged.

"Don't know..." Nathan said trailing off.

Nathan swabbed the hoof and dripped the solution on the tip of the swab. It came back light blue.

Fluids?

Nathan put the swab in the pouch on his side and continued the investigation. "Are all the guards accounted for?" He asked.

The investigator shook his head. "Actually, no. One of the guards reported that we are missing a... Private Star Trot."

Nathan frowned. "Any idea on her whereabouts?" He asked, knowing full well of the answer. He shook his head.

"None, sir."

Nathan stood and left without another word, Twilight on his heels. She looked up at him curiously.

"Do you want to tell me what you found?" She asked with a hint of frustration.

"A motive." Nathan said simply. Twilight shook her head.

"A motive? Why would the Spartans need a motive to kill a guard while breaking out? They probably just killed him because he got in the way."

Nathan looked down at her. "No. They left the others alive, only knocking them out. Why did they only kill him?"

Twilight shrugged. He did have a point about that. She opened the door to her office, Almya pacing back and fourth.

She turned as they came in and jumped forward. "What did you find out?! Do you know where they are?" She asked quickly.

Nathan took the swab out and placed it in the machine behind her. "I want you to do a DNA scan on this and run it against this sample." He said, putting another DNA sample in the slot opposite.

"Ooookay. It'll take a minute..." She said trailing off. Nathan went over to the desk and sat down, inserting the security recordings from last night in one of his helmet's slots.

Nathan sped up the tape, getting to the correct time. He saw eleven guards walk into the cell, but only ten leave. They left Star Trot in the cell with Laurence!

What in the fuck were they thinking?

He sped up the video to when the guards return. He saw Star Trot leave the cell and her father began to...

Oh my God...

All at once Laurence shot out of the cell, slamming her father into the far wall. He took the other guards down easily enough, then killed Star Trot's father. He watched as she opened all the cells and left with them.

Nathan took the chip out and threw it to the ground in frustration. He wasn't so frustrated that they escaped, he was angry about the situation. He threw his helmet off and ran a hand threw his hair. What the Major had done... to his own daughter! He knew now why Laurence killed that bastard.

Laurence always had a soft spot for women. He never wanted to see one hurt. He nearly died on an opp saving a certain marine lieutenant. She had gotten herself surrounded by a jackal squad.

Needless to say the kid could barely handle jackals, but he did manage to save her.

Twilight walked over and put a hoof on his arm. "Anything you want to share with me?" She asked.

"Our Major was a rapist..." He said coldly. Twilight stepped back, putting her hoof to her mouth. She was about to speak when Almya cleared her throat.

"I got the results. They're-"

"From two related ponies. Father and daughter?" He said, causing Almya to raise a brow.

"Gross, but yes." She said with a shudder. "Poor girl..."

Nathan grabbed his helmet and left the room. "Where are you going?" Twilight called out. He shrugged.

"To find our guests." He called back, sliding the helmet back over his head.

They had been running through the woods all night. Laurence could barely breath, and he figured his Spartans were having the same problem.

But he wasn't concerned about them, he was concerned about the frightened mare at his side. He knew she had been struggling the entire trip. She wasn't used to this kind of physical endurance, even in this planets military. He watched as she ran by his side the entire way, never faltering, never missing a beat.

He admired that, and it was time to reward her for her effort.

"Alright, we'll rest here for now." Laurence called out to his team. The Spartans and Star Trot sunk to the ground and took a well deserved break.

"Gary? I want you to find some firewood. Selina and Sharif? Get some supplies to make a shelter."

"Yes sir!" The three shouted in unison, fanning out in all directions. Laurence removed his helmet and took a seat next to the exhausted mare.

"Are you feeling okay?" He asked her. She smiled up at him and nodded.

"Yeah. I'm feeling better than I have in years. Thank you for doing what you did." She said, hugging him again. Laurence smiled and returned it.

"No problem, ma'am." He said happily. She laid down and looked up at the dawn. It was that moment in the morning when the sky was just turning blue, but you could still see every star in the heavens.

"I love this time of morning!" She said happily. "It's so beautiful!"

Laurence laid down and looked up. "Yeah. It is pretty cool." He said. Star Trot rolled over and smiled at him.

"You're nothing like everypony made you out to be. You're really... sweet." She said snuggling closer.

"Sweet, huh?" He asked. "How so?" She giggled and went on.

"Well, to go out of your way and save me like that. I didn't think I mattered to you..." She trailed off. Laurence chuckled.

"You were in danger with him. When I saw him touch you like that..." This time Laurence trailed off. She put her hoof in his hand and smiled.

"So, what is it like to be a super soldier?" She asked changing the subject. He shrugged.

"Well, it's no different than being anything else. It's what I was bred for. It's what I've been my entire life, so I really don't know how to describe it."

She smiled and moved closer. "Well, at what point did you become so sweet?" She giggled. He shrunk a little bit, but kept his smile.

"When I decided that someone in need should never be ignored. You were in trouble and I did something about it."

She grinned wider and yawned, getting as close as she possibly could to the Spartan at her side. "Thank you for everything..." She said trailing off.

"Don't mention it." He said, looking down at her. She was sound asleep, snuggled up to his arm. Laurence smiled and rubbed a hand through her mane.

He heard the others come back but didn't move from his predicament. He didn't want to risk waking her.

They entered the camp and nodded to their leader, lookinb back down at their guest.

"How is she?" Sharif asked, placing some wood and leaves on the ground. Laurence shrugged.

"Better. Why don't you build us a fire." He said. Sharif nodded and got to work.

Selina walked over and sat by Laurence's side. "Seems like shes taken a shinning to you, Sir." She said with a smile. Laurence returned it.

"Yeah. I get that a lot. Wish I could move though." He said looking back down at the gray mare snuggling his arm.

"Well you-"

All eyes shot to the sky as the large boom filled the stillness of the morning. Star Trot shot up and nearly shook herself silly with fear.

"W-w-what is that?!" She yelled frantically. The Spartans clutched their guns tighter and began to back up.

"COVENANT! Spartans! Move now! Go, go, go!" Laurence yelled.

All at once they began to run. They snapped small trees and branches in their wake as they did so. They had to get as far away from the cities as possible. This whole planet was about to die.

"Laurence move!" Gary yelled. Laurence looked up to see a Banshee hot on his tail. He dove to the right as it shot, grabbing Star Trot as he did.

"Phantom! Twelve o'clock high!" Selina yelled, firing on it with her recaptured BR. Laurence held up a hand.

"Save your shots for when those split chin sons of bitches come out!" He ordered. She nodded and they all stopped in their tracks as the Phantom lowered in front of them. The troops inside dove out in droves.

"Those aren't Elites!" Gary yelled frantically. Laurence studied the large apes in front of him. They weren't like anything he'd seen before. They were big, impossibly big. They had thick hides and equally thick armor. One leveled a large circular weapon with a blade on the back and fired.

Sharif ducked as the grenade detonated the tree behind him. Star Trot screamed and covered her face.

"Fire! Kill those bastards!"

All at once the Spartans opened up with everything they had. The Grunts around the Brutes fell easily enough, but the Brutes themselves were built like tanks!

Laurence threw a frag at them. "Eat that, you bastards!" He yelled. The grenade detonated, leaving all brutes unscathed.

"Oh you have got to be-"

"Laurence! Behind you!" Gary yelled.

Laurence turned all to late. A Gravity hammer sent the man flying through the air, partially imbedding him in a tree. Laurence grunted and tried to pull himself out, to no avail.

All his men were pinned down, they couldn't help him. He shut his eyes and waited for the end.

The Brute let out a choking sound and fell to the dirt, clutching at the large combat knife in his neck. Laurence looked up to see the figure run lightning quick, taking the knife and slicing the Brutes throat in the process.

The figure then threw a couple of plasma grenades into the remaining Brutes midst. Each grenade stuck to an individual Brute, who howled in fear, trying to remove the devices in vain. They all went up in a ball of blue light, leaving one last Brute to deal with.

The figure began a fist fight with the last one, dodging each blow with grace and ease. Laurence squinted to see that their savior was non other than the traitor.

Nathan.

Nathan jumped on the Brutes back. It struggled and clawed at him, but finally met its end with a combat knife to the eye. Laurence shakily tried to stand but couldn't.

Nathan walked over and held out a hand. "Looks like you could use one of these, Spartan." He said with a chuckle. Laurence took the hand and nodded.

"T-thanks I guess." He said. Nathan cocked a brow.

"You don't sound to happy to see me." He said sadly. Laurence turned away.

"I don't understand. How could they beat us so easily, even with our new armor?" He asked looking himself over. Nathan laughed loudly.

"Kid, it's not the armor that makes you a good soldier, it's who's wearing it."

Nathan strode over to Star Trot who was cowering in the dirt. "Miss Trot. Are you okay?" He asked quickly helping her up. She nodded and got to her feet.

"Please don't be mad at me! Laurence saved me! I couldn't let you hurt them! They're nice and.... and-"

Nathan cut her off. I know they are. I... saw what your father did to you..." He said sadly. She let out a squeak and he continued. "If you had told me what was going on, I would have had him arrested! You know you can trust me." He finished.

She nodded. "I was too scared to. And Laurence listened. He was the first one to actually listen to me..."

Nathan looked over at Laurence and smiled. "He's a good man. I'm proud he saved you. I promise your father won't get a hero's funeral, and you'll still receive all his military benefits. Okay?"

She nodded happily. "Okay. Thanks."

Nathan looked up to the sky and frowned. "Well, Spartans, I know I'm still a traitor to your eyes, but if we want to save Equis, you're gonna have to listen to me and follow my instructions. You got that?"

They all shifted uneasily.

"Ah, what the hell. What are your orders, Sir?" Laurence asked.

Nathan smiled. "Now, we destroy that ship."

Unexpected Allies

Chapter 8: Unexpected Allies
Installation 05: 'Delta' Halo
October 6, 2552

"Listen, you don't like me, and I sure as hell don't like you." Sergeant Johnson rationalized with the Elite outside his newly captured Scarab. "But if we don't do something, Mister Mohawk is gonna activate this ring. And we're all gonna die!"

The Arbiter shook his head. "Tartarus has locked himself inside the control room."

Johnson chuckled. "Well I just happen to have a key. Come on! Grab a Banshee and give me some cover. 'Gonna know we're coming."

The Arbiter took the Banshee one of his men gave him. He covered Johnson all the way to the Control Room, destroying Specters, Wraiths, and Banshees the entire way.

"Hey, bastards! Knock Knock!" Johnson yelled as he fired the Scarabs main weapon. The door exploded into a million pieces, letting the Arbiter gain access.

Miranda turned away as Tartarus shoved the Index in her face a second time. "Come, Human. It's easy. Take the Icon in your hands..." He scowled when she didn't listen and slammed his fist down on the control panel. "And do as you are told!"

Guilty Spark chimed in, clearly upset by Tartarus' behavior. "Please, use caution! This reclaimer is delicate!" The massive Brute turned and stared daggers at the robot.

"One more word, Oracle, and I'll rip your eye from its socket!" He leaned in and squeezed Miranda's mid section, forcing her to yelp in pain. "Which is nothing compared to what I'll do to you..."

"Tartarus! Stop!"

He and his Brutes whirled to see the Arbiter standing before them.

"Impossible!" Tartarus spat.

"Put down the Icon." The Arbiter pleaded, hoping the Brute would see reason. Tartarus scoffed.

"Put it down? And disobey the Hierarchs?" He bellowed. The Arbiter shook his head.

"There are things about Halo even the Hierarchs do not understand." He said sadly.

The Brutes moved forward, clearly upset with what the Arbiter had said, but Tartarus stopped them cold.

"Take care, Arbiter. What you say is Heresy!"

The Arbiter cocked his head. "Is it?" He turned to Guilty Spark, still in the clutches of one of the Brutes. "Oracle? What is Halo's purpose."

The Monitor was clearly happy he'd be instructing these species on the true function of the weapon system, and spoke up quickly.

"Collectively, the Seven-"

Tartarus grabbed Spark and stared eye to eye with him "Not. Another. WORD!" He bellowed.

"Please, don't shake the light bulb."

The Arbiter and Brutes looked over to see Johnson, wielding a Beam Rifle. He spoke up once more as the Brutes angrily began to march forward.

"If you want to keep your brains inside your head I'd tell those boys of yours to chill!"

The Brute let out an angry sound and his men stood still. Johnson looked back up to the Arbiter and nodded.

"Go ahead. Do your thing."

The Arbiter cleared his throat and spoke once again. "The Sacred rings. What are they?" He asked the monitor again.

"Weapons of last resort built by the Forerunners to eliminate potential Flood hosts, thereby rendering the parasite harmless."

The Arbiter looked to Tartarus, who had a look of horror on his face. "And those who made the rings? What happened to them?" He asked once more.

"After exausting every other strategic option, my creators activated the rings. They and all additional sentient life in three radii of the galactic center died...as planned. Would you like to see the relevant data?" Guilty Spark asked.

The Arbiter looked to Tartarus with a pleading look. "Tartarus... The Prophets have betrayed us..." He said sadly.

Tartarus hesitated. He didn't know what to make of the situation. The prophets would never betray their holy subjects! This had to be a trick. They were tricking him!

He bellowed an angry cry, throwing the monitor at Johnson, knocking him out cold, and slammed Miranda's hand onto the index, pushing it into the slot. She dove away and ran for cover as he picked up the Gravity hammer.

"No Arbiter! The Great Journey has begun! And the Brutes, not the Elites shall be the Prophets escort!"

Nathan and the other Spartans ran through the jungle for the Capital ship. It was a long shot that these five could do anything but get in the way, but he didn't have much of a choice right now. Covenant were spreading across his home and he wasn't going to let them set up shop any longer than he had to.

That's how Reach fell. It had been under siege for almost a month before any kind of counter measures could be taken. Before his team could set their boots on the line and stop the uprising.

Things would have gone a lot differently if we had been put on the ground day one. Nathan thought coldly to himself, thinking about his two fallen brethren. What if Shelly and Issac were here today? Would they have gone along with his 'retirement' plan like Bill and Cam so easily fell into? Probably Shelly, but Issac was built for war. He was a walking tank and he wasn't afraid to get down and dirty when he needed.

And he always needed to.

Nathan snapped out of it. Thinking about the past wouldn't do anyone good now. He felt his feet hit prickles of glass and he knew they were just about on the landing sight.

Another minute and they were there, looking up at the imposing, almost two mile long behemoth above them. He could here Star Trot gulp and the shifting of Spartan armor. Nathan, however, was as solid and steady as ever before.

"Alright men. You know what we gotta do. Go in, blow their ship to high hell, and save the planet. Any questions?" He finished. Laurence instantly raised his hand.

"What?" Nathan asked. Laurence cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"Are you sure we can trust these 'Equines'? We've only known them for a short time, and I don't feel comfortable trusting my lives with them."

Star Trot shifted and pawed the dirt, clearly a little saddened by his statement. Nathan noticed and smiled.

"I don't know, kid. Can you?" He asked, pointing down and smiling at Star Trot. "After all, you saved her from her father, and she broke you out of detention, AND you let her come with you. Does that answer that question?"

Laurence looked down at the mare, who smiled sheepishly at him, trying to gaze through his polarized visor to see those eyes she pined for. Those comforting eyes that ended her age long torment. She felt her heart rise and she looked away, blushing.

Laurence looked back to Nathan and nodded. "Alright, Sir. I guess they're good. For now."

Selina stepped up. "What is your plan, Sir. You never told us specifically."

Gary and Sharif nodded in unison. Nathan just shrugged. "We do this the old fashioned way." He said simply. They all cocked their heads. He sighed and pulled out his Plasma Rifles.

"Run and gun, Spartans. It's tradition in my squad." He said happily. He got a cheer of 'Yes Sir' as they all clacked their Battle Riffles.

Nathan passed an experimental Pony Plasma Rifle to Star Trot, who caught it with her teeth. He smiled at her and nodded.

"Didn't think I'd forget about you, did I?" He chuckled. She gave a nod and activated the red device between her teeth.

They all slid down the hill, Laurence hesitating last. He knew he wasn't the best Spartan ever, but he also knew he wasn't up to this task. He almost backed away.

No. I need to prove I'm better. I know I can be better than Nathan. I know I can beat him at his own game. He'll see soon enough who the better Spartan is, and I'll take him down. I'll bring him back to ONI and he'll be executed for treason.

It would be a good day indeed. Laurence took a deep breath and jumped down the embankment after his team, and readied himself for the hell to come.

T'dor paced the bridge anxiously. He was getting reports they had captured Anti Air batteries set up around the cities, which were now decimating the Phantom and Spirit fleets trying to break through.

The ground troops weren't fairing much better. They were being mowed down by plasma tech! How could this race even wield plasma weapons? How could they have done all this?

His thoughts were interrupted when the Minor Chieftan P'tar Mallar came forward with another report.

"My liege!" He said bowing. T'dor stood and quickly walked over.

"You better be bringing good news, General..." He said hoarsely. The General gulped and spit it out.

"Some. Our Hunter line managed to take out one of the Anti Air batteries. It isn't much, but it has left a hole which-"

"Which what?" T'dor said angrily. The General sighed and continued.

"Which they set a barrier around. Our forces can not get through it or shoot through it. But they can. We are outmatched here, brother." The General said sadly. T'dor bellowed a growl and swung the Gravity hammers blade at the incompetent fool before him. The blade sliced the Minor Chieftan's throat, causing his blood to spill across the deck and to die a slow and agonizing death.

"Your failure is forgiven." He said sharply. Two minors dragged the corpse away, leaving T'dor to sulk in the realization that these pathetic life forms may pose a threat to him.

T'dor looked over the landing zone. The forest had to be burned away, but it was adequate enough for his men. Something caught his eye off in the distance though. A flash, nothing more, in the tree line. He scowled and walked back to his seat, knowing that they were most likely scouting.

And planning.

Nathan and the others slumped into the dried up creek bed for cover. They didn't want to be seen, not yet. Nathan took a tiny peek over as a Brute stepped right in front of them.

Please, don't look down!

Nathan looked back up, everyone around him held their breath. The Brute sniffed the air, sensing something was amiss. He turned his head over them.

Please, God, don't look down...

The Brute scoffed and turned back the way he'd came. Nathan sighed heavily and looked back to the others. They looked at him, equally as relieved. He slid back down the embankment and crouched low.

"Well, were gonna need a diversion to keep them distracted. Any ideas?"

Laurence looked to the others and smiled. "Allow us, Spartan." He said. He stood, and all at once, began to disappear into thin air.

"What the-" Star Trot began, looking around for them. "Laurence? Where are you?" She asked quietly. Laurence came out of the invisibility and smiled at the pair.

"Oh, can your armor not do that?" Laurence asked Nathan smugly. "Watch how we get things done."

Nathan activated his thermal that was built in to his helmet. He saw their heat signatures climb up the embankment and rush into the camp.

"Star Trot, I need you to stay here and keep your head down." Nathan said flatly as he climbed the slope. She looked at him and raised a brow.

"Why? They seem to have this all figured out. They're invisible for Celestia's sake!" She said matter of fact like. Nathan stopped at the top and frowned.

"It's usually right about now when it hits the fan for them..."

Laurence fanned his Spartans out across the camp to cause as much hell as possible. Selina and Gary snuck over to the Wraiths parked behind a Grunt methane tent. They planted a few charges on the blue beasts and set them to armed

Laurence and Sharif snuck into one of the Anti Air batteries set up. It was different from the T-38 'Tyrant' AA gun. This one was higher up, offering it better protection from ground forces. Laurence looked up at the platform on its side, then to Sharif.

"Hey, think you can climb that and place a charge?" He asked. Sharif nodded and began to scale the leg of the turret. He grabbed hold of the top of the ledge and climbed up, nearly face to face with a Jackal.

Sharif froze, unsure if the creature had noticed him. He held his breath and slowly hung from the ledge by his fingers. Laurence was on edge now. He didn't want to show Nathan that he was a failure.

Sharif edged to the side of the ledge and pulled himself up beside the Jackal slowly. The creature sniffed the air, knowing something was amiss, then met a knife to the throat.

Sharif clamped the birds beak so it couldn't squawk, then dragged it into the interior of the AA battery. Sharif pulled out his det. charge and set it to armed as well.

Laurence looked as the three lights indicating the bombs went green. He smiled and congratulated his men. "Nice going, guys. Now lets blow this-"

All at once, alarms began to echo through the camp. A loud, deep voice echoed through the air. "Demons! Find them and skin them alive!" It bellowed.

"But how did-" Selina began to protest, but Laurence cut her off.

"Our mics! They got a lock on our signal! Spartans, fan out now!" He yelled.

All at once, invisible Spartans began running their separate ways, hoping to avoid being skinned. Laurence cursed himself for the mistake and dove behind a stack of purple crates.

Nathan turned back to Star Trot who quickly frowned. "Told you. Stay here and keep quiet. Time to save their sorry asses..."

Nathan dove up the embankment and launched into the camp. He got a lock on the explosive signals and detonated them all at once. Grunts, Jackals and Brutes ran around in a haze of confusion.

Nathan took this opportunity to take out many who were milling around aimlessly, trying to find an explanation for the detonations.

He ran along side a Chieftan and slashed the tendons in its legs with his razor sharp knife. It fell to the ground in agony, clutching the bloody mess. Nathan grabbed its hammer and smashed it in the head, sending skull and brains in every direction.

Nathan, feeling much more comfortable with his new weapon, began slamming the troops he ran past, creating splashes of bodies to shoot high into the air.

He fell as a Spike embedded itself into his mesh, bypassing his shields completely. The spike was in a good two inches, and he could feel it every time he moved.

A pack of Brutes rushed the now fallen Spartan, intent on claiming their prize. A Brute dove and Nathan covered himself in vein.

Laurence was watching the whole thing. Well, this is one way to get rid of him. He thought to himself. He watched as the Brute dove on top of him. Laurence smiled, but quickly began to clamor for an explanation for what he saw.

The Brute had gone clean through Nathan, slamming hard into the dirt. It began running a hand through the ghost in confusion.

"Ahem." A loud cough came from on top of a stack of crates. The Brutes looked up to see Nathan above them, Gravity hammer poised. They aimed and fired as he dove into their midst.

He slammed the hammer hard on the ground, sending out a massive shock wave. The Brutes flew to the dirt, letting Nathan pick them off one by one with his plasma rifles.

Laurence could see the IFF tags of his team around him. He deactivated his stealth and ran over to Nathan once the fighting had died down.

"How in the hell did you do that?" Laurence asked shocked. Nathan lifted his polarized visor and smiled coyly.

"Oh, can your armor not do that?" He said smugly, running off for the ship. Sharif pulled up along side Laurence in a captured Revenant and smiled.

"And we thought we could bring him in, huh?" Sharif said jokingly. Laurence grunted and hopped into the passenger seat.

"Just drive, Spartan." He said angrily. Sharif snorted and sped off through the camp, shooting anything that moved.

Star Trot paced anxiously in the rut. She felt so useless, just like back in the Royal Guard. She looked up, hearing the gunfire and explosions and fell down in defeat. She kicked a rock and sighed.

"I don't need to be protected... I can handle myself." She said angrily. "Why does every pony have to treat me like a kid?" She was turning red in frustration. "No! I'll prove to them I can help. I'll show them! I'll show... Laurence..." She whispered his name and sighed.

"OH! Why do I feel this way?! He's not even a pony! Gahh!" She slapped her head in frustration and sighed. He did save me though... she thought with a smile. "Ughh! Forget it! I'm going in!" She yelled. She made her way up the slope as fast as she could, stumbling a few times in her haste. She felt her hoof reach the top, then the other. She pulled herself up and clenched her gun in her teeth. I'm coming to get you, you bas-

GRAH!

She let out an 'eep' as she was hoisted into the air, the Brute snarling and spitting in her face. She let out a muffled scream and began firing her gun wildly.

The Brute ducked as red blobs of plasma barreled around him. He grunted in anger and snatched the rifle from her teeth and growled again. Star Trot, now with a free mouth, let out a full force scream, that echoed throughout the camp.

"SOME PONY!! HELP ME!"

Laurence turned fast in the direction of the scream. "Sharif, turn around, now!" He said hastily. Sharif rolled his eyes.

"Sorry sir, but I need to provide cover for-" He was cut off a Laurence dove from the vehicle and ran back for the dried our river bed. "-The team... Dammit! Sir?!" He called out, but Laurence continued running.

Laurence dove over the husk of a Wraith and pumped full speed back in the direction. He could see the Brute with Star Trot clutched in its massive claws. "HOLD ON!" He yelled.

Star Trot looked over when she heard his voice and smiled. The Brute scowled and wrapped his fists around her neck tighter and smashed a knee into her stomach. She stiffened and coughed up an assortment of spit and blood. The Brute dropped her and turned to the rapidly approaching Spartan.

Laurence dove with his fist poised. The Brute scoffed and sidestepped, letting the Spartan fall harmlessly to the dirt. It smiled and began stomping Laurence profusely. Even through his armor, he could feel the Brutes massive force. He let out a cough as his breath left him. He looked over to a barely living Star Trot on the ground, her eyes clouded and blood trickling from her mouth.

Laurence couldn't place what he felt when seeing her like that. He zoned out of everything he was doing and focused exclusively on the barely living mare. He felt his heart race and his anger increase ten fold. He let out a yell and grabbed his knife.

The Brute was unable to move his foot in time as he brought it down. The knife stuck through, causing the monster to howl and fall to the dirt. Laurence stood and pounced on the creature, slamming his fists down on the creatures face again, and again, and again. He could feel its skull cracking, until it finally caved in, leaving the Spartan beating its brains into pulp.

He stopped after about a minute, then remembering Star Trot, ran over to her side. He picked her up, her breathing was ragged and her body was limp. Laurence crouched and held her tight, not expecting to feel the way he did.

"S-Star Trot? Can you hear me?" He asked hastily. She looked up and smiled with blood caked teeth.

"Lau-rence..." She whispered. He pushed her mane away and threw his helmet to the ground. He looked her dead in the eyes and hugged her tight.

"It'll be okay. I-I'm hear now. We'll get you help." He assured her. He picked her up and looked around, unsure of where to take her. He clicked on his mic and called out to the one person he never wanted to ask for help.

Nathan tucked and rolled under a ghost that was trying to splatter him, grabbing onto the back of the seat and punting the Grunt from its mount. He took the controls and sped headlong into a Brute, breaking its legs and sending it twenty feet in the air.

"Sharif! Where the hell are you with that Revenant?!" He yelled through his mic. Sharif grunted back and sped up along side Nathan. The two fired at the defenses in front of them, sending Grunts scattering and carcasses flaming. Nathan smiled at the Spartan to his left. Sharif was very skilled, never letting onto his true abilities. He never wanted to be in the spotlight and it really affected the mans career.

"Selina, Gary, Move up on our flank, I want your BR's on cleanup duty, understood?" Green acknowledgement lights blinked on and he could hear the BR's bursting behind him.

He smiled beneath his helmet. All these Spartans needed was a push in the right direction. They needed a coherent leader who could show them that, with team work and commitment, they were just as good as-

"Nathan?! Nathan! Where the hell are you?! I could use some help!"

Figures as much... "Laurence, what happened? Are you okay?" Nathan asked, running over another Grunt.

Laurence let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm fine! It's Star Trot! She's hurt bad! I don't know what to do!" He said frantically. Nathan was taken aback by the amount of care he showed in his voice. So much so it almost sounded like...

He was crying...?

"Hold on, Laurence. I'll call in a medivac to Twilight. She'll know what to do." Nathan assured. He smiled and spoke as calmly as he could. "Keep her company, Laurence. If she doesn't make it, show her that she was loved up until the very end..." Nathan hesitated and clicked his mic with Laurence off, then opened one to the military base where Twilight and Cam were.

Cam and Rainbow Dash were enjoying their lunch in Twilight's office, watching as the purple unicorn paced the floor for the two hundredth time. Rainbow chuckled at her flustered friend. "Twi, you gotta calm down. I'm sure Nathan's just fine." She assured. Cam nodded and munched on his apple again.

"She's right. That Spartan could take on the entire Covenant armada with his bare hands and a paper clip. You shouldn't worry." Cam said, wiping his chin of the apple juices. Twilight let out a loud sigh and continued to pace.

"We should have heard from him by now. We should have-" She was cut off as static engulfed her radio and Nathan's voice come on. "Twilight? You there? We have an emergency." Nathan said loudly. She ran over as fast as she could.

"I'm hear! What happened?!" She yelled. She heard plasma fire and assumed the worst.

"The Covenant are back, I found the Spartans, we're currently up shits creek without a paddle and we need emergency crew to get Star Trot immediately!" He said all in one breath. Twilight fell to the ground, Cam shot up fast as did Rainbow Dash, and the hanger was now dead silent, since the radio was pretty loud.

Twilight looked down at all the soldiers who were standing completely still. "Well? General alert! Get to your stations!" She yelled. All at once the hanger sprung to life, soldiers grabbed their armor and weapons in a frenzy. Cam rushed for his locker and grabbed his armor with Rainbow Dash hot on his heals.

"I want to come too, Cam!" She said about to grab her gear, but Cam slammed her locker shut.

"Sorry, Skittles. You got yourself a bun in the oven. No can do." He said with authority. Rainbow huffed and nodded.

"I guess you're right..." She said, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck.

"I'll be right back, babe. Keep an eye on Twilight while I'm gone. She looks like she's ready to go off a wall." He said chuckling at the exasperated Unicorn. Rainbow saluted and walked over to her friend. Cam went into the main hanger, pushing past the Royal Guard who were streaming about.

"Get as many medical supplies in that phantom as you can! I still want room for around forty guards though! Pegasi escort, grab the heavy weapons to help clear the way!" Cam shouted quickly. He wasn't used to the leadership roll, but in Nathan's absence, he was second in command. It was nice to be in charge though...

"Cam, hold on a second!"

Cam turned around to see Bill, fully clad and armed, running up behind him. He smiled wide and hugged his friend tight. "Good to see you, buddy! Thought you'd hung that sniper up by now." Cam said jokingly.

"Bill, must I wear this?" A fussy voice from behind him complained. Cam looked over to see Rarity, dressed in a Gilly suit. Cam could barely keep his laughter in check. Rainbow Dash, however, began to explode with laughter.

"Aw man, Rarity! You should see yourself! How in the world did you end up in that thing?!" She chuckled. Rarity tilted her nose up and huffed.

"Well, if you really must know, this is the latest fashion for snipers! Isn't that right, Billy?" She finished with a wink. He nodded and smiled.

"That it is, ma'am. You look good in it." He finished, trying to make her feel comfortable.

"Wait, does that mean you're going with Bill?! In a battle? With aliens and death?!" Twilight yelled, running over. Rarity smiled and hugged her when she was in arms reach.

"Twilight! So good to see you! And yes, we are going into battle! Right girls?" She called out. Everyone turned to see AppleJack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy come out from behind a stack of crates, each one wearing a suit similar to the Spartan's MJOLNIR system.

AppleJack's armor was bright red, her cutie mark etched into the hip piece, and she still sported the stetson hat she always did. Pinkie Pies armor was, as one would expect, bright pink with her cutie mark carved painted on the front. And last was Fluttershy, who carried a medical satchel on her back and bore a bright red cross on both arms. She looked as nervous as nervous got.

"How in the world did you get Fluttershy to come!?" Rainbow yelled in surprise, causing the yellow Pegasus to shrink a little bit.

"Oh, umm, well... I just wanted to make sure no pony gets hurt, so I, umm, became a medic to... help." She whispered, hiding behind her bright pink hair.

"LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!" Pinkie yelled, hefting one of Bill's DMR's high in the air. AppleJack came forward and nodded.

"What are yer orders, sir?" She asked with a salute. Cam smiled and guided them in the Phantom.

"I'll tell you on the way."

Were it so easy...

Chapter 9: Were it so easy...
October 6, 2552 Covenant Cruiser: Shadow of Intent
1640 hours

Johnson and Miranda kept a very long arms length away from the Arbiter and his Elite counterparts. They didn't know how fragile this truce was and Johnson didn't want things to get ugly, since he didn't have a weapon. He scoffed at the little robot at his side, humming a little tune as he floated his way along, oblivious to any danger.

"Here, humans. This is the command center where we will discus the situation at Earth. Please, follow me." The Arbiter said politely, gesturing towards the doors. Miranda and Johnson gave each other weary looks and proceeded into the bridge, met by wide eyed stares from the Sangheili in the room.

"Arbiter, you return." Rtas Vadum exclaimed as he rose from his chair in greeting. He looked behind the Arbiter and quickly froze. "Brother, why do you bring this filth on board our ship!?" He yelled. Miranda and Johnson tensed.

The Arbiter walked forward, placing his hands on the Elite's shoulders. "Relax, my friend. They are now allies to our cause. We need all the help we can get against the Covenant. They saved all life today, and we owe them that much."

Rtas clicked his two jaws together and nodded. "Welcome aboard the Shadow of Intent. One of the few super carriers in Elite possession. I hope you... enjoy your stay."

Johnson nodded and smiled, taking out the last Sweet Williams he had. He looked over at the Elite, who was giving him a puzzled look. "You mind? Been craving this sucker all day." He asked as politely as fakeness could.

The two jawed Elite held out his hands. "Of course. By all means." He said warmly, matching Johnson's fake sincerity with his own. Johnson smiled and lit the sweet cigar, taking a satisfying puff.

"So, we head for the rest of the Brute fleet?" Rtas asked the Arbiter. He shook his head.

"No, we go to Earth, stop Truth from gaining access to the Ark." He said flatly. Rtas shot up.

"We have to make a stand, Arbiter! The Brute fleets that are scattered across the galaxy could be called to Earth in a moments notice by that bastard, and we would lose! It would be better to strike first, than wait for them to come at us all at once."

The Arbiter turned back to the humans who didn't move. The Ship Master made many good points. Earth could hold out for just a few more days. Miranda nodded at the Arbiter, who sighed.

"Alright. What is the closest Brute fleet?" The Arbiter asked the navigation's specialist.

"Here." He said, raising a holographic map of the Galaxy. A large alien rune hung over a section of one of the milky ways arms. They weren't too far from the planet. A weeks jump for a human ship.

But a Covenant ship? That would probably only take a day. Maybe a day in a half at most, and they could exit slipspace at the planet, like always, and catch the dumb apes by surprise.

The Arbiter nodded. "Alright. Take us there. I want to finish this and get to Earth as soon as possible." The bridge crew cheered and sped off to meet the Covenant head on.

Laurence held Star Trot close to him, not letting her go for anything. She needed someone to be there with her and if these were her final moments, he wanted her to feel loved.

"Hang in there, Star. We got help coming. It'll all be okay..." He whispered. He ran his hand across her cold cheek and smiled. She returned it and rubbed his face with her hoof.

It was an odd feeling for Laurence to be sure, but her hooves were soft and felt kind of nice against his pale skin.

"Are you sure it'll be okay?" She rasped. Laurence wiped a tear and nodded.

"I promise..." He said with a crack in his voice. She wrapped herself around him and shut her eyes tight. He lightly slapped her cheeks.

"Hey, I need you to stay awake for me. Can you do that?" He asked quickly. Her eyes fluttered back open and she stared at him sadly.

"But, I'm so tired. I just want to rest for a few..." She trailed off closing her eyes. He grabbed her face and her eyes shot open again.

"No. You need to stay awake. Talk to me about something, anything. Just, for the love of God, stay awake!" He pleaded. She nuzzled his neck and smiled.

"What do... What do you want to know?" She asked quietly.

"Everything." He implored. He needed someway to keep her alive, and making her talk was the only way to do it. She coughed and talked.

Laurence sat and listened to everything she said, never taking his gaze away from her emerald eyes. She talked of her childhood, her mother, and her life in the Royal Guard. She didn't mention her bastard father, which was fine with him. She talked for about half an hour, never letting up. When she finished, Laurence smiled and hugged her tight.

"You're really something, Star. That's why I need you to stay... stay with me... please? Don't go." He pleaded. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"I-It's too hard... I can't.. I can't do it anymore..."

Laurence was about to speak when he heard the whine of a Phantom from the east. He quickly pulled out a flare and ignited it on his chest.

The bright red smoke billowed into the air and the Phantom U-turned to his position and landed about fifty feet. He clutched his BR tight, in case it was the enemy, but quickly relaxed when he saw Equine soldiers and two Spartans file out. They rushed to him and secured the area.

"Laurence! What the hell happened?! Where's Nathan?" Cam asked quickly, crouching at his side. Laurence rolled his eyes.

"He's doing what he does best. Now, please, help Star Trot!" He said anxiously, running his hand through her hair again. Fluttershy ran over and looked at the mare in his arms. She examined her, looking for serious injuries and frowned.

"She has internal bleeding. I can't do anything from here." She said sadly. "We need to get her back to Canterlot."

Everyone looked at each other, trying to figure out what to do. Cam nodded and smiled. "Alright, load her up in the Phantom. She's going back to Canterlot."

Fluttershy smiled. Cam waved two guards over, who quickly, but gently, picked her up and brought her in the phantom. Laurence stood and addressed Cam.

"I-if you don't mind, sir, I'd like to go with her..." He said, placing his helmet back on to hide his fresh tears. Cam smiled and pat him on the shoulder.

"Of course. Get your ass out of here." Cam said, pushing him off to the ship. Laurence quickly boarded and sped back to the capital.

"Alright, men!" Cam yelled. "Lets get this party started! Bill! You Rarity and Pinkie get up on that ridge." He ordered, pointing up to the rise at the edge of the forest. "I want your eagle eyes in the sky."

They nodded and ran off to their designated position. "AppleJack, you're with me and the others. Lets-"

He was cut off from the roar of another Covenant super carrier, looming over the first. "Son of a-"

But to everyone's surprise, it sliced through the first carrier with its own weapon, sending the ship crashing to the ground.

"Everypony! SCATTER!" AppleJack yelled. All at once, Cam and the ponies ran back into the forest as the ship slammed into the ground, sending debris and dirt in every direction.

Nathan and Sharif sped away as fast as they could, never looking back. Nathan could see Gary and Selina running behind them, keeping pace. "Keep moving, Spartans! Go, go GO!"

They just barely got out of the ships crash radius and flew from the force. Nathan was thrown from his mount, Gary and Selina tumbled and rolled for about 100 feet and Sharif clung to his Revenant as it rolled and slammed into the ground.

"Report! What the fuck just happened?!" Nathan yelled. Gary got up and looked at the sky.

"That, Sir!"

Nathan looked up to see a second Super Carrier, taking the first ones position. Great... just what we need.

"Alright guys! Let's get ready for them!" Nathan yelled.

The grav beam activated and a swarm of Elites fluttered down, along with three Hunter squads and a pod of Jackals.

Nathan was about to open fire, when he saw the an odd sight. Two humans were in their midst, walking calmly onto the battlefield.

What in the world...?

"Spartans! Hold your fire!" He yelled, approaching the Covenant squad. Gary kept his rifle leveled.

"Sir! Are you fucking crazy!?" He yelled. Nathan ignored him and continued forward, putting his weapons away. If this was a trick, then he'd be dead before he could pull them back out.

The Elites leveled their rifles at him and froze, unsure of what to do. Nathan tensed and waited for the shots that never came.

"Hold fire!" An Elite yelled from behind the group. The others parted and made way for a very imposing looking soldier. It was clad in strange, gray armor, a kind Nathan had never seen before. It was holding an Energy sword in its hand as it came forward.

"A demon? What are you doing here?" It asked in near perfect English. Nathan flinched and spoke up, clearly some fear in his voice.

"This is my home... What are you doing here, and why did you destroy one of your own ships?" Nathan asked hesitantly. The Elite clicked its jaws.

"They are no longer one of us. The Covenant has betrayed the Sangheili race." He said bluntly. Nathan was taken a little aback.

A rift in the Covenant hierarchy could mean the turning point in the entire war, and if the Elites were now our allies...

Nathan's thoughts were interrupted when one of the humans stepped forward. It was someone he was all to familiar with.

"Johnson?" He blurted in surprise and joy. Johnson looked the Spartan over, and clearly not recognizing him, scoffed.

"What's your operating number, soldier?" He asked. Nathan rolled his eyes and threw his old pack of Sweet Williams to him. It was still nearly full, and he'd quit smoking anyway.

"Figured you were out, sir." Nathan said happily. Johnson laughed and came forward.

"Nathan, you son of a bitch! How the hell have you been, son?" He asked patting him on the back. Nathan removed his helmet and returned the greeting.

"I've been good, Sir. It's a wonder you're still alive. Thought you would have been killed long ago!" He laughed. Johnson did as well and led him back to the commander.

"You remember Commander Keyes?" He asked. Nathan smiled and shook her hand. He knew the Commander all too well. She had been on one of his previous missions, and, he used to have kind of a thing for her.

"Ma'am." He said simply. She smiled and shook back.

"What, no flowers?" She joked. Nathan blushed a little and replaced his helmet before anyone could notice. Johnson cocked a brow and spoke up again.

"You say your living here? Casualty reports list you and your team as KIA. They here too?"

"Yes, Sir." Nathan confirmed. "They agreed with my decision to... retire."

Johnson frowned. "You know that's desertion. The brass could have your head for this." Nathan frowned and nodded.

"I know, Sir. It's just we found our lives here, and we couldn't go back to war. For their sakes, you understand."

Johnson smiled and punched his arm. "Ah, you found a lady, didn't you? What's her name, son?"

"My name is Twilight Sparkle." A voice from behind them all said. Johnson and the Elites turned in surprise at the new comer in their midst. No one had an explanation for where she came from, except Nathan.

"Am I interrupting, Nathan?" She asked, looking up at him. He removed his helmet and winked.

Never, Twi."

Johnson looked to Twilight, then to Nathan, then back again. "She's a... a..."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm an alien. But, Nathan doesn't seem to care much."

Nathan chuckled and went to Johnson's side. "Sorry. I can't go back with you guys. fiance's orders. But that doesn't mean I'll send you home empty handed. Twilight?"

She turned her head and nodded, disappearing in a ball of purple light, leaving everyone in shock. "Where the hell did she go?" Johnson yelled, looking around.

"To get some supplies." Nathan said happily.

Everyone waited for her return. After about ten minutes, they could hear the roar of the Phantom in the distance. It touched down and a group of Royal Guards, followed by Twilight filed out. The guards carried large crates over to the group, however, they remained weary of the Elites in front of them.

"Well, well, well!" Johnson exclaimed happily. "What do we have here?" He rubbed his hands together as the lids were taken off the crates. Inside were dozens of Covenant weapons, from the measliest plasma pistol, to the largest Fuel Rod.

Elites happily stepped forward, picking up and examining each weapon with glee. The Arbiter smiled at Nathan.

"Thank you, Spartan. These will come in handy in the fight to come." He extended his hand, which Nathan shook graciously.

"As long as you're not using them to burn humans anymore." He joked. The Arbiter didn't find it amusing and clicked his jaws sadly.

"Spartan, The battle in space is nearly complete, and we wish that you come with us to help in the fight."

Nathan shifted in his boots. He couldn't just leave, now of all times. He looked to Twilight you had a sad look on her face.

"I'm sorry... but I have to protect my home. The Covenant could come back."

Miranda stepped forward angrily. "The Covenant fleet is the least of our worries Spartan! If Truth reaches the Ark, he can activate the Halo arrays, exterminating all life in the Galaxy!"

Nathan had no idea what she was talking about, but it didn't sound good. "I'm sorry, but-"

"And we could use all the help we can get against the Flood."

Nathan froze mid sentence. The Flood was back?! But how? When? Why? All those questions milled around his mind. He looked back to Twilight again, who had a look of sheer horror on her face.

"Let me discuss this." Nathan said, running over to Twilight. "Take us a good distance away, Twi." He said quietly. She nodded and teleported them about fifty yards away. She looked up at him imploringly.

"Well Twilight? Galactic annihilation, the return of the Flood? What do you think?"

She frowned and looked away. "Well, if the galaxy is going to be extinct, staying here wont help us much..." She trailed off. Nathan kissed her tight on the lips and held her hoof in his hand.

"You know I'll be back, right?" He said with a chuckle. She nodded and smile.

"Your tough to kill, you know that?" She asked. He nodded. It was true, with the Flood spores in his body, he could take on anything and walk away fine.

"So, is it a yes that I can go?" He asked happily. She nodded. He smiled wide and hugged her.

"Don't worry, this won't take long. Tell the others to keep the planet safe, okay?"

Twilight chuckled at that. "From the Covenant, or themselves?"

Nathan laughed loudly at that. "Both. Just keep them safe." He said sadly. He was going to miss her, but he had to go to protect her. She kissed him again and left to gather the others. Nathan stood and walked back to Johnson and the others.

"Okay, I'm coming. Let's teach the Covenant and Flood what we can do." He said with some anger. Johnson smiled, as did Miranda.

"Good." The Arbiter said. "Now come, there's no time to waste." He guided Nathan back onto the gravity lift, and called them up. Nathan took one final look at the planet he now calls home, before ascending into the belly of the beast.

Arrival

Chapter 10: Arrival
October 17, 2552: Planet Earth
0834 hours

Nathan walked through the jungle with Johnson, the Arbiter and the marines. They had gotten a fix on an object that had fallen from Truth's ship. Everyone had high hopes of who it could be. They had been walking for over an hour now, with the prize nowhere in sight.

Nathan thought about everyone back home. He missed Twilight more than anything, all his friends and family... It was like getting called to war all over again. He thought about Laurence and the other Spartans. They had left with him in their stealth ship back to Earth. Laurence didn't want to go. The son of a bitch actually wanted to stay with Star Trot... Nathan let out a chuckle about that. And that wasn't even crazy from what he learned from the third monitor he'd seen in his life. Here's where it got interesting.

Nathan was guided by the Elites to the bridge, along with Johnson and Miranda. The guards patted their chests and let their leaders on, hesitating with the humans.

"Ah, welcome back, Reclaimers! I see you have another in tow! Wonderful! I am 343 Guilty Spark, monitor of Installation 04." Guilty Spark exclaimed.

"God, you're the third monitor I've crossed paths with in the span of a month..." Nathan said low. The monitor chuckled and flew around him.

"I see you've found the Equineoid species once again. Tell me, how are the breeding processes going?" It asked. Nathan froze.

Johnson and Miranda looked from Nathan, back to the monitor. Nathan hesitated and turned bright red. Lucky for him, he was wearing his helmet.

"Elaborate." Nathan ordered. Spark nodded and went on.

"In the years before the rings were completed, we needed a wide variety of flora and fauna. The one world we found suitable was the Equine species. While they were not a space traveling race, their ability to use, what they called, magic, aided in the fight against the Flood considerably. It wasn't until a few years later, when a human general and the princess of the world, consummated their love for one another. They had a child, mixed species which had the ability to wield magic and fly, while looking like any ordinary humanoid, save for the wings and horn. It wasn't until their child, and the children of other mixed human and Equine breeding, entered the war, that we had a strong chance against the Flood. Unfortunately, the Flood had become too strong, forcing my creators to fire the rings. They and all Sentient life died, as planned. But, never a species to be unprepared, the Forerunners left the Equine samples this shield world to grow and evolve back into a species that could help begin the next evolutionary phase for the both of you. It is Human kinds next evolutionary step, and theirs."

Nathan just sat on the floor listening, as did the Elites, Johnson and Miranda. Johnson turned to Nathan with an odd grin. "You didn't sleep with 'em, did you?" He asked. Nathan's face was a strawberry at this point.

"Well..." He began to trail off and Johnson slapped his forehead.

"Should have never taught you the man creed, son..." He said, slapping the Spartan on the back of the Helmet. "Congrats, or whatever." He finished. Miranda rolled her eyes.

"Alright, Ship Master, can we please set a course for Earth now?" She pleaded. He nodded and spread his arms, the Elites ran for their stations and the Fleet was now on their way to a besieged Earth.

That whole conversation with the Monitor had been an eye opening experience. Not only was it natural for these two species to breed with one another, it was crucial for the next phase in human evolution. Twilight would get a kick out of that when he got home...

"Sir's! Over here!" A marine called out.

Well, that was easy.

"Damn, how far do you think he fell?" One of them asked. The other shrugged.

"Two kilometers. Easy." He shot back. Johnson took a puff of his Cigar and turned towards the men.

"Stay sharp!" He reminded them, knowing a pack of Brutes was out there somewhere. The marines fanned out around the chief, setting up a perimeter around the landing sight. Nathan leaned in with Johnson and examined the Spartan.

This was the first time Nathan met the Master Chief. He was about seven feet tall, his armor the Mark VI, glistened in the sunlight streaming from the forest canopy. It had been dented and melted in some places due to heavy fighting. Nathan looked at his own armor. It was worn to shit, just like his.

I've been through more... Nathan thought jealously.

"What do we have, Corporal?" Johnson asked. The marine plugged a data pad into the Spartan's armor and read over the diagnostics.

"Armor's locked up. Gel layer could have taken most of the impact." He sighed and shook his head. "I don't know, Sergeant Major."

Johnson looked into the polarized faceplate and sighed, breathing cigar smoke on the Spartan's face. He reached to the back of his helmet and pulled the AI chip out.

"Radio for VTOL. Heavy lift gear. We aren't leaving him hear." Johnson examined the very empty chip in his hand when he felt something clamp around his wrist. "Yeah, you're not."

Nathan jumped back as the supposedly dead Spartan stood to his feet. Nathan clutched his new MA5C tight and stared him over. The Chief did the same, not expecting to see another Spartan in his life.

"Crazy fool. Why do you always jump?" Johnson asked imploringly. "One of these days, you're going to land on something as stubborn as you are. And I don't do bits and pieces." He slapped the Chiefs arm as he plucked the chip from his hands. Johnson sighed and looked up at him.

"Where is she, Chief? Where's Cortana?"

John spaced off, looking the chip in his hand over. Johnson got right in his face and stared through the visor. John snapped out of it and quickly placed the chip into his head.

"She stayed behind." He said In his deep voice. The Chief looked at the Spartan in front of him and was about to step forward, but was stopped by the Corporal, who had to run diagnostics.

"Your armor's still in partial lock down. Just look at the light where I put it, okay?" He asked. The Chief nodded and did as instructed. Once again, he was about to approach the Spartan, but stopped dead in his tracks when an Elite materialized before them.

He quickly grabbed the Sergeant's pistol and stuck it between the Arbiter's jaws. Nathan leveled his Assault rifle, which Johnson quickly lowered.

"Chief, wait! The Arbiters with us!" He yelled. The Chief kept his finger on the trigger, digging the pistol deeper into the top of the Elites mouth. Johnson stepped forward and grabbed the Chiefs arm.

"Come on now, we got enough to worry about without you two trying to kill each other!"

Master Chief sighed and pulled the pistol away. The Arbiter clicked his jaws and gazed at the chief. "Were it so easy." He said simply.

The Chief looked back at Nathan and nodded. Nathan returned it and smiled.

"We must go. The Brutes have our scent." The Arbiter said, plodding off into the forest.

Johnson smiled. "Well, then they must love the smell of hero." He grabbed an assault rifle from the marine to his side, which John snatched from him quickly, happy to have human weapons back in his arsenal.

"First squad, your my scouts. Quiet as you can." Johnson ordered, fanning the marines out. He gave three quick hand signals to Nathan, giving him different orders. Nathan nodded and ran ahead, leaving everyone else behind.

He ran through the jungle, jumping over brush, running through streams, and up a small waterfall. He didn't stop, even when he ran headlong into a Brute. He threw his knife into the beasts chest, causing it to howl loudly, echoing through the jungle. He shot the pod of Grunts who, were a moment ago, enjoying a nap.

Another Brute howled across the jungle, hearing one of his pack in anguish. There's the alert. Guess the Sergeant can deal with that.

Nathan continued running until he reached the clearing where the Pelicans were waiting. "Pilots, we got the Chief. Let's get to the pick up zone."

The young female pilot came on through his mic. "Roger that, Spartan. Climb aboard and we'll get things started."

Nathan dove into the pelican, mounting the chain gun in the back. "Alright, Private! Get this bird up! Go, go go!"

"Come on, Chief! Get to the river!" Johnson said through his mic. He had gone the same direction as Nathan, and was in the pelican adjacent to him. They hovering over the river, just above a damn complex.

"I see them!" Nathan yelled into his mic. He watched as the Arbiter, the Chief, and their remaining Marine squad stumbled out of the wood.

"Picking up a new contact!" The pilot yelled. Nathan craned his head over the turret to see three banshees swoop above the trees.

"BANSHEES! Fast and low!"

"Break off now!"

"I'M HIT! GAHH! I'M HIT!" His pilot yelled. Nathan fell to the deck and dug his fingers into the metal, creating a handhold. He felt the Pelican hit the cliff edge and slump onto the forest floor, dangling precariously over the ledge.

Nathan rubbed his head and shook off the vertigo. He opened the door to the pilots cabin, and saw that the pilot had been skewered by a tree branch. Nathan winced and backed away. He heard the groan of of the co-pilot. She was in bad shape. Her legs were broken and her arm was pinned under a rock.

"Ma'am? Are you okay?" Nathan asked. She gave him a pained look.

"Do you think I'm okay?!" She yelled. Nathan was about to answer when he heard the growl of a Brute just outside the Pelican hatch.

Damn it. "Wait here!" He ordered. The co-pilot rolled her eyes and didn't move. Nathan kicked down the cabin's door, sending it, and the unfortunate Grunt behind it, out of the Pelican. Nathan burst out, cutting the golden Brute down to size. Even though the MA5C had a smaller clip, it packed one hell of a punch. The Brutes shields failed as his weapons clip ran out of ammo. He grabbed his pistol and shot it in the face, rag dolling it to the floor. The Grunts and Jackals cowered and fled out the door.

More assault rifle fire from outside sounded and the Master Chief peered into the Pelican. Nathan nodded and held up his finger. He ran back into the pilots cabin and pulled the rock off the woman in the seat. She screamed as Nathan hoisted her onto his back.

Master Chief looked at the Spartan curiously. Not with what he was doing, he thought it was very noble of him to rescue the woman, but at the fact that, right before his eyes, was an honest to God Spartan. He thought all of his Spartans had been killed at Reach.

But this wasn't one of his Spartans. He knew every single soldier in his unit, and none of them were this man. "Who are you?" The Chief asked. Nathan spotted a Sniper to his left and draped it on his shoulder.

"That's not important right now. Let's just get out of here and get her medical aid." Nathan said, looking at the wounded woman on his back. The Arbiter nodded.

"He's right. There's no time to loose." He said. The Chief grabbed the second sniper that was leaning on a rock and clacked it.

"Let's go."

Nathan, Master Chief and the Arbiter bolted across the small bridge, taking out a pack of Brutes who came through the tunnel on the far side.

Once they were promptly taken care of, they proceeded through the small cave, arriving on a cliff edge. The Chief and Arbiter stepped forward, while Nathan tended to the Co-pilot.

"See how they bait their trap?" The Arbiter asked the Chief, pointing to a captured Johnson being led to the concrete shack below. Johnson was thrown to the ground, but quickly shot up and punched the Chieftan in the chest. It scoffed and punted him into the room, where he was thrown into a cell with a group of others.

"I'll stay back and cover you two. Go rescue those soldiers." Nathan said, hefting his sniper. The Chief and Arbiter crawled down the slope, each one careful not to alert the soldiers until Nathan had made the first shot.

The Chief looked over to the Arbiter and whispered as quietly as he could. "Do you know who he is?" He asked. The Arbiter looked over to the Chief and nodded.

"Spartan G129. Apparently he's part of the Spartan III program. Gamma company. His real name is Nathan. Do you have a real name, too?"

The chief ignored the Arbiters question and activated his mic to Nathan. "Take the shot."

Nathan let four rapid fire shots echo. Four Jackal snipers fell from their posts, eliminating the long range threat, giving the Chief and the Arbiter a better chance.

The two sprung from their hiding spot and shot anything that moved, mowing down Grunts and Jackals, along with minor Brutes.

"Watch out Spartan!" The Arbiter yelled. The Chief rolled as the Chieftan from early lept from the top of the building, slamming the Gravity Hammer hard on the ground. The Chief unslung his Assault Rifle and let the bullets fly.

The Chieftan growled as 7.62 mm rounds bounced off his shield. He hefted the Hammer over the Chiefs head and hung their for a second. John had nowhere to go, and he covered his face and shut his eyes and waited for the end. Nothing happened... He opened his eyes to see the hilt of a knife sticking out of the Brutes forehead. It took a few seconds for the stiff corpse to go limp, then fall to the ground.

The Chief looked up at the ledge to see Nathan in a throwing position. He chucked that knife from that distance? He stood and nodded up at the hill and continued with the Arbiter to the makeshift prison.

Johnson looked at the soldiers with him. They were from his company, which was to be expected. He struggled with his bonds, hoping he could free his hands to give the more wounded soldiers some aid.

He heard a Brute slam into the ground and blood splatter through the window. He smiled as the Chief and Arbiter walked in.

"This isn't as fun as you think. Cut the power." He said impatiently. The Chief looked at the floating panel and touched the middle button. The shield collapsed and Johnson strolled out, grabbing a Needler from the crate next to him. The others grabbed Spikers and Carbines, readying themselves in case more showed up.

"Phantoms!" The Arbiter yelled. The Chief looked back outside and saw two Phantoms lower themselves over the battlefield. The first one hung above the river and provided covering fire for the other, which was now deploying more troops to the battlefield. The Chief unslung his own sniper and got to work.

He heard Nathan's up on the ridge and watched the Grunt gunner on the far side fall into the river. He aimed and fired at the gunner on his side and took it out just as easily, watching the body as it was swept away by the current.

"Chief? You got at least twenty Grunts and a pack of Brutes coming! Get ready!" Nathan yelled. The Chief clicked on an acknowledgement light and he heard him open fire. Nathan turned to the wounded soldier. She was turning pale and wouldn't last much longer out here.

"Gunship, this is Sierra G129! We need you by the dam now! We got two Phantoms, repeat: two Phantoms. Mind clearing the skies and picking our sorry asses up?"

The mic clicked and he heard the pilot come on. "Can do, Spartan. You got the package?"

"Affirmative! Sierra 117 secured and green! Please, lets keep it that way!"

The pilot scoffed. "Be there in a sec."

Nathan craned his head as the heavily armored pelican descended on the far side of the dam. The missiles flew free and slammed into the Phantom, puncturing the drivers cabin and sending it into the current below.

The second Phantom dodged the first barrage of missiles, firing everything it had at the Pelican. But the second barrage flew straight and true, striking the main engine and engulfing the ship in blue flame. It detonated and the bits and pieces plummeted into the dam.

The Pelican took the place of the second Phantom over the wall and lowered the hatch. "Your rides here boys. Saddle up and lets get back to base."

Nathan smiled and picked the wounded woman up once again. "Time for us to-" He stopped mid sentence when he saw she was no longer breathing. He checked for a pulse, but she was stone cold and stiff.

Nathan sighed and carried her body over to Pelican. The Chief looked her over and shook his head.

"You tried, Spartan. That's all that matters." John said, trying to console Nathan. He didn't say a word though, he just loaded her into the Pelican and stepped back out.

The Chief gave him a quizzical stare and turned to Johnson, who smiled back at him. "Don't worry, Chief. He has his orders. Hornet's coming to pick him up. You'll be seeing each other again.

Nathan nodded to the Spartan and ran back into the jungle. John was proud that some of the third generation Spartans had survived. He could still remember all of his who were gone, save for a few lucky individuals. Without a word, he and the Arbiter boarded the Pelican, heading off towards Crows Nest to be briefed on their next mission in this pointless war.

Put your wings on

Chapter 11: Put your wings on
Planet Equis: October 17, 2552
0945 hours

Almya watched Twilight pace the office for the twentieth time. She rolled her eyes and walked over to her lavender caretaker.

"Twilight! He's going to be just fine! Calm down!" Almya assured, placing her 'hands' on her shoulders. Twilight placed a hoof on her stomach and winced. Maybe she should calm down. It wasn't good for the baby.

She flopped on the small couch and sighed. "Oh, Almya? Why did I let him go? He should have stayed here and-"

"Twilight? You in there?" Bill asked from the other side of the door. Twilight trotted over quickly and opened it.

"Hey, Bill. What brings you by?" She asked. He walked in and took a seat at her desk. He looked a little flustered.

"I don't know. Maybe how Nathan left to Earth, leaving me and Cam here!" He said angrily. Bill rarely ever got angry and it took Twilight by surprise. She sighed and sat by his side.

"Bill, I'm sure he had a good reason for you two to stay here. He probably just wanted you to stay safe. After all you guys did lose... He doesn't want to lose you, too." She said, putting a hoof on his shoulder. He sighed and rubbed his shaven head.

"Yeah, I guess. But, we're soldiers! It's our job to lay down our lives to protect the human race and her allys. I don't know what to do..." He admitted. Twilight put her head on his shoulder and sighed.

"I don't know either, Bill..."

Laurence paced in the hospital's lobby. He let out a sigh and slumped in a chair, but found himself instantly on the floor when it snapped under his weight. He groaned loudly and walked to the counter.

"Is Star Trot okay?" He asked hastily. The nurse didn't even bat an eye at him.

"Sir, we'll let you know when we find out, okay? Please, take a seat." She gestured to the chairs, but saw one was completely shattered. "Oh."

Laurence faked a smiled and sat on the floor, running his hands across his face. Why did Nathan leave her there alone?! What was he thinking?! She couldn't handle the Covenant, let alone a Brute!

He spit on the ground in disgust for that traitor. He couldn't believe how fast he left though... Twilight had come from the battlefield and told them all he was on his way to Earth to help. No one believed it and Laurence just wanted to punch the arrogant mans face in...

"Laurence, yes?" The doctor asked. Laurence hadn't even seen the pony walk up to him. He stood quickly and looked down at the pony.

"Is she okay, doc?" He asked quickly. The doctor smiled and looked down at the chart.

"How else would I have known who you were? She's been asking for you for a while. Would you like to see her?" The doctor gestured to the ER wing and Laurence raced down the halls, thundering boot falls echoing the entire time. He burst into the room and saw Star Trot sitting up on the bed.

"Star..." He said happily.

She looked up at the door and instantly had a smile plastered on her face. "Laurence! You came to see me!" She said with glee. He went over to her side and pat her head.

"Of course... How are you feeling?" He asked quickly. She looked herself over and frowned.

"Well, I had a collapsed lung and internal bleeding, but the doctors patched me up good as new!" She affirmed, patting her chest, wincing slightly. Laurence chuckled and gave her a quick hug.

"You would make a great Spartan, you know that?" He said honestly. She blushed and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Aw, well I wouldn't say that..." She said with a giggle. Laurence put his hand on her arm and stared her straight in her green eyes.

"I'm really glad you're okay." He said. She smiled and hugged him tight. She pulled away and stayed right in his face. Her eyes hovered from those blue wonders to his lips. She let out a sigh and pressed hers face into his.

Laurence didn't seem to care. He closed his eyes and smiled, kissing her back. This really felt right, and he loved every second of it. She pulled away and blushed.

"That's for... well, everything you've done for me." She said sheepishly. Laurence smiled and ruffled her hair, eliciting a laugh from the small mare. He smiled and took a careful seat on the couch. It didn't buckle, so that was a start...

CRACK

Star Trot couldn't hold in the laugh. Laurence had snapped the couch clean in half with his weight. He smiled at Star Trot and kicked the couch across the room.

"Well, it's the hospitals problem now." He said happily. She smiled and watched him walk back over to her. He shifted uneasily for a second and remembered he had something for her.

"Oh, I found this on the battlefield and I just that you'd want it." He said, tossing a green emerald towards her. She caught it in her hooves and smiled.

"Really? For me?" She asked happily. Laurence smiled and went for the door.

"I need to go for a bit, but I'll be back later, alright?" He told her, hoping she'd understand he had clean up duty. She frowned and nodded. He gave her a wink and a reassuring smile. She smiled back and nodded.

"You promise you'll come back?" She asked unsure. She knew he was a soldier and when duty called, he could leave in an instant. He smiled at her and nodded.

"Of course. I promise." He said, holding up his hand in sincerity. She watched him leave and sunk into the pillow. She lightly ran her hoof across her lips and could still feel the sensation of the kiss.

I love you, Laurence...

"Hornet Squadrons! Head back to Crow's Nest immediately! We are under heavy Covenant attack, repeat: Heavy Covenant attack! We could use you to cover our transports!"

Nathan cocked his head in the direction of the base and, sure enough, he saw a couple of Phantoms sneak their way through the defenses.

"Alright! Squadrons Helios through November, I want you all with me! We're at Crow's Nest. The rest of you, cover the outlying area. Don't let any Banshees get through, got it?"

Squadrons of Hornets began to buzz every which way. Around forty came up behind Nathan, and around one hundred more stayed back and circled the area, destroying anything purple.

Nathan hit the throttle and his Hornet surged forward, leaving everyone else in the dust. "Alright! Fan out, guys and gals! I want this sky spotless!" He shouted. He heard the cheers in his radio and smiled.

Man, I wish I had Almya with me...

Nathan felt more alone than ever without her. It was like a piece of him had been removed. He felt naked without her assistance.

Guess I have to change my own music... He thought dryly.

Nathan opened up a file in his helmet, labeled, Fighting music: Classics. He flipped open the folder and let. 'Ride of the Valkyries' play.

He closed the folder and looked up to see about two dozen Banshees and a few Phantoms approach the base. He smiled and began to hum the music, as he let loose a flurry of rockets and machine gun fire.

He tore through the first few Banshees easy enough, watching their bullet riddled pilots descend into the canyon. He smiled and continued to hum the tune. Just because he was a Spartan, didn't mean he didn't have taste.

A Phantom shot out from the other side of the canyon and opened fire on his Hornet. His small craft lurched forward and began to sputter, taking a direct hit to one of the engines. Nathan cursed himself and began to devise a plan.

The Phantom most likely would turn to let the smaller turrets finish him off. With that, he could easily... nahh, that wouldn't work.

The Phantom turned and Nathan lurched the craft forward, slamming it headlong into the cargo hold of the Phantom. Grunts and Brutes shuffled to the back and front of the craft, trying to evade the Hornet. Nathan kicked the hatch off and jumped into the Phantom. It was time for him to start the party.

"Another Phantom incoming!" One of the Marines yelled. The Chief looked up from the turret to see a sputtering, out of control Phantom careen into the side of the hanger doors, ricocheting off the wall onto the deck in a ball of purple flame.

"What in the hell happened?" Another Marine called out, bursting from his cover confused. They all pointed their rifles at the craft when something moved. A gauntleted hand reached up and pulled itself up, revealing the Spartan from earlier.

The Chief watched him throw his BR to the deck and jump down. He retrieved the weapon and marched over to Master Chief, quickly giving a quick salute.

"Sir! Spartan G129... uh... Yeah, you know what? I got nothing to say about this." Nathan admited, breaking the salute. The Chief looked back to the Phantom to see what looked like the back end of a Hornet sticking out of one of the cargo doors. He smiled beneath his helmet and stared the man over.

This Spartan was reckless, daring, probably a little stupid, but he was a true Spartan. The Chief nodded to him as Johnson came back on the mic.

"Chief? Make your way back to the Command Center." He said. Nathan heard as well and gestured to the door.

"Shall we, Sir?" He asked lifting his visor so the Chief could see his face for the first time. The chief stepped back, surprised by what he saw.

He was a kid! Just a kid, probably no older than nineteen or twenty. It was to be expected, since he was a newer generation of Spartans, but that young? The chief frowned, wondering how young everyone else in his unit was, but decided it be best not to dwell on these kinds of things during an invasion. He nodded to the Spartan and they took off back to the CC.

"Hey!" The marine called out, staring through the bunker. The Chief and Nathan stopped him as a Drone flew out from the air ducts, grabbing the marine by the pits. It began flying off with the poor, screaming man.

Nathan leveled his BR and let a burst fly for the large bug. It exploded from the impact and the soldier fell to the ground, covered in bug guts. Nathan had never seen anything like them before.

"What the hell are those?!" One of the marines yelled, ducking deeper behind her cover. The Sergeant whipped a grenade and ducked as a Plasma bolt grazed his arm.

"DRONES! A whole swarm!"

Nathan bolted behind a pillar as the Chief ducked behind a weapons box. Nathan began to open fire with the SMG at his side and took down three of the buggers, but they just kept pouring out of the vent like a waterfall. He looked back to the Chief, who was giving the bugs everything he had with his AR.

There's got to be something...

Nathan looked to his left to see the toppled turret. How much does one drum hold? two hundred rounds? Oh well, it'd have to be enough.

"Chief! Give me some cover fire!" Nathan yelled. The Chief looked over and nodded, grabbing two SMG's from the box he was hiding behind and went to work.

While the drones were busy with him, Nathan ran for the turret. He ripped it off the mount and opened up, ripping through the bugs like tissue paper. The rest turned and opened fire on him. Plasma rounds ripping at his shields like razors.

The Chief looked over at the stone solid Spartan, taking the shots with unrelenting determination. He watched as his shields fail and his armor began to melt from the impacts.

Nathan kept shooting, the pain from the burns becoming unbearable. He felt his vision blur and his heart pound out of his chest. With one last effort, he whipped the almost empty chain gun at the buggers. They dodged it easy enough and continued to fire. Nathan ran back behind cover and gasped for air. He looked over to the Chief who was just staring him down.

"Well? Covering fire!" Nathan shouted, running out for round two. The Chief hesitated and opened up when the Spartan sprinted for the turret on the other end of the room.

Nathan gasped for air. He didn't know how bad he was hit, but he knew he had to do something. Nathan took one last look out from behind the stone pillar, a Plasma bolt blasting a chunk of rock away right in front of his face. He heard his mic crackle and the deep voice of the Chief came on.

"Spartan? Don't do anything stupid! You're going into shock and your heart rate is through the roof. Stand down." He ordered. Nathan shook his head.

"Sorry, Sir. I got your ass to save."

Nathan jumped on the Turret and opened up on the buggers that were still left. They tried to weave and dodge as best they could, but ultimately imploded from his pinpoint fire.

Nathan looked over as the door beneath them opened and a squad of marines burst in, opening fire as well. Took you long enough...

It was down to the last drone, who tried to flee back through the vent, but Nathan shot it in the head with his BR, sending Drone bits in all directions. The Chief left his cover and ran over to his new comrade, who was slumped on the floor, his armor smoking from the impacts.

"Spartan, are you okay?" He asked. Nathan shakily got to his feet and let out a laugh.

"You think a couple of bugs would stop me?" He asked, patting his chest. The Chief smiled and slid down the embankment followed by Nathan. The soldiers let them through the door and they made their way back up to the command center.

Johnson took another inhale of his Cigar and leaned in close to the nuke. One of the Engineers looked up to him with a nervous smile.

"I'm still setting up the time and it could go off on its own..." He said nervously. Miranda, who was contacting the CC from her Pelican stared down at Johnson from the large screen.

"Uh, Johnson? You might want to put that out." She said. He looked down at the Cigar, then back to her stern face and conceded. He threw the cigar on the ground and stomped it out as Nathan and John came up the stairs. Johnson smiled at the pair and looked to Miranda.

"Chief? Have a look. A little going away gift for the Covenant. We linked it to smaller charges throughout the base. Johnson? As soon as the evacuation is complete start the timer."

"Understood." He said with a smile.

"Good luck everyone. See you on the last pelican out." She said. The view screen went dark and Johnson turned to the two Spartans.

Chief? Nathan? Follow me." He said. He led them up to a door that was surrounded by marines. Whatever was on the other side must not be pretty. Johnson turned to the Spartans and frowned.

"Brutes have taken the barracks. Marines are trapped inside. Those apes aren't much for mercy chief. We both know what they do to prisoners..." He trailed off and the Chief nodded. "Get to the barracks, save those men, then escort them to the landing pad."

One of the Marines opened the door and backed away, allowing Nathan and John into the heart of hostile territory. Nathan smiled as he went.

It's good to be back...

Cleaning house

Chapter 12: Cleaning house
Planet Earth: October 17, 2552
1411 hours

Nathan and John slowly made their way down the sloped hall, stopping just outside the opened door at the bottom. A thunderous voice was addressing troops on the other end of the room. The Chieftan was giving a valiant sermon to his men, raising their moral for their battle.

Nathan shot a glance at the Chief and scoffed. "Chieftans... I can't stand these guys." He said with a hint of frustration. The Chief shot out a rare chuckle and gave a quick hand signal. Nathan nodded and shuffled forward, his BR held at the ready. The Chief moved forward, slinking behind the wall. He noticed Nathan staring behind him and turned to see a few Covenant devices at his feet. He recognized them instantly. They were portable gravity lifts.

"Toss me one of those, will you Chief?" He asked quietly. The Chief nodded and passed him the device. Nathan lifted his visor and had a mischievous smile plastered on his face. "Twenty bits says I can clear this room out in... A minute thirty." He said winking. John cocked his head.

Bits?

He shrugged off the odd name of currency and nodded. "Show me how you do it, Spartan." He said. Nathan took out a Plasma grenade and threw it at the Brute on the right side of the stairwell. It stuck to his back and it didn't even noticed. Last three seconds of it's life were ignorant bliss.

When the grenade detonated, however, the room was in an uproar frenzy. Nathan threw the gravity lift forward and grabbed a second one before he launched himself up to the balcony. A Brute jumped off the human turret and turned to face him, but was met with a barrage of BR shots to the face. His shields quickly failed and the final round punctured its left eye, killing it instantly.

The Brutes around the Chieftan began to open fire, sending spikes and balls of blue plasma his way. Nathan dove on the turret and let loose the 50mm rounds. Brutes tried to hide behind anything they could, but the rounds tore through the ancient stone with ease, splattering the opposite wall with purple-black blood.

A Brute ran around and was now in flanking position. It jumped over the banister, ready to tear his throat out. Nathan grabbed the dead Brute's Spiker at his feet and jabbed it into the would be attacker's face. He let go and let the brute fall to the ground below. All that remained was the Chieftan.

It bellowed a war cry and rushed forward, activating its over-shield as it did. Nathan smiled, hoping that's exactly what it'd do. Nathan dove from the balcony ready to meet the Brute head on. But its overzealous attack would be its undoing.

Nathan threw down the second gravity lift in front of the hulk. The creatures large, clumsy feet couldn't get out of the way in time, and he flew head over heals into the air, dropping his hammer as he did. Nathan grabbed it and rounded the gravity lift, diving after the Chieftan, hammer in hand.

The Chieftan yelled angrily as the Spartan swung the hammer like a baseball bat at him. The monster shot like a bullet into the wall, it's head exploding on impact, sending blood, bone and brain matter everywhere. The Chief came out of cover, momentarily too stunned for words.

"Well? What's my time?" Nathan asked excitedly, throwing the hammer to the ground. The Chief checked the timer in his helmet and smiled.

"A minute thirty-one." He said. The Chief smiled and shook his head. Too bad for this Spartan, he didn't know about the John's victory record.

I always win... He thought smugly.

Nathan threw his hands in the air and yelled. "Aw, Dammit! Well, a deals a deal." He said sadly. He took out a small pouch from his belt and jingled it around. Satisfied, he tossed it to the Chief.

"Deals a deal." He said again, running for the opposite side of the room and to the door. The Chief opened the bag and examined one of the small coins. It was gold, with a raised image of two flying unicorns encircling the sun and moon, which made a yin-yang symbol. He continued to stare at the odd coin until Nathan snapped him out of it.

"Chief? Come on! We got Marines to save!" He yelled from across the room. The Chief put the pouch away in one of his ammo belts and smiled, running back to the Spartan.

The duo continued down a long, dark hallway. It ended in a cave-in, the only exit was the service hatch that led to a maintenance tunnel. Nathan gestured to the hole, allowing the Chief to jump in first. When he was down and out of the way, Nathan made his way through.

They began to slowly march down the hall, careful not to alert the Drones, flying from tunnel to tunnel. Nathan turned his head quickly when he heard Master Chief's gun fall to the ground. He watched the Chief grab the sides of his helmet in pain and nearly fall to the ground.

One of the Drones heard the commotion, and quickly let out a loud buzz, alerting around two dozen more.

Shit

Nathan grabbed John and threw him into one of the tunnels. He fired his BR at the large bugs, who fell easily enough. The ones who didn't, quickly fled back into the pipes. Nathan let the empty clip fall and reloaded, looking over the Chief sadly.

John shook his head and looked over at Nathan. "Sir, are you okay?" He asked quickly. The Chief shook his head and nodded.

"I'm fine." He said roughly, climbing out of the tunnel after Nathan got out of the way. He grabbed his AR off the floor and continued down the large space, jumping down the air shaft, followed by a curious Nathan. They heard the Arbiter yelling reason to the enemy in the next room.

Needless to say, they weren't listening...

"Don't let the Prophets use you like they used me! Reject their lies! Rebel! Or all your hives will perish!" He yelled, but the drones fired on him once again. The Arbiter sighed and looked down sadly, letting out two shots from his Plasma Rifles, sending the bugs into the underground lake.

He turned to see Nathan and the Chief jump down from the hatch. He shook his head and sighed. Nathan went over and pat his shoulder.

"Not everyone can listen to reason, Arbiter. Don't take it too badly. Everyone follows their own path and will follow it until they decide to change it for themselves." He said, hoping to cheer the Alien up. The Arbiter nodded and clacked his jaws.

"Wise, Spartan. Now come. The barracks are through here." He said, pointing at the slightly ajar door. The trio ran through and heard the scream of a Marine. They watched as he sailed through the air and smash his face into the pillar. Nathan winced when he saw the mans shattered, bloody face. He was dead.

But he did leave a shotgun. Nathan went over and picked it up, turning to see a group of Brutes laughing as one picked another Marine up by the throat.

"N-NO! Please!" He pleaded. The Chief and Arbiter watched as Nathan casually walked up to the Brutes. He tapped the one holding the marine on the shoulder and pumped his shotgun.

The Brute turned in surprise and was met with the muzzle of the weapon to his mouth. Nathan made disappointed 'tsking' sounds with his tongue.

"Now, that's not very nice." He said simply, pulling the trigger and blasting the Brutes head clean off. The Marine fell to the floor and scuttled back into the corner quickly.

The Brutes to the left and right rushed him at the same time. Nathan shot the Brute on the left with the Shotgun, blowing his arm off, and shoved a frag grenade in the mouth of the one on the right. He rolled away as the Brute on the right detonated, taking the pained armless one with it.

Nathan looked down at the Marine and passed him his SMG. He lifted his visor and smiled. "Might want to change your pants, soldier."

The marine turned his head quickly and accepted the gun, running in with his Spartan savior.

The Chief and Arbiter looked to one another and bolted into the room. John shook his head and frowned. This kid has no discipline. He treats everything like a damn game and doesn't think of the consequences.

What the hell kind of Spartans did they train?

Nathan jumped up onto the balcony, taking down a couple of Jackals patrolling. The Brutes across the room took unkindly to his attack, opening up on the Spartan.

Nathan jumped up into the small access tunnel above. He heard the Chief and Arbiter fire on the Brutes he had just avoided. While they fought bellow, however, Nathan snaked his way over the room to another gathering of Brutes. He stared at them from above as they watched the Chief and Arbiter come forward. The Brute Captain threw down a bubble shield and laughed.

"Get us now, Heretic!" He goaded. Nathan took out his shotgun and clacked it. Oh this is just too perfect.

"Peek-a-boo, mother fuckers!" He yelled, jumping into the shield. He blasted the Captain in the head and kicked the Brute minor into the wall, bashing in the front of its skull with the butt of the weapon. The Chief and Arbiter, once again, exchanged glances. This Spartan was definitely an odd man. Nothing was a challenge to him, but more of a fun game.

This arrogance was going to get him killed.

Nathan jumped out of the Shield, arms spread as the once captive marines grabbed weapons and marched forward. Nathan made his way over to his two alleys and smiled. "Come on! You could at least kill ONE of them, huh?" He joked. The Arbiter looked to the Chief, who lightly shook his head.

Nathan nodded to the pair and let off a slight salute, running to join the Marines. Nathan put away his shotgun away and walked ahead, a smile plastered to his face.

"Ah... It's good to be-"

He was cut off as a weapons Chieftan burst from hiding kicking him into the adjacent wall. Nathan slammed through the stone and ended up on the other side, where three more Brutes quickly grabbed him and began savagely beating him to a pulp.

The Marines and the Chief ran forward, hitting the Brutes with everything they had. Another five Brutes however, came out from their cover as well, making getting to Nathan all but impossible.

The Brutes continued their savage beating, sending Nathan's vision into a blur. He gasped for air when he felt himself kicked in the chest, his chest plate cracking ever so slightly. One of the Brutes, deciding to end it, grabbed the Spartan by the throat and squeezed with all his might.

Nathan gasped for air as his windpipe was shut by the force of the Brute. He kicked and flailed with all his might, but the iron grip of the ape was too much. His vision tunneled and he choked one last time for some air, to no avail.

SWISH

Nathan fell to the floor and filled his lungs explosively with the sweet, sweet oxygen. He looked up to see the Arbiter materialize from his active cammo.

"Pitiful apes!" He spat, pulling the sword from the Brutes chest. The other two lunged for him all at once. He ducked and they collided head long into one another. Nathan quickly recovered and shot one of them in the chest with his shotgun, sending bits of armor and flesh out its back, while the Arbiter severed the head of the other.

The Chief ran in, covered in purple blood and looked Nathan over. The young Spartan's breathing was labored as he clutched his throat, trying desperately to breath normally. "You need medical attention, soldier. Come on."

Nathan shook the Chief's hand away and stood. "I'm fine. I can take care of myself." He said sternly. He looked up to the Arbiter and nodded a thanks, then stormed back to the marines, calling out orders.

Master Chief sighed. This Spartan was too proud to admit when he made a mistake. What had caused his behavior to become like this, he'd never know. Unless he actually decided to talk to the soldier.

He was snapped out of his thought by the Arbiter tapping his shoulder. They both turned and ran through the door, where Nathan and the Marines waited on the elevator to the landing pad. The duo walked in and Nathan slammed his fist on the button, destroying it. The Elevator lurched upwards with a groan and stopped at the pad, Miranda's Pelican waiting for them.

"Ma'am! We got contacts! Above and below!" Miranda's co-pilot stated. Everyone looked up to see a Phantom pass overhead, a legion of Jump pack Brutes jumping down onto the ship, then below when a pack burst up from the caves below.

"Jump pack Brutes! They're going after our thrusters! Try and shake them!" Keyes yelled. The Pelican lurched upwards, causing the Brutes to tumble off and crash into the deck bellow.

"Lets bag 'em and tag 'em!" One of the Marines yelled, leveling his SMG and firing on one of the dazed Brutes. They all took flight, firing their plasma rifles down on them, showering the deck in molten slag and holes.

"Get to cover, now!" Nathan yelled. He was feeling pretty emasculated from his last encounter, and with one of the best Spartans he had heard about in legends from soldiers and friends by his side, he wasn't going to seem like a push over.

Nathan tackled one of the Brutes when it was low enough, sending them both head long into a crate. The Chief, Marines, and Arbiter fired on those still left in the fight. It all was eventually settled, prompting the Pelican to return for the survivors.

Nathan turned when he heard the back doors open and Johnson and his team of Marines run in. "GO!" Johnson ordered the men and women. "I'll hold them off!"

He fired at the bugs, weaving and dodging the Plasma rounds. Nathan dove over the banister and stood next to Johnson, fighting off the swarm of bugs. He turned to Nathan and nodded.

"Thanks. This whole damn place is crawling with these buggers." He spat, clearly enraged by the creatures. Nathan had to laugh at his aged friend. He didn't change one bit since he first met him.

All those years ago...

"Brutes, in the ops-center. They disarmed the bomb. Sorry, Commander, there were too many. Even for me." Johnson stated. Nathan chuckled again. This man could handle anything the Covenant threw at him, but to be overrun by a few measly Brutes.

He must be getting old.

"Chief? Get back to the Ops center. Kill those Brutes, Re-arm that bomb. I've got to get these men out of here, but I'll radio with another exit. Good luck." Commander Keye's said with a salute from the cockpit. John jumped over the railing, Nathan quickly following.

The Chief saw and shook his head. "Not this time, Soldier. Head back to the Pelican and get out of here." Nathan lifted his visor and smiled.

"In case you didn't know, we're the same rank, so I respectfully decline your request." He said nonchalantly clacking his BR. The Chief sighed and waved the Pelican away.

Johnson climbed into the cockpit and smiled at Miranda. "Those two are going to be the best of friends, I can already tell." He said jokingly. Miranda chuckled and pulled the Pelican up over the hills.

"Well, Nathan's the first new Spartan he's ever seen. I should hope they would get along swimmingly." She looked to Johnson who nodded.

"Yeah, like swimming with a Great White. Now let's get as much distance from here as we can, ma'am." He said looking back at the shrinking base. "Be careful you two..." He muttered.

"So, Chief, whats on the agenda for today? Activate a bomb, then escape from the building before it blows? Seems like a cake run to me." Nathan said smugly. The Chief sighed and stopped, turning to the Spartan.

"Look, I don't know how things worked in your unit, but in mine? We keep quiet, watch each others sixes, and work as a team. No more of this arrogant lone wolf stuff. Am I understood?" He asked, pulling up every authority of command he could muster. It had been a while since he had a squad to direct, even though it was a squad of one.

"Crystal, Sir." Nathan muttered. The Chief nodded and opened the door. On the other side was a sleepy grunt manning a portable turret. It turned it's head and shrieked, turning the turret towards them.

Nathan leveled his BR and sent one burst into its skull. It slumped to the floor, letting Nathan take the weapon. He struggled to pick it up, but only for a second.

"Oof! I remember these being lighter! Then again, I haven't been back in the action for a while." He said, moving forward at a slower pace with his heavy weapon.

The Chief wondered what he meant by that. Nathan was a Spartan! He should have been on every deployment imaginable. Even the Chief had heard a few whispers of some soldiers wearing MJOLNIR armor. Granted, they were just rumors. Now, he wasn't so sure. Maybe there were a lot more Spartans in deployment than he realized.

"Nathan! Watch out!" He said, tackling the Spartan to the floor. A Beam Rifle round shot past the two of them, burning a hole through the wall.

"Holy shit! Thanks, Chief." He said, taking out his BR. The two turrets began firing on the truck they were behind, slowly melting the metal away. "Well, our cover will be gone in about twenty seconds. I go left you go right?" He asked. The Chief shrugged and nodded.

Nathan bolted in the middle of the two turrets and fired on the gunners, having some difficulty due to the small shields protruding from them. His shields were nearly drained by the time the gunners had fallen. Nathan looked up as a Jackal squawked in rage, it and it's colleges leveled their Beam Rifles and Carbines at the man.

Shit...

Nathan rolled out of the way behind a box, a Beam round grazing his helmet. The Chief stood and fired on the birds, as did Nathan. Another turret in the room began firing on the two soldiers positions. "Chief! Roll me one of those frags!" Nathan yelled.

The Chief looked down at the dead marine, a frag grenade lying next to his body. The Chief kicked it across the floor to the other Spartan, who snatched it quick. "This is one reason why I love rifles!" He yelled, throwing the grenade into the room. He aimed at it and fired, detonating the sphere and sending shrapnel into the unprotected Jackals and Grunt gunner. They all fell from fatal wounds, allowing Nathan and the Chief to finally proceed.

"Not bad, soldier." Master Chief said with a shrug. "A bit of ingenuity is something I haven't seen in quite some time." Nate shrugged off the compliment and began rubbing his neck again. Damn, that Brute had a grip...

"Thanks, Sir. Do you want to lead the way up?" He asked standing at the edge of the door, looking up the dark, slope hall. The Chief nodded and started his accent.

Nathan, however, lagged behind. He felt his throat muscles contract and swell. He messaged the area vigorously and sighed when the pain went away. I need to see a medic after this...

Nathan walked up to the top of the rise, stopping on the side of the door. The Chief motioned him to remain quiet. He peered in to see a pack of Brutes being addressed by... a very gangly looking creature.

"Who's that side show?" Nathan asked curiously through his com. The Chief looked at him and made a slashing motion to his throat. Nathan took the hint and zipped his lips.

Nathan froze when a Grunt stopped in front of the door, sniffing the air like mad. The Chief, knowing it could blow their cover, gestured Nathan to take it out.

This is what he'd been waiting for. A nice little sneak attack, get revenge for the one done on him before. He unsheathed his knife and pulled the Grunt into the doorway, stabbing it in the neck as he did. The room remained oblivious and the duo snuck inside.

"Have the Drones scower these machines!" The Chieftan yelled, causing his troops to mill about and radio orders. Nathan was about to go forward when the Chief grabbed his arm.

"My turn, Spartan." He said, clacking his AR. Nathan smiled and nodded.

"A minute thirty like last time?" He asked. "I got another bag of..." Nathan suddenly realized just how stupid he looked for giving the Chief unusable currency. "-Oh. Guess you can't do anything with bits, huh? Been on Equis too damn long..." He muttered.

Okay, the Chief was going to have to have a little talk with the Spartan after this. He wanted answers to who he was, where he came from, and why the hell he hadn't been in the fight sooner. But, for now, the Chief had a bet to fulfill.

With that, he burst into the room, slamming the butt of his rifle into the back of a brutes head, severing its spine. It fell to the dirt and all eyes were on him. The Chieftan roared and leveled its Fuel Rod at the Chief and fired. John expertly rolled out of the way and sent a Plasma grenade sailing across the room. It landed right at the hulks feet and detonated, sending a shower of burnt flesh and steamed blood into the air. The Chief finished by throwing a spike grenade into the face of the Brute trying to take the plasma turret position up top and turned to Nathan.

"Time, Spartan?" He asked, clutching his AR tight. Nathan stared slack jawed at the Chief and shook his head.

1:12:55

"Uhhh, 1:34. Sorry Chief." Nathan lied, trying to keep it a secret. He heard a slight chuckle from the Chief, who was shaking his head in disapproval.

"It was 1:12:55. Nice try, Soldier, but I'll be taking that currency of yours again." He said holding out a hand. Nathan passed his last bag to the Chief and sighed.

"Well, there goes dinner for me and the miss-" He cut himself off as the Chief tilted his head. "Nevermind. Let's just get going." Nathan said hastily, grabbing the Fuel Rod from the floor.

Miss'? This Spartan is married?! What the hell happened to protocol!? The Chief sighed and rearmed the bomb, leading his ally to the service elevator in the hanger.

The path was met with little resistance, other than Grunts, Jackals, and Drones trying to flee in every direction. The Chief and Nathan mowed them down whenever they got in the way. John looked over to Nathan, who was being uncharacteristically quiet. Probably said too much for his liking. Revealing all about what he's been up to in the amount of time he has? I hope he's never been trusted with secret information.

He's got a mouth like a leaky faucet...

"There, Chief! It's in that room!" Nathan yelled, pointing to the large entrance. The elevator inside was like a glimmer of hope and the two quickly jumped in. "Press the button, Chief!" Nathan yelled. He looked over to see the Chief mashing the thing like no other, eager to get out as well.

They were both blown back by a plume of fire. Nathan sighed in relief when the elevator began to descend, leaving the fiery grave only for the Covenant.

But relief turned to panic when the elevator began to plummet faster, and faster. Nathan and the Chief shot a glance at one another before, as usual, the first one to say anything was Nathan.

"Son of a bitchhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"

Highway to Hell

Chapter 13: Highway to Hell
Planet Earth: October 17, 2552
1600 hours

The Chief groggily opened his eyes to see a group of Marines standing over him. He brought a gloved hand to his helmet and checked his surroundings. It was dark, no light save for the fire in the elevator and the flashlights of the troops in the large space. He turned his to see Nathan, sitting up with something in his hands. He had his helmet off and a light smile on his face.

This was the first time the Chief had seen his full face. It was young and youthful, free of scarring and blemishes. He saw the man holding a small photo in his hand, he couldn't tell of who though. His thoughts were cut off as one of the Marines leaned in uncomfortably close and smiled. "Hey! The Chiefs waking up!" He said enthusiastically. John sat up and Nathan quickly slid the picture in his hands back into his helmet, placing it on quickly.

"Welcome back, Chief. How'd you sleep?" Nathan asked, holding out his hand. John took it and smiled.

"Fine. Status?" He asked, getting right down to business. Nathan looked back at the troops and then back to John.

"These guys were trapped down here when the invasion of Crows Nest began. Plenty of wounded also. We have a stack of weapons over there." He gestured to a rack with a few AR's on it then turned back around. "The Commander contacted me. We need to get to Voi ASAP, stop whatever the Covenant is doing in the dig site."

John was happy to finally have a true mission now. It had been nothing but hit and run since the jungle. But, with a clear direction on where he had to go, he could function at 110% and get the job done right.

"Settle down, Marines!" A Sergeant from the other side of the elevator shaft yelled. "Somebody hit the emergency power!" He ordered. One of the groggy Marines stood and nodded.

"On it, Sergeant." He said, making his way over to the power box.

"Anyone from Charlie 2? We got separated." Another soldier asked. The others shook their heads and looked around. Another Marine joined in as well.

"Nah, Alpha 6. They're all gone, too." He said sadly. The Sergent came through the door and waved the soldiers forward.

"If you can walk, put your boots on the line."

All the Marines who could walk and fight, as well as John and Nathan, entered the garage on the other side. One of them walked over to the Sergent and rubbed his chin.

"What's our situation, Sergeant?" he asked. The other troops milled around to get their orders as well. Their superior put his hands behind his back and frowned.

"Not sure, can't reach the Commander. Too far underground. Lets mount up, get the hell out of these caves." He said, walking over to the door.

"YES, SIR!" The troops bellowed, running for the Warthogs off to the side.

"Shotgun!" Nathan and a Marine yelled at the same time. They both stared at each other, then did rock, paper scissors. Nathan lost.

"Fuck! I never get shotgun! Fine, gunner!" He yelled. No one protested this time and he mounted the heavy turret. The Chief jumped into the drivers seat as the last of the Marines jumped in the Passenger Hog to the left.

"Lets hope you drive as good as you fight." Nathan joked. The Chief smirked and gunned it out the door. Nathan will soon learn that, John wasn't a legend for nothing.

"Twilight! They've breached the hanger! You need to get out, now!" Cam yelled through the mic. The Brutes had come back with a pretty good fleet. The Arbiter left a few ships behind to deal with them, and it was working for now, but a few Corvettes slipped through and dropped troops on the battlefield.

"How are the Princess'?!" She asked hastily. "Are they alright?" Cam came back again, this time accompanied by gunfire.

"We got them all to the bunkers! Now hurry! Your brother should be there with Bill to escort you out!" More gunfire was heard, followed by an explosion.

"How are my friends doing?" She asked again. Cam sighed, but kept the conversation going.

"Applejack and Pinkie Pie are evacuating Ponyville, Fluttershy is tending to the wounded in Canterlot with me, and I also have Rainbow Dash here, too. Now, hurry! Get back into the city and get to the bunkers!"

He clicked his mic off and Twilight turned to Almya who was sitting Indian style on the table. "So what now, Twilight?" She asked. Twilight finished dumping her files and looked to Almya.

"We're getting out of here. Now come on." She said, ejecting her holographic friends chip from the panel. She slid it in her saddle bag and ran out the door to run head long into Shining armor and Bill.

"Twilly! You're okay!" He yelled, hugging his sister tight. She gasped when she saw the state of his armor. It had plasma burns and holes scattered across it, and his leg had a large burn as well.

"BBBFF! What happened?!" Twilight yelled in horror. He wave her reaction off and smiled.

"Ah, this is nothing. You don't want to know what Bill and I did to the Covenant who did this." He said with a smirk. Bill nodded and turned around, upon hearing the Brute pack howling behind them.

"We need to go. Now. Our transport is waiting and you are too important to loose." Bill affirmed, running out to meet their Phantom.

As soon as Twilight was aboard, the pack of Brutes rounded the corner, opening fire instantly. They were accompanied by a very pissed off Weapons Chieftan, who didn't hesitate to bring its Fuel Rod to bear. "Shit! Everyone in! Go, go,GO!" Bill yelled. They boarded as quick as possible and sped towards a besieged Canterlot.

Twilight looked out the window in horror. Their defenses were being breached on nearly every front her and Nathan had set up. Their AA guns were almost all destroyed, save for the ones inside Canterlot, and she could make out thousands of Covenant below, killing and desecrating the bodies of the Equine soldiers. She turned her head and let out a quivering breath. This was all too much for her. She'd seen the Covenant kill some of pony kind...

But never like this.

Shining Armor trotted over and wrapped his arm around her tight. "Hey, little sis. It'll all be okay, don't worry about it. Laurence and his men are back on the front lines and will help clear this mess up quick, just you watch." He assured. Twilight however wasn't totally convinced. She trotted quickly away from the view port and rubbed her stomach.

Please, hurry back, Nathan. I need you... She looked at her stomach and frowned. We need you...

"Selina! Are the charges set?!" Laurence yelled, diving over a Hunters plasma beam. Selina looked over and gave him a thumbs up. "Good! Hit the button, NOW!" He yelled, firing on the large group of Hunters again.

A large roar enveloped him and his team, and the bridge the Hunters had been standing on a second ago was now gone. Laurence looked over the edge to see the behemoths plummet about 1000 feet to the base of the mountain. Laurence smiled and was finally able to deliver some good news. "Cam? It's Laurence. Do you copy?"

"Go ahead, Laurence. Do you have any good news?" Cam asked, sounding more and more winded. Laurence smiled and ran through his first victory in his head over and over again. It felt good to prove Nathan wrong.

"Affirmative. The bridge into Canterlot is destroyed, nothing comes in or out, except by air. As long as our AA batteries stay up, Covenant air cover shouldn't be a problem."

"Excellent work, Spartan. You and your team, keep bringing me good news. I look forward to hear when the invasion is quelled." Cam said. He began to whisper to someone next him and he heard the mic shift.

"Laurence? This is Princess Celestia. I just wanted to thank you personally for the help you and your team have given. We are in your debt." She said, with a hint of sadness in her voice. Obviously this invasion was getting to her.

"We'll get this filth off your world, Princess." Laurence said with unwavering determination. "You can count on it."

She chuckled lightly and continued. "Thank you. Now, I don't want to keep you all from your job, so-"

Laurence interrupted her to ask something he'd been wondering all day. "Is Star Trot okay? Is she in the bunkers with you?"

"Hi, Laurence!" A very happy Star Trot said over the mic. He let out a sigh of relief and smiled.

"Hey. Glad you're safe! You stay that way for me and I'll be back quick, okay?" He said in a sweet voice. He looked over to see his team giving him an odd stare, but shrugged it off. He heard Star giggle on the other end.

"Okay. You better come back though." She said with playful sternness. He chuckled and nodded.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Star. Over and out." He clicked his mic off and looked back over to his team, who turned away quickly. "Alright! Lets get back to work!"

Cam looked back over to the Princess and frowned. "You didn't think it was important to tell him?" He asked. Another barrage on the bunker door sent the civilians cowering to the back in fear. Celestia looked over to her little sister and sighed.

"It wouldn't have made a difference. They never would have gotten here in time anyway. Tell me, Cam, what is it like? To face this kind of thing as a soldier, day in and day out? I have long since forgotten my days of war." She asked calmly. Cam clacked his assault rifle and frowned.

"You get used to it when it's just you against them. But when you got people to protect and save? It never gets any easier. I've nearly lost my sanity in this war, loosing so many innocent lives on my watch..."

The door began to dent and buckle, the calls of triumph from the Brutes on the other side could be heard. The royal guard now took defensive positions at the entrance, ready to protect their Princess'. Cam went on.

"I'm not going to loose you all, too." The door burs open. Cam turned and opened fire with the rest of the soldiers, who were being gunned down all to quickly. The Princess' comforted the civilians as Cam and the remaining soldiers desperately kept the Covenant at bay. He took a deep breath and looked back to Rainbow Dash, who was crying lightly. He was ready to fight for her, to try and save her. Ultimately, it would come down to one last thing.

To the end.

It looks like a flower

AN: Okay, so this chapter is going to explore the hesitation Nathan has around the Commander. What could possibly have happened in their past to get him so flustered around her? Let's find out. Okay, go back to reading my little ponies. :)

Chapter 14: It looks like a flower
Planet: Earth October, 17, 2552
1708 hours

"Oh, come on, Chief! For the love of all things good, please don't-" But it was too late. Nathan's protesting couldn't stop the Chief from driving the dilapidated Warthog headlong into the two Wraiths guarding the bridge to Voi. The fighting for the past hour or so had gone from driving, to foot, back to driving again. Nathan didn't want to tell the Chief this, but his driving would make even the most iron clad stomach chuck.

Master Chief dove from the drivers seat onto the Wraith on the left. However, being left out of the Chief's plan, Nathan stayed on the Warthog as a ball of blue detonated the front, sending the man flying into the air. "SHIT!" Was all that could be heard as he flopped onto the second Wraith's driver canopy. He quickly recovered however and ripped the hatch off, sticking the driver inside. He jumped off the back as the behemoth went up in a ball of flame.

"Nice work." John said, joining Nathan's side. Nathan frowned and lifted his visor.

"Next time you have a plan, feel free to include me in it." He said sternly. The Chief ran up ahead and didn't stop to turn around to talk.

"I didn't."

Nathan shook that one off and joined the Chiefs side as a pack of jump pack Brutes flew above the battlefield. Sending the two Spartans scattering for cover. The Chief hid behind a road barrier and Nathan jumped behind a pile of weapon pods, using a panel to block the Spiker rounds. He looked to his feet to see a Sniper. He smiled and hefted it, taking aim on the aerial Brutes. There were three of them, and four shots in the Sniper. Easy enough.

He let out three bursts and watched as two of the Brutes fell. The last one was injured, however and taking him out was going to be too easy. He sighted the last Brute again and shot its jetpack, sending it careening into the cliff wall, showering the rock in blood.

He and the Chief burst from the cover and took out the Brutes milling around the blockade. "Spartan, get your sniper on top of that tower." John yelled, pointing to the floating Covenant platform. Nathan nodded and ascended the short grav lift, taking aim on the Brutes at the entrance to the tunnel.

He watched as the Shade opened fire on the advancing Chief. Nathan took a deep breath and sighted the little open spot for the gunner to see out of. He watched as the tiny Grunt tumbled out, slumping to the cold concrete without a head. He then set his sights on the Brutes not in cover behind the crashed Pelican. The Weapons Chieftan, however was a problem.

He only had three shots left, and the Chieftan's shields were twice as strong as a normal Brutes. He cursed and jumped off the tower, making his way to the Chief.

John dove over the portable barrier and kicked a Brute square in the jaw. It cursed in its alien tongue and berzerked, punching the Chief square in the chest. John flew back and quickly sprung to his feet. He pulled out his Battle Rifle and sighted the hulks face. A single three round burst exploded the front of its face, sending it hard into the dirt.

John dove away as the Weapons Chieftan came out of the tunnel. It pelted his concrete cover, disintegrating it with every hit. He peaked over to see more Brutes come out of the tunnel. He silently cursed and took a deep breath.

Before he could dive into the fight, he saw Nathan running straight for them. A shimmer of light surrounded the Spartan as a decoy was sent running into the battlefield. The Brutes, too confused as to what was going on, focused their fire on both of them, which lessened the fire being brought on Nathan. He jumped on top of the downed Pelican and landed straight on a Brutes head, crushing its skull with his immense weight.

The Weapons Chieftan roared and opened fire again, but was met by a few well placed frag grenades. They detonated, destroying its shields. It roared in defiance as Nathan leveled his Sniper for a point blank blast.

John walked over to the man as the echo of the Sniper shot bounced through the canyon. He smiled as Miranda's Pelican descended, dropping off more troops and a Warthog. Miranda's voice sounded throughout the Comms channel.

""Lord Hood. We made it." She said. Hood came on, relieved that the Spartan's were making progress.

"Music to my ears, Commander. What about the Ark?" He asked, unsure of the situation from his ship.

"Fully uncovered, Sir." Miranda said again. Lord Hood sighed. Obviously the situation sounded more grim to him than it did to the two Spartans listening in.

"Then we don't have much time. Marines... Truth doesn't know it yet, but he's about to get kicked right off his throne. You will take our city back. And drive our enemy into the grave they've been so happily digging. One final effort is all that remains."

John and Nathan walked off, but a private channel opened from Lord Hood himself. Nathan stopped and listened. "G129? Good, you can hear me. I want you to take a scouting team ahead. Let the Master Chief handle this one. I want you to address me personally on whatever you find. Am I understood?"

"Affirmative, Sir." Nathan said, turning back to Miranda's Pelican. John stopped and noticed, turning back to his new ally. Nathan noticed and smiled. "Don't worry, Sir. I got new orders. Get your men to Voi and stop Truth."

The Chief climbed aboard the Warthog and nodded. "See you soon, Soldier." And with that, the convoy sped off into the tunnel to help with the Final Effort.

The marines inside the Pelican's troop cabin went rigid in their seats when Nathan stepped in. He climbed into the cockpit and sat next to Miranda. "Do you know my orders?" He asked. She nodded and smiled.

"As always. Hopefully this mission will go better than our last, huh?" She smirked. Nathan blushed under his helmet and nodded. She sped off into the direction of the mountains and let a small memory of their intertwined past creep into her mind.

(FLASHBACK!)

UNSC Collony world: New Llanelli
January 21, 2546
2234 hours

"Private Keyes! Get your Pelican out of there! The fire is too heavy!" Captain Moabbi ordered. She shook her head and sped forward faster.

"No! There are still civilians in the area! I'm not leaving until they are all out!" She yelled with defiance. The Captain came back a little more angry than usual.

"Get out now! Otherwise we're leaving you behind!" He had given her an ultimatum. Stay and die, or pull out and let hundreds die. The answer was obvious.

She shut her mic off and turned to her co-pilot, who nodded and smiled. "To the end, Ma'am." She smiled and saluted him, bracing as her craft came under heavy fire.

"Hey, Nathan!" Shelly whispered into her mic. Nathan turned around to see her still above him on the cliff with her sniper.

"Yeah, Shel? What is it?" He asked. He was as quiet as possible, since they were behind enemy lines. Grunts may have been stupid, but their hearing was excellent. And an Elite? If you were spotted by one of those, you might as well kiss your ass goodbye.

"I see that anti-air battery. If we're going to get these civvies out of here, then we gotta take that out first." She affirmed. Nathan sighed and looked at the group of men, women and children, all with the tell tale fear written in their eyes. Most of them thought it ridiculous that their saviors were two fifteen year old children. Some even tried to take their weapons and assume control.

Nothing that a little combat training didn't take care of. They may not be able to wear the cool armor yet, but marine green was just fine to them for the time being.

"Alright, Shel. I'm sending my group up to you. I'll go it alone. Take care of me with that sniper, huh?" He said with a laugh. She gave a snort, too and made a kiss sound into the mic, which Nathan quickly returned. He turned back to the civilians and nodded.

"Alright, get up that hill and take cover. We'll get that AA battery taken care of and we'll be home free. I promise." He said with a smile. He looked down as one of the little kids tugged at his pants. She had tears in her eyes and she clutched her teddy bear tight. Nathan leaned down and smiled. The girl sniffled and spoke.

"Mister? Is it scary?" She asked. Nathan smiled and cocked a brow.

"Is what scary?" He asked. She turned around, back to who he assumed was her brother, who nodded and smiled at her. She took a deep breath and continued. "Is it scary to die?" She asked.

Nathan was taken aback by the morbid question this little girl had just asked. She asked something no child should even have to think about. Although, Nathan had to think about it nearly his entire life. With a war against a genocidal collective of aliens, death is usually on the forefront of everyone's minds. He took a deep breath and smiled.

"I promise you wont have to find that out until you're really old. Now go. It'll be okay." He said, hugging the girl tight. She smiled and walked back over to her brother, who put an arm around her.

"Shel? Keep them all safe, okay?" He asked, having seen just how bad things could be. She gave an 'mhmm', and with that, Nathan shut off his mic and began the slow decent into the enemy camp.

He slammed behind one of the purple crates, clutching his MA5K tight. There were plenty of groggy Grunts sleeping under the shadow of the large T-38 Tyrant. Nathan wasn't worried about them, so much as the Zealots that milled about the area. He gulped when he saw the swords strapped to their armor.

No. Now was no time to be a coward. It was now or never, and Nathan knew that he had a job to do, not just for himself, but for that little girl.

He dove from cover and lobbed a grenade into the pack of sleeping Grunts. It detonated, sending limbs and blood across the camp. Alarms began to sound as the Zealots called to one another in alien tongues. Nathan froze when one spotted him, who froze as well. They were locked in an epic stare down, waiting to see who would strike first.

Nathan had his hand clamped around the hilt of his knife, the Elite, the same with its sword. It moved its jaws in what Nathan assumed to be a smile and spoke. "Human filth. You cannot best me." And with that, it activated the Energy sword and charged.

The Elite was fast, faster than Nathan originally anticipated. But he was prepared. He snapped the knife out and lobbed it, and, like he expected, the Elite slashed it out of the air. Nathan used the time that the Elites sword was above him to go in low, smashing the butt of his rifle into the Elites underarm. Nathan may not have had the augmentations done yet, but he still packed quite a punch.

The Elite dropped the sword in surprise and pain, snarling at the Human before him. Nathan pulled out a frag and slammed it into the Elites mouth, catching it on his sharp, razor teeth.

Nathan rolled as the Elite screamed, going up in a ball of flame a second later. He ran straight into the Tyrant before the other Elites could catch him and destroyed the core. But before the Tyrant detonated, however, it fired its last salvo at an incoming Pelican, which then careened into the forest. At that instant, Nathan heard the Captain on the radio.

"Everyone! Fall back to the evacuation zones! We have transports waiting! GO!"

Shelly waved to him from the ledge, calling his name. "Nathan! Come on! We have to go, now!"

Nathan couldn't. He couldn't just leave the Pelican in enemy territory. What if their were survivors. If it were him in that crash, he'd want someone to save him. He shook his head and called to her on the radio.

"Go! I need to check that crash! Get out of here while you still can!" At that, the other Elites began to fire. He rolled out of the way, taking a shot to the chest. He gasped as the armor melted away, and the remaining plasma burned his chest. He heard Shelly about to protest and shut his mic off, running into the woods to see if the pilots were okay.

Miranda couldn't see or hear. If it wasn't for the pain she was feeling, she'd of thought she was dead. Everything was beginning to come back to her now. She heard the echos of plasma fire and the thumps of detonations. Her vision began to return and she saw the lifeless eyes of her co-pilot staring back at her. She would have screamed if she had any strength to do it. She inhaled sharply as something grabbed her, draping her across their back.

She felt the jarring movements of whoever had her run through the jungle, firing behind them the whole time. She could see the green of Marine armor and silently thank whichever god was watching out for her.

Then cursed it as the man who had her took a shot to the back. He fell to the ground, tumbling Keyes into the dirt. She watched as he barely stood, clutching an M90A CAWS. He ducked under an Elite's energy blade and blew its chest out the back, sending the chunks of flesh, bone and organ into the tree behind it. A group of Jackals encircled him and opened fire.

The man ducked to the dirt and rolled behind a tree, taking out his pistol. He shot at any bit of flesh exposed. Feet, hands, shins, the tips of the head; they were all hit and sent the Jackals either running away in pain, or flopping on the forest floor, clutching their respective wounds.

She gasped as he picked her back up and ran into a clearing. She heard the whine of Pelican engines speeding off, and the man slumped to the ground, yelling in defeat and anger. He stayed silent for a few seconds, until finally taking the initiative to check on the girl.

"Are you alright?!" He asked her. She opened her eyes and made out the man who saved her. He looked young, too young in fact to be a soldier. She just nodded and closed her eyes again.

"Hey! Stay awake, Ma'am! You hear me?! You're going into shock!" She barely registered the voice and kept her eyes shut. After that, everything went dark.

Miranda felt the rays of sunlight hit her face. She sighed and groggily sat up, clutching her midsection as she did. To her complete surprise, however, she found herself totally naked, save for her underwear. Her midsection was bandaged and her head had a cool pack taped to it, to keep the swelling at bay. She looked at her surroundings and saw that she was in one of the planets many cave systems. She found her pistol next to her and took it, slowly making her way to the entrance.

She made her way to the mouth of the cave to see the soldier who she assumed saved her. Her assumption about him before were correct. He was definitely young. He stood at at least her height of five in a half feet. His eyes were a deep hazel and his smile seemed to be forced, but still genuine.

"Hey. How did you sleep? Are you feeling okay?" He asked, his voice cracking a few times as he spoke. Miranda simply just stared at him, dumbfounded as to how the Marine core didn't notice how young he was when he enlisted. "How old are you?" She finally asked. He just gave her a quizzical stare.

"I'm 16. Why do you ask? How old are you?" He shot back. Her head shot back and she gave a slight smile.

"21. Now, were you the one who undressed me?" She asked. He nodded and smiled.

"Mhmm. You had severe bruising to your abdominal area and some internal bleeding. I was able to preform the necessary surgery to stop the bleeding. The brain swelling, however, is going to take some time. You should rest." He said, going over to her side.

"W-wait! You said you... preformed surgery on me? You're 16 years old and you know how to do surgery?" She asked astonished. He gave her another blank stare and nodded.

"Yeah... Every Spartan is trained how to. You must have hit your head pretty hard, huh?" He asked with a child like chuckle. Miranda was completely dumbfounded. She had heard all about Spartans on the news and in the military, but never came face to face to one. Come to think of it, they were all adults in their mid twenties, early thirties. How come this one was so young?

"I thought Spartan II's were older." She said with a laugh. Nathan crossed his arms and frowned, much the way a child would.

"Well, I'm a Spartan III. So.... yeah." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. He smiled and looked back at her. "There's a river down below. You wanna go for a swim?" He asked eagerly. Miranda smiled and, seeing as how there was nothing else to do, agreed.

The hike through the woods was spent with the Spartan in the front, his MA5K aimed at anything that moved. When they did reach the river, however, he loosened his grip on the weapon and undressed.

Miranda looked away and bit her lip as he turned to her. He was a lot stronger than he looked with his armor on. Every muscle he had was toned to near Adonis levels. His eight pack glistened with sweat from the heat of the afternoon. He looked like an Olympic athlete!

"Come on! The movement and the cold water will be good for your wounds! Hop in!" He assured her, diving into the deep river below. Wow, that was a lot more than I was expecting... She thought awkwardly. Eventually she stripped herself of her underwear and dove in after him.

He cheered at her flawless entry and laughed as she splashed him on her way up. "That was an awesome dive, Ma'am! How'd you do it?" He asked curiously. She smiled and slicked her short hair over her head.

"A few years of middle school swim team. And you don't have to call me ma'am. My name is Miranda. I don't believe I caught yours." She frowned. Nathan got an apologetic look on his face, but quickly recovered with his same smile.

"Oh. I'm Nathan G129. Nice to meet you!" He said, diving into the deep river. Miranda waited expectantly for him to come back up, but he didn't for quite some time. She began to worry, and worry quickly turned to panic after a minute.

"Nathan?! Where are you!" She called out nervously. She jumped when she heard him pop up behind her, clutching a large orange and green fish in his hands.

"I got us dinner!" He said triumphantly. He began to blush when he felt something as she stared at him. He didn't know what to make of the feeling at the time, since it was foreign to him. He looked at the naked woman in front of him, her light breasts bobbing as she paddled in the crystal clear water, her legs slowly kicking back and forth. His heart raced and he quickly looked away. She noticed his behavior and couldn't help but giggle a little.

"You want to go make dinner now?" She asked, matching his shade of red. He quickly nodded and swam up to the cliff side, climbing his way up like it was nothing. He looked back down to Miranda and, realizing she had severe wounds, couldn't make the climb. He quickly dove back down and paddle next to her.

"I'm sorry! I can't believe I forgot of your wounds. Grab my neck, I'll get us back to camp." He said happily. She did as instructed and gasped as he pulled them up the cliff, just as quickly as he did before without her 126 pound frame on his back. The thought of his strength left her a little flushed herself.

They reached the top quickly and Nathan quickly redressed, but decided to give the woman his shirt. "Here. It's better than just wearing panties around all day, huh?" She blushed and nodded, putting the shirt and her underwear back on. The shirt was small, barely covering her lower stomach. But, it'd have to do. Never look a gift horse in the mouth, as the saying goes.

They quickly made their way back to the makeshift camp, Nathan being completely oblivious this time, unlike his carefulness when they fist left. He was having a good time talking to Miranda and bragging about how he caught the large fish.

"-And it nearly got back into its home. You do NOT want to know how big this things parents were." He said with a shudder. She gave a quizzical stare and smiled.

"Oh, I think I do. Nothing should be too hard for you, huh?" She asked with a wink. He frowned and folded his arms, the fish still latched onto his knuckles.

"No, but then again, a 30 foot long fish would be pretty hard for you to handle, too." He said, sticking his tongue out at her. Miranda chuckled and climbed up the hill to the cave, followed by Nathan.

Although, Nathan kind of wished he was in front. He gazed at Miranda's curvature as she climbed up the hill. He gulped and blushed again, trying to look away. But his eyes kept wandering back to it. Miranda turned around with a smile, but noticed his gaze and the immense blush on his face. That, in turn, caused her to blush as well. She didn't hold it against him that he stared. He was a young adult who probably had never seen a woman out of uniform before. Still, he could have been more discreet about it.

The night waned on. Nathan had prepared and cooked the fish, serving it to Miranda and himself. They sat deep in the cave around the glow of the fire. Miranda took another piece from the cooking pan Nathan had in his pack, loving the perfectly cooked meal.

"This is amazing!" She said between bites. "How did a soldier like you learn how to cook?" Nathan smiled at the praise and took another delicate bite, savoring the meal.

"I was trained how to cook, in case I ever ran out of rations in the field. All us Spartans were." He said, leaning back on his hand.

"Well, thank you for the lovely-" She stopped and grabbed her side, wincing in pain. Nathan noticed and quickly crawled over.

"Miranda? Are you okay? What is it?" He asked panicked. She continued to clutch her abdomen, but smiled.

"I-it's nothing. Just a... just must be some pain from the surgery." She assured. She wasn't prepared for what the Spartan did next. He positioned himself directly behind her, placing both his hands around her stomach, slowly needing the muscle and skin. She inhaled sharply when his touch caused pain, but relaxed when his fingers massaged it away.

"Is that any better?" He asked. She tried to answer but couldn't make her mouth work. Every thought was lost with each rotation of his fingers. She shut her eyes tight and simply decided to nod.

He worked one hand on her back, and the other on her stomach. She moved with him, her body becoming like clay in his hands. She felt a pang of guilt realizing his age, but it wasn't like they were doing any-

She gasped when she felt his lips touch her neck, working their way down her shoulder, then made their way back up to her ear. He lightly nibbled the lobe, and she tensed up with the bite. This wasn't right and she knew it deep down inside. But, this man looked like he was in his twenties, despite his stature. He continued to work his hands around her body, exploring places neither his hands, or anyone elses had gone before.

She inhaled sharply when his hand made contact with her breast, lightly squeezing it. Nathan heard the gasp and saw the blush on her face. Good thing She likes it, because I have no idea what I'm doing. He thought dryly. He rubbed underneath her breasts and slowly began to lift the shirt off her. She gave no protest so he finished the job quickly.

He gulped, staring at the nearly naked woman in front of him. How in the hell did he manage this? It was like something out of an old romance movie that Deep Winter had shown them during school. He gulped when she turned around, her face completely red. Her smile made it obvious she liked where this was going and where she placed her hands made it obvious she wanted it to go further.

He involuntarily bent forward when she grabbed his shaft through his pants. She gave the tiniest chuckle and laid him back on the hard, stone ground. Miranda may have never had sex before, and neither had he, but she was going to make sure both their first times were everything they had expected.

"After all, we're trapped on an invaded planet..." She thought. "Might as well get some enjoyment out of our last days alive... She ran her fingers down his perfectly toned chest and stomach, stopping when she made contact with the buttons of his pants. She looked back down at him, his eyes lingered from her hands, back to her face. He visibly gulped and smiled.

"Is this... really happening?" He asked her. She smiled and bent down, a millimeter from his face.

"I guess it is..." She whispered, quickly kissing his lips. He let out a muffled 'mmmh' as she parted his lips and slid her tongue over his. He shut his eyes and wrapped his arms around her. How was this happening? How did he get so lucky? Then he remembered their predicament on this planet. He shrugged it off and began a game of tongues with Miranda, who giggled in response.

At least the companies pleasurable...

Miranda quickly pulled herself away, gasping for air. Nathan did the same. She smiled and undid his pants, quickly pulling them down. Nathan smiled and tilted his head all the way back, eyes wide and trained on the ceiling. Miranda blushed as she pulled her underwear down. It was now or never to back out, but she chose never.

She positioned herself over him and smiled. "Well, I guess it's time we-"

"HUMANS!"

"KILL THE DEMONS!"

"Fuck..."

The night before...

"I'm sorry, Spartan G230! We have to leave system! The Covenant fleet won't wait for us to save one man!" The Captian yelled over her protests. Shelly was red in the face. The argument with the Captain had been going on for about an hour now, and the only reason she hadn't been kicked off the bridge was because the crew was too afraid to get in the way of a pissed off Spartan.

"He's not just one man!" She bellowed. "He's the greatest Spartan alive! How can you sit there and say his life isn't worth it! Every life is worth it!" She began to narrow her eyes and frowned. "How many others did you leave down there?" She asked with angry curiosity. The Captain rolled his eyes and turned back to the view screen.

"Only those who refused to leave." He said simply. Shelly hated when people turned their backs on her, and she quickly rectified the situation. She whirled the Captain around and placed firm hands on his shoulders.

"You WILL stay in system and send a platoon down there now!" She bellowed. The entire bridge crew was in a state of total shock. They wanted desperately to turn away, but were transfixed on the utter shock of Spartan vs Captain. It was now a battle of stares, to see who would break first. The Captain's face was red with anger, Shelly's face was contorted into an impassible defense, showing nothing but determination and unwavering loyalty to her closest friend.

The Captain sighed explosively. "Alright! Fine!" He yelled. He turned to his second in command. "Lieutenant? Get the ODST's ready for a search and rescue. Drop them at Spartan G129's last known location."

The Lieutenant nodded and began to radio the orders. The Captain turned back to Shelly with narrow eyes. "You're going too. Bring him back, or else I'll personally position for your court marshal." He threatened. She smiled and slid her Marine helmet back on.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Captain." She saluted and strolled off the bridge, making her way to the hanger where the ODST's were setting up shop. They turned from their packing, staring at the young girl beside them. One of them trotted up beside her, smiling the whole time.

"You must be the Spartan coming with us. Gunnery Sergeant Buck, but you can either call me Gunny, or Buck. Take your pick." He held out his hand, which Shelly grasp strongly.

"Alright, Gunny. When do we drop?" She asked impatiently. He turned to the pods, a frown on his face. He slowly walked over to his and inspected it carefully. He gave an, 'aha' and firmly slammed his loose AR into place. He turned back to Shelly and smiled.

"Now we can go."

Shelly's heart raced as her pod floated over the free space. She winced as the timer counted down all too quickly. She sweat like a grease monkey in her new ODST armor and felt as if she was going to pass out. Buck came over her radio and chuckled.

"Easy, missy. You're gonna have a heart attack with those kinds of vitals. Just take a deep breath and everything will be okay." He assured. She nodded and inhaled deeply.

"You don't want to know why I don't like heights." She said with a shudder, remembering her first day of Spartan training. She smiled, remembering Nathan's heroics. He had saved her life, and now it was time to repay him in kind for it.

She gasped as the timer hit zero and her pod launched from the rack. There was a moment of weightlessness before she finally settled back into the seat. She saw Buck on the view screen. His visor was lifted and he had a look of unnerving calmness. She was amazed how brave the ODST core was. She'd have to show them how brave a Spartan could be.

"Alright, men! Adjust trajectory now." Buck ordered. All at once, everyone's pods shot to the left, placing them just above their desired coordinates. Shelly looked out the small windows as the inky blackness made way to clouds, then the landscape of mountains and forests. She let out an 'oomph' as her pod's chute opened, rapidly slowing her decent with bone breaking speed.

She held her breath as the pod hit. She exhaled and activated the explosive bolts, sending the door skidding into the jungle. She saw the other ten or so pods land in a cluster around her and follow the same routine. It was now night again, since this world cycled time zones in 5 hour increments

"Alright, boys! Search and rescue! Anyone got a read on his IFF tag?" Buck asked. The other ODST's shook their heads. One stepped forward, however, with a large smile on his face.

"I got another IFF tag. It's three miles east. Towards that mountain." He said, pointing to the large, imposing jut of rock. Buck nodded and smiled.

"Who's is it?" He asked. The marine scanned the name and nodded.

"Private Miranda Keyes. Shes a pilot. Reports list her as MIA, just recently, too. Looks like we'll be bringing her home, since we can't find the other Spartan." He said with a bit of happiness.

"Or, they could be hiding together." Shelly pointed out. We'll save two birds with one squad. Now, lets just get moving, before-"

"Phantom!" one of the Marines yelled. "Hit the dirt!"

All at once, the ODST's slammed to the ground, remaining as still as possible. The search light passed over them, then the ship continued onwards, speeding off towards the mountain.

The same one they were going to.

Nathan and Miranda were held up in the back of the cave. Their little party ruined by a Covenant patrol scouting the caves for survivors. Miranda fired with her pistol, while Nathan used his MA5K. Luckily, they had time to redress in what little clothes they had before the fighting started. Miranda wore her panties and Nathan's shirt, While Nathan was bare chested, with his padded pants covering his delicate areas from hostile fire.

"Fucking Covenant!" Nathan yelled. "Why do you ALWAYS ruin something great?!" He leaned over the rock and pelted a Grunt in the face with his fire. Nathan ejected the clip and reached for another at his side.

"I'm out!" Miranda yelled. Nathan passed her one of his extra pistol mags and frowned.

"If we get out of this, I'm buying you a yacht." He joked. Miranda smiled and rolled her eyes.

"I hate boating." She retorted. Nathan fired again and chuckled.

"I hate dying, so let's make it through this in one piece, huh?" He asked. She nodded and fired again, taking out a rolling Jackal.

Shelly and the ODST's were just outside the cave entrance. "She's in here." The same marine as before said, pointing into the dark hole.

As if to confirm this, the sound of rifle fire, followed by plasma shots and Covenant calls of war echoed through the mouth of the cave. Shelly didn't hesitate. She jumped right in and ran down the dark passage, opening up into a chamber packed with Covenant Grunts, Elites, and Jackals. She looked over to the back of the room, to see the pilot firing on the Covenant with her pistol. Nathan popped up a second later with his rifle, taking down one of the Elites.

"Well, this looks like a shit party. Let's provide some better entertainment." Buck said from behind the girl, leveling his Spartan laser. He fired at the Zealot in the back, who collapsed with a foot wide hole in his chest. The Grunts, confused by the new assault, began to run in all directions, screaming in fear.

The ODST's cut the rest of the dazed troops down, ending the firefight once and for all. Nathan jumped down from the rocky precipice, followed by Miranda. The ODST's and Shelly stared at the half naked duo in confusion and curiosity.

Nathan and Miranda couldn't tell anyone about what had happened, so they began to blurt out explanations all at the same time.

"Oh! This isn't what you think! Her clothes were ripped and burnt in the crash, and-"

"He had to preform surgery on me, so I couldn't continue wearing them-"

"We were waiting for rescue when you all showed up so-" They both inhaled from their long winded speech and simultaneously said-

"Thank you."

Shelly smiled wide and hugged her friend tight. "Nathan! I thought I lost you back there! Don't ever scare me like that again! You promise?" She asked. Nathan smiled and nodded.

"I promise. Now, can we just PLEASE get the fuck off this planet?" He asked, staring back at the Covenant troops. Buck nodded.

"Alright. I got an evac coming. Welcome home you two."

"Miranda? Hey, you alright?" Nathan asked from the seat next to her. She jumped when he touched her shoulder and nodded. She looked back over to the fully armored man and smiled.

"Yeah... I'm alright." She confirmed. She jolted the Pelican into the air and set it on autopilot. She turned back to Nathan, who was still sitting in the seat next to her. "It's good to see you again." She finally said. Nathan removed his helmet and smiled.

"Yeah... I know what you mean." He said with a smile, remembering that night as well. "Stupid Covenant." He said under his breath. Miranda smiled and put her hand on his.

"I missed you..." She said sadly, obviously caught up in the emotions of the past. it had been six years since they last saw each other. So much time probably left so many questions. "When we have a free moment, I'd like to catch up with all our lost time." She said smiling. Nathan returned it and nodded.

"I'd like that a lot. But, lets focus on saving the galaxy right now, alright?" He said, squeezing her hand. She nodded and got back to flying. Nathan returned to the troop cabin to see the Marines strapped in tight, still rigid in their seats.

"Alright recon team. Lets do our jobs and do them right!" Nathan yelled. The troops cheered and the Pelican continued to roar to its destination.

Miranda set the Pelican down in the half destroyed New Mambasa, opposite of Voi. He and his recon team jumped into the empty city streets and ran for the large, dilapidated building. Nathan clicked his mic to Miranda. "We're green, ma'am. You can get your bird out of here."

She pulled the ship up over the buildings. "Stay safe, Nathan." She said quietly, then sped off back towards Voi. Nathan turned to the recon team and nodded.

"Alright, troops! Let's get in that building. I want eyes on the dig sight, and see if we can't get a good sight on Truth as well..." He said, hefting his Sniper. The marines laughed and ran into the large, empty lobby of the building.

Nathan wished he had Almya right now. She'd have known which way to take and what parts of the building were unsafe. Right now, all Nathan had was instinct, and instinct told him to take the service stairwell.

"All right, marines. Follow me." He said quietly, in case Covenant still patrolled the area. He and his men climbed up floor after floor for almost thirty minutes, before reaching the top floor of the building.

From the top, the tilt of the building was evident. The front had been blown away, leaving an unobstructed view of the dig sight ahead.

"Lord Hood to Recon team Bravo." Nathan said into the mic. He heard the static, then the old man.

"You in position?" He asked. Nathan nodded

"Affirmative. If we get a clear shot of the Prophet, we'll take it. Otherwise we'll keep an eye on the situation. We wont let you down." He confirmed.

He grunted and began addressing Miranda. "Kilo 23, this is Forward unto Dawn. I need a sit rep Commander."

Miranda came through again "Atmospheric disturbances intensifying above the artifact, Admiral." She said, all business this time. Nathan didn't really like the all business Keyes. Oh well. Lord Hood could have her ass on a plate for being disrespectful.

Damn it... now I'm thinking about her ass! He shook the thoughts off, remembering his Twilight. That gave him comfort. He missed her more than anything, and the thought of their homecoming party was almost too much to handle.

"And Sierra 117?" Lord Hood asked, snapping Nathan out of his 'daydream',

"Moving as fast as he can, Sir. I know he'll get it done." She affirmed. The mics snapped off and Nathan's helmet was now as quiet as a grave.

"Sir, look." One of the Snipes said, leaning over the side of the building with his S2 AM Sniper Rifle. Nathan crouched next to him and used his helmets zoom to look at the bottom of the Forerunner ship.

Truth was standing below it, giving a sermon...

"Cocky son of a bitch." Nathan said with a chuckle. He clicked his mic on and connected to Forward unto Dawn.

"Lord Hood? Guess who's finally out of his ship?" Nathan chuckled.

"Do you have a shot, son?" Lord Hood asked, a bit of anticipation in his voice. Nathan looked over to the sniper, who gave a thumbs up.

"Affirmative, Sir." Nathan confirmed. There was a pause on the mic, allowing Nathan a moment to take another look at the gangly little alien in the hover chair. The mic crackled and Lord Hood came back, determination etched in his voice.

"Take it. Take the shot."

The way the world ends...

(Sorry this took so long. My BFF Desiree just got back from the Micheal Jackson tour with Cirque De Solei. Five day long camping trip takes a lot out of someone, so here's a nice two in one chapter. Enjoy everypony!)

Chapter 15: The way the world ends...
Planet Equis: October 17, 2552
1630 hours

"Cam! Do you copy? A large task force has entered the city! We're being overrun!" Laurence yelled, falling back behind a pillar. He watched as the Covenant troops on the other side of the bridge placed a grid over the hole, allowing troops access to Canterlot.

There was no answer.

"Cam! Cam! What's going on?! Talk to me! Should we fall back?!" He yelled. He turned to see Selina, Sharif and Gary, now turning tail into the city for better protection. This was going to hell and his men knew it. And without Cam to help guide them, it was a one way ticket into a shitstorm.

"Sir?! What are our orders?" Selina yelled. Gary and Sharif nodded and continued to fire on the Brutes and Grunts, trying to keep them at bay.

"Head for the bunkers! Cam's in trouble!" He yelled. He didn't know if that was true, but the man wasn't answering, so he assumed it was because something happened. Laurence couldn't shake the feeling of hopelessness. He looked at the scenery before him as they ran for the deeper parts of the city.

The sky was now a deep orange from the fires raging across the lands. The cities and towns burned all around them and the battles of Covenant ships raged just below the atmosphere, painting blue and white flashes in with the deep orange spectrum. Laurence sighed and clacked his rifle.

"We're coming, Cam. Don't worry.

"Looks like we're not going back to Canterlot." The pilot said sadly. Twilight's eyes instantly widened and she ran into the cramped space.

"Why!? Why aren't we going to Canterlot?!" She yelled. The pilot pointed out the window. Twilight gasped in horror, seeing the city she'd grown up in in flames and stormed by invaders. She felt a pang of guilt run through her body, remembering who was still in there.

"Bill?! Can you-" She started but the man shook his head.

"No! I've been trying to raise Cam on the mic for twenty minutes! Something happened, I know it!" He yelled. Twilight turned back to the pilot.

"Set us down, now!" She yelled. The pony stared at her, eyes wide.

"Are you certifiably insane?!" He yelled. "There's nowhere safe for me to even attempt that! What makes you think you can-" He stopped when Bill glared at him.

"Set us down, Pilot." He said simply. The unicorn gulped and nodded.

"Y-yes, Sir."

The hatch opened and Twilight was the first to step out. The ground was hot under her hooves, as was the air. She pulled something out of her bag and passed it to Bill, who snatched it out of the air.

"It's Almya. She needs a host right now, and we could use her help." Twilight said. Bill nodded and slid the chip into the side of his helmet.

"Hmm. Hello, Bill. How are you doing today?" She asked nonchalantly. Bill grunted and set off for the bunkers. Twilight and Shining Armor followed suit.

"Here, Twilly. Take one of these." He said, passing her an extra Pony Plasma Rifle. "You could use the protection." She smiled and nodded.

"Thanks, BBBFF." She said happily, running after Bill. She turned to see Laurence and the others running through the adjacent street. "Bill! Look! It's the others!"

Bill turned as the four Spartans ran full speed along side them. "Whoa! where's the fire, Spartans?" Bill asked. (Ironically, it was all around them.)

"Don't talk, RUN!" Laurence shouted. Bill turned to see three Wraiths barrel down the street, knocking down delicate structures in their way.

"SON OF A BITCH!" He yelled. "RUN!"

Everyone sprinted for the bunker, resting atop one of the turreted mounds. The ponies guarding it had been killed and the doors inside were busted open. "Oh no! Princess!" Twilight yelled, rushing into the dark room. Her horn flared and the space was illuminated. Bill, Shining Armor, and the others ran down the steps to see it all.

The Covenant corpses were riddled with bullet holes, plasma burns, and magic blasts. The group cautiously made their way into the interior of the bunker, weapons trained at anything. Shining Armor dropped his gun and smiled.

"Cadence!"

The pink Princess turned and smiled, rushing to meet her husband. She slammed into him full force and wrapped around him. She sobbed into his mane and could barely stand. Something was wrong. Something happened.

He looked over to see blankets covering the fallen Equine soldiers. There where a lot of casualties, and a lot of friends lost. His eyes made their way to the end of the row. A very distraught Rainbow Dash, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna knelt next to the blanket a soldier was covered in, tears pooling their eyes. The soldier coughed and gasped for air, desperately clinging to life. On top of his body rested an assault rifle and a red helmet with a blue visor, the visor punctured and burnt.

"Oh, no..."

Nathan took the Sniper from the marine scout. "Sorry, Private. I need to get some revenge." He said with anger in his voice. He didn't know why he was so mad. He felt something deep in his gut, and he couldn't make it out. Something was wrong, but he pushed it down and sighted on the Prophet of Truth and smiled. "All too easy."

Truth let the cheers of his army die down before he continued his sermon. It was a glorious day and he personally wanted to see the device he uncovered for himself. Sure, leaving the protection of his ship was risky, but the human filth wouldn't dare try anything in the heart of his camp. He cleared his throat and continued.

"My Dreadnought, the vessel that has so long been the focus of our worship, now rests on it's true pedestal. Even now, its engines spark greater ones below, relics long without power yet ready to fulfill their divine purpose. Stand fast! Keep our enemies at bay! Soon, my brothers, we will all have our reward!"

The Covenant soldiers around Truth yelled in triumph and delight, bowing before their God. He smiled and spread his arms wide, taking in the praise like a very ugly sponge.

CRACK

Everything stopped. No one moved, no one breathed. The echo of the shot resonated across the solid steal structure. They all looked on to their holy leader, falling out of his chair to the ground.

"HUMAN FILTH! PROTECT THE PROPHET! SHIELD THE AREA!" A Chieftan yelled. Bubble Shields were thrown in a large circle around the Prophet. Brutes surrounded their God, giving him aid. The frail aliens eyes were shut tight, and a thin layer of blood caked his temple. He opened his eyes and instantly got a look of fury on his face.

"The time has come. Now we activate the portal, and we go to the Ark! The human filth have hastened their death with this treachery!

"Goddamn it!" Nathan yelled, throwing the Sniper onto the ground. "Son of a bitch! How in the hell did that miss!? What the fuck?!"

The marines around the angry Spartan backed away in fright. Nathan clicked on his radio and addressed Lord Hood again. "Sir, do you copy?" He said, the anger etched in his voice making it obvious what had happened.

"You didn't get him, did you..?" Hood sighed. Nathan grunted. "It's alright, son. You did your best. Master Chief is almost there, and-"

The mic crackled again, and Recon team Helios joined the conversation. "All Brute Cruisers are pulling back to Truth's ship. Winds inside the storm just hit 200 kilometers per hour. Energy cascades all over the artifact!"

Miranda quipped in now, and sounded a little desperate "Admiral? A single Covenant ship just slipped in system." Lord Hood raised a brow.

"Just one? Whats its range and disposition?" He sounded curious, but one ship didn't matter. It wouldn't put a damper on their plan

"Above the artifact, inside the orbital line. It seems to be holding steady." She stated. Lord Hood scoffed and smiled.

"The attack proceeds as planned, Commander. Were not going to get another shot at truth."

"Sir, yes Sir." She said in a crisp voice. The mics snapped off, leaving Nathan, again, alone. He turned to the marines and threw his helmet to the ground.

"Well, we're fucked..."

Fluttershy put another water logged towel over Cam's right eye. The Spiker round penetrated his helmet and imbedded itself into his skull. Celestia healed him as best she could with her magic, but it was out of her hooves now. Rainbow cradled his head and smiled, despite her eyes welling with tears.

"Cam? I love you, Cam... You know that?" She asked. He gasped and inhaled again, his eyes clouding over and his skin becoming colder. Everyone looked on with tears in their eyes.

Twilight was held close by Shining and Cadence, Laurence held Star Trot, who was crying into his neck, Bill said a silent prayer for his friend, the other Spartan's had their heads hung, and the Princess' and civilians just looked on. No one said a word except Rainbow Dash.

"You know why you have to live, don't you?" She asked again in a whisper. He nodded and arched himself in agony, inhaling a scream. Rainbow Dash's tears started to flow more. "You... You can't leave me you big lug..." She quivered. "I-I can't go on without you... You're my everything."

Fluttershy put a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "Rainbow?" She said quietly.

Rainbow stared at her closest friend. The look in Fluttershy's eyes showed the despair and hopelessness she felt. Rainbow knew that this was it. This was the last time she was going to be with Cam.

Her heart nearly broke and she collapsed into Fluttershy's forelegs, soaking the yellow mares chest with tears. "It's okay, Rainbow... It'll be okay." She said with a sniffle.

Bill took a deep breath and walked away from his friend. First Issac, then Shelly... Now Cam? This war was taking too much from them. He walked over to the Princess', wearing a fake smile.

"Princess?" He whispered, stopping in front of Celestia. She turned to him, a sad expression etched on her. "The Covenant are right outside. Are there any ways out?" He asked.

"Indeed. Come." She said, opening the wall behind her, revealing a new passage way. "It is a long trek, but we need to get these civilians someplace safe." She turned back to Cam and frowned. "What of Cameron?" She asked.

"We'll be as careful as possible with him, ma'am." Bill confirmed. Luna stepped in, a forced smile on her as well.

"Allow us to carry thine companion, William. It would be our pleasure." She said, lifting the wounded man into the air. He gasped again, but settled into the magic grip. "Come, we are not sure how close the enemy is." She stated, taking a look back into the main bunker.

Everyone entered the long, dark corridor. Princess Celestia re-sealed the entrance, and they were now left in a hall lit by emergency lights. It seemed to stretch on forever. "It's a mile walk." Celestia stated. "I hope you all aren't too tired to make the journey."

Everyone shook their heads and stepped to. They didn't want to be here anymore, and they needed to get Cam help.

The walking was becoming tedious to Twilight. She just wanted so desperately for this to be over. If anything, she just wanted to move back to Ponyville with Nathan and start their family. It was stressing her out thinking about it, and causes another searing pain to shoot through her abdomen

Twilight clutched her stomach tight, feeling her stress causing the baby grief. Shining Armor turned to her and frowned. "Hey, Twilly. Are you okay?" He asked. She got a panicked look on her face for and instant. He couldn't find out about the pregnancy. Nopony could. Only Rainbow Dash knew, because she'd come to her for the same problem a few weeks ago. Twilight faked a smile and nodded.

"Everything's fine, BBBFF. Just a... stomach ache. Let's just keep moving." She said, walking ahead of him. He wasn't so convinced of her story, but shook it off. He looked to Cadence, who had a look of worry on her face as well.

"What do you think is wrong with Twilight, dear?" He asked. She looked to him with bloodshot eyes and frowned.

"I... don't know. She'll be alright, though. Don't worry." She assured. He nodded and continued on. Cadence was right. Twilight would be okay, since she knew exactly what was wrong with her. The mood swings she'd noticed last time she saw her, her covering herself more with blankets or clothing, her pain. Cadence sighed and shook her head

"Oh, Twilight... How in Equestria did you get... pregnant...?"

"Sir, look!" The same Marine called out. Nathan looked out at the other side of the hill, to see a small explosion of purple. The Chief had finished his job and punched a hole in the Prophets defenses. He could see Forward unto Dawn fly across the plains along with two other Frigates The earth shook as MAC round after MAC round hit the Dreadnaught, not so much as putting a scratch on it. Then it began to descend into the structure, the device opening like a flower.

"Well, this brings back some memories..."

Nathan swayed to and fro as the building began to tip over the side of the dig sight. It had to be two thousand feet to the ground. Nathan wrapped himself around a beam and held on for dear life. "MARINES?! GRAB HOLD OF SOMETHING!!"

He looked out when he didn't receive an answer, and saw the soldiers being sucked away into the raging maelstrom above. Nathan winced and looked away, clutching the beam with all his might. The building swayed and buckled, collapsing in on itself floor by floor. Nathan wouldn't survive a fall from that height and he knew it.

"Anyone out there?! I need emergency evac! Over!"

Static.

"Hello?! For the love of God, someone please help!"

Crackle

"Oh. Thank Celestia!

"Nathan? Nathan where are you?!" Miranda called out frantically.

Nathan marked his position on the crumbling building, frantically digging himself into the metal. The tower, however, didn't care how much he held on. It crumbled, falling over the precipice below. Nathan took a deep breath and shut his eyes. This was it. No one could help him now, and he wasn't going to make it this time. Two thousand feet of free-fall awaited him.

THUNK

Nathan opened his eyes and, surprisingly enough, was wedged onto the nose of Miranda's Pelican. She smiled and gave him a light wave. "Need a lift, Spartan?" She asked. Nathan gave a thumbs up and climbed the ship, entering the emergency hatch on the top.

He fell to the deck with a 'thud' and walked into the cabin, slumping into the seat next to Miranda. "That was close." He said, out of breath. He took off his helmet and smiled. "Thanks."

She winked and flew back to Voi. Nathan looked up at the bright blue portal. Fears of the past instantly flooded into his mind, causing a shudder down his spine. Miranda looked over and noticed his apprehension. "Nathan? Are you-"

"New contact! Slipping in!" A marine on the radio yelled. Nathan and Miranda looked over the horizon. A Cruiser pulled out of slip space, trailing debris and covered in...

"Oh shit..."

The ship crashed into the city, and already Nathan knew just what it was. The Flood had returned.

Everyone walked through the tunnels in silence. Except for Cam, who was still gasping and gurgling for air. Rainbow stayed by his side the whole time, which showed just how loyal she was. She was the element's holder, so it made sense. She wrapped her cyan hoof around his hand and gave it a light squeeze.

"You're gonna pull through this, tough guy. I know you can." She assured. He gasped again and arched in the magical grip. Rainbow turned away and bit her lower lip, feeling more and more hopeless by the second.

"Thou has nothing to worry about, Rainbow Dash." Luna assured. "Cameron is a strong specimen. He shall pull through in time."

Rainbow Dash sniffed and looked to her with hopeful eyes. "Promise?" She whispered. Luna smiled and nodded.

"We have no need to promise. We know so." She winked. Rainbow smiled and nodded back, feeling a little better. Cam was the love of her life. No longer would anypony think she was a fillyfooler. Not that that mattered anyways.

"Now? I guess I'm a humanhumper."

That thought made her chuckle, but oh well. Everypony knew Cam was an amazing person, but she knew him just a bit more. The fact he had... other amazing attributes just gave him that extra 'oomph' in her eyes. He was one in a million, just like her, and now they were two in a million.

"Ah! Here we are." Celestia exclaimed. Her horn glowed a bright gold and the wall melted away, revealing a long staircase. She turned to the group of soldiers and the civilians and smiled. "Come, my little ponies. We are almost out." She said reassuringly.

The Princess' let the Spartans go through first, followed by the civilians when they gave the all clear. Twilight looked back to Cam and sighed. She didn't even want to think about Nathan's mental state if Cam died. He was still touchy about Issac and Shelly.

Especially Shelly. She knew he still had some feelings buried for her, but the way he saved her from Shelly's jealous wrath that day made it evident where his loyalties were.

She shook off the memories and climbed up into the room. She looked around the space. They were in the heart of the palace. The throne room was dark as a tomb and just as quiet. But something felt off about it.

The sounds of electronics being shut off filled the air, and around twenty Elites materialized from the walls. Everyone went stiff and looked to one another. Sure, they were now 'friendly', but what would stop them from changing their minds. One of them walked forward and had, what Twilight guessed, was a smile etched on its parting mandibles. It stood in front of her and tilted it's head, speaking a very shaky English.

"You are the one the Demon refers to as... 'Twilight', correct?" It asked. Twilight raised a brow and nodded. She didn't understand what he meant by 'Demon'.

"I am, but who's the 'Demon'?" She asked. The alien clicked his jaws.

"The Spartan who went to Earth with The Arbiter and Ship Master." He said, pointing up to the sky as if Earth was right there. "Your planet is safe for now. We finished routing up the last of the Brutes and we must return to our fleet. An emergency has been sounded. The Flood have reached the planet and are overrunning their defenses."

Twilight turned to Celestia and saw the look of horror on the sun goddesses face. She looked to everypony who knew what the Flood was and, they too, had a mixed looked of horror and anger.

"We take our leave. Take care of your world and families. Your struggles will be woven into our battle poems for ages to come." The Elite bowed, placing it's fist on its chest, then left without another word, his soldiers following close behind.

Twilight took a deep breath and fell on her haunches. She could barely breath, she couldn't feel her legs, and the pain in her stomach was becoming unbearable. She took a quivering breath and looked up at the sky. Her forelegs finally buckled beneath her and she fell to the ground and the world went dark around her.

"TWILLY!"

Revelations

Chapter 16: Revelations
Planet Earth October 17, 2552
1933 Hours

"The Flood! It's spreading all over the city." Miranda confirmed. Nathan just watched out the window as the beasts and monsters hulked their way through Voi, tearing apart defensive lines and soldiers like they were tissue paper. He cringed and looked away.

"How do we contain it?" Hood asked. Miranda looked to Nathan, who she knew had an answer.

"Tell him I'll join the fight. We head for the ship and overload its reactor." He said, grabbing his gun off his back. Miranda nodded and grabbed the radio again.

"Find the crashed Flood ship, overload its engine core. We either destroy this city, or risk losing the entire planet." There was a long pause after that. The two weren't sure if Lord Hood heard her. She went to radio again when it crackled to life.

"Do it." Was all Hood said. Miranda frowned and looked out the window. She could see the Master Chief and Arbiter below, leaving the destroyed AA battery and heading for the city.

"Chief. Make your way to the crash sight." She ordered. The Chief clicked his mic in confirmation and sprinted into the city.

Miranda turned when she heard the door into the cargo hold of the Pelican open. "Where are you going?" She asked. Nathan half turned his head and cradled his helmet.

"To finish a war I started long ago." He confirmed. He slid his helmet back on and shut the door behind him. Miranda continued to stare at it with longing eyes. She couldn't help but feel saddened by his changes

She knew that this would happen. The war destroys another person. She knew him before the war perverted his innocence, but to him, that was a lifetime ago. She sighed and flew into the main part of the city, wondering what Nathan meant by 'finish a war I started'.

"Hail Humans, and take heed! This is the carrier, Shadow of Intent. Clear this sector, while we deal with the Flood."

Nathan turned back to the cabin and smiled. "You heard the Shipmaster, Miranda. Get out of here." Nathan called out over the roar of the wind. He looked back down at the Covenant drop pods, the Elites inside bursting out for battle. He took a deep breath and dove into the fight.

The air whipped at his armor and he could feel the tug of the G forces. He heard the rush of wind pass his auditory sensors. He may have hated heights, but the feeling of free fall was good for the adrenaline. It would heighten his senses for the battle to come.

Nathan flipped and landed on the ground at an angle, his momentum causing him to roll. He stood in a crowd of Flood and Elites, locked in an epic battle of brawn.

Nathan pulled his AR out and smashed it into the flood spore in a poor former human. The body slumped to the ground and began to deflate. More Flood jumped up from below and joined the fray. Nathan jumped as something went against his back. He turned to see a crimson Elite staring at him.

"Hmm, Demon. Good of you to join the fray!" He said, clicking his jaws. Nathan smiled and went back to back with the Elite. The two were the last ones standing. The Crimson soldiers former squad now shambling husks of grotesque flesh.

"Well, if they take us, lets make sure they have to fight for it, hmm?" Nathan asked. The Elite nodded and withdrew two energy swords.

"This will be a battle hymn for ages to come!" He roared, charging into the mass of bodies. Nathan burst forward as well, shooting anything and every bad memory in his way. But they weren't alone. Nathan could hear the sounds of SMG fire and a Carbine on the platform above. He turned to see the Master Chief and Arbiter, in their position above the battlefield.

"By the gods, Arbiter!" The Elite called out, slicing a former Brute in twain. The Arbiter and the Chief ran down the slope, careful not the fall into the abyss below. The Arbiter walked forward, the crimson Elite meeting him halfway.

"My brother. I fear you bring bad news?" He asked. The Majordomo Elite nodded.

"High Charity has fallen, become a wretched hive!" He confirmed.

"And the fleet, has quarantine been broken?" The Arbiter asked.

"A single ship broke through our line, and we gave chase." Confirmed the Majordomo

"We had a fleet of hundreds!" The Arbiter yelled, shocked by the revelation.

"Alas brother...the Flood. It has evolved!"

Nathan shot a glance at the Chief. He hadn't seen anything different about the Flood here. If anything, they were more tame than the ones he encountered back in the Forerunner structure. This was a cake walk!

Another shriek echoed through the large chasm below. Nathan turned as another wave of Flood assaulted the four. Nathan shot an Elite in the midsection, severing it in two, Master Chief and the Arbiter smashed the next two into large puddles before they could even land, and the Majordomo stabbed the last.

Through the whole fight, however, Nathan could hear a small voice echoing in the back of his mind. It was almost imperceptible, something he wouldn't have noticed if he wasn't listening.

With more Flood, it was on his mind the whole time.

"Hey, Chief." Nathan yelled. John turned as Nathan jogged up. "Has their been any, I don't know, Gravemind problems?" He asked.

John took a step back. How did this kid know what a Gravemind was? How could he know about the Flood? John assumed he had already encountered it, seeing as how the man didn't ask what they were, or freak out like every other soldier who has encountered them before. John wanted answers, and he wanted them now.

But, before he could ask anything, another shriek came from all around, accompanied by Flood of different sizes and shapes.

"Great. Here we go again..."

Twilight felt a large plush pillow beneath her head and the warmth of a blanket. She slowly opened her eyes and was met by the ambient glow of the fireplace in Princess Celestia's room. She didn't know how she got there, but it didn't matter at that point. She slowly got into a sitting position and nearly fell back down when she was assaulted by her friends. All of them were there! Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Shining Armor, Cadence and Bill. Although, she expected Cam and Rainbow not to be there to greet her...

"How's Cam and Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked. Bill frowned and shook his head, as did the other girls. Twilight got a look of horror on her face. "Is Cam-"

Bill held up a hand and smiled. "Relax. He's in the intensive care ward. He's being looked after by great doctors. However, he's in a coma now. They don't know if he'll wake up."

Twilight's head sunk and she felt so bad for Rainbow Dash. That poor mare never wanted mushy relationship stuff before Nathan and the others got here. But, since she met Cam? Well, that was an entirely different story. She noticed a spark in Dash's eyes she'd never seen before when she first saw him. He couldn't die.

For her sake, he had to live.

Twilight got to her hooves and fell to the ground. "Let's go check on them." She said with a smile. Applejack, however, placed a firm hoof on her shoulder.

"After what ah heard happened to you? Sorry, sugar cube. You need your rest." She said sternly, trying to get Twilight into the bed. She shook her friend off however and continued towards the door.

"Where are the Princesses?" Twilight asked, grabbing her saddle bag from the table. Bill jerked his thumb towards the window.

"They're helping with the cleanup. A lot of places got hit pretty bad. Ponyville, fortunately, didn't get hit as bad as places like Manehatten. Or Canterlot. This city is pretty much totaled." He said sadly.

Twilight looked out the window and frowned. Half of the city- Her city- was completely demolished. 90% of the buildings laid in ruins. Citizens cleaned the ruble and dragged out the bodies of those buried underneath. It was a horrid sight which turned Twilight's blood to ice.

"Any casualty reports yet?" She asked. Bill hung his head.

"Not yet, but Almya estimates it to be well in... the six thousand range..." He whispered. Everyone stared on in disbelief, but Twilight had expected that. She turned to Shining Armor and frowned.

"What about our parents?" She asked him. He gave her a warm smile and nodded.

"They're fine. Don't worry." He assured. He looked her over and frowned. "Twilly, your pale as a ghost. You need to get back to bed." He said, trying to usher her back into the Princess' chambers.

Twilight cringed as a searing pain shot through her stomach. Not one to want to lay down when things need to be done, she flat out refused. Besides, Cam was in terrible shape. She'd have to do something to save his life.

"I'll rest later. Right now, I want to see Cam." She said, walking down the halls. Shining Armor sighed and looked to Cadence, who gave him a knowing smile.

"She'll be okay. Let's just take her to see her friend." She said sweetly. Shining nodded and trotted up next to his sister.

Leading Twilight through the medical wing was hard. So many soldiers were either dead, dying or wounded around them. It didn't make it better that the families were there to claim the bodies, so the place was echoing with the cries and screams of family and friends.

Rainbow Dash was sitting in the hall, her ears hung low. "Rainbow? How is he?" Shining Armor called out, trotting up beside her. She didn't even look up.

"He's still in a coma. The doctors don't know if he'll ever wake up..." She sniffed. Bill couldn't stand to see them upset. He'd known Cam his whole life. No way was this going to keep him down, and he made a point to tell them all just that.

"Don't worry everyone. Cam's been hit a hundred times worse than this plenty of times. He'll pull through, not to worry." He said happily. Everyone seemed to ease a bit and the tension in the room seemed to melt away.

Almya whispered into Bills speakers, feeling a little bit confused. "Bill? Why did you lie to them?" She asked. He just grunted and walked into the room, taking a seat next to Cam. The wound on his head was still open, and looked bad. Brute Spikers could pack a wallop.

Twilight guided Rainbow Dash to a chair in the hall just outside Cam's room, hoping to help ease her pain. She had a plan, and she wanted to include Rainbow in it.

"Do you want to help him with me?" She asked quietly. Rainbow perked up and nodded vigorously.

"How? What can you do that the doctors haven't tried already?" She asked. Twilight smiled and looked over to Cam.

"I know a spell that will put us in his mind. If we find him in his subconsciousness, we'll bring him back, okay? I promise." She promised.

Rainbow smiled, but quickly frowned. "But, how can you bring me? I can't use magic." She pouted. Twilight smiled.

"Just hold on to me, I'll take care of the rest." She assured. Rainbow began to tear and hugged her lavender friend tight.

"Thank you, Twilight. I don't know how I can ever thank you." She practically sobbed. Twilight held her friend up high.

"Thank me when we save him, alright?" She chuckled. Rainbow smiled and rubbed her neck. They walked into the room, to see everyone talking to the doctor, tears in some of their eyes. Twilight looked to Rainbow and walked over.

"Um. What's going on doctor?" She asked. The Doctor frowned and whispered in her ear.

"He doesn't have much time. His brain functions are slowly deteriorating. Pretty soon it'll affect the control center of his brain. His breathing functions will ultimately cease... There's nothing more we can do for him..."

Twilight frowned. "What if he were to wake up? would that save him?" She asked. The doctor looked at his chart, then back to her.

"I don't know... He's completely brain dead right now. He'll never wake up on his own." He sighed.

"I intend to fix that..." She thought hopefully.

The doctor left the room and left the group alone. "Rainbow? Come on. It's time." Twilight called out. Rainbow ran over and grabbed on to Twilight's back.

"Whoa, Nelly! What are y'all planning on doing?" Applejack asked. Twilight didn't answer. Her horn began to glow a bright purple. She began to lower it to Cam's head, the light only getting brighter.

"Twilight? What are you planning?" Bill asked, grabbing her shoulder. In an instant, he was surrounded by a blinding purple glow and he felt his body dematerialize around him.

In another instant, he fell flat on his back. He saw nothing but white as his vision tried to return. "Ugh. What in the world..." He began. He sat up, but couldn't quite understand why her was where he was.

"Why the fuck am I back on Reach...?"

A timeless chorus

Chapter 17: A timeless chorus
Planet: Earth: October 17, 2552
2345 hours

"Go, Spartans!" The Arbiter yelled from the bottom of the crash sight, slicing one of the new Flood forms in twain. "We will let nothing past!"

Nathan and John hastily climbed the rubble, making their way to a blast point in the hull. It was a slide of grotesque flesh and metal, but it had to be traversed nonetheless.

The duo slid through the hole and tumbled to the ground, stopping in front of a group of white armored Elites, completely mangled and rotted. Nathan gagged and closed his air vents. He wasn't feeling like himself in the slightest, and the closer they got to the crashed cruiser, the worse he felt.

Something was in here, and he had a feeling it wasn't just an AI...

"Come on, Spartan." John said, leveling his Assault Rifle. "Let's just find Cortana and get out of here."

Nathan shook his head of the dizziness, only to have it come back stronger than ever. "I'm... I'm right behind..." He fell to the ground, clutching the sides of his helmet tight, yelling in agony.

John whipped around quick, crouching by the mans side. "Spartan? What is it?" He asked. Nathan stood awkwardly and his head twisted at an odd angle. John backed away and aimed his Rifle at him. He nearly pulled the trigger when he heard him speak.

"Do not be afraid. I am peace. I am salvation." He said in a deep, guttural voice. John recognized it as the Gravemind he'd met on Delta Halo. How was the creature here?

How was it speaking through the Spartan?

Nathan collapsed again, slowly sitting up. "Ugh. Dammit..." He muttered. He jumped when he saw the Chief aiming at him. A smile quickly formed on his lips.

"Well, I suppose an explanation is in order, huh?" He asked sarcastically. John, hesitantly lowered his rifle and nodded.

"Speak, Spartan. Tell me everything."

Nathan sighed and gave John the short version. He was part Flood, he was now immune to it, but the downside was that, if there was a Gravemind close by, he could turn.

John mulled this over. He contemplated shooting the man right then and there. He reached into his ammo belt and pulled out the bag of coins.

"What about these? They're like no currency I've ever seen." He said, jingling the bag. Nathan frowned and decided it'd be best to relinquish that story.

"Those, are Bits. Currency on my new home." He stated, taking out a coin of his own, flipping it along his fingers.

"Your 'new home'?" John asked. Nathan nodded and told the short tale of his peaceful home.

"During the battle of Reach, a ship I hijacked malfunctioned and crashed on an unknown planet, called Equis. The inhabitants are friendly and gave me, and my team, a home. We've been 'dead' to the war front for over a month."

John leveled his pistol at the traitors head. Nathan didn't even flinch. John's finger twitched, but he wanted to know one more thing.

"Tell me, that picture in your helmet. Who's on it?" He asked. Nathan slowly lifted his helmet off and removed the picture. John snatched it quickly and looked it over.

Whatever was in the photo had long, purple hair that curled up at the end. It was streaked with a pink and light purple strike on the left side of a long, spiral horn. Her eyes were large and just as purple as she was. Her snout was small and her appearance was... somewhat cartoonish. John squinted at the writing on the top.

To my special somepony. I'll be with you everywhere you go.
Love, Twilight.

John looked at Nathan, then back to the picture. Nathan snatched it back and put it back in his helmet, placing it back on his head.

"Okay, so you probably have a thousand questions, so I'll answer the important ones. one; they're a peaceful species, two; Her name is Twilight, personal student of the planets royalty, saver of their planet twice, and three; She's my fiance'.

John dropped his pistol. This Spartan had a fiance'. And not only that, she was an alien! The boy was marrying a freaking alien! Nathan smiled and shook his head.

"Xenophobia makes for a blinded soldier. Look past the differences, and you'll see someone who's just like you or me." He stated, grabbing Johns pistol and placing it back in the stunned mans hand. He walked forward and turned his head back to the stunned Spartan.

"Tic-toc, Spartan. You want to find Cortana, right?" He asked. John shook his head of the... strange incident and walked beside the man. He was strange, stranger than anyone he'd ever met.

He still had a light heart, despite what this war had taken from him. He found love, a home... Happiness. Something John hadn't experienced for himself in a good, long while. Maybe this man had found his peace, but he was a Spartan, dammit. The war needed him back.

"Where's the rest of your men?" John asked finally, ducking under a bulbous protrusion in the wall. Nathan simply punched them as he went by, killing the Flood spores inside.

"They're back on Equis. The world was attacked a few days ago. I was coordinating the resistance and my team and another team of Spartans; plus the help from the locals. We were holding them off... Barely. We got the upper hand when the Elites showed up. Although, Miranda and Johnson did call me to serve once again." He said halfheartedly. He sighed and pushed his way past a few tentacles, John hot on his heals.

"I shouldn't have left. Not with Twilight in the condition she's in..."

John was about to ask what he meant by that, but Nathan fell to the floor again, clutching his helmet. "Fight it, Spartan!" John gave him encouraging words, but they were in vain. Nathan rose back up, an awkward tilt in his neck. The Gravemind spoke through him again.

"I am a timeless chorus. Join your voice with mine, and sing victory everlasting." Nathan's arms extended out straight and he fell back to the ground. He groaned and John helped the dazed man to his feet.

"That asshole needs to learn to speak through something else... I'm seriously getting sick of this shit." He muttered, balancing back on his feet.

"How do you know of the Gravemind?" John asked. Nathan grabbed his rifle and continued into the large opening, a single computer glowing an eerie purple.

"Dealt with one on Equis. Rather not talk about what I lost and nearly lost that day..."

John understood perfectly. He still didn't like talking about the mission that cost him almost all his men. Those wounds were still too fresh for him as well.

And they always will be....

"Here, Chief! There's some kind of... Covenant storage device. She could be hold up in there." He leaned in and saw a few sparks flying out of the hole in the side. "looks pretty banged up..."

John pushed him aside and examined the device himself. He leaned in close and nearly jumped out of his armor when Cortana burst out.

"Chief!"

"Cortana?"

"High Charity, The Prophets holy city is-" Her head craned up to the left and she disappeared back into the storage unit. A green Phantom hovered just over the blast in the hull as a small, blue, chipper robot floated down. John leveled his rifle while Nathan just smiled.

"Ah, Reclaimer!" He mused, blasting a sneaky Flood Brute in the face that had managed to get behind them. Spark turned back to the container and grabbed it.

"We must act quickly before your construct suffers any further trauma!" Spark said urgently. John grabbed the monitors head and yanked the device away.

"Wait. Leave her alone." John barked. Spark sputtered for a second then gave his rebuttal.

"If we do not take this device to a safe location, somewhere I can make repairs..." He said, grabbing hold of the device with the beam again, only to be shaken off once more.

"On Halo, you tried to kill Cortana. You tried to kill me!" Chief said again. Spark sighed and fought back.

"Protocol dictated my response! She had the activation index, and you were going to destroy my installation! You did destroy my installation! Now I have only one function. To help you, Reclaimer, as I always should have done."

Chief hesitated, but eventually relinquished the device to the Monitor. Nathan placed a hand on Johns shoulder. "Come on, Spartan. Let's get the hell out of here. It gives me the creeps..."

John and Nathan stood underneath the gravity lift and were taken into the belly of the tiny beast, on their way to the belly of the biggest beast of all.

"Shadow of Intent, here we come..." Nathan thought happily.

Bill was baffled. One minute he was standing next to all his friends, the next he was sent back to Reach. He looked at his surroundings and sighed.

"Well, this is fucking weird." He mused. "Twilight? Rainbow Dash?" He called out. He hoped they were here, seeing as how they caused this. They didn't answer. He tried once more.

"RAINBOW! TWILIGHT!"

"Over here, Bill!" He heard Twilight call out. He ran to the other side of the building he heard them from and stopped dead in his tracks.

They weren't ponies anymore.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash were human! They both wore civie clothing, their hair done in a standardized civilian style as well. It was still their colors, so it'd be easy to keep track of them.

Rainbow shrieked slightly at her new form. "Geez! What the heck?! She yelled in surprise. Twilight, however, just studied her form over.

"Huh. So this is what it's like to be human." She pondered aloud. She wiggled her fingers experimentally and ran a hand over her human features. She wondered what Nathan would have thought about her looks.

"Girls, can you move?" He asked. Twilight and Rainbow got to their feet, stumbling and nearly falling. Dash chuckled nervously and frowned.

"Heh. I guess I'm not used to two legs yet."

Bill rolled his eyes. "Come on. Where the hell are we?" He asked. Twilight looked around and smiled.

"Aha! It worked! We're in Cam's mind!" She said excitedly. Bill's eyes widened and he backed away.

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa! Time the fuck out!" He yelled. "We're in Cam's mind?! How the hell is that possible?!" He asked, getting more and more frantic by the second.

"Don't worry, Bill." Twilight assured. "We're here to find Cam in his subconscious and bring him back out." She gave a smile and Bill exhaled.

"Where should we start looking?" He asked. Twilight was about to answer, when a large explosion echoed across the city.

"How about that way." Rainbow pointed off in the distance, smoke billowing into the sky. Bill remembered this...

"This is when we started our mission to destroy the Corvette." He stated, walking with the girls into the direction. Twilight looked up at him with a knowing look.

"The same mission that brought Nathan to us?" She asked. Bill nodded and helped them climb over a pile of rubble. Rainbow grumbled as she made her way over.

"Man, I wish I had wings..." Bill and Twilight chuckled and rounded the corner, to see the group of Spartans in a heated battle with a group of Covenant soldiers. Rainbow stared on in earnest interest and Twilight just turned away.

"There's the boss!" Bill said happily. Twilight shot forward and watched as Nathan ran right into the fray. He lobbed a grenade into the midst of the Grunts and Jackals, then used the momentum from the blast to launch himself into and Elite. He killed the Elite and stood in triumph, only to be sent flying sky high by a Banshee mortar.

"NATHAN!" Twilight screamed, running out into the open.

"Twilight! Wait!" Rainbow yelled, running after her. Bill was about to do the same, when he saw himself running over to the boss' side. He stayed in the shadows and hid.

"No, It'd be best not to fuck up his brain even worse than we are..." He told himself.

Twilight slid to a stop at Nathan's side, shaking him vigorously. She heard the shouts of the other Spartan's behind her.

"Hey! Civilian! Get away from him!" A feminine voice shouted. Twilight turned to see Shelly running at her, full sprint. Rainbow got to Twilight's side as the four Spartans got to their side.

"CAM!" Rainbow shouted, crashing into his chest. Everyone just stared at the rainbow haired girl, nuzzling his chest plate. Cam just stood stoic and stared at everyone.

"Uhhh... Do I know you?" He asked. Rainbow looked up with hurt eyes.

"Cam, it's me! It's Rainbow!" She pleaded. Issac looked at the two a sniggered.

"Well, I always did think Cams taste in women was... exotic." He stared Rainbow over and looked back to Cam. "Where in the hell did you meet this one, kid?"

Cam got defensive. "I don't know you, miss, but you seem to know me... How?" He asked. Rainbow looked even more hurt than before.

"I...I-" Twilight stood up and whispered in her ear.

"Rainbow, this is just a memory. The Cam we're looking for will know us. We have to keep searching." She assured. Rainbow let go of the false Cam and nodded.

"Well... Now that that's over, can we check on Nathan?" Shelly asked. Everyone ran to the Spartan's side and shook him. Shelly calling his name.

Nathan? Nathan?!" She inhaled deeply and got right up to his ear. "NATHAN!"

He shot up and clutched his gun, looking at his team and the girls at his side. He went to stand, when they all craned their heads and the humming of an incoming Banshee.

"BANSHEE!" Shelly screamed. "Hit the dirt!"

At that, the real Bill ran forward and tackled Twilight and Rainbow to the ground. The blast echoed all around them, and they were now teleported into sheer darkness.

It was up to fate where they would end up next. Hopefully, the real Cam would be in their next random destination.

If only...

What once was lost...

Chapter 18: What once was lost...
Planet: Earth October 18, 2552
0100 hours

Nathan sunk against the wall and sighed. They had been going at that storage container for more than an hour now. Nathan checked his internal clock. He hadn't slept in three days. THREE DAYS! He couldn't even fathom that anymore! Ever since he'd gotten to Equestria and moved in with Twilight, he'd gotten to bed at 9:00. In the military, the longest he'd stayed up was a week.

Covenant leaders don't snipe themselves, you know...

Nathan breathed another sigh as the smell of ozone and the sound of the buzzing beam echoed again. He sunk completely to the floor, rubbing his tired eyes of the heaviness. The Ship Master leaned in and cracked his jaw.

"Will it live, Oracle? Can it be saved?" He asked. The Monitor sighed and stopped the repairing beam.

"Uncertain. This unit has suffered considerable trauma. Its matrices are highly unstable." He stated, going back to work. Lord Hood put his fists down on the table and looked over to the Monitor, who was failing them all with this.

"Perhaps one of our technicians-" But the Ship Master stopped him cold with a raised hand

"That will not be necessary." He stated. The monitor gave a cheer and Cortana burst forth.

"Success!" He yelled. Cortana seemed frantic, looking from left to right before she began speaking. You'd think she'd be happy to see friendly faces...

And monsters. Lots of monsters... Nathan sighed again, when he felt a large hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see the same Majordomo from before. "Are you not curious in what is happening, Demon?" He asked curiously. Nathan waved a hand and stood.

"Seen one AI, you've seen them all." He stated. The Elite clicked its jaws and nodded. Nathan did listen, however, to what Cortana had to say.

"Chief! High Charity, the Prophet's Holy City is on its way to Earth. With an army of Flood! I can't tell you everything, it's not safe. The Gravemind. It knows I'm in the system..." She froze and the Chief waved a dissapointed hand.

"It's just a message." The Chief said, a little annoyed. Nathan shook his head and snorted.

Fucking typical...

"Let it play..." The Ship Master said, leaning in with curiosity. Guilty Spark sent out a slight pulse and the message continued.

"-But it doesn't know about the portal, where it leads. On the other side, there's a solution. A way to stop the Flood, without firing the remaining Halo rings! -GAHHH! Unghhh!" She gasped, clutching her holographic temples. The Chief leaned in close, twitching with nervousness and concern. Nathan got closer as well, curious about the message being told.

"Hurry, Chief. The Ark... There isn't much time..." The message began to sputter, until it finally froze. The Chief was leaned closer and stared at the still image of his old comrade.

"I'm sorry." Guilty Spark spoke softly. The Ship Master just waved a hand and stood.

"No matter, Oracle. We've heard enough. Our fight is through the Portal, with the Brutes and the bastard Truth!" He yelled triumphantly. The Elites around them cheered and hollered, but the Humans in the room stood stoic. Lord Hood stepped forward with his hands clasped firmly behind his back.

"Fine. We'll remain here. Hold out as long as we can." He said solemnly. The Ship Master clicked his jaw in surprise and stepped forward.

"Did you not here her? Your world is doomed. A Flood army, a Gravemind, has you in its sights! You barely survived a small contamination."

"And you Ship Master just glassed half a continent!" Lord Hood shouted. "Maybe the Flood isn't all I should be worried about." Nathan watched the back and fourth exchange and frowned.

Haven't seen a good military fight in a damn long time...

"One single Flood spore can destroy a species. Were it not for the Arbiters consul, I would have glassed your entire planet!" He hissed.

Lord Hood raised a fist, poised to attack, but Miranda jumped in and stopped him, hoping to get the points across. "Sir, with respect, Cortana has a solution-"

"Cortana?!" Hood shot back. "Have you seen what condition she's in? She could be corrupted for all we know! Her solution could be a Flood trap!"

Nathan nodded and had to agree with Hood on this. Cortana didn't seem all there. Apparently Flood captivity can make an AI crazy.

Wonder if that's what happened to Almya...

"We should go through the portal. Find out for sure." Miranda affirmed, casting her gaze over the room. Lord Hood shot forward.

"What we should do, Commander," He shot back, pulling rank like a pro. "is understand, that this is humanities final stand! Here, at Earth. We go we risk everything; every last man, woman and child! But, if we stay and fight, we might just have a chance." Miranda lowered her head and nodded.

"No."

Everyone turned as the Arbiter stepped forward. "If what your construct says is true, then the Flood have already won." He stated. Master Chief turned to Hood.

"I'll find Cortanas solution. And I'll bring it back." John nodded. Nathan choked on his own breath. Did the Chief just side with the Elites on this?

Hood sighed and looked down at Cortana, then out the view port at his lovely planet. "Earth is all we have left. Do you trust Cortana that much?" He asked. The Chief stiffened and nodded.

"Sir! Yes, Sir!" He said loudly. Lord Hood turned on his heels and headed for the door.

"Well, this is either the best decision you've ever made or the worst. Hell, if it is Chief, I doubt I'll live long enough to find out." He left the bridge, leaving everyone else to go over the plans for the upcoming battle to end all battles.

The black tunnel funneled opened, dumping Rainbow, Bill and Twilight into a large field of burnt glass and steaming ozone. Bill recognized it as the research facility they got their armor on. And, one of the first times they fought the Covenant.

Twilight and Rainbow looked over their bodies. They were now back to their Equine selves, and savored every moment of it. Well, that is until they realized the ground was a staggering 200 degrees.

"Sweet Celesta!" Twilight yelled, hopping from foot to foot. Rainbow flew into the air, easily escaping the blazing dirt. Bill, being ever so generous, scooped up Twilight and put her on his shoulder.

"Thanks." She said sheepishly. He smiled and nodded then began there hike towards the battle that was already waging. Twilight pointed into the direction of the quiet booms beyond the hill.

"What memory is this?" Rainbow asked.

"The first time our team was put together. The research facility where we first got our MJOLNIR armor. It was attacked before we could train. Of course, it got a passing grade for combat from all of us." He chuckled.

Another blast echoed and a small object launched over the top of the hill. It landed with a thump and rolled closer to the group. Upon closer inspection, it was a Spartan helmet.

With the soldiers head still inside.

Rainbow winced and Twilight wretched. Bill just sighed and shook his head. "I always wondered what happened to Rory..." He said sadly.

Twilight's ears perked up when she heard the familiar voice shouting orders to the others. She jumped off Bill's back and ran up the hill, going faster due to the intense heat. Bill and Rainbow chased after her, and at the top, they saw the whole scene.

Two Corvettes hung over the building, hundreds of Phantoms and troops were engaging the entrenched Spartans and soldiers, who desperately were trying to keep the Covenant at bay. Twilight smiled when she saw the Spartans run into the fray of battle, spreading out gradually and destroying everything in their way. Twilight turned to Bill and frowned.

"So... This is... gorey." She mused. Rainbow nodded and watched as both armies killed, maimed and utterly decimated one another.

"I take it Cam isn't going to be here..." Bill mused. Twilight looked around and frowned. The odds were astronomical that they'd find him, but they'd search as long as they'd have to in order to-

"Oh, so you guys are looking for me are you?"

Everyone turned to see Cam standing behind them. Rainbow got a giddy look on her face and rammed into the man, planting kisses onto his head.

"Oh, Cam! Is it really you?! What's my name?" She asked. Cam chuckled and pat Rainbows colored mane.

"You're Rainbow Dash, you want to be a Wonderbolt, and you suck your hoof when you sleep." He chuckled. She blushed and shoved her hoof in his mouth, giving him a stern look.

"You like to suck it, too, you jerk." She gave him the biggest smile and slowly kissed his lips with passion and love. He smiled back and stood up with her in his arms, looking at the battlefield.

He raised his left hand into the air and everything froze, bullets and plasma halted in midair and soldiers stopped mid stride. Everyone stared at Cam in shock, wondering what just happened. He scratched his chin and snapped his fingers, and instantly, two Frigates popped into the sky.

"What the hell?" Bill muttered. Cam heard him and smiled, then snapped his fingers, letting the battle resume.

"I'm just seeing how this battle could have gone differently, is all. Maybe a Halcyon class cruiser...?" He ran his hand in a circle and the cruiser came into view, blasting a Corvette out of the sky. Cam pat his chin and frowned.

"Oh, but they'll have a response for that." He flicked his arm and a CCS class battle ship came out of slipspace and blew the Halcyon ship into atoms.

"We've come to bring you back home." Twilight said, snapping Cam out of his trance. Cam smiled at her and shook his head.

"I'm not done here. I got to see how this battle could have been done differently for the UNSC." He told them. Rainbow narrowed her brow and hit him in the back of the head.

"Snap out of it, you idiot! You're coming home and that's that!" She scolded. Cam rolled his eyes and began to pout.

"But, mom!" He yelled sarcastically, then resumed his battle conducting. Rainbow growled and he lightly tossed her into the air so his arms could be freed. Bill came forward and placed a firm hand on Cam's shoulder.

"Cam? Snap out of it. You're trapped in your own mind. Your body is dying, soldier. You have a girl who needs you and a CO who really can't lose another friend. You're coming with us, and that's that!" He yelled. Cam just stared at him for a long time. He then looked to Twilight and Rainbow. A grin came across his face and he gave a triumphant 'Aha'.

"You three will do nicely!" He cheered. He snapped his fingers and the trio appeared on the battlefield; Rainbow and Twilight were now human again and dressed in MJOLNIR armor, colored accordingly to them, of course. They were all armed to the teeth and just stared at one another.

"You three could help turn the tide of battle! Let the festivities resume!"

He snapped his fingers and, all at once, the silence of the pause, exploded as battle resumed. Soldiers on both sides fell dead, exploded, or were completely dismembered.

Twilight and Rainbow crashed themselves to the dirt and Bill covered them with his newly acquired assault rifle. He sprayed a team of Grunts and their Elite leaders, then dragged the former mares into a crater for cover. Rainbow patted her armor, as did Twilight, completely stunned by the strange turn of events.

"What the hell did Cam do to us?!" Rainbow yelled, ducking lower when a plasma bolt grazed her helmet. Twilight and Bill fired over the mound, taking out the pesky Jackal.

"It's Cam's mind, Rainbow! He controls everything in here!" She yelled over the roar of a Scorpion thundering past. It fired and Rainbow screamed.

"What do we do?!" She yelled. Bill raised her to her knees and gave her back her battle rifle.

"We fight, soldier! Now, let's get to the others position! GO, GO, GO!" He yelled. Immediately the two scared former mares bolted upright and sprinted for the others position, conveniently marked on their HUD.

"This armors pretty rad!" Rainbow yelled into the mic. Twilight gave her approval as well.

"Very well made. Durable, sturdy without being too cumbersome for the wearer, and the mesh under suit? Might as well not be wearing anything at all!" She said happily. Another voice cam through the mic and Twilight smiled.

"Spartans? Now that were done getting a stiffy from our armor, how about we KILL THE FUCK OUT OF THESE COVENANT!?" The Nathan memory yelled. Twilight longingly wanted to tell her future husband how much she loved him and missed him.

But this was just a ghost, nothing more.

"Yes, Sir." She said into the mic, clicking it off. She turned to Rainbow and opened a private link. "Well, guess he's in a sore mood."

"Heh. If only he remembered you. That'd probably brighten his day. At least we found Cam." She said happily. Twilight nodded, then frowned remembering the circumstances.

"Remind me to kick him in his... sensitive bits after this, will ya?" She asked. Rainbow laughed and kicked a Grunt in the face, jumping into the trench with the other Spartans.

"Remind me, too. We'll do it at the same time." She said dryly. The other Spartans turned to see the newcomers in their midst.

The girls and Bill recognized the squad. Nathan, Shelly, Issac, and a thought projection of Cam. There was also another Spartan she and Rainbow didn't recognize. His call sign was S-012.

S-012, was two feet taller than the others. His armor was bulkier and had the scratches and marks of someone who'd seen multiple accounts of combat. The large Spartan linked to the three of their comms and spoke.

"Good of you to join us. Now, how about you help with a counter-offense." He ordered. Twilight and Rainbow looked at each other and Bill nodded.

"What should we do, Sir?" He asked. He already knew what he was going to be ordered. He and his fellow Spartans were going to be ordered back into the research facility and destroy all sensitive hardware.

Being green sucked...

"Go back inside, all of you. You don't know how to fight the Covenant, not yet. The marines and I will hold them off." He stated. Nathan stood up and confronted the man.

"We can fight, Sir! Don't make us the clean up crew!" He yelled. The Spartan II shot forward and grabbed the disobedient soldier by the throat. Twilight was about to shoot forward, when Bill and Rainbow grabbed her arms. None of the others noticed her movement, or if they did, they didn't seem to care.

"Are you disobeying a direct order from a superior?" He asked with malice. Nathan gulped and sighed.

"S-Sir, no, Sir..." He mumbled. The Spartan drooped him and pointed back to the facility. The Spartan III's nodded and bolted back inside. Twilight stood next to Bill as they entered the structure.

"What happens here?" She asked. Bill turned to her and lifted his visor. She could see the worry in his eyes.

"Here? This is where things get messy for Nathan. Are you prepared to watch him nearly die for Shelly?" He asked. Twilight remembered him telling her about this; the thing with his wounded eye. Hit with an energy sword? At least that's what she remembered.

She suppressed the knot and nodded. Not only was this a time of war, but it was also the beginning of his and Shelly's love blooming for one another. Could she really watch that?

No. This was a memory, the past. Of course it didn't mean anything now. He was hers and nothing would change that now.

Still, the thought of him wrapped around Shelly? She nearly spat at the idea of it. She pressed on with the others, when the power suddenly blacked out. Nathan held up a hand which Twilight could barely see in the darkness.

He made a snipping motion with his middle and pointer finger, then rotated them in a 360. All at once the hums of the Spartan's night vision optics came on. She turned to Bill, hoping to find out how to get it to work.

"Press the button with your chin." He said. Twilight nudged the chin guard and all at once, a grainy, green glow took her view. It wasn't to clear, but at least she could see.

"Wow, cool!" Rainbow gushed, looking at everything. Nathan raised another hand and made a slashing motion.

"Keep it down, Spartan." He hissed into the microphone. Rainbow winced and nodded.

"Sorry." She said sadly. Nathan groaned and turned to her.

"Don't be sorry, just be quiet!" He hissed.

"SORRY!" She yelled.

Bill sniggered a bit, but silenced himself. No need to incur the wrath of the fake Nathan. They all walked silently through the blackened halls until Nathan stopped them again. Twilight peered over from the back of the group. She heard the barks and growls of a pack of Grunts, then the harsh garbles of the Elites. Was this the moment when he would nearly die?

"Spartans? Spread out into teams. Shelly, Cam, and I will be Alpha. The rest of you are beta. Move out." He called. Bill turned to Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Issac.

"Alright. Let's just get this over with." He said, striding down the hall. Rainbow trotted to his side.

"So... What is it we're doing?" She asked. Bill shrugged and hung a sharp left.

"We're going to destroy some files. That's about it." He said. Rainbow nodded and they continued on until they reached a room labeled, 'Restricted'. Bill burst it open and the four were surrounded by computers and mounds of hardware. Issac sighed, as did Rainbow. Twilight, however, seemed most intrigued.

Bill fanned them out into groups of two. Rainbow and Issac, and he and Twilight. They all went to their sides of the room and began destroying and erasing files.

"What a waste..." Twilight said sadly. Bill nodded and continued shooting memory crystals.

"It's either destroy them, or let the Covenant gain valuable intel. Which would you rather it be?" He asked. Twilight held the pink memory crystal in her hand. Hundreds of hours, even thousands, were about to be destroyed. Who knew what kinds of breakthroughs were made and had been recorded in this crystal alone.

She shut her eyes and crushed the cube to dust in her gloved hand. Bill gave her a nod and continued his work. "You can explore. We don't encounter anything here. Go look at some of what humanity has to offer the galaxy." He told her.

She nodded back and trailed off down the halls. They were pretty bland. Nothing but gray metal and gray doors. She turned a corner and went to walk into a room, when she heard a voice from within.

"Six Spartan's, Captain. I can't guarantee they'll all survive, but if they do, you'll get quite a payday. But, you need to bring your ship in to 'rescue' us. Is it a deal?"

Twilight pulled her sidearm instinctively, (guess being around Spartans can help there) and peered inside. "Bill?" She whispered on a private comm channel.

"Yeah? What's wrong?" He asked. Twilight looked back into the room to make sure this was who she thought it was before calling in again. And, to her horror, it was.

"We got a huge problem..."

A shadowed past

Chapter 19: A shadowed past
Planet: Earth, October 18, 2552
0310 hours

Twilight sat outside the door, listening to the conversation going on. She remembered the story vividly; Their first encounter with the Covenant, the pirates that kidnapped them, and the escape. She knew exactly who he was talking to in there. She leaned in and listened closer.

"I'll have to take you up on that offer, son. You've been one hell of an inside man." The Captain of the ship said. He turned to someone at his side, whispered a little, then turned his attention back to the rouge soldier. "Alright. You'll have to make it look convincing. We'll lock you in the ships brig with the others, then release you when we get to our destination. Do we have an accord?" He asked.

"Affirmative. I'll be willing to-" He turned his head slightly towards the door and Twilight shot her head back, holding her breath. She didn't know if he saw her and she could feel her heart pounding out of her chest. She checked the radar, but there was no movement. "-To do that. I'll send you the coordinates when we're in the Pelican." He confirmed. The Captain continued on with the rouge and Twilight took a quivering sigh. How could he do this?!

"Twilight?" Bill whispered from the corner. Twilight stared at him and didn't budge and inch. She waved him over and he crouched low, sitting by her side. "Who is it Twilight? What happened?" He asked.

She jammed her thumb towards the door. "It's... It's... Do you remember when you were captured by pirates?" She asked. Bill cocked his head and nodded. Nathan must have told her a lot of stories. Twilight continued, as quiet as possible. "I think I know who was behind it..."

He could hear the crack in her voice. She was scared, almost to tears. Bill leaned into the doorway and saw that pitiful excuse for a rebel Captain, and then to the Spartan. He stood quickly and entered the room.

"Cam? Cameron! What the hell is going on?" He asked. Cam smiled and turned to face his teammate. The grin made Bill feel incredibly uneasy.

"So, it seems you found out about my fast cash scheme. And I was going to buy a house in the tropics on Earth." He pouted playfully. He turned to the screen and looked at the Captain. "Hope you don't mind two dead Spartans?" He asked. The Captain shrugged.

"As long as we get the technology in their armor, by all means. Kill them, but do it quietly." He said. The screen snapped off and Cam pulled his assault rifle out, aiming it at the two. Twilight took a step back and Bill put his hand on his pistol.

"All this time... One of my closest friends, a rebel... a traitor. You had us all fooled. Even your own girlfriend, er... whatever! You have a lot of balls." He spat.

Cam smiled and aimed at Twilight. "Without her magic, she's useless. It was a simple matter of turning her into a Spartan. She wouldn't know how to handle power in that form." His fingers itched the trigger and his smile stretched wider.

Bill stepped in front of Twilight and pulled out his pistol. Something was terribly wrong. Cam wasn't this smart, not by a long shot. Something else was driving him. It drew them here, and wanted them all dead.

"Who are you...?" Bill finally asked. Twilight looked up at him, then to Cam. It didn't occur to her that this could be a fake. Why would Cam construct a fake, traitorous version of himself in his own conscious? That didn't make any sense.

"Mhahahahaha!" Cam bellowed a laugh, a laugh that shook Bill and Twilight to their bones. Twilight knew that laugh, as did Bill.

"Gravemind!" He shouted, opening fire. The Gravemind used Cam's body with ease, rolling past the shots and tackling the man. Bill let out a grunt as he was thrown through the wall. Twilight screamed and ran out of the room as the brawl ensued.

"Twilight?! Bill?! What's happening?" Rainbow Dash yelled. Twilight followed her close friends voice. She rounded the corner and ran into Issac.

"Whoa! You okay, soldier?" He asked. She held him tight and pointed him in the direction of the brawl. They all ran for the room as Bill was thrown into the far wall in the hallway. He slumped to the floor, struggling to regain his footing

The Gravemind came back out and smiled at Issac. "Oh, come now." He tolled the tall man. "No need to be shackled by those ridiculous sub-species!" He laughed. Twilight gasped as Issac clamped his large hand around her throat.

"Yes, Sir." He hissed, squeezing slowly. Rainbow shot forward and jumped onto his head, wrapping her hands around his visor.

"Let her go, you rusty tin can!" She shouted, landing punch after punch. Issac didn't flinch, however and continued to squeeze.

Twilight gagged and gasped for air, pawing at the hands around her throat. She shut her eyes tight and willed her mind to focus on the one person who can save her now. She felt a bit of magic in her and pushed it out with all her might, hoping to gain some ground in this confusing and horrifying turn of events.

"Nathan! Please?!" She screamed in her head, willing her magic out. "Save me!"

Twilight fell to the floor hard, feeling her soft, furry, pony body return to her. But, why did she fall? She looked up to see Nathan, standing in the doorway with his pistol smoking. "Nathan!" She squeaked, her voice hoarse from the stranglehold.

"Heh. Didn't expect me here did you... Gravemind?" He asked, kicking Issac's limp body aside. Twilight couldn't believe she'd done it! All she had to do was focus on the Nathan memory and focused all of their memories. All their shared feelings were pumped into the fake mind, making it as if Nathan was right here with them.

Twilight looked over to Rainbow Dash who was back to herself as well, staring at the corpse of Issac. "Holy geez, Twilight! What the heck did he just do?!" She squeaked, shaking in her cyan coat. Twilight inhaled deeply as he walked past, brushing her mane with the tips of his fingers. The contact felt good, since all she had today was tackles and strangleholds.

Cam scowled at Nathan and locked heavy, black eyes with him. "Come now. Don't you think it's time to experience the freedom I promised before?" He asked. Nathan smiled and pressed his pistol into Cam's head.

"Don't think you can control me, slime. Where's the real Cam? You think hijacking bodies is a good idea while I'm around?" He asked playfully. His eyes narrowed and he got closer. "How'd you get into him? He's not infected..."

Cam smiled and laughed. "When I died, I released my spores into the atmosphere. They infected probably ever life form on this rock! I felt it would be... poetic to form in someone you care for. Doesn't that just sting? Like the way you killed me in cold blood?! THE SAVIOR OF THE GALAXY?!" He bellowed.

Nathan's fingers flexed against the trigger. He let out a struggled grunt and clasped the gun in both hands. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pull the damned trigger.

"Whatsa matter, big guy?! That's not Cam! Take him out!" Rainbow yelled. Nathan began to sweat bullets and squeezed at the gun with the strength of ten men. Still, that trigger held strong. The Gravemind chuckled and put his finger on the tip of the gun, lowering it ever so slowly.

"Do you want to know where the real Cam is?" He asked innocently. Nathan gulped and nodded. Trying with all his might to raise that gun. The Gravemind walked around him and put a hand on his shoulder. "He is in a memory where you will most certainly fear to tread. I think you have knowledge of the incident that still plagues your mind?" He asked. Nathan began to tremor as he tried to raise the gun.

"Stop it..." He whispered.

"He's where she died."

"STOP!"

"You'll have a choice..."

"SHUT UP!"

"Save him or her."

"I'LL FUCKIN' BLOW YOUR HEAD OFF!"

"SILENCE!"

Nathan went rigid and lowered the gun. "You need me to take you there. If you pass this test, I might let your friend live. There is no reason we can't make a game out of this? I have been alive for over ten thousand years. I know patience, and I will rise again eventually. But, I want to make you suffer first..." He chuckled.

"When this is done..." Nathan began, but the Gravemind held a finger to his lip, a wicked smile on his face.

"Your mate will come along, no one else." The Gravemind commanded. Twilight trotted up alongside Nathan and nuzzled his leg. He eased a bit and let out a long breath.

"How's the war going?" She asked. Nathan smiled and shrugged.

"I don't know. You have no memories of it." He said nonchalantly. Twilight blinked at him a few times and registered what he said.

"You know you're a memory? I didn't want to tell you, since you're now conscious. Does..." She struggled to search for the right words. "Does it shock you?" She finally asked. He smiled and kissed her on the lips.

"Someone needs to keep you safe. It's gotta be me, whether I'm real or not." He gave a wink and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'm not as helpless as you think." She said playfully. Nathan smiled and pressed his forehead to hers. He was about to rebuke when the Gravemind spoke up again, a little annoyed by the exchange.

"If you two are ready? Your incessant rambling is getting a bit redundant. I'm quiet eager to finish destroying your life, even if you are just a figment. Practice makes perfect, after all..." He sneered.

Nathan glared at the Gravemind and stood up from Twilight's face. She let out a quivered breath and sighed. She didn't realize how much she missed him. A large knot formed in her gut and she wanted to just hold him forever. But, if there was one thing he taught her in the time they were together, it was to never hold on to a dead man. She had flat out refused to believe that. He was free of the war.

Well, then he was. Now? Now he was back to war... She felt the pang of guilt grip her heart realizing she'd probably have to live by his proverb. But what of their unborn child? What of their family? She couldn't bear to raise the child on her own. Losing him would break her heart...

"What's wrong, Gravemind?" Nathan taunted. "You can't stand to see emotion? Sick filth..." He spat. The Gravemind stood unfazed.

"Very well. Come. We'll walk. I want to stretch my new legs for a while, and we have much to discuss."

Nathan narrowed his eyes and put a protective hand on the back of Twilight's head. She smiled as his fingers brushed through her mane. It was a soothing gesture he always did in their quieter times. The three walked forward into a blank slate, leaving Rainbow Dash and Bill behind.

"Twilight?" Nathan whispered. She looked up and smiled. "Are Bill and Rainbow going to be okay? They won't get stuck here, will they?" He asked. She shook her head and smiled.

"When I leave, they leave. They'll be alright, don't worry." She assured. She nuzzled his leg and they followed the Gravemind through Cams mind, the long white halls representing god knows what. Nathan chuckled and shook his head.

"I knew Cam's mind was empty, but this is ridiculous." He said, looking around the vast space. The Gravemind turned and smiled at him.

"Well, now that we're away from the others, I feel it'd be best to talk." He said, looking over at the lavender mare and scowled. "Why do you have feelings for that... detestable creature?" He spat. Twilight wrinkled her nose and snorted.

"Says the fifty foot squid monster!" She huffed. The Gravemind chuckled and walked between the two. The move making the two feel uneasy.

"Did I ever tell you about the great war with the Flood and Forerunners and human kinds kindled love for the Equine species?" He asked. Nathan blinked dumbly and looked to Twilight, who was just as fascinated. The Gravemind smiled and went on. "In the past, the human commander met the Queen of Equestria. The two fought side by side on many fronts, winning countless battles. They eventually consummated their love for one another, bringing forth a human/equine hybrid that nearly brought ruin to my precious children." He nearly spat the last part out. Twilight smiled smugly and huffed.

"Serves you right! You do nothing but murder!" She yelled. The Gravemind shot her a glare and turned down a 'hall'. The two followed.

"Who is the murderer? The one who gives salvation? Or the one who kills the bearers?" He asked with a laugh. Twilight and Nathan looked to one another. He smiled and shook his head.

"His heads the size of a planet. You get used to it." Nathan mused. The two stopped, letting the Gravemind go ahead so they could be next to one another again.

"Why get attached to her, human? She doesn't love you." The Gravemind pointed out. Nathan looked down to Twilight, who let out a sigh. She leaned into him and walked as she pressed herself against his armored leg. Nathan sensed the love, but he knew he wasn't real. He looked himself over, knowing that he was just a hollow echo; a shell of the real deal.

"I'd like to think I'm being a good analog." He pointed out. The Gravemind laughed and stopped, turning to the two lovers. He smiled and the room dissolved into the spire in the shield world.

The place where Shelly lost her life...

"Cam is up there." The Gravemind pointed. Nathan looked up at the intricate design on the ceiling and, sure enough, Cam's body was locked into the wall. Nathan smiled and strode forward.

"Should be easy enough." He chuckled. The Gravemind grabbed his arm and pointed to the ice blue Spartan, who was about to dive and take the missile for Twilight.

"Who can you save?" He asked, grabbing Twilight and throwing her into the spot where the ghost version of herself sat just a second ago. She struggled to move but couldn't lift a hoof. Nathan turned to the Gravemind and scowled.

"That Shelly is just a figment. She isn't real." He said confidently. The Gravemind pondered this and smiled. He flicked his fingers and the Flood with the rocket launcher split into three. One aimed for Twilight, the other for Shelly, and the last for Cam.

"Fuck..." Nathan exclaimed. The Gravemind smiled and walked over to each of his friends in the paused battle.

"Shelly is a memory, yes. She doesn't need to be saved, but with your prior history with her, it'll make it hard to watch her die." He smiled. Nathan shook his head and took in a deep breath.

"I did it before, I can do it again." He insisted. The Gravemind walked to Twilight and put a hand on her face. She struggled at the invisible force keeping her in place and turned away from the monsters caress.

"Ah, and the lover. See how scared she is? She must hold so much faith in you. Will you let her down, Nathan? Will you watch her physically die?"

Nathan's eye twitched and his hands clenched tight. "You don't lay a hand on her, you animal!" He hissed. The Gravemind removed his hand and walked to Cam.

"Ah, the idiot. Wake up!" He shouted. All at once, Cam inhaled a deep, raged breath. He looked at his surroundings, then to the Gravemind posing as him.

"Jesus! When did I get a twin?!" He shouted. Nathan rolled his eyes and step forward.

"That's the Gravemind posing as you. He's trying to take over your mind, which is where we are." He yelled. Cam looked at Nathan and smiled.

"Oh, hey boss! When did you get back from earth?" He asked happily. Nathan frowned and tilted his head towards Twilight.

"I'm at Earth right now?" He asked curiously. She nodded and smiled, hoping to reassure him it was okay for him to be there. He had promised never to return to the war, but she guessed some promises were harder to keep.

Cam chuckled a little, getting Nathan and Twilight's attention. "C'mon! He's right here! How can you say he's at Earth?" He asked incredulously. Twilight rolled her eyes.

"He's just a thought projection from your mind. I gave him consciousness with the memories we have up until he left for Earth. This Nathan is a-" She hesitated, not wanting to hurt his feelings, but Cam finished it for her.

"He's a fake. Got it." He said innocently. Nathan cringed, but quickly shook it off.

"Good to see you, too, Cameron. I missed you." He said sincerely. Cam gave him a curious look, then looked over to Twilight. Her expression was somber and he understood the situation.

One of them was going to die here.

Cam smiled and gestured to Twilight. "Save her, Boss. She is your honey after all." Nathan shifted and looked to Twilight. He may not have been real, but he knew how to think like him.

"Velocity of the rocket? 450 fps. Speed off a M6D round is 840 fps. Where will they intersect in mid air? How long to I have to be in mid dive to stop both? How much do I lead...?"

"Are you prepared to die, human?" The Gravemind asked. Nathan smiled and pulled out his sidearm, staring at the Flood with the rockets. He turned to Twilight and smiled.

"How much do you trust me, Twi?" He asked. She gave an astonished look, but quickly reverted it to a smile.

"With my life." She affirmed. Nathan laughed and cocked the Magnum.

"Oh, good. 'Cause if you didn't, this probably wouldn't work. Even if I'm not the real deal, at least you treated me like it." He said happily. "Tell the real me to shape up and come the hell back home. He's got a fiance' waiting for him."

"Begin!" The Gravemind shouted loudly. All at once the battle resumed. Shelly exploded to bits in mid dive, which was to be expected. The flood shot her point blank with the hit. Nathan dove and looked to Twilight with a smile.

"See ya on the other side."

He leveled his pistol at the rocket launcher on the far side of the room aimed at Cam. He squeezed the trigger and the bullet flew free. He had no time to enjoy the satisfaction of victory, however, as the rocket aimed at Twilight hit him square in the chest. There was a feeling of peace that enveloped him, then nothing.

He was gone.

Twilight screamed and heard the rocked on the far side of the room detonate. She turned to see Cam still on the wall, The Flood holding the rocket launcher jettisoning into the far wall from the close range detonation. Twilight smiled wide as Cam fell to the floor, grabbing an assault rifle off the ground. He aimed it square at the baffled Gravemind and smiled.

"Ready to finally die?" He asked. The Gravemind smiled and nodded.

"If I can't even beat a figment of that accursed human, then I have no chance of beating the real one. Make it quick. Oh-" He said before Cam pulled the trigger. "Why not tell them all that you are, in fact, a traitor?" Cam winced and his face contorted into sheer anger. The Gravemind laughed again, knowing he'd gotten at least some revenge before he died. "What, do you think I made that part up?" He asked, chuckling loudly, erupting into full blown laughter. Cam pulled the trigger on his assault rifle and sent the monster skidding across the floor minus a face.

Twilight got to her hooves, finally being able to move. She stared at Cam with fearful and hurt eyes. What the Gravemind had said was true. Cam had betrayed his friends, and his military. He turned to her apologetically.

"Twilight... I-I didn't-" She held up a hoof and walked over to him.

"T-that doesn't matter now. Let's just get you home." She said, trying to keep her voice level. Cam nodded and she tapped him with her horn. He disappeared from sight and she sighed. Her horn began to glow and envelope her in a purple ball. She disappeared from his mind-

-And woke up on a hospital bed beside Rainbow and Bill, who also were awakening. Everyone in the room smiled warmly as she sat up. The Princess' were even there.

"Twilight Sparkle! Are you alright?" Celestia asked, nuzzling her student affectionately. She smiled at her teacher and nodded. It was good to see her again, Luna too. She was glad they were safe.

"I'm fine, Princess. We managed to... save Cam." She said, somewhat unsure if they should have. Bill darted up and quickly walked over to Cam, who was just awakening. He grabbed him by his hospital gown and placed his pistol to Cam's forehead.

"HEY! LET HIM GO!" Rainbow yelled, rushing over, only to be stopped by Twilight. She shook her head at the Rainbow haired spitfire and watched the scene unfold.

"Cam, you son of a bitch!" Bill spat. "I can't believe I trusted you! We ALL trusted you! Why did you betray us? Money? Power?!" Cam remained silent. "ANSWER ME, REBEL!" He spat.

Everyone in the room was dead silent. The two Princess' looked to one another, unsure of what to do. Cam sighed heavily and looked at Rainbow, who's eyes darted from him to Bill.

"I did it for myself! I wanted a life, Bill! I wanted to live!" He shouted. Rainbow slowly fluttered over to him and pushed Bill off. She held his face in her hooves and he grabbed them affectionately.

"So... everything was real, I mean, between us?" She asked. He smiled and kissed her slowly. She closed her eyes and smiled, pressing her face to his.

He pulled away, giving her warm eyes. "I wanted a life, and you gave it to me." He turned to Bill and Twilight who were standing on the sidelines.

"I'm sorry, Bill. I-In order for me to be free, I had to give you guys up to the rebels. They promised me a life, a home. I never wanted to be a Spartan, Bill! I wanted to just be free of this war! I hated it, I didn't want a part of it!" He yelled, sitting up. Bill was still a little on edge. Cam saw it and frowned.

"Well, we did end up being free... somewhat. At least we all have something to live for, yeah?" He asked. Bill stormed out of the room after that. Twilight quickly chased him down and Rarity followed as well.

"Bill! Wait a moment!" She yelled. Bill stopped and turned. Twilight crashed into his legs, not expecting him to do that. She looked up and gave him a pleading look. "Please, give him another chance! He only wanted-"

"Wanted what?! He wasn't going to give US a chance! If Nathan hadn't broken out and saved us, we'd be executed and our armor in the hands of dangerous thugs! We wouldn't be here today, and you'd all be DEAD!" He spat.

Bill recoiled as Rarity slapped him across the face. "Don't talk like that!" She said, almost to tears. "We lost so many today, and we need our friends close! We can't push others away!" She quickly wrapped him in a tight hug. "Don't you EVER think that way! We're all here and safe. Thanks to you." She whispered.

Bill hesitated and slowly hugged her back. After all the months of working for her, she'd never showed her feelings like this. He knew she appreciated his help around the boutique, but she never was physical about it. He smiled and released her. "Thank you, Rarity... I'm sorry for the way I acted in there."

Rarity smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "It's quite alright. Now, shall we go check on Cam? I'm sure he'd like a warm welcome after nearly dying." She pointed out. Bill turned to Twilight, who was blushing slightly with a sly smile on her face.

"Yeah. Let's go see Cam..."

"Are you sure you aren't going to come with us, Lord Hood?" Nathan asked again. The old man sighed and turned as he strode up the Pelican's ramp. Miranda and the Chief strolled up a second later.

"No, Spartan. My place is Earth, with our people. We need some souls behind to hold off the Flood. If I die, at least we give you all a chance to save the rest of the galaxy." He chuckled dryly. Nathan shifted and frowned, scratching his freshly shaven head. He wanted to be as battle effective as possible, and that meant shaving his medium length hair that Twilight loved so much for better performance in battle, then so be it.

"With the Flood in the galaxy, we're doomed anyway. We trade one villain for another." Nathan stated. Hood smiled and nodded.

"Well, then we're doomed anyway. This is goodby, Spartan. Semper Fortis." He saluted. Nathan saluted back as the hatch to his Pelican finally closed and flew out of the Super Carriers hanger. Master Chief and Miranda strolled off to wherever they were going and Nathan walked back to the staging area.

He turned when he heard the approach of large feet behind him. The Majordomo strolled up beside him and the two walked side by side. "Demon. Come, you're part of our team." He said in a deep tone.

Nathan raised a brow and half smiled. "Seems everywhere I go, you're there." He chuckled. The Majordomo did as well.

"You have proven yourself a Sangheilli warrior in my eyes. I would be honored to call you my battle brother." He said, slapping his chest and bowing before him. Nathan smiled and did the same.

The Elite led Nathan to their hangout spot by a ghost. The rest of the Elites were minors, covered in blue assault armor. The Major leaned on the ghost as Nathan got himself acquainted with the squad.

"Brothers! We have a new squad mate! The Demon will aid us in our battle against the Prophet!" He said. The Elites cautiously encircled the Spartan and, accepting him as a member, gave him a warm greeting.

"Welcome Demon. Chose your weapon." One said, gesturing to a crate. Nathan smiled from ear to ear, eying the pair of Plasma Rifle rifles. He grabbed them and they hummed to life.

"Ah. If there's one thing I admired about the Covenant, it's these things." He said, hefting them happily. The Elites roared with laughter. They all began to chatter, telling stories of war to one another. The Spartan smiled happily, feeling a sense of comradeship that he missed. He may not have his Spartans here, but at least he was with warriors.

He was with a familiar kind of family.

Changing of the Guard

Chapter 20: Changing of the Guard
Planet: Equis October 19, 2552
0550 hours

Twilight couldn't sleep a wink that night. What she had learned about Cam was... shocking to say the least, and it didn't make matters better that Bill, although he didn't say it, still wanted to shoot him in the face. She stood on her balcony, overlooking the leveled city and sighed. This had been too long of a day for everyone.

"Mind if I join you?"

Twilight turned about to see Laurence standing in the doorway and raised a brow. "How did you get in my room?" She asked. Laurence laughed and leaned against the railing.

"I'm a Spartan, remember?" He asked. Twilight nodded, accepting the explanation. She gazed off into the city and felt a tear brimming her eyes.

"I can't believe it's all gone... My home, ponies I knew? They're just... gone." She whispered. Laurence put a hand on her back and sighed.

"You get used to it, kid. I know we did. We lost every colony that I know of; hundreds of worlds gone, and now Earth is on the Covenant's shit list." He turned to see the sad expression on Twilights face and felt a little bad for laying that all on her at once. "Sorry we couldn't do any better." He said dryly.

Twilight put a hoof on his arm and gave him a reassuring smile. "You and your team did so much for us already. And," She continued with a smile. "Star Trot really appreciates all you've done for her, too."

Laurence smiled and gave a heavy breath. "So... What is it like to... be with someone who isn't like you?" He asked. She smiled and rolled her eyes.

"You mean what is it like being with a different species?" She said mockingly. Laurence nodded and pulled out his canteen, offering it to Twilight who kindly declined.

"Well, it was different, and it happened fast. Really fast. But, I don't know, something just clicked when I first met him. He saved my life, my friends, even all of Equestra. And, he never asked for anything in return. Although, he did get more than he bargained for." She giggled.

"Any... quarks in your relationship?" He asked. She shrugged and nodded.

"There were a few. Like why he wore clothes. Most ponies don't, except for high social events. Even then, they don't wear much. He explained that it was a cultural taboo in human society." She explained. Laurence nodded in confirmation.

"So, no complaints from either side?" He asked. Twilight chuckled and shook her head. He was clearly digging for answers to see if it was okay to be with Star Trot.

"Follow your heart, Laurence. Just because you're a Spartan, doesn't mean you don't have one." She walked back into her room, levitating a pair of tea cups from the kitchen. "Would you like to stay for some tea? I got it all ready." She said, holding the cup to him.

Laurence smiled and plucked it out of the air. "Huh. I didn't see anyone or hear anything cooking in the kitchen when I got here." He pointed out. Twilight took a sip and sighed happily.

"That's because I cooked it while we were talking." She said, tapping her purple horn. "Magic is a pretty neat thing." She said with a grin.

Laurence chugged down the mint tea and smiled to his host. "Thank you. If... you'll excuse me, I have someone I need to visit." He said, heading for the door. He stopped and flashed a smile at Twilight. "If it's any consolation, I really don't hold anything against Nathan. He's an okay guy, but orders are orders. My superiors want him in chains, and I can't refuse them otherwise they'll put 'em on me."

Twilight gave a half smile and trotted to the kitchen. "Then I have to warn you; Nathan won't go without a fight. And I won't let you take him without one either." She warned. "But, until that time comes, I hope you can see fit to... think things over."

He nodded and left. "Can do. Now," He said to himself, walking briskly down the hall. "Time to pay a visit to Star."

"Do you think you'll be alright, Miss Trot?" The Night Guard asked as he led her to a vacant room in the castle. She sighed, knowing that she wouldn't. She wasn't being... hurt anymore, that was an upside. Downside is her home was destroyed in the attack. She was lucky to get a room. Seeing as how she helped out with the defense, she got special treatment.

"I think I'll be okay. Thank you." She smiled, entering the room. It was cozy, much like a five star hotel room. The castle wasn't meant to house anything but royalty. (That and the Spartans who were working here) But, it was now the kingdoms makeshift relief shelter. Everypony who could cook, clean, or even walk was helping their fellow comrades settle in and comfort them in this time of despair. She never thought she, a common Earth pony, would be lucky enough to get a personal room.

"Alright. Please, don't hesitate to call us if you need anything." He said, trotting off down the hall. Star sighed and slumped onto the couch. She didn't have any of her personal belongings, just her armor, weapon, and thoughts.

And somepony knocking at her door. Who would visit this early? She opened it and smiled as Laurence stood awkwardly in the doorway. "Hey there. How are you?" He asked. She let him in and gave him a quick peck on the neck. (She had to jump for that but it was worth it. Oh so worth it.)

"I'm okay. What brings you by?" She asked curiously. He shifted a little and placed his helmet on the table. She stared at it with an almost child like fascination. He quickly picked it back up and set it to his side.

"Sorry, that armor system is still classified. Can't let you getting any data on it." He said. She blushed and nodded, shifting awkwardly on the couch across from him.

"So, what brings you by?" She asked again. Laurence shifted, again, and gave a small smile.

"Did you know, when you kissed me back at the hospital, that was my first kiss ever?" He asked her. She smiled, but quickly frowned. He knew what she was thinking. She had been forced to kiss that monster probably. She never had a normal kiss, just forced and tortured. "You don't have to think about that, Star. That part of your life is over." He soothed.

She felt the smile creep back on her cheeks and turned back to him. "Well, I'm glad I was your first. But, you still haven't told me what brings you here so early." She said again. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well... Maybe, um... Maybe I kinda liked it. And, well... I guess I like you, too. So, um. If you want, I guess I could-" No other words escaped his mouth as she pressed her lips into his. It was warm, passionate, and long. Very, very long.

Only when Laurence was free, was his mind able to function again. He was happy, she was happy, and that's really what mattered to him. Sure, he came here as an enemy, but she had become an undeniable friend, more than a friend, and she was someone who was hurt most by those she thought she could trust.

Just like him.

Star smiled and wrapped herself around his neck. "So, you like me? Really?" She asked. He nodded, making her nearly squeal for joy. "Well, we've all had a pretty rough few days..." She started, lowering her eyelids in a seductive fashion. "Maybe we should rest for a little while?"

Laurence got the message pretty quickly. He just couldn't do that, not yet at least. She was just getting over an emotional part of her life, and having her jump into something like that just wouldn't be right.

"Star, maybe we should take it slow." He told her. She smiled and kissed his cheek. Laurence returned it. "I... gotta go help with straggler round up and clean up duty, anyway. But, I just think you should take it slow, huh? No reason to rush things."

Star nodded and hopped off the couch. "I understand. And thank you for thinking about me. I'll see you later, Laurence. Right?"

He kissed her lightly on the lips and walked to the door. "You can count on it." And with that, he was off to the wastes of the former capital city.

The morning in the now decimated Canterlot was more active than it had ever been. Dozens of Ponies, the Spartans, and the Princess' were picking up debris, locating the bodies of fellow ponies, and killing any Covenant straggler who dared remained alive. Rarity and Bill were on the west side, the capitals business district.

Rarity wanted to be around Bill for the time being, in case he tried to do anything stupid to Cam. She watched as he lifted up large pieces of walls, move bodies to the side of the road, and shoot any Covenant still living. He certainly wasn't the same man who had been working with her for over a month.

"Bill, are you going to be okay?" She asked him. Bill just glared at her as he threw another Covenant corpse into a fire.

"One of my friends is a traitor. How would you feel if you found out your best friend was a traitor?" He asked harshly. She winced at his tone and trotted to his side.

"Look, I know you think it's dreadful what he did, but he only wanted a way out of your... our war. Doesn't that make sense?" She protested. Bill chuckled and shook his head.

"Rarity, you've lived a sheltered life, full of peace and love and kindness. I was a soldier since I was seven. I learned to fire a gun at eight. I killed my first person at fourteen. When you're born for war, and the only person you can trust is the man beside you... Put it all together. Spartans are brothers and sisters, and I just learned yesterday that my brother tried to sell me to pirates so he could live a rich life on a goddamn beach!" He shouted, punching a dead brute in the face in frustration. Rarity sighed and continued picking up debris.

Bill was right; she'd never know what it was truly like. She trusted everypony around her, just as much as they trusted her. She hoped she'd never have to find out what it was like to have a friend betray her or try and 'sell' her like some kind of object. "I-I'm sorry, Bill. I guess I'll never know what it's like, and I hope never do."

Bill looked over to her and felt a little bit guilty for snapping like that. He wasn't one to loose his temper, but this was something that even he couldn't really handle well. "Rarity, I-"

She held up her hoof and gave him a warm smile. "I understand, Bill. And just know, none of us will ever betray you." She walked over and nuzzled his hand. "You can always trust me, alright?"

He smiled and ran his hand through her mane. "Yeah... Let's get back to work, huh?" She nodded and hefted another piece of drywall with her magic, only to be met with the body of a foal. She began to tear and looked away quickly.

"Bill... there's... there's...."

Bill walked over to see the small foal, half buried in the debris. "Son of a bitch..." He muttered. He unburied the baby and cleaned the body with his canteen. The foal was no older than a few months at least. He picked the baby girl up and wrapped it in a cloth. He cradled the foal and carried her over to a patch of flowers.

"Where are you taking her?" Rarity asked between sniffles. Bill placed the child in the bed of marigolds. He began murmuring something which Rarity couldn't understand. Bill placed two bits over the foals eyes and walked away. If he hadn't been wearing his helmet, Rarity would have seen the tears that were now running down his cheeks. He quickly tried to banish them away, but they persisted. They were there to stay while his body was wracked with pain and guilt.

Bill finally knew what hopelessness and despair felt like...

"Sister!" Luna shouted. "There is another over here!" The Grunt in question took off running, firing over his shoulder at the night goddess, infuriating her further. "Oh no you don't, knave!" She yelled, hurtling a ball of dark magic at the diminutive creature.

It yelled and transformed into a ball of white light, then hurtled into the sky at blinding speeds. "Ah, a new star for my little ponies to gaze at!" Luna cheered triumphantly. Tia sighed and kept on working at cleaning the the streets.

Block after block was destroyed. Houses, businesses, museums, and parks were left in ash. Celestia felt a heavy weight in her chest thinking about all those under her care who perished over the past few days. The chaos the Covenant caused was overwhelming. And then a painful realization dawned on her.

Chaos!

"Luna? Continue your cleaning and search for survivors. I have to check on something." She yelled, flying back to the castle. Luna watched her sister go and shrugged. For all she knew, she was just over tired. Luna happily continued her work, spotting a Brute rise from a pile of rubble.

"Ah, another star. And this will be a big one!"

Celestia walked briskly through the halls, making her way to the dungeon. She hoped and prayed that the prison holding him was still strong enough. There was no way she alone could strengthen it, and with the Elements now too busy with caring for wounded and hunting down straggling Covenant, there was nothing anypony could do if he broke out.

"Uh, Princess?" She turned to see Laurence striding down the opposite hall towards her. She smiled and stopped briefly to meet him.

"Yes, Laurence was it?" She asked. He nodded and she gestured him to walk with her. "I need you to come with me. I want to show you something. But first, I need to check on someone."

Laurence shrugged and walked along side her. "Where are we going?" He asked. Celestia turned to a large iron door, surrounded by guards. She nodded and they unlocked the bolt with a loud thunk.

Her and Laurence were met by a dimly lit stairwell, which seemed to descend forever. "Wait here, Laurence. I'll be back in a few minutes." He nodded and she began the dark decent.

The echos of her hooves against stone was deafening, and the walk was long, but she finally made it to another iron door, which she pressed her horn to. It squeaked open and there was the statue of the draconequus. The one and only Discord.

She was about to walk around the statue when a bright, pink light emanated from its chest, blinking in rhythm with his voice. "Ah, Princess Celestia! So good of you to visit. I must admit, my new quarters are a little bland... Perhaps you could put a window in here?" He pouted.

"Discord! You have no right to demand anything!" She hissed. She cringed when she heard the concrete surrounding his body crack ever so slightly. He chuckled lightly at her.

"It won't be long until I'm free, Princess. Oh, I cannot WAIT to pay a visit to your little student!" He chuckled. Celestia scowled and stepped forward.

"Don't you DARE!" She said low. "You would be wise to stay in your prison. There are new beings out there that even you cannot contend with!"

"I know!" Discord hissed. "The chaos they stirred up is just so delicious!" Celestia was furious at this point. He had to know about how many ponies have died from the attacks.

"Innocent lives were lost and all you can think of is chaos?! Do you not care?" She yelled. Discord made an unamused sound and chuckled.

"Oh, just like good ol' Tia. Too caring for her own good. Well, I'm quite tired, my dear. Until next time!" He sung.

"Discord?!" Celestia shouted, but was met with only silence. His magic was diminished and he was still dormant... For now at least. Celestia huffed and ascended the stairs, back to an awaiting Laurence.

"What's down there?" He asked. She brushed past him quickly, not bothering to answer the question. "Okay, must be someone who's no good..." He muttered.

"Laurence..." Celestia began, turning back towards him. "What has happened on my world has caused a substantial amount of Chaos."

Laurence looked out the window and nodded. "Yeah, I can see that... What about the chaos is so important?" He asked. Celestia trotted faster, forcing Laurence to a jog.

"The God of Chaos, Discord, is locked up in that dungeon. He feeds off chaos, it strengthens him." She shuttered at the memories of what he caused to her and to her faithful student. "We won't be strong enough to face him if he breaks loose. Our world can't handle this many disasters at once..."

Laurence knew how she was feeling. They too were facing multiple wars. Between humanity fighting for their existence against the Covenant, and trying to hold down the rebels; it was getting pretty strenuous on the UNSC. "Well, That doesn't sound good. You also wanted to show me something?" He asked.

"Oh, of course. I feel it is time you know about our past." She said low. Laurence shrugged and followed her through the castle.

Discord smiled and hummed to himself in his stone prison. "Ah, well it still is easy to get under Celestia's fur." He kept running his plan over and over in his head. It was perfect, not ingenious, but good enough for his standards.

"Twilight's human will make a great pawn..." He mused. "Oh, Twilight? I have a little dream for you to dream tonight!"

Chaos is a WONDERFUL thing!

Chapter 21: Chaos is a WONDERFUL thing!
Planet Equis. October 20, 2552
0300 hours

"Twilight? Where are you?" A voice called out through the darkness. The unicorn strained her eyes and saw a tall figure making it's way towards her. She instantly got to her hooves and ran for it full sprint. She knew the voice!

It was Nathan!

"I'm here!" She yelled. She kept running but every attempt to get closer to him only made him further away. Frustrated, she tried teleporting, only to have that fail, too.

"I need your help!" He called out. Twilight ran forward again, and all at once, the emptiness became a room. A window dominated the back wall, and in front of it was a pack of Brutes,cheering and hollering over their prize.

Nathan was kneeling on the floor, bruised and bloodied from torture. His face was cut, his eye was swollen shut, and his armor was caked in blood. Twilight tried desperately to fight the attackers off, but they didn't even notice her. Her attacks did nothing to them either. She looked back to Nathan, who just looked at her, square in the eyes.

"Help me..." He whispered.

Twilight couldn't move any longer. Her hooves were locked in place by some unknown force. The Brute Chieftan raised an energy sword high into the air, eliciting howls of excitement from the rest of its pack mates. Nathan stared at her one last time, and the sword came down.

She screamed in terror as his head rolled towards her, stopping just an inch from her feet. It just stared at her with cold dead eyes as she desperately tried to look away, but was unable to do so.

"I can save him." A voice called out from a distance. Twilight looked around for it, but found no sign.

"W-Who's there?" She called out. The room began to fade back into the blackness. Twilight found herself able to move again and walked towards the source of the voice.

"Oh, you're getting closer!" It laughed. Twilight began to sprint in the direction of the echo. It was a voice she thought she should know, but she couldn't place the name.

"Hello, Twilight!" It cheered, appearing right in her face. She yipped and fell back as the Draqonquues made himself known.

"Discord!" She yelled. "What are you doing out of your prison?!" The god of chaos cackled and wrapped a big, lion arm around her back.

"Oh, I'm still in that insufferable prison. But, I just couldn't let what was about to happen to your mate go on without your knowledge. And, I would like to help you! It's as simple as that." He cheered. Twilight raised a brow and pushed his arm off her.

"That was a lie! It was one of your many tricks!" She yelled in protest. Discord made a few tisking sounds and slithered around her.

"It was no trick, or illusion, my dear. I showed you what is to become of your precious mate. Tell me, it felt all too real, didn't it?" He asked. She looked away and nodded. "And, you could see him desperately calling to you, and you were unable to help him?" He asked. She nodded again.

"No one saves him." He whispered.

"No!" Twilight was barely keeping herself composed. She couldn't show any signs of weakness in front of Discord. "He has friends who will help! I know it!"

"Oh, about the only one who could? He makes it in about a minute after your love is... unhinged." He began to snigger as Twilight nearly faltered to the ground. Discord frowned and picked her up.

"You can save him, though. I can send you to help him!" He assured. Twilight stared at him for a good while. What was he playing at? Something wasn't right, and with Discord, nothing is. But was it really true? Was he going to die?

"How?" She asked. Discord shrugged and began to pace.

"Hmm. Well, just come meet me in the dungeon. That's where my statue is being held. I have just enough energy to send you to him. If you really want to, that is. It'll only be for one day, no more. What do you say, old chum?" He extended a hand, and the smile he had looked as genuine as it gets.

"Please," She whispered. "don't be lying..."

"I wouldn't dream of it." He held up his hand in sincerity. He smiled and poked her forehead with a claw. "Now, wake up."

Twilight shot out of her bed. She saw that her surroundings were that of her bedroom and let out a sigh of relief. "It was all a dream..." She sighed.

But she'd have to be sure.

She quietly got out of bed and made her way to the door. She took a deep breath and cursed herself for what she was going to do. She was about to bargain with... ugh, Discord.

Twilight failed to see reason in it; something she didn't quite have anymore since Nathan and the other Spartans showed up. And now, she was halfway down the hall towards the dungeon. She peered around the corner and smiled when she saw the guard sleeping. "Too easy."

Twilight cautiously crept over to the guard. The large key hung around his neck and swayed with each breath. She bit her lip and grabbed it with the tinniest bit of magic, pulling ever so gently upwards. This was going to take concentration, skill, and-

"HIYA, TWILIGHT!"

"GYAH!" Twilight screamed, dropping the keys back around the guards neck, who didn't even stir. Twilight turned to see Pinkie Pie standing right behind her. "Pinkie Pie! What in Equestria are you doing out here?" She groaned.

Pinkie Pie giggled and began hopping up and down happily. "Dunno. I just thought about getting fresh air." She shrugged. Twilight stared her over, more importantly, at her ensemble.

"And the black stealth suit is for..." She tried to lead into, but Pinkie just gave the simplest answer she could.

"For stealth! So, whatcha doin'? Trying to break in to see Discord, huh?" She asked. Twilight's eye twitched and she nodded slowly. "Neato! can I watch?" She pleaded. Twilight sighed and nodded, grabbing the keys off the guards neck. She'd have to remind Celestia to hire more alert guards later.

The bolt lock groaned and the door slowly opened to reveal a long, dark stairwell. Pinkie smiled and began hopping down the stairs, humming idly to herself. "Good ol' Pinkie. Even the end of the world doesn't dampen her spirits."

Twilight followed after her, and after a few minutes of descent, they came to another door, this one surrounded by a magical force field.

"Aw." Pinkie moaned. "We'll never get through now." Twilight smiled and approached the door.

"Pinkie Pie, did you already forget my special talent is magic?" Twilight giggled.

"Oh yeah." Pinkie said tapping her chin. "Now hurry and open it! I wanna see what happens!"

Twilight obliged, pressing her horn to the door. Twilight knew her teachers magic. It was pretty advanced stuff, but she had been around her magic to know how to get through it. And after another minute, the spell dissipated. "Shall we, Pinkie?" She gestured inside, to which the pink pony hopped into.

Twilight stared in wonder at the chained up statue. He was still in the position of pure terror, a look on his face she'd always remember. It was a look of panic, despair and horror. She approached the statue, which began to emanate a bright, pink light as it laughed.

"Ah, Twilight my dear!" Discord said happily. "Its been too long! Oh, wait! No it hasn't! Bahaha!" Twilight rolled her eyes and sat at the base of the statue.

"So. Are you going to send me to help Nathan or not?" She asked impatiently. Discord sighed and she could tell he'd be frowning if he wasn't encased in stone.

"Twilight Sparkle, since when did you become so brash? I never pegged you to be impulsive like this. That was always a Pinkie Pie thing. Speaking of which, how are you, my dear pink pony?" He asked.

Pinkie growled and got defensive. "Hey, big meany! How many friendships have you ruined since we last saw you?" She asked.

"Oh, far too many to count, really. But, if its any consolation, I think ruining your friendship was the best." He laughed and Pinkie began to snarl like an animal.

"Enough!" Twilight yelled. "Discord, you said you'd help me, now please. Help me!" She yelled. Discord laughed again.

"Oh, alright. Stand perfectly still. He's far away, so this might take some time." Discords statue began to emanate a different glow; this one a reddish color. It began helixing around his body, then began to sprinkle onto Twilight. Pinkie approached and sat directly next to her.

"I want to go, too!" She yelled. Twilight just stared at Pinkie Pie and gawked.

"Pinkie, are you sure? This is going to be dangerous, and I don't want you hurt, or worse!" She pleaded. Pinkie waved a hoof and smiled.

"Nah, it's no biggie. I've seen enough Covenant to know where this is going." She turned back to Discord and gave him puppy dog eyes.

Discord sighed explosively. "Alright. Just sit perfectly still. Are you two ready?" He asked. They nodded and an explosion of light enveloped them, sending them off. Before they left, he shouted one last thing. "And it only lasts for one day. You'll be sent back this time tomorrow."

The dungeon was now empty. Two of the Elements were gone and Discords plan had finally took shape. "Well, that was easy." He laughed, breaking the stone around his body. He stretched and scratched his back, smacking his lips together like he had just awoken from a nap. "Oh, I needed that." He sighed. "Alright, Equestria! MAKE WAY FOR DISCORD!"

One day earlier...

Nathan sat in the corner of the Phantom, knees to his chin. It was a bumpy ride going down, but he had faith in the Covenant tech that surrounded him. He sighed, taking out the picture of Twilight. It was the only thing keeping him going. Being able to see her again got him through countless fights back home, and here. But for how much longer? That was the million bit question.

"Is that your mate, Demon?"

Nathan folded the picture up quickly and looked over to see the Majordomo standing over him. He smiled and nodded lightly.

"Yeah, Yardamee, It is. And I can't wait to see her again." He smiled. The Elite clicked his jaws and walked over to the opening doors.

"Do you wish to see the Ark?" He asked. Nathan decided sitting in the corner wasn't good for him at the moment. Sulking would dull his senses. He needed to get a feel for the surroundings; see the world in which they would be fighting. Nathan peered out the door and his mouth fell open.

"Sweet Celestia..." He muttered, using one of Twilight's favorite lines. The world was flat, then curved upwards into eight arms. In the center was a large globe, what seemed to be a small planet of some sorts, which sat in a ring. These Forerunners sure know how to build...

"Well, glad to know the place is small." Nathan said sarcastically. He walked away from the door and grabbed a beam rifle from the weapon holder above. "Let's bag and tag."

The Phantoms glided smoothly over the desert terrain, kicking up sand in their wake. Nathan hefted the alien rifle and scoped out the cliff faces. The Covenant had set up plenty of AA guns on the cliff's off to the sides up ahead, which was going to make this a really bumpy ride.

The pilots voice suddenly blared over the loud speaker. "We're setting down just off the Library. We can't risk the canyons." He blared. "The Brutes are large in number, so be ready, Warriors."

The Elites in the hold cheered as the doors re-opened, revealing the hail of plasma going by. Nathan had to admire the smooth ride of the Phantoms. Great machines; probably why he admired Covvie tech so much.

The Phantom hung over a valley where a large structure was jutting out of the wall. It was beautifully crafted Forerunner technology. Silvers and golds mixing and melding into a colors he'd never seen. The Phantom dipped into the valley, spilling its cargo of aliens and one Spartan onto the field.

As soon as Nathan hit the sand, it began pluming and exploding around him. His visor tinted as he looked up to the ridge and he threw himself to the ground as a Brute Chopper barreled over his head. He whipped his hand around as it passed and grabbed onto the back, shoving the barrel of his pistol into the slot on the Brutes helmet. He fired and blood began to spew from the eye slot. Nathan kicked the rider off and brought the Chopper around.

He smashed the throttle down as far as it would go, pushing the vehicle up the steep slope. It smashed through a Shade emplacement and ground a Brute to pulp when it hit the ground. Nathan backed the vehicle up and drove it straight across the jutting metal platform. "Alright, boys! Come get these bastards!"

Elites in jump packs flew up to the platform, filling anything that moved with plasma. Nathan aimed and fired at the last Shade turret, preventing any casualties. Without the Shade turrets, the Elites had no problems taking out the rest of the troops guarding the entrance. Nathan smiled and clicked the radio.

"Johnson? We got the Library on lock down. What's the ETA on the Dawn?" Nathan shouted. Johnson came back over the roar of the Pelican.

"Dawn made it down in the valley adjacent from your point. The Chief's coming with heavy artillery to do some good ol' fashion bunker busting." Johnson laughed. "It's gonna be a good time, Spartan! Get ready."

Before Nathan could respond, the Elites dug into cover and pointed up, garbling in alien tongues to one another. Nathan looked to the sky as well and saw four more Phantoms coming in. "Shit. Tell the Chief to double time it, Johnson. We got incoming."

Johnson laughed. "C'mon, Spartan! It's nothing you can't handle, huh?" He teased. Nathan grunted and shut off the mic. He dove behind cover with Yardamee and aimed his beam rifle at the Wraith on the underside of the Phantom.

It was a small window and was a one in a million shot, but he'd have to take it. He held his breath, sighted in, and squeezed the trigger, hitting the gravity beam holding the tank. It fell fast, slamm ing into the side of the cliff wall. The Phantom rocked and pulled up from the sudden jolt and lost its underside to the top of the rock wall.

"Hey, Chief?" Nathan yelled over the comms. "What's your ETA?"

A huge crack echoed off the walls and one of the Wraiths on the hill was torn asunder. It exploded, taking a pod of Grunts with it. Nathan's comm crackled to life after that.

"I'm here to bail you out again, Spartan." Master Chief said, firing another salvo up towards the bridge. It cut off the Covenant squad barreling down on Nathan and the Elites, giving them a better chance.

He rolled his tank onto the thin hill, the treads just barely small enough to go across. Another Wraith fired from behind a large outcropping and sent a mortar his way.

The Chief turned the Scorpion sharply, letting the lethal ball of plasma detonate harmlessly in the sand. He turned the gun on the cliff above and brought down a large boulder, which landed on the Wraith with a loud crack, then blue explosion.

The Chief jumped out of the Scorpion and motioned for one of the riders to take command. He did as instructed and the Chief made his way across the bridge, while his old tank formed up with the rest of the armor underneath.

Nathan came out from cover and smiled as the Chief approached. "Took you long enough. Nearly lost my men out here." He said, motioning to the Elites who were now going underneath with the armor. The Chief unslung his rifle and motioned for the door that Guilty Spark was currently working on.

"Ah, Reclaimers! Please, avoid collateral damage! While this facility appears quite durable on the surface, no doubt, there are delicate facilities below the façade." He warned. Nathan and John just stared blankly at each other, then back at the monitor. "Odd, for a door to require such brute-force security protocols. One moment, Reclaimers..."

Spark hit the door with a solid blue beam, and after a few seconds, it began to open. Nathan shot John a glance and chuckled. "Jittery little bugger, isn't he?"

John didn't comment. The two Spartans walked down the slope to see Spark working on another door, while a Sentinel began to fly circles around Nathan. "What the heck is it doing?" Nathan asked a little worriedly. Spark turned and chuckled.

"Oh, do not worry. The Sentinel is just scanning you, to make sure you are no threat." Spark said. Nathan hesitated but let the machine do its job. When Spark opened the next door, it followed him through into a large room. "Strange little bugger..."

Nathan looked down to see the convoy of tanks and Warthogs waiting on the left end of the chasm. John walked up to a panel in the center of the platform that Spark was hovering over. "Here. This panel will activate a bridge."

John pressed it and the convoy began making its way across the the bright blue surface. Spark suddenly made a sound of revelation as he watched the Sentinels join the human column. "Sudden clarity! These Sentinels were trying to deny access to the lower levels of this facility. A wise decision, giving the Meddler's preference for destructive acquisition."

Nathan had to agree. The Covenant weren't the most gentle when it came to breakable things. Like his arms, or his legs... Or that one time when-

"Spartan? You okay?" John asked. Nathan snapped out of his thoughts and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just thinking is all." He confirmed, running ahead. The mic crackled when they reached the next room. It was Miranda, of course.

"Good work, Spartans. Link up with our armor on the far side of the wall. Make your way down to the Cartographer." She ordered. John and Nathan quickly sprinted out the large, bay doors, when suddenly the earth began to shake.

"Watch out, Spartan!" John yelled, tackling Nathan to the dirt. Where Nathan was standing not but a second ago was now replaced by a large, mechanical pointy leg. The two looked up to see the Scarab above.

"Holy shit!" Nathan yelled, getting to his feet. He was going to try and climb its legs, when a warthog came barreling up the path, followed by two ghosts. Nathan and John opened fire as they shot the poor gunner right in the head.

The Grunts saw the Spartans and wisely made their way back into the canyon. The driver parked right beside the two, getting out and saluting.

"The guass hog is all yours, guys. I'll ride shotgun." He said, climbing into the seat. John ran to the other side and took the wheel, while Nathan hopped into gunner position.

"Aw, man. I always wanted to fire one of these things!" He laughed, arming the machine.

As he did, the Ghosts foolishly came back around the corner, firing away at the vehicle. "Oh, sorry! My gun's bigger than yours!" Nathan yelled, blasting the ghosts with a few rounds. John gunned the vehicle through the small passage, which was pretty difficult to navigate, thanks to the Covenant barriers and crates.

When all that was said and done, John launched the warthog up the hill to meet with the rest of the convoy. Only to be met by a Wraith mortar as they landed.

Nathan and John sailed through the air, their Warthog and unfortunate passenger now a pile of slag in the dirt. They landed hard next to the Scorpions and quickly scrambled for cover.

Nathan dove behind a rock, and John behind a slagged Scorpion. Nathan smiled and let an idea form across his mind. Not really an idea, so much as a wager.

"Hey, Chief? How much do you want to bet I can take out more Covenant than you?" He asked. John looked over to the overzealous Spartan and shook his head. What that kid wanted to do was just plain suicide. If he were a Spartan II, he'd have been sent back to boot camp for all the stupid shit he'd done.

But, he did bet...

Before John could say anything, Nathan bolted from behind cover, running up to the first Wraith on the left. John jumped over the husk of the tank and ran for the one on the right.

Nathan dove over the tank and grabbed onto the back, shoving a frag into its main engine, which sent it up in flames. Nathan smiled and ran for the next. "That's two, Spartan!"

"I got six."

Nathan looked over and, sure enough, John was now jumping off his third, which exploded a few seconds later with a nice ka-boom.

"Son of a bitch!" Nathan yelled, running to the second Wraith. He hopped on it, shot the gunner in the face and pulled the Brute out, shoving a plasma grenade on him as he did. Nathan took up the reigns and turned to see three ghosts on barreling down on him.

He fired one shot, which took all of them out. "That's seven!" Nathan yelled, firing on another wraith. "Nine!"

John was on his ninth Covenant as well, taking out stragglers with his BR on the way. Ten, eleven...

A loud rumbling made John turn. The Scarab was back, climbing its way over the wall of the Cartographer. He had to act as fast as he could. He turned to his left to see a small structure jutting its way out of the earth. He ran as fast as he could inside. There must be something in there he could use...

He saw the bright yellow inside the crate and smiled. Fuel Rod's probably not the best for taking down a Scarab, but he wouldn't know unless he tried.

He jumped down form the bunker and ran at the Scarab head on, firing at its front right leg. The rounds tore into the delicate structure and the Scarab began to list to the side. John took the opportunity and threw down a gravity lift, launching himself onto the top of the hulking beast.

A Jackal, not taking too kindly to this, began to open fire as fast as its Carbine would allow. John came down with his foot and crushed the creatures skull. He rolled out of that and stuck an approaching Brute with a spike grenade. He ran around the corner and shoved his BR into the writhing worms in the back. They squealed and stopped moving, turning a sickly gray as they did.

John turned to leave and was met by a berzerking Brute. He pushed himself off the wall and rammed into the creature, sending them both tumbling off the doomed Scarab. John stabbed the Brute in the face and grabbed its bubbleshield, placing it down just in time as the Scarab filled the area with an immense bright light and heat.

Nathan rolled up beside John in his Wraith and stared disbelievingly at the scene. He turned to the Chief and popped out of the hatch. "That still only counts as one!" He yelled, going back inside his blue beast.

John laughed and made his way up the ramp as the Ship Master came on over the comm.

"Good job, Spartan. I saw that explosion from orbit.Truth's fleet lies in ruins. Find where the liar hides... so I may place my boot between his gums!"

"You'll have your chance." Miranda chimed in. The Spartans climbed the tower. Opposition was tight, but it wasn't anything they weren't used to. A few Jackals, Brutes and Grunts comprised of the resistance. But, they were ultimately cut down for their actions.

Spark continued to float about as a Pelican landed with the Arbiter. The three walked inside and let Spark handle the dirty lock picking. They waited for around a minute, until the small sphere sighed in frustration. "It appears I have crossed a circuit." He said, a little irked.

One of the Marines, growing drastically impatient, stepped forward. "Let me have a look." He sighed, reaching for the door, only to be zapped by the Monitor.

All guns were trained on the robot. The Marine winced and held his side, staring at Spark with a look of disbelief. "Little bastard stung me!"

"I did not want you to come to any harm." He retorted. Everyone in the room visibly relaxed, except for the ticked off Marine, still rubbing his side.

"Funny way of showing it..." He muttered. Spark finally got the door to open with a thunk.

"Ah. This way." He said happily, floating into the room. Nathan and Chief froze at the sounds of snoring and grumbling came to their ears.

"Alright people. Take things slowly." Nathan whispered. Everyone walked in as slow as possible. Nathan took out his knife and silently stabbed the Grunts in the windpipes, silencing them. The Chief walked silently as he rounded the corner, then came face to back with a Brute relieving himself in the corner.

The Chief pulled out his knife, which alerted the Brute to his presence. He quickly fiddled with his armor and let out a roar as the Chief plunged his knife into the beasts chest.

It roared again, waking the remaining Grunts up. "Oh shit!" One of the Marines yelled, opening fire on everything in the room. Nathan and the Chief ducked under the panicking Marines fire and shot the rest of the aliens dead. Nathan glared daggers at the rookie.

"Pull that shit again, and I'll shove that gun in a place you won't find enjoyable." He hissed. The Marine gulped and nodded. The Chief watched as Nathan stormed down the hallway. That was the first time he'd ever seen Nathan so irritable. He walked up next to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Something troubling you, Soldier?" He asked. Nathan cracked his neck and shrugged. Yeah, something was bothering him. Did he really want to tell the Chief though? Eh, it wouldn't hurt.

"Yeah. Bad dreams, that's all." He confirmed. The Chief knew what that was like. But, he never let dreams cloud his judgement on the battlefield.

It must have been about someone he cared for.

"About your wife?" He asked. Nathan sagged a little bit then nodded. "Tell me."

Nathan recalled the nightmare. Twilight was being killed and he couldn't do anything to stop it. Then someone came to him. Saying that she was going to die in a horrible way in this war, and there was nothing he could do about it. He took a deep inhale and told the Chief that.

"Well, that doesn't sound... pleasant." He said. He'd seen his men killed in this war. But someone he actually love dying? He couldn't imagine it. "Just forget it. Keep your mind on the battlefield, Spartan. It was just a dream."

Nathan nodded and sprinted down the next hall. He hadn't realized he'd been shooting and killing during his conversation. He'd have to keep it cool for later.

As they descended the last ramp, a Brute came barreling through the door, pointing and yelling obscenities at them. Nathan leveled his beam rifle at him. "Didn't your mother teach you it's not nice to point?" He asked, sending a beam off into the creatures skull. It faltered, then fell as its brain registered the impact. Nathan, the Chief, and the Arbiter ran over the body into the next room, expertly decimating the Covenant as they went. This was the last room, then the map room was theirs.

They all walked outside and were met by an amazing veiw. The large waterfall fell forever, and the crystal blue sky was warm and inviting. It reminded him of when he was a kid back on New Jerusalem; his family trips to the great falls. Although, they were never this splendid. Maybe his and Twilight's trip to Canterlot falls was more to par. Certainly a hell of a drop.

"That's our Galaxy..." The Chief said in disbelief The monitor hummed an mhmm.

"2.18 light years from the galactic center, to be precise." He informed. Nathan walked forward and examined the map as well. It was pretty impressive.

"This is the Ark?" Chief asked disbelievingly. Well, it wasn't the most impossible thing he'd seen in his life.

Spark floated around the map, studying it intently. "I always assumed it was part of a... shield installation. It seems I was mistaken."

"That's a first." The Chief replied sarcastically. The monitor continued, clearly not getting it.

"Not at all. While I had a complete understanding of Installation 04, my Makers wisely limited my knowledge of all other strategic facilities. Compartmentalization - in case was ever captured, by the Flood."

"Where are we exactly?" He asked. The Monitor lit up a spot on the map.

"Here."

"And Truth?" He asked. Another spot lit up on the map.

"Near one of the Arks superluminal communication arrays, I'm afraid. Unfortunate. The Meddler had triggered a barrier—a defensive perimeter around the Ark's core..." He confirmed, studying the map. Nathan leaned over to see a small blip, which he guessed was where the Prophet was. ""The barrier will be difficult to disable... How odd that my Makers would place such a comprehensive defense around a single— Oh, my."

"What is it?" The Chief asked curiously. Nathan tapped him on the shoulder. The Chief turned as the Arbiter shouted, 'Phantoms' and dove into cover as it opened fire. The monitor hadn't moved from his spot at the map. "Spark! Move!" He yelled.

The monitor turned and noticed the threat, then quickly floated into cover with the Chief. "We must get past that barrier! Or the Meddler will destroy all!"

Ancient Runes

Chapter 22: Ancient Runes
October 20, 2552
1200 hours

3 hours before current events...

The crisp air of the night filtered in through the open windows of Canterlot General Hospital. Celestia carefully stepped over ponies who were lying in the halls, occupying every space that was available. She felt so sorry for all of her little ponies; displaced by a war they had no choice of being in. She felt a little resentment towards the humans for bringing this terrible curse to their peaceful world.

Yet she had always known they would return...

She finally made it through the sea of bodies to her targeted destination. There, in the hospital bed, slept Cameron; Rainbow Dash curled tightly by his side. She sighed lightly and made her way over to him. She had to show him what she had known for thousands of years.

"Cameron? I need you to wake up." She whispered in a soothing voice. She shook him once more and his eyelids slowly lifted. He looked down at Rainbow, then up to the Princess.

"Ma'am? What is it?" He asked in a tired voice. Celestia smiled at him and levitated him to his feet. He winced in pain, but ultimately fought it off. His head hurt like no other though...

"Cam, I need to show you something; something I have kept hidden away for far too long." She sighed again and Cam nodded, allowing her to teleport them back to the castle. Or, what he thought was going to be the castle, instead turned out to be a gigantic mine with thousands of crystals.

"So, Where are we?" He asked. Celestia smiled and gazed at the structures around her. To the untrained eye, they were just random crystals. But what they actually were?

Celestia ignored Cam's question and walked over to a random stack of crystals. She tapped them in a seemingly random order, and a large door hissed open. "Cam? I feel that it is time you knew a little something about our past. I showed Laurence this yesterday, and he was quite... shocked. Please, follow."

Cam looked down the large passageway and nodded. "So, how did you find out about this place?" He asked. Celestia walked past a few crystals, which lit up as she past. She hadn't been down here for ages. Now it was her second time in under a day.

"Through my family history, Cameron. You see, my ancestor fought alongside you, the human race, in the past. We went against the Forerunners, and the nightmares..." She explaned. Cam strolled up along side her.

"Nightmares, Ma'am?"

"I didn't know what they were called up until now. My ancestors fought along side yours in the war against them, and you fought them just recently."

Cam frowned. "The Flood..." He whispered. She nodded and led him through a doorway into a very, very large cavernous space.

"Welcome, Cameron, to the center of the planet." She said, gesturing to the large space. Cam was in awe; the planet was as hollow as a basketball. He looked left, then right. He could barely see the far walls. Above was a metallic ceiling, sporting the classic lights in Forerunner blue, as he liked to call it.

"Why are we here?"

Celestia frowned. "For eons, it has been my ancestors job, and mine, to keep this planet alive; to keep it happy and healthy. What we call, harmony. You know what the Elements of Harmony are, yes?" He nodded. "Well, those are Forerunner artifacts. They can only be wielded by those with purpose, which is why the six mares you know wield them. They have a purpose to fulfill, Cameron. As do you Spartans."

"Ma'am?"

Celestia guided him to a control panel on the far wall. "This device has been dormant for over 10,000 years. It is finally starting to function again, if however, very minimally."

Cam stepped forward and pressed a button on the holographic panel. It began to twist and turn, making an odd humming noise. That's not all that happened, however.

A large gathering of metal creatures appeared around them, glowing a light yellow. Cam backed against the wall, while Celestia just smiled. "Relax, Cameron. They will not harm you." She assured.

Cam knew not to trust that. Some of them were the same creatures he saw in the shield world last month. "Ma'am, I know what these are and they're extremely dangerous!" He warned. Celestia giggled and trotted up to one of the large creatures.

"They are no threat to you, I assure you. Please, calm down." She pleaded. Cam looked at each one of the creatures. There were the large bastards, which could easily take him and the Princess down in seconds, the floaty ones that liked to whip your grenades back at you, and then there were tiny, four legged ones. He didn't see those before.

"What are they doing here?"

Celestia ran a hoof across one of the Knights bulbous back and turned to Cam. "They are the Guardians of our world. They've been here since time immemorial. I keep them here because... well, my little ponies just aren't ready for their reveal. Not yet."

Cam kind of got pissed at that. They would have made one hell of a difference during the fight upstairs. Was she really more concerned with what everyone would think about a couple of shiny robots than their lives? He sighed and relented.

"So, you said we have a purpose to fulfill?" He asked.

"Yes. You are not here by accident. I know it seems crazy, but when the time comes, you and the others will know. Now, let's get you back to the hospital. You look a little pale." She giggled. Cam smiled back and nodded. He was feeling like shit.

Celestia walked forward and placed her horn on his head. "Now, sleep. Please." She released a pulse into his head and his eyes slowly fluttered close, sending him off into his own world.

"We hit these three generators, and the barrier will fall?" Miranda asked.

"A small section, yes." The monitor confirmed. She nodded.

"Good enough. Johnson, drop the Chief at the first generator, then head to the third. The Elites will punch right down the middle."

Nathan stood in the Pelican next to Johnson. This was the first time he'd be fighting along side his oldest ally. and he was ready for a good lesson in how to kick some grade A Covenant ass.

Present time...

"Johnson! You and your men just go!" Nathan shouted from behind cover. Johnson looked over towards the exit to see it completely encamped by Brutes.

"Oh yeah? And where do you suppose we go to?" He shouted back. Nathan frowned and sniped one of the Brutes in the face. Why he had chosen a Sniper Rifle was beyond him, but at least it was handy and punching through the thick ape hide.

"Johnson, what's your status, over?" Miranda shouted over the radio. Johnson took one last potshot and took put his fingers to his earpiece.

"Brute reinforcements, ma'am! We're pinned down!" He shot again and a Jackal flopped on its back and gushed purple blood.

"I'm on my way!" She came back. Johnson's brow furrowed.

"Negative! Fire's too heavy! Everyone fall back! Now!" He shouted. He recoiled to the ground when a Spike grenade stuck itself into his helmet. Nathan took it and threw it back at the Brutes, only to get stuck in the side by another Spike grenade.

"Son of a-" He began to say, but the grenade exploded and the world went dark.

Nathan's head throbbed as his vision returned. His helmet was thrown on the other side of a room, but not the room he came from. The far side of the room had a large glass barrier, surrounding a lift. The center of the room was lowered, while the sides and where he was kneeling were raised. He turned his head to listen to the conversation the Brute and the Prophet were having.

"-And the human filth was exterminated. We have control of the final tower." The booming voice of the Chieftain said. Nathan listened as the prophet hummed his satisfaction.

"Excellent. Let me see the human you have." He said. Nathan felt himself being jerked around towards the hologram of the diminutive creature. "Hmm. Pitiful attempt, Demon. I expected more from a human of your caliber." He goaded. Nathan smiled and spit up blood.

"Yeah. Says your forehead. Hows it feeling by the way, short fry?" Brutes growled angrily as the Prophet stared daggers at him. If Nathan was going to die, then he was going to piss some aliens off.

"Enjoy your satisfaction while you can. Kill him. Bring me his head when you're finished." He said before his hologram flickered out of existence. Nathan looked to the ground and smiled. Well, this was it. This was how it was going to end for him; beheaded like a witch.

He turned his head slightly at the hum of an energy blade. The Brutes around the Chieftain cheered triumphantly as the sword was raised in the air. "Any final words, demon?"

Nathan smiled and leaned his head to the side. "Just a little off the top there, Cap'n." The Brute scoffed and was about to swing it down, when a large red light filled the room. Brutes shielded their eyes and Nathan frowned. He recognized the light and consistency of the orb.

It was magic.

Well, now was as good a time as any to usher in his plan. His hands may have been bound, but that didn't mean he couldn't do some serious damage if he wanted to. He jumped up and brought his bounds to the front, wrapping them around a Brutes neck and snapping it with a loud crack. The other Brutes were getting there bearings back when Nathan hefted the turret up off the floor, firing it into the apes, sending them reeling to the floor, scorched and smoking. With that taken care of, he sat on the floor and waited for the magic bubble to dissipate. And as it did, sure enough, Twilight was laying on the ground with Pinkie Pie.

Twilight felt her head throbbing and muscles aching. Good. That meant she survived the journey. She heard the groans of Pinkie Pie to her left, so she was okay. Twilight slowly fluttered her eyes open to see Nathan sitting on top of a dead Brute with his chin cupped in his hand, smiling at them. She smiled and shakily stood. Nathan walked over, clutching his side, and helped his mare up. "Well. Can't say I'm not surprised you followed me here. How did you even get here anyway?"

Twilight frowned and hugged him tight. "It was... just this aweful, prophetic dream I had. You were held captive and... and they were going to behead you! Then... Discord came and told me that only I could save you, and that he could send me to you. And, of course, Pinkie Pie couldn't resist going, either."

At that, the Pink mare shakily got to her feet and smiled. "Oh! Hey you!" She giggled, hugging him. Nathan winced in pain and clutched his side again. "Oops! Sorry!" She said, jumping back. Twilight walked over and examined his sides. There were large, metal spikes sticking out of the skin.

"Sweet Celestia!" Twilight gasped. "What happened to you?!" She poked one and Nathan winced.

"I-It's nothing, Twi. I'm okay." He said pushing her away. His face got more serious and he frowned at both of the girls. "Just... What were you two thinking coming here?"

Twilight's eyes widened. "I told you! We came to save you!" She said loudly. Nathan shook his head and frowned.

"I can handle myself! Besides, how am I going to watch out for you two in the middle of a warzone! I can't be your babysitters!" He yelled. Twilight winced and furrowed her brows.

"Oh! Sorry for wanting to save the father of my child!" She shrieked. Nathan winced and looked to Pinkie. Twilight's eyes shut tight as she turned slowly to her friend as well. Pinkies jaw was pretty much unhinged at this point as she stared at both of them. She put her jaw back in place and blubbered incomprehensibly.

"Bu- you an- hubba- baby- mom!" She continued that until Twilight put two firm hooves on her shoulder.

"Pinkie, I need you to promise to tell no one! We're keeping this a secret, alright? Pinkie promise!" She said panicky. Everyone knew Pinkie could gossip, but if she made a Pinkie promise, her lips were sealed like an airlock.

She remained quiet, but began to do the Pinkie promise motions. Twilight smiled at her friend, then turned to Nathan with angry brows and a scowl. "You're still not off my shit list!" She yelled.

"Watch that mouth! I don't like it when you swear! Makes you seem less like the happy, sweet girl I love!" He ordered. Twilight stepped forward and chuckled dryly.

"I can swear as much as I damn well please! What are you, my mother?" She yelled again. Nathan rubbed his temples and sighed.

"Alright, fine! Swear all you want! But that still doesn't change the fact that coming here was reckless, and above all else, incredibly stupid! I swear, Twilight. For someone as smart as you, you really don't think things through."

"That started out as a compliment, but deteriorated pretty quickly! If it wasn't for us, you'd be dead right now! You should be thanking me!"

Nathan laughed and gestured to the Brutes around him. "If you haven't noticed, I killed them on my own! Don't count me out so easily! I've been a prisoner countless times in my past, and all those times I've escaped!"

Twilight got angrier. "Oh yeah? And if we hadn't distracted them, you'd be a head shorter now!" She yelled. Nathan got closer.

"Oh yeah!? And you want to know what I think about that?!" He yelled.

"WHAT?!" Twilight shouted back. Nathan shot forward and kissed her lips hard. Twilight pressed herself into it and wrapped her forelegs around his neck tightly hanging on as he hefted her into the air. Pinkie watched as their tongues danced inside each others mouths, then turned to the other super soldier standing at the end of the room.

"Ahem?" Pinkie coughed trying to get their attention, to no avail.

The two ignored Pinkie and whispered to one another. "Is it weird that I like this?" Twilight whispered. Nathan began biting her ear and elicited an eep from her.

"...Nah." He chuckled, kissing down her neck. Pinkie came back again, this time shouting.

"AHEM!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. Nathan and Twilight broke free and turned to her as she pointed to the other end of the room. Nathan's eyes were pinpricks as he slowly put Twilight back on the ground.

"Um... Chief..." Nathan stammered, giving a shaky salute.

"...Spartan..." He said back. Twilight looked back and forth between them and her blush increased tenfold. "So..." Master Chief continued. "I take it you... know these two."

Nathan nodded. "Uh, yeah. Twilight? meet the Master Chief. Spartan 117. Chief? This is my, um, fiance' Twilight."

Twilight waved nervously and the Chief nodded back. "How are they here?" He asked. Nathan chuckled as John walked forward.

"Do you believe in magic, John?"

"Chief? Do you copy? We need that tower down now!" Miranda yelled into his com. John brushed past the others and placed his gloved hand on the control panel. Nathan and John watched as the Super carrier, Shadow of Intent flew over head.

"Now, Prophet. Your time has come." The Ship Master said, preparing his weapons to end the war, once and for all.

Celestia ran through the Castle, continuing her search. The Spartans and Elements had been gathered, but two were missing. She rounded the corner and bumped headlong into Luna.

"Lu-Lu! Have you found Twilight and Pinkie Pie?" She asked quickly. Luna shook her head and ran down another hallway.

"Do not fret, sister! I shalt find them! In the mean time, gather thine allies! We shall need them!" She yelled. Celestia nodded and made her way back to the throne room.

"So, Bill. What do you think this is all about?" Cam asked, eating one of his protein bars. Bill looked out the stain glass windows and sighed.

"You mean why are we all here? Or the fact it's raining chocolate?" He asked. Cam burped and put the wrapper in his armor.

"Both. Although, the chocolate rain doesn't seem all too bad to me." He chuckled. Bill rolled his eyes and turned to the girls at the other end of the room. They all seemed a bit worried; more worried than the circumstances seemed to call for.

"What do you think is up with them? It looks like they've seen a ghost or something." Cam nodded and walked over to their part of the room.

"So, ladies. Anything you want to tell us?" He asked. Rainbow looked up at him with tired eyes.

"Cam, i-it's Discord. He's come back!"

Cam and Bill just looked at one another, then back to the girls. "I'm sorry, Disco-who now?" Cam asked. Rainbow groaned.

"He's the spirit of chaos. One of the most challenging tasks my friends and I had to face was to send him back into stone. He... has this weird way of getting under your skin and knowing exactly what buttons to press. Not to mention his magic abilities are off the charts." She shuddered. Cam and Bill shared another glance and frowned.

"So... Where's Twilight and Pinkie?" Bill asked. Everyone looked around perplexed. Fluttershy gasped and became frantic.

"Oh! It isn't like Twilight to be late for something as important as this! Oh, I hope she's okay!" She said shakily.

"Aren't you worried about Pinkie Pie?" Cam asked. Fluttershy looked around and shrugged.

"If I know Pinkie, she's probably outside drinking the chocolate rain. I mean, I hope she is..." She murmured.

Celestia burst into the room, her eyes wide in fear. Luna was hot on her heels, the same look on her face as well. "Girls, Spartan's," Celestia began. "We can't find Pinkie Pie or Twilight! They're just... gone!" She said.

The girls and Spartans looked to one another. "What do you mean, gone?" Cam asked. Celestia was about to offer a hypothesis, but Discord felt he was remaining quiet long enough.

"Did you even think to ask me, Tia?" He pouted. "Jeez, give me some credit for unexplained happenings. Oh, by the way, this is my first time meeting the humans again. My, how they've changed." He said in mock astonishment. Celestia scowled and the mares looked to one another in confusion.

"Discord! Can't you see our world, our way of life, is being threatened? The last thing my little ponies need is you destroying their last bit of hope!"

Discord cackled loudly, His voice echoing through the halls of the castle. "Oh, I have something different in mind, Tia. he's returning." He cackled.

Celestia looked around. "Who? Who is returning?! And what do you have planed if not chaos?!" Discord tsked.

"Oh, that's right. You weren't even born when he was still out and about. I have foreseen his return and I need to prepare this rock for my master."

Celestia gawked. Discord was a lone wolf, free spirit. To hear him say he was preparing for his 'master' was unfathomable. "W-what?! What creature could control you?!" She stuttered.

"Oooh! Celestia is speechless! I love it! Yes, I have one Master, and believe me, if I fear him, then you should have your tail between your legs and be running for the hills. Now, I need to awaken some old friends of mine. See you soon!" His voice faded at the end of his sentence and the room was left in silence.

"What did he mean by that, Princess?" Bill asked. Celestia turned, her face stoic as ever. She looked at the remaining elements, and then the Spartans.

"I need the other Spartans here. Now. We're going to the vaults."

Discord hummed idly to himself as he strode through the Forerunner tunnels towards the center of the planet. "Ah, now here's a sight I haven't seen in eons!" He looked at the vast space from edge to edge, then let his eyes fall to the center, where the large crystal hung in a suspended animation. "Oh, my leverage is still there!"

He teleported towards the platform surrounding the crystal. The ring had raised and lowered sections, as well as plenty of places for somepony to hide. No one was foolish enough to venture out here though. He smiled and made his way for the two prongs sticking out of the tipity top of the platform. He placed his hands on each one and cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Oh, Didact? I'm home!" He cheered. It took a couple of seconds for the reply he was looking for came.

"Discord? I would have thought you dead so long ago." He said. Discord chuckled.

"Well, being encased in stone for SO long and being immortal does wonders for the skin. So tell me, how's Requiem? Still as boring as ever?" He chuckled.

The Didact sighed. "Things are being set in motion, Discord. I know that you, too, have felt it." He said. Discord stiffened and nodded.

"The age of Forerunner's is about to begin again."

The Didact hummed his approval. "Very good. I would have thought you'd gone soft after so much time."

Discord scoffed. "Please! What's 100,000 years? Besides, we have some humans of our own here. Should help get things ready for your return. Which, by the way, when is that?"

"Too long, but time has made me patient. Make sure things are ready for my return."

"It will be done, Didact." He bowed and left the relay with a devious smile. "Come, Tia. I want to show you how fast your world can come crashing down..."

Author's Note

Huh... This is my first time checking this story, and he didn't post this. It looks done to me, so I'm going to put it up for you guys. It's been so long since he updated it last! Enjoy my gift to you, my little Bronies!

It seems he describes his chapters at the end... Well, Idk what to say. I like the way he tied the Didact into the story, and Discord knows him. Idk if I should write the next chapter without him... I'll see what I can muster. ;) Enjoy

Swapping roles

Chapter 22: Swapping roles
Planet Equis October 20, 2552
Crystal mines beneath Canterlot, close to the planets core

Celestia turned back to the others following her. She and Luna were unable to find Twilight or Pinkie Pie, which meant Discord did something with, or to, them. She had four bearers of the Elements, her sister, and six Spartans with her. But Discord had his chaotic magic.

And... something more.

While Celestia was able to control the Prometheans beneath the planets surface, Discord had other means to take Equestria. If his 'master' was returning, then he'd do anything to take over the planet.

"Hurry, Everypony! We're almost there!" Celestia shouted back. She began tapping the crystals, and the door to the depths of the planet opened up. Cam held his gun close and tapped Bill on the shoulder.

"Hey. Can we talk?" He whispered. Bill turned his head slightly and nodded.

"What is it?"

Cam sighed. "Look, I know you're still mad about... what I've done. I really didn't mean for you to get mixed up in all that."

Bill snorted. "It's done. I don't want to hear anymore about it." He said sternly. Cam kept his mouth shut and turned to Rainbow Dash, who gave him a warm smile.

"You don't hate me, do you?" He asked. She kissed the side of his helmet and shook her head.

"Hey, you apologized for it. That's really all you can do at this point." She pointed out. Cam nodded and continued on without another word.

Everyone who had never seen, or known, about the inside of the planet were rendered speechless. Even Luna had never seen this place before, and she made a point to address it to her elder sister.

"Pray tell, when were you going to inform me about this, Tia?" She asked curiously, giving her elder sister a stern look. Celestia gave her a warm smile.

"When you were ready to know. Now, we just have to find-"

"Found me."

Celestia flew about fifty feet before slamming into a wall. Everyone took up defensive positions, the Spartan's bringing offense and firing on the attacker.

"What the hay is that?!" Rainbow shrieked over to roar of gunfire, peppering the armored creature. The plates it wore glowed a deep orange, and the bullets just flattened against the surface and fell harmlessly to the floor.

"It's Discord!" Luna shouted. "What... is he wearing?"

Discord flicked his wrist and the Spartans flew into the wall behind them, their shields crackling and sparking. He slowly floated to the floor and twirled. "Oh, this is a little something I received from my old friend. It still fits after all these years!" He chuckled. The four remaining elements glared at the imposing figure before them.

"What did you do with Twilight and Pinkie Pie?!" Rainbow Dash yelled, trying to tackle the Draconquues. Discord let out an unimpressed yawn and snatched her out of the air in an invisible grasp. She struggled against the nothing that held her, but couldn't budge an inch.

"Oh, indeed? What did I do with them? Care to see?" He asked, flicking his fingers, making the image of Twilight, Pinkie, Nathan, and another Spartan appear. The four watched the sky as a large Covenant ship came into view, training its weapons on the structure hanging precariously over a cliff.

"Oh, we can't make it too easy for them now, can we?" Discord sneered, snapping his fingers once more. Before the cruiser in the image could fire a shot, a large hole opened up in the sky above. Out of the blackness came an impossibly large ship. It resembled a mushroom somewhat, with its bulbous top and thin extension.

"Discord! W-What have you done?!" Celestia asked, galloping over to the screen. Discord laughed and smiled.

"I told your student, and her impossibly complex friend that they had one day to spend over there. Twilight wanted a little time with her squeeze, so I gave it to her."

"That's not the reason why..." Celestia growled. Discord tapped his chin and hummed.

"Oh! That's right, I sent her there to break up the Elements! Oh, of course, how could I forget! The pink one is just an added bonus! I'll tell you what though. If they survive what I just brought down upon them and they come back, I'll allow you all to change back."

"What do you-" Celestia's words never escaped her mouth, because in an instant, The group of ponies and Spartans were engulfed in a bright flash. "-Mean, Discord?" The rest of the sentence didn't escape Celestia's mouth, because it was now coming from Cam's. "Wait... My voice..." She looked over to her left to see herself wobbling and faltering for purchase on the rocky terrain. "Oh for the love of- DISCORD!"

Discord was in a fit of hysterics as the group slowly figured out who was who. Rarity and Bill, Rainbow Dash and Gary, Fluttershy and Selina, Sharif and Applejack, and Laurence and Luna. They all stared at each other shock and horror etched on their faces.

"Dear Christ! I'm a pony!" Laurence shouted with Luna's voice. He snapped his lips shut tight and blushed profusely. "Umm... Yeah." He rubbed the back of 'her' head with a hoof and coughed awkwardly. Luna removed the helmet on her new head and ran an exploratory hand over 'Laurence's' body.

"Hmm... You're quite tone, human, and-" She stood absolutely still for a second, then looked down. She flashed Laurence a devious smile. "-And well equipped. Call me when this is over..." She giggled as Laurence's mouth unhinged and his face turned a bright shade of crimson which shone through the dark fur.

"Luna! Control yourself!" Celestia shouted with a deep voice, which made Luna fall to the ground in fits of laughter. Celestia rolled her eyes and looked to the others, who seemed to be having a very hard time adjusting.

"Well... This is awkward..." Bill said with his new posh accent. "Rarity? Are you alright?" He asked. Rarity went to stand, but fell flat on her backside.

"Ow! You know, this armor could stand to be a bit more comfortable... and stylish, maybe? I'm telling you, you should have let me paint it a nice aqua color..." She pouted, looking over the deep steel with green trim.

"And I told you that snipers need to hide, not stick out like a sore thumb..." He groaned, slapping his face with his new hoof. Rarity harrumphed and stuck up Bill's nose.

"O-Oh, dear... this isn't right..." Fluttershy squeaked with Selina's voice, which was surprisingly small enough to fit her perfectly. Selina, on the other hand, used Fluttershy's voice oh so wrong.

"What in the fuck did that freak do to us?! Give me back my body you mismatched piece of shit!" She hollered. Discord had to fight off another wave of laughs and tears.

"If you detestable ponies and human's would just shut up for about five seconds, I can show you what's happening to your friends!" He shouted the last part to regain control. "As much as I love chaos, and believe me, If chaos were a beautiful mare, I'd marry her in a second, I want to get this going first."

Everyone's eyes were back on the paused image and discord snapped his fingers again, un-pausing it. The large ship that had entered the atmosphere had let loose thousands, if not millions of chunks of debris. One chunk crashed into another and smashed through the tower the four were currently in, making Celestia stifle a scream. She sighed in relief when she saw Nathan throw the two ponies to the ground, just barely avoiding the large chunk of...

"What is that..?" Celestia croaked. Discord smiled so deviously, it made her new skin crawl with fear and dread.

"Tell me, Tia... Are you afraid of Nightmares?"

"GET DOWN, NOW!" Nathan shouted, grabbing Twilight and Pinkie Pie, throwing them to the cold, metal floor. He did his best to cover them both as the large chunk of debris flew a foot over their heads and crashed into the back wall. "Girls?!" He asked quickly. "Are you alright?!"

Twilight and Pinkie began to cough as the smoke cleared. "Yeah... we're okay." Twilight wheezed. She looked over to the piece of metal and sighed. "Just glad it missed us."

Nathan was about to answer when a slithering, mushy sound came from behind the chunk. The metal meteor burst open, and dozens of infection forms came spilling out. Nathan pushed Twilight and Pinkie back and opened fire, quickly joined by the Chief.

"Girls, stay in the back! DON'T let them touch you!" Nathan hollered, chucking a grenade as a group of infection forms that had been hiding inside as well shambled into the fray.

What the Spartan's didn't see, is one of the infection forms drop down from the ceiling and land on the carcase of a Brute behind them. It made quick work of making it its host and began to creep over to the two soldiers.

"Behind you!" Pinkie shouted, lunging forward. She pulled the Chiefs sidearm from his magnetic holster and unleashed the entire clip into the beast. It fell over with a gurgle as the Chief just realized what happened.

He looked down at the pink pony, panting with his sidearm in her hooves. She looked like she was on the verge of tears and her poofy mane literally began to deflate before his eyes. The gun clattered out of her hooves and she fell to the floor, trying to fight off what she'd just done.

He remembered the first time he had killed. He had regrets, remorse. So many thoughts ran through his mind about if it was right, or if it was worth it. Pinkie was no doubt having those same thoughts.

The fighting had finally ceased and Nathan turned to see what had happened. Twilight was now by Pinkies side and the Chief just looked at her as he picked up his pistol and reloaded it. "What happened?"

The Chief walked over to Nathan, getting as close as he could so the two ponies couldn't hear them. "She's never killed before, has she?" He asked. Nathan shook his head.

"Look at her. Does she look like the kind of pony to go on a killing spree?" He asked sarcastically. The Chief shook his head.

"No. But, give her this. She's going to need it. And give yours to the other. We can't have them in this war zone unarmed. If you can trust them, I can trust them. I'll be waiting downstairs."

Nathan nodded and brought both guns over to Twilight and Pinkie as the Chief descended into the depths of the tower. "Hey. You two are going to need to hold onto these, alright?" Nathan said softly, pressing the guns to them.

Pinkie sniffled and looked away. "I-I didn't want to do it... but it wouldn't stop! It was going to hurt you..."

Nathan wrapped her in a hug, making Twilight smile, remembering just how tender her man could be. "That Brute wasn't alive anymore, Pinkie. And if it was, it was still going to be trying to kill us, regardless. These are parasites, nothing more. Think of them as big virus', and your gun is full of medicine that gets rid of the virus."

Pinkie giggled at his analogy. "Thanks... but I think I can use this without the imagination involved." She hefted the pistol and racked a round into the chamber. "These mean old buggies are gonna pay for trying to hurt us! No one hurts Pinkie Pies friends and gets away with it!"

She stood and bolted for the back of the room and waited for the elevator to come back up. Nathan turned to Twilight and looked her over. "Sure you're okay?"

Twilight smiled and removed his helmet. She gazed over his face and kissed him tenderly. She reluctantly pulled away and bit her lower lip. "That's because I love you." She then smacked him across the face. Hard. Nathan recoiled and rubbed his cheek. "And that's for dying earlier..."

"Wait... When did I die?" He asked curiously. Twilight ran through the memory of being in Cams mind and giggled.

"I'll... tell you later. Right now, we need to go." She trotted off and swayed her hips. "Follow the treat, big boy." She teased.

Nathan smiled and put his helmet back on, following Twilight's 'way point'. He pressed the button and recalled the elevator. They descended, coming to the bottom floor just as the fighting died out. The fire team of Elites and the Master Chief were exiting the door on the far end, forcing the trio up top to sprint after them.

The fighting resumed outside, but at least this time they had back up to help contain it. Nathan kept Twilight and Pinkie close, in case one of the Marines got trigger happy, and led them over to a lone Phantom docked on the edge. He jumped on board and pulled them inside. The Arbiter stared at them curiously.

"Spartan, isn't that-"

Nathan interrupted him and nodded. "Yes, and it's a long story how she and her friend got here. We need to keep them safe."

He nodded. I'll inform Shadow of Intent that they'll have two civilians on board." He confirmed. The ship lurched upwards, away from the fighting and death, if only for a few minutes. He turned to Twilight and sat by her side, panting.

"You alright?" She asked, rubbing his leg. He gave her a thumbs up.

"Yeah... just haven't slept in four days." He chuckled. "It's taken quite a bit out of me." Twilight gasped.

"Four days?! Even I know my limits! Can't you stay on the ship with us? I won't be here for much longer..." She pouted. Nathan leaned in and pecked her nose.

"I can't... I have to fight, for both your sakes." He assured. Pinkie at that point wrapped him in the biggest hug she could muster.

"Thank you... Thank you so much for everything you do..." She whispered with her eyes shut tight. "I-I never realized how hard it could be..." She began to sob into the Spartan's shoulder, the rest of whatever she was saying cut off. Nathan hugged her back as her attention suddenly turned to the Arbiter, who stared at her quizzically.

"Hiya... My names Pinkie Pie... Do you want to be my friend?" She asked sweetly. The Arbiter cocked his head further and looked to Nathan for answers. Nathan just shrugged, which the Arbiter mimicked, making Pinkie smile. "Cool! My first real alien friend!"

Aboard the Shadow of Intent, things were more hectic than they should have been. Fire teams were spread out, putting out infernos from fusion coils that ruptured during the collision. Teams of Special Ops personnel were fanning out into different parts of the ship in case the infection got aboard. A team of Grunts guided the Phantom in for a landing, refueling it quickly.

"Five minutes to say goodbye, Spartan. Then we leave." The Arbiter announced over the chaos. Nathan nodded and knelt by his friends.

"You two will be safe aboard Shadow of Intent until you teleport back. You'll be treated kindly here." He assured, watching as the Ship Master came into view.

"Ah, Demon. I take it these are the two we'll be watching over?" He asked, eying the equines with curiosity. "Strange... how did they get here?"

Nathan shrugged. "Transported here. They wanted to make sure I was safe. They'll be teleporting back by the end of the day." The Ship Master nodded.

"Come. We have quarters set for the duration of your stay."

Twilight ran over and hugged Nathan tight. She removed his helmet and kissed him longingly, hoping to Celestia for his safe return. "Come home... for both of us." She whispered, placing her forehead to his. "We can't lose you..."

Nathan kissed her back and wrapped his hand around the back of her head, pressing his forehead to hers tighter. "You have my word, Twilight. I'll be home... When I get back, we'll have our wedding and everything will be back to the way it was... I love you."

"I love you, too." She sniffled, wiping away the tears. "And our foal will, too."

Nathan smiled. "You know, It'll be a girl, right?" He said. Twilight smiled as well and giggled.

"How do you know?" She asked.

"I'm always right."

With that, he walked back over to the Phantom and hopped aboard. He gazed at Twilight as the doors shut. Twilight smiled as the craft lurched from the hanger, back to the battle below. Twilight rubbed her stomach and wiped away the tears that kept falling.

She liked the feeling though. It was fear, anxiety, and most of all, respect for her mate. He was so willing to do whatever it took to keep them safe, that he'd cross the universe to do it. And today, she showed the same ambition. She hoped her being here sharpened his conviction and made him more ready for what was to come.

"Everything will be okay..." She assured herself, falling into step next to Pinkie Pie and the contingent of Elites.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

Nathan, Spark and the Arbiter descended the grav lift of the Phantom onto the ramp. This was the final effort. The Prophet of Truth lay just ahead, his finger on the trigger of a gun pointed at every living creature in the entire galaxy.

"Calamity! If only we had more time!" Spark yelled as he activated the light bridge. Nathan and the Arbiter sprinted across, the Chief falling into step behind them.

"I should have been a watchmaker..." Nathan muttered as they entered the darkened halls. The only light that was offered to them was coming from the video displays. And on the screens was the ugly mug of Truth.

"Our enemies crowd around us... We tread the blessed path... In a moment I will light the rings, and all who believe, shall be saved!" The prophet moved aside, revealing Sergeant Johnson in the clutches of a Brute Chieftain.

"Oh no..." Nathan muttered, sprinting to the far end for the elevator. The Chief and the Arbiter were in step with him as they reached the lift, only to discover it still at the top.

"Chief? How close are you?" Miranda asked over the comms. John looked up at the elevator above them and sighed.

"Not close enough..."

The one you destroyed

Chapter 23: The one you destroyed
October 20, 2552 The Ark. 1900 hours

Nathan and the Chief were practically prancing from foot to foot as the lift ascended. "Why the hell is this taking so long?!" Nathan thought angrily. He mentally sighed in relief as the top came into view. The Chief hopped from the floor and climbed the lip before the elevator could even stop. Apparently they were both on as much edge as the other. Nathan wished he could be as calm as the Arbiter was.

Before any of them could enter the fray on the bridge, two humungous forms dropped from the ceiling, twitching and writhing as they stared at the three soldiers about to shoot. Nathan clutched his head as the same voice from earlier penetrated his skull. Though Nathan was able to control his body this time, he felt that it wouldn't be so easy next time...

"Do not shoot, but listen! Let me lead you safely to our foe!" The creatures gestured their club like arms down the towards the bridge as a flurry of infection forms scurried past their feet. The soldiers shared a glance before quickly running ahead. Nathan held back with his Sniper Rifle scoping in on the Covenant on the bridge, although, his sights drifted to the Flood fighting along side his teammates. His head tingled as the voice crept back into his mind.

"You are very untrusting of me, aren't you human?"

Nathan scoffed and picked off a Grunt hefting a fuel rod across the bridge. "You call it untrustworthy, I call it being prepared for when you turn on us." The Spartan shot back as he turned a Brutes skull into a pile of mush.

The Gravemind chuckled. "You are too smart to be a human... Hmm. Interesting..."

"What?"

"Something in you... It is not my place to say. It shall be revealed to you in time."

"Cryptic... Now, if you don't mind, I have a job to do." He said, sprinting forward into the next area to resume his sniping job. The Gravemind chuckled and kept his presence in the young mans mind. He was inside the Spartan, and knew everything he knew, read his thoughts, his body. And something took his interest.

"How long have you been dying, human?

Nathan froze mid-stride and sighed explosively. "Get out of my head! Now!" He yelled, only making the Gravemind chuckle again.

"Very well. I will see you soon enough, Spartan..."

The Gravemind receded once again, allowing Nathan a sigh of relief. What the Gravemind had said didn't surprise him, because he knew it was true. He was slowly, very slowly dying.

How many years it would take, he couldn't say, but he hoped he'd be able to see his child's first steps, her first words, and watch her grow up into a beautiful young woman. All he had to do was get back to Equis. Hopefully Death's agenda aloud for it.

Nathan had been running on autopilot the entire trek across the bridge, and before he knew it, he was at the end. But, what he saw at the end didn't make sense. Instead of a majestic Truth standing over the controls of the Ark, There were dead Brutes sprawled across them. Not to mention the Pelican that left a gigantic hole in the window behind them. There was no sign of life, none anywhere. Until they activated the bridge and saw Sergeant Johnson on the floor. "Oh thank God! He's-"

Nathan would have been happy to see Johnson alive, more than anything. The man was his oldest friend since day one. But who he was cradling in his arms was something he would have loved to see alive ten times more.

Her body was pale, lifeless and her cold dead eyes fixed on nothing. Nathan didn't remember falling to his knees, or dropping his gun, or that the inside of his visor became a little foggy. All he could see was the lifeless stair of Miranda. Johnson gave the man a sad look and shut Miranda's eyes.

"Stop the rings... Save the rest." He said, barely above a whisper. As soon as the words left his mouth, Nathan was up, fire raging in his soul. They took her, an innocent woman, the girl he knew; the sweet, caring, loving Miranda... She was gone from this world, taken so cruely, so violently. Nathan wanted nothing more than to rip whoever had done this face off.

"Who..." He growled. Johnson gestured to the spindly alien now in the Arbiter's grasp. Nathan snarled and stepped forward, just as the Arbiter was about to bring down his blade. "Wait..."

The rapidly transforming Truth and the Arbiter looked to Nathan curiously, one set of eyes had fear, one had anger. Nathan removed his helmet and got face to face with Truth. His face was red, tears streaking across his cheeks. "Are you afraid to die, you bastard?"

Truth smiled. "I shall ascend into Godhood!" He choked out as another tentacle launched from his face. "And none of you filth shall be left alive!"

"Her name was Miranda..." He whispered, ignoring Truths rants. "I hope you die slowly for what you've done..." Nathan nodded to the Arbiter, who brought his blade straight through Truths chest. Before the blade could kill him, however, he was given a heavy kick to the head by the enraged Spartan, snapping his spine all the way down with a sickening crack that echoed across the way.

The Arbiter and the Spartan stood, each one feeling completely different emotions. The Arbiter felt pride, finally ridding his life of the traitorous Prophet, who fed them nothing but lies and deceit. Nathan, on the other hand, was boiling with rage, anguish, guilt and every other emotion in between.

The three stood there, unsure of what to do next. Before any of them could react, the building began to quake beneath them before a flurry of tentacles shot up from the abyss below, followed by the bellowing laughter of the Gravemind.

"Chief! Get your asses aboard the Pelican, now!" Johnson shouted over the comm. The vehicle flew past quickly, forcing the trio to jump onto the landing skid. The Chief hung onto the Arbiter, and the Arbiter held onto Nathan. But the trio were flung free from the ship by a tentacle before it could make it to open sky.

"Now the gate has been unlatched, headstones pushed aside; corpses shift and offer room, a fate you must abide!"

The three went back to back as the Tentacles receded back into the Earth, but not before taking a souvenir with them. A tentacle snaked its way around Nathan's leg, dragging him into the pit below. The Chief and the Arbiter desperately made a grab for him, but it was to late. The Spartan was now being dragged across the surface of the Arc, faster and faster, further and further away. "That's right you bastard... Bring me home." He smiled deviously as High Charity came into view. "Time for us both to meet our fates."

The center of Equis had become a place of true Chaos, just as Discord had wanted it. The Spartan's turned ponies and the ponies turned Spartans were arguing amongst themselves, trying to regain order. It wasn't working in the slightest.

"Everypony please!" Celestia shouted through Cam. "This isn't the time to be arguing amongst ourselves! We have more important issues to be dealing with!"

Discord chuckled and snaked his way towards Celestia. "Oh, dear Tia... You should know that the human Brutes do nothing better. And I have a question for you actually. Does Cameron there know how to use magic?" Discord pointed a claw at Cam, who was still fumbling for footing in his new form.

"I... No I don't believe so." She admitted.

"Then tell me, who's controlling the Prometheans right now?" He cackled. Celestia's eyes became pinpricks as she slowly turned to Discord.

"Don't even-"

Before she could let the words escape her lips, a flurry of Prometheans, now glowing deep red, encircled the group, guns glowing bright. The six huddled close together, the Spartan's as ponies moving up to defend the girls as best they could.

"Now," Discord began. "I think my demands should be pretty self explanatory right about now." The Draconeqqus snapped his fingers, making a throne appear underneath him. He reclined lazily, polishing his talons on his armor. Celestia was at a lose for what to do at this point. Up above, her world was crumbling around her. Thousands were dead, countless more wounded, all of them homeless. She couldn't just let Discord run free and cause pandemonium. There had to be a way to defeat him. Everyone was useless now. Celestia was trapped in a foreign body, as were the four others to her side- Wait... four?

Celestia looked around anxiously for the missing pony turned Spartan. Which one was it? Who could have snuck off so- Then she saw her. It was Fluttershy, skulking in the corner, using Selina's small body to her advantage. Celestia looked back up to Discord, who was none the wiser. Celestia watched in awe and admiration as Fluttershy snuck up behind one of the machines, pulling out the knife on her chest.

"You big... dumb... MEANIES!" She shouted, plunging the blade into the mechanical face. The robot let out a series of buzzes as it fazed out. Fluttershy grabbed the scatter shot as it fell on shot it at another, causing it to disintegrate as well. "Oh, wow! GET SOME!" She hollered, laughing maniacally.

"Whoa... Alright everypony!" Rainbow called out. "CHARGE!"

Fluttershy dove onto Discord, who didn't have time to teleport himself away. She tumbled with him for about twenty feet, ending up on tip of him with the barrel of the scatter shot in his face. "If you try to get away, I will PULL this trigger." She seethed. Discord was not expecting this from the most timid of his pray.

"Um... Parlay?" He chuckled awkwardly, holding up his hands.Fluttershy pulled her helmet off and let the harshness of her stare take effect. Even with Selina's face, it was effective as hell.

"Fluttershy?! Holy horse apples! that was amazing!" Applejack hollered, running over to her, Fluttershy growled, which made Applejack halt in place. "Oookay, I can see you're busy... I'll be over here..."

Garry's pony jaw was literally unhinged. "Holy shit! I think I'm in love!" He gawked. Sharif snorted and nudged him.

"Careful now. Remember she's ah pony." He said, then rubbed his throat. "Damn this accent..." He added. Garry shook his head.

"I don't give a fuck. That was the sexiest thing I've ever seen! And don't tell me otherwise." Garry said, nudging his friend back.

"It's always the quiet ones, isn't it?" He asked. Garry nodded vigorously.

Fluttershy was now pressing the shotgun further into Discords face. "Now, you're going to change us back to our normal selves. You got that, bub?"

Discord nodded and snapped his fingers. Instantly, she was back in her body, and Selina was now on Discord, aiming the shotgun at him. Celestia, being back in her regal form, instantly snapped Discord up in a field of magic.

"Now, Discord. I think that was the shortest attempt at taking control." She chuckled. Discord tried to break free, but couldn't. He sighed and sulked in his ultimate failure.

Luna smiled deviously and sauntered over to Garry, who gulped instantly. "Well... Now that we art back to normal, wouldst thou like to... show us thine asset?" She leaned against the Spartan and batted her eyelashes.

"Luna!" Celestia instantly scolded. Luna huffed and backed away, muttering under her breath. Celestia rolled her eyes and turned back to Discord. "Now. Stop what you've done! Get rid of that ship you sent!" She ordered.

"I can't!" Discord snapped back. "It's already there, and it's contents are now taking over everything. Face it, your student is doomed!"

A bright flash filled the chamber, enveloping the group in it's intensity. When they looked up, Twilight and Pinkie Pie were standing there.

"Whoa... what happened?" Twilight muttered, looking around at everyone and Discord. "Did... We miss something?" She asked. Pinkie took one look at Discord and growled like a dog at him, taking a defensive stance.

"You did, but now we have bigger problems." Celestia stated. "So, tell us, Discord. Who is this 'master' of yours?"

Discord grinned deviously. "Even if I lost here today, you still will never win. So, gather round, little ponies and humans, and let me tell you about my friend, the Didact."

Author's Note

ugh... This... this was a pain. Bringing Discord into the story was a horrible, horrible idea on my part. I made him go out like a bitch, CUZ THAT'S WHAT HE IS! And I made Fluttershy a bad ass because THAT'S WHAT SHE IS!
So, I'm gonna say it. I'm busy on other stories, so Halo 2 isn't on my top priorities. To be honest, my ADD is just the worst. Oh well. And the revelation with Nathan? Hmmm? It'll play out in the end with some awesome shit through out the storyline in the last of the stories.
Until next chapter! Allons-y!

When I make a promise

Chapter 24: When I make a promise...
October 20, 2552 22:34 hours
The Ark: Coordinates unknown

Further and further he was dragged, his armor scarring a deep trench in the earth as he was pulled along. It felt like hours when it was really only just minutes. His mind was hazy, his eyes were heavy, and he really just wanted to take a goddamn nap right about know.

Nathan lifted his head, checking his surroundings. The terrain was nothing but fire and glass, and the sky was beginning to be blocked by a mighty mass of metal. High Charity was where he was being taken, which wasn't a surprise really, seeing as how that thing made its home there.

He had been taken from his squad. Taken because the Gravemind found him intriguing, like a child would a new toy. So, no he was off to meet the monster from nightmares, the boogeyman in the closet. It wasn't a surprise that Nathan's heart rate was elevated to slightly higher than normal levels.

He was scared. And his thrashing made that point pretty clear.

"Struggling is not necessary. As long as you are in my care, no harm will come to you." The voice said, somewhat calming the thrashing Spartan's nerves.

Nathan scoffed and reached out for another boulder, only to have it torn from the ground by his iron grip and the pull from the Gravemind's tentacle. "Yes, I feel very safe coming to see you!" He shot back, grabbing onto a piece of metal, only to have it torn away.

The Gravemind chuckled. "You may be different, boy, but you still have one thing all humans have. Fear. You fear what it is like to die; you fear the unknown. But you have seen the unknown; seen how liberating it can be. How freeing my salvation can be."

Nathan rolled his eyes as he was pulled into High Charity. The stink instantly filled his nose, making him gag. He quickly shut his air vents and turned on the oxygen scrubbers. "Well, only 45 minutes of fresh air..." He mused

"All I know is, that I can fight it and you wont win. What do you hope to gain by being on the Ark anyway? There's nothing for you here!" Nathan stated as he was ripped through the floor.

"Indeed. It's what's on the Ark that I need." He stated. Nathan continued on further and further, until finally, he was dumped into a circular room. "Now, I believe someone wants to meet you. Play nice, human. I have another to torment..."

The voice receded from Nathan's mind, finally giving him a moment of reprieve. "Thank fucking christ..." He muttered, rubbing the shit off his legs from the tentacle. He stood and got a good feel for his surroundings. There were three doors spread out. All were covered by Flood... stuff, and the other was locked. "Great... Can't get out that way."

The Gravemind had said someone wanted to meet him. If it was Flood, then he'd be ready. He pulled his knife out of its sheath, giving it a little twirl. "Hello? Anybody here?"

It was a small voice. So small, the Spartan almost missed it.

"...John?"

Nathan turned on his heals, noticing the small holoprojector in the center of the room. A shield dome covered the emitter, and underneath that was the tiny AI.

"Cortana?" Nathan asked, walking over to the little AI. She looked up, her features grave as she scanned the man over. Then she smiled.

"I knew you'd come for me, John..." She whispered, huddling back into a ball.

"John... You mean the Chief?" He asked. Cortana said nothing. "Look, I'd get you out if I could, but I have no AI chip. How... long have you been here?" Nathan asked, wondering just how long the poor intelligence unit had to suffer with that psycho.

"Longer than I'd like..." She admitted, taking a quivering breath. "So, tell me," She began, standing up to look at the man more closely. "If you aren't John, then... who are you?"

"A Spartan III. G129 of Gamma Company, ma'am." He stated, going into full military mode. Cortana let out an amused hum and smiled.

"You're a lot like John... Always business, but... also kind. Tell me, is John okay?" She asked hopefully.

"I don't know." Nathan admitted truthfully. "We were separated after we terminated Truth. Knowing him though, he's more than okay." He made sure Cortana heard the truth in his voice. She smiled and nodded.

"Okay, Spartan. How about we talk. Just us." She said, darting her eyes around like someone was watching. Nathan quirked a brow.

"Hasn't it just been us?" He asked. Cortana shook her head quickly and ducked, like she was about to be struck like a child who did something bad.

"No... He always listens... I can't escape him. He's... in my mind, toying with me!" She shouted, clutching her head and falling to the ground. Nathan instinctively ran over, but realizing he couldn't do anything, caught himself. "Please... make him stop?"

Nathan looked around and sighed. "Can you open up private comms with me?" He asked. "I don't think he can get you in there."

"Place your hand on the shield." She stated. Nathan was about to question it, but decided to do as she wanted. He slowly approached the little bubble, letting his hands cup it. Cortana slowly walked towards him, placing her tiny hands in his.

Some kind of... data stream poured across the Spartans armor, flashing an intense bluish purple. "Keep your hands on this shield, and we'll be able to talk freely." Cortana said through his helmet speakers. The Spartan complied and the data stream stopped. "Huh... Something is different about you..."

"I get that a lot, and each time I'm flattered." He joked, making Cortana giggle.

"I bet. So, let's talk. What's it like?" She asked hopefully.

"What's what like?" Nathan asked back, not understanding her meaning.

"To live? To be alive? All I am is stolen thoughts and memories. A collection lies... I am nothing..." She sounded defeated, heartbroken. To be given a life with no meaning is probably the cruelest thing humans can do.

Nathan sighed and could feel her pain. He had to tell her something, but he'd never really given the question a thought. What was it like to live? Be alive? The truth is, he hasn't lived. He hasn't had a life other than that of death. To go through each day, knowing that death was looming over your shoulder, waiting to bring his scythe down in the blink of an eye? That wasn't life; that wasn't living.

"It's... simple." He stated, making Cortana look at him curiously. "Picture an ant. It has only three tasks on its mind; food, build, and protect the queen. Now take that ant and put him separate from everything it knows. What then? it tries to escape, to go back to the three things it knows, because it doesn't know how to cope with its circumstances. That's what its like to live, Cortana. Everyday, people do the simple things. We aren't ants, though. Humans have another motivation; success. They always want to move up in the world, to become more powerful than those around them. To gain power, one must know how to use it. To use power, one must be willing to sacrifice. But we can't... We don't sacrifice, and therefore our power grows too strong. We live to destroy, Cortana... Nothing more."

Cortana gulped and looked at the Spartan before her. "You... are more than just a common soldier... Nathan." She stated, making him turn quickly at the mention of his name. "There is more to you than meets the eye... Why are you back? Why did you come back to the fight?"

"How did-"

"Save it." She said, cutting off his protest. "A common Spartan doesn't think like that. No, you were smart; you left the game long ago to pursue a life... Tell me, why did you come back."

"For her."

Cortana smiled. "You found love..." She mused, chuckling. "Tell me, how did you think rejoining the war would help her?"

Nathan stiffened. "Because if we didn't stop Truth, then the entire Galaxy would die. I did it to protect her. To fight for her."

Cortana let an amused, smug smile adorn her lips. "I think we had it handled. You joined back because peace is scary to you. You were a Spartan for so long, that giving up the fight is more alien to you than the Covenant."

Nathna chuckled and shook his head. "Why are you so damn smart?" He asked, letting out a long sigh. The AI giggled and stepped closer to the bubble.

"Because, that's what I was made for. I know that you know there's only one way for you to go out from this life." She stated, raising a brow. Nathan nodded slowly. "Spartan's don't live full lives, and you're going to go out by either the bullet or plasma. I'm sorry for being so blunt." She said, kicking the floor.

"Don't be. You're right, more than you know. Either die slowly, painfully, or die quickly. I don't know which you'd chose, but I'd pick door number two."

"Slowly and painfully?" Cortana asked. Nathan shook his head and smiled.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." He assured. Cortana stepped closer, eying the Spartan before her more intensely.

"It is something... whether you want it to be or not. I highly doubt you're going to tell me what's wrong with you." She said, cracking a smile.

"No, ma'am." Nathan confirmed, nodding. Cortana shrugged playfully as they both stared at one another. It was odd, but something in her eyes soothed the Spartan's nerves, which were still at an all time high being in hostile territory.

Cortana sat down, placing her arms over her knees. "So, tell me about her, this girl."

Discord smiled as he conjured up a glass of chocolate milk. The eyes of the ponies and the weapons of the Spartans never left him for a second. "Okay, so what did you all want to know?"

Celestia stepped forward. "Firstly, who is this... Didact you speak of?" She asked, no, demanded. Discord smiled and lowered his brows.

"My, my! Somepony has gotten a bit more assertive since we last met! Hm... well, since you asked so nicely; the Didact is a Forerunner, imprisoned for his crimes against the human race in the great war 100,000 years ago. It's a shame his plans didn't succeed; you're such a filthy race." He said, waving his paw at the Spartan's to his side.

"Yeah, yeah, keep talkin'." Laurence said, raising his pistol. "I'll be happy to introduce you to the rest of these 'Forerunners'."

Discord grinned, and leaned down to Laurence's face. "So, tell me. How do you like Star Trot? She's quite the gem, is she not?" He asked, chuckling.

Laurence's face turned beat red as his men stared at him oddly. "Shut it, freak!" He yelled.

"Oh, I'm the freak?!" Discord asked in mock astonishment. "At least I'm not the one going into a relationship with a pony! Although, it'd be normal for me to do so. You, on the other hoof, are a race of xenophobic war mongerers who care little for life and its beauty. Highly out of your character."

Twilight scoffed. "Say what you want, Discord. I'm going to be marrying a human, and he's the sweetest stallion I know!" She defended, glowering at the Draconquues.

"Oh, really, I know all this Twilight! Being encased in stone doesn't make me blind to the world. I know everything that has transpired since he first landed here." He bent down to her ear. "Everything."

Twilight blushed and subconsciously tried to hide her stomach, which made Discord grin like mad. "But, I don't like to kiss and tell. Especially when it comes to other ponies business."

"Hasn't stopped ya before, has it?" Applejack asked, rolling her eyes. Discord smiled and waved a claw dismissively. He acted as if he still had the upper hoof in the situation, which angered Princess Celestia considerably.

"You still know something we don't, Discord." Celestia said angrily. "What aren't you telling us?" Discord smiled deviously at the sun Goddess. A smile that could only say he had won.

"This world's time is up, Celestia. And not even your human filth can stop the storm that is to come." Discord snapped his helmet shut, the blood red receptor eye sockets stared at each person and pony in the room. "The Forerunners have returned." And with that, Discord disappeared in a flash of red, his body dematerializing into nothing but floating dust.

Everyone looked around the vast chamber for Discord. The Spartans had guns trained on every corner, waiting for him to pounce out in an instant.

But there was nothing. It was totally still...

"Bill? Any signs of him on radar?" Cam asked quickly. Bill took a second as he scanned the room, looking in every possible spot where Discord could hide.

"Negative. Discord's gone. Fluttershy should have pulled the trigger when she had the chance..." He added, turning to Fluttershy, who hid behind her mane with a sad look on her face.

"It doesn't matter. What's done is done. Now, Princess," Cam began, stalking over to her. "Why don't you tell me and my team the full truth. I don't believe I heard it all last time when you brought me down here."

All eyes were on Celestia, who let out a saddened sigh as her horn flashed again, making the Promethean's disappear back into thin air. "I suppose it's time I told you the truth. All of you." She looked over each of her little ponies and the Spartans and let out another long sigh. "Many Centuries ago, before Luna and I, or our parents or grandparents were even born, the Galaxy was at war. Human kind was expanding through the stars faster and faster, conquering any world they past, but not this world. Equis was a gift from the Forerunners centuries back. We were their runners up for the mantel of Reclaimers, until human kind proved they could handle the mantel better. Instead of being angry with human kind, the Queen of Equestria sided with the humans in their war against the Forerunners and the Flood. We were fools to do so... The Didact defeated both our races, turning our species into mindless machines of war. The little ones that you saw? Crawlers, as they're called... Those were once Ponies, as were the flying ones, Watchers. The Knights were human, and all were perverted beyond recognition by some... Forerunner weapon. I thought this was all just a story, until my mother passed down the burden of control over the Prometheans to me."

Everyone was enraptured by Celestia's tale, even the Spartan IV's. But, that wasn't what one of the Spartan's was worried about. Ancient history was ancient history. Right now, Cam was worried about the welfare of his new home and its citizens.

Cam stepped forward, furrowing his brows. "You're very lucky we were able to stop Discord for the time being, otherwise many more civilians would have been killed."

Celestia took a deep breath and nodded. "You are right. We were indeed quite lucky today. Now," Celestia began, turning to Twilight. "Why on earth did you trust Discord? Did you forget what he represents?"

Twilight's ears folded back as she shuffled her hooves on the ground. "N-No, I didn't... I just- I wanted to make sure Nathan was okay... I just couldn't let him face the fight alone..." She frowned heavily as she trotted up to her teacher, nuzzling her leg. "I'm sorry, Princess. I didn't mean to scare you..."

Celestia smiled warmly and hugged her student tight. "I understand, but you must realize, if we were to loose you and Pinkie Pie, then the Elements of Harmony would go dormant once again. After what happened today, that cannot ever happen."

Cameron listened to the hard tone in Celestia's voice, but he knew it was very hollow. Celestia wanted to sound like the strong leader of Equestria, but she was using that to mask the motherly worry she held for Twilight. It was very sweet and caring to see the Princess like that to Cam.

"Alright, Spartans!" Cam called out, shattering the silence. "We need to head back topside; make sure the search and rescue is going smoothly."

A chorus of 'yes sir' rang out, but before all of the Spartan's marched off, Cameron called out to the one last in line. "Laurence. Wait a moment." The Spartan in question froze in his tracks, falling back in line with Cam. "I wanted to talk to you about your mission."

"What about it?" Laurence asked, standing at attention. Cam sighed heavily and rubbed his brow.

"I wanted to know how you feel about it. Are you still willing to bring us to the firing squad for staying here? Protecting a race that couldn't fight the Covenant otherwise?" He asked slowly, making sure the weight of his words sunk in. Laurence looked back at the Princesses, Twilight and her friends before looking back to Cam, who continued on. "And I know you don't want a certain girl to be left vulnerable if we're taken."

Laurence chewed his lip in thought. The UNSC had given him a job; a job he would die following. He was a Spartan, the greatest soldier ever bred. But that's just it. He wasn't. He had his flaws, his drawbacks, and he certainly couldn't hold his own against G129 and his team. Spartan's weren't machines, they were human beings who were practically forced to become machines; errand boys for the brass upstairs who were too worried about getting their hands dirty.

Laurence placed his helmet back on and nodded. "It's my first and foremost duty to protect the UNSC and her colonies against any threat, foreign or domestic... I-" Laurence balled his hand into a fist, feeling his frustration about the whole fucked up situation unbearable. "I haven't decided yet. But, right now, we're willing to work with you to counter the increasing threat and figure out what the hell is going on."

Cam nodded, accepting the answer. He didn't expect Laurence to go full AWOL, but it was a start. He gave a simple salute, which Laurence returned before following the others out.

Celestia trotted up behind Cam, who continued to watch the Spartans leave. "Do you think he'll change his mind?" Celestia asked, also watching Laurence leave. Cam frowned beneath his helmet and turned to the Princess.

"If he doesn't, then this world will lose it's sword and shield. If the Forerunners return, then all hope is lost anyway..."

Author's Note

Well, nearly six months later. XD I am so sorry it took so long, but I lost interest in Halo for a while. Now that the Champions bundle came out today on halo 4, I've suddenly gotten my interest back! :D YAY!
So, my writing is improving, as you will see with the rewrites of Halo: TFAS, and the edited chapters of this story. So, I promise the next chapter won't take six months, but it won't be super quick either. I'm hitting dead ends people! DEAD ENDS! I'll try my very best to come up with some story boards. (Yes, I make story boards for my writing. My wall is full of them)
So, anywho, I guess I'll see you all around when I do. Enjoy and see you planet side. :)

Announcement: First story is back up!

Hey there! This is my first troll chapter ever, but I just wanted to say that the first story is back up, for those who haven't read it yet. It's going to be updated slowly, but not too slowly. I'm kind of getting back into this. :) You can find the story here. Until we meet again. Enjoy! :D