Halo 2: Shadowed pasts and Ancient Runes

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.