Halo 2: Shadowed pasts and Ancient Runes

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..."