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."