Halo: Mane team

by NocturnalEagle

Chapter 5: First to fall

HALO: MANE TEAM

Chapter 5: First to fall

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Heh. You're just like Twilight."

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

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

Fluttershy was yelling through the com, “GO, GO, GO!”
"Now or never, girls." I mutter as I jumped off the ramp, pushing the throttle to the max.

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

Way too fast.

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

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

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

Perfect.

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

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

His dedication of hatred towards space would save his life.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

///AUTOMATED REROUTE COVENANT SHIP REG-40801ABY
///FILE ACCESS GRANTED
///WORM-PROTOCOL FIREWALL ENABLED
///FILE ERASED

TRANSMISSION XX087R-XX
ENCRYPTION CODE: DELTA
PUBLIC KEY: NOT APPLICABLE
SENDER: CODE NAME BLACKWIDOW
RECEIVER: CODE NAME SURGEON
SUBJECT: IMMEDIATE CALL FOR REINFORCEMENTS

/FILE DESTROYED/
/RECONSTITUTION COMPLETE/
/START FILE/

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

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

Hopefully, we won't need the backup plan.

Are you surprised?

/END FILE/
/RESCRAMBLE-DESTRUCTION PHASE INITIATED/
PRESS ENTER TO CONTINUE

///AUTOMATED REROUTE COVENANT SHIP REG-40801ABY
///FILE ACCESS GRANTED
///WORM-PROTOCOL FIREWALL ENABLED
///FILE ERASED

TRANSMISSION XX087R-XX
ENCRYPTION CODE: DELTA
PUBLIC KEY: NOT APPLICABLE
SENDER: CODE NAME SURGEON
RECEIVER: CODE NAME BLACKWIDOW
SUBJECT: IMMEDIATE CALL FOR REINFORCEMENTS

/FILE DESTROYED/
/RECONSTITUTION COMPLETE/
/START FILE/

Understood BLACKWIDOW. Reinforcements are on their way.

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

/END FILE/
/RESCRAMBLE-DESTRUCTION PHASE INITIATED/
PRESS ENTER TO CONTINUE

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

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

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

Too prefect.

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

Oh Celestia no…

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

The Command room.

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

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

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

“Pinkie, we’ll get help. We're going to get you out of here.”
“Nopy Lance, forget me, take this.”
She held out a data chip. “This is all that I’ve found on this ship.”
“I have the same info Pinkie, I found it a while back.”
Pinkie’s voice was going softer the longer we spoke. “Nopy again Lancey. This contains the name of the person who betrayed us.”
“I promise, I will kill them. I will hunt them even if it kills me.” I spoke through gritted teeth as my eyes teared up.
Pinkie turned to face me. I could see it took quite a lot of effort.
“Don't cry, silly. I’m finally going home. I’m going to meet the Princess. The next great adventure beyond the forth…"

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

///AUTOMATED REROUTE COVENANT SHIP REG-40801ABY
///FILE ACCESS GRANTED
///WORM-PROTOCOL FIREWALL ENABLED
///FILE ERASED

TRANSMISSION XX077F-XX
ENCRYPTION CODE: GAMMA
PUBLIC KEY: NOT APPLICABLE
SENDER: THE PROPHET OF TRUTH
RECEIVER: COMMANDER TA’WEE
SUBJECT: SPY
/FILE DESTROYED/
/RECONSTITUTION COMPLETE/
/START FILE/

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

/END FILE/
/RESCRAMBLE-DESTRUCTION PHASE INITIATED/
PRESS ENTER TO CONTINUE

///AUTOMATED REROUTE COVENANT SHIP REG-40801ABY
///FILE ACCESS GRANTED
///WORM-PROTOCOL FIREWALL ENABLED
///FILE ERASED

TRANSMISSION XX1255R-XX
ENCRYPTION CODE: GAMMA
PUBLIC KEY: NOT APPLICABLE
SENDER: COMMANDER TA’WEE
RECEIVER: THE PROPHET OF TRUTH
SUBJECT: SPY
/FILE DESTROYED/
/RECONSTITUTION COMPLETE/
/START FILE/

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

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

Walking back the way we came, I met up with Applejack. I think she saw my face and the streaks of blood on my armor and immediately knew what happened.
2:32...

The countdown timer ticked the seconds off inexorably.
1:05...

We planted the remaining Hammer III warheads in the turret. As an afterthought, I grabbed the Elite.
0:33...

Crouching on the hull, we held to one another. We pushed off with all our strength, multiplied by our STALLION armor.
0:00

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

The ship exploded.

Applejack clung to me.

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

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

We quietly floated towards the Raptor.

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

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

"Sure."

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

She stiffens slightly. “I see. Evidence?”

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

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

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry about Pinkie."

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Writer: Calamity
CO-WRITER: Jolttix

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