Halo: Celestium

by Regis-Th3-Lesser


Chapter 3

Awaken the Nightmare

“Keep them from boarding at any cost!”

Sirens blared as personnel and citizens alike scuttled around amidst the chaos. Among them, two young girls, freshly conscripted into the Builder Rate. They were frightened, excited, and anxious all at once. This was the first that they had seen of the parasite that humanity brought to their shores, and they were determined to put an end to the outbreak.

Warrior servants lined up in front of them, their light rifles buzzing with anticipation. The sisters clutched their energy pistols, ready to reign down a flurry of hard light on any flood form that dared creep through the blast doors. Then, nothing other than a blinding flash and ringing filled their field of view. Before them, scuttling infection forms made quick work of the servants unfortunate enough to be at the head of the formation. There she saw it, and never wanted to witness it again. There, she had seen the horror of what was called nothing but a simple infestation, and how it twisted its hosts very flesh in the most sickening way imaginable. She took her sister and fled from the nightmare than pursued them. But… you can’t run forever


Starlight sat in her room reading up on flight spells. From the moment Rainbow showed her that she could punch through the sound barrier with ease, she had wondered if there was a way to match those seemingly superluminal speeds. As she flipped through the pages, a blinding flash came through her window, illuminating the crystals and blinding her. Soon afterward a dense concussive boom ripped through the halls shattering her windows raining shards of crystalline glass upon her.

She blinked the spots out of her vision and checked to make sure none of the glass had embedded itself in her flesh. Aside from a minor cut to her right flank and a slight ringing in her ears, she was okay.

“Starlight! Starlight!” Trixie came stumbling in with one eye covered.

“Are you okay, Trixie?” She came to her friend's aid, sitting her on the bed and cautiously moving her hoof from her eye. She was relieved to see that it hadn’t sustained any visible injury.

“W-What was that!” Trixie was in a state of hysteria, hyperventilating and shaking violently.

“I don’t know,” Starlight fanned her with her magic and looked to where the blast came from. In the distance, she could make out a mushroom cloud sitting on the horizon. She gasped, “Are you going to be okay?”

Trixie nodded and laid out on the glass covered bed, not at all bothered by the shards poking at her skin. She could hear the panicked screams of ponies streaming in with dust clogging her lungs as she dashed towards the map room. She burst through the doors, finding the green glowing orb zipping around muttering to himself. He zipped around sharply, unnerving starlight with his single glowing green eye.

“You! Native!” He flew directly in her face, giving her a good view of the light powering the monitor. “Do you know of any way to reach the Mistresses!”

“I-I don’t know. I could probably teleport us there. Wait! What happened?”

Lucky returned swiftly to the map that had shown a red pulsing orb directly over the Changeling Kingdom. “Thorax...” Starlight said to herself.

“I thought that the reclaimer ship would bleed off some velocity before it reached the ground, but that explosion was the result.

“That’s where they were heading,” Starlight studied the map closely. “We need to help them!”

“Not so fast native. I will go assist the Mistresses. You stay here.”

“No! My friends are in trouble! You aren’t going anywhere without me!” Starlight stamped her foot, asserting her stance.

“This is not a debate! The flood is on Caballus and we do not need any one of you to become a host! There may already be too many for us to handle without the Sentinels!”

Starlight's horn sparked as she backed Lucky down, “I don’t know, or care about what the flood is! My mentor could possibly be in danger! Either you come with me and find the princesses, or I go alone!” She growled, staring daggers into Lucky’s simulated soul.

“As you wish, now come. We need to locate the nearest matter transport.” He started to float away.

“Matter transport?”

“Yes. You said that we were going to teleport.”

“Oh! I can teleport us there.”

Though he didn’t have any facial structure, starlight could feel the skepticism radiating from his carapace. “You can?”

“Yeah, just come here.”

“We do not have time for games, native.”

“It’s Starlight and I’m not playing any games,” She left this plane of existence and reappeared at the door with a magical flash.

“Absolutely Fascinating!” Lucky twirled. “Once we get this infestation under control, I’d like to study you in depth.”

Starlight imagined being poked and prodded by cold metal rods while lying under intense light. “I’ll… take a rain check,” she chuckled. “Now come on!”

Just as she was about to ignite her horn, Trixie came towards her with a hoof to her head. “Wait!” She called out.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but you aren’t doing it without me.”

“Trixie,” Starlight said in a motherly tone. “You need to rest. We don’t know if that blast scrambled your insides.”

“Trixie's innards are none of your concern!” She proclaimed proudly, before placing her hoof back on her head.

“Trixie…”

“I’m fine. My head just hurts a little. Besides, you know you’ll need somepony as powerful as moi to watch your back.”

Starlight sighed with a smile. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Trixie isn’t encumbered by a simple headache, Starlight,” She huffed with pride.

“Okay…” Starlight looked at the map one last time. A deep pit of fear and anxiety took up residence deep within her gut. She focused on the Changeling hive and in a snap they were gone.


Dust clogged her lungs and stuck to her pure alabaster fur. Rarity paced throughout the car, pondering on the whereabouts and wellbeing of her friends. Pinkie sat with Luna while she gently rubbed Fluttershy’s head. It had been well over two hours since Twilight and Celestia left them to search for survivors. She looked towards the epicenter of the blast wondering just what exactly could survive anything as terrifying as that. Deep in her gut anxiety grew as she wondered why they would leave so suddenly and without the three of them that remained. She looked over at Fluttershy sleeping soundly in Luna’s arms. Luna hadn’t said a word since she and Pinkie woke up, but she could tell that something deeply bothered her. Luna met Rarity’s gaze. Her eyes were red and heavy, her breathing labored and raspy.

“Are you alright?” Rarity asked while gently approaching the princess.

Luna gave her a weary smile, “I am well…”

Rarity knew all too well that Luna was taxed beyond belief, but she didn’t know what could have caused it. As soon as she was about to inquire further, a loud thud came from behind them. Rarity and Pinkie immediately took a defensive stance, ready to destroy what dared to ambush them. Moments passed until a familiar green light bathed the entire car.

“We have survivors here!”

“L-Lucky?” Luna asked in relief and confusion.

From behind him the silhouette of two unicorns came through the dust.

“I recognize that cowlick bang anywhere!” Pinkie collided with Starlight knocking every ounce of air from her lungs.

“Glad to see you’re okay Pinkie…” Starlight groaned. “Where are the others?”

“Luna, Fluttershy, and Rarity are on the train,” Pinkie replied while standing Starlight up and fixing her bang.

“What about Twilight?”

Pinkie’s smile vanished as she looked out to the faint smokey silhouette of the Changeling hive. Starlight had never seen Pinkie deflate in such a manner before. The eerie glow of a fire backlit the towering spire.

“How… How could anypony- anything… survive that?” In truth, she knew the answer, but before here half of the elements say with a princess. “How did you survive?”

“That was easy!” Pinkie bounced, instantly regaining her usual boundless energy. “I have no idea!”

“I was able to cast a partial shield that took some of the energy from that blast…” She ran her hoof through Fluttershy’s hair. “But not all…”

“Fear not, elements of harmony! The great and Powerful Trixie is here to usher you to safety, with the help of my stalwart assistant, Starlight!” Trixie announced as her cape flared with her gaudy entrance sending fresh dust swirling about the cabin.

“‘Tact’ isn’t common in your vocabulary, is it?” Lucky remarked while scanning Fluttershy. Trixie looked around as if she’d been wrongly accused.

“What? I at least want them to know that they are going to be rescued.”

“And, what-” Rarity sneezed, annoyed that she didn’t have anything to wipe her snout with. All of the napkins and such were tarnished by the dust. “Nevermind…”

“Well, she’ll live, but not without adverse medical issues,” Lucky spoke drawing all eyes to him.

“Such as?” Rarity asked.

“She’s broken a joint in her wing, a fractured rib, and her eardrums are completely ruptured. Other than that, she’s fine.”

“You call that fine?” Starlight interjected. “She needs a doctor, now!”

“How? Luna is too weak to get us home?” Rarity added.

“You’re a unicorn too. Why haven’t you done anything?”

“Because Trixie. I am a fashionista, a seamstress. Teleportation and transmogrification spells aren’t my norm. That is not to say that I cannot do them, but the results may not be… favorable.”

“Okay, Trixie and I will get you guys out of here, then I’ll come back for Luna-”

“No!” Luna rose with Fluttershy resting gently on her back. “Take these three home and make sure they receive medical help.” she looked over the flattened forest to the smoldering hive. “My sister and Twilight have been gone far too long.”

“I’ll go with you!” Starlight stamped her hoof with pride.

“No, you are not,” Luna spoke firmly.

“You can’t go by yourself, princess. I can see how exhausted you are.”

Luna wanted to off Starlight for assuming that she was in any capacity incapable of handling herself in the presence of changelings, but she knew that the more they bickered, the sooner they’d be close to death.

“Very well then, but only because we do not have the time to argue.”

“Mistress, wait!” Lucky flew in front of her as if he were blocking her way. “You can’t go. At least, not until we’ve released the sentinels.”

“The…” Luna’s expression quickly morphed into one of fear, anger, and worry. “Why did you wait until now to tell me!”

“It doesn’t matter when I told you, you know now. You can’t go in there. We can’t risk both of you falling to the infection.”

“Those bastards won’t get the chance!” Luna spat before spreading her wings and taking off, leaving billowing clouds of dust in her wake.

Starlight coughed and looked up at Lucky, “W-what are the sentinels?”

“They’re a basic defense ancilla designed to combat flood forms. I told you this back in that room.”

“The explosion may have rattled me…” Starlight coughed again. “Trixie! Teach Rarity how to teleport and get out of here!”

“I can teleport!” Rarity fumed.

“Wait! Didn’t you hear what he just said? It’s too dangerous!”

“I know, but Luna could end up like…” The thought of Twilight being taken by the flood shot through her mind, leaving a pit of angst deep in her belly. “I’m going, okay? These three needs the Great Trixie to guide them home!”

Trixie flared her cape and tipped her hat. “I’m happy that you’re finally realizing my importance.”

Starlight chuckled and enveloped herself in her aura.

“Wait!” Trixie called out. “Please be careful…”

Starlight had never heard Trixie be sincere, or scared. “Don’t worry. I cab handle it. Come on Lucky!”

“And risk the flood using my knowledge again the mistresses? No thank you. I am going to return to the castle and figure out why the sentinels have yet to arrive.”

Starlight dismissed him with a wave and flew away, soon being lost to the dusty sky.