The Filly of Autumn.
The cryo bay. Well, a cryo bay. This particular cryo bay was home to the pod that held the one Pony who was qualified to use Spartan armour, despite not being a Spartan.
The Pony in question had been forced to do Spartan training against her will. Why? Because somepony wasn't paying attention when they made a typo on the Spartan candidates roster.
Luckily, she didn't receive the risky genetic engineering or augmentations; the rest of the Ponies in Spartan training had been through that long before she'd been wrongfully placed amongst them.
She'd tried to speak up. Tried to get out. Tried to explain it was a mistake. But those big, gruff high ranks were extremely strict, so all they did was shout and bawl and put her through a type of hell that was designed to be hell for Spartan super soldiers. It damn near killed her. She would've been stuck in the Spartan programme forever, were it not for the invention of AI Twilight Sparkle.
Princess Twilight was stuck on Equestria, and sent forth an artificial version of herself as it was the only means a Princess like her was allowed to help. Once the AI Twilight was assigned to the Filly of Autumn, she found her friends sad and lacking one Pony. After a bit of digging, and a tiny bit of hacking, Twilight discovered the whereabouts of her friends' missing link.
Twilight and her friends were able to pull her out of Spartan training, and locate the Spartan that their friend had replaced: A particularly lazy Mare who's idea of relaxation was training with the puny non-spartans.
And that is how the Pony in the cryo tube knew how to use Spartan armour. But then why was she still in cryo when everypony else on the Autumn was prepping for battle? Simple: Spartan training had had a catastrophic effect on her physicality and her psyche. It had taken a lot out of her. Doctors said her sleep patterns may never be the same again, and for that reason, she was allowed a little extra time in bed. A well rested soldier is a useful soldier after all.
In the cryo bay, cryo tubes leaned against the walls on both sides. There were four more that leaned back to back on a central pillar. Also in the cryo bay, were two Spartan armour testing stations; one for the HUD on a Spartan helmet's visor, which wasn't applicable since the recovered armour had no helmet, and one that tested the efficiency of energy shields.
Silence and emptiness was the current state of the cryo bay. Each cryo pod had clear glass lids, soft foam padding visible within, apart from one of the four in the middle where "the chosen one" laid. Its lid was encrusted with frost from inside the chilly embrace. The Pony within; nothing more than a blur.
In front of this frosty pod, and up one level, were the windows of the observation theatre. Light flickered on and illuminated the many consoles and telemetry inside as a white Unicorn with a neon blue mane and tail and a black musical note on her flank galloped hurriedly to the centre-most console and spoke into an intercom.
"Hey Octy, you there?" her deep voice echoed from multiple speakers mounted around the cryo bay.
A dark grey, posh looking Earth Pony with a purple treble clef for a cutie mark had just jogged through one of the two doors and onto the metal deck of the cryo bay.
She wore something called a "soldier saddle:" A saddle bag that hung on the left and a mechanical arm tucked away on the right, both connected by a padded, steel band that rested on the Mare's back. The mechanical arm was designed to hold, fire and reload weapons. It also had a telepathic link with any Pony who donned the saddle, courtesy of Princess Celestia herself, who had enchanted each and every soldier saddle with her permanent magic. Well, it was called permanent magic, but truth be truth, it lasted exactly two years. Not permanent, but everypony called it permanent anyway.
The saddle bag on the left looked over loaded, and the grey Pony leaned to one side with the weight. The robot arm whirred as the Pony used her mind to tell it to un-hitch the heavy saddle bag. Once it was released, it dropped to the deck with a loud clang, and the Pony almost fell over in the opposite direction with the sudden lost of weight.
Huffing, she called up to the Unicorn Mare in the observation theatre, "I'm here, Vinyl." Her voice was just as posh as her appearance.
"Oh there you are, Octy. Haha, you camouflage really well down there!"
The Earth Pony chuckled, "Hm-hm. Come on, let's thaw her out."
Vinyl murmured as she set to work on the central console, "Alright. So I just tap that button... Open that tab... Click there... Press start... Watch the instructional video..."
"Vinyl!" Octy shouted up at her, annoyed.
"What?"
"We don't have time to watch videos! The Covenant are on their way!"
"Hey, I gotta do this right, ok!"
"I thought you already knew how to do this."
"Yeah, I kinda forgot. Hehe," Vinyl laughed sheepishly.
Octy grunted, "Ugh. I'll walk you through it."
"Ok."
Instructing her friend, Octy told, "Press the big blue icon that says "thaw.""
The Unicorn in the theatre complied. "Uh-huh, done that."
"Now there should be a list of numbers. Is there a list of numbers?"
"Yep." Her eyes widened a little. "Oh boy, that's a lot o' numbers!"
"Ok, don't panic. Just click on number twelve, and then press "confirm.""
Vinyl squinted at a readout as she opened number twelve, uttering it to herself. "Unseal the hushed casket." Shrugging off the weird caption, she proceeded to hit confirm, and then asked aloud, "Ok, now what?"
"Now we wait."
"What, that was it? That was easy!"
"Yep, and you still managed to forget."
"Hey, come on, gimme a break! I was up all night DJ-ing Moon Dancer's birthday party!"
Octy chose to ignore Vinyl.
A fair amount of time passed as the frost on the inside of the occupied cryo tube began to gradually clear, revealing a bit of yellow within.
"... So what makes this Pony so special?" Vinyl eventually asked.
"She's the only Pony on the Autumn who can use Spartan armour," informed Octy.
"Oh, so that's what's in the bag."
Peering down at said overfilled saddle bag on the floor, Octy replied with a simple, "Mm-hm."
*****
Into the mind of the cryo pod's occupant, a dream was unfolding. A sky filled with so much black smoke, it created the illusion of night. Tall flames stretched up, providing a burning ambience. She witnessed devastation spread across what was once a cheerful little village called Ponyville. Ponies ran here and there, screaming as plasma bolts and needle rounds put them down.
She looked around, frightened, no clue what to do. Them Covies could be seen lurking in the smoke at each side of her. The short Grunts, waddling forth with their triangular methane tanks on their backs. The bird-like Jackals leaping away with their glowing energy shield gauntlets. And the mighty Elites; the most cunning of all the Covenant species, duel wielding plasma rifles as they charged by, their two toed feet crunching the debris.
The Mare looked down to behold a white rabbit, laying still before her. Her yellow hoof stroked the rabbit's head gently. It didn't move. Didn't react. Just laid there on its side with its eyes closed... It didn't even breathe.
Craning her head up from the rabbit, she came face to face with a purple metal behemoth that dominated her vision. The giant Covenant war machine took up the mass of about four houses in Ponyville. Its chunky legs kept it high and firm off the ground. At the mouth of the walking tank, was an intense glowing orb, with what could only be described as a tarantula's feelers bracketing either side.
Those feelers spread open as the light in its mouth intensified, building up energy, a deafening, increasing drone as it did so.
The light shot out of the machine, burning her, popping her ears with a tremendous roar.
Her piercing scream reverberated around the cryo bay as she rose up terrified from what felt like an icy coffin. The pupils of her wide open blue eyes were reduced to dots, and sweat ran down her forehead as she huffed heavily and scanned the room.
Octy had covered her ears when she screamed, and proceeded to check, "Oh dear. Are you ok?"
"Where am I?!" the awoken one frightfully inquired.
Giving her the lowdown, Octy explained in her most reassuring voice, "It's ok. You're in cryo two, on the Filly of Autumn."
The yellow Pegasus Mare fell back into the padded cryo tube and rubbed her eyes. Tilting her head back and relaxing with her eyes shut, she ran her hooves through her long pink mane and let out a long breath of relief.
"You are Private Fluttershy, correct?" quizzed the Earth Pony.
The Pegasus opened her eyes and sat up. "Yes..."
"Captain Rarity wants to see you on the bridge, and she wants you to wear this."
Octy undid the straps of the saddle bag on the floor and lifted the underside up with her teeth. A suit of green, MJOLNIR mark 5 armour clanked out onto the deck.
With her front hooves now resting on the base of her cryo pod, Fluttershy examined the armour puzzlingly.
"Spartan armour?" she wondered aloud. "But why?"
"I don't know," admitted Octy. "Twilight said you would be debriefed when you got to the bridge."
"You are qualified to use that stuff, right?" the second voice echoed from the speakers, startling Fluttershy.
"Who said that?!"
Vinyl tapped on the glass of the observation theatre, an impassive look on her face.
"Oh. I didn't see you there." Getting to the Unicorn's question, she answered, "Well, kinda. It was all-"
"-How can you be qualified to wear Spartan armour?! You're not even a Spartan!"
Fluttershy stuttered, "Oh, um... I... I was placed into the Spartan programme by mistake... It... it's a long story."
Sighing, Vinyl announced, "Ok, whatever, we gotta get you in that armour and send you out to the bridge, right away."
Another voice entered the room via the ship-wide com. It was one of Fluttershy's friends, the AI Twilight. "Covenant boarding craft are on their way, everypony. Ready yourselves."
"Boarding craft?" Fluttershy squeaked with upward worry.
Impatiently, Vinyl demanded, "Aw, man, er... Ok, Fluttershy, just get in the armour and get to the bridge, ok. Me n' Octy gotta get ready."
Octy helped Fluttershy out of the chilly cryo tube and called back to the Unicorn, "Wait, Vinyl! We're not leaving Fluttershy until she's battle-ready."
"Then what are you waitin' for!? Get her in that armour and let's go!"
Quickly but calmly, Octy spread the Spartan armour out on the floor like a shed skin.
Before Fluttershy began suiting herself up, she took a gander at her own cutie mark. 'Twas three butterflies with bodies of blue and wings of pink, arranged in a natural way. Regret entered her heart; she had a feeling she wouldn't be seeing her cutie mark in a long, long time.
Wordlessly, Fluttershy did as Octy told her, fitting her hooves down the sleeves with ease, and zipping up the front of the metal plated body suit, thus waving goodbye to the thing that symbolised who she was.
Placing the chest plate face down on the deck, Octy said, "Now lay down on top of this. You know how to do this part, right?"
Nodding, Fluttershy hummed, "Mm-hm," in confirmation.
"Oh good, because I haven't the slightest."
The back half of the upper plating lay just next to Fluttershy and the front half. With her hooves keeping the front half against her, she rolled over onto her back, on top of the back plating, and heard the tell-tale hiss and clack that signified the two pieces locking together. Her wings were cramped in there, and she didn't like not being able to use them.
Getting up, Fluttershy searched the area for the suit's helmet, and when she couldn't find one, she nervously asked Octy, "Um... where's the helmet?"
"There isn't one," she revealed plainly.
"What?! But, how-"
"-The Spartan Pony who was originally wearin' that armour got beheaded just before he entered the ship," delivered Vinyl in a dull, rushed tone.
"Oh my gosh! That's-"
-BANG! BANG!
The sudden noise made Fluttershy yelp.
"Oh gosh! They're here!" yelled Vinyl in the observation theatre, quickly hiding behind the central console, against the window. She pulled the intercom's microphone down to her level.
"Vinyl!" wailed Octy, a hoof reaching out.
Another tremendous BANG sent the door to the observation theatre flying, and in stepped one Covenant Elite. The Elite wore the crimson armour of a veteran, and had a smooth, blue plasma rifle ready in one hand. Fluttershy's pupils shrank once again, and her jaw dropped as she inhaled.
Into the mic, Vinyl, who was out of the Elite's sight, whispered, "Don't let him know I'm behind him."
Upon hearing this, the alien warrior spun round and pointed his plasma rifle back down the corridor he came from. Vinyl seized the opportunity, leaping at the back turned Elite, spinning a full three sixty and delivering a powerful buck to his spine. The two of them tumbled out of Fluttershy's and Octy's view, but they just couldn't take their eyes off the elevated window. The sounds of a determined Vinyl and a loosing Elite could be picked up from the intercom.
Eventually, Vinyl returned with a smudge of purple alien blood on her cheek, and the Elite's plasma rifle under the power of her Unicorn magic.
"Octavia!" she called with a hard-core expression on her face. "Meet me at the armoury!"
"Certainly! But... what about Fluttershy?!"
The yellow Pegasus' head alternated between the two Ponies, when Captain Rarity's voice came buzzing over the ship-wide com. "Fluttershy? If you can hear me, I want you to get to the bridge as soon as possible!" She sounded incredibly urgent.
"You heard the lady!" Vinyl directed at Octavia, then to Fluttershy, she ordered, "Fluttershy, get to the bridge, ASAP!"
A dull boom shook the whole ship as something on the outside made an impact. The Ponies wobbled but managed to keep standing.
Reluctantly and trembling, Fluttershy answered, "Ah! Ok!"
Vinyl fired her plasma rifle down the corridor, the high pitched sounds of dying Grunts answering back. She took off out of sight and down the corridor as Octavia re-donned her soldier saddle and hurried over to the door she'd used to enter the cryo bay.
"Over here!" she hailed, beckoning Fluttershy with a hoof.
The young Pegasus ran over to Octavia as she pushed the open button to make the doors part.
"Get to the bridge, and be careful," the grey one emphasized. "I have to meet Vinyl at the armoury. Whatever reason the Captain has for your presence, it must be pretty important." And with that, Octavia spun right and went galloping down the corridor.
"Wait! You're just leaving me?!" Fluttershy called after Octavia. "... Alone?"
The grey Mare disappeared through the door at the end of the corridor.
"... On this... big... easy to get lost in... being boarded by Covenant... warship?"
Scanning the corridor left and right, not a Pony, nor a Covie was in sight. Gulping, Fluttershy turned right out of the cryo bay, and crept steadily down the corridor.
The sounds of Pony on Covenant warfare echoed around the whole ship. Bullets from Pony weapons being fired. Covenant plasma weapons firing back. Explosions that varied in volume and distance. And a mixture of Pony and Covenant war cries and dying cries. Home had become hell.
Passing a couple of pipes with another corridor on the other side, Fluttershy cautiously approached the door Octavia had galloped through, when something exploded behind it. Fluttershy screeched and backed up as fire came racing up against the door, smashing the two, tiny windows on each half and destroying the controls. Her ears rang as the corridor continued to rumble.
I hope Octavia was clear of that, she thought as she bit her bottom lip and searched around.
Noticing the other corridor on the other side of the pipes, she decided to uneasily climb over them. She would've simply flew over, but there were two problems with that. The first being that she was scared, and when scared, her wings would uncontrollably lock up. The second; even if her wings didn't lock up, this particular suit she was wearing wasn't made with Pegasi in mind, so all her wings could do was fill her armour.
Wearing the Spartan armour brought back a sea of memories she had when she was dragged through Spartan training. She'd spent a full seven months with those genetically enhanced super Ponies. Seven! And no pony thought to question her presence while she was there. Not until AI Twilight made it to the rest of her friends on the Filly of Autumn.
Well, now it was time to meet up with her friends AI Twilight and Captain Rarity. But would she make it with the invading Covenant standing in her way?
Probably not.