The roar of the pelican's engines could be heard as it flew above the trees. Maria had found evidence of a larger Covenant force deeper into the forest. As they delved deeper into the forest the signs became more obvious until about a couple minutes ago. The trail went completely cold and they were just running in the dark, "I think they left Rider." Maria said through her com.
"I don't know, but it is unsettling that the Covies are here." he responded.
"I agree." Maria stopped and looked around, "I think it is time to head back." before Rider could respond a scream echoed through the forest, "Or not. I will run there just be there when I need you." and with that Maria took off as fast as her suit would go without having Zalphite with her.
----
"Let me go!" a little white filly yelled as she was being carried by an elite.
"Be quiet. We are here to draw out others. Once they come and we kill them you will be free." the elite said slightly annoyed by the filly.
"Don't kill anypony else please." the filly asked hoping for the elite to change its mind.
"They are not ponies. So stop whining you dumb hors-" the elite did not finish his sentence on account of the fist in its mouth.
"Now please don't go and make the poor dear cry anymore. I hate to see children cry." Maria smiled under her helmet.
The elite pulled his head back and yelled. Suddenly Maria's motion sensor turned completely red. She looked around and saw several elites uncloaking while easily fifty grunts came out from behind the trees, and jackals pointed their beam rifles at Maria from in the trees, "Well that’s just not fair."
"Ha. Nothing is fair when it comes to you demons. So now that I have you I have no need for this dumb horse." the elite grabbed the filly's head and started to force it to turn sideways.
The filly screamed.
The ground around Maria cracked and a surge of electricity worked its way down one of her arms while the other was consumed by fire, "Let her go damit. You want me kill me I don’t care." Maria pleaded.
"She knows to much. She must die also." he said smugly.
"No." Maria growled, "She won't die, you will."
"In case you haven't noticed Demon. You are surrounded and hopelessly outgunned."
"I am no ordinary Spartan," she growled, "I am special, because of whatever brought us here." Maria was consumed by a blinding light that faded after a moment, "I am by all accounts an actual demon. Now. DIE!!" Maria yelled propelling herself forward on a pair of midnight blue demon wings. She grabbed the filly and decapitated the elite in one swift movement, "Hold on." she whispered to the filly before shooting straight up into the air over the trees, "Rider open the hatch I have a filly who needs a safe place to stay." she said into her com as she shot towards the pelican.
"Roger that. It is open." Rider responded as the pelican spun around to allow Maria to put the filly inside.
"Get this thing away from here. Only come back once the fire is gone." was all Maria said before she jumped out the back and flew towards the Covenant force, "Lets see how effective this new power of mine is." Maria dropped below the trees and started to throw fire at any Covenant that she saw. When some elites got close she lit the area around her on fire, "Come and get me you Dinos."
----
"That’s scary." the filly said as the trees started to burn.
"What is your name little one?" Rider asked as he took off his helmet.
"My name is Snow Runner."
Snow Runner looked at her back. Rider followed her gaze and he stopped cold. There was two large scabs forming on her back where the wings of a pegasus would be sitting at, "How did that happen?"
"When that meanie took me from my home after it killed my….my…..my parents."
"Zalphite. Please open locker designation Delta-Omega." Rider said coldly.
"I cannot verify the contents of that locker." Zalphite responded.
"Just open it!" he practically yelled. The large locker opened and a massive rifle was resting inside, "I was hoping that nothing would warrant me to use this." Rider pulled the .950 JDJ out of the locker, "Snow please go stand back there."
Snow nodded and ran to the front of the pelican.
Rider got onto the ground and pointed the gun towards where Maria was.
----
Maria spun around and kicked an elite in the face with lightning, "Would you all just die already!" she shouted. The ground started to shake and the elites and grunts backed away, "That’s what I thought." she turned around and saw five hunters sprinting at her, "Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit." suddenly there was a loud bang and two of the hunters dropped, "That’s a little better. Eat lightning!" she launched a torrent of lightning at the remaining hunters. The lead one died first, but the other two got behind something, "So we are going to do this the hard way." Maria grabbed two plasma grenades off of a near by elite, "Come at me bros." the firs ran at her. When it brought its shield down Maria jumped back and let it stumble before she used the shield arm as a means to jump over the hunter and put a grenade under its back plate, "Boom." she said as the hunter exploded, "Your shield brothers are dead. You can join them or you can run. The choice is yours hunter." the remaining hunter looked at the corpses of its brethren, and it charged, "Have it your way." this time when the hunter missed its shield bash it charged its plasma cannon and fired at Maria before she could jump over it, "You’re a smart one." she said as she jumped to the side, "But your not that smart." the loud bang was heard again and the hunter dropped just like the first two," Do you still want to fight us after what you have seen. No mater your numbers we will win. I am tired of taking lives. Come with me and help us defend this place and you can live an honorable life. A life of defending those who cannot. That is what true warriors are meant to do."
The remaining ten elites all put their swords away and kneeled down to Maria, "We were mistaken. Not all of you humans are ignorant it seems. You understand what the Prophets do not. Me and my brothers shall join you. Only because you are right. We have strayed from the honorable path of warriors."
"What should I call you?"
"Just Sword Brother. I will tell your orders to the others. You killed our Ship Master. You are our new leader."
"What about the grunts, and remaining jackals?"
"They will follow, but we will need a ship. We can help you obtain the one we arrived on."
"If you could retrieve it and meet me and my team back at the small town on the edge of the forest I would be grateful. There is a little filly who is terrified of you. She needs to see that you and your men mean her no harm." Maria's body glowed and the wings retracted themselves into her body.
"That is understandable." Sword Brother said as the pelican hovered over the new clearing in the forest.
"Rider it is safe to land." Maria said into her com before the pelican started its decent, "Keep all of your weapons picked up. Me and my friend have been fighting against the Covenant since the beginning. He is not the understanding type sometimes."
"Duly noted."
The pelican set down and a pissed off Rider walked out without his helmet, "Why the hell is any of them still alive!" he practically yelled, "Do you know what they did to that filly. They cut her wings off!"
"On the record. That was our old ship master. He was not honorable." the lead elite said.
"Tell that to the terrified filly in the pelican who will never know the joy of flight. She will also have to live with memory of her parents being killed in front of her." Rider snapped.
"Rider stand down!" Maria ordered, "They have agreed to right the wrongs of their dead ship master by helping defend Equestria."
"Really. How in the bloody hell do they plan to do that with this many soldiers? They can't exactly be everywhere at once." Rider responded still upset.
"They have a ship with more Covenant on it."
"We will tell them that you challenged the Ship Master to a duel for the leadership of our forces, and won. That way they will follow you and your men." the elite said.
"We should get back to Ponyville and find a place for the filly." Rider said.
"We shall meet you at the town once we have recovered our ship."
"Fine but don't expect a hostile hello. Most ponies are scared of us, and no offence but you guys are just scary." Rider said as he turned to walk back to the pelican.
"Just make sure the jackals do not try and eat any of the ponies." Maria said as she followed Rider.