Chapter 7: Let There be Light
Mashing the pedal into the hoof-well, Applejack manoeuvred the four wheel drive beast up a hill. Rooster tails of dirt were flung up by the Warthog's chunky tires as it dug muddy grooves into the ground.
Coming over the hill, the vehicle caught some air. Fluttershy's stomach lurched as she screamed, Applejack and Derpy whooping.
Fluttershy didn't feel very comfortable, so she attempted to reason with AJ. "Um, Applejack? Is it ok if-"
Spinning the steering wheel, AJ sent the Warthog into a skid and drifted easily around a rock.
"-Aaaahh!" Giving up, Fluttershy bit her lower lip and held on for dear life to the dashboard.
The Warthog sped down a dusty slope, rock faces rising up at each side. They emerged into a large, dry wash where they stopped before the gaping mouth of a cave, if that's what it was called.
The "cave" appeared to be made of the same metallic metal that the energy emitting spire was made out of. Tall and wide, the poorly lit tunnel could probably squeeze in a Pelican drop ship. Dim blue lights travelled along the tunnel's skirting, providing the only illumination, until Applejack flicked on the Warthog's headlights.
Observing, Twilight analysed, "This cave is not a natural formation. Someone built it, so it must lead somewhere."
"Um... ok," Fluttershy warbled, glad that the Warthog was no longer moving, but daunted by the gargantuan alien cave.
Even Applejack seemed a little unnerved. "Well." Gulp. "I guess we gotta go through it, right?"
Twilight didn't seem fazed at all. In fact, she was rather excited. "Of course! Isn't that great?"
"Uuhh..."
Straining, Derpy attempted to pronounce, "-Alright! Let's go spereh... lerunkah... keke-rereh... muffin peluffin!" almost as excited as Twilight, only for a more "oblivious" reason.
Cautiously, Applejack drove the Warthog into the cave at a steady speed that Fluttershy was totally ok with.
Twilight mentioned to Derpy, "I believe the word you're looking for is "spelunking.""
"Spe-what-ing?!"
"Hm-hm, never mind."
Further down the tunnel, the three Mares lumbered over what resembled a speed bump. The Warthog LRV's bouncy suspension shook the Ponies in their seats.
On the walls, the Warthog's headlights swung across whilst rounding a bend. The only noise in the gloomy tunnel was the constant growling of the vehicle's engine.
The mood in the Warthog was plain; Applejack and Fluttershy too spooked out by the howling glumness. There to lighten the mood however, was Derpy.
"Hey Applejack!" she called from the rear mounted chain gun. "Did your brother make it off the Autumn ok?"
Distracted, the driver answered, "Uh... yes... Yes he did."
Are you sure? Fluttershy wondered.
"Cool! Y'think he'll be waiting for us on the other side of this tunnel?"
"I don't know, Derpy. It'd be nice if he was, but... I don't know."
The Warthog took a right turn, rode over a speed bump, and turned left.
"How is Big Macintosh?" the AI nosed.
As AJ swung the Hog down a descent on the left, she told, "... He was fine when I left him. He got on a lifeboat. I would've got on it too, but... it was full. I ordered him to stay on it while I looked for another one."
At the bottom of the descent, Applejack veered the Warthog left.
"Well I'm sure wherever he is, he's doing just fine."
A fair bit of driving later, and the Hog of Ponies came out into a massive, artificial cavern. Like the tunnels, it wasn't very well lit. A bottomless chasm kept the left wall separate from the metal ground, as well as splitting the floor in two. To the right, an incredibly steep incline held a ledge that ran along the wall.
The "road" that led out of the tunnel cut an elevated line across the flat surface. The surface at either side of the road featured unexplained, blocky objects. Some of the objects were simple, chunky, box-like things, while others were tall, slanted spires. With gentle blue lights running up and around them, the objects were arranged into neat little clusters.
The gap in the road was bracketed by two tall, triangular frames that stood at each side of the chasm.
Out of the clusters of strange objects, the multi-coloured Covenant emerged and began shooting at the vehicle. Green and blue plasma bolts flashed through the air. Glowing pink needles curved eagerly towards them. And a plasma grenade detonated on the road ahead.
"Oh no!" worried the shy as Applejack hit the accelerator. She had been praying not to encounter any monsters down here.
"Get to it, Derp!" the driving Mare ordered, spurring the gunner into action.
"I'm already at it!"
BABABABABANG, chattered the Warthog's heavy machine gun, spewing out whopping anti-armour rounds at a rapid rate.
AJ sped the Hog to the edge of the chasm, skidding the vehicle around and back the way they came, Derpy firing and firing into the Covenant troops at either side of the elevated road.
"Keep hittin' em, Derpy!"
Derpy sprayed those bullets everywhere like she had lost control of a fire hose, scoring nothing but lucky shots on the evil aliens, killing most Grunts instantly.
Fluttershy just kept her head down while Derpy and Applejack did all the work, praying it would be over soon.
Up ahead, a lone Jackal crouched behind his blue shield in the middle of the road. His plasma pistol came into view through the notch to the left of his translucent circle. Shaking, the pistol summoned up a super bright green light; he was overcharging the weapon.
"Applejack! Look out!" yelled Twilight as the Jackal set his overgrown plasma bolt free.
Applejack swivelled the wheel, sending the automobile sliding down the elevation and flattening one Grunt who had the poor judgement to be in their way.
Derpy ducked to avoid the sizzling ball of green plasma, and opened fire upon the Jackal as the Warthog climbed back up onto the road. Taking two bullets to the skull, the bird-like alien was thrown to the ground.
Once the Hog arrived at the tunnel they'd come out of, Applejack drifted them around and drove back down the road. She repeated this; going back and forth, back and forth, allowing Derpy to pick off the Covies one by one, until one blue armoured Elite remained.
Taking cover behind one of the blocky objects, he fired his needler at the approaching vehicle. Shards of pink crystal shattered against the turret's armour as Derpy fired the LAAG, converting his block of metal into a block of Swiss cheese.
Flashing abruptly, the alien's shields popped, leaving him vulnerable, so he fled up a narrow, built in aperture that lead up to the ledge on the right wall.
Turning off the road and parking by the aperture, the Warthog screeched to a stop as Applejack unharnessed herself and jumped down to the engraved floor.
"Derpy, stay in the Warthog! Fluttershy, yer on me!"
Still in the Hog, and feeling quite scared, Fluttershy grated, "W-what?! W... where are we going?!"
Twilight stole Applejack's answer. "If there's someway to cross this chasm, it will likely be where that Elite just ran!"
"C'mon, Fluttershy!" AJ beckoned.
"Oohh! Can't I just stay here?" protested the disinclined Mare.
"No, Fluttershy!" Twilight projected. "I will be needed to interact with the alien technology. Now go after that Elite, before his shields recharge!"
Unstrapping herself and climbing down from the Warthog, Fluttershy whimpered, "Oh no - oh no - oh no!" and galloped over to the advancing Applejack, Derpy watching over them.
"Twilight?" Fluttershy trembled with upward worry. "Is the Elite on your sensor?"
The AI's reply was worrying. "Not anymore. He ran to the top of this ramp and around the corner, and that's when he disappeared. So unless he's moved really slowly away, he should be waiting for us right around the bend."
Fluttershy peered up the narrow ramp and at the left hoof corner at the top. Knowing there was big ugly alien around that corner wanting to kill her was enough to make her knees give.
"I... I really don't want to go around there!"
"Why would ya have to?" asked Applejack, puzzled. "He's round there in them close quarters, and we're down here." Retrieving a round, green frag from her saddle bag, she added, "With grenades."
Fluttershy watched on in trepidation as her friend bit the pin off the grenade and sent it on its way. It ricocheted around the corner, prompting a surprised grunt from the waiting Elite. With an all mighty BOOM, the grenade exploded, sending the Elite screaming high into the air. He thudded down into the corridor, his limp form slumped against the wall.
"Ha! Well done, Applejack!" announced Twilight gleefully. "The area is secure."
Rearing up and spinning her front hooves in celebration, Applejack laughed, "Alrighty then! Let's find a way to cross this chasm! Yeehaw!" Up the ramp she galloped, Fluttershy trailing behind.
Around the corner, the corridor inclined less steeply. It was preposterously narrow; barely enough room for two Ponies to walk side by side.
Forced into a one by one formation, AJ and Fluttershy trotted along. The rising corridor levelled out into the ledge. It carried on for quite a while, out over the yawning abyss, where it came to an end with a holographic panel framed by metal.
Semi-transparent, the control panel looked quite similar to AI Twilight's Alicorn avatar. The two Ponies gazed at it, marvelled by its light and shifting displays.
"Analysing," Twilight informed, studying the translucent display. "Hmmm... These are controls... to extend a bridge."
Thoughtfully, Fluttershy questioned, "Are we allowed to use it?"
AJ turned to stare at her.
"What if the creators of this world don't want us to use it?" Her imagination began to run away from her. "What if they don't want us here at all? What if they team up with the Covenant to fight us off this ring?!"
Applejack plainly countered, "Now why would they team up with the Covenant? Surely they'd rather team up with us, right? We're the nice ones."
"Regarding your first question," Twilight started, bringing Fluttershy back down to earth. "I've been analysing the ring world's architecture for some time now. I didn't want to come to a final verdict without more intel, but the pattern is uncanny."
Fluttershy and Applejack listened on, confused.
"This ring world is over one hundred thousand years old."
Astonished, the two Mares whickered, and Applejack asked, "You sure about that, Twi?"
"I'd like to gather more evidence to back this up, but all the structures I've examined so far have been at least one hundred thousand years old. The bridge, the energy emitter, this place. These are all individual structures though: The ring could be even older!"
"Oh my gosh!" gasped Fluttershy, dumbstruck.
"So to answer your question; yes. Unless the creators of this place have life spans that last over one hundred thousand years, I'm pretty sure we can use these controls without getting into trouble."
One hundred thousand years! That was amazing! Aside from the Covenant, the crew of the Autumn were likely to be the first beings to set hoof on this ring in, well, one hundred thousand years! As daunted as Fluttershy was, she couldn't help but feel immensely privileged, especially as she was about to interact with the millennia old bridge controls... if she could figure out how to use them.
Scratching her head, Applejack quizzed, "Uh, Twilight? How exactly do we use these controls?"
"Another good question. Fluttershy, please make contact with the holo-panel."
Touching the ancient gizmo, Fluttershy felt like she was making a giant leap for pony-kind. She felt like all eyes were on her, and that made her feel slightly intimidated.
Nether the less, she easily placed a hoof onto a random spot on the controls.
Reading, Twilight explained, "Aha! Press the orange button to the lower left. That will extend the bridge."
Obeying, the yellow pioneer gently tapped said representation with the tip of her hoof, and darted her gaze around the colossal cavern upon hearing a deep rumbling echo all around. At first, she thought it was an earthquake, or they were being bombarded by Covenant weapons from above ground, but there were no tremors to confirm these.
In the gap below, beautiful stars began to twinkle. The rumbling died down and made way for a magical, sparkly sound. More stars appeared in the gap, their combined light intensifying. Smoothly, the light took the shape of a magnificent bridge, spanning the gorge.
"Whoa nelly," commented AJ as the two Ponies were sucked into a trance.
Derpy's voice could be picked up from the distant Warthog. "Wow!"
Snapping them out of it, Twilight cheered, "Great! Now we can cross the chasm and locate the lifeboats!"
Together, Applejack and Fluttershy trotted back to the Hog.
When they arrived at the Warthog, Derpy enquired, "Is that the bridge?"
"Yep, that's the bridge alright!" Twilight returned. "Ahh, I can't wait to cross it! Can any of you?"
Scratching the back of her head, Applejack hesitated, "Well, uh..."
Fluttershy spoke dead-pan, "I can wait."
"Oh come on! Let's test it out."
Into the Warthog, the Ponies heedfully approached the semi-transparent bridge. Applejack didn't bother harnessing herself in as she parked the car in front of the light and dismounted. She stood before the blue, luminous crossing, unsure.
"Go ahead," Twilight pushed. "Give it a stomp. I assure you, it's quite safe."
Applejack did go ahead, banging a hoof onto the hardened light. It was as if she were treading on tiles.
Dumbfounded, Applejack wondered, "How in tarnation is it doin' that?"
"The excited photons have displaced the air around the path of light, making it coherent." Remembering that not everypony was an AI, Twilight added the synonym, "Solid."
Derpy pondered, "What's a photon? And why are they all so excited? Is it somepony's birthday?!"
Non-sequirters like that reminded Fluttershy of Pinkie Pie.
Wordlessly, AJ hopped back into the driver's seat and harnessed herself in.
Before she hit the accelerator, she checked with Twilight, "Can this fancy bridge take the weight of a Warthog? When I think o' heavy liftin', I don't think of light."
""Can it handle the weight of one Warthog?" Ha!" Twilight laughed superiorly. "This bridge can handle the weight the whole Filly of Autumn!"
AJ raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I may be exaggerating a little there, hehe."
Disengaging the LRV's hoofbrake, Applejack checked on the shivering yellow Pegasus. "You ready for this?"
"No!" came her frightened reply as she hid her face behind her hooves.
In a gentle tone, Twilight assured, "It'll be fine, Fluttershy. Trust me." Then to Applejack, she commanded, "Hit it!"
The farmer gulped before stomping on the pedal, the Warthog's wheels spinning in response.
The Hog screeched onto the holo-bridge and sailed over the bottomless chasm on nothing more than a beam of light. AJ kept her hooves fixed to the steering wheel, and her eyes fixed to the view ahead. A grin touched her lips.
As Derpy breathed, "Whoa," Fluttershy peeked out from her mane.
Peering over the vehicle's side skirt, she gazed at the glittering, mesmerizing road of light whizzing by beneath her. It was breath taking. Stars reflected in her eyes and she gasped with wonderment. An awe inspired smile grew on her face as the dazzling light raced by.
There's nothing to be afraid of.
Safely and soulfully, the three Ponies and their vehicle made it across the chasm.
Speeding through the network of tunnels, the Warthog LRV skidded left and right, the headlights wiping across the ancient walls. The image of the beautiful light bridge was still fresh in Fluttershy's mind, and she wouldn't be forgetting it for a long, long while.
Over her armour's exterior speaker, Twilight informed, "I have good news and bad news, regarding Captain Rarity."
The two Ponies up front glanced at each other.
"Good news is; Rarity's still alive."
Applejack and Fluttershy sighed with relief, before the latter enquired, "And the bad news?"
"The bad news is; she's being held on a Covenant Cruiser; the Truth and Reconciliation."
Applejack nickered with surprise.
"A C-c-covenant Cruiser?!" stuttered the shy, unable to imagine what horrors Rarity could be going through on a Covenant ship.
"Yes. Her lifeboat landed safely at a far away section of the ring world. I sent a Pelican pilot to evac her and the bridge crew, but when she got there, the Covenant were marching them into one of their Spirits."
The Hog's tires screeched as AJ put the vehicle into a power slide and rounded a corner.
"But, why would they take 'er alive?" Applejack asked, bewildered. "The Covenant never take anypony alive."
Twilight theorised, "Well it seems they've changed tactics. She's the Captain; she knows where to find Equestria. I'd imagine they're interrogating her."
"Woah boy, that aint good."
Derp-struck, the gunner interrogated, "How do you know all this?"
Giddily, the AI giggled, "Teehee, I hacked into the Covenant battle net! They're actually broadcasting on unencrypted channels! They have no idea who they're dealing with."
Jostling, the Warthog ascended an incline topped with a left turn.
Applejack seemed rather impressed. "Eavesdroppin' on the Covenant, eh? Hehaha! Nice work, Twilight."
"Your welcome," replied the AI. She then mentioned, "Fluttershy, I'm using your suit's trans-com system to monitor their chatter."
Paranoid, the yellow Mare pondered, "Oh, there's no way they can trace us, is there?"
"Not a chance."
Around the left bend was another slope, and as the car easily powered itself up it, sunlight spilled into the cave. The warm light found Fluttershy's face, and she enjoyed every bit of it.
Exiting the underground complex, the Ponies rode the Warthog onto the lush green grass and up a rolley-polley hill.
Fluttershy remembered how she was scared the moment she'd sat herself down in the Warthog, but after exploring those murky, cold caves, she didn't really care anymore. Applejack was a great driver, and Fluttershy would trust her with her life.
Not huddled up anymore, the yellow Pegasus let her graceful yet grubby pink mane blow in the cool, refreshing breeze. She closed her eyes and inhaled, the clean air feeling fantastic in her lungs.
Jumping up over the top of the hill, the Warthog caught some air, and Derpy cheered, "Weee!"
It lifted Fluttershy's spirits, and she subsequently let out a tiny, "Woohoo," of pleasure.
Her lips were parched, in need of water, and to her surprise, she got some. Lovely spring water splashed up into her face, wetting her mane. Applejack had just driven through a shallow stream. The farm Pony chuckled at the sight of a confused, wet Fluttershy. The two of them giggled.
Stopping by the river, the three Mares dismounted, and Fluttershy hurried over to the flowing, clear water.
Taking her empty canteen out of her saddle bag, she gratified her Earth Pony friend for the rest stop. "Thanks for stopping, Applejack. I haven't had a drink since before cryo. I'm so thirsty."
Whilst filling her canteen with the running water, she heard Applejack say, "I didn't stop for the water."
Fluttershy looked back at her. "Huh?"
"I stopped for... that!" She and Derpy were standing on top of a crest, and she pointed at something on the other side.
Putting her thirst on hold, Fluttershy walked up beside Applejack and Derpy to behold a crashed lifeboat. It had carved an arrow straight trench into the ground. No pony, dead or alive, could be seen in the vicinity. Odd.
Whoever had been in the lifeboat had moved on, and left a little something behind: An elongated S2 AM sniper rifle. The long black weapon lay in the trench with one clip of ammunition. Its thin barrel stretched out and was tipped with a silencer. Below the barrel, a bipod was tucked up, out of the way. A spectacular scope sat atop the main body of the weapon, capable of incredible zooming.
Regarding the lack of Ponies, Twilight conjectured, "Any survivors will have likely sought refuge in an area easier to defend from the Covenant."
The lifeboat lay between the stream and a rock face, and from the other side of that rock face, one of those blue orbs of energy soared up into the sky.
"Oooo," swooned Derpy.
From her own experience, Applejack surmised, "Aha! I bet they took cover at that there alien thingy!"
Twilight agreed, "You're right. We should get there."
"Alrighty then!" Applejack collected the abandoned sniper rifle and its clip. "Fluttershy, Derpy, get some water down y'all n' saddle up! We've got survivors to rescue."
Fluttershy ran back to the river and scooped up enough water to fill her flask to the brim. After twisting the lid on, she chucked it into her bag and took five rushed laps of water from the stream.
Wiping her mouth, she let out an "aahh" of refreshment, and hurried back to the Warthog.
AJ and Derpy had drank from their own flasks, and were waiting in the Warthog for her. Once she'd strapped herself into the passenger seat, Applejack offered her the sniper rifle.
"Here ya go, Fluttershy."
"You're giving this to me?" she asked, flattered, but not really wanting it. "But why?"
Applejack catalogued, "Well I figured since I'm drivin', n' Derpy's gunnin', you could offer us some sniper support."
"But... I have terrible aim."
"Aw shoot, ya can't be any worse than Derpy," chortled Applejack, nodding her head at said Mare.
With her odd facing eyes, Derpy defended, "Hey! My aim is just fine! I'm so good at aiming; I can aim everywhere at once!"
"Hehe, yeah. I noticed."
Joining in, Twilight encouraged, "Go on, Fluttershy. It only has eight bullets. You might not even have to use them."
Staring around at the two visible faces, Applejack's full of hope and Derpy's derped, she came to a decision, and grunted, "Ugh, fine," grudgingly accepting the sniper rifle.
"Way'd'go, Fluttershy," Twilight said happily as Applejack set the Hog in motion along the stream. "Now let's find those survivors."
The Ponies came up over a hill sandwiched between two cliffs, and beheld a second energy emitting spire, identical to the one Applejack and her herd had been using as a base. A scattering of pipelines and mini structures were situated in a similar fashion, along with the usual rocks and trees. Over the horizon, the gigantic orange gas giant provided an amazing view.
From the ancient alien spire, another ball of blinding energy was sent on its way.
From their position on top of the hill, Fluttershy, Applejack and Derpy spied a large number of Covenant troops searching around the installation.
"Y'know, Fluttershy, now would be the perfect time to try out that sniper rifle o' yours," hinted the driver with a grin.
Looking down at the sniper rifle she clutched in her little hoovesies, Fluttershy gulped, and was just about to respond, when a new, barely familiar voice bellowed over the landscape.
"Yoohooo!"
The three Mares in the Hog and every Covenant soldier flicked their heads towards the voice's unseen source.
Once their attention had been grabbed, six of the Covies were suddenly levitated into the air. Frightened and helpless, the Grunts, Jackals and Elites struggled for release from whatever had them in its grasp. Higher and higher, the aliens rose, until they were way above the spire.
The Hog squad watched on in wonderment, perplexed by whatever they were seeing happen.
Just as astonished as the sentients, Twilight remarked, "I'm detecting Unicorn magic... That's some powerful Unicorn magic!"
Taking it upon herself, Fluttershy leaned out of the vehicle and telepathically made the arm of her soldier saddle switch her MA5B for the sniper, not to snipe the enemies, just so she could get a better look at whatever the hay was going on. She noticed a faint, purple, tingling aura surrounding each alien, similar to the real Twilight Sparkle's Alicorn magic.
The aliens' ascent began to slow as they reached some sort of climax, the three different species screaming in horror. They hung suspended for a beat, the energy emitter coughing up another huge energy ball.
Unexpectedly, the Covies were dropped - no. They weren't dropped. They were slammed directly into the ground. Their fall was faster than if gravity alone were responsible.
All of them died immediately, their blood and internals spilling out all over the dented field, save for one unlucky veteran Elite, who's shields had absorbed at least half the impact. The crimson warrior frantically dragged himself to a couple of rookie Elites who hadn't been lifted, screaming like a little school Filly.
In an instant, he was captured once more by the Unicorn's spell, as well as the two blue armoured bipeds, and all at once, they were tossed up like toys. The three bugs splattered against the side of the spire and slid down to the balcony, leaving gruesome purple blood in their wake.
From a crevice in the cliff to the left, came a stampede of marine armoured Ponies. The remaining Grunts and Jackals were simply mowed down by a barrage of MA5B ammo, M6D ammo, and funnily enough, S2 AM ammo.
Amongst the rampaging Ponies, was a big red Stallion with a short orange mane and tail. His eyes were green and he had freckled cheeks. He was the one with the sniper rifle.
"It's ma brother!" hurrahed Applejack, pumping a hoof in the air. "Yes! Come on!"
Over the moon, Applejack put the Warthog into a steady descent down the hill and amongst the complex. Once she'd moved the Warthog into the soldiers' midst, one last Covie jumped out in front of them; a blue Elite.
As quickly as he appeared, Applejack's big brother, Big Mac, arrived and bucked the armoured monster with both back hooves, killing it instantaneously.
Switching off the engine, Applejack leapt from the Warthog and ran over to her brother. "Big Macintosh!"
Fluttershy and Derpy watched from the Warthog as the two Earth Ponies greeted each other with a hug.
"Oh, I'm so glad yer safe, big brother! You doin' ok?"
Pulling out of the hug, the bulky Stallion smiled warmly and replied, "Eeyup."
Fluttershy knew Big Mac. She didn't know a lot about him, but she knew enough to call him a friend. He was a very reserved Stallion, probably more so than herself. He rarely spoke words other than "eeyup" and "nope," but she had heard him say other things plenty of times before. Also, he was immensely strong, as he'd demonstrated with putting down a fully shielded Elite with a single buck.
Dismounting the Hog, Fluttershy paced over to the two siblings, the rest of the troops walking around gratifying each other.
"Hello, Big Mac," Twilight's voice came out of Fluttershy.
Confused, Big Mac looked at the yellow Pegasus, who waved sheepishly.
"It's me, Twilight. I've been uploaded to Fluttershy's armour."
"... Ehehehehe," he chuckled, his sister standing merrily by his side. "Hi."
I knew he could say other things.
Getting down to business, Twilight quizzed the Stallion, "So, where's your commanding officer? And for that matter, who pulled off that amazing magic trick?!"
"Uhh..." Big Mac stepped aside and pointed to a darkened crevice in the cliff.
Applejack and Fluttershy gazed into the black hole curiously, where a shadowy figure in standard armour lingered. As the Pony stepped slowly out of the shadows, a purple, pointed hat strewn with stars came into view upon her head. The blue coated Unicorn's horn creased the hat's brim. Her white-blue mane hung down and styled into a neat little hook. Those dull purple eyes narrowed as she smirked and approached the group.
Twilight gasped and uttered, "Trixie," distastefully.
Applejack didn't sound too pleased to see her either. "You."
Laughing, Trixie spoke in third person, "Ahahahaha! What's wrong? Are you not overjoyed to have found Trixie?"
"I don't trust you," revealed AJ, pointing at the blue Mare.
Big Mac glared at Trixie.
Walking over to Big Mac, Trixie queried, "Now what reason could you possibly have to not trust Trixie? It's not like she ever mistreats or outshines anypony, right?"
Carefree, Trixie hauled herself up onto Big Mac and took a seat, her rear hooves dangling over his side. The red Stallion looked quite cross.
"Trixie!" bellowed Applejack. "I order you to get down off ma brother immediately."
Trixie laughed back, "Ha! Order me all you like, hayseed. Trixie outranks you." She turned her nose up at the Earth Pony.
"You don't outrank me!" AJ protested sternly. "I'm a Staff Sergeant!" She showed off the insignia on her armour's chest plate, identifying her as the Staff Sergeant she was.
Patronizingly, Trixie revealed, "And Trixie is also a Staff Sergeant."
"No yer not," spat the orange Mare.
Wordlessly, the blue Unicorn pointed to her own insignia, grinning smugly. She was indeed a Staff Sergeant.
Frustrated, Applejack grumbled, "Ugh! How could somepony like you become a Staff Sergeant?!"
Getting in her face, Trixie exclaimed, "Did you not see what the great and powerful Trixie just accomplished with nothing more than her own magic?! Trixie earned her promotion by being the incredible and heroic Mare that she is."
Applejack sighed. "Twilight, help me out here."
"Listen, Trixie, you may ha-"
"-Twilight?! Bwaha! Is that you?!" Looking down at Fluttershy from her Big Mac sofa, she spoke, "Oohh, and this must be the Pony who's gonna lead us to victory." She motioned her hoof at the yellow Mare.
"That's right. And if it's victory you want, then you better do as you're told and help her in any way you can."
"She needs help, huh? Thought so," Trixie mocked, reclining back on Big Mac's mane and slurping from her flask through a swizzle straw.
Shamefully, Fluttershy looked at the ground, ears drooped.
"I'll have you know; Fluttershy here defeated an entire Covenant search team, and one Banshee, all by herself," Twilight stuck up for her friend. "Without flying, and without using magic."
"A search team and a Banshee?! Don't make me laugh."
"Well she did. Oh, and if you're waiting for somepony to outrank you, you can count me."
Trixie didn't buy it. "Ha! You're not even real. You're just a digital representation of a high and mighty Princess, who's too cowardly to join her precious friends on the battlefield."
Outraged, Fluttershy asserted, "It's not like that at all. Staying in Equestria is her royal duty, otherwise she would definitely be here in person." Her nerves kicked in, and she checked with Twilight, "Um, you would, wouldn't you?"
"Yes. Yes I would," came Twilight's confirmation. "And as AI of the Filly of Autumn, I am the Captain's counterpart. If I give you an order, you have to follow it as if it were issued from Rarity herself," she lectured. "Now I order you to get down from Big Mac this instant."
Snookered, the blue Unicorn rumbled, relenting. "Fine!" Displeased, she hopped down off Big Mac.
"And now, I'm ordering you to take Derpy's place on the Warthog gun."
The responses were cloned amongst the Ponies.
"What?!"
"What?!"
"What?"
"What?!"
The AI reasoned, "You all heard. As much as I hate to admit it... ugh... Trixie is a very talented Unicorn."
Smugly, said Unicorn beamed and agreed, "Hm-hm, yes, she is, isn't she."
"Don't let it go to your head."
I think it's already gone to her head, Fluttershy thought.
"With Trixie's magic, rescuing the remaining survivors will be a synch."
"But... I was having fun," whinged Derpy, who sulked over the Warthog's LAAG.
"And Trixie just wants to go home. Well, to base. There is a base, right?"
"Yes," unveiled Twilight. "Lieutenant Commander Zecora and her team have captured a decent little outpost in the desert."
Fluttershy felt her moral go on the boost, and she noticed the mouths of the other soldiers crease into smiles.
Uneasily, Applejack mentioned, "Uh, beg pardon, Twilight, but, I don't really wanna roll with Trixie."
"Trixie doesn't want to roll with you even more!" the Unicorn outdid childishly.
"What about me?" Derpy derped.
Growing impatient, Twilight snapped, "Ugh! This isn't about yourselves! This is about the soldiers who need our help! Now I order you, Trixie, to mount the turret."
Accepting responsibility, Trixie trudged over to the rear of the Warthog LRV and looked the sizable gun up and down.
"Hmph! Why doesn't Fluttershy man the turret? Trixie will be far more effective using her magic in the passenger seat."
"Because Fluttershy's not a good gunner," Twilight broke plainly.
Fluttershy became downcast once more, feeling like nothing but a great big liability.
"Sorry, Fluttershy," the AI whispered to her privately.
Frowning, she thought, ... It's ok...
Back to the exterior speaker, Twilight demanded, "Now come on! There's no time to loose! Covenant drop ships are on the look out for survivors!"
"Ugh, fine!" grunted Trixie, then to the grey Pegasus who still stood on the LAAG pedestal, she growled, "Move over, bubbles."
Speechlessly, the derped one dismounted and hurried over to Big Mac and the rest of the Ponies whilst Trixie took her place on the vehicle.
With a hint of sarcasm, Twilight informed, "Oh and Trixie, since you're so concerned about your soldiers, a Pelican will be arriving to pick them up in about... now."
Excellent timing. The evac Pelican made its noisy presence over the installation and proceeded to lower itself down to the ground.
"Hey guys! What's happening?" came Rainbow Dash's voice over multiple radios.
Trixie muttered forcibly, "Thank you, Twilight."
"You're welcome."
Climbing into the Hog's driving seat, Applejack murmured to herself, "I can't believe this." Once she was strapped in, she waved to her brother and called, "Bye, Big Mac! I'll see you at... base."
He waved in return. "Bye!"
As Big Mac, Derpy and the other survivors made their way to the Pelican, Applejack conducted a U turn and took her passengers away from the spire.
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Flutters? With a sniper rifle? Nnnnnnope.
4800797 Don't worry, she hasn't used yet lol. Like Twilight said: "You might not even have to use it."
4804638 Question is; when?
"Hey! My aim is just fine! I'm so good at aiming; I can aim everywhere at once!"
The best line ever :D
Plz continue this as a series for all the Halo games( the the Master Chief is in)