Chapter 21: 'Tis But a Scratch
Trekking through a glass-metal corridor, the team followed Pinkie's Ghost and muttered to each other. The Ghost was a vehicle. A small vehicle, yes, but none the less, a vehicle. These rooms and corridors were built for personnel, so the purple alien craft was nothing short of an obstruction.
"Hey Pinkie!" Lightning hollered, fluttering over the squad's heads. "Why did ya bring that Ghost with ya? Can't fight without it? Hahaha!"
Oddly enough, Fluttershy answered before Pinkie had the chance. "You clearly don't know Pinkie Pie," she said, remembering the devastation Pinkie had wrought on the Filly of Autumn, and at the cartographer.
Now eying Fluttershy, Lightning grunted, "Why would I even want to know her?"
"Um-"
"-Because she's nice," interrupted Twilight, taking the words right outa Fluttershy's mouth. "And funny and friendly."
"And a bit dim?"
Finally, Pinkie got her word in. "I am not dim! I'm a very vibrant pink!"
Since Pinkie was giving her a chance, Trixie had a go at something she probably hadn't done before, and stuck up for her. "Hey! Don't talk that way about my friend!"
"Pah! She's only being friends with you cos she feels sorry for you."
"That's not true!" Pinkie spoke up.
"Pffft, don't lie, Pinkie. If she hadn't've thrown her little tantrum, you and Fluttershy wouldn't give two hoots about her." Lightning brought a hoof to her chin. "Maybe I should throw a tantrum, then I'd get some more respect."
Already dreading it, Vinyl pleaded, "Lightning, for the love of Cadence, don't-"
"-Boohoohoo! Look how miserable I am!" Lightning mocked hysterically. "I'm so miserable and lonely and have no friends. Oh, woe is me! Won't anypony be Lightning Dust's friend?! Boohoohoo!"
Leaning towards the blue Unicorn, Vinyl whispered, "Yo Trixie, can you do that spell that zips her lips closed?"
"I can do a spell that zips her wings closed and throw her off the next cliff."
"That actually sounds better."
"No it doesn't," corrected Octavia. "Zipped lips would do just fine."
*****
Outside, two bridges ran parallel with each other. Covenant were stationed on both of them, and they patrolled up and down.
Snow fell gracefully down and swirled around the hissing blue energy tethers, settling on the Forerunner metal.
Like the two story bridge that Fluttershy had crossed prior to meeting up with her team, these two bridges featured elevens of glass panelling in the deck, and a variety of walls and islands that could be used as cover.
Fully aware of the equine threat heading their way, the Covenant braced themselves. Three Elites stuck together and ducked down behind a low barrier, needlers, plasma rifle and plasma grenades prepared. The mass of Grunts and Jackals checked their weapons and took up defensive positions: They were ready.
Beyond a high, protective barrier, the hexagonal door parted, emitting nothing but an eerie silence.
Confused, the Covies were left scratching their heads for a while as whatever waited behind the barrier didn't make an appearance. Eventually, a veteran Elite barked an order to a couple of Jackals and sent them to investigate. Gulping with trepidation, the two alien birds crept towards the barrier and whatever was hiding behind it.
Before the Jackals could say "squawk," a Ghost RAV drifted sideways out from behind the barrier and boosted forwards, shooting one Jackal dead and running down the other.
After the Ghost, a certain blue Unicorn jumped out and set her horn in gear. Retaliating Covies were caught off guard as they were plucked off the bridges by invisible hands and flicked away like insects. Grunts, Jackals and Elites screamed all the way down to the valley floor below.
Lightning came out, and Trixie levitated a timid little Grunt up to her.
"See this?" she spoke.
Lightning scowled at the quivering, orange armoured Grunt.
"If you don't get your act together, you're joining him." And just like that, she let the alien drop, but a second after he'd been released, a slug caught him in the chest.
Fleur de Lis had stolen the kill, again, and she continued her work, her sniper rifle being the loudest weapon in the valley.
Smug, Lightning purred to Trixie, "You were saying?"
The Unicorn growled, "Grrrr. The tall one is getting on Trixie's nerves."
"You're just jealous cos she's not as fat as you."
"Trixie is not fat!"
Chortling, Lightning flew away and gave the Covenant some bullets.
Trixie's self consciousness kicked in again and she checked her torso, looking a little embarrassed.
"You ok, Trixie?" came the soft voice of Fluttershy, surprising her.
A plasma grenade detonation occurred, and the Mares ducked as Pinkie's Ghost summersaulted over their heads, spinning like an out of control washing machine, Pinkie "woo-woo-wooing" in the spin cycle.
With a fake smile, the blue one resumed, "Trixie is fine."
"Don't listen to Lightning. You're not fat at all."
"Trixie knows that," she sounded a little irritated, and Fluttershy backed away a little. "She doesn't need telling."
As Trixie walked on grumbling to herself, bringing out her energy sword to vent some steam on the Covenant, Fluttershy sighed and aimed her MA5B around.
"She doesn't mean to be rude," Twilight comforted.
The rest of the Ponies made their appearance, but there was really no need; Pinkie and Trixie had pretty much taken care of everything. Blossomforth eyed the rocket launcher she hauled under her wing, wondering if there was really any need for it.
Wrapping things up, Twilight broadcasted, "Well done, Pinkie and Trixie. At this rate, we'll be at the control room in no time."
Trixie's flying sword came back to her, and she thrust away the twin plasma blades and concealed the silvery hilt in her saddle bag.
Remembering the steaks, Fluttershy checked with the AI, "Are the Covenant still outside the control room?"
"Yes," replied Twilight, putting at least some of her fears at ease. "They're really stressed out with the door. They say it's one of the hardest things they've ever had to hack. I'm not sure how long it will take for them to get through, but they've been at if for quite a while now. I suspect it'll be soon."
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" declared Lightning enthusiastically.
Explaining on, Twilight told, "The way to the control centre is through the door behind us, on the second bridge."
Everypony turned to face said door.
Lightning, Blossomforth, Bulk, Flitter and Derpy had no trouble flying over to the second bridge, but if the ground bound Ponies stood a chance of getting there, they would have to navigate another Forerunner complex... or would they?
"Trixie, you know what to do."
"Using Trixie for her magic again, huh, Twilight?" Trixie smirked and chuckled. "Hm-hm-hm-hm! It's ok; Trixie enjoys it." The blue Mare winked at Twilight, which is to say she winked at Fluttershy.
Bright light glared from Trixie's horn once more as those who hadn't been blessed with the gift of flight, plus Fluttershy, were bathed in her tingling, purple aura. Fluttershy's stomach lurched as she was hoisted up off the bridge and carried across the ultra deep gap. Petrified, she covered her eyes and shivered.
Pinkie on the other hoof was relishing in it. "Weeee! Ahahahaha!"
Along with the rest of the Ponies, Trixie had lifted the whole Ghost, and she floated it on over.
Placing herself and her troops down on the second bridge, Trixie wiped her forehead and grinned smugly.
"Awesome!" whooped Pinkie as she spun her Ghost around and around in celebration.
Placing a hoof on her chest, Trixie announced, "I believe you have Trixie to praise yet again."
Vinyl rolled her eyes and sighed, "Aw sheesh, you're actually seeking compliments?"
"But of course. How else is Trixie going to get the respect she deserves?"
"Uh, by shutting up n' letting the compliments come to you?"
Octavia chirped in, "Modesty."
"Trixie doesn't know what that word means. And the compliments never come to Trixie."
"Because if they do, it'll go to your head, and you'll start bragging like you always do," revealed Vinyl, carefree.
Trixie shrugged. "So? Trixie likes to celebrate her own accomplishments. What's wrong with that?"
"There's nothing wrong with being proud of yourself," Octavia made intelligible.
Vinyl continued, "But rubbing it in everypony's face is just annoying."
Like a seagull, Lightning squawked, "Yeah!"
"That applies to you too, Lightning," Vinyl aimed at the egotistical Pegasus.
"Hey, you brag too, Vinyl Scratch!" countered Lightning, pointing at the white Mare.
"No I don't!"
"She really doesn't," Octavia supported calmly.
Bringing the subject back to herself, Trixie checked, "So... no cheers for Trixie?"
Shaking her head, Vinyl said, "Nope."
Her three legged friend was no where near as harsh when she spoke, "I'm not cheering, but you do have my gratitude." Taking a bow, she added, "Thank you for your help, Trixie."
It would seem that Octavia had inspired not just her friend, but some of the others to show Trixie a little gratitude too.
"Oh yeah. Thanks, I guess," Vinyl muttered grudgingly for Octavia's sake.
There were multiple "thanks" from around the herd.
And of course, what kind of friend would Fluttershy be if she didn't express how grateful she was. "Thank you, Trixie."
Not sure what to make of it all, Trixie scanned the faces before her, and her face eventually creased with a smile.
Tilting her head up and setting off walking, she pronounced, "You're welcome," and disappeared behind a barrier.
The rest of the assault force followed her around, and through the next door.
This ardours journey through Forerunner facilities and winter wonderland had been going on for hours, and Fluttershy's dreaded fatigue was creeping back into her fragile system. She yawned and shook her head to stop her eyelids from closing. Hopefully, the mission would be over soon... hopefully.
Proceeding through a usual metal-glass corridor, the squad entered another hexagonal chamber full of Covies, and one quick battle later, and a usual argument, they were ready to continue.
The way out was quite unique. An incredibly narrow corridor declined a little and deposited the troops in a cramped room. In the centre of the tiny room, something that could only be described as a ramp sat on the floor, and a glass panel at the foot of the ramp revealed a deep, unexplained well leading down and down into a spooky green abyss.
Pinkie's Ghost had endured a clumsy slimming technique, and parts of the side fenders were chipped off so the vehicle could scrape through. Upon seeing the ramp, Pinkie's blue eyes dazzled and she immediately sent the RAV up it, catching some air... although the Ghost was a hovercraft, so she was always on air... but it didn't matter to Pinkie as she laughed in the exhilaration.
The hoof soldiers rounded the ramp at each side, and saw that behind the ramp, there was a much higher, wider corridor leading up a short incline and to the right.
Fluttershy rounded the corner first; her Spartan armour offering enough protection to withstand an overcharged plasma bolt to the face, and crept timidly along the corridor, Trixie at her back.
The Pegasi, except Bulk and Blossomforth, hovered silently over, their wings creating a chilly breeze.
The Forerunner corridor didn't match the configuration of any other Forerunner corridor encountered so far on Halo. It was all engraved metal, no glass, and featured something that kinda looked like a silvery, shallow trench running along the left hoof side. Support columns stood like spaced out teeth, separating the trench from the main floor. Anything could be hiding amongst them.
If anything was staying still behind those pillars, Twilight wouldn't be able to track it. Not until it started moving.
So when Twilight alerted, "Watch out!" it was already too late.
At that moment in time, the air shimmered, and that could mean only one thing; stealth Elites. Blue bolts of plasma spawned from what looked like nowhere, and flashed down the corridor at the advancing equines.
Fluttershy screeched as the plasma splashed all over her shields, and without a visor, her vision blurred in the blinding light.
As for the others who weren't lucky enough to be granted such advanced armour, they were too far in the open, and ended up... surviving? Trixie had immediately magiced up a semi-transparent shield to fend off the rounds of plasma. Maybe it wasn't too late after all.
Keeping behind the square of protectiveness, the squad reversed hurriedly back down the corridor and around the bend from which they came.
Huddled up, the Ponies murmured worriedly to each other.
"Oh no! Not stealth Elites!" moaned Twilight, fed up.
"Anything but stealth Elites!" Derpy contributed dramatically.
Trixie bared, "With the Elites being invisible, I won't be able to perform my usual spells on them."
Thinking, Twilight theorised, "Kilkakamee must have sent them here specifically for us!"
"Trixie is flattered."
The AI got down to business. "Ok, I have a plan."
"Trixie has a better one."
"You haven't even heard my plan."
Trixie nodded. "And let's keep it that way."
Raising a hoof, the bazooka wielding Blossomforth questioned, "What exactly is your plan?"
Showing her the answer, Trixie got to work with her horn. Making it look easy, she made herself turn invisible! The air shimmered where her rolly polly body moved about, and her magical aura sparkled dimly around her invisible horn.
"Just watch me," Trixie's voice sounded from nowhere.
"How can we watch you? You just turned invisible," complained Lightning. She yelped when she was slapped across the face by an undetectable hoof. "Ow!"
Up on her wings, Derpy shivered and informed, "I'm scared but I don't know why."
Not knowing where on earth Trixie was, Fluttershy cautiously poked her head around the corner and spied the shifting air. She had no idea what she was witnessing. How would Trixie be able to see the Elites? How could the Elites see each other in the first place? How could Trixie take down one without alerting the others? Some of the other soldiers took a peek.
Whatever the answers were, an energy sword flashed into existence in mid air. Its handler took a mighty swing and gruesomely chopped the head off an invisible Elite. Now that the alien was dead, his camo generator failed, and a whole, pale blue armoured Elite fizzled into view and collapsed to the deck. Score one for the Pony.
A roar of outrage was heard from a second Elite. The great and invisible Trixie shuffled into cover behind a support column and thrust the big blue glowing blades away. Without the bright shining blades, she was able to gallop out of cover, the sound of her clopping hooves echoing up and down, striking the Elite with confusion.
Tense, the rest of the squad spectated, and there was a crunching as Pinkie gobbled some popcorn from a red and white striped paper bag.
Out of nowhere, Trixie's energy sword appeared again, and also out of nowhere, an Elite appeared on the end of it. He grasped the prongs of ionised plasma that protruded through his gut. His claws were smothered in purple Elite blood and he gurgled as he fell to the deck, dead.
Materialising into view, Trixie stood proud and withdrew her sword. In an attempt to be modest, she laughed, "No need to thank Trixie. It was nothing." Still carried the air of smugness to it though.
Beating everypony to a response, a third stealth Elite announced his presence with a blood curdling war cry. "Rrraaaarg!"
Startled, Trixie jumped off the floor, and before she even landed, she was lanced through the torso by the Elite's blade. She neighed with agony, so loud, she almost screamed the whole facility down.
"Trixie!" wailed Fluttershy in despair, reaching a hoof out.
The soldiers were spurred into action and they charged and flew at the see-through biped, not firing their guns in case they hit Trixie, who was now lifted completely off the ground, impaled on the Elite's sword. Her purple hat had come off, and it lay still by the Elite's mighty boots.
Trixie continued to scream until she was gasping for air. Blood oozed out of her wounds and bubbled next to the sizzling sword of energy, running down her quivering body.
Prior to being side swiped out of his two toed boots by a lightning fast Lightning Dust, the Elite grasped Trixie by the throat, yanked his sword out of her punctured torso, and hurled the dying Mare violently into the wall. There was a disgusting crunch as Trixie crumpled into the wall like an accordion and dropped to the metal floor in an increasing pool of her own red blood.
As for the Elite, he was tackled to the ground by the fastest Pegasus. Everypony else, other than Fluttershy, came to gang up on the stupid alien, joining Lightning in beating him to death. To finish him off, they stepped aside and allowed Pinkie to run the Ghost at full speed into his kneeling, bruised form, sandwiching him against a support column. What a way to go.
Sitting beside the wheezing Trixie, Fluttershy covered her mouth with a hoof and tears began to build up under her vacant blue eyes.
"Oh no!" Twilight pined, observing the poor Unicorn.
"Tr... Trixie?" Fluttershy breathed, nudging her as gently as she could.
The herd convened around their injured leader. Pinkie had abandoned her Ghost in the trench, out of the way.
Tenderly, Fluttershy rocked Trixie's foreleg and squeaked, "Trixie?"
A brooding drone emitted faintly from Trixie's half open mouth, along with a dribbling of blood.
It grew louder until it became a full on screech. "... Aaaahh! Aha-aha-aha!" She coughed and spluttered, blood spitting from her lips. "Aaaaarrgg! Hnnnngg!"
Fluttershy gasped and stroked Trixie's mane meaningfully. "Oh, it's ok, Trixie. You'll be ok."
Did this count as surviving? Had Trixie truly survived being impaled by an energy sword? Fluttershy wasn't sure. Trixie looked like she could leave them any time soon. Nether the less, she hastily whipped out her med-kit, forced it open, and got to work.
Trixie continued to wail on and on. "Uuhhh-huuhh! Hnng! I... I... I can't... I can't..." She coughed up a portion of blood. "I can't mo-ho-ho-hoove! Aaaarr!"
Fluttershy couldn't begin to imagine how much pain Trixie was in right now.
"I can't move!" bleated the fading one.
"Now now, settle down, Trixie. You can be fixed," Fluttershy did her best to convince Trixie, to convince herself.
First thing's first; get Trixie out of her armour. Taking great care, Fluttershy undid the straps of Trixie's green armour plates and soldier saddle, removing them and tossing them aside. Once the Mare was wearing nothing but her own blue coat, Fluttershy got a real good gander at the extent of the damage.
The energy sword had gone all the way through Trixie's abdomen, leaving two hellish entry wounds and a couple of smaller yet still just as important exit wounds. Because the sword had been crafted out of ionized plasma, the wounds were singed, and steam trailed out in thin wisps.
Trixie tried squealing something, but hyperventilation made her sound like a stuck record. "Ih-ih-ih-it hurts so muuuch! Aaahhh-aha-aha-aha!" She kept gasping for air, her screams draining her lungs of vital oxygen.
Her screams weren't the only culprit. Since the sword had gone all the way through, it had torn along the wall of one of her lungs, leaving a disturbingly large gash in the organ.
To stop the bleeding, Fluttershy recruited Pinkie to apply pressure to Trixie's devastated torso.
And while she was doing that, Fluttershy pulled a white canister out of her med-pack. With the canister in her mouth, she shook her head vigorously, rattling the canister like spray paint. Once it was well shaken, she steadily aimed the nozzle into Trixie's horrific wound and sprayed. White, bubbly bio foam spewed out and filled the tunnel in Trixie's chest. Fluttershy kept applying the foam until it overlapped the wound.
The point of this was to keep everything cool and in place. What Trixie really needed was a nice comfy bed and surgery, but here, in a Forerunner facility in the arctic wilderness of an alien ring world, surgery just wasn't available. The sooner Trixie got to the Truth and Reconciliation, the better.
With the foam clogging up her insides, Trixie's panicking breaths became jumpier, and her veined, purple eyes popped wide open. Her foam and blood covered chest heaved as her ruptured lungs worked hard to gather the necessary oxygen.
"Give us some room," Twilight demanded, making everypony back away and watch on in fret.
Taking it upon herself, Pinkie produced a cloth and wiped as much blood off of Trixie's scuffed up blue coat. "Oh, you'll make it through this, Trixie."
"F... F... Fluttershy?" Trixie strained weakly.
Fluttershy placed a hoof over her patient's mouth. "Ssshhh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sshh. Try to be quiet, Trixie. You need your breath." Withdrawing her hoof, she rummaged through her med-kit for bandages.
Persistant, the blue Mare trembled, "B-b-but... F-Fluttershy."
"Trixie, rest yourself," Twilight advised.
Trixie wasn't having any of it, and she continued to whimper, "I... I just want to say... th-th-thank you... for-" she spluttered, and blood came out.
Fluttershy found the bandages she sought, and before applying them, she listened to what Trixie had to say.
"F-for b-b-being m-my... friend."
Gazing deep into Trixie's half closed eyes, Fluttershy felt touched to have gifted Trixie with her friendship. She smiled expressively at her, but unfortunately, Trixie was too weak to smile back. Instead, she just closed her eyes and rolled her head onto its side.
At that moment, Fleur de Lis leaned in with a flask in her magical grip and offered it to Fluttershy. It was actually Fluttershy's own flask that she had given to Trixie earlier.
Having not received any words from Fluttershy, Trixie doubted and croaked, "F... Fluttershy?"
"Yes, I hear you, Trixie," the yellow Pegasus reassured as she doused the bandages in water. Glancing back and forth between what she was doing and her needy friend, she spoke solemnly, "I like being your friend. And I can't wait to spend more time with you. I just know that a Unicorn as great and as powerful as you can live through this."
"Tr-Trixie doubts it."
"Come on, Trixie, this isn't you!" exclaimed Pinkie.
Even Vinyl offered support. "Yeah, where's that fighting attitude?"
Gazing distantly at the wheezing Trixie, Lightning hovered off the deck and kept quiet. Really, really quiet.
Soon enough, Trixie was all wrapped up in cool, moist bandages. With that taken care of, Fluttershy packed away her medical supplies and water flask, and then wondered what to do next.
Trixie was paralyzed and unable to move, meaning she would have to be carried. If she had sustained damage to her spine, she would have to be kept in as flat and as straight a position as possible. Unfortunately, none of the soldiers were equipped with stretchers, and that meant only one thing... They'd have to make one.
"Pinkie, can you take the hood off your Ghost?" the AI requested. "We're going to need it."
Saluting, the pink one replied, "Yes sir mam sir!" and galloped on over to her stolen vehicle.
With a little help from Bulk Biceps, she was able to tear the shiny yet Covenant blood stained body panel free of the Ghost, exposing the vehicle's engine and various other mind boggling, alien components.
Together, Pinkie and Bulk trampled the purple sheet of metal until it was as flat as they could make it.
With the makeshift stretcher complete, Fleur de Lis used her magic to carefully roll the great and powerful Trixie onto the clean side of the bonnet. There was a narrow slit in the hood where one of the Ghost's components used to jut out from, like the blower of a hot rod. Trixie's short blue fur stuck out of the slit as she rested flat on her back and was lifted off the ground by the two squad Stallions, Bulk and Caramel.
Providing extra assurance, Fleur and Vinyl, the two Unicorns still in action, lent some magical aid to the transportation of poor ol' Trixie, making sure she didn't roll off, and taking some of the weight off of the Stallions.
Just as they set off, Fluttershy came up short upon feeling something soft at her hooves. She looked down and saw Trixie's friendly looking star strewn hat. Picking up the head wear and getting a gander at it, Fluttershy bit her bottom lip, and started to cry. She stuffed the item into her saddle bag, and still whimpering, she hurried to walk alongside Trixie.
With Pinkie back on her stripped Ghost, Fluttershy talking sensitively to Trixie, and Lightning looking as regretful as a Pony could ever look, the squad resumed their mission to Halo's control room.
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Hey! I was somewhat right! But ow. I can't help but think you got that little energy sword scene from Midnight on the Midlothian, or whatever that story was called, where the main character gets stabbed with an energy sword. Lightning got her comeuppance, we got to see plot prgression, and there is a little suspense as to whether or not Trixie will survive.
5250516 Oh yeah, Midnight on the Midlothian, I forgot that lol, but now I see the resemblance :3 And Lightning's comeuppances aint over yet >;] So, what you think's gonna happen to Trixie?
5252496 Well, she's probably gonna live, if I may attempt to guess, however she will not be able to return to the battlefield, due to the puncture of her lung. I would say she becomes an orbital/ship-bound commander, having some armor feed from the ponies (or a scrying spell or something like that) and making tactical decisions based on that. Just my two bits though!
5253410 Well, next chapter's the last of AotCR, so you'll get yer answer then ;)
5253501 Oh boy. That oughta be a doozy. What will Twilight find in the Forerunner data banks, and will she reveal it to the crew? Or just be like Cortana and go all command mode and not give any answers? Only the next chapter will tell. Unless the control room does nothing, in which case... Tie up Lightning Dust and kick her over the edge.
5253691 Lol xD All I'm gonna say is; Pinkie lost the deposite on her Ghost. She needs a new ride yo >:D
5253743 Well that's obvious. If the ghost has no front, then how is she gonna use it? Now all she gotta do is find a wraith/banshee.
5253967 Oh the Ghost is still drivable. If you recall the Ghost damage on Halo 2, the hood could be ripped off and it would still work. Nether the less, her Ghost is pretty fucked up n' she should get it replaced
I agree with tixie throw the annoying pegasus off a cliff
8486577
You hate Lightning too? Good. I did something right