Chapter 3: Apology Attempts
John watched as the world suddenly flipped 90 degrees to the right, a heavy force smashing into his left side. Grunting with surprise from the blow, as well as shock of the lack of shielding, he and his assailant tumbled several feet before the weight of John’s armor brought them to a stop.
Shield generators and motion trackers must’ve been fried in the fall. John thought, berating himself for such carelessness. However, the fight was long from over.
As the creature latched on to John’s back, quickly swinging a foreleg around John’s neck, John responded by hunching his shoulders to prevent a choke, then jerked his elbow backwards, getting a loud, “Oof!” from his enemy. However, the hold around his hunched shoulders held.
John grunted again as he forced himself to his feet, which was surprisingly much more work than John expected, despite the armor’s strength-enhancement system. The enormous creature was still gripping his helmet tightly with a bent foreleg, as if its life depended on it. John tried several softening techniques, repeating the elbows into his attacker’s stomach and banging his helmet against the creature’s head. This gave John the slack he needed, and he wasted no time in taking advantage of this. Suddenly gripping the offending foreleg in a vice-grip, John threw his weight forward, throwing the creature over his head. Keeping his center of gravity low to keep himself from tumbling forward with the creature, John couldn’t help but notice this thing was a little heavier than he thought. He might as well be fighting a full-sized stallion; the damn thing weighed a ton.
This sent his opponent flying several feet, sending it into a long roll until it collided with the side of the humble cottage. John took a couple of steps back, his eyes squinting as he hit the x2 zoom on his visor.
His opponent was a medium-sized horse (although almost twice the size of the miniature horses that had found him) wearing a large, brown yoke on its neck. White freckles dotted the horse’s cheeks, and a wild mane of blond hair, now a little messier from the scuffle, sat atop its head. Its apple-green eyes glared angrily at him, as if ready to ignite.
Without warning, the large workhorse charged again, although John was prepared this time. Lowering his stance to provide extra stability, John received the charge into his right shoulder, pressing forward with his left hand. The horse slammed straight into him with more force than John expected, nearly sending the Spartan falling backwards. However, with the strength-enhancing armor capabilities hard at work, John was able to match the creature’s unnatural strength. After a quick struggle to overpower one another, John quickly stepped back with his right, throwing the horse off-balance. He pushed off of the same foot, bringing his Titanium-A kneepad right into the horse’s jaw, its teeth clacking loudly when his mouth suddenly jammed closed. The large horse tumbled backwards senselessly, colliding with the side of the house again.
John advanced quickly, moving in for the kill. He grabbed the Sergeant’s pistol, cocking it in one swift motion.
“Chief, wait!” Johnson cried.
The Spartan ignored the Sergeant, grabbing the stealthed Elite’s intricate chestplate. He viciously jammed the muzzle of the weapon between the split jaws of the alien, his finger already on the trigger.
“The Arbiter’s with us!” Johnson barked.
John glanced back at the Sergeant, but kept the pistol where it was. His finger still hovered over the trigger, his instinct now under control. The Arbiter shifted his head upwards uncomfortably. John would have none of it, pressing the muzzle back into the creature’s jaw.
“Come on, now.” Johnson tutted. “We’ve got enough to worry about without you two trying to kill each other.” He said, putting a hand on the Chief’s shoulder.
John hesitated, not exactly willing to release his enemy. However, after several seconds of nervous stares from the Marines, he was finally convinced that the Arbiter wasn’t there to kill them.
He lowered the pistol, reigning in his instinct. The Arbiter’s jaws clacked gently as he shook his mouth to get the feeling back. “Were it so easy…” The Arbiter growled before John finally released him.
The creature fell back to the ground, its mouth bleeding from broken teeth. John blinked several times, suddenly disoriented. The memory faded from his eyes, the lush jungle canopy replaced by a violet sky full of stars. Johnson and the others disappeared, the miniature horses materializing before his eyes.
John raised a gloved hand to his temple where a powerful headache was starting to form. He shook his head, his thoughts struggling to process the possibilities of what was going on. The small horse with the Stetson hat took this moment to take a protective stance in front of the stallion that had attacked John. Her face was streaked with tears, which surprised John. “S-stop! Don’t kill mah brother!” She cried.
However, John had little say in the matter as he felt himself being lifted, suddenly unable to move. A cascading mane of fuchsia, lime-green, indigo and sky-blue filled his view, along with the majestic Pegasus that it was connected to. However, upon further scrutiny, John realized she also had a unicorn horn. The only thing that really rang a bell for John was that it was probably an Alicorn. According to Déja, these creatures were strictly mythical, appearing in numerous folk tales worldwide. Suddenly, John found something very funny about how well the name Equestria matched with its inhabitants.
His mild amusement quickly faded in the face of the creature’s cold frown. “By Starswirl’s beard, what is going on here?” Came its voice. John shivered at how similar the voice was to Cortana’s. Although different in pitch, it still had the chilling quality of liquid-mercury that Cortana always had. The Alicorn began walking forward, moving herself and John back into the forest.
The purple unicorn rushed to the Alicorn’s side, keeping pace with her. “Princess Celestia! Thank goodness, you’re here!” She gushed. The Stetson horse had returned to trying to wake up her brother, sobbing quietly behind the two.
The Alicorn drooped her head to meet the unicorn’s, rubbing their muzzles in an apparent show of affection. “Twilight, I’m sorry I didn’t arrive sooner. I had to see Luna off before she returned to stargazing to watch for any more meteors.”
The unicorn shook her head. “I-It’s fine, Princess. That thing scared us too.”
They arrived in the same clearing that John had landed in earlier, although the earth had finally cooled to where the smoke no longer rose from the crater. The Alicorn turned her attention back to the levitating Spartan. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to have a discussion with our guest.” She said.
The lavender equine opened her mouth to speak. “But—”
“I’m sorry, Twilight. It’s one of my duties as a Princess. Please go.” The Alicorn spoke again.
The unicorn glanced back at John, then slowly nodded. She left the clearing, defeated.
John watched the unicorn go, his hopes sinking. She saw it. Why can’t she explain what happened…
The Alicorn cut off these thoughts by releasing John, narrowing her eyes at him. “So,” She started. “What makes you think you can beat one of my ponies to the brink of death?”
Ponies? John thought.
“Yes. Ponies." The Princess answered, her expression unchanged.
John gritted his teeth, now hesitating to even think at this sudden invasion of privacy. After several seconds, the Princess shrugged. “Of course, if you give me no explanation, I have no reason to spare your life.” She said nonchalantly. “You’ve invaded my kingdom and even beaten one of my own into near-death, which is a crime that deserves equal punishment.”
“It was self-defense.” John said finally. He wasn’t going to die just yet. Not until some questions of his own were answered. “I was following the yellow Pegasus out of the forest, and the red workhorse tackled me when I wasn’t looking.”
A smile curled the corner of the Alicorn’s mouth. “That’s more like it.” The Princess said. She eyed him curiously. “What are you? You look like a human, but you look anything but organic.” She asked.
“I am a human.” John answered, not really sure how to explain it.
The Princess’s brow furrowed, her eyes narrowing. She eventually shrugged her wings. “I guess you’re right. You may look like a machine, but if Twilight could get a pulse out of you, you’re probably telling me the truth.”
There was a long pause before the Princess ventured another question.
“Why are you here? Although it’s obvious that your landing did not go as planned, you must have a reason for coming here in the first place?” The Alicorn asked.
John remained still. “Why don’t you just read my mind like you did before?” He asked.
“Well, unless you like having my spells dig through your private thoughts for what could be interpreted as an answer, I will refrain from doing that again.” She answered.
Surprised by the Alicorn’s small show of kindness, John spoke slowly and clearly. “I never came here because I wanted to.”
“Then how did you end up here? Something go wrong?” The Alicorn asked.
John hesitated. Halo and the Ark would have to remain a secret for now. God knows what they'd do with that kind of knowledge; the last race tried to annihilate them. John spoke slowly as he fabricated a new story from the top of his head. “My ship was… disabled in an engagement with enemy ones.” He explained, using simple vocabulary. He doubted the Alicorn would know much about spaceships, let alone a UNSC Frigate. “As I tried to flee, I used something called a ‘slipspace jump’, a kind of travel that can be achieved by opening a hole in a different dimension that allows rapid movement, randomly picking a location in my haste. When I arrived here, the ship was unable to escape this planet’s pull of gravity.”
“That explains the large meteor we saw…” The Alicorn nodded slightly, her crown briefly mirroring the moon as her head moved. She looked at him again. “Are you alone? Or was there someone with you?”
“I came alone.” John lied again.
The Princess raised a brow. “Are you sure?”
John made sure not to hesitate. “All of the crew on the ship were dead from hull breaches and the lack of oxygen.”
The Princess sighed. “Well, I see that you are a victim of circumstance rather than an aggressor.” John watched as she smiled for the first time. “I am sorry that I jumped to conclusions earlier. However, I still expect an apology to Big Macintosh; don’t think you’ll come clean from that.” She said, her smile quickly replaced with a straight line.
John's pride stung at the request, and his anger flared. However, he remembered what kind of situation he was in, forcing himself to nod. “Of course, ma’am.”
The Alicorn smiled a second time. “Oh, call me Princess Celestia. ‘Ma’am’ sounds a bit too… starchy… for me.” She cocked her head. “What’s your name?”
“My name…” John said slowly.
The Alicorn nodded, her eyes expectant. “Yes, your name.”
John bit his lip inside his helmet. What was making a simple gesture of etiquette so tough? Just give her his callsign. She didn't have to know his real name. No one even called him by his real name, anyways. The last time he had heard that was when Cortana...
“Equestria to human? You there?” Came the liquid-mercury voice.
“It’s John.” He said automatically.
“Well, John, I would like you to come with me to the castle. We have… diplomatic topics to discuss.” She said.
John remained silent, following the Princess wordlessly out of the forest. Wake up, John. Why did you give her your name? He asked himself.
However, he cooled off upon remembering that he had little choice in the matter. No use crying over spilled milk. Although his urge to move to the crash site of Forward Unto Dawn was making his entire conscience scream in frustration, he knew it would have to wait. Once he could get the lay of the land, however, as well as a few maps of the region, it would be easier. He was no longer armed, or supplied by friendly UNSC forces. A particular Pelican pilot came to mind, the call-sign burned into his memory from his days on the first Halo installation. Her grinning face, her confident voice, her cheery attitude. Foehammer.
The memories faded again, leaving John nearly tripping on a tree root that hooked his toe as he stepped over it half-heartedly.
Princess Celestia looked back at him nervously. “John? Are you well?”
John shook his head, attempting to re-orient himself with the environment. “Just a little tired.” He lied a third time, successfully stepping over the root this time.
They returned to Fluttershy’s cottage where all of the ponies that had led John out of the forest initially were waiting. They shot anxious glances between each other as John approached.
“Twilight Sparkle, you were right. Your friend was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Princess Celestia announced.
Twilight sighed with relief. “Well, that’s good news.”
The Stetson pony scowled fiercely at John. “What about Big Macintosh? He’s still layin’ there all battered and bruised ‘cause o that no-good hunk of space-rock!” She growled, glancing at her dazed sibling.
The Princess turned to John. “About that,” She started, nodding John onwards.
Looking at the Princess, then to the Stetson pony, John took several tentative steps forward, quickly closing the distance between him and the pony. He crouched low to meet her gaze. Part of him couldn’t believe he’d been reduced to this, but his survival instinct prodded him onwards when Celestia’s gaze intensified.
“I need to apologize to your brother, ma’am.” John explained.
The Stetson pony shook her head fiercely. “I h’ain’t letting you lay ah finger on mah brother again! Jus’ stay back!” She yelled hoarsely, crouching low in an aggressive stance.
John remained motionless. “Ma’am, I…”
“Don’t you ‘ma’am’ me!” The Stetson pony replied, turning her body and bucking with her rear legs. John easily dodged it, although guilt from seeing her tear-stained face almost tempted him to take the hit.
“Whoa! Applejack!” Twilight started trotting towards the orange farmpony.
“Stay back, Twi! Or you’ll end up like Big Macintosh!” Applejack warned.
Rising to his feet, John shrugged at the princess. She nodded towards Applejack. Looks like you have more than one apology in order. Her voice whispered in his ear. Mentally grumbling, John stooped to one knee again.
“It was all in self-defense, you know that?” John asked. He soon realized it was the wrong thing to say when a foreleg was swung wildly at his faceplate. He moved to evade again, but his body disobeyed, his control overrun by the suddenly-crushing guilt. He felt his head jerk sideways from the force of the hit.
--
The human failed to dodge this time, the hoof smacking neatly on the side of his helmet.
“Applejack!” Twilight gasped, now intent on reprimanding the farmpony. An enormous white wing stayed her approach. She turned to the Princess, a confused look on her face.
“Wait.” The Princess said sternly.
“Consarnit! I thought I told you to stay back!” Applejack yelled, pawing at the ground.
Come on, John. That wasn’t smart at all… John cursed mentally. Taking a moment to compose himself, he started again.
“Applejack? Is that your name?” He asked.
The orange pony flinched visibly at the use of her name. “Th-that depends on who’s askin’!” She spat, the edge in her tone still sharp.
“Well, Applejack,” John began, his voice lowering to a more sincere tone. “I’m sorry I've caused you so much distress.”
When Applejack didn’t respond, John continued. “I can understand why you’re upset. Seeing someone close to you get hurt is never a painless process.” Memories of his original team surfaced in the sea of hazy thoughts. Fred, Linda, Kelly. Sam’s pained grin emerged among the other faces, his face illuminated by the violet lights of the Covenant carrier’s interior… "It may be strange to hear this, but I'm what you would call a soldier. And I've lost my fair share of good teammates." He said, struggling with the last sentence.
After a moment of silence and reminiscence, John continued. “But where I’m from, if I didn’t react like that to every confrontation I’ve been through, I wouldn’t be alive today.” John’s eyes clouded over as more memories of the once-green surface of Jericho VII erupting into orange blossoms emerged. “Where I’m from, the only weapon against the enemy was only to be more ruthless than they were. When your brother attacked me, this mindset, this instinct I’ve developed over years of fighting took over. I defended myself to the best of my ability. Instinct dictated action; that’s all this was.”
John sat back, crossing his legs. “Before you pass judgment, I just wanted you to know my circumstances. What else would I have done? Your brother attacked me. Being a soldier, I only reacted the way my training and experience taught me to. It's my way of life, and I can't apologize for that.”
There was a long pause as John and Applejack gazed at each other, neither one betraying any emotion.
"In short, I'm apologizing for distressing you; not for defending myself against your brother."
Applejack shuffled awkwardly, looking at the ground. "Ah can honestly say that ah haven't taken that into account.." She mumbled, guilt finally overcoming her features. She lifted her head, giving John a sidelong glance. “Is that the honest truth?” Applejack asked.
John struggled to push his mounting frustration down, keeping his voice level. “What reason would I have to lie to you?”
Applejack narrowed her eyes. “I need to see that you’re not lying.”
John cocked his head. “Miss Applejack, I don’t follow.”
“Take off your helmet.” She blurted out.
John stiffened. He didn’t want to lose his anonymity so quickly to these ponies, but, then again, if this got him one step closer to getting his supplies for the search for Cortana, so be it. Not to mention the Alicorn standing behind him would probably make quick work of him if he gave a flat-out rejection. Reaching upwards, he tapped the "equalize atmosphere" at the base of his helmet, giving it a quick jerk and slowly lifted it off.
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ARGHHHH CURSE YOU CLIFF HANGERS
Oh snap, the helmet's comin' off
Oh... I'm jealous of everpony in that room now. They barely know him, yet they get to see his face? Unfair.
That was a pleasure to read. I wasn't surprised in the least when Big Mac got his flank handed to him by Chief.
Keep this up! You've got a good thing going, friend!
This is coming along quite nicely, bravo
yay another chapter
Underneath his helmet, there is but another helmet
496779 SHHH DUN SPOIL EET
496798
496743
I was surprised Big Mac didn't get his ass handed to him sooner.
And the locks to take off the helmet fail, they have to. Or some roof gets in the way as the camera pans up.
shit just got real.
496815 I should totally skip the scene where AJ sees his face and return when he's putting it back on.
not the helmet ANYTHING BUT THE HELMET!
it's what keeps john him self and i para-phrase from one of the developers “we don't show his face because you can put your self in his armor and be the spartan”
he takes off the helmet, we lose a piece of him.
Not the helmet god no not the helmet
DON"T TAKE OFF HIS HELMET!
He never has, really, in truth, he has no face!
I would just think it is just a squashed up potato of a face...
However, if you DO take off his helmet... be sure to describe it FULLY! TO THE SMALLEST DETAIL!
ARTISTS! PREPARE!
496815 I know I suspected that to end faster too
496856 If you've read the Halo novels, they describe his face several times.
FFFFFFFFFFF i HATE cliffhangers
some one better play Zelda music
and i it sucks when your dam armor is in armor lock why back in reach that did not even come with your armor
496869 (sigh) at least keep him faceless
There is always another helmet, or a wall, or a unfortunate camera pan.
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
About the helmet going off
496869 Regardless... it's practically tradition.
But suddenly the air is toxic!
Here's the thing about the chief you have to remember when describing him. He isn't pretty. His head is fairly unscarred (you don't punch through that sort of armor in the head area and only leave a scar that's usually fatal.), but the rest of his body is fairly extensively scarred. And his skin tone. Sickly white. No exposure to the sun does that. Damn near bone white.
Pretty good chapter, although I've always disliked the OP Celestia deal, her knowing about humans, being able to without breaking a sweat lift someone and for some reason they don't resist, and reading minds. But, those are just my personal gripes :3. Can't wait for the next one!
You should totally do that. Since some of the novels describe what he looks like I think it would be fun! Just don't leave out any detail.
The only problem I have is the way John is on the receiving end of far too much guilt. He may have overdone his reaction, but for Pete's sake, Big Mac tackled him. Unprovoked. Didn't even give anyone a chance to explain. And then when he got his flank tossed into a house, he still got up for more.
I'm thinking there really should be a two-way apology. Because frankly, Big Mac deserved to get his flank handed to him for being stupid enough to blindly charge a strange being you know nothing about, not even if it's friend or foe. And then keep trying to fight it after he was thrown. Into a house. The hard way.
Take off the helmet?!
Oh what a wonderful opportunity! 
Though I already read the books and saw the comic 
You're not going to cheat are you?
Like the next chapter starts with him putting his helmet back on? Cause then that's rude and incredibly unfair 
Quiet simple as he starts to an enemy known as well placed interruption will appear whether covenant animal magical, flood or natural appears and will stop John from fully taking it off.
496779 KIKASHI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
496849 Do it. I kind of find it annoying when people try to get an image of his face when nobody has done so.
496849
).
It's the only option that makes sense. There is a reason John's face was hidden from us, either the awesomeness it too much for even Dash to survive or we get some pasty white person who sparkles in the sunlight (why did I ever suggest that!!
MORE MORE WE DEMAND MORE
John bit his lip inside his helmet. What was making a simple gesture of etiquette so tough? She wasn’t an enemy as of yet, but not even Johnson called him by his personal name. The last time he had heard that was when…
Makes sense.
A spartan ... reduced to this? You make me sick ! He better not start being a kiss ass your threading on thin ice.
Make him pull a magnum out of his Spartan ass Quick smart!
keep up the good work
CURSE YOU CLIFFHANGER!!!!
But...it was all Big Macs fault. Why is everyone ganging up on him? He was attacked and defended himself.
Dude, Master Chief is OOC. He doesnt speak THAT much. Also,
DAMN MAC IS HEAVY!
Hang on, how does Tia know about dem humiez?
PTSD is one hell of a condition to have to deal with. My son is going though it now and it tough on entire families.
Enjoying the story, but that doesn't feel like 117 talking. In actions makes sense, but he's too quick to explain himself and seems too desperate for being forgiven. As what he is would make him hard, not emotional.
Outside that, I can't wait for another update, and I'm digging his mental breakdowns.
497462 Given how he is depicted in the books his actions in this fic aren't too much of a stretch for me.
I hope he'll tell them about Cortana soon, she is the closest he has to a friend at the moment. I also hope this won't become cliched and have the Covenant show up, as I think trying to find a way save Cortana from her slow fall into Rampancy and dealing with John's emotional trauma would make for a great story.
Spartans NEVER give out their names, only their designations, unless talking to other Spartans or people they consider Spartans (ex: Johnson). That was EXTREMELY (emphasis purposes only) OOC for 117. Why do people keep doing that? Every book, game, movie state that not one Spartan is willing to give out his or her actual name, only their designation, and besides that their names are CLASSIFIED Top Secret and need to know. Not one of those ponies needed to know what his name is. A Spartan breaking that kind of secrecy for aliens? Yeah, this story was riding high until it just face-planted after tripping over its own feet. Too many MLP/Halo stories seem to forget the above fact, and it violently throws me out of the story due to how hard I need to face-palm. [/rant]
Does this take place after an alternate H3? H3 didn't end with the Forward Unto Dawn being damaged by any enemy action, it was the Portal between the Ark and Earth that caused the damage. Besides that, the crew was already dead due to engaging the Convenat and the Flood at the same time, not because of any damage the ship suffered.
Apologizing for being attacked and reacting like any soldier would... I would have told them to take a hike and went back into the Everfree. As a soldier myself, seeing 117 bowing to them is just pathetic. He barely acts like the soldier he's supposed to be.
117 taking off his helmet for something like this
Not only does that make him vulnerable to any possible enemy snipers out there (he doesn't know if there are any or not), it is also against ever military reg out there. I don't care if he's suffering from PTSD or not. That should make him harder, more aggressive, not softer (I have friends in the US military that are suffering from PTSD, they are much easier to anger, and they fight back, not apologize [until much later after emotions have cooled]). He isn't acting at all like a commando should (I know several USSF soldiers, and in a similar situation, they wouldn't be acting like this and be bending over backward to apologize for something when he didn't do anything wrong).
Overall: Honestly? I would have said that this was a high 4/5 story (I rarely give out 5/5s, you better blow me away with a story before that rating gets considered) but in one chapter it dropped to a mid-level 2/5 due to it not remaining firmly within Halo's realm of logic. I've never seen a story drop that far, this fast. I'm going to keep watching this story and pray for an improvement or a rewrite for this chapter, but I'm already close to dropping it for falling into the same glaring pit that every other MLP/Halo crossover has fallen into.
497533 I own every book made, and have read each of them several times over. Chief is extremely OOC in this chapter. He doesn't act at all like the books. There he's a senior NCO that keeps his soldiers alive. In this, he is apologizing for doing his job and defending himself. A much more civilian approach that the military removes from its recruits with a combat knife and a power drill (and remember, he's been in training since he was 6, he should be insulted by how he's being treated, not agreeing with them). Then there is the PTSD, this story is one of the first, if not THE first, story that I have ever read that took that into account, but then took the disorder in the completely opposite direction that it realistically takes people. It takes a lot more to get someone that has PTSD to do something that they wouldn't normally do, not easier. Take it not only from a fan, but as a soldier myself. He's not acting like a soldier or the commando that he is, he's acting like a wimpy civilian.
we require more please....or else Pinkie will eat you...
497651 I retract my previous statement in light of superior logic and being more awake now. I need to get more than two hours of sleep so I don't confuse another fanfic with a cannon book.
I stil stand by the second part of my post, in that I hope the Covenant won't be showing up.
497669 Eh, it happens. I've done that too. Besides, I've seen worse mistakes made by those with more amounts of sleep... I've also seen more crazy (ex: I got 2.5 hours of sleep, and the the US Army gives me a fully loaded rifle and says "shoot the targets")