Howdy Y'all. Yeah, that's right. I'm a fucking hillbilly, get over it! Anyway, this is the first chapter to my side project. It's here for when I have writers block on MLZR and its branches.
First of all, I have to tell you that the ponies are now anthromorphed. Not furies par say, but not like in the shows. I read a couple of fics and though of it being a good idea for something less interesting as MLZR, Prophesy, and COMING SOON Hunters to Hunted. Flame if you want, but I warn you that you shall be ridiculed with such eloquence that your feeble and shallow minds shall be completely disassembled by my proficiency in obfuscation.
And oh, I do not own HALO or MLP. All rights reserved.
Kim Levinson, age 18, was lying on the cold operating table at the ONI headquarters on Reach. Doctors and surgeons milled about the room, Kim watching each one as they placed various glass instruments in trays of ethyl alcohol. A nurse walked up to him, turning his face towards her and scanning his eye with a laser. She checked the display, an image of the Caucasian boy on the table came up. "Kim A587," the dark nurse read off. "Full augmentation under anesthesia. You're lucky, kid. The two's did this awake." The nurse smiled at him reassuringly, injecting a green liquid into the IV drip leading to his arm. Kim silently watched the chemicals enter his arm, his vision fading as the last of them disappeared through the needle.
Kim sat on the edge of his cot, his body sore from the bones out after four days in recovery. He held his face in his hands, trying to block all the light from entering his eyes. The augmentations made him super sensitive to light, being able to see clearly as day in the blacked out room. He shut his lids, fighting back the headache he had as he rubbed his joints. The ceramic coating that had been bonded to his bones wasn't the most comfortable. His muscles were cramped also, the injections they gave him before he went under increased their density by three. He had been taken from his parents at night seven years ago, subjected to a rigorous schedule of training and educating, and now this. He never wanted to be a soldier, but it was all he had now. He was two days from his nineteenth birthday if he remembered right; no longer having it celebrated did a number on his memory of it. That was also to be his first deployment against the Covenant, right after the technicians attached the customized Mk. V armor he had chosen and linked it to his neural lace. There was a light knock on the metal door, sounding to Kim like he was in a bell as it was struck. He stood up and opened the door, taking the offered tray of food with thanks.
The Pelican flew through the high atmosphere of Reach, leaving it completely as it made it's way to the UNSC frigate Huntress Moon. Kim felt himself begin to lose weight, sweeping the assault and DMR rounds into their pouches as they lifted from the tray he had placed them on to load his magazines. His boots activated the magnets automatically, keeping him attached to the floor of the dropship. The twelve ton craft activated its artificial gravity, the magnets in Kim's boots deactivating. He poured the rounds back onto the tray, loading his magazines with meticulous precision. He refused to have one loaded backwards, the explosive heads a danger at that point. He loaded and reloaded, repeating his process until the alert came for the docking procedure. His fifth assignment had begun, a lone wolf strike on a rebel base in the Sigma Octanus system. They had apparently up scaled their efforts for separation after the Covenant came into the playing field.
Kim stalked through the jungle-esque growth outside of Cote De Azure, his boots long since loosing their dark blue shine to the mud. He continued out of the foliage, working his way into a sewer drain. He activated the night vision in his helmet, the tunnel lighting up. He made his way through the tunnels, the M7S machine gun he traded his magnum for raised to fire on anything that moved. Along the way he checked the manholes, his map being inaccurate due to unfinished expansion work. At each of them he noted the street signs, also taking notice of the lack of soldiers. This seemed more like intentional misinformation than a rebel bravado. At the last manhole Kim froze, above him was a covenant engineer. The floating, tentacle ridden alien paid him no mind, turning away from him after a glance. Kim scanned the area, finding the life form neutral. He climbed out after confirming the all clear, replacing the cover and taking up a hidden location. "This is Kim A587," He said into the radio. "Any UNSC forces respond. The Covenant is on Octanus 4. I repeat, the inner colonies have been breached." He ducked behind a stack of trash cans as the sounds of approaching foot steps entered the alley.
"This is blue team," The booming voice of John 117 said over the radio. Kim held his hand out to show he was friendly. "What are you doing here? This is our op, Three." Kim walked out into their flashlights, firing on a pair of grunts that had appeared behind them. The silenced rounds of his sub machinegun tore through their flesh, fluorescent blood spraying on the walls. "Thanks," John said, issuing silent orders to hide the bodies.
The group of Spartans boarded three separate Pelicans, two armored S2's or S3's being the maximum load one could carry. The left the ground, the dropships separating as they reached orbit. Blue team returned to their corvette, Kim returning to the Huntress Moon. He watched out of the rear hatch as the Havok tactical mines detonated, leveling the city in a matter of moments. "Pilot," Kim said over the radio. "Inform the technicians that I'm taking a nap back to Reach. I won't be using the cryo-pods." He slapped the button to his right, the rear hatch closing as the neared the Huntress Moon.
Kim sat on his cot, running his gloved fingers through his close cut hair. He felt exhausted, though he had barely done anything. He had hardly even fought on the planet, being ordered out of the area by John almost immediately. He leaned back with a sigh, bouncing his helmet in the air. It was less of a physical exhaustion, more stemming from the fact that he wasn't even asked if he wanted the mission blue team was already on. It was tedium, frustration, and once again, for the last eight years, his feeling of hopelessness at the hands of ONI. He set his helmet down on the cot, reaching over to his personal stack of data cards. The one thing ONI let him have of his own was music for times like these, long trips through slip-space. He picked up the oldest album he owned, and damn it was old. He plugged the card into his helmet, placing it back over his head and blacking out the visor. The bass line played in an old rock n' roll style, followed by guitars and drums. He was a promising musical protege before he was kidnapped, having studied deep into history for all types. He paid top dollar for his collection, but he eventually owned everything that Judas Priest, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Elvis and Johnny Cash had ever put on a record. Of course ONI replaced it all for free after his abduction and graduation. He preferred the older stuff to today's new age rock the marines listened to; it didn't have the swagger or style of the older music.
Suddenly a yellow message flashed on his visor, displaying a warning about a disturbance in slip-space. He tucked away the remainder of his data cards in a pouch on his belt, silencing the music and hearing the claxon alarms going off. 'Oh hell,' he thought, getting up and running to the armory as instructed by the Heads Up Display. He chose from a plethora of weapons, knowing where ever he was going to be dropped was too far for anything to find him in a convenient amount of time. He grabbed a duffel bag, filling it with the latest prototype weaponry.
Being an ONI favorite for efficiency and having an ethical code allowed you to have the best from Misriah, especially their test weapons. They had a reputation for tough and accurate weaponry, and who better to test them than a Spartan III. He stocked up on tens of thousands of rounds first, making sure he had enough to get him through months of skirmishes along with ten grenades. He added empty clips for the weapons he was going to grab, scooping a table full of them into the bag. He added his favorite ones. The MA5D, the experimental M395 DMR, a BR55HB SR, two M6D pistols with SAP-HE modifications, two M90CAWS and the M6 Galilean Nonlinear Rifle with a PP-16979/AM-Sh to charge it. He was just about to close the bag when he remembered his own personal toy. He ran to the back of the armory, the scanner confirming his retinal ID before opening a long black tube. Inside was the brand new SRS99-S5 AM from Misriah Armories. The weapon had been reported of tearing the head from an Elite zealot at three miles, after easily passing through four Brutes that were dumb enough to get in the way. He loved this rifle, naming it and treating it as if it was his own holy relic. He took the weapon apart, setting it in a hard case and placing it in the bag. he closed the zipper, clasping the reinforcing straps and running to the drop bay.
The ship had dropped out of Slip-Space, the alarms signaling all personnel to evacuate the ship. Though he had practically ran the entire length of the Paris class frigate, he had not seen hide nor sign of any other personnel. The only thing that seemed to be a part of the ship was the AI and himself. He entered the back of the ship, taking a sharp left into the SOEIV bay. He placed the bag of weapons in a cargo pod, running back out for a mode of light transport. He entered the vehicle depot, jumping on the nearest light transport vehicle. It was a dual wheeled motor bike, hydrogen fuel cells operating the vehicle. Kim activated his communications, overriding all the blockades to the Smart AI that ran the ship. "Baldur, I'm taking you with me. Cole protocol and all that, the ship can be lost, but not a smart AI." The Ai confirmed, transitioning its data to the SOEIV bay. Kim revved the bike, the engine extremely quiet. It was designed with stealthy transport for a single occupant, especially on hostile planets. The back tires squealed on the slick steel of the deck as he guided it into the hall. Once out he gunned the bike, making it to the drop bay and placing it in the pod with his weapons. He pulled the data card from the holo-table, plugging Baldur into his helmet. "Ready to jump?" Kim asked sarcastically, climbing into his own pod and setting up a dual landing course.
"I hardly see any other option, 587." The AI said as the clamps maneuvered the drop pods over he launch bays. "But if it's for glory, I say jump in with both feet." Kim smiled at the reference. If there were no ONI operatives nearby, he may be free of them for the rest of his life. The pod shook as the clamps released, being replaced by yet another pair. He felt the gravity give way, the ship loosing its self of the spin it maintained to keep artificial gravity as the Shaw Fugikawa drive began to go critical. The pod was let go, a source of gravity pulling it away from the ship. The atmosphere was quickly baking away the ceramic outer coating, Kim looking up and finding the frigate being drawn into an unstable slip space rupture. "There she goes," Baldur said, monitoring the video feed from Kim's helmet. "There goes my home for the last three years." Kim could feel the AI's concept of sadness as the remains of the Huntress Moon disappeared into the rupture.
Kim monitored the information from his onboard sensors carefully, finding the planet to have standard earth gravity and an Oxy-Nitro mixture in its atmosphere. "At least I wont suffocate, eh?" he said to the AI, getting an agreeing hum. The pod loosed its braking chute, the vessel slowing to a more reasonable speed before the brakes were released. Kim had the AI load any cartography it had collected during the jump to his neural lace, wanting to know before the fifty meter mark where he was landing. It was going to be in a swamp, that much was for certain. "Ugh…" Kim mused aloud to himself. "More muck." The pod neared the fifty meter mark, the thrusters readying before firing and partially lifting the pod into the air further. The encasement fell again, landing hard in a shallow body of water. The craft continued to sink in the mud, Kim activating the explosive bolts quickly. The door hissed first, water seeping into the crash seat as he reached over his shoulders for the dual M7 sub machine guns. He held them upwards, turning them to the fore as the door exploded out.
Kim waited for any movement in the smoke and fog, the sound of the door thudding in some mud the only thing his audio sensors detected. There was another explosion, the cargo pod – twice the size of his one seater – landing on solid ground to the north east. Kim waited another five minutes, waiting for anything to challenge his presence. He noticed his tomb was sinking fast now, deciding this the perfect time to make his move. He stood up, surging out into the open near the cargo pod and holding the weapons out to the sides. His visor monitors split, displaying both directions. Despite his caution, nothing moved save an amphibian that ducked into the water. "I think the area is safe," Baldur pointed out, pausing afterwards to process his human interface data. "For now, that is." Kim nodded, turning around and opening the side panel. Inside was a remote trigger, which he took. He stood behind the pod, activating the trigger and being greeted with a thunderous report.
As the door tumbled through the air, Kim pulled the motor bike from the pod, setting it up on the kickstand. He retrieved the bag of weapons, taking out the Silencers and four full clips of caseless ammunition for his current arms. 'Gotta get to where I can think safely,' he thought, securing the bag once more and throwing it over his shoulders. He slipped his arms through the handle straps, securing it with the shoulder strap around his chest. He sat down on the bike, attaching the silencers to his weapons and starting the engine. He tested the soil on the tread, finding it reasonably solid. He stood up, tossing grenades into the pods before zooming off along what he though was a path. Behind him the pods exploded, all useable Intel they had was now destroyed or burning.
Kim had ridden into the dark of the night, stopping atop a rather tall mountain to make camp. He turned off the bike, taking off his bag and helmet before sitting on a convenient rock. "Baldur," Kim said, planting a thin branch into the ground. "Map out the surrounding area as well as you can from here. I'll check in with you in the morning." He set his helmet on the stick, getting two chirping sounds in response. Kim pulled out a defoliant projector he scavenged from the pods, making a small fire with a dead bush and some branches and lighting it with napalm. He noticed that the stars were vastly different from any planet he had been on before, seeming out of order save Orion. 'At least I'm still in the right sector of the galaxy,' he thought, loading his magazines with their coordinating munitions. He finished his task, loading each weapon with a clip before replacing it in the bag. he kept the M7's on his thighs, placing the MA5B on the ground beside him for safeties sake. He was about to lay down for the remainder of the night when his helmet chimed. He donned it, thinking his question.
"There seems to be artificial structures on this planet," Baldur said, showing him with a waypoint. The lights in the horizon were slight, shrinking in number as the residents turned in for the night. "I am unable to confirm species or faction at the moment, but I suggest detouring around them during travel. Confrontation is an unknown possibility, but it may be inevitable. Technological achievement is also unknown, but the structure integrity and layout suggests they have at the least a rudimentary understanding of combat and possibly firearms." Kim nodded to himself, deciding to observe them from afar in the morning when there was no need for an EM and thermal scope. "Good Night, 587," Baldur said, beginning to monitor the suits sensors.
"Call me Kim," he said, getting an acknowledgement from the AI. He plugged in a data card to his helmet and set the soft classical symphony to play as he drifted off to sleep. He found his sleep different after the augmentations, his dreams now twisted and distorted forms of reality. His eyes closed, he watched the stars turn and dance among the sky. They swirled and turned, changing position with other constellations to the sound of the symphony. The celestial dance continued until the stars faded behind the rising sun, the light bringing him out of his rest. Kim opened his eyes, remaining still on the warm earth as Baldur mapped and monitored the area. His helmet sounded an alarm, bringing him to a state of awareness. "I'm up," He said, rolling over and pushing himself into a stand. "What's going on Baldur?" He asked, taking the SRS99-S5 from the bag and assembling it. Baldur brought up a map of the area, a blinking yellow dot moving along what he assumed was a road as he slid the barrel into its locks and screwed it into place.
"An aboriginal creature approaches the hill," Baldur informed him as he secured a magazine into the chamber. "It seems to be laden with a pack of some sorts, the deflection of the radar being oblong and large." Kim pushed the charging hammer forward, loading a round into the chamber by hand so he would have and extra round if he needed it. "The speed of the approach is close to the standard human stride, I am assuming female from the length. But it could be a male of short stature and light…"
"Yeah, yeah," Kim interrupted, attaching the scope to the rail on top of the body and attaching a wire to his helmet. "A short skinny bastard, I got it." He walked over to the ledge, laying on his stomach and spreading his legs to make a seventy degree angle for stability. He opened the bipod, laying the rifle on a rock and supporting his weight on his left palm as he sighted in the target. He used his neural lace to control the zoom of the smart linked scope, focusing and activating the thermal imaging to acquire the target. He found the bipedal life form beyond a stand of trees, about to come into visual soon. He followed the target with his rifle, his finger resting on the safety should it turn out to be a Covenant member. As the thermal read came out from behind the foliage he returned to standard, the creature fuzzy and out of focus. The scope could be heard whining as the mechanics automatically adjusted, bringing the biped into full focus. It looked to be human, save for its violet skin, tail and horn. "Any records on what I'm seeing?" Kim asked Baldur, taking mental notes. The biped stood about five foot seven, from visual ascertaining it looked to be around a hundred twenty or a hundred ten Imperial pounds and wore black pants and a sleeveless style shirt of like color. It had navy blue hair with a pink stripe through both the hair and tail. It was female, the curvature of the hips and mammary organs confirmed that.
"No known interaction or recording of this species last I was in the archives, Lieutenant," Baldur informed. Kim continued to monitor the being, another coming into view behind it. this one was also humanoid, but instead of horns it had wings. The biped was an earth tone yellow with pink hair, also female. She wore a white dress and tightly fitting leggings beneath the skirt. Unlike the first one, which had an expression that bespoke determination, this one seemed slightly unsure and afraid of the surrounding forest. She would startle when an animal moved in the foliage, confirming the apprehension theory. "The two seem to be on course with what I think is an abode in the forest," Baldur informed. "There is another life form there as well. The three could possibly be friends." Kim continued to watch, finding Baldur in the green on their destination. The violet one raised and hand an knocked, the door opening to let them in. "I have an approach plotted," Baldur said, bringing up a map as Kim unplugged from the scope. He looked over the path, attaching the rifle to his back with the built in clamps on the armor. He picked up the BR55HB from the bag, attaching a silencer to it for safeties sake. Kim picked up the bag and slipped his arms through the straps before climbing on the motor bike.
"Let's go say hi," Kim muttered, starting toward the ledge Baldur had indicated. The bike whined quietly as it leapt from the ground, landing ten feet below and continuing it's forward course. Kim guided the vehicle through the trees and brush, staying as invisible as he could in the slightly damp earth. He wished he had slicks instead of grip tread, berating himself for not considering that when he had the resources. Baldur advised that he stash the bike away and walk the remainder of the trip. Kim agreed, hiding the vehicle in some large hedges and drawing his BR55. He pushed the charging handle forward, taking the safety off before setting off to the northeast. He found himself treading and forcing his way through large patches of thorn vines, halting at the edge of a large patch of bright blue plants. "Hello?" He said aloud, drawing his combat knife and manipulating one of the plants. It had three leaves on each appendage, the edges smooth. If the planet was anything like Reach or Earth, bright colors meant danger. "Looks like Poison Ivy," Kim commented, having Baldur catalogue the plant for later when he could analyze it fully. "Better safe than sorry," Kim mused, walking around the patch carefully. Even in his armor, he didn't want to risk the plant having any effect on him. At the edge of the patch of strange plants was a tree, converted into a house. It was complete with glass paned windows, a door and a chimney. There was talk inside, Kim making his way under one of the windows and placing a bug on the frame. He stood beside the port, peeking inside to see what was going on. There was another being, this one also female but with black and white stripes on her skin and a Mohawk of like color. She was talking to the violet one from earlier, the yellow one sitting behind her companion timidly.
"Thank you for the herbs again Zecora," The violet one said, shaking the new contacts hand. "I don't think I would have been able to finish my research without them. The black and white humanoid bowed her head slightly, nodding to the violet one.
"It is no trouble Twilight," Zecora said, the conversation amplified over Kim's helmet through the bug. Her accent was akin to South Africa on Earth, also reminding him of the mining colony on Harvest. "What ever I have is yours if it can alleviate your plights." Kim ducked out of sight as the life forms turned his direction, hiding behind a stump as the door opened. "Please, do not hesitate to stop by. I tend to get lonely with no company but the sky." Kim watched as the Violet being, Twilight, shook Zecora's hand again. Zecora turned to the yellow one, shaking her hand as well. "That goes the same your you. If your animals need remedies, what ever I can do. Farewell Twilight, Fluttershy." She called, waving to the two as they walked away. Kim picked up the bug, about to make his way back to the bike when he heard foot steps behind him. "Stranger, Do not move. My trust in you, you've yet to prove." Kim turned around, holding his rifle away. He wasn't in a predicament that required action, preferring to use this moment to gather Intel. "From where do you hail, friend. Your kind I have not seen, especially around this bend." Kim catalogued the beings possible weapons, having naught but the brightly colored robes she wore.
"I'm not from here," Kim said honestly, keeping her in the dark. "I'm kind of lost." The being nodded, understanding somewhat. "Could you tell me where I am?" He asked. "The planet, I mean." Zecora cocked an eyebrow, confused that he didn't know what planet he was on.
"Equestria, good sir," She informed. "Somewhat strange, not knowing where you are." Kim shrugged, looking back slightly.
"I kind of got dropped off," He said, half joking. "I didn't have time to find out where I am."
"First contact going nicely," Baldur commented. "I would suggest finding how these beings deal with others they aren't familiar with. She may be an exception to the general rule."
"I need to know," Kim began. "I'm am not from here and I don't know how the population would take to me showing up unannounced in the town to the east." He lowered his rifle to one hand, Zecora following the weapon with her eyes the entire time. 'So they know what guns are,' Kim noted in his mind.
"The ponies here…" Zecora began, Kim cutting her off with a scoff.
"Ponies?" He asked, astounded. "You have got to be joking. You're a pony? I find that hard to believe." Kim was about to write her off as demented, taking the rhyming into account as well when the two from before came into view.
"And why would that be so strange?" The one known as Twilight said, walking into view. Kim felt his arm twitch forward out of instinct, fighting the limb for control as not to startle them. Twilight had several objects that could be weaponized at any moment, so he had to play it safe. "I asked you a question. And while you're at it, what's your name?" Kim shook his head, turning to his left and taking off the bag of guns. The metal rattled as it was set on the ground, the groups attention switching from it to the rifle as he laid it on top. Kim reached up and grasped his helmet, sliding his thumbs into the grooves under the lip of the jaw line. He lifted it up, the vacuum hissing as it released. He took off the helmet, holding it in the crook of his elbow as the 'ponies' observed his features. He was pale skinned, his hair the opposite in a dark red flat top. His eyes were smaller than theirs by a fraction of measurement.
"I'm Kim Levinson, Spartan Three project number Alpha 587," He said, continuing to list off his UNSC tag number. "You cannot be serious about the pony stuff." He said, still finding it ridiculous. "Ponies are small horses. You know, four legged plant munching things. You are bipedal, and from the looks of your teeth I can wager money on you eating meat." Zecora, looked him over further, walking around him. Kim had, unlike the ponies, rounded and short ears. His nose was half as broad and his form more muscular and designed for climbing or running. Kim looked at Zecora as she passed around him in turn, noting that she did have a rather horse like appearance. Her ears were about twice as long as a humans, her nose broader and slightly flatter also. Her head showed no hint that the Mohawk was a style, rather that that was it's way of growing. On the third pass around Zecora touched Kim's armor, finding it to be armor indeed. Kim noticed that her nails were more opaque and thicker than a humans, seeming to be made more like a small piece of a hoof. "Ok, maybe I was a little quick to judge." He relented, holding up a hand. "I have to say, I've seen more absurd things than talking, bipedal ponies in my lifetime." Twilight crossed her arms, Zecora whispering something to her as she walked past her.
"Why are you dressed up like a warship?" She asked him, nodding to his armor. "If you truly are not a pony like us, and this is your first contact with our kind… Why do you look like your ready to fight a war on the world by yourself." She motioned with a hand to the bag. "And I assume that bag is also laden down with weapons and explosives." Kim shook his head and tapped a finger on an M7, wondering if they might become hostile.
"Safety precautions," He said, preparing himself for the expected sneers to come. "When you're a genetically enhanced super soldier from another planet, now a castaway on an uncharted sector of the galaxy, it helps to have a way to get your point across to anything that wants to harm you." Kim's helmet chirped twice, Baldur having something to say. "One moment please," He said, donning the helmet. He turned around, leaning on a small tree and staring up at an angle. The ponies gave him strange looks as he nodded and motioned like he was talking to something, even hearing a one sided conversation. "Yeah… I know… Well if you were me, wouldn't you have the same reaction?… No I don't need to be reminded of Cole Protocol… Yes, I'm sure. Yes… Ye- Then you talk to them! You seem to know everything already." Kim had startled them with his sudden outburst. He opened a large pocket on his armor, reaching in and pulling out a large, square object. "Press the red button," He instructed the ponies, plugging Baldur's Data Card into the square before tossing it in the middle of the group. He walked over and crouched next to his bag, taking off the SRS99-S5 and disassembling it. He placed it in it's hard case, ignoring what was going on save for who had the display tablet at what time.
Twilight picked up the black square, setting it on the stump next to Zecora's house and following Kim's instructions. A section of the item raised up, projecting an image in the air of another of Kim's kind. "Greetings," the projection said. "I am Baldur." Twilight picked up the flat box, marveling at the level of technology. If anypony had wanted to make one of these, it would have taken up half of the royal castle. "Madam, if you would, please set my projector down." Twilight was startled by the transparent beings directed demand, setting it back quickly. "Thank you. Now if everyone is through being childish," Baldur said, looking back over his shoulder. Kim was counting up his magazines, pouting and fuming at the same time. "I would like to offer you all a treaty. But first," Baldur couldn't resist, and Kim could see where it was going. His father had been a big fan of old earth movies, especially Science Fiction films. He used to marvel at how accurate the 21st century was to their tech. "Take me to your leader." Baldur demanded with a hint of humor, getting a laugh from Kim.
Alright you sorry maggots! Get on the review board and post your puny opinions!
Pwetty pwease? :3