[Note - Contains spoilers for Haylo: Among the Stars. Also, I would like to thank Zarius for writing the part with Artemis meeting up with the Arbiter.]

Spartan-811, or Dinky Hooves, looked over her firearm, a M412 DMR. She carefully slid a magazine into it and chambered a round into it.

"WINTER CONTINGENCY has been declared, all units are mobilizing." A voice stated from a nearby radio. Dinky's head popped up at this. She knew exactly what that meant. WINTER CONTINGENCY was an official UNSC emergency plan that deals with where Covenant forces have become aware of, or are present at, a UNSC colony world.

"Get ready for deployment." Rosenda-344 ordered, walking into the room, with Jun-A266 right behind her.

Of the original Noble Team, these two were the only survivors. After the start of the Spartan-IV program, Noble Team was reactivated. Five years ago, Dinky and her team, made up of herself, William-781, Light Speed-906, and Josh-233, became the new members of Noble Team, under the command of Commander Rosenda (replacement for the late Emile-A239 in anti-insurrectionist operations) and Lieutenant Commander Jun (served as the sniper for the original Noble Team, and was the only member of Noble Team to survive the Fall of Reach).

Jun loaded a magazine into his sniper rifle, a heavily customized SRS99E-S2 AM, and slung it over his shoulder.

"They are deploying dropships... there has to be thousands of them!" Another voice shouted out from the radio.

"I guess that's our cue." Jun said, motioning the other Spartans to follow him. As they walked outside, several longsword interceptors screeched overhead. In the distance, a civilian transport craft was lifting off, to be blown out of the sky by a volley of plasma torpedoes.

"Shit!" A nearby Marine shouted, watching the transport rip apart into two pieces and crashing into the Earth.

"Mount up!" Rosenda ordered, pointing at waiting falcons. The members of Noble Team split up in two groups and climbed aboard the two falcons. Dinky and Josh followed Rosenda to her falcon, sitting in the seats across from her.

"Uh huh... uh huh... yes sir... we're on our way." Rosenda said, talking to someone over the COM. "Alright Noble, we have direct orders from Lord Hood himself. We are being deployed to New York to help in the evacuation of UNSC personal from UNSC Supreme Headquarters, as well as the defense and evacuation of civilians."

"A bit overkill for civilian evac ops, don't you think?" Jun asked, his voice distorted by static.

"Not when there is three Covenant CSS-class battlecruisers hovering above the city." Rosenda countered. "Pilot, get us out of here."

"Yes ma'am." The pilot replied, as their falcon lifted off the ground. It tilted forward slightly as it started to fly in the general direction of New York.

Artemis walked towards the dragged the flailing High Prophet of Justice behind her, her energy sword dragging along the floor in her free hoof.

"You insolent beast!" Justice shouted at the top of his lungs. "I will not stand for this treatment! Guards, remove these vermin!"

"Your guards are dead, dumbass." Artemis snarled, lifting up the prophet and slamming him into a nearby pylon, before flinging him across the room. He screamed out in pain as one of his arms twisted into an unnatural angle upon landing, the sound of his arms bones snapping filling the room. His started to rise up the ground, before one being pinned down by a black armored hoof. "And you're next."

"Y-you will pay for this, demon!" Justice shouted at the Spartan. A small, evil chuckle escaped Artemis's lips, as she lifted up the Prophet by his neck. A twisted smile spread across her face, showcasing her wolf like fangs as she ran the blades of her energy sword along the Prophets next.

"Hmm... I wonder how much someone would pay for the head of a Prophet... hell, I'm sure an elite would love to hang your head on a mantle." Artemis cooed. "Maybe I can send it to the Arbiter as a gift. I certainly owe him one."

The Prophets eyes widened with fear as he looked down at the crazed mare. "Please no! Anything!" He shouted desperately.

Artemis cackled evilly. "Anything? Hmm? How about my mom, who bled out in my hooves when I was just a filly? Or how about my species, who's annihilation you had ordered. Wanna hear a story, wrinkly?" Artemis inquired.

Upon hearing no response, she spoke. "Seven years ago, as I just stated, I watched my mother die. Right in front of me. You know what I did? I died on the inside. Everything I used to be, just died. Then I became something else. A real demon. When your troops came after me, I kicked simply kicked flank and took their names. Eventually, they managed to surround me. When I thought I was going to die, you know who saved me? The elite who you and your kind forsaken, the former Arbiter Thel 'Vadam."

"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...wait, no, scratch that. Copyright infringement! Lemme rephrase this!..." Artemis stated, earning a puzzled look from the Prophet in her hooves.

"A couple years ago, on a planet far, but not TOO far away..." Artemis began.

A little, ebony mare lost her mind. She used her not-so-temporary mental malfunction to fuel her attacks on the invading force known as the Covenant, successfully eliminating a couple lances of their infantry, all the while giggling and humming like a young school filly playing during recess. Unfortunately, upon realization at the loss of some of its troops, a certain, Phantom-driven attack force found the cause and decided to remove it from the picture...

"One...two...thrRRRRURNGGGG!-ah!" the little blob of fur, dirt, and blood known only as Artemis grunted and pouted in frustration as, for the hundredth time, she failed to heft the powerful, and heavy, Gravity Hammer, "Come ooooooonnn!" she whined like an angry foal.

She continued to try, though, her mind bent on wielding the super-cool-looking toy. She was so absorbed in this effort that she failed to notice an approaching, purple Phantom hover by and come to rest above her. Then, deciding to ignore everything, continued to grunt and strain to move the hammer while the entire force which the Phantom carried emptied onto the ground, surrounding her indefinitely.

"Hey! Stay-st-stay away!" Artemis suddenly shouted, gnashing her bloody teeth and shielding her toy, "It's my toy!"

Another Gravity Hammer Wielding Chieftain bellowed out a deep, confident laugh, pointing a finger at the small pony, "Foolish whelp! Though I admire your lack of fear, you will die!" The commander shouldered his weapon, preparing to give the order to kill with a grin, "Elimina-hngrlll-!"

Each and every eye turned to the Chieftain to find his head missing and his body slowly falling. After the sight sunk in, all eyes switched to the new form which stood, crouched and with two glowing energy swords in hand, beside the recently decapitated brute.

"Normally I wouldn't resort to a such a cowardly act as a surprise attack..." the figure slowly straightened up, glaring down at the dead Brute's body, "But the uneducated brute would have met the same fate regardless."

Before any of the surrounding Grunts, Jackals, or Brutes could react, a barrage of plasma and white-hot energy swords rained from above, a neon-green Phantom zipping by and blasting it's purple counterpart out of the sky with it's main plasma turret. The young ebony foal watched in awe as only five warriors dropped from the sky and eliminated the entire force of Covenant subordinates with such ease and finesse they made it seem like an everyday action such as getting out of bed might be. Her eyes, though couldn't help but focus on the first alien to drop. The one in the armor which seemed more ancient in style; the one that appeared the most skilled; the one wielding the two glowing, captivatingly white swords.

She didn't know who he was, where he came from, or what those weapons were, but she did know that she just HAD TO HAVE THEM. She was abruptly shaken out if her thoughts as an unfortunate Jackal was thrown her way. She didn't have time to react, she took the thin creature right to the face, but quickly recovered and grabbed it's torso with one hoof and, using the inertia it held, grabbed the end of the Gravity Hammer handle with the other hoof to help her finally lift the large device.

"Hah! Finally!" the Jackal landed on it's back with a grunt just in time to look up and see a dementedly delighted pair of crimson eyes before having it's lights knocked off, permanently, and it's body sent clean to what's left of Canterlot.

Artemis huffed, her arms sore from the sudden jolt of power and strain, then hopped up and down, shouting in glee, "Ohmigooosh that was so fuuuuun!"

Meanwhile, the five Elites, which had dropped in to save the mare watched her with confusion, a hint of admiration, and a dash of fear, discussing what they just witnessed.

"Arbiter, is this really what all these Equines are like?" a White-armored, jet-pack toting Spec-Ops Elite asked his leader, hilting his Needler.

The older Elite narrowed his eyes, looking between the pony, the Gravity Hammer, and his Energy Swords with interest, "No...this one is...different from most." he started to break away from his pack as a couple UNSC soldiers arrived. They had noticed the Phantom crash, "It appears as though she had overcome the rest of the Covenant warriors prior to our arrival..." he noticed the other, somewhat chewed-up bodies surrounding the clearing, "I need to train this one. She would be perfect for learning the old ways of dueling...perhaps with a few modern alterations."

Upon stooping directly behind little Artemis, the little mare stopped giggling and turned around, staring up at the immense figure before her.

"What is your name, young one?"

After a moment's pause, the little, blood-smothered filly looked all the way up and grinned, flashing her sharp, wolf like teeth at him.

"Artemis."

"After that , the Arbiter took me aboard the Spirit of Fire, where I volunteered to become a member of the Spartan-IV program. A couple years later, in the year 2565, I became his apprentice. But why am I telling you this, you may ask?" Artemis stated, before motioning to the energy sword that was pressed against the Prophets neck. "Because this sword is the sword of Thel 'Vadam. It is the same sword that has taken the lives of hundreds of your soldiers, and it is also the same sword that silenced that bastard Truth." She spat as those words escaped her lips. "And now, it will silence you."

"Please! Show me mercy, demon!" Justice begged. Artemis paused and appeared to ponder this.

"Call me a pretty demon." Artemis stated.

"Wha-?" The Prophet began, before Artemis shushed him.

"Call. Me. A. Pretty. Demon." Artemis stated clearly.

Justice looked shocked and opened his mouth to speak, but no words escaped his mouth.

Upon seeing this, Artemis frowned. "Oh, that stings. Oh well." She said, raising her energy sword in preparations to decapitate the scrawny Prophet in her hoof.

"You're a pretty demon!" Justice shouted out quickly and desperately. Artemis lit up at this.

"Good boy. You get your mercy now." She said. "Though, not in the way you imagined it."

"You-" The Prophet began to protest, before Artemis sliced off his head. The Prophets frail, headless corpse dropped to the floor, his dark, crimson blood flooding out onto the floor.

"Artemis, stop, we need him-!" Sweetie Belle began as she ran into the Index Chamber, only to see Artemis holding the head of the High Prophet of Justice, her jet black armor stained with his blood. "Alive..."

Widow walked up behind the Spartan and tapped her on the shoulder. "Commander, she's in one of those states, we may wanna leave... unless you wanna be like them." Widow said, motioning the various dismembered corpses of Justice's Brute Honor Guard unit.

"You may be right. Let's leave her alone for now..." Sweetie Belle responded, before the two walked out of the chamber.