The Noble Guardians

by nobreiner


Recovery

Celestia looked out over the crowd of assembled ponies and racked her brain for an explanation. She would have to do something before the crowd overcame their shock and worked themselves into a panic. She cast a glance back towards the retreating forms of Carter and the Elements, and saw that they were already making their way towards the Library, with the crowd making an extremely wide berth for the Spartan Commander. Turning back towards her subjects she saw that every one of her subjects was wide-eyed and quivering with fear. Celestia realized she would need quite a bit of tact to prevent a riot among her subjects.

She cast her gaze among the crowd, until she found a sizable gap in the ponies. Striding forward, with the ponies parting to allow her through, she proceeded until she found herself standing before two armored figures. Before her, Six was inspecting the prone form of Emile, giving him a rough shake in a failed attempt to rouse him. Around her, the ponies glared dangerously, but were too terrified to make a move to stop her.

As Celestia approached, Six whipped around to face her, adjusting her stance slightly in preparation for a fight. Celestia held up a hoof. “Be calm, our fight is over.”

Slowly, Six relaxed, and turned back to Emile. “He’s out cold. That kick you gave him might have concussed him as well. He needs a medical examination, but his armor’s sealed. Normally I could just check his armor’s diagnostic but I doubt you ponies have the technology to display it. We could examine him directly, but I don’t have the means to remove it until he wakes up.”

Celestia nodded. “We can have him moved to Ponyville General Hospital until he regains consciousness.”

Six shook her head in response. “No you can’t. I don’t know if he weighs the same as when he was human, but a fully armored Spartan weighs over one thousand pounds.” Celestia balked slightly at this statement, but didn’t argue.

Turning toward the crowd, who had watched the conversation with confused interest. Why, after having just attacked the Princess, was this monster engaging in conversation with her? And why was the Princess offering her help? Their confusion was set aside, however, as Celestia cleared her throat.

“Citizens of Ponyville!” She declared. “I am sure all of you witnessed the… conflict between myself and these six ponies.” A murmured agreement answered this statement, and she continued, “I know of your concerns, my subjects, but you must trust me when I say that it was all a misunderstanding.”

At this, the crowd burst into cries of outrage. One pony in particular shouted from somewhere within the crowd, “A misunderstanding? Just minutes ago she tried to kill you!” This only encouraged the muttering in the crowd, and Celestia searched desperately for an explanation.

Unfortunately, while this was going on, the ponies began to grow restless, and some of them began to close in on Six. The Spartan once again shifted into an aggressive stance, this time facing the mob approaching her. Thinking quickly, Celestia lit her horn, disappearing in a flash of light and reappearing in front of Six. Once there she placed herself between Six and the mob and flared her good wing, causing the ponies to shrink back.

She cast her eyes on the crowd of ponies, who withered beneath her stern glare. “No.” She affirmed, stamping a hoof. “The conflict was due to my own ignorance. These ponies are the victims here. I attacked them without reasonable cause, and yet they spared my life when they could have easily retaliated. I owe them my life, and now I implore you to give them a chance. I promise you they won’t disappoint.”

Slowly, the ponies seemed to relax, and the Princess smiled. “Thank you, My Little Ponies. Now, these ponies have been injured, and I need some assistance to get them to Ponyville General Hospital. Would any Unicorns please step forward?” This order, no matter how gently it was given, caused some hesitance among the assembled ponies. After a few moments though, a smattering of Unicorns made their way out of the crowd. Among them were a cyan Unicorn mare with a multicolored mane and a lyre cutie mark, and a white Unicorn mare with an electric-blue striped mane and a double quaver as a cutie mark.

Eventually, Celestia had over a dozen Unicorns standing before her, quaking slightly. Celestia gave them a warm smile. “Thank you, my subjects. Now, throughout town there are three figures, each of them garbed in armor. I need you to split into three groups and work together to get them to the Hospital. Please hurry, I do not wish for their wounds to go untreated.” The gathered Unicorns nodded determinedly, and rushed towards the downed Spartans. Six stepped back as four Unicorns approached, and Emile was wrapped in a multicolored magical aura.

As Emile’s unconscious form was lifted into the air, Six turned to the Princess. “And the others?” She asked. The Princess responded by pointing a wing, showing two other squads of Unicorns by Jorge and Kat, each of the Spartans being lifted into the air. Nodding, Six brushed past Celestia and made towards the Library.

She was suddenly stopped, however, by the Princess’ call of “Wait!” She turned to find Celestia regarding her with concern. “Do you need any medical attention?” Six shook her head.

“You never hit me.” She said simply, before turning and continuing her march towards the Library. Celestia’s brow furrowed. Had it not been for the calm, expressionless tone with which she had said it, Celestia would have sworn Six’s statement had been an insult. Shrugging it off, she made her way through the now dispersing crowd and to the Spartan’s side, and the pair slowly began to make their way to the Library.

By the time they reached the Library, Celestia had overtaken Six and was consequently the first one through the door. Inside she found Carter, Spike, and the Elements of Harmony (minus Twilight, of course) assembled in a rough circle, and she instantly drew their attention as she filed through the door, Six following close behind.

Marching up to Carter, she stood before the armored Unicorn and stated, “Alright, Commander. Let’s talk.” Carter nodded in agreement, and stepped forward.

“Alright ma’am. I suppose the first thing I’d like to know is why we’re here. You seemed to recognize the name Noble Team, I’d like for you to explain that as well.”

Celestia regarded the Commander stoically for a moment before responding, “I’m afraid, Commander that both those questions must be answered at a later time, when all of your team is present, and have come with me to Canterlot. Carter frowned at this statement. What is that supposed to mean, what can she tell Noble that she can’t tell me alone?

He was about to voice his questions; a muffled groaning from behind him cut him off. Turning around, he saw that Jun was clambering to his feet, one hoof raised to clutch at his head. Shaking his head, Jun grumbled, “That’s the last time I stop to deliver a one-liner.”

Jun then looked up and, seeing the Princess, immediately dropped into a combat stance, but was stopped as Carter stepped between them. “Relax, Jun.” Carter said. “The fight’s finished, we came to an agreement.”

Jun cocked his head curiously, but made no argument. Relaxing his stance, he gave Carter a crisp salute. “Good to hear, sir. Any news on the others?”

At this, Celestia stepped forward, and fixed Jun with what she hoped was a warm expression. “Your comrades have been taken to Ponyville General Hospital.”

Jun raised a worried brow beneath his helmet. “All of them? Even Emile?”

Celestia shrugged uncertainly. “I do not know. It was the large one, the one with the metal leg, and the one with a skull carved in his helmet.” This statement was met with a sigh from Carter and a snide “Fantastic” from Jun. Celestia frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Carter was the one to answer. “Emile hates hospitals. And Doctors. And, well, civilians in general. But he should be fine, as long as he’s still out. Now, let’s get down to business.” Carter stepped forward to face the Princess. “I would like to know what you plan to do with me and my team.”

Celestia raised a hoof, smiling gently. “Rest assured, Commander, I have no intention of harming you or your soldiers. In fact, I would like to invite all of you to my castle in Canterlot. There, I will discuss with all of you the reason you were brought to Equestria.”

Carter frowned, and shook his head. “Listen Princess, we don’t have time to get to your castle. In case you haven’t noticed, half my team is hospitalized, by you I might add, and I’m not going to wait until they are ambulatory again to learn what could be vital Intel. As a favor to me, please tell me what Noble Team is doing here.”

The assembled ponies gave varied reactions to this proclamation. Rainbow Dash and Applejack glared at Carter, Rarity huffed at his rudeness, Fluttershy cowered, praying that a fight wouldn’t break out, and Six and Jun moved to Carter’s sides, ready to back him up if necessary. Thankfully though, Celestia didn’t look offended. In fact, she nodded in understanding to Carter’s demand. “Commander, I know that you are curious to learn of your purpose here, but I’m afraid that I cannot explain this to you alone. Not will not, cannot. Please, Commander, be patient, and I assure you that you will learn of why you are here. For now, though, I believe that you should give an explanation of the evens that may have caused your entry to Equestria. I wish to know your origins, and I promise to answer any other questions you may have in return.”

Carter sighed, considering his options. So far this Princess had given him very little reason to trust her, but she was willing to answer any questions he had, save for one. He supposed that waiting for Noble Team’s recovery to explain their purpose here would be a better option. Better that they all learned at once than have to be told individually. He looked up at the Princess and gave an affirmative nod.

Celestia smiled. “Good. I am glad you are willing to see reason. Now, Commander, why don’t you tell me what events led to your arrival in Equestria. Tell me why you are here.”

Carter sighed, and moved to the center of the room, before resting back on his haunches. Beside him, Jun and Six did the same. “Take a seat Princess.” Carter began. “This may take a while.”


And so, over the course of a few hours, Carter explained Humanity and how they had become a spacefaring race. He then explained that as their population grew, they began to seek out habitable worlds to colonize. He explained the Insurrection, a group of Humans who had separated themselves from Humanity’s government, and who began a series of terrorist attacks on the UNSC. These terrorists became known as the Insurrectionists. The ponies at first seemed confused at what exactly terrorism was, minus the Princess, but Carter simply referred to it as using fear to further your own agendas.

He then moved on to say that in an effort to strike back against the Insurrectionists, the UNSC approved the SPARTAN-II program. He decided to skim over the fact that the candidates were kidnapped children, and instead simply referred to the trainees as soldiers who had been chosen to serve the UNSC. He explained that they underwent extreme military training for several years, until they were given augmentations to increase their strength, agility, and endurance.

It was at this point that the Princess spoke up. “How exactly did these augmentations alter these Spartans?”

Carter shook his head. “I’m not at liberty to discuss that, ma’am. Need-to-know only, and no one besides the Spartans and Doctor Halsey need to know.”

The Princess looked confused. “And who exactly is this ‘Doctor Halsey’?”

“She’s the brain behind the SPARTAN program. Everything, from recruitment, to training, to the augmentations, was a result of her work. Personally, she and I never saw eye-to-eye, mostly because of me being a SPARTAN-III, but we share a common goal, and that’s to defeat the Covenant.”

Celestia grew only more confused from this proclamation. “SPARTAN-III? And what is this Covenant?”

Carter frowned, and paused for a moment in thought. Finally, he spoke up. “I suppose to understand SPARTAN-IIIs, you need to know about the Covenant; so I’ll explain them first. The Covenant is a collection of alien races that all follow one religion, believing an ancient race known as the Forerunners to be some sort of gods. For some reason or another, they decided that Humanity was an affront to their religion, and began a genocidal campaign to wipe us out. They went from one of our worlds to another, attacking en masse and wiping out the people there, before using their weapons to reduce the planet’s surface to glass.”

Everypony gasped at this revelation, and the Princess’s expression was one of deep sympathy. Her eyes, however, burned angrily as she said, “They destroyed entire worlds, simply because they were following their religion?”

Carter nodded solemnly. “Yes. And they killed at least 20 billion people while doing so.”

If the last statement had shocked the ponies, then this fact absolutely floored them. Fluttershy began sobbing, Rarity fainted dead away, and Rainbow and Applejack could only gape openly. Celestia reared back, wings flaring open in surprise, as her mind struggled to imagine such a loss. Twenty Billion… that’s more than three times the entire population of the World! How does anything recoup from such a loss? She said, “After suffering such heavy casualties, how did Humanity defeat these monsters?”

Carter gave a harsh laugh. “Defeat? Last I checked we were losing. Hell, maybe we’ve already lost. The only thing that was keeping us from being completely overwhelmed was the Spartans. Each one of them was a one-man-army, capable of killing hundreds of Covenant in a single engagement. They worked so well, in fact, that they decided to create SPARTAN-IIIs. They took orphans from the Covenant’s attacks, and inducted them into training. Of course, with such heavy losses from the war, Humanity couldn’t afford to create a whole new class of Spartans from our golden era. Instead, SPARTAN-IIIs are a bit like… mass produced versions of Spartans. We don’t have quite the same level of augmentation that SPARTAN-IIs had, but we make up for it with numbers. All of Noble Team, save for Jorge, are SPARTAN-IIIs.”

Celestia frowned. “Wait, did you say orphans? You trained children to become soldiers?” Carter could see the anger in her expression, and cursed himself for mentioning that detail. Damn... Can’t exactly back out of this one.

Seeing the impatient stare being directed at him, Carter sighed and said, “Yes. Personally I was eleven when I was inducted into the program.”

From behind him, Jun piped up, “Hell, I was seven. Carter here was almost too old for the project.” Carter shot him a look that even through his visor clearly said, not helping, Jun.

This caused Celestia’s jaw to drop in shock, and anger flashed in her eyes. Before the situation could get out of hand, Carter jumped in. “We were at war, and without the Spartan Program these children would have ended up in an orphanage. They probably would have joined the military anyway. By joining the Spartan Program, they had the opportunity to avenge their families.”

Celestia seemed to calm slightly at this explanation, but her next words were cold. “How many are there.”

Carter replied, “There were over 300 Spartans in Alpha Company alone. The same for Beta Company.”

Celestia scowled. “Not were, Commander. How many are there? How many are left? How many of those children died?”

Carter could easily see the building rage in Celestia’s expression, and pondered how to reply. He could lie, and say that they only suffered minor casualties among the Spartans, or he could tell the truth, and say that if not for Franklin Mendez selecting them for Commando Units like Noble Team, every single SPARTAN-III would be dead. Seeing that is was Celestia’s empathy that is the source of her anger, he decided that the truth would probably be best. “Besides Noble Team and a select few others, every Spartan from Alpha and Beta companies was KIA.”

As he saw Celestia’s anger flare up again, he added harshly, “And each and every one of them was like a brother or sister to me, so don’t pretend that their deaths hurt you worse than they do for us. You aren’t a Spartan, you don’t have the right.”

Celestia honestly looked shocked at Carter’s statement, but could find nothing to argue against him with. She bowed her head. “You are correct. I am sorry for your loss.” Suddenly, she stopped, standing ramrod straight, a blank expression on her face. With a soft “excuse me” she turned and stepped out the door.

Naturally, Carter felt confused and offended. Following after her, he said, “Now hold on a second, where are you going? You never answered any of my questions!” However, Celestia completely ignored him in favor of passing through the door. Once outside, she took a few steps away from the library, before spreading her good wing, her horn igniting in a golden light.

The ponies and Spike followed Celestia outside. “What the Hell is she doing?” Jun said confusedly. Beside him, Spike shrugged.

“Eh, she’s probably just raising the sun. It is about five. Wait, five o’clock? I can’t believe I’ve been up all night!” The ponies all turned to stare at Spike, who looked at each of them. “What?”

“She’s raising the sun?” Carter said disbelievingly. “That’s impossible. Planets revolve around the sun, no single force controls-“ He was cut off as a ray of light peeked over the horizon. Before them, Celestia had her head raised and her eyes closed, her horn glowing brighter as the sun grew higher. Then, before their eyes, the scrapes and cuts that adorned the Princess’ body began to fade. Her injured wing lifted, and with a small pop snapped back into its socket. Finally, the sun crested the hills, and Celestia’s horn dimmed, as the Alicorn lowered her head and released a sigh of relief.

Celestia turned back to the awestruck ponies, and said, “I am sorry for the interruption. Now, I will gladly answer your questions.”

Carter had many questions, most of them about the spectacle he had just witnessed. Good thing Kat isn’t here, this breaks so many Laws of Physics; she’d probably have an aneurism. Wait, Kat! Looking up to the Princess, Carter said, “I want to see the rest of Noble Team. I need to know they’re all right.”

Celestia smiled, and nodded. “Of course, they are at the Hospital across town, we can visit them now.” Carter nodded, and gestured for the Princess to lead the way, until Celestia stopped him. “I’m afraid we can’t have you going out like that. All that armor will make My Little Ponies… suspicious.”

Carter looked down at his armored hooves, before returning his gaze to the Princess. “This armor doesn’t exactly come off easy, Princess.”

Celestia smiled in response. “I believe I may know a spell that can solve the problem. If you would be willing, of course.” The assembled Spartans shuffled uneasily.

Carter was torn. On one hand, the Princess may take his refusal to remove his armor as hostile. Plus, he himself was curious to see what he now looked like without his armor. On the other hand, no self-respecting Spartan was comfortable outside their armor. Hell, since he’d been handpicked by Mendez fifteen years ago to lead Noble Team, he had spent only a few hours at a time outside his armor. But then again, he thought, after that fight, I doubt the ponies are comfortable around us. We need their help, so might as well make a good impression. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen? So, turning to the Princess, he nodded. “Alright. How are you going to do this?”

Celestia smiled. “It’s quite simple, just a common collapsing spell, with a few modifications.” Her horn glowed, and she leveled it at Carter. “Simply focus on the part of your armor that you believe to be most important.”

Carter thought for a moment, and quickly came to a conclusion. Then, in a burst of magic, Carter found himself standing before Celestia without his armor, a soft breeze ruffling his fur and mane. Lifting a hoof, he felt the side of his head, and found that his HUL[3] Unit was still there, clipped to one of his triangular ears.

The ponies meanwhile inspected Carter with interest. He was a Unicorn, with a coat of identical color to his armor, and a slate gray mane and tail. His mane was styled in a sharp crew cut, and his tail was short and straight. Furthermore, he was tall, about a head taller than most Canterlot Unicorns even out of his armor. His eyes were a solid blue, and held a weary expression Celestia recognized as one who had seen too much in his life. Lastly, on both his flanks was a collection of geometric shapes that roughly resembled the image of a swooping eagle. As Carter inspected his body curiously, Celestia smiled gently at this, and turned to Jun and Six. “Are you ready?”

The two Spartans nodded their consent, and Celestia stepped towards them. She started with Jun, and in a flash, his armor disappeared, leaving behind an olive coated Pegasus the same height of Carter. Without his armor, it was revealed that Jun had no mane, instead around his head was a forest green pattern of fur. It was shaped like a fist clutching three arrows; identical to the tattoos he had sported when he was human. He still had a tail, colored cobalt blue and completely straight. His olive wings were sleek and grew slightly darker near the tips. Strapped to his left shoulder was a small armor piece, and strapped to that was a clip of three Sniper Rifle bullets. On his sides was a picture of a skull overlaid with the image of a crosshair. Finally, his eyes were solid amber. As he inspected his new features, he gave an experimental flap of his wings, and smirked. “Not bad. Would still prefer hands over these, though.” Looking up to Celestia, he added, “I’m surprised you had enough magic to do this, after our fight.”

Celestia smiled. “I rise with the sun.” She answered cryptically.

Celestia then focused her gaze on Six. Her horn glowed a third time, and with another flash of light, Six was revealed. She was a Pegasus, steel gray and slightly shorter than the other Spartans. Her coat was steel gray, and her wings were somewhat ragged, with several primary feathers missing entirely. Her tail was pitch black, and was short but straight. On her flanks was the image of a full moon, and on top of that, the silhouette of a howling wolf. The rest of her features were obscured by her helmet. Rather than a single small aspect of her armor, Six had instead opted to retain her entire MarkV(B) helmet. Celestia raised an eyebrow. “An… interesting choice.” The Lieutenant only shrugged in response.

As the Spartans finished inspecting themselves, Celestia explained, “Your armor is now entirely contained within the remaining pieces. To access it, simply envision yourself fully outfitted and give it a tap. The spell will do the rest. Then, to retract it, simply do the same, this time picturing yourself without it."

The Spartans nodded, and as one slapped their remaining armor pieces with a hoof. A burst of golden light issued from the three figures, which faded to reveal the Spartans, fully armored. The Spartans repeated the process, and the armor disappeared. Carter smiled, and nodded graciously towards the Princess. “Thank you, ma’am. This will prove useful, I’m sure. Shall we go to the Hospital?”

Celestia smiled. “Of course.” She turned to the Elements. “Would one of you kindly lead the way?” Rainbow Dash zipped forward, grinning.

“I’m your mare Princess! I know exactly where the Hospital is!” Rainbow bragged, placing a hoof to her chest proudly. Behind her, Applejack leaned towards Jun and whispered, “Only ‘cause she ends up in there at least once a week.” Jun chuckled, and Rainbow blushed, wilting slightly.

“A-Anyways I can lead you there. Follow me!” She then sped off, leaving a rainbow contrail behind. The remaining ponies watched her leave, before moving to follow. Spike watched them leave, calling out, “I’ll stay here and keep an eye on Twilight. Let me know how it goes!”


Within minutes they had reached the Hospital. Along the way, several ponies had been out and about, each of them dropping into a bow as Celestia passed. Carter noted with some interest that while the Spartans drew some second glances from the townsfolk, they weren’t the outright stares that most Spartans usually attracted.

Due to everypony quickly making way for the Princess, the group reached the Hospital in only a few minutes. Along the way, Carter had noticed the markings along Six and Jun’s flanks, and realized that the other ponies had similar markings on their own sides. Turning his head, he saw his own, and almost laughed. It was Noble Team’s insignia. Looking up to the Princess, he said, “Ma’am, what exactly are these markings on our sides? My own is the emblem for Noble Team, but what is it supposed to mean?”

To his surprise, it was Pinkie who hopped in front of him, bouncing backwards as she turned to him with a confused expression. “Well, duh, it’s your Cutie Mark! You know, the mark everypony gets when they discover their special talent!” This was met with confused stares from the Spartans, and Pinkie cocked her head. “What? Do Humans not have Cutie Marks?” When they shook their heads in a negative, she gasped. “Then that means that you’re all just discovering them! Oh I have to throw you all a cutceñera! Wow! A party for six ponies at once! I’ve never gotten to do that before!”

Pinkie Pie was cut off as Rarity placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Pinkie, darling, I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to… party, later. For now, let us stay focused on getting to the Hospital, all right?” The pink mare gave Rarity a hard look for several seconds, before beaming and responding, “Okey Dokey Lokey!” The group then proceeded towards the Hospital entrance. Carter spared one last look towards the emblem on his flank, before moving to follow.

From their first step into the Hospital, the group could see it was in absolute chaos. Nurses ran about, and in the middle of the Lobby, a doctor was directing them, barking orders. Oddly enough, he only appeared to be ordering the nurses in one direction. Upon catching sight of the Princess, Spartans, and the Elements, the Doctor nearly keeled over in shock.

After recovering, the Doctor strode over, and with his augmented senses, Carter could just make out him mumbling, “Like I didn’t have enough problems already.” However he immediately brightened as he approached the Princess. He gave a short bow, before saying, “Welcome! How may I help you, your Majesty?”

Celestia gave the Doctor a benevolent smile. “Hello, good sir. Me and my associates,“ She gestured to the ponies behind her, “are looking for three patients that have been admitted recently. You may know them from their rather… unique form of dress.”

The Doctor cocked his head curiously. “You mean the armored ponies?” He gulped. “Y-You want to see them? I don’t know if that’s wise, we have been experiencing some… resistance from these patients. Well, actually just one in particular.”

Suddenly a nurse ran up to the Doctor. “Doctor Horse! He’s broken free of another one! Nurse Lovejoy is out cold!”

The Doctor cursed. “Celestia damn it!” Suddenly realizing who was in the presence of, he looked sheepishly to the Celestia and stammered, “Um, no offence, Princess.”

Celestia gave a small laugh. “It is fine, Doctor. I would like to see this patient who has been causing you such trouble.”

The Doctor quailed slightly. “Are you sure Princess? The patient has been quite…” A loud crash from behind cut him off. “Hostile.”

The Princess strode past the Doctor towards the source of the noise. “I assure you, Doctor, that I can handle one hospitalized pony.” She made her way towards the room from which a loud yelling and cursing could be heard, with the other ponies following close behind. With some trepidation, Celestia nudged the door open and the group stepped inside.

There, in the middle of the room, was Emile. He laid on one of the Hospital’s beds, the legs straining under his massive weight within his armor. Around him were no less than half a dozen Unicorns, each one of them straining to hold up the magic field pinning the Spartan to the bed. Six differently colored auras covered Emile’s head, chest, and legs, and as they entered the room, one of the fields on his legs faltered, and the Unicorn conjuring it leapt back as the leg he had been holding lashed out towards him. Throughout all of this, Emile was roaring and spitting, resisting their hold like a wild animal.

Carter quickly stepped around Celestia and shouted, "Emile, stand down!” And like someone had flipped a switch, Emile froze, the only motion from him being a lift of his head to address the Commander. “Who the fuck are you?"

Carter rolled his eyes. “Can you cut the drama for now? We have to meet with the Princess.” He gestured to Celestia, and Emile cocked his head curiously.

After a few seconds, he returned his gaze to Carter. “Carter? That you?” He said incredulously. Carter nodded in response, and Emile shrugged. “Whatever. Shoulda’ seen it coming.” Jerking his head to Celestia, he growled, “What’s she doin’ here? She stop bein’ a crazy bitch long enough to let you explain what really happened?” Everypony present gasped sharply at Emile’s words, and Carter slapped a hoof to his face in exasperation.

Celestia, for her part, only looked somewhat offended. “I am aware that my attack earlier was rather uncalled for.” Emile huffed, and she continued in a sharp tone, “But I had you sent here to help you. It would be best if you allowed the Doctors to do their jobs, and ensure that I didn’t cause any permanent damage.”

Emile scowled beneath his helmet. “I hate Hospitals. And Doctors. I’m fine, so let me outta here.” As he said this, he began to strain against the Unicorns magical holds, and the orderlies gasped as the pressure on their magic auras began again.

Stepping forward, Carter snapped, “Emile, just calm down. Let them get their examination done, clear you for duty, and then we can leave. You don’t have to make this difficult.” Emile seemed to ignore Carter for a moment, continuing his thrashing, before slumping back and grunting, “Fine.”

Carter smiled, and the Doctor stepped forward. “Good. Now that you are willing I will simply use a diagnostic spell, it shouldn’t take more than a moment. However, I will need you to remove that armor.”

Emile huffed. “It doesn’t come off that easy, Doc.” Celestia smiled and stepped forward.

“I believe I can help with that.” She said. “Simply envision what you believe to be the most important piece of your armor.” Emile nodded hesitantly, and Celestia shot the spell at him, leaving him on the bed, free of armor minus the pauldron and sheath on his right shoulder. His coat was a steel gray similar to Six’s, however his mane and tail were coated blood red, and styled short and spiky. His face was surprisingly covered in small patches of missing fur, revealing miniscule scars beneath. His eyes were golden brown, and his Cutie Mark was an identical copy of the skull carved on his helmet, and as Celestia inspected it, she reflected that it looked more like a grisly scar than an actual Cutie Mark.

No sooner had Emile’s face been revealed than it contorted in pain, and he yelped. “Jesus! Is it supposed to burn like that? Dammit!” Carter, Jun, and Six who had felt no pain when their armor was removed, looked to Celestia, only to find her failing to hide a devious smile.

“That’s normal.” Celestia said without missing a beat. “It shouldn’t happen again. Doctor, if you will?” The Doctor nodded, and strode up to Emile, his horn glowing as he pointed it at the Spartan. A short beam projected from Emile, running along his form for a few seconds until the Doctor stepped back, satisfied.

“Well Doctor?” Carter asked, looking to the Unicorn. “Are there any problems?” The Doctor looked to Carter, and nodded.

“Several. He has sadistic and sociopathic tendencies, a complete disregard for his own and others lives, and is clearly prone to bouts of equicidal rage.” From behind him, Emile chuckled.

“Jesus, it’s my last psych eval all over again.” The Spartan quipped.

Carter groaned. “Physically, Doc. Is he all right physically?” The Doctor gave Carter an exasperated look, but shrugged in response. “He has a minor concussion, but as long as he avoids getting hit again for a few days, he should be fine.”

Upon hearing the news, Emile leapt out of the bed, the frame groaning in relief as its burden was lifted. “Great. Let’s get outta here.” He brushed past the Doctor and strode towards the door, but was stopped by Carter.

“Not yet, Emile. We need to get Kat and Jorge.” Emile’s gaze drifted from Carter, to Jun, and finally to Six, before comprehension dawned on his face, and the Warrant Officer nodded.

Celestia then addressed the Doctor. “Would you kindly direct us towards the other two armored patients’ rooms?” The Doctor nodded an affirmative, and led the group out of the room.

As the group traveled down the hall, the Doctor explained the status of the remaining patients. “The other two, after awakening and being reassured they weren’t in some sort of prison camp, were much easier to deal with. They even were able to remove the helmets of their armor, and through this I learned that the stallion, Jorge I think he said, was suffering from a case of heat stroke. He is alright now, and should be ready to be discharged.”

The mare, on the other hand, was in worse shape. She seemed to be in some pain, though she refused to acknowledge it, and if I were to venture a guess I’d say she had bruised her ribs, maybe even broken them. Here she is now.” The Doctor stopped before the door to one of the rooms, before throwing it open and trotting in.

“Hello, Miss Kat! You have visitors!” He said brightly, as Noble and the ponies filed into the room. There, on the bed in the center of the room, sat Kat. Her Air Assault Helmet rested on the table beside her, and as she smiled at her fellow Spartans, everypony present got a look at her face. Her fur was teal, and blended against her armor seamlessly. Her mane, a lighter shade of black than Six’s, was cut short, styled like a young colts, and fully exposed her soft blue eyes. Two scars adorned her face, one trailing from her hairline on the right side of her forehead down to her right eyebrow, the other running horizontally down her muzzle beneath her left eye. Beneath her, her straight-cut black tail poked out beneath the blankets of her bed. Finally, from her forehead sprouted a fluted, cyan horn.

Upon seeing her comrades enter, she snapped a salute to Carter and said, “Commander, it’s good to see you.” Her eyes drifted to Celestia and her smile faltered slightly, and she added, “I take it we managed to negotiate?”

Carter nodded, and Celestia stepped forward. “Greetings, Kat. I am Princess Celestia. I must apologize for my rashness earlier, I was not aware of the situation. My attack was uncalled for.” Behind her Emile leaned toward Jun and whispered, “Where’s my apology?” The sniper rolled his eyes and shushed him.

Kat laughed, and said, “No worries, ma’am. I’ve suffered worse injuries than a few bruises.” She waved her mechanical foreleg in demonstration, and Celestia smiled awkwardly. Turning to the Doctor, Kat continued, “So am I going to be released anytime soon?”

The Doctor grinned. “Yes, indeed you are. The Princess, if you are willing Your Majesty, will magically retract your armor, and allow me to give you a full examination. Once I’ve confirmed you are in full health, you will be free to leave.” Kat nodded, and the Princess stepped forward.

“First put on your helmet, then focus on your mechanical hoof, if you would.” Kat frowned confusedly, but slipped on her helmet, and Celestia cast the spell. The spell flashed, and Kat’s armor immediately disappeared, leaving only her mechanical hoof behind. Not much was revealed from this change, other than Kat’s Cutie Mark. To the ponies, it appeared to be some sort of strange metal device, but the Spartans recognized it as Kat’s personal datapad, with the screen displaying the image of an eyeball colored similarly to Kat’s own eyes.

The Doctor then stepped forward, and again cast his diagnostic spell. After a few moments, he stepped back. “Well, Miss Kat, I have good news. Your ribs have only been bruised, and while they will be sore for the next few days, you should be completely healed relatively soon, and are cleared to leave at your convenience.”

Kat nodded gratefully, and rolled off the bed, gingerly avoiding putting pressure on her ribs. She walked over to the group, and said, “Well, I assume we’re going to have a meeting with Celestia here?” The ponies nodded, and Kat smirked. “I figured as much. Let’s get Jorge, then.” The group nodded as one again, and the Doctor led them to their final stop.

Upon entering the room, the first thing Carter noted was the bed. While Emile’s bed had been straining under the Spartan’s weight, Jorge’s bed had completely collapsed, and now the mattress lay among the smashed frame, as Jorge observed the newcomers with interest.

Like Kat, his helmet was removed, and Carter was afforded a good look of the Spartan-II’s features. The first detail Carter saw was that somehow Jorge’s rough beard and buzz-cut hair had remained, presenting themselves as darker patches on his olive fur. Like Kat, he too had a scar, a long stripe of pale tissue that ran down the left side of his face, through his eye. His thick neck bulged with enough muscle to make every mare present minus Kat blush, and lastly his orange and red striped tail was cut extremely short. Upon seeing the group enter the room, he waved and said, “Good to see you, Noble. I guess we won?”

Carter nodded, and strode in. "Yep, Six managed to get the Princess here in a chokehold.” He purposely neglected to mention Six’s near strangling of the Princess; he would deal with that with Six alone. The Princess stepped forward, and Carter continued, “The Princess here is going to use magic to shrink your armor into one piece. Then we can go; the Princess wants to speak with us together.”

Jorge nodded in agreement, and Celestia stepped forward. Once the magical light faded, Jorge was revealed to have kept his chest piece, the large Mark IV Grenadier piece covered the front of his chest, and included the up-armored piece wrapped around the left side of his neck. Celestia cocked her head to examine his Cutie Mark, and saw the image of an eagle, its wings spread, and one talon clutching a lightning bolt; in the other, three arrows. As Jorge got up and apologized to the Doctor for the bed, the Doctor waved him off, saying, “It’s no problem, sir. Just remember, you need to drink plenty of fluids, and don’t hesitate to come back if you experience any dizziness or fainting spells.”

A few minutes later, Noble Team had been successfully checked out of the Hospital (every orderly and nurse gave a collective sigh of relief as Emile left.) Celestia turned to the Spartans and Elements, and said, “Now My Little Ponies, I would like to invite all of you, as well as Twilight when she is able, to join me in Canterlot. There, I will explain everything about Noble Team’s arrival in Equestria.

“I will tell you the legend of the Noble Guardians.”

Author’s Note: Okay, I’ll be the first to say it: this chapter was a bitch. It was the first part of a lengthy exposition, and honestly it was the only part of the story I hadn’t yet planned beforehand. Hopefully, you like my explanation for how Noble Team will access their armor, and Noble Team’s Cutie Marks. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I’ll see you in the next one! (Expect it up much sooner than the last)