Luna sat in her room and waited… waited for the moment she felt a specific mind enter the realm of dreams. And soon her target did just that as Luna felt her magical trap take effect and force Six into a state of dreaming. Luna sat in her room and waited… waited for the moment she felt a specific mind enter the realm of dreams. And soon her target did just that as Luna felt her magical trap take effect and force Six into a state of dreaming.
Her deception had worked flawlessly with ‚Six‘ not even being aware of her current dreaming state. The spell was a special one. Known only to her and the most trusted of royal spellcasters, it could create a self-writing and self-perpetuating dream that catered to the afflicted‘s own subconscious and memories creating a seamless transition between reality and perfect fiction.
Currently, the real Six was curled up on the ground next to her bed, her helmet attached to her hip as the scarred and still, armored mare slept soundly, a smile on her face as the spell did its work. The paper on the desk was covered in the magical graphics needed to infect its observers with this powerful spell.
Now all Luna would need to do is conceal her presence, enter the dream, get what the info both she and her sister wanted, and finally remove the evidence of her ever being there. So with a deep breath and a calm mind Luna lit her horn and entered their guests' dreams.
Willing herself transparent, she could watch Six unimpeded as they dreamt of being contacted by… whatever that symbol was Six had perceived the spell's origin to contain. It was an upside-down diamond, its shape akin to that of a kite with a dark sphere sitting at its core.
Noting it down for later she continued to discreetly follow Six as she traversed through her deception all the way to meeting this ‘Dr. Halsey’ and Six willingly giving up her armor if it meant a way to get home through the strange alien archway, wherever that may be. The technology on display was nothing like Luna had ever seen. It was graceful yet oppressive, Modern yet Ancient. It was simply indescribable to the Alicorn.
‘So this is what she believes could bring her home…wherever that may be’
She listened to the conversation between the Doctor and ‚Six‘ her mind trying to draw conclusions and piece the information together in order to understand this pony. The appearance of Changelings in the dream helped the Alicorn massively in that regard. She had been actively fighting and killing them and saw no problem with these ones.
‚It must be how her subconscious perceives the individuals of this organization. They must be her version of SMILE. If so it would explain why she would see them as Changelings‘ Deduced Luna as she studied the room the pegasus was walking through. Seeing many more changelings and various pony tribes clad in strange yet similar armor to Six‘s own. ‘If the changelings were to know of this weakness then it could spell disaster.‘ Was the grim thought that came to mind.
Luna made another note of this as she kept following the Spartan to where she was standing now, her mouth agape listening to this soldier's tales of battle.
‘No, these are no mere battles. She is no normal soldier… Oh, sister, what have you brought into our home?‘ Thought the Princess of Dreams, her gaze locked onto the smiling soldier's face as she recounted the tale of her massacre of somecreatures called ‘Covies‘ and ‘Elites‘. The constructs around her were cheering and laughing along at the sheer brutality she described in dispatching something called ‘Brutes‘ as well.
Were this a thousand years ago even Luna could see herself sitting there next to her sister listening and cheering along at a battle won and enemy slain. She would be holding up a mug of the finest Ale in Canterlot, her sword by her side as she tried to outdo their tale with one of her own. But this… The death she described, the numbers she faced, the weapons they used against her, and she in-turn. Luna couldn‘t top that… and it worried her greatly.
‘Who, no… what are you?’ Was the thought that came to the forefront of her mind as her body unconsciously shifted into a deeper and more combat-orientated stance as her haze remained firmly locked on this ‚Angel of death‘ that stood before her. This was no mere pony, that much was made clear. She was… something else entirely. Something that even Luna herself didn't want to cross.
Even as one of the only three Alicorns in existence and one of the most powerful beings on the planet this pegasus was somepony to be feared and respected. And Luna was thankful she was on their side and not the changelings for if she were… may the creator help those who face her in battle.
Sensing the dream coming to an end slowly, Luna quickly left the Spartans' mind and returned back to her physical form outside the dream-realm. Opening her eyes Luna found herself standing over the sleeping form of Six as she could sense the morning approaching. Taking care to cast a silence spell to hide her presence she carefully grabbed the paper on the desk and teleported back to her room with a silent *pop*, her mission a success and her target none the wiser.
Gathering her thoughts Luna ruminated on what she had learned about this 'Six'.
So… She is looking for a way home and appears to have been brought here at the brink of death. And the way she recounted her exploits… she may not have been a pony before her arrival here…‘ She would need to inform her sister that much was clear. But when it came to what they should do about Six herself… That was a question best answered later. As for right now, however, the Princess of the Night required some doughnuts. The night may be ending but much still needs to be done before dawn.
Meanwhile back in the Spartans room, its only occupant began to stir an hour later as the Sun and moon swapped places on the horizon bathing the room in the warm orange light of Celestia's Sun causing the Spartans eyes to open slightly in response.
Blinking the sleep out of her eyes Six checked her surroundings with a hint of confusion.
‘What happened?‘ Thought the Spartan in confusion, standing up from the floor she had fallen asleep on. ‘Was it all just a dream?‘ was the thought that went through her head as she stretched the knots out of her spine hearing and feeling several satisfying pops shudder through her body.
A hint of sadness infected her mind when she looked down at the desk and found it empty signaling to her it was all a dream. Her comrades in arms were all nothing but a figment of her imagination toying with her emotions. Teasing her with a way home and the ability to fight the Covenant once again. She needed to clear her head.
Deciding a shower and then some training would do her some good, she began the slow process of removing her armor piece by piece like she had done in her dream before. Disengaging its locks through her neural interface she removed her chestpiece first. After that came the rest of her armor and before long her armor was placed down on the floor before her, every piece nicely organized. Now all that was left was to remove her black undersuit that served as the armor's base. Without it, the armor was unusable, but still highly dangerous if handled improperly.
‘Heh if they can even pick it up that is’ Thought the Spartan amused as she looked down at the removed armor pieces before her.
It was at this moment Six realized that this would be the first time she would see her new body in the flesh. Not even in her dream was she completely visible with her having chosen to keep the undersuit on.
As she slipped her last hoof out of its Titanium-alloy-crystal-lattice home she looked into a nearby mirror and saw her new self completely for the first time, save for the pair of dog tags hanging around her neck. Her body was still the same light silvery color as the fur on her face with the faint lines of various battle and surgical scars visible all across her body. Her wings followed the same color scheme but with a slight difference at her feather tips. They were colored pitch black with a gradient turning the black silver as it got closer to the feathers' base.
Two things caught her eye, however. The first most glaring one being the dark grey outline of a Spartans helmet being emblazoned on her flank. Just like the rest of the ponies she had seen around. It seems as though she had also gained what ponies called a ‘Cutie-mark‘ on her flank. She could think on that later though as the other, more prominent, feature she had taken priority.
Down on her chest were the unmistakable burn markings of an Elite‘s energy sword having stabbed her. There was no fur surrounding it leaving a double slitted patch of burned but healed skin for all to see as the long fur of her coat surrounded and highlighted the mortal injury.
Staring at the injury in the mirror Six said nothing opting to simply stand there and study it before she made a small *tsk* and looked away. Turning around Six made her way to the bathroom to clear her head. Before entering however she turned back and gave herself one last look in the mirror.
And a dead Spartan looked back at her.