//------------------------------// // Chapter 34 // Story: A Noble Death // by LSTS Connor //------------------------------// The pounding of a headache and the blinding lights shining through her eyelids were Six‘s first indication that she had made a terrible mistake the night before. Her makeshift bed felt unfamiliar and the sound of muffled murmuring and hoofsteps around her were clear indications that she was not where she usually decided to pass out for the night. The distant yell of a Drill Sergeant screaming “Get up Maggots!” A bunch of fresh recruits forced the Spartan's ears to fold tightly against her cranium as her forehead screamed in protest at the unbearably loud voice. For the first time since Six was first put in the Spartan III Program did she want to sleep in. To just put her helmet on, mute its auditory sensors and go back to sleep. “So this is the mare in charge of those ‘initiates’ I’ve heard so much about?” Such hopes by the Spartan were dashed as a scratchy voice reverberated from her left. Its volume making Six flinch and bring her hooves up and over her ears to protect them from the noise that resembled nails on a chalkboard. She cracked one of her eyes open ever so slightly to see who it was that decided to wake the sleeping Spartan. “Humpf, one too many drinks last night I take it?” Asked a yellow Pegasus mare, their mane a blazing two-tone orange with a light blue flight jacket resting over their shoulders. Six also saw a pair of sunglasses, covering the mare's eyes. ‘Great it's one of those…’ “What do you want?” Asked Six groggily as she shielded her eyes from the light of the room once again. The Spartan honestly couldn’t care less about the mare right now, and that message was reflected in the obviously tired tone her voice spoke with. “Nothing really. Just wanted to see who we were up against on Monday.” “Well, you’ve seen. Now go away, come back later. You do not want to deal with me right now… whoever you are.” “It's Spitfire, now if you’ll excuse me I have some squad members to drill, unlike you I am a responsible Leader who doesn’t drink all night before a war game.” Six opened her eyes and turned to look at the cocky mare that dared speak to her like that. Like a wolf rising from its slumber to slay the rabbit that ventured too close to its den, Six rose from the couch that was her makeshift bed. Rising to her full height she towered over the now somewhat nervous-looking mare. The glare Six wore bore into Spitfires very soul. She now suddenly very much regretted antagonizing the mare that now stood over her. Six’s head was pounding and spinning slightly but she really did not care for her bodies complaining right now. She was pissed at this mare now and wanted to make sure she knows she just made a huge mistake. “Okay fine, since you like to poke the Spartan with a stick. I am giving you two options since I'm feeling *nice*. Apologize and leave me alone. Or I throw you out that window.” Six pointed an armored hoof towards the far window to her left. “So… what's it gonna be?” Spitfire stared up at the Spartan who’s teeth were slightly bared. Like a rabbit staring into the jaws of a wolf her prey instinct kicked in and she did not want to be eaten, or in this case, thrown out the window by this massive mare. “Okay! I’m sorry.” “Good. Now leave before I change my mind. We will speak later.” With that, the mare scurried out of the room, her tail quite firmly between her legs as the Spartan glared at the mare on her way out. Moments later Six was alone in the room once again, her head still pounding and throat incredibly dry. The world was ever so slightly spinning as if her mind could suddenly perceive the rotation of the planet itself. Six grumbled as she took in her surroundings for the first time. It appeared to be some type of common area in one of the many barracks of the castle grounds. On the wall closest to Six sat the, now quite obviously bent, couch. Across from the couch, light shone in through a window as the building's exit stood to Six’s left. To her right was the hallway that no doubt led to where the occupants of this barracks slept. Six attempted to recall her memories of last night but came up blank. It was like she was trying to see an image through several meters of dark and murky water whilst she was also blindfolded. Six could guess however by the faint taste of cheap beer on the back of her tongue and the slight smell of alcohol her breath contained. She sighed as she brought her hoof up to her forehead to try and soothe the aching that plagued her. ‘God…damnit’ Six sat on her peak looking down below at the forest she had decided to *appropriate* for her daily training with her initiates. Her head was still pounding, although it was starting to dissipate as she basked in the abnormally fresh air. Below her, her initiates were in the throes of their final tests with Six. It was a simple exercise really. Just beat your other three teammates, alone, to pass. It was simple, effective and they wouldn’t be allowed to leave until they all did it three times and Six was there to make sure they all gave it they're all. If she saw any cheating or going easy on their squadmates she would be sure to give them a nice marathon to run all night long. It was Sparrows' turn currently as Six removed her slightly darkened helmet to take a sip of water. Six did wonder where Twilight was as usually she would be here by now but hey Six wasn’t complaining about her absence. She doubted she would be able to restrain herself right now should Twilight appear and continue with her incessant yapping and probing for personal information. “It seems as though that even you are not immune to the effects of the drink.” Voiced the approaching Celestia from behind her. “Though quite resistant to its effects if your excursion last night was any indication” Added Luna as she followed her sister towards the still drinking Spartan. “Well, I’m paying for it now.” Six said as she put the bottle she had back down and re-equipped her darkened helmet. “Quite.” Finished Luna as she took a seat next to the Spartan, her sister following suit as they both looked down to see what was going on. Sparrow had the advantage as he managed to nail Pixy on the wing, forcing her out of the fight. “We do have something we wish to discuss with you however regarding your recent… behavior Six.” Began Celestia after a moment of thought. The Spartan tensed up. “It's well… Forgive me for saying this but it is…” “Not becoming of a Soldier of your caliber Six.” Luna finished what her sister began as she focused intently on the way Sparrow was fighting Spear in hoof-to-hoof combat. Six didn’t fight the sigh that escaped her lips or the drooping of her posture. The Sisters were right. Her emotions were getting the best of her and last night was one hell of a wake-up call for her. “I haven’t, have I?” “You… are not going to fight me on this?” Asked Celestia, quite confused as the Spartans' response. Six gave a single loud chuckle of amusement before swiftly bringing her hoof up to her helmet in a vain attempt to soothe her headache resurgence. Six sucked in a sharp breath through her teeth before answering. “No…Not this time. If I can’t be the Spartan I am because of this, then it has to be fixed. Otherwise, I’ll be endangering everyone around me…I won’t lose another squad, not this time.” “Well, that certainly simplified things” Both Luna and Six chuckled at Celestia’s answer. “I am glad you wish to seek help Six. I do not want our next duel to end prematurely like last time” Added Luna with a grin towards the Spartan. The sound of a tree being felled down below brought their collective attention down towards the forest. There they managed to Spot Sparrow standing alone in the middle of a small clearing, His stance constantly flipping as if he was expecting an attack from every angle at once. Looking to the side they saw Spear sitting next to Pixy meaning the Unicorn had been eliminated whilst they were talking. Spirit was the last one remaining of the trio and it seems as though Sparrow wasn’t taking any chances when it came to her possible hiding spots as he bucked another tree to the ground. Even from their vantage point above the forest not even they could spot the earth pony sinking around the most they caught was the edge of a tail there, the sound of muffled hoofsteps there. Sparrow must have seen them as well as tried and failed to track Spirits' movements through the trees. Even from his place within his small clearing, he did not feel completely safe. He felt more like a fly that had gotten itself caught in the spider's web. That Spirit was simply playing with her food as she tapped the strings and shook the foundations. Sparrow remained calm however, Six had done worse. To him, Spirit was merely a house spider compared to the tarantula Six was. Then, the spider struck. From a nearby treetop, Sparrow had deemed unreachable for the small mare the spider pounced… and her aim was true. Sparrow didn‘t even notice he had been slashed across the neck until he felt the paint run down his chest. The large Pegasus didn't even hear the clip-clops of Spirits hooves against the hard ground until she stood before him, a cute smile on her face. From above the three watched the spectacle below. Every round was more vicious and faster than the last. But eventually, the test was over. Every initiate had done it. Each and every one of them had beaten the other three alone. Pixy used her speed to end fights before they began. Sparrow used force in combination with his accuracy to flush his opponents out of cover to deliver the killing blow. Spirit was as silent as the night itself, her opponents barely even glimpsing her before their fake blood was spilled. Finally, Spear was the most creative of the three, using tactics so unconventional and adaptable to his opponents that their fates were sealed the moment they let Spear stare at them for too long. Now the four of them stood before the two Princesses and the Spartan. Their final exam was only a day and a half away and Six knew that they were ready for anything her opponents would throw at her. She looked over her initiates, pride beaming out of her with the remnants of her hangover gone. Within only such a short amount of time, she had turned these ponies into Spartans. The only thing missing was the matching armor and augmentations to boot, but that did not matter here.  She had her new team, and they were going to show these smug Princess exactly why one should never challenge a Spartan at their own game. Six removed her helmet and looked over towards the two Alicorns, her Spartans behind her. A massive grin was plastered on her face and it was mirrored by the equally proud ponies behind her. “Princesses, my Spartans are ready.” When the group returned back to the castle grounds Six was brought aside by the princesses leaving the squad to entertain themselves for the time being. The two alicorns brought the Spartan into one of the many castle tea rooms where several ponies clad in military dress were waiting deep in the throes of conversation. There were two mares and two stallions among them. One of the mares appeared to have Bat-like wings protruding from her back unlike the familiar orange feather ones the other mare had. When the three of them took their seats the speaking died down as they all took in the figure of this Spartan. Six looked about the room and recognized one of the mares sitting across from her. It was the orange mare from this morning, sunglasses and all. Spitfire was her name. The mare Six had threatened to throw out a window during their first meeting. “Mares and Gentlestallions. This is Lieutenant Six. The leader of the first equestrian ‘Spartans’ and your opponent in this coming war-game.” Began Celestia, introducing the Spartan to the assembled officers. Six nodded in greeting and the officers did, in turn, Spitfire included. Celestia then prompted the other officers to introduce themselves. The dark mare with bat-like wings introduced herself first. “I am Captain Midnight of the Lunar Special Tactics Squadron. And this is my 2IC Master Sergeant Crimson. We specialize in nighttime operations and stealth. And I have to say it's quite an honor to meet the Angel of Las Pegasus in the flesh.” Began the mare quite enthusiastically, her 2IC mirroring the expression in his dark red eyes. Six just chuckled lightly at the mare's excited words before she looked at the other officers. Spitfire went first. “My name is Captain Spitfire of the Bolts or Wonderbolts to the general public. We specialize in Speed and Aerial Operations.” Introduced the Pegasus, her tone one of seeming boredom. Six didn’t care really, the mare introduced herself properly and that was that. Finally, she looked at the Unicorn Stallion who introduced himself shortly afterward. “Commander Dawn of Horizon Squad. We get the job done.” His voice was gruff and old as if the Stallion was only a few years away from retirement. The large greying beard he wore helped support this claim. But Six didn’t really care about that, this Stallion clearly spoke no-nonsense and got to the point. Just how Six liked it. “Pleasure to meet you.” Greeted Six to everyone. “Lovely. So as you all know this Monday your squads will all be participating in a battle of Squad vs Squad in order to better prepare our soldiers for all eventualities should we come to further blows with the changelings.” “And to also determine whether the Lieutenant’s bite can live up to her bark.” Added Luna, gaining a frown from her sister in return. “Yes… This will also be a test for our newly formed ‘Spartan’ Squad. To see how effective they will be. According to Six, they would be more effective than all of you combined.” A Silence descended upon the room at the princess's exclamation. Spitfire was the first to break it. “Well… I guess we’ll just have to see who is the better leader then huh?” She stood up and raised her hoof towards Six. “May the best mare win?” Six shook it. “May the best mare win.” “Well if it's a fight you’ll want it's a fight you’ll get Angel!” Began Captain Midnight enthusiastically as she also stood up and approached the Spartan, a large fanged smile on her face. “The L.S.T.S. hasn’t failed Luna yet and I don’t intend to be the first. But if I have to lose, not that I plan to mind you, it would be an honor for it to be you.” Six shook her outstretched hoof as well, a smile upon her face. The challenge was accepted. Finally, there was the Commander of Horizon Squad who opted to remain seated. “I will order my squad to show you no mercy.” “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Commander.” Responded Six with a curt nod and slight smile. Dawn just grunted in acknowledgment, his beard hiding the small smile that grew on his face. The battle lines have been drawn and this coming Monday…  There would be war.