//------------------------------// // Chapter 40 // Story: A Noble Death // by LSTS Connor //------------------------------// Several days have passed since the changeling Spirit and the Spartan Sparrow were taken into the custody of the equestrian intelligence service. Sparrow had since been released, his questioning over but surveillance remained. But news, no matter how secret, would always travel. And it took one word, one whisper, one random coalescence of ambient sound for Six to awaken. And as it just so happens a nurse, with nursery rhymes on her mind, was tending to Six’s wounds. “…Pixy…” As if a veil had been lifted, Six returned to reality. She blinked her eyes once, twice, and thrice as she took in her surroundings. She was in a hospital that much was certain and a nurse, staring at her like a deer in headlights, was currently trying to change the bandages that encircled the Spartans waist. Six knew she was injured, its true extent was unknown but that didn’t matter to her, she had only one Spartan on her mind. “Pixy…” Six managed to croak out with a voice suffering from severe disuse. Six couldn’t recall much over the past several days, a majority of it nothing but a cacophony of grief and an overwhelming sense of failure. The nurse, having grown used to the large mare in a catatonic state since she was assigned to care for her, didn’t know what to do. So the nurse did what she thought best: finish what she was doing and get the doctor. Six meanwhile continued to breathe in her surroundings before her gaze ultimately settled upon her own body and the fact that she was currently naked, save for the pair of dog tags around her neck with her armor nowhere to be found. “Where…is…my…armor?” Six croaked out once again, the Spartan punctuating her sentence with a sharp cough as she attempted to sit up straight. Her entire body permeated with a dull pain and she could feel the familiar sensation of fresh surgical scars under her bandages. The nurse, now having finished setting the fresh bandage, prevented the Spartan from sitting up straight before speaking. “With the rest of your possessions ma’am but please, you need your rest. Why don’t you lie down while I go and get the doctor okay?” Six, currently in no position to fight back against the nurse acquiesced and laid back down. The nurse smiled down at the large mare before quickly checking her work and leaving the room to go and grab the nearest doctor. Yet the pony who entered only moments afterward was not a doctor but the Princess of the Moon herself, an ornate eye patch covering what she had lost during the attack. “It is good to see you lucent, Six. Most had thought you were lost within your own mind.” Luna greeted as she approached the injured Spartan. “Where is…Pixy?” “Alive, thanks to you.” “The…rest?” “You needn’t worry Six. I believe it may be I who must concede our bet. Your Spartans fought with as much ferocity and determination as you did, they will make fine additions to Equestria.” Luna attempted to raise the Spartans spirits, but it didn't work as Six turned her head away from the Princess. “I…lost…another…one” Six choked out, the princess didn’t need her eyes to know that there were tears flowing down the Spartans face. Luna approached slowly. “We all have Six…we all have.” Luna took a seat next to the Spartan and raised her wing to rest on the Spartans back. “Can you…please mark him…as M.I.A… officially.” Six asked, her voice starting to return to normal. “Spartans aren’t… meant to die.” She gave a single humorless laugh. “We go…missing in…action.” “I will see what I can do, Six.” “Thanks…What about…the others?” “Pixy is here in the hospital, she will be fine. The situation with Sparrow and Spirit however is much more…complicated.” Six turned around to face the princess as she removed her wing. “Explain…” “I believe now is not the best time to hear what I have to share but do know that they are both alive and healthy.” “What are you…hiding? I’ve been…an intelligence…operative long…enough to recognize… that wording.” Even when bedridden and recovering from the worst mental break of her life Six still found the time to smirk at the princess. “Are you sure you want to know?” “How much worse…can it get…for me?” Luna stared at the Spartan through her one good eye for several long seconds. “Fine…I have discovered that Spirit is in reality an exiled changeling in disguise and Sparrow has engaged in a courtship with her, despite knowing the truth. Both are currently in the custody of our intelligence services.” The princess braced herself for the inevitable explosion but all she got, was an amused chuckle. “I always…knew something…was up with…Spirit…Could never…place my finger…on it though.” Luna looked at the Spartan in unrestrained confusion. “That's it? I expect a much more…explosive reaction to Spirit's true nature.” “Oh, believe me…When I'm out of here…We are going to have words… But I trust Spirit and Sparrow…with my life…and Spirit is no…traitor…and neither is…Sparrow…I should know…I…Trained them.” Six managed to get out before she was overcome with a coughing fit. “Al-also…Where the hell…is my armor?” Luna couldn't help but smile slightly at the Spartans words. “Your armor has been placed in my personal vault, it is safe.” “Good…but Luna…I swear to god…if I see a scratch on that thing…” The Spartan attempted to threaten, but with her voice being as raspy as it was, and the clear lack of energy the pony possessed, it wasn’t very effective. But that didn’t matter, Luna took it in good faith as she gave a good-natured laugh and smile at the Spartans comment. “It will be returned to you in exactly the same shape in which you left it, you needn’t worry Six.” As the words left the princesses' mouth, the door to the room was opened as several ponies in white lab coats poked their heads in. “I believe that may be my cue to leave, Six. I will return later when you are no longer…preoccupied.” Excused Luna as she made her way past the bowing doctors. “So! How are we feeling today Ms. Six?” Began one of the doctors enthusiastically as he went to check her IV. “I’ve had…worse.” “That, I do not doubt. But anyway, now that your…*ahem*….shock has worn off. I would like to discuss how we are going to be moving forward from now on. That includes a few questions I have for you regarding your past medical history.” “If the Questions…don’t involve…Classified topics… I will comply.” “Great! But before we begin I would like to inform you on what we have done thus far. You were, after all, until recently unable to understand your situation yourself. So…” That doctor would later be overheard saying: ‘I swear to Celestia, if this chart were covered in any more black ink princess Luna would call it a lovely painting of her night sky.’ Yet while one Spartan had returned from the spiral their mind had taken. Another, the very pony that had returned Six back to the world of lucidity, was falling down ever deeper. Since she had awoken from pain and blood loss induced unconsciousness all she could do, all she wanted to do, was stare out the window and into the deep blue sky and remember. Remember how the wind used to feel on her missing…red…wing. Several more days have since passed and Six was making a rapid recovery. This was, of course, not in the least surprising to those in the know of Six’s unique physiology. But, as was already hypothesized, the mental damage was not so easily healed. Her mood, which was normally some varying degrees of amused to annoyed, would suddenly and unexpectedly turn dark and sour. Most of the time she was fine, but when the rain started to fall, and the sky began to dim, tears from the Spartan were sure to follow. But even through all that, progress was being made because when the Spartan closed her eyes and imagined the feeling of crushing the windpipe of the changeling that had done so much to her. That had taken another Spartan away from her. It kept her mind focused, it kept her emotions in check. In the end, that changeling would feel her anger, even if it meant taking on their entire military alone. Currently, Six was still lying on her bed, waiting for the doctors to tell her what she already knew. The Spartan was growing tired of these stainless white walls and barely edible hospital food that was simply not nutritious enough on its own to sustain the recovering pony. In order to sate her ravenous hunger, the doctors and nurses had resorted to ordering an entirely separate meal cart to be brought up just for Six. Six had heard whispers and gotten glances from some of the more lithe nurses that constantly wondered how the hell she managed to eat so much while seemingly gaining no weight whatsoever. The Spartan couldn’t care less about their whispers, it is simply how she was. The door to her side opened and a familiar princess of the moon entered with, surprisingly, a wheelchair in tow. “Greetings Six, how have you been since we last spoke?” “Better…also, why the wheelchair?” “Because I have something which may need your… expertise. Spirit has since recovered from her injuries and is being questioned, your input may be required.” “Okay… that still doesn't answer the wheelchair question. I can walk perfectly fine.” To demonstrate this point, swung her hooves off the bed, landed on all fours with a grimace, took exactly three steps, and promptly collapsed into Luna’s magical aura. Six was then floated into the reinforced wheelchair Luna had brought, a smug smile resting firmly upon the diarchs face. “If you say anything, I will break your nose.” Threatened the Spartan with a raised hoof as Luna’s grin only grew as they both left. The wheelchair did groan slightly in protest of having to carry the heavy mare but it held thanks to her armor not currently on her person. Six tried not to think about the fact she was technically naked, save for the dog tags, with all of her bandages having been removed the prior morning and evening, leaving her bare and scarred fur visible. She didn’t like it. Having grown used to her armor acting as a ‘second skin’ without it she did not only feel naked, she felt…incomplete. The fact that all her scars, particularly the two-pronged burn scar that lay on her chest, were visible for all to see did not help matters when it came to the Spartans' already sour mood. “Is there no other way to bring me there? No magical cane you can give me instead?” “Oh there is, but with your…mass… it would likely break after prolonged use.” “Get me one anyway, I prefer to do my questioning on my own two, well, four hooves.” “It can be arranged.” “Then arrange it.” Six growled out before softening her voice somewhat. “This wheelchair is degrading.” “Would you prefer I hoist you around in my magic like a foal?” Six opened her mouth to respond but her retort died in her throat so the Spartan frowned instead and angrily exhaled through her nose. “Point.” So the Spartan held her tongue as Luna brought her out of the hospital and towards an unmarked building located on the castle grounds. Six had always wondered what was in this building whenever it caught her gaze in between training. She knew it was a building of military importance, that much was certain due to its constant guard presence, but what she did not know. Until now that is. Inside the building was abuzz with activity, with guards in full black armor Six had yet to see standing at every intersection and stairwell. Six couldn’t help to be impressed with the ponies in that regard, she could have almost mistaken it for ONI headquarters itself were they human. Luna brought her deeper into the building, the guards opening the various doors for the pair with nods of respect towards the princess and Six. Eventually though, as they got deeper and deeper into the more heavily guarded areas the amount of ambient hoof traffic began to slow before ending almost entirely at the end of a long corridor. It was eerily silent with not even the light making an ambient hum. It was the perfect uncomfortable environment to stage an interrogation in. The pair entered a guarded door to their right and it brought them into the familiar dark interrogation observation room Six had so much familiarity with. Sitting on a chair in the middle of the room, their gaze locked onto the one-way glass that separates the interrogator from the interrogatie, was one of the ponies Six recognized from her own interrogation. Hearing the door open the pony focused their attention on the princess and the Spartan before promptly getting up from his chair and moving to greet his visitors. “A Princess, Six. Long time since we’ve spoken. Still as tight-lipped as ever?” “Comes with the job.” Answered the Spartan as she brought her gaze to the one-way glass. Looking through she could see the back of another pony, the Spartan recognizing them as the other pony present during her own interrogation. And sitting in the center of the room, their hooves chained, wings restrained and a glowing ring on their horn was a changeling. Sweat was pouring down their brow and their eyes were shut tight in some form of concentration. “What is wrong with her?” Asked the Spartan as her ears swiveled towards the speaker that transmitted what was being said in the room. “We don’t know. Since we brought her in here she has seemed distracted and this has only happened recently.” Answered the pony as he stepped back to his desk. “ She has been quiet as a mouse. Perhaps you can get her to open up, or at least calm her down. We’re not going to get anything out of her like this. Six watched the changeling through the glass for several seconds more before making up her mind. Looking towards the Lunar Princess that stood beside her, Six commanded. “Get me that damned Cane.” She needed to concentrate, she needed to hold firm or she would die. If she cracked now her life would end, her aura had to hold until Six arrived. Spirit knew she would come, she had to otherwise everything she had to do would be in vain. The figure before her spoke some unheard words and asked illegible questions. Spirit couldn’t hear them; she had to concentrate, she needed to reinforce her aura lest the order for her hearts to stop beating reach her brainstem. The door to the room opened and the pressure retracted. She could breathe a sigh of relief as she carefully peeked at her newest visitor. Her compound eyes visibly lit up as she witnessed the limping Spartan enter the room, cane in hoof. She took a breath to speak but found no voice as she felt the assault against her aura suddenly pulsed. Some words were exchanged between the Spartan and the source of the mental assault. Spirit needed to get the message across to Six, that the pony she was speaking with was no pony at all before her energy wained. Cracking open her eyes just a tad Spirit could see the usual unreadable expression upon Six’s face, looking at her from across the room as her ‘interrogator’ had his back to Spirit. She needed to get a message across to the Spartan without her voice, good thing Six taught her other ways of communicating that didn’t involve sound. Spirit could only hope now that her fangs did not complicate the message. Gathering her remaining energy Spirit managed to mouth a single word towards the Spartan with her eyes glancing towards the interrogator. ‘Spy’ That was all she could do as she focused everything she had on reinforcing her collapsing aura. Now she could only pray to the Empress that Six heeded her message. … ‘Pleas-‘ Suddenly with the sound of shattering bricks the assault stopped completely. Opening her eyes, Spirit found the interrogator pinned against the cracking glass by the Spartans hoof. With a flash of green flame and a cough of green blood Spirit's executioners' disguise fell apart. “Well hello there~” Six began in a sickly sweet voice full of barely restrained fury. “Thanks for the tip, Spirit.” “Y-your welcome, Lieutenant” Spirit replied with a slight stutter before sighing loudly in relief. “Don’t think you’re out of the water just yet Spartan. We are still going to have words.” Six continued as the door to the interrogation room was thrown open by a very angry-looking lunar princess. “What is the meaning of thi-?!“ Luna’s eyes locked onto the struggling Changeling in Six’s grasp. Evidently, Luna was not there to witness the changelings transformation through the glass. Looking back Six tossed the sputtering changeling at the princesses' hooves as Six herself collapsed to the floor. “Had to deal with an…uninvited guest.” Luna’s eyes flipped between the Sputtering changeling at her hooves, the panting Spartan attempting to right themselves with their retrieved cane, and the relieved-looking changeling sitting at the table. Lighting her horn Luna restrained the injured changeling and focused her gaze on the, now standing, Spartan. “I shall call for another pony to assis-“ “Not necessary.” Interrupted Six as she righted the chair across from Spirit that got knocked over in the scuffle. “I need to have a word with Spirit. She is my Spartan. She is my responsibility.” Luna stood in silence for several more seconds before answering with a single, somewhat hesitant, nod before leaving the room, a restrained changeling in tow. A silence soon took ever the room as Six took her seat across from the changeling. “Than-“ “Shut up.” Interrupted Six with her cold and demanding tone Spirit knew all too well. “Spirit, why are you here?” “Wha-?” “Why are you here Spartan?!” Six yelled with a slam of her hoof against the metal table, its metal bent as Six grimaced in pain due to her still tender injuries. “Sir! Because I am a changeling Sir!” “Yes, so I ask again: Why are you here? Why have you chosen to side with the enemy of your people?” “Sir! Because I could not in good faith follow the Queen anymore, Sir! She has perverted the Hive and brought it away from the Empresses of all changelings will!” “So why, Spartan, did you not decide to omit this detail to me during your training?! You must know information vital to the war effort! Such as the location of your hive correct?” “I do now, Sir!” “Explain.” “Sir, when a changeling breaks their link to the Queen such information is purged. I have, however, managed to grab said information while I was…Missing, after the attack during the training exercise. I was…barely able to escape from the regrouping changelings.” “And you’re willing to share this information now?” “It is why I took the risk in the first place to return here.” A smile began to blossom on the Spartans' faces as their facial expression relaxed and softened. “Heh, and Luna wondered why I still trust you.” A questioning look of surprise appeared on Spirit's insectile face. “You do?” “With my life. It’s why you're not sitting there as a captured enemy combatant, but as a Spartan being debriefed. So tell me: What intel have you managed to… Acquire?” The intel Spirit would share with the Spartan was vast. The location of the changeling Hive had been found and the road to ending the war was clear. Plans would be drawn up, fresh volunteers would be trained and numbers would be replenished. For the first time in over 500 years, the equestrian military would be mobilized. But before that could happen, a Spartan needs to be put to rest…and a friend must be consoled.