"Please don't mention what I did to the Princess." Second Sight begged as they approached Canterlot, it wasn't the first time she begged this to the spartan.
"I understand she looks down on such things," Jackal said opening the door, "the details of our op are classified, only between us," she said, clearly irked, "you say to not mention to the princess one more time, you won't be entering the palace or any room ever again," she spit out. The archmage swallowed as they entered the throne room, a dejected princess finishing a eulogy for a filly, "I may not fully agree with your methods, but it was a necessary evil, to stop this." Jackal lowered her head in solemn silence.
"Jackal, Archmage Sight, please tell me your travels were fruitful," Celestia said, "I'm not sure I will be able to perform another one of these." tears dripped onto the floor.
"Yes princess, we found the warlock and obtained the cure," Jackal said placing a hand on her withers, "However we were unable to bring the stallion in as he perished while resisting arrest," gently she patted Celestia's withers, "we also confirmed that this virus was manufactured to assist the griffin empire in an invasion of your soil, I am willing to go into their lands and engage several officers to disrupt their military."
"I see, I will discuss this with my council, as for now, only a few ponies know you exist and I would like to keep it this way," she said before looking at her blind mage, "as for you, we have a mass discharge crystal at the ready if you would please go and cast the spell." a slight smile crossed the alicorns lips as her mage left, giving a thankful nod to the spartan she returned to her single doctor and the many patients. Jackal took her leave and wandered the halls of the palace, with the princess's forces spread thin, the palace was practically empty, dust-covered the walls and a single ping appeared on the human motion tracker.
"A shame isn't it," Celestia said, "so many dead and for what the promise of gold or a high standing," her voice wasn't as shaky anymore and she let out a sigh as a red wave ran across their bodies, passing through the walls, "I know what the archmage did during your trips, she always wants to get results, doesn't think about the toll using such spells have on one's mind," Celestia looked over at the spartan, "she seems to handle it well but I worry for the mare."
"I understand that princess, I used to worry about the marines I served with, I still worry about myself," Jackal told her, shifting her attention to a stained glass window, "Princess Celestia, I'd like to apologize for when we met, I was awake for quite a bit before I spoke to you, but I was worried about how you would react to me," Celestia chuckled, "silly I know, I'm a soldier and I was worried about how you would act instead of talking to you when I woke up."
"No, no it's not silly at all commander," Celestia wiping a few tears from under her eyes, "it's just that after all that's happened, you being nervous while surrounded by what must be aliens to you is so innocent, it's refreshing honestly," she wrapped a wing around the spartan and leaned into her, "I think we'll be good friends, Jackal, I'll prepare a room for you in the palace, there's a few which haven't been turned into medical storage and surgery."
"I was expecting a hovel, not a palace room," Jackal said, her smile hidden under her helmet, "really this is too mu-" Celestia held up a hoof and cutting her off.
"Nonsense you are my guest, and you offered more services than just mercenary work, you may be a new guard or military leader, only time will tell, now follow me." Jackal gave a nod and followed the princess.
Jackal spent some time talking with a few intelligence officers on the targets that would most disrupt the griffin military structure, or she could assassinate their king. The king only stopped expanding his kingdom when Equestria raised up and started reinforcing smaller countries, when the plague hit, his expansion quickly started again, slowly approaching Equestria's borders.
"I'll take out the king," Jackal told the officer, grabbing her rifle and walking out of Canterlot under the cover of night.
Jackal lay in wait on a ridge, soon the king would show up at his favorite field, and his efforts to create a massive kingdom would end here, with his blood. Jackal shouldered her rifle and took a slow breath when the king and his guards showed up in the field.
She quickly made her way through the tall grass after she watched the griffin's body slump to the ground.
"Don't worry, I'll get you out of there!" Jackal screamed as she slammed the butt of her rifle against the cockpit of the pelican, "just a little more," she said as the glass started to spider web, screams coming from the pilots as the flames reached them, "there." her voice full of relief as she pulled them out, and grabbed the extinguisher off the wall spraying them with the agent.
Lieutenant, behind you." one of the soldiers weakly said, turning around she raised her rifle and fired at the brute before diving to the side to avoid the hammer, watching in horror as the soldiers burned bodies were thrown across the room from the force, screams filling the air as they had landed in a fuel fire.
Jackal awoke with a start, looking at her armor in a pile at the side, "I need to get to work." she told herself falling back into her sweat-soaked sheets.
Jackal smiled at her new recruits, of course, to maintain operational secrecy she watched from the sidelines, but she heard the orders, and she how hard these stallions and mares wanted this job.
It had been a grueling three months, out of 200 hundred recruits only 10 made it this far. Jackal stepped in front of her recruits, hushed whispers being traded between the group, "Welcome recruits. I am Commander Jackal," she told them getting them all to quiet down, "Now I know you all had a hard three months, but it's going to get much harder," she informed them, "pack up you're going camping." worried looks were passed between the party.
"Ma'am, what exactly are going to do here?" a mare asked tightening the lined jacket as the cold weather nipped against her coat.
"Over the next four months you will be given challenges of survival, pathfinding, and codebreaking, and the princess has been kind enough to provide a teleportation spell to drop you in the places I have chosen, the last one to make it to the outpost is out of the program," she told them as they approached a way-stone, a crystal hovering in front it, "maps, the outposts coordinates are listed in code on this paper, good luck." she told them as they one by one disappeared in a flash of light.
She looked over her last seven, hardened by their trials. "This last trial is the hardest of them all," she heard the swallow come from the group, "on the other side of the Everfree are six flags, return them to me and you'll be a member of my corps."
The spartan watched the vitality markers blink out one by one the crystal provided, Celestia dropped in daily, just talking to her, and every time she would sit closer and closer. "So princess, after everything that happened with the plague, you're okay with these deaths here?" Jackal asked as she entered the shack with a cup of tea and one of coffee.
"Well, they knew what they were signing up for," Celestia said glancing over, "it's not like the plague where it was forced onto them, deaths here aren't as heart breaking." she said looking at the helmet sitting on the small table.
"I was one better augmented spartan III's," Jackal started before yelping and falling forward, knocking Celestia over, face to face they blushed, "Sorry a bit of mud," the spartan said quietly, 'she smells, like roses' she thought to herself rolling to the side, "S-so, as I was saying, the spartan III's were considered expendable, out of my company, 300 died in a single operation, and all they did was make a second one, kept sending them out on suicide missions," Jackal said with a sigh, "Harper and I were lucky ones, we survived enough missions to become head hunters and then we were moved into an ODST squad as support during our last two years." Jackal said looking wistfully at the ODST helmet on the table, she caught a glimpse the white wing of the princess getting draped over her chest.
"I'm so sorry, it sounds like it was difficult." Celestia said to her and they just laid there for the rest day not saying a word.
Three weeks later only two remained, and they just arrived, a unicorn and an earth pony, "made it through the forest alive?" she asked them.
"No," the earth pony said, getting a side glance from the unicorn, "we went around, going through is suicide."
"Good job Hornet," the unicorn huffed out, "now we aren't getting in," she complained to her, "I was really looking forward to this job."
"Why wouldn't you make it?" Jackal asked getting a confused look from the pair, "I just said return the flags to me, I never said you had to go through the forest to get one," Hornet laughed at that, "So now, Incognito, Hornet welcome to deniable operations, from now on your jobs are blacker than black, your missions don't exist." she told them.
"What happened to the others?" Incognito asked.
Jackal looked at her and softly said, "As Hornet said, it's suicide to cut directly through the Everfree," a sad look passed over the two ponies, "they will be given proper honors." she assured them.