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// 3- Out of Time 
// Story: A Noble’s Shadow 
// by LSTS Connor 
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To call Six annoyed would be an understatement. To call her pissed would be an overstatement. To be accurate, Six was experiencing a limbo between both sides of the spectrum as she sat atop her sled and watched as Shining Armor and Cadence walked down the slope towards the crystal city’s gates, flanked by her three Spartans.

As much as she knew that duty and following orders came first, being told to sit back and let her charges walk directly into probable enemy territory would never sit well with her. Throw in her Spartans as well and you had a recipe for impatience, one Six was indulging in quite heavily. Most of the ponies around her had given the Spartan a wide berth. Her posture, constant staring towards the royal couple and her underlings, as well as the errant twitches that made her diamond-sharp feathers glint in the slowly dwindling sunlight.

Those that knew her stayed away, those that didn’t followed their seniors, and those that only knew of her reputation whispered amongst themselves in awe. However, there was one exception to these groups: those that didn’t give a damn and continued on as normal. And one pony among them managed to draw the Spartan’s gaze.

Prompted with an annoyed question of “Why isn’t this sled in position?!” and getting nothing but glances to the Spartan atop it in response, an annoyed Crimson Sky walked up to the sled and hitched himself to it. With a raised eyebrow in curiosity, Six turned to watch the display before her, a part of her conscious mind welcoming the brief distraction.

With a heave and several flaps of his bright red wings, the sled began to move, the ropes binding the Pegasus to the Spartans sled straining against their bonds as the sled began to move with a lurch. Six could faintly feel the pressure of a tailwind pushing through her feathers as this lone soldier managed to pull the combined weight of the Spartan and her sled.

The wind at her back began to increase as the sled began to move to its destination, closer to the others. Six watched the straining pegasus before her with ever-increasing curiosity and attention.

“What's your secret?” Six asked suddenly, briefly breaking the straining pegasus’s attention, the breeze at her back wavering before returning in force.

“Would you…” Crimson Sky began with a pant, “Would you take magic as an answer for now? Need to… need to focus here. Wind isn’t… as favorable…as before.”

Six did as asked and remained silent for the rest of the short trip, the analytical part of her mind processing what the pegasus had said. Could he control, or at least influence, the surrounding wind? Could she do so as well? Six pondered with an experimental flap of her wing as her gaze switched between her still ones and the flapping pair attached to Crimson.

She knew from experience that her weight was nothing to scoff at, with even the strongest of earth ponies required to move her any amount of distance. The ponies that had said job during her stay in any hospital were given the unofficial nicknames of ‘Six’s Noble Steeds.’ So seeing this, by all accounts, average size and strength pegasus managing to pull not only her weight but that of the sled as well was nothing short of astounding to the Spartan.

Five minutes later, Crimson Sky collapsed to the ground, his spirit seeming to have overestimated his body, the pair having only made it halfway to their destination. Six grinned under her helmet as she looked down at the panting pegasus before jumping down and offering a hoof to help him up.

“Well, color me impressed,” Six began as Crimson took the offered hoof and rose from the ground. “So tell me now, what's your secret?”

“My own technique…” He took a moment to catch his breath before continuing, “If I concentrate, I can influence the surrounding winds to help pull the load. Haven’t…haven’t found another use for it, though. Too tiring, too situational. What happened in the blizzard was a fluke, I tell you. Winds everywhere else are way too weak,” Crimson finished as his breathing slowly began to calm.

“Hmm,” Six hummed, her attention drawn to the distance they had managed to cross. It was certainly a short distance, but not an insignificant one. This pegasus had potential, maybe… maybe Shining Armor had more influence on Six’s thinking than she realized.

Without saying another word, Six hooked one of the sleds reigns around her wing before beginning to bull it—extremely easily— the rest of the way, leaving Crimson to catch his breath.

“Pegasus Magic has always interested me.”

Six froze, her eyes darting to her tracker. It was the same voice—that same seductive tone, and it came from everywhere.

“After all, my Empire is sorely lacking in genetic diversity. There are only so many experiments one can undertake when your test subjects possess neither a horn nor wings. And quite frankly, I hate needles.”

The voice was coming from behind, her heart rate already beginning to skyrocket involuntarily, her biology betraying her once more. Turning as fast as she could, wings shivering and feathers vibrating, Six met the source of this siren's song.

Sitting atop the sled where she had sat not too long ago was a pony. His coat was a dark grey, its color nearly mimicking that beneath her undersuit. A long, dark, flowing mane as black as night grew from his head. A sharp, red-tipped, curved horn grew from his forehead. Wisps of translucent black and purple smog seeped from his eyes. In fact, upon closer inspection, his whole body was transparent, as if the pony was not really there in the first place. He looked down at the Spartan with an impassive gaze, his eyes focusing on the extended wing she held towards him. He chuckled, as if seeing a child pointing a stick at him.

“Please, there is no use for violence Noble Six. What you are seeing is merely a…projection. I simply wish to speak with another warrior on equal terms.”

Upon closer inspection, the King was indeed almost completely translucent, a dark haze distorting the space around him as if his mere presence interfered with reality. Approaching carefully, wings still raised, Six realized that the King—or his projection—seemed to be as large as her. The two eye to eye as Six climbed up the sled. His body was covered in scars and burns, his build large and powerful, not too dissimilar to Sparrow or herself. It was the body of a soldier, a killer, a weapon honed to perfection and tempered by warfare. He continued to watch the Spartan in amusement, a grin on his lips and his fangs bared. 

“You may want to lower your weapon. All the others will see is you threatening empty air.”

“Shut up.” 

The King sighed, stood up, and simply walked into the blade pointed at him, his form passing around it as if it weren't there. Her shield became visible along the armor inside his translucent form. 

“There, as you can see, weapons are not needed. I merely wanted to say hello.”

Six continued to say nothing, merely staring the King down before retracting her wings. Sombra mirrored her expression, the two warriors staring each other down.

“Hello,” Six was the first to break the silence. “Now leave before I find a way to kill you where you stand.”

Sombra smiled. “And why would you want to do that? I haven't done anything personally to you, no?”

“Many I killed haven’t, but I still did my Job,” Six shot back as Sombra’s smile only grew into a chuckle.

“And those sisters thought they could be rid of me.” His eyes roamed across Six’s armored form. “I must say that the craftsmanship on your armor is simply divine. I have no doubt that should our swords cross in battle, I would have found myself a worthwhile foe. Though I hope it will not come to that.”

Six wanted to retort, but the translucent unicorn continued before she could speak.

“No matter. You may have come here to stop me from retaking my throne, but it will be for naught. My ascension back to King is as inevitable as the rising sun itself. What your charges are doing is merely buying time.”

“Tyrants live on borrowed time,” Six retorted, hoping to would wound the shadow’s pride. It only elicited a deep laugh.

“My my my, what have those princesses been telling you? That I am a tyrant? A monster from the deepest pits of Tartarus? A power-hungry and enslaving Warlord? I am merely what my creators wanted. As for the Empire, let's just say… the dog took hold of its leash.” Another laugh billowed out from the spectral King as he turned to look Six directly in the eye, the Spartan finding herself frozen solid, body refusing to follow her commands.

“We are more alike than you could ever know, little puppy. Perhaps next we meet, your leash will be as broken as mine. But for now, our conversation must come to an end.”

“Good, your arrogance was beginning to annoy me.” The King laughed once more.

“We will speak again, Noble Six. After all, us living weapons must stick together.” And like dust on the wind, Sombra had vanished. Six remained still for several long moments, her mind still processing what had just happened. 

She inspected the area Sombra had appeared, the Spartan finding nothing out of place. 

‘I. hate. Magic.’





Half an hour later, the convoy entered the ancient crystal city, Six walking along the side, watching for any possible attack. Her conversation with Sombra had left her more shaken than she cared to realize, the sudden biological whiplash leaving the Spartan with involuntary shivers periodically running down her spine.

Walking down the crystal boulevard, the Spartan witnessed several windows slam shut and fearful looks being shot at not only her but their entire convoy as they entered the Empire. But the moment their eyes landed on Six, they vanished and slammed their windows and doors shut. The scenery surrounding them looked abandoned, with large cracks running down the crystalline walls and street, as if chunks had been ripped out and brought to who knows where.

To Six, however, it meant nothing. She had seen her fair share of cities ravaged by warfare, and this was no exception. It was as if the battle had happened only days ago, the ash having only just settled from whence it had come. By all accounts, this should not be as, apparently, until yesterday, the Empire did not exist.

Reaching the plaza underneath the Spire that rose from the city's center, Six met back up with the royal couple and their Spartan escorts. They were organizing the sleds like before, telling them to spread out and begin to hand out the many supplies they had brought. From modern medicines to food and warm winter clothing, all the humanitarian supplies they had brought were handed out in their bid to introduce the modern world to this Empire out of time.

Six said nothing as she took her place by the royal couple's side among her Spartans, glad that nothing ill had befallen them whilst she was stuck having a conversation with that… shade. She didn’t know what to feel when it came to what the King had spoken to her. She should have, by all accounts, shrugged it off as the lies of a madman, some failed attempt to manipulate her to his side like in those books Shining kept recommending her.

But there was something about the way he said it, about the way he looked at her underneath that arrogant conquerors mask he wore, the voice in the back of her mind telling her to not dismiss it outright. Six closed her eyes in thought, the drone of ambient conversation around her allowing the Spartan to focus more intently. 

Though attempted would be more accurate as the sudden, very slight, pressure of something pressing against the Spartan’s forelegs brought her back into reality, interrupting her ruminations.

“Yes?” she asked, annoyance quite clear in her tone. Opening her eyes and looking towards the source of the pressure, she found herself at a loss for words.

Coiled around her right foreleg was a small snow-white ferret looking up at the Spartan with its small black eyes and tiny pink tongue sticking ever so slightly out of its closed mouth.

Six was only able to mouth the word ‘what’ before she felt another pressure running its way up and along her back before resting atop her helmet. Seconds later, a second snow-white furry face came into view. The ferret looked upside down into the Spartans visor, inspecting the golden glass with its nose before she felt it run along her shoulders. The little mustelid squeaked in what seemed like happiness as its companion climbed up the Spartan’s leg to join it on her armored form that had become their playground.

A suppressed giggle from her side drew her attention; the Spartan finding out that the ambient conversation around her had gone silent, everyone throughout the crystal plaza stopped to watch what was transpiring to the Spartan. Looking to her side, careful not to throw the little animals off, Pixy was barely suppressing a giggle.

“I see our Spartan has found herself a few friends,” began Cadence, smiling warmly at the cute display before her. 

“They came up to me,” answered Six before quickly catching one of the ferrets with an outstretched wing that had lost its footing atop her helmet. It jumped around its newly discovered environment, its little paws tapping against the many armored feathers. Wether out of amusement or wanting to join its friend, the other ferret jumped off the other side, prompting Six to extend her other wing to prevent it from falling.

Cadence giggled as the sound of the surrounding ponies returning to work began to pick up. She moved to pick one up in her magic and remove them from the Spartan, but the moment the little creatures felt themselves being pulled away from their new playground, they fought back. They squeaked and hissed and trashed Cadence's light blue aura. When Cadence set them down upon her outstretched wings, they bolted. The two ferrets rushed back towards the Spartan.

“Huh… they seem to like you,” Cadence remarked as Six now looked at her with a small tilt of her head, the ferrets climbing up her back and wings. “…Can you perhaps remove your helmet, Six? I think they want to know what's under the armor.”

The Spartan almost reflexively answered no, only just stopping herself before the words left her lips. She looked to her left shoulder, finding one of them attempting to remove her knife from its sheath, its squeaking making the Spartan pause. What was happening to her? Why was there a smile growing on her lips, and why in the hell was that sound making her feel warm inside? She couldn’t tear her gaze from its small face as it attempted to remove the knife from a different angle before it noticed the visor staring at it.

It leaned forward and began to sniff the golden surface like its companion had before. And then it licked it, and for some reason unknown to all —perhaps even the heavens themselves—Six giggled.

Not laughed or chucked or smirked in amusement. The Spartan giggled. A happy sound that seemed so utterly alien to be coming from the Spartan that it made those around her do a double take in response.

“Please tell me I’m not the only pony that heard that,” began Pixy, her eyes locked on the Spartan.

“No, I heard it as well,” added Spirit, equally flabbergasted as they all continued to watch Six in surprise.

Six meanwhile ignored them all, her attention becoming squarely focused on the little mustelid attempting to ascertain the inorganic nature of her visor with its tongue. That or it was thirsty and attempting to drink the melted snow that dripped off her helmet.

Six shook her head ever so slightly, causing the little ferret to move back, allowing Six to remove her helmet without worry. The hiss of the pressure seal breaking startled the animals, causing them to jump around, backs arched and mouths wide open. It made Six pause again, barely suppressing another un-Spartan giggle. The two of them were still on her outstretched wings in front of her, watching the Spartan with great interest. Once the helmet was removed, however, Six barely had time to put it on the ground between her forelegs before the two ferrets began to inspect her in earnest.

Their little whiskers tickled against her cheeks, the animals squeaks making Six’s normally stoic heart soar even further. A part of her brain thought long dead and buried underneath the Spartan III program's training beginning to revive.

“Well, aren’t you two brave ones,” Six said with a smile so uncharacteristically large it made even the Spartan herself pause as she flexed one of her wings to very daintily play with the ferrets, an unconscious knowledge within her mind telling her exactly how and with how much force she should use. The experience seemed oddly familiar as if some long forgotten and dead memory had returned to life, and with a vengeance at that. The animals ‘dooked’ in happiness at the attention, the word coming to Six’s mind like it had always been there. 

Meanwhile, on the outside, the attention surrounding Six had only grown, more and more ponies stopping to watch the display before them. And as time continued to progress, Six’s behavior only continued to grow stranger. From merely playing with the ferrets with her wings soon she was actively chasing them and them her, the Spartan giggling and laughing all the way with almost childlike joy. It was as if the world had fallen away to the Spartan, and all that remained was herself and the ferrets.

“Should…should we do something?” questioned Shining as he watched Six he had come to know and respect as the personification of an unstoppable force play with the two ferrets like a foal would with a puppy. The look he held was mirrored by the other Spartans, their minds surely having the same thoughts.

“I…” Cadence began herself also almost at a loss for words, though smiling warmly nevertheless. “As much as I don’t want to, Sombra is out there, but I think that just this once, we should leave her be.” The princess looked around, seeing the many other warm smiles being directed toward the playing Spartan. “If anything, you can file this under a moral boosting event,” Cadence proposed with a giggle towards her husband before the smile became sad. “When Sombra comes, we’re going to need all we can get.”

Shining glanced toward his wife before shuffling closer to her and using his magic to pull one of her wings across his back. And whilst this was happening all around them, crystal ponies began to leave their hiding places, drawn to the epicenter of the childlike laughter that seemed to echo throughout the plaza. Within moments, the caravan was no longer alone in the city center. The soldiers along the outskirts of the plaza, now realizing they were no longer alone, began to hand out the supplies they had brought in earnest.

Soon the plaza began to bustle with the sound of ponies hard at work, helping to bring the civilization out of time into the modern world. The gentle and innocent childlike laughter of the Spartan signaling to all who heard it that maybe, just maybe, everything was going to be okay.