Need A Weapon?
“Hoof-biting action overload!” Pinkie Pie gushed, pantomiming wildly as she recounted a certain speedster’s latest exploits. “She was like a stunt superstar, flying higher and higher, and then Rainbow Dash-“ She continued to gesticulate excitedly, seemingly oblivious to the varying levels of disinterest in her audience.
Whereas Twilight gave a halfhearted “mmhmm” to Pinkie’s tale, Emile and Carter had long ago tuned out, and were now talking amongst themselves. Gesturing to Pinkie, Carter said, “Y’know, I can understand her being hyper, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen her just… sit still. Not for a second, and we’ve been here for over a week.” Turning to Emile, he continued, “I have to ask: Is she always like this?”
Emile chuckled. “Sit still? Commander, in the two weeks I’ve known her, I haven’t seen her take a breath.” The two shared a laugh, sitting back to watch as Pinkie reenacted her story. Suddenly, overhead a loud swoosh was heard. Following the noise, the two Spartans, as well as Pinkie looked up to find Rainbow Dash soaring overhead, with Jun flying beside her.
Perking up excitedly, Pinkie ran off, following the flyers with a sense of glee. Twilight watched her leave with a sigh of relief, while Emile groaned in annoyance. Turning to Carter, Emile simply gave him a short nod, before moving to follow.
Rainbow drifted through the sky, flapping lazily and simply enjoying the freedom of flight, when a loud call from below her drew her attention. “Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie shouted, grinning as Rainbow looked down, oblivious to the annoyed frown the Pegasus threw her way upon identifying her.
“Pinkie Pie? Not again.” Rainbow groaned, turning forward and increasing her speed.
From beside her, Jun cocked a brow in confusion. “What’s wrong? She probably just wants to hang out with you again.”
Rolling her eyes, Rainbow answered, “Yeah, exactly! She’s been hanging around me all week! Haven’t you noticed?”
Jun shrugged. “I guess, but-“
“Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie shouted, interrupting him.
Grunting in frustration, Rainbow responded, “Not now, Pinkie Pie.”
“But Rainbow Dash-“
“I’m in the middle of something!” Rainbow snapped.
“But-“
“I said not now!” Rainbow said, before smashing headfirst into a mountain with a loud smack.
As Rainbow slowly and painfully slid down to the ground, Pinkie approached her. “I was just gonna say look out for that mountain.” She explained.
Jun meanwhile fluttered down with a worried expression, as Emile sidled up next to him. “Y’know,” Emile began. “I’d say she walked right into that one, but it’s more like she flew into it. Head-first.” He snickered, and Jun failed to stifle a small chuckle. Rainbow simply groaned in response.
One theme song later…
Rainbow and Jun lounged on a pair of clouds over Ponyville Market, Rainbow napping idly while Jun perused a copy of the local paper. Suddenly, a loud, yet cheery humming broke the calm, causing Rainbow’s eyes to snap open and turn her attention downward, where Pinkie was addressing a small crowd of shoppers, asking for the Pegasus.
Groaning in frustration yet again, Rainbow grabbed two tufts of the cloud she was currently occupying and stuffed them into her ears. Settling back down, she got ready to resume her nap, when Jun’s voice from beside her roused her yet again. “What exactly is your problem with Pinkie Pie?” He asked, looking up from his paper curiously.
Rainbow huffed, her wings flapping once in indignation. “I don’t have a problem with Pinkie Pie!”
Jun raised a brow. “You’ve been avoiding her all day. I thought you two were friends?”
“We are!” Rainbow insisted. “It’s just, I don’t know. She’s been following me around all week, and it’s getting pretty annoying. Besides, everypony is friends with Pinkie Pie. It’s impossible to live in Ponyville and not be friends with her.”
Jun chuckled. “Yeah, I figured. But I thought you were closer to her than that. Aren’t you and the other Elements like some sort of clique or something?”
Rainbow laughed at that. “Are you kidding? I hadn’t even met Rarity before Twilight showed up, and I’d only ever seen Pinkie at all the parties she threw. We were never really close.” She explained.
“Well, it seems she’s trying to get closer.” Jun countered. “I guess all you have to ask yourself is if you’re willing to reciprocate. She’s putting in an effort to become better friends with you, and you can either accept it, or keep trying to push her away. I’m not saying either option is the right one, but which one do you think she deserves?”
By the end of Jun’s lecture, Rainbow had noticeably sagged, humbled. “I guess you’re right.” She turned to Jun, giving him an appraising look. “You know, for a soldier, you sure seem to know a lot about this personal stuff.”
Jun shrugged, turning back to his paper. “I used to spend weeks on end by myself and I talk too much.” The Spartan released a small huff of laughter. “A person like me, in a situation like that? They either use the time to think or blow their brains out.” He shuffled the paper, oblivious to Rainbow’s disturbed expression.
Any response she may have had was lost as Pinkie Pie called from below, “Rainbow Daaaaash!”
Said Pegasus looked down from the cloud to see Pinkie Pie grinning up at her excitedly, with Emile, Carter, and Twilight standing beside her. Rainbow turned her gaze towards Jun, who glanced up from his paper, before making a ‘well go on’ gesture with one hoof.
With a small sigh, Rainbow leapt from the cloud and flitted down to hover before Pinkie Pie. “What do you want, Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow asked, doing her best to hide her impatience.
“I need your help with something!” Pinkie chirped. “It’s gonna be super fun!”
Rainbow was admittedly intrigued, and regarded Pinkie curiously. “What did you have in mind?” She asked.
Pinkie’s grin only grew wider.
“Over to the right!” Pinkie called, using her hooves to frame the scene before her. Rainbow and Jun were currently gripping a cloud, shifting it about and ensuring that it was in the proper position above Town Hall for what Pinkie Pie had planned.
“No no, a little to the left.”
“Wait, back to the right!”
“Now a little leftish while staying rightly-“
“Oh come on!” Jun said, exasperated. “Is this really that important? It looks fine to me!”
“Actually,” Emile said from beside Pinkie. “I think she’s right. It does look a little off.”
“Don’t encourage her!” Jun snapped.
“No no, Emilio’s totally right!” Pinkie added. “So move it a few inches to the south!”
“No, wait. Now a couple centimeters north.”
“Okaaay, one more smidgemeter to the-“
“PINKIE PIE!” Rainbow and Jun shouted in unison, causing Pinkie to quail a bit, embarrassed.
“Uh, never mind! It’s perfect! Now just wait for my signal!” Pinkie said, approaching Town Hall and peering inside, where she spotted Spike gathering an armful of scrolls and humming a tune. As Spike cleared the doorway, Pinkie signaled Rainbow, who gave the cloud a solid buck, releasing a loud CRACK of thunder.
Jerking in shock, Spike dropped the scrolls, standing there dumbly for a few seconds, before hiccupping loudly. As Spike began hiccupping uncontrollably, Pinkie and Rainbow burst into laughter, while Emile and Jun chuckled along with them. “Scared into getting the hiccups?” Jun said, grinning. “I thought that was just a myth.”
Spike, upon realizing the source of the thunder, laughed as well, despite the seizing hiccups that burst forth from him every few seconds. “Heh, good one Pinkie hic Pie. You’re always pulling a fast one hic on me!” He reached down to pick up one of the scrolls, only to hiccup once again, this time releasing a cloud of fire and smoke that swept up and disintegrated the scroll.
Concerned, Pinkie Pie stepped forward. “Oh no! Are you okay, Spike?”
“Huh?” Spike turned to her, confused. “Oh, don’t hic worry. Dragons are hic fireproof!”
Meanwhile in Canterlot…
Princess Celestia pored over the unfurled scroll before her, studying its contents, when suddenly a puff of smoke announced the arrival of another scroll, this one undoubtedly coming from Spike or more likely, Twilight Sparkle. Confused by the sudden and unscheduled arrival of the message, Celestia nearly allowed it to drop to the floor before grabbing it in her magic and unfurling it. To her surprise, the scroll was blank. Cocking her head in confusion, Celestia set the scroll aside. Making a mental note to deal with the matter later, the Princess returned to her work.
Back in Ponyville…
Frowning, Spike added, “I just wish hic the same were true of hic scrolls.”
“Oh, okay. That’s good.” Pinkie said, pausing for a moment before she and Rainbow again burst into laughter. Jun began chuckling again as well, but Emile approached Spike curiously.
“So you guys are fireproof, eh? Sounds useful.” He said, impressed.
“Well, yeah.” Spike said. “We have to hic be, what with the hic fire breathing and all. Of hic course, my fire doesn’t always hic burn anything, it sometimes just sends it to HIC Celestia.” Spike paused, looking to the others. “Boy, hic that was a hic big one!”
To his surprise, he was met with three shocked stares. Confused, he turned back to Emile, only to find a smoking patch of dirt where Emile had been previously. “Uh hic oh.” He muttered.
Meanwhile in Canterlot… Again…
Celestia again looked up from her work as another cloud of smoke drifted through a nearby window. Probably an apology from Twilight. Celestia mused. She is much too hard on herself. It’s like she assumes I’ll banish or imprison her for every little- Her thoughts were interrupted as two hundred and thirty-five pounds of Spartan landed with a thud on her back.
Groaning, Emile pulled himself into a sitting position, giving himself a few pats to extinguish the small fires on his fur. “Ugh… Holy shit that hurt.” He cursed. A shifting beneath him drew his attention to the deity he was currently sitting on. Then, with a sudden crash, the doors to the room flew open, and a squad of Royal Guards rushed in.
“Oh you have got to be fuckin’ kid-“ Was all Emile got out before he was tackled to the floor.
Several Hours Later…
Emile hopped off the chariot, turning back towards the two guards and giving them a smile. “Thanks for the ride, guys. Oh, and sorry about the whole ‘resisting arrest’ thing. Corporal, get some ice on that eye and it should be fine in a day or two, okay?” All he received in return were one and a half glares, before the chariot took off. Shrugging, Emile turned and headed into town. Within minutes, he spotted Pinkie, Rainbow, and Jun trotting along together, the former two laughing, while the third simply wore a small grin. Approaching them, he gave a small wave, saying. “Hey guys, what’d I miss?”
“Emilio!” Pinkie said, beaming. “Where’d you go? Spike said you’d be fine, but we were so worried!”
Emile shrugged indifferently. “Eh, it’s a long story. What have you been up to?”
Pinkie zipped up to him, a wide smile adorning her face. “We’ve been pulling all sorts of pranks! It’s been so much fun!” Turning to Rainbow and Jun she added, “Isn’t that right, guys?”
Rainbow grinned and nodded, but Jun simply shrugged. “They were alright.” He said simply. “Gotta say though, they were a little cliché.”
Rainbow looked to Jun with a frown. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh come on.” Jun said dubiously. “I mean sneezing powder? Invisible ink? I’m sure as Hell not giving you points for originality. Not to mention that prank we pulled on Applejack. I don’t really know if two hours of effort was worth slightly annoying her.”
Rainbow flared her wings, looking offended, while Pinkie placed a hoof to her chin, humming contemplatively. “You know, I think he’s right, Rainbow Dash.”
Giving Pinkie a scandalized look, Rainbow furrowed her brow and turned on Jun. “Oh yeah?” She said aggressively. “You think you can do better?”
Jun chuckled. “Me? Oh I don’t think so.” He said. “But I do know someone who can definitely show you a real prank.” Jun then looked to Emile, while Pinkie and Rainbow followed his gaze to the Spartan as well.
“Well, Emile?” Jun asked. “Want to give it a try? I still remember all the stuff you were able to pull off back on Onyx.”
Emile hesitated. “I don’t know, man. I think I just used up all of my Royal Pardons for the day.” Jun gave Emile a confused expression, but Emile offered nothing more.
Pinkie pouted, fixing Emile with a pleading gaze. “Oh, come on Emilio! I wanna see what you can do! Besides, it’s all in good fun!”
Emile looked from Pinkie to Rainbow and Jun, both of which were giving him expectant looks, and sighed. “Okay, fine. I guess it couldn’t hurt.”
“Yay!” Pinkie cheered. “Where should we start?”
Emile grinned darkly. “I have a few ideas.”
“You did what?”
“It was an accident!” Spike said, quailing beneath Carter’s wrathful gaze. “Besides, he’s fine! I promise! I mean, he should be, so long as he made it to Celestia okay.”
Carter gaped at Spike. “You sent him to Celestia?”
Spike nodded quickly. “Well, yeah! That’s where everything I send by fire goes! It’s a spell that Celestia put on me herself.”
Carter shook his head, sighing. “Great. This is just what I needed.”
Spike became nervous, shooting a pleading look to Carter as he said, “Y-You won’t tell Twilight, will you? She’ll probably be mad at me for sending all those blank scrolls, and Emile too I guess, to Celestia. But it was an accident, I swear!”
Carter sighed. “I can’t promise anything, but as long as Emile is alright-“
“He is!” Spike interrupted urgently.
“Then I suppose no one has to know about this.” Carter finished, as Spike beamed in response. “However, I’m going to have to send Celestia a message. Hopefully she’ll know-“ Carter was again cut off as a soft chirp from his COM link signaled someone contacting him. Bringing a hoof to the device, Carter opened the channel.
“Hey, Commander. It’s Emile.”
Carter sighed in relief. “Emile, it’s good to hear from you. Are you alright? What happened?”
Emile chuckled, producing a distorted rumble through the line. “I’m fine, boss. I just had a little run-in with Celestia’s finest.”
Carter frowned. “Say again Emile? I didn’t catch that.”
“I said, I’m about to pull a prank on you.”
Carter huffed in annoyance. “Emile, boost your signal, you’re coming in all muted.”
“It’s fine on my end! Boost yours!” Emile shouted over the line, just loud enough for Carter to make out. Groaning impatiently, Carter focused his magic, manipulating a series buttons on his headset to boost the volume.
“Is that better?” Carter asked.
“You tell me.” Came Emile’s response.
Quickly growing fed up with the situation, Carter boosted the volume to its maximum setting. “Try again Emile, and speak up, alright?”
The line remained silent.
“Emile?” Carter asked, his frustration giving way to concern. He raised a hoof to the COM link, pressing it further into his ear in an attempt to hear. “Respond, that’s an order.”
BRRREEEEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEEEEEEET!
Emile pulled the airhorn from his helmet, silencing the noise, and allowing Carter’s agonized scream to issue over the COM. Cutting the link, he turned to the others as they burst into laughter. Turning to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, Emile said, “Now that is a real prank.”
Only Pinkie seemed unconvinced, smiling as usual but not laughing along with the others. “Hmm, I don’t know Emilio. Wasn’t that kind of mean? What if you hurt him?”
Emile waved a hoof dismissively. “Nah, he’s fine. I did the same thing all the time back in basic. Our helmets automatically muffle any sounds to keep us from going deaf. He’s definitely hurtin’ but he should be fine.”
Jun looked to Emile with concern. “Uh, doesn’t Carter use an external headset?”
Emile returned Jun’s look, paling beneath his fur. “Uh… Nah, I’m sure he’s fine. Next prank!”
Kat sat upon a bench in the spa’s waiting room, idly tapping on her datapad, and intermittently cursing her hooves in the process. Touch-screen compatible, they were not. Looking up for a moment to inspect the clock, she sighed. How many spa trips does one person need? She thought. This had been the third time this week that she had found herself waiting while Rarity received her usual treatment. To be fair, Rarity had offered each time for Kat to join her, but the Spartan had refused. I went through enough poking and prodding when I went through my augmentations, thank you very much. Although, I am curious how they would go about giving me one of those ‘hooficures’. Would they use a file, or would a belt saw be more effective? She mused, allowing herself a small chuckle.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Pinkie Pie appeared before her. “Hey Kat!” She greeted with a smile. “What’s up?”
Kat smiled, bemused by the antics of the pink mare that had simply left her dumbfounded two weeks prior. Rarity’s lecture of simply letting “It’s Pinkie Pie” be all the logical argument you needed had not gone ignored. So, quietly forcing herself from questioning the mare’s seemingly instantaneous appearance, she responded, “Not much Pinkie Pie. I’m just waiting for Rarity to finish up. How are you?”
“I’m great!” Pinkie answered. “But I was wondering if you could help me with something.”
Kat cocked her head curiously. “What did you have in mind?”
Reaching into her mane, Pinkie withdrew a set of blueprints. “Well, I heard you were really super smart when it came to technical stuff, so I thought maybe you could help me improve my gyrocopter!”
Surprised by the question, Kat cocked her head confusedly before responding. “A gyrocopter? Uh, sure I suppose I could help with that.”
“Great!” With that, Pinkie set the blueprints down on the floor of the lobby. Kat set her datapad on the seat next to her, before sitting next to Pinkie on the floor and focusing her attention on the blueprints.
Unbeknownst to Kat, Emile had snuck into the lobby, a small chip held between his teeth. Making his way behind Kat Emile grabbed her datapad from the chair and tapped a series of buttons. A small chip identical to the one Emile held ejected itself from the datapad, which Emile took and set aside, before replacing it with the one between his teeth. Replacing the datapad on the seat and grabbing the other chip, Emile turned to Pinkie and Kat, still poring over the blueprints and the latter oblivious to his presence. Meeting Pinkie’s gaze over Kat’s shoulder, Emile gave a short nod, before sneaking back out of the lobby.
“Welp, that oughta do it! Thanks Kat!” Pinkie said, before snatching up the blueprints and zipping out the door.
“Wait, Pinkie!” Kat called after her, but she was gone. Kat sighed. I wish I’d had the chance to tell her about the torque on the main rotor. Kat thought. As it is, someone could stop the blade with their bare hands!
Shrugging it off, Kat picked up her datapad and activated it. Immediately a long, drawn out, erotic moan burst through the speakers, while Kat balked at the very explicit imagery now dominating the screen of the device. After a few seconds frozen in shock, during which the noises succeeded in drawing the attention of everyone in the lobby and the spa, Kat quickly powered down her datapad, blushing furiously. Looking up, she found the entirety of the spa now looking at her in scandalized shock, and Kat cowered beneath their dumbstruck gazes. Doing her best to retain some semblance of dignity, Kat got up and removed herself from the lobby, exiting the spa as quickly as possible.
As Kat beat a hasty retreat from the spa towards Rarity’s boutique, Emile, Jun, Rainbow, and Pinkie emerged from some nearby bushes, laughing uproariously. “Oh God, I can’t believe that actually worked!” Emile said between guffaws.
Doing his best to stifle his laughter, Jun said, “I’m amazed she didn’t notice you behind her.”
Emile turned to Jun, still smiling. “Ah, you know Kat. She never was one for ‘situational awareness’.” Emile responded, tapping his skull with a hoof for effect.
Jun forced down a snicker, replying, “That’s low, even for you.” Suddenly perking up in realization, he added, “Wait, why’d you even have a file like that in the first place?”
Emile glared at Jun. “Mind your business, that’s why.” He snapped.
Eyeing Emile strangely, Jun looked ready to question him further, when Pinkie wrapped a hoof around Emile’s shoulders, still laughing. “Oh boy Emilio, that was a good one! For such a Serious McAngrypants, you’re really good at this! Who are we gonna prank next?”
Rainbow joined in, adding, “Yeah, we’re totally on fire! Let’s keep the ball rolling!”
Emile nodded, rubbing his chin in thought. “Alright, yeah. But who’s our next target?”
Jun stepped forward, grinning evilly. “I have an idea.”
Jorge trotted briskly through the orchard, smiling to himself. The two bushels of apples weighing down on his back only served to improve his mood, acting as proof that he was finally contributing around the farm. In the past few days since the ‘Applebuck Incident’ as it is now being called, Jorge had taken up as much work on the farm as the Apples were willing to share. From small repairs to carrying apples like the ones on his back from place to place, he found a way to make himself useful. While the situation between him and Applejack remained somewhat awkward, the tension from before had all but evaporated. Things are finally looking up. Jorge thought, releasing a small sigh of contentment.
His musings were interrupted when a voice suddenly calling his name drew his attention upwards. Hovering in the air above him was a fully armored Jun, who, noticing he now had Jorge’s attention, called down to him, “Jorge, I need your help! Come quick!” Without waiting to hear his response, Jun shot off, flying deeper into the orchard. Jorge watched him go bewilderedly for only a moment before his mind threw away the confusion in favor of helping his teammate. With a quick shift of his weight, Jorge tossed the baskets on his back to the ground, before sprinting into the orchard in the direction Jun had headed.
Moving quickly through the trees, Jorge soon came across a small clearing, devoid of trees save for one, directly in the center. Standing beneath it was Jun, standing stock still, but unharmed. Confused, Jorge trotted out into the clearing towards him, a gradually building sense of unease making itself known in his gut. “Jun, why’d you lead me all the way out here? What’s-“
Any further questions were forgotten as Jorge came level with the marksman, only for a sudden pressure to wrap itself around his ankle, and Jorge found himself being yanked off the ground, flipping him head over hooves and leaving him swinging upside-down from the tree. Hollering in confusion and shock, Jorge looked back towards the ground. To his bewilderment, he found Jun still completely motionless below him, seemingly oblivious to his teammate swinging above his head. “Ugh, mi a fasz?” Jorge said, dumbfounded. Then, to his further shock, the image of Jun suddenly burst apart, disintegrating into hundreds of blue particles before disappearing completely.
No sooner had this occurred, when Jun’s face, now unarmored, came out of the orchard nearby, smug grin on his face. Behind him trailed Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, both laughing riotously. “Hey Jorge. How’s it hanging buddy?” Jun said, his smile growing even wider. Behind him, Pinkie giggled harder at the pun, while Rainbow released a chuckle-filled groan.
“Mi a fene, Jun?” Jorge demanded, scowling. “How and why would you… wait, is this a deadfall trap?” He asked, his expression falling into one of curiosity.
Still smiling, Jun answered proudly, “Yup, not bad eh? Surprised it worked, actually. I honestly didn’t expect you to fall for it. Then again, I suppose ‘fall’ isn’t the right word now, is it?”
Ignoring the jab, Jorge growled, “I mean what in the Bloody Hell are you using as a counterweight? I weigh over four hundred pounds!” Jun said nothing in response, simply pointing behind Jorge. Twisting around awkwardly, Jorge was able to see Emile, fully armored, with a rope wrapped his waist.
“Sup, Big Man.” Emile said, his smug grin detectable even through his helmet. “And by the way, I’m also surprised this worked. Not because you wouldn’t fall for it or anythin’, but because I didn’t think me in my armor could lift your fat ass.” Emile cackled, while Jun did his best to stifle a snicker.
Growling dangerously, Jorge looked ready to tear into Emile, before a look of clarity crossed his face, and was quickly replaced with a knowing grin. “That’s real funny, Emile. But you know what’s even funnier?”
Still smirking, Emile responded simply, “What?”
“THIS!” Jorge spat, slamming a hoof into his chestpiece. One flash of light later, and the four-hundred and thirty-five pound Spartan was replaced with a nine-hundred and ninety pound suit of MJOLNIR armor. A moment passed, in which Emile experienced an almost cartoonish sense of horrified realization, before Jorge was sent crashing into the ground. Conversely, Emile was launched straight upwards, crashing through the branches of the tree and flying away from the other two. At least, he was sent in that direction for a brief moment, before the rope went taught, whipping Emile backwards sending him crashing headfirst into the ground with a comical whack!
Jorge pulled himself to his feet and loosened the rope from his hoof, sneering smugly at Emile’s crumpled form, while Jun, Rainbow, and Pinkie fell to the grass, roaring with laughter. Striding up to the downed Spartan, Jorge said, “How you doing down there, eh? Enjoy the flight?”
Still lying motionlessly, Emile groaned, “Ooooh, I think I got whiplash.”
Jorge shook his head, chuckling. “Well that’s too bad, but you’ve learned something now, haven’t you?” Leaning down, Jorge brought his face down close to Emile’s. “Nobody messes with Jorge.” He hissed, before stepping back, casually retracting his armor before trotting out of the clearing. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some chores to do. Ta, everyone!”
Jun watched Jorge depart, before he turned and trotted over to Emile. The grounded Spartan lifted his pained gaze to meet Jun’s own and said, “Whose idea was this again?”
Chuckling nervously, Jun answered quickly, “Uh, yours. Definitely yours.”
Emile frowned, uncertain, and said, “That doesn’t sound right, but that may be the concussion talking. Either way, let’s never do that again.” With that, he allowed his head to flop back into the grass.
Trotting over, Pinkie and Rainbow looked to the incapacitated Emile with apprehension. “Are you okay Emilio?” Pinkie asked concernedly. “That looked really really funny, but it also looked really really really painful.” A muffled groan was her only response.
Eyeing Emile, Jun answered, “He’ll be fine, but I think he’s out of the game for a little while. How about you girls lead the next prank? Preferably one that’s a little less… physical.”
The girls nodded, and Pinkie cupped a chin with a hoof, humming pensively. “I did have one last prank planned for today.” She said. “But I’m going to have to grab some stuff from Sugarcube Corner. Oh, and Twilight’s! How about I meet you guys at the pond?” Jun and Rainbow nodded. “Okie Dokie Loki! See you soon!” Pinkie said, before zipping off.
Jun followed the pink blur for a moment, before returning his attention to Emile. “C’mon Emile,” He prodded, “get up. We need to get out of here before Applejack finds us in the orchards again.”
“But Mr. Mendez, I don’ wanna run any more.” Emile slurred in response.
Sighing, Jun activated his armor, before turning to Rainbow and saying, “He’s totally out of it. Here, help me lift him up.” Rainbow nodded, and together the two managed to settle Emile on Jun’s back. Once Emile was securely in place, the two began walking in the direction of the pond.
As they trotted through the orchard, Rainbow eyed Emile’s sagging form with concern. “Are you sure he’s gonna be okay? I’ve taken some nasty falls, but never any as bad as that before.” As if to accentuate her point, Emile mumbled something completely incoherent, his head lolling up and down with each step Jun took.
Jun cast a glance back at Emile, and shrugged. “Eh, I’ve seen him take much worse.” He said casually. “I remember once, back in training, when he tried to set up a demolition charge to earn his explosives specialization. One crossed wire later and boom!” Jun chuckled. “Took forever to dig him out of the rubble, but it did teach me an important lesson: It takes a Hell of a lot more than some blunt force trauma to kill Emile.”
Rainbow listened to Jun’s story, before glancing back at the unconscious Spartan upon his back with a newfound sense of respect. “So you guys were in training together? Was all of Noble Team?”
Jun snorted derisively. “Oh heck no. In fact, aside from Carter and Kat, there isn’t anyone left of the original Noble Team. Emile, Jorge, Six, and I are all replacements. No, I only knew Emile in training because we were in the same squad together.”
“Really? So how’d you end up on Noble Team?” Rainbow asked. “I mean, what happened to your original team?”
For a moment, Jun was silent. When he spoke again, his tone had become somber. “I don’t know the specifics. Emile and I were handpicked by our head trainer, Chief Mendez, for our ‘exceptional combat records’. I was placed on a two-man assassination team, and Emile was put into a special operations squad, like Noble.”
Rainbow frowned. “What about your old team? The ones you trained with?” She asked uncertainly.
Jun sighed. “PROMETHEUS happened.”
Rainbow cocked her head confusedly. “Prometheus?”
Jun nodded. “Operation PROMETHEUS. It was an attack on a Covenant shipyard by Alpha Company save for me, Emile, Carter, and whoever else Mendez picked beforehand. The objective was to disable the reactors on site, cutting off their production lines and sabotaging the ships already being built there.” Rainbow listened intently, silent as Jun continued, “The operation was a success. The loss of the reactors, and by extension the shipyard, saved an estimated millions of lives.”
Rainbow watched as Jun lifted his gaze to stare vacantly ahead, his expression firm, unyielding. “It also led to the deaths of every Spartan involved. Including my old squad.”
Rainbow flinched at the flat, matter-of-fact tone in which Jun had spoken. “W-What happened next?” She asked, fighting against the uncharacteristic quaver attempting to make its way into her voice.
Jun shrugged. “I continued my operations. Eventually, my partner was killed, and I was assigned to Noble. Emile had already been there a few months. What he did before Noble, I have no idea. He never mentioned it.”
Rainbow was silent for a moment, searching for the right words to say. Eventually, she muttered, “That’s… I’m sorry. That must be hard.”
Jun simply chuckled. “We’re Spartans, Rainbow. It’s an occupational hazard.”
Frowning, Rainbow asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that we’re soldiers by trade.” Jun said with a shrug. “None of us exactly expect to die of old age. Death in combat is pretty much the norm.”
Rainbow raised a brow. “That doesn’t sound like it makes it any easier.”
Jun faltered, deflating slightly as he answered, “No. It doesn’t.”
Rainbow had no response to that, and Jun offered nothing more, leading to the rest of the walk being held in relative silence. By the time they reached the pond, Pinkie was already there, currently fiddling with a large telescope.
“Hey guyth!” Pinkie chirped happily as they approached, her voice slightly muffled by the hoof-pump held in her mouth. “I’ve been waiting for like, ever!”
“Wait.” Jun started, confused. “How did you manage to beat us here, if you had to get all this stuff?”
Pinkie giggled in response. “I don’t know, maybe you guyth were jutht being thuper thlow!”
“But-“ Jun began, before he was silenced by a look from Rainbow, one that simply said, It’s Pinkie Pie, don’t question it. Heaving a mental sigh, Jun continued, “Fine. Whatever, I suppose. So what’s this prank you have planned?”
Pinkie giggled. “Oh, you’ll thee soon! But firtht thingth firtht, how’th Emilio? Ith he alright?” She asked, eyeing the Spartan slumped over Jun’s back.
Smirking beneath his helmet, Jun answered, “I don’t know, let’s find out.” With that, he bucked Emile off his back, throwing him over Jun’s head and into the dirt.
Upon landing, Emile immediately shot awake, scrambling to his feet and resting a hoof on the hilt of his kukri. “Huh? Whozzat? Come on, I’ll take you all on!” He slurred, fighting to get his bearings. Groaning, he then brought a hoof up to the side of his helmet. “Oh shit, what hit me?”
Striding over to him, Jun said, “Hey Emile, you alright?” He asked, raising a hoof. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
Emile looked from Jun’s outstretched hoof to its owner, his dubious stare making itself known within his tone as he answered, “You don’t have any fingers, dumbass. What’s wrong with you?”
Jun used his outstretched hoof to deactivate his armor, before turning to Pinkie and Rainbow with a smile. “He’s fine.” He answered with a laugh.
“Damn… what happened?” Emile asked, retracting his armor and raising a hoof to clutch his throbbing forehead. “I feel like I went ten rounds with a Hunter.”
Jun shrugged. “Close enough. Jorge didn’t exactly appreciate our prank. Managed to turn the tables pretty well, I’d say.”
Emile huffed in irritation. “Yeah, good for him.” Emile turned his attention away from Jun in favor of surveying his surroundings. He raised a brow at the curious sight of Pinkie and the telescope. “Did I miss something?”
“Oh, just our next awesome prank!” Rainbow said with a grin. Turning to Pinkie, she continued, “So what’s the plan here, Pinkie Pie?”
Grinning widely, Pinkie answered, “Oh it’th gonna be great! Thee thith pump?” She asked, gesturing to the device currently lodged in her mouth. “Ith connected to a thquirting turtle toy acroth the pond!” She explained, gesturing towards the bushes currently shielding it from view. “We’ll use thith telethcope to thee when thomepony geth clothe, and then give ‘em a little thurprithe!” She finished, smiling.
“…I didn’t get all of that, but I assume you want me to use the telescope over there?” Jun deadpanned, pointing at the device with a hoof. At Pinkie Pie’s affirming nod, Jun sighed. “Kinda overkill to see across a pond, but whatever.” Looking through the scope, Jun was able to make out what looked like a patchwork doll of a turtle, floating near the shore across the pond. As he was watching, two more figures suddenly entered the frame.
“Well, well, well…” Jun said, an evil grin working its way onto his face. “Looks like we have our first target.”
“Really?” Pinkie asked excitedly, bouncing in place. “Who we gonna thquirt, who we gonna thquirt?”
Jun pulled back from the telescope, smiling at Pinkie. “Fluttershy.” He answered simply.
“What!” Pinkie screeched, spitting out the pump with a loud ptchoo! “We can’t prank Fluttershy! She’s so sensitive, even our most harmless prank could really hurt her feelings.”
Emile walked over, a dubious expression on his face. “Seriously? I get that she’s kind of a wimp, but it’s just water.” He said incredulously.
“Actually, she’s right.” Rainbow explained, brushing aside the bushes to observe her friend. “She used to get picked on a lot, so now she takes jokes a little too seriously.” Walking over to the telescope, she placed her own eye to it before she continued, “It’s not a total loss though. I mean, Six is with her. We could-“
“Oh Hell no!” Emile said, stepping back. “I’ve had my ass kicked enough times today, thank you very much. The last thing I need is to be strangled to death with my own spinal cord.”
Pinkie cocked her head, confused. “That doesn’t seem physically possible.” She chirped.
Emile chuckled. “Yeah, I bet that’s exactly what that Elite kept screamin’.” He said. “Either way, there is no way I’m pranking Six.”
“Me neither.” Jun added quickly, moving away from the telescope as if it had suddenly burst into flames.
Pinkie looked between the two Spartans, before shrugging carelessly. “That’s fine. We can just find somepony else to prank.”
Pulling back from the telescope, Rainbow turned towards the others. “Who’d you have in mind?” She asked, oblivious to the large ink stain surrounding one of her eyes.
Pinkie Pie giggled. “Oh, I can think of somepony.” She said, pointing to the pond with a hoof. Rainbow cocked her head, confused, and followed her gesture. As she inspected her reflection in the pond, she laughed goodheartedly.
“Heh, good one, Pinkie Pie.” She said. After a moment though, she froze, confused. “Wait a minute, Jun, you looked through the telescope too!” She said, rounding on the Spartan. “How come you didn’t get ink on your face?”
Jun chuckled, and answered, “Oh please, you think that this is the first time someone’s pulled that prank on me? I haven’t actually pressed my eye against the rim of a scope since training.”
“I can vouch for that.” Emile added. “I was the one who kept doing it to him.” He chuckled, and was soon joined by the others.
“Ahem.”
Everypony present ceased laughing and turned toward the source of the noise, to find Six hovering above the lake before them, her forelegs crossed impatiently. As Six surveyed the four, she cocked her head in confusion as she saw Rainbow’s ink-covered eye. Shrugging it off, she turned to Emile and Jun and said, “You two. I just got word from Carter that he wants Noble to assemble at the Library. Let’s move.”
With that, she flew off, nodding to Fluttershy as she passed. The shy Pegasus waved back, before returning her attention to the animals she was in the process of feeding.
“Welp, guess we should go.” Emile said, turning towards Jun. “C’mon, Jun.” Jun nodded in response, and together the two moved to leave. They were stopped however, when Rainbow moved to intercept them.
“Woah woah woah, wait a minute! Where’re you going? There’s still plenty of daylight left!” She said, exasperated.
Jun gently nudged past her, sparing her an apologetic glance. “Sorry, Rainbow. You heard Six, Carter wants to see us.”
“Yeah, sorry Skittles.” Emile added. “Spartan business, hush hush and all that shit.” With that, the two Spartans left, leaving a confused pair of mares in their wake.
Rainbow watched them leave, frowning. “Just what do you think they’re up to?” She asked suspiciously.
Beside her Pinkie Pie shrugged indifferently. “Eh, it’s probably nothing important. Anyways, I got another idea!” She said excitedly, pulling an inflated whoopee cushion from her mane.
Slowly dragging her gaze away from the pair, she answered, “Yeah… let’s go.”
“Darling, please come out of there. I assure you, nopony will remember this by tomorrow!” Rarity pleaded, standing beside the door to Kat’s room.
“Then that’s when I’m coming out. Then I’ll kick Emile’s ass, and go back in here!” Kat hollered back.
Rarity huffed. “Honestly, Catherine, it’s not the end of the world. Don’t be such a drama queen!” Rarity then staggered back with a yelp as the door to Kat’s room flew open, to reveal the exasperated mare within.
“Okay, number one, it’s Kat. I hate being called Catherine. And number two, are you actually serious?” She said, gobsmacked. “I was caught watching… that in a public space! A spa, no less!” She brushed past Rarity to begin pacing about the boutique. “Where did Emile even get a file like that? Why did he have a file like that?” She paused. “At least, I hope it was Emile’s…”
Rarity strode up to Kat and halted her pacing with a hoof on the Spartan’s shoulder. “Cather… Kat, I assure you, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen a situation like this. Sure there’ll be a scandal, but in a few days, nopony will even recall what happened.”
Kat sighed. “Yes, you’re right. It’s not like I really care what they think anyway. I just… I really don’t like people messing with my things.” She said, scowling at the thought of her equipment being tampered with further.
Rarity laid a comforting hoof on Kat’s shoulder. “I understand, darling. Believe me I do.” Thinking for a moment, she perked up as an idea came to her. “You know what? I think I know exactly what you need.”
Kat cast a skeptical eye towards Rarity. “Look, is this another spa invitation? Because I really don’t think that’ll help.”
Rarity giggled. “No no, darling. Even better, come on!” She said, trotting out the door of the boutique. Kat cocked her head in confusion, but moved to follow.
A short walk later, and a now-familiar tree stood before the two. “Here we are! The Golden Oaks Library!” She said, gesturing dramatically.
Kat gave Rarity a flat stare. “Yeah, I remember. Why’d you bring me here?”
Rarity gave Kat a smug grin. “Because darling, I knew from the moment I saw you that you were an intellectual, and I know you will appreciate this place, being the wealth of knowledge that it is.”
Kat cocked her head curiously. “Well, that’s true I suppose. I have had a lot of questions since coming to Equestria.” She suddenly frowned, remembering. “Wait, from the moment you saw me? The moment you saw me I was in the process of slaughtering a pack of wooden wolves. How exactly did you derive ‘intellectual’ from that?”
Rarity scoffed at Kat’s attempt to derail the conversation. “It was simply a turn of phrase, darling. Now, quit stalling and follow me!” She said, trotting up to the door and knocking politely.
A muffled cry of “Coming!” was heard, before the door opened to reveal Spike. Upon seeing Rarity, the baby dragon’s eyes went wide, his mouth dropped open in shock, and Kat could swear she saw literal hearts emanating from his head.
“Heyyyy Rarity.” He said, dreamily. Suddenly he seemed to realize what he was doing, and shook himself quickly before replying, in what he must have thought to be a much smoother tone, “Come on in! I was just tidying up.” Stepping back from the door, he allowed the two to trot inside before shutting the door and continuing, “So, how may I serve you, milady?”
Rarity chuckled demurely, gently ruffling Spike’s head frills. “I appreciate the thought Spike, but I was hoping to help Kat check out a book here. Is Twilight in?” She asked, glancing around the library in search of her friend.
Spike visibly sagged, disappointed, but answered, “Nah, she and Carter went to the hospital. Carter kinda sorta blew out one of his eardrums.” He explained, cringing at the memory.
Rarity put a hoof to her mouth, while Kat gasped in shock. “He what? How did that happen?” She asked, worried for her leader’s safety.
Spike shrugged helplessly. “I don’t really know. One minute he was talking to Emile on that… what was it called again?” He asked.
“Com link?” Kat offered.
“Right, that. All of a sudden, it starts making this loud noise, and Carter starts yelling all sorts of weird words.” Spike explained, his expression twisting into one of confusion. “I mean, what’s a Jiralhanae? And why would you kiss its-“
Not to be distracted, Kat cut him off. “Did you say loud noises? Like, loud to you? Well no wonder he managed to blow out his eardrums! The HUL-[3] Headset was only meant to be used in conjunction with MJOLNIR Helmets! Given the right input, it could easily give off over 200 decibels!” She exclaimed, oblivious to the uncomprehending expressions of Spike and Rarity.
Deciding to move past Kat’s revelation, Spike continued, “Uh, right. I don’t really know what you’re saying, but it sounds like it makes sense, I guess. Anyway, Twilight took him to the Hospital. It’s only an eardrum, so he’ll probably already be healed by now.”
Once again surprised, Kat balked at this statement. “What do you mean? Healing an eardrum takes months! It’s extremely delicate tissue!”
Spike shrugged. “Well yeah, of course it takes that long without magic. Healing spells only worry about how much stuff is damaged, not what it’s made of. Twilight explained it to me one time. Something about mass, not makeup that makes stuff difficult to heal with magic.”
This caused Kat to cock her head in confusion. “Really?” She asked, her worry forgotten for the moment as her natural curiosity took its place. “My trainers in Canterlot never went into great detail about that. I mean, they did explain that larger wounds were harder to heal, but-“ She was cut off as the front door opened again, and Carter and Twilight trotted in. To Kat’s surprise, Jorge followed soon after, shutting door behind them.
“Yeah, Ponyville General has a great EMT, I’m telling you. Good bedside manner, knows all the parts of the ear…” Carter said to Jorge with a smile. Upon noticing Rarity and Kat however, he stopped, surprised. “Kat, you’re here already? Did you get my message from Six?”
Kat shook her head confusedly. “What message? I just came here to find something to read.” She explained. Suddenly, the door opened and Emile, Jun, and Six entered, the former two engaged in a heated debate.
“And I’m telling you, Jun, for the millionth time, a shotgun will always be more practical than your stupid sniper rifle!” Emile boasted.
“Oh that is such bullshit, and you know it, Emile!” Jun snapped. “It’s not so practical when the enemy is more than ten feet away, isn’t it?”
“Well at least in close range I can always follow up with a good old-fashioned beatdown. What do you do if you miss, yell at them a bit?” Emile shot back.
Jun smirked. “I don’t miss, that’s the point. If you know how to use it, the elegance of a sniper rifle will always beat out clumsy, random weapons like yours.” Turning to Six, Jun added, “Six, back me up here! I saw you back on Reach, you can appreciate an accurate weapon over a simple one, can’t you?”
Heaving a long-suffering sigh, Six turned to them and said, “I think both of you should shut up and let Carter tell us exactly why we’re here.” Turning to Carter, she saluted sharply and snapped, “Reporting as ordered, Commander.” Jun and Emile frowned at Six, but said nothing as they likewise turned their attention to the Commander.
Carter surveyed the gathered Spartans and opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated as he noticed Twilight, Spike, and Rarity looking at him expectantly as well. Turning to them, he cleared his throat and said, “Sorry you three, but we’re going to need some privacy. Do you mind?”
Twilight and Rarity looked to each other curiously, while Spike seemed to deflate slightly in disappointment. Recovering first, Rarity nodded and said, “Of course, darling. We’ll let you and your teammates discuss things in private. Twilight, Spike, why don’t we go prepare some tea for everypony?” Twilight shrugged off her confusion and nodded, before leading Rarity into the kitchen, stopping to grab the still-curious Spike in her magic and pull him after her.
As the door to the kitchen closed and Noble found themselves alone, Carter turned back to the others and spoke. “Alright Noble, listen up. I just got a letter from Princess Celestia. She wants to meet us in Canterlot.”
While the assembled Spartans muttered to themselves in surprise, Jorge stepped towards Carter and asked, “Sir, why does she want to see us?”
Carter smirked in response. “For the exact reason you think she does, Jorge.” He said. Turning his attention to the others, he continued, “Get prepped for duty Noble, we’ve got work to do.”
The Following Morning
Jun yawned widely, as he soared through the air above Ponyville, heading towards the clearing that held the Library. His thoughts drifted back to his bed in Rainbow’s Cloud House, and from there to the mare herself. Hope she gets my note. Jun thought idly. When she finally wakes up, I wouldn’t want her to wonder where I’d gone.
As he drew closer to the Library, he abandoned such thoughts, instead scanning the clearing below. Spotting three golden chariots in the center of the plaza, he angled himself downward and began his descent. Landing softly, he observed the chariots to find the Royal Guards pulling them standing stoically at attention. Shifting his attention from them, he spotted Carter exiting the Library. Trotting up to him, Jun snapped off a quick salute and said, “Morning Commander. Am I the first one here?”
Stopping before Jun, Carter responded, “Seems like it. I thought I told everyone to meet here at oh-six-hundred?” Carter scanned the area, searching for signs of the others. Suddenly, he perked up as he noticed Jorge weaving his way through the small crowds of stall owners setting up shop for the day. To Carter’s surprise, he was pulling a small cart, laden down with bushels of apples. Applejack walked along beside him, and the two seemed to be holding a conversation. Making a quick signal for Jun to follow him, he trotted towards them.
As the two drew close, Applejack was the first to notice them. “Howdy you two!” She greeted jovially, while Jorge did the same with a simple nod and a smile.
Carter nodded back, looking from Applejack, to Jorge, and finally to the cart the latter was pulling. “Helping set up shop, Jorge?”
The massive Spartan nodded. “Yeah, sorry I’m late. Just thought I’d help out. I hope the others weren’t waiting for me.”
Carter shook his head in response. “Actually, you’re just about on time. Jun was the only one already here.”
“Really?” Jorge asked, eyeing the two. “Then where are the others?”
“Right here.” A new voice said. Turning, the group found the speaker to be Kat, with Emile following behind her. The two approached the group and gave Carter simultaneous salutes. “Sorry we’re late, we both were kept back by Pinkie and Rarity.”
Jun cocked his head curiously. “Why did they hold you up?” He asked. To his surprise, this question caused Emile to flinch slightly, as Kat shot him an acidic look. For a moment, Emile said nothing, looking from Jun to Kat, apparently searching for an answer.
15 Minutes Earlier
Emile emerged from Sugarcube Corner, casually sending a farewell to Pinkie over his shoulder, when suddenly a massive force wrapped itself around his throat, pulling him through the door before slamming him roughly into the wall beside it. Shaking off his shock at the assault, Emile focused on his attention on his attacker. To his surprise, he discovered he was currently pinned by a fully-armored Kat.
“Kat?” He rasped confusedly. “What the fuck are you-“ He began, before an increase in pressure on his throat caused him to gag sharply.
“Shut up.” Kat ordered calmly, seemingly disinterested in the fact that she was strangling her teammate. “Give me my data chip.” She added, her voice steady, but commanding.
Choking down a gulp of air, Emile answered roughly, “Uh, right. It’s under my armor, let me just-“ Kat didn’t wait for him to finish, instead lighting her horn and retrieving the chip from beneath Emile’s shoulder pauldron. Levitating her datapad out from its hard case, she calmly ejected Emile’s chip before slotting in her own, returning her datapad to its place and snapping the case shut with a resounding click.
Kat returned her attention to Emile, still holding his data chip in her magic. “Good. Now, open your mouth.” She ordered, her voice remaining quietly neutral.
“Wha-“ Emile began, before the chip soared into his open mouth mid-word, and he found his muzzle clamped shut by Kat’s powerful magical grip, causing the chip to cut into his tongue painfully. Emile fixed Kat with a look of bewilderment, but the silver visor of Kat’s helmet offered no indication of her intentions.
Instead, Kat leaned inward toward Emile, allowing all of her rage to manifest itself in her next command. “Now chew.”
“…Breakfast.” Emile answered eventually, coughing slightly and wincing in pain. “So are we good to go?”
Carter fixed Emile with a suspicious look, but eventually settled for shaking his head, answering, “Not quite, we’re still waiting on-“
“Reporting for duty, sir.” Carter jumped, whipping around to find Noble Six waiting behind him.
Taking a calming breath, Carter answered, “Right. Good to see you Six.” Casting a quick glance to the others, he continued, “Alright, looks like we’re set to go. Come on, everyone.” Carter then trotted towards the waiting chariots.
The others moved to follow, save for Jorge, who took a moment to unlatch himself from the cart, giving Applejack an apologetic glance. She simply waved him off with a smile. “Relax Jorge, Ah can handle the rest. Ah did this long before ya ever came ter Ponyville, y’know? Go on.” Nodding, Jorge turned and joined the others.
Within minutes, the Spartans had boarded the chariots and were well on their way to Canterlot. Carter watched the city as it grew closer from the distance, before turning to Kat, whom he was sharing the chariot with. “So what do you think? Are we ready for this? It is our first mission as ponies, after all.” He said, studying his Lieutenant’s expression carefully.
Kat shrugged. “About as much as we can be. We’ve adjusted to our new bodies, we’ve trained in them. The rest is dependent on the usual variables. Intel, enemy strength, equipment, it’ll all factor into our chances for success. Of course, this is our first real mission since Reach, so morale might be a problem.”
Carter fixed Kat with a look of surprise. “Morale? Seriously? I doubt what happened back on Reach will affect them too much.”
Kat gave Carter a steely look. “Really, Carter? You honestly think that what happened back then won’t affect us now? You don’t think I’ll be watching every corner, constantly on watch for the next attack, never letting my guard down, because I know that the second I do, I might-“ Kat started before halting, swallowing heavily. Carter gaped at her, a fact Kat seemed to notice, a defensive glare appearing on her face as she continued, “What about you, Carter? How confident are you in your piloting skills right now?”
Ignoring the barb, Carter laid a hoof on Kat’s shoulder. “Kat, I had no idea.” He said with concern. “I didn’t know what happened on Reach affected you so much.”
Batting his hoof away, Kat snapped back, “How could it not, Carter? I died. One second I was there, then the next…” Kat hesitated, seemingly stopping herself before resuming, “…nothing. I was gone.” Kat shook her head sadly. “I just… I never knew it could happen so fast. I mean, I guess I should’ve, after what happened with Anton-“
“No, you’re right.” Carter cut in. Best not to open that can of worms again. “You’re right. No one ever sees it coming, Kat. We were seconds from being glassed; no one could blame us for being less aware of our surroundings.”
Kat looked as if she was about to argue, but hesitated. After a pregnant moment of thought, she simply sighed and turned away. “Maybe you’re right.” She admitted. “But Commander, don’t you see? What kept us going, what made us fight back no matter the odds, was that we thought we were invincible.” Kat shook her head sadly. “But now… there’s no pretending. We can be killed. The illusion is gone, and now what do we have left?”
Carter regarded Kat curiously. Then, suddenly his expression changed, becoming firm. “We have us, Kat. All of us. Noble is still here, still together. We haven’t lost anything, because that illusion was just that, a trick, a little lie that others used to fight against hopelessness. But us, we knew we weren’t immortal, Kat. Any of our fallen brothers will tell you that.” Carter grunted, forcing back the images fighting into his subconscious. “I could tell you that.
“But for us, for Noble, the situation is different.” He continued. “We got our second chance, Kat. We’re still here. And whether we’re invincible or not, we are here for a reason. So now, all we can do is exactly what we were brought here to do; we fight.” Kat looked back at Carter, turning away from the passing landscape.
Kat met Carter’s gaze, searching his eyes for any hint of hesitation, of doubt. She found none. “I don’t want to die again.” Kat whispered, abandoning any semblance of confidence as she wilted dejectedly. “I don’t.”
Carter fought the urge to balk at the sight before him. The Spartan he had known for so long seemed to have shrunk, regressed into a glass figure on the verge of breaking before him. Her head was lowered, her eyes cast towards the floor of the chariot. Her breathing was shallow, shuddering at points with repressed sobs. Her very being seemed to become more subdued, her mane ignoring the whipping winds around them in favor of flopping limply on her head. The image before him shook Carter to his core. Kat was his right hand, the one person he always counted on to catch him in his failings. For her to appear so lost, so broken, it was all Carter could do to not abandon hope at the sight. For the first time in his life, he saw Kat afraid, and it terrified him. He had seen Kat sad, as she watched her teammates fall before her. He had seen her angry, when she faced the Covenant. He had even seen her uncertain, back on Reach. But no matter the mission, no matter the challenge, he had never seen Kat afraid. She looked at a challenge and attacked it, confident in her ability to succeed, and rightly so.
So what had left her so terrified?
“Kat.” Carter breathed. The Spartan turned her mournful gaze up to him, and he continued gravely, “I need you to tell me what happened when you died.” Kat froze, her eyes widening in shock.
For a while, Kat simply looked at him, her eyes searching for any sign of weakness, hoping to avoid answering the question he had posed. But there was no weakness. The concern in his expression was overwhelmed by his firm desire to help her. So, heaving a sigh, she complied.
“Where does he get off calling a demolition op priority o-“ Kat gasped, or tried to, as all sense of feeling was ripped away from her.
She made an attempt at breathing again, fighting to feel the relief of air passing her lips, or the painful pressure of her lungs being denied it, anything but this empty numbness!
Kat panicked, her thoughts flying into a frenzy. ”What is going on?” She cried silently, her words trapped within her own mind. “Where am I? What happened? Carter? Can you hear me? Can anyone hear me?”
Her pleas were met with silence. After a moment, Kat wondered if she had even spoken to begin with. As the shock wore off, Kat found herself falling back on her old standard: She began to analyze her situation.
Or at least, she tried to. Her vision was black, a blank, vacant slate without a single thing to focus her gaze upon. An empty void. No sound was heard, not even the soft, rhythmic beat of her pulse or the regular puffs of her breath. The scent and taste of dust and blood, of burning plasma and stale air, was gone. Her body was nonexistent, with not even a trace of the pain or exhaustion she had been enduring before. But this offered no comfort, as it too was lost to her. Not a single sensation was replaced; rather it was eliminated, erased and left with not a single ghost of a trace to linger upon her brain. She was, in every sense of the word, disembodied, completely and utterly.
Her senses were dead. The world, and all of its details, all the little bits of information that she was so used to analyzing with the slightest of ease, was lost to her. Gone, removed from her in a way no living being could possibly comprehend.
She screamed.
She screamed in the hopes that something might hear her, and emerge from the empty darkness.
She screamed, wishing for the pain in her throat to come and tell her that she was making any noise at all.
She screamed, begging to hear her own voice, to prove that she was there, that she was anything more than a ghost, and echo within her own mind.
She screamed.
She screamed with all the passion and terror that she could so very easily muster, never tiring, never losing her breath, just screaming and screaming and screaming in existential agony.
For hours, days, weeks, she did nothing but scream. She screamed for every little bit of her she had left, until finally, it ended.
The return of her sanity happened so suddenly, she almost felt like she had come alive again. However, “sanity” may be less than prudent to describe what she had found. The screaming came to an end, but that bore no relief. For there was never any discomfort to begin with. Her throat was not sore, her ears didn’t ache. No, all that she felt was the soft mental detail that the screaming had stopped.
Naturally, what came first to her was curiosity. What had happened? What had come and ended her agony? Had it even ended? She still felt nothing, but her mind had somehow shifted. Her terror was lost, gone like her senses, and in its place… was nothing. Again, she found herself deprived of a piece of her very existence.
Her thoughts grew muddled. Her mind became hollow, and sluggish. She realized with what little remained of her awareness that she was dying, truly and fully, no longer imprisoned in this empty half-life.
As the last of her dying synapses fired, it was able to carry with it a single message, before finally going to join its brethren.
“Thank you.”
Carter said nothing, a heavy weight in his gut forcing him to deepen his breathing, taking in more of the cold early-morning air as it whooshed softly in his ears and sent small ripples through his fur. He bit back the taste of bile in his throat, and took in the sight of the trembling mare before him. He looked into her cold blue eyes, warmed by the hot, glittering tears that framed them.
“The human brain can survive up to thirty minutes after the heart stops beating. Conscious thought, only two. The shot that killed me, most likely went through either my medulla or my spine. Given that I also lost my senses immediately, it’s likely that it also damaged my occipital, temporal, and parietal lobes. My frontal lobe must have remained intact, as that would explain why I was able to retain conscious thought for so long-“
“Stop!” Carter snapped, his voice breaking mid-note. “Please Kat, just stop…” Carter turned away, panting heavily. Looking out over the edge of the chariot, he fought down the urge to retch over the side. Eventually, he was able to find his voice, and he began hoarsely, “Kat… I can’t… I just… fuck!” The curse surprised him. The sharp, bitter word left him thunderstruck, and if the short intake of air behind him was any indication, it did the same to Kat.
He chanced a look back at her. To his surprise, she looked… guilty. She regarded him with the sort of apologetic worry that he himself intended to be giving her. “Commander…” She started, and then faltered, seeming to catch herself before beginning again, “Carter, I don’t need you to feel sorry for me. What happened, what I went through, it’s over. I’m alive now and that… it’s all just a bad dream.”
“A bad dream…” He parroted dumbly. He shook his head amazedly. “Kat, what you went through is something that I can’t even begin to imagine. How…” He paused, then decided to throw caution to the wind and asked, “How are you still sane?”
Despite herself, Kat chuckled bitterly at this remark. “It was instinct that saved me.” She said, as her gaze remained locked with his, never faltering. “When you woke me up, I found myself on the ground, beneath an unknown target, and I let myself react the only way I knew how. If I had hesitated, if I had taken a moment to think, and realize what I had gotten back, I probably would have lost myself all over again.”
Finding his mouth suddenly dry, Carter rasped, “And afterwards?”
Kat shrugged, “I kept reacting. Finding you, the others, the forest and the ponies, it did a good job of distracting me until I was able to deal with it.”
Carter looked incredulous. “When did you do that?”
Kat shrugged. “Our first night, actually. While the rest of you fell asleep, I just laid there, feeling. After a while, I convinced myself that maybe, it was just a terrible, terrible nightmare.” She gave a short, bitter bark of laughter. “It wasn’t until a week later that I realized that it wasn’t.”
“How?” Carter asked, enthralled.
“I had a real nightmare.” She said simply. “It was a usual one, I’d seen it before.” She smirked. “It was nothing, compared to that.”
Silence reigned between the two for a moment, only the gusts of wind and the gentle flap of the guards’ wings producing any sound around them. Eventually though, Carter found his voice.
When Carter spoke, he was firm, in both voice, and expression. Only Kat’s experience with him allowed her to detect the tired, remorseful look in his eyes as he said, “Kat, this isn’t good. What you just told me… I don’t know how effective you’re going to be.”
Expecting this, Kat answered firmly, “I’m fit for duty, sir. I am still just as capable, and willing, to do my job as I ever was.”
“Are you?” Carter shot back. “You said it yourself, Kat. You don’t want to die. From what you just told me, you’re afraid to, and I don’t blame you. But we both know that when it comes down to it, we won’t have a say in the matter, and I may have to ask you to.” Carter looked away then, sighing resignedly. “I hope to God that it doesn’t come to that, but if it does, I can’t have you hesitate. I need to be able to count on you.” He looked back, his face now covered by a mask of professionalism. “I need to trust you.”
Kat couldn’t help herself; she blanched. She expected worry from Carter, she expected him to question her ability. What she never expected though, was for her to lose something she could no longer imagine being without: Carter’s trust. Her jaw worked mutely, searching Carter’s face for any sign of regret, of apology in his expression. For the first time, she found nothing. This was no longer the Carter that, as the other members of Noble so often said, she had “dialed in”. This was Commander SPARTAN A-259, leader of Noble Team. A soldier who would not let anything endanger the men and women under his command.
She could barely recognize him.
“I… I…” She began, trying and failing to find a way to confront this unfamiliar man before her. Quickly though, she collected herself. This wasn’t a test, or a trick. This was Carter, doing what he believed was necessary, and she knew if the situation were reversed, she would do the same. “I understand, Carter.” She said, meeting his steely gaze with a confident one of her own. “But whatever worries you may have, whatever weakness you think I might have acquired from going through this, you are wrong. I don’t want to die, that much is true. But even more than that, I know the consequences if I were to hesitate in risking my life for you or the others, and I fear those far more than any sort of sensory deprivation. If you need me to sacrifice myself for the sake of the mission, I will gladly do it. I am every inch the soldier I was from the day I became a Spartan.”
For a moment, the conversation dropped between them once again. Where Kat had once been searching his expression for signs of empathy, Carter was now searching hers for signs of weakness. Then, for a moment, he seemed satisfied, relaxing his pose and allowing himself to visibly sag with relief and fatigue. “Alright then.” He said simply, before once again straightening up and turning away, observing the castle that was now mere minutes away. Before he allowed the matter to drop, however, he shot Kat one last glance. “I hope for all our sakes that you aren’t lying to me Kat. You know the risks.”
Kat nodded mutely. To someone else, it may have sounded like a threat. Kat however, knew what Carter meant. Any hesitation on her part, any unwillingness to give everything she had in pursuit of her mission, then the consequences would reach far beyond just her. The idea sent a shudder through Kat; she wouldn’t endanger the mission, and more importantly her comrades, under any circumstances. Not again. She thought bitterly.
At Kat’s confirmation, Carter returned his gaze to the Castle, as the chariot began to descend into a large courtyard just beyond its walls. Hopping out, Carter gave a quick nod to the guards who had pulled their chariot, and watched the other two chariots land nearby. With a quick hoof signal, Carter ordered Noble to rally on him, and marched towards the Castle, heading towards the throne room.
As the Team proceeded through the halls of Canterlot Castle, Carter ignored the stares of various servants and guards passing them. Emile sidled up to Carter, matching the Commander’s pace and giving him a curious look. “So boss, what exactly did the Princess’ letter say?”
Carter shrugged in response. “Not much, it was vague at best. I assume we’ll be briefed when we meet her. Until then, maybe we should remember that we are still covert operatives, so maybe we should avoid speaking about it in public?” Carter raised a dubious brow, jerking his head towards the various ponies around them, who promptly returned to an exaggerated facsimile of whatever they were meant to be doing, whistling tunelessly.
Eyeing the servants suspiciously, Emile simply nodded, falling back behind Carter. The trip continued in silence, until finally the group arrived at the large, two-door entrance to the Royal Throne Room. Two unicorn guards, standing at attention on each side of the door, snapped to attention. Their horns ignited, as the doors were wrapped in two separate auras.
The doors gently slid open, and Noble strode in. For a moment, each of the Spartans took a moment to absorb the sheer size of the room they were now in. It was massive, easily large enough to fit a small squadron of Pelicans. Tall, floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows decorated the walls, depicting soft, day-bright colors that seemed to suffuse the room with an air of calm. At the other end of the room, taking up the entire back wall, was an enormous throne. It was two-tiered, made of what appeared to be solid gold, and on each side had small waterfalls constantly emptying into miniature pools decorated with a small pot of flowers each. Above the velvet cushions of the throne itself, where the Princess herself was currently seated, was a large oval-shaped window, bearing indecipherable runes upon its surface. To each side of this window, two large banners hung from the ceiling to the floor. The left depicted the image of the sunrise, while the right depicted the moon in a night sky.
Immediately upon entering, Emile pushed past Carter and gave Celestia a casual salute. “Hey there, Princess! How’s your back?” He asked, much to the others’ confusion.
Celestia’s expression became a mix of amusement and annoyance. “It is fine, Noble Four.” She answered dryly, before shifting her gaze to the rest of Noble Team with a warm smile. “As for the rest of you, welcome back!” She greeted them cordially. “I trust your time in Ponyville has been pleasant?”
Carter chuckled softly. “Well ma’am, I can admit it wasn’t uneventful.” He admitted, causing the Princess to give a small laugh of her own.
“Well, if my earlier visit to Ponyville is any indication, the town can certainly handle itself in a crisis.” She responded evenly.
Carter nodded in comprehension. “I can recall. That’s when the girls discovered the Elements, right?”
Celestia seemed surprised by this deduction. “Actually, yes. Did Twilight tell you about that?”
Carter nodded again. “Yeah, she told me the whole story. Only seemed fair after all the questions she asked me.”
Celestia chuckled softly. “Yes, she is quite the inquisitive one, isn’t she?” The two shared a smile, “But enough with the pleasantries. Obviously you are all wondering why you are here.” Carter nodded gratefully, and Celestia turned her attention past the group, her horn igniting as she shut the doors behind them, before flashing once, and dimming.
Looking from the doors to Celestia, Carter raised a brow. “Another muffling spell?” He guessed.
Celestia simply nodded. “You never know who might be listening. This wouldn’t be much in the way of a covert operation if anyone could eavesdrop on us as I briefed you for your first deployment.”
This was met with mixed reactions from the Spartans. Carter seemed to freeze in place, his jaw setting and a determined glint appearing in his eyes. Kat looked resigned, apparently expecting this, and simply nodded calmly. The others however, responded with a sense of excitement, none more so than Emile, who pumped a hoof enthusiastically, a mad grin forming on his face.
Taking a mental note of the Spartans’ reactions, Celestia continued, “Yes, we have finally received word back from the Griffon Empire. They have accepted our proposal, and have now agreed to let you perform operations in order assist them in the war. You have been scheduled to leave as soon as possible, and are to be briefed upon arrival at the Imperial base outside of Ravenholm. It is located close to the front lines, and has been acting as a staging area for the Imperial Army. It will serve as the command center for your operations whilst you are in the field. I will personally send you there myself using the same portal spell I used to send you into the Everfree, once you have all been properly outfitted.
Carter cocked his head in confusion. “Outfitted, ma’am?” He asked.
Celestia gave Carter a bemused grin. “Well, you didn’t expect me to send you into a combat zone unarmed, did you?” She answered. Behind Carter, Emile snorted in derision.
“Didn’t stop you before.” He quipped, before releasing a short grunt and a curse as Jorge clapped him upside the head.
Giving a short nod of approval to Jorge, Carter looked back to Celestia and said, “We’re happy to hear that, Princess. We’ll be satisfied with whatever you’re willing to provide.”
Celestia smiled joyously. “That is good to hear, but as the Guardians, I will be sparing no expense in getting you the best equipment Equestria has to offer.” Standing up from her throne, Celestia stepped down from the dais and strode forward, Noble parting before her as she approached the room’s entrance. Lighting up her horn, Celestia dispelled the glow from the doors and pulled them open, looking back to Noble and saying, “Please, follow me. I will lead you to the armory.” Carter nodded, and with a quick signal to the rest of Noble, followed the Princess into the hall.
The trip was short, and within minutes the group had arrived at another set of doors. They were similar in appearance to the other doors within the Castle, but differed in several subtle ways. Firstly was the fact that unlike the decorative aspect of the others, this doorway was heavily reinforced, and bore a large lock in the center of it. Turning to the Spartans, Celestia explained, “This is the Royal Armory. All weapons not currently in use by Guard Patrols are stored here, and the lock protecting them can only be opened by me and a select few others. I will allow each of you free reign once you are inside; find the weapons that you believe best suit your talents.” The Spartans nodded, and Celestia turned back toward the door. With a flash of magic, a small, ornate key appeared before her, floating into the lock and turning with a soft click. As Celestia retracted and vanished the key back to its place of origin, the doors began to slide open, revealing the vast array of weaponry within.
Celestia looked from the Armory to Noble Team expectantly, a satisfied smirk upon her face, as she read the open-mouthed expressions of shock at the trove of armaments on display. For a moment, silence reigned, as the Spartans struggled to give words to the sight before them, until Emile was able to recover enough to speak.
“Oh, come on! Are you fucking kidding me?!” He swore, his tone unmistakably one of disbelief and outrage.
Celestia frowned, looking from Noble Team to the Armory, taking in the vast array of both melee and ranged weaponry, from spears to cannons, and found herself confused at their reaction. Eventually, Celestia answered, “What is wrong, Noble Four? This is the largest collection of the most advanced weaponry currently in use by Equestria’s military. It-“
Any further explanation on the Armory’s contents was lost as Emile cut in. “It’s a bunch of outdated junk!” He snapped, gesturing towards it with a hoof. “Look at this shit! Spears, axes, mother-fucking crossbows! What is this, the fucking Dark Ages? Christ, there’s more advanced technology in Kat’s elbow than in this whole damn room!” While the other Spartans gave murmurs of agreement, Celestia could only offer an apologetic shrug in response.
Thinking back to the visions that the original prophecy had given her of their world, Celestia began to understand the source of their frustration. “I understand your concerns, Noble. Compared to the technology of your world, this must pale in comparison. However, ponies simply aren’t as advanced as you humans. We have neither the technology, nor the resources to recreate the level of weaponry you are used to.”
Noble Team shared a dubious look, but it was Kat who spoke up first. “But what about magic?” She asked. “We humans had no magic, yet we managed to create weapons on this level while we were still practicing feudalism! How do you excuse such a primitive grasp on basic weaponry?” Kat finished, her and Noble giving Celestia defiant expressions.
Celestia, much to Noble’s surprise, scoffed in response. “If you expect me to be ashamed that my nation is less effective in the art of killing others than you humans are, I remind you that until now, Equestria has known peace for almost a thousand years. Let me ask you, of all the massive technological advancements you humans have made with regards to weaponry, how many of them were made at a time when your kind was not at war?”
For a pregnant moment, Celestia’s question hung in the air. Kat opened her mouth to argue, hesitated, and then eventually closed it, looking defeated. Celestia’s smug expression remained, until finally Emile spoke up.
“Okay Princess, you’re a peaceful nation and humans are a bunch of militant psychotics, we get it. But that doesn’t help much when you actually have to go to war, now does it? Now we’re good, but if this is the best we have when it comes to equipment, we ain’t exactly gonna be fighting at our best.” Emile explained. Carter nodded at him, then addressed Celestia himself.
“He’s right, Princess. We were trained as soldiers, modern soldiers, with the most advanced weapons systems our people had to offer. I’m not saying that without them we are entirely helpless, but we are far more effective with firearms than with anything else. It’s what we’re used to, what we first trained with, and what we spent years honing our skills for. We have been trained how to use cover, how to utilize lines of fire, and to avoid close-range engagements whenever we possibly can. With this…” He gestured toward the Armory’s contents. “We simply won’t be utilized to our full potential. Surely there must be something more advanced you could have us use, right?”
Celestia paused, thinking of possible solutions to the problem. Eventually, she answered, “There is… one solution.” She said uncertainly. “Since I first learned of Garrison’s intentions for Equestria, I have allocated some resources into weapons development. However, none of their results are ready for combat yet. They are all untested; prototypes.” Celestia finished with a shake of her head.
To her surprise, the Spartans seemed excited at the news, undisturbed by her words. Carter returned Celestia’s confused expression with a grin. “I doubt that will be much of a problem, Princess.” He explained. “We’re used to using experimental equipment. For almost as long as it’s existed, Noble has been used as testing grounds for new equipment. Hell, for all of us but Jorge, our supplementary armor systems are all experimental.”
Celestia looked pleasantly surprised at the news, but her misgivings remained. “While that is comforting, are you sure you will be able to handle it? What I have seen of the prototypes has shown me that almost all of them are magical in nature. Are you confident in your abilities to adapt?”
Carter gave Celestia a deadpan look. “Princess, any Spartan worth his salt can learn how to fire, reload, and field strip any weapon they come across, within five minutes of picking it up. I assure you, we are more than capable of using whatever weapons you give us, so long as they work.”
Celestia nodded, satisfied. “Very well. Follow me then.” With that, she turned away from them, striding back down the hall, leading Noble down one of the many branching pathways as the Armory doors closed behind her.
A short trip involving many twisting paths and narrow halls later, Noble found themselves in a part of the castle that they hardly recognized. The beautiful, carefully-crafted walls gave way to rough brick and mortar. The soft illumination of sunlight filtered through stained glass windows had been replaced with the flickering light of burning torches, hanging from the cast iron sconces mounted upon the wall. Noble eyed their surroundings warily, but never faltered in their step as they followed the Princess.
Eventually, the group arrived at another set of double doors. This set as well was different from its predecessors, composed of two thick slabs of steel, whose only decoration was the series of bolts connecting them to the walls. The doors bore no handles, but luckily as they approached, Celestia halted and lit up her horn, ensnaring the doors in her magical grip. A look of intense concentration appeared on Celestia’s face and moments later, the doors began to emit a series of short, intermittent clicks. Moments later, the sounds ended, and Celestia allowed her magic to fade. There was a pause, before whatever mechanisms Celestia had turned activated, and the doors slowly swung open.
Inside, was a chamber that immediately caught the Spartans’ interest. Even at first glance, it was clear to them that the room before them was a weapons lab. All about the room, ponies were surrounding tables piled high with schematics, building materials, and what they could only guess was weaponry. The left side of the room extended far past the length to the right, and had been made into what appeared to be a firing range. Weapons mounted upon intricate tripods were aimed downrange at paper targets, as ponies in lab coats observed them firing and made notes on clipboards.
Constantly moving through all of this, a Unicorn mare was stepping from station to station while pausing only to give them a moment’s glance. The mare too was dressed in a white lab coat, her silver-streaked purple mane done up in a tight bun and a pair of half-moon shaped glasses perched before her alarmingly bright red eyes. Upon her off-white flank, unobscured by the short hemline of the lab coat, was the image of a rough-hewn crystal in the shape of a prism, wrapped in a soft and comforting pink glow.
As Celestia and Noble entered the room, the previous clamor of the many scientists ceased, as if someone had thrown a switch and shut off all sound. A moment later, the scientists all immediately dropped whatever they were doing and sank into a low bow, several unfortunate ponies slamming their heads into their desks in the process. All of them, save for the Unicorn mare. Rather than observe Royal etiquette, the mare excitedly leapt through the crowd, jostling her colleagues out of the way as she approached the group.
“Princess Celestia!” The mare exclaimed upon reaching them, only now dipping into a quick and sloppy bow before rising up and giving the diarch a grin. “It’s sooo great to see you here! We almost never get any visitors here, so it’s amazing that you decided to come!” She looked past the Princess, and her face lit up as she seemed to notice Noble for the first time. “Oh, and you brought guests!” Without further ado, the mare leapt past the Princess, seizing the hoof of the nearest Spartan, which happened to be Jorge, and shaking it vigorously. “Hey there! Wow, you’re a big one, aren’t you? Dr. Soul Gem, at your service!” She said, grinning like a madmare. Jorge, for his part, took it in stride. The massive Spartan simply chuckled, sending a bemused look to the others.
Celestia too, seemed more amused by the mare’s actions than irritated, despite the many scandalized expressions being sent the doctor’s way by the other scientists. “It is good to see you as well, Doctor.” Looking away from the mare, Celestia then addressed the room. “As for the rest of you, you may resume your studies. I have business with Dr. Gem alone.”
The other scientists were quick to act on their Princess’s orders, quickly returning their attention to their work and doing their best to ignore the deity now in their midst. Soul Gem meanwhile, zipped away from Jorge to stand before the Princess, practically hopping in place like an excited puppy. “Ooh! You have business? I love, love, LOVE it when you have business with me! It always ends with me getting some great ideas! Or more funding! Or both! Both is good!”
Celestia looked down on the ecstatic mare with a warm smile. “I’m happy to see you as well, Doctor. I am here because I was hoping to show my associates here,” She gestured to Noble with a hoof, “some of the developments you all have made.”
“Great!” Dr. Gem answered with a smile, turning back towards the rest of the room and beginning to trot away. “Dream Weaver over there is working on a new stimulant formula. I’ve been testing it myself, and let me tell you, it’s amaaaaazing!” Before she could progress further however, Celestia halted her with a hoof.
“Doctor, while I appreciate your enthusiasm, I’m afraid my guests are only interested in your working prototypes. Specifically, your weapons systems.” Celestia explained, gesturing to Noble.
Soul Gem hmmed, tapping her chin with a hoof, before perking up and grinning brightly. “Okay!” She answered, again moving into the chamber. “Follow me, I’ll take you to our ‘finished projects’ vault!”
Noble as one turned to Celestia with dubious expressions, but the diarch simply gestured for them to follow. Heaving a sigh, Carter brushed past the others and did the same, before trailing after the giddy mare.
After carefully making their way through the crowded lab, the group was lead to another door, smaller than the others seen previously, but nonetheless equally guarded, with a single large padlock. Soul Gem calmly used her magic to retrieve a key from within her lab coat, and undid the lock, allowing the door to swing open. Gesturing inside, she allowed the others to enter before she too followed, as the door slammed shut behind her.
As Noble entered the room, they stopped in their tracks, as they took in the sight of the room before them. Emile groaned aloud. “Is this it?” He asked, his voice thick with disappointment.
Before them was a small room, its sole furnishing being a single metal table, upon which sat a paltry collection of weapons. Trotting past Noble and next to the table, Gem faced them with a smile. “Yup! This is it!” She said excitedly, oblivious to Emile’s dissatisfied tone. “Here are our babies! These are our prototypes that have finished their Alpha phase, and are now ready for Beta testing!”
Sharing unsure glances, Noble moved towards the table, and looked upon its contents. As they drew close, Soul Gem grabbed one of the nearest devices, a pair of gleaming metallic gauntlets. Holding them out proudly, she said, “These little devils were our first successful prototype! These gauntlets are based on an ancient Lunar Guard Design, with our own special additions!” Slipping it on, Soul Gem gave her hoof a sharp flick, causing a pair of blades to flip outwards. A moment later, an audible crackle filled the air as arcs of electricity sprang between them, the sharp bursts of light illuminating Gem’s manic grin as she beheld them. “We’ve already started mass production of these beauties, and from what I hear they’ll become standard issue for the Lunar Guard in the near future.”
Noble observed the weapons with obvious interest, none more so than Six, who approached the Doctor and wordlessly extended a hoof with an expectant stare. Unperturbed, Gem gladly handed them over, the blades retracting with a shink as she removed them. Six slipped them on, raising a hoof and inspecting one mutely. “The blades are designed to automatically retract when the gauntlet is removed.” Gem explained. “You just have to-“ She was cut off as Six gave her hoof a quick flick, mimicking Gem’s motion perfectly and extending the blade. As the jolts of electricity began jumping across the blades, Six looked upon them in a seemingly reverent silence.
“Hello, game changer.” She finally said, a wicked grin audible in her voice. Looking to Soul Gem she added, “Do you have it in black?”
Soul Gem smiled apologetically. “Afraid not. But I do have these!” She exclaimed, lifting up another weapon from the table. This device appeared to be a small crossbow, roughly the size of a pony’s head. The crossbow sported a large trigger, perfectly sized for a hoof. Displaying it before the others, Soul Gem also grabbed another item from the table. Floating it next to the crossbow, she revealed it to be a small crystal, shaped like a cone with a barbed tip. Soul Gem gave the others a proud grin.
“This little beauty is something of my own design, which I’ve named The Stinger. The weapon itself was a challenge, especially finding a way to maintain the same amount of force with such a compact design.” Gesturing to one of the crystals, she added, “The interesting part of this design however, is the ammo. These crystals are specially grown throughout Equestria, and are famous for their ability to store magic.” As demonstration, Soul Gem’s horn grew brighter, and a thin channel of magic emerged from its tip, slowly feeding into the crystal. As the magic entered the crystal, it began to grow brighter and brighter. After a moment, Soul Gem cut off the stream, allowing the crystal to slowly dim to a softer glow.
Lifting the crystal before the others, Soul Gem continued, “However, this is known to make the crystals rather volatile. Feed enough magic into them, and they’ll act as a catalyst, bouncing it around and building it up until the crystal itself detonates with explosive force.” Inspecting the crystal bolt before her, she added, “From the size of this one, I’d estimate it to release enough energy to incapacitate any target within three meters.”
Kat regarded the crystal curiously. “Impressive. Can the magic only be fed into it by a unicorn, or will anyone be able to use it?”
Soul Gem grinned apologetically. “Only Unicorns, I’m afraid. It’s still just a prototype, after all.”
Kat nodded in understanding. “I suppose that limits it to either Carter or myself then.” Turning to the stallion in question, she gestured to the weapon expectantly, saying, “Commander, do you want it, or should I take it?”
Carter regarded the offered weapon for a moment, before shaking his head. “Take it, Kat.” He said. “My magic is still too unreliable to properly operate that thing. You’d make better use of it than I would.” Nodding, Kat accepted the device from Soul Gem, as well as a grabbing a collection of crystal bolts from the table. Carter meanwhile had turned his attention to the doctor. “Do you have anything for a defensive magic user?” He asked.
Soul Gem brightened in response to Carter’s question, turning back to the table and lifting another device excitedly. “Do I ever! We had this developed specifically with defensive mages in mind!” She explained, displaying her prize proudly. Within her magical grip was what appeared to be a sort of harness. Its center bore a large crystal cut in the shape of a pentagon, and set into a solid metal frame. Trailing from the center were three sets of wires, two of which connected to smaller, similar pieces. The two both bore similar crystals, smaller in size and instead cut into perfect circles. The last set of wires, rather than ending in a crystal set in metal, instead connected to a small metal ring, studded with a series of tiny crystals, wrapping around the outside of the ring.
As Carter finished inspecting the harness, Soul Gem explained, “This is the Magical Intensity and Direction Amplification System, or MIDAS for short. By wearing this, even the weakest offensive magic is amplified to the extreme!” Levitating the device towards herself, she grabbed the hanging ring into her hoof. Displaying it to the others, she continued, “Each piece automatically attaches itself once it is placed against the proper surface. This ring is attached to the wearer’s horn, and absorbs all magic directed into it, before channeling it down these wires into the center. From there it is directed into the catalyst, which is meant to be attached to an armored chest plate. After amplifying the strength of the charge, it is finally directed into one of the two focusing crystals, affixed to the wearer’s gauntlets, resulting in a blast far more focused and powerful than the wearer originally created.”
There was a pregnant pause, before Emile raised a hoof. “You uh, you wanna explain that for people without a master’s in magical bullshit?”
Soul Gem frowned in response, before straightening up and answering haughtily. “It’s a Doctorate in Applied Magical Theory, thank you very much.” Emile said nothing in response, only raising a skeptical brow. Seeing this, Soul Gem groaned exasperatedly. “Fine, it makes your magical blasts stronger and more accurate. Was that simple enough?”
Emile shrugged. “Whatever, it’s not like I can use it anyway.” He said, brushing past the doctor and towards the weapons table, seemingly oblivious to her burning glare, as well as the audible gnashing of her teeth.
Hoping to defuse the situation, Carter floated the MIDAS over to himself, before addressing the doctor. “Thank you for this, Doctor. I’m sure I’ll find it useful.”
Soul Gem turned her attention to Carter. “Well it’s comforting to know somepony appreciates my-“ She stopped suddenly, whipping her head back towards Emile. “Hey! Don’t touch that!” She snapped, stalking towards the Spartan, as the latter inspected another invention held in his hooves. Emile regarded the weapon, turning it over and hefting it idly. It bore a resemblance to a blunderbuss of sorts, with a single, thick metal barrel connected to a polished wooden frame. The only difference it had from a human firearm appeared to be the comparatively massive trigger and guard the weapon had. Snatching it away with her magic, Soul Gem laid the device down on the table with the others. “A complex piece of technology like this is too advanced for a brute like yourself.” She remarked acidly, glaring at the Spartan.
Emile, to his credit, took the insult in stride, answering simply, “Really? Because it looks like a gun.”
Soul Gem rolled her eyes in response. “Exactly. I wouldn’t expect you to be able to tell the difference between a complex war machine and one of those… atrocities from the Griffon Kingdoms.” Picking up the weapon in her magic again, she continued, “It is only our latest advancements in crystal magic that allows us to create the controlled detonations of the ammunition without making the weapon blow up in your face every time you fire it!”
Emile regarded the “war machine” for a moment, before fixing Soul Gem with a level stare. “Nah, it’s definitely a gun. Trust me, I know a gun when I see a gun. I’ve spent a lotta time around guns.” He explained, smirking as Soul Gem’s frustration threatened to boil over.
Soul Gem opened her mouth to deliver a sharp retort when a curt “Enough.” caused her to pause, as she and Emile turned their attention to the speaker, Celestia. “This bickering is pointless. Noble Four, you are to cease antagonizing the Doctor this instant, is that clear?” Emile looked skeptical, but nonetheless nodded firmly in response. Turning back to Soul Gem, Celestia continued, “Doctor, please calm yourself, and explain to us how this weapon works.”
Soul Gem looked indignant, but knew better than to argue with the Princess. So, taking a deep breath, she complied. “Very well. This weapon is The Buckshot, another product of our advancements in crystal technology.” Using her magic, Soul Gem floated another handful of crystals from the table. Unlike the bolts of the crossbow now held by Kat, these crystals instead were shaped like cylinders, perfectly flat on both ends. Each had multiple colors, including fiery orange, soft blue, and an alarmingly bright pink. “These crystals have each been enchanted with their own spell, and have been color-coordinated to match. For example, these orange ones utilize a powerful flame spell. The doctor working on them affectionately named them Phoenix rounds.” She said, displaying one of the orange crystals to demonstrate.
Jun hovered before the crystals suspended in Soul Gem’s magic, inspecting them curiously. “And what do these blue ones do?”
“Those are the Wendigo rounds, infused with ice spells. One shot should be enough to freeze a decent sized pond, and should incapacitate a target no matter where they are hit.” Soul Gem explained.
Emile raised a brow. “And the pink ones?” He asked.
Soul Gem levitated one of the pink crystals into her hoof, and gave a proud grin. “These ones I designed myself. They actually have two separate stages of detonation. The first stage occurs within the barrel, shattering them into hundreds of small, razor-sharp shards. Upon making contact with the target, the shards themselves detonate into thousands of miniscule blades, cutting into the target.”
Emile let out a low whistle. “Sounds brutal. Nice work!”
Ignoring him, Jun pensively rubbed his chin with a hoof. “It sounds like it functions similarly to a shotgun. What’s the maximum effective range on this thing?”
Soul Gem gave an apologetic nod. “Only about fifty meters. It is for all intents and purposes a close-quarters weapon.” The Spartans’ eyes turned towards Emile. Soul Gem followed their gaze, and her eyes widened in horror. “Oh no, no no nonono-“
“Doctor.” Celestia said, laying a hoof on Soul Gem’s shoulder. “Noble Four is a CQC expert. He’s a master in all manner of short-range combat, and of Noble Team, he is the most qualified to wield this weapon. I am certain he will make good use of it.” Turning to Emile, she added, “Isn’t that correct, Noble Four?”
Emile, who had snatched The Buckshot out of a distracted Soul Gem’s magic, looked up from inspecting it and gave a casual grin. “Sure thing Princess. Ain’t nobody here that can work a shotgun like I can. I’ll make good use of it, you can count on that.”
Soul Gem looked from Emile, to Celestia, and back again, before groaning tiredly. “Fine, take it. Just promise me you’ll bring it back in one piece.”
Looking back towards the table, Jun flapped over and picked up the last item on the table. It appeared to be shaped similarly to a rifle, however rather than a barrel, it instead bore the groove of a crossbow, running down the length of its excessively long barrel. Both at the base of the barrel and its tip, on either side of the groove were two more of the pink crystals, glowing with magical energy. Like The Buckshot, it also bore a large trigger, perfectly sized for a hoof. Atop it, the weapon bore a large scope, with an eyepiece sufficiently large for a pony’s massive orbs. Lastly, on its side was a single switch on its right side, currently in the up position.
“Hey Doctor,” Jun said, gaining the attention of the others. “What’s this one do? It looks almost like a sniper rifle.”
Turning her attention to Jun, Soul Gem answered, “That’s not too far from accurate. This is The Longbolt, a crossbow that utilizes crystal technology to make it far more powerful than traditional models. Using telekinetic enchantments, the crystals at the tip pull on the crystals in its bolts, only launching the bolt once the trigger is pulled and the crystals near the base of the barrel are deactivated. The bolts fire with such force that we’ve found its effective range to be somewhere around two thousand meters.”
Jun’s jaw dropped in shock. “Two thousand meters… with a crossbow? How is that possible?”
Soul Gem peered queerly at Jun. “Magic… duh?”
Jun facehooved. “Right, of course. How could I forget? Anyway, what does this switch on the side do?” Jun asked.
Soul Gem pointed to the switch and explained, “This switch here activates and disables the enchantments. Once the bolt has been launched, the enchantments must be deactivated before you can reload it.”
Jun nodded in understanding. “Simple enough. Since I’m the best marksman here I suppose I’ll take this. Any objection?” He asked, turning to Noble. When no one dissuaded him, he nodded, grabbing a hoofful of metal bolts, each tipped with a barbed arrow and a crystal set at the base.
Jorge observed as Noble examined their weaponry, before gazing disappointedly at the now empty table. Turning to Soul Gem he asked, “Is that it?”
Soul Gem shrugged apologetically. “Sorry, but that’s all we have. We’ve only set up shop for a few months, so our selection is limited. I mean, we’ve got that prototype autocannon over there in the corner, but-“ Jorge ignored the rest of Soul Gem’s words as he followed her gesture towards another weapon, placed out of sight in a corner of the room.
Walking over to it, Jorge ran a hoof along its surface, inspecting it closely. Shaped like a traditional cannon design, it appeared to be made out of simple bronze, and was the size of Jorge’s body from flank to barrel. It also bore six more crystals set into its base in the shape of a star, with one in the center. Set just above the crystals, where most cannons would have a fuse, was a single large button. Lastly, the whole frame sat upon three solid bronze legs.
“Well hello there.” Jorge said reverently, before turning to Soul Gem. “How’s it work?” He asked.
Shrugging, Soul Gem answered, “Well, it absorbs ambient magic from the surroundings and channels it into those crystals, releasing them into a bolt that explodes upon impact. While weaker than traditional cannons, it maintains a much faster rate of fire, about ten rounds per minute. Theoretically, with enough of these you could hold off an enemy invasion indefinitely.”
Nodding appreciatively, Jorge responded, “I’ll take it.”
Soul Gem frowned, confused. “It’s a stationary artillery emplacement, you can’t just-“ She halted in her speech, wide-eyed, as Jorge reached over and, as calmly as one would adjust a tie, tore one of the legs from the device. He then wrapped his hooves around the cannon and hefted it into the air, one hoof gripping the remaining leg, as the other wrapped around it and rested upon the firing button. The last leg, facing away from the barrel of the device, Jorge used as a stock, placing it in the crook of his shoulder and stabilizing his hold on the cannon.
Hefting the massive weapon, Jorge smiled with satisfaction. “Girl’s got some weight on her. I like it.”
Emile scoffed. “You would.”
“Oh, shut up Emile.” Jorge snapped back.
Soul Gem meanwhile, stared dumbfounded at Jorge’s treatment of the weapon. “You just… without… and no… wha?” She babbled, her jaw working uselessly. Shaking herself, she began again, “How could you!” She roared, stalking over to Jorge. “You just ruined a breakthrough in weapons technology! It’s worthless now!”
Jorge fixed Soul Gem with a level stare. “How so?” He asked simply.
“It’s a stationary weapon! It weighs far too much to be carried by one pony!” She retorted. Jorge simply hefted the cannon again in response, a dubious brow raised. Wilting slightly, she continued, “Well, it still was never designed to be carried that way. How can you hope to fire it?”
“Does how I hold it affect the accuracy of the weapon?” Jorge questioned.
Shrugging, Soul Gem replied, “Well, no. It’s a magical weapon, so physics doesn’t really apply in its operation. But the recoil of the weapon will be enormous! It would break your forelegs the first time you fired it!”
Jorge chuckled good-naturedly. “Trust me, that’s not an issue. As long as it shoots straight, I’ll be fine.”
Soul Gem looked ready to argue, but after a moment, simply sighed roughly. “Whatever, take it.” Turning to Celestia, she added, “With your leave, Your Highness, I think I need an aspirin.”
Celestia nodded with a smile. “You are excused, Doctor. Thank you for your assistance.”
Nodding in response, Soul Gem turned and exited the vault, leaving Celestia alone with Noble Team. Turning to the Spartans, she said, “Now that you are all equipped, I think it best for you to leave immediately. The Loyalists will already be expecting you.” With that, she turned toward the far wall of the room. Igniting her horn, Celestia channeled her magic for a moment, before releasing it in a glowing yellow towards the wall. The wall distorted for a moment, rippling until it finally coalesced into the image of a large field, with a collection of tents indicating a camp in the distance. “You are to report to Captain Gerard once you make contact. He will brief you on the details, understood?”
Noble saluted as one, and Carter responded, “We’ll get it done, ma’am.” Signaling to his team, Carter ordered, “Let’s move, Noble.”
Carter stepped through the portal, disappearing into its rippling surface, and Noble followed, leaving Celestia alone. Releasing her magic and closing the portal, Celestia sighed softly. “Good luck Noble.” She said, smiling warmly. “I know you will not disappoint me.”
With that, Celestia turned and left the vault, gently closing the door behind her.
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Yay.
IT LIVES!!
4542370
4542383
Good to be back!
It's back!
Damn, Jorge sure turned that prank back on Emile in a hurry!
Poor Kat...hearing about what her death was like for her really got me in the feels.
Also, Kat and Carter...I totally ship this pairing!
And the way Noble reacted to those prototypes...I think they liked what they found there!
I spy, with my little eye, a Batman Begins reference!
One word of advice, however: When a character is thinking something, it might be a good idea for their thoughts to be in italics. Either that, or put apostrophes on each side of their thoughts to separate them from the rest of the paragraph they're in.
Anyhow, can't wait to see Noble's first actual mission! And let me just say, it's good to have you back with us, soldier!
4542484 Great to have you back.
It´s better to wait longer for something really good than the opposite. Like this!
4542583
Yeah, I was so excited to get this out I kinda rushed editing a bit, and italics are lost once I transfer it over to fimfiction... I'll get on that later, right now I kinda burned myself out finishing this, so I'll recover first then fix those issues. Thanks for pointing them out though, I had forgotten until you told me!
so glad to see this story again, welcome back
IT'S ALIIIIVE!
There should be a meme on story necromancy. Great addition, though I think it best if Nobel clued the scientists in on a few hints...
2 things.
1. IT'S ALIVE!
2.
Nice RVB reference. For those who don't know the source here you go.
[youtube=www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFsRYd-9thg]
A NEW CHAPTER!!!
A NEW CHAPTER!!!
YES YES YES YES YES-
I changed my picture for this story
P.S
YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!!!
I love you
very nice to see you back, I hope everything in your life as of late has worked out for the best?
Missed the obvious RvB reference, I am disappointed in you.
4543284
In the novels they describe the blackened skin cracking open and bleeding despite the cauterization of the wounds. You're right, I kinda overlooked it, but thinking back it is still possible for Emile to open up such a wound, especially in a place like the chest, where limiting movement is next to impossible. I guess I'm sorta making an excuse here, but it still makes sense... right?
4542484 Well we are very glad to see you back!
One thing...Jun never died during Reach...So how did he end up here?
4543625
I'm pretty sure that was never in the show. I'm not psychic, and I'm not gonna begin the story over again to account for changes after I've established things. Or would you rather Jun was cut from the story entirely?
I started this story before that damnable comic was released. Also, I'm having Noble Team appear IN F***ING EQUESTRIA!
...whew, sorry about that. It's just I've been getting tons of comments about this, and I sort of decided to make an example of you. My apologies for the anger, but it doesn't make my points any less valid. So for everyone who wants to point out that yes, Jun is still alive in canon, I want you to know that it's too late to change anything, and I am VERY MUCH aware of this fact, so you don't have to tell me anymore.
How in the world does Emile have po-
No, I'm going to stop you right there because I do NOT want to think about that.
4543695 Ouch...Damn that hit me right in the feels...I think I'm gonna need a medic after that. Great that I can be an example though.
4543747
Again, sorry man, I didn't mean to single you out. Thanks for helping me get the message across though!
Welcome Back!
And glad to see Equestria isn't lagging too far behind in terms of tech development.
4543786 I'm so glad this is here, not because I'm in such a rush to read this story, but because this means you've healed and grown. Stay strong and you've always got a lot of fans to support you here
Welcome back first of all, second of all it's clear the dear doctor needs to realize that in the case of fire arms, the simpler to operate the better. That's not to say you should stop advancement, but don't add numerous "enhancements" if it increases the complexity disproportionately. There's a reason that long bows gradually replaced the night, while it still took plenty of training, it was less of an investment than a knights ever increasingly heavy and complex suit of armor (though they were still quite valuable) as the even simpler to operate crossbow and even later gun powder weapons took even less training the age of the knights was struck dead.
It's all a matter of balance.
Long time comeing here
Was checking my updates and I say this up
I had written it off as a lost cause a wile back but saved it in case it did finally update and I can say that it was a good return to life
Keep up the good work
and nearly a year later from it's hiatus, and I am laughing my ass off at the crowning jewel of LOLs, EVER, realated to halo, even beating shit from RVB.
Also, the chat Carter and Kat had made me want to scream Carter X Kat for some weird reason... and, this is probly the most epic moment so far in the series, other then the timber wolf fight.
Now, those moments have passed... IT'S ALIVE! and that's probly the biggest fucking meme in this story.
It's good to see ya back mate
This looks good everything's great. Everyone here at Emo Rainbow corporationz wanted to give up on this story but I'm glad I didn't listen to them. Also you are good at writing. The way you incorporated the episode into the backburner of the main plot made it feel really nice. Keep it up.
This was an awesome Chapter, cant wait to see the next one, and please take your time
The way you incorporated the episode was pretty damn good IMO. The porn thing made me giggle like an idiot, so there's something.
Looking forward to new chapters on this, take your time with em and make em right. No sense rushin' em. As my grandfather always told me... "Dazzle em with brilliance or baffle em with bullshit".
Excellent. Nuff said.
FUCK YEAH UPDATE!!!
it lives and i am happy 4 that HUUUUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4542609 Oh, right. Should of thought 'a that.
Wow, this one came out of nowhere, took my damn time to actually read it thou.
Anyway, this certainly was a very enjoyable chapter. I didnt mind the parallel approach you originally had but this indirect one feels definitly more fresh (the same reason why TNABs A Dream is so successful).
Loved the little references you made. The RvB one with the death by spinal strangulation, that Lightning Claw (by designe it looks like something out of Warhammer 40k) and then the Dark Knight reference.
The talk between Carter and Kat was very deep and moving, it pretty much touches on a subject that is as old as the first conscious thought a human ever had. The question of existance after death.
I can definitly see that you spent a lot of time considering the dialog between the two.
please stay out of the coma. Please?
4546907
I'm happy that my new approach is being received well.
Glad you liked it!
Funny thing about the Dark Knight reference, is that it was totally unintentional. I was more playing off the description for the black visor in Halo: Reach than quoting the film. As for the claws, I was kinda ripping them off the images of the Lunar Guard, like this one: (Second pony from the left.) Credit goes to them more than myself really.
And yeah, I probably edited the dialogue between Kat and Carter at least five times, trying to make it as sincere, yet in-character as possible.
4546949
No worries. I'm back, and I plan to stay that way. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!
4547192 Hehe, still nice.
I figured that the Lightning Claw might be more related to the Lunar Guard arsenal but then again they only use 2 claws attached to a horseshoe not a gauntlet.
I love.that Six is a bit crazy and scares the shit out of Emile and Jun. Though now we know Jun is alive and trained the IV's, but whatever, it's a fanfic.
For Six she might wonder why she and not Thom revived with the team.
And Kat's death.... Man...
Just wanna say, part of a SPARTAN's augmentations either results in or is meant to destroy anything resembling sexuality, can't remember which. I mean, sure, now that they're ponies with normal biochemistry all those things are rushing back (which should turn a few into hormone-addled teens, oh god Emile would be either hilarious or terrifying), but I can't see why Emile has porn. Unless he just has it to mess with officers who can't actually punish a SPARTAN.
4549268
Way I see it, I need to see the actual text that says a SPARTAN, particularly a SPARTAN-III, has no sex drive. Otherwise, I'm going to presume that they didn't bother removing it, and instead focused on the augmentations that were totally necessary. Now, it could be a side effect, but I've yet to see any actual evidence that points to such a fact. Plus, even with no natural libido it is still entirely possible for someone to have an interest in sex, just not on the same level as most people do.
4549419
Looks like I got my information about IIs and IIIs mixed up. Still, I imagine that being away from a life that revolves around life-and-death and strict routine would loosen things up.
Holy shit, I forgot that this story even existed, with the, what, 150 plus stories I've read and currently reading. Well, any who, glad to know that you are still kicking and breathing, really enjoyed this chapter. Haven't read a Halo crossover in, what, almost a year? Oh well, I have high hopes for your next installment, I'll be waiting ever so eagerly. \(^3^)/
This is absolutely beautiful! Amazingly well-written, I love the details. And those weapons… Fantastic creations, a perfect blend of medieval weaponry, UNSC gear, and Covenant Needler technology. I am completely blown away by them. If my Noble 6 were there, in his cyan and silver armor with blue visor, I'd take the energy blades and the shotgun. I love assassinations, and have assassinated the Elite General at the end of Sword Base. I also love the Needler technology, and greatly enjoy a good old supercombine explosion accompanied with a dead Hunter. Having that as a SHOTGUN?! None would stand in my way! Just litter it with scraps of flesh like those Flood infection forms! Please update soon, it's absolutely amazing!
This is absolutely beautiful! Amazingly well-written, I love the details. And those weapons… Fantastic creations, a perfect blend of medieval weaponry, UNSC gear, and Covenant Needler technology. I am completely blown away by them. If my Noble 6 were there, in his cyan and silver armor with blue visor, I'd take the energy blades and the shotgun. I love assassinations, and have assassinated the Elite General at the end of Sword Base. I also love the Needler technology, and greatly enjoy a good old supercombine explosion accompanied with a dead Hunter. Having that as a SHOTGUN?! None would stand in my way! Just litter it with scraps of flesh like those Flood infection forms! Please update soon, it's absolutely amazing!
I also enjoyed the RvB reference. In response to the augmentations and the sex drive, the augmentations for the Spartan IIs removed the sex drive as an 'unfortunate' side effect according to Doctor Halsey. The Spartan IIIs had vastly improved augmentation procedures, which kept the drive. Also, have a completely strange comment by my Elite character in Halo Reach.
This fanfiction is one of the absolute best I have ever read. Thank you for gracing us with it, may we travel the Divine Path, and partake in the Great Journey. On the blood of our fathers, on the blood of our sons. This Sangheili approves! Nishums have for once provided good work! Or would you prefer shisno? "Knock knock"
Looking forward to some ass-kicking with Noble's new toys.
also:
You accidentally Kat.
It's...back?