Chapter 27
Twilight stood alone before the gates of Canterlot castle, her trusty draconic assistant having been insistent to remain back in ponyville to ‘keep watch’ whilst she was gone. The purple unicorn double-checked the contents of her saddlebags for the 3rd time in the last 15 minutes. Her mane became ever more frayed and frazzled every check.
'Quills? Check. Scrolls? Check. Backup Quills? Check.'
So were her thoughts as she spiraled into the age-old loop of TESTS (Twilight Emergency Stress Test Syndrome). An ailment the Canterlot hospital medical staff had thought all but eradicated when patient zero left for Ponyville to become their doctors’ problem.
But alas, fate did not smile kindly on the inhabitants of Canterlot this fine day, but thankfully due to the great efforts of Twilight not looking where she was going. A light *smack* into the Castle gates saved Canterlot from another bout of TESTS.
Rubbing the frog of her hoof against her now aching nose Twilight looked to the side towards a nearby guard and smiled sheepishly. They did not visibly react but simply lit their horn and allowed the lavender Unicorn entry into the Castles grounds.
The day had started out like any other for Twilight. Waking up with her muzzle slightly drooling into a book, some breakfast courtesy of her faithful assistant Spike and then there came the letter. It had been about a week now since the ruined wedding of her brother and things were just starting to calm down. Or at least it should have until Spike had burped out a scroll by her Mentor saying to come to Canterlot for a task Celestia had for her.
So naturally, she brought everything save the kitchen sink that she could need to ace the test Celestia had decided to spring upon her. ‘There couldn't be any other reason for her summons! It's a test and I haven’t studied ohcelestiaIhaventstudied!’ thought the mare as she walked down the winding corridors of the castle on autopilot. Her sanity on the verge of collapsing into stage 2 TESTS.
Her heart rate was quickening and her mind was devolving into panic once more. It was at about the time Twilight was considering actually taking a sink from the castle's Kitchen ‘just in case’ when the unicorn once again ran into something without looking. Or more specifically somepony as the familiar motherly voice of her mentor rang out.
“Oh! My apologies Twilight I did not see you there. Are you alright?”
“YES!” Shouted the Unicorn “Everything's A-Okay! I am totally ready to write the test!”
“Test? Ohhhh Twilight.” A playful smile overtook Celestia’s features. “You skimmed my letter again didn’t you?”
Twilight laughed nervously. “Eh hehe mayybeee?”
Celestia chuckled and shook her head slightly.
“So there isn’t a test?” Asked Twilight much to the amusement of her Mentor.
“No Twilight there is no test, well, for you at least.”
“What do you mean Princess?”
“Here, follow me Twilight. I have somepony I wish for you to meet.”
Celestia then began to walk down the corridor with her curious Student in tow.
———————
Six watched the match below her with the interest only a Spartan could show. It had been a week thus far of her intense training but its results were definitely already showing with her initiates. It either spoke to the training ability Six didn't know she had or the strange Biology of the ponies she was training.
‘Probably a mix of both’
Whatever it was, it meant she could… accelerate her timeline substantially when it came to the physical aspects of her adapted Spartan training. Psychological and mental training was slower but she could live with that.
Currently, she was watching a match of CTF between Pixy and Spear vs Sparrow and Spirit down in the forest that resided just below the Castle itself and the base of the mountain. Having requisitioned some small hoof-held non-lethal crossbow equipment from the castle’s armory to use in place of paintball rifles allowed her initiates to test and hone their skills in an unpredictable and hostile environment.
Six watched in satisfaction as Spirit ‘sliced’ the throat of Staff Sergeant Spear, causing him to give a huff that bordered between annoyed and impressed at having been snuck up on by the mare once again. The Staff Sergeant returned back to base to wait out the round muttering to himself about probable ways to prevent such a mistake once again.
Through the week of harsh training, Six had managed to come up with a general idea of who excelled in what department, and where they fell short. A good example is the meek earth-pony Spirit. When it came to direct combat she is not the greatest. Her punches were always weaker and her form frailer. But she more than made up for it in another way. That being her maneuverability and stealth.
Six wasn't ashamed to admit that the way she moved when given the freedom to was impressive. It really was quite astonishing to the Spartan to watch this mare easily dart from bush to bush without so much as a sound. Her targets were never prepared for her strikes with every engagement looking more like a straight-up assassination than open combat.
Six’s gaze was drawn to the sky where Pixy was currently dodging bolts with practiced ease. The friendly Pegasus in question was similar in many aspects to the sneaky earth pony. Only her preferred environment was the sky itself and the outspoken personality she possessed. Her speed and agility were comparable to that of the Spartan herself when she was given the freedom to use her wings to their full effect.
“Hah! Can’t hit m-ow!”
Her cocky attitude, however… Six would need to beat that out of her. The Spartan moved her gaze to where that shot had come from and found the prone form Sparrow grinning up at the pegasus. He was certainly the strongest of her initiates thanks to her training. He punched with the force of a scorpion and could shoot with the precision of a sniper. He could certainly take a punch as well with his now much more bulky build.
Why his parents ever called him ‘Sparrow’ would remain a mystery to the Spartan for he was certainly not as nimble as one. But with him, one punch is all he needed to end a fight a majority of the time.
“Point to Red team! Game set and match! Return to base initiates! Spear, Spirit your switching sides for this last one!” Shouted the Spartan as she watched the ever-stealthy Spirit slip the flag back to her base without anypony noticing. Six could see and even hear the neurons in Spears' brain firing as he thought of ways to counter Spirit's tactics of stealth.
Spear was about as average as one could get in the physical department of Six’s training program, but when it came to tactics and leadership ability, the rest of her initiates couldn’t match him. His adaptability is what would have made him a great candidate for the Spartan program were he a Human in the UNSC.
Six watched as both teams returned to their flags, each waiting for the signal from the Spartan that would start the next round. The Teams having now been mixed up to make it more interesting.
“Matchpoint! The losing team will be getting PT instead of lunch! Begin!”
The Spartan watched as both teams ran back into the forest, both intent on not going hungry until the Spartan let them off for the day. And since Six liked her training to go well past the sunset, it went without saying both teams were highly motivated to win.
Her motion tracker suddenly gave a ping as two yellow markers appeared within its ranger behind the Spartan. Glancing back Six saw princess Celestia approaching along the path, with a smaller lavender Unicorn in tow. The two ponies seemed to be having a pleasant conversation. Or they were, until the little Unicorn spotted the armored Spartans Visor glancing at her.
The Unicorn's face morphed through several different expressions. It started out with slight fear, weariness, sudden curiosity, and finally something Six couldn’t quite place. The only thing she could place was the inferno suddenly blazing behind the Unicorn's eyes as her gaze wandered all over Six’s armored form.
If the Spartan were any normal mare, they might have taken offense to being mentally undressed by the Unicorn. Six, however, didn't care as she switched her gaze to meet with that of Celestia’s with whom she simply gave a small nod of greeting before returning her gaze back to the match below. She looked back at the right time as she managed to catch Spear nail Spirit in the chest with a yelp by the mare when she tried to sneak up on him again.
“I take it this is another of your games I’ve heard so much about Six?” Asked Celestia curiously, stepping up beside the Spartan to also see what was happening down below.
The Spartan didn't answer, her attention hyperfocused on her initiates movements below. It was a 2v1 now with Pixy being outnumbered by her friend Sparrow and former Squad Leader Spear. The Pegasus realized her current situation and her demeanor changed. Her cocky posture was gone as she dropped from the sky and into the treeline, out of the Spartans’ sight.
“Uh hello um ‘Six’? I’m uhh my name is Twilight Sparkle. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you?” Began Twilight nervously as she trotted up beside her mentor, keeping the Alicorn between herself and this giant of a pony. The fire of knowledge behind her eyes had dulled considerably when she approached and got a better look at the Spartan.
The pegasus easily towered over the Unicorn, with Six being at least a full head taller than her, horn excluded. The sheath of a knife Twilight hadn’t seen before was on full display strapped to the ponies shoulder.
*Oh dear Celestia her wings!*
Those feathers looked sharp enough to cut through dragon scales as if they weren’t there to the lavender Unicorn. Then there were the many small hits of damage her armor showed. A small scratch here, an almost imperceivable dent there, a few hints of melted paint and burnt metal. Things only a pony with a keen eye would be able to spot on its dark metallic surface.
Her armor was worn, it had seen many battles and taken many hits. Twilight didn’t dare look back towards the razor-sharp wings or the Pegasi’s sheathed knife, for the amount of blood that may have stained them would be too much for her to handle.
Once more the Pegasus ignored her greeting as their strange armored helmet was focused on ponies below. Twilight followed her gaze and spotted a Pegasus with a single red wing darting from tree to tree in an attempt to close the distance between her and one bulky earth pony firing small crossbow bolts at her.
The Pegasus, however, was too quick for the Earthpony as every bolt was dodged or intercepted by stray branches. The pegasus reached the pony and with grace, she hadn’t seen before deftly flipped over the head of the pony and shot one of those bolts at the back of their helmeted head with a *clang*.
The earth pony groaned and made its way out of the playing field, leaving a smug Pegasus to celebrate. Before said Pegasus was swiftly brought out of their celebration by another bolt careening towards their body from a rapidly approaching unicorn.
All three spectators were captivated by what they were seeing below them. One out of necessity and the other two out of curiosity and excitement. Movements like the ones Celestia was seeing were some she hadn’t seen in action for a long time. The Princess couldn’t help but allow a proud smile to overtake her features as she glanced back towards the Spartan.
The abilities she saw on display here were on par with that of her and Luna’s elite and this was after only a week of training with this ‘Spartan’. Worry did begin to creep in as the princess’s gaze lingered on Six.
*If this is what her trainees can do after a week… I shudder to think what she can do after years of this torture. By my sun am I glad she’s with us, Twilight you’re going to have your work cut out for you.*
As Celestia finished her thought she returned her attention to the two rapidly approaching ponies below. Pixy was dodging and weaving with only millimeters between her and Spears oncoming bolts, But they were getting closer and closer to hitting their targets. Pixy knew she had to end this soon before Spear’s shots would hit true.
She steeled her features as adrenaline pumped through her veins. Pixy had gone too long without her lunch thanks to Spear she would not miss out on another! Her wingbeats doubled in speed as she bounded ever closer to the Unicorn. She knew he must have seen her maneuver that took out sparrow as his stance prevented her from doing the same to him.
That only left her with 2 options. The sensible one is to go around his sides and get a clear shot that way. Or the completely bonkers idea that Spear would never suspect and go down and slide in between and through his legs. She had to make a decision and at the last second, she did.
She fainted to the right, locking the Staff Sergeant into his counter as she gave a powerful flap of her wings, throwing her body to the ground and under his now raised forelegs. She could see her Sergeants eyes widen when he realized he had been had as Pixy rolled across the ground and landed in a pounced stance. Her crossbow aimed directly at the back of Spear’s head.
“Gotcha”
She pulled the trigger… yet nothing happened. She tried again and again. Still nothing. Then she noticed the magical glow enveloping Spear’s horn and the crossbows firing mechanism. Thinking quickly she pulled her paint-coated dulled knife with her wing and deftly swung it at Spear instead.
Spear was doing the same with his magic, part of it winging his own knife towards pixy whilst another, weaker, aura tried to grab hold of Pixies in an attempt to slow it down. The Unicorn couldn’t grab a hold of it fast enough however Spear redirected his own to parry the blow.
With a screech, the knives collided, splattering a small amount of multicolored paint against the two knife-locked ponies, both of their faces now only inches away from each other. Pixy was running out of options until she remembered something she had only seen once before.
Pixy smiled as she pushed herself off the ground, using her free wing to guide her. With a single well-timed flap, pixy flipped over Spear’s back as she deftly tossed her knife to her other wing. Spear recognized the move but there was nothing he could do as the pegasus flipped over his back, landed on his opposite side, and ‘sliced’ his throat.
Six couldn’t help but smile within her helmet when she watched Pixy perform the same move she had when they first met in Las Pegasus. “Game set! Red team has been Eliminated. Blue Team wins. Initiates return to me.” Shouted out the Spartan through her helmet’s speaker, causing Twilight to jump at the sudden noise.
The Spartan then turned to face the Alicorn and Unicorn and spoke. “I take it this is the representative you mentioned during our talk?”
“Yes, Six, meet my personal student Twilight Sparkle. You are to take any order from her as you would an order from me or my sister.” The Spartan nodded at the Alicorn before focusing on Twilight
“Student huh? Hey Kid, you’re sure you’re up for this? I’ve been told I’m quite the handful, even on a good day.”
'Handful?' Thought Twilight before answering with determination. She would not disappoint her Mentor for entrusting her with this task. “ Yes. Princess Celestia trusts me to represent her and I will not disappoint her.”
Celestia smiled at the answer.
“…Alright. You just let me do my thing and I’ll let you do yours, now if you excuse me.” Six turned away and walked towards the 4 dirtied and battered ponies coming up behind her. Princess Celestia and Twilight opted not to follow and instead remained on the sidelines as they watched the Spartan approach her initiates. Once the initiates were lined up before her, Six removed her helmet with a hiss and attached it to her hips before beginning her debrief.
She congratulated the winning team on a job well done, but not without some complaints and suggestions on what to do better and where they needed to work on. The losing team got the same treatment only with fewer congratulations and more ‘what you need to work on or you will not survive the field’ but nonetheless, every initiates adaptability was commendable to the Spartan.
A Spartan had to be ready for anything, and be able to adapt instantly to the changing winds every battlefield posed. After her comments were finished she dismissed Pixy and Spirit to go and get something to eat, leaving Spear and Sparrow to undergo their punishment for losing.
Celestia turned to face her student. “Are you sure your sill up to the task Twilight? Six is… well like I said, different when compared to the average pony. And I don’t just mean physically Twilight. She is a very dangerous pony to have as an enemy.”
“I meant what I said Princess. You have placed your trust in me. I won’t let that go to waste by failing.” Answered Twilight with a smile. “I will keep an eye on her Princess. If I need anything I’ll tell you A.S.A.P!” Twilights smile widened, mirroring her Mentors.
“Then I’ll leave Six in your capable hooves Twilight. Oh, before I leave, let me mention that your brother wanted to speak with you later when you’re done here.” Added Celestia as she began to make her way back down the trail that lead towards the Castle’s gardens.
“I won’t disappoint you, Princess!” Shouted Twilight back towards the retreating Alicorn.
“I know Twilight! I know…” Called the Princess back as she left earshot.
Twilight turned her gaze back towards the Spartan and her two, not yet dismissed, initiated.
“Kid! You finished back there? I’m gonna need your magic for a moment!” Yelled the Spartan towards the purple Unicorn. She looked towards the Spartan and nodded before approaching. Twilight could hear the groans of the initiates from where she stood and the smile Six was wearing did not help in alleviating Twilights worry.
Some of the castle guards say that when those two initiates returned to their barracks, they couldn’t even make it to their beds before they collapsed from exhaustion. Their sleeping forms were found the next morning by Pixy and Spirit with the pair having just made it inside the building before they fell into Luna’s warm embrace.
Stats
Page generated in 0.024 seconds
Total duration
1,079 users online
1,643,298 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Very nice chapter. Celestia better don't fuck that Alliance up
Twilight might just be more than over her head here. Maybe Six can give a description of fighting Elites while blowing her way trough Grunt canon fooder and Jackal snipers, with Hunters come charging at her?
Amazing training. They used to play hard, now they are dragged troughout legendary with skulls!
I pity their future enemys almost.
Twilight Sparkle might learn to play hardball with Six keeping her around 👍
twilight you are not prepared
11068070
Well... hope no one's planning to try to take out the elements. Those plans all just got pre-emptively canceled, violently.
Interesting. To Six, Twilight is a useful magical resource she can make use of to add difficulty and challenges to the training program. To Twilight, the work she's doing with Six, in adaptive magic, environment control, and focused target shooting, will make her magic more powerful, more versatile, and make her overall a more proficient mage.
And to Celestia, this new situation will train Twilight in the skills she'll need as the alicorn Element bearer when that time comes. Combining raw alicorn talent with the kind of adaptive combat skill she'll learn with Six will greatly augment Equestria's defense, not just in the next few years, but for the foreseeable future. It's even sneakier than it looks, because it allows Celestia to give Twilight the combat training she will need in the future without it being obvious she's doing so.
This is definitely the kind of slick maneuvering you'd expect of a leader like Celestia. Very nice. When Six figures out she's been played, she's going to have a whole new respect for Equestria's leaders...
HA, nice
Um did celestia warn twilight not to go for the armor as in dont try and study it, because I see three option a very pissed off six who pins twilight down and gives her a very treatening lecture, or option 2 breaks twiloghts horn as a warning for taking her armor, option 3 outright kills twiloght or puts twilight in a permanent coma.
*plays The Blood Gultch Blues* MY CARS LIKE A PUMA, IT DRIVEZ ON ALL FOURS!
11070102
Unlikely. While the Spartans are powerful, they aren't bullies. Look at any professional soldier, anywhere. They may look scary in combat, but around civilians, they're infinitely careful. Their job is to protect those who can't do what they can on the battlefield, and they never forget it. Even if Twilight were to ignore basic manners (and let's face it, this is Twilight, so it's possible,) the worst would be an infinitely-polite rebuke for sticking her snout where it wasn't meant to be. A soldier doesn't use physical violence on some J. Q. Random Civilian because they did something upsetting. That's just bad movie fodder, and not the real thing.
11072564
I understand that and I'm sure that would be six first reaction, but this is twilight were talking about, one no isnt enough to stop her. She could go all want it need it evwnt all ovwr again but this time wanting to study the advanced armor six is wearing.
Oh dear sweet naive Twilight. You'll need this here helmet for when you trip head over hooves....
no matter the universe or galaxy. Red vs Blue will always be a thing. Those dang dirty blues and their stupid talking tank.
I’m now just imagining caboose joining the team and six just cannot figure out how he is even a soldier
the first part reminds me of "parting words" by RhJunior, where Twilight gets fed up with Celestia constantly TESTING her and resigns as her student.
-Celestia treating the return of the Crystal Empire as a test was the last straw.
I'm sure this is after twilight dealt with the minotaur in fluttershy's cottage right?