Chapter 31
The clang of metal striking metal is the only sound that filled the nightly silence that had descended upon the castle's training grounds. A lone motion-sensitive magical light is all that illuminated the Spartan and the unfortunate training dummy Six was refining her movements on.
It had been several days since the Spartans caving in of her wall and subsequent outburst against Twilight. Sleep had not come easy for the Spartan since then. Her mind refuses to allow her body to drift into her makeshift bed embrace. Every time she closed her eyes all she could see was the life that had come before. Was she technically a deserter now? A Spartan gone AWOL? Could she even call herself one of humanity's finest when she was no longer Human herself?
These were the questions running through her ever more muddied mind as she tried to beat them out of her head through the damaged dummy that stood before her.
The metal that gave the dummy modesty was beaten, cut, and dented beyond a simple repair job for palace maintenance staff. Six was panting slightly, her armored chest rising and falling subtly as her breath turned to vapor in the cold midnight air. Her wings were outstretched, razor-sharp primaries glistening slightly in the pale moonlight as she deftly brought them across the dummies neck.
It passed through as if it weren't there as the dummies stuffed head fell to the ground, detached from its home. Six stared down at the rolling, faceless head of the dummy. Her breathing slowing and her turquoise eyes unreadable. How was the war going? She thought as she stared down at the severed head. It almost stared back at her through its faceless cloth.
“If you keep up with this nightly routine, there will not be any dummies left for you by the end of the week.” Six’s ear flicked towards the sound of the moon princess voice behind her. “Mayhaps I can find some of the more hardy ones my sister and I used a thousand years ago to take their place to prevent such a shortage due to your… nightly training.”
Six remained silent for several long moments as she heard Luna walk up to her side where the princess promptly drew one of the many dulled swords to inspect.
“Tell me as a fellow warrior. Do these dummies count as worthy opponents for somepony as yourself?”
Six took her gaze away from the severed dummy head and glanced towards the dark form of Princess Luna. Her eyes still scrutinized the dulled blade she held within her grasp.
“…No.”
“I thought as much.” Luna grabbed another blade and deftly tossed it towards the Spartan. “Come.” Beckoned Luna towards a slightly confused-looking Spartan. “You wish to fight a worthy opponent do you not? And I wish to see what you’re capable of.”
Six looked down at the sword that now lay in her armored hoof, her head tilting slightly as she studied the dulled blade. She looked back up towards the retreating form of Luna, the Alicorn making their way towards the sparring arena Six was intimately familiar with by now.
‘…screw it’
Thought Six as she then began to follow the lunar Alicorn into the moonlit arena. Visibility was what one would expect during a full moon. Pale blue moonlight shone down upon the arena making the Lunar princess’s sword glow in her grip. Six moved to stand opposite from her.
“Would it be too much to ask to fight without the armor? I wish to see how your trainees will stand up in the upcoming test.”
Six’s face remained stoic and emotionless as her body lowered closer to the ground, her sword at the ready. Luna frowned very briefly before doing the same.
“Very well. We shall fight until the other is either unable to continue, pinned for 10 seconds, or whether they are at the mercy of the other. Are these terms acceptable to you Six?”
“Yes” replied Six, her teal eyes glued to the princesses watching her like Hawk would a mouse.
Who struck first, Six nor Luna did not know but that only moments after the word left Six’s mouth were their blades locked against each other. Both of their faces locked into grimaces of exertion as both tried to overpower the other.
Luna struck first, her blade sliding down Six’s, the force strong enough for sparks to illuminate their faces from the oppressive darkness of Luna’s night.
Six reacted sharply, her body moving back to get some distance between her and the princess.
Luna charged forward, sword at the ready, quicker than the Spartan had ever seen before. But not quick enough as Six deftly parried the oncoming blow opening Luna up for a swift kick.
Six’s hoof hit empty air however as Luna’s wings gave a large flap, launching her away to dodge the oncoming blow just as six did but a moment before.
The Spartan, not one to lose, gained momentum charged towards Luna, and struck at her sword. The impact sent sparks flying once again. Were it not for the enchantments covering the blades they would have surely broken under the force of their strikes.
The Spartan was relentless as Six kept up with blow after blow against the princesses sword, the clang of metal on metal so loud and powerful some might have mistaken it as that of a hammer hitting an anvil.
Luna however was in a deep concentration as she blocked the sword with an equally powerful blow. It seems as though Luna has found herself an opponent worthy of her blade.
Six suddenly dropped, her sword going for Luna’s legs instead forcing the princess into the air.
Both ponies turned to face each other with Six rolling onto her back and Luna using her wings to take to the pitch-black skies.
Luna didn’t know whether Six could fly but wasn't going to take any chances. In a Prolonged fight against Six, it would simply come down to who ran out of Stamina first. Looking back down towards the ground Luna noticed something glistening in the moonlight on the Spartan’s face.
Confused, Luna stopped her accent and ever so carefully lowered herself back to the ground, her eyes still glued to the Spartans deathly still form. Her eyes studied the pony and found something quite peculiar.
Six was staring up at the night sky her eyes a million moons away, and there, ever so slightly glistening in the moonlight was a lone tear running down the side of the Spartans' face.
Six meanwhile didn't know what was happening to her. One moment she was calculating how hard she would need to throw her sword in order to ground Luna. Then the next she was back on Reach, falling into the atmosphere, watching the covenant assault carrier be torn in two by a slipsace bomb.
She looked up at the stars looking for Luna and found only loss and failure as constellations that weren't her own stared back at her. Her body wouldn't move and her voice could not be found as her mind refused to look for her opponent. Six’s heart was racing and her breathing was quick and panicked.
Her mind was a whirlwind and her thoughts were impossible to understand. Voices were heard from across the yard yet their meanings were lost as the scenery was suddenly replaced with the wasteland Reach had become.
Six was lying on the ground, her body refusing to answer her orders as she could only stare up at the dark brown and storming sky. A figure then moved to stand over her still equine body. Its color was a deep blue and the horrifying face of the split-lip Elite looked down on her with contempt.
It raised its arm up high, the blue glow of an energy sword enveloping its three-fingered hand. She was going to die again and there was nothing she could do about it.
The sword began to plunge towards her chest and just as it made contact and began to melt through her armor and sear into her flesh she was suddenly jerked back to reality.
Acting on pure instinct and years of training Six grabbed the figure standing over her and pinned them to the ground, her wing extended and its razor-sharp feathers just a hair's breadth away from slicing her victim’s throat.
The fog before the Spartans eyes and mind began to clear. The scenery of the dark castle training grounds returning. She looked down through her somewhat blurry vision and was met with what could only be described as a terrifying look upon Luna’s face. Her eyes darted between that of the Spartans and the feathers aimed at her neck.
Luna was struggling to break free from the Spartans’ grip, her wings screaming out in protest of having the heavy Spartans’ hooves pressing down upon them. Where she anypony else those bones would have been dust by now under the Spartans enormous weight.
“I…yield…”
Came the strained voice of the Alicorn beneath her. Its tone was reluctant but pain marred its intended message.
Six, her judgment no longer clouded by whatever the hell had just come over her, got off the alicorn before offering a hoof to help her up. Luna sighed in relief as the weight of her sensitive wings was removed. She took the offered hoof and got back up on her hooves.
“I believe that is the first time in a thousand years I have been bested by somepony other than my sister in a duel.” Began Luna somewhat proud and yet not. It was hard to decipher but Six was not listening. Her mind was too occupied with what had happened during their fight.
“Are you alright, fair Six? You’re…crying…” Luna trailed off as she noticed the glistening tears running down the silent Spartans’ face, their facial expression stuck in a daze.
The Spartan shook her head to clear her mind as she brought a hoof up to her face. The armor came back damp, and Six growled ever so slightly.
“I’m fine” Came the forceful reply from the Spartan as she moved to grab the helmet from her hip before being stopped by a deep blue hoof.
“No Six. You are not.”
“Let. Go.”
“I will not. You are injured.”
“I. Am. Fine.”
“Then what happened hmm? Nothing?”
“Stop.”
“No Six. If that happened in a real battle you would be dead. Think. About. It!”
“It won’t happen.”
“You're lying.”
“It. Won’t.”
“…Fine Six.” Luna released her grip from the Spartans hoof. “But know this, you cannot fix this on your own.” Continued Luna as Six resealed her armor as her helmet slid over her head. Her golden visor looked Luna in the eye.
“I will fix it when I’m dead. Until then I have a war to fight. Excuse me.” Came the Spartans voice over her helmet's speakers, its tone brokering no argument as she turned around and left. Luna watched the retreating form of the Spartan as she flexed her bruising wings.
“Princess, are you alright?” Came the voice from the darkness as her personal bodyguard made themselves known.
“I am fine. Nothing that won’t heal within the hour. But I do have to admit, that was an exhilarating duel. Six is certainly a fine opponent to spar with.”
“But still no match for your skills right?”
“I lost, did I not?”
“On purpose right?”
“…”
“On purpose though right? Princess?”
“I will need to talk to Ms. Rose and have her clear my schedule to add some more intense practice to my routine… With my magic, I would have easily won and Six has shown me my time on the moon has made me weak when it comes to my other skills…”
“You did still put up a good fight though princess.”
“A good fight, yes, but without victory, it may as well be meaningless if I end up slain in the process… Now come, I believe some extra measures will need to be taken in light of recent events.”
“Yes, my Princess… If I may speak freely?”
“You may.”
“I saw what happened with Six more closely and I have seen the look on her face before. But much, much less severe on the faces of those I have served with before. Honestly, the fact she is still able to get up in the morning and train those ponies so well is quite inspiring…”
“Yes… hmm tell me, in your opinion, do you believe Six is able to properly perform her duties in her current state?”
The guard hesitated.
“This will be off the record, there is no need to worry.”
“Well then…No, combat would only aggravate her condition in its current state.”
“Hm…” Luna flexed her wings in thought, the pain gone. “Thank you for your input. Now let us head back to court. The paperwork next to my throne is sure to have grown several hooves since we left.”
“Your sacrifice for Equestria shall be remembered, my Princess.” Joked her guard.
“I should hope songs will be sung of my deeds tonight.” Laughed Luna along with her guard as the pair made their way back indoors leaving the dummy Six had broken to be cleaned up by whichever poor soul would have to bury another sand-filled soldier.
Mobius landed in the courtyard as silent as a whisper, his holed hooves absorbing the impact effortlessly. His eyes scanned the yard, the darkness a non-issue thanks to his biology. Once he was sure nothing was watching him, Mobius crept towards the beheaded dummy, his movements were slow as to not activate the light as Redfang manifested herself. Her translucent form already inspected the cuts across the severed head's neck.
Mobius remained cautious meanwhile, he didn't want to be down there so soon but the voice of Redfang was quite insistent about coming down here as it would help in their upcoming operation.
‘Hmmm, metal is not one I recognize and it's sharper than any blade I’ve seen.’ Began Redfang seemingly talking to herself.
“Any weakness?” Asked the Venator quietly
‘Hush…hmmm, bring me over here and touch your hoof here’ She gestured to a specific area of the head's neck. Mobius did so curiously but somewhat hesitantly. Once his hoof made contact the Panassari pulsed and writhed underneath his hoof and against the dummy. Redfang had closed her eyes and was deep in thought and focus.
“What are you doing?” Questioned the Venator quietly.
‘Trying to find some traces of the… ah-hah!’
The armor stopped moving as its efforts seemed to focus on one single point. A moment later the tendrils the Panassari had sprouted returned and Mobius retracted his hoof.
‘Hmmm, this metal structure is unlike any I have ever seen… slash, felt. It will take some time and extra love but I should be able to adapt my plating to resist its cuts.’
“You can adapt to it?”
Redfang gave the Venator a blank look. ‘I am a living piece of armor made by the Empress of all Changelings. With enough time and extra love, any advantage her enemies have will become ours.’
“Hmm.” Hummed Mobius in approval as Redfang continued.
‘The process will go much faster if you can get me close to her armor. If you can even get me in direct contact with it for several seconds I would be able to adapt its composition to my own armor no problem.’
“And the drawbacks would be…?”
‘An extreme drain on our love stores until the process is complete. This metal it's… very difficult for me to synthesize quickly, let alone efficiently in the heat of battle.’
“How long would it take you currently?”
‘With this small sample… a week with a constant supply of love. Get me more and it will go quicker.’
“And if you were in direct contact with it like you say?”
‘10 maybe 15 seconds with a lot of love, and I do mean a lot of love. You’d only be able to keep going for maybe an hour but probably less before starvation would set in.’ Informed Redfang with a warning towards the Venator who nodded in understanding
“Understood. Now, are you done? I don’t want to stay here much longer, we may be spotted.”
‘Not yet. Bring us over to the arena. I want to see where the pony froze.’
Mobius did so quickly but reluctantly as he quietly moved towards the arena, his nose picking up the smell of a very chaotic and frankly disgusting cocktail of emotions permeating the area where Six had frozen.
Mobius brought his hoof up to his nose and he could see Redfang do the same.
‘Euch, by the Empress, what was she feeling for it to remain this long in the air?!’
“Can we use this to our advantage?”
‘You overheard the same conversation I did.’ Redfang took a deep breath before shuddering. ‘Okay, Mobius you aren't going to like this but it may give us some more information about Six’
“...Do it. Any edge is better than none.”
‘Then please forgive me for any discomfort this is about to cause.’ Apologized Redfang preemptively as she took another deep breath and began to drink in the surrounding emotions.
Pain, regret, failure, sadness. So many emotions and all so very potent as Redfang and in turn Mobius absorbed the cocktail. Mobius’s stomach twisted and turned in protest, making his head spin in nausea, but he remained standing. He had eaten worse on the battlefield. Eventually, Redfang had stopped as the last remaining drop was absorbed into their combined body.
“Why…” Mobius panted, “Did you…”,he swallowed and shuddered, “do that?”
‘Eugh’ Redfang shook her head. ‘Whew okay come let’s leave. I’ll fill you in once we’re back with the others. That, euch, dinner contained some very important information about our target. Now let's go, we’ve got everything we can.’
“No argument from me.” Mobius’s wings buzzed as he took to the skies, the ghostly form of Redfang flying alongside him as they left the courtyard. Leaving one broken and violated dummy alone to await his burial tomorrow in Luna’s dark night.
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Thing that mobius and the armor don't understand is if they try to use emotions against a spartan the spartan just gets more determined, and will deal with the emotions when they have a chance to relax.
HMMmmmmmmmm, Six needs someone to slap her, she's being a silly pony.
Careful Redfang, Spartan Armor can house AIs
Nice chapter. Pretty OP that the Biological Chitan armor can mimic a reinforced armor worth of a Spartan
Emotions are no thoughts... Curriouse how thst would help...
Six is a wreck inside... Guess her death is unavoudable at this point.
That meme
Most likely yes
How can a changing eat worse than this the feeling of what's 6 Have felt should have been and worse than the changing can even imagine Because Spartan threes usually orphans trained from a young age to fight and die on the battlefield And usually those orphans Are the result of covenant killing their parents If that changeling have eaten something worse than that I am truly terrified of what The changeling thought was worse
11091489
Well 3 armor are cheaper than Spartan 2 because Spartan 3 were supposed to be more disposable than Spartan 2 And we're supposed to be a major bulk of Spartans
If the living armor thinks its safe by making itself resistant to slashes from whatever makes up her blades, it gonna be confused as hell when Six just beats it to death with her bare hooves.
11091914
Actually noble team was one of the very few teams of spartan 3s to be outfitted with actual Mjolnir mk5 armor so its the stuff the 2 would have but what your thinking of is the spi armor
11092268
So what you're telling me is they're Basically wearing the same stuff at the master chief was wearing?
11093049
Yes
11093049
not only that Jorge-052 was a class 1 spartan II
same graduation class as John -117
11093107
I wasn't including George because I knew that he was a Spartan 2 what I mean is the rest of noble team Has the same armor as George and the master chief
11092268
Cool I didn't know that I mean it would make sense for 6 Sense oni but I wasn't sure for the rest of them
Well that seems overpowered. Able to copy an alien metal based off trace amounts - literal nanoscopic or less amounts - of metal using nothing but what can only be considered energy? That seems hilariously overpowered, especially with how short of a timeframe was given.
And then going on to what I can only assume is figuring out an emotional or mental weakness based on a psychological imprint left behind in an area, literally just emotions.
Feels like a macguffin purely to give a reason for Mobius to be able to fight Six, but frankly I feel it’s unnecessary. Given there’s no comparison to be made between materials in Equestria and materials in the Halo universe, more so when this is a fanfic, anything can be said about what materials exist and their strength and uses. So it could simply be said that the Panssari consists of metals that are naturally able to withstand blows from the Spartan’s wings. Having this complicated process of “copying metal” and “absorbing emotions” seems extremely unnecessary to me, and kinda silly.
I mean, I don’t see how any mechanism no matter how advanced could copy a metal that literally does not exist on the planet, based on samples taken briefly from trace amounts in a cut made by said metal within a week or two. Especially when the process of copying the metal doesn’t use any chemical biological or what-have-you processes and instead uses some form of energy conversion.
11093553
The way Redfang talks... She sounds more like an AI than a magical construct. I'm wondering if she's a leftover piece of Forerunner tech that the changelings got ahold of. We know there were half a dozen races back then, but we only know of Humanity and one or two others. Who knows what the others could do?
11094051
Oh she is a leftover piece of something alright, just not what you think in your comment
11094051
True, but I don't think the Forerunners were capable of what she's claiming to be able to do?
I can see it now, Changelings starved themselves into submission with only 1hour to spare.
I see Six has gotten herself a bad case of the Shellshocked thousand yard stare.
Technological desirability has increased immensely.
This was a duel and technically it was interrupted. I wouldn't use this as a measurement for either of their strengths or skills because both were out of their element and distracted. Any data gathered would be incomplete or corrupted. It was a fair fight just under other than acceptable conditions/circumstances.
This relationship is very realistic for the Lunar Guard and their princess.
It's surface composition perhaps but that's still several elements and components short of a copy.
This is very balanced, how honorable.
11095256
They didn't need to be and she herself is literally only referring to being able to increase the hardness of the panasarri to equal or greater than UNSC titanium-b alloy which won't help because it would likely be the equivalent to armor lock but without the overshield. Not very useful on Equus.
11094051
11094062
Redfang could possibly be an ancilla or echo separated or copied from the red empress. Actually it would be interesting if perhaps the empress is a chimera (the genetic variety) and
(conspiracy theory time) Redfang is her sister preserved and bound to the first venator (a changeling perhaps named Panassari?), In a way similar to Church from RvB, and when (I would imagine she) died, Redfang remained and not being one to waste such a valuable asset, or wanting to keep her sibling around, the empress had Panassari's chitin "donated" to the hive and forged into a suit of living armor.
11093553
Purely a McGuffin so Mobius isn`t immediately destroyed when fighting Six.
Something I've started to wonder because of this is whether German and English use present and past tense differently in grammar.
The way that I had been taught to write and have seen others write would handle this section differently -
I think the specific example I could make here is that I would expect the word "refused" rather than "refuses" to show up - though her mind is currently refusing to do something, it would be "refused" because "Had been" was used earlier.
Either way, the story has been very engaging so far, and I am staying up so much later than I should to finish it lol
Damn it, not again