If You Give a Spartan a Bullet...

Six slowly looked around the corner and smiled. His target was completely unaware that he was there. 'Perfect,' he thought. 'She will never know till it's too late.' He crouched, still not chancing to alert her. As cautious as a lone wolf stalking its prey, he moved. She sneezed, stopping Six in his tracts. Looking back at her work, Six gave her about twenty seconds before continuing.

Now, directly behind her, he rose slowly, and after a few seconds, loomed over her. Quickly, he grabbed her shoulder and said: "Heywhatareyoudoin!'." His response was him being pushed down, a magnum appearing in his face that wasn't there before. After a few seconds he started laughing, while the surpriseé replied scornfully.

"Six, you ugly son of a bitch! I could have shot you!" She fumed.

"Yeah, and I could have stopped you, but look what happened."

"How did you know I would be here? Wait, how did you get in here?!"

"Ah the MPs let me in. Told them that more info on being deployed to Noble was to be given to me here or some shit. I'm actually waiting for the Warthog escort, so I thought I would come by. What's up with you?"

She sighed, turning back to her monitors. "Just a quick check on the security cameras. " She grumbled. Then, barely audible: "Your out fighting insurrectionists, and what do I get? Fuckin' guard duty."

"Glad you care." She turned around, giving Six a 'really?' look.

"Really?"

He's too god damn good at that.

"Yeah, but I don't believe this is a quick check. That ain't you." Another sigh. Something was bothering her, but Six couldn't tell what.

"Something big is coming. Six, I can feel it. Feel it in my gut..." She trailed off at the end.

"The higher up's say anything?"

"Other than a freighter being stolen, and Kurt bitchin' about losing his 'private grim reaper.', no, nothing at all. From what I've heard."

"Well......." Six searched for what to say while putting her at ease. "Look in to it, but don't kill yourself over it. Let the head's worry about it, while you watch people go threw scanners." He added a smirk at the end.

"Oh fuck off."

"Oh? Is another swat war game repeat needed." He knew that memory edged her. Yet, before she could retort, a message over Six's comm called for him.

"Lieutenant, your escort is here."

"Looks like we have to fight another time, love." He gave her a quick slap. You know where. The last comments caused them to get into each others faces. "Catch you on leave!" He yelled, dashing out the door.

"Six?...... Six? Six, wake up." Six rolled softly in his sleep.

"Five........ more minutes........ please mommy?" He said it between yawn. Twilight rolled her eyes at his fillyness.

"Come on you big lug." She reached out a hoof, shoving him, but found it like pushing a brick wall. Yet, it seemed to do the trick.

"*YAWN* Uh..... Twilight? Why did ya wake me?"

"Don't you remember last night?" Her eyes tried to search for any remembrance.

"Um......" He looked under the covers. "Did we have sex?"

"Wait, wha?........ WHAT?! No, no, no, no, no, no!" Twilight flustered, cheeks now flushed.

Six knew that what he just asked never happened, and couldn't help but bust into an incredible bout of laughter at the now flustered and angry Twilight, which his laughing caused those emotions to sky rocket.

"I know that didn't happen Twilight. I'm just busting your... nethers. The girls wanted me to go to the gala that's in a week and Rarity wanted to make me a suit. I guess I shouldn't keep her waiting." Six then got out of bed and headed to the bathroom for a cool, wake you up, kind of shower.

"Now what a minute, your not of the hoof just yet from a comment like that." Twilight fumed at Six's back.

"Well if you stay there, when I get out of the shower, your gonna see why male Spartans have 'three arms'!" he said as he shut the door.

"Oh.... my..... Celestia you are impossible." Six let out another laughing spout as he heard the bedroom's door slam shut.

"Six!" The Spartan stopped heading out the door at Celestia's call. "Six, I need to speak with you."

"What's up, sunshine?"

"I have a favor to ask. Can we speak in the throne room?"

"Sure."

After a short walk, the pair entered, and a pony Six never saw greeted them.

"Welcome back, your majesty. And hello, Spartan."

"Hello. ...Um, who are you?"

"Six." Celestia took a step forward, gaining his attention. "This is my military advisor, Sharp eye." Sharp stuck out his hoof.

"Pleasure to meet you, Six." Said Spartan bumped the pony's raised hoof.

"Likewise. Excuse my rudeness, but I believe this is something more than just a friendly introduction?"

"Yes, you see, we have heard troubling reports." Sharp started.

"Yes. Your treaty may not last for much longer, Six. My scouts have noticed large groups of griffon forces moving to a central location: a griffon town near our border. We expect heavy mobilization in three days."

"Okay, so what do you want me to do about it? Kick some ass when they come knockin'?"

"That's about right, however..." Celestia's horn glowed yellow as a long object appeared behind her. For some reason, Six was filled with dread as a random phrase rang through his head. He doesn't know why 'prepare your anus.' came to mind, but quickly shoved it off as he saw that the object was a sword. "Hold out your hand." He complied as the sheathed sword was set in his two palms. "When that time comes, and it will come, I have been talking to Sharp, and I want you to lead my forces when it happens." She took in a huff of air from the sentence. Not a lot of things can throw a Spartan off, but asking him to lead an army out of the blue..... yeah, that could it.

"Wait, backpedal a bit. You want ME to lead? Don't you think your subjects will be a bit..... antsy, putting it mildly?"

"We have accounted for this. Yet, it would be better for Sharp to explain.

"You see Spartan, only the counsel, myself, the two princesses, and the Equestrian Guard will know. We actually took a vote from the soldiers, and over seventy-five percent agreed." Six's gaze went back to the sword in his hand. He knew this idea would never have came into play unless Celestia suggested it. She was throwing so much trust onto him. Her entire kingdom, in his hands to defend.

".....I'll do it." Six was then wrapped into a hug that surely would have snapped any human in half.

"Oh, thank you!"

"Uh...." Again, Six was caught off guard. He really needed to fix that problem. "It's alright." He held the sword in one hand, and used his other to put on her neck, in sort of a returning gesture. After a few moments that seemed too long for the Spartan, the hug was released. He swore he saw the faintest of.......... nah, his mind was playing tricks. Looking back at the sword, he wanted to inquire about something. "Not that I don't like it, but you know I do have a sword, right?"

"Of course, its sort of a decoration, showing your position in the guard. However it's fully of capable of using in combat."

"Excellent. Can you send it to my room? There's a certain unicorn that I don't want to keep waiting. I'll start training when I get back." Celestia picked it back up with her magic.

"Of course."

"Thank you. I'll see you later."

Six was in the military's training facility going over basic CQC skills. Keepin' his mind sharp and clear. Well, most of the time. The reason he was going over BASIC skills is because his mind kept wandering to questions about his future. 'Will I be able to go home? What about the ponies? If I left, what would the Griffons do?' He started something the ponies might not finish with out him, and one question irritated him that it even came up.

"Do.... do I want to go home?"

"I don't want you to."

"Hm?" Six grabbed the makeshift punching bag so it wouldn't come back to hit him, and turned to see Rainbow of all ponies there. "Rainbow? Didn't know you were there. What's up?"

"I don't want you to leave..."

"Rainbow I have to-"

"No you don't!" Rainbow was now eye level with the Spartan. "They think your dead! Why do you want to go back so bad?!"

"It's my job. It's what I was.... made for. It's what I'm meant to do."

"But what about us, your friends?! Think how they will feel when you leave! Think how I'll feel....." Tears had come into her eyes, and her cheeks were now purple, the mix of blush and her coat. "Will we be just some distant memory for you?!"

"Rainbow....." She slammed her hoofs onto Six's chest, her teary eyes and tear streaked face looking straight at him.

"I like you! I don't know why but I do! Your like.... the brother I always wanted! You've put me in my place, saved my flank, and we had fun! I want you to stay!"

"Rainbow.... I can't. It's my duty..."

"Fine!" Her hoofs retracted quickly. "Be that way!" She took to the sky quickly, leaving Six to grab at her dust.

"Rainbow wait! .......Shit....."