Metal Gear Sparkle: Identity Unknownby Supa UberChaptersChapter 2: A Ponies H.O.P.EChapter 3: The First BloodChapter 4: Draw blade; Draw bloodChapter 1: Broken and ShatteredChapter 2: A Ponies H.O.P.EFirst days, Then months, Then years... The Soldier in training had endured this hellish torture called "Training" for hours on end. Every step killed her legs, every question ached her brain, every heart-beat fueled the same agonising process... Was her preparation for war easy? No. There's no easy route in war, there never is... But despite the hardships and mind-numbing taxing scenarios, she lived. Pushing Sparkle oh so close to death, but coming back much stronger. Maybe that was their goal? 'What doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger' It may be a cheesey and overused quote... But it was a true, cheesey and overused joke. Sparkle resided in her assigned room, were she stood and admired her toned physique. Almost smiling a bit in self-pride as she thought, 'Peak physical condition, huh? I could get used to this...' She still remembered her first days at the training camp; a soft and squidgy mare with no known background in anything... to her knowledge. Now look at her... She learnt all sorts of survival tricks, general tactics and received training for many, many different predicaments that she could find herself in. She even learned and perfected the special martial art 'CQC' (Close Quarters Combat), a mix of pressure point fighting and gunplay taught to her by some of the most highest ranking soldiers. She knew how to fight. She knew how to sneak. And she knew how to surprise. The way it was looking, Sparkle had potential to be the next soldier of legends... And she agreed. With all these tips and tricks, it was like she born to be a soldier. AUX [C A L L] Push Select 140.92 Bianca: Sparkle...! Do you copy? Sparkle: Loud and clear, Bianca. How's things with you? Bianca: Everything's fine, thanks! But I right now, I called to inform you that the Colonel would like to see you. Sparkle: Colonel Saint Berry? Is this about another personal special ops lesson again? Bianca: No... This is much bigger than simple training, at least from the way he put it. He said for you to meet him at the main HQ block and that he'll talk to you then. Sparkle: Understood. Thanks for letting me know. Bianca: Aw, you don't thank me Sparkle...! I'm just doing my job. Sparkle: Don't worry, I insist. Bianca: Well, I had better get back to work. I wish all the best for you...! Tchau! CALL ENDED Miss Bianca Maria dos Santos Aveiro... A Portuguese data analyst who's as good as she sounds. Throughout Sparkles experience at the camp, Bianca had been her one true friend and source of smiles in a time of appropriate cold and momentous training. If there was anything that she needed to speak out about, Sparkle knew that she could count on Bianca to vent to. I certainly did help in her times of stress. "More than simple training huh?" She contemplated, "Maybe I'll be going on my first mission..." Sparkle glared into the eyes of her reflection with thought and a little bit of self-doubt. "Am I even ready to take on a mission, yet?" ... "Well, better find out..." She finalized, tearing her stare from her mirror image and heading out... ! Sparkle stood outside the Colonels door. Almost intimidated too enter as the door loomed over her. "C'mon Sparkle... No thoughts, just... go for it. You got this." She said, preping for whatever the Colonel had to say. Even then, her mind couldn't help but wonder off tract into negative thoughts. What would be made of this conversation? Would it be good or bad? Only one way to find out... She knocked on the door three times and paused, before then hearing an old but strong British voice reply, "Come in..." The moment the door creaked open, Sparkles eyes became connect to the Changling with a green Beret and an Army Jacket holding a few medals of his own merit. Otherwise know as Colonel Saint Berry, a pony who fought against his own kind for the much better cause. Though his rise up the ranks was a stiff one, he perservered at every task despite his race and outer expectations thereof... This was truly a figure to respect. "Solid Sparkle... You're late." he said with a half welcoming but half serious tone. "Kept you waiting, huh?" She replyed after taking a seat on the opposite side to him. Berry checked his watch before saying, "Only for about 13 seconds off your regular arrival time..." "But I usually arrive 5 minutes earlier." "That still doesn't excuse you for not meeting your own standards. But enough on that, I'm sure your curious to know why I called you here..." Berry held up a thin, brown folder with the word 'CLASSIFIED' stamped on the front, sliding it across the table and stopping in front of Sparkle. Opening the folder, she found three, ever-so-slightly blured photos of what looked like a Changling trapped in the center of some sort of steel circle, and he didn't look so good... "Do you know who that is?" "No sir. He looks the same as any other changling... N-no offence!" "None taken. That changling is Tez Ko... a fellow soldier, like you or any other guys. A few days into his mission, he failed to report back... We expected his situation to be bad, but we got something worse. As we speak, Tez is being tortured for information on our whereabouts. And if he isn't saved then we can kiss this 'hidden' training camps flank good-bye." "That's bad and all, sir... but, if this is going where I think this is going... Then are you saying...?" Berry nodded. "I'm assigning you to infiltrate enemy lines and save Tez Ko. You think you're up for the challenge?" Sparkle took a moment to collect herself and calm down. This is it. The moment she's been waiting for 5 years. Her first ever mission. However... "W-well... With all due respect Colonel, I appreciate that you think i'm good enough for the job...! But... don't you think you could, maybe, get someone more experienced or... better than me?" Saint Berry, at first, was taken aback at what she just uttered. But his shock quickly faded into a long ragged sigh. He then pulled open a drawer and shuffled though a bunch of files until he found and pulled out a file with her name and photo attached to it. "Care to guess what this is Sparkle?" He said as he smiled smuggly. "My record for the progress and overall assessment of my abilities throughout this year..." "Correct...! Let's take a read, shall we?" "Umm... Is this really nesses-" " 'Name: Solid Sparkle Ethnicity: Alicorn (Handicapped) DoB: 09/27/1991 Age: 26 Overall Rating Stealth: A+ Comment: Once completed a course so silently, the examiners genuinely didn't even notice she started in the first place. CQC: A Comment: Able to go toe-to-toe with some of the best soldiers we have and hold her ground remarkably well. Situational Adaptation: B+ Comment: Extremely versatile with more or less any anything we throw at her. She does have potential to be better in some circumstances e.g sometimes forgets vital pieces of info we give her. Weapon Familiarity: A+ Comment: Able to pick use or learn to use any gun we give her. She's even able to identify the name of said weapon and which ammo it requires. Infiltration: A Comment: Heavily tied to her Stealth ranking. Given enough time, she can find the cracks in any base and slip though. Other rankings Attendance: A Comment: Always makes it priority #1 to make it to training on time. Does sometimes keep people waiting... Overall Comment Solid Sparkle is, by far, one of the most outstanding Soldiers I've laid eyes on. She's tough. She's resilient. She's quiet. She's a natural! Indeed, a soldier for the history books. Though she's far from perfect and sometimes has a tendency of making mistakes, she'll always agknowledge what she must do to improve. And in this time of need, we could use someone like her...' Now please, Sparkle... Try and say that you're not good enough for the mission." "Well I...!- I never sai-! It's just that...!- Fine...! So maybe I'm good at what I do..." "Maybe?" Berry raised an eyebrow. "Just... Give me the mission details." The Colonel opened up a separate drawer and took out a different folder before then giving it to her. "Take this, read it and then meet up with Bianca, she'll supply you with the proper equipment." "Yessir!" Sparkle saluted, then making her way to the exit. "Oh and before you leave...!" Berry chimed causing her to turn around, "Don't be afraid to admit your talent as one of the best. Of course, don't let it get to your head. But please, learn to loosen up a little. If you need me, you can contact me on Codec with the Frequency '141.01'. Now get out there and give it your all, soldier." "I will Sir...!" Sparkle said with a newfound smile. "I swear I will..." ! ... ....... ...? Hmm? What's this i've stumbled upon...? Wait... You can hear me? My, my! I'm so glad! This is quiet the surprise, I wasn't supposed to appear for at least another three chapters! But please, save your breath and don't read this trainwreak of a story. It doesn't end well. Everyone will die. And Twilight won't find out her past. Why? Because I won't let her, of course! Just you wait, reader... This story will end faster than it began. Hehe! Huh? Ya don't recognise me? Well, that doesn't matter. Because there's no need for words when I'm around... I'm Pinkie Mantis...! Author's Note Till we meet again, reader...! Chapter 3: The First BloodOne year after the bombing... Steadily coming to coming to senses, the half-asleep Zacora moaned in daze as she fell in and out of consciousness trying to make head or tails of her situation. But up till now... all she could gather was that, where ever she was, it was dark. Too dark. Not to mention, she was unable to move any of her outstretched limbs, other than her head. And whatever she was laying on was freezing cold...! "What is this misfortune that has befallen to me...?" Just as her eyes were beginning to adjust, a dazzling light blazed her sight. Almost blinding her as she was forced to screw her lids shut again. "Ah see you're awake..." A voiced echoed from a blindspot to her left, "An' it's about time. I was startin' to worry if I killed you, not that ah don't wanna... It's just that yer too valuable to lose at the moment. The Boss certainly won't be happy." "Who... Who goes there?! You had better release me, or I swear...!" "Ya swear... What? What are ya gonna do? 'Put a curse on me'?" The southern tone mocked, "Fer yer information Zacora, I'M the one who call the shots 'round here. As fer you? Well, ya ain't got shit on me. I'll give ya that much... I mean...! At this moment in time, you can't even lay a non-existant finger on me...!" The mare taunted and jeered as Zecora could only helplessly lay there, enduring the sticks and stones... However, she just couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity that plagued her mind. "Oh! Ah jus' realised! Ah forgot to introduce myself...! How rude of me." The voice insincerely apologised. The platform Zecora was laying on suddenly began to tilt forwards... "Well, ya see... Ah'm not the pony everyone once knew. Ah'm no heroine o' honesty, those days are over..." Honesty? What kind of pony fights evil with honesty of all things...? Only one mare would be capable- "No..." She uttered in a stage whisper; her eyes narrowed to dots. "It cannot be...!" "Oh, but it can Zecora." She said, stepping ominously towards the light were her outline slowly shaping itself. The platform finally stood horizontal, allowing her to see, yet again, more darkness outside of her spotlight. "To mah friends, familiy and local ponies of Equestria, I was known as 'Applejack'. A so-called 'Element of Honesty' and complete lame an' borin' excuse for a Mare. May she forever rest in peace... Cus of the boss, ah've truly found my calling in life." An orange figure with a brown stretson hat and red bandana around her neck revealed herself to a flabbergasted Zecora. She bore a polished revolver on the holster of her belt and with her crystal blue eyes, smirked maliciously. "Ah am the sharp shooter everypony fears... Ah am the red dot in the centre of the cross-hair...! Ah am The Silver Bullet! But yew can just call me Sylvia." "A-applejack..?! But what happened to make you waver, between the role of villian and a savior?!" The Southern pony dramatically gasped and pointed to her chest, poorly acting hurt as she replied, "Zecora...! Are yew sayin' that ah'm no good for nobody...? I'll have you know-" "Enough time wasting, Sylvia." Another spoke among the dark, "Remember what you came here to do." 'Sylvia's' eyes widened in a surprise as she turn around and gazed up at the large figure, and with a little hint of fear to go with it. "A-ahem! Right, sorry 'bout that Boss... Ok... Let me get to the point. Zecora, ol' pal o' mine..." She used the term very loosly,"Ah need your help. Me and my fellow associates have been workin' reeeeeal hard on this... project, should we say, and despite each and every last effort, we can't seem to complete it to a grade A standard." "And of what use do I, a lone zebra, propose to likes of you?" Zecora spat back with a slight venom in her voice. "Well! Words been goin' 'round these parts that you have a phenomenal understandin' of this whole... errm bio-whatchamacallit. Point is! You know yer way around specific potions, right? Now, all I need is your know-how to finally finish the toil of mah project. Nothin' much, really! So, whaddoyasay, pal?" Sylvia gave her a friendly nudge, "C'mon...! Help a friend out!" Zecora sighed, returning Sylvia's 'friendliness' with a mixed look of hate, composure and unfamiliarity, as she replied saying, "This knowledge you speak of, I have nothing... As for evidence of our bond, you have yet to show! You are not the Applejack I used to know..." Any hint of merriment, weather forced or genuine, slowly drained from her face. Being completely replaced with disappointment at its finest. "*Sigh*... Ah see how it is..." Sylvia muttered of to the side of her, "Ah really, honest to God, was hoping it wouldn't come to this. Ah was hopin' that this would allllll just go off easy, that you comply and everyone stays happy... Yet you..." She tensed her face in rage. "You have the audacity to lie to me?" With a one smooth motion, Sylvia reached out and grabbed a lever. Holding her hoof in place... "I hate liars..." Electrical currents surged through Zacora at the very moment the switch was flipped. She screamed and twisted and writhed in nothing but pain and agony as light blue sparks lit up the room. All the while, Sylvia's deadpan cold expression silently bathed in every second of every moment the liar outright failed to fight off the shocking torture. "AHHHH! Hah hah- AHHHHHHRGH!! H-halt!! I'll- AGH- I'LL SPEAK!! P-pl-EAS!" A smile, at last, returned to Sylvia as the words reached her ears. "So, ya finally decide to come to yer senses, eh?" She pushed the lever back, ending the current and allowing Zecora to hang her head as she panted. "Hah...Hah... What do you... require to calm... your desire?" "I already told ya...! Just a few potions. But, let's be honest here, was it really that hard to jus'... join me? Well? Was it worth the pain to change yer mind...?" Zecora had no words; her position remained unchanged... "Erm...? Helllooo? Equestria to zebra? Oh my- Are you even listening to me?" "Beware..." Zecora's voice whispered like the wind as her eye showed nothing but white, "A prophecy..." "A... What now?" Two ponies... Of brave and bare... Will arise in years of time; in thick and scarce. Ones who dare step hoof in your abode. Ones who dare destroy your home... These soldiers are a legend like no other...! For these warriors wear justice on their brow and toil on their flanks! Try as you might... Even when one falls, the second will cover. Your weakness. Your despair... Your undoing...! They approach... And know, may you bring destruction to this land, but she'll restore the peace of it... For she is, and forever will be- BANG!BANG!BANG! The revolver cracked, leaving three holes in the now deceased zebra. Two shots in the head and one in the head, a guaranteed kill. All the while Sylvia stood there, gun stuck in place of where she had aimed. "Out of all the ponies in the entire world... Only you pissed me off this much. Tck... some prophecy that was..." She held up a walkie-talkie. "Hey, fellers! The Hostage didn't cooperate... Move to plan B. The Prototype." ... 'She couldn't of read the future... Right? ... ! Coordinates: 254654765 Mission 1: Twilight Sparkle, if you are reading this, I hope all is well... Please, be careful and stay alive. You're our best hope. If in doubt, remember your training... you'll need it. Remain calm. Even if things seem hopeless, there'll always be a way out. I believe in you. We believe in you... Somewhere in the thickest parts of the Everfree... The square, pitch H.O.P.E base was dimly lit that night and even bore a leaf green camouflage on its roof. And with it's low hanging buildings and dead silence enshrouding the place, it could keep hidden for God-knows how long. Truly, the hide and seek champion of buildings... "...So then I say, 'Hey man, it ain't my fault your heads denser than Iridium.'" "What...! No way! That guy takes no shit from no pony, with absolutely no exceptions. If you really said that to 'im, I'd be talkin' to a pill of mush right about now." The two Changeling pair casually conversed with each other, approaching the com pad next to the unnecessarily oversized metal door. "Yeah, I learned that the hard way... with a hella of a lotta cardio." The first one pressed the button and paused. The com clicked. "Password?" "Ah, right, the password... what was it again...? Oh! Wait, I remember!" He cleared his throat. "...La li lu le lo." A long silence filled the air briefly before the mechanics of the door began to whir, opening it with a monumentally slow pace. "What kinda idiot came with 'la li-whatever' as an idea for a password...?" "I dunno, man. Sylvia, probably. She's always been pretty shit with naming things..." "Well, can't disagree with that." And after what felt like one year of waiting, the gates had finally opened and the changlings entered. But upon entrance, the first changling felt a stinging pain spike the back of his head. "Argh...! The hell?" A hoof rose to try and itch away the pain. "Huh? What's wrong?" "I-I don't know, man. I just feel... just...I... I dun't feeeel so..." His sight was nothing more than a haze as he collapsed onto the floor. "Wh-whoa! Hey, Hugo! You alright? Hugo...? C'mon buddy, wake up!" The second frantically shook his fellow friend as the look in his eye lids went lopsided. "Ahh, crap! Gotta call- Oof!" A hoof swiftly met the side of his face and, before he could react, was lifted into the air whilst being chocked out by a strange force. A purple lit horn was the last thing he saw before he was brutally slammed into the wall at great velocities, falling unconscious because of it. 'Ok, now with that out the way, better inform Bianca...' Sparkle thought shaking off the dust on her shoulders. She spared the limp bodies a glare, 'Well... Not the cleanest kill, but it works...' P T T ---------<[000.00]> -- MEMORY [Colonel S. Berry] 140.88 [Bianca M. D. S. Aveiro] 140.92 <----- [----] ---.-- [----] ---.-- Calling Sparkle: Bianca, do you copy? Bianca: Loud and clear, Sparkle! How's the first day on the job going for you? Sparkle: Swimmingly so far. Could've been quieter... Bianca: Soooo.... I assume you've broken in? Sparkle: You got that right. Bianca: Hehe! Well, I expected nothing less from the best...! Sparkle: You're too kind... Bianca: And you're too stiff. Come on! It never hurts to take a compliment...! Sparkle: Yeah, yeah... Anyway, have you uploaded the building schematics yet? I could use a little bit of navigation if I wanna get through this place safely. Bianca: Errm, well... there's kind of a problem with that... Sparkle: That being...? Bianca: I tried to breach the security cameras to get a vague location of what's where. But, I was stopped by a firewall. And with my levels of hacking, I just can't find my way through... Sorry to say this, but your on your own for now. Sparkle: Is there any way I can help? Bianca: Actually, now that I think about it... If you were to directly shut down the cameras, then I could potentially reboot them and bypass the wall. Berry: But until then, you have to find your own way through Sparkle. Sparkle: Colonel? How are you on Bianca's frequency? Berry: Let's just say, that the Codec isn't just a one-way call. That doesn't matter though...! What does matter is that you safely sneak into the base and save our captive soldier. Got it? Sparkle: Yes, sir. Bianca: Oh, and by the way. How's that sneaking suit working out for you...? Sparkle: Can't lie. It does its job to a brilliant standard. Sound suppression, endothermic material, camouflage... It really is State of the art. Berry: Right. And its lined with kevlar, offering great protection against knives. But Sparkle, even with that, you're naked. Sparkle: Yeah... Come to think of it, why didn't you send me in with any weapons? Berry: Think of it as... A first day test or even training on the go. In situations like these, improvisation, adaptation and stealth are vital. Besides, you should find a gun or two lying around there somewhere. Sparkle: I see... Berry: But remember Sparkle. Priorities come first, anything else can wait. Nothing is more important than the mission at hoof. Good luck, soldier. We're counting on you. Call Ended As if on cue, the moment she hung up was the moment the seemingly lifeless corpse she beamed in the back of the head began twitching and gurgling. This earned him an unsurprised look for the looming soldier. She had only shot the back of his head with a compressed laser of magic; must've burned something important... Still, in all her years of training, she rarely ever focused on magic or spells or whatever. Mainly because she was put into an Earth-pony division camp. So with her lack of experience, she could only use telekinesis (barely) and shoot mediocre beams. 'Hugo' didn't seem too hot after that blow. He swung his head aimlessly around as he blabbered non-sense. "*Sigh*... Maybe I shouldn't of gone so harsh on him..." Sparkle contemplated, placing one hoof on the side each of Hugos' cheeks and swiftly snapping his neck. Just as was about to leave him to his peace, she noticed a gleam of refracted light coming from his hip. A gun was found at his holster. Sparkle snatched it, analysing the weapon, "Hmmm... A SOCOM, eh?" She identified, "Not the best of pistols, but it'll do." She packed the gun in a belt of her own and looked ahead of her. A double door stood there, in the distance. The only thing between her... and her mission. This was the beginning of something big. It was time to save lives. She approached the door. She placed a hoof on both handles. She swung the door open... And immediately, a hoard of changling eyes snapped in her general direction. Silence... ... .... ...... "!" "Intruder!!" |A L E R T| |/!\/!------| |99.99/!\/| Sparkle slammed the door shut as a every changling there charged for her. Her time was limited and death approached. She searched the room desperately for a saving grace. 'Shit...! What do I do...? What do I do? What do I-!?' Then there it lay... "Aha!" The doors barely put up a fight. A tidal wave of bug ponies flooded into the small hallway, guns and magic at the ready. "Where did she go?!" "What?? She disappeared!" "Impossible!" "Wait!" One exclaimed," Over there, the exit! That's the only place she could've gone! After her!" "Yeah! She won't get far...!" "No mercy, fellas!" Every last one of them took to the skies, ground and forest. All dissipating and spreading out to cover more ground. And so, the inside went quiet once more... Not even a gust blew through to break the cold air. However, in the shadow of the darkest corner... In the edge of the hallway... Something shuffled. In the ensuing chaos and disorder, something remained. Somepony remained... Completely hidden in plain sight... Inside a cardboard box. "That... was too close," Spakle stated, removing the box from over her, "I can't just be letting myself get to carless... But anyway, I must get back to mission at hoof...!" Wondering back into the room, she managed to examine it properly. It was similar to an office building reception, with a receptionist counter, a waiting bench, carpet flooring and all that jazz... To the left of the room was a door labeled 'Cafeteria'. 'Yeah... probably nothing important in there.' To her right was an elevator with stairs next to them. 'I need to search the first floor before I go up.' To her front was an unmarked door. Where it leads to...? Probably another room. With no other option, she went forwards. Finding that behind said door was much more than a room... There was a gigantic field of grass with stone paths leading to and from a carousel in the centre and splitting in 3 other different directions. The 2 meters of land away from the path was cover by thin-ish trees. It was almost too scenic... Sparkle cautiously trotted her way to the centre. Pulling out a box of cigarettes , ones she had snuck in before briefing, lighting up a single one with a compressed laser and taking a long puff of the nicotine. Breathing smoke out to the Luna's star bright night sky... The second she placed a hoof at the foot of the carousel, her cigarette was suddenly snatched away by a a small object too fast to see. She glared at the approximate area of direction the thing flew by her. The still-lit cigarette had been hit by a sharp pointy blade of steel: A Kunai. Sparkle then quickly turned her head to where the kunai could've been thrown from. No pony was found. "Who ever is there... I know you're watching me." She announced looking behind her at every turn, "Show yourself." "You don't doubt your senses... Impressive." A cold and firm voice spoke out. "You're already better than any of my foes; I can feel it." "Who goes there?!" She snapped back to the carousel with her SOCOM in hoof, aiming to fire. The stallion that stood there leaned on one of the poles on the entrance. He wore this weird, loose, yet sharp and elegant pitch black robe with long red scarf and an arrow shaped metal plating on his head facing downwards towards the diverge of his eyes. He bore a sheathed katana on his back. With all the details lining up. It was clear... That the stallion standing in front of her... Was a Ninja? "Good evening... Solid Sparkle." Author's Note OK, first off. So sorry for not uploading more frequently! Outside life gets pretty busy... But I was hoping I could make it with a... Behind the scenes So basically, this is where i'll give you my first hand experience, thoughts and deleted choices that I had in the making of this story. Anyway! Subject for today... Applejack and friends!- -So while this story was still not out, I had been thinking over the plot. Mainly, the villians. I thought 'Hey, if Sparkle should ever grow as a character, it should be through her friends.' But that was the problem... In a time of war and missions, ol' Sparkler would possibly never find time for her friends. Yet, I really wanted to involve them in the story, not in too major role, but just significant enough... Hence, Pinkie Mantis and Sylvia bullet! I AM about to spoil a bit of the plot, but not to a massive degree. So if you wanna keep your mind clean for the future of this story, don't gloss over the black bar... But still it does ruin quiet a bit of my story, SO DO NOT READ. Unless you don't care for spoilers... So, I do plan on involving all of her friends in this mess... And I plan on each and every one of Spakles friends deaths to impact her on an emotional level. Even if she can't remember... Well that's all I have for today... Let me know what you want me to talk about in the next behind the scenes...! And if you did enjoy this chapter, be sure to give it a like. I greatly appreciate the support I'm getting now. Like, seriously, Thank you! But, until next time... Have a good one! Chapter 4: Draw blade; Draw bloodIt was a show-down. The Soldier and the 'Ninja', facing off. Daggers flying from both ends, wild west style. "I'll be blunt..." Sparkle fearlessly spoke up, SOCOM at the ready, "Who are you and what do you stand by?" The stallion in pajamas gave no answer. But rather, hopped off the carrousel and approached the armed mare with the same bravery she emitted. Causing her magic to grip the gun holster more tightly. "My identity along with my morals are none of your concern..." He put simply, with a powerful yet uncharacteristic rasp in his voice, "As for you, I advise you leave the premises if you wish to live longer." "Name. Occupation. Information. Now..." "*Sigh*... If I must... Ryan, is the name I go by. I am an assassin trained in the graceful arts of Pinjitsu." Their unflinching faces stood not even inch away from one another. "I guard these lands with my blood, body and soul and, for the second time, leave. Lest you want to be met with the action of my warnings." Ryan promised with a clench of the sword within the scabbard. Staying ignorant to his threat, Sparkle took a step left. To which he mirrored perfectly. Then one to her right, which he copied again. Still never breaking eye contact. "You do not want this fight, 'Soldier Sparkle'... Please, heed my words." "I was assigned this mission by my superiors... I can't and won't back down. Not even for a full grown, self-proclaimed excuse of a 'Ninja'." "You can insult my profession all you like... But to insult the proud race of ponies along with it is unforgivable...!" He spat. "The Ninjas way died out a looong time ago, pal. Now move out of my way and you might not have blood all over your favorite pajamas." The last straw had been drawn. Ryan delivered a skull denting headbutt causing her to fall backwards in stun. Taking advantage of the moment, he thrusted his head down to his front shoulders between her fore legs and pushed up with a great amount of force, sending Sparkle a few inches off the floor. Before she could even land on two hooves Ryan drove a titanic B-spin kick to her face, bolting Sparkle off to the side and laying sprawled across the grass in pain. Trying to comprehend what the hell just happened to her. "H-how... did you do that...?" She carefully put herself on her hind hooves. "With ease." "Cocky son of a..." Sparkle whipped out her gun and fired without hesitation. Only to here the metallic twang of bullets bouncing off steel. In three simple swipes of a sword, he had deflected the shots. From close range. Like it was nothing. 'How in the-...?!' "C'mon. Fight me seriously. Firearms bore me..." He challenged, sheathing his blade, placing one hoof to his hip and the other outstretched in front of him. Taking a sort of defensive fighting stance. Sparkle remained quietly angry, yet was inwardly afraid. How can she fight a stallion that was fast enough to react and deflect bullets...!? She took up her own stance, with her both arms stretched out towards Ryan. Difference being was that her right hoof was half-retracted. The two circled each other, like tigers in a cage. Staying ready for any sign of hostile movement. Ryan went first: leaping high into the air and dropped with a gripped kunai in hoof. Sparkle leaped back to evade but Ryan, anticipating the dodge, bounced straight off the ground and lunging towards her at high speeds, kunai first. But before any contact was made, Sparkle used her right hoof to divert the blade in hoof and in one motion, elbow barged the shoulder of the arm that carried the weapon. Surprised by this, Ryan placed both hind legs on firm ground to attempt to escape her. This, however, only gave her the upper hand. As one hoof landed, she directed a solid kick to the side of his knee before then applying much more power to her barge and forcing him onto the floor. Ryan struggled to fend off Sparkles unexpected tack down, throwing aimless punches and moving around like crazy just to try and get her to release her grip. This went on for about 10 seconds before Sparkle pinned down one leg, then another, and another, until he lost some energy and began to slow a bit. Allowing her to completely hold him. Using magic, she pulled out the SOCOM and pushed it against his head, barely panting, "*Hah!* *Hah!*... Well?? How's that for a fight?" "Heh heh-! I won't lie... I'm impressed." He grinned slightly under his robed mask, "Out of all my opponents, you're the only one to have successfully overpower me..." "Hmph... Good. In any case, hired bodyguard or not, you're still a member of the Changling H.O.P.E. And as a soldier of the Princess, I must kill you. So do me a favour and send the people of Tartarus my regards..." "Yes, yes... I get it. But I am still urging to ask. Do you really think this battle is over?" She narrowed her gaze in suspicion, "What are you getting at here...?" "Oh nothing much..." He replied nonchalantly, "It's just your fighting style... It strikes a heavy cog in my memory. Say, do you happen to know a Changling by the name of 'Saint Berry'?" "!..." He...He Knows...?! "Heh heh heh! So you do...! What a surprise..." Sparkle hadn't been aware her reaction gave it away. "That sly old man... He created CQC. Of corse you got your talent from him...! Tsk... to think you actually took me down with your own skill..." Snapping back to her senses, she shoved the gun harder against his head, shouting, "How do you know him!?" "Pray tell, why should I answer to you...?" BANG! Ryan's head slumped off to the side. The tension of the moment dying along with him... The cool, empty quiet only carrying the light, drawn out breaths of the soldier through the air. "'Cause you're the one with a gun to his head, dumbass..." Sparkle lately replied, getting off of the ninja and trotting onto the carousel with one intention... P T T ---------<[000.00]> -- MEMORY [Colonel S. Berry] 140.88<----- [Bianca M. D. S. Aveiro] 140.92 [----] ---.-- [----] ---.-- Calling Berry: Sparkle, you called? Is everything OK? Sparkle: Yeah, all is going accordingly... Berry: Ah, good. Glad to hear that you're safe. Have you rescued Tez Ko? Sparkle: No, not yet. But I need to ask you one thing, just one... Berry: Well shoot. I'm all ears. Sparkle: It's just... How do I put this...? I ran into a stallion in pure black robes who claimed to be a 'Ninja'. He carried a katana, some kunai and everything. Berry: A ninja...?! Sparkle: Yep. A guy by the name of 'Ryan'. Weird thing was... He also knew who you were. Going as far as to personally refer to you as a 'sly old man'. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two have some kinda history... Berry: ... Sparkle: Well? Do you? Berry: Heh... Ryan, you sneaky sunuvabitch... Sparkle: Huh? Colonel, what are you- Berry: We'll talk later, Sparkle. I promise... For now, remember your priorities. Sparkle: ... Berry: ... Sparkle: ... Yes sir... Call Ended 'What the hell could he be hiding...?' Sparkle wondered, 'Were they enemies, maybe...?' Either way, she didn't really care all too much. After that short fight with the Ninja, Sparkle had worked up a big deal of stress. And whenever she was stressed, she smoked. Just something about it that really takes the toll off of things for her... She dragged the small box out her pocket, snatched a cig', lit it and took in a deep breath of the substance... As she puffed out the rigged smoke into the crisp air of the starry night sky among Lunas moon. For the first day on an infiltration mission in a base located deep in the Everfree forest, it was still a beautifully picturesque moment to behold. Still... now was not the time to be admiring the scenery. Sparkle made her way onwards to the double doors in the clear in front of her. Then, a flash lit the sky... Shhhhhing...! KA-chunk! Ryan stood in front of her while facing away, Sword in hoof as he held a position that suggested that, with one swift and mighty swing... he had struck. Which would explain why Sparkles horn was on the floor. The realisation (and pain) had finally set in... "UUWAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHH!" She collapsed onto one arm and gritted her teeth as blood began to drip from the stump that was her horn. And for a second, things felt fuzzy. "This battle was long from over Sparkle..." Ryan ominously stated, giving her a sideways glance. The bullet that had struck his head was lodged in place. So despite taking a point-blanc gun shot to the face, he lived...? "B-but... How?! How are you still alive!?" He sheathed his katana, giving a distant and somewhat melancholy smile under the mask, "... I ask myself the same thing." "Huh...?" "You are not the first to try and kill me... And you will not be the last. Foe after foe, intruder or soldier... I win. I always win. But that never stops me from fighting on. I fellow my Code to a T. 'To fight the a good, true battle.' and to never lose illegitimately. Each and every time, I welcome myself to the sweet and loving embrace of death. Only to get pushed away by myself... And I keep asking 'Why? Why must I suffer this curse?'" As he rambled on, sparkle attempted to grip her SOCOM with her magic. The purple aura flicked upon what she had left before fading out with exhaustion. Some magic was left, but not enough to suffice. "Over and over, I keep on asking the same damn question... Why can't I die?," For a second, and only a second, his eyes twitched in a sort of sorrow that couldn't be described... "Then... one day... as I sliced a stallion open from his belly to his neck, I realised... that I'm no pony. I'm less than that. I am a monster..." He lamented with self-hatred. "Life, for me, was hard enough before that. But after coming to terms with facts, I finally accepted that... Well..." In a blur of speed, Ryan appeared directly in front of Sparkle to deliver a devastating uppercut to the stomach. Knocking all the air from her lungs with widened eyes that couldn't begin express the amount of pain she was in. "Tartarus would NEVER take a sick, repulsive monster like ME!" He followed through with the uppercut, sending Sparkle through the roof of the carousel and reaching sky high...! Almost 20 meters off the ground! This strength wasn't from any ordinary Earth pony... The flying purple mare finally slowed as gravity brought her limp body back down, falling faster and faster. Ryan, on the other hand, jumped up towards Sparkle. Reading himself to give her a mid-air bicycle kick. She barely even had a chance to glare at him, as his kick connected with a thunderous BAM! and CRACKK! Sending Sparkle crashing through the doors like a meteorite into a pitch black supply room. "Uuuuhn..." She fought hard to just stay conscious, because at this point, pain numbed all her senses. Forcing herself to look up, she saw that Ryan had just landed. And he was approaching, very, very slowly. Possibly to settle in the fear of the situation. If she didn't do something... If she didn't do anything... She would die. Sparkles head swayed under the dizziness Ryan set in motion. Fruitlessly trying to shake off the haze. His strength... His endurance It wasn't normal. It was anything but normal. Sparkle knew that much... But if the so-called ninja was really a gifted or super powered, then Sparkles chances weren't looking very good.. Desperately, she dragged herself to the doors and slammed them shut. 'Come on, come on! Think, Sparkle!' she thought as she screwed her eyes shut, 'There has to be something here that I can use...' She opened her eyes and adjusted to the darkness, seeing one chance to make it out alive... It would take some great coordination and probably a stupid amount of luck... But it could work! ! ... Ryan had reached the doors Sparkle had abruptly shut on him. Pondering the reason to why she did so... To buy time possibly? Oh well, she only delayed her own execution... He kicked open, looking into the sea of darkness the room emitted. For a moment, he hesitated. What if she does have something planned...? Regardless, he marched in a few steps. Only to stop at the sight... Of a cardboard box. That confirmed it. She was plotting something, but what? Staying true to his gut, he scanned the room a bit. A few boxes with old and out dated guns filled most of the room. Other than that, there was no sign of Sparkle. He trotted around to inspect the boxes, until he heard something shift behind him. Turing around sharply, he found... Nothing. The aforementioned box had stayed perfectly still. But... One corner of his clouded mind couldn't help but think, 'Did that box move?' At any first glance, the answer would be an obvious no. Still...! Ryans suspicion just couldn't let go. But it was a trap...! And he knew it! ... Was it...? To ease his inner-doubt, Ryan snagged a FAMAS (just to be extra safe) from one of the supply crates and approached the box with cautious pace to his trot. The entire journey, one half of himself was constantly nagging in his ear, saying, 'This is a idiotic! Of course she wouldn't be hiding in there, it's too obvious...! She has to be somewhere else...' Even if that voice was right, it simply would not matter. He had a sword, inhuman like speed and power, and a gun for safe measure. Plus he had heavily limited Sparkles magic capabilities AND that kick was guaranteed to at least break a rib or two. If anything, he had no right so be afraid. 'So way the hell do I still fear her??' He held the box under point blanc range, readying his aim... "See you in hell, Twilight..." BRAAATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAT! Several upon several upon several holes punctured the cardboards exterior. Several bullets, way out of the league of a flimsy old box. Several death, sentences that could take a hundred lives over. Several shots, that all could kill with certainty. The deed was more than done. Ryan breathed a sigh of newly released fatigue... as he kicked the box over to finally reveal the corpse of no pony... "Huh!!-" The doors sssSSLAMED shut, allowing the dark veil of the room to completely blind the Ninjas vision! "I knew it!" He shouted as he drew his sword; helplessly searching the space around him, "Come, you coward! Come here and face me properly!!" "Your tone is off..." "Huh?" "Could it be... fear?" Ryan noticed a dim light emanating smoke in the corner of his eye. "Come and get me." "Humph! You think I have anything to fear from YOU?!" He screamed, flustered by anger. Sword in hoof, he charged head first towards the light in the dark and, with one big swing, hit nothing. That lit cigarette was merely propped up to deceive him. His heart sank further when he hear a pin hit the floor and something small thudded in front of him... A flashbang. BAM! An intense light drowned the room for no longer than a split second. Ryan fell back, grunting in pain and clamping his eyes shut. With his vision only now just adjusting to the dark, to say he was blinded was more than an understatement. "Gah! Urrgh!! Son of a-! Dammit!" "What happened to your language?" Sparkle asked cooly, hold a gun from the shadows to the unseeing ninja. "My turn." "Hah!... Hah!... I... I cannot lie Sparkle..." Ryan panted through the sting, clutching his katana. "You're pretty good." ... ! AUX [C A L L] Push select 140.92 Bianca: Sparkle! Are you OK?! I just checked your vitals on the nano system: You're in critical condition! Sparkle: ... Bianca: Sparkle? Hello?? BANGBANG! Shi-Shhinggg! Sparkle?? BABABANG! Sh-sh-Shinnng! Sparkle?! BANG...! BANG...! Shhhing! Ka-Chunnng! SPARRRRRRRRKKKKLLLLEEEEE! Clic-Click! Click! ... "Enough!!" BRA-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT! The ninja fired aimlessly into the abyss. Gunshots lighting up the room, chasing the changing images of an elusive Sparkle. But never ceasing to miss. Among the bullet hell, the windows broke and midnight light shone down on the area. Letting Ryan see at least a little better. But during his search for the stealthy soldier, he felt two arms tightly wrap around his waist. And, before he knew what had happened, Sparkle had lifted him off his hooves to then swiftly suplex the unknowing stallion straight onto his head! The FAMAS he once wielded fell straight of of his grip. Steadily getting back up, Ryan found himself face to face with the soldier. She took up her fighting stance. "C'mon...! Let's end this! No Swords, and no guns!" Sparkle challenged. Adrenaline coursing through her veins. Ryan silently agreed by taking up a stance of his own, slowly approaching Sparkle as she approached him. Sparkle went for a punch to the head. He caught her hoof. She tried hitting his liver. He caught that one too. Sparkle struggled fruitlessly to pry her fists from his grip. To which, he only grinned with pride. "Heh... Just like alllll the rest... Your strength and speed could never compete with-" "Shut... up!" Sparkle drop kicked him from where she stood, just managing to knock the stallion off her and fumbling onto the floor. Rage. That was all that could be read from his bloodshot eyes. And with a drastic loss of composure, he dashed at her with full speed. Retaliating with a drop kick of his own that sent Sparkle straight through the doors once more. She slid too a stop, sprawled on the concrete. If something wasn't broken before, it sure as hell was now. Sparkle felt herself slipping away into a black out, hanging by a thread onto consciousness. Peering from where she lay, the Ninja closed the gap between them. His katana ready to kill. "Well, Sparkle. I can't say this hasn't been fun... For as much as a pain in the flank you are to kill, I'm still happy to say that I faced you. Still... It's a shame you couldn't pull of the task of murdering me... But, all jokes aside, any last words?" Sparkle coughed and spluttered before she could ask, "H-how... how do... you know the Colonel?" "Hm? The Colonel...?" "Berry..." His face lit up, "Ahhh! Yes...! Saint Berry! That old stallion and I go back quite a long way...! Well, him and I, met on another battlefield, where we had the fight of a century... And I lost!" He sounded very... giddy to say the least. But his accent was very misleading. It almost sounded... Mexicolt? "Despite every advantage I held over him, that guy just wouldn't go down...! With his cunning and creativity, I fell to his hooves. And it hurt! Yes... Good times indeed..." 'I knew he wanted to die... but dear lord! How suicidal is this guy?' "Y'know, that's why I am happy to be facing you. Because you were trained by him... So surely you have a few tricks that he taught you? Right?" "B-but how-" She stuttered on her words. Ryan continued, ignoring her entirely. "I'm just dissapointed though... You are smart, I've seen and felt it. Yet, at the end of the day, you still couldn't finish me off. I guess I'm just too strong." He lifted his katana, ready to deal the final blow. "Adios... Amiga." "W-wait...!" "Eh? What? What do you want now?" He questioned as his sword lowered a bit. "Y-y-you su-seriously... Didn't notice?" "Que? What non-sense are you trying to convey this time?" Sparkle, to his surprise, had a short burst of pained laughter. "I've won...! D-don't you see?" "See? All I see is how mad you've become." "Your back... Doesn't it feel... itchy?" Ryan took a moment to think. But then realised that she was right...! Something was stuck to his back and he couldn't reach it! "Huh?? What the-! What did you do?!" Looking back to Sparkle, he gasped. In her hoof, she held a detonator. His eyes widened as he recalled the moment she suplexed him. She must've planed a...! "C4 bomb... I win..." In her last moments awake, before Ryan could do anything to stop her, she passed out. Pressing the button... Author's Note Sorry if there is any spelling errors in this piece. I will look over and correct them. But right now, it is SUPER late. And I am super tired. Sorry for keeping you guys waiting... Hope you enjoy this episode. Chapter 1: Broken and Shattered...*Riiiiing*... "...Stabilised! Keep her...!" Darkness... It blinds her.... "Damnit...! She's... much blood...! ... Losing her!" ...And not just her vision. Her thoughts and feelings lay surrerendered to the pessimistic dark that envelops her. Ignore it... Reject it... It remains. No matter what. It'll hurt, break, or kill. One way or another. "...Shrapnel near... heart, lungs, wings... She might not....... No!...... Too impor....!" But, just like the Yin Yang... For every great deal of darkness, there's always a counter-balance of light. The two do, however, co-exist with hostility. So when the dark has had his fun, light must act in contrast. "... Sparkle...? ... You hear me?! Twi.......?! ...............!!!!" Now watch, dear reader... As the light slowly comes to grip with her... Filling all her friends... Familly... And loved ones. Into blank slates. Memories... All whiter than paper. ! The purple mares bloodshot eyes shot wide open. Revealing a plain, white tiled ceiling. Her head felt warm and fuzzy; aching at bit. She may not've been able to move too much, but judging by the lightest of shuffles... She could feel that she was laying on something soft... A bed, perhaps? 'Where... Where am I' The Mare thought. She tried running her memories back, in hopes of finding some solution or reasoning. But there was nothing... Memories of last week? Nothing. Memories of last month? Nothing... Any memories at all!? Of ponies? Colleges? Her own name?? Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Arising from her pillow and now sitting upright, she took a long yet panicked look at her hooves. "Who am I...?" Who am I? The words echoed across her head, getting louder as they bounced. Asking the same question, over and over and over again. With no answer to aid it. That was until, "Sparkle! I'm... My name is... Sparkle? But, that's all I remember... That's who I am, right? So why does it feel so... so...." "Um... Miss?" Instantaneously, Sparkle cracked her head left. Coming into view of what could only be assumed to be a nurse. Judging by her clothing, of course. "Who... What's your name...?" She questioned the pony in white. "Ahem... I am Nurse Red Heart. I will be your official Doctor for the day. But I must inform you... Miss Sparkle, this may seem to be a bit much to take in. But please! Try and remain calm when I say... "...You've been stuck in a 3-year long coma." Red Heart was definitely right about one thing. Upon hearing the news, Sparkle didn't even have a reaction. Her pupils narrowed to pixels after letting the information sink in. Returning a bland look of sorrow and loss towards the Nurses sympathy. "Though, I must know. Is it true? Do you remember nothing, Miss?" "No... Not at all..." Sparkle admitted, staring at the floor in defeat. "Hmmm... An abrubt loss of memory... Retrograde amnesia, maybe?" "Do...Do you know my name?" Red Heart opened her mouth in response, when: "Sparkle... Solid Sparkle" A large, white alicorn with a bright, flowing rainbow mane entered the room. Despite not being able to recalling a single thing, Solid Sparkle felt a wave of familiarity wash over her in the mere sight of the princess... She swore that she knew her. "B-but Princess...!" Red Heart objected, "You know exactly who this is. Why didn't you-?" "Did I stutter?" The Alicorn countered with assertiveness. In an instant, the Nurse shut her mouth. Choosing not to question her superior. "You are relived of your duty. Go home." "Y-yes, Celestia..." And with a single, almost reluctant nod, Red Heart trotted out of the room. Leaving the two ponies in silence and isolation. "Solid Sparkle... Are you well?" Celestia said, her face becoming slightly more caring as she broke the ice. "I... don't know." Sparkle replied with dismay, "I just feel so hollow...So empty. What's going on?" Celestia's gaze shifted away from Sparkle and towards the window, where the sun's light obscured the vision of them both. "A lot has changed... Not for better, but for worse..." She pondered aloud, before bringing herself back to her original task, "Come with me, Solid Sparkle. We have much to discuss..." "But w-wait!" Sparkle got up and off of her bed, only to find a throbbing sensation burn the left side of her back. Where she found a bandaged stump, which looked liked it had bore a wing once... "What the...?" "Hey! I still have questions! Are you listening? Please, you can just leave me in the dark like this...!" Sparkle begged. "They'll be answered in due time... For now, follow me." Celestia said calmly. Holding the door open for her. Something wasn't right about Celestia, if her dismissive attitude really had an effect to her on a social scale, then it most obviously couldn't have been good... Still, an explanation doesn't usually take so long. Her wing was missing, she'd taken a 3 year long nap and to put the icing on the cake... amnesia! And though Sparkle hated being forced to stay ignorant to knowledge, she felt she had no other choice but to comply... ... Now walking though the corridor of the Hospital, Celestia ramained unusually focused... "So... Are you gonna talk?" Despite Sparkles query, all it did was make her stop and put a hoof to her ear. Her odd actions earned a raised eyebrow from Solid Sparkle. "Ok, but seriously. What are you doing? I'm starting to get sick of asking." Suddenly, A ringing went off in her ear, similar to the kind of ringing that you would hear from of telephone. "What the..? Do you hear that?" "Answer it. Just place a hoof to your ear, like I do." "O...kay, then..." AUX [C A L L] Push select 140.86 Celestia: Solid Sparkle. Can you hear me? Sparkle: Wait... What are..- But...! Huh!? Celestia: Please, stay calm. We are currently communicating by Codec. Sparkle: Codec? I just...- I don't even...- How long was I really out for...? Celestia: Too long... Now allow me to explain. The Codec is a means of calling and speaking with another pony, but just much more silently. In a way, it's like telepathy. Only with technology and radio frequencies. Sparkle: Tech-no-logy...? Celestia: It's too much to explain now, but I thought I should bring it up by demonstrating what this is. In order to use the Codec, you need to type in a frequency if you want to make a call. For instance, my frequency is 140.86. Sparkle: *Sigh* Alright... That's all well and good. But why, in any right of common sense, would I need this? Celestia: You'll see... Sparkle: Again with this? Why don't you stop being so vague and give it too me straight? What. The Hell. IS GOING ON? Celestia: ... Sparkle: Hello...? Helllooo? Are you still there? Wait, did you just-? CALL ENDED As Sparkles' vision returned after being abruptly hung up on, she found herself not in a Hospital. But now somewhere new. It was a simple, large, grey coloured room. No furniture decorated its space... and no pony seemed to be around. The only thing worth notice was the gigantic window that overlooked the landscape. And it was there, that Celestia was found. Getting lost in the view... "I'm sure you have a lot to ask, my little pony..." Celestia stated. "Ya got that right..." She confessed, approaching the lone Alicorn and sitting besides her. "It all began three years ago... Equestria was a land of peace, harmony, and most importantly, equality. It was a place were every pony of any kind could fit in." A smile showed up as she lamented the past. "Despite this, there were quite a number of ponies who...well, didn't agree with this land of 'friendship'. Villains of different calibre would try out their schemes, all in hopes to overthrow my rule... They, fortunately, would never come to prevail. All thanks to the Six heroic mares. Each of which shared a close bond with one another, like siblings... And it is from that bond, that forged The Elements of Harmony. Their was Pinkie pie, element of laughter. Applejack, element of honesty. Rarity, element of generosity. Rainbow Dash, element of loyalty. Fluttershy, element of kindness. And finally, you... Solid Sparkle. The Element of the magic of friendship." "Hold up... So you're saying that I was a hero once?" "You were the leader of the Elements of Harmony. A role only suited for you." "Damn... Me? A hero...? What changed then?" "Well, long after the defeat of the Changlings... Queen Chrysalis, the ruler of the Changling hive and long time foe, offered my kingdom a peace treaty... 'As long as we supply them with their proper means of sustenance and the freedom to roam Equestria. And they, in turn, would no longer attack, but rather assist us if we ever needed it.' Of coarse, we had our doubts. I always knew that a Changling would turn to any chance to backstab for personal gain... And from the way it was looking, we would've denied their offers. That was, until an annomaly occurred. A "friendly" Changling by the name of Thorax had been uncovered near the Chrystal Palace. He claimed to only want to live a normal life, and to be accepted among the common-folk... Thorax, to the end, was a good pony. Breaking from the chains of his own home to be amongst us, it really moved me. And with that, I accepted Chrysalis' Truce." "Surprisingly enough, all was well. We gave them their fair share of love, and they returned as much as they said they would. We even got some insight into the biology of a Changling as well as making vast strides in the creation of technology. Turns out that the race of bug ponies were much more intelligent than we first anticipated. And for a while, the future shone bright... But however, it wouldn't stay that way, not forever. Even though the majority of ponies and Changlings were happy with the union of the two tribes. There's are some that, for what ever reason, just don't agree with our way of life..." Her tone grew somber as she stared distantly at the barren and now divided land that lay in front of her. "Does that answer everything, Sparkle?" "Actually, I do have to ask you one more thing," Solid Sparkle chimed. "In what way does...ALL of this play into me and how I got here?" "Ah, I see... Well, had I continued to the full extent of the story, you would've known by now... But... Things don't get good from this point out." She warned. "It all happened... In the Ponyville Bombing of '09." Celestia tried to clear the lump in her throat as she uttered the event. "I still remember the day clearly; too clearly... I wasn't there during to watch the whole thing unfold, but I had heard that there had been an 'extremist' in the town... A suicide bomber. And he had demands... I knew I needed to hurry." Celestia had just teleported to the entrance of Ponyville and, without a moments notice, rushed throught the town before things turned south. She would've teleported directly into the heart of ponyville, but even for an Alicorn, teleportation magic takes a lot to pull off. Dashing through crowds, her lungs heaved and legs ached as each breath she took burned her mouth. Begging her to slow down. But she didn't. She couldn't. Not with the populace in fatal danger. 'Please, God...! Please tell me i'm not too late!' She prayed, it was all she could do at the time. To her fortune, she, at last, found a large crowd chattering among each other as they circled around what looked like two ponies standing face to face. One was a changling with a jacket packed with C4, dynamite and other leathal explosives. The other was the purple alicorn, Princess Sparkle herself. She appereared to be nagotiating with him... "Stay away from me, ya hear?! Or I blow this entire town to kingdom come!" "Please, calm down sir...! I'm sure there's a better way to do this!" "There is no other way! I read the papers...! You imprisioned my brothers who oppossed your soft 'friendship'. Judged them with an uneven jury of ponies who could never understand us! and as a proud member of the changling H.O.P.E, I can never forgive you! Set them free, or pay the price...!" Celestia tried so desperately to speak up, but in her futile attempts at making a cohesive sentence, her scorched lungs just wouldn't allow it. Still, she needed to something... and fast! "What's it gonna be Sparkler? You have 5 seconds, make up your mind!" he stated, holding a detonator with his magic. "N-no! Wait! I need more-"" "FIVE...FOUR...!" "Please! You can't...-" "THREE...TWO...! ONE!" "Alright, alright!! I give in!" Sparkle shouted, waving her hooves at him in panic. "Heheheh...! Gooood." The Changling grinned sadistically. "So you finally decide to give me what I want, eh? Took ya long enough..." "Yes, I fully agree to your terms..." she strained herself to say. "I promise to let them free. But first, I have to ask you one thing..." "Huh...? What the hell is it?" he sneered. "You afraid of hights...?" "Eh?" In an fraction of a second, the alicorn ponced at the bomber, tackling him whilst also gaining hight from flapping her wings as quickly and as powerfully as possible. "GAH! How... How dare you! Grrrrrr! Geddoff me...!" Sparkle ignored him, only flying higher and higher... As she ascended, a closed her eyes. Embracing her fate... From the ground, Celestia's eyes' widened in fear as she saw the purple and black dot get smaller... And smaller... And smaller...... ... ........ .................... *KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOM* The air above her lit up with an explosion of fire and flames. Like a firework from hell. Celestia's fear now turned into a horrific agony as she silently witnessed her most prized and precious student go out in ball of molten hot flames... It was undeniable. Sparkle... was gone. "No..." Her eyes welled up with tears, blinding her sight as smoke filled the air... "Please God... Please let this be a dream..." Alas... It was not a dream, nor a nightmare... But rather, the cold and harsh wave of reality. Her legs failed her; the princess now collapsed onto the floor. Bawling her eyes out and sobbing as the ponies around could only watch. It was clear... Equestria had lost one alicorn that day. Or so they thought... "Hey...! Look! Up there!" A towns pony pointed out. Celestia ceased her crying and gazed into the sky once more. From the giant dark cloud, a mare could be seen falling with blood streaking across her body. Without even thinking, she took flight and rushed straight towards Sparkle. Embracing and holding onto the limp body as she began to descend... Upon closer inspection, Sparkle had stayed in one piece. But had several burnt patches of fur as well as a very few strand of hair on her head. "Medics! We need medics, fast!" "...And well... you should know the story from here." "Oh... Wow... Celestia, I had... I'm... so, so sorry for making you worry. I really am." "Don't be." She waved her hoof dismissively, "You made a heroic sacrifice. For all the lives of those who witnessed it, you chose to end yourself in their turn of their chance at a full life. I can't thank you enough." "I'm... not sure what to say, to be honest. As wild as this all sounds, I can't exactly accept your 'thank yous'... mainly because of the lack of memory of the event." "If you say so, my little pony... But as of right now, a war rages on. After the bombing took place, I made it my personal mission to interrogate the every changling in search of this group... The Changlings' 'Haven Of Proper Equality', or H.O.P.E. I swore on your life that I would bring them the rightful justice they deserved..! But alas, when I aligned my troops to search their city, Chrysalis stood in my way. 'I'm sorry Celestia, but under no conditions will I have you rummaging through my property.' is what she told me. I was confused yet very suspicious, no matter what I said or promised, she wouldn't budge... So after some thinking. I came to the conclusion that she was a part of H.O.P.E; that she planned that attack on my town. And so, I waged war..." Silence broke out as Celestia reflected on her past decisions, showing some signs of regret mixed in with anger. Sparkle, on the other hoof, was busy in the thought of the H.O.P.E. Why on earth, would any pony do something so... heartless. Why didn't they like us? Who did they thing they were to carry out such cruel motives...? "Sign me up." "What?" She gazed in shock of her words. "For the war, sign me up." "You want to... fight? B-but, Sparkle. Why?" She placed a hoof on Celestias' shoulder. "Well... I may not know much. But even still, what kind of 'hero' idly sits around while others are dying? Not me, that's for sure. I guess what I really mean is... I don't want to lose sight of who I was." Jaw still slightly agape, the princess took a long, hard second about Sparkles decision. "You do know what you're getting yourself into by doing this, right? Training you correctly is a harsh road itself, and that doesn't even count in the war going on. You can get seriously crippled, injured, or even killed... Are you sure you want to do this?" "Shoot me, stab me, I don't care. As long as I'm able to make the difference, then i'll be happy." "So be it. Solid Sparkle. Promise me. That no matter what the situation may be. Through the face of death and fire. You will keep fighting the good fight..." "Yes, Princess...!" "Then salute." All confidence in her face seemingly disappered... "Errrrm... Salute?" Celestia playfully roled her eyes. "Like this," She put her hoof to her forehead will holding the other firmly on the ground. Sparkle mouthed an 'Oh' as she went through the same motions as Celestia just taught her. "Very well. Come, now. You have lots of training ahead..." Author's Note Hey, Guys! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please, if you would like to see more chapters. Be sure to give this story a like. And of corse, if you've noticed any mistakes in the chapter, be sure to let me know. Hope y'all have a good day!
Chapter 2: A Ponies H.O.P.EFirst days, Then months, Then years... The Soldier in training had endured this hellish torture called "Training" for hours on end. Every step killed her legs, every question ached her brain, every heart-beat fueled the same agonising process... Was her preparation for war easy? No. There's no easy route in war, there never is... But despite the hardships and mind-numbing taxing scenarios, she lived. Pushing Sparkle oh so close to death, but coming back much stronger. Maybe that was their goal? 'What doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger' It may be a cheesey and overused quote... But it was a true, cheesey and overused joke. Sparkle resided in her assigned room, were she stood and admired her toned physique. Almost smiling a bit in self-pride as she thought, 'Peak physical condition, huh? I could get used to this...' She still remembered her first days at the training camp; a soft and squidgy mare with no known background in anything... to her knowledge. Now look at her... She learnt all sorts of survival tricks, general tactics and received training for many, many different predicaments that she could find herself in. She even learned and perfected the special martial art 'CQC' (Close Quarters Combat), a mix of pressure point fighting and gunplay taught to her by some of the most highest ranking soldiers. She knew how to fight. She knew how to sneak. And she knew how to surprise. The way it was looking, Sparkle had potential to be the next soldier of legends... And she agreed. With all these tips and tricks, it was like she born to be a soldier. AUX [C A L L] Push Select 140.92 Bianca: Sparkle...! Do you copy? Sparkle: Loud and clear, Bianca. How's things with you? Bianca: Everything's fine, thanks! But I right now, I called to inform you that the Colonel would like to see you. Sparkle: Colonel Saint Berry? Is this about another personal special ops lesson again? Bianca: No... This is much bigger than simple training, at least from the way he put it. He said for you to meet him at the main HQ block and that he'll talk to you then. Sparkle: Understood. Thanks for letting me know. Bianca: Aw, you don't thank me Sparkle...! I'm just doing my job. Sparkle: Don't worry, I insist. Bianca: Well, I had better get back to work. I wish all the best for you...! Tchau! CALL ENDED Miss Bianca Maria dos Santos Aveiro... A Portuguese data analyst who's as good as she sounds. Throughout Sparkles experience at the camp, Bianca had been her one true friend and source of smiles in a time of appropriate cold and momentous training. If there was anything that she needed to speak out about, Sparkle knew that she could count on Bianca to vent to. I certainly did help in her times of stress. "More than simple training huh?" She contemplated, "Maybe I'll be going on my first mission..." Sparkle glared into the eyes of her reflection with thought and a little bit of self-doubt. "Am I even ready to take on a mission, yet?" ... "Well, better find out..." She finalized, tearing her stare from her mirror image and heading out... ! Sparkle stood outside the Colonels door. Almost intimidated too enter as the door loomed over her. "C'mon Sparkle... No thoughts, just... go for it. You got this." She said, preping for whatever the Colonel had to say. Even then, her mind couldn't help but wonder off tract into negative thoughts. What would be made of this conversation? Would it be good or bad? Only one way to find out... She knocked on the door three times and paused, before then hearing an old but strong British voice reply, "Come in..." The moment the door creaked open, Sparkles eyes became connect to the Changling with a green Beret and an Army Jacket holding a few medals of his own merit. Otherwise know as Colonel Saint Berry, a pony who fought against his own kind for the much better cause. Though his rise up the ranks was a stiff one, he perservered at every task despite his race and outer expectations thereof... This was truly a figure to respect. "Solid Sparkle... You're late." he said with a half welcoming but half serious tone. "Kept you waiting, huh?" She replyed after taking a seat on the opposite side to him. Berry checked his watch before saying, "Only for about 13 seconds off your regular arrival time..." "But I usually arrive 5 minutes earlier." "That still doesn't excuse you for not meeting your own standards. But enough on that, I'm sure your curious to know why I called you here..." Berry held up a thin, brown folder with the word 'CLASSIFIED' stamped on the front, sliding it across the table and stopping in front of Sparkle. Opening the folder, she found three, ever-so-slightly blured photos of what looked like a Changling trapped in the center of some sort of steel circle, and he didn't look so good... "Do you know who that is?" "No sir. He looks the same as any other changling... N-no offence!" "None taken. That changling is Tez Ko... a fellow soldier, like you or any other guys. A few days into his mission, he failed to report back... We expected his situation to be bad, but we got something worse. As we speak, Tez is being tortured for information on our whereabouts. And if he isn't saved then we can kiss this 'hidden' training camps flank good-bye." "That's bad and all, sir... but, if this is going where I think this is going... Then are you saying...?" Berry nodded. "I'm assigning you to infiltrate enemy lines and save Tez Ko. You think you're up for the challenge?" Sparkle took a moment to collect herself and calm down. This is it. The moment she's been waiting for 5 years. Her first ever mission. However... "W-well... With all due respect Colonel, I appreciate that you think i'm good enough for the job...! But... don't you think you could, maybe, get someone more experienced or... better than me?" Saint Berry, at first, was taken aback at what she just uttered. But his shock quickly faded into a long ragged sigh. He then pulled open a drawer and shuffled though a bunch of files until he found and pulled out a file with her name and photo attached to it. "Care to guess what this is Sparkle?" He said as he smiled smuggly. "My record for the progress and overall assessment of my abilities throughout this year..." "Correct...! Let's take a read, shall we?" "Umm... Is this really nesses-" " 'Name: Solid Sparkle Ethnicity: Alicorn (Handicapped) DoB: 09/27/1991 Age: 26 Overall Rating Stealth: A+ Comment: Once completed a course so silently, the examiners genuinely didn't even notice she started in the first place. CQC: A Comment: Able to go toe-to-toe with some of the best soldiers we have and hold her ground remarkably well. Situational Adaptation: B+ Comment: Extremely versatile with more or less any anything we throw at her. She does have potential to be better in some circumstances e.g sometimes forgets vital pieces of info we give her. Weapon Familiarity: A+ Comment: Able to pick use or learn to use any gun we give her. She's even able to identify the name of said weapon and which ammo it requires. Infiltration: A Comment: Heavily tied to her Stealth ranking. Given enough time, she can find the cracks in any base and slip though. Other rankings Attendance: A Comment: Always makes it priority #1 to make it to training on time. Does sometimes keep people waiting... Overall Comment Solid Sparkle is, by far, one of the most outstanding Soldiers I've laid eyes on. She's tough. She's resilient. She's quiet. She's a natural! Indeed, a soldier for the history books. Though she's far from perfect and sometimes has a tendency of making mistakes, she'll always agknowledge what she must do to improve. And in this time of need, we could use someone like her...' Now please, Sparkle... Try and say that you're not good enough for the mission." "Well I...!- I never sai-! It's just that...!- Fine...! So maybe I'm good at what I do..." "Maybe?" Berry raised an eyebrow. "Just... Give me the mission details." The Colonel opened up a separate drawer and took out a different folder before then giving it to her. "Take this, read it and then meet up with Bianca, she'll supply you with the proper equipment." "Yessir!" Sparkle saluted, then making her way to the exit. "Oh and before you leave...!" Berry chimed causing her to turn around, "Don't be afraid to admit your talent as one of the best. Of course, don't let it get to your head. But please, learn to loosen up a little. If you need me, you can contact me on Codec with the Frequency '141.01'. Now get out there and give it your all, soldier." "I will Sir...!" Sparkle said with a newfound smile. "I swear I will..." ! ... ....... ...? Hmm? What's this i've stumbled upon...? Wait... You can hear me? My, my! I'm so glad! This is quiet the surprise, I wasn't supposed to appear for at least another three chapters! But please, save your breath and don't read this trainwreak of a story. It doesn't end well. Everyone will die. And Twilight won't find out her past. Why? Because I won't let her, of course! Just you wait, reader... This story will end faster than it began. Hehe! Huh? Ya don't recognise me? Well, that doesn't matter. Because there's no need for words when I'm around... I'm Pinkie Mantis...! Author's Note Till we meet again, reader...!
Chapter 3: The First BloodOne year after the bombing... Steadily coming to coming to senses, the half-asleep Zacora moaned in daze as she fell in and out of consciousness trying to make head or tails of her situation. But up till now... all she could gather was that, where ever she was, it was dark. Too dark. Not to mention, she was unable to move any of her outstretched limbs, other than her head. And whatever she was laying on was freezing cold...! "What is this misfortune that has befallen to me...?" Just as her eyes were beginning to adjust, a dazzling light blazed her sight. Almost blinding her as she was forced to screw her lids shut again. "Ah see you're awake..." A voiced echoed from a blindspot to her left, "An' it's about time. I was startin' to worry if I killed you, not that ah don't wanna... It's just that yer too valuable to lose at the moment. The Boss certainly won't be happy." "Who... Who goes there?! You had better release me, or I swear...!" "Ya swear... What? What are ya gonna do? 'Put a curse on me'?" The southern tone mocked, "Fer yer information Zacora, I'M the one who call the shots 'round here. As fer you? Well, ya ain't got shit on me. I'll give ya that much... I mean...! At this moment in time, you can't even lay a non-existant finger on me...!" The mare taunted and jeered as Zecora could only helplessly lay there, enduring the sticks and stones... However, she just couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity that plagued her mind. "Oh! Ah jus' realised! Ah forgot to introduce myself...! How rude of me." The voice insincerely apologised. The platform Zecora was laying on suddenly began to tilt forwards... "Well, ya see... Ah'm not the pony everyone once knew. Ah'm no heroine o' honesty, those days are over..." Honesty? What kind of pony fights evil with honesty of all things...? Only one mare would be capable- "No..." She uttered in a stage whisper; her eyes narrowed to dots. "It cannot be...!" "Oh, but it can Zecora." She said, stepping ominously towards the light were her outline slowly shaping itself. The platform finally stood horizontal, allowing her to see, yet again, more darkness outside of her spotlight. "To mah friends, familiy and local ponies of Equestria, I was known as 'Applejack'. A so-called 'Element of Honesty' and complete lame an' borin' excuse for a Mare. May she forever rest in peace... Cus of the boss, ah've truly found my calling in life." An orange figure with a brown stretson hat and red bandana around her neck revealed herself to a flabbergasted Zecora. She bore a polished revolver on the holster of her belt and with her crystal blue eyes, smirked maliciously. "Ah am the sharp shooter everypony fears... Ah am the red dot in the centre of the cross-hair...! Ah am The Silver Bullet! But yew can just call me Sylvia." "A-applejack..?! But what happened to make you waver, between the role of villian and a savior?!" The Southern pony dramatically gasped and pointed to her chest, poorly acting hurt as she replied, "Zecora...! Are yew sayin' that ah'm no good for nobody...? I'll have you know-" "Enough time wasting, Sylvia." Another spoke among the dark, "Remember what you came here to do." 'Sylvia's' eyes widened in a surprise as she turn around and gazed up at the large figure, and with a little hint of fear to go with it. "A-ahem! Right, sorry 'bout that Boss... Ok... Let me get to the point. Zecora, ol' pal o' mine..." She used the term very loosly,"Ah need your help. Me and my fellow associates have been workin' reeeeeal hard on this... project, should we say, and despite each and every last effort, we can't seem to complete it to a grade A standard." "And of what use do I, a lone zebra, propose to likes of you?" Zecora spat back with a slight venom in her voice. "Well! Words been goin' 'round these parts that you have a phenomenal understandin' of this whole... errm bio-whatchamacallit. Point is! You know yer way around specific potions, right? Now, all I need is your know-how to finally finish the toil of mah project. Nothin' much, really! So, whaddoyasay, pal?" Sylvia gave her a friendly nudge, "C'mon...! Help a friend out!" Zecora sighed, returning Sylvia's 'friendliness' with a mixed look of hate, composure and unfamiliarity, as she replied saying, "This knowledge you speak of, I have nothing... As for evidence of our bond, you have yet to show! You are not the Applejack I used to know..." Any hint of merriment, weather forced or genuine, slowly drained from her face. Being completely replaced with disappointment at its finest. "*Sigh*... Ah see how it is..." Sylvia muttered of to the side of her, "Ah really, honest to God, was hoping it wouldn't come to this. Ah was hopin' that this would allllll just go off easy, that you comply and everyone stays happy... Yet you..." She tensed her face in rage. "You have the audacity to lie to me?" With a one smooth motion, Sylvia reached out and grabbed a lever. Holding her hoof in place... "I hate liars..." Electrical currents surged through Zacora at the very moment the switch was flipped. She screamed and twisted and writhed in nothing but pain and agony as light blue sparks lit up the room. All the while, Sylvia's deadpan cold expression silently bathed in every second of every moment the liar outright failed to fight off the shocking torture. "AHHHH! Hah hah- AHHHHHHRGH!! H-halt!! I'll- AGH- I'LL SPEAK!! P-pl-EAS!" A smile, at last, returned to Sylvia as the words reached her ears. "So, ya finally decide to come to yer senses, eh?" She pushed the lever back, ending the current and allowing Zecora to hang her head as she panted. "Hah...Hah... What do you... require to calm... your desire?" "I already told ya...! Just a few potions. But, let's be honest here, was it really that hard to jus'... join me? Well? Was it worth the pain to change yer mind...?" Zecora had no words; her position remained unchanged... "Erm...? Helllooo? Equestria to zebra? Oh my- Are you even listening to me?" "Beware..." Zecora's voice whispered like the wind as her eye showed nothing but white, "A prophecy..." "A... What now?" Two ponies... Of brave and bare... Will arise in years of time; in thick and scarce. Ones who dare step hoof in your abode. Ones who dare destroy your home... These soldiers are a legend like no other...! For these warriors wear justice on their brow and toil on their flanks! Try as you might... Even when one falls, the second will cover. Your weakness. Your despair... Your undoing...! They approach... And know, may you bring destruction to this land, but she'll restore the peace of it... For she is, and forever will be- BANG!BANG!BANG! The revolver cracked, leaving three holes in the now deceased zebra. Two shots in the head and one in the head, a guaranteed kill. All the while Sylvia stood there, gun stuck in place of where she had aimed. "Out of all the ponies in the entire world... Only you pissed me off this much. Tck... some prophecy that was..." She held up a walkie-talkie. "Hey, fellers! The Hostage didn't cooperate... Move to plan B. The Prototype." ... 'She couldn't of read the future... Right? ... ! Coordinates: 254654765 Mission 1: Twilight Sparkle, if you are reading this, I hope all is well... Please, be careful and stay alive. You're our best hope. If in doubt, remember your training... you'll need it. Remain calm. Even if things seem hopeless, there'll always be a way out. I believe in you. We believe in you... Somewhere in the thickest parts of the Everfree... The square, pitch H.O.P.E base was dimly lit that night and even bore a leaf green camouflage on its roof. And with it's low hanging buildings and dead silence enshrouding the place, it could keep hidden for God-knows how long. Truly, the hide and seek champion of buildings... "...So then I say, 'Hey man, it ain't my fault your heads denser than Iridium.'" "What...! No way! That guy takes no shit from no pony, with absolutely no exceptions. If you really said that to 'im, I'd be talkin' to a pill of mush right about now." The two Changeling pair casually conversed with each other, approaching the com pad next to the unnecessarily oversized metal door. "Yeah, I learned that the hard way... with a hella of a lotta cardio." The first one pressed the button and paused. The com clicked. "Password?" "Ah, right, the password... what was it again...? Oh! Wait, I remember!" He cleared his throat. "...La li lu le lo." A long silence filled the air briefly before the mechanics of the door began to whir, opening it with a monumentally slow pace. "What kinda idiot came with 'la li-whatever' as an idea for a password...?" "I dunno, man. Sylvia, probably. She's always been pretty shit with naming things..." "Well, can't disagree with that." And after what felt like one year of waiting, the gates had finally opened and the changlings entered. But upon entrance, the first changling felt a stinging pain spike the back of his head. "Argh...! The hell?" A hoof rose to try and itch away the pain. "Huh? What's wrong?" "I-I don't know, man. I just feel... just...I... I dun't feeeel so..." His sight was nothing more than a haze as he collapsed onto the floor. "Wh-whoa! Hey, Hugo! You alright? Hugo...? C'mon buddy, wake up!" The second frantically shook his fellow friend as the look in his eye lids went lopsided. "Ahh, crap! Gotta call- Oof!" A hoof swiftly met the side of his face and, before he could react, was lifted into the air whilst being chocked out by a strange force. A purple lit horn was the last thing he saw before he was brutally slammed into the wall at great velocities, falling unconscious because of it. 'Ok, now with that out the way, better inform Bianca...' Sparkle thought shaking off the dust on her shoulders. She spared the limp bodies a glare, 'Well... Not the cleanest kill, but it works...' P T T ---------<[000.00]> -- MEMORY [Colonel S. Berry] 140.88 [Bianca M. D. S. Aveiro] 140.92 <----- [----] ---.-- [----] ---.-- Calling Sparkle: Bianca, do you copy? Bianca: Loud and clear, Sparkle! How's the first day on the job going for you? Sparkle: Swimmingly so far. Could've been quieter... Bianca: Soooo.... I assume you've broken in? Sparkle: You got that right. Bianca: Hehe! Well, I expected nothing less from the best...! Sparkle: You're too kind... Bianca: And you're too stiff. Come on! It never hurts to take a compliment...! Sparkle: Yeah, yeah... Anyway, have you uploaded the building schematics yet? I could use a little bit of navigation if I wanna get through this place safely. Bianca: Errm, well... there's kind of a problem with that... Sparkle: That being...? Bianca: I tried to breach the security cameras to get a vague location of what's where. But, I was stopped by a firewall. And with my levels of hacking, I just can't find my way through... Sorry to say this, but your on your own for now. Sparkle: Is there any way I can help? Bianca: Actually, now that I think about it... If you were to directly shut down the cameras, then I could potentially reboot them and bypass the wall. Berry: But until then, you have to find your own way through Sparkle. Sparkle: Colonel? How are you on Bianca's frequency? Berry: Let's just say, that the Codec isn't just a one-way call. That doesn't matter though...! What does matter is that you safely sneak into the base and save our captive soldier. Got it? Sparkle: Yes, sir. Bianca: Oh, and by the way. How's that sneaking suit working out for you...? Sparkle: Can't lie. It does its job to a brilliant standard. Sound suppression, endothermic material, camouflage... It really is State of the art. Berry: Right. And its lined with kevlar, offering great protection against knives. But Sparkle, even with that, you're naked. Sparkle: Yeah... Come to think of it, why didn't you send me in with any weapons? Berry: Think of it as... A first day test or even training on the go. In situations like these, improvisation, adaptation and stealth are vital. Besides, you should find a gun or two lying around there somewhere. Sparkle: I see... Berry: But remember Sparkle. Priorities come first, anything else can wait. Nothing is more important than the mission at hoof. Good luck, soldier. We're counting on you. Call Ended As if on cue, the moment she hung up was the moment the seemingly lifeless corpse she beamed in the back of the head began twitching and gurgling. This earned him an unsurprised look for the looming soldier. She had only shot the back of his head with a compressed laser of magic; must've burned something important... Still, in all her years of training, she rarely ever focused on magic or spells or whatever. Mainly because she was put into an Earth-pony division camp. So with her lack of experience, she could only use telekinesis (barely) and shoot mediocre beams. 'Hugo' didn't seem too hot after that blow. He swung his head aimlessly around as he blabbered non-sense. "*Sigh*... Maybe I shouldn't of gone so harsh on him..." Sparkle contemplated, placing one hoof on the side each of Hugos' cheeks and swiftly snapping his neck. Just as was about to leave him to his peace, she noticed a gleam of refracted light coming from his hip. A gun was found at his holster. Sparkle snatched it, analysing the weapon, "Hmmm... A SOCOM, eh?" She identified, "Not the best of pistols, but it'll do." She packed the gun in a belt of her own and looked ahead of her. A double door stood there, in the distance. The only thing between her... and her mission. This was the beginning of something big. It was time to save lives. She approached the door. She placed a hoof on both handles. She swung the door open... And immediately, a hoard of changling eyes snapped in her general direction. Silence... ... .... ...... "!" "Intruder!!" |A L E R T| |/!\/!------| |99.99/!\/| Sparkle slammed the door shut as a every changling there charged for her. Her time was limited and death approached. She searched the room desperately for a saving grace. 'Shit...! What do I do...? What do I do? What do I-!?' Then there it lay... "Aha!" The doors barely put up a fight. A tidal wave of bug ponies flooded into the small hallway, guns and magic at the ready. "Where did she go?!" "What?? She disappeared!" "Impossible!" "Wait!" One exclaimed," Over there, the exit! That's the only place she could've gone! After her!" "Yeah! She won't get far...!" "No mercy, fellas!" Every last one of them took to the skies, ground and forest. All dissipating and spreading out to cover more ground. And so, the inside went quiet once more... Not even a gust blew through to break the cold air. However, in the shadow of the darkest corner... In the edge of the hallway... Something shuffled. In the ensuing chaos and disorder, something remained. Somepony remained... Completely hidden in plain sight... Inside a cardboard box. "That... was too close," Spakle stated, removing the box from over her, "I can't just be letting myself get to carless... But anyway, I must get back to mission at hoof...!" Wondering back into the room, she managed to examine it properly. It was similar to an office building reception, with a receptionist counter, a waiting bench, carpet flooring and all that jazz... To the left of the room was a door labeled 'Cafeteria'. 'Yeah... probably nothing important in there.' To her right was an elevator with stairs next to them. 'I need to search the first floor before I go up.' To her front was an unmarked door. Where it leads to...? Probably another room. With no other option, she went forwards. Finding that behind said door was much more than a room... There was a gigantic field of grass with stone paths leading to and from a carousel in the centre and splitting in 3 other different directions. The 2 meters of land away from the path was cover by thin-ish trees. It was almost too scenic... Sparkle cautiously trotted her way to the centre. Pulling out a box of cigarettes , ones she had snuck in before briefing, lighting up a single one with a compressed laser and taking a long puff of the nicotine. Breathing smoke out to the Luna's star bright night sky... The second she placed a hoof at the foot of the carousel, her cigarette was suddenly snatched away by a a small object too fast to see. She glared at the approximate area of direction the thing flew by her. The still-lit cigarette had been hit by a sharp pointy blade of steel: A Kunai. Sparkle then quickly turned her head to where the kunai could've been thrown from. No pony was found. "Who ever is there... I know you're watching me." She announced looking behind her at every turn, "Show yourself." "You don't doubt your senses... Impressive." A cold and firm voice spoke out. "You're already better than any of my foes; I can feel it." "Who goes there?!" She snapped back to the carousel with her SOCOM in hoof, aiming to fire. The stallion that stood there leaned on one of the poles on the entrance. He wore this weird, loose, yet sharp and elegant pitch black robe with long red scarf and an arrow shaped metal plating on his head facing downwards towards the diverge of his eyes. He bore a sheathed katana on his back. With all the details lining up. It was clear... That the stallion standing in front of her... Was a Ninja? "Good evening... Solid Sparkle." Author's Note OK, first off. So sorry for not uploading more frequently! Outside life gets pretty busy... But I was hoping I could make it with a... Behind the scenes So basically, this is where i'll give you my first hand experience, thoughts and deleted choices that I had in the making of this story. Anyway! Subject for today... Applejack and friends!- -So while this story was still not out, I had been thinking over the plot. Mainly, the villians. I thought 'Hey, if Sparkle should ever grow as a character, it should be through her friends.' But that was the problem... In a time of war and missions, ol' Sparkler would possibly never find time for her friends. Yet, I really wanted to involve them in the story, not in too major role, but just significant enough... Hence, Pinkie Mantis and Sylvia bullet! I AM about to spoil a bit of the plot, but not to a massive degree. So if you wanna keep your mind clean for the future of this story, don't gloss over the black bar... But still it does ruin quiet a bit of my story, SO DO NOT READ. Unless you don't care for spoilers... So, I do plan on involving all of her friends in this mess... And I plan on each and every one of Spakles friends deaths to impact her on an emotional level. Even if she can't remember... Well that's all I have for today... Let me know what you want me to talk about in the next behind the scenes...! And if you did enjoy this chapter, be sure to give it a like. I greatly appreciate the support I'm getting now. Like, seriously, Thank you! But, until next time... Have a good one!
Chapter 4: Draw blade; Draw bloodIt was a show-down. The Soldier and the 'Ninja', facing off. Daggers flying from both ends, wild west style. "I'll be blunt..." Sparkle fearlessly spoke up, SOCOM at the ready, "Who are you and what do you stand by?" The stallion in pajamas gave no answer. But rather, hopped off the carrousel and approached the armed mare with the same bravery she emitted. Causing her magic to grip the gun holster more tightly. "My identity along with my morals are none of your concern..." He put simply, with a powerful yet uncharacteristic rasp in his voice, "As for you, I advise you leave the premises if you wish to live longer." "Name. Occupation. Information. Now..." "*Sigh*... If I must... Ryan, is the name I go by. I am an assassin trained in the graceful arts of Pinjitsu." Their unflinching faces stood not even inch away from one another. "I guard these lands with my blood, body and soul and, for the second time, leave. Lest you want to be met with the action of my warnings." Ryan promised with a clench of the sword within the scabbard. Staying ignorant to his threat, Sparkle took a step left. To which he mirrored perfectly. Then one to her right, which he copied again. Still never breaking eye contact. "You do not want this fight, 'Soldier Sparkle'... Please, heed my words." "I was assigned this mission by my superiors... I can't and won't back down. Not even for a full grown, self-proclaimed excuse of a 'Ninja'." "You can insult my profession all you like... But to insult the proud race of ponies along with it is unforgivable...!" He spat. "The Ninjas way died out a looong time ago, pal. Now move out of my way and you might not have blood all over your favorite pajamas." The last straw had been drawn. Ryan delivered a skull denting headbutt causing her to fall backwards in stun. Taking advantage of the moment, he thrusted his head down to his front shoulders between her fore legs and pushed up with a great amount of force, sending Sparkle a few inches off the floor. Before she could even land on two hooves Ryan drove a titanic B-spin kick to her face, bolting Sparkle off to the side and laying sprawled across the grass in pain. Trying to comprehend what the hell just happened to her. "H-how... did you do that...?" She carefully put herself on her hind hooves. "With ease." "Cocky son of a..." Sparkle whipped out her gun and fired without hesitation. Only to here the metallic twang of bullets bouncing off steel. In three simple swipes of a sword, he had deflected the shots. From close range. Like it was nothing. 'How in the-...?!' "C'mon. Fight me seriously. Firearms bore me..." He challenged, sheathing his blade, placing one hoof to his hip and the other outstretched in front of him. Taking a sort of defensive fighting stance. Sparkle remained quietly angry, yet was inwardly afraid. How can she fight a stallion that was fast enough to react and deflect bullets...!? She took up her own stance, with her both arms stretched out towards Ryan. Difference being was that her right hoof was half-retracted. The two circled each other, like tigers in a cage. Staying ready for any sign of hostile movement. Ryan went first: leaping high into the air and dropped with a gripped kunai in hoof. Sparkle leaped back to evade but Ryan, anticipating the dodge, bounced straight off the ground and lunging towards her at high speeds, kunai first. But before any contact was made, Sparkle used her right hoof to divert the blade in hoof and in one motion, elbow barged the shoulder of the arm that carried the weapon. Surprised by this, Ryan placed both hind legs on firm ground to attempt to escape her. This, however, only gave her the upper hand. As one hoof landed, she directed a solid kick to the side of his knee before then applying much more power to her barge and forcing him onto the floor. Ryan struggled to fend off Sparkles unexpected tack down, throwing aimless punches and moving around like crazy just to try and get her to release her grip. This went on for about 10 seconds before Sparkle pinned down one leg, then another, and another, until he lost some energy and began to slow a bit. Allowing her to completely hold him. Using magic, she pulled out the SOCOM and pushed it against his head, barely panting, "*Hah!* *Hah!*... Well?? How's that for a fight?" "Heh heh-! I won't lie... I'm impressed." He grinned slightly under his robed mask, "Out of all my opponents, you're the only one to have successfully overpower me..." "Hmph... Good. In any case, hired bodyguard or not, you're still a member of the Changling H.O.P.E. And as a soldier of the Princess, I must kill you. So do me a favour and send the people of Tartarus my regards..." "Yes, yes... I get it. But I am still urging to ask. Do you really think this battle is over?" She narrowed her gaze in suspicion, "What are you getting at here...?" "Oh nothing much..." He replied nonchalantly, "It's just your fighting style... It strikes a heavy cog in my memory. Say, do you happen to know a Changling by the name of 'Saint Berry'?" "!..." He...He Knows...?! "Heh heh heh! So you do...! What a surprise..." Sparkle hadn't been aware her reaction gave it away. "That sly old man... He created CQC. Of corse you got your talent from him...! Tsk... to think you actually took me down with your own skill..." Snapping back to her senses, she shoved the gun harder against his head, shouting, "How do you know him!?" "Pray tell, why should I answer to you...?" BANG! Ryan's head slumped off to the side. The tension of the moment dying along with him... The cool, empty quiet only carrying the light, drawn out breaths of the soldier through the air. "'Cause you're the one with a gun to his head, dumbass..." Sparkle lately replied, getting off of the ninja and trotting onto the carousel with one intention... P T T ---------<[000.00]> -- MEMORY [Colonel S. Berry] 140.88<----- [Bianca M. D. S. Aveiro] 140.92 [----] ---.-- [----] ---.-- Calling Berry: Sparkle, you called? Is everything OK? Sparkle: Yeah, all is going accordingly... Berry: Ah, good. Glad to hear that you're safe. Have you rescued Tez Ko? Sparkle: No, not yet. But I need to ask you one thing, just one... Berry: Well shoot. I'm all ears. Sparkle: It's just... How do I put this...? I ran into a stallion in pure black robes who claimed to be a 'Ninja'. He carried a katana, some kunai and everything. Berry: A ninja...?! Sparkle: Yep. A guy by the name of 'Ryan'. Weird thing was... He also knew who you were. Going as far as to personally refer to you as a 'sly old man'. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two have some kinda history... Berry: ... Sparkle: Well? Do you? Berry: Heh... Ryan, you sneaky sunuvabitch... Sparkle: Huh? Colonel, what are you- Berry: We'll talk later, Sparkle. I promise... For now, remember your priorities. Sparkle: ... Berry: ... Sparkle: ... Yes sir... Call Ended 'What the hell could he be hiding...?' Sparkle wondered, 'Were they enemies, maybe...?' Either way, she didn't really care all too much. After that short fight with the Ninja, Sparkle had worked up a big deal of stress. And whenever she was stressed, she smoked. Just something about it that really takes the toll off of things for her... She dragged the small box out her pocket, snatched a cig', lit it and took in a deep breath of the substance... As she puffed out the rigged smoke into the crisp air of the starry night sky among Lunas moon. For the first day on an infiltration mission in a base located deep in the Everfree forest, it was still a beautifully picturesque moment to behold. Still... now was not the time to be admiring the scenery. Sparkle made her way onwards to the double doors in the clear in front of her. Then, a flash lit the sky... Shhhhhing...! KA-chunk! Ryan stood in front of her while facing away, Sword in hoof as he held a position that suggested that, with one swift and mighty swing... he had struck. Which would explain why Sparkles horn was on the floor. The realisation (and pain) had finally set in... "UUWAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHH!" She collapsed onto one arm and gritted her teeth as blood began to drip from the stump that was her horn. And for a second, things felt fuzzy. "This battle was long from over Sparkle..." Ryan ominously stated, giving her a sideways glance. The bullet that had struck his head was lodged in place. So despite taking a point-blanc gun shot to the face, he lived...? "B-but... How?! How are you still alive!?" He sheathed his katana, giving a distant and somewhat melancholy smile under the mask, "... I ask myself the same thing." "Huh...?" "You are not the first to try and kill me... And you will not be the last. Foe after foe, intruder or soldier... I win. I always win. But that never stops me from fighting on. I fellow my Code to a T. 'To fight the a good, true battle.' and to never lose illegitimately. Each and every time, I welcome myself to the sweet and loving embrace of death. Only to get pushed away by myself... And I keep asking 'Why? Why must I suffer this curse?'" As he rambled on, sparkle attempted to grip her SOCOM with her magic. The purple aura flicked upon what she had left before fading out with exhaustion. Some magic was left, but not enough to suffice. "Over and over, I keep on asking the same damn question... Why can't I die?," For a second, and only a second, his eyes twitched in a sort of sorrow that couldn't be described... "Then... one day... as I sliced a stallion open from his belly to his neck, I realised... that I'm no pony. I'm less than that. I am a monster..." He lamented with self-hatred. "Life, for me, was hard enough before that. But after coming to terms with facts, I finally accepted that... Well..." In a blur of speed, Ryan appeared directly in front of Sparkle to deliver a devastating uppercut to the stomach. Knocking all the air from her lungs with widened eyes that couldn't begin express the amount of pain she was in. "Tartarus would NEVER take a sick, repulsive monster like ME!" He followed through with the uppercut, sending Sparkle through the roof of the carousel and reaching sky high...! Almost 20 meters off the ground! This strength wasn't from any ordinary Earth pony... The flying purple mare finally slowed as gravity brought her limp body back down, falling faster and faster. Ryan, on the other hand, jumped up towards Sparkle. Reading himself to give her a mid-air bicycle kick. She barely even had a chance to glare at him, as his kick connected with a thunderous BAM! and CRACKK! Sending Sparkle crashing through the doors like a meteorite into a pitch black supply room. "Uuuuhn..." She fought hard to just stay conscious, because at this point, pain numbed all her senses. Forcing herself to look up, she saw that Ryan had just landed. And he was approaching, very, very slowly. Possibly to settle in the fear of the situation. If she didn't do something... If she didn't do anything... She would die. Sparkles head swayed under the dizziness Ryan set in motion. Fruitlessly trying to shake off the haze. His strength... His endurance It wasn't normal. It was anything but normal. Sparkle knew that much... But if the so-called ninja was really a gifted or super powered, then Sparkles chances weren't looking very good.. Desperately, she dragged herself to the doors and slammed them shut. 'Come on, come on! Think, Sparkle!' she thought as she screwed her eyes shut, 'There has to be something here that I can use...' She opened her eyes and adjusted to the darkness, seeing one chance to make it out alive... It would take some great coordination and probably a stupid amount of luck... But it could work! ! ... Ryan had reached the doors Sparkle had abruptly shut on him. Pondering the reason to why she did so... To buy time possibly? Oh well, she only delayed her own execution... He kicked open, looking into the sea of darkness the room emitted. For a moment, he hesitated. What if she does have something planned...? Regardless, he marched in a few steps. Only to stop at the sight... Of a cardboard box. That confirmed it. She was plotting something, but what? Staying true to his gut, he scanned the room a bit. A few boxes with old and out dated guns filled most of the room. Other than that, there was no sign of Sparkle. He trotted around to inspect the boxes, until he heard something shift behind him. Turing around sharply, he found... Nothing. The aforementioned box had stayed perfectly still. But... One corner of his clouded mind couldn't help but think, 'Did that box move?' At any first glance, the answer would be an obvious no. Still...! Ryans suspicion just couldn't let go. But it was a trap...! And he knew it! ... Was it...? To ease his inner-doubt, Ryan snagged a FAMAS (just to be extra safe) from one of the supply crates and approached the box with cautious pace to his trot. The entire journey, one half of himself was constantly nagging in his ear, saying, 'This is a idiotic! Of course she wouldn't be hiding in there, it's too obvious...! She has to be somewhere else...' Even if that voice was right, it simply would not matter. He had a sword, inhuman like speed and power, and a gun for safe measure. Plus he had heavily limited Sparkles magic capabilities AND that kick was guaranteed to at least break a rib or two. If anything, he had no right so be afraid. 'So way the hell do I still fear her??' He held the box under point blanc range, readying his aim... "See you in hell, Twilight..." BRAAATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAT! Several upon several upon several holes punctured the cardboards exterior. Several bullets, way out of the league of a flimsy old box. Several death, sentences that could take a hundred lives over. Several shots, that all could kill with certainty. The deed was more than done. Ryan breathed a sigh of newly released fatigue... as he kicked the box over to finally reveal the corpse of no pony... "Huh!!-" The doors sssSSLAMED shut, allowing the dark veil of the room to completely blind the Ninjas vision! "I knew it!" He shouted as he drew his sword; helplessly searching the space around him, "Come, you coward! Come here and face me properly!!" "Your tone is off..." "Huh?" "Could it be... fear?" Ryan noticed a dim light emanating smoke in the corner of his eye. "Come and get me." "Humph! You think I have anything to fear from YOU?!" He screamed, flustered by anger. Sword in hoof, he charged head first towards the light in the dark and, with one big swing, hit nothing. That lit cigarette was merely propped up to deceive him. His heart sank further when he hear a pin hit the floor and something small thudded in front of him... A flashbang. BAM! An intense light drowned the room for no longer than a split second. Ryan fell back, grunting in pain and clamping his eyes shut. With his vision only now just adjusting to the dark, to say he was blinded was more than an understatement. "Gah! Urrgh!! Son of a-! Dammit!" "What happened to your language?" Sparkle asked cooly, hold a gun from the shadows to the unseeing ninja. "My turn." "Hah!... Hah!... I... I cannot lie Sparkle..." Ryan panted through the sting, clutching his katana. "You're pretty good." ... ! AUX [C A L L] Push select 140.92 Bianca: Sparkle! Are you OK?! I just checked your vitals on the nano system: You're in critical condition! Sparkle: ... Bianca: Sparkle? Hello?? BANGBANG! Shi-Shhinggg! Sparkle?? BABABANG! Sh-sh-Shinnng! Sparkle?! BANG...! BANG...! Shhhing! Ka-Chunnng! SPARRRRRRRRKKKKLLLLEEEEE! Clic-Click! Click! ... "Enough!!" BRA-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT! The ninja fired aimlessly into the abyss. Gunshots lighting up the room, chasing the changing images of an elusive Sparkle. But never ceasing to miss. Among the bullet hell, the windows broke and midnight light shone down on the area. Letting Ryan see at least a little better. But during his search for the stealthy soldier, he felt two arms tightly wrap around his waist. And, before he knew what had happened, Sparkle had lifted him off his hooves to then swiftly suplex the unknowing stallion straight onto his head! The FAMAS he once wielded fell straight of of his grip. Steadily getting back up, Ryan found himself face to face with the soldier. She took up her fighting stance. "C'mon...! Let's end this! No Swords, and no guns!" Sparkle challenged. Adrenaline coursing through her veins. Ryan silently agreed by taking up a stance of his own, slowly approaching Sparkle as she approached him. Sparkle went for a punch to the head. He caught her hoof. She tried hitting his liver. He caught that one too. Sparkle struggled fruitlessly to pry her fists from his grip. To which, he only grinned with pride. "Heh... Just like alllll the rest... Your strength and speed could never compete with-" "Shut... up!" Sparkle drop kicked him from where she stood, just managing to knock the stallion off her and fumbling onto the floor. Rage. That was all that could be read from his bloodshot eyes. And with a drastic loss of composure, he dashed at her with full speed. Retaliating with a drop kick of his own that sent Sparkle straight through the doors once more. She slid too a stop, sprawled on the concrete. If something wasn't broken before, it sure as hell was now. Sparkle felt herself slipping away into a black out, hanging by a thread onto consciousness. Peering from where she lay, the Ninja closed the gap between them. His katana ready to kill. "Well, Sparkle. I can't say this hasn't been fun... For as much as a pain in the flank you are to kill, I'm still happy to say that I faced you. Still... It's a shame you couldn't pull of the task of murdering me... But, all jokes aside, any last words?" Sparkle coughed and spluttered before she could ask, "H-how... how do... you know the Colonel?" "Hm? The Colonel...?" "Berry..." His face lit up, "Ahhh! Yes...! Saint Berry! That old stallion and I go back quite a long way...! Well, him and I, met on another battlefield, where we had the fight of a century... And I lost!" He sounded very... giddy to say the least. But his accent was very misleading. It almost sounded... Mexicolt? "Despite every advantage I held over him, that guy just wouldn't go down...! With his cunning and creativity, I fell to his hooves. And it hurt! Yes... Good times indeed..." 'I knew he wanted to die... but dear lord! How suicidal is this guy?' "Y'know, that's why I am happy to be facing you. Because you were trained by him... So surely you have a few tricks that he taught you? Right?" "B-but how-" She stuttered on her words. Ryan continued, ignoring her entirely. "I'm just dissapointed though... You are smart, I've seen and felt it. Yet, at the end of the day, you still couldn't finish me off. I guess I'm just too strong." He lifted his katana, ready to deal the final blow. "Adios... Amiga." "W-wait...!" "Eh? What? What do you want now?" He questioned as his sword lowered a bit. "Y-y-you su-seriously... Didn't notice?" "Que? What non-sense are you trying to convey this time?" Sparkle, to his surprise, had a short burst of pained laughter. "I've won...! D-don't you see?" "See? All I see is how mad you've become." "Your back... Doesn't it feel... itchy?" Ryan took a moment to think. But then realised that she was right...! Something was stuck to his back and he couldn't reach it! "Huh?? What the-! What did you do?!" Looking back to Sparkle, he gasped. In her hoof, she held a detonator. His eyes widened as he recalled the moment she suplexed him. She must've planed a...! "C4 bomb... I win..." In her last moments awake, before Ryan could do anything to stop her, she passed out. Pressing the button... Author's Note Sorry if there is any spelling errors in this piece. I will look over and correct them. But right now, it is SUPER late. And I am super tired. Sorry for keeping you guys waiting... Hope you enjoy this episode.
Chapter 1: Broken and Shattered...*Riiiiing*... "...Stabilised! Keep her...!" Darkness... It blinds her.... "Damnit...! She's... much blood...! ... Losing her!" ...And not just her vision. Her thoughts and feelings lay surrerendered to the pessimistic dark that envelops her. Ignore it... Reject it... It remains. No matter what. It'll hurt, break, or kill. One way or another. "...Shrapnel near... heart, lungs, wings... She might not....... No!...... Too impor....!" But, just like the Yin Yang... For every great deal of darkness, there's always a counter-balance of light. The two do, however, co-exist with hostility. So when the dark has had his fun, light must act in contrast. "... Sparkle...? ... You hear me?! Twi.......?! ...............!!!!" Now watch, dear reader... As the light slowly comes to grip with her... Filling all her friends... Familly... And loved ones. Into blank slates. Memories... All whiter than paper. ! The purple mares bloodshot eyes shot wide open. Revealing a plain, white tiled ceiling. Her head felt warm and fuzzy; aching at bit. She may not've been able to move too much, but judging by the lightest of shuffles... She could feel that she was laying on something soft... A bed, perhaps? 'Where... Where am I' The Mare thought. She tried running her memories back, in hopes of finding some solution or reasoning. But there was nothing... Memories of last week? Nothing. Memories of last month? Nothing... Any memories at all!? Of ponies? Colleges? Her own name?? Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Arising from her pillow and now sitting upright, she took a long yet panicked look at her hooves. "Who am I...?" Who am I? The words echoed across her head, getting louder as they bounced. Asking the same question, over and over and over again. With no answer to aid it. That was until, "Sparkle! I'm... My name is... Sparkle? But, that's all I remember... That's who I am, right? So why does it feel so... so...." "Um... Miss?" Instantaneously, Sparkle cracked her head left. Coming into view of what could only be assumed to be a nurse. Judging by her clothing, of course. "Who... What's your name...?" She questioned the pony in white. "Ahem... I am Nurse Red Heart. I will be your official Doctor for the day. But I must inform you... Miss Sparkle, this may seem to be a bit much to take in. But please! Try and remain calm when I say... "...You've been stuck in a 3-year long coma." Red Heart was definitely right about one thing. Upon hearing the news, Sparkle didn't even have a reaction. Her pupils narrowed to pixels after letting the information sink in. Returning a bland look of sorrow and loss towards the Nurses sympathy. "Though, I must know. Is it true? Do you remember nothing, Miss?" "No... Not at all..." Sparkle admitted, staring at the floor in defeat. "Hmmm... An abrubt loss of memory... Retrograde amnesia, maybe?" "Do...Do you know my name?" Red Heart opened her mouth in response, when: "Sparkle... Solid Sparkle" A large, white alicorn with a bright, flowing rainbow mane entered the room. Despite not being able to recalling a single thing, Solid Sparkle felt a wave of familiarity wash over her in the mere sight of the princess... She swore that she knew her. "B-but Princess...!" Red Heart objected, "You know exactly who this is. Why didn't you-?" "Did I stutter?" The Alicorn countered with assertiveness. In an instant, the Nurse shut her mouth. Choosing not to question her superior. "You are relived of your duty. Go home." "Y-yes, Celestia..." And with a single, almost reluctant nod, Red Heart trotted out of the room. Leaving the two ponies in silence and isolation. "Solid Sparkle... Are you well?" Celestia said, her face becoming slightly more caring as she broke the ice. "I... don't know." Sparkle replied with dismay, "I just feel so hollow...So empty. What's going on?" Celestia's gaze shifted away from Sparkle and towards the window, where the sun's light obscured the vision of them both. "A lot has changed... Not for better, but for worse..." She pondered aloud, before bringing herself back to her original task, "Come with me, Solid Sparkle. We have much to discuss..." "But w-wait!" Sparkle got up and off of her bed, only to find a throbbing sensation burn the left side of her back. Where she found a bandaged stump, which looked liked it had bore a wing once... "What the...?" "Hey! I still have questions! Are you listening? Please, you can just leave me in the dark like this...!" Sparkle begged. "They'll be answered in due time... For now, follow me." Celestia said calmly. Holding the door open for her. Something wasn't right about Celestia, if her dismissive attitude really had an effect to her on a social scale, then it most obviously couldn't have been good... Still, an explanation doesn't usually take so long. Her wing was missing, she'd taken a 3 year long nap and to put the icing on the cake... amnesia! And though Sparkle hated being forced to stay ignorant to knowledge, she felt she had no other choice but to comply... ... Now walking though the corridor of the Hospital, Celestia ramained unusually focused... "So... Are you gonna talk?" Despite Sparkles query, all it did was make her stop and put a hoof to her ear. Her odd actions earned a raised eyebrow from Solid Sparkle. "Ok, but seriously. What are you doing? I'm starting to get sick of asking." Suddenly, A ringing went off in her ear, similar to the kind of ringing that you would hear from of telephone. "What the..? Do you hear that?" "Answer it. Just place a hoof to your ear, like I do." "O...kay, then..." AUX [C A L L] Push select 140.86 Celestia: Solid Sparkle. Can you hear me? Sparkle: Wait... What are..- But...! Huh!? Celestia: Please, stay calm. We are currently communicating by Codec. Sparkle: Codec? I just...- I don't even...- How long was I really out for...? Celestia: Too long... Now allow me to explain. The Codec is a means of calling and speaking with another pony, but just much more silently. In a way, it's like telepathy. Only with technology and radio frequencies. Sparkle: Tech-no-logy...? Celestia: It's too much to explain now, but I thought I should bring it up by demonstrating what this is. In order to use the Codec, you need to type in a frequency if you want to make a call. For instance, my frequency is 140.86. Sparkle: *Sigh* Alright... That's all well and good. But why, in any right of common sense, would I need this? Celestia: You'll see... Sparkle: Again with this? Why don't you stop being so vague and give it too me straight? What. The Hell. IS GOING ON? Celestia: ... Sparkle: Hello...? Helllooo? Are you still there? Wait, did you just-? CALL ENDED As Sparkles' vision returned after being abruptly hung up on, she found herself not in a Hospital. But now somewhere new. It was a simple, large, grey coloured room. No furniture decorated its space... and no pony seemed to be around. The only thing worth notice was the gigantic window that overlooked the landscape. And it was there, that Celestia was found. Getting lost in the view... "I'm sure you have a lot to ask, my little pony..." Celestia stated. "Ya got that right..." She confessed, approaching the lone Alicorn and sitting besides her. "It all began three years ago... Equestria was a land of peace, harmony, and most importantly, equality. It was a place were every pony of any kind could fit in." A smile showed up as she lamented the past. "Despite this, there were quite a number of ponies who...well, didn't agree with this land of 'friendship'. Villains of different calibre would try out their schemes, all in hopes to overthrow my rule... They, fortunately, would never come to prevail. All thanks to the Six heroic mares. Each of which shared a close bond with one another, like siblings... And it is from that bond, that forged The Elements of Harmony. Their was Pinkie pie, element of laughter. Applejack, element of honesty. Rarity, element of generosity. Rainbow Dash, element of loyalty. Fluttershy, element of kindness. And finally, you... Solid Sparkle. The Element of the magic of friendship." "Hold up... So you're saying that I was a hero once?" "You were the leader of the Elements of Harmony. A role only suited for you." "Damn... Me? A hero...? What changed then?" "Well, long after the defeat of the Changlings... Queen Chrysalis, the ruler of the Changling hive and long time foe, offered my kingdom a peace treaty... 'As long as we supply them with their proper means of sustenance and the freedom to roam Equestria. And they, in turn, would no longer attack, but rather assist us if we ever needed it.' Of coarse, we had our doubts. I always knew that a Changling would turn to any chance to backstab for personal gain... And from the way it was looking, we would've denied their offers. That was, until an annomaly occurred. A "friendly" Changling by the name of Thorax had been uncovered near the Chrystal Palace. He claimed to only want to live a normal life, and to be accepted among the common-folk... Thorax, to the end, was a good pony. Breaking from the chains of his own home to be amongst us, it really moved me. And with that, I accepted Chrysalis' Truce." "Surprisingly enough, all was well. We gave them their fair share of love, and they returned as much as they said they would. We even got some insight into the biology of a Changling as well as making vast strides in the creation of technology. Turns out that the race of bug ponies were much more intelligent than we first anticipated. And for a while, the future shone bright... But however, it wouldn't stay that way, not forever. Even though the majority of ponies and Changlings were happy with the union of the two tribes. There's are some that, for what ever reason, just don't agree with our way of life..." Her tone grew somber as she stared distantly at the barren and now divided land that lay in front of her. "Does that answer everything, Sparkle?" "Actually, I do have to ask you one more thing," Solid Sparkle chimed. "In what way does...ALL of this play into me and how I got here?" "Ah, I see... Well, had I continued to the full extent of the story, you would've known by now... But... Things don't get good from this point out." She warned. "It all happened... In the Ponyville Bombing of '09." Celestia tried to clear the lump in her throat as she uttered the event. "I still remember the day clearly; too clearly... I wasn't there during to watch the whole thing unfold, but I had heard that there had been an 'extremist' in the town... A suicide bomber. And he had demands... I knew I needed to hurry." Celestia had just teleported to the entrance of Ponyville and, without a moments notice, rushed throught the town before things turned south. She would've teleported directly into the heart of ponyville, but even for an Alicorn, teleportation magic takes a lot to pull off. Dashing through crowds, her lungs heaved and legs ached as each breath she took burned her mouth. Begging her to slow down. But she didn't. She couldn't. Not with the populace in fatal danger. 'Please, God...! Please tell me i'm not too late!' She prayed, it was all she could do at the time. To her fortune, she, at last, found a large crowd chattering among each other as they circled around what looked like two ponies standing face to face. One was a changling with a jacket packed with C4, dynamite and other leathal explosives. The other was the purple alicorn, Princess Sparkle herself. She appereared to be nagotiating with him... "Stay away from me, ya hear?! Or I blow this entire town to kingdom come!" "Please, calm down sir...! I'm sure there's a better way to do this!" "There is no other way! I read the papers...! You imprisioned my brothers who oppossed your soft 'friendship'. Judged them with an uneven jury of ponies who could never understand us! and as a proud member of the changling H.O.P.E, I can never forgive you! Set them free, or pay the price...!" Celestia tried so desperately to speak up, but in her futile attempts at making a cohesive sentence, her scorched lungs just wouldn't allow it. Still, she needed to something... and fast! "What's it gonna be Sparkler? You have 5 seconds, make up your mind!" he stated, holding a detonator with his magic. "N-no! Wait! I need more-"" "FIVE...FOUR...!" "Please! You can't...-" "THREE...TWO...! ONE!" "Alright, alright!! I give in!" Sparkle shouted, waving her hooves at him in panic. "Heheheh...! Gooood." The Changling grinned sadistically. "So you finally decide to give me what I want, eh? Took ya long enough..." "Yes, I fully agree to your terms..." she strained herself to say. "I promise to let them free. But first, I have to ask you one thing..." "Huh...? What the hell is it?" he sneered. "You afraid of hights...?" "Eh?" In an fraction of a second, the alicorn ponced at the bomber, tackling him whilst also gaining hight from flapping her wings as quickly and as powerfully as possible. "GAH! How... How dare you! Grrrrrr! Geddoff me...!" Sparkle ignored him, only flying higher and higher... As she ascended, a closed her eyes. Embracing her fate... From the ground, Celestia's eyes' widened in fear as she saw the purple and black dot get smaller... And smaller... And smaller...... ... ........ .................... *KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOM* The air above her lit up with an explosion of fire and flames. Like a firework from hell. Celestia's fear now turned into a horrific agony as she silently witnessed her most prized and precious student go out in ball of molten hot flames... It was undeniable. Sparkle... was gone. "No..." Her eyes welled up with tears, blinding her sight as smoke filled the air... "Please God... Please let this be a dream..." Alas... It was not a dream, nor a nightmare... But rather, the cold and harsh wave of reality. Her legs failed her; the princess now collapsed onto the floor. Bawling her eyes out and sobbing as the ponies around could only watch. It was clear... Equestria had lost one alicorn that day. Or so they thought... "Hey...! Look! Up there!" A towns pony pointed out. Celestia ceased her crying and gazed into the sky once more. From the giant dark cloud, a mare could be seen falling with blood streaking across her body. Without even thinking, she took flight and rushed straight towards Sparkle. Embracing and holding onto the limp body as she began to descend... Upon closer inspection, Sparkle had stayed in one piece. But had several burnt patches of fur as well as a very few strand of hair on her head. "Medics! We need medics, fast!" "...And well... you should know the story from here." "Oh... Wow... Celestia, I had... I'm... so, so sorry for making you worry. I really am." "Don't be." She waved her hoof dismissively, "You made a heroic sacrifice. For all the lives of those who witnessed it, you chose to end yourself in their turn of their chance at a full life. I can't thank you enough." "I'm... not sure what to say, to be honest. As wild as this all sounds, I can't exactly accept your 'thank yous'... mainly because of the lack of memory of the event." "If you say so, my little pony... But as of right now, a war rages on. After the bombing took place, I made it my personal mission to interrogate the every changling in search of this group... The Changlings' 'Haven Of Proper Equality', or H.O.P.E. I swore on your life that I would bring them the rightful justice they deserved..! But alas, when I aligned my troops to search their city, Chrysalis stood in my way. 'I'm sorry Celestia, but under no conditions will I have you rummaging through my property.' is what she told me. I was confused yet very suspicious, no matter what I said or promised, she wouldn't budge... So after some thinking. I came to the conclusion that she was a part of H.O.P.E; that she planned that attack on my town. And so, I waged war..." Silence broke out as Celestia reflected on her past decisions, showing some signs of regret mixed in with anger. Sparkle, on the other hoof, was busy in the thought of the H.O.P.E. Why on earth, would any pony do something so... heartless. Why didn't they like us? Who did they thing they were to carry out such cruel motives...? "Sign me up." "What?" She gazed in shock of her words. "For the war, sign me up." "You want to... fight? B-but, Sparkle. Why?" She placed a hoof on Celestias' shoulder. "Well... I may not know much. But even still, what kind of 'hero' idly sits around while others are dying? Not me, that's for sure. I guess what I really mean is... I don't want to lose sight of who I was." Jaw still slightly agape, the princess took a long, hard second about Sparkles decision. "You do know what you're getting yourself into by doing this, right? Training you correctly is a harsh road itself, and that doesn't even count in the war going on. You can get seriously crippled, injured, or even killed... Are you sure you want to do this?" "Shoot me, stab me, I don't care. As long as I'm able to make the difference, then i'll be happy." "So be it. Solid Sparkle. Promise me. That no matter what the situation may be. Through the face of death and fire. You will keep fighting the good fight..." "Yes, Princess...!" "Then salute." All confidence in her face seemingly disappered... "Errrrm... Salute?" Celestia playfully roled her eyes. "Like this," She put her hoof to her forehead will holding the other firmly on the ground. Sparkle mouthed an 'Oh' as she went through the same motions as Celestia just taught her. "Very well. Come, now. You have lots of training ahead..." Author's Note Hey, Guys! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please, if you would like to see more chapters. Be sure to give this story a like. And of corse, if you've noticed any mistakes in the chapter, be sure to let me know. Hope y'all have a good day!
