First 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...!