Twilight and the Spartan Stallion
Part 11: Spartan Shield vs. Princess Luna (II of III)

Spartan Shield cleared his throat a little, looking around awkwardly. He wasn’t used to such finery and grandeur. The royal dining hall, aptly named ‘The White Room,’ was a delicate mix of marble, filigree, crimson curtains and a balcony that overlooked Canterlot. There was a long table fit for easily thirty ponies, but for the moment there were only three present. Spartan Shield, clad in a simple bedsheet toga (mane slicked nicely with anointed oil, thank you very much), Twilight Sparkle, and Princess Celestia. A singular solar guard stood dutifully in the corner, and the room was relatively quiet. The high ceiling made it all a little intimidating, to be honest. The warrior didn’t know what to say around her Shining Immortal Majesty, so he sort of fiddled with his front hooves for a bit.

Princess Celestia finally broke the silence, quite used to star-struck subjects, “So Twilight, how has Spartan Shield been faring in Ponyville? Is he adjusting well?” she stretched her wings regally, before closing them again for comfort.

Twilight winced, but quickly wiped the expression from her face. “Well he’s uhm… he’s been…” she fished for a way to put a good spin on a street brawl, a timberwolf battle, erotic kisses and throwing ponies out of windows. She couldn’t find one. “He’s been a hoof full, that’s for sure.” Twilight smiled painfully at her bad response.

“I didn’t expect he would adjust too quickly. Twas a hard life to live in his era.” Celestia smiled bemusedly at Spartan Shield, who offered a meager grin of confirmation. “But, when you’ve marched into battle with a pony, you feel like you know them quite well. Have you been getting into trouble, stallion?” her eyes lidded in grand, motherly amusement.

“Er, none I could not get myself out of, your Majesty.” He bowed a little stiffly, scratching at his toga a little. He missed his armor. He felt too light and exposed. But, Twilight Sparkle had insisted he wear no such thing at a royal dinner engagement. As she was his cultural advisor and friend, he did as she asked. At least she hadn’t made him come naked. He didn’t think he could handle the ulcer that would result if he had to come to such a dinner naked. Even Princess Celestia had a slight, silvery-gold cape on this evening. She sat regally at the head of the table, smiling at them both.

“Has he been an okay house guest, at least?” Celestia tinkled with laughter. Twilight’s ears turned back as she flashed back to him assaulting her closet and throwing Rainbow Dash out the window. The purple mare squirmed visibly, rubbing her hooves back and forth under the table.

“W-we’ve been studying together, a little.” Twilight offered, avoiding the question entirely. “Spartan’s been very interested in boating and combustion engines.”

“Oh has he?” Celestia nodded with interest. “Canterlot is land-locked, but back in his time there was a grand harbor not too far south of here. Perhaps you remember, Spartan?” she smiled. He nodded dumbly, more and more feeling like this dinner had been a bad idea. Clearly her Shining Immortal Majesty wanted to hear about his progress and judge him for it. Even a Spartan Stallion could shiver under the discerning gaze of his goddess.

While Twilight Sparkle and the Princess of the day conversed, Spartan Shield looked awkwardly around. He had five forks, five knives, and three spoons in front of him, all solid silver. His plate was circular and shone with a spotless shine. The glass in front of him was no doubt crystal. Such finery! Spartans Stallions like himself were used to more raw things, used to roughing it and even stealing the food they needed sometimes. It was almost overwhelming. He’d not had the time to read and study the modernization of everything that had happened in Equestria, but if precious metals and such could be used for tableware… he was lost again, staring at his reflection in the silvery plate. He looked troubled, his face said. He missed his shield. At the very least, Twilight should’ve let him wear his shield on his back. That would’ve been comforting in all the bizarreness that had gone on. Don’t even get him started on the train. That fast-moving nightmare had made him sick all the way from Ponyville to Canterlot.

He found his gaze settling on the stallion in the corner, the solar guard. His armor was golden, his gaze blue and the expression on his face blank. He looked like something… less than Spartan, but not a pushover either. He had nice muscled legs and a proper barrel chest too, hmm. Perhaps the soldiers of the day were still something to be complimented.

“Spartan!” Twilight said loudly, snapping him out of his thoughts. She’d clearly spoken his name several times.

“Er!” he said loudly, jerking his gaze back to her. “Yes?” Celestia and Twilight blinked at him a little curiously.

“I said do you have your coins with you? We should show the Princess!” The purple unicorn said gently. He nodded, shifting and pawing at the leather string wrapped around his withers a bit. He produced his meager bag of ancient monies. Celestia’s golden magic took it gently from his hoof, floating it to her and opening it.

“Oh goodness, I remember these.” Celestia chuckled. “This was an era, Twilight, when it was tradition to have your rulers on your money.” She took out a few of them and inspected both sides. “Luna, and me.” She turned one over and over.

“Why did they have you on their money?” Twilight asked curiously, ever eager to learn something new from her immortal mentor. Celestia levitated a coin over to her student and smiled.

“Well, so they would know what we looked like.” Celestia said simply. “Traveling great distances wasn’t nearly as easy back then as it is today. We have trains and balloons and such.” She gestured mildly before collecting all the coins back in Spartan’s purse again and pulling the string tight. “So, Luna’s face and mine were put on Equestrian money so that they could see us no matter where they were, and recognize our reign.” She levitated the purse back to Spartan, who took it gingerly and put the loop back around his neck. He nodded, smiling.

The dining room doors open gracefully. Spartan Shield turned his head, his smile slowly falling as a pair of nightmares came in. Lunar Stallions. He stood slowly, an icy chill going down his mane and the back of his head. His ears turned forward as their glittering golden eyes locked on him for a moment, sizing him up. But then a third shadow fell upon the doorway that made Spartan Shield’s eyes widen in both horror and shock.

Princess Luna.

“Good evening, everypony.” said the night princess pleasantly. “Forgive our tardiness, we--!” CLANG! A saucepan had frisbee’d across the room and slammed into her face like a gong! She yelped, her wings opening and failing to steady her. She crumpled to the marble floor in a mess of long legs, silvery blood splashed on her nose.

“My d’oose!” Luna mewled like a kicked kitten, holding her muzzle with a tender hoof. Tears appeared in her eyes, but it wasn’t over yet. Spartan Shield LEAPT upon the table, grabbing the hoof full of knives that had been at his placement and started to gallop forward!

Aegis Shield and Stalwart Hide snarled like savage beasts, rushing forward and tackling him in midair as he leaped off the table. The three stallions wrestled furiously. Spartan Shield grabbed Aegis Shield around the middle, flipped his body about and slammed him headfirst into the ground with a glorious suplex. His helm crunched. The floor shuddered and the Lunar Stallion went limp, his eyes in swirls.

“Spartan! No!” Twilight leapt up from her place, galloping down the table and into the fray. She arrived just in time to see Stalwart Hide sink his metallic teeth into Spartan’s muscled arm. He roared in pain, hoofing him in the face and throwing himself forward to crush the armored pony with his sheer weight.

“’Ister whu’d iz de’h meaning of di’s!?” Luna shouted, nursing her bloody nose and pressing herself against the wall for support. Celestia stared, rather shocked at all the violence that had erupted. Luna’s horn lit itself, but her bloody nose was too distracting. She couldn’t concentrate.

Stalwart Hide could take a lot of punishment, thusly his namesake. He did shout in pain, however, when Spartan jabbed him viciously with tableware. The stallions strangled each other back and forth, little eating knives going this way and that. Suddenly the one solar guard joined the fray, a titanic pony that leapt upon Spartan’s back with a shout. They drove him to the floor with a serious of furious bucking sounds. Strange to see solar and lunar working together.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll KILL YOU!” Spartan Shield roared, wrestling furiously to rise again. Luna looked at him in horror, sticky silver blood dripping from her muzzle. “I’ll bucking KILL YOU!” He gave another shout of agony when Stalwart Hide sank his fangs into his shoulder and neck, at the tender areas where the two joined. Mercy? No such thing to defend her Majesty Princess Luna! The Princess recoiled back, frightened, while the Spartan Stallion roared and fought furiously. But no, the two guards atop him were more than enough to match his great-

HOOF-TO-THE-BALLS!

Stalwart Hide fell with a shriek, eyes crossed, holding himself. His bat-like wings snapped open, rigid in his agony and he curled up like a foal, coughing heavily. Celestia’s solar guard thrust himself upon the Spartan Stallion, straddle-punching wildly. “Spartan! Stop it!” Twilight shouted again, desperately. Luna looked back and forth in terror, having no idea at all what was going on. Who was this madpony?! “Stop it!” The purple mare shouted again, panicked.

Spartan Shield locked all four of his legs around the solar guard, pulling his face down with a roar and started head-butting him wildly. His helm protected him, but not all the way. The jarred, crushing force of the hard-headed stallion stunned the golden-armored pony, and when Spartan got a hoof free he punched him right across the face. The concussive force was enough to make him black out. The soldier fell with a grunt, limpening. Rising victorious, bleeding and bruised in several spots, the Spartan Stallion made for Luna! His roar was like that of a lion, and the dark alicorn cried out in fear.

SWAT-BASH! Spartan Shield never saw what hit him. An invisible, magical force had flung him to one side and into a wall, crushing him to it and then flinging him upon the floor. His world spun, all white spots and dizziness. Twilight Sparkle stood over him, panting in distress. He saw the purple light from her horn slowly fade. How DARE sh—he blacked out, his eyes rolling slowly into his head.

“Princess Luna!” Twilight rushed to the frightened, bloodied alicorn. “I’m so, so sorry!” She reared up, grabbing a napkin off of the table to press it to her muzzle. Luna sniffled as she was dabbed at, her nostrils burning in pain. She sat down hard, looking at the scene and the four fallen stallions.

Celestia slowly stood from her chair, having been still and silent for the whole ordeal. “It seems he failed.” She said somberly, walking slowly around the table to the pile of stallions on the floor. Her horn lit itself with golden magicks, and she waved it gingerly back and forth across Aegis Shield, Stalwart Hide, and the solar guard Granite Might. All three boys moaned, turning over and limping gingerly to their feet.

“Failed?” Twilight said, looking over her shoulder at Celestia.

“Failed to adjust.” Celestia said gently. “We’ve told Spartan Shield over and over that these are peace times, that Equestria has no enemies, and look at him.” She nodded to him, not bothering with a healing spell for the Spartan Stallion.

“H-he’s better than this.” Twilight said meekly. “He is!”

Luna scoffed angrily, “He bloodied our nose! Who is he?!”

“The pony that stood between you and victory, a thousand years ago.” Celestia smiled at the irony. “Seems he’s still angry that your army killed all of his comrades.”

“Who? What?” Luna said slowly, holding the napkin over her nose. She leaned, studying the toga he was wearing. He did look a little like the fashion of that era. And he was certainly large enough, stallions back then had been huge things.

“This is Spartan Shield.” Twilight gestured, sighing quietly. She was ashamed of her ‘student’, for he’d not learned a thing about peacetime in their weeks together if he was brawling in the royal dinner hall, out for Luna’s blood. “He led the Spartan Stallions at the Battle of Moon’s Apex a thousand years ago. He stood between Nightmare Moon’s army and Canterlot with three hundred and thirty-seven Spartan Stallions--”

“—and killed ten thousand Lunar Stallions.” Luna finished as she dropped the napkin in shock, a fresh bead of silvery blood dripping out of her nose. Her mouth was a little agape. She did recognize him. The leader. The foolish leader she’d tried to seduce away from the mouth of Sore Saddle canyon. It had been her last night on earth before being banished to the moon. She would never forget his face.

“I see you’ve been doing your research, my faithful student.” Princess Celestia mused.

“My history books also said that you defeated the rest of the lunar army on your own that night, Princess.” Twilight turned all the way around to face her mentor. “And— and Spartan Shield says that Canterlot used to have a canyon in front of it.” The implication of what had happened hung in the air, and Celestia turned her head a little guiltily.

“That was war, Twilight Sparkle. A very long time ago.” Celestia said quietly.

“That wasn’t fair, what you did. He doesn’t know any better.” Twilight gestured. “He was raised a warrior in one of the darkest times in Equestria’s history! He couldn’t just leave that behind in two weeks and shake hooves with his sworn enemy!” She turned and knelt gingerly, leaning over Spartan to see that he was okay. He was unconscious, but seemed to be breathing okay. The three guard ponies bristled angrily, their egos more than a little bruised that just one stallion had bested all three of them.

Celestia was silent a long time, then sighed deeply, “You are right, Twilight Sparkle. I was too hasty to think he could handle seeing Luna face-to-face so soon.” She turned to her sister. “I’m sorry, Luna.” She said genuinely. “I had hoped perhaps the two of you could make reparations now that the conflict is so far behind us.”

“He hit me in the face with a serving pan!” Luna shrieked angrily. “Sister, you set me up as bait!”

“I know.” Celestia wilted a little. “I overestimated the power of this utopian era, forgive me.” She did seem genuinely sorry, for her wings wilted down and almost touched the floor. “It will take more time for a Spartan Stallion to settle down and become peaceful like everypony else.”

“I should hit THEE with a serving pan! See how THOU likes it!” Luna grumped, grabbing her napkin and pressing it back to her nose gingerly. Aegis Shield and Stalwart Hide were at her side again, fussing over her. She sat on her haunches, tilting her head back so they could see and examine her properly.

“Please don’t punish him, Princess Luna.” Twilight said. “I-I’m supposed to be responsible for him. It’s my fault.” The purple mare stepped forth to soothe the angry Princess of the night.

“Tiz a lie, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna said airily while Aegis Shield went to fetch another napkin for the blood from the table. “Thou didst not instruct him to assault me. Tiz not thy fault if thy lessons on peace time did not seep into his head.”

“The Battle of Moon’s Apex was just a few weeks ago to him, Princess!” Twilight said desperately. “I know if he were given more time he could be kind and gentle! He’s been very gentle with me at lea--!” Twilight’s mouth clamped shut as soon as the words left her mouth and her face went scarlet. Celestia’s brow rose, her lips making a perfect o-shape. Oh-ho-HOH? There was a short, very awkward silence. Luna stared at her, grumpy and in pain still. “I-It’s not what it sounds like!” she shrieked embarrassedly.

“Can we throw him in a dungeon, PLEASE?” said Stalwart Hide interrupted loudly, growling over the still unconscious warrior. “Before he wakes up and causes more havoc?!”

“Yes!” said Luna.

“No!” said Twilight.

“Yes.” Said Celestia.

Obeying his Princesses, Stalwart Hide stepped forth to collect Spartan Shield’s body. The other two guards helped. He was heavy, such a muscle-y thing! They struggled with him out into the hall, and away.

“Princess!” Protested Twilight, looking up at her fearfully. “You can’t throw him in prison! You baited him! Showed him Luna with no warning!”

“Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia said, putting on her authoritative scolding voice. Twilight’s ears turned back and she wilted down to her belly on instinct, like a scolded foal. “I understand what I’ve done, I assure you. I gave him a test without enough time to study. As a teacher, that is my fault.” She admitted. “However, I shan’t keep him imprisoned for long.” She turned her head, towards Luna. “Just long enough for he and Luna to have a meaningful conversation without violence breaking out.”

“Thou art serious about these reparation talks?!” Luna said. “He HIT us! With a SERVING pan!” she complained for the third time, showing Celestia the blood.

“All I ask is a talk, sister.” Celestia said gently. “After that, Twilight will take him back to Ponyville and he may continue his studies of peace and harmony.”

“We wish to punish him! He cannot get away clean after assaulting a Princess!” Luna’s temper was stoking higher and higher.

There was a short silence, then Celestia nodded. “Very well. Punish him if it will make you feel better. But remember, he goes home with Twilight at dusk tomorrow.” The day Princess said it firmly, and there was no argument. Luna turned from the dining room, heading away to have her muzzle seen to. Twilight had never been so stressed out, sitting down hard on her haunches. She took deep breathes for awhile. When she looked up, she saw Princess Celestia was looking at her closely. “So.” said the white alicorn. “He’s gentle with you, huhm?” she smiled wryly on one side of her mouth.

“It’s not what it sounds like…” Twilight said weakly, in a very small voice. The sentence was a glass shield and she knew it. Her ears turned back, hot with embarrassment.

End of Part 11