//------------------------------//
// Let it Out 
// Story: Disappear 
// by ShimmeringStallion 
//------------------------------//


Let it Out





With the door to the room closed and little else to look at, Soarin’ couldn’t help but despise Vanish for what he did to Spitfire. He couldn’t stand seeing him even looking at the Captain of the Wonderbolts in her present condition. Overflowing with anger, he lunged at Vanish, who was quick to turn around in order to allow himself to be pounced on by the normally laid-back member of the Wonderbolts. Rainbow Dash was about to shout for Soarin’ to stop, but Vanish raised his hoof to her, halting her from committing to any course of action. Soarin’ wailed on the smoke gray-maned stallion, who kept his hoof raised, making sure that the mare would refrain from interruption.

Vanish kept his tone low, never making more than a grunt in response to the heavy-hoofed strikes that Soarin’ was landing on his face and body. Soarin’ was merciless in his assault, as Vanish kept his gaze on the Wonderbolt until Soarin' turned his head for a moment to avert his gaze, prompting the mercenary to speak up. “You look at me if you’re going to attack me, understand?” Soarin’ panted heavily as tears fell from his eyes; tears of anger at the pony he was attacking, tears of sorrow for his friend whose state was ‘precarious’ at best, as he bludgeoned the unicorn with his hooves. Soarin’ stopped for a moment to catch his breath and to compose himself, closing his eyes in an attempt at trying to regain control over his anger, but Vanish wasn’t done with him yet, standing up to taunt the emotional stallion further. “I guess her life didn’t mean much to you if you’re already done.”

Soarin’ cast a murderous glare as he lunged at Vanish once more, but Rainbow Dash stepped between the two stallions, desperately trying to hold the emotion-driven Wonderbolt back, who decided to ignore the pacifistic nature that comes with the role as a visitor for a patient in the hospital. “YOU’LL PAY! YOU’LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO HER!” Princess Luna used her magic to open the door swiftly, before the ponies saw Vanish use his own magic to grab Rainbow Dash, moving her away from the enraged Wonderbolt, and over to her friends. Soarin’ took a moment to regain his balance, having lost the pony that was holding him back, essentially having acted as a crutch, before looking at the target of his aggression with confusion as Vanish spoke. “I understand that your fury is well-founded. Do what you want until you think you’ve avenged her.”

Soarin’ had become exhausted, lowering his head in order to breathe in and out deeply. Vanish stuck his hoof out towards the ponies that had run into the room, stopping them from interfering. Soarin’ looked up, surprised to see the extent of the damage that he had done by himself to the mercenary. Vanish was a mess, or at least, he appeared that way: He had several imprints of hooves in his dark, dark blue coat that could be seen thanks to the illumination that the hospital ceiling lights, with marks mostly on his face and upper body, though his lower body had also been stomped on by the rear hooves of Soarin' considerably. His lip was heavily swollen from the hits to his face, and one of his eyes were closed. The wingless Pegasus stallion didn’t know where he had hit Vanish, nor did he care, but the smoke gray-maned unicorn pony was also keeping his leg turned towards his chest, limping towards Soarin’, before turning to Spitfire once more. His good eye opened in shock, as he saw Spitfire’s eye struggling to open.

He turned away, attempting to avoid a confrontation with Spitfire, simply saying “Take care of her.” to Soarin’ before limping with haste to the other ponies, grabbing his saddlebag and the fedora he had brought with him, by using basic levitation magic. “I am satisfied with how this visit has transpired. Make haste for the Wedding Hall, if you please.” Princess Luna and Applejack turned around attempting leading the way, until a voice rose up from the other side of the room. “NO!” Soarin’ shouted to the pony who had just spent the last several minutes being used as his own personal punching bag. Seeing Vanish continuing to walk, Soarin' desperately tried to convince him not to leave. “Don’t go! Please, wait!” Vanish stopped for a moment, but he didn’t stop looking at Luna and Applejack, who looked to one another with visible concern, prompting the unicorn stallion to glare angrily. “Do not test my patience, mares!”

Soarin' tried speaking again, but his word came out almost sounding like a gasp. “Don't…” Soarin’ had tears in his eyes. He had let his rage take hold of him, and he knew it was wrong. What he couldn’t understand was why Vanish had become so quick to turn away, after looking at Spitfire. Suddenly, the realization occurred to Soarin’, as he looked to the mare on the bed. Spitfire had her eyes opened, but was clearly in pain. She looked at her long time friend, and opened her mouth slowly, in order to speak through her neck brace. “… Soarin’… How… are… they?” She struggled to speak, but Soarin’ knew what she wanted to know. “They’re fine, Spitfire. They didn't have it nearly as bad as you, though. Now rest.”

“No… The Prin…cess… needs…” The heart monitor increased in tempo, as Spitfire tried breaking free of her bindings, to no avail. Soarin’ was trying to keep her down, until he noticed a dark blue aura around Spitfire, as he questioned the identity of the pony that he believed to be the source of the magic. “Princess Luna?” Soarin’ turned around to look, seeing that the magic that was controlling his friend was not that of the princess, but that of Vanish. Spitfire struggled to speak. “W… Wha… What’s h-happe…” Vanish walked over to her as the tempo of the heart monitor increased drastically, his chestnut brown eyes brimming with regret and sympathy, as his horn glowed with his aura of magic. Spitfire saw him approach, and stopped struggling against his magic. He released his hold on her, and spoke in a tone devoid of emotion.

“Hold still.” The other ponies prepared to stop Vanish, whatever he was planning to do. He placed his saddlebag on the floor, dipped his hat in, and pulled something else out from its depths, out of Spitfire’s line of sight. The ponies in the room were surprised at what he had, but made no attempt to stop him. Soarin’ couldn’t see over the bed, so he also didn’t know what it was that Vanish took out of his saddlebag. As he raised it, revealing the object, he only had three words to the pony on the bed. “… Look at me.”

*CLICK*

The camera he pulled out flashed a blinding light, which Soarin’ covered his eyes to avoid. Spitfire couldn’t react, being tied up with bandages, though she mumbled in protest of the sudden flash of light. “W…” Her attempt at speaking was interrupted by the stallion behind the camera. “… Spitfire.” The ponies in the room gasped at the name being spoken, as did Soarin’. Twilight knew what everypony was thinking: “Wait, I thought Vanish couldn't remember names…” Vanish put the camera down and explained, though it appeared he wasn't quite looking at the ponies as he spoke. “Your partner… It was the last thing I heard him say before I sent you into the ground. It’s a name I won’t soon be allowed the merciful honor of forgetting.” He held up the picture of Spitfire for him to examine for imperfections, before flipping it around for her to view. “And now, I’ll never forget what it will mean to me.” Vanish used his magic to place the picture in his saddlebag, along with the camera. He placed his double-saddlebags back on the chair as he proceeded to walk over to Spitfire.

Vanish sat down, but put his front hooves on the bed. He grabbed Spitfire’s front right hoof, as it was the only one that wasn’t in bandages, or a cast, as the tempo of her heart rate had finally normalized completely. “Spitfire, it was nothing personal; nothing remotely personal.” He placed her hoof between his own hooves as he continued. “Why can’t I tell myself that, and just forget it?” Vanish had tears welling up in his eyes as he tried to understand how things were turning out for him since coming to Ponyville and Canterlot. “I don’t want this. This isn’t what… my contract…”

Applejack couldn't let him ignore the obvious any longer. “Van, you can’t avoid this.” The orange Earth pony walked over to Vanish, knowing how upset he was. “You can’t just go ‘round, avoidin’ the things you’ve been responsible for!” The stallion turned his head to Applejack, clearly unable to understand. “This is how I’ve been, how things have been for me, so… why can’t it be like that, now!?” Vanish broke down, sobbing on Spitfire’s bandages, soaking their exterior layer with his tears. Spitfire couldn’t say anything in response. Nopony could comprehend what it would be like to live one’s life without an ability to remember good or bad experiences, but to know that they have happened, only to suddenly be forced to accept the consequences of their actions full-force.

They couldn’t understand, but they didn’t want to. Several minutes went by before Vanish had regained his composure and stopped leaning on Spitfire’s hospital bed, whispering the last of his words to her. “I… I’m sorry, Spitfire. I’m so, so sorry.” Vanish turned around, using his magic to place the fedora on his head, and his saddlebags on his back, before addressing Soarin’. “Don’t you even think about leaving here until she’s better, stallion. If you do, I’ll never forgive you.”

Vanish walked out of the room, still sporting shades of the limp he had acquired from Soarin’, as his injuries slowly recovered. The ponies followed him, with Luna leaving the room last, but running to the front of the line in order to grant Vanish permission past the guards. Soarin’ didn’t follow them, but Rainbow Dash turned around to look at him. “We’re going to beat Gather. If Vanish stands in our way, we’ll do what we need to: No one hurts us, or our friends, and gets away with it.” Soarin’ nodded his head, sternly. Rainbow Dash turned around, rushing to catch up with the ponies that had reached the stairwell.

Leaving the infirmary lobby, Vanish looked up the street. Far beyond where he stood, there was the Wedding Hall. He knew what awaited him there. Twilight was positive that she and her friends could take Gather down faster than anyone they had ever had the displeasure of being forced to stop the selfish plans of in the past, but now, she had something else with her: Hope that Vanish could be helped. Princess Luna just wanted to see her sister again; to make sure she was okay. She turned around to address the others in the line. “If nopony has any further objections, we shall make our way to the Wedding Hall.” Vanish nodded his head, tipping the fedora down with his hoof. “Let’s go.”