“We found out Sombra has acquired a new force.” Spitfire finished.
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Stumbling, Rainbow could only try to reach the cove as she fought against her worst fears. She kept on reminding herself that it would be better, things weren’t so bad, but the fears had numbed everything else – even her thoughts.
“Please don’t let it be real.” Rainbow prayed, staring at the full moon casting an eerie glow on everything. The bare rocks, the tents in the distance, and the occasional crow that would fly past the camp then disappear in the murky distance.
“It’s real. Spitfire told me.” Rainbow jumped in surprise as Soarin materialized from seemly nowhere. “She said you had run off after hearing it. I thought you might want this, though.” He held out a note.
“I’ll read it later, no worries.” Rainbow smiled, but the strain was evident in her eyes and face.
“You don’t need to hide anything.” Soarin said softly. “It’s okay to feel like that.”
Part of her wished to trust him, to spill out everything that had troubled her since the first day the war broke out, but she didn’t want to be a burden to anyone. She didn’t want their worries. Worries for another pony would mean a certain death.
“I’m fine.” She pronounced every word slowly, as if it would make everything more believable. “I really am.”
Soarin shook his head silently and subtly. His usual gentle smile was replaced with a look of concern and sorrow. He knew he may as well as lose the only pony he loved.
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“Fleetfoot?” Spitfire shook her friend, but she remained silent.
It was strange. A burn wasn’t enough to cause any soldier more than a brief pain, but Fleetfoot had fainted. A shake was usually enough to get their energetic friend back on her hooves, making silly jokes and doing awful imitations of others. As much as it annoyed Spitfire, she would rather hear her mumble every last word in her sleep combined with her sleepwalking, instead of being scared for her life.
“Captain Spitfire?” A brown-coated stallion rushed in.
“What is so important?” Spitfire snapped.
“Sorry, ma’am, but I’m afraid the infirmary is completely full! Do you know why?” He asked.
“I’m not sure.” Spitfire furrowed her brow. “But we’ll have to find out.”
Spitfire debated internally whether to leave Fleetfoot in the tent, or take her with them. At last she decided that no harm would be done if she left Fleetfoot in the tent. She could really use some rest.
A breeze floated in. The windows opened, as the wind grew stronger.
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“Son of a bitch.” Spitfire muttered. “That Sombra’s one son of a bitch alright.” She continued ranting, storming into the infirmary. The infirmary was usually quiet, but it was noisy and loud from all the crying, the tears, and the pleading. Spitfire wanted to run out right then. She didn’t like what she had seen, but she had a job to do.
“Dr. Red,” She began, sighing.
“Yes?” The painful lines of age, strangely, reminded Spitfire that they had next to no time left.
“What…what is happening to everyone?” Spitfire asked, her voice cracking.
“I don’t know.” Dr. Red looked down, her ears drooping. “I’ve never seen anything like this. Before this war I had treated worse, but most of them healed. I don’t know how Sombra could acquire this much magical force in under a week.”
“Wait…” Spitfire’s eyes widened in realization. “Does that mean that he could have possibly used life force?”
“I’ve never studied magic, at least in the unicorn sense, but I’m fairly certain that the life force of a single pony, no matter age, species, or gender, could produce a large amount of power, although that is fairly impossible, given their circumstances.” She paused, jotting down a few notes on her messy notepad. “The crystal minions are devoid of the force, because theirs have already been taken to create the force that controls them.”
Spitfire’s eyes only grew wider. Her suspicions were proving true.
“So if Sombra has gotten hold of any pony, could he produce this force?” Spitfire asked.
After a long, uncomfortable pause, she replied. “Theoretically, that would be a possibility.”
“And what would happen to a pony who had its life force extracted?” Spitfire sensed what she would hear.
“They would be delirious, faint, and most of the time, they would suffer from a variety of diseases that limit everything they could.”
Spitfire knew there was only one possibility now.
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“Scootaloo, are you feeling better?” Spitfire asked, sitting on the edge of Scootaloo’s hospital bed.
Scootaloo was lying down, delirious and trying to shake various sights from her mind.
“I think I’m better.” She said softly, faintly and weakly.
“I hope so.” Spitfire did care for Scootaloo. For a long time she had barely any skills for battle, but it was her persistence that Spitfire admired. No matter the circumstances, she would always go on, choosing hope instead of doubt.
“But where is Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo said, her ears drooping and her smiled turned into a frown.
“She’ll come soon. She’s busy, remember? I already had Soarin give her the note.” Spitfire assured her.
“Okay.” Scootaloo closed her eyes, turned around and fell asleep, her chest heaving unevenly. She couldn’t see Spitfire’s worried gaze. The description of what happened to victims of the life force spell matched Scootaloo’s current condition exactly, and who was going to break it to Rainbow? Her heart had been torn out of her chest multiple times, and there was no doubt the pain would be comparable to sticking a knife in and ripping her heart out.
How was she going to tell her?
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“Motherfucking. WAR!” Rainbow grunted.
Soarin had insisted upon a visit to the infirmary, because he was growing increasingly worried on Rainbow’s condition. The doctor had later diagnosed her with a variety of problems, so many that she had stopped listening to them after knee strain.
“At least you have it better than me.” A melancholy voice mused. Harmony was lying on a bed next to Rainbow’s, her missing hoof carefully placed on the covers. “They say that once I’m well enough to withstand travel, they’ll take me back.” She sighed, her eyebrows knitted. “I joined the army to escape my parents and see Blaze again, but I never thought I’d lose him again. I love him so much, I don’t want to leave him.”
“At least you’ll heal.” Rainbow tried comforting her, as the tears were sliding down her face and dripping onto the sheets. Her face remained emotionless, as if it was set in stone, but the tears were the bits of emotions that had seeped through.
“I hope so. But this was worth it. I don’t want Blaze to die. I’d rather die than watch him die. I’ve nearly lost him once and I won’t lose him twice.” A look of grim determination crossed her face. “But what will I do? My parents were never supportive of my decision to join the army, and when I return like this, they’ll just berate me for how wrong and idiotic I was.”
Harmony shook her head, a difficult maneuver as she was lying down. “Love means more to me than just an emotion. When you love someone, they’re more important than anything.”
Something in Harmony’s words struck Rainbow. It did occur to her that she cared for Soarin more than herself, how she never wanted him to live with a burden, but a familiar stallion interrupted her thoughts as he entered the room.
“Harmony!” Blaze smiled, tears of joy in his eyes. As not to hurt her, he picked her up while keeping her injured hoof away from anything that could cause pain.
“Blaze.” Harmony murmured, wrapping her good hoof around his neck.
Rainbow stared at the scene unfolding before her. Harmony’s past had always been a shadow, but it was true. Love could switch things around. Her eyes were misty and she smiled genuinely for the first time she could remember.
“Listen, I have good news, and bad news.” Harmony’s expression turned somber, and she took a deep breath.
“What is it?” Blaze asked urgently.
“The good news…I’ll be well soon. Don’t worry.” She smiled, and closed her eyes.
“Sure. I’d love to hear your voice again.” Blaze smiled softly.
“But the bad news is…” Harmony trailed off.
“What?” Blaze’s expression turned into one of concern.
“That I’ll be leaving the army soon.” Harmony couldn’t hold it anymore. Tears flooded out of her like a waterfall. “I’ll miss you, Annie and everyone else! I can’t stand going back to my home! My parents will kill me for this!” She held up her injured hoof. “They’ve never supported me in this! And what about Annie? I’m her only friend left!” Her thoughts all came out as she wept, leaving a shocked Rainbow Dash and Blaze watching her strange breakdown.
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It was a quiet night.
Rainbow tossed and turned in her sleep. Walking, or even moving wasn’t a possibility.
Everyone was probably asleep.
She had no one to talk to, no one to share her thoughts with.
A pang of loneliness hit her. She wished so badly for company right then.
But this was war.
The truth was always the hardest.