//------------------------------//
// Act III: Chapter Twenty-Six: If There Be Any Glory In War 
// Story: Innocent 
// by Puzzle Piece 
//------------------------------//

Cor woke to a camp marginally more positive than yesterday. Most ponies were well rested now, though several were still recovering from their injuries. First Squad was down by almost half its number while Second Squad was untouched. Rainbow’s Squadron was similarly fit to fight, with only one minor injury suffered by Star Hunter that still left him in fighting condition. After Jason had reported back on the intercepted Trolls to the north, additional scouts had been dispatched to keep a closer eye on the Trolls. There hadn’t been any activity yet.
Cor was feeling better himself, having now rested for two full nights. He knew he still didn’t have the mana to do anything spectacular, but he was no longer physically weak from its use. He rounded up the ponies of Second Squad that had been assigned as archers and began drilling them on targets again. Once they were settled into a rotation, he set to work crafting more arrows. Some of those used during the fighting in the woods had been recovered, but many were still lost or broken. His reserves had dwindled to less than a hundred and he was not comfortable with that number.
While he worked, he looked out over the camp. Since they’d occupied the Trolls’ old camp, much of what he saw was the remains left behind by the Trolls’ hasty flight. Bedrolls of fur were the norm throughout. Tents of patchwork hides were almost as common, many of which remained knocked over from the retreat. Weapons were stored on racks sporadically, though most of the weapons had been taken by their owners during the fight. Wide fire pits dotted the space between the tents and a few had small stacks of wood beside them, ready to burn. The area in the middle of the Trolls’ camp had been cleared to make room for the ponies’ own tents and wagons.
Some ponies spent their time in between sentry shifts poking through the Trolls’ belongings idly. Some parts of the camp were still unexplored given that there was little leisure time to be had. Cor wondered himself what he might find if he took the time to look. But he knew that his curiosity would go unsatisfied. He had work to do. He diligently assembled more arrows, smiling grimly because he knew he wasn’t the only one who would have need of them soon. A commotion at the edge of camp drew his attention. Setting the arrows aside, he investigated. He found Corporal Black Feather of Fourth Flight talking to Lieutenant Long Watch in a hurried voice.

“Yes sir, all at once! They weren’t doing anything all morning and then, just like that, they picked up and ran!”

“Which way?” Long Watch asked.

“Directly west sir.”

Long Watch considered what he’d heard, rubbing his chin with a hoof. He glanced in Cor’s direction once before he spoke again.

“Good work, Corporal. Tell the rest of your squadron that we’re forming up and moving out.”

Black Feather saluted and took off.

“Alright, listen up!” Long Watch said, raising his voice so that the whole camp could hear him. “The enemy’s on the move. They’ve packed up and are headed west. Fast. We need to keep with them and see if we can find a way to exploit their haste.”

He glanced at Cor again as if seeking approval but didn’t wait for it. Cor nodded anyway and quickly gathered up his equipment. The rest of the camp mobilized as well. Weapons and armor were snatched up and the squads came together. The wounded were left in the care of Big Mac and Caramel, the latter claiming to be fit for battle but the former insisting he rest. Black Feather returned with the rest of the Pegasi after a minute. Once they were all assembled, they left in pursuit of the Trolls.
They arrived at the Trolls’ old position an hour after it had been vacated and pressed on. Another hour passed as they closed the space between them, now only twenty minutes behind, according to Cor’s reading of the tracks. Rainbow took a quick look above the canopy and reported that they were about that far from the forest’s edge. The ponies pressed on and arrived at the edge of the trees to find several hundred Trolls milling about uneasily in the space beyond the forest’s border. The source of their confusion and hesitation was arrayed at the foot of the western hills the Trolls had been headed toward.
In straight, gleaming rows, their pennants and lances held high like the masts of a great fleet over a sea of steel plates, the ranks of the Equestrian Army blocked the way. Each company in the front ranks of the Army was formed up in wide rectangular formations, four rows of huge pikes leading the lines and backed by a reserve of swords and shorter spears. The flanking companies were made up of swordsponies and lancers while the middle of the Army’s mass was occupied by the Air Corps. Near the rear was a line of support staff that was busy preparing additional satchels of javelins for the Pegasi and laying out racks of spears and lances in case replacements were needed. Runners dashed between commands, relaying messages as each formation shifted smoothly into place.
Though separated by almost a mile over the heads of the Trolls, the ponies in the cover of the trees could still make out Princess Luna clearly. Her dark majesty dominated the center of the shining ranks around her, flanked by her Night Guard in an island of blue and black amidst the silver and white. Her armor shimmered as fluidly as her mane, making her appear ethereal. Her voice, however, held a deep resonance that the listeners could feel in their core as it rolled across the field, and was anything but insubstantial.

“You enemies of Equestria, having failed to heed the call for peace and visited destruction on this land and its citizens, will now feel the weight of justice fall upon you.” 

She voiced the declaration with a tone of wrath, but it couldn’t completely mask the eagerness that lay beneath. The Trolls continued to shift and turn about uncertainly, those closest to the Alicorn making every effort to place themselves toward the far side of their ranks, but shying away from the trees with equal apprehension. When no response was put forward, Luna silently signaled for her troops to advance. The entire Army started forward at a walk, lockstep and steady.
Few Trolls looked prepared to fight, instead casting about for an escape route. Some took stances at the front, their spears held before them in tight grips that betrayed the fear their stoic faces hid. Others shifted their axes in their clawed hands, still not certain of their choice to stand against such overwhelming numbers. The rest withdrew in a reluctant shuffle toward the tree line. But they refused to come under the shadows of the trees, unwilling to spend another moment in that forest. Cor ordered the ponies with him to stay back, making sure they didn’t reveal their presence. He and Jason began spacing them out in small groups, spreading the archers evenly between them.
As he took his own position, Cor heard Long Watch giving out additional orders to the ponies around the archers. He was assigning teams to either run about at random on the edge of visual range of the Trolls or to call out and stomp and make whatever noise they could just out of sight. Cor realized the intent was to simulate the movement of a much larger force and convince the Trolls that a large number of troops were blocking their way, instead of only a few squads. Cor was impressed by the foresight of the other Lieutenant. The Trolls would need to be given a reason beyond light arrow fire not to return to the cover of the trees in the face of the Army. Cor was almost equally impressed with Long Watch’s initiative in issuing the orders on his own.
As the ponies fell into positions, waiting on the signal, Cor noticed Jason and Twilight discussing something in low tones. Twilight looked as if she intended to fight, fixing the Trolls with a hard glare. Jason stood beside her, whispering occasionally while she took calming breaths. He would gesture out into the space that separated them from their enemy while Twilight would nod in acknowledgement. Cor nocked an arrow and took a deep, steadying breath while he waited.
When the Army was mere yards from the first of the Trolls, the Air Corps took off and broke into two groups, concentrating their javelins on the flanks of the Troll troops in an attempt to force the fringe to pull back into the center and stay in the path of the pike formations. The Trolls hurled spears and axes into the phalanx with minimal effect. The columns marched on and made short work of the Trolls that did not give way before them. The pikes thrust forward as they came within reach of the Trolls, longer than the Trolls’ spears and able to pierce the thick hides with ease. Many Trolls pushed back defiantly, but those who forced their way past the first row of pikes found another waiting and fell under the thrusts quickly, without ever having gotten close to the ponies who wielded them.
At the center of the pony line stood Princess Luna, advancing undaunted. Any Troll that even attempted to approach her was blasted by a beam from her horn. The pikes all along the rest of the line were slicked with blood, but the pikes in front of her remained clean and bright under the protection of her magical attacks. The remaining Trolls gave ground more quickly, with some breaking off of the main group in ones and twos and making for the cover of the trees. As the space continued to shrink between the deadly pike formations and the forest edge, Trolls overcame their reservations and took to the trees in increasing numbers. That was when Cor decided to give the signal.
He wrapped the head of his arrow in mana and charged it with clinging energy. When the spell was fully formed, he took aim at the nearest cluster of Trolls and loosed it. The arrowhead flared to life in a bright arc that burst into flames when it reached the Trolls. The fire engulfed the Trolls and sent them screaming back the way they’d come, futilely attempting to escape. Five more arrows leapt out of the concealing darkness, seeking those Trolls who had made it farthest into the trees. All at once, the forest erupted into noise and movement. The ponies shouted and ran in a great commotion that brought the Trolls to a halt instantly. Out of the corner of his eye, Cor saw Twilight’s spell take shape. Foot-long shards of ice coalesced around her. She let loose the razor-like bolts in a flurry that tore into the Trolls before her. Any Troll that had not already fled turned to run under the barrage.
The sudden appearance of the force that had inflicted such damage on them already broke what little remained of the Trolls’ morale in the face of this new army. Some Trolls panicked and ran, either into the trees and the stinging arrows, or out onto the flanks in an attempt to gain the hills. But the Air Corps made quick work of those desperate attempts while the lancers swept up any Trolls who turned back on the flanks of the pikes. The rest made a grim last stand, holding their ground with a resignation that left no hope of victory. The pikes moved forward inexorably, chewing up all resistance and leaving bloody bodies in their wake.
Luna advanced to the front of the lines ahead of the pikes and engaged in melee. Forgoing spells, she struck out with her hooves and horn, cutting down Trolls who rushed to face her. Her Night Guard held back to make sure that any Troll that managed to slip by her didn’t make their way into the gap in the phalanx. Cor watched her fight while he took sparing shots at the few Trolls that still lingered at the tree line. She turned and lunged and twisted about to face the crowd that was beginning to press in on her. He saw that she was not going to be able to keep them all back and took aim to thin the numbers. But as he fired the first shot and was nocking the second, she was struck on the withers near her wing by an axe.
The armor did nothing to stop the blade. In fact, it was not even slowed as it passed cleanly through her body. It also did not seem to have any effect on her. Luna clove the offending Troll in two with a slash of her horn and fought on. There was no blood, no wound at all on the Princess. There was no sign of an injury of any kind. Cor watched her for another moment before deciding after the battle was a better time to ponder this mystery. He spent the last of his arrows thinning out the pockets of resistance that seemed to pose the greatest risk to the Army’s advance and let the rest play out. The other archers ran out of arrows as well and fell silent, though Twilight didn’t stop casting deadly ice bolts into the Trolls that even looked in the direction of the trees. Jason still stood beside her, but he was silently observing her now.
The battle had lasted many minutes, but when it ended, those minutes seemed to have been the blink of an eye. A sudden silence descended on the field. Ponies cast about for another foe, but found only allies looking back from all sides. Slowly, a cheer went up, echoed by the troops in the trees. The two forces came together, greeting and cheering for each other, and offering congratulations. Rising into the air above the battlefield, Luna cast her voice over the assembled ponies.

“We have won a great victory here today.” Her gaze swept across them all, seeing them looking back at her attentively. She couldn’t keep a hint of a smile off her face or out of her voice as she went on. “This enemy is no more and we are this much closer to restoring peace to our lands. We will rest here and prepare for the next stage of that task. We march at dawn again tomorrow.”

The ponies of the Army dispersed, tending to the wounded, setting camp and gathering the equipment left in the battle’s wake. The ponies that had emerged from the forest were slower to move along. Many waited for their officers to issue orders which were not forthcoming. Others stared out at the killing field, trying to take it in. Luna stood expectantly, facing the forest. Cor and most of the other officers made their way over to her.

“Thank you for your assistance in corralling our enemy,” Luna said when they were close enough to speak. “Your report was most helpful in preparing to meet their flight.”

“I’d hoped it would, your Highness,” Cor replied with a slight bow.

“And I expect your detachment will prove to be similarly valuable in your future scouting missions as well.”

“I think we’ll be doing more than serving as scouts,” Jason interjected. “Advanced recon might have been part of our mission, but it certainly wasn’t our only objective.”

Luna regarded him coolly. “What else did you accomplish?”

Jason blinked. “What? I’m not sure I heard you correctly.”

“What else did you accomplish?” she repeated. “You said conducting reconnaissance was not your only objective, but I fail to see what else you managed to do here.”

Jason balked at her. “Excuse me?! We’ve been engaging the enemy for the last four days! We’ve accounted for huge numbers of them and paid for it in blood! You’ll not disregard…”

“Don’t lecture me, foreigner!” Luna’s voice turned ice cold. “Blood has been paid by our ponies, for days even before you were involved. Your little jaunt through the woods was useful, but very minor in the long run. You could do little more than hold these brutes off until our Army arrived to finish your job. I expected as much, but you’ve proven apt at gathering useful and reliable information. I expect you to continue to do so. Dismissed.”

Jason opened his mouth to object, but Luna didn’t give him the chance.

“I said dismissed, Lieutenant!”

Her voice resonated across the field, drawing curious looks from the surrounding ponies. Jason had to brace himself to not be moved by the forceful wave that passed over him. He gritted his teeth and left, casting dark glances back at the Princess. Luna was ignoring him pointedly, instead turning to scan the field as if searching for someone. The other officers nearby stood in silence, apprehensively waiting for somepony else to speak next. Cor wanted nothing to do with that exchange, but he had questions of his own to ask. He opened his mouth and then shut it again. He was about to decide against saying anything anyway when Luna chose for him.

“You have something to say, Lieutenant Hightalon?”

Her tone gave him pause but he moved past it.

“I only wanted to comment on what I saw in the battle, specifically something I saw of you.”

Luna raised an eyebrow and Cor went on hastily.

“I noticed that one of the Trolls seemed to land a blow on you, but it had no effect. It was an intriguing phenomenon.”

“Yes,” she acknowledged, the hard edge fading from her voice. “One of my finest enchantments. This armor allows me to become incorporeal several times between moonrises. I seldom need the extra protection, but in the rare event that my enemies can keep up with me, I remain beyond their power.”

“Impressive,” Cor said with a nod of approval.

“I’m glad you think so.” Luna looked around curiously. “Now I must ask, where is Lieutenant Crimsontide?”

“He’s back at our camp, with the rest of the wounded,” Cor replied.

“Wounded?” she repeated skeptically. “I was hoping he would be here to witness…” She shook her head. “No matter. We have other work to do.”

She called some of her officers over and the two groups exchanged reports. When they parted to tend to their troops, Twilight edged up beside Cor. She didn’t say anything right away, but Cor could tell she wanted to. She kept looking at the parchment Cor was holding. The parchment was a preliminary casualty report and Cor suspected Twilight was hesitant about learning its contents. When she still did nothing more than throw glances at him and the page, he turned to her fully.

“Ask,” he said bluntly.

Twilight bit her lip and refused to meet his gaze. “How many?”

“Twenty seven.”

Twilight squeezed her eyes shut against the thought.

“It’s a good number, all things considered,” Cor said, attempting to console her.

“Good?!” she choked. “How can any death be good? Did you consider those ponies’ ambitions in life that will never be fulfilled now, or their loved ones who are still waiting at home to hear if they’re going to come back? Is it a good number when you consider that?!”

While Twilight spoke, Cor’s expression turned from sympathetic to exasperated and then to impassive, making a visibly difficult effort not to allow himself to lash out. With a deep breath, he looked her in the eye and spoke in a dry, tired tone.

“I hate to admit it, but Zacon is right about you. You’re not ready for war. Physically, yes. But not mentally.” He sighed and sat down, rubbing his forehead with a hoof. “I’ve been through so many wars, I’ve forgotten what it’s like to not be a soldier. You’re thinking about individual lives, friends and social costs of the death in war. I’m not. I’m weighing advantages and tactical gains. A life lost to win a battle is a good death in that regard, and we lost relatively few this time.”

He got up and looked out at the killing grounds, glancing back at Twilight forlornly.

“I’m sorry it sounds like I don’t care. I’m not saying death is good. I’m saying it’s inevitable in war. When I see a number as low as this, I’m glad, because it means we didn’t lose as many as we could have.”

Twilight opened her mouth to retort but looked away, her ears dropping back.

“I suppose it could have been more, couldn’t it?” She fought back a sniffle. “It’s just so hard to see past the pain. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to see it like you do.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing,” Cor said softly. “Someone needs to see it from your perspective, to remember that each life lost is a real life and not just a number. Maybe the pain reminds you that life is precious enough to feel sorrow for.”

Twilight tried to smile but couldn’t manage it. She excused herself, wanting to be alone for a while. Cor let her go, watching somberly as she disappeared into the trees. When she was gone, Cor looked out at the field again. The Army was quickly setting up camp on the north side and organizing with an efficiency he had to admit was impressive. His detachment’s troops had disappeared back into the trees, under instructions from Long Watch to move their camp adjacent to the Army’s. Cor thought back to something Jason had mentioned a day ago, and scanned the bodies around him more closely. After failing to find what he sought right away, his eyes narrowed keenly and he began to slowly comb through the dead.

~*~*~

Captain Gallant Lance stood with Lieutenant Long Watch at the forest's edge later that day, looking out into the camp. The lines of crisp, white tents stretched for hundreds of yards in front of them, with ponies bustling to and fro on their way from task to task. The mess tent was the most active, serving the evening’s soup in tin bowls to the thousands of troops. Others passed through the blacksmith, set up around a furnace mounted on the back of a cart, to have their weapons repaired from the battle’s wear. The medical tent was also busy, with medical ponies tending to the several ponies wounded in the fighting and comrades dropping by to offer encouragements or check on the conditions of their friends.
The two officers had mutually migrated to this spot unconsciously, having served in the Royal Guard together for years. Neither had said anything for many minutes when Gallant Lance looked over at Long Watch curiously.

“Something’s eating at you. You’re never this quiet unless you’re losing sleep over something.”

Long Watch nodded. “My nephew, Night Watch, was injured a few nights back. He’ll be fine, but two others didn’t make it. It really drove it home for me that he and I are just as mortal as those who’ve already died. Just as easy to lose.”

Gallant Lance nodded. “We’re all worried about our loved ones, but it's harder when we know they’re on the same battlefield as us.”

Long Watch bowed his head. “It’s not just the worrying that’s getting to me. I’m so conflicted. I keep thinking, if one of us is going to die out here, I hope it’s not him. But then I think about how much losing him would hurt me and I realize it would hurt him just as much if I died. So I wonder if it’s better to hope he doesn’t suffer if he dies. But then I can’t stand to think about him dying at all and I just end up churning all of this around in my head until I feel sick.”

Gallant Lance patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. “You worry as much as any officer does for his troops and then some. That’s not a bad thing, but you need to keep it in check. A healthy dose of worry is necessary when preparing for the worst, but it won’t help any if you let it become the only thought on your mind. You have to let yourself cut some of that stress loose and replace it with a level head. Then make a plan that keeps your worries from coming true.”

“But how can I just not stress out about my own nephew? How can I keep a level head and make plans when I’m always afraid the next pony to die will be me or him?!”

Gallant Lance laughed; a deep and hearty chuckle that left Long Watch nonplussed.

“Watch, if it were easy, nopony would ever have this problem. Did you think me saying those words to you would change how hard this is? No!” He shook his head, laughing some more. “Look, all of that officer’s mumbo-jumbo I just spouted about keeping yourself together is just that: Words. They’re what you’re supposed to do. It’s never that simple. Not for any of us.”
He stopped laughing and went on more seriously. “How do you think I feel every time we send anypony out on a dangerous mission? You’re all as important to me as if you were my own brothers. And when one of the Guard is hurt in the line of duty, it hurts me too. But we can’t stop doing our jobs. So remember, we’re all in this together. We’ll look out for each other, just like we always have.”

“I needed that. Thank you, sir,” Watch said, nodding solemnly.

“Oh, don’t act so serious,” Gallant Lance laughed again and gave the other a companionable shove. “If anything, that’s just adding to the stress. Take a day off while you have the chance.”

Watch smiled wanly. “As if that chance is now?”

“It’s as close to a day off as any of us are likely to get.”

Lance clapped him on the shoulder and gestured for him to follow.

“Best way to deal with this is to not dwell on it,” Lance said as they started off around the edge of camp. “Sort through it when you need to, sure. But don’t beat yourself to death with it. Come on, let’s talk about something else.”

Watch glanced about briefly. “How about your troops?”

“Really?” Lance asked with a playful smirk. “Don’t talk about the troops by talking about the troops?”

Watch’s ears sprang up. “Yeah. I just realized, I don’t even know where they came from. This is easily three times what our standing forces were when we left. Did Canterlot’s citizens really step up that much?”

“What, Canterlot? Haha! No, I can’t say that’s the case. They make up a couple hundred of these, but not nearly the majority. Most of these troops came out of the eastern recruitment camps. They showed up only shortly after your detachment was out of sight.” Lance paused to smile at the thought. “They did it in grand style too. The whole lot of them marching in their straight columns, pennants waving; it was a sight to see.”

They stopped walking and observed the activity in camp from the top of one of the low hills on the north side. Evening was turning to night and the dull sunlight below the hazy skies was dimming further to a pale grey. The camp was quieting down as more and more ponies crawled into their tents and bedrolls.

“And they weren’t all show either,” Lance said. “They were holed up in their training camps for fully twice the time your units were given. And Captain Flash Point drilled them hard on pike lines. He’s one of the best lancers in the Guard, if I do say so myself. He did a fine job of getting these ponies ready to work as a formation instead of individual fighters. That, I think, was the key difference between this battle and the river: Cohesive lines.”

Watch nodded in agreement. “We could have done much better with more time to prepare. But that’s the nature of it, isn’t it?”

Lance acknowledged him with an amused huff. “Good thing we were here this time though. Your little group against that many? How did you manage to stay in one piece out here so long?”

“We did alright. We just needed to keep ourselves from being caught in the open. As long as we chose the terms of the engagement, we had the advantage.”

“Just that platoon of yours?” Lance asked in amazement. “They weren’t keeping you on the ropes? That’s incredible.”

“It’s true. In fact, they were running from us most of the time.”

“Now you’re pulling my leg,” Lance said with a slight frown. “There’s no way that just one platoon was keeping hundreds of these things on the run.”

“Sure there is,” Watch retorted. “We pulled it off with a combination of proper planning and luck. I mean, our first attack sent them all running because they thought there were a lot more of us than there were. Likely, they figured it was the Army showing up. We just never let them find out it wasn’t and they never stopped trying to escape.”

“Hmm,” Lance grumbled. “I guess so. But that kind of luck isn’t going to hold forever. Best to play it a bit safer now, don’t you think?”

“You’d think so, but I can’t help but wonder if this is what we need to do to win. That’s part of why it’s stressing me out so much. It seems like we can’t stop taking risks even if we want to.”

“Aaaand we’re right back to talking about stress,” Lance said, rolling his eyes. “Listen, turn in early tonight, spend some time talking to your nephew and try not to make any decisions for a day. Alright?”

Watch sighed and nodded. They parted and each returned to their tent. The camp continued to quiet down as night fell. The glow on the horizon faded from purple to black and the light of fires sprang up to chase away the night’s cold shadows. In one part of the camp, the darkness remained warm and inviting. Spitfire was leaving the Princess’ tent and heading back to the Air Corps section of the camp. The meeting with the senior officers had taken only a few hours but Luna had wanted to speak with a select few afterwards and Spitfire was the last to be dismissed.
The Pegasus walked unhurriedly, making rounds through each squadron and briefly conversing with the members who were still awake. They were in fair spirits, mostly because no Pegasi were injured in the battle. Her Wonderbolt officers were stoic, their banter from before the war all but gone. The veteran recruits were subdued but confident while the newer recruits felt positive about the day’s events while remaining apprehensive. Spitfire moved on quickly, passing out of the Air Corps camp and heading toward the vanguard’s camp and Rainbow’s squadron.
One of the fliers, whom she recognized as Star Hunter, spotted the Captain coming and winged up to a small cloud above the tents. After some urgent whispering, Rainbow emerged, rubbing her eyes and stretching. Spitfire waited below until the Sergeant dropped down to her.

“You needed something ma’am?” Rainbow asked as she saluted.

“Just checking in on your squadron,” Spitfire said casually, glancing around.

Star Hunter was settling back down by the fire next to Thunderlane. They were the only two besides Rainbow who were still awake. The others were in their tents that circled around the fire. Spitfire motioned for Rainbow to step away with her so they didn’t disturb them.

“I’ve heard the brief on your unit over the past few days,” Spitfire said when they were out of earshot. “But I want to hear it from you. How well did it go out there?”

“We did alright,” Rainbow said evasively. “I think we got lucky a lot. And we worked well together. Killed lots of Trolls, didn’t lose a lot of ponies, that sort of thing.”

Spitfire waited a moment for her to elaborate but moved on when she didn’t.

“And what’s your take on the Lieutenants? The foreign ones specifically.”

“They’re…,” she hesitated and glanced away as she sought the right words. “Well, they’re good at fighting and planning. I’m not sure what else there is to say.”

“What about their temperament? Their motives? Their stability?”

“I don’t really pay attention to that,” Rainbow admitted. “I mean, other than Zacon, they’re nice enough. Why?”

“Just wanted to get a better idea of who they are,” Spitfire said with a dismissive wave. “Do you know where they are right now? I might want to talk to them next.”

“Zacon is over there, recovering,” Rainbow said, pointing off into another part of their camp. “He’s not in a very good mood, if he even has a good mood to be in. Jason is around somewhere. Though, last time I saw him, he said he didn’t want to talk to anyone right now. And Cor is still out there picking through bodies,” Rainbow concluded with a shudder as she glanced toward the battlefield.

Spitfire glanced out at the battlefield but couldn’t see the archer. The campfires created islands of light that fought off the oppressive darkness that surrounded the tents but could do little to pierce farther into the night. She shrugged.

“And how are you doing, Sergeant?”

“Me? I’m…fine.” Rainbow couldn’t look her in the eye as she spoke.

Spitfire sighed and looked around to make sure nopony was nearby. Then she slipped off her Captain’s badge and tucked it into her uniform.

“Dash, talk to me,” Spitfire said, her voice turning gentle. “How are you really doing?”

Rainbow hesitated, looking as if she was on the verge of tears as she struggled to reply. But she managed to keep them back and sat down.

“This is so messed up,” she said, addressing the ground.

“I know,” Spitfire agreed.

“I mean, what are we even doing? We’re out here, killing Troll! Why?! We didn’t do anything to them. We didn’t even know about them until a few weeks ago. And they just come out of nowhere and now we’re all fighting each other! There’s no reason for it!”

“There isn’t,” Spitfire said, nodding.

Rainbow raked her hooves over her face in aggravation.

“They were running. I can’t get it out of my head. The fear I saw in that Troll’s eyes when I killed him back at Canterlot; he was so afraid of me. And these Trolls were just as scared. That’s why they were running out of the forest. I don’t think they wanted to fight anymore.”

Rainbow looked up at Spitfire, searching for something in the other’s face that would comfort her against this revelation. Spitfire looked back sadly, inclining her head in sympathy but saying nothing.

“I just need to know I’m not doing the wrong thing,” Rainbow said miserably, letting her chin fall to her chest.

“That’s the same thing I’ve been struggling with from the beginning.” Spitfire sat down beside her and stared off into the night. “I can’t help but feel that we’re being asked to choose the lesser of two great evils. Either we let the Trolls have their way with us, or we have it out until only one of us is left. Or neither of us, if it comes down to that.”

She blinked a few times to clear her suddenly blurred vision.

“I’m an aerial acrobat, for Equestria’s sake! The Wonderbolts have been ceremonially part of the military for generations. We make public appearances and put on shows! We train hard, but not for this! I love to fly more than anything else. But now, when I think about flying, all I can see is blood and death. I see the faces of those I’ve lost in the air. I see the Trolls I’ve killed. I don’t know if I can ever think about flying the same way again after using it to do such horrifying things.”

Spitfire lay down and covered her face with her hooves in an attempt to muffle the sobs she was failing to hold back. She growled at herself, trying to will the tears to stop, to shame herself into regaining control, but it only brought up another wave. Her wings curled in around her body, hugging herself with all her might and trying to push her muzzle into the dirt to silence the indecent sound of her anguish. She visibly flinched when she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She uncovered her eyes and looked up.
Rainbow waited expectantly, her hoof still outstretched. Spitfire hesitated long enough to blink before accepting the hug wholeheartedly. The two Pegasi held each other for a full minute. Spitfire hadn’t intended to let it last that long but the longer she stayed in the other’s embrace, the less uncomfortable the feeling of vulnerability became. It was a warm hug, mutually comforting and as close as family. Rainbow’s firm grip was a layer of security and stability that she hadn’t felt for many days. The muscles in Rainbow’s body were taut under her hooves, but Spitfire felt the Sergeant relaxing steadily. When she felt she’d regained some measure of control, Spitfire let go and pulled back. Rainbow looked away in embarrassment.

“Thanks,” Spitfire managed.

“You looked like you needed it as much as I did,” Rainbow muttered.

“I guess it doesn’t hurt to get these things out of our system from time to time.” Spitfire wiped the last of the tears from her face. “I’m glad I came to talk with you.”

“These talks might be the only reason I’m still able to keep going,” Rainbow said, her voice hardly audible.

“I can’t see why that is,” Spitfire said. “I know I’ve got an image to maintain in front of the whole Air Corps, but you haven’t got any constraints like that on you. So what’s stopping you?”

“I don’t exactly have anyone here who I can talk to.”

“But you can talk to me?” Spitfire raised an eyebrow.

“You’re different,” Rainbow said evasively.

“Different how?” Spitfire pressed.

“You’re…maybe…just a little bit…the one pony in all of Equestria I’ve idolized more than anypony?” Rainbow’s words poured out in a rapid stream that left her grimacing at her admission.

“Well,” Spitfire smiled at her embarrassment. “If that’s all. But I’d have thought it would be easier to share this with your friend.”

“Twilight? I don’t think she’d understand.”

“You won’t know until you give her the chance to try. That’s what friends are for, Rainbow.” Spitfire started walking away, but pausing to give her a wink. “To listen when you need them.”

With that, she departed back to the Air Corps section of the camp, to her own tent, and hopefully a restful night.