Chapter 18
Rook awoke in a tent with a bandage on his head. Luna was sitting on the ground to his left. He tried to raise his head, but as soon as he tried, a searing pain shot through his head. He gave a loud groan and put a hoof to his head. Luna looked up to him. "How long have I been out?" he asked.
"About 4 hours. It's dark out now." she said, wiping her eyes. She had been crying. He could see the swelling in her eyes. "Rook. I would be careful. You have a concussion. After Linus kicked you in the head and you fell unconscious, he started to accuse Rainbow of being the mole and wanting to serve Chrysalis for her own selfish needs. Blaze came and started to defend her. Linus then challenged Rainbow to a fight to the death. Blaze came and...said somethings about Linus' feelings for me. It sent him over the edge. Blaze then offered to take Rainbow's place in the fight, and Linus accepted." Rook was silent. He knew that Blaze was gutsy, but the fact that he was willing to fight Linus in Rainbow's place was something he didn't expect. "Rook? Do you know what Blaze meant? He said, 'The one you love is hurt because of this challenge! Why would you do this to her?' What does he mean?" Luna asked. She knew what he meant. But she didn't want to believe it.
"Luna...Linus loves you. For a long time now. But he hasn't said anything because of the war and your duties. But I do believe that once the war was over, he was going to tell you." Rook said. Luna was teary eyed. She needed to hear it from somepony else who wasn't in the heat of the moment.
"Well, it's obvious Blaze loves Rainbow. He was very quick to take her place in the fight. Even against one of his oldest friends. He flew off to find her. There's something between them." She said. "Maybe it's good for them. To find some relief from the stresses of war."
Rook groaned as another pain seared through his head. "Rook, you are going to have to stay in bed. There is no way you will be able to fight at Ponyville." Luna said.
"Couldn't you just use some magic to make it go away?" he asked.
"If I did that you may do something outlandish. I can't have you do that. I'll need you in case something goes wrong at Ponyville and I don't return." Luna stated. Rook squinted at her. Not because of his head, but because he knew she was lying.
"Luna, you should know I can tell a lie from the truth. You don't want me to try and stop the fight. Why?" He asked.
Sigh. "Rook, you are very good at keeping things calmed between groups. But I fear this may get out of your league and you can't go out and get hit by Linus again." She replied.
"I have no worries about what happens to me. I'm a small figure of this whole army. Linus and Blaze, however, are huge. If one of them dies we lose a big part of our army." He explained. "So if I can do something to stop it, I will. Concussion or not." Luna sighed again. He wasn't going to quit.
She used a spell to remove the concussion. "Rook, don't do anything stupid. Don't make me regret doing this." She said grimly.
"Where's Linus? I need to talk to him." Rook said as he felt the pain leave his head. He got out of bed and started for the tent flap.
"He went back to his tent. I haven't seen him since the confrontation with Blaze. Rook, be careful." She said as he hurried out the door. She looked behind her to a closed chest. She walked over to it, unlatched it, and peered into it's contents. She pulled a picture of a pony out. It wasn't her sister, but somepony she loved. She started to cry as she looked at him. Thoughts of him flowed through her mind. He had given this to her after he got severely injured after saving her in battle. She loved him, but he didn't know it. She put the picture back into the chest, closed it, and locked it. She regained her composure and went outside the tent to get a taste of the night air and to see that the group from Apple Loosa was being attended to. As she did, a dart hit her neck. She flinched, and started to get dizzy. She fell unconscious and was caught by a hooded pony. He flew off and took her across the stream and into an enemy camp.
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Rook moved through the camp as he headed to Linus' tent. He needed to find some way to talk him out this fight to the death thing. He arrived at Linus' tent. There was a small candle burning inside. He walked in and sat behind Linus who was writing something down on a letter. "Linus. What are you writing?" Rook asked.
"Rook....I've bucked up. I just challenged a mare to a fight to the death. And then I accepted my friend as the substitute for her!" He said. "I was just furious at you guys for bringing my feelings for Luna up. I had to lash out at somepony and she seemed the easiest. Rook, ever since I accepted Blaze as the new pony for the fight, I have been depressed. And I can't call it off, because if I do, then I get banished from the army and all ties to it. I'd lose you, Blaze, and Luna. It would be just like dying. But it would be a never ending death." Linus said as he continued writing.
"I am unable to cry. It is physically impossible for me to cry right now. I've tried everything. Dark thoughts, thoughts of losing Luna, and that did nothing but push me even farther down than I thought possible, and...I even tried pain. Physical pain." He said, shakily. Rook looked at the table and saw a knife. It had little traces of blood on it.
"Linus...you didn't..." he said. This wasn't the first time Linus had done this. But it was the first time he did it while in the army. Linus pulled out his arm. It was dripping with blood. "Rook, I plan on losing the fight tomorrow. I can't live in exile, away from Luna, unable to talk to her or have any connection with her. I would rather die. And that's what I plan on doing tomorrow. This will weaken me so I can die tomorrow." Linus said as he finished what he was writing.
"Tomorrow, after it's over, give this to Luna. It will explain everything. What I did, why I did it, and what I have been thinking. She deserves to know." He said as he placed the letter in an envelope and handed it to him. He grabbed another letter from the edge of the table. "Give this to Blaze afterwards. It will do the same thing as the one to Luna does. But it says different things." He said and gave it to Rook, who looked at them shocked.
These...are suicide letters. He looked at Linus. "You can't expect me to let you go through with this. I'm not giving these to them! I know what these are Linus! I've seen these before! You are not handing out final goodbyes to those you love." Rook said frantically. "Linus. How do you think Luna would feel if she knew you didn't give it your all tomorrow? That you just gave up without fighting or looking for a way out of the fight that would keep you here? Look at Applejack. She lost a sister and all but one of her friends. She is still hanging in there. She is still staying with those she loves. Linus, there is a way, but it will cost you a piece of yourself. Literally." Rook said with concerned look.
"What do you mean?" Linus asked confused and worried about what Rook meant.
"There is an ancient rule that has been forgotten. 'If one participant of the fight gives up a piece of him as an offering to his opponent as a way of showing his regretfulness and willingness to refuse the other in battle without fear of exile, the fight will be called off and no harm will be done to either party. The piece must be either larger than the forearm, or an eye. If it is smaller than the forearm, the offerer must be the other's slave for 20 life cycles.' By life cycles, they mean years. It's a rule that is rarely used, since the process of removal is very painful and bloody. Most aren't willing to go through that kind of torture to stop a fight. Back then, most would rather die than lose a body part in the way that is required." Rook finished.
"How? How is it removed?" Linus asked, needing to know what he would be expecting. Rook's reply wiped that from his face. He knew why few ponies ever wanted to do it. The pain would be unbearable. For Luna. For the army. Do it for them. He thought, and looked at Rook. "Do it." He said.