//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: The Fallen // Story: Hero of War // by Teal //------------------------------// “Captain, what do we do now?” The shout and the subsequent shove of a hoof snapped Rainbow Dash out of her trance, making her look away from Thunderlane’s everlasting stare and glanced towards Cloud Chaser, who was furiously gesturing towards their rear, where a group of armored Crystal Ponies were forming up and preparing to make an advance towards them. With the group ahead of them blocking their path and this second group coming up from their rear, she and the rest of the team knew that they would soon be sandwiched between the two forces unless they act quickly. Breathing heavily and fighting of her shock, Rainbow Dash did her best to block of the panic within her and focus on the situation. She needed to stay calm, to think of a way. Panic would only get in the way of that. Then, she gave one last look towards Thunderlane’s body before giving a shake of the head. She wanted to grieve his lost, but knew better than to do so. There’s a time for mourning later. She thought to herself, forcing her eyes not to look away from dead body beside her. Snapping her head towards their front, Rainbow Dash stared at the two rows of enemies in front of them and noticed that the second row was still busy reloading their crossbows, fumbling their pieces and trying to attach their bolts. Once they were done doing that, another volley of bolts was certain to fall upon them, and she doubted if they can avoid that one. They needed to eliminate them quickly before they can do more harm. “Cloud Chaser, Lightning Dust, get two bolts on those ponies ahead of us, the two in the center of the front row.” Rainbow Dash commanded. “What?” Cloud Chaser asked, not sure what her leader was planning, yet already aiming her crossbow at the target. “You heard my order, so do it.” Rainbow Dash grunted, before making a move to bite down on her fallen sword and keeping it tightly between her jaws. Even before the two could fire their bolts at their assigned target, Rainbow Dash was already on her hooves, keeping to the left side, as to not block their line of fire, and moving as fast as she could. Keeping her eyes fixed on the Crystal ponies at the large door, she watched as the two in the center were struck down as bolts hit them directly on the slits of their helmets. Falling down on the ground, this created a gap in their formation where no spears stuck out, opening up a hole where she can enter. Quickly hoping to exploit this opportunity, she got off of the air and flapped her wings, going airborne and swiftly propelling herself a few feet from the floor. Aiming for the gap, she shot right through it before any of the Crystal ponies could react, getting through and finding herself behind the enemy formation. Without hesitation, she immediately went for the ones with the crossbows, coming from behind them and stabbing her sword in the gaps between their armor. She managed to bring down two of them before the rest went for her, redirecting their now loaded crossbows and firing. One shot managed to graze her hoof, tearing off a part of her uniform and leaving a scratch on her. But the rest of the shots missed and now she was bound to repay them for that act. Making a leap, she managed to bring one down and pining him on the floor, before slashing her sword on his neck. The other one, the last remaining enemy with a crossbow, made a charge for her, ready to use his crossbow as a club. But Rainbow Dash managed to catch this and turn immediately, so that the moment the charging pony reached her, the only thing he will meet was her sword, which stabbed right between the armor on his chest and hoof, making him collapse in a pool of blood and pain. She was surprised that during the entire fight, none of the spear wielding Crystal Ponies came in to help fight against her. But as she turned around to face against them, she began to realize why. Standing where the other Crystal Ponies stood earlier was now Cloud Chaser, who was jabbing her sword into the last of them and finishing him off. Motioning her to form up next to her, she was about to complement her for taking the initiative when she saw that Lightning Dust wasn’t with her. Quickly, she glanced back towards the hall to see Lightning Dust reloading her crossbow before letting out a shot, hitting and bringing down one of the Crystal Pony reinforcements who were now formed up on the other end of the hallway and advancing shoulder to shoulder. At this point it was clear what Lightning Dust had done. While Cloud Chaser went up to support Rainbow Dash, Lightning Dust had stayed behind to cover their rear to prevent the reinforcing group from supporting the Crystal Ponies at the door. Firing bolts and taking them out slowly, she did a good job of holding them off as she managed to reduce their effectiveness and speed. But now, coming in closer with large numbers in a tight and formidable formation, Rainbow Dash could see that they were getting closer and closer as they advanced, soon to fall upon Lightning Dust if she didn’t get out. Seeing that she didn’t seem to be making any move to get out of there any time soon, Rainbow Dash grunted in frustration. Why does she always have to do this? She thought, knowing that Lightning Dust was so fixated in the fighting that she forgot that this was not their main objective. Best get her back here before she does anything stupid. Giving her an annoyed look, Rainbow Dash was about to yell at Lightning Dust to fall back when out of nowhere the large crystal doors swung close as a powerful magic pushed and sealed it close. In shock and panic, Rainbow Dash charged the crystal doors and slammed her hooves upon it. But this was to no avail for the doors were too heavy and the magic sealing it too strong. “Lightning Dust!” She screamed, as she heard Lightning Dust’s own muffled shouts call out to her. “Lightning Dust!” She could still here the battle raging through the thick crystal and knew that she was still alive. But for how long would she last? There were dozens upon dozens of reinforcements coming in and with her trapped all alone there, Rainbow Dash could only fear for the worst. Lightning Dust may be one of the best fighters in Equestria, but even she couldn’t fight against that many enemies without support. Searching her surrounding, she frantically looked for another path back towards the hall or anything that would help her opened the doors. But her search quickly stopped when she heard the sound of laughter behind her. Turning around, she met a sight that immediately brought chills down her spine, as she stared frozenly at the frightening sight before her. From her position, the eerie sight of King Sombra’s silhouette above them, laughing as he sat there, bought a bone chilling feeling to her as the sight imbedded itself in her memory. Sitting on his high throne, eyes glowing in the darkness of the room, King Sombra gave out a maniac like laugh which echoed inside the large chamber and rung in her ears. For a moment, she felt fixed in her position, unable to move as she stared at him. She had seen King Sombra countless of times before in the battlefield, but that was from a distance. Now however, now that she was really close, she couldn’t help but see the true fear he brought upon his enemies. Finishing his laughter and looking down upon them, Sombra brought his eyes upon her, meeting her gaze with his own. Locking upon one another, Rainbow Dash felt like she was battling with him in a fierce staring contest, one she seemed to be losing. The glowing red eyes, the dark magic that emitted from it, it seemed all too much for her. She had prided herself to be a good soldier, one that can fight anything that came in her way. Going on this mission, she had the mindset that she can handle anything that happens and accomplish her goal without feat and hesitation. But now she began to doubt those boast. Nothing had gone according to plan and as she stood there, her objective right in front of her, she felt helpless. So helpless… Helpless… Rainbow Dash woke up in fear, shooting up from the bed and gasping for air. The memory imbedded in her had become a curse, a curse both in day and night. If it wasn’t plaguing her with terrible flashbacks during the day, then it was attacking her with nightmares that seemed more frightening than the last. Why can’t they just leave me alone? She thought grudgingly, tired of the haunting past that kept reminding her of those terrible times. Being reminded of those events almost every day was torture, worse than any pain that she had endured before. If possible, she would have rather be stabbed over and over than to go through this slow mental onslaught. Yet life thought it would be funnier that she went through this strain of pain, than hurt her physically. Sweating and breathing heavily, she placed a hoof on her face, hoping to relax her tense state, when a jolt of pain made her pull her hoof away. Cursing at the sudden pain, she slammed her hoof down in frustration, only to make her wince as her sore body reacted badly to it. That’s right…I got bucked right in the face by that mare. She thought frustrated, as she recalled the recent events that happened to her. Groaning as she shifted on her bed, she tried her best to mend the pain she felt, all the while trying to look around the room she currently was. Through the moonlight that came inside from the window, Rainbow Dash was able to see the plain white walls and ceiling of the room, decorated by nothing but a simple plaque that was too far for her to read. Looking around a little more, she could see nothing else but drapes that hung over from the ceiling, currently pushed off to one side so that they were open. Sighing as she rested her head back on her pillow, she closed her eyes knowing all too well where she was right now. If the plain white walls weren’t enough of a hint for her, then the smell in the air would have been another clue that only pointed out that she was in a hospital. Great…and all because of that mare. She thought glumly. Now she would most likely spend the next few days here, if not the entire week, being pestered by doctor and nurses who would restrain her from doing much because of her injuries. Hopefully, if things look up to her, word about her beat up wouldn’t leave this town. If the ponies in Canterlot ever heard of what happened here, she was sure that it would stir up their interest and make them curious. Before she would know it, they would have ponies all over this town, interviewing witnesses and trying to get an audience with her. And that was the last thing she wanted right now. Right now, all she wanted was to relax, to get a vacation that she had longed for since a long time ago. At first, she thought she would get that vacation when she arrived at this town, since it seemed peaceful enough when she had arrived here. But now, as she lay in the hospital bed, sore from being flung across a room, she was beginning to doubt that this was the best town to get her vacation. When Rainbow Dash went to this town, she had expected a lot of things to go wrong. But to be met by a mare she didn’t know and be assaulted by her, to the point that she ended up in the hospital, was not on the list of things she had expected. If she knew something like this would have been a possibility, then she would have asked her doctor to choose another town, one which did not contain hostile ponies. Who even was she? The mare who attacked her was angry and full of fury when she did it and never in her lifetime had Rainbow Dash seen such determination come from somepony who wanted to attack her. Then again, most of the ponies she had fought were mind controlled Crystal Ponies, who bore no expression beneath their thick helmet. But there was something in her eyes, in the way that she looked at her, that unnerved Rainbow Dash. She had seen and had been in many drunken tavern fight before and she knew that there was something different about this one. Although that pony was drunk and loose in her thoughts because of the alcohol, there was this certain look on her assailant’s eyes, a looked that seemed to tell that she recognized her. A look directly pointed at her, as if Rainbow Dash was her rival and that she had been waiting for that moment in a long time. Thinking about the events, she did remember the mare mentioning something about her brother. But who was that mare’s brother? She seemed pretty sore about that subject and believed that she had done something that involved her brother. But as far as Rainbow Dash could recall, she knew nothing about that mare or that possible brother she was talking about. “Maybe she was just one crazy drunk mare who thought I was somepony else.” She mumbled to herself, even though she knew that wasn’t through. The mare had specifically identified her first before attacking her, wanting to make sure that it was really her. She clearly knew her, which wasn’t a surprise, but why did she hate her? She was about to put further thought on this, when her thinking was suddenly interrupted by a calling down in her groin. “Damn it…” She said to herself as she lifted herself up. “…I need to take a piss.” For a moment, she debated on whether to call for a nurse in helping her get to the restrooms, but seeing no way to contact them and feeling that the pain was tolerable, she decided to go on by herself. I don’t need any nurse assisting me like a helpless filly. She thought confidently. Sliding off the bed, she felt heavy under her hooves as her muscles still felt sore from her impact on the table. Cursing as she took her first step, she made steady progress at first and after a few more steps she managed to contain the aching pain and exit her room. The hall way was dimly lit, with only a few lights on the ceiling bringing illumination. Looking up, Rainbow Dash could see the poorly maintained lights, which wither had broken bulbs or faulty wiring on them. Shaking her head, she felt sorry for this place, and for the rest of the town. Like the town, the hospital seemed ill maintained and broken down, with stains covering many portion of the walls and many doors barely hanging on their hinges. Looking around as she around as she went by, she guessed that this hospital had been salvaged of staff and material during the war, leaving little for the maintenance and the running of it. No pony or material is exempt from the war. She thought, remembering one of many slogans the propaganda posters blared at citizens. Trotting through the halls and trying to find the restroom, she passed through the maze of halls, doing her best to navigate it, as well as remember the path she took. The last thing she wanted was to get lost in these halls and spend the night on the cold hard floor. She had spent enough of her life sleeping on hard ground and she wasn’t willing to relieve those memories. Passing through a hall that run parallel to a wall of windows, Rainbow Dash felt relieved and happy to find a sign hanging on the other end pointing towards the restroom. She didn’t know how long she could have lasted and the sight of the restroom so near was a nice sight. But standing halfway through the hallway and blocking her path was the dim silhouette of a pony, who had both his fore hooves on the frame of a nearby window, looking out of it and mumbling to herself. Slowing down her pace and moving cautiously towards the pony, she kept her gaze fixed on him as she grew closer and closer, hearing bits of the words that were escaping his mouth. “…I shouldn’t be here…” She heard him say. “…they’re the ones who should have lived…” By now, she could see him shake, and getting a closer look, it looked to her that he was crying. “…I should be back there, buried on the cold earth…” “Hey, buddy, are you alright?” Rainbow Dash called out once she was only a few feet from him. From her position, she managed to get a better view of the pony and was surprised at what she saw. At first, she had presumed that the pony was an earth pony, for he had lacked either wings or horn. But getting a closer look, she knew saw the stumps on his back, the stumps the she presumed used to be connected to full grown wings. The sight of this made her itch on her own wing, as the metal that connected with her prosthetic metal wing suddenly felt heavy. Stopping from his mumbling and snapping his head to face her, his eyes met hers and for a moment Rainbow Dash felt like she was staring at a mirror. His eyes were plank and lifeless. Staring directly at them, she couldn’t help but shudder. It reminded her too much of her own eyes, every time she saw herself on the mirror. The coldness that seemed to show off death, despite being alive. The deep look within him reminded her of her own dead gaze and the troubled expression on him was eerily same to the ones she had after being bombarded by her troubled past. “I’m no hero…” He told her in his shaky voice. “…but soon I’ll be with the heroes.” With that he lunged forward and shot himself out of the window, disappearing from Rainbow Dash’s sight. Panicked by what she saw, she quickly moved forward and peered off the edge of the window, just in time to watch his body fall from the height. Shocked by what she saw, she felt still and unable to react, her insides cold with dread as she watched the body impact the ground and land with a terrible sound. Closing her eyes, she looked away, slamming her hoof against the wall. Another life I couldn’t save… “Damn it!” She shouted, unable to contain her frustration. Why didn’t I do anything? Why didn’t I flew out to catch him? In her fit of rage, she trashed around the hallway, trying to vent out her anger. As she was doing this, the feeling of kicking something attracted her attention, as it momentarily stopped her rage and placed her gaze towards the object beneath her. Looking down she saw a framed picture of a small orange filly being carried around by a pegasus, which she presumed was the one she just saw. Picking up the frame, she noticed the glass was cracked after her kicking it against the wall, making some of the shards fall on the ground. Scanning the ground again, she saw more objects that accompanied the frame, one being a letter and the other being a medal. Picking the medal with her hoof, she tried to get a better look at it by bringing it under the moonlight. Getting a better look of the medal, she felt it still as she suddenly realized what it was. The Silver Shield… She thought, realizing that the medal she held was the second highest award a soldier in the Equestrian Army can receive, and it belonged to that pegasus. At least it used to… Glancing away from the medal, she lowered her head with a sigh, putting down the medal and the framed picture, before trotting slowly towards the window. There were no cries and groans of pain coming from the still body below and Rainbow Dash already knew what this meant. Down below, she knew that the pegasus was gone, gone from the world that made him do this act. Another fallen soldier…