Innocent

by Puzzle Piece

Act IV: Chapter Thirty-One: Broken

The Air Corps pushed forward relentlessly, driving the Trolls down street after street. With the air swarming with the newly arrived Pegasi and raining deadly javelins, the Trolls were sent into disarray. Their spears and axes couldn’t reach the distant opponents, leaving them no choice but to retreat or huddle in the relative shelter of the buildings they had set aflame. The ground forces cleared those Trolls the Air Corps couldn’t reach, building by building. As each street was cleared, the Pegasi from Ponyville’s weather team put out the fires. Minutes passed and a brittle stillness gradually fell over the town.

But the fighting faded slowly, sharp cries echoing from the Trolls as they were brought to bay and faced down. Twilight ran beside Jason, lending aid when she could. She was beginning to feel the effects of extensive mana use now and, with the added strain of her frantic nighttime flight to reach Ponyville, it was all she could do to resist the urge to lie down and sleep the day away. The pounding of her heart would not have let her anyway, nor would the chill of dread that swept through her every time she saw the body of another pony in the street. So she ran on, struggling to keep moving but unable to stop.

The troops on the ground met with very little resistance as the Pegasi drove the bulk of the Trolls toward the west edge of town. While Twilight was helping to move a pile of timber that blocked a side street, Ditzy came swooping in and spoke hurriedly with Jason. Before the frantic Pegasus finished speaking, Jason was out of earshot, running southwest and leaving Ditzy to chase after. By the time Twilight realized he’d gone, there was no sign of them. She was momentarily confused by his disappearance but her attention was drawn back to the fighting when a door burst open behind her and a knot of Trolls came out, screaming in rage.

The other members of the Vanguard were busy farther up the street and hadn’t noticed yet. She would have faced them alone if not for Spike. The Trolls were no match for the pair, only making it half the distance to them before Spike had sent three screaming away with his clinging flame breath and Twilight had killed the other two with a blast from her horn and cuts from their own axes. The last Troll she felled raised its claw weakly toward her, a faint growl dying on its lips, before settling into the dirt and moving no more. Twilight suppressed a shudder, just as she’d been doing for some time now. She wondered vaguely if her aversion to killing was fading or if she was just becoming used to the sensation of her skin crawling under her coat. She decided she didn’t like the prospects of either possibility and pushed the matter from her mind.

Spike jumped onto her back again and they rejoined the other troops. As they caught up, a series of howls rose up from the south. Trolls poured up the street toward them, about two hundred in all. Much of the Air Corps had pushed farther to the west already and only two squadrons were able to provide supporting fire. Many Trolls made it through and Zacon pushed to the front of the group to meet them. The street was narrow enough that the Trolls couldn’t bring their numbers to bear fully, but the battle was still fierce and the Vanguard gave ground steadily. Twilight fired scorching bolts from her horn, using only her Unicorn magic to conserve her remaining mana. The ponies used a staggered withdrawal, working in pairs to strike out and fall back successively. Zacon provided an anchor at the center of the formation to prevent the Trolls from pressing in too quickly for them to keep their lines intact. Meanwhile, the Pegasi rained javelins from above.

The Trolls committed themselves to the fight completely, none attempting to break away or take cover. Their determination won them some purchase on the left flank, where the weary ponies gave ground quicker than expected to the comparatively fresh Trolls. Zacon shifted his attention to that side to compensate and, almost immediately, the right flank collapsed. Twilight suddenly found herself at the front of the fighting as the ponies backpedaled hastily to avoid being overrun by the advancing Trolls. A pony went down beside her and she telekinetically lifted the offending Troll off its feet and hurled it backward into its fellows. While they were scrabbling back to their feet, she picked up the fallen pony and pulled him with her as she retreated.

As the Trolls surged forward again, another pony was struck and collapsed. Spike jumped down to let loose a torrent of flame to hold them at bay while Twilight reached out again with telekinesis to remove the injured pony from the front. No sooner had she managed it than another went down. She stopped her efforts to extract the downed ponies and unleashed a flurry of bolts from her horn. When that did little more than buy more time, she threw a wall of magic out in front of her, blocking the Trolls away and bringing the fight to an abrupt standstill. The Trolls bashed and hacked and clawed at the barrier, but it did not yield. The Air Corps squadrons overhead ran out of javelins and sped off to resupply while the ponies on the ground watched their opponents warily through the pulsing shield.

Still holding the shield against the Trolls’ persistent efforts to breach it, Twilight turned to the first pony to have fallen. Private Sifter blinked up at her, dazed and reeling but looking to have avoided any critical injuries after a hammer had connected with his helmet. She could see Private Aspen pushing himself up again, bleeding, but not as much as Private Mortar. She sent Spike to tend to Aspen first. As Mortar stirred weakly, Twilight rushed to his side, her mana reaching out to probe at the gash on his chest where the steel plates had been knocked aside. What she found sent a chill through her.

A sliver of metal, broken off of the plates, had been driven between his ribs and punctured his heart. The internal bleeding wasn’t critical yet, but every heartbeat threatened to shift the sliver and slice his heart open. Worse, when she removed it, his heart would begin bleeding freely and no bandage would save him. Her only hope was to heal him with her mana before he bled to death. Mortar looked up at her, a question in his eyes behind a veil of pain. She screwed up her face into what she hoped was a reassuring smile and knelt down.

Bracing herself mentally, Twilight took hold of the intrusive fragment and eased it out as quickly as she dared. She’d never used her telekinesis inside anypony before and she felt a bit queasy as the various tissues moved under her grasp. Mortar grunted and tried to squirm but Twilight held him fast. A wave of blood followed the fragment out and Twilight clamped down on the injury with telekinesis while she let her mana infuse the wound completely. With the leaves she’d practiced on, the breaks had been relatively clean and coaxing the cells to rejoin had been simple enough. The jagged cut of this wound was anything but simple and she started at the edges, trying to work her way in gradually.

But the rate was far too slow and the bleeding continued at dangerous rates. Her brow furrowed as she focused on accelerating the process even more, but cries of alarm broke through her concentration. As she put more effort into the wound, her shield had begun to waver. The Trolls were throwing their weight against it madly, encouraged by the cracks that had begun to appear. Zacon was reforming the lines in anticipation of their breakthrough and glanced at her with what might have been concern. The ponies around him looked to be on the verge of collapse from the strain of fighting through the night. The Trolls still outnumbered them three to one.

Twilight began to recast the shield, but as she did so, her mana faltered and the healing stopped. Her telekinetic hold on the wound loosened for an instant and a fresh wave of blood poured forth. Mortar’s chest convulsed in pain and Twilight quickly renewed her grip to keep the bleeding in check. But her shield began to disintegrate and the ponies started backing away as the Trolls shouted threateningly. Twilight couldn’t recast the shield without releasing her grip on Mortar’s wound, but she couldn’t let it fall or they would all be overrun. She took a deep breath as she stood and turned to cast the spell.

The barrier pulsed with a fresh wave of energy, the cracks vanished and the Trolls were repulsed by the surge. Keeping the shield carefully maintained, Twilight turned back to Mortar. She applied telekinetic pressure again, though Mortar was no longer responding other than to flinch with each new wave of pain. She attempted to restart the healing effect, but she was starting to have difficulty manipulating her mana on such a fine scale while holding the shield firmly in place. Each heartbeat she felt in his chest was weaker than the last and the blood that had pooled beneath him told her it was too late for her meager efforts.

So she gave it up. What else could she do but submit to the reality that she wouldn’t be able to save him? It tore an emotional hole in her heart to mirror the wound she could not mend. She leaned close and put a hoof on Mortar’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Then she stood on unsteady hooves and devoted all of her concentration to the shield. Zacon regarded her solemnly, neither judgmental nor appearing sympathetic. A minute later, the Pegasi returned and continued to cut down the remaining Trolls. With their only hope of breaking through to the ponies dashed and their enemy striking from beyond their range, the Trolls finally broke and fled. Twilight dropped the shield and the others pursued the retreating Trolls toward the edge of town. Spike stood beside her, offering his presence as support but at a loss for what else he could do. Rainbow hung back, and when she saw that Twilight wasn’t moving, she dropped down next to her. Twilight said nothing, instead contemplating Mortar’s still form impassively, though she wasn’t really looking at his body so much as her own failure.

“You okay, Twilight?” Rainbow asked.

Rainbow didn’t get a response for a full minute.

“I’m…tired,” Twilight said finally. “Tired of seeing ponies die and tired of the stress and the fear. I’m also just plain tired. But mostly, I’m tired of being so utterly helpless to change things. I want to make a difference. But time and again, I see that I’m only one pony, and sometimes that doesn’t seem to be enough to save a life.”

Rainbow looked between her and Mortar a few times before speaking.

“You…can’t do it all. You can’t…be there. Not for all of them.”

Rainbow forced the words out haltingly as if it were an effort to say them aloud. Twilight looked over at her friend with concern. Rainbow wasn’t looking at Twilight. In fact, she seemed to be avoiding eye contact.

“We’d best get moving,” Rainbow said, spreading her wings. “The others are two streets ahead already.”

Twilight opened her mouth to say something but Rainbow took off before Twilight could get the words out. She and Spike followed after as fast as they could, which was now only a quick trot. By the time they caught up, Zacon and the other Vanguard troops were returning. The Pegasi of the Air Corps were circling watchfully overhead and the last sounds of fighting had faded away. Rainbow sat in the middle of the street, staring at nothing. Zacon dismissed his troops to various duties and stayed where he was, contemplating Rainbow silently. Rainbow didn’t seem to notice, nor did she react when Twilight stopped beside her. After a few seconds, Twilight realized where they were.

The front door of Sugarcube Corner was splintered and sagging from the frame. Debris littered the floor of the darkened interior and no movement was visible from where Twilight stood. After exchanging a worried glance with Spike, she turned back to Rainbow with a pleading question on her lips. She didn’t have to give it voice for Rainbow to know what she would ask.

“I saw it from the air as I was coming in with my squadron,” Rainbow intoned sullenly. “I couldn’t do anything about it at the time. I kept telling myself I’d get there, that I’d go back. I never did. So much happened and there just wasn’t time. I wasn’t…”

She flinched as if in pain just trying to get the words out. Her whole frame seized up like a coiled spring ready to snap. Twilight could hear the self-reproach in Rainbow’s voice as she forced herself to finish the sentence.

“I wasn’t fast enough.” She looked at Twilight then. “If Pinkie is…if she…I don’t think I want to see what’s in there.”

“She might not be—,” Twilight began.

“It was two hours ago, Twilight!” Rainbow cut her off with exasperation. She immediately deflated again. “It’s too late.”

Twilight recoiled from the outburst but recovered herself quickly. “I have to hope, Rainbow.”

She marched toward the bakery resolutely with Spike on her heels. Rainbow hesitated for a few seconds more before getting up and following reluctantly. The contrast with the brightness outside forced them to stop in the doorway to let their eyes adjust to the dimness. The lamps had been knocked from the ceiling and the windows were shuttered, meaning the only light came from the door they were entering. As soon as they could clearly see what was waiting for them inside, they regretted it. The smell of blood in the enclosed space was nearly overpowering and the sight of the Troll bodies strewn around the bakery’s main room was a horror unto itself. Pulverized bones beneath the fur of the muscular forms and more than a few crushed skulls marked most of the bodies. One looked like it was still on its feet, but on closer inspection they could see it had been beaten against the wall until it stuck there. Both Rainbow and Spike looked like they were going to be sick and Twilight felt the same.

But she stepped inside anyway, scanning the room for any sign of her friend while trying to hold her breath. Spike stayed close behind her, unwilling to be separated from her by more than a single pace. Rainbow hung back in the doorway. Twilight didn’t see anything in the main room that might tell her where Pinkie Pie had ended up or how so many Trolls had died there. There were no ponies to be found, armed or otherwise. Then a slick thud sounded in the kitchen, making them all jump. The trill of giggles that followed couldn’t have come from anypony but Pinkie, yet somehow that only increased Twilight’s apprehension for what she would find.

She edged around the counter and peered into the kitchen cautiously. The kitchen was even worse than the main room, with blood covering nearly every surface, though there were fewer bodies. Those few bodies had been mashed and twisted beyond recognition. Pinkie sat in the middle of the carnage, poking idly at the gore around her. Twilight saw that the light fixtures remained intact here and flicked the light switch. As soon as the room was illuminated, Pinkie spun around with frightening speed and reached Twilight before she could gasp. She grabbed hold of Twilight’s shoulders tightly and held her so that their eyes were an inch apart.

“Candy!” she blurted with a smile.

Twilight recoiled involuntarily from the other mare. Pinkie was coated in blood, some of which had dried to her coat and some still dripped slowly off of her when she moved. Her mane was plastered to her neck and there were only a few places where the pink of her coat showed through at all. Still she was smiling as if nothing were unusual. Twilight could feel the sliminess of the congealing blood soaking into her own coat where Pinkie held her. Only after a few seconds had passed did she actually process what Pinkie had said.

“Did you say candy?” Twilight asked, her voice an octave higher than normal.

“That’s right!”

She bounded backwards cheerfully, splashing through a pool of blood as she went. Twilight watched her with growing concern.

“All sorts of candy colors! Cherry and peppermint!” she said, pointing at one wall where it looked as if she’d smeared one of the Trolls against it until its blood had painted the whole wall. “There’s apple and strawberry over here.”

Twilight looked at where she indicated and looked away quickly, having seen as much of a smashed Troll’s head as she cared to.

“But my favorite one is right here,” she went on, sitting back down in the middle of the bodies. “Raspberry!”

And then she blew a loud raspberry and continued pushing the gory mess around with her hoof. She laughed at herself and then looked back at Twilight. Twilight hadn’t been able to move yet, still stunned by Pinkie’s words and demeanor.

“Isn’t it funny?” she asked with a giggle. “Zacon was right about this being a candy-colored world. I never noticed before, but I see it now!”

She was overcome with another fit of laughter and she fell over from the force of it. She held her hooves up and looked at them. Her laughter took on a hysterical pitch as she rolled over to look at Twilight again.

“Even I’m candy-colored, aren’t I? Licorice red from tail to snout!”

She continued to laugh even as Twilight took a hesitant step toward her. Pinkie’s eyes traveled from her friend’s openly horrified expression to the gore that covered her and back several times. Each time, her laughter diminished slightly until Twilight realized, with a new level of sorrow, that Pinkie was now sobbing. When Twilight reached out to her, Pinkie threw herself into Twilight’s embrace. Twilight cried with her as she held the stricken mare as tightly as she could. Pinkie curled up against her and clung to her like a lifeline, worming in as close as she could as if trying to disappear from the world. Looking on through the door, Rainbow and Spike were frozen with disbelief and horror. Zacon appeared behind them, having followed them in quietly.

“This is not what I meant,” Zacon said in a hushed rumble. “I think I prefer the softer colors to…this. Something about seeing her this way is…unsettling. Unnatural even.”

He looked away with a shake of his head that suggested he was warding off unpleasant thoughts and went back outside. Rainbow stayed where she was for a long time. Spike, torn between staying with Twilight and escaping the sights and smells around him, was spared the difficult choice when Twilight helped Pinkie to stand and started leading her toward the door. Rainbow and Spike followed after.

“I l-laughed,” Pinkie managed to whisper between shaking breaths. “But they didn’t disappear. Th-then Gummy…he tried to bite one. They kicked him and…and then…I don’t even know what happened then. And now, I’m…I’m in the middle of...”

She looked at the gore around her and flinched away. She saw the blood on herself again and tried to shake it off, but it clung to her. She twisted free of her friend’s grasp and shook herself more vigorously. The gore refused to be dislodged. Becoming desperate, she ran outside and threw herself at the ground, tearing at her coat with her hooves madly until Twilight grabbed hold of her again.
Zacon, standing nearby, was averting his gaze, apparently unable to watch any longer as Pinkie began hyperventilating in her panic. Twilight did what she could to calm her, whispering comforting words in her ear and helping to clean her coat. Pinkie eventually let Twilight tend to her, having finally exhausted herself. They made their way back to town hall once Pinkie was able to stand again. Rainbow said nothing the whole way, unable to decide if this result had been worse than what she’d expected.

~*~*~

The fading light of the late afternoon sun angled down through the trees to cast warming rays and cool shadows over the trail of death that snaked through the orchard. Birds called in the distance, undisturbed by the conflict that had engulfed the nearby town of Ponyville but close enough to lend their songs to the soft ambiance that lingered in the wake of the battle. The fragrance of the orchard hung in the pleasant breeze that stirred the branches above the survivors. In the distance, thick columns of smoke rose from the west side of town, but here in the orchard, the world conspired to mock the tragedy that had just occurred with its peaceful rhythm.

Cor stood apart from the others, eyes clenched shut in an effort to keep from breaking down completely. He cursed himself for wasting his mana on spells that were ultimately fruitless; for allowing himself to run out of arrows; for standing his ground at all; for agreeing to this venture in the first place. He cursed himself for a hundred reasons, even though he knew it was foolish to put the blame on himself. Still, that didn’t stop him from doing so. To be there, at her side as Applejack took her last breath, and not be able to save her; it was too much for him to forgive himself for.

The air was suddenly split by a yell that threatened to tear apart the throat that produced it. Cor spun to find the cause and saw Jason charging off in the direction of the fleeing Trolls. Tan auras surrounded his blade and several weapons of the enemy as they flew after him. As he passed, more weapons lifted from the ground to follow until a swarm of axes and spears surrounded Jason like an invisible army. Cor looked at his bow and thought briefly of following, but he knew it was folly. Besides, he knew he was needed here.

Ditzy was facing away from him, crying softly. Apple Bloom still hadn’t moved. She stared at her sister’s body as if waiting for something. Cor stowed the bandages back into his pack and gestured for the others to follow him.

“We’ll have to leave her here for now. I can’t carry her,” he said, trying and failing to keep his voice steady. “Come on. We’ve got to get back to town. There’s still work to do before it’s secure.”

“What?!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “That can’t be it! This can’t be how…she can’t be…”

When Cor tried to reply, his voice caught and he had to swallow before he could speak again.

“The others need us back in town. We’ve done all we can here.”

“It’s not over! Do somethin’, darn it!” she shouted. Then, in a more pleading tone, “You’ve got to!”

Seeing her desperation, he couldn’t bring himself to speak a denial. He simply shook his head woodenly. She recoiled as if struck and a wave of tears surged to the surface. She turned to Applejack again.

“Wake up! Show them you’re okay!” She shook Applejack’s body, rocking her back and forth in an effort to rouse her. “Sis! Please wake up!”

Her plea became distorted by emotion and she stopped trying to form words. Cor didn’t know what to say or do. He couldn’t offer any kind of comfort and he couldn’t bear to force her to leave either. That’s when Ditzy surprised him. She knelt down next to the filly and stroked her mane, making shushing sounds. Apple Bloom latched onto her with all her might and muffled her sobs in the other’s mane.

“I’ll carry her back to town, dear,” Ditzy said in the soft tones of a mother. “Don’t you worry. We won’t leave her behind.”

Ditzy gently disengaged from Apple Bloom and bent down to pick up Applejack’s body. When she had the mare steady on her back, she reached out and drew Apple Bloom close again and began walking back to town. Cor didn’t move for a moment, reliving grief from his own past that had risen up in this world to haunt him further. He shook his head to clear away the ghosts and started toward Ponyville as well.

~*~*~

Jason left the orchard, heading north after the fleeing Trolls. The ground pounding under his hooves meant nothing to him. He saw none of the trees that he passed. He was hardly aware of anything at all. His training and his rage were in total control. As he ran, he was accompanied by dozens of Troll weapons. They were locked in his telekinetic grip and streamed through the air in his wake. The only conscious thought that lingered in his mind was the image of Applejack’s still form, burned into his memory and igniting a vengeance he’d never felt before.

Branches lashed him as he tore through the underbrush of Whitetail Wood, but he didn’t care. Several minutes and a few miles passed away behind him, but time and distance didn’t register. What did register was a column of Trolls he nearly barreled into as he was cresting a small rise. They were marching west on a narrow road, shuffling along steadily. Jason hesitated for a second, confused because these were obviously not the same Trolls he’d been pursuing, though he didn’t really care. The column stretched away for a hundred yards before rounding a bend that disappeared behind a rock formation. The sound of his approach drew the attention of some of the Trolls and they turned to peer up at him.

A wiry grin slowly spread across his muzzle, mad and wild. It didn’t occur to him even as they turned to meet him that he was alone, facing an unknown number, or that he’d gone for a day and a half without any real rest. His weariness had been forgotten, buried by fury. The fact that there were so many Trolls before him only registered with a hint of satisfaction. And in his mind, he was more than just alone. To him, there was no one here at all. Only his grip on the weapons he controlled kept him from forgetting himself completely.

His rage exploded in a primal yell as he catapulted himself into their midst. A whirlwind of blades surrounded him, spears and axes diving like pistons and scythes to carve away at the Troll ranks. At the center of the chaos, his black blade arced in deadly paths all around him, flashing faster than the eye could follow. Bodies fell and the world ran red. At first, the Trolls rushed to face the lone pony, almost eager to reach such a foolish attacker. But as he pushed forward, that haste turned on its heels and became a mad scramble to escape.

Jason cut down any Troll he reached, severing limbs and leaving deep slashes with each wide, sweeping stroke. He didn’t stop swinging until the body had fallen to the ground, even if there was no chance the Troll was still alive. Many times, he pushed forward so quickly that he was running through one dismembered victim to reach the next. The screams of the dying and the fleeing fought against the battle cries of those still seeking to reach their singular enemy. Cutting through them all was the piercing yell of rage that surged and ebbed as Jason bounded from kill to kill.

The narrow road was gripped by chaos as more Trolls attempted to join the battle, not realizing what was happening at the center of the line. The Trolls that tried to escape were impeded by their own brethren and trapped. The whole column was left in a great mass, struggling to find its way. As the battle wore on, the ring of death that surrounded Jason dwindled in size as spears snapped and axes shattered, but his black blade would not be stopped. The initial shock of his charge faded gradually and the rear lines of the Trolls began to organize. While the Trolls at the front were put to flight by the unexpected ferocity of his attack, the others had time to gather a cohesive response.

When Jason reached them, he was met with determined resistance. Even as he cut down several Trolls in front of him, others would push to his flanks and strike. As he warded them off, the center of the line would press in closer again. Jason would have given ground if he’d had a single rational thought in his head, but he was beyond considering tactics of any kind. He nimbly evaded many blows, dancing through the grisly melee. Pain reached him through the fog of his mind, but it couldn’t gain a firm grip on his attention before it was lost in his fury again.

The Trolls were rapidly breaking under his reckless assault, either falling under his blade or else abandoning the fight and running from the slaughter. Fury clouded his vision in a red haze like bloody vapor. Screams and the sound of his blade passing through bone and flesh blended until it was only a rushing in his ears. He lashed out wherever he detected movement, hacking brutally at bodies that had already been rendered lifeless. An eternity later, he cast about for another enemy and found nothing. The road was still and silent except for himself, standing ankle-deep in blood.

He coughed; a painfully dry, hacking sound. His legs quivered as he stood gulping down ragged breaths, his throat raw and burning and his limbs leaden. His rage faded in waves, and without it, exhaustion took hold. There was a buzzing in the back of his head. He stared blankly ahead of him, unseeing. His sword dropped to the ground beside him. He didn’t notice it, and a few seconds later, he followed it down.

~*~*~

As Lyra made her way back to Ponyville, she wondered what she would find. She and four other members of the Vanguard’s First Squad had been left on the north side of town since they were too injured to fight. They’d seen the smoke rising above the hills that hid the town from view, but they could only guess how the battle was going while they waited. And they waited until well past noon, as the sun began to dip toward the horizon. When Private Felicitous had come to bring them up to the rest of their allies, Lyra had felt a rush of cold dread. Felicitous had said the battle had ended in a victory, but she was afraid to ask the cost. Lyra winced as she walked, the gash in her side throbbing from the movement. She refused to make a sound however, since her injuries were minor in comparison to those of her companions.

Jack Hammer was being carried in a stretcher by Caramel and Baritone on account of his broken leg. Both of the bearers were sporting various cuts of their own, but they could at least walk under their own power. Felicitous had stayed on the ground with them to help Night Watch walk. The Corporal wasn’t recovered yet from the knockout blow the night before and had little spirit left in him after hearing of the loss of his uncle. Lyra braced herself for the losses the rest of them would face when they arrived.

Smoke rose from the west side of town, dark and thick. Though it appeared most of the fires were contained, one whole block was being rapidly engulfed in an inferno that nopony was fighting. Instead, the effort was concentrated on preventing it from spreading to any of the surrounding blocks. Some fires had already run their course, burning many cottages to blackened husks, especially those isolated dwellings at the edge of town. From what she could see, Lyra estimated half of Ponyville west of the city hall had been lost.

They didn’t meet another living soul until they had come to the town square, but they passed the sites of multiple battles and hundreds of bodies. Though the number of slain ponies was far outweighed by fallen Trolls, they found no comfort at all. They walked on in silence. Every one of them lived here. This was their home and it was now a ruin and a killing field. As they neared the city hall, Lyra allowed herself to trail behind the others. With every step she took, her hope faded. How could she believe she could be so lucky as to escape grief when so many others hadn’t even escaped with their lives?

When they reached the town square, Felicitous led them over to where several other ponies were being treated for various injuries. Sergeant Clear Waters met them there and spoke with Felicitous while the others settled in to be tended to. Lyra stood off to one side, already bandaged as well as she could be, and listened in idly as the other two talked. She realized this was the first time she’d paid any real attention to Clear Waters. Even though he’d been a Sergeant since she’d joined the platoon from Ponyville, he had never drawn her attention. Now that she was focusing on him, she figured out why. He was so soft-spoken that it almost seemed like the livelier Private was raising his voice with him. But it wasn’t a shyness so much as a serenity that softened his voice, a calmness Lyra could hardly believe anypony still possessed after all they’d been through.

Their conversation turned to casualties and the solemn tone turned even more somber. Lieutenant Long Watch was still technically missing, but from what Turner had told her, Lyra knew he hadn’t made it. In addition to the Lieutenant, four other ponies were still missing from First Squad. Clear Waters reported that nopony in Second Squad was missing, though Privates Bounds and Cabbie as well as Corporal Pristine had been killed attempting to reach Ponyville, and Private Mortar had died while clearing the streets. Lyra took the news with a wince, counting the number of ponies they had lost in just the last two days. So far, they were down by seven, plus the four who were still missing.

She looked around at the town mournfully and noticed the line of covered bodies on the far side of the town square for the first time. More than a hundred bodies of ponies killed in the attack had been recovered from the streets and brought here. As she thought of the friends and neighbors under those sheets, a wave of apprehension swept through her. She wondered if the confirmation of her worst fears might be lying under those covers right now. She was just about to take the first hesitant steps to finding the answer when a voice reached out to her and called her back to hope again.

“Lyra?! Sweet Celestia, is that really you?!”

Lyra looked up to see a group of ponies approaching from a street to the west. One mare in plate armor detached herself from the group and approached cautiously. Lyra stopped where she was, one hoof still raised in mid stride. Bon Bon took her helmet off and set it down as her gaze traveled to the thick bandages on her side.

“Are you alright? It’s not too serious is it?” Bon Bon said as she fussed over Lyra.

“You’re still here,” Lyra said, stunned. She looked at Bon Bon’s armor as if afraid it would bite her. “Why are you still here?”

“I was defending the town with the rest of the volunteers,” Bon Bon said casually. She was about to brush past the question when she saw the tears in Lyra’s eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“You didn’t run.” Lyra said, barely keeping her voice steady. “You were supposed to run. I left to fight so you’d be safe. You should have run.”

Bon Bon shifted her hooves guiltily. “Other ponies needed my help here. I couldn’t leave them when I knew I could make a difference. Besides, it worked out in the end. We both made it.”

She smiled wanly but it faded quickly as Lyra began to cry in earnest. Bon Bon leaned in close, brushing some of the tears away.

“Shush now,” Bon Bon said gently. “It’s alright.”

Lyra sat down, disconsolate. When Bon Bon reached out to brush back a stray lock of the other’s mane, Lyra grabbed her hoof and pressed herself against it, and then drew Bon Bon into a tight embrace, sobbing into her shoulder.

“I was supposed to keep them away and I couldn’t.” Lyra continued to cry while Bon Bon processed her words. “It was awful. I never imagined it could be so bad. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?!” Bon Bon repeated with surprise. “No no no! None of this is your fault. Nopony was ready for this.”

“I s-said I’d p-protect you,” Lyra protested, hardly able to get the words out. “I d-didn’t protect you!”

“It’s not your fault,” Bon Bon said as she stroked Lyra’s mane. “Hush now. Don’t blame yourself.”

She sat down with Lyra and rocked her gently as she held her, repeating the words into her ear softly. Lyra gradually became aware that all conversation had ceased nearby and she sobered up as she realized half of her squad was watching. With a few sniffles and many attempts to dry her eyes, Lyra stood up and disengaged from Bon Bon. Bon Bon didn’t let her stray too far though, nuzzling up beside her tenderly. Lyra shifted with a hint of embarrassment, but the others were already turning back to their own business, so she didn’t resist.

Big Mac gave a brief report to Clear Waters, confirming that the remaining Troll forces had retreated to the west and were still fleeing when the Air Corps scouts last reported. He also reported that the Trolls remained nearly two thousand strong. Clear Waters thanked him and directed his team to rest. While the others sought out some place to finally sleep, Big Mac sat himself down heavily near the city hall, scanning the streets expectantly. As Lyra watched him, his expression turned more and more troubled. She’d already waited around enough today and wanted something useful to do, so she walked over to him, Bon Bon tagging along silently.

“How are you holding up?” she asked, hoping her voice was steady enough to sound confident after her breakdown.

“Just wonderin’ where all our Lieutenants got off to,” he replied, his brow furrowing. “I ain’t seen any of ‘em for an hour now.”

Lyra looked around but didn’t see any of them. In fact, there were no officers around at all, save for Sergeant Clear Waters.

“I thought Zacon and Jason were with your unit,” Bon Bon observed. “Didn’t they lead the Vanguard to clear the streets?”

“They did, but they’ve gone and disappeared now that the fightin’ is over,” Big Mac said. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Come to think of it, I didn’t see Jason much at all. But what about Cor? He was supposed to be hangin’ around here, wasn’t he?”

“Lieutenant Cor waltzed off to the south not long after you all headed through the west streets,” Bon Bon said dryly. “He went with Applejack and a Pegasus whose name escapes me. He was supposed to be watching the bridge while my volunteers took a breather, but that didn’t stop him much, did it?”

“Cor’s been a reliable leader for us, Bon Bon,” Lyra interjected. She made a placating gesture. “He wouldn’t have left if it wasn’t important. Right, Big Mac?”

“I’d be inclined to agree,” he nodded slowly. “But those three all tend to come and go as they please, good reasons or not. This might be the first time they’ve all been away at the same time. It’s got me worried.”

Bon Bon shook her head in exasperation. “About what? They came rolling in here like they were going to take on the whole Troll army by themselves, and then did practically that!”

Big Mac harrumphed. “You ain’t lookin’ too closely if you think that’s how smooth it went.”

Bon Bon and Big Mac continued to exchange quips for a moment, but Lyra was distracted by something to the south. Three ponies plodded along the bank of the river toward the town square; a Unicorn, an Earth Pony filly and a Pegasus. Lyra immediately recognized Cor as he brought up the rear, eyes downcast and troubled. The filly was pressing close to the Pegasus as they walked and, at first, Lyra thought that was what caused the Pegasus to take such halting steps. But as they came closer, she saw that it was the pony she was carrying that made her struggle.

Bon Bon noticed Lyra’s attention shifting and followed her gaze. When she saw them, she put a hoof over her mouth to suppress a gasp. Big Mac turned to look as well and his calm demeanor fell away into an expression of pure shock. Even before they were close enough to speak, they could see the blood that stained Applejack’s body. Ditzy saw them staring and walked over, stopping in front of them wordlessly. Apple Bloom and Big Mac both tried to speak, but neither of them could get a word out. Big Mac turned to Cor as he arrived.

“How?” Big Mac asked simply, unable to form any other words.

Cor didn’t look at him. Instead, he glared at the ground in front of him as he shook his head in frustration.

“I’m sorry,” Cor muttered.

When he said no more, Big Mac’s expression morphed slowly into disbelief and then into anger.

“That’s it?!” Big Mac boomed. “You come to me with my sister’s body and that’s all you have to say?!”

He fumed for a moment, but Cor didn’t respond beyond clenching his eyes shut. Then Big Mac lifted Applejack off of Ditzy’s back and carried her over to the line of bodies that had been recovered, tears beginning to stream down his face. Apple Bloom followed forlornly, glancing back at Cor. The archer stayed where he’d been left, rooted to the spot by the weight of his failure and an internal struggle that showed plainly on his face. Nopony bothered him and it was almost an hour before he moved again.