Loss

I woke up in a large amount of pain. My flank burned like the purest fire while the rest of me felt completely drained. I slowly opened my eyes, the vivid color from before now drained back to the usual dull. I looked around, finding myself tucked under Umbri's neck. The room was completely dark save a lone candle in the distance.

I slowly pushed up, Umbri forcing me back down, "Stay still, Daring went to get help for your leg."

My leg? What was wrong with my leg? I slowly realized that I couldn't feel my right leg, "Umbri what's wrong with my leg?" She refused to look at me, instead caressing my head with her foreleg, "Umbri!? Umbri please, what's wrong with my leg!?"

"Just stay calm Skane, I need you to stay calm." Umbri pulled my against her neck, "You'll be fine."

I could feel my heart racing like mad as Jut's voice started booming through the halls, "-should have told me...idiots!" A loud stomping ended as the door to the darkened room flung open, "Get these candles lit now!" Jut marched over, "Off him now!"

Umbri quickly left me along on the bed. As she move I got a look at my leg. A deep gash just under my flank was a dank purple, smelling of metal as blood caked around it, "Oh by the goddess." A hooded pony with a creaky voice ran over, "I'm surprised he didn't feel it sooner. Hold him down."

Before I could speak I felt Jut lean his weight onto my side, "He's not going to move."

I just stared in panic as Daring and Umbri watched the two ponies get to work, "Get ready, he's going to scream." As the croaky voice cut out my leg came out of its numbness. I let out a blood curdling scream as each nerve in my leg came back to life. My vision was quickly blurred by tears, "Can you feel your leg!?" I only screamed in response, "Good," The next thing I knew I felt such a horrid pain in my leg I nearly blacked out. The only thing that kept me awake was the dull burning in my flank, "Binding." I felt the pain multiply as a vise like grip wrapped around my leg, "There...he should be fine now. He's going to have a fever and the shakes for a while but he should be fine."

Jut lifted his weight off, "Good," He wandered around into my vision, his scarred face scowling at me, "Don't die. We have business to take care of before you do." I found my throat unable to convey any words.

The hooded pony walked towards Daring, "Make sure he drinks this instead of water, in four hours unbind and redress his wound. Pour this over the wound before and after wrapping it, it will draw out the infection." The hooded pony looked at me once, "He'll have to suffer through the pain, anything I could give him might poison him in conjuncture with the antiseptic. And you," The pony walked over, "Next time you take a wound like that you tell someone, walking around like that will kill you." The pony bopped the side of my head with their hoof and walked off, "If the fever doesn't break in three hours come find me."

As soon as the hooded pony left Umbri jumped back on the bed and wrapped her body around my dead weight. My leg was slowly going from burning agony to pure numbness as I felt myself drifting away.

I was moments from losing control when Umbri started shaking me awake, "Get up , you can't fall asleep right now!" She looked panicked.

"I'm okay...I'm fine." I muttered hazily as I felt myself drifting, "I just need...a little sleep...."

I started to close my eyes, "Skane no, Skane you need to stay awake. Skane?! Skane!" I drifted into a deep sleep, I was ready to meet my mother again.

"Wake him up then!" A voice boomed as I felt myself meet the floor, "Get up." I felt myself wrench upwards as I found my hooves, "Boy I need you to focus." I felt a quick slap that sent my eyes wide open, "Good...we need you to give the rites to our dead." Before I could say a thing Jut yanked me towards the door. Umbri and Daring started yelling but quickly faded out as I was dragged out and into the main hall.

Room by room I was pulled limply along. It only ended as I was thrown into a large pedestal. I picked my head up and took a moment to look around. Rows and rows of covered bodies, all lined up down the main road. I felt myself start to shake violently as my leg reawoke. "One thousand two hundred and thirteen lives are waiting for your blessing boy, see them on their way."

My hooves clattered hard as I quivered. I started hyperventilating as I stared at the rows of dead, "Boy..." The mare from the tower tapped my shoulder, "Please...for my son."

I bit down hard and nodded. I turned to the colossal crowd, "By-" A sudden surge of bile came forth from my mouth as I turned away. I leaned onto the pedestal until I could speak again. I stamp my hoof on the hard oak surface, "By the goddess above, the giver of life, our mother, our savior, I commend these honored dead to their rest. May our forgiving mother take them upon her body and give them rest. May those who died in this great battle be remembered always, and may they find everlasting peace in the embrace of the goddess. Praise the mother!"

The crowd surrounding the dead surged up, "Praise the mother." And just like before, a bright orange light enveloped the lines. The true gravity of the death toll hit hard as the lights of the pyres went for nearly a mile. Even for the enemy giant pillars of pitch black smoke rose from the outskirts.

Jut stepped to me and pulled me away, "Good my boy, good. Take him back."

I was quickly picked up and placed on the backs of two large ponies as they walked my broken form back into the main hall. Once back inside the set me down, "Hey...can you walk?" One asked as they held me still.

I put pressure on my leg, it burned horridly but I could suffer through, "Thank you bo- sir. We would have had to send for a runner if not for you." The other pony gave me a quick bow before hurrying back outside, "I'm sorry but we...wish to attend, say our farewells."

I nodded weakly as I found myself alone in the main hall. I limped along the wall as I tried to get back to my room. I tried with every bit of my strength until finally my leg gave out. I crumpled to the cold hard floor and found myself staring at a row of banners on the opposite wall.

I laid there for an ungraspable amount of time, it felt like days, but it could have been mere seconds. "My oh my." A strangely familiar pair of blood stained fetlocks glided into my vision, "Tell my Skane, do you even remember who did this to you?" A hooded face looked down on me, "I know who you are, we've met long ago but I'm doubtful you'd remember. At any rate you will survive this, and you will have to deal with what your survival will entail. Many hard choices lay ahead, you will make poor decisions, you will make good decisions, but by the end of your journey you will lose yourself."

The hooded pony took their hood off, a clean red face lay behind it. I knew who this was, I couldn't place his name but I knew him. He was banished from the temple years ago for murder. "Find your place in life Skane, but find it soon. Your goddess may forgive you, but those ponies who could never understand will not. Look to your enemies to find friends, look to your home to find a reason to leave, look to your friends to find a reason to continue." He pulled his hood back on, "And most of all, decide what you are, become what this world needs you to be and embrace it." He started walking away, "Oh, and a final thing. Don't die, your parentage will for one of the most powerful lines in all of this worlds sordid history. Hm, to think they end up purple." He laughed as he walked away.

I stayed half dead on the floor for maybe an hour. My leg had went from burning to itching as the bindings started to loosen. I needed to find them, I needed to fix my leg. I got to my trembling hooves and limped through the hall's corridors until I found the room, "Skane!" I flopped inside and laid on the floor. Umbri ran over as did Daring.

"Leg...my leg." I mumbled as I laid my head on the cold wooden floor.

Daring looked at my leg before looking across my body at Umbri, "I'll get the bandages!"

I felt myself get dragged along the floor until Daring returned, she stared at my leg as I felt the damp bandages unravel. She grimaced at the sight of my leg, "Well...I've seen worse. I mean it's not good, but I've seen worse." She poured a burning liquid on my leg causing me to kick wildly, "Oh stop being a baby." She wasted no time in rebinding my leg and pouring the liquid back over my leg.

I waited until the burning subsided before standing up, "Here." Umbri held a strange looking flask for me, "They said-"

"To drink it..." I took it from her, "I hope this doesn't taste like crap." I dipped the flask back as the atrociously acrid flavor washed over me, "Kess harik." I swore in anger as I swallowed the horrible swill, "By the goddess that tastes like...like a fucking pine cone!"

As horrible as it was I could feel a strange coldness in my upper body as the liquid fell into my stomach. I shook my head and tried to disperse the feeling through my body. My leg, while burning, was not in nearly the same amount of pain as before.

I lowered my head and shook it hard, "Umbri, I have a favor to ask."

"Anything," She stepped forward and pressed her nose against mine.

I smiled before going stoic, "Hit me, hit me hard."

She reeled back, "Hit you!? Why do you want me to hit you?"

"Look...I just need you to hit me, please just do it."

She stared into my eyes for a moment, "I don't want to."

"I need you to." She grimaced before pulling her foreleg up and leveling it into my jaw. It was a solid punch, not overly damaging but it hurt, "Ow. Okay. Umbri, half of one of your legions was just pushed out of the city. Untold dead, many wounded, many more taken alive."

She stared at me, "You were right...I do want to hit you now." She grew quiet as she looked at the floor, "This is a war though, they fell for the empire."

I shook my head, "I might have taken my axe to a few."

She stared me dead in the eyes, "I don't care. I am still a soldier, I care for you but understand I have killed as well, but right now we are not fighting for either side, we are fighting for ourselves."

"Aye. I suppose we are...does that mean once you're healed you'll fly off back to your legion."

She looked at Daring then to me, "As far as the legion is concerned I am dead. They are still my people but...I...I want to help you." She pulled me into a warm hug, "You've known me in a way no other has and I will not abandon you."

"Even if I asked you to?"

She tightened her grip, "You're not in charge of me, I am a legion veteran now and I go where I please. Some stallion drunk on power isn't going to tell me to where to or where not to go."

I pushed her back with a smile, "Insubordinate shrew."

"Mopish thug." I gave a quick laugh before hugging her again.

Daring gave a loud groan as she walked past, "Dear Celestia you two are more cheesy than one of those cheap romance novels."

Once she was gone I reached my mouth up to Umbri's ear, "An excellent uniting point isn't she."

Umbri chuckled "Mutual hate is as powerful a bond as any."

Our small joining was interrupted by the red marked pony stomping inside, "There you are, Jut told me to find you."

I let Umbri go and walked over to the waiting stallion, "Aye sir, what does he need?"

He stared at Umbri, "A matter you're no doubt accustomed with, your slaves wait in their cells and Jut wishes to know what you plan to do with them."

"My slaves?" I asked with utter confusion.

The red marked one nodded, "You took nearly thirty legionaries alive, as such they are yours. We need your order, if you do not make your decision soon they will all be executed."

My blood went cold as he finished. I could hear Umbri run over, "What!? Skane you-"

"Umbri please." I pushed her back, turning to the red marked, "Sir...may I bring my companions?"

He stared at Umbri for a moment, "If you must. Just be quick." He hurried out.

I turned to Umbri, "Get Daring and be quick." She nodded before bolting off.

We ran through the halls, I fell behind a few times before bolting to catch them. We hurried down the stairs and into the holding area. Jut met us in one of the first rows of cells. A horde of ponies clamoring at the bars, "Ah about time." The beast of a stallion walked over to me, "Twenty seven conscripted legionaries, I understand you are a stallion of the goddess so I've decided to make it simple. You make take your captives for your own, or you may leave them to me in exchange for coin." He pulled a huge bundle of coins from his side bags, "Seventy gold bits for each."

I stared at the money his hooves, this was amazing, I could finance a small army with this, "Skane." Umbri pulled my head to meet her's, "You can't, please." She looked at the scared young ponies behind the bars, "If you give them to him you know what will happen." A life of slavery in the tribes land would most likely kill most by the end of the year.

I looked back at Umbri, "But we need the money, we could by weapons, armor, we could hire guides and guards-" I was shut down by her unwavering stare, "Umbri please."

She turned away from me and went to the bars, "You, colt!" She was met by a meager looking stallion at the bars, "For whom do you fight?"

He stared blankly at her, "For the empire Miss."

She stared hard at him, "You lack conviction. I will ask again, for whom do you fight?"

The stallion had to stop himself from repeated his propaganda, "I fight for...I fight for my farm Miss."

Another pony walked to the bars, "I fight for home."

The captives started slowly clamoring to the hard metal bars, "I fight for my brother."

"For myself."

"For survival."

"For my family."

The ponies continued to chatter as Jut pulled me to the side, "Gutless cowards all, no stomach for a good fight."

Umbri walked over between us, "That's the idea."

Jut stared at her as Daring went to listen to the ponies, "What are you on about outsider?"

Umbri looked at me, "Where are we headed?"

I looked at Jut who was growing rather skeptical of my entire reason for being here, "We are heading south, pushing into empire controlled land." Jut cocked an eyebrow. I stared at the floor before looking Jut right in the eyes, "We are not on your side Jut."

He scowled hard, "Then what side are you on boy?"

"My own!" I stamped my hoof at him, "I fight those that oppose me, and with those who's goals align with my own." Jut's expression soured even more, "Should it come to it we may very well meet in the field."

"Is that so, then perhaps I should simply kill you now." He reached her head back and pulled a curved dagger out, "You're brave to tell me what you have, but I hope you realize you are not welcome here any longer."

I nodded, "It was never my intention to stay."

Jut leaned over me, danging his knife over my head. He gave a long groan as he slowly sheathed his knife, "A shame. Then tell me why you are truly here."

I took some time and explained what I could, saving the details about who Daring was and how she got here, "We are heading south to the temple of the sky."

Jut just smiled, "You're going to kill yourself."

"Hello?" Umbri pushed between us, "I was making a point before you two barbarians started your intimacy!"

Jut snorted at her, "Then make your point fool."

Umbri puffed out her cheeks and stared at Jut, "These ponies did not join by choice. All have no greater wish than to head to their homes. We are going to their homes."

I stared at Umbri, "You want me to bring them with us...."

"Yes!" She smiled and nodded frantically.

Jut and I looked at each other, he eventually gave a long sigh, "An army of slaves is only as loyal as you can force them to be. You'll need help...." He gave a sharp whistle. The red marked pony from before trotted over, "Skane, I believe you know York."

I nodded and walked to the now named pony, "Good to put a name to your face."

York smiled, his white coat splashed with red was unique enough but a name made things all the simpler. Jut pushed York to me, "This fool is assembling an army of the legions dropouts, make sure they are hammered into pure iron."

York looked into the cells, "Jut, you're asking me to turn that rabble into a band of fighter?"

"You were the one who complained about a lack of excitement." Jut turned to me, "Get some rest, we'll bring your makeshift army to the southern gates in the morning."

I nodded before walking off with Umbri, "Thank you Jut."

"Aye, but let me warn you boy, we meet in the field and I will make you cry like a filly!"

I gave a single nervous laugh as Daring joined us as we walked to the room.

I limped into the room rather tired. I was not sure how long I had been awake but my body was screaming for rest, "Umbri." I let her take a few steps ahead and turn around, "I hope you realize you owe me."

"For what?" Daring strolled between us, "Can somepony tell me what's going on?"

"Daring listen very closely, Jut is assembling an army, we are going to move south in the morning, and right now we-" I pointed between me and Umbri, "-are going to share a nights sleep, alone."

Daring scrunched up her muzzle, "Where the heck am I supposed to stay?"

I thought about it, "Hmm, I'll be right back."

York and I walked into the room, "I was busy before this, I hope it's important."

"York my new friend, I assure you it's of the utmost importance." I left him in the doorway and found Daring reading a book, "York, this is Daring Doo. She has a horrible habit of saying stupid things. I need you to teacher her discipline."

York looked at daring before snorting, "And you thought of me?"

"Uh Skane..." I bopped Daring on the muzzle to shut her up.

"I just thought you of all ponies would be in a unique position to teacher her to hold her tongue." I gave York a telling look.

He looked back at Daring for a moment, "I suppose I could find something for her to sate her maw." He smiled wide, "I'm sure by the end she'll learn to curb her tongue." She walked behind Daring and started pulling her down the hall.

Daring started yelling and screaming as she was dragged to another room. Finally alone I walked over to the bed and tucked myself into the large bed. Umbri walked in from the side room and pressed her back into my chest, "What will he do to her?"

"From what I understand he is an trainer. So...training."

Umbri gave a weak laugh, "Hmm...it's quiet without her."

We both laid in the dark room. Things were horridly quiet, "I miss her." I mumbled to myself.

Umbri shifted against me, "Aye. It's quiet without her."

Another long silence fell between us. I wrapped my hooves around her body and pulled her against me. I listened to her heart to drown out the silence as I fell asleep.