The Lost Soldier

Congrats to Sir Walter Geekly for getting the Shooter/Point of Impact reference
even though it was really vague. If I make any more references I’ll make sure to make it a
little bit more obvious.

Ray followed Twilight and the two fillies he would have to be introduced to later as they
raced towards a forest near the town. Twilights other friends were there already when they got
there.

“Has anypony seen Scootaloo?” Applebloom asked

“No, why?” asked Rainbow Dash

“We think she is in there” Sweetie Belle motioned towards the burning forest.

“Don’t worry I’ll get her” Rainbow Dash replied.

“Now wait” but Twilight started but Rainbow Dash shot upwards over the forest.

“I hope she’ll be ok” wondered Apple Jack aloud.

“I for one think she is a very capable flier” Rarity replied

“Yeah but if she wants to find Scootaloo she will have to land somewhere in there” Ray
pointed out.

“I hope all the animals will be ok” said Fluttershy

“They’ll be fine” replied Ray “They naturally tend to be able to escape fires”

Fire ponies began to arrive at the edge of the forest and began to try to put out the fire.

“Does anypony know how this started?” asked Ray to no one in particular.

By now a crowd had begun to gather around the burning forest and watched as fire
ponies tried to keep the flames under control. Then everyone cheered as an orange filly burst out
of the forest on a scooter and Sweetie Belle and Applebloom raced over to her.

“Wow that’s a relief” Twilight said.

“Oh no…” Ray said as his eyes widened.

“What? What’s wrong Ray?” Twilight asked “Scootaloo got out and she’s more or less

“Rainbow Dash doesn’t know that…” Ray replied as the grim realization settled on the
five other ponies.

Ray stayed back as the other ponies rushed forward only to be stopped by the fire ponies.

“I’m sorry but you can’t go in there” one of them replied.

“But our friends in there!” Apple Jack exclaimed.

“I’m sorry but there’s nothing we can do now get back and let us work”

Ray took the opportunity to quietly make his way around the fire ponies who struggled to
keep Rainbow Dash’s friends out.

“Hey you stop!” a voice said.

Ray dodged to the left as a pony tried to tackle him, and sprinted towards the burning
forest in roughly the same direction that Rainbow Dash went.

“Yeah go Ray!” he heard Pinkie cheer.

This drew the attention of other fire ponies, who turned in his direction. He had hoped to
take the path into the forest but that was no longer an option and he made a beeline straight
towards the forest edge. A burning fallen tree blocked his path but he slid under and escaped the
fire ponies but was introduced to a whole new set of problems. Ray silently thanked whoever
had decided to make parkour training an option for Task Force Spartan operators as he leapt over
a burning log. He had pulled a balaclava over his face made of the same flame resistant material
his black uniform was made of as he made his way further into the forest.

Ray burst into what was formerly a clearing in the forest, but was now littered with
burning trees that had fallen over in the inferno. He quickly scanned the area because this was a
very good place to have landed if there hadn’t been fallen trees here, and Ray believed these
trees had fallen within the past two minutes. He vaulted a few more logs and was about to exit
the clearing when he barely heard a cough. Ray thought for a moment it was himself until a
weak voice said

“H help me”

Ray pivoted around trying to locate the voice.

“Rainbow Dash?! Where are you?!” Ray yelled at the top of his voice.

Receiving no reply he frantically searched around until he tripped and fell. Ray
scrambled to his feet and looked down at what had tripped him. He saw Rainbow Dash lying on
the forest floor with a wing pinned under a burning log, barely conscious looking desperately up
at him. Ray kicked the log but it wouldn’t budge, he then sighed and bent down and grabbed the
burning log with his gloved hands and lifted. He felt the heat from the log through the gloves and
struggled to move it. After what seemed like an eternity the log rolled off of Rainbow Dash’s

Ray picked up Rainbow Dash and barreled through burning branches in the general
direction of the edge of the forest. He was gasping for air that was quickly being replaced by the
constricting smoke. Ray was running at a good pace when he felt a very heavy, very hot object
smash into his back and knocked him to the ground. He struggled to get to his feet and looked
behind him to see a large tree had just fallen on him. In an act of sheer will, desperation,
adrenaline, and strength he pushed himself up and the log rolled away. Ray picked Rainbow
Dash back up and continued to struggle towards the edge of the burning forest. His back felt like
it itself was on fire and his legs burned from lactic acid and the flames.

Finally Ray collapsed and he hit the ground and Rainbow Dash, who had long since lost
consciousness rolled away from him. Ray struggled to get up but couldn’t find the strength.
Finally he was able to stagger back up but fell right over again and a picture fluttered out of his
breast pocket. Ray slowly reached out to it and stared at it. He shoved it back into his pocket his
and eyes burned hotter with determination than the forest around him. He wasn’t about to die
from a stupid fire, he had been shot at, been in vicious hand to hand combat, and jumped out of a
burning plane. Ray got up and grabbed Rainbow Dash and continued to struggle out of the
forest. He was soon sprinting, and finally smashed through a last few burning branches and was
met with cold crisp air that he sucked in greedily.

He collapsed again as fire ponies ran to get them and he lost consciousness as he was
being dragged away from the fire.

I am actually surprised I finished this so quickly, which is actually the same day
that Chapter 6 was released, but due to the need for a cliffhanger or the fact that I’m just
plain evil I am not releasing this until later. Why am I telling this to you, you all ask? Well
I figured you would all like to know!