The Lost Soldier

Hi all, more background for Ray in this chapter! That’s all im saying to avoid
spoilers even though you will be reading about then in this chapter.

Ray snapped his eyes open and looked around, he was back on Earth… on a familiar
airstrip that many Task Force Spartan aircraft launched from to start missions.

“How did I get here?” Ray asked aloud.

“Actually this is just a dream Ray”

Ray snapped his head around towards the voice.

“Cassandra…”

“It’s nice to see you again Ray”

Ray choked up and was on the verge of tears.

“Aw come on Ray, you’re not the crying type” Cassandra teased.

“I… I’m so sorry”

“Why it’s not your fault I’m dead”

“But I should have known…”

“Known what? That a tango was lurking behind the door? How would you have known
that? I know your all sniper and observant but what could have possibly told you he was on the
other side of that door? You know you are the only one that thinks that it’s your fault that I
died?”

“So since this is a dream I assume I’m still in Equestria?” Ray asked.

“Yup”

“Ok”

“Well I gotta get going Ray”

“So soon?”

“Yes, and remember if you ever need me” she produced a photograph from one of her
pockets and took off her dog tags “I’ll be right here” she put them in his breast pocket.

She turned and boarded a Black Hawk helicopter that had familiar scratches and dents.
Ray had remembered every detail of that one fateful mission. How could he forget? He had lost
his greatest friends.

“Wait please don’t go” Ray pleaded.

“You and I both know that I have to” Cassandra Replied.

She boarded helo and Ray sat down next to some cargo containers and leaned against
them. He pulled the picture from his pocket, it was of him and Cassandra in full combat gear
posing in front a Humvee. He leaned his head back against the crates and closed his eyes, on the
verge of tears. He put the picture back in his pocket.

“I’m sorry” Ray whispered as the Black Hawk lifted off to bring his team to a mission
one of them would never come back from.

The familiar beeping of a heart rate monitor started to ring in Ray’s ears and he struggled
to open his eyes. At first he could only make a dark shadowy figure in the center of his vision.

“I think he’s waking up!” came the voice of Rainbow Dash.

More figures appeared in his vision and Ray struggled to get his vision to focus.

“Hey Ray, can ya hear us?” Apple Jack’s voice floated into his concoiusness.

“I’ll say! He looks absolutely dreadful!”

“Rarity! He escaped a forest fire, what do you think he would look like?”

“I think we should let him rest” Fluttershy’s soft voice barely reached his ears.

A sudden figure appeared and blocked his vision “Heeellloooo??? Are you awake sleepy

“Pinkie!” five unanimous voices said.

“Uuugghh” Ray moaned “Where am I?”

“Ponyville Hospital” Twilight replied.

“There a doctor around?”

“Yes, right here”

Rays vision began to focus and he saw a pony in a doctor’s coat with a stethoscope with a
yellow coat and a brown mane.

“How bad are my injuries” Ray asked.

“Actually it’s not that bad” the doctor said “somehow you only have first and second
degree burns on your back and second degree burns on both your hands. You also have a
fractured rib, but that’s not much of a problem, if it was broken…”

“Yes I know I might have had a problem if it broke” Ray said “You can go tend to other
patients Doc, I’ve been hurt worse than this, I’ll pull through.”

“Ok then, I have no idea how your injuries aren’t more severe” the doctor said as he
exited the room.

“Actually I do” said a familiar voice.

“Princess!” Twilight exclaimed and the six ponies bowed.

Ray raised his arm in a weak salute and the princess gave him a confused glance.

“Oh yeah, that’s called a salute” Ray explained “It’s how people in my job render honors
to our superiors”

“I see…” the princess replied “Anyways that’s not why I’m here” the Celestia
continued “I’m here to thank you for saving Rainbow Dash”

“Oh it was nothing really…”

“So you’re telling me you run into burning forests normally?” the princess asked.

“No but I do much more dangerous things back where I’m from” Ray replied.

“Anyways as I was saying I know why you’re not more severely injured” the princess
continued “It is because of that” she motioned towards something on his left wrist.

“What is this? A watch?” Ray asked

“Well it is… but it is also an element of Harmony”

The other six ponies fell quiet and processed what the princess had just said.

“A what?” Ray asked

Celestia proceeded to explain what the elements of harmony were until Twilight asked “I
thought there were only six”

“So did I until I felt a burst of powerful magic” the princess said.

“But still what does this have to do with my injuries?” Ray asked again.

“I did some research, and apparently there is a seventh element that is very elusive. The

element of bravery, apparently it only presents itself to one who possesses great bravery. It also
protects the pony, or person that has it when they do an incredible act of bravery.”

“Oh I see” Ray said as he took it off and looked at his new watch.

He took off the back of the watch where normally the batteries were and found a small
green crystal in the shape of the shield.

“Cool” Ray muttered. He guessed this meant that he would never have to get the battery
changed.

“Ok ponies, may I have a private word with Ray?” the princess asked.

“Sure thing princess” Twilight said and lead the other ponies outside.

“I want to thank you for saving Rainbow Dash” said the princess “But why did you do it?
I mean from what I’ve heard she didn’t think all that highly of you before you saved her.”

“Well, those ponies seem fairly young, and I lost a friend when she was really young… I
just want everyone to be able to live their lives and not have it cut short, like my friends” Ray
replied.

“I see. Are you going to tell them about your… occupation?”

“Yes I am planning on it, I just wanted to earn their trust before I told them.”

“Very well, I’ll leave now, I’m sure that Twilight and her friends will want to talk to you.
Also I might have been wrong about you humans.” she said.

“Well actually you were sorta right, you’re just lucky that I’m one of the few good ones”
Ray said and grinned.

Celestia smiled as she exited the room. A few minutes later Twilight and her friends re-
entered the room. Ray observed that a bandage kept Rainbow Dash’s wing firmly pressed to her
side, which meant it was probably broken.

“Anypony know when I can get out of here?” Ray asked.

“The doctor said ya could actually leave today if ya take care of that rib of yers” Apple
Jack said.

Ray gingerly got out of the hospital bed and found his legs were more or less in good

“Ok shall we go to the library?” Ray asked “I want to change into something a little less
burnt and I need to tell you all something.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Rainbow Dash said “But first, how did your arm get fixed? I
thought it was broken.”

“Twilight?” Ray asked.

“Well I used a simple mending spell” she replied.

“Why didn’t you do that when I was stuck in the hospital?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Well I wasn’t sure if it would work… and besides if I had then you wouldn’t know that
you love reading!” Twilight responded.

“Oh so you use me as a test subject?” Ray teased.

The ponies started to exit the room but Rainbow Dash stayed behind.

“Hey Ray, can I uh talk to you?” she asked.

“Sure” Ray replied.

“Uh thanks for saving me back there”

“Oh it was no problem” Ray said.

“No really, and I’m sorry about not trusting you earlier, you were just suspicious and I
didn’t want you hurting my friends” Rainbow Dash admitted.

“It’s ok I understand, and remember you saved my life too so I owed you”

“Are you kidding me?” she said “I just told everypony you were out there, but you ran
into a forest fire to save me. Why did you do that anyway?”

“Well I’ll tell you when we get to the library” Ray replied.

“Ok, and one more thing” Rainbow Dash said as she extended her hoof towards Ray
sheepishly “friends?” she asked.

Ray looked at the extended hoof and took it in his hand and shook “Friends” he said and
as a smile spread across his face.

Hi all! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, now you know a little more about Ray and
what he’s been through as an operator. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.