Failure, Eternally Retold, Part Three: Morality

Applejack took a deep breath of morning air. She'd been up all night, as well as the night prior, as the sun and moon had swirled and skittered about the sky, zigging this way and zagging back. She didn't know what happened during the battle. She'd been right on the line carrying a wounded Equestrian, they were about to be struck down by a cloaked assassin, then they'd just... vanished. The whole army that had worked their way past the palisades and set fire to the tents had just disappeared in an instant. She didn't pretend to know how or why, but she certainly wasn't about to complain about it. The fight was over quicker than it had begun. That was enough for her.

Now was the time for cleaning up the mess that had been left in the wake of this event. Bodies littered the fields below, And she'd spent the last few hours rolling them all onto their backs. Those with a pulse had been rushed to medical, those without had been left where they lay, their eyes closed and their front hooves draped across their chests. They would be given a memorial service befitting their bravery and loyalty.

It had been over an hour since she'd found anypony alive down here. That was disappointing for two reasons. First, it meant that there was nothing she could do to help them. Badly injured, there was still a chance, but dead? There was no recovery. Second, and more of a personal gripe, she knew that Twilight and Celestia were in the medical tent recovering from their injuries. As much as she wanted to go up there and check on them, that would leave the last fifty bodies unchecked. Even if the evidence suggested that there were no more injured ponies, she'd kick her own arse for not being completely sure. After all, what if there was just one living pony among them, and her break from checking caused their death? It was only a little longer, she could manage.

"South side's clear," called Rainbow, landing next to her. "Mostly just lacerations and such. A few broken bones, but all that remains over there are just bodies." She shivered. "I've touched too many cold ones."

"Just a couple dozen more over here," confirmed AJ. "If we split 'em, we can be done real soon, and then we'll see about findin' you a place to have a hot bath."

"I'm not some flimsy, frail weakling," sniped Rainbow. "I just think it's creepy to touch so many dead bodies."

"Ah don't care for it, either, but Ah still have to do it." AJ sighed. "Look, if yer not feelin' up to the task, at least go check on Twilight 'n the princess. Ah'll feel better knowin' there's somepony with 'em."

"I ain't backin' out of this," snapped Rainbow. "I'm going to check twice as many as you!"

As she bolted off to the other side, Applejack tried to hide her smirk. The simple act of inferring that Rainbow couldn't go any further was enough to split the remaining work in half. It was sneaky and underhanded on Applejack's part, which is why she didn't pull it out more often, but many hooves made for light work, and this was work that needed lightening. Even now, she could see that Rainbow's mind had been taken off the fact that she was touching more dead bodies.

True to her word, Rainbow had checked twenty by the time Applejack had checked ten. She was about to check her twelfth, but suddenly a hoof shot out of a pile of rubble and grabbed tightly to her heel. She let out a yelp and kicked it away, but then remembered why she was out here in the first place. If it could grab her, it was alive.

"Rainbow, come over here, quick!"

"You're not tricking me into losing this race, AJ!"

"Forget the race, I found a live one!"

With relative ease by way of working together, they tossed aside a few bodies atop a collapsed forward post. Two pegasi were trapped down there, unable to lift the roof with their injuries, as well as a certain unicorn pinned to the ground with a steel blade in his thigh. It was he that had grabbed Applejack's leg.

"I'll hold up the roof, you pull them out, quick," shouted Rainbow, taking a central position and holding everything up.

"Ev'rything's going to be fine," assured Applejack, pulling the blade partially out of Kai's leg as she lifted him off the ground. "Try to hold on a mite longer, and we'll take ya ta Fluttershy." She moved him a fair distance from the rubble, then set him down to move the others. One had partially dragged himself out, so she grabbed the one who didn't seem to be all there, probably concussed when the roof fell, and made sure he was in a safe position. By the time she came back for the third, he was almost clear. She helped him the rest of the way and held up the roof for Rainbow to come out.

They started with the concussed soldier. They loaded him up on a longboard stretcher and carried him to the infirmary. Once he'd been moved into a bed, they rushed back and picked up the other, and finally Kai. He hadn't said a word to them, but as soon as he saw Fluttershy, before his eyes could close, he managed to push out a single word.

"Sorry."

Before she could forgive him, or even ask why he needed forgiving, he went limp on the medical cot. Fluttershy did not leave his side until a doctor could have a look at him and confirm that he would be okay. After pulling the blade from his leg, they stitched him up good and gave him a few cold compresses to stop the bruising. Finally, they gave him some blood to make sure he didn't bleed out from his injuries. He was put in intensive care because the blade had nicked an artery, and if he started losing blood fast, they wanted to be right on top of it.

Before going back out to finish up, Applejack stopped by Twilight and Celestia's beds to check on them. Twilight was only lightly injured and sleeping comfortably. Celestia, on the other hoof, had pulled herself out of the hospital bed, and had left the infirmary. The doctors weren't sure where she'd gone, but she had been cleared. Applejack breathed a sigh of relief. At least she was okay.