Chapter 36
Blaze was getting a mix of shocked and amazed faces as he walked through the camp. Some walked up and asked what it was, but he kept walking. He didn't want to talk to them about his wing, who made it, how he flew, and what it was made of. Not after the funeral. "We need to talk about the attack on Canterlot, someplace away from the army." Blaze whispered to the others.
"Let's head back to my tent. I can soundproof the tent and lock it with a spell." Luna said. She led them back to her tent and put the spells around them. She sat down and pulled out a map of Canterlot and it's surroundings. "This is the train station for Canterlot. It was used to transport soldiers to and from the cities the Leasath control. Now that we are here in Ponyville, there hasn't been much activity coming from the train. Here's what I say we do. We send a group of soldiers led by myself and Linus up to the gates. Once there, Blaze will blow up the gates and we will march in. We fight our way to Chrysalis, and we end her reign." Luna said shakily.
Blaze looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Is that seriously the plan? What happened to me dropping a bomb on top of Chrysalis' roof? I can fly again! I can drop one on her doorstep and end this thing in a few seconds." he said.
"Blaze while you can fly and you seem to be able to fly well. But that doesn't change the fact that you just regained that ability. Blaze-" Luna said but she was cut-off.
"I don't care if I just learned how to walk again, I will do something more than just bomb the gate and fight to the top. Here's what I propose. With the bomb I built back at the camp, I can blow a hole in the side of the castle and either take Chrysalis out or injure her enough to where she can't fight." Blaze said without taking his eyes off of her.
"Luna, I can drop a bomb at the gate as a distraction while Blaze blows a hole in the roof and leads the Pegasus soldiers into Canterlot Castle's hall and fight her without losing a large number of our soldiers." Rainbow said backing up Blaze. "You two can lead an assault on the front gate. Once you enter, Blaze will blow the roof off and his soldiers will fly in and take out Chrysalis. I'll meet up with him, find him, and make sure that he doesn't kill her before you get your chance. Let him do this." Rainbow said sternly.
Luna glared at her. She sighed and looked back at the map. "The best place to attack would be on the side facing Ponyville. Not only would you send a shockwave throughout the entire building, but you could possibly send it crashing to the ground. In doing so, you would kill some of the soldiers that were unprepared and get a better shot at capturing Chrysalis." She gave Blaze a hard look. "Don't make me regret doing this. I'm not losing another great soldier."
"You won't." Blaze said. He glanced at Linus who stood at the back of the tent looking at Luna. "So...What happened between you two?" Blaze asked.
Linus looked up but quickly turned his head. "We talked. That's all." Luna said. Her face had turned red.
Blaze had a feeling what happened, but didn't push any further. "Did you call for Derpy and Applejack to come?" he asked.
"Yes. They are on their way. Knowing Applejack, she should be here by midnight. Derpy won't be far behind considering what the message contained." Luna said.
"What did you say to get her here fast?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Well for Applejack I told her we will attack tomorrow. For Derpy...I said that there were muffins for her." Luna said.
Blaze gawked at her. "So you're lying to her?"
"No! Why would I lie to her? There are muffins for her. I made them..." she said quietly.
"Oh no. You'll kill the poor mare! It'll be worse than when Pinkie Pie had Applejack help make cupcakes!" Rainbow said. Luna stared at her as Blaze and Linus tried to hold back their laughs.
"I'll have you know my sweets are very delicious. I may not be able to cook a dinner, but I can make dessert!" Luna said annoyed.
Linus let out a small snicker. "Like it makes a difference. What are they like now? Burnt? Crispy?" he said with a smile.
"You don't have to eat it if you don't like it!" Luna shouted. "Now, you three need to rest for tomorrow. It's almost dinner. Have you two even eaten since breakfast?" she asked Blaze and Rainbow. Blaze's stomach growled and he shook his head. He hadn't eaten after Rook died and hadn't had a chance to since he was with Starbolt.
"We haven't had a chance to. We've been pretty busy." Rainbow said. Luna led them out of the camp and over to the cooking station.
"Give these two something to eat. I know it's not dinner yet, but they haven't eaten all day." Luna said. The cook gave her an annoyed look, but saw Blaze behind her. He stared at his wing and quickly got them their food. They left and Rainbow nudged Luna's shoulder.
"I promised AJ that I would check out her farm for her. We'll eat our dinner there. If she arrives at camp before we get back, send her to the farm." Rainbow said.
"Ok, but be careful. You all will need your rest for tomorrow." Luna said, and turned to leave with Linus.
Rainbow Dash and Blaze walked out of camp and through Ponyville. They would've flown, but she wanted to see her old town again. They passed by familiar places. SugarCube Corner, Town Hall, The Carousal Boutique, the Library, all of which brought back memories. They stopped in front of the farm. The old fence that encased the apple orchard was broken and separated in numerous places. The barn's roof had collapsed in on itself and the barn doors had been eaten away by termites. The color had drained from the structure and left the already dead orchard looking more depressing than it already was.
"I can't believe it. It looks so...dark. This place used to be bright and full of color. The leaves would change from their green tint to a yellow and reddish hue. It was one of my favorite time of the year, next to Cider Season of course." Rainbow said with a light laugh.
"I heard the best Cider came from Ponyville. Is that true?" Blaze asked.
"Hay yeah! I would try my hardest to get in line before everypony else. But Pinkie always beat me and bought like 15 jugs herself!" Rainbow said with another laugh.
"Did you ever get your Cider?" Blaze asked.
"Eventually. I had to beat the Flim Flam wannabes in order to finally get my own mug, but it was worth it. Tasted like heaven." she said with a smile. They walked up to the barn past the orchard. When they arrived to the under-colored structure, they sat down next to the entrance and ate their dinner. It wasn't very tasteful, but it was better than Luna's cooking.
"Do you think we can do it?" Blaze asked unexpectantly.
"What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Win it. Do you think we can win the war at Canterlot? I mean, yes I can fly, yes I can drop a bomb on Chrysalis, but what if all of that is for nothing? What if, even after all that we try, all that we accomplish, we still lose the war? Even if we kill Chrysalis, there will be Gorners who would be more than willing to take her place. If we lose this battle, all is lost for Equestria." he said quietly, looking at the destroyed barn that stood behind them.
"We will win. Blaze, we have you, Luna, and Linus. You three are the best we have, other than me of course." she said with a smirk. "We'll beat her and the Leasath."
"...but...what if we don't?" he asked again with more persistence.
Rainbow Dash looked at him and put a hoof on his shoulder. She drew him close and gave him a quick kiss. She pulled away and looked at him in his eyes. "Then we go out together, with Chrysalis' head separated from her body." Blaze lowered his head and gave a sigh.
"Howdy you two!" Applejack said as she leapt over the fence. She looked at her old barn that they were sitting in front of. "Well, I guess it's safe ta say that she's seen better days. Ah suppose Ah shoulda' seen this comin'. After all, it has been a long while since Ah been back here." she said as she surveyed the place.
"AJ! How'd you get back so fast?" Rainbow asked surprised.
"Ah you kiddin? Don'cha remember our runnin of the leaves contest? Ah can run pretty darn tootin fast." AJ said.
"Yeah but we still tied for last. Don't forget that part." Rainbow said with a small smile.
"Yeah i hear ya, I hear ya." AJ said. She looked to the barn and sighed.
"Oh! You have to see Blaze! You won't believe what-" Rainbow Dash stopped as she turned and found Blaze had disappeared. "Blaze? Where are you?" she called out to him.
"He was just here a second ago. Ah didn' notice he was gone." AJ said. She let out a shriek as Blaze picked her up and flew her into the air. Rainbow looked at him and smiled. "Let me go you no good varmin!" AJ yelled. Blaze flew close to the ground and dropped her. She landed with a soft thud. Blaze flew back into the sky and gave a whoop. He turned back around and landed next to Rainbow Dash.
"Bet you didn't see that happening did you?" Blaze asked as he showed his metal wing to AJ.
"How in Celestia were you able to find such a contraption?" she asked astonished. Blaze explained everything that happened. "Oh. Blaze, Ah'm so sorry 'bout Rook." she said.
"It's fine. He was a good pony." Blaze said. There was a scream from the camp. Rainbow and Blaze looked at each other.
"There's only one pony who could've made that scream." Rainbow said. The ran back to camp and saw a distraught Derpy looking at the muffins that Luna had placed on the counter.
"They aren't that bad Derpy!" Luna exclaimed. The muffins weren't really muffins. They were more crispy rocks.
"Those aren't muffins! They're black and crispy! Muffins are brown and fluffy!" Derpy yelled.
"Well I'm sorry. They accidentally fell in the fire. I'll make you some more later." Luna said as she tossed the rocks out of the tray.
"So we were right! I told you Luna. You can't cook, not even sweets!" Blaze exclaimed. He dodged the tray that Luna flung at him. "Why do you enjoy throwing things at me? I'm just speaking the truth!" he exclaimed.
"Because I hope to one day knock some sense into your head!" Luna said as she started to make more muffins.
"Well I know one thing I'm looking forward to." Blaze said.
"What's that?" Derpy asked, momentarily distracted from her muffin tragedy.
"Well, once we take Canterlot," Blaze said as he looked at Luna. "We won't have to worry about Salmonella when we eat dinner." The group laughed, including Luna.
"Okay, okay. I know my cooking isn't the best, but you could at least show some courtesy!" Luna said with a smile. The sun was starting to set along the horizon. "Well, you two were gone for quiet some time. You should all get some rest. You had dinner and we need you for tomorrow. I'll remake some muffins and have the cooks give Applejack some food." she said as she picked up the tray.
The three ponies walked back to Blaze's tent and sat down as Applejack ate her dinner. "So, how're ya' likin' that there wing of yer's?" Applejack asked.
"It's nice. Not as smooth as my old one, but I've gotten used to it. It'll help if we are going to win this war, that's for sure." Blaze said as he opened his wings. He could feel the cold night air pass through his feathered wing, while there was a low, cold feeling coming from his new metal wing. "Looks like those receptors finally kicked in." he said as a gust of cold air flew by.
"Well Ah'm glad you can finally fly with Rainbow again." Applejack said. She ate the cold salad she had been given. She didn't complain, even though it was downright awful. "When we take Canterlot, can ya'll leave the kitchen alone? Ah'd like to have some real food for once." she said as she nibbled on the disgusting lettuce.
"I hear you AJ. I could go for some nice warm soup." Rainbow Dash said as she imagined the warm soup she used to have in Ponyville.
"While that all sounds delicious, I'd rather not think about that before I go to sleep." Blaze said as his stomach gave a low growl. Applejack placed the plate on the ground, unable to finish it.
"Well tomorrow is it. It's the last day. The final day." Rainbow Dash said quietly. "We can do this. Right?" she asked, looking for reassurance from her friends. Blaze turned his head to her, but didn't say anything. "We can. Right?" she asked again.
"Rainbow, Ah know how badly you want to win this war. For you, for Twilight, for all our friends. But remember, Chrysalis is powerful. She'll probably have a few dastardly tricks up her sleeves. But we can all win this thing, as long as we all stick together." Applejack told her friend.
There was a shuffle outside, and Linus and Shining Armor walked in. Linus sat down next to Blaze while Shining Armor stood at the entrance, staring at Blaze. "So it's true. You really do have metal for wings." he said quietly. A small grin appeared on his face. "A bunch of my soldiers said they saw you walking around with a new wing. I didn't believe them at first, but then Iron Will told me it was true. He seemed sad about it, but I don't know why! You can fly, right Blaze?" he asked urgently.
Blaze nodded his head. "Yeah, I can. Where have you been? I haven't seen you since we arrived to Ponyville." he asked.
"I was sending the word to Derpy and Applejack to come back. You two are fast, but I guess that was cause you two were just excited." he said, looking at Applejack.
"Where's Cadence?" AJ asked.
"She stayed back." Shining Armor said. "She felt like she would be of better use there than here."
They all stayed in the tent and talked about what they were going to do after the war. Applejack was going to rebuild Sweet Apple Acres, Linus was going to open up a small pub, and Shining Armor was going to help train soldiers to help protect the castle again. Blaze sat there quietly, pondering the outcomes of the upcoming battle.
"What about you Blaze? What are your plans?" Linus asked.
Blaze shook his head. "I don't know. If anything, I'd try to move on. To leave the war behind me. But I know I can't do that." he said, thinking of his wings. "None of us will be able to fully leave the war behind. I just hope we live long enough to make it to tomorrow night." he said as he looked at the group around him.
Derpy ran into the tent with a huge load of muffins in her hold. "Hiyah!" she squealed as she shoved a muffin in her mouth. "What you guys talking about?"
"Our plans after the war. Where'd you get those amazing looking muffins?" Linus asked with wide eyes.
"Luna made them. She's an a really good baker!" Derpy said, shoveling the muffins down.
"Luna? A good baker? Are you serious?" Rainbow Dash asked, surprised.
"I told you I could make delicious sweets." Luna said as she walked into the tent. "The first batch fell into the fire, so those don't count. I'd like to see one of you make a muffin that's acceptable to this mare." she said as she pointed to Derpy.
"They're really good! Thanks Luna!" Derpy said and ran out of the tent in delight, not dropping a single baked good on the ground.
"Remind me to ask ya how to make those muffins. Ah think it might help the soldiers after this war here. Get them something nice in there bellies." Applejack said.
Luna smiled. "I'll let you in on the secret after tomorrow. Anyways, it's late. You all should get your sleep if we want to come out with little losses at Canterlot. Linus, I want to speak with you privately. It's about our plan of attack on the front gate." she said with a small smile.
"I best be hittin' the hay too. Ah'll see ya'll in the mornin'." Applejack said with a yawn.
"I'm going to see if the soldiers are ready. Can't have them worried before the battle's even begun." Shining Armor said and followed the rest out. Blaze and Rainbow were the only ones left.
"You okay?" Rainbow asked.
"Yeah. I'm just worried." Blaze said. "Tomorrow is going to decide this war and we will lose a lot of soldiers. I don't want anypony else who is a part of this army to die. Too many already have."
Rainbow Dash rubbed her hoof through his mane. "Everypony will be fine. All we need to do, is drop the bomb right on Chrysalis' head and the war will be over."
"And what if we miss? What if she isn't in the throne room at the time? What if it doesn't kill her?" Blaze looked at her with a distraught look in his eyes. "What if, by leaving Luna and Linus at the front gate, they end up killed?"
Rainbow gave him a quick reassuring hug. "Hey. C'mon now. Don't do that to yourself. They'll be fine. Luna's a strong alicorn, and Linus is...Well he's Linus. He'll be able to handle himself." Rainbow said, trying to make him feel better. Blaze nuzzled his face into Rainbow's multi-colored mane. "Now, we need to get some sleep." she said.
"Why not stay here tonight? You're already here and I want to hold you close one last night before tomorrow." Blaze said. Just in case we don't make it out. he thought. Rainbow gave a small smile and nodded her head. They went to bed and held each safely in the other's arms.