Rain gushed down from above, leaving a glisten of moisture on every apple in the orchard that surrounded Blazing Streak as she worked. She used one leg to kick the thick bark of the trees, causing the bright red orbs of fruit to fall into the baskets that laid underneath the shelter of the canopy of bright green leaves. She and her wife were late to harvest this part of the orchard, and had to buck the trees as soon as possible so they didn't go bad, and that meant being stuck out in the rain.
Blazing Streak didn't mind the rain, if anything, it helped sooth her mind. She found the gentle patter of water on soil and leaves to be therapeutic. Even if it did mean getting a soaked orange mane that occasionally dripped in her eyes.
"You sure ya don't want an umbrella? Yer more soaked than an apple pie in a lake!" Applejack called over to her. Blazing looked over to her wife, who stood a few meters away, holding an umbrella in her teeth.
"I don't need one, it's okay." Applejack looked unsure for a moment but said nothing as she continued to buck the trees. Blazing Streak bent down and picked up the baskets, placing one on her back and holding two with her front hooves. She used her wings to glide gently over to the cart that was parked nearby. On her way she noticed Applejack in the corner of her eye. The farm pony was staring at her. She blushed and continued to the cart with her load of apples. As she was about to place her first basket in, a purple light flashed next to her, startling her and causing her to drop the apples on her back.
"Woah!" She exclaimed, before realizing it was Twilight.
"Don't do that, Twilight!" She scolded. The purple Unicorn smiled sheepishly.
"Hey, Twi! What brings ya here?" Applejack trotted over to the two.
"I have a letter from Princess Celestia for Blazing." Surprised, Blazing Streak took the scroll that Twilight levitated over to her. It had a red ribbon tied around it, with the word 'urgent' on the side. Blazing slid the ribbon off and unrolled the scroll to read it out loud.
"Dear Blazing Streak.
It has come to our attention that all is not well under the mountain on which Canterlot is built upon. As you will have heard, my sister and I have been feeling a dark presence stirring beyond the world of the living. Something that not even you have seen before. I'm sure you've heard the legends of Tartarus, and how the darkest minded ponies that ever lived will seek revenge upon the living for their tortured afterlife. And we fear that these legends are true.
My army of three thousand well trained guards won't be enough to stop it, we'll need you and Thunder Slash's help in order to see that this threat is dealt with. A long time ago, shortly after I was forced to banish my sister, I received a prophecy;
'When hell rises, harmony will fall, and only the brightest flame will light the way.'
I believe that this flame is you, Blazing Streak. I have the utmost faith that you will pull through this and I trust you with the fate of Equestria, which is why I am handing you command of my soldiers for this upcoming war.
Your's faithfully,
Princess Celestia.
P.S. I Personally invite you and your friends over to my Palace in Canterlot tomorrow for an important meeting on the subject. You will be staying in the spare rooms available in the north wing of the Palace for three days. Princess Luna will guide you to your rooms. Tell Thunder Slash about this and wait on the hill North of Ponyville for my carriage to come and pick you up at noon."
"Ya mean she's lettin' ya command the entirety of the Canterlot guards?" Applejack asked in disbelief.
"I... don't know... Surely not?" Blazing Streak quickly read through the letter again to make sure she didn't misread something. But it was there, in ink, that Celestia was indeed handing over the command of three thousand soldiers for the upcoming battle. She lowered the letter and started to breathe quicker, with a panicked look plastered on her face.
A whole army?! How am I supposed to do that?! I have no experience in this kind of thing!
"Woah there, Firefly! Calm down!" Applejack was quick to press up against her and nuzzle her neck in comfort. Blazing felt her wings trembling as if Discord himself had possessed them.
"I-I... How in Celestia's name am I supposed to do this?! Last time I took charge in a situation vaguely similar to this, I almost ended up losing you, Applejack! I'm not fit to lead an army like this! Surely she means Thunder Slash? Or Twilight? No, no, no, no!" Blazing Streak started to hyperventilate and pace in circles, much to the concern of Applejack and Twilight.
Eventually, she managed to stop herself and take in several deep breaths. She sat down and stared at the muddy, waterlogged ground.
"I...What if I fail? Equestria will be lost! I don't want this world to end up like Helvada!" She murmured.
"And it wont. Come on, Firefly, what happened ta the headstrong, stubborn hero that ya were only minutes before?" Applejack walked up and sat next to the distressed Pegasus. "Ah can't n' never will be able ta think of a better leader than the one that has already saved the world! Not only are ya brave, but yer smart too, you'll know what ta do when the time comes, darlin', and we'll be there with ya." She gently lifted Blazing's head to face her. Blazing Streak shifted her deeply worried gaze into her lover's eyes.
"Fer now, hon, lets jus' get ready fer tomorrow. It's gonna be a big day." A small smile found it's way onto Blazing's face as she was pulled into an affectionate kiss. She would talk to Princess Celestia about this and work something out.
.--...--...---...--...--.
Before they could leave for Canterlot, Blazing Streak had promised a training session with her friends. Like before, they were gathered at the top of the hill at noon. The rain had cleared up, leaving a dull layer of clouds that blocked the sunlight from heating the land below as much. The air had a chill, and it was cold enough for Blazing to have to set a temporary fire near where they stood, attentions fully on the red Pegasus.
"Okay, like I said, you need to be able to counter attack. This time, I will be on the offensive - but don't worry, I won't hurt you." She added with a smirk.
"Who wants to help me with demonstrations?" She asked.
"I will!" Rainbow Dash immediately piped up.
She did it last time, Someone else.
She noticed Thunder Slash raise her hoof calmly, although she had an uncertain look in her face. Blazing Streak figured she should let the previous incident slide, after all, Thunder Slash hadn't actually meant any harm. Blazing suddenly realized how childish she had been acting over it with a guilty and shameful prick in her heart.
"Rainbow, you did last time. Thank you, Thunder Slash." She motioned the surprised Pegasus up. Blazing noticed that Twilight looked a little taken aback as well.
"What do you need me to do, then?" Slash asked.
"Show everyone your counter-attack. You don't have to be gentle, by the way." Blazing stated, confident that Thunder Slash would be a worthy demonstration. She started with a basic punch, which Thunder Slash hooked with her right hoof. She then rolled on her back and flipped Blazing over by lifting her back using her hind legs to push upwards against Blazing's stomach. The red Pegasus twisted in midair so that she landed on all fours, sending up a cloud of dust as she skidded back. She nodded in approval.
"Did you all get that? Hook their foreleg with yours, the next step is up to you. You can either go the harder and more defensive method like Thunder Slash just demonstrated, or you can do this, which is much easier. Thunder, hit me." Thunder Slash complied, throwing a punch from the right. As Blazing just told the audience, she caught her forearm in her own. This time, she yanked it diagonally to the side, Thunder Slash stumbled on the sudden movement, which in a battle, would give Blazing time to counter attack. As Thunder Slash recovered, Blazing Streak turned back to the gathering of her friends, who were all -except Rarity- looking on with excited and interested faces, even Twilight looked eager to learn.
"Right, everyone pair up with someone who you think would be a suitable opponent, we're going to practice this." Rainbow Dash immediately went up to Applejack, Rarity turned to Twilight and Pinkie Pie, seeing no other alternative, shrugged and bounced over to Thunder Slash with her usual gleeful smile. Thunder turned round, noticing Pinkie, she sighed in exasperation and rolled her eyes.
Blazing turned her attention to Applejack and Rainbow Dash, watching them carefully. Applejack, with determination in her eyes, lashed out her left hoof towards Rainbow Dash. The cyan Pegasus, as instructed, hooked it with her own fore-hoof. Blazing was expecting her to yank it as she had demonstrated. She was surprised to witness Rainbow Dash swiftly roll and push Applejack over her in a fluent motion. Blazing quickly flew up and caught Applejack before she hit the floor. Setting her wife down, she turned back to Rainbow Dash, who was standing proudly, with dirt scuffed on her back.
"That was... Dead on! First time, too! You sure you haven't done this before?" Rainbow Dash shifted uncomfortably and averted her eyes. Blazing eyed her suspiciously and curiously.
She was about to ask why Rainbow had acted so shifty, but she was distracted by a squeal from the other side of the clearing. Looking round, she saw Rarity piled on top of Twilight. She was surprised that Rarity and Twilight had actually attempted the exercise at all, knowing that they weren't the type to ever want to fight anything.
"What happened here?" She asked.
"I slipped- OH no, no, no!" Rarity squealed as she desperately tried to brush the dirt off her pelt frantically.
"Uh, you know you can wash it off later, right-"
"Oh, you don't understand! This will take hours to get clean!" Rarity interrupted, still trying to get herself reasonably clean.
"But.. It's a shower.. Surely you can't have been expecting to stay completely clean in a combat training session anyway?" Blazing Streak reasoned, lifting an eyebrow at her friend's antics. Shrugging it off, she told them to try the simpler counter and turned her attention towards Pinkie and Thunder Slash. The blue Pegasus sighed in exasperation as Pinkie bounced around her.
"We'll need some sort of special armor! It will be like one of those super special awesome secret soldiers they have with the cool armor that has one of those energy shield thingy's! Or was that a game I once played? Oh well! We need it pronto!" Pinkie's excited rambling was muffled by Blazing's hoof.
"Um... Pinkie? You do know that you need to learn this stuff, right?" Blazing Streak took her hoof away. Pinkie Pie only started bouncing again.
"Oh, silly! I have this!" She pulled her party cannon, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Where did you... nevermind. Surely you'll need more than a cannon used to make parties?" She pointed out, tilting her head.
"Not if you have confetti bombs!" As if on cue, the cannon fired a projectile which collided with a nearby tree. it exploded into many different coloured strands of confetti and left the tree bent over from the impact.
"...I... Okay then..." Blazing stated, bewildered by how confetti could do so much damage.
"What if one of the enemy get too close to you?" Thunder Slash pointed out.
"Then I'll move, silly!"
"There's no point in arguing with you, is there, Pinkie?" Blazing realized, deadpanned. Pinkie Pie shook her head violently.
.--...--...---...--...--.
It was late afternoon by the time Blazing Streak was satisfied with everyone's progress in the basic counters. The sun had lowered, turning the sky a light pink. Thunder Slash and Blazing were the only two that remained on the hill. Blazing Streak had told her to stay so that they could try something important.
"I think we need to learn how to control light magic properly, the way we did it before ended up hurting both of us." She had told the blue Pegasus, who'd nodded in agreement.
The two stood on the hill, thinking.
"What if we tried angling ourselves so that the beams are perpendicular to each other?" Thunder Slash suggested. Blazing nodded.
"Lets try it." They stood side by side a few hooves apart.
"One hoof?" Blazing asked. Thunder Slash nodded.
"I guess."
"Okay, go." Blazing tensed her arm, releasing a beam of orange fire diagonally to her left. Beside her, sparks turned into lightning as Thunder Slash did the same, electricity clashed with flame once more. The two energies halted in the collision point. Like it had the last time their beams crossed, a ball of unnaturally bright light grew, except this time, instead of exploding, a streak of blinding light shot across the landscape, turning the ground around them completely white. Blazing had to raise a hoof to protect her eyes from such light. A deafening roar also emitted from the three energies. After a short while, Blazing Streak's arm began to tire, and she felt fatigue swamp her. She looked to her left, to see Thunder Slash in a similar state. She nodded to the Pegasus, before ceasing her flames and lowering her arm, breathing heavily. Thunder Slash did the same and the beam of pure energy vanished in an instant.
"Well... That was pretty awesome, I have to admit." Slash stated, in an almost disbelieving tone. Blazing Streak, who suddenly found herself struggling to think of any words, only nodded and sighed, heavily.
They had just learned how to harness levels of magic that rivaled the Princesses' and even the elements of harmony, all it would take was a little effort from the two of them, and they could destroy almost anything that got in their way. Her wings trembled a bit at the thought.
"Hey, Blazing, you okay?" Thunder Slash asked.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Hey, Slash? I'm sorry about how I've acted the past few days, I know you didn't mean it wrong, I acted childish and... I'm sorry." The mare in question looked completely taken aback by the sudden apology.
"N-no, you were right to be angry at me, I was insensitive." Slash stated. They stood there in awkward silence for a few heartbeats before Blazing remembered about the invitation. Her heart plummeted as she remembered the weight she would hold on her shoulders.
"Slash, today I got a letter from Princess Celestia..." She explained what the Princess wanted, and how they had to be on the hill the next morning.
"I don't know how I'm going to do it! It's just too much!" She fretted.
"Don't worry, Blazing, you'll be able to ask Celestia herself tomorrow, she'll understand, I'm sure." Thunder Slash reassured. Blazing Streak was surprised she even cared, knowing how insensitive she could be. She slapped herself mentally at her thoughts, Thunder Slash was only thinking about the well-being of Equestria.
"Well, I hope you're right, or this fight could end up sour."
.--...--...---...--...--.
White frost covered the vegetation around Ponyville's town center, the morning sun made it glisten as it slowly melted into the grass and leaves of trees. Not many ponies were out at this time, it was too early for most, it being a Saturday when everyone was having a lie-in instead of being on their way to work. Blazing Streak was one of these early risers - she didn't like to sleep when she knew she could be doing something productive outside.
"Heya, Blazin'! Hi sis! Are ya goin' ta wait fer the Princess now?" Apple Bloom and her friends trotted over from where they were playing moments before, wearing scarves and hats to keep their heads warm from the bitter cold.
"Eyup, remember to do as Bic Mac n' Granny tell ya. We'll be back soon." Applejack bent over and hugged her little sister with one arm, which the filly returned.
"G'bye sis." Apple Bloom said as she seperated. She turned to Blazing Streak, who put on a smile.
"See you soon. Apple Bloom." She was about to continue to Twilight's the trip, but Apple Bloom had grasped her in a hug again. Her smile turned genuine as she returned the gesture.
"See ya, Blazin'." The filly turned and ran back to where she was playing, followed by there friends.
"She definitely likes ya, firefly." Applejack observed. Blazing nodded, before continuing to walk.
"I heard Thunder Slash was staying at Twilight's again tonight. I just hope she hasn't tried anything yet." At the thought of Thunder Slash snapping, Blazing Streak quickened her pace towards the library.
.--...--...---...--...--.
Blazing Streak knocked three times on the door of Ponyville's library. Applejack stood next to her, close enough that their pelts were brushing. It helped keep them from the cold of the morning. That, and Blazing had started to heat herself up, like a portable radiator, keeping her wife and everypony around them warm.
"Coming!" A purple aura surrounded the wooden door and it swung open to reveal Twilight, Spike and Thunder Slash. The blue Pegasus tilted her head curiously at Blazing's red glowing pelt.
"Um, I didn't know you could do that." Thunder Slash stated.
"Well, what can I say? I'm a walking radiator." Blazing joked, earning amused smiles from everypony - and dragon.
"Okay, lets go!" The three trotted out the door, Twilight and Thunder Slash wore saddlebags while Spike had a small rucksack on. The small dragon rode on Twilight's back, supporting a deeply excited expression.
He doesn't know what's coming. Blazing thought, solemnly.
"Lets go. The rest should be waiting on the hill already." Blazing nodded and led the way out of town towards the hill which Princess Celestia told them to wait on.
She rounded a corner and continued along a dirt pathway, hovering slightly above the ground. In the distance, the path winded up a steep slope which gave way to an even steeper cliff with a small pool of water collected at the bottom - most likely from rainfall. As she got closer, she was able to make out a tree, with the unmistakable Rainbow coloured main of Rainbow Dash underneath along with the rest of her friends.
"HEY GUYS!" Blazing jumped, spinning around to see Pinkie Pie bouncing up and down behind them with her usual over-excited grin.
"Wait, how did you get there? I saw your pelt on the-.... nevermind." Thunder Slash was more confused than Blazing was about how she was there when they had seen her bouncing on the hill a heartbeat before
"Heh, It's jus' Pinkie bein'... Pinkie." Applejack reasoned.
"...Huh..." Thunder Slash sounded uneasy about the Pink earth pony's wackiness.
"Oh my gosh I can't wait to go to Canterlot! It's going to be so FUN! That is, if they're up for a party this time! The last time was a bummer!" Pinkie screwed up her face in an over-exaggerated pout.
As Blazing reached the top, Rainbow Dash had just taken to the skies and was now performing a series of complex aerial maneuvers while Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Derpy Hooves watched in awe. Confused, Blazing looked behind her where the pink party-pony just was, but saw nothing.
"Do physics mean nothing to that pony?" She exclaimed.
"Hey, girls." Fluttershy called over to them. Rarity and Derpy turned their attention towards the four ponies who had just arrived.
Derpy walked up to Blazing.
"Long time no see, Blazing!" She said.
"Yeah, how have you been?" Blazing replied.
"Good, thank you." They were interrupted by the sound of a Pegasus-drawn carriage landing on the hill. It had a group of twelve Pegasi strapped to the front. The carriage itself had a lining of gold, swirling in elaborate patterns around the edges, it had a gold railing around a platform with a dark red carpet and a bench that stretched the length of each side, with a fancier looking chair at the back - probably for the Princess or a VIP.
"Oh my!" Rarity looked like she was about to faint.
A large, stern stallion with a brown pelt and black mane stepped out.
"Princess Celestia has sent a private carriage for.." He unrolled a scroll.
"Blazing Streak, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Derpy. If you would bring your luggage and climb aboard, we will be on our way to her majesty's palace."
Rainbow Dash landed behind them.
"I can't wait! This is going to be awesome! Shotgun the big seat at the back!" She flew over to the carriage and sat on the throne like seat at the back. The rest followed her and took their seats on the sides.
Blazing Streak, who sat near the front, shifted anxiously. She felt her wife's hoof on hers, turning round, she saw Applejack looking at her, worried.
"It's okay, Firefly. You can do this." She reassured her. Blazing nuzzled her cheek in appreciation.
She sure hoped so.