Blaze marched along the line of soldiers, each with their new harnesses on that allowed them to carry the new Abus Cannon into battle without being bogged down by its rather large amount of weight. The stallions had come a long way since the time Blaze had seen them in Canterlot, now wearing their armor correctly, standing equally on all hooves, and acting more like true soldiers in all respects, something Blaze had mixed feelings on. Blaze finally reached the end of the line and turned around.
"Present arms!"Blaze shouted. The soldier took out their cannons, flipping the bipod on the barrel out, slamming it into the ground, while letting the stock rest on the ground. "Ready arms!" Each of the ponies quickly took a charge from their packs and slid it down the barrel before packing it in with a ram rod. "Take aim!" The cannons were propped up, the leg lowered from the stock, the firing pin pulled back, and the barrel aligned with the target before the pony. "Fire!" Blaze roared, only to be drowned out by the blaring sound of fifty Abus Personal Hoof Cannons shooting at the same moment. "Lower stance!" Blaze ordered. The ponies quickly folded the stocks support back into place, raising the muzzle of the cannon to the sky. A pony charged down the range and checked all the targets, each one in the shape and size of a reptilous. The pony turned back and galloped up to Blaze with his report.
"Thirteen missed shots, four grazing shots, six crippling wounds, and twenty-seven kill shots." The pony stated before trotting off to the side. Blaze walked in front of the group, looking over each of the ponies.
"Imagine if you were protecting a town of defenseless ponies, and you were the last line of defense before these reptilous entered and killed everypony. You have no swords, no lances, just these cannons. If this was the case, how many problems would you be facing currently? You have seventeen reptilous still willing and able to fight, and six more that might force their way through the pain and add on to the massacre. Twenty-three shots that could've been better and you know who you are." Blaze stated. "Now I want you to continue practicing until I tell you otherwise, or until you run out of rounds." The stallions all saluted in response as Blaze moved away from the course, the sound of cannon fire beginning soon thereafter.
"Commander Blaze Eternal, news from central Equestria!" A messenger shouted as she ran up to him with a look of horror. "Ponyville has been destroyed! Greyhield's flag now waves over the Castle of Friendship." She finished as she came up to him. Blaze blinked a few times, processing the information he had just received, the words making sense, but the meaning undesirable. Why had Greyhield attacked Ponyville? But one thing slowly started to make sense, how very angry he felt at that moment.
"Call the War Council to the front gate; tell them to bring all their commands and supplies for a long march." Blaze ordered, the messenger nodding before running away, teleporting out of sight after a few steps. Blaze galloped towards the palace armory as quickly as he could. Greyhield had pushed him far, but Ponyville was where he drew the line.
Blaze stood at the gate to the grand city, the entirety of the Equestrian forces, with some of the city's own stallions mixed in, filling the streets behind him. He heard the Council gallop up behind them, but didn't turn to face them as he looked through the opened gates of the city.
"Blaze we came as quickly as possible. What's going on, why are we gathering the entirety of our forces at the front gates?" One of the lieutenants asked as they came to a stop behind him. Blaze, instead of turning to speak to them charged up the stairs that led to the top of the wall. He turned around to face the soldiers that filled the labyrinths of streets and alleyways, their armor gleaming in the noontime sun.
"Greyhield has recently attacked yet another city!" Blaze shouted, his voice augmented by his magic. "His force burned down the small town of Ponyville until nothing but cinders and ruins was left!" He declared as he walked along the arch above the gate. "I call upon you now stallions! With our continued training, and the acquisition of our new equipment, I believe it is now time to stand up and fight back!" The stallions began cheering and stomping their hooves. "Onwards to victory!" He shouted as he teleported down to the ground and galloped out of the city gates. As he charged into the wall of the snow storm, the thunder of the army’s hooves declared the day ponykind began its war.
The army had settled down at the edge of the whipping snow, kilometers of tents set up as far as the eye could see, with banners flapping in the gales. Wagons filled with supplies were rallied around campfires, both keeping their charge warm while blocking the brunt of the wind. Soldiers sat around the small beacons of warmth, cooking their first meal on the road, while many of their comrades patrolled the edges of the massive encampment, ensuring no enemies entered.
Flint lifted a mug of warm cider from a platter, the steam curling up in the frosty air, the aroma of the beverage drawing him in as he walked around the fire to sit beside Blaze, who sipped at his own drink. Blaze nodded at the hooded stallion, who had recently added a wool lining to his dark cloak to help with the chill.
"How's everything holding together so far?" Flint asked as clouds of steam trailed out of his mouth. "Moving this large of a force so quickly must be a logistical nightmare." Blaze nodded slowly, wiping his muzzle off with a hoof.
"The last group of wagons is still due. We actually only brought enough supplies for a week, though I'm planning on being on the field longer than a week." Blaze replied as he looked up at the first stars as they appeared in the slowly arriving nighttime sky. "If I can have my way with this, we'll never have to return to the City of the Unicorns for the rest of the war, though things rarely end up as planned." He finished as he took another swig from his mug. One of the soldiers at the fire lifted a spoonful of soup from the cauldron above the fire and gave a purr of satisfaction at the flavor.
"Soup is on, stallions." He declared, lifting several bowls in a wind of magic, filling each with the delectable brew before passing one to each pony in the area. Blaze took the bowl in his magic and scooped some of the soup in his spoon and gave it a taste, giving much the same reaction as the cook.
"Well, at least the supplies we do have can make some decent meals." Flint commented as he took his third spoonful. Blaze nodded in agreement, a smile across his face as he enjoyed the meal.
"You can say that again." A familiar voice said as the pony it belonged to emerged from the snow, entering the one gap that allowed passage in to the small shelter. "I could smell it from halfway across the patrol area."
"Is that...?" Blaze began, looking closer to the pony as he removed his frosted scarf and helmet to reveal his snow white coat and slightly darker mane.
"All clear, Private Blizzard?" One of the soldiers asked the newcomer. Blizzard shook himself off, snow falling off his armor as he warmed himself by the fire.
"Aye, it seems we're in for a calm night. My partner is just taking care of his necessities; he'll be in soon enough." Blizzard replied, placing his helmet on the strap that dangled from his chest plate. As if on cue, the second pony entered, quickly nestling up to the fire, though he deferred to keep his helmet on his head, though he did shake himself a bit to get the snow off.
"Blizzard, is that really you?" Blaze asked as he set his soup and cider to the side. Blizzard and his partner look over to him, Blizzard immediately giving a half smile.
"In the flesh! Look at you, already at the top of the ranks, giving inspirational speeches and everything." Blizzard commented.
"Howdy, Blaze!" Half Pint said as he removed his scarf from his muzzle, letting it lay limply across his shoulders. "Haven't seen you around in a while."
"What are you two doing here?" Blaze asked with a chuckle as he walked up to his two friends as two other guards left the shelter for the next patrol.
"Well, since both of us were of sufficient age to join the guard, we decided that it would be a good idea. This war is going away by itself." Half Pint replied. "Oh, have you seen Amber around? She should be around here."
"Wait Amber is here too?" Blaze asked; bewildered at how many unexpected things were happening all in one go.
"Yes, she is, in fact, here." Blizzard stated. "She and my mother are both in the medical core." He said, though there was hint of slight disappointment in his voice.
"I suppose these are your two friends from Ponyville?" Flint asked as he stood up, setting his still steaming mug of cider down while sending his bowl back to the pile of dishes. "My name's Flint, Glowing Flint. I might be called a friend of Blaze Eternal."
"I have my doubts about that." Half Pint commented with a chuckle. "I don't know how any pony could only say that they MIGHT be called a friend of Blaze Eternal. I'm not sure it's even possible to be unsure of a friendship with him."
"I guess you have a point there." Flint commented as he returned the chuckle. "Here, have some cider before the frost gets to you." He said as he poured two mugs of cider before giving them to the two young stallions.
"Thank you kindly, I had a hankering for some cider when I was out there." Half Pint commented as he took the mug between his fore hooves as he sat on his haunches. "The weather here is not exactly ideal for evening jaunts around a campsite."
"It isn't exactly ideal weather for doing anything near the outside," Blizzard stated, “You have to admit, the fact that these ponies control the Wild Winds of the North so effectively. I hear that at one time Celestia send a brigade of some of the finest weather managing ponies to stop the storms in this area, only to be blown away by the wind speeds the wild magic in this area created." Suddenly, a snow covered guard entered the shelter, removing his ice crusted scarf while galloping to Blaze, sheets of snow falling off of him as he bounded up.
"Sir, I have a report from our advanced guard that state that a nearby hamlet of the Crystal Empire is in the sights of a reptilous force." The guard informed them. "Estimates indicate that the reptilous will be upon the village within two hours or so."
"How far is the town from our current position?" Blaze asked as he levitated his scarf onto his shoulders, preparing to move out.
"It’s about a mile or so from us. We can send an advanced party to the village; they should arrive within the hour if they move as fast as possible." The stallion replied as he panted heavily. Blaze nodded, turning to Blizzard.
"Go to Lieutenant Stone Wall; tell him to get his division advancing on the position with all haste. Take only the necessities, no supply carts." Blaze ordered. "Explain only as much as necessary, time is of the essence right now." Blizzard nodded, taking his helmet and scarf in a hoof before taking to the air. Blaze turned to Half Pint and Glowing Flint. "Tell the ponies in this division the same, I'll start moving out, they'll see the Equestrian flag above me to tell them where to go." The two stallions nodded. Half Pint guzzled down his cider before wrapping his scarf around his muzzle while Flint lifted his hood and charged in a different direction. "Soldier," Blaze said, directing himself to one of the nearer guard who was already preparing himself for the charge, "I need you to give me our flag." The stallion nodded in response, grabbing the flag and its harness in his mouth and passing it to Blaze.
Blaze, along with Stone Wall and Firm Foundation's divisions, charged towards the village, the messenger leading the way as best as he could, his wings already tired from the first trip. Blaze kept a silver shield in front of the group, the snow melting on contact with the shining surface. Even though it would take a vast amount of strength for him to use a shield like this in battle, it didn't take quite so much at that moment as snowflakes replaced the usual sword strikes and arrows, making the strain a great deal less. The soldiers carried only what they had in their saddle bags and harnesses, galloping so much quicker for it, the massive main force still only organizing itself, still unmoving where it had been when they had started out.
"The town in only about ten minutes away!" The stallion guide shouted back as he flew as fast he could. "If the time estimates are correct, we'll have an hour or so!" Blaze nodded as he jumped over a snow drift, the sound of a cascade of metal behind him telling him that his soldiers were doing the same, even in their heavy gear.
"What type of numbers are we talking about on the reptilous side?" Stone Wall asked as he pulled back up after dodging around a particularly large snow mound. The pegasus soldier gave a small shrug of uncertainty.
"We only saw the first few ranks coming over a hill crest, even those had quite a few soldiers, at least a battalion or two by what we guessed, and that's just what we stayed around long enough to see." The guards reply. "The other members of the advanced team are still in the town in case we don't make it in time." Stone Wall looked over at Blaze, but the young stallion's eyes were straight forward, the distant look in his eyes as he ran showing he was concocting a plan for the upcoming battle. "T-there it is! The town's right there!" Blaze smiled as the snow covered rooftops came into sight as they ran on, unable to see if the reptilous had arrived or were even close at the moment.
Soon the group of soldier stopped in the far side of the town, the members of the advanced guard saluting as Blaze walked up. In the distance, Blaze could see the dark mass of the reptilous force coming closer, though they were still far off, and their pace seemed to be a regular march, without any sign of increasing speed anytime soon. Blaze turned to look at the two divisions of ponies, a large amount of ponies, yet definitely as massive as what he could see in the army that was approaching.
"I have a plan for this battle that will hopefully buy us enough time for the main bulk of the army to reunite with us and give us our edge in this fight back." Blaze stated confidently. "But this plan requires precision and absolute cooperation without a second's delay in response. If any of us do not perform at our peek, this battle is lost before it has begun." The soldiers nodded in unison, a smile breaking across Blaze's features as he began explaining his plan.
"General Gylom, a large group of pony guards has assembled near the town." A messenger reported to Gylom as the massive reptilous marched in the head of his forces. "We believe we've spotted the pony Greyhield has signaled as a worthy opponent in this war." Gylom smirked.
"Well, let us just see how worthy he is when he faces an army of the reptilous elite." Gylom scoffed. "We'll have his head on a pike and his flesh above our fires by the end of this." The messenger reptilous nodded before melting back into the line of soldiers. Sure enough, Gylom began to see the Equestrian Forces' golden armor in between his army and the village.
Blaze stood at the head of the two divisions, the first two ranks with their Abus Cannons drawn and loaded. The ground shook as the reptilous army approached. Blaze looked over his shoulder, the mass of ponies standing tall, with a quickly erected palisade wall directly behind them. Blaze turned back to look at the now stationary line of reptilous, their dark armor in stark contrast with the snow on the field. The leader of the reptilous lifted his sword and quickly signaled for the charge, the wall of reptilian soldiers moving as one towards the town.
Blaze lifted his right fore hoof before swinging it down, the cannons around him firing in unison, blocking out even the sound of the rattling armor of the running reptilous. As he watched, the first line of the reptilous stumbled, many of them falling down into death's embrace, while other had been fortunate enough to not have been killed instantly. A second blast deafened the field as the town's cannons fired from the second levels of many of the buildings, shattering the line further as the corpses of the reptilous were shredded.
"Fire at will!" Blaze ordered, the ponies quickly reloading their hoof cannons and firing on the still charging reptilous. As each volley sounded out, another line of reptilous felt the devastating effectiveness of the new weapon, only to have a new line replace it. As the line drew closer, Blaze lifted his hoof again. "Stow arms!" He shouted above the chaos, a few last shots ringing out before the ponies all had their guns back in their harnesses. "Charge!" The stallions quickly lifted their lances into place and charged the line of reptilous, with unicorns holding shields in front of them as they galloped.
Blaze drew his sword and dashed to pass the line, taking the very head of the charge. The line of enemies quickly closed the gap, the first reptilous, Blaze met quickly finding a sword lodged in his chest before a bolt of fire exploded in his face. Blaze quickly pivoted and bucked the next reptilous, who had his shield raised, only to have his shoulder knocked out of joint by the force of the attack. Blaze spun around and ripped the shield away from the reptilous, sending his sword towards the beast, who knocked the attack away with a swing of the sword, only to have a lance pierce his heart and the line of stallions arrived.
Blaze launched a fire bolt into the face of a reptilous soldier, who quickly lifted his hand to remove the soot from his eyes, only to find he later had no head as Blaze took advantage of the moment of distraction. As Blaze levitated his sword back to its position at his side, a reptilous swung its sword down at him, intent on making him into two pieces. Blaze quickly jumped to the side, but still felt pain arc through his being as the sword dug into his side. Though it only managed to scrape him, it had made a rather large gash in his armor.
Blaze turned to the reptilian warrior and sent his sword towards the beast, which grabbed the sword’s hilt in response and dove forward with another fierce attack that succeeded in slashing across Blaze's leg. Blaze lifted a sword from one of the fallen reptilous and sent it towards the beast, only to watch as the reptilous stepped to the side and slashed at Blaze with the pony's sword. The attack had been so close to him, that he had no time to dodge, and so crumpled under the reptilous' blow, his armor barely holding up under the strain. Blaze attempted to stand back up, but the reptilous quickly planted its foot on Blaze's back, raising its sword for the finishing blow while sheathing Blaze's sword in the ground.
Blaze quickly shot a fire bolt into his face, but the beast fought through the pain and sent the sword hurtling down towards the fallen pony. Blaze quickly summoned a magical sheath around the sword and stopped it halfway down, his head ringing in pain as he struggled against the power behind the strike. Blaze's horn glowed brighter as he prepared another spell, only to see the reptilous remove one hand from the struggle and take Blaze's blade from the ground and drive it down towards Blaze. The pony quickly stopped the blade, pain shooting through his body as he fought back against the two powerful strikes.
Blaze gritted his teeth and launched an orb of magic into the sky, that streaked right past the reptilous' head, narrowly missing as it did. The ball of magic exploded in the air, the light brighter then the sun as it began to decline in the sky. The reptilous smirked at the missed blow, but looked up in confusion as the line of fighting ponies and reptilous before him parted, revealing two lines of stallions still standing by the palisades with hoof cannons aimed straight towards the hole in the fighting that had him at the center. The resounding boom of the cannons echoed through the field, several reptilous falling dead as the volley tore through the air. The reptilous had quickly let go of one of the swords as he saw the fires of ignition in the cannons, quickly falling down, using his now free hand to lift a shield, that received the blow, though it didn't stop it. The charge shot straight through the shield, though it had been slowed down enough to only smack against the reptilous' armor without puncturing it.
Blaze quickly twirled the blade left free in his grasp, and shot it at the reptilous, who quickly twisted around to catch it on his new shield. Blaze kicked at him as he charged him horn up with another spell. The reptilous swung his sword down at Blaze, who quickly blasted the blade away with a ball of fire. The reptilous didn't seem to care about this development, as he slammed his fist into Blaze's face, breaking his concentration, causing his sword to clatter down to the ground, only to have it snatched up by the reptilous. Blaze wrapped his magic around the reptilous' body before shoving him up as the second volley of the ponies' hoof cannons rang through the air. Blaze quickly wrapped his fore hooves around the reptilous' shield, making sure he couldn't block the charge this time. The small iron pellet sliced through the beast warrior's head, a spray of blood splattering across Blaze.
Blaze shoved the limp body of the dead reptilous away, rising to his hooves. Blaze looked towards the line of ponies at the palisade, who stowed away their hoof cannons, their two charges fired as planned. Blaze smirked as he turned back towards the reptilous line, his sword ready for the fight, though he felt weak as blood seeped from his wounds. As he began walking towards the approaching line of reptilous, the blaring sound of a horn echoed across the plains, signaling the arrival of more troops. Blaze look behind him, and saw the mass of golden soldiers swarming around the town, galloping straight for the battle as the supply wagons still crawled along behind.
Blaze turned back to the reptilous with smile, and saw the look of disgust on the reptilous leader's face. He removed a horn from his bag, sounding it above the clutter of the battle begrudgingly. The reptilous immediately shoved their opponents away before falling back, forming a full line.
"Retreat!" The commander roared. The mass of reptilous behind the line began running as the line of shielded reptilous slowly backed up, blocking any attacks on their rear.
"Pursue them, give them all you got! Ready cannons and fire at will!" Blaze ordered as he charged as quickly as he could towards the enemy with his injured leg. Several random cannon shots rang out as ponies took out their cannons and began bombarding the shielded reptilous as pegasi flew past them and went straight for the fleeing reptilous. As Blaze approached, the shield wall began to fall as more and more shot pierced the shields and eventually the reptilous holding said shields. Blaze began to feel a new wave of energy surge through him that surpass even the pain he felt as he picked up speed and charged headlong towards the fleeing enemy, shooting the occasional fire ball after the runners.
Blaze stood on a ridge, looking over the few scores of reptilous that had managed to survive the attack. The ponies had stopped following them as the fleeing army had passed from Crystal Empire territory, and far out of the possibility of turning back and attacking the small town. Blaze lit his horn, and in a flash, teleported back to the town outskirts.
He walked back slowly, pain once again coming to the forefront as his adrenaline rush ebbed. He looked around, the once white, snowy plains now stained red and filled with bodies of both ponies and reptilous. Had they really saved the town? Had the town actually been spared, or was it only delivered to another horror? Blaze shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his mind. He should be rejoicing, Equestria had finally been met by victory against the armies of Greyhield, and yet he felt no joy as he limped back.
The skies over the world darkened as the sun dipped below the horizon, the long day finally drawing to a close as Blaze limped back to the town, his armor quite thoroughly thrashed, running with not only the blood of his enemies, but also his own. The town seemed quiet, as if the ponies were still weary, unsure whether the victory that had seemed so apparent was true. Blaze shook his head as he headed for his tent that was at the back of the town. The ponies deserved to be happy, but the war would never allow such a thing to happen.
Blaze slowly meandered up to his tent that somepony had taken the time to set up in his absence. He pushed the flap open as he unlatched his helmet and levitated it to the side as he used his magic to scoop a bowl of cool water from a bucket in the corner, which he poured over his head. He felt tired, he ached, and frankly, he only wanted to sleep, but he needed to stay awake and felt in any way he could.
"Blaze, is that you?" A tired Amber asked. Blaze looked over to one of the corners of the tent that had been closest to the entrance. Amber lay on a pillow, most likely having fallen asleep while she waited for him to return, most likely to check him over and ensure he was alright.
"Yes, I'm back from the battle." He replied, taking a rag from his small chest of belongings, which he quickly dried himself off with. Amber stood up and stretched, letting out a yawn as she woke up. Her eyes finally met Blaze's beaten and battered form.
"My goodness!" She shouted as she dashed over to look Blaze over. "Are you alright? Where does it hurt the most?" Blaze quickly pushed her back.
"Amber, I'm good, I need to change into something a bit less damaged, but after that I need to get back out there and help the others." Blaze stated as he began taking off pieces of his beaten and bloody plate armor.
"Blaze Eternal, you can't go back out there and hope to help ponies when you yourself need medical attention!" Amber fretted. "I need to help you, you're injured and bleeding! So stop thinking about other ponies for a second, and take a small bit of your time to let me help a pony who needs some help." Amber pleaded.
"I can't, I need to show them that I'm strong and willing to do whatever they do, if not even more than that." Blaze replied sternly as he removed the last piece of plate mail from his back.
"So you're going to prove how strong you are by walking out there with open wounds, collapsing from the bleeding, only to wake up a few hours later in a medical bed?" Amber questioned. "Blaze, you don't need to keep on proving yourself to these ponies. If they still don't believe in you, then they never will. You've done some many things to help them that many other ponies might think impossible or crazy. So how about you stop and show you're strong by letting somepony help you?" Amber finished, watching Blaze remove his chain mail that had several areas where the links had been severed.
"I don't have time right now, Amber." Blaze countered. "I need..."
"You keep on talking about what you need, but you don't think about what you actually need, which is medical attention." Amber interjected. "If you don't have time right now to ensure you won't bleed out or get an infection, then I suggest you clear your schedule a bit, because this takes priority." Blaze groaned as he removed his cloth jacket, throwing the ragged piece of fabric on top of the pile of damaged armor that had accumulated on the floor.
"Fine, disinfect my wounds and wrap me up in some bandages, but I need to get out into the camp to see what needs done." Blaze said. Amber gave him a smile and a nod of satisfaction before beginning to look him over as she wiped his wounds off with a wet cloth before dabbing each with a cotton wad that was soaked in disinfectant. Blaze sighed as small stings poked at him as the alcohol in the disinfectant nipped at the open cuts. He felt the cloth bandages as they were wrapped around his wounds, held fast with medical clips once Amber had been satisfied with the restrictive layers of bandages.
"There, finished, but remember that some of these wounds will heal better if you actually got some proper medical attention that isn't given a time limit for your treatment." Blaze nodded as he levitated another set of armor from a stand. As he began to slip the cloth undergarment on, he heard Amber gasp. He spun around and looked around, and then settled on Amber.
"What, what is it?" Blaze asked, looking around a bit more, trying to see what might have startled Amber so much.
"Y-your cutie mark, i-it's..." She began.
"I know it's probably gone after me sweating during the battle." Blaze said dismissively as he lifted his chain mail, already slipping his cloth armor on while locking the clasps on it.
"No, that isn't it." Amber said. "You have another cutie mark entirely." She said, looking at the new mark on Blaze's flank. Blaze looked back at his flank, and sure enough, a different mark was emblazoned on his flank. No longer was it the wheel of fire he had painted there for so long, but instead, it was an unfurled scroll that contained battle plans, with a sword behind it, the blade passing behind the middle of the scroll.
"M-my cutie mark... is in tactics?" He asked in a low voice. "T-that's why it took so long to get?" It did make some sense to him. In his life as a performer, he never once had a chance to show tactical prowess, and if it were his calling in life, this would possibly be the only way to gain it.
"You've got your real mark, Blaze." Amber said with a small laugh. "You finally know what truly makes you special." She continued, at the brink of shouting. "I'm so happy for you, Blaze." Blaze gave his own laugh born of relief from the pressure that had loomed over his head for all those years. He was finally complete, he finally knew his true lot in life, and he had all the opportunity in the world to use his special talent.