The Herald of Fire

by InsertCleverNameHere

Chapter 7

“War?”
The knock at her door came in the afternoon. War had settled into her bed, was reading a book, trying to forget everything.
The door opened to Shining Armor, along with a guard.
“Princess Celestia has asked to meet with you about your...companions.” he said.
War stood, came up to Shining Armor, nodding for him to lead the way. He nodded in return.
They turned down the echoing halls of the castle. They seemed emptier than usual. As they passed through each hall, War noticed that there didn’t seem to be as many guards, for some reason.
“Where is everyone?” War asked.
Shining Armor was silent for a moment, but then responded with, “You may want to wait for Celestia to answer that...”.
He seemed unsure of himself, but War didn't press any further.
The came up to the door leading to the throne room. Shining Armor nodded to the two guards stationed there, seemingly the only guards stationed in the hall.
The guards opened the door, and towards the back of the room stood Celestia speaking with Elements of Harmony. They turned to see Shining Armor and War enter. As they came up to them, War saw the look on Celestia’s face. It was grave, breaking from it’s usual stoic and cryptic expression.
War spoke, eager to learn what was troubling her.
“You called for us, Princess?”
Celestia took a moment, but responded.
“Yes, War.”
She turned to the guards.
“You may leave us and go attend to your duties.”
The guards nodded, some of them now looking shaken, and left.
War was getting worried.
As the doors closed behind the guards, War stood in front of Celestia, next to Twilight and her friends.
“War, I called you, along with the Elements,” she looked towards them for a moment, “to discuss something of grave importance. I have already informed Shining Armor of this, but you must know.”
The grave tone chilled War. She couldn't fathom what would cause her to become so grim.
She continued.
“A few days ago, I sent a scouting party ahead to check on the status of Ponyville, as well as the current movements of the other heralds. They were supposed to notify me on what they were doing so we could know how to move forward, but...”
She stopped.
War looked to her side, and the Elements looked just as worried.
“I recently received a message from them telling me a few things. Firstly, most of Ponyville is destroyed. Not very many buildings were left standing after the fires raged. The other thing, however, is what I called you in for.”
Celestia turned, choosing to gaze out one of the stained glass windows in the room.
“I had expected to only need to send War and a group of soldiers. I had expected to be up against three of the most powerful ponies I have ever seen. However, the message told me that...we are not facing three heralds....we are up against an army.”
The silence was deafening. It held for a moment as everypony attempted to fathom what Celestia had just said.
War was the first to break the silence.
She stepped forward, and said, “What do you mean...an army?”
Celestia remained silent.
The silence was almost painful, and War had to know.
“What do you mean ‘an army’? We didn’t have an army!”
“Regardless of whether you did or didn’t, they do now.”
War opened her mouth to argue, but had no words. Instead, Celestia spoke once more.
“The guards have been sent to the barracks, and soldiers have been summoned to prepare for an attack. By my estimations, they may be a few hours away by now."
“What exactly is this army..?” War asked.
Celestia turned back to face everypony.
“Shades. Dark creatures, black as the darkest night, except for their yellow eyes. They don’t feel remorse, fear, or sadness. They’re only purpose is destruction and to please their creators. I don’t yet know how they were able to create shades...but either way, they’re coming, and we need to be ready for when they arrive.”
War glanced over at the others. Twilight, more than any of the others, seemed worried.
“Is there anything we can do?” she asked.
Celestia shook her head.
“It’s too dangerous to let you five on the battlefield. We’ve already lost one element. We can’t lose any more.”
Twilight looked as if she was going to argue, but she seemed to disheartened to try.
“But you, War...” Celestia continued, “We do need your help.”
War had expected this, so she only nodded.
Celestia continued.
“Many of our soldiers haven’t seen battle in a long time. I need you to be out there helping them and Shining Armor.”
Celestia came in closer. She unfurled her wing, revealing War’s sword tucked under it. Celestia unbelted the holster and hovered it over War’s head.
“War...we’re counting on you...don’t make me regret trusting you.”
War could almost feel everypony’s eyes burning into her, particularly from a certain multi-hued pegasus.
“I won’t betray you...I swear,” War uttered.
Celestia didn’t take her eyes off her as she strapped the sword and sheath to War.
Strangely, for the first time in a long time, War felt confident now that her sword strapped to her. War felt balanced. The familiar weight of a sword at her side had her at ease. Somehow, she felt she could move faster, strike quicker, and last longer. For the first time since arriving in Ponyville, things felt right.
War smiled, and looked up at Celestia.
“What do you need me to do?” she asked.

War followed Celestia as she led her and Shining Armor through the castle.
As they walked deeper and deeper into the castle, War caught glimpses of guards running to different places. There were only a few at a time, but the castle still seemed to be the busiest since War arrived, which wasn’t much of a surprise.
As they walked on, War looked towards Shining Armor, just to her left.
“So, where are the barracks, exactly? You’ve never shown me them.”
Shining Armor didn’t bother turning to face her, but answered.
“The barracks and armory are behind the castle. This castle was made during a time of peace, and a large set a barracks near the front of the castle would’ve been...inadvisable...”
“How good of an army does the castle have?” War was curious. After all, they weren’t expected to hold back an army on the strength of War alone.
“We’ve tried to maintain a standing army, but obviously, seeing as we’ve not seen much conflict, they’re not very well equipped to go to war. That’s why we were so easily defeated when the Changelings invaded.”
War had only heard of the invasion during the royal wedding. She’d been concerned with other things at the time.
Instead, she wandered into the one question that was on her mind.
“...do you think they’ll be able to face the shades..?”
Shining Armor paused.
“We can only hope...”
With that, the trio walked on in silence.

War, Celestia, and Shining Armor exited out into what was the barracks and armory for the castle. Much of the barracks was obscured by the mass of soldiers in front of them.
Celestia stepped forward, and made use of her Royal Canterlot Voice.
“SOLDIERS. STEP FORWARD.”
The soldiers began to line up, as if they’d practiced this all their lives, which War could bet some of them might’ve.
One of the first things that War noticed was that there weren’t that many of them.
War turned to Shining Armor.
“Is this...everyone..?”
It didn’t seem to be more than a couple hundred or so.
“No. Many already been informed by their commanding officers. This group, however, is the one we will be working with.”
War looked at the group.
The second thing she noticed was that their armor was far different than that of the guards. The royal guards’ was gold to complement Celestia’s sun motif. These soldiers, however, had different armor. While the guard’s armor seemed intricate and ornate, the soldier’s was far more practical-looking in War’s eyes.
Each race had different colored armor, the pegasus being in blue, the earth ponies in red, and the unicorns in a dark purple.
For the earth ponies, the armor covered most of their bodies, and even had plates on their legs. They had either a spear or sword by their side. They were clearly meant to take the brunt of the attack.
Pegasi had a much different set of armor, one clearly meant to compliment their aerial prowess. Their armor covered less and was made of hide and leather instead of the earth pony’s steel armor. Each pegasi had a spear to their side, clearly meant for divebombing attacks.
The unicorns had a unique set up. Much of their armor was comprised of layers of chainmail and some metal plates, but not very much of it. Their helmet had an opening for their horn, giving them the advantage of magic, and if needed, a makeshift knife. Each soldier also had a sword at his or her side.
On every soldier’s flank was a symbol, which varied, not only between the races, but among the soldiers of each race. War didn’t know what they exactly meant, but she could guess it might’ve been a role or class designation.
What stood out to War, though, was that the soldiers were stern looking, but didn’t look like they were ready for war. None of them had any hint on their face like they knew what was about to happen.
Celestia used her normal voice to address the soldiers.
“I won’t lie to you all. This is not the ideal situation we might’ve hoped for. In a few hours, Canterlot will be attacked by an army that, a few days ago, we didn’t even know existed. We have little to no prior experience with these creatures, but let me reassure you, they can be killed. Do not go into this with the hesitation of killing a pony, because you won’t be. Do not let their equine shape fool you, these are not ponies. Not anymore.”
The soldiers didn’t move, but War could feel the tension rising.
“They will feel no fear, so neither should you. However, while the other soldiers are going to be handling the brunt of the shade forces, you all will have a much more special task. We will first need to have our pegasus scouts scan the area for any of the remaining heralds. If, or perhaps when, they find them, you will enter the battlefield. Your job is to get War to that herald so she can kill her. You will need to fend off the shades so she can end the herald without interference from the shades. The heralds are your priority. Do I make myself clear?”
“YES, MA'AM!” The roar was unexpected, but somehow reassuring to War. Perhaps these soldiers had at least an idea of what they might be facing.
Celestia looked down, as she continued.
“I won’t mince words. This is a dire situation we find ourselves in. I can’t guarantee that many of you will be coming back alive...but what I can guarantee that your deaths will not be for nothing. Without you all, this would be a nigh impossible task, and considering that we have not had any major battles in decades, you should all be proud for being willing to stand beside us in the first place. No one will forget your sacrifices. Good luck. Dismissed.”
“YES, MA'AM!”
The crowd then began to move in their formation.
As her eyes scanned the crowd, she wondered which faces wouldn’t come back.
War had to catch herself. She couldn’t be thinking like that now. Her concern now was the heralds.

The soldiers, group by group, stepped out of the castle. War walked with Shining Armor in the middle of their group of a couple hundred.
As the soldiers exited the castle with War in tow, War didn’t know what she expected to find out in the city streets.
She hadn’t been outside the castle since she arrived just after the attack on Ponyville. War had a sick feeling in her stomach at the thought of seeing the citizens.
When her group stepped out into the city streets, ponies had gathered along the sidewalk and watched as the soldiers went by. Their faces drew a blank. There was little fear in their eyes. They simply stared as the soldiers walked by.
Then, from somewhere in the crowd, War heard something. Clapping. She tried to see where it was coming from, but soon, it was pointless, as it had begun spreading. More and more ponies began clapping.
What at first sounded like a single pony turned into dozens of the clapping, growing and growing more thunderous and more deafening.
War could hardly believe it. The entire crowd watching the soldiers had begun clapping. Some of them even had smiles on their faces.
It felt strange. War didn’t know whether she should smile back. She simply looked forward and tried her best to look confident and resolved.
She looked at Shining Armor, who looked out at the crowd, and smiled.
“What are you smiling at?” War asked.
Shining Armor looked at her, and said, “Oh, it’s just...my parents are there...” He gestured out into the crowd, over at two unicorns. One, with tears in her eyes, was a mare of a pure white hide and a purple and white mane. The other was one of a blue hide and a dark blue mane.
“Those are your parents?” War asked.
“Yep. Here to send me off, I guess.”
War sat there for a moment.
“Must be nice.” she uttered.
“Yeah. They’ve always been there for me. What about yours?”
War was silent for a moment, unsure what to do next.
Shining Armor seemed to sense this.
“Oh...if you don’t want to talk about it...”
“No, it’s just...” War responded. She heaved a sigh, and continued. “My family is gone, for the most part. Died years ago in a fire.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Shining Armor responded.
For a moment, there was only silence between them. Then, Shining Armor caught her off guard with his question.
“Do you think your parents would be proud of you right now?”
War looked at him for a moment, puzzled about how to approach the question.
“I...I don’t know...” she eventually uttered. “Funny. For years, I’ve been thinking about them...about that day...but in all that time, I don’t think I ever really asked myself that.”
She looked into the crowd as the soldiers turned a corner heading towards the gates out of the city. As they passed by, they saw more smiling faces cheering on the soldiers.
“My gut says no...I haven’t exactly given them much reason to be proud of me.”
“That goes without saying...” Shining Armor uttered.
War looked at him.
“Hey, at least I’m trying to change things.”
“Right,” he responded.
“Still don’t trust me?”
“...I don’t distrust you, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Why, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Shining Armor was silent for a moment.
“I’ve seen you fight while we were training for this day, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you were holding back. Honestly, with your power, you could’ve stolen a weapon and tried to fight your way out, and you probably would’ve had a decent shot at it, but you didn’t. I have confidence in the guards under me, but I think you could have defeated them all. Instead, you’re here fighting for us. That’s why I’m at least willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.”
War chuckled a bit, and smiled.
“What are you laughing about?” Shining Armor asked.
“Would it surprise you if that thought hadn’t even crossed my mind?”
Shining Armor didn’t respond.
War didn’t need him to.

By now, they were a safe enough distance from Canterlot to begin prepping for the battle ahead. Everyone knew that, if Celestia was correct, Death’s horde would be arriving any minute now.
War and her group had also met up with the rest of the soldiers who had been sent ahead in case the shades arrived earlier than expected. Just looking around, War could see thousands of soldiers, each gathered in their own formations, ready for the enemy.
Pegasus were stretching their wings for their flights, unicorns were inspecting their armor for any possible weak points or defections, and earth ponies in the front of the lines tightly holstered their spears to their sides.
Behind them, visible to all, was the mountain where Canterlot rested. They were the city’s first and only defense, and they knew it. The thought never left War’s mind.
War herself didn’t need much prep time. She had everything she needed: her sword, her armor, and her composure.
In a way, War thought it would be cathartic, in a way. All her pent up anger and shame finally given something to lash out at.
War unsheathed her sword and held it in her mouth for a moment.
She stood for a minute, getting a feel for her armor again. She’d worn it for so long, that her time in the castle had made her feel naked. It only felt natural for her to be wearing her armor. Now, with her armor and her sword, everything felt right again. She felt like War again, but different.
Ever since she’d known that she would be helping Celestia's forces, she’d assumed that it’d take her some time to really feel natural on a battlefield again, but at the moment, she was strangely calm. Ever since her arrival to Canterlot, her mind had been clouded with regret, but now, her mind seemed at ease.
This was her element. She was confident, for the first time in a long time.
“Everyone is ready.”
War turned, and saw Shining Armor standing in full battle armor to match the unicorn’s armor. His armor, though, was colored purple and gold, like the armor he wore as Captain of the Royal Guard.
“What about you? You ready?” he asked.
War sheathed her sword.
“Absolutely.” she said.
“Good.”
Shining Armor looked at the soldier’s formation. In the back, they could both see their unit, ready to go, even though they’d have to wait until one of the pesagi sighted one of the heralds.
“This won’t be an easy battle. You realize that, right?” he said.
“I never expected it to be,” War said.
Shining Armor flashed a determined smile.
“CAPTAIN!”
War and Shining Armor both turned as a unicorn ran towards him, telescope held within his magic.
“On the horizon!”
Shining Armor grabbed the telescope with his magic and looked through it.
War didn’t need a telescope to see what the soldier was talking about.
Over the distant hill, War saw what amounted to a mass of blackness that had begun consuming the landscape.
War knew immediately that those were the shades.
War also knew that they were outnumbered.
“EVERYBODY, BRACE YOURSELVES!!!” Shining Armor cried to his troops.
War unsheathed her sword, and braced herself for the battle ahead.

Comments

[suggested123]

Been a while huh. Can't wait for the battle

[InsertCleverNameHere]

3211433
Yeah, sorry for the long wait. In that time, I realized that taking on a project this big for a first fic was a huge mistake that I've clearly paid dearly for.
After this fic, I probably will be doing smaller fics until I can reliably update a multi-chapter fic.

Anyways, hope you enjoy the update.

[suggested123]

Fun fact, don't know if you really care but your story was one of the first story's that I read when I joined the fandome so it's nice to go back to.
=)

[InsertCleverNameHere]

3211595
Oh, glad I could be part of your love for the fandom.