The Final Battle for Equestria

by Songbrony

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

They arrived at camp, where everyone was celebrating the soldiers returned. No pony noticed Blaze carrying a lifeless Twilight through the camp. He walked to Luna’s tent. He knew Shining Armor would be there with Cadence, but he had no idea where to go. “Rainbow. Can you tell Luna I need to speak with her? Outside of the tent? I don’t want her brother to see her. Not until I can talk to Luna.” He said.

“Blaze, she sacrificed herself for us. She gave her life, so that we may live and carry on. I’ll tell her. But Shining needs to know that. You must tell him when he sees her.” Rainbow said. She walked into the tent. A few seconds later, Luna came walking out.

“Blaze! I’m glad to see the mission was---“ She trailed off as she saw Twilight’s dead, lifeless body on his back. “B-Blaze…What…How….” She stammered. A few tears welled in her eyes.

“Luna. She sacrificed herself for us. So that we could finish the job. Once Shining Armor sees me carrying his little sister in, he will blame me. He will say that it is my fault. You can’t interfere, even if it means my life, you cannot interfere.” Blaze had to tell Luna this. As much as he trusted her, he wanted to do this by himself.

“Blaze,” she said, collecting herself and wiping away the tears. “Blaze. He needs to know the truth.”

“I know. I will tell him. But it is up to him whether or not he believes it was my fault for her death or not. Please Luna. Don’t blame him for anything that comes out of this.” Blaze said.

Luna sighed. “Alright. I won’t do anything. But…please Blaze. Be careful.” She walked back into the tent. Blaze whispered a silent prayer to Celestia, and walked into the tent.

“And Blaze and Rainbow Dash were fighting them, all of the Leasath by themselves! It was remarkable it was truly-” Shining Armor got cut off by the sound gasp that left Cadence’s mouth. He turned and saw Blaze placing Twilight onto a bed next to Rainbow Dash who was lost to the world around her.

“Twi? Twilight?” Shining spoke as if he couldn’t breathe. “Twilight? Say something. Please…” he said softly.

“She’s dead Shining. I’m so sorry. During the fighting, we were going to detonate a bomb if we were going to be over-run by the Leasath. It would have destroyed everything in a 5 mile radius. That time almost arrived. Then the walls began to shake, the ground began to open up beneath our hooves." Blaze said. "She told us that we needed to run. We did. We ran away from the prison and it fell into the ground beneath it. She collapsed and we ran over to her. It was too late. The magic she used to destroy the prison and save us, cost her her life. I’m sorry. She is one of the bravest ponies I have ever met.” Blaze said, looking to the ground trying to keep his voice steady.

“She was there. She was there, and you didn’t tell me. You made me run out of there without telling me my own sister was outside the prison!” Shining Armor yelled. “I haven’t seen her alive in 20 years! 20 years!! Do you know what that’s like?! To not see your wife or family for 2 decades, not knowing whether they are alive, dead, or worse in Chrysalis’ hooves?!” He was furious, shouting in Blaze’s face. Blaze didn’t budge. He didn’t retort or throw anything back into Shining’s face.

“Why didn’t you stop her?! Why didn’t you do anything to prevent her from doing this?! You were with her when you planned the attack, you knew what she was going to do! So why not stop her?!” Shining yelled as he punched Blaze in the gut. Blaze fell over, coughed, and was kicked in the head by Shining’s powerful hind legs. He tried to grasp a breath, but couldn’t. The room was spinning, his ears rang, his eyes pulled in and out of focus at the ceiling.

“I…I didn’t know, Shining. I didn’t know she planned on doing that if the time came to detonate the bomb. But if she hadn’t, you wouldn’t be here. You, me, and Rainbow would not be in this tent. We would be dead as well.” Blaze said as he slowly picked himself up.

“She sacrificed herself so that way you could live.” Rainbow spoke, returning to the world around her. “So you could be with Cadence. So we could end this war. She wanted to see you more than anything. She has lost 4 of her closest friends and your parents. She couldn’t bare to lose you too. She thought were already dead, but I believe that once she saw you, she wasn’t going to lose you again. She loved you. She didn’t want to see you die. She didn’t want Cadence to be left alone. She didn’t want Chrysalis to have taken every last pony she cared about. Shining, he didn’t know. Neither of us knew.” Rainbow said, crying.

“Shining, I’m sorry for your loss. It hurts all of us.” Luna said with the tear streak that had stained her cheek. “Tomorrow I will hold a service for her. All military duties, except for sentries, will be canceled for the day. Rainbow, Cadence. I would like you two to prepare speeches dedicated to her life.” Luna said. She was devastated by Twilight’s death. She helped her become the pony she was today and prevented her from making night eternal. Twilight was the only one who believed her and helped her change. She was Celestia’s student and friend. She would surely have been proud of her.

“Shining Armor, for the short period of time I spent with her, I knew she was courageous. I heard the tales of what she and the other Elements of Harmony did for Ponyville and Equestria. She is one of the smartest and bravest ponies I have ever had the honor of meeting. I am, truly, deeply, sorry for your loss.” Blaze said. He turned and left the tent, leaving Shining Armor to mourn for his sister. Blaze went to sit next to a stream by the edge of the forest. He was followed by Rainbow Dash who quickly ran up to him and hugged him, sobbing into his red mane.

“She was my only remaining friend.” She said in between sobs. “First Pinkie Pie, then Fluttershy, then Rarity, and now Twilight. All are dead because of Chrysalis’ evil rule. I haven’t heard or seen Applejack in 15 years. I’m all alone.” She cried even harder. "All of the elements but me are gone. She defeated each of us with ease."

Blaze hugged her back and held her protectively in his arms. “Rainbow Dash, I promise you we will avenge her death, and the death’s of all your friends. We will make her pay for all the killing she has caused. I swear it on my life.” Blaze said. He was going to make Chrysalis rue the day she came to Equestria.

Rainbow looked up to him. “Blaze? I know this may be an odd thing to ask, but can you sing for me? Sing me to sleep?” She asked. She looked so vulnerable. So lost in a world that had taken everything she cared about away from her.

“Sure.” He replied. They laid on the soft grass together with Rainbow Dash leaning her head onto his shoulder.

Through the Everfree Forest

Past those rocky ruins

I will always be waiting

For you to be by my side

Over the Macintosh Mountains

And over those retched Badlands

Soon you’ll be there with me

With me forever at last.

Past those slimy wet swamps

At the beaches of the sea

I will be there waiting

For you to finally arrive

If you’re not there tomorrow

If you are not with me

I will stay there waiting

For you to be with me

It wasn’t really a song, but a hymn. It was something he heard 10 years ago while he was walking through a camp filled with civilians.

A dying mother was singing this to her young foal. She died a few minutes after she sang it but the foal refused to leave her. She stayed by her mother until she was pulled off so they could remove the body. He went up to the crying foal and comforted her. He couldn’t leave her in the state she was in. He took her with him. Lily was her name. She was with him at the camps that he stayed at whenever he traveled. She was like his daughter. He had just gone out and scavenged some of her favorite berries to make her for her birthday. When he returned, he saw that the camp had been raided and destroyed. He ran for his tent where Lily would stay when he left, and found her, dead on the ground with a spear through her heart. He picked her up and cried until he couldn’t shed a single tear.

The next day they held a ceremony for all the ponies they lost in the attack. Blaze just sat there, holding a picture of Lily on her 11th birthday. “I’m so sorry Lily.” He whispered. A single tear landed on the picture. He never talked about Lily. Never brought her up. The pain of losing her was so heart breaking that he shut out any form of her to keep himself safe. This was the first time since her funeral that anything about her came up.

He sang it again. Rainbow Dash fell asleep snuggled into his mane. Chrysalis. I’m coming for you. You will rue the day you came to Equestria. Blaze thought. He fell asleep with Rainbow snuggled close.