The Final Battle for Equestria

by Songbrony

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Blaze made his way through the camp. He tried to ignore the stares from the injured soldiers around him. He kept his one wing open for all to see. He had a feeling of where she would be. He walked to the medical tent where he was operated on and found her talking to Derpy. He could hear Rainbow's tears as she explained everything. Derpy gave her a hug and held her close. She looked up and saw Blaze. She pulled out of the hug and told Rainbow something. He couldn't hear what she said, but by the way Rainbow changed her attitude, he knew it was about him. She nodded, and Derpy left her, walking straight to Blaze.

"She's really upset by what you said earlier here. Please don't screw this up. She has nopony. Applejack is the only one left, but she has her own problems after Big Mac's death." She said

Blaze nodded. "Thank you Derpy. If it weren't for you I would be dead. No matter what I said, I really do appreciate it." Derpy gave a light smile and nodded her head.

"Well you go out there and win her back." She retreated from the tent and left Blaze and Rainbow alone to discuss what happened. Blaze walked over to her. She was beaten and exhausted.

"Hey Rainbow." He started.

Rainbow didn't look at him. "What do you want? You want to blame me again for something I had no control over? Blame me for the loss of your wing and your ability to fly?" she said in a frustrated tone.

"No. I'm here to apologize for my irrational behavior. I over-reacted. I shouldn't have blamed you for anything that you did. I was shocked that my wing wasn't attached to me. I feel naked without it. The feel of the wind through my wings, the sight of the ground beneath me, and the soothing feel of the clouds are gone." he explained. He walked to her left side and stood next to her. "I really appreciate what you did for me. You flew me back to camp, donated me some of your blood, and stayed with me. But what did I do? After all you had done for me, I yelled at you, blaming you for everything. I'm sorry Rainbow, I really am."

Rainbow stood there with tears in her eyes. She knew he was right but she didn't want to admit it. She ignored him and turned around to leave. "Rainbow, listen!" He ran after her.

"Stop it Blaze! I don't want to hear it. I did everything to help you. If it weren't for me you would be dead right now! And what do I get in return? I get accused of...of letting them take your wing!" She stammered.

"I know and I apologize. I wasn't thinking and I was shocked at what I had seen. I've never known life without flight. Soaring through the skies, laying on a cloud on a sunny day, all of that wiped out because of Chrysalis. Rainbow Dash please. I'm so sorry for what I said to you and-" Rainbow cut him off.

"Look Blaze, we need to get to the stage. Luna is making an announcement to the army and I don't know why she wants an impaired Pegasus there. Now let's go." She said and retreated from the tent. Blaze groaned and followed her out. They walked to the center of the camp in silence.

When they arrived Linus turned his head and raised his eyebrow to Blaze, who returned it with a glare. Linus lowered his brow and returned facing the crowd. Rainbow and Blaze took their positions to either side of Luna. "Tonight, we were attacked. I don't need to tell you what happened, but I will tell you all this. We have many wounded and many dead. We sent Blaze out to destroy whatever was launching the fireballs, and while he was out, he received terrible burns on his left wing. The damage to it was irreparable. He would've died out in the field if it weren't for a brave Earth Pony. His name was Big Mac and he rushed out to save him along with Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Mac ran into a Gorner who had tortured Blaze and would've done worse to him. But Mac crashed into the Gorner which allowed Rainbow to save Blaze. However, in doing so, Mac lost his life." There was a gasp from the group of ponies that had known him.

Blaze lowered his head as he saw the event play back in his head. The bolt hitting Mac in the chest, the blood spewing everywhere, and his cries as the spell shot through his body. A nudge from Linus pushed the memory from his mind. Blaze looked up and noticed that Luna was gesturing for him to come up front. He walked to the front of the stage, knowing what she was going to ask of him. "Blaze, I'm sorry, but I have to." Luna said quiet enough so only he could hear. He nodded his head.

"This is what happened to Blaze when he was brought to the medical tent." She said as she looked at him. She nodded her head to signal his cue. He opened his one wing as the gasps from the soldiers swept across the crowd. There were murmurs, whispers, and jokes spreading through the group. "Even now, with the loss of his wing, he is still willing to fight, to rid Equestria of Chrysalis."

"How will he? Flap her with one wing?" Someone from the crowd shouted. A few laughed, others murmured their opinion, and others looked at Blaze waiting for a reaction.

"I plan to fight harder than ever before. She has taken away too many things from me. My ability to fly will be the last thing she takes." he said to the crowd.

"Do you now? And what if she takes your wing too? You won't even be a Pegasus. You can't claim to be an Earth Pony either. So what would you be then? A Pegasus without wings? The thought of such a thing is hilarious." the soldier said again. More started to laugh at what was being said.

"Hey! Whoever it is who is shouting these obscenities, let me tell you something." Rainbow cried out. "A Pegasus is a Pegasus with, or without their wings. What's different between you and me anyways? I have wings and you don't. Some of you have horns and are Unicorns, who know magic more than any of us. Some are Earth Ponies, strong, fast, and tough to take down. Us Pegasus, we attack from the sky, dropping hell as if it were a daily thing. We all have differences, but we are all the same in more ways than you think." She turned to Blaze. "He may have lost his wing and his ability to fly, but he is more of a Pegasus than most of us. He is cunning, smart, and caring." She said as she gave Blaze a grin.

"He has lost more than just his wing during this war. He has lost not only his parents, but friends who served next to him. He's lost innocent ponies who have seen more action in battle than any of us. There was one pony however. One foal. Her name was Lily. She was an orphan after a battle he had fought in." Blaze looked at Rainbow, not believing that she was saying this. She continued the story of Lily and how she became a part of Blaze's family. Rainbow told of the night she died. It all rushed back to him. Her dead body, covered in her own blood, the spear pierced through her heart, and the flowers that fell to the bloodied ground as he cried out at her death.

"This Pegasus has seen more death than any of us. He has had his chances to leave the fray. He has served in this army for far longer than he should have. Most of you would leave after your ten years, but not him. He has stayed for over 15 years. He was here before Luna returned to help us. So if anypony here has fought more valiantly than him, step up." Rainbow said addressing the entire crowd. Nopony stepped forward. "I thought so." She finished and walked back to her place beside Luna.

"Who are you to talk? You are just a broken Element of Harmony!" he yelled. Many of the others didn't say anything. Most who did say something only gave whispers of disapproval about what was said.

This gave Rainbow pause. She turned back to the crowd and stood tall. "I am still the Element of Loyalty. I may not be like I was from Ponyville, but I am still loyal to all of you. Don't ever think that I have left or abandoned the army." she said calmly.

The crowd whispered to themselves. Blaze walked forward, his wing extended out for all to see. "I know that some of you think I may be incompetent and weak. But after this injury, I feel a renewed fighting spirit. All of us have lost those close to us. "Twilight Sparkle, Big Mac, Lily, Starbolt and Princess Celestia all were somepony who was close to us who stand up here. We are all fighting for something. No matter what, I will still fight. No matter the injury, no matter the cost to me, not until Chrysalis is overthrown!" A few gave shouts of agreement. "Chrysalis will pay for everything! She will rue the day she brought herself to Equestria. Tomorrow, we march not to Ponyville, but to a victory! A victory that will destroy Chrysalis' army. A march that will reap rewards for all of us! A march to end this war!"

More shouts of agreement resonated through the crowd. "Prepare yourselves! Tomorrow, we move through the Forest to Ponyville!" he said with a yell. The crowd of soldiers shouted their agreement and ran off, readying to fight. Luna looked at Blaze with a grin.

"It seems I should have you give speeches more often. You seem to spread encouragement and confidence throughout the soldiers." she said.

Blaze gave a small smile. "I don't deserve all the credit. Rainbow Dash was amazing with her retorts and explanations. Without her, I probably wouldn't have had the same effect." he said as he turned his gaze to her. "I'm going to get ready. I may not be able to fly, but I can still walk and fight. So I'll join a group of soldiers and fight with them."

"You can't Blaze. I made a decision to keep you out of this fight. You may be a good fighter, but your wings helped you. I need you to help in Canterlot so you can't get killed in Ponyville." Luna said. This rose protests from the group on stage.

"You can't be serious Luna?" Rook said. "He just gave a speech moving the army to fight, and you are going to hold him back? He may be injured, but he's still the best fighter we have."

"I understand that Rook, but I need him to be able to build a bomb large enough for our troops to get in." Luna countered.

"But what about the soldiers? What do you think is going to happen when they march into battle and see him staying back as they march into the city? What message do you think that will send to them?" Linus followed.

"I will personally tell them that I ordered him to stay back so he could work on the bomb. We need him to build the bomb so we can end this." Luna said, raising her tone.

"Then I'll build it on the way. Every stop we make I can work on it. I could finish it before we get to Ponyville and then I can be off fighting with the other soldiers." Blaze said finally.

"Blaze I don't doubt your bomb making skills, but it isn't possible for you build a bomb large enough to bring down an entire section of the castle in under three days. Especially when we are on the move." She said. "I'm sorry Blaze, but you are not fighting at Ponyville. That's an order." She said, ending the discussion there and walking off.

Blaze gave a moan and kicked rock in frustration. "What are you going to do Blaze?" Rainbow asked. He looked at her and saw her smile.

"I'm going to fight. No matter what." He said. He ran back to what was left of his tent and pulled out his supplies. I'm so glad I made Rook put a protective spell on this thing! he thought as he opened the chest up. He pulled out the materials and got to work. Rook ran into the tent followed by the others.

"Well obviously you are going to need help if you want this done tonight." Rook said. Blaze looked up at them and smiled. "Rainbow, go back to my tent. There should be a book on demolitions in the bookshelf. Don't worry, it's protected by magic. You'll find it." Rainbow nodded and flew out of the tent. Rook and Linus walked over to Blaze and looked at his components.

"Gees Blaze. I knew you had supplies, but dang! This is just insane." Linus said as he observed the magnitude of the explosives.

"If I really wanted to I could destroy Canterlot. Let's get this done. You two do exactly what I say, and this army will still be here tomorrow." Blaze said cautiously. Rainbow flew in and gave Rook the book.

"Here ya go Rook. Now, before I accidentally blow this place up, I'm going to go around the camp and make sure the soldiers are ready. AJ, you wanna come?"

"Sure sugarcube. Be careful with that bomb ya'll. Save it for Chrysalis." Applejack said and they walked out.

"Alrighty then, let's get started." Blaze said as he guided them through the bomb.