The Final Battle for Equestria

by Songbrony

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

They sat in silence as they pondered what Rook stated in the letter. What does it mean? 'I hope you find the meaning in this.' What was he trying to say? Blaze thought. I should keep this to myself. I can't say this in front of Linus. He may think I don't care about what happened. But still...

"I can't believe he's dead." Linus muttered. "All these years I've known him, I never thought he would actually be gone." Luna put a comforting hoof around Linus' shoulder. "He was always there for me when I needed help. But I wasn't there for him..."

"Linus, don't put yourself down. You aren't to blame." Blaze said. Linus stood up in a jolt and walked over to the entrance of the tent. "Linus...if you had, you would've ended up dying instead." Linus didn't look at Blaze. He didn't even register his voice. Blaze sighed. I'd better change the subject off of Rook. Linus is still taking it pretty bad.

"Luna? About the mole...who do you think it is at this point? Rook had a reason for telling you to lead your ponies into battle, other than you being the leader." Blaze said

Luna looked to the floor. "I don't know Blaze. All this activity has kept me distracted from finding out the culprit. I had some names, but I'm lost to it now. I'm going to be honest, Linus, you were one of the ponies I originally thought of." Linus looked at her with disbelief. "The only reason why is because you were always out walking along the side of the camp at night. You would be seen walking into camp in the morning. It did cause some suspicion, but I know you aren't the mole anymore." Linus gave a slight nod of his head, still shocked that he was a suspect.

"I also gave a slight thought that it was Cadence, but quickly dismissed it after how she reacted around Shining Armor. So as of now, there are no suspects, which worries me." she said. Linus gave a shout that startled the ponies in the tent.

"Fine! Let's ignore the fact that Rook is dead! Let's ignore that he was killed in battle and start babbling on about a mole who hasn't been found, and has been doing a terrible job of being a mole! What about when Twilight died? The whole camp was in an upset over it! They didn't even know her personally and she got a whole day to herself! But when Rook dies, a pony who everypony has spent time with in this army, and nopony gives a hoot about it now!" He shouted accusingly.

'Leave Twilight out of this Linus!" Shining shouted back. "She died protecting Rainbow, Blaze, and many other ponies. Rook did the exact same thing! He will be remembered." Linus just gave a snort.

"Linus we do care. He was a great friend and he was a great leader. It pains me to know that he is gone, but-" Linus cut Blaze off.

"But what?! That we need to pay attention to Canterlot and forget about Rook's death? Well to hell with that! If you want to forget about Rook go ahead! But I'm not going to sit here and fight a battle with ponies who don't care about a major loss!" Linus yelled before storming out of the tent.

They all sat in astonishment. Nopony had seen him explode that way. They knew it was hard on him, but they never knew what it had done to him emotionally. "Blaze? Is he alright?" Rainbow asked.

"I don't know." he replied. He knew though. He knew that it was his fault. "I need to gather my thoughts. Luna, he's not going to talk to me. Again, you need to talk to him. He needs to calm down. He may do something drastic." Blaze said. "I need to clear my head..." He walked out of the tent, not knowing where to go. He let his body take him wherever it wanted to take him.

He found himself sitting in an old house next to the forest. It's walls were peeling pink paint and the floor boards were creaking. He sat down in an old chair next to a table. It had dishes set for a family of three. Wait a minute... he thought. Something had caught his eye. He looked at the table set. There's no dust. 20 years and no dust? There was a knock at the front door.

"Blaze? It's Rainbow...Are you okay? Can I come in?" Rainbow Dash asked. He stood up from the chair and walked over to the door. When he opened it, Rainbow hugged him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine. Did Luna go with Linus?" Blaze asked returning her hug.

"Yeah. He'll be fine. Luna knows what to do." she said. "You okay? I know you have something on your mind. Want to tell me?" She closed the door behind her and walked over to an empty chair by the table. "Could you have picked a squeakier place to stay?"

Blaze gave a light laugh. "I don't even know why I came here. I don't know this place but it seemed like a nice place to stay. A nice place to think." He took a seat next to her and took her hoof in his. "I've been thinking about Rook lately and what he has done for us. He was a good soldier. An even better friend... I hope Linus is okay." Blaze said. He looked at the table. "This table was meant set for three. I can't help but think of him and Starbolt. They were going to have a filly. A little baby girl. Chrysalis slaughtered her without a second thought."

Rainbow stood up and walked over to him. She pulled him up to his feet and kissed him. She pulled back and gave him a reassuring smile. "She didn't die in vain." she said as she pulled him closer to her. "She gave us Rook. A pony who fought to protect all of Equestria. They're together now. Rook's pain is over." she said. Blaze nodded his head.

"There's something else...I didn't say it in the tent because of Linus. I felt it would do more harm." Blaze said

Rainbow looked at him. "Is it about the, 'find the meaning to these words' part?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's like he thinks I should know something. But I'm lost. What does he mean by, 'an Iron Will picks us up.'" Blaze said.

"I'm not sure Blaze. I wish I knew." Rainbow said. There was a sudden shout from the door.

"Hey you two!! What are you doing here?!" A giant minotaur walked in and was clearly unhappy about seeing these two here.

"This house belonged to a friend of mine. What are you doing here would be a better question!" Blaze said angrily.

"I've lived here for 20 years. I just went out to see what the explosion was about in the center of town. Now expla-" he was cut off by Rainbow.

"Wait. You look familiar." Rainbow said. "I know you! You're the flank-hole who turned Fluttershy into a complete jerk!" she yelled.

"I'm not a flank hole you rainbow colored freak!" the minotaur yelled as he entered the house.

"Hey! Watch it nimrod! Do I have to go over there and knock some sense into you?!" Blaze shouted, angered by what the bull had said to Rainbow Dash.

"And who might you be? Her coltfriend? I could break you in half if I had a mind to!" he shouted back.

"She's not... We're not..." Blaze stammered. "What's it to you anyway? Who are you and what makes you so high and mighty?" he asked.

"I am Iron Will! The greatest inspirer of all Equestria! Iron Will is the most-" he started but ended up coughing half way through it. "Ah forget it. I haven't done that in ages. What the hay are you two doing in my house anyway?"

"Your house? This house belonged to my friend before the war broke out!" Blaze shouted.

"Your friend? I doubt that." Iron Will said.

"Look, Iron Will, I don't know how you came to live in Ponyville, but this isn't your house." Rainbow said.

"Oh really? Who was he? Another Pegasus friend of yours?" he said.

"No. He was a unicorn who joined the army after Chrysalis arrived." Blaze said.

Iron Will raised an eyebrow at them. "Did he have a thing for tea?" he asked.

Blaze hesitated before answering. "Yes. How do you know that? What was his name?" he asked.

"Rook. He helped the police here in Ponyville." Iron replied.

Blaze looked at Rainbow with a raised eye. "How do you know him? You aren't a friend Rook usually finds." Blaze asked.

"He was working with the police and I was a suspect. I wasn't guilty though. They had the wrong minotaur and he helped me clear my name." Iron Will said. "Hey, I'm sorry about yelling earlier. I'm not used to being robbed. Or that's what I thought at first." He walked in and closed the door.

What happened to you? You don't seem like the same minotaur that turned Fluttershy into a jerk." Rainbow asked.

I thought I was teaching her something. Instead she taught me something." Iron Will said. "I'm sorry about her by the way. Do you two want anything? I have some things stored away in the cupboards."

"I'm good." Blaze said, still not sure whether to trust him.

"So you met Rook through the police?" Rainbow asked.

"Yep. He was a great pony. I heard he went off to join the army. Are you two in it as well? How is he?" Iron asked.

Blaze and Rainbow looked at each other. "Um...he died. He was killed in that explosion you went to see." Blaze said sadly.

"Oh. I see. I'm sorry to hear that." he said.

"It's okay... I do have a question though. Where are all the Leasath and how are you able to live here? Don't they normally kill or imprison those who don't side with them?" Blaze asked.

"They left about 3 months ago. There was gossip of a weapon. One that would end this war here and now. Chrysalis wants it to be protected at all costs." Iron said.

"And how do you know this? Are you a spy?" Rainbow asked.

Iron Will chuckled. "No. I'm too obvious to be a spy. I mean look at me! I'm a huge minotaur. I know because I have resources. I know somepony."

"...And who would that be?" Blaze asked.

"I'll show you. Now what are your names? You know mine, but I have no clue who you are." he asked.

"I'm Blaze and this is Rainbow Dash. Now will you-" Blaze was cut off by a surprisingly happy Rainbow Dash.

"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh! Blaze! Don't you see? This is who Rook was talking about in his letter. This is what he meant by, 'an Iron Will picks us up.' Blaze, he can help you!" she squealed. Blaze's jaw dropped in awe as he figured it out.

"That would be me. I didn't say anything to you about your missing wing because of what Rook told me. He told me to keep it under secret. To not let anypony know about it unless the time was necessary." Iron Will said.

Him?! You can't be serious. Blaze thought. "Keep what secret?" Blaze asked.

"I'll show you. Come with me." he said. Blaze looked at Rainbow who was already heading for the door.

"Where are we headed? And what happened to you? You seem to be a lot different than what Fluttershy and the others told me about you." Rainbow said as Iron Will led them out the door.

"After Fluttershy said she wasn't happy with my knowledge. I tried her idea in one of my stands. It worked a little bit better, so I started to go with it. Taught me a few things. I stopped the annoying third pony talk. Never realized how it sounded until I met a pony who did the same thing." he said.

"Let me guess. Blue unicorn, purple hat and cape?" Rainbow asked.

"That sounds about right. What was her name? Pixie? Tipsy? Bixsy?" he said as he tried to recall the name.

"Trixie. She's a total show boater." Rainbow said.

"That's it! She came to one of my shows and tried to out shine me. She failed, but it got me thinking about the third pony talk and how annoying it could get." he said. "Anyways, we're here." They were standing in front of a damaged building. There was a sign that was swaying in the wind on one hinge.

"Wait...This is SugarCube Corner... What are we doing here?" Rainbow asked.

"There's a prison here." Blaze said as he peered through a broken window. There was a door that had Leasath locks all over it. "In the back. There's a door. It leads to prison most likely. Only reason the Leasath would've locked it up that tight."

Iron Will looked at him. "Well, aren't you smart. Yes this was a prison, but after the Leasath left, they killed all the prisoners. Except for one. They left her here to suffer." he said as he opened the door. They three walked in and looked around them. Webs were layered along the walls and ceiling with dust covering every inch of the place.

"I can't believe this place used to be full of laughter and cheer. It's so depressing now." Rainbow said as the memories of her and her friends flooded into her mind. They walked over to the door. Iron Will pulled a key out from the top of the door.

"Couldn't you just bust the door down?" Blaze asked.

"I could, but I can't. If I do then the one you need to meet will not help you. She's very picky about things." Iron said as he turned the key, unlocking the locks one by one. When he opened the door, they peered into a black void.

"I can't see anything." Rainbow said. Iron Will was the first to enter the dark abyss.

"If you stay close you'll be fine. I've been down here many times trying to keep her fed and alive for you Blaze." he said.

"Me? Why me?" he asked as he followed Rainbow down through the darkness.

"Well, not specifically you. Rook said that there might be a time for us to help somepony who really needed it. It just so happens that you are the one who needs the help the most." Iron replied. They continued to walk until they finally arrived at the bottom. "Myrta. It's me Iron Will. It's time to begin Project MWR." he shouted into the darkness.

Suddenly, the lights flashed on, blinding the three. When they could see again, there was a table in the middle of a cement room next to a bunch of metal pieces. "I thought this was a prison. Why are the lights so bright?" Blaze asked.

"To keep us up at night, It's goal began, but slowly headed, for a torturous gain. Falling asleep, we weren't allowed, for it brought escape, from the days of pain," a voice said from the corner. There was a dark shape sitting there. She turned her head, stared into Blaze's eyes through her hood, and motioned to a chair.

"My name is Starbolt. Please have a seat." Starbolt said.