The Final Battle for Equestria

by Songbrony

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Blaze landed quietly in a tree overlooking a cave. He looked around for any sign of the Leasath. He was in no condition to fight any soldier. When he determined the coast was clear, he slid down the trunk of the tree and ran to the cave entrance. He could rest here until dawn, but he would have to leave once dawn arrived. It wasn’t a good idea to stay in one place for too long when so close to an enemy encampment.

He found some leaves and grasses and made a makeshift bed. It wasn’t soft, but it was better than the rocks. After a few minutes of shifting, he finally fell asleep.
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Linus ran back to camp. He saw all the soldiers that had attacked the camp were tied up. The gas had done it’s job, but he had to get to Luna. She had to know where Blaze went. He also needed to know who sabotaged the mask. It was probably the mole who wanted to get Luna in case of a gas attack.

He reached the center of the camp and saw Luna being treated by the top healer. “Luna. The gas, it worked, but Blaze’s mask, the one you gave him. It was faulty. Sabotaged. There was a hole in a section of the filtration system.” Linus said as he put the mask onto the table next to Luna.

“This aggravates me. They knew we were here, but they chose to attack right before we went to the supply route. This was meant to cripple us, not destroy us. Why didn’t Chrysalis destroy us now? Is she toying with us? Or just wants to experiment with how we would react?” Luna contemplated the possibilities. “The mole is the one who sabotaged the mask. There are only a few who are allowed near my tent and allowed in our meetings. Those people are you, Blaze, and Hex. One of you three is the mole.” she said reluctantly.

“I hate to put you on the spot, like that. But you are the only ones who could be relaying information. I’m sorry Linus. I trust all of you with my life. But it has to be. It can't be any other pony.” Luna said. She hated doing this. It felt like she was placing blame on a pony who didn't deserve it. But she had no choice.

“Luna, whatever I have to do clear my name and Blaze’s name, I’ll do it. But right now Blaze is heading in the direction of Camp ‘A.’ We need to do something.” Linus said. “We can’t lose him again.”

“I know. We will do something. But not tonight. Our soldiers are tired and need to sleep before we go looking for him. The Leasath soldiers won’t be going anywhere very soon. I made sure of that. However, there was a Gorner here. He escaped before the gas could reach the camp.” Luna said, wincing as the healer applied pressure to the wound. “That’s how I got this. I can’t fix it with magic, so I can’t do any substantial fighting until it heals. So, I am making you leader of the army. You will lead our soldiers into battle, but not tonight. Let them rest. They deserve it.” Luna concluded.

Linus was shocked. Not just by the fact that Luna thought he could be the mole, but also the fact that despite her fear, she made him leader of the army. “I’m honored, Princess Luna.” Linus said. It was an honor for him. He knew that the soldiers needed rest, but he didn’t wan to leave Blaze out there all alone. But he had no choice. He had to do what was best for the army. He sat down and thought about what he should do tomorrow. “Luna, are there any hidden paths to the camp that Blaze is near?”

“No. The only way in is through the front door. If you want to take the camp, you need to get Blaze his supplies. He’ll be able to detonate an explosive that will cripple the system. He is, yet again, our top priority.” Luna said. “Now get some sleep. You had a long few days.”

Linus stood up. “Thank you Luna. I appreciate everything you have done.” He said. He bowed his head. No pony had bowed to her since her return from the moon. She had never asked it. Never expected it.

“Linus….why did you bow your head?” Luna asked, baffled by what he done.

“I’m greatly honored by what you have done for our cause. I know that no pony has shown you the same respect as they used to. But I feel you still deserve it.” He said.

“Well, thank you, Linus. But I would appreciate it if you didn’t do that. I don’t want ponies doing that all the time.” Luna said. She wasn’t comfortable with it. Not since her sister died.

“Ok. I won’t do it anymore. I’m going to go see if I can sleep. I have an idea of what to do about Camp ‘A.’”