> Darkness of Ages - Book 1: Greyhield
>  by YoungQuillMaster
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prolouge: Unfolding Events
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The rain fell heavily on the city Canterlot, while the clouds above the majestic city covered the stars. It had been three nights since Nightmare Moon had been banished by Princess Celestia, and it seemed as if the night time weather ponies proclaimed their sorrow with a storm every night since their nocturnal princess had been banished.

Although most ponies preferred being inside during the frightful, night time storm, two ponies, clad in the armor of the Royal Guard, strode down the streets of the middle-classed residence of the grand city. One was a unicorn with the day guard armor on. His coat was a darker shade of yellow and he had a white mane with some add mixture of blue, although some gray had begun to surface through, showing the age of the stallion. His eyes where blue as the summer sky and were filled with life, quite in opposition to his age. His cutie mark was displayed on his flank plate, also a display of being a higher ranking officer than most ponies. It was a thread of gold looped through a needle, showing that before he was drafted into the guard, he had been a tailor. The other who strode beside this unicorn was a pegasus, of slightly fewer years, who wore the armor of the night guard, except the bat wing coverings for his wings. He was of a lighter blue while his mane was gray. His eyes were a bright green and were set like a flint towards the pony's goal. His cutie mark as well was displayed on his armor's flank plate. It was a dark cloud with a band of white on the top of it.

The two battle-worn guards’ continued their trot towards their destination with great determination. As they trotted, the street broadened and lead to a house that seemed quite out of place. While the houses the pair had passed were single level houses of cobblestone walls and wooden roofs, this one was a two level brick house with stone shingles on the roof.

The stallions increased their speed as they drew nearer to their destination. They charged through the veritable waterfall that continually tumbled down from the roof. The unicorn reached out with his magic and grabbed the knocker as the two of them stepped up the stairs.

The sounds of the knocking resounded through the empty streets as the unicorn continued knocking whereas the pegasus looked around the streets behind them. The pair did not wait long outside, for the door was promptly open by their host. Without exchanging a word, the unicorn entered into the warmth of the small room that was before the main bulk of the house, whereas his pegasus friend took a few more seconds to satisfy himself that nopony had been watching.


The newly arrived unicorn lifted his helmet and placed it on the hat rack on the far side of the room with the pegasus shortly following suit. The unicorn guard shook his head lightly, releasing the water that had built up in his mane.

"Those weather ponies almost seem to want us drowned! I can understand one night, but three nights in a row? It's just insane!" The guard unicorn said as he fixed his mane.

"It may seem so, Golden Embroidery, but really they are just trying to keep to schedule, we haven't had a good rain for three months because of that rain maker breaking down." The pegasus said to his unicorn friend.

"But don't you find it a bit ridiculous that they make the streets into rivers, Silver Lining?" Golden Embroidery replied to the pegasus.

"Only slightly, but that is not the reason for making the trip all the way here, now is it?" Silver Lining said to Golden Embroidery "So, what is the reason, Flame Eternal?" He continued, redirecting to his host.

Flame Eternal was a rather well aged unicorn with more scars then his two guests combined. His mane was an orange, while his coat was a bright, piercing yellow. His eyes were pink, and almost a lively as Golden Embroidery's. His cutie mark was a phoenix with spread wings, being as his talent was training mystical animals.

“Of course not, Silver. I’m not one to talk about such trifle matters when there are bigger things to worry about.”Flame said as he smiled at Silver Lining. “Please follow me if you will.”

The three stallions entered the foyer of the stately house with Flame Eternal at the head. The foyer was decorated with many artifacts, some from Equestria while others were from abroad. A set of armor was on a stand on the far side of the room, while a few small bookcases lined the walls. Doors of several sizes led to different points throughout the house, while two sets of stairs lead to the living quarters on the second level. A table with a few scrolls sat in the center on it all, which apparently was were Flame was leading them.

On the table were star charts, scrolls with mathematical equations scrawled across them, and many other things that seemed loosely related at best.

“You two both know how Princess Celestia banished Nightmare Moon?” Flame asked while closing a few of the unimportant scrolls and placing them inside a small case.

“Of course, everypony knows that!” Golden Embroidery exclaimed quickly. Flame quickly raised a hoof quickly for silence.

“Not that Celestia did, but how she accomplished the banishment, how the spell works in other words.” Flame said to clarify himself further. Silver and Golden looked at each other for a moment.

“I’ve heard bits and pieces of it.” Silver Lining said finally. “I heard some students in Celestia’s school talk of how she alone used the Elements on Nightmare Moon and the magic in the blast carried her being to the moon, but that’s about all I heard.” Flame Eternal nodded.

“Yes, that is about the size of the spell. But there is something that most ponies do not know about the spell.” Flame said as he pointed his hoof at one of his scrolls. “The spell can be broken by an outside force, namely, somepony that is out there in an extraterrestrial state of banishment as well and who is rather adept with magic. Unfortunately for us, there’s something up there that is good with magic and would benefit from Nightmare Moon’s release.” At this Golden Embroidery gasped.

“Do you mean… him?” Golden Embroidery asked rather shaken.

“I’m afraid so. He not only has the power, but the will, not to mention he is banished in the stars right now putting him in the perfect position to release Nightmare Moon. I have charted the heavens for the past few nights and have found four stars that are moving at a rather good speed for the moon. 
Fortunately they are coming from the edges of the very heavens and will take time to arrive. According to my calculations, they will arrive on the longest day of the thousandth years from now.” Flame said while taking his hoof off of the scroll.

“Have you informed the Princess of this? She needs to know so that disaster does not strike when Nightmare Moon returns.” Silver stated urgently.

“She has been informed.” Flame stated with a nodded, “She says she will make sure that when the time comes she will be ready, and that my work shall be recorded so that anypony who looks might know. But even this is not entirely why I called you all here. After Nightmare Moon’s return, it will only take a few years before he returns.” The two guests both gasped at this news. “I fear that Nightmare Moon may also aid in his escape, since he has helped her.”

“Flame, tell me there is a way for us to stop this!” Golden Embroidery said desperately.

“Sadly there isn’t. The magical seal I placed will be dying by that time, no matter how much we try to recharge it the seal will be broken by then, and Nightmare Moon can only chip at it to speed its demise along. So even if she doesn’t help him, it will only be a matter of years before the seal naturally breaks.” Flame Eternal said sadly. “But hope isn’t all gone, because we can still prepare for his return.” Flame then unfurled a scroll that lay closed on the table until that moment. “You both know I study many of the spells from old times. Well while searching through Starswirl the Bearded’s many spells I found a time travel spell that allows you go to the past for a short time. Basing my spell on his I was able to make it teleport you into the future and for indefinite amount of time. I does require a tad more power than I can give but I know that with you, Golden Embroidery, I can definitely do it, not to mention I have already set up an arcane power enhancer.”

“And let me guess, I’m the test subject.” Silver Lining said with a smirk.

“Actually no, I had somepony else in mind. You see, I myself would go, except I’m injured, as we all remember, and I can’t send either of you two because your time is now rigid. You see, you are both married and might have foals in the future, I couldn’t send either of you and have you killed and then be responsible you’re the fact your foal doesn’t come into the world.”

“So… who is going to be subject to the spell?” Golden Embroidery asked solemnly.

“I have chosen… Blaze. He’s a strong colt and capable with the sword, in the very least he can…”

“What are you thinking Flame? Blaze can’t do this he’s only fifteen; he’s more suited to help in this matter than to be the main piece!” Silver Lining exclaimed suddenly, cutting Flame off in mid-sentence.

“Flame, please reconsider. I am more than willing to go, send me in his stead just send me.” Golden Embroidery added.

“No, I have made up my mind. Blaze has agreed to go and he will go.” Flame said sternly.

“Then at least let me go with him, Flame. Be reasonable please.” Golden Embroidery begged his friend.

“No, I’m sorry but I can’t allow you to go, and fortunately I will have full control of the spell so you won’t be able to force yourself in.” Flame took a deep breath and released it. “He will also be protected from himself. I have devised a spell to rearrange memories and slowly release the real ones back after a while. If all goes according to plan, which it will, Blaze will be able to get to Celestia in good time and warn her about his imminent return, allowing Equestria to have the time it needs to prepare for what he will bring.” The two stallions looked at each other, and then they looked at Flame.

“Flame… you’ve always had good judgment when it comes to things like this. I still feel a bit wary of the use of so many spells, but I trust your judgment in this matter.” Golden Embroidery said finally.

“I guess I have no voice in this matter,” Silver Lining said with a sigh, “Either way, I have to admit it’s a nice plan all in all. Count me in, whatever part you might have designed for me.” Flame nodded with a smile at his two friends.

“I’ll get Blaze; it’s time to get this started with all of this. Please, wait here while I get him.” With that Flame trotted up the stairs towards his son’s room, which was down a hall a little ways.

“Do you like any of this?” Silver Lining said finally, breaking the tense silence. Golden Embroidery shook his head slightly.

“I never liked the thought of the past rearranging the future or the other way around. But I must admit Celestia can be forgetful at times. One thousand years does leave her moments to forget even the return of her sister, and I doubt Equestria could survive if he returned without warning. Either way, with or without our help, Flame will find a way to reach his goal.” Golden Embroidery answered while lowering his head slightly. “Who knows what will happen this time around when Greyhield returns.” At this Silver Lining nodded slightly, reliving the memories of what happened not too long ago. Golden looked at Silver with a slight smile. “I guess… in a way… we kind of owe it to the ponies of Equestria to stop him, at the risk of our very lives.”

“And the lives of those we care for…” Silver added solemnly, “It just doesn’t seem right that Blaze should go. He has so much potential, a life full of opportunity. It just seems wrong to shove it in front of the wolves.” Golden sighed. He knew deep down that Silver was right about Blaze. He was a young colt with a long life waiting ahead of him, and it did feel wrong to send him to do something that a knight should do.

As the conversation lulled, Flame and Blaze came down the stairs at a walking pace. Both warriors nodded at Blaze, and Silver Lining even gave him a smile. Soon the two ponies arrived in front of the guests.

“Blaze, you have met Golden Embroidery and Silver Lining.” He said as he pointed to each of his friends as he said their names. “Golden Embroidery is here to help me with the execution of the transportation spell; while Silver Lining is here as a witness and to observe the spell in its execution to ensure nothing goes amiss. And now, it is time to get to it. Follow me please.” With that Flame turned towards the two grand doors at the other end of the foyer, which led to the library. As they walked, Flame’s limp became as evident as the three lines of lighter colored fur on his left side. Flame lit his horn and opened the two doors with the orange glow of his magic.

The library was normal looking, tall bookshelves reaching to the ceiling with books lining the shelves neatly while a few smaller cases lay between the enormous shelves, containing older and more fragile artifacts. A few seats and small table lay around the room so that a pony could take a book and not even have to leave the library to be comfortable. In most respects, it almost looked like a public library, save for the lack of a librarian and ponies milling about.

After closing the hefty doors behind them, Flame walked purposefully towards the far end of his library. He soon reached one of the small cases which contained scrolls and other older artifacts, all kept safe behind a glass screen. Flame brought out a key and inserted it into the keyhole. As soon as the lock clicked, he shoved the glass panel out off his way, and instead of grabbing one of the artifacts, he placed his hoof on the underside of the middle shelf. He slid his hoof back and forth until he found what he was looking for. Flame pulled out a small shelf which had a space for a small circular object in the middle. Flame then levitated a pendant from the top shelf and placed it in the hole. Flame pushed the shelf back in and as he did, a small piece of the back of the shelf slid to the side, revealing a small compartment which had a lever in its center, but instead of grabbing the lever, Flame reached his hoof inside and pressed a button on the top of the compartment.

As this action was completed, a soft rumbling filled the room. Flame retracted his hoof, and watched as the piece of the back of the shelf slid back into place, completely indistinguishable from the rest of the wood around it as being anything out of the ordinary. Flame slid the glass panel back into its place and shut the lock back in its place. Slowly, the center of the room started to fall away into steps of a spiral staircase. Flame walked over to the newly formed stair case that had come from a mosaic tapestry that had graced the floor not a second earlier.

The four ponies walked down the stairs until they came to a solid oak landing. Before them lay a passage lit by candles that lined both sides of the ominous pathway. Flame walked calmly towards the passage, and as his friends followed, a low rumble gently shook the hall. Silver Lining glanced behind them and watching as the stairs rose back to the floor level of the room above. As the last pieces of the stair returned to their post the room became increasingly dark, only lit by the dimly burning candles.

Soon the group of ponies reached a small oaken door. Flame used his magic to gently open the aged door. The room beyond was obviously set for the spell that would soon be used within its walls. Candles ran around the walls of the circular room, while arcane lines and shapes ran around the floor of the room. A small, iron cast chandelier hung from the ceiling with its own sets of candles giving more light to the room.

Flame and Blaze stood side by side in the center circle of the massive drawing. Flame lit his horn with his orange aura while still looking at his son. Flame took a deep breath then released it slowly.
“Are you ready, Blaze?” Flame said in a quiet tone. Blaze nodded slowly to his father. Flame sighed, and then enhanced the flow of magic in his horn’s aura. Flame lowered his head slowly until his horn was pointing at Blaze, and then a spark of magic shot from Flame’s glowing horn and struck Blaze’s forehead. When the spark struck Blaze his eyes started to glow white as the power of his father’s spell racked through every fiber of his very being. “You’re life is now rewritten.” Flame said quietly after a moment of agonizing silence. With those words, Flame touched Blaze with the tip of his horn, and as he did, Blaze fell to the side.

Flame stood up slowly and walked towards the right side of the room, and after a short walk, he sat down in a circle.

“What… what just happened?” Golden Embroidery said with a slight quiver in his voice. Flame looked up to his friend with a blank expression.

“I rewrote his memories as I said I would. When he wakes he will think the memories I gave him are the truth.” Flame said with a pang of guilt.

“And what exactly is it that you told him?” Silver Lining asked with a hint of concern as he glanced at the limp form of the unicorn colt simply lying in the center of the room as if he was simply asleep.

“I told him that… that he and his family were a group of traveling gypsies, and that today as they were going through the Everfree Forest to reach Canterlot, a beast attacked their wagon, causing him to fall out of the wagon. He ran away from the incident without taking heed to where the wagon had charged off to, and so he became lost in the forest.” Flame’s friends looked at each other rather questioningly, that is until Golden Embroidery started to smile.

“I see how you plan is to work.” Golden said while turning to the aged warrior. “He will definitely head for Canterlot because his family is traveling there, doubtless Celestia will take him in, and while they wait for them he will regain his true memories and then tell Celestia what will happen, brilliant!” Flame smiled and nodded at Golden Embroidery.

“Thank you, Golden Embroidery; your confidence is very comforting. Now if you would, you’ll need to stand in that circle over there.” Flame said while pointing his muzzle towards a circle on the other side of the room. Golden nodded and walked over to his place in the spell’s construction. Golden stood inside the circle of the arcane construct and turned to Flame, who still stood with his eyes still locked on the form of his son.

“Where do I go for my task?” Silver said finally. Flame glanced up at Silver Lining.

“Anywhere that you don’t touch the lines, if you did, it would disrupt the spell and cause serious mayhem in its execution.” Flame said quietly. Silver nodded and began to circle around the room, always keeping an eye on the lines. “If at any point the lines turn red you’ll need to tell us with all haste; it will mean something has gone wrong, otherwise… there’s not much to do. Golden, when I start to stream my magic into the spell put as much magic into the lines as you can, if all goes well, Blaze will be on his way in a small matter of time.” Golden nodded while preparing himself to begin. Flame took a deep breath and released it slowly. “For the good of Equestria,” Flame said in almost a mumble.

“For the sisters,” Silver said solemnly.

“And for all those whom we love.” Golden said, completing the Equestrian Guard’s motto. Flame looked at his friends with a determined look, and then nodded.

Flame lit his horn in a violet aura and began making the spell’s construct in his mind. Golden Embroidery smiled and lit his horn with a lighter blue aura and commencing to stream all of his energy into the arcane lines that traced about the floor around him. Silver kept a close eye on the lines, insuring he neither stepped on them, nor had them switch from their current bright blue to red. The lines began to fill with energy, and as the two guards watched, the energy contained within them began to jump it smoky tendrils from the symbols and arcane lines into Flame Eternal’s body. Beads of sweat began to form on Flame’s forehead as he continued to stream his inner energy into the complex mentally assembled lines. As he put more strength into it his horn’s glow shifted from the smooth globular aura that shimmered around his horn to a violent whipping mass of magical force that was awaiting release. Flame’s head shot back as he released the spell to its target. The smoky tendrils, which had been blue, turned into a violet aura, much like Flame’s magical glow, that shot all around the lines and filtered towards Blaze’s body. Soon the energy jumped from the lines and formed a dome around Blaze’s limp form. Then the dome shifted from a soft aura to a shimmering solid mass. Suddenly a flash of energy blinded the room with a pure white light.

Slowly the impossibly bright light faded and revealed a room filled with blue and violet sparks without a young colt slumped over in the center of the room. Flame slowly rose to his hooves with a small smile as he looked to his friends.

“Stallions, we have done our part, now all that is left for us is to wait for him to return.” The two guards nodded and began to wait for the return of the colt.

    
> Chapter 1: The Stallion of the Forest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


A rabbit jumped out from a bush with a few twitches of its nose. The clearing it had entered was just like every other, except for the lack of timber wolves, manticores, and any other beast resident to this rabbit’s ferocious home in the Everfree forest.

The rabbit scanned the surrounding area for a bit, until his gaze fell on a certain berry bush. Its berries dangled temptingly heavy from the small twigs of the bush and the leaves blew in the gentle breeze, becoming the little creature to partake in its bounty. The rabbit, not one to give up free food, hopped over to the little bush in a few brisk hops. The rabbit poked at a berry a little, making sure it was alright. The rabbit, satisfied that it wasn’t going to kill him any time soon, took a berry and chomp down on it. The sweet juices flowed through his tiny mouth with an explosion of extraordinary flavors. The little creature relished each moment of the bite before popping the last bit of it in his mouth.

After that first berry, there was no way to stop the greedy little rabbit from enjoying its feast of berries, whose pits soon lay scattered about the little animal. As it picked another berry, its ears shot up; it had heard something approaching through the bushes beyond the far end of the clearing. He looked behind himself to make sure, but there was nothing visible above the branches of the bushes guarding the other side of the clearing. The rabbit returned to eating his berries, until suddenly a shape broke through the bushes and darted across the clearing.

Fearing for its life, the rabbit jumped into the bush closest to him and hid himself as best as he could. Suddenly a dull thud resounded through the forest as whatever it was had smashed into a nearby tree. The rabbit looked out and saw something that he had only seen once before, a pony, and a small one at that.







The colt shook his head, clearing the stars that marred his vision and the pain that electrified his skull. He slowly stood up, fighting against the intense pain that shot through him, and began to inspect the clearing around him. Not much to be seen here, save for a berry bush, but besides that, nothing of interest or concern was in sight. The colt sighed and began walking out of the clearing, barely noticing as the rabbit reappeared and continued munching on its delicious berries.

The colt walked slowly, still trying to recover from running for so long and the fact he had hit a tree at his top speed. All of a sudden and rustling of bushes sounded out behind him as something large charged through then with great speed. Ignoring all of his pain and fatigue, taken by sure survival instincts, the colt ran at full speed, ducking and weaving expertly through the trees and bushes that lay in his path. As he ran, his hoof caught on a root, causing him to tumble forward and collide with something a little softer than a tree, and too smooth for a bush. He looked up and saw a tall hooded creature, a pony by its shape, but its entire pelt was covered by a black cloak.

“Whoa there, what has you in such a hurry?” The cloaked pony, who by his voice was a stallion, asked the colt. It became quickly apparent that the colt was out of breath, and at the moment, in no condition to tell why he had been running. “It’s alright, catch your breath then tell me.” The colt nodded while desperately gasping for air. The colt finally took one final breath and began.

“My family and I were traveling from Dodge city through here to get to Canterlot. Our wagon was attacked by a monster and I fell out from the wagon. I think the monster is still following me.” The colt said finally. The hooded pony stayed silent for a second, probably considering the situation.

“Follow me, my house isn’t too far away from here, we’ll be safe there.” The hooded stallion said finally while turning one way and beginning to walk briskly. The colt looked around, and having no other options, he followed the stallion.






The stallion had been correct; the small hike through the forest to the hut had been nothing more than a few minutes. The colt was glad that it was; he distrusted the forest around him. 

The stallion opened the door with a golden aura, revealing him to be a unicorn. The inside of the house was rather plain, only the necessities since overly lavish decorations were not essential to survival in a forest as this, not to mention they usually took more space than they were worth. 

The hut itself seemed to be made of cobblestone with dried mud as mortar. The inside wasn’t very fancy either. It had a bedroll at one end of the room, a fire pit with a kettle hanging over it in the center of the room, and a few barrels lay in the corner opposite the bedroll, filled with the necessary supplies for life in such a formidable place.

The colt, In spite of this simplicity, looked around fascinated at everything around him, and became so enthralled that he bumped into the barrels at the far end of the room. The barrels swayed to and fro, and one of the higher ones even fell rather ungracefully to the dirt floor bellow. Its lid popped off with ease and revealed it to be devoid of all contents it had once housed. Judging by how easy the rest of the barrels had swayed by the colts near nonexistent force, it was easy to assume that they too were most probably empty.

“I’m sorry, sir,” the colt said quickly while placing the barrel back in its place with his hooves, “I wasn’t watching where I was going.” The stallion chuckled lightly.

“It’s quite alright; I’ve needed some new barrels anyway, not to mention that these ones are starting to show their age.” The stallion said while pointing at a crack in the wood. The colt nodded slightly, not sure if he had created the crack or if it really had been there before he had so clumsily tumbled right into them. The stallion eyed the colt a little. “You should get some rest. Use my bedroll; I need to get some supplies anyway.” The colt looked at the stallion.

“Will you be long?” The colt said with a hint of worry in his voice.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you wake up. Now slip into the roll and take some rest.” The stallion said in a cheery tone of voice. The colt nodded slightly and walked over to the bedroll. After unfolding it and crawling inside, he suddenly felt a wave of weariness over take him. He looked to his host with drowsy eyes, only barely noticing the faint golden glow coming from the shadows of his cloak, as he felt the silky fabric of the cover shift over his coat. As the colt slowly drifted off into sleep he heard the stallion speak one last time. “I’m sorry for doing this to you...” With that a flash of bright light consumed the room. 

When the light dimmed, the stallion saw the colt sleeping soundly. He nodded firmly, and then walked out of his hut. As he walked farther into the forest a fog swirled about, and soon concealed his image. Slowly, but surely, the hut in which the colt slept faded into a collection of rocks with no sign of a habitation, except for a colt in a bedroll.  






The colt woke up slowly from his rest. It had probably been a few hours by the colt’s guess, especially accounting for how it had been slightly bright outside and now it was rather dark. The colt stood up from the bedroll and stretched his limbs slowly, only to stiffen at the sound of a low growl. He slowly turned to see what had made it, only to lay eyes on a timber wolf with two others right beside it. The colt swallowed hard, not entirely sure what to do.

As he deliberated what to do, one of the wolves launched itself at him. With lightning speed, the colt ducked under and to the side of the beast, leaving it to slam into the crumbled wall behind him. The colt whipped around, his back facing his assailants, and kicked a stone backwards at one of them. He smiled in satisfaction as it crumbled to a pile of sticks. Looked in front of him and saw the pile of sticks that formed the wolf that had jumped over him starting to come back together. The colt charged forward and before jumping over the decaying structure, he stamped on the pile of stick, causing it to fall silent once again.

The colt bolted through the forest with the echoes of the last wolf howling, probably calling the rest of the pack in for their newly found meal. The colt gained a sudden burst of speed as he bolted through the underbrush with the wolves doubtlessly close behind. As he continued running, he suddenly burst into a clearing, which promptly led to a drop off.

Not wanting to lose the head start he had gained early on, he quickly scanned for a way to cross, and soon lighted upon a rickety old bridge that had some boards already fallen or falling. The colt slid as he changed course, and with a mighty kick against the ground, launched himself towards the bridge. He darted across the bridge with the sound of the timber wolves approaching him quickly. He quickly lit his horn and pulled the two stakes from the ground that held the bridge on his side. He heard the howls of the wolves as they fell down the chasm. The colt turned around to see if they had all fallen, only to see two wolves on his side of the gorge. He lifted one of the hefty pegs from the guard and pointed it at the wolves.

One wolf circled around to the left while the other crept slowly to the right. The colt quickly attacked the one on his left, and successfully dislodged its head, causing it to turn into a jumbled mess of sticks. He quickly turned to the other wolf, only to be tackled. The colt quickly smacked it several times in the face with his peg, but to no avail. He then lit his horn and fired a bolt of magic, causing it to fall backwards from the colt. The colt, quickly got to his hooves and brought his rod down between the wolf’s shoulder blades, causing it to falter a little, but not fall apart. The wolf launched itself at the colt with a bloodthirsty look painted across it snout. The colt quickly lifted his pole, and impaled the wolf on it, causing it to fall apart.

The colt sighed in relief, only to be interrupted by the rattling of sticks as the two wolves’ part combined to form a larger one. He raised his weapon and stood ready to begin, only to be tackled from behind. He looked up and saw an even bigger one on top of his back. Apparently the ones that had fallen down the chasm had formed together and climbed up the steep slopes of the gorge. 

He slammed his pole across the beasts face, only causing it to falter slightly, allowing him to roll away from its grip. The colt raised his stick, but was terrified to see what was happening. Both of the monsters had destroyed themselves and now were quickly forming back together into the largest timber wolf he had ever seen. As the beast completed itself, it released a mighty roar laden with the stench of the timber wolves.

The colt gathered his courage and began to attack it fiercely with quick blow across its chest. The beast was surprised, and so began to lose ground, edging ever closer to the drop off of the gorge. The wolf quickly recovered, raising one of its forepaws before promptly bringing it down towards the pony. The colt quickly rolled to the side and slammed his pole into the right rear leg of the beast, causing it to fall, only to pick itself up quickly.

The colt raised his rod into the underbelly of the beast before pulling it along its wooden chest. The colt's horn grew brighter as he shot a fire bolt at the figure, only to have it wrap around its massive frame and dissipate as quickly as it had formed. The colt snorted in extreme frustration as he slammed his stick down on his adversary’s head, causing it to grimace and lower its head slightly due to the impact. The colt smiled as he drew close to the wolf, he then twirled around and preformed a solid buck into the massive creature’s snout, causing it to backpedal in pain. Unfortunately for the wolf, this meant its back paws began to slip off the edge.

It desperately clambered at the edge in an attempt to regain its footing. The colt slammed his stick across the beast’s right cheek, causing the peg to finally crack and splinter into two pieces. The colt quickly grabbed the piece that was flying away in his magical grip and jammed the pieces of wood into the beast’s eye sockets. It immediately howled in excruciating pain. The beast, infuriated at the puny assailant, began to thrash with its forepaws in which ever direction. Unfortunately for the timber wolf, since it could not see, it missed pathetically, but the negative effects of this action did not end there. As it attacked the colt, it lost its only remaining connection to the cliff, and so began to fall off the edge, into the gaping gorge beneath.

The beast scrambled at the edge as it realized far too late the folly of its actions. The beast scratched its last claw full of earth as it began to plummet down the chasm. The colt watched as it struck the rocks bellow and was dashed into bits. The colt lit his horn again and sent down a fire ball, which lit the branches that were now devoid of their protective spell.

The colt, once again sighed in relief. He turned around from the cliff and walked farther away from the edge. He had noticed a few boulders and broken down stone barricades as he had fought, but being a life threatening situation as he had been merely put the scenery around his on lower priority. The colt looked around the rubble, and spotted a shape of a building through the fog. Not being one to stay out in these conditions for too long, he started towards it quickly.

The structure was obviously centuries old as the walls were crumbled and many parts of the ceiling had fallen inward. As he looked inside from the stair that led to the two grand oak doors, he was surprised to see some materials and tools of reconstruction. Parts of the ceiling that had fallen were replaced by some tarps, while many piles of rubble were scattered at the corners of the room, creating a rather spacious and easy to move through environment. 

The colt looked around for a few more seconds, then turned and began walking away, only to feel a brush of something beside him. He looked and saw a stallion in fine clothes, and soon the colt realized he too was wearing fine clothes that seemingly appeared from nowhere. But besides that, some other drastic changes had occurred. When it had been in the twilight hours only a few seconds ago, now it was only a few hours after noon, the castle itself was in full repair, guards stood erect in front of the doors with servants visibly scurrying about inside, not to mention the obvious smoke rising from the kitchen’s chimneys.

The colt looked questioningly at the stallion, and watched as he walked towards the door. Not fully understanding what was happening, the colt followed the stallion into the main room of the castle. As he did, he saw scenes flash before his eyes. A scene of ponies huddled about a decaying room, trying to stay warm. A duel between two alicorns during the years of the castle’s glory, a horde of monsters rushing towards them from the outside with ponies all around him calling for his help during their time of peril, the clash of swords as he locked eyes with his enemy, the blood splattering across his armor as he slashed at his enemy, and the thrill of victory as he vanquished his foe.

The colt shook his head violently, releasing his eyes from the horror of these visions. He looked up and saw the room dead and decayed with the tarps covering the holes flapping lazily in the wind. He turned around to leave this place, hoping that he wouldn’t have to suffer through anything like that ever again. As he walked out of the doors, he saw the stallion that had took him in pushing one of the pegs from the bridge into the ground with his magic.

The colt dashed up to him quickly, hoping that he might have answers.

“Sir, what happened? I woke up and there were timber wolves in your hut, I even had to fight them off!” The colt said as he stood in front of the cloaked stallion. The stallion looked towards the colt.

“There are many things in this land you have yet to understand, even I can’t know all. But you must leave this forest that much is for certain. The way to leave is down this path, follow it and you will soon arrive at the forest’s edge.” The stallion said finally to his friend. The colt fumbled for words to reply and press for answers, but none came to him. The stallion slowly turned and began to walk across the bridge he had only just fixed. The colt realized that he was losing his chance, but he had no idea how to stop him.

“A-at least tell me your name!” The colt shouted finally at the stallion. The cloaked pony stopped and turned to the colt.

“My name… my name is Glowing Flint.” He said finally. “What is yours?” The colt stopped before he even began. He finally shook his head a bit and focused on the stallion.

“My name is Blaze Eternal.” He said in the end. The stallion nodded, and disappeared into the thick fog. Blaze looked after the stallion and shrugged. He might as well get out of the forest; he had been trying to for the last several hours before meeting Flint. And so, with no other real option, Blaze started across the newly repaired bridge. 

As Blaze stepped off of the bridge, he turned back to see the castle once more. What had been those things he had seen? Had they been visions of the future, or were they just his imagination running wild? Again Blaze shrugged, if they had been the future then he could only wait and see, if not then it didn’t matter. Blaze sighed, and then chuckled lightly as he shook his head with a smile across his snout. Blaze turned to the path, quick to begin the walk down its shadowy embrace.   






At the bottom of the gorge a noise was heard. Not the noise of the small stream or any other normal occupant of the chasm. It was the sound of rattling wood. Sticks tumbled their way out of gaps between rocks, saved only by luck from the fire, and soon they began to come together, forming three small figures. When they finished forming, they snarled and growled at each other in anger at their defeat at the hooves of a pony. One of them looked and saw stair leading up from the bottom of the chasm they now were at the bottom of. He jerked his head, and soon all three of the wolves charged towards the stairs, hoping to get their revenge on the pony that had defeated them.






Blaze shook himself off as he climbed to the opposite bank of the river. As he had been walking, he came across a river, and after inspecting it, he concluded it had to be rather shallow because of its calm nature, but upon entering, he found it quite deep. Had it not been for a kind sea serpent, he probably wouldn’t have made it at all. Blaze turned and nodded to the gentle beast.

“Thank you, sir, I appreciate the help.” Blaze said with a smile to the aquatic serpent. He noticed how odd it seemed that he had a curl of hair laced around a string of thick cord. The kind serpent had an orange mane like thing coming from the top of his head while a rather artistically shaped mustache curled out from his snout.

“Oh it was nothing, I’m just glad to see a pony in these parts, it has been almost an entire year or so since I last saw one and was able to talk.” The serpent said, adding the last part with a slight frown. “But I am glad to help in any way I can.” He said as he touched the purple curl gingerly. “After all, a pony helped me first.” The serpent said as a tear touched his eye. Blaze nodded with a smile.

“Well, I need to go; it’s been good meeting you, sir.” Blaze said gratefully. The serpent nodded and plunged into the depths of his river. Blaze chuckled to himself lightly, that serpent was truly something.

Blaze turned around and began to go down the path. For the most part his journey so far had been uneventful, and all in all, he liked it that way. The path had no real splendid scenery, just the usual tangled thickets with the usual gnarled trees that stood testament how long they had stood there for many years before and how in all likelihood they would continue to do so.

As Blaze walked, he heard the sound of rustling bushes around him, and then an ear-splitting howl of a timber wolf pierced through the sound of the forest. Blaze whipped around and saw six timber wolves charging through the forest towards him as three others joined the charge. Blaze grabbed a nearby stick and slammed it across a timber wolf’ snout, only to hear the weapon splinter into two pieces upon contact. Blaze’s eyes widened as he snapped a branch from a tree and launched it at the wolf, only to have it break like the first one. Apparently those stakes that held up the bridge were made from wood that was not from around the area.

Blaze quickly scanned the area, but found no other weapons to use, and just as the wolves were upon him, a figure flew out from one of the nearby bushes. With a golden aura, he drew a sword from under his cloak and slashed the lead wolf’s neck in half with one clean blow, causing it to crumple into a mess of sticks. Glowing Flint then drew another sword out with his magical aura and levitated both of them beside him. Blaze then noticed his cowl was down, giving him a glance of the stallion for the first time. His mane was silver while his coat was a deep maroon. But his glance at the stallion was only for so long as Flint lifted his hood with a golden aura. Flint looked back to Blaze for a second.

“Blaze, get out of here. I’ll hold them off while you run.” Flint said as he turned back to the wolves. Blaze nodded and charged off through the bushes with the sound of wood against metal coming from the fight that rage behind him. Blaze ducked and weaved through the trees while trying his way back to the path. As he ran, he saw glimpses of a few wolves running parallel to him.

Blaze took a hard right and jumped over the surprised wolf that had been following him. Blaze smirked as he heard a satisfying crunch as the wolf that had been running to his left ran full force into a tree as it had been trying to turn and follow its prey. Blaze poured all he had into his legs as he ran, until he suddenly burst through the forest and came face to face with a gigantic rock face.

Blaze turned to meet his assailants, who were almost out of the forest. Blaze lit his horn and lifted several small rocks from the ground and aimed them at the first wolf, which soon fell under the barrage of stones. Blaze was about to lifted a few more, when suddenly he was tackled by something. Blaze looked up and saw another timber wolf that had snuck up skillfully to beside him. 

Blaze launched his fore hoof into the creature’s snout, then wrapped his leg around the back of its head and slammed it into the ground beside him, causing enough damage to the beast that Blaze was quickly covered only by a pile of sticks, the wolf now gone. Blaze lifted the sticks in his magical aura and launched them towards the other timber wolf. Unfortunately, the sticks did not damage the wolf, instead combined with it, not mentioning the already reviving wolf that had been taken down by the rocks that Blaze had launched earlier. 

Blaze looked up the mighty stone barrier behind him and tried to find some way to climb it, but the rock face was completely solid. Blaze looked back to his aggressors who were slowly advancing on him. With no other conceivable option, Blaze shot a bolt of magic upwards towards the mid-section of the wall, causing several large boulders to break off and fall. Blaze lit his horn and created a ramp from his aura so that the rocks would be redirected towards the wolves. He felt the strain on his magic increased as the boulders struck his shield. His right leg buckled under the strain, but he continued to hold up his shield as long as he could. He closed his eyes as beads of sweat began to form on his brow as he exerted himself. His right leg buckled under the pressure, now leaving him only supported by his hind legs.

Blaze’s magic began to falter, and finally gave way, releasing the boulder, letting them fall before reaching their target. Blaze fell to the side and cracked his eyes open to see the wolves leaping over the boulders. Blaze then fell unconscious, completely at the mercy of the wolves.





Flint gazed at the wolves in front of him. They showed their wooden teeth that were sharp as knives and growled fiercely, but it wasn't enough to scare Flint off. He lifted his swords and charged the wolves with no restraint. He brought down one sword on a wolf’s back while driving the other into the chest of a different wolf. He watched as the two wolves before him turned to sticks. He lifted a sword and slashed it across the chest of another wolf as he bucked one wolf behind him as his second sword chopped the head off another.

Flint watched as three wolves charged after Blaze. He turned to his foes again and shot a blast of magic at one of them, only to have four appear from the blast. Soon Flint found himself surrounded by fifteen or so wolves. Flint lifted his blades and charged at the nearest enemy.

Flint slashed and hacked his way through the hordes of wolves that constantly were regenerating. He was tired of his enemies constantly coming back from a death-like state; there was no conceivable way for him to win against these kinds of odds. Flint then lit his horn in frustration as commenced a spell. He sent a shockwave of magic rattling through the forest around him, causing the wolves to fly away and eventually slam into something hard enough to make them fall apart into a messy arrangement of sticks.

Flint smiled and dashed towards where Blaze had charged off to. He quickly realized, whether or not Blaze had yet, that Blaze had doubled back and was heading in the opposite direction of the path towards the forest’s edge.

Flint dashed through the forest, and seeing signs of combat ahead in the form of a magical glow only made him gallop even faster. Flint burst through the forest’s edge and saw the boulders scattered around the area, and without thinking twice, Flint jumped and lit his horn, allowing himself to get to the top of the line of boulders. Flint saw the two wolves approaching the limp form of Blaze that was surrounded by an indentation in the ground, showing that he had preformed an exceedingly straining spell. Flint teleported himself between the wolves and Blaze, and faced the oncoming wolves.

Flint sliced the leg of the larger one out from under it, causing it to fall into a heap of jumbled branches. Flint swung his second sword at the second sword at the other wolf, only to have the wolf duck under it. The wolf spied his opportunity, and jumped on top of Flint and bit down on the stallion’s shoulder causing Flint to grind his teeth together. Flint jammed his sword into the side of the beast’s head, causing it to fall limp, deforming into a heap of wood.

Flint watched as ten wolves jumped on top of the boulders before jumping down to the ground bellow. Flint sighed while popping his neck. Using his magic he tossed the sticks of the wolf he had just dispatched over the boulders so it wouldn’t come back together behind him and have Blaze as an easy target.

Flint swung one of his swords at the approaching wolves, knocking one to pieces, while he used his other sword to bash the one wolf he had dispatched that was beginning to regenerate. Flint slashed another wolf across its head. He then smashed another wolf on the top of the head while slashing another across the neck, and watched while they both fell into a heap of wood. Flint continued to fight back the mass of wooden wolves, hoping he could buy enough time for Blaze to get up, fortunately he only had to deal with the injury on his shoulder at the moment, but even that was draining him. The magic he was using for moving his swords produced very minimal drain, but it was starting to have its effect on the stallion’s effectiveness as the stress of battle was compounded each time one of his foes came back together.

Suddenly two wolves made it passed Flint’s swords and pounced on top of the near defenseless stallion. Flint rolled to the side, allowing the wolves only to strike the dust. He slammed one of his swords down on the first of the wolves while slicing all the other one’s legs out from under it with one clean slice. As he finished the two wolves, another one tackled him from behind and pinned him down. Flint attempted to lift one of his swords, only to find a wolf standing on it. Flint grabbed his second sword and swiped at the wolf on top of him, only to strike air. As he tried to gain more accuracy, a wolf slammed one of its paws into his head, causing him to lose his magical grip on his weapon. Flint’s vision swam as he struggled with the pain, and as his vision cleared he saw Blaze stirring as he began to come around.

Flint grimaced as he felt a wolf bite into the same shoulder again. Flint ground his teeth together as he tried not to faint because of the pain wracking his entire being. Flint lifted his eyes to Blaze and saw he was still on the ground, still rather unconscious. Flint felt furious, he already felt lightheaded as it was and he knew he would slip any second now. With a surge of desperation, Flint groaned then shouted as loud as he could,

“Blaze! Wake up I need you now!”





Blaze slowly stirred from his unconscious state and found himself in the middle of a horde of timber wolves. His vision still swam slightly as he tried to recover from his leave of consciousness. Blaze heard a muffled shout somewhere around him through his ringing ears. Looking around, his vision began to clear much more, and soon he saw Flint struggling against several wolves that were perched on his back. Suddenly he heard a scream pierce through the ringing that still plagued his hearing.

“Blaze, get up and fight back! My sword is over there, get it and help me!” As Flint finished his plea a wolf bit down into his hind leg, causing him to scream in agony. Blaze looked over to where Flint had pointed and soon saw the blade. He lit his horn and lifted the sword and swung it at one of the larger wolves of Flint’s back, causing it to fall to pieces of wood, followed by all of its compatriots.

Flint stood to his hooves, only to stagger a tad as he placed a small amount of weight on his hind leg. He looked to the sticks scattered around the small hallow as they began shaking as they drew in the energy around them to return to shapes they had previously occupied. Flint grimaced again as his leg sent another wave of pain shooting through him.

“We don’t have too much time before they get back up. You need to get out of here before it’s too late. As soon as they get up, neither of us are going to get very far from here.” Flint said as he lifted his sword from the ground.


“And leave you behind to face these things alone? That is not going to happen, Flint. Your leg is injured and I doubt that after I leave you will last too long yourself. No, I’m staying right here with you.” Blaze said with determination etched deeply in each of his words. 

Suddenly the sticks around them started to form up into a large timber wolf, larger than most of the boulders that lay scattered about them, and much, much larger than the two ponies.

“Alright then, let’s at least move over towards the boulders. There is no way we can hold out longer than they can, so our best bet would be to beat them into nothing but branches and make a break for it.” Flint said as he slowly began making his way towards the edge of the accidentally made arena. Blaze nodded and followed Flint, already lighting his horn to try to shove a boulder away from the wall, allowing for some manner of escape.

When they finally reached the wall of stone, Blaze had been successfully moved the boulder, how be it only a few inches, but still it provided a bit of leverage that Flint could use to help the colt. But as they were pushing the boulder away their adversary came back together as the last piece of wood slid itself into place. Flint, fortunately, had looked back and saw it completing itself.

The wolf let out a piercing howl that echoed throughout the forest and was replied a few seconds later by several hundred other howls. Blaze’s eyes widened in fear, and in a desperate last attempt of obtaining freedom from the stone prison, he turned around and landed a solid buck to it surface, sending a wave of intense pain shooting up his back legs and through his spine. Blaze collapsed in pain, watching as the stone slowly rolled towards the direction he actually wanted, but what happened next drained the moment of any sense of victory. When the stone finished rolling, a horde of smaller timber wolves was revealed emerging from the forest.

Flint pointed his sword upwards towards the giant monster in front of him as Blaze lifted himself and lifted his sword while preparing a spell. Blaze launched an orb of energy so that it would hit the ground just in front of the wolves, giving him all the advantage he needed as it kicked up a volley of dust and small rocks. Blaze jumped through the fog and landed on one wolf, causing its quick demise, while swinging his sword, crashing it through another one’s back.

Blaze shot another bolt of energy at another wolf, causing it to fly back, crashing into a tree as a small collection of sticks. Blaze then slammed his sword’s hilt down on the head of another poor wolf. Blaze felt a body tackling his, and out of instinct shot his sword backwards at the being on top of him. He was met by a satisfying crash, followed by a pile sticks spilling about him.

Blaze shot a magic bolt at a wolf that was jumping towards him, causing it to fly so high that it actually cleared the forest’s highest trees. Blaze then jumped to his hooves while bashing a wolf upside the head with a rock that had landed nearby. He then slammed a wolf’s back with his sword. Blaze shot another wolf with a magic bolt while slashing another across the chest. Suddenly a wolf bowled him over, sending a wave of pain through his side. He hit the ground hard, only to feel claws scratching across his pelt as a few wolves jumped on top of him. Blaze lit his horn and began shooting bolt out randomly, some hitting some missing.

Eventually Blaze was only covered with sticks, but his fight was far from over as a larger wolf again tackled Blaze with his back to the ground. Blaze shot a bolt of energy at the wolf, only to have his horn fizzle before it even truly formed. Blaze launched his right foreleg into the wolf’s snout, causing its head to jerk back. The wolf looked down at the colt a growled fiercely as it slammed its forepaws on top of Blaze’s forelegs, leaving no way for Blaze to fight back.

Suddenly a golden bolt slammed into the wolf’s side causing it to lift away and slam into a tree. Flint limped up to Blaze as fast as he could.

“Are you alright, Blaze?” Flint said as he looked at the pile of branches scattered underneath the tree. Blaze slowly stood up while picking up his sword.

“Yeah, only minor scratches, but we got some bigger problems.” Blaze said as several sticks began shooting by. Behind Flint, a true horror was unfolding. A wolf was forming that even dwarfed the slope behind it.  Flint turned around and lifted his sword with Blaze beside him doing the same.

“How are you holding up?” Flint said as he gathered magic for a spell.

“Well enough, but I’ll be better once this thing is done for.” Blaze said as he gathered a little more magic, only hoping his magic wouldn’t putter out again. Flint nodded and shot his bolt of energy at one of the legs that had formed, causing it to crumble while the rest of the shape seemed unaffected.

“Blaze, I want you to get out of here, there is no way I could have you harmed by this thing.” Flint said as he charged his magic again for another attack. Blaze shot his energy bolt, although it was only half the size of the ones he had fired before.

“Flint, I can’t leave you, especially when you are this hurt. We’re fighting this one together. Now let’s do this.” With that Blaze charged directly at the beast and began hacking at it, trying to cause as much damage as possible. Flint smirked at the colt’s enthusiasm while he launched another bolt towards the beings stomach, causing some branches to rain on Blaze. But even with all their efforts the wolf still slowly came back together.

With a massive wooden paw, the beast swiped Blaze away, slamming him against the boulders that had made such a formidable fighting arena before. Flint swung his sword into the wolf’s leg, only to have it simply wedge itself between several sticks. Flint shot three bolts of magic at the same spot, only to have them chip a few sticks away.

Blaze stood up slowly and looked up at the colossal beast before him. The beast lifted a paw and swiped at Flint with killing intent. Flint tried to jump back, only to be stopped when his back leg shot a massive bolt of pain through his entire being, causing him to falter. Unfortunately, this was all that the wolf needed to deliver his attack, and so its claws slashed long thin scars on Flint’s side. Flint felt searing pain rip through his being as he flew the air, only to slam into a tree. This must be how it felt when he had done it to one of the wolves. Flint fell to the bottom of the tree with pain coursing through his body, causing him to go the point of near unconsciousness.

Blaze stared in shock at Flint’s limp form, then gazed in great anger at the beast, that for some reason seemed less of a challenge then it had only a few seconds before. A surge of furry shot through his entire being as he felt his muscles grow stronger and his power increase.

Flint creaked open his eyes and saw Blaze, but not as he had been before. While as the colt had been mid-sized and all around average, now he was anything but that. His mane, which had been smooth but a second before, now was rippling in a nonexistent wind, he was at least a few inches taller, and his coat twirled at the edges, as if a flame. Blaze was no longer just a colt; he had entered ‘Rage Shift’, and nothing was standing in his way to lash out at anything nearby. Blaze lit his horn, and by some unknown spell to Flint, he created a long sword of pure magic.

Blaze lifted his enormous blade, and then charged the gigantic wolf. As Blaze drew closer, he jumped, and with the assistance of magic, cleared the top of the beast. He slammed forcefully into the creature’s back, causing the wolf to have to bend its knees in order to stay on its paws at all. Blaze then began sliced and hacked at the wood bellow him. Blaze lifted his head, as he continued slicing the wolf fiercely, and began to gather magic for an apparently powerful spell. The wolf soon realized its peril, and attempted to kick of the pony, only to be met with little success as Blaze used a magical lock to secure his hooves to the it’s back as he continued to slice at its back while gathering more and more magic for his spell.

The wolf became more and more frantic to remove the pony from his back as he sensed the power that cracked through the air above him. Blaze remained stalwart as it bucked and shook more and more frantically. Blaze smirked as a few more wolves appeared from the forest, only to shrink back in fear. Blaze then released the locks, and felt the air rush past his pelt as he gained more and more height.

Flint watched as the pony became no more than a speck in the sky, then, something bright flashed; it was so bright it even drowned out the noontime sun above. As he watched, a silver beam crackled down towards the wolf. At first it was only as large as a sword’s blade, but then it widened its effect until the wolf inside it was no longer visible. As the light faded, it revealed nothing but a charred patch of earth with no wolf or even sticks in sight.

Blaze slowly let himself down in the silver embrace of his magic until his hooves were set firmly on the burnt earth. He looked towards the wolves that looked at him with great fear.

“You’d do well to fear me.” He said calmly. “NOW BEGONE, YOU DREADFUL BEASTS!” He shouted in something akin to the ‘Royal Canterlot Voice’. That was all the wolves needed to get them running, and soon they were out of sight and hearing.

The power in Blaze suddenly dissipated as he became his normal self again. He felt slightly lightheaded and off balance by a tad, but all in all he was physically alright. He looked to the edge of the clearing, and surprisingly, Flint was gone without even a trail of blood left.

Blaze looked around him, and then a flash off in the thick of the forest caught his eye. Blaze nodded and charged off through the forest towards the light, hoping beyond hope to find Flint again.





The clearing was silent, no wolves or any other being was visible, but then from a tree, a shape tumbled down. Flint slowly stood up to his hooves and looked towards where Blaze had charged off. His spell had worked, and Blaze was headed for the edge of the forest. Flint nodded and began his trip into the forest with his bad leg hovering slightly above the ground, wincing each time he accidentally put any weight on it.     

> Chapter 2: The First Sparks
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Twilight Sparkle walked down the nearly invisible path through the Everfree’s twisted, mangled trees and gnarled bushes. She wasn’t at all one of the few ponies who actually enjoyed walking through such a dangerous place, but it was necessary at this moment, but this didn’t make the walk any more pleasant. 

Twilight thought back to why she was even here. During one of her parties, Pinkie had been dared by Sweetie Belle to eat as much cake as she could, of course even Pinkie could gain a stomach ache after too much cake, even though it did take six three tier cakes to do the job. The problem at this pint wasn’t just that, it was the fact how hard it was to cure. They had immediately went to the Ponyville Clinic, but their strongest relief had no effect on Pinkie’s condition, so, with no other options, Twilight had to go to Zecora’s house and see if there might be an off chance that she had gathered how to cure such a trivial problem.

Twilight sighed as she walked through a patch of less than dry ground, the mud clinging disgustingly to the bottom of her hooves. She continued to press on, hoping that it would be only a short while before she would arrive home again and turn in for the night. She looked up and saw through the thick foliage above that it had entered the twilight hours of the day; she probably wouldn’t finish up until a little into the night.

As Twilight walked, she heard a rustling of bushes in the distance, causing her to stop and listen. She thought she could hear something like hooves slamming against the hard soil, but it was hard to tell, not to mention it seemed far away. Twilight lit her horn to get a better look at her surroundings, only to be met with high bushes and closely gathered trees, helping her in no way at all in seeing what was coming. 

These factors, when put together, didn’t paint a very inspiring picture. True, she could now tell that the sound she had heard was hooves, but it could still be a beast of massive proportions coming to attack her. Her imagination immediately took hold of the idea, and a scene unfolded before her. The beast would crash through the foliage and tackle her. She would fire a stream of magic at it with little effect as it tore at her pelt. She was too far from Zecora’s for the zebra to come to her aid, and by the time Ponyville searched for her see already would be… Twilight shook her head violently. No! She would be fine. She would arrive at Zecora’s, get the cure, head back to Ponyville, go to the clinic with the cure, watch as Pinkie got better suddenly, go home after such a long day and fall asleep with a smile as she thought how silly she had been. Yeah, she’d be fine. But as she gained enough confidence to begin walking, her imagination again reared its head. If the hooves did not belong to a monster, than to what, nopony enjoyed coming out into the Everfree forest, and all of Ponyville knew better. Nopony new had arrived in Ponyville in months, and by now, they all knew of the dangers of the Everfree. So the question came, what was galloping through the forest, and why was it coming towards her.

Twilight shook her head again and dimmed her horn. Whatever it was, it was probably attracted to the light of her magic. It might be one of Fluttershy’s animal that got away and was now seeking the comfort of anypony’s presence. Seeing her magical aura’s glow, it probably came running towards her to find refugee and escape from the unending forest.

Twilight shrugged while sighing. She lit her horn again providing light for the path before her, and so she started down the trail again. She could only hope that whatever was charging through the forest was not out for her as a snack, but then again if it wasn’t, she couldn’t leave it wander the forest. As she turned a corner, a shape bowled through the underbrush near her and charged straight across the path, only to cause a thud as it ran into a tree. Twilight looked over the bush slowly; hoping to see what it was before it saw her.

It was a colt, probably in its teen years. Its mane was a pure white with golden bangs while its coat was a dark red. He rubbed his forehead as he began lifting himself.

“Note to self: trees aren’t on our side.” Blaze set his hoof down finally and looked around him.  The forest was definitely thinning out, being as trees were becoming sparser, even though it was still near impossible to navigate quickly through the forest without getting your skull bashed in when you can’t stop in time for an unexpected tree.

Blaze felt something was off, as if something was watching him. Blaze quickly spied the nearest branch lying on the ground, and whipped around to see another pony. It was extremely obvious that wasn’t Flint being as this was a lavender mare, not to mention that it was… an alicorn? What was an alicorn doing in a forest like this?

“Are you alright?” She said to Blaze. He blinked a few times, trying to wrap his head around the situation.

“Err… uh, yeah, I’m good.” Blaze said with a nod. “And what about you? Yah lost or something?” He said while eyeing her up, still confused about why she was in the forest.

“Me? No, I’m quite fine. As long as I stay on the path I’ll be fine. Um… well, my name is Twilight, Twilight Sparkle. What’s your name?” She said while she also began to look him over.

“I’m Blaze Eternal. So… what are you doing in the forest?” He said apprehensively.

“I could very well ask you the same. It’s not safe in here, even for somepony your age. As for me, I’m going to visit a friend and…” At this Blaze cut her off.

“Visit a friend in the Everfree? Who is your friend, a manticore?” He said scornfully.

“She’s a zebra, thank you very much. So why are you here? I doubt you are very well prepared for a faceoff with and of the creatures around here.” Twilight said, her tone becoming slightly more serious.

“E-excuse me? You have no idea what I’ve been through in the… you know what, it doesn’t matter.” He said with a huff.

“Wait, you mean you’ve fought something in here?” She said with great shock at the implications of Blaze’s statement.

“Yeah, I fought something in here, a pack of timber wolves.” He said, still slightly angry at her previous statement.

“Bu-but, how come you’re not hurt? Timber wolves are so vicious, I doubt anypony has ever escaped without as much as a scratch.” She said apprehensively.  Blaze looked at her with a hint of annoyance.

“I did get scratched, quite a bit actually, but my coat’s color seems to hide it. Of course I can’t say myself since I haven’t seen myself in a mirror recently.” He said with a huff. “So, after seeing your friend I’d suppose you’d head out of the forest, correct?”

“Uh… yeah, that’s right. I needed to get some medicine from her and then head back to Ponyville to deliver it to one of my friends who is sick.” Twilight said as she eyed the colt.

“Alright then, I need to get out of this blasted place” Blaze said calmly, “Even if I can’t see Flint first.” he added in a mumble.

“Huh, what was that?”

“Eh? Oh… uh, nothing, it was nothing at all.” Blaze said shaking his head. “Now let’s head on out. The sooner the leave the better; I might have given the wolves a scare but it probably won’t last them long in all likelihood.” Blaze said becoming a tad more serious as he eyed the forest around them, straining his hearing to make sure no wolves were nearby.

“Yeah I guess you’re r… wait what? You gave the wolves a scare? B-but how, you’re not even fully grown?” Twilight said, taking a few steps away from the colt who became more of an enigma each time he spoke to her.
“Just come on, we need to get going. Now lead the way to the house of this friend of yours, I don’t like the thought of getting lost again.” Blaze said nodding to the trail, signaling for her to go on. Twilight looked at Blaze, and then headed down the trail towards Zecora’s. Twilight couldn’t help but feel something was off about this colt; he just rubbed her the wrong way, but not knowing what else to do, she continued down the path.





They had been walking a few minutes, and the silence gnarled at her. She didn’t like something about, but it felt wrong not to talk when somepony else was walking with her. And so, she attempted to strike up a conversation.

“So… um, anyway, what are you doing in the forest?” She said out of lack for any other thing she could say.

“Huh, what was that?” Blaze said, shaken from his thoughts abruptly.

“What are you doing in the forest? I mean… it’s not safe.” Twilight said, trying to find the right words.

“Well, I do realize that the forest is dangerous. After being in here for a few minutes it becomes extremely obvious. As to why I am here… well, me and my family decided to take it as a short cut. We’ve done it before, and it beat paying train fair from Dodge City to Canterlot.” He said with a smirk.

“Oh, you’re from Dodge City?” Twilight said, rather intrigued at his statement.

“Well, no, I’m from the road really.” Blaze said with a chuckle.

“The road? What do you mean by that?” Twilight said rather confused by this choice of words.

“Me and my family…”

“It’s ‘my family and I’.” Twilight corrected briskly.

“Yeah, whatever. Anyway, my family and I are traveling performers. We put a small show on, get some bits, maybe sell something for a few more bits, pack up, head on out to the next town, and repeat. We pretty much do anything as long as some monetary profit comes out of it. I was born during one of our longer trips, and so, I am from the road, and I intend to stay on it for the rest of my life. There isn’t anything like being on the road. It gives a sense of adventure to a life; it also is great exercise for the legs. I’ll bet anypony who’s lived like us has never been fat for long.” Blaze ended with a laugh.

“So, where’s your family, I thought you said you were traveling with them?” Twilight said while looking around them. They were getting close to Zecora’s. Only a few minutes, then back to Ponyville.

“Well… that’s kind of the thing. You see, while we were walking, a manticore attacked our wagon. I had been sleeping in the back at the time, and when my father swerved to the side and sped off, I was thrown out. I had no choice but to run, unfortunately I didn’t take time to see where the wagon had gone off to, so I just ran. After running for a while and meeting a stallion…”

“Wait, you met a stallion in here?” Twilight interjected abruptly.

“Yes, I did. And I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t interrupt so often. You did want to hear what happened, didn’t you?” Twilight smiled sheepishly. Blaze sighed with a shake of his head. “Anyway, we fought off a pack of timber wolves, and after that, he disappeared.”

“He disappeared?” Twilight said in wonderment. Blaze glared at her, causing her to shrink away. “Eh, sorry about that; carry on, please.” Blaze nodded tersely.

“I saw a flash out in the woods, so I charged off towards it, and found you. I thought for sure the flash was him teleporting, but if it was, I missed him.” Blaze concluded with a sigh. “So, now I’m just trying to get out of this forest and meet up with my family.”

“Do you know where to go to find them?” Twilight asked with a touch of concern.

“Yeah, as I said, we were heading to Canterlot, so I’ll get there and meet up with them.” Blaze said confidently.

“I think I might help you with that. Celestia was my mentor, so I might be able to get you some help in finding them.” Twilight said thoughtfully.

“Hey, that’s great! I’d be very great for your assistance.” Blaze said with a smile. As he finished, a house came into view. In all honesty it was a tree with furnishing around it and a door, but the light coming from inside and a vague voice was enough to signal it was a house.

“Well we are here. If you don’t mind…” Twilight began.

“Don’t worry; I can stand outside in the forest for a few more moments.” Blaze said with a smile. Twilight nodded and knocked on the door four times before entering. Blaze looked around the forest around him, until suddenly something moved through a piece of foliage nearby. Blaze jerked around, only to see a familiar hooded figure.

“Hello again, Blaze.” Flint said quietly.

“Flint, where have you been? You left so suddenly that I didn’t even get to say goodbye to you.” Blaze said, his smile faltering as he continued.

“Your future will be written with many unsaid goodbyes. But I’m not here to say fair well, but to warn you.” Flint said, his voice sounding rather strained. “Do not go to Canterlot, at least not yet.” Flint said adamantly.

“W-why not? My family is heading there and I need to get them quickly.” Blaze said in utter surprise.

“I cannot stress it enough. Do not go to Canterlot until I say it is wise.” Flint said sternly.

“And what if I do go? Will the world come crashing down around me? Will everything YOU planned crumble? Or is this some joke to keep me from my family? I might have fought alongside you, you might have saved my life more than once, but that doesn’t give you the right to separate me from my family any longer than necessary!” Blaze said as rage coursed through his veins.

“This is not for debate, Blaze. If you want more answers, then come back in two day’s time from now to this path and I’ll give you as much explanation as I can.” With that Flint lit his horn and teleported away. Blaze stood glaring and the space where Flint had been standing moments before. As he continued gazing at the open space, the sound of a door opening behind him vaguely registered.

“Alright, Blaze, I’m ready to head… um, what are you doing? Did you see something over there?” Twilight asked, noticing Blaze gazing off into the distance.

“No.” He said as he turned around and walked down the path.

“Are you sure, because you looked like you had seen…”

“Isaid I didn’t, so leave it at that. I was looking around, that’s all, now let’s go.” Blaze said, still fuming.

“Alright, but if you want to talk…” Twilight began, eyeing the colt warily.

“No, I do not want to talk.” Blaze interjected. Twilight hesitated then followed after him.

“And he said I interrupted too frequently.” She said in a mumble to herself.





Blaze took a deep breath as they stepped out of the forest. The sun was high in the sky, the birds sang their lovely song, and everything, everywhere was peaceful. A quite refreshing change of scenery from the oppressive forest they had just left. 

Blaze looked to Twilight who had just appeared beside him. He nodded with a smile, signaling for her to take the lead. Blaze watched the pegasi pushing the clouds from the mighty cloud city in the distance. Everything was indeed very peaceful. 

“If only it would stay that way.” He mumbled to himself darkly. His eyes widened, surprised at his own proclamation. He looked back to the forest with concern. “I wander if the forest has anything to do with…” Blaze trailed off as the images he had seen in the castle filtered back. What enemy had he felt so pleased to defeat, much less how could he be pleased as blood of a creature had splattered across him? Was it a wolf? No, it couldn’t have been, he had heard steel hit steel, like the clash of blades. Blaze realized something that frightened him all the more. At some time he had killed or would kill an intelligent creature in defense of other ponies. What if it had been another pony?

Blaze shook his head violently in an attempt to clear his head. If he had killed, the horror would have not left him to sleep at night. If he would kill, then it wasn’t his concern at the moment. It was his future self’s problem to deal with.

Blaze dashed off to catch up to Twilight, who had continued without him during his spout of thought. “It was probably just Flint using a spell to mess with my head to make me believe him so I stay away from my family.” He said reassuring himself a little while simultaneously making his anger flare up again, but he couldn’t exactly stay angry for long. He was going to get help and find his family, whether or not Flint approved.





Blaze stood quietly beside the Ponyville Clinic’s doors, waiting impatiently for Twilight to return from her errand. Blaze surveyed the surroundings, only to get veritably tackled by something rather heavy.

“HA! Got yah this time! Whose laughing n… eh, err, sorry there. I thought you were somepony else.” The pony said as he helped Blaze up from the ground. The pony was an off white, his mane was black, and his cutie mark was a small milk carton.

“You’re forgiven, I guess you didn’t mean to do anything wrong, and I’m not hurt at all, so everything is alright.” Blaze said with a smile. The colt smiled, and without another word dashed off. “H-hey! You never introduced yourself.” But by the time he finished his say the colt was already out of hearing range. “Come to think of it, I didn’t either.” Blaze said with a smirk and a shake of his head. 

“Sorry about him.” Blaze looked around, but found nopony. Then and pony landed from the roof of the clinic, startling him slightly. He was pegasus of pure white, while his mane was only barely visible since it was a very light gray. “He and my sister have been trying to decide who is a better ‘hide-and-seek’ player ever since elementary. And after all these years they’re still at it. My name’s Blizzard, the one who tackled you is Half Pint, and the one he is trying to find is Shimmering Amber.”

“A pleasure to meet you, my name is Blaze Eternal.” Blizzard nodded. Slowly Blizzard began looking around the area, stopping; he looked away into the distance. Blaze followed his line of sight and saw an earth pony climbing a tree. “Your sister I presume?” Blizzard nodded slowly, watching his sister’s precarious assent. As Blaze watched, he noticed she was beginning to have some trouble finding hoof holds, and Blaze could already see Half Pint closing in on the tree, though he knew Half Pint hadn’t seen her yet being as his approach was slow and he was still looking this way and that. 

His eyes snapped back to Amber as he noticed something off. She had just attempted to put her hoof on one of the knots of the tree, but her hoof had slipped, and now he hung from her two front hooves. Blaze watched Blizzard shot off, but instead of going straight for her, he swerved to the left and raised his altitude, until he had reached a rather descent height. Blaze watched as Amber lost her hold on the tree and began to fall. Blaze lit his horn and teleported towards the tree, although he only gained a yard or two because of how rushed he was. 

Blaze galloped with all the speed he could muster. As he grew closer and closer, he noticed that Amber had disappeared from her dangerous descent. Blaze skidded to a halt in front of the tree and looked around from the missing filly, but she was nowhere to be seen. He turned his head as his eyes caught a flicker of motion in the corner of his vision. Over on the roof of a building off to the side was Blizzard setting his sister down before flying off. Blaze looked over to Half Pint, who had stopped by a cart, checking it over carefully.

Blaze smiled to himself. Blizzard had executed a rescue in such a way that it seemed like he was just performing an aerial stunt. He had done so effectively, not only did it seen like a stunt to anypony who had seen it, but Blizzard had done quick enough that by the time Blaze had noticed that Amber wasn’t falling anymore they were long gone.

Blaze smirked as he headed back towards the clinic. Blaze arrived just in time to see Twilight coming out. She no longer had the bag she had been carrying from Zecora’s, but she seemed to have lifted a burden from her shoulders that had been heavier than just that bag with a vile of some odd herbal remedy.

“How’s your friend now? Any better?” Blaze asked as he fell in beside Twilight.

“Now that she’s had the medicine she should be getting better. Zecora said that the medicine should take about an hour or two to take its effect. In the mean time, I’ll send that letter to Celestia and see if we can’t get you some help in finding your family.” Blaze nodded with a smile as he continued to follow Twilight. 





Blaze stepped through the doorway to the library, closing it behind him. He was amused by the library being a hollowed out tree, not to mention that Twilight’s assistant was a real life dragon. Even with his past of traveling all over Equestria he couldn’t remember one instance of meeting a real dragon face to face.

Blaze watched as the dragon, Spike if he heard and remembered correctly, sent it away in a magical flame.

“Well, it shouldn’t be too long now. I bet she’ll respond within the hour. Until then, if you want a book to read to pass the time I could provide you with something that should allow you to get by rather nicely.” Twilight said with a smile plastered across her snout. Blaze could only guess she was almost as happy as he was that he was so close to returning to his family.

“Thank you very much for everything. And I will take that book. I’ve never been good at passing long amounts of time doing absolutely nothing.” Blaze smiled from ear to ear, veritably bursting with joy. He began to scan the shelves for something that stuck out to him. Twilight was quick to offer him a ‘Daring Do’ book. Blaze sat down in a corner and began his reading, quickly immersing himself in the story.





Blaze set down the book onto the coffee table near him. He lifted the glass of ice tea Twilight had brought him to his lips with a lazy mass of glistening, silver magic. The sweet liquid passed over his tongue, making him shiver in delight. He would have to ask her about the type of tea before he left; he’d definitely make sure his family got some of it before they left for their next stop.

Suddenly, a loud belch resounded throughout the library. Blaze glanced up from his glass of tea towards the young dragon that was picking up a scroll.

“Excuse you.” Blaze said with a smile and a tip of his tea glass. Spike glared at him for a few seconds before finally delivering the scroll to Twilight. After a gentle nudge from Spike, Twilight looked up from her book.

“Ah, finally, I was beginning to wonder if she had received my letter.” Twilight said in relief. Blaze glanced over at the books beside him; he had finished three of the ‘Daring Do’ books in the time it had taken for the reply. Not good considering they were dealing with the ruler of the land. But then again it could have always been a busy day at Canterlot, and helping a colt that could wait a few more minutes, if not hours, tended to fall to a low standing on her list. “Let’s see here…” Twilight said as she began to read the letter silently. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she read on, until her expression finally took the form of concern. She lowered the scroll, still rather deep in thought.

“Um, Twilight, is everything alright? What did the Princess say?” Spike asked looking rather perplexed at Twilight.

“That’s just the thing… it sounds so weird.” She said looking of in the distance.

“Well how about we just hear what she said and get down to it.” Blaze said, swishing the glass of tea around.

“She said that they were preparing a carriage to bring you over, but when they were beginning to take off, the axle broke out of nowhere.” She said looking quite confused at the situation.

“Well that isn’t all that bad is it? I mean, they got dozens of carriages, right?” Spike said looking confusedly at Twilight’s own confusion.

“That’s just the thing. When they went to get another carriage, they found all of them had a critical flaw in one way or another, rendering every single one of them rather unsafe to be in, or completely useless. But the damage didn’t even stop there. They went to get some of the spare parts to fix at least one wagon, but found the parts to have so damage of one type or another, and the next shipment happens two months from now, even with the request being an urgent one.” Twilight ended her explanation, looking less confused now, and more concerned.

“I guess those ‘Royal Exclusive Aerial Carriages’ finally came back to bite them, huh?” Spike said in wonderment.

“Yes, but at least we have one more option. Celestia recommends we take the train since it will take so long for any possible repairs to occur.” Twilight finished with a sigh. “And even then we’ll have to wait at least two hours for the next train to come in.”

“Wait, how do you know that for sure?” Blaze asked, rather puzzled at her rather precise prediction of time they would have to wait.

“I memorized the train schedule. It is rather easy when there is only two different times a train leaves for one place in a day. The first train for Canterlot leaves at nine A.M. while the second leaves at ten P.M.” Twilight ended while lifting her glass towards her mouth for a drink.

“Um, Twilight, you do realize that it is a quarter until ten right?” Spike said questioningly. Twilight literally sprayed the dragon in a mist of ice tea.

“W-what! How did it get so late?” She said glancing at her wall clock quickly. She quickly dashed over to the door, with Blaze only a short distance behind.

After darting through several streets, they arrived at the train station. Twilight quickly hopped up the stairs and got to the front desk.

“I need… two tickets… to Canterlot… please.” She said, quite out of breath.

“I’m sorry, but the train bound for Canterlot has been canceled.” The pony behind the counter said in a slightly remorseful tone.

“W-what, but why was it canceled?” Twilight said in great surprise.

“Well it seems a few of the wheels were damaged during transit. We can’t use the train until those wheels are replaced, but that might take a while.” The desk pony said with a rather flat expression.

“Do you have any time estimate?” Twilight said, only hoping that it would be quick.

“No, not really, but I can assure you that it will be more than a few days.” The pony said.

“Alright, is there any way I can receive a notice when the train is ready to leave?” Twilight asked, still holding onto any hope she could. The desk pony pushed a paper over to her along with a pencil. Twilight nodded and filled out the small paper as quickly as possible. Twilight pushed the paper back towards the desk pony with a sheepish smile. The pony took the paper between gentle teeth until it finally was placed in a folder along with more than a dozen other small papers. Twilight sighed, and then walked off into the streets with Blaze following her. But even though he saw only a few inches from her, his mind was somewhere else.

The only ways he could reach the princess without walking there were removed from possibility in a succession of nearly impossible events that had taken only that afternoon, without even prior indication of such problems being around. It didn’t sit right with Blaze that they had just happened because of the entropy of objects in the world, more of an intentional effort to cut off all safe access routes to the capital. 

Two answers could come from this rather easily to anypony’s mind. One, a group of insurgents were planning on a takeover, and were cutting all escape and entry routes that had any speed, which was obviously not the reality of the situation. Two, somepony really didn’t want somepony else going to Canterlot, and there was a large possibility for that. Flint had made it clear that he didn’t want Blaze going to Canterlot, so it would stand to reason he would sabotage the only means of arriving to the place he didn’t want Blaze going to.

Blaze entered the library with an angry huff, disgusted at the thought of why Flint was so opposed to him going to his family. It didn’t make any sense to stop anypony from getting to their family. But those thoughts were for another time; right now they needed to plan.

While Twilight had Spike taking a letter, Blaze simply slipped back into his chair, downing the rest of his tea in a few swift gulps, slightly amazed that Spike had even left it out; then again he had only been gone for a minute or two, and the stack of books was already neatly shelved. He watched, still seething, as Spike sent the letter to the princess, only to belch out the reply in a minute or two.

Twilight glanced quickly over the letter, probably still hoping to find something good out of this precarious situation. Finally, Twilight sent the scroll down, shaking her head in disappointment.

“Celestia thinks it would be wise for you to stay here in Ponyville until a safe mode of transport has been arranged. She says that some small detachments of the Equestrian Guard will be sent out in search of your family.” Twilight said as she sat down at the table where she had been reading earlier that day. “We were so close. If only we had gotten onto the 9 o’clock train, we would have made it.”

“No, I doubt even then we would’ve made it. It seems the fates have conspired for me to stay here for a little time.” Blaze said, though in his head ‘the fates’ was replaced with ‘Flint’, but since he didn’t feel like explaining why exactly he knew it was a pony stopping him, he kept the name to himself.

“Yeah, I guess you weren’t supposed to go quite yet. But at least you can stay here in the mean time. You can have my bed, I’ll take the couch.” Twilight said, already heading up the stairs to the closet were she stored her extra bed materials.

“No, I’m taking the couch.” Blaze said sternly.

“But you’re the guest; you are supposed to get the comfy…” Twilight began, only to be cut off as Blaze lifted his hoof.

“As a guest there are certain rules I need to obey and sacrifices I need to make since I left what was mine. Plus, I’m more used to uncomfortable patches of grass with a hard rock than plush mattresses with a cushy pillow. Remember, I’m a traveling pony, I don’t use queen sized anything how I live.” Blaze said, not wavering “And I don’t even think I could sleep well on that thing if I knew you were on that couch the whole night.” Blaze added with a faint smile painted across his snout.

“Alright, if you think it would be better, but I’m still going to get you a cover, it can get rather cold at night.” Twilight said, still uncertain as she grasped the blanket in her magic, quickly passing it into Blaze’s aura. “I think we should hit the hay. Tomorrow will probably be rather hectic, and we’ll need all the energy we can get.” Twilight said after a quick glance towards her clock. Blaze nodded and lay down on the couch as he lifted the blanket over his tiered body. The lights were slowly turned off one by one; leaving the library in darkness and silence, save for the cricket’s song that emanated from the outside.

Fighting a pack of timber wolves had been exhausting, especially after using all his magical energy to the breaking point. The few minutes of ‘rest’ provided from the complete exhaustion had only been giving him enough energy for what was necessary, not to mention that the ‘Rage Shift’ hadn’t helped in using as small amount of energy as possible. All of the running hadn’t been a great help either, and all of those factors only added up to running on adrenaline and the fumes of energy already spent for the larger portion of the day. Blaze closed him eyes, finding sleep an easy thing to come by as the darkness of true sleep replaced the dark of the room. 





Blaze opened his eyes, expecting to see the inside of his family wagon, only to find a much different scene. His eyes shot open wide as he shot to his hooves. The sky was red as blood as the sun hung in a perpetual state of twilight. He looked around, and soon found himself on a mountain that overlooked a large field that ended in a dense hog that only let up to reveal the crimson sky. A gentle breeze blew past his ear; his mane rippling slowly in the coolness of the air. The feeling of cloth against his coat, the weight of metal set on his back, the gentle pressing of his helmet against his head, and the flutter of his cape in the gentle breeze, it was all too real. 

Blaze turned and saw a dark mass on the other side of the mountain’s rather flat top. Blaze grasped a sword and shield, lifting them in preparation for a fight. The mass stirred and shifted, eyes opening in its cold, shapeless features. Cold piercing eyes focusing on the small pony as its invisible lips parted, showing its pointed teeth in all their glory. Blaze let out a cry of defiance as he charged the monster on instinct. A tendril of the mass extended and swiped at the charging colt, but Blaze rolled masterfully out of its way. Blaze watched as the mass opened its unseen jaws, revealing an orange, fiery glow within. With a single breath, a typhoon of fire swarmed forth to meet the pony with a deadly embrace, but Blaze way able to lift his shield, blocking the flames from further advancing. The mass finished its fiery attack, and swiped at Blaze with another tendril, but this time anticipated Blaze dodging its first attack, and swung another dark tendril to intercept Blaze, meeting the pony in midair with a satisfying smack.

Blaze felt the wind rush by him as he flew through the air, a pain throbbing in his side, only amplified as he meet the ground with great haste. He looked up, seeing the mountain looming over him. As he got to his hooves, the figures of featureless pony’s in armor rushed by him, advancing on the treacherous mountain with courage unrelenting. Shadowy figures stood from the ground, towering over the soldier. The ponies met the shadowy figures, steel on steel, hooves on bleak shadows, and all the while, no screams of pain were heard; only the unrelenting sounds of steel meeting steel and steel meeting flesh.

Blaze felt a presence behind him, and saw a shadowy figure stand up on two legs with a tendril ending in a blade on its right side. Blaze stood there, petrified in fear. The darkness raised its bladed tendril to the sky, and then brought it down towards Blaze, only for another blade to stop it. Blaze looked and saw an undistinguished figure holding the blade in what seemed to be a magical aura.

“You will not have him, beast.” The mass said, its voice a mixture of what seemed over a hundred different ponies saying the same exact thing at one time. Blaze watched as the dark mass reshaped itself into a more distinguishable shape. It seemed to be a bipedal dragon, eyes blazing in fury. Its arm’s muscles rippled in effort as it pushed harder and harder. Its scales slowly morphed from black to a deep purple, and its spines became a dark green. “Leave now, for as long as I can lift a blade you will not harm a hair on his head!” The pony emphasized his point by a firm push with his blade.

“He fears us now. We have already won the battle before it has even begun, why not give him up? He has already been lost to his fearful trembling. His loss is sealed, and it cannot be broken.” The dragon said in a voice resembling that of the other thing, only much more sinister. With a shout, the mass became a pony clad in armor.


“Be gone, you evil creatures!” It said in a mighty voice as she landed beside Blaze, but the dragon did not relent. Producing a second sword, he slammed it into the thing’s sword. The creature drew closer with a snarl.

“We do not leave on order, save from our royal majesty. You, warrior pony, have no hold here.” With that the beast attacked the pony, slashing him sword across its side. Out of reflex, it blasted the creature with a bolt of magic, causing its head and upper chest to disappear in a puff of darkness, and with no further resistance, the creature fell to its knees, then flat on its chest.

“T-this, this must be a dream. All of this, it can’t be real.” Blaze said in disbelief as he gazed towards the corpse in dismay. That creature had been alive and quite intelligent, and even though it had tried to kill him, it didn’t seem right to have slain it so brutally. “T-there’s no way this is real.”

“Be ye not fooled, this is no dream.” A voice echoed throughout the plain. Suddenly the creature rose, his head reforming. Blaze looked across the landscape, and all around them creatures were rising with all different types of weapons. “You are our prey, and a beast separated from its feast is more dangerous than most anything else.” As it finished talking, the army began to advance slowly on the two ponies. “We do not lie, yet you do not believe us whilst breath still is in your lungs. Perhaps you shall find us more honest… in death!” Then with a roar, the army of beast charged. The one that had color leaped over the pony, brandishing its sword up high, poise to pierce Blaze with a simple swing of the blade.





Blaze shot up from the couch, sweat dripping down his forehead. Looking around the room crazily, expecting to see a giant bipedal dragon to emerge from the shadows. It had only been a dream… or had it? Blaze still wasn’t sure quite yet, but then again, there were many things he still wasn’t sure of.

Blaze stood up from the couch, continually looking around him, expecting a creature to leap from the darkness to kill him. Usually dreams had been little concern to him after waking up, but that dream had been far too real.

Blaze crept up the stairs, using magic to soften his hooves landing on the wood. He soon reached the top and found Twilight and Spike still asleep. Blaze continued to approach the two sleeping forms, and finding them completely unharmed, he released a sigh. Blaze looked out the window, gazing out to stars that twinkled happily. Blaze headed back down to the couch, and after a few deep breathes, lay down.

As the soft embrace of sleep came to him, he came to a resolution. Why should he worry about a silly, if not frightening, dream? It was just a dream and nothing more. There were a few more important things to worry about, including Flint and why he had not only said not to go, but took direct action to ensure he didn’t go and find him family. But all those things could wait for the morning. At the moment what he needed to do was to go to sleep and get the energy to face the next day and all it held, and the way things had gone up until that point, he would definitely need every ounce of energy he could get. And so, Blaze drifted off into an uneasy sleep, with only the promise of morning to bring any kind of comfort to his tossing and turning.     

> Chapter 3: An Accidental Discovery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Blaze trotted lazily through the streets of Ponyville. It was early morning, earlier than he cared for. The only reason why he was even out and about was to get some muffins from Sugar Cube Corner, being as Spike had eaten the last of the muffins by accident, thinking mistakenly that there was another full box in the cupboard that had ended up to be no more than a box with a few remaining scraps of what Blaze could only guess had at one time been donuts. Blaze had volunteered to head down to Sugar Cube Corner to get some more, mostly because he wanted a good breakfast, and a muffin and butter breakfast felt rather incomplete without a muffin.

Blaze took the corner and came within sight of the gingerbread shop, but it wasn’t the shop that raised his spirits, it was who was in front of it. There, sitting around one of the few tables just outside of the shop, were a certain three ponies who he had met the day previous. As he approached the conversation became more understandable.

“Yeah, but I definitely… oh hey, is that the colt I tackled yesterday?” Blaze heard Half Pint’s voice, causing him to smirk.

“Half Pint, as I said before, his name is Blaze Eternal.” Blizzard said rather annoyed at his friend’s lack of politeness. “Hello, Blaze!” He said, turning towards the new arrival.

“Hello all. How’s everypony doing today?” Blaze said as he reached the table. Blaze took the remaining seat, vaguely noticing that he was the only one at the table without some sort of refreshment, as Half Pint had a smoothie, Blizzard had a glass of lemonade, and Amber had a bowl of ice cream. 

“I’m pretty good, a tad tired from having to catch a few ponies, but otherwise, I’m fine.” Blizzard remarked with a smile and a glance at his sister, who gave a sheepish grin.

“A bit sore from running around town, but that’ll go away after a day or two.” Half Pint said after taking a sip from his smoothie.

“I got some bruises from the aforementioned falls, but I’ve gone through worse.” Amber said, still acting a bit shy.

“So, Blaze, why not join us, I’ll even get you a drink if you like.” Blizzard said smiling gently, motioning to the seat beside him while the two other ponies at the table nodded happily, each wearing an eager smile. 

“Well I’d love to stay and chat for a while, but I need to get some muffins for the library.” Blaze said as he stood up slowly. “And I doubt Twilight will want to wait longer than necessary for food.”

“Yeah, I guess not. Hey, how about after you get the muffins to the library we have some fun.” Half Pint said eagerly.

“Hmm… I guess it could work.” Blaze said, the thought of the closest prearranged meeting happening the next day. “But if we’re going to be able to do anything I better get going. I’ll meet you guys back here as soon as I’m done.” At that the three friends nodded while Blaze went into the shop.





Blaze set the box of muffins on the table while lifting the lid to get a muffin. He might be in a hurry, but he wasn’t one to miss out on breakfast. Blaze quickly levitated a bottle of milk out of the fridge and poured it into cup. He quickly left the kitchen while putting the milk bottle back into the fridge.

“We’re you going so fast you can’t sit down to eat?” Twilight said while taking a muffin for herself. Blaze stopped halfway between the kitchen and the front door. Blaze looked back towards the kitchen, whose door was still open.

“In all honesty, I have no idea, but when I get back I’ll tell you.” Blaze said with a smirk. Twilight shook her head slightly.

“I’m just going guess that this a part of your traveling personality and leave it at that. Go on ahead and have fun doing whatever your planning.” Twilight said while waving a hoof in dismissal. Blaze smiled before nodding and heading out the door while munching his muffin and guzzling his cup of milk. As he stepped of the stairs in front of the library he sent the muffin wrapper and the cup towards the entryway trash can.

As Blaze walked he took the last few bites of muffin and sent a breeze of magic past his muzzle, clearing it of any remaining crumbs. Not wanting to keep the other ponies waiting for too long, Blaze picked his speed up to a trot, then into a full blown gallop. Blaze quickly approached the last corner before he was right in front of Sugar Cube Corner and slid to a stop. He quickly shook the light layer of dust that had settled on his coat. After a few deep breathes, Blaze trotted briskly around the corner and soon arrived at the table where the other three were waiting. Blaze took a seat while nodding to the others.

“Well, I can say one thing; you might have set a new track record for going from here to the library and back.” Half Pint said chuckling to himself. Blizzard gestured to the one open seat at the table. Blaze nodded and quickly took it.

“So, you want something to drink or eat? My offer still stands like before.” Blizzard said, sliding a menu across the table towards Blaze.

“Eh, no thanks. I pretty good for now.” Blaze said, pushing the menu away. He didn’t feel up to eating or drinking anything for a bit after his run, he was having fun keeping his muffin down as it was. “So, what are we planning to do? We have almost the whole day before us. Did anyone come up with any ideas while I was away?” The three other ponies looked at each other, probably hoping that the other would give a suggestion first.

“How about we go down to the swimming hole for a bit?” Amber suggested, “It’s nice this time off year.” Blizzard nodded after a bit while Half Pint…

“Yeah, that’s sound great, let’s do it!” was being his regular jolly self. Blaze stiffened slightly at that suggestion, but he wasn’t about to put his concerns to voice, mostly because he knew it would sound silly, mostly because he had no idea how to phrase it quite yet.

As they walked, Blaze remained more towards the back of the group, both because he didn’t know which way to go to arrive at their desired destination, and because he needed to get his thought together. Blaze noticed that Half Pint was looking somewhere behind him. Blaze looked towards where he thought Half Pint was looking, but saw nothing.

“What are you looking at Half Pint?” Blaze said, returning his gaze to his friend. Half Pint smiled a bit and looked ahead of him. He turned his head so that he could see in front of him and at Blaze.

“Oh, I was just looking at your cutie mark. It looks pretty cool.” Blaze looked back to his right haunch. A whirl of fire that spun into a wheel like structure without the spokes coming from the center adorned his side as it had since the day it found its way to his flank.

“Uh, thanks…” Blaze said, looking back in front of him, just in time to jump over a root of a tree that had invaded the path slightly.

“What’s it for?” Blizzard said, looking back to see it as well. Blaze wasn’t comfortable with this much direct attention. When ponies looked at him on stage they felt far away enough that he was free to act his part.

“I… I’m good at using arcane fire. Eh… spells that can create artificial fire that has the qualities of the real thing.” Blaze said, lighting his horn and creating and swirl of fire that danced around his masterfully, not even affecting his walking speed.

“I’d say you would have to be a bit better than good to have gotten your cutie mark in doing it.” Half Pint said. “I mean, if your talent is so straight forward in saying what your good at, it should mean you’re great at it. Like Twilight is with magic.”

“I guess you could say that…” Blaze said as he made the fire form into a single ball, than he let it dissipate in the gentle breeze, small flickers of flame trailing behind him like marchers in a band following the leader.

“Well, we’re here at any rate.” Blizzard said, showing Blaze the small pond. Blaze watched as Half Pint barreled through Amber and preformed a cannonball into what looked like shallow water. Blaze cocked his head as Half Pint actually sunk beyond the surface. Blaze shrugged as he lay down under a shady tree, dismissing it as the water being deceptive in its small boarders, and actually being rather deep.      





Blizzard bobbed up from the water only to have Half Pint shove him back under after a desperate gasp for air. Half Pint suddenly found himself thrown out of the water as Blizzard used his wings to surge upwards. Half Pint shook off the water that clung to his coat, causing the nearby Blaze to shrink back a bit from his soggy acquaintance.

“Never… do that… again!” Blizzard said between gasps as he sunk back in the water. Half Pint shook his head with a smile.

“Some ponies, I tell you, can’t take a joke.” Half Pint said before turning towards Blaze, oblivious to the daggers that Blizzard was starring into his back. “Hey, why don’t you join in the fun? The water’s fine!” Half Pint commented to Blaze, who for the last half hour or so had just been sitting by the water’s edge watching the three friends gallivant around in the water without joining in the fun.

“Well… I… j-just… don’t like…” Blaze trailed off, feeling how silly this was. 

“You don’t like what now?” Half Pint asked, placing a hoof to his ear, emphasizing the fact that Blaze was making a rather good attempt of making himself inaudible.

“G-getting… wet.” Blaze said finally. “I-I’m not the swimming type… it… just isn’t me.” Blaze said, feeling his cheeks get hot. He silently thanked the heavens he was already red, thus making it extremely hard to see that he was blushing.

“Well that’s silly. Didn’t you ever play in a puddle as a foal? Didn’t you run through the sprinklers while they were running?” Half Pint said disbelievingly.

“N-no, not really… I just…” Blaze trailed off again, leaving his sentence unfinished.

“”Half Pint, it’s alright, stop badgering him. Some ponies are different than others.” Amber said quietly. “Besides, if he doesn’t want to come into the water, that’s his loss, not yours.” Blaze flinched at that. He felt what Amber was trying to do. She was going to try and get him to go into the water by making him feel bad about being the only one NOT in into getting into the water. Blaze became all the more resolute at this. There was no way he was going to do this; it was too much to ask for so little in return.

Half Pint shrugged and charged back towards the water and dove in, causing Amber to be consumed under a wave. Blaze tensed as he lost sight of Amber, but relaxed as she bobbed back up. He didn’t know too much about these ponies, but Amber seemed inclined to get herself in disastrous situations.

As he watched, Blaze noticed that Blizzard and Half Pint were talking rather calmly, although Half Pint was constantly casting a look towards Blaze, which gave him a bad feeling about what was going to happen. Blizzard trotted out of the water and shook himself off as Half Pint did a backstroke towards Amber. Blizzard sat down beside Blaze calmly.

“Is there a story behind that…” Blaze heard the pegasus say. Blaze cocked his head at the colt, who was giving a questioning glance right back at him. “About not getting wet I mean. I don’t want to pry, it’s just that…”

“You don’t find ponies that are not too keen on getting wet too often.” Blaze finished Blizzard’s sentence.

“Yeah, I mean, Granny Smith wasn’t too eager to get in because she had a painful accident way back when, but she got over that.” Blizzard said cautiously. “So, what’s your reason?” Blaze looked down at the grass in front of him in thought. Blaze finally looked back up, idly noticing Amber and Half Pint talking with Half Pint again casting looks towards him.

“I just never liked it. I know it sounds silly and all, but I just don’t like to get myself wet unless it is a bath.” Blaze said, knowing full well how dumb that sounded.

“Or to save somepony who was in trouble, right?” Blizzard queried.

“Yeah, of course… hey… what do you mean by…?” But Blaze was cut off by a sudden shriek that pierced the crisp afternoon air. Blaze looked towards the source and saw Amber going under the surface. Blaze looked around her and saw nothing indicating she was being attacked, but that didn’t stop him. Blaze shot towards the pool, not even noticing that Half Pint wasn’t in the water anymore.

Blaze jumped into the water and swam over towards the sinking filly. Only to have her completely submerge as he drew close; Blaze took in a deep breath and dove towards the sinking pony. Blaze swam towards the already fading form of Amber. He let out almost all the air from his lungs, allowing him to plunge into the depths faster. He soon reached the bottom and found Amber stuck in some underwater weeds. Blaze reached her and quickly began to undo the knots of grass that clung to her coat and legs, only to feel his body rising again. Blaze pushed himself farther down into the water and continued his frantic unraveling of reeds. His eyes met Amber’s, she seemed calm, far to calm for how low on air she must have been, but as he continued, her eyes shot even farther open as she glanced behind Blaze. Blaze whirled around, but saw nothing, and then he looked at his flank. Already red, orange, and yellow swirls were trailing off into the dark waters; his time was getting short. 

Blaze snapped the last reed, and watched as the earth pony filly shot upwards, but he found he couldn’t follow. Bellow him the reeds had latched onto his hind legs. Blaze began to untie the reeds that clung to him, but as he did it seemed more and more were latching on. Blaze felt panic surge through him as his lungs struggled to sap air from the surrounding water. The corners off his vision began to darken as he began to slip father and father.

Suddenly a stream of bubbles burst through the surface. The slowly came to a stop, and revealed Blizzard, using his wings to stay down and he began to untie Blaze. Blaze finally felt the last tendril let him loose. Blaze pushed off the murky soil. He climbed higher and higher, only to slow a short distance below the surface. He didn’t have enough buoyancy without air in his lungs to reach the surface on his own. Blaze flailed his hooves, trying to propel himself higher, only to find he couldn’t even stay aloft. Blaze felt his weight being dragged down again towards the bottom of the pool; then he felt his weight lifted as Blizzard shot upwards bellow him, catching the sinking colt under the forelegs. Blaze felt the water rush pass them and they ascended. Suddenly Blaze felt the water part above him, liberating his lungs from the pressure that had choked him like a mighty serpent.

Blaze felt his hooves touch solid ground. Using his magic quickly, he made the ground in front of him into mud, which wasn’t too hard considering how close it was to the pool. Blaze took a few steps, and then slipped in his muddy concoction. With a quick wisp of magic the mud was redirected from an outward splatter, to a splash that landed on him, covering his coat in a dark brown layer of thick mud. Blaze stood up and looked himself over. As he had hoped, he was completely covered in mud. Suddenly he felt the impact of another pony slamming into him. He half expected it to be Half Pint, but when he looked; he found it was Amber giving him a hug while tears began to wash off the mud from his shoulder.

“Well that is officially the last time I listen to one of your plans, Half Pint.” Blaze heard Blizzard say angrily at the milky white earth pony. “I should have known better than to go along with it.” Blaze looked towards the two.

“Hey, how was I supposed to know he would also get caught in the weeds? I thought he would stay high enough to not get caught in them!” Half Pint said defensively.

“Well why then you find it was so necessary to tie Amber down so much, they both almost drowned because of your half baked plans!” Half Pint was about to reply when Blizzard cut him off again. “And don’t give me the ‘but they didn’t’ routine! They came this close to meeting the grim reaper thanks to you!” Blizzard shouted harshly. Blaze pushed Amber away and began walking towards the two ponies.

“What’s all this about almost drowning us?” Blaze said as he walked up to them. Half Pint seemed smaller than ever, almost as if he was trying to live up to his name.

“I’m sorry, Blaze, I-I didn’t mean any harm.” Half Pint stammered sheepishly, his voice filled with regret.

“Half Pint got the brilliant idea of faking Amber drowning, making it so that you would go in and save her and inadvertently get you into the water. His plan WAS to make it so that when you surfaced we would continue with the day, but it seems that part of the plan fell through.” Blaze’s jaw hung open slightly. “Half Pint, I think you really should just…”

“No.” Blaze cut him off, knowing full well where he would go. Blizzard looked at him in shock, while Half Pint looked up in disbelief, having a sense of where Blaze had diverted the conversation.

“W-what, but he almost got Amber drowned!” Blizzard said in exasperation. “He almost had you drowned trying to save her!”

“Yes, I know this. But I also know that Half Pint only had good intentions, and the only thing he did bad was not take every eventuality into account. I was taught that when a pony is genuinely sorry for his mistakes that he should be forgiven, and the incident forgotten.” Blaze said sternly. “After all, haven’t you made mistakes that should have had you punished in a greater manner than you received?” Blizzard opened his mouth, ready with a reply, but it died on his tongue. “I believe that the thought of almost harming two ponies will be enough punishment for a lifetime. I doubt that he will ever make a mistake like that again when the time comes if it comes.” Blizzard snorted and walked off towards his sister.

“Come on, we’re going home before something else happens that makes me do something everypony will regret.” Blizzard said, passing by his sister. She nodded and started walking beside him. Blaze watched them walk down the path towards the town. Amber looked behind her towards Blaze, a forlorn look etched into her features. She knew, but she wouldn’t tell. Blaze nodded slowly, and then turned back to Half Pint, who was lying down in the grass at Blaze’s hooves. Blaze plopped down beside him, a little distance separating his coat from the pony beside him.

“You… you want to talk about it?” Blaze said slowly. Half Pint sighed, sorrow hanging in the air as thick as the mud that covered Blaze.

“I was so stupid to think that what I did was a good idea.” Half Pint said in a self-berating whimper. Blaze put a hoof on Half Pint, causing the earth pony to flinch.

“I know that you probably carry this for the rest of your life, and that no matter what I do you’ll never fully recover from this. But…, I want you to know that I forgive you.” Blaze looked up towards the hill and saw Blizzard and Amber walk over it and out of sight. “And I think… that Amber does as well.”





Blaze entered the library, as muddy as when he left the pond. He had stayed with Half Pint for a few hours, trying to convince him that he had been forgiven, but he was extremely obstinate that he didn’t deserve it. In the end, the two of them had headed back towards Ponyville. Half Pint had one his way with a few words expressing how he was sure that he wasn’t going to be forgiven by Amber, being as Blaze’s constant insistence had managed to persuade him he was forgiven by one of those three involved.

Blaze levitated a brown bag beside him as he entered the commons of the oak tree after wiping his hooves on the, now brown, welcome mat. He walked up the stairs towards the bathroom, hoping to remove the mud that clung to him before too long.


“Whoa, what happened to you?” Blaze heard Spike say from upstairs. Blaze shook his head as he continued up the stairs.

“Short version, I fell into a mud puddle. Right now I’m hoping to get a bath and get this gunk off.” Blaze said as he reached the top of the stairs. Spike shook his head, and then continued cleaning up the library’s bedroom. Blaze quickly slipped into the bathroom, and after a quick glance around the library, he closed the door and locked it.

Blaze turned on the tub’s faucet and waited for it to fill up as he placed his bag down on the counter. As the tub began to rise high enough, he switched off the faucet and climbed in. Blaze quickly levitated a brush to his side and began the arduous task of removing the caked mud from his coat. As he continued, the water quickly shifted to a dark brown. Blaze finally stepped out of the tub and unplugged the drain, allowing the slough that had once been his bathwater, to flow down the drain. After making sure all of the gunk and grime, after repeated opening and closing of the faucet, had gotten down the drain, Blaze sat down on the mat that lay in front of the tub.

Blaze sat there for a little time before finally looking. Blaze craned his neck and looked at his flank, and as he had expected, where his cutie mark had been, was nothing but a patch of red coat. He was a blank flank once again, no; he was still a blank flank. Blaze levitated the brown bag from the sink and set it down beside him. Blaze stood up and removed the mat from under his hooves and sat back down on the hardwood floor, after placing the mat a little distance away. Blaze opened the bag and removed a small assortment of paint and a brush. Blaze then set about painting the fire whirl back onto his flank, then with a bit of magic, copied it onto his other flank. After a bit of smoothing out, making the paint appear more like it was a cutie mark instead of some painting thrown on his flank, Blaze tossed the used paint container into the trash can and placed the bag on top of them.

Blaze heaved a sigh as he placed the mat back where it belonged. He had painted the mark onto his flank originally to make his father accept him as something more than a part of the act. Blaze suddenly felt a shiver rush down his spine, leaving him breathless and confused. After a few deep breathes, something came to Blaze. It was like remembering something, but… it was different somehow. The ‘memory’ was foggy, like it wasn’t sure if it wanted to reveal itself. 

Blaze looked at the bathroom door. It seemed… distant in a way, yet he knew that it was only a few steps away. Blaze shook his head, and when he opened his eyes again it wasn’t bathroom door he was looking at.                   

> Chapter 4: Small Flickers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Blaze gazed at the ornately made, white door that stood where the bathroom door had been. Blaze looked at his surroundings, only to find it stranger and stranger with each object he took in. He wasn’t in the library’s bathroom, in fact, he wasn’t in a bathroom at all. Blaze deduced that this was a bedroom, partially because he could feel the soft cushiness of a luxurious bed below him, and also because of the room’s decor. Blaze slipped down from the bed and went towards the door, taking slow cautious steps, unsure of what was happening around him.

He tested the door, but found it was locked. Blaze flipped the doorknob’s lock and found no more resistance to his opening the door. If this had been somepony’s attempt at absconding with him, they had very poor security. But as he opened the door, he began hearing voices a short distance away. He actually had been hearing the low sound off mumbles passing back and forth from his bed, but only now he could confirm that they were indeed voices. Blaze took a few wary steps out the door and into a hallway. He looked to his right and saw stairs a little bit farther on. Blaze came out of the room and went ever closer to the sound of talking, which now was clearly coming from down the stairs.

“What are you saying, sir?” Blaze heard a stallion say in a voice racked with concern. Blaze inched closer and closer towards the stairs.

“When the caravan finally left the forest and all casualties were counted, your wife was not amongst the living, nor the bodies of the dead.” A deeper voice replied.

“Well… that’s good isn’t it? I mean, couldn’t it mean that she had just been separated from the group and is still making her way back here?” The first voice said, clearly reaching desperately for some hope.

“Even if she was, there have been three more attacks made by the changelings on the ponies. We regret to inform you that she is, undoubtedly… gone. I’m sorry, but Joy Eternal is hereby declared a casualty of war, a regretful one, but one none of the less.” The gruff stallion responded. “Her things are to arrive here within the week.”

“B-but... s-she can’t… possibly… she’s alive, I know it… she isn’t… isn’t…” The first stallion stammered, clearly losing his hold on all hope.

“I’m sorry, but she is dead, no matter what we say or do. Now I think I best leave. I have five more condolences to give to families in this area, and I believe my presence here is not helping in any way. Good day.” At that Blaze heard the opening and closing of a door. He continued for the stairs, hearing the slow, pained breathing coming from down the stairs, racked with sobs. 

When Blaze reached the railing, he peeked down towards the pony below him. His coat was the one thing about him that caught Blaze’s attention, as its bright yellow made the room seem brighter, while the orange mane he had was a stark contrast. 

Blaze wanted to stay upstairs, and get a better understanding of where he was, but he found himself inching towards the stairs. Fear shot through him as he attempted to stop, and found he kept taking steps. Blaze tried to use his horn to stop his progress, but found he wasn’t in control anymore. Blaze found himself completely at the mercy of his body.

“Dad… are you alright? What’s happening?” He heard somepony say near him, but in a second he realized it had come from his own mouth. Blaze sighed inwardly, now he knew he had no control at all. This day was getting better and better all the time. The stallion looked over towards Blaze.

“B-Blaze, come here, I need to tell you something.” Blaze would’ve cocked an eyebrow at that. How did this stallion he had never met know him… wait? Blaze recalled calling out to him, saying ‘dad’. True enough, now that he thought about it, this stallion was a picture perfect match for his father, but the he had no scars and the lack of grey strands in his mane convinced Blaze that his couldn’t be his father.

“What is it? Why are you crying?” Blaze heard his own mouth say. Now that he mentioned it, the stallion was indeed crying a bit. The stallion wiped a foreleg across his snout, catching up all of the tears. After a shutter, the stallion wrapped Blaze in an embrace. Now closer to a real way to compare his size, he realized that he was actually shorter than he really was. Before he had though it was because he was crouching down, but he now knew that he was indeed shorter than before. 

“I… I got some bad news today.” Blaze felt his ears rise up. “Your… mom’s wagon train… was attacked halfway down the Whitetail trail. They think that she… she’s dead. The changelings… killed her.” Blaze felt the shape of the stallion shift out of the hug and towards the door.

“D-dad, where are you going?” Blaze heard his own mouth shout out as the stallion levitated a light jacket from its stand near the door.

“I-I going to make a difference. Nopony has a pet they need train right now, and I doubt there’ll be one for a while yet, and I can’t just sit around here any longer. It’s time to act; the enlistment office is two blocks down. Be good while I’m gone.” The stallion said, putting his day clothes on. “There’s beans on the stove, be sure to turn of the burner before you eat any, I don’t want to have the last meal I may have here to be burnt.” Blaze watched as the stallion shut the door, and as the thump of the door echoed in his ears, a flash of blinding light encompassed his entire vision.





Blaze opened his eyes again, this time in the lobby of the library, except it looked like he was seeing it through a purple filter. He suddenly realized that the color in his vision was Spike’s claws.

“Equestria to Blaze, do you read me Blaze?” He heard Spike says as his claws back and forth in his vision. Blaze took a step back and blinked a few more times. “Oh good, you’re back. What happened? You were walking around and talking to yourself like you were in a trance or something.” Blaze blinked a few more times, taking in a few deep breathes as he collected his thoughts.

“Alright, Spike, I think I got something that might help.” Blaze heard Twilight say as he came down the stairs with a book in her magic. “Let’s hope this works.” Twilight said, lowering the book slightly.

“Twilight, he’s back, we’re good.” Spike said stepping in front of Twilight. Twilight looked at Blaze, and then sighed in relief.

“Thank goodness. Blaze, we were worried about you, what happened? Why weren’t you responding?” Twilight said, and as she did, Blaze noticed a few small sores that he couldn’t account for.

“I-I’m not sure. I was in the bathroom, finishing up my bath, and then I got this weird sensation, and then I wasn’t in the bathroom, much less the library. I was in a bedroom of a fancy house, so I went out and…” Blaze trailed of, not sure how to explain it. “It was really weird. Like… like a memory, or a really vivid dream.” Twilight cocked her head at this.

“Well, one thing I can say. It reminded me of when Twilight took that potion that Zecora gave her a while back, except you were a bit more mobile.” Spike said with a shrug. Twilight glanced over at Spike, and then looked back towards Blaze.

“So… are you alright? Do you have any headaches or anything of that nature?” She said in a tone that sounded a bit more concerned that before.

“No, I feel fine. I’m just a tad confused about all this.” Blaze lifted his gaze from the floor, and looked at Twilight. “Do you think it might be a spell?” Twilight scratched her chin as she thought.

“I… don’t think so. It might be, but what would it accomplish? Casting a spell that would make you see and act out some… memory wouldn’t really do anything, unless the caster was hoping that they could stall you from doing something as fast as you would because you are trapped in… whatever it was.” Twilight said skeptically. At the words ‘they could stall you from doing something’, Blaze got a sneaking suspicion who might have casted it, and when he could meet him.





The hours past, and the ponies in the library slowing went into their beds. Spike fed Peewee the last treats from the phoenix treat bow, then hopped into his own bed, and closed his eyes, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Spike jumped of the platform and splashed into a bowl of some sweet liquid, which he quickly drank down greedily. Spike released a burp and patted his full stomach, and suddenly the bowl was filled again, as the liquid fell from a gigantic pitcher in the sky. Spike jumped out of the bowl and shook himself off. The dragon stretched his back, and then plucked a candy cane that grew from the ground and chomped down on it, letting the sweet flavor rush over his mouth. 

As he reached to grab another candy cane ‘flower’ the world around suddenly went dark. Spike looked around at what had replaced his dreamscape. Suddenly an unseen mass swirled around him. Spike whirled around, but saw only the dark expanse.

“There is great strength here…” A deep voice rumbled around him. Spike looked all around him, but found only the black that surrounded him. “Such great potential, yet so unappreciated for what he truly is capable of.” The voice said again, causing Spike to turn around, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever it was. “I am honored to be remembered by one so…” The voice said as it continued to swirl around the darkness, “powerful.” The voice rumbled right beside his ear. Spike retracted quickly, but saw nothing.

“W-who o-or what are you?” Spike said, growing frantic. The darkness shifted again, and began to take a shape.

“I am…” The voice began, and then suddenly the world around him fell away.

Spike shot up, gasping for air. He looked all around him, looking for the mass of darkness, but found only the library’s bedroom. Twilight was beside him, looking rather worried.

“Spike, are you alright?” She said in a low voice. Spike took a few more breathes, and then nodded. “Good, you were thrashing in your sleep and I was worried.” Spike took a few deep breathes, and then plopped back into his bed.

“It was just a bad dream, but I okay now.” Spike rose up again and jumped out of his little bed. “I think I’ll get a glass of milk, though.” He said as he walked down the stairs towards the library’s kitchen.





Blaze trotted into the forest, making sure to keep to the path. Any happiness that he had the previous had left him, leaving him only with his anger for Flint, and as he took a turn in the path he nearly ran into said stallion.

“Hello, Blaze, I trust you’ve been well since we’ve last seen each other.” The stoic stallion said beneath the cover of the shadow cast by his hood.

“As well as I can be when somepony is keeping me from getting to my family. So, why are you keeping me away?” Blaze said, feeling more and more of the anger he had felt the last time he had seen Flint return. “And why did you make it so that you inconvenience other so much just to keep me from going?”

“I see you figured out that I was the one who delayed your departure. Well, to answer your question, I was because you would have gone if I hadn’t done such drastic measures. And besides, the ‘others’ you mentioned are still making it to their destination quite easily. There are inter-city coaches after all.” Blaze immediately started to think up a way to get on one and get towards Canterlot, but Flint must have seen, or guesses, what Blaze was thinking. “But I hear that those coaches can be quite… precarious, beside the fact that if they went down that the only remaining way to reach other cities without walking is then effectively removed.” Blaze gritted his teeth, Flint was too good. He had everything planned out to the letter it seemed.

“So, why are you keeping me here so ferociously?” Blaze said, trying to keep his temper in check as he spoke. The one thing he really wanted to do was to tackle the stallion and grind him into a pulp, but Blaze knew that that would cause some serious repercussions.

“I have several reasons to keep you hear, but I’ll just keep it down to two.” Blaze listened as he continued to restrain himself from clobbering the pony that stood in front of him. “One of the reasons you discovered fully yesterday.” Blaze’s anger suddenly dissipated, replaced by surprise and curiosity. “Three certain ponies live here, and I know that your relationship is fast growing. The thing you could use the most right now is friends, some ponies behind you, ready to give you a shoulder through the hard times. They are here for you, and you are here for them. Without you, I doubt that Half Pint would be up and about this morning, and I really doubt that Blizzard would let his sister play with the pony who, accidentally, nearly drowned her the day previous.”

“Wait… you know them?” Blaze said in astonishment.

“I’ve been watching you since two days ago. I had to make sure that you didn’t try to leave. And now the second reason. Two days ago you fought against a horde of timber wolves like it was nothing. You showed an aptitude for the blade that I find is rather rare, and I want to help you cultivate it as best as you can.” 

“W-wait, your reason for keeping me here is to train me with the sword? How is that even a good reason to keep me from getting back with my family?” Blaze said, feeling his rage begin to build again.

“That is not the entire reason for keeping here, but it’s one of the few you can understand. The main reason is so complicated that you can’t possibly understand it in all your lifetime. But if you do not wish to allow me to train you in the way of the sword I’ll let you leave to your family.” Blaze blinked at Flint had just said. “And, yes you heard me right. If you don’t want to be trained in the sword then I will let you reunite with your family.”

“Sorry if I’m not catching on as quickly as you might like, but how is letting me return to my family incentive for keeping me here to train under you?” Blaze said, still having trouble to understand this new development.

“Quite simple as it sounds really. If you do not wish to train then you will be allowed to leave to return to your family. I will stop interfering with the train and flying carriages, and whichever one starts working first, you can leave on. You will then reunite with your family and continue your travels. But there is a price to pay for being liberated from my tutelage.” Blaze waited for the big reveal, the price that he could feel was crafted to keep him here. “You will never be allowed to return by any means. I way make sure that whenever you come close, that… inexplicable circumstances keep you from entering.” Blaze looked unsure at Flint. “You and your friends will never be together again, and I believe you will agree that your friendship is only beginning to grow. If you plan on leaving, you destroy your friendship in so doing, and if you were looking for the right time to do so, now is that time. Your friendship is barely started, so not much is lost if you leave now. So what is your choice, Blaze? Stay and train in the sword and grow your friendship, leave when I say it is wise and be granted the possibility of returning to see your friends, or leave now and stomp out any hope for friendship with these three ponies?” Blaze felt his rage continue to grow inside of him, but now it was diluted by worry, sadness, and many other emotions. Blaze looked down at the path below him, trying to figure out what to do.

Blaze looked up at Flint, who was still concealed under the shadow of his cloak. Blaze looked back down at the ground. He wanted to reunite with his family, but he also wanted to be with his newly found friends. Friends…, before this point he actually had never used the term in referring to another pony, not even the three ponies that he had begun to grow so close to.

“I-I…” Blaze tried to organize his thoughts in an order that could be put to words. Blaze then came to a conclusion. He had no way to know that his family had made it to Canterlot yet, so he could probably stay here until Flint allowed him go and still visit his friends. “I’ll stay here.” Flint nodded and unsheathed a sword and gave it to Blaze.

“The first lesson begins now.” Flint turned the handle towards Blaze. “Take it; you’ll need to practice with the real thing to get used to the weight of a true sword.” Blaze reached out with his magic and encompassed the whole blade. Suddenly it shot down to the ground, leaving only the handle above the ground. “First lesson, never wrap a sword completely in magic, only grab the handle. If you put your magic between your target and the edge of the blade, that is one more thing to dull the impact. Now take it the right way.” Blaze focused, and grabbed the handle of the blade and lifted it out of the ground.

“So now what, do we start sparring?” Blaze said as he inspected the blade. The pommel had an interesting design on it, sort of like a phoenix with wings speared.

“No, you need to have a firm grasp on the basics before we start having sparring matches. Before anything you need to have complete and total control over how your blade moves, and you’ll need to know the rules of a swordspony.” Flint said as he unsheathed his other blade. Blaze noticed it also had a design on the pommel, but this one was of a cloud whose top edge was glowing.

“Wait, swordsponies have rules now?” Blaze didn’t like how more and more things were being added on his shoulders, seeming to make his extended stay here even more extended.

“These are ancient laws, observed by all races who wield swords. The first rule you must observe is this: never let emotion be everything that is behind your blade. Emotions are as shaky as a building built on the tip of a pin, and they are especially dangerous for unicorns. As you found out, when you have an excess amount of a strong emotion, your magic changes you, removing all logical thought, leaving only raw, untamed magic and strong emotion to control how you act.” Flint looked off into the forest as he continued. “A long time ago a group of unicorn soldiers specialized in using this as a way to overcome all foes that faced them.”

“What happened to them?” Blaze asked, already sensing the answer that undoubtedly would come. Flint looked back at Blaze.

“For the longest time they had a streak of never leaving an objective uncompleted, but they let this get to their head. They became cocky, and in the end, during one of their rage induced powerhouse moments, they kill one of their own, causing their immediate disbanding.” Flint huffed, causing a whirl of steam to curl up into the cold forest air. “Later on it was their former leader who began the rules that now dictate how a swordspony should act. And he made sure that everypony else would know the dangers of tapping into the power of pure rage. He took extra make to make this clear.”

“Alright, so never let emotion be everything behind your blade; next rule.” Blaze said, hoping to speed his course on swordplay a bit.

“No, you need to practice putting this rule into use before we can go to next rule. It’s time for a training exercise in self control.”





Blaze walked cautiously through a deeper part of the forest, and as he slowly inched forward his leg snagged on a tripwire that had been under a pile of leaves. Blaze looked around him quickly, but found nothing. Blaze took a few steps, and then a log swung down and slammed into his side, sending him flying through the air, until his flight ended abruptly with him slamming into a tree. Blaze fell to the forest floor, not wanting to get up anytime soon.

“Remember, Blaze,” a voice shouted from the trees above, “Some traps can have delayed triggers. Just because nothing happens right away, doesn’t mean nothing will happen ever.” Blaze was starting to get annoyed at the traps, but Flint’s constant lesson teaching at the expense of his physical well being was the real icing on the cake. 

Blaze poked his side, and to his relief, there were no signs of broken ribs on either of his side. But one thing Blaze knew for a fact, it was going to hurt in the morning. Blaze slowly got up and took maybe a dozen steps then felt the world slip out from underneath him. Blaze felt sick as he tried to figure out what happened, and then he felt the rope around his rear hoof. Blaze removed the blade from the sheath that was strapped to his side and cut the rope and fell back to the ground. As he landed, Blaze heard the something underneath him snap, and then he felt the ground give under him as he began to fall past the forest floor. Blaze raised himself from the bottom of the pit, and looked to the top of the hole.

“Some traps need something more than ordinary conditions to be set off. Just because you escaped from one trap doesn’t mean that there are no more.” Blaze huffed as he clambered up the side of the hole.

“Did you get put through this when you were becoming a swordspony?” Blaze shouted back up at the invisible Flint. Silence was all that he got in response. Blaze huffed again and raised the sword in front of him and began to walk forward, only to stop short. He could see the end of a tripwire poking up from the leaves, most likely disturbed by his fall. Blaze looked around him quickly, and then scanned the trees for any obvious object that would be attached to the tripwire. 

Blaze closed his eyes while sheathing his sword and took a deep breath as he stretched out his magic. As he had hoped to do, the leaves lifted and were dumped in the pit. Sure enough, all around him were traps of plenty scattered about. The one thing that Blaze really marveled at was that Flint had only had been given a ten minute head start on this exercise. Blaze slowly walked back and lay down on the pile of leaves, finding that even with all these leaves and pieces of debris that the hole still had about an inch to the level of the ground around it. Blaze stretched out his magic and made a thick sheet that hovered above the area he had cleared out. With a surge of magic he slammed it down into the ground, activating all of the traps. Logs swung to and fro, pits caved in, ropes shot up, and other diverse assortments of traps sprung to life. Suddenly Flint landed beside Blaze and looked around the newly cleaned out forest.

“Good, you didn’t let your temper get the best of you, and because of that you saw the solution that had been in front of you the whole time. Now you’re ready for the final test for this rule.” Blaze looked over at the hooded stallion. “You will need to have a sparring match under these same conditions.”

“But I thought you said…” Flint raised his hoof for silence before Blaze could get any father.

“I meant that for a true sparring matches with real blades you will need more training, but I have acquired some wooden practice swords that we can use. This will not simulate entirely realistic battle, mostly because these practice tools aren’t exactly top notch supplies. They weren’t made to give you the feel for the weight, just the reach and shape of the weapon.” With that the blade in Blaze’s sheath was removed and replaced with a much lighter version of the same weapon. “I set up a clearing with various traps already, and the only rule is that you can’t lift the leaves to find where the traps are. You must win actually besting me under those conditions.”





Blaze’s eyes glared at the stallion before him. The stallion slowly lifted his wooden sword with a golden sheath of magic that wrapped around the handle. Blaze lifted his and crossed blades as Flint had shown him. Quickly, the two blades snapped back to the sides of their owners as they began to circle. Blaze constantly eyed the ground, trying this hardest to spot the traps while keeping an eye on his opponent.

Flint jerked forward, causing Blaze to jump back slightly while having his sword at the ready. But as he landed he jerked up into the air as the trap activated. Blaze quickly used his magic and teleported back to the ground in an instant. Unfortunately, it was an instant to late, as Flint, in a full on charge that dodged all the traps with expert precision, slammed his sword into Blaze’s side. 

Blaze grunted and swung his blade at Flint, but was met only by a bit of Flint’s cloak. Flint swung his sword around and caught Blaze on the cheek, then the top of the head, then the chest, then his right foreleg, and then his back. Blaze fell to his knees as his sword clattered down to the ground and landed on a tripwire. Suddenly a log swung out, headed straight for Flint. Flint flew through the air, landing in a heap at the base of a tree.

Blaze quickly got to his hooves and lifted his sword, but soon regretted getting up so fast, as his body exploded in pain. Blaze gritted his teeth and blinked the tears that welled up in his eyes. Blaze watched as Flint met the tree legs first and pushed off it quickly. 

Flint used the momentum to propel his charge, which quickly was made near impossible as the ground underneath him fell away, revealing a pitfall. Flint quickly jumped away and rolled to his hooves, but way met by a wooden sword across the face. Flint felt the blade strike him repeatedly as he tried to focus.

Blaze slammed his sword into Flint repeatedly, trying to suppress his rage with each strike, but found it harder to do so as with each strike his rage built and with every bit his rage built he had to strike once more. Flint suddenly swung his sword and caught Blaze’s horn, causing Blaze’s magic to dissipate, making his sword fall to the ground. Flint then slammed his sword into Blaze’s rear left leg, causing him to fall to his haunches as he gritted his teeth and clenched his eyes shut. Explosions flared across his body as Flint slammed his sword ever harder into Blaze. As an act of desperation, Blaze quickly formed a sheet of magic above Flint and slammed it down on the stallion, but found the sheet simply slipping around the hooded stallion.

“Blaze, hold on, do not give up. Never give up, no matter what.” The voice of Blaze’s father echoed in his ear. Suddenly strength surged through Blaze, akin to the power of the ‘Rage Shift’, save that instead of being shoved to the back for his emotions and magic to take control, his senses became sharper, keener on the details of his surroundings.

Blaze lifted his sword and slammed the pommel down into Flint’s head, causing the stallion’s magic to evaporate. Blaze then began smacking the stallion, pressuring him to take several steps back, all the closer to the noose that lay unassumingly on the ground, partially hidden by some grass. Suddenly Flint shot up with the rope, but as he flew up he disappeared in a flash, and landed squarely on Blaze’s shoulders. Blaze quickly dropped and rolled to the side. He quickly turned on his hooves and smashed his sword into Flint’s forelegs, causing the stallion to stumble. Flint lit his horn and shot a small beam of magic at Blaze, which the young colt easily dodged by twirling to the side.

“Rule number two: Use any and all advantages presented to you, no matter how dishonorable they may seem, for victory is still victory, even when dirty.” With that Flint began sending a flurry of beams at Blaze, most of which he dodged, while others still struck him, including one on his left side, on his right foreleg, his left hind leg, and his right cheek. Blaze prepared his own spell, and suddenly a band of fire began to whirl around Flint.

Flint jumped through the ethereal fire with an expression of determination that matched his opponents. Blaze shot a wisp of flame that struck Flint on the left hind leg, causing a few beads of blood to form from the previously closed wound. Flint shot a beam of magic, which went far left, striking a tree instead of its intended target. Blaze smacked the tripwire under Flint with his sword. Suddenly a log swung down at Flint. Without even looking at it, Flint shot the log with a beam of magical energy. Instead of a log striking him, his cloak was splashed with some ash.

Blaze noticed with some concern that Flint’s eyes flashed white for a moment, before a wisp of steam exited his hood. Suddenly Flint’s sword shot up towards Blaze, but Blaze quickly reacted, and lifted his sword and caught it before it could land. Blaze then shot a wisp of fire, which Flint shot down with a beam of magic.

Blaze shot another bolt of fire as he caught Flint’s next attack with his sword. With each bolt of fire Flint shot down, Blaze blocked another of Flint’s sword attacks, all the while both of the combatants avoid the traps they had just set off. Blaze shot a bolt of fire down at the ground below Flint, which was met by the same treatment of a beam of energy, except now the ground gave as the thin wooden planks below them gave way to the pitfall. Both of the fighters jumped back from the falling ground.

“Third rule…” Flint said as the dust settled. “Never give your opponent time to rest.” With that Flint’s sword caught Blaze on the throat. “No matter how much you might need it as well.” Flint said, emerging from the cloud of dust. Blaze gritted his teeth and slammed his blade across Flint’s head, then across his neck, then his back. Flint shot a bolt of energy which caught Blaze in the left side, causing Blaze to cringe and flatter a bit. Unfortunately, that was all that Flint needed as he charged Blaze.

Blaze threw up a magical blanket and shoved it into Flint’s legs, causing him to trip and land hard, but Flint quickly tucked into a roll and got back to his hooves. Blaze swung his sword at Flint’s head, but Flint caught the blow expertly with his own blade. Blaze shot a bolt of fire into Flint’s face, but the stallion didn’t flinch as his hood was blow back, revealing his piercing blue eyes that glared holes into Blaze. Blaze covered those eyes with a band of fire. The colt then spun around on his hooves and delivered a buck to the stallion’s chest, causing Flint to stagger back into the pit.

Flint slowly climbed over the edge and lifted his sword and prepared to strike Blaze, but suddenly he fell down gasping for air as his sword clattered down to the ground. Blaze took a step back, and then rushed over to the fallen stallion’s side. Blaze looked the stallion over, and found that the forest floor was wet with a red substance behind the stallion. Blaze threw the part of Flint’s cloak that covered his hind legs back and found the bite mark from the timber wolf had reopened and was setting blood free from its prison inside Flint’s body.

“Is the fourth rule to make sure you never have too much blood inside of you?” Blaze said as he looked around for something he could use to help Flint.

“T-the fourth rule is to never let yourself be captured. Always… fight to the end, because t-there is no honor in causing your allies to… have to set you free.” Blaze looked at the stallion skeptically. “The fifth rule… is to always show… m-mercy to those who ask for it… b-because… it… distracts their allies, making them… have to set them free.” Blaze shook his head as he stood up. “Maybe… the sixth can be t-that one.” Flint said with a small smile; Blaze chuckled slightly.

“Alright, well, can you stand? I need to get you to Ponyville medical.” Blaze said, still trying to find something that he could use to at least stop the blood loss.

“No, I’ll be fine. You got yourself to worry about. Your assignment for next time is to see if you can get Rarity to teach you how to focus on multiple objects as well as your surroundings.” Flint said as he lifted himself.

“Uh… who’s Rarity? I don’t think I’ve met her yet.” Blaze said, watching Flint’s leg, making sure that it didn’t get any worse.

“Rarity is Ponyville’s dress maker, and a good friend of Twilight’s. You could ask Twilight if she knows anypony who can teach you how to do that technique, she’ll probably direct you to either a book or Rarity. Next training session is two days from now; meet me on the path again.” With that Flint’s horn glowed, and with a flash, Blaze found himself on the path into the Everfree. Blaze shook his head and walked back towards Ponyville.

> Chapter 5: Renewal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Blaze leaned against a tree, taking a drink from his canteen. It had been a busy two weeks, between the training he had with Flint and having fun with his friends. Ever since this arrangement had been solidified he had had an easier time actually feeling happy about staying in town for a bit longer. He had grown stronger over the several training sessions, both in magic and muscle. True, the difference wasn’t a monumental one, but it still was a change from before.

“Well done, Blaze.” Flint said walking up to him from his side of the arena. “I think you finally got a firm hold on the first rule, just remember that anger is as dangerous as any foe you try to use it against.” Blaze nodded, downing the last of the canteen before lowering it into the stream that crawled by the training field. “If you keep up this speed you’ll have all the rules down in a month or so, but you still need to work on your articulation of a real blade.”

“Can I help it when we only use those cheap wooden play things?” Blaze said with a smirk. “It also doesn’t help that I’ve got nothing to practice with back at the library. And speaking of which, if we’re done here for the day I need to head. Twilight went up to Canterlot last evening for a meeting with the other princesses and left me in charge of the library.”

“I think we can call it quits for the day. Just remember to do all of your exercises while you stay in the library.” Blaze nodded, and soon was teleported to the forest’s entrance. It had become the usual way for the training sessions to end, and really it did save time walking through the forest.





Blaze sat down at the library’s main reading table and took out a book that Flint assigned him to read over ten training sessions back. Blaze began reading and writing notes as he began to remove every book from the shelves and began to rotate them in two circles that rotated in opposite direction while each book rotate on its own axis in an alternating pattern, switching from a leftward rotation to a rightward every time Blaze turned a page.

Blaze heard the library door open after he read his fiftieth page and finished his notes on the wedge formation’s efficiency in its designated usage. Blaze cast a look to the door and saw his three friends gawking at the books that flew through the air.

“Is it re-shelving day already?” Half Pint said, trying his best to read each title that floated by in its endless orbit around Blaze.

“No, I’m just practicing a bit of magic.” Blaze said, and with that each book returned to its place, including the military strategy book Blaze had been reading and the notebook that was almost completely filled with notes.

“Well that’s some magic you got there. So, are you free for lunch?” Blizzard said looking away from the books. Blaze glanced over at the clock, and indeed, it was close to lunchtime. Blaze turned this over in his head a few times, and then nodded.

“Yeah, I think I can step out for lunch. Nopony, except you guys, has come in all day, so I think I’m pretty safe.” Blaze said, lifting his saddlebags onto his bags and trotting out the door after his friends. “So where are we headed, Sugar Cube Corner?” Blaze said, already taking the first turn in that direction.

“How about that other restaurant by the pond? What was it called again?” Amber suggested hopefully. Blizzard tapped a hoof to his chin in thought.

“You mean the Biscuit Barn?” Half Pint said, arching an eyebrow.

“No …, that’s the place near the Quill and Sofa; I’m talking about the place near the pond with the mushroom tables and all that. You know the place with the great hay fries?” Amber said, still trying to remember the restaurant’s name.

“Well, I don’t really care what its name is.” Blizzard finally said adamantly. “Do we want to go there or not, that is the really question. Raise your hoof if you want to go to the place by the pond.” Amber raised her hoof eagerly, only to find her hoof was the only one raised. “Alright, raise a hoof if…”

“You want to go to the Biscuit Barn!” Half Pint interjected while lifting his hoof, and again found he was the only one with a hoof raised. “Hey, they got really good biscuits.” Still he was alone.

“Raise a hoof for Sugar Cube Corner.” With that both Blaze and Blizzard raised their hooves. “Alright, the usual place it is then.” With that they headed out for their favorite spot.





The four ponies sat around their table sharing stories while eating, or drinking as the case was, what they had ordered. Suddenly a pink blur dashed up to their table and babbled off some gibberish and charged off again. The four ponies looked at each other with confused expressions until an orange earth pony ran up to them.

“Y’all best get inside lickety-split!” The pony said in a deep southern draw before running after the pink blur. The four ponies looked at each other in new found concern.

“Our house is closest,” Blizzard said, already standing up, “We can hunker down there.” The ponies nodded in agreement, and broke into a gallop to keep up with the speeding pegasus that guided the way. The four stopped at the door to the house as Blizzard began knocking.

“Who is it?” A mare’s voice called out from inside the house.

“It’s me, Mom, we were told that we were supposed to get inside. Half Pint and another friend of ours are here as well.” Blaze heard the sound of locks coming undone before the door finally opened.

“Applejack was here not too long ago telling me to stay inside as well. Hurry now, if any of Twilight’s friends tells us to get inside we better listen.” Amber and Blizzard’s mom said. Soon the four ponies we inside eating some of the sugar cookies that, by what Blaze had been told, were made by their hostess.

“So… Applejack is another friend of Twilight’s? Any others I should be aware of?” Blaze said after downing the last of his milk. “I met Rarity, who else?” Half Pint looked at Blaze with an expression that was something between disbelief and concern.

“There are three others besides Applejack and Rarity that live here in Ponyville. There’s Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash. To be quite honest, I’m surprised you haven’t met them since you’ve been here for almost... what is it, three weeks?” Blizzard replied.

“Two weeks actually. And for the most part I’ve been spending very little time in the library. Usually I’m with you guys or practicing.” Blaze argued.

“Would you like some more milk and cookies, Blaze?” Blaze looked over to Amber’s mom, Red Cross if he had heard right.

“No thank you, ma’am, I’m quite finished. I had a sundae at Sugar Cube Corner before we arrived.” Blaze replied with a smile and a shake of his head. Mrs. Cross smiled and looked over at Half Pint who was greedily munching down on the cookies, sending crumbs all around him.

“Never stopped Half Pint. I’ve got to say, he’s got his grandfather’s appetite, if not more than that.” She commented with a smile, pouring more milk into Half Pint’s glass. After a hard swallow, and a lick of his lips, Half Pint smiled at what probably was his favorite hostess in all of Equestria.

“I can’t help it; you’ve got cookies that could impress my grandma.” Half Pint then chomped down on another of the sugary delights. “Er min ther su tasty!” He said without swallowing, but after an arched eyebrow from Mrs. Cross, he swallowed and corrected. “What I meant to say was I mean they’re so tasty.” He said with a bit of red touching his cheeks. Mrs. Cross nodded and went back to the kitchen with an empty bottle of milk.

Suddenly there was a rumble from outside that sounded almost like a voice shouting Twilight’s name. Blaze quickly rushed to the window and scanned the surrounding area. He could see nothing, and then a streak of purple light zipped through the sky. Blaze squinted as he tried to figure out what was going on, but whatever it was it was too far away.

“What was that?” Blaze said in almost a whisper to nopony in particular. Suddenly there was a flash out of the corner of his eye. He looked and saw Twilight turning her telescope to the field beyond. Blaze looked where it was pointed and saw an orange flash which quickly grew. Blaze looked back to where Twilight had been, but found only purple sparkles of a spell, then nothing. Blaze felt back from the window, blinded by a light that had come from nowhere.

Blaze quickly got back up and looked towards the library, but all he saw was rubble and the burnt partial husk of the now destroyed library. Blaze gawked and stared in shock, but something else caught his attention. A gigantic beam of color slammed downed into the ground before suddenly growing much larger. It lasted for a few seconds, and then dissipated. Blaze suddenly was hauled back from the window while he watched Amber shut and latched it.

“”W-what are you doing? Twilight is out there and I need to make sure she’s safe!” Blaze pleaded as he got back up to his hooves.

“Blaze, listen, there’s no sense in endangering yourself to figure out if she’s alive, just calm down a bit.” Blizzard reasoned while holding Blaze back with his hooves. “She’s smart; she wouldn’t let herself get killed. Plus, how would she feel if you got hurt while trying to make sure she was safe when she was fine the whole time? Just wait until whatever is happening outside to calm down enough for it to be safe to check, but for now just stay here and be safe; for Twilight’s sake.” Blaze began to calm down a bit, but he still desperately wanted to go outside and check on her.

“B-but what if she’s hurt? I have a chance right now to go out there and help her. She might be dying and… and…” Blaze stumbled before Amber put a hoof on his shoulder.

“Calm down, Blaze, she’ll be fine. She has gone through things like this before and has made it out without a scratch.” Blaze looked at her, still feeling the same determination he had before. Blaze knew they were probably right, but he still didn’t feel right about leaving Twilight out there on her own. Blaze lit his horn in a silver aura. 

“Then hope that I can do the same.” Blaze stated coolly before teleporting to the library. Blaze blinked several times to get the ciders out of his eyes. This wasn’t his last destination, but it would serve as a stepping stone to get closer. He already he tired from teleporting that far, but now he was going to have to do it again. He quickly lit his horn again and teleported to the Everfree forest. He took several deep breathes, feeling exhausted by the effort of two rather long distance teleportations.


“Flint, come out, I need you now!” Blaze shouted as he charged into the forest. Blaze wasn’t an idiot, even though he was probably charging head long into danger, he wasn’t going to do it without a slight bit of help to tip the scales in his favor. He continued to charge down the path. “Flint, come out, I need you help!”

“I’m not going to help you risk you life, Blaze.” Flint’s voice said, seeming to come from everywhere, most likely some spell or another. Blaze skidded to a halt and looked around a bit. 

“I need to make sure she’s alright! I can’t just leave her out there to her fate!” Blaze shouted back at the forest around him.

“She’ll be alright; she has plenty of experience in this type of scenario.” Flint replied. “Go back to where you came from and don’t come out again.” Blaze looked around some more, trying to pinpoint where Flint was, but something wasn’t right. The ground shook beneath his hooves, causing him to run down the path, deeper into the forest. He didn’t know what it was, but he was now further into the forest, making the castle clearing the closer one than the exit to Ponyville, besides the fact he still wanted to find Flint.

Suddenly an orange and black beam sliced through the forest in front of him, making him stop in horror. A trench almost as deep as the Golden Oaks library had been tall now cut through the landscape. Blaze looked for a way around, but no such route seemed to be nearby. He sighed and took a few steps back, then charged towards the gash in the path, only to have another beam cut through the path a small distance away. Blaze attempted to skid to a halt, but hit a small rock, causing him to tumble onto his side and fall into the newly formed trench. 

The ground was still hot from whatever had just happened, and Blaze wasn’t inclined to stay on the scorching hot ground for too long, and so got to his hooves and attempted to scramble up the sheer cliffs that now was his prison, but found that their surface was far too slippery to scale. Blaze lit his horn and popped up on the other side of the trench. After a few deep breathes, Blaze looked across the next trench, and attempted to teleport once again, but found he was thoroughly exhausted, by manner of the two longer distance jumps and this last one weighing down on his horn.

Blaze took a few steps from the ledge, and then began to run towards his next obstacle. When he drew close enough, he jumped across, making it with only his front hooves. Blaze pulled himself up with great effort, and then rolled onto his side and over the edge and fully on the other side.  Blaze nodded at the trenches before charging off again.

The river had been an easy cross because of a tree that had fallen, because of the tremors, and now spanned the watery gap. As he made it into the clearing, Blaze noticed Twilight, Discord, and her friends entering a cave at the bottom of the trench that separated his side of the cliff from the castle. Blaze looked around and found a stone staircase that went down to the bottom. Blaze quickly galloped over and went down the stair as fast as he could, hoping to catch up with them.

As he approached, a bright light come out of the cave and go up into the sky. He watched, and saw a gigantic centaur blast the light with the orange and black beam. When the beam ended the light had not changed. The beast roared at it, saying something that Blaze couldn’t quite make out. Suddenly, a few colors came out of the light and slam into the centaur, then more, until all of the colors of the rainbow joined together and poured all of its power into the centaur, which began to shrink until it disappeared.

Blaze watched as a wave of light washed over the entire area, and even beyond. As it passed, Blaze felt as if his magical abilities had been returned. Suddenly a rainbow shot out from the ground above the cave and shot towards Ponyville. Blaze lit his horn and teleported back to the forest’s exit. Blaze charged off towards Ponyville, watching as some object floated through the rainbow. Out of nowhere, the ground began to tremble again, but this time, Blaze could see the effects. In the distance, a castle made of crystal began to rise, looking slightly like a tree. Blaze didn’t exactly like its design, but that really didn’t matter.

Blaze began to trot towards Ponyville after a band of rainbow flew from the castle. Blaze tried to remember how many rainbows he had seem this day alone. Suddenly a purple blur shot above him, only to come back around to land beside him.

“Blaze, what are you doing this far from town? You should have been in doors or at least a bit closer to town.” Twilight said as she came up beside him.

“I saw the library was destroyed.” Blaze said, trying to divert the conversation. “Where will you be living now? Will you be going to Canterlot to reign with the other princesses?” Twilight shook her head with a smile.

“No, I actually got my own castle closer to town now.” She replied happily, only to have her smile die out as her mind caught up slowly on the implications.

“So that glass tree house is yours, huh?” Blaze said with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. “I didn’t think that ‘Crystal Empire’ was your choice of interior decorating.” Twilight stifled a laugh.

“You definitely have been spending a bit of time with Rarity, haven’t you?” Twilight asked with a smirk.

“I blame my sense of humor on Half Pint; Rarity might have been teaching me more about fashion choices, she doesn’t have too much of a sense of humor, no offence to her.” Twilight nodded in agreement at this. The two ponies walked side by side in silence for a few moments. “So, I guess I’m moving out then.” Blaze said abruptly.

“You don’t have to leave you know? My house was your house, and now I can say my castle is your castle.” Twilight replied.

“My assertion that I’m not good with fancy or posh stuff still stands. A castle is just that, plush and fancy, no matter how hard crystal might be.” Blaze said, his smirk returning again.

“I guess so, but where will you go? Do you know anypony willing to take you in until the train or carriages are functional?” Twilight questioned.

“I’ve made some friends, I bet one of them will be more than willing to take me in. Besides, if they don’t, I could just get a cardboard box and live in the middle of the road. That isn’t much different than what I used to do with my family.” Twilight chuckled a bit.

“Well, I guess you got things figured out, just remember that my castle’s doors are open to you at all times.” Twilight stated.

“Yeah, I will.” Blaze replied calmly.          

> Chapter 6: Reveal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Blaze sat in the waiting room chair, counting how many dots were in one tile. How long had he been there? He wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t feeling any more comfortable than he had when he first arrived. He looked up at the clock above the entryway’s door. Almost five hours had passed since they had arrived.

“Don’t worry, he’ll be alright.” The stallion beside him said calmly, though it seemed his comrade wasn’t feeling quite as certain. As Blaze counted the umpteen hundredth dots on the tile the doors leading into the next room opened, revealing a stallion dressed in what had been a sanitary white coat that now was stained with red in certain places.

“Ï have some news. Which one is the relative here?” The surgeon asked while lowering his mask. Blaze stood up from the chair.

“Is he alright?” He said slowly while walking closer to the stallion.

“He pulled through surgery well enough. The stitches are in place, but that is where things get complicated. You see, the wounds across his side were quite deep, I have a hard time figuring how he even made to the surgery table, much less had the strength before he got here to cast a spell of the magnitude implied by your accounts.” The doctor commented with a sigh. “The muscle along his side was ripped rather badly, not to mentions that the some ribs where broken and very nearly punctured a few things that can’t be done without. The stallion is lucky he even got here in his condition.”

“Will he make it is the question I think we all would like answered, not explanations on how bad he was; I believe we all had a pretty good understanding of that.” One of the stallions said, sounding rather strained to keep calm as he was.

“Very well then, he will survive, though how well is yet to be seen. He have done all we could to set his body on the path to recovering correctly, though it is up to him and you all to make sure he doesn’t push it. I give him a fifty percent chance of full recovering of all functions, twenty percent of limited mobility, and thirty percent for… complete loss of all muscular function on that side. I need to warn you all, though, that I am not a prophet, my predictions are based on if he actually does as he’s told. If he so much as steps out of line to even the slightest extent my predictions are as good as a hundred percent loss of all muscular function, so make sure he doesn’t stress himself for the next two months. Don’t let him out of bed for at least the first three weeks, after that try having him walk slowly. Now we need to talk about his medication. He is to have only two doses…” The stallion’s voice faded slowly along with the room around Blaze. Blaze looked around frantically trying to get his bearings, and then all of a sudden…

Blaze breathed in a deep breath, taking in the scent of something delicious. Blaze sniffed at the air again taking in the wisps of the smell. Blaze smacked his lips in delight, toast. He couldn’t remember toast ever smelling so good. He also couldn’t remember Twilight cooking something besides regular toast and the occasional sweet roll for breakfast.

“Hey, Blaze, get up, my mom has breakfast about ready for us.” Blaze heard Blizzard call from outside the room. Blaze rolled onto his side and looked over at him. He quickly realized he wasn’t on the couch in the library, but on a stiff box string in the guestroom of Amber and Blizzard’s house. It came back to him quickly, as if a light had been turned on, which in a way had happened when Blizzard opened the door to the room.

“I’ll be down soon enough.” Blaze then stifled a yawn as he slowly got out from the covers and on the floors. “Don’t hold up for me.” Blizzard nodded and headed away towards the dining room. Blaze rubbed a hoof across his eyes before leaving the room and heading towards the bathroom. As he entered, he turned the tub’s faucet on before ducking his head under the stream while shutting the door behind him and locking it with a flick of his magic.

As he watched out his mane his thoughts drifted to his dream, if he could really call it that. It had been so vivid that he couldn’t really say if it was a dream, much like he had a hard time deciphering what that vision thing back in the library had truly been. Blaze was beginning to think those two things, and whatever he had seen back at the old castle, were some sort of side effect of plowing into trees so often.

Blaze turned the faucet and toweled his mane dry, then after a few strokes of a brush, he styled his mane into its usual straight style. He looked at his reflection, but what he saw made his heart skip a beat. There in the mirror, looking back at him with a grave expression was his own image, but twisted. It wore a helmet that bore several gashes, each of which had streams of blood trickling from them. Blaze reached out to it, but found that instead of a hoof, a blade rose up where his reflected hoof should be. Blaze looked back towards his reflection and saw the silvery glow that enveloped its… his horn.  The reflection mouthed something, but then Blaze realized he could hear the words.

“…but I believe now that I can make an exception. I believe the rules can be broken this once to end you once and for all.” With that its eyes flashed white; the helmet tumbled to the side while its mane was picked up in an ethereal wind. A bright light blinded Blaze for a second. He blinked several times before looking back into the mirror and seeing his reflection as it should have been. He sighed and splashed his face with a little water from the sink before looking back to the mirror, his normal reflection shown proudly. He sighed as he unlatched he door, and with one final glance at the mirror, he walked towards the dining room.

“Good morning, Blaze, I hope you slept well. I never thought anypony could ever be comfortable on that old thing.” Amber’s mom commented as she put a piece of toasted bread on the one that already occupied the plate. Blaze looked at it, noticing how it was more light brown than blackish. “It’s my own special recipe, a slight twist on an old family favorite.”

“It looks delicious, thank you ma’am.” Blaze commented as he levitated his fork and jabbed it into one of the pieces of toasted bread.

“Well you are most welcome. I hope it taste as good to you as it does to Half Pint. Where is that colt anyway? He was supposed to deliver the milk five minutes ago.” She said just before a knock on the door caused her to jump. “Sometimes I swear that colt stands outside our door until I talk about him THEN knocks just to spite me.”

“I’ll get it, Mom.” Amber said as he stood up from her chair and walk over to the door. She threw open the latch, and then looped her hoof around the curved handle and pulled it in. “Hello, Half Pint. How’s the rout been this morning?” She asked while stepping aside to let him in.

“Good enough, no dogs casing me anyway, but Bon-Bon had me give her two extra bottles, something about a cake or some pastry or another. Because of that I had to run back home and get my second load before getting to Matilda and Cranky’s house, but hey, I’m here.” Half Pint explained in a slightly annoyed tone. “Seriously, Bon-Bon of all ponies should know that if you want extra milk you should place an order at the very least the day before, if not three days.” he added with a huff. “And on that note, here’s your three bottles.” He continued while unlatching his cooler-saddlebags so that Mrs. Cross could take the last three that were inside.

“How is Quarter Gallon doing? Is his leg doing any better? I know that your rout has been much harder after having to take over for him as well.” Amber asked while putting some of the toast onto another plate for Half Pint.

“He’s doing a bit better, he still’s got about a week in that cast according to the doctor, but even after that he is supposed to not go back on his rout until another week has past. Something doing with making his sure his leg is alright, but I would think after having it inside of a fake rock for three weeks would pretty much cover for anything wrong with it.” Half Pint commented as he sat down at the table. “Morning, Blaze, doing alright?” Half pint said with a smile.

“I’m alright for the most part.” Blaze said before putting the piece of toast in his mouth, releasing a sudden burst of flavor that quite honestly surprised him. “Wur, dis is gurd!” He commented in delight while still chewing away.

“Careful there, Blaze, you’re starting to be more and more like Half Pint.” Amber said with a small smile painted across her face. Blaze briskly swallowed with a blush, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Half Pint was smiling as well.

“Sorry, but that has to be some of the best toast I’ve ever had.” He continued while cutting another bit off of the next slice.

”Yeah, and I eat things like this every time I do my milk rout.” Half Pint commented with a chuckle. “Almost makes up for the fact I don’t get much of an allowance.” Blaze nodded as he finished the last bite of toast he had. He quickly levitated a napkin and wiped off his muzzle.

“So, any plans for the rest of the day?” Blaze asked, getting into a tad more comfortable position in his chair.

“Not really, most plans we might have had were pretty much cancelled because of a certain centaur problem.” Blizzard commented as he entered from the door that led to his room. “We could always just sit around all day.” He added with a smirk.

“Well, no matter what we do I still need to get these coolers back to my house. I’ll see you all when I get back, have fun trying to figure out what to do.” Half Pint said as he stood up from the table. He quickly took his last piece of toast in his mouth before heading out the door in a brisk trot.

“Well I think you all should go to the park and get some exercise. All those trips to Sugar Cube Corner it’s a wonder you are as thin as you are.” Amber’s mother said as she entered the room again.

“Well Half Pint and I do rounds of hide and seek nearly every other day.” Amber commented while looking over to Blizzard.

“I got my daily work out and my weather job on the weekends.” Blizzard added, looking over to Blaze expectantly. Blaze looked back at him, and then realized what was going on.

“Oh… uh, I usually do a couple laps around Ponyville in the mornings.” He stated hastily. He had been given that assignment by Flint to help him with his problem of a distinct lack of stamina. In truth, for the first two weeks it had been a struggle to make it through all five laps around the village then win a duel against Flint, though after that it had become slowly easier. The last session had been a testament to that, with him nearly beaten Flint before he had been worn out.

“Well I know for a fact you haven’t done that today.” Mrs. Cross commented with a smirk. “So how about you get Half Pint and of you head on down to the park.” The three ponies nodded before heading out the door. Blizzard took a deep breath in before letting out a long drawn out sigh.

“I think today is a rather good day for some physical activities. The air seems fresher than before for some reason.” Blizzard remarked as he stretched out his wings.

“It might have something to do with being cooped up inside for most of yesterday.” Amber said as she ducked away from Blizzard’s extended wings.

“Do either of you have ideas for what we might do when we are there? Going to the park is all fine and dandy, but if we just sit around we might as well just sit around your house with a window open.” Blaze questioned as he trotted in place, loosening his muscles in anticipation of some strenuous activities.

“How about we play some hide and seek?” Half Pint said as he came in from a gallop beside the trio. The three others looked at each other thinking about the suggestion.

“Not to be a sour apple or anything, but isn’t that a tad… foalish?” Blaze asked earnestly, gaining glances from Amber and Half Pint.

“That never stopped these two.” Blizzard scoffed as he folded his wings, not even looking his direction. “All those in favor raise your hoof.” Amber and Half Pint raised their hooves proudly, followed eventually by Blizzard. “Alright, hide and seek at the park it is, Half Pint, you’re ‘it’.” Blizzard said before spreading his wings again and rushing off in a whirl of dust. Half Pint shrugged as he turned to face the opposite direction of the two ponies.

“Just try and remember that the park is all the hiding area you got, no hiding in town or something dumb like that. On… two… three…” As Half Pint began counting the two ponies took off for the park, leaving him far behind in a matter of seconds.

“Follow me; I know a good place to hide.” Amber said as she charged down another road to their right. Blaze knew he would miss the turn with how fast he was going, but instead of grinding to a halt, he ran on and took the next turn he could and quickly rejoined Amber after a few quick corners. 

Soon enough they reached the outer edge of the park where a lone tree stood. Amber dove between the roots and disappeared into the shadow that engulfed the entrance. Blaze slowed down as he came closer. He peered in cautiously, trying to see if there was enough room.

“Get it here before Half Pint finishes counting. He only even goes to forty.” Blaze heard Amber from inside the shadow. He slowly inched inside, and to his surprise, found it to be rather spacious under the rather big tree.

“How did you find this place?” Blaze said, marveling on how livable the space seemed to be. It was big enough that Flint could probably live in it comfortably, a thought that made Blaze a tad suspicious.

“Some wandering traveler found it a while back. He slept in here before he actually got a house of his own. He used to brew some of the most wonderful smelling coffee in the mornings. When he left I opened it up a bit more and sealed up most of the holes so that it would be harder to spot and get in to.” Amber explained.

“Was this traveler wearing a black cloak perchance?” Blaze questioned, feeling a bad feeling about all of this.

“No, he wore a white lab coat, but he did have a black undershirt.” She replied, relieving Blaze’s worry a bit. Knowing that this hadn’t been a former of Flint made him feel a bit better; he really didn’t like being in another pony’s home, even if it had long since been abandoned, it just felt wrong. “So… um, do you want to talk about something until he comes?” She asked hopefully.

“I don’t have much to say. Not much has been happening, except maybe the sudden move into your home, but you know all about that.” He responded as he listened closely to their surrounding, making sure that Half Pint wasn’t anywhere nearby.

“Well… um… I kind of wanted to ask you something about a few weeks ago.” Amber said in a rather shy tone. Blaze raised an eyebrow at this.

“Sure go ahead, what is it?” He asked as he continued to search the area with his ears. Amber shuffled uncomfortably beside him.

“Well… it’s about something that happened at the lake.” Amber said finally, causing Blaze to stiffen up a tad. “When you were getting me out off the lakebed I saw some… color coming off of you.” She continued, assuring Blaze of what he had guesses by a simple glance he had been given that same day by this same pony. “I could have sworn it had been coming from your cutie mark, almost as if it was coming off. I just wanted to know… is your… your cutie mark… um, fake?” Blaze let out a sigh. He considered lying to her, but he couldn’t see that going anywhere pleasant.

“Yeah…” Blaze stated simply as his shoulders slumped in defeat. His secret was out, and there was no way to get it back under wraps. “Back when I was… younger… my father was concerned about me not getting my mark for so long. I had tried all of the tricks of the trade, but I ended up being a jack of all trades but master of none. That was something he couldn’t live with, and he almost considered leaving me in a town after our show.” Amber gasped at this.

“H-he wouldn’t, you’re…” Amber trailed off as Blaze lifted one of his hooves for silence. He sighed again before looking over at Amber.

“I heard him myself that night. He said we weren’t a traveling freak show and having a colt my age around without his mark wouldn’t exactly be something he wanted for us, nor anything that would be good with the public. My mom eventually convinced that I should be given a bit longer.
“A few nights later I snuck out of camp and painted this whirl of fire on my flanks. After flashing a few bands of fire and coming back to camp, my parents were concerned, that is until they saw the marks. I acted as surprised as they were, saying that I had felt like I hadn’t done my best in the last show and had wanted to make sure I had gotten it down as best as possible. After that, my father seemed to accept me completely… well, at least a lot more than he had in the past.” Silence hen fell over the small shadowy hallow under the tree.

“Oh… I’m… I’m sorry… that… that you had to go through all of… that.” Amber sputtered at last. Blaze nodded silently before scanning the area for any sign of Half Pint with his ears.   

> Chapter 7: The Observer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Blaze walked into the forest after his traditional five laps around Ponyville. He was definitely getting better at it, he barely felt winded anymore, though his legs ached almost nonstop, though it was an ache that could be ignored if you had any perseverance. He stopped as he wiped his brow with a foreleg.

It had been weeks since that game of tag where he had completely revealed the truth to Amber, and as he had expected, she had not told anypony. True, he had no way of telling for sure if she hadn’t, but if she had, Blizzard was really good at concealing it, where as the looks Amber had occasionally gave him were so obvious that Blaze was surprised the others hadn’t said anything yet..

“Flint, I’m here!” He shouted to the trees. A dull thump and a rustle of leaves told him that Flint had come down the same as he always had, testing the scar on his hind leg. “How are you doing?” Blaze asked as he turned to the hooded pony.

“I’m doing well; and you?” Flint replied as he straightened to his full height. Blaze huffed at him as he cracked his neck.

“You should know; you make a point of reminding me that you are always watching me.” Blaze retaliated with a smirk.

“Very well, here’s your sword, let’s begin. I have a feeling that this session’s going to be a bit different than usual.” Flint commented while levitating over the sheathed blade to Blaze. They had recently switched from the wooden tools to sheathed real blades, so as to maintain safety and practice with the weight at the same time. They might be evening out slightly, but bruises always were exchanged in the fights.

Soon the dull thuds of the leather covered blades slamming into each other echoed throughout the empty forest as they had on a regular basis. Blaze and Flint would exchange bolts of magical fire and magical beams, usually not as true attacks, but as distractions that only worked occasionally. The two swordsponies continued their clash for hours on end, never letting up their attacks on each other, neither showing any sign of ending any time in the predictable future. 

As the fight continued, Blaze was able to send a bolt of fire right into Flint’s side, which allowed Blaze to follow through with several more strikes with his sheathed blade. Flint shot a beam at Blaze, but missed his mark as Blaze rolled to the side while shooting his own fire bolt. The flame swept past Flint’s hood, lighting up his determined expression that was hidden beneath the shadow of his hood. Flint swung his sword down on Blaze, but Blaze quickly drew close to Flint, slamming into him with a shoulder, causing him to stumble backwards.

Flint quickly recovered, and shot a beam at the now near pointblank range, hitting right into the crown of Blaze’s head, causing his magical aura to pop, dropping his weapon and flame spell in an instant. Blaze quickly jumped back while turning around, and threw his hind legs out, catching Flint in the jaw, sending him stumbling backwards.

Blaze lit his horn and sent a small fire whirl into Flint’s eyes as he quickly grabbed his sword between his teeth. The flame slapped Flint, only managing to stun him for a few seconds, long enough for Blaze to pick up his sword and charge up to Flint, slamming his sword into his opponent’s shoulder. Flint grunted as he swung his sword at Blaze’s left side. Blaze twisted his head around and parried flawlessly. Blaze swung out his right foreleg, catching Flint in the jaw in an uppercut. Flint shrugged the blow off as he back flipped away from his assailant, readying his blade.

Blaze charged him with a muffled shout, swinging his blade for Flint’s horn. Flint flicked up his blade, expertly disarming Blaze. Blaze quickly wrapped his loose blade in a magical field, quickly redirecting it to Flint. Flint raised his blade, giving Blaze the opportunity he needed as he shot a bolt of fire at Flint’s chest. The flare burst against his cloak, leaving it unharmed. Flint hesitated, allowing Blaze to more his own blade past, catching Flint at the base of his neck, causing him to fall down. Blaze jumped back and readied his blade. Flint rose up to his full height.

“You’re putting up more of a fight than last session…” Flint commented as the golden glow under his hood intensified. “Is there any reason for that?” He said as a bolt of magic shot towards Blaze. Blaze rolled to the side as he shot a fire ball towards Flint.

“Maybe I’m just getting better at a faster rate than you anticipated.” Blaze shot back as Flint smacked the magical fire away with a flick of his blade. Flint huffed at that as he redirected his blade towards Blaze.

“Maybe you’re just getting cocky.” Flint replied as his blade shot out towards Blaze. Blaze leaped over the blade and landed so close to Flint that he felt Flint snort at him. Blaze shot a bolt of fire at the close range, but Flint had foreseen this and shot it down with his own magical beam. Blaze quickly swung his blade into Flint’s left side and he jumped to the left as Flint’s own blade slammed into the ground where he had been but a moment before.

Blaze quickly lifted his blade and swung it into Flint’s face. Flint grunted as he tried to refocus on Blaze. Blaze shot a bolt at Flint. Flint had no time to react as it smashed into his face, the force causing his hood to flip back, revealing his face for only the third time to Blaze. Blaze quickly smacked Flint’s horn with the hilt of his sword, causing the spell he had been preparing to fall with his sword.

Blaze’s horn grew brighter as he prepared his own spell. Flint flicked his sword up into his mouth with a hoof with practiced ease. Blaze suddenly disappeared with a flash of magic. Flint quickly looked over his surrounding, ready to pop up a shield spell at the first sign of trouble. A bolt of flamed curved out from the trees, directly at him. Flint teleported out of the way, only to find a storm of bolt flying out at him, making him pop up his shield in desperation, only to find it only able to block a  small portion of it before collapsing.

Blaze teleported behind Flint, slamming his blade into the stallion’s back, causing him to fall to the ground. Flint rolled to the side and readied his sword, but was met with a fire bolt to the face, causing him to close his eyes long enough for Blaze to land another buck into his chest. He let out a gasp as the wind was knocked out of him. Blaze quickly lifted his blade to continue his attack. Flint threw out a punch to him, but met only air as his opponent jumped back. Flint stood slowly, only to fall again.

“Alright… alright, I guess you won this time, Blaze. I… I think you are really shaping up to be a… a fine swordspony.” Flint stammered. Blaze smiled as he helped his friend and trainer back to his hooves.





The last flashes of magic as Blaze was teleported flashed across the stone. The observer snorted as the hooded pony walked away as he always had at the end.

“The small one is getting better.” She said slowly, looking away from the stone in thought. “Though I would still like to know where that older one gets his knowledge from that he could have taught something to his fellow.” The lights on the stone shifted into an expanse of stars, as if the night sky had been trapped in it. “If only they knew where that one had come from, then he might actually be a challenge.” The stars floated across the stone into a new shape, as if outlining a head of a creature.

“You should know better than to doubt him. He is, after all, not of this time. He will present more of a challenge than any of his comrades could when combined.” A deep voice rumbled through the stillness.

“I know, but would it not be grander if he was even greater than he is now?” The observer said wishfully. A snort echoed through the cavern.

“He will be much better than he is now when he goes to fulfill his purpose.” The deep voice replied. “I will insure it to be so.”

“Of course, he will be a worthy opponent, better than any before.” The observer quickly amended with a respectful bow.

“How go the preparations?” The deep voice asked. The observer stood up straight, gazing upon the stone with a smirk spreading across her face.

“All goes according to plan, and on schedule so far.” She replied happily as she looked to the silhouetted form on the stone.

“I want you to get ahead of schedule; the time draws near for the greater purpose to be accomplished.” The voice rumbled.

“Of course, I will insure that the pace is increased. We will be ready when the time comes.” She replied to the voice. When she finished, the shape appeared to nod; then the stars floated back into a random pattern. The observer walked away from the stone, already thinking on how she could increase her speed. 

> Chapter 8: First Darkness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Blaze finished his last lap around Ponyville with his sheathed practice sword strapped to his side, feeling quite good about how his consistent streak of loses had morphed to ties, than had changed into occasional victories, much like the first one he had had a few weeks ago. It had been, roughly, eight months since he had first come to Ponyville, something he had not been the most enthusiastic about when he had first found it out. Flint had said he wanted to train him to his full potential, but eight months was getting on the ridiculous side.

A thud coming from behind him said that Flint had made his usual entrance. Blaze didn’t say anything as Flint moved up beside him.

“Morning, Blaze, trust you rested well.” Flint said as he turned to look at Blaze. Blaze nodded as he lifted the blade from his side, ready to start practice quickly. “Thank you for returning that.” Flint said as he gripped the sheathed blade in his magic. Blaze looked confused at Flint as he let go of the sword.

“Aren’t we going to practice?” Blaze asked as Flint strapped the sheath to his side under his cloak, on the opposite side of his usual practice sword.

“No, your time is up.” Flint replied as he turned away from Blaze. “You have learned enough from me, now you need to learn from yourself.” Flint continued as he started to walk down the path. Blaze began to follow him quickly.

“What do you mean? I can’t learn anything from myself; you taught me most of what I know.” Blaze asked as he fell in beside Flint.

“As true as that may seem to you, I haven’t taught you anything, merely awakening what you had inside of you, a process you must finish. You have progressed quite well, I hope you don’t stop.” Flint replied as he continued down the path. Blaze felt a shiver run down him as Flint spoke, a feeling he had grown accustomed to. He had learned that they usually signaled he would go into the strange vision soon.

“What’s happening, why are you…” With that Blaze fell onto his side, feeling disorientated, unable to move. Blaze attempted to stand, but found he was unable to move.

“I’m sorry for doing this to you...” a voice said in his ear. Blaze breathed heavily as he tried to fight against the cloud that was engulfing his vision, attempting to get back to Flint.

A clash of steel on something hard, a roar of pain, a triumphant shout, a deep rumbling voice, blood, rage, a devastating blow, and then… nothing.

Blaze shot up from the forest floor, looking around him quickly, assessing his surroundings. The forest was quiet, the sound of leaves rustling above him as wind blew past the forest canopy. Blaze looked to where Flint had been, but saw only the empty path before him. Blaze stood up, continuing to look at the forest before him. 

Suddenly a dull thud resounded through the forest, originating beside him. He looked and saw the shaft of an arrow stinking out of a tree with a piece of paper stuck on it. He levitated the paper off of it and noticed the black tint of ink. Flipping it over and smoothing it out, Blaze began to read the message.

‘Your time is complete. Go, find your family. Nothing is held against you now. You may return when you wish. The trains and chariots are now fixed.’

Blaze read over the note several times, trying to see if this might be a test, some sign of it not really meaning what was written on its surface. After a few more times reading it, Blaze reluctantly walked out of the forest. He had so desperately wanted to see his family during his extended stay, but now that he had the chance, that urge was just gone. He didn’t feel the desire as he had previously; he still wanted to find his family, but the force of that desire was now just a flicker of the roaring fire that had once been.



Blaze trotted out of the forest at a brisk pace. He had used the time he had taken to get out of the forest to think about how he would soon be seeing his family again, but he still didn’t feel as enthusiastic as he had before, in fact, he was now feeling less enthusiastic than he had when he had first read the note.

In the distance Blaze could make out the Ponyville train station. The platform was filled and a line spiraled off through the streets. Blaze concluded that the train to Canterlot was indeed functioning again, as Flint had stated. But even this didn’t make Blaze feel any more enthusiastic about leaving, nor any more comfortable about it.

“Blaze!” He heard Twilight call from somewhere. He looked around, but didn’t see her, and then he looked up and saw her flying a tad unsteadily. “The train to Canterlot is working again. Pack your things quickly; I’m not sure how many of these ponies the train can actually hold.” Blaze nodded and galloped off towards Amber’s house to get his few things.



Blaze flew through the front door, nearly having the door swing into Mrs. Cross. He swerved around Half Pint and Blizzard, his training with Flint making it easy to take the tight turns and not lose too much momentum. He used his magic and opened the guestroom before he reached it and began to quickly levitate several objects from around the room into his saddlebags.

Blaze nodded as each book of some military history, tactics, or some other topic related to Equestria’s fighting force floated past his vision and into his bags. He continued, nearly oblivious to the looks he had gained from the other ponies that he had gone past.

“Uh, Blaze, what’s going on? Why are you packing? Are you going somewhere?” Half Pint asked as he walked up to the door, watching as the object from around room floated towards Blaze.

“The train to Canterlot is fixed and I’m shipping out on it.” Blaze replied as he tightened the buckles on his bags and levitated them onto his back. Blaze looked to his friend, realizing that Amber was not there.

“So, you’re actually leaving? You can always stay, you know?” Blizzard stated questioningly. Blaze looked over them. “If you ever need a place to stay you can count on us.” Blaze nodded slowly.

“I do have to go. Thank you guys, you’re the greatest friends a colt could ever have.” Blaze said as a small smile formed on his face. Half Pint nodded with his own smile, while Blizzard usual blank look stayed the same as he nodded. Suddenly the room flashed into a scene of an encampment with ponies in armor weaving between the various tents like ants, always moving. Half Pint and Blizzard stood before him in full armor; both of them saluted, and then stood to the side, allowing him to pass through the doorway of the tent. Mrs. Cross walked by him and nodded, her white nurse clothing stained red and brown in places from fresh and dried blood.

Blaze stood outside of the house, free from the vision. Ponyville now back in its usual form, no tents, no ponies in armor, no blood, just Ponyville, the simple hamlet. Blaze trotted towards train platform, realizing how empty he felt. He had just said good bye to his only friends he had ever had. True, one day he and his family might pass by for a show, but even that was unlikely. Ponyville was so small that it probably wouldn’t even pay for the family’s expenses for the trip, much less for the show.

He son stood on the boarding platform beside Twilight, both waiting to get on the train with the other ponies. Blaze found it interesting how the station had continued to put more and more passenger cars on behind the engine, something that would definitely slow them down. Blaze looked away from the train and towards the town and saw his three friends standing there, Amber included. They waved at him; he nodded back with a small smile, glad to be able to see them at least one last time.

“All ponies bound for Canterlot, we are ready for boarding!” The station manager yelled again as the next set of cars was beginning to be filled. Blaze and Twilight were fortunately some of the last ponies in line, meaning they had the small luxury of only a partially filled cabin.

Blaze sat down across the aisle from Twilight. He opened one of his bags and pulled out a book at random. He flipped open the book, scanning through the table of contents until he came across something that peeked his interest. He quickly flipped to the page number and read over the title of the section again. ‘Blaze Eternal and the Dragon of Darkness’ it read proudly. Blaze started to read, wandering why it seemed he was in this book.

In the fifth year B.C., a great dragon descended upon pony kind. A great and terrible beast which the three races could not best with any of their armies, the pegasi were beaten back easily, the unicorns with their spells were unable to best the dragon, and the earth pony machines of war and strength were ineffective. As the ponies of the world were faced with what seemed to be there end, a pony rose up as their last chance of victory against the beast. This pony was Blaze Eternal, first son of Queen Platinum, a rising user of magic under the tutelage of Clover the Clever and a warrior of great skill.

As Blaze continued ready, his imagination took flight and painted the scene in his mind’s eye.



A pony army marched up the tall, dark mountain in the dead of night. A massive bolt of fire rose from the mountain peak, striking the clouds above, sending rain down in a heavy down pour. Soon the rocky path was a stream off water cascading down the mountain, attempting to sweep the ponies off of their hooves. Thunder clapped in the distance as the white flashes of lightning gave brief moments of near day-like light only to have the world descend into darkness once again.

The lead pony’s armor shone in the dim moon light, his cape drenched from the rain. He rounded yet another turn in the path with his small army, bringing him and his group to the mouth of a gigantic cave. The interior was dark as pitch, with the dragon nowhere in sight. All around the entrance were piles of armor and weapons strewn almost randomly about. Arrows lay broken on the stone, bows’ twine snapped, swords’ blade laid shattered, shields ripped apart, and suits of armor fused into one solid piece. The leading pony took a deep breath to steady his being, and then shouted into the roar of the storm

“I request that the Lord Dragon of this mountain reveal himself!” As the last fading echoes of the shout faded away, a movement was felt in the earth. The pony drew his sword and his shield with his magic, readying himself for the battle, but then something strange happened. Slowly, the darkness in the cave moved, revealing itself to be not the darkness of the cave, but the dragon itself.

Water cascaded down its sides as it stood on its four legs, the edges of its scales shining a bit in the dim light of the moon that barely penetrated the clouds above. Its eyes opened and focused on the ponies before it, the gigantic amber irises locking onto its prey.

“The Lord Dragon of this mountain honors your request. What you wish to say, pony, say it quickly, before I finish you as I did your fellows.” The dragon rumbled, showing its gigantic teeth to the small ponies.

“As a prince of one of the pony kinds, I mandate you to leave this mountain, or face the consequences.” The pony shouted back as his army raised their own weapons, each one lifted with a different color of magical aura.

“Surely you jest, you puny pony. Do you not see the weapons and signs of your dead comrades lying around you? Do you not see the thing that caused it all standing here?” The prince did not respond with the fear the dragon had anticipated.

“No, I see noble sacrifices leading up to this point, the point of your demise! Leave now or we will attack!” The prince shouted over the mighty roar of thunder that surrounded them. The dragon sized up the small mass of ponies before him with disbelieving eyes. Unlike the other groups that had only one pony that had utmost confidence while the rest were quivering cowards, these ponies each seemed to have the same courage and resolve as their leader. The dragon parted his lips in a smile.

“Do you really think that you ponies really can defeat me?” The dragon questioned, noting as several ponies began to go to the right and left of the main group, surrounding him in a semicircular formation. “Do you truly believe you can succeed where your fellows failed so horribly? Because I can tell you now that each of your previous groups thought the same as you do now and you can all see what happened to all of them.” The dragon’s parted lips grew wider and wider, the white edges of its teeth shining in the night as the clouds began to fade from the sky, letting in more and more moonlight, showing with more and more detail the terrible beast before them.

“This is your last warning, leave now and you will not be attacked!” The prince shouted to the dragon. The dragon swung his head over to look at the prince once more.

“I fear you not, I am a dragon, and this is my home.” The dragon raised its head to its full height as it finished with a growl.

“Ponies,” The prince began, “Atta…” But before he could finish the dragon slammed its massive claws down on a line of the ponies, killing many on impact, then proceeded to drag it towards the rest of the group. The prince jumped away, along with others who did the same or teleported a short distance; all of those who did the former looking slightly tired. The prince looked towards the dragon and saw the red smear in front of it, with small streamlets running off. The crumpled pile of ponies lay off to the side, their armor now mixed in with the bloody pulp that had once been their colorful bodies.

The prince raised his blade and signaled for the charged, and the remaining ponies did so with great vigor. Several brought out arrows and began firing on the beast as others charged in for the attack with swords or spears. The dragon raised its massive head high, taking in a large breath, then with one rush, blew out a storm of fire. Many of the ones who charged were able to protect themselves with their shields, but the majority of the archers had no time to react and were burnt quickly, leaving only the echoes of their last screams echoing for eternity in the ears of those who had heard them.

The prince raised his white blade and slammed it into the beast’s leg, running it along the length of it, leaving a thin, deep cut into its scaly hide. The dragon let out a loud roar as it was overwhelmed by pain momentarily. The prince continue his attack, cutting through the creatures leg leaving the same thin, yet deep, cuts as before. The dragon lifted its other fist and brought it down upon the pony prince, who quickly jumped back, letting the massive black fist strike only rock. The dragon swipe its claws towards the pony, but again the prince avoided it by rolling to the side.

The dragon snarled at him as he raised his one foreleg high. With a flick of his wrist, a deep purple, glowing, ball, formed around his outstretched claws. The ball then surrounded the dragon, causing all the ponies to freeze in shock as they waited to see what would happen. The ball suddenly shifted into a cream color and began to swirl around the dragon quickly, and when it dissipated the dragon was no longer bleeding, but in fact, was fully healed.

The dragon’s outstretched limb raised higher, and with it several boulders around them that were surrounded by the same dark purple glow. The dragon then slammed his fist into ground, causing the boulder to fall down towards the ponies bellow. The prince jumped forward, narrowly missing his brush with death, he looked around, and of the rather decent sized group of ponies he had brought; only five others remained.

The prince looked up towards the dragon as it raised its head, taking in another deep breath, intent on finishing the ponies off.

“Behind the boulders, get behind the boulders!” The prince yelled over the noise that seemed to surround them. All of the ponies jumped for cover at once as the dragon flung his head down, spewing out fire that cascaded towards the survivors. Three of the six made it behind the boulders while the other three burned, never to be seen again. The prince looked over the two other ponies that hid behind the boulders that now had parts that glowed orange or red.

The prince looked over his cover towards the dragon, still hiding most of his form behind the boulder. The dragon looked extremely relaxed in its current situation. The prince once again looked over to his companions. In a moment of resolve, he surrounded each of the boulders in his magical aura and, with a surge of effort, launched them at the dragon, stunning it long enough for the prince to prepare his next spell. Within a moment, the dragon was surrounded in his magical aura, earning a concerned look from the dragon. The spell began to form in the prince’s mind’s eye, each symbol falling in place as he increased the magic flow.

The dragon let out a roar and charged the prince, intent on being released from the spell’s grip. The prince stood his ground, fully focusing on the spell.  The dragon swiped his massive arm at the prince, knocking him off the edge of the cliff, but the prince didn’t let up the spell as he poured more magic into his effort. The prince closed his eyes, using the already existing field to pull the dragon off as well, removing his chance of turning on the remnant of the prince’s small force. The dragon quickly reacted, spreading its wings wide and giving a mighty rush, causing its mass to lift, only to be pulled down harshly by the prince’s spell. The prince opened his eyes, meeting the dragon’s gaze.

“I banish you to the stars, that your power may no longer threaten any of the pony kinds.” The prince said solemnly as he put the last measure of magic into the spell. A beam of magic then shot out from his horn and struck the dragon on the chest, immediately making his gigantic mass disappear. The prince watched as the beam shot out into the sky, the dragon’s essence carried with it. Suddenly, the prince felt his weight disappear, finding a magical aura enveloping him as one of his comrades lifted him back to the cliff.



The prince stood in one of his castle’s towers, looking over the mighty city he called home. The moon hung low in the sky, signaling the passing of the first day since the dragon’s defeat.

“Blaze Eternal, come down to the parlor, the guests want to see their returning hero!” His mother’s voice called from down the stairs. Blaze hung his head; he didn’t feel like a hero, he just felt like a failure. He had been sent to destroy a mighty threat to the world, but instead simply sent it away, putting it up like a cursed tome for future generations to find and use to destroy themselves unwittingly.

Soft hoof falls told him a pony was climbing the stairs of the tower. He didn’t want to speak to anypony, he felt useless; he had failed a mission that he had been tasked with by his mother, her kingdom, and all the other kingdoms of the pony kinds.

“Blaze, why are you up here alone? The celebrations are down in the parlor. The Queen requested your presence if you did not hear her.” A familiar voice said, bringing him so measure of comfort in knowing who he was talking to.

“Celestia, it’s nice you could make it. To tell the truth, I don’t want to celebrate, I don’t feel like my actions deserve such praise.” He replied as the white alicorn stepped up beside him.

“Is it because of those you lost? Each battle has its detracting points, no battle is without losses.” She said in a sage-like tonality. Blaze shook his head slowly.

“No, I understand that battle have their losses; even in victory there are losses.” He replied, looking down at the marble tiles beneath his hooves.

“If that is not what is bothering you, than what is? Maybe I can help you somehow.” She pleaded to Blaze, but Blaze didn’t lift his head.

“You know how they say that I defeated the dragon with one blast of magic?” Blaze asked as he studied the swerving patterns in the stone.

“Yes, I have heard that the beam was seen even in Canterlot.” Celestia replied. Blaze looked over at her, her multi-colored mane and tail flowing in a nonexistent wind.

“That wasn’t a powerful attack like my stallions assumed, that was a spell I was taught by Clover. It was a banishment spell, usually used to send bad ponies to the far flung corners of the world, but I used it to send him to the stars.” Blaze saw Celestia’s expression grow more and more confused. “The beam takes the essence of the subject and sends it where you choose. If I had sent him to another part of the world he would come back and attack within a few days, I altered the spell to send him to the stars, locking him away where he cannot return.”

“This… how long do we have before he returns?” Celestia questioned, becoming less confused and more concerned.

“Several years… the spell has a rather strong seal that I worked into it. It should last for a few years, but when it breaks he’ll be able to come back.” Blaze looked to Celestia with a serious expression. “Celestia, you are the only one besides your sister who has a chance of seeing him return, you must remember. Remember so that when he comes Equestria is ready for him. ” He said, his mood shifting from asking a favor of a friend to giving orders to one of his soldiers. Celestia nodded, a grave expression overcoming her features.

“Blaze, the sun brigade is waiting for you!” His mother shouted from below. Blaze nodded to Celestia, and then walked off. 

Below the tower in the courtyard, a group of stallions, now with Blaze at their head, stood in an array of arcane lines. Each of them lit their horn and lowered their heads with the moon, pouring power into the lines, then with a rush of magic, lifted their heads skyward as the sun began to creep up from below the horizon.

Celestia looked over the white city of Unicornia, the buildings reflecting the sunlight of a new day. Celestia sighed, the new weight resting on her shoulders.     

> Chapter 9: Fire
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The halls were quiet, a darkness hanging over the corners of the palace like webs made of shadowy spiders. Guards marched around the corridors, the echoes of their hooves being the only sound in the dim passages. Two of the soldiers stood at the sides of two large oaken doors, their leaders talking inside. The large being paced from one side of the room to the inside, looking quiet preoccupied in her thoughts.

“The little one is moving towards his destiny.” She stopped and looked at the stone. “Is it yet time my liege? Is your time coming soon?” The stars on the stone shifted into their silhouette form once again.

“Do not worry, he moves at a rate that is in accordance with my plans. My appearance shall be soon, and when I arrive, the world will know the time has arrived for their rebirth.” The observer bowed her head, a smirk working its way onto her face.



Blaze walked onto the train platform with Twilight right beside him. Canterlot’s white walls shimmered in Celestia’s sunlight. It seemed most ponies in the streets had some condition that made them always look with a slight upward instead of straight on, or maybe it was just simple snootiness that had grown and worked its full course in these ponies.

As they walked off of the platform and into the street, two royal guards trotted up to them, both bowing towards Twilight. Blaze looked over to her, and noted that, though she kept a rather calm exterior appearance, she was quite obviously uncomfortable with the action. 

“Princess Twilight, Princess Celestia ordered us to escort you and the colt to the castle.” One of the soldiers stated, still bowing to her. Blaze looked to the two guards, and noticed something off about one of them, a strap that would hold his armor on was showing slightly, something that he could only find excuse for if he was a new recruit for the Equestrian Guard, but his armor was that of a Royal Guard. Blaze looked back to Twilight; she still seemed very uncomfortable with this, but nodded with a confident smile anyway.

“Alright, please lead the way.” The stallions stood, gave a quick salute, and then began walking off into the street towards a carriage that was surrounded by an entire detachment of Royal Guards. Blaze followed closely, only to stop as he noticed a shadow pass from one of the rooftop into the alleyway between two houses. Blaze peered into the shadows and saw the form of a pony slowly walking into the light, quickly merging with the crowd. With a sigh of relief, he recognized the EUP insignia on the pony’s bag.

Blaze continued to follow Twilight, but as they drew closer to the carriage, Twilight stopped, inspecting the ornate vehicle.

“Why did Celestia decide to have us transported in a carriage?” She asked to one of the guards the surrounded it.

“The two royal sisters have been sensing great powers moving across the land, and so have asked for you to arrive at the castle unharmed. We are here to ensure that, your highness.” The soldier finished with a bow. Twilight nodded tensely as she climbed into the interior of the carriages, followed quickly by Blaze.

“I wonder what exactly they’ve been sensing.” Twilight said as she settled into the cushioned seat. Blaze shrugged as he assumed his position on the opposite side.

“Well, all I can say is that they got you pretty much covered, I saw a EUP Guard.” Blaze commended nonchalantly.

“Wait, you say a EUP pony? But… but how did you do that? They’re trained to be the constant unseen guards of the princesses.” Twilight said, looking around at the crowds that flowed around the carriage.

“He slipped up a bit. A pony who isn’t a pegasus coming down from a rooftop isn’t exactly something usual.” But as he said that, he realized something interesting. How did he even know those insignias or the types of armor the different branches of the guard wore? Sure, Flint had had him read a lot of books on military history and tactics, but he had never assigned him to read over the branches of the guard and their distinguishing features and looks. Blaze shook it off, it didn’t matter too much at the moment; but even though he tried, it still nagged him in the back of his mind.



The carriage eventually arrived at the castle after navigating through the cluttered streets. The fact that so many ponies were out and about really did slow down their progress, but they did arrive in one piece and without an incident, much to Twilight’s relief.

The guards formed a semicircle around then, allowing them a plain view in front of them and protection behind them. Blaze still noticed the occasional sign of almost rookie level of failure in the guards escorting them; whether it was a strap plainly visible, tripping over an obvious rock, or being slightly out of formation. Blaze didn’t feel comfortable with the fact that these ponies were in the Royal Guard and acting as if they were fresh recruits in the Equestrian Guard.

After a quick trot from the carriage, which had been left just inside the castle’s courtyard, the entourage arrived at the castle’s front gate, the portcullis raised and the draw bridge lowered. A group of the guards stopped at the draw bridge and turned, facing outward. The next group stopped inside the portcullis, leaving Twilight and Blaze with only four guards, two in front of them, two behind them. Blaze watched as the guards stopped on either side of the two giant doors that led into the throne room. He looked forward and saw Celestia and Luna sitting on their thrones, both looking their absolute best. As he continued down the carpeted hall, the doors behind them closed with a mighty boom that echoed through the hall for several second as they closed the distance between them and princesses.

When they were close enough to hold a conversation, Twilight and Blaze bowed. 

“Please, you don’t need to bow; this isn’t a formal affair in any regard.”Celestia chided.  Twilight stood up quickly with a blush while Blaze stood up a bit slower, still feeling it necessary to give the proper amount of respect due to their authority. “Not to mention you don’t have to bow to us in any situation, you are a princess of Equestria after all.” Twilight blushed harder.

“Eh… sorry, I’m still trying to get used to that.” Twilight replied sheepishly. Celestia nodded with a gentle smile. Blaze looked at the two regal princesses.

“So, this is the Blaze Eternal you mentioned in your letter I presume?” Celestia said as she looked him over. Blaze felt all the eyes in the room turn to him.

“Yes, this is him.” Twilight confirmed.

“Sister, doesn’t he look surprisingly like…” Luna began, her gaze focused entirely on Blaze. Celestia replied with a nod.

“Yes, he certainly does now that you mention it. Perhaps he is a descendent of that same line.” Celestia responded, looking over at her sister. “But that is a topic for discussion at a later point; currently there are other things to attend to.” Luna broke her gaze from Blaze and looked over to Celestia, giving her a nod of agreement.

“Who do I look like now?” Blaze asked in confusion. He had gotten the comment of him looking like his grandfather quite often when he had lived in Cant… when he had traveled with his family.

“Nopony you’d be entirely familiar with.” Celestia replied, looking at him with her gracious smile. Blaze looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Not to interrupt, but I had a question.” Twilight said, drawing the room’s attention to her. “The guards mention that you were sensing something. What were they talking about, what were you sensing?”

“In recent days we’ve been feeling a great power in the heaven shifting.” Luna stated calmly. “We believe an ancient entity is coming back to haunt Equestria, though we are not completely certain of this.”

“What do you mean by ‘not completely certain’ about a possible evil coming back? If there is a great power shifting in the heavens, as you say, shouldn’t it be easy to figure out if it was good or evil or not?” Blaze questioned.

“All we have felt was the power this entity has, we cannot discern its intentions. We would need a personal encounter with it to find that out. For all we know it could be a great and wonderful good being that wishes to give us eternal peace, or a massively evil creature coming back to finish its work of destruction.” Luna replied solemnly.

“Whatever it is, we are prepared for its arrival; its coming will not be a surprise.” Celestia added with confidence, her smile faded away. “But enough of that, you two must be tired from your trip.” And as if on cue, Twilight let out a yawn, which she quickly covered with a wing. Blaze looked out the gigantic windows; the sun was setting, its yellow light paralleling the alicorn’s horn as the other sister lit her horn and began lifting up the moon.

“I guess you could say that, it was a long trip.” Twilight said after she finished yawning. “The train went slower than usual because of all the extra cars that had been attached. I was personally surprised that the engine could take that much strain.”

“Well, we had prepared accommodations for both of you.” Celestia said with her smile returning to her lips. “The guards will take you when you are ready.” She finished.

“Thank you, Celestia.” Twilight said with a grateful smile and a nod. “Blaze, I think I’ll hit the hay, what about you?” Blaze looked over at her.

“I’ll head off to my room, though I probably won’t sleep for a bit.” Blaze said, as they turned and headed towards the doors of the throne room.



A dark mass landed on the mountain, causing the land to shift and shake, rocks tumbling down the sides of the mountain. A small figure stood trembling before it.

“Spike,” a low rumbling voice said from the darkness. “Do not be afraid, I am on your side.” Spike gulped nervously as the darkness shed off its uncertainty, now in a shape, the shape of a massive dragon. “You have been a better dragon than any other of your time, keeping to the dragon code with all your might.” With that, the darkness hot into the ground, only to reform sitting behind Spike, causing him to jump. “For that I grant you a wish. What do you wish f…?”

“How can I be really sure that you are on my side! You can say whatever you want, but what proof do I have?” Spike said, taking several steps back.

“I am a dragon of honor, I do not lie to you. I only wish you to receive a reward for your righteous deeds.” The deep voice replied. “I was the first noble dragon. I know the qualities that make a great and honorable dragon. Now, I will give you a choice.” Spike took another step back. “Will you have me show you the future or the ability to change one action you did in the past.” Spike considered it for a second then swallowed.

“I… I want to see into the future.” Spike replied nervously.

“Are you sure? Remember you only can choose one. Are you sure you only want to see where your path leads instead of change the one you are on already?” The dragon asked.

“Y-yes, my past makes me who I am. I want to… I want to make sure I can avoid any evil that might come. Show me my future.” Spike said, growing a bit more confident with each word. The dragon lifted one of his massive forelegs and grabbed onto an invisible door, and opened it up to reveal a nearly blinding light.

“Go; see what your path holds for you.” The dragon said. Spike looked at him, than at the doorway. Spike walked up to it, and stretched out his claws, finding that the light was just an entrance as it shimmered like a pool of silver. Spike stepped through slowly.



Blaze scanned the bookshelves. He had gone to his room and unpacked his things, and after staring at the wall for several minutes, he got up and left the room and found his way to the castle library. A small mystery was the fact he hadn’t even looked at a map or asked anypony and he had been able to walk straight to it. Blaze had filed it away with the recognition of the different branches of the Equestrian military.

He had been looking through his fifth shelf when Celestia walked in. Blaze bowed to her, she nodded to him. She walked to another section of the library, picking out a book and sat down at the reading table. Blaze stood up, watched as she began to read her book. Blaze then turned back to the shelf, and the first thing he noticed has a book in red cover, but what caught his attention was the thing that replaced the author’s name. It was a symbol, a fiery phoenix, its tail feathers forming an ‘E’, but the most interesting fact was that around the main symbol was a fire wheel, much like his cutie mark.

Blaze lifted it off the shelf and opened it to the front page, but as soon as he had a golden wave went over the page. Blaze looked at the book in confusion, and then the pages began flipping quickly until it landed on one specific place. The page talked about some spell that the writer had come up with, but before Blaze could get the specifics about this spell, the spaces where the letters weren’t began to glow, forming a circle with arcane symbols dancing around it. Blaze stopped his magical flow, the silver glow disappearing, but the book still levitated. 

A violet aura began swirl from it, reaching out all around the room. As it did, books began floating away from their places; including the book Celestia had been reading. Celestia looked over in surprise, and became even more surprised when she noticed all of the objects in the violet glow while Blaze’s horn didn’t glow, much less in violet.

The other books began floating in circles around Blaze, each ring circling the opposite direction of the last. As they floated they each opened to a specific page, each having the empty spaces between the type glowing with some arcane energy, revealing their circles and symbols. Each book gave off its own violet aura which began to stream into Blaze. Blaze looked around; attempting to find a way out, but none presented itself. Blaze lit his horn and attempted to teleport, but as he prepared the spell, he felt his inner magical energies leached from him and into the surrounding spell matrix. He looked around in fear, and then a shot of magic, that felt like a dagger of ice had pierced into his mind, took over him

Blaze fell to his knees, trying to even think strain, as with each second knew thoughts and visions filtered into his mind. His father was there, but nopony else he knew. All of the surroundings for these visions were luxurious and splendid, nothing like what he had during his travels. Then a thought came to him, forcing itself to the forefront, ‘Did you actually travel? Is that the truth? Are you sure?’ Blaze’s eyes began to tear up as he struggled against the pain and confusion. Suddenly a flash of light overtook his vision, and then… nothing.

Blaze felt as if he was floating, since senses completely gone, unable to feel, hear, or see, at least any except his body. As he continued in the white, he felt as if he began falling quickly.

He opened his eyes and found he was on the ground in a circular chamber. Blaze stood up and looked around, but he recognized none of his surroundings, but then… he did. He felt he knew this place, yet he didn’t recognize it.

“Hello, Blaze, I can guess you found the book we talked of.” A voice said from around him. Blaze whirled around, looking for the source of the voice. “I’m sorry for the confusion you must have gone through to get to this point, but believe me, it was necessary to keep you safe until the right time.” The voice said again, but this time, an outline of a pony came into view before Blaze. It slowly gained form defined shape and color, until finally it was his father.

“D-dad… but… what is this?” Blaze asked, continuing to look around as he slowly approached his father. It took a few seconds, but Blaze realized his father hadn’t responded, in fact, he wasn’t even looking at him. Blaze waved a hoof in front of his father’s face, but there was no reaction, until finally, his father sighed.

“I’m sorry, Blaze, but if you are asking me something I can’t hear it. This is just an illusion, a simple part of the spell.” His father stated, looking to the far side of the room. Blaze quickly walked in front of the stallion so as to be in direct eye contact. “This was a premade message for you when you activate this spell. Now, my time is short so I’ll some up what I trying to head at.”  Blaze’s dad sighed as he began.         

> Chapter 10: Return
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The watcher rushed into the room. She was out of breath as she looked up to the stone that was speckled with the same lights as always.

“My liege, he was moved. The colt has taken the train with the student to Canterlot.” She said, hoping her master would come to reassure her. But several moments passed and the lights on the stone remained the same. “My liege, are you there?” She asked, gazing into the stone, trying to find him.

“Yes, what is it?” The loud booming voice said from behind her. She turned in utter surprise. There, before her, was her master in the flesh, no longer a voice in a stone. She quickly bowed to him while still looking up. Not only was he there, but behind him, an army of… creatures. Creatures the observer had never seen before in all her years. “Now the world shall have its rebirth.”



Blaze slowly woke up, and, for the first time in a long time, didn’t know where he was. It was quiet, and something moist was across his eyes, probably a cloth, judging by the texture. But even the fact he didn’t know his current location took a back seat in priority to the matter that made itself much more pressing; why did he suddenly have two sets of memories?

The one set was that which he had of traveling from town to town and from city to city with his family, putting on a performance and selling odd items to the townsponies so as to gain even a meager existence. The other, however, in stark contrast to what he had before, was of him living alone with his father in Canterlot after the passing of his mother; the full set of memories that had been filtering in for the past few months now. It seemed the only thing relating these two existences was his father and himself, but they still made no sense, and were, in fact, in complete opposition to each other in several points.

Blaze searched both, looking for something to show one was realer, or at least had an explanation as to why he now had both, but they rendered no helpful hints. One thing, however, did give him some direction. When he had been trapped by the spell and had seen his father and heard a message that he claimed to have placed in secret for him to find, his father had told him about how he wasn’t even from this time, how reality would dictate that he had long been dead and that nopony he knew was still around except Princess Celestia.

His father had given him a simple message, a message he was to give to the princess. His father instructed him to warn the princess of a coming danger, but the longer Blaze thought of it; the more it seemed that the princess would already know of it. They had said they had been feeling a strong power shifting in the heavens. Blaze could just tell them that it was an evil and be done with it, but he already knew that they wouldn’t actually completely believe him since he had no conclusive proof. In all honesty, he had no proof of who he was now that his mind was divided into two camp of memory, neither side presenting a more convincing argument.

“Is he awake?” He heard Celestia’s voice ask after the soft creaking of a door echoed through the room. Blaze opened his eyes, only to close them again as the cloth briefly touched his eye.

“I don’t know for sure, but I think he just woke up.” A mare replied. Blaze was beginning to piece together where he was and why.

Being as he had fallen into what most likely looked like a harmful spell; he had most likely been taken to the castle clinic. Celestia most likely had left a few minutes ago to inform Twilight of the situation and had just returned to check up on him.

“Do you know what condition he is in? That spell looked very intricate, and I really am at a loss as to what it was.” Celestia said. The surprised Blaze, Celestia was several thousand years old; if anypony could tell what that spell was it should be her, but she was lost as to what it was.

“I can tell you that physically he appears to be fine. He has no broken bones and he has no internal bleeding, over all he looks completely healthy. The thing I can’t tell is his psychological state; we have no way to find out how he is feeling inside. We are kind of in the dark on this since even when Luna tried to walk his dream she found he wasn’t even dreaming and the cold feeling she gets when somepony is dead or in a state of rest without a dream was not present either. For all we can tell it might have been a spell to switch his consciousness with another pony or thing.” the nurse said, chuckling at her last statement, though, judging by the fact her laugh ended rather quickly and on an awkward note, Celestia didn’t share her same sense of humor. 

“Well, if he is awake I am sure he can tell us something of his mental state.” Celestia replied quite flatly, her usual optimistic tone replaced with one of dead seriousness. Blaze heard the soft clip clops of their hooves as they walked over to his bed. They stopped once they were beside him, though, by the fact that a set of hooves stopped earlier than the other, the nurse was probably standing back a bit. “Blaze, are you awake?”

“I’m not entirely asleep, but I wouldn’t define it as awake either.” Blaze replied groggily. Whatever state he had been in, he certainly didn’t feel rested in any way.

“How are you feeling?” The nurse asked, taking a few steps closer to the end of his bed. Blaze though on what to say next.

‘Not bad, just suffering a bit from confusion due to the fact I know have two lives instead of one rattling around inside my head.’ He thought of responding. “Good enough.” He replied finally. “I heard we got nothing on why what happened did happen. Did I hear that correctly?” A short silence followed.

“Oh… uh, yes, we have no word on what happened to you or why it happened.” By her tone of voice Blaze could tell she probably had nodded at first and was now blushing after realizing Blaze still had a moist opaque rag sitting on top of his face. “Um… would you like me to take the rag off for you?” The nurse asked probably so she could avoid future embarrassments.

“No, I think I need to keep it on for a bit more.” Blaze answered sincerely. He needed to keep his world as small as possible at the moment, being as he was still trying to sort out who he even was. Having the room around him revealed would probably just make him sick.

“Thank you, Doctor,” Celestia said quickly, showing Blaze his assumption about her being a nurse was erroneous, “That’ll be all. Please, I want to talk in privet with the patient, we will call you if you’re needed.” The quick hoof steps that followed told Blaze that she had, in fact, done as the princess asked and had left, an assumption cemented when the sound of a door opening and closing followed after a short while.

A prolonged silence fell on the room as neither one of them spoke. Blaze was beginning to feel uncomfortable about how silent the room was, but he still didn’t want to open his eyes and see his surroundings at the risk of becoming sick.

“What happened, Blaze? Few ponies would keep a blinder on when they feel well.” Celestia asked finally. Blaze sighed, already knowing how hard this probably would be for her to believe.

“Well, after I fell…” And so he began to explain, telling her everything his father had told him. After telling her that he told her about how he now possessed two set of memories, both memories so convincing that it seemed he now was the vessel for the consciousness of two different ponies. He told her everything; everything except the message his father had given him.

When he had finished, the silence that had engulfed the room told him that Celestia was thinking about all that he had said. Blaze felt sweat begin to roll down his brow.

“So, who are you?” Celestia asked finally. Blaze thought about both sets of memories, considering each carefully, trying to discern which one was the more valid appearing set, but both were so convincing.

“I don’t know. Both lives seem so real, none of them seem to have any holes that I can find… they’re just… perfect. I-I really can’t tell who I am anymore. I could be a pony from over a thousand years ago, or I could just be the traveling performer that I’ve thought I’ve been all this time until now.” Blaze replied, feeling the tears that formed at the corners of his eyes being soaked up by the rag on his face.

“If you can’t prove who you are… who do you wish to be?” Celestia questioned as she took a few steps forward.

“I… I want to be a normal pony. My life is nothing but a confused mess right now. I have two lives rattling around in my head. I don’t know who or what I am anymore. I’m just… so confused.” Blaze confessed as several more tear poured out into the rag. Silence followed, Celestia simply standing there, letting Blaze release his emotions. “L-life was easy before, but now… now it’s just confusing. Why can’t the world just make sense anymore? Can’t it just be simple like it used to be?” Celestia simply put a hoof on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

“Hush… it’s alright, let it out.” Celestia said in a motherly tone. “Life occasionally enjoys throwing curveballs at us. We must learn to simply just go with it and continue with our lives.” For some reason Blaze felt a surge of furry.

“That’s a bit hard when you can’t even say what your past is.” Blaze hissed at Celestia. Usually he wouldn’t even think of such a thing, but at the moment certain things weren’t on his mind, one being respect to those who deserved it.

“I understand that you are feeling confused, angry even, but you need to calm down. Being angry won’t solve anything.” Celestia replied in a still motherly tone. Blaze didn’t calm down though, he still felt just as angry. The world had just hit him hard, and he wasn’t about to let it go anytime soon.

“Well this whole situation isn’t helping! I thought I knew who I was and now I’m two ponies!” Blaze let out an exasperated groan as he slammed his hoof into the less than comfortable hospital bed. But one thing caught him off guard. Instead of jerking back at his anger, Celestia instead wrapped him in a hug, not only with her forelegs, but with her wings, notable only because he felt the rush of air and the tickle of feathers on his back as she lifted him into her shoulder. The rag fell off of his eyes and forehead, and for some reason, Blaze felt the emotions begin to pour out furiously. Tears spilled out, anger rose and fell almost instantly.


For the longest time he just cried into Celestia’s coat, the wall of emotions that had been building up suddenly released in a rush. He lost track of time, but he really didn’t care. His life was more confused than a plate of spaghetti at the moment. Celestia didn’t seem to mind either as she only gave an occasional ‘hush’ or some minuscule attempt at comforting him.

After what had seemed an eternity, he ran out of tears to cry and Celestia laid him back down on the bed. Released from the embrace, Blaze starred up at the ceiling, barely noticing as Celestia sat back down, looking at his in an expression that radiated motherly love and care. Blaze rolled over to look at her.

“What am I going to do?” He asked plainly. His heart ached, his throat was dry, and frankly, he was even more confused than when he had first woken up.

“You move on. You might not know what you were, but I know who you are right now.” Celestia replied comfortingly. Blaze looked at her in confusion. “You’ve a young colt filled with potential. By what Twilight said in her letters, you have three friends back in Ponyville, waiting hopefully for your possible return. If anything, you still have them and the memories of the time you had with them. If you never figure out who you WERE, maybe you can settle on only knowing who you ARE.” Celestia finished, a smile resting on her face.

Blaze considered this for a few moments. It was true; he knew who he was at that moment. He had friends, something neither life had given him. He had a place he could call home, and best of all, Celestia was right, it didn’t matter who he had been, it only matter who he was.

“Thank you, Celestia; I don’t deserve all the help you’ve already given me.” Blaze said, returning the smile born of relief.

“I want to help all of my little ponies if I can, you aren’t an exception. No matter who you were, I want to help you.” Celestia replied. As she finished, a knock on the door echoed through the room. “Yes, what is it?” Celestia called out. The door creaked open, revealing a set of two guards.

“Princess,” one of them began, “the counsel is assembled in the meeting hall.” He finished in a gruff tone. Celestia nodded.

“I shall be there soon enough; I shouldn’t be too much longer.” Celestia replied with a nod.

“There’s another thing your majesty.” The guard interjected. “There is a messenger here accompanied by two guards claiming he’s from a new kingdom. Certain evidence suggests he is, in fact, telling the truth.” Celestia’s expression shifted to a more serious form.

“I’ll be there soon. Please wait outside, and don’t let the messenger into room until I am there and things are settled enough to have decent conversation.” Celestia ordered calmly. The soldier nodded and closed the door. Celestia turned to Blaze, her expression still of the serious nature, but Blaze’s mind was on a different topic.

A new kingdom; the timing was far too close to be coincidence. One set of memories was really starting to gain favor, if not for the urgency of the situation. Then he felt a poke in his side, drawing him from his thoughts and back to reality, and the concerned looking alicorn that sat beside him.

“Blaze, are you alright?” Celestia asked in a rather concerned tone. Blaze couldn’t blame her really, he had passed out only moment before, and he really couldn’t say that he was completely alright.


“I’m fine, I was just thinking… and,” Blaze took a deep breath in, then released it slowly, “I think I’ve decided who I am.” Celestia looked at him with an expression of mixed joy and confusion. “This… new kingdom; its formation is far too close to something else to be pure chance.” Blaze looked at Celestia, a grave expression etched across his features. “Celestia, I have reason to believe this kingdom is ruled by a great enemy to Equestria. My father sent me to warn you about the return of one named Greyhield.”

“Greyhield…” Celestia said the name, as if it was a word almost foreign to her, yet so familiar; the name that had spelled destruction so many times. “He’s finally coming back? He was the power Luna and I were sensing. It’s no wonder that the stars were shifting lately.” She said solemnly.

“Celestia, Greyhield has attempted to bring about Equestria’s ruin before, I believe that this is just another step towards his next attempt top the same ends.” Blaze continued. “These messengers CAN’T be bringers of good news.”

“I know, but to be fair to all we must hear their message and not shoot the messenger, so to speak.” Celestia said calmly. Blaze nodded his expression unchanging. “I suggest you come with me to the meeting, I believe you might need to get to know each and every one of those ponies a lot better. If you were sent by your father to help us he must have had great confidence, and Flame Eternal was not one to put his trust in the wrong place.” Blaze was about to nod again when something she said caught his attention.

“Wait, you know who my father was? Why didn’t you say so, couldn’t you have saved me a lot of time deliberating over who is really was?” Blaze asked in an exasperated tone.

“Your father told me that when the day came for you to get your memories, that if the book was the medium that I should let you choose who you would be, and that if Equestria truly depended on you that you would make the right choice. I see now that he was correct.” She said, a small smile forming across her face. “Now, we really must go and meet with the nobles, and that messenger won’t wait forever.” Blaze nodded with a sigh, and followed Celestia out of the room.

The two guards that had been standing by the door fell in beside them as they walked. Blaze again noticed the small things about them, but now knew why he could; his father had shown him how a real soldier walk and bore his armor. These guards wore Royal Guard armor and acted as the princess’ very own escort, yet they acted in many ways as if they were still in the lower ranks of the Equestrian Guard.

They quickly trotted to the gigantic double door that led to the council room, that, by the sound that came echoing out from the doors, was filled with nobles that couldn’t stop talking. The door opened with the glow of one of the castle guard’s magic.

“Announcing Princess Celestia,” and after seeing Blaze, “and guest.” the guard said in a clear, deep voice. At least his tone was even and kept some semblance of professionalism, but his armor was also slightly off, and his stance was slightly off balance.

“Princess Celestia, I’m glad you could make it, we were beginning to think you might not be able to come with how long it was.” A rather well dressed noble remarked as they walked in.

“I was otherwise preoccupied with more pressing matters. Now,” Celestia replied as she took a seat at the head of the table, “let us begin the daily discussions.” As she finished that sentence, a pegasus stallion slammed his hoof on the table. Blaze eyed him as he took a place standing beside Celestia’s chair.

“Your highness, I request the Equestrian forces be mobilized against a new foe!” He shouted angrily, clearly disgusted at having to wait.

“Please, Iron Side, calm down and explain clearly what is going on. What enemy are you referring to?” Celestia interrupted calmly.

“We received a message from a new kingdom that has laid claim to a portion of our territory without giving us no compensation or warning as to the fact that they were going to claim it as their own! These actions can only be taken as an act of aggression, and as such, I demand the Equestrian military be mobilized against these new enemies!” The pegasus replied, still very loud and very angry.

“Your highness, the messenger is waiting outside the doors with his escort, shall we give them entrance?” A guard interrupted before the enraged Iron Side could continue. Celestia took a deep breath, and then nodded briefly. The guard gave a salute and signaled for the two guards at the doors to let the guests inside.

The door opened slowly and revealed tall being covered in armor. The creatures were reptilian, scales covering them from head to claw. They stood on two legs; their feet had three toes that ended in sharp claws in the front and another coming from the back. They both held a shield and spear in their hands that looked like more flexible and articulate versions of their feet. Their armor was made of dark gray steel; their helmets only covered the top of their heads, which were like those of a normal dragon in shape. Armor plates covered the back of their necks, but left the tough under side scales exposed. Their chest plates only covered the upper part of their chest, leaving their lower abdomen exposed. Steel coverings were fastened to the front half of the upper and lower parts of their legs, along with an extra piece that covered their knees.

The two guards walked in, then stepped to the sides, letting the messenger go between them. Unlike the guards, this one wore nothing but a cloak. The messenger bowed respectfully.

“Your highness, princess Celestia, we are sent here as delegates of the new kingdom that is formed.” The creature said in a raspy voice.

“And may I ask what you are exactly?” Celestia asked, looking them over, trying to remember if she had ever seen anything like them before.

“We, your majesty, are Reptilous. And we have come at the bidding of our master.” The messenger replied, straightening slightly.

“And who might your master be?” Celestia questioned as she continued to inspect them.

“Our master goes by many names; but his proper title of honor is Greyhield.” 

> Chapter 11: Beginings of War
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  “I don’t believe it! That can be how it ends! It just can’t be!” A voice shouted from the dark. The last traces of light faded from view.

“I’m sorry, but the visions you have seen are what shall be if the course you are on stay the same. You can only alter what shall be if you make the right choices.” Another voice replied.

“She wouldn’t just leave me in Canterlot like that! It isn't like her, she doesn’t act like that!” The first voice argued.

“Maybe not as you know her, but who’s to say how far that vision came from. Maybe on the path you now walk you will enrage her and have her forget her fondness to you. Many things can happen with time.” The deep voice replied.



Celestia looked at the reptilous suspiciously. Blaze was holding himself back as best as he could from using his magic to take one of the Royal Guard’s sword and killing the three beasts right then and there.

“And what is Greyhield’s message?” Celestia asked.

“He wishes to invite her majesty princess of Equestria to a summit at his castle. You may bring an escort and one guest of your choosing.” The reptilous stated in an obviously practiced coolness.

“So you are the lot that stole land from us! I demand you give back our lands or face the consequences!” Iron Side shouted angrily.

“Sir, I would like to inform you that according to an ancient right I could ask the same of you and several of you neighboring provinces.” The reptilous replied calmly.

“Really now? And when did you get this claim?” Iron Side questioned harshly.

“We set our borders several thousand years before ponies even came to these lands. But if you just want us to take only what belongs to us than I suggest you leave your cities that are within the eastern borders of the great river.” Iron Side looked shocked at the reptilous’ proposal. “In a way, you may consider us generous in how much territory we are reclaiming and letting you keep.” The reptilous gave the ponies a smile of sorts, which exposed all of his pointed teeth, creating a much more menacing than comforting expression.

“Is that all Greyhield said to us?” Celestia asked once more, interrupting before Iron Side could continue. The reptilous looked to Celestia and nodded, his smile ending in an instant. “I suppose you will be our guides.” The reptilous again nodded. “Very well, please wait outside while we finish matters here.” The reptilous turned, his two guards following after a second.

“”Celestia, please tell me you aren’t considering taking this offer?” Blaze asked in a concerned tone. Celestia looked at him, and after a few seconds, nodded. “Y-you can’t be serious Celestia. Greyhield has never been anything but a murderous monster.”

“I know this, but we must give him a chance to prove himself much as we gave Discord one.” She replied calmly, gaining several glances from the other ponies in the room.

“Celestia, this is different than with what happened with Discord. With Discord we had leverage to keep him acting decently; with Greyhield we have no such leverage. He can’t be trusted!” Blaze attempted to reason with Celestia.

“I believe this situation is as similar as we can get. Did not Discord also bring devastation much as Greyhield?” Celestia questioned.

“No! Discord caused chaos and disorder, but he had limits, he never killed a pony! Greyhield killed armies! He is completely a separate case!” Blaze shouted desperately, the feelings of grief and heartbreak of when he heard of his mother’s death coming back.

“And what, may I ask, do you even know of this matter? I don’t believe you introduced yourself, and as far as I’m concerned, you are as in the dark as we are.” One of the ponies at the table stated as he looked over Blaze.

“My name is Blaze Eternal, son of Flame Eternal. Greyhield killed my mother and gravely injured my father. He has never wanted anything good for ponykind, he has only desired to murder and destroy.” Blaze replied, looking at every one of the ponies around the table.

“Your majesty, if what this colt says is true, I believe you shouldn’t go, unless it is to make the first strike. Unless Greyhield can produce soldiers by magic than we obviously have the advantage in terms of shear military might.” Another pony said.

“No, we will not attack unless provoked. He might actually just want to stop his ways of destruction and settle down in ease for the rest of his days.” Celestia responded.

“Then explain why he surrounds himself with these… these reptilous. They are obviously a people of war.” Blaze pointed out. “And I think that even if you were to go you’d need to bring the entirety of the Equestrian army. Royal Guards, Equestrian Guard, even the E.U.P. would be necessary to defeat Greyhield’s forces.”

“Why would you say that? Our forces are highly trained and quite able to handle a fight. I’d wager a single brigade of the Royal Guard should be able to take them all on without a problem.” The pony replied. Blaze looked him over; he was obviously the military’s liaison.

“With all respect, sir, by the things I’ve seen about your Royal Guard, I doubt that the Equestrian Guard could even help, and the Royal Guard probably would only last a few extra minutes in the end. I’ve looked over your guards, their armor straps are exposed, they stand of balance, and even as we speak, their eyes and flicking about the room, instead of focusing on one point as it should. To be blunt, this guard is quite pathetic. By what I remember of the Royal Guard, they were such a fighting force that they were only sent in if there was an army, otherwise the Equestrian Guard could probably handle it, but by what I see of these guards I doubt you ever send the Equestrian Guard in for anything more than stopping a few arguing ponies, and at the first sign of trouble send in the Royal Guard. Trust me when I say that these creatures aren’t scared of shiny suits of armor. In the ancient days, Greyhield killed entire armies with ease, what would stop him from ending any force you can throw at him.” Blaze nearly shouted in anger. The pony looked quite insulted and outrage.

“H-how dare you insult the finest fighting force this world has ever seen? How can you judge a fighting force as grand as this when you probably couldn’t even pass the entry examination for the Equestrian Guard Reserves?” The stallion questioned, disgusted with Blaze.

“I show you why I can judge such a ‘fighting’ force. Tell your highest ranking officer of the Royal Guard to meet me for a sparring match. Last pony standing wins, and if, no, when I win, I’ll be granted permission to reform the guard as I see fit.” Blaze stated confidently.

“You’re serious? You really think that you’ll win? Fine, but what happens when you lose?” The stallion questioned snidely.

“What do you think is a proper motivation to make you commander win? How about I buy him two dozen donuts?” Blaze replied with a smirk.

“How about… you scrub the barracks clean for the next two weeks… and have to go through basic training with the Royal Guard and never again even think about badmouthing the guard; that should teach you not to judge unfairly without true evidence to back up your outlandish accusations.” The stallion replied, obviously expecting Blaze to back down at that request.

“Very well, I accept. It only is fair to offer a large reward for an action you cannot hope to achieve.” Blaze replied, his confidence still high.

“Stallions, is this… competition quite necessary? A new kingdom has just sprung up from nowhere and you are squabbling amongst yourselves.” Celestia chided in a calm motherly tone.

“Trust me, Celestia, it is well within what is necessary. In its current state the Equestrian Armed Forces will never stand up against Greyhield’s forces.” Blaze replied with his gaze still locked with the military liaison.

“I will remind you that we are not a war with Greyhield, and there won’t be one.” Celestia stated.

“War with Greyhield is an inevitable as breathing. War will start, and Greyhield will not surrender until his armies are dead and he is bleeding out onto his castle’s floor, and it is unlikely he’d do it even then.” Blaze stated grimly. “If I know anything about him, it is that it would be against his character to make peace with ponies unless it is to lure us into a false sense of security so that we are easier to pick off when he comes to attack.”

“Well I’m sure the Royal Guard will be able to handle the attack while you are cleaning the barracks with bloodshot eyes.” The liaison sneered at Blaze.

“Sir, you might want to summon your fighter to the training grounds before you continue to set yourself up for an embarrassing revelation.” Blaze replied.

“Fine, I’ll have him sent to the main training ground, I’ll be there of course. I wouldn’t pass up on him schooling you on how to fight like a true warrior.” The stallion replied while motioning for a nearby messenger to come closer. “Tell Captain Bronze Buckler to report to the main training field for a special event that requires his presence.” The messenger nodded and galloped out of the room through a smaller side door. “I’ll show you the way, please, follow me, unless you’re getting cold hooves.” Blaze stood up and walked around the back of the table.

“I don’t know why I’d be getting scared of a pony with the skills I’d attribute to an Equestrian Guard First Lieutenant.” Blaze replied while cracking his neck. Celestia sighed audibly as Blaze left the room following after the stallion.

“I swear ponies like those two will be the end of me.” She mumbled in a low tone. 

As they walked, Blaze would occasionally perform a quick stretch of the legs or back. Blaze didn’t see any way he’d be underestimating this pony if he kept such a rag tag force of ponies under his command without making the slightest sign of attempting to fix it, but that was no reason to not limber up before a bit of practice. Flint’s laps around Ponyville had served a dual purpose in that way, limbering him up while making have to improve his stamina so that he could even have a hope to face Flint after jogging several laps around the town.

Eventually they came out of the winding corridors and endless staircases and into a small sandy area where a few bit of training equipment laid at rest while, but what Blaze remembered of the guard’s schedule, the troops were out jogging laps or testing the limits of their wings or magic. Of course by testing the limits of either magic or wing or doing laps around a course they probably were doing a lesser version than what his father had shown him, probably an even weaker version than that which Flint put him through.

As he scanned the field, a pony in uniform trotted up to the liaison with the messenger in tow. Blaze inspected him as best as his clothing would allow. The pony looked like he lay off the donuts more than Blaze would have guessed. He actually looked rather fit, but Blaze still couldn’t get at what he really wanted to know.

“I was told that there’s something I’m need for. What is it, the troops are out doing maneuvers and I should probably be there.” Captain Buckler stated quite simply. Blaze was actually quite surprised, but it was a surprise he welcomed. In the very least this commander was actually there when his troops did their routine workout.

“Don’t worry, Captain, this won’t be long at all. You see, this colt here was talking about how the guard is going soft. We made an agreement that if he loses the fight he will clean the barracks and go through the routine life of a Royal Guard for two week and never make criticism of the guard ever again.”

“Wait, you mean to tell me that I’m going to have to fight this… this colt? Sir, that’s a bit much. Can’t we just, I don’t know, ignore him? It isn’t like he is a pony of high standing or anything.” Buckler questioned while eyeing Blaze.

“I would be of the same opinion, but it appears as if this colt has the princess’ ear. I rather have him learn a hard lesson that poison Celestia’s opinion of us. Besides, it will show him the truth of that he is not as invincible.” The military liaison replied. “After all, he was the one who suggested it.”

“And not to interrupt, you forgot the most important part of this whole arrangement. The one part that I’m sure the Captain would be more than needing to know before we get down to it.” Blaze interjected.

“Yes, yes, I was getting to that. As part of this whole deal, if he wins, he will be given permission to ‘reform’ the guard as he sees fit.” The stallion said nonchalantly.

“W-what? Sir, with all due respect, but have you taken leave of your senses? I realize that there is a low possibility of him winning, but even the mere suggestion of that in borderline insanity!” Bronze Buckler nearly shouted in an exasperated tone.

“I realize that that is a large reward, but really, I have every confidence in you that you can be a colt when you have had extensive training and he has probably only had play fights with other children on the streets.” The liaison replied dismissively. The Captain sighed as he shook his head.

“Fine, let’s get this over with.” Buckler said finally as he started off for the training area’s armory. Blaze fell behind him, leaving the other stallion at the entrance. “I’m sorry you fell prey to one of his more outlandish schemes. He might be my superior in politics, but I really don’t think he has the right stuff to lead me when it comes to matter like this.” The Captain looked over at him. “Honestly I’m surprised you were bad talking the guard, usually colts of your age are trying to get in and prove themselves good enough to do so, not saying that we’re getting soft.”

“A new threat has come up on the horizon for Equestria. I have no ill will towards the guard or anyone in it. I merely believe that certain things need to be improved if we are to actually survive through this thing. And by what I’ve seen of the guards around the castle you guys really have lowered the standard for them.” Blaze explained, trying to not sound rude.

“I realize we aren’t the fighting force we were back in the days just after Discord, but really you need to realize that we’ve not had a major conflict since then, so it is understandable in the very least that we might have become a bit soft over the years, but that is no reason to start making accusations like you were, that is unless Platinum Pen was lying, or at least exaggerating.” Bronze replied.

“I might have gotten a tad carried away in how I expressed myself with him, but I really believe the standard of the guard needs to be raised.” Blaze stated again.

“Well, in those wise old words we got drilled in our heads during basic training ‘you have to be an example of what you want before you can exact that difference in others’. So, if you actually want to have a shot at doing what you believe is right you’ll have to beat me in a match, if not just to please Pen.” Bronze said. Blaze nodded as they entered the armory door together. “So what will we be using in this little battle of ours?”

“Swords, no shields, no armor, any attack counts, battle ends when one of us is knocked out or yields.” Blaze stated simply, reflecting the training style of Flint.

“Very well,” Bronze then turned to the pony behind the counter of the armory. “Two swords, sir, and be quick.” The pony nodded and walked into the back before bringing back two heavy practice swords, made to replicate size and shape of the weapon in every way possible. “Thank you, we’ll have them back within the hour.” He finished as he turned to leave. Blaze briefly looked at the weapons lining the wall of the armory before walking after Buckler.

The two stood in the middle of the field, each levitating their sword in front of them, the blades pointing at the earth. Blaze lifted his blade, Buckler quickly placing his blade beside it, the two touching briefly before the weapons snapped back to the sides of their wielders.

“Don’t hold back on me because I’m young. I want you to go at it with all you have.” Blaze said to Buckler.

“I won’t hold anything back. And I expect you to do the same.” Buckler replied. Blaze nodded before fully adopting his battle stance. Buckler took on a more defensive pose it seemed, a choice Blaze mentally commended. This stallion didn’t know what he could do, and so was actually taking on a stance allowing him to take on nearly anything he could throw at him.

Blaze’s horn glowed a bit brighter, and then a bolt of fire shot of from the side of his horn and took a swerving inverse arc as it sailed swiftly for Buckler’s side. Buckler quickly smacked it away with his sword, then quickly redirected his blade and brought it down on Blaze. Blaze lifted his blade quickly, catching the blade in midair.

Blaze charged the stallion, and smirked as he heard wooden scraping against wood as the stallion broke the sword lock to intercept his foe. Blaze rolled to the side and heard the sound of the blade hitting the earth, sending up a plume of sand. Blaze shot a bolt of fire straight at the stallion’s face. Buckler quickly popped up a small shield that caught the fire, but Blaze took the opportunity and swung his sword around the side, catching Buckler in his left flank.

Buckler quickly shot his sword from the dust cloud, sending it straight for Blaze. Blaze hit the dirt, then kicked against it with his hind hooves. The sword glided over with a hiss as Blaze slammed into Buckler front hooves, causing the stallion to stumble. Blaze planted his front hooves into the earth and pushed as hard as he could, and found himself in a front flip, which he landed expertly, his red coat now turned into a slightly tanner color. Blaze shot his sword forward, but Bronze caught it with a quick shield.

Blaze suddenly felt pain explode across his side over and over again as Buckler slammed his sword into his side. Blaze rolled to the side a shot a fire bolt at it. The fire bolt hit the blade square on, and sent it out of Bronze’s grip temporarily, but long enough to distract him so that Blaze could bring his sword back to his side. Blaze shot a triad of fire bolts coming from different directions. Bronze caught one with his sword and another with a small shield, but the other slammed into his right side, leaving no burn as the flame quickly dissipated.

Buckler’s horn glowed a bit brighter, and then a slew of sand slammed into Blaze’s eyes. Blaze, in an act of blind instinct, sent a dome of fire expanding from him, causing Bronze to yelp as it passed. Blaze used the sound and sent five bolt flying in that direction as he rubbed his eyes with a dirty leg. Blaze blinked out the last grains of sand, and saw a wooden sword coming down quickly towards his face. The aura around Blaze’s horn turned into a whipping mass as he quickly teleported out of the way, and popping up on chance behind Buckler.

Blaze felt the singeing on the edges of his coat and mane, but he focused passed the pain as he set a quartet of fire bolts towards the stallion. One of the hit him in the back of his left hind leg, another two hit him in his back, and the last struck him in the back of the head. Buckler was obviously dazed by this, and so Blaze took his chance and began striking him repeatedly with his practice sword and a few more fire bolts as he felt the effects of fatigue starting to inch up on him. Bronze popped up a brief shield that caught a few of the blow before falling once again. Bronze rolled to the side, but stumbled out of it, falling on his side.

Blaze’s side heaved in and out as he continued his attack, sending more and more draining fire bolts, several of them being no more than wisps of flame that blew across the stallion’s coat. Buckler slowly stood to his hooves against the continuing onslaught. Blaze slammed his sword into Buckler’s head, causing the stallion to fall back down. Blaze continued to beat down on the stallion, no longer sending fire down, instead just slamming his sword down on his, even though with each blow he delivered he felt as if another was dealt on his mind as the taxing effort of fighting on began to drive him to the breaking point.

Suddenly, Blaze felt a solid hit strike him in the back of the head. Blaze fell to his knees, his practice blade falling with his. Blaze looked at the blade, the handle enveloped in Bronze’s magical aura, as it came down on his back, causing him to yell in agony. The edges of Blaze’s vision started growing black as his overtaxed body began urging him to rest. As he began falling rage welled up in him. He was so close, yet now it seemed impossible as each strike against his flesh made the black impeding on his vision grow larger. 

Blaze's survival instincts suddenly kicked in as his anger and magic combined into one, the black was stripped away and a red filter came over his vision. Blaze stood up, the sword strikes beating on his back feeling distant and quite minuscule. Blaze shot a bolt of magic that disintegrated the wooden blade as it came down to annoy him once again.

Buckler’s eyes grew wider as he watched the colt grow even taller. The once normal looking colt grew to nearly the size of the stallion, his coat’s edges flipping about in a nonexistent wind like tiny tendril of fire, his mane once a bit tan because of the sand turned pitch black, whipping around on his head and neck like a fire. But the most startling fact was that the colt’s once piercing blue eyes were now nothing but glowing white orbs.

Blaze lifted his practice sword from the ground before simply tossing it away. The aura around Blaze’s horn began to grow in size as the once smooth aura became a whipping mass of wild energy. As Buckler stood up, readying himself for anything that Blaze could throw at him, he stared in awe as the young colt formed and magical blade beside him. Blaze shot it at Buckler, who quickly through up a shield that absorbed most of the blade, but a good portion still slammed into him. Buckler stumbled back and tripped over his own hooves as he reeled from the impact. As he slowly caught his breath, he looked up, and saw two magical swords bearing down on him, made of a shimmering silver metal that’s edges had been, fortunately, dulled. Buckler lit his horn, and a small staff formed beside him, made out of his own magic. 

Blaze swung both his swords down in unison, Bronze quickly putting his small magical staff in between himself and the weapons. The force at which they struck made an explosion go off in his mind as he struggled against the mental strain of keeping the shape of the staff solid and in place. As he struggled, another blade’s tip poked him in the underside of his chin. Bronze quickly rolled to the side while kicking it, but as he did his staff dissipated and the two other blades were freed.

Bronze pulled up a magical shield as the three blades zeroed in on him. He flinched as the strain on his shield was projected onto his head. He looked up towards Blaze with tear welling up in his eyes. The colt who had no more had a few minutes ago been struggling to keep on fighting was now more than able to take him.

“I will say this Captain, when I first thought of fighting you I felt as if I would be facing an Equestrian Guard Lieutenant, but you surprised me.” Blaze said in a booming voice as he continued to pummel Bronze’s shield. “You might actually have the skill of a Royal Guard Sergeant.” Buckler smiled at him as his horn glowed a bit brighter.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Buckler replied as he focused on both his shield and the small dagger forming beside Blaze. He was losing to a shifted unicorn, there was almost no doubt in his mind, but he wasn’t going down without a decent fight. Slowly the dagger turned into a short sword, than a decent sized sword, and then finally into a long sword. Bronze swung it down on Blaze, focusing all his mental power on it as he rolled to the side as Blaze’s magical blade flew through his fading shield. A dull thud resounded through the battlefield as the blade hit Blaze, and for a brief moment, he fell out of his Rage Shift out of sheer surprise, his sword that was inches from Bronze fading long enough to pass right by the stallion, leaving him unharmed.

Blaze quickly went back into his shifted state as he grabbed the magical blade beside him and broke it with him own magic, as if it were nothing more than a twig. Bronze gasped at this, but quickly recovered as he sent another plum of sand at Blaze, but instead of blinding the colt, Blaze shot a bolt of fire through it, that effectively disrupted the cloud and slammed right into Bronze’s right foreleg, sending the captain to his knees. Bronze looked up at the colt. The only way he could win was by getting to the same state of power, and so, he got as angry as he could. He filled his mind with every negative thing from his life as he attempted to shift, but nothing happened as yet another sword shot out at him. Bronze quickly rolled to the side, but was met by three others that all pointed at his neck. Bronze lowered his head in defeat.

“I yield, I… I admit defeat.” Bronze said, ashamed at his inadequacy. In that moment the blade faded away. He looked up, and watched as the colt turned back into his normal self. Blaze, when he was fully returned to his normal shape and size, his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell over unconscious, unable to remain standing even for a second. Medic rushed into the field, quickly attending to the two combatants wounds.



Greyhield rested in his throne room, the gigantic stone walls giving an entire sense of foreboding that he so loved. Suddenly a shadow entered the room, keeping to the darker patches instead of the light.

“Come out and say you peace.” Greyhield said in his deep rumbling voice. The form froze, than came out into the light. “You need not hide yourself here. You have full reign of the premises.” He said to his underling.

“I know, my lord, but I did not know if you were sleeping, and so didn’t want to wake you.” She said her head hung. The two stood silently, before a small tapping noise came from the stone that was the center piece of the room’s floor. Greyhield lifted himself from his throne and walked over to it, and looked into it. Looking back was the face of his reptilous messenger.

“My lord, I delivered your message to the princess. They accept, but requested a few moments of preparation; we should arrive later this evening.” He stated quickly.

“Good, we will be waiting anxiously for her arrival.”      

> Chapter 12: Revelation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  “Is that all you have? There is a thing such a blocking you know? Your armor can’t be counted on to save your life every time you’re in a pinch.” The commander barked at his lackeys as they trained.

“The troops are just tiered. They only awoke yesterday.” His second in command reminded him.

“Then get in there and wake them up, Grahnthril!” The commander said as he grabbed a sword in his claws and threw it at his second in command, who quickly grabbed the blade as it flew by him.

“Very well, General Gylom, I’ll wake them up.” Grahnthril said as he turned to the sparring troops. “Attention, all troops. The one who can beat me gets extra meat when we go for the mess hall.” At that the soldiers rushed their commander; who quickly began to beat them all back. Gylom watched, quite unimpressed as each soldier failed to even get close to touching his second in command. Gylom grabbed a long sword from the rack of weapons that hung on the wall and walked down slowly to the sparring soldiers.

“Grahnthril…” He said in his gruff voice, catching his Colonel’s attention. Gylom swung his long sword at Grahnthril, who quickly raised his sword and blocked the attack, the sound of metal clashing echoing around the cave. “You best be giving that meat from your own rations.” Gylom finished, his lips parting to show his teeth in a menacing smile. Grahnthril returned the expression as he slipped out of the lock and readied himself to dive right back in, but as he launch himself he felt something wrap around his leg and cause him to fall. He looked back and noticed his adversary, a chain wrapped around his forearm that went to the heavy metal orb that had wrapped itself around his leg.

“Glenn, it isn’t fair when you use you special equipment, you know?” Grahnthril asked as he tried to pull his leg from the loop. Glenn grabbed the chain, and with a mighty pull, Grahnthril found himself in the air upside down, looking at Glenn’s shins.

“The battlefield is never fair, you must learn to adapt.” Glenn said in his low, raspy voice. With that Grahnthril met the ground abruptly as the chain around his leg was quickly removed. “I wonder how you became a colonel alongside Gylom. I knew him for his strict standards when I was younger.”

“I still have my standards, but during our wait we weren’t exactly able to keep in shape, no matter how much we might have wanted.” Gylom replied, before finding a chain wrapping his arms to his side a causing him to fall towards Glenn. Glenn placed his foot on Gylom, and kneeled to eye level with the fallen General.

“The capsules were enchanted to keep us in the condition we entered it in. The madrahciah confirmed this and also stated that it had worked flawlessly. You have no excuses to give that are worth two bronze pieces.” Glenn snarled at Gylom. “And one more question for you and your troop of performers.”

“And what might that be, oh great General Glenn?” Gylom asked while rolling his eyes.

“How many of your soldiers have I been able to replace without you noticing?” Glenn asked looking dead serious.

“Wait… what? You replaced my troops?” Gylom asked, almost horrified at what his comrade in arms had suggested.

“I suppose all twenty-seven replacement soldiers were successful in their tasks.” Glenn looked up at his troops with a smile. “Good work soldiers, return this general’s soldiers right away, we don’t want them falling any farther behind in their training.” The soldier’s all nodded and went to different areas of the training cave and released the original soldiers from their bonds, leaving Gylom gaping at how his warriors had been completely taken by surprise by Glenn’s. Glenn removed the chain from around Gylom and left him to figure out how these acts of replacement had happened under his snout while he and his stealth operatives walked away satisfied by their work.



Luna stood waiting beside Celestia. By what she had heard, a rather important pony in the matters they were attending to was indisposed the moment, something she knew would never be accepted for a second in the old court, but then again things had changed, ponies had changed, Equestria had changed.

“I hope things are well with him. I’m not sure how he’d handle a fully trained Royal Guard captain in combat.” Celestia muttered to herself out loud.

“Who is attempting to handle a Royal Guard captain?” Luna asked, wondering what made Celestia seem so distant. It was true, her sister did go rather distant when in a rather intensive train of thought, and she always had, even when they were foals in the pony tribes.

“Hmm… what? Was I muttering to myself again?” Celestia asked, her cheeks turning red as beets in stark contrast to her white coat. “Forgive me, I don’t wish to trouble you with such trivial matters.” Her sister replied brushing it off like anything else that had grabbed her attention she didn’t like her getting into, just like that one jar of extra chocolate chip cookies that one time.

“Sister, you know that…” Luna began, only to be cut off by a chuckle from Celestia. “What did I say that you find humorous?” Luna asked, quite perplexed.

“I’m sorry, it’s just I remember hearing this speech so many times before that it brings back the memories of the times you used it before.” Celestia explained, still chuckling a little, though she had regained most of her composure.

“Then you know that a burden is easier carried when…” Luna attempted to begin again, only for Celestia to interject.

“When, it is carried between two than when one carries it alone.” Celestia said in a manner that played satire on Luna’s almost overly serious manner. “Yes, yes, but this is so… so trivial that really it was just more of idle wondering than anything pressing. If it were a burden, it would be a sack of feathers.” Celestia state; a smile forming across her features. Luna huffed before returning to her own thoughts. Suddenly something came to her.

“Celestia, you mentioned in passing you may have discovered what was that disturbance we felt in the heavens. Would you care to elaborate?” Luna asked.

“Yes… I believe the primary suspect for the disturbances has been marked. It may come as a shock, but we have reason to believe that it was…” Suddenly Celestia was interrupted by a frazzled Twilight bursting through the doors to the nearly empty council hall.

“Princess Celestia! Blaze is hurt, please, come quickly!” She blurted out and ran away before charging away again, leaving the two regal sisters to only follow her in confusion.

“Who is this Blaze that your student refers to; somepony new to the court that I have yet to meet?” Luna asked as she followed as fast as she could.

“No, Blaze is the colt you met earlier today that came with Twilight on the train this afternoon.” Celestia replied quickly.

“Oh, you mean the Eternal colt?” Luna asked as they turned a corner and came to a flight of stairs, which they quite literally flew around, their wings nearly clipping the alabaster stones of the palace walls.

“Yes, his name is Blaze Eternal. He apparently thought the guard had gone soft, and to prove it challenged the captain of the Royal Guard to a duel for rights to reform it.” Celestia said as they entered the medical area of the guard wing of the palace. They entered quickly behind Twilight, who had only slowed to a brisk trot at the request of a nurse that she rushed past.

“Well by the sounds of it he didn’t fair to well. I doubt the victor also gained rights to go to the clinic with injuries.” Luna commented as they entered the room she could only guess was the colt’s habitation during his stay.



For the second time that day, Blaze woke up with a thumping headache in an unknown bed. Brief passing memories of a fight with Bronze Buckler came and went, though the painful bruises that he felt all over him could’ve told him that easily that he had gone into a fight. He had to admit that he felt even worse than when he had after going through his routine with Flint.

“What happened to him? He looks so swollen and bruised.” He heard Twilight’s voice. He let out a slight groan as he attempted to sit up. “Oh, you’re awake! How do you feel?”

“To sum it all up: sore, lumpy, and a bit more black and blue all over.” He replied as he trudged through the pain.

“What happened out there?” Twilight asked. “Must have been some fight to get you like this.”

“I can answer that for you.” A voice came from the bed to Blaze’s left. He looked over and saw Bronze lifting himself in his bed, also looking a good bit more bruised. “We had a long hard fight that brought us both to are limits. I’d call refreshing to actually have a challenge like you come along, but then I’d have to forget all the bruises and small burn marks.”

“But what happened to make him end up like this? I’m seeing a lot more than just simple battle fatigue and bruises from normal blow exchanged in training sessions.” Twilight asked, still eyeing Blaze with concern.

“Easiest answer is that he went through Rage Shift, something even I couldn’t do, no matter what I did.” Bronze replied.

“Ah, Rage Shift. Unicorn survival tool that activates in life threatening, or just stressful, situation mixed with a large amount of negative emotion and magic combine to make the unicorn a sort of ‘super unicorn’. I heard at one time a group of soldier had perfected the art of triggering it without the situation or emotion being required.” Twilight said interested.

“And I am pleased to report that the captain won out in the end as much expected,” Platinum said as snobbishly as he could as he walked into the already crowded room, “Not even the colt’s parlor magic could best the captain’s skill in the art of combat.” He finished with a devilish grin toward Blaze.

“Pen, you and I both know that that isn’t true.” Bronze stated almost angrily at the stallion.

“Oh captain, you must be mistaken, you see, you surrendered after mere seconds after Blaze here fell unconscious, his swords hovering in place a few seconds before fading away. Am I not correct in this, captain?” Pen emphasized.

“No, he fell after I yielded. He obviously dropped his shift after he heard me yield and so fell after the effects wore off.” Bronze stated, growing cross.

“C-captain, surely those blows to the head have rattled your memory. He fell first; I can assure you of this.” Pen replied. “And so his REWARD,” Pen again emphasized dramatically, “Will be dealt out in kind. Correct, CAPTAIN?” He finished with an obviously fake smile.

“No, he beat me, and so he gains the rights to reform the guard, and as such I urge you to give your medallion to him. Or do you wish to be found in possession of guard property without adequate permissions.” Bronze questioned angrily.

“Y-you can’t be serious! Captain, are you telling me that this… this colt, has more permission than I? He isn’t even old enough to be IN the guard, much less IN CHARGE of it. I think your brain is still recovering from being used a drum. You won, and the colt is to serve out his agreed reward for losing.” Platinum reasoned.


“Platinum, you might be our liaison and head trainer, but I'm the Captain of the Royal Guard. If you are found breaking any law it is within my right and duty to have to hunted and captured, put to trial. And if you are wearing a medallion that doesn’t belong to you according to your own word than I am well able to have three brigades hunt you down within the hour.” Buckler replied as he lifted his hoof towards the bell that hung by his bed. Platinum Pen stammered in disgust, and then gave a frustrated grunt as he used a hoof to remove the medallion that had been tucked under his formal vest and throw it onto Blaze’s bed.

“Fine, what do I care if the world’s finest fighting force crumbles in the hooves of a colt? But when it happens don’t come crying to me.” Platinum said before bursting out of the room, brushing right past the princesses without really noticing.

Blaze looked down at the medallion that sat on the cover of his bed. It had the seal of the royal sisters on one side and the Royal Guard insignia and some words in an inscription running around the rim in some old and most likely dead language on the other.

“You mean that… he was the head trainer the whole time? I thought he was just the military liaison.” Blaze said as he lifted he medallion in his magic.

“Indeed, he was the head trainer, only really used that power during the first year of his career. He tried to drastically ramp up guard training, and when ponies complained I believe he overcompensated and made us do even less before.” Bronze replied as he slumped back under the covers, giving a few small grunts as he passed over a few bruises. “Remember how I said you needed to be an example of the change you wish to exact in others?”

“Yeah, I seem to remember something along those lines being said.” Blaze said; his memories of the past few minutes still a bit in the fog.

“Well, Platinum is an example of what happens when you aren’t able to keep up with what you want to happen in others.” Bronze continued. “He almost instantly asked for more than he himself could give, and when others were angry with him he lowered the bar farther than it had been. If he had pushed us at the same relative pace he had pushed himself we would be alright with it, not matter what, if only he would be doing the same or more right alongside us.” Bronze rolled over to face Blaze. “If you intend to change the guard do it gradually and show you aren’t to above it to join the troops in the fray.”

“A true leader doesn’t lead by causing others to bow before them, but by having others stand with them.” Celestia recited from memory. Blaze’s ear flicked slightly, something making him feel a bit uncomfortable, as if a bad memory had been slightly uncovered, but he moved on.

“Basically,” Bronze concluded, “If you can keep up with the pace you set for the troops they’ll be willing to follow you anywhere.”

“Alright, I’ll try and keep that in mind for later use.” Blaze said; his mind already working on over drive on how he would organize the guard’s training regimen. One thing he did know, if the army was filled with carbon copies of his skill set they’d still be short of Greyhield’s forces, and by what Bronze had just said, that meant he would have to start increasing his own regimen to make it so he could raise the bar for the guards without having them complain about him being lazy.

“While this has been an interesting exchange; Blaze, I’d like you to be my guest for going to Greyhield’s summit. Twilight, I want you to look after Canterlot in our absence, you did show quite a bit of presence of mind during our last disappearance, and if Greyhield is planning on attacking while we are gone I’ll need you to be our armies main decision maker until we return.” Celestia said.

“Celestia help us to last that long.” Bronze muttered under his covers, only loud enough for Blaze to hear, something Blaze was grateful for. The captain had been a decent pony for the time he had known him, which, admittedly, wasn’t very long at all.

“Do you think you are well enough to travel?” Celestia asked, looking Blaze over. Blaze quickly shifted his way out from under the covers and stood up on his own legs without any supports.

“I believe so. What is our guard escort looking like?” He asked as he shook himself up a bit.

“We have arranged for a full division to escort us, and the E.U.P. has already confirmed the presence of five operatives for each of us, making fifteen in total.” Luna replied this time.

“Wait… I’m getting E.U.P.’s guarding me?” Blaze asked. “I’m not royalty or anything even similar. Why would they guard such a low priority target like me?”

“Because I asked them to,” Celestia replied. “And because you have more worth than you credit yourself for. Your father is waiting for you back home, but until such a time as you can return, you are in my charge, and I cannot allow you to fall into any harm.” Celestia finished. Blaze felt as if there was something else behind her already explained motives, but he had no ground to make such accusation, or even question her reasons. “Now, since you are a member of the guard in some right you’ll need a uniform.” Celestia teleported a pen and paper and wrote down a note before sending it away. “The castle tailors should have it finished by the time we return.”

“I believe that if we are to make this trip,” Luna interjected, “We should probably make haste to the escort. I hear our guides seem to be getting slightly… agitated.” Luna then turned and quickly led the group out the door of the room, through the medical office, and out into the corridors of the castle.



The three ponies exited into the castle courtyard where the escort waited for them, consisting of a carriage surrounded by Royal Guards with the reptilous near the main gates. 

“Your majesties, we are ready to leave when you are.” A soldier stated, approaching the trio. “And who is this colt?” He asked, looking Blaze over.

“I’m the new head trainer for the guards.” Blaze replied simply. “I am coming along at the request of her majesty, and also to familiarize myself with the guards.”

“Aren’t you a tad… young? No disrespect meant, I just think you might be a bit inexperienced.” The soldier stated, looking uncertain.

“I have a good amount of experience; after all, I gained this position by defeating the Royal Guard captain.” Blaze replied. Turning to Celestia and Luna, Blaze continued, “If I may, I’ll march alongside the troops.” Blaze said, remembering Bronze’s advice to show his willingness to go into whatever his troops were. That was right… his troops, they were his responsibility now, it would be his fault if one of them fell during battle, a feeling he was not comfortable with.

“Of course, but if at any time your wounds become too much to walk with be sure to take rest with us in the carriage.” Celestia replied with a smile. Blaze nodded, and quickly trotted up to take the forward position of the caravan.

“Troops, this is our new head trainer, he will accompany us on this trip!” The guard he had met earlier shouted to the other guards around the carriage. Blaze looked over his shoulder at the troops, and was pleased to see they didn’t seem to entirely surprised, in fact, they seemed almost a bit more professional now; maybe it was just because they wanted to impress him so that he wouldn’t increase their training routine. Blaze looked forward again, and watched as the reptilous stood up to their full height, coming up a bit taller than Celestia, something that made Blaze feel a tad uneasy.

“Lead on.” He said to the reptilous, which nodded in return and marched out the gate. Blaze entered a brisk trot, and heard the clopping of hooves, striking the stone walkway in unison, creating a thundering earthquake as they followed their guides.

The mass passed through several of Canterlot’s main streets, gaining them several looks of concern, gasps of terror, and even a few screams from the foals. The reptilous didn’t seem angered at this, not even displeased, instead they seemed… pleased? The messenger almost seemed to revel in the looks of horror and fear as if they were the highest praise possible, yet another thing that made Blaze feel uneasy about these creatures.

Eventually they exited Canterlot and were on the open road. Blaze’s sore muscles screamed at him as he walked on, the princess’ invitation to rest in the carriage becoming more and more tempting, but that would be a sign of weakness, if not in the eyes of other, in his own. He had to forcefully restrain himself from sighing out loud at how the new empire was so far away from any train station that they had to walk the whole way. It did make sense for Greyhield to situate himself far away from pony civilization. If he had a train track running in front of his castle it would be flooded with Royal Guards, and even if the Royal Guard were as bad and the reptilous as good as he thought, the castle would eventually fall, if not just because of being overrun with the constant conveyor belt of ponies going in.

By midday they stopped for a rest and a change of carriage pullers. Blaze took the time to rest his screaming muscles as he closely watched the reptilous. He watched in disgust as one of them lifted a stick that had a rabbit stuck to the end. The monster took a bite out of it, and then another, finishing it off, swallowing it bones and all. Its tongue flicked around its snout, getting the last traces of meat off of its scales. Another one threw a bit of its rabbit to a passing lizard, which ate it happily. Blaze could only deduce that the reptilous respected all other reptiles as kin, treating them as brothers, not matter how big or small.

“Am I the only one repulsed by their eating habits?” One of the guards whispered behind him. Blaze turned to see a small group of guards watching the beasts eating their meal in disgust.

“I think we can all agree that it is grotesque, but we mustn’t let them see us as weak. We must keep face at all times, no matter what goes on around us.” Blaze stated simply.

“Well, since they are carnivores, and…,” the guard gulped nervously as he watched one of the reptilous take out a dried strip of meat from his pack and munch on it idly, “And they are as good as speculated that they might just be luring us in as their rations for the next few weeks? I-I mean, isn’t it possible that since they eat basically anything else of meat they’d eat… well… ponies?” He choked out finally.

“Yes, there is that possibility, but that is why we must keep face. If they see us as weak, easy targets they are more likely to have us for lunch, but if we show ourselves as strong and competent soldiers they’ll think twice.” Blaze replied. The guards looked at each other with nervous looks. “And the way you’re acting now you are the weakest and easiest target they’ve seen in their entire lives. So look like you are actually in the Equestrian military, a fighting force that is preached to be the greatest and strongest.” The soldier quickly stiffened, and went into a position of attention. “Better, but we’ll need to work on it when we return.” Blaze looked back to the reptilous as they finished their meals.

Blaze turned in disgust and turned to walk towards the carriage. The new soldiers were strapped in, the previous soldiers now stationed on the carriage proper, sitting in several strategic positions so that nothing could approach without being seen.

“Are we completely ready to move on?” Blaze asked the commanding officer. He nodded in reply as he settled into his seat, readying himself for the second part of this exhausting trip. “Alright troops, I want ten soldiers on each side and the rest of the soldiers split into two groups protecting the forward and back portion of the carriage.” The troops quickly scurried to their positions and went to a stiff attention when they had taken their positions. Blaze turned to the front and took his position at the head of the group. “If you are ready, lead on.” He said to the reptilous, that quickly put out their small fire and picked up their gear.

“It will not be long, the castle is only a few hours journey from here.” The lead reptilous stated simply as he took the head position of his small group and began to walk off, expecting the ponies to follow.

“Company, march!” Blaze shouted, and began marching again, his troops marching up right behind him, the rattle of the carriages wheels against the stone path telling him they were all moving again.



It had been evening by the time they reached the location the reptilous identified as their destination, a mountainous ridge. Blaze could only guess that the castle was inside a ring of mountains, a rather secure place he admitted, but it also made entry for Greyhield’s troops quite tedious.

“The path is far too narrow for the carriage, I suggest leaving it.” The lead reptilous said plainly, signaling to a small meadow near the base of a mountain.

“Very well, I suppose we can walk the rest of the way.” Blaze walked back to the carriage as one of the guards jumped down from his perch on the roof and opened the door for him. He hopped up into it and looked at the princesses. “By what I’m being told we’re going to have to hoof it the rest of the way, the path is too narrow for the carriage.”

“Very well, it was starting to get stuffy in here at any rate.” Celestia replied as she rose from her seat as her sister packed a book she had been reading away into a pouch on the wall of the carriage. Blaze got down from the carriage and stepped to the side, allowing the two princesses passage. Celestia jumped out and used her wings to glide a bit away from the exit so her sister could exit quickly. The guard closed the door and got back to his post.

“I want twenty ponies on this carriage while we’re gone.” Blaze instructed. “Put it over in that meadow, and don’t let your guard down for a second. Rotate who is sitting and patrolling every two minutes, I don’t want a single one of you dozing off.” The soldier saluted and repeated the order to his fellow, who quickly began marching to the meadow and quickly began the first shift. A large group of ponies was still with them, but Blaze definitely felt that they were more exposed without the carriage and twenty ponies short.

The reptilous signaled them to follow as he and his small group began to walk up the path that led up one of the tallest mountains. The mountain in question was so tall that its peek was well beyond even the clouds. Blaze looked at the princesses, and began to march, the soldiers quickly forming a small circular barrier around the two princesses who easily were twice the size of their guards. The path was rather thin, only large enough for maybe four ponies to walk shoulder to shoulder. Blaze had a feeling in his gut, a feeling that things weren’t exactly going to end well for them by the end of this.



The entourage eventually reached the end of the path that, in opposition to what Blaze would have believed, instead of cutting between two mountains to the space inside the ring of mountains, went inside the mountain itself. The path had gone stop before they reached the clouds, but the air was still rather chilly, a lit frost clinging to the walls, small ice crystals, like beads, were woven into the surface of the moss that grew on the rocks around the entrance. Once inside, they were over whelmed by the sheer size of the main cave. The ground was made of stone bricks made from the same stone as the walls of the cave that bore clear claws marks. Blaze could feel the throbbing power that surged through the very rocks, as if the mountain was alive and he was just feeling its pulse. Tapestries hung from metal rods driven into the wall, displaying proud scenes of reptilous conquest against their own kind.

The group eventually reached a large stair case, so large a dragon could probably walk through them and have ample space left. Sockets of missing stone were visible around its walls, places were gems were extracted. Blaze felt the air grow warmer as they descended deeper into the heart of the mountain, the pulsing only becoming only stronger as they went. When they finally reached the bottom, the two reptilous guards split off and went to what Blaze could only guess was the barracks, or maybe the training ground. The reptilous that led stopped and turned to the ponies.

“Please wait here as I go to tell Greyhield of your arrival. I assume his minor lord shall come to greet you when the time comes.” He said and walked off before Blaze or anypony could say different. Blaze turned and walked to the princesses, the guard at the front parting allowing his passage.

“What do you make of all this?” Blaze asked looking at the massive cavern, the floor no longer made of blocks but the same simple stone it had been mined from.

“It is quite troubling how large Greyhield makes his fortresses. The dark energy doesn’t help the atmosphere either.” Celestia replied solemnly. 

“So I’m not the only one.” Blaze commented. “I really know what to expect from him. My father only told me he had faced him in battle and received his scars from the battle. My father only won the battle because Silver Lining and Golden Embroidery were there to help him.”

“Well, I can say that we can only hope he is in a good mood. I doubt we’d live through one of his bad days.” Celestia replied, continually scanning the room around them.

“Well, another thing I’d like to know is who he trusts to be his minor lord. As wise as my father made him out to be I doubt it would be something that didn’t have his absolute confidence. Butt, I guess we’ll meet them soon enough.” Blaze commented.

“Yes, that is something that peeks…” Luna began, but trailed off as her eyes fixed on something. She touched Celestia and pointed out what she saw. Blaze turned as well, and saw what had Luna silenced. Before them stood a figure Blaze initially was a black pony, only to see that they had holes running straight through parts of their body, including their horn, and their wings were the same sickly green color and her mane and tail. Blaze tensed quickly, entering his battle stance even though he was unarmed.

“Chrysalis, what are you doing here!?” Celestia said harshly. The changeling queen just smirked at the ponies.

“Guards, to arms!” Blaze shouted, and in a show of precision, the guards in the outer ranks took out their shields and spears while the guards immediately around them drew swords. Blaze smiled; there might be hope for the guards yet at this rate. Chrysalis didn’t even flinch as a spear pointed its razor sharp point at her chest, the pony holding it keeping a straight expression, not showing any fear.

“Such actions can and will be taken as a hostile maneuver and will be met with instant retaliation. I suggest you put away you oversized toothpicks.” Chrysalis said in her echoing voice.

“Tell us why you are here and I might think about not ordering you run through at this very moment.” Blaze replied gravely. Suddenly the group of soldier was surrounded by changelings and reptilous that held their own weapons at the group that had appeared from seemingly nowhere. Chrysalis waved a hoof and the force stepped back a few paces and raised their weapons. 

“I am Greyhield’s minor lord, one of three in reality, but the other two are indisposed at the moment.” She replied coolly, pushing the spear closed to her with a gentle hoof. “I also have a message from Greyhield concerning your troop. He was no expecting that Luna to be here, and so states that she is not allowed into the chamber, that and the guard you have brought must stay outside as the dealings takes place. Your guest, however, is welcome to enter with you.” She finished with a snide smile.

“What is this outrage!? You deny a princess of Equestria her right to be present at dealings concerning her own country?” Luna said in a burst of fury, her mane whipping about all the more violently.

“I’d say I’m sorry about this, but that would be a lie. You see, the reptilous fear you in a way. They are cold blooded and realize you were the one hoping to bring eternal night, something they cannot live through. If he had known you were coming he would have had them removed from the inner chamber, but because he was not aware to this development, he did not do so.” Chrysalis explained. “Guards, please, disperse.” At that the changelings and reptilous vanished almost as quickly as they had arrived, each taking a different way out of the room. Celestia stared Chrysalis down, her anger only evident in her cold stare.

“Fine, but I will take this matter up with Greyhield.” Celestia stated, keeping her voice even through an amount of self-control Blaze couldn’t imagine.

“Very well, but I doubt he will change his mind on this matter, he is quite the abstinent force to oppose.” The changeling queen replied, turning towards two massive doors. “This way please.” With that she walked through a set of smaller doors that were built into the larger set.

“Guard, give me your sword.” Blaze said to the guard nearest to him, who quickly detached his belt that had the sheath attached to it and strapped it onto Blaze, and then sheathed the blade with his magic. “I want a full perimeter set up around Luna, the row closest to the looking straight up. I don’t need any sneak attacks taking you all out. And everypony, don’t move from you positions. Any guard that does leave cannot return into position. We already know changelings are here, and I’m no psychic, so I can’t tell who is real or not, so stay alert at all times.” He finished, turning to walk up beside Celestia.

“So, do you know what Greyhield is?” Celestia asked; her curiosity showing through her voice. Blaze shrugged as he came up beside her.

“I only know what my father told me. He is a highly skilled user of magic, is a force to be reckoned with in battle, and he could probably take on Equestria alone if he felt so inclined. I can only suppose the reason he doesn’t is because of his age. I suppose he was in his prime in my father’s time, but after a thousand years in the stars he can’t be in the best of conditions.” Blaze replied as they entered the throne room. The floor had a mosaic made of gems of a dark figure that spewed fire flying over a town of pony, but even that part wasn’t the most grotesque, no, that would be the fact that the gold that made the ring around it was laced with pony bones. A gigantic throne made of a black stone sat on the other end of the room, its shadow making its presence all the more intimidating as it stretched from its place on the other end of the hall almost to the gigantic double doors.

Chrysalis spread her wings and bowed before the gigantic throne, a low rumbling sound replying to her.

“What is it Chrysalis?” A deep, rumbling voice asked her, its deep tones echoing about the chamber as a sickly green aura, Chrysalis’s aura, closed the pair of smaller doors, sealing the room completely from prying eyes and ears.

“The princess and the colt have arrived, my liege.” She replied, her naturally echoing voice sounding minuscule in comparison to the previous one.

“Very well, you may leave.” The first voice replied. Chrysalis lifted herself and left the room, giving Celestia and Blaze one last parting grin before closing the door behind her. Blaze looked towards the door for a few seconds after she left before finally turning back to the massive throne. Suddenly a part of the shadow that was on the throne’s seat moved as a massive figure rose and came down from its throne. Blaze took a step back as he realized what he was looking back. There before him was a beast well past Celestia’s height, almost three times by what Blaze could see. It spread its massive, dark, translucent wings that stretched almost from one side of the room to the other. He was now facing a dragon.

“Greyhield, so the stories were true.” Celestia said, looking quite unfazed. “The midnight dragon, the dark scales of hatred. You really are quite the sight; words truly didn’t do you justice.” Celestia finished, and Blaze would have to agree. Greyhield, being the dragon he was, was taller than even Sugar Cube Corner. His wing span, that he so proudly displayed, was almost twice as wide as the old Golden Oaks library.

“We have come, now what is it you wish to discuss at this summit?” Blaze question Greyhield; taking back his retreating step.

“Ah, you must be the colt of Flame Eternal. Your journey through time and memory seems to have done little damage to your confidence and self-esteem.” Greyhield stated as he folded in his wings and cracked his gigantic neck, sending tiny explosions echoing through the hall. “Our business today is to be brief.” He continued as he shifted his gaze towards Celestia. “As ruler of the reptilous nation to the ruler of the Equestrian nation I command you to remove yourselves from this land.” He said darkly. Blaze lit his horn and put a light telekinetic grasp on his blade’s hilt. Greyhield quickly shifted his gaze towards Blaze before drawing in a breath and releasing a silent roar. Blaze’s magic suddenly imploded, his grasp instantly broken.

“Explain your command, Greyhield.” Celestia said, her stance becoming more oriented towards comment. Greyhield swung his massive head to focus on the princess as he began to take steps towards her, closing the distance in a few moments. He lowered his gigantic head, his amber eyes focusing on the rather puny pony in front of him.

“I give you a warning, leave all Equestria and take nothing with you. Do this by the fourth day of next month or face the wrath of all the reptilous, madrahciah, and changelings. If you are gone by then I might consider leaving you to live. But if you do not, well, let us say it simply, the green grasses of Canterlot and all of Equestria shall become a red as the evening sky.” Greyhield replied ominously.

“I take this as a threat against Equestria, and as such I can retaliate in full against you and your kingdom.” Celestia countered. “Do you truly wish to wage war against all of Equestria?” She asked with a hiss.

“I do, and all of the Crystal Empire as well. Remove yourself and your ponies and you may live to see another sunrise.” Greyhield replied, baring his massive teeth.

“Equestria stands defiant, we will not leave, and you will not prevail against us.” Celestia stated plainly. Greyhield raised his head and turned to walk to his throne. He slowly laid down on it, his tail wrapping around his legs. He and the shadow soon became almost one mass, as his eyes remained the only thing visible to the two ponies.

“The reptilous and all my armies will be on your door step on the appointed day. I recommend you not be near there when they arrive.” Greyhield stated calmly. “You may leave now.” With that Celestia turned, Blaze following her quickly. The two smaller doors opened, guarded now by two reptilous guards clad in such bulky armor that they could have just as well have been two reptilous in one suit.

Blaze looked at the small band of soldiers that surrounded Luna, who sat ever vigilant. Blaze and Celestia entered the group quickly.

“Alright troops, let’s move. Forward march!” Blaze commanded, the group responding, weapons still out as they head to the stairs.



The group finally exited the cave and was walking down the path when Blaze noticed a shadow swooping past. He looked up and saw Greyhield land on the rather flat peak of his mountain.

“Reptilous of my kingdom! On this day the Equestrians have sealed their fate!” His mighty voice boomed across the mountain, causing many of the guard to stop and look.

“Keep moving, we don’t have time to waste.” Blaze ordered as the echoes of Greyhield’s voice faded. “Send word to the carriage to get ready for immediate departure.” He finished as a pegasus jumped off the path and glided down to the carriage.

“On the fourth day of next month,” Greyhield continued after a moment of silence, “We will attack Canterlot!” Blaze could feel Greyhield’s gaze piercing right through him as he spoke. “Equestria will meet its final reckoning, and all will know the true victors, the ones who were truly meant to inhabit these lands!” As he finished, a mighty roar from all the reptilous shook the area as a chorus of hundreds upon thousands of yells of preeminent victory pierced the air, drowning out all other noise. Blaze readied himself for the journey back to Canterlot. This time there would be no break, this time there would be no change of guards, because this time, they were on the clock, and it was ticking far too fast. Twenty days was what they had, not including that day, and deep down inside, Blaze knew, the fields around Canterlot would not be green for too much longer.                          

> Chapter 13: Flame
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  The sounds of wooden practice tools striking against each other echoed continually. Blaze blocked yet another attack from Bronze as their continuing practice session went on. All around them ponies fought to the best of their abilities, as they had been for hours. The two companies of soldiers had collided and had quickly picked off the weaker troops, who were now lifting weights, doing wing push up, or any other manner of exercise as they waited for their comrades to finish their training exercise.

“How do you like the new routine, Captain?” Blaze asked as he dodged under another swing from Bronze.

“It’s nice to have a challenge again. It was almost boring how easy it was getting.” Bronze replied as he side stepped out of the way of a bolt of fire. “I hope you’ve been taking me advice to heart.” He finished while sending his sword towards Blaze’s side.

“I’d say I have. I’ve arranged my schedule to wake up and start training before all of you and go to bed later.” Blaze replied while parrying. Bronze charged into Blaze and lifted his sword, pointing it towards Blaze’s throat, Blaze quickly rolled to the side and sent his sword hurtling towards Bronze’s chest. Bronze quickly met the incoming blade while sending a plume of sand into Blaze’s eyes, but Blaze quickly reacted by making a small shield, a technique Bronze taught him a few days ago.

“Well we are certainly a good match for each other.” Bronze stated with a smirk while twisting his blade out of the lock, sending it towards Blaze’s horn. Blaze shot a flame bolt at it while leaning more to the side, the blade gliding safely to the side.

“I’d say so.” Blaze replied while sending another flame bolt into Bronze’s muzzle. Bronze quickly put up a shield while setting a condensed beam of sand into Blaze’s left hind leg, causing the colt to fall to the side, but Blaze quickly rolled out of the tumble and slammed his sword into Bronze’s skull.



Gylom threw out a punch, releasing the spear that had been in his grasp, sending it straight to Grahnthril, who raised his shield and caught the razor sharp spearhead. Gylom pulled the chain that connected the main shaft of the spear to his gauntlet. Grahnthril fell forward, carried by his shield a short distance before the spear came out. The reptilous quickly did a front flip, landing in front of Gylom, and with his left over momentum, shoved him back. Gylom quickly drew his sword, disconnecting his lance’s chain with his shield hand. He swung his sword, only to have Grahnthril quickly raise his shield to catch it. 

Gylom suddenly felt himself being pulled by the ankle. In another second he was on the ground, being dragged by Glenn, who showed no sign of emotion and his comrade’s predicament.

“Am I you favorite target or something? Having you constantly interrupting our training sessions doesn’t help anything.” Gylom said as he pulled at the chain with his claws, only to have Glenn pull on it, causing him to shoot right past his stealthy companion. After recovering from his dizziness he focused back on Glenn. “What was that for?!” Gylom shouted with no small measure of annoyance.

“I need to keep in shape, and you need to work on your perception and awareness. I’d say this is quite an effective training routine for us. Also Greyhield has ordered us to train for indoors fighting techniques. I have a plan to combine our two forces for both an effective entrance and surprise attack maneuver.” Glenn stated plainly, his voice still a monotone gruffness.

“Oh, I’d love to come and see how it all works, but I’m a bit tied up at the moment.” Gylom replied, still very annoyed. Gylom felt himself being pulled again as Glenn pulled again. Gylom fell on his back as Glenn released his comrade’s ankle. 

“Come now, we are on a shortened time scale. And don’t worry, we have already moved your troops, but of course you still haven’t noticed.” Glenn said while walking out of the training cave where Gylom and his troops used to be training; that was until Glenn had the troop moved forcefully.

Gylom stood up and fell in behind Glenn as they entered the adjoining cave. The ceiling of the cave had been fitted with wooden beam, from which the troops practiced entrance maneuvers. Gylom was freshly annoyed to see that they were practicing a hostage situation, but that in itself wasn’t the annoying part, no that would be the fact his soldiers were the hypothetical captives. All around the room were dummy ponies with red strings coming out from their muzzles, marking out their line of sight. 

A reptilous on the rafters sent a chain with a hook on the end down towards one of the dummies, several of his comrades following his example. The reptilous all jumped down, his chain catching on the rafter he had been sitting on, causing the dummies shoot up violently, only leaving a dozen, which the reptilous quickly dealt with by throwing knives at their necks, heads, or hearts. Gylom whistled, quite impressed by their swift and deadly attack strategy.

“So what happens with the guards at the doors?” Gylom asked only to have a dummy’s head throw in his face by Glenn.

“They were dealt with in advance; swiftly, quietly, and without a chance for survival or raise of alarm.” Glenn replied. Gylom looked down at the head and saw the mark of a claw across the region of the eyes, something Gylom couldn’t understand since it already was missing its body.

“Sometimes I wonder why I even have my armored division if you guys are so efficient.” Gylom stated while tossing the head behind him.

“Simply put, we wouldn’t have reason to be so efficient without you. We wouldn’t have anyone to save, so we wouldn’t need these skills.” Glenn replied before throwing his chain up into the rafters before quickly climbing up the taught chain, quickly reaching the top. Gylom shook his head. Sometimes he felt they really wanted to show off in front of him, just to prove they were move agile.



Blaze’s horn grew brighter as the gigantic boulder in front of him slowly lifting alongside the others around it, each lifted by a different pony. In the back of his mind he could hear the pegasi counting off as he did wing pushups while earth ponies did pull ups with their forelegs. Blaze’s own mental counter ticked up to fifty-six. He could feel the strain beginning to pound on his brain, and he could see the other unicorn soldiers going under the same strain as they tried to do the same number of lifts as their younger head trainer.

“Forty-four more, stallions, you can you do it!” He shouted to his fellow soldiers as he lowered the boulder within an inch of the ground before going right back up. The guards around him groaned as they tried to keep up with the intense training regimen that was a considerable change in pace for them, much as it had been for the previous fifteen days, with each day yielding an increase in their training. 

Blaze lifted his magic resistant boulder for the seventy-second time in row, beads of sweat trailing down his brow and muzzle. He heard the groans grow louder as his fellow soldiers struggled to keep the pace. Blaze felt the pounding on his skull as he lowered it only to have to lift it again, the anti-magic material sapping him faster and faster with each second of magical contact.

“Come on, stallions, you can do it! Would you rather have the reptilous have you for an after battle snack?” Blaze shouted lifting it again, the strain evident. Blaze continued to lift and lower it, his mental counter ticking up to one hundred twenty-one, when suddenly he realized that the sound of groans were replaced with whistles of marvel. Blaze opened his eyes to see only he and Bronze were lifting their stones, the other stallions leaning against theirs watching with impressed looks. Bronze grinned at him.

“Want a race to two hundred fifty, Commander?” Bronze asked the strain evident in his voice. Blaze smirked as he nodded and began to lift and lower is boulder a bit faster, Bronze matching his pace step for step. Blaze put every ounce of effort into his boulder, Bronze evidently doing the same.

The two ponies continued to lift their boulders as the troops began to run their daily laps around the edge of the camp. Blaze and Bronze locked gazes as they counted in their heads as their boulders went up past their head and back to an inch above the sandy turf.

“How many you got, Commander?” Bronze said with a smirk as he said the last word. Blaze lifted the boulder, and then lowered it once more.

“I got two hundred ten so far. What about you, how many?” Blaze replied. Bronze’s smile faded from his features as he increased his speed.

“Two hundred seven don’t slow down yet.” Bronze said, a smirk growing across his muzzle. Blaze began to increase his own speed, matching Bronze as best he could. The two ponies still locked in an intense staring match as their boulders bobbed up and down, their magical force weakening slightly as the mental strain compounded with each cycle. Bronze suddenly dropped his boulder with a huff as he laughed a bit at Blaze who was still lifting.

“Looks like I win this time.” Bronze said, watching Blaze’s stone float up and down quietly. “How many do you got any way?” He asked while wiping his hoof across his forehead. 

“Two hundred eighty-nine… I think; I got a bit tripped up around sixty-two.” Blaze stated, still lifting it, letting out occasional groans of effort. Bronze gapped at the colt, surprised at the number. Blaze then set his stone down gently while wiping a hoof across his brow. “Final number: around three hundred.” Bronze chuckled softly to himself, shaking his head.

“Well you better have saved something for the laps around the grounds.” With that the stallion jogged over to join the group of soldiers, Blaze quickly following him.



Greyhield look at Chrysalis as she sent yet another changeling off with move instructions. He snorted, sending a small puff of smoke into the vast hall. Chrysalis turned to him, seeming quite worried she might have incurred the dragon’s anger.

“Is there something amiss my liege?” She asked, turning more towards him, her fear still quite evident. Greyhield shifted in his massive throne, his massive tail flicking in dismissal.

“I have waited for more than a dozen thousand years, and yet… the days seem to enjoy how they trickle by uselessly.” He again huffed as he finished, sending yet another plume of dark smoke to join the dark, looming mass that hung from the ceiling.

“My lord, is it not within our power to simply attack now? There is no real restraint holding us from sending our forces down on their capitol. After all, you know better than any that Celestia will be resolute and stand her ground no matter how long we wait.” Chrysalis said cautiously. Greyhield eyes her from his occlusive shadow.

“I am a dragon of honor. There is no reason that you might see, but my word is enough for me to withhold my wrath from such pathetic, puny ponies.” Greyhield stated, his massive voice echoing about the room ominously.

“O-of course, my lord, I merely wanted to…” Chrysalis stumbled, intimidated by the gigantic beast before her.

“To please me, to make me reward you and bestow all the magnificent gifts I have hidden for those who are faithful to my cause.”  Greyhield offered, parting his lips in a snarling smile. “Believe me, if you were worthy of reward you would have received one long before now. Of my servant I can say you haven’t been the most faithful.” Chrysalis quickly bowed before Greyhield, trembling visibly.

“I-I will endeavor to gain your confidence and pleasure once again, my liege.” She said, her usual confident voice quivering in fear of her mighty lord, who had the ability to strike her down with such ease he could probably do it asleep.



Celestia stood over a table that had a map of Canterlot, magically lifted from the paper into a full relief of the mountainous topography of the region. A mass of red surrounded the entire mountain, only the suburbs of the mighty city separating it from the base of the mountain.

“As you can see, they’d probably won’t come from one direction, but all of them. Mathematicians have confirmed that that would be the most mathematically probable tactic to be used.” Her counselor said. “To counter this tactic we suggest that small outposts be built around the area so we some soldiers ready to engage them while the other prepare and head out.” Celestia nodded slowly.

“It’s a decent plan, I’ll say that much. Those ponies will need to wear their armor all the time though, that is if you don’t want the entire purpose of having them out there defeated.” Blaze said, considering the red mass. “I’d suggest we have the main mass of the troops attack in this way.” He continued as he lit his horn, which a blue mass to appear and meet the red at the four cardinal directions. “Then if they try to squeeze between the two walls we do this.” With that a trickle of red went down the tunnel provided by blue’s formation, only to have a small blue line cut the portion off from the larger force.

“Where did you learn these things, sir?” The counselor asked Blaze turned his horn off, the pony at the edge of the room doing the same, causing the map to fall back onto the paper below it.

“I read a lot on military strategies.”Blaze replied. “But the one problem with a situation like this is that the enemy is rather unpredictable. We can guess what they might do, but these aren’t exactly are normal opponents, so we don’t really know all they can and are willing to do.” He finished with a sigh, the stress of the situation weighing down on his shoulders.

“Well I suppose we’ll find out in two days.” Celestia stated calmly. “Be sure to rest well before the day comes.” Blaze nodded as he left the room, the matter at hoof still pestering him as he trotted towards the training grounds.



Greyhield circled the massive magical map of Equestria, the great mountain of Canterlot sitting near the center. He studied every minute detail his map offered him, every tiny thing he could use for an advantage. As he walked, a small yellow orb passed through him, the sun slowly ticking away on its path, guided, as usual, by Celestia, while the small silvery orb signified the moon had already begun to rise into the sky in its usual time for the season.

“My liege?” Gylom asked, standing side by side with Glenn and their colonels. Greyhield turned towards the reptilous, side tail fazing through Canterlot momentarily, distorting the image. “Your orders?” Greyhield turned back to the map.

“Glenn,” Greyhield began. The small framed reptilous stepped forward, and then bowed his head, his right arm going across his chest, his fist clenched against his chest. “I have something to ask of you.”

“Say what it is and I shall complete it before the next dawn.” Glenn stated with his head still lowered in reverence. Greyhield smiled at the eager reptilous and the small setting yellow orb.

“As you know, tomorrow Equestria fill feel my wrath like never before.” Greyhield stated, circling around the back of the magical map. “Yet there is an action we must take before the time has arrived.” Glenn lifted his head and lowered his arm, looking directly at Greyhield. “We must destabilize their armies, and to do so requires you to kill their captain of the guard.” 

“It will be done, my lord. He shall not see the sun again after this evening.” Glenn replied, quickly turning to leave the room and prepare.

“You do realize, I said that we would not attack until tomorrow? If you are caught,” Greyhield stated, causing Glenn to stop walking away. “If you are even seen, I will not protect you. You will most likely be killed, if not tortured by the ponies. Do you understand?” Glenn turned towards the mighty dragon.

“They will not know I was there until they find his body in the ruins of their city.” Glenn stated before turning again and leaving the room with his colonels in tow.



Blaze stood on the outer most wall of Canterlot, looking out over the countryside. Several dim lights flickered in the distance, showing the presence of the forward troops. Blaze looked up at the sky, the stars clouded slightly by the light of the torches around him. The night was calm, the cool air doing little to lighten his mood. He eventually turned and went inside. He stopped by the table in the center of the room. It was a map of Canterlot surrounded by red painted wooden figures. He looked over the battlefield once again. He hated the feeling of not knowing anything; he hated it as much now as he had when he was lost in the forest.

“Blaze, you are still awake?” Blaze heard Twilight say in a sleepy tone. He turned to her, keeping himself from snickering at her frazzled mane and tail.

“Yes, the night is rather dark tonight with it being a new moon and all. I think Greyhield planned it that way.” Blaze stated. “Besides, it’s still early enough.”

“You need your rest. You aren’t a young colt anymore. I seem to remember something about you becoming the head trainer of the guard.” Twilight commented. “I think you’d be the youngest pony to ever hold that position. I still have a hard time believing it all.” She said before stifling a yawn.

“I’m not too far off from the second youngest, only missed by three years. Either way, I have a duty that requires me to be here.” Blaze said, turning back to look out the doorway.

“And what might that be? Haven’t you already done enough that you can sleep?” Twilight asked Blaze, causing him to lower his head while shaking it.

“No, I can never do enough to deserve a rest, not while Greyhield is still alive and well.” He looked up to Twilight. “Greyhield was the one who sent the beast that killed my mother. Not only that, but he made it so my father could no longer fight, he could barely even move without limping or at least showing great pain. Do you know how hard hat is?” Blaze asked Twilight, tears beginning to whelm up in his eyes.

“I-I…” Twilight stammered, but quickly shook herself, regaining her composure. “I can’t say I do, but you need to remember something.” Blaze looked away towards the stars. Twilight walked up to him and gave him a comforting hug. Soon she felt the tears run down her foreleg as he continued to look away from her. “You have friends all around you. You can’t expect to do this on your own.” Blaze looked to her, his face not showing the emotions his tears carried. 

“And let me guess, you are going to launch into a speech about how you thought you could, then met your friends and found out how wrong you were.” Blaze huffed at that and looked back to the stars. “Certain speeches get predictable after a while.” Blaze commented.

“I know, my parents would start to have to use the same speeches on me, but really, it is true. And the very fact that you say that shows that you know that it’s true.” Twilight pressed. Blaze shook his head slowly.

“This whole situation is a big ball of stress.” He looked at Twilight, his tears gone. “I don’t know what we are up against. Before now Greyhield was the only one fighting, and now we have these reptilous, I got no idea what will happen.” Blaze confessed, his shoulders sagging a tad. “And now I have everypony hoping in me, and I can’t even think of what might happen.” Twilight smiled at him.

“I know you can do this. I know you, and by what I can tell you are going to do great things.” Twilight said. “Besides,” She gave him a gentle nudge, “Fifteen and already the head trainer of the guard, I’d say you have some time left in you, and I doubt that if this army is under you that Greyhield will stand a chance.”

“Well, this army isn’t under me.” Blaze replied. “I’m not the captain of the guard. I’m the head trainer, nothing more. I can make suggestions to the captain, but I can’t force him to do as I say unless it is in regard to training.” As Blaze finished, he say something out of the corner of his eye. He immediately jerked his head in the direction.

“”What is it? What’s wrong?” Twilight asked in concern as she released Blaze from her embrace. Blaze stood up and walked towards the window.

“I saw something just now… like… like a shadowy form going past this window.” Blaze opened the window with his magic and looked around. All he could see was the stone work of the castle and the light of several other windows. “Nothing… but… I could have sworn…”



Glenn looked down at the open window. He hoisted himself up the ledge, thanking his training with each breath for giving him his quick reflexes. The moment he saw the light gleam off his scales, he detached the hook from his gauntlet and threw it up towards a pole sticking out of the wall of one of the higher levels.

Glenn stiffened as he heard some ponies talking above him. He reached to his belt and pulled out a knife as he continued to climb the chain.

“I can’t believe we’re out here on the word of a colt!” The one said. The other huffed to him partner.

“You do realize we are also on the word of Celestia? She was there too and confirms every word he says.” The second replied. “Besides, Cobalt, it isn’t like we haven’t done patrol before.”

“Sure, sure, Andesine, but the last time I got late night patrol was after you stole that sweet roll in boot camp. And I may remind you that that was at least three years ago. So yes, I have been on night patrol before but not for a very long time.” Cobalt replied in a slightly annoyed tone. 

Glenn rolled his eyes as he reached the area just below the two ponies. Glenn grabbed onto one of the stones that stuck out farther than the rest, and then removed his hook from the small post, probably a remnant of the castle before it had been finished. He inspected it for a second, the two hooks curving back from the main dagger like blade still sharp and deadly, glistening almost happily in the pale moonlight. Glenn tightened his grip on his knife and hook, and then launched himself up and onto the platform with the ponies. He quickly threw his knife at the one on the left while sending his hook into the neck of the one on the right.

Both ponies fell instantly, the one with the hook instantly showing signs of death, while the one with the knife at the base of his horn still seemed to struggle. Its eyes looked at the reptilous in horror, speaking one word silently. Glenn curled his lips up in a smile before removing the hook from the one ponies and ripped out the knife from the other.

“Why?” The question rang out verbally. Glenn turned to the one he gleaned to be Cobalt by his voice.

“For the greater cause, there should be no other reason a reptilous to fight.” Glenn stated simply before sending his hook up towards a nook in the wall, which the hook caught easily. Glenn charged towards the end of the wall, then jumped and swung across to the wall while scaling the chain as best he could before slamming into the wall, creating a very dull thud. A pony stuck his head over the wall after hearing the noise. Glenn looked down below him and saw a pile of hay and so, with a smile, Glenn threw his other hooked dagger into the pony’s throat and dragged him out from his post without a noise. The body fell past Glenn before silently landing in the pile of hay, causing the reptilous a bit of joy before returning to the climbing.

Glenn peered over the fourth wall, the two guards standing by the fire, trying to warm up. Glenn jumped over the wall, throwing both his hook out towards the ponies, both hitting their marks perfectly. Just as he removed his blades, he heard the loud toll of an alarm bell. He quickly slammed his hook into a wooden post and jumped down before any other guards looked his way.

He looked towards the sound and saw a small gray pony with a trickle of red running down his forehead, coming from just below his horn. Apparently Cobalt had survived the strike. Glenn locked his brace’s chain while bracing his legs against the corners of the wall that formed a ‘V’, with him at the center, and took out his bow and notched an arrow into the string. He aimed quickly and released the arrow, sending it straight into the stallion’s side. After seeing him collapse, satisfied with his job, he pulled himself back up, quickly checking around before running towards the main complex of buildings.

Glenn ran up the wall a few steps while throwing his hook at a small post that supported the outcropping of the roof. He heard a pony gasp above him at the sight of his chain. He quickly pulled himself up, finding himself face to face his a foal. He quickly sent his claws into the small pony’s little throat, silencing it for good. He then slammed its head into the window sill before stabbing the nape of its neck with his other hook, fed up with accidental survivors for that night.

Glenn ran across the rooftops, his steps nearly completely silent in comparison to the shouts of soldiers that scattered through the streets like ants, franticly looking for an intruder, an intruder that was just above them. Glenn jumped the gap formed by the street between the two rows of houses, and he rolled onto the new roof, quickly getting back to his feet before jumping the small gap of an alleyway that separated one house from the house facing the street behind.

The reptilous sent his hook up at a window sill while jumping across another street to a house that was another level higher. He quickly hit the stone wall, running up it as fast as he could, and when he reached the window to find a pony starring at him, he changed his intended rout a bit. 

He dove threw the window, slamming a knife into the pony’s throat, then took the same knife out and shoved it into the pony’s forehead. He removed his hook from the window and took his knife back before opening the door, and then bolting to the one just across the hall, the which he found locked, a problem he quickly solved by simply smashing right through it, only to find another pony sitting on a seat, that looked to be quite confused and embarrassed.

Glenn shoved a hook into its face, dragging it out again and he jumped out the open window and into the wall of the house directly behind his current one. He quickly gripped the stone, climbing up the stone face as best he could. He hoisted himself up onto the roof as his ears were met with screams from the house he had just left as somepony noticed his actions. He looked back towards the house as a mare cried into the bloody shoulder of the stallion that had been sitting when he came in.

“It’s still a stealth operation as long as you can’t be pegged as the culprit.” He recited as he began running along the roof he had been on.

Glenn eventually reached the barracks without and further ponies getting directly in his way. He scanned the area, quickly finding what he was looking for, the office of the captain. Glenn quickly dove off the barracks, directly into the shadow of the same. He looked towards the guards, who seemed to be unaware of his presence. He readied his hook, throwing it just below the roof. He darted across the lighted area, running up the first few steps before going back to climbing with the chain.

“You’re a bit late, general.” Glenn heard a voice say above him. Glenn just shook his head as he hoisted himself up, removing his hook from the wall.

“I only arrive later than you because I sent you off first.” Glenn replied to his soldier. “Are all the others here yet?”

“We’re all here, sir; the last one is currently climbing the south wall.” One of his colonels stated from his shadowy hiding place. The last reptilous quickly joined the group in the shadows with a sigh.

“Remember, hostage situation variation type B. Am I understood?” Glenn said, scanning over the dark forms of his soldiers, all of which nodded their heads.



A guard pony walked around the interior of the front room of office of the captain, several other ponies standing around the room keep as alert watch as they could inside the comfortable room while doing nothing.

“So we are here, why? Aren’t we supposed to be searching for those creatures? I mean the alarm was sounded.” One of them asked, breaking the relative silent interior.

“The captain still needs a watch in his office, and now that we are at the brink of war, he has more reason to call guards to his side since he needs to focus on those papers, there won’t be a lot of time for them when the war is on.” The guard collectively sighed while rolling their eyes, the room soon falling back to silence. Suddenly two meaty thuds sounded outside, causing several guards to stiffen and look towards the door. One of the higher ranking one motioned for one of the corporals to check it out.

The young corporal exited, the wind causing the door to swing a bit more closed. Another meaty sound met their ears.

“Are you alright out there corporal? Do you have anything to report?” The older guard asked, inching towards the door. Their only reply was a dark silence. The guard motioned for another guard to go out as he watched carefully. As he exited, with the door slowly swinging back, the old guard watched as a blaze connected to a chain was sent down into the guard’s neck before yanking him back up. “Aler…!” The guard began before a blade slammed into his neck, the wind shoved from his lungs before the ground was taken from him, only the sound of chains clicking against the wooden rafters. He looked up in his last moments, seeing a figure placing a slab of roofing back in its place.

One of the guards, seeing his comrades being yanked up, rolled to the side, hearing the clink of a blade against the stone floor. He watched as several of his closest friends were yanked from the ground or were struck by a knife. He took in a breath and lit his horn.

“ALERT! ALERT! ENEMIES IN THE CAPTAIN’S OFFI….!” His magically amplified voice cut off as a knife hit the side of his throat. He smiled all the same, the alert had been raised; he had done his duty as a soldier.

Guard burst from the front door as other guards formed a wall quickly outside the captain’s door, several guards still staying inside with their officer.

Glenn, spying the door open sent a knife though it, directly into the wall beside the captain’s head. Glenn cursed under his breath as he drew his duel short swords, his soldiers imitating. Glenn charged the line in front of the office, killing two of the soldier’s quickly with his swords in a swift, fluid movement. Glenn heard the shouts of pain as ponies died at the claws of his warrior’s. 

Glenn broke into the office, a flame in his eyes as he unlatched his hook from his gauntlet before throwing the hook, which bounced off of the captain’s magical shield. Glenn snarled as he slammed his swords into the first two guard’s chests. As he pulled his blades out, two of his fighters jumped in behind him, throwing four knives, meeting four guard’s throats.

Glenn unlatched his other hook, throwing it at the captain, who blocked it with another shield. Glenn joined his claws, his two blades becoming one attack. The captain formed another shield, meeting the attack with a grimace. The two reptilous behind the general sent more knives and hooks towards their target as another reptilous entered the room, jumping over Glenn, sending two more knives into the mix. The pony captain’s horn glowed brighter as a shield made a dome over him. The attacks bounced off before the reptilous that had jumped landed on the shield and began to claw at it.

Glenn lifted his blades and began to drum on the shield, causing shockwaves to echo throughout the surface of the shield. The other reptilous began to slash at it as well until finally it fell apart, the magical shield shattering like glass, pieces of solid magic strewn across the floor. Glenn lifted his blades again, and then sent them into the pony’s chest. He quickly removed his blades and turned while sheathing both blades.

“Reptilous, disperse, objective confirmed!” With that several thuds sounded as the reptilous sent hooks into the wooden rafter, quickly pulling themselves up. The roof suddenly was pushed out at several points as the reptilous went running in different directions, several ponies chasing each, only to stop as they jumped from the wall surrounding the area and into the residential area, which was more than twenty times the height of a pony.

Glenn reveled in the achieved goal as he felt the air whistle by him. He sent a hook out to a wooden post, which quickly received it. Glenn swung through the street, his other hook dragging through the crowds, killing or injuring several. He released the hook as he began reached the end of his chain’s length. 

He landed in a wagon filled with feather pillows, which he rolled out of and into the bustling streets, were he plowed through several ponies with a devilish smile before jumping of the far wall, sending his other hook into a flap pole on the level below. He felt the wind rush by as he swung around the pole with his chain wrapping around it. He released it as well when it had only a small distance between him and the pole. He landed in the pile of hay that contained the body of the one pony.

He charged towards the three ponies that stood between him and the edge of the last wall. He grabbed two knives from his belt, sending them into the necks of the two on the sides. He took a length of rope from his pack, which he lassoed around the neck of the pony he had left. He quickly jumped over the edge and smiled as he heard the snap of bones as his rope’s length ended with the pony stuck between two of the lifted blocks of the wall. Glenn let go of the rope, letting himself fall a short distance before drawing a knife in each hand, slamming one into the wall, slowing his descent before he let it go, and repeated the process with his other knife. After leaving his second knife in the wall, he dropped to mountainous ground around the castle.

He quickly darted down the mountain, running along the train tracks. As he ran, he heard a blaring horn of a train. He looked back and saw the light of the train piercing through the dark as it left a tunnel. He quickly jumped behind a boulder and waited for it to rush by, when he jumped onto it, slamming his last two knives into the wooden train car. He climbed up onto the roof, leaving the knives behind. He ran along the roofs of the train cars towards engine. He stopped on the car before the engine and jumped down into the gap between them. He kicked open the door and was met with the screams of ponies. 

He drew his swords as he kicked the door closed and rushed them, killing several in the first few seconds. He wiped his blades off after killing the last one. He walked up to the front of the car and grabbed the brake lever, pulling it back before quickly rushing out and pulling the pin from link between the engine and the rest of the cars. He watched as the cars behind him slowed to a stop as he sped on. He broke open the doors and made quick work of the last three ponies. He grabbed the brake level and ripped it out, not intending for the train to ever stop for another pony ever again. He sat back, watching as he progressed down the mountain, the shadowy forms of his comrades following him slowly.                  

> Chapter 14: Attack
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Blaze sat by the grave, the head stone reading ‘To Bronze Buckler, Captain of the Royal Guard, brave and valiant in life, honored and venerated in death’, the dates seeming almost as a side not. Blaze starred at the freshly churned earth, with dozens of other graves like it, all of which belonged to ponies killed in the attack. Blaze didn’t really feel anything, even though there were a few contestants pleading for dominance. Anger, sadness, despair, hatred, all of them fighting it out in the back of his mind as he trudged through his thoughts slower than molasses, trying to just put together the pieces of his broken world.

The sound of chain mail rasping against plate mail alerted Blaze to the approaching guard pony, something he didn’t entirely care about. The pony stood beside him for a few seconds in silence, most likely paying his respects to his fallen commander.

“Sir,” The guard said finally, causing a few of the birds that had been chirping about them to flutter off at the sudden brake in the silence, “We have report that Greyhield’s forces are an hour out. What are your commands?” Blaze thought about this, his mind still slow. “Sir, the guards need your guidance. You are the only pony currently able to lead since most of the lieutenants are either dead, wounded, or still in severe shock.” Blaze stood up slowly, not taking his eyes from the gray stone with Bronze’s cutie mark adorning the top.

“Tell the troops to enter their assigned locations. Also, tell the ponies at the armory to prepare my armor, I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Blaze droned out in a monotone voice. The soldier saluted before rushing off. Blaze looked at the graves around him, names and cutie marks he didn’t recognize. He looked to the skies above, the sun already reaching its peak.

“You’ll pay, Greyhield, I swear you’ll pay.” He said while turning towards the entrance of the graveyard. He walked out purposefully, the dull thuds of Greyhield’s army approaching sounding in the distance.



Blaze stood at the head of his forces, forming a ring around the mountain with the reptilous forming another ring that surrounded them. Blaze inspected the force as they approached, watching as the reptilous in their armor came closer and closer, only to stop at almost a predetermined point. Blaze felt a shift in the mood when, from the distance, the massive lumbering forms of Ursas came up behind the already massive force. The sky above the crowd grew back as a swarm of changelings massed above them in dark chitin armor, their green glowing eyes like small spots on a massive black curtain. At their head was one reptilous wearing a set of thick plate mail, looking almost large enough to hold two reptilous with room to spare. Another reptilous walked up beside him, though this one seemed different, with horns growing from the sides of its head and having a thinner figure, though still definitely male. It took out as staff, and after a brief twirl and a small light show coming from its staff’s ends, it slammed the wooden pole into the ground.

“Ponies of Equestria,” The reptilous spoke, its voice amplified such that it was heard all across the battlefield. “You have had your chance to surrender and leave, yet have refused! For this you shall meet your doom!” The reptilous with the staff removed his rod from the earth and stepped back only a few steps in front of the first line, and with him several others just like him, only varying in color, stepped forward. Blaze looked to his sides, the golden clad ponies, with their true mane and coat colors showing for battle.

“Guards,” Blaze shouted, turning his attention back to the reptilous, his voice now replacing the fading echoes as his spell amplified his voice, “Give them all they promise to us and more!” With that he swung his sword forward. “For the Equestria!”

“For the sisters!” The guards shouted in unison, their combined voice shaking the very earth beneath their hooves.

“For all those whom we love!” He joined his voice to the chorus of the guards with a smile as they completed the guard’s motto. As the echoes still rocked the plains the combined forces of Equestria charged, a hail of arrows, cannon fire, and scorpion bolts forming a dark cloud behind them. Blaze smiled as the first volley struck down entire sections of the changeling cloud and rained down upon the Ursas and the reptilous rear guard.

“For Greyhield!” The commanding reptilous roared, replied with a mighty roar, shrieks, and bellowing cries as each soldier gave a war cry. The line of reptilous then charged up to meet them mid-field. Blaze heard the explosions as the cannons on the wall, a more war oriented version of Pinkie’s party contraption, fired a second volley. Blaze raised his sword and shield as his horn glowed brighter as he prepared a spell. 

In a blink Blaze disappeared and reappeared above the reptilous with a blinding flash. His horn glowed brighter as he sent actual flames raining down, no longer holding back any part of his spell. The reptilous below his cried out in surprise as the flames formed around them, and then blew them away, allowing Blaze a landing zone. Blaze quickly sent bolts of flame into the snouts of three charging reptilous before using his sword and their own to dispatch of them quickly.

Blaze turned around and kicked one of the charging reptilous in the knee, causing it to fall on its face in pain as its leg bent at a grotesque angle. Blaze ended it with a blade to the neck, only allowing it a sputter of blood before dying. Blaze drew out his sword, and quickly raised his shield, catching a reptilous’ attack before thrusting his own sword towards the reptilous, only to have it jump back, striking a rather impressive battle pose. Blaze shot a flame bolt straight at it, only to watch as it bent over backwards, the flame shooting right passed it. The reptilous let its weight carry it backwards and quickly flipped back upright. The reptilous pushed off the floor, its sword pointing out in front of it right at Blaze. Blaze rolled to the size, only to have a blade slam into his armored back. Blaze looked behind him and shot a flame bolt into the visor of the offender, who fell back, leaving his sword in Blaze’s armor.

Blaze lifted the blade out from his armor, sighing when he didn’t see any blood. Blaze turned back to the reptilous who seemed like it was just waiting for him to be ready. Blaze eyed it curiously as he began to walk to the right, weaving around ponies and reptilous that fought ferociously. Blaze was surprised to find the reptilous doing the same, mirroring him almost exactly until there was a gap in the fighting. The reptilous took its chance and dove for Blaze again, only to have its sword strike Blaze’s shield. The reptilous merely let its sword slide off the surface of the shield as it drew closer until it rammed into Blaze’s shield with enough force to knock him back a few steps.

The reptilous was on him in a second, its sword screaming downwards like a hawk after a piece of delicious prey. Blaze lifted his shield, only to find the blade slicing straight through it, and then upwards, parting the shield in a surge of strength. Blaze shot the now useless shield at the reptilous, who simply seemed to flow to the side, and then straight towards him, grabbing Blaze by the throat, only to drop him a second later.

Blaze looked up at the reptilous, but he was gone with a particularly enraged pony on top of him. The pony lifted his blade and swung it down towards the reptilous, which simply jolted to the side letting the blade sink into the earth. The reptilous planted its arms into the ground, then with a push, flew off the ground, sending the pony flying off, only to turn back around on a dime, its wings spread out wide, even after he landed.

“Commander Blaze, I hope you weren’t planning on dying today.” The pegasus said around his sword before kicking off the ground while beating his wings, charging towards the reptilous, who dodge to the side, grabbing the pony’s tail, swinging the pony back to the ground. The reptilous lift his blade and sent it down towards the pegasus, only to have Blaze strike it, sending the blade to the side. The reptilous looked towards the crimson unicorn, only to get a snout full of flame that singed his scales. The pegasus pushed off the ground, landing back on his hooves beside Blaze. Blaze looked over at him with a bit of curiosity. 

“What’s your name soldier?” Blaze asked before returning his gaze to the reptilous, who wiped the soot from his eyes.

“Sergeant Palisade of the Royal Guard.” Blaze nodded with a smile. “Captain Bronze Buckler was my brother.” Blaze looked over to the stallion, noticing certain resemblances between the captain and this pony. “Bronze liked how you worked, keeping to the advice he gave you. I can’t let you die, that would only be another blow on my brother.” Palisade looked to Blaze. “You are one of the few ponies left who knew him personally. If you die, that part of the memory of him dies as well.” Suddenly Blaze felt a tingling sensation on the back of his neck. He looked towards the reptilous in time to react and move his sword to block the charging reptilous’ attack. Blaze looked back to Palisade.

“Together?” He asked simply. Palisade nodded before using his wings as extra thrust for his dive towards the reptilous. The reptilous stumbled forward with the addition of the weight of the armored pegasus. Blaze shot a bolt of flame into the reptilous’ face, causing it to stumble even more as it tried to get the soot off of its eyes. Palisade jumped off and bucked the beast as he took off. The reptilous fell forward, only to roll out back to his feet. Blaze shot his sword towards the reptilous, who only barely blocked it.

Palisade dived in, his sword at the ready, but the reptilous suddenly turned and sliced at the pegasus. A small spray of red splashed across Blaze, the warmth of the blood making his own blood run cold. Blaze felt the rage inside of him whelm up, but he suppressed the change from happening.

Palisade skidded to a stop before getting back to his hooves and charging towards the reptilous with one wing hanging limply at his side. Blaze shot a flame bolt at the reptilous’ sword, that caused it to let its grip go of the sword, letting it fly a short distance before clattering down on the ground. Blaze shot several more fire bolts at the reptilous as Palisade approached for his attack. Blaze let up on the fire when Palisade jumped up and wrapped his fore hooves around the beast’s neck and so dragged him to the ground. Palisade maneuvered his blade with his mouth and then sliced it across the reptilous’ neck. The reptilous let out a gargling roar as he pushed of the ground, out of Palisade’s grasp. 

The reptilous turned and bared its claws and threw out a punch towards Palisade, its claws at the fore front. Blaze shot a fire bolt that struck the reptilous’ leg, causing it to fall the side opposite of where Palisade was. Blaze shot his sword out towards the reptilous, who simply grabbed the hilt as it came closer. Blaze struggled as it finally, and quite amazingly, tore the blade for Blaze’s magical grip. The reptilous then rolled and picked up his own sword in his second hand.

Blaze shot another flame bolt out towards the reptilous, who simply exposed his neck and let the fire strike him. When the flare had dissipated Blaze looked in shock at the reptilous’ wound now cauterized by his own flame. Blaze grimaced as he looked around the battlefield for anything he could use, only to find a rather barren field in weapons that weren’t in use at the moment. The reptilous charged Blaze, only to skid to a halt when a shadow passed by the battlefield. Blaze looked up to the sky, but saw noting causing the shadow.



Celestia stood on the observation platform with her sister at her side, looking over the battlefield below. Celestia shook her head.

“I never thought I’d see war come to our doorstep.” She said, her voice no longer the confident motherly tone, but a sorrowful, melancholy tone.

“War is one thing each kingdom must face, it was merely time before our turn had been called.” Luna replied solemnly.

“Not to sound too evil,” A voice interjected from nowhere, “But I think this is quite the display of chaos.” With that a theater chair with Discord sitting in it while munching on popcorn appeared, floating beside the platform. “I haven’t seen anything so chaotic since I took over Ponyville, and even that is near nothing compared to the chaotic energies I feel coming off of this.” He reminisced before popping another kernel in his mouth and then taking his drink from the cup holder and taking a sip of whatever concoction he had in it. Celestia rolled her eyes at the reformed spirit of chaos. “Hmm… but maybe it could be improved…” Suddenly Discord dropped his bag of popcorn, each kernel growing wings and flying away. Luna looked to him with a raised eyebrow. “I-it… it can’t be. It isn’t possible.” He stammered slightly. Celestia looked towards where he had been gazing, but saw nothing but the blue sky.

“What is it, Discord?” Celestia asked, turning to look at the frightened draconequus. “What did you see?” She pressed him.

“Celestia… Luna… I’d suggest a tactical retreat.” He stammered finally. “H-he’s here, and he’s coming right for us.” He finished as his chair disappeared.

“Who’s here? What are you talking about?” Celestia pressed, taking Discord’s words cautiously; though still ready to teleport her sister, Discord, and herself into the depths of Canterlot’s stronghold.

“Sister… I can sense it as well. There is a great mass of dark energy coming towards us.” Luna said, taking a step back from the balcony. “It’s… it’s like the vibes we received at the mountain, but…. but over a thousand times stronger.” Celestia raised an eyebrow, and then a shiver took her over, descending from the crown of her head to the tip of her tail. She too was now feeling it, the same power, just as Luna had said, but so much stronger. She froze as she felt the energy suddenly expand in size and intensity, and then, in an instant, it was gone.

“W-what… what was that?” Celestia stammered as she felt the rush of cold overwhelm her sense to the point she almost fell over. Suddenly she got her answer as an orb of a deep purple color formed over the battlefield, then dissipated to show Greyhield flying towards them, only to disappear in another purple surge of magic. Celestia looked over towards Luna, who was already looking towards her.

“H-he’s here…” Discord repeated in a small voice. The purple orb then appeared directly before them. Celestia turned towards it with her horn lit, her sister doing the same beside her. The dragon emerged from the orb in front of the trio, his gigantic wings keeping him elevated with mighty rushes back and forth. Luna stumbled back, looking as if she had seen a ghost while as Celestia maintained a firm position. Discord skidded back towards the tower, his eyes wide. Greyhield scanned over all of them, then settled his gaze on Celestia.

“I have come to reclaim my right. Surrender that I might execute your sentence.” Greyhield proclaimed in a loud booming voice.

“And what sentence might that be, and for what crime?” Celestia retorted, her horn glowing brighter.

“Your sentence, as it shall be with all ponies, is death, and as for the crime… have you truly forgotten?” Greyhield landed on the balcony, his weight causing the stone to crack in several places. Celestia then teleported all of them, except Greyhield, inside the throne room, only to have a deep purple orb follow, revealing Greyhield standing at half his usual height just to fit inside the relatively cramped space.

“I know not for what crimes you accuse ponykind of, but I know that this day, and for all the centuries before you have been nothing but a plague to Equestria.” Celestia’s horn once again flared up, bright as a star, its glow covering the room and the entire castle in a magnificent glow. Celestia then released a beam of magical energy directly at Greyhield, the massive crackling beam of power causing the windows around the hall to rattle, and anything that wasn’t fixed in place, to fall. As she continued to pour more and more power into the beam, Celestia sensed something was amiss, and so released the last of the beam and let the light dim. When the light was gone it revealed a dark purple sphere that still had small tendrils of light crackling about its surface.

Greyhield released the shield, his facial expression showing nothing of pride or anger; just a bland expression as if the powerful beam that had caused Canterlot to become almost a second sun were nothing more than a parlor trick that a street performer would use at the end of each show. Greyhield raised his right foreleg, a dark mass forming around it and crackling all about it.

“If you will not surrender at my word, than perhaps we can barter over the conditions. After all, it would not be a war with only one battle.” Greyhield stated plainly. He gave on twist of his wrist and an orb of darkness formed, then split into two, then revealed two equine shapes. Chrysalis gave a boisterous laugh, while the other simply smiled at Celestia and Luna.

“No…” Celestia said as she saw the one beside Chrysalis. “That’s not possible… you’re dead.” It was the second new arrivals turn to laugh.

“No, I was merely indisposed, Celestia.” She said, giving one last chuckle. “It was Greyhield who released me from my prison the first time, and it was him who gave me new breath, that I might stand beside him once again.” Celestia and Luna both exchanged glances with each other as the truth of the situation began to sink in.



Blaze blocked the reptilous strike once again, with his newly pilfered sword, allowing Palisade the opportunity to come from the side, only to have his attack blocked with the reptilous’ second sword. Suddenly a horn blared, causing all the reptilous to suddenly stop fighting and charge off towards the outskirts of the Canterlot suburbs. The reptilous Blaze and Palisade were fighting was no different, as when the horn sounded he shoved the ponies away and charged off, leaving Blaze’s real sword behind. Blaze looked around the field, the bodies of ponies scattering the ground, the green pastures painted red with blood.

“What just happened?” Palisade asked Blaze as he walked u beside him.

“I don’t know completely.” Blaze replied. In the distance he saw the army of reptilous scatter into the forest along with the Ursas and the remaining Changelings. “But I think it might be a trap. I don’t know if we really should follow them…” Blaze looked around, the field glittering with the blood and armor of fallen ponies, but the one thing that didn’t make sense was the seeming lack of the dimmer reptilous armor. It seemed the majority of corpses were of the ponies. Blaze turned back to Palisade, “Tell the field medic to get out here and start treating the wounded. I need a body count and everything about how this battle played out. Get accounts from the soldiers down here and on the wall, I need to know how the reptilous moved and acted.”

“Yes sir, right away sir.” Palisade saluted and charged off, his left wing still hanging limply to his side. Blaze looked around once again, then began to move from one downed pony to the next to find which ones were dead and which ones still were breathing.



Glenn stroked his blade with a whetstone, the edge of his blade glistening in the evening sunlight. Gylom marched into the forest encampment, a good portion of his soldier behind him.

“How’d it go?” Glenn questioned, not looking up from his work as he set his first blade aside and took up his second.

“Minimal casual as planned, while still delivering severe damage to the enemy while not going all out.” Gylom replied, sitting heavily down onto a tree trunk covered in moss. Glenn snorted as he set his second sword aside and began work on his daggers.

“Did the operatives get shown to their positions?” Glenn pressed as he continued.

“Yes, they made it and are working into their positions now if all is working out on their end.” Gylom replied as he grabbed his canteen from his belt and took a swig. “Really though, why didn’t they stay there last night? They had a chance to hide inside the wall but instead ran from the city.” Gylom set his first dagger down and took out his second one.

“Several did stay, we just needed a few more to make sure we had all the necessary, we don’t know if any were caught last night or killed during our attack on the captain.” Gylom replied as he inspected the edge of his blade, and when satisfied, took out his third while setting the second down on the same mossy patch as the rest of his blades. Gylom just shook his head as he took several more gulps from his canteen, quickly running it dry.
              

> Chapter 15: Abandon 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Blaze walked into the hall that was already crowded with guards and other ponies. The platform that was raised from the rest of the room was still shut off by curtains. The general murmur of conversation filled the room, making Blaze feel like this was just a simple meeting, even though he knew it was far from that. The number of ponies that had died to reptilous the day previous was astonishing to say in the least, and even more concerning with the reptilous leaving the field of battle so suddenly. Blaze was no convinced that it had been a trap, one he knew that if they had taken would have ended in death for him and all of the guards.

The sound of horns made Blaze flinch, expecting a horde of reptilous to jump out from the darker corners of the room at the call to battle, only to quickly realize to his great relief that it was just the announcement of Celestia and Luna entering. The curtains opened up, the cords pulled by two earth ponies clad in Royal Guard armor. Blaze watched as the two royal sisters entered, met with the loud applause of the room. Blaze smiled and slammed his fore hooves into the ground as well.

“My little ponies,” Celestia began, “Today, a great victory has been had.” The room roared as the applause grew louder. Blaze stopped sliming as his hooves became firmly planted on the ground once again. Something was wrong, today could not be described as a victory entirely, much less a ‘great’ victory. “Today, Canterlot…” She paused as the crowd began a tad more silent, “Has fallen to Greyhield great power!” With that Celestia burst into a green pillar of energy that morphed into a laughing Chrysalis, and several guards and civilian ponies followed suit and became changelings. Blaze looked towards Luna, who simply dissipated into a cloud of smoke that was joined by several smaller clouds that meshed together and formed a mare as black as night that had a star filled mane and a mouth full of razor like teeth.

“Nightmare Moon!” A pony in the crowd shouted in horror. Blaze drew out his sword from the sheath attached to his side.

“Guards, fight off the changelings and Chrysalis, civilians are advised to run!” Blaze shouted as he charged the nearest changeling and slammed his blade into it, liberating the green fluid of blood from the monster’s body. The rasp of metal against metal echoed through the room as the guards unsheathed their weapons and faced their enemies who also drew their weapons in preparation for the fight. The civilians rushed out the main door of the hall. Blaze slowly backed up, several guards besides him while several other guards still fought inside the main room.

“Go on, sir, we’ll hold them off here!” One of the guards inside shouted to him. Blaze nodded, shooting a final fire bolt into the changeling line. Blaze and the other guards near him turned and charged out the hall, and once through the door, Blaze skidded to a halt while turning to face the advancing changeling horde. Blaze shot a triad of flame bolts at the mass. Blaze focused his magic, and with a large amount of mental strain, closed the massive door and levitated several heavy objects against it, locking the ponies and changelings inside. Blaze turned and chased after the ponies before him, but as he grew closer, a small group of reptilous jumped out and sent knives and claws attached to chain into the crowd, killing many.

“Guards! Protect the civilians!” Blaze shouted the order out, sending his sword into one of their chests, the beast’s blood spilling out around the steel while Blaze a bolt of flame into another’s snout. Blaze watched as one of the reptilous grabbed one of the spears that had been shot at him and ripped it out of the pony’s magic then planted into the skull of his attacker. Blaze ripped the swords from his dying reptilous’ belt and sent them towards the reptilous, who quickly grabbed one, but received the other squarely in the chest, spitting out a bit of blood with his last breath.

“Sir, there are more on the road ahead! They’re blocking the gate!” A guard shouted back to Blaze. Blaze looked down the sloping road and saw the line of reptilous, each holding a lance and sword at the ready. Blaze quickly blocked a swinging sword that had been bound for his head with a grimace.

“Take the street to the right, keep the civilians safe!” Blaze shouted back as he sent one of the reptilous’ knives into the bottom of its jaw, a sickly crack piercing the air as the impact broke the jaw bone, sending the beast’s head jolting back. Blaze turned and bucked out one of the reptilous’ leg before slamming his sword into its neck, watching its life drain from its eyes. Blaze lifted several sword at once and began sending them at many of the reptilous around him, some catching the blades with a hand, other with their chest.

A cry sounded, causing Blaze to whip his head around to see a small group of mares and foals coming from one of the side street being attacked by some changeling. Blaze shot a fire bolt into one of the creature’s wing, causing it to fall to the ground out of breath. Blaze looked to the last reptilous that stayed with him. Blaze snorted in anger, keeping his Rage Shift barely at bay as he lifted the ten swords he could easily see, and with a rush of power, sent them at the reptilous, who caught or deflected seven, but was pierced quite thoroughly by the remaining three.

Blaze charged down the street, four swords in tow as he approached the changelings and they pony prey. Blaze sent a sword straight through one and into the neck of the next. He swiveled around, bucking another in the head, sending it crashing into one of the spear of the reptilous that approached his position. Blaze quickly cut through the parts of the changeling goo that attached the ponies to the ground.

“Run, join up with the others!” He shouted to the ponies as the sounds of more cries, crashing of glass, and other sounds of destruction and unimaginable destruction echoed throughout the streets of the once celebrating city. Blaze turned to the reptilous, his swords levitating beside him with a nice mix of floating balls of fire. The leading reptilous let out a mighty roar. At that the other four reptilous charged towards the lone pony, leaving their leader a few steps behind. 

Blaze send several fire bolts at the legs and chest of the reptilous, causing one to stumble, though it quickly rolled out of it and got back into its stride, only to have a sword shoved into its chest. Blaze took back his sword and the sword and spear from the dying reptilous grasp. Blaze sent his newly acquired spear towards the back of the reptilous, but by some unknown technique, was able to detect it and jump, turning to face it, and smacking it with a sword, sending what would have been his end into the cobble pathway.

Blaze shot a flame bolt at another one of them, who simply smacked it like a fly with his sword. The beasts sent their spears towards Blaze like javelins, but Blaze caught them and sent them back, killing another two, leaving two more. The first jumped off the path, and in an almost perfect arcing motion, came down on Blaze, only missing as the pony jumped back. The second leaped above the first and threw a spear, most likely grabbed from one of his fallen comrade’s corpses, towards the pony. Blaze set up a quick shield, which barely blocked the attack, though it did alter the course enough that the shaft only smacked Blaze’s back instead of sending its point into his spine.

Blaze shot one of his swords at the reptilous that still was descending on him after his jump, but the blade was caught as if it were just a ball in a game of catch. Blaze rolled to the side, letting the blue scaled reptilous strike the path where he had been a few seconds earlier. The red scaled reptilous vaulted over his comrade and brought his sword screaming down towards Blaze. Blaze hopped to the side, the blade slicing into his shoulder armor, releasing a small red trickle dripping down his armor. The blue reptilous stood up and rushed at the pony, hesitating a second as its appearance changed for a small fraction of a second, Blaze resisting the urge to shift in fear he’d cause more harm than help in his rage.

The red reptilous pushed off the path, his blade pointing towards Blaze’s chest, but the pony jumped over it and landed on the beast’s head before jumping off of that, sending the reptilous into the pavement. Blaze sent one of his last three swords into the back of the reptilous, sending a small squirt of blood across the blue reptilous’ snout. 

The last reptilous roared at Blaze as it crossed the distance between them in a second, its sword shooting out towards him. Blaze rolled to the side, but found the reptilous stopping and turning on a dime and slamming its sword down at Blaze, the blade scrapping Blaze midsection, leaving a patch of exposed fur, the which the reptilous took advantage of as it fell forward and sent its claws into the small opening, causing Blaze to let out a shout of pain. Blaze sent his sword at the hand, cutting it off from the reptilous’ wrist, causing blood to squirt out of the open wound. The reptilous let out a blood curdling cry as it lifted its severed wrist from the pony.

Blaze sent his sword around, directly towards the reptilous, but it gathered enough concentration to block the blade as it gritted its teeth in pain. Blaze sent his other blade towards the reptilous, but it kicked out one of its legs, grasping it with its claw and slammed it into the road. Blaze then, with massive concentration and focus, ripped the hand from his side, tears forming at the edge of his eyes, and sent it into the throat of the beast. Blaze worked past the renewed pain as he dragged the appendage down the front of the creature’s chest, leaving three long, bloody slices down its front.

The creature fell to its knees with a gurgling growl before it finally fell, its blood pooling around it and running down the small pathways between the stones like tiny, red rivers. Blaze teetered slightly, but quickly shook his head and righted himself, scanning the area for anypony in his immediate area that he could help, but none were nearby by what he could see.

“Blaze!” He heard his name being called out by Twilight. He looked up and saw the lavender alicorn descending awkwardly, before stumbling a few steps out of her landing. She trotted back to him quickly, “What’s going on? What’s happening around here?” She asked in a desperate tone.

“I’m suspecting the attack from yesterday was just a ploy by Greyhield to distract us from his real target.” Blaze answered quickly, still looking around while swiveling his ears from side to side to find somepony that needed help.

“And what exactly might his real target have been or be?” Twilight asked as she stepped in front of Blaze, trying to make sure he was focused on her. Blaze sighed and hung his head.

“It appears that he now has Celestia and Luna in his power.” He said a feeling of failure washing over him. He should’ve seen through any deception played by Greyhield, yet he had so easily failed something as simple as having a guard around the princesses or checking in on them after the battle. His only report had been through a letter.

“W-what? But how is that possible? How are you sure?” Twilight blurted out in surprise along with several other questions and unbelieving statements which were either too quick to understand or were shortened in such extreme ways that entire paragraph were condensed into a sentence of five or six words.

“All I know is that when Celestia and Luna came out to talk about the battle publicly they revealed themselves to be Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon.” Blaze explained, lifting his head slightly.

“Nightmare Moon? But that’s impossible; the Elements of Harmony destroyed her!” She exclaimed. Blaze shook his head.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but really, we can figure it all out later, right now we need to evacuate these ponies to somewhere safer than the middle of a falling city.” Blaze stopped Twilight before she could continue explaining why it was so impossible for Nightmare Moon to be back.

“Right. Where do you suggest?” Twilight asked. Blaze opened his mouth to respond, and then looked at her curiously.

“Wait, why are you asking me? You’re the princess here; you should be giving order to me.” Blaze said, his confused expression saying everything he didn’t.

“Well, I think as the highest acting member of the guards your responsibility is to GUARD ponies and so you should know where the best place is to guard against Greyhield.” Twilight explained, a small smile forming across her features. “Besides, you’re going to need some more in field leadership training if you’re going to do any type of good job leading the guards.”

“Uh, once again I’m just the head trainer, not captain of the Royal Guard. I’m not le-…” Blaze began.

“A pony of your talents is bound to find himself in a position of prominence sooner or later, and by what I can see, you are already taking those first few steps towards that end.” Twilight interrupted. “Now where do we get the ponies heading towards?” She asked again. Blaze thought quickly, scanning the stones below him as if they held the answer, and then turned his head back up.

“We head for Ponyville. Your castle should be a good defensive position for us.” Blaze stated.

“Um, I don’t mean to undermine your newly taken authority, but my castle isn’t the best place to defend, mostly because how small it is. It isn’t the most militaristic building in Equestria” Twilight explained with a sheepish smile. “Canterlot was built during hard times and so is a lot easier to defend, but my castle was kind of a Tree of Harmony original, more based on aesthetics than strategic possibility.” She finished, blushing a tad under her lavender coat.

“Right, of course, I should’ve thought of that.” Blaze replied before thinking a bit more. “Well, I guess the other place we could take them is another castle that’s a bit better in the defense department.” Blaze stated. He thought for a bit longer, trying to think of someplace, and then it came to him. Blaze looked up towards Twilight, a twinkle of determination in his eye. “We’ll take them to the Everfree castle.” 

“Well… have you… well, seen how its been lately? It isn’t exactly the most defensible position now like it was a thousand years ago, with walls, ceilings and what not in ruins.” Twilight pointed out.

“We can get some ponies fixing them up once we get there, but for now it will do. Besides, it only has one entrance, and unless they bring in a ladder, if we knock out the bridge they can’t get across, and we can take down any bridge they set up rather quickly.” Blaze stated. “So let’s herd these ponies towards Ponyville, take as many citizens from there as can leave in an instant and leave some guards as a small measure of protection against possible dangers.” Blaze finished just as a scream sounded out from the next street over. Twilight nodded to him and took off, her wings working the right way for the first time in a rather long time. Blaze turned towards the source of the sound and charged down an alleyway towards it.



“Everypony, make your way out of the gate, try not to push!” Blaze shouted to the ponies as the large mass swarmed through the gateway like a stream flowing through a small gap in the dam. Blaze looked around, by this time several buildings were on fire, whether the reptilous did so intentionally or not, one thing was apparent, and that was that they made no effort to stop the several flame.

A reptilous suddenly jumped from a roof and landed on one of the guards, the beast’s blade piercing straight through the ponies armor, his back and out his chest and into the ground, a small stream of red pouring out of the wound. Blaze galloped over and bucked the reptilous in the snout, causing its head to snap back grotesquely. Blaze made sure the job was done with a blade imitating what the reptilous had done to the pony bellow him. Blaze rolled the beast off the dying pony, who still breathed in sharp, quick breathes.

“I’m sorry, so sorry.” Blaze whispered into the pony’s ear, a tear rolling down his cheek and onto the dying pony’s body.

“M-make sure they… they remember how hard we fought. A-and, remember… me… please. My n-name is…” The pony struggled to state his name, and then finally gave his last breath, his name unspoken as his emerald eyes closed one last time. Blaze hissed, and then gently removed the plate of armor that covered the pony’s flank. He looked down at the collection of four small, smiling muffins arranged in a diamond pattern on the pony’s blonde coat, his black mane whipping in the wind, the ends now stained red by the pony’s own blood. Blaze saluted the fallen soldier before turning and scanning the rooftops around them. A silhouetted form of a reptilous on top of one of the house appeared, readying to jump down on the pony below. Blaze quickly shot a bolt of fire at it, causing the creature to fall backwards and roll of the pointed roof. Blaze’s horn brightened briefly as he teleported over to the alleyway and finished off the beast. Blaze turned back and saw the end of the herd of ponies approaching, followed closely by a horde of reptilous.

“Guards, to arms!” He shouted out as he charged out towards the approaching reptilous. The guards around him turned and saw the danger and charged at it as well. “Close the gates when the last of the civilians make it out!” Blaze ordered the gatekeepers, who saluted and took up positions beside the wheel that held the chains that held the gate up. Blaze met one of the reptilous, his blade locking with his opponent’s. The reptilous shoved Blaze’s sword to the side, the blade ripped out of colt’s magic. Blaze shot a fire bolt into the creatures face and drew out one of the creatures own daggers, which he shoved into the beast’s gut. The reptilous grabbed the hilt of the blade and ripped it out, letting a stream of blood flow down his scales as he charged Blaze. Blaze levitated his blade off the ground and shot it towards the beast, the blade of the sword poking out of the reptilous’ chest.

Blaze bucked the next reptilous that approached him, sending the warrior a few steps backwards. Blaze then sent his blade out, which was intercepted by another reptilous with a spear. The reptilous Blaze had been aiming at ran to the side of his comrade and straight for Blaze. Blaze shot a bolt of fire which hit the reptilous in the leg, sending it into a dive, which it recovered from quickly by landing on its hands and repelling of the ground with a mighty push.  

The creature landed behind Blaze and quickly raised its blade and sent it down at Blaze. Blaze rolled to the side, yet still the blade sliced into his right foreleg, causing him to grimace at the pain. He clenched his teeth so that he didn’t yell out so that his fellows wouldn’t stop and get killed for his sake. Blaze opened his eyes through the pain, the thought of shifting really appealing to him, yet he still didn’t want to risk hurting anypony by doing so.

Blaze stood up slowly, his leg bleeding slightly, the gash, thankfully, not as deep as it could’ve been. He then retracted his sword and sent it right back into the reptilous who had blocked it before, who now was surprised by the blade leaving and then returning so quickly, making his defenses just low enough that the blade was able to make a nick into the wooden shaft before plunging deep into the beast’s chest and out the other side, the hilt made bloody as well from going straight through. 

Blaze redirected his blade and aimed it at the other reptilous, which had been more prepared than his fellow, and blocked the blade. Blaze then shot the spear the other reptilous had been using straight for the reptilous, who quickly grabbed it by the shaft when it drew nearer, and then planted it into the path before shoving Blaze’s blade off.

The reptilous turned and charged straight for Blaze, who quickly shot his sword back to him and locked blades with the beast. The reptilous let go of the blade with one hand and drew out a dagger and shot it out towards Blaze, who quickly grabbed the hand in a sheath of magic. Blaze levitated the spear out of the path and shot it towards the reptilous, which much like another reptilous Blaze had seen, sensed it inexplicably and turned, grabbing the shaft of the spear with one of its clawed feet. Continuing its pirouette, the beast aimed the spear towards Blaze. Seeing the incoming danger, he smacked it away with his sword, only to feel the cutting edge of the dagger cut into his cheek. He jerked away from it and sent his sword towards the leg the reptilous was standing on, but had his attack blocked by the reptilous’ sword. The reptilous then tossed the spear up and caught it in its dagger hand.

Blaze jumped back and hit a wall of a building he had not realized had been there. Blaze pushed his magic against the face of the house in a silvery wall. Blaze felt give in several places as windows gave in and the door flung open. Blaze latched onto the pieces of broken glass and shot them at the reptilous, who let most of them chip off of his thick scales, while a did hit between the scales. The reptilous swung his sword out at Blaze, but he jumped back through the broken door. The reptilous then dived towards Blaze, its spear pointing out towards him, which Blaze replied to by smacking the pole with a quick smack of his sword.

The reptilous swung his sword out again, advancing ever closer to Blaze as he did, even as his attack were blocked. Blaze snapped the leg of the table in the corner off and bludgeoned the reptilous in the head three times in quick repetition. The reptilous turned and slammed its spear through it, lodging both of them into the short ceiling. Blaze used the moment to swing his sword at the reptilous’ main sword arm, but the reptilous saw the incoming attack and blocked it with the dagger still in its second hand. 

Blaze jumped back from the reptilous, levitating the rest of the table and slamming it into the reptilous’ back, but instead of stumbling or falling as Blaze expected, the beast simply let the table hit its back and break around its spines. It obviously didn’t have the room it really preferred to perform its moves at it began less and less of a powerhouse and more and more of a quick blow fighter. Blaze grabbed the flower pot from one end of the room and the small lamp from the other and slammed them into either side of the reptilous’ head in an attempt to blind it, which momentarily actually worked.

Blaze watched as the reptilous rubbed the back of its hand against the glass littered area of his eye. Blaze shot his sword out towards the sword arm of the warrior beast. The beast roared in pain as it dropped its sword to the ground. Blaze continued his assault and levitated the blade off the ground and into the leg off the beast, causing it to fall to one knee, using the hand with the dagger still in its grasp as support as it attempted to stand back up. Blaze swung his blade around and sent it into the reptilous’ back, inciting another, and final, roar from the reptilous before it fell completely.

Blaze jumped over the corpse as he levitated his sword and the reptilous’ blaze to his side and exited the house, looking for his next opponent. Surprisingly, he couldn’t find a single one that wasn’t already occupied with another pony. Blaze looked towards the gate and saw the ponies above readying their axes to break the chains as the last few ponies exited. Suddenly an arrow flew out of seemingly nowhere and struck one of the ponies in the throat, felling him instantly, followed quickly by the death of his partner as another arrow sliced through his eye socket. Blaze looked towards where the arrows seemed to have been flying from and saw a reptilous squatting on the roof with a bow, taking pot shots at the ponies bellow. Blaze lifted one of the spears that lay on the ground and lobbed it at the archer and watched as it pierced through it at the base of the neck sending it tumbling off the roof and onto the cobblestone alleyway bellow.

Blaze turned and charged towards the tower, lifting another spear from the grasp of a dead reptilous. Blaze barged through the tower door and galloped up the spiraling stairs. As he passed an opening in the tower facing the inside on the city, an arrow slammed into the side of his armor, making him fall off the stairs and tumble down the stairs until he finally knocked into the wall beside the door, dizzy and bruised.

He shook his head and looked back to the broken shaft of the arrow that stuck out of his armor. Blaze looked up the stairs, now with several patches of red scattered across them, evidently his blood. He soldiered past the pain and began galloping up the stairs again, only to slow to a trot after a few steps up. As he came closer to the same opening, he flattened himself against the stairs and pressed his shoulder against the wall until he got passed it and entered back into a trot, and then sped up to a gallop.

As he went higher and higher, several other openings passed, as well as arrows clicking against the wall behind him and clipping against his armor, although none of them hit him as squarely as the first. Blaze eventually reached the top of the stairs and bucked the door in. He poked his head out, only to retract it quickly as a triad of arrows planted themselves into the door beside him. Blaze popped a shield up on the hole, listening as several dull sounds of arrows striking his shield echoed in the chamber and in his mind as he charge across the gap towards the wheel. He kicked one of the axes up and slammed it into the chains along with his swords while his lance hovered at the ready.

Finally the chain broke, the counterweight falling down, slamming into the ground as the gate mimicked the action, slamming down onto a reptilous, the spikes of the gate piercing straight through its back. Blaze jumped out the hole that faced the outside as he lowered his shield, diverting his magic so that he lessened his weight, making his landing more pleasant. Blaze looked back to the gates, where three guards ponies were pressed up against the bars as a line of five others fought behind them. Blaze looked on with a tear in his eye, he knew the gate was made of a magic absorbing material as well as they did, which would not only make it harder to lift, but actually absorb all the magic around it, making it impossible to lift, not to mention how physically heavy it was.

The three guards saluted Blaze, Blaze smiled at them as he did the same. The three turned, weapons drawn as they faced their final enemies. Blaze lowered his hoof, watching as they locked blades with the reptilous, the sounds of screams still coming from the city. Blaze turned around and galloped to meet up with the herd that had been charging down the mountain.



Blaze stood inside the Castle of the Two Sisters, several ponies using planks they had taken from Ponyville to patch up the holes. Blaze looked around as he walked between the groups of ponies. He had been awake since early that morning, and already the silver streams of moonlight were filtering through the cracks left in the ceiling. Blaze made a note to move everypony to the lower level in the morning until the roof was patched up completely.

“Blaze,” He heard his name again called by Twilight. He stopped and turned to the last princess that was with the ponies still.  “Did you get to that meeting with the doctor yet?” Blaze shook his head as he began to walk again. “Why not? You’re hurt badly; you need somepony to look you over and help you.” Blaze looked back to her with a tired expression.

“Because every doctor we have is currently occupied with other ponies who are suffering from injuries that make mine look like paper cuts.” Blaze replied. “Also, how am I supposed to give a good example to the troops who are waiting to be attended to if I’m resting quietly in a corner with bandages wrapped around me while they stand or sit bleeding in the lines. I’m not going until everypony else is through.” He finished, looking back towards where he was going.

“Hey, I recognize that ‘heroic’ tone anywhere.” A voice said from one of the groups. Suddenly, very happy Amber was hugging Blaze while Half Pint and Blizzard stood, or flew in Blizzard’s case, nearby with smiles. 

“Blaze, how’ve you been?” Half Pint asked he came closer, weaving around some of the group between them.

“Oh no, you’re bleeding!” Amber gasped in surprise. Blaze chuckled as he shook his head slightly. He looked at his three old friends, realizing how much he had missed them, and how happy he was now that he was back.

“Doing well, besides the bleeding part, but it isn’t like nopony else here from Canterlot isn’t hurt in the slightest.” Blaze replied. “Besides, I can live with a bit less blood.”

“These three holes here need immediate attention! Stop being a hero and actually keep yourself in good health; nopony needs you sick, especially you!” With that, Blaze found himself being ushered away by Amber towards the group they had gotten up from.

“So how’s the guard?” Blizzard asked. Blaze looked up at him in surprise, not remembering telling him about joining the guard. “The armor,” He explained upon seeing Blaze’s confusion, “It’s the same type as what some of the other guards are wearing, not to mention I heard you say something about ‘giving a good example to the troops’ or something like that.” Blizzard continued, imitating Blaze’s tone as best as he could as he quoted him.

“It’s… well, it’s interesting enough. The training isn’t anything new at least.” Blaze commented as he began to walk by himself, Amber leading the way. “I’m actually the head trainer because of a certain bet.”

“You, the head trainer? Wow that must have been some bet.” Half Pint whistled. “Can’t say I’m really surprised, you seemed to work real hard all the time on some spell or something like that.” Blaze smiled at his friend, and then he heard the voice of Mrs. Cross.

“And make sure you only take them when you’re in bad straights, and no more than five a day. You don’t want to know or experience what happens if you pass that number.” She finished with a patient, who nodded at the instructions and walked off with a limp, one of his hind legs in a makeshift cast.

“Mom, we got a situation!” Amber said as she galloped up to her mother. The mare turned curiously, and saw Blaze with trails of blood trickling down his armor walking up behind her.

“Oh my, we do! Get him over here right now.” She said, causing Amber to return to pushing Blaze from behind in an attempt to get him help faster.

“I can walk on my own you know?” He asked Amber as he scooted across the floor and was almost hurled towards the nurse.

“Why didn’t you come sooner?” Mrs. Cross asked as she started to take off plates of Blaze’s armor slowly, making sure she wasn’t disturbing any of the already fragile wounds. Blaze sighed as he let the nurse do her work.

“I didn’t want any pony with more serious injuries to have to wait on my cuts and bruises.” He stated simply, looking towards the guards who sat in line. He raised an eyebrow at some of their looks. He had been expecting anger or maybe jealousy, but he was seeing things nowhere close to those in the eyes of the guards that sat waiting. Some of them had looks of horror, others looked sick, some look at him in confusion, others in admiration of some sort. Blaze looked back to his injuries, and saw what gave him those looks.

On his side were the three gaping holes, still bleeding slightly while partially covered or surrounded by a yellowish substance, presumably his body’s attempts at scabbing the wounds over as best it could. His leg still was bleeding slightly from the shallow cut, on the other side the shaft of the arrow still stuck out, surrounded by dried, brown blood. He now began to realize how much they stung as his adrenaline finally wore off and his brain finally allowed the pain to be received.

Mrs. Cross began to cut the yellow away from the wound, apparently knowing something about it that he didn’t. Blaze stood in painful silence, only hissing slightly at the more painful of the moments as he let Amber’s mom do her work. Eventually Blaze was completely bandaged, the arrow removed, his three claw holes completely covered in the already reddening bandages. Blaze took some of Mrs. Cross’s pain pills and began walking around the castle again, this time with his friends at his side, just as he should’ve had it to begin with.                 

> Chapter 16: Resistance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Chain rattled against stone as the prisoner struggled against his restraints. Blaze snorted, the metal cuffs biting into his ankles and sides. The prison guard walked by, their torch illuminating the blood soaked stone around him. Blaze tried again to light his horn, but as he did a force struck him as the magic absorbing material leeched the magic from him before it could even form a cohesive form. Blaze groaned as his cuts began to bleed once more, the red fluid draining out onto the cold stones below him, his strength draining out with it.

He looked up towards the bars in front of his cell, still as far away as they had been. Blaze pulled against his chains, but the only give there was from him as he finally sank to his knees. He gritted his teeth together as the flood of pain washed over hm. From around him he could hear the shouts of pain of ponies in torment, ponies dying in the dark to be dragged off by unfazed guards when they were noticed not eating their food for a few days, letting the rotting smell take full effect in the dungeon.

Blaze rose to his hooves and pulled against the chain as the sounds of heavy footfalls echoed through the corridors. The sound of jingling metal made him look up to his cell’s door towards the reptilous guard who used one of his many keys to unlock his door. Accompanied by two reptilous guards, the jail keeper unlocked his restraints before locking another set onto him, allowing him to be moved. The guards waited in silence as he was led by his chains out of his cell. The first guard stepped out in front of him, the other following close behind.

Blaze walked for what seemed an eternity before exiting into the stormy courtyard where half a dozen other ponies waited in chain like his, each with two guards flanking them. Blaze was shoved into the line between two other ponies. He looked to either side, seeing if he could recognize any of them, but he finally came to accept that no matter how hard he tried to remember them he couldn’t come up with names. He turned when he heard his name called and found himself being pulled by his chains to a block with a basket in front of it with a reptilous holding a massive axe standing behind it. Several other names were called out, each sounding more like a blurb than a name, with more and more ponies walking up to their blocks, guided by their restraints.

Blaze felt the pole of the axe slam into the small of his back, making him fall down, his chin smashing into the block. Blaze took a deep breath, knowing what would happen next as the reptilous heaved the axe high into the air in unison with the others who prepared to mirror his actions on the other ponies that each seemed resigned to their fates. The reptilous swung his axe down, the blade severing Blaze’s head from his neck cleanly, allowing his blood to pour out freely as his head toppled into the basket bellow. The sounds of cries, wails, and other sounds of pure horror and pain echoed in his detached ears his final thoughts on his ultimate failure. He had failed to save Equestria, and it was now in Greyhield’s grasp, the blood of thousands running as freely as rivers and streams across the once pure landscape.



Blaze shot up from his place on the stone floor. He took several deep breathes in, trying to calm his rather agitated nerves as he gained his bearings. He was still in the Castle of the Royal Sisters in the Everfree forest, the other ponies around him sleeping for the most part, some already milling about to get some food or water from one of the few wagons that had been pulled in last night while most of them slept. Blaze stood up and stretched and walked around the ponies that still slept in small huddles, their own body heat being the only source of heat in the cold castle.

Blaze walked up behind a guard who stood in attention, though Blaze could see the signs of fatigue in his stance.  He walked up to stand behind the tired soldier, who noticed him rather quickly.

“Sir, you’re up early, shouldn’t you be resting you wounds?” The guard asked in a quiet tone as to not wake up the ponies still sleeping. Blaze shook his head.

“There are other who need more rest than me, including you. I’ll take over from here, head back in and get some rest.” Blaze ordered calmly, looking over the landscape for any disturbances.

“Sir, Yes sir.” The guard replied and walked back in to get some rest. Blaze rolled his shoulders, relieving some tension built up through the stress of his dream.  The forest seemed calm, the sun barely even peeking over the horizon. The animals of the forest were most likely still fast asleep as most of the ponies in the castle, but just because the natural life of the forest was still resting didn’t reflect in the slightest how the reptilous were moving.

“Blaze? You’re up early.” The tired voice of Amber said behind him, obviously stifling a yawn. Blaze turned to look at her with a smile.

“I’m a guard now, I need to keep ponies safe. Besides, I never was one for sleeping in.” Blaze replied, turning back to his post.

“Mind if I join you?” Amber asked as she walked up beside him. Blaze smiled and shook his head. Something about Amber made him feel at ease; it was as if her mere presence made all the evil in the world just disappear, something Blaze was very thankful for.

“It’s good to see you and the guys again.” Blaze commented. “You’re the best friends a pony could ask for, really.”

“We missed you too. It was kind of boring when you left. I understand that you had to go find your family,” Blaze froze at that phrase, feeling a tad guilty he hadn’t explained anything of what had happened during his absence. “But it felt a bit wrong that you just left out of the blue with almost nothing of a goodbye.” Amber finished.

“Sorry about that. The train was fixed rather suddenly and we didn’t want to risk the chance of missing it completely and having to wait for the next one.” Blaze replied.

“It’s alright, I understand. So, did you find them between becoming the head trainer of the guard and defending Canterlot?” Amber pressed.

“No, they weren’t there yet.” Blaze replied opting to not tell her what was really going on. “I… I’m not sure there even alive anymore after two days ago. There’s no saying that Greyhield didn’t find them while marching and just up and slaughter them…” Blaze finished his rather haphazard attempt of a cover story.

“Don’t say that. There’s no proof for or against it so just got with the better of the two options. Your family’s out there and you’re going to find them.” Amber stated with every confidence. Blaze sighed slowly, feeling weak. If only she knew, but it would be too hard to explain. He looked up to her and gave an attempt at a smile.

“Thank you, Amber. You’re wonderful, you know that?” Blaze said, his smile becoming a much more earnest one.

“You just say that, but I’m just telling you what I believe, and what you should believe too.” Amber replied a smile on her features as well. Blaze suddenly heard something that caught his attention. “What is it, do you seem something?” Blaze scanned over the forest and saw a familiar black shape.

“Stay here, I need to check something. If anything tall and on two legs comes in this direction signal the guards with that bell.” Blaze said quickly before jumping down from the window sill and into the area around the castle. Blaze tightened the strap that held his sword to his side and trotted towards the bridge to get out into the forest.

The forest was clam, the trees not even rustling in the wind, the song of the birds completely silent in the early morning air, only the sound of crunching leaves under Blaze’s hooves showing any signs of life. Blaze walked along the path he had followed that one fateful day to get out of the forest. There were no timber wolves, and even if there were, Blaze felt confident he could handle them.

“Flint?” Blaze called out as he looked around, using every technique Flint had taught him on noticing the tiniest details to find traps to find signs of a pony being nearby. “Flint? Are you there?” He called again, finding nothing to tell him definitely that his elusive trainer was nearby. “Flint, if you’re here, tell me.” Blaze said, looking carefully at his surrounding, and then up. Suddenly Blaze noticed a dark shape nothing like a pony climbing through the trees. Blaze jumped back as the silhouetted reptilous fell out of the tree and drew his blade out. The reptilous swung its blade in a wide arc, the steel flashing in the little light there was. Blaze on instinct jumped back while using his magic to unsheathed his sword and block the attack. The reptilous snarled at him and drew a dagger out in its other hand and drove it toward Blaze, who quickly reacted and wrapped the hand and blade in a sheath of magic and stopped it midway.

“The ponies truly are desperate, aren’t they?” The reptilous remarked. “Sending out a weakened pony with a blade and only half a clue how to use it to find flint, it’s really quite pathetic, even for your kind.” Blaze’s horn grew brighter as he unsheathed the reptilous’ second dagger and shoved it into the boastful reptilous’ throat.

“I might not have my uniform on right now, but you shouldn’t judge a book by only seeing its cover.” Blaze retorted. The reptilous only replied with a gurgling roar that even though it was impeded by a knife, still had enough volume to scare off several birds. Blaze looked at the reptilous, whose lips were now curled back into a smile, in confusion. Suddenly the forest came alive in roars that replied to the original, causing Blaze’s eyes to open wider in comprehension. 

Blaze quickly ripped the dagger back out of the reptilous’ throat while ripping the sword and dagger out of its claws. The reptilous gave one more throaty noise before finally it succumbed to death. Blaze quickly galloped back the trail towards castle, hoping against all hope he could make it back in time to fight, after all, he couldn’t leave anything to chance; his dream might have been more than it seemed.



Blaze crossed the bridge, the sound of bells already echoing through the hall along with the sound of guards trotting out from their post and into ranks. Blaze quickly took his position at the head of the charge, his weapons floating around him.

“Sir,” One of the soldiers said behind him. Blaze turned to look at the soldier, fully expecting him to say to get back inside, a request he would promptly deny. “Put this on.” The soldier finished, levitating a suit of chainmail from a box that was stowed behind the first gate. Blaze nodded and teleported the simple suit onto his form, allowing the weight of the chain to fall onto him, giving him a greater sense of security. Blaze turned back towards the forest, several reptilous already emerging with their weapons drawn.

“Archers, take out the bridge!” Blaze shouted, signaling to the archers on the walls to release their fire arrows at the four posts of the bridge which were covered in oil, sending the posts into a fury of whipping fire that quickly shot across the ropes that were on either side of the wooden planks, making the entire bridge into a raging inferno. The reptilous didn’t seemed concerned, and rightly so as several of their comrades came rushing out of the forest with ragged wooden bridges that were quickly thrown over the gap several reptilous already beginning to charge across them. “Guards!” Blaze shouted, the roars of the reptilous almost defining, “Charge!” Blaze charged towards the closest bridge, his floating arsenal making quick work of the first, rather surprised reptilous.

Blaze used his two daggers and began to make work of the bridges supporting ropes. The next reptilous swung his mighty axe down towards Blaze, who quickly jumped back, the axe slamming through two of the planks. Blaze quickly shot one of his swords towards the reptilous who let the sword pierce him, yet it didn’t seem to react as he slid forward on the blade, his claws bared for the strike.

Blaze shot his sword out and cut the wrist of the reptilous, making its well aimed attack go to the side. Blaze heaved the axe from its place between the planks and swung it up into the neck of the reptilous. The reptilous spat some of its blood on Blaze’s face before finally tumbling off the side of the bridge. Blaze levitated the axe out of the falling reptilous and chopped the bridge on one of the main beams, causing it to begin to fall as the axe shot straight through and fell down, clattering against the rocks as it toppled down the cliff face.

Blaze jumped back onto the solid ground as the bridge began to sag precariously. One of the reptilous quickly slid up beside it and held the two joints together as one of his comrades vaulted over him and charged on as the reptilous directly behind him slid up beside him and jammed its two daggers into the bridge, the blades going straight through, before pulling them out and threading a rather sturdy rope through the hole and tying both ends together, securing the bridge once again. 

While Blaze still gaped in awe of the efficiency of their quick repair job, the first reptilous arrived, its duel sword plunging straight down towards his body. Blaze sent his two daggers into the reptilous’ throat and cranium while using his two swords to divert the sword away. Blaze shot a bolt of fire at the rope, catching it on fire, only to have the reptilous that passed it step on it intentionally and put it out within a few passes. Blaze swung his sword at the newt reptilous, who simply jumped over the attack and landed behind him, killing two of the guards with its sword and spear. Blaze bucked the reptilous in the back of the head while ripping its spear from its grasp and slamming it into the next reptilous, sending it straight through and into the chest of the one behind it.

Blaze sliced his sword across the reptilous throat and planted his second sword soundly into its back. Blaze again focused his attention completely on the advancing reptilous and noticed that there was no more reptilous waiting to cross the bridge except those already on it. Blaze took it as a blessing that this was probably just more of a raid to keep the ponies guessing instead of an actual attack to end it all right there. Blaze lifted his sword from the reptilous back and took the sword it was holding and sent them towards the reptilous line. The first pierced straight through the leading reptilous’ chest, the second slammed into the next’s leg, and the last sliced right by the rope holding the bridge together.

Blaze watched as the bridge teetered, cracked, and split down the seam and toppled into the chasm bellow, sending all of the reptilous on it down. Blaze looked over the edge of the cliff, but quickly shot backwards, standing on his hind legs for a second before flipping back onto his hooves as a blade shot out towards him. Blaze pulled the blade up and then span it around and sent it straight back, gaining a painful roar as the reptilous had its very own blade end its existence. Blaze again peered over the edge and saw the broken forms of the reptilous scattered on the gully floor.

Blaze turned around and charged to get to the next bridge, only to find the ponies around him celebrating a quick victory. Blaze looked around and realized quickly that there were no more bridges left spanning the gap between the forest and the castle. Blaze sighed in relief; they had successfully defended the ponies of Equestria, a point that made him feel quite a bit better about Canterlot. He sheathed his sword and planted the other weapons in the earth, not feeling the need to keep them around.

Blaze trotted back to the castle, a smile across his muzzle as he entered through the main doors, only to notice something off, namely the lack of happy ponies who realized the battle was over and wanted to see their sons, husbands, and fathers again. He drew his blade again as he inched down the short corridor to the main room.

“Blaze!” His name rang out from the hall beyond, causing him to gallop in quickly. He then saw a lone reptilous with his sword drawn standing in the middle of the room, the ponies all huddled together, trying to stay as far from the beast as possible. Blaze lifted his blade and pointed it at the reptilous.

“Drop. Your. Weapon.” Blaze emphasized each word, his horn flaring. The reptilous gave a throaty laugh; it could be called a laugh being more of a roar of enjoyment. 

“I’m afraid not, puny pony.” The reptilous replied before giving a mighty roar. Blaze then charged the reptilous and swung his sword out at the beast as the sounds of claws scrapping against stone sounded about him as other reptilous came out, ready to finish their fight with the ponies forever. Blaze locked blades with the beast, his horn growing all the brighter as he charged his spell with the sounds of the guards charging inside echoed through the building. 

Blaze shot a ball of fire at the reptilous the size of a wagon that engulfed the beast and stayed around it for several second as the roars of pain filled the air, making everything and everypony stop dead in their tracks. The reptilous was then released a charged mess from the flames, falling to the ground in front of Blaze. Blaze then slammed his sword into the small of the beast’s back, warranting one last agonizing roar from it.

Blaze turned towards the horde of reptilous and stunned guards, his sword sliding out of the burnt carcass. Blaze eyed every one of the reptilous, his anger flaring inside of him.

“Leave now.” Blaze said in almost a whisper, but the reptilous just stayed in place, unsure of what to do at the sight of their completely black comrade. A sudden surge of anger rushed through Blaze, the fires of his rage sweeping through his veins like fire through a forest, growing more and more powerful every second. “Leave!” Blaze roared, his voice shifting to more of the Royal Canterlot voice. “NOW!” With that the reptilous scattered, leaving the ruins as fast as they could as Blaze’s mane began to stir in the nonexistent wind and began to shift to a black. 

Blaze took a quick breath in, and his mane quickly settled down and turned back to pure white. The ponies around him, however, didn’t seem quite so easily calmed. Blaze looked around for a few second at the horrified or awestricken expression, then turned and walked out towards the lookout areas, not wanting to stay in their mystified looks for too long.                   

> Chapter 17: Retribution
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Blaze rolled his shoulders once more, letting his armor settle a bit more into place. The cloth undergarment did little to stop certain parts of the chain mail poking him and sections of the plate mail jabbing him in the sides. He had been fortunate enough to have been able to convince one of the smiths that had been able to escape from Canterlot to make him a suit of armor that covered a good bit more area of protection along with a suit of chain mail that hadn’t been common place in the guard for the longest of times, mostly since the guard didn’t want to be encumbered so much by its additional weight after an incident that caused Celestia to be attacked during the time it took for the nearest guards to arrive.

“Just, confirming that you want two more of these made for replacements in case one sustains heavy damage?” The smith asked, adjusting another strap on Blaze’s armor before sliding the piece of cloth between two of the plates.

“Correct, my hooves on approach to battle tend to make me soak up the fire during a battle, so there is no guaranty that this suit will even survive this battle upcoming battle.” Blaze stated. “Be sure that I will try my best in spite of the fact.”

“Try hard to get this thing to a state of ill repair or try hard to keep it in decent shape?” The pony asked as they tucked the last strap in its place. “There, see what you think about the fit and weight.” Blaze stepped off the fitting stage and took a few steps, letting the weight of the armor settle with each step.

“I’ll be taking this to the running track to make sure. I need to know if Ï can maneuver enough to even think about dodging.” Blaze explained as he left the fitting theater. Blaze made his way towards the exercise area, which had formerly been a ball room, in a brisk trot, letting the heftiness of the armor really sink in as it bounded on his form. Several guards he passed gave a small salute as he passed by, Blaze only giving a nod in return as he didn’t want to stop. Eventually he entered the wide space which was cluttered with several pieces of equipment that had been taken when the guards had left Canterlot, though the sheer amount of it was quite surprising, especially the magic absorbing stones.

“Nice suit of armor, Blaze.” Half Pint commented as he set the weights he had been lifting to the side as he sat up on the table, which had been the best improvisation the guards had been able to find. Blizzard looked over, still bobbing up and down as he did his wing pushups with a few sacks of sand on his back.

“Looks like you got a bit more coverage than usual with that set.” Blizzard noted. Blaze nodded slightly as he came to a stop and used his magic to take one of the groups of sand bags that were sown together to form a set of practice armor that was accurate in the score of the typical weight of the real deal from the pile of a dozen or so others like it and draped them over the armor he already had on.

“I’m going to see if I can keep up under the weight of these guys. They might give me a more favorable chance at living through a blow, but if I can’t handle lifting them and charging around the battlefield with them than they’re no good to me.” Blaze replied as he flexed his shoulder muscles and let them relax, letting the bags settle more, not wanting them to fall off from him doing his routine.

“Well, if you want I can set up some obstacles for you.” Half Pint offered. “It would be a nice cool down exercise for me.” Half Pint bounded from the slanted table and started moving obstacles into the course, not even waiting for a response from Blaze. Blaze shook his head as he moved over to the starting line. His two friends had begun training ever since the ponies had suffered the attack those few days ago, both of them expressing their wishes to join the guard reserves as soon as possible.

Soon enough, the obstacles were set and Blaze was ready to test out his mobility in his new armor. Half Pint sounded the whistle, and Blaze took off, slipping to the side of a wooden wall, the edges of it covered in still wet red paint, as every other obstacle on the course. Blaze slid beneath another wall, stumbling to his hooves before jumping over a small hurdle and slipping past a row of wooden walls that only had a small gap between them. Suddenly a bag swung across the course, only giving Blaze enough time to hit the dirt and roll beyond it before pushing off the ground to avoid hitting another knee high blockade before having to slip past another row of walls. Blaze continued running through the clear strip of track, the intensity of the workout already getting to him as his breaths became more labored as he attempted to regain some of the breaths he hadn’t had time to take between obstacles.

As he drew nearer to the next group of obstacles, Half Pint threw a heavy wooden sword his direction, which he caught with a wisp of magic. He jumped over a knee high wall again before a wooden reptilous flipped out from the wall in front of him. His mind immediately turned the wooden shape into the real deal, the beast raising its spear that already had blood dripping from it. Without thinking, Blaze turned on his hooves and bucked the creature in the legs before sending his sword where its head would be as it fell before doing a back flip and a twist in midair to return to facing forward, keeping what little speed he had left as best as he could as he fumbled the landing under the weight of his armor.

Slowly, the wooden cut outs and stone ceiling of the room faded, replaced with a narrow alleyway in Canterlot, reptilouses occasionally jumping out of a side street to assail him before being dispatch by his sword that was starting to glow red with the blood of the beasts. A reptilous jumped out in front of him, a pony under one of its arms as its sword swung out to meet him. Blaze shot his sword out and cut the arm off and used said falling arm to strike the monster in the face.

Blaze jumped over a trashcan that lay on its side before sliding under a low strung clothes line when three reptilous appeared, one in the street with two others, one climbing on each wall. Blaze cut the one reptilous’ arm off, using the sword he gained along with his old sword to dispatch the two others, leaving the sword he had just acquired in the body of one of the reptilous.

Blaze eventually broke free of the alleyway, jumping through a window into the last house on the row. He rolled out of the jump and continued to run, the fatigue becoming an afterthought on his mission. Suddenly a grandfather clock was thrown out at him, barely missing as he slid under it and shot his sword out towards where he had glimpsed the reptilous’ form. He burst through the front door and kept running down the street towards where he saw the castle, even though there were several more rows of houses in the way.

He smashed his sword into the door of the next house, the door breaking from its hinges almost too easily. A reptilous fell from the ceiling as he entered, only to get Blaze’s sword jammed in its stomach. As Blaze ran on, he dodged by fallen cabinets and open doors that blocked his path. He jumped through another window and, surprisingly, found the castle right before him. He ran by the main gates, meeting with little resistance as he charged past the main doors.

He dodged by yet another pile of sandbags that had bodies of guard ponies scattered around them. He grimaced as he saw the door to the main hall come closer and closer. He blew it open with his magic charging on through, finding a horde of reptilous and even more blockades.

He jumped over a knee high wall and slashed a reptilous across the chest before three others came out with various weapons, each of which dispatch quickly and without mercy and he charged on through, dodging obstacle after obstacle, taking out reptilous after reptilous. Suddenly a force drove itself directly into his side, throwing him to the side until he finally landed on the cold hard ground. He opened his eyes and found himself back in the training area of the Castle of the Two Sisters with Half Pink charging over to him. He looked back where, for all his life, he had thought was the main hall of Canterlot Castle, but saw nothing but bashed plywood cutouts of reptilous and occasional sandbag of wooden blockades and a bag of sand suspended by a rope where he had been standing mere moments before.

“Blaze, are you alright?” Half Pint asked as he helped his rather dazed friend to his hooves. Blaze cracked his neck and shook himself.

“Yeah, I guess I just didn’t notice that one coming at me. Well played, you should be the new obstacle course crafter; that really was something.” Blaze commented.

“Well, you only ever got hit by that bag; you dodged most everything else by what I can tell.” Half Pint stated. “And by the looks of it you were getting ready for a second lap by the way you were running. Did I even wind you?”

“Well,” Blaze began, rolling his shoulders as he tossed the sandbag armor to the side, “While running I couldn’t tell if I was getting tired.” Half Pint seemed to slump in disappointment at this. “But now that I can actually think about how I’m feeling, I really can say I doubt I should try for a second lap if I only got close and not past the finish line.” Half Pint immediately perked up at what he could only take as a sign of accomplishment of his course’s purpose.

“Well I guess I better get back to work if I’m going to make one that makes you really think twice about how you’re doing before pushing on.” Half Pint said as he galloped off towards a small table by the edge of the room where he picked up a pencil between his teeth and began to make a sketch of what he thought might make his course even better.

“Do you even know what you’ve just unleashed on the guard?” Blizzard asked as he approached Blaze from behind with a towel around his neck. “Last time we encouraged him to do something he became a bit over zealous and went overboard.”

“What might have that been?” Blaze asked turning to the white pegasus who shook his head as he remembered one of the most hectic days of his life.

“He built a stack of milk bottles in front of Sugar Cube Corner as a sort of promotion for the milk delivery service when his family was really starting it up, oh… five years ago.” Blizzard recollected. “Well, Amber and I told him how impressive we thought it was. Looking back now it wasn’t really, it was just four rows of milk bottles stacked in a pyramid with a sign dangling from between the second and third rows, but back then, the mere fact that it had been Half Pint who had made it made us marvel at it for how hard it must have been.”

“So, I guess he decided to put together something much more daring and it backfired harshly.” Blaze summarized.

“Actually, no,” Blizzard replied, “He did design and build something extremely outlandish and almost crazy, but against all odds, it didn’t fall or break.” Blizzard stated with a smirk as Half Pint threw a crumpled paper towards the waste bin behind him, the paper, however, bounced off the rim, just short of its target, falling to the group of other pieces of crumpled paper that laid strew about the basket. “If he didn’t get his cutie mark in delivering milk, I’d say he would get it in construction, though I guess the fact his father is an engineer certainly helped him.”

“So you believe he’s going to go overboard again with this new obstacle course and make something outlandish, yet functional?” Blaze asked, gaining a nod from Blizzard. “I see no harm in it. It’ll keep him occupied while the troops begin to march on Canterlot.”

“Wait, you’re shipping out?” Blizzard asked.

“Yes, we need to retake Canterlot before they can take us down at our position.” Blaze stated. “We’ll need to take the fight to them if we’re going to stand a chance of winning this thing before it starts. If we can take out Greyhield, the chance of his army falling to bits is rather high.”

“Well, why not just hunker down here and let them attack us and break their own forces against us?” Blizzard proposed. “We handled on attack just fine. Who’s to say he can’t do it again? They’ll just waste their forces trying to get in here while we hold out until their forces are weakened so that we can just march into Canterlot and take the place without much resistance.”

“That might work; if those we beat we’re seasoned veterans and were using the best tactics they could muster.” Blaze agreed. “But unfortunately we have good reason to believe that was a force of rather untrained soldiers performing a maneuver lovingly referred to as ‘testing the waters’. We suffered three casualties as a result of that test, so just imagine is they were even sneakier and had better training and were all around better.” Blizzard froze, the imagine coming quite clearly to his mind’s eye. “What we’re planning on doing is getting a small unit into Canterlot, take out Greyhield, and then fall back to a better position where we can fend them off until news of their leaders defeat reaches their ears.”

“You really think it will work?” Blizzard questioned, looking very uncertain about it all. “If they’re as good as you say, couldn’t they eliminate any group of soldiers that tried to get in Canterlot without much trouble?”

“Yes, they very well could.” Blaze agreed. “That is why we’re going to divert their attention to another part of the field while the small unit breaks through and gets into Canterlot through the dried up waterway.”

“And… when exactly is this all going to take place?” Blizzard asked, casting a glance towards Half Pint who tossed yet another ball of paper towards the bin, this time actually getting it in.

“Tomorrow morning, at the crack of dawn,” Blaze responded. “It will give enough light to see the battlefield for the troops fighting and give the special insertion unit the visibility necessary to see any patrols and yet the darkness to be able to hide themselves and any reptilous that gets in the way.”

“Is there a possibility that I can join in the fight? I hate being trapped down here, not being able to do anything to help the war effort.” Blizzard stated.

“This operation can only really have the cream of the crop on the field. Those fighting as a distraction need to be highly trained so they can hold the reptilous’ attention long enough for the insertion to take place without a hitch. In either position your life is put in more danger than I like.” Blaze replied. “Keep training and soon enough you’ll be a staple figure on the battlefield, but right now I need you to stay here.”

“Usually you’d be saying this type of thing if you were the adult and I was the young foal, and yet I’m fairly sure I’m older than you.” Blizzard commented. “But I do understand. I’ll stay here and hold the fort.”

“Good, and make sure Half Pint doesn’t try to follow us after he finishes with the obstacle course.” Blaze ordered. “We’re starting the march in a few minutes, so make sure he doesn’t try anything.” Blizzard nodded before heading over to Half Pint, weaving through the obstacles the blocked his way. Blaze trotted back up the stairs, ready to give a positive report to the armor smith.



Blaze walked back and forth, looking over the mass of soldiers. They had been training fiercely ever since the defeat at Canterlot, and now, in accordance to his orders, only ponies of sergeant or higher were armored and readied for the march back to Canterlot. Several medical ponies were scattered throughout the crowd, each wearing a thick, white, cloth armor. Blaze didn’t know if reptilous would adhere to organized warfare protocols and not attack the medics, but he wasn’t about to take the chance, having already assigned a guard for each medic to ensure their safety.

“Alright every pony, let’s take back Canterlot!” Blaze shouted. “We all know our parts in this battle, so I expect only the very best from each of you!” He continued, looking over each and every pony. “This battle won’t be a cake walk. We’ve seen what reptilous can do, so let’s show them what we can do in return. Remember, this plan might not be the very end of the war, but it surely will signal it if nothing else. I have every faith in all of you; so let’s show these reptilous what Equestria is made of, and let’s take back Canterlot and end the war before it can even start!” The castle broke out into cheers at an almost deafening level as everypony showed their support. “LET’S MOVE OUT EVERYPONY!” He shouted, waving his hoof towards the newly constructed bridge before taking his first few steps on the long march that was ahead of them. He looked up, as he came to the bridge, at the stars that were beginning to shine across the sky as the sun dipped below the horizon as the moon inched above the hills on the opposite side of the heavens.



The march had been long and rather arduous, made all the more slower by the cannons and munitions they had brought along with them. Despite all the factors working against them, they made it to Canterlot on time, setting up their tents and fires as a preliminary stage of attracting attention to their location.

“And then we’ll sweep around the side here to the river,” Blaze stated to the higher ranking ponies around him, using a twig to point out the area he was referring to, “We’ll use a spell to slowly block the flow of the water and get into the riverbank and then let it do the leg work and get us in, straight into the mill at this point.” Blaze pointed at another chart that had the diagram of Lower Canterlot. “There’s a stairway going up out of the water so that ponies can do repairs on the water wheel, we’ll use that to get onto dry ground and then begin our way up through here,” He continued, tracing a line through the city until he reached the gate, “We’ll then use the eye of the needle and continue through here. We should reach the castle in roughly thirty minutes, it will then take roughly ten minutes to get to Greyhield and deal with him. After that it should take us to the end of the hour to get to Celestia and Luna and get them free.”

“So we’ll need to hold the ranks for an hour? The last battle barely lasted twenty minutes and we suffered heavy losses from it. Are you sure we can even make it through that?” One of the guards asked.

“We were going far too offensive, when we should go on the defensive. If I’m right, we can hold then just fine if we make ourselves like a turtle with cannons on its back.” Blaze replied with a slight smirk. “We’ll use the cannon to stave off most of the incoming reptilous and then we’ll have to fall back on a shield wall. We’ll move the cannons back into the line when the reptilous get close enough, but once they get through the first line they’ll find another wave of cannon and archer fire to greet them before they can get to the second line. The rain we get from the pegasus troops should also make it a bit more interesting for their advance.”

“You’re suggesting deliberate sacrificing of a line of some of our best ponies for the sake of one more volley of fire on the enemy?” Another pony exclaimed in an unbelieving tone.

“It’s gruesome, but there’s no other way we can make it work. We need to thin them out as much as possible, but we won’t have enough space between us and their line in ratio to how fast they can move to do enough damage on them. We need to spring the one last volley hitting hem if we really want a chance at breaking them.” Blaze explained. “I don’t want to sacrifice anypony, but this is the only way I can see to really get them. The ponies in that line will fight with their all, if not to do as much damage on the line before they break through and get a face full of grape shot.”

“There is one thing I hope you are actually considering in this plan.” Another pony chimed in. “You do realize, by telling us to pick ponies to be in that line, or by you choosing who will be in that line, you’re ultimately saying who will die and who will live. You are making yourself the all powerful force by deciding which ponies will die first.”

“I-I know,” Blaze stuttered, the weight of the situation pressing down on him even more, “I have thought about it like that, and I do agree that it is true.” Blaze stated. “This isn’t something I want to do, but it is a necessary evil for this plan to work out and for the greatest amount of survivors to come out of this and grant us enough time to complete the objective.” The ponies gathered with him looked at each other, sharing the same type of spark, the same resolution as their fellows.

“Very well, this is war; there are sacrifices that need to be made for victory to be achieved.” One of them stated finally. Blaze nodded and stood up, lifting his golden helmet onto his head, completing his ensemble.

“Get ready, the attack will begin when you deem best. We’ll get inside as quickly as possible so that we can get back out before to many lives have to be wasted.” Blaze stated. “May the fortunes of war smile on us today, stallions, now let’s get to our places and start this battle for the good of all of Equestria.” The ponies nodded, each taking their helmets and putting them on before walking out after Blaze. 

Blaze looked around at the various tents, the sounds of metal scrapping against whet stones, as soldiers prepared their weapons for battle while others used a spit shine to make their armor glisten, a measure soon to be counteracted though few knew it. He looked to the sky, the field of grey clouds released from Cloudsdale Cloud Bank formed a menacing mass in the sky as it inched forward, occasionally forming a small enough break to let Blaze see the glint of one of the pegasi’s armor. Cannon that were scattered across the field had small pavilions set up above them along with a special cloud that kept them of off the ground that would doubtlessly be more of a bog than a grass plain within a few minutes.

Blaze moved through the mass of soldier that crisscrossed the field, preparing for the battle. Blaze watched a group of soldier beginning to put up the palisade wall, the wooden poles sharpened at one end pointing at a sixty-five degree angle, forming a last layer of, hopefully, and unnecessary protection for the forward operating base. Other ponies pulled carts of cannon balls and packages of premade gunpowder for the cannons. And still other ponies were lugging around large bundles of bolts and arrows for the archer divisions. Blaze looked towards the wall of Canterlot, the sheer greatness of the large structure meriting each bit of preparation that the ponies were making. He could make out the vague shapes of reptilous passing by the distant murder holes, blocking out some of the light from the torches inside for a brief instant. 

Blaze finally entered his destination, pushing the flap of the tent as he went inside. Inside were three guard ponies along with the Elements of Harmony and Spike. The ponies all turned to him as he made his entrance.

“Ah, Blaze, are we ready to shove off?” One of the guards asked him as he finished tucking in the last of his straps into his armor. Blaze nodded taking one of the shields that had been leaning against a group of crates by the edge of the tent.

“The attack will be starting soon enough, we’ll need to get to the river bank and make our way inside the city.” He replied as he drew his sword while unbuckling the strap that held the sheath to his side and then tossed it towards the same stack of crates where he had gotten his shield. “Equestria counts on our success. We need to get Twilight and her friends to Greyhield so they can use their power to take him out by whatever means deemed necessary.” The guards nodded, and the six pony friends looked at each other with slight concern while Spike looked pensive. Blaze motioned with his head for the ponies to follow as he made his way back out the way he came as the first booming blast of thunder rocked the sky.



Eleven shapes charged by the side of the river, one of them using magic to quickly block the river’s flow before the ponies and dragon jumped down to the still soggy bottom on the river. Blaze continued to gallop down the wet soil, raindrops pounding down on his armor, making a monotonous drone of the water pelting the gold alloy armor. Twilight slowly let go of her grip of the river’s flow, and all at once the river swept them up as Blaze used a blast of magic to make the metal bars that crossed the river’s path bend out of way, giving the ponies a safer passage as they swept by the wall before Twilight once again blocked the flow, allowing the ponies and dragon to charge towards the stairs by the mill and get to the harder turf on the coast before another surge of water filled the canal, causing the massive, aged, water wheel turn ferociously, the sound of the internal mechanisms rattle under the strain.

“Alright, now we need to take the road between the bakery and the old ponies home. Go!” Blaze ordered the ponies. The group charged up the small cobble staircase that had several of its stones missing, giving the ponies an occasional stumble into the mushy earth below as they charged up the path towards their destination. 

As they approached the first row of houses, a reptilous on patrol walked across the street, unaware of the oncoming ponies over the sound of roaring thunder and hammering rain and the distant sound of battle. Blaze poured on more speed, approaching the guard and quickly shoving his sword into the creature’s chest while prying the sword from its claws and launching it into the reptilous guard that had appeared behind the first. Blaze quickly pulled the two sword back while removing the second reptilous’ sword and levitating it along with his two others.

They eventually reached the gate without too many more incidents. Blaze quickly found the smaller door to the side of the massive portcullis and broke the rather weak door from its hinges, sending it flying into a cart of apples on the other side. One of the guards charged past him, intent on clearing the area when a reptilous jumped down from the ledge above and impaled the pony, the beast’s lance lodging itself deep into the path below. In the last moment, the guard summoned al his power and concentration and sent his sword straight into the reptilous’ jaw, the reptilian soldier’s head snapping back, giving a gross cracking sound before it fell completely limp against the wall.

Blaze jumped out from the door and quickly spotted several other reptilouses that hung from ledges, each of which quickly receiving a blast of fire and a blade through the chest. Blaze took the weapons from his dead enemies and soon had a group of seven swords, two lances, and three shields, more surprised at the fact the reptilous had shields than anything else.

“We need to keep moving! We all should know the way to the castle!” Blaze barked the order, the ponies quickly nodding and charging up the main street while Blaze gave one last salute to his fallen comrade before charging off to get back with the others.

Surprisingly, there was no resistance as they continued up the sloping road towards the castle; even the main gates to the castle courtyard were unguarded. Blaze bucked the front doors of the castle open, sending them flying open as he turned around to face a surprisingly small amount of reptilous than what he had expected.

Blaze shot a spear out at one them, but the reptilous guard simply grabbed it with its free hand and planted it into the castle floor, the point shattering against the seamless marble. A collective roar was issued out by the reptilous, replied with a battle cry from the three pony warriors. 

Blaze shot a fire bolt at one of the reptilous, but the best lifted its shield, the wave of fire splashing off of it like a wave against a rock before the reptilous sent its spear toward Blaze, but the pony used his magic to drive the spear into the ground before sending one of his sword towards the reptilous, who twirled to the side, letting go of the spear while it drew a sword and charged Blaze.

Blaze rolled to the side, the fatigue of the battle starting to get to him as he stumbled out of it. Blaze lifted his shield just in time as the reptilous slashed out at him. Blaze shot a curving bolt of fire, which the reptilous received without even flinching. The reptilous used one of its feet to grab the spear behind him while he let go of his sword, letting it stay in Blaze’s shield. The beast caught the spear perfectly and jammed it into Blaze’s shield with such force that it went straight through, making it necessary for Blaze to jump back so that it wouldn’t him.

Suddenly a second reptilous with two swords charged up towards Blaze, gaining his full attention quite quickly. Blaze lifted his shield, both swords slamming against it with such force that it echoed in Blaze’s skull. Blaze worked past the pain as he sent one of his spears towards the reptilous’ gut, but the reptilian soldier let go of its swords and jumped off of Blaze’s shield, effectively dodging before it grabbed the same spear in midair and charged Blaze with it in a firm grasp.

Blaze put up a shield at the reptilous’ knee, causing it to stumble forward, but the trained warrior simply rolled out of it and ended the roll with a jump and an arching motion as it came down on the pony with fierce energy. Blaze jumped to the side only to have the first reptilous come down on him with its spear, necessitating Blaze to throw up a shield to cut the spear in half and then stop the point from coming any closer.

The second reptilous, a black scaled fiend, launched itself at Blaze, its spear pointed with deadly accuracy towards the colt’s shoulder. Blaze jumped backwards, avoiding the flying reptilous, but then the other reptilous, a green brute, ripped its comrade’s swords from the shield Blaze had let drop in his haste. The black reptilous turned on a dime upon landing and shot right back for Blaze’s throat, but he rolled to the side, avoiding yet another attack, but then the green one dove at him, both swords screeching down from either side. Blaze shot a fire bolt at each hand, and surprisingly, the reptilous let go off the blades, but the danger was far from over as it bared down on him with its claws. Blaze jumped back again, sending one of his spears at the beast, but it simply caught it and ripped it from Blaze’s magic, giving it a twirl in satisfaction.

Suddenly a blue reptilous slammed into Blaze’s side, knocking him to the ground. The beast lifted its sword for the kill, but Blaze shot a flame bolt into the creature’s face before rolling away, the sword slamming into the cold marble instead of his side. The black reptilous charged up to Blaze as he got back to his hooves, lance ready for the kill. Blaze used one of his swords to cut the shaft of the weapon, removing most of the danger, but the reptilous simply let go of it with one hand and brought it down towards Blaze.

Reacting on instinct, Blaze grabbed the falling part of the shaft that had the point with his magic and sent it towards the beast, who, seemingly, without reason turned in midair and grabbed the shaft of the projectile and brought it down towards Blaze, who rolled to the side, but still had the blade scrap the shoulder of his armor. Blaze shot a fire bolt into the reptilous’ face, and prepared his sword to finish it off, but as it recovered, the green reptilous jumped over it with the two sword bearing down on Blaze.

Blaze jumped back, but one of the blades still scrapped his helmet, giving Blaze a tremendous headache. Blaze blasted the reptilous with a fire bolt, but the beast shrugged it off as it shot both blades out towards Blaze, intent on the kill. Blaze shot up a shield, blocking both blades, but as he struggled with the two on coming swords, the blue reptilous charged from the side, Blaze raised high. Blaze rolled to his left, and as his concentration broke, the shield fell, allowing the green reptilous to continue to dive forward, which resulted in the serendipitous death of the blue reptilous as the green reptilous’ blades pierced the landing warrior in the shoulder and chest, the bloodied black form slumping to the ground.

Blaze threw up another shield as the black reptilous jumped back into the fight, both weapons ready for the strike. The reptilous slammed into Blaze’s magic shield and used it as a drum as he continued to try to get through. Each strike on his shield came as a resounding explosion in his skull until suddenly a purple beam of energy shot from across the room. Twilight and her friends stood watching the fight from the stairs to the main hall. Blaze looked back towards the black reptilous, now limp on the ground with a sizable burn mark in his side. The green reptilous charged Blaze, but received several blasts of fire to his face and chest, causing his to tumble behind Blaze as the pony charged up towards the six ponies and baby dragon.

“Go, I’m right behind you!” Blaze shouted to the ponies before turning and sending his next to last sword at a reptilous who swatted it to the side with a wave of its blade, only to receive the full force of the bolt of fire following it. Blaze turned back and charged up the stairs, following the ponies that held the only key he could think of that could stop all of this.

Blaze entered the throne room, and as he did the door slammed shut behind him in a deep purple aura that was much stranger in energy than Twilight’s, which meant only one thing. Blaze turned and saw Greyhield standing before him along with Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon, the two equine fiends looking confident, and almost confident while as Greyhield looked quite ambivalent.

“And so the ponies of Equestria believe they may end it all.” Greyhield stated with little to no emotion present in his voice. “I may say that for a colt, you have surprised me with your amount of knowledge of the battlefield and of the way of the sword. It is quite impressive if I do say so myself.” Greyhield offered. “But in comparison to others, you are merely a few steps ahead of the class, and unfortunately for Equestria,” Greyhield continued, “I have had many eons to think, to learn, and there is not a single mind in this world that could hope to match me, nor hope to match the prowess of my warriors’ blades.”

“Greyhield, today your reckoning has come! Today, you will face punishment for all your crimes!” Blaze shouted as he took the head of the formation of the ponies.

“SILENCE!” Greyhield roared, his teeth bared, each like a gigantic ebony pillar in a hall filled with darkness. “Ponies are no more fit of a judge of me, my actions, or my motives than a pebble can judge a mountain on its pride.” Greyhield retorted in a booming voice, the windows of the hall rattling with each word. “If justice is to be done in the world, than ponies shall lay down their swords and face the reptilous’ blade without resistance as they are extinguished, never fighting until each pony has faced their judgment by steel.” Greyhield stated simply as he furrowed his brow.

“You are the being that destroyed thousands upon thousands of pony lives! We fight against you and all you stand for, for the simple fact you kill our families and loved ones!” Blaze replied, baring his teeth, which were quite a bit less menacing than Greyhield’s.

“Ponies have never understood justice, and nor will they until they face their own.” Greyhield shot back. “And now, I will show you what become of those who do not wish to join me or face justice.” Greyhield lifted one of his fists, whirling his wrist, generating a purple aura which slowly drifted from his claws and to the center o the room where it began to swirl and twist as something began materializing. Slowly it formed into a distinct shape, and then the crackling magic dissipated, leaving only what it had brought with it. There, in the center of the room, were two posts that had not been there before with a being chained between them, its head hung low. The form was very distinct, unmistakably familiar and unquestionably singular in the world.

“Discord!” Fluttershy shouted with horror etched in her voice.   

> Chapter 18: Birth of a Beast
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Discord slowly lifted his head, pain screeching through every fiber of his being. The power he had once felt was completely gone, leaving him with barely leaving him with enough to stay alive. He looked around, seeing Greyhield, Nightmare Moon, and Chrysalis, just as he had expected, but then he saw seven ponies and a smaller dragon.

“What have you done with him?” Fluttershy demanded. Nightmare Moon traipsed over to the weakened draconequus, flicking her mystical mane into his face with a grin before turning to the ponies.

“Why, whatever do you mean?” She asked with a look that suggested she didn’t understand on her face. “He hasn’t ever looked better to me.” Fluttershy visibly became angry. She shot up to eye level with Greyhield. 

“Look here mister, you better let him and Celestia and Luna too!” She shouted and the dragon, who didn’t the slightest bit affected by the antagonizing pegasus. 

“Why?” Greyhield asked plainly without any readable expression.

“You better let them go or else I’ll use the stare!” She warned. “I’ve used it on a dragon larger than you and he didn’t last too long, so I suggest letting them all go.” She cautioned, getting closer and closer to Greyhield’s right eye, but the dragon didn’t react excepted for blinking almost as if he was bored. “Alright, you leave me no choice!” She shouted before using her stare on Greyhield, who didn’t seem the least bit affected, in fact he even yawned as the pegasus intensified her glare. Greyhield finally gave a sigh, and then his eyes shot wide, an audible shockwave flowing through the room along with a blast wave that threw Fluttershy back into the group with a devastating force as it pushed the other ponies back a few meters as he did as he did his own stare.

“I have no interest in letting go of any prisoners, and you have much to learn of the stare and how to pick your targets.” Greyhield chided, his expression still remaining neutral, as if he were a teacher explaining something that was obvious to a particular slow student. “Now, if I may proceed.” Greyhield walked behind Discord, bearing his claws. “Discord, will you return to my side, and once again pledge your allegiance to me as you did when I gave you your powers?”

“N-never again… I’ll stand by Fluttershy until… the very end.” Discord choked out, his body convulsing as a racking cough overcame him.

“Very well, then I shall have to start with a clean slate. I’d say I was sorry, Discord, but I feel no pity for traitors.” Greyhield stated, drawing his fist back before sending it forward, his claws slicing through the other side, their black pointy forms stained with red, blood dripping down to the floor. Fluttershy overcame the aftershock of the stare and shot up towards Discord, but her friend held her down, each watching as the draconequus gave a roar in pain. Discord shook as the pain cracked like lighting through every bit of his being, but then, it was gone. He coughed, and blood splattered across the ground. Discord tried to give a laugh, but instead choked on another bit of blood as Greyhield slid his claws out of his chest. Discord looked down, and saw the blood dripping out of the three holes left in his chest. Slowly, black, sticky figure covered his vision, a pressure vaguely registering in his mind as Greyhield increased his grip strength. The pony looked away, but the blood still splattered across their coat, a bit smacking into Blaze’s eye.

Greyhield let go and cut the chains with a claw, walking away from the bloody corpse of the once great spirit of chaos. Blaze kept his gaze on Greyhield, not wishing to look at the alternative of the bloody limp form of Discord.

“And so shall it be done to any who think they may break their word to me.” Greyhield stated grimly as he flicked his claws, the blood sprinkling over the ground. “But Discord was a worthy servant; there is no reason to completely destroy him.” Greyhield lifted his claw, a deep purple aura forming around it as well as the blood and body of Discord. “Your philosophers were not far off when they said that the life and essence of a being is in its blood.” The blood around Discord’s limp form slowly began to swirl around inside the orb of magic that had formed. “But not only does blood have life and the essence of living being, but also the power to resurrect the bearer of the blood or whomever you please of equal power.” He continued to explain as the battered and torn body of Discord sucked the blood back in and began to return to its former form. Eventually Discord was released from the orb of magic, letting him to fall on all fours before lifting himself up and giving a boisterous laugh, much like he had when the Elements of Harmony had first arrived at the maze.

“Thank you, Greyhield; it was getting quite annoying being pushed to the back seat all that time.” Discord said with a smile while giving Greyhield thumbs up.

“You were a prisoner in your own body, trapped by ponies; it was my pleasure to release you from your torment.” Greyhield replied. “And now I believe the ponies wish to try something in an attempt to kill me before this war can begin.” Blaze took a step forward, raising his sword and shield.

“Blaze, let us handle this.” Twilight ordered, Blaze not budging an inch from his stance, his eyes burrowing into Greyhield. “Blaze,” Twilight repeated, putting a hoof on Blaze’s shoulder, “We can take care of it. Just stand out of the way so we can do our work.” Blaze finally nodded and walked back the hall, almost to the door, considering whether to join back with the other ponies in the fight against the reptilous, but hesitated as he turned to watch the six perform their final attack. Twilight and the rest of the Elements took up formation, their magic swirling around them as their latent powers came to full view.

Slowly the pony transformed, each gaining an extra color in their mane and extra cutie marks scattered about their limbs. An orb of rainbow energy began swirling around them as they were lifted off the ground. Suddenly the rainbow orb was surrounded a deep purple aura, which darkened each second. Twilight and her friends looked around the orb, seeing the purple invading the vibrant colors that were shifting around them. Their fear became panic, and soon, they fired out of desperation, not even fully prepared to actually give it their all. The beam broke through the shield, but encountered yet another shield, which pushed back the weakened blast with ease before forming an orb around them and forcing the ponies to the ground, their form quickly shifting back to normal.

“B-but, how, there’s no way you could have deflected such a powerful blast!” Twilight stammered, looking weak and disorientated, as well as having the edges of her mane and tail singed.

“I am no simple fiend, I am no simple dragon. I am much more than anything you have ever faced before being as I am each of you calamity’s root source. I am much greater than anything you have ever faced and greater than anything after this point, seeing as I will be the last thing you face.” Greyhield stated, not as boast or vain gloating, but more as a factual assertion, as if it was like saying the princesses caused the sun and moon to move or that death was inevitable for ponies and all other beings.

“Even if that is true, we will defeat you!” Blaze shouted his reply, anger whelming up in him, his mane briefly rising in a nonexistent wind. “You will never succeed; you will fall like all those you have sent before you!”

“I’m afraid that is entirely impossible.” Greyhield stated plainly. “And there is one in your number as we speak who is not of your side… not entirely at any rate.” He continued. “Spike, the dragon of promise who has seen his future before its time,” Spike slowly stepped forward, facing Greyhield while trembling, “You know who I am, we have met before, and you have seen what your future will be like if you stay with ponies.” Spike slowly nodded. “You purposed to change it if it were indeed true,” Greyhield continued, “I now offer you a chance to change your future by changing what you did to gain that end.”

“What are you saying?” Spike asked, taking another step towards the mighty dragon, feeling draw in towards an elder of his own kind that didn’t seem to resent him, even to the point of welcoming him.

“Don’t listen to him, Spike; he’s trying to trick you!” Blaze shouted, charging towards the baby dragon. Greyhield gave and the ponies his powerful stare, sending them all flying across the hall towards the back wall of the hall.

“Spike, I give you a choice,” Greyhield began, “return to your friend who will betray you in the long run, or join my cause and fight for a cause that needs you, and will gain you great honors and veneration of all. Join my army, join the winning cause and forsake those who would forsake you, eliminating their chance to stab you in the back.” Greyhield offered.

“I-I choose…” Spike began, unsure as he looked back towards his friends, whose voices were blocked by a silencing spell. He looked back to Greyhield, who lifted a few drops of Discord’s blood that had not been caught up in the draconequus reanimating. “I choose,” He repeated as he evaluated his options, “I choose… you…, Greyhield.” Spike stated finally.

“Wise choice, young Spike.” Greyhield said as he raised his claws higher, the ponies on the other side of the hall banging against the invisible wall while shouting unheard words. The flecks of blood made a long, thin circle around Spike, slowly contracting on the baby dragon. Spike looked at the continually flowing red strand until it formed one line and slice straight through him, causing him to glow with a white aura as he rose from the ground. His eyes were filled with horror at what was happening, until he noticed his limbs growing and filling out. He looked at his body as it grew and morphed into a taller, stouter form. He finally was set down on the ground, where he fell to one knee, placing one fist on the ground for support. He slowly rose to his feet, looking up at Greyhield, and then he turned to the ponies, showing his new form to his old friends. He looked almost like a carbon copy of a reptilous, but his spines were better developed and much sharper, and his scales had a cleaner sheen to them. His irises quickly became pinpricks, focused with rage as power surge through him.

“Here, have these, Sir Spike.” Discord said, presenting him with a sword and a shield. Spike took them and turned to face the ponies again, pointing his blade towards Blaze. Blaze walked up to him with his blade and shield within his magical grasp.

“Spike, I beg you to change your mind. Greyhield will only lead you to destruction, we can help you.” Blaze pleaded, but his words fell on deaf ears as Spike charged Blaze, sword raised. Blaze lifted his shield, catching the blade. “Spike!” Blaze shouted, trying to get through to the adolescent dragon, who responded by planting his foot onto Blaze’s shield and pushing against it until it was firmly on the ground, where he torched it in a green flare until it was only hot slag. Spike swung his sword down at Blaze with a wide arc, giving Blaze enough time to lift his blade and block the attack. “Spike!” Blaze shouted again.

“You would’ve betrayed me, but now I’ll turn the tables on you and finish this before anything can start!” Spike shouted in rage, his voice much deeper and less rough. Spike slid him blade away from Blaze’s and swung it at the pony’s side, but Blaze blocked it while shooting a fire bolt into Spike’s face, causing him to draw back.

“Spike, you’re not thinking clearly, Greyhield has affected you, you need to fight it!” Blaze reasoned, but Spike simply wiped the soot from his face before charging the pony once again. Blaze blocked the sword, but then Spike threw a punch out with his shield arm, except the razor sharp claws were pointed outward, ready for the kill. Without thinking, Blaze caught the arm and redirected it into Spike’s chest, though it only made a shallow cut. Spike gave a roared and then inhaled deeply, a green glow emanating from his throat and belly. Spike released a fire storm, but Blaze threw up a shield while jumping to the side, the burst of fire not even touching Blaze. 

Spike lifted his blade and prepared to bring it down, but when he tried, it stayed in the air, enveloped in a dark purple aura. The dragon looked back and saw Greyhield, with one of his claws glowing in a matching aura.

“Another time, Spike; for now, let him be, so he may later know your power after you have trained.” Greyhield stated. Spike nodded and lowered the now free blade. “I will make this simple, ponies, I want a war, not a few battles, but a full on war.” Greyhield nearly ordered the ponies. “And to do this, I will send you back to whence you came so that you may lead this endeavor on the part of ponykind.” With that said, Greyhield raised his claws and a dark orb formed around the ponies. A bright flash of magical energy came over the room, slowly fading to reveal Blaze gone, but the other ponies still standing where they were. “But if you really wish to stay, I will be forced to oblige.”



Blaze suddenly blinked into existence in the middle of the battlefield around Canterlot, a reptilous instantly turning to face him. Blaze raised his sword and blocked the reptilous’ attack before using his magic to remove a dagger from its belt and point it at it stomach, but the reptilous grabbed the hilt of the blade with its shield arm. 

Blaze pushed the reptilian warrior back and, with a second of thought, took a shield from the battlefield and lifted it into position. The reptilous charged Blaze, but Blaze rolled to the side and lifted a spear from the ground behind the reptilous and sent it straight at the beast warrior, but almost as expected, it turned around and caught it with the same hand that already held the dagger. 

Suddenly another pony jumped in and attempted to kill the reptilous, but the reptilous turned at skewered the pony on its lance, the pony’s blood splattering across its armor before it shoved the limp form off of its weapon. Blaze charged the reptilous and brought his sword around the side, but the monster was able to catch the blade with its shield while Blaze lifted another sword from the ground and shot it toward the reptilous. Blaze then shot a lance at it, but the reptilous grabbed it out of the air and slammed it to the ground with one of its leg, repeating the same process with the sword Blaze sent next. Blaze slammed his shield into the reptilous, causing it to stumble backwards a bit.

Blaze sent his sword straight at the beast’s chest, but it lifted its shield and caught the blade before knocking it to the side and pointing its spear towards Blaze, pushing off the ground straight towards Blaze. Blaze grabbed the lance in a sheet of magic, sending it straight to the ground before sending one of the lances on the ground towards the reptilous, which sliced its shaft in two with its blade, the spearhead losing a considerable amount of speed, merely clinking off of its chest plate.

Blaze grabbed the broken spearhead and shot it straight back into the reptilous, who received the attack without a flinch before lifting its blade and bringing it down on Blaze, who stopped it with his magical grip, the force behind the blade making him wince as the strain flowed over his senses. Blaze glared at the reptilous as he shot a fire bolt into its face, but it simply washed over the beast’s head, gaining no reaction except it shaking the soot from its eyes. The beast let go of his sword and grabbed yet another dagger from its arsenal and slammed it into Blaze’s chest, giving him little time to react before the blade slipped between two of the plates and jabbed him straight through his chain male and cloth undergarment, letting a trickle of blood run down his chest.

Blaze wrapped his magic around the blade that the reptilous had left and brought it down at the reptilous, who simply grabbed the hilt. Blaze, enraged, fighting against the urge to enter Rage Shift, wrapped his magic around the beast’s limbs and spread them out, exposing the monster completely. Blaze shot his sword towards its chest, but almost against all logical sense, the beast pried one of its arms out of the magical field and caught the blade before it could tough him.

Blaze slammed the beast into the ground, but it still forced its way to its full height, glaring daggers as it rose. Blaze sent the spear at it, then a sword, then a fire bolt, then another sword, then another sword, continuing to pelt the beast with various weapons, more and more of them hitting as the reptilous ran out of way of deflecting the attacks in his semi-paralyzed state. Finally, Blaze planted the last sword into the reptilous’ back as his mane wiped up, going as far as flickering white before settling back down to its usual form in his helmet.

“Blaze, what are you doing here?” Blaze heard the voice of one of the higher ranking officers shout from behind him. Blaze turned towards the pony, the Lieutenant charging through the chaos of the battle towards him.

“Greyhield teleported me out here,” Blaze shouted his reply, “I need you to get the troops together so we can fall back! This battle is over, we need to retreat and regroup!” The pony nodded and ran back towards the command center of the troops, his departure soon followed by the Equestrian horn, signaling a tactical retreat. The ponies broke off from their battles with their reptilous enemies as arrows began raining down from the skies to cover their retreat. Blaze charged off until he came to the palisade, where he turned to face the oncoming reptilouses.



The battle had been long and hard, Blaze’s armor in tatters, streams of blood slithering down his form, leaving red dots on the path behind him. An air of defeat hung over the stallions as they entered the castle’s grounds. Wives, daughters, young colts, and elderly pony came out to meet their returning heroes, but, to the dismay to many, far too many open embraces were left unfilled as the defeat of the day came crashing down on the ponies.

“Sir,” A guard began, but Blaze walked on, not even caring to listen as the defeat crushed him like a gigantic weight. “Sir, I can’t find the Council of Friendship, have you seen them?” Blaze’s head shot up as he realized their absence. Blaze whipped around and began pushing through the crowd, searching from any sign of the six most important ponies at that moment, but the more he searched, the more it dawned on him; the Council of Friendship, the Elements of Harmony, were gone.

Suddenly, the bell that had been placed at the highest tower of the decrepit tower of the castle rang, signaling an incoming force. A pegasus guard jumped from the tower and swooped down towards Blaze almost by magic.

“Sir, we have a situation.” The guard stated. “A large force of reptilous and other sorted creatures are heading this way. They just entered the forest and are keeping a consistent speed moving through the forest by the appearances of birds fluttering off from where they entered. What are your orders?” Blaze quickly thought up a plan, straining his head to work faster.

“Tell everypony to get together all supplies, but only the essentials.” Blaze ordered the stallion. “Tell them we’re moving out for a new position but don’t give a reason, we need to keep some order. Keep me posted on the reptilouses’ progress.” The guard nodded and took to the air, quickly spread the word.

Blaze quickly began running all possible location they could relocate to, but each was well known, making them prime targets for Greyhield to attack. He looked around at the ponies surging around him, the realization that to hide these ponies they would need a large city if they wanted to actually be able to survive, seeing as the rather large castle was jammed from wall to wall with ponies and supplies, and as if it had been placed in his mind by another, the idea came to him, as well as how to get there easily without detection. Blaze looked out to the forest, and saw a flash of whitish-yellow between the trees, causing a smile to form on Blaze’s snout. Blaze came back to reality and turned back to the ponies around him.

“Come on, ponies, we need to pack up and move out! Greyhield knows we’re here so let’s give him a start when he sees we’re not! Come on, let’s move!” Blaze ordered, galloping towards the castle, rallying the ponies for the move.

> Chapter 19: The Frozen North
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sound of wagons jostling through the rugged terrain and the soft crunching of hooves against snow bathed the crowd of pony making their slow, arduous trek through the vast expanses of northern Equestria as well as drawing closer to the southern border of the Crystal Empire. Blaze clenched his eyes closed once again as a gale threw a flurry of snow into the faces of the ponies. Frost clung to his scarf and edges of his armor, which he had changed out before they had left the Everfree. An earth pony guard trotted up beside Blaze, giving a nod instead of stopping for a salute.

“Sir, where exactly are we headed,” The guard asked, looking back towards the vast herd of ponies, “Several of the ponies are becoming concerned that we aren’t exactly heading for anywhere in particular and morale isn’t doing too well as consequences, as well as the recent battle.”

“We are heading to somewhere Greyhield won’t expect, thus giving us an edge since he won’t know where to attack.” Blaze replied. “We need to train more, get our A game to an A plus game, if not even better.” He stated. “The reptilous are a tough nut to crack, and currently there is nopony in the world that we have ease of contact with that can deal with them with any efficiency.”

“So where exactly is this secret hiding place?” The guard asked again. “Is it a suburb of the Crystal Empire’s capital?” Blaze shook his head, using his magic to tighten his scarf as the breeze picked up again.

“No, it’s an old city that we haven’t used in centuries.” Blaze replied. “To explain, back when Equestria was first formed, contrary to popular belief, they were as accepting of one another. The leaders and the ponies that had been there were very accepting of one another and wanted to instantly combine their nations, but most of the civilian populace was opposed to it. So, to get what they wanted without leaving the majority’s good graces, they made a plan by which they would make cities. The three tribes would make their own capitals, which would have rule over the kingdom, basically making three capitals that all had the same power and confirmed motions of government with each other. Alongside these cities they made what were called conglomerate cities, which were cities that mixed the populaces of the three into one area.”

“This is all very informative as foal’s school and all, but what does this have to do with where we’re going?” The guard asked, only to have another gale strike him with a mass of snow, as if chastising him for being rude.

“Well, the three cities were Stalliongrad, being the earth pony capital, Cloudsdale, being the pegasus capital, and the City of the Unicorns, which, after Discord’s reign, was lost.” Blaze explained. “We always assumed that it had been set to ruin by Discord’s magic since nopony we sent came back and nopony was received from their end.”

“So, if we believe it’s in ruin,” The guard began as he shook the snow from his face, “Why are we trying to settle in it? Wouldn’t it be better for everypony to be in a well kept area?”

“Well, yes it would be, but being previously well kept means that its probably know about, thus making it a prime target for Greyhield’s attacks, something we’re looking to avoid with this location.” Blaze replied. “The fact it probably isn’t in good conditions is why I ordered the use of so many wagons for so many purposes; we’ll use the wood from them to path any holes in the walls, and so, problem solved.”

“Alright, I’ll inform the other ponies so we can continue without murmuring about not going anywhere specific.” The guard said with a sigh, “Instead they’ll start grumbling about going to an old, dilapidated ruin instead of somewhere that’s at least in one piece.”

“Well, you can tell the civilians if they want to complain they can, but I won’t have any guards complaining in this army.” Blaze said as the guard fell back into formation. Blaze looked ahead, the gales becoming more a more frequent, forcing him to set up a shield around his eyes so he could see without having ice fly into his eyes. Suddenly, he seemingly broke through the snow and was faced with a massive city, the snow storm seeming to encircle the massive structure, as if produced and restricted by magic. 

Blaze looked behind him at the ponies appearing through the wall of swirling snow, each looking as white, frostbitten, and shocked as the last. Blaze turned again and began walking towards the ancient city, shaking a bit of snow from his armor with each step. Eventually he came to front gate, looking up at the surprisingly well kept doors. He gave a tentative push, and the one door creaked as it opened slightly. Blaze looked over the doors before using his magic to opening both of the massive halves of the portal.

The roads, surprisingly clear of stones, glistened in the sun’s light. Blaze looked up and saw the blue sky above, something he really hadn’t been expecting. The buildings around the road were frosted, there windows clear of frost, and even slightly fogged, as if the inside of the houses and other various buildings were being heated somehow after all the years. Slowly, certain things began to make Blaze question certain aspects of the town and the story that had come to be known.

The group of ponies continued to walk down the streets towards the rising spires of the castle in the distance. Soon, the last of the rearguard came through the gates, closing them in their wake. Suddenly a mass of black figures surrounded the ponies. The guards reacted quickly, surrounding the ponies, pointing their weapons towards the figures.

A plethora of unicorns flashed into existence, while earth ponies swarmed in from the alleyways and rooftops while pegasi swooped in from above. Blaze looked at the ponies that surrounded them, each wearing antiquated armor, bearing no semblance to any of his guards save for race and color in certain cases.

“Hold, we mean no harm, we come seeking refuge!” Blaze shouted, unlatching his sheath from his armor, letting it topple to the path below as he looked at the ponies around the group. “We are refugees, we are worn and tired and seek rest; we came bearing no ill intent.” He continued.

“If you come with no ill will, why do your stallions still have their weapons at the ready for a fight?” An elderly voice asked, soon paired with the frail figure of a light blue unicorn with a golden and white striped mane who wore a light cloak that billowed in the gentle breeze.

“They are merely doing so being as they are unsure if you bear any ill will towards us.” Blaze explained. “Many of the stallions who raise arms have their families in the crowd they surround. Surely you understand the feelings of a father towards his children and a son to his mother and a husband to his wife?”

“Indeed, but if you came here seeking refuge; why are you surprised when guards swarm you upon entering without hailing the guards, surely you understand our position?” The elderly pony replied. “At any rate, if you really are who you say you really are; then why come you so long after the last group of ponies that came to our gates?”

“Last group of ponies? You mean there were others?” Blaze asked, the whole thing being news to him. “We weren’t aware of any other ponies coming to this place, though I suppose the fact you are here would point to such a fact.”

“During the days of Discord’s reign, which by your appearance would herald his continued prosperity, many ponies came here, seeking refuge since Discord thought he had ended us after destroying the great mountain, allowing the winds to carry to cold to our doors.” The elderly stallion explained.

“Discord’s reign? Sir, Discord was removed millennia ago, and only rose to power for a day or two since.” Blaze stated, looking unsure at the elderly pony.

“You mean that none have even thought of coming to contact us even though we received so many who asked for help?” The pony asked; bewildered at what he was hearing.

“I’m sorry, but those who survived thought you had been overcome and were gone. We only came here because we thought that since it was so long gone that our enemy wouldn’t find us, giving us the time we needed to prepare.” Blaze responded.

“And what enemy may this be, if not Discord?” The pony asked, giving a questioning glare at the mass of ponies that were looking at the warriors around them.

“We are pursued by Greyhield, the dragon of old, and his armies.” Blaze replied. “They took Canterlot, the princess and several other important ponies.”

“So Greyhield has returned has he?” The pony said, pondering this for a few seconds. “You and your ponies may stay in our walls for as long as you wish, but I require your presence in my chambers, there are matters that still need to be discussed.”

“Of course, and if it pleases you, may my soldiers have access to your forge? We left our previous location with great haste, and I fear their armor and weapons may not be in the fairest of states at the moment.” Blaze asked.

“Of course, now if you will, please follow me. My ponies will escort yours to a safe location where they can rest and have their equipment repaired or remade if necessary.” The pony replied. Blaze nodded while using his magic to secure his sword to his side once again.

Blaze followed the elder into the grand chamber, the main hall in the words of Canterlot, or any other city or castle in Equestria besides this one. As they had walked, Blaze had told the stallion of the events that had led up to the exodus of the pony to the City of Unicorns.

“And so it appeared best for us to come here for safety, seeing as barely any pony remembered its existence, and we figure Greyhield would probably have a hard time remembering it as well.” Blaze finished the story as he massive steel braced, oaken door closed behind them, sending a low booming sound through the hall.

“It seems Greyhield’s years in banishment have served him for nothing better than to sharpen his wit and increase his wrath against us all.” The pony observed.

“That raises a question actually.” Blaze began. “How do you know Greyhield? I’m not entirely clear on his history. As far as I know, he first appeared around a thousand years ago.”

“That is as far off from the truth as you could probably get.” The elder replied, as he continued down the hall towards the pulpit at the opposite end of the room. “Come, I’ll show you the truth of the matter.” The pony stepped behind the wooden stand and opened the massive book that rested on its surface. 

“What is this?” Blaze asked as he watched page after page flip by, each filled with either lines of fancy writing or a painting of some pony or another.

“This is the great record,” the elder replied, “Being of such a proud history there is no reason to not record it, in fact, it’s almost illegal to not record something of importance. We’ll add your arrival soon enough, but for now.” The last page landed, revealing the drawing of a small group of ponies facing a gigantic dragon. “Greyhield first emerged during the time Queen Platinum reigned over these halls.”

“Queen Platinum? You mean she actually became a queen? The Heartwarming story almost makes it seem she stayed a princess for the rest of her life… though I suppose it was always a possibility since the story never really covered the events that came after the founding of Equestria.” Blaze though aloud. He looked at the pages before him, the drawing of the highest quality, and the page beside it detailing the events depicted in the picture. “Am I to take it that this is an account of Greyhield’s first appearance?”

“Indeed, Greyhield first appeared a few decades after Equestria was first founded.” The pony replied. “He ravaged town and cities, setting each to flame without mercy. He killed off any armed forces we sent at him until we sent the queen’s own son and a small force of elites. They ended it all with the prince banishing Greyhield to the stars. He then briefly reappeared before Discord began his reign. He set certain things in motion while he was still around, though we did not see it. When we saw he had returned, we didn’t even care if he wasn’t rampaging. The fact had been established that if he was trusted and left alone, it wouldn’t be to terribly long into the future before he destroyed town after town.”

“We can only guess he’s gearing up for that now, but on a much larger scale.” Blaze stated. “He’s in control of an entire army; he very well may take out all of Equestria.” The elderly pony nodded slowly while shutting the book.

“And you purpose to stop him with your own armed forces?” The pony asked, stepping down from the pulpit, Blaze descending behind him quickly. “It is a large task that only the greatest of ponies should be engaged in. Are you sure you are up to the task, young colt?” Blaze looked to the smooth, stone flooring with a sigh.

“In all honesty, I’m just the head trainer, and barely even that. I shouldn’t be in the lead at all.” Blaze replied. “I’m only taking up the mantle of leadership because the last captain was a friend of mine… and I feel I owe it to him. If I could, I’d pass the position to another, but none seem to want it, nor do any of those still alive really seem capable of leading us.” The elder seemed to think a long time on Blaze’s words as they continued out the all. Finally, the elder turned as they stood in front of the door.

“It has been said that the mark of a true leader isn’t absolute confidence in his own abilities, but faith in the capabilities of his comrades.” The elderly pony stated. “Sometimes it’s better to have a leader who isn’t sure of his worth as such. It will be a rough start, but more often than not, that type of leader grows with and into their army. Sometimes it’s better to be a part of the whole than the head of the heard.” The pony finished while pushing the door open. “Think it over, and decide whether you’ll maintain your position or give it to the first bidder. Don’t let others despise your youth.”

“Sir,” Blaze began, the pony turning to look at him, “The fact I am so young in comparison to those who have similar roles as mine is a major obstacle. I’m younger than at least four fifths of our army, if not more.”

“If I may say one thing, young colt,” The elder cut Blaze off, “In our culture, if a pony takes a position through adverse circumstances and shows their capabilities even though their age be a good measure less than the common pony to enter such position, we say they were a heaven sent and take it as a sign that their rule was meant to be a long one since they began so early. Just because an elder finds it annoying that a young one knows more than they do doesn’t mean the young pony should forfeit their strength for the convenience of those around him. In fact, if they truly are thinking of the benefit of the many, they really should let their talent shine so that all may reap the good that comes from it.”

“Sir…” Blaze began feebly.

“You may not be fully tempered, you may not have your potential fully realized, but you are starting to show t hat you are more than the average pony at you age.” The elder continued.

“That’s only because I read books on the military and trained under somepony capable, I’m nothing special.” Blaze interjected. The elder smirked and shook his head.

“You mustn’t simply say you aren’t special because you’ve had failures in the past. Everypony has suffered losses.” The elder replied. “Some ponies are born into greatness, others have it given to them, and others work hard to achieve it, yet none of these are less than the others if the pony doesn’t let the power get to their head. The fact that you deny yourself greatness is not bad, but it certainly isn’t good. Your stallions depend on you, even those who wish you taken from your position. Even if they don’t realize it yet, they depend on you because of your skill, no matter how much they deny it.” Blaze lifted a hoof and opened his mouth for a reply, but none came. His hoof slowly lower back to the ground as the elder walked on.

“Sir,” Blaze began; the elder looking back at him, “What’s your name?” Blaze asked after running out of other options of discussion.

“I am Iron Resolve, son of Valid Grandeur. What is your name?” Resolve replied.

“My name is Blaze Eternal, son of Flame Eternal.” He replied, the elderly pony’s eye lighting up with some form of recognition. Resolve gave a nod and a smile.

“Blaze Eternal, I feel even your name says you shall accomplish great things.” Resolve stated. “Don’t let any tell you that you aren’t worthy to lead this army, for I believe, and I shall be blunt, that you are the only pony so suited and so able to take on such a challenge.” Resolve finished before walking off, out of sight.

Blaze thought about what he had said, standing still for several minutes, unsure what to make of it all. Finally, he began making his way to the other ponies, ensuring his friends were alright being the foremost thing on his mind.

> Chapter 20: Stalliongrad
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Glenn sat on the top of a hill, a telescope held up to his eye as he scanned the city below. It had no walls; the buildings were medium height and had a certain amount of distance between the other, the whole pattern of the city mapped around a large Elder Oak tree, which, by what Glenn had gathered, was the first piece of vegetation the colonist ponies planted in Equestria. Snow peeked mountains with sparse trees across their surfaces rose high above the city on the north and east side, and a river cut across the city from the east, the tiny streams unblocked as they flowed under small, stone archways that crisscrossed the center of the metropolis while they simply marked boundaries in the out skirting farm. Each element of the city rang out the earth pony way, with their ever present desire to carve a home from nature, but not rout nature from their homes as trees grew along every street, and almost every house had at least a small garden.

“General Glenn, the troops are ready to attack on your order.” One of Glenn’s Colonels stated as he approached his general, his scales glowing dimly in the moon’s glow. “What is the plan? The Usual silent take over?”

“Yes, that is our best bet. Tell the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth to come from the east, while the seventh, eighth and ninth move in from the south and the first heads in from the north. The second will move in to the east after the first building is destroyed or they are summoned.” Glenn ordered while stowing his scope into his bag. The reptilous nodded and charged off to give the orders out. Glenn reached into his pouch and pulled out a piece of dark, polished metal. He tapped on its surface twice, and the dark piece of metal’s surface waved like a pond that had a stone thrown in it. Greyhield slowly came into view, looking directly at him.

“What do you have to report General Glenn?” Greyhield asked. Glenn turned the piece of metal towards the city, only visible by the lanterns and candles lit in various windows, as well as several unicorn guards patrolling its streets with illumination spells.

“The city is barely prepared, I suspect it will go down quite easily, but if it doesn’t we have Gylom at the ready.” Glenn stated. “Stalliongrad will be yours by the morrow.” Greyhield gave a grunt of approval before the metal faded back to black, the connection ended. Glenn slipped it back into his pouch before heading down the hill towards the outskirts of the town, ready to enter with the rest of his troops.

“Glenn,” Gylom’s voice sounded out to his side, but Glenn didn’t turn to the bulky general, “My troops are ready to go into position, where are we going?” Glenn looked over at the lumbering general as he walked up beside him.

“Hopefully nowhere,” Glenn replied bluntly, “If all goes well, your troops will do nothing,” Gylom sighed loudly, “But position three quarters of your troops on the west side of the city, and the rest of them on the south in case the attack doesn’t go as planned.”

“Why so many troops on the west side, is that the weakest spot on their line?” Gylom asked as he slid his helmet on.

“No, quite the opposite,” Glenn replied, “That’s where the majority of their military buildings are. We need more troops on that side since there are more targets of high importance there.” Gylom nodded in satisfaction and walked off towards the large assembly of his troops, leaving Gylom in silence once again.





“Sir,” a pony shouted as he entered the mayor’s office in a bustle, “Scouts have confirmed, the reptilous troops are mobilizing, and their troop concentration seems to be in the west as anticipated.” The mayor looked at his counselors with a nod.

“The fifteenth, twenty-second, thirty-first, fifty-second and sixty-fifth Infantry Divisions as well as the sixth, forty-fifth and sixty-seventh Archer Divisions and the thirty-second, forty-third, eighty-ninth, and ninety-seventh Spell Casters will meet them there.” The Lieutenant stated with a firm nod, looking at the map of the area that was spread across the table, filled with red and blue pieces.

“Sir, we have all the troops in position, but there has been a slight over sight that I can see.” A sergeant stated, stepping up to the table with a somber expression. 

“And what might that be?” The Lieutenant asked as he looked over the board, checking the position of each red and blue piece along with key buildings and positions they had set as points of high resistance.

“We have given all divisions their positions, but we’ve made one miscalculation.” The sergeant replied, pointing to one part of the city. “We have twenty cannons with enough ammunition to fire continuously for twenty minutes, but…” The pony paused for a few seconds, taking a breath in, “There is no division left to operate them. They are left completely open, and if we move any of the divisions to fill in it would only make another hole somewhere else. The first through thirty-second civilian reserve divisions are already posted as well.” The ponies in the room fell silent.

“As much as it might pain me to say this,” The mayor began, “The thirty-third civilian reserves will have to fill in that gap; there is no other way.” The stallion ordered, his head lowered at the shame of suggesting such a thing.

“B-but, Sir, Those ponies are nowhere near battle ready!” The Lieutenant exclaimed in an exasperated tone. “They are a medical unit, barely trained to hold their ground until a real fighting unit is in place, not to mention that they are…!”

“Were they not trained to fill any capacity that might be left if another body of soldiers fell as I requested?” The mayor asked plainly, cutting the pony’s rant where it stood.

“Y-yes sir, but they are hardly suitable to be our first line against these beasts! Canterlot has fallen, even when they had the main body of the Royal and Equestrian guards within their walls.” The Lieutenant shouted.

“Lieutenant, we agreed when setting this plan that the cannons would be extremely necessary to delay their advance and thin out their numbers before they entered the city.” The mayor stated. “With every battle a sacrifice has to be made and a venture into territory we’d rather leave unexplored. Deploying the thirty-third to operate the cannons is a part of that place we’d rather not go, but must if Stalliongrad is to stand a chance against the reptilous.” The Lieutenant hung his head.

“Sir, I’ll give the order.” The sergeant said with a nod. The mayor nodded, and the pony galloped off to inform the ponies of the thirty-third of their new capacity in the battlefield.

“Sir,” The Lieutenant began, as the last of the ponies filtered out of the room, leaving him and the mayor, “If I may, how exactly do we explain this to their families if and when the times come?” The mayor lowered his head in thought.

“We don’t. Theirs is no right way to go about it,” The mayor confided, “The eventuality that they will die is high, seeing as they are the first line, which will receive no assistance; no matter how dire the situation is.” The Lieutenant sighed; knowing full well what the mayor said was true.

“Let’s hope we win, for their sakes, and for the sacrifices that will doubtlessly be made in the name of serving Equestria.” The Lieutenant replied as he left the room, leaving the mayor with the battle plan.





Glenn crept through the shadows, the trees that stood around the city providing excellent protection from visibility as their dense grouping and all covering shadows made the frolicking of a deer indistinguishable from a reptilous dashing from one tree to another as the group moved closer and closer to the edge. Glenn peered into the open field before them, barely visible between the trunks of the trees. All that lay between them and the unaware city of Stalliongrad was a field and a line of bushes that were already losing their leaves as the chill of the coming winter gripped the evening air with a grip as cold as death, though no snow fell.

Glenn broke the tree line, along with a dozen or so other reptilous. They quickly began to dash across the field, only the sound of the crunching of frosted grass under their stride and the occasional cling of metal against their scales gave any sign they were even there. Suddenly, the bushes were thrown away in various magical auras, and a unanimous sound broke the evening silence, as if all the thunder in the world crashed down on the battle field, as cannons lit the sky with their blasts and deafened the reptilous as their echoing booms filled the fields. Glenn quickly dove into a small ravine, left by a river that no longer flowed through its original path.

Glenn watched as several of his finest were mowed down by the pellets that cracked through the air, piercing scale and armor like softened butter. Glenn took out his bow, laying it beside him in the hole as he took and arrow, wrapped in an oil-soaked rag, and lit said arrow on fire before shouting it off into the evening sky, which was joined by several other arrows of the same nature. Glenn stowed his bow, and huddled up against the bank as the seconds ticked by, and the retorts of cannon fire refused to end as reptilouses attempted to run faster than the fuse of their grim reaper’s device.

Glenn looked over at the heavy thud of Gylom dropping into the ditch shoulder first, his armor bearing several dents, though it still hadn’t given way. Glenn nodded before taking a quick glance over the rim of the river, several iron orbs zipping by him as he retreated from the grapeshot.

“The cannons are holding us back fairly effectively.” Glenn commented. “I need you to tell you troops to form a line; my troops will use you as cover.” Glen ordered. Gylom sighed, then nodded as he stood up and exited the protective river bank while giving a roar, at which his soldier rallied in the correct formation. Gylom drew another arrow and lit it, this time the fire burning green as it shot up into the air, the reptilous quickly executing the order as they fell in behind the heavily armored troops.

The cannons continued roaring, sending grape shot and huge balls of iron slamming into the reptilous line. Gylom stumbled back a step as a mass of grape shot slammed into his chest plate, denting it heavily. A reptilous near Gylom was thrown violently backwards as a cannon ball slammed into him, crushing him in his own armor. Gylom moved on, another volley slamming into him without piercing, though the dents were becoming deeper and wider as more rounds struck near one another.





Glenn slipped by the armored line and rushed up between two cannons, quickly fixing the position of three of one of the cannon’s operators and sent knives straight into their heads, ending them on impact. Glenn quickly turned and ended another pony with a stroke of his sword and another as his claws sliced through the pony’s neck. Glenn threw the pony down to the ground, blood pooling around the dead pony as something caught Glenn’s eye. The pony’s muzzle was rounded, instead of being boxy as a stallion’s typical muzzle, and then it dawned on Glenn. The ponies that had been holding them off were all mares. Mares had killed the majority of his soldiers. 

Glenn released his grappling blade from his gauntlet, catching it in his claws as the excess chain drooped a tad before he turned and threw it into the nearest pony before yanking the blade back out and shoving it down the throat of the mare that decided it would be a good idea to charge the reptilous without even trying to hide her approach. Glenn ripped the blade out of the pony, blood spewing out across his scales.





Gylom grabbed one of the cannons and whipped it around before lighting the fuse, letting it fire off randomly into the city, causing one of the larger buildings to crumble with a large rumble. Gylom planted his lance in one of the ponies that had a bit more tenacity than the others, the crunch of the bones under his lance bringing a grin to his face.

Gylom kicked down the door of the nearest building, only to have a flurry of arrows and magic bolts smash into his already weakening armor. Gylom ripped the door off of its hinges and threw it into the room, several cries ringing out as it smashed several ponies against the far wall.

Gylom threw his lance, impaling a pony to the wall as he drew his sword and ended another pony with a single blow. Gylom stepped to the side, directly into a wall, as another bolt of magic soared past. Gylom gripped his lance and ripped it out of the wall, the pony that it had been going through hitting the ground with a soppy, meaty thud as Gylom’s lance found its way through another pony, lodging itself in the ground, straight through the pony’s neck. Gylom slashed at the last pony, but this one had the good sense to jump backwards, but its grand escape was only for a moment as Gylom grabbed a rather sizeable chunk of wood that had been severed from door and jammed it down the pony’s throat, effectively ending the stallion’s short life.





Glenn twirled his grappling dagger, letting more and more chain out as he increased the speed at which he spun it as he observed the building around him from the roof of his building. A window opened, revealing a unicorn guard, its horn a glow as it prepared a spell. Glenn launched his dagger out, the blade slamming into the pony’s skull through one of its eye before being yanked out and thrown back, lodging itself in the window sill bellow the now limp pony’s head. Glenn entered the window after a quick climb up the wall, letting out a sigh as he removed his blade from the window and threw the pony out of the window.

Suddenly, the sound of a magic spell being casted caught Glenn’s attention, only to have a blast of magic slam into his back, sending him out of the window, only giving him an instant to slam his blade into the wall of the building as he tumbled downward, quickly activating the locking mechanism, his arm feeling the strain as the chain reached the maximum length. Glenn looked up at the window, the guard already lifting his sword to break the chain. Glenn threw a dagger, the blade slicing through the pony’s jaw, the limp form quickly tumbling out of the window and down into the streets. Gylom quickly began scaling the wall, slipping back into the window before throwing his blade into a higher building as he continued towards the interior of the city with the method of least resistance possible.





The mayor watched as the four guard slid a thick wooden shield in front of the front door, driving large wooden stakes through it, fastening it to the wall like the boards over the windows and platform that was situated under the dome. The Lieutenant walked up beside the mayor as the guards stepped away from their work and began to arrange desks and chairs in a slightly more defensive formation.

“Last report we received indicated reptilous’ entered the inner district in small numbers, completely avoiding our defenses.” The military pony stated. “The main body of their forces is still in the center district, quite detained by the civilian divisions and the remnants of the sixty-fifth.” The mayor nodded.

“I hope they have the courtesy to take us as well.” The stallion stated as he removed the proud metal that hung around his neck with a hoof, the golden star gleaming back at him as it had done since the day the princess had given it to him. “I haven’t been worthy of this medal for a long time.” He placed it in a draw of his desk before shutting it and locking it with a small bronze key. Suddenly there was a sound of breaking glass, and the wooden planks on one window bulged inwards for an instant, a cloud of dust spewing out as it returned to its previous shape.

“They’re here, sir.” The Lieutenant stated the obvious. “Guard, get ready for our last stand; make me proud.” He said to the four guards in the room. As the pony looked back towards the window, when a green flash caught his attention, making his whip his head back towards the guards to find two of the guards turned into changelings, with their swords already planted in the backs of the two real guards. The Lieutenant drew his sword and cut down one of the changelings before the other bolted straight up to him and sliced the guard’s neck, blood splattering across the black carapace armor of the changeling. The mayor quickly picked up the letter opener from his desk between his teeth, imitating the changeling’s attack on its throat.

The mayor let go of his weapon, letting the changeling drop to floor, grasping the green fluid that gushed from the wound on its throat with desperate hooves. The old stallion sat down beside the dying pony that had saved his life, tears beginning to slip down his cheeks. The Lieutenant smiled at the mayor, blood still spilling from his deep wound. He opened his mouth to speak, but only a gurgling noise came out as blood pumped out all the more furiously from the slash.

“Th-thank you, Lieutenant Gallant Heart, for your service, and unwavering loyalty in the defense of Stalliongrad,” The mayor stated, ear flowing freely, “May death be kind, and may you receive your due reward for your sacrifice.” Gallant smiled, putting a bloodied hoof on the mayor’s chest while mouthing out the word ‘medal’. “Y-you want my medal? Of course, you deserve it and a hundred others.” The mayor went to open the draw, fitting the key into the lock, only to have the hoof place on his shoulder. He looked back, and saw Gallant pointing at him. The mayor cocked his head to the side as Gallant reinforced the motion, pointing at the mayor with more force. “F-for… me?” Gallant nodded. “I-I don’t deserve a medal.” Gallant smirked as he closed his eyes for the last time.

The wood over the window broke open as a reptilous landed in the office, blade brandished, ready for the kill as it fixed its eyes on the mayor. The mayor swallowed, putting a confident smile on as he turned the small key in the lock on the draw where his medal still laid. The reptilous straightened as the mayor lowered his hoof, taking a step towards the unwavering mayor. The reptilian warrior looked around the room, seeing the dead bodies of ponies and changelings and the unharmed stallion who stood seemingly unfazed in the middle of it all.

“You are the leader of this settlement, are you not?” The reptilous asked. The mayor didn’t reply immediately as he eyed the reptilous carefully, sizing up the draconic beast carefully, judging his chances of victory against this obviously well trained fighter. “Answer me, are you the leader.”

“Yes,” The pony replied, “I am the acting mayor of Stalliongrad, Stalwart Vision.” The mayor finished. The reptilous pointed its blade’s tip at Stalwart.

“Surrender now and your life may be spared.” The reptilous ordered. Stalwart gave the reptilous one last look over.

“You’ve killed many ponies during the course of this battle, ponies that were under my leadership and protection.” Stalwart stated. “I believe you are probably familiar with the phrase ’the captain always goes down with the ship’.” Stalwart said.

“I see no relevance to boats and your surrender.” The reptilous retorted curtly, only to have Stalwart dive for the changelings blade, roll on landing as he gripped it between his teeth before slashing out at the reptilous, who jumped up and landed square on the blade, ripping it out of Stalwart’s grip before swiftly slamming its other foot down on Stalwart left hind leg, causing it to go the opposite direction it was supposed to, popping the metacarpal from the tarsus, earning a roar of pain from the old stallion. The reptilous lifted the stallion by the mane, looking him straight in the eye. The reptilous brandished his claws and ran them along the pony’s side, leaving red tendril that began bleeding more and more as time passed. The stallion bit his lip as pain cracked across his die, giving the reptilous a grin. “You ponies have such a low pain tolerance.”

“I-I may not… be able to hide pain,” Stalwart said through gritted teeth, “But we can certainly take more you beast.” The reptilous dead panned, grabbing Stalwart’s right foreleg and pushed it forward, disjointing the ulna and radius from the metacarpal gaining yet another howl of pain.

“I have my doubts, but let’s just see if you can put your legs back in joint and still have the presence of mind to fight me competently.” The reptilous stated before hurling Stalwart across the room. Another wave of pain seared through Stalwart as he slammed into the wall and then onto the floor. Stalwart looked up at the reptilous, his vision already blurring. Stalwart rose to his two good hooves, slamming his bad foreleg against the floor, popping joint back into place, causing a bolt of pain to flare up his leg, and then he began walking forward, paying no heed to his hind leg that still hung limply. The reptilous surged forward, pinning Stalwart to the wall, dislocating his last hind leg in the same motion, giving Stalwart yet another taste of pain that had become his good companion.

“Why don’t you… just kill me?” Stalwart asked, looking at the sword on the floor beside the reptilous’ foot. The beast warrior simply grabbed the blade with its foot, swinging it up before letting it go, sending it on an arc above its right shoulder. The reptilous caught the blade and twirled it around, pointing he tip of the blade at the pony’s throat.

“You’d like that wouldn’t you? To have it all ended in a swift motion. In your position I suppose you’d even have in slow, as low as it still ended you. Unfortunately,” The reptilous continued, slamming the blade into the wall beside Stalwart’s head, “You won’t get it like that.” The reptilous proceeded to break Stalwart’s remaining limbs, earning a pain filled yell each time, Stalwart reduced to a mess of tears by the time the reptilous was finished. The reptilous threw him to the other side of the room, sending him straight through the wooden plank and locked door. The reptilous broke down the rest of the door, walking it to find the old mayor attempting to put at least one leg back into joint. “It’s almost entertaining to watch you struggle with four disjointed legs.”

“Why don’t I give you taste of how fun it… is for the performer. Trust me, it’s… absolutely wonderful.” Stalwart retorted before finding his weight being thrown out the window, straight into a cart, whose door was slammed close behind the flying earth pony. Glenn climbed through the window, giving the signaling to the leader of the cart, who nodded and hauled the cart away. Glenn looked up to the dome of the building, watching as the Equestrian flag and Stalliongrad flag were torn down and set on fire as they were thrown from the building, a new flag taking their place. Glenn nodded as Greyhield’s dark banner rose above the city’s capital.

“The city is under our control.” Gylom said as he walked up beside Glenn. “I’m surprised they lasted this long.” Glenn nodded, looking to the second setting sun he had seen since the battle began. The ponies had done everything they could to prevent their defeat, and it had been effective in slowing them down, but it had failed stopping them. Glenn took out his piece of metal, tapping on it as he had two nights previous. The surface shimmered and revealed Greyhield’s face as it usually did.

“General Glenn, it has been some time since your last report.” Greyhield stated, his tone unchanging, not revealing any emotion the dragon might have.

“The last bits of resistance have been stomped out, Stalliongrad offers no more hassle.” Glenn reported, his voice mirroring Greyhield’s.

“Two days? Glenn, I expected better from my seasoned assassin. It appears that my choice to acquire new blood was as wise as I had thought.” Greyhield stated. “Leave a small occupying force and return, there’s a new recruit I wish you to meet.” Glenn nodded, and the metal shimmered again, Greyhield’s face disappearing with the last of the ripples.

“I’ll rally my troops and get ready to leave. I’ll post those staying in their places.” Gylom said, turning to leave, only to have Glenn place his hand on his shoulder.

“No, tell your two strongest soldiers to report to the central courtyard of the capital, there is one victory we need to claim before leaving.” Glenn stated.

“Are you telling me that you are going to disobey Greyhield and stay?” Gylom asked, surprised by his compatriot. Glenn shook his head as he walked towards the white building that sat in the center of the town, wrapped around the most important thing in Stalliongrad for moral and a sense of strength.

“We need to claim this last victory. It will break the spirits of these pathetic ponies and will only take a matter of minutes.” Glenn replied as he entered through the broken window as Gylom walked off.





Glenn watched and listened as the gigantic Elder Oak fell to the reptilouses axes with a loud groan. Several madrahciah walked up and pealed the bark off and cut into the hardened wood of the tree, removing several large chunks before allowing the reptilous to pour oil up and down the gaping hole in the tree before the eyes of the line of ponies that stood chain before lighting it on fire with a flint and steel, a dark cloud of smoke crackling with magical energy soaring up as the fire ate at the first plant on Equestrian soil to the chagrin and tears of the ponies looking on. Glen walked up to the blaze and spat on the burning tree, the liquid quickly evaporating and joining the cloud of smoke that rose.       

   

> Chapter 21: Doubts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  “The final reports state that the Great Tree was chopped down just before the reptilous moved on. An estimated force of a thousand and a half reptilous was left behind, while an incalculable number left towards Greyhield’s mountain.” The messenger finished the report, closing the scroll with her magic.

“Do we have any ideas where they might strike next?” Blaze asked, taking a glance at the two cities that were already taken, no pattern yet evident, though he was sure one would arise.

“No sir, they are not bound for any city unless Greyhield’s mountain counts as a city.” The messenger replied. Blaze nodded, turning back to the messenger.

“Thank you for the report, you’re dismissed.” Blaze stated, already thinking up a storm as he inspected the map, looking over every detail of the battle; the magically projected pieces moving with a clock displaying the day and time as a representation of the reptilous force’s movements through the city as a compiled amassing of all the report fitted together as one slightly cohesive whole.

“Well, I doubt we have any doubt what our next move should be.” One of the lieutenants stated. Blaze looked up at the pony with a curious look, not sure what to make of the pony. “We need to mobilize and retake Stalliongrad; we can’t let Greyhield keep it under his might.” A collective murmur of agreement rolled over the ponies, to Blaze’s horror.

“No, we can’t attack them!” Blaze shouted, standing up suddenly, sending his cushion flying backwards into the wall. “Can’t you see? The tactics of the ponies at Stalliongrad were top notch, using choke points and defensive positions, but none of them held in the end. If we attack we’ll be just sending ponies to their deaths!”

“You mean like you advised when we attacked Canterlot?” Another pony asked. “Look, you’re the head trainer, and that’s it. We’re stepping up now, kid, so you can just mind the training of the ponies while you let the stallions with experience do their jobs.” Many of the ponies nodded in agreement.

“That was a different set of circumstances! They were meant as a tactical force to redirect the enemy’s attention, they were never meant to retake Canterlot!” Blaze stated. “We can’t send any pony to Stalliongrad unless they are strictly espionage.”

“Kid, you’re out voted and out classed. Why should we even listen to you? Ever since you joined the force we’ve done nothing but lose.” One of the stallions pointed out.

“Because if you send any ponies to fight at Stalliongrad I will assure you that they will die!” Blaze shouted, silencing the room. “If you send the best of our best to fight out there, they will die, if you send all the forces of Equestria, they will die! You blame me for causing us to lose, but the only reason my arrival even coincides with a streak of loses is because we’ve been up against an unbeatable enemy.”

“You certainly talk big, but you’ve yet to act big.” Another stallion stated. “If you really want to be a leader, than prove that you are worth leading us, if not, step aside and let ponies who have been in the army a lot longer than you take up the roll you want to fill.”

“Tell me how to prove myself then!” Blaze retorted. “I am more than willing to prove my metal against any of you, just tell me how and I will!” The ponies looked at each other, looking rather surprised the colt had actually been more than willing to prove himself.

“If you can best me in a contest of arms, then you will be our leader, but if you lose, the task will fall to us and you can go back to getting our troops back into shape, if you are still up for it that is.” A unicorn stallion Blaze recognized slightly stated.  

“What is your name?” Blaze asked, thinking back to when he might have met him.

“I’m Royal Guard Lieutenant Stone Wall of the Fifty-seventh Infantry Division, sir.” The stallion replied. “I’ve been in the guard for fifteen years, and try as you might; I have my doubts about your victory.”

“For the sake of all Equestria I better win, or else you’ll throw away our army in the first month. Greyhield’s forces are on a different level than us, we still have a long way to train before we are truly ready.” Blaze replied.

“I understand you’re concerned about the troops, and that’s good, but stopping us from liberating an entire city isn’t something you should be trying.” Stone Wall stated. Blaze starred Stone Wall down, unflinching as he sized up his opponent.



Blaze stood across from Stone Wall, The massive room their arena as ponies looked on at the contest that would decide their direction. Blaze drew his sword in a silver sheath of magic, the metal hissing as it inched out of the scabbard; his motions imitated by Stone Wall. The armor on Blaze’s back felt light, the cloth suit and chain mail no longer present. This was no training exercise, both ponies wearing real armor and using real weapons.

“The combatants may now present arms and begin the duel upon their election.” Iron Resolve shouted from a raised platform at the edge of the arena. Blaze levitated his blade forward, touching the steel of his weapon to Stone Wall’s blade. Blaze quickly drew his sword back while lifting his shield and entering a lower battle stance as he watch Stone Wall.

Stone Wall quickly charged forward, swinging his sword up towards Blaze, who quickly stopped it with his shield, only to have Stone Wall slam his shield into Blaze’s face to the cheers of the crowd. Blaze shot a bolt of fire out at Stone Wall, but the stallion jumped to the side as the bolt of flame slammed into the ground, dissipating quickly. Stone Wall charged up to Blaze, his sword sailing beside him as he closed the distance. Blaze shot the blade with a quick fire bolts, knocking it slightly off balance as Blaze brought his sword down on Stone Wall, who quickly raised his shield and entered a slide straight towards him. Blaze jumped over Stone Wall, rolling as he hit the floor, twisting around quickly to face him opponent, who had already gotten back up.

Stone Wall shot a beam of magic straight out at Blaze, who roller to the side, sending a bolt of fire at the stallion as he returned to his hooves and charged Stone Wall. Stone Wall blocked the fire with his shield before sending yet another magical bolt at the charging Blaze, who lifted his shield, easily taking hit. Blaze slashed out, but found the area he struck at empty. Suddenly, a massive weight landed on Blaze accompanied by the sound of a finished teleportation.

Blaze bucked struggled under the stallion’s weight for a few seconds before finally going limp. Stone Wall simply stood on Blaze, showing know emotions, until a flash of magic blinded him as Blaze teleported away. Stone Wall landed clumsily on the floor, quickly searching the room for the young stallion, until he finally looked up and saw the pony standing on the chandelier high above the arena with a multitude of fire orbs floating in the air.

The fire began raining down on Stone Wall, who did all he could to avoid being struck, by moving around and using his shield and sword to knock away any bolts, but a few did hit their mark. Stone Wall whipped around after one struck him in the hind leg, and after quickly taking aim, sent a magical javelin towards Blaze, which shattered on Blaze’s shield. Blaze jumped off the chandelier, quickly teleporting before falling too far, ending the transition a few centimeters above the floor.

Stone Wall shot several more javelins at Blaze as the young stallion charged. As he galloped, one of the javelins struck his right foreleg, cutting a bit deeper than what Blaze liked, causing him to stumble a bit, and enter a roll as a flurry of more javelins slammed against his shield, leaving bent after bent that began showing on the side that faced Blaze.

Blaze built up the magical energy to put a shield up, but he became more and more conscious of the pounding pain in the back of his head as the shield gave more and more of the force to his magic. Blaze felt a javelin pierce his shield, reacting quickly, he brought up a small magical shield that blocked the projectile, only to have a dozen others punch through the metal around the newly made hole, necessitating him to build up the size of the shield as Stone Wall continued making and sending more javelins at him.

Blaze shot a bolt of fire at Stone Wall, watching as the stallion shifted his shield around to block it. The temptation was becoming bigger and bigger to Rage Shift, but Blaze was unsure he could control it, but not only that, but he wanted to stay true to the rules of a swordspony, even if it cost him so much pain.

Stone Wall let up the javelins, and sent his sword at full force towards Blaze’s shield, but Blaze saw the error of this attack, and quickly wrapped his own magic around the blade and tore it from Stone Wall’s magical grip. Dropping both his magical and physical shield, Blaze began slamming his duel blades against Stone Wall’s shield, setting a false president he planned on using fully. Suddenly a sharp pain seared across his side as a javelin sliced by his side, causing him to falter slightly. Stone Wall quickly absconded with one of Blaze’s sword, and would have taken the other if Blaze hadn’t strengthened his grip at the last second. Blaze quickly swung his blade around Stone Wall’s shield, striking the seasoned stallion in the side before quickly moving it back and pointing it at his throat along with three fire bolts that appeared around the stallion.

“Yield…” Blaze began, only to have the stallion jump back, sending javelins through each of the fire bolts while moving his shield between the blade and his neck. Blaze charged the stallion, his sword zipping through the air beside him as he closed the distance. Stone Wall took up a defensive stance, only to watch as Blaze disappeared in a blast of light. 

Stone Wall blinked quickly, adjusting his eyes to the light, seeing only Blaze’s blade in front of him, the hilt still wrapped in a silver glow as it flew straight at him. Stone Wall put up his shield looking around, trying to find the sword’s owner, only to feel a blast of pain from his back as Blaze bucked him soundly on the hind quarters, sending him forward into his shield, knocking it out of his grip while his sword clattered to the ground before Blaze quickly scooped it up. Stone Wall slid onto his magic, readying his magic for a spell until Blaze planted his hoof on the stallion’s forehead at the base of his horn, causing the aura to vanish and a blaring headache to appear. Stone Wall opened his eye, seeing the room filled with fire balls while a blade pointed towards his neck while the other floated at the ready.

“Yield...” Blaze stated again, only to have the stallion teleport once more, appearing a few meters away, looking quite dizzy as the blow Blaze dealt caused his magic to misfire slightly. At that moment, the entire horde of fire balls surrounded him, as well as one of the blades. Stone Wall flared his magic once more, sending a javelin at Blaze, who brought up a shield and deflected it with ease. “I said,” Blaze began again, a fire bolt slamming into Stone Wall’s side to emphasize his words, “Yield, Stone Wall.” Stone Wall gritted his teeth, not wanting to yield. The stallion charged the wall of fire, feeling the bolts slam behind him slam into his back as he did.

Just as Stone Wall thought he was free of the fire bolts, another, larger one, slammed him in the jaw in an uppercut, sending his into the air slightly with his helmet floating off his head before clattering to the ground. Stone Wall got back to his hooves once more, his legs shaking as he did so. The stallion spat out a few drops of blood onto the floor.

“Alright, I yield. You’ve proven yourself capable enough to handle yourself, so I trust you to be able to handle our troops properly.” Stone Wall admitted. “But if you give us reason to doubt you, you can expect me to be the first to oppose you.” Blaze nodded, several ponies cheering in response, only to have five of the lieutenants come out to the field, barring weapons.

“We will not stand for a colt to lead the Equestrian army.” One of them stated as his comrades spread out around him. “If you want to lead us, you must beat us all in a melee.”

“Stop,” Stone Wall ordered, “It’s over.” The lieutenants looked over at their fellow, Blaze still tense as he expected to have to fight each one of these ponies.

“We will not stand by while Equestria’s fighting force is taken over by a colt!” The leader of the group shouted at Stone Wall. “We cannot and will not let it stand. If he really wants to lead all of the army, let him beat us all and earn our respect instead of assuming it.”

“He should already have it.” A pony stated, emerging from the crowd. “Even before fighting Stone Wall, you should’ve respected this young stallion for his accomplishments.” The pony continued.

“You’re speaking out of line soldier, get back with the other troops and hold your tongue.” One of the lieutenants stated curtly.

“I’m sorry, sirs, but I think you really should know something about Blaze Eternal before you try anything you might later regret.” The pony replied. Blaze began to get the feeling he knew this pony, but he couldn’t place it exactly.

“Who are you to speak so boldly to us, soldier?” Another lieutenant asked harshly, turning to the pony. To Blaze’s surprise, the pony didn’t falter at the lieutenant’s booming voice and angered look.

“Royal Guard Sergeant Palisade,” The pony replied, “Captain Bronze Buckler was my brother.” At this declaration, the lieutenants seemed to loosen slightly, as if the name of their former captain was enough to sedate them. “You might not know the story, but to become the head trainer, Blaze fought and bested my brother. Not only that, but he successfully led the evacuation of Canterlot. Or did you not recognize his voice when he shouted the order?” The lieutenants looked at each other, as if this was completely new to them.

“By what I’ve heard,” Iron Resolve began as he entered the arena as well, “You are all most fortunate that Blaze took over the training of your troops, and I believe that in time, if you let him, you will find him an asset in planning battles.” Resolve walked up towards the lieutenants, looking them up and down. “When did you last lead a charge, or when did you best your stallions during training, showing them that they can go farther without having to be asked first?” The ponies looked at each other. “By what I’ve heard, that is something Blaze does quite regularly, and all you can say or do in thanks is question his abilities and attempt to expel him from your ranks.”

“You don’t understand; he’s only a colt.” One of the lieutenants defended weakly. “He’s barely half the age of the youngest of us. How could he possibly lead any of us?”

“How has he done it thus far?” Resolve countered, silencing the lieutenant. “You all seem to be missing the point that is obvious to most every other pony here.” Resolve continued. “Blaze is your best bet at victory. He knows how to push your soldiers in such a way that he is not making them work harder than he, and he knows how to make a battle plan better than most, if not all, of you.”

“Blaze was my brother friend,” Palisade interjected, “Bronze believed that if he was given a chance, Blaze could show himself to be a great leader. I only ask this, why haven’t we given Blaze the time to take that chance? So far, his plans have always gotten us to the point he wanted, and that without fail. We didn’t lose at Canterlot; we arrived and did what we came for, and left. Greyhield might still stand, but that is not Blaze’s fault. Greyhield is stronger than we thought, but I believe if we let Blaze guide us, we can become more than a match for him in time.”

“Besides, even if you don’t want to listen to what these two are saying,” Stone Wall said, walking up beside Blaze, “I agreed to fight against Blaze, with the prize being that he could lead us if he won, which he did. So if anything let him lead us for the mere fact we agreed to let him if he beat me.” The lieutenants looked at each other, until finally, the leader of the group sighed in defeat.

“Fine, we’ll let you lead us… but if you so much as make us feel slightly like you’re doing a poor job, we will not hesitate to send you packing.” The stallion stated. Blaze looked at the crowd of ponies around them, who seemed split about the decision. While some cheered, becoming the louder of the two, another part murmured while casting Blaze and the other ponies on the field uncertain glances.

“Blaze,” Resolve said, pulling Blaze out of his thoughts, “Consider this the wars first victory on the side of Equestria.” He stated with a small smile.

“I can only do that if it proves to have been the correct choice later on.” Blaze replied. Resolve shook his head.

“You doubt yourself too much, Blaze.” Resolve muttered. “I only ask this in return for helping you today.” The elder continued. Blaze’s ears perked up, not entirely expecting the elder to ask for something in return for helping him. “Win this war, defeat Greyhield, and let our city of Unicornia return to the nation of Equestria stronger than ever.” Blaze nodded with a satisfied smile.

“I will, and you can hold me to that.” Blaze replied.         

> Chapter 22: Betrayal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Heavy footsteps echoed through the hall, the shuffling clicks as a soldier adjusted his stance in his heavy armor with the occasional cough or sigh being the only sign of anything truly alive inside the darkened halls as the lone figure took yet another turn in the endless maze of prison cells. The light sounds of something singing caught to creature’s ear, mostly because he recognized the voice. He almost went over towards where he heard it, but he decided that it would be better not to. The voice continued, fading as he continued walking, hitting the high notes with ease and easing over the lower ones. The voice was too far to make out words, but he knew the tune by heart, the words echoing in his mind as the voice faded into obscurity.

The dragon walked up a flight of stairs, his visit canceled for the day, just as it had been for the last several days. He made his way to the gigantic double doors, the two heavily armored guards saluting as he approached. He nodded in return.

“Spike, his lordship Greyhield has been expecting you.” One of them stated, stepping towards the set of smaller doors. Spike nodded with a sigh as the guard pushed one other the doors open, letting him in before closing it behind him. The massive, dark dragon and the end of the hall stirred from his throne, apparently having been resting before Spike had entered.

“Welcome, Spike, I’m sure you’ve been able to settle into your new quarters well over these last few days.” Greyhield stated as he stepped off of his thrown and onto the gem tapestry that had been expanded into a more detailed painting across the throne room’s entire floor.

“Yes, the guards have shown me every courtesy in helping me acclimatize to my new surroundings.” Spike replied in a normal conversational tone. Suddenly he felt his right knee being struck from behind, causing him to fall into the arms of something behind him as a dagger’s point hovered above his neck.

“I could end you for your disrespect.” Glenn’s rough voice spat near his ear. Spike offered no resistance, fearing the slightest movement would get him killed.

“Glenn, let him go.” Greyhield commanded in a calm tone, betraying no emotion that he might have felt at that moment.

“He has not even made a motion of respect to you! He ought to die for his insolence.” Glenn retorted his blade shifting closer to Spike’s neck.

“He is not a common reptilous, Glenn, he is a maturing dragon. As such he has certain honors bestowed upon him by me, including being on less formal terms than with any other soldier in my ranks.” Greyhield stated, taking a step closer, which gained him several meters in distance. Glenn finally released Spike, sending him sprawling onto the gem mosaic before quickly standing back up, turning to face the General of the stealth divisions, who stood still, his dagger still gripped firmly in his claws.

“As you wish, My Liege,” Glenn replied before turning towards the exit, “But I suggest he show certain honors to you so another reptilous doesn’t end him.” The General cautioned as he placed his claws on the door. Spike turned back to Greyhield as Glenn pushed the door open and left the room, the guards quickly closing it behind them.

“He does make a point,” Greyhield said in an even tone, “Certain reptilous might react has he did without as much hesitation.” Spike nodded slowly, feeling his neck fearfully. “To prevent further misunderstandings, I suggest when you enter into my presence with salute with an arm across the chest while bowing your head and refer to me as liege or lord when in the presence of others.”

“Very well, My Lord, I will.” Spike replied, crossing his right arm across his chest while lowering his head as a practice run. Greyhield nodded in response.

“So, have you taken time to see what has become of the ponies?” Greyhield asked as he turned towards his throne.

“I have passed near their cell, but have yet to actually draw close enough to see them.” Spike replied, visibly stiffening at the mention of his old friends.

“May I ask why not? Surely there are certain feelings that linger between you and them?” Greyhield continued, lying down on his throne with a dull thud. “Or is the thought of their eventual betrayal enough to kill all friendships that there might have been?” Spike swallowed, unsure what to say.

“Eh, I… guess I still have certain feeling towards at least… one or two of them.” Spike admitted. “But, our friendship has taken a substantial backwards step in light of what was to come.” Greyhield nodded in understanding.

“Such lifelong friendships die quite hard, even after having their ending so plainly revealed.” Greyhield said in a low, understanding tone. “Why don’t you go and talk to them. I’m sure they’d appreciate a familiar face to comfort them.” Spike cocked his head, not understanding why Greyhield would say such a thing. “Before their betrayal… were they close to you?” He asked.

“Y-yes, we had a… a strong bond of friendship beforehand.” Spike replied simply. “But in the light of their betrayal I can’t see why I should extend any courtesy to them, no matter how minor.”

“I believe that seeing them in their current state will reaffirm their true feelings towards you.” Greyhield replied. “Seeing you as the wiser, more able dragon you are and at the same glance seeing how they have fallen so quickly will doubtlessly uncover any feelings that may have lain dormant while you were their lesser.” Spike nodded slowly, still unsure about the whole situation. “You may leave, and take time to talk with the ponies that raised you to where you are now, even if they had no such intentions.” Spike turned and left the hall, pushing the door open, turning back only as the guards closed the door. As the door closed, he caught a glimpse of Gylom walking up to the throne from a direction that showed he hadn’t entered through the main doors, but Spike turn again, not caring too much since he was a general and probably knew other methods of entering the throne room.

Spike entered the prison area, the silence that hung thick in the air completely absent of all liveliness. The singing had stopped, leaving only the occasional clinking of the reptilous adjusting their stances in their armor along with the coughs and sneezes of the ponies in the cells around him. As he walked past several cells, he recognized several professors from his days with Twilight in Canterlot, as well as some of Twilight’s classmates, not to mention some of the high level politicians that they had had run ins with on a few occasion. He shied away from the cells, walking along the middle of the pathway, so that he wouldn’t be near enough for the ponies he was knew to recognize him.

Eventually he came to the cell of the Council of Friendship, which, unlike all the others, had a preceding metal door with no windows to see through that gave even more security to some of Greyhield’s most dangerous prisoners. The door had two guards on either side, who upon seeing Spike, began to undo the massive system of locks that barred the door from being opened, ranging from conventional locks to metal rods that ran the length and height of the door. 

Finally the last security measure on the door clicked open, two of the guard immediately entering to the other side of the door, stopping on either side of the door, their back to the wall while facing their two comrades that stood on either side of the barred off cell. 

Spike stepped through the door, looking at the surprisingly well kept cell that was actually quite clean, with proper beds and a platter that contained the remnants of a rather decent meal on it, showing the conditions they lived in were actually rather good ones. The ponies inside were sleeping rather soundly, judging by the fact they hadn’t stirred since Spike had entered. The two guards that had entered step back outside as soon as Spike was inside.

“You two can step out as well.” Spike said to the two guards that stood on the sides of the cell’s door. The two guards didn’t budge an inch, and showed no signs of thinking about it. “Did you hear me?”

“Yes, sir, but we have been ordered to stay here at all times to guard these prisoners.” One of the two replied frankly. Behind the guards, Twilight stirred from her sleep, looking was with tired eyes. “Their resourcefulness is no secret to us, and we must be prepared for all eventualities.”

“Is this cell no fitted with magic absorbing material to nullify any attempts and casting spells within this room?” Spike asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, but-” The guard replied, but Spike again cut him off.

“And isn’t the door leading into this cell extremely well fitted in security measures that would make it hard for even a manticore to get out?” Spike continued.

“Yes sir, but even so-” The other guard began, but again Spike interjected.

“So why in the name of Greyhield are you still worried about them escaping when I’M inside the same room as them? Even if they can overpower me, you can call for a whole detachment of guards to come down here and be able to deal with them with little trouble.” Spike retorted, the rest of the ponies coming back into the waking world by the time he finished. The guards were silent for a few second, but finally moved out of the cell, the door locked firmly behind them, leaving Spike alone with the ponies.

“Spike, is that you?” Twilight asked, rising from her bedding while the other ponies only began to shrug off their sleepiness. Spike knelt down to be on eyelevel with the ponies. “It is you!” She exclaimed pressing up to the bars, looking the dragon up and down. “Are you alright, have they hurt you? I swear if they have I-”

“I’m fine, Twilight, they’ve been more than kind to me.” Spike reassured her. 

“And yet they only just gave you visitation rights. You’d think if they were kind they’d let you see your friends.” Twilight seethed. “They might be nice enough now, but they must have other motives.”

“Or maybe Greyhield believes you’re no longer a threat and so see no reason not to give you a good portion of the food his troops can’t stomach.” Spike replied simply. “They aren’t omnivores like me, so they can’t eat fruit, vegetables, or any other vegetation without throwing it back up or just having its nutrients wasted on them.”

“Spike… you’re here too?” Rainbow asked groggily as she wiped the sleep out of her eyes. She opened her eyes and saw how big Spike was. “I-I guess it wasn’t me seeing thing then?” Rainbow ventured, Spike nodding in response. “So… uh… did you bring a sword?” she asked weakly. Spike shook his head in response, much to the ponies’ relief.

“I’m here to see how you’re doing.” Spike stated. “The status quo has changed, but the past is still present in my mind. Even though I’ve burnt most bridges down you might say I can still see across the gap”

“Spike,” Twilight began, “You… you don’t have to do this. We still love you, and we are more than willing to forgive you for your mistakes.”

“You can say that… but how do I know you mean it?” Spike asked, standing up, turning his back to the ponies, looking off towards nowhere. “In fact, in certain ways I know you only mean that because you’re in a bind and I’m the closest thing you have to an ally.”

“Spike, how can you say that? We never wanted to hurt you, not even in our wildest imaginations.” Rarity chimed in.

“And yet you constantly teased me for being small and cute!” Spike roared, turning around again, his teeth bared and a flame in his eyes. “Not only that, but you used how I felt as a way to take advantage of me! I would’ve run around the world for you, and you knew that, and took advantage of it for your own benefits!” The ponies shied to the back of the cell. “I thought we were equals, but now I see how much you really abused me!”

“Spike, we never-” Fluttershy started but was cut off as Spike slammed into the cell’s bars, his claws wrapped in a death grip around them as his muzzle stuck between two of them.

“I trusted you, but hindsight is twenty/twenty, and I can see how poorly I lived!” He shouted, before breaking down into sobs and tears, “I-I trusted you, and you treated me like… like a lesser.” Spike pushed off of the bars, turning once again from the ponies. “When you really want to talk, you tell me.” Spike knocked on the door while using his other arm to wipe his tears away.

The guards quickly opened the door, four of the guards entering, two of them assuming their positions with their backs to the bars while the other two stood by the opposite wall as Spike walked purposefully out. After a moment the other two walked out as well, the door shutting behind them.

Twilight fell to her haunches, tears pouring out from her eyes as the other ponies attempted to comfort her. She looked up through the tears towards the door that separated her from Spike physically as his emotions separated them psychologically.





Spike entered Greyhield’s throne room, the guards saluting as he passed. Spike didn’t acknowledge them, seeing as he had become use to it over the days he had been in the castle. One of the guards opened the door, letting Spike enter. He took a few steps in, bowing his head and crossing his arm across his chest as he had been instructed to do, and as he had done for the two days that had passed since.

“You summoned me, Your Lordship?” Spike asked, the formality still feeling a bit off to him. After a moment of silence, Spike looked up, and noticed Greyhield’s throne wasn’t occupied by Greyhield’s shadowy form, but by a normal shadow. Spike looked around the room, until he heard a light tap from the direction of the throne, followed by several others, at which he whipped his head around to look towards the sounds.

He peered into the shadows, but they revealed nothing. Spike took a step forward, placing one of his hands on the pommel of his sword. As he drew closer, the form step out into the light, revealing a white hoof, a white hoof that was attached to a pony he knew all too well.

“Rarity, what are you doing out of your cell?” Spike asked, taking his claws off of his sword. She murmured something in a low tone that was too quiet for Spike to hear. “Did Greyhield have you taken here?” He shortly got his reply when Rarity lifted her head, revealing her tear stained cheeks, her eyeliner melting away with the tears.

“You used to be my little Spikey-wikey…” She muttered, loud enough to be audible. Spike cocked his head, not understanding where this was going. “You used to be my friend…,” She continued as the other five ponies emerged from the shadows, completing the Council of Friendship, “But now I can see that you are as dangerous as Greyhield. You’re a monster, a beast, a brute, and you’re now on the side of the enemy, and there’s only one way to deal with that.” Spike took a step back, tears starting to whelm up in his eyes.

“Don’t say that.” He stammered. “I-I’m still your Spikey-wikey… w-we can still be friends.” Spike pleaded. Rarity shook her head, bring a hoof up to her eye, wiping away the eyeliner that streamed down her cheeks.

“No, you’re nothing like my little Spike. You’re a… a traitor.” Rarity shot back. Rainbow launched forward, her hooves slamming into Spike’s chest while a bolt of magic slammed into his face, sending him sprawling backwards. 

“S-stop, please!” He pleaded, gasping for breath. Applejack charged him, spinning on her hooves at the last second, slamming her hooves straight into his face, causing him to fly a short distance before landing on his back. Spike’s vision swam as he felt something warm trickle down his cheek from the corner of his mouth while the metallic taste of blood told his exactly what it was.

Spike attempted to get back up, but before he could Rainbow jumped on top of him and began pounding him forcefully into the ground, as if he were a raincloud. Rainbow jumped off, performing a somersault, slamming right back into his chest. Spike grabbed Rainbow and shoved her off, standing up shakily.

“Please, no more. I’m sorry.” Spike begged, only to have Fluttershy barrel into him with a squeak, but though it was more of a little touch, it still was forceful enough in comparison to his weakness to send his stumbling a few steps.

“I’m not sorry. You aren’t my Spike, so I feel no pity.” Rarity said calmly as Twilight shot another bolt into Spike’s face. Spike wiped the soot from his face, only to have Pinkie cartwheel into him, her legs slamming into his chest. Applejack and Rainbow Dash charged in to finish the dead, Rainbow upper cutting him while Applejack bucked him soundly in the chest. Spike fell back onto the floor, his entire body aching. He slowly got back to a crouched position. As he watched, the six friends began to glow as they began releasing their inner magic.

Suddenly, something snapped in the core of Spike’s being. A wave of indignation and rage flowing through him as his former friends prepared to end him. Spike drew his sword, pure rage coursing through his veins like an inferno, burning any love, inhibitions about killing, or anything that might have held him back. With a deafening roar, Spike charged Rarity, hi sword clasped in both hands as he raised it high above his head. Rarity’s eyes widened as it came screeching down at her, slamming into her magic’s shield, sending waves of pain through her skull.

“And you are just a pony!” Spike roared as he lifted his sword and slammed it into the shield once more, reveling in his new power as he watched Rarity wince under each blow. “I am a dragon, the apex predator! None stand above me, and none can claim to stand as my equal!” He roared as he began to beat on Rarity’s shield like a drum. Suddenly the shield broke, leaving Rarity weak as she fell to the floor. Spike lifted his blade, intent on killing her, only to have a bolt of magic smash into his face, sending him stumbling a few steps away. 

Spike wiped his head around, his teeth bared as he spied Twilight with her horn still aglow. Spike charged her, only to trip over Pinkie as she slid under him. He hit the ground rolling, standing back up in an instant, only to have Rainbow slam into his head, sending his sprawling across the floor, seeing nothing but stars. He shook his head, trying to stand back up as he blinked the stars out of his eyes, only to have one of the ponies slam a hoof on the back of his head, pinning him to the ground while another stood on his back. Spike looked up, clenching his teeth as the darkness faded from his vision, showing him Rarity’s hooves. 

Suddenly the door at the end of the hall flew open, slamming into the walls beside them. The sound on charging reptilous, shouting their battle cries rung out through the wall, the ponies quickly tackled and restrained. Spike watched as Rarity had a magic absorbing collar locked around her neck before being drug off. Spike lay back down, his face resting the stone floor as he struggled with the horde of emotions that began flooding his being. Gylom knelt beside him, placing a claw on his back.

“Should I have some guards take you back to your room?” The general asked in a soft voice. Spike slowly rose from the ground, looking up to the ceiling when he had reached his full height. He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly before looking back to the ground and walking off. Gylom stood up, watching as Spike left with a sorrowful expression, the events striking a cord in his heart. Gylom looked back to the throne, watching as Greyhield slowly emerged from behind his throne.

“It appears to have worked as well, if not better, than I had anticipated.” Greyhield stated with a hint of satisfaction as he lay back down on his throne. “Spike’s inner hatred for the ponies has been tapped, and not only that, but in a completely willing way.”

“Indeed,” Gylom replied, kneeling before the great dragon, “The changelings plaid their part expertly, I doubt he even suspects what has happened.” Greyhield nodded with satisfaction.

“We grow ever closer to the greater cause, and today’s victory has made this a day of leaps and bounds in progress.” Greyhield said.

“Indeed, soon we shall take Equestria, and the ponies shall tremble under your mighty claw.” Gylom stated, though the satisfaction of those words was greatly diminished.           

> Chapter 23: Generals
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Gylom sat sharpening his lance’s tip, the blade having become dull during the battle for Stalliongrad after being shoved into countless ponies. Gylom looked up as Spike sat down beside him, looking at the floor with the same gloomy look he had had for the past few days. Gylom looked at his lance one more time, and decided it was sharp enough, and if proven otherwise, he could continue later. Setting it aside, he leaned back, using his hands to support his as he looked up at the cave’s ceiling.

“So, still not feeling your best, I see.” Gylom said calmly, Spike nodding in response as his shoulder sagged after a deep sigh. “I can understand that. You feel as if your only anchor to who you are now to who you were before was just thrown away.” Spike looked over at Gylom with a curious expression.

“Yeah, how did you know that?” Spike asked, sitting a bit taller as he looked the general up and down. Gylom sighed, and after a moment of silence, looked over at Spike.

“I know the feeling a bit too well.” Gylom replied finally, only succeeding in making Spike all the more curious to know what secrets this general had.

“What do you mean? What happened that made you feel that way?” Spike questioned. “If you don’t mind sharing that is.” Gylom shook his head as he closed his eyes.

“I don’t mind much. It all happened so long ago.” Gylom muttered before opening his eyes again. He sat up straight and turned to look at Spike. “According to reptilous tradition, at least during my younger years, the father must be present during his son’s initiation into his first military grouping. My father, in opposition to this, not only didn’t come, but cursed my very name.” Spike starred in shock at Gylom, who suddenly become less of a great general, but more of a very approachable neighbor who had his own set of problems. 

“How could he do such a thing?” Spike questioned. “Doesn’t he know how much that would hurt you?” Gylom shook his head.

“If he did know it didn’t matter enough for him to change his mind.” Gylom replied. “To continue, I eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant, and was put in command of a small regiment of newer recruits. We entered into battle against one of our competing tribes, and it was that day I discovered something about my father that no other reptilous knows to this day.”

“What exactly was that?” Spike asked, engrossed in the story. Gylom’s expression seemed to turn dark as his thought wandered back to that day.

“My father showed me that he was willing to go to any length to ensure I knew his displeasure.” Gylom replied. “When we arrived, I looked across the battlefield, and saw my father holding his massive sword, heading the enemy charge.” Spike looked in shock at Gylom’s statement. “I had no choice but to engage, even though my troops were outnumbered and outclassed, if to do nothing but to show my father I had a measure of bravery and pride in me.”

“What happened?” Spike pressed. Gylom was silent for a while, not making any sign of intending to continue. “Gylom? Are… are you alright?” Gylom sighed in response. “Gylom, I’m sorry if I offended you.”

“No, it isn’t you,” Gylom replied, “These particular memories have always been a bit of a sensitive bunch.” Gylom looked down at the floor for a few second, gathering himself before continuing. “My father’s forces hit hard, crushing our number with great speed. I seemed to be the only one even capable to fight any of our enemies with any measure of success. I had been able to beat of at least three enemies before I faced him.” Gylom looked up towards Spike. “My father stood before me, his long sword held in one hand. We charged each other without hesitation, but it was a one sided fight. I quickly fell back to a defensive posture while he railed on me, leaving me no opening to fight back.”

“How did you make it out of that?” Spike asked, carefully judging Gylom’s expression, hoping to not damage him any further.

“He were bailed out by a larger, better trained unit. My father retreated after felling three of our saviors as if they were nothing.” Gylom sighed, looking back to the floor. “I informed our tribes leader about who I had faced. My father was a well renowned reptilous, having forged his own sword after not being satisfied with the length of normal sword or even a two handed blade. But it wasn’t his massive blade that we feared, but his sheer speed and strength that he could exert through and in it and with the ease he did what he did.” Spike tried to think of something that might match this description, but all his imaginings fell short as Gylom continued. “If he had stayed on our side the wars would have finished years earlier, but because he continually changed alliances to the clan with the greatest strength that was fighting against us, the warring parties stayed on the field for decades longer than needed.”

“Did you ever find him after the war ended?” Spike questioned. Gylom shook his head solemnly. “So… he didn’t die during the war?”

“I inspected the bodies from each battle, and never once did we find him or his sword.” Gylom replied. “But thing that I want to say is this,” Gylom looked back to Spike as he went on, “Through my father’s actions I was forged into the warrior I am now. Without him, I’d still only be wearing chain mail like any other soldier from those times, but because he betrayed us and showed he could easily destroy any chainmail suit, I had to rethink my defense, becoming the first juggernaut reptilous ever knew.”

“And what am I supposed to take away from that?” Spike asked. “Am I supposed to become the next juggernaut or something?”

“Not exactly,” Gylom replied with a small smile, “The fact of life is that no matter how strong you feel your bonds with another are, one day you’ll have to say your final farewells, whether by becoming enemies or by seeing their final breathe. The thing you must remember is that even in times you feel the world has fallen is that you need to be stronger than your circumstances.”

“So am I supposed to simply shrug off how betrayed I feel over my friends attempting to kill me?” Spike asked, feeling his ire rise a bit.

“No, the feelings of pain you have are, in opposition to what you might think, are good.” Gylom said, effectively diffusing Spike’s ire. “No matter what, you need to remember when things went poorly and not make the same mistakes or at least become that much stronger for the experience you have had.” Gylom stated. “The wounds of betrayal you have may never heal, in fact it isn’t likely they will, but you need to learn to cope, and not just appear to cope, but actually be able to take it well and move on. But don’t move on as if nothing happened, because it did happen, but move on with what happened in mind and let it make you a better, stronger being.” Spike fell silent as Gylom finished, his head turning to the floor this time. Gylom took up his lance again and began inspecting hits edge. “Just so you know, Spike, I’m open to talk to you anytime you need to talk.” Spike smiled to himself.

“Thanks, General.” Spike said.

“Please, just call me Gylom. Greyhield has shown you a sign of respect, and as far as I see it, we are equals in many rights.” Gylom stated as he began sharpening his lance’s tip. Spike nodded slowly.

“Having a heart to heart, Gylom?” Glenn’s voice asked from behind them. Gylom nodded as he continued to sharpen his lance.

“Yes, and for once I knew you were there.” Gylom stated calmly as he wiped metal off with a rag. Glenn’s expression shifted to one of curiosity as he approached the two.

“Oh, how did you notice me standing behind you?” Glenn asked, sitting down on a stool. Gylom tapped on the lance’s point.

“Saw your reflection in the metal.” Gylom replied before setting it down once more. “Well, let’s lighten the mood up a bit. I’ve had enough dark reminiscing for one day.” Gylom said, his mood shifting instantly to him usually mood of slightly happier than the rest of the troops. “Say, Glenn, I heard some of your reptilous brought in some supplies from Stalliongrad the other day.”

“It is true; they are now providing us with the goods that had poured into their storehouses during their days of commerce.” Glenn replied.

“I hear the ponies don’t make too bad a batch of cider. How about we pop open a barrel and take a taste of the spoils of war.” Gylom said, leaning back in his seat.

“Yeah, I had some of the cider… before. It is really good. How about we have some as… a reward of sorts?” Spike asked, unsure how to act around Glenn ever since the death threat had been made. Glenn was silent for a few moments.

“I have a feeling you might not know what Gylom is exactly aiming for when he says ‘cider’.” Glenn stated, leaving Spike unsure.

“Eh… what does he mean by the word cider?” Spike asked cautiously.

“In the days of the war, morale was quite low due to constant losses.” Glenn explained. “So to counter act the depressing state of our soldier we… invested in the manufacturing of a special type of cider that helped relieve the stress a reptilous feels.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad, I mean, relieving stress and raising morale is a good thing. Right?” Spike asked, feeling very unsure of what was happening.

“Here’s a question for you. Does your cider producer let their cider sit around, and if so, for how long?” Glenn asked, leaning in close.

“Eh…,” Spike thought a few second, unsure where this was going, “It’s usually fresh pressed, only sitting around for a few minutes at most.”

“That is the difference between your cider and ours.” Glenn replied. “We let our cider sit around for weeks, if not months.” Spike’s mouth opened into an ‘o’ shape as he realized what he was going for. “The cider Gylom is doubtlessly referring to is called ‘Manehattan Cider’, which was derived from our recipe.”

“That is true.” Gylom said with a shrug. “I guess I might like it a bit too much for my own good. But really, what reptilous from those days didn’t start to take a liking to it after a few long, hard battles.” Glenn nodded slowly.

“So I suppose that means two barrels, one of Manehattan, one dry.” Glenn said while standing up. Spike nodded while Gylom simply shrugged.


Gylom opened the spout on the barrel of cider, letting the juice flow into his large mug, the froth flowing over the sides of the cup and onto the floor. Spike watched the general as he sipped at his own cup of Sweet Apple Acres style cider, enjoying the fact it had been well kept in a refrigerated cell which kept it nice a cold, something he had only enjoyed once or twice before. Gylom chugged his drink down in a few swift gulps, an image that reminded Spike of Pinkie Pie. The memory made him feel slightly wrong for not sharing the cider with his friends, even if they had betrayed him. It was then he came to a resolution and decided he’d be the better friend and show them he could move past it, and maybe they would come around and try to be friends once more.

“I’m going to go. I think I’ll let some others have a bit of this cider.” Spike said, hefting the barrel onto his shoulder as he scooped up several mugs.

“Oh, Spike, just so you know, I filled up a canteen with cider for you.” A rather tipsy Gylom said, tossing Spike a small corked bottle toward him, which he caught, quite an amazing feat with his hands being as cluttered as they were.

“Thank you, that’s… nice of you.” Spike hesitated as his mind began to connect a few dots that made him doubtful. Spike started to walk off, only to here a dull thump behind him. Turning, he saw an unconscious Gylom with a mug on his snout and an alert Glenn sitting near him, taking a few sips now and again. “Is he alright?” Spike asked. Gylom looked over at the downed general and sat back up.

“For all his love of the hard stuff, he doesn’t have the stomach to handle it.” Glenn stated with a small smile before drinking a bit more of is Manehattan cider. Spike shrugged and once again set off.


Spike set the barrel in front of the cell, the guards once again outside the highly secure cell. Spike began pouring drink into the mugs as the ponies looked between him and the drinks.

“For Pinkie,” Spike muttered as he pushed one mug up to the bars, “For Rarity,” He mumbled as he repeated the action, looking up briefly to make sure the ponies were moving, “For Applejack, for Twilight, for Fluttershy,” He continued as he shoved the mugs to the cell’s bars, “And for,” He began as he twisted the barrel’s knob, only to get a sputter as the barrel gave its last, causing Rainbow Dash to groan, “You know, I think these barrel might just be rigged to always be empty when you want a mug.” Spike took out his canteen and pushed it up to the bars. “Here you go, Rainbow.” Rainbow took the mug and began to drink only to spit it out after having the taste set in.

“Bleh, what is that stuff? Is this some sort of cruel joke?” Rainbow asked, rubbing her tongue against her hoof.

“So Gylom did give me Manehattan cider. I was wondering…” Spike said with a small smile on his face. Rainbow cocked her head to the side.

“Manehattan cider? Are the apples really that bad over there?” She asked, apparently as unknowing as Spike had been.

“Uh, sugar cube, Manehattan cider is made with the same apples as ours,” Applejack confessed, “They just finish the process a bit different.” Rainbow looked at Applejack, expecting a full explanation. “Basically,” She began, “It’s the stiff stuff.” Rainbow’s mouth went to the same ‘o’ shape as Spike’s had as the realization dawned on her in the same way. The friends shortly broke out into a fit of laughter as Spike pushed his own mug over to the bars. And in the middle of the hardships of war, there was a moment of reconciliation between strained relations as the friends shared in a good laugh.

> Chapter 24: Pyre
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blaze sat at the council’s table with only the creaking on wood and the rustle of paper keeping him company. The map that lay before him had blue and red pieces scattered across it, his battle plan to take back Canterlot still not ready. The door to the room opened, filling the room with its creaking. Blaze rubbed his forehead with his hoof as he tried to think harder, ignoring the new presence. The sound of something being set on the table was enough to make him look over, and see the plate of steaming hot food. Blaze looked up and saw Amber who smiled at him.

“You skipped on the evening meal again.” She said; the concern in her voice being hard to miss if you listened at all, “You really should eat. We don’t need a general that faints in battle because he forgot to eat a meal.” Blaze looked away, turning his attention back to the map.

“I’m not a general.” He muttered. “Equestria hasn’t had a general in almost five hundred years.” Amber cocked her head in confusion. “Military tradition made the rank of general unreachable ever since Courageous died, mostly as a way to honor his final sacrifice in the Great War but also because nopony at that time or since has ever felt it necessary to go above captain since it just felt off.” Amber sat down beside him, looking over his plan with little understanding of what the pieces meant.

"You still should eat; if not for you, then for those who depend on your guidance and leadership." She coaxed gently, nudging Blaze's shoulder. Blaze finally relented and lifted the platter with his magic, setting it down in front of him.

Blaze had been idly eating his food while still planning the attack for almost an hour, whisking the pieces to and fro with his magic, only noticing that Amber hadn't left when she adjusted her position. He watched as she followed the pieces he moved around the board, seeming entranced by the floating objects, as if she had never seen magic before.

"Are you alright?" Blaze asked finally. Amber broke out of her trance and looked back at Blaze nodding with a smile. Blaze lifted an eyebrow in suspicion, but returned to his work before too long. The plan was slowly coming together, but the problem was the skill of his soldiers. They would need more training for a certainty, but in reality they didn’t know how good they were. They had had a taste, but Blaze was sure that what they had been treated to was not the full extent of the reptilous’ power.

"I was just wondering...," Amber began, her voice breaking Blaze away from his train of thought, "And this may sound a bit weird of a thing to be wondering about, but... I guess I was wondering what it is like to be able to do all this." Blaze looked over at her.

"By all this, do you mean making a strategy or leading an army?" Blaze asked her, setting the pieces he had been floating around on the board, though upon a second glance, he quickly shifted them into more desirable positions.

"Neither, I was actually wondering about... well, how it feels to use magic." She finally confessed. "It sounds weird, I know, with a third of Equestria's population being unicorns, but it still doesn't stop me from wondering what it might feel like to use magic." 

"Well...," Blaze thought out loud, "I guess when you think about it, for a pony that has never had magic it's hard to imagine, and it's also hard for a pony that has had it since birth to explain it." Blaze explained. "But I guess the best way to say it is that..." Suddenly the doors to the hall flew open, startling both ponies. Blaze stood up, and saw two guards standing in the doorway.

"Sir, there is a pony out here who says he has vital information and wishes to speak to you." One of them said. Blaze lifted an eyebrow at the statement.

"Who is this pony?" Blaze asked. Blaze quickly began thinking up any scouts that may have been sent out during the last few days, but none came to mind.

"He isn't one of our stallions, and he says his name is Glowing Flint, and that you'd want to see him." The guard stated. Blaze's eye grew wide.

"Flint?" Blaze breathed before quickly mentally shaking himself back into the situation at hoof. "Yes, send him right in, I do wish to see him." The guards nodded and left the hall, the doors closing behind them. "I can't believe it, he's actually here." Blaze said with a grin and a small chuckle. He was giddy with excitement, maybe more so than he should be, but the fates had actually worked out in his favor for once.

"Who is this Flint?" Amber asked with no small amount of curiosity. Blaze looked over at her and tried to find the right words to explain who this pony was. There were so many angles he could think of, all of them showing some aspect of his character, but most of them would probably cast a negative light on him, something Blaze didn’t want.

"He's... well... oh, you'll see soon enough." Blaze said excitedly, his mind racing for an explanation, but failing to provide a satisfactory answer before he simply gave up on the attempt to describe the enigma of a stallion. "The last time I saw him was our last training session in the Everfree." Blaze reminisced with a smile spread across his face, though his words didn’t work the same emotions in Amber, as her expression shifted farther into concern.

"Wait, you did training in the Everfree forest?" Blaze nodded before looking back towards the door expectantly. “I’m not sure if that's extremely brave or extremely foalish." Amber said in an unsure tone. The door opened once more, this time a stallion in a cloak appearing between the guards. His black cloak billowed slightly, his features as concealed as always. 

"Thank you, guards, you may leave us." Blaze ordered, the guards nodding in response, quickly leaving the room, the door closing behind them as they did. "Flint, is that really you?" Blaze asked, still wrapping his head around the situation. The hooded stallion nodded slowly. The corners of Blaze's mouth turned upward in a smile as he approached the stallion. "It's been so long since we last saw each other."

"Not extremely long, but some time has passed," Flint stated, "And it appears to have reaped many benefits in your favor; I've heard many tales of your exploits of late." Blaze's smile became one of embarrassment as he scratched the back of his neck with a hoof.

"I'm sure most of them were exaggerated to a degree." Blaze excused with a halfhearted chuckle. "But it is so good to see you're doing well. I've been slightly concerned for your safety, but I see my concerns were poorly placed. I guessed I should've figured as much since you taught me everything I know."

"Not everything," Flint corrected, "You learned quite a bit from training the guard. Buckler did you a great deal of good by nearly beating you. It goes to show you that the majority might not always signal out the whole truth of a matter." Blaze nodded slowly, his mind drifting to less than pleasant places at the mention of Bronze Buckler.

"So I guess you're Glowing Flint." Amber spoke up, seeing Blaze's shift in mood. "I'm Amber, one of Blaze's friends from Ponyville." Flint nodded at Amber, the shadow cast over his features making his expression invisible.

"Yes, I do remember seeing you and Blaze together with two other colts on certain occasions." Flint recalled. "I suppose I might have had a hoof in allowing your bonds to grow into the ties they are now."

"Oh, I guess we were together...wait, what do you mean by that, ‘allowing our bonds to grow’?" Amber asked; her curiosity peaked.

"Oh, um... well, you see..." Blaze began, stumbling over his own words as he tried to find a way to explain how Flint had forced him to stay against his will without casting Flint into a negative light with his friend.

"Simply put, I was the one that convinced Blaze to wait for the train to be repaired before leaving and that he might take the time to train in swordplay, which he had shown an interest in, and also, with some luck, forge some strong bonds of friendship. In the end, he did both, and took the lessons from both to heart." Flint replied, stepping in for the befuddled Blaze.

"Oh... well, I guess I should thank you, Mister Flint." Amber said. "I wouldn't trade my friendship with Blaze for anything. He is one of my best friends." Flint nodded with a tone of agreement.

"Uh, Amber, if you don't mind, there are some things I'd like to discuss with Flint... eh, in private." Blaze said in a sympathetic tone.

"Y-yes, of course, you to need some time to catch up," Amber realized out loud, "Right, I'll leave you two to it." Amber said, quickly ducking out of the room. Blaze turned to Flint, his smile gone, replaced by a look of seriousness that reflected the thoughts that were swirling around in his head.

"Flint... I have a lot of things I'd like to ask you, and quite a few more things I'd like to simply chat about, but first, I'd ask one thing of you." Blaze began. "Would you be so kind as to lower your cowl while we talk?" Flint nodded, and in a second his golden aura appeared around the hood, quickly lowering it, revealing his features for what Blaze could only recollect as the third time he had done so. "Thank you for complying." Blaze said, turning around, quickly walking over to his seat.

"I knew that when I finally came I'd be showered with questions. I've come prepared as best as I can." Flint stated; taking a seat himself as Blaze lowered himself on to his cushion.

"I guess the first question that comes to mind is: what was the real reason behind training me as you did? I know you said it was because I showed promise, but I have my doubts as to that being the entire reason behind why you decided to take me on as a trainee." Blaze questioned.

"It goes back more towards why I was even in the forest and why I gravitated towards you in the first place." Flint replied, creating more questions than answers.

"Very well, what made you gravitated towards me in the first place?" Blaze asked, attempting to get closer to the answers he so desperately wanted. There was a long drawn out silence following the question, the air crackling with anticipation. As Blaze continued to look at Flint, the more he became to feel something he had only barely noticed before, mostly his appearance that he kept so concealed, but more towards who he looked like.

"My reasons for that stems from why I was there. Now, I will explain, but I want you to not interrupt at any point until I finish or unless I ask you a question." Flint stated sternly. Blaze nodded in agreement and waited for Flint to start. "I will be frank with you. I have lied to you, only certain bits of what I said being true, and in a way, I made you lie to me just the same, thought you thought you were being truthful. My name is not Glowing Flint, and I am not just any traveling swordspony." Blaze nodded slowly, understanding slightly what Flint, or whatever is real name was, was saying. "I... well; I suppose I should begin from another direction."

"Take your time, I'm not rushing you." Blaze coaxed. Flint looked at him with a small smirk, pointing a hoof at his mouth, gaining a confused look until Blaze realized he had just spoken in violation of the agreement.

"Don't worry, I don't hold it against you, but to continue, I want to know, what do remember before you met me that you know for a certainty is true?" Flint asked. Blaze, despite his confusion about the question, thought hard about what he could say was true.

“I was running through the forest and ran into a tree before I eventually found my way to you.” Blaze replied, still unsure where Flint might be taking this train of thought.

“So cannot tell me anything about you before running through the forest as a certainty?” Flint asked. Blaze shook his head, the two lives that constantly fought for favor in his mind still present. “I, on the other hoof, can tell you something of yourself for a certainty.” Blaze’s ears perked up, listening intently to Flint. “One thing I know for sure is that you are not Blaze Eternal, the son of Flame Eternal, and are not sent from the past to save Equestria.” Flint stated with a tone of confidence before looking off towards nowhere.

“Flint, I may not be sure of my origins, but I am sure of my name in the very least.” Blaze countered, his confusion taking a slightly enraged shift.

“No, I can tell you for a fact that that isn’t your real name.” Flint stated calmly. “I should know; I was the one that changed it.” Flint stated nonchalantly.

“W-what? You changed my name? What in the hay do you mean by that?” Blaze asked. Flint looked back towards the extremely confused Blaze.

“Remember when we first met, I took you to my house?” Flint continued, standing up to walk down the length of the table away from Blaze. “I used a spell that made you feel drowsy and fall asleep, but not only that, I used a modified version of Flame Eternal’s memory spell.” Blaze stood up slowly as Flint continued to speak. “Instead of replacing true memories with false ones and then letting the true ones leak through, I planted false ones that started to leak through, although the changing of your name was the very first falsehood that I insured asserted itself in your mind.”

“Then who am I… and more to the point, who are you?” Blaze asked, enraged undertones showing through his voice, his mane billowing slightly in the still air of the room.

“Why does it matter who I am? Does it give you an edge in battle; give you an advantage you lacked previously? Or are you just curious with no valid reason to be so?” Flint questioned. Blaze’s ire began to increase, his mane whipping about slightly more violently, briefly turning black as it did.

“If you changed who I am, concealed who you are, and now are admitting to it, I want to know the truth.” Blaze stated, gritting his teeth as he fought his temper. “Remember those exploits? I’ve increased my sword skills, and I’m the commander of the Equestrian fighting forces. I’d suggest you tell me exactly what you mean or I’ll start displaying exactly how truthful those exploits you mention are.” Flint looked towards Blaze, his expression quite unreadable.

“You do realize that threats of your skill are very much wasted on me. I taught you most of what you know, but you must always remember that the master rarely ever teaches the student all he knows.” Flint retorted. “My skills in swordplay are far beyond what I have previously displayed.”

“And I can pull out quite a few more surprises than you can. I have trained day and night to fight against an enemy far more powerful than either of us.” Blaze countered.

“And I haven’t?” Flint shot back, his mane taking a turn whipping about in the nonexistent breeze. Blaze gritted his teeth.

“Just tell me, who are you?” Blaze ordered, but Flint remained silent as he continued to walk along the table. “Tell me!” Blaze shouted, his mane turning jet black for a few seconds. Flint glared at him, voluntarily letting his mane whip up into a firestorm of white hot flames as his coat turned jet black for the briefest of moments. When he had returned to normal, Flint walked up to Blaze, leaving only a meter of distance between them.

“Who am I?” Flint asked before falling silent, the air of the room crackling with energy as the rage filled unicorns stood face to face. Flint took a few more steps, walking to Blaze’s side. “My name is Blaze Eternal, son of Flame Eternal, the colt who was meant to save Equestria.” The young Blaze took a step back, the world seeming to spiral out of control around him. 

> Chapter 25: The True Son
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The colt, Blaze, blinked a few times, the revelation that he had just received being almost too much to handle. Blaze looked the stallion up and down for a sign that he was joking, but Flint’s body language asserted that he was the telling the truth.

“B-but, how? How could you be Blaze Eternal? I have those memories; you can’t possibly be the real Blaze Eternal. This just isn’t possible.” Blaze reasoned with himself and with Flint, his mind looping around and around as it tried desperately to find some sort of logic that would uphold what he had grown to know as true.

“I was sent here nigh onto eleven years ago,” Flint explained in a calm tone, “But instead of finding my way out of the forest, I became lost, and slowly regained my memories while trapped in a perpetual state of disorientation and extreme alert because of the creatures of the forest.” The stallion continued. “I eventually found my way out from the forest and found Ponyville, though by then I had grown into a stallion and had had my fraudulent memories destroy, thus destroying whatever protection and time of acclimatization I may have had.”

"B-but, why did you lie to me then? Why would you change my memories like you say you did?" Blaze questioned, feeling a mixture of confusion and anger towards the stallion. Flint sighed, the subject obviously being a touchy one for him. After a few moments of silence, Flint looked Blaze in the eye.

"Because I'm not the stallion my father thought I was." Flint stated plainly, causing the colt to shrink back slightly. "My father believed I was a strong pony; that I was a born fighter, but he was wrong. I'm nothing on my own, and being in this future as I am, I am so very alone. I barely had friends in my time, and this time was so different I had no way of trying to get friends." Flint closed his eyes, turning his head to the floor. "I'm nothing but a coward. I knew it, but hid it from my father to the point he was assured I was the right choice."

"F... Blaze, you aren't a coward," A very confused colt Blaze stammered; "You saved me from Timberwolves in the Everfree forest. You trained me to be a warrior and never once backed down from one of my stupid challenges when I was still getting over my arrogance."

"As I said," the stallion replied, "I'm nothing without other ponies. You're presence was enough to make he a bit more courageous. And even then, I changed your memories with no better reason than my sheer cowardice hiding behind a guise of intelligent planning." The young colt lifted an eyebrow in confusion. The stallion looked up, opening his eyes, his gaze meeting Blaze’s. "I was scared, and I knew that Greyhield would be returning soon enough, and so I changed who you were after you told me how similar you were to my original cover story. I took you to a ruined hut that I occasionally used as a refuge and planted a few vague whispers of my memories in your mind that I hoped would blossom and make you play my part."

"Wait, you mean you changed my memories because you wanted me to play your part in your stead?" The colt Blaze asked, not completely understanding what the stallion was getting at.

"I was worried that when Greyhield finally did appear, and I went to face him, that he'd kill me in no time at all, so when you appeared, I rationalized that if you took my place that if you died, I'd still have a chance, and in fact would have the element of surprise on my side." The stallion explained.

"So let me get this straight, you rationalized your fear away by saying that if I had died to Greyhield, thinking I was the true Blaze Eternal that that would be alright?" The young Blaze asked in an exasperated tone. The stallion lowered his head in shame.

“I realize my mistake.” The stallion said in a low tone. 

“Realizing your mistake doesn’t cut it!” Blaze shouted; his mane fluttering up as the fur on his shoulder waved slightly. “You were willing to sacrifice a pony because you were scared?”

“I tried to ensure your well being by preparing you mentally and physically.” The stallion replied, returning his gaze to the colt.

“Preparing as much as you did doesn’t come close to compensation!” Blaze continued to shout; his mane turning black, staying in the air for several more seconds. “You were willing to let a pony die because you weren’t comfortable, and that is NOT alright! I learned during your training to never leave a pony behind, that sacrifices were only to be made when necessary, and…”

“AND YOU CALL SACRIFICING THE FIRST LINE IN YOUR BATTLE FOR CANTERLOT NECESSARY!?” The stallion roared, slightly changing into his own rage shift for a brief moment. “There were so many other possibilities for success, but you chose the route that called for sacrifice, am I so much worse when I sacrifice one for the many than you when you sacrifice the many for the few?” Blaze felt as if the wind had been kicked out of him as the enraged stallion took several steps forward, closing the distance between the two ponies.

"I-I... there wasn't any other way." the young Blaze replied, attempting to get his wits about him again. "I analyzed the facts we had concerning the skill of the reptilous and the skill of our army and saw that most every other tactic either called for a larger sacrifice or did away with the sacrifice either a little or completely, but in so doing lowered our chances of success by a larger margin."

"You could've found another way, you could've..." The stallion began once more, only to watch as Blaze completely shifted into his enraged form.

"I may have had that chance, but you had that chance for a certainty!" The enraged colt roared. "Don't measure me by your double standards, because I might just be able to make you seem just as bad without having to change my standards." The stallion snapped, and entered his own rage shift, his coat becoming a pure white while his mane became a raging, blue, fire.

"Your life is nothing compared to mine! You have had ease, while I have had nothing but hardship after hardship!" The stallion retorted. "I've had to leave all my family behind in another time and grow old without their presence, and when I return to my time I'll be completely different than when I left in a very drastic and immeasurable way."

"Do you think I could ever go back to being who I was before you forcefully changed me to who I am now?" The young Blaze spat back. "I've risen in the ranks of the military under the pretense of being a pony from the past, sent with the knowledge of how to defeat our current problem, and now you come and claim that you are the real pony sent from the past. I don't even have any proof besides your word that you are telling the truth."

"You want proof of the fact I'm telling the truth?" The stallion asked harshly. "Fine, have my proof!" Flint drew his two swords and showed Blaze the hilt. "You can see the cutie marks of Flame Eternal and Silver Lining on them. How to locate them is one memory that I didn't give you for the very fact that I had already claimed them as my own." Blaze starred at the hilts, and sure enough, the two symbols he remembered as the cutie marks of those stallions were embedded onto the pommels of the blades. The realization dawned on Blaze, slapping him across the face with an icy sting as he came to his senses as pieces of what had been presented as his memories confirmed every detail of the blades, only a few more scrapes present than before, easily accounted for by all the battles doubtlessly fought with them after his memory.

"So... you really are the real one..." The young Blaze said in a solemn tone, his rage shift ending suddenly. Flint calmed his temper and returned to his normal form as well.

"Yes, and I am sorry for what I put you through in the past several months. I never meant to let it go this far." The stallion stated. "I only wanted you to lead the army and hopefully distract Greyhield while I snuck into his fortress and took him out, but he has been acting different than his previous visits to Equestria. This is the first time he has even assembled anything of an army to fight for him."

"Y-you really were telling the truth..." Blaze muttered before lowering his head in shame. "I guess that means I really am nothing more than an actor pony in a metal suit." Flint lifted Blaze's head with a hoof; his strong gaze boring into Blaze's consciousness.

"No, you are much, much more." The stallion asserted. "I may have given you false memories, but you learned all your skills through hard work, dedication, and perseverance. You climbed to where you are now, not because of whom you thought you were, but because of what others saw you could accomplish. It was you, after all, that initially beat the captain of the guard to become the guard's head trainer, and then beat one of the most powerful lieutenants in the force. I had no part in those actions except teaching a few of the techniques you used."

"But I'm no longer the pony others thought I was." The young colt said sadly, moving his head away from the stallion's hoof.

"No you aren't," The stallion admitted, "You're somepony much better. You truly deserve the name of Blaze Eternal, and the honor it may bring to you." The stallion stated. "I can see you are fit to do this work than I ever was. My father may have chosen me, but you were the far greater choice."

"Thank you, Flint, but... but if I'm not Blaze Eternal, than who am I?" The young Blaze asked, looking the stallion in the eyes.

"Exactly who you led your friend Amber to believe," Flint replied, "You are part of a group of traveling performers. You drew your cutie mark to gain acceptance, or so it would seem. I honestly never knew you for who you were before I changed who you were." Blaze nodded slowly, looking away in thought.

"So that means I really could've met my family in Canterlot if I had waited long enough." Blaze mussed. Flint walked in to Blaze's line of sight.

"Unfortunately... I have to tell you that no matter how long you had waited in Canterlot for them to arrive, you would've been left disappointed." Flint stated; a twinge of sadness evident in his voice.

"What exactly do you mean?" Blaze asked, focusing on Flint.

"After you left the forest on that first day, I searched the forest for your family." Flint explained. "I was going to direct them to head to another town before Canterlot, though as I searched for them I still hadn't had an idea of what reason to give, but in the end, I never had to come up with an excuse for it. When I found them, I discovered how fortunate you actually had been when you fell out of the wagon."

"W-what did you find?" Blaze asked. Flint sighed, turning his head away as he closed his eyes. "What did you find?!"

"I found a massacre." Flint stated; a pang of guilt etched across his words. "The wagon was reduced to splinters, and any supplies in it were either long gone, or as devastated as the wagon. But... but that wasn't the worst of it." Flint once again hesitated, taking a few deep breathes to calm down. "I found all of you family scattered about the clearing..." Blaze's eyes widened in horror as Flint continued, "It was hard to tell if there were three or four at first... but there were four coat colors I could find. I'm sorry Blaze, but there wasn't enough left to even burry." Blaze fell to his haunches, stricken with grief.

"I...I lost them... twice." Blaze breathed. "I lost them to my fake memories, and lost them to the world." Blaze said slowly, the full realization dawning on him as tears began to form in the corner of his eyes. "I never even said good bye to them." Flint sat down beside the shell-shocked Blaze, wrapping a leg around the pony's neck, drawing him in for a hug.

"I know how you feel." Flint muttered. "I've been there too." Flint hugged Blaze tighter as the young stallion lost the fight against his tears, and soon had streams of tears rolling down his cheeks as Flint shared in his pain, the two stallions lost to the world, and lost to time sharing in a small moment of release.


Amber stepped away from the door, the guards off for supper at her behest. She walked down the hall, the truth behind her best friend and his acquaintance weighing deeply on her shoulders as she went off to the ponies she called family, if to do not but enjoy their company with a new found respect that she had obtained.

> Chapter 26: The Rise of The Third General
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Spike walked down the hall, the guards by the doors reflexively saluting before opening the door to the long council room. Spike didn't acknowledge the two reptilous guards as he walked on through. He had just finished a particularly sensitive visit to the ponies, and wasn't exactly in the mood for pleasantries. As he walked in, Spike noticed General Gylom and Glenn along with their colonels sitting in different, ornately made seats. He bowed his head and put his arm across his chest when his gaze fell upon Greyhield lying on his large seat. Greyhield nodded in turn, motioning with one of his massive claws towards a rather imposing seat whose back was wood carved in the shape of a shield with two swords crossing behind it. Spike sat it the hard chair, leaning forward, resting his forearms on the table's surface. 

"Now that we have full representation, we may begin." Greyhield said in his usual deep, gravely tone. "As previously discussed, we shall continue to attack the pony towns that hold a certain amount of political, economic, or moral inducing importance." There was a general murmur of acknowledgement that Spike didn't share in.

"Our scouts have found a certain socioeconomic importance in the cities of Manehattan and Baltimare, among others." Glenn stated calmly, his head hung over slightly as was usual while his hands were folded together in front of him.

"There is reasonable belief that if we strike Manehattan that it will cause a significant uproar amongst the ponies, which will cause the fight to become that much harder," Gylom noted, "Not that anything ponies can bring to the table can't be beaten by our power; but it still would only serve to slow our progress on various fronts, making our conquest even harder, especially in this damnable winter weather."

"Our next target has been selected already, and so has the leader of the assault." Greyhield told the two reptilous generals. "I want both of you to put your full effort into training our newest general so that he is battle ready for when the day arrives."

"Of course my liege, who is being promoted?" Gylom asked, genuinely curious. Greyhield looked over towards Spike with a calm look.

"Spike shall become the new general of our army." Greyhield stated, to the shock of the reptilous. "I can sense the hatred that burns inside him towards the ponies of Equestria, and it would serve him well, as well as serve us well, if we let him fight in a role of prominence. Spike shall lead the armies of the riders."

"My liege, not to doubt you, but is Spike such a wise choice for fighting against the ponies?" One of the colonels asked. "He has no battle experience, and even after training, he has still lived with ponies his entire life until this point. No offense to him, but might that present itself as an obstacle to him during a fight should he meet a pony he might know, and find hard to kill even if he has been ordered to kill said pony?"

"Your concern is noted, but is unneeded." Greyhield said plainly. "Spike might have been raised by them, but the majority of ponies he knew are already under our power. Besides, he has already shown his rage to me when as soon as I gave him his strength, he attacked the pony Blaze, whom had lived with him for a rather extended period of time." The colonel nodded in response to the answer. "And as for battle experience, that is why I ask that Glenn, Gylom, and the rest of you do your utmost to train him to lead an army in battle."

"I shall be honored to train Spike to fight as a true warrior." Gylom replied with a distinct lack of facial expression or tonality accompanying his words to say what he meant by those words. Glenn nodded in silence, his presence still making Spike feel uncomfortable after his little run in with the reptilous' displeasure.

"Spike," Greyhield began again, drawing his attention back to the matter in front of them, "I do believe your time in the library and with Blaze has served you in some small measure to increase your knowledge of military tactics, but even so, I recommend asking one of the reptilous elders or the madrahciah for a roll on past tactics of great reptilous leaders along with notable tactics of other species." Spike nodded slowly.

"The madrahciah live in The Southern Gorge," Gylom explained as Spike turned to look at him as he spoke, "Ask any guard and they'll show you where it is." Spike again nodded, attempting to take mental notes of what was being said for future reference.

"This next attack shall strike a blow in the moral of the enemy." Greyhield said, breaking Spike's thoughts. "It is important that this attack be finished within a few hours of its commencement." Glenn seemed to shrink slightly at those words, the several day long battle of Stalliongrad still looming over him. "You must apply yourself diligently to your work if you are to become a general in the time left to us before the next attack shall take place."

"When exactly will it be?" Glenn asked cautiously. There was a general murmur of agreement at those words, showing all the other had the same question in their minds.

"I will not tell you." Greyhield stated. "If I told you, some of you might only take Spike's training seriously towards the end, but if I don't tell you there is a greater chance you will train him without reserve since he will be at the head of our next charge, and will need to be ready mentally and physically for said event. All I will tell you about when it is that it will be soon, and it shall be a day of great calamity for the enemy." The reptilous nodded in agreement, murmuring their support just low enough that it was hard to actually tell what they were saying.





Spike shot to the side as Gylom brought his sword down towards him, the practice session testing Spike's endurance quite harshly. Spike swung his quarter staff out at Gylom, only to have the general knock it out of the way with his sword. Spike jumped backwards, but was dragged forward into the ground without warning as Gylom grabbed his staff and yanked it towards him, pulling Spike with it. Spike tumbled face first on to the hard stone ground bellow, feeling a cold bite of the steel of the tip of Gylom's sword on his back. Spike rolled to the side, leaving his staff behind with Gylom. Gylom quickly reacted, and swung his newly acquired staff down on Spike, who fell down in a broken heap as the staff struck the small of his back.

"Good fight, but you need to fix your technique. It might work against a villager who's wielding a pitchfork, but when you face a guard with it, it won't turn out well for you." Gylom said. Spike nodded, still on the ground. "Alright, get back up." Gylom said, offering him a hand, which Spike accepted, rising back to his feet quickly.

"I'm not sure I'm entirely cut out for this type of activity." Spike confessed, rubbing his back in pain. "For most of my life I've either been organizing or lifting book along with occasional cooking."

"Greyhield believes you have it in you to become a great warrior, so there must be something in you that is yet undiscovered that will allow you to become a true warrior." Gylom stated. "But I suppose you can take a break for now and go take a visit to the madrahciah." Spike nodded, limping away from the training area, happy to be away from the pain inducing workout.

As Spike walked along, he slowly came out of his limp, as the pain slowly dulled. He occasionally asked a passing guard where the madrahciah were as he continued to attempt to find them, remembering something about a Southern Gorge.

"Where are you heading, Spike?" Spike froze as he heard the voice of Glenn coming from behind him. "Aren't you supposed to be training with Gylom at the moment?"

"Y-yeah, I did that. He decided to give me some time to rest and go to the madrahciah." Spike replied, not turning to the general.

"That is quite odd; usually you'd have to spend all the time of training ordained with the teacher of that time period." Glenn said calmly. "But at least you are taking a break from one class to go to another." Spike nodded, starting off again, only to feel his shoulder being grabbed. Suddenly he was forcefully pointed in a slightly different direction. "The Southern Gorge is in that direction. Be sure to not waste any time. Remember, I your next teacher in line." Spike nodded holding back the urge to swallow loudly. Glenn gave him a shove in the direction, and when Spike turned to look at the general, the reptilous was nowhere to be seen.

Spike finally reached a stone archway that had the words 'The Southern Gorge' carved in the stone around it. Spike walked forward, only to freeze as he saw why it was called a gorge. Before with, the cave suddenly shot downwards, off into a massive drop, the bottom of which was invisible from where Spike was, though it was obvious that it wouldn't be pleasant if any creature decided to find out by jumping from this height. 

The cavern was crisscrossed by multiple stone bridges, each looking to be extremely sturdy, starting out four meters thick at the cavern wall and decreasing to a meter and a half thick at the very center. Bellow, he observed several reptilous-like creatures crossing said bridges, entering the rooms carved into the side of the massive cavern walls, which bled light into the surrounding areas. 

The creatures looked only vaguely like reptilous, mostly because of the scales and the general reptilian look, though they were slimmer in build, not looking nearly as strong as the reptilous. They had horn growing out of the sides of their head, which curved around along the side of their heads like a ram's horns. They also appeared to have different color variations than their reptilous brethren. While as reptilous appeared to have a majority of darker, more colors of the forest, as green, black, deep blues, among other such colors, and a few brighter colors, these ones seemed to stand out more, their scales in shades of bright red, rich blue, royal purple, with scarce greens or any dark color. Each of them wore a robe of some kind that had chain links sown into the cloth, along with a few metal plates that were fixed to the shoulders and chest. The robes themselves were white, though some had a touch of brighter colors, possibly a show of ranks or age.

Spike walked along, crossing one of the bridges that was build with a slight downward slant, descending into the closest room on the other side that was just barely bellow the floor on the other side. Spike entered the room, looking at the vast amount of scrolls that were stowed away in special shelves that reminded him of the shelves in a restaurant he had been to in Manehaten that Twilight had identified as wine racks. One of the creatures was stowing some of the scrolls away into one of the racks, not noticing Spike as he walked into the room. He wore a light gray robe that had some golden lacing about the sleeves and at the collar. Metal plates were fastened to his shoulders, as well on his chest, providing some protection of areas of importance. Its scales were a bright red, with its spines, that were poking through the robe through the cloth at predetermined points, were a dark gray. 

Spike cleared his throat, attempting to gain the attention of the reptilous like creature, which seemingly ignored him. When the librarian had finished stowing the scrolls, it turned to Spike with a calm expression.

"You need something?" The librarian asked as he walked back to his desk that sat in the middle of the room. Spike slowly walked over, feeling a bit uneasy.

"Y-yes, my name is Spike, and I was sent here to get some... eh, documents on military tactics." Spike stated. The librarian put a claw on a list of names, slowly running its tip down the length of it, looking at each name slowly.

"Ah yes, Spike, the soon to be general of the riders, it is splendid to know our newest general has no knowledge in the art of war." The librarian said with a hint of disgust, and a heavy dose of sarcasm.

"It's not that I have no knowledge. I just have limited knowledge in its application." Spike defended. The librarian looked up towards him with a questioning look.

"A lack of knowledge and a lack of knowledge of how to apply what has been learned is nearly the same thing, and in the profession you are lined up to take, should be considered as dangerous, if not more so." The librarian retorted before walking over to the massive amounts of racks, pulling out a few scrolls carefully, his claws never even touching the paper, so as to not damage it.

"If it isn't too much of a bother," Spike began, the librarian turning at his words, "What exactly are you?" The librarian grabbed one last scroll, setting the lot down on the table, giving Spike a stare that showed his disbelief.

"What you mean to say is that not only is our newest general not named according to traditional ways, has no military knowledge to speak of, and doesn't even know who he will be fighting with?" The librarian asked, completely dumbfounded by Spike's lack of knowledge.

"I'm not a reptilous, and I've only lived here for a week or two." Spike replied, attempting to defend himself the best he could. "I'm actually an adolescent dragon, not a reptilous." The librarian's eyes seemed to widen in understanding.

"You're the dragon plucked from the ponies. I see, I see, it all makes sense, having been named by ponies that had no understanding of the ancient naming traditions of both reptilous of dragons, it all makes such sense." The librarian muttered, just high enough to be audible.

"Yeah... I guess it does once you know that much about me." Spike said. The librarian nodded slowly, seemingly lost in thought, the look in his eyes reminding Spike of Twilight a little bit too much. "So these are the... scrolls I'll need to read?" Spike asked, pointing one of his claws at the bundle of scrolls. The librarian suddenly snapped out of his trance.

"Ah, yes, these are the basic scrolls, though there will be many others to read at a later date once you have the basics of formations and a general understanding of their practical applications and historical uses." The librarian stated, taking the scrolls up in a gentle hand, lifting up as he used his other hand to spread a cloth out, which he laid the scrolls on. "As for your question, I am a Madrahciah of The Third Order, also known as a reptishnamadrina or, simply put, a learned reptilous. I may abound on that matter later on, but you have other matter you need to attend to." The madrahciah said, folding the cloth around the scrolls, securing it with a strong cord.

"Gertroonius, the council is... oh, you have a visitor." A voice said from behind Spike. Spike turned to see another madrahciah, robbed is a slightly fancier robe than the librarian madrahciah behind him.

"Yes, Gangglish, his is the soon to be General Spike of the Riders. He is picking up some reading material for his enjoyment and betterment." Gertroonius replied.

"I see, well, at any rate, the Council of the Elder Casters will not be patient for too long, so I suggest removing all the unimportant parts of your conversation." Gangglish replied before leaving, walking back across the bridge that went deeper into the gorge.

"So your name is Gertroonius then?" Spike asked, turning back to the librarian.

"That is my given name of the order. My name of birth is Ganatlilin, but once I joined the ranks of the higher madrahciah, I gave up my name for another, more true to the order, as any other madrahciah has done before me, and as any after me will do." Gertroonius replied. Spike nodded, understanding what he had just heard to some small degree. "Well, as Gangglish said, I mustn't waste time. I shall see you at a later time, Spike." Spike nodded again, picking up the bundle with a gentle claw as he watched Gertroonius leave the room.

Spike walked up the bridge, back to the higher level, the small bundle of scrolls slung over his back, though he carefully monitored each scroll all the same, not wanting to return any of the scroll in any state that wasn't equal or greater than that which he had received it. 

As he passed through into the caves that led back into the main body of the fortress, a heavy thud came from behind him, followed by a series of quick steps. Spike dropped the sack, turning quickly, ready for anything, only to find something hard striking him in the upper chest while another force smacked him back of his leg forward. He was slammed into the hard stone, sending his world into a whirl as he lost his sense of direction, though even that hadn't made him loose his sense of urgency as he sent a fist forward toward whatever had struck him, but his fist met nothing but air as the weight on his chest disappeared for a second, only to return with ten times the force as it smashed into him fully, without restraint, completely knocking the wind out of him.

"That would make for your death if I had any weapons at the ready." Glenn hissed into his ear. Spike would've sighed if it wasn't for the lack of air in his lungs. "Get up before I decide to follow through." Glenn said as he stood up off of Spike. Spike quickly scrambled to his feet, only bending over to pick up the scrolls, which were surprisingly still in good condition, much to Spike's relief.

"So would I be correct that that was your method of beginning your training session?" Spike asked. Glenn didn't answer, but instead sent a fist into Spike's gut, knocking the wind out of his lung once again, and followed through by grappling Spike with his other claws before shoving him into the wall, and just when Spike thought he might be done, Glenn slammed his elbow into the small of Spike's back, sending waves of pain coursing through every fiber of his being.

"You can that this is my method of honing your reflex time, and by what you're showing me so far, you need it desperately." Glenn hissed in his ear. Glenn backed off from Spike, letting the dragon recover for a moment from the pain. "Even if you are the general of the riders, you'll still have to train to fit off of your mount. The enemy might be undertrained to an extreme, and might have no true battle experience, but luck does occasionally decide the flow of battle. So to counteract luck as much as possible, you need to have skill in every possible area."

"Alright, but can you do it without inflicting so much pain?" Spike asked, only to have Glen throw another punch, his he blocked by smacking it away with his left arm. Glenn's expressionless face suddenly had a small smile across it, much to the bewilderment of Spike, until he realized what he had just done.

"That is why I inflict such pain on you. It teaches your mind that if I can land a hit on you, that it will spell out extreme pain, and so your body will automatically begin to respond whenever I so much a flinch at you." Glenn stated, satisfaction showing slightly in his voice. Spike sighed, understanding what Glenn meant, and what it meant for how he'd be feeling in the next few minutes, and most likely how he'd feel for the rest of the week.





Spike had been right about how training with Glenn would make him feel. His training session had slowly shifted from honing his reflexes, to learning to fight through extreme amount of pain. His muscles screamed with every movement, and his bones felt as if they creaked with the slightest of movements. Spike felt a wave of relief flow over him when Glenn informed him that their training period was over.

Spike decided it best for his condition to take a rest and hope his muscles were in less pain when he woke up. Spike slowly made his way through the caverns and tunnels, heading towards his room, but as he did, his thoughts began drifting slightly, only to have his thought interrupted by the sound of a heavy object wearing metal jolted him back to reality.

"Gylom," Spike said as he continued walking, "I hope you aren't here to get me back into a training session." The bulky reptilous general shook his head.

"No, I'm not that cruel." Gylom replied with a smirk. "I know very well how Glenn makes you feel after training sessions. Attempting to train you after Glenn would be a fruitless endeavor." Spike nodded, rubbing his arm, wincing slightly as another jolt of pain shot through him.

"It is pain like this that might make a guy reconsider what he's doing with his life." Spike said in a joking tone.

"Pain should be no reason to stop trying." Gylom replied in a serious tone. "Glenn might be tough on his recruits, but he has good reason to do so. In my division of the army, you only need to know how to fight with a large amount of weight on you, but with Glenn, you learn how to fight with or without weapons while using terrain advantages, as well as pushing your body to its limits even when fighting an enemy nowhere near as good as you." Spike nodded slowly.

"I guess I understand, but he still really can hurt a guy. Even if it is for a good cause, it might dissuade rising soldiers." Spike commented.

"There's where you are wrong," Gylom said, "To even get into Glenn's division, you need to pass a test that is designed to be impassable unless you can deal with pain, hardship, and every other form of oppression, both physical and mental, all at once. That is where you lose all the fresh meat that is on the fence."

"Even so, I wasn't put through that test to even see if I was slightly able to deal with all of... well, this." Spike replied.

"Are you having doubts about where you've placed your allegiance because of how Glenn treats you during his regular training sessions?" Gylom questioned. Spike opened his mouth to give a quick reply, but he cut himself off as he thought a bit deeper in if he was questioning whether he was on the right side or not.

"I guess I've been having doubts ever since I came here." Spike confided. "I guess that even though I had an initial burst of zeal for Greyhield's cause, it has slowly died down to the point I'm not sure anymore."

"To be honest, if I were any other reptilous, you wouldn't have a connection between your neck and your head," Gylom stated, causing Spike to flinch, "But as I implied before, I'm not any other reptilous, and you can keep your head in its place for a little while longer."

"Thanks for that." Spike said with a strained chuckled. "But I still don't know what exactly I should believe in this whole thing. Greyhield offered me a way to escape a future of regret and torment, but now... I guess I'm not sure if that future would've ever happened."

"I can't tell you what to believe, but I can tell you that it is a good thing a question things on occasion." Gylom replied. "It shows you truly are a soldier, not just a mindless suit of armor with a sword. All I can tell you is that you need to consider thing carefully. After all, this decision will either make or break your future." Spike nodded slowly, the swirling maelstrom of doubts and questions in his head nowhere near a resolution, though it at least felt slightly comforted in the words of a reptilous that actually seemed to care for more than his own interests.

> Chapter 27: Riders
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Spike set the scroll down, one of his claws tapping on the stem of his quill. He had been writing, or at least been making attempts at it, for nigh onto half the day. Gylom had been gracious enough to give him a free day, excusing it to Glenn as a period that would allow his muscles to actually rebuild into stronger versions, an excuse that Glenn accepted hesitantly. The papers before Spike were filled with his splendid script, perfected over years of writing letters. He read over it, unimpressed by what he had come up with. Indeed he had practiced his writing style, but his ability to transfer his thought in an eloquent manner had not caught on as well.

As he continually read over and over his pile of papers that composed a rather wretched soundly letter, the sound of his door squealing on its hinges broke him from his thoughts. He turned in his seat to see who had entered, only to see a common reptilous soldier, standing at attention.

"What is it soldier?" Spike inquired, setting his quill into the ink pot on his desk. The guard, surprisingly, remained silent, not answering immediately. "Are you alright, what's wrong?" The soldier visibly gulped, and stepped to the side, revealing Celestia and Luna, standing quite menacingly. Spike jumped to his feet, his chair clattering to the side in his haste as he drew his word, pointing it without reservations at the two pony princesses. "Celestia, how did you get free?" Spike asked incredulously.

"Good reaction time Spike," Gylom's voice said from outside of the room, the dark figure landing to the side of the two, rather still alicorns, "It appears all that training really is paying off." Spike didn't relax, even as Glenn spoke in a rather calm tone.

"Is this really a time to be discussing the effectiveness of my training?" Spike asked hesitantly. "I mean, the two most powerful alicorns of Equestria are right here, not surrounded by any guard, or any form of escort besides you, that guard, and me."

"There isn't any reason to be concerned," Glenn replied calmly, "The two princesses are well within our power. Isn't that right, ponies?" Glenn asked, his lips parting into the first sign of a smile, or any real emotion, that Spike had seen on Glenn.

"Yes, Master Glenn, we are well within your power." The two princesses said in a calm, almost monotone version of their usual voices. "We obey your commands with pleasure." Spike blinked, unsure what to make of it all.

"Can I get an explanation for why the princesses are well within our power and why they seem to be..., I don't know, out of it?" Spike asked, his sword still at the ready, though his stance was slightly more complaisant.

"I'll let Lord Greyhield explain that to you personally." Glenn replied. "I was sent here to bring you to Greyhield's throne room for your official inauguration to the reptilous army as a full fledge general." Glenn stated, motioning for Spike to come along. After a moment hesitation, Spike sheathed his sword, and walked out, taking a brief moment to throw his shield over his back.





Spike entered the grand hall, the entirety of Greyhield's massive army lining the sides of the passage to the throne. The numbers of reptilous, madrahciah, changelings, diamond dogs, and every other manner of creatures of natural and even celestial origin that stood in perfect attention astounded Spike, as he had seen how the very same creature he now saw standing in orderly rows would attack ravenously when provoked, without any sense of direction or any type of order. At the end of the long hallway, Spike saw Greyhield's grand throne, much more massive and ornate than the throne he usually sat in the regular meeting room.

Standing by the massive dragon was Gylom and his colonels, along with Glenn's colonels, though Glenn was still standing beside Spike as he entered the hall. Spike stopped a moment, taking in all of the sights to be seen around him, a sense of amazement coming over him as he looked over each of the soldiers around him, his thoughts only interrupted as the massive entry doors were shut with a resounding boom that echoed about the room, only making the hall seem that much bigger as it did.

Spike felt Glenn pushing him from behind, causing to stumble forward a few steps. Spike gave Glenn a look that spoke volumes of how fed up he was beginning to feel about the constant prodding of the reptilous general, but he moved past it soon enough, and began walking down the hallway, a line of reptilous moving forward, unsheathing their swords, crossing their blades with the reptilous in front of them. As Spike advanced, the reptilous lifted their swords, allowing him to pass slowly as the immensity of the horde that had assembled in the horde continued to sink into Spike's mind.

Spike finally came past the last two reptilous, who, as soon as he had passed, lowered their swords before sheathing their blades and stepping back into line along with their comrades. Spike looked up and saw Greyhield, who seemed all the bigger when compared with the size of his own army. In a motion of instinct, rather than a conscious choice, Spike kneeled before the great dragon, overcome with a sense of awe.

"Spike," Greyhield began, his gigantic booming voice bouncing off the cavernous walls of the hall, "This day, it pleases me, as well as all the armed forces under my command, to grant you a position in our most noble fighting force. This day, with consent of all the soldiers, and with my blessing, we offer you the position of Commanding General of the Riders, which shall charge into battle under your direction, with your banner above their heads. Do you accept this offer?" Greyhield asked, more in the form of a rhetorical question, the answer already apparent to all those present.

"I humbly accept your most gracious offer, Lord Greyhield." Spike answered, a strange sensation coming over him strange as the words came from his mouth, but felt as if they had been spoken by another.

"Then I hereby, with great gladness, present you with the mantle of the Rider's General," Greyhield replied, a reptilous coming forward, holding a deep crimson cloak that had a golden chain that linked the two steel pauldrons that would settle nicely on his shoulders, "And the choice of your stead." Spike slowly rose as Greyhield motioned towards the side. Spike looked towards where he pointed, and saw the two princesses. Spike felt sick, a feeling of despair coming over him as he realized exactly what Greyhield was going for, and what it would signify.

"I-I... choose," Spike stammered, gulping nervously as he racked his mind over the choice, "I choose... Celestia as my stead..." Spike stated, feeling very sick, almost woozy as a reptilous brought Celestia forward with a lead wrapped around her muzzle. Spike took the lead, the sick feeling in his stomach growing larger every second that he held the rope that bound Celestia.

"A wise choice, General Spike," Greyhield congratulated, "From thence forth, you shall ride Celestia, the ponies' princess of the sun, into battle." Greyhield slowly adopted a rather sinister looking smile and he looked at the princess. "And so the bringer of the sun, of light, and of life, shall become the herald of despair, of darkness, and of death." Spike swallowed loudly, feeling sicker than ever before as the massive horde of soldiers began to chant Greyhield's and his names.





Greyhield circled around Spike, Celestia, and Luna, his usual unreadable expression blocking out any readings Spike might have obtained from facial expressions.

"I suppose the question of how I made the two princesses so obedient is burning in your mind at the moment, General." Greyhield guessed as he completed another pass, only to break off to walk towards his ornate throne.

"Yes, it is cause for wonderment on my part." Spike replied, using his most polite language possible. "In my experience with them throughout my years in their courts, I have never known them to be complaisant with enemies unless they believed it to bring them an advantage which they could abuse later on." Spike explained, hoping not to offend the rather large dragon lord.

"Indeed, it is well known to me that they are quite... abstinent in their own opinions. I also realize that, on occasion, they have a stroke of tactical genius, but I assure you, that it is no cleverness on their own part that causes their sudden obedient disposition." Greyhield explained. "You are, of course, familiar with Discord's corruption spell, and Sombra's dark magic."

"Y-yes," Spike nodded, "I've had personal experience with the effects of both, though one was a bit more of a personal encounter than an observation of effects." Spike shook slightly, the doorway in Sombra's castle coming back to mind.

"Of course, well, to continue, I have made a combination of the two and used it to my advantage." Greyhield continued. "The gem aspect of Sombra's spell, along with the false reality construct, and the personality alteration of Discord's spell are mixed into one receptacle." Greyhield said, an aura of magic forming around one of his claws, which also formed around the colors of the princesses, which were both revealed to have a dark gem that crackled with dark magic. "The construct produced by Sombra's spell causes them to see the world in a different way that it really is. In this case, they see the world in a scenario in which they are fighting, and winning, in a war against me. Discord's part in the spell simply allows their mind to know it’s not real, yet still believe it with all their might, allowing responses to questions posed to them, along with the ability to control their actions without breaking the construct." Spike looked at the collars, a wave a nausea coming over him, though he succeeded at keeping his last meal inside of his body, though he once again had to confirm the fact that food doesn't taste as good the second time.

"So this means that they... are unaware of what they are doing and are completely willing to do... whatever we tell them to?" Spike asked uneasily. Greyhield nodded slowly.

"They are completely in our power, completely under our control, without a desire, or ability to break free from the spell that restrains them." Greyhield replied.





Spike stood before the massive ranks of the riders that he was in command of, his crimson cloak fluttering in the slight motion of air that made its way through the caves. Most of his soldier road large timberwolves, diamond dogs, but nearly none of them rode any type of pony, except his colonel, who rode Luna, yet another thing that made him feel far more uncomfortable.

"Riders of Greyhield," his colonel, Galintrent if Spike heard correctly, began, pacing back and forth in front of the ranks upon ranks of mounted soldiers, "You've gathered here today to meet you're new commanding officer. It has pleased Greyhield to place General Spike over you all, and you'll treat him with the same level of respect as Gylom and Glenn, if not more." The reptilouses gave a massive roar, which put a smile on Spike's face. Spike lightly snapped Celestia's reigns, causing her to walk forward slowly towards the line of soldiers, and with a practiced ease Spike didn't even have, he turned and began riding parallel to the soldiers.

"So you lot are the Riders of Greyhield?" Spike asked scornfully. "I'll see if you are worthy of carrying the name of Greyhield, much less the title of riders." Spike pulled Celestia's reigns, coming to a stop before turning towards the far end of the cave. Along the way was a massive horde of training dummies set up, some holding up pikes, while others had swords and shields. "I want one charge to destroy each of those targets, am I understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!" The reptilous shouted in unison. Spike lifted his lance, the tip pointing to the ceiling before he swung his forward, snapping Celestia's reigns as he did, his mount responding immediately, charging forward towards the targets, a smile growing on Spike as he neared the mass of targets.





The sound of quill scratching paper echoed through Spike's room, his fifth edition of the same letter turning out a small measure better than the fourth, though as he looked over it, he still found inexplicable flaw after inexplicable flaw. Phrases, mannerisms, terminologies, and the all around composition of his letter just rang something slightly off. Spike tapped his claw on his quill, rattling his mind for ideas, but he couldn't find anything that truly fit the bill he was going for. Once again, the door opened behind him, but instead of a regular guard standing in the doorway, was his colonel with the two princesses behind him.

"General, the soldiers are ready for the daily training, we are waiting on you." Galintrent stated plainly. Spike looked down at his letters, giving a sigh as he stood up, setting the quill into the pot. Spike took a second to get his cloak on, making sure the pauldron slipped over his shoulders before picking up his shield and lance.

"Then we best not keep them waiting too much longer." Spike replied, taking Celestia's reigns in his claws, a slight feeling of dread still whelming up inside of his stomach as he did. He took a second to touch his side, confirming quickly his sword was, in fact, in its usual place.

"Are we going to the usual training cave?" Galintrent asked before mounting Luna, who continued her usual look, as if she didn't realize anything was off about wearing armor, carrying a reptilous and his gear, something that still made Spike wonder how exactly Greyhield had managed to  make the collars work on the two noble princesses. "Sir?" Galintrent said, jolting Spike from his thoughts.

"Eh, No," Spike replied slowly, mounting Celestia as he did, "I think it would be best to practice in the open air for at least today. Air quality has been shown to correlate to the quality of the results given." Spike stated, hoping his rather lame excuse would be acceptable enough to the reptilous colonel, seeing as the real reason he actually wanted to practice outside was far from just being about the air quality of the space in which they practiced. He also wanted to see the world around him once more before attacking his first target, since he had barely had had time to go outside since his first arrival to the mountain castle.

"Very well, I'll go on ahead and inform the troops of the change in location." Galintrent replied, snapping Luna's reigns and charging off towards where the riders usually assembled before training. Spike sighed, leaning forward to stroke the side of Celestia's neck.

"I'm sorry for what has happened to you." Spike whispered into her ear. "I can't imagine how it must be to have no freedom to do what you want to do." Spike slowly sat back up, lightly flicking her reigns, the princess of the sun entering a light trot.





Spike and the rest of his division of the army emerged from a secret entrance that let out into a forest that sat at the base of the mountains. Spike took in a deep breath, letting the musty scent of his surroundings calm his mind, his muscles relaxing for a second as the sounds of the forest soothed his ears.

"Form two companies, we're going to put on our own mach war today." Galintrent order the soldiers, effectively ruining the moment of peace Spike had been attempting to enjoy. The soldiers nodded, several attaching blunting blocks over the sharp points of the spears and blades of their swords. Spike flicked the reigns, several soldiers following after him, joining his company of the war that was about to break out in the quiet forest.

"Sir, what's the plan of attack?" One of the soldiers asked as they rode away, his colonel staying behind to command the other company. Spike wracked his mind for an effective tactic for the terrain he was dealing with, an idea coming to him with a smile.

"Our plan of attack is quite simple, but will require a bit of effort, and a great deal of coordination amongst all of our soldiers." Spike replied, leaning forward slightly, Celestia responding immediately by picking up some speed. “This is what we’ll do…”





Spike sat on Celestia, scanning the forest for any signs of Galintrent’s soldiers, but he could neither hear nor see any signs of them. Spike motioned for the reptilous riding diamond dogs to begin the advance. The leader of that division nodded and began moving forward, his mount moving silently through the underbrush, the group of soldiers disappearing with almost frightening speed for their size. Spike adjusted his posture, stroking the side of Celestia’s neck as he waited with tense anticipation.

“Do you have any thoughts on the situation, Celestia?” Spike whispered into her ear, keeping his senses on the lookout for any signs of his, or even Galintrent’s, soldiers.

"I have no real knowledge of Galintrent's choice tactics and fighting style, so I cannot accurately determine how he will act in battle." Celestia replied blandly. Spike nodded slowly, the lack of Celestia's usual motherly tone making Spike feel more and more off. Suddenly, the snap of a twig drew the attention of all of Spike and all of his soldiers. Spike leaned forward, looking closer to see what the bush, that sound came from, concealed. As he did, a small rabbit scurried forward, and a collective sigh rolled over Spike's soldiers.

"They're upon us..." Spike muttered, "Soldiers, they're on us, take your positions." Spike ordered in a lower voice, only slightly audible to his soldiers. The reptilous quickly brought up their shields and readied their weapons. Just as they did, a mass of Galintrent's soldiers, with Galintrent heading them, broke out from the underbrush. Spike snapped Celestia's reigns, lowering his lance into position with the two meter gap he had not promising much in the way of effectiveness. Spike, surprising took out one of the timberwolves mounts of one of the soldiers, sending the reptilous flying forward, slamming into a tree. Spike dropped his lance, drawing his sword, which gave a satisfying hiss as it came out of the scabbard.

"Encircle them, no escapes!" Galintrent shouted, his soldiers quickly reacting, as they began riding in circles around the group of riders, occasionally swinging a sword out to keep their prey in check. Spike struck out, tripping one of the passing soldier's diamond dogs. Spike gave a loud, shrill whistle, causing several birds to flutter from the trees. Galintrent charged straight at Spike, and as he closed the gap, a diamond dog mounted soldier tackled him off of Luna. Spike grinned, snapping Celestia's reigns as several other of his scouts came back taking down a few of the riders that rode around the small group of timberwolf riders.

Spike smashed one of the riders across the chest, knocking him clean off of his mount, the diamond dog charging off, seemingly unaware that its rider was gone. Spike pulled Celestia's reigns back, and with a slight shift of weight, he directed Celestia into a turn, allowing him to get off another strike on a passing enemy. Spike's grin grew wider, almost as if he were mad, as he snapped Celestia's reign, charging towards the dismounted Galintrent. As Spike passed, he jumped off of Celestia, tackling his colonel to the ground.

"What are you doing, General?" Galintrent hissed as Spike lifted him in a head lock. Spike made another harsh whistle, and when he did, six of his riders surrounded him, weapons drawn. Spike planted his sword into the ground, taking out a knife, putting it to Galintrent's throat.

"Finishing this quickly." Spike whispered his reply to his colonel. "Riders of Galintrent!" Spike roared, his smile growing wider as he felt a wave of battle charged confidence. "I have your commander; I'd throw your weapons down if you want to have him back." 

"You expect that trick to work?" Galintrent asked, completely stunned, but only had Spike's smile to reply to his question. "You really need more experience in the battlefield if that's the case." Spike tightened his head lock in response.

"You don't know me well enough to judge what I'm thinking at the moment." Spike replied in a hushed tone. "Riders of Galintrent, give me your reply!" Spike shouted once more.

"Our answer to you is that you better let our commander go." One soldier replied. "We out number have beyond reason for you to be making demands on us." Spike nodded, leaning closer to Galintrent.

"Checkmate, game, set, match." Spike whispered before throwing his head back and giving an extremely loud whistle that descended in tone as it continued. Spike looked back towards the remaining soldiers on Galintrent's side with a devilish smile.

"You might not have noticed," Spike began, "But doesn't it seem like there are several soldiers not present?" He asked as the sound of a mass of riders echoed around them, a horde of both timberwolf and diamond dog riders surrounding them. "Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that that little fact now tips the table in my favor. Or is it possible for you to beat more soldiers that have yet to actually fight in this battle?" The reptilous looked around them, completely stunned at the swift entry of their foes. One of Galintrent soldiers dropped his sword, shortly followed by the sounds of clinking metal and clunking wood as the other reptilous dropped their weapons.

"Well played, General, I guess you do have a few good tricks up your sleeve." Galintrent said as Spikelet him go. "I hope that I never have to be on the receiving end of one of your attacks again." Spike nodded, sheathing his knife while removing his sword from the ground, all the while still smiling.

> Chapter 28: The Plight of a Cornered Beast
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Blaze looked over the map, the pieces moving into place as his magic slowly swept over the board. In his mind’s eye he could see the pieces turn into large companies of soldiers, charging through the battlefield. He smiled as one of his small brigades slipped past the reptilous line with only minor casualties. The small group continued on towards the walls of the city, slipping in through a drainage area.





Blaze bucked the grate out of the wall, the weakened, rusty metal giving out easily under his strength. The soldiers around him poured in through the gap, each ready for the horrors that would be on the other side. Blaze looked around quickly, ensuring that none of the enemies had seen him, and was satisfied that all of them were looking in other directions, or were otherwise occupied. Blaze turned and charged inside, his sword and shield at the ready. Surprisingly there were was no resistance to be seen.

“Move up, but stay careful.” Blaze ordered in a low tone as he began running up the slope as quietly as possible. Suddenly an arrow shot past his ear, slamming into the door post behind him. Blaze fell to the ground, lifting his shield in time to stop the next arrow. Blaze looked at the angles of both arrows, and looked to where he figured they came from, and sure enough, there was a silhouette in the dimly lit night sky. Blaze took the arrow that was lodged in the door post beside him, and launched it, though unstably as it were, right back at his target. The figured moved down, but popped back a moment later, another arrow slamming into Blaze’s shield.

“I got him, commander.” A soldier said as he charged past Blaze, reaching the other side of the street, with the sound of an arrow striking the cobbles behind him saying how close he had been to being hit. Blaze put away his shield and sword, his aura dissipating as he did, putting him back under the cover of darkness as he charged up the street. Blaze looked over to his comrade, watching as he used bins to jump u from the alleyway. The pony kicked off the wall, flapping his wings once to gain sufficient altitude to land on the roof. The pony shot along the roof top, jumping over the gap between his building and his target’s position. Blaze lit his horn for a second before diving into an alley, an arrow slamming into the wall where he had just been.

A sound of a bird tweet told Blaze all he needed to know, as the pegasus glided down with puckered lips, back to the street while giving the signal to advance. Blaze shot out of the alleyway, turning back into the street, relieved to not have to deal with arrows anymore. Blaze lit his horn once again, this time teleporting to the front gate of the fortress, appearing between two, quite surprised enemy guards, who quickly fell under Blaze’s surprise attack. Blaze stole one of the guard’s rings of keys, taking the first one in his mouth, and testing it on the lock, only to find it to be the wrong one. Blaze flipped to the next key and tested it, the lock giving a click as it popped open.

Blaze stampeded up the path towards the main building of the city, his group of soldiers directly behind him, taking care of a few more guards that had appeared. Blaze switched back to the key he had first used while nearing the doors. Blaze skidded to a stop, quickly inserting, and turning the key, the lock clicking happily as the door began to swing into the main hall. Blaze shot into the room, torches lighting the alabaster halls as he ran up to the main door that led to the mansion like structure’s main room. Blaze pivoted as he reached the door, and bucked it, sending the doors sprawling open for his comrades to charge through.

Blaze entered behind them, quickly noticing the lack of enemies in the room, but more so, noticing the disappearance of his own. Blaze lit his horn, taking his sword and shield out, reading himself for a fight. Suddenly an enemy soldier jumped out, only to have Blaze take him down with a single swipe.

Blaze scanned the area, trying to find any of his fellow soldiers, only to be faced with three more enemies who fell down from the ceiling, weapons at the ready, but Blaze was able reacted quickly, shooting a fire bolt at one, the force of the blast sending him flying backwards. One of his enemies jumped forward, bringing his weapon down hard on Blaze, but Blaze was able to bring his shield up in time to block the strike while striking back, ending his enemy quickly, only to have his other enemy tackle him. Blaze shot another blast at the enemy soldier, only to have him dodge the blast. Blaze then shoved his foe away with a blast of magic, the sword his enemy had purposed for his demise narrowly missing his muzzle.

Blaze stood up, shooting a blast at each of the seven doors in the lounge. While several of them revealed a mass of enemy soldiers, one showed him his target, the leader of this detachment of soldiers. Blaze's horn grew brighter as he prepared a spell, quickly teleporting into the room with his target, using another wave of magic to jam the doors behind him as he charged straight towards his prey.

Blaze threw a fire blast at him, the pony falling over in the blast. The stallion slowly stood back up, shaking himself from the blast. He hit a small device, which gave a happy little bell sound. The stallion gave a whistle before jumping down the steps.

"Not bad, not bad at all." Flint, who still insisted to be called such, stated with a small grin as he used his golden aura to lift his hood back up. "Ten minutes and forty-two from the starting flare to the time when you got in here and struck me. You're getting amazingly efficient at these quick entrance tactics." Blaze nodded in response, thinking quietly as he walked back towards the doors. The doors flew open, the enemy ponies pouring in, only to realize the exercise was over.

"Good job ponies, but remember, defense team, you’re also trying to win." Blaze shouted as he entered the main hall of one of the unused mansions of the great unicorn city. "Remember, you are training to be able defend any city from a reptilous attack. I want you to really feel as if my team and I are reptilous, or changelings, if it helps." The ponies nodded, several barring an ink mark on their sides, showing their injuries received through the course of the practice battle.

"Alright, soldiers get down the hill and wash up." Flint ordered as he came up beside Blaze. "Defense is now the attacking side, and you all already know your parts in the plan we discussed. I want us to be able to beat Blaze's time." The soldiers that wore a red sashes all gave a cheer as they exited the building, some wiping their marker marks as they went.

"Take up positions; I want to be able to stop them cold in their tracks." Blaze shouted, his blue wearing soldiers giving a cheer as they went to their positions. Blaze turned around, three of his soldier following him into one of the seven possible throne rooms. The third time for their defensive turn was the time Blaze was hoping to use to show his true tactical prowess, though his soldiers were tired, and probably wouldn't be able to perform as well as they probably could.

Blaze sat down at the table that had been set up, pieces quickly arrange in their previous positions. Blaze quickly looked over them, the three main routes appearing like neon streaks, but somehow Flint had made it past him without triggering any alarms. Blaze was bound and determined to find out how, even if it would mean using some less than usual techniques.





The training had gone on for the rest of the night, and far into the afternoon hours, and yet Blaze kept his soldiers going, determined not only to stop Flint, but also determined to make a fighting machine that could defeat the reptilous, no matter the odds. 

Each time Blaze attacked, he'd set a record, while each time Flint attacked, his time would be so close to Blaze's that it got on the young unicorn's nerves as he called on his soldier to perform better each time, even having them stay on their position for five hours longer than Flint's, only calling the refresher troops in at twelve in the afternoon when they were far too exhausted to continue after taking their fifteenth turn at attacking Flint's force.

The results of the long hours of training were a bunch of exhausted soldiers that were proud of their progress, and a commander who could only think of way to improve their performance. Even though he had been awake since seven in the morning the previous morning, Blaze continued to fight off fatigue as he trained harder and harder in mental, physical, and magical abilities until he too fell to exhaustion, finally collapsing while running an obstacle course at nine in the night.





"We need more supplies, the rations we came with are nearly out, and the city is nowhere near able to support a sudden population increase the size of our army." A lieutenant stated, pushing a small board filled with paper to Blaze.

"What would be necessary to make them able to be able to handle an increase of said size?" Blaze asked, pushing the paper back without looking at them. The pony tapped his chin in thought.

"They'd need about four times the amount of farmland, and the problem with that, most of the ground around this city is frozen and is untilled." The pony stated."So unless the terrain suddenly began tilled and unfrozen it would be impossible for this city to be able to support our soldiers, and that would only help next year during the next harvest."

"Consider it done..." Blaze said plainly as he stood and walked away, leaving a confused pony, who quickly became concerned, and then with a dash of realization, became shocked. 

"S-sir, you can't possibly think t-that you'll be able to clear out all the ground in time for planting?" The soldier asked in desperation as Blaze walked on, seemingly unfazed.

"If they need four times the ground to be tilled to support out soldiers, I think that said soldiers can help till that field which will bare them food in the war to come." Blaze replied, not turning to look at the soldier as he marched on towards where his soldier waited every morning for orders about their daily training.

"B-but sir, it's freezing out there! There's no way you'd be able to till that ground without taking away the ice that permeates the ground all the year round." The soldier clambered desperately, attempting to reason to the head strong Blaze. Blaze simply lit his horn, a ball of fire appearing beside him. The soldier froze in his tracks as Blaze expanded the fire ball until it obscured his vision of the young unicorn. Blaze then made the fire disappear as he continued to walk towards the balcony.

"It seems ponies keep on forgetting who I am and what I'm capable of." Blaze muttered as he approached the doors that led out to the platform, his orders already forming in his mind, the words settling into a cohesive speech.





Blaze stood in the freezing cold plains, the wind that rushed around the city making the ponies behind him shiver. He took a few more steps into the snow, lighting his horn as he went, gathering his magic for a spell that would get the job over and done with. He released the spell in a burst of silver magic that quickly began morphing, forming into a mass of fire that descended on the frozen fields before him. The ice began melting, forming pools of water that began boiling off into gigantic plumes of steam that floated  off into the sky as Blaze continued to lower the field of fire onto the ground, the frozen earth slowly becoming mushy with melted permafrost before sizzling off into dry earth. Blaze spread the fire out, the snow, ice, and water dying away to reveal fertile, if not slightly rocky terrain, and even though the temperatures were freezing, Blaze began sweating as he continued to pour magic into his spell.

Blaze shut his eyes as he continued to make the spell even larger, sending occasional waves of fire over the already defrosted terrain to ensure it was remaining unfrozen; the fields around the castle slowly began to look more and more like unattended farmland instead of forsaken frost wasteland as Blaze's hooves dug ever deeper into the ground below him as he pulled every last bit of magical power from his being and into the spell. He began gritting his teeth as he continued to pull in more and more energy, draining power from the land as he continued to do his spell.

At long last, Blaze collapsed, unable to continue the tiring task of remaking the land. He cracked his eyes open to see the ground all around the castle looking like freshly turned ground, even holding some ancient farming tools that had been left behind when it had first frozen over. Blaze shakily rose to his hooves and turned to the crowd of farm ponies and soldiers that watched him in a state of wonderment.

"I'd say that..." Blaze began, cut off by a sharp pain in his head that made him fall to his knees as he fought against it, "T-that there's work needing... to be done." Blaze said in nearly a whisper as he closed his eyes again and gritted his teeth against the searing pain in his skull. Several soldiers rushed out to help him, but Blaze pushed them back with what little strength he had remaining, and began to march back to the city's walls, only to collapse after a few steps.

"Sir, you’re hurt, we need to get you to the infirmary. Please stay calm and let us help you." One of them pleaded with Blaze. Blaze stubbornly stood back up, walking ever slower as the pain grew several magnitudes greater.

"I won't be weak. I can make it on my own." Blaze hissed through the pain as he continued to walk forward, the soldiers flanking him as he did, ready to catch him if he even teetered too far to either side.

"Sir, you're unfit to doing anything right now, please just rest and let us take care of you before you hurt yourself any further." The soldier continued to reason with Blaze. Blaze zoned the soldier out, his vision set firmly on the front gate of the city, his nerves screaming out as he continued to fight against them. "Sir, please, just stay calm and let us assist you back to the clinic."

"I'm not going to give up, I'm never going to surrender; I need to win." Blaze growled through his gritted teeth. "I need to show them that I'm not a weakling, I... I need to show them that I'm as strong as any of them, if not all of them."

"Sir, hurting yourself won't prove anything, you need to rest." The soldier begged, but his pleas fell on deaf ears as Blaze pressed on, continually slower as the pain grew greater and greater. "Sir," The soldier said in a more assertive tone, "You need to let us help you before you hurt yourself more than you already have." Blaze shot him a death glare before pressing on, gaining little ground, his target seeming even farther away than when he had started.

"I can do this; I'm not a weak colt who needs to be looked after. I'm a soldier of the princesses, and I will not lose to anyone, not even to my own weakness or physical limitations!" Blaze roared as he pressed on, several of the soldier and farmers that stood watching growing more and more shocked as they watched the young stallion continue his death match towards the city. Several began walking beside him, giving him a shoulder to lean against.

"Yes sir, you'll make it to that city." One of them said with a confident smile. "And we are with you every step of the way." Blaze continued push onwards not even noticing the soldiers around him that began clearing the snow away from the path, ensuring a clear path for his journey. As he continued, several soldiers on the walls turned to watch, seeing one lone blazing red figure in armor surrounded by stallions ready and willing to help him, and as if they were watching a mighty warrior slaying Greyhield, they began cheering loudly, calling for their commander to continue pressing on against the odds.

Blaze finally stepped through the gates, a mass of medical officers waiting for him with a small on site clinic set up in the street. Blaze slowly walked into the tent, the soldiers moving away, to let him take the last few, heroic steps into the white tent, a cheer passing over the crowd that assembled to watch the weakened, and yet stubbornly confident, warrior finish his journey, as if he had finished a march all around Equestria and back. Blaze finally collapsed into the embrace of a soft medical mattress, a horde of doctors surrounding him as he did, already beginning to examine him as he slowly drifted into unconsciousness.





Blaze slowly began to wake up, strangely feeling the absence of bandages that he had expected after waking up in a strange bed after having no memory of how he had fallen asleep. Blaze shifted onto his side, a bolt of pain shooting through his skull. Blaze recalled small details about his long trek back to city, vague images and sensations as if he were surrounded by a mass of ponies.

"So, is he going to be alright?" Blaze heard Flints voice ask somepony else. He had apparently woken up in the middle of a conversation, almost serendipitously when the conversation seemed to turn its focus on his well being.

"The only damage he received is to his magic." A pony replied, most likely his doctor. "Like any muscle of physical ability, you can train your magic, accomplishing greater tasks which force your magic to grow in power and magnitude, but also like a muscle, you can over do any work out and strain yourself to the point of breaking. Without any testing while he's awake, I can wager that his magical abilities will be going through a season of inability to accomplish any task, even the most minor of things."

"Y-you mean I can't do magic anymore." Blaze interrupted hoarsely, propping himself up shakily to face the two ponies, still feeling rather drowsy. The doctor looked at him and gave a sigh.

"Oh good, you're awake." The doctor mumbled to nopony in particular. "To answer your question, you will be able to use your magic again eventually, but not anytime soon unless you want to completely destroy your magical abilities. By what I'm told, you did something rather insane earlier today, melting more than half of the fields around the city in one go, and then proceeded to give an encore in your performance of stupidity by stubbornly walking back here without letting anypony help you in any way which would have actually been beneficial to your condition."

"Doctor," Flint interjected, "I think he gets the picture. He went a bit overboard with his actions, but he had the best of intentions while doing so. I'm sure if this was anything else he'd taken it easy." The doctor huffed, obviously disgruntled at Flint for the interruption.

"Good intentions or not, he's hurt himself in such a way that it'll take more than a bandage to fix him up." The doctor retorted. "If he wasn't such a stubborn piece of work, he'd be long gone by now." The doctor finished, taking a few steps towards the door. "Oh, and if your good intentions take you to death, don't come crying to me, because one of these days, mark my words one of these days..." The doctor trailed off, the flap of the medical tent waving behind him as he exited. Flint gazed after the medic, his thought elsewhere, made evident by the look Blaze saw in his eyes.

"I messed up royally..." Blaze groaned, laying back down into the rather uncomfortable cot. Flint looked over at him, a look of surprise plastered across his face. "I should've known when to stop. I have my limits, it's... it's just so hard to not try and show the other ponies I'm worth the trust they put in me."

"Blaze, these ponies couldn't ask for a better leader than what they already have." Flint said calmly. "You combine the knowledge of tactics along with the ability to join them in battle and hold your own, and even excel far beyond what they expect or can do themselves. Don't despise your youth because it means you've had less time to gain experience. Your age is your greatest advantage because it allows you to grow into a role that others might have a hard time fitting in, and it also means that you aren't at your fullest yet."

"It also means I have trouble with my temper, my tendency to show off, and the overall fact that everypony else under estimates me, no matter what I say or do." Blaze shot back. "Sure, I'm not at my peak performance, but I need to be for all these ponies sakes, but even though I try so hard, they still think I'm weak because I'm not even seventeen yet, much less the mean age of twenty-one of the other soldiers."

"Well," Flint began, taking a few steps out towards the entrance of the tent, “I think at least a few of the soldiers now think you're at least worthy enough to give a chance." Blaze turned his head to look at Flint, watching him as he left with a curious look. Blaze rolled out of the cot and onto his hooves, pleased to find his legs didn't give out when he depended on them the most. Blaze walked out the tent, the beams of sunshine he was met with almost blinding him, but the fact that he actually felt slightly warm was the thing he felt most surprised about. The thing he was most surprised about was the fact that there was a crowd of ponies all around him cheering his name.

Flint turned to look back at him with a smile that was barely visible under his hood. Blaze took a few more steps out into the open, still reeling as his mind tried to understand why so many ponies would be cheering for him, especially as he was exiting from a tent that showed that he was as weak as many of them doubtlessly though he was.

"I believe some of these ponies might have found it amazing you singlehoofedly melted more than half the fields around the city in one go, which, by the way, is equivalent to adding almost six and a half times the amount of farm land they had previously to the total." Flint stated matter-of-factly. Blaze gave a small uncomfortable chuckle as he looked in awe at how many ponies were gathered around him. "I think there's a slight chance they might be expecting a speech, especially after the fact that they helped you get back here on your own four hooves." Blaze looked over at Flint, who nodded his head towards a small stage that had been set up. Blaze swallowed and began walking over to it, feeling a sense of déjà vu as he did. Blaze stepped up onto the podium, his gaze looking over all of the ponies that were gathered around him He cleared his throat and began his impromptu speech as best as he could.

"I've been told that in my absence that everypony was banded together to start working towards a year in which we can feed everypony," Blaze began, "I've also been told that some among you are, in certain ways, impressed with what I was able to accomplish. I want to tell you that what you are doing, tilling the ground, preparing it for planting crops, is truly the hard work. You all are this cities heroes, and deserve a great deal of praise. No matter what I had done, if it weren't for your hard work and sacrifice, we'd have a field dirt and nothing more, but because of all of you working as hard as you have, we will have enough fields to plant food for all the ponies of this city and of the Equestrian army." Again the ponies cheered as Blaze stepped off of the stage. Flint walked up to him, his grin visible.

"If I didn't know you as the hotheaded, show off you were, I'd think you were being sincere." Flint said jokingly. "I'd suspect you boasting about how your abilities have surpassed the physical plain and how you are now with the very magical essence of the universe and are now more than able to defeat Greyhield without so much as batting an eye." Blaze shook his head with his own smile growing.

"I was being honest. No matter what I might have done, directly after I was put out of commission, I would've had no way of making sure they had worked at all, and yet I know they have begun the work of preparing the fields." Blaze replied.

"That's another thing, how did you know that they had started the work already? I didn't tell you, and I doubt you were awake enough to see them start while you were limping back to the city." Flint commented, looking Blaze up and down.

"It was easy really," Blaze explained, "More than half the crowd was covered in dirt. I honestly had a hard time telling if some of the ponies were naturally brown, or just extremely filthy, but when they were cheering, it became all the more obvious as they made a dust cloud appear." Flint gave a hearty laugh in response.

"I guess that would make it pretty obvious that they had been working out in the fields, huh?" Flint said, continuing to laugh, not even noticing Blaze had already moved on, his path heading straight for the fields.

> Chapter 29: Fading Hope
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Shining Armor walked along one of the many walking paths that jutted out from the Crystal palace, his gaze fixed a nonexistent distant object, his though somewhere else as he past scores upon scores of guards. He thought about the new he had received from Canterlot refugees a few weeks ago, about how the very capital of Equestria had fallen to another army's might, something that seemed impossible to the captain, but yet was undeniable. Shining smelled something fishy, almost more so when he had heard the news that prior to those events that Celestia had allowed a young stallion with no military history before that point become the head trainer of the entire guard. Shining could only hope that part of the report was exaggerated.

"Shining dear, are you coming inside?" He heard Cadence ask him in a quiet tone. He turned to the door and saw her standing looking quite worn out.

"Soon enough dear, I want to walk around the perimeter one more time before turning in." Shining Armor replied, looking back out towards the city. Most of the houses were already dark, and the street lamps were starting to run low on oil as the moon slowly declined in the sky.

"You've already gone around the castle fifteen times, and trust me, I've counted." Cadence pointed out. "Come inside, you need your rest as much as anypony else here." Shining looked back towards his wife, taking a moment to appreciate how lovely she looked in the dim moonlight, especially with how her eyes were only half open, it just gave her an air of beauty.

"Alright, I guess I can spare the castle the sixteenth lap." Shining complied, walking in towards the castle. "Report directly to me if anything seems off." Shining Armor ordered one of the soldiers that stood by the door. The pony gave a short salute before continuing to act like a statue. Shining entered the palace proper, the double doors shutting behind him, leaving him along with his wife in the coolness of the hall. Shining nuzzled his wife who gave a small purr of delight.

"I've had dinner kept hot for you." She whispered. "Broccoli soup, just the way you like it." Shining smiled; rubbing his cheek against her cheek for a few more second.

"The way I like it is with a lovely mare sitting across the table from me." Shining said slyly. "Did you eat yet?" Cadence chuckled softly.

"No, I guessed you'd like company while you ate." Cadence replied, pulling back and looking into her husband's eyes. "Better sooner than later?" She asked. Shining chuckled in response before his wife began walking down the hall towards the dining room. His stomach gave a light rumble, edging him to follow, which he did without complaint. Suddenly, the doors to the hall flew open, catching Shining's attention in an instant.

Turning, he watched as one of the guards was slammed against the wall across the hall, stuck fast to it by green goo. Shining prepared a combat spell while drawing his spear, readying himself for a fight, only to hear a window being bashed in behind him, accompanied with a scream from his wife. Shining turned, watching as a changeling shot into the hallway between him and Cadence. Shining picked up the beast by the hooves with a wave of magic and shot him right back through the window before he popped up a shield around Cadence.

"Don' move," He ordered, "That shield is small enough that it should hold for a while without intervention on your part." Cadence nodded, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself, only to shriek and point behind Shining. Shining turned quickly, readying his spear, only to receive a blow across the snout from some sort of club. Enraged, Shining turned the once alive changeling into a shish kabob.

Pulling his lance out of the creature, he quickly shut the door to the hallway while placing a shield on the broken window. He looked around, but saw no other changelings; he couldn't even hear any signs of movements.

"Alright, I think we're in the clear for now, but we need to move." Shining commented; lower the shield around his wife while turning to look at her. "Get to our room; I'll be right behind you." Cadence nodded and began running back the hall. Shining made one last inspection of the hall before galloping after Cadence. As he did, three changelings broke through a window in front of him. Acting quickly, he put up a shield around them, locking them inside as he ran on past them as they scratched and gnawed at the barrier. 

Shining rounded a corner, only to find Cadence cornered by three changelings. Shining drew back his lips into a snarl and then let out a battle cry as he went into a full blow gallop that caused the changelings turn to see their approaching doom.

"Don't touch my wife!" He roared as he skewered one into the floor while wrapping one of the other two changeling's heads in a field of magic, which he violently sent backward while keeping the rest of the body stiff. Shining pivoted on the last step, and bucked the last changeling in the throat, which smashed the monster into the crystal wall.

"Shining..." Cadence breathed. Shining Armor looked at her, quickly checking for blood, but upon finding none, he motioned with his head for her to go on ahead. She nodded before running off again, Shining keeping pace right behind her as they took the last corner to the stairs that led to their room. The couple skidded to a halt, a small battalion of changelings standing in front of the passage way. 

"You'll get out of my way if you know what's good for you all." Shining said with a death stare that caused several of the changelings to flinch away. Shining twirled his spear while his horn grew brighter as he prepared a spell. The changelings, instead of cowering as he had expected, took up battle positions, readying their own weapons. Suddenly the group was deafened by a loud crash, like the shattering of glass. Shining Armor looked behind him briefly, and what see saw made his stomach drop. The wall of the palace that faced the exterior that was right behind them was no longer there, replaced by shattered crystal and a gigantic metal spear that was connected to a chain.

"Shining, look out!" Cadence shouted, bringing his attention back to the situation before him. He quickly turned back, only to be bucked in the face, sending him sprawling on his back. He shot his lance out, catching the offender, skewering the beast to the ceiling. Shining pulled on the spear, but it stayed stuck in the crystal ceiling. He let go of it with a huff of frustration and grabbed the remaining changelings in a magical orb and slammed them against the wall.

Suddenly Shining felt the floor come out from under him, but he saw no magical aura around him as he bumped against the ceiling. Shining tried to swim through the air but found he couldn’t move. As he struggled, an apparition fazed in through the floor, covered in a set a dark armor, its arms crossed in front of it, its back turned towards Shining. It began laughing manically, cocking its head back as it continued. It slowly turned inside of its armored, lowering its head to look Shining in the eye.

"Discord, I never did trust you after you joined Tirek." Shining growled, only causing Discord to laugh some more before whipping a tear from his eye with a talon.

"The sad thing was that you actually would've been wrong to not trust after that, I actually was converted back to the pony way."  Discord replied with a contemptuous smirk. "More to the point would be to not trust me ever since I reunited with Greyhield. On a side note, do you like my new look?" Discord asked, stretching his arms out, inspecting the pieces of dark armor. "Or do you think I'd look better in a lighter shade?"

"Discord, stop toying with your prey…" A sickening familiar voice said. Shining craned his head to look under him, and saw the black, hole filled mare.

"Chrysalis..." Shining hissed. Chrysalis looked up at him, a small smile gracing her features as she whistled at him, her smile only growing as she did.

"Shining, dear, imagine seeing you here, and after all this time." She teased. "How's your wife been? I hope you like being married to a simple princess instead of being married to a queen of an entire empire." Shining Armor growled at her in response. "Of course you'd probably say something of the 'true love is better than power' speech."

"You won't get away with this." Shining stated, still stuck to the ceiling. Chrysalis rolled her eyes with a sigh.

"I've missed your extreme amounts of love, but I've yet to miss your repetitive lines about love conquering all. You really should learn to diversify your vocabulary and list of possible come backs for statements made by those who have greater strength than you at the moment." Chrysalis replied dryly.

"For giving Discord advice, you certainly don't follow said advice." A dark, feminine voice commented behind him. Shining tried to look towards the source, but he couldn't move enough in Discord's grasp to see the newcomer. "I suggest we move on and find Cadence before the soldiers have to kill too many more ponies. It might be good sport, but dead bodies don't work in mines as well as living creatures." Shining Armor's heart felt as if it had stopped as the voice mentioned his wife. He strained to look around Discord, and noticed his wife was no longer there.

"I suppose you're right, Moo moo, but it isn't as fun to get right to the punch sometimes." Discord replied with a sigh. "Sometimes it just feels better to have fun and toy with your prey for a while and then dash their hopes of victory after pulling them along."

"You are, but in this case it is according our orders to find Cadence as quickly as possible. Greyhield has little sense of humor or fun; he's much more driven than any of us." Chrysalis commented, moving past the draconequus.

"I suppose you're right..." Discord muttered, his shoulders sagging visibly underneath his armor as he began floating away. Discord then seemed to brighten as he turned and snapped his talons. Suddenly Shining was slammed into the floor, and then was dragged across the floor, smashing into the wall, then back into the ceiling. He finally dropped to the floor, his muscles screaming and his head spinning. "Enjoy the rest of the day Shiny." Discord said in a joyful tone as he walked away, following Chrysalis as she began searching for their target. Shining tried to get up, but felt a strong hoof pin his head to the ground.

"If I were you, I'd stay down until you hear your wife scream." The voice hissed in his ear, only making him more infuriated. Shining relaxed, letting his muscles go limp with an enraged hiss. "That's better, now just stay down and this won't take too long and won't be too painful." The being said as it walked on past him, looking to and fro for where Cadence might be.

"She's not in the throne room..." Chrysalis reported, emerging from the crystal hall, "Perhaps she's in the kitchen. The types of foods the ponies presented to me while I was disguised as her gave me the impression that she liked to eat a great deal of sweet treats, much like her aunt."

"She isn't in the castle's main tower." Discord said as he slithered into the room from the stairs. "Perhaps little Shiny-whinny has an idea as to her location." He suggested with a devilish smile.

"Yes, perhaps he does know where his mare has scampered off to." The unnamed presence agreed. Chrysalis shrugged her shoulders before walking over to the pony. She lowered her head to look Shining Armor in the eye, her lips parting to show her malicious smirk.

"So, tell me what you know right now, or I make things get very ugly very fast." She said calmly. Shining felt his weight lift off the floor, Discord's talons glowing with a magical energy.

"You think I actually know where she is?" Shining asked, his smirk growing. "She does as she will in this castle. Even if I tried to get her under control, I doubt any measures I take will keep her from doing as she will." Chrysalis chuckled lightly.

"I see who has the dominant position in your relationship." She remarked. "But I still have my own doubts about you not knowing where your wife is. After all, ponies seem to have an obsession with the 'love of their life' that is almost comparable to how we changelings act. So tell me, where is she?" Shining didn't respond, his muzzle firmly shut, counting each second as an extra second for Cadence. "Very well, Discord, loosen his tongue." Discord nodded, his smile growing more and more menacing as he came closer o the abstinent guard pony.

"Well, Shining, let's see if I can't convince you to tell us where our little precious pretty princess pony has pranced off to." Discord said slyly as he tapped Shining on the head, and bolt of pain shooting from the point of impact, along his spine, branching out into every corner of his being, all the way to the very tip of his tail. Shining held back a scream as tears whelmed up in his eyes. Discord sighed and tapped him again, the pain scorching through Shining once more, this time with twice the strength, causing him to whimper as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"I admire your persistence to keep your mare safe, but it is only a matter of time before she is caught." Chrysalis said nonchalantly. "How about you save her a bit of running and just tell us where to find her?" As she finished, Discord tapped him again, the pain growing stronger and lingering for much longer than before. "Do it again, Discord, make him scream." Discord materialized a sleeve on his talon arm, which he rolled back with his paw before tapping Shining Armor again. Shining let out a wail as the pain overloaded his senses.

"K-kitchen, s-she's probably in the kitchen!" Shining screamed, his options running low as he tried to give his wife the time she needed. Discord picked him up and looked at him closely. "T-there's a secret... safe room in the kitchen area…" He breathed. Discord smiled in satisfaction before tossing him away like a displeasing toy.

"I should've figured as much..." Chrysalis grumbled as she walked away, the two others following behind her while Shining stayed in the corner, unwilling and unable to move as the pain continued to crackle through his body. As he lay there, he heard hoofsteps rushing towards him. He pushed himself up slightly, looking towards the source of the sound, and when he had, he almost regretted doing so, as Cadence burst from the stairwell. Shining collapsed back to the floor and closed his eyes, not wanting to know where she went, but the hoof strikes were distinctly coming towards him, no matter how hard he tried to tune out any sound from around him.

"Shining, what happened?" She asked, putting a hoof on his shoulder, her motherly tone showing through in all its glory. Shining pulled away from her.

"You need to leave now, take nothing, and just go." Shining ordered. "Don't tell me where you'll go, I don't want to know, just leave now and don't return."

"B-but, Shining, you're hurt, you need medical attention." Cadence pleaded, trying to lift her husband up from the floor. Shining firmly planted his sore, aching body on the floor, completely unwilling to move from his spot on the floor.

"No, just go." He said, trying to not raise his voice as he clenched his eye even harder. "I'd just slow you down unnecessarily. You need to escape while there's still time to do so. Chrysalis and Discord are already looking for you, and they aren't willing to pull any punches. I need you to get somewhere safe, so just leave."

"B-but, I need you." Cadence begged. "Please, just come with me, we can escape together, we can make it through this." Shining shook his head slowly.

"I'm to hurt, I can't move fast enough to make sure you can make it out, so just get going, and don't turn back." He ordered, his horn beginning to glow.

"I won't... I can't leave without you. I need-" Cadence was suddenly cut off as Shining Armor used his last bit of strength to teleport her away from the city. Shining opened his eyes once more, his brows furrowed. Chrysalis emerged from the stairs and looked around, smiling as she saw her prey still in the same spot.

"You know, I've been thinking a little." Chrysalis began, walking up to the pony slowly, her smile growing as she drew closer.

"I hope you didn't hurt yourself. Trying something so new without preparation can be a strain." Shining Armor jabbed.

"Oh, Shining, your humor never ceases to amaze me." Chrysalis replied blandly as she came closer to him, her smile disappearing in an instant. Chrysalis' horn was enveloped with a sickly grew aura, that quickly appeared around Shining's neck, lifting him off the floor. "Now, I know how much I would love to find Cadence with a face full of cake during an invasion, and I also know how much you know how much I'd love that."

"My, you really have been thinking quite a bit." Shining choked as he struggled to loosen Chrysalis' magical grip. "That's quite the convoluted thought you've come up with."

"Be quite, I'm not finished." Chrysalis hissed, tightening her grip on his throat even more. "As I was saying, I know how you know me, and so I can say, with a certain amount of certainty, that Cadence is, in all likelihood, nowhere near the kitchen. So, working on that premise," She suddenly jerked Shining closer to her, their muzzle only a few centimeters away from touching, "tell me where she actually is." Shining drew in a small breath, Chrysalis' smile growing larger as he struggled. Shining looked at her, and then spat on her face. She wiped the saliva from her face, her expression becoming much more serious. "It’s your funeral, Shining." Shining was thrown against the wall, flopping on the floor with a heavy thud.

"Interrogations go smoother if the subject can actually keep his memories intact." Shining said as he tried to stand back up. "Of course you seem to have other ideas for me than interrogations."

"You'd be correct about me having other plans for you." Chrysalis said with a smirk appearing on her muzzle. "Said plans I refer to do not need you to have much of any memories, or even much of a body, left." She said, lifting Shining Armor again, slamming him into the ceiling before dropping him. Shining again tried to stand back up, his stubbornness, and desire to give Cadence more time, keeping him from giving up to unconsciousness. As he finally rose to his hooves, his hooves were taken out from under him, his head smashing against the floor. "You know you could always end your suffering." Chrysalis taunted, a spear dropping in front of him. "After all, your life from this point on won't get much better, unless you'd consider the days that have a few minutes less of beating better than days where you are abused for hours without end."

"You want me to kill myself and save myself the pain I'd experience otherwise?" Shining asked, eyeing the changeling queen suspiciously. She simply gave a shrug.

"It's really up to you to decide whether you want to go through endless years of pain, only to die of old age, or when your body just can't take another beating." Chrysalis said without a care. "I can spare enough time to beat you most every day, but if you kill yourself it'll save me that much time."

"You must be more of a fool if you think I'd ever choose to kill myself." Shining Armor spat as he tried to stand back up. "I've got have too much I have to live for, even if it means pain is a major part of it." Chrysalis shrugged.

"Your choice, as I said." She said, sending Shining into the far wall, and then into the ceiling before dropping him to the floor. "But it really, it would be much better to end it sooner than later, am I not right?" Shining rose from the floor and stared Chrysalis down. "You seem intent on showing you can take a beating. Let's see how long you can take it." With that, Chrysalis used her magic to snap Shining Armor's left front leg in the opposite direction. Shining yelled, falling down once again, the pain overcoming all his senses.

"Am I missing out on something good up here?" Discord asked, his head poking through the floor. "Oh, giving the old chap another go around I see. Can I have a go at it?" The changeling queen nodded with a smirk, stepping back to give Discord some space. Discord rose up from the floor, a whip curled up behind his back. "So, are you going to talk, or do I have to take my anger issues out on you?" Discord asked slyly. Shining Armor looked up at Discord, gritting his teeth against the pain of his backwards leg. "Well, I'll take that as the answer that gives me the most fun with you.

"Just don't kill to quickly, Discord; I hear ponies get all the more entertaining when they are under more pain." Chrysalis mentioned as she took a seat on the floor, preparing herself to enjoy the show. Discord cracked his knuckles and snapped his whip in the air.

"Do your worst, Discord," Shining hissed, "I couldn't care less what you do to me." Discord gave a laugh, lifting Shining in the grasp of his magic.

"Oh silly little Shining Armor," Discord chuckled, "I don't really care what I end up doing to you either. So, what happens when neither the prisoner nor the torturer have a care for what the captor does to the prisoner?" Discord idly used his magic to snap Shining other front leg into the opposite direction. "Small hint: it rhymes with 'sizzler flying'." Discord began pushing Shining's neck back slowly. "And if that wasn't obvious enough..." Shining felt another jolt of pain wrack his body as he was slammed into the wall, "I'll probably end up ending your misery, permanently."

"What are you two fools doing up here?" The unknown voice asked, a dark blob appearing in Shining's vision, the pain that screeched through his body impairing his senses.

"Well, since the princess will be found sooner or later, we thought we could enjoy ourselves while trying to get some information." Discord replied with a shrug.

"And I suppose neither of you see the stupid mistake you're both making while spending time torturing this pony?" The being asked the two of them with a snarky tone of voice.

"I suppose we don't since we are still doing it." Chrysalis replied. "Suppose you enlighten us as to our mistake in torturing this pony for fun and the probability of some clues as to her location seeing as the kitchen was a bust."

"While you're toying with him," The voice began, "You give Cadence enough time to run away far enough that we won't be able to catch her no matter how hard we try. We are dealing with an alicorn, and I doubt she is just galloping around with all that magic see has access to." Discord dropped Shining Armor as he looked at Chrysalis with a raised eyebrow.

"You mean we've been played by a stupid little pony?" Discord asked, kicking Shining to punctuate his statement.

"That pretty much some up what I just said, so the answer is yes. You have, in fact, been played for a fool, taken for an idiot, and otherwise been taken advantage of by a pesky puny pathetic pony."

"Alliterations are my thing, Moony, and on a side note," Discord grabbed Shining Armor by the collar, "How dare you play me for the fool and trick me into paying you far too much attention in the exact way I am doing right now. You are too tricky for your own good." And with that, Shining was once again tossed across the room. "So, are we getting on the road to see if we can find our little pretty pony princess?"

"If we don't start now it would be fair to say that we'll never make it to her before she entered enemy lines." The unknown voice replied, the sound of hooves marching off told Shining that the group was leaving, only to see Chrysalis standing in front of him, a spear dropping at her hooves, right in front of his muzzle.

"How about it, Shining Armor; end it now and make it easier on yourself?" She asked. Shining slowly lit his horn, his magical aura wrapping around the spear, lifting it up. He shot it at the changeling queen, who easily deflected the attack before walking away. “I guess you must enjoy pain then." She commented as she left the room, leaving Shining along with his thoughts and pain.

> Chapter 30: A Fighting Chance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  "They just... they came out of nowhere and overtook the palace guards. We stood no chance of defeating them; we couldn't even stand our ground." Cadence finished, her head hanging as tears streamed down her cheeks. Blaze slammed his hoof into the table in a fit of rage before stopping away towards the wall behind him.

"It just keep happening," Blaze snorted, "Stalliongrad only lasted several days because of previous warning and a massive army that had rallied there, as well as the fact that all civilians were trained in combat. It just seems that whenever the ponies of a town don't have one of those, the whole defense collapses." He continued, his ire still burning strong inside of him. "Stalliongrad took three days, Canterlot took a day and a half, Pinto Creek took three hours, and the Crystal Empire took one night."

"Pinto Creek had only one regiment of soldiers." A lieutenant pointed out. "They also barely had any cannons operational, I'd say the three hours are a sign that we're getting better and defending ourselves."

"No, it only goes to show what happens when an entire town is used to fighting. Their civilians live in harsh conditions, feral animals occasionally attacking as well as looters and bandits, so they are already trained in how to defend themselves, the regiment was just a bit more cushion between the enemy line and capture." Blaze explained away as he continued to stomp around the room. "Did any of the guards see how the enemy might have entered the city?"

"No, they were completely surprised by it all, though we do suspect that the three major players that are reported in the battle had a great effect on the hidden entrance of the enemy troops." A soldier replied.

"Three major players? What are you talking about?" Blaze questioned, turning to look at the soldier in confusion. The soldier produced a scroll from his saddle bags and gave it to Blaze.

"According to many reports, there were three large figures that stood out as leading figures. We have identified Discord by what Cadence has said, and from previous reports from Canterlot, we can guess the other two are possibly Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon." The soldier stated as Blaze quickly looked over the various reports written out on the scroll.

"These three probably have enough power to conceal an entire army..." Blaze hypothesized and he rolled the scroll back up, "We can't discount the possibility that that might have been what happened." Blaze took several deep breathes in an attempt to calm his nerves enough to think properly. "Call the council in, we have much to discuss after these events." He ordered the soldier.

"They have already been given a notice and are waiting outside the hall." The soldier replied. Blaze nodded and began forming words in his head as he walked back to his seat.

"Have Cadence escorted to the medical office and give her a look over." Blaze ordered. "We now have one figure of definite leadership, and I will not allow this moral boost, no matter how small, be dampened by an injury."

"I'm very quite alright, Sir." Cadence replied. "Shining Armor made sure I had enough time to escape unscathed from the whole ordeal."

"I still want you checked over." Blaze replied. "You might have nothing wrong with you, but I'd rather be completely sure than to be extremely sorry later on when something life threatening comes along." Cadence opened her mouth as if she were going to say something, but then closed it after a moment of thought. Blaze looked down at the table, continuing his thoughts on how to address the military council, not even noticing as Cadence walked out with the guard. As he continued to sit there, the group of higher ranking military pony entered and took their seats.

"We are all here, Sir; we are ready to begin this meeting." One of them said. Blaze nodded and stood up from the table and looked over the soldier gathered, his eyes catching Stone Wall as he did.

"We have recently received dire news that the Crystal Empire has fallen into Greyhield's grasp." Blaze stated simply, judging the reactions of each pony carefully before continuing on, "Fortunately for us, Princess Cadence has escaped, but her husband, Prince Shining Armor, did not, staying behind to give time to her so she could escape." A general murmur of shock and disbelief washed over the room. Blaze allowed it to roll over before continuing. "Stallions, I'll be frank, it is abundantly clear that we cannot beat the reptilous at their own game."

"It was obvious before now." One of the stallions commented with a huff as he stared very intently at the table, as if it offended him. 

"We can no longer continue to adhere to the old methods of combat we have grown accustomed to after all these years." Blaze continued, ignoring the stallion's interjection. "If we are to stand a chance in this war, we must up the ante, and give ourselves whatever advantage we can. Reptilous have far more experience in battle, the whole idea of extended combat being something of normality to them. We must find new way of fighting them that give us an edge over them, no matter how 'dirty' those methods may seem to us."

"Excuse me, Sir," A soldier interrupted from the entrance of the room, "I'm sorry to interrupt this council's meeting, but there is a pony who wishes to see you." Blaze cocked his head in confusion.

"Who is it, and why are they here at this time?" Blaze asked. The soldier turned back to the door, pushing it open slightly to talk to the pony behind it.

"He say he's from research and development, and that he has something you may find very interesting. He says this development has the potential to change the tide of war." The soldier replied after a short minute. Blaze straightened his head, racking his mind for any contact he had received from the research team in recent memory, but could recall none of importance.

"Very well, let them in. I'm sure the council would like to know what they might have that could help us." Blaze said, the soldier nodding in response, opening the door a bit more, letting the pony through before closing it again. The pony walked in, but stopped upon seeing all the ponies.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry, I didn't know there was a council meeting today." The pony said bashfully. "Perhaps I should come back at a more opportune time." He suggested as he became taking a few steps back towards the door of the hall.

"Nonsense, you've come this far and have made some very interesting claims which we would like to be explained." Blaze replied, a gentle smile appearing on his face, though he doubted its effectiveness greatly. The research pony hesitated a second and then took a deep breath in before walking up to the table.

"The scientists and testers in Research Team Thirteen have created, well, more of made extensive modifications to..." The pony stammered, trying to align his thoughts. "The point is this, Research Team Thirteen has developed a new weapon which we believe, if used in the correct situation, can change the tide of a battle if not the course of the war." The pony lifted a cloth covered object onto the end of the table, grunting under the weight of the thing. "This is, at least what we call, the Abus Personal Hoof Cannon, or the Abus Cannon for short, named after the leader of the research team." The pony explained as he began to open the package with a hoof, exposing the contraption.

It had a wooden stock and a bronze tube that had been hollowed out. The whole thing was about as long as a pony and a half, and had some sort of bipod at the end of the barrel that was folded in, though the hinges clearly stated that it could be unfolded, the stock also seemed to have a piece of wood that could be swiveled outwards.

"So what is it exactly, besides a piece of metal pipe attached to a wood block?" One of the ponies asked, looking at it from as many angles he could manage while remaining seated.

"Quite simply, it is a cannon that has been reduced in size to the point that one pony can carry it, fire it, reload it, and maintain it. It has less powder behind each shot, but because of the reduced size of the projectile, we can make the equivalent force produced by any usual cannon in a smaller area." The pony explained.

"And besides decreasing the size of a cannon and putting it in the hooves of one pony, what does this really accomplish?" The same soldier asked.

"I believe I can say that part." Blaze stated as he stood up, walking over to the weapon, the potential uses of it already flowing through his mind. "The reduced size calls for fewer resources, meaning far greater production, allowing a more plentiful number of these, and easier transport to positions that need defending. If we can give even a minimal amount of our troops one of these and train them to reload faster, we can have an almost constant volley of fire, and because we can generate the force of a cannon ball in a smaller area, it is highly likely that even the heavy soldiers that were able to charge through Stalliongrad's cannons would find it much more difficult to make it past these." Blaze smiled as he finished, the room coming to life as the soldier began whispering excitedly to each other.

"Oh, and on the reloading speed of each soldier," The researcher added, "We have incorporated a version of a project we had been working on for normal cannons. We had realized the reloading speed cannonries usually achieved was rather awful in most battle situations, so we began work on a pre-prepared box of ammunition, but the project fell through." He continued, producing a small box from his bags. "Mostly because of the weight issues of the cannon's fire and necessary amount of gunpowder, but because the Abus Cannon has a smaller sized projectile, and a reduced amount of powder, we were able to pack a shot and gunpowder in a paper package which allows for even an untrained soldier to reload in a matter of seconds." The pony stated, taking one of said packages out to show the soldiers. "Some of our ponies have taken to calling them 'Little Tastes of Doom', or LTDs, but it is usually preferred to call them charges."

"Do you have any more surprises for us?" Blaze chuckled, feeling as if Hearth's Warming had come early as he looked the weapon over, already feeling the lives it would inevitably save.

"That's it, I'm afraid, unless you'd like the projected production rate of one of these cannons." The pony said with a shrug.

"I think that piece of information might be useful to have." A lieutenant said skeptically.

"Our projected rate of production is between fifteen and twenty hundred a day, and that's if we only set aside a minimal amount of a hundred ponies to work on them." The researcher informed them. "If we were to set aside all the current weapons smiths to work on these, we could easily have enough of them to supply the entirety of the army within a week, if not sooner."

"You lot are starting to sound less like scientists and researchers, and more like miracle workers." Stone Wall commented. "These cannons could easily be a replacement for bows and arrows, if not swords and lances if we become proficient enough in their use."

"Unfortunately, they aren't that good at the moment." The researcher said in a sorrowful tone. "The metal tube requires a certain thickness to make it so it won't burst when the powder explodes, and this makes it rather heavy, not to mention a single charge weighs about the same as two arrows, even though they are smaller. We have made these cannons to be useable by all races, but it is abundantly clear that unicorns have the easiest time with it, since an earth pony needs to stand on three legs while firing, and sit down while reloading, while as pegasi can do the same or fly the whole time."

"Essentially, the weapon is very useful in many ways, but has its fair share of draw backs." Blaze stated. "If we were to use them, they would most likely be used by a select few, not only because of the draw backs presented, but also so that the enemy can't obtain them."

"So we are going to implement this new contraption in open combat?" A lieutenant asked, looking closely at the cannon. "I'm not sure these things are really worth the risk."

"At this moment in time," Blaze replied, "Any branch offered to us, no matter how dried it may seem, needs to be only looked at for what it can do for us. The position we are in with this war is hard to make worse, but there are quite a few things that can be done to make it better." Blaze walked back to his seat, weighing his options as he sat back down. "Stallions, in the presence of the seventy lieutenants of the Equestrian Army, I propose we call to vote the proposed suggestion to include the new Abus Personal Hoof Cannon in our arsenal. You are to vote not in your own interests, but what you believe suits the needs of everypony of Equestria. You will be given a paper and pencil to cast your vote anonymously. If you wish to include the weapon, write yeah, but if you are opposed, write nay, and if it happens you'd rather not say, give in a blank paper or write abstained on it."

"W-wait, you are going to vote on it right now?" The researcher pony asked; looking around as one of the soldiers began giving out papers to the ponies. "Isn't this a little sudden? I mean, not that I'm opposed to the swift processing of the possibility of the use of this new weapon on the field, but shouldn't we take it a bit, I don't know, slower?"

"We have learned that when the fates of thousands are on the line, a few minutes cannot be spared." Blaze replied, ensuring all the lieutenants received their papers. "Now, I want a trustworthy pony to count the vote, preferably a pony who doesn't know what we are voting on."

"We could have the kitchen ponies count it out..." One of the soldiers commented to his comrade. Blaze looked at the pony with a raised eyebrow.

"How about that Flint fellow," Another soldier suggested. "He seems quite ambivalent when it comes to matters besides training and battle, and I really doubt he's been kept informed on the notes of our meetings?"

"But he's also Blaze's friend, which might make him slightly more disposed to give the result he wants." Another soldier shot back.

"But if he doesn't know what that result is then he can't deliver that verdict knowingly." Stone Wall stated. "I think we all fear that our point of view will be stomped on by a cheating vote counter, but I believe we should all submit the decision to the fate it shall meet at the hooves of whoever should count them out." The pony nodded, and placed their papers into a basket that had been placed at the center of the table.





Blaze sat back down at the table, several hours having passed since they had left Flint, a civilian pony, and a soldier in the room to count the votes. Blaze looked at Flint who held a scroll in his magical grip, the contents of the paper unknown to any except to the three ponies who stood ready to give their answer to the question the room was asking. The last of the lieutenants sat down and turned to look at the three.

"This is the official count as confirmed by the three of us, who have counted the papers three times each to ensure the least amount of errors commit during the process." Flint stated, unfurling the scroll. "Fifteen abstentions are recorded first off, leaving fifty-five votes un in the air, with no possibility of a tie present, unless a pony voted for both, which no pony did. The nays and yeas have been counted and the yeas have it with a margin of thirty-seven to eighteen." The room was silent, a few of the ponies either shaking or nodding their heads, inadvertently showing their votes.

"Ponies, in accordance to our agreement, this counting will be accepted as the honest truth." Blaze stated clearly. "Also in accordance to the voting regulations number seventy-three, the abstentions would've had no affect on the outcome if included, thus solidifying the decision made by vote of the seventy lieutenants." Several of the ponies nodded, others sighing as they did, obviously displeased by the result.

"Shall I have Research Team Thirteen deliver schematics to the blacksmiths so production can start immediately?" One of the soldiers in the room asked Blaze, who gave him a nod in response.





Blaze entered the small room that was marked with a red 'Thirteen' above it. He entered, and quickly found the pony he had been directed to. Blaze cleared his throat, which garnered the attention of the pony, which turned to look at him.

"Yes, may I help you with something? Oh don't tell me you're here for the second batch of schematics for the cannon already. I told the last one we'd be a few hours drawing them up." The pony said, the anxiety evident in his voice as he moved on, trotting around the cramped research quarters.

"I'm not here for any schematics..." Blaze began.

"Oh, that’s good, because I don't have any to give at the moment." The researcher replied, continuing to adjust setting on various chemical vats while writing notes on what he saw. "Perhaps a tad less sulfur will do..." He muttered to himself as he continued on his tirade around his lab.
"Uh, my name is Blaze Eternal, are you Abus?" Blaze asked as the scientist rushed by once more. The pony turned to him for the briefest of moments, quickly pushing his glasses up with a hoof before trotting off again.

"I guess you are the Blaze Eternal everypony has been talking about..." The pony mumbled, "Honestly I don't see why a seventeen year old coming into a place of prominence is so important in this day and age. Many of the past's greatest achievements where made by great, young minds."

"Well I was actually still sixteen when I entered my position." Blaze corrected as he continued to observe the pony as he adjusted valve after valve on various pieces of equipment.

"And sixteen and seventeen are so very different. My point still stands." The pony replied. "And as for me being Abus." The pony continued, stopping in his tracks. "My goodness, I smell something burning." He galloped across the room and turned off one of the burners he had set up. "Well at least I now know it isn't any type of explosive, though the smell needs to be checked over to ensure it also isn't a poison..." The pony continued to mutter. "Well, to continue, my name is actually Abacus, but for some odd reason they call me Abus, like cutting out a part from two syllables will make a world of time in the saving of time department. Would I be correct when I suppose you're here to discuss the Abus Cannon?"

"Yes, that would be true enough to say." Blaze replied. "I was hoping to get an idea on your thoughts of it and how you came across the idea." The pony stopped once again, but this time turned to look Blaze in the eye.

"Commander, I'll be dead honest with you. I barely had any part in the creation of the weapon. It bares my name only because I'm the head of Research Team Thirteen. If we were to call it by its inventor’s name, call it Blast Radius Personal Hoof Cannon. And another thing I'd like to say about it is that I wish I never had anything at all to do with it, and in fact, I wish it had never been made."

"Why, when it could save so many lives if we use it on the field?" Blaze asked genuinely curious about the pony's reply. Abacus shook his head with a sigh.

"You talk about saving lives, but all I see is us, the ponies of Equestria, creating weapons to kill faster and more effectively. We, the peace loving ponies are making ground breaking research into how to end peace. Forgive me if I'm less than excited by the prospect." At that, the research pony turned back to his equipment and continued his work. Blaze just stood there, speechless, the words striking him hard.





Blaze stood on the balcony, the cool night air flowing past him, bringing a chill to him. The field were dotted with torches, several ponies standing out in the cold to ensure that no birds thought the seeds were food, and to make sure no reptilous were coming closer, the attack on the Crystal Empire still fresh in everypony's minds, but even though Blaze had it in his mind, that wasn't what was tumbling around in his head.

"Blaze, what are you doing out here so late?" Amber asked from behind him, the sound of the door creaking farther open told Blaze she was coming out beside him. Blaze turned to look at her, the moonlight making her shine with an eternal glow, though the beauty was lost on Blaze's preoccupied mind.

"Hello, Amber," He said calmly, "haven't seen you around in a good while." Blaze commented before turning back to the view. "You've been helping your mother I suppose." She stood beside him and nodded.

"There are a lot of hurt ponies in the castle; I can't just let them stay there like that." Amber replied, looking at the sprawling city below. 

"There will be more ponies like them by the end of all this war." Blaze mumbled quietly, catching Amber off guard. "I'm sorry; I'm somewhere else right now. You don't deserve to hear my depressing ramblings."

"Blaze, what's wrong? I've never seen you looking so... down." Amber pressed. Blaze let out a sigh, turning to look at Amber.

"Today I made a choice that I thought was the right one with all my being, but I'm not so sure anymore." Blaze explained. "I've pressured our soldiers to become stronger, more apt warriors, but... maybe we shouldn't be warriors."

"What do you mean? Are you thinking the war is lost already?" Amber asked; her confusion very evident in her voice.

"What I'm saying is... I honestly don't know." Blaze looked back over the city, tears beginning to form in the corners of his eyes. "I used to think that the fact that Equestria's army was so small and so weak compared to other, that the fact our military was comparable to an army that would protect a city of any other nation was a bad thing, but... the good and evil of situations I'm in are becoming more and more blurred."

"Blaze, if we don't have our solders trained to the prime of their capabilities we won't have a chance at winning this war." Amber reasoned, further confused at why Blaze would have such a doubt.

"I used to think like that as well, but... what is Equestria?" Blaze asked, blinking back his tears as best as he could. "What characteristics define Equestria; make it unique amongst all the other nations, kingdoms, and empires of the world?"

"Eh, our roaring trade, large economic impact on the world, the fact we have the most diverse population." Amber offered, unsure what he wanted.

"The fact that diplomacy has always been our first option, and that we avoid violence at all costs, the very fact we are so peaceful and peace loving sets us out from the rest of the world." Blaze stated. "And yet, what have we been doing all this time? What have I been advocating this entire time, from the time even before Greyhield declared war? I’ll tell you, exactly what any other country in the world would've done."

"Well, maybe, at least in this instance, it is good we take after the policies of other nations." Amber suggested calmly.

"But then what does that make us?" Blaze questioned as he lowered his head to look at the floor. "At this point, we're no longer distinct amongst nations, and we're only assimilating ourselves more and more with each passing day. We're making highly advanced research into topics we were against, so much so that not only are we just like other nations, but are now taking their policies in domestic and foreign affairs even farther than they usually do and have done."

"Blaze, none of the other nations have faced a threat as large as what we have. They have fought wars before, yes, but they never faced an army of greater strength and size than their own that never gives a chance at peace." Amber stated. "Our only resolution at this point is either kill or be killed, no matter how much we may despise it."

"Amber, we've been at this war for over a year now, and all we've been able to accomplish is a more militarized form of government in the absence of the princesses and the control of a greater fighting force than we have ever had in over a thousand years." Blaze pointed out. "But are we any closer to winning? No, but even if we do win, Greyhield still has a victory in that he has destroyed Equestria. The old Equestria will be no more, just as he intended."

"Well maybe it's time for Equestria to change. Maybe this change in our image will help us in the long run. Maybe some good may come from this whole darkness that we can't see right now and maybe we'll be glad that all this happened." Amber rationalized. "It might not come in our time, but it might just happen someday in the future." Blaze looked at her, his expression unchanging.

"We might come out of this war, and a good might be born from it all, but Equestria will die." Blaze declared. "Equestria will be nothing like it once was, and even though I know that change is part of life and the betterment of things, Equestria doesn't need any of this. Equestria should've stayed the way it was."

"And let Greyhield kill us all? Blaze, think, Equestria will change, it was changed, but the ponies of Equestria will live on, but only if you fight." Amber said forcefully. "If you give up now, not only will Equestria be gone forever, the ponies of Equestria will also disappear. Blaze, I'm not one who likes war, I personally hate violence, but I know that in this case it is the only answer in response to Greyhield's army. If we don't fight back, we will die, and at our current strength, we still don't stand much of a chance. In this time, it is a necessary evil to go against our nature, and become militaristic, no matter how we might feel about it, or how it might change us in the long run." Blaze thought for several moments, looking back towards the city.

"I can only hope that after all this is over that Equestria might have a chance to become what it once was." Blaze said solemnly.

> Chapter 31: Home is Where the Ash is
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Spike strode into the mighty hall, an almost routine activity for him at that point. The other generals and colonels where already waiting for him. Spike tossed a towel to one of the soldiers, the sweat soaked cloth dripping in the reptilous' grasp, the fruits of Spike's training evident in its yellowing fabric. Spike pulled his chair out, his colonel following suit beside him.

"General Spike, I hope your tardiness is not an active habit." Gylom began. "We understand you've been training hard, but it hardly suits a soldier as yourself to be late to an important meeting such as this one." Spike nodded in acknowledgement.

"I came as soon as the messenger arrived, though the messenger did play a part in how delayed I was since he didn't have accurate reports of my location." Spike replied.

"Accurate reports of your location? How accurate must he be to locate you inside a training cavern?" Glenn asked harshly. Spike turned to him, his fear of the general long gone after the months of tested patience and extensive soldiering.

"We no longer use the cavern; we switched to the woods outside the mountain several weeks back to improve our air quality and reaction time in riding high speed through a section of tightly packed and random obstacles." Spike explained calmly.

"I am in favor of your choice to move training to a move natural environment," Greyhield stated, "But messengers should still be able to find you with ease if necessary." Spike nodded slowly.

"I'll make arrangements for a system to be put in place to accomplish such a goal." Spike replied. "Now, what was the reason for this meeting?" He asked, looking at the generals and colonels around him.

"The time has come for you to make your presence as a soldier in my army well known." Greyhield replied. "You will make the world aware of what side you fight for, and how powerful we truly are as you ride the very princess of the sun into battle." Spike felt the same uneasy feeling creep up on him at the mention of riding Celestia. True enough he had always done his practice battles on her, but it didn't make him anymore accustomed to riding her. Riding Twilight was something he had been used to during his time as her assistant, but riding Celestia just felt off, and the fact his colonel rode Luna didn't make matters any more agreeable.

"Where shall I strike, my lord?" Spike asked; a variety of battle plans beginning to form in his mind as he considered every variant of pony city and settlement he had seen.

"I not only wish for you to strike fear into ponykind in this battle," Greyhield explained, "But I also want you to prove yourself completely to me." Spike nodded slowly, waiting for Greyhield's true reply. "The attack will take place on the village of Ponyville." Spike felt his heart sink and his eye widen as a plethora of thoughts flooded his mind. "I hope there are no problems with this order."

"N-none, sire, the attack will take place without failure." Spike sputtered, replying before he even though of what he was saying. Greyhield nodded with satisfaction, rising from his throne.

"The attack is to be launched the fifth day of the next month, to allow for final training and deployment of your soldiers." Greyhield stated calmly before walking away from the table, exiting the room through a cave that led into the main throne room. Spike looked to the other soldiers around him, not entirely sure how to feel about his new assignment.

"Well, you have fifteen days to train and deploy your fighters. I believe you best get started if you want any chance of actually getting in a favorable position by that time." Glenn stated coldly. "This is your first battle on our side, and no matter how you perform after this point, this battle will define you, so I suggest you do well in it." With that, Glenn stood up and walked out of the hall, his colonels in tow. The doors shut behind them, leaving Spike and Gylom sitting with their colonels.

"As much as you've grown wary of whatever Glenn says, and I know that to be a lot, his words ring true in this time." Gylom said. "If you show tactical ingenuity and prowess in battle, then you will forever be though as a great leader and will feel no constraints on what you can make your riders do. However, if you perform poorly in any aspect, in victory or in loss, you will never see the end of the disrespectful treatment you'll receive. You will forever have to be proving yourself, and if you slip up so much as once, you're past failures will come to mind faster than you can excuse yourself for your fault." Gylom finished, standing up with his colonels before leaving the room. Galintrent looked to Spike with a small smile on his face.

"I find it slightly humorous how they think we can't handle ourselves on the battlefield." He said snidely. "We'll show them how true warriors take care of their enemies. This Ponyville will never see the attack coming." Galintrent continued, not noticing how distant Spike looked.

"I agree, I doubt Ponyville would think of the possibility of me coming to attack them." Spike replied with his mind consumed in thought.

"Exactly, they are completely clueless to our plans, and so they will be completely unable to resist our offensive when it comes to their door!" Galintrent exclaimed with a strange happiness that Spike couldn't understand. "I can have spies in their midst within... twelve hours or so. We'll get the lay of the land, and know exactly how their..."

"No need for the spies, Galintrent." Spike interjected, catching the colonel by surprise. "I won't need spies to tell me what Ponyville looks like."

"Oh, have you been there previously?" Galintrent inquired. "This truly is perfect, and might be the very reason why Greyhield gave it to us as our first mission. He knew you had the lay of the land already, so he knew that our plan of attack would already be perfectly able to deal with anything the town has to offer in resistance to us."

"Galintrent," Spike began, "I didn't just visit Ponyville," He explained, turning to look Galintrent in the eyes, "It used to be my home before I came here." Galintrent's mouth former an 'oh' shape as the realization dawned on him.





Spike snapped Celestia's reigns, the alabaster alicorn charging at full speed in response. Galintrent quickly caught up to him as Luna poured on the speed. Behind the pair was a massive wall of riders, with a variety of mounts, charging up behind them, Spike's new banner flying high in several places among the mass. Spike's hearing was overwhelmed by the sound of hooves, paws, and wooden legs striking the ground, as well as the sound of rattling armor of the soldiers and their mounts as it bounced in the pace of their gallop. Spike turned around to look at the mass of warriors, insuring that everything was in order.

The first ten ranks consisted of diamond dog mounted reptilous, the next six or so were mounted on timberwolves, with several lines mounted on Saddle Arabian horses and tall ponies that wore the controlling necklaces bringing up the rear. The final two lines were hitched to a fleet of wagons that contained supplies for the fighting force, including everything from weapons to rations and bedding for the day and a half journey to Ponyville.

"I doubt Ponyville has the necessary equipment in its possession to fend off this massive force." Galintrent commented over the roar of the moving army. "Even if they have a full division in their midst, I doubt they be able take our well trained soldiers, even if they outnumber us three to one." Spike nodded in response. He knew for a fact that the Equestrian military wasn't the great fighting force it was advertised to be, and the fact that the residents of Ponyville were untrained in combat would definitely be of no help. "And even if they had well trained soldiers such as ours along with three to one odds in their favor, our plans are so well made that they'll crumble before us."

"Galintrent, I'm starting to really notice that you're quite excited to go to battle against the ponies of Equestria." Spike commented. "I realize that serving under Greyhield provides a great amount of security in that we can never lose, which really does wonders for the nerves, but I don't think that that one fact can really cause you to have the robust attitude you are showing right now. So, care to enlighten me as to why you are so anxious to go to the fight?"

"It's the reptilous nature, sir." Galintrent replied simply. "All of us are eager to go to war against any enemy, even before Greyhield was our leader. It does help slightly that we were the last generation of the reptilous to fight in the War of the Fifteen."

"What exactly was the War of the Fifteen? I've read bits and pieces of it from some of the scrolls in the madrahciah libraries, but they never really go into detail as to why it was and how it ended, or even what it was or why it was called the War of the Fifteen." Spike confessed as he guided Celestia to gallop in a closer proximity to his colonel so he could listen.

"Well, The War of the Fifteen was started when the olden reptilous nation collapsed, disjointed into a mass of coalitions, small unions, and singular tribes that all hated anything that wasn't from their small sphere of influence." Galintrent explained. "Some of our madrahciah historians estimate there to be fourteen thousand or more divisions that occurred within the once great reptilous nation. But amongst the fragmented pieces of society, there were fifteen major tribes, from which the war got its name. The fifteen tribes were some of the more massive sections of the division, or at least they quickly became the largest holders after conquering their neighboring divisions."

"So what does being the final generation of that war mean exactly?" Spike asked, beginning to understand the history of the conflict "Does it only mean you were the last to fight and so were the victors and that’s it, or is there something else to it?"

"Being part of the final generation in this case means we were the seventh generation of the war, and had no family relations around us by that point to tell us of peace, and so we fought with the soul heart of it all devoted to the simple cause of fighting enemies and watching as life drained from their eyes." Galintrent explained as if it were nothing. "We no longer had reservations towards what we could and would do, and so we became the most efficient warriors that were ever seen. After the war ended, we were preserved until Greyhield awoke us to fight an even grander war than the last."

"Eh, what do you mean you were preserved for later? I don't think reptilous and madrahciah keep well in a can." Spike commented.

"There is a technique we have that allows fully grow reptilous to save themselves from death that can only occur in a swampy, or at least humid area." Galintrent stated. " As all reptiles, reptilous are born from eggs laid by our mothers, but reptilous have the ability to return to the egg at any time if a madrahciah is present. A madrahciah can cast a spell that creates a large egg around the reptilous, which then keeps the reptilous in a state of suspended animation, almost as if we were in a state of hibernation, although he do not have to consume lots of food since our metabolism slows down to a state, as the madrahciah describe it, of near death. To rise up from this state we also require a madrahciah, or at least some being with certain adeptness for magic."

"So I would guess that the one who reanimated you was Greyhield?" Spike ventured. Galintrent gave a nod, though it took Spike a second to realize with the bobbing motion of the ride.

"Now, general, even though this conversation is most enlightening, we really must focus on the task before us." Galintrent stated. "Are you certain that this is the way to the town?"

"Yes, this is definitely the way to Ponyville." Spike answered without hesitation. Spike sighed, and then snapped Celestia's reigns. If he was going to do this, he knew it would be easier done as soon as possible.





Spike looked over the quiet hamlet, the lights dimming in the windows of many houses he knew. Several ponies, some he could recognize, walked the streets, lighting the newly installed lanterns, an addition he wasn't entirely used to. In the distance, the glimmer of the crystalline castle in the moonlight drew him in. Spike turned Celestia away and galloped back down from a hill that rose from the Everfree forest to his encampment in the clearing below.

"Sir," Galintrent began, "Tonight is the night of the fifth day of this month. I suppose the attack is to be soon?" Spike looked at his colonel, and nodded in response.

"Rally the troops; get them all in their positions." Spike ordered calmly, deciding it best to stop feeling for the next few minutes, rather than face the inevitable heartbreak, which he knew would come back to haunt him. "The town shall fall in the dead of night, and Greyhield's banner will flutter in the morning breeze." Galintrent gave a nod a jumped up onto Luna's back before riding off.

Spike snapped Celestia's reign and rode towards the edge of the forest, quickly entering into the silence of the night as he rode on. The sound of rustling leaves, crunching twigs, the crackling of dried leaves, the huffs Celestia let out as she ran at full speed with a heavy warrior sitting on her, and the sound of his clinking armor were the only things Spike heard in the calmness of the night, and even these fell to the background as his thoughts consumed him as the cool night air rushed past his ears. Spike looked to his side, the distant shafts of lights that fell through the trees catching the armor of reptilous was the only sign they were anywhere nearby. Spike pulled back on the reigns, Celestia skidding to a stop just outside of the tree line.

"You made good time, Galintrent." Spike commented as his colonel stopped beside him. Galintrent snorted as he sheathed his sword and took out his lance and shield.

"Celestia might be the stronger, but Luna is the fleetest of hoof." Galintrent replied as he took his helmet from a strap at his side and placed it on his head, adjusting it slightly to be more in tune with his comfort. Spike followed through in the same pre-battle motions as he made sure he was truly ready to do what was asked of him. "On your signal, General." Galintrent said. Spike nodded slowly and took a deep breath.

"Let's get this over already." Spike muttered before snapping on Celestia's reigns. As Celestia broke out into a full gallop, the forest came alive as a wall of soldiers shot out in complete silence, except for the striking against the ground and the vague rattle of armor as they bolted through the plain between Ponyville and the Everfree.

As they drew nearer, Spike heard a trumpet in the distance, and suddenly the plain came to life, with torches and horns being lit as an ambush sprung out of nowhere. Spike pushed down on Celestia's stirrups, and as she had been ordered, her spread her wings out and took off with one might bellow of her wings. Spike watched below him as the ponies gazed at him riding Celestia with expressions of shock and complete dismay, a feeling of empowerment coming over him as he landed beyond them and continued on towards Ponyville.

Spike put away his lance and replaced it with an oil soaked branch. As he entered the streets of the small town, he breathed a wisp of fire on the wooden rod, the oil shooting up in a whirl of fire before Spike tossed it through a building’s window. A scream broke through the air, the voice of Carrot Top ringing familiar in his ears. Spike shut his eyes as he took out another stick, the thoughts of the devastation becoming stronger as he hurled his next fiery stick, this time a cry of a foal replying to the sudden fire. Spike’s eyes shot open, the realization hitting him harshly. Spike jerked Celestia’s reigns back tightly, his stead quickly slamming her hoofs down and stopping within second. Spike jumped off of Celestia, leaving his lance in her saddle.

“Continue to run through the town, I’ll go on foot from here!” He ordered Celestia, who gave a nod and continued charging through the town as Spike charged towards the now burning house. As he drew closer, he heard something collapsing inside, but it only served to make his pace grow quicker as he slammed through the door of the burning house. The smoke bellowed out from the door, catching Spike off guard for a second before he pushed through into the inferno. He crouched down and began looking for any sign of the little foal he had heard, but the pony wasn’t on the first floor. He charged up the stairs at the far end of the house and looked around again for the little form.

Spike coughed harshly as he ripped the closet door from its hinges, but was met by nothing but burning clothes. He fell to the floor, looking as fast as he could, when he saw the object of his search, cowering under a bed. Spike hurried over, but he saw that the pony was quickly retreating from him.

“Please, I’m…” Spike began, but was cut off by another coughing fit. The tiny pony moved farther away, as Spike collapsed completely on the floor as his coughing fit increased in strength. “I-I…” He struggled between coughs. “I want to help…” He pleaded as his coughs grew stronger and more frequent. The pony seemed to look uncertain about the dragon’s statement, but still began taking small steps towards Spike. Suddenly, a burning beam slammed into the floor, causing the pony to give another scream. As Spike lifted himself, he heard a sound that made his heart sink, the creaking of wood under too much weight. Spike dove towards the bed, but as he did, the floor gave way, crashing down on the lower level, sending a mass of embers up into the air. 

Spike lifted himself from the rubble and crawled towards the broken bed, and began to throw pieces to the side. He finally removed the last piece and found the broken form of the foal. Spike lifted the filly up in his claws, the pony small enough he could probably lift her with one hand. His eyes began to water as he looked over the battered, burnt form of the pony, so young that it had yet to get her cutie mark. The dams behind Spike’s eyes finally broke, and the tears streamed down him face as he gave an anguished roar to the heavens.
“I-I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…” He whispered into her coat as he hugged the dead filly, never noticing the falling building around him, his being, his thoughts, and his world consumed in the thought that he had just killed. But it wasn’t just that he had killed, he had killed a filly, so young, and so full of potential. A life crushed before its prime, snuffed out like a candle, one instant alive, the next, no more.





Spike slowly placed the last stone on the grave of the filly. He had snuck out of the battlefield after finding Celestia and had found a suitable location to lay the tiny filly to rest; the very same hill he had viewed Ponyville from before he had attacked. He looked back towards the burning town, the sky behind it filled with vibrant colors as the sun slowly inched above the horizon.

“Celestia…” Spike whispered. The Princess of the Sun looked to him with her now usual blank expression. “Hold the sun; let it be morning for a little longer.” She nodded, and lit her horn, the sun stopping in response. Spike stood up, looking over the small grave, the headstone bearing a small inscription that he cared not to read again. He gave a salute to the spirit of the filly, standing there for several seconds before finally lowering his arm and mounting Celestia. “I hope that you may find peace in Elysium.” Spike snapped the reigns and made his way back to the battle with all haste, not wanting to be missed. “Teleport us to the school house, Celestia.” He ordered, Celestia’s horn coming to life in response as she prepared a spell.





Spike rode up on Celestia, looking up at the castle that was now filled with reptilous, a line of pony guards being led away in chains showing him that his orders to take as many prisoners as possible was followed. As he approached, the reptilous form lines on either side of the road, saluting their leader as he rode up to the castle.

“Three cheers to the general!” A soldier shouted out, the reptilous responding with three loud roars, quite different from the usual ‘hip hip hooray’ Spike was used to. Spike dismounted Celestia, and entered the castle; the crystal walls making him feel almost nostalgic.

“Well done, general.” Galintrent said as he came up beside Spike. “Ponyville now lays at Greyhield’s mercy.” Spike nodded, though he wasn’t really listening, his thoughts still very much on the little pony he had watched die. Spike looked towards Galintrent as the reptilous colonel left the castle, giving a letter to a rather small framed reptilous messenger who mounted a Saddle Arabian and charged off towards Greyhield’s Mountain.

Spike thoughts wandered to Galintrent as he watched the warrior trotted along the path towards Ponyville, mounted on Luna. Galintrent wouldn’t have felt remorse when he heard the filly’s scream, he wouldn’t have tried to save the small life, he wouldn’t have lamented over the dead corpse. The more Spike thought of it, the more a sense of betrayal grew in him. He knew that his loyalties were with Greyhield, yet he knew he could never live in peace with the type of creatures that could kill without remorse, and yet, he was, and in fact, he felt he was slowly becoming one. Spike turned away from the fading colonel, his resolve set strong against becoming like the reptilous. He would never see a life as worthless, he would never stop asking for forgiveness from those he wronged, because he knew deep down, he was still more like a pony than a dragon.

> Chapter 32: Counter Offensive
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Blaze marched along the line of soldiers, each with their new harnesses on that allowed them to carry the new Abus Cannon into battle without being bogged down by its rather large amount of weight. The stallions had come a long way since the time Blaze had seen them in Canterlot, now wearing their armor correctly, standing equally on all hooves, and acting more like true soldiers in all respects, something Blaze had mixed feelings on. Blaze finally reached the end of the line and turned around. 

"Present arms!"Blaze shouted. The soldier took out their cannons, flipping the bipod on the barrel out, slamming it into the ground, while letting the stock rest on the ground. "Ready arms!" Each of the ponies quickly took a charge from their packs and slid it down the barrel before packing it in with a ram rod. "Take aim!" The cannons were propped up, the leg lowered from the stock, the firing pin pulled back, and the barrel aligned with the target before the pony. "Fire!" Blaze roared, only to be drowned out by the blaring sound of fifty Abus Personal Hoof Cannons shooting at the same moment. "Lower stance!" Blaze ordered. The ponies quickly folded the stocks support back into place, raising the muzzle of the cannon to the sky. A pony charged down the range and checked all the targets, each one in the shape and size of a reptilous. The pony turned back and galloped up to Blaze with his report.

"Thirteen missed shots, four grazing shots, six crippling wounds, and twenty-seven kill shots." The pony stated before trotting off to the side. Blaze walked in front of the group, looking over each of the ponies.

"Imagine if you were protecting a town of defenseless ponies, and you were the last line of defense before these reptilous entered and killed everypony. You have no swords, no lances, just these cannons. If this was the case, how many problems would you be facing currently? You have seventeen reptilous still willing and able to fight, and six more that might force their way through the pain and add on to the massacre. Twenty-three shots that could've been better and you know who you are." Blaze stated. "Now I want you to continue practicing until I tell you otherwise, or until you run out of rounds." The stallions all saluted in response as Blaze moved away from the course, the sound of cannon fire beginning soon thereafter.

"Commander Blaze Eternal, news from central Equestria!" A messenger shouted as she ran up to him with a look of horror. "Ponyville has been destroyed! Greyhield's flag now waves over the Castle of Friendship." She finished as she came up to him. Blaze blinked a few times, processing the information he had just received, the words making sense, but the meaning undesirable. Why had Greyhield attacked Ponyville? But one thing slowly started to make sense, how very angry he felt at that moment.

"Call the War Council to the front gate; tell them to bring all their commands and supplies for a long march." Blaze ordered, the messenger nodding before running away, teleporting out of sight after a few steps. Blaze galloped towards the palace armory as quickly as he could. Greyhield had pushed him far, but Ponyville was where he drew the line.





Blaze stood at the gate to the grand city, the entirety of the Equestrian forces, with some of the city's own stallions mixed in, filling the streets behind him. He heard the Council gallop up behind them, but didn't turn to face them as he looked through the opened gates of the city.

"Blaze we came as quickly as possible. What's going on, why are we gathering the entirety of our forces at the front gates?" One of the lieutenants asked as they came to a stop behind him. Blaze, instead of turning to speak to them charged up the stairs that led to the top of the wall. He turned around to face the soldiers that filled the labyrinths of streets and alleyways, their armor gleaming in the noontime sun.

"Greyhield has recently attacked yet another city!" Blaze shouted, his voice augmented by his magic. "His force burned down the small town of Ponyville until nothing but cinders and ruins was left!" He declared as he walked along the arch above the gate. "I call upon you now stallions! With our continued training, and the acquisition of our new equipment, I believe it is now time to stand up and fight back!" The stallions began cheering and stomping their hooves. "Onwards to victory!" He shouted as he teleported down to the ground and galloped out of the city gates. As he charged into the wall of the snow storm, the thunder of the army’s hooves declared the day ponykind began its war.





The army had settled down at the edge of the whipping snow, kilometers of tents set up as far as the eye could see, with banners flapping in the gales. Wagons filled with supplies were rallied around campfires, both keeping their charge warm while blocking the brunt of the wind. Soldiers sat around the small beacons of warmth, cooking their first meal on the road, while many of their comrades patrolled the edges of the massive encampment, ensuring no enemies entered.

Flint lifted a mug of warm cider from a platter, the steam curling up in the frosty air, the aroma of the beverage drawing him in as he walked around the fire to sit beside Blaze, who sipped at his own drink. Blaze nodded at the hooded stallion, who had recently added a wool lining to his dark cloak to help with the chill.

"How's everything holding together so far?" Flint asked as clouds of steam trailed out of his mouth. "Moving this large of a force so quickly must be a logistical nightmare." Blaze nodded slowly, wiping his muzzle off with a hoof.

"The last group of wagons is still due. We actually only brought enough supplies for a week, though I'm planning on being on the field longer than a week." Blaze replied as he looked up at the first stars as they appeared in the slowly arriving nighttime sky. "If I can have my way with this, we'll never have to return to the City of the Unicorns for the rest of the war, though things rarely end up as planned." He finished as he took another swig from his mug. One of the soldiers at the fire lifted a spoonful of soup from the cauldron above the fire and gave a purr of satisfaction at the flavor.

"Soup is on, stallions." He declared, lifting several bowls in a wind of magic, filling each with the delectable brew before passing one to each pony in the area. Blaze took the bowl in his magic and scooped some of the soup in his spoon and gave it a taste, giving much the same reaction as the cook.

"Well, at least the supplies we do have can make some decent meals." Flint commented as he took his third spoonful. Blaze nodded in agreement, a smile across his face as he enjoyed the meal.

"You can say that again." A familiar voice said as the pony it belonged to emerged from the snow, entering the one gap that allowed passage in to the small shelter. "I could smell it from halfway across the patrol area."

"Is that...?" Blaze began, looking closer to the pony as he removed his frosted scarf and helmet to reveal his snow white coat and slightly darker mane.

"All clear, Private Blizzard?" One of the soldiers asked the newcomer. Blizzard shook himself off, snow falling off his armor as he warmed himself by the fire.

"Aye, it seems we're in for a calm night. My partner is just taking care of his necessities; he'll be in soon enough." Blizzard replied, placing his helmet on the strap that dangled from his chest plate. As if on cue, the second pony entered, quickly nestling up to the fire, though he deferred to keep his helmet on his head, though he did shake himself a bit to get the snow off.

"Blizzard, is that really you?" Blaze asked as he set his soup and cider to the side. Blizzard and his partner look over to him, Blizzard immediately giving a half smile.

"In the flesh! Look at you, already at the top of the ranks, giving inspirational speeches and everything." Blizzard commented.

"Howdy, Blaze!" Half Pint said as he removed his scarf from his muzzle, letting it lay limply across his shoulders. "Haven't seen you around in a while."

"What are you two doing here?" Blaze asked with a chuckle as he walked up to his two friends as two other guards left the shelter for the next patrol.

"Well, since both of us were of sufficient age to join the guard, we decided that it would be a good idea. This war is going away by itself." Half Pint replied. "Oh, have you seen Amber around? She should be around here."  

"Wait Amber is here too?" Blaze asked; bewildered at how many unexpected things were happening all in one go.

"Yes, she is, in fact, here." Blizzard stated. "She and my mother are both in the medical core." He said, though there was hint of slight disappointment in his voice.

"I suppose these are your two friends from Ponyville?" Flint asked as he stood up, setting his still steaming mug of cider down while sending his bowl back to the pile of dishes. "My name's Flint, Glowing Flint. I might be called a friend of Blaze Eternal."

"I have my doubts about that." Half Pint commented with a chuckle. "I don't know how any pony could only say that they MIGHT be called a friend of Blaze Eternal. I'm not sure it's even possible to be unsure of a friendship with him."

"I guess you have a point there." Flint commented as he returned the chuckle. "Here, have some cider before the frost gets to you." He said as he poured two mugs of cider before giving them to the two young stallions.

"Thank you kindly, I had a hankering for some cider when I was out there." Half Pint commented as he took the mug between his fore hooves as he sat on his haunches. "The weather here is not exactly ideal for evening jaunts around a campsite."

"It isn't exactly ideal weather for doing anything near the outside," Blizzard stated, “You have to admit, the fact that these ponies control the Wild Winds of the North so effectively. I hear that at one time Celestia send a brigade of some of the finest weather managing ponies to stop the storms in this area, only to be blown away by the wind speeds the wild magic in this area created." Suddenly, a snow covered guard entered the shelter, removing his ice crusted scarf while galloping to Blaze, sheets of snow falling off of him as he bounded up.

"Sir, I have a report from our advanced guard that state that a nearby hamlet of the Crystal Empire is in the sights of a reptilous force." The guard informed them. "Estimates indicate that the reptilous will be upon the village within two hours or so."

"How far is the town from our current position?" Blaze asked as he levitated his scarf onto his shoulders, preparing to move out.

"It’s about a mile or so from us. We can send an advanced party to the village; they should arrive within the hour if they move as fast as possible." The stallion replied as he panted heavily. Blaze nodded, turning to Blizzard.

"Go to Lieutenant Stone Wall; tell him to get his division advancing on the position with all haste. Take only the necessities, no supply carts." Blaze ordered. "Explain only as much as necessary, time is of the essence right now." Blizzard nodded, taking his helmet and scarf in a hoof before taking to the air. Blaze turned to Half Pint and Glowing Flint. "Tell the ponies in this division the same, I'll start moving out, they'll see the Equestrian flag above me to tell them where to go." The two stallions nodded. Half Pint guzzled down his cider before wrapping his scarf around his muzzle while Flint lifted his hood and charged in a different direction. "Soldier," Blaze said, directing himself to one of the nearer guard who was already preparing himself for the charge, "I need you to give me our flag." The stallion nodded in response, grabbing the flag and its harness in his mouth and passing it to Blaze.





Blaze, along with Stone Wall and Firm Foundation's divisions, charged towards the village, the messenger leading the way as best as he could, his wings already tired from the first trip. Blaze kept a silver shield in front of the group, the snow melting on contact with the shining surface. Even though it would take a vast amount of strength for him to use a shield like this in battle, it didn't take quite so much at that moment as snowflakes replaced the usual sword strikes and arrows, making the strain a great deal less. The soldiers carried only what they had in their saddle bags and harnesses, galloping so much quicker for it, the massive main force still only organizing itself, still unmoving where it had been when they had started out.

"The town in only about ten minutes away!" The stallion guide shouted back as he flew as fast he could. "If the time estimates are correct, we'll have an hour or so!" Blaze nodded as he jumped over a snow drift, the sound of a cascade of metal behind him telling him that his soldiers were doing the same, even in their heavy gear.

"What type of numbers are we talking about on the reptilous side?" Stone Wall asked as he pulled back up after dodging around a particularly large snow mound. The pegasus soldier gave a small shrug of uncertainty.

"We only saw the first few ranks coming over a hill crest, even those had quite a few soldiers, at least a battalion or two by what we guessed, and that's just what we stayed around long enough to see." The guards reply. "The other members of the advanced team are still in the town in case we don't make it in time." Stone Wall looked over at Blaze, but the young stallion's eyes were straight forward, the distant look in his eyes as he ran showing he was concocting a plan for the upcoming battle. "T-there it is! The town's right there!" Blaze smiled as the snow covered rooftops came into sight as they ran on, unable to see if the reptilous had arrived or were even close at the moment.

Soon the group of soldier stopped in the far side of the town, the members of the advanced guard saluting as Blaze walked up. In the distance, Blaze could see the dark mass of the reptilous force coming closer, though they were still far off, and their pace seemed to be a regular march, without any sign of increasing speed anytime soon. Blaze turned to look at the two divisions of ponies, a large amount of ponies, yet definitely as massive as what he could see in the army that was approaching.

"I have a plan for this battle that will hopefully buy us enough time for the main bulk of the army to reunite with us and give us our edge in this fight back." Blaze stated confidently. "But this plan requires precision and absolute cooperation without a second's delay in response. If any of us do not perform at our peek, this battle is lost before it has begun." The soldiers nodded in unison, a smile breaking across Blaze's features as he began explaining his plan.





"General Gylom, a large group of pony guards has assembled near the town." A messenger reported to Gylom as the massive reptilous marched in the head of his forces. "We believe we've spotted the pony Greyhield has signaled as a worthy opponent in this war." Gylom smirked.

"Well, let us just see how worthy he is when he faces an army of the reptilous elite." Gylom scoffed. "We'll have his head on a pike and his flesh above our fires by the end of this." The messenger reptilous nodded before melting back into the line of soldiers. Sure enough, Gylom began to see the Equestrian Forces' golden armor in between his army and the village.





Blaze stood at the head of the two divisions, the first two ranks with their Abus Cannons drawn and loaded. The ground shook as the reptilous army approached. Blaze looked over his shoulder, the mass of ponies standing tall, with a quickly erected palisade wall directly behind them. Blaze turned back to look at the now stationary line of reptilous, their dark armor in stark contrast with the snow on the field. The leader of the reptilous lifted his sword and quickly signaled for the charge, the wall of reptilian soldiers moving as one towards the town.

Blaze lifted his right fore hoof before swinging it down, the cannons around him firing in unison, blocking out even the sound of the rattling armor of the running reptilous. As he watched, the first line of the reptilous stumbled, many of them falling down into death's embrace, while other had been fortunate enough to not have been killed instantly. A second blast deafened the field as the town's cannons fired from the second levels of many of the buildings, shattering the line further as the corpses of the reptilous were shredded.

"Fire at will!" Blaze ordered, the ponies quickly reloading their hoof cannons and firing on the still charging reptilous. As each volley sounded out, another line of reptilous felt the devastating effectiveness of the new weapon, only to have a new line replace it. As the line drew closer, Blaze lifted his hoof again. "Stow arms!" He shouted above the chaos, a few last shots ringing out before the ponies all had their guns back in their harnesses. "Charge!" The stallions quickly lifted their lances into place and charged the line of reptilous, with unicorns holding shields in front of them as they galloped.

Blaze drew his sword and dashed to pass the line, taking the very head of the charge. The line of enemies quickly closed the gap, the first reptilous, Blaze met quickly finding a sword lodged in his chest before a bolt of fire exploded in his face. Blaze quickly pivoted and bucked the next reptilous, who had his shield raised, only to have his shoulder knocked out of joint by the force of the attack. Blaze spun around and ripped the shield away from the reptilous, sending his sword towards the beast, who knocked the attack away with a swing of the sword, only to have a lance pierce his heart and the line of stallions arrived.

Blaze launched a fire bolt into the face of a reptilous soldier, who quickly lifted his hand to remove the soot from his eyes, only to find he later had no head as Blaze took advantage of the moment of distraction. As Blaze levitated his sword back to its position at his side, a reptilous swung its sword down at him, intent on making him into two pieces. Blaze quickly jumped to the side, but still felt pain arc through his being as the sword dug into his side. Though it only managed to scrape him, it had made a rather large gash in his armor.

Blaze turned to the reptilian warrior and sent his sword towards the beast, which grabbed the sword’s hilt in response and dove forward with another fierce attack that succeeded in slashing across Blaze's leg. Blaze lifted a sword from one of the fallen reptilous and sent it towards the beast, only to watch as the reptilous stepped to the side and slashed at Blaze with the pony's sword. The attack had been so close to him, that he had no time to dodge, and so crumpled under the reptilous' blow, his armor barely holding up under the strain. Blaze attempted to stand back up, but the reptilous quickly planted its foot on Blaze's back, raising its sword for the finishing blow while sheathing Blaze's sword in the ground.

Blaze quickly shot a fire bolt into his face, but the beast fought through the pain and sent the sword hurtling down towards the fallen pony. Blaze quickly summoned a magical sheath around the sword and stopped it halfway down, his head ringing in pain as he struggled against the power behind the strike. Blaze's horn glowed brighter as he prepared another spell, only to see the reptilous remove one hand from the struggle and take Blaze's blade from the ground and drive it down towards Blaze. The pony quickly stopped the blade, pain shooting through his body as he fought back against the two powerful strikes.

Blaze gritted his teeth and launched an orb of magic into the sky, that streaked right past the reptilous' head, narrowly missing as it did. The ball of magic exploded in the air, the light brighter then the sun as it began to decline in the sky.  The reptilous smirked at the missed blow, but looked up in confusion as the line of fighting ponies and reptilous before him parted, revealing two lines of stallions still standing by the palisades with hoof cannons aimed straight towards the hole in the fighting that had him at the center. The resounding boom of the cannons echoed through the field, several reptilous falling dead as the volley tore through the air. The reptilous had quickly let go of one of the swords as he saw the fires of ignition in the cannons, quickly falling down, using his now free hand to lift a shield, that received the blow, though it didn't stop it. The charge shot straight through the shield, though it had been slowed down enough to only smack against the reptilous' armor without puncturing it.

Blaze quickly twirled the blade left free in his grasp, and shot it at the reptilous, who quickly twisted around to catch it on his new shield. Blaze kicked at him as he charged him horn up with another spell. The reptilous swung his sword down at Blaze, who quickly blasted the blade away with a ball of fire. The reptilous didn't seem to care about this development, as he slammed his fist into Blaze's face, breaking his concentration, causing his sword to clatter down to the ground, only to have it snatched up by the reptilous. Blaze wrapped his magic around the reptilous' body before shoving him up as the second volley of the ponies' hoof cannons rang through the air. Blaze quickly wrapped his fore hooves around the reptilous' shield, making sure he couldn't block the charge this time. The small iron pellet sliced through the beast warrior's head, a spray of blood splattering across Blaze.

Blaze shoved the limp body of the dead reptilous away, rising to his hooves. Blaze looked towards the line of ponies at the palisade, who stowed away their hoof cannons, their two charges fired as planned. Blaze smirked as he turned back towards the reptilous line, his sword ready for the fight, though he felt weak as blood seeped from his wounds. As he began walking towards the approaching line of reptilous, the blaring sound of a horn echoed across the plains, signaling the arrival of more troops. Blaze look behind him, and saw the mass of golden soldiers swarming around the town, galloping straight for the battle as the supply wagons still crawled along behind.

Blaze turned back to the reptilous with smile, and saw the look of disgust on the reptilous leader's face. He removed a horn from his bag, sounding it above the clutter of the battle begrudgingly. The reptilous immediately shoved their opponents away before falling back, forming a full line.

"Retreat!" The commander roared. The mass of reptilous behind the line began running as the line of shielded reptilous slowly backed up, blocking any attacks on their rear.

"Pursue them, give them all you got! Ready cannons and fire at will!" Blaze ordered as he charged as quickly as he could towards the enemy with his injured leg. Several random cannon shots rang out as ponies took out their cannons and began bombarding the shielded reptilous as pegasi flew past them and went straight for the fleeing reptilous. As Blaze approached, the shield wall began to fall as more and more shot pierced the shields and eventually the reptilous holding said shields. Blaze began to feel a new wave of energy surge through him that surpass even the pain he felt as he picked up speed and charged headlong towards the fleeing enemy, shooting the occasional fire ball after the runners.





Blaze stood on a ridge, looking over the few scores of reptilous that had managed to survive the attack. The ponies had stopped following them as the fleeing army had passed from Crystal Empire territory, and far out of the possibility of turning back and attacking the small town. Blaze lit his horn, and in a flash, teleported back to the town outskirts.

He walked back slowly, pain once again coming to the forefront as his adrenaline rush ebbed. He looked around, the once white, snowy plains now stained red and filled with bodies of both ponies and reptilous. Had they really saved the town? Had the town actually been spared, or was it only delivered to another horror? Blaze shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his mind. He should be rejoicing, Equestria had finally been met by victory against the armies of Greyhield, and yet he felt no joy as he limped back.

The skies over the world darkened as the sun dipped below the horizon, the long day finally drawing to a close as Blaze limped back to the town, his armor quite thoroughly thrashed, running with not only the blood of his enemies, but also his own. The town seemed quiet, as if the ponies were still weary, unsure whether the victory that had seemed so apparent was true. Blaze shook his head as he headed for his tent that was at the back of the town. The ponies deserved to be happy, but the war would never allow such a thing to happen.

Blaze slowly meandered up to his tent that somepony had taken the time to set up in his absence. He pushed the flap open as he unlatched his helmet and levitated it to the side as he used his magic to scoop a bowl of cool water from a bucket in the corner, which he poured over his head. He felt tired, he ached, and frankly, he only wanted to sleep, but he needed to stay awake and felt in any way he could.

"Blaze, is that you?" A tired Amber asked. Blaze looked over to one of the corners of the tent that had been closest to the entrance. Amber lay on a pillow, most likely having fallen asleep while she waited for him to return, most likely to check him over and ensure he was alright.

"Yes, I'm back from the battle." He replied, taking a rag from his small chest of belongings, which he quickly dried himself off with. Amber stood up and stretched, letting out a yawn as she woke up. Her eyes finally met Blaze's beaten and battered form.

"My goodness!" She shouted as she dashed over to look Blaze over. "Are you alright? Where does it hurt the most?" Blaze quickly pushed her back.

"Amber, I'm good, I need to change into something a bit less damaged, but after that I need to get back out there and help the others." Blaze stated as he began taking off pieces of his beaten and bloody plate armor.

"Blaze Eternal, you can't go back out there and hope to help ponies when you yourself need medical attention!" Amber fretted. "I need to help you, you're injured and bleeding! So stop thinking about other ponies for a second, and take a small bit of your time to let me help a pony who needs some help." Amber pleaded.

"I can't, I need to show them that I'm strong and willing to do whatever they do, if not even more than that." Blaze replied sternly as he removed the last piece of plate mail from his back.

"So you're going to prove how strong you are by walking out there with open wounds, collapsing from the bleeding, only to wake up a few hours later in a medical bed?" Amber questioned. "Blaze, you don't need to keep on proving yourself to these ponies. If they still don't believe in you, then they never will. You've done some many things to help them that many other ponies might think impossible or crazy. So how about you stop and show you're strong by letting somepony help you?" Amber finished, watching Blaze remove his chain mail that had several areas where the links had been severed.

"I don't have time right now, Amber." Blaze countered. "I need..."

"You keep on talking about what you need, but you don't think about what you actually need, which is medical attention." Amber interjected. "If you don't have time right now to ensure you won't bleed out or get an infection, then I suggest you clear your schedule a bit, because this takes priority." Blaze groaned as he removed his cloth jacket, throwing the ragged piece of fabric on top of the pile of damaged armor that had accumulated on the floor.

"Fine, disinfect my wounds and wrap me up in some bandages, but I need to get out into the camp to see what needs done." Blaze said. Amber gave him a smile and a nod of satisfaction before beginning to look him over as she wiped his wounds off with a wet cloth before dabbing each with a cotton wad that was soaked in disinfectant. Blaze sighed as small stings poked at him as the alcohol in the disinfectant nipped at the open cuts. He felt the cloth bandages as they were wrapped around his wounds, held fast with medical clips once Amber had been satisfied with the restrictive layers of bandages.

"There, finished, but remember that some of these wounds will heal better if you actually got some proper medical attention that isn't given a time limit for your treatment." Blaze nodded as he levitated another set of armor from a stand. As he began to slip the cloth undergarment on, he heard Amber gasp. He spun around and looked around, and then settled on Amber.

"What, what is it?" Blaze asked, looking around a bit more, trying to see what might have startled Amber so much.

"Y-your cutie mark, i-it's..." She began.

"I know it's probably gone after me sweating during the battle." Blaze said dismissively as he lifted his chain mail, already slipping his cloth armor on while locking the clasps on it.

"No, that isn't it." Amber said. "You have another cutie mark entirely." She said, looking at the new mark on Blaze's flank. Blaze looked back at his flank, and sure enough, a different mark was emblazoned on his flank. No longer was it the wheel of fire he had painted there for so long, but instead, it was an unfurled scroll that contained battle plans, with a sword behind it, the blade passing behind the middle of the scroll.

"M-my cutie mark... is in tactics?" He asked in a low voice. "T-that's why it took so long to get?" It did make some sense to him. In his life as a performer, he never once had a chance to show tactical prowess, and if it were his calling in life, this would possibly be the only way to gain it.

"You've got your real mark, Blaze." Amber said with a small laugh. "You finally know what truly makes you special." She continued, at the brink of shouting. "I'm so happy for you, Blaze." Blaze gave his own laugh born of relief from the pressure that had loomed over his head for all those years. He was finally complete, he finally knew his true lot in life, and he had all the opportunity in the world to use his special talent.

> Chapter 33: Left Behind
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  "You really should've come to me sooner, you're injuries aren't exactly looking that great." The medical officer commented as she removed the bandages that covered Blaze's mid section and fore leg. "The wounds on your sides have signs of an early infection; your leg appears to be starting to bind with the cloth of the bandage, not to mention some of the scars I'm seeing here from previous battles that seem to be more of a fast patch job than medical treatment. Tell me, before you returned from the last battle, how long had it been since you had taken off your armor, much less reported for your monthly physical?" Blaze scratched the back of his head in thought.

"I doubt I've ever showed for a physical with it always conflicting with another part of my schedule, I usually ended up having them after I got injured or knocked unconscious. And as for taking off my armor... that would be before my last shower, which was... the day before we marched here." The medic sighed and shook her head.

"Well at least you take your armor off and practice some form of hygiene with some measure of regularity." She commented. "From now on, I want you to clear your schedule to make it to your physical. You might be young, but that only makes you more prone to poorly healed wounds. If you have to, make your schedule around the eventuality of having a physical." Blaze nodded slowly as the medical pony took a small knife in her mouth and placed it above a flame, letting the blade glow a red before taking it off and swiping it across Blaze's side, removing the gunk and grime from the wounds.

"Anything else I need to know before I go?" Blaze asked as he closed his eyes against the pain of the glowing hot blade skidding across his hide.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere." The medic stated as she dropped the knife into a small bowl of water, steam quickly billowing upwards as the metal cooled. "As I said before, many of your wounds have healed in a small measure, but are not healing correctly. I might be because the pony who did it was pressured by you to hurry, or it might have been because you insist on getting out of the medical bay and straight back into the action without a moment of recovery to spare. This time, however, I will make sure you stay right hear while I ensure your wounds heal completely and properly."

"W-what?" Blaze shouted. "You expect me to take time off now? The army's marching tomorrow, I can't stay here and have a last moments notice furlough! If anything I'm needed more than ever in the front lines to lead the troops into the next phase of the war!"

"Well, if you really though that, maybe you might have tried to take better care of yourself, but here we are with you in a bad way in great need of medical attention." The doctor replied bluntly. "Now you can lie down quietly, making this easy for both of us, or you can make it hard on yourself, your choice either way." Blaze immediately stood up and faced the mare.

"I will not stand idly by while those stallions march to war!" Blaze argued. "If I even want a chance at being a respected leader then I need to show them now more than ever that I can deny my own needs and give my all to the needs of the nation!"

"I guess that means you want to do this the hard way then?" The pony asked with a sigh. "Well, if you won't cooperate, I have full permission to have you restrained by force so that you can receive proper medical attention. You might not like it, but in your-"

"It's not a matter of whether I like it!" Blaze cut her off. "It's a matter of what is more conducive towards the greater good of all of Equestria, which, at this moment, entails me marching right back out there and leading the charge towards our next objective!"

"Sir, if you are truly that important to the success of further operations of the Equestrian army, then I suggest you allow me to help you help us all." The doctor rebutted. "A pony in your state shouldn't even be strolling down to the market place to buy flowers during peacetime in the summer, much less march for miles on end in freezing temperatures with large amounts of stress, both mental and physical. For your own sake, you must rest. And if you will not stay here and rest for your sake, then do it for the ponies you hope to save that need you to lead the greatest army the world has ever seen if they are to have a hope."

"It isn't that I have to lead them it's that-" Blaze began.

"Then I see no reason to not keep you here and give you time to rest and properly heal from the various wounds you have received." The doctor shot back. "Now tell me, are you going to stay here out of your own volition, or will you resist and try to go with them anyway, because I have been given an entire platoon of soldiers to use to restrain you in the event you try and escape this medical facility."

"T-the soldiers need me, I need to be there!" Blaze stammered, taken aback by the pony's obstinate nature.

"And why exactly do they need YOU in particular? Is it because you are so uniquely qualified to lead them because your cutie mark is in war related activities?" The pony shot back. "If that's the case, then I assure you, most, if not all, the leaders of the army here have their cutie marks in some aspect of combat, training, or some other military capacity. Or maybe they don't need you there at all," the medic suggested as she walked away from him, leaving him with a shocked look, "Maybe you just need you there. If that is the case, then I suggest you get over it, yourself, or whatever has you so set on going with them, because the end of the matter is that you are not going with them." Blaze sat down with a loud thump on the bed, his expression one that voiced his shock, both at the pony, and at his current predicament.





"Hey-o, anybody in here awake?" A familiar voice called from the entrance of the tent as Amber poked her head in. When her eyes adjusted to the dimmer light, she saw the hooded Flint in what seemed to be a starring contest with Blaze. While Flint was the perfect illustration of stoic calm he almost always seemed to be to Amber, Blaze, though frozen, seemed to be the exact opposite. Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, falling off his muzzle in thick droplets that smacked against the nonabsorbent fabric of the bed. Blaze's muscles also seemed very tense, slightly shaking as if he were going under some large physical stress, even though he sat completely bare on the bed. "Is everything alright in here?"

"He's been like this since they left for the next target." Flint replied in a near whisper. "I'll wager we can chalk it up to shock... but Blaze doesn't seem to be the type for this stage of mental shutdown." The hooded stallion concluded.

"Is there some medicine he needs? Maybe he needs a sedative to help him relax, o-or a-" Amber said as she opened the medical box she carried. Flint placed a hoof on the box's lid. Amber looked up, catching a glimpse of the blue eyes under his hood, unsure of what to say. Flint shook his head, and slid Amber's hoof from the box and latched it closed with his magic.

"He doesn't need any medicine, he's fine... physically." Flint continued, looking back at the still frozen pony before him. "His mind, his very spirit, is out in the battle. He's fighting alongside them, even though he's far from them."

"Where are they?" Amber asked, garnering a look from Flint. "The soldiers I mean, where did they march to?" Flint looked back to Blaze and shook his head. 

"Baltimare, we've had reports that a reptilous army has been moving towards it, apparently quite a bit faster since the day we beat off the last invasion." Flint replied. "The march from here to Baltimare is anywhere from three to five days, depending on the weather conditions and what not. They should be back in at most twelve days."

"D-do you think he'll stay like this the entire time they're gone?" Amber asked hesitantly. Flint sighed and gave a shrug.

"Who knows? He might come out of it when he's hungry, he might never really come out of it. All we can do is sit here and wait." Flint replied, keeping his eyes on Blaze. "Sweating like he is though, he'll need some water at some point in the reasonably close future."

"You m-mean, he might stay like this forever?" Amber questioned, her voice betraying her worry. Flint looked back to her, his expression invisible beneath the shadow of his hood.

"I doubt he'll be like this forever, but we can't tell when he will come out, it's really up to him right now." Flint stated calmly.

"No wonder you aren't a doctor," Amber muttered, "You have some of the worst bedside manner I've seen." She said with a chuckle.

"I don't sugarcoat the truth. Telling ponies what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear has a tendency to cause them more pain in the long run than many of us might care to admit." Flint stated with an unchanging tonality.

"I guess you have had personal experience with the former?" Amber ventured. Beneath his hood Flint nodded, something that sounded like a small sniffle seeming to be heard from his direction. "A-are you alright? I-I didn't mean to offend you!" Amber said looking shocked at the thought of having hurt somepony without intending to.

"No, it's not you." Flint replied. "I was the one who coat the truth with a layer of lies once." Flint explained with his face still turned towards Blaze. "It got somepony I cared for almost killed on multiple occasions."

"I'm sure you didn't mean to hurt them, you must have had you're reasons." Amber offered hopefully. Flint gave a small chuckle.

"Isn't that how it always is? We think our reasons to do what we do justify whatever ill may come of it, but in reality, in never does." Flint stated. "You want my advice? Never force somepony into something without asking them, they'll never recover from it."

"I-is that pony y-you talked about... are they alright?" Amber asked. Flint looked over his shoulder towards her, a small tear falling from the shadows onto the cloth of his cloak

"I don't really know." Flint replied solemnly.

"Well maybe when Blaze snaps out of his... state... maybe he can help you find this pony." Amber suggested with a small smile.

"Amber," Flint began, "Blaze is that pony." Flint stated

"Flint, I... I'm sorry." Amber said.

"You don't need to be, you shouldn't be really." Flint said softly. "I'm the reason why he's doing this. Sometimes I wish it all away, but then... then I can only think of what might have been... and I'm truly frightened. No, I'm not frightened, I'm absolutely terrified. I've face horrors that nopony should have to see, and yet, of it all, the part I'm most terrified about is not what demons might come to snatch me up and drag me down to the depths of Tartarus, but what might have been if I had been a meter to the left or right that day."

"Flint... Flint you need to stop." Amber said quietly, catching Flint off guard. "I-I don't know exactly why, but I know that Blaze would tell you that, and right now you need to listen to anything Blaze would say." Amber looked at Flint and then at the still form of Blaze, that seemed to calm slightly as she looked at him. "Blaze isn't angry at you, he's mad at himself for not being here, for not being more than he is."

"He has every right to be angry at me; I'm the one who killed everything he once was. I was the one who squashed him out and replaced him with whatever pleased me." Flint said sullenly. 

"H-he doesn't, not in the slightest. You're his friend, his comrade in arms." Amber replied. "It would take a lot more than you messing up, no matter how royally to might have done so, to break such a bond."

"I don't know how, I was the one who-" Flint began again, only to have hoof smack him in the back of the head.

"Stop talking about how you were this or you did that and how that or this thing is the reason for why he should hate you and that he should never want to see you again for one reason or another!" Amber shouted angrily. "Blaze is your friend, he considers you a pony of great confidence, and that means that no matter what you do or have done he will not hate you. Blaze isn't perfect, but who among us is? We are all with our distinct faults, so how about you stop sulking about in your misery, because there is no misery worth having right now. You should know that Blaze hold you in higher regards than that."

"But I-I just can't! What I've done has in essence defined our world as it is today, I can never be far too repentant for that, for all of this!" Flint roared, sending is chair flying as he stood up in a whirlwind.

"Well you best start trying, because Blaze has already forgiven you.” Amber shot back. “As for my part, I agree with you. I don't think that we would be in this situation without you. No, I think most, if not all of us, would be dead by now if you hadn't intervened. If you truly set the course Blaze took, then the only emotion you should feel is pride, because you have made the greatest military leader Equestria has ever seen." Flint glared at her. His shoulder rose and fell with each enraged breath, but as he went on, they began to sputter until they became sobs as he crumpled to the floor in a mess of tears. Amber rose and wrapped her hooves around the stallion in a comforting hug as he left the emotions he had allowed to build up flow free.

“There is no need for tears.” Somepony said. Amber looked up, and saw Blaze, now completely still, with no shaking or jitters. “Save the tears for the day of sorrow, bewail the loss of the many. Sorrow is the end, keep strong, and move on.” Blaze said with his eyes unmoving.

“For a day shall come when you wish for tears,” Flint continued, “And you shall have none to cry. Keep strong, move on, be merry while it lasts, and save the sorrow for the last day.” Flint finished looked up at Blaze. “A Stanza for The Weary Soldier, written by Golden Embroidery.” Blaze seemed to smile before his eyes closed. Slowly, Blaze drifted to the side, until he finally flopped onto the bed.





The thunder of the troops returning filled the air, the morning sun still barely above the horizon as they rose above a hill, revealing themselves to the town below. Blaze walked out from his tent, his bandages removed, the majority of his wounds having healed over the two weeks they had been gone. His light officer’s uniform flapped in the chilling breeze as he looked on towards the soldiers as they approached the town, a runner clearly visible as he rushed to give news before the main body of the army returned.

“See, what did I tell you? Safe and sound as always.” The medic proclaimed as she walked out of the tent behind him. Blaze nodded slowly, looking over the crowd of soldiers as they drew closer.

“How many will stay that way until the end of the war?” Blaze asked before returning inside his pavilion. The doctor looked at him, and then back to the group of soldiers, already noticing the drastically lower amount of soldiers that were returning to the small town.   

> Chapter 34: Entering the Conflict
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Darkness, and endless abyss, stretching on without end; void of meaning, unrelenting, unforgiving; fire, the essence of power, purified, refined, and made whole, without mortal constraint. Warring parties, advancing lines, blurred alliances, fleeting shapes. Darkness and Fire, a scream cracking the sky, the world collapsing under its own weight as its suffering becomes too great. Corpses littered as leaves, blood flowing as free as rivers of crimson, a lone figure standing without company. 





Spike jerked awake, breathing heavily as his heart raced in his chest. His dream had been terrible, a nightmare far worse than any he had ever had. So how come he couldn't remember it yet know who terrifying it was? Spike shook his head, clearing his head before running his arm along his brow, a thick coating of sweat shining on his arm. 

"Are you alright?" Galintrent asked as he entered the room with minimal noise. Spike looked up at him and shrugged before standing up. He had spent the night in the castle, sleeping in his old room while Galintrent had elected to take his quarters in Twilight's old room. The invasion of Ponyville, though swift, and generally without too much of a challenge for the invaders, had still been taxing on them, having stayed up the day before until the break of dawn the next day.

"Did you sleep well?" Spike asked as he walked over to a vanity that had a small basin of water on the top, resting before the mirror. "My sleep was plagued by forgotten horrors."

"I managed to sleep well enough in the bed provided." Galintrent replied. "I cannot imagine why ponies would need such large bed when they are so small." Spike again shrugged, dowsing a rag in the water before running it across his face. A knock suddenly sounded from the door behind Galintrent, catching both reptilous off guard before Galintrent opened the door, letting a pony in who pushed a cart filled with food into the room.

"T-the kitchen staff has prepared your breakfast as requested." The chef pony stammered. "We h-hope that it is t-to your liking." Spike lifted an eyebrow as he set the cloth on the vanity's top before walking over to the cart that was arrayed with several dishes arranged on its two levels. Spike looked over at Galintrent who gave a nod to the pony.

"Wait outside the room, you'll be able to return the cart to kitchen soon enough." He ordered. The pony nodded shakily and walked backwards out of the room, closing the door with a hoof. Galintrent turned back to the cart, removing one of the platter’s lids, revealing a large dish of scrambled eggs that contained a variety of spices, of which pepper slices were not the least.

"I suppose you think I'll be eating that?" Spike asked with a smirk as he approached the trolley. "I doubt you want to test your stomach against what pony chefs put in the food." Spike commented as he removed another cover, revealing a plate stacked high in what he had come to know as bacon in the reptilous camp. "Is this special request, or do we have some reptilous lowering themselves to cooking duties."

"None of them are directly cooking," The reptilous colonel explained as he took a strip and popped it in his mouth, "They are ensuring none of the ponies are putting poison into our food and while doing so also give them advice on how to prepare meals they wouldn't know of." He finished around a mouthful of the crunchy slice of meat. Spike shrugged, crouching down to see what was in the lower plates.

"Let's see here... toast and a variety of condiments, several types of juices and other drinks; I'll be honest, I never knew Ponyville had this much variety in food stuffs." Spike admitted as he took the pitcher of orange juice and poured a glass full into his metal cup. "We'll definitely be taking some of these for our next march. No offense to the customary diet of reptilous, but I also like some grains and vegetables in my rations." Spike stated, tossing an apple up in the air before catching it again and downing it in two bites.

"In reference to our next march, I have a letter from the capitol." Galintrent stated as he reached into his satchel that hung loosely at his side.

"Oh, we're calling it the capitol? We sound more and more like a nation with each passing battle." Spike commented as he took a strip of the crisp bacon.

"At any rate, Greyhield said he is pleased with the results and wishes to have us move to a new objective with all haste possible. He's hoping for another victory over the ponies to cement that we truly are the greatest addition to his army." Galintrent continued, tossing the scroll to Spike, who quickly caught it, unfurling it to read the contents.

"He would like to have us there within the next two or three weeks. We have reports that the ponies seem to be gaining a bit more hope recently." Galintrent stated, taking a tankard of the Manehattan Cider with a small smile.

"Baltimare... we should be able to arrive there in... twelve to fourteen days, sixteen at most." Spike stated before drinking down his orange juice in a few gulps. "The time tables provided are rather good for us, we can even take a day of rest and recovery to keep the troops fresh and still make it in decent time, allowing for another day of rest once we arrive." Spike calculated, rolling up and tossing the scroll back to Galintrent.

"I'll tell the troops to rest up then. We'll have a long march ahead of us by what you're saying." Galintrent said as he placed the roll back into his cloth pouch. Spike nodded, taking an orange in his claws, peeling it with ease with the sharp edges of his now elongated claws.

"Wait... no." Spike thought aloud. Galintrent stopped before reaching the door, looking back at his commander. "Have the supply wagon march today with the fourth and fifth for added security. Tell them to charge as fast as possible while still being able to maintain safety of the cargo today and tomorrow, and then to go at a slightly slower pace the next several days until they arrive at the target. There they can rest until we arrive." Galintrent had a look that clearly proclaimed how unsure he was about the plan that had been stated. "The cargo train will travel slower than the main body of the army on a fast day, and will cause our entire armies speed to suffer, but if they start first, we have a chance at arriving at the same time. Tell the rest of our force to rest up, we'll stay today and tomorrow." Galintrent nodded slowly and left the room to deliver the orders to the soldier, leaving Spike to enjoy the food on the cart before him in peace as he thought about the upcoming battle.

"Eh, excuse me... sir?" A voice asked, breaking him away from his thoughts. Spike turned to see the server pony standing in the doorway. "Do... do you want me to take the cart away now?"

"No, leave it here; I'll call for somepony to pick it up when I'm finished. Not to mention that my colonel hasn't exactly been able to eat any of said breakfast." Spike said. "You can continue with your other duties until further notice." The pony nodded slowly, taking a few steps back.

"E-excuse me again, sir, but, you aren't exactly reptilous, are you? If y-you don't mind me... I-I didn't mean to pry." the pony stammered, tripping over his own tongue as he fought in vain for the words to come out properly.

"You're right actually." Spike replied "I'm a dragon by birth, what tipped you off I'm not like the rest of my comrades? I thought my appearance was quite similar to theirs."

"You do look a lot like them, but you act near nothing like them... well, not exactly that harsh." The pony attempted to explain. "You act like them, but it really is just an act for you. It's almost like you're just going through the motions of a life you don't believe in, but are nonetheless forced to go through with. You also treat ponies differently, most reptilous would be shouting and showing off their claws by now." Spike chuckled slightly. The pony was right, no matter how much he might try, he truly wasn't a reptilous at heart, in body maybe, mind as well being a possibility, but his heart wasn't the slightest bit like a reptilous, and maybe that was good.

"I suppose that for your sakes, it is a good thing that I'm not like them in any great measure." Spike commented in a low tone. "I doubt they'd prisoners over corpses without my influence." The stallion nodded slowly. "I know this comes far too late, and that it's hard to believe coming from me since you've seen the things I've caused, but I want you to know that... that I'm sorry for what happened here. I never wanted this town destroyed, or any pony to be hurt..."

"But such is the way of war." The pony said with a sad smile. "I hope the war is kinder to you than what someponies might believe you deserve. I can tell you aren't the demon some make you out to be, you're just..." the stallion paused, searching for the next word.

"Misguided? Misunderstood?" Spike suggested with a smirk. Surprisingly, the stallion shook his head in refusal, his eyes turning dark as he looked at the dragon.

"You are misguided, nor are you misunderstood. You know who and what you are, and so does everyone else, they just reject what they see and paste their own farce of you on top of what you truly are." The pony stated almost harshly. "You are lost within yourself. Everyone but you knows who you are, but few see you for just that. No, you need to choose which one is the farce, and which is the truth. Discern the mask, and you know the true face, but choose wrong, and you'll remained lost." The pony finished, closing his eyes with a sigh. Spike's mouth was agape in absolute shock. He had never met a pony who spoke so freely of what others seemed to tip toe around. "Now, if you'd excuse me, sir," The pony said, breaking Spike from his shock, "I must return to my duties." Spike nodded absentmindedly, his jaw closing as he watched the pony leave the doorway, closing the door behind him as his hoof steps trailed off down the hall.

"Discern the mask..." Spike muttered, starring at the mirror in the corner of the room. He knew what he had been, what he was once, but he knew he wasn't that anymore. He was a new, more ferocious version of that baby dragon that seemed to be so distant. Or maybe he wasn't ferocious at all, maybe he was just older and had sharper claws and there was nothing more to it than that. Having weapons didn't always mean one intended to do harm, and not having weapons didn't always mean one didn't mean to do harm. Yet it almost seemed a given that being strong meant causing harm to the weaker, and that striving to be stronger meant you wished to harm many more than you could reach in the present.

Spike groaned, resting his head in his hands. He knew he needed to find who he was now, but the truth just seemed out of reach. As if he were about to catch it, and as he reached out, it flittered away just far enough to evade him, in an ever frustrating, ever extending game of tag, in which the longer he played, the more he needed to finish it, for his own sake, if not the sakes of others.





The bulk of the army arrived to the plains within sight of Baltimare, the supply train having been overtaken earlier that afternoon. The whole group had decided to slow down to a singular pace, taking frequent breaks as they approached their goal. The army had finally stopped within a few minutes ride, tents and pavilions set up in a long arc around the southern side of the large city. Spike stood in the entrance of the largest tent, looking out over the many tents in front of it towards the rising spires that towered over the already high rising city. Spike turned and entered the pavilion, the guard saluting as he passed.

"Give me a full report on their defenses; what are we up against this time?" Spike asked at the amp that lay draped over a chalk board. "I need troop numbers, armor and weapons and general positioning." The reptilous nodded and shoved a box full of reports from scouts and spies to the young general.

"The Equestrian army has just arrived in the city in nearly full force, and the local militia isn't too shabby number wise either." The reptilous began taking a stick out, smacking against his hand as he went on. "All in all, around twenty or so divisions against our technical two and a half, though that is simply number based as you very well know we only have one division present." The reptilous smacked the rod against the map and traced a wide circle along the south west side. "Ten or so divisions appear to be stationed in this area, though we only guess this by how many tents and different flags we can see seeing as they had some rather well organized lookout posts surrounding the camp which made undetected infiltration an impossibility for our units. No doubt Glenn could have made it if he was here, but he wasn't sent with his division to suppress rebellions in Stalliongrad." Spike nodded slowly, looking over the map slowly.

"I suppose there are depots in these locations?" He asked, taking his own stick and pointing at a few locations on the map in areas that had a cliff or a small forest on one side of their placement.

"Yes, depots and major guard postings are in those areas as well as here and here." The reptilous replied, point out locations to the north and west which seemed to have little defensive power to them. "The rest of their forces are camped out between each of them. From what we can tell, each message is delivered in three streams at once to prevent elimination of their communication in the event of interception or attack. Our spies report they actually are impressed in the security of their communication system, with three guards carrying the same message as the messenger protecting the pony. It took quite a few reptilous sacrificing themselves to find this out, but I believe it was quite worth it in the end." Spike nodded and looked over the battle scheme, concocting a plan to take advantage of that system.

"The best way to get a victory out of this is for us to employ a delayed three pronged attack plan." Spike stated, pointing out to locations quickly. "We drive a wedge in each of these locations to hopefully cut the lines off from the area between them. The message is sent to send troop towards the conflicts to help suppress the attack, and since there's a section in the center of both points of conflict, they'll be the one suffering greatest from the effects of being stretched to help close the gaps. We'll let the fight carry on for a bit to ensure all the troops that are going are already at the scene."

"We then have the third prong smash in and take the section out, reinforcing the sides while plunging deeper into the city allowing for the rest of the army to enter after it." Galintrent guessed as he entered the tent. Spike tuned to his colonel with a smile.

"That is half true. The third prong will hit hard, but it won't be a singular blow." Spike explained. "It will have to be another delayed action three pronged action since they will probably still contain a substantial amount of troops to guard the area. Once the sides are in the center will strike between them, and them diverge to help bolster their strength and sandwich them, and then effectively sandwich the rest of the center area, relieving the pressure on the original side so that we can have the main force drive further into the city, taking the majority of what will be their highest rated defensive positions."

"More complicated version of what I said basically." Galintrent replied with a smirk. "The one problem we'll face it what we do when we enter since for the most part we are most effective on our mounts. We can fight without them, but we've done extensive training on maneuvers while riding." Spike thought for a second, making a plan up as he went on, but just before he could open his mouth, a massive figured lumbered through the tent's entrance. On reflex, the soldiers drew their weapons and prepared for battle, but were surprised the figure was quite a lot larger than a pony.

"Gylom, is that you?" Spike asked, sheathing his sword while walking up to the obviously winded general. The reptilous nodded, attempting to catch his breath as he walked further into the tent with Spike as support.

"Urgent... news..." He sputtered as he took a few shaky steps, "Ponies have some... sort of new... weapon." He choked out before sitting down with a large clang. "I-it's far more devastating... than anything we've faced before."

"I suppose you ran all the way from the village you were attacking to tell us this after it crushed your ranks." Galintrent asked in an almost snide tone as he passed the general a cup of water, which the general drank greedily.

"I think I might be... a bit more excused than usual for not achieving victory this time." Gylom snapped back at the colonel. "Remember, I talking about a weapon that is new to this entire world. I doubt there are any fighters in this world that could beat odds like those on the first try without having at least some slight clue about them. So be grateful I'm even bothering giving you a heads up, because I could just as easily not tell you and watch your military career fall apart in your second major battle, and trust me, there are some in our ranks that would do such a thing to gain from your misfortune."

"What type of weapon are we talking about, Gylom?" Spike asked, helping the weary general to a sleeping bag that lay in the corner of the room.

"It's like their cannons in a way, except much smaller." He explained. "And even with it being so much smaller, small enough for one pony to use in an efficient way, it is far more powerful than any cannons that have fired at me or my ranks before now."

"What exactly do you mean by it being more powerful?" Spike asked, lowering the massive reptilous into the softer embrace of the cloth.

"The cannons at Stalliongrad would fire grapeshot at us, and the rounds would barely pierce my shield, much less my chest plate. These new things, they not only make it through one of my soldiers shields, but also the chest plate, the reptilous inside of the armor, and punch through the other side, and still have enough power to make a dent in whatever is right behind the first target." Gylom explained. "I'm afraid that you're soldiers will be a lot more trouble by this development."

"By what you're saying, it sounds as if we can put on armor and have the round hit our ride first we'll be alright." Galintrent said with a shrug.

"You don't get it, do you?" Gylom shot at the colonel. "They can pierce through one of my shields, my heavy metal plate, my chainmail, my thick cloth undergarment, and then me, and then through the previous elements all over again, and then leave a bent in whatever is beyond it. If you wear armor and ride a beast and the beast gets hit first, I certain you won't be alright."

"He's right," Spike muttered, "If they new weapons can not only pierce through his armor and him and then cause a good bit of damage to what's behind it, then it will doubtlessly tear through our stead, us, and then possible kill the stead of the next rider, if not hit and kill the rider right off the bat." Spike turned towards the map once more, silence falling over the tent for several minutes as he thought. “
I have a plan that might work out for us.” Spike said finally. “But the success rate isn’t exactly promising by what I’m coming up with in my head.”


> Chapter 35: Fight a New Way
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  The thunder of the reptilous troops marching up to the city woke the few Equestrian soldiers that had settled down for the evening. The golden clad soldiers quickly rushed out to the front of the line of tents, the first four lines carrying their Abus Cannon's. The mass of dark armored reptilous perched atop their steeds, dimly lit by the setting sun, grew ominously closer as the Equestrians formed ranks, readying for the fight they had been anticipating.

"Everypony, stick to the plan!" Stone Wall shouted as he reached the front line, putting his helmet on as he stepped in front of the first line. "Stand tall, stand strong; don't fall back unless ordered to!" Stone Wall ordered as he looked on towards the slowly moving reptilous line.





Spike rolled his shoulder, letting his armor settle more comfortably on his ever increasing frame. Celestia slowly came to a stop as he lightly pulled back on the reigns. Galintrent pulled the visor on his helmet down while stopping Luna. Everyone of the troops wore more armor than usual, though Spike knew all too well from what Gylom had reported that it would wouldn't be near enough to stop any of the projectiles that would doubtlessly flying towards then in a matter of moments.

"The troops are in position." Galintrent muttered his voice carrying exceptionally well over the calm evening breeze. "We await your signal, General Spike." Spike nodded, lifting his lance from his saddle, pointing the tip up to the heavens.

"Tell the troops, today will be our finest." Spike muttered as he slid his visor shut. Spike extended his arm higher into the sky before snapping Celestia's reigns and swinging the lance in an arc. The unified battle roar of the army behind him brought a smile to his face and a shiver to his spine as he lowered into his saddle, tucking the lance under his arm. The first line of pony quickly lowered their cannons and aimed at his advancing line, taking a moment to line up their shot before a light flared from the line and an explosion rocked across the plain. "NOW!" Spike roared as he snapped Celestia's reigns. The alicorns horn lit in a brilliant golden aura, and in a second produced a shield that spanned the entire length of the charge, which was quickly reinforced by a blue shield that sprung up directly behind it.

"Let's see how powerful your new weapons really are." Galintrent hissed as he snapped Luna's reign's harder, pulling out in front of Spike. Spike pushed down on his stirrups, Celestia responding quickly as she took to the sky with a single firm bellowing of her wings. The shields lit up in an array of small pools that struck the surface as the cannons' fire slammed forcefully into the newly formed shields, a sight that made Spike's smile all the bigger.

-

Stone Wall starred in disgust at the shimmering magical wall before him that rippled against the charges as if it were reflecting spitballs that a foal had shot at it.

"All lines fire at will! Bring that wall down!" He roared, the lines around him quickly erupting in a flurry of shot, several whisking by his mane and ears as he stood resolutely, watching the shield shimmer and spark against the charges while a pony beside him waved flag to send the order farther on. "Archers and spell casters, provide support! I want that wall down before they can even get close enough to see what hit them!" The pony beside him quickly lifted two flags and signaled to the lines farther behind, the message quickly received and carried out as the sky was darkened by arrows with small streaks of lit from spells creating small bands of light amidst the blackened skies.

"Sir, the shield is holding firm, what is our next move?" A sergeant beside him asked. Stone Wall looked towards the pony and then back towards the advancing shield and reptilous that charged behind it in safety. 

"Signal for Battalion One to fire, we need that shield down before we can do anything against them." Stone Wall ordered. The pony nodded and raised a flag and gave a signal to the ponies behind them. Suddenly, the outer most lines of buildings of the city lit up as cannons held within fired solid iron orbs with resounding explosions. The cannonballs smashed into the shield, and as the first wave of fire hit, the shield wavered for a second, allowing a volley of charges, arrows, and offensive spells past it, and taking down several of the enemies beyond.





Spike felt Celestia flinch as the cannonballs connected with her shield. He watched in terror as the shield faltered, allowing the attacks to slam into Luna's shield and then on to the troops. Fortunately, the attacks had been slowed down enough by the two barriers that they only took out the first ranks of the charge, but the heat of battle was already starting to mount up. Spike looked back towards the ponies and saw the smoke rising from the buildings, followed promptly by a few blast from certain windows.

"Celestia, can you use an offensive spell in your current condition?" Spike asked as he lowered her height in the sky as a flurry of arrow approached.

"If I'm to do an offensive spell I'll need to divert my focus to it, which means I'll have to lower my shield while I attack." Celestia replied in her monotone voice. Spike weighed his options quickly as he looked at the distance between his army and the pony line.

"Do it! Aim a magical beam at the area between the first and second floors of the first line of houses, and make sure you give it enough power to cut through completely and then some." Spike ordered as he raised Celestia altitude once more. Celestia's shield quickly dissipated and was replaced by a golden beam that swept along the line of houses. As he watched, the houses burst into a mass of flames and explosions, much as Spike had expected.

"Any other targets I should eliminated before raising the shield?" Celestia asked as she prepared herself for a spell. Spike quickly thought of his choices and their possible outcomes and snapped to a conclusion.

"No, raise the shield now; we need to keep enough troops alive so that we can fight with what waits for us." Spike replied as he watched another flurry strike Luna's shield, which faltered slightly under the strain. "Put as much power as you can into the shield, we need to give Luna some time to breathe." Celestia nodded, her magical shield rising in front of Luna's in an instant, seemingly more vibrant than before. Spike quickly swooped down to fly slightly above Galintrent and Luna, waving his lance to gain the colonel's attention. Galintrent looked up to Spike and put a hand to his ear to show he was listening. "Tell Luna to send a beam across the pony line!" Galintrent nodded and quickly relayed the message to Luna.

Luna nodded in response and shot a sweeping beam across the pony line, only to have several shields pop up in sections of the army as the blast reached the half-way point of the line. Spike nodded as he directed Celestia back up into the air.





"Damage report! Tell me what we've got!" Stone Wall roared as he lowered his small shield, beads of sweat rolling down his brow as he recovered from the impact. The Sergeant looked around the line for signals, nodding as he noted each one.

"Heavy damages reported in the areas occupied by the fifteenth through twenty-first divisions, mild damages in twenty-two through twenty-ninth and in thirty-second and thirty-fourth, while as we have no damages reported in the rest of the areas." The sergeant replied as he signaled back to the other divisions. The pony turned to look past the line, nodding once more as he received another message. "Our heavy artiler... I mean Brigade One reports total annihilation of their forces." The sergeant finished before turning back to face the continually advancing line.

"Those ponies were our best shot at stopping them here." Stone Wall hissed as he looked around at the ponies. "Send the order, divisions twenty-five through thirty-five fall back to the river; brigades twenty-four and thirty-six are to cover the gap." The sergeant nodded quickly and relayed the message as quickly as he could. The mass of soldiers quickly gathered their things and fell back towards the winding stream, with several of the soldiers further back in the ranks standing in the gentle current. The hoof cannons shortly returned to firing on the advancing wall, the charges still bouncing off insignificantly.





Spike snapped Celestia's reigns once more as they drew closer to the pony line. Celestia folded her wings in and dove forward, her speed aided by gravity as she screeched straight for the pony line like a hawk towards its prey. She quickly gained enough speed she past straight through her own shield and into the pony line as Spike let his lance run through the line, the blood of his victims splattering across his armor and Celestia. Spike pulled the reigns back and had Celestia swiftly shoot back to the heavens in the opposite direction of the pony line.

The sound of thunder ripped through the sky as the clouds overhead were sprung to life by pegasi. Spike pulled farther up and broke through the clouds in a matter of seconds, coming face to face with the pegasi warriors. Spike threw his lance at the first pegasi, watching as the projectile slammed into the pony, piercing straight through the armor of his shoulder. The sound of a pony in intense agony pierced the air as the pony spiraled downwards, landing on a cloud that seemed to sag under the weight of the lance. Spike closed his eyes as he drew his sword, preparing for the next attack as best as he could.





Stone Wall lifted his magical shield once more as another blue beam screeched across the field, only making through the blast because of how fast it passed by. He quickly looked around at the soldiers around him, some of them apparently having been hit by some off the attack. Beside him a soldier fell down, his once pure white coat stained a hideous black on one side where the beam had struck him. Stone Wall quickly picked up his cannon and ammunition pouch and began firing at the wall as quickly as possible while occasionally shooting a beam of magical energy as the wall met the lines that were farther up the field.

“Dispose of the hoof cannons, don’t let them have one!”  Stone Wall ordered as he teleported his away to a random location he hadn’t had time to think of, riding on the hope that it wouldn’t show up in front of a reptilous. The Last few shot went off, some designed to blow the barrel to bits as a magical cork plugged the chamber. Stone Wall drew his sword and readied himself for combat as the reptilous line drew closer. “Send a message to the lines to the north. Tell them to send us half their troops. They might not make it in time to hold this position, but will help a great deal if the fight enters the city.” Stone Wall ordered as he charged up a spell. The sergeant nodded and wrote the message on a piece of paper before charging off towards the messaging post.





Spike sent Celestia into a drive towards the pony line, the air rushing past as he shot downwards. Spike leveled Celestia out as they soared past the heads of the ponies, his sword extended outwards to catch whatever was in the way. Suddenly his blade was knocked out of his grasp as a blue blast screeched by, taking a great many of the ponies below with it. Spike continued flying forward, looking down at his claws that were slightly singed from the blast in shock.

“General Spike, your attention is required for flight.” Celestia droned as she flew on straight towards the line of buildings. Spike quickly shook his head and looked towards the buildings, and saw the distinctive glint of cannons inside some of the windows.

“Level those buildings.” Spike ordered as he pulled back on the reigns. Celestia’s wings spread wide, her momentum disappearing in a second, only to be replaced with backwards movement as he shot a gigantic blast at the line of houses that incinerated them, and tore down the fronts of the next line of houses. Spike turned Celestia back towards the battle, his breathing erratic as he tried to wrap his mind around what had just happened.

He had just ended not only the lives of so many ponies, but had also destroyed the homes of many others. Sure, it had been Celestia who had done the action, but he had given the order. Was he become what he had sworn never to be?

“General Spike, we are leaving the area of the battle, is this according to your wishes?” Celestia asked. Suddenly something snapped inside of Spike. He yanked the reigns and turned Celestia around before having her fly higher and higher. Spike watched as the battle slowly was nothing but a blob below, with no sense to it as the two colors fought, morphing around each other as the individual warriors fought the battle.

“Dive straight down and fire the most powerful beam you can straight at the golden area.” Spike ordered, feeling light headed at the high altitude. Celestia nodded and folded her wings in, pointing her body like a javelin down towards the earth as she charged a massive spell.





Ashes, there was only ashes. No life, no death, no light, no dark, just ashes, the acrid smell of ozone and burning things. The world was no more, life was no more, the universe was gone, all except one form that fell to his knees and wept, longing for days gone by; days that were gone, never to return.





Spike opened his eyes, returning to consciousness after his brief laps of wakefulness. He quickly realized what was happening as the golden orb on Celestia’s horn grew brighter and brighter. He quickly pulled back on the reigns, Celestia quickly leveling out as he did.

“Get rid of the spell, do not cast it!” Spike roared as he turned Celestia away from the battle.

“I have charged it far too much to not release it. I cannot absorb it, and cannot disperse it harmlessly into the air.” Celestia replied. Spike looked around trying to figure out what to do, trying to find some way to get rid of the beam without destroying too much.

“Shoot it at the river!” He shouted as he turned Celestia towards the direction he wanted her to fire. With a gigantic boom, the beam shot towards the river directly behind the troops, sending a plume of steam and dirt into the air.





Stone Wall stood panting looking on at the city beyond in complete disarray, with Greyhield’s flag now bellow in the wind above it. He had been able to escort the majority of the civilians and soldiers out of it as the attack grew fiercer than any attack he had witnessed since the beginning of the war.

“Sir, it seems that the reptilous are making no efforts to pursue us. We need to get back to the town before they change their mind.” One of his Second Lieutenants reported as he walked up to the beaten and bloodied up soldier.

“Fine…” Stone Wall grunted, whipping around to march away from the city with utter disgust. “Next time we’ll get them for sure.” He hissed as his subordinate fell in to a march beside him.   

> Chapter 36: Defense of the Last Hope
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Blaze sat at the table, having just heard the report of the last battle. Even the innovations in war didn't change their ability to win even in the most hopeful of conditions. The Equestrian army was all their with the exception of one division, the fifty-third, which had stayed in Winterglade, the small hamlet they had protected in the battle before last, for the protection of the populace and the holding of their new forward operating base. All fifty-two divisions had been beaten down by an army of roughly six, at least according to Equestrian standards.

"Fortunately for us, the enemy never pressed the advantage after we abandoned the city. We can only imagine if they had, and what effect might have been achieved in doing so." Stone Wall finished before finally taking his seat at the table. One of the other First Lieutenants stood up and gave a nod to Stone Wall.

"I believe I speak for everypony here when I say that you truly did everything in your power to stop what happened, and for that you have nothing to be ashamed of, no matter what anypony says." He said in a rather friendly tone, a small smile born of sympathy on his face.

"Except he lost the city..." A pony muttered, though it had been low enough that no pony knew who had made the comment.

"Stallions, this is no time to bicker amongst ourselves." Blaze said in a calm voice, or at least as calm of a voice as he could manage with all the stress that had suddenly been heaped on him. "It the battle that Stone Wall faced there was no other choices he could've made that would've made a positive effect for our side in the long run. He saved many of the ponies who would have otherwise been slaughtered by the reptilous if he had not been there. It is true, we all with we could've won, but some battles are made to be unwinnable, but we must still fight each as if they were winnable, much as Stone Wall did." The room was swept up in a low mumble of agreement as the ponies looked solemnly at each other, the three empty seats around the table presenting the harsh reality of the war's far reach. Suddenly the doors to the room flew open, a messenger still partially covered in snow galloping in to the room.

"Message from the southern outpost!" The messenger shouted as he threw his ice crusted scarf off to the side. "Reptilous forces are marching hard on their position, with estimates of arrival in this area ranging from later today to early tomorrow." The room quickly fell into a silence that was unbroken except for the runner's heavy breathes. All at once, the ponies began to talk in quickly increasing volume, reaching a point of sheer disorganized shouting.

"EVERYPONY QUIET DOWN AND LET'S BEEN SENSABLE!" Blaze roared, his voice magical augmented to be louder than everypony else's voice. The stallions were quickly silenced, as they looked over towards Blaze. "What reports do you have concerning their force? Is it a scouting party, a brigade, the full army?"

"Reports are inconclusive on that score, though the sound produced by the force's movement was significant, leading to the assumption that it is most likely the bulk of the force." The messenger pony replied quickly. Blaze nodded and waved him off before returning to the stallions.

"As we all very well know, these reptilous have a power greater than any of the other forces. We'll need a new and better strategy to deal with this force, and we'll need to make it in a short amount of time." Blaze stated. "I suggest we close this meeting and take an hour of rest to have each of us come up with our own plans, and then discuss which plan is the best and fine tune it so that we are all as satisfied with the plan as possible." The stallions all nodded in agreement, and shortly dispersed to different areas of the building, leaving Blaze alone with his basket full of maps and bucket full of plastic pieces. He quickly brought out the map of the area and pieces that corresponded to the two armies and began to concoct a plan, much as he had to earn his mark.





"We then have the smaller force loop around this way and hit them from behind, hopefully throwing them off enough to finish them off with one last attack from the aerial divisions." One of the pegasus lieutenants finished, grinning as he ended his explanation of his battle plan. Most of the stallions in the room seemed unimpressed to say the least, the whole plan had almost exclusive use of the air based units in the combat n any sort of active way. In a way, Blaze envisioned what the lieutenant had explained as some sort of air show that had been fitted with swords and lances for a bit of extra flash, with a minimalist choreographed formation on the ground giving small accents to the fliers moves.

"Thank you for that... interesting plan." One of the senior officers commented as he stood up, sending the enthusiastic pegasus back to his seat. "And now we finally come to Blaze Eternal." Blaze nodded and stood up, draping his map over the last plan.

"My plan includes some elements that I have noticed playing a minor role in some of your plans. I suppose when we thought of what this battle most likely held for us, we all had the same general thought, though I have taken a certain piece some of you have worked in to your plans in a small way and made it the entirety of mine."

"Well out with it already! The reptilous will be here soon enough, and we still haven't given orders out to the troops." One of the stallions commented with a huff. Blaze gave a nod before taking up a stick with his magic as he prepared to present his plan.

"The reptilous have the definite advantage in numbers and all around strength, training, and almost every other facet that can be conceived." Blaze began. "What we have to use to our advantage since we don't have any of those things to our advantage, is ingenuity and all around well executed movements that will throw them off during the fight." Blaze smacked the stick at a certain point of his map where the red and blue blotches met. "We will place our strongest, most able ponies at the center, with the less able fighters on either side of them. When the reptilous strike us, our next move will need to be made in just the right way, or else the whole plan will fall apart."





Blaze stood behind the ranks of ponies, looking out towards the reptilous army as they marched up towards them. He could clearly see how many more there were of them there were in comparison to the ragtag Equestrians that stood in formation before him.

"Sir, reports from several outposts." A messenger pony said as he gasped for air. "Estimates of what we can see tell us they most definitely are twice as big as our forces, if not three to four times." Blaze nodded slowly. If he had been in the middle of some field in the middle of Equestria, he might have considered retreat, but that wasn't an option in this case.

"Return to your post soldier." Blaze ordered. The pressure mounted on him as he continued to look over the armies, the knowledge his plan had been selected over the others bringing him all the more stress during the calm that choked the air. A light breeze rippled through the grass, bringing a chill to the field as the first flakes of snow fell as planned.





"General Gylom, the troops are in position." The colonel reported. Gylom nodded, looking across to the field to the site of his last defeat. This time he faced the full force of the Equestrian army with no unexpected addition to sway the battle.

"Tell the others we go in at full force, have the madrahciah provide shielding as best as they can. I don't want a single reptilous lost before we meet them face to face." Gylom ordered, his sense of levity completely missing. "Having the main force of my division is something I will not stand for, and I will not have my auxiliary forces squandered on meaningless frivolities."

"Aye sir, it will be so. Also, a runner arrived a few minutes ago. Spike will arrive within the next hour with fresh troops to support us if necessary." The colonel stated before leaving his general. Gylom looked across the line of ponies standing before him, their golden armor glistening in the evening sun. If they were fortunate, the remnants of the forces would disappear over the horizon before the sun could.

"You may have defeated me once, but you don't stand a chance this time." Gylom growled as he put his helmet on. He rolled his shoulders, readying himself for the coming battle.





Half Pint rolled his shoulders, his armor still bothering him as he tried to stand still in the face of the reptilous line beyond. The silence that engulfed the field made his heart quicken, breaking into a cold sweat as the anticipation and anxiety built up. Suddenly, a horn blared across the field, and the reptilous line began to charge forward, with several shields popping up before them.

Half Pint watched as the flag pony nearby began waving the newly added Hoof Cannon flag. The first two ranks of soldiers took their cannons out and aimed down range, readying themselves to fire at the oncoming enemy. As he watched, the archer flag was raised. Half Pint quickly took out his crossbow and puller the slide back before placing a bolt into the groove before lifting his weapon at an angle, preparing to fire on the enemy line when given the command. As he waited, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, the spell caster flag was also lifted, several auras lighting up around him as soldiers prepared themselves.

“Hey,” the pony beside him said, “Don’t look so nervous,” He commented, “With a leader like Blaze, we have a good shot at making this work.”

“I know that,” Half Pint replied, “but I can help but worry, Palisade.” Palisade shook his head with a grin before returning to his own crossbow. 

All at once the mass firing flag was waved proudly, met by the loud explosions of the hoof cannons, the soft whizzing of the bows and crossbows, and the zinging sound of casted spells flying out towards the advancing lines beyond. The signal to fire at will was given, and soon the field was filled with the many sounds of projectiles being launched. The shield rippled and shook under the stress of the many points of impact across them.

As Half Pint loaded in another bolt, the gigantic explosion told him the cannons were joining in the fight. Several of the shields before them fell, allowing projectiles to strike the soldiers that had once been protected by the failed shields. Suddenly a gigantic bolt of magical energy rose above the reptilous line, rising in a massive arc before reaching its apex, coming screeching down towards the pony line. Half Pint watched in horror as it collided with the ground in front of him, sending him flying through the air with dirt and pieces of metal.

For a second, Half Pint felt weightless as he flew through the air above the ponies. All at once, he landed painfully on top of several ponies, his world spinning as he tried to right himself, feeling something warm and sticky dripping down his brow. He stood up shakily, only to fall back down, the stream of blood rolling down his brow into his eye. He looked to his side and saw Palisade looking back at him. He pulled himself along the ground to the pegasus, and then noticed that half of the pony was now chard black.

“P-palisade, a-are you…?” Half Pint trailed off, noticing the lack of breathing and the glossy eyes that had been so full of life mere seconds before. Half Pint reached out towards the pony, only to feel himself lifted up and carried off towards the medical camp, his fallen comrade left behind.





Amber rushed from one bed to the next, looking over each of the ponies that had already been wounded. The battle had only just started, and even without having met the pony line, had caused massive damage, not to mention patients from the previous battle.

“We got more coming in, nurse!” A soldier stated as he flew in, holding a pony in his hooves. Amber nodded quickly, grabbing her medical bag from the nearby table before rushing over to the first of the new arrivals. The pony was apparently white with a swath of black and gray running from the front left leg, up his face, almost touching his right eye. Suddenly the realization hit her who she was looking at as her eyes met the familiar cutie mark.

“Half Pint!” She gasped in a moment of shock and horror. She quickly removed burn cream and disinfectant from her bag, along with a large roll of heavy duty bandages. She quickly applied the disinfectant over the areas that had been stripped of skin.

“P-palisade…” Half Pint said in a whisper, tears still rolling down his face, hissing as they met the still heated flesh. Amber quickly spread the burn ointment across the rest of his affected area before lifting her bandages in her teeth, quickly maneuvering Half Pint and the cloth with her hooves.

“Nurse, we got three more coming in!” The soldier at the entrance of the tent shouted before charging off to help the ponies. Amber looked towards the tent’s flap as two gurneys rolled in, the soldiers laying on them covered completely by white blankets that had been stained with the blood of the bodies under them. Several ponies entered behind them, most of them with expressions of immense pain as they were carried to the empty medical beds, which were quickly running out.

Suddenly, the tent disappeared, as did the ground. Amber quickly slammed into the wall of a building, the burning remains of the medical tent flittering down in the breeze around her. She quickly looked around her, seeing ponies screeching in pain and agony as they lay on the cold, hard ground. Amber quickly lifted herself and searched for her medical bag, only to feel her right front back leg give out with a screeching pain that wracked her entire form. She looked back and saw the mangle form that once was her leg, which was now bent in the wrong direction, with bone peeking through her bare skin.

Amber gritted her teeth and slowly stood up, lifting her leg as best she could so it wouldn’t touch the ground. She limped over to one of the soldiers, pressing her hoof against his neck to check for a pulse, only to have the chard corpse give a grotesque crack as the head plopped of off the ciders that had once been a neck. Amber shot back in horror and disgust, only to hit her leg against something, sending her to the ground in tears. Amber shook her head and dragged herself towards the next downed soldier, testing for a pulse. In that moment she lit up at finding the pony was alive, hope stirring inside of her that other could also have survived.

Amber quickly checked the pony over, and was relieved to find only small scratches and bruises which he received from the landing no doubt. Amber crawled to the next pony and once again found him alive, though in extremely bad condition. Amber looked around for some sort of medical supplies, but none of them had survived the explosion apparently.

“Somepony, help me!” Amber shouted, looking around for some pony that might be able to help. As if by some miracle, a pony came out of their home, and saw the ponies that littered the ground around them. She quickly charged further into town towards the center of operations for the medical ponies. Amber gave a sigh of relief as she let herself succumb to unconsciousness as the distant explosions rang on. 

> Chapter 37: Stand Strong, Stand Tall
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Blizzard held his lance in his teeth as the line of reptilous quickly approached. The ground shook as yet another magical explosion went off, sending more debris into the air. Blizzard thrust his spear out, watching as a reptilous skillfully dodged around the attack, snapping the wooden shaft in two with a swift strike of the sword. Blizzard quickly dove forward, using his wings for more speed. The blow sent the reptilous stumbling backwards while Blizzard spiraled upward with the reptilous' blade in his possession.

Blizzard shot back down towards the reptilous, which quickly turned to face the pegasi, catching him by the leg before slamming the helpless pony to the ground. Blizzard shook his head as the world around him span in a whirl of pain and disorientation. As he regained his sense of direction, the reptilous above him brought his sword down towards him. Suddenly a bolt of magic smashed into the blade, sending it flying backwards. The reptilous let out a roar, slamming his foot into Blizzard's head before launching itself towards the offending unicorn with murder in its eyes. The unicorn quickly shot another blast of magic in the reptilous' face, only to have the warrior beast lash out still with its claws, catching the pony in the sides. Blizzard, in a state of delirium looked up towards the reptilous as he tried and regain full awareness.

Blizzard suddenly found something very clear in his mind, as the searing pain of claws entering his sides pierced the cloud that had bogged down his mind. Blizzard let out a screech of pure agony as the reptilous ripped its claws out again before bringing its sword down on the pony, catching him behind the neck. Satisfied with its work, the reptilous kicked the pony off of his blade, the crimson blood still dripping slowly from the cold steel. Suddenly an arrow shot through the reptilous skull as Stone Wall barreled through the line.

"Fall back to mark one!" He shouted as he notched another arrow in his bow while slashing the nearest reptilous across the stomach. The Equestrian soldiers quickly rallied and fell back a few paces as the onslaught continued. Stone quickly shot off another arrow, catching a reptilous in the shoulder, who quickly lost his head as Blaze finished what the lieutenant had started. Blaze quickly shot another reptilous in the face with a bolt of fire before turning on the spot and bucking him in the chest, sending him toppling backwards a good distance.

"Give them mark two! Fall back to mark two!" Blaze ordered as he blasted yet another reptilous with a fire spell while finishing it off with a sword strike to the throat. As the troops fell back, a flurry of arrows shot up, striking the further ranks of the reptilous. Blaze popped up a magical shield as a reptilous slashed at him, only to have another on jump on top of his and tear off a plate of his plate armor, throwing it away before slashing in with its dagger, cutting a rather sizable gash in Blaze's side. Blaze jerked away, only to have another reptilous bring his sword down on Blaze's shoulder, sending him to the floor.

Blaze looked up at the beasts, his teeth gritted against the pain as he sent another bolt of fire into the face of one of the reptilous before sending a magically conjured blade into the chest of the other. Blaze rose to his hooves, blood seeping out from his wounds as he took several steps back, watching as the reptilous pressed harder and harder on the pony line.

"Fourth mark, get to the fourth mark!" Blaze ordered before making his way to the location himself. As he turned again to face the reptilous line an arrow shot out and struck him in the chest, lodging itself firmly inside the pony as a small trickle of blood began to work its way out of the armor. Blaze shut his eyes against the pain, snapping the shaft off to the point where the armor began. As he did, another arrow struck him in the leg, sending him to the ground in a ball of agony. 

Blaze shakily attempted to raise himself, but found his limb unresponsive as he lay on the snowy ground. Before too long two soldiers lifted his limp body onto a stretcher before running from the battle towards the field hospital, only to gallop right passed where Blaze had known it to be. As they passed the area, Blaze saw the charred remains of medical equipment, tent supports, as well as some corpses that had been caught up in whatever horrific event had transpired.

The two soldiers took him deeper into the town, the medical care center coming into view as they galloped through crowds of disorganized ponies that ran to and fro, fortifying the town in case the soldiers were unable to stop the advancing reptilous. Blaze felt the curtains brush against him as they passed through the tent's entrance to the medical facilities. He heard several gasps, though he didn't know if they were directed towards him or not.

The ponies quickly set him down on a medical table, that was, interestingly enough, more comfortable than most medical beds he had the misfortune of sleeping in. He felt the familiar weight of his armor disappear as the doctor teleported his armor off to begin their procedures. He felt several spikes of pain as they removed the arrows as quickly as possible before cauterizing the wounds as quickly as possible while tending and mending his other wounds with bandages and small, focused healing spells. As they continued, Blaze slowly felt less and less pain, until the world around him faded into darkness as an empty dream consumed him.

-

Stone Wall fired one last arrow as he fell into position at what had been called mark ten, the final mark for his troops. Stone quickly raised a horn to his mouth, the sound blaring across the field, followed by the cries of war and thundering of hooves as the lines of ponies on either side of the main column came crashing down on the reptilous. 

Stone Wall rolled to the side as a reptilous swung his massive battleaxe down towards him. Stone Wall quickly shoved his sword up the reptilous' stomach before taking it out once more to fend off another reptilous attacker as he bared down on the stallion. Stone Wall tore the reptilous' sword from its claws and turned it towards the fierce warrior beast, intent on ending the soldier with his own blade, but the reptilous quickly grabbed the sword's cross guard, stopping its progress. The reptilous swiftly turned the table on the pony, yanking the blade from the magical field before bringing it down on the pony's head, giving Stone Wall only a brief moment to jump to the side, but even though he tried to get out of the weapon's reach, the blade still caught him in the shoulder, sending him to the ground.

Stone Wall looked up at the reptilous, which lifted his blade and sent it down on the pony. Stone Wall quickly rolled out of the way, only to have the blade pierce his foreleg, pinning him to the floor. Stone Wall gave roared in pain before staring up at the reptilous with a fire in his eyes. With sheer force of will and magical power, Stone Wall pushed the blade the whole way through, only taking a moment to snap the cross guard off to allow to blade to pass through.

The reptilous took a step back from the furious, blood-thirsty stallion, which now had a hole in his leg and a blade with a broken cross guard to show for his resolve. Stone wall quickly ran the stunned reptilous through before quickly cutting off the beast's leg and skinning it, tying the rough, scaly skin around his wound, binding it with some of his cape's cloth. Several of the reptilous saw this, and took several steps back from the pony who now wore a piece of one of their brethren.

"Who wants to give me a new rug for my tent and some fine cutlery?" Stone Wall asked with a widening, maddened smile, perceiving their fright. "Or maybe I make a nice suit of armor." A few of the reptilous seemed to need no more convincing as they ran off, while the much more experienced soldiers charged the pony line. Stone Wall's smile grew even larger as he met the braver reptilous with a substantial limp. "I might just have some blood wine tonight!" He roared in glee, scaring off the last few undecided reptilous.

-

Spike rode up on the scene, the chilling winds hitting him full force as the weather ponies continued at their work to make the battlefield all the more challenging for the reptilous. Bellow, Spike saw a sigh he almost couldn't believe. The smaller Equestrian force had encircled the reptilous horde. Distant fires dotted the landscape marking the remnants of destructive spells, and small, far away pops proclaimed the continued use of the small cannons that had proved so troublesome before. The field was already covered in snow, though it now ran with small streams of crimson that fed into small ponds that began to form in the lowers points of the field.

"It appears that Gylom might be in need of assistance." Galintrent commented as he halted Luna a small distance further on. "What is our course of action?" The colonel asked, looking to his general. Spike looked over the field, the bodies almost far too visible. The apparent majority was the reptilous, a fact that only served to make him feel all the more reluctant, but he finally came to a conclusion.

"We create one hole in their ranks and get Gylom away from this place." Spike ordered. "Today is not promising victory for us; even with the number advantage appearing to be on our side." Galintrent nodded slowly before riding over to the signaler, who passed the message on quickly. Spike took a final deep breath before snapping Celestia's reigns.

-

Gylom pulled his lance from yet another felled pony before smashing the face of another pony in with his shield. Gylom slammed his spear into the ground before bringing out his sword and charging into the lines of ponies, hacking and slashing his way through the densely packed fighting force that seemed to spawn three fighters for each one he removed. 

"Sir, General Spike has arrived!" Gylom heard one of his colonel's shout over the battle. Gylom smiled, not turning as he planted his sword into another pony before picking another one up in his claws, crushing its windpipe with a powerful squeeze. Gylom threw the corpse away before taking his sword back up, readying himself for the next opponent.

"Eh... sir, Spike's flag bearer has sent the message that they are going to aid in our removal from the field." Another colonel stated. Gylom looked over his shoulder, surprised to see what he had been true after all.

"Send a signal back; we are staying right here until the defeat of the Equestrian forces!" Gylom roared before smashing a pony to the ground with one solid swing of his sword. The colonel nodded and rushed past his brother's in arms towards the flag bearer to give the message.

-

Stone Wall bucked another reptilous in the chest, sending him tumbling backwards. Stone Wall pivoted on his hooves, slicing the reptilous' head clean off as he pushed another reptilous away with a blast of magic. Stone Wall lifted the reptilous' blade and ended the other reptilian fighter with it. 

"Sir we have contact to the south! Another reptilous force has appeared on the field and is riding hard for our position!" One of Stone Wall's soldiers’s reported as the lieutenant finished off another reptilous with a swift swipe of his blade. "What are your orders, sir?" 

"We can't spare any more troops; they'll just have to handle themselves as best as possible over there." Stone Wall replied as he continued his tirade through the reptilous line, almost receiving as many blows as he dealt as he forced his way deeper into the reptilous force.

-

Spike met the line of ponies, sending several of them flying with a magical blast. Spike soon reached the reptilous line. As he entered into the crowd, the masses parted as he made his way towards where he could see the flag bearer, where he knew he could find Gylom close by. He eventually found the beaten up reptilous general, who fought far more sluggishly than usual. Spike jumped off of Celestia, stowing his lance before unsheathing his sword, joining Gylom.

"We need to get you and your forces out of here before any more losses are suffered!" Spike shouted over the mayhem as he took out the first pony that jumped towards him. "We'll cover your retreat as best we can."

"No dice, Spike, we're staying right here until this battle is won!" Gylom replied as he bashed a pony away. "We might have fallen the first time, but we have learned how these ponies fight, they won't beat us this time!"

"You didn't see what I saw when I first rode in, Gylom!" Spike shouted back. "There are more reptilous dead on the field than there are ponies alive, we need to pull you out of this battle before you lose the entirety of your auxiliary for in the same campaign as when you lost your main force!" Spike reasoned as he slammed his shield into an advancing pony. 

"I won't allow my force to suffer two loses at the hooves of these pathetic ponies!" Gylom roared as he punted a pony into the air. "We will win this battle if it takes every last reptilous in this division! And that's also with or without your help!"

"It will take more than your division and mine to take on these ponies!" Spike stated as he kicked a pony up the jaw. "They have you surrounded, and are likely to finish you off within the day if you stay here. Now pull back so that you can live to fight another day, unless you'd rather explain to Greyhield why he now has lost two divisions instead of just one and a half!" Gylom looked over to Spike with a pensive look, and then cursed under his breath.

"Fine, I'll do it your way." Gylom said with a hiss. "Cover our retreat and I'll try to get as many soldiers back alive as possible." Spike nodded as he readied himself for holding the line.

"Tell Celestia to come to me while you’re at it! She'll be of use in holding this position!" Spike said as he held his shield firm against the ponies bashing on it. "All soldiers in my division, hold the line and cover Gylom's removal, don't give an inch, and don't let anything or anypony through!" Spike ordered, several reptilous quickly forming a shield wall alongside Spike as Gylom's troops fell back, some throwing rocks or discarded weapons at the ponies as they went.

-

Stone Wall walked in to the medical facilities, his armor long gone, though his reptilous bandage still was present on his leg. The waves of nurses and doctors rushing to and fro made him feel a tad dizzy as he made his way to the reception area. A single nurse sat behind the shabby wooden desk, organizing paperwork as it was thrown at her, her complexion betraying the stress she felt as she continued her work incessantly, the vast amounts of empty coffee cup giving testimony as to how long she had been at it.

"Excuse me, but can you direct me to where the commander was put upon his arrival to this area?" Stone Wall asked over the bustle of the crowd. The nurse looked up for a brief moment before returning to her papers that were yet filed.

"East wing, third section on the left." The nurse said, waving her hoof as if showing the directions on a nonexistent map. Stone Wall nodded slowly before finally walking away, finding his way a best as he could. 

"You really shouldn't try to draft up plans while in the hospital." A slightly familiar voice said farther up the row of medical curtains that functionally separated the large tent into rooms. "You're supposed to be resting, and I doubt stressing yourself over every detail of a plan is the most relaxing activity for anypony."

"I can't let it wait, this needs to be done right now." Stone heard Blaze say as he came closer to the room. "This plan has the distinct possibility of changing our fortunes. The reptilous are obviously stepping up their game that was already better than ours, so we need to try our best to keep up, if not hopefully past them."

"That sounds all well and good, but if it means you won't-" The other voice began as he entered the room.

"Sorry to interrupt, but if you know Blaze at all, you'll know his strong headed nature won't allow for easy convincing." He said, entering the room, surprising the several ponies that lay in it. Stone nodded at Blaze as he walked up. "He's a tough nut to crack, which is good for certain things, but makes him worse off when two things of high importance collide, and one is his wellbeing."

"Especially when the one thing is his wellbeing." The pony, who Stone Wall now placed as Amber, commented with a huff. "It's like you have a death wish, Blaze; both on and off the battlefield!" Stone Wall stifled a chuckle at the comment, disguising it as a cough as he looked over the other ponies in the room. He noticed, oddly enough, both of the remaining residents of the room were a shade of white, though one was a far purer variant than the other.

"Stone Wall, these are my friends, Blizzard and Half Pint." Blaze said in introduction. "It seems today if the day we all see how badly each of us can get wounded in the same battle. Speaking of, how did it end? The battle I mean."

"It ended in victory for our side." Stone Wall stated, gaining some relieved expressions. "A second force of reptilous appeared a little while after we closed in completely on the reptilous, but instead of pressing their advantage, they actually stood in the way and helped get the original force out of the battle."

"A fortunate move for us," Blaze commented solemnly, "If I have the reports straight, the second force was said to be equal or greater in size to the first. If they had decided to fight we would have doubtlessly lost the day." 

"Well, the day is won," Stone Wall began, "But the war is only starting."

> Chapter 38: Blaze
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Blaze limped into the hall, a guard on either side ready to catch him if his legs failed him. Blaze quickly took a seat at the head of the table, looking over the lieutenants and other officers as he did, each battered and bruised, though they all seemed to have a certain hopeful aura about them that the last meeting had been missing. 

"Stallions of the council, congratulations on a victory well deserved." Blaze began, "The reptilous forces were successfully repelled due to your hard work and dedication." The stallions all nodded, smiling and grinning at each other, a wave of relief finally flowing over them as the tension built up before, during, and after the battle at last released.

"Your planning won us the day, we just followed orders." One of the ponies said, several grunts of agreement passing over the group. "You are the one who deserve congratulations on this occasion, for bringing us the victory, and continually performing far beyond our expectations." The ponies began stomping their hooves in agreement, filling the hall with the rumble of applause. Blaze lifted his hoof, dismissing the applause.

"We may have won the battle, but it was at a great cost." Blaze stated as the room calmed down. "Through the course of the past two battles, we've lost two thirds of the army we had when we left the unicorn city, while as the only confirmed losses we have inflicted on their side was taking down thirteen to fifteen divisions. Their losses, according to our reports, seem to be more on the lines of a fifth of their force, which translates to an obvious disadvantage." The mood of the stallions in the room became decisively dark as Blaze continued with his reports.

"We haven't drafted every stallion at our disposal. There are still means of raising our numbers back to our previous standard while as reptilous are all fully employed in the war by what we can tell." One of the stallions pointed out. Blaze shook his head slowly, pulling out one of the many binders of papers which found its way to the stallion's hooves as Blaze tossed in with a wave of magic.

"The stallions left at our disposal are already quite limited. If we had them all brought in, we would restore a fourth of what we loss, and then cripple our food supplies. The number of stallions we left out of the draft was calculated with extreme precision to allow us to have enough stallions on the fields to grow crops for the army and have enough left for relief efforts that will be started once we take back a city we lost."

"So we are effectively stuck with only being able to take a small portion of the stallions that aren't enlisted so that we can maintain enough food production to supply our forces and have a functional excess that can be used to help retrieved cities?" Stone Wall asked as he rifled through the pages, looking over each of their contents quickly.

"No, we cannot take out a small amount of stallions. Because of what we outlined when we selected those for the draft and those to stay and farm, we cannot take any of them out for a variety of reasons. Once we free a city, we will have more stallions at our disposal, which will doubtlessly enter our forces, meaning we will need more food for them, so we have effectively made it so we can't gather more troops as long as we cannot supply more immediate farmers and farm land." Blaze said looking over each of the ponies around him.

"So we have to take an offensive posture." Stone Wall muttered. "Fantastic, and now we have fewer troops than ever." The rest of the stallions seemed to reflect his opinion as they looked over the reports.

"There is something that may help us in this time, though." Blaze commented. "While I was recovering from the last battle, a plan came to me that might just help us a great deal if implemented correctly. I have to give credit to some of your weekly reports for being one of the main... fountains of inspiration." Blaze set out another few reams of papers strung together hastily.

"And what exactly does this plan need to work, how does it work, and how fast does it work. But above all of that, what is the possibility of it actually working without a hitch?" One of the ponies asked, looking at the massive pile of papers that had been deposited on the table.

"Those questions will be answered in due time, but first, let me explain." Blaze took the highest folder of papers and gave it to Stone Wall as he began. "It has been noticed by many of you that we are rife with many stallions who seem willing to keep up with the training we have given, and then a number who wish to go farther, seemingly finding some measure of discontentment at how slow they are forced to progress because of fellows who are less receptive to the methods of training employed amongst our ranks. As you all know, this problem occurred a hundred years ago, much as it is today, and so resulted in the formation of the branches of the guard."

"This is all common history, Blaze, give us something we don't know." A pegasus spat as he tossed the papers in front of him farther down the table.

"I am getting to it, just have patience. As I was saying, the Royal and the Equestrian Guard owe their existence as separate entities from the E.U.P. because of this unlevel playing field amongst the guards." Blaze continued as he looked at some of his papers. "I doubt many ponies after all this time would be very willing to have yet another branch added to the guards just to facilitate the training of a select few ponies..." A low murmur rolled over the room, confirming what Blaze had said, "And so I suggest making a subdivision within the Royal Guard to give us a method of giving the few more apt soldiers a venue through which they can realize their full capabilities."

"WHAT? You intend to make a subdivision within the very Royal Guard and you think that is better than just making an entirely different branch?" The same pegasus shouted, rising to his hooves in a furious state.

"Yes, that is exactly what I'm after!" Blaze shouted as he rose to his hooves, his mane flashing black briefly, causing the pegasus to sit back down as the young unicorn took a few deep breaths. "This group of soldiers will be no more than a division, and most likely a brigade if ponies act as I expect. If I find an unlevel scenario in that group, I intend to divide it even further until I can find the absolute best fighter and hone their skills to perfection. Trust me; this was not an easy plan to make. I am against making Equestria any more militarized than it has already become through this war, but certain actions are necessary if we are to survive this war." The stallions around him looked at each other, exchanging worried glances and near silent words as the atmosphere in the room grew all the more tense.

"I for one am for this decision." Stone Wall said as he stood from his seat. "It’s about time we allowed those better than others to excel and allow the rest of the crowd play catch-up. Having an Elite squad of soldiers will definitely benefit us in the long run, no matter how uncomfortable it might be to some of us currently."

"I believe certain questions are in order before a vote can actually be taken and considered a valid one." One of the older stallions commented. "One really good question I want an answer for, is who will be training these recruit for this specialized force? Not that I really have to ask."

"There will be no recruits entering this program." Blaze replied. "There will be transfers, and as for leadership, I will be head trainer while Stone Wall will be the head of its movements. He has proven himself an effective in battle commander, more so than any of us. I doubt there will be too many objections to that suggestion." Blaze stated, looking around at the ponies who seemed more than content with their answer.

"Well, you can count me among them who think this is a good idea." One of the stallions said as he stood up. Slowly, the entire room was standing, professing how they felt the idea was the next logical conclusion for the army and how good of an idea it was, though some of the later ponies to stand seemed to be standing more out of being one of the two or three from the over thirty ponies that wanted to stay seated than actually thinking it was a good idea.

"I suppose that means we'll have to start testing to see who will get in to the group." Stone Wall commented with a smirk. "I suppose you have a series of rigorous test you want to put them through before having them join up." Blaze nodded in response. "Well, if that is all the business we have, then I..."

"Hold on, there is one more thing some of us lieutenants wanted to put before the council for consideration." One of the younger warriors said as he rose to his hooves. Stone Wall nodded to the pony before sitting down, listening expectantly as the pony went on. "For nearly two years Blaze has trained our soldiers, been the source for the largest portion of our military council in tactics and over all actions that should and shouldn't be taken." The majority of the ponies nodded in agreement at this statement, though their expressions seemed to show the variety of thoughts that stemmed from this premise. "Several of us have talked about this a great deal, and have come to a conclusion, which we want to put up for voting."

"Stop beating around the bush and get to the point!" One of the stallions said scoffing.

"Very well, we wish to ask for the council to vote on the proposal to give the pony, Blaze Eternal, an actual rank in our military." The pony said, garnering a veritable rainbow of reactions. "Many of the stallions in the training fields have already taken to calling you the Captain, though mostly when you are not present so as to not offend, but many of us believe that you should actually receive a rank due to the fact you veritably lead us, those do so through counseling, which may or may not be taken, and through example, which is subject to the same reaction. We believe it would be best if you receive a real rank and lead us in that way, since, as it appears at the moment, you have done your best to not only leads us to victory, but almost seem to ensure victory while present, especially considering recent events."

"You lot are actually serious about giving this pony a rank? He hasn't even gone through basic training, much less a graduate from a military school that would gain him the qualifications to be a leading officer off this army, or any army for that matter." One of the older stallions said, looking over the ponies of the council.

"Sir," Flint began as he walked up from the edge of the room, where he had been observing from, "I was a substantial part in the training this pony in many military disciplines. I had him learn through a great deal from the reading of many tactics and techniques of battle, as well as the many minute intricacies of warfare; and I can attest to his substantial amount of progress. If any pony is deserving of military honors, it is this pony, who has not only come up with many of the plans that have won the day for you on multiple occasion, but has also beaten many of your high ranking officers in combat over power disputes. Need I remind you he gain his position as military liaison and head trainer through beating of the former captain and then beat Lieutenant Stone Wall when you all didn't agree with him?"

"He does speak truth; Blaze has shown himself quite the capable warrior and leader. I have yet to even see him rest until absolutely necessary." Another pony added. "Could we ask for a better leader than what Blaze offers us?"

"He could be older..." One of the lieutenants muttered under his breath.

"Maybe we are looking at that aspect incorrectly," Stone Wall began, looking around him at the stallions, each nearing their mid-thirties, if not further than that, "Maybe his youth is an asset. Think, have we ever had a hardier candidate for leadership, one who has been cut, beaten, and otherwise broken and has time and again recovered with great speed? Wounds that might take a stallion of our age range more than three weeks can be taken care of in a week by him because of him being younger, not only that, but he also has displayed a certain imagination in battle plans that he has come up with, and I have yet to see them fail in a massive scale." 

"I believe if we are to discuss these matters effectively, we must ask for Blaze to be removed from the premises, so that perhaps the words we may not say of him before him may be said, and that all minds may be spoken on this matter with nothing held back so that we do not offend." The eldest of the ponies calmly stated. Most of the stallions seemed to agree with this sentiment, a great many of those going so far as to nod openly. "Please, if you would remove yourself from the area for the sake of free discourse, it would be most appreciated." Blaze nodded and stood up, quickly making his way towards the doors of the hall. "Oh, and Blaze," The pony called after him, "I'd suggest doing the irregular thing and taking a rest while we talk. You'll have a new group of ponies to train harder than ever once we adjourn for the day, and if you get a rank, it will only make things more difficult for you, so I suggest taking your last opportunity to rest while we talk." Blaze hesitated for a moment at the door, slowly nodding before finally pushing the door open with a hoof and walking out, the doors closing behind him in the glow of the guards' magic enveloping them.





Blaze walked back up to the doors of the hall while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He had actually taken the stallions advice and had taken a short rest in his quarters. He had been recently awakened by a messenger that informed him while bringing him out of a rather nice dream that the council had come to a decision. He definitely did feel quite rejuvenated, his old wounds didn't seem to hurt as much as before either, which was a great relief.

As Blaze pushed the doors open, he already knew the answer, as the lieutenants stood before him, the table set to the side. Blaze walked up towards the ponies, Stone Wall and Flint joining him, taking their places to ensure he wouldn't fall, or perhaps they were just to be his escort to the end of the isle. The lieutenants all seem to have their best poker faces on as he approached, none of them betraying their perspective on the decision that had been made. Blaze finally reached the end of the stretch of carpet that had been laid out on the floor, coming face to face with the eldest of the lieutenants.

"Blaze Eternal, the lieutenants of the Equestrian army have convened with the express purpose to ask the question amongst ourselves whether or not you should receive an official rank that you may carry on the work you have already done so far with a greater efficiency." The stallion stated in a crisp and clear voice that echoed off of the empty walls of Winterglade's town hall. "Your age, aptitude in battle, proficiency in creating and using tactics were all factors we considered, and lead to our eventual answer. Initially, this answer was purposed to make you a Captain of the Royal Guard," The stallion stated, his words making Blaze slightly confused as he continued, "But this decision was ruled to be ineffective, and almost a sort of injustice." Blaze forced himself to show no reaction as he stood still before the ponies. True, he had trained for such things, but the whirlwind of questions inside of him pressed him ever harder to ask for answers. "We have instead decided on a number of actions." One of the younger stallions stepped forwards with a pillow holding a variety of medals and insignias.

"Lieutenant Stone Wall," The pony with the pillow in his magic began, "You have received a variety of commendations. For you acts of valor and courage, we award you the rank of Captain of the Royal Guard, may you live long years and serve your princesses and country well, especially in these days of calamity and turmoil." The pony pilled the new insignia on to Stone Wall's uniform before placing a medallion around his neck; a medal Blaze recognized to be The Captain's Medallion. The unicorn pushed a bit of magic into the essence of the medal, causing Stone Wall's cutie mark to appear on the opposite side of the medal as the Royal Seal of the Sisters.

"I accept this medallion and the responsibilities that it entails." Stone Wall said confidently. The pony who presented the medal gave a small nod before offering the pillow to another pony. 

"Glowing Flint," A second pony began, taking the pillow from the first, "You have been shown to be an integral part of our forces, helping to defeat many threats, while constantly putting yourself in danger to remove others from the same. For these reasons, among others, we award you the rank of Lieutenant of the Royal Guard, and in so doing take the place of Stone Wall in the command of his division. May you serve long years and do us all proud during these dark days of tribulation that we are in, and are yet to face." The pony pinned the insignia on to Flint's newly acquired uniform before passing the pillow to the elder of the lieutenants.

"I humbly accept this rank and will endeavor to fill the shoe of my predecessor. May I live to be half as successful, it will have been enough." Flint stated calmly, Stone Wall appearing slightly less comfortable as he finished.

"Finally we come to you, Blaze Eternal," The stallion said with a small hint of a smile, "Blaze Eternal, you have received massive amounts of commendations, as well as almost innumerable amounts of testimonials in the form of reports soldiers have filed that state your valor, courage, and willingness to die for your country and the ponies that live in it. You have shown aptitude in tactics, formulating new plans when all other ponies seem to be stumped as to what should be done. You also show great expertise in swordplay and the use of attack spells that have helped more than once in a battle. For these reasons, among others that if we were to name them we would have to stay here until the war has ended itself, we have decided to name you the Major of the Equestrian Army." The stallion then pinned the medal on Blaze's uniform. "I must warn you however, that this position has not been given to a pony for a great many years. There is a legacy to fill, and it may prove to be one to match, there is opposition, and it may prove harsh, there are evils unknown ahead for us all, and it may all prove too much for any one stallion, so stay strong and fight on." Blaze nodded slowly, looking over the stallions that gathered before him.

"I promise to do my utmost to make you all, and all of the ponies of Equestria, proud of me, and of the army that I lead into battle." Blaze stated. "Together we will stop Greyhield and his force, and together, we will take back what he has taken from us all." The ponies began cheering and stomping their hooves as the ceremony came to a close.

"You all best run off," The stallion said as the cheers subsided, "The war stops for nopony, and that applies especially to ponies who have just received their ranks, and probably more so to ponies who intend to make an entirely new division appear within the ranks before the sun sets." Flint, Stone Wall, and Blaze all nodded, quickly leaving the hall, heading off towards their places, with Stone Wall and Blaze walking off together towards the training grounds.





Blaze walked up on the platform, Stone Wall by his side, as he looked over the mass of soldiers. It hit Blaze once again how much smaller they were than when they had first left the city of the unicorns. The stallions stood stone still in the freezing snow, a stray breeze washing some of the outer most ranks with a fresh blanket of snow.

"Stallions of the Equestrian Army, the stallions of the War Council have discussed and approved a plan that has a great many ramifications for all of you." Blaze began, pacing back and forth in front of them. "We have noticed during training that certain stallions fight better, learn faster, or simply try much harder than others that surround them. You may not know them, even if you are one, you may not know it. For those who worked harder than their comrades, I congratulate you. Even though you hadn't been told, you trained hard, and have maintained since before that and even after that, a reputation of working hard, and attempting to keep yourself in peek form." Blaze said, scanning over the expressions of the stallions as he took a moment to let his words sink in. 
"The stallions of the council have agreed that such ponies are at a disadvantage for the fact that they are held back by their companions, who do not train as hard, or are less capable than they are. Because of this, we have taken an initiative to  create a subsection within the Royal Guard which will be under my direct training, and unlike my previous endeavors in training you, I will not let you go at a relaxed pace; I will not ease you into a new routine. This group will train harder for longer periods of time. You will wake up before everypony else and go to sleep later than everypony else. Your meal times will not be a time for conversation, you will have little to no time of your own, and any time you do receive will be very limited.
"Now, we have made a list of those who will be accepted for this training, but before we go to those ponies and have them called to our new training field, I will allow any stallion who was not elected for this to step forward and participate in this new training routine. Nopony as of yet knows those names except me, so if your name is on the list and you step forward, just take it as a sign that you will be joining, both from your own volition, and out of obligation. If a pony who joins later feels unable to continue, they will be allowed to rejoin the normal force, but will in so doing have to go through one last grueling activity before being allowed to leave, this also applies to those who were enlisted. So all those who wish to join this new force, please step forward, but know that once you do, it may be that much harder to step back in line with the rest of your comrades." Once he had finished, several stallions stepped forward, with the volunteers that were further back or farther inside the group making their way around their comrades before reaching the front, though the vast majority stayed still, standing like statues in the cold weather. Blaze nodded to Stone Wall as a group of ponies began placing a scarf on each of the soldiers that had stepped forward.





Blaze stood before the group of stallions that had been selected and had elected to become part of the new division. There were fifty-nine ponies in all, twenty-seven of which had actually been originally selected. They stood out in the open fields around the town instead of the sheltered park at the middle of town, the snow from the previous battle still raging on as the pegasi found themselves much more busy dealing with other things to deal with the already activated snow clouds.

"Alright soldiers, this will be our first day training together, and if you want to continue down this path, I suggest you start impressing me. From now on, if one of you fails in any measure, each of you pays. If one of you can't run fast enough to keep up, you will continue to run until that pony has completed the original goal. If we go past meal time to finish training then we will all go without food. So if you want to eat, I suggest either weeding out the weak as fast as possible or learning to help each other." Blaze said as he paced in front of the stallions. "There will be no complaining in our ranks. If you are injured or think you won't be able to continue a certain activity due to medical conditions, a nurse will check you over to ensure, and you will then take the exiting exam if they confirm what you say. But for as long as you are here, we will train you to survive the harshest of all conditions and come out of it all with enough left in you to do it all again. The exiting exam will most likely push you past your limits since it is designed to both give deserters one last lesson and a pain that will remind them that they had a chance they decided had a road to hard to take. The exiting exam has no mercy on anypony, and is designed to make you wish you never were born. If during the test you change your mind, you can stop and rejoin our ranks, but if you fail while wanting to leave, you will continue to attempt the test until you pass. Now, let's begin training you lot for your exiting exam. You'll all run fifteen laps around this town while holding a weight. For unicorns, it is our highest performance anti-magic boulder that you must maintain above your head's height at all times, for earth ponies it will be two hundred and fifty pounds of saddle bags, and for pegasi, it will be one hundred fifty pound wing weights. For those who think fifteen laps and your assigned weights are too little, pick up an extra saddlebag weight and get going. Now let's get galloping!" Blaze roared, lifting his boulder above his head and a saddlebag weight onto his back before charging off.

"I hope you know what you just did to those stallions." Stone Wall muttered as he galloped alongside Blaze, his own boulder floating above his head level, though farther off to the left, while his saddlebag weights jostled against his sides.

"I figure it this way," Blaze replied as he jumped over a rock, "If any of those stallions doesn't take an extra set of weights, they aren't ready for this program." Stone Wall sighed as he fell in behind Blaze. Soon the thunder of heavy hoof steps roared across the fields as the stallions raced around the town, a flurry of snow bellowing from their course. The sun soon began to set over the stallions as they continued on, the cold of the night fought off by their constant galloping.

> Chapter 39: The Swelling Tide of War
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Blaze slid under a bush, the rest of his squad following suit as they charged through the forest, the distant sounds of hoof cannons going off pushing them on as their warm breathes curled in the cool morning air. The song of the birds was silent, leaving only the sound of the ponies' breathing and the crunching of frosted terrain as they passed. Blaze leaped over a log, his scarf twisting in the breeze as he did. Blaze quickly skidded to a halt, taking cover behind a small stone fence. His troops quickly fell into place along the wall, their dark armor with golden trim standing in stark contrast with the snow, though blending surprisingly well in the shadows.

"Bobcat, take team one and work around the right of the wall; team two and I will go around the left. Remember, attempt to avoid confrontation." Blaze whispered to the stallion he came face to face with. Bobcat nodded and signaled to the rest of team one to follow him while Blaze began working his way along the wall in the opposite direction.

"Sir, we have two contacts by the house." One of the ponies reported as he slinked up beside Blaze. Blaze peeked around the wall briefly and saw the two reptilous standing around the old house that had become their home, though a good deal smaller than they were. The two reptilian warriors seemed to be simply sitting down by the fire, not doing anything of particular interest.

"Good catch, send word to Hawk and Eagle to take aim with bows. Once we give the signal they are to take them out without letting any alarms to get set off." Blaze ordered before continuing along. The soldier nodded and turned to the ponies behind him, passing the word along before continuing after Blaze, who was already making his way towards the end of the wall. Blaze glanced quickly towards the other side of the wall and saw the stallions of team one moving into position. "Give them the signal." Blaze said. The pony nodded and made a rather odd warbling noise that vaguely resembled a bird call. Suddenly, two arrows pierced the morning air, striking the reptilous in the head, sending them to the ground without as much as a noise. "Move in and secure the area, there may be more enemies that are not in our visual." The ponies quickly made their way to the small cabin, keeping low to the ground while making as little noise as possible.

Blaze pushed the door in lightly, watching as one of his stallions rushed in, covering the way directly in line of the door while another swooped around the door and covered the rest of the area. A reptilous lay still on a bed, unaware of the knife a pony held a hair above his throat. Blaze quickly wrapped the beast in a coat of magic, restraining him from any further movements while another unicorn produced a silence bubble. The beast thrashed violently, attempting to break the bonds that held it while roaring at what would be perceived to be the loudest he could muster, though it was completely inaudible to the ponies as the silence dome held.

"Search the ba-" Blaze began, only to have a reptilous, holding a pile of wood, push the back door open. One of the stallions beside him quickly notched an arrow and sent it into the beast's forehead while three ponies surged out the door and quickly cleared the surrounding area.

"All clear, sir, no enemy contact within visual range." Bobcat reported with a salute. Blaze nodded before turning to the reptilous tied up in the corner.

"Well, Sergeant Bastion, let's see what we've won." Blaze commented; dropping the codenames they had adopted during the battle. "Take his gag off; let's see what he has to say." One of the soldiers nodded, removing the cloth binding from the reptilous' mouth. The beast warrior looked up toward Blaze with hating eyes.

"If you expect information from me, you will not be getting any." The reptilous growled as twisted and wiggled in his bindings. "We fought wars far before you even had a sense of order, we know all of the interrogation tricks that any army might use."

"I'm sure of that," Blaze commented, "But I also know that as the honorable warrior that you are, you know that to the victor goes the spoils, and since you are just a small outpost with no real loot to be had, I expect certain curtsies, such as knowledge as to why you were stationed out here." Blaze said, looking the reptilous up and down. The warrior beast spat at Blaze, though the wad of saliva sailed straight past Blaze's ear. Blaze nodded to the soldiers, who quickly sliced the reptilous' throat before making sure the job was done by planting a sword in his chest.

"The grounds have been searched, no orders in written form were found, though we have yet to actually check the bodies of the reptilous." Bastion stated after receiving the reports from another pony. Blaze nodded slowly, looking around at the surroundings.

"Strip the reptilous of any metal they may have and place them out front. The main force will be here soon enough. Report to me once that's done, we still have ground that needs to be covered if we are to reach our destination by nightfall." Blaze ordered before moving out the back door. The forest thinned out the further away, providing less cover and hiding places for anything, though the fog that had collected certainly did help in some small way. As Blaze looked over the landscape, he heard the approach of a pony. "Anything to report?" Blaze asked, turning to Bastion.

"No sir, they either had no orders or their instructions were purely verbal." Bastion replied. "There's nothing else of interest in this area unless you like an old sheep farm. Are we moving on?" Blaze nodded as he turned his gaze back towards the thinning line of trees. Bastion let out a hawk call, and all the ponies were promptly on the way towards the next point along their trip.

"There's a camp to the north that has been occupied for at least two weeks according to reports, though none of the scouts could check how many enemies there were." Blaze commented, unfurling his map before him allowing Bastion to see it too. Blaze lit up the area in question with a brighter spot in his magical aura. "We'll travel together until we reach the southern end of the ravine, then you'll take team one and loop around. Once you reach the other side, we'll converge on the target. If you get in trouble, you know what to do." Bastion gave a quick nod before rushing to catch up with the other ponies as they bolted through the forest. Blaze rolled up the scroll while dashing to catch up with the rest of the group, the forest scenery reminding him of his training with Flint those all that time ago. It reality, it had only been a bit under three years, which was little in the grand scheme of things, but now seemed to be a lifetime ago.





Blaze slid to a halt behind a snow bank, the white flurry he sent up fluttering over the small crest. The trees had completely disappeared, and the troops had to take out their extra wool coat, that made their movements more difficult, but much more concealed. Blaze peeked around the bank, the ravine before him just as the map had said. Bastion and his team skirted around the edge of the ravine, only noticeable by the occasional flash of one of the troops' true coat or mane as they rushed through the snow. After a short wait, Bastion's hawk call pierced the air, signaling the charge.

Blaze zipped around the side of the pile of snow while other troops leaped over it, joining back up with the group as they made their way down the ravine's crest. Blaze hopped down a small drop, quickly shifting to the wall while removing his wool coat, placing it back in his pack in favor of his darker armor to blend in with the shady stone floor and walls. Blaze quickly made his way along the wall, following the gray smoke that rose from deeper within the crevasse; while his troops disappeared in the shadows as they stored their woolen coats.

"Have Hawk and Eagle ready to fire on multiple targets. We can't be sure if they have an advanced guard or not." Blaze whispered, turning to the pony directly behind him. "And have Shade prepare to do his thing." The pony snorted lightly in recognition before turning to give the word.

The ponies continued to inch along the wall, keeping a close watch around them for any signs of the enemies. Blaze rounded a corner, coming face to face with a reptilous that had just turned to look at something the other direction. Blaze quickly slit the beast's throat before smashing the reptilous' skull against the cavern wall, making sure not to let its chest make contact with the stones. He let the body down slowly, careful not to let it make too much noise. Several of the stallions rushed by to check the surrounding area as Blaze checked the corpse over for anything of use.

Blaze moved on, checking around carefully until he heard a large racket up ahead. He quickly charged towards the noise, leaping over several corpses as he went. As he drew closer, Blaze slid behind an outcropping of rocks, peaking over it quickly to ascertain the situation. Several reptilous lie on the ground, arrows set firmly in their heads, while other had slash marks. So far, Blaze didn't see any pony bodies, though he did see Eagle standing rather still with his bow drawn a little distance away. Blaze charged across the gap and came up beside Eagle, who still remained nearly motionless.

"What's the situation so far?" Blaze asked; looking around the area Eagle had his arrow trained on. Eagle motioned farther down the path where Blaze spotted three ponies partially behind a rock with a reptilous holding a sword towards them. The ponies were unfamiliar, probably being from around this area. "Bastion's team will be here soon enough."

"That's what we're hoping for, but Shade already is making his way towards them. He's hoping to get the guard out of the fight before it hurts anypony." Eagle replied. Blaze nodded slowly, his eyes attracted to a sudden movement as Shade slipped between two boulders above the reptilous. Shade dropped down, his knife plunging into the warrior's skull with a sickening crunch; but as the ponies watched, a reptilous jumped out of seemingly nowhere and grabbed Shade by the throat. The reptilous ran his sword through Shade's chest before throwing the limp earth pony away like a piece of trash.

"Who's next? I can take any challenge you throw at me!" The reptilous boasted as he grabbed one of the hostages, holding her above his head. "I challenge you to try and stop me from ending this pony!" Blaze looked over at Eagle.

"Make him drop her, then drop him." Blaze ordered. The archer nodded, sending an arrow straight towards the reptilous' fore arm before drawing back another arrow, sending it to the beast warrior's chest. The reptilous seemed to smirk as he moved the hostage in the way of both arrows. As Blaze watched in shock, one of the arrows pierced the pony's head while the other slammed into her back.

"Worthless, you can't hope to gain victory from this." The reptilous taunted, tossing the corpse to the side. "How about one of you actually come and face me in open combat instead of just hiding behind rocks, or are you far too scared of me?" Blaze glared at the reptilous from the shadows before standing up. 

"Sir, he's baiting you, don't fall for it!" Eagle hissed as he notched another arrow. "He wants you to fight, and that means nothing good can come of it."

"I've let this go on for far too long." Blaze said to nopony in particular as he came out of the shadows, facing the reptilous, barely keeping his anger in check. "You've hurt the ponies of this land, but I tell you now that you will never be able to harm another for the rest of your days."

"Oh," the reptilous began, tilting his head in curiosity, "And why is that?" He asked, his grim smile growing larger as he began to approach Blaze.

"Because your days end here." Blaze said, his sword snapping into position as he lowered himself into a fighting stance. Blaze rushed the reptilous, swinging his sword towards the beast's neck. The reptilous quickly raised his sword, catching the attack with ease before slamming the sword to the ground, pinning it with his foot. An arrow shot out from the rocks towards the reptilous as Blaze shot a bolt of fire. The reptilous sliced the arrow out of the arrow while letting the fire bellow off of his scales. Blaze lifted Shade's knife from the fallen reptilous' skull, sending it towards the creature's back, but the reptilous parried with expertise before ripping the blade from Blaze's magical grip, slamming it into the skull of one of the ponies that still coward behind the rocks.

Blaze drew his sword out from under the reptilous' foot while spinning around, sending his legs out towards the reptilous' legs. The beast jumped backwards, letting the sword go as he did. Blaze spun around again, bringing his sword back to his side as another arrow whizzed past, only to be cut in half by the reptilous. Blaze snorted, lashing out with his sword, only to have it smack away by the reptilous, which then slashed Blaze across the cheek. Blaze turned back, his furry rising, only to be replaced with horror as he saw the reptilous bring the blade down on one of the ponies, ending it in a second.

The world seemed to slow as the pony slowly slumped down to the floor, the life gone from his eyes. Blaze felt the raw horror and sorrow as the last of the hostages fell to the reptilous, but those emotions were short lived as a furry grew inside of him, burning brighter than any hate he had ever felt for anything. His mane shifted into a jet black color, his muscles grew, his stature increased, and his coat waved like fire. 

"No." Blaze whispered, though his voice had grown so powerful in volume that it echoed all around the ponies. Blaze's eyes went wide, glowing brighter than the sun as he roared, a flame issuing out from all around him as his horn glowed fiercely, and waved about violently as the flames stripped the reptilous of every piece of flesh. For a brief second, the canyon was hotter than summer in Equestria, the snow melting into water, rushing down further into the grotto. Blaze breathed out heavily, tired from expelling so much energy in an attempt to stay away from Rage Shift. Several ponies ran up from deeper down the gorge, dripping wet from the water that had just shot past them. Each of them stopped as they saw the scene of the bones of a reptilous lying in a crumpled heap with pony corpses lying about.

"Sir, what-" Bastion began, only to be silenced by a look for Blaze.

"Gather the troops, we need to keep moving. We have three more targets to take out before the day is done." Blaze ordered, walking past Bastion. The group of soldiers looked at each other before finally following Blaze down the crevasse





Blaze exited the tree line, the army now situated on the outskirts of Baltimare. The city looked almost unchanged, except for Greyhield's flag fluttering in the breeze on the spires of the taller buildings. Barricades had been set up, along with several trenches and other defensive measures, but all of them were devoid of any type of guards. Their plan had worked so far, but now they were faced with the hardest part of all: the battle.

> Chapter 40: Taking Back What was Lost
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Blaze looked over the distant lights of Baltimare that dotted the horizon in the twilight. Blaze tuned back to look at his dark clad warriors, each ready to follow him into battle. Blaze gave a quick nod before charging down the hill, his troops moving quickly and quietly behind him. As he rushed through the underbrush, Blaze noticed a small fire in the distance. He quickly directed his course, motioning to his troops behind him to follow as he silently drew his sword before sliding into position behind a tree, his troops following suite. Blaze looked around the tree towards the small encampment, spotting three reptilous soldiers sitting around the fire, tending to their meal.

Blaze nodded towards Bastion, who returned the same and sprung out in unison with his commander. Blaze shot his sword into the first while Bastion cleaved the head of the other off. The third reptilous turned towards the odd sounds he had heard, only to be struck by an arrow that pierced his throat, while another shot straight through his heart. Blaze gave a nod to his two archers as they gave out of their cover before rushing off towards the city again, his soldier quickly following after throwing dirt over the fire. And with that, the group disappeared as quickly as they had appeared, leaving only the corpses of their prey in their wake as a sign they had even been in the area.





Stone Wall charged along the wall of one of the building near the edge of the city, his soldiers following close behind. Stone Wall poked his head out into an alleyway, quickly spotting to reptilous, who quickly found an arrow shooting through their skulls before they fell to the pavement before being stuffed into a dumpster. Stone Wall shot out from the small space, zipping across the street into the shadows of the other side. 

After a quick nod, His soldiers produced climbing equipment from their back before tacking to the walls. The group made quick work of the two story home, soon standing on the tile roof with a rather good view of the immediate surroundings. One of the archer shot two arrows that had rope fastened to the end towards the roof of next house over that was a level taller. Stone Wall quickly took out a roll of timber planks that had been fastened together and rolled them out along the ropes before fastening it to the ropes. His soldiers quickly darted across, Stone following close behind before they repeated the process with the house across the street.





Blaze pulled a reptilous into the shadows, slitting the beast's throat with a quick clean cut, dropping him to the side before moving on, his troops finishing up with the reptilous' partner. Blaze watched as an arrow whizzed by his ear, striking a reptilous as he ran from the scene. Blaze turned back to see Hawk giving him a nod before shooting at another reptilous as he slipped out from a bush.

Blaze shot out into the open plain, charging towards the city beyond under the cover of darkness. The cold wind rushed past him, ruffling the bit of mane he had coming up from the helmet. As he approached, he noticed several lights going out, signifying the arrival of the advanced team. Blaze veered off to the left, noticing a small patrol of reptilous standing outside a door with weapons drawn. Blaze leaped up and wrapped his legs around the reptilous, twisting with all his strength as they well down. As they landed, the sound of the warrior beast’s neck snapping met Blaze’s ears as the thuds of arrows planting themselves into the back of the other two reptilous behind him told him that he was in the clear.

Blaze turned to Bastion as the stallion approached. Blaze nodded towards the door before bolting off down the street, keeping to the shadows as best as he could with all the streetlamps that lined the road. As he took another corner, a patrol of five reptilous came into view, though he couldn’t tell if they had seen him in the short time between him seeing them and his sword shooting out towards one of them. Three of the monsters fell as Hawk and Eagle planted arrows in the skulls of the two leading the party. Blaze leapt up towards one of the beast while swinging his sword at the other, hearing the sickening, meaty zing as his blade past through the warrior beast’s neck. Blaze connected with the other reptilous, his forelegs wrapping tightly around the beast’s neck as he swung around the front of the beast, dragging it face first into the pavement before slamming his sword into its chest while an arrow slammed through its skull, splattering blood across Blaze’s face.

The bodies were quickly thrown into a shady alleyway as the group of soldiers moved on as if the encounter had never happened. The squad quickly entered a large ornate building that had been the former governmental facilities, now serving as the barracks according to their scouts' reports. Blaze bucked a door in, several of his troops flooding in to the room as he did, the sound of muffled conflict echoing from inside before every door in the area flew open, revealing reptilous who obviously had only just woken up. Blaze grinned as they charged him, only to have multiple hoof cannons go off, finishing them off as Stone Wall's group began their rooftop operation.





Stone Wall increased the focus on the small telescope he had mounted on his hoof cannon, aiming his weapon straight towards one of the reptilous that had rushed out of one of the many resting areas scattered about the city. The retort of his cannon cracked through the evening air as the reptilous sank to the ground, grasping his chest before sinking to the street. Several more hoof cannon blast sounded around the city as the ponies rained down upon the reptilous with deadly precision and speed. Stone Wall shoved another charge into his cannon's barrel before pounding it in with the ramrod.

As he took another shot, the sound of something scrapping against the stonework alerted him to the presence of the new arrival. Stone Wall let his cannon go, allowing it to fall onto the relatively flat roof, while he drew his sword. In the next second, a reptilous shot out from the rim of the building, headed straight for Stone Wall with two blades drawn. Stone ducked to the side, sending his sword out to meet the beast. The reptilous twisted in the air and deflected the blade with the seasoned practice of an expert. The reptilous slid to a stop before turning around and swinging out towards Stone Wall with great ferocity.

A resounding crack pierced the night air before the reptilous turned and swung at seemingly nothing, only to have his sword shatter as he fell on his back. The reptilous quickly shoved off of the roof's stonework, claws outstretched for Stone Wall's throat. Stone Wall quickly reared up and swung his sword down towards the reptilous' extended limb. The blade shot straight through the beast's arm, the reptilous releasing a gigantic roar as it fell to the floor. The beast's eyes seemed to shift to an even more sinister form as he charged the pony.

Stone Wall rolled to the side before shooting an arrow out towards the reptilous with a blast of magic. The beast smacked the projectile out of the air, the shaft severed in two. Another blast shook the evening air, but the reptilous once again fell down, catching himself on his remaining hand, not even letting his legs touch the ground as his final arm's muscles rippled under his scales under the strain before sending the reptilous forward toward the pony, who again rolled to the side, only to have the beast's blade still scrape his armor, though it fortunately didn't pierce it. Stone Wall brought out three charges from his pack, which he struck with a small whirl of flame, a tiny trick passed on by Blaze. The paper packaging caught the flame before the powder exploded, sending the small metal pellets out towards the reptilous. The beast warrior jerked to the side, the three rounds zipping past him without causing him any harm. The reptilous gave a loud roar as he charged Stone Wall, swinging his sword down towards the pony's head. Stone Wall jumped backwards, attempting to avoid the blade, only to have the reptilous thrust his sword forward at the last moment, catching his in the chest. Stone Wall leapt backwards, only to find his hind leg scrapping past the edge of the building, sliding straight down the side. He quickly leaned forward to escape his death by massive fall, only to have the reptilous grab him by the throat, lifting him above the street with a devious smile.

Stone Wall lifted his sword and shot it at the reptilous, but the beast out whirled around, with Stone Wall still in his grasp, and clamped down on the blade with his teeth. The reptilous looked towards the pony with an enrage look, his hand applying move force to Stone Wall's windpipe. Stone Wall thrashed about wildly, trying to break free from the life sapping hold, only to find he grew weaker with each protest as the corners of his vision grew darker than the night sky he had been looking at. In the last moment he had, Stone Wall searched the area for something that could help him, but nothing appeared to be of help. As his vision faded completely, He threw his magic out all around him, and found his opponents broken sword that had been behind him, and thrust it into the beast's shoulder, and found the death grip quickly loosen as his sense returned to him.

Stone Wall looked up towards the beast, only to watch as the beast delivered a swift kick to Stone's stomach, sending him sprawling across the ground breathless. Suddenly, a crushing force slammed into his throat, and then another painful strike to his snout. As he waited for the deathblow, a crack, much closer than before, broke through the pain. The weight of the reptilous collapsed on top of Stone Wall as the warrior beast slumped over and died. Stone Wall pushed the huge mass off of him as he tried to catch his breath, but only found a shocking, electrical pain coursing from his throat. The sound of a pony rushing up towards him gave him a small sense of hope a he tried to look over to see who it was, but never saw as his vision began to fade once more. The pony stopped beside him, checking for any serious injuries that needed to be treated, but found none that were visible. Stone Wall wrapped his hooves around the pony's leg and brought it to point at his neck where a bruise was already forming. The medical pony quickly brought out a knife that was formed in a circle shape with every edge sharpened. Stone Wall nodded hurriedly as he slowly felt unconsciousness creeping up on him as the medic prepared for a tracheotomy.





Blaze blocked yet another attack from his reptilous assailant. He replied to the blow with a strike of his own, that the beast warrior caught on its shield. Blaze shot a bolt of fire at the reptilous’ face, that the beast simply shook away as the last flickers of flame dissipated. The warrior beast shot a glare towards where the pony had been, but found no trace of the little fiend until he went hooves wrapping around his neck, sending him falling backwards to the floor. Blaze pulled back with all his strength, and the popping of the reptilous’ spine gave him all he needed to know before he rolled out from under the beast. The alabaster flooring was stained red with the blood of the reptilous, littered with the corpses of the same that all had the same type of puncture wound going through on part of their body or another. Blaze gave a sigh, yet more violence given to ponies, would the war ever stop its wicked way.

Blaze looked up towards the rooftops revealed by the glass cupola, occasional flashes of the hoof cannons firing dancing across the many high rise structures. It almost looked beautiful in a way, the light blinking like Hearth’s Warming Eve lights, yet all of them just being a bright whitish-yellow instead of multiple hues. Still, he couldn’t let himself become distracted by the little things. The battle was going well, and he couldn’t let that change.





The medical tent was a bland and drab as ever, the sounds of soldiers in pain filling the air as Blaze passed each room, looking for one in particular. He eventually reached it, drawing back the curtain that blocked the entrance. A nurse turned to him and gave a nod while putting a hoof in front of her mouth, making a ‘hush’ sound. Blaze nodded in return and walked up to the stallion that lay in a tired heap, a hole punched into his throat allowing him to breath. Stone Wall looked up with a faint, tired smile as Blaze approached. Blaze put a hoof on Stone Wall and gave a small nod; there was no need for words after all. 

> Chapter 41: The Calm Before the Storm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Spike chomped down on his apple, chewing it pensively as he observed the large, noisy meal room. He had returned to Greyhield’s Mountain a few days after he had saved Gylom from his own pride. Spike grabbed the wooden plate from where he had been eating and started walking back to the line of waiting soldiers, taking bites from his apple as he went. The atmosphere had a jovial nature to it, a sense that nothing could ever hurt them while they were within the stone corridors of the mighty mountain, and yet the enemy forces had been pushing back their front line farther and farther, taking back several key positions as they did; if they wanted to, the enemy could be surrounding the mountain within the next three days if they kept up their pace. Spike tossed the plate on the pile of dishes, moving out of the eatery as he finished his apple.

Greyhield had been especially hard on Gylom after his defeat at Winterglade, assigning him to guarding the mountain as he trained his division and two refreshers. Spike, on the other hand, had been treated as a hero, accomplishing what was thought impossible, especially with those new cannons the enemy had made, and having saved a far more experienced general with the same army. Spike sighed to himself; the world had changed so much since the war. Thing were so easy and lackadaisical, but now, the world was a far more complicated one; one that stank of blood, sweat, and tears. The most complicated thing he had to deal with before was helping Twi… no, he wouldn’t think about her, there would be nothing good from digging up those memories.

“General Spike,” Spike heard Galintrent call as he jogged up beside him; “I have just received word that Greyhield wishes to speak with us. We should make haste and…”

“Sure, let’s go, no need to yammer on about doing something we do almost regularly now.” Spike replied, cutting him off as he picked up his pace. Galintrent quickly fell in behind him, matching his superior’s pace perfectly as they made their way through the winding halls of the mountain castle. Walking to and from Greyhield's Hall had become almost an automatic action as the days drug on, and by this point, Spike had almost memorized how to get to Greyhield's Hall from any point in the mountain.

As they approached, the guards standing outside the hall pushed the door closed, allowing the two officers to enter. Greyhield sat on his throne, raising his head at the sound of the doors closing. Before his massive stone throne, Gylom stood, his head hung low as the two younger warriors approached. Greyhield rose up from his perch and walked around the three, looking over them with a scrutinizing look.

"Gylom, Spike, Galintrent; you have all borne witness to the beginning of a new division, and how its success is unmatched in terms of losses and victories." Greyhield began, continuing to circle around them. "Tell me, do you see Spike's future as one full of promise and great victory?" He asked, lowering his gaze to look at Gylom.

"For a soldier, much less a general, he shows great promise, and as you very well know, has accomplished objectives deemed impossible, or in the very least, improbable." Gylom replied in a lone tone, looking up to meet Greyhield's gaze. "Should he continue to apply himself, and not allow his victories to cloud his judgment and allow his ego to grow to large, we will indeed prove to be much the asset as you predicted." Greyhield smirked, turning to Spike.

"What are your thoughts on your recent string of victories? Do you believe in to be luck, the winds of fortune? Or perhaps you believe it to be because of your own skill and prowess on the battlefield?" Greyhield questioned. Spike took a deep breath, and looked his lord straight in the eyes.

"I believe it to be the result of good planning and the precise execution of those plans by my soldiers. They are as worthy of commendation as Galintrent and I." Spike stated with as much confidence as he could muster. Greyhield shifted his gaze once more, settling on Galintrent.

"Do you agree with your general?" Greyhield asked. "Are the soldiers as much to blame for your victories as the commander who made the plans which they followed to the end of victory? Or was it purely the hand of the general who won the day?" Galintrent adopted a more rigid pose as he took in a breath.

"The general is correct in his statement. The troops fought well and gave up nothing to their opponents." Galintrent affirmed. "If not for their dedication and close following to the plan General Spike laid out, our victories would have been catastrophic defeats, and many good warriors would have needlessly spoiled the soil with their blood." Greyhield nodded, turning back to Gylom as he did.

"As to you, your soldiers were to be elites amongst our army. They were soldiers trained to the peak of their abilities, and yet their blood now paints the grass of the fields a bright red, whilst our enemy marches without an encumbrance." Greyhield hissed. "If newly trained soldiers can provide victory because of dedication to a well made plan by a newly made general, then what is the reason for highly trained soldiers under the leadership of one of my eldest and most battle worn general to lose in the field of battle? Should it not be said either lack of dedication on your soldiers part, or maybe your own. Or may hap that it been naught but that your plans are flawed, and that even in all your years you have much to learn from those who have nary a third of your years?" Gylom stood rigid under his king's gaze, unmoving as his lord's displeasure washed over him.

"I cannot attest to why our soldiers lost whilst theirs won but for the fact we were the first to strike, and so were the ones who learned of the new obstacles before they arrived to claim our glory." Gylom offered. Greyhield huffed, turning away from the group, preferring instead to rest on his massive throne.

"The fact remains that you lost a battle after you knew what was planned for you." Greyhield retorted. "You had striven in years previous to gain my trust and confidence, and had shown me through many battles that my trust had not been misplaced. But now after these events, I cannot say whether my continued trust is placed best in you and your years, or General Spike, whose ingenuity not only saved you, but took an entire city, and all this without calling for the rotation of his troops. Perhaps you'd do best to see where his style differs from yours, and how best you can improve on yourself and your soldiers." Gylom didn't reply, but merely bowed, before walking out of the hall, leaving Spike and Galintrent with Greyhield. "As for you two," Greyhield began, "I would have you train harder, and push yourselves to become even better, but I'd rather have a division that already knows how to fight well without further training stay as it is for a time until we can learn more of our enemies’ new methods."

"My liege, my division thrives on the lack of understanding our enemies have us, much as they do on the rest of our forces." Spike began, to the astonishment of Galintrent. "It would be in our best interests if my troops learned radically new techniques so as to throw off our opponents as we learn more of them."As Spike finished, Greyhield’s smile grew.

"That is what I want to hear from my generals. We cannot allow ourselves to stagnate into vain repetitions that allow our enemies to read us as if we were but a scroll." Greyhield stated. "I believe that may have played a larger role in Gylom's defeats than improper planning." Greyhield finished. Greyhield motioned for the two warriors to leave as he settled further into his throne. Spike nodded, gave a salute, and then left, Galintrent following in a stunned stupor.





Spike grabbed his weighted gear from the racks of supplies as he passed, Galintrent doing the same absent mindedly, still watching Spike in shocked amazement. Spike slung the heavy packs over Celestia's back, securing them to the saddle before he mounted.

"I can't believe y-you actually spoke out against Greyhield's wishes." Galintrent stammered as he placed his packs on Luna. "You were most fortunate that it had been a test, or else you might find your head separated from your neck."

"Galintrent," Spike began, looking over at his colonel, "If I have learned anything, it is that a warrior must learn to think for himself, and not depend on his ruler for guidance, no matter how wise that leader may be. If Greyhield sent me into a battle that had me take one soldier for every thousand enemies I faced, I wouldn't do it. There is difficult, and then there is impossible. We might have accomplished what had been considered impossible, but the meaning of impossible in that case was far more construed than befits reports."

"I still advise caution when talking to Greyhield; he may not be testing you the next time he asks of you something that may seem without reason. It is not ours to ask why, but to do and to die." Galintrent responded, grabbing his weights, throwing them over his armor before flicking Luna's reigns lightly.

"Greyhield may be our lord, but I will still fight against any choice that is without foundation." Spike retorted, taking his own weights up. Galintrent let out a sigh in response as they rode out of the stables. Spike looked over the mass of soldiers that sat around small fires, warming themselves as small flakes of white floated down from above. Spike rode up to the nearest fire, the soldiers standing up and saluting as he approached.

"General Spike, we are ready for your orders." The first said, lowering his salute. The soldiers around the other fire slowly began to rise, putting their training weights as they did, preparing for the days training.

"Get the troops ready, we'll be training harder than ever. There will be no rest for a long time to come." Spike ordered. The soldiers all nodded and gave a salute before mounting their steeds. Spike snapped Celestia’s reigns and quickly rode away towards the forest, his troops following close behind.





Blaze looked over his soldiers as they moved through the obstacle course, their weighted gear smacking them in the sides with each hurdle. Blaze had since learned to fold the bags of sand over his back as he ran. It wasn’t a comfortable as having just the straps across his back, but it was for the best in the long run as he didn’t have his breath knocked out of him with every jump.

“Come on troops, keep up the pace!” Blaze shouted over his shoulder as he slid under a rather low pole before launching above a fence. Blaze zipped back and forth as he reached the forest simulation area, with a pseudo tree every meter or so, as well as small branches that made working through it all the more difficult. Blaze jumped, slid, and weaseled his way through the cramped twists and turns, before quickly grabbing an extra weight pack from the stack and entering the combat simulation portion of the course. He jumped over a small wall, only to have a pile wood cut out of a reptilous pop out in front of him. Blaze quickly brought his sword around and smashed it across the dummy’s head, the wood snapping under the pressure. Blaze landed in a roll, quickly getting back up, bringing his sword to bear; sending it straight into the next target’s chest before taking a bow and quiver from a nearby rack, shooting an arrow at a reptilous shaped target on the roof of a cardboard building.





Blaze took a towel and wiped the beads of sweat from his brow before tossing it in with the rest of the pile of used towels, which were quickly carted off. Blaze walked up towards the ranks of soldiers before him, each of them as stone-faced as the next, none of them showing the exertion they had just gone through, save for trails of sweat rolling down their faces.

“Alright soldiers, you’re doing well, at this rate you might just stand up to some of Greyhield’s table scraps!” Blaze shouted, looking over the bunch with a scrutinizing glare. “Now, back to work, lunch isn’t for another three hours, or maybe more. It all depends on you lot and how well you perform. Now get out there!” The soldiers gave a quick salute and charged off, falling into their positions.

“Think you could push them harder?” Flint asked, walking up behind Blaze. Blaze smiled and turned to the newcomer.

“Not yet, they still need to get through a day’s training and not collapse in utter exhaustion. They need to be strong enough to make it through a day and be able to go on for a few more hours.” Blaze replied, looking over to his troops, making sure none of them were slacking off, or going slower than they were supposed to.

“Well, if we’re lucky we might still have soldiers to call elites by the end of all of this.” Flint said in response. “Maybe give them a few days leave? They did perform quite well during the last battle, and the rest would be more than welcome payment.” Blaze shook his head at that.

“They did do well, but there will be no rest for the weary until this war is over. They might be good now, but they need to be great.” Blaze stated. “If we are to win, we need to train until we have nothing left so that when the day comes for battle, we’ll be more than ready for anything they can throw at us.”

“You mean that every soldier in the army has to work as hard as you do or else you aren’t satisfied?” Flint asked in a joking manner. “Blaze, you can’t expect to make diamonds from dirt in an hour, it takes time. We are talking about living, breathing soldiers, they need rest, and they need family. You might not have, or may not want those things, but others still have the possibility of enjoying those things.”

“That’s just the thing, Flint, we don’t have time. We need to force our dirt to become diamonds, even if it risks shattering them.” Blaze replied coldly. “If I can help it, these soldiers will be more than a match for anything that Greyhield can throw at us.”  

> Chapter 42: A Victory For No One
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  “Sir, the enemy is coming in from the north!” The stallion shouted to his commander. The sheriff turned and nodded, motioning for the others to take the line. Braeburn quickly charged up the town bell house, attempting to get a better angle. As he reached the top, he saw it, the mass of dark warriors riding in from the north, with two well renowned figures leading them. Appleloosa had several defenses set up just for this type of day. Ever since the reports of the war starting the frontier ponies had been preparing for the battle to come, which included digging a two meter and a half deep ditch with a palisade wall right after it. Several makeshift watch towers had also been set up along the perimeter, where archers, and the new hoof canon ponies, waited, ready to send death down upon their approaching enemies.

Braeburn turned around, looking down at the empty streets of the town. All the mares and young ponies had been corralled indoors, while the stallions, or simply put anypony who was willing and able to fight, stood near the wall, ready for the battle that was sure to come. The Equestrian Army had been able to send supplies, which included an entire battalion of the Royal Guard to assist them in defensive measures, along with a whole wagon full of the newest weapons that they had. Braeburn brought his telescope up to his eye and looked over the incoming soldiers. He attempted to count them, but with all their moving about, he couldn’t get a grasp on how large they were.

“Braeburn, Ah need yeh to get me a report on the enemy! How many do we have inbounded?” The sheriff shouted up to Braeburn. Braeburn tried to count once more, but lost track as the incoming force continued towards them.

“Ah can’t raghtly say, Sheriff. They’re just movin’ about so much Ah can’t get a sure fix on em’.” Braeburn replied, much to the sheriff’s exasperation. 

“Well, just come on down from thar then. Ifin yeh can’t tell me how many there are there’s no use havin’ yeh up thar.” The Sheriff ordered. Braeburn nodded, and quickly descended the stairs, reaching the ground level in record time. “So, y’all ready for them lizards?” The sheriff asked the soldiers surrounding him.

“Eeyup!” The unanimous answer came back. Braeburn hurried over to the group as the sheriff continued talking to the group.

“Good, ‘cause they’re a comin’ this way, an’ are in a raght unhappy mood. They’re wantin’ a fight, itchin’ for one. So what we gonna do about they’re lil’ itch?” The sheriff questioned.

“We’re a gonna give em’ what they’re a wantin’!” The group shouted back with great enthusiasm. The sheriff nodded, pleased with the response. Braeburn smiled, things were looking up for Appleloosa, they might just succeed where most every other town had failed.

“Raght, now, get to your posts; we’ll be a faghtin’ befer the day is out!” Sheriff Silverstar ordered. The stallions all cheered and galloped off to they’re stations. Braeburn walked up to the sheriff, still beaming.

“That was a great speech, Sheriff.” Braeburn complimented. “Yah sure yah aint a fancy speachin’ type?” Braeburn asked; his smile still wide as ever. The sheriff shrugged in response, not really caring to answer. As they walked, the ground began to rumble, and the streets were suddenly filled with buffalo.

“Sheriff Silverstar, we have arrived as requested.” Chief Thunder Hooves proclaimed. The sheriff nodded with a smile. 

“We need y’all to charge at the enemy. You’re better at close combat in situations like thisin’.” Silverstar stated. “How many fighter y’all got with yeh?” He asked, looking over the group of war paint covered buffalo behind the chief.

“I have brought all of my braves, numbering two hundred seventy.” Thunder Hooves replied. “This day will be a glorious battle for our two peoples.” The sheriff nodded slowly.

“Sir, the reptilous have stopped they’re approach!” A guard shouted as he galloped up to the group. “They’re forming ranks as we speak. Soon enough they’ll be upon us.” The guard then noticed the buffalo beside the sheriff. “Thank you for coming, Chief Thunder Hooves, you’re assistance is much appreciated. If you will, take your troops to the front, and when the reptilous charge, go out to meet them. Just remember, these are warriors that are trained never to take prisoners.” The chief nodded in response, turning to the buffalo closest to him.

“Take the braves to the front, I’ll join you soon.” Thunder Hooves ordered. The buffalo nodded and charged off, the other braves following close behind. “I have heard that these particular beasts ride on the back of many races. Is this true?” The guard nodded sadly. “Then by the end of this day we will have them as stools.” The chief then turned and charged off after his braves.

“With any luck, we’ll do just that.” The guard said solemnly before galloping off to the wall. The sheriff turned to Braeburn, giving a sigh and a shake of his head before turning to follow the guard. Braeburn looked about the empty streets, remembering how this town had only been built so recently, and already felt so familiar. If he had anything to say about it, he’d die before the reptilous would gain control of the town.





Spike looked over the town, the scene seeming all so familiar. He had seen the town like this from the side of the town, and now, he knew how those buffalo had seen the town that day. Galintrent rode up beside Spike.

“The soldiers are ready. We can ride as soon as you order it.” The colonel said confidently. Spike nodded, still looking over the town below. It looked so calm, none of the townsponies out and about. Spike sighed; this war wouldn’t leave anyone as a victor, no matter how it ended.

“Let us not delay this any longer,” Spike said in a low tone, “Send the order.” Galintrent nodded, raising his sword to the sky before swinging it forward while snapping Luna’s reigns. Spike snapped Celestia’s reigns as his soldiers began to speed past towards the town. As they did, the buffalo that had formed outside of the town began to charge. Spike lowered into his saddle, tucking his lance under his arm as he gained speed.





The buffalo ran hard and fast, the line of reptilous approaching quickly, with lances lowered. Chief Thunder Hooves let out a war cry as he ducked to the side of a lance and smashed into the diamond do g that the reptilous had been riding, causing both rider and steed to fall over to the side, rolling across the ground in a cloud of dust.  Thunder Hooves jumped over anther lance, colliding directly with the reptilous, sending him to the ground with the clanging clatter of metal. The Chief slid to a stop, huffing furiously as he slammed his hooves into the reptilous’ head, sending red splattering everywhere from the helmet.

The Chief whirled about and slammed his head into the side of another steed as his braves charged past, taking on other enemies as they did. As the chief fought off one reptilous, he suddenly felt something scrape across his back. The chief turned and saw a reptilous warrior with a great sword turning his steed around to charge the chief. Thunder Hooves dug at the ground, and then charged the fiend, slamming his head into the head of the Saddle Arabian that met him, sending the horse flying away, along with its rider. The reptilous rose up to its full height, only to watch as the chief charged him and found its weight completely gone as the chief sent him flying across the battlefield.





“They’re getting closer!” A soldier exclaimed. “The buffalo are detaining them, but they aren’t completely stopped.” 

“Give them a taste of cannon fire!” The commanding officer ordered; the sound of cannons and hoof cannons going off as arrows filled the sky responding to the order. The line of reptilous swayed as the onslaught struck them. As the cannons continued firing, a line of reptilous charged out ahead of the rest of the group. The reptilous held their shields us high as they charged in, undaunted by the projectiles that rained down upon them as their advance continued.

“Spell casters! Give them Tartarus!” The officer roared. The unicorns quickly began raining down spells upon the reptilous, setting off miniature explosions on the shields of the reptilous as they ran on. The ground jumped over the ditch and then, in a surprising turn of events, lowered their shields, revealing their war hammers, which they swung in an inverse arc, smashing the palisade walls forward facing spikes in such a way that they flung backwards, crashing against the wall, sending it down to the ground, allowing the line of reptilous full access to the next area. But as they charged up onto the fallen wall, discarding their hammers in favor for their swords, a hail of arrows shout out from the area beyond, catching the reptilous line off guard, skewering them before they made it across.

The archers fell back, allowing the hoof cannon users to take the forward position while they provided support from behind. The reptilous cavalry didn’t relent, however, as they charged on, bypassing the buffalo, heading straight for the wall. The cannoniers continued to fire as the mass of enemy soldiers came ever closer.

“Set up shields!” The order rang out. Quickly, ponies from behind the lines of cannoniers came forward, planting large shields with only enough space between them to put the barrel of the cannons through. Suddenly, a multicolored, magical shield rose before the town as the unicorn guards casted their spells.





Spike smacked his foot into Celestia’s side, and in response, Celestia shot a bolt of magic into the shield, causing it to waver as they reached it.

“Take off and take them out from the air!” Spike ordered before jumping out of the saddle, discarding his lance and shield in favor of his great sword as he landed square on a shield, sending it into the ground. Spike heaved his sword and brought it about, smashing a pony to the side as he did. He then lifted it again and brought it down on another pony as the rest of his reptilous began to join him. A pillar of golden energy shot up from the ground as Celestia rained down her attacks upon the unfortunate ponies below.

Spike slammed his foot into a pony’s face before twirling about and taking the pony behind him to the grave. Suddenly, Luna shot out overhead, and Galintrent soon found his way to the ground as the princess of the night swooped to the side and shot a beam of indigo energy across the pony line.

“Goo to have you, Galintrent,” Spike said in a chuckle as he swung his sword to the left, throwing a pony to the side, “Did you get caught up in traffic?” He joked.

“You could say that.” The colonel replied as he drew his dual swords. “What do we have?” He asked, taking a pony out with a few good swings.

“Not much as of yet, the ponies seem to be fighting back pretty well though.” Suddenly, the cracking retort of a hoof cannon sent Spike to the ground with a hole in his shoulder. Spike roared in pain, the electrical pulses of pain coursing through his body as blood began to pour out from the wound. Galintrent took a bow and quiver from a dead pony and quickly fired a shot off, only to have an aura appear around it, sending the arrow back at him. Galintrent quickly grabbed the arrow and planted it in the ground before turning to the unicorn that charged up to him. Galintrent threw the bow to the side, grabbing the pony by the throat, only to quickly drop him as a hoof cannon sent a charge through his arm. Spike sat up, grabbing the pony by the throat before squeezing harder and harder as the corners of his vision went red.





Braeburn took out with hoof cannon, firing it at the reptilous as they poured over the fallen wall. Suddenly and arrow struck him in the shoulder, sending him to the ground. Braeburn struggled desperately back to his hooves, reloading his hoof cannon before aiming and taking another shot, sending another reptilous to Tartarus. Braeburn suddenly found himself being thrown against the far wall of the building he was in. Braeburn looked up towards the massive reptilous, garbed in black metal, his sword stained red by the blood of ponies. Braeburn wrapped a leg around one of the nearby hoof cannon, bringing it about to point at the reptilous. Instead of ducking, running, or otherwise avoiding the weapon, the reptilous sliced the barrel in two with one strong swing, reducing the weapon to a small piece of the barrel and the stock. Braeburn, in desperation dropped the weapon, grabbing a sword in his mouth, only to have the reptilous smack the blade out of the pony’s mouth.

Braeburn rolled to the side as the reptilous slammed his sword down on the ground where the pony had been but a second before. Braeburn, grabbed the broken hoof cannon, pointing the thing at the reptilous, and pulled the trigger, a loud retort issuing forth as the flint on the hammer sent sparks flying across the paper cartridge, the charge exploding, sending the metal orb straight into the reptilous’ shoulder, causing him to drop his sword on the ground. The beast warrior turned to the pony, bloodlust in its eyes as it bore down on the stallion. Braeburn quickly shoved another charge into the shortened barrel of the weapons, pulling the trigger once more, sending the charge straight through the reptilous’ skull. Braeburn quickly stood up, shoving another charge into the barrel and moving over to the window, firing the round down upon the enemies below. Braeburn then noticed how far the reptilous had gone in to the streets of the town. Braeburn quickly grabbed the horn from his bag and sent the signal out.

Suddenly the streets came to life as cannons roared, sending the reptilous to the ground in a hail of fire while arrows zipped to and from, lodging themselves in the approaching enemies. Braeburn smiled as the plan seemed to work as the streets were soon filled with the corpses of the invaders, but as he watched, the reptilous began to enter the houses where the soldiers had been stationed. Braeburn grabbed a sword and threw his saddlebags on, which contained his new, shortened hoof cannon and several charges for said weapon.





Spike stood up, his sword held in one hand. He broke into a run, rushing through the streets as the houses on either side began to smoke from the cannons being fired from within. Spike slammed in a door, quickly swinging his sword, chopping the head of the pony by the window off; sending the detached head flying through the window and out into the street, while the body gave on final twitch before slumping over. Spike looked farther into the house and saw two other soldiers gapping at him. Spike walked over to them, lifting his sword up before swinging it down at them. The two soldiers dodge away, bringing out their weapons. Spike pinned the one against the wall with his foot before slamming his sword into the ground where the other had been standing but a second before. With a roar, Spike withdrew his foot and sent his claws into the pony’s chest before turning around to face the other pony, his claws still dripping in the blood of the other pony. The pony quivered in fear, seeing his comrade so quickly ended before his eyes. The pony looked at the body, and then to Spike, and back again as Spike walked slowly over to the shaking wreck of a pony. Spike lifted his weapon, swinging it down with all his strength, but in that instant, the pony regained his composure and stopped the attack with his own sword held in his magical grasp.

“You monster!” The pony roared, pushing Spike’s sword back with all of his strength. Spike roared in the pony’s face, all of his reason gone, now replaced with rage, pure and simple. Spike pushed back with all of his strength, sending the pony farther and farther down as the dragon’s strength overpowered the pony’s magic. Spike then grabbed the pony’s sword with his other hand, pulling the blade out of the magical aura. Spike then lifted his blade once more, bringing it screeching down towards the pony, which made no effort to dodge, instead crumpled to the ground, paralyzed to his death from the shock of the strength of the dragon. Spike roared once again before rushing out of the house and straight to the next.





Streams of blood rolled down the empty streets, the battle over, corpses still lying on the ground as they had upon death. Spike stood above the slaughter as the remnants of the pony forces fled, their numbers severely reduced, but he was in no position to pursue. True, he had had more soldiers at the beginning of the battle, but now, he had been reduced to a barebones force, only barely being able to drive the ponies out. If this battle was a sign of what was to come, every soldier in Greyhield’s force would have to step up their game or else they would lose all their holdings.                   

> Chapter 43: To Save an Empire
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Blaze walked along the stony path, the light sound of metal clinking against itself as the troops behind him continued to march in a uniform rhythm. The smaller force he led had been all they could spare from the front, and hopefully it would be all they needed to will this battle. Soon enough, Blaze reached the top of the mountain path, looking down on the Crystal Empire below, Greyhield’s banner fluttering in the wind from its perch on the castle wall. The town around it look rather unchanged from the pictures Blaze had seen before, save for a few new houses and a few missing houses. Blaze looked behind him, giving a nod to his troops before separating from the path and sliding down the mountain side. 

-

Blaze sat beside a fire, the cold of the surrounding lands still biting at him even as he came closer to the flames. The soldiers had all set up camp outside the range of the Empire inside of a cave set into one of the surrounding mountains. The sun was slowly setting towards the west, marking the end of yet another day Equestria was engaged in a bloody war. Blaze sighed as he looked over the ponies around him. Each of them were quite young, still in their prime. Some of them had families of their own that were waiting for their return, others were alone in the world and had nothing left to their name. These stallions could all be running their own businesses, or working for somepony else; could’ve had a peaceful life, doing what any other pony should be allowed to do, and yet they were all here, locked in combat with a fierce enemy with only a small hope of ever returning to see their families ever again. This was what he fought for. Blaze knew that this war would claim many, and even after the war it would claim many more, but maybe he could make the world close enough to Equestria before the war so that the foals of these stallions could live in a world that was close in essence to the one their fathers had lived in before.

Blaze looked up towards the entrance of the cave. The sun had been set for a few minutes now, and now the last rays of twilight were beginning to fade as the stars began to blink into existence in the sky above. After a few more moments, the land was plunged into darkness, lit only by the Empire’s light and the moon. Blaze slowly stood up, many of the stallions following suit as he stretched his legs.

“Prepare your gear; we’re moving out in ten minutes. Whatever you don’t need for the battle, don’t take, we need to travel light.” The soldiers all saluted and began preparations, some cleaning their hoof cannons, while others put powder on their armor, dulling the reflectivity of the metal. Blaze checked his sword, drawing out before discarding the sheath. He opened his pack, taking a small bite of bread and a short drink of water before closing his pack once more. This battle was certain to drag on, and there was no telling if relief soldiers were on the way in they didn’t succeed. The entire leg of the campaign was in the hooves of a single group of soldiers that was barely large enough to hold a city the size of the Crystal Empire.





Blaze charged, keeping close to the snowy ground as he and the rest of his troops moved on the city, their darker armor streaking through the white snow. Blaze jumped over yet another snow bank, his eyes fixed on the goal as he galloped with all his strength. The uniform huffing of the soldiers sent clouds of vapor into the air as the mass of soldiers moved through the snowy plains until finally reaching the area protected by the Crystal Empire. Suddenly, two reptilous guards rounded a corner in front of the ponies, completely oblivious to the ponies that approached. Blaze launched off the ground, tackling one of the guards as an arrow slammed into the skull of the other. Blaze slammed his sword into the reptilous’ neck, quickly ending the beast’s life before moving on, picking up the beast warrior’s sword.

Blaze skirted around a corner, half the troops following him while the other half split off a second road. Blaze charged straight down the path towards the castle, keeping to the shadows as he took on small patrols of reptilous with his soldiers providing support in their quick and efficient elimination. Eventually Blaze reached the crystalline castle. The plans he had received from Cadence burning in his mind as he skidded to a halt and charged towards the staircase. Blaze pivoted on his hooves, bucking the door down with one swift kick before turning around and charging down the stairs with half of the troops that were still with him as the other half flooded the upstairs.

Blaze bashed the skull of the prison guard in with his sword before proceeding to take the keys and charge down the line of cells, checking each one, only to find each of them empty until he reached the last one. Blaze skidded to a halt. Inside, a grayish looking stallion lay in the corner, several wounds quite evident on his hide. Blaze tested the lock with each key, finding each to not be the one he wanted until he reached the last one, swinging the door open. He quickly charged into the cell to the wounded stallion.

“Prince Shining Armor?” Blaze asked, lowering himself to look at the dejected pony closer. The pony looked up towards Blaze, his eyes betraying his surprise as he nodded in response. “We’re here to escort you to safety.” 

“W-what about… about Cadence, is she alright?” He whispered with a hoarse and shaky voice. Blaze slowly helped the former Captain of the Guard to his hooves.

“She’s safe; the Princess made in behind our lines before Greyhield’s forces could catch her again, all thanks to you.” Blaze replied. “Now we need to do the same for you.” Blaze looked over to the soldiers, giving a nod, at which some of them came forward and helped the stallion out of the cell and down the corridor as quickly as possible.

“Sir, we should move out, the enemy has doubtlessly been made aware of our presence by now and we should aid the rest of our stallions in either delaying them or defeating them.” Sergeant Bastion stated calmly. Blaze gave a silent nod before charging down the corridor, passing the ponies escorting Shining out as he galloped. Blaze quickly proceeded to ascend to the top level, his soldiers directly behind him. This would most certainly be a fight to remember. 

> Chapter 44: Gloria Fortis Miles
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Blaze heaved the rope one last time, looking up with pride as the banner of the Crystal Empire waved proudly over the tallest towers of the palace. Looking back down over the city below, he could see many pillars of smoke rising from the crumbled remains of devastated homes. Bodies littered the streets, both pony and reptilous, as small streams of blood flowed through the snow covered streets. Blaze turned back to the few troops that were still with him, looking over each one with a smile.

“You all fought well today. Each and every one of you went above and beyond the call of duty and gave your all to this battle.” Blaze began. “But the battle is far from over. No doubt Greyhield will have another force come to retake the city within a short while.” As he finished that phrase, a guard charged up the stairs galloping straight to Blaze.

“Sir, the enemy has been spotted to the south; they’ll be here in a few minutes.” The soldier stated as he gave a salute. Blaze gave a solemn nod at the news, turning back to the ponies before him. None of their faces betrayed anything of worry or fear, just a stoic gaze that truly was befitting of the soldiers.

“Rally the troops; we’ll hold this city as long as we can.” Blaze ordered. The soldier gave another salute and charged back down the stairs. “Stallions, I suppose you all know the likelihood of victory in our favor is slim, no, it is near nonexistent.” Still the stallions remained as stoic as ever. “Even though this is true, we have already accomplished what we set out for. We have brought hope back to these ponies by showing that the world has not ended, and that there is still a chance to win this fight. Not only does this provide them with a significant morale boost which will doubtlessly last them far beyond the end of this war, but it also may stir them to action. But we haven’t just brought hope to these ponies, but have given hope to all of Equestria. We have forced the reptilous’ to send an army to a different position than they had it originally, and so have opened their defenses so that our army can breach the enemy line and take back what we’ve lost in this blasted war. We might not win this battle, but with this battle, we may just put ourselves one step closer to winning the war. All I ask of you is to fight as long and as hard as possible.”

“Sir, yes, sir!” The unanimous reply came as they each saluted. Blaze returned the salute with a smile before lowering his leg and moving towards the stairs, the soldiers following close behind. Blaze could only hope that the soldiers in the south had their job made that much easier because of the sacrifice these stallions were no doubt going to make, Blaze himself included. 





Stone Wall looked over the rolling hills, the campfires of the reptilous scattered about. As he watched, some of the fires were put out and ranks of soldiers began forming. Stone looked over to Half Pint, the younger stallion checking over his equipment one more time.

“The reptilous are on the move,” Stone said in his raspy voice, drawing Half Pint’s attention, “Tell the troops we move in half an hour.” Half Pint gave a quick nod and charged off towards the forest where the other ponies lay in wait. As the pony barreled into the forest, a bird suddenly flew up, screeching as loud as it could. As Stone Wall watched, a detachment of the reptilous started inching towards his position. Cursing the blasted bird under his breath, Stone Wall inched back from the bushes he had been laying under, he made his way back to the soldiers.

“Change of plans, stallions.” Stone Wall said as he approached. “We’re expected it seems and a small patrol is heading this way. Plan is to take them out and then try and make it to their lines before the patrol is missed. Get to you positions and try to take out each reptilous without a sound.” Stone Wall ordered before moving off and taking his armor from its place. “Blaze’s gamble is a steep one, let’s not disappoint him.”

“Sir, there’s a problem.” One of the soldiers stated. Stone Wall turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow as he placed his darkened helmet. “Before you arrived, we sent out our fastest runner to tell the back lines to wait for thirty five minutes before moving up.” Stone Wall chewed over this problem for a few seconds as he placed the main body of his armor on his back and strapped his stomach plate on.

“We already only have fifteen soldiers in this group…,” Stone Wall muttered as he placed his metal hoof coverings on, “I don’t think we can spare the extra soldiers to inform them of the change in plans.” Stone Wall sighed as he picked up his shield. “They’ll just have to figure it out when we start using the hoof canons.” The soldier nodded, giving a quick salute before moving off. Stone Wall sighed once more as he made sure his armor was assembled in the right way before moving to join the stallions as they started spreading through the bushes, ready to take on the patrol. Stone Wall could only hope Blaze was having a better time of it than they were.





Blaze rounded the corner, catching the reptilous vanguard off guard as he took out the leading warrior beast with one quick stroke. The rest of his stallions quickly appeared, lashing out with spears and swords or firing their hoof cannons. Ten of the reptilous fell to the ground in a bloody heap as Blaze retracted his blade and lifted his shield, shooting a bolt of fire into the next reptilous’ face, only to have the beast cut through it, sending the fire washing over his blade as he charged the ponies with reckless abandon. Bastion quickly met the reptilous, bucking him in the stomach, sending the beast back a few steps while Blaze used his shield to block an incoming attack on Bastion.

Blaze rushed up beside the stallion, blocking yet another attack with his sword before lifting up one of the fallen reptilous’ blades, quickly shooting it towards the reptilous closest to them, only to watch as the warrior beast smacked the attack away before leaping into the air, bringing his attack hurtling down towards the pair. Blaze quickly brought up a magical shield that caught the attack with little give. Blaze shot a beam of magic into the chest of one of the reptilous, watching as the beam of silver sliced through the beast’s core, slicing across the cheek of the reptilous behind him. Hawk shot off a round from his cannon, punching through the raised shield and armor of a charging reptilous while Eagle let go of an arrow, which planted itself into the skull of one of the reptilous attacking Blaze and Bastion.

Bastion lifted his spear and sent it into another one of the reptilous while Blaze sent a beam of energy at another one. Eagle jumped down from the banisters of a nearby building, shooting an arrow at a reptilous that appeared behind him as he hit the crystalline street. Blaze shoved his shield forward into the reptilous before shooting a bolt of fire into the creature’s face while Bastion brought his spear around into the creature’s chest. The reptilous expertly dodged the fire and then smacked the lance away with a swing of the sword. Suddenly, a crack sounded across the street, and a splotch of warm, wet splattered across Blaze’s cheek.





Stone Wall shot an arrow into the nearest reptilous, watching as the stallion closed to the beast dragged the creature down, covering the reptilous’ snout with a hoof while doing so. Stone Wall quickly moved up, weaving through the underbrush as the reptilous patrol slowly became one less than it had been a second before until the final beast slumped into death. Stone Wall rushed forward, breaking out into the field, darting between the scare trees and sparse bushes, keeping to the shadows as best as he could as he and the rest of the stallions made their way to the encampment.

Stone Wall leaped over the final hill before the camp, darting towards the nearest tent, shooting under the fabric and into the interior where he quickly dispatched the lone reptilous who had been washing his face as he rose from his cot. Stone Wall charged out of the tent and into the one directly across the way. As he crossed the dirt path, he noticed the silhouette of a reptilous in the vague light coming from inside the tent, standing before the entrance as he lifted a chest plate from the ground. Stone Wall leaped as he entered the tent, wrapping his fore hooves around the reptilous’ neck, dragging it to the ground as he jammed his sword into the beast’s back. Stone Wall rolled away from the creature, noticing a groggy looking reptilous rising from his bed, unaware of what had just happened as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. Stone Wall drew his blade from the fallen reptilous, slamming it directly through the beast’s neck before charging out from the tent and towards the next one, only to hear a horn sound the alarm.

Stone Wall whirled around, hearing something approaching from behind, only to find something slamming into his side, sending him skidding across the ground. Stone Wall rolled back to his hooves as quickly as he could, bringing his sword to bear as his attacker charged him. Stone lifted his blade, blocking an incoming attack, only to watch as the reptilous’ head snapped to the side in a bloody mess as the retort of a hoof cannon went off in the distance.





Blaze shot another beam of energy into the shield wall the reptilous had formed as he backed up slowly, allowing Hawk plenty of time to carry the injured Bastion off towards the castle. Eagle sent another round from his hoof cannon, which Hawk had traded off while he took the injured sergeant away, slicing through one of the reptilous, only to have another beast warrior take the place of his fallen comrade. Blaze’s horn grew brighter as he poured more magic into his spell, looking around the corners of the buildings he past at the multiple shield walls that were moving on their position. Blaze sent the spell out with a roar, and as the ball of magic struck the ground, a wall of flames shot forth from either side of it, putting up a blockade before the reptilous.

Blaze turned and galloped a few steps farther down the road before turning to look at the advancing reptilous line, only to watch as the line broke into a run and charged straight through the fire as if it were nothing. Blaze fully turned to face the group, charging up a spell as the wall advanced ever faster. Blaze let out a runt as the massive spell was released, a beam of magical energy sweeping across the wall of shield, accompanied by the sound of Eagle sending off another round. For a few seconds, the line faltered, and Blaze took advantage of the situation as best he could as he shot off blasts of magical energy and bolts of fire. Soon enough, though, the shield wall reformed and began to advance once more. Blaze attempted to charge up another beam to knock the line back, but a lightning bolt of pain crackled through his entire being as he attempted to channel magic to and through his horn, sending him to his knees for a few brief moments. Blaze shakily got back to his hooves and began charging back down the street, occasionally casting a glance behind him at the incoming horde of reptilous.

“Sir, take this!” Blaze heard Eagle shout. Blaze turned his head to see the pony tossing down his quiver and bow to the ground before taking off down the line of roofs to get a better angle on the enemy. Blaze levitated the bow and quiver to his side as he continued to back towards the castle. Blaze strapped the quiver to his side as he took the first arrow out and notched it into the bow. Blaze aimed his shot so that it would go above the shields, and with a airy twang, the arrow shot out of the bow and sailed above the arrows, met by a roar of pain as an unsuspecting reptilous was caught by the attack. Blaze notched another arrow into the twine, watching as the reptilous line behind the shield wall completed the turtle formation as they raised their shields to cover attacks from above. Yet another charge broke through the air, sending yet another reptilous to the ground, giving Blaze all the opening he needed as he let another arrow into the line, striking the reptilous directly behind the one Eagle had laid low. Blaze quickly notched in another arrow and let it loose, striking the safe reptilous once more, though this time a much more lethal strike to the head.

“Sir, the enemy is approaching quickly on the eastern and western side of the castle! I suggest retreating to the castle for a better position!” Eagle reported from the rooftops. Blaze turned, and sure enough, he could see the shield walls approaching the circular park the castle was situated in.

“Very well, fall back; we’ll hold them off from inside!” Blaze replied, quickly turning as he did, moving towards the castle with all the speed he could muster as his compatriot jumped down from the rooftop he had been fighting from. As they ran, Eagle took out a horn and let out a blaring note, signaling to all the other troops to fall back. Blaze watched as six of the eight ponies that had let to guard the other sectors began galloping from their areas, heading straight for the castle, occasionally turning to take a shot at the reptilous while doing so. This fight was only just beginning, and it wouldn’t be ending anytime soon.





Stone Wall pulled back the trigger on a reptilous crossbow, the bolt sailing straight into the nearest reptilous’ back and straight out the front. Storm Wall, deflected an attack as he rolled to the side, pulling back the crossbow’s slide as he did so, preparing to put another bolt into the weapon, only to have another reptilous smash the weapon into the ground and snap the string. Stone quickly jump back as the reptilous continued its assault while simultaneously holding off the advances of another reptilous, leaving him without a weapon with which to fight the newcomer. Stone Wall quickly brought up the sword of the recently felled reptilous, using it to combat the new comer, only to have a lapse of concentration with the other opponent, allowing the first reptilous to lessen the distance quickly.

Suddenly, Half Pint broke through one of the tent, leaping from the entrance of his previous position with a twirl, ending his motion with his axe in the neck of the one reptilous, giving Stone Wall the advantage he needed as he brought his first sword into the back of the reptilous. Stone Wall gave a nod to Half Pint, who returned the same before charging straight past Stone Wall. Stone Wall turned and watched as the earth pony slammed his axe into the leg of a charging reptilous. Stone Wall quickly brought his sword about and decapitated the stumbling brute. Half Pint pivoted on his hooves, looking around for his next target, only to have a reptilous erupt from the tent behind him. Stone Wall quickly shot his sword forward and parried the attack that would’ve ended the brave soul. Half Pint brought his axe about, slamming it into the creature’s knees, sending the fiend to the ground. Half Pint quickly brought his axe about and ended the reptilous as quickly as possible before giving a grateful nod and smile to Stone Wall through the bit of his axe, which Stone Wall returned.

“Sir,” A soldier shouted as he galloped up to Stone Wall, “The rest of our army is coming, they’ll be here within the minute.” Stone Wall nodded, his brow furrowed.

“Doubtlessly the same can be said of the reptilous. Send word to the commanding officer that they are to deploy as few soldiers as possible in this battle and are to advance on the objective.” Stone Wall ordered. “Now hurry, they might put a bit more of a spring in their step if you get to them fast enough.” The soldier gave a hurried salute and charged off towards the main body of the army. Stone Wall could only hope they message was delivered, and delivered quickly.





Blaze slammed the long banquet table across the doorway as the soldiers pushed barrels down the stairs, allowing them to slam into the solid oak table, pressing it firmly against the frame. Blaze took a chair from one of his stallion and set it behind the small barricade. Blaze nodded to the soldiers behind them, and the group quickly moved back up the stairs as the first smashed could be heard coming from outside.

“Preparations are being made upstairs; we’ll be ready when they come if they make it past this position.” Hawk reported as Blaze arrived to the next level. “As a side note, Bastion is currently being attempted to by our medical officer; I don’t have any news from that end yet besides the fact that they moved the ward to the top of the castle.” Blaze gave a quick nod watching as the stallions rolled a few more barrels down the stairs before placing another table across the doorway with more barrels behind it.

“I fear there is little doubt that they’ll make it past this position. It’s only a matter of time at this point.” Blaze stated calmly. “Ours is no longer a fight for victory for our part, but a battle for their loss; if not in the battle proper, than in time while our stallions back in the south go to work.” Blaze finished, leaping over the sacks of flour and cornmeal that had been laid down as further barricades. Blaze placed the last few bags down after Hawk entered, the sound of breaking wood below telling him all he needed to know.

“Who knows, commander,” Hawk said as he took up his hoof cannon, “Maybe after the troops take care of their objective down south they might just make their way up here and give us some relief.” Blaze shook his head, notching an arrow into his bow as he waited for the reptilous to arrive.

“Even if they could, it wouldn’t be with enough time to give us much in the way of relief. The reptilous line only made it here so quickly because they were within an hour’s march, the stallions in the south are a few days march away.” Blaze stated as he peeked through the small hole between some of the bags as the sounds of wooden being attacked caught his ear. “Either way, we are as prepared as we can be for this attack, and each of us is prepared to give our lives for Equestria’s good.” Suddenly Hawk put a hoof on Blaze’s shoulder, causing Blaze to look over at the pegasus pony.

“Sir, I ask this as a subordinate to a higher officer, and also as one compatriot to another; if and when the reptilous pass this position, ensure you are ahead of them and arrive to the next position. This army can’t lose you.” Hawk pleaded. 

“Mine is not to ask why, but to do and to die. If I die, so be it, this army can very well get along with or without me with little change in the state of affairs.” Blaze replied.

“No, this army needs you. Not only are you a very capable tactical advisor and trainer, but your mere presence on any battlefield changes how each stallion fights.” Hawk countered. “You may be given a hard time for how young you are and how you shouldn’t have gotten to where you are now so quickly, but deep down, every stallion will agree that you are an inspiration for the same reasons the stallions ridicule you. Because you are so young and have already done so much you serve as inspiration, if not for the very basic reason of competition you create by being yourself. So, as one stallion to another, as a soldier to another, and as a friend to another friend; make sure that you get to the next floor when the reptilous breach this position. Help those stallions fight on, with your presence on the battlefield is not anything else.” Blaze stared dumbfounded at the stallion for a few moments before finally giving a determined nod. Blaze now felt a new weight on his shoulders as he came to realize how his troops actually felt about their leader. He now knew the true reason behind Bronze Buckler’s advice as the stallion beside him revealed the truth of the whole matter to him; how his soldiers saw him and, more importantly, looked up to him in some ways. He had to make it, but even though he now had a reason to seek survival, he wouldn’t be a coward while ensuring his own life should it come down to it.

Suddenly the boards across the doorway broke apart, sending shrapnel across the room. Hawk shot the first reptilous, sending the beast tumbling back onto his comrades. Blaze quickly released his arrow while some of the other stallions around him let their attacks fly free, striking the reptilous as they struggled to get through the cramped doorway and short stairwell. Blaze notched another arrow into the bow’s string while taking a few steps towards the stairs.

“Hold the line and send Tartarus as many as you can!” Blaze roared above the sound of combat. A resounding cheer met his ears as he went up the first few stairs, turning long enough to let another arrow fly into the crowded group of reptilous attempting to enter the room through the boarded up passage.





Stone Wall charged up to the city gates, a group of pegasi shooting past with a large orb suspended between them. As they past, he rope holding the object let loose and the object hurtled towards the front gate, destroying the structure in a massive ball of fire and shrapnel. Stone Wall brought his shield up as he charged on through towards the lower sector of Canterlot. As he shot out of the dark fumes, he came face to face with a patrol of reptilous. Stone heaved a piece of twisted metal from the ground and shot it towards the leading reptilous while shoving the dark smoke forward to cover his approach. Just before the blanket of darkness covered his vision, Stone Wall watch as the reptilous smacked the piece of shrapnel away with ease.

Stone Wall ducked to the side, using the severely decreased visibility to his advantage as he circle around where he remembered the reptilous being. As he approached, he saw the silhouetted form of one of the beast soldiers looking around the area as he used his arms to attempt to get rid of the smoke. Stone Wall gathered a ball of the smoke, slinging it down the reptilous’ throat, sending the beast warrior into a painful coughing fit, only to be tackle and have a sword jammed in the area where his neck met his shoulders. Stone Wall looked up, seeing his next target in the slowly thinning smoke screen. Stone Wall ran up to the beast, forcing a mass of the smoke into the creatures mouth before slicing his knee across the back, causing the reptilous to fall down to the ground in a muffled roar of pain as he coughed up smoke, only to have the same ball brought back in as he gasped for air. Stone Wall sliced the beast’s neck before bucking the back of his head to ensure the job was done.

Suddenly, Stone Wall was tackled off of his last kill as a reptilous pinned him to the ground, closing its grip around Stone Wall’s throat. For a few seconds Stone Wall feared he would suffocate, until in a moment of almost maniac glee, he realized that the reptilous’ grasp was just above his breathing hole. Stone Wall levitated his sword up behind the fiend and slammed it straight through the beast’s back until the tip of the blade poked through the front. Stone Wall kicked the dying beast off of his chest and throat before finding himself faced with two other reptilous. Stone Wall raised his sword and that of he recently killed reptilous, ready to fight the two fiends as best he could. But as he watched, an arrow slammed into the head of one while Half Pint charged up and took the other’s leg out his practiced ease, allowing Stone Wall to end the beast in one swift stroke.

Stone Wall looked back, beyond the shrouded gate and saw a mass of galloping stallions garbed in golden and white armor heading straight for the gates, a sight that brought a great deal of relief t the battle worn soldier. Stone Wall turned back to Half Pint, who has standing at the ready just beyond the newly fallen reptilous.

“Let’s go,” Stone Wall rasped, “They’ll be more effective if they have less enemies per square meter to deal with.” Half Pint nodded with a grim expression before charging off down the main drag, up the ever higher slope of the great mountain. Stone Wall charged off one of the side roads, scanning each house as quickly and completely as possible before moving on. The battle appeared to be going well for them, and he wasn’t about to stop for a break.





Blaze slammed a dresser across the doorway with Shining Armor beside him. Blaze levitated a barrel over from the pile and sent it down the stairs before giving the large dresser a final push, making the ornate piece of furniture flush with the doorway. Stallions swarmed around, placing barrels, bags of produce, and anything else with a decent amount of weight that wasn’t nailed down to the castle.

“How close were they before you headed up to inform us?” Shining asked as he shoved one of the thrones across to the pile. Blaze heaved a barrel and placed it down on top of the pile.

“They were making headway through the door.” Blaze replied. “Hawk said… he said that he would make that position hold for as low as he could, but that he could give no guarantees once they past the door.” Blaze stated before slamming another bag of flour onto the mess, patting it down to ensure everything was well packed. “We need to set up a small barricade from which we can flight and protect the stairs to the next level.”

“We’ve already taken care of the next level problem.” Shining said with a smile. “We knocked out the three main routes upstairs that were connected to the flight they are currently going up. The only way up now is one step from being fully seal, and will be fully sealed once a pony goes to inform them. I suggest that be you, Blaze.”

“As you’ll have it, Prince, so it shall be done.” Blaze replied as he brought a large table and laid it across the door way directly in front of the stairway. The stallion quickly laid bags of produce, chairs, barrel, and everything else across it, giving it more mass before building up, giving the ponies behind the wall a nice pillbox. 

“Hopefully your gamble doesn’t go to waste.” Shining said solemnly. Blaze shook his head with a sigh as he notched an arrow into his bow.

“We’ve already done what we came for. We not only brought hope to the ponies of the Empire, but also delayed the reptilous while ensuring a large portion of their force isn’t where it really needs to be.” Blaze stated calmly, using all his mental strength to hide how much he felt in reality, swarms of emotions whirling around inside of him, made only stronger by the moment of calm.

“Hopefully our reinforcements come soon; they’ll certainly give us some more time even if we don’t succeed here.” Shining said, taking up a spear while cracking his neck in anticipation.

“We have no reinforcements; almost our whole force is deployed at Canterlot.” Blaze replied; feeling like a broken record as similar lines of conversation were brought up.

“You miss understand,” Shining replied as a smirk began to play across his features, “There are soldiers that are coming in that aren’t from your main army.” Blaze looked over to the prince with a questioning expression. “Before I knew that you were going to attempt a liberation, I had been in contact with a group of the Crystal Guards that had managed to escape to take a good portion of the city to safety. They are living on the fringe of the truly frozen north, making it difficult for any for any force to find them unless they knew where to look. They’ve been training ever since they fled and sent word to me this morning that as the sun past its peek that they would fall down on the city and free me.”

“Well that is good news.” Blaze said with a laugh of relief. Blaze leaned back and looked out the large windows and looked for the sun, only to find it missing from the sky, but the shadows of objects in the area told him that it was reaching its zenith. “They should be arriving soon enough. If we can give these reptilous the fight of their life, we might just hold off for long enough to let the Crystal Guard in.”

“I’ll start the coffee.” Shining said with a chuckle as he rolled his shoulders, allowing his armor to settle better on his form. Blaze shook his head; looking back up to the doorway as the sound of something being bashed in further down the stairs spelled the end for the pony downstairs.





Stone Wall charged up the slope, the entire force of the Equestrian army behind him as he charged the gates of the upper district. A unicorn charged up past him, sending a bolt of magic towards the door, sending the wooden gates flying open with such force that they cracked off their massive hinges. As the dust settle, a mass of reptilous came into view, shields raised and spears lowered. Stone Wall lifted his shield and charged with increased speed, his eyes fixed on the goal. All around him, combat spells were fired into the reptilous formation, sending a few of the reptilous flying off into the rear end of their formation. Stone Wall slid under a spear and smashed into the underside of a shield, sending the reptilous into a short stumble before Stone Wall sent his sword around the side and straight into the beast’s chest. Stone Wall raised his shield and caught one reptilous’ attack while sending his second sword out, catching one of the warrior beasts in the front of the formation.

Stone Wall pushed the next reptilous with a wave of magical energy before thrusting his blade straight through another one of the shield bearers. As he watched, Half Pint hit the line with such force that he set a reptilous off balance, causing it to fall on its back before Half Pint brought his axe down on the creature’s skull. The battle raged on as wave upon wave of ponies met the reptilous force, pushing it farther and farther back. The distant sound of hoof cannons told Stone Wall that the battle at the first gate was beginning in earnest. 

Stone Wall looked up, the gate to the courtyard of the castle right before them. The same gateway that nearly four years ago had allowed hordes of ponies to flee now flew open as droves of seasoned warriors flooded towards the castle to reclaim what had been lost. Stone Wall charged up the steps to the main castle, bucking the doors open upon arrival, allowing the rest of his soldiers to move in quickly. Stone Wall turned to see the same room where Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis revealed the truth behind what had seemed to be a rousing victory for Equestria. This time, there would be no false victory, only a complete usurpation of the reptilous from the mighty city.





Blaze let go of another arrow, the attack finding its mark in the head of the first reptilous. A hoof cannon fired beside him, accompanied with another reptilous falling down at the stopped up entrance to the floor. Blaze notched another arrow into his bowstring, letting it loose only to have it slam against a shield as a reptilous attempted to pass through the restricted aperture with his shield raised, only to find the task impossible as he let go of his shield and pushed through the hole in the defenses, only to have an arrow slam into his chest, laying him low.

“Blaze, we need to fall back and inform the next level that it’s time.” Shining said beside him as Blaze let yet another arrow fly free, only to have a reptilous slice it out of the air as he climbed through. Blaze gave a quick nod as he turned to follow Shining, notching another arrow into his bow. Blaze turned one last time before entering the next room, letting his arrow fly, smacking with a meaty thud into the reptilous’ shoulder. 

Blaze turned and galloped after Shining while he put his bow away. The prince turned and shoved a large cabinet to the side, revealing a passageway. Blaze hurried behind him, entering as quickly as possible, pulling the cabinet back into place before charging up the stairs. 

“Two in the stairway!” Shining shouted to the ponies above as they took the final curve in the stairs. A door promptly opened before them, shutting with a slam as the two slipped through. “The reptilous are making progress on the level below; they’ll be here soon enough, though I can say when.” Shining stated. The soldiers gave a nod and quickly began setting up a small barricade in front of the door with what little supplies they had, since the kitchen and main hall were both below them, which left them with supplies from the servant’s quarters. Though there were many rooms and many beds, most of them were quite small, leaving them with little to board the doorway with. 

“Sir, I can see a contingent of pony soldiers heading this way!” A stallion shouted from the window. “They’re wearing the Crystal Emblem by what I can see.” The pony stated while passing his binoculars to Blaze. Blaze turned to the point the pony was referring to, and sure enough, there was a small group of soldiers that had a larger group of unarmored ponies behind them that wielded pitchforks, scythes, and other farming tools that functioned as weapons. Blaze gave a small nod before turning to Shining Armor.

“The Crystal Guard is approaching with a group of armed civilians. We might have a chance at squeaking a victory from this battle yet.” Blaze commented, giving the binoculars back to their owner.

“Well, now’s as good a time to make a victory as any since we are on the last level before we reach where we’re keeping our field hospital.” Shining said with a sigh. “Here’s an option we could take: take this group of soldiers downstairs and help our stallions down there before they become overrun with reptilous.” Shining suggested.

“No, if we fail there then it will be the end for sure. By waiting up here we are buying the Crystal Guard some more time so that they aren’t fighting a one way battle once they get here.” Blaze stated, checking how many arrows he had left with a quick glance. He was starting to run dangerously low, but he could hold off the reptilous for a few extra seconds without getting within their range of attack. Blaze looked over the final six ponies around him, each ready to fight the hardest they ever had against a foe whose experience within battle far outweighed their own.





Stone Wall charged up the main tower’s stairs, a small detachment of soldiers following close behind. Stone quickly kicked down the final door, revealing three reptilous still standing at the ready for battle. One of the fiends charged the ponies, only to find a bolt slicing through his chest as one of the ponies behind Stone Wall fired his newly acquired crossbow. Stone Wall quickly shoved one of the reptilous off the side of the tower while sending his sword out to meet the other. The second reptilian warrior quickly parried the attack only to find an earth pony shoot up o him, slamming an axe into his knee, sending him to the ground where Stone Wall slammed his sword through the beast’s heart. Stone Wall quickly opened his saddlebags, taking out an Equestrian flag. Half Pint quickly began tugging the rope on the flagpole, lowering Greyhield’s standard as quickly as possible. Stone Wall sliced the flag from the rope before attaching the cyan ties to the rope, nodding to Half Pint as he finished. The earth pony returned the nod and began raising the flag until it reached the top of the tallest flagpole in the land. One of the soldiers took the ripped flag from the ground, touching a corner to a nearby torch before letting it fly out of the tower as it quickly began to turn into ashes as the soldiers saluted the newly risen flag of The Two Sisters. Even though the battle wasn’t over, for a moment, all seemed well in the world as the flag depicting the two princesses flapped blissfully in the cool evening breeze.





Blaze caught another attack on his shield as the reptilous continued their advance on the ponies with relentless aggression. Below, the sounds of fighting told Blaze the Crystal Guard was making excellent progress towards their position. Blaze shot a blast of magical energy into the face of another reptilous, causing his to stumble back and fall down the stairs. Blaze suddenly found his weight disappearing as he was thrown across the room by a reptilous. His flight came to an abrupt and painful end as he slammed into the wall, a searing pain coursing through his side. He slowly rose to his hooves, bringing his sword back to his side as the beast warrior cam ever closer. Blaze swung his sword at the beast that quickly blocked the attack, locking blade with the tired and hurting pony. Blaze shoved the beast back before shooting a blast of fire into its face, causing it to take a few extra moments to wipe the soot from its face, giving Blaze all the opening he needed as he planted his sword in its chest.

As Blaze shoved another reptilous back to the stairs, something happened that made his heart leap for joy. As the reptilous tumbled backward, a spear appeared through its chest before being shoved to the side, revealing a stallion splattered in blood that bore the armor of the Crystal Guard.

“Good to have you, soldier!” Blaze shouted over the battle as h parried a reptilous’ attack. The Crystal pony quickly brought his spear to bear and ran it through the preoccupied reptilous.

“Good to be here, sir. Is the prince alright?” The guard asked before blocking an attack. Blaze shot a beam of magical energy through the offending reptilous before the guard shoved the limp corpse to the side.

“Yes, he’s safe. Now’s not the time for talk, however, let’s finish this fight and discuss it later.” Blaze stated, returning his full attention to the battle before him.





Blaze stood at the pinnacle of the castle’s tower, looking over the city as he had done that morning. The streets now were littered with many more bodies, and the streams of blood had multiplied and grown all the larger. Beside him stood Shining Armor and the Crystal Guard pony, each of them looking over the scene of destruction and all the work that came with it. The battle had been fought and most surprisingly, won. It had been costly, but it had been more than worth it as the Crystal Heart came to life and shot a beam of energy to the heavens as the hearts of the ponies below felt a sense of relief mixed with sadness. Blaze looked towards the horizon at the distant Equestria that lay just beyond sight. The battle had been won; an important advantage had been gained. Now all that remained was securing the war and finally liberating Equestria from this dreaded conflict. Blaze could barely hold himself from charging off to the sunset and rejoining the main army to take on Greyhield, but much was still left to be done in the city below. For the first time in a long time, Blaze truly could look at the sunset and give a sigh of relief, knowing that what his soldiers had done, what he had done, truly put them several steps closer to finishing the war. Tomorrow would bring a new day, and he wasn’t about to squander it on anything.      

> Chapter 45: Shrouded Skies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  “And so we commit these brave souls to the earth; may Elysium meet them with all the honors and glory that they deserve.” The chaplain finished. The caskets slowly began to lower into the ground as the soldiers that looked on raised their hoof cannons and fired blanks into the heavens. The miniature explosions slowly faded off into the distance as the trumpeters began playing their song. Several soldiers walked up, carrying shovels and quickly began to scoop up cold patches of earth, laying them into the graves with great care and reverence for their fallen comrades. The ponies slowly began to disperse as the trumpeters finished their song and the soldiers patted the earth down, soon leaving only one lone stallion standing before the graves. 

The graves sat as cold monoliths in the snowy fields, names and dates adorning them such as ‘Sergeant ‘Bobcat’ Bastion’, ‘Sergeant Eagle-eye’, and ‘Second Lieutenant ‘Hawk’ Crosshairs’, each names that Blaze recognized, and many more that he did not. Bastion’s wounds had proven fatal, leaving the doctors with no method of saving him; Eagle-eye had been found on the final level of the defense with his neck twisted unnaturally; Hawk… no, Crosshairs, was found with a reptilous on top of him that was equally dead, having half of its head missing with traces of a hoof cannon blast. Each of these soldiers and many, many more, had died to provide them with victory, and many more would die before this war was over.

The muffled sounds of hoofsteps in the snow alerted Blaze to the approaching presence behind him. The pony stopped beside him, making no attempt to draw Blaze’s attention as the two stood in the cold wind. Blaze stole a glance and quickly recognized Shining Armor, looking over the stones with the thousand yard gaze that he knew all too well.

“They were good stallions.” Shining said finally, breaking the silence. Blaze gave a quiet nod, looking over the stones once more, almost all of the names bringing up a face, a memory, a life.

“The best.” Blaze replied hoarsely. Shining looked over to the younger stallion, a caring glint to his eyes that spoke volumes to Blaze, though there were, nor are, any words that could adequately replicate what meaning they held.  In that moment, as the wind seemed to halt, as the world seemed to fall silent, Blaze broke, tears streaming down his cheeks as he fell down on to his haunches. Shining wrapped a foreleg around the younger stallion, saying no reassuring words, knowing full well there were none to say. And so, the two simply sat in each other’s company as Blaze cried his eyes dry, and then fell to whimpering as the sorrow that had built up released in a crushing wall of pain and agony. “I-I never want this… I never w-wanted this to happen.” Blaze repeated between shaking breathes, looking up at the gray stones before him. “I’m sorry…” Blaze whispered, a fresh wave of tears streaming down his face as he found the tears to cry once more. And as the tears continued, apologies and words of regret flowed as freely between the sputtered breathes and sobs.

-  

Blaze charged forward as the dark fog threatened to latch on to him. He ran and ran, the smell of blood and death pushing him onward. All around him the dejected corpses of fallen ponies seemed to look up at him with pleading, yet vacant eyes. Hooves stretched out to take him, but still he ran. Faces, faces everywhere, each of them staring, each of them recognizable, yet unnamed. The blood, still warm and soupy, tugged at his hooves, dragging them lower, making his muscles tire with each step. Before him, he could see a burnt castle, pillars of smoke rising up to the heavens, with flags ripped, strewn across the fields.

Behind him, he could hear it, but he didn’t turn. He knew what was there, but he couldn’t face it, he never could face it. Wyverns, vulture, and other dastardly creatures of the heavens sailed about, wings unmoving as they patrolled. Sweat rolled down his face, dripping off of his chin in large balls, splashing down into the red below. Suddenly, Blaze stumbled, sending him plummeting downwards into a deep, dark pit. He felt an explosion o pain as he struck the cold, wet ground. Blaze wheezed, his lungs burning from the effort as he struggled to rise, only to feel himself being dragged down by the blood. Blaze struggled a few seconds longer before finally rising to his hooves. He looked to the rim of the hole, only to see beaten and battered ponies, each with impossible wounds, standing, staring, with cold, heartless eyes.

As he watched, the ponies began to kick dirt into the hole, on top of the tired, wet pony. Blaze tried to plead for mercy, but found his voice to be spent, his pleas never leaving his lips as more and more dirt filled the hole. Blaze struggled, but found to his horror, a reptilous grabbing each of his legs, gripping tighter and tighter as he thrashed. He looked up once more, looking for some way to escape, only to see the ponies parting, letting IT through. A gigantic monster of blood and gore, with pieces of ponies floating through it in extremely gruesome fashion sat there, looking down at him, causing shivers to un up his spine. Slowly, it inched forward, until it sloshed into the pit, covering Blaze in its gruesome sludge, broken bones slicing at his body as blood and gore entered his mouth and nose. He struggled harder, finding to his relief, that the reptilous had let him go, allowing him to rise to the surface.

Blaze pulled himself out of the pit attempting to run away as far and as fast as possible, only to find himself stumbling forward as a chorus of pain shot up his left hind leg. Blaze looked back to it, only to find that it was completely gone, all the way up to his haunch, leaving nothing but a bloody wound that still allowed fresh blood to flow freely from it. Blaze began hobbling away, until he came face to face with a massive, dark creature that blocked his path. Blaze looked up, and there before him was Greyhield with his teeth bared in a menacing smile. The great dragon took in a deep breath, and then sent a billowing mass of flame cascading over Blaze.

-

Blaze shot out of his bed, covered in a cold sweat, his breathing erratic as his heart threatened to pop out of his chest at any moment. He was in his tent; they had been on the march for several days and were nearing Canterlot. Blaze shook his head, clearing the last bits of his nightmare away. It had been getting more frequent, though it took many different approaches to the same goal. Reports had confirmed that Luna had somehow been stopped from doing her royal duties of keeping the ponies’ sleep. Blaze shook himself once more before finally walking out of his tent.

The plains were still dark, the moon only just beginning to dip beneath the horizon. The camp was just shifting from night shifts to morning shifts, with ponies milling about, attending to their various tasks, such as stoking the fires, putting breakfast on, and attending to armor and weapons. The Crystal Guards and Shining Armor had decided to stay and tend to the Crystal Empire to ensure another wave of reptilous attackers wouldn’t simply walk in and take it back. The seventeen surviving soldiers Blaze had taken to the battle had followed him out into the cold, heading south towards what they could only hope was a victory at Canterlot.

“Sir?” A soldier began beside him, breaking him from his thoughts. Blaze looked to the soldier, giving a nod for him to continue. “We have spotted an encampment of fairly decent size further down the path.” Blaze nodded slowly.

“I take it by your tone that this isn’t entirely bad news.” Blaze ventured, receiving a nod in return.

“The camp was multiple Equestrian flags flying above it. Either they had a rousing victory over the reptilous and are coming with news, or the reptilous have gotten the gall to carry our flags and fly them.” The soldier stated plainly. Blaze once again nodded, considering his options, before finally deciding on a course of action.

“Rally the troops, we march towards them. Either we have to fight through the entire encampment and reclaim those flags, or we meet the southern detachment.” Blaze ordered. The soldier saluted and moved off to wake the soldiers that were still asleep while rallying those that were already going about their business. Soon the entire campsite was awake, fed, and packed, ready to move out on a moment’s notice.

The small group of soldiers marched down the path, a tense feeling filling the air as they moved through the open with little to no cover in sight should an ambush be launched. The reported camp eventually came into sight, though it did nothing for the tension as they approached closer and closer. Suddenly the sound and brief flashes of motion caught their eyes. Clear clashing and clinging of steel met their ears.

“Leave the packs here, we move on with only what we need for a fight.” Blaze ordered. The soldiers each released their packs, letting them down to the path slowly. Blaze unsheathed his sword and brought out his shield and began to approach with heightened caution as the sound of a fight could be heard. Suddenly a pony jumped out from the line of tent, turning quickly as he drew back and arrow and let it loose towards where he had just come from. A reptilous stepped out from the passage, the arrow caught in its hand. Blaze charged up a spell and quickly let the beam off magic go, sending it straight through the reptilous’ head. The pony turned to the group as the soldiers behind Blaze quickly spread out, entering the encampment from multiple angles. Immediately, Blaze recognized Stone Wall, who had an expression of joy and relief, tat Blaze quickly mirrored as he galloped up beside the older stallion.

“Blaze,” Stone began in his raspy voice, “Glad you could make it back here. How did things go in the Crystal Empire? I didn’t expect you back for another several days.” He stated, looking the young commander over.

“He had some help from the locals. The Crystal Empire is now under Prince Shining Armor’s control and should remain so for a long time.” Blaze replied as the two moved into the lines of tents. “How did the battle at Canterlot go? Did we win?” Blaze questioned, scanning the area for targets.

“The plan didn’t go off without a few hitches, but we did make it, though we’ve suffered around four attacks from reptilous forces attempting to take it back, though we have fortunately been able to repel each one.” Stone Wall said. “This lot just arrived, probably just a scouting group, though they are doing a good bit of damage.”

“Let’s clear them up quickly then, the main force might be close behind.” Blaze said before taking another corner.

-

Spike looked over the relatively small encampment. The camp was in no small state of chaos, as ponies and reptilous charged about in a frenzied fight. The field behind him was filled with mounted soldiers, each ready for the fight. Galintrent sat quietly, Luna seeming particularly stoic as well now that he thought about it. Spike subconsciously stroked Celestia’s neck as he looked over the warring parties below. Finally he gave a sigh, snapping Celestia’s reins while signaling for the charge. The horde suddenly came alive, charging forward with all haste, causing the ground to tremble under them.

Spike lowered his lance as he entered the camp, finding it piercing straight through a pony’s side. Spike shook the body off before pushing down on the stirrups, causing Celestia to spread her wings and take to the air in a moment notice. Spike turned her about, coming in for another strike, met with equal amounts of success as his previous attack, though as he flew away, a magical force ripped his weapon away from him. Spike quickly turned Celestia about, drawing his sword as he scanned for the offending unicorn. There, below him, was a dark armored, silver maned crimson unicorn whose magical aura fit what he had seen in the brief second before his weapon had been taken. Spike snapped Celestia’s reins, setting her into a near perfect dive towards the pony as he brought his sword to bear as rage began to boil inside of him. He reached the lowest part of his arc, swinging his sword with great ferocity, only to find it bouncing off of a shield while he was forcefully removed from the saddle. Spike rolled along the ground, only to come out of it with a flip, quickly getting back to his feet as the unicorn charged him.

Spike parried expertly as the unicorn sent out his first attack. Spike spied an opportunity, grabbing the handle of the unicorn’s sword before ripping it completely from the magical aura. Spike turned his gaze fully to the unicorn before letting out a bellowing roar, bearing his teeth. Spike broke into a run, swinging his first sword down at the unicorn, which quickly brought up his shield in response, only to find a second sword moving over the shield straight towards him. The pony brought up a magical shield quickly, catching the sword as fast as possible. Spike slammed his right foot into the shield, tearing it from the pony’s aura, sending it straight towards the unicorn who simply allowed it to strike him before shooting a fire bolt up at Spike. In that moment, it all became so clear to him who he was fighting, as the final pieces clicked into place. The blast of fire rolled over his face with no harm left behind, save for a bit of soot that clung to his scales. Spike let go of the sword the pony already had a grip on, bringing his now free hand to grasp the extended handle of his own.

“This time, I will prove to be a much more worthy opponent, Blaze.” Spike spat before bringing his own blade down towards the now grown stallion. Blaze’s eyes went wide as he too recognized Spike, now more developed that he had been even after Greyhield had transformed him. Blaze quickly brought his sword up, blocking the attack, only to have Spike press his advantage of having a physical connection to his weapon as he pushed harder, gaining some ground. Spike pushed the sword to the side while he kicked some dirt towards Blaze’s face. Blaze quickly shot up a magical shield, blocking the dust, while bringing his sword back towards Spike. The reptilous general quickly blocked the pony major’s attack before returning with his own, which met the same reception. Blaze shot a bolt of fire at Spike’s legs, but Spike was able to redirect his sword and catch the attack, reducing it to bands of fire that sprayed across his legs with very little pain.

Spike lifted his sword, bringing it down with all his strength, only to have it blocked once more, though this time, he saw that Blaze looked as if he was having some trouble. Spike kicked the pony in the face, only to have his leg caught in a magical aura, yanking it in such a way that he fell down. Blaze lifted his sword for the finishing blow, only to have Spike grab a clot of dirt, sending it towards Blaze’s face as he rolled to the side. Spike shot forward, tackling Blaze, ending it with his sword pointing down at Blaze’s throat.

“When I kill you, this war will be over for Equestria.” Spike sneered, bringing his sword up a little higher into the air as he prepared to assure a victory for Greyhield. Suddenly, he was tackled by somepony. He looked up and recognized Half Pint from when Blaze still lived with Twilight. Spike grabbed Half Pint by the throat, lifting him up as he stood up, the pony’s weight being meager in comparison to his own. “Don’t interfere; your day will come soon enough.” Spike threw Half Pint across the field, straight through a tent and into a group of fighting reptilous and ponies. Spike began to walk slowly over to the still grounded Blaze.

“Y-you… dare hurt him?” Blaze asked in almost a whisper as he rose shakily. Spike stopped as he noticed Blaze’s mane moving in a wind that he did not feel. Something was wrong about this, and Spike didn’t like it. “No one… NO ONE HURT MY FRIENDS!” Blaze roared as his horn flared up as he charged a spell. Spike took his sword in his second hand, waiting to see what the unicorn was up to. Blaze’s eyes began to change to white and back again, almost at random, as he took step after step closer to the reptilous. Spike decided not to wait anymore, and so charged the enraged unicorn with a battle cry. Spike leaped up into the air, bringing his sword behind his back before swinging it with the full force of both his arms and gravity. Blaze shot up a shield, which caught the attack perfectly. Spike pushed off of the shield before charging back, beginning a tirade on Blaze’s shield. Suddenly, a deep indigo beam shot through Blaze’s shield, causing it to burst like a bubble, sending the unicorn to the ground in pain Spike could not imagine. Spike looked behind him, and sure enough, Galintrent sat atop Luna, floating gently over the camp. The colonel gave Spike a short salute before flying off to another part of the battlefield.

Spike turned back to face Blaze, who was still on the ground, unmoving save for the ragged rising of his sides as he breathed pain filled breathes. Spike walked up to Blaze once more, looking down in contempt at the pony, only to see Blaze as the colt he had first known him as, simply sleeping in a field. Spike shook his head, bringing his sword up high, as he prepared to end the war for the ponies, but even as he did images of ponies he had known flashed before his eyes. Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and then the two he knew the best. Standing side by side, with equally saddened looks, was Twilight and Rarity, whose eyes pleaded for him to stop. Spike shook his head once more, they had betrayed his trust, they had attacked him, they didn’t love him one bit. But as he found as small part of him that still wanted to end the war with this simple attack, a voice rang in the back of his head. Be better. Spike’s eyes opened wide as he realized what he was doing in an instant, causing him to stumble back, almost falling.

Spike looked all around him at the battlefield. All about him were dead ponies, no longer simply enemy casualties. The reptilous continued to kill without restraint, their own numbers far superior to that of the ponies, and yet they offered them no mercy, they just killed and killed. Spike raised a hand to his head as certain things became all the clearer, the details of the death becoming far more real, as the undeniable truth came crashing down on him. He had killed, and he almost had killed a pony he knew well. Spike quickly whistled for Celestia, watching as she came over the tents. As she landed, Spike quickly jumped into the saddle and began flying towards Greyhield’s mountain. Spike took one last look towards where Blaze lay limp. Spike closed his eyes, turning his head back forward. So much was wrong in the world, and yet he was only now coming to realize it.    

> Chapter 46: Fading Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Spike and Celestia came in, stopping in front of the opening to the inner areas of Greyhield’s mountain. Spike looked in to the dark passage, nothing visible from where he waited in the crisp evening air. His heart was raising a mile a minute, his mind attempting to keep pace as things became so much clearer. It was as if the mountain was drenched in ancient, unseen blood. The rocks were clearly a tinge of red that was anything natural. Spike dismounted, slowly walking into the massive cavern, as if it were the first time he had done so. All along the wall were clear signs of artificial excavation, but the marking were unlike any type of digging utensil around. It almost looked as if a back hoe had been used, though the shovel was direct sideways instead of straight up and down. The tunnel leading deeper into the mountain had the same markings all around it, on the walls, ceiling, and floor. 

The further Spike went down the tunnel, as torches began to appear to light the way, he noticed the separation between the digging marks was getting larger, as well as the scores in the rocks themselves becoming larger. The cave just seemed so… foreign. It was as if Spike never really had looked at what was around him before. Spike began to pick up the pace, heading towards the stable as quickly as possible, without running and drawing attention to his being there. When Spike arrived, he quickly put Celestia inside of her room before moving out, looking about him as quickly as possible before moving ahead.

“You do a poor job of sneaking.” Glenn’s voice said behind him. “It’s as if my lesson made no difference in you.” Spike turned to face the reptilous general, who also looked strange to him. He had many markings that Spike hadn’t noticed before, including scars from past battles that were far too old for Spike to have not noticed simply because they hadn’t been there.

“I’m not trying to sneak so much as not attraction unneeded attention.” Spike replied, trying to remain calm. Glenn walked up to Spike, looking over the dragon carefully.

“You were sent to Canterlot to stop their supply lines. What happened to that task?” Glenn asked, his eyes narrowing. Spike sighed and looked at the seasoned general in the eyes.

“My reptilous don’t need me there; the job is far too easy. I could remove half of them and still have enough to ensure that Canterlot never gets another piece of grain or drop of rain.” Spike said, hoping against all hope that for once Glenn would buy his excuses.

“For your reputation’s sake, I hope you are right. Greyhield has a high opinion of you, much higher that what most generals as young as you get.” Glenn replied before passing the dragon. “Make sure to go back to them on occasion to ensure they aren’t messing something up, or that the ponies are launching a massive assault.” Spike grunted in acknowledgement before moving on. Spike quickly moved through the winding corridors.

This deep in the caves, Spike could tell that certain corridors weren’t made as the one that came down for the top of the mountain. His eyes seemed to be able to focus more on certain details, like the evident signs of the use of pickaxes in the construction of the prison area. As he walked down the corridor, he suddenly noticed something odd. The cells that had been filled with ponies, each and every one of them was empty, with the door wide open, and further down the way, he could hear the rattling sound of chains. Spike entered a brisk jog to reach where he heard the sound coming from. He rounded a corner and, sure enough, the ponies were being moved, each shackled to the one in front of them with multiple reptilous guards surrounding them. Spike walked up to the guards as they made their way down the halls.

“Where are these ponies being taken?” Spike asked as he approached. The guard at the very back turned to look at the dragon as the rest of the group stopped.

“Greyhield has ordered that they be used in a more effective way than to fill these cells and eat hay.” The guard replied. “They are being posted in the mines where they can be of actual use.” Spike nodded slowly, looking over each of the ponies, some of which he actually recognized. Seeing the ponies standing there, looking back at him with tired eyes, Spike almost felt like fighting the guard to let the ponies go free, but his better sense combated the idea.

“Very well… carry on.” Spike said finally before turning from the group. Behind him, the sound of chains beginning to rattle as the reptilous once again hurled insults and orders at the ponies made Spike’s heart skip a few beats as he fought the urge to do something rash. Spike deliberately marched towards the highest security cell, fighting his hardest against his compassion. The guards stood quietly in front of the first door, staring off into the distance at nothing except maybe the far wall. “The Friendship Council is still held here, I presume?” Spike asked the guards.

“Sir, yes, sir.” The one said. Spike nodded slowly, looking over the many locks and security measures.

“Well, I’m here to see them.” Spike stated simply. “So open the cell doors so I can pass.” The guards remained still, looking off in the distance still. “Are you deaf, or was I speaking in a different tongue?”

“Sir, ever since the ponies attacked you and certain other events that have occurred since, visitation has been severely restricted.” The guard replied.

“I can understand that, but I’m here to visit them, so open the door before I become impatient with you.” Spike stated, increasing his volume slightly as he gritted his teeth.

“Sir…” The reptilous began.

“Open the door now or I’ll make sure you start working in the mines with the rest of the worthless scum that inhabits this part of the mountain.” Spike threatened with a glare. “I’m sure there are plenty more reptilous that are far more suited for this job that are far better at following orders.” At this the reptilous looked at each other, and nodded, beginning to open the door as quickly as possible as Spike tapped his foot against the ground in a fake growing impatience and outrage. Soon the door was open, and the second door was revealed. The process continued until the final door was open, letting Spike in. “Stay outside; I don’t need anyone getting inn my way at the moment.” The reptilous guards quickly nodded before leaving the room, the sound of locks closing behind him bringing a small measure of relief. The six ponies inside the cell looked at him, a small bit of fear and a tinge of longing in their eyes.

Spike slowly sat down with crossed legs, looking down at the floor for a few moments, the vague sound of hooves on the other side of the bars telling him he wasn’t alone. He could practically feel the stares the ponies gave him as he looked over the stone floor. Spike continued to look at the floor, unwilling to start the conversation as the air crackled with tension.

“S-Spike, are you alright?” Twilight asked finally, breaking the silence. Spike looked up to the ponies, each of them giving him curious looks.

“No…,” Spike said finally, “I… I recently had a… had a real eye opener.” Spike stated. “I saw Blaze again and…” Spike stopped short, biting back the words. “E-everything just seems so confusing now.” Twilight approached the bars, looking concerned at her former number one assistant. “I thought I had things figured out, but,” Spike looked away towards one of the stone walls, “Everything seems to be even more complicated than before.”

“Spike, we are always here for you, if you want to talk, we are all ears.” Twilight coaxed hopefully. Spike looked back to the ponies.

“I just feel lost. I thought I knew what life would have of me, and what I wanted out of it, but now it’s just so… it’s like the world is falling apart around me, and no one else notices.” Spike explained slowly. 

“I don’t know what to tell you Spike.” Twilight said honestly. “What I do know is that if you know where you are and where you want to be, then you need to make the effort to get where you have to be. If you feel lost, take a moment and… well, do what you believe is right.” Spike put his head in his hands as the words only served to make him feel even more lost. He understood the words, but the meaning behind them wasn’t there. As he sat there, a knocking came at the door, causing him to turn his head towards it as he slowly rose.

“What is it?” Spike asked, fully expecting the door to open, revealing one of the guards, and as it slowly moved open, his expectations were proven correct. “I didn’t call for you, why are you interrupting?” Spike asked, acting as angered as possible. The guard stepped to the side, revealing Gylom who simply looked at Spike with little visible emotion.

“Spike, Greyhield requests your presence in his throne room immediately if not sooner.” Gylom stated plainly. Spike gave a simple nod before turning one last time to the ponies one last time, only to turn back to Gylom as he walked out of the cell area.

“We will finish our dealings soon enough.” Spike said as he left the first and second metal doors shutting as he passed. “So, do you have any idea why Greyhield wishes to see me on such a short notice?” Spike questioned as he made his way through the corridors.

“I’d figure it has to do with a certain soldier who was given a task and left before he could see it through. Said soldier’s vice-commander is now here, having left his army under the command of three lower ranking soldiers who at the moment are doing little more than holding the line and blocking shipments when the objective was to, in fact, completely repel the enemy forces from their situation in Canterlot, not set up for what now appears to be a siege.” Gylom replied with an even tone.

“Well this is a fine mess.” Spike muttered as he entered the hallways that connected most of the main areas of the mountain together. Spike picked up his pace, moving straight towards the gigantic doors, which were opened before he even arrived. Before him he saw Greyhield, sitting on his throne in much the same way he always had, with Galintrent nearby.

“General Spike, would you care to tell me why you abandoned your post when the mission was not finished, and beyond that, did not inform your second in command of your departure?” Greyhield asked pointedly. Spike gave a short salute before looking up to the dragon.

“Ï sent a messenger before I left informing him of my intent; apparently the message did not arrive.” Spike stated simply. “I perceived that we weren’t fighting great numbers, or well-trained soldiers, so I felt it best to return here, attempt to gain a certain piece of information that I have had brief flashes of, and give my reserve troops a surprise inspection all in one go. My message detailed what I wanted done during my absence, instructions I was sure would be simple to understand and follow, but either Galintrent left before they were received, or the messenger was eliminated.” Spike lied as he looked at Greyhield and Galintrent. 

“Then in the future, I suggest you task more than one reptilous with the message so that simple orders can be received and executed as dictated.” Greyhield responded calmly. “Unless there is something else you wish to report, I suggest flying back to the battlefield before more damage is dealt.” Greyhield ordered.

“Sir, if you do not mind, I wish to request I do not return to the battle.” Spike blurted out. “I have caught wind of certain suspicious activities which, if proven true, will require a complete and total knowledge of their workings, or if proven false, should be disregarded only after I can make certain that they are such.” Spike quickly added, hoping to not be questioned any further.

“Very well, but as soon as you confirm it for one side or the other, inform me of how it stands and the exact nature of the words which have caused you to feel it necessary to abandon your post.” Greyhield ordered as his tone grew darker than usual as he punctuated the final part.

“I shall, but before I return to it, I will give Galintrent the proper orders to carry out what need to be done to make the ponies wish they hadn’t attempted to take Canterlot.” Spike replied before motioning for Galintrent to follow him, hoping to further his own case’s probability. His colonel quickly complied, increasing his speed to reach Spike with all due haste. “I’m sorry you didn’t receive my message in time. It would’ve saved you a great deal of trouble.”

“I’m sure it would’ve. How about we take this discussion to your quarters so as to not gain any undue attention?” Galintrent suggested. Spike almost rebutted, only to have Galintrent give him a look that told him that the colonel had something else he had in mind in this suggested beyond attracting attention.

“Very well, we’ll sojourn to my quarters, but I suggest we make this quick, lest our troops fall into disarray.” Spike said before marching off towards his room without waiting for a response. Fortunately, the room was not too far away in comparison to other destinations Galintrent might have suggested, though it did have a long enough walk to make Spike feel a bit cautious about what was about to happen. Spike finally saw the room come in sight, bringing a small measure of relief as he moved a bit faster to reach it first, opening the door quickly before walking inside for his colonel to arrive. The door slowly closed behind Galintrent as he entered, his gaze never moving from Spike. The room sat in silence for a few moments as Galintrent looked Spike up and down.

“What you said, you and I both know it is incorrect.” Galintrent stated finally, settling his gaze on Spike’s face. “You never made a motion to send a messenger, you simply left after defeating that pony. I won’t bring it to Greyhield’s attention, but I hope your reasons are adequate enough to make my decision a good one, just attempt to be a tad bit more honest to us all. We might have the larger, far more skilled army, but the Equestrian have sufficient spirit and tenacity to almost negate our two greatest assets. Should we ever become disorganized, it will only end in our deaths.” Spike slowly nodded in response.

“Well, then let me get you some orders to give the troops so we don’t become disorganized.” Spike said, turning to pull a map roll from his personal collection. “We are in this general area, correct?” Spike asked as he ran one of his claws along the map. 

-

Spike walked towards the cell of his once friends for the second time that day. Galintrent had set out a short while ago with the orders Spike had crafted in such a way that he knew that it would hold for a few months, but slowly begin to collapse through what might seem as ill coordination between branches. He hoped to be back by that time, but at the moment, he didn’t feel like heading back to the frontlines. Ever since that encounter with Blaze, he felt completely out of sorts for almost no apparent reason.

As he walked through the corridors, he suddenly heard the sound of drunken muttering, followed by the sound of a wooden mug clattering against the floor, the same which tumbled to his feet within a few short moments. Spike stooped over, picking the mug off the floor before moving in to the room from where it had tumbled from. Spike there found a rather drunken Gylom, who looked extremely depressed, uncharacteristically so for the usually rather jovial general.

“Gylom, are you alright?” Spiked asked, only to mentally kick himself as he realized how stupid of a question that was. “What’s wrong?” Spike questioned, attempting to make up for his previous mistake in phrasing. Gylom slowly turned to look at him, his eyes red and puffy, as if he had been crying recently.

“Wha-… oh, Spike, come on in, have a drink. Wait… no, you don’t like the good stuff, sorry I said anything.” Gylom muttered drunkenly. “I guess that stuff has been heaped on me recently. Greyhield wants security to be ramped up, and then there’s Glenn never giving me a break. It gets tough to handle, you know?” Spike sat down beside the inebriated reptilous, hoping to be of some comfort.

“I guess it can at times be a bit overwhelming.” Spike admitted. After all, the only reason Spike was here was because of how overwhelmed he felt at the realization of who he truly had been fighting all this time.

“Yeah, you should know after having your friends attack you like that… no wait, I mean changelings, sorry.” Gylom sputtered, swaying back and forth as he took his mug from the dumbfounded Spike, filling it with more cider.

“What do you mean attacked by changelings? The only time I can recall being attacked by changelings was at Shining Armor and Cadence’s wedding.” Spike replied. Gylom wiped his arm across his lips, removing the foam before tossing the mug across the room.

“Nah, you were attacked in this very mountain. Wait, you did get told that the ponies that looked like your friends that attacked you were actually changeling decoys set up by Greyhield, right?” Gylom slurred as he grabbed the spout of the cider barrel, twisting it as the juice flowed out into his imaginary mug.

“What in the hay are you talking about?” Spike asked, feeling a bit of anger coming up, though he couldn’t really nail down at what or why he felt angry all of the sudden.

“A bit ago you got attacked by your former comrades a bit ago, well, that is, some ponies that looked like them. Well, those were changelings.” Gylom replied before swinging his hand back to tip his now full imaginary cup, only to have a singular drop tap the tip of his snout. “You did know that right? I was sure that by now Greyhield would’ve told you about it.”

“He never did…” Spike replied in nearly a whisper, his rage growing as the object of his wrath became all the easier to understand. All this time he had been fighting ponies because of the hatred and betrayal he had felt from that fateful day when he thought his friends had turned their backs on him, but now it was Greyhield who was the one who had violated his trust, using a weak point of his as a method to gain what he wanted from the young dragon. “Never once did he even try to tell me what he had done.”

“I’m sorry; I never enjoyed being the bearer of bad news.” Gylom said sadly as he swayed a bit more. “Look, don’t take it too personally, I’m sure he’s just been busy lately. I’m sure that he was going to get to it soon enough.” Spike didn’t respond, instead he simply stood up and marched out of the room, through the maze of hallways and corridors, heading straight for the stable area. He quickly saddle up on Celestia before charging out down the halls, straight for the main cave entrance, snapping Celestia’s reins harder and harder as he leaned farther and farther forward, causing Celestia to gallop faster and faster, even to the point where Celestia spread her wings within the corridor, flapping her wings to give her move of a speed boost. Spike found himself between blinding rage and crippling grief, the truth of his action compared to what had happened striking him as hard as any attack he had sustained on the battlefield. He had treated his friends as if they had betrayed him, but now it was more than clear that they hadn’t, and that in the end, he was the one who had betrayed them. The world seemed to spin as he broke out into the light, quickly going off the edge, only to have Celestia swoop into a glide.

Below him, the green plains stretched on for miles on end, the  sky painted beautiful shades of red and orange as the sun set behind the smooth horizon. Not only did it seem he was noticing the differences in small details in battle and in the cave, but also the things like these. For a moment, Spike felt as if his worries were all so far away as the peaceful serenity of the world enveloped him as Celestia glided through the nearly still air. Spike took a deep breath in, feeling the air flow past him as the land shot past beneath them, the mountain now seeming a life time away, though it completely overshadowed the opposite horizon. For the first time, Spike noticed how beautiful the mountain actually looked, the peak splotched with blindingly white patches of snow, while the dark gray base of the stone monolith was juxtaposed against the lush green of the pines behind it, pines in which he and his soldiers had trained. Spike looked back to where he was going, but the endless plains seemed to stretch on forever.

“Take us to Ponyville.” Spike ordered Celestia, who gave a short nod before adjusting their course slightly to the left. Spike looked to the setting sun, a small smile breaking across his face as the same golden glow of the sun was before him as Celestia, ever faithful, lowered her sky bound charge. It almost seemed as if the war never happened in this place, but deep down, Spike knew that in the end, the war would come to its culmination in what now seemed to be pristine field of grass and flowers. Whether Greyhield or ponydom won, it would all come down to these unscarred plains, ending with the green turning to red.