A Burning Flame In My Soul

Once the army was ready, everyone went out on the move. For any onlooker below, seeing the skies filled with dragons soaring through the air, all armed and prepared for war, was a sight to behold. Naturally, Ember was in front, dressed in golden armor with her scepter. Beside her was Spike, dressed in dark purple armor with both his lance in hand and a sword sheathed in his waist. Meanwhile, in her Scale Captain outfit, Smolder held a halberd in her hand while commanding the Scale Guards to stay close and keep formation.

Their scouts had already painted a bloody picture of what to expect. Vast hordes of monstrous beings were swarming in all locations possible with devastating actions. The body count was already way higher than acceptable, and Ember gripped her scepter in rage, thinking of all the lives lost. She was realistic and knew saving them all would be impossible, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

She turned to her left and right to see the giant army behind them. The forces she would lead to battle. Her first real battle. There was a significant chance half of them would not come home; this included herself. Dragons did not make things "innocent" in the eyes of their lives like ponies did with their stories sometimes. The story of Hearth's Warming Eve that children are told and performed in schools skipped over the massive amounts of hunger, war between the three, bloody assassinations, kidnapping, and the kicking out of several other species to make use for Equestria to be formed. Life wasn't a sugar bowl. It was rough and rugged.

Words were not minced because of how hard it was here in the Dragon Lands. You could die at any time from several things, and behemoths were one of them. The stories never hid the glory and triumphs but also didn't hide the terror, loss, and bloodshed. Every dragon needed to know what was at stake and be prepared to give their lives to fight an evil that even they feared. And now Ember was going to face them for the first time ever.

"Nervous?" Spike asked as he flew beside her. "Yeah, I get you. I am, too."

"Says the one who's actually been fighting evil villains since he was a pre-teen, Mr. Hero of the Crystal Empire," Ember teased, which made him blush. "But yeah, I'm nervous. Kinda pointless to hide it. Between Tyrus and this? I kinda wish Dad was here to advise me like before."

"Knowing him, he'll be charging at the army himself while forcing you to stay in the back," Spike pointed out with a grin.

"Yeah, he was a hardass, but he was an overprotective hardass," Ember chuckled before getting serious. "But he's not here. We are. And we have to focus on stopping the Behemoths."

Spike was about to answer when he paused, and his eyes widened. A second later, he burped out a scroll and read it before sighing in relief. "Good news. The Alliance is on its way. Based on the coordination efforts, the Changelings and Ponies will be ready to help us at the battle in three days. The Hippogriffs and Griffins are taking a bit longer, but the good news is that Gilda managed to convince the Senate to get three divisions of their army to help us out."

"Wish it was more, but I'll take what I can get," Ember said with a shrug. "Alright, let's get to Thunder Mountain as fast as possible. I want a base there, and I wanted one yesterday. Fly faster!"

Ember raised her scepter and gave the order as every dragon increased speed and kept flying forward.

***

It took them two days to get to Thunder Mountain, but they could already tell it would be a problem. Mainly because once they got in range of it, large boulders and blasts of magic fire started hailing towards them. Ember ordered their forces to hit the ground as soon as the first bombardment was underway. There were a few casualties and injuries, but nothing too serious that would stop them. Thankfully, the surrounding area of Thunder Mountain provided cover thanks to the large rocks, smaller mountains, and crescent hills. Pressing down against the base of a more minor rock hill, Ember poked her head out and saw that their plan to use Thunder Mountain as a base had been taken by the Behemoths and used against them.

The base itself was crude and mostly made with rocks, but cover was still cover. The base was large enough to hold whatever force was there and launch rocks with catapults and spell casters using their magic to keep the base covered and protected. The modified artillery had started hitting around their forces as divisions in the dragon army began to fire back with fireballs of their own that hit the mountainside or parts of the rocky base.

"Get all the division leaders to meet me here at once!" Ember ordered Smolder, who nodded and started sending out Scale Guards as messengers. Sighing, she turned back to the direction of the mountain in the distance and cursed. "Figures this wouldn't be easy right from the start."

"Options?" Spike asked as he winced when a large boulder was seen hitting a dragon in the chest and knocking him back. He was okay but clearly winded from the blow as his pals got him to a medic.

"It's too late to go searching for another location for a front base," Ember answered as she tried to think of a plan. "Besides, they know where they are. And we're too large of an army to move away from it. If we retreat now, it would be a moral crush right before the battle."

"So we need to take the mountain. How?" Spike asked.

Ember weighed her options before noticing the path below the mountain and nodded. "We take the low road. Spike, can I trust you to lead a force on the ground, sneak around, and avoid sight from above?"

"Then climb up the mountain and attack it from below? Can do," Spike said with a smirk. "Gonna need support, though."

"We'll provide cover from a distance. Keep them focused on us. I know Clan Slicewind will want to fly around to provide a distraction. Arrogant fliers. Guess this is their day to show off," Ember grumbled before putting a hand on Spike. "You better be careful."

"I will," Spike said before kissing her. "We'll signal when we've started our attack so you can join."

Ember nodded as she looked over at Thunder Mountain again. This is it...my first battle... let's win this thing...

***

Spike was given some scale guards, the best climbers from various clans, those who were good at breaking stuff, and good fighters. Overall, they were a group of fifty, which might seem like much for a small attack squad, but considering the size and length of the terrain they had to cover, it was quite good. None of them were very tall or big dragons. They kept it to those his length or slightly shorter or bigger so they didn't stick out as big targets.

The group had waited until they heard their side unleashing fireballs and spells on their end to provide a distraction and cover fire. Once they saw the firepower being unleashed, Spike signaled everyone to follow him as they crouched low and hurried through the terrain. The local area was covered in rocky passages and huge gaps that were protected by boulders. Spike kept his focus forward and upward in case the enemy's artillery came for them. Spike made sure to hold onto the large satchel that a few of the scale guards were holding. They were the most essential items for their mission and were critical to their success.

"How long will it take us to get to the mountain?" A sky blue dragon, heavily muscled, and carrying a warhammer on his back asked. He had two big spiked horns like a bull, and his arms were covered in smaller spikes.

"Forty minutes, if I'm guessing," A female gecko-looking dragon with thin wings and several daggers tied around her waist whispered. She was cloaked with brown leather and had her mouth covered with a cloth scarf.

Spike winced as the sound of boulders crashing nearby echoed around them, and he gave a signal to stop and cover that was spread down the line. Waiting for a bit, he sighed. "We shouldn't be so close to each other. Let's split up. Two groups of fifteen and two groups of ten. We'll spread out but make it to the same destination. I need three to volunteer as leaders for these groups besides the one I'll lead."

"Sir, I'm the highest ranking Scale Guard," A red dragon with mixed black scales and a spear in hand raised his hand. "I volunteer to lead one group."

"I'm the best hunter and navigator in my age group and my clan," a small dark purple dragon with yellow feathers and horns on its head crest volunteered.

"I'm the heir to my family's clan. I know how to lead," a young female green dragon with red wings that stood out.

"Okay, you two pick fifteen," Spike said to the first two before looking to the third. "You pick ten. Spread out and stay low."

Once the groups were picked, they all hurried along different paths. Spike waited ten minutes before motioning his group of ten to follow him. With a much smaller group, they began moving faster and were more confident in avoiding attacks. Looking up, they saw a bunch of fast blue dragons darting around the sky and easily avoiding the projectiles. Spike realized that this was the work of Clan Slicewind, one of the fast fliers in the Dragon Lands, to the point that they could even be called the dragon version of the "Wonderbolts."

They could dart around in the air without fear of being hit; some even did a few tricks like loop-de-loops or spiral dives just for fun. A few even made rude gestures to the fort, such as flipping the bird, waving their tails, or making faces.

However, just as they were halfway through the rocky passage, one dragon looked up and shouted. "Incoming!"

A large black steel ball with sharp edges was coming towards them. Spike gasped and shouted for them to scatter before it impacted them. The landing made the ground rumble as Spike dived under a hole in the rocky wall for cover. As the dust kicked up and the ground shook. There was then yelling and gasping as the aftermath revealed that one of their own got caught with his lower half caught by the projectile. His entire lower half was crushed, and blood was splattered everywhere. He was coughing up blood and gasping for air as his chest heaved in and out.

Spike rushed over to him and tried to see if they could do anything, but he grimly realized there was none. The dragon was dying and painfully so.

"... I'll end his suffering," The green geko dragon answered as she drew one of her daggers.

Spike looked at her for a moment before nodding. She placed the dagger over the dying dragon's throat and ended his pain with one swipe. Spike held onto his hand. Gripping it as the dragon took his last breaths before finally finding peace. Once it was over, Spike gently laid his head down and closed his eyes.

"...Come on, let's hurry," Spike said as he turned to the others, and they double-timed it. A few stared at their fallen comrade and silently wished him good passing before moving forward.

***

Spike and his group were the first to reach the base of the mountain, but it didn't take long for the other groups to arrive. He noticed that they were a few numbers short each, but no words were needed about what happened. Once it was assured that they were all back together as a unit, it was time for the next part of the plan: getting up.

"Alright, we fly up, and we hit them hard. Don't stop until we get inside and rip whatever is in there to shreds," Spike said as he prepared his lance. "The main goal is to take out the artillery. Once we do that, we'll have reinforcements in no time."

"Right, let's give these guys a bloody welcome to our land," The sky-blue dragon with the warhammer said as he pulled it off his back. Once everyone had their weapons ready, Spike flew up first, and the others soon followed. The enemy had yet to learn they were coming based on the lack of attacks aimed down towards the mountain. Their focus was entirely on the main force behind them. Spike gritted his teeth as they grew closer and closer to the base where the fortress was located.

"Get ready!" Spike shouted just as they cleared the top. "Charge!"

The dragons all roared as they headed for the wooden entrance of the fortress. The Behemoths in the base shouted something, clearly surprised by their dynamic entrance, but their reactions were too late. The entire group let out as much fire as they could at the same time towards the front gate, and a whole wave of flames united with heat so hot that even the stones started to melt. The wooden door stood no chance as it was knocked apart, burned to ashes, and collapsed without any defense.

"For the Dragon Lands!" Spike shouted as he flew through and aimed his lance at his first Behemoth. To say it was an ugly nightmare of dark dreams was giving it credit. The creature was a combination of a lizard, a lion, a dragon, a goat, and whatever demonic imagery one could think of. It spewed black blood upon being pierced in the heart and let out a death wail that made Spike shiver in his spine.

He soon swiped his lance to block a caw and breathed fire in the face of another before jabbing his lance in the head. His fellow dragons had already started working on their slaughter, unleashing fire, claws, fangs, and weapons upon the horde. He saw the warhammer one swinging around like a baseball player, knocking the monsters into the air as they fell hard with their heads split open. The geko dragon was scampering from one to another, slithering through them before slitting a throat or stabbing a blade into their heads.

The ambush had worked, and they had the advantage but not the numbers. They needed to end this quickly. Spike took to the air and motioned for the scale guards to follow him. They saw the catapults, and he promptly pulled out the explosives they were given for the mission. Lightning them up, Spike avoided arrows and blasts of strange green fire as he threw his first bomb at the nearest catapults. It burst into ruins a few seconds later as the Behemoths nearby burned with it or scattered in a panic. The scales guards were also joining in on the assault, throwing their explosives as fast as possible. A few got speared or killed, while some with fatal wounds did a suicide dive by lighting the fuse and crashing into a catapult before it exploded to let their deaths mean something.

Spike closed his eyes for a moment to force his emotions down. This was war. Things like this happened. Mourning could come later.

They took care of the artillery one by one, but their forces down below were getting overwhelmed. Already, half of them were dead, and the others were fighting in all directions in desperation. Thankfully, they weren't going to be fighting alone for much longer. The roars from the main force from above were like hearing angelic choirs bringing salvation. Spike grinned as he saw Ember leading an assault on the base, which the Behemoths saw and began to panic.

Ember roared, and the horde descended.

The fight didn't last much longer after that.

***

Once the last Behemoth was slain, Ember ordered their corpses thrown off the cliff to rot below while the bodies of the departed were to be prepared to return back home for their families to prepare for funerals. She even had the bodies of those who died on the way to the base found and put in proper caskets for transport. Those who had no remains from their suicide attacks had their arms and armor that were found placed inside instead.

A total of twenty-nine dragons had died. The first casualties of their first victory.

Once the dead were taken away, Ember ordered the base they took to be fixed up and engineered to be expanded and fit for a more significant force. With the foundation of the structures already in place, it was believed that the base would be ready in less than two days. Ember ordered scouts and checkpoints around the base to make sure all enemy forces were gone and to prepare for a counterattack if it came.

Naturally, the entire base couldn't fit everyone, so camps were organized around the mountain. Spike and Ember watched as their army settled in for a proper rest for the first time since leaving to go to war. Whatever problems between the various clans had evaporated now that they had tasted combat at last. It reminded them all that they were battling for their lives against their most hated enemies. And while this was a victory, this was only a tiny part of the larger horde they would have to face later.

Spike and Ember looked at each other, blood covering their scales, yet knew this was a momentary rest. A pause before the bigger picture was to come.

The war had only just begun.