Ashes tickled to the word 'smoke spirits'. He knew the danger these spirits meant on ponies, and had to hold himself not to enter the room and exclaim something stupid. He took his pony form, and went near the throne room's door, in case he had to enter. He had sneaked enough, it was about time to enter and been heard.
Celestia floated a new badge over to Dark and have a look that said You know what to do. Dark looked at the badge closer and it was a promotion badge. She nodded towards Celestia and turned towards Firebreeze, "I will station more troops in Ponyville, as I am know in command of 1000 Guardsponies." she said.
Ashes couldn't wait anymore. He knocked at the door, then opened it. ''Sorry for this interuption, but i must say, i want to offer my help with those smoke spirits. I know things usefull about them.''
Dark nodded, "Considering we just came off a massive battle, they better be damn good or I won't have them in the guard."
"Alright then Fire, I can promise to have at least 300 fully equipped troops in Ponyville within a few days time." Dark said. "Now, I have to go arrange the movement of my new battleion." and she walked out.
"I guess I'll see you around, Dark." Fire walked out of the castle and began to fly towards Ponyville.
(Hey Firebreeze, might I suggest a small fast forward? It doesn't seem like a whole lot is gonna happen for a few days from my prospective,)
"Good news, everypony" the chairstallion announced. "We've just established a new military contract. With the rising threat of smoke spirits, they want to be sure that they are as strong, fast, and smart as they can be. Extra pay is available for anyone cleared for installation. You will all also receive a complementary neural interface upgrade, thanks to our AI department, as well as another upgrade of your choice." Ecliptic was proud of himself and his coworkers for their recent work. The new neural enhancement greatly improved upon the speed and precision of the user's implants, and, when fully unlocked, boosted reaction time. The main new feature though, was the ability to store an AI in the device, allowing it to directly connect with the host's brain. While most ponies would never use or need this function, those who did would feel as if they had two brains, vastly improving their cognitive abilities.
Ashes opened wide eyes to Celestia. ''Hey!! Is sompony aware of my presence?'' Celestia sighed, and returned to her 'royal duties'. ''Guess i'm invisible, then.'' Ashes transformed in ashes, and went to ponyville as well, decided to be heard and give his help.
It was a few days after the first attack and Ponyville was now crawling with guards. Firebreeze had broken out his old armor and stood on top of town hall with binoculars in order to keep a good watch over Ponyville.
Dark landed next to Firebreeze in full battle armor, "The last of the battleion has arrived, has anything been spotted yet?" she asked him.
Ashes floated to the two ponies, and took his pony form, floating in the air. ''Sorry to bother you, but i have something to say! I've followed you to Canterlot, and now to ponyville. I have something to tell you two about the spirits.''
Fire put down the binoculars and turned to Dark, "Nothing yet." He then turned to the pony who had just arrived practically out of no where and said, "Let's hear it."
"The spirit's weakenesses. They are rare to find, but they are usefull. These are Smoke spirits. As fire melt ice, you need to find what's good against smoke. And, since it's a spirit, you need to find a spiritual source of this element. That's what i've tried to tell you, but i seem to be invisible sometimes!"
"Buddy, you can go look for this 'spiritual element' thing or whatever, but the rest of us have to stand guard."
"Wait." Dark said, "I know some pony that may be able to help him. She's an architect now but don't be fooled, she is highly skilled in magic, a particular form of magic to be exact. Her name's Snow, and her form of magic is called Essence Magic as it deals with your very essence, she may be able to help."
"I've told what i know; I'll let you two take the decisions. I just want to be the first on the list when you'll gather your army."
"I guess sending Snow with him would be a good idea... Alright, I think we've got ourselves a plan!" Suddenly, I Pegasus soldier flew up and yelled out, "We've got movement in the everfree! Most likely Smoke Spirits!" Fire smiled, "To the frontline!" he flew off the building and to the edge of the everfree forest.
