AN: This takes place around the same time during the battle for the Breakfast Kingdom, but ends in the present from the previous chapter.
It was just an ordinary day at the Fire Kingdom. The guards made their patrols, the citizens followed marshal law, and the fire wolves ran amok the outskirts. So far, there were no reports about any suspicious activity and life at the kingdom was mundane. Little did the citizens know, however that their lives were about to change drastically for the worse.
Somewhere at about 20 miles from the kingdom's capital, there was a large storage yard facility used to keep food reserves, clothing, and any other essential items in the event of an emergency or natural disaster. Today, it was going to be used for harboring at least 3 million troops with tons of heavy weaponry.
"Ok boys, this place will be closing in 30 minutes," the foreman announced. "Please be sure to check all your personal belongings and don't forget to clock out."
Suddenly, a large column of convoy trucks approached the yard's gateway entrance, much to the foreman's chagrin.
"Ugh," he pinched his nose. "I can't stand it when there's a last minute shipment. I just want to go home back to my wife, eat my dinner, sleep, and then repeat the whole cycle for the rest of my life. (sigh)"
Two security guards at the front gate approached the leading truck driver, "State your business."
The driver produced a set of papers, "We're here to make another last minute delivery from the Grocery Kingdom. I already have a seal of approval."
The guard at the driver's window examined the documents then nodded, "Proceed."
The foreman let out a deep sigh, "Oh alright, just drop off those shipping containers over there. We'll sort them out tomorrow first thing in the morning." He pulled out his phone to notify his wife and boss about working overtime and then continued his business.
Finally, after a few hours, the last cargo container was stored away. The workers dusted their hands together from all the hard work. Dealing with freight was a serious business especially since the citizens depended on them for trade and supplies.
"This better be worth it," the leading worker grumbled.
"Of course, it is. This is a noble cause to make sure your people will never go hungry. Think of the children," the leading deliveryman said sympathetically.
He nodded quickly, "Yeah, yeah I'm just tired." Then he signaled his coworkers, "Alright, let's book it."
The convoy left on its way to return to the Grocery Kingdom, while the freight workers went home. Most of the lights on the campus were dimmed at this point and a small security detail remained for the late night shift.
"Man, this blows," one guard complained. "There's nothing to do here but stare at the cameras all night!"
"You said it, but how else are we going to provide coal on the table," another replied.
"I know, I know. But still, one reason I signed up for this was to get some action."
Suddenly, the monitors beeped which detected unidentified movement from several shipping crates. One of the guards looked at the indicator, "It's coming from the cargo the Grocery Kingdom delivered."
"Somebody's tampering with it?"
He frowned, "No, it's coming from the inside. Whatever it is, it's not food." Then his face paled upon observing the camera feed, "Maybe you should have been careful for what you wished for."
"Why is that?"
"Because I'm staring at a massive invasion force." He looked over to another guard, "Tell the palace that we've spotted the Phoenix Brigade. We're gonna need all the help we can get down here."
Just as the third guard reached for the landline, the door to the entrance was kicked open and all three guards were stealthily wiped out from a volley of arrows.
"Sir, the last security checkpoint has been eliminated. The kingdom does not know of our presence yet, over," a Phoenix commando radioed.
Flame King responded, "Copy that, maintain overwatch of the facility. Keep me posted if you spot anything suspicious. Out."
The invaders quickly assembled their forces in an orderly fashion. After a couple hours, the last artillery reserves rolled out of containers. The army was poised for battle, and now they eagerly waited for their leader's next command: attack.
The former monarch gathered his company's attention, "Ok, everyone. Listen up. We're going to assemble all of our forces and retake the palace first. Once we raise our flag atop of the castle, it'll stir mass hysteria and greatly demoralize enemy resistance. Now, most of my daughter's forces have been diverted away from this land, so this should be an easy operation. I expect all of you to give me 110%. Do you get me?"
"Sir, yes sir!" they said collectively.
FK smiled, "Good, let's move out."
"Code Red! We are under attack! I repeat, we are under attack," one loyalist knight screamed.
The Fire Kingdom palace was under siege for the third time in recent history. The defenders fought with all the strength and courage they could muster, but it wasn't enough. The Phoenix Brigade had better fighters with the addition of sheer numbers. No matter how much the palace was fortified, the place was still overrun. Large sections of the building were smoldering in ruins from artillery, but the overall structure remained intact.
"Cinnamon Bun, our palace defenses are down! The enemy will be storming this place within minutes. What do we do, sir?" a defender asked.
He thought for a long moment until he decided, "Fall back into the city... There's too many of them to handle."
"Sir?!"
He took a deep breath, "We'll have a better chance at survival when we regroup with Flame Princess and her allies. Right now, saving the people is far more important. What good is a kingdom if there is no one left to govern? I'm ordering all available units to assist the evacuation immediately."
"Y-yes sir. Come on, people let's go!"
In no time at all, CB and the remaining palace defenders used an express underground pathway that led them directly to downtown. Hundreds of thousands of citizens dragged all their belongings and crowded several bridges that bordered the city limits. Dozens of military checkpoints were quickly established down the main streets in a desperate effort to stall the invader's advance.
"Cinnamon Bun, have you managed to contact Flame Princess and the others for help yet?"
CB looked over to the loyalist, "Something is jamming our signal for the moment. I'll keep on trying, but we need to keep the enemy at bay as long as possible in the meantime."
As the knight nodded, the pastry looked at most of the civilians who were leaving in a huge frenzy. He noticed that there were some children crying with their families as the sounds of distant explosions echoed throughout the land. Then, he noticed from a distance that the palace was hoisting the flag of the Phoenix Brigade along with some banners draping down the front balconies of the building.
"Such chaos," he said to himself. "We could really use some help right about now."
A few moments later, another knight approached him, "Sir, we'll need more time to evacuate!"
"Ok, give me a moment," he observed his surroundings then snapped his fingers and grabbed a map from a nearby table. "Here's what we're going to do: I want demolition teams to blow up these tall business buildings in these following areas. We do that, it'll bottleneck the enemy which should give us all the time we need. Make sure you check for bystanders first before proceeding. Now move!"
The loyalists bowed at his command and began to sprint to their designated areas. Minutes passed and the charges were set.
"All clear," one of them asked.
"All clear," another confirmed.
"Fire in the hole!"
The tall, complex buildings collapsed one by one forming dust clouds from debris. As a result, large piles of rubble obstructed the main roads. Just as CB anticipated, enemy forces at this point would have a hard time sending their artillery support.
"Hopefully that should buy us enough time. Now all we can do is pray for the best. Grod help us," CB said.
Flame King observed the destruction from the front balcony of the palace, "(sigh) So much for a swift takeover. But, it makes no difference. This battle is ours already." He looked over to his second in command, "Ramirez, go forth and find an alternate route for our fire support. We cannot let any more of our traitors escape, so use whatever means necessary to destroy those bridges."
In an instant, he jumped off the balcony and used his fire abilities to control his decent and landed on one of the fire wolves below. His squad, the Crimson Gauntlet followed him in the same fashion moments later. Once everyone was ready, they galloped towards the closest evacuation site with the main force right behind them.