The two old friends stared at each other for a long while before Flash suggested, "Why don't we take a seat and catch up, huh?"
"Take a seat?" echoed Midnight, when Flash gestured to the left and Midnight was a little surprised to see a park bench waiting just waiting there. Where'd that come from?
But Flash was already sitting, and so... Midnight sat down as well.
...
...
...
The awkward silence was just painful, so Flash broke the ice, "I suppose you're wondering, 'if Flash is here, does that mean I'm dead?' Well, lucky you, Blaze! You're not dead... Well, at least not yet."
"So then... this isn't the Spirit World?" Midnight looked around.
"Think of it as... the space between the Mortal World and the Spirit World," Flash clarified, "but don't ask me what the Spirit World's like, that's against the rules."
"There are rules?" Midnight gave him a weirded-out look.
"No more questions about death!" Flash snapped in a sort of exaggerated way, that Midnight couldn't help but crack a smile. "There we go, laughs always help to... lighten up the situation, huh?"
"Ha-ha-ha, a few friends of mine would definitely agree with you there," Midnight replied, still feeling a tad on edge, before he gave Flash another look and realized something. "Wait... You're a grown stallion!"
"I'm quite a stud, aren't I?" Flash bobbed his brows in a cocky 'come hither' sort of way. "But that's not what's confusing you, isn't it?"
"It's just... when..." Midnight couldn't bring himself to say it-
"When I died, I was only 15," Flash nodded, "so you're thinking, 'shouldn't he look the age he was when his life came to an end?'."
"Flash, I- ...I am so sorry!" Midnight whispered, the tears welling up before he could stop them. "I wasn't... strong enough! I should've protected you-"
"Stop that."
Midnight whimpered a bit at those words, when he felt a gentle nudge to his shoulder and looked up at his old friend. In Flash's eyes, he didn't see what he expected to see. No blame, no resentment, no bitterness. There was only warmth, concern, along with the joy of seeing an old friend again. Flash reached over, laying his foreleg around Midnight's shoulders.
"What happened was not your fault. We were kids, training to be something more. No one could have prepared us for what happened."
"It's just not fair!" Midnight began to sob, "It should've been me, not you! She only killed you to make me suffer... and it worked. Ever since the day I lost you, I just- I don't know. A part of me tried to forget it, to move on, but it was always there. Like a thorn I could never pull out."
"And that's why you couldn't feel our connection."
Midnight looked at Flash again, confused by his words, when the orange pegasus held up his right hoof, and there, right in the middle of his frog (the V-shaped fleshy underside of the hoof) was a scar. Remembering, Midnight held up his left hoof to show a similar scar on his own frog, and the two connected hooves, just as they did a long time ago.
"You remember that night?" Flash asked, smiling at the memory. "You were angry, frustrated, pissed off at your dad and your other teachers. Laying so much pressure on you, expecting way too much. Shining Armor thought you needed some alone time, but I couldn't help but feel you needed an ear to complain to."
"My father, Hellfire, Godric, and all the others, especially Celestia..." sighed Midnight, the memories like an unwelcome ray of sunshine disturbing one's sleep. "Everyday, late into every night, it was always 'work harder, do better, this is unacceptable, one mistake could lead to disaster' ...Maybe they were right."
"I don't think they went about teaching and training you in the best of ways," Flash shrugged, "but at least me and the guys were there to help you carry the workload. Then that night, when you got into an argument with Ignitus, he told you to go cool off, I had a feeling you needed somepony to listen to you.
"I listened, I helped you calm down, and after we were done talking I made that little suggestion."
"Our blood oath," Midnight smiled at that bittersweet memory, recalling how much the knife hurt when he cut his own frog and then Flash stifled a whimper after he cut his before they exchanged blood.
"When we became blood-brothers..."
"You asked me why I'm a stallion when I didn't get the chance to grow up," Flash explained, "it's because a part of me grew up with you."
Midnight looked into Flash's eyes, completely bewildered, and the orange pegasus smiled more.
"We didn't just exchange blood that night, Midnight. We gave each other a... well, a little piece of ourselves."
Midnight couldn't help but gasp lightly as Flash went on.
"A piece of my soul went into you, and vice-versa. It's why you hurt so much when I was killed, because a part of you literally died with me. Even so, the part of me that was inside you has always been there, I've always been here, Midnight."
Flash placed his hoof onto Midnight's chest, ignoring the still-bleeding wound, which honestly still disturbed Midnight even if he didn't feel any pain.
"But... you were so filled with grief, guilt, and darkness that you couldn't feel it. Especially after you turned the others away."
"I... I just couldn't let that happen again," Midnight lowered his eyes in shame. "I couldn't allow for them to come to harm just because they were near me."
"I know. Stellar Flare, Trouble Shoes, and the rest," Flash replied, "but then your mom got cursed, your dad ran out on you and your brother, who you had to give up for a while, and you got yourself mixed up in a lot of cloak and dagger stuff. Not that being a shadowy spy isn't cool an' all, it's... Well, while you did do a lot of good leading the Brotherhood of the Evening Hoods, Midnight, doing that sort of stuff, even for the right reasons... it takes a toll, and it can lead you down a path so dark you can forget which direction to take is the right one.
"I'm just glad you found your way back to the light. To Twilight."
Midnight perked up a bit from the mention of his wife, when Flash ribbed him in a teasing sort of way, "Met the missus, by the way. She's good for you, and... Now, don't get saddle-sore at me or nothing, but... I think if things had been different, maybe she and I could've..."
Flash trailed off, his eyes turning distant, the warmth of his smile fading a bit, and Midnight became sullen as he considered the idea. "You and Twilight would have been good for each other. If things had been different."
"Eh, forget about it, although..." Flash gave Midnight a funny look, "Since I technically am you, I guess, in a way, I'm with Twilight too!"
"Heh, same old Flash..." Midnight teared up again, but this time he was smiling, "You always knew how to make weird sound funny."
"It's why you fell for me, remember? Our first kiss?" Flash bobbed his brows, and Midnight blushed, remembering.
"Yeah..." Midnight sighed, "I was at such a low point, you were the only one who gave me hope. Sure, my mom was supportive, Shining Armor helped me through the training, but you were the only one who truly gave me the will to keep moving forward. Honestly, that moment we had? It just came... out of nowhere."
"Hey, lots of ponies turn out to be bi," Flash shrugged, "and I wasn't upset when you decided our making out was a one-time thing. Though, if I'm being honest here..."
Flash gave Midnight a tender smile, "I wonder if we could've formed a herd. You, me, Twilight, and maybe another mare to keep the gender ratio even."
Midnight couldn't help but chuckle warmly, finding the idea... appealing. More tears trailed down his face as he realized what he could've had. Would never have, with Flash.
"We would have been a great family."
"We are," Flash pulled Midnight into a wing-hug, "I'm part of you, just as you're still part of me. Once we were strangers, then we became friends, then blood-brothers... and now, I'm proud of the stallion we are today."
"I couldn't have become this stallion without you," Midnight smiled as he returned Flash's hug, and then felt Flash pull back and give Midnight a kiss on the forehead, and met Midnight in the eye, giving him a cocky smile.
"Go get him!"
That look, that smile, this excitement building up inside him... Midnight found himself reinvigorated!
He then realized the wound on his chest was no longer bleeding. In fact, it looked healed... though he knew, he would carry this scar for the rest of his life, and he knew that was going to be a very long life. As he felt the emotions inside him ignite, his body began to glow, and he was surrounded by streaks of light that resembled shooting stars. One by one, each of these "stars" suddenly veered out and then back to Midnight, and wherever they touched him a piece of his Harmonic Armor burst into existence. It wasn't long before he was completely clad in his Harmonic Armor, his Helm fitting itself onto his helmet, when he saw there was one more star, floating in front of him.
He reached towards it, when he noticed Flash in front of him, the star between them, mirroring his actions. He paused, and they held each other's gaze for a moment, and then reflected each other's smile. Flash was gone in body, but now, after so many years of missing him, Midnight now knew that Flash was always here as Flash's form seemed to fade into mist that flowed into Midnight and he felt what had always been there since that night they exchanged blood. They had become one, one pony, one spirit.
One Hero!
At long last whole with his other self, Midnight took hold of the star, and it became a sword!
The knights all groaned, Blueblood trying to support Cheese, Soarin knocked out, Thunderlane bleeding from a wound on his shoulder, and Big Mac the only one still truly standing despite being beaten black and blue and bloody. He glared reproachfully at the betrayer as Duke Buck Cheap smirked behind the visor of his helmet while holding his halberd.
"Just how much longer are you going to resist the inevitable?" Cheap mocked, "Even the six of you in your own armor couldn't stop me, and I've already slain your leader... Step aside, and I'll spare you. My true quarrel is with the alicorns and the rest of those weakling dukes and duchesses. They have no place in my new kingdom!"
"You ain't got a kingdom!" Macintosh snorted while stamping the ground, willing his sword and shield, Stone Edge, to his left and right. "An' it don' matter if'n ya did beat us! Th' ponies of Equestria will never submit t' you. You'll spend th' rest o' yor life fearin' th' ponies you hurt! Because every tyrant lives in fear o' th' people they oppress."
"Fear is what will keep the masses in line..." Cheap responded coldly, "After I hang the heads every alicorn, as well as the councilors, for all of Equestria to see they will bend the knee and I will rule!"
Then Cheap looked towards Midnight's prone body, lying there in his own blood.
"And I think I'll start with that one!!" he snarled viciously as he took flight and raised his halberd to-
*FWOOOOOMMMMMMM.....*
A supernatural wind and light startled Cheap, as Midnight's body lit up like a lighthouse, and everypony shielded their eyes... except for Mac, and then Thunderlane, Blueblood, Cheese Sandwich, and even Soarin found himself stirring and managing to look up. The light was radiant yet it didn't hurt their eyes. It was beautiful, like the moonlight reflecting off the surface of the sea, and then they saw a figure... before the light went out, and there he stood.
The scar on his chest was healed, but likely it would never go away. His armor was already magically repairing itself, when he drew his sword, holding it vertically in front of him as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Find the Light... Nightfall!!!"
The sword shined with a shimmering darkness that gave off a silvery-blue light before it split divided and reformed onto Midnight's hooves. As the light dimmed, the sword had become a pair of armored hoof gauntlets of obsidian black and cobalt blue, each bearing a set of gleaming silver crescent-shaped claws, three in the front, one in the back, and moved like grasping digits, and each gauntlet bore an emblem matching Midnight's cutie-mark.
The knights looked on in awe as they felt their spirits rise up with hope, and they smiled to see that Midnight was more than alright. He was still standing, still willing to fight in order to protect Equestria.
Cheap growled in vexation, "It doesn't matter how many times you get back up! I'LL CUT YOU DOWN UNTIL THERE'S NOTHING LEFT TO CUT!!!!"
Midnight pointed the left gauntlet of Nightfall at Cheap before saying, "Let's continue this elsewhere..."
"Hmph! Elsewhere? And what makes you-!!!"
Cheap found himself suddenly pummeled in the face. Though his helm protect him, he still felt the force behind that blow, as Midnight dragged the duke skyward and zoomed off into the distance! The wind whistled in their ears as they soared through the sky... before finally Midnight suddenly span Cheap around and hurtled him towards the ground below-
*CRASH*
-and Cheap was all but buried into the ground, leaving a long deep trench from the force of the impact. Midnight landed at the start of the trench and called out, "Get out here, Cheap! I know that little crash-landing didn't kill you."
"RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" A thunderous explosion blew away the rubble and dirt as Cheap forced himself up, using his halberd like a crutch. The Aegis Armor had protected him but his ego had take quite a bruising.
"YOU ALICORNS ARE A PLAGUE UPON THIS WORLD!!! FOR OVER A THOUSAND YEARS, YOU'VE HELD US BACK. CLAIMED YOUR RIGHT TO RULE US SIMPLY BECAUSE OF YOUR HORNS AND WINGS, DRANK UP OUR GULLIBLE ADULATION WHILE DICTATING US UNDER THE PRETENSE OF GUIDANCE!!!"
"I'll be the first to admit it, the alicorns are not perfect," Midnight responded with his brows furrowed, "Yes, we have horns, we have wings, but in the end we're still just ponies. We make mistakes, and either we learn from them and strive to do better or we ignore our flaws and continue to make things worse. Both the Royal Sisters made mistakes, Luna out of jealousy, Celestia out of pride. I know I've made my share of mistakes, as have the rest of the princes and princesses.
"Because when it comes down to it, we're still just ponies in the same way that everyone is a pony. Even you."
"Oh... spare me..." Cheap spat. "I'm done kowtowing to the likes of you! It's time I took what is owed to me, and I want you to know that after I'm through with you, your pretty little wife is next!"
Midnight's horn lit up with a blistering mana as he glared at Cheap and spoke, "She offered you compassion and you threw it in her face. Even before she became an alicorn princess, she was better than you in every way that matters. So for her, I'm not going to kill you, Cheap... but I am going to make you regret those words!! No one threatens my Twily..."
Midnight launched himself at Cheap in a burst of power, and their weapons met in a clash so powerful it was felt all the way back in Canterlot!
Cheap roared as he pushed Midnight off and swung his halberd out and around towards Midnight, who held his gauntlets in front of him just so, deflecting the attack. They traded more blows, sparks flying, but then Cheap used a powerful flap to put some distance between them before concentrating to the bladed feathers and launching them yet again, straight for Midnight.
Midnight crossed his gauntlets again and focused, the gauntlets glowing as a silvery-blue bubble of mana that sparkled like stars surrounded him and Cheap's feather-blades bounced off, Midnight completely unharmed. Once Cheap's attack let up, Midnight raised his forelegs outwards, focusing and the crescent-shaped claws gave off a silver radiance before Midnight span around and swiped both gauntlets in Cheap's direction. In doing so, he flung crescent-shaped energy blades colored black yet outlined silver-blue, and they hurtled straight for the megalomaniac.
Cheap quickly tried to take flight, but he didn't react quickly enough. Although most of the crescent-shaped energy blades missed or didn't strike his armor hard enough to do any damage, one of them hit his wings, causing him to falter and nearly drop before he righted himself.
While Cheap was distracted, Midnight raised his gauntlets together up to his horn, where he allowed a vast flow of his mana to concentrate into the claws, before he brought them down, felt his mana meld with the power these gauntlets vaunted, and unleashed it in a vast river of power! It was like a flash-flood of energy colored silver, black, and blue, as it washed over Cheap. But then... a blast of wind blew the flames apart, and Midnight saw Cheap had used his halberd to direct the wind to cleave the flood of power in two.
"The Royal Sisters together couldn't stop me! You along with your worthless friends couldn't stop me!" Cheap growled as the blood red stone on his chest plate burned with power.
"And now... you're all alone. You have no hope against me by yourself!!"
"That's the thing, Duke Cheap," Midnight replied coolly, as he felt that bond inside, connecting him to his friends. To all of them. "I used to think I was alone. For a long time after I failed my friend. Even after I reunited with all of my friends and family. But all of my friends, past and present, have always been with me. They give me a strength you've never known, because they have faith in me..."
Midnight's armor and gauntlets glowed with turquoise light that also gave off a peculiar golden-orange radiance, and he felt his old friend, right there inside of him.
Let's kick his ass.
"Let's..." Midnight responded before talking aloud for Cheap to hear him. "And it's because of that faith that I won't let them down!"
Midnight raised his claws up high, concentrating his power into Nightfall, a magical reaction swirling around the gauntlets, creating a pulsing pure white light!
Having heard enough, Cheap focused his power and concentrated it to his visor, intending to blast Midnight to smithereens, while Midnight lowered his gauntlets to aim directly at Cheap and then... they fired! Both blasts struck each other mid-way, creating a struggling pulse of power as both sides gave it their all. The power built up, surging with energy pulses that lashed out in tendrils of power, burning, freezing, and shocking the land around them all at once.
The power he was fighting. It was overwhelming! The destruction to the land around them was a mere implication, he'd seen firsthoof just a few of its capabilities, and knew that no matter what, he had to stop Cheap! This kind of power in the wrong hooves would only lead Equestria into despair and poverty. Feeling the enormity of it, Midnight faltered, taking one step back, and felt the weight of it even greater, that he began to fear he wasn't going to stop it!
...when he felt a hoof on his shoulder. Though he didn't look, he knew who it was, and his presence was comforting.
You can do this, Midnight. Because even though you're by yourself, you're not alone. You have your friends. You have your family. You have the pony you love, and of course, you've always had me. Him? He's alone. He always has been. He is to be pitied, but he's made his choices... So reach inside, feel my strength adding to yours, and let's take him down!
Together as one!!!
Midnight felt it, an inner strength he'd never known was there, buried under his guilt, his grief, the emotions he'd tried to bury. No more. He felt it rise up, spread to every corner of his being, and embraced it! He felt their combined strength ignite, and he pushed forward! He willed the energy to surge, to flow around the opposition, and probe his foe.
There!
He concentrated, envisioned his power surging through tat one chink in the Aegis Armor... and sensed Cheap's panic!
He continued his advance as Cheap lost his momentum, too confused and alarmed by this foreign power intruding upon his armor-encased person, and felt as though he were about to suffocate as the energy began to fill the armor up. Finally losing concentration, Cheap stopped firing the energy beam from his visor and tried to get away, only to feel the power holding him in place.
"No! NO!!! Stop- This can't be!! It can't-"
*KRAFLOOOM*
An explosion of energy burst the Aegis Armor off of Cheap's body, the armor pieces flying all around, and dinging on the ground before dissipating into red glimmers of energy and completely vanishing. Cheap fell to his knees, his entire body feeling the pins & needles of numbness, his mind stunned and blown. He didn't even acknowledge Midnight's approach, until he glared up reproachfully at the sapphire alicorn... and for a moment, he thought he saw somepony else standing next to Midnight, but his eyes suddenly felt twitchy, that he blinked and saw no one there but Midnight, who gazed down at Cheap with a stony look.
Then, Midnight's armor gave off a bright glow, before it turned into transparent energy, while Nightfall flashed, reverting from gauntlets back into a single sword again, and the energy was sucked up into Midnight's sword, which he absorbed and declared, "Duke Buck Cheap, Son of Avarice, you are under arrest for high treason."
That look on the prince's face, his tone, it grated on him, rekindled his fury, and the moment Cheap screamed in outrage and forced himself to stand and raise his hoof to throw a punch-
*APPLE-BUCK*
Those hooves to his face caused Cheap to groan in pain as he slumped to the ground, unconscious with quite a shiner.
Even though they hadn't seen the battle's conclusion, the guys knew everything was okay. Their armor disappeared into their swords which were absorbed into their bodies until they were needed again, and no longer could they feel the weight of the situation filling the air. Then they saw him, and he was bringing Cheap with him, the duke contained in an energy bubble. As he landed, Midnight's friends all rushed over to see him, when they paused and noticed something different about Midnight.
"Midnight...? Are you okay?" asked Soarin.
"I'm fine, guys, what about you?" asked Midnight.
"Uh, we're good, Midnight, it's just..." Cheese pointed to Midnight's mane, and the sapphire alicorn was confused.
"What, did some of my mane get burned off or something?"
"Uh, no, Midnight's it's... Well, take a look," Blueblood cast a summoning spell to conjure up his favorite hoofheld mirror and showed Midnight.
He was a little surprised to see that his mane, black with a dark blue highlight, now had a streak of a familiar golden-orange, and then he felt a certain amusement within and smirked, "Eh, at least it's not magenta."
"What about Cheap?" Thunderlane pointed to the bubble of turquoise mana that contained the traitorous duke, who laid within it, sporting a new black eye.
"He's alive," Midnight responded with furrowed brows, "and he's going to answer for everything he's done..."