//------------------------------// // Between harmony and order II (P3) // Story: Midnight Station - Part 01: Twilight faces the Dark Martial March // by Khampostel //------------------------------// Within the great barrier where Twilight and her friends were enclosed, a heavy calm prevailed. That tranquility was only interrupted by the lethargic song of the Cockatrice Titanicus, the only visible creature in the entire place. However, in the sky, an invisible presence moved slowly over one end of the horizon. Only the keen gaze of a true adventurer could notice the faint changes in light caused by the shadow of that presence. Gradually, like the breeze of a non-existent wind, the translucent figure descended near a hill surrounded by bushes. The figure continued its path towards the hill. No footsteps or breathing could be heard in its stride. So stealthy had Badwhiz Starheart become, a young earth pony in alicorn armor who had been pushed by the twists of life toward a strange destiny. With silent steps, Badwhiz approached only a few meters from the entrance of the rabbit hole where Twilight and her friends had taken refuge. He observed confidently. Finding that place had been easy for him. He had been watching it from a distance shortly after the princess and her allies had ascended that hill. And during the remaining time, he had remained vigilant, invisibly hovering around. The initial orders he had received were to monitor the movements of the princess and her allies. However, he knew that those orders could change at any moment, and indeed, they had. Now he had the mission to infiltrate the princess's base of operations and find out what they might be plotting along with her annoying friends. "What a troublesome mare! How could they name her princess?" Badwhiz thought, irritated. Badwhiz despised Twilight. He despised what she was doing to the kingdom his ancestors had sworn to protect. In his view, Equestria had always been a realm of earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns. A realm that represented the balance between three different pony races. However, since that mare had taken over the kingdom, that had started to change. Creatures from different parts of the world began arriving and coexisting among the ponies, changing their customs, their cities, even their festivals. Gradually, the unity's identity among the ponies was eroding and fading into oblivion. In time, no one would remember why they were united in the first place, and then the terrible mill of conflict would set in motion. And yet, this was the least of that princess's sins. What she had done to the Elements of Harmony... what would happen next. The awakening of darkness... Badwhiz closed his eyes for a moment, painfully remembering Balor's words and the other knights. He was the only pony who knew the truth. He was the last of the Starhearts still in this world. He would march the same path his ancestors had followed. That was his destiny: to protect Equestria no matter the cost. Thus, he continued observing until he finally received the confirmation he had been waiting for. "Continue, boy. It's safe," he heard a voice addressing him mentally. Obeying that command, Badwhiz ventured into the rabbit hole. After a quick and imperceptible trot, Badwhiz arrived in a spacious empty room. The ceiling was adorned with luminescent crystals whose light fell perfectly on leaf chairs and the stone table in the center. "Equestria's rabbits sure have a good sense of interior decoration," a new mental voice was heard within Badwhiz. "I don't think so, my good Taranis. This is the work of the frivolous mare accompanying that cowardly princess. We should purge this place so they have no refuge to return to," another voice responded. "Please, Morrigan. Let's stick to the plan. Boy, continue the exploration." "As ordered, Lord Mannah," Badwhiz responded mentally. Without wasting any more time, the pony began to inspect the room. He soon discovered that the bottom of the walls was filled with holes of different sizes. Using the light from his horn, he observed that these holes were entrances to other tunnels that descended deeper into the ground. Some even branched off in various directions. However, most of them were small and too narrow for an adult pony to pass through. Badwhiz completed a full circle of the room, finishing his inspection. Apart from the recently placed decorations on the walls and other traces of civilization, he found no more signs of the mares who had been there. The princess and her allies had left their refuge not long ago. It was unclear what their reasons for this decision had been. Nor was it known how they had withdrawn. They might have taken some of the larger tunnels or used teleportation. There was not enough information. "Boy, that's enough for now. Withdraw from there and check the surroundings," Mannah ordered, and Badwhiz confirmed the order as he exited the rabbit hole. It was a prudent decision; he needed more clues. Once outside, nothing had changed. Without a clear direction, an invisible Badwhiz began to trot to the left side of the hill, carefully observing his surroundings, hoping to find any possible traces left behind by those mares. He had taken only a few steps between the bushes when... "Whiuuzzzz," a piercing whistle erupted at his side. Badwhiz instinctively stepped back and immediately raised a magical barrier to shield himself. Small confetti fragments fell on him, along with remnants of party streamers. Startled and with his heart pounding from that sudden attack, Badwhiz remained still for a few seconds. He had made a mistake: by releasing his magic, he had ended up breaking his invisibility and revealing himself completely. He sharpened all his senses as much as possible, trying to perceive any nearby enemies. But he found nothing. Only silence. Still suspicious, he looked where he had been standing before. On the ground, stained with confetti, were the remains of a surprise capsule that had been hidden among the grass. "Is there something wrong, boy?" asked a familiar voice in Badwhiz's mind. "No, nothing. Just a ridiculous trap," responded the armored pony, regaining his composure. "Continue," the voice ordered. Immediately, he dispelled the barrier. Now calm, Badwhiz approached the remnants of the tiny capsule. Annoyed, he examined the frivolous trap that had paralyzed him. "Stupid mares. Is all they can do a waste of time?" Badwhiz cursed aloud as he disdainfully kicked the remains of Pinkie Pie's confetti surprise capsule. "Some of us, yes. But it sounds bad when you put it that way..." a voice responded from among the bushes. Badwhiz only managed to hear the first three words. A dull blow struck his head, clouding his vision. The pain he felt was accompanied by a sensation of weightlessness. On instinctive, reflex, he tried to spread his wings, but couldn't. A strong pressure held him down. After that brief moment of impact, his vision cleared. He then discovered he was on the ground, tied up. Above him was a pegasus with blue fur and a rainbow mane. "... I'd say they prefer to live in style. You should try it someday," Rainbow Dash finished her response. "YOU!" Badwhiz responded, trying to concentrate and attack her with his horn's magic. However, nothing happened. Confused, he tried again, but the same thing occurred. "He..." Rainbow said as she watched him with a smile. "Are you looking for this? Or this?" The pegasus extended one of her front hooves; at the end of it was the Starheart gem, and with a twist of her hoof, Badwhiz's alicorn horn diadem appeared as well. Incredulous, Badwhiz took a few seconds to respond. "HOW?" "I took them from you. A great pirate trick, right?" Rainbow Dash responded arrogantly. "BUT... THEY WERE BOUND TO ME WITH MAGIC!" Badwhiz exclaimed angrily. "HAHA, that's why I told you it's a great pirate trick! Spend a whole season with those guys out on the sea, and you end up becoming one of them. Haha... What memories!" said the pegasus, looking at the horizon as she stood up and sighed heavily. "By the way, about what you said about my friends a moment ago..." Rainbow Dash turned to Badwhiz. Her good humor was gone, replaced by a very irritated look. "WE ARE NOT STUPID, KID," the pegasus said slowly, placing her hoof on Badwhiz's chin. "I don't care. That won't change..." "Yes, yes, let's finish this," Rainbow Dash interrupted. With a flap of her wings, she rose and took one end of the rope with which she had tied up Badwhiz and began pulling him through the bushes. Badwhiz began to struggle to free himself from the restraints, but his efforts were futile. The ropes, tied in a solid triple knot Apple style, did not yield at all. After being dragged several meters by Rainbow Dash, they reached the rocky summit of the hill. "You know? I'm somewhat disappointed in you. For being the seventh knight of fools, you turned out to be quite a show-off. Or is it because your other friends are outside freeing that bunch of pseudo-knights from their confinement?" Rainbow Dash asked, but Badwhiz only responded with a cold look. "Well, whatever. I'm sure you'll enjoy a long chat with Pinkie Pie when we're done with this." "It's not over yet. You won't be able to defeat the mighty Cockatrice Titanicus," Badwhiz replied defiantly. "Oh, right... that giant bird thing. How about you take a look over here, kid?" Dash said, pulling Badwhiz to look with her at the horizon where the train and the terrible beast were. The next thing Badwhiz saw was something that was so hard to believe that he thought he was dreaming. In the distance, the Cockatrice Titanicus attacked with a fire beam at what appeared to be a purple pegasus flying around it; on its sides, other ponies attacked it by throwing rocks and other projectiles. That was undoubtedly the pony princess and her allies facing the beast. As expected, their efforts did not harm the powerful Cockatrice, which continued to spew fire around it and unleash bursts of wind from its wings. However, something was amiss. Slowly but surely, the mighty creature's movements became slower and slower. Almost paralyzed, the Cockatrice Titanicus struggled to free itself from a strange pink-yellow collar around its neck. But it was in vain. The Cockatrice's body staggered, giving one final breath. Like a felled tree, it crashed down on one side, burying its beak in the scorched plain. Badwhiz was left dumbfounded, watching the final outcome of that short battle. By his side, Rainbow Dash was scratching her head, more puzzled than surprised. "Wow. Was its chin its weak spot? Seriously?" Rainbow Dash said. Then she turned to Badwhiz, who was still in shock. "Don't ask me what happened. I don't understand it either. Let's... get going with the girls." The rainbow-maned pegasus tucked Badwhiz's gem and horn diadem somewhere in her mane and prepared to leave. Several minutes earlier, in the burrow... "Wait... did you say invisible?" Rarity said, surprised. "That's right, it's been circling around us for a while," Rainbow Dash replied cheerfully. Unease hovered around the stone table. "Rainbow Dash, you said it was... what is it doing now?" Twilight asked, trying to stay calm. "It's coming this way, of course," the pegasus replied with a freshness that almost seemed provocative. Twilight was alarmed. Vanilla already knew where they were, and now she was coming for them. And she hadn't even explained about the Cockatrice Titanicus or the possible identity of Vanilla. In the past, Twilight would have been on the ground, having a panic attack. And certainly, a part of her still felt inclined to do that right now. However, those three years of constant stress and tasks postponed until the last moment had toughened her enough to face such a complicated situation. With a deep sigh and a great mental effort, Twilight closed her eyes, cleared her mind, and envisioned the best scenarios she could take, using the little information they had gathered up to that point. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes, finally seeing what she needed to do. Ignoring her friends' stares, Twilight stood up and created a protective magic bubble around them. "This place is no longer safe. I'm sorry, Rarity, but we'll have to leave it," Twilight apologized to her friend. "It's okay, Twilight. I just hope the prairie rabbits can enjoy this home more than we did," Rarity replied with regret. "And this bubble?" Pinkie Pie asked, placing her hoof on the walls of the magical barrier. "Vanilla already knows our location, and it's very likely she has been observing us with magic since the moment we arrived here. If she didn't take action earlier, it's because she was being cautious about what we might do. After observing us enough, she must be sure that we are not a threat, and she has decided to take the initiative. This barrier will prevent her from continuing to watch us." Twilight explained as her gaze became more serious. "So this Vanilla thinks we're not a threat? Well, let her keep thinking that. We'll show her right here that we're not helpless ponies," Applejack said. All the other ponies stood up, emboldened by their friend's words, except for Fluttershy, who remained somewhat indecisive in her seat. "I agree, Applejack, but it won't be here that we'll show her," Twilight said, staying calm as she looked at them all. "Really?" Rainbow Dash replied, looking somewhat disappointed. "That's right, Rainbow Dash. If we fight here, we'll fall into the scenario that Vanilla must have prepared. Right now, we need to go to a new refuge and prepare ourselves." "Isn't that what we've already done?" Pinkie Pie asked, peeking her head out from behind Fluttershy. "Yes, but now I have a plan," Twilight replied with a smile. Seeing her princess friend's confidence, they all began to calm down. "I know how to quickly defeat the Cockatrice Titanicus, and thanks to Rainbow Dash, we know Vanilla is coming here. This is a good opportunity to surprise her separately. The first thing we need to do is go to a new refuge. I'll use teleportation for that. I'll explain the rest when we arrive." Upon hearing Twilight's explanation, they all agreed and began to gather around Twilight, preparing for teleportation. However, Rainbow Dash stayed in her place, watching them with narrowed eyes. Twilight could already imagine what her fearless friend had in mind, as she had also seen that scenario. "Wait, Twilight," the pegasus finally said. "What's wrong, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked, hiding her concern. "I have a better idea. I'll stay. I'll fight Vanilla here," Rainbow Dash said with a serious look. "Huh?" All the ponies, except Twilight, exclaimed in unison. "What are you talking about, Rainbow?!" Applejack was the first to speak up, confronting the pegasus. "Exactly what you heard, Applejack. I'll stay and fight Vanilla while you all take down that Cockatrice. That way, we'll have a better chance of winning," Rainbow Dash responded calmly. "NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO PLAY THE HERO. WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TOGETHER TO..." "What Rainbow Dash says is correct, Applejack," Twilight said, supporting Rainbow Dash's words. Her friends looked worried, especially Applejack. "But, Twilight?!" Applejack pleaded. "I know it's a tough decision. But now that we know Vanilla is alone, this might be the best opportunity we have to defeat him. Given the countermeasures our opponent has taken so far, he most likely expects us to act together. If Rainbow Dash attacks him separately while we face the Cockatrice Titanicus, it will increase our chances of success. However..." Twilight said, addressing her surrounding friends and then Rainbow Dash, "... Rainbow Dash, you don't need to confront him recklessly. Just keep him distracted while we deal with the Cockatrice Titanicus. Do you understand?" "Of course! I'm not going to charge at him like an out-of-control cart. But if that Vanilla turns out to be a show-off, don't blame me if I finish before you," Dash responded confidently. Twilight knew how much her pegasus friend loved to show off, but given her firm stance and serious look at that moment, she knew Rainbow Dash wasn't bragging. "Alright, if that's the case... now I'd like to know who is in favor of Rainbow Dash's idea," Twilight asked the rest of the ponies. They all fell silent. It was undeniable that their athletic pegasus friend was the best flyer in all of Equestria and had even gained more experience on her journey around the world. If there was a pony capable of facing Vanilla on her own, it was Rainbow Dash. Unable to deny the truth and with evident concern, each of the ponies raised one of their hooves. Even Applejack did, albeit with great discomfort. Twilight nodded, ending the discussion. On the other end, Rainbow Dash appeared even more determined and confident than before. "Thanks, girls, I won't let you down." "Rainbow, don't do anything foolish. If that guy starts doing weird and evil things, come back to us immediately," Applejack said. Behind her, the rest of the ponies shared similar words. "Please, girls. I'll be fine! I've fought scarier things than a bad-tempered kid. In fact... you're the ones I'm worried about. Are you really prepared for this?" "I have a plan, Rainbow Dash. I'd like to share it with everyone now, but we don't have time for that," Twilight said, casting a wary look toward the main entrance of the burrow. "I understand... if that's the case," said Rainbow, starting to walk toward the entrance. "Wait, Rainbow," at that moment, Twilight's horn lit up. From the alicorn's mane emerged a tiny white crystal that levitated to the center of the table. It was then imbued with Twilight's magic until it took on a bright blue color, almost like a precious gem. The enchanted wing-shaped crystal continued its path until it reached Rainbow Dash's hooves. "Is this?" Rainbow Dash asked, somewhat intrigued. "I've placed a special magic on this crystal that will give you the ability to become invisible and imperceptible for long periods of time. However, the magic won't completely hide your presence and will be less effective the faster you move," Twilight replied as Rainbow Dash began to play with the crystal's magic, appearing and disappearing in brief flashes. "Wow, that's awesome, Twilight! Since when can you do this kind of stuff?" Rainbow asked as the other ponies marveled at the surprising magic of the crystal. "It's been this year. I was invited to the seminar on innovative applications of transmutation magic on inanimate objects at the School of Magic. You'd be surprised at the great advancements that Estigia and Star Swirl are making in this field of magic. And also..." Twilight froze, and her friends, especially Rainbow Dash, watched her with a smile. Despite her insistence on leaving immediately to avoid being ambushed by Vanilla, she was now talking about academic topics that were not appropriate for the situation they were in. "Hump," Twilight cleared her throat. "Please, be very careful, Rainbow. And pay close attention to the pink gem that Vanilla has around his neck," the alicorn said with a look that reflected her concern and that of her friends. Twilight's horn began to gather magic to use teleportation to get them out of there. "I'll keep that in mind. And don't worry so much. I know how to take care of myself," Dash replied with her typical grin. "TAKE CARE, RAINBOW DASH!" Pinkie Pie shouted, unable to contain herself any longer. The pink pony jumped up to hug her friend one last time. However, Twilight's magic was cast at that moment, and the five ponies disappeared in a flash. At the same time, the protective magic bubble around them disappeared. Left behind was Rainbow Dash, who had already activated the crystal. The pegasus was looking at the empty spot where her friends had been. A thought suddenly struck her. That same afternoon, she had considered leaving them behind because of a silly mess she had gotten into. If she had done that... what would be happening to her friends right now...? A shadow crossed Rainbow Dash's gaze. The pegasus shook her head, trying to shake off those dark thoughts. It was pointless to think about the 'what ifs' or 'could have beens.' She had to focus on the 'now.' And now her friends needed her to be focused and ready to face the enemy who had sworn to destroy them. As if hearing an imaginary audience, Rainbow Dash raised a hoof with her eyes closed. Immediately, all mental noise ceased. With a long exhale, her senses sharpened, and her body entered a state of concentration, ready for battle. "Come on, little guy... I'm right here, waiting for you!" Rainbow Dash said to herself. With a leap, she reached the burrow's ceiling and clung to the exposed branches, almost like a spider. With her gaze fixed on the burrow entrance, Rainbow Dash was 100% ready to face whatever sought to harm her or her friends.