//------------------------------// // Between harmony and order II (P5) // Story: Midnight Station - Part 01: Twilight faces the Dark Martial March // by Khampostel //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash finished tightening the knot of the rope tied around her waist. At the other end of the rope was Badwhiz, bound and ready to be taken along with the rest of her friends. She had lifted him before, so she was sure it wouldn't be a problem to transport him this way. "Perfect! I'm sorry if I haven't been gentle enough with you, kid, but I'm in a hurry to finish this supposed rematch show of yours and head to Canterlot with my friends to prepare a real party," the carefree pegasus said, stretching her wings, ready to take off. On the ground lay her enemy, "Vainilla." He had been motionless since the Cockatrice Titanicus was subdued, so the rainbow pegasus assumed he had finally accepted defeat and wouldn't try anything else. "All right, Vainilla or whoever you are, let's get moving!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed cheerfully. "It's called Badwhiz, kid..." interrupted an unfamiliar voice. Immediately, Rainbow Dash went on high alert. The pegasus turned and looked around, sharpening her senses. But besides the bound colt, there was no one else. Then, that voice came from... "...you'd better remember it," concluded the mysterious voice coming from Badwhiz. Down below, the tied-up pony raised his head and locked eyes with Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash was taken aback by that gaze. Badwhiz's eyes were no longer the same; they were now so dark they almost looked hollow. Only his pupils were visible, like faint lights in the night. All of this gave his gaze a sinister appearance. "Wait, what?" Dash exclaimed in surprise. But the shock didn't end there. Dark magic seemed to envelop Badwhiz's body, forming sharp black spikes. These began to traverse his body, cutting through his restraints. Soon, he was standing up, spreading his dark wings; then his alicorn armor shifted from black to a bright pink. Badwhiz Starheart was free, but only his physical body was... "I see you don't recognize me. It's quite unfortunate... a poor wild pony forced to fight battles that her princess can't," said the mysterious voice with an unsettlingly compassionate tone. "Let me help you free yourself from this unjust burden." A dark spiral emerged from Badwhiz's body and, like a whirlwind carried by the wind, headed toward Rainbow Dash. The pegasus had no idea what was happening. The strange voice now emanating from 'Vainilla' sounded familiar, but she couldn't remember from where. What she immediately sensed, though, was that the swirling dark magic heading toward her was definitely not a good thing. With a flap of her wings, Rainbow Dash took flight to get away from the mysterious entity that had taken control of Vainilla. Left behind was the whirlwind, which dissipated in the air. "Please come down! The burden you carry is too heavy! You will hurt yourself!" the mysterious entity pleaded. "I don't know what you're talking about, Badwhiz... ma'am? Who the hay are you?" Dash asked, confused about the identity of the voice speaking to her. She had already understood that Vainilla's real name was Badwhiz, but it wasn't him she was talking to now; someone else had taken over him. "Oh, poor child! It seems it's too late. Your pride is already consuming you..." lamented the voice. Rainbow Dash blinked for a moment, trying to understand those words. Then, she noticed with horror that dark blotches were sprouting on her skin. The pegasus, terrified, flapped her hooves, trying to rid herself of those marks, but only succeeded in making them grow larger and spread to other parts of her body. Desperately, she took flight at top speed towards where her friends were, but it was already too late. "No! No!" Dash screamed as she watched her wing feathers detach, consumed by the darkness taking over her body. She crashed to the ground not far from where Twilight and the others were. Summoning all her willpower, she ran as far as she could to reach her friends, but with every step she took, she felt a part of herself detaching from her body, accompanied by immense pain. "Don't look back! Don't look back!" the pegasus scolded herself, almost crawling, resisting the urge to scream. A few steps away from her was the silhouettes of Twilight; she would reach her, and then she could... "Twilight, Twilight! ...Twilight?" she couldn't say more. The stunned Dash discovered that the figures of her friends she had seen were actually stone statues, cold and devoid of life, with expressions of pain and anguish. Only Twilight's figure remained intact, but with a gaze that reflected great pity and disappointment. Tears from Dash fell to the ground, and with them, what remained of her consciousness. Morrigan, bearer of the element of faith, finished placing the alicorn horn diadem on the head of the pony she now possessed. The body felt familiar to her; she had taken control of Badwhiz on previous occasions with the goal of finding the best methods to cause suffering and pain to a pony. Despite Balor's warnings about the potential side effects of abusing their toy, Morrigan never cared about the harm she could inflict. In fact, she was quite sure that the colt had developed a high tolerance for stress and paralysis, which, to some extent, annoyed her. "Your servant apologizes, Lady Morrigan. Due to my incompetence, I..." said Badwhiz, whose shadowy figure projected alongside his own body. This new figure of Badwhiz had the same form as his true self but lacked a stable physique. "You don't owe me an apology, boy, but rather our sub-leader," Morrigan replied with a haughty and cutting tone. A remorseful Badwhiz lowered his head, unable to say more. "Umph... never mind. Now, we will take an active part in the battle. Do you have anything else to report?" Morrigan asked as she observed the immobilized body of Rainbow Dash. The pegasus stood firmly, her eyes completely darkened by the mind-control magic. Yes, this was the terrifying power of Morrigan, capable of bending the will of even the strongest with just her thoughts. Her domination was such that she could even subdue her other fellow knights if she chose to. The only ones capable of resisting her were Balor and Taranis, who had undergone rigorous training to strengthen their minds against such magical arts. Rainbow Dash, who lacked such training, had easily fallen under her control the moment Morrigan manifested herself. "I noticed that pony had a magical crystal in her mane. She might have used it to become invisible," Badwhiz quickly responded. Morrigan, using her mind-control magic, ordered Rainbow Dash to surrender everything she was hiding. Shortly after, Rainbow Dash dropped the last of her belongings in front of her. "Junk..." thought the great 'Urutaú' bird irritably as she examined the pile of objects Dash had left. Then she noticed a bright blue crystal that seemed to radiate a unique light. That crystal held magic, but it was a magic... that felt very familiar to her. "Ceridwen needs to see this," Morrigan thought as she took a few steps forward, paying no attention to Badwhiz. Then Morrigan's attention returned to where her other comrades were gathered. In the war room of the Knights of the Order. "What's going on, Morrigan?" Mannah asked, sensing that his companion's thoughts had returned to her real body. Alongside him, the other knights had seen everything that had happened on the hill through the enchanted pool, which had split to show what the princess was doing as well. "My apologies, Grand Sub-leader. But I need to verify a certain discovery with my companion Ceridwen," Morrigan said, paying little attention to Mannah's stern gaze. "What is it about?" Ceridwen asked, intrigued. "Look at this," Morrigan said, raising her left wing, and then a new division appeared in the pool. This division showed a close-up image of Badwhiz's real body at the top of the hill. The image focused especially on the unusual blue glow coming from his left hoof. Ceridwen furrowed her brow as she examined the object. "Tell me, my friend, is this what I think it is?" Morrigan asked. "If you mean that this is an arcane magic transmutation crystal, then yes, that's what it is. Why are you showing me this?" "Can you determine how old it is?" "Uhmmp." With a suspicious look, Ceridwen extended her enchanted staff towards the image of the bright crystal in the enchanted pool. Like someone testing the scent of a hot soup, Ceridwen brought the sample of magic she had taken closer to her beak. She wasn't an expert in magic like Balor, but she had skills that allowed her to analyze, to some extent, the properties of magical artifacts. Ceridwen's eyes widened as the properties of the crystal were revealed; now she also understood Morrigan's great concern. "How is this possible?" Ceridwen exclaimed, shocked. "I have no doubt that this is the work of that accursed princess. She must have done it while hiding underground. If that's the case, we have no choice but to ask Balor to reevaluate the plan he has prepared. Furthermore, we should request him to cancel the entire operation," Morrigan spoke with a dark look towards her companion, ignoring the others. "DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING?!" Ceridwen exploded, setting aside her previous astonishment. "CAN EITHER OF YOU TWO TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON?" a furious Mannah asked from the other end of the table. Beside him, Taranis discreetly signaled for them to pay attention to their sub-leader. Morrigan and Ceridwen, both knights of the order, exchanged cold glances for a few moments before Ceridwen finally looked away and addressed the others. "Forgive my behavior, Sub-leader Mannah. But the recent discovery by Companion Morrigan has revealed a great danger to the continuity of our mission," Ceridwen announced with noticeable concern. "Explain," Mannah responded in a frosty tone. "Uhmp... you see, Sub-leader Mannah, the crystal recently found by Companion Morrigan is a full-range arcane magic transmutation crystal. Given the purity of its form and the radiation of its magical essence, it leads me to conclude that it is very close in quality to our own crystals forged in the Temple of Harmony in Cunabula. This, in turn, implies that our enemies are familiar with the manipulation of harmony magic at a level close to ours. The current capture operation we are carrying out involves the use of an artifact that absorbs this same magic, and if employed, it is very likely that our enemies will present great resistance to the magical absorption process, thus frustrating the success of the operation." Mannah was not ignorant; he knew the basic magical concepts. However, there was something about arcane technicalities that always confused him. He didn't want to share his doubts with his companions, as it would make him appear incapable of understanding these important matters. So, it was more prudent to delegate that task to someone else. "Companion Taranis shares the same concern as Companion Ceridwen," Mannah noted, expecting a more detailed response from Taranis. Taranis, who stood beside him, said "Yes" almost without thinking, but Mannah's gaze grew harder. After a few uncomfortable seconds, the Ofiotaur realized that his sub-leader expected more than just a simple "Yes." He cleared his throat and waved his staff, drawing everyone's attention. "Since the opponent is using the same type of magical tools as we are, we have lost the main advantage we had over them. Continuing now would be under a scenario where the confrontation would be on equal terms, significantly weakening our initial strategy of capturing the pony princess and her allies from a position of advantage," declared Taranis ominously. Now everyone in the room understood what was happening. Mannah raised one of his tentacles to scratch his temples, a clear gesture of frustration. Once again, the ponies were obstructing the plans he had prepared. If they retreated now, how would he explain it to Balor? He had sworn to capture all the ponies except the princess before she woke up. What's worse, how would Balor take this setback? "This is ridiculous," Mannah's pulpy head thought, glancing at the image of Badwhiz at the top of the hill. He had assumed, even demanded from Balor, that only the Cockatrice Titanicus and the child be used to subdue the princess and her allies, but now the tide was against him, and his previous decision had become a mistake. "Grand sub-leader, I believe we should withdraw with the captured pony and await the awakening of our companion Balor. His counsel would be very useful for..." "WE WILL NOT DO THAT," Mannah interrupted Ceridwen sharply. "We will continue with the operation." "BUT SUB-LEADER, WE LACK SUFFICIENT INFORMATION! We can find a better opportunity after..." "THIS IS THE BEST OPPORTUNITY!" Mannah declared with anger, his tentacles stiffening. He straightened up in his seat, looking dominant over all of them, making it clear that he would not back down from his decision. "ALL OF US HAVE SWORN TO DEFEND CUNABULA AND PRESERVE THE ORDER OF THE TEMPLES OF HARMONY. FOR THIS CRUSADE, WE LEFT OUR HOME, TRAVELED FAR TO FIGHT THE ENEMY, HAVE EXPERIENCED DEFEAT, HAVE BEEN IMPRISONED, BUT WE HAVE FREED OURSELVES, AND NOW WE WILL FIGHT AGAIN. WE WILL NOT RETREAT! WE WILL TRIUMPH!" Mannah erupted in an authoritative and proud tone before gradually calming down. "So, please, I sincerely ask you... to have a little faith in our mission." "This is not faith; it's a gamble," Morrigan replied quietly. Immediately, Mannah shot her a piercing glare. "Umm... sorry Ceridwen, but is that really how it is? Did the princess really make the crystal? Could it not have been obtained in another way?" Taranis interjected, trying to lighten the growing tension in the room. "There is another possibility that the crystal may have been constructed from another. However, given the short time since its transmutation, we have no doubt it was crafted shortly after the great barrier was raised. The only person who could have done it in that timeframe is the wretched princess bearing the element of magic. Isn't that right, Companion Ceridwen?" Morrigan responded on behalf of her companion, maintaining a firm gaze on Mannah. "Yes, that's correct," Ceridwen confirmed. It was not surprising that Morrigan had extensive knowledge in these matters. She had many contacts within the Cunabula Temple's brotherhood. She had even participated in numerous purification ceremonies, despite being a member of the Knights of the Order. Such was her influence that she could become the next leader of the knights if there were any issues with the current leader. Precisely that was happening at that moment. A tense silence filled the oval room. Mannah and Morrigan seemed to be engaged in an invisible battle of wills, similar to what had occurred between Ceridwen and Morrigan shortly before. However, this time, it was Morrigan who averted her gaze. "Umm... these prolonged discussions benefit our enemies," Morrigan said, looking at the enchanted water pool. Then she turned back to Mannah with her usual friendly tone. "Oh, Grand Sub-leader, I consider you the most suitable person to carry out this task. I hope you accept the great successes that will result from your actions, as well as the unlikely failures." "I accept them," Mannah emphasized, using his elemental water magic to snatch a black crystal from Morrigan's wings. The large white bird simply shrugged and took her seat again, and the rest of her companions followed suit. "I will proceed with the operation," a calmer Mannah announced. "I hope to have your support, both of you, Taranis and Ceridwen." "Of course, Grand Sub-leader Mannah," both knights responded. They both noticed that Mannah hadn't called them "companions." Meanwhile, the seemingly defeated Morrigan looked up at the room's ceiling. There, inside a golden orb, Balor was in a deep state of meditation, channeling large amounts of arcane magic through his claws. "Heh heh heh, I owed you one, little dragon. Mannah will have to bear the weight of this failed mission for the rest of his days. Maybe you miscalculated, but that idiot was the one who decided to continue anyway. Heh heh. Now we're even," she thought to herself. This was how the knight of the order, bearer of the element of faith, repaid her debt. For Morrigan, forgiveness was not a divine gift but rather a release of pity that was lent and that cursed the soul if not repaid promptly. The forgiveness given by Balor the previous night was something she would not allow to pass for even a day. Once again, Morrigan's attention returned to the hilltop, where a loyal shadowy Badwhiz stood behind his own empty consciousness. "Well, boy, our Grand Sub-leader will take over the mental control of this body. Don't worry about that pegasus. My domination over her will persist even when I'm not here, and I'll share my mental control with you." As she said this, a halo of black light briefly illuminated Badwhiz's shadowy form. "Please, be understanding of our Sub-leader's limited virtues. He's not as familiar with body possession as I am, nor does he possess my great patience... so, for your own good, make sure what happened a moment ago doesn't happen again." "Of course, Lady Morrigan," Badwhiz replied solemnly. "Very well. Goodbye then, mini-Danu. Heh heh." As she finished her mockery, Morrigan's consciousness left Badwhiz's real body and was immediately replaced by another. Badwhiz knew well who it was, given the new light blue hue of his alicorn armor. "Lord Mannah, welcome. Your servant awaits your orders," said the shadowy pony Badwhiz, bowing. "Excellent, to begin with, forget what that old witch said. My elemental abilities are far superior to hers, and I have great patience for those who obey me. Is that clear, squire Badwhiz?" "I understand perfectly, my lord," Badwhiz replied with martial formality. Although deep down, the young pony had doubts about whether what Mannah had said was true. "Now, listen carefully to my words..." Mannah said, turning to look at the horizon in the direction where Twilight and her friends were.