Baxter loved Terra as much as Malak did, but he also had to take care of Rainbow and the others. Besides, he knew that the name, Terra Chrysalis, would go down in history.
As he watched his friend fly off in the distance with his men in tow, Baxter couldn't help but smile. A small, broken, blood and sweat stained smile, but a still a smile nonetheless.
"Baxter my boy!" called a familiar voice from the infirmary.
Baxter turned around to be greeted by the sight of Sir Hucklefoot.
"Yes Sir?" replied Baxter, with a tone of uncertainty.
"Don't worry my boy, I'm not asking you to perform surgery or something like that. In fact, quite the opposite. You see, some reinforcements arrived from Las Pegasus just now and I want you to go on patrol with them." Hucklefoot continued to say as he walked over to the younger pegasus.
"Uh, and where exactly is this patrol heading Sir?" asked a curious Baxter Dash.
"Why to the old weather factory of course, you see in my thinking, it would make a perfect place for the rest of the enemy to make a base. It's abandoned, nopony every goes there and most importantly, there is still a lot of technology that could provide anypony with a decent knowledge, a fair edge in this war." replied the grizzly mentor.
"So you want this patrol and I to go to this factory and make sure there are no enemies there, making use of the dangerous technology being contained there. Why are there no guards there, if there is such dangerous pieces of equipment just laying around?" Baxter replied, outraged at Cloudsdale Security's carelessness.
"Security says they couldn't spare the men, they were apparently undergoing a high maintenance mission after a threat was made against the crown." Hucklefoot replied simply, seeming oblivious to the younger pony's outrage.
Baxter and his mentor his discussed the possibilities of what lay on this patrol. Sharing ideas of tactics if in fact the weather factory was a base of operations. They concluded that the patrol should send word back immediately and wait for reinforcements before making a move on the factory. After all, they wouldn't know what they had in there.
After their talk Baxter decided it was time to head off to join the patrol. As he spread his wings and took off, he thought he saw... Nah, it couldn't be. He was dead. He was probably just imagining things, with all the sudden tension in Equestria and the weight which lay on his shoulders, he wouldn't be surprised.
"Baxter!" called a delighted voice from below, as Baxter Dash descended on the patrol group.
"Karmin?" Baxter called back, somehow recognizing the voice of his old flight school buddy.
"Hell yeah it is Bax, where you been at? Did you hear that I got accepted into the Loyal Pegasus Guard Of Las Pegasus? Oh Celestia how long has it been Bax, I haven't seen you in ages?!" the babbling pegasus added.
"Calm down Karmin, I was taking care of my sister, no I didn't what's it like, and it has been almost 3 years now. How are you Kaz?" replied Baxter, babbling equally.
Baxter descended upon the patrol party, only to be thrown off of his hooves by a yellow pegasus with a pronounced orange and crimson mane, a Glaive attached to their back.
"I missed you Bax, I didn't realise how many creeps were in that flight school till you left. I was getting hit on by boys left and right." Karmen spouted not pausing to take a single breath.
"We will have to catch up after this is all over Karmen, we have a lot to catch up on." replied a suddenly calm Baxter Dash. As he looked around the Patrol Party, Baxter noticed, but did not recognize, a bulky looking dull, grey, male pegasus with an alluring midnight purple mane and a tower shield hanging from his side, and a vivid female, purple pegasus, with an equally vivid purple mane equipped with a funny shaped sword, which he thought was called a khopesh.
"You're damn right we will!" replied the smaller yellow pegasus, gesturing for the patrol party to follow her, but for now we have work to do.
"Shield-Dancer, did you hear that?" Karman asked the grey pegasus. To which the response a grunt, Baxter assumed that meant yes.
Baxter had heard it too, voices, lot's of them. None that he recognised though. Baxter gestured the purple pegasus to come to his side.
"We are going to go and check that out ok? Karmen and I have discussed what should happen if we run into anyone. We need to see if they are friend or foe. If they are friend we need to get them back to base, if they are enemy... we'll see if it comes to that first." Baxter informed her as she got within earshot.
"Where are Shield-Dancer and Karmen going to go? By the way, the name's Cleo. Well actually it's not but people just call me Cleo." Replied the purple pegasus in a much more forceful tone than what Baxter had expected.
"Ok Cleo Shield-Dancer and Karmen are bringing up the rear don't worry, they won't be too far away." Baxter reassured her.
Baxter Dash slowly pushed through the wooded area towards the voices. Remaining ever concious to the idea that the eney knew they were here. He gestured the smaller mare he was proceeding with, to go to the left a bit, slowly edging himself to the right just in case. Glancing back, Baxter noticed that Karmen had taken the hint as well, and Shield-Dancer went left with Cleo, while Karmen edged right with Baxter.
As they continued through the undergrowth, the voices began to become louder and more dense.
"How many do you think Kaz?" He whispered to his old friend, referring to her by the nickname he had given her when they first met.
"Easily 50, maybe even 60. Why what are you planning?" She quietly responded.
"Ok Kaz, remember movement order 37? I need you to take the left with Cleo and Shield-Dancer for me. Don't worry about me, I will be fine. Go support your troops." Baxter told her comfortingly, he had seen the look on her face as her soldiers went to the left, he knew the feeling all too well.
"Baxter..." Began Karmen.
"Go Kaz, before they get too far away, don't worry I'll be fine I promise. Now go!" Baxter whispered back hurriedly.