Midnight Station - Part 01: Twilight faces the Dark Martial March

by Khampostel

Between harmony and order I

Noon rose over Canterlot, the majestic capital of Equestria. Along the white streets, crowds of ponies walked joyfully and brimming with confidence. Houses and shops were adorned to commemorate the celebration of the day.

It was the Festival of the Two Sisters, and there were few excuses not to have fun.

Under a clear sky, near one of the city's lookout points, an unfamiliar filly with a yellow mane carelessly enjoyed her ice cream, unaware that the knot of the floating lantern she had made with her friends was coming undone. Finally, it broke free, and the lantern began to ascend into the deep blue sky.

"No, my lantern!" the filly whimpered in distress as she realized too late how far away her lantern was. But her dismay was short-lived. Suddenly, a purple-coated Pegasus took hold of the lost lantern and descended to where the girl stood.

"Yes, my lantern! Thank you so much, thank you..." The filly was left speechless upon discovering the identity of the pony who returned her lantern.

Without expecting any further thanks, the kind-hearted Alicorn ascended once again into the sky with a gentle flight, her majestic horn barely causing her mane to ripple.

Twilight, without wearing any garments that would distinguish her as royalty, and with no obligations to occupy her brief free time, flew to a height from which she could overlook the entire city. Below her hooves, the commercial shops were arranged as planned, security agents stood in their assigned positions, and the racing stadium was packed with ponies eagerly awaiting the opening event about to commence. Everything was going according to plan, and even better, as a large number of ponies had volunteered to guide the visitors.

"There are more families than in previous occasions... I'll have to review the statistics later," she thought to herself as she observed the long queues at the entertainment games.

With nothing else to inspect, she began to circle above the city, casually observing all the familiar places she knew, such as the library, the magic school, among others. In all those places, there were ponies having fun or busy with the celebration, creating an atmosphere of joy and friendship.

Twilight smiled, allowing nostalgia to accompany her flight.

Below her, spread out, was the city where she had grown up and studied for so many years of her youth. It was the place she had long considered her only home, where her family resided, and where so many cherished memories were made.

Twilight halted her flight, and her gaze wandered beyond the city limits, towards the vast forest that covered much of the horizon. She paused at the nearest town to the capital. She knew that place well; it was where her life took a turn, where she left behind her old self to become an Alicorn princess. Ponyville, where she found the best friends a pony could wish for, who propelled her to the position she held now.

Twilight's smile grew even wider. Soon, those great friends would come to visit her, spending an afternoon talking and sharing all that had been missed in the past year, and perhaps even preparing a new surprise, just like in previous occasions.

With her mind occupied, guessing what the surprise might entail this time, Twilight swooped down in a dive towards the waterfalls cascading from the city, only to soar back up like a streak of purple light towards one of the towers of the castle. Passersby on the streets were left in awe, witnessing the beautiful rainbow left behind by the princess during her fleeting flight across the sky.

---

In one of the cleaning rooms near the royal suite of the castle, Twilight was organizing some kitchen and cleaning supplies. Earlier, she had finished washing commemorative dishes from last year's festival. This was a task that would normally be handled by the butlers or the cleaning staff, but at that moment, they were absent as per Twilight's orders to enjoy the day's activities. Therefore, only the security personnel were present, having just rotated for the morning shift.

"Let's see, these utensils are incomplete... I need five more, but they're not the same shade," murmured Twilight, frowning as she spoke to herself. Normally, she took her role as a princess very seriously and avoided situations like this, but at that moment, she was just Twilight. "I told Spike to organize the boxes like all the others..."

Using her magic, she lifted one of the boxes, revealing another box in poor condition with "dishes, utensils, and others from the Castle of Friendship" written on top.

"Yes! Perfect, this is what I was looking for!" she exclaimed excitedly. The uncovered box magically opened, and a complete set of cups, plates, and utensils floated in the air. After examining the quantity and condition of the contents, Twilight nodded in satisfaction. "This will be enough, the girls will love it."

Suddenly, a swirl of magic formed in front of her, and a sealed scroll materialized out of nowhere.

Twilight held it with her magic and reviewed the contents of the scroll. She was surprised; she didn't expect those guests to arrive so early. Without further interruptions, she hurriedly left the room, carrying the box she had found.

---

In the throne room, Twilight awaited the arrival of her unexpected guests. The doors to the royal chamber opened, and two ponies she knew all too well entered. Celestia and Luna, former rulers of Equestria, walked in with a regal stride befitting their royal status.

With a flap of her wings, the purple alicorn approached her guests.

"Celestia, Luna, it's a pleasure to have you back," exclaimed Twilight excitedly, moving closer to Celestia. She couldn't hide the joy she felt at having her mentor back.

"Oh, Twilight, it's been a long time," Celestia said, allowing Twilight to affectionately lean against her. Luna, standing beside them, also smiled happily at the reunion.

"Oh, come on, Celestia, it's only been five months since our last encounter with Twilight," Luna said, noticing that their interaction was prolonging.

"The spicy food contest in Yeguadelfia doesn't count as a proper encounter, Luna," Celestia corrected, stepping away from Twilight.

"I'm still surprised that you participated in that contest and made it to the final rounds," Twilight said, addressing Celestia. "I didn't know you were so tolerant of spicy food."

Celestia averted her gaze, trying not to recall the pressure she had to endure on that occasion. It had been a challenge that Luna had imposed on her in a bet. If Twilight hadn't unexpectedly been present as a judge in the contest, she probably would have given up in the first round. However, her desire not to disappoint her former student had been stronger than the unbearable irritation she felt on her tongue.

"There are still many things you don't know about us," Luna added with a mischievous smile.

"Then you can tell me those things as we take a tour of the castle," Twilight replied, already moving towards the doors of the throne room.

"I have no problem being honest publicly, don't you agree, sister?" Luna joked as she followed Twilight.

Luna and Twilight began to move forward, but Celestia had no intentions of following them.

"Twilight, has anypony recently come to consult you about the Starheart gem?" Celestia's tone abruptly changed to a more serious one.

"No, no pony has come to consult me about it," Twilight said, turning around in surprise to her former teacher. "Isn't that the famous unicorn gem that was lost a century ago?"

As Twilight turned, she noticed that Celestia had a sad look in her eyes at that moment.

"Is something wrong?" Twilight asked, concerned. However, Celestia remained silent. Sensing her sister's indecision, Luna stepped forward.

"You see, Twilight, during one of our recent excursions, my sister had a dream in which she believes she saw the heir of the Starheart lineage..." Luna responded.

"It wasn't a dream," Celestia added, looking at Luna with a serious expression.

"I can't deny what you claim, sister, but it's impossible for the heir of the Starheart lineage to still be among us," Luna replied. "I myself investigated the case and found no evidence suggesting their survival. Besides, on that day of our journey, you were very tired. It's more likely that you confused them with some other pony," Luna clarified. Celestia, on the other hand, seemed overcome with melancholy as she gazed at one of the stained glass windows in the royal chamber. Twilight was surprised by this unusual change in the pony from whom she had learned so much.

Noticing her former student's concerned gaze, Celestia seemed to snap out of her thoughts. "I apologize, Twilight. I know it's not the most appropriate time, but I would like to take some of your time for a private conversation between us."

"I understand. If that's the case, I think now would be a good time," Twilight replied, recalling the nearest location for their meeting. "The special guest room in the east wing is available. Does that seem suitable to you?"

Celestia and Luna nodded. It was untimely, but their gathering with their friends would have to wait a little longer. The sorrow that Twilight had noticed in Celestia was something she couldn't ignore.

Just then, a soldier quickly entered through the main doors, capturing the attention of the gathered alicorns.

Twilight approached the soldier, and he bowed respectfully.

"Has an emergency occurred?" Twilight asked seriously, recognizing the soldier as one of those responsible for relaying messages to her in case of a disaster.

"Princess, I regret to inform you that the train from Ponyville to Canterlot has been attacked," the soldier replied.

Author's Note:

Hello everyone, the last chapter did not have a spoiler, it was not necessary because it was so long and that the continuity did not allow it. However, here he did leave one for you.

Comments

[OP Omni God-Emperor Doom]

11531982

Balor really was male in the wiki. But whatever, this do seems to be a slightly alternate world than canon.

[Khampostel]

11616930
Slightly alternate world than canon? Wonderful, if one read the MLP comics as if they were fanfics, I'm sure you would have a similar opinion. This is the best comment I've had so far.

[OP Omni God-Emperor Doom]

11617185

Both the comics and the show itself has some conflicting inaccurates with each other in the first place.