Midnight Dasher

Midnight Dasher is a main character of the Soldier's Memoirs saga. She is a female Thestral enlisted in Skyfall Unit as a corporal. She currently lives in Canterlot, and plays the role of rear security for the team.
== Early life ==
Midnight Dasher's past is a card she holds very close to her chest. She lived in the Hollow Shades for all of her life, leading a mundane, ordinary childhood by her own account. Sometime in her adolescence, Midnight enlisted with the Lunar Guard for reasons she keeps private, leading an uninspired career as a local guard for Fort Shadow. Not much else is known about her prior service in the Lunar Guard, or of her life. 
== Military service ==
Most of Midnight's service in the Lunar Guard was little more than ceremonial jobs: sentinel positions around Fort Shadow, the occasional appearance in training demonstrations with new recruits, and general guard duty. Her record, as phrased by Fleethoof, wasn't anything worth praising. Midnight demonstrated adequate skill in combat, particularly in close-quarters fighting, and an overall air of normalcy. But what she lacked in skill, she made up for in spirit. Always trying to get at more, Midnight pushed herself, regardless of the challenge, wanting to prove herself no matter the cost. 
=== Reformation of the Guard ===
At the recommendation of the Captain of the Lunar Guard, Midnight Dasher was sent to Canterlot to take part in Shining Armor's reformation and retraining of the entire Royal Guard. Midnight's devious and deadly style of close-quarters combat earned her a position in the hoof-to-hoof training courses, where she demonstrated various techniques to subduing and defeating enemies without the use of firearms. 
It was here she met and was defeated by Fleethoof during one of her training sessions. Thoroughly impressed and intrigued by his mannerisms, Midnight spent the remainder of her time in Canterlot attempting to connect with the stallion. She was later given charge of heading the combat training of two platoons of new infantry, dubbed Marines. Midnight enlisted Fleethoof's aid in training the Marines, following in his shadow in an attempt to pick up a few of his tricks and techniques herself. 
Once Fleethoof left the reformation program, Midnight continued to drill the Guard and Marines until they had advanced beyond her courses. Midnight Dasher returned to the Hollow Shades afterward to resume her normal duties. 
== The Everfree IncidentCategory:Thestral poniesCategory:CharacterCategory:Skyfall characters ==
A few months later, Midnight Dasher's unit, Lunar Guard Ghost Team, was summoned to Ponyville to assist in the search and rescue of several missing foals from towns surrounding the Everfree Forest. Since the Thestrals were the only soldiers capable of seeing in the forest at night, they were sent into the forest after dark to continue the searches where the day teams had left off. Joined by Fleethoof as their Royal Guard liaison, Ghost Team proceeded to investigate deep into the Everfree. There, they uncovered a couple murdered soldiers as well as the undead pony abominations that had slaughtered them. After confronting them yielded no results, Ghost Team scattered into the forest. Amidst the mayhem, Midnight and Fleethoof were separated from the group and ended up in the abandoned village of Sunny Town. With nowhere else to go, the two found shelter in a dilapidated mansion at the edge of town. 
During their investigation of the mansion and search for the others, Midnight and Fleethoof discovered the twisted tale of what had happened to the town and its inhabitants. Fighting a slew of monsters just to survive, Midnight helplessly watched as her friends were killed off one by one. She witnessed the death of one of her teammates, Daybreak, at the hands of one such monster, and the subsequent transformation and death of another, Blackjack, right before her eyes. Along the way, Midnight was reunited with Starlight, and they, along with Fleethoof, followed a trail of clues to an escape underneath the mansion. 
In the caverns beneath the mansion, the group reunited with her teammate and friend Echo, but not before being attacked by another monster. Midnight would have been killed, had Fleethoof not sacrificed himself to save her. Midnight fought tooth and nail to keep Fleethoof alive, but he died in her hooves. Filled with regret and guilt, Midnight vowed to set the mistake right by giving her life to resurrect Fleethoof in the same dark rituals that had created the monsters. However, before she could, Starlight killed himself in Midnight's stead, sparing her while bringing Fleethoof back to life. Midnight broke the spell containing them in the separate world and brought them back to Equestria, where they soon located the missing foals and escaped the Everfree Forest after a final confrontation with the Sunny Town ponies. 
== Skyfall Unit ==
=== Enlistment and Training ===
Shortly after the Everfree Incident, Midnight Dasher was taken off active duty against her will, due to fear from the top brass that she had suffered too much post-traumatic stress to be fit to serve, though she exhibited none of the symptoms. Fleethoof, seeing the opportunity, was quick to offer her a place in his team, though still refused to divulge any information about it. Drawn in by the sense of mystery and the chance to fight alongside him, Midnight accepted and was enlisted into Skyfall Unit. 
Throughout the course of the next year, Midnight Dasher was trained alongside Echo. Midnight was given the role of rear security for the team and taught how to analyze a given situation, how to handle different types of engagements, and how to successfully rescue a hostage from an armed threat. However, before she could take her final exam to become an official member of Skyfall, Fleethoof was called away by the RIS to assist on an investigation. 
=== The Clydesdale Arrest ===
Shortly after Fleethoof's mysterious disappearance, Midnight followed him out to Thatchholm, where she discovered he and Special Agent Bentgrass were involved in an investigation of scandalous proportions involving the representative from Thatchholm county, Dandridge Clydesdale. While Fleethoof tried to persuade Midnight to leave, Bentgrass instead found a purpose for her presence, using her as an undercover to gain Dandridge's trust and lure him into admitting guilt to his involvement in a global crime ring. Midnight agreed and planted herself in Dandridge's company as an assassin and potential client. 
Using her crafty skill of deception and seduction she had learned over a lifetime in the Shades, Midnight won Dandridge's trust and lulled him into a false sense of security. Dandridge willingly provided Midnight with an array of illegal firearms for purchase, as well as revealing an assortment of other evidence to her. However, Midnight stumbled across a hidden torture chamber in the Clydesdale manor, along with the bodies of two RIS agents. Dandridge caught her and held ehr hostage at gunpoint, demanding to know who she worked for and how much she knew. When her lies failed, Dandridge disarmed her and attempted to rape her. Midnight fought for her life, but was unable to free herself until Fleethoof and Bentgrass came charging to her rescue. 
In the ensuing fight, Bentgrass was wounded and Dandridge threatened to kill her as well if Fleethoof didn't back off. Midnight, seeing no other way out, told Fleethoof to take whatever shot he could. When he didn't, Midnight fought back, stunning Dandridge long enough to go for her weapon. Dandridge caught her and the two fought. With her greater hoof-to-hoof skills, Midnight was about to overpower Dandridge enough to stab him and then deliver a nonfatal shot to subdue him before Fleethoof and Bentgrass made the arrest. 
Midnight, in a state of shock, fled back to Canterlot and hid away in her apartment where Fleethoof found her later that night and attempted to comfort her. She broke down in his hooves, revealing that she had never shot another pony before and that she felt like she had failed him for getting captured. Fleethoof soothed her fears, especially when he said he didn't care about anything other than her safety. 
== The Hunt for Alaric ==
=== The Abduction of Cadance ===
In the following days after Dandridge's arrest, information came in that Dandridge had been working with Alaric Dawnbreaker, providing him with weaponry and the means to assassinate the princesses. Midnight Dasher accompanied Fleethoof and Valiant in bolstering Princess Cadance's personal security for the remainder of the year. On Hearth's Warming Eve, while escorting the princess back to Canterlot, the caravan was ambushed. Midnight saw the carriage with Cadance and Fleethoof get struck by another vehicle in the middle of a blizzard, and fire was opened on the convoy. Midnight sprung into action, determined in her mind to redeem herself for her slip-up with Dandridge. During the fight, she managed to kill several of the attacking griffons, but was unable to prevent them from escaping with Cadance. 
In the aftermath of the attack, Midnight Dasher helped escort a wounded and unconscious Fleethoof back to Canterlot, where she remained at his bedside in the hospital until he regained consciousness. She continued to follow him even after Skyfall was sidelined by Shining Armor, helping him with his injured leg and making sure he was all right. Following his recovery, Midnight was recruited into the Operation Black Wraith program to fill the role of rear security and nocturnal reconnaissance. 
== Depiction ==
=== Personality ===
Midnight Dasher is a light-hearted and energetic pony, often bordering on the side of annoying with her chipper attitude and carefree demeanor. Though Fleethoof considers her personality to be immature, Midnight is surprisingly experienced and understanding of the ways of the world. She maintains her bright personality as a light in the darkness, often using witty banter and sarcastic remarks to make even the hardest of ponies smirk in tense situations. 
She is the most charismatic member of Skyfall Unit, able to talk and wile her way out of almost any situation. She is a major flirt and uses her charm and sexuality to seduce others into getting her way. She acts like everything is a game, even calling tempting a crime lord "a show". 
Midnight has a more serious side that only usually comes out when someone she cares about gets hurt or she feels she has let someone down. She had a great fear of disappointing others, and hates being left alone. She has difficulty overcoming traumatic experiences, and resorts to bottling up that pain until it breaks. 
=== Skills ===
As a child of the Hollow Shades, Midnight learned the trade of cat burglary at a very young age. She is adept at picking locks in seconds flat and remaining unseen when sneaking around areas she shouldn't be. She became very charismatic as a result of having to talk her way out of trouble for most of her life, and has persuasion down to an art. 
In combat, Midnight Dasher fights with the close-quarter style of the Lunar Guard, targeting key pressure points to stun and take down her opponents. As a riflepony, she is proficient with small arms, mostly pistols and assault rifles. Her naturally photosensitive eyes allow her to see well in dark scenarios without the aid of night-vision goggles, and her heightened sense of smell and hearing allow her to detect threats at a much greater distance than other ponies. 
=== Equipment ===
Like other members of Skyfall Unit, Midnight wears the standard black uniform and tactical equipment. She refuses to wear a helmet, and often goes without a plate carrier as well, as she dislikes the extra weight slowing her down. Due to her innate low-light vision, she does not require night-vision goggles to see in the dark. 
Midnight carries a modified Equestrian ACR, a standard issue nine-millimeter pistol, and a combat knife as her armaments. She also carries concussion grenades to stun and disorient her opponents before taking them down, and has a distinct dislike of flashbangs, as they interfere with her sensitive eyes and equilibrium. 
=== Military ===
Midnight Dasher is a spunky, energetic, in-your-face sort of pony, which makes her an effective infantry pony when it comes to confronting a challenge or a threat. However, she also has a blatant disregard for authority and regulations that often gets her on the bad side of many of her officers and superiors. Midnight's 'do it my way' kind of personality conflicts with all the basic rules of command, and her off-handed remarks and pranks get her into hot water with the wrong pony from time to time. 
However, Midnight has a fierce sense of loyalty and devotion. She has an almost obsessive need to prove herself. This drives her to face challenge after challenge, often successfully. Her quirky nature leads to her finding unorthodox solutions to problems others might overlook, and her flirtatious demeanor and lack of physical boundaries make her an excellent, if not dangerous, spy. 
Skyfall Unit
Within Skyfall, Midnight is still seen as the rookie. She desperately wants to make her place established within the team, doing whatever she can to please Fleethoof. Being a prankster by nature, she has a good relationship with Sharp Shot that often involves a lot of back-and-forth with one another. 
=== Relationships ===
==== Fleethoof ====
Midnight Dasher endears Fleethoof and has since their first meeting. When they first met, she saw him as a stuffy officer with nothing better to do than boss ponies around. After their sparring match in which she was mercilessly defeated, Midnight became intrigued by the pony behind the uniform. She enjoyed nothing more than bothering and getting under his skin whenever she could, a pastime she still indulges to this day, especially when it comes to matters of a romantic or sexual nature. Midnight's curiosity peaked to the points of breaking into his room to speak with him after he had avoided her multiple times. 
After training with Fleethoof for some time, Midnight's curiosity evolved into admiration for the stallion. Even though he often disregarded her, Fleethoof never turned Midnight away from any chances to pass on a lesson or new technique. In his absence, Midnight began obsessing over where he learned the things he knew and who he really was. During her time in Canterlot and subsequently in the Shades, Midnight developed an unspoken crush on Fleethoof. 
Following the events of the Everfree Incident and the Clydesdale investigation, Midnight began to learn more about Fleethoof as a pony and not just a soldier. His devoted and self-sacrificing nature to the ponies he cared about attracted Midnight. Despite his rough exterior, Midnight is one of only a couple of ponies to see him in a vulnerable state, and he is one of the few she has ever broken down around. Midnight Dasher admires his protective, comforting personality, stating that he is the only pony that makes her feel safe. She is dedicated to him, even if he shows no interest in return, and will do anything he asked of her. 
==== Echo ====
Echo has been Midnight Dasher's friend since her enlistment in the Lunar Guard. Not much is currently known about their prior relationship, but Midnight and Echo have shared stories back and forth from their days at Fort Shadow. During the Everfree Incident, when Echo lost her eyesight, Midnight supported her until they escaped. After they were both discharged, Midnight worried for Echo's sake—being out of work and without her eyes made her fear for her friend's safety. Though they don't directly work together in Skyfall Unit, Midnight and Echo's desks sit side by side, and the two are often sneaking little comments or whispers back and forth. 
==== Borealis ====
Very little is currently known about the relationship Midnight has with Borealis. Their relationship is very intimate and intense, though, hinted at by subtle contact and communication. Borealis hunted down Fleethoof for answers after he heard Midnight had been involved in the ambushed caravan, going so far as attacking the captain outright in retribution. However, Midnight was able to stop him with only a few words and a hoof on his chest, saying that he "can't keep tracking [her] down whenever [she's] in trouble." The two also exchange pet names "Bor" and "Middy", a nickname Midnight only permits select few ponies close to her to call her. Midnight refuses to speak about their past, however, leaving it a mystery for speculation. 
==== Family ====
Midnight Dasher's family life is referenced only in dialogue, and even then is very shady. Her father left her family when she was very young, and she never knew who he was. She has voiced no intention of ever seeking him out. Midnight also has a mother and brother living back in the Hollow Shades, both of whom she only mentions in brief passing.