A Lost Soul in The Real World

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1: Welcome to Equestria
Chapter 2: New Relations
Chapter 3: What Lies Within
Chapter 4: At What Price for Freedom?
Chapter 5: Make Your Acquaintance

Prologue

Sunlight cascaded across the sky in beautiful reds and oranges as it dipped below the horizon, making way for the moon rising in the east.

The streets of Ponyville were empty, which was strange considering the fact that this was a city that never rests. No pony was in sight, all except for one mare.

Trotting down the pavement, Twilight Sparkle looked around the abandoned city, wondering where every pony had gone.

"Hello?" she called out, but there was no reply.

In the corner of her eye, she noticed a light in the distant. Slowly she approached it, moving in between buildings until she reached the town square.

Just outside of the town hall was a large crowd of ponies holding torches and pitchforks. All of them were staring at her menacingly.

"What's going on here?" she asked, to which a pony in the crowd called out "GET HER," and all of them came towards her with murder in their eyes.

Without hesitating, Twilight unfolded her wings and took off into the sky, only to come to a sudden halt. She found that she could not move her wings, let alone her entire body. Darting her eyes around, she saw several unicorns had subdued her with their magic, rendering her immobile.

They levitated her atop a large platform, where several others were waiting, holding bats, clubs, and metal pipes.

Releasing their grip on her, Twilight fell on the platform with a loud clunk. She tried to stand, but one of the ponies swung their bat, hitting her right on her hind leg. She let out a yelp as she stumbled to the ground. The others on the platform laughed as another swung his pipe on her other leg. She cried out in agony as the crowd cheered.

"AAAAAAHHH!!! WHHYYYY!!!" she cried.

One by one, she would receive a blow somewhere on her body. It wasn't until a voice called out demanding them to stop.

Twilight felt relief wash over her as she lay there battered and broken. Tears rolled down her eyes, mixing with the blood on her face.

"Enough, I'll take it from here."

There it was again. That voice that sounded very familiar. When she tried to raise her head, pain shot through her entire body, making her fall back down.

One pony approached the injured princess and leaned closer to her ear.

"The pain is unbearable, isn’t it?" she whispered with an evil grin on her face.

Peering through the corner of her eye, Twilight could not believe who it was. She was staring at herself! But it wasn't her, the irises in her eyes were glowing red.

Looking down at her injured self, Twilight's doppelganger turned towards the crowd below.

"Behold every pony, for I, Princess Twilight Sparkle, have brought before you the mare that troubled and destroyed your lives in over a thousand years. Behold, Princess Black Iron!"

Twilight was shocked at hearing that. When she looked down upon herself, she saw that she wore armor as dark as night. It was in very bad shape. It had dents, scorch marks, and was torn to shreds with blood trickling out.

She refused to believe this was happening. She wasn't the mare she used to be, the mare that was standing right next to her taking her place.

Or was she?

Suddenly, several stallions came to pick her up, holding her underneath her shoulders. She bit her lip, trying to hold back the pain that was going through her. Her head dangled as she stared at the wooden floorboards.

"We shall be relieved of this burden. Let her blood fall upon you and your foals!" The double announced as she brought her hoof to Twilight, lifting her head at eye level so that the ponies below could see her face.

Twilight stared out at the angry faces staring back. It horrified her seeing the faces that wanted her dead. Amongst the crowd, she did notice one particular pony that stood out slightly from the rest. She was wearing a black cloak. Her blue eyes shimmered within, and her flowing mane was peeking out.

Before she could make out whom that pony was, her imposter spun her around, meeting face to face.

"Are you ready to pay for those crimes you've committed?"

"But it wasn't-"

"SILENCE!"

Twilight was cut off, unable to finish her sentence. She saw her double form a magical dagger and levitated it closer to her neck.

She stared back with horror as death loomed over her. The dagger touched her neck and began to dig into her skin.

"Say goodbye, princess."

"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!"

•••

Questions, Comments, Complements,
Any errors are accepted, there's always room for improvement!
Be sure to like and follow me both here and Twitter (@Pony3T)

Chapter 1: Welcome to Equestria

The sun shone high in the sky. Ponies everywhere were on the go. Some were off to work, others would spectate and awe in wonder of what the cities had to offer. As for others, they simply carried out life like they normally would.

The same could be said about Ponyville. What once was a small village had blossomed into an empire of a city.

Skyscrapers made of concrete, steel, and chrome finishing made the city shine with brightness. It's a city only one from long ago could imagine. Ponies were carried in carriages without being pulled by one to four strong stallions. They could be flown through the air as well as to drive on the ground. Not only that but earth ponies and unicorns could fly with the use of jetpacks. Drones carrying packages zipped and glided through the air minding their own business.

On the surface below, robots helped serve the pony community, mostly doing the jobs ponies don't want to do anymore, like mane cutting, trash collecting, even picking up groceries.

Equestria was officially in an age unlike any other.

One pony, however, was not used to a world overrun with technology.

In the Ponyville City Library, one of Equestria's most popular places of study, Twilight Sparkle sat in frustration.

"Uuuuuggghhhhh!!!! How do you work this thing?!" She said tapping her hooves on the keyboard of a computer.

"Come on Twilight, you've used a computer before," Spike said towering over her, with the spikes on his head nearly brushing the ceiling.

"Yeah, and we both know how well that went."

Spike shrugged at that.

"It's crazy how much Equestria has changed while I was gone,” Twilight uttered in defeat. "I'm never gunna get used to this world."

"Oh come on Twi, sure it's not the same, but just give it some time and you'll get used to it. It may even grow on you," Spike encouraged.

Twilight smiled at that. " You always know how to cheer me up just a little."

Looking at a nearby digital clock, she freaked when she realized what time it was.

"Oh no, I'm gunna be late!" she said, turning off the computer and scrambling to a nearby staircase. Spike giggled when he saw his friend having a mental breakdown.

"Good to have you back Twilight."

Up on the top floor of the library, Twilight entered an old storage room that was converted into a bedroom, much like how she had back when she lived in the oak tree. It did have a nice view of the city from the window.

Grabbing her saddlebags, she quickly threw some of her stuff into them.

After a minute of ferocious packing, she galloped back down the stairs and towards the exit before running into Spike.

"Spike, what are you doing?"

"Come on Twilight, you're right on time. You'll get to the metro before it leaves, and by the way, if you do miss it, you can still fly, remember?"

Twilight looked back at her wings and blushed at the realization.

"He he, right. I'll be back later tonight. Make sure to keep an eye on the place."

"Don't worry, everything's under control," he said before knocking down a bookshelf with his tail. Twilight sighed before exiting the library.

Upon leaving, she ran into something or someone.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed. It wasn't until she regained focus that she realized who she bumped into.

"Oh dear, are you alright Elegance?"

"Dear me, I'm quite alright,” Twilight helped her friend up as she scrapped some dirt off her well-kept coat. “I do apologize for that. Anyways, I haven't seen you in a while. Were are you off to?"

"I'm just heading to the metro before it leaves without me."

"Oh, do you mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," Twilight replied happily as the two trotted down the busy street.

"So where are you going Twilight, vacationing, meeting important ponies, visiting sights unseen?" Elegance asked.

"Something like that. I'm off to visit the Crystal Empire. They actually invited me there as soon as they found out I returned. It's simply going to be a casual get together is all," Twilight replied when she noticed her friend freaking out with delight.

"The Crystal Empire! Oh, how I've dreamed of visiting there. To see such fashion, such beauty, such elegance!" Elegance said in awe. "But alas, I have too many responsibilities here that keep me from going."

"Oh, I'm sorry Elegance. Perhaps someday we can all go."

"That would be lovely," Elegance imagined herself visiting such a glorious place with her crystallized coat shimmering in the sunlight.

Trotting down the busy sidewalk, Twilight took the time to admire the great city.

"Equestria has changed so much in the past few centuries, I barely even recognize it anymore."

"Time changes everything Twilight. You can't expect everything to stay the same for long periods of time."

"True, but still, everything is so different. It just reminds me how I don't really belong here." Twilight replied gloomily. She then felt the soft touch of Elegance's hoof lying on her shoulder.

"I understand you've been through a lot of life-changing events, but just remember that you have five friends who'll be there for you. If you ever need time to talk about certain things, just let us know."

Twilight wiped the tears that were forming in her eyes and smiled.

"Thanks, Elegance."

"My pleasure."

•••

About halfway to the metro, both mares stopped at the sound of rumbling in their stomachs.

"Hungry too?" Twilight asked.

"Well I did have a small breakfast earlier, so it seems that my stomach still craves for more. Would it be fine if we get something to eat really quick?"

"Sure, I guess."

"Goodie! You know, I've been dying to try those new seven flavor cupcakes from Sugarcube Corner."

"Is Sugarcube corner still in business?" Twilight said surprisingly.

"Why of course. It's one of the few businesses in Ponyville that's been around since it's early days. Lucky for us it's not far from here," Elegance said full of giddiness as the two were off to their new destination.

A few minutes later, the two stood outside of the bakery. Twilight was amazed at how much it changed.

The building itself was twice as big as the original, yet decorated like an enormous cake. A line of ponies stood outside the entrance waiting to obtain the sweets the store had to offer.

Twilight sighed in disappointment. "It'll take us forever to get through that line."

"That's what you think," a white, pink poofy maned young earth pony sneakily said while spying on two certain ponies through a pair of high-tech binoculars.

"Time to make a delivery." With determination and lack of common sense, she leaped off a fifty-story building with nothing but a bag filled with pastries, and what looked to be like saddlebags.

After counting to five at around twenty stories high, she pulled a cord, which released a large sheet attached to her bag with some rope. She slowly and safely made her descent down. At ten stories high, she released the goodie bag, allowing it to fall to the ground.

"Come on, let's go," Twilight grunted before a small bag out of nowhere landed right in front of her. She stared at the bag in shock and confusion until she noticed some pony landing right in front of her.

"Ha! Right on time!"

"Oh, hi Sweetie Pie. I see you've been busy lately."

"Yup! Now if you'll excuse me, I got more deliveries to make. Hope you enjoy your cupcakes, cause I added an extra ingredient!" Sweetie pie moved closer to Twilight's ear. "It's looooovvvee!!!" she whispered.

"Alrighty then. Thanks for the cupcakes Sweetie."

"Aw, don't mention it. Have a fun day you two!" Grabbing a grappling gun from her mane, she shot it at a nearby building, quickly hoisting her up out of sight.

"Sweetie Pie sure knows how to get around." Elegance remarked.

"She sure does."

Before they left, however, Twilight noticed something in the corner of her eye. It was approaching them at rapid speeds from the sky. It looked all too familiar.

Twilight uttered a sound of irritation before getting down on the ground.

"You might want to get down if I were you," warned Twilight.

Elegance didn't understand what she meant when a flash of colors flew right past her, inches from touching her nose. The force of the object caused her to stumble back towards the ground while the object crashed into the side of the pavement, throwing dust and debris everywhere.

Once her nerves had settled, Twilight got up and trotted to where the object crashed. A pegasus pony with a dark blue coat and a mane with greens, blues, and pinks, lied in the center of the newly formed crater.

"Aurora Flash, what are you doing? You could have hurt somebody."

"Sorry Twilight, just trying to see if I can land perfectly after flying at top speeds. I think I made a perfect three point landing there." Aurora said.

"Yeah, but look what you did to Elegance!" Twilight pointed at how Elegance was trembling in a cradle position.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that, gotta flash," she winked as she took off into the sky. Twilight rolled her eyes as she went to check on her friend."

"Are you alright Elegance?"

"Oh, I-I'm quite f-f-fine T-t-twilight." She stammered nervously.

"Come on, it'll be all right," she said, helping her friend up.

"Thank you, Twilight. How were able to avoid something like that?" Elegance asked.

"Stuff like that happened often back in my time that I learned how to avoid it," Twilight responded.

"I see."

Twilight smiled as they went on to the station.

It wasn't far now, but before reaching it, Twilight saw a certain pair she recognized sitting at a table outside of the bakery. One of which was another pegasus pony whose coat was white and her mane was light blue. The other was a creature with a mash-up of all sorts of animal parts.

"... -and when I checked again, they were on the ceiling!" the creature said amusingly.

"Oh Discord, that story is funnier the third time you've told me," the pegasus replied.

"Isn't it? Oh hey, Twilight, Elegance. Fancy meeting you here," Discord motioned for the two to join them.

"Discord, nice to see you and Softheart." Twilight greeted. Softheart smiled shyly before greeting both of her friends.

"I had no idea you two hung out with each other."

"Are you kidding? We hang out all the time! Isn't that right Softheart?"

Softheart nodded after noticing Discord's head was suddenly behind her.

"It's true. Would you both care to join us? I mean... if you're not busy that is," Softheart nervously asked.

"We'd love to Softheart, but I'm afraid Twilight is needed elsewhere today. Perhaps at a different time," Elegance said.

"Oh um... ok," Softheart nervously sipped some of her tea. "Well, I hope you have fun Twilight."

"Yes, it seems Twilight has so much on her platter-" Discord said, opening a silver tray with books and scrolls, "-that she simply doesn't have enough time for her friends anymore. But of course, royal duties come first." A crown appeared on his head.

"That's not true. I do make time for my friends. I'll try to make it to Softheart's next get-together!" Twilight said in her defense.

"Yes, 'try'," Discord shrugged while on the back of his head, he made a snicker face.

"You'll see," Twilight huffed before leaving the two in frustration. Elegance quickly ran after her.

"Are you ok Twilight?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. He just likes to mess with me."

As she responded, Twilight paid no attention to what was in front of her. This, in turn, caused her to bump into some pony. It was a tall and sturdy stallion with a green coat and a red mane.

"Hey, watch where yer gooin' ya- oh my goodness, princess, ya alright?" The stallion frantically asked, realizing whom he was talking to.

"I'm fine, I've been bumping into everyone today. I wasn't looking where I was going."

Standing behind the stallion was an orange, red-maned pony wearing a hat atop her head.

"Bramley, what in tarnation are ya doin'," she asked.

"Sorry Appleseed, the princess bumped inta me an ah thought it was some random guy. Again I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, it's fine. What are you guys up to?" Twilight asked, noticing the two ponies near an apple stand.

"Ma cousin Bramley is stopping by ta sell some apples, an since I'm mayor here, ah figured ponies would want some Apple Family apples."

Elegance smiled as she got closer to Bramley. "How modest of you Appleseed. How much do you sell these apples, Bramley?"

"Um, well it's one bit per apple."

"Well, I’d be more than glad to take some apples off your hooves." Elegance leaned over to Twilight. "Don't suppose you have any bits with you?"

Twilight moaned while taking out several bits from her bag. Elegance took the money in her magic and gave it to Bramley in exchange for a few apples.

"Well some pony has a little crush," Appleseed whispered to Twilight. She chuckled in reply.

Elegance took her newly acquired apples and smiled at the stallion.

"I'll be seeing you later," she said, winking afterward.

Bramley stood there awkwardly. The two friends waved goodbye before heading off.

At last, they reached the metro.

"I guess this where we part our separate ways. Be sure to tell me all about it when you get home!" Elegance gave a hug to her friend.

"I will. See you later then."

With one final wave, Twilight left her friend and made her way inside the metro station.

The inside was huge. The interior was made from glass to marble to chrome. It had a modern feel to it. In the center of the station were two grand statues, one plated gold and the other plated silver. Twilight stared at them in awe. The golden one was a depiction of Princess Celestia, and the silver depicted Princess Luna.

Twilight wanted to take a picture, however, she hadn't quite figured out how to operate her camera on her cellular device. Instead, she asked a nearby pony if they would take a picture. They happily agreed as Twilight went to position herself in between the statues.

Soon enough, other ponies noticed the young princess and quickly began taking photos. A barrage of white flashes obstructed her vision, almost to the point of giving her a seizure. It wasn't until several security guards came to break up the paparazzi.

All the flashes subsided. After regaining her vision and her phone back, Twilight thanked the security guards.

"Our pleasure princess," one of the guards responded.

Twilight picked up the pace. She checked to see when and where her train was leaving.

"Gate seven, perfect, right on time!"

She hurried to the gate but found it a bit of a challenge considering the fact that the station was filled with ponies going in multiple directions. Some were arriving while others departed.

A few minutes of pushing and shoving later, Twilight arrived at her destination, with her ticket in her magic. She slowed down she wouldn’t run into the mare who was taking the pony's tickets as they boarded. When her eyes lied upon the princess who was next to go onboard, she gasped in excitement.

"Why hello p-princess Twilight."

"Hi there, am I late?"

"Nope, you're right on time."

Twilight took a breath of relief as she boarded the train. She took her seat in the first class section. While the cushioned seats felt nice, Twilight felt a little uncomfortable sitting in a more luxurious part of the train, but it was something she still tried to get over.

Once she settled in, she was jerked back into her seat as the train left the station.

Twilight brushed off the sudden movement. Since she knew it would take a while to reach The Crystal Empire, she grabbed a book to begin reading.

Once she opened the book to the first page, the train came to a stop.

"First stop, Crystal Empire," the conductor announced over the intercom.

Twilight face hoofed, refusing to believe she was already at her destination.

Note to self: everything is much faster as it is complicated in the future.

•••

Questions, Comments, Complements,
Any errors are accepted, there's always room for improvement!
Be sure to like and follow me both here and Twitter (@Pony3T)

Chapter 2: New Relations

Two lines of crystal guards stood outside of the train's doors, forming an archway with their bugles lifted up high, playing as Twilight got off the train.

A crowd of crystal ponies cheered behind the guards. All of them were full of excitement and delight. With her cheeks blood red, she gently smiled and waved as she passed by her cheering fans.

At the end of the long rows of guards stood what appeared to be an alicorn.

She had a dark green crystal coat that out shined every pony else. Her mane was a lighter shade of green pulled back in a ponytail. She wore a silver collar around her neck while a tiara with an emerald in the center rested atop her head. But what stood out the most was that her wings appeared to be made from actual crystals.

Twilight examined her. Besides the color of her coat and how crystally she was, she almost looked like Princess Cadence.

The alicorn approached her with a smile that could brighten an entire room. She knelt before her. "Your highness."

Twilight snapped out of it and did the same. "Your highness."

Both mares raised up. "I'm very pleased you were able to come Princess Twilight. I am Princess Emerald."

Everything clicked in Twilight's mind after hearing the princess' name.

"Thank you, Princess Emerald. You can just call me Twilight by the way," Twilight replied.

"Very well Twilight. You may address me as Emerald as well." Emerald giggled as she motioned for Twilight to walk beside her.

"I'm really happy you came Twilight. My parents and I have been dying to see you." Emerald said.

"Thanks, Emerald. It's really nice to visit a much more familiar place beside Canterlot."

"How long has it been since your last visit?"

Twilight paused, "Oh, about a thousand years."

"Oh. Well, you're in for a big surprise then."

"How come I'm not already" Twilight thought to herself.

Upon exiting the station, Twilight gasped as enormous crystals stood all around her. It almost looked exactly like Ponyville, except everything was made of crystal.

"I see what you meant by big surprise."

"If there's one thing you need to know is that crystals do two things. They grow and they expand. Add that to all the brand new technologies popping up and you have a bustling empire."

Twilight nodded as she further examined the empire.

After a while a trotting through the streets with ponies everywhere greeting the princesses, the two alicorns arrived at the crystal palace. Besides being bigger in height than all the other crystal buildings and the many add-ons to it, it was still pretty much the same.

As Twilight climbED the steps to the palace doors, she saw some ponies knelt down near the statue of one of her close friends, holding a crystal heart in his claw.

"I see you still have the statue of my friend Spike." Emerald gasped upon hearing that.

"You're friends with our great savior?!"

"Of course, he's been my friend ever since I hatched him from an egg. He's also the one that saved the empire, twice!"

"Y-you hatched him from an egg?" Emerald stuttered.

"He was part of my entrance exam for Celestia's school."

Emerald slowly nodded as so many thoughts ran through her head.

"Okay... as I was saying, it is why we must always be forever grateful to our great savior. In fact, you should see what big of a reception he gets when he comes to visit every year."

"I can imagine why," Twilight chuckled knowing how big of a goofball her friend can be.

Both mares trotted through the many halls of the palace. Twilight noticed just how much the inside of the palace had changed compared to the outside. She continued observing until they reached the doors to the throne room.

Twilight took a deep breath, preparing herself for what might happen. The doors opened, revealing two rows of guards playing bugles, much like how they did it at the station.

Twilight trotted in between the long files of guards with Emerald behind her. She stopped at the end of the rows. One guard stepped up next to her.

"Her highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle," said the guard before backing away. Twilight gazed at the two alicorns who sat upon their thrones. One was a sturdy stallion with a white crystal coat and wings that looked like they were made from actual crystals. The other was a smaller alicorn mare with a crystal blue coat and wings.

The stallion with a robe draped over his back and a crown on his head stood up and slowly approached Twilight to greet. The mare with a silver collar around her neck with a lapis in the center, and on her head was a crown with a diamond in the center, stood with her husband.

Both ponies knelt down in respect. "It is a pleasure to meet you Princess Twilight," the stallion greeted. Twilight immediately knelt down in return. "My pleasure your majesty," she replied. Both stood simultaneously.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am King Quartz, fair ruler of the empire."

"And I am Queen Lapis, it's nice to meet you," she said with a kind tone.

"Thank you, your majesty. I have to say that I am a bit surprised to find three more alicorns in Equestria."

"Tis true. As you should know, we are descendants of Princess Cadence and Prince Shinning Armor who were the first co-rulers of the empire when it returned long ago," he said, pointing to a nearby stained glass window depicting the couple.

"Descendents?" Twilight wondered before it came to her. "That's right! Cadence was actually transformed into an alicorn!"

"That's right. Only natural born alicorns are immortal, like the royal sisters. Since Princess Cadence was not immortal, she couldn't pass down the immortality trait. In short, we live an average life as every pony else," Quartz explained.

This got Twilight thinking even more. It was something she never really thought about before. It did explain why Celestia never mentioned anything about immortality, and why she was placed in an enchanted box to keep her young for the time being. Now she knew she was probably going to die just the same as any other pony, and she was perfectly fine with it.

"Thank you for explaining this to me," she thing the crystal king to which he nodded in reply.

Emerald quickly stepped up in between the group.

"Well, now that we've gotten everyone acquainted with, why don't we all head to the dining hall. We discuss more there."

With an exchange of nods to one another, all four of them left the throne to go eat. With the royal crystal rulers leading the way, Twilight continued to ponder about Princess Emerald's family and the life span of the four of them.

However, another thought came to mind. One that she would want to know about.

Twilight realized the three alicorns came to a halt in front of a set of double doors. Two nearby servants quickly approached the doors and opened the simultaneously.

Beyond the doors revealed a large, well-adorned crystal dining hall. Enormous crystal columns supported the ceiling above while glowing brightly to provide some light. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, which matched the glow of the columns. In the center of the room stood a long rectangular table aligned with two rows of chairs on either side. On one end stood three chairs that stood out from the rest, signifying them as belonging to the royal family.

The four ponies went ahead and sat in their own designated seat. Immediately, a pony wearing a white collared shirt and bowtie pushed a cart carrying several plates covered with silver lids. he carefully placed each dish in front of the ponies while removing their lids.

When he removed the lids in front of Twilight, the aroma hit her nostrils upon seeing what laid before her. There were daffodil and daisy sandwiches, a salad consisting of many leafy greens Twilight enjoyed, vegetable soup, and crystal berry pie.

Everything looked delicious, but there was something about the soup that was making her feel uneasy. She didn't know why. It looked good, but she couldn't bring herself to eat it. Instead, she went ahead to eat the rest of her meal while the others discussed topics such as what they did this week or what were their upcoming plans.

Once last remnants of the crystal berry pie were licked off, Twilight laid back with her stomach more than satisfied.

"That was delicious," she remarked happily with a grin on her face.

"We hoped you'd say that, but mind if I ask, how come you didn't touch your soup?" Quartz asked.

"I'm not so sure. I guess I'm not in the mood."

The king and queen looked at each other before turning back at Twilight with concern.

"Is everything alright Twilight?" Lapis asked. "You seem as though something is troubling you."

Twilight wasn't sure what to say. That she felt that the soup was making her uncomfortable? Instead, she took the opportunity to ask them what the one thing she was curious about.

"There is something that I was wondering about," the couple nodded, motioning her to go on.

"After my return, when I become that mare, why didn't you do anything about it?"

After another glance at each other, the king cleared his throat.

"You see, when we heard on the news that she had taken over Manehattan, the entire empire went into a panic over the fear of being under tyrannical rule, which is a fear that's been passed down for generations ever since Sombra was in power. Because of this, the princess came to us one day and told us to keep the city under lockdown, with no pony getting in or out of the empire. She also told us to keep our royal guard ready to confront any and all threats that may come. After that, she left and we hadn't seen her since."

Twilight absorbed everything Quartz was telling her, but something still didn't add up. "Okay, but why didn't you do anything afterward? Didn't you found out about Celestia's defeat and the fall of Equestria?"

"We did find what happened since we kept up with news as to what was happening in the outside world, but there is a good reason why we stayed back. I'm not sure if you know this, but the magic here in the empire reflects all across Equestria. If there's good magic amongst the ponies here, then that will spread happiness and harmony everywhere. If there is dark magic, that too would spread creating nothing sadness and terror. If we had left to go and fight her, then that would leave the empire vulnerable to attack. This is why we must all be thankful to the great savior who along with Princess Cadence and Prince Shinning Armor, helped prevent what could have been a full out war that could last for years.

Twilight comprehended everything that was told to her. In a way it did make sense, considering the fact the princess had already explained this to her.

"I suppose that is true. My friend Spike did help save the empire twice."

The two gave dumbfounded looks. "You're friends with the great savior?"

"It's true. Twilight was the one that hatched him," Emerald remarked which caused Twilight to blush.

"It's kind of a long story, but yeah. He helped bring the crystal heart to Cadence after my brother tossed her.

"Your brother? You mean Prince Shining Armor?" Quartz was utterly confused.

"Why yes. He is or was my Big Brother Best Friend Forever, or BBBFF."

After what seemed like an eternity of exchanging looks and soft whispers, the three looked towards the little pony with warm smiles.

"Um, was there something I said?"

"Twilight, if Shining Armor was your brother, then do you know what that means?" Lapis asked, but Twilight shook her head.

"If the three of us are descendants of your brother, then that means we're related!"

The realization shook Twilight like a leaf. She didn't know what to say. But one thing was for sure. If these ponies were related to her, then that gives her something to be happy about.

"You're all related to me, then that means-" she was cut off when the three alicorns came up and hugged her.

"It means that we'd like for you to be part of our family if you'd like," Quartz asked of the purple alicorn.

"Well, you all are the only family I have left, so yes, I'd love to be part of your family, since my other family isn't around anymore." The reminder of her family long gone brought out the pain that lived deep inside of her.

In the end, it made Twilight feel guilty all over again for what she had done.

"Thank you for everything, and I just want to say that I'm sorry for what happened."

"And why should you apologize? We heard what happened to you, and we know it wasn't your fault," Lapis said in an attempt to comfort the upset alicorn.

"Everypony keeps telling me that, but I'm just not sure if I can believe that."

"Twilight, you have to know that that wasn't you who did all those things. Meeting you today, we can see that you're a different pony entirely. You're kind, smart, and you would never want to harm others. What happened is in the past, and you shouldn't be troubled over something that you didn't do," Quartz said.

"Are you saying that I wasn't the pony who took over Equestria?" Twilight replied.

"Of course not.

"Then who?"

"Somepony without a pure heart. Somepony who doesn't care about any pony else. Somepony who has no soul. You on the other hand Twilight are not like that. That other pony may have used you to get what she wanted, but she and you are not the same," Quartz said laying a hoof on the crying mare's shoulder. She looked up at him while whipping away the tears in her eye.

"You really believe I didn't do anything wrong?"

"Of course. Besides, we're a family know, and we're here to help each other out no matter what, and what we say is the full and honest truth," Lapis accompanied her. Twilight felt the familiar support only a family could provide. She took a breath of fresh air and stood up to face them.

"Thank you. Thank you so much," she hugged the three one last time.

The sun was setting outside. Twilight yawned in exhaustion from what had transpired.

"It's getting late. Why don't you spend the night here?" Emerald suggested. Twilight figured it would be best to spend the night, so she could leave in the morning.

She wished the royal couple a good night before Emerald escorted her to her room.

"Your parents are really nice Emerald," Twilight said.

"I bet you mean our parents." Twilight blushed at that. "And you know, since my parents have accepted you into our family, I guess that makes us sisters!"

Twilight grinned ear to ear. She bounced the entire way until they reached her room.

"I hope you find everything to your liking," Emerald elegantly opened the door revealing the beautiful crystal bedroom behind it. Twilight was amazed by it. It had surpassed what the rooms used to look like long ago.

"Thank you so much Emerald. I had a great day today."

"Don't mention it, sister," Emerald teased as she left, closing the door behind her Twilight blushed at that.

Slowly trotting to her bed, she crawled underneath the covers, turned down the light the crystals in the room were emmiting, and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.

Unfortunatly for her, she would never forget the dream she was going to have.

•••

Questions, Comments, Complements,
Any errors are accepted, always room for improvement!
Be sure to like and follow me both here and Twitter (@Pony3T)

Chapter 3: What Lies Within

A few weeks earlier...

The Moon peaked over the horizon. Princess Luna steadily raised it into the evening sky. She watched the sky change colors until the moon was high up in its proper place.

Complete with her daily routine, she entered her room from the balcony, ready to commence her night duties. She trotted through the halls of the palace on her way to the throne room. She finished the night court, filed some paperwork, and completed most of her duties for the time being.

The clock struck twelve. At this point, the majority of the ponies in Equestria were asleep. All but one was dreaming peacefully.

Luna paced back and forth in the throne room, deep in thought. She's always dealt with ponies that experienced nightmares but had never dealt with a nightmare quite like this.

Suddenly, the doors opened, revealing her slight drowsy sister, Princess Celestia.

"Are you still having trouble sister?"

"How could you tell?" Luna asked.

"Well, you've been pacing around the room like this for weeks now, and by the looks of it, it seems you haven't made any progress with her."

Luna grimaced while biting her lip. "Tis true, our dear friend Twilight is having nightmares, and it's been worrying me a lot,"

"Have you tried helping her?"

"Of course, I have, but no matter what I do, they still seem to come back. She must really be traumatized by what happened to her."

Celestia slowly approached her sister. "Can you blame her, though, after all the turmoil she went through? She went on an enormous time jump, and not only that, but she still feels guilty over what had happened."

"That's why she worries me so much. I want to help her live a better life, but these nightmares are the only thing standing in the way from that." Luna said gloomily.

"And that's why she has a close friend like you to help her get through this. Whatever it is that's troubling her from having a restful night's sleep, I'm confident you'll be able to help," Celestia wrapped her wing around her sister, comforting her. She replied by hugging her.

"Thank you, sister."

"Just don't strain yourself," Celestia winked before leaving Luna on her way to bed.

As soon as she left the throne room, Luna sighed. Most of what she told her elder sister were true, but she held back certain details from her.

Did you really keep that from her? A voice mocked the night princess. It was a voice Luna dreaded to hear.

Deep in the recesses of her mind sat a dark pony, an alicorn to be exact. Her hooves were in shackles to keep her imprisoned. Her body dripped with black oily goo, ever so slowly withering her away. She looked up and watched the outside world through Luna's eyes.

"I beg your pardon?" Luna asked.

You know there's more to the situation with your friend, and you didn't tell your own sister, pity.

It was true. Luna didn't mention the fact that every time she tried to intervene, she would be blocked out. As if something was preventing her from intervening.

"I didn't want to worry her. She's already stressed as it is."

Oh yes, and if I recall, those were the exact words you said thousands of moons ago.

Luna grunted in frustration.

"Why all of a sudden do you care about what it is that I'm doing? This has nothing to do with you!"

Nightmare Moon chuckled. She enjoyed frustrating her host. Oh, but it does.

"And how so?"

Let me answer your question with a question. Why are you so determined to help her?

Luna furrowed her eyes, not wanting to respond to her inner nuisance, but decided to go ahead and play along.

"Why do you ask?"

Well, considering the fact that your so-called friend returned after a thousand years, overthrew this pathetic kingdom, and managed to return to her former self, it all just seems very familiar.

"It's just... I don't want her to live with the guilt of being some pony that would harm others. I don't want her to go through what I've been through."

It may be too late for that now.

"What do you mean?"

Think about it, why is it that every time you go into your friend's dream, you're always blocked out.

Luna hated the fact that she was talking with one of the worst ponies to ever listen to, but she was on to something.

Do you honestly believe she purged the bad side of her? Look at me, every pony believes that I was completely vanquished by the wretched elements, and here I am talking to you.

Nightmare Moon recalled of the night she was supposedly defeated. As soon as the elements struck her, she made one last ditch effort. Using what little of magic she had left, she fell deep into Luna's mind while the elements purged her from Luna physically. Ever since that faithful day, She became a prisoner of her former host's mind and body, forced to do nothing more than to watch the world through Luna's eyes, or watch her memories of days past.

What are the odds that she may be under the same circumstances?

Luna hated to admit it, but she did have a point. But then again, Nightmare Moon was a master of deception, so she took everything her former self said to her with a grain of salt.

"You may perhaps be right, but I really shouldn't be listening to you. You're just a part of me that doesn't mean anything anymore. In all honesty, I am surprised you've remained a prisoner of my mind for this long. Nobody remembers you, and nobody knows who you are other than an old mare's tale."

Nightmare Moon gritted her teeth. She was literally dripping away. It won't be long until she completely disappears from existence.

Fine then, but don't say I didn't warn you. She retreated far back into the dark recesses of her mind. Luna rolled her eyes at that. She went on to continue her royal duties but yet couldn't stop thinking of what the wicked one was telling her. She knew she had to get to the root of the problem, and the sooner the better.

•••

Ever since her conversation with the nightmare within her, Princess Luna spent the next few weeks in the library. She went through all the books, scrolls, and tombs that related to magic and dreams. She wasn't surprised to find little to no knowledge beyond that of her own about the dream realm. She was, in fact, the very few who had power over the realm of sleep.

Going through every single library, from the ones in the palace to the city library where all ponies attended to gain knowledge.

After hours of studying day after day, she made little progress. Out of options, she decided to resort to a different approach, one that she dreaded to resort to.

Standing outside of an iron door, Luna pressed several buttons in a certain combination on a keypad lock. A minute passed with the sound of air being released from the air locks. Slowly, the metal door opened, revealing a room with shelves filled to the brim with scrolls. In the center was a large hourglass.

Luna slowly entered the Starswirl the Bearded wing, one of the most secured sections of the Canterlot archives.

She trotted passed the many scroll-filled shelves, until reaching the very back of the large library. Before her stood an empty wall, but after casting a spell only she and her sister knew, the wall opened, revealing a hidden passage, followed by torches lining the stone walls being lit one by one.

Slowly she stepped into the tunnel carved into the mountain while the opening in the wall closed behind her. It didn't take long for her to reach a small room at the end of the tunnel, which it too was filled with scrolls and spell books.

"Alright, there's bound to be a spell here to suit my needs," Luna said to herself as she trotted further into the room.

"She felt uncomfortable being in a room filled with an abundance of magical spells. She didn't like having to resort to more powerful, darker methods to solve her problems. This room was filled with spells that were made and confiscated from ponies with ill intentions long ago. Luna didn't want to use such powerful spells, only to have them backfire on her in some way. Once was bad enough, a second time would be shameful. Just the thought of having these spells fall into the wrong hoofs could lead to serious consequences.

But at this point, Luna was out of options. She was desperate to help her friend. She refused to let another pony suffer the way she has suffered

She rummaged through the countless number of scrolls looking for a certain spell in mind. It would prove to be a great challenge trying to find the right one.

What seemed like hours of searching, Luna found the spell she was looking for. Unrolling it, she read out loud the description of the spell

Nightmare Expel

Expels nightmares from the subject’s dreams. Has the ability to rid the body of all dark magic and other evil entities that may linger in the subject's body and soul.

There were so many possibilities running through the alicorn's mind. She was worried about what the outcome would be like, nevertheless, desperate times called for desperate measures. With any luck, both her friend and her sister will thank her for this.

•••

As the weeks passed, the night princess bided her time, gathering several materials here and there for the spell to work. She did all this in secrecy as to keep her sister from worrying and doing something she would regret.

The materials were ready; the moon was slowly rising. The time had come.

Standing in the middle of the throne room, using a piece of chalk, Luna drew a circle around her with her in the center. Next, she drew lines from one side of the circle to the other, forming a star with five points. She placed five bowls, one next to each point on the floor filled with special herbs that helped when some pony has trouble falling asleep.

Another bowl sat underneath Luna in the center. In order for the spell to work, it needed the blood of a living pony. With no one else around, Luna took it upon herself to make such contributions. Amongst her items used for the spell, she pulled out a small white dagger made from pure moonlight. She brought it up close to one of her legs. She bit her lip as she slowly made contact with the dagger and her left foreleg. Blood began to trickle down from her leg and into the bowl. She let her blood drip for a few seconds before putting the weapon down and quickly healing her injured leg.

With everything in place, it was time to do the last step, and that was to simply enter the dream realm. Inside her mind, the dark alicorn snickered quietly to herself, knowing exactly what the outcome of the spell would bring.

Her horn began to glow. The chalk lines on the floor glowed as well while the contents of the bowls erupted in a blue flame. In no time, Luna found herself in the dream realm.

•••

"Behold every pony, for I, Princess Twilight Sparkle, have brought before you the mare that troubled and destroyed your lives in over a thousand years. Behold, Princess Black Iron!"

Twilight was shocked at hearing that. When she looked down at herself, she saw that she wore armor as dark as night. It was in very bad shape. It had dents, scorch marks, and was torn to shreds with blood trickling out.

She refused to believe this was happening. She wasn't the mare she used to be, the mare that was standing right next to her taking her place.

Or was she?

Before she could make out whom it was; her imposter spun her around, meeting face to face.

"Are you ready to pay for those crimes you've committed?"

"But it wasn't-"

"SILENCE!"

Twilight was cut off, unable to finish her sentence. She saw her double form a magical dagger and levitated it closer to her neck.

She stared back with horror as death loomed over her. The dagger touched her neck and began to dig into her skin.

"Say goodbye, princess."

"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!"

"ENOUGH!!!" Luna cried in the royal Canterlot voice. As soon as she flew up to approach them, the world around her began to melt away into dark nothingness. As she approached the pair, she found her one obstacle that prevented her from helping her friend.

A barrier encompassed the two ponies like a bubble. They were unaware of what was happening on the outside. Now was the time for Luna to make her move. Calling on the magic of the spell, she used her horn to tear through the barrier. Both Twilights looked up and noticed the tear being made.

"What in the world is going on?" the other Twilight was shocked to see something tearing its way towards them. The two watched as Luna squeezed through the tear. Tears were flowing from her eyes, gritting her teeth in pain.

"Now... I have you... right where... I want you..." Luna struggled through the pain. The other Twilight realized what was going on as she stepped away from her counterpart on the ground.

"Princess Luna, I amazed you were capable of penetrating my little dream bubble. But it seems you are still too weak to deal with me."

"That's what you think!" Luna cried as she poured the last bit of magic she had into her horn, glowing with a blinding white light before a ray of it shot at the other Twilight. The force of the magic caught her off guard, causing her to stumble back.

"You think... you can stop me... without putting up a fight?!" The other Twilight yelled as she shot a beam of magic that was as dark as night, contrasting Luna's white light.

The two were at a stalemate until Luna slowly grew weaker with each passing minute, forcing her to use less and less magic. The darker Twilight noticed this and grinned as she slowly made her advance.

The real Twilight watched as the two fought each other in an inverse tug-of-war. She tried to get up and aid her friend but found it much too difficult to even get up.

Luna struggled to keep her magic up, but the exhaustion was slowly weakening her. In no time, the dark magic from the other Twilight was overwhelming her. Black slimy tendrils slowly wrapped around her hooves, slowly moving up her legs. Luna watched them climb up her body, unaware of what was happening.

In her mind, Nightmare Moon watched with anticipation at was happening to her host, for she knew exactly what was going on. She was not alone, though, as the evil Twilight watched with slight astonishment at what was happening.

"Now what have we here? It looks like you're getting weaker while I'm getting stronger, and my magic seems to be... contagious. You thought you could easily come into my realm and destroy me once and for all? Well, by the looks of it, soon you will be sharing the same gifts I posses, soon you will be striving to achieve the same goals, soon you will be just like me." She grinned evilly, watching the black tendrils wrapping around Luna's neck.

This was bad; there was no backing out now. The light from Luna's magic was growing dimmer and dimmer before suddenly, it too began to spew the same magic her adversary was throwing at her.

With tears flowing from her clenched eyes, she thought of the one last thing she could do.

"HELP! SOMEPONY!" she cried in hopes someone would hear her.

"It's too late for that now princess," the other Twilight teased.

Nightmare Moon could feel herself becoming stronger as she was coming in contact with her magic. She regained much of her physique while the shackles around her hooves were braking away.

Nothing could possibly ruin this for her.

•••

Outside in the real world, Celestia was already making her way to her bedchambers, exhausted after a long day, but as she was trotting by some windows, she noticed something rather peculiar.

Looking out, she saw bright flashing lights coming from the throne room. Something wasn't right.

After doing a complete turnaround, Celestia galloped through the halls of the palace, reaching the throne room in a matter of minutes. When she opened the doors, she saw the most shocking thing she had not seen in a long time.

Standing in the middle of the room was her sister slowly being engulfed by a cloud of darkness. Celestia knew exactly what was going on.

"HELP! SOMEPONY!" she cried. Celestia’s mind was racing. She had to do something.

Without thinking, she knelt her head down with her hooves firmly in place and fired a large, strong beam of magic at her sister.

•••

In the dream world, Luna was close to finally transforming into her nightmare counterpart, of course, that would have been the case had not a strong warm, magical surge washed over her entire body, burning away the black tendrils. Both Twilights shielded their eyes from the bright golden light radiating from Luna.

Luna felt stronger and almost at peace, until the spell she was still performing kicked in, combining with the magic Celestia provided from the outside. Strangely, however, it felt as if something was being ripped away from her. She screamed at the top of her lungs from the pain she was feeling.

From her horn, a beam of magic struck both Twilights, wrapping them in the same magic before yelling in pain from being torn apart.

•••

Outside, Celestia saw her magic breaking apart the cloud of magic that engulfed her sister. She could hear the screaming coming from within.

With her head pounding, Celestia continued pouring her magic at her sister in hopes of stopping whatever it is that wanted to claim her again.

The magic from Luna was weakening. However, as soon as the last shred of the dark magic was vanquished, the inside was overloading with magic.

It wasn't until the cloud finally blew out all of the magic from within, sending ripples of magic everywhere.

The magic from the blast threw Celestia at a nearby wall, falling to the floor afterward.

All of the golden magic rippled across Equestria, flooding all stretches of life in a curtain of light.

Back at the Crystal Empire, Twilight jumped out of bed screaming. She breathed heavily as sweat dripped from her forehead.

Her mind was going everywhere. She wasn't sure what she had dreamt of, which then reminded her of Princess Luna.

"Luna! She must be in trouble," but before she could do anything else, the curtain of magic had washed over her, enveloping her in a sphere of light. She felt the same tearing feeling from her dream as if some pony was ripping away a tumor from her soul.

As quick as it started, the magical curtain faded away, which sent Twilight flying across the room, hitting the wall and falling to the floor.

Everything hurt as if she was run over by a locomotive. She felt hollow inside like she was missing something.

In her blurred vision, she saw a pony shaped figure stumble its way towards the window. Upon reaching it, it stood there for a few seconds. Twilight could hear faint chuckling and a voice talking to her before the figure jumped out the window, vanishing into the darkness.

•••

Celestia slowly raised her head up from the ground, rubbing away at her headache. When her eyes lied upon her sister, she quickly got up and hurried over to her body on the ground.

"Luna, are you okay? Speak to me!" she pleaded, holding her sister's head in her hooves. While getting no response from her sister, she placed her ear up against her chest, hearing her steady breathing and heartbeat.

Celestia sighed with relief. Her sister was alive, unconscious, but alive. Before she could do anything else, Celestia heard moaning on the other side of the room. Turning to see where it was coming from, she couldn't believe her eyes.

Slowly rising up from the ground, Nightmare Moon threw her head up into the air, laughing maniacally into the night sky.

•••

Questions, Comments, Complements,
Any errors are accepted, there's always room for improvement!
Be sure to like and follow me both here and Twitter (@Pony3T)

Author's Note

I apologize for such a long absence. I had to find my motivation for writing again, which took a while. I will be trying to work on this story every now and then as usual so please give this story a like so that I can keep on going.

From your number one and three favorite pony

~Pony 03

Chapter 4: At What Price for Freedom?

Words could not describe how Celestia felt seeing her arch nemesis, the mare that sought for the eternal night and the downfall of a nation entirely, the mare that took her sister away, stand before her.

Across the room, Nightmare Moon examined her new body. Excitement surged through her being knowing she was on the physical plane. She arose from the ground, slowly approaching the two alicorns.

"Well well well, this is a sudden change in events." She glanced over to Celestia, a smile creeping on her face.

"Greetings Celestia, it's been far too long since we met last. Are you surprised to see me?" The princess grimaced. "Did you miss me, because I certainly missed you?"

"How could I've forgotten you?" Celestia replied.

"Oh, well it seems that once again I've been buried beneath history, only to be remembered as nothing more than an old mare's tale. I wouldn't have been surprised if even you had forgotten me, but I guess some things are best left forgotten."

Celestia rested Luna's head on the floor. Now the two alicorns stared at each other face to face. "Would you care to explain the reason as to how you stand here before me?"

Nightmare chuckled. "You can thank your beloved sister there," Celestia eyed her sister confusingly. "Why so?" she asked.

"Before your precious pupil and her rotten friends blasted me with the dreaded elements, I managed to slip deep into Luna's mind. She has kept me a prisoner of her subconscious for a long time. It wasn't until she decided to use a much more darker approach to help her friend, which indeed backfired marvelously. I would have taken complete control of her body had you not intervened, but given the outcome, I must say I'm quite pleased with the results." Nightmare said in admiration.

"WellI I hope you had not planned to get thoroughly acquainted with your new physique."

"Please, after your little interference, I doubt you would have enough strength to defeat me."

She had a point there. Saving Luna did quite a number on her magic. With any luck, she might be able to deflect anything the nightmare could through at her, at least for a while.

With that, Nightmare Moon lowered her head, aiming her horn at Celestia. She took a defensive stance, clenching her eyes against whatever it is that would be thrown at her.

A minute passed, and nothing happened.

Opening her eyes, Celestia noticed something strange. Nightmare Moon struggled with her magic. Small sparks came out from her horn. With her eyes clenched shut, her teeth grinding, and the veins in her head throbbing, it was obvious she was having difficulty getting anything more than a spark to come out.

After a couple of minutes of excruciating difficulty, Nightmare gasped for breath from the exhaustion. "What's going on?" She tried to get her mane to fire off a lightning bolt; only to get a few sparks and shocks from it as well. While this was happening, Celestia tried to make sense of it before it finally hit her.

"What happened to my magic?!" furry rose from her Nightmare's voice. Celestia chuckled at her disdain.

"It's not your magic."

Nightmare raised an eyebrow at that. "Excuse me, but could you repeat that?"

"It was never your magic to begin with. It was Luna's magic that you've wielded in the past. You just so happened to have tainted it."

"That... that's not possible!"

"Any magic that was truly yours must have been used up to give you your new physical form, hence why your magic is only as high as a growing unicorn filly."

Nightmare lowered her head, trying to process what she had just heard, but no! It can't be true. Why should she believe the pony she despised.

With one final attempt, she tried to get something from her magic but met with the same results. She breathed in heavily while her rage was boiling to the surface.

At last, she snapped.

"I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!!!"

Hollering in anger, Nightmare charged at the sun princess with her horn aimed at her in hopes of stabbing her at the very least. Instead, Celestia caught her in a magical grip, while lifting her a foot off the ground.

Seeing the predicament she was in; she thrashed around violently in the air trying to pry herself free. Celestia couldn't help but chuckle at seeing the kind of show Nightmare Moon was putting on from her perspective.

After quite some time, Nightmare calmed herself while letting her body fall limp in the air. Her head hung low, staring at her reflection on the well-polished marble floor.

"Well, I hope you finished that little act you just put on." Nightmare Moon couldn't bare to see the pony in front of her eye to eye. Not only did she robbed her of her magic, but she slowly chipped away at her dignity as well.

Taking in slow deep breaths to calm her nerves, she confronted the mare.

"It seems you have the upper hoof right now. I suppose you wish to defeat me once and for all. Please, feel free to smite me down while you can. I have nothing left loose." Nightmare dreaded to admit defeat, but right now, she was in the clutches of her adversary, feeling lower than a child who had committed an act of mischief.

Celestia stood there bewildered. Floating before her was the most twisted, cruel pony to ever come into existence. The mare that had taken her sister away from her and threatened to bring a never ending night was now nothing more than a minor threat. She thought of all the possibilities of what to do with her. Of course, the likely punishment would be banishment, being thrown into a dungeon, or banished then thrown into a dungeon in the place she gets banished to.

After much consideration, she rested on one final solution to deal with the problem before her, and with that, she would need some serious help.

•••

"Twilight... Twilight!"

Dozing in and out of consciousness, Twilight could barely make out a green blur in front of her, hearing her name echo in her head.

Emerald nudged her sister with her hoof in an attempt to wake her up. She slowly arose from the ground feeling dazed and weak.

"...what... what happened?" she asked groggily, feeling like she had been run over by a freight train.

"It's the princess Twilight! She wants you to go see her as quick as you can."

"The... princess... THE PRINCESS! I gotta go!" after snapping back into reality, she bolted out of the bedroom, not before going back and hugging her new sister and saying goodbye.

She exited the castle and took off into the air towards Canterlot. However, exhaustion quickly came to her. She felt weak for some reason, but could not place her hoof on why? Due to her sudden weakness, she barely made it to the train station.

"May-... maybe I'll take the train there."

•••

As the train pulled into a stop at the Grand Central Station of Canterlot, Twilight took off towards the castle, having been able to recuperate as much as she could on her ride there.

It didn't take long for her to reach the royal palace. From there, she made her way inside and through the halls, dodging castle staff moving to and fro. She arrived outside of the throne room, which appeared empty compared to the rest of the castle. As she was about to knock on the door to announce her presence, Celestia exited the throne, closing the doors quickly behind her so as to prevent her friend from seeing inside.

"Twilight, I'm so glad to see you."

"It's a pleasure to be here your majesty. What's going? Is Canterlot in trouble, Equestria under attack, or is there an evil monster that needs to be dealt with?"

The princess raised her hoof so as to silence the young mare.

"Allow me to alleviate your troubles by explaining to you the situation."

Twilight nodded.

"Now, let me begin by asking you a question. Do you remember Nightmare Moon?"

Twilight was struck back by such a strange, random question. "Of course I remember Nightmare Moon. She was what Princess Luna became due to her jealousy of you. My old friends and I were the ones that defeated her and brought back your sister. How could I forget?"

"That's Very good Twilight," Celestia responded.

"Pardon me for saying, but why are you asking me such question all of a sudden?"

"Follow me, and you will understand why."

Celestia turned and led Twilight into the throne room. Upon entering, she could not believe her eyes were showing her. Standing in the middle of the room was, in fact, Nightmare Moon.

With a gasp, Twilight stepped back in shock. Her mind was racing while being flooded with confusion. She could not believe what her eyes were seeing.

"N-nightmare Moon?!" she studdered.

"Well well, if it isn't Twilight Sparkle. We meet again I presume," Nightmare said to the mare before for her. The one that defeated her and deprived her of her endless night. As soon as she first laid eyes on her, she could feel the hatred spark up deep inside her. If she could, she would destroy her right then and there, but with her magic weak and the sun princess standing in between them, all she could do was stand there and watch her arch nemesis cower before her.

"No, this can't be! You're not supposed to be back here. My friends and I defeated you through the power of friendship! How could you be back? What have you done with Luna?!" Twilight said sporadically. At this point, she was on the verge of having a meltdown.

"Twilight, calm yourself. Luna is alright. She's resting in her bed chambers," the princess reassured her.

"But then, how in Equestria is she doing standing here?"

"Do you want to explain the whole story, or would you like me to."

Celestia ignored Nightmare before telling Twilight the whole thing. By the end, she was slowly taking in everything that was told to her.

"I guess that explains why I kept seeing Princess Luna in my dreams, but I can't believe the lengths she took just to help me." a wave of guilt washed over the young princess. "So now Nightmare Moon is here in our world once again, but with little magic." Celestia nodded while the Nightmare rolled her eyes aggravated.

"What do you plan on doing with her princess?"

"That is why I brought you here. I want you to reform Nightmare Moon."

"WHAT?!" both mares said in unison. Before Twilight could make any arguments, Nightmare Moon was already protesting the decision.

"You're kidding, you're right kidding right?! I would never let her poison me with her ridiculous friendship, especially not after what she did to me the last time we confronted each other!"

"Princess, may I speak with you in private?" Twilight interrupted. Celestia nodded as the two were heading outside the throne room, not before she wrapped the dark mare in her magic to prevent her from doing anything she will regret. After closing the doors to the throne room, Twilight went off on her.

"Princess, pardon me for saying this, but are you serious?! This is the mare that corrupted your sister and took her away from you for a millennia, and now that she's back you want to make her good? Nightmare Moon would rather chew broken glass then to be reformed, much less by me."

"I know this may come to you as a shock, but may I remind you that the whole reason as to why Nightmare Moon exists in the first place is because of all the jealousy and hatred towards me that Luna harbored within her, which is how the nightmare forces took control of her. It's because of me that she exists. Now that she has her body, I see this as a way of helping her not to be so angry and jealous of the world and hopefully see the light of friendship."

"I will admit, you do have a point, but still, she is the embodiment of jealousy. Reforming her would be like redefining the term jealousy itself. How would I be able to pull it off?"

"I do recall having you and your friends reform Discord who was the living embodiment of chaos, and in the end, he was somewhat reformed. I don't see this being any different."

"I'm not sure Princess. She didn't seem up to the idea when you mentioned it a while ago." Celestia held up Twilight's chin with her hoof.

"Trust me, as long as you have your friends by your side, and believe in the magic of friendship, I can guarantee you that you can accomplish anything."

Twilight took a deep breath, feeling a better sense of optimism. "Alright, if you say so. I vow to do whatever it takes to help Nightmare Moon."

Celestia smiled before pulling her friend in for a quick hug. The two went back inside the throne were they saw Nightmare Moon wandering her eyes around in boredom.

Celestia approached the mare. "Nightmare Moon, for all the crimes that you have committed, I now sentence you to go with Princess Twilight to Ponyville so you can go through the reformation process."

Nightmare Moon grunted upon hearing that. "I'd rather chew broken glass."

•••

Questions, Comments, Complements,
Any errors are accepted, there's always room for improvement!
Be sure to like and follow me both here and Twitter (@Pony3T)

Author's Note

Hey everypony! First off, I want to apologize for the long absence. The reason being is mostly because of school and other real life stuff. I had to put my priorities first, which caused me to lose interest and inspiration to keep this story going. Recently, though, I realized that there are a good number of people that enjoy these stories, so I decided to keep going now that I already have got several ideas floating around. I'd hate to see this story die so I will do my best to keep updating it, just not as frequently, though, so don't be surprised if the next chapter will come out in a few weeks to a few months. Thanks to everyone who has enjoyed both stories so far and for being patient. Don't worry, the story will live on, and I do hope it will turn out great!

Sincerely yours,

~Lightning Note

Chapter 5: Make Your Acquaintance

Soaring through the clear blue sky, the three alicorns sat in the sky chariot on their way to Ponyville. Not one of them had said a word throughout the entire journey. Nightmare sat away from the other two alicorns. She sat quietly while staring out into the Equestrian landscape.

Celestia cleared her throat out load to break the awkward silence between them. "So, quite a lovely day we're having. Wouldn't you agree?"

Twilight nodded. "It certainly is. The pegasi sure did a good job clearing the clouds away."

Nightmare Moon sighed as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh come Nightmare, you should consider lightening up."

"Why should I? I have no reason to," she replied to the sun mare. "If you want my honest opinion, this seems like a waste of time."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, there's little chance I would buy into your whole friendship thing. It would have been much easier if you had just banished me as you did before."

Both Celestia and Twilight stared at each other with concern.

"Don't be like that Nightmare. For once I am doing what I should have done so long ago, and that's me offering to help you, and this is it." Celestia said with ease to the dark pony sitting next to her.

"If so, why not do it yourself instead of having little Miss Friendship over there do it for you?"

Twilight frowned before looking down at herself and grunted.

"Believe me, if I weren't caught up in my royal duties, I would do just that, but Twilight here can do the same, so in a way, we are both helping you, plus this is a good way for both of you to get along. And who knows, after this, we may even consider ourselves sisters!" Celestia cheered excitedly

Nightmare turned furiously at her, staring straight at her eyes with fury on her face.

"Don't EVER, call me your sister, understand!" she said with gritted teeth. Celestia leaned back nervously. "Sorry."

Nightmare backed away from her, looking back away towards the opposite direction. The other two mares stared at her quietly, both in shock by the display.

"What's her problem? All you said was that you two could be sisters," Twilight whispered.

"I don't understand either. I mean, we are technically sisters, considering she was created from Luna's jealousy and my magic."

"I can hear both of you," Nightmare Moon called out, prompting the two to stop talking.

The rest of trip to Ponyville was quiet. Finally, the three reached the city library. The pegasus guards landed the chariot with gentle ease. The three alicorns stepped off in front of the staircase leading up to the building.

"Why don't you go and wait for me at the door?" Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes as she proceeded up the steps. As soon as she was out of earshot, Twilight motioned for the princess.

"I'm still uneasy about this princess. What if she tries to plot something?"

"Ease yourself Twilight. I'm confident in your abilities to help Nightmare Moon in her time of need," she lowered her head and whispered, "Besides, if she acts out, use the spell I told you to use." With a chuckle, Twilight nodded. With a final goodbye, the princess got on her chariot, and the pegasus guards took off into the sky.

Climbing up the steps of the library, Twilight met with the dark alicorn, who was looking up at the sky in the direction the princess flew. The lavender alicorn cleared her throat to gain the former's attention.

"Anyway, welcome to my humble abode. I hope you'll find your stay here quite pleasant."

"Hmm, we'll see." Nightmare made her way inside the library. Twilight stood there astonished. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Afterall, this was the first day, and so would still need to acquaint herself.

As the two entered the library, they were both greeted by the grand dragon Spike rounding the corner of one of the many large shelves into view.

"Hey Twilight, how was your-" his words were caught in his throat at the sight of the tall pony next to his friend. A mix of shock and anger crossed his face.

"I-is that..."

"Spike, I'd like you to meet Nightmare Moon."

Nightmare Moon eyed the massive creature before her. She recalled the memory of when she first saw the dragon, but much smaller and more cowardly towards her. Now, however, wasn't the case.

He lowered his head close to the two ponies, his large mouth a couple of feet away from them. "And just how is it she's standing here next to you?"

"It's a long story, but she's here because the princess has granted me the task of reforming her!"

Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes at that. "As if that would ever happen," she said beneath her breath. The little alicorn snorted at the remark.

Spike raised his head back up away from the two. "Well personally, I think that's a terrible idea. The princess should have banished her to the moon like last time."

"I actually would have preferred banishment than reformation if it were my decision." Twilight quickly stood in between the two.

"The princess is confident in my abilities and my knowledge in friendship. She wouldn't have asked me to perform such task if she knew I wasn't ready. I'm sure we'll make great progress in the next coming months, or weeks if we're successful!"

Spike snorted. "Alright, but she better not start any trouble, cause I got my eyes on her," he said motioning his claws between his and the alicorn's dragon eyes.

"Don't worry Spike; I'm sure everything will turn out smoothly," Twilight reassured.

"Oh yes, as if I can cause so much trouble with the magic of a young foal," Nightmare said.

•••

Twilight paced outside the front entrance of the library, stopping at first sight of her friends arriving up the steps.

"Twilight, we got your message! Everything alright?" Softheart asked behind her blue mane.

"Thank you for coming here everypony. I'm sure you're wondering why I've called all of you here."

"Uhh duh! It said so specifically that it was urgent and to come here quickly," Aurora Flash quipped.

"I know, and I understand, but before I tell you the extent of what is going on, I must ask you all a question. Who here has heard of Nightmare Moon?"

The five mares looked at each other with uncertainty; at least until a particular white pink-haired pony waved her hoof around. "Oh oh, me me me!"

"Yes, Sweetie Pie?"

"She was an evil pony whom Princess Luna turned into to try to bring about an eternal night until she was defeated and banished to the moon!" the hyperactive mare said.

"But that's just an ol' mare's tale. How does that have ta do with anythin'?" Appleseed remarked.

"That's right, but I think it would be better if I showed you," Twilight smiled as motioned her friends to follow her inside. Upon entry, all five ponies stopped dead at the sight of Nightmare Moon. She was glancing at some books on a shelf while Spike spied on her, peeking from around the corner.

"Nightmare Moon, could you come over here please?" the dark alicorn turned and approached the six ponies. "Nightmare Moon, I'd like you to meet my friends. Girls, this is Nightmare Moon." Twilight said introducing each other.

"Charmed," she said extending a hoof to Twilights friends. With that, they all screamed and ran in all directions in a panic frenzy. Nightmare stepped back shocked at such a reaction.

Twilight, facehoofing at the sight before her, used her magic to stop her friends in their tracks. She gathered them back together where they initially were, suspended over the ground. "Alright, everypony calm down. No need to make a mountain out of a molehill here."

"Twilight, darling, you do realize that she's one of the evilest ponies legends have ever told?" Elegance squarely asked her.

"That is true. However, she isn't as powerful as she once was. She's... tame." Nightmare Moon felt salt pouring on her wound. "If she even thinks about trying to hurt any of us, I'll be ready to make sure she doesn't."

"And how do ya plan on doin that?" Appleseed asked.

"By keeping her in a magical lock like what I'm doing to you all right now!"

"Well Twilight, that's fine and dandy, but would you mind puttin us down now?"

"Oh right! sorry." Twilight blushed before dropping her friends to the ground with a thud. The five slowly got up to recollect themselves. Aurora was the first to go up to her.

"So Twilight, now that you've introduced us to Nightmare Moon, could you please explain why we're here with her?"

"That's why I brought you all here. Princess Celestia has bestowed upon me the task to help reform her, and I need your help in doing so."

"WHAT?!" the five mares blurted out while all six of them erupted into a heated argument.

Meanwhile, Nightmare Moon stared at them as she kept to herself and her thoughts.

Hmm, it seems Twilight Sparkle is truly committed to doing this. She's wasting her time honestly. There's no hope for me to fall for her magic of friendship. But then again, this is the mare that had accomplished so much through said magic, especially with her friends. If only my magic weren't as weak as a foal's, then I wouldn't be dealing with this. Then an idea struck her. Perhaps if I play along to this friendship charade, then it would bring their guards down, leaving me with time to figure out a way to replenish my magic. By then it will be too late! Nightmare lightly grinned at the idea. Soon she would get what she wanted long ago, even if it meant for her to swallow her pride.

After arguing for several minutes, Nightmare Moon cleared her throat, ending the banter amongst the six mares. "Sorry to interrupt, but I believe arguing won't get us anywhere."

Twilight blushed before composing herself. "Hee hee, sorry. Anyway, as I said before, I am confident that we'll help you see what friendship can do!"

"Yes, I am quite eager to learn about this... friendship. Shall we get started?"

"Of course, I like your enthusiasm already! Now before we get started, I would like to comment on your name though. No offense, but Nightmare Moon doesn't come off as friendly."

Nightmare stood shocked. "But my name is meant to strike fear and terror into the hearts of many, and to represent the night that they've so long neglected!"

"Right, as I stated, it's not very friendly. I think it would be wise to change it to something nice and simple."

Nightmare Moon did everything she could to control her temper. She'd continuously repeat in her head to play along with the charade. Meanwhile, Twilight debated with her friends what Nightmare's new name should be.

"So, any suggestions?"

"Oh oh! how about Queen Meanie? No- Black Snooty! Black Snooty!" Appleseed shoved her hoof into Sweetie's mouth.

"Sweetie Pie, those are terrible names. We're trying to make her appear friendly, not scary." Twilight turned to peek at the dark mare, who was strangely fidgeting with her hooves. Then her gaze fell upon her starry mane; it was a stellar sight. "We could name her Stellar. It suits her perfectly. Stellar Moon."

"I think it sounds friendly. I mean, if you all agree that is," Softheart said. All six mares agreed amongst each other before returning to the dark alicorn.

"Nightmare Moon, we've decided that your new name should be Stellar Moon." Twilight declared happily.

"Hmm, how original. Stellar Moon. It sounds like the name a pony would give to their pet."

"Anyway, it's meant to be the first step to help you come off as a more friendly mare to others."

"Sorry to interrupt, but may I add my own piece on this?" Elegance stepped up to the two alicorns.

"Certainly Elegance, what do you have in mind?"

"It has to do with her armor. No offense darling, but metal isn't friendly, nor is it what most would deem fashionable."

That was where Stellar drew the line. "Oh no! You may alter my name, but I refuse to let you alter my appearence. My armor is an important part of me; it represents my power and strength."

Twilight instantly saw flashbacks of her time in armor. Shaking her head vigorously, she refocused her attention on the situation.

"Elegance is right. The armor is too menacing."

"Hmm, the princesses are allowed to where their regalia. Why is it I can't weat my armor like regalia?"

Twilight didn't care at this point; she just wanted to change subjects. "Fine, but one condition; the helmet has to go."

Stellar took a deep breath and sighed. "Very well then." With that, she fell to her haunches and slowly brought her hooves up to her helmet, proceeding to remove it. Once the metal helmet was off her head, the six mares were stunned at Stellar's appearance. Her forelock fell between her eyes much as Luna's did.

"Wow, she looks a lot like Princess Luna, except a lot more darker." Aurora Flash whispered to Appleseed. Stellar, however, managed to hear what was said and her frustration reached a boil.

"Don't compare me to that weak foal!"

Aurora shrunk down from her position. Twilight immediately got in between the two, using her magic to move Stellar back.

"Calm down every pony. No need to let our tempers get the best of us," she said in reference of Stellar Moon. She rolled her eyes at that.

"Look, it's getting late, and it's been a long day as well. Perhaps we should continue our lessons in friendship tomorrow."

With that, her friends each gave their farewells before departing the library, leaving the two alicorns alone.

"Well Stellar Moon, since I hadn't planned on having another pony stay here, would you please excuse me while I find a room for you to sleep in?" Twilight smiled nervously before trotting off deeper into the library.

Stellar Moon, all alone now, except for Spike secretly keeping an eye on her, looked down at her helmet, seeing her reflection on the metal. She huffed at herself before dropping it, letting it clang on the floor. Even though she had her own body, she was still in many ways still attached to Luna. Now she couldn't even look at herself without being reminded of her former host.

This is going to be much harder than I anticipated.

•••

After a while of waiting while browsing at the many books the library contained, Twilight returned covered in dust and scuff marks.

"Sorry it took so long. I had to reorganize a lot of stuff, but I finally have your room ready! Follow me."

Stellar Moon sighed as she followed the purple alicorn. A flight of stairs and a long hallway later, they arrived at a door at the end of the hall. Using her magic, Twilight opened it revealing the fairly large room, big enough to fit the large alicorn. The room itself didn't have much in it, except for a desk, a lamp, a nightstand, and stacks of books made into the shape of a bed, with a pillow and sheet. More were stacked along the walls.

"I know it's not much, but it's all I could work with for the time being."

"It's... it's quite alright." Stellar said half-heartedly.

"Don't worry, soon I'll get an actual bed for you, but in the meantime, I hope you like books as much as I do!" Twilight said as she started to trot off. "Oh! Before I forget, I'm making dinner tonight. You're welcome to join us if you'd like."

"I'll pass on your offer. I just wish to be alone."

"Alright then, whatever you wish. Just remember, no funny business."

"With magic like mine, you wouldn't have to worry." With that, Stellar disappeared into her room and closed the door. Twilight sighed as she trotted off.

Within the room, Stellar climbed on top of the makeshift bed and lied her head on the pillow. She looked up at the ceiling as she lost herself in thought.

We'll just see who succeeds in overcoming who. Once my magic is at full capacity Twilight Sparkle, you will regret ever trying to befriend me. Soon you will see I am not a force to be reckoned with.

Nightmare Moon chuckled to herself at the thought of what she would do. What she would soon do.

•••

Questions, Comments, Complements,
Any errors are accepted, there's always room for improvement!
Be sure to like and follow me both here and Twitter (@Pony3T)