Recurring Nightmare

My dearest Twilight Sparkle,

You and your friends must come to the castle as soon as possible. We have need of the Elements of Harmony once again.

Your ever watchful mentor

Princess Celestia

“So you got a letter from the princess,” Zero Volt said after he finished reading. “And you’re showing me this because…”

“The princess needs us immediately, and it’ll take hours to get to Canterlot by train or hot air balloon,” Twilight said. Zero Volt stood there and raised a eyebrow at her. “Ugh, you have to teleport the six of us to Canterlot castle, now!”

“But I’ve never been to Canterlot,” he said.

“Well then we’ll hold you by the hoof so you don’t get lost,” Rarity said. “Now let’s get going.”

“Girls, in order to teleport somewhere, I have to picture that location in my mind,” he explained. “That means I have to have been there before, or at least see it from where I’m standing.”

“Oh… so then you can’t help us,” Twilight said.

“Apparently not.”

“What if you had a picture of Canterlot?” The other ponies turned to the direction the voice came from. “Um, it’s just a thought,” Fluttershy said, “but if you look at the image and thought of that place in the picture, maybe you could teleport there.”

“Great idea, Fluttershy.” Pinkie Pie shouted. “Alrighty then, we’re off to the train station!” The other ponies gave Pinkie a bemused look. “So that we can look through their travel brochures and find a good picture of Canterlot.”

“Or we could just dig through one of my photo albums,” Twilight said. Twilight strained herself as she used her magic, and the seven of them were teleported to the library with a large magenta flash. “Spike, bring me all the photo albums you can find!”

“Wait a minute,” Rainbow Dash said. “You used your magic to teleport us here so we can find a picture so that Volt can teleport us to Canterlot. Why can’t you just teleport us to Canterlot?”

“I’d rather she didn’t,” Zero Volt said. “Getting caught in one of Twilight’s teleportation spells is really jarring.”

“I’ll admit your teleportation is a bit smoother, but I wouldn’t call mine jarring,” Twilight said. She noticed Spike walk into the room with a stack of albums in his hands. “Spike, we need a picture of Canterlot, preferably as close to the castle as possible.”

Spike dropped the albums. “Why not use that one?” he said, pointing to a row of framed pictures on a shelf.

“Oh yeah,” she said. She lifted one of the pictures and floated it in front of Zero Volt. “It’s from my brother’s wedding.” Zero Volt studied the photo carefully, first getting a look at all of his friends, then at Shining Armor and Cadance, and finally at the location where the picture was taken. “Do you think you can get us to Canterlot with this?”

“Who knows, if there’s any other place in Equestria that looks like the wedding reception, he could send us there instead,” Pinkie Pie said, tilting her head up and holding her hoof to her muzzle. “Or he could send us inside the picture… or maybe he could send us back in time! We could stop the changeling invasion, and then we can hang out with ourselves from the past! We could enter a look-alike contest with ourselves!”

“I find it amazing that she can go off on a tangent while she’s already going off on a tangent,” Zero Volt remarked, still studying the photo. “Alright, I think I can get us there. Everypony grab on and let’s go.”

“If we’re going to Canterlot, then I’m coming too,” Spike said.

“This isn’t a social visit, Spike,” Twilight said. “Something’s threatening Equestria again, and the princess needs our help to fight it. It’s too dangerous for you.”

“So what? You’ll just use the Elements of Harmony and blast it halfway across the planet,” Spike said. “There’s no danger at all.”

“Little guy’s got a point there,” Rainbow Dash said. “Besides, it's not everyday we get to see them in action. Come to think of it, Volt's never seen them at all.”

Once they were all ready, Zero Volt focused on the location in the picture and teleported the eight of them. A green flash enveloped their vision for a split second, and when it faded, they were no longer standing in the library. “It looks like we’re in the right place,” Twilight said, checking her surroundings and noticing the castle. “Come on, Princess Celestia is waiting for us.”

They ran toward Canterlot Castle, and after a few minutes, they arrived in the courtyard. “Hey, what’s with those clouds up there?” Rainbow asked. She pointed to several thunderclouds that were floating above the castle.

“It might be a new emergency alert system for the city,” Rarity said. “I just hope it’s experimental; it looks so out of place.”

“Whatever it is, I hope it doesn’t say anything about what’s happening inside the castle,” Twilight said.

The sun had set below the horizon when they arrived, and Celestia was waiting for them at the front doors. “I’m glad you could make it so quickly,” she said. “Zero Volt, nice to meet you again. Now everypony go in. I’ll explain everything inside.” Luna was waiting for them inside as they entered the castle. Zero Volt continued ahead of the rest of them, walking closer to Luna as he scanned the foyer. “Luna, you remember Twilight Sparkle and her friends, and this is Zero Volt, the colt I told you about.”

“WE ARE PLEASED TO MAKE THINE ACQUAINTANCE!” Luna said. She noticed that Zero Volt had been blown back a few feet by her greeting, and he was shielding himself with his bracelet. “Sorry, old habits… was I really that loud?”

“You could stand to lose a few decibels,” Zero Volt said, the wings of his bracelet folding as he put his foreleg on the ground.

“Everypony, we need to focus,” Celestia said. “Nightmare Moon has returned.”

Luna’s expression filled with guilt as she looked at the other ponies in the room. Pinkie Pie and Rarity looked at her in shock with their mouths wide open. Rainbow Dash and Applejack glared at her, ready for a fight. Twilight and Fluttershy’s expressions showed concern and sympathy more than anything else. But Zero Volt… Zero Volt raised an eyebrow and gave her a quizzical look. “Who?” he asked.

“A long time ago, after Celestia and I restored harmony to Equestria, we took our places as its co-rulers. Celestia raised the sun and ruled during the day, and I raised the moon and ruled during the night,” Luna explained. “But our subjects thrived during the daylight and rested during the nighttime, and according to the legend, I grew envious of my sister. I started calling myself Nightmare Moon and threatened to plunge Equestria into perpetual night. Celestia was forced to imprison me for a thousand years before the Elements of Harmony could return me to normal.”

“Where have I heard this before?” Zero Volt asked himself quietly.

“But now the evil presence known as Nightmare Moon has reappeared,” Luna continued. “Even as we speak, I can sense her in the Everfree Forest, making her way toward Ponyville.”

“She’s in the Everfree Forest?” Applejack said. “Ah thought she was in you.”

“Luna and I came to the conclusion that she was possessed by the creature that called itself ‘Nightmare Moon’,” Celestia said. “I thought the Elements had vanquished this spirit, but clearly it’s still alive.”

“If you were possessed by this being, does that mean that you were never jealous of Princess Celestia to begin with?” Twilight asked.

“I’ll admit that I was a bit envious of Celestia at first. She always talked about how joyful and lively the ponies were during the day,” Luna recalled. “One day, I decided to stay up through the morning and afternoon to observe our subjects. On that afternoon, I saw the citizens go about their daily labors, and every once in a while they would quarrel with one another. But at night,” she said dreamily as she closed her eyes, “everypony drifted off into slumber, and the world became so peaceful, so serene. It was… sublime. A thousand years later, the nighttime hasn’t lost its charm and beauty. Sister, you may keep the day, but I love the night, and I always will.”

“Now you’re starting to make me jealous,” Celestia joked. “But enough talk, we need to stop Nightmare Moon before she threatens Equestria again. I trust that each of you brought your Elements.”

“Yeah, the nighttime is great and all, but I wouldn’t want to spend all day in it, and I definitely don’t want Nightmare Moon ruling over us,” Spike said.

“Don’t be naïve, Spike,” Luna said. “Nightmare Moon is not trying to conquer Equestria. She’s trying to destroy it.” Everyone in the room looked at her. “Despite anypony’s preference, day and night are both equally important. Without the sun’s warmth, the world would be too cold to live in, but without the periodic reprieve that the moon gives, the sun would scorch the planet. Nightmare Moon may have manipulated me through my emotions, but her goal is death and destruction, not conquest.”

Zero Volt watched as five of his friends each revealed a gold necklace with a jewel embedded in it and placed them around their necks. Twilight Sparkle lifted a tiara adorned with a star-shaped jewel with her magic and placed it on her head. “So let me get this straight,” he said incredulously. “We going up against a centuries-old, omnicidal monster… and we’re going to fight her with a jewelry collection.”

“These are the Elements of Harmony, Zero Volt,” Celestia said. “They are the most powerful magic in all of ponydom. That is what we’re using to fight Nightmare Moon.”

“And you gave the Elements of Harmony to the six of them?” he said.

“Yes, your six friends are the chosen bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and only they can use them effectively,” Celestia said. “That is why I called them here.”

“Cool. So Nightmare Moon’s in the Everfree right now?”

“Yes, but she is very close to the outskirts of Ponyville,” Luna said. “You must leave now and intercept her before she can cause any damage.”

“Alright then,” Zero Volt said. “Girls, we’re heading out.” He waited for the six mares to go near him before teleporting all of them back to Ponyville.

“Sister, do you trust that colt?” Luna said, now that they were alone.

“Not entirely,” Celestia said, “but Twilight and her friends do, and for now that’s enough.”

* * * * * * * * * *

The eight of them approached the Everfree Forest with Spike sitting on Twilight’s back. Along the way, the mares were explaining the nature of the Elements of Harmony to Zero Volt. “So it’s honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, loyalty and… magic?” The others nodded at him. “That last one is a little out of place, don’t you think? The other five Elements correspond to virtues, but magic… it sounds like that one is just raw power.”

“I’m glad you brought that up,” Twilight said, ready to go into lecture mode. “I believe that magic, as one of the Elements, symbolizes the bonds that ponies share with each other in their hearts. In the last three years, I’ve seen cases of magic being amplified by those types of bonds. As virtues, the other five Elements promote good relationships, which in turn can strengthen a spell immensely. I’ve even seen one case in which a spell was amplified by romantic feelings. You’re half-right, though. On its own, magic is just raw power that just about anypony can use, but that magic becomes so much stronger when it’s fueled by the bonds of friendship or love.”

“Twilight,” Rainbow said, “that would’ve sounded so lame if you weren’t trying to talk like an egghead.”

“Shut up, Rainbow,” Twilight said.

They reached the edge of the forest, with Fluttershy’s cottage half a mile to the south. As they stood there, dozens of small animals scurried away from the forest, trying to escape from the menace that was about to emerge. Once the animals had run past, the eight of them heard a chilling laughter coming from the forest. Moments later, Nightmare Moon appeared in front of them, looking as she did three years earlier. “It’s been a long time, Twilight Sparkle, and I see you brought the Elements of Harmony with you. I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate my return.”

“I forgot to plan a homecoming party,” Pinkie Pie said with a facehoof. Applejack placed her hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder and shook her head, telling her that a party wasn’t appropriate under the circumstances.

“You sound smug Nightmare Moon,” Twilight said. “We both know how this ended last time. It won’t end any differently this time.”

“Nightmare!” Zero Volt said. “I should’ve known it was you!”

The six young mares each gave a loud “Huh?!” when they heard what he said.

“And I should have known that you would align yourself with the bearers of the Elements of Harmony,” Nightmare Moon said. “But since you’re here, I won’t need this look anymore.” Nightmare Moon’s armor shattered as a black aura surrounded her. Within seconds, her mane, tail, and wings were enveloped in orange and gray flames, and her irises changed to a deep red hue. Her cutie mark, originally identical to Luna’s, had changed to depict a large magenta jewel with a black pair of wings and horn at the center.

“Volt, you know her?” Twilight asked. “I thought you’d never even heard of Nightmare Moon.”

“Long story, I’ll explain later!” he said, still glaring at the transformed monster before them.

“Oh, we have plenty of time for explanations before your demise,” Nightmare Moon said. “Let’s start with name ‘Nightmare Moon’. I only went by that name when I possessed your Princess Luna. It’s a simple naming system, but you can just call me ‘Nightmare’ from now on.”

“I don’t care what you want to be called,” Rainbow Dash said. “Twilight, we have the Elements and she’s right there, so let’s turn them on full blast and fry her already!” Twilight activated the Element of Magic, and the other young mares focused on their respective Elements. The six of them rose above the ground, and seconds later, two multicolored bands of light shot at Nightmare, weaving around each other in a helical pattern. The bands of light reached Nightmare, and the spot she stood on erupted in a bright multicolored light.

Meanwhile, Spike was standing on Zero Volt’s back, and the two of them were watching in awe. “Whoa, do the Elements of Harmony always create a light show like this?” Zero Volt asked. “I bet Dash would be proud to pull this off at the end of one of her stunts.”

The explosion of light continued for almost a minute. The six mares returned to the ground as the Elements of Harmony deactivated. They looked at each other and smiled, acknowledging a job well done. Once again, a major threat to Equestria was thwarted, and for once it was done quickly and effortlessly.

Then they heard laughter from within the explosion of light. They turned back and watched in horror as the light faded away and Nightmare came into view, completely unscathed. “You asked me why I was so smug before. It’s because I’m immune to the Elements of Harmony!” she said. “Why else would I have taken so long to emerge from lunar exile? What else could I have possibly been doing up there?” A black fog surrounded her as she spoke. Eventually the fog subsided, and Nightmare took on a form similar to Rainbow Dash. Her recreation was identical to Rainbow’s appearance, except for black veins visible through her cyan coat, and darker colors in her mane and tail.

“I thought you were waiting for the alignment of the stars,” Twilight said.

“The stars? Those were little more than my personal egg timer,” Nightmare said.

“Hey girls, quick question,” Zero Volt said. “When the most powerful magic at your disposal fails miserably, what else is there?”

“I-I don’t know,” Twilight stammered.

“Oh goody, now we get to do this my way!” he said as he glared at Nightmare.

“Hold on,” Nightmare said, perfectly mimicking Rainbow’s voice while adopting an anxious tone. “You’re going to attack me, just like that? I thought we were friends.”

“Rainbow Dash is right behind me,” Zero Volt said, “and I don’t think she’d respect me very much if I couldn’t tell her apart from some cheap copy.” He charged at Nightmare, leaving his friends behind as the two of them fought each other.

“I don’t understand. How could Nightmare overcome the Elements of Harmony like that?” Twilight said, still in shock.

“Maybe they’re not at full power,” Applejack said. “If what yah said about bonds and friendship is true, Rainbow Dash mighta weakened them when she called yah an egghead.”

“No, that’s not it,” Twilight said. “Rainbow’s annoying, but her heart’s always in the right place, we know that.”

“We don’t have to prove how much we represent our own Elements again, do we?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“We already embody our respective Elements,” Twilight said. “The Elements of Harmony are just as powerful as they were the last time we used them, but…”

“Maybe Nightmare was right,” Fluttershy said. “Maybe she is more powerful than the Elements of Harmony.”

Zero Volt teleported in front of them with his back turned and slid backward on his hooves. “Can’t you do anything for yourself, Nightmare?” he said. “It really shows how powerful you’re not when you copy the abilities of others.”

“And yet you’re the one who’s breaking a sweat,” Nightmare said. Zero Volt was panting slightly, and he was starting to get tired. “I guess that’s the difference between an ageless magical being like me and a mortal pony like you.”

“If that’s the case, then it’s time for me to shift gears,” Zero Volt said under his breath. He charged at Nightmare again. Nightmare dove at him, but Zero Volt sidestepped her while maintaining his acceleration. Moments later, he teleported to another part of the field, still charging at Nightmare.

“Looks like it’s time to do my best matador impression,” Nightmare said. Zero Volt was already galloping very quickly, and within moments he went into a Shinespark. He lifted off the ground and flew at Nightmare, who easily avoided him. Zero Volt stopped, turned around, and flew at Nightmare, but she dodged him a second time. “When I took on Rainbow Dash’s form, I absorbed more than just her abilities,” she said as she continued dodging his attacks. “I also absorbed her thoughts and memories, and she’s been watching you for some time now.” At that moment, winds began to circle around her, carrying a few small clouds with them. Once they were in front of her, she used her hooves to pack them into a ball. “She knows your skills, your fighting style, your attack patterns…” Zero Volt flew at her one more time, and as she swerved out of the way, she left the balled-up thunderclouds in his path. “And your weaknesses.”

The Shinespark deactivated as soon as Zero Volt collided with the balled-up thunderclouds. He fell out of the air and crashed into the ground, already unconscious. “Zero!” Fluttershy yelled, very audibly. She and the others watched as Zero Volt lay there broken and defeated.

“Alright, that’s it!” Rainbow Dash said. “Nopony does that to Volt. Not me and especially not you!” She spread her wings and flew at Nightmare, but stopped when Nightmare disappeared in a thick black fog. She watched as the fog floated toward the ground and took on a new form. ‘Really,’ Rainbow thought, raising an eyebrow, ‘you’re copying Spike now?’

Rainbow snapped out of it and prepared to attack, but before she could, wisps of black fog surrounded Nightmare’s limbs. Nightmare grew in size, and within seconds the form she took on was no longer that of a baby dragon. Her purple scales slowly turned black and started peeling. Rainbow’s jaw dropped and she floated back as Nightmare’s body towered over her, reaching adult size and replacing its scales with a black, spiky carapace. Once the fog disappeared, Nightmare grabbed Rainbow Dash out of the air. Keeping Rainbow Dash in her grip, she lifted her claw and slammed it into the ground with an open palm. She pulled her arm back and stood back up, leaving Rainbow Dash unconscious next to Zero Volt.

“Ah’m coming for yah, Rainbow!” Applejack said. Nightmare turned her attention to the other five mares and changed into a black fog again. The fog gathered itself it front of them, stopping Applejack from running to help Rainbow Dash.  Nightmare took on Zero Volt’s appearance next, but with black veins across its body and a deep purple on its bangs and sides instead of white.

The five of them started to back away, but black lines appeared on Nightmare’s head and sides, forming the outlines of a horn and wings. Glowing black spheres emerged from those outlines: two from the horn and one from each wing. The spheres floated above Nightmare’s head before taking on the forms of Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity. The bodies of these four duplicates were translucent, and their bones could be seen glowing in different colors: cyan for Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, yellow for Applejack, and green for Rarity. Moments later, the four copies flew at the originals, throwing them several feet back and knocking them out.

Twilight was the only one left standing, but before she could turn around to see if her friends were okay, Nightmare teleported behind her and kicked her with both hind legs. Twilight flew several feet, but before she could hit the ground, Nightmare teleported in front of her and kicked her horn. Twilight’s horn shattered on impact, and she landed next to Zero Volt.

Nightmare’s body changed shape one last time, mimicking Twilight Sparkle’s appearance, but with the usual black veins and black streaks in her mane and tail. She scanned the area around her, seeing the unconscious ponies surrounding her and laughed maniacally.