...Wake...
A horned mare with a dark blue coat slept in her lush bed. Her mane rested gently up on the pillow under her head, its texture appearing as a star-covered canopy against the dark night's sky.
"...You...it's...you..." she muttered, speaking subconsciously.
...Wake, my pawn...
The mare rolled over and her large wings unfurled from beneath the sheets. The mare was the Equestrian alicorn princess of the night, Princess Luna.
"...I...I am not your...slave..." she continued to argue with her own unconscious mind.
...Your mind belongs to me. I am the source of your power and your motivation. You tried to deny me but there is no true escape. Give in and accept reality.
Luna began to sweat profusely, clearly afraid of what dwelled within her dreams. She rolled over once more to try to fight off whatever was plaguing her.
"...Twilight...defeated you. She destroyed that part of...my magic!" Luna said, now more clearly and gradually beginning to gain consciousness. She gritted her teeth, as though she were trying to force her subconscious mind to repel the unwanted thoughts.
It is futile! There is no choice; I will reclaim what Twilight Sparkle has cost me and you will do my bidding!
"NO!" Luna shouted, sitting straight up in bed, now fully awakened by her rejection of her dream. However as soon as she rose to full consciousness, a shadowy black energy began to seep out from behind her eye. "S-stop!" she cried, closing her eyes tightly and trying her best to regain control. "I...I...can't...AAAAAHHH!!!"
Within the laboratory of Star Swirl the Bearded the great unicorn sorcerer was indulged in an experiment. He levitated a beaker to his eye and sloshed the fluid inside.
"Hm..." he mused. "Perhaps a different ratio..." he said to himself. The beaker gradually lowered onto a table and was released from the magical power that grasped it. He levitated a pencil from within the pocket of his star-patterned robes using his unicorn horn and began jotting down some notes about his observations on a nearby tablet.
Before he was able to modify his chemical concoction, the wooden doors to his laboratory burst open. "What?!" Star Swirl exclaimed, caught by surprise by the sudden calamity. He whipped around and looked behind him and his eyes widened in horror.
Standing in the doorway was Princess Luna, who seemed to be struggling to control her own body. Violent wisps of the inky black power were uncontrollably manifesting themselves around her body. "S-sir!" she groaned, calling out to her mentor. "P-please help...help me!" Her teeth were clenched as she tried to push back the overwhelming entity that was taking control of her mind, her eyes ablaze with panic.
"Oh my goodness, Luna!" Star Swirl said, quickly assessing the situation. He charged his horn and fired a bolt of magical energy towards the princess. However the black energy that was enveloping the princess counteracted the magic and deflected it. "No!" he exclaimed in futility.
The swirling dark magic had gained enough form to engulf Princess Luna in a sphere of blackness. The swiftly-spinning energy managed to whip up a strong wind current in the room and began throwing objects around with no regard, scattering Star Swirl the Bearded's equipment and papers everywhere. Star Swirl held up his forehoof to protect his face from the gusts being created by the swirling energy.
The magic began to settle and receded around Luna's hooves. However, as it revealed the visage of the princess, her appearance had undergone a drastic change. Luna's graceful alicorn wings had given way to aggressive wings that came to a point at their tips. Her coat was no longer a dark blue but pitch black while the crest on her chest had transformed into a plate of armor bearing the icon of the crescent moon. The small metal guards she wore around her hooves had grown in size and now reached her shins while her head was encased in a helm that covered the back of her neck, the horn on her head having become much longer. The color of her eyes had changed from a soft white to a light blue while her pupils were now thin slits.
The alicorn laughed with a devilish glee, which echoed down the halls of Canterlot Castle. It was the deranged and chilling laughter of a tyrant.
"Mmhmm hmmhmm...ha ha ha...HA HA HA HA...AH HA HA HA!!!" She glanced at Star Swirl and grinned maliciously.
"Weak old fool..." she chided, unimpressed by Star Swirl's magical ability. The alicorn covered herself in a shroud of magical energy and vanished into nothingness, leaving Star Swirl alone in his now-destroyed laboratory.
"This is terrible..." Star Swirl said to himself in despair, shaken and disturbed by what he had witnessed. "How...?"
Author's Note
This story assumes an entire season took place between my last story and this one. So stuff happened and Twilight did some things that got her ready to become queen.
Chapter 1
Canterlot Castle, Throne Room
It was a quiet afternoon in Canterlot as Princess Celestia continued her tutelage of the queen-to-be Princess Twilight Sparkle. She was standing atop the pedestal where the two thrones of the princesses were situated while Twilight stood at the bottom and listened intently. Aside from the two guard ponies standing post at the large doorway at the far end of the throne room, there were no other ponies present, giving Twilight a private audience with her cherished mentor.
"Diplomatic situations come in many forms, Twilight," Celestia explained. "It's not simply enough to apply a mere template to. There are cultural aspects and personalities to take into account when attempting to negotiate with a foreign emissary."
"Pinkie Pie has acted as a diplomat on my behalf in the past," Twilight told Celestia. "But I would love to see how you operate!"
"Well, I do have a diplomatic journey to Saddle Arabia scheduled soon," Celestia said thoughtfully. "Perhaps you should joi-"
Celestia abruptly cut herself off as the sounds of a commotion could be heard from beyond the throne room doors. She tilted her head slightly as Twilight turned around to face the doors herself. The two guard ponies moved to open the door to investigate when suddenly they were flung open with a great force, knocking them away.
"What's going on?!" Celestia demanded to know. Beyond the doors to the throne room a long hallway could be observed but it appeared empty until a dark hoof stepped in from the right side of the doorway.
"Celestia...it has been some time..." a sinister voice remarked. The two guards collected themselves and attempted to charge at the unknown intruder but two bolts of cyan magic ended their hopes as they were blasted to the corners of the throne room and knocked unconscious. With the guards defeated, the attacker came into full view, prompting a gasp from Twilight and Celestia.
"It...it can't be..." Celestia managed to say as the initial shock wore off. She raised her hoof to her mouth in horrified awe.
"...Nightmare Moon..." Twilight finished for her mentor.
The inky black alicorn let out an evil laugh. "I am pleased to see you too, Twilight Sparkle, I assure you..." she said to the Princess of Friendship.
"How did you return?!" Twilight said, now readying herself for a fight. She took an aggressive stance and gritted her teeth. "We had separated you from Princess Luna!"
"I would love to explain, foal," Nightmare Moon said, the corners of her mouth curled into a vile smirk. "However for now, know that I am not here for you..."
"What then?" Celestia posed.
"Why...you, of course!" Nightmare Moon said. Before either could react, Nightmare Moon charged up another bolt of magical energy and shot it straight at Celestia, striking on the orange gem at the base of her neck piece.
"Ahh! What...are you doing?!" Celestia said, taken by surprise.
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight cried, reaching her hoof out helplessly. She turned back to face Nightmare Moon and shot a magical bolt of her own to disrupt the attack but her magic deflected off a black force field being generated around Nightmare Moon's hooves. Nightmare Moon grinned at Twilight while not relenting in her assault of Princess Celestia.
The gem on Celestia's neck could no longer withstand the stress of Nightmare Moon's magic and shattered. "N...no!" Celestia exclaimed, as if she knew what was going to happen next. Crimson flames emerged around Celestia's hooves and encircled the princess. "Not...again!" she cried helplessly. She clenched her eyes closed and tried to fight off something from within herself but was quickly losing the battle. The flames around her feet grew much stronger until they enveloped the princess inside a dome of pure magical fire.
"What did you do?!" Twilight said in despair. Nightmare Moon simply cackled with glee that her plan had succeeded. The flames surrounding Princess Celestia dispelled as quickly as they had arisen and in their place, an alicorn adorned in orange armor and a mane of fire stood before Twilight. Her teeth were now fanged and the color of her eyes had changed from a soft lavender to a blazing orange with the image of a candle's flame in her pupils.
"I'm...unsealed?" the armored alicorn said to herself. She quickly looked around the room and immediately was drawn to Twilight's presence. "You!"
"Daybreaker!" Twilight said in response, making eye contact with the white alicorn that had seemingly possessed Celestia.
"Why would you unseal me?!" she demanded to know, not expecting Twilight Sparkle to be her ally after their last encounter.
"Actually that would be me," Nightmare Moon interjected.
Daybreaker took notice of Nightmare Moon for the first time since she returned. "It's you..." she said, surprised to see Nightmare Moon standing before her. "You...did this?" she asked skeptically. She turned her head off to the side slightly and raised her eyebrow, disbelief clearly visible on her face.
"Yes," Nightmare Moon confirmed.
"Not exactly what I was expecting to learn today..." Daybreaker said, still unconvinced that Nightmare Moon was her benefactor.
"I am not particularly fond of you either, trust me," Nightmare Moon reassured Daybreaker, "but a good leader must be able to recognize a powerful asset. In a way call this my thanks for freeing me during your battle with Luna. Now that I walk the lands of Equestria once more I will see to it that things stay that way, at any expense."
"And so you needed me?" Daybreaker said, now grinning at her importance to Nightmare Moon. "What do I gain by working with you?"
"Think of it as...'mutually beneficial'," Nightmare Moon responded. "Last time you demonstrated quite the show but were still rendered ineffective by the Elements of Harmony." Daybreaker snorted and averted her eyes, recalling the last time she roamed Equestria and how it had ended. "That is why I am here; to ensure we both get what we want this time. Now is not the time to bicker when there are obstacles we share in common..."
"Well what I want right about now is to make a certain alicorn pay for ruining my day," Daybreaker said, now focusing on Twilight. She began to charge her horn with dark red magic.
"Oh, I know just what you speak of..." Nightmare Moon concurred. Her horn began to glow with a light blue magic as she too took aim at Twilight.
Twilight looked back and forth at the evil alicorns about to turn their magic on her. She panicked and quickly shielded herself in a magical bubble. Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker both fired at Twilight in the same instant. The magic bubble managed to protect Twilight but the collective power of both alicorns was quickly overwhelming her own magic.
"S-stop!" Twilight pleaded. "You aren't like this, you have to...fight back!" she begged the alter egos of Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker.
"Pitiful!" Nightmare Moon chided. "Luna will not hear you so long as I remain in control!"
Before their magic could completely engulf Twilight's shield, an unseen bolt of magical energy intercepted both and deflected them away from Twilight.
"Rragh!" Daybreaker growled at the interruption. "What is this?!"
Standing alongside Twilight was an elderly gray unicorn cloaked in a blue mage's robe. It was Star Swirl the Bearded.
"Star Swirl!" Twilight exclaimed, surprised to see who had come to her aid.
"This is even worse than I had thought," Star Swirl said, immediately noting Daybreaker's presence in addition to Nightmare Moon's. "Twilight, you need to get us out of here now!"
Twilight nodded then charged up her horn. "Oh no you don't!" Daybreaker said. She and Nightmare Moon powered up their own horns and once again fired at the pair in unison. Before their magic made contact, Twilight covered herself and Star Swirl in a magic sphere, which then blinked out of sight. The magic of the two alicorns clashed in the center of the room and left a patch of smoldering ground on the throne room floor.
"Where did they go?!" Daybreaker snarled angrily. She looked to her left and saw a balcony leading outside of the castle. Daybreaker walked to the lookout and glanced out over the castle lawn. On the ground, she saw Twilight Sparkle and Star Swirl reappear before running off together. "There you are..." she said in a low voice, her eyes narrowed in a malicious squint. Daybreaker opened her mouth and a large fireball appeared between her jaws. She was about to fire but was halted by Nightmare Moon holding her hoof in front of Daybreaker.
"What?! Why?!" Daybreaker demanded Nightmare Moon explain herself. She grimaced and looked Nightmare Moon in the eye.
"Leave them," Nightmare Moon instructed calmly. "Knowing Twilight Sparkle, this will not be our last encounter. For now, let us hedge our advantage." Her horn began to glow with magical energy.
Daybreaker nodded in understanding as she charged up her own horn. Together they shot beams of magic into the atmosphere above Canterlot. A magical shield formed above them and gradually began to expand over the capital city.
Twilight and Star Swirl ran across the lawn before stopping quickly and looking up and seeing the shield that was covering the sky above Canterlot.
"Oh no, they're trying to trap us!" Twilight said.
"Do not lose hope!" Star Swirl reassured her. "We need to get out of Canterlot before that shield covers the entire city!"
Twilight nodded. "I'll find Spike. You get out of the city and meet me at the outskirts," she instructed. Star Swirl nodded in response before galloping away. Twilight charged up her horn and teleported again.
In Twilight's study within the castle, a small purple dragon was carrying a stack of books across the room to be reshelved on the bookshelf at the far wall. He was quietly humming to himself when Twilight suddenly appeared in front of him, startling the dragon. "Ahh!" he exclaimed as he fell backwards with his stack of books tumbling all around him.
"Spike!" she said to the dragon in a hurried fashion.
"Twilight..." he groaned, mildly irritated by Twilight's rudeness. He rubbed his head as he picked himself up off the ground. "You could have just kn-"
"There isn't time to explain, we need to get out of Canterlot right now!" she urgently interrupted her assistant, pointing to the open window with her hoof. She spread her wings and took flight. "Come on! We have to go!" she urged Spike to do the same. Spike unfurled his own wings and flew up to meet her at eye level.
"But-!" Spike said. However before he could ask anything else, Twilight bolted out of the window and flew at breakneck speed across the skyline of the city. Spike could only groan in annoyance before following Twilight outside through the open window.
Twilight cut through the sky above Canterlot as Spike caught up to her. "What is going on?!" he shouted, demanding Twilight explain the situation.
"It's terrible, Spike," she told him. "Nightmare Moon has overtaken Luna again!"
"Nightmare Moon, seriously?!" Spike said in disbelief.
"Yes, she returned and freed Daybreaker! Now the two of them are working together to try to overthrow Equestria!"
"That's awful!" Spike said. He looked up and saw the magical shield that was covering the city. "What is that?!" he asked, pointing at the glowing barrier.
"That's what we're trying to escape from, come on!" Twilight told him. The pair increased their flight speed as they approached the border of the city. The magical barrier was now cascading down the edge of the city.
"We're not gonna make it!" Spike panicked, seeing that the barrier would close them in before they could get under it.
"Don't give up yet, Spike, grab my tail!" Twilight ordered. Spike reached out and gripped Twilight's tail with his claw as Twilight charged up her magic. The magic covered both and they instantly vanished right before hitting the magical barrier. On the other side of the barrier, Twilight and Spike reappeared still flying at top speed.
"We made it..." Spike said, letting go of Twilight's tail as they slowed down to a stable hover, looking back at the now enclosed city. Twilight looked upon Canterlot encased in the magical barrier and sighed with a heavy despair.
"Come on, Spike, hopefully Star Swirl made it out..." she said, her voice weighted with gloom.
Meanwhile, inside the city, panic was starting to spread among the populace.
"What's going on?!" cried a terrified pony, seeing the magical barrier close in the city.
"We're being trapped!"
"Is this an emergency response?!"
"Who's doing this?!"
Young ponies held their parents closely as worried citizens began gathering in Canterlot's central avenues to witness the powerful magic that had sealed them inside their own city.
Back at the castle, Nightmare Moon stood out on the highest balcony facing the main entrance to the castle grounds, looking beyond the walls towards the rest of Canterlot.
"They have escaped..." she spoke softly to herself regarding Twilight Sparkle and Star Swirl. Daybreaker approached Nightmare Moon from behind.
"You should've let me deal with them while they were still on the castle grounds," Daybreaker said, displeased that Nightmare Moon hadn't allowed her to solve the problem earlier.
"Do not concern yourself," Nightmare Moon reassured her, walking back into the castle. "Everything has a purpose."
"Now they're likely to seek help. Probably those pesky 'friends' of hers..." Daybreaker muttered, still sore over her previous defeat.
"Actually...that was my expectation," Nightmare Moon responded. Daybreaker whipped her head in Nightmare Moon's direction and growled angrily.
"You wanted Twilight to seek out her friends?" Daybreaker asked incredulously. "To what end?!"
"As I said; everything has a purpose," Nightmare Moon reiterated. "The last time you skirmished with Twilight Sparkle, you had to contend with the Elements of Harmony, as did I. She will surely resort to them once again and I am planning ahead. I want Twilight to play her entire hand before we strike, so as to not be caught off-guard. We may possess the most powerful magic in the land but that princess always seems to have some other trick behind her back."
"But last time we fought, Twilight used the power of her castle to amplify the Elements and seal me," Daybreaker reminded Nightmare Moon. "That castle no longer exists and thus can't be used against us."
"Perhaps but something tells me that there is still more that she will try. With that old stallion accompanying her she's bound to come up with something 'creative'. I want to ensure every factor is accounted for, if not for the present then any future contingency we may have to deal with. For now the magical barrier will allow us to control the situation within Canterlot until the next time we encounter Twilight Sparkle," Nightmare Moon concluded. Daybreaker frowned then looked back towards the horizon.
"Whatever..." she conceded, trotting back inside the castle.
A short while later, Twilight and Spike were resting under a tree atop a small hill some distance away from Canterlot. The city was entirely surrounded by Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker's magical force field, preventing them from going back to the city. Twilight looked over the crest of the hill and saw the familiar sign of Star Swirl the Bearded's pointed wizard cap. She galloped over to her friend. Accompanying him was a small gray unicorn with his dark green mane styled into a simple bowl cut. He was wearing a plain robe and carried with him a pair of saddle bags.
"Star Swirl, Stygian, I'm glad you made it out!" she said, relieved to see the pair. She gave Star Swirl a hug. "We were starting to lose hope that you had escaped."
"I had to take a small detour to retrieve Stygian but we managed to get outside the walls before the entire city was sealed," Star Swirl assured her.
"This is really bad," Spike said, coming up behind Twilight. The three ponies and dragon looked towards Canterlot as a gust of wind kicked up. "We're not going back there, that's for sure."
"Mr. Star Swirl explained the situation to me," Stygian said. "The dark personas of the princesses have reawakened?" Twilight nodded somberly.
"I tried to stop Luna from succumbing to the power of Nightmare Moon but it had already grown too out of control when I found her," Star Swirl said with regret. "But I was not expecting she would try and free Daybreaker as well. Nightmare Moon is clearly obsessed with staying free at any cost."
"What do you think triggered it?" Twilight asked the great mage. "I thought you had determined Luna was safe from being consumed again."
"Coming into contact with Daybreaker's magic must have infected her magic with the darkness that you purged," Star Swirl said, reminding Twilight how Luna had attempted to fight off Daybreaker directly and failed. "The dark nature of the magic that controls the sun and moon cannot be completely destroyed, only cleansed, and a sufficient amount of negative magic can draw it back out. That is why you were selected to be the new host of that magic, Twilight Sparkle. That darkness is powerless against your magic of friendship, even if it continues to exist."
"What should we do?" Stygian asked the troupe.
"I am...not sure," Star Swirl said dejectedly. "Last time we had the fortune of being able to use the power of the Castle of Friendship to amplify the effects of the Elements of Harmony. That is no longer an option..."
"Regardless," Twilight said, "I have a duty to act. We may not have the castle anymore but there must be some way to achieve the same effect without it." She let out a heavy sigh. "Whatever we're going to do, we can't do it from here," Twilight surmised. "We need to convene somewhere else to strategize."
"What do you have in mind?" Star Swirl asked.
"Somewhere far away...somewhere Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker wouldn't think to find us..." Twilight said, trying to think of a place they could stay hidden from the two tyrants.
"So Ponyville's out," Spike said. "What about the Crystal Empire?"
"Yes, Spike!" Twilight exclaimed, her mood shifting for the first time that day. "They wouldn't think to look for us there! Plus the Crystal Empire has a big library that might help us come up with a solution." She gave her assistant a hug as thanks.
"So what do you propose we do, Princess?" Star Swirl inquired.
"We'll need to split up," Twilight instructed. "I'll go ahead to the Crystal Empire to fill in Princess Cadence and my brother about the situation. Spike, I need you to go to Ponyville to round up the others." Spike nodded in understanding.
"And us?" Stygian asked on behalf of himself and Star Swirl.
"Can you gather up the other Pillars of Equestria? I have no idea what may happen and it's best to be prepared," Twilight requested. Star Swirl and Stygian nodded at each other and then towards Twilight. The group all reached in together and touched hooves as a sign of unity before going about their individual objectives.
The Crystal Palace, Front Balcony
Star Swirl the Bearded, Twilight Sparkle, and Princess Cadance were standing together on the balcony of the Crystal Palace overlooking the main avenue of the Crystal Empire. They had just witnessed night fall and the sun rise in the same instant, which had caught the attention of everyone in the Crystal Empire. The activity in the Empire had come to a sudden halt with the strange phenomena, the citizens mesmerized and confused by the event.
"Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker must be asserting their royal authority," Star Swirl postulated, deducing the meaning of the odd occurrence.
"We can't let them control the sun and moon for long," Princess Cadance warned. "Who knows what they'll do if the citizens don't obey their rule?"
Twilight shook her head and walked back into the palace, a sullen weight visible in her stride. Princess Cadance followed her.
"Don't be stressed, Twilight, you have a lot of support here," Cadance tried to cheer her up.
Twilight stopped walking but didn't look back at Cadance. She took a small breath. "I'm...fine," Twilight said, swallowing down the lump in her throat. "Let's get started." She continued walking down the hall towards the library.
The Crystal Palace, Library
Twilight and Star Swirl were standing in front of a large table that was flanked on both sides by the rows of shelves of the Crystal Palace's library. On the table were the six Elements of Harmony arranged in a circle and standing off to the side was Stygian, who was levitating a pencil and a pad of paper and taking notes on the pair's findings. At the far end of the table, a magic containment vessel had been set up to capture magical energy to be studied.
"Try again, Twilight," Star Swirl instructed. Twilight nodded then energized her horn. She shot a beam of magic down onto the table and engulfed the Elements of Harmony. The Elements began to swirl rapidly before another beam of magic shot out from the center and into the magical container. Twilight released her spell and the Elements gracefully returned to the table. Star Swirl trotted over to the magical container and looked inside. Twilight and Stygian looked on with hope but Star Swirl shook his head in disappointment, which lowered the spirits of the others.
Twilight groaned loudly. "What isn't working?" she asked, frustration evident in her tone.
"The Elements of Harmony weren't designed to channel magic," Star Swirl explained. "They are strong magical artifacts on their own but as a source of magic you can’t influence the magic that they cast. When you and your friends use the Elements, you are calling forth their innate magic and you can't amplify your own magic by using them alone."
Twilight sighed and sat down in the nearby chair. "This is why we needed the Castle of Friendship last time," she surmised. "It allowed us to route magic from the Tree of Harmony, combine it with the power of the Elements themselves, and use all that power at once to seal Daybreaker."
Star Swirl stood with his hoof on his chin, looking over the notes that Stygian had taken on their experiments. He flipped back and forth through the pages, trying to decipher a pattern from their findings. "I wonder..." Star Swirl said to himself, squinting his eyes. He looked back over at the Elements of Harmony.
"Is there something you noticed, Mr. Star Swirl?" Stygian asked.
"Maybe..." Star Swirl said. He dispelled the magic contained in the magical capture vessel then levitated the Elements of Harmony. He shot a fresh sample of magic into the vessel from the Elements then moved in close to inspect the sample. "I believe..." he began, "we might be approaching this from the wrong perspective."
"How so?" Twilight asked.
"Rather than look to the Elements of Harmony themselves, we should examine their origin."
"The Tree of Harmony?" Stygian asked. "But I thought the Tree could not be used to enhance the effects of the Elements."
"No, but what if instead of enhancing the effect of the Elements, we used the power of the Tree itself?" Star Swirl postulated. "The Tree of Harmony is the manifested form of Equestria's magic and the Elements of Harmony are the crystallized essences of friendship magic that were originally given power by the Tree. The six bearers are thus connected to the Tree of Harmony by way of the Elements. Perhaps...it may be possible to use that connection in order to push the magic of the Tree through a single point, shape that magic as a friendship spell, then seal Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker."
"That...might work," Twilight said, starting to see the theory. "It would essentially be like using me as the Castle, right?"
Star Swirl nodded. "However," he added, "this method is highly unstable compared to using the Castle. When we used the Castle, the effect was simply as if we had used the Elements but by tenfold. By trying to route the magic of the Tree directly through you, the resulting spell may do more than just seal Celestia and Luna's magic...Celestia and Luna may..." Star Swirl trailed off, not wanting to describe the end result.
Twilight raised her hoof to her mouth, realizing what Star Swirl was implying. "Oh...oh no..." she said, dreading the worst.
"Why is that, Mr. Star Swirl?" Stygian asked. "How is it different from using the Castle as a conduit?"
"Because when we used the Castle to enhance the Elements of Harmony, the magic being produced by the Elements was fully-formed and the Castle simply acted as an amplifier, the magic being routed from the Tree through the Castle and taking the form of the Elements of Harmony that were acting upon it," Star Swirl explained. "In this case, because the Tree's magic is the pure magic of Equestria with no form of its own, Twilight must shape it into the correct friendship magic spell before it is cast. When dealing with that much unformed magic from an outside source, the results are unpredictable if it overwhelms the host charged with casting the spell from it." Stygian noted the great sorcerer's words in his tablet.
"Still...I cannot see a better way to give your magic of friendship the boost it needs to properly defeat Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon," Star Swirl conceded. "This may be a risk we have to take. It is not enough to simply seal their magic this time, we must entirely separate their power to control the sun and moon."
Twilight remained silent as she pondered what was being asked of her. "I'll do it..." she eventually managed to say. "Even if we can't save Celestia and Luna, I still have a duty to the people of Equestria to protect them from Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker."
Just then Twilight's Ponyville friends entered the library together along with Sunburst.
"How's the research going?" Pinkie Pie asked cheerily.
"We might have something," Star Swirl said.
"But...it's not a guarantee," Twilight added. "We think we can power up my magic by using the Tree of Harmony and it would be enough to overpower Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker. However, there are risks..." Twilight looked away and tried to hide the fear in her eyes.
"Hm..." Sunburst thought through what Twilight and Star Swirl were proposing. "That sounds like it could work. But you'd have to get Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon in the vicinity of the Tree of Harmony."
Star Swirl and Twilight exchanged glances in response.
That night, asleep in her bed, Twilight Sparkle was in the midst of a dream.
Twilight was standing in the middle of a black void. The only thing that broke up the endless emptiness was a spotlight that seemed to shine only on her.
"Hello?" she called out, hoping that she wasn't alone in such a desolate environment.
"I knew I'd find you..." a voice echoed through the void. "Sleep can only elude one for so long."
"Who's there?" Twilight asked into the black nothingness, trying to get the voice to identify itself. Her own voice was unsteady and wavering.
"You already know," the voice responded.
Twilight swallowed down her uncertainty. She did know the identity of the unseen speaker. "Where are you?" she asked, more confidently.
"Everywhere," the voice said, now having an effect as if it was multiplied. Several large floating heads of Nightmare Moon suddenly appeared all around Twilight Sparkle. She backed up slightly in surprise but quickly regained her footing.
"If...you're out there, face me yourself," Twilight said back, not wanting to appear intimidated. The floating heads of Nightmare Moon vanished into the negative space.
"Twilight Sparkle...you are in my domain," Nightmare Moon responded, her voice now sounding close by and unmodified. "Putting on a brave face won't work here." Nightmare Moon stepped out of the black void and in front of Twilight Sparkle, now appearing at her usual height. She stood just outside the circle of light that was shining on Twilight.
"I...I am afraid," Twilight accepted that she couldn't use bravado to deceive Nightmare Moon in the dreamscape. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you intimidate me."
"Oh dear foal, intimidation is so unbecoming," Nightmare Moon said, faking an offense. "I am more fond of practical courses of action."
"What do you want?" Twilight asked her.
“I just wanted to check on you,” Nightmare Moon said with faux concern. Her smile was deceptively gentle. “To make sure you were alright after you departed Canterlot in such a haste...” She reached out her hoof and put it under Twilight’s chin. Twilight backed away in response.
"More like track my movements through my dreams," Twilight rebuffed. "Why isn't Daybreaker with you?"
"I wanted to address this personally," Nightmare Moon told her. "Also, I forgot, you weren't in Canterlot when Daybreaker and I made our announcement. We go by 'Empress Daybreak' and 'Empress Moon' now."
"Your titles mean nothing to me..." Twilight responded defiantly, her mouth curled with contempt.
Nightmare Moon sneered at Twilight's defiance. "But enough about me, let's see what's troubling you, little one..."
Nightmare Moon waved her front hoof in front of Twilight. Behind her, the darkness pulled back and a scene appeared. A beautiful crystaline structure that resembled a tree could be seen in what looked like a secluded cavern. The crystal tree had five branches, each with empty slots at the ends, and a star-shaped symbol on the trunk, reminiscent of Twilight's own cutie mark. Twilight slowly turned around to face what appeared behind her.
Twilight Sparkle saw the image of herself touching down gracefully in front of the tree. As she did, the five other Elements of Harmony were seated into the empty slots at the ends of the tree's branches and Twilight's own Element, the Element of Magic, was placed inside the star symbol on the trunk. After the Elements locked into place, the tree ignited with a bright glow and the five branches each fired beams of magic onto Twilight. Twilight's dream self shimmered with white magical energy and then the scene turned to what she was facing. Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker were standing opposite Twilight and together they lunged at the lone alicorn. The dream Twilight charged her horn and shot out a huge beam of magical energy that engulfed the other two. As the energy washed over them, Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon were swept away and in their place Princess Celestia and Luna’s uncorrupted forms returned. However, the magical effect continued even after they were liberated and Celestia and Luna soon dissolved into nothingness before Twilight's eyes.
"NO!" the real Twilight Sparkle exclaimed in horror, having witnessed what she was afraid will happen. She desperately flew up to the space where the scene was playing out but the scene simply vanished back into the abyss, once again leaving the empty darkness. When the scene was gone, Twilight slowly descended back down and slumped in despair on her hind legs, her eyes fixated on the black dreamscape.
Nightmare Moon laughed evilly at what she had seen. "So that is what you are so burdened by, is it? That by trying to save Celestia and Luna from us you will destroy them in the process?"
"I...am still committed to saving Equestria from you, even if that is what must be done," Twilight said, getting back to her feet slowly. She was still facing away from Nightmare Moon as she spoke.
"You needn’t fret, Twilight Sparkle" Nightmare Moon said with false reassurance, "I can assure you that is not an outcome that shall come to pass."
"What are you hoping to accomplish?" Twilight asked, continuing to face away from the towering alicorn. "I asked Daybreaker the same question. You can't simply boss other ponies around and expect them to honor your rule. The only result you’ll get by demanding obedience is to seed rebellion."
"Rebellion only lasts as long as there is a cause to fight for," Nightmare Moon replied. "A good leader knows how to guide their people to a desirable end for all. Once the ponies of Equestria see our vision unfold, they shall fall into line. However you are an unfortunate obstacle in our path, being the final vestige of our ‘predecessors’ and a symbol of that which stands in the way of our progress to a true ‘Empire of Equestria’. It’s such a shame that your friendship magic does not agree with the power we possess, your magical talent would have made a fine asset.”
“I would never serve you!” Twilight rejected, finally turning her head in the direction of Nightmare Moon. “But why did you side with Daybreaker? Wasn’t your original goal to overthrow Celestia and rule Equestria by yourself?”
“While I would want nothing more than undisputed domain over Equestria, you and your friends have proven to be a thorn that is impossible to ignore, given my previous defeat,” Nightmare Moon explained. “After witnessing Daybreaker succumb to the same outcome, it was easy to see that we had something in common. With our combined might there is no force you or anypony can bring before us that will drive us back. I do not expect our truce to be eternal, but for now the advantage rests entirely with us...”
Nightmare Moon began to trot away in the darkness of Twilight's dreamscape. "Thank you for the show, Twilight Sparkle. It has been most enlightening..." Before long Nightmare Moon had vanished back into the black expanse and left Twilight Sparkle alone once again.
Canterlot Castle
Nightmare Moon opened her eyes and the inky blackness around her quickly dissipated, returning her to reality. She was standing on the balcony of Canterlot Castle and the sun was just starting to rise in the distance.
The sounds of hoofsteps could be heard coming in her direction. "Did you locate Twilight Sparkle?" a voice from behind Nightmare Moon asked. Nightmare Moon turned her head slightly and saw Daybreaker approaching out of the corner of her eye.
"Yes," Nightmare Moon confirmed, resuming her gaze across the castle grounds. "She is in the Crystal Empire."
"Figures," Daybreaker said flippantly. "She probably assumed we'd never think to look for her there. I suppose she forgot how easy it is for you to locate someone through their dreams." She came to a stop at Nightmare Moon's side and joined her in looking out across the castle's vast lawn, her blazing mane wafting in the morning breeze.
"Indeed."
"So, are we going to pay a visit, Empress Moon?"
"No..." Nightmare Moon answered. Daybreaker cocked her head to side slightly and gave a disapproving glance at Nightmare Moon. "More importantly than knowing where Twilight Sparkle is, I have been able to ascertain what she intends to do. We shall instead defeat two obstacles with a single strike." Nightmare Moon turned around and walked into the castle. "Come, I will explain..."
