Infinite Ponygram

Twilight awoke to the sound of screams. Bolting upright, she found herself still in the town hall. It was now bathed in a dull crimson light. Through the windows above, she could see something that hung in the sky where the moon had been. Its surface writhed, undulating between purple and black, not unlike the aura that had clothed Nightmare Moon’s lower body and helm. Twilight’s last moments of consciousness flooded back to her.

“Nightmare Moon!” she yelped. “Where did i—”

“Sshhhh.” Fluttershy rested a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. Her touch was like a feather but with a force behind it that kept Twilight’s movement checked. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

“And to answer your question: made the moon go all crazy, tanked a few more attacks, and unleashed something nasty before she flew out of here howling like a banshee.” Applejack scanned over the hall. Many Masters and Tians lay strung about. A few that had fallen snored, but the majority spasmed on the ground and screamed until their voices gave out. Many Masters in this state vanished into motes of light. Tians just became still. “I reckon it’s an AoE for anyone under a certain level, but a few Masters I know who have high levels took direct hits from the muck she turned into and didn’t fare much better. Good job blocking whatever’s giving out the penalty, Fluttershy.”

“Y-you’re welcome.”

While Twilight tried to make sense of half of what Applejack had said, Dash swooped into the hall. She landed with enough force to crack the floor under her. “Damn!”

“She’s faster than you?” Rarity gasped.

“No, that’s not it. Fifth form would be enough,” Dash huffed. “She’s definitely baiting. I wanna smash her face in for the mess she’s made, but if I’d followed…”

The volume of Dash’s voice masked a slight tremor in her arms and a bristle in her wings.

“Is… is this part of a script?” Twilight asked. “It’s some sort of event, right?”

“Oohhh, so some of your bro’s game sense rubbed off on you.” Pinkie knelt by Twilight and shook her head. “Aside from holidays, there are no set events to follow in Infinite Dendrogram. This is a real nasty jam we’re in thanks to that queen meanie. Got any clues, Applejack?”

“Probably using several skills and items to cover up everything she’s got on her, but it’ll take a bit more than that to fully pull one over on me, my Reveal, and my Truth Discernment. Everyone not helping the injured, gather close!”

The five Twilight knew and a few others drew near to Applejack.

“She’s definitely a Master,” Applejack began. “I picked up several MVP rewards. Never heard of a tian with that many. They got too much to live for to face that many UBMs.”

“I’m willing to bet one of those is the actual Nightmare Moon then.”

All eyes looked at Twilight.

“What does a complete noob know?” huffed a girl with a tiara sticking out of her purple and white hair.

“It’s a working hypothesis, and you’re right, I’m basing it off of what I know as a new Master and a bit of what I picked up from my brother, but this person sounds like a hard-core role-player trying to be a reborn Nightmare Moon. She got the MVP and the related job, which I’m guessing is a Superior Job, and is now acting out the part.”

“D-do you really think she beat The Sun?” Fluttershy quivered.

Twilight furrowed her brow. “I’m not sure about that. The original Nightmare Moon was said to have wanted revenge on The Sun. Killing The Sun now would mean three days of not being able to have her way with her. So, she might be keeping The Sun locked up. Although, the Sun could still probably log out.”

Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Oh…”

“Let me guess, The Sun is also into roleplaying?”

Pinkie clasped her chin. “I think? Even though she helped me get my job, I didn’t get that much time to speak with her. She’s pretty busy in-game attending to Sun duties and her other jobs.”

“But where could Nightmare Moon have locked her up?” asked Rarity.

Twilight turned to Dash. “Did it look like she was going off in the direction of a forest?”

“Yeah, the Everfree.” Dash clenched a fist. “I can handle the monsters, but the sudden weather changes and the environment there mean I can’t just storm in.”

“I thought so, if I’m right, she’s at the Castle of the Two Sisters.”

“Those ruins?” the tiara-adorned girl huffed again. “You’re just making wild guesses. That monster could be halfway to Caldina for all we know.”

The girl grated on Twilight but as words of rebuke were on the tip of her tongue, she paused.

What am I doing? This isn’t going to get me out of here any faster. Twilight had resolved to stay for the Celebration and perhaps even enjoy it a little and then, presumably, run into Professor Dominguez. Facing a crazed Master acting like a manifestation of nightmares and seeking to bring eternal night was far beyond what she was prepared to deal with. That she was still shaking even from something that she kept telling herself was not real was enough for Twilight to consider logging out. With everything that had happened, she was sure Professor Dominguez would understand.

It was Pinkie who broke the tension. “Hey, Twi, what’s that you got there?”

“Huh?” Twilight looked down at where Pinkie was pointing a finger. Sticking out of her belt was a piece of parchment.

With a gulp, Twilight pulled it out. Her blood ran cold at the first two words.

Star Pupil, I await you at the Castle. Do not keep your new queen waiting.

The sender was clear, but those two words already had Twilight inching for the menu and then the log out option. It was one thing for a Master to be masquerading around as a revived monster, but the wording could only mean that Nightmare Moon, or rather the actual person behind her, knew who Twilight was. Twilight wanted to tear off the headset and rush to check her locks.

“Hey! Did anyone else get this?” someone cried out from nearby. They were waving a piece of parchment.

“Yeah, what the heck is it?”

“Ugh, if she wanted a duel, couldn’t she just do it the regular way?

“Says the dude who got debuffed.”

Similar conversations echoed across the hall. Twilight, still stunned, just watched as Pinkie snatched the letter from her and held it up. Sticking two fingers in her mouth, she whistled with enough force that Twilight’s ears rang. “Alright! Does everyone with a letter have this same thing about a star pupil and going to a castle?”

Ayes went up and heads nodded.

Pinkie bent down to Twilight and handed her the letter with a smile. “Woo-hoo! You were right on the money!”

Twilight felt her heart slow. The pit in her stomach remained given everything but it dwindled to a manageable size. Wobbling to her feet, she checked and found that everyone who had received the letter, herself included, had one common trait: their usernames included an allusion to stars or other astral phenomena barring direct references to day or the sun. That Nightmare Moon had been able to locate all of them and plant the letters chilled Twilight, but not as much as a nutjob like that knowing who she was IRL.

“So now what?” Twilight asked. Taking Pinkie’s earlier words to heart, she knew there was no script. Infinite Dendrogram, unlike other games, would continue whether Twilight went to the castle or not. The option to just log out, send Professor Dominguez an email and put this nightmare behind her was still viable.

“I’d recommend we head to the castle,” said Applejack.

“Ohhhhh…” Pinkie bit her lip. “You think it might be a Franklin Situation?”

Fluttershy shuddered. “Oh no.”

“Yeah,” Dash sighed. “I wouldn’t put it behind that creep if we don’t do something.”

“Wait wait!” Twilight called out. “What are you talking about?”

“Well, we’re a bit concerned that if you and the others don’t go to the castle like Nightmare Moon’s demanding, she may get rude,” said Rarity. “There was a terrible incident a little after I started where a player in Dryfe, the Giga Professor, Franklin, got beaten. So, when his Death Penalty expired, he killed his killer.”

“That seems pretty standard in an online game.”

Rarity’s features tightened. “Then Franklin killed him again, and again, and again, and again. He made sure every time his killer logged in that he died almost immediately.”

Twilight felt her skin prickling. “H-how long did this continue?”

“A month. Then the Master stopped logging in… I’d hate to see your time here ruined so soon.”

“Especially if you haven’t come by the farm,” said Applejack.

“Or had a welcome party!” Pinkie exclaimed.

Dash stomped a foot. “Or seen all my tricks!”

“L-let’s…” Fluttershy shook, but she managed to choke out the words. “Let’s help get her to the castle.”

Dash gave Fluttershy a slap on the back, eliciting an “eep!” “Good show of spirit, Fluttershy! I was thinking we’d round some people up anyway and show her what’s what! Twilight’s new anyway so no way I’d feel right if she had to go to the Everfree alone.”

“Even experienced Masters can have trouble out there,” Applejack snorted. She then turned to Twilight. “I’m sure others are going to be headed out too, but what do you say about us forming a party?”

Five sets of eyes looked back at her, albeit with Fluttershy’s remaining closed. The emotion Twilight felt was unfamiliar but not entirely foreign. After late nights in the lab, with dawn breaking, she recalled a similar look in the eyes of her peers when they finally managed to figure out the proper chemical reaction or had synthesized the needed amount of an element. She clutched a hand close to her chest and said, “Let’s go, together.”

~~~

“Nyaaaaaaa, you’ve seeeeeeemmmeeedddd busier than usual lately.”

“I finally got a chance to try that method I brought up a while ago”

“Woooooowwwwww, the conditions finally appeared?”

“Yes, and the Embryo itself took action to provide the necessary delay.”

“Hmmm, even in the zeroth form?”

“Yes.” The cat saw the egg smile. “I can’t wait to see how it develops and the Superiors it will awaken.”