A Witch in Equestria

Chapters

A Lucid Dream
The Library at Night
Luna's Entrance
Introductions
Midnight Duel
Reprecussions, Reactions

A Lucid Dream

“Breathe in, breathe out. Feel the magic all around you. See how it is all connected. Center yourself completely. Don’t focus on any one thing. Let your awareness drift away.. drift away..”

The vegetation in the clearing suddenly withered and died rapidly, leaving a miffed redhead to sigh with frustration. “I can’t do it, Giles! Every time we meditate, I can’t stop myself from stealing the magic around me.” She held up a lock of her hair, which had turned black. “See? It’s so..so.. ugh, annoying!” Her eyes flashed before she took a moment to cool off. “I’m doing it again. I’ll never be able to get better at this rate..”

Giles smiled gently at Willow. “You’re doing fine, Willow. Nobody expects you to master your powers in less than a month.”

Willow looked ruefully up at Giles. “I know, I know.. it just feels like we haven’t made any progress.”

Giles looked thoughtful as he sat down in the grass next to her. “I wouldn’t say that. You’re a unique case, Willow, so you can’t really measure progress by just the effects.”

Willow crossed her arms behind her head as she laid down. “I guess so..”

As she watched the clouds pass idly by her eyelids started to droop. The ground was soft beneath her, and she’d had trouble sleeping recently. It would be so nice to just.. take a nap..

Willow slowly awoke, stretching languidly and rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes. “Giles..?” she called softly. Looking around, she couldn’t see her English friend anywhere in sight. She wondered briefly where he went, but shrugged it off quickly. It wasn’t all that far to where they were staying.

As she got a better look at the landscape around her, she started feeling inklings of panic stirring in her chest. The immediate vicinity was a great deal like the clearing she had fallen asleep in, but the mansion she was staying that should have been plainly visible in the distance was nowhere in sight, and now that she looked more closely, there were other discrepancies in the terrain; a tree out of place, a hill where there shouldn’t be. The panicky feeling rose and the foliage around her began wilting. “No!” She fell to a knee and took deep, calming breaths. The pressure on the surrounding environment lifted.

I need more information.. all I know is that I went to sleep one place, and woke up in another. Heck, this could be a really lucid dream for all I know. The sun was high in the sky; it looked to be afternoon, and there was nothing but wild nature in every direction.

She sat down again and started preparing to cast a spell before she halted momentarily and bit her lip. She had often been chastised for going to magic to solve all her problems, but she didn’t really think this counted as a frivolous use of magic. Things had changed, anyways. The infusion of Gaea magic Giles had hit her with had made her unable to not use magic. If she went long enough without casting a spell, it simply started manifesting randomly around her in dangerously unpredictable ways.

Willow took a meditative pose and opened her awareness to the planet. She almost lost her concentration as she immediately felt a difference in her connection. Her link was more tenuous, and it had a slight alien feeling. Furrowing her brow in concentration, she extended her senses to search for other people. She smiled slightly as she found a clump of sentient life not too far from where she was. She had been slightly worried that she was alone in some kind of bizarre hell dimension. Again, the feeling of the people was slightly off, but she couldn’t tell exactly what was different about it.

She rose and headed off in the direction of the civilization she’d detected. She admired the scenery and the fresh air while she moved. It distracted her from her predicament, and she desperately needed a distraction. As she padded along, the sight of a rural town started becoming visible on the horizon. She smiled slightly and increased her pace.

She was shocked into stillness when she became close enough to discern the residents of the town. They were, every one of them, ponies trotting about, looking like nothing but people going about their daily business. Looking at the sky, something she had thought was a bird was in fact a winged pony (pegasus, her mind said). She recalled conversations with Anya and the troubles they had with her vampire self. Is this an alternate Earth where ponies are the dominant species..? Do humans even exist here?

She was struck with a sudden inspiration. I bet I can blend in with the locals with a transfiguration.. all I need to do is tap into that alien feeling I sensed earlier. She began a Latin chant as she focused intently on the subtle difference she could feel between a human life-force and a pony life-force. She finished her spell with a self-indulgent dramatic wave and an explosion of light covered her person as she felt her body twisting and changing rapidly. Somehow, the entire thing only took a couple of seconds. When she finished, she could feel a couple new appendages. She had a horn (like a unicorn, she thought giddily) and wings that she experimentally unfurled. Her coat of fur was dark with streaks of royal blue, and her wings were midnight black while her mane danced on a nonexistent breeze. She nodded with self-satisfaction and began trotting over to the town of ponies.

As she walked casually down the street leading into town, it became quickly evident that she had made a miscalculation somewhere, judging by the hushed whispers and awed stares.

“Who is she..?”

“Is she a Princess..?”

She started moving faster, thinking furiously. They’re all so tiny! Did I get the spell wrong? No, I did it right! Ahh, darn it! Her horn started glowing and the grass started dying as she passed. The ponies who had been watching started panicking.

“Ahh! Nightmare Moon is back! Run for your lives!”

Willow’s power continued destabilizing and the aura of decay started growing, serving to further panic the residents of the town. Argh! Well, if blending in is out.. Willow’s voice suddenly reverberated loudly, “Will you all SHUT UP already?” She glared at the townsfolk who were frozen in horror. “You!” She pointed at a random pony. “Take me to your leader.” She giggled slightly. The ponies backed up slightly from the possibly-insane alicorn. Willow looked more fierce. “Well?” The singled out pony started frantically moving down the street, and Willow followed.

Mayor Fairbright had a nice, easy job. Her secluded rural town never had anything too troubling happen to it; unlike Ponyville, which seemed to attract trouble like a magnet. She couldn’t imagine what Mayor Mare had to go through. At least, until now. A pony had darted into her office screaming that Nightmare Moon was attacking the town and demanding to see her. Not entirely believing the panicky colt who had burst into her office, she humored him as she trailed after him.

She was brought up short when she came face to face with a majestic ebon alicorn looking down at her. She was grand and terrifying, and the Mayor had to fight to keep a tremor out of her voice. “W-what do you want from us, Nightmare Moon?”

The alicorn’s head cocked sideways in an inquisitive gesture. Her voice echoed loudly, “Why does everyone keep calling me that? My name is Willow. I’m trying to find someone to help me figure out how I got here.” She pawed the ground nervously, and her voice stopped reverberating. “Um, I’m sorry about the plants. I didn’t mean to.” The Mayor suddenly noticed the hideously scarred ground that carved a path behind Willow.

There was a tangible silence. The colt that had burst into her office spoke up, “S-so, you’re not here to kill us?”

Willow looked shocked. “What? No! Why would you think that? I swear, you kill one guy and suddenly everybody thinks you’re a crazy axe murderer!” At the ponies’ mortified expressions, she became embarrassed. “Eheh.. can you forget I said that last part?”

The Mayor mumbled unintelligibly, “This is so out of my paygrade..” She cleared her throat and spoke to Willow, “Ah, you can probably find help over at Ponyville. They’re always dealing with.. things.. of this nature. Just follow the road out of town.” The other ponies nodded to each other. Willow couldn’t help but feel that these ponies really wanted to see her gone. From what they said.. I wonder if Ponyville is like Sunnydale? Maybe they have a Hellmouth too? She addressed the Mayor, “Thank you for your help.” She trotted away briskly in the direction the Mayor had indicated.

The ponies collectively sighed in relief as they went back to their everyday lives. Leave the excitement to those crazy ponies in Ponyville, they thought.

That could have gone better.. Willow pondered her predicament as she walked along the road indicated by the ponies in the last town. She wasn’t entirely sure why they had kept referring to her as ‘Nightmare Moon’ at first. Maybe I have an alternate pony-self who's evil? That might make things difficult.. The sun had set by the time her destination came in view. She spied a quaint little sign reading ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ as she entered the town. Most of the residents appeared to be asleep, as the roads were deserted. There were some truly bizarre architectures amidst more normal looking dwellings. The last town she had been in had looked normal enough, if a little primitive, but she could definitely see why this place might have a reputation for oddness.

She couldn’t find anywhere with a light on, until she reached a house built into a tree, with a sign on it reading ‘Ponyville Library.’ She raised a hoof and knocked on the door. It creaked open to reveal a small purple and green lizard creature. Its eyes widened in alarm as it saw its visitor. Willow decided to take initiative.

“No, I am not Nightmare Moon. I don’t know who that is. My name is Willow.” The tiny lizard rubbed his sensitive ears, and Willow grinned sheepishly. “Sorry. My voice keeps doing that.”

A purple unicorn took that moment to arrive at the entry. “You!” she cried as her horn started reflexively glowing.

Willow sighed in irritation. This was really getting old. “Like I told your friend here, I’m not whoever you think I am.”

The unicorn looked suspiciously at her. “..Really?”

Willow laughed. “Really really.”

The glow of her horn died down as she calmed. “Well, you don’t act like.. like the pony I knew. I’m Twilight Sparkle, nice to meet you.” She extended a hoof.

Willow was bemused at the familiar gesture but shrugged it off and had the novel experience of shaking hooves. “I’m Willow. I have a problem, and I was hoping somepony around here could help me. First though.. why does everypony keep calling me Nightmare Moon?” Wait, somepony, everypony? Why did I say that..?

Twilight gestured at her assistant to close the door and Willow to follow her in. She said as she walked, “Well, you look exactly like her. As you can probably guess, she wasn’t a nice pony.” As they entered the library proper, Willow looked appreciatively at all the books she saw.

Twilight’s look softened as she took in the alicorn before her gazing with fondness at her library. Surely someone who treasured books couldn’t be a bad pony, right? Even if she did look like a clone of her former nemesis. “Ahem. Well. Yes, we need to get to the bottom of this. Let’s start at the beginning. What brought you here?”

The Library at Night

Willow finished explaining the events leading her to Twilight’s library by canceling her pony disguise.

“Fascinating..” Twilight Sparkle was inspecting Willow in her natural form, briefly forgetting the concept of personal space at the prospect of knowledge.

“Yeah, I can tell you all about us, but can I have a little room here?”

Twilight backed up and looked sheepish. “Sorry, it’s just- I’ve never heard of humans before; this could be a great opportunity!”

Willow smiled back at her. “I’d like to learn more about ponies as well, while I’m here. I always like to learn new ways of doing magic. We could trade information, if you want.”

Twilight looked gleeful at Willow’s proposition. “Yes, that would be wonderful! Oh, I need to think of all the questions I want to ask.. where’s a good place to start? Should I start with her culture? Her magic? Maybe her technology..?”

A polite cough interrupted her voiced thoughts. “It’s great that you’re enthusiastic, but I mostly just want to get back to my own dimension.”

Twilight scratched the back of her head with her hoof in an embarrassed gesture. “My friends tell me I go a little overboard with my studies sometimes. But don’t worry! I’ll definitely help you find your way home. Maybe the Princess will have more information? I need to write a letter later..” She trailed off at the end, mumbling to herself.

Willow asked a question she had been pondering. “Should I bother with the transfiguration I did earlier? I originally was just going to blend in, but I can’t get my pony form to look like anything other than what you saw. If the reactions I got earlier are going to be common, maybe I should just go like this?” She did a small pirouette.

Twilight thought for a moment. “Mmm.. I think you would be better off as a pony. Your human form is.. well.. it’s very strange. Your pony form is also odd, but it’s a familiar kind of odd. I’ll make sure there are no misunderstandings and you can stay here in peace.”

Willow looked surprised. “You’d open your house for me, when you just met me tonight? That’s awfully nice of you.”

Twilight smiled. “You seem like a good pony, and it’s not like I don’t have room. It’s a big place, and it’s only me and Spike here.”

Willow nodded. “So, who is this pony I keep hearing about called Nightmare Moon that I look like?”

Twilight’s expression darkened. “She wanted to overthrow the Princess and create eternal night. My friends and I stopped her with the Elements of Harmony, but it was close.”

I guess it doesn’t matter which dimension you’re in, some crazy people will always try to start an apocalypse. Something caught her eye behind Twilight. It was a beautiful tiara adorned with a large purple gem. She got up and moved over to it. “What’s this..?”

Twilight followed Willow’s gaze. “Ah! That’s the Element of Magic. One of the Elements of Harmony that we used to defeat Nightmare Moon. I was running some experiments with it.”

Willow slowly moved toward it in a trance-like state. She picked it up gingerly, looking at it with reverence, turning it over in her hands.

“Um, Willow..? What are you doing?” Twilight asked nervously.

She snapped out of her trance and hastily set the tiara back down. “Ahh! N-nothing! It’s just.. it’s so pretty. I can sense magic and that thing is like.. super magical. I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.” She laughed with a hitch in her voice.

Twilight decided to gloss over it, but privately resolved to keep it out of her sight. “Well! I’m sure you’re tired, while you redo your transfiguration spell, I’ll go set up a place to sleep for you.”

Willow let out a yawn at the mention of sleep. “I am pretty sleepy..” She smiled gratefully at Twilight. “Thanks for everything.”

Twilight nodded. “It’s no problem.” She turned and left the room, her tail swishing behind her.

Willow’s gaze lingered on the tiara for a moment before she shook herself and began casting her spell. It was easier this time around, as being around so many ponies she was getting pretty familiar with the feel of their lifeforce. She looked at her reflection in a window. “I do look good..” I’m glad I found a native who’s friendly. This could’ve gone so much worse..

She laid in the bed Twilight had prepared for her and closed her eyes. She fell asleep thinking of the pony whose reflection she bore..

Luna looked up at her moon solemnly. She’d been having trouble adjusting to modern life in Equestria. Everything was so alien, it’s like it wasn’t her home at all. Celestia was remarkably mostly unchanged, but their relationship was no longer the sisterly playfulness it once was. She couldn’t look her sister in the eye without remembering how she had tried to kill her, and Celestia was more reserved in her interactions.

She sighed. What was she doing, moping here? She just needed to be a bit more active in reconnecting with the modern world.. but it seemed like every time she tried, she just made a foal of herself or a mess of things. Or both. Her thoughts were spiraling downward again. She was unusually depressed tonight.

“Lulu? Are you there?” Celestia’s voice rang through the moonlit night.

“I am here, ‘Tia.” Her gaze didn’t stray from the moon.

Celestia walked up next to her sister, reading the melancholy mood and nuzzling her affectionately. “I got an interesting letter from my faithful student tonight.”

Luna’s interest was piqued. She hadn’t seen much of the Element Bearers since they had purified her of Nightmare Moon’s taint. For her to send a letter so late.. it must be something urgent.

“A creature who claims to be from an alternate universe was somehow transported here and is staying at my student’s residence. She promised to try and send it home. I was thinking of asking you to travel to Ponyville to look into it.”

Luna glanced at her sister strangely. “Your student gets into the oddest situations, doesn’t she?”

Celestia gave a soft musical laugh. “She does, doesn’t she?” She looked at her sister. “What do you say, Lulu? You’re the one who’s better learned in obscure magics. You could help her better than I.”

“W-well.. I suppose.. I could..” Luna wanted to say no, but her sister’s pleading gaze convinced her not to.

“Wonderful!” Celestia smiled beatifically. Luna wondered if she’d just been had. She wouldn’t put it past her sister. She caught her lips twitching slightly. It seemed her chat with her sister had at least dispelled her glum mood from earlier.

“I’ll have to check on a few books before I leave tomorrow.. I’ll be in the library. Good night, ‘Tia.” She nuzzled her sister and left the balcony.

Celestia looked up at the moon. “I wonder if I should’ve told her about the creature’s appearance..?”

Near a rural town, a hoof erupted from the ground violently. A creature lifted itself out from the dirt, clambering upwards with jerky unnatural movements. It looked at its hoof quizzically, until a smile broke out on its deformed face, and it lumbered off toward the settlement.

Luna's Entrance

Willow woke up early the next day. She glanced in at Twilight’s room and saw her snoozing figure laid out on the bed. She smiled; she was very cute in her curled up innocent sleeping posture with her fore-hooves wrapped around a book.

She left the room and took a seat on the floor in the middle of the library. She had to improvise a meditation posture with her new four-legged form, but she eventually found something she was comfortable with.

She focused on her magic. It was a pool inside of every part of herself that extended into the metaphysical. In her self-diagnosis she could see the imbalance that occasionally manifested as an aura of death. Her work with Giles had been to correct this critical flaw, but the unstable state of her magic was like a tumor that coursed through her entire being.

Part of that imbalance was mental; no outside interference would be able to help her, even if she had thought to ask her new friend. It was why she meditated every morning to attempt to find some peace of mind. She operated normally day to day, but she still hadn’t quite gotten over the death of her lover and her rampage that ended in the death of her murderer.

It should’ve been easy to shut all thoughts away, to become one with the Earth.. it’s not like she was unpracticed in the art of meditation; but it wasn’t. Her thoughts always came back to Tara. She could sooner put her out of her mind than turn the sky green.

A knock at the front door interrupted her thoughts. She got up, stretching languidly. Her meditation hadn’t been going all that well, anyways. She trotted over to the entrance and opened the door. On the other side was a winged unicorn with a deep midnight blue coat and an imperious stare. “Hello?”

When the visitor saw who had answered, she immediately became aggressive. “Foul demon! What have you done with Twilight?” Her horn lit up and she fired a blast of magic directly at Willow.

Willow hastily deflected the assault and shouted, “Nothing! She’s inside, sleeping! I can go get her for you!”

Luna’s countenance darkened further. “‘Sleeping’ indeed! We shall see you punished for your transgressions!” Her horn’s luminescence began intensifying.

Willow’s eyes flashed ominously. “I don’t have to take this! Screw you, lady- I mean, pony!” She brought her own magical might to bear and prepared to crush the insolent pony in front of her.

Their scuffle was interrupted by a third party. An enormous barrier materialized between them as Twilight came storming out of the house, her expression livid. “What the hay do you think you’re doing?! Princess, the creature you’re here for is the pony you’ve been attacking. Did Celestia not warn you..?”

Luna opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, deflating. “‘Tia would do something like that, wouldn’t she..”

Twilight glanced at Willow, who was heaving from the effort of defending herself. “I know she most likely attacked you first, but if you want the ponies around here to trust you, you should probably refrain from attempting to blast one of our Princesses.”

Willow looked like she wanted to argue, but acquiesced and turned to Luna. “I’m sorry, Princess...?” She trailed off inquisitively.

“I am Princess Luna. Do not trouble yourself. The fault is mine. I should’ve realized my sister wouldn’t send me here if you were truly the Nightmare.” She looked over at Twilight. “I trust I will get an explanation for this, surely?” She nodded her head in Willow’s direction.

“Yes. Let’s get back in the house, first. Spike should already be putting on some breakfast.” She moved back into the house, and Luna and Willow followed, eyeing each other suspiciously as they walked.

Spike looked up from his cooking when they entered the kitchen. “Hey, Princess! Are you here because of not-Nightmare Moon?”

“I have a name, you know..” Willow muttered.

“Indeed. ‘Tia thought Twilight could use some assistance, and I could use a chance to get out of the castle.” Luna took a seat and asked Twilight, “Continuing our earlier discussion?”

Twilight sat across from Luna and Willow was observing Spike preparing a daisy sandwich with interest. “As Willow tells it- that’s her name, by the way- she was asleep in her own world when she woke up and her surroundings had changed. When she reached a nearby town, they directed her here when she asked for assistance. As for her appearance.. Willow, could you cancel your spell again?”

Willow turned a bored gaze over to Twilight and complied wordlessly. Luna looked on in fascination as her body rapidly transformed into her natural human state. “‘Tis a most curious circumstance. If I knew more about your magics I might be able to figure out why you take on that appearance. Can you redo your transformation so I can watch your magic in action?”

Willow was feeling rather like a guinea pig, but took her request in good grace and chanted her Latin aria as she focused her power. Luna was intently watching as the energies coalesced and shaped her form into the visage of Nightmare Moon. Luna’s brow furrowed in thought as she thought over what she saw. Spike took the lull in conversation to serve food to everyone. Willow’s face was expectant.

“..I have a theory.”

Willow looked at her with an expression that said, ‘well, get on with it!’

“First off.. the imbalance in your magic; yes, I can see you’re aware of it. I believe your spell synchronizes with the primordial life-stream of the planet- copying the essence of a pony and rewriting your appearance with it. The disruption in your soul causes your pony disguise to be similarly disrupted. Nightmare Moon is an abomination of life, so your form takes after it.”

Willow seemed slightly miffed. “..you didn’t have to be quite so rude about it. Besides, I think it’s pretty.” She started self-consciously examining herself.

Twilight spoke up, addressing Luna, “Disruption in her soul? I can’t see anything wrong.”

Luna shook her head. “‘Tia and I have advanced magical senses. We can see beyond what is possible for normal ponies..” She trailed off, turning to Willow. “..and apparently, so can she, if she was aware of it already.”

Twilight nudged Willow, who was distracted by her self-appraisal. “Hm? Oh! Yeah, I’m a witch. That’s what we call people who can use magic where I come from. There aren’t that many of us, actually.” She spotted the daisy sandwich in front of her and took an experimental bite before her face lit up. “This is.. good!”

Twilight grinned. “I like them, too.” She became more serious. “Princess, do you know of any way Willow could’ve been transported here?”

Luna nibbled cutely on her sandwich as she replied, “I can think of a few ways. I brought some books on the subject to share with you. Hopefully we can solve this together before anything..” She glanced apologetically at Willow. “..unfortunate occurs.”

Twilight was gleeful at the prospect of obscure magical tomes. “That’s great! I can’t wait to dive into them.” She calmed down a little. “I thought I’d take Willow to meet my friends today, since she’s bound to come across them at some point.”

Luna bowed her head. “A sensible notion. Might I accompany you as well?”

Twilight smiled. “Of course you can, Princess. Can I have those books before we leave?” Luna answered by materializing about a half dozen decent-sized volumes and levitating them onto the table.

Twilight finished up her food and addressed Spike, “Put away the Princess’s books and finish cleaning up breakfast. We’re going to head out now. We should be back by dinner.”

Spike gave a clawed salute. “Yes, ma’am!”

Twilight took in Willow’s worried expression and reassured her. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get along great with my friends. They’re all wonderful ponies!” She moved to leave.

“Yeah..” Willow replied distractedly. Luna gave her a pointed look and she snapped back to attention and followed Twilight out the door.

She was confused.. she was dead, but she wasn’t. Celestia’s sun set her aflame unless she hid in the shade, and a look into the nearby river showed no reflection. She was faster, stronger, and had better reflexes. Her teeth were now sharp. She had a deep hunger that she needed to sate. She knew what she needed instinctively; the blood of a pony. The thought of killing should have disgusted her, if it occurred to her at all.. but now she wondered what the big deal was. She needed something, so she took it. What was wrong about that?

She discovered another facet of her existence. When she went to break into a pony’s home, an invisible wall prevented her from entering. It didn’t seem to apply to all buildings, but she couldn’t figure out the pattern. She would need to wait for somepony foalish enough to wander at night.

It didn’t take long to find somepony. She used her enhanced abilities to dart from the shadows and grab the pony in a vice-like grip. She ignored its feeble struggles as she closed her fangs around its neck and drank hungrily. The rush of power, of being so far above these tiny beings, was intoxicating. She tossed aside the corpse of the pony like trash and a mad grin stretched across her deformed features. She stalked off into the night, hoping to find another victim before dawn broke.

Introductions

A paper and quill hovered along with Twilight as she chatted animatedly to the two ponies walking with her. “So your magic is channeled through your.. hands in your natural form? I suppose that makes sense, if you don’t have a horn.”

Willow nodded absentmindedly as she took in the sights around her more carefully, now that it was light out. The scenery was truly idyllic; but then, Sunnydale looked beautiful during the day too, and she knew what kind of ugliness lurked there when night fell. Appearances were deceiving. “It doesn’t have to be that way, but it’s what most witches find easiest,” she said, continuing the conversation.

Twilight asked another question, “This transfiguration.. it’s very detailed, and even seems to come with ingrained instincts; I haven’t noticed you having any trouble walking. Is that easily possible with your magic?”

Willow glanced at Twilight and thought for a few seconds before she replied. “No, that’s really just me. I have a special connection with the Earth that makes lots of strange things possible. I only recently received it, so I’m not sure what all I can do with it. Wiccan magic is pretty diverse and random in its effects.. the caster’s intent is important, and sometimes the caster doesn’t really know what they want, so spells can come out very oddly..” She blushed, recalling a memory where she had inadvertently caused Spike and Buffy to act as if they were married.

Twilight continued scribbling furiously with her levitated pen. “Intent-based.. that’s certainly similar to our own system of magic.. what would you say any differences might be?”

Willow gazed up at the sky and a few passing clouds. “I think your magic is a lot more documented and researched.. we have Wiccan researchers too, but there aren’t many of us and we’re not widely known, so most ponies only have a few tomes to go by. Not to mention, a lot of prominent Wiccas are rather secretive or secluded, so their secrets die with them.”

Twilight smiled a slightly manic smile. “I hope you’ll let me help you document your spells! It would be amazing to see what we can translate back and forth.. oh, we’re here..” She looked at the sign reading ‘Sweet Apple Acres.’ “My friend Applejack and her siblings live here. We’ll just go say hello and move on. Can you wait here with Willow, Princess? I’ll go explain the situation before they meet you to avoid any misunderstandings.”

Luna bowed her head in agreement. “That would be acceptable, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight trotted off toward the farm and silence greeted the pair. Willow pawed the ground with her hooves nervously, searching for a topic of conversation. Willow looked at Luna curiously. “So.. how’s that Princess thing going for you?”

Luna responded with a flat stare and Willow winced imperceptibly. “..it goes well,” Luna said.

Another awkward silence descended. Willow attempted a conversation with a little more substance. “Do you have any ideas on how I got here or how to return?”

Luna gave a measuring look at Willow before responding slowly, “I do have ideas, surely.. but I am more concerned with your unstable magic. It could have consequences unknowable until it is too late. How does your kind cleanse such corruptions?”

Willow pouted and replied, “I was working on it before I got here.. but I must be missing something, or my training was incomplete.. I didn’t get anywhere close to figuring it out. Anyway, isn’t it more important to find a way for me to return? I don’t belong here, after all.”

Luna chose her words carefully. “..No, I do not think so. It could be a long time before we figure out a method to bring you back to your world, and your instability could have effects in the here and now. I must look out for my subjects’ safety above all.”

Willow grimaced but acquiesced. “I guess.. if I could figure it out before I go back, I might be able to see my friends sooner..” She had a wistful and faraway look as she stared into the horizon.

Luna’s look softened at her vulnerable expression. “Do not despair. I swear I will do all in my power to help you overcome your demons. You will see your friends again.”

Willow’s eyes widened and she became flustered as she stammered, “T-thank you..”

Luna gave a musical laugh at the sight of her former nightmare’s visage reduced to that of a blushing filly. She had harbored doubts up to this point, but spending time with the mare had convinced her that this pony.. human.. meant no harm to Equestria.

The arrival of Applejack and Twilight cantering up to them side-by-side dispelled the tender atmosphere. Applejack spoke up in her distinct rural accent, “Well, ain’t that somethin’. Ah can see why you were all set on meetin’ her away from everypony. She really does look just like ‘er.” She moved up to Willow and began inspecting her closely. Willow was vaguely disquieted by the invasion of her personal space, but she settled for nervously glancing at the intense focus Applejack was placing on her. Applejack was apparently satisfied, for she stepped back and extended a hoof, saying as she did so, “Howdy. Twi’ here says yer not from around here and that even if you look like that ole’ bat we got rid of, yer not the same pony. Name’s Applejack, and this here is mah farm.”

Willow met her handshake evenly, and was buffeted up and down despite her size to Applejack’s enthusiastic greeting. “It’s Willow. Nice to meet you.” She smiled slightly. This pony’s accent reminded her of Angel’s friend Fred whom she had spoken to a few times and taken a liking to.

Twilight said, “We just stopped by for introductions. I’m sure you have farm work you have to get back to, so we’ll get out of your mane.” Applejack nodded sharply and looked pointedly at Willow. “Don’t go causin’ any trouble for Twi’. She’s a good pony, and ah won’t hesitate to find ya if ya do anythin’ to hurt ‘er.”

Willow chuckled unsteadily. “No, no trouble here..” Seemingly taking her at her word, Applejack headed back to her farm. Twilight looked at the unsure gaze of Willow following Applejack’s departure and reassured her, “I wouldn’t worry about it. They’ll eventually see you aren’t here to cause trouble. As long as you’re honest, you shouldn’t have any problems with AJ.”

Willow nodded and they continued on to their next destination. The trip was conducted mostly in silence, with Willow and Twilight trading questions about their respective worlds, and Luna listening but not contributing to the discussion. When they arrived in front of a cottage, Twilight signaled her companions to wait as they did before. She spoke to Willow before she left, “Fluttershy is very.. well, shy.. so please keep that in mind.”

As they waited, Willow spotted an odd looking bunny rabbit spying at them with a pair of binoculars from a nearby bush. She blinked once to assure that her vision had not gone faulty, but the rabbit was still there. It seemed to notice her scrutiny, as it stiffened, then darted out of sight. Weird..

After a few minutes consisting of Luna and Willow aimlessly staring into space, Twilight came out of the cottage followed by a pegasus that was carefully stepping forward, head bowed, and looking as if she was expecting ghosts to jump out from nowhere. The rabbit from earlier was also present sans binoculars, and was alternating between pointing at Fluttershy and making vaguely threatening gestures at the intruders.

Introductions were interrupted by a chromatic blur that crashed into Twilight, knocking her to the ground and covering her in dirt. She gave a long-suffering sigh and straightened as she rose and glared at her assailant, another pegasus with a light blue coat.

The pegasus greeted her victim shamelessly, “Yo. What’s up Twi’? And who’s..” She trailed off, recognizing Willow. She gave her a scorching glare and took up a battle stance. “Yeah, I got no clue what you’re doin’ here, but you won’t be around to regret it!”

Willow looked pleadingly at Luna and Twilight and mouthed help me! Luna cleared her throat loudly and looked pointedly at the new arrival. “This is Willow. She is not Nightmare Moon nor has she anything to do with her. Rest assured; if she is a threat, I will deal with her.”

Willow didn’t look entirely happy with Luna’s choice of words but the pegasus with the rainbow mane looked slightly mollified as she hovered threateningly.

Twilight coughed and spoke pointedly, “Now that the threats of bodily harm are out of the way, maybe we can do introductions properly?

The cyan pegasus did a backflip in a seemingly reflexive gesture as she said, “I’m Rainbow Dash, the fastest and most awesome flier in Equestria! And who are you, huh?”

Willow inwardly grimaced, but swallowed her irritation. “As Luna mentioned, my name is Willow. I’m staying with Twilight, and we’re going around meeting her friends to prevent any misunderstandings from coming up about who I look like.”

Rainbow Dash cocked her head inquisitively. “What’s up with that, anyways? Why do you look like her?”

Twilight answered before Willow could respond, “It’s a long and boring explanation that I’m sure you don’t care about. Fluttershy, could you introduce yourself?”

The other pegasus that had looked content to fade into the background mildly panicked at being made the center of attention and shrank in on herself, mumbling softly. “-’m.. ‘fl..shy..”

Willow smiled cheekily. “Oh! I speak shy person. I think she said, Hello, I’m Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy blushed and tried ineffectively to blend in with the ground some more. “-ce.. t-..e..ou..”

Willow listened intently and responded, “It’s nice to meet you too!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at the interplay but declined commenting on it and said instead, “Well, I’m sure you two have things to do, and we still have to see Rarity and Pinkie. I’ll see you guys later!”

Rainbow lost her playful expression as she looked Willow in the eyes. “Whether you’re her, not her.. whatever.. I don’t care, but no one who looks like she did can be up to anything good in my books. Watch yourself.” She flew off into Fluttershy’s cottage, while Fluttershy mumbled a farewell and followed after.

Willow gulped nervously and waved a hoof in farewell shakily. “Your friends are kinda scary, Twilight..”

We haven’t even met Pinkie yet.. Twilight thought to herself ironically. Out loud she said, “They’re just protective. We’ve been through some tough times together, and we don’t want our friends to be hurt.” Willow nodded thoughtfully and the three ponies continued on their way.

They continued on to Ponyville proper in silence, until Willow spoke up, “Umm.. I don’t know if I should say anything but.. does anypony feel like we’re being watched..?” She stopped walking and searched the vicinity nervously.

Twilight glanced at Willow curiously. “I don’t think so..”

Willow shifted, turning her head and looking uneasily around until she spotted a pink blur. “There-!” She reached out with her telekinesis. “Got you..huh?”

An outrageously garish pink pony was hovering upside-down in the grip of Willow’s magic staring at Willow with an unnerving smile on her face. “Hehe! I was wondering how long it would take~! I’ve been following you for waaaaay longer but I thought- oh, what if I make it a game and see how close I can get before they notice me! And then you were all, ‘I sense a disturbance in the force,’ and then whooosh grabbed me and here I am!”

Willow blinked, nonplussed. Luna and Twilight looked on in bemusement. “Um, you aren’t gonna like.. attack me, or anything, if I let you go, right?”

“Nope!” Pinkie chirped happily. The glow of Willow’s horn died down and Pinkie somehow managed to land right side up. Maybe she’s part-cat..?

Pinkie addressed Twilight. “Wellll.. I already know everything ‘cause I already talked with Rainbow..” She turned to speak to Willow, “..but everypony needs a proper introduction! So! I’m Pinkie Pie, the fantabulous party pony! And you?”

Willow responded slowly, still recovering, “I’m... Willow. Just Willow.”

Pinkie nodded her head enthusiastically. “Okie-dokie-lokey, Just Willow! I’ve gotta run and get a bunch of stuff ready but it was really nice to meet you ‘cause I’ve never met an alternate dimension creature-person before and I wonder what kind of parties you’re used to and.. oh! Right. Leaving, see ya!” She vanished in a puff of smoke.

Ninja smoke-bomb..? Willow stood unmoving, contemplating the pink enigma. Twilight cleared her throat and said, “Well.. that’s another introduction over with. You’ll get used to her.. maybe. Don’t be surprised if she ambushes you with a party later on.”

“O.. kay..” Willow said haltingly. They continued on to their final destination. As they approached, Willow began wondering who was the architect who designed the town; it seemed like an amusement park rather than a place of residence. Twilight entered the building labeled ‘Carousel Boutique’ while Luna and Willow waited outside once again, needing no prompting this time.

“We’re an odd sight, aren’t we?” Willow asked Luna, vaguely waving a hoof in the direction of the few ponies that were outside conducting business or running errands. They would stop, stare at the two of them, then move on.

“My sister and I rarely leave the castle; naturally I would attract attention. As for you; even if you are not recognized as my treasonous alter ego, alicorns are generally extinct.”

Willow hmm’d thoughtfully and tapped her chin with her hoof. “From what I’ve observed so far; you have the regular ponies who don’t seem to have magic, the pegasi who can fly, unicorns who can do magic.. and you and I assume your sister, who can do everything? Why are you so special?” She coughed apologetically. “No offense.”

Luna shook her head negatively. “It is a fair question. You are mostly correct in your observations; though the ponies without wings or horn are referred to as earth ponies. My sister and I are immortal goddesses; she raises the sun and I the moon. Naturally we would need to have power to match.”

Willow’s eyes seem to bug out into her skull. “Y-you’re seriously a goddess? Oh! And I almost attacked you! I’m such an idiot! I didn’t mean to.. well yes I did, but that was just because I didn’t know who you were-”

Luna cut her off, a slight grin on her features. “Please, continue treating me as you have been. It is a refreshing change from fear or awe.”

Willow swallowed heavily. “Y-yes, your Majesty- er, I mean, Luna.” She pasted a smile on. At least she’s not a Hell Goddess..

Twilight dispelled the awkward atmosphere by arriving side-by-side with another unicorn. She bowed gracefully and smiled warmly at Willow, though there was a hint of something in her eyes that suggested the politeness was mostly a front. “Welcome to Equestria, Willow. I’m sure you’ll find it to be a wonderful place. My name is Rarity; fashionista extraordinaire and premier clothing designer of Ponyville. A pleasure to meet you.”

Willow smiled back. “You too. I don’t suppose you would take an order for some clothes for me? It’s actually kind of strange to me to be going around um, naked.” She blushed slightly.

Rarity’s grin became genuine as Willow was suddenly whisked into the establishment at a record pace. “This would be wonderful practice should I ever be commissioned to make something for our princesses! Just sit right there and I’ll have you looking fabulous in no time at all, darling!”

Willow looked pleadingly at Twilight, who was watching with an air of resignation. Twilight shook her head and Willow’s heart sank. I’m not really big on the whole fashion thing.. oh well..

After taking her measurements and forcing her to try on various accessories and clothing, Willow finally managed to escape with a few articles that she liked. Rarity was rather pushy with trying to get her to wear some more elaborate pieces, which Willow found rather irritating, but she tried to bear it in good humor, not wanting to anger Twilight’s friends.

Her acquisitions gathered, Willow said, “I can’t really pay you for all this, but I’m sure I can work something out..”

Rarity replied genially, “Nonsense, darling! The opportunity to try out new fashions on an alicorn model was reward enough. You don’t owe me anything.”

“..Well, if you’re sure..”

Before she left, Rarity had some parting words, seemingly remembering who she was dealing with. She had a dangerous glint in her eyes as she looked at Willow with a placid smile. “I’m sure there won’t be any incidents while you’re here, truly? It would be most distressing if that were to happen.”

Willow smiled nervously. “Nope! No incidents here. We are incident-free.” She bowed clumsily and made her way quickly to the exit, with Twilight following right behind. As they arrived outside, Twilight patted her shoulder in a comforting gesture. “Rarity can be a little overzealous when it comes to her fashions, but she’s the most generous pony you’ll ever meet.”

Willow sighed heavily. “I’m beat. Can we head back to the library?” The sun was sinking below the horizon; they had spent the entire day getting around the town to meet all of Twilight’s friends.

Twilight nodded enthusiastically, “Yep! Then we can get started on comparing your spellcasting, trying to get you home, looking into the imbalance.. so much to do!”

A groan was her response. “Don’t remind me..”

Twilight lost some of her fervor. “You’ll make it back; don’t worry.. and if you need rest, Luna and I can investigate without you if we have to.”

Willow smiled. “Thanks, Twilight.”

Celestia was in her room, gazing out of her window, thinking on the problems currently affecting her kingdom when her thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock.

“Princess Celestia!” A stallion’s voice sounded through the thick wood.

“..Come in,” she commanded.

A pony in royal uniform stepped into the room nervously, but his voice held no tremor as he delivered his message. “The newest report from Hoofington is in; another casualty, in the same state as the others. The mayor is requesting soldiers from the capital to help police the town.”

There was a slight pause. “Send a message back. The town will have additional protection; also assure him that we will be looking into the cause as well. The murder of ponies is something the crown cannot abide.”

The messenger bowed, and left hastily. Celestia’s regal expression cracked into a frown as the door closed. She knew what the problem was, and the likely solution.. but it would take time, and everything that could be done was already being done. There would be more casualties.. more of her little ponies would be meeting premature ends, and there was nothing she could do about it but wait. She wished Luna was still in the capital, but Luna was needed in Ponyville. She sighed. The burden of leadership.. I know this all too well.

Midnight Duel

Twilight observed Willow curled up on the couch sleeping with a peaceful expression. Princess Luna entered the room, her stoic mask softening slightly as she caught sight of the slumbering alicorn. Twilight captured Luna's attention and motioned her to follow as she left the room. Once they reached the next room over, Twilight turned and addressed the expectant Luna.

"What do you think of her, Princess?"

Luna glanced at the room they had just vacated. "I think she's suffered."

Twilight raised her eyebrows in curiosity. "Really? What makes you say that?"

Luna's gaze was far-off as she responded, "The kind of imbalance she has; it can only come from intense suffering. She seems to be persevering regardless, however."

Twilight contemplated in the ensuing silence. "I didn't really notice anything like that.. but I trust you, Princess. How can we help her?"

Luna smiled fondly down at Twilight. "What you do best. Befriend her. She needs reasons to keep living, and living well. I think that will help heal the wound in her soul. I will dedicate my time to finding a method of dimensional travel that will allow her to return home."

Twilight nodded her assent. "Yes, Princess."

Willow groggily straightened up from her nap. A glance at the window showed it was nighttime. She was still sleepy, but she managed to trudge her way to the kitchen to fix herself a midnight snack.

On the way, she was distracted by a faint glimmer on the edge of her mystical senses. On a whim, she started homing in on its source until it led her to Twilight's desk. She opened the top drawer, and saw what had drawn her from her quest for food. It was the Element of Magic Twilight had been experimenting on.

An inner voice deep within was screaming at her to close the drawer and go back to bed, but she ignored it. Her impulse control at the best of times was rather spotty, and she wasn't up to resisting the temptations of magic when she didn't think there was much at stake. Tara was gone, anyways; did it really matter anymore if she held back?

With that last thought in mind, she gripped the tiara in her hooves, her eyes tracing every contour of its surface, her mind etching every inch of its beauty into her memory. A trickle of magical energy began to flow from the artifact into her. The sensation was nothing short of pure bliss, and Willow grabbed at the feeling insistently, willing it to give her more. Her body gave an orgasmic shudder as the drain intensified. Dark tendrils of energy flowed around her, and her mane took on a pitch black hue. "This is.. the Element of Magic.." she breathed.

Twilight took that moment to walk into the room, woken from her sleep by a sharp pain in her heart. "Willow? Are you awake? What are you-" She took in the spectacle before her with muted shock. She shook herself out of her daze. "Willow, stop!"

Willow turned to look at her, but Twilight hardly recognized the look on her face. It was a look of pure contempt and vicious glee. "Why,.?" She murmured, her eyes still alight in the afterglow of her magic. "With this kind of power, what do I need you idiots for?"

Twilight's eyes widened and she stammered, "W-what..?" Willow's horn glowed, and Twilight was encased in the grip of Willow's magic and thrown headlong into the wall. Twilight moaned in pain and shakily tried to rise from the floor. The collision had scrambled her thoughts and robbed her of the clarity required to attempt a spell. Before she could regain her footing, she was tossed again into the opposite wall. A horrible cracking noise filled the air and Twilight cried out. "Ah..!"

Twilight screwed her eyes shut, trying desperately to regain her focus through the haze of agony. She heard hoofsteps slowly approaching her, and Willow's bored voice. "Is that it? You're nothing without your crutch, aren't you? Bearer of Magic, really.. you're pathetic." She formed a blazing ball of fire to end Twilight's life, but before she could fire it off, the room was enveloped in an icy chill.

Luna stood at the entrance of the room, a tangible aura of frost permeating her form. Power radiated from her in waves, and she looked every bit an avenging goddess. "You..!" Luna's eyes blazed with rage. To think she had trusted this pony.. she was such a foal. How could she have let her guard down so? "We will end your miserable existence!"

Willow snuffed out her dwindling fireball and a genuine smile crossed her face as she took in the sight of Princess Luna in her full glory. "This should be fun. I hope you live up to your status, Princess Luna. Though.. this cramped library isn't much of a battlefield. Why don't you follow me? If you're not afraid, anyway." She didn't wait for a response as she flared her wings and darted outside.

Luna gauged her probable destination and concentrated, teleporting outside opposite Willow, savoring her briefly surprised expression. She snorted haughtily and pawed the ground threateningly. "Thou art a few centuries too soon to defeat me!"

Willow examined their battlefield, a wide clearing with no cover and Ponyville visible in the distance. She stretched languidly and cloaked herself in a magical barrier. With a savage grin she said, "Let's do this."

Back at the library, Spike came across Twilight crumpled on the floor, trying to stand but wincing in pain any time weight was put on one of her back hooves. Spike overflowed with concern as he raced to her side.

"Twi'! What happened to you?"

Twilight's voice was weak. "Spike, we need to get the other Elements. There's something wrong with Willow, she did something with the Element of Magic and her personality completely changed."

Spike's expression of concern morphed into a scowl. "She did this to you?!"

"Yes, she did Spike.. but I don't think that was really her.. at least, I hope not. Anyway, Luna's probably more than enough to deal with her, but we should have the Elements on hand just in case."

Spike protested, "There's no way you can fight with a broken leg, Twi'! You should let Princess Luna handle it."

Even weak and injured on the floor, Twilight managed a withering glare at Spike. "I welcomed her here as a guest Spike. I won't shirk my responsibility to her, one way or the other. Now hurry! There's no telling what could happen while we're wasting time here arguing!"

Spike relented and nodded, quickly running off to find Twilight's friends. Twilight let out a sigh and began meditating silently, trying to conserve her energy to teleport everyone to the Princess when they arrived.

"Hyah-!" Luna gave a grunt of exertion as she let loose another magical barrage. The two alicorns had been trading volleys at range for the past couple minutes, and neither side was showing any sign at all of strain, though Luna privately thought she was running dry more quickly than Willow. Willow must have received an insane stamina boost with her momentary absorption of the Element of Magic; her magical reserves were not nearly this impressive before.

"I think that's enough of the warm-ups, don't you?" Willow called mockingly. She began manifesting her darkness power more heavily, and the atmosphere became tinged with a tangible sense of malevolence. Black lightning arced from Willow's horn, and she exalted in her newfound power. She was planning to simply dominate Luna through overwhelming force.

It was a sign of Luna's mental fortitude, honed over a thousand years in exile with Nightmare Moon, that she wasn't at all shaken by the aura of dread Willow was exuding. "Agreed." She enhanced her already incredible speed magically, dodging between the discharges of magical lightning aimed her way, making a beeline straight toward Willow.

"Stay STILL!" WIllow roared, reciting a latin incantation for a slowing spell designed to atrophe her opponent's muscles. It manifested as a small green ball of energy that slammed straight into the Princess, who visibly slowed. Willow smirked victoriously as she fired a heavy tempest straight at her enfeebled foe, but Luna blurred out of the way and advanced even closer to Willow, her speed rocketing back to its previous state. She was just faking being slowed!

Willow hastily threw up a more powerful deflection spell, a black shield that caused Luna's powerful hoof-strike to glance off to the side. WIllow tried to gain some distance, but Luna's assault was relentless, a constant whirl of strikes trying to find a way past her guard.

Luna grinned at Willow. "Your hoof-to-hoof skills seem to be rather lacking!" While she prevented Willow from taking offensive action, she worked on figuring on a counter-spell to Willow's shield. She paused her attack and focused her arcane energies. "Break."

The ebon shield shattered like glass, and Luna charged in and smacked Willow across her muzzle, sending her crashing across the clearing. Willow recovered quickly and levitated a small group of rocks at high speed to deflect Luna from following up on her advantage. She looked perplexed. "How..? My shield shouldn't break so easily.."

Luna shook her head negatively. "You should have thought twice before challenging a true master of magic. Deciphering your work was challenging, I'll admit, but your defeat is inevitable."

Willow's face darkened with rage and she searched deeper into her corrupt well of power, recognizing that she was outclassed in skill and seeking to compensate with force. She wasn't having fun anymore.

"Why don't you just die!" she shrieked.

An enormous torrent of negative energy shaped into a giant tidal wave formed in front of Willow and rushed onward to crush Luna. Not only that, but her position was such that if she dodged, the wave would advance onto Ponyville behind her. The town would be utterly obliterated by such a high-powered spell.

Luna firmed her resolve and formed the most powerful barrier she could, hoping it would be enough to allow her to survive the oncoming spell. She was saved having to test her defenses by the appearance of Twilight and the rest of the Elements of Harmony teleporting in near Luna. Twilight quickly grasped the situation in front of her and directed her friends. "Girls, we have to stop it! It's heading straight for Ponyville!"

Fortunately, she had the foresight to bring the rest of the Elements (she was enormously thankful Willow had not, for whatever reason, detected their presence in the Library), and the six of them channeled their friendship and their desire to save the town into their magical foci. A brilliant chromatic beam formed and, directed by Twilight, collided with the onrushing tide of evil. It held fast for a moment, before being overtaken and pushed back to the source. Willow had a look of acceptance right before the rainbow beam overtook her. "Oh well.. at least it wasn't boring.."

There was silence in the clearing as the dust settled and Willow lay unconscious, her chest rising and falling gently, her coloration returned to normal. Luna's face was unreadable, but Twilight looked worried, and her friends were looking to her for guidance. As Twilight limped slowly over to Willow, the sleeping alicorn started rousing.

Willow blinked sleepily and saw Twilight standing over her. She looked inquisitively up at the intensely worried face of Twilight and asked, "What's wrong, Twilight?"

Reprecussions, Reactions

“Hi Twilight.. what's wrong?"

Twilight twitched. By all indications her new friend was asking an honest question. She shouldn‘t get mad and yell at her, right? Everypony should sit down and talk it out like level-headed rational beings. Unfortunately, having just narrowly avoided a cataclysmic event, Twilight wasn't feeling all that calm.

“What’s wrong..? What’s wrong?! You just tried to blow up Ponyville, that’s what’s wrong!” she yelled.

A dawning light of realization crossed Willow’s features. “I-I..” she stammered in a horror-struck tone.

Twilight continued talking, and her voice picked up steam as she went. “You said you were having problems, but I didn’t know they were this bad! A little heads up would’ve been nice!” She looked accusingly at Willow.

Willow shrunk into herself a bit more. “I’m so, so sorry..”

Fluttershy tapped Twilight on the shoulder, interrupting her mid-rant. Twilight deflated, collapsing onto the ground and sighing heavily.

“Well. There’s no point in moaning about it now, I suppose. I’ll send the Elements back to Canterlot for safe-keeping.” she concluded with finality.

“Wait, just like that?” Rainbow asked indignantly.

Twilight turned a stern gaze toward Rainbow. “Yes, just like that, Dash.”

Rainbow shook her head disbelievingly. “That’s so stupid. The problem isn’t the Elements of Harmony, the problem is right there!” She pointed a hoof at the hunched form of Willow. “You think if you just remove the Elements she won’t be a threat anymore?” Her voice was incredulous. She looked around at her friends for back up, but found no one willing to vocalize their support.

She threw up her hooves in defeat, turning to fly off and offering one last parting shot. “Fine. When this blows up in your face, I’ll be there to pull your flank out of the fire. And to tell you I told you so.” She exited the stage in a huff, leaving a chromatic trail behind her as she left.

There was an awkward silence. Fluttershy looked like she wanted to move over to comfort Willow staring at the ground in horrified shock, but instead she remained rooted indecisively in place. Twilight coughed nervously. "Well.." she muttered. "This is a disaster."

Applejack tipped her hat to Twilight. "Call me if ya need me." she drawled, cantering off back to her farm. Rarity and Fluttershy took it as a cue to make their own exits. Fluttershy spared one final glance at Willow before departing. Only Twilight, Willow, Pinkie, and Luna remained on the outskirts.

Pinkie turned to address the audience. "I'm still in this scene, but I couldn't find a good entrance for a joke. I'm so sorry! I'll do better next time!" she said to thin air.

"Who are you talking to, Pinkie?" Twilight asked in a long-suffering tone. It is a question that has been poised many times. To delve too deeply is to invite madness, but Twilight can never restrain her curiosity.

"Ehehehe.. it's a secret, Twilie!" Pinkie replied brightly. A briefly serious look crossed her face as she observed Willow, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. "Toodles!"

Twilight trotted over to Luna overlooking a hill. She has been deep in thought since the incident was resolved. "What do you think we should do, Princess?"

Luna hmm'd thoughtfully. "I believe we should simply continue as we are. Obviously, we must keep a closer watch on Willow than we have been, just to prevent incidents like these. But, I think it is more important to contain any potential damage she can do by helping her master her dark side. I believe this is where I can be of use."

Twilight's lips quirked. "Are you forming Face Heel Turns Anonymous? 'It has been 63 days since I last tried to destroy the world'?" she asked with a mock inquisitive look on her face.

Luna gave her an I-am-not-amused expression. "Yes. That is exactly what I'm doing." she deadpanned. She shook her head and turned to gaze at Willow moping.

"I never noticed how annoying this is looking from the outside. She looks so consumed with guilt. I didn't really take Celestia's chastising seriously.." Luna said, frowning.

"We've all said it at some point. It wasn't all your fault. Maybe now you have some perspective, huh?" Twilight asked.

"Perspective.. yes." Luna repeated, her eyes looking off into the distance.

They gathered up Willow and returned to the library as quietly as they could. Twilight worried over Willow retreating into herself, but couldn't think of anything she could do herself. At the very least, Luna was here to help her- and Twilight has faith in her Princesses.

They turned in early, saving the serious discussions for tomorrow. Twilight and Willow were both drained from the ordeal, and needed rest. Luna positioned herself on the roof to observe and critique her own night sky, while thinking of plans to help her new acquaintance.

"What do your dreams hold, Willow?" Luna murmured from her perch on the roof. She sunk into a magical trance, and pinpointed the dreams of the one she sought.

It wasn't a dream- it was a nightmare. How strange it was seeing more of her bipedal species moving about, but it's only natural that she'd be this way in her own imagination. Luna shouldn't have to remind herself that the one she's dealing with is most definitely not a pony. It made her worry that they might be too dissimilar after all, but she didn't think so. For all that their forms were radically different, the core of self-awareness and range of emotion seemed remarkably alike.

The one with the most prominent position in the dream was a blonde-maned human. She shone the brightest, but she also cast the largest shadow. The dream became a nightmare when she was ripped from existence in the most terrifying and brutal ways possible. From then on there was nothing but suffering, death, and murder. Without an anchor to keep her in place, Willow did whatever she wanted- even destroying her own dream-space and her own self. It's painful to watch.

"Yo. What's up, horse?" a sly voice commented from behind her. Luna almost jumped in surprise, but mastered herself enough to collect herself and observe the one who sneaked up on her. It was some kind of twisted form of evil, darkness, and hate. Roughly shaped like a human, but with a cloak of void about it, it radiated malice in palpable waves and pulsated at odd intervals, warping the space around it.

"I was first thinking, what the fuck are you doing here.." The atmosphere blacked out on the profanity, everything going dark for a split second.

It was smiling.. "..but then I realized that this is an opportunity."

It started jumping up and down, clapping its shadow appendages together. "Hey, hey. Where you goin'? You should join the party." Her smile grew wider and wider, becoming grotesque as it stretched beyond physical limits. "Die, you worthless bitch."

Luna evacuated as fast as she possibly could, breathing a sigh of relief when she returned to herself back on the roof. This was far beyond anything she'd ever encountered. It would be impossible to glean insights or heal her subconscious with a presence like.. that, lurking there. Even if she had great power over dreams, she wouldn't be able to fight something like that on its home turf unless Willow could be recruited to assist.

An ominous tapping noise started ringing through the night. "Who's there?" Luna called out.

Materializing in midair in front of her, the spectre of evil made its reappearance. "Gyahahaha.. fooled ya~" it mocked. Its hands reached into Luna and pulled. Luna cried out in soul-wrenching agony, writhing helplessly as waves of pain crashed through her body over and over. Its laughter echoed unendingly through the imaginary night.

Until it ceased, and Luna again found herself on the roof with the stars overhead. She was still twitching from the phantom pain all over her body, and wary of another trap. Was she being granted respite, only to cruelly dash her hopes again?

No. She couldn't let herself be taken into the pace of that creature. It is more likely that she escaped, somehow. She only wish she knew how. At the very least, the creature couldn't do any lasting harm. She'll be prepared next time- Willow's subconscious-dwelling darkness shouldn't ever be as strong as it was tonight, and she was caught off guard by its mastery over its own domain. She won't make the same mistakes twice.

"..mm.. hwaa?! What kind of a midnight snack is hay.. seriously.. freakin' ponies.." a half-asleep Willow muttered as she walked through the halls.