//------------------------------//
// Twilight's Test Pt. 1 
// Story: Dan Vs. The Magic of Friendship(Season 1) 
// by Barrobroadcaster 
//------------------------------//

Location unknown
Time unknown

When Twilight woke up, she was not in Tartarus. Tartarus, she knew, having been there at least once to study it. The realm of Tartarus had a smell to it like a steel mill; sulfur, molten metal, smoke and the like. Wherever she was now smelled like an antique shop or a museum, dusty and ceramic-y. Which was its own unique kind of unpleasant since she could tell she wasn't in either.

"Hello? Hellooooooooo?" Her voice should have echoed, but it didn't. She was in some sort of tunnel made of stone, like in the chambers of a temple or ruin. Behind her was a stone wall, ahead of her a thin cloud of mist obscuring the distance. Not exactly the best situation to be in.

"Hello?" she asked again, hoping there would be an answer, half-knowing there wouldn't be one. There wasn't. She leaned forward and lit her horn, trying to peer as far as she could ahead of her. It didn't help much. Finally, she tried a last resort.

She flashed multiple times, disappearing and then reappearing constantly. For about a dozen instances, she tried to teleport back to Ponyville, back to Canterlot, back anywhere using her vast magical powers, to no avail. Every time she teleported, she was instantly redirected to the same exact spot, like a disconnected phone.

"We're sorry. The location you've dialed is not available. Please hang up and try again." Her horn beeped off.

Her eyes swirled, dazed. Slowly, she steadied herself and got to her hooves again. Teleporting that many times that quickly was both exhausting and disorienting. When a pony teleported, they warped the space of their location and destination simultaneously. In his writing, Starswirl the Bearded described the art and science of teleportation as the pulling of one's self out of one space and into another simultaneously, like pulling a rabbit out of a hat but with yourself instead.

Teleportation spells required a lot of magic, skill and energy even in small castings. Suppressing them wasn't actually hard at all, so it wasn't surprising to Twilight she couldn't just warp out of here. Yet, she tried a few more times.

Flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash, nothing.

"Uhhhhhggg... okay, Twilight... that wasn't smart. What are you doing?" she asked herself. She stood up and walked forward, lighting up her horn again.

There was a light further down the tunnel, but no other source of light. No lamps, torches, nothing. Moving forward, Twilight wasn't sure there even was a light source; it was the tunnel's own magic meant to draw her forward.

The tunnel opened up into a larger chamber. Twilight didn't know how large, however, as the same mist turned into a dense fog that rose from floor to ceiling, even covering her own hooves. As she entered the chamber, others joined her at either side and a man appeared in front of her.

"The kingdom is in danger. We must muster all we can to defend our home."

"What?" Twilight shined her light over the man's face. It was Dan.

"Do not listen to the princesses! They don't see this threat for what it is. The enemy is here. We can wait no longer."

Those around her were her friends. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Applejack. Even Spike. As Dan spoke in front of them, Rainbow Dash stepped forward. The loyal pegasus joined Dan's side... and she changed into an Enclave pony.

"The princesses are wise, but they do not understand. They would sit idle while our neighbors fall to our foes. So many innocents will be lost if we do nothing."

Fluttershy was next. Just as Rainbow Dash did, she stepped forward and stood beside Dan, turned to face Twilight. As she did, she took up the spear and shield of Zen Zeal.

"This... what is this?" Twilight asked. "Is this a test?"

"Our foe is devious, deceitful. But we can win. We will prevail if we stand united. We cannot rely on Celestia or Luna. You are strong, Twilight Sparkle. Celestia and Luna both praise your talents. Will you join us?"

Applejack joined Dan. She gained a red scarf and armor similar to Gust Grasp. She faced Twilight with narrow eyes. 

"Is this... the past?" Twilight asked. "Or is it the future?"

Dan continued. "The enemy does not care what happens to Equestria. They will simply destroy. We cannot allow this to happen. Will you join us, Twilight Sparkle?"

Pinkie Pie was the next to join Dan. She donned the armor of a sea pony warrior, the kind that attacked Ponyville.

"What do you mean, join you? I've... I've been with you this entire time!" Twilight said. "This... this is when you called us to action. But it's not the same."

"Nothing is ever the same thing twice," Dan explained. It was his voice but not his manner of speaking. He stood with his hands clasped in front of him. "But you did join us. Why?"

"I had to. The whole kingdom was in danger. Vice Grip had taken over the Crystal Empire, my brother, Cadence, everything..." Twilight stopped. Had she acted too quickly?

Dan nodded. "You now see the past with clarity. This was the decision your friends made. Each one of them had their own reasons. What was yours, Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight thought. It was a question she hadn't asked herself. But the answer came to her quickly. "They were my reason. I fight for them. I had to."

"Indeed. The enemy would not grant your friends mercy. Without you, they would be lost."

Rarity joined Dan. When she turned to face Twilight, she did so, she was garbed in a black Mare Do Well jumpsuit like an assassin.

"You know now what would transpire because of your actions," Dan said. "To meet power with power. You weren't even united with your friends, but with new ones. With former enemies."

That was also true. Chrys had been first, but after that there had been Gust, the Enclave and others after that. But that was normal; enemies today became friends tomorrow, sometimes. It was the best solution of all, really, and Twilight knew that.

"That's true as well," Twilight said confidently. "When we make new friends, we gain new allies, even if they were once our foes. It takes strength to forgive and we become stronger for it."

The mysterious Dan figure smiled in the darkness. "But there are some things you can't forgive. You know this. Some acts require retribution, not redemption, to ensure they are never repeated." Spike walked over to stand at Dan's side. He turned around and changed into his Canterlot High self, that of a puppy, but he wore the helmet and chrome suit of Vice Grip's canine guards. He kind of looked like a little football player, which was cute, but also evil.

"Wait," Twilight stopped, "Spike has been with me the entire time. He went to the Crystal Empire with us. We were never separated when the kingdom was attacked."

"Of course he was. As was Dan," Dan said. "You all followed him, a human, an alien from another world to war with one of your own. Without the princesses... without your friends. And now, Twilight Sparkle, you are all alone. You know how this conflict plays out and what it does to your friends, your home and everyone you know and love. Will you still join Dan?"

Twilight's gaze dropped to the floor. Ponyville was gone. Canterlot, Cloudsdale, Equestria, all her friends... gone. Even Dan was gone. The pursuit of revenge, the inability, no, the refusal to accept reality, the reality that the princesses had failed and were gone, that Vice Grip had beaten them and won, that reality pressed on her head and had taken everything from her. It had taken everything from everyone. How could she possibly say yes?

She remembered back to what Dan did. All the memories of him standing up for them, fighting for them, he was as much one of her friends as Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Spike. So was Phoenix. His pursuit of justice was similar to the pursuit of revenge, but tended to end better, after it hit some awkward bumps. Every choice she had made had been hers. Equestria may have been gone, but her choices kept it going for longer than giving up or giving in ever would have.

"Yes. Because those were my decisions and those of my friends. We chose to act together. That's always better than acting alone."

...

The 'Dan' figure did not respond, just stood there. Smiling. His hands were clasped in front of him. The room suddenly became a lot creepier with the silence. Twilight's corrupted friends all stared at her, stared daggers into her.

"Knowing all that would happen, you wouldn't change a thing. Very good. Very good."

"Is this some kind of a... a test?" Twilight asked. "Because honestly, a pop quiz isn't really a test of anything except retention and results have proven that method to be inadequate in many cases, especially when it comes to applying knowledge. I mean, it's clear you're trying to assess a shift in my views against my moral foundations but honestly-"

"This is more than jus-"

"-you'd have to dive a bit deeper to examine the subject's decisions on a personal level, excluding the fact that there were others involved in the process originally, which adds variables that could influence any outcome and make it an inaccurate example of the subject's-"

"If you'd just pay attention, the reason for that is-" The 'Dan' figure became annoyed. The visions of Twilight's other friends exchanged confused glances, the Pinkie Pie one fell asleep.

"-hierarchy of importance and how it relates to the decision-making process, which wouldn't necessarily have an impact at the time, but would invariably have considerable importance to factor in any result and necessitate further inclusion and be reason for follow-up analysis to be conducted in a controlled-"

"ENOUGH!!" Dan shouted. "Enough... heheh. I mean, crap. Okay, back to being spooky and ominous."

"Would you like to start over?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks-"

"I can hold all questions until the end if you-"

The figure waved his hand. "That won't be necessary. There's one last choice for you to make, Twilight Sparkle. Just as you chose to be a princess after the choice was made for you, so too have you made another choice. To continue down the path you're walking despite this crossroads you have arrived at. You know your journey is not over yet."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, unsure of herself again.

"Your kingdom is lost. Your friends are gone. You know what Dan would want." Dan held out his hand. "You are all alone, Twilight Sparkle. Your friends have embraced the path of revenge. So too have you, in your own ways. You followed us for every step. Now, we ask you to join us."

"Join you?" Twilight repeated.

Dan nodded. "Join us. Complete your journey." He held out his hands, offering her to place her hooves in them, to join him. To join them all.

Twilight shined her horn over Dan's hands. They weren't Dan's hands. One was the polished metal gauntlet of Vice Grip, the light reflecting in the darkness. The other was the Director's corpse-like bony hand. In the palm of both was a tiny, glowing red horn. A Sword Spell in miniature form.