Twilight how could you be so stupid! With that look Nightmare Moon was staring at her, she could have turned a basilisk into stone!
"Queen Nightmare Moon, ... did I say … anything ... wrong?" Twilight asked very careful, forcing an uncertain smile on her face.
"GUARDS!" Nightmare Moon screamed in response.
Two of her Bat Pony Guards ran up. But even before their guards even entered the Throne room, the Queen screamed,
"BRING ME TWILIGHT SPARKLE!"
A princess and a dragon come into her castle and the princess introduces herself as Twilight Sparkle, the sister of rebellion leader Shining Armour ... which she threw herself in her dungeon not even a month ago!!! That just screamed like the butt of a bad joke, Nightmare Moon thought dumbfounded.
And yet her instincts say, that there has to be more to it. Because this Princess and Twilight Sparkle look weirdly similar. She had to get to the bottom of it.
"Why did you call yourself that, Princess?" asked Nightmare Moon.
Spike took the initiative.
"It seems to me a big misunderstanding..."
"QUIET, DRAGON, I talked to the Princess!"
Heavy clunking footsteps became louder behind the queen.
"I'll find out who you really are! And I can guarantee you one thing: You are not Twilight Sparkle! Because she is Twilight ... Sparkle?!?"
Nobody said anything. Nightmare Moon looks confused from one pony to another. Twilight looked speechless at the other pony. No doubt! That was her who lay there dirty in chains. With the difference that this Twilight had no wings.
"Okay, I'm tired of those lazy tricks. You two will tell me now what's going on here!" Threatened the Queen.
"No, you'll tell me what's going on here!"
came abruptly in response from the other Twilight.
"Why do I see myself over there?! Have you mirrored me to fool my brother or just for your own amusement, you miserable monster!"
"Unfortunately, just for my own amusement, because it's so much fun to have two identical annoying ponies that can not shut up!" Nightmare Moon replied surprisingly sarcastic.
"Take her back to the dungeon. I've heard enough!"
As the two guards dragged the second twilight away, the Queen build up in front of Twilight and Spike, who watched everything silently.
"My patience is hereby finished! You have 10 seconds!"
"We are time travelers." Came quickly in response from Twilight.
Nightmare Moon leaned over Twilight contentedly. She had her right where she wanted her.
"Future?"
"Alternative time line."
"How could you travel through time?"
"A magical scroll."
"I want to see it!"
"It was sucked into the time portal."
"The magic map in Ponyville?"
"Just provided the energy for the spell."
"Did you made the spell?"
"No, it’s from Starswirl the Bearded."
"Never heard he made such spells."
"A unicorn named Starlight Glimmer rewrote the Spell. Everything was her fault! "
The queen lent back satisfied.
"Was that so hard?" asked the Queen sarcastically, but then Nightmare Moon came a thought. "You don’t have the spell and you did not make it, does that mean you two are stuck here?"
"Kinda." Twilight replied,
"Thank you, Princess, that has really answered a lot of questions but there's still the problem what I'm doing to do with you two. To be honest, I do not know it yet, I'm will have to make my mind about all this."
Nightmare Moon stamped her hooves three times. Immediately her two guards ran in.
"Take the princess and her pet to the good cell of the dungeon. You treat them well, they get three meals and ..."
Nightmare Moon told her guards a list of other conditions, and Spike was amazed that Nightmare Moon treated her prisoners so well, but Twilight didn't listen, and came up with an idea.
It was totally nuts and dangerous at best but she still had something in her hooves against Nightmare Moon. A last attempt to find a way home and not end in the dungeons of this castle.
She had to change the circumstances.
"Maybe all this is not necessary." Nightmare Moon broke off her listing and turned to Twilight.
"What's is it now, princess? As I said, I need some time ..."
"That's not what I’m talking about." Twilight replied fast.
"So then what?" Nightmare Moon replied curiously.
"I've been thinking and I don’t think there's a way for me and Spike to return. So I can make the most of it."
"What exactly do you mean?" The Queen asked expectantly. Twilight took a deep breath.
"I was Celestia's student. I was the best student I've could have been for all these years, maybe ... maybe I could become your student."
“MY STUDENT?!?” Nightmare Moon exclaimed in disbelief.
“HER STUDENT?!?" Spike exclaimed in disbelief,
"Not interested! I don’t need a student. "Take these two out of here! I've got enough!”
Nightmare Moon turned annoyed and wanted to go but Twilight still hasn't played her trump card.
"Not even the Element of Magic?"
Nightmare Moon stopped, turned slowly, and glared at Twilight.
"What did you just say?" she asks menacing with an almost deadly undertone.
"I was asking if you would not accept the element of magic as your student?" Twilight said, eying Nightmare Moon with new self-confidence.
"First the time travel story and now THAT! Are you actually claiming that you ARE the Element of Magic!?"
Nightmare Moon asked as she became more angry with each word.
"Yes." Twilight said confidently, withstanding Nightmare Moon's visibly rising rage.
"And I can prove it! Take me to the Shrine of the Elements and I'll show you. The hidden Element of Magic."
Nightmare Moon fought visibly with herself as Twilight looked innocently at the floor. But then Nightmare Moon’s expression relaxed.
"Fine, Sparkle. Show me the element!"
Twilight smiled victoriously.
" Thank you, your Majesty. Will you take me to the elements now?" Twilight asked Nightmare Moon carefully.
But the Queen just turned away.
"The shrine is here, Princess." Nightmare Moon shot a magical bolt of lightning into the ground in front of her, then a stone slab lifted from the ground and moved to one side, then the shrine of the elements in front of them rose from the ground.
It looked exactly like Twilight remembered, a simple, stone shrine with a large pedestal and a short column with a stone ball at the top, and supports with pedestals for each of the Elements of Harmony with the little difference that they are no longer there. At least the visible ones.
Because there is no pedestal for one of the Elements. It was hidden inside the shrine and also their only chance to prove their story to Nightmare Moon and not to land in their dungeon.
"Well, princess. I'm waiting,"
said Nightmare Moon tense as Twilight stepped in front of the shrine while Spike, Nightmare Moon and her two guards were watching every move of hers.
I hope you know what you're doing, thought Spike.
Twilight began to use her magic. She didn't even know what she was doing. She was just trying to touch the Element with her magic. Twilight hoped that was enough and did not need the other Elements to bring make it appear.
And she was lucky. Although this Element was not what turned into her crown, it was the same Element nonetheless.
She could clearly feel it and it obeyed her magic.
Everyone starred up where the element of magic came over the shrine and flowed directly on Twilight's hoof. A six-sided, purple-shining star crystal in the form of her Cutie Mark. The Elements changed their shape as they linked with her and her friends a long time ago. Holding her Element in its original form in the hoof gave her such an unreal feeling that she wanted to throw it as far away as possible. But she did it, and as she expected, the shine of the Element in her hooves faded. Without the other Elements, the Element of Magic is powerless, but that didn't matter.
Clapping hooves pulled her out of her thoughts. As she turned around, she saw Nightmare Moon clapping and smiling with joy.
"I'm impressed, little Sparkle. Actually, I never wanted a student, but I think I can make an exception to the powerful Element of Magic. See yourself from now on as my new student."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Twilight said humbly.
"It is not necessary to thank me," said Nightmare Moon imperiously, "and you will no longer call me your Majesty, you call me your Master from now on, and one more thing, my new Student will not call herself something like Sparkle.
From now on you should be named as ... Twilight Moon."
"Of course, ... Master," said Twilight, bowing deeply to Nightmare Moon.
Princess Twilight Sparkle bowing to Nightmare Moon. That was something that Spike will never forget.