//------------------------------// // Formulating the New Plan // Story: Twilight for a Day // by Mike the Red //------------------------------// "Before you return to the Castle, Mike, maybe you might want to visit the other Elements to let them know of this plan?" Twilight asked, almost hesitantly. It seemed as though she had many more questions to ask me, but I figured there was plenty of time later on for more casual discussions. We had to act before Nightmare Moon brought eternal night back to Earth. I was able to frighten her off, but I was pretty sure she would return, and plunge the world back into darkness. She had to be stopped. "Twilight, your logic is impeccable. If you would be so kind as to accompany me, we shall gather the Elements together, and return to the Castle to reconnoiter with the Princess. Please allow me to do the teleporting, this should be easy with my new powers," I said. I couldn't believe we were off to assemble the Elements of Harmony yet again, after having done so just a week ago in order to defeat Discord in this realm. "You should know where everypony is this time," she said, chuckling. "I can't wait to see Nightmare's reaction when we show up THERE!" She grinned at the prospect. "Let's not be overconfident, there's no telling how powerful she is in my realm. There's a large amount of magic to draw upon, and with no other magic users, that might make her considerably more powerful. By the same token, the Element magic will also be much more powerful. Okay, off to Sugar Cube Corner again!" I said, teleporting myself and Twilight over to Pinkie Pie's place. "Hey, Pinkie, we have another mission," I said. I forgot what I looked like for a second, when Pinkie stuck her head out the second story window, and gasped. Then she saw Twilight. "Hey, Twilight, is that the Princess? She looks different. What's with the little crown on her head? Why is her cutie mark so different? Why is her mane and tail just blue?" She turned to look at me. "You're not the Princess, are you?" "Sorry to disappoint you, Pinkie Pie, but I am Michael, just that I have a new body," I said. "Wow! You look so much like the Princess that I mistook you for her! How long has it been? It seems like forEVER! I wanted to throw you and your wife a party, but you left before I even got past the planning stages! Can I throw the new you a party? Can you bring your wife? Please, please, please, please?" I chuckled at her energy. "Pinkie, as much as I would love to attend a party on my behalf, I have an issue that has come up. Nightmare Moon has made it into my realm, and I need to assemble the Elements once again. When we return, we can have the biggest, best party ever! I promise, and yes, I'll bring my wife! I'll even change her into a pony for every pony's benefit." "Michael, do you think that's such a good idea?" Twilight asked me. "It'll be a prank on her," I said with a sly smile. "Aww yeah, that'll be so AWESOME!" came Rainbow's voice from overhead. "Ah, Dash, just the pony I need. I was hoping finding you would be a bit easier this time. Didn't want to have to turn Cloudsdale upside-down trying to find you again," I said. "Wait, who are you? You look kinda like the Princess, but you're different," she said, almost warily. "Rainbow, this is Michael, he's in a different body now," Twilight said. "Nightmare Moon has escaped into HIS world! And we need to stop her -- again!" "Whoa, Mike, you're gonna need all of us again, aren't you?" Rainbow asked me. "That will make things considerably easier for me, yes," I said. "I'm still tring to acclimate myself to all this power I have at my disposal. I only hope I can use it responsibly without making a mess." "Yeah, well, I'll go get Flutters, and you can get Rarity and AJ. Meet up at the farm, and then we can go to the Castle!" she said. "Twilight, she's quick on the uptake, isn't she?" I asked. "Yeah, she knows how to keep a cool head, at least, some times, anyway. She knows what danger lies ahead." Shortly, we have assembled at Sweet Apple Acres. We all join for a group teleport, which I handle with ease. We were once again in the Royal Throne Room, Celestia sitting on one throne, Luna on the other. This being the first time Luna has seen me, she was startled. "Thou must tell us who thou might be," she said, maintaining a normal voice. "Princess Luna, has your sister told you of my travels?" I asked her. "Thou art Michael? Thou lookest different than what our sister hath told us," she said. "Princess Luna, a week ago, I occupied a double of Twilight Sparkle. Today, I was transformed into an alicorn. Nightmare Moon is on the loose in my home world," I said, gauging her reaction. "Is what thou speakest true? That thou hast met mine alter-ego in thy realm? Tia, didst thou speakest of this matter with him? If so, why didst thou not mention this to us?" I let Princess Celestia speak. "Luna, he mentioned it in passing, and he said that she fled from him when he lowered the moon and placed the sun back in its respective position." A collective gasp came from the Elements when this was mentioned. Lots of questions from all of them talking over each other came flying in my direction, including Princess Luna, who was shocked that I was capable of such a feat. Princess Celestia spent a few moments trying to calm everyone down, before Luna resorted to the Royal Canterlot Voice to silence everypony. "There shalt be silence amongst thou all!" she exclaimed. This brought some semblance of order back to the room. "Michael, is this true? That thou art able to raise and lower the sun in thy realm?" "Princess Luna, it seemed an easy task for me, as though I had performed it for many centuries. Your evil counterpart in my realm saw this display of power, and fled. I need the help of the Elements not just to track her down, but to banish her so that order may be restored to my realm. To be honest, my planet followed a predictable orbit and rotation, negating the need for one of my power, but with the arrival of Nightmare Moon, I guess the transformation of my human self into an alicorn was necessary in order to maintain balance and harmony. Without that, she can impose her will on my world, putting seven billion of us into eternal darkness. I cannot allow such a catastrophe to occur." Turning to Celestia, I said, "With your permission, Celestia, may I take the Elements with me into my realm, and bring order back to it? I will return them safely when we have finished this task." "We wouldst liketh to pay a visit to thine realm," Luna said, almost optimistically. "Your evil counterpart is there -- we cannot risk a paradox," I said. "It's already risky enough for me to take so many across the dimensional barrier, and I am hoping to make short work of this." "Luna, he speaks wisdom. Please defer to him, for my sake. He helped subdue Discord," Celestia smiled. "Tia, thou hast told us of this accomplishment, but -- thou didst sayeth that he was in Twilight's body?" "He has shown himself to be most trustworthy, and he has earned my deepest respect and admiration. I trust him to make this task swift, as he now has substantially more power than he did when he was in Twilight's body." "This is gonna be AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "I can't wait to see what your realm looks like!" "Prepare to be disappointed," I said. "It's very underwhelming."