• Published 12th Aug 2013
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Dan Vs. The Magic of Friendship(Season 1) - Barrobroadcaster



The story of a man named Dan and all his friends in Equestria.

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Errands: Nightfall

It only took a moment for Twilight to realize where she was. She was back on the moon. To be more precise, she was on the moon's southern pole, the bottom of the moon. Oh wait, no- she was on top of the moon, she was just upside down.

"Guhhg!"

"Sorry. I don't teleport ponies here that often," Luna said, helping her up. Except, it wasn't quite Luna.

"That's okay. I know hard it can be to teleport. You have to keep track of," she looked up at 'not quite Luna.' "A... lot... of... ummm," she swallowed. "Stuff."

"That you do," Nightmare Moon said. She smiled a toothy grin. "How easy it is to just lose track of things. Like time. It seems like just yesterday we first met. Or... perhaps last night, would be more accurate. Hahahahaha..." She laughed, the haunting, evil laugh Twilight had dreaded since the first time she heard it, the laugh she sometimes still heard in her dreams. "That night would still be going on. Funny, isn't it? If I had my way, that one single night would have NEVER ended!"

Twilight lit her horn. "Luna, I know you're still in there! Somewhere!"

Nightmare put her hoof up. "Relax, Twilight Sparkle. It is still me."

"Oh thank the bucking Faust," Twilight said, nearly collapsing in relief. She looked around, getting her bearings once again. The moon was the moon, pretty much didn't change, even after all the stuff that happened on it. Apart from the secret Stable that had been buried on it, the space battle on it, over it and inside of it, the ursas making a temporary den there and the fact that Dan was now apparently building something on the dark side of it where nopony could see, hadn't changed that much at all.

"Have things felt... different to you, since we got back?" Twilight asked.

Nightmare nodded. "They have. Magic itself has been reset along with the planet. It's part of nature; the state of magic and the flow of the natural and supernatural forces in our world have returned to the way they were approximately three years ago."

Twilight looked at her own wings. They were slightly diminished since she'd gotten back. "Is that why I'm more... unicorn-sized alicorn?"

"And why I'm in my Nightmare form. The energy and magic used to maintain it are... in excess, right now," Nightmare Moon explained. "It's quite exhilarating! But, erm, as you are no doubt aware, greater power requires greater control. Over one's self, especially."

"Yeah, it's... quite overwhelming at first."

"Indeed," Nightmare Moon said, her tone both knowing and leading. "But you will need to master such power. And much more. And soon." She walked forward, from the pole to the dark side of the moon. Her gaze was fixed upward as she finally added, "Very soon."

"R-really?" Twilight said, eyes darting around. She hadn't been ready to become a princess when she became one, and it had taken over a year to even fully get used to it. Wings were really fun, though, so it wasn't something she wanted to give up. Or change too dramatically. Cautiously, almost reluctantly, she followed Nightmare Moon to the dark side of the moon.

The shadow felt like it almost crept over her rather than her walking into it. Twilight crossed the plane to the dark side and immediately felt cooler. The moon's surface felt colder and rougher not exposed to the sun's light, the moment the light stopped touching her. It shouldn't have been possible; the moon's surface didn't change that much from dark to light. Did it? The shadows felt like they were surrounding her, embracing her like coat offered by a stranger, unknown and heavy.

"S-so, what are we doing here?"

Nightmare Moon's horn, helmet and armor lit up, casting everything in a blue light. She kicked off from the moon to fly in space. Twilight- slowly and cautiously, joined her. They flew in space for a moment, beyond the orbit of the moon, beyond Equestria's orbit, further than the planet's bounds. The cold she'd felt hadn't dissipated, but it felt less clingy to her, more expansive. It was almost like it was moving, flowing everywhere at once. What was this power? Was it one entity, or more than one, or multiple ones coming together?

"You recall your time at the observatory in Donquestria. When you used the cannon," Nightmare Moon said.

"Uh, yeah, was meaning to talk to you about that. You see, we uh, we didn't really have much of a choice, but the gun club-"

"It's perfectly alright," Nightmare Moon said. "You did what you had to do. As did I. We may have to use the cannon for less exploratory means in the time fast approaching. For now, recall your experience with the guidance system."

Twilight nodded. The very motion felt difficult; she was having trouble keeping her balance without ground beneath her hooves. Every motion in the vacuum of space, zero gravity threatened to throw her into a spin. But she maintained her stance, even flew around a bit. It was easier than when she'd first gained wings, or was it because she was learning how to control herself faster? Again, it may have been a combination of things.

It almost always was. Almost.

The stars, galaxies, all the distant lights of space were dazzling, beautiful. It was breathtaking but Twilight had to focus. They were there for a reason. It was a bit of a thrill to think she could actually teleport herself to any point, fly like an eagle among the heavens, witness the birth of stars, destruction of worlds, creation of countless wonders all at once.

"Are you paying attention, Twilight Sparkle?"

"Oh, uh, yes! Now I am, anyway. You said the observatory?"

Nightmare nodded. "There were key stars and solar systems I identified as possible locations for a new Equestria. But not just a new planet." She turned to face her. "In times, we have teleported the whole of Equestria to new locations."

"The whole- the planet?" Twilight asked. She looked around. "Wait, did you say you've teleported the whole planet before?!"

"Cosmic disasters great and small threaten our world at times. There are beasts greater than the ursas that can swallow worlds whole. Rather than fight them, we have simply avoided most of them. But there are some beasts that cannot be avoided," Nightmare said. She highlighted a sector of space with her horn.

Twilight squinted. "I think... was that one ofthe worlds you were watching in your observatory? It is, isn't it?"

"It's gone."

"It's gone?"

"Completely," Nightmare Moon said. "The star, the solar system, all the planets have vanished.

Twilight darted forward, her head looking back between Nightmare Moon and the solar system. "But that's... how?"

"This was the magic of the king and queen. Of our parents. Of my..." her gaze drifted downward a moment. "Mother and father."

Twilight knew about them already. Occasionally, she felt their presence, the near deity-like magic of a being, of beings so powerful that they were nearly beyond comprehension. Their actions, their voices obeyed no known laws of physics but interweaved with them, overpowered them. Like a signal so strong it was heard on multiple bandwidths, distorting every frequency. Powerful sounds that pushed all else aside, not drowning them out but dominating them, going through them and around them in ways that could only be described as control. Like nothing else mattered.

"So they're really coming back?"

"Indeed. It takes long for light to travel from such a distance, but if you reach out with your senses, you can feel that some of the stars are vanishing," Nightmare Moon explained. "Even the light from them is vanishing faster than if the sun had died naturally. Something is absorbing the energy of entire planets, stars reducing them to naught but dust."

"That... oh," Twilight looked back to the stars. They disappeared even as they were talking about them. "Did that- did that happen just now?"

"About twenty minutes ago, give or take. I wanted to keep it up for the demonstration."

"Oh yes, that's very, very effective. I'm sure Cadence and Shining will understand the gravity of the situation, no pun intended, right away."

"And anyone else who needs to know. The guards, maybe," Nightmare Moon said. She turned back to Twilight. "Are you ready to return to the surface?"

"Sure. I can do it myself," Twilight said. Her horn glowed and in a flash, she was back outside the Golden Oakes again. It was better to return this way than just by abruptly popping into the living room, surprising everyone. Yes, when teleporting to a house, even your own, if there's others involved, best to teleport to the entrance and knock first. Something she'd learned.

But then Luna appeared behind her. Quite Luna, not Nightmare Moon. "I-I meant the surface of the moon."

"Ohh! Sorry." Twilight teleported back. Outside the library, the pizza delivery pegasus landed and knocked on the door.

Twilight reappeared on top of the moon. "Other side!" Nightmare Moon shouted.

"Right, coming!" Twilight cantered to the dark side of the moon again. Again, the cold shadows seemed to welcome her. She could've teleported right to Luna's position, but she was a bit... concerned about doing that.

The dark side of the moon obviously wasn't the dark side all the time. The sun's light hit every part at some point, it's just that this side was in darkness for the moment. It was the side where most of the battle had taken place; Luna had rotated the moon so the side with the scars was hidden from Equestria's view.

Twilight passed the unbroken crater-like plain where the Golden Oakes Library had been relocated, stolen by Rice Puddinghead. The place where the roots had been and where the ursas had slept had mostly faded, again from Luna's influence. The hidden Stable Zero that had been here, that had been more of a challenge to obscure. But Twilight knew there could be only one reason why Luna wanted to obscure all of this.

Nightmare Moon was facing one of the Magic Gears.

"Hi Twilight!" Ace waved.

"Hiii," Twilight waved back. It was a bit intimidating, talking to a robot in the dark. Especially when it was clear the Magic Gears had returned to their colossal sizes. Knight, Ace and the new one, Alt were all busy working, building along with the foodimals. Some of them were working in low orbit while others were working right on the surface, almost entirely in darkness, constructing things.

"So, uh, you found Dan's project."

"He and I have discussed this," Nightmare Moon said.

"Oh, great. Uh, when did you discuss it, exactly?"

"The night after we returned," Nightmare Moon said. Twilight suspected she meant that she visited Dan in a dream. And she had.

It had still only been a week since they'd returned to the reborn Equestria. It had taken a few days of collaboration between everypony, especially the farmers and weather managers to decide on what season it should be. Equestria had returned in a state of summer, yet the decision was made to make it spring so things could be restarted more efficiently. So Equestria's position and rotation had been rotated back, along with that of the sun and the moon to make it the start of spring.

With so much to do for all of them, it made sense that Luna would visit ponies in their dreams, while they were resting. She could have conversations for hours while in the dreamscape and for Dan, that meant the possibility of planning. Of course, she'd had to get him over the notion of taking immediate revenge, but Luna had made it clear she did not agree with Celestia's decision either. Like him, she did have to go along with it. So, their efforts had both been focused on other things.

"So, you're okay with all of this? Uh, is Celestia? Okay with it, I mean."

"She will be okay with it. I'll talk to her about it," Nightmare Moon said. She stepped forward. The assembly zone was massive, a bit abstract. There were no buildings, parts and pieces and supplies were scattered about, hanging in space. The foodimals were constantly moving between them, scurrying and pulling tiny parts and pieces together. The sandwich foodimal spun around on a power drill that wasn't quite stable. The salad foodimal carried a basket of bolts to the pizza foodimal's location. There were even a few ponies among them, royal guards of both the sun and night guard, mostly overseeing things.

They were building weapons, ships, even more tanks. The Danfiant was being reconstructed and upgraded; Twilight noticed several large containers near the ship with the Starfleet symbol on them. Shining and Cadence would probably be excited to see that. Not only that, other Miranda-class ships were being built as well nearby, about six of them.

"Dan's way of doing things has helped us much. Even Rice's influence cannot be ignored, nor his practices... nor machinations fully shunned. We will need every advantage," Nightmare Moon explained. "Technology will be useful, as will Dan's... more unorthodox methods. But material and nerve can only get us so far. You and I both know that this war will be fought mostly with magic."

Twilight nodded. "Yes. Our connection to the magic of friendship is vital, and our knowledge of its power will be crucial to our victory."

Nightmare Moon turned to Twilight. "Not victory, Twilight Sparkle. Survival."

"Sur-survival? Um... well, uh, don't they go together?"

She looked down. "If only it were that simple."

Twilight could feel Nightmare Moon was not looking forward to battling her parents. Just as Celestia had been heartbroken to banish her sister, now they were about to fight their own parents together, whom they had not seen nor heard from in centuries.

"Come with me."

"Okay," Twilight said. She followed Nightmare Moon away from the construction area.

They passed a lunar rover and what resembled a recreation of an Apollo mission landing. Pretty accurate one, too, right down to the United States' flag. Wait, was it real?

"Hey-"

"Please stay close."

"O... kay," Twilight said. "I'll just keep following you. To a secluded location. On an orbiting body that you completely control while you're in a form that's tried to conquer the world before. And nobody else knows we're here. It'll be fine. Totally fine. Right?"

"Quickly."

"Okay..." Twilight said, and picked up her pace.

Finally, the entire moon rotated under Twilight's hooves. It was a bit startling, as was a lot of things, but they were finally where Nightmare/Luna wanted them to be.

"Oh! Uh... why'd you do that?"

"You were taking too long," Nightmare Moon said casually.

"I kinda got lost. It's not easy to see, you know? Without the sun."

"That won't be a problem soon."

"Alright," Twilight stopped her. "Princess, your highness, really, you keep saying these things, but what exactly did you bring me here for? What are we doing here?"

Nightmare Moon approached her. "You needed to see how grave the threat is becoming. And that nothing is being spared to combat it. To prepare for it. You will need to be prepared as well."

Twilight recoiled slightly. "H-how, exactly?"

Nightmare Moon's horn lit up. All around them, the surface of the moon glowed. The entire dark side of the moon lit up in an eerie dark blue glow, the power of Luna coursing through it.

"Your powers as a princess are substantial, but not enough. In time, you would have unlocked greater power, that of the boundless rainbows. With Equestria and magic being reset, your development magically has been... altered. It represents a setback, but also opportunities. We must seize upon them if we are to survive," Nightmare Moon explained.

The spot between Twilight's hooves glowed purple. Her cutie mark, the symbol of the Element of Magic appeared beneath her. She could feel its power, the Elements even here. They were as much a part of the moon as they were the sun and Equestria.

"Harness the moon with your magic," Nightmare Moon instructed.

"Umm..." She nodded, finding her courage. "Okay." She raised up her head and closed her eyes, concentrating magic into her horn. Twilight felt the moon, felt the rock, cold to her hooves but hot and coursing with magic in every other way. It was a well of magic, a pulsing, beating, nearly living entity. It was part of Equestria. And Equestria was part of the sun. And the sun was part of every living thing on Equestria. It was flowing like an ever-constant stream of magic.

"Can you feel it? The magic, more than just the magic of friendship but harmony itself," Nightmare Moon said. "Magic is all around us, not just in other ponies and people but the world, even the stars and space. Even the void. Magic flows through it all."

"I-I can feel it," she said.

"And now it flows into you."

"I-" Magic began to rush into her. The flow didn't just pass through her, it built in her, her own magic empowered by it. It filled her brain like oxygen-rich blood, her pulse started to race. Twilight's breathing became fast, even though there was so little air to breath, virtually none. Air from other places flowed through her, countless other places, all connected.

Twilight opened her eyes. "This is... I feel incredible. I feel-" She looked around. The stars exploded like she was seeing them for the first time. Details she hadn't seen before, she had to blink to prevent her mind from being completely overwhelmed. It was overwhelming. "This is... this is-is almost t-too much." Her eyes glowed purple, her horn pulsed with a bright aura.

"Focus on that energy, Twilight Sparkle. Do not shut it out. Embrace it, embrace all of it. The light... and especially the darkness."

"D-darkness?" Twilight stammered. She was having trouble controlling her tongue. Also, it was cold on the dark side of the moon. Cold and dark.

Nightmare Moon nodded. "Yes. We must unlock your nightmare form."

Twilight stepped back, nearly tripped. Her legs suddenly felt hard to control... and longer. "This is-this is not, I don't-"

"Do not be afraid, Twilight Sparkle. I've learned how to control my light and dark sides. You will learn to control yours," Nightmare Moon said. "Focus."

"I-I don't-" Her eyes darted around. Her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her throat. "I don't know about this, Luna."

Nightmare Moon turned back into Luna. "It's going to be alright, Twilight. Just relax."

"O-okay..."

"Close your eyes."

She closed her eyes again. So much had happened she hadn't been ready for. Maybe this would be just another thing.

"You're going to have to focus a bit... inwardly," Luna explained. "To harness the power of negativity, you must think thoughts that are a bit selfish."

"But this... this is dark magic," Twilight said.

"It is only truly evil if it is used in evil," Luna said. "There can be no positive without negative, no light without darkness. You must learn to use both."

"Alright. I'll... I'll try," Twilight said, unsure as ever. She felt lots of magic, a lot of dark, light and other types of magic flowing through her. It was easy to center yourself, but also easy to lose yourself WITHIN yourself on the moon.

"I don't know if I can do this," Twilight said. She wasn't used to thinking selfishly. It wasn't right to be selfish. And yet, you had to be sometimes, so when was it right and when was it wrong? Maybe... maybe...

"Think of Dan. You derive a lot of your magic from your connections to your friends, yes?"

"Yes..."

"Use it. Use it the way Dan would," Luna said.

Dan... Dan... he was critical, always critical. Not condemning, but controlling, assertive, authoritative, basically a jerk. He was considerate and inconsiderate at the same time about different things. He was a living contradiction, a person that cared only about others and cared only about himself at the same time, a person that loved and hated the world and everything in it. He accepted it and tried to change it... perhaps it was the only way to really live.

"Think of your friends."

"Applejack... Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity. Spike. Luna... Chrys, Cadence..."

"Focus. Think about Applejack."

"Applejack..." The picture of Applejack appeared in her mind. Her memories, everything about her time with her. Her family, from the moment she met them to the last time she saw them. The flow of magic carried and amplified these things to the point she could her AJ's voice in her ears, see her.

"What would Dan say about Applejack's honesty?"

"He'd say..." She focused. She imagined Dan. "He'd say she was too honest, sometimes. Like... he might say that she should work on..." She was beginning to lose it. Dan liked Applejack more than the others, it wasn't much to criticize. Not nothing, but not much to work with.

Luna stepped forward. Twilight was still glowing, her eyes and horn were glowing even though her eyes were closed. Glowing purple magic radiated from the moon around her hooves, flowing into her. It was a difficult state to maintain, useful mostly for meditation but manageable.

"Maybe we should try... Rainbow Dash."

"What about R-Rainbow?"

"You can be faster than her. Yes, much faster."

"I-" her eyes popped open. "Well, realistically, she IS the faster flier and even with training-"

"No," Luna shook her head. She returned to her Nightmare Moon form. "You can be faster! You can teleport! That's much faster. You traveled from the surface of Equestria to the moon instantaneously. How long would it take Rainbow Dash to fly here?"

"I-"

"How long, Twilight Sparkle? How long?"

"I..." She thought. "At her regular top subsonic airspeed, it would take... approximately forty-eight point four seconds with normal atmospheric and lunar conditions."

Nightmare Moon smiled. "And how long did it take you to teleport here?"

Twilight opened her eyes. They glowed purple. "I did it in an instant." There it was. She WAS faster than Rainbow Dash, she was the fastest pony of all. How many had ever teleported to the moon? She could count the number on one hoof. Twilight Sparkle, PRINCESS Twilight Sparkle, fastest mare in Equestria.

"I... I am faster. And stronger," Twilight said. "I know the most magic... the most spells. I figured out the Elements of Harmony when nopony else did. It was me. Yes, it was all me!" The light of the stars melted away. All light melted away except for hers. There was only her light and the darkness. There was only Twilight Sparkle.


"He... hello?"

"Hello," a voice said. It sounded familiar, like Twilight's voice but... not. Not quite Twilight.

"Who are you?"

"Well, I'm you, obviously. There's only the two of us here. And we're both you."

"What?"

"We're both Twilight Sparkle, aren't we?"

"I... I don't know."

"I think I know what's happened. It's really simple, actually. And we're both really smart. You see, I'm part of you. And you're part of me."

"But... who are you? What are you?"

"I'm you but a bit more... knowledgeable. More powerful, stronger, more magical. I'm a bit more."

"But who ARE you?"

"I told you- I'm Twilight Sparkle. I'm just not worried as much like you are. I'm not as much concerned about my friends or silly things like what the princesses think. I think I've always been here, like that voice in your head that says you can do better. I think I'm that."

"You're not... you're not me. You're just a thought."

"I'm a bit ahead of you, sweetie."

"I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"And I'm past Twilight. I'm beyond Twilight. I'm... I'm Nightfall. You can call me Nightfall Sparkle."

"Nightfall Sparkle..."

"And guess what, Twilight? We're going to have a lot of fun together."

"No... no! No, where are you? Where am I?! Where is this, who... what's going on?"

"Relax, Twilight. I'm in control now. You don't have to worry any more."

"No... no, stop. Stop. STOP!! STOP THIS NOW!!! STOP!!!"


Twilight woke up. And thankfully, it was still Twilight Sparkle. Except taller.

"Twilight... Twilight, are you there?"

"I... I'm here. I'm here," she said between breaths. Immediately, she was greeted by the sight of Nightmare Moon, this time at her eye level. That realization came with the fact that Twilight herself was now taller. And darker. Longer wings, longer legs, longer horn, the list went on.

Twilight had transformed. Her body was now a darker purple, nearly black, darker than her mane and tail had mostly been. Her legs were armored in black with a violet streak going up the side. Along her chest and body was new armor, shaped like her cutie mark. Upon her head was an armored helmet complete with her Element of Magic tiara on top of it... or at least, some sort of approximation.

"Oh... oh m-my," she said. Instinctively, her hooves went to her throat. "Is... is this maaaai vooooice?"

"That can happen, sometimes. It makes the Royal Canterlot Voice more natural," Nightmare Moon explained.

"I... I need a mir-mirror-" And one appeared even as she was thinking about it. A Twilight mirror, it was even adorned with her face, or rather, her new face. Not unlike the Twilicopter, which she was beginning to miss.

"Oh m-m-my," Twilight said. Her appearance, all the purple, glowing violet and black was a lot to take in. Her eyes glowed with purplish outlines around them radiating outward like a mask, and her mane was a hazy combination of purple, black, violet and mauve. Like the last light before...

"Nightfall..." Twilight, or rather, Nightfall, touched the mirror.

"That's not a bad name. Mine was actually given to me. A group of traveling sorcerers-"

"Is this really me?" Nightfall asked. "Am I... Nightfall Sparkle now?"

"Well, you're still Twilight on the inside." Nightmare Moon transformed back into Luna. "Just like I'm-"

She held her hooves up to her face. "I'm... I look hideous! I look like... like a demon!"

Luna frowned. "You don't look all that different from me or Daybreaker."

"Who's Daybreaker? There's a Daybreaker now?" She looked back to the mirror, slowly calming down. Her face, her eyes, her horn, all different. Everything about her was... nightmarish. Or rather, Nightfallish. "Okay... maybe I'm not hideos. Or demonic. But, it looks a little..." She chomped her teeth. "Monstrous?"

Luna nodded. "That is precisely what we need."

She grabbed Luna. "YOU TOOK ME TO THE MOON TO TURN ME INTO A MONSTER?! ARE YOU BAT-BUCKING CRAZY?!?!" She shook the smaller pony, which actually had the effect of terrifying her.

"Please. Relax."

"Relax? Relax? What has RELAXING ever gotten me?!" Nightfall asked. "Just 'calming the eff down' hasn't ever gotten anything done in the history of... ever!"

"Twilight," Luna said, "Listen to me. It's easy to lose yourself to this power."

"Ohhh, like YOU would know," Nightfall batted the notion away. "Both you AND Tia have relied on me since I was a student. Since I was a little filly, you weren't ever training me to be your equal. You were training me to be your servant!"

More magic began to swirl around the new Nightfall Sparkle. The blue of the moon turned purple, began to erupt into hazy, purple aura. The moon never had an atmosphere before, never had much of a horizon but now, it looked like dusk. The moon was becoming twilit.

"Twilight, please! Get control of yourself!!"

Nightfall glared at Luna. "Twilight is over, princess." Light from the moon, from space poured into her body. A purple glow swirled around her, distorting everything until it had that same haze, the haze of twilight. It was her power, her will, and she controlled it all. "Now... here is your Nightfall."

"TWILIGHT!!" Luna turned back into Nightmare Moon. "STOP THIS!! STOP!!!"

Instantly, Nightfall rushed over to Nightmare Moon. She teleported in a bright purple flash, and with a single stroke of her leg, she booped Nightmare Moon right on the snoot.

"Boop." Nightfall giggled.

Nightmare recoiled. "Are you... are you squeeing kidding me?"

She nodded. "Eeyup. How did I do?"

"Hmm... not bad," she admitted. She turned back into Luna again. "You act like a bit of a nerd, though."

"Oh, like you're one to talk." She tapped her armored hoof on the ground. "Exactly how many game consoles are in this moon under our hooves, anyway?"

"Touche, Twilight Sparkle. Now... let us return to Equestria. This has been enough training for tonight." Together, they walked back to the light side of the moon. For that, they were both thankful. "So, how do you feel?"

Nightfall thought. "Taller. And... my teeth are shaper," she said, working her jaw a bit. She looked over at Luna. "You know... we kinda look like... well, sisters. Me and Nightmare Moon, I mean."

Luna's eyes widened a bit. "Yes. Erm, well, the similarities are... understandable, given we're both al-alicorns." She sounded like she was guessing. "But anyway, how do you feel with your magic?"

"Definitely more powerful. Stronger... tougher. Everything's just been amplified... so much." Twilight had always respected the relationship she had with magic. As Nightfall Sparkle, magic felt lighter than air, as if she could control the magic around her with a very thought.

"I feel like I could use magic more easily. Effortlessly, even."

"Yes, this is because you are now harnessing the power of magic around you, not just what's inside of you. As your power grows, you'll be able to expand your magical influence. For now, just tapping into the flowing magic of Equestria is enough. In time, you will learn how to focus and direct it," Luna explained.

Nightfall nodded. The most powerful alicorns and some unicorns could draw magic not just from their own bodies, channeling using their own hooves and horns, but control it in the environment. They were so strong, they didn't have to use their own energy at all but will magic around them to cast spells. As Nightfall, Twilight felt like a titan of magic. She could only imagine getting stronger, but now, it was looking like it really was possible.

"Okay," Nightfall said. "Umm... question?"

"Yes?"

"How do I change back?"

"Hmm..." Luna grinned. "That's a good question. I certainly don't know, Twilight Sparkle. Perhaps you should read up about that?"

"No, Luna, seriously. You can't leave me like this! Look at me, I look scary!" And she did. It was like a mixture of the 'Future Twilight,' Nightmare Moon and other things.

"Oh, you do, do you? Now you know how it feels," Luna said, walking on, forcing Twilight to follow her.

"Luna-"

"Think of it this way- if you don't find a way to change back, you'll look spectacular for Nightmare Night. Whenever that will be."

"Please, Luna-"

"What happened to 'your highness?'"

"I-I'm sorry." The now-taller nightmare pony lowered her head. "Please, your highness, how do I change back to my regular alicorn form?"

Luna cleared her throat and said in an officious voice, "First, you must gather the Elements of Harmony."

"Oh buck off."

Author's Note:

Also thinking of the name Nightfall Nova for Twilight's alter ego, might use that if it's difficult to confuse her with other stuff but we'll see. Twilight having a nightmare form isn't the most original idea but hey, I'm about fun more anyway. The notion of a nightmare Twilight and Nightmare Moon being cute, nightmare sisters and going on giddy rampages is just too good to pass up.

The design of Nightfall incorporates elements from "future Twilight," Tempest Shadow, Midnight Sparkle, my own original design elements and other stuff. One thing about the "Nightfall armor" design is the incorporation of Twilight-like lights, like glowing gemstones built into the armor that glow with a muted purple color, like the light of twilight. I think it's a cool idea.

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