Friendship Still is Magic

by ultronquake

Kill Nightmare Moon vol. 1

From her castle base Nightmare moon was orchestrating the ambush that the ponies would soon walk into. A stand of dead trees had been drafted into her service. Twisted into vile shapes by her influence, branches formed clawed hands, knot holes filled with teeth. These flora warriors would make quick work of their targets, and any destroyed could easily be replaced. After all there were only six of them and millions of trees in this forest.

The plan was that once they were far enough inside the grove she would begin encircling them, fight them just as they fought the manticore. She listened intently in on their chatter, "Are you sure were going the right way?" asked Lyra.

"Yes i'm sure," said Berry.

"Well how do know for sure? It's so dark in here i can't see my hoof in front of my face," complained Cloudchaser.

"Look do you want to try navigating with a map and compass in pitch black? Cause i'd sure like to see you try!" said Berry.

"Girls there's no need to argue, this was the only way through so it must lead to where were go-" Twilight was cut off when they came to a stop. In front of them stood five dead trees, spaced closely together, blocking their way through. "Huh i guess this isn't the way through, maybe there was another path we didn't see. Let's head back out and start searching," said Twilight.

When they turned around the path they had just taken was now blocked, more dead trees were silently standing shoulder to shoulder making an impasse. "I know this place has a reputation for being unnatural, and i think this proves that!" said Lotus.

Creaking noises filled the dark grove as the dead wood moved in ways it was not meant to. Reaching out the trees began searching for their first victim. "Yes this is going good, I wonder if i should end their pitiful lives immediately or make it slow and deliberate," Nightmare Moon said mulling over her thoughts.

From deep inside her mind Princess Luna also watched, with so much of the nightmare off fighting the ponies nothing was left to suppress her personality from emerging. Hijacking the nightmare's telepathic sight she could see through each of the trees, the strange composite of sights created a panorama showing a group of ponies wildly running around frightened beyond belief.

"I will not let you harm my subjects!" Princess Luna said with conviction. And to her surprise the trees stopped their advance, halted in place. Though the screaming voices of the ponies still came through in stereo even though they were no longer in danger.

"There's no way out! Were doomed i tell you! DOOMED!" Screamed Lyra.

"Why are we not moving? We should be eviscerating these foals not posing for them," said Nightmare Moon who was genuinely confused at why her assault had been stalled.

In the grove the panic continued on, in her heightened state of fear Derpy's eyes began playing tricks on her. With her wall eyes she saw one of the trees coming to get her. "No no no, i don't wanna be killed by a tree-hee-ee" said Derpy as she began breaking down into sobbing. The intimidating hallucination scared her into a backpedal strait into one of the towering members of the blockade.

From the hefty bump into it's trunk the uprooted tree soon found itself kissing the canvas, Derpy looking behind her was delighted to find the pathway open. "Come on girls! We can get through here," said Derpy like a prophet guiding her people to the promised land.

One by one the six left the grove and the paralyzed tree warriors behind, the only casualty of the encounter being the one tree lying face down in the mud. And that is where it would stay, the globs that consisted of the nightmare left their temporary hosts turning them back into perfectly normal dead flora.

"Wow Derpy that was so amazing what you did back there!" Said Lyra unironically.

"Yes you a hero to us all," said Lotus

"Are you ponies going to react this way every time i bump into something with my butt? Cause this is starting to weird me out," said Derpy.

*****

Rearing on her hind legs Nightmare Moon angrily stomped around, that sorry excuse for an ambush did nothing but infuriate her. "The cliff and the manticore i can understand, they seem somewhat competent. But this-" She gestured vaguely in the direction of the grove, "-They didn't even do anything!" Nightmare Moon shouted to the nothing in the room.

Only, Princess Luna was there to appreciate this, seeing her captors plans foiled would have brought a smile to her face, that is if she had a face to control. But this brought up something interesting, if she had the ability to influence the nightmare in it's weakened state, could she possibly retake control of her own body?

After a quick test she found she still could not move on her own volition, after a thousand years of essentially being comatose her motor skills had atrophied. "OK start small-" Luna though of how she should start her quest to retake what was her's. "-Wiggle your front hoof. Wiggle your front hoof. Wiggle your front hoof. Wiggle your front hoof. Wiggle your front hoof. Wiggle your front hoof." Luna repeated this mantra staring intently at her hoof for any sign that she was succeeding. "Wiggle your front hoof. Wiggle your front hoof. Wiggle your front hoof."

Author's Note:

Not at all do i think this is what was happening in the episode but it is a bit weird how Nightmare Moon goes from dropping them off a cliff then sicking a manticore on them presumably to eat them. Then three very non life threatening attempts to stop the group.
Also abandoning that idea i had about color text for Nightmare Moon and Luna, it was kind of dumb.
Also also not nearly as smooth sounding as "Wiggle your big toe." But you work with what you got.