Twilight Sparkle held the stick of chalk between her teeth. Head low, she continued to draw lines and marks on the ground. All around her was more of the same. A massive circle drawn on the stone floor, numerous arcane symbols filling the interior and connecting all through it, save for certain smaller circles drawn inside.

Outside of the main circle stood a group of others. Most of them stood watching as Twilight continued her work.

"Ugh," groaned Rainbow Dash, rainbow mane falling over her eyes as she sagged. "This is so boring!" Straightening back up, she took a deep breath.

"Why don't you just use your magic?" she shouted. "It would go a lot quicker."

Twilight turned to look at the group, ears pulling back in irritation at the interruption. She moved the piece of chalk to the side of her mouth, letting her talk without dropping it.

"I'm almost done," she called back. "As for using magic," she looked back down at the circle, "this is an extremely experimental ritual based mostly on theory and ancient texts. Not only do I want the symbols and locations as precise as possible, but I also want to keep any potential interference to a minimum. That means not using magic to draw the circle and its insignias to prevent excess ambient energy." She then resumed her drawing.

Rainbow Dash let out a sigh and rolled her eyes, shifting. She understood the reasoning behind it. A lot of her own stunts required her to try and be accurate in what she did. Several times it had been suggested that she practice her movements at a slower pace and work her way up to a faster pace until reaching full speed. The problem was that she hated going slow. She also hated waiting. She especially hated waiting with nothing to do when something major was about to happen. It even kept her from trying to grab a quick nap due to how tense she felt.

"Is this even a good idea?" she asked, turning to look at the others.

"Twilight and I have discussed it at great length," Princess Luna stated. "Should this ritual succeed as intended, it shall settle my mind a little more, improve the safety of Equestria, and no other pony shall have to fear experiencing possession in the future."

"By her, at least," Princess Celestia added.

"Don't worry, Aunt Luna," Cadance said as she moved closer to the older princess. "I'm sure that this will work as you and Twilight have planned. She's always been determined once she gets her mind to something. Both Shining Armor and I can attest to that."

"Rarity?" Fluttershy asked. "Are you okay? You... haven't really said much since we found out about this plan."

"Honestly, I feel conflicted on the matter," Rarity answered, her blue eyes still watching Twilight work. "The idea of making certain that Nightmare Moon could not possess another pony is quite appealing. At the same time, I am worried that this ritual will grant her enough power that she will be a threat without requiring another pony."

"I doubt you have to worry," Shining Armor said. "You did defeat her with The Elements of Harmony when she first returned, and Twilight and the others didn't even need them when they were able to exorcise Nightmare Moon from you. After all that's happened since then, I doubt she would be any sort of threat to us now."

"I suppose that's true," Rarity conceded. "Still, I think I would feel better if there was some way to make certain that she was permanently sealed away to prevent her from being a threat to anypony."

"But maybe it will work," Pinkie Pie said. "Then we can make her our new friend and teach her how to be a good pony, and she can show us how to make moon pies." She licked her lips at the last part.

Slowly, making sure not to touch any of the symbols that she had drawn, Twilight made her way out of the circle and toward the others.

"Okay," she announced as she reached them, "it's ready. Now we need to set up the materials for the ritual, which means we're at the painful part." Her horn lit up as she pulled out a knife.

"You do it for me," Rarity stated. She held out a hoof and closed her eyes. "I simply could not bear the idea of having to--" the rest of her statement was cut off as she let out a slight gasp of pain.

Twilight took the offered leg and used the knife to make a small incision on the back. With a gentle squeeze, she forced blood to flow from the wound, pouring four ounces into a small bronze cup. Once she got the exact amount, she pressed the wound tight and held it until Pinkie Pie placed a bandage over it.

"Luna?" Twilight asked as she turned to the princess.

"I shall do so myself," Princess Luna stated. Taking the knife in her own magical grip, she made a similar incision in the inside of her upper leg. It took some flexing, but she was able to get sufficient flow to fill the second cup to the proper level. She then returned the knife, refusing the offered bandage as she held her leg close to her.

Grabbing the two cups of blood, she placed them in one of the circles, which also held: several locks of hair tied into a braid; several feathers; and a pony shaped mannequin.

"Okay, now if everypony who needs to could get in the proper positions please." Twilight moved to stand in one of the empty inner circles. "Luna to that one." She motioned toward one of the circles. "Rarity over there. Discord, you go there. Celestia stands on that one. Then Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stand in those two there, and that should be everything."

She watched as the others got into position, standing in the circles that she had directed them to.

"Now the rest of you please stand clear, and Shining, have a shield ready just in case this goes... poorly."

With a nod, Shining Armor moved with Cadance, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack to the entryway. Standing at the other side of the entrance, Shining Armor lit his horn. A rose colored barrier popped up in front of him, sealing him and the others away from the room. If things went as planned, he could drop it immediately, and if things went poorly, he could extend it around him and the others. Not quite what Twilight had in mind when she had spoken, but it made sense. Guess that was why her brother became captain of the guard and prince-consort.

"If we're all ready?" Twilight asked as she looked around. "Let's get started then. Just like I explained."

Being the original host (at least of the group), Luna went first. Closing her eyes, she called upon her magic. A blue aura of energy encompassed her horn before igniting the chalk lines of the circle that she stood in. As more magic flowed from the princess of the night, the light of the marks around her grew brighter. It spread out and through the symbols, making its way toward the ring in the center.

As the second host, Rarity was next. Same as Princess Luna, she closed her eyes and called upon her magic. As her horn lit up, so did the circle around her. Rarity continued to draw on her energy, letting it flow out and into the symbols. As it reached the center, the unicorn's pale blue aura of magic mixed with the princess' darker one, swirling and surging through the lines where they met.

After her came Princess Celestia, being the one that had originally battled Nightmare Moon and had banished her for a thousand years. Her golden aura quickly lit up her circle and the symbols around it, flowing through them and into the center with the others. There it surged and pulsed, becoming a mass of swirling gold, blues, and greens.

Fourth was Twilight Sparkle herself, having -- with the aid of her friends -- defeated Nightmare Moon and managed to exorcise her from both of the hosts there. Her own magic was added the three others. Her own rose colored aura mixed and swirled, creating an even greater array of colors to dance and shift in the center.

Finally was Discord. Although he had no link to Nightmare Moon, Twilight had figured that his magic tendency to animate objects and alter reality would help improve the chances of the ritual succeeding. Plus, the use of chaos magic would be nearly impossible to reproduce by normal ponies, making it all but impossible for somepony with more malicious intents to try and perform the ritual again. With a snap of his fingers, his own circle lit up as the energy poured from him to the center.

The ring of intermixed energy turned a burning bright white, turned into complete utter black, and then seemed to be sucked into the center of the circle. Dark tendrils swirled and shifted, engulfing the cups, the hair, the feathers, and the dummy. As each was covered by the mixture of magic, the object would vanish as the magic swelled and pulsed to grow stronger.

A pony skull appeared in the center of the inner circle. Vertebrae formed behind it, lining up one by one to create a spine. From the lower end, several fused as the hips pushed out, forming into a pelvic bone. The bones cracked loudly as the ribs started to form, fusing together and pushing out. Simultaneously, the bones for four legs and two wings popped into existence.

Eyeballs formed into the sockets of the skull. It opened its mouth and inhaled deeply. Forming lungs swelled as they filled with air. A heart pulsed and beat between them. With each beat, blood vessels spread out from the heart, weaving and winding as they made their way around the skeleton. Patches of muscle formed on the cheeks, stretching and crawling across the surface to form flesh over the skull.

So it was that as the group watched, the body continued to form layer by layer. Organs grow and formed, filling in the chest and where the abdomen will be. Sinews and tendons attached themselves to bones and joints. Muscles grew and swelled, stretching to cover the skeleton and exposed organs. Next came the skin, and finally the mane and hair. Finished, the form dropped onto the ground.

"Did... did it work?" Twilight Sparkle asked, panting heavily with exhaustion. "Is... is she alive?"

Pale teal eyes snapped open, vertical, cat-like pupils contracting. Black lips pulled back to reveal razor sharp teeth. The newly formed chest swelled and contracted. A faint snicker escaped from the form as it pushed to stand on its legs. The snicker grew louder and deeper, turning into a chuckle. The black mare straightened up and looked around, taking in the others around her. Soon, she was letting out a full, loud, maniacal laughter.

"You fools!" she bellowed, flaring her wings out at her sides. "Now that I have a body of my own, I have no need to find a host. There is nothing to stop me from taking my place as ruler of this world. Your own actions have condemned you to endless night!"