1055 AD, January 25th

“Oh, and this can go here! And this can go here! And all of these can go with these!”

“I am grateful you are allowing me to stay, but I don’t want my things to get in the way.”

“You’re not getting in the way,” Twilight levitated a few of Zecora’s books – Zecora was rather uncomfortable with the hungry look she gave them – into a pile on a nearby table. “I’ve only had my friends stay over for one night and now you’re doing the same, but for longer! Think of all the research I can gain!”

Zecora had faced many dangerous creatures in her homeland and the Everfree Forest yet Twilight turning towards with an ecstatic grin that bordered on psychotic unnerved her more than any of those encounters. She enjoyed the alicorn’s company and she admired her passion for learning, but she was beginning to think the talk of her infamous breakdown wasn’t all exaggerated.

“This will be so great!”

Zecora smiled back uncertainly. “Yes… I can hardly wait.”

“Who?”

Zecora looked to her side as an owl floated down to rest on his perch. “Me, Twilight’s faithful pet.”

“Who?”

“Me.”

“Who?”

“I said…” She blinked and resisted the urge to face-hoof. “By the stars, I am rather slow today; ‘who’ is all you can say.”

Twilight trotted over with a bemused expression. “He’s my assistant for my nightly study sessions.”

“Be careful studying at night, Twilight; less you be dreading Celestia’s light.” Zecora teased with a grin.

“Oh, don’t worry about me – I get my rest. Owlicious and Spike see to that.”

“If you call passing out writing notes at her desk ‘rest’,” Spike muttered as he examined one of Zecora’s tribal masks in his claws. “Hey, what does this one mean?”

“No symbolic relation, it’s just for decoration.”

“Oh…” Carefully placing the mask down, he picked up a small urn. “What about this?”

“I wouldn’t-”

Spike lifted the lid, peered inside and promptly began sneezing moments later.

“That, young dragon, is pollen from the Trinity flower,” Zecora took the urn away with an amused chuckle as Spike continued sneezing. “In its purest form, it is a potent sneezing powder.”

“Spike, what have I told you about playing with other people’s belongings?” Twilight gave her number one assistant a stern look.

“S-achoo! Sor-achoo! Sorry-achoo! Z-achoo! Zecora…” He sniffed and paused. “Huh, I think it’s-achoo!”

“No cure or ailment is needed for your state; it will pass soon, just you wait.”

“Gr-achoo!-eat…”

“I’m so glad you don’t spit fire when you sneeze anymore…” Twilight murmured, glancing worryingly at the shelves lined with books.

“Please, I’ve got my-achoo!-fire under my claw. Only time I-achoo!-lose control now is when the princess sends-achoo!-a letter.” Almost immediately after that, Spike’s cheeks puffed out and he let out a flare of green fire which materialized into a scroll of paper. “Huh, speak-achoo!-speaking of which…”

Twilight snatched up the scroll eagerly, as she tended to do when receiving a letter from the pony she thought of as a second mother. She spread out the parchment and read aloud.

“My dearest friend, Twilight Sparkle, I…” She blinked.

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Achoo?!”

“Nothing, I just… It’s so weird; she’s always called me her student.” She paused before shaking it off.

“Erm… I have received your letter and am saddened to write back with grim news. A few minutes after receiving your letter, Canterlot Castle was… attacked by an unknown creature bearing a vague resemblance to the creatures you described. My sister and I were forced to fight, but it disappeared before we could make an attempt to subdue it. Due to several traits that the creature displayed – Luna reassures me that she will send you a more detailed report after she is done investigating – there is reason to believe that it was not magical in nature, though I can’t say if the same is true for the creatures you have encountered.

“I ask that you prepare Ponyville for any future attacks while I see that all other settlements in Equestria are warned as well as our neighbouring nations. Luna fears that these attacks will not just be limited to Equestria. In addition, a platoon of guards shall be sent to Ponyville for added protection. Do not fret, Twilight; we will see that this matter is dealt with. Stay strong and stay safe. Yours, Princess Celestia.”

Twilight lowered the letter with a thoughtful expression. “Not magically inclined…”

“What does that-achoo!-mean?” Spike scratched at his head. “Is it a big deal?”

“Magically inclined is the term given to any living being that has magical potential energy within their bodies. Whether they are able to use it – like a unicorn – or if it’s all passive – like an earth pony – is irrelevant. When I was studying the creatures in the basement, I noticed that their physiology was wrong for their ability to fly.”

“How?”

“Well, look at my wings,” Twilight spread the appendages in question and pointed a hoof at the plumage. “You think these would be able to lift my entire body weight on their own? Not to mention how inefficient my respiratory system is for flight. However, I can fly because my magic is ‘bending’ the laws of reality to allow me to do so. The creatures' physiologies are ill-suited for flight and if they aren’t magically inclined… then it should have been impossible for them to fly.”

“Is there a way for you to find if they are inclined?” Zecora asked as Spike entered ‘info overload’ phase.

“The only reason I didn’t find out was because I wasn’t looking to see if they were,” Twilight grumbled in self-depreciation. “Rookie mistake – when researching a never-before seen species, always do the Thaumaturgy Survey first.”

“If we are to protect ourselves from these creatures, we would do well to find their weakness.”

“You’re right,” Twilight nodded. “I didn’t get to use all my apparatuses on the cadavers yet, but they don’t seem to have any particular resilience. Obviously, they’re not fond of electricity, but my sharp instruments also proved adept in cutting through the epidermis and organ tissue.”

“Urgh, I’m already-achoo!-sneezing; you really wan-achoo!-wanna add upchucking to that?” Spike managed to appear green beneath his scales.

“I’ll have to do more research later,” Twilight used telekinesis to move the books and scrolls closest to Spike. “Mayor Mare would want to see this letter and I’ll need to help organize the town’s defences. Spike, could you arrange Zecora’s books into their own pile? And then alphabetically? And then by genre? Oh, make that genre first, then alphabetically.”

Spike sneezed and it was the saddest sneeze ever made.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Zecora asked.

“Nothing comes to mind, so just go ahead and make yourself at home,” Levitating an umbrella saddle on her back, Twilight headed for the door. “Uh, there’s some daffodil sandwiches in the fridge if you’re hungry. Pinkie also dropped by yesterday, so there’s about a dozen doughnuts and cookies in the pantry. Spike can show you where it all is. I’ll see you two later.”

“Have a safe trek, Twilight.”

“See-achoo!-ya.”

Twilight closed the door behind her, muting the sound of rain once more, and Zecora gave an amused grin at Spike’s annoyed expression.
“Such a dour face,” Zecora gestured to the piles of literature. “Now let’s see if I cannot help sort this place.”

Smiling gratefully, Spike bent down to pick up a book. “Thanks-achoo!-Zecora.”

‘Focus… focus…’

Nightmare Moon’s concentration wavered slightly as she heard soft squeaks of distress.

‘Ignore it. Focus and become that which is lighter than air, become that which light cannot see…’

Gradually, the numbness of her folded legs faded, and the urge to breathe became less significant.

‘Become what you always were…’

The squeaks became louder, more frantic, but Nightmare Moon ignored it, and felt herself rising.

‘Now open our eyes and see what you are.’

Nightmare Moon didn’t so much as open her eyes so much as she simply regained the ability to gain a visual of her surroundings.

Looking down, she watched the small, brown mouse scratch at the walls of its cage, desperately trying to escape. Its squeaks of distress and raw terror disturbed the air; Nightmare Moon could easily see the vibrations, and the panic in them called to her.

Acting on instinct, she moved closer, and if she still had a mouth, it would be curled into a predatory smile.

The mouse squeaked louder at her approached, reaching new pitches in its cries.

She paid no heed and struck mercilessly.

Once the mouse was paralyzed, Nightmare Moon began forcing herself through flesh, bone, and sinew. It was cramped. She mentally hissed in annoyance, trying to fit in more and more of her essence until-

‘The bed – I feel it! No! Concentrate! Don’t lose…!’

Her vision swam. She felt sick. Quickly, she retreated, pulling away from the mouse and following the parts of her that still remained stubbornly attached to her body. It made her head spin to return so fast, but once she had eyes to open and lungs to fill with air, she felt more at peace.

“Huagh… huagh… huagh… p-pathetic…”

With an expression of self-disgust, Nightmare Moon slipped off her bed, leaving the mouse to shiver, completely traumatized by its experience.

‘This shouldn’t be so difficult. I’m completely healed. Is it because I have a body of my own? Is my essence anchored until its expiration?’

A pitcher of water rested on her bedside table. She gripped it with magic and took a direct sip, ignoring the rivulets that ran down her chin.

‘No, if my essence was anchored, then I shouldn’t be able to leave entirely. Maybe it’s a mental block; I’ve grown quite accustomed to having a body of my own. No sharing, no possession, no irritating voice begging me to stop – just me, myself, and I.’

Nightmare Moon put down the pitcher after her thirst was sated and her draconic eyes roamed over the surface of the table, settling on a small, unassuming card, given to her four years ago.

‘Hazel Blaze…’

The beginning of the year heralded the official start of her plan to take the throne. During the month, she had made secret purchases under a false identity. By themselves, the items she purchased would have aroused no suspicion in the average pony, but for anypony who knew the basics of thaumaturgy and alchemy, the items altogether would cause some concern.

She had also started mapping out the entire castle and checking in on the Royal Guard; specifically, how they responded to threats and how quickly they responded. So far, nothing stood out as a glaring weakness, but Nightmare Moon was pleased to discover the things they weren’t well-prepared to deal with.

Finally, she had started checking up on this ‘Hazel Blaze’ the card given to her by Dusk referred to.

Hazel was the owner of a hair salon known as the Flourish Flounce and, as Dusk mentioned, the leader of Eclipse. Nightmare Moon had been trailing her for a few weeks, discreetly watching from beneath the cover of an Invisibility spell, and she was pleasantly surprised to find that she, among a few other members, regarded Nightmare Moon as the true ruler of Equestria.

Nightmare Moon didn’t know much else other than that. The ‘when and where’ regarding the formation of the Eclipse and reasons for exactly why they revered her were still unknown, but that could be looked at a later time. Right now, the only thing that mattered to Nightmare Moon was that she had followers she could put to use.

‘I have the capability to arm and train them, but they need more than that. They need a boost in power…’

Which is why she was experimenting with the mouse.

Nightmare Moon was able to make any creature faster, stronger, and tougher than they could ever be on their own. It was how she survived for so long before Luna came into the picture and it was how she was able to put the younger sister on par with her older sibling in terms of raw power.

However, at some point – perhaps due to some lingering effect of the Elements or her simply being out of practise – her unique ability became significantly difficult to do.

She couldn’t even affect a puny mouse, for crying out loud.

Nightmare Moon shot a glare at the animal in question, making it back further into its prison.

‘I can just about do it, but then I lose concentration. Practise makes perfect, but what if I’ve truly lost my ability? What if…’

Realizing she was starting to doubt herself, Nightmare Moon immediately shook her head with a short grumble. Doubting herself and her abilities was just about the worst thing to do now, when her plans had already been set into motion.

Nothing was going to stop her from taking the throne, not even… whatever it was that was happening with these new creatures. It was another obstacle that needed to be overcome, nothing more.

Taking another deep breath, Nightmare Moon walked back towards the bed. The mouse squeaked in alarm at her return, but she paid no heed, and raised one hoof up onto-

Bing-ding

“Hmph…”

Mumbling under her breath, Nightmare Moon exited the bedroom, horn igniting as she slipped on her disguise. The mouse relaxed, relieved that its torment would be prolonged, however short it may be.

The doorbell rang twice more before Nightmare Moon arrived at the front door. She undid the locks and gripped the handles in magic to pull it open, a sigh already on her lips.

“Hello, Vin-”

“Hey-ey, Wolf! How’s it hangin’?” Vinyl cheerfully levitated a large dish into Nightmare Moon’s grasp, which of course meant she practically threw it and it was only due to quick reflexes did it not end up on the floor. “Octy made some pie.”

“… Lemon meringue?”

“What else would it be?”

Vinyl let herself in and was soon followed by Octavia. Nightmare Moon gave a grateful dip of her head.

“Thank you for the pie.”

Octavia smiled and gave a nod in return, a slight stiffness in the gesture.

They weren’t exactly close and it was awkward to make small talk, but they were far from being antagonistic with one another. They had a mutual respect if nothing else and Nightmare Moon figured that was enough.

“Hey, you put up some paintings since I last came here,” Vinyl’s voice carried from the living room. “What’s this creepy red one?”

“Crimson Overcast by Palette Storm,” Nightmare Moon entered the living room and scowled upon noticing the DJ already making a mess of her couch. “Yes, it’s not as if the furniture would be more comfortable if the cushions weren’t on the floor.”

“Sorry, but it’s really…” Vinyl stretched out, her head hanging off the side of the arm. “Hard. Not like the couch at my apartment. You miss it sometimes, Wolf?”

‘I do, actually…’

Placing the dish on the coffee table, Nightmare Moon sighed and took seat in an armchair before replying, “Is there a reason you’ve chosen to disturb me?”

“Not really,” Vinyl sat up as Octavia sat beside her, properly adjusting the cushions back into a more presentable fashion. “Just a friendly visit. What, a mare can’t drop by and say hi?”

“Vinyl…”

“Alright, so we came by to see if you wanted to have an outing,” Vinyl wrapped a foreleg around Octavia and brought her in close for a hug, drawing a pleased blush. “Just the three of us; maybe Fancypants and Fleur if they want to.”

“Since when did you and those two become close?”

“Through you, smartass. Fancypants is a pretty cool guy and Octy and Fleur chat it up all day. Remember when we went on that airboat ride?”

Nightmare Moon briefly searched her memory, but nothing came up. “No, I don’t believe I was there.”

“Really?” Vinyl turned to Octavia for confirmation and received it via a nod. “Oh, wow. Could have sworn…” She shrugged. “Whatever. We bonded super-good on that ride, so the next outing would be even more awesome if you can come along. How’s Tuesday?”

Nightmare Moon had much bigger things to worry about than some outing. She had to devote any time her Royal Court duties didn’t take up to tending to each and every part of her plans. Most importantly, she had to make contact with the Eclipse.

“I’m afraid I’m busy.” She lied with a casual shrug.

“Oh, then how’s about next Tuesday?”

“There’s important business concerning a new development; I can’t say much more than that. I won’t be available for some time.”

“Oh…” Vinyl’s amiable smile waned. “Okay. It’s just that… we barely see you anymore. You’re always busy…”

Sensing the change in mood and not wanting to deal with it, Nightmare Moon quickly replied, “My job calls for most of my attention. I apologize, but that’s just the way it is.”

“Yeah, I know, but… still…”

‘… This is starting to look like when I first told her I’d be moving out.’

That flurry of emotions was something she did not wish to experience again. She cleared her throat. “Would you two like anything to drink?”

“No, I’m… Octy?”

Octavia shook her head. There was a notable sadness in the gesture as she gazed sympathetically at her lover and it made Nightmare Moon cringe inwardly, angered at how easily it made her feel guilty.

“We’re good. Actually that’s…” Vinyl got off the couch, stretching her right hind leg. “That’s pretty much why we came here; drop off the pie and see if you wanted to come along on our outing.”

Nightmare Moon should have been glad that they were leaving… and she was to an extent, but the guilt wouldn’t go away.

“I… truly am sorry,” She felt the need to reiterate that as she led them to the front door. “Perhaps some other time.”

“Yeah, definitely,” Vinyl smiled, but her heart wasn’t in it. “Well, I mean… it was still cool seeing you again, Wolf. You’re like a ghost these days, ya know?”

For some reason, Nightmare Moon actually felt like laughing, if only because of how ironic the DJ’s words were.

‘If only you knew how close you were to the truth…’

The two said their farewells and walked out into the calm night. Watching them go, particularly how the DJ’s shoulders were slumped and how Octavia gave her a small nuzzle, Nightmare Moon was tempted to call out, say that she had changed her mind and would go with them on the outing.

She resisted that temptation and waited until they were far enough away before closing the door, turning, and letting out a sigh.

‘… She really has gotten under my skin, hasn’t she?’

The foreign feelings of guilt and shame rolled uncomfortably in her belly. She couldn’t ignore it, so she did her best to tolerate it, and ascended the stairs to her bedroom.

She had to put what was most important to her ahead of mind and right now, what was most important to her, was seizing power.

It was all she desired.

Author's Notes:

Note 1: Nightmare Moon's desire for power is far deeper than even she knows.

Note 2: "Disguise spells? Let me tell you something - everypony thinks that a Disguise spell is as simple as projecting an illusion of whatever you got in your head. That's fine and dandy for pegasi and earth ponies to think, but it really throws me into a tizzy when I got unicorns in the Illusion school complaining how their Disguise spell ain't working.

Let me tell you something: you're projecting an illusion; the light may be bending, but that ain't going to fool somepony's sense of touch. You wanna disguise a pegasus as an earth pony? You better make sure nopony touches their sides and wonders why they feel feathers. You wanna disguise an earth pony as a unicorn? Well, you better tape a cone or something to their head and disguise that because there ain't no spell that can be cast by a regular unicorn for that level of augmentation.

Speaking of augmentation, you better get a Mass Shift spell from the Augmentation school if you really wanna fool ponies..." - Quote from Professor Deep Gaze, Illusion spells for Dummies.