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Oldnew Luna

by arandompenguin

Chapter 3: Chapter 2: Frequency

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The magic’s construction unravelled in Twilight’s brain, she knew what she would have to do to disable the magic, but at what cost? Each unicorn has a different frequency for their magic; this frequency gives them their unique magic colour and stops other ponies’ magic from mixing it up with their own. However, it is possible to change your frequency, but it is impossible to change it back.

Twilight thought about the consequences of tuning her magic to Luna’s. While it meant she could disable the bubble, it would mean that she and Luna would have their magic forever linked together. Every spell cast by one could be felt by the other, and while their magic levels would be combined, depleting the magic of one would deplete the magic of the other. Twilight sighed and considered whether to go ahead with this plan. She didn’t have to think long though, her sense of duty telling her which decision would be the one to make, for the sake of the princess, she would change her frequency.

The process for changing one's magical frequency is hard to complete for those with lesser magical abilities. Luckily for Twilight, she most certainly did not have lesser magical power. She thought back to Starswirl the Bearded’s scrolls on magic and remembered the steps for altering your magical frequency. First she would have to touch the magic of the frequency she wished to change to, this involved touching the magical bubble, and this is why you wouldn't be able to change back - your original magic doesn't exist anymore so you can't touch it. She hesitantly moved up to the bubble and touched it with a wince, expecting it to throw her back violently. She let out a breath of relief when nothing untoward occurred and went onto step 2; envisioning the colour of the magic of the frequency you wish to change to. She closed her eyes and thought about the dark blue colour of Luna’s magic. And then the third and final step. She touched her horn to the bubble and sent out a spark of her magic, at the same time keeping Luna’s magical colour in her mind. Suddenly the bubble spread out, enveloping Twilight and drawing her inside Luna’s nightmare.

Everything started out dark, not the dark of an unlit room, but the blackness a blind man has, so dark you feel like you’ll never see again. Twilight couldn’t hear anything besides her own breathing, it was ragged and unsteady. She was afraid to call out, hesitant of what would answer her call. She blinked a couple of times to assure herself that there really wasn’t any light, there wasn’t. She inched forward a few steps and hit her hoof on something soft, she pulled away quickly, protection spells running through her mind, ready to be released at moment’s notice. After what felt like days she calmed down a bit and once more edged forward, this time feeling out with her front hoof until it once more touched the soft, warm object. She felt along its length and found the texture changing from hair to feathers, was it a pegasus? She continued along the object until she built up a mental image of its dimensions, once she reached the top though she felt something hard and cold protruding out of the object, as soon as she touched it a glow built up, originating from under her hoof. Twilight jumped back about two feet, more scared of the glow then she was of the darkness. However, as the glow illuminated the object she stopped backing away, it was a familiar form. Princess Luna lay completely still, stretched out on the floor.

"Princess Luna?" Twilight asked hesitantly, in response the figure’s head raised up until it was facing Twilight, eyes still closed. Twilight’s breathing rate skyrocketed, Luna didn’t seem to be breathing or moving at all apart from the head, which was now facing Twilight. She held her breath, slowly backing further from the mare. As soon as Twilight moved back, a voice boomed out, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"STOP!" That single syllable was enough to freeze Twilight in her tracks, at the same time Luna’s eyes flew open. These were not her eyes however; they were the elliptical pupils of Nightmare Moon. Instantly Twilight sprang into action, now that she knew her enemy she was not afraid.

"Nightmare Moon! What are you doing here?"
Twilight asked, now standing her ground against the mare that was Luna with the Nightmare’s eyes, Luna slowly rose of the ground until she was standing. She didn’t get up using her hooves though, it looked like she was falling, but in reverse. Luna now stood facing Twilight, looking down at the mare.

"Twilight Sparkle, is that you? What pray tell, are you doing here?" The figure said, in Luna’s voice, half between the old Canterlot speech and the modern dialect, “This is our Nightmare." Twilight was confused, torn between believing that her friend, Princess Luna, stood in front of her and that her old nemesis, Nightmare Moon, had returned.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"You don’t recognize your friend?" The other mare asked in a hurt voice.
"How do I know you’re the real Princess Luna?" Twilight asked, not lowering her guard.
"Who else could there be?" The mare asked, seemingly intent on answering all of Twilight’s questions with more questions.
"I don’t know, anypony I guess. You said this was a nightmare so anything could happen." Twilight replied.
"No, We said it was our Nightmare." Luna/Nightmare replied.
"What’s the difference?" Twilight asked. The other mare sighed and sat down.
"Let us tell about this place." The mare said, and started talking.

"You see, the Nightmare is all of our, sorry, my bad emotions amplified," She stopped with the half-modern-half-old style of speech and switched to plain old modern speech, "They can consume me if I’m not careful. One thousand years ago, when I first felt the Nightmare start to overcome me I brought myself here to fight against the Nightmare without endangering others. However, as you know, I failed and Nightmare Moon overtook me and attempted eternal night." Luna/Nightmare Moon gave a shudder in remembrance of the horrid event. "During my banishment it was greatly weakened and I managed to once more be in control of my body, however it has been in control for so long that tendrils of its existence still hold sway occasionally. When I felt the Nightmare return inside me I sent myself here and I created an impenetrable bubble that could only be broken with my magic. You see, the Nightmare has its own magic and cannot use mine so even if I did fail against it, the Nightmare would be trapped here.

Unfortunately I failed; the Nightmare is controlling my body, thrashing it about in the bubble. I am trapped here until we can overcome it." Twilight listened to her story quietly, unconsciously deciding that this mare was actually Luna. She continued to sit in silence after the tale had finished. The minutes were dragging on in silence while Twilight thought about what to do. Eventually, Twilight spoke, her voice full of hope.

"Princess Luna, if I combined my magic with yours, would we be able to overcome the Nightmare together?" Twilight asked. Luna’s brow creased as she thought up an answer.
"Interesting... That could work; the Nightmare isn’t that much stronger than me at the moment. However, the only way to combine magic is if our own individual magic resonated at the same frequency, and that’s irreversible if you do indeed change yours." Princess Luna replied, more to herself than Twilight. Twilight looked slightly guilty at the mention of changing magical frequencies.

"Umm... Princess?" Twilight interrupted Luna’s thoughts.
"Please, call me Luna, there is no need for formalities, at the moment the Nightmare is the princess." Luna replied, Twilight nodded and took this as an indication to carry on.
"Ok, Luna, I may have already changed my frequency to get inside the bubble..." Twilight said hesitantly, hoping Luna wouldn’t get angry at her. Luna froze and stared at Twilight in bewilderment.
"You’ve already changed your frequency to mine?" Luna asked incredulously, with a flash of the Nightmare’s demeanour, but she gave a shake of her head and was once more Luna. Twilight looked even guiltier than before.

"Yes." She replied, unable to look Luna in the face "I’m sorry princess! It was the only way to get past the bubble!" Luna’s eyes shot wide open.
"Please don’t tell me that you disabled the bubble...” She asked, staring straight ahead, not looking at Twilight.
"No I didn't" Twilight replied quickly. Luna sighed in relief and settled back into calm, "As soon as I changed my frequency it sent me here." Luna nodded and explained.

"That’s understandable, magic ties closely with your brain; ponies with identical frequencies usually have their dreams linked, as well as their emotions." Luna looked straight into Twilight’s purple eyes, "I sure hope you understand the implications of what you have done, there is no way to change your frequency back and you will be forever tied to me." Twilight nodded, already aware of what it meant.
"Yes, I know what this means, but it was the only way to help you." Twilight explained.

Luna sat silently for a while.
"I am... touched, that somepony would do something like this, for me." Luna said, her calm demeanour cracking slightly, showing some of the emotions lying underneath. Twilight felt these emotions as if they were her own. She had feelings of sadness, of hope, and of something else. Twilight decided that prying into Luna’s emotions wasn’t what either of them wanted right now. Twilight stood up, feeling confident.
"Well, now that I have my magic linked to yours, we might be able to use it to get out of here!" Twilight exclaimed as Luna’s demeanour once more became calm.
"Yes, let us do this." Luna replied, also standing.
Twilight felt Luna’s magic blossom and responded with her own magic, it was not the regular purple of her magic, and Luna’s was not the blue she was used to. Both of their magical glows came out as a dark violet colour. They both felt the magic of the other, and used this awareness to keep both levels of magic even and steady. The two mares unconsciously understood what they had to do, sending a beam of magic up into the air above them. The beams twirled round each other, eventually interconnecting to become a single beam that grew in intensity as both mares held their ground against the intense magic they were sending forth.

The shadows congealed into a point beside them, and they stopped their magic to see what was happening. The shadows rose up and formed into the familiar shape of Nightmare Moon.
"What do you think you’re doing? You hope to best me?" The Nightmare shouted in her over-confident tone that the citizens of Equestria knew and feared. Twilight and Luna stood their ground, knowing that together they could overcome the darkness.

"You won’t control me anymore Nightmare, with our magic we can, and will, defeat you." Luna was staring straight into the Nightmare’s eyes, they flashed with something akin to fear, but it was quickly replaced by the confident gaze of someone who knows they will win.
"Ha! Don’t make me laugh; even with this foal here you cannot hope to destroy me. I’m too deep into your soul." The Nightmare said, and both Twilight and Luna knew it to be true. Twilight took a step towards the Nightmare, drawing her attention.
"What do you want, you insignificant foal?" The Nightmare asked, glaring down at Twilight.
"We may not be able to completely destroy you Nightmare, but I’m linked to Luna now. I’ll provide my magic whenever it is needed and throw you down each time." Twilight said in a quiet, yet confident voice.

"Those are fighting words." The Nightmare uttered, charging up her magic, Luna took a step forward so she and Twilight were standing side by side.
They charged up their magic as well, the twin beams releasing at the same time as the Nightmare’s blue magic. The three beams met in the middle, The Nightmare’s beginning to push back Luna’s and Twilight’s beams. Their twins beams started to merge and fight back against the Nightmare, the glow intensifying so all three had to close their eyes. A massive explosion tore apart their makeshift battlefield, throwing the three ponies away, as if they weighed nothing. Twilight never touched the floor though, just as she was about to hit she disappeared from the dream realm and hit the carpeted floor of Luna’s bedroom, hard enough to knock the breath out of her.

"Oof!" Twilight grunted out as she crashed to the floor, she tried to rise but couldn’t move her body. Hoping she hadn’t broken anything, she contented herself with looking around the room. She saw the bubble had disappeared, and Luna was sprawled out on the bed, seemingly unconscious. Twilight could see her chest rise and fall regularly, and gave a sigh of relief, but there was something different about Luna. She heard footsteps from behind her; however, blackness was eating away at the edge of her vision. As she succumbed to unconsciousness she heard a soft voice speak.
"Well done my pupil, you did it." A smile played on the edge of Twilight’s lips and she blacked out.

Next Chapter: Interlude: Extract from Starswirl the Bearded's book Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 28 Minutes
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