Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash in horror.
Apple Jack stared at Princess Luna and said, "Is this some kinda sick joke?"
"No! I swear on the moon, I did not plan any of this!" Luna took a step back from the group of ponies gawking at the corrupt multi-colored alicorn standing before them.
"This is anything but a joke! Then again, it'll be pretty hilarious when I destroy you, Twilight Sparkle." Rainbow Dash sneered.
Meanwhile, Nightmare watched safely from the moon, laughing at the look of terror on Twilight Sparkle's face. "Ha! Priceless! The time is near for the reign of Nightmare to begin!"
A shadow floated up to her. "Uh, boss? Don't you need Luna to agree to become Nightmare Moon again?"
Nightmare froze. "Good point. But if she refuses, I have an alternate vessel."
"We need to get them to the moon, boss! All of them!"
"I realize that, Larry!"
"Sorry, boss."
Nightmare glared at Larry with her piercing, cruel blue eyes, then turned back to watching Rainbow Dash prepare to battle Twilight Sparkle. "This is just a fun little extra! I only turned her into an alicorn so that she would be just as useful as Luna! The whole 'revenge' thing was just a little something to get Rainbow Dash on my side."
Back in Ponyville, Luna leaned over to Twilight and whispered, "I'm going to go into Rainbow Dash's memories to try to figure out why she is acting like this."
"Okay Luna, good luck."
Luna nodded and cast a spell that sent her into Rainbow Dash's memories of the past week.
She wasn't prepared for what she found. Ponies were drowning left and right, then she was seeing a vision of Twilight Sparkle and her friends telling Rainbow Dash that she was a loser. Then, Rainbow Dash was on the moon talking to a black, shadowy spirit. Luna recognized it immediately. "NOOOOO!"
Luna sat up in horror. Looking over at Rainbow Dash, she saw that the former Pegasus looked a little dazed. The rest of the ponies were looking at her in concern. "Luna…" Princess Celestia whispered, her eyes wide.
"You started saying the word 'revenge' over and over again, then you screamed 'NOOOOO'!" Twilight Sparkle tilted her head, waiting for answers.
"W-we h-have to go to the moon…" Luna shakily stood up.
"I'd like to see you try. In fact, I will. But don't think this means things are going back to normal, because they aren't." Rainbow Dash said.
"Okay then….Celestia, a battle is coming. Please stay and prepare Ponyville." Luna pleaded.
"Okay, Luna. Be careful." Princess Celestia replied. Then she whispered something into Luna's ear, and Luna nodded. "Okay, good idea."
They walked outside and stood around a large tree stump. "Apple Jack, would you get a lasso please?" Princess Luna asked.
Apple Jack nodded and came back a few minutes later with a large lasso.
Princess Celestia used her magic to tie part of the lasso around the tree stump and the rest was wrapped around the moon.
While Princess Celestia did that, Princess Luna struggled to use her magic to bring the moon closer. "Almost-there…"
The moon stopped. It was very close to the earth now, and the rope was held taught between the moon and the tree stump.
Princess Celestia put one hoof on the rope. "The ponies without wings will have to use sure footing." She replied.
"S-sorry, I'm out of bravery for today…" Fluttershy whimpered.
"Too bad. You're going. Come on." Rainbow Dash zoomed off towards the moon, stopping and standing on the rope. "Slowpokes! You can fly, Clutzershy."
Fluttershy started crying. "Sto-op it! Why are you being so mean?"
Rarity took a step onto the rope, wobbling and getting her balance. "Fluttershy is right, ruffian!"
Rainbow Dash just rolled her eyes and started bouncing up and down on the rope. "Hurry up!"
"Hey! Stop that!" Apple Jack cried as she fell off the rope.
Luna flew down and used her magic to lift Apple Jack back onto the rope.
Rainbow Dash stopped bouncing as the ponies stepped onto the moon.
"Keep a low profile. Don't let them know we're here." Luna whispered, eyes wide with fright.
"Hello, creepy moon place!" Pinkie Pie yelled.
"Shh!" Twilight whispered, but it was too late. Dark shadows appeared out of nowhere. Rainbow Dash screamed as they engulfed her. Dark red eyes appeared on the shadowy mass, and Twilight realized that it was a spirit. It paid no attention to her, but looked at Luna.
"Luna, I think you remember us?" It said.
"Yes, Larry, I do." Luna replied.
"Our master turned you into Nightmare Moon."
"Y-yes…." Luna's eyes widened even more.
"If you agree to become Nightmare Moon again, we will spare Rainbow Dash. If you don't, then we have an alternative…"
"Don't, Luna! We'll be forced to imprison you again!" Twilight Sparkle cried.
Luna nodded, and said stubbornly, "I will not willingly become a monster, Larry."
The shadows fell away to reveal Rainbow Dash, she was crouched on the ground, her eyes brimming with tears. "Twilight? You would leave me behind?" Her ears flattened.
Twilight had been pretty irritated with Rainbow Dash the last few hours, so she just let it out. "Why shouldn't we? You've been acting awful lately!" she screamed.
Rainbow Dash stood up. She turned to face a particularly large shadow with icy blue eyes. "Then I willingly shall become one with darkness, and bring about eternal night." She hung her head. They've abandoned me…
Twilight ran forward to stop her, but she stared at Twilight, a mix of sadness, anger, and contempt in her rosy red eyes as the shadow with icy blue eyes engulfed her in darkness again.
Her last fully independent thought was that of the anger in Twilight's eyes. She felt so dark, so cold, so lonely, and as Nightmare tugged at her subconscious, she felt herself slipping away, still able to see, not able to move any part of her body.
Nightmare's voice sneered in her mind.
Fool! You really are quite stupid, aren't you? Your stupidity has led your friends to their worst nightmare! Oh, I forgot, you have no friends. They hate you. And you hate them, correct?
Yes.
Good. Very good. Then I'm sure you will have no problem watching them suffer. This should be interesting.
I hate you too.
"No! Dashie!" Pinkie Pie lifted one hoof off the ground, as if trying to decide whether or not she should go running in to save her friend or not. Deciding against it, she hung her head and started to cry.
Soon the shadows surrounding Rainbow Dash took the shape of a sphere, and began to glow like the sun, then it turned bright blue, and Rainbow Dash stepped out. Except, it wasn't exactly Rainbow Dash, more of a tall alicorn with a black coat, a cutie mark of three blue, black, and white lightning bolts, icy blue Nightmare Moon-like eyes, and a mane resembling Rainbow Dash's, but longer, and the bright, cheerful rainbow colors changed to the colors of darkness and the night.
Meanwhile, a bright flash from the moon made Princess Celestia look up. The shadow of a tall alicorn appeared on the moon's surface. "My dear sister, forced to become Nightmare Moon- wait, that's not Nightmare Moon!"
Twilight walked up to this strange alicorn. "Rainbow Dash?" she asked hopefully.
"She's gone. Forever. I am Nightmare Dash." The pony said, its voice sounding like Rainbow Dash's and Nightmare Moon's voices combined.
"Nightmare Dash?" Pinkie Pie stepped forward to stand next to Twilight Sparkle. "No! Let Dashie go!" she shrieked.
Nightmare Dash laughed. "She agreed to this, you realize?" Then her eyes returned to rosy red for a split second, and she whispered, "Pinkie?"
"Dashie?"
"Don't bother trying to free me."
"ENOUGH!" Nightmare Dash jumped up and shook her head. Then to Pinkie Pie, she said, "See what I mean?"
Pinkie Pie's mane got a little bit less poofy, and she started to cry.
Twilight Sparkle ran at Nightmare Dash, her horn lighting up.
Nightmare Dash shrugged and used her magic to lift Twilight Sparkle and throw her.
Fluttershy watched Twilight Sparkle fly through the air overhead, then turned back to Nightmare Dash and said, "It is not nice to throw ponies!"
Twilight Sparkle landed in a crater and shook her head. "Ouch…" She flew out of the crater and landed back amongst her friends.
"Twilight Sparkle, you fool. You've tried doing that before." Nightmare Dash narrowed her eyes.
Twilight remembered this. When Luna had been Nightmare Moon, she had ran at Nightmare Moon and teleported behind her to get to the Elements of Harmony and try to ignite the spark.
Apple Jack turned to face away from Nightmare Dash and bucked her right in the face. "Take that!"
Nightmare Dash reared back, screaming in pain, but quickly recovered.
"That was a very bad idea." Nightmare Dash lifted the Mane 5 and Princess Luna up with her magic and sent them tumbling down the rope back down to Equestria.
Princess Celestia ran over to her sister, helping her up and staring at the shadow of the alicorn on the moon. "Who is that?" she asked her little sister.
"It's Nightmare Dash." Luna said.
"What?"
"Rainbow Dash is gone." Luna hung her head.
Meanwhile, a Wonderbolt was flying overhead. He had a white coat with emerald-green eyes and a navy-blue mane. His name was Soarin', and when he saw the ponies staring up at the moon, and the shadow that looked a lot like the pony he had a slight crush on, he flew down to see what was going on.
As he landed, the ponies turned to look at him. He recognized them as the rulers of the land and Rainbow Dash's best friends, but he saw no Rainbow Dash.
"Where's Rainbow Dash?" he asked curiously.
Then he noticed the grief and terror in their eyes.
"To put things lightly, Soarin', she's as good as dead." Twilight Sparkle said.
"W-what?" His eyes widened. "Tell me what happened!"
Twilight Sparkle sighed and told him the whole story, from the day the nightmares began to that very moment.
As soon as she finished telling Soarin' everything, the shadows on the moon disappeared, and a huge black mass was zooming towards the ground.
"Step. Back." Luna whispered, her voice shaking.
As the mass got closer, the citizens of Ponyville, prepared for battle, stepped forward. Princess Celestia gave Princess Luna some armor to protect herself with.
Soon the dark mass landed. Spirits spread out in every direction, battling the citizens of Ponyville, while Nightmare Dash, now wearing a beautiful golden, jewel-encrusted helmet, stepped forward. "Well I suppose it's going to be no use to use the Elements of Harmony against me this time! Now that I've taken one of your precious friends, you can't stop me! Not without Rainbow Dash!"
Twilight thought of all of the good times she had experienced with Rainbow Dash, and motioned for her friends to do the same. They stood around Nightmare Dash in a circle, their friendship with Rainbow Dash so happy that they began to glow with various colors. The lights swirled around Nightmare Dash, and slowly shadows began to melt away, floating and twisting around Rainbow Dash in a circle.
Rainbow Dash opened her eyes. They were still icy-blue and snake-like, much to Twilight Sparkle's dismay. "Rainbow Dash! Are you okay?" Twilight called to her rainbow colored friend.
"Twilight Sparkle!" Rainbow Dash screamed. "You abandon me to these crazy monsters, and you expect me to be happy to see you? It's so dark and cold!"
Soarin' stepped forward and yelled, "Rainbow Dash! Please, try to fight it!"
Rainbow Dash's eyes brimmed with tears as her former friends yelled encouraging words. "I…CAN'T!"
Her voice echoed as the shadows swirled around her faster and closed in on her, turning her back into Nightmare Dash.
The light surrounding the rest of the ponies faded and fell away from Nightmare Dash, lowering her to the ground. She broke out in evil laughter, saying, "Rainbow Dash shall never return!"
Twilight knew this was not true. When they had manage to free Rainbow Dash for a minute or two, Twilight could tell that they were starting to get through to her and give her strength.
"Oh, we beg to differ!" Soarin' yelled.
Twilight and her friends tried to do the same thing again, but the light shone stronger, engulfing Nightmare Dash in a sphere of pure friendship. A dark shadow rose out of the sphere, which faded away immediately, leaving a multi-colored alicorn to fall to the ground.
Rainbow Dash stood up and stared at Twilight Sparkle, then turned around and ran as fast as she could into the Ever Free Forest. The shadow that was Nightmare rose up and flew after her.
Rainbow Dash ran through the Ever Free Forest, trying to put as much distance between herself and Twilight Sparkle as possible. Then, she noticed Nightmare flying next to her.
"Get out of here, Nightmare! You've done enough damage already!" Rainbow Dash screamed. Much to Rainbow Dash's surprise, Nightmare floated to the ground and turned into a normal pony, with a black coat, deep blue eyes, and a blue and white mane resembling Rarity's little sister's mane. She was an alicorn, just like Rainbow Dash.
"Well, I'll have you know that my ways are changed!" Nightmare said proudly.
"Sure. Try telling that to Twilight Sparkle and her friends." Rainbow Dash flattened her ears.
"Fine! I will!" Nightmare turned and walked out of the Ever Free and right up to Twilight Sparkle, who recognized her immediately and tried to tackle her, only to be stopped by Rainbow Dash. "You should know better than to go around starting fights where they aren't needed." She said indifferently.
Princess Luna and Princess Celestia exchanged looks, then said, "All hail the sisters Princess Rainbow Dash and Princess Nightmare of the sky!"