HOME | DD

Description
The night air was cool and still, and the moon bathed the graveyard below in a dim, silver light. Moondancer sat atop a hill, overlooking the countless rows of headstones below. His eyes were unfocused, lost in thought.

"God, you look pretentious when you brood."

A voice suddenly sounded from behind him, and Moondancer nearly leapt out of his skin. Swinging his head around, he caught sight of a rather unimpressed Midnight Abyss, who lifted a trim eyebrow at him.

"...Morning Glory." Moondancer swallowed, nervously drawing his cloak around himself. "W-what're you doing out here? What-wait, are you alone?" He stood up and glanced around the eerie cemetery, before turning his gaze back to Midnight. "It...isn't safe for little mares out here, you know."

"I'm not alone." Midnight drawled. "Bertram is out over in the west cemetery, collecting samples of deadly nightshade. We've been harvesting potion ingredients from this place for years. It just so happens that tonight I saw a suspicious figure brooding alone in the shadows. I decided to walk over and tell the idiot to go back home to his mommies."

To return home, tail tucked between his legs like a quivering foal...it'd be Moondancer's ultimate failure. He shook his head. "I can't go home, Glory. I can only go forward."

"Ah, so that's what this is." Midnight breathed. Her sharp, knowing eyes examined him carefully, and Moondancer squirmed in discomfort. "The black cloak, the terrible mane dye job, the miserable drama-queen contemplation under the theatric light of the full moon....So. You've finally gone off the deep end." She took a bold step forward, and Moondancer took a step back. "What is it you're planning, Moondancer?"

"S-Something beyond your comprehension." Moondancer bluffed, angered that she'd seen through him so quickly. "Something...something that'll make Equestria see me for what I am. Son of royalty. Blood descendant of Starswirl the Bearded." Moondancer's voice dropped to a growl. "And then all the world will drop to their knees and pay proper, long-overdue respect to me....the great and powerful Lord Moondancer."

"You're as delusional as ever. I suppose it was stupid to assume a few months spent homeless and dirty might broaden your horizons." Midnight rolled her eyes, before her face twisted into a sneer. "Listen to me, you whacked-out little milksop. Nopony, not one of them, gives a flying feather about your tenuous relation to some centuries-dead old wizard. Nopony is going to throw themselves at the hooves of some snotty brat who believes he's better than everypony else by virtue of some stupid birthright. Respect is something that is earned."

"Then I will earn it." Moondancer lifted his head, haughty. "Being diligent, being studious and disciplined-it's gotten me nowhere. There is no textbook I could study that would win me a defeat over that wretched, smug, she-draconequus Pandora. There is no library scroll I could've read that would have gotten my father to entertain my presence for more than ten minutes. I'm through being 'good', Morning Glory. I will tear the rightful exaltation of my name out from the mouth of every stallion, mare, and foal...by force."

"Better ponies than you have tried their hoof at villainy, you know." Midnight growled. "And guess what, genius? They all failed. King Sombra, Princess Luna, Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis....hell, both of my mothers. All of them turned to darkness, and all of them failed."

Moondancer's ears folded back, and a shadow of uncertainty crossed his face. "I...I won't make their mistakes."

"Oh won't you?" Midnight mocked, circling him. "All of them outclass you in brains and magical brawn. How will you succeed where they failed? You don't have what it takes to be a villain, Moondancer. Go home."

Moondancer began to tremble with emotion, and he felt his eyes beginning to burn with hate. "Be quiet, witch."

"Admit it. You're just a spoiled little colt with a bruised ego-"

"That is enough-"

"Stuffed to the gills with pipe dreams and delusions of grandeur-"

"I said be quiet-"

"Utterly terrified of the truth-that he is just one lone wave in a never-ending sea of mediocrity-"

"SHUT UP!" Moondancer bellowed, rearing up onto his hind hooves and coming down in a vicious stomp. Electric blue magic surged to life in his horn, crackling dangerously in the air. Midnight did not so much as flinch.

"...You're crying." She said quietly.

Moondancer's hoof angrily scrabbled against his face, wiping away hot tears. He bowed his head in shame, turning so that he faced away from the small pink mare.

"...Why are you even here, Morning Glory?"

Midnight hesitated a moment, before choosing to walk over and sit down next to her former surrogate brother. "Our parents are best friends." She mused aloud. "You haven't been around to see it, but I have-your mothers are worried to death about you, idiot. Trixie made me promise that if I saw you, I'd try to talk some sense into you. All this has been my version of a pep talk." She smirked, just a little, an attempt at humor.

Moondancer didn't look at her, but he lifted his hoof up to his chest, playing idly with something hanging from his neck. A strange object, resembling a curved, red-tipped horn.

"What's that you have there?" Midnight's ears pricked with curiosity.

Moondancer's voice was quiet and small when he spoke, like a sullen child. "...An old present. Maudie gave it to me."

"You miss her."

"...Obviously."

"Then the solution is simple, isn't it?" Midnight had to force a gentle note into her voice, and it was awkward. Silently, she wished she hadn't sent Bertram off. The zombie would be better suited to this task-he could always do a decent job cheering her up, anyway. "Go back to her. Back to Trixie. Dance your dainty little heart out. Go back home, Moondancer." She tried her best to force something like an encouraging smile onto her face, and it was lopsided and only slightly unsettling.

It's not that simple, Moondancer thought. I told my mother I hated her. She...Maudie'll never forgive that. My parents probably despise me now. They...they must wish I was never born.

I deserve it.

"Go away, Morning Glory." He said suddenly. His voice was cold.

Midnight blinked, surprised by his answer. "But..." For a fleeting instant, she stiffly reached out her hoof to him, before suddenly retracting it, muzzle curling with contempt. "Fine. I don't know why I bothered. I'll tell your beloved mummies that even my best logic wasn't enough to yank your head out of your self-absorbed, sanctimonious ass."

"You're free to leave anytime." He repeated, turning to glare at her.

"Yes, I know, I'm going." She stood to her hooves. "I'm sure Mother Maudie will be thrilled that her son decided to throw away everything to be a villain. She'll especially love collecting all the fuzzy white pieces when you're inevitably defeated and blown to smithereens by the forces of friendship-"

"I believe I said you could go-"

"Or maybe she'll get to watch you rot in Tarturus instead, hm? Oh, or maybe the two of you can be pen pals if you get banished? And to think, she'll never get to see her son again all because of his asinine quest to make everypony hate him more than he hates himself-"

Moondancer didn't mean for it to happen.

He'd just wanted to make her be quiet. Enraged, he'd lit his horn to do something-to magic her mouth shut, to teleport her away, something-and then...it had happened.

The drab, horn-like rock hanging from Moondancer's neck began to move on its own will. It levitated upwards ever so slightly, pointing itself directly at Midnight Abyss. And then there was a tremendous flash of white-hot crimson lightning, so bright that both ponies were momentarily blinded.

There was a strange, high-pitched sound coming from somewhere. Disoriented, it took Moondancer a few moments to realize it was Midnight.

She was screaming.

Moondancer watched, frozen, not believing his eyes. The horn seemed to be ripping away Midnight's very color-her once pastel pink coat was rapidly fading to grey, with a sound like ice cracking apart.

"Stop, please s-stop! It hurts! Bertram! B-Bertram, help me!"

Midnight struggled, kicking her front legs-but her hind legs were unmoving, as though paralyzed. What was once soft fur and flesh now resembled stiff, faintly glimmering diamond. With dull horror, Moondancer realized that her body was becoming solid crystal.

It was all happening so fast. He watched, helpless, as Midnight's cutie mark bled off her flanks as though it were made of wet ink, pulled into the horn. Her magic was wrenched painfully out of her eyes in a stream of white light, and still the crystal spread, enveloping and immobilizing her front legs.

"Mom!" In her terror, Midnight had begun weeping, desperately calling for her parents. "M-mom! Mother!"

But her pleas faded into the night, unheard. Moondancer could only watch, terrified, as the crystal finally spread to cover her cheeks, her eyes, and finally her mouth, swallowing her very last scream.

The light from the horn abruptly cut out, and it fell back against Moondancer's chest, inanimate. Harmless.

Silence fell.

"Oh, Celestia." Moondancer whispered. He reached out a trembling hoof, but stopped just shy of touching what had once been Midnight Abyss. All that remained before him was a pony-shaped statue made of brittle grey crystal. "M-Morning Glory?" He called. "....Midnight?"

The crystal husk did not answer. It's cold, lifeless eyes only reflected his own pale, fearful face.

"Oh no." His legs gave out beneath him. "Oh no, no, Midnight-" Desperately, he clutched the horn hanging around his neck, examining it in his hooves. Fearfully, he sent out a feeble pulse of magic to explore the horn. It felt different now-not like the lifeless rock he'd always assumed it to be. Now it felt more like a vessel, emitting a strange force that was faint...yet somehow sinister. It frightened Moondancer, yet also drew him in. Deep inside the horn, he sensed Midnight's magic bubbling within, volatile, powerful. Waiting. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. It seemed that if he wanted to, he could draw her magic back out of the horn, possibly restoring her back to her former self.

...Or.

An idea formed in Moondancer's head. He glanced at the crystal statue, thinking. He licked at his dry lips.

Midnight wouldn't miss it if he took just a tiny bit of her magic. Just the smallest trickle. Then he'd fix her back good as new, and she could go home to darken somepony else's doorstep. Yes.

He nervously called upon his magic and drew gently upon the bubbling force contained deep within the grey curved horn. He'd truly, honestly meant to only borrow the slightest bit of Midnight's magic. So little she wouldn't even miss it.

The horn activated again in another searing flash of crimson light, and Moondancer squeaked in terror, but unlike the last time, where it had drained an unwilling unicorn of their magic, this time the vessel returned it, freely, almost eagerly, flooding every single particle of Midnight's magic into Moondancer's body.

In a sense, Moondancer became Midnight.

He felt her, all of her-her magic, her abilities, her personality, her very essence-pour into him, all at once. Everything that'd made her unique, made her Midnight Abyss-was simply a part of him now. He felt her magic join his own, and the sudden surge of newfound power was electrifying and delicious. He lit his horn, and with ease, he seized a nearby oak tree in his magical grasp and tore it from ground, ripping the strong, ancient roots out of the earth, as though simply levitating a twig.

In a single flash of red light, he'd become twice as powerful. He had all of Midnight's magic. Every last scrap. He began to laugh, breathless with disbelief. A stupid horn-shaped rock had done more for his magic than years of dedicated study.

"Thank you." He whispered, to no one in particular.

Faintly, he felt Midnight's consciousness alive inside his own brain. She was struggling to get free of him. He felt her fear, her fury, her silly worry over her mothers and zombie pet. How could she be so afraid now, when he'd just made the discovery of a lifetime? All the ponies in the world, careless and complacent in their destinies and talents...they could all become like her. They could all become a part of him, to make him stronger. He could become the greatest and most powerful being to ever live. Greater even, than Starswirl. The thought was dizzying.

"Shh." With an indulgent laugh, he patted his chest, trying to comfort Midnight. "You're safe inside me, my dear. You're safe-"

An unholy shriek suddenly came from the surrounding darkness, and Moondancer was tackled violently by something green and screeching. He managed to catch himself before he fell, and used his magic to wrench the screaming thing off his back.

"...Ah." Moondancer blinked in recognition, releasing the creature from his magical grasp to fall to the ground. "Midnight's pet corpse. Bertram, correct?" He gave a slow, pacifying smile. "Poor thing. Are you worried about your mistress?"

Bertram gurgled something unintelligible, his single, unrotted eye rolling in its socket. The zombie looked wildly from the crystal statue of Midnight to Moondancer, then let out a baying shriek. A clear threat. Release his mistress, or else.

"I can't give her back to you." Moondancer said calmly. "You should be happy. Thanking me, even. The witch is gone now. You're free."

Bertram looked again to the glittering husk that was once his mistress, and he made a sound not unlike a crying child. It was almost worth pity.

"I said you're free. You can do whatever you want now. Go wherever you please. How can you possibly object to freedom?"

Bertram shook his head wildly, as though in refusal. He let out a howl of mourning, a long scream that split the night. Then he curled up, rather pathetically, at the foot of the crystal statue. All in all, he resembled a stupid, forlorn puppy waiting for its master to return home.

The sight made something too much like guilt settle into Moondancer's gut, and the unicorn frowned. "...Stupid corpse." He spat. He no longer wished to look at the pathetic display. Moondancer lit his horn, and in a flash of powerful blue magic, he teleported from the graveyard.

Bertram didn't watch him go. The zombie lifted its head with effort, gazing up at the crystal pony, and let out a single, long whine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is canon. This scene is part of the canon Pandoraverse storyline guys

it beginsssss

tldr: Midnight tried to talk Moondancer into going home, Moondancer refused and accidentally absorbed her magic into that horn-shaped doohickey he got from Maud as a colt. When he tries to steal a bit of Midnight's magic out of the horn, it dumps all of Midnight's magical essence into him, and he effectively has all of Midnight's powers now, as well as her living consciousness, trapped inside him. All in all not a bad day for moondancer, kind of a bummer for everypony else tho

related: , ,

Nextgen characters shown:

Description
The night air was cool and still, and the moon bathed the graveyard below in a dim, silver light. Moondancer sat atop a hill, overlooking the countless rows of headstones below. His eyes were unfocused, lost in thought.

"God, you look pretentious when you brood."

A voice suddenly sounded from behind him, and Moondancer nearly leapt out of his skin. Swinging his head around, he caught sight of a rather unimpressed Midnight Abyss, who lifted a trim eyebrow at him.

"...Morning Glory." Moondancer swallowed, nervously drawing his cloak around himself. "W-what're you doing out here? What-wait, are you alone?" He stood up and glanced around the eerie cemetery, before turning his gaze back to Midnight. "It...isn't safe for little mares out here, you know."

"I'm not alone." Midnight drawled. "Bertram is out over in the west cemetery, collecting samples of deadly nightshade. We've been harvesting potion ingredients from this place for years. It just so happens that tonight I saw a suspicious figure brooding alone in the shadows. I decided to walk over and tell the idiot to go back home to his mommies."

To return home, tail tucked between his legs like a quivering foal...it'd be Moondancer's ultimate failure. He shook his head. "I can't go home, Glory. I can only go forward."

"Ah, so that's what this is." Midnight breathed. Her sharp, knowing eyes examined him carefully, and Moondancer squirmed in discomfort. "The black cloak, the terrible mane dye job, the miserable drama-queen contemplation under the theatric light of the full moon....So. You've finally gone off the deep end." She took a bold step forward, and Moondancer took a step back. "What is it you're planning, Moondancer?"

"S-Something beyond your comprehension." Moondancer bluffed, angered that she'd seen through him so quickly. "Something...something that'll make Equestria see me for what I am. Son of royalty. Blood descendant of Starswirl the Bearded." Moondancer's voice dropped to a growl. "And then all the world will drop to their knees and pay proper, long-overdue respect to me....the great and powerful Lord Moondancer."

"You're as delusional as ever. I suppose it was stupid to assume a few months spent homeless and dirty might broaden your horizons." Midnight rolled her eyes, before her face twisted into a sneer. "Listen to me, you whacked-out little milksop. Nopony, not one of them, gives a flying feather about your tenuous relation to some centuries-dead old wizard. Nopony is going to throw themselves at the hooves of some snotty brat who believes he's better than everypony else by virtue of some stupid birthright. Respect is something that is earned."

"Then I will earn it." Moondancer lifted his head, haughty. "Being diligent, being studious and disciplined-it's gotten me nowhere. There is no textbook I could study that would win me a defeat over that wretched, smug, she-draconequus Pandora. There is no library scroll I could've read that would have gotten my father to entertain my presence for more than ten minutes. I'm through being 'good', Morning Glory. I will tear the rightful exaltation of my name out from the mouth of every stallion, mare, and foal...by force."

"Better ponies than you have tried their hoof at villainy, you know." Midnight growled. "And guess what, genius? They all failed. King Sombra, Princess Luna, Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis....hell, both of my mothers. All of them turned to darkness, and all of them failed."

Moondancer's ears folded back, and a shadow of uncertainty crossed his face. "I...I won't make their mistakes."

"Oh won't you?" Midnight mocked, circling him. "All of them outclass you in brains and magical brawn. How will you succeed where they failed? You don't have what it takes to be a villain, Moondancer. Go home."

Moondancer began to tremble with emotion, and he felt his eyes beginning to burn with hate. "Be quiet, witch."

"Admit it. You're just a spoiled little colt with a bruised ego-"

"That is enough-"

"Stuffed to the gills with pipe dreams and delusions of grandeur-"

"I said be quiet-"

"Utterly terrified of the truth-that he is just one lone wave in a never-ending sea of mediocrity-"

"SHUT UP!" Moondancer bellowed, rearing up onto his hind hooves and coming down in a vicious stomp. Electric blue magic surged to life in his horn, crackling dangerously in the air. Midnight did not so much as flinch.

"...You're crying." She said quietly.

Moondancer's hoof angrily scrabbled against his face, wiping away hot tears. He bowed his head in shame, turning so that he faced away from the small pink mare.

"...Why are you even here, Morning Glory?"

Midnight hesitated a moment, before choosing to walk over and sit down next to her former surrogate brother. "Our parents are best friends." She mused aloud. "You haven't been around to see it, but I have-your mothers are worried to death about you, idiot. Trixie made me promise that if I saw you, I'd try to talk some sense into you. All this has been my version of a pep talk." She smirked, just a little, an attempt at humor.

Moondancer didn't look at her, but he lifted his hoof up to his chest, playing idly with something hanging from his neck. A strange object, resembling a curved, red-tipped horn.

"What's that you have there?" Midnight's ears pricked with curiosity.

Moondancer's voice was quiet and small when he spoke, like a sullen child. "...An old present. Maudie gave it to me."

"You miss her."

"...Obviously."

"Then the solution is simple, isn't it?" Midnight had to force a gentle note into her voice, and it was awkward. Silently, she wished she hadn't sent Bertram off. The zombie would be better suited to this task-he could always do a decent job cheering her up, anyway. "Go back to her. Back to Trixie. Dance your dainty little heart out. Go back home, Moondancer." She tried her best to force something like an encouraging smile onto her face, and it was lopsided and only slightly unsettling.

It's not that simple, Moondancer thought. I told my mother I hated her. She...Maudie'll never forgive that. My parents probably despise me now. They...they must wish I was never born.

I deserve it.

"Go away, Morning Glory." He said suddenly. His voice was cold.

Midnight blinked, surprised by his answer. "But..." For a fleeting instant, she stiffly reached out her hoof to him, before suddenly retracting it, muzzle curling with contempt. "Fine. I don't know why I bothered. I'll tell your beloved mummies that even my best logic wasn't enough to yank your head out of your self-absorbed, sanctimonious ass."

"You're free to leave anytime." He repeated, turning to glare at her.

"Yes, I know, I'm going." She stood to her hooves. "I'm sure Mother Maudie will be thrilled that her son decided to throw away everything to be a villain. She'll especially love collecting all the fuzzy white pieces when you're inevitably defeated and blown to smithereens by the forces of friendship-"

"I believe I said you could go-"

"Or maybe she'll get to watch you rot in Tarturus instead, hm? Oh, or maybe the two of you can be pen pals if you get banished? And to think, she'll never get to see her son again all because of his asinine quest to make everypony hate him more than he hates himself-"

Moondancer didn't mean for it to happen.

He'd just wanted to make her be quiet. Enraged, he'd lit his horn to do something-to magic her mouth shut, to teleport her away, something-and then...it had happened.

The drab, horn-like rock hanging from Moondancer's neck began to move on its own will. It levitated upwards ever so slightly, pointing itself directly at Midnight Abyss. And then there was a tremendous flash of white-hot crimson lightning, so bright that both ponies were momentarily blinded.

There was a strange, high-pitched sound coming from somewhere. Disoriented, it took Moondancer a few moments to realize it was Midnight.

She was screaming.

Moondancer watched, frozen, not believing his eyes. The horn seemed to be ripping away Midnight's very color-her once pastel pink coat was rapidly fading to grey, with a sound like ice cracking apart.

"Stop, please s-stop! It hurts! Bertram! B-Bertram, help me!"

Midnight struggled, kicking her front legs-but her hind legs were unmoving, as though paralyzed. What was once soft fur and flesh now resembled stiff, faintly glimmering diamond. With dull horror, Moondancer realized that her body was becoming solid crystal.

It was all happening so fast. He watched, helpless, as Midnight's cutie mark bled off her flanks as though it were made of wet ink, pulled into the horn. Her magic was wrenched painfully out of her eyes in a stream of white light, and still the crystal spread, enveloping and immobilizing her front legs.

"Mom!" In her terror, Midnight had begun weeping, desperately calling for her parents. "M-mom! Mother!"

But her pleas faded into the night, unheard. Moondancer could only watch, terrified, as the crystal finally spread to cover her cheeks, her eyes, and finally her mouth, swallowing her very last scream.

The light from the horn abruptly cut out, and it fell back against Moondancer's chest, inanimate. Harmless.

Silence fell.

"Oh, Celestia." Moondancer whispered. He reached out a trembling hoof, but stopped just shy of touching what had once been Midnight Abyss. All that remained before him was a pony-shaped statue made of brittle grey crystal. "M-Morning Glory?" He called. "....Midnight?"

The crystal husk did not answer. It's cold, lifeless eyes only reflected his own pale, fearful face.

"Oh no." His legs gave out beneath him. "Oh no, no, Midnight-" Desperately, he clutched the horn hanging around his neck, examining it in his hooves. Fearfully, he sent out a feeble pulse of magic to explore the horn. It felt different now-not like the lifeless rock he'd always assumed it to be. Now it felt more like a vessel, emitting a strange force that was faint...yet somehow sinister. It frightened Moondancer, yet also drew him in. Deep inside the horn, he sensed Midnight's magic bubbling within, volatile, powerful. Waiting. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. It seemed that if he wanted to, he could draw her magic back out of the horn, possibly restoring her back to her former self.

...Or.

An idea formed in Moondancer's head. He glanced at the crystal statue, thinking. He licked at his dry lips.

Midnight wouldn't miss it if he took just a tiny bit of her magic. Just the smallest trickle. Then he'd fix her back good as new, and she could go home to darken somepony else's doorstep. Yes.

He nervously called upon his magic and drew gently upon the bubbling force contained deep within the grey curved horn. He'd truly, honestly meant to only borrow the slightest bit of Midnight's magic. So little she wouldn't even miss it.

The horn activated again in another searing flash of crimson light, and Moondancer squeaked in terror, but unlike the last time, where it had drained an unwilling unicorn of their magic, this time the vessel returned it, freely, almost eagerly, flooding every single particle of Midnight's magic into Moondancer's body.

In a sense, Moondancer became Midnight.

He felt her, all of her-her magic, her abilities, her personality, her very essence-pour into him, all at once. Everything that'd made her unique, made her Midnight Abyss-was simply a part of him now. He felt her magic join his own, and the sudden surge of newfound power was electrifying and delicious. He lit his horn, and with ease, he seized a nearby oak tree in his magical grasp and tore it from ground, ripping the strong, ancient roots out of the earth, as though simply levitating a twig.

In a single flash of red light, he'd become twice as powerful. He had all of Midnight's magic. Every last scrap. He began to laugh, breathless with disbelief. A stupid horn-shaped rock had done more for his magic than years of dedicated study.

"Thank you." He whispered, to no one in particular.

Faintly, he felt Midnight's consciousness alive inside his own brain. She was struggling to get free of him. He felt her fear, her fury, her silly worry over her mothers and zombie pet. How could she be so afraid now, when he'd just made the discovery of a lifetime? All the ponies in the world, careless and complacent in their destinies and talents...they could all become like her. They could all become a part of him, to make him stronger. He could become the greatest and most powerful being to ever live. Greater even, than Starswirl. The thought was dizzying.

"Shh." With an indulgent laugh, he patted his chest, trying to comfort Midnight. "You're safe inside me, my dear. You're safe-"

An unholy shriek suddenly came from the surrounding darkness, and Moondancer was tackled violently by something green and screeching. He managed to catch himself before he fell, and used his magic to wrench the screaming thing off his back.

"...Ah." Moondancer blinked in recognition, releasing the creature from his magical grasp to fall to the ground. "Midnight's pet corpse. Bertram, correct?" He gave a slow, pacifying smile. "Poor thing. Are you worried about your mistress?"

Bertram gurgled something unintelligible, his single, unrotted eye rolling in its socket. The zombie looked wildly from the crystal statue of Midnight to Moondancer, then let out a baying shriek. A clear threat. Release his mistress, or else.

"I can't give her back to you." Moondancer said calmly. "You should be happy. Thanking me, even. The witch is gone now. You're free."

Bertram looked again to the glittering husk that was once his mistress, and he made a sound not unlike a crying child. It was almost worth pity.

"I said you're free. You can do whatever you want now. Go wherever you please. How can you possibly object to freedom?"

Bertram shook his head wildly, as though in refusal. He let out a howl of mourning, a long scream that split the night. Then he curled up, rather pathetically, at the foot of the crystal statue. All in all, he resembled a stupid, forlorn puppy waiting for its master to return home.

The sight made something too much like guilt settle into Moondancer's gut, and the unicorn frowned. "...Stupid corpse." He spat. He no longer wished to look at the pathetic display. Moondancer lit his horn, and in a flash of powerful blue magic, he teleported from the graveyard.

Bertram didn't watch him go. The zombie lifted its head with effort, gazing up at the crystal pony, and let out a single, long whine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is canon. This scene is part of the canon Pandoraverse storyline guys

it beginsssss

tldr: Midnight tried to talk Moondancer into going home, Moondancer refused and accidentally absorbed her magic into that horn-shaped doohickey he got from Maud as a colt. When he tries to steal a bit of Midnight's magic out of the horn, it dumps all of Midnight's magical essence into him, and he effectively has all of Midnight's powers now, as well as her living consciousness, trapped inside him. All in all not a bad day for moondancer, kind of a bummer for everypony else tho

related: , ,

Nextgen characters shown: