Author's Notes:

Finally I finished the rewrite of chapter one before nine o'clock. It took me forever to get through the entire chapter and read it over to the best of my medicated ability.

I'm not sure if this is any better than how they met, but I'm going to believe that it is, and that Derrick seems much better in his development as a person that has problems right now.

That, however, is up for every reader to decide.

Now to get some shuteye for my final surgery. Tomorrow.......I GET FULL FUSION OF THE PROSTHETIC TO MY BONES.

Awareness rolled in, like mist drifting on the winds of a peaceful morning, long tunnels of sound stretching through the room and digging into his ears. Each decibel curling around his restarting mind. The dense tone of a male muffled other strange noises and lent an eerie familiarity to the man. Out of that deep voice came another, one much softer and more loving than he could believe. Derrick did not move when he realized someone was talking. He went still and regulated his breathing as the mysterious owners of said voices moved around him, nearly blending with a loud beeping to his right.

"It has been four days, Doctor, and he still has not woken up!" the female barked angrily; at least that is how the tone felt when Derrick heard. He wasn't sure though, and he certainly was not going to find out. "Why are you using so little of your capabilities for my human?"

"My queen, please calm yourself and realize that my abilities are stressed with this human." the doctor replied bravely. It had to have been a courageous thing to talk so boldly with the mare, seeing as how she was growling under her breath at the moment. "I can only do so much for your friend. I'm limited to common procedures because of his strange immunity to all magic. Not even a simple levitation spell can touch his skin. It's almost as if he were born with this ability."

"I do not care about your setbacks. I want results, Doctor Stitch, and I will have them, or so help me, I will make your life a living nightmare!"

"My queen, I cannot produce miracles with this creature. His unconscious state is a mental process that must heal itself without the aid of magic. If I try to force any spell upon him there is the possibility of bad results. Now please let me finish my—"

Derrick felt great fear from opening his eyes. He groaned to the mild headache that came with his equilibrium going all over the room. He was very imbalanced but showed no outward signs of physical damage when moving himself into a more comfortable position. His awakening was exactly the same as always in the morning: a mild dislike of the cider he guzzles at Pinkie Pie's parties. This, however, was more of a great hatred towards whatever fell on his head when he recalled the monster in the castle.

Derrick was very perplexed with what is happening. He couldn't have been more confused in this room as some patients had been, because he had no damn clue as to where the hell he is right now. When he regained control of his senses and realized his arm and leg would not move, many seconds of silence filled him. He did not know if he had been rescued or taken as a hostage, or if the ponies in front of him were friend or enemy. His instincts could not speak for him.

And then it happened, he concluded his new location to be some odd form of a hospital room with burgundy walls and a silk bed that is blacker than any hollow cave in Equestria. His warmth was generated by a fireplace that blazed hotly, its sound the only comfort to his bewilderment as he watched the flames change color ten seconds. Clearly there was magic about.

He turned to his left, and then to his right. Books lined up in sturdy oak shelves on the west wall, alphabetically organized by someone who has a very bad habit of keeping things to their order.

Subconsciously, he rubbed his eyes and yawned whilst collecting his senses. "Where the hell am I?"

"Derrick..." a deep, feminine voice cooed. Derrick stopped ceased his thinking and froze with fear. He knew that voice very well, maybe too-well, and it gave him a deep chill that slithered down his bruised back.

He went to make a quick jab at the owner of such a beautiful voice but was suddenly taken into a soft and ticklish hug, his skin shivering at the many pokes her wings did to his bandaged stomach.

His first movement to the mare hugging him so tightly was to yell and scream at the top of his lungs, but his lips were gently shut with her muzzle rubbing against them. Softly. Tenderly. Lovingly. "...Thank the Night Mother, you are finally awake. I have been so worried about you."

Derrick blinked in uncertainty; even in this shocking moment, he wanted to believe that the mare holding him is indeed the same one that rescued him from the disgusting monster. Finally his mind floated to the very surface of reality, and so became the moment of him finally coming to his senses. He blinked again and turned to the left, finding medical equipment and a very relieved unicorn in a lab coat wiping the sweat off his brow. His fur was red, eyes bloodshot from lack of rest, and a very distinct set of incisors under his top lip.

Derrick felt something grow inside his chest as this stallion approached him from the other side of the bed. He felt terror before that beloved touch of his hugger being more than what most have given him since his arrival to Equestria calmed him down. Still, how this mare found the gall to touch him when there was so much to explain, he didn't know.

His body came to life; at least his good arm and leg did. His heart raced, and the monitor showed his heart rate to be one-hundred and thirty beats per minute. He was fully aware of this place and its strange atmosphere, and that did not settle with the two ponies at his sides.

I don't know where I am, but I'm getting the hell out of here!

"Derrick?" Nightmare Moon said quietly, worriedly.

He pushed Nightmare Moon away as hard as he could and reached for the I.V. in the upper section of his left arm, its location barely reachable as it sits under the cast. His breathing accelerated, a fear induced moment of ill thoughts and concern for his well-being. He began to pinch the tube that is filling his vein with water, ignoring his conscience telling him not to remove the I.V. from his skin.

He squeezed a little and began to—

"No, don't!" Nightmare Moon said quickly, hasting to his side after recovering from falling on her rump. She was not physically hurt or injured, but having the man she saved push her away was by all means the most hurtful thing she experienced. If the situation was different, she might have felt her heart break. Derrick, however, was not thinking straight nor acting rational at the moment.

He was scared, if not terrified, and that was very understandable to the concerned alicorn. She knew it was fear that made him push her away. Fear that she made by making a dark and extravagant entrance when she found him.

Derrick tugged on the I.V. as the doctor ran through the door and stopped in the middle of a dark hallway, yelling at multiple guards for their help in restraining him before things got out of control. Fortunately it was Nightmare Moon who stopped him from making that mistake, for she was gentle and kind with her words.

"Derrick, stop." she said as calmly as she could, placing her hoof over his hand. She did not flinch when their eyes connected, albeit in opposite feelings. "It's just medicine and water," she leaned closer, her eyes sparkling with frustration whilst trying to keep him still. "It's to help your body fight off the infection. Just calm down and listen to me, please."

Even as the fearful and slightly angered Derrick glared at her, the legendary Nightmare Moon held her gaze on him. She did not allow herself to be defeated by such a glare. She'd never been a mare to be intimidated, but she suddenly wished they met and talked under much better conditions. She felt Derrick's chest against her own, heartbeat in sync with his, as though they were connected. Her hoof slowly tightened around his hand and began to guide it away from the I.V. She prayed to her sister that he would not act so foolishly again.

"It's okay, Derrick. Nopony is going to hurt you. You are safe and out of harm's reach." she cooed softly, something similar to a wife calming her husband down. Surprisingly she felt Derrick's hand loosen after a few seconds of deep thinking. Perhaps he was not as irrational as she thinks him to be.

I can't run or hide. I'd better play along if I want to live.

Derrick retracted his hand from Nightmare Moon and lied back down to rest his throbbing muscles, his eyes never leaving her; even as the doctor returned with ten fiercely armored stallions, he kept his gaze locked onto the Mare in The Moon, for he knew who was strongest in the room.

When he did release his glare and allow himself to be touched, Nightmare Moon wrapped her wing around his waist and nuzzled his cheek for her own enjoyment. And as strange as it was for her to touch him, Derrick could not deny feeling joy when she expressed so much affection.

"You were foolish to run in the castle and hide from me, but that does not matter. What is important is you are safe, awake, and away from the horses that dared to lay a hoof on you."

Derrick began to think as she spoke.

"That bucking Devourer was difficult to destroy, and having you unconscious did not make it any easier for me. Whether or not those sun lovers saw us is pointless, because you are here."

Derrick put a hand to his head as the headache made it difficult for him to think. He started remembering what happened and reacted to it very angrily. From the attack in Canterlot to his plummet in the old castle, he acted on emotion. He groaned and growled as each memory dug into the very fibers of his mind, replaying as the guards approached.

Doctor Stitch pointed a hoof at Derrick and said, "He needs to restrained to prevent harm to himself. Make sure his arms, legs, and head are—"

"Nopony is touching Derrick!" Nightmare Moon barked, causing her guards to step back in fear. She glared furiously at her royal protectors, her eyes shining in the light of her dark moon. She scowled at each one as though they were her enemies, fangs displayed as intimidation. "If anypony dares lay a hoof on my human, even in the slightest, I will personally send you to Tartarus and feed you to Cerberus!"

Her words guided the guards to the door and out of the room. Nightmare Moon did not hesitate to use her authority, she simply commanded the core of her power to her horn and demanded ferocity in the light of her explosive anger, settling into her own instincts with a small shiver. She stayed over Derrick with the same wing around his waist, afraid to leave his side too soon. She'd been through enough already, the search, the worry and the terror of him never waking up. She went through all of that for far too long and was beginning to feel the effects of such a division.

"Get out of my bed chambers...NOW!" she reassured Derrick.

He thought the Mare in The Moon to be a frightening beast with untold powers, but maybe he only thought what he wished to know. She had yet to lay a threatening hoof on him or do something ghastly. Her only intention so far was protecting Derrick from those that have come to hurt him. She was already acting monstrous but in a different manner, slipping into animalistic fury. Breaths blazing across his skin, he gave a weak smile a sighed. Not so afraid anymore. He was beginning to wonder if the alicorn he was told of did experience a rebirth from the Elements of Harmony.

He found himself firmly held by the mare. Doctor Stitch and the guards had removed themselves from the room at a breakneck pace and the fury of their queen died when the doors slammed at her command.

Nightmare Moon panted and snorted until her emotions were brought back into her control, remembering she had her human resting in her bed, remembering to keep herself under control, that she did not want him to see her in the same perspective he sees about his former friends. As a monster and deceiver.

Derrick did not resist his urge to laugh, although it was slightly painful. "I guess they won't be back anytime soon."

Nightmare Moon shot her gaze to him, ears folding back when she assessed his current state. He looked so pale, so ravaged by starvation and illness, eyes slightly bloodshot and bandages all over his naked form. But he was alive and he was still the most handsome thing to her. The blanket over his lower half had sunk, taking the form of his bare skin all the way to his toes. The smooth blanket, fluffy with thousands of feathers, had wrapped itself around the man, revealing the shape of his firm legs.

Derrick took his time to relax, unaware of the medication numbing his pain as it fought whatever infection he has. "And here I thought my life was crazy enough already. . ." He looked around him, his eyes setting on Nightmare Moon. "But lo and behold the truth of my exes being crazy and a thought-to-be-dead alicorn sitting with me."

Nightmare Moon adjusted on the other side of the bed, her expression set in concern, but she made an effort to be happy. She laid close to him and stared with slight apprehension of his mood change.

"You chased me across the Everfree Forest and protected me from that...thing in the castle," he reminded her. "You're supposed to be the most sinister pony that exists, but, instead, you are acting so nice and caring. . .Why?"

"Is my previous explanation not enough for you?" Nightmare Moon asked, receiving a nod from him. Suddenly she was twiddling her hooves and blushing in a most peculiar way, one that everyone would find to be infatuation. "Well I am still very sinister and feared by all, but I have my reasons for saving you from that Devourer, reasons that you are not prepared to accept; at least not until you acclimate to your new home."

Derrick raised an eyebrow at her. "You have your reasons, but you will not tell me them because I am not ready?" He questioned. "Okay, I know what I said and did made me look like an ass, but telling me nothing makes this weird. I feel as if I'm your hostage and your only reason to have me here is to have your vengeance on Equestria."

"I assure you my reason for you here is not for vengeance, but something very different, something you will need time to understand." Nightmare Moon admitted. Her voice became hesitant, but she refused to look away from his curious gaze.

"I can understand many things, but I cannot understand them if I am not told, now can I?" Derrick said, a slow, answering grin pushing through the weight of his stress and anxiety. "So how about you tell me why I am here in...wherever this place is and tell me explain what happened after I was knocked out."

Nightmare Moon shook her head and quickly averted from his Derrick's, but not before he caught the nervous nibble she did to her lip.

"I will tell you in due time, but, first and foremost, you need to rest and recover," Nightmare Moon said firmly. "You are strong for one of your own kind, but you cannot regain your strength like this."

"Because I am stressing myself to find out why the Mare in The Moon is treating me so nicely." Derrick implied stressfully. He rubbed both hands over his face, dragging them over his eyes. "I am so sick and tired of all this bullshit. First, my ex-marefriends tried to kill or turn me into stone, with the aid of my former friends, then that damn monster almost ate me, and now you are being so mysterious. It's a freaking migraine that no amount of aspirin can fix."

"I will tell when you are ready to accept the truth. Right now, however, is not the best time, not when you've been betrayed and tossed into a whole new life with me."

Derrick forced himself to look up, to look at the blushing mare. The transparent wave of her mane travelled under the blanket and glided across his legs, which seemed to be tightening around thigh. "What do you mean by. . ." He broke off at the sensation on his leg. ". . .What the hell are you doing to my leg?"

Nightmare Moon put a hoof on his palm and giggled cutely. Only then did Derrick realize she had become a new mare with a new purpose and that he might have made the mistake of disbelieving everything she told him. He was still very unsure of her, but there was a definite lead to judging her too soon, and that did not sit very well in his head.

Nightmare Moon subsided, although she did not like removing her touch from him. She had planned many things with him and liked them all, but he did not trust her at the moment. For now, for the sake of turning his life around to her favor, subtlety would be her best approach in getting what she wants. Him.

"Are you well enough to have food with me?" she asked. "I have not eaten since yesterday morning."

"I don't know. I'm not really. . ." Derrick broke off, his stomach growling at the mention of food. It was his turn to blush and feel embarrassed, and that is exactly what happened when Nightmare Moon stared at his stomach with apprehension. He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Okay, maybe I could go for some food and drink. A good meal would be good to have after rationing on vegetables, bread, and water for days. Thank you," He pointed a finger at her, trying to act serious. "But this does not change the fact that you are still very suspicious."

Nightmare Moon let out her laughter. She could not deny how cute he was acting. "Very well, I shall have my servants fetch us both proper nourishment." She turned her head to the door and took in a deep breath. Her horn flashed a bright blue for a second and dissipated, leaving Derrick to wonder what she— "There we go. We should have our food and drink in about thirty minutes."

"What did you just do?"

"I telepathically requested one of the maids to inform the cooks that you and I are in need of a good meal. Didn't you obtain food through telepathy when you were with Celestia and Luna? I figure you would know how to use magic to ease your life."

Pain welled up at those words, a wave blunt and terrible, crashing through his insides, smashing and destroying his heart. He turned away sadly just in time as the memories of his bound-to-fail repeated in his head, each one emptying itself in his subconscious mind, a wretched action he could not stop. Something more powerful than physical consumed him. Wave after wave of emotional pain crashed through him, lasting long than the previous. He could not fight it.

Celestia...Luna...Everyone...

Abruptly, the pain faded, and Derrick looked up to what made it fade, desperate to draw the reason in and keep it close. He felt so weak and hurt. He couldn't believe that this was really happening to him, that the life he had in Equestria was now a short lived memory dying in the coldest part of his heart. He would never get back the time he lost in adjusting to a new life as an Equestrian. Preventing the tears from falling took a tremendous amount of willpower. He was still an emotional wreck and unable to comprehend that Twilight and the others screwed him over, yet he had some grasp of reality as it fell on his shoulders.

Derrick followed the source of his comfort to the hoof that moved up his arm. His breath stopped in the middle of his throat. He had seen many ponies express sadness and depression, but never did he see it come from the one mare believed to be a shell of what was once Luna's jealousy and hatred.

"They did not do anything with you, did they?" she asked. "You were nothing but a secret kept inside the closet whenever others were around. Your relationship was behind locked doors and never expressed, wasn't it?"

Derrick shook his head in denial. "No, we...we spent time together throughout the night and went on dates throughout the class. We did things together and—"

Nightmare Moon was starting to see a pattern. "Derrick..." she held his arm a little tighter, just enough to make her point. "Did anypony know that you were dating their princesses?"

"...No," he whispered, before finding some way to add or counter the negativity. "But it wasn't that bad. Celestia and Luna did their best to spend time wi—"

"Derrick. . ." Nightmare Moon sighed disappointedly at him. She could not believe how ignorant he was when it came to the truth. How could he still see them as good mares after what he just said? ". . .If Celestia and Luna cared about you, then your relationship would have been known across Equestria. If they appreciated and loved you, the judgment from their subjects would not have mattered in the slightest."

A sense of denial swept through the man. He wasn't anywhere near close to believing her and he doubted that Celestia and Luna would act in such a way for their own protection. He wanted to get away from Nightmare Moon without having to hear another word about his ex-marefriends possibly using him, but she had him stuck in bed with her body laying on his legs.

"Celestia and Luna fucked up and lost me, okay, but they would not—"

"Derrick, did you ever go out in the open with them?" Now it was starting to get very deep, maybe too deep for her to keep Derrick under control. The hurt in his eyes. . . It was unbearable. "Did Celestia and Luna ever share with somepony, other than Cadance, Twilight and her friends, the truth of you being their coltfriend?"

"Well...no...But—"

"Derrick, you cannot deny the truth when it is right in front of you." Nightmare Moon said sternly, although her heart ached for her to not say a word about what she is seeing.

"You're just fucking with me right now," Derrick said frustratingly. He was starting to get defensive, pushing her away with all of his strength. But, to his dismay, his denial grew as weak as his when she embraced him. "No, get the hell away from me. I don't want to hear from you that—"

"Derrick. . ." Nightmare Moon sighed unhappily, knowing she was about to break the rest of his heart. "Celestia and Luna did not love you. Your relationship with them was nothing more than a dirty secret."

"No...I...I..."

"Derrick, you were just a potential flank-call for them. They wanted you for your body, not for you."

Derrick managed a shake of his head and stared into her eyes. He looked back just as angrily, fighting her to know that he was not some booty call for the princesses, that he was something special to the Royal Sisters.

"You're so much better than most stallions, but you are the most foolish one to deny you were their toy." She smiled sadly at him. "Derrick, I know from being part of Luna that love is something she and her sister threw away when they were young. I mean, think about it, they have never married a mortal but kept inclined to the idea of coltfriend for as long as they want."

Derrick jerked his hand away and looked towards the window, seeing a small glimmer of Equestria in the distance. "Shut up right now. Don't say another damn word about—"

"Derrick, open your eyes and realize there was nothing. If Celestia and Luna truly cared about you, you would have them defending you against Twilight's accusations, not here with me for your own protection."

"Shut up. Shut up!"

Nightmare Moon leaned closer, still pressuring him to crack under reality. "They attacked you before you could say a word in your defense. They tried to turn you into stone—No, they tried to kill you. The tears you saw when they realized how wrong Twilight was were for hurting another creature, not for loving you."

"Dammit, just stop talking!" he tried to push the alicorn away, but her persistence proved unwavering. "Get away from me. Just get the hell away from me. I don't want to hear any of this!"

"Derrick, you were nothing to them!" Nightmare Moon said sharply, caringly.

Very gently, she hopped onto the bed and took him into her chest, her wings moving up to massage his scarred back before she placed her muzzle on top of his head. He nuzzled and pecked him very lovingly. Her hooves moved over his hands as she fell on her side, preventing him from the slightest push to her form. "It's okay to be angry and hurt, but don't let it blind you from the truth. Please, just let it out and listen."

Derrick was going to fight, but her softness abated his anger before it could bunch into a fist. His grunts became light, and then long with the urge to shed what little sorrow he has left. "Why do you care so much about me? What the hell is it that you want from a man like me, a man with nothing left to lose?"

He leaned back and another jerk of her wings reminded him that she would not let go. "Why do you give a damn about me?"

Nightmare Moon chuckled, still fighting to hold in what she wants to say. But, alas, she has to keep the truth to herself, to wait for the perfect moment of Derrick being ready. She adored the way he acts—Well most of it. Right now, the way he is behaving, was a result of many bad encounters that will drive a pony near the edge of insanity. The Devourer is a prime example of an Equestrian snapping, but Derrick is not an Equestrian. Not anymore. No, he was something else. He was part of her world now. He was her human now and no one would be to take him away.

She reached out to touch his cheek, his tears descending into her fur. She gently kissed his cheek, uncaring of the apprehension he showed. "Think of it this way," she crooned. "I am Luna's opposite. I am the Goddess of Nightmares, the Deity of the Dark Moon and queen of my own world. Her feelings were fake, not genuine, an illusion you've been blinded by for many months now. So ask yourself this; what does that say for a mare like me?"

Derrick took in a short breath as if he had been punched in the stomach, and he was starting to think with his head and not his emotions. He looked down at the bed in shame, and then he whispered, "I'm sorry."

Nightmare Moon simply nuzzled him and relaxed her grasp. "I will tell you everything when the time is right. But, for now, just rest with me and let your troubles be pushed aside."

Derrick closed his eyes and nodded, before laying against her chest.

"Rest, My Sweet Derrick. Your new life with me is going to be a long journey."