...Nigh...Moo...

...ox...ion...

...brain...

...obser...consc...

The first thing that Nightmare Moon noticed was that she was somewhere warm and soft. It felt kind of like the bed she had woken up in at Twilight's Palace, but there was also something covering her.

Was she still in bed? Had all that happened since getting up been a dream?

No. There was a new ache in her wings. A faint tingle, almost a burning sensation. An... an ache. That is what Twilight had called it. Her wings were now aching from overexertion. She had pushed her wings too hard for too long. Plus, she still remembered the taste of pancakes and the cupcake, both of which she had never experienced before.

There was something around her face. She did not like the feel of it.

What had happened? Could she have simply gone to bed? If that was the case, why could she not remember it? Last thing she remembered was...

Flying... race... up... It was fragmented, but there. Her ego and pride were on the line. She was probably trying to prove something to Twilight Sparkle.

No. Not her. A different pony. Nightmare Moon was trying to maintain her pride and not back out of a foolish statement. She had known she would more than likely lose, but had to at least try. Loss she could deal with. Backing down and seeming weak in front of others was not. Especially in front of a former Element of Harmony.

Something had gone wrong. She...what? There was something cold. Things got blurry, and then dark. Something in her chest had felt wrong.

"I believe she is waking up," a female voice said.

"I'll get the doctor and princess," another responded.

Was that in reference to Nightmare Moon? Did she do something that made a pony think she was regaining consciousness? Did that mean she was being watched? If so, something must have happened that made at least one pony worry that she would not. What could have happened that would worry a pony. Come to think of it, who would really care? Pretty much none of the ponies knew Nightmare Moon. The few who did she really did not care for, and it was mostly mutual.

It seemed to take an actual force of will, but Nightmare Moon opened her eyes. She was someplace other than her bedroom. Something was covering her muzzle, but she did not recognize what it was. There were sheets covering her, and the sides of the bed had metal bars keeping her from falling out or something. Instead of a wall, she saw a white curtain.

Near the foot of her bed stood a pink mare wearing a white cap with a red cross on the front.

The word "hospital" went through Nightmare's mind, followed by a tremor of fear. She had seen places like it numerous times in nightmares. A lot of ponies seemed to be afraid of coming to a place like this only to die. Some times they saw themselves left there, alone and forgotten, laying there and slowly wasting away due to some illness or other. Others, they saw the faculty members as some sort of monsters. Creatures that disguised themselves as ponies that wished to torture them and steal body parts.

It was all silly and preposterous of course.

Still, Nightmare Moon felt the strong urge to get out. Immediately.

Grabbing the mask on her muzzle, she yanked it off. There was a tugging sensation against the back of her head, causing Nightmare to notice the stretchy bands attached to the mask's sides. Lifting it up and over her head, she tossed it aside. Free of whatever it was, she started to get out of bed.

"Ma'am," the mare in the hat (a nurse if Nightmare Moon remembered correctly) stated as she moved closer, "you really should remain in bed until the doctor comes to check on you." She placed a hoof against Nightmare's shoulder.

Turning toward the nurse, Nightmare Moon bared her fangs and let out a hiss.

"I do not need a doctor," she growled out. "I am fine and am leaving." Stretching one of her wings out, she swatted the hoof away from her. She glared at the nurse a moment before letting out a snort and heading toward the door.

"Ma'am please." the nurse called out. "You should really wait until we are sure there is no permanent damage."

That statement got her attention. Whatever happened may well have caused permanent damage? As much as she wanted to leave, she now found herself more curious than frightened. Turning around, she glared at the nurse.

"Permanent damage?" Nightmare Moon asked. "Permanent damage to what, exactly?"

The nurse took a step backward, her facing tensing into a grimace. She pulled her ears close to her head as she shifted, trying to look past Nightmare Moon and out the door.

"Please," the nurse said gently, "just lie back down. The doctor and Princess Twilight are on their way. They should be here any second and able to explain everything."

Nightmare had no interest in waiting around. She wanted to leave, but she also wanted answers, and she wanted both of them immediately. Either she would an explanation, or the nurse would be grateful that they were already in the hospital.

"We're here!" Twilight called out before Nightmare Moon could give her ultimatum. "We're here. No need to do anything."

"Sparkle!" Nightmare shouted. "I demand to know what has happened for me to end up... here..." She glanced around, taking in the hospital once again.

Standing beside Twilight was an amber coated unicorn with a brown mane. His horn lit up as he got closer, pulling out a small instrument from his pocket. Holding it up, he shined a light into Nightmare's eye.

"Before we get to that, can you tell me your name?"

"...Nightmare Moon."

"And can you tell me what day it is?" the doctor (at least that was who Nightmare assumed he was) asked, as he moved from her eye to her ear.

"Unless I have been unconscious overnight," Nightmare growled out, "I was -- in a manner of speaking -- literally born yesterday. Considering nopony bothered to tell me what day it was then, I can't be expected to know what day today is, now can I?"

"Well I think that confirms that your memory is mostly in tact," the doctor said. "Any headaches or trouble breathing?"

I have the distinct impression I'm going to experience my first headache any moment now, Nightmare thought.

"No." She gave the doctor a firm shove, tired of him being so close. "I have been patient long enough. I demand to be told what happened. Now."

"Alright," Twilight said softly. "Okay. Let's start with the last thing you remember."

With a snort, Nightmare Moon sat down. Her ears pulled back as she thought, trying to remember. There were still fragments, but she could not quite put them together any better than earlier.

"We... left Sugarcube Corner. There..." She rubbed at her forehead. "There was something else you wanted us to do. Another pony. Something..." It was so close. "Something about flying... Then... cold?"

"We wanted to test your pegasus skills," Twilight explained. "One of the tests was an obstacle course that included a straight ascent to see how high you could manage."

Now Nightmare Moon started to remember. She had been flying through them, trying to reach the end.

"So, I did not need to fly through them all?"

"No," Twilight answered. "At least you didn't before you provoked Rainbow Dash into racing you."

Right. She had goaded the rainbow pegasus into trying to prove that she was faster than Nightmare Moon.

"Whether it was the speed, the height, or a combination or the two," Twilight continued, "you flew too high for your body and ended up passing out due to oxygen deprivation."

Nightmare Moon let out a groan of annoyance. Another reminder. Now that she was rendered mortal, she had to do such things as eat, sleep, and breathe. Failing to do the first and last would cause her to die, which she would mind less if she knew she would simply return to her natural spirit form as opposed to actually dying.

"Fortunately, Rainbow Dash was able to catch you before you hit the ground. She rushed you straight here and got you checked in."

"I've been checked in," Nightmare stated, "I've been checked on, and now I'm checking out. Let's go." Stepping around the doctor, she made for the doorway.

"Miss Moon," the doctor said firmly, "we should still run a few more tests to make certain there is no permanent damage."

"There is nothing wrong with me physically, correct?" Nightmare asked, looking over her shoulder at the doctor.

"Not that we can find."

"It is my mind that you are worried about?" She got a nod in response. "So tell me, Doctor, how exactly do you plan on check such a thing?"

"Well, we already checked your memory," the doctor responded. "We still need to check on cognitive abilities like identifying basic objects as well as simple problem solving."

"Tests that Twilight can easily perform back at her castle," Nightmare pointed out.

"There's also the matter of any major personality changes."

"Which would be a pointless test or observation. As I mentioned earlier, I was in a sense born yesterday. There is little to compare my current behavior to. To say nothing of all the matters I have to deal with, such as learning to cope with mortal needs and desires, as well as my confinement."

The doctor looked at her, but said nothing.

"In conclusion," Nightmare stated, "there is no reason for me to stay. Thus, I am leaving." She started walking down the hall.

"Nightmare," Twilight said softly, "I really think you--"

"I am not staying in this... place... another instant!" Nightmare snapped, turning to glare at Twilight. Before any of the other ponies could respond, she picked up her pace, moving as quickly as she could to get out of there without technically running.

Having not been in any hospital before -- and the Ponyville one specifically -- Nightmare Moon had no idea how it was laid out. She was able to reach a spot where a bunch of nurses were working, which she took as a sign of heading in the right direction. Although asking for directions would probably have been helpful, she refused to either stop or admit she was unsure of where she was going. A window told her that she was both near the outer edge of the building and on the main floor. She just needed to keep close to the outside and find a door, and she would be free of the place.

Caught up in her thoughts and desires, Nightmare Moon had not realized that she had left Twilight behind with the doctor and nurse. It had also escaped Nightmare's notice that Twilight had managed to catch up until she realized that the two of them were walking side by side. Twilight had her head tilted and was watching Nightmare, with narrow eyes. It made Nightmare uncomfortable. She felt like she was being studied or something.

"What?" Nightmare growled, looking from Twilight to the hall in front of them.

"Nightmare?" Twilight asked softly. "Are you afraid of hospitals?"

A thrill of tension and fear went through Nightmare's body. Her jaw tensed closed as her eyes went wide and ears pulled back. She managed to keep her wings close, but felt the desire to flare them out at her sides. Admittedly, the question caused her to pause in her step, but only for a split-second. It was doubtful that anypony -- even Twilight -- noticed.

Nightmare let out a short bark of laughter.

"Preposterous! What reason could I have to fear a place like this?"

She turned her head, looking away from Twilight and down the hall. Ahead was what looked like another location for nurses to work. As she got closer, Nightmare noticed that there was a pair of doors opposite it. Just a few more steps and she would be out of the accursed place.

"Uh-huh," she heard Twilight say from beside her. Something in the tone gave the impression of skepticism.