Twilight opened her mouth, her throat burning from the lack of moisture, and spoke. "Nightmare...."

She heard movement around her and the crying died down as something wrapped around her neck. Her body stung with pins and needles as the feeling slowly came back into her. She felt hot breath shuddering on her neck as it began to moisten with tears. "Auntie Twilight...! I'm so happy you're okay...!" She felt Moon Beam nuzzling her, the prickling sensation dulled by the filly's embrace, and tried to speak again, but no words could escape her throat.

"Do not try to speak, Twilight Sparkle." Nightmare Moon's voice echoed through her ears and she sighed happily in her mind.

"You will be very weak for the next few days." A buck's voice spoke from her left as Moon beam continued to nuzzle her neck. "The levels of magic that were used to preserve you are very taxing on one's body. Not to mention that you actually died and were brought back. Other than the physical alterations, there's no telling what other side effects these events will have on you. I want you to stay in bed until I say otherwise or else complications may arise."

Twilight nodded her head slightly, her body slowly coming back under her control, and tried to right her vision, but to no avail. She heard the stallion walking away and, as soon as she could no longer hear his hoof steps, Nightmare stepped closer. "Your sight will return in due time, but I would like to discuss something else...." Twilight could hear the strain in her voice, as if she was exhausted, and nodded. "I shall wait till you recover, however. You are in no condition to be straining yourself with speech or movement."

"Auntie Twilight! Here, have some water. You must be thirsty." She felt a wobbly glass being lifted against her lips and softly took a sip. The cool liquid slid down her throat, soothing some of the burning from its dryness. Moon Beam set the glass down and snuggled up closer to the unicorn. "I love you, Auntie Twilight.... Please don't leave us again...." she said before dozing off from the toll her running emotions had taken on her.

Twilight slowly, as her body was still refusing to work properly for her, wrapped her hooves around the navy unicorn. Why.... Why does my body feel so... alien. I know that an injury like that can cause numbness, but this.... This doesn't make any sense. I wish I could see....

Nightmare shuffled around next to her and stood up. "I must leave for now. Commander Horizons should be returning from the first night of recruitment and I need to discuss with her the events that went on today." She moved towards the door of the infirmary and took a final glance at the pair of unicorns before leaving them alone under the watchful eye of the doctor.

Maybe I could ask the doctor why I can barely feel my body.... She shifted about as much as her numbness would allow and halted as pain lanced up her side. She opened her mouth and let loose a hoarse scream as fire raced through her chest.

Moon Beam was torn from her slumber and she jumped up to find Twilight writhing in agony, the grisly scar on her chest pulsing. "Auntie Twilight!" She looked on frantically as Twilight continued to scream, her voice growing quieter as her throat grew hoarser. "Don't worry! I'll go get the doctor! Please be okay!" She turned to jump off the raised bed, tears beginning to form in her eyes, but stopped when the white coated medical buck dashed to the bedside.

He stared into her dilating pupils and touched his horn to her forehead. "Twilight! I'm going to need you to calm down!" His magic helped soothe her throes, but she still continued to spasm in mild pain. "Good.... You need to stay still," he said as he wiped sweat from his pink forehead. "The magic used to... heal you was very potent and was not meant to be used as it was, so the Queen says. Not to mention the poison that was used on the blade. I'm not entirely sure how thorough Queen Moon's spell was, as I've never seen anything like it, but even it couldn't cleanse you of the toxin completely. That scar is a testament of the fact. While it is no longer lethal, you still have to worry about permanent damage through lack of caution." His stern tone softened as Twilight's convulsions ceased and smoothed his white mane. "Now, I want you to rest. I'll be back to check on you every hour to make sure you're fine and I'm sure little Moon Beam here will gladly keep an eye on you for me, right?"

The filly giggled as he patted her on the head. "Yup! I'm going to make sure Auntie Twilight stays in bed!" She looked down at the tear stained face of the lavender mare and kissed her on the nose. Twilight's heaving breaths calmed down at the touch of Moon Beam's lips and she smiled weakly in response, ignoring the burning in her chest. The shadowy maned foal beamed and snuggled up against Twilight once more, this time maintaining consciousness so as to keep watch on the unicorn. She lasted seven minutes before sleep claimed her once more.

Despite the warmth of Moon Beam's affection, Twilight couldn't help but to feel terror burning at the recesses of her brain. He.... He said poison.... What manner of poison did they use? Will.... Will I ever fully recover? Will Nightmare Moon still want me if I don't? She could feel her eyes burning as tears began to form, but still couldn't see anything about her. Please.... Please don't leave me if I become useless.... Her tears fell unnoticed as she, too, succumbed to slumber.

Nightmare Moon snorted in frustration at the stallion before her. She was standing in front of a cell in her dungeon, glaring at the foal that had dared approach her a few nights prior. "You will work to pay off your transgression or else you will pay with your life."

"I will not dirty my hooves with a peasant's tasks. Prince Blueblood does not lower himself to the level of the poor." He scoffed and turned his head away, oblivious to the Queen's growing wrath.

"I shall give you one final chance. You are trying my patience so it would be in your best interest to accept my offer. I will not give you another." The white unicorn looked at her and balked, the anger showing in her features. "Join the construction crew in their efforts to build my city or die in this cage like the filthy rat you are."

Blueblood gazed frantically about the room, his eyes searching for a way out, but he was trapped. He had no escape route other than past the Queen and that was blocked by both a metal door and the alicorn. He swallowed the knot in his throat. "V-very well.... I shall take your offer. I would prefer not to be killed."

Nightmare Moon's demeanor shifted slightly as his words sunk in. Ahh.... Finally, I will be getting this foal out of my dungeons. I was growing tired of his incessant whining to Chancellor Fancy Pants to free him. Too bad he agreed. I'd have loved to end him. Her thoughts turned as she did in order to leave the dungeon. The images of the Griffon assassin striking Twilight down before she lost control returned to her mind. Why did I react to that so wildly? It is strange. It would seem that Twilight has been affecting me more than I thought. That Griffon.... Her curiosity turned to anger at the thought of the feathered creature as she neared the stairs to exit the dungeon. They will pay dearly for this strike against me. I will not stop until I eradicate their entire race. They will know the true meaning of terror!

The Moon Queen passed by the numerous servant ponies as they scurried about their daily tasks. Hints of conversations were caught by her ears, but her concentration was focused on the previous events as they played over and over in her mind. She navigated the halls swiftly, paying no heed to the ponies about her, until she reached the doors to her throne room. They were opened and before her sat Cloudy Horizons dressed in her armor, her nub wrapped in white bandages.

When the pegasus heard Nightmare's hoof-fall, she immediately spun around and bowed. "My Queen, I have returned."

"Rise, Commander Horizons." The orange mare righted herself and stood at attention. "How goes the recruitment? I trust that everything is going as planned?"

"Yes, Your Majesty! I have gone to all of the major cities such as Manehattan, Wintertrot, Fillydelphia, and Cloudsdale. The mayors of each city were informed to begin drafting all ponies that did not have foals. They all agreed and said that they would begin in a few days as they would require to gather information for the list." She took a breath and glanced about. "Where is Twilight Sparkle and Moon Beam? I would have thought that they would be with you."

Nightmare Moon frowned and looked out the stained glass window behind her throne. She calmly walked to her throne and sat, making herself as comfortable as she could. "Twilight Sparkle is in the infirmary recovering from her injury. Moon Beam is with her."

Cloudy tilted her head, confused. "Injury? Did she trip and fall down the stairs while reading a book? I can't see how she'd sustain any type of injury to require hospitalization unless...."

"A Griffon assassin attempted to murder me while you were gone." Nightmare glanced off to her right as she continued, "Twilight teleported herself into the line of the Griffon to protect me from its poisoned blade. Had she not done so, I would have certainly died. She suffered a grievous wound and I was barely able to revive her."

"Those treacherous bastards! I knew they would strike, but I never thought it'd be so soon. They must have been waiting for the opportunity to strike for days." She looked up at Nightmare and noticed the hint of sadness mixed into her rage.

"Those foals used wyvern poison! If I hadn't acted when I did, Twilight would have never made it!" Her rage seethed through her clenched teeth. Why did she protect me? She could have pushed me with her magic! She didn't have to take the blade like that!

"My Queen? Are you all right? We can continue this conversation later, if you wish. You look like you could use some rest." Cloudy eyed the alicorn curiously as she rose and began to trot towards the hallway.

"I will be fine. I used a lot of magic to sustain Twilight and am drained from the ordeal." She glanced about and proceeded past the throne room's doors. "I will check on her before retiring to my chambers. You are free to do as you wish for the remainder of the night. We will finish your report when I awaken."

Cloudy bowed and trotted out behind Nightmare. Could she be growing attached to Twilight? I would not have thought she would save the mare's life, even if Twilight sacrificed herself for Queen Moon's sake. She sighed as she climbed the stairs to her own room. It is none of my concern who the queen chooses as long as she stays loyal. Perhaps Twilight isn't as bad as I first thought.... Cloudy reached the door to her chambers and walked inside, preparing for the next day's duties.

Twilight groaned as she slowly roused from her sleep, the warm body of Moon Beam still curled up next to her. The burning pain in her chest remained, but the pins and needles from before were beginning to fade. She fought the urge to stretch and simply laid there, her eyes shut against the glaring light from beyond her eyelids. She grunted in discomfort the froze. Glaring light? I.... Maybe I can see again! She cautiously cracked open her eyes only to clench them shut once more, the light from the room burning in her unfocused vision.

"You should be careful, Twilight." The sudden voice caused her to flinch and send a wave of agony through her body from the sudden movement. She grit her teeth and forced herself not to scream. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. You really should work slowly on the eyesight. You haven't been able to use your eyes in a little over three days and they will take some time to adjust. It usually wouldn't have been a problem, but yours isn't a normal case. Now, I want you to keep your eyes as lightly closed as you can so as to allow as much light as possible to filter through your eyelids. When you feel that the light is no longer as bright as before, you may open your eyes fully."

Twilight did as she was told and forced herself not to squeeze her eyes as tightly shut as she could against the sun burning just beyond her eyelids. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes, but, after what seemed like an eternity to the unicorn, the glare began to dim as her eyes adjusted. Soon, the light continued to fade until it became a dull glow. Carefully, she cracked her eyes open once more and was greeted by the soothing form of a sleeping navy filly. "Ahhh. Perfect. You recovered much faster than I expected, you know. I thought you'd have been without sight for at least another day or so. Now, you'll probably want to avoid any bright lights for a few-"

Twilight could sense the magic stirring in the air before she saw the flash of magic and was blinded once again, crying out in pain. Nightmare Moon stood before them, having teleported into the room. "I sensed that Twilight had awoken and I was right. It would seem that she has her eyesight back already as well."

The doctor sighed and stroked a hoof through his mane. "Yes, she has awoken. I was just about to tell her to avoid bright lights, but I figure she knows to do so now. I do not mean to be rude, but I would try to be more careful around her until she is fully healed." He looked back to the unicorn and smacked himself in the head with a hoof. "Would you like something to drink? All you've had since you came back was that glass of water yesterday so I can imagine your throat is like a sandstorm in a desert right now. And, judging from how your outburst sounded moments ago, I'm very much correct."

Twilight nodded slightly and he levitated a pitcher of water from her bed stand and poured it into the glass she had drank from the night before. Twilight tried to grasp the glass with her magic, but her horn wouldn't respond. The doctor simply pressed the glass to her lips and carefully allowed her to drink from it, making sure not to spill any on her. "You will not be able to use your magic for a week at the bare minimum," Nightmare Moon said, her voice somber. "The spell I used to resurrect you drew from your magic as well and, along with the lasting effects of being returned from death, has caused something of a magical overload. It will return, just as your eyesight has, but it will require more time."

"You... won't leave me..., will you?" Twilight rasped out, fighting against the dryness of her throat.

Nightmare Moon flinched back, surprised by the question, but quickly recovered. "No, I shall not abandon you. You have more than earned your place by my side and I have already left a permanent impression on your body. You gained more than a scar from the time you were gone." Nightmare levitated a mirror from the far off wall in the infirmary and floated it over beside Twilight's bed.

The unicorn stared in shock at the image staring back at her. It was so different than what she had expected and it hit her like a boulder. "Wh-what? Why do I...." She lifted a shaky, unsteady hoof and stared at the near black fur covering her leg before turning back to the mirror again. The Twilight in the mirror was not the one she had remembered. Her whole coat had changed from lavender to a deep purple only a few shades from solid black. The dark purple of her mane had turned a deep red and the pink highlight was now a blue that closely resembled Nightmare's starry mane. "I.... I look... so different.... Was.... Was it the... magic?"

"Yes. You are quite similar to Moon Beam now, but without her abilities." She turned to the doctor. "Is she able to be moved?"

He looked over the rough pink scar on her chest and scratched his chin with a hoof, thinking. "Lift your hooves for me, Twilight."

She didn't respond immediately as her thoughts still dwelt on the words Nightmare Moon had spoken. I.... I'm like Moon Beam? Does this mean that she used similar magic on her? I remember Moon Beam talking about how she was hit by a wave of magic before being picked up by Nightmare, but why did it change her so much? I'll have to ask Nightmare myself....

"Twilight. Could you please raise your hooves? All four of them." Twilight snapped out of her thoughts and nodded slightly. With a bit of effort, she was able to hold all of her hooves in the air above her with only a minor addition of discomfort to the ever present burning of her scar. "Does it hurt anymore like this?"

Twilight shook her head softly. "No. It's just... a little... uncomfortable...." She lowered her hooves and returned to her position on her back once more, her legs curled just slightly. "Could.... Could I get... some more... water..?"

"Ah, yes. Of course. Here you go." He levitated the glass once more and the dark unicorn drank this just as swiftly as the last. "She seems ready to be moved as long as you don't jar her body with sudden movements. As long as you keep her back straight so as not to constrict her chest, she'll be just fine."

"Good. I have missed the company of these two while I slept. It feels different without them." She ignited her horn and lifted the two unicorns off the bed.

Twilight smiled as Nightmare Moon's words processed in her mind. She... missed me. Maybe she'll return my feelings some day as well.... She smiled as the warmth of the alicorn's magic embraced her. I'll be content as long as she keeps me with her though....

"You are to stay in bed until the pain is gone. The wound is no longer fatal, but it would be best not to agitate it seeing as the wyvern venom is still active in the skin around the scar."

Twilight nodded as she was carried away by the alicorn's magic, gently floating through the halls past the watching servants. They moved in complete silence excluding the clopping hooffall of Nightmare's steps until they passed through the doors of their bed chamber. Nightmare gently set the foal and mare upon the bed and laid herself beside them. Before she closed her eyes, she whispered softly into Twilight's ear. "Thank you."

Author's Notes: Chapter 19 for ya! Yes, I know that I don't have Twilight's color change or any hints about the scar in the Hearthswarming chapter so don't bother saying anything about it. It was meant to be that way so there weren't any spoilers (seeing as the chapters weren't anywhere close to this point at that time). Not much else to say, I think, so I shall bid you all adieu. Peppy Out!

Editor's Notes: DAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!