Twilight sauntered through a grand castle, familiar, yet not resembling anything she had ever seen before. The walls were all painted gold with a dark blue arched ceiling dotted with specks of white to resemble the night sky. She passed by an open window and gazed outside, an act she couldn't control, and took in the grand city laid out before her. Multi-storied buildings stood proudly under the midday sun, but she did not recognize any of the designs. None of them rose higher than four stories and they seemed to be made out of roughly-cut stone instead of the typical brick she was used to. Ponies milled about in their daily chores and musings as small figures in her vision. What's going on? Where is this place? Why can't I move?

Her body once more started off down the sunlit hall, passing by oddly dressed ponies without so much as acknowledging their existence. They followed suit and simply went about their day, cleaning and tending to the needs of guests, paying no heed to Twilight as she passed. This inability to control my body is strange.... It's nothing like what's wrong with me now. I can still feel and see and hear everything, but I lack the ability to make my body do what I wish. Perhaps I'm dreaming again? Her body turned a corner and opened a pair of midnight blue metal doors with the white crescent moon handles that gleamed under even the faint light of this windowless section of the corridor. They glowed a deep blue and were pushed open to reveal a posh room filled with a multitude of stuffed animals and dolls. They covered the oak shelves at the back of the of the room and were strewn across a circular midnight blue bed, laying against the pillows and over the blankets.

Her body gazed about the area and spotted what she had come here for. A white alicorn, not much larger than Twilight herself, stood beside a small writing desk in the corner of the room reading a small book, a look of sadness on her face. Her long pink hair hung over the side of her face, blocking her view of Twilight. Celestia...? That has to be her.... That cutie mark is unmistakable! Why does she look so... young?

"Sister, it is rude to read somepony else's diary." Her body spoke. The voice was soft yet commanding, hints of aggravation tinging her words. Sister? I must be in Nightmare Moon's body, then. This must be before her banishment. Why is she so small though? I thought they were always as large as they are now....

Celestia jumped and dropped the diary. "I'm.... I didn't mean to, Luna...." She bit her lip nervously. "You've just been so... upset recently. Why? What's wrong?"

Luna? Is that Nightmare Moon's real name? It has to be.... Luna turned from her sister to gaze into the standing mirror beside the desk. In the reflection, Twilight saw not the dark alicorn she was accustomed to, but a petite dark blue mare, roughly her own height, with a lighter blue mane that held none of the enchantments that Celestia and Nightmare had. She also wore none of her armor. "It is nothing. You perusing my belongings without permission, however isn't."

"But sister..., I'm just worried for-"

"Worried? Since when have you had time for me? You're always busy with your precious ponies." She felt Luna sneer at Celestia. "Well, you obviously have time to go rummaging through my stuff so why don't you just go back to who you really care about!" Twilight could see the hurt on Celestia's face, but Luna spun on her hooves and walked away as the scenes around her began to fade into blackness.

Everything shifted about her. She could feel the world morphing even if she couldn't see any of it transpiring. Twilight's mind danced about as she processed her situation. I.... I must have witnessed a memory of Nightmare Moon.... Maybe this is one of the side effects of the spell? That still doesn't make any sense! A spell shouldn't have given me her memories unless she wanted me to have them. I wouldn't think she'd share any of this with me willingly, so why am I seeing-

She was cut short as color and light flashed into existence. Twilight was once more in the halls of her previous vision, but, instead of the bright and cheerful atmosphere of day that had been present before, night reigned with its moon hanging low in the sky. Her host, who she assumed to be Luna once more, was once again gazing out of a window at the city below. None of the ponies that were there previously remained as they had all retired for the night in order to be ready for the next day's job. She felt Luna's face contort in anger before turning about and storming through the halls. Few servants still remained as the night staff began their shifts, only remaining awake due to necessity. Luna scowled at the working ponies as she passed and they shied away in turn, eager to stay out of the way of the alicorn.

Luna and Twilight continued through the corridors, moving swiftly past windows and decorations, until they reached the twin doors from the previous vision. The alicorn burst through the doors and slammed them shut behind her, the force of the collision knocking several stuffed animals to the floor. Twilight's eyes began to burn as tears formed in them. Is.... Is Luna crying?

Luna tossed herself onto the bed and clutched a small blue filly doll with crude black strings for a mane. "Oh...! Moon Beam...! You are the only one that cares about me...." Twilight started as her mind wrapped itself around the words she had just heard. Moon Beam? That doll? That cannot be. She probably renamed the foal after the doll when she found her. Moon Beam said that she used to live in the city surrounding the Royal Pony Sisters' castle. She obvious has memories from before meeting Nightmare.

"You won't ever leave me, will you?" Luna smiled weakly at the crude doll before kissing its forehead and clutching it close once again. "Of course you won't. I'll make sure to keep you extra safe so you can always be mine." Twilight felt the alicorn's mood shift again, anger replacing the comfort that the doll had brought her. "Those foals only care about stupid Celestia and her useless sun! They can't even look at it without going blind! My moon is so beautiful! The stars that I move are a work of art! Does anypony care? NO! All they do is sleep and ignore all my hard work!"

"I can change all of that, though." Twilight flinched in her mind, the familiar voice of Nightmare Moon escaping from Luna's mouth. "I could make them all worship my night. All I have to do is not lower the moon."

"I can't do that, though.... Celestia would be furious. We have rules that we set up ages past." Twilight concentrated, trying her best to figure out what was going on with Luna, but nothing could come to mind. Why does her voice keep changing? I thought Nightmare Moon and Luna were the same pony. Is she actually possessed?

"It does not matter anymore! None of the ponies will ever love my moon unless I make them! It is my right as Princess of the Night to have ponies worship my work!" She felt Luna's body heaving as she shouted the words before turning to the mirror. What she saw answered all of her questions. Laying before her, cuddled around the doll, was Luna, the blue alicorn. There were not any differences from the pony she had seen in Celestia's mirror save the eyes. The once blue eyes had become the draconic turquoise that Twilight had seen innumerable times throughout her time under the Queen. This must be the first time Nightmare surfaced.... Was this night really the start of it all?

"No. No.... I can't do that.... Maybe if I give them time, they'll learn to love my night..." The world faded once more as Twilight felt herself being drawn away from Luna's body. She tried to anchor herself, but it was to no avail. She couldn't control anything about her.

Twilight felt something shifting her body as a soft noise drifted into her ears. She couldn't quite hear it, but, as the movements beside her increased in pace, her chest began to burn from the constant movement. Her eyes shot open and she screeched as fire flared up in her chest. She turned her gaze to the where the movement had originated from in order to glare at the source, but softened her features when she saw Moon Beam with her tiny hooves just above her flank, her mouth open as she prepared to call Twilight's name once more.

"Oh! Sorry, Auntie Twilight, but Mommy Moon told me to come wake you up. She wanted to talk to you and said that you need to meet her in her fancy room!" Moon Beam smiled up at her before moving to embrace the dark byzantium unicorn's neck. "She said it was reaaaaaally important!"

"Thank you, Moonie, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to walk that far...." Twilight looked at the pulsing scar and cringed. The jagged pink skin seemed to writhe of its own accord. "It still hurts too much to move about. I don't know how I'll even make it out the door."

"Oh, that's okay Auntie! Mommy Moon said you should be able to make it. She said," Moon Beam cleared her throat and took up a pose similar to Nightmare Moon's typical stance and began to imitate the alicorn's voice, "I have full faith in Twilight's abilities to reach her Queen's side. She will be able to make it." The act, while meant to be serious, was quite the opposite. Twilight giggled at the foal's adorable mimicry. "Heyyyyy~! It's not funny! She really said that!"

Twilight just smiled at her. "Don't worry, Moonie. It was very cute. Could you run and tell Mommy Moon that I'll be down as quickly as I can?"

"Awwww...! I wanted to walk with you...!" She kicked a fore-hoof on the bed dejectedly as she pouted.

"It's okay Moonie. You can rush right back up to walk with me after you tell her that I'm coming. I still have to get my dress on." Twilight smiled reassuringly at the filly as she tried to hide her true intentions behind her words.

Moon Beam put a hoof to her chin to assist with her thinking as she eyed Twilight curiously, but ultimately agreed with a giggle as she always does. "Okie dokie Auntie Twilight! I'll be sure to go as fast as I can that way I can help you get to Mommy!" She kissed Twilight on the cheek and dashed off down the hall leaving Twilight by herself in the bed.

Twilight coughed nervously and made sure Moon Beam wasn't simply around the corner before moving. She carefully dragged her body across the bed in order to avoid any sudden movements. "Sorry for lying to you Moon Beam.... I just didn't want you worrying in case I hurt myself...." She sighed helplessly when she glanced over the side of the bed, the usually short drop now seeming like the sheer height of a mountain to her injured body, "Which is looking to be the case...." Twilight swallowed the lump that had begun to form in her throat and steeled herself as she prepared for the first step to her ultimate recovery.

She swung her hind legs over the side of the bed and gingerly placed them upon the obsidian floor. With her hooves firmly planted, or as firmly planted as she could get them, Twilight carefully brought the rest of her body over the edge. The moment her front hooves touched the ground and her weight redistributed itself to the center of her body, the fire from the cut reignited and, with a cry of pain, she fell to her side. Her eyes burned with tears as she fought away the agony and, after only a few moments of deep breathing, she slowly brought herself to her knees. "It.... Oh, Nightmare Moon, it hurts so much...." She ignored her suffering and slowly raised herself up onto shaking legs. The moment she finished, the agony of her body weight tried to overtake her once again, but, with clenched teeth and her determination to not let Nightmare Moon down, she stayed firm.

She stood there for what seemed like hours until, to her surprise, the pain ebbed to a dull throb. She gasped for breath now that she could take in larger bursts of air and noticed something was off. "Is.... Is everything shorter?" She looked around and took note of the heights of various objects about her. "Bed is the same height as is the desk and armoire..., so why does everything seem..." Her eyes wandered to the standing mirror and she gasped in surprise. "I'm taller! And so is my horn.... How did I not notice that before?" Twilight carefully put one hoof out in front of herself to move closer to the mirror and instantly regretted it.

Pain lanced through her body as her weight shifted causing her to retract her hoof and steady herself. "Gah! Oh, why won't it stop burning! I never knew wyvern venom could do this...." The pain soon subsided once again and, with more caution than before, she stuck her hoof out and placed it upon the floor a few inches ahead of her. She felt the pain growing, but blocked it out and continued her slow shuffle, moving inches at a time until she stood directly in front of her destination. The mirror, which was slightly taller than Nightmare Moon, was now a mere two and a half feet above her head where, before, it had been three. "I grew six inches! That's so amazing! I didn't think I'd ever get any taller! My whole family has been on the rather short-" Her eyes were drawn back to the mirror when they caught her attention. "Were.... were my eyes like this last night?"

Twilight leaned in closer to make sure and, exactly as she had thought, her eyes did have the draconic pupils similar to Nightmare Moon's. "When.... When did this happen!? I'm sure they were normal last night! W-what's going on!?" She glanced about and a realization dawned on her. "The.... The lights are off... and I can see perfectly fine.... Am I still changing? Did all of the changes not happen at once?" She sighed and swallowed the lump in her throat. "That must be it. There isn't any other explanation. I was probably already this height last night, but, due to the numbness, I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't notice. The eyes and horn, however, are a sure sign. There isn't a single possibility that I overlooked that. I was staring myself in the face with that mirror."

She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind and resumed her original purpose. Using the same shuffling method as before, but with slightly longer strides, Twilight moved to the dresser and bit down on a handle before pulling it open. She eyed the dress and, with the precision of almost a month of practice, donned the dress without the use of her magic. Twilight turned and, now that she was ready, took slow steps towards the open door, wincing each time she raised a hoof off the ground. Through practice and weathered pain, Twilight passed through the open door and into the hallway leading to the stairs. She moved slowly, but steadily as she traversed the corridor until, as she turned the corner to head down the first flight of stairs, she met up with Moon Beam as she sat by the stairs waiting.

"Oh! OH! You're walking! Yay! I knew you could do it, Auntie Twilight!" She squealed in delight and ran circles around the dark unicorn before skidding to a halt at her side. "You're so strong, Auntie. When I grow up, I wanna be just like you and Mommy! Well, maybe not the Queen, but strong!" She giggled and dashed off down the stairs, stopping at the first landing. "Come on Auntie! Mommy is waiting and she has a surprise!"

Twilight smiled warmly. The foal’s words gave her strength that Moon Beam couldn't even begin to comprehend. After having doubted herself and her abilities for so long, having to go out of her way to please others and be the best that she could, the words of praise and idolization filled her with so much joy. "Coming, Moon Beam. I'll be right behind you." She slowly began her descent of the stairs, the warmth of the foal's love dulling the fire of her aching wounds.

Nightmare Moon sat upon her throne once more, gazing idly towards the door as she waited for Twilight. I wonder if she'll be pleased with what I have for her. I am sure that she won't be expecting it. The alicorn frowned at herself and looked about. Why am I doing this? I know that she saved my life, but I already brought her back from the dead. Isn't that enough payment for her actions? Of course it is. But why can't I stop thinking about the incident? About her? She shook the thoughts from her mind and refocused her stare on the door once more. It matters not. This is a reward for her actions. When she makes it down here, she will have earned it.

The door opened and Nightmare Moon's ears perked up. She looked to the opening, expecting to see Twilight walking in, proud and strong, but was, instead, greeted by a grinning navy foal rushing to her side. "Ah, Moon Beam. Where is Twilight? Is she not coming?" Disappointment tinged Nightmare Moon's voice, but the foal failed to pick up on it.

"Oh, no! Auntie Twilight is coming! She said she had to get dressed and sent me to come tell you and so here I am!" Moon Beam giggled happily as she stood proud before Nightmare Moon giving a mock salute. "She also wants me to come back as soon as I was done so can I-" She lost her focus and noticed something standing behind the throne. "Hey, who are those-"

"Shush, child. You may go back to Twilight, but do not tell her what you saw. I wish it to be a secret until she sees it herself." The alicorn nodded her head towards the door and the filly complied by trotting off the way she had come.

"Don't worry, Mommy Moon! I'll make sure Auntie Twilight gets here safe and sound!" She stopped for a moment and took her thinking posture. "And fast too!" With a burst of energy, the foal disappeared through the crack she opened in the doors leaving Nightmare Moon sitting alone once more.

The alicorn sat still as a statue as she waited on the pair to arrive. Minutes passed without a single sound from the hallway and her placid features turned into a slight frown. She listened to the shuffling behind her and turned her attention to the two ponies behind her. With a stern glance, she urged them into silence and continued her act as a sentry. More minutes passed and she began to worry. Maybe she couldn't make it? No, she would have sent Moon Beam ahead to come and tell me. Why is she taking so long? She should have been able to move faster by now.... Her frustration was soon alleviated as she saw the doors opening wider to allow the unicorns to enter the room. "Ah, Twilight Sparkle. I was right to believe in your ability to recover so quickly. You have certainly shown yourself to be quite capable as my consort."

Twilight moved to the area below the throne and bowed as low as her body would let her. "Thank you, my Queen. I was made aware that you had something to disc-"

Her sentence was interrupted when the two ponies behind Nightmare Moon stepped into her line of sight. She froze as the mare and stallion opened their mouths in surprise before the mare spoke. "Twilight...? Is that you? Twilight?"

Tears formed in their eyes as Twilight took a step closer, her mouth hanging open as well with her own tears staining her face. "M-mommy? Daddy?"

Author's Notes: AWWWWWWWWWW YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! Shit just got real! What's the dream all about? Why is Twilight still changing? ARE THOSE HER PARENTS?! Yes. Yes, they are. I'm sure you guys will enjoy this chapter as you get a little more backstory on Nightmare Moon, some insight into her mind, some new revelations about Twilight, and a cliffhanger that doesn't leave you wondering 'WHO THE BUCK ARE THE TWO PONIES BEHIND THE THRONE!?'. Yeah, I was gonna leave it like that, but I thought 'Hey, that's just evil! Don't do that! Shame on you, Peppy!' Notice a trend? I do. I'm evil. Kinda. Well, enjoy! Peppy out!

Editor's Notes: You're not evil, Peppy..., well..., maybe a little. Any-who, loved this chapter. and once again..., DAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!