The Tale of the Nightmare

After Nightmare Moon cursed the princess, Sombra requested a nationwide removal of spinning wheels. The spindles were removed from countless households and thrown into the depths of the dungeon. He had also ordered the three breezies to take Twilight Sparkle to an isolated location, where they would raise her for sixteen years and a day. His intention was to keep her safe from dark magic and spinning wheels. While he had assumed that nopony but his closest advisors knew of the plan, a certain Thestral had seen the breezies on the way out of the castle. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo had made themselves grow to the size of regular ponies.

Once Tiberius reported this information to Nightmare Moon, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. So the three breezies were tasked with raising the princess? She shook her head. "Sombra doesn't have a clue, does he? Also, those three... raising a foal? Idiots."

Before Tiberius could ask who Nightmare was referring to, she turned him into a possum and put him on her back. She strolled past the border of both kingdoms and reached a small cottage. It was located on a small hill, with cobblestones leading up to the front door. Tons of flowers dotted the yard. Butterflies hovered above the colorful blooms. If not for the recent events, she would have considered the garden beautiful. Upon closer inspection, there were weeds in the ground, and cracks in the foundation beneath the cottage. Somepony hadn't occupied the residence in quite some time, it seemed.

The three breezies, who now masqueraded as a trio of earth ponies, clumsily renovated their new home and cleared out the remaining debris. Nightmare Moon hid behind a cluster of trees and waited for them to enter the cottage. They had forgotten to take Twilight inside. She knew they would forget. She looked to her back, where Tiberius was currently sitting. The possum peered over her head, as though curious about the secluded home.

"We're not here to watch them," Nightmare reminded Tiberius, and the possum squeaked in protest.

Apple Bloom rushed out and retrieved the bassinet. "Oh, I'm so sorry, sweet Twilight. You'll be inside your new room, safe and sound." Then, she disappeared through the door.

Nightmare moved to the window, where the new room could be. The window was left open. Baby Twilight was sleeping peacefully. "Oh, look..." She murmured. "I could almost feel sorry for it. This little beastie won't live a long life."

Twilight opened her eyes and gazed at Nightmare Moon. In response, Nightmare scowled in disgust. This made the princess giggle, so she hissed at her. Twilight giggled again. Why wasn't the princess scared? After all, Nightmare Moon had fangs and slitted pupils. Those features would frighten anypony else.

"I hate you," Nightmare said.

Before Nightmare could make the scariest face possible, she heard the breezies approaching. She hurried back to her hiding spot. Immediately, the filly started to cry. Nightmare listened as the trio bickered among themselves. Apple Bloom attempted to be the leader, while her younger sisters were trying to figure out the reason behind Twilight's screams. A minute later, Apple Bloom plopped the fruits into the bassinet. The wailing grew louder once the trio fled the room.

Nightmare tensed. "The little beastie will starve. With those three looking after it, the princess won't survive." Despite her words, Twilight Sparkle was the least of her concerns. At least the reports on Sombra would keep her entertained. She trotted to her homeland. And when night came, Twilight's screams faded. By then, she knew who had fed the princess. It was fine if the princess could stay alive. The young royal would be in for a huge shock sixteen years later.

For the next several weeks, Tiberius visited the castle in Thestral form and came back with new information each time. Apparently for Sombra, the lack of spindles wasn't enough. The king had boarded up the windows and rose the drawbridge to prevent Nightmare Moon from entering. Sombra's paranoia was already beginning to overcome his psyche. At times, he sent his army to the wall to destroy the plundervines and burn the Everfree Forest to the ground. Once, the Equestrians catapulted fireballs at the massive vines, hoping to bypass the barrier.

Behind the barrier, Nightmare Moon strengthened the vines. The vines launched one pony as far away as possible. The scream was music to her ears. She chuckled at the stallion's misery. Her enemies seemed to understand the message, so they returned to the castle. Her parents had believed that civilized talks would prevent future attacks. However, the barrier was the only way to keep the Equestrians out. Let Sombra's kingdom fall into ruins. He had found a reason to hide behind the frigid castle walls. He was a coward and a liar, much like every other Equestrian.

Nightmare found herself veering toward the impenetrable wall. For some odd reason, her old memories had prompted her curiosity. Maybe the village was abandoned? There was one way to know, which was by visiting the town. She hesitated as she parted the wall. Other than her memories, there was no other reason to enter the village. The cottage beckoned her away from the border.

Tiberius squeaked again, and Nightmare gave him a strict glare. "You don't get to be here for long. Why do you want to see Twilight?"

When the possum didn't answer, Nightmare let out an exasperated sigh. She trotted to the cottage and settled on a tree. She observed the breezies from a distance. They were tending the garden, and it was tedious to watch. Was there a no-magic rule? As usual, the trio quarreled.

"This isn't what I signed up for," Sweetie Belle complained.

"Why? What do you mean?" Scootaloo retorted.

"We can't go back to Everfree. Nightmare Moon would destroy the princess," Apple Bloom interrupted.

"Let's stay positive. After all, she brought a dark cloud of doom upon Equestria," Sweetie Belle said.

"Sweetie Belle has a point. Let's change the topic."

Nightmare summoned a small thundercloud. The thundercloud hovered over the group. Small raindrops fell onto Apple Bloom. To be fair, they asked for a storm. She suppressed her laughter so they wouldn't hear her. Flashes of lightning startled Sweetie Belle, who was the most sensitive of the three sisters. Scootaloo appeared nervous, yet she didn't react the same way.

"Who did this?" Apple Bloom shrieked.

"We didn't do it," Scootaloo said.

"I told you not to use magic! And you broke the rules!"

"Sweetie Belle started it."

Sweetie Belle shook her head. "I'm the innocent one."

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "Stating the obvious, aren't you?"

More and more thunderclouds formed. The breezies concluded that it was raining, so they rushed inside. Nightmare Moon laughed. She hurried back to the Everfree Forest to supervise the border. Once she was alone, she allowed herself to go into hysterics. However, the possum appeared unamused. Didn't Tiberius find it funny at all? She moseyed to her throne and surveyed the forest.

The months turned into years, and Nightmare Moon continued to visit the cottage. Now Twilight Sparkle was a toddler, intrigued by the world around her. One evening, she saw that the door was wide open. The breezies were nowhere in sight, and Twilight was already playing by the river. The first cluster of stars materialized in the sky, which garnered Twilight's attention. The moon had just rose into the eastern horizon.

The water reflected the moon. Twilight stepped into the water. But the current was too strong for her to handle. She lost her balance and fell into the water, screaming. Nightmare Moon reached the river in time and levitated Twilight to safety. A grin replaced the filly's frightened expression.

"Hello," Twilight murmured.

"I'm going home. Be careful," Nightmare said. She had intended to tell Twilight to go away, yet those words came out instead. How did this happen? Was it a motherly instinct? She'd rather not let the princess into her heart, not after what Sombra had done long ago.

"Don't go..." Twilight said. She widened her eyes and frowned, which was what any foal would do when begging a parent.

Try as she might, Nightmare Moon couldn't look away from the big purple eyes and the adorable little voice. Before she stopped herself, she drew Twilight into a hug. The warmth surged through her heart. She willed herself to ignore Twilight's soft heartbeat. As she released the filly, she told her to go inside the cottage and wait for the breezies to return. She made her way back to the Everfree Forest. It was hard to deny that Twilight was cute and precious. Those thoughts made her furious at herself. What was the point of caring for Twilight if the princess was cursed to eternal sleep?

The next day at noon, the breezies had a picnic. While they were chattering, they ignored Twilight as the filly played with butterflies. Nightmare Moon was struck by Twilight's innocence. The foal had no idea of the atrocities that Sombra had committed. Neither was Twilight aware of the curse that would befall her on her sixteenth birthday. Nightmare clenched her teeth. She had been innocent once, too trusting and cheerful. And look where it had gotten her. Her old self, who was referred to as Luna, was not too different from Twilight in that aspect. Beside her, Tiberius squeaked. She tossed a berry to him.

As Nightmare watched Twilight chase a butterfly closer to the cliff, she said, "The little beast is about to fall off the ledge."

Tiberius let out a worried squeak. Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes, then poured her magic into the cliff. A branch emerged, then caught Twilight in time. It carried her to safety. The possum sent her a quizzical look, and she groaned. "What? I saved her, so everything's alright." For now, she silently added. It didn't mean that she liked Twilight. Did she?