The Royal Family Reunion

It was a quite day in Canterlot central hospital, no patients in the hospital were hurt badly.

The only thing that the hospital had to deal with most of the time, was plastic surgery mostly for the rich, or celebrities of Canterlot, and the occasional drunken partiers of the night.

But the quite atmosphere was shattered, when suddenly Celestia and Luna teleported into the hospital, right in front of the reception front desk.

With them were a few doctors, holding a few IV fluid packs in their magical grasps, hooked up to a unconscious, severely thin, shivering Nightmare Moon.

"WE NEED HELP!!! " Celestia yelled like thunder, holding up Nightmare's head as she was casting powerful healing magic on her.

While Luna was panicking and trying to wake her up, but Nightmare was completely out cold and non responsive.

Within a matter of seconds doctors, nurses, and medical staff immediately rushed on the scene like ants.

Quickly running numerous magical scans on Nightmare, with spells and medical equipment, while moving her through the hospital.

They were at first taken back that Nightmare Moon of all creatures was the patient, but they were doctors, and had a job to do.

"Is she going to be alright?"Celestia asked, worried as she watched the doctors work on Nightmare, administering medicine and checking her vital on the monitors.

When Nightmare collapsed on the floor, her body rabidly became thin and her skin became pale, turning a very light charcoal gray.

Something Celestia and Luna only saw happen only once, after the last battle to free the Crystal Empire.

When they faced the tyrannical pony Sombra, who usurped the throne, and called himself the king.

She became sick from being magical poisoned by an attack close to her heart from Sombra, when she and her sisters delivered the final blow.

Only after his defeat, did the magical poison take full effect on Nightmare, which made her collapse shortly after.

The poison had made Nightmare bedridden, nullified her ability to use magic, and made her horribly frail, weak.

She remained in a near death sickly state for three months, while the best mages and healers treated her.

And during this time, Celestia stayed with her and watched over her during the day, while Luna did at night, helping however they could.

"We have stabilized her, but If she wasn't an alicorn, she wouldn't have survived this long." Said Doctor Scope stated as he looked at Nightmare.

He was a light beige unicorn stallion, with a dark brown mane wearing a doctors coat, with a cutie mark of two red syringes in a X shape.

" What happened to her, she looks so withered." Luna said with concern, staring at the large bed her elder sister layer on.

She and Celestia were sitting beside each other on chairs, nest to the bed in the hospital room where Nightmare was.

Neither had left the room, not since their elder sister was place here once she out of the emergency room, fearing for their sister's wellbeing.

"Well, from what you've told us what happened, it seems she was hiding her condition using magic, as for what is wrong with her. " Doctor Scope said as he looked at Nightmare's med charts.

" She's severely underweight from long-term starvation, dehydration, and is showing sever signs of anemia, muscle atrophy, physical and magical fatigue, and sleep deprivation."

" To the extent that any one of these conditions alone, would be the end for any other living creature." Doctor Scope said as he looked over Nightmare's conditions with a concerned expression.

"And what caused her to throw up blood Doctor Scope, does she have, any internal damage?" Celestia asked hesitantly, fearing the answer.

"Blood, oh what she threw up wasn't blood, it was red wine and some half digested food. Although I would advise against any pony from eating raw meat, but given her food preferences you've given me."

"She'll have to wait for at least two week for her body to be recovered enough for her to be able to physically eat anything." Doctor Scope said as he gave his medical opinion.

" So, how is she doing doctor, is she going to be okay? " Celestia asked, as she and Luna looked at the doctor with worry and fear for their sister.

" Right now her body is very weak, but her vitals have been improving greatly over the last few hours, which is a very good sign. "

" She's stable, and her health is steadily improving, as things are now, she'll make a full recovery. " Doctor Scope said as he smiled at the princesses.

" Oh that is a relief to hear, she'll be okay. " Luna said as the tension and worry left her body, finally allowing herself to relax.

" Thank you for your hard work doctor, when do you think she'll wake up?" Celestia asked as she relaxed now that she knew her elder sister was going to be okay.

" Hmm, it well take quit a while for her to wake up from the sedatives, but she may wake up in the next few days." Doctor Scope said as he checked the sedative doses Nightmare was given.

" Now, if you'll excuse me princesses, I'll be on my way." Doctor Scope said, before bowing to Celestia and Luna and heading elsewhere.

As the two princesses were now alone, they directed their gaze back to their sleeping big sister

"Oh Nightmare, why did you hide your condition, why didn't you say something to us?" Celestia thought somberly, as she hugged Luna watched Nightmare's steady breathing while she slept.

"Ugh...where am I? " Nightmare thought as she opened her eyes and let out a soft groan.

Immediately she shut her eyes at the sight of bright sunlight beaming from a open curtain, lighting her horn, she shut the blends and tried to sit up.

But as soon as she tried, she felt the whole room was spinning, and slumped back down in the bed feeling nauseous.

"Where am I, what are these things?" Nightmare thought, looking around the white room, seeing all the monitors and IV fluid packs hooked up to her.

Just then, a light yellowish orange mare unicorn with a gold mane with a nurse hat came in her room.

"Oh, sorry if I woke you Princess Nightmare, how are you feeling?" Asked the pony nurse in a very sweet voice, she was smiling and had apparently gotten over her shock remarkable fast.

"I feel drained, tired, and thirsty, can I have some water please?" Nightmare asked before lightly coughing, causing her dry throat to sting.

Her coat was still a dark charcoal grey, and she was still quite thin and her eyes were completely bloodshot. With her pale bright blue eyes only making the bloodshot look that much more noticeable.

" Here you go." Said the nurse, floating a pitcher of water and a filled cup in a orange aura over to Nightmare.

But instead of taking the glass, Nightmare took the whole pitcher and the glass, grabbing them with her magic and draining them both quickly.

" Now I feel somewhat better, thank you Miss, ahh I don't think we been introduced yet." Nightmare said, getting a better look at the nurse.

She had a coat that was light bright orange, similar to actual orange juice. Her mane was bright yellow and styled in a pony tail, her cutie was wind trails around a yellow sun.

"Oh, how rude of me, I'm Nurse Sunny Breeze, but my friends call me Sunny, it's nice to meet you. Sunny breeze said, smiling cheerfully.

"Your not afraid of me, you do know I am Nightmare Moon, right?" Nightmare asked, having grown used to being feared by most ponies, except her sisters.

" Princess Celestia and Luna said you have changed, and if they say you have change, then I am inclined to believe them. "

" After all, everycreature deserves a second chance, if they are willing to take it. " Sunny breeze said confidently with a smile, as she extended her hoof out.

" Well then, it's nice to meet you Nurse Sunny . " Nightmare said, shaking Sunny's hoof, happy to meet a pony that wasn't afraid of her and was willing to befriend her.

" You are nothing like how the Mare in the Moon story portrays you, I don't know why anypony would write about you like that , you have a kind presence about you." Sunny breeze said, smiling as she checked the monitors.

" Mare in the moon story, why does that sound familiar?" Nightmare thought, trying to remember if she knew anything about it, but nothing clicked.

"What story are you talking about?" Nightmare asked curiously, wondering why she had not heard about this before.

" The story of you trying to bring eternal night, trying to take over Equestria, because you got mad that all poines were sleeping through it, that story?" Sunny breeze said looking a little perplexed.

"Why don't you tell me all about this story, it will be interesting to hear how history remembers me." Nightmare said, curious how it came to be, as well as taking this chance to know more about her new friend.

"Good morning Nightmare, rise and shine, you've got visitors who are eager to see you! " Sunny breezes said happily, and far too energetic for a pony awake at 5:30 in the morning.

During the time Nightmare had been in the hospital, she befriended Sunny breeze and others in the hospital.

Those that met her, were more than a little surprised that she was very friendly, something they were not expecting.

"Sunny we're friends, so I will not get mad at the fact you may have forgotten, a very important thing about me." Said a very irritated and groggy Nightmare from the depths of her thick blankets and pillows covering her up.

"Oh , I didn't forgot to get you extra pillows did I?" Sunny breeze asked, tapping her chin, trying to figure out the if she had forgotten anything.

"No Sunny Breeze, it's that it's 5:30 A.M, I'm a bat pony which means I'm nocturnal, my eyes and ears are extremely sensitive, and this room needs sound proofing spells on it. " Nightmare said, from underneath the many pillows that covered her head.

"Oh, I am terribly sorry for that Nightmare, and don't worry I will tell the director about your request. " Sunny breeze said softly as she adjusted the setting on the rooms dimmer switch, lowering the brightness of the lights by more than half.

" It's okay Sunny Breeze, and thank you, now you were saying I had visitors? " Nightmare asked as she uncovered her head with her double toned dark blue aura mane.

Reveling she had a short spiky sapphire blue mane, with the rest of her mane was ethereal and flowing through the air.

"Oh right, Princesses she is ready to see you, I well be down the hall of you need me." Sunny said, bowing to somepony outside the room as she left the room.

In the next moment, Celestia entered the room, and trailing behind her was a pink alicorn with a mane of pink, purple, and yellow mane, with a cutie a crystal heart.

"Good morning Tia, I was wondering when you'd finally pay me a visit, where is Luna, and who's this alicorn.

" I don't remember there being a fourth alicorn, unless, is she yours, did you finally find a special somepony well I was gone Tia? Nightmare asked curiously with a raised eyebrow and smile.

"What, no, no this is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, she prefers to be called Cadence. She is our niece, me and Luna adopted her a centurie ago. "

" Cadence dear, this is your aunt, Nightmare Moon, I thought it was time you two meet." Celestia said, introducing the young alicorn of love.

"Hello there, Auntie Nightmare, it's nice to finally meet you." Cadence said, walking up to Nightmare with a nervous smile and a hoof out.

"Hello there Cadence, it is wonderful to meet you at last." Nightmare said with a happy smile, as she gently shook Cadence's hoof.

"So how are you feeling Nightmare, you look better than the last time I saw you. " Celestia said, seeing her sister's completion looking better.

"Yes I am feeling better, but I still feel tried most of the time, and being woken up this early in the morning doesn't help me." Nightmare said yawning, giving Cadence a view of her fangs and sharp teeth, causing her to stare for a second.

"Sorry about that , Luna just retired for the day, and I came here this early so I could have a quick visit with you. "

" I'm guessing things still in an uproar at the Castle? " Nightmare asked with a raised eyebrow.

" Huha yes, but now I'm having to deal with those that thought Blueblood had poisoned you, and some of the nobles are still fussing over the changes happening. " Celestia said as she sighed softly.

" But don't worry about it Nightmare, I'll have had it taken care of before you've gotten out of the hospital. "

" Then we can rule together again, and finally spend some quality time together. " Celestia said with a smile, looking forward to such things.

" I know you've got this Tai, but I do worry about you having to still deal with all of that bureaucrat mess all by yourself." Nightmare said with concern, knowing how much of an ordeal running a nation was.

"Don't worry Nightmare, I've handle the nobles for centuries, it takes some maneuvering, but not all the nobles are crooked." Celestia said, understanding her sisters concerns.

"It is good that are some who have common sense, unlike those of the past and the ones rest I have seen." Nightmare said with a huff.

"Princess Celestia, we need to return to the castle soon, if you want to have time for breakfast and prepare for your meeting with the nobles on the royal revision at 9:30 A.m." Said a royal guard unicorn.

"Yes, yes I am on my way, Nightmare I have to go now, but why don't you and Cadence get to know one another better." Celestia said while looking to the two alicorns.

"Sure I'd love love too, hope the meeting goes well, and really, arguing about how all three of you are going to rule together again is ridiculous." Cadence said, shaking her head in disapproval.

"You and me both, me and Luna will visit again when we can Nightmare, I'll see you two later." Celestia said as she waved a wing at them.

"Bye Tia, don't push yourself too much, so Cadence, why don't you tell me about yourself." Nightmare said, getting comfortable in her bed as she leaned up on her pillows.

"Well there isn't much to tell, I am the Princess of Love, oh and I will be getting married in the near future. Cadence said smiling, bushing a bit.

"I am happy to hear that, what's their name?" Nightmare asked curiously, happy to hear that her niece had found a special somepony.

"Well, you've actually meet him before, he's Shining Armour, the...pony you... threw through a wall of Canterlot castle. " Cadence said awkwardly.

"Oh, oh I am so sorry for that, I wasn't in my right mind, nor was I in control of my own body back then, I hope there are no hard feelings." Nightmare said softly, giving a very nervous smile.

"Oh don't worry, I'm not mad at you, Celestia told me that that you were under some kind of magical influence that made you go crazy. "

" Plus Shining is alright, he's is tougher than he looks, he's the Royal Guard Captain after all." Cadence said giving Nightmare a kind smile.

"Thank you Cadence, but you only know a small part, you deserve to know the whole truth." Nightmare said looking away, feeling intense shame and guilt.

" The whole truth, what do you mean Auntie Nightmare? " Cadence asked, confused by the what the Bat Alicorn meant.

"I was, I was indeed under a magical influence that made me insane, but it was of my own making, made of potent, concentrated, negative emotional energy. "

" From thousands of years of repressed stress and emotions, stored by an emotional suppression seal and limiter that came undone, corrupting my mind and heart." Nightmare said, looking sad and ashamed.

"Why would you do that to yourself? " Cadence asked softly, stunned from what she heard, but was more worried and concerned for Nightmare.

Cadence could feel emotions her unique magic, giving her the ability to sense other creatures emotional state.

And she could feel overflowing sadness, pain, shame, and guilt radiating off of Nightmare, like a pitch black cloud of misery.

"At first... it was because of all the stress from the nobles ridiculing me and my sisters, then because I struggled to control my temper and emotions because of it. "

" When the wars happened, things got worse, the poines grew even more afraid of me, and started comparing me to Sombra, a tyrant, a monster. "

" Even after I fought for them and Equestria for so long." Nightmare said, saying the last part bitterly.

" They adored Celestia and Luna, but feared me and my night, in the end after they launched a revolt against me and endangered my sisters.

" I cut off my emotions completely to keep a cool head, but, eventually the seal broke, and I was overwhelmed by all the bottled up negative energy and emotions I had suppressed. " Nightmare explained as she recalled what she could on that day.

" And the worst part, was that I couldn't stop myself from hurting everypony I cared about, it was all my fault." Nightmare said softly, crying and shaking at the end.

Cadence's felt tears fall down her face, her heart hurting as she listened to Nightmare's words.

She could feel Nightmare's pain like it was her own, and seeing her crying and shaking, the sadness overwhelming her, sjerushed to embrace Nightmare in a comforting hug.

She could feel Nightmare shaking as she hugged her back, warping her long forlegs around her niece and place her head over her shoulder as she sobbed.

"It's okay, it's okay, Celestia and Luna don't you blame you, I don't blame you, it's okay now." Cadence said gently as she comforting the bat alicorn.

Her emotion magic confined to her what Nightmare had gone through and felt, better than any words ever could.

"Thank you Cadence, this means a lot, you have emotion magic don't you, that is a rare gift to be born with. "

" Even me and my sisters needed to learn and practice it before we could use it. Only Luna can use it well, but she can only use it during her dream walks." Nightmare said as she tightened her hug on Cadence.

" It has helped me many times throughout my life, and ultimately lead me to discover my talent to help others find love. "

" In the end, it was the reason how I became an alicorn, are you ok now?" Cadence asked, breaking the hug to look at Nightmare.

"I am now thanks, I am back with my sisters and you now, thanks to those brave ponies that used the elements of harmony,I am myself again and with my family now."

" I'd like to thank that purple mare and her friends, do you by chance know who they are, I forgot to ask Celestia about them." Nightmare said as she straightened up in her bed, feeling much better, like her heart was lighter.

"Oh, you mean Twilight and her friends, that's right I heard from Celestia that she and her friends were the ones who faced you with the elements and cured you. "

" I am sure she would like to get to know the real you very much. "Cadence said smiling.

" Though I don't know how she'll take the news of Nightmare being back again, I'll leave that to auntie Celestia. " Cadence thought, hoping the young mare wouldn't overreact to much.

" I can ask Celestia if she can get Twilight and her friends to visit you, but it would be best to wait until your healed up." Cadence said as Nightmare looked at herself, examining her current state of her body.

"Your right, better to have them see me when I am back on my hoofs, it well give me time to know how Equestria has changed over the years." Nightmare said as she drank from her water glass.

"Oh, and they are from Ponyville,... you may want to give them sometime to get over the impression you left on them. " Cadence said, recalling what she heard had happened there.

Oh, right, in my madness I went to their hometown and terrorized everypony that lives there, great, just great. "

" How do I even say sorry after I scared and probably traumatized them all for the rest of their lives? " Nightmare said dryly, doubtful that there was such a way.

" Hey don't worry, Twilight is Celestia's personal student and is very smart, I am sure Celestia can clear things up." Cadence said, hoping Celestia could make such a thing work.

" Huha, knowing Tia she could, she was my representative in negotiations with the Dragon kingdoms ruler, Dragon lord Magma. "

" If she can convince a dragon as stubborn as him to be peaceful and trade with us, she can arrange a little thing like this." Nightmare said, confident in Celestia's diplomatic skills.

"I am sure she can, and I know Twilight, I used to foalsit her when she was little, I am sure you and her friends will get along well." Cadence said, remembering what Celestia had told her what Twilight had learned from her friends from her friendship reports.

"I hope so Cadence, I hope so." Nightmare said, hoping for the best.

"I wonder what kind of poines they are, I need to ask Tia and Lulu about them the next time they visit me." Nightmare thought as she leaned back in her bed, looking forward to meeting this Twilight and her friends.

"Now, why don't I get you a TV and remote in here, a radio only does so much, plus you can get more information from it about how Equestria has changed." Cadence said as she was about to leave the room.

" What's a radio, you mean that enchanted steel music box over there?" Nightmare asked confused, pointing at a modern radio playing a jazz song.

"That's a radio, it's a device that plays music from different stations, wait Celestia and Luna haven't gotten you acquainted with the modern stuff of Equestria yet?" Cadence asked surprised with this news.

"No, what's a TV?" Nightmare asked as she looked up from the radio she was messing with, using her magic to see how it worked.

"Oh boy, where to even start? " Cadence asked aloud, realizing the she was going to be giving a very long history lesson, and was glad she brought her iPad in her saddle bag.

Later that day in Celestia's study

"Oh dear, how to ask without giving away anything?" Celestia said to herself, staring at a blank piece of paper on her desk.

After Cadence came to tell of Nightmare's request, Celestia pondered how she was going to ask Twilight to bring her friends over to visit her sister Nightmare.

She was going to need a lot of coffee for the long night head, and the daunting task before her.