Twilight was lying in her bed, Spike dozing between her forelegs. She felt empty. Nothing had any taste. She couldn't even cry anymore. All she had left was her memories. So, she closed her eyes, trying to remember a happy memory, allowing herself a moment to forget reality. And the most beautiful memory was her first meeting with Celestia.

At that time, she was just a filly. She didn't have her Cutie Mark yet, though she already had a gift for magic. A preliminary appointment was arranged by the school for Celestia's Gifted Unicorns to test her talent. Twilight found herself alone with her back to the blackboard, facing six rows of chairs. Four judges sat in the middle of the penultimate row at the very top, haughtily taking notes every time she had the misfortune to make a move. In a cart was a dragon's egg. Twilight had to hatch it to prove that she deserved to do her apprenticeship in this school.

Carried by the encouragement and smile of her parents, Twilight reared up, spreading her wings, concentrating all her magic on hatching the egg. Despite her efforts, the egg remained intact.

At the same time, in Cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash obtained her cutie mark by making her first supersonic rainbow. The wave propagated throughout Equestria. The latent power of Twilight was released by it. She was in a trance, the energy pulsing around her to the point of levitating herself as she used her magic on the egg again, making it hatch.

Laughter was heard from the heights of the benches.

A hoof gently fell on Twilight’s shoulder.

Twilight calmed down, the energy gradually dissipating as she looked at the egg. The laughter became louder. Between the broken shells was a plate with an omelette on it.

Twilight recoiled, looking at her flank. To her horror, her cutie mark was an exact copy of the state she’d left the dragon's egg. The laughter became deafening. Twilight turned around, but instead of Celestia, Nightmare Moon stood there, cackling with the crowd. The young princess turned pale. "N-Nightmare Moon?!"

Dressed for the occasion in a white robe attached by a crest on her shoulder with a moon motif, the one that shared the moniker of “Princess of the Night” realised that she was not behaving in a manner worthy of her rank. Quickly, she resumed a royal attitude before looking up at Twilight, a mocking smile on the corner of her lips. She sighed, for the cacophony of laughter filling her eardrums didn’t help her focus. "It's launch time. The judges have gone to the canteen."

Twilight tilted her head, uncertain how to react. She turned to the judges, realising that they were no longer there, even though they were still laughing just a second ago. She turned to Nightmare Moon, looking for an answer.

"Post-hypnotic suggestion. Your mind accepted the idea that it was noon and that they were indeed gone. Well, now it would be a good time for you to be a little more lucid about your situation; I don't have all night ahead of me."

Twilight blinked several times. Her cutie mark became what she had always been. She understood then that she had fallen asleep while looking back at a happier past. She turned against Nightmare Moon, not very cheerful. "Is this how you take care of ponies' dreams? By making them have nightmares?" she accused, pointing with her hoof.

Nightmare Moon scoffed. "Excuse you?! How dare you, Twilight Sparkle?! To accuse me of a crime I didn't commit! I came to 'stop' this nightmare, which is only the product of your mind. But when I saw the turn it was taking, I took pleasure in seeing your embarrassment. It's not as if this nightmare was full of Timberwolves. We must act as allies, but that doesn't mean I have to act as if I were your friend."

Twilight shot back, "If you're done laughing at me, I'd like to finish dreaming in peace."

Nightmare Moon took three steps back before making the same bow she did earlier in the day. "Actually, I'd like to ask you for an audience, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Lives are at stake, and I need your help."

The young princess did not know how to react to this. Nightmare Moon asking for her help? She was both surprised and frightened, reluctant to imagine what she wanted from her. But if lives were at stake, she could not refuse without knowing the details. "I'm listening to you."

Nightmare Moon straightened up, about to explain herself, but the scenery caught her attention. "I can't believe I'm in charge of doing everything for you," she said. With these words, she slammed her hoof on the floor. The decor slipped, the classroom disappearing in the distance as the two alicorns found themselves in the throne room of Canterlot Castle.

Twilight observed the new setting, only slightly appreciating the change of scenery. "If you don't mind, I'd rather have this dream happen at my place in Ponyville." The decor changed immediately. Around them were the library’s bookshelves. Twilight, surprised by this sudden change, turned to Nightmare Moon. "Am I the cause of this change?"

Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes. "Of course this is your work. Is this the first time you are lucid dreaming? The slightest desire can manifest itself if you so wish. But let us be clear—I refuse to see you make anypony appear, and you better not use this power over me. I need your full attention. This is about lives. I don't want to be subjected to the soulstates of a filly, Princess."

Twilight tried to concentrate, briefly flapping her wings. "I am ready. I'm listening."

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I make sure I'm in the best conditions for this conversation by accelerating my heartbeat so that the blood flows into my brain."

"Twilight Sparkle, you're sleeping. Your mind is in the world of dreams. Flapping your wings is useless. Let me guess: you think you're breathing?"

"Of course I..." Twilight realised that she was playing the Nightmare Moon game. "Well, what do you want from me? I hope you're not here to ask me to help you make the night last forever. It’s a no from the get go."

"Nonsense! It was Luna who was afraid that her night would never be revered as much as the sun was, and that she would lose her title because of her sister. This is because of the words of the tyrant whose name must be kept silent because of the prediction. The same tyrant who, a thousand years earlier, distilled a poison in the mind of an immature filly. That same filly eventually succumbed, giving life to the physical manifestation of her jealousy that I am.”

Twilight's anger gave way to disbelief. "And you don't want that anymore?"

"Why would I want that? All of Equestria loves the night. The ponies stopped falling asleep as soon as the sun went down. Through Luna's eyes, I was able to witness it. They stay up late, sometimes even until dawn, to observe the night and have fun. There's even a party where they dress up because they're afraid I'll eat them. Even you, Princess Twilight Sparkle, appreciate my night for its true value. If Luna and I had known four years ago that this was the case, the outcome could have been similar without the use of the Elements of Harmony."

Twilight frowned. "What do you mean, 'Luna and me'? Aren't you one and the same mare?"

"We were, but the Elements of Harmony have this curious habit of refusing to destroy in absolutes. As such, their power separated us, freeing Luna from everything I could represent. From that day on, I was silenced, forced to observe, hidden in a corner of her heart. Once again forbidden to put my hooves upon the world where I came to life, forced to live by proxy through Luna. Watching her do what I could have done, if you hadn't found the Element of Magic."

"That doesn't explain why you're no longer there."

"Luna began to study in secret. She created what she called the Tantabus. I shall spare you many unimportant details about this creation. The important thing is that the Tantabus is the borrowed body that I asked for in exchange for my help. And that's where the heart of the matter lies. Four months ago, as Luna said, I proposed an exchange for reasons of good form; conditional freedom in exchange for my services. No one should know—not even you—that I was walking Equestria, which was fine with me. Taking Luna's appearance had its advantages here in the dream world."

"You could have asked to rule by her side."

"Seductive as this idea may be, I am the one who sought to make an eternal night reign. I am the one the children fear. I know myself all too well. I would have ended up harbouring jealousy towards Luna, because nopony would have ever approached the monster that they see me as. Moreover, I am the only queen in the eyes of bat ponies and vamponies; they have been loyal to me since my return."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"So Dusty Nova—"

"Slowly, Princess. We're not there yet. If you want to understand why I need your help, you have to understand how we got here. I'm trying to be as concise as possible, and it's not easy without truncating the facts."

Twilight kept quiet. She still had trouble believing that Nightmare Moon needed her help. Considering how hard she was trying to explain what had happened, the problem must have been serious.

"Also, Luna, who felt cheated by Pepper, needed to unleash her anger on somepony. There was little choice. In the end, she opted for changelings, Chrysalis at the top of the list."

"The changelings? Why? We haven't heard from those monsters since my brother Shining Armor and Princess Cadance married."

"It is true. But tell me, Princess Twilight Sparkle—how many ponies were injured? How many ponies died during this invasion? Could you answer these questions?"

"No." At that time, she had not considered taking an interest in this kind of detail.

"None, and you already know why: because changelings cannot afford to kill ponies. They need them. Without ponies, a changeling is guaranteed to starve. Changelings are predators by nature. They only know deception and manipulation to feed themselves. Now, consider Chrysalis and Pepper for a moment. Who they are, how they operate, their abilities."

Twilight did so, turning her gaze to the right. While she thought, they appeared before her eyes, standing side-by-side. She went back to their first meeting, when Chrysalis changed her appearance and became Cadance. Pepper also changed her appearance: her mane was shortened into a simple bun, the ornament gone. For a time, both played a role until they took action. Manipulators, liars, unscrupulous. And both of them were able to take on any appearance. If she linked these two profiles with Pepper's absence, it led to only one result. The two silhouettes disappeared as Twilight looked towards Nightmare Moon. "Chrysalis was a substitute Pepper, and, given her liabilities, no one would go to mourn her disappearance?"

"Precisely."

"But it's—"

"It doesn't matter. It's too late now. With a bat pony regiment, I blockaded the northern Badlands, preventing any attempt at a changeling incursion. They had orders to kill those who would try their luck."

Twilight was speechless, unable to imagine that Princess Luna would give such an order.

"However, when I was about to eradicate them, something made me realise that I was making a mistake, and I ordered my troops to retreat."

"What was it?"

Nightmare Moon slammed her hoof twice. The scenery changed to the Badlands on the night of the genocide.

Twilight observed the frozen scene now before her.

The Nightmare Moon of this scene was behind her army. At her side was Antares—still just a private—who assisted the command. The body of a high-ranking bat pony was behind her, a spear stabbed through her throat. Swift, armed with a pertuisane, secured the perimeter, preventing any attempts to attack the Princess of the Night. On the other side of this battle was Chrysalis. Chitin was by her side, keeping the enemy at bay, holding two short swords with telekinesis.

Twilight noticed that all the warrior changelings seemed exhausted, their magic weak and obviously famished. Without warning, the scene came alive. A changeling charged Twilight, ready to strike. Twilight reflexively raised a shield. But the changeling passed through, disappearing as a bat pony went for the neck with his blade.

Nightmare Moon lightened the scene, erasing the changelings about to succumb

from the battle in order to spare Twilight’s innocence.

The battle was one-sided. The first lines of the changelings disappearing in the blink of an eye, succumbing to the bat ponies' assault.

Chrysalis saw no way out of this confrontation. She lowered her head and clenched her teeth. Her time had come, and she knew it. She concentrated what remained of her magic, creating a luminous sphere that flew off into the sky. The changelings in the rear lines imitated it. Like a domino effect, no more changelings were fighting. The bat ponies took advantage of it.

The Nightmare Moon in this scene had stopped commanding. She watched this spectacle unfold before her eyes, seeing each sphere of light disappear every time a changeling was killed. By the time she screamed to stop the fight, the bat ponies had reached the last lines, hooves covered in what Twilight’s mind assumed was mud. They looked at their queen for orders. She ordered a retreat. They obeyed, flying away from this hecatomb.

When only Antares, Swift, and the queen remained, she spoke directly to Chrysalis. "Explain to me, Queen of the Changelings—this wasn't a spell, was it?"

Chrysalis was running out of steam. Her eyes wandered through the mass grave. There were only a few changelings left by her side other than Chitin. "When a changeling dies, the whole hive gathers to create bubbles of light with magic, thus guiding the soul of the deceased through the endless darkness of death to the afterlife. Since we are going to die tonight, I prefer that my last act as queen be a prayer for my subjects."

Nightmare Moon fell silent for a moment. "Private Antares, Private Moonlit, we're leaving."

Twilight had never witnessed war before today. Despite Nightmare Moon’s attempt to make it easier to handle, she was crying, shocked by what she had just seen. She turned to face Nightmare Moon. "Why?"

"Why?!" Chrysalis whispered. "Have the courage to finish what you started!" she barked, crying with rage.

The Nightmare Moon of the scene turned away from her, returning to the camp, accompanied by her soldiers. "I have the courage to admit my mistake. And if an ant about to die looks to the stars of my night for the salvation of her soul, she deserves more respect than a weak filly who seeks to rule over the void."

The memory faded, leaving Twilight and Nightmare Moon alone in the dark of a dreamless sleep.

"I realised that, if I killed the changelings, there was no guarantee that Luna wouldn't ask me to eradicate another race. All this time, the euphoria of having my own body had blinded me. It made me forget that I was a queen—and that a queen has duties towards her subjects. And even if the changelings are not residents of Equestria, they are part of it, no matter what they may think. Until now, I've been lying to Luna. The last lie is how I got the piece of mane you have. Chrysalis gave it to me; she claims she killed Pepper."

Twilight remained strangely silent following this revelation, before resuming, "That doesn't explain what Pepper was doing so far away. She had never left the Ponyville area."

"One of my subjects questioned her.She claimed that something made her go there. But who can believe her?" Nightmare Moon preferred to avoid talking about Aglowing Shell; she didn't want to tell Twilight that she was the aunt of an illegitimate child. "Despite what she said to you this morning, Luna wants Pepper dead. She wants her to die a slow death, like a cat playing with its prey. Hearing someone else have stolen this pleasure from her would prove fatal for that creature. As unpleasant as it will be to hear, I wanted to kill Celestia. When Pepper said that she stole this royal duty from me, I wanted to trample her. So, based on my own reactions, I ordered Dusty Nova to lie. Now, I need you to do the same about your attempts at localization. Otherwise, Luna will find out that she was being lied to, and she will seek the bloodbath the changelings stole from her."

"So that's the purpose of this hearing? To ask me to lie to Princess Luna about the results of my attempts to locate Pepper?"

"Luna is bruised. A thousand years ago, it was jealousy. Now, it's something else, and I'm afraid the Elements of Harmony can't help her this time. She'll sink and become a new Nightmare. I only see two possibilities after that. I possess her, and stop it. Or, I do nothing about it, and she ends up next to Discord in Canterlot's gardens."

Twilight was shocked. "Are you implicitly asking for my consent to possess Princess Luna and rule Equestria?"

"It's a possibility I'm considering. But without your agreement, I would not do anything about it— as long as you have the Elements. Oh, and no, I don't intend to steal them. I'm here because I'm convinced that you'll have the wisdom to see me as an ally. Probably not the one you expected, but a reliable ally for the greater good of Equestria."

"What if I refuse?"

"Luna will become a Nightmare. However, if you base our first confrontation on imagining what the fight against this new Nightmare will be like, you are making a big and terrible mistake. I was the embodiment of Luna's old-fashioned jealousy. I didn't know you. You were just a bunch of fillies in my eyes. She's mature, more powerful, and knows you all; she'll have the advantage of the first strike. You are free to take this warning into account, now that you know everything and understand the purpose of my request. As for now, I'm going back to the dream plane; you're not the only one having nightmares." Her horn lit up as she made the door that led out of this dream appear.

"But I didn't even give you my answer!"

Nightmare Moon looked at her. "I'm not the one waiting for an answer. I warned you that you must not give Luna a clear answer under any circumstances, otherwise she will react badly. Tell her you're not getting any results. With this warning, I have made you an honest offer. You have all the time you need. I will wait until the next audience to act accordingly. If you consider my intentions sincere, I'll come back to you. If you think I'm trying to manipulate you, I won't interfere when Luna goes crazy. You'll have to assume the consequences of that choice alone. Although, you are not really alone. You have your friends. You can tell them about this audience if you think they can keep the secret of my presence."

Twilight tried to think. "What if I need to contact you outside of dreams, without Princess Luna's presence?"

Nightmare tried as best as she could to repress a satisfied smile. "The observation platform at the top of the tree where you live—put a letter there before the sun is lowered, I will check it every night when I fly over Ponyville. It's my turn to ask a question." Nightmare Moon had a doubt about Aglowing Shell and needed to hear the opinion of an expert in the field. "Tell me, Princess of Friendship. One of my bat ponies has a problem with a friend. He lied to him about his identity. If he found out who this bat pony really is, he could hate him for a more than justified reason. What should he do? Keep lying to him to preserve their friendship? Or tell him the truth, at the risk of losing it?"

Twilight never would have thought she would hear such a question from Nightmare Moon. If she didn't know she was already asleep, she would have thought she was dreaming. "Friendship cannot be built upon a lie. Sooner or later, the truth will catch up with the bat pony. If he really respects his friend, he must be honest and say who he really is. It is better to lose a friend by being honest than to lose him because the truth was discovered."

Deep down, Nightmare Moon already knew this. She just needed to hear it to muster the courage to face the consequences of such a choice. "I understand. Goodnight, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and thank you for the advice."

At the very moment Nightmare Moon closed the door behind her, Twilight opened her eyes, waking up in her bed. Spike was no longer there. When she turned to look, the extra bed was empty. She looked out the window. It was dark outside. The night was quiet in the streets of Ponyville.