"Hmm. That darkness dad sensed is close.", Goldenrise said. "And now I believe I've found the source." Gold had come upon Nightmare Moon. She had stopped crying, but now was just sitting and trying to figure out what to do next. Should she continue her plans for eternal night, or abandon them and try to live a new life? "Something on your mind?"
Nightmare was startled! "Who are you?"
"My name is Goldenrise. But call me Gold for short. By the looks of that darkness power aura around you, you're not from this world. Are you? Who are you really and why are you here?"
"Nightmare Moon. I first came here to bring about eternal night. But upon hearing the possible consequences of what my actions could bring about, I'm not sure what I want to do anymore. But why am I telling you this? It's not like you can relate to me."
"No. I can't. But I can tell you this. What ever happened in the past doesn't have to be the path you stick to. Make your own way."
"....Thank you.", Nightmare said as she left. 'I guess I should head back to Burst's house. He's probably wondering where I am.' When she arrived, Burst was pretty happy to see her.
"Hey Nightshade! How'd your day go?"
"OK."
"I guess mine could have been better. Ace and I teamed up to take down his evil brother. It was a pretty intense duel. All I know is that my bed is going to feel pretty good after today."
'They beat Dark Ice! That's a relief.', Nightmare thought with a small smile. As the day drew to a close, Nightmare couldn't sleep. Oddly enough, she was having nightmares herself. About being banished to the moon, and about what would have happened if she had won and the consequences that would bring. Through it all, she began to cry, and woke up Burst in the process.
"Nightshade! Nightshade!", Burst called to her as he woke her up. "You alright? You sounded like you were having the worst nightmare possible."
"I was."
"Do you wanna....talk about it?"
"There's something I should tell you first. Burst, I'm not from this world. And...Nightshade isn't my real name."
"I know you're not from around here."
"What?! How did you know?"
"Another perk of my dragonic powers is that I can pick up on energy signatures. And yours looks like it came from Equestria. So, tell me who you really are."
"My real name is Nightmare Moon. In Equestria, I was brought to life by Luna's jealousy of Celestia and tried to bring eternal night. I was defeated by the elements of harmony and banished to the moon for a thousand years. After that one thousand years, I managed to escape, but was defeated by the new bearers of the elements. Luna was seperated from me, and I was basically nothing but a pile of magical mist. That is, until you came to Equestria. You left a good amount of residual magic behind, and I used it before I crossed over to this world. At first, I wanted to continue my plans for eternal night. I even sided with Dark Ice. But after he was first defeated, he told me what would happen should I succeed. That the world would wither away without any light. And it would be all my fault. It also dawned on me that this was why I was banished. And because of me that Luna was caused so much pain! I don't want to be feared or hated anymore! I don't want to be alone!" Nightmare was almost on the verge of tears until she felt Burst wrap his arms around her. "You probably hate me don't you? For not telling you. For what Dark Ice did. I wouldn't blame you."
"Nightmare...I don't hate you."
"You...you don't?"
"No. I don't. Whatever you tried to do in the past doesn't apply to here. This is a chance for you to start over. And to not be alone. You've already got me. And I'm sure the rest of my friends will get to like you too.", Burst said with a gentle smile. "As long as I'm here, you never have to be alone."
"Burst...could I sleep with you tonight? And could you not call me Nightmare? Could you...call me Moon instead?"
"Sure...Moon. With the dreams you've been having, I'd say you're better off not sleeping alone." With that, the two of them headed to Burst's room. After Burst fell asleep he was facing Nightmare. She hesitated on getting closer to him. Then she remembered what Burst had said earlier. As she wrapped her arms around Burst, a feeling of safety came over her.
'He's so warm. I feel....safe around him. He was right. I don't feel alone anymore.', Nightmare thought to herself with a smile as she drifted off to sleep. And for the rest of the night, she had pleasant dreams for a change.