"Come on, little one!" Twilight smiled as Moonlight nosed at the front steps to the Apple Farmstead, exploring this new, big, wondrous world around her. Satisfied that the steps were not a threat, she stepped aside the two full-grown mares, only to giggle when she was snatched up in the magenta magic of her mother.
"Place is already set for ya, hun." Applejack limped through the front door, showing her new house guest inside, guiding her to the room she'd be sharing with Pinkie Pie.
"I really appreciate this, Applejack." Twilight smiled, setting her daughter on her back and following.
"Twahlight, ya know me. I'm as honest as the day is long, and I will tell ya honestly, that raising a foal is serious business. Ahm just lucky I had Granny Smith helpin' me an' Big Mac in raising A.B." She smiled and poked her friend with her leg brace. "Heh. An' dun' think me yet. While yer' recoverin' and taking care of tha little one, Pinkie and Spike will be earnin' their keep with the cookin' and cleanin' so I can focus on balancing the books."
Twilight just smiled. "I will then honestly say it's good to hear you talk like you used to." Twilight fired back.
"Heh." Applejack showed the unicorn mare into her room. "So ahm I."
"Hamoah!" Applebloom smiled in greeting, putting the finishing touches on her old crib that she had just reassembled before spitting the screwdriver in her mouth perfectly into it's holster on her tool belt. "All finished, A.J.! I got your bed right there beside it, Twilight, Pinkie's on the far wall, and all the stuff Fluttershy brought over in that trunk there. Diapers, formula, etc." She pointed out the details of the newly remodeled guest room.
"Thanks, Applebloom." She rubbed the filly's head.
"No problem." She grinned. "With Rarity moving back, I wonder if Sweetie Belle will be moving back too. Me an' Scoots sure missed her."
"A distinct possibility, or so Rares' says." Applejack took her turn to ruffle her little sister's mane. "Their parents are always off doing their own thing, it's no wonder that Sweetie was always stayin' over."
"Squeak!" Came from Twilight's back.
"Aww! Isn' she just adorable!" Applebloom looked up at the little filly who leaned over to sniff the new (to her, anyway) pony.
"This is my little moon, Applebloom." Twilight introduced her daughter. "Her name is Moonlight."
"She does look like moonlight."
Twilight nuzzled her daughter who gave a cute squeak again and hugged her mommy's muzzle before giving a cute yawn.
"Time for bed, eh? We'll let ya get settled, sugarcube." Applejack smiled, dropping Twilight's saddlebags by the door before ushering her sister out of the room.
"Yes, it is... " Twilight levitated the sleepy filly from her back and into the crib before tucking her in. "Tomorrow begins the rest of our lives." She smiled.
.....
An hour later, Applejack chuckled to herself as she sauntered back through the upstairs hallway of the house she had lived in nearly all her life.
It was good to have Twilight back. Although it was apparent that things would never be the same - she would never buck apples again, and Twilight would never be the nerdy bookworm that spent most of her nights up late and studying - they were back together.
She opened the door to what used to be the guest room and peeked inside, smiling at the sight. Twilight was curled up on a rug beside the crib. Inside, Moonlight was wide awake again, peering down at her mother, then up at Applejack.
"Heh... best get some sleep, kiddo. We're all gonna need it."
Moonlight smiled and curled up in the blankets, closing her soft eyes to join her mother in peaceful sleep.
.....
The Nightmare was angry.
Not only had she failed in getting Twilight to fool the Princesses into protecting her and her new body, but the stupid unicorn had actually managed to break her mental conditioning!
The blast from those accursed Elements of Harmony hurt!
She limped along through her prison on the Moon. It was castle brought forth from the sands of the lunar surface that once housed the corrupted Princess Luna, better known to the ponies of Equestria as Nightmare Moon. Over a thousand years ago, it had been based on the design of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters that was now in ruins in the Everfree Forest, and decorated with the obvious silver and blacks of the moon queen in question.
As she stormed aimlessly through her new prison, a laugh from a side door caught her attention.
She turned and used a ghost-like tendril to open it. Inside, hidden in shadow, a pony was shackled to a wall, reclining on a plush bed.
"What are you laughing at, Foal?" She demanded of the figure.
"Oh, nothing as usual... my Queen..." A male voice responded, heavy with sarcasm.
She scoffed at him, glaring with hate-filled golden eyes.
"What? I didn't expect to see you again. You know, 'getting a whole new body' and 'getting my revenge on that little princess and her friends' and all that stuff." He chuckled. "And here I thought you intended to leave me here."
"I did. There were... complications..." She hissed in pain.
He could only smile. "Well now... seems that 'my chosen' was too much for you, eh?"
"Silence this insolence!" She hissed and slapped him across the face with a forehoof.
He recoiled, the chain leashing him to the bed clattering as he fell back against it. He wasn't surprised, however. He'd gotten used to this long ago. He merely spat a bit of blood to one side and grinned.
"Oh my... I expected better from you, Queeny. Seems she did manage to break free of the brainwashing?"
That earned him another backhoof.
Once again, he chuckled weakly. "Come now, you should have expected it. You brainwashed her, you forced her on me..." He grinned. "How does the foal look? A pretty filly like you wanted?"
Instead of crying in pain, he merely laughed as the Nightmare proceeded to take out her frustration on him. For her, it was appropriate relief considering her failure, and his always snarky attitude toward her. It did make her feel somewhat better when she punished him, which was quite often. It was hard enough keeping Twilight Sparkle firmly under her mental control, let alone him.
She eventually left to rest, grumbling to herself that this wasn't over.
She would get her body back, and maybe even that upstart Bearer of the Element of Magic!
On the bed, the shadowy figure wiped a busted lip on a forehoof and grinned. He chuckled to himself, knowing that since the Nightmare's plans had failed, she was hurt and angry, and thus now weak. That meant it was time.
He was already well along in making plans to escape back to Equestria. He had to ensure that the Nightmare's plans had indeed failed, and the only sure fire way to do that was to find the mare. He smiled to himself, recalling the few moments of lucidity where they could talk, simply be together without the Nightmare controlling her. He had to admit that he had fallen in love with the poor mare, and part of him did hope that if he could escape and find her and ensure she was freed from the Nightmare's control, they could be together as a family. There was no doubt that her foal was his, after all.
He had but one clue to go on. During one of those brief moments of freedom the mare was able to tell him her name, a name he wanted to hear from her lips again:
... Twilight Sparkle...
The stallion whispered the name to himself, and glared daggers at the door. The Nightmare was going to pay for what was done to her, done to him, and was nearly done to their daughter...
.....
Cue the 'Best of Both Worlds' To Be Continued card...
Roll End Credits...