“Princess Luna!” Sweetie Belle was relieved to see her. “Where have you been? I’ve been having super-crazy dreams! I was looking for you.”

“It has been… difficult for me to reach you as of late. There are powerful magical forces in Ponyville. They are affecting the dream realm as well.” The Crusaders looked at one another as they followed Luna into the Schoolhouse. If she was worried about what was going on in Ponyville, that meant things were worse than they thought. “An… old friend helped by leading the three of you here.” Luna stood in front of the classroom in Miss Cheerilee’s usual spot. “Please have a seat.”

“Do we have to?” Scootaloo said, blowing a few inches of dust off a desk.

“Ah… allow me.” Luna’s horn flashed so brightly that the Crusaders had to close their eyes. When Sweetie Belle opened hers, the Schoolhouse was transformed. They stood in a cavernous room. In front of them were three desks carved from crystal, with ornate golden swirls and flourishes etched into the sides. The seats were stuffed with soft, inviting pillows. The blackboard behind Luna stretched into forever. Oversize windows lined either side of the Schoolhouse. Comets and planets floated by outside.

“Now, this is a classroom.” Apple Bloom whistled appreciatively. Sweetie Belle made herself comfortable at one of the desks. In the past, when Luna had shown up in her dreams, things hadn’t been this… formal. Sweetie Belle was anxious to find out what was going on. She was also nervous it would be another lecture on—

“Is this about Lilymoon and Ambermoon?” Scootaloo asked. Apparently Sweetie Belle wasn’t the only one thinking it.

“Yes. And no. It is probably best to start at the beginning.” The blackboard behind Luna came to life. Chalk images appeared, as if they were being drawn by some invisible force. As each drawing was completed, it began to move on its own! Sweetie Belle watched in awe as the scene animated in front of her. She recognized Princess Celestia, raising the sun. Tiny ponies at the edge of the blackboard cheered as the chalk sun rose up into the sky. And then, behind her, Princess Luna appeared. She looked angry.

“Ooo! Ooo! I know what’s happening!” Scootaloo announced excitedly. “This is when you got jealous and… uh… you.…” She trailed off, not wanting to finish her thought.

“It is all right, Scootaloo. I have made peace with my past.” Luna’s voice was tinged with sadness. “This is indeed when I became Nightmare Moon… as everypony knows. However, nopony knows how I became Nightmare Moon.”

Sweetie Belle yelped in fright as their desks suddenly flew forward. The blackboard wrapped around Luna and the Crusaders. Chalk drawings surrounded them, becoming more detailed, more alive. It was as if they had been pulled into the past.

Sweetie Belle watched, wide-eyed, as the Luna from the past raised the moon. She looked both angry and sad. Once the moon was high in the night sky, she flew into the air and disappeared. The scene around them erased and a new one appeared: Luna flying through a world of sleeping ponies.

“As Princess of the Night, I am responsible for the realm of dreams,” Luna explained. “It is a realm ruled by emotions. Fear, hope, love… jealousy, anger. The stronger the emotion, the stronger the dream.” As the ponies dreamed, little bubbles of energy floated around them in different colors. Sweetie Belle assumed the different colors were different emotions. When Luna flew past them, some colors trailed after her. Bright reds, deep purples, and jet blacks. “I did not realize that my feelings about my sister were pulling at the emotions of ponies’ dreams. But in my jealousy and anger, I drew more and more energy from the sleeping ponies I was meant to protect.” The colors flowed around Luna, slowly changing her. She became meaner, darker, angrier.

The colors flowed together and started to take shape. Sweetie Belle squinted, not sure what it was. The form was roundish at the top, with sharp edges at the bottom. Even though she knew it was just a drawing, the shape radiated an energy that made her tremble with fear.

“It’s a helmet,” Apple Bloom whispered. Sweetie Belle realized she was right. The helmet floated onto Luna’s head, and the transformation was complete.

The Crusaders watched as Nightmare Moon was born.