The words were on her lips. The question was dancing about the tip of her tongue, and as much she wanted to blurt out everything she was holding in, she didn't. She stared quietly at the smoldering cup of tea on the plate that Cadence had made. Cadance herself was quiet, sitting patiently next to her and idly sipping at the tea she'd brewed for them both.

The little purple unicorn drew in a heavy sigh and released it through her teeth. They'd been sitting in the parlor for maybe five minutes in awkward silence. Twilight didn't know why she'd begged Cadence to stay up with her, but it managed to make her feel better, even if the solution to her problems weren't an easy thing to find. Cadence, to her credit, never seemed pushy or upset. She took her time, sipping her tea, and silently taking in the architectural design of the castle she'd inherited. She never forced Twilight to explain why they were sitting up at three am, drinking tea, and for that, Twilight was eternally grateful.

"Is love..."Twilight finally found herself asking, stalling only to work the rest of the sentence out in her head. "Is love always real?" The words descended onto the conversation and like candy stuck to her teeth, each took more than a little effort to spit out. Cadence stared into space for a moment, and her gaze fell back to Twilight.

"No. I'm afraid it's not always real, Twilight. It may start off that way. The spark, if you will, is real. But sometimes the flames just don't last. Sometimes they aren't even there at all. " She said with a heavy sigh. Twilight buried her face in her hooves and groaned in defeat.

"Then how am I supposed to know if what I'm feeling real?! I mean...what if it's fake? What if someone is making me love Rai-love somepony else?!" She sobbed in despair.

Cadence gently reached out and brushed a lock of Twilight's mane out of her face. She sat back and gave a dreamy, tired sigh and peered at Twilight with a faded smile on her lips.

"I'm sorry, I dunno sweetie-pie. But listen to me, Twilight. Whatever it is that's going on, you can tell me." Cadence whispered, pulling Twilight into a crushing hug. For a moment, only a brief moment, Twilight wanted to resist telling Cadence anything. She had to pick and choose her words carefully when changelings could be about. But the contact and the hug was something she'd badly needed and was in short supply of and the statistical likey-hood of Cadance being a Changeling again was nigh improbable. She sighed. She was tired. She was so tired. So hopelessly exhausted from carrying this ordeal with her. So exhausted from looking over her shoulder constantly, worrying about Rainbow Dash, worrying about Spike, worrying about her own sexuality and everypony and everything! She didn't know when she'd started crying, but she found herself in Cadence's arms, sobbing like a foal. She sniffled, hiccuped and rubbed her nose after a few moments. She needed someone she could trust. Anyone. Just something stable. Please, just give her that!!

"I..."Twilight sputtered but stopped short. Cadence pulled her close, stroking the girl's mane with her hooves lovingly. She cooed into Twilight's ear and rubbed her hooves along her back to soothe her.

"You're nervous, and scared." she hummed in a motherly manner, tugging the younger unicorn against her frame while she spoke. "Don't be. I'm here for you." Cadence whispered, and that was all it took to wash away the last of Twilight's resistance. The unicorn melted against her quietly and started sobbing again at that reassuring hug. She just needed somepony so badly to ground her while the world went insane. If she could have that, she could power through anything! She closed her eyes, and before she could stop herself and the entire horrifying saga came out in sputtered bursts and lengthy sobs. She repeated it all as vividly as she could remember. In the end, Cadence sat there, wide-eyed and horrified by the events she'd been told. She'd scooped Twilight up and held her as tightly in her arms as possible, tears streaming from her cheeks as she rocked the poor girl.

"My darling little pony...Look at me." Cadence whispered softly and cupped Twilight's cheeks in her hooves.

"You are safe here." She cooed as reassuringly as possible. Twilight sniffled and rubbed her eyes and gave a shuddered sigh. Gently, Cadence began to hum a gentle lullaby and delicately rubbed her hooves along Twilight's back. Sleep had already overtaken her long before Twilight realized Cadence's lullaby was actually a spell. It was far too late to counter it though. Her delicate smile was the last image Twilight saw, and her whispered words were the last Twilight heard.

"Just a little something to help you relax, sweetie. Go to sleep."

And then she was out like a light.

************************

The laboratory hadn't changed. It still had the bunsen burners, the unused chairs, and the clean scent of fresh sterilization. But it was different somehow in a way Twilight couldn't put her hooves on. But she was back in the one place she hated most of all. Immediately, her eyes flickered upwards at the ceiling. Two lights and one square. She'd been in this room before. She knew what this room was, and as much as she hated to admit it; she could feel a tingle of anticipation between her legs.

This was the room with the box.

Her favorite box. It sat silently between her legs, shiny and chrome and black with a little slot on the front for that mechanical tongue to slide out and mmmmmm. She was strapped to the table again with her legs lewdly stretched out in front of her. Twilight shivered and bit her lower lip. She was already getting damp. They were already in her head and they hadn't even started yet! Was she going to become aroused every time they kidnapped her from now on? Was this another part of the conditioning? Her body was reacting on its own and there was nothing she could do about it!

Did she want to do anything about it? This was all so confusing and frustrating. She didn't want this. She didn't want to be taken against her will, no. But they were changing her will. They were making it consensual. They were making her yearn for more! Was that their plan all along?!

The pit in Twilight's stomach dropped out, and she felt like throwing up. They were getting to her and for all her intelligence, magic, and cunning, there was nothing she could do about it. She wanted to be in here. She loved the little black box in front of her. She loved its mechanical tongue and lewd intrusions. It was robotic; it couldn't hurt her even if it wanted to. It was without mercy but without malice also. The sort of thing Twilight wouldn't mind having on those lonely afternoons where she spent the day sorting books or sitting at her desk doing the library's paperwork. Oh, yes, that would be heavenly!! She wondered if she could find blueprints...

The machine betwixt her legs rattled to life, extending its metallic tongue out and forcefully into her depths. She drew in a sharp hiss of pleasure and closed her eyes. Yessss, it was starting! It gave her a soft, spiraling slurp and Twilight frowned. For some reason, it didn't feel as intense as it had before. Was that because she was getting used to it? Maybe they'd done something different this time? She didn't like it. No, she wanted it to- HAAAAA! The tongue began to thrash wildly, swirling and probing her depths. As if by Twilight's command. YES!

The little purple unicorn gave a helpless shudder and tried to relax, but something was nagging at her. Something was creeping around the dark corners of her consciousness, staying just out of sight. Some important clue that was staring her in the face, but she couldn't quite grasp it. Something important was happening. She knew that, but she didn't quite know what it was!

Think Twilight. Ignore the machine. This is important. This is significant! But why? Something was different about this whole scenario. Something that stood out far more than the others. Was it the lights? The machine? The table she was strapped to? No no no, those were all the same. The room smelled the same, and the room looked the same, everything was the same. The tongue gave another loving slurp, and Twilight sighed.

Were they going slower this time? Was that the difference? Was it a different time of the day? No. None of that would have made much of a difference, but the difference was there, staring at her right in the face. What in Equestria was going on?! Why did she have so many questions this time? Why couldn't she just lay back and enjoy it? Pleasure her until she couldn't think straight, send her home and-

Twilight's eyes widened in surprise.

She could think.

Her thoughts weren't muddled through drugs! Everything was clear and concepts were simple enough to wrap around. Had they forgotten? No no no! This didn't make any sense! Why make things different this time? Why not drug her? Why not keep her in the dark. They couldn't have messed up. This isn't the sort of operation you could accidentally 'forget' to drug your victim! Now her mind was racing. The machine that hummed between her legs was easily enough to forget about, now that she had something solid to hang on to.

Ok. Inconsistency. She could think straight. There weren't any drugs in her system. Why? They didn't forget. Cross that off the list right now. A new experiment maybe? No. The machine didn't have nearly the hypnotic effect it had on her before. She was not drugged to sleep and filled with aphrodisiacs. But why not? The simplest answer was that they had run out. No. That wasn't the simplest of answers. The simple answer was they couldn't!

OK Twilight! You're onto something! Hang on to it! Why couldn't they drug her?! Didn't they have the means to do so? ...No. They didn't. They couldn't!! What was the difference?! She was in the Crystal Empire! Okokokok! The location is a big deal. It was only happening in Ponyville! It could not happen when she was somewhere else! A weakness! That was a flaw in the design!! Something she could exploit!! YES! She had to get a message to Rainbow Dash as soon as she was returned to the castle! Wait...

But if it could only happen in Ponyville, why was she back in the laboratory again? The same laboratory. How could that be a thing? That laboratory was in the Everyfree Forest. If she'd been teleported, she'd feel the residual effects, not to mention that place had been cleared out.

The idea that a separate facility was created made sense, but the exact same facility? In the Crystal Empire? No. The Crystal Empire was a wild card. There was no way they could have predicted Twilight would head there. She didn't tell anypony about her plans, except for Rainbow Dash. But Rainbow Dash was the element of Loyalty. That was a solid, unchangeable fact. That made her an ally no matter what was happening. No, it wasn't Rainbow Dash. She knew that without a doubt. So, how? How did they track her to the Empire? How did they kidnap her again with guards and protection and crystal warding?!

Twilight's eyes widened again. Bigger this time, and her mouth dropped open. Now she was excited. No. They couldn't have kidnapped her again. That didn't make logical sense. But, then again, she hadn't been moved from Canterlot Castle, and she ended up in Midnight Castle. ...Wait a minute...

Quietly, Twilight peered at the laboratory around her. The machine was still slurping away, but she ignored it. Another clue...She was on the verge of something. She could feel it! A breakthrough of some sort! If she could just fit the pieces together, if she could just grasp that one final piece! She admitted it was much easier now that she'd learned to ignore the device 'torturing' her. Why had she not been able to do so before? Because of the drugs. The only thing that was different in this room was Twilight Sparkle. She hadn't been drugged like before and that was making all the difference! But it was more than that!! She hadn't just woken up, like every other time before. This time, she just sort of appeared. Like she'd been teleported against her will and manifested in the laboratory. But she knew that was impossible. At that distance? Through a solid wall of crystal? Unless the rules of magic had been completely rewritten while she was asleep, she was left with one probable conclusion. That was it! Her heart raced in her chest as she mind formed around a plan.

She drew in a deep breath, swallowed, and hocked up a loogie.

It was absolutely disgusting but she needed to 'create' something in the room aside from herself, and with her horn sealed, it didn't seem like there were any more options. The glob of phlegm landed on the floor with a gross splat in front of her, but Twilight didn't care. She stared at her saliva, doing her absolute best to focus on it and only it. It slowly melted into the floor, oozing into a detestable little puddle. A puddle that quietly crept along the floor.

Twilight couldn't help herself but to grin, watching that hunk of spit make its way across the laboratory floor under its own power. It was utterly impossible, of course, for a burst of phlegm to move on its own, and that's exactly what she was hoping for. The second time she looked down the tongue machine in front of her was gone. And the third time she glanced up, the bindings on the table had been undone, and she dropped to the ground, landing on her hooves.

The only way it could have been possible for Twilight to have been brought back to the laboratory- THIS particular laboratory, was if she were teleported across the country back to her town (impossible) ...or...if she were dreaming.

Maybe it was some sort of residual effect from Luna's dream walking, or perhaps it had something to do with Zecora's potion. Maybe a combination of the two, but it didn't matter! She as lucid, and still asleep! She had to gather as much information as she could before she woke up! The room was almost an exact replica of the laboratory she'd been in before! With all the things that have happened to her, or could happen to her, this was too linear for a common dream. This had all the signs of a designed dream, and it was designed for her. As little as she knew about Dream Magic, she knew it was possible to craft and force dreams upon others. She also knew it was an extremely difficult school of magic to learn. She also knew a pony extremely proficient in the craft.

Before she could move on with her investigation, the room began to fade to white, and the white faded into her guest room in the Crystal Empire. The dream was gone, but she was still grinning like an idiot. She'd just unraveled a major clue, and the enemy didn't mean to give it to her, but they did, and she was going to capitalize on it! Oh, now she was far to excited to go back to sleep!! She leapt from her bed to the guest room desk, and grabbed the quill. She found parchment inside thankfully. She had to get it all down on paper before she forgot anything!

1:I had an extremely linear dream. Changelings are following me. They must be, it's the only explanation for such a well designed linear dream that I would have in the Crystal Empire. Either that, or I've been enchanted to keep having these dreams, and I'm quite sure that I am not enchanted.
2: They don't have the means to collect from me while I'm in the Crystal Empire. The operation is set up specifically in Ponyville.
3: They're trying to confuse me. Giving me dreams that are reminiscent to the actual kidnapping. With the drugs, it's easy to confuse the two.
4: I'm SURE Princess Luna is keeping something from me. (Us) She may even be in league with the changelings, she should be talked to with extreme caution and avoided if possible. Also avoid her protege(?) I think her name is Dizzy Dance? Something like that. I have the distinct feeling she's been watching us, and relating our actions to Luna.
5: If the CoS is still active and in Ponyville, You, Rainbow Dash and Zecora may be in extreme danger. The three of you should head to the library and only trust each other. Spike, try and discern if Pinkie, Fluttershy are acting strange. Tell Rainbow to scope out Applejack and Rarity (Sorry Spike, I'm a little paranoid right now, and you being lovestruck with Rarity is the last thing I want to have happen. Nothing personal, you understand. ;) ) If they ARE acting strange, (Like changelings or something else weird) do NOT let them into the library! Ask Zecora for some sort of dream-blocking potion. I think it would be safer for us all to avoid dreaming for a little while, until we can tell who's on whose side.
6: I should return by tomorrow, pending any more crises that is. Sorry that this is a really rushed letter. I still think it's safer to send you my findings, than keeping them with me. Mind you everything above is speculation, but there is something going on for certain, and it isn't over yet. Keep safe, don't take any risks. I love you guys and I'll be back as soon as I can. As far as I can tell, the goal is still to collect the elements of harmony, but I don't entirely understand why our 'awesome sauce'. Consider yourselves all in danger for the time being. Will write later.
~T.S.

Twilight slapped her hoof onto the table, and watched in silence as the paper vanished in a purple burst of smoke. Straight to Spike. She knew it was early in the morning, but this was far to important to ignore! She glanced behind her at the warm bed she'd left and shuddered. She wasn't going back to sleep. Not after all of that. She needed to focus on something more solid than theories for a while, which meant her next destination was to the library.

Author's Note

Unedited and commercial free, MILKED MARES IS BACK :D