A Dream is a Wish...or a Nightmare

Chapters

Dream
Nightmare
Terms
Existence
Sorry
Friends
Letter
Forward
Normalcy
Protect
Waking
Guests
Shower
Free
Responsibility
Warmth
Treats
Burden
Shameless
Thanks
Teasing
Questions
Happiness
Kiss
Promises

Dream

Disclaimer: All respective characters belong to Hasbro and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. In no way do I intend to profit from this story.

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A Dream is a Wish...or a Nightmare

A few times in one's lifetime, there is that night when one can look up into the endless sea of shimmering stars and purling galaxies, majestic, mysterious and so very far away, to marvel at such a heavenly work of otherworldly art. Every swish, a galaxy. Every splotch, a planet. Every infinitesimal speck, a star. All part of the painting hanging above.

Tonight was such a night, the cosmos displaying themselves in all of their glory for anypony to see and bask in their magnificence.

Twilight Sparkle, a purple unicorn, personal protege of Princess Celestia, loved these nights and as usual, when they came around, she could do nothing but stare for hours on end.

Watching from her balcony that was seldom put to use, Twilight peered through her amateur telescope to see even deeper into the ocean, knowing that her eyes alone could barely even scratch the surface of such an enigmatic piece. Every moment or so, she would swivel her viewing device to a different, precise location to view another galaxy or system, 'oohing' and 'ahhing' in delight as her eyes were treated to such delights, rarely seen first hoof.

Sometimes, she would stay in spots for extended periods of time, slowly and methodically jotting down notes with her magically-handled pencil perched over her open notebook. Other times, she would move from place to place as erratically as Pinkie Pie's speech, her pencil almost literally buzzing as it wore itself down to a bare nub, running out of lead so fast that her sharpening spell couldn't keep up.

"Isn't it just amazing Spike?" Twilight gushed as she finally removed her left eye from the tube and pulled back to get a general view of the nightscape.

"It's really pretty," Spike answered as he sat down with a small blanket and a cup of hot chocolate, enjoying the peaceful evening. "I've never seen so many stars out at once. There's like a bazillion bazillion of em."

"Technically, there's an estimated three hundred sextillion or so plus stars in the observable universe, but you're right. There are a lot of stars out tonight." Spike rolled his eyes.

"Makes you wonder how Luna did it huh? Just think of the time and dedication it takes to make something like this. One little mistake, and you've got all of the research ponies on you, asking why things changed," Spike commented as he took another sip of his hot chocolate, perpetually keeping it warm with his own breath.

"Yeah.." answered the purple mare as she simply stared at the moon overhead, finding such a mundane and continual celestial body to be one of the most beautiful centerpieces of the night. One would think a ball of gray would be dull, boring, completely void of anything interesting, but the Moon was anything but these things to Twilight.

"Oh! The meteor shower's starting!" she exclaimed as she placed her eye back into the glass lens as the shining, burning rocks began to fall from the heavens and disintegrate in the atmosphere. Hundreds and hundreds of bright rocks bombarded the night sky, casting a wonderful light show upon Equestria that danced and moved with the shooting stars in the sky.

Spike closed his eyes tight as he clasped his hands together, as if he were praying to the skies overhead.

"What are you doing Spike?" Twilight asked suddenly, as she raised her eyebrow in questioning.

"Making a wish! Everypony says that if you wish upon a shooting star, it has to come true!" the purple and green dragon answered back promptly as soon as he finished wishing, grinning happily.

"Spike. You know that's just an old ponies' tale. No one ever got what they wanted by wishing on a star." He shrugged.

"Well it's just fun to do anyway. Why don't you make a wish?" Twilight scoffed.

"Making wishes only leads to wishful thinking which leads to lack of results. There's no point really," she recited as if reading from a scientific report.

"Alright then. Your loss." Twilight ignored that, and continued to watch the shower of stars that graced the racing cosmos, believing that closing her eyes for a second to make a wish wouldn't be worth losing a second of the sight before her which happened as rarely as Rarity going a without day washing her mane.

A couple of wonderful hours had already passed, and Twilight found herself almost falling asleep on the cold wood and metal of her balcony. Luna's moon was already far past the midpoint of the sky and was on its descending arc, ready to dip below the horizon in a couple of hours to greet the new day.

'Better turn in,' Twilight, yawning periodically, her body tired and exhausted, thought to herself as she watched the last falling, flaming boulders of space fall. She trotted through her doorway, levitating the already sound asleep dragon into his little basket, folding his blanket neatly over his small, reptilian body. He shifted only briefly before sinking deep into the covers, a satisfied smile in his face. Twilight could only smile in return, wishing her charge sweet dreams.

Twilight yawned again, feeling the tug of sleep become stronger as her comfy, warm bed beckoned for her to snuggle under the soft blankets and lay her head on the fluffy pillow. The purple mare was able to stave off the latest assault, making sure to close the balcony doors and shut the curtains.

Finally, she climbed into her bed, sighing happily as the softness of the sheets rippled across her hooves. Twilight climbed into the welcoming vessel, settling herself in and finally closing her eyes as the darkness of sleep overtook her.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

An immeasurable expanse of luminous orbs, burning with vibrant color, were laid out, bare to the wandering eyes of Twilight in all of her intimacy. Her eyes ran with reckless abandon as her gaze drifted from defined curve to curve, from one system to another, her breath held in wonderment. She feared that letting her breath go for even an iota of a moment would dispel the spell placed upon her heart and soul.

She had watched longingly for ages upon everlasting ages, wishing nothing more but for a chance to confess her affliction of infatuation, her boundless affection for the majestic body laid out before her, yet unable to be spoken. Never had she dreamed of laying this close, the very idea sending her into spasms of fervor in the past. Yet, here she lay, the very image she adored splayed out before her to behold in all of its heavenly beauty, and she could not stop herself from her ardent indulgence, her very soul set ablaze with passion.

Tentatively, Twilight inched her hoof closer, her very frame shaking with anticipation. It pulsed slowly as if encouraging the nervous unicorn, wishing to be united with the mare that had for so long admired her from afar, captured by every perfection and the even more perfect flaws. Finally, Twilight's hoof connected, the coolness and warmth both filling her, as the living yet un-living body rejoiced at her touch, having gone too long without proper attention. The mare explored the masterpiece of nature, finding that words alone would never do justice to the exquisite beauty she held in her hooves.

Slowly, Twilight looked up, having averted her eyes in unfounded fear, and beamed, soothed by the accepting body that so eagerly welcomed her presence. Words were but little, fragile flits of emotion, subject to sharpened tongues and hapless delusions, but with a simple look, the feelings and sayings of her soul were laid bare, open to acceptance or open to destruction. She was utterly at Her mercy as Twilight's lilac orbs bared her love.

The night giggled; Twilight blushed abashedly.

And the timeless night rejoiced as Twilight became one with her, the lavender mixing beautifully with the otherworldly blue in a symphony of celestial instruments, and everything about the night was reborn in a burst of passionate magic.

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Twilight awoke, her face the color of absolute embarrassment. Never had she ever had such a...vivid dream. Her labored breathing, shallow and deep, was a testament to the intensity of the dream. She made no attempt at sitting up and instead turned her jumbled thoughts toward the wonderful dream. The lavender mare blushed again, the images of her passion, dancing teasingly in her mind's eye.

But more importantly, what did it mean?

After a couple moments of brief deliberation, she decided she did not want to decipher the dream that her mind must have conjured up after the events of last night, simply influenced by the late-night stargazing. Still, she could not deny that it had been a rather pleasant dream.

The first rays of Celestia's sun began peeking through the window's shutters, telling her that she had still awoken at the usual appointed time that her daily schedule required and demanded.

Pushing her tired forelimbs out of the soft sheets that seemed to tug at her as if begging for a few more minutes, Twilight yawned and stretched, feeling extremely relaxed. She directed her gaze towards the wicker basket that housed her little assistant, smiling softly as she watched the gentle rise and fall of Spike's scaly underbelly that accompanied his snores.

The lavender mare chuckled, deciding to give the dragon a few more winks of blissful sleep, knowing that the late hours of last night must have taken their toll. Trotting past the slumbering creature, she tiphoofed down the stairs, as she magically drew a bath from across the house.

By the time she had arrived at her bathroom, the warm fog of the cooling waters floated idly, obscuring the large mirror hanging on the wall as the minuscule water droplets gathered on the cold surface. Sighing blissfully, Twilight dipped her first hooves into the water, the ecstasy of the soothing bath doing much for her nerves.

Her hind end finally joined her front as a light splashing sound graced the morning silence. Twilight could only sigh happily, the gentle, warm massage of the bath erasing all thoughts from her mind as she simply floated in an endless sea of euphoria.

She dunked her head under, her morning mane rectified and washed. Grabbing her bath soaps from the counter with her magic, she squeezed a few good-sized dollops on her head and tail, the bubbles beginning to rapidly form upon her lavender and pink. Twilight scrubbed thoroughly, making sure to clean her hairs right down to roots. Next, she lathered her lithe body with her body soap with as much due diligence as she used on her mane and tail.

Twilight grinned, contemplating a lifestyle that allowed her to do this relaxing ritual every day. More often than not, she was only afforded a quick shower, usually called upon for help. Or, it was just Rainbow Dash crashing through her window again.

Finally, having finished her thorough soaking, Twilight stepped out of the bath, the waters now only lukewarm and full of bubbles. Quickly casting a drying spell on herself, Twilight's body and mane instantly turned pristine, the usual image Twilight wore when she left the house.

However, the mare decided to look herself over in the mirror, just to check and make sure her appearance was just right. Wiping a good portion of the mirror with a stray rag, Twilight cleared a large enough hole to peer into her reflection.

At first glance, she was very satisfied with her work, finding not a hair out of place, but suddenly, the lavender mare in the mirror began to shift and melt, giving way to a larger figure, shrouded in black with the eyes of a deadly dragon, aqua and fierce. Twilight wanted to leap away in absolute terror as she silently screamed, but her legs had been locked up tight and an icy chill overcame her, rooting her to the spot like a tongue to the coldest ice.

The reflection gave an airy laugh, grinning madly, her eyes glinting with an uneasy amount of mischief that Twilight could not interpret. Then, the image opened her mouth to speak.

“We meet again my dearest sweet, Twilight Sparkle,” Nightmare Moon murmured with a toothy smile, “Mistress of the Night.”

Nightmare

Twilight didn't know what to do, her frozen mouth simply agape, hanging listlessly on the floor. What could she even do in this situation? The Elements of Harmony weren't here; she certainly didn't have enough time to call for their help, and she highly doubted that disintegrating the mirror into a fine, white powder would actually dispel the monster in front of her. She was still tempted to do it anyway.

“Why so shocked my dear?” Nightmare questioned, her image leaning forward in the mirror while her face actually looked like it portrayed some amount of real confusion and alarm. The fact that she was closer to Twilight didn't really help disarm the trepidation that rooted the purple unicorn in place, however.

“Wh.....what....what are you doing here?” Twilight stammered, trying her best to put on a brave face while trying to simultaneously formulate a plan of escape, “What do you want?” Suddenly, the sounds of light giggling rang through the misty air, and Twilight's eyes shrunk to tiny pinpricks as she deduced that the sounds must be coming from the evil mare in front of her. She wasn't sure why, but that sound was exponentially more terrifying than Nightmare's evilest cackle.

“Well really, it's not a matter of what I want, but instead of what you want my delicious little unicorn,” Nightmare purred, batting her half-lidded eyes alluringly as she pursed her lips.

Twilight squeaked backing up against the tub, almost perfectly imitating her shy friend, Fluttershy, and she couldn't help but feel a little bit violated as Nightmare metaphorically undressed her with her eyes, something that would be rather difficult for most ponies since they were usually always naked.

“I'm...I'm not sure that's a good idea...” the purple unicorn protested, her voice a bit higher and shaking even more, “If you leave, I'll pretend that I never saw you, honest!” Twilight knew that bargaining with an evil supervillian usually never works, but she had to try something.

“Leave?! So soon? Now why on Equestria would I do something silly like that?” Nightmare asked, folding her hooves if pouting, “Besides, I can't really leave anyways.”

“Why not?” Twilight demanded, starting to gain back a little more confidence, as she jumped back up on all fours. She had faced this beast before; she could do it again. Nightmare shrugged.

“It's rather simple really. You and I share the same body now,” the goddess answered with a little grin gracing her black muzzle, a single sharp tooth hanging out. Twilight froze, her mind mulling over what she had just heard. It wasn't possible.

She stared back at the partially cleared mirror, finding that Nightmare Moon was no longer there, but instead only her own image remained in the shining patch, staring back at her with the same aqua-teal, dragon eyes. If Twilight's pupils could have shrunken any further, her eyes would have ended up looking entirely white. Instead, the poor mare's eyes rolled to the back of her head as the dark goddess' giggling greeted her in the warm darkness.

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Everything was so muddled, like walking through a dark cave while wearing a cloth blindfold and holding a flaming torch. Twilight could see, and then she couldn't see. She groaned as she bumped into one of the rough walls again which she had continuously been doing for a while now. The very walls themselves seemed to be shrinking, causing her to slam back and forth every which way as she continued into the cave.

A strange echo floated through the damp and musky air of the cavern, whispering her name, slowly getting louder and louder as she moved deeper in. It seemed close now.

“Twilight! Twilight! Twilight!?”

“Huh! Wha?” the mare rasped out as she finally came to, the light of the morning sun blinding her temporarily as her assistant's rapid shaking finally stopped.

“Phew. Thank goodness,” Spike said, wiping his brow in relief, “I woke up because I heard this loud 'thunk' coming from downstairs! Then I walked into the bathroom to find you out cold on the floor! Are you alright?”

“I'm....I'm fine Spike” Twilight assured weakly, standing up slowly, her hooves feeling disconnected from her body. She looked quickly into the mirror to find only her own plain reflection with the right eyes looking back, just like a good reflection should, but the image of herself with Nightmare's eyes was seared into her memory. “I'm sure I just slipped or something.” Twilight rubbed her head slowly to accompany this statement even though she did not feel any significant amount of throbbing pain lingering in that area that would indicate any sort of head injury.

“Maybe you should go check in with Nurse Redheart. Make sure you don't have a concussion or something,” Spike offered, spotting a rather sizable puddle of water pooling on the tiled floor that could have caused Twilight to fall. The unicorn could only nod, conceding to her worried assistant. She decided to withhold the possibility of being haunted by some crazy, dark goddess from the dragon, not wanting to worry him further than he already was. “Don't you worry. I'll clean this up and have breakfast ready when you get back alright? Just make sure you're alright. Okay?”

Twilight smiled, nuzzling her wonderful helper. “Alright. I'll be back. I'm pretty sure I'm okay.” Spike nodded, shooing the mare out of the house as he began his usual tasks for the day, making sure to make extra coffee.

Slowly, Twilight trotted down the mostly empty streets of Ponyville, deserted because of the early hour of the day, save for a few shopkeepers that were already setting up their stands, ready for another day of selling. Twilight decided against teleporting on the slight chance she did indeed have a concussion; brain damage was never conducive to good spellcasting. Plus, the long trek would let her think about what on Equestria could have possibly happened this morning.

Did she really see an image of Nightmare Moon this morning in the mirror? Or did she simply hit her head on the side of the tub after slipping on a puddle of water, resulting in a vivid, life-like dream? And if so, what caused it?

Without warning, Twilight found herself at the main entrance to the Ponyville hospital, so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed she had already arrived at her appointed destination. The oak doors swung open, allowing her to enter the lobby.

“Ahh...good morning Ms. Sparkle!” the receptionist said with a warm smile as she adjusted her spectacles from behind the mahogany desk, “Is there something I can help you with this morning?” Twilight nodded.

“I think I could have possibly given myself a concussion by slipping on a puddle of water this morning in the bathroom. Can I see Nurse Redheart?” Twilight asked, snapping out of her long reverie, remembering why she had come to the hospital in the first place. The receptionist nodded, flipping through her records, looking for the purple mare's file. She placed Twilight's file on her clipboard, verifying all of the appropriate measures and checking for scheduling issues.

“Luckily, we are not very busy at the moment. Nurse Redheart can see you immediately,” she answered as she finished looking through Twilight's medical coverage and credentials which were all covered under Princess Celestia. “Room three if you will.” Twilight nodded, following the receptionist into the sterilized room, placing herself on the examination table as the sun warmed her back through the window. It was a rather standard room, accompanied by a large metal sink, bio-hazard trashcan and charts plastered all over the white walls entailing how to look for signs of disease or advice on how to keep healthy.

“She'll be with you in just a moment dear,” the receptionist assured as she closed the door. The lavender mare twitched... “dear”. A brief image of the evil, onyx mare flashed through her mind, causing her heartbeat to rapidly rise while her breathing became labored.

“Calm down Sparkle. She's not here right now. It was just a dream. Just. A. Dream,” she forced, willing herself to think of peaceful things, like her lovely mentor in all of her splendid regalia teaching her a new spell. Slowly, Twilight's pulse returned to resting state as the mere image of her teacher was enough to calm her frazzled nerves. She sighed helplessly and silently hoped that she did have a concussion as opposed to the other possibility.

“Good morning Ms. Sparkle,” a sudden soft voice greeted as the wooden doors to the examination room were opened with a click. Nurse Redheart walked in as she reviewed a few files, perusing through Twilight's medical history. “What seems to be the problem dear?” Twilight twitched again.

“Oh...um..I might have hit my head this morning after taking a bath. Spike wanted me to go and check to make sure I didn't have any brain trauma or anything,” she said rubbing her head nervously. The practiced nurse nodded.

“Simple enough,” the white mare answered as she opened one of the various drawers, rattling through the various tools, fetching a shiny circular piece out and placing it on her head, the metal headpiece glinting periodically as a few stray beams of light hit it.

“What's that?” Twilight asked, her curiosity getting the best of her as always.

“Oh, it's just a simple head mirror. Ponies used it ages ago to direct light so they could see,” Nurse Redheart explained, “Normally, I'd use one of the battery-powered light-pens, but they've all run out of power. Luckily, there's enough light to use this right now.” She gestured to the first, powerful rays of the sun peaking through the clear window, directional enough to be redirected. “Now then Ms. Sparkle. Would you please look into the mirror?”

Twilight hesitantly complied, the events of the morning still afresh in her mind. Perhaps she did suffer from some sort of brain trauma, though not necessarily from physical means. Nevertheless, she looked at the circle.

All of a sudden, a brilliant beam of light fell into her eyes as the rays of the morning entered her eye, bouncing off of the mirror. The blinding spot passed from one eye to the other, back and forth for a couple of moments, allowing the nurse to check Twilight's pupils. Nurse Redheart nodded her head in satisfaction as she pulled away. “Well Ms. Sparkle. I believe I can safely say that you do not have a concussion. Both eyes are functioning normally,” Redheart diagnosed as she pulled away from her patient. Twilight sighed, half relieved, half worried, as she looked up towards her caretaker.

She was about to thank her when her eyes suddenly drifted to the shiny piece of metal sitting on Redheart's forehead, no longer a brilliant beacon of light. A single blue, draconic eye appeared there, winking and suddenly disappearing, only to be replaced by Twilight's own wide, purple eyes.

“Well, I believe that is all Ms. Sparkle. If you have any further symptoms, headaches, nausea, fainting spells, or anything of the sort, do not hesitate to come back immediately. Have a nice day dear!” Nurse Redheart finished, checking off appropriate boxes on her report, opening the door and leaving, unknowingly, a panicking purple unicorn who was probably suffering from all of the aforementioned symptoms at once at that moment plus more.

Slowly, she made her way out of the facility, trying to act as normal as possible as she left, hiding all of her terror deep down inside of her, but once she had finally reached the outside, Twilight ran. She didn't know where she was going, but she just ran for her life and for her own crumbling sanity.

Inevitably, she tripped, falling face first into a puddle of water, her perfect mane and coat ruined. She pulled her face out of the water and shook her mane dry, bits of mud and stray pieces of plant clinging to her.

“You should really calm down dearest,” an unfortunately familiar voice sang, making Twilight's eyes snap directly to the makeshift mirror in front of her. “And look! You've gone and ruined your beautiful mane and coat!” The unicorn sucked in a deep breath.

“WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!?” Twilight screeched, unable to take this continuing madness, “I'LL DO ANYTHING! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!” To her unending frustration, Nightmare's only response was more giggling.

“Has anyone told you that you're absolutely adorable when you're frustrated?” Nightmare laughed, holding her hoof in front of her mouth in a rather ill-disguised attempt to stem her amusement, rendering the Element of Magic speechless. “Besides, I already told you. I can't leave you, and I don't want anything from you.” Twilight snorted, not falling for the dark goddess' lies for one moment.

“Yeah right! If you don't recall, I've faced you before,” Twilight snapped derisively, her nose almost pressed against the waving surface of the puddle, her breath creating small ripples that spread out through the small body of water, “I know what you are.” Nightmare smirked.

“Indeed. You faced me when I was in Luna's body if I recall correctly,” the black alicorn agreed, “But that's exactly the point. I was in Luna's body.”

“I fail to see how that makes any difference on whether or not you're lying and are completely evil.” Nightmare genuinely laughed at that comment, much to the annoyance of Twilight.

“Evil? I resent that comment. I am a goddess of dreams and wishes. I merely bend to the will of my master or mistress,” Nightmare responded with a click of her tongue causing Twilight to back up mentally.

“Wha? Wait? Master? Mistress?” the lavender mare spluttered, never even dreaming of hearing those submissive words from the proud goddess who had caused them so much trouble in the past. The dark alicorn nodded.

“Luna was my last mistress. Did she not tell you that I was created by herself?” Nightmare asked, already knowing the answer.

“Of course she did! Your turned her into an evil, crazy pony that wanted the night to last forever! You were born of her hatred and jealousy!” Twilight accused, pointing her hoof directly at the vision.

“Hmm...only partially true I'm afraid. I am my own being. I have been here for many millennia, but during the time I served under the lunar goddess, I was but a mirror of Luna's thoughts and feelings, not a true creation of her mind. She wanted attention and love, and I carried out her will as she saw fit to get it for her,” she answered back matter-of-factly, “For a goddess such as Luna, a mere temper tantrum turned into a declaration of war. Poor Lulu.”

“YOU GOT HER STUCK ON THE MOON FOR A THOUSAND YEARS!” Twilight roared, finding that Nightmare's familiarity with Luna was uncannily unnerving. Despite the rage directed towards her, the dark goddess remained eerily calm.

“She got herself stuck on the moon. Even without me, Luna had envied her sister for a couple of centuries, always walking in the shadows of the most brilliant light in Equestria. All the while, she wanted so much for everyone to love her night as they loved Celestia's day,” Nightmare continued sadly, “When I came upon her, her hatred and jealousy was already well developed, and she willed me to use them to attain her ends.”

“Lies! Luna would never do something like that!” Twilight defended, her voice becoming less and less sure. “She's not evil! You made her evil!”

“Oh, do not get me wrong,” Nightmare retracted, understanding the implications were upsetting her mistress, “Luna loved her sister dearly and still does, but she was just a little filly at the time. She didn't understand that jealousy and hatred are not the answer. Luckily, she learned her lesson, and she has attained her dream. Ponies now love the night as well as the day.” Twilight faltered in her rebuttal. Everything she had thought and known about this enigmatic goddess was shattered. She spoke as if she discouraged hatred and evil acts!

“That's....I don't!....Why!” Twilight yelled, unable to come up with anything else, “Why are you even here then?!” Nightmare smiled tenderly at her.

“Twilight, I am a goddess of the night, granter of dreams and bringer of nightmares. I told you earlier. I am here for you, your wants, your desires and your dreams, to fulfill them in anyway possible.”

“I don't...I don't understand,” the lavender unicorn faltered, “Why did you come to me? Me of all ponies?”

“Because you called for me,” Nightmare replied easily, “Your very being wished, and I had to oblige. Though, I do admit I happily agreed to serving such an exquisite mare as yourself.” Nightmare winked, causing Twilight to do a double-take.

“I didn't wish for anything...” Twilight bit out, furrowing her brow in defiance, trying desperately to hold onto her beliefs that were slowly being shot down, one by one. Nightmare's expression softened, smiling slightly.

“A dream is a wish my Mistress of the Night, and a powerful wish it was,” the dark goddess replied, with a smug grin, “I must admit. I never expected you to have such raunchy dreams my dear, making love to the night itself...” Twilight squeaked again for the second time that day as he face became as red as Big Mac's coat, causing Nightmare to laugh again. Twilight could only babble incoherently as Nightmare laughed away, enjoying the cute expressions of embarrassment that were gracing the unicorn's face. “I leave you now. I'll be in touch soon.” With that, the dark goddess disappeared in a wink. Twilight's reflection returned to normal.

“Wait a minute! Come back here!” Twilight screeched, “I'm not done with you yet!” Suddenly, a hoofstep reached Twilight's ears, and she swung around to come face to face to Applejack who looked a little more than worried that Twilight seemed to be talking to a puddle.

“Ah...Twi? You alright sugercube?”

Twilight groaned and face-hoofed.

Terms

Twilight chuckled nervously, spinning to face her friend while putting on the biggest smile possible, desperately trying to disarm the farm mare's suspicions. She did want to appear somewhat sane at least and absolutely not puddle-talker crazy. Everypony knew what had happened the last time she had struck up a casual conversation with a strange puddle.

“Uh...yeah Applejack! Just fine! I was just uh....” Twilight paused, searching frantically for any viable excuse that would justify her conversing with a stagnant puddle on the side of the road in the fledgling hours of the morning. “....yelling at my new land fish!” she declared emphatically, shifting her eyes away from Applejack, knowing that making any sort of eye contact would completely shatter her horribly constructed lie like a breeze blowing against a house of cards. “Silly guy. Keeps jumping into water whenever he sees it, even after I told him to control himself.” Immediately, Twilight cast a simply disruption spell underneath the surface of the shallow puddle, creating a small splash that seemed to qualify her statement, making it look like there actually was a “land-fish” swimming around in the makeshift pond.

Despite this, Applejack's eyebrows raised in suspicion, finding that something was, for a lack of a better word, fishy. She eyed her purple unicorn friend dubiously, not about to let her guard down after the last incident that had required divine intervention to stop. Twilight's wide smile continued to broadcast through all of the probing directed her way while beads of anxious sweat began crawling down her face.

“Hmm...well if ya need any help with the lil' critter, I'd be happy to assist ya. Sounds like he could use some discipline,” Applejack suddenly offered, highly interested in this “land-fish.”

“No!” Twilight panicked, slightly affronting the hardworking, earth pony with her sudden and immediately hostile response. “Oh..um...sorry about that AJ. It's just that he's really, really shy, like Fluttershy shy. He doesn't like anypony all that much yet, except for me,” she amended, wringing her hooves in a silent prayer, begging for any divine that was listening for mercy. “What are you doing out this far this morning, Applejack?” the unicorn deflected, hoping to throw the snooping farm mare off the scent.

“Uh..No reason!” Applejack answered quickly, her face scrunching up into a tight knot as her eyes began dodging Twilight, her whole frame tense and suddenly fidgety, “Ah...actually, I really gotta be going Twi! Can't dawdle. Good luck with that land-fish!” Abruptly, the apple mare took off, leaving Twilight alone on the road, a cloud of brown dust being the only indication that a pony was there just moments before.

The lavender mare finally exhaled, wiping her forehead in relief as she scowled. Twilight would have some choice words for a certain dark goddess the next time they met. She looked at her hooves and grimaced, a vile combination of mud, sweat and stagnant water clinging onto her. She groaned, knowing that another washing was in order.

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Spike had learned ages ago: silence is truly golden. He refrained from making any smart remarks as Twilight dragged herself through the front door, tracking mud all over the wooden planks of the library floor which he would surely have to clean later. Twilight absentmindedly announced that she was fine, having received a clean bill of health, which was enough to satisfy the worried dragon. He waved her off towards the bathroom as he got to work on cleaning the new mess.

Twisting the metal knob appropriately to the “warm” position, Twilight could only moan hopelessly as she stepped back into the tub for the second time that day, letting the warm shower water clean her defiled coat and mane. Going through the same washing procedure, she attempted to relax, but unfortunately, it didn't seem to have any recognizable effect. Twilight was just too high strung to enjoy it, knowing that all of her problems had started in this very room, the source being mere hooves away from the edge of the porcelain tub.

She closed her eyes, trying to imagine herself back in the resplendent, royal washrooms where the chamber maids and servants tended to her every need, offering everything from massages to hooficures. Twilight sighed, swearing that she could almost feel the expert hooves of one of the maids working away at the kinks in her neck, a perfect combination of rolling and kneading doing wonders for her stressed muscles.

“Lower,” the unicorn purred automatically, losing herself to her wonderful daydream, the combination of barraging, warm water and expert, ghost hooves befuddling the state of her mind that was so desperately looking for relief.

“Of course,” a distinctly feminine voice responded, snickering all the while as the sensations traveled further down Twilight's body. The unicorn's eyes popped open in shock as her muscles tensed up again, much to the chagrin of her spectral masseuse that had just finished working on them.

Twilight didn't dare scream, knowing that it would send Spike flying into the room, and then all hell would break loose from there, remembering that he didn't have the best of constitutions. She turned her head slowly to to face the mare, however, not a single soul stood behind her in the tub, contradictory to the continued massage her shoulders were receiving.

She whipped her head to the mirror directly across from her, afraid of what she would find displayed there. Twilight nearly choked as her eyes took in the scene: Nightmare Moon was shown in the tub, pressed intimately against the little unicorn's frame, her hooves moving rhythmically up and down the purple mare's body.

“Now...shall I go....lower?” Nightmare whispered throatily into Twilight's ear as she leaned forward, causing the Twilight's neck hairs to stick straight up. Without hesitation, the purple unicorn switched the temperature of the water to “cold”, the absolutely frigid water numbing away all feeling. “Aww..you're no fun Twilight! I thought you wanted a massage.” The dark goddess retracted her hooves, crossing them as if pouting while she faded from the mirror.

Finally, the squeaking sounds of the metal knob being turned off signaled the end of Twilight's second washing for the day and second bathroom rendezvous with the naughty, dark alicorn that seemed intent on mentally and emotionally debasing her with every appearance.

Shivering violently while she rubbed herself dry with a towel, using the friction to warm herself, Twilight didn't even spare a glance at the reflective wall, hoping that out-of-sight literally meant out-of-mind. She scurried out of the room without so much as a syllable slipping out, wanting nothing more than to have a normal day.

“Oh, hey Twilight,” Spike greeted as he piled some fresh, blueberry pancakes, topped with a coffee hazelnut spread on a plate for the purple unicorn, making sure to return and grab the most important piece, the coffee.

The heavenly aroma of the imported coffee she had bought in Canterlot immediately wiped away all thought from Twilight's mind as she levitated the cup of liquid gold, letting it cool for a minute before she downed the drink which tasted like it was infused with the very ambrosia of the ancient gods. Combined with the fruity, chocolate warmness of the pancakes, the meal was absolutely perfect, and Twilight actually started to feel a little relaxed.

“Thanks Spike. I really needed that. You're the best,” Twilight said as she nuzzled her favorite assistant fondly, “What would I do without you?” Spike laughed as he happily took a bite out of his emerald and opal infused pancake.

“Probably starve,” he deadpanned with a smug, playful grin, eliciting a much needed giggle from Twilight. For the first time that morning, she actually felt normal.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Twilight ambled through the now-lively streets of Ponyville, having surprisingly heard nothing from the entity that had been pestering her all morning, not that it bothered her in the slightest. She continued along her way, wishing happy greetings to plenty of ponies while she picked up the week's groceries and supplies, namely a month's worth of black ink, quills and parchment. Levitating all of her goods above her head with her magic, Twilight trekked back home.

Opening the front door, she delicately attempted to squeeze the food and writing tools through into the library, hoping that an ink bottle wouldn't break, destroying all of the parchment in the process.

Finally able to wiggle everything inside, she directed them to their rooms and lodgings while she made a trip to the kitchen, hoping to snatch up the last drops of coffee that she had been saving. However, as she entered her kitchen, she noticed that she wasn't alone.

“Darling! Oh how wonderful. I was just about to go and look for you,” Rarity said with a smile, trotting over to her unicorn friend to give her a hug, “How are you on this fine morning?”

“Definitely been better,” Twilight stated dryly as she poured the last remnants of the black elixir into her cup.

“Oh that's simply dreadful darling,” the white unicorn consoled, “I do hope you feel better soon.”

“You and me both,” Twilight sighed, pulling up a chair for herself and her friend as she waited for her coffee to cool. “Do you need something Rarity?” She nodded apprehensively.

“Now, I hate to spring this on you at the last minute Twilight, but I'm afraid that I really have no other option.”

“Sure Rarity. What do you need?” the purple unicorn asked as she warmed up one of the leftover blueberry pancakes, still feeling a slight pang of hunger. Idly, she levitated the cup of coffee to her mouth as she waited for Rarity's request.

“Well you see...I simply must have your body,” Rarity answered in the most serious tone possible, causing Twilight to expel the glorious potion violently as she choked on the air thrown up by her lungs, “for modeling my dress darling! My latest client is a unicorn that is just about your size. She's getting married in about three weeks.” The lavender mare couldn't answer as she was too busy trying not to die, smacking her chest madly in an attempt to regain her escaping breath. “Oh goodness! Are you alright Twilight?” Mentioned mare coughed and spluttered frantically while she tried to get her own body and blush under control.

“Fine...fine...” she whimpered, the sting of wasting such good coffee causing her eyes to water. Why did it seem that everything was out to get her this morning? “Not...not a problem Rarity. I'd be happy to help.”

“Splendid darling!” Rarity exclaimed happily, clapping her two hooves together, “Let us not waste a single moment.” The white unicorn abruptly grabbed Twilight by the neck, whisking them out the door and onto the streets towards her boutique while Twilight lamented the death of her poor, precious coffee.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

“Oh no no no,” Rarity declared disdainfully as she ripped off the offending piece, “Much too garish.” Twilight lightly rolled her eyes, trying her hardest to remain patient, but she had been sitting in this wedding dress for hours, trying on different accessories, accenting them with various gemstones and bearing the inescapable heat that the dress inflicted. It looked like shower number three was already lined up for the day. “What do you think of this amethyst darling?” Rarity asked as she levitated the stone into place, bonding it to the center of the dress. “Oh my! It looks absolutely stunning with you in the dress.”

Twilight shook her head hopelessly, having gone through this routine for the last few hours. Just when Rarity was about to decide which jewel looked best, she would rescind her choice, believing that there was another stone that would fit the letter better.

“I'm sure it's fine Rarity,” Twilight stated with as much forced enthusiasm as she could muster, “If you're going to pick another stone, make it match her eyes or something.” She really was trying her best to not fall asleep standing up right there, but fashion details were only so exciting.

“Oh what a marvelous idea! You see I was trying to accent her fiance, but perhaps you're right. She does have the prettiest set of ruby red eyes that would absolutely dazzle anypony,” Rarity ranted on. “Maybe a brilliant garnet for her eyes, or even a blue topaz centerpiece with red opals......” Twilight didn't hear the rest of Rarity's creation speech, having drifted off to sleep.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Twilight opened her eyes, gasping in surprise and delight as she found herself back in the world of the night, the endless void greeting her with happily familiarity as it embraced her presence. Like an old friend, the night enveloped the unicorn in a hug, sighing happily as She ran her hooves lovingly over the mare's splendid body, memorizing every crisp bump and every smooth curve.

She led Twilight to the shore of the patient sea, summoning a boat of shimmering stardust out of the blackened space. The night climbed in, beckoning for her lovely unicorn to follow in suit, wanting her for a companion on their journey. The boat itself pulsed in agreement, announcing that only two could make the journey, and only for two, the vessel would move across the starred ocean. She offered her hoof to the unicorn, her endless orbs of crystalline perfection pleading and wishing.

Twilight smiled as she firmly grasped the outstretched hoof, knowing that she would go anywhere with the perfect creature that she loved, always wanting to be able to bask in her beauty and adore her, body and soul.

Together, they departed from the first plane of mundane existences, venturing forth into the unknown that awaited them, knowing that as long as they were there for each other, their otherworldly love would transcend all time and space.

The night gazed longingly down at her partner, whispering her name as a vow and prayer, inching forward, her lips mere centimeters from the fervent unicorn as they floated through the heavens in a moment frozen in time.

“Twilight...Twilight...Twilight...”

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

“Twilight! Twilight Sparkle!” Rarity yelled, waving her hooves frantically in front in Twilight's blank face. The distracted mare suddenly realized that somepony was vaguely calling her name and shook her head.

“Huh? What!?” she stammered, finding a rather concerned friend staring intently at her.

“Darling are you alright?You looked rather.... distracted, and you're a bit flushed,” the pony fashionista said, concerned, noticing the unusual color of Twilight's face. She pressed a hoof to the librarian's forehead, finding it to be extremely hot. “Oh my goodness! You're burning up Twilight!”

“Uh...I'm just tired,” Twilight answered automatically with an awkward chuckle, not wanting Rarity to get one whiff of what really had happened, “I stayed up a bit too late last night watching the stars.”

“You poor thing...Twilight! You should have told me you didn't feel up to modeling for me. I would have never forced you to do this if I had known you were feeling under the weather,” Rarity chastised, shaking her head. “Now you take that dress off right now. You've helped me plenty all ready. I'll boil some tea, and then you will go home and get some rest,” the white unicorn commanded as she set herself to her new task, sending various rolls of thread, cutting instruments, needles, ribbons and fabric all over the room to their respective places. “I'll be right back Twilight.” She descended the stairs to fetch Twilight's herbal tea, leaving the lavender mare alone.

The purple unicorn sighed as she slipped off the dress, her coat rejoicing as it found relief in the cool air. She stared at the collection of gems Rarity had amassed at her worktable, drawn to a sizable aquamarine that glittered in the mid-day sun, reflecting everything in the room, including the face of a certain unicorn.

“You really do have the most beautiful dreams my dear.” Twilight groaned, pulling her face; she should have known.

“Nightmare..” Twilight begrudged, trying to keep her interactions at a minimum, hoping it would drive the dark goddess away.

“I must say that you looked absolutely ravishing in that dress Twilight,” Nightmare continued, ignoring the fact that Twilight didn't wish to speak with her, “I particularly liked the purple topaz and blue diamond combination myself. They complimented you rather well, especially your eyes.” Twilight blinked, replaying what the black alicorn had just said in her mind.

“Uh...thanks I guess,” the lavender mare replied awkwardly, not quite sure of what to make of Nightmare Moon anymore, each appearance confusing her more and more.

“I wonder if that unicorn keeps anything else in this shop. I'd wager more than my fair share of the moon that you would look undeniably se....”

“Alright that's it,” Twilight snapped, her eyes widening in realization, cutting off Nightmare's sentence while grabbing the jewel housing the dark goddess with her furious magic, her face heating up so much that it felt like the very room itself had plunged into the sun. “If we are going to be stuck like this, we are going to have some rules!” She paused as she waited for Nightmare's reaction, finding that the night alicorn seemed very receptive, almost encouraging. “One: Don't talk to me that way! Or flirt with me or try to seduce me. Two: No appearing when my friends are nearby. Three: You had better not hurt any of my friends, or I swear to Celestia and Luna that I will end you.”

“Splendid! But before I agree to your terms, I have some for you,” Nightmare responded gleefully, “One: You acknowledge that we now share the same body and that I am a part of you now. Two: You allow me to manifest myself as necessary. And three: You allow me to fulfill your dream in any way possible.” Twilight mulled over the goddess' terms, knowing that accepting would be akin to making a deal with the devil, but at this point she was already experiencing hell by just talking. If making this deal would save her from that, she was fine with it.

“Alright then. Nightmare Moon, you've got yourself a deal. I acknowledge that you are now a part of me and may manifest whenever it is deemed necessary to fulfill your mission of making my dream a reality,” Twilight summed up, watching as a wide, genuine smile spread across Nightmare's face.

“And I, Nightmare Moon, goddess of dreams and nightmares, do bind myself to you, to serve, to protect, to rise with or to fall, agreeing upon the terms set forth by you, Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic,” the goddess finished dramatically. The contract was set.

As soon as Nightmare finished, Twilight felt an immense rush of energy and power wash over her, which could only be explained by the arrival of a slumbering divine taking up residence in her being. She sighed, finally feeling like some progress had been made.

“I admit. You held out a lot longer than most ponies Twilight,” Nightmare said with a cheeky grin, “I find it admirable that you were able to resist me for so long. It has been a while since I had a very competent mistress. Most ponies yield within the first encounter, so embarrassed by their true desires or truly desperate to fulfill them. This should be interesting.” Nightmare laughed enthusiastically. “Luna was extremely smart, but had a rather tunnelized vision of her own dream, far too inflexible. But you have so much potential.”

“Great...” Twilight muttered, wondering how she ever got into these situations, “So how does this work?”

“I'll explain to you in more detail when have a more private space to communicate where we will not be interrupted,” the dark alicorn answered, “Until then, you have fun! Oh, and you really did look rather fetching in that dress dear. Ta ta!”

“I thought I said no flirting!” Twilight said, aggravated that her rules were already being broken from the start. Nightmare giggled.

“I prefer the term, complimenting,” she said simply before finally vanishing, her image erased from the smooth surface of the gemstone to be replaced by Twilight's. A light jingling of laughter rang through the air as Twilight wondered what in Celestia's name she had just signed up for.

Existence

After repeatedly assuring an overzealous Rarity that she was indeed fine and not nearing her deathbed, Twilight slammed the door shut, leaning up against the cool wood of the front door, wistfully sighing as she slumped to the floor in exasperation. She dumped the prolific amount of extra clothing Rarity had insisted she have on the floor, staring up blankly at the empty expanse of the library ceiling.

She called out for Spike, but no voice or dragon returned her summons. Most likely, he was out on a midday errand. However, the unicorn was half-relieved and half-irritated that she didn't have her assistant there to help her.

“What a mess,” Twilight muttered as she brought herself to her hooves, knowing that Rarity was going to go out and tell all of her friends that she was ill, and that would make them all worry and freak out. She could be expecting them later on today without a doubt, sporting all sorts of get-well gifts and wishing. Twilight had to deal with the local, resident goddess quickly is she even hoped to act normal during that.

Drudging up the stairs, she plopped herself down in her bedroom at the foot of her bed, wheeling over the full body mirror she owned to commence after making sure no pony else was hiding in the house, particularly a pink party pony who had a penchant for hiding in mirrors and yelling "FOOORRREEVERRR". Deeming it was safe, she began, looking straight at the mirror.

“Alright...I know you're there,” Twilight said, glaring at herself for a good minute, the purple unicorn in the beauty device remaining unchanged, perfectly imitating her every movement. “Nightmare...” A little titter, confident and mischievous, filled the air as Twilight's image transformed in a blur.

“You called?” the visage of the dream goddess asked, a knowing grin plastered across her muzzle as her aquamarine eyes scanned over her host.

“You know darn well I did,” the lavender mare snapped, tired of the head games and playing around, “Can you just act serious for once? This is important to me, and if what you say is true, to you too.” Nightmare's smile suddenly dropped, her face taking on a serious expression, a sight that still made Twilight a bit uncomfortable.

“Very well then,” she answered, her voice no longer light and playful. She sat down on her haunches in the mirror as she prepared for the question session. “You may begin whenever you deem yourself ready Twilight. I did say we would talk.” Said mare balked, believing earlier that getting to this stage would require a lot more teeth pulling; Nightmare was anything but predictable. However, she pressed on, undeterred.

“I want to hear more about this contract. What does it mean for me and for you?” Twilight questioned boldly, direct and to the point. “Also, how does this body-sharing work? Are there any side-effects? Negatives? Positives?” The black alicorn nodded.

“As you are the contract holder, the contract you have struck with me binds my essence to yours, temporarily, until the payment has been met. For you, this means the fulfillment of your dream,” Nightmare lectured, repeating information Twilight already figured out. However, the mare knew something: there was always a price for a service.

“And my payment for you?” Twilight asked, her face dead serious and even threatening. A pregnant pause labored in the bedroom; Twilight's incessant stare never wavering from Nightmare's image as she awaited the announcement of her dark price.

“A chance to see the world,” Nightmare answered finally, her voice quiet, almost trembling. She looked away, trying her best to avoid answering the question in full. Of all the things Twilight had expected, Nightmare's answer was not one of them.

“What do you mean Nightmare?” Twilight asked, her voice absent of of any hostility, confusion taking its place. Surely the reasons behind the entire ordeal were not that simple. Wasn't there an underlying plot? A secret motive? Some eventual grand plan for world domination that Nightmare would facilitate through her?

Nightmare sighed, looking off to the distance as if her eyes were fixed on some nonexistent object conjured by her mind or memories. “It is unimportant to you,” she answered coldly and curtly.

Twilight's eyes squinted to dark slits. No pony withheld information from her.

“As your mistress, I demand that you tell me,” Twilight barked, banking on the fact that Nightmare had referred to her as the contract holder. This time, Nightmare was the one to physically balk, surprised that Twilight had become so aggressive and forward. She regarded the gutsy unicorn for a second, and instead of refusing, Nightmare actually smiled.

“Very well my mistress. I'll tell you,” she answered, amused, deciding to play along. “Having no body of my own, I must rely on others to experience the feeling of living,” Nightmare continued, her eyes returning to the small unicorn, boring into her. “Or else, I am merely an entity, not a being, a warped construct with no real place on this plane. I, in the real sense of the word, live through others.” Twilight paused, trying to absorb this new piece of information, but she was having trouble wrapping her head around it.

“Couldn't you just manifest on your own?” Twilight asked pointedly, “You didn't seem to be having a problem with it at the Summer Sun Celebration. In fact you created like three Shadowbolts to try and trip up Rainbow Dash.”

“A manifestation through Luna's body and powers,” Nightmare replied simply with a shrug, “She was my host.”

“Did you ever have your own body?” Twilight asked, her voice soft and unsure. Nightmare looked away again, her speech stopped, faltering in her stoic demeanor, believing that the unicorn would have given up by now.

“Once, but no longer. I am cursed to roam the plane of ethereal existences, to live through centuries and millenia with no real place of my own.”

“That's...” Twilight could only whisper, feeling shudders of pity snake through her frame. “I can't imagine...”

“Indeed...most cannot,” she replied sadly, averting her eyes from the waves of pity Twilight directed her way, “And I am glad for that. No pony should have to suffer the same curse as I, to be real and not real, to believe you exist when really you do not.” Nightmare hung her head, the otherworldly, starry blue mane covering her face. “In fact....the face you see now is but a construct of your own mind and memories. I have no real image anymore, lost to the annuls of merciless time.” Twilight was speechless, her eyes blinking in pure disbelief. “For even with all of my power, I cannot reverse my fate of nonexistence.”

“That's why you need a host...” Twilight whispered, her voice trembling as she attempted to reign in her overflowing emotions. Nightmare nodded.

“It is also why I made it my mission to fulfill the dreams of my hosts. It is what I owe them for allowing me to live again, even if only briefly,” the black alicorn said as she lifted her face, a fierce expression of determination replacing her melancholy. “If I am to exist, even for only a fleeting moment, I wish to make a difference.”

“And what will you existence do to me?” Twilight continued bravely, trying to shove away the unpleasant reality of Nightmare's situation.

“Honestly, I am not sure,” the dark goddess answered, “Every pony who has hosted me has reacted differently to my presence. Luna, for example, created an alter-ego of her desires, using my power to fuel her other body. One past master used my powers to actually give himself magic, despite the fact that he was just an earth pony. There is no telling how you will react to my power, especially since you have so much of your own already.” Twilight nodded.

“Lastly...are you lying to me about all of this?” she asked, eying the mare of darkness straight on, searching for any signs of deception. Nightmare's eyes softened as a sad smile tugged the sides of her mouth.

Her eyes began to glow a brilliant cyan blue as the entire glass surface was enveloped in the same brilliance, the streaks of light coursing from the mirror in powerful beams. Twilight put her hoof up in front of her eyes quickly, the flash blinding her. She removed the hoof, to find that the mirror was no longer a mirror, but like a screen displaying something.

It was a simple picture, a circle of four ponies sitting around a fire, laughing, and giggling; four friends simply having fun.

“What is this?” Twilight asked, finding the scene to be reminiscent of her own friends when they hung out.

“This...this is my dream,” Nightmare's voice whispered, “To be able to exist, to live like a normal pony.” Suddenly, a fifth pony appeared, her coat jet black while her aqua eyes sparkled with the same jovial laughter as the rest as if she had been there all along. For the second time that day, Twilight was rendered speechless.

“I...I...I..” Nightmare's image returned, and Twilight could feel a comforting hoof placed on her shoulder.

“Do not worry yourself with my troubles my dear. Let us focus on the here and the now, and more importantly your dream,” she said, her normal smile returning. Twilight made sounds of protest, but Nightmare held up her hoof, insisting. “I'd rather not go over my own troubles, and instead help solve yours. After all, that's what I'm here for right?” The purple unicorn fiddled her hooves, unsure.

“If you really want to...” Twilight asked, feeling guilty.

“C'mon now Twilight!” Nightmare said, her demeanor flipping back to cheery, perverted self, “Cheer up! I wouldn't want my favorite sexy mistress to get upset would I?” Twilight screeched, her face heating up to a cute pink as she flipped out in place.

“Don't. Ever. Call. Me. That. Again,” Twilight ground out, finding it entirely too encroaching and highly disturbing. Nightmare giggled.

“But teasing you is too much fun mistress,” the black alicorn replied with a toothy glint. Twilight sighed, but smiled, glad that Nightmare seemed to be back to normal. However, she silently resolved to research more about this enigmatic goddess later. “However, I suppose I can agree for now.” The purple mare groaned. “Moving on. So how much do you know about your own dream?”

“Huh?” Twilight blundered, thrown off by the sudden question. She searched her mind trying to come up with a suitable answer, but aside from the dreams she had had lately, she could not dredge up an response that will suffice.

“I see,” Nightmare responded, grasping the gravity of the situation, “Rejecting your own desires is unhealthy Twilight.”

“It's not that! It's just that...” Twilight protested, her defensive stance going up, not expecting the conversation to switch so suddenly to her.

“There are too many variables to consider and no real process to follow,” the black alicorn stated plainly, finishing Twilight's sentence for her. “No list will help, and few observations will assist. Finding love is not a science or a mathematical formula you can derive from studying a multitude of ponies or a multitude of relationships. Relationships grow, live, breath, feed and die. To take on a relationship is almost like taking on a filly or colt, you have to raise it yourself and adapt to your situation without warning or pretense.”

“I know....and that's what scares me...” Twilight admitted, hanging her head low, “I'm afraid to fail, and I've never failed...” Nightmare smiled tenderly.

“If you love, it is never a failure, no matter what the outcome. Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. And if you do not lose it, all the more better,” the black alicorn stated, “Your dreams are the first step. You dream of a what looks like a mare of uncompromisable beauty in your first dream whom you yearn to love and fill with your love.” Twilight looked up, taking in every word of Nightmare's counsel. “Your second dream, fleeting as it was, is a manifestation of your desire for a partner, a partner willing to take you on a journey, a permanent relationship where there is no turning back. A soul mate.”

Twilight knew Nightmare was right, but she had never admitted it to herself. Ever since she had moved to Ponyville, she had watched on as ponies got together and grew together into something she could only hope to have. Even now, after a few months, Twilight found herself envying her own brother's happiness, wishing that she could find somepony as perfect for her as he did for himself.

“I wouldn't even know where to start...” Twilight lamented wringing her hooves, and Nightmare nodded, knowing this already. However, her face changed into a mischievous grin.

“Fortunately for the both of us. I do!”

Sorry

Twilight stared skeptically at Nightmare, thinking that any method that the goddess could conjure up could only end in tears, and in turn, the black alicorn spared her a disregarding look, her bold smile relaying nothing but confidence in her plans.

“Why do I get the feeling that this is all going to end up with me looking like a complete and utter foal?” Twilight asked with an exasperated huff, causing Nightmare to pout.

“Don't knock it until you try it mistress,” the dark alicorn countered with a wide grin, “After all, do you have any other brilliant plans to accomplish your goals?”

Twilight sighed, knowing the truth of her answer. “I suppose you're right.” She had been trying to figure out this whole “romance” business for ages now, finding that all of her data and research she had found in books were either outdated, inapplicable...or just downright disturbing. “So what is the first step Nightmare?” the purple mare questioned impatiently, truthfully wanting the answer to her long instilled query.

Nightmare chuckled, finding this eager Twilight rather adorable. “Simple my dear. The first step would be to identify what you find attractive in a pony, other than the fact that they are insanely beautiful and good in bed,” the black alicorn answered cheekily, drawing another crimson flood to make itself apparent on her host's cheeks. Twilight fiddled her hooves nervously, having never thought about what attributes were appealing to her.

“Um...well...knowledgeable, understanding, supportive, loyal...fun?” the mare hazarded, uttering the first five words that came to her mind.

“Hmm interesting. Now how about five things you don't like?” Nightmare offered, finding that outlining limitations and negatives were a good way to weed out particular ponies. Twilight paused, taking a moment to compile a list of attributes that seriously peeved her.

“I definitely wouldn't want them to be mean or demanding. Not clingy or overly arrogant. And absolutely not ignorant,” Twilight said, her voice much more sure and definitive than before; it was much easier to state negatives than positives.

“Well done my mistress,” the dream goddess replied, mentally cataloging Twilight's responses in her memory banks for future reference, “Now then we continue to the real first step!”

“Wha?” Twilight asked, surprised, “That wasn't the first step!?”

“Nope!....Well it is part of it.”

Twilight groaned. She should have known. “What is it really then?”

If it were possible, Nightmare's smile would have easily rivaled one of Pinkie's happiest grins. “Dating! Time to take a leisurely stroll around town my dear.”

Before Twilight could protest and without warning, the unicorn found her four limbs moving on their own accord, propelling her away from the mirror and down the stairs to the main level.

“What!? Hey! What's going on!? Nightmare!” Twilight yelled as her sentient hoof opened the front door without her prompting. She was trying her best to resist, but her own body refused to answer her frantic calls and demands.

“Just trust me Twilight,” a mischievous voice in her head purred, and Twilight could almost feel the smirk plastered on the goddess' face.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Twilight was scowling as she moved further away from her abode, having regained her ability to control her limbs after stepping away from her dwelling. She didn't quite know what to make of the sudden development, but she did find it highly disturbing and equally frightening. Whenever she tried to re-enter her home, her hooves would just fold up on themselves and turn her right back around without fail, like two magnets of the same polarity coming near.

“C'mon then mistress. We don't have all day!” a recognizable voice cheered from nowhere, much to the growing annoyance of a certain lavender unicorn that was forced out of her home.

“Nightmare...” Twilight growled to herself, resulting in another bout of giggles from the enigmatic goddess, “What did you do!?”

“I merely gave you the right push my dear,” the voice answered simply, a small degree of smugness hidden behind her feminine voice, “Had to do something to get you out here, because I know you would have refused to start right this minute.”

“I can walk on my own you know!” the purple unicorn snapped, finding that being puppeted and marionetted around by another entitiy was insanely invasive and very much unwanted. She tried to deny it, but Twilight was scared...scared of what else the dream goddess could do to her.

“Oh stop worrying so much! I already told you that no harm would come your way,” Nightmare restated with an irritated huff. She had easily filtered Twilight's thoughts and knew her fears. “Shesh, it's like you don't trust me at all.” Twilight snorted.

“Oh no. Of course not! I trust you one-hundred percent,” she answered sarcastically, boiling at what Nightmare had just pulled.

“Great! Let's get to work then,” the dark alicorn pressed on, either ignoring the remark or actually unaware. Twilight would have bet on the former in a heartbeat.

“Work on what!?” All you told me was that the first step was dating,” the purple mare bit out, no amount of displeasure hidden in her voice. “I wouldn't know the first thing about dating.”

“That's easy. We're going to go check out some mares,” Nightmare answered gleefully, mentally prodding her host forward into town, not giving her host a say in the matter.

“Whatever...” Twilight answered, still mad at the alicorn for pulling that stunt. She began walking towards Sugercube Corner, deciding that if she was going to be forced out of her own home, she would at least grab something to eat.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

“She's cute! What about her?” that constant, annoying voice asked for the umpteenth time as Twilight ran into another one of her friends, seriously jarring her state of mental sanity. She was about to go mad.

Twilight looked away from the mare in front of her that Nightmare had decided to comment on excessively, causing another round of blushing to make its way onto Twilight's face.

“Are you okay Twilight?” a soft and kind voice asked, her gold eyes rolling around in her skull periodically as she stared at the flushed unicorn, her bulging cloth bag of undelivered mail hanging by her side.

“I'm fine Derpy,” Twilight answered unevenly, trying her best to keep her voice level as Nightmare continued to comment on the pegasus' fine backside and absolutely adorable set of eyes that no other pony could ever imitate. “Just headed over to Pinkie's to grab a snack.”

“Ooo! Do you think she has some fresh muffins!?” Derpy asked cutely, her whole demeanor and eyes lighting up as she imagined her favorite food items coming fresh out of the oven, their heavenly aroma of buttery goodness and perfect flavor invading her nose as she bit into the exquisite fluffiness of the confectionery delights.

“Uh...Derpy?” Twilight asked as she watched a drop of drool plop down to the floor from the easily distracted pegasus' mouth. The mail mare shook her head to clear her mind of absolute paradise, noticing the strange looks she was receiving from a couple of passerby ponies.

“Whoops....Sorry Twilight. I got a little bit too excited,” the gray pegasus apologized, her wings slightly protruded outward, much to her mortification.

“Oh I can tell,” Nightmare snickered deliciously, filling Twilight's head with all sorts of images that she did not want to dwell on. Twilight mentally swatted the dark goddess away for even suggesting....

“Oh! I know! How about I come with you to visit Pinkie?” Derpy suddenly proposed, breaking Twilight's mental scolding and throwing her back into the realm of reality.

“Huh...what?!” Twilight yelled loudly without meaning to in her disorientation, causing Derpy to wilt a bit at the less-than-happy response. The lavender unicorn flinched a bit as she watched the hurt filter across her friend's face. “Oh..sorry Derpy. Of course you can,” she quickly amended, smiling as a real grin broke across the wall-eyed mare's face.

“Yay!” the gray pegasus cheered, unaware of the mental battle her friend was suffering through.

“Oh..hoho! Look at you, you little vixen. Getting a date already, even before we finished checking out all the mares!” Nightmare said with an elated laugh.

“It is not a date!” Twilight immediately shot back mentally, becoming more and more flustered with each passing remark.

“Uh huh! Sure it's not. From the way you're still blushing, I don't think that's the truth.”

“Shut up...that's your fault...” Twilight answered weakly, trying her best to quell the insistent redness on her face, “It's just two friends going out to lunch. Nothing else.” However it didn't help that Derpy kept looking back at her, smiling all the while and oblivious to the plight of her unicorn friend, her face scrunching up into a joyful grin as they neared the bakery and all of its delectable muffins.

“Oh c'mon! You cannot tell me that that isn't the most adorable face you've ever seen,” Nightmare teased, receiving nothing but indignant spluttering and babbling. The dark goddess mentally grinned; one Nightmare, Twilight love, hopefully literally too.

Luckily for Twilight, she was saved from answering by the arrival of a certain pink pony that loved to pop up out of nowhere.

“Omigosh! Derpy! Twilight! Perfect timing!” Pinkie yelled as she pulled both of the unsuspecting mares into the bakery which was completely empty, “Just what I needed! Some testers for my new, superly awesome, super-de-duper top secret project!”

“Pinkie...” Twilight began to protest before a treat was shoved into her mouth for her to taste, and the lavender mare had no choice but to chew. She bit into the unknown desert, her mouth suddenly flooded with a multitude of extremely pleasurable sensations and favors that ranged from tangy to sweet to spicy. It was like eating happiness given form. “Welllllllll?!?”

“That was absolutely delicious Pinkie! What was that?” Twilight congratulated, earning a high-pitched squeal of joy from the excitable party pony while Derpy shared the same sentiment by merely clapping her hooves in delight.

“Yay!” Pinkie cheered as she danced around in a circle of success, making a mental note to start producing it in mass quantities. “So what can I do for you girls?” she asked as she slunk back behind the counter, almost as if she had been there the entire time. It was a secret project after all. Twilight took it in stride, knowing Pinkie would reveal her creation when she deemed it ready.

“I'll take a slice of strawberry cheesecake,” Twilight said, garnering a nod from the baker pony. Pinkie then looked over to the memorable mail mare, already knowing her order, but asking for it anyway.

“Muffins!” Derpy answered simply.

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie said as she disappeared, sinking down and disappearing out of sight from behind the corner, reappearing a moment later with a large slice of her premium cheesecake and a basket of fresh muffins. “On the house! Especially since you two helped me with my project!”

They couldn't protest and simply accepted the kind gesture, receiving their treats with happy thanks. Twilight trotted over to an empty table to enjoy her snack, only to find Derpy setting herself down in front of her, beginning to hungrily devour the cornucopia of muffins that must have been akin to food from heaven for the eccentric mail mare.

“Cuteness overload beware!”

“Shut up!”

Derpy must have noticed the grimace that crossed Twilight's face because she stopped mid-bite, setting down her latest muffin.

“Oh..I'm sorry!” the gray pegasus said, putting her hooves to her mouth in fear, embarrassed at how much fervor she had put into eating her afternoon snack. “Um...do you want one Twilight?” Derpy offered nervously.

The unicorn shook her head and assured the feverish mail mare that she was alright, telling the innocent pegasus to continue as she was. Derpy grinned enthusiastically and continued eating, unaware of the relentless pestering that Twilight was enduring.

“C'mon Twilight. Just ask her out already!” Nightmare insisted again, much to the unicorn's chagrin. Twilight had had enough.

“Look! Derpy is off limits. I'm not the right thing she needs right now....Besides, she's already an unofficial-official couple with Doctor Whooves, and Dinky loves him. I don't want to mess that happiness up!” Nightmare's mind was immediately filled with information relating to the mentioned ponies, and she gasped as she grasped the situation.

“Oh...” the dark goddess murmured, her voice dropping, feeling extremely guilty for pushing so hard. Nightmare didn't want to ruin Derpy's family or anything like that. “I didn't know...”

“You didn't bother to find out,” Twilight sighed mentally, slightly upset. She couldn't blame Nightmare entirely seeing as she didn't know the entire story.

“I might have gotten ahead of myself here...”

“You think?”

A moment of rare silence persisted in Twilight's mind as Nightmare held her tongue as she stewed in her burdened conscience.

“Sorry...”

Twilight blinked, replaying that simple word in her mind, finding it something she believed Nightmare would never utter or even think about uttering. Everything was changing.

“I forgive you...” Twilight answered mentally after a moment of deliberation as she allowed herself to mean those words.

“She's still pretty cute,” Nightmare remarked afterward with a giggle, no underlying, implying tones accompanying her statement, much to Twilight's relief.

Finally, the unicorn did smile as she watched her friend slowly continue through her basket of treats, each muffin accompanied by a smile. “Yeah...I guess.”

“That pink pony is really sexy though. Her plot is totally smoking hot,” Nightmare continued, undeterred.

Twilight groaned, slamming her face into the table. It was going to be a long afternoon.

Friends

Twilight stumbled as she pushed the door that led to the outside streets of Ponyville aside, her head dizzy from repeatedly bashing her skull into that table in a foalish attempt to stem the inappropriate thoughts Nightmare Moon streamed her way. She felt sick: one from eating too much of Pinkie's savory, moist cheesecake, and two from the mind-splitting headache that wracked her brain, courtesy of the physical and mental torture.

However, she would continue. Twilight was never one to do things halfway. She was on a mission, a forced one, but a mission nonetheless. The purple mare turned to head deeper into the town, knowing the dark goddess residing in her head would enjoy commenting on each of her friends in the most lewd way possible. It was hard to ignore the throbbing pain, however, and Twilight hoped she hadn't given herself a concussion.

"Twilight...if you don't feel up to it, you can go back home and rest," Nightmare's tentative voice said, an underlying tone of concern baked into the sentence. She may have liked teasing her hostess by pointing out all of her deliciously curved friends, but Twilight's well-being was important.

"I thought you said you wanted to see all the mares," Twilight responded spitefully, feeling every bit as foalish as she thought she would. Just because Nightmare had suggested returning, Twilight would continue into town defiantly. However, the slow and powerful throbbing of her injury wasn't really helping her mood either; Twilight was feeling unusually testy.

"The mares will be there tomorrow, and I'm pretty sure the day after that. There's plenty of time," Nightmare answered, trying to sound somewhat detached, "It's my job to make you happy anyway, and this pain isn't really helping...though... if you like pain I can easily...."

"Shut it Nightmare..." the lavender mare cutoff, not even bothering to contemplate what the naughty night goddess had intended to say, lest another violent blush arrest her face.

"Alright. Alright. But really, let's just go home Twilight," Nightmare conceded. She really did want to go check out all the potential, but her mistress came first.

"First you want me to go out and force me, by bodily possession, to check out mares. Then you harass me while we do, and now you want me to go back when we're not even finished just because I'm in pain. Gee....I'm glad you care so much," Twilight responded sarcastically, putting all of her frustrations into her response. Nightmare cringed, feeling the bite of her host's words.

"Well....yeah...it sounds bad when you put it that way," she muttered, feeling guilty again, especially after the Derpy incident.

"I'm surprised that you even cared that I was in pain. Isn't it your mission to fulfill my dream 'though any means necessary?'" Twilight questioned darkly, knocking her head with her hooves again, trying to dispel the most recent waves of scorching pain that seared her brain. She was nothing more but a service, and her happiness, a payment.

"Hey! I may be manipulative, crass, obnoxious, and a little perverted," Nightmare protested violently, earning an incredulous, mental stare from her suffering host, "But that doesn't mean I don't care!"

"Whatever..." Twilight muttered stubbornly, recalling all the statements Nightmare had flushed into her head from the last half-hour, most of them having to do with Pinkie's flank and "eating her delicious candy" which resulted in Twilight's face meeting the varnished wooden tables....repeatedly.

The purple unicorn continued on stubbornly just to defy her housed goddess. She was going to prove she could still do what she felt like doing, with or without Nightmare.

Unfortunately, she forgot one crucial detail.

Twilight's legs suddenly swung around on their own, changing her destination from the marketplace to the center of town, towards the library.

"Hmmph. You're going home to rest. You're going to put some ice on that bump, or I'll just use your body to do it myself," the dream goddess decided firmly, as her power forced Twilight's limbs to carry her back home.

"Let me go!" Twilight shouted as her limbs refused to cooperate with her.

"No. You're hurt and tired. There's plenty of time to fulfill your dream, and it's not going to get done nor is it any easier with you injured like this," the black alicorn answered matter-of-factly, much to Twilight's frustration. Unable to physically resist, Twilight bombarded the goddess with mental curse after mental curse. Nightmare grimaced, able to feel the resentment Twilight was piling up against her. She sighed; none of her past hosts had ever made such a fuss. They were always ready and happy to let her do what she willed. "You're one stubborn mare you know that?"

"I could say the same to you," Twilight answered bitterly, but she couldn't help but feel glad that Nightmare was taking her back home.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Twilight sighed happily as Spike, having returned from his errand, applied the bag of ice to her forehead again, thanking the literally mind numbing sensation for relieving her of some of the pain.

"So how did this happen again?" Spike asked dubiously as he held the icepack in place, the thick scales of his claws able to feel the bump through the bag.

"Uh...I attacked a table?" Twilight answered sheepishly, earning an incredulous stare from her assistant. "Anyways...did you get everything." He nodded.

"A month's worth of scrolls. Fifty wells of black coal ink. Ten packs of premium griffon quills. And twenty pounds of Equestrian black, honeycomb coffee," Spike listed off expertly, earning an appreciative grin from the student unicorn.

"Great job Spike," Twilight replied, making a mental note to pick up some ice sapphire treats when she went to Canterlot later on that month. "At least one thing is normal today..." she muttered, low enough so that Spike wouldn't hear it. Suddenly, three rapid knocks sounded from the front door.

"Twilight!" a loud and brazen voice called, "Are you in there!? Twilight!" The called for mare groaned. Of all the times Rainbow had to use the front door, why did it have to be now? Ironically, she wished her cyan pegasus friend had just crashed through the window to visit her as usual; it would at least be a little less noisier.

Spike allowed Twilight to take the bag as he walked to the front door while the purple mare endured Rainbow's continued yelling and shouting.

"Rainbow! Can you keep yer voice down?" Applejack reprimanded, "Poor Twi's prob'ly sicker than a rattlesnake in the middle o' wint'r!"

"Oh dear...oh dear," Fluttershy's worried voice carried through the wood, "I hope she's getting the right things to eat and drink. Bad nutrition could prolong her sickness."

"She looked okie dokie lokie to me today when she visited the bakery!" Pinkie announced, "Didn't look sick at all. Nopeety nope!"

"The poor dear's most likely putting on a brave face. You know how she is. She would hate for us all to worry!" Rarity chimed in as Spike opened the door, "Oh Spikey! Is Twilight in?"

"She's in the kitchen," Spike answered, grinning at his endearment, and he led the girls to the suffering purple mare.

"Uh..hi girls," Twilight groaned, trying to sound as happy as possible while readjusting the icy bag on her head to a better spot. Her headache was already coming back.

"Oh my goodness! Darling, you look even worse than earlier!" Rarity declared as she fawned over the sitting purple unicorn. "Whatever did you do to yourself?"

"Long story...don't want to tell," Twilight ground out as she shut her eyes, wishing that sound could relate directly to eyesight, and she braced herself for the wave of undeserved and loud concern. It still warmed her heart though, even if it hurt her head.

"What in tarnation! Twi, looks like ya went three to five with a no good timber wolf!" Applejack exclaimed, examining the head wound closely. She whistled. "That's gonna to hurt in the mornin'."

"It's nothing," Twilight assured weakly, trying to play off her self-induced injury as unimportant. She would feel extremely dumb if she had to admit the head wound was her own doing.

"Nothing my hoof!" Rainbow responded loudly, "If I didn't know any better, I would have said you crashed because you didn't plan an exit strategy for a stunt.....Not that I would know anything about that!" Twilight rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine guys...really," the purple mare tried, "I've just been...occupied. This is just a small thing." She was pretty sure having a body-possessing, perverted dark goddess inside of her was exponentially more expensive for her sanity.

"With what?" Pinkie asked as she popped her head out, one of her eyeballs stretching impossibly out of her head, "I bet it's a super-duper secret. I'm on to you mister and your sneaky ways!"

"Uh..Pinkie...Twilight's a girl," Fluttershy pointed out, confused, "Are you sure you're okay Twilight?"

"Yeah..." she responded, wishing she could just break out and tell them what was really going on, but every time she thought about it, various, horrible reaction scenarios filled her head.

"Hey guys...Nightmare Moon's spirit is actually alive and living in me, basically harassing me to find a special somepony and bed them until bodily exhaustion." Yeah...that would go over well.

"Wait...what are you occupied with Twilight?" Spike asked, curious about what Twilight had taken on. Usually, he was the first to know when Twilight picked out a new project. The five other ponies looked at Spike questioningly. Normally, he always knew what Twilight was working on.

"Emergency group huddle minus Twilight!" Rarity exclaimed, pulling the four other ponies and the dragon into a conversation huddle.

"Psst! So what do you think is going on with Twilight?" Rainbow asked, her whisper barely quieter than her normal voice, "I hope she's not freaking out about being tardy again."

"Oh hardly darling, Twilight came to us the first time that happened. We would easily know if that was it," Rarity countered, "No no...this is something secret, so secret that even her best friends in the whole wide world cannot know about it. Oh, it must be something dreadful!"

"Or embarrassing..." Fluttershy squeaked, wondering what kind of mortifying secret Twilight held.

"Maybe she's actually a changeling. And she's stressing because the higher-ups are demanding her to kill everyone in Ponyville, but she doesn't want to! It's like: 'Twilight, we want you to kill all of your friends!' 'But I don't want to!' 'But you must! Muhahahahahahaha,'" Pinkie rambled, as the edges of her poofy hair began to slightly straighten and darken.

"Uh...No," Applejack deadpanned, "But I don't think it's our place to pry. Her business is her business."

"But if it's doing her bodily harm, maybe we should know about it," Fluttershy argued quietly, her mind analyzing the large bump on Twilight's head, "As her friends, it's our job to protect her too."

"Perhaps she is stressing over personal issues. She doesn't get out a lot, and I hardly think it does any good for her social life and mental well-being..." Rarity continued dramatically, no idea how close she was to hitting the nail on the head.

"Her social life? Really Rare?" the apple farmer responded with high amounts of doubt, her brow furrowing in disapproval.

"Well whats your explanation then Applejack? I hardly see you offering any brilliant ideas."

"Oi! That don't mean nothing. I'm just trying to be courteous and not pry into other pony's lives. Something that you don't seem to be able to NOT do!"

"Pry?! It's clear that something is wrong with Twilight! I'm just trying to do my part and help her!"

"Uh...guys? I'm still sitting right here," Twilight said, coughing to grab their attention. Her headache was intensifying, and the ice pack was rapidly melting as it took in the extra heat from her head. "I really appreciate the concern guys, but my headache is only getting worse," the lavender mare announced. The group broke up quickly, embarrassed.

"Terrible sorry darling. It's just that SOME of us are awfully worried about you," Rarity apologized, glaring at Applejack who returned the glare in full.

"I'm plenty worried," Applejack defended herself, "I just have the SENSE to know when to back off."

"Why you little!"

"Argh! Can you two just shut up?" Twilight groaned as she clutched her poor head, "You're making my head spin....I just have somepony plaguing my mind is all." She twitched. Twilight had not meant to say that.

"Oooo!" All five of the visiting friends gushed as they crowded around the lavender unicorn, interpreting what she said as something completely different. Twilight groaned.

"I told you it had to do with her social life!" Rarity declared victoriously, giving her best, ladylike smirk to Applejack.

"And I told you that it was something to leave alone," Applejack fired back hypocritically, feeling just as triumphant as her white unicorn friend. She may have preached privacy, but even Applejack couldn't resist hearing more about Twilight's special friend.

"Guys! I'm pretty sure there are more interesting things to figure out here," Rainbow reminded them, shaking her head hopelessly.

"So so so! Who is it? Who is it!" Pinkie yelled as she bounced in placed excitedly. She saddled herself up right next to the suffering purple unicorn, the tip of her nose practically touching Twilight's, her whole frame shaking in anticipation.

"Go on Twilight. Tell us who the lucky stallion is!" All five of her friends and Spike urged, wide and mischievous grins plastered on their faces. She facehoofed, and Twilight swore she could hear a certain black alicorn rolling around and laughing hysterically. How in the world was she supposed to answer that?!

Letter

She was doomed. There was simply no way out, no ambiguous answer that would satisfy their powerful curiosity, and no blatant lie that would be overlooked or ignored. She was utterly and truly bucked.....but that wouldn't stop her from trying until her entire lie exploded spectacularly in her face.

“Uh...errr..ummm,” Twilight stammered, unsuccessfully trying to compose herself in order to fabricate a lie on the spot. It was hard though; she was trying to cover up for nearly impossible things, one: she had a naughty alicorn goddess living in her and two: her friends wanted to know what stallion she had her eye on. Both of them by themselves would be hard to avoid answering or revealing, but together, it would be like defeating Discord, a past Nightmare, and Chrysalis at the same time.

Her usually sharp mind drew a blank, and every theoretical route she could take only ended in disaster. Twilight was backed into a corner, both literally and metaphorically, the hounds of truth slowly closing in on her like a frightened, helpless doe caught in the woods alone.

“Maybe you could try telling them the truth,” Nightmare proposed, much to Twilight's disbelief.

“No. Just imagine the kind of chaos that it would create!” Twilight mentally responded as bead of nervous sweat began to pour down her face in buckets; she was pretty sure Fluttershy hadn't even sweated this much when they had faced that dragon on the mountain!

“I'm sure lots of things would be created! Imagine all the sexy fun times!” the dark alicorn cheered, referring to Twilight spilling the entire truth, dream and ambition included. Twilight could only mentally spaz, trying to keep her physical state somewhat normal under the pressing conditions, but twitches of panic creaked down her spine.

“So!?” the other five ponies urged, their faces only inches away from Twilight as their piercing gazes waited for the lavender mare to spill all.

“Uh...he's....he's from Canterlot!” Twilight lied quickly, but she knew it would only be a matter of minutes until the flimsy fib was debunked and decloaked.

“Oh my goodness! Canterlot,” Rarity exclaimed with a grand flourish, imaging Twilight's mystery stallion as a dashing, young, rich unicorn with an air for romantics, “I can see it now! Separated by such a distance, Twilight Sparkle and her midnight stallion find a way to keep the fires of love alive in their hearts, knowing that the other's passionate light is pointed their way in hope, and one day, the two destined lovers will be united in an amorous meeting under the stars where they will declare their eternal dedication to one another. It's just like a fairy tale!” The white unicorn swooned, falling over with a sigh, imaging herself in Twilight's place. The other six simply looked at her questioningly, strange stares aimed at their favorite fashionista.

“So.....besides that...” Rainbow continued, dismissing Rarity's outburst and jumping back on the trail, “What's he like? What's his name!?”

Twilight blanked. She hadn't prepared anything during Rarity's fervent speech, no background, no personality, no physical description, no first meeting and definitely not a name. Her already barely functioning lie factories went into overdrive mode, overheating and collapsing on themselves, rendering the poor, purple unicorn a spluttering, rambling mess. Nothing came to mind.

“I really wonder how they communicate though,” Fluttershy commented quietly, saving the lavender mare for just a moment, “I imagine that much distance would really put a strain on a relationship.”

“Letters!” Twilight yelled abruptly and desperately, her eyes shifting back and forwth madly while her forced smile twitched.

“Huh?” Spike questioned, his face contorting into confusion, “But we haven't received any letters lately.” Twilight cursed. How could she forget that Spike handled all the house mail from Derpy and all the dragon mail as well. Practically everything that came into the house went through Spike's hooves first if Twilight didn't bring it in herself. “How have you been getting them?”

“Um...well...I...” Twilight began, but her friends were getting impatient.

“What's the name Twilight?!”

“I hope he doesn't mind the distance....”

“Oh, you must simply tell me how this happened darling!”

“Well, I guess I'm happy for ya Twi! Finding a good stallion is hard these days.”

“I know! It's time for a party! We'll invite him down here and hold the a party for the newest, bestest, most awesomenest, new couple ever! And then, we'll know his name, what he looks like, what he's like and what he does. Then we can watch him and Twilight make kissy faces all day long!”

“I just want to know the name! C'mon Twilight!”

“I hope he's nice...”

“He had better have class, style and good looks darling. And of course, he must be a gentlestallion. You deserve the best.”

“Well, I reckon that there ain't a luckier stallion out there than your sugercube Twilight.”

“And then we can plan for the, first month anniversary, the second month anniversary, the third month anniversary, the six month anniversary, the first year anniversary and alllll the way up until the wedding!”

Twilight bypassed the bodily twitch and went straight into convulsion mode. She was going to lose it! The unicorn could feel the explosion slowly building inside of her as she began to lose control of her sanity, magic, and emotions. Within moments she was going to burst into a rambling, flaming, panicking wreck that would most likely spill everything instantly.

“Hello!” a sudden, cheery voice called from outside the house, interrupting the makeshift gossip session, “I brought you a letter Twilight!”

Before the personal protege of Celestia could teleport to the door, Spike arrived first, opening the door and taking the new letter from the eccentric mail mare.

“Ooo! Ooo! Who's it from? Is it from Twilight's mystery stallion!?” Pinkie shouted as she bounded over to the small, purple dragon in one excited leap, hanging her head over his shoulder as she read the envelope. The other four ponies rushed over to the small dragon as well, curious and hopeful. Sly smiles adorned their faces as they glanced over to the stunned unicorn who was staring blankly ahead at no pony or object in particular.

“It doesn't say,” Spike replied, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. He wasn't sure why somepony would leave their return address off.

“Oh my! Secret love letters,” the generous unicorn gushed, acting out another fainting spell. All of this mushy, hopeless romantic romance had her reeling.

“Open it! Open it!” Rainbow yelled, hoping that a name would be revealed and more details of Twilight's secret love affair would be exposed.

“I don't think we should,” Applejack said, feeling a bit guilty, “I want ta know just as much as everypony else, but I draw the line at opening somepony else's mail. It ain't right. It's an invasion of privacy.”

“But..It's not addressed to anyone, just the library,” Rainbow commented smartly, “For all we know, it could be for Spike or something.”

“I usually open all of Twilight's mail anyway,” Spike responded with an indifferent shrug, ripping open the letter with his sharp claws and plucking the contents out.

“What's it say? What's it say!” Pinkie yelled, rapidly running around the room to exhibit her anticipation. The purple dragon decided to hand it off to one of his friends, and an overzealous cyan pegasus ended up receiving the article which she began to read out loud.

Dear Twilight,

I hope you're doing great. Things have really been quiet lately without you around. It was always a lot more lively when you stopped by. Shop's still going strong luckily, but I think that's because Celestia likes cake too much. I hope you can visit soon. We all really miss you up here. Oh, and the next time you visit me, I have some special creme filled donuts for you to try out. It's a new, special recipe of mine, and I want you to be the first to taste it, especially since the yearly Equestrian Sweets competition is coming up!

Lots of love,

Joe

Perhaps it was the way Rainbow had read it, but every pony's face in the room was colored a deep cherry red.

“Oh my my my,” Nightmare laughed, “I had no idea you had such delicious connections my dear.” The black alicorn howled with laughter, able to feel the absolute mortification apparent on Twilight's face. Her mistress didn't even have a mind to answer back because all of her brain fuses had burned out. “You may prefer mares, but I think we could make a side trip for some stallion donuts.”

If she could, Twilight would have blasted open a hole in the ground and buried herself in it, pretending to not exist. All of the mental images that Nightmare conjured up using her memories was enough to send her into mental breakdown.

“Joe!? As in Donut Joe?” Spike choked out, actually falling back and fainting, his small body hitting the wood floor with a thud. He was out cold.

“Buh....buh.....buh...” Twilight responded uselessly, her mouth failing to move as she wanted as her derailed mind attempted to get back on track.

“Well..um..” Fluttershy stammered similarity, no small number of dirty thoughts running through her mind, and there was no doubt that the others were thinking along the same line. The butter pegasus 'eeped' in embarrassment as her wings flared, and she shrank down to the floor, pretending to be invisible. The fact that she had also read no small number of steamy romance novels wasn't helping her either.

Rainbow handled it a bit differently, however. Her wings were fully snapped out from her sides, but she was giggling, never imagining Twilight to be so....adventurous.

“It's always the quiet ones they say,” the speedy pegasus commented innocently, not noticing her flight school friend blush harder along with Twilight.

“It's not...I mean...It's not what it looks like!” Twilight protested weakly, her voice coming out shakier than Pinkie's “doozy sense” talk. Combined with the extremely low volume, almost Fluttershy low, no pony seemed to believe her.

“But it could be I bet,” Nightmare added slyly, breaking open a fresh branch of blood vessels as Twilight's mind was refilled with various dirty suggestions.

“No! No! No! Absolutely! NO!” Twilight yelled back with an aggression that Gilda herself would have been scared of. The dark alicorn could only giggle until her metaphorical ribs gave out.

“Oh don't worry Twilight,” Rarity's unsteady voice soothed, fanning herself with her forehoof to cool off her own heated face, “You're secret is safe with us. We're all grown mares, and we all have our own needs after all. No one thinks lesser of you.”

“Gotta give you props Twilight,” the cyan mare added with a cheeky grin while crossing her hooves in approval, “Joe's a pretty big stallion, almost as big as Big Mac. I bet he's a killer in bed.” Fluttershy squeaked, cowering behind her hooves, not used to discussing anything remotely sexual with her friends.

“I'd appreciate it if ya didn't compare my brother to another stallion having....relations with one of ma best friends Dash,” Applejack fumed uncomfortably. Dash flashed her a rebellions smile. Twilight groaned. Things had gone from bad to complete disaster, just as she had predicted, in a matter of moments. Stupid letter. Stupid Nightmare. Stupid dreams!

“I'm not in a relationship with Joe,” Twilight suddenly said, her voice eerily calm and controlled, contrary to her prior state of panic. The lavender mare didn't even know where she had pulled the fortitude and composure to respond like that.

“You're welcome,” Nightmare answered cheerily, and immediately Twilight understood. However, she didn't know what to feel again. Gratitude? Embarrassment? Fear? Hope? Hate?

“Oh my,” the kind, yellow pegasus exclaimed, “Are you sure Twilight?”

Again, without her prompting, her body moved on its own, answering Fluttershy's question with a definite, distinctive nod.

“Joe's like family to me. He always ends his letters like that. And he doesn't include a return address because he knows that I know the address for the store already....Though, I'm not sure why he didn't include a name that indicated it was for me. It was most likely just a mistake on his part.”

Slowly, her friends began to grasp the truth of the situation. Twilight wasn't in a relationship with Donut Joe. It was all just one big misunderstanding.

“So you're not in a relationship right?” Rainbow murmured nervously, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment.

“No...” the purple unicorn sighed, standing up slowly in an attempt to make herself look and feel normal. The five other mares shuffled in place timidly.

“I told ya'll we should'a just left it alone,” Applejack whispered fiercely, her face heating up in mortification.

“Oh dear...” Rarity said, “This is dreadful! We put you into a situation where you had no way to deny having feelings for Joe because we wouldn't allow it! Oh, I feel absolutely horrid. Our overzealousness got the best of us I'm afraid.”

“But wait...who's “the pony on your mind” then?” the prismatic haired pegasus questioned desperately, having slightly calmed down. Twilight sighed again, setting herself down on her chair, rubbing her eyes with her hooves.

“It's not like that Rainbow...” she breathed out, trying to de-stress herself by taking deep breaths. “It's....complicated.” It was a famous, cliché answer, but nothing else could have been perfectly applied towards her situation. The other five ponies idly kicked at the ground, ashamed that they had jumped to conclusions so quickly.

“Sorry Twilight,” Rainbow fessed up first after a moment of palpable, awkward silence, “I kinda lost my head over the whole coltfriend deal. I was really hoping you had one.”

“I must confess my apologies as well Twilight,” Rarity chimed in, “I feel downright horrible for not letting you explain yourself first.”

“Me three!” Pinkie added with a sad frown, “I didn't mean to be a meany face and invade all your privacy. I just thought that if you got a coltfriend, you'd be really happy, and they we would be really happen. So everypony would be really happy!”

“Even though I preached leaving it alone, I still bothered you about it. I'm sorry Twilight,” Applejack confessed, looking away in shame.

“Um...I hope we didn't hurt your feelings or anything like that. If we did, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive us, because we're really sorry,” Fluttershy whispered, still cowering in the corner.

Twilight could only grin at each of her friends fondly. There really was only one answer. “Of course I forgive you girls. You're my best friends.” They all cheered, running up to their favorite magical unicorn and enveloping her into a group hug. “Look, when I get a coltfriend or whatever, you guys will be the first to know. I promise.” Her friends cheered at that.

Off to the side, Twilight mentally noted that a letter to the princess was in order, and even now, she was glad she had so many amazing friends.

“So....Twilight. How do you feel about group sessions? They are all mares after all,” Nightmare cut in abruptly with a devious giggle, shooting down the lavender mare's composure completely, the five sided contact only amplifying the saucy visions the goddess was creating.

“Uh...Twi? You should really get that there twitch checked out.”

Forward

Weakly, Twilight pushed the heavy wooden door back into its place in the wall, finally closing the entrance to her house after the last of her friends had departed. It had taken a lot of coaxing, bribing, pinkie promising and headache to convince her friends to leave, because, while they accepted the fact that Twilight would tell them everything eventually once she deemed the time right, it didn't stop them from snooping around for any other inconspicuous signs that the sneaky mare had left behind.

“So now that everypony else is gone....Can you tell me the secret now?” Spike asked casually, making the best begging face possible, enlarging his eyes and collecting just enough tears to garner sympathy and bypass Twilight's usual defenses.

“No,” Twilight deadpanned immediately, causing Spike to fall back in surprise. Usually, the begging face always worked!

“But...” the baby dragon began to protest, only to be cut off by the pointedly unamused face of his caretaker. He quieted and shuffled away nervously to prepare himself for bed.

“Well, I think that went as smoothly as possible. Don't you think?” Nightmare declared airily, only hardening her mistress' already souring mood.

“Yeah...just peachy,” the lavender unicorn answered icily. She hadn't even had Nightmare for an entire twenty-four hours, and she was already causing her all sorts of trouble. “Now my friends are going to be watching my every move, placing me in awkward romances at the drop of a feather whenever I talk to a pony.”

“Oh c'mon Mistress. It won't be that bad,” the dark alicorn attempted to soothe, deciding not to push her upset host any further, “I'm sure that they could be of some help actually. Perhaps they know some mare that would suit you perfectly?”

“Oh yeah, because broaching that topic would go so swimmingly. Hey guys, I actually don't like stallions at all and would much rather dig into some hot mare flank. Did I forget to mention that there's an immortal, nymphomaniac, alicorn goddess living inside of my head that likes to make lewd comments about all of my friends?” the stressed out mare bit out spitefully, hanging her head as she slumped to the ground.

Everything had been fine just yesterday. She had been living her life in bliss, writing letters to her favorite and glorious mentor on the Magic of Friendship, hanging out with her friends, saving Equestria every now and then, and enjoying her life in Ponyville in general.

Nightmare grimaced internally, able to feel the waves of despair her mistress was giving off. What was she supposed to do now? All of her past hosts had been on top of the world, sometimes literally, within a day of her inception into their lives, but this one seemed genuinely unhappy, even regretful. But what could she do? Nightmare had no idea how to console a pony, much less cheer them up in a gentle manner. Her usual tactic revolved around making a dirty joke and shocking her host out of their stupor. However, her gut told her that it wouldn't work this time. Nonetheless, she had to try something.

“Um..Twilight?” Nightmare ventured uncertainly, using her mistress' name in a completely normal fashion for the first time, “Uh..look..Don't feel so sad okay?” The dark alicorn was pretty sure that she hadn't done it completely right, but no pony would be able to say she hadn't tried.

“How can I not? Now only do I not know what to do about you and myself, but I can't tell anypony else that I don't know what to do either!” the purple mare lamented, “I thought I could handle this...that I would just take this whole issue in stride and everything would work out somehow. But...I'm completely lost.”

Nightmare shuddered at how defeated Twilight's voice sounded and, even for her, it was heartbreaking. This wasn't the Twilight she knew, the one that had run at her straight on without fear or hesitation, willing to do whatever it took to defeat her, even if it meant risking her life. For some reason, it made her angry to see Twilight so down.

“Hey! You had better not be giving up on me Twilight Sparkle! I promised that I would fulfill your dream, and by my own name I swear that I will. But I can't do that if you give up! I'm supposed to be making you happy! So get off of your flank and off of the ground. You're stronger than this, and both of us know it!” Nightmare yelled angrily, jolting Twilight out of her brief depression. “So, you don't know what you're doing. So what? That's why I'm here in the first place! Stop moping around and let's start thinking about ways to fix this!” the dream goddess finished with a huff.

Twilight sat there for a second, replaying what the irritated alicorn had told her in her mind. It stung, the truth and conviction behind those words, but for some reason, they also made her happy.

“You have a weird way of cheering up ponies...” Twilight muttered, standing up with a light smile dancing on the bottom of her muzzle. “Most ponies don't shout to snap others out of their sadness.”

“You were annoying me with that defeated attitude,” Nightmare responded, feeling a little embarrassed for her passionate outburst, and she could only ask herself why she had responded so violently. This time, however, it was Twilight who giggled in response, only intensifying the blush on Nightmare's mental face in a strange role reversal.

“Well thanks anyways,” the purple mare said, “For some reason, it made me feel better.”

“Yeah...sure..” Nightmare murmured, feeling more self-conscious with each passing second. She wasn't good at this kind of mushy feeling stuff.

Now, Twilight did smile, amused that Nightmare was acting bashful. “And you're right. It's best to not dwell on what could have been. I should be thinking about what can be and what I can do about it.” Nightmare smirked, proud of herself and glad that her mistress had returned to normal.

“Yeah well, I think that acting should wait until tomorrow. It's getting late. Although...if you can find somepony willing, I'm sure they could keep you busy for a few late hours,” Nightmare answered with a snicker, reverting to her normal, perverted self.

“Hardly,” the lavender mare answered with a small blush, “You keep me plenty busy anyway.” Instantly, Nightmare froze, reviewing what her unicorn mistress had just uttered in response to her baiting, and likewise, Twilight had halted her steps, face-hoofing spectacularly for using all the wrong words.

“Let's just forget I said that...”

Unfortunately, Nightmare had no intention of ever forgetting it and instead began laughing all over again at the expense of her flustered mistress who hastily and emphatically declared that she was going to bed...alone.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

In the middle of the celestial seas, laden with the light of stars and planets, Twilight and the Night pushed onward, undeterred by the endless expanse before them that promised no recourse or hidden paradise of milk and honey, but they knew it was out there, waiting for them to claim it as their own.

Somewhere, that isle of heaven waited in the cloud covered mists, unclaimed, unblemished. There the fruit of their love would grow together in the virgin soil under their watchful eyes until it bloomed and flourished.

Twilight knew not what direction they headed, nor how far they had gone, but she knew that with her love, the Night, they would find it. In the small, softly swaying boat, the Night sat beside her, sharing her warmth and happiness with the vigilant unicorn.

It was quiet, the soft ripples of their vessel gliding through the heavenly waters like a cloud floating through the tranquil night sky, the wake of their little ship marking their fateful path through the starlit seas.

While the beautiful, celestial waters flowed past them, Twilight only stared at her lovely Night, knowing nothing in this world or the next would ever compare to the jewel of perfection before her. Her eyes were the brightest stars Twilight would ever see, and her form was the most resplendent miracle to grace her existence. And unknown to her, the Night thought of her in the same way.

The purple unicorn sighed happily, leaning up against the warm body of her lover, enjoying the long journey they were taking together under the eyes of the moon above.

Suddenly, everything went black, the stars in the sky snuffed out of existence and the moon's figure suddenly covered in a velvet shroud of black. She could see nothing, her hoof, the boat...her Night. All were gone as she tossed and turned in the void wrapping around her. The creeping darkness cast an eerie fog of despair upon the panicking unicorn, fearful for not knowing where they were going and afraid of not being able to see.

Her stance wavered as the swaying and sloshing of the small boat rose to become violent rocking motions that threatened to throw her into the swallowing sea. The air became thick and heavy, almost as if the waters of the celestial world had already engulfed her. Her lungs struggled for breath, silently wailing into the sky.

Suddenly, in the impenetrable darkness, the Night's soft voice rescued her from drowning in sorrowful fear and assured her that everything would be alright, reaching out with her tender hooves to steady the unicorn in place. She promised to take care of her and lead them onward, and the Night's form suddenly lit up to serve as the new light, casting her otherworldly glow up and out in all directions, brighter than all of the stars in the sky put together and easily overshadowing the dim light of the graceful moon. Everything was clear once again.

Twilight sat there in awe, the warm rays of guidance hitting her cheek like the soft feathery kisses of her beloved. She snuggled closer to her, letting her guide them forward through the dark, her love forging a path towards that promised isle of bliss that awaited them in the dark mists ahead.

The Night would not waver and would not fail because it was for Twilight, that wonderful unicorn that lay sleeping at her side, the first to accept her fully, her face the epitome of serenity while her head lay in the ethereal mane of stars and light. The Night smiled and looked ahead, knowing it was only a matter of time until the land and true bliss came. Truly now, they were moving forward.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Just like that, it was over. Slowly, Twilight propped herself up in her bed, able to feel the vivid and powerful feelings that had leaked from her dream scape, the warmth and security it offered. Idly, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the glittering surface of her mirror sitting near the covered window that barely held back the deluge of morning sunlight, wondering how much Nightmare had seen.

She mentally prodded the entity in her mind, earning no response in turn from the usually present goddess. The lavender mare wondered if mental entities needed sleep too. Shrugging, she hopped out of bed, deciding to let her charge sleep in for a few more minutes as she walked into the bathroom to prepare herself for the day.

She paused as she passed the mirror hanging in her bathroom, her plain reflection staring back. This is where it had all began, and Twilight was surprised that it was only yesterday. So much had already happened in such a short span of time.

Humming to herself, she allowed the pleasant sensations of her morning shower wash away her sleepiness, and soon, Twilight stepped out, drying herself and moving to the sink to brush her teeth.

With her oral hygiene complete, Twilight glanced up into her reflection to admire herself, only to meet the yawning form of Nightmare Moon, causing her to yipe in surprise.

“Morning,” Nightmare said softly, wiping the sand out of her eyes while ruffling her stiff wings apart for a healthy morning stretch.

“Um...Morning?” Twilight answered hesitantly, “Did you sleep well?”

Nightmare chuckled softly, her form still absolutely pristine in the mirror. “Well, if your dreams are anything to go by, then yes. They really do make sleeping so much more enjoyable.”

Twilight blushed but kept herself steady. “So what's today's plan?”

The dark alicorn stood there as if in thought for a moment. “Operation 'Get Twilight bucked and eventually hitched' is a go?” she answered with a little giggle, drawing more blood to her mistress' face.

“Can you at least name it something more eloquent and not so blatantly embarrassing?” Twilight muttered as she shook her head and walked out of the bathroom.

“Well what do you want me to call it? 'Marefriend Acquisition and Relational Erotica Studies'?” Nightmare joked, finding the ridiculously scientific name to really downplay the true goal and potency of their cause. Twilight chuckled in response.

“Actually...yes. I'd be much more comfortable with that...” she answered bashfully and truthfully. It was much easier for the usually pure unicorn to deal with if it wasn't so forward. Plus, when it was labeled like that, it sounded like they had a plan, and plans always made the lavender unicorn more comfortable, especially if it sounded science-y.

“You're a weird pony mistress...” the dark alicorn mused after a moment of pause, a light smile on her muzzle, “But...if it makes you happy sure. Science can be sexy too.”

Normalcy

Dear Princess Celestia,

The other day I reaffirmed how wonderful it is to have understanding friends. I was having some trouble with a personal, very private matter, and while they truly wished to discover what it was, they gladly accepted the fact that I would reveal it to them in time. So while my friends desperately wanted to learn about what was troubling me, they accepted that there are some things a pony must keep to themselves until the time is right.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

Twilight reread the recently penned letter again to check for any grammatical and syntactical errors, nodding in approval as she deemed the latest report fit for her mentor.

“These friendship reports are rather nice really,” Nightmare commented sincerely as she read the newest addition to the library of reports Twilight held in her memories.

“Yeah,” Twilight agreed softly, “Sometimes, I think about what would have happened if I hadn't stopped you that day. I'm glad that Princess Celestia made me come to Ponyville.”

The dark alicorn chuckled. “Even if you hadn't come that day, the other elements have a deep connection with you, much more than just surface meetings and encounters. It was fate really. I would have lost one way or the other.”

“Fate huh?” the lavender mare mused as she called upon her number one assistant to help her send her letter on its way. Rolled up and sealed officially, the friendship scroll disappeared in a puff of green dragon magic where it would arrive within moments of it being sent.

“Alright Twilight,” Spike began as he pulled out a long list of things to do, “On today's schedule there's helping out Lyra with some magical problems, working on the pocket dimension spell, and escorting Fluttershy through the Everfree Forest towards Zecora's house.”

The purple unicorn nodded and thanked her charge, trotting out the door to begin a normal day in Ponyville.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

“So who is Lyra exactly?” Nightmare questioned as she rifled through a few spare memory files that were floating around in Twilight's head. She couldn't exactly piece together a clear picture of the pony because Twilight didn't make everything readily available in her mind anymore.

“Mint green unicorn pony. She's got a lyre as her cutie mark,” Twilight answered mentally as she sent her housed goddess a quick picture while she trotted through the early morning streets of Ponyville, greeting the traditionally early shopkeepers with a fond and friendly “Good morning.”

“Wait a minute...I thought you said she was a mint green unicorn pony. Why do I have a picture of a beige-coated, earth pony with pink and dark blue, curly hair?” Nightmare asked suspiciously, waving the image in front of Twilight's consciousness. The unicorn cursed. Of course she would accidentally send a picture of Lyra's marefriend opposed to the actual mare herself.

The purple pony had used lists and schedules all of her life, mainly because her own thoughts and mind were so jumbled up and disorganized it looked like the library when Rainbow Dash crashed through the windows.

“No pony,” she covered up quickly and poorly, her mental voice a bit higher than usual. Twilight knew that if she revealed the fact that Lyra liked mares like her, all sorts of trouble would come from it. “Oh look! We're already here!” Twilight announced before Nightmare could get another word in. She pushed the unlocked door aside and waltzed in, forgetting to knock or announce her sudden arrival. Most of the ponies in Ponyville kept their doors unlocked during the day, used to the trust and family community they had.

However, Twilight had walked into the house at a rather unfortunate time. As she trotted into the main living room, she stopped suddenly, her mouth falling to the floor as her face erupted in a crimson fire of pure mortification as she saw what was happening on the couch.

Lyra and Bonbon were wrapped up in intimately each other's hooves, Bonbon's absolutely red face hovering just inches over Lyra's light green horn, a small trail of saliva hanging from the edge of her mouth, connected to the tip of Lyra's shining horn.

“Uh...Good Morning?” Bonbon breathed out, unfortunately still speaking in her sensual, bedroom voice, causing everypony in the room to flush even harder.

Abruptly, Twilight had the sense to shriek and jump into a random room, stammering her loudest apologies and shaking from the absolute embarrassment as all of the blood in her body rushed to her face. There was an awkward rustle of hooves as the now-disentangled pair wrenched themselves from the couch, speeding off to prepare for their unannounced guest.

While Twilight soaked in her state of shock, Nightmare was having a field day, howling with laughter in Twilight's head.

“Oh my! That was priceless! Now I know why you thought of that earth pony mare, Bonbon. Naughty, naughty Twilight.”

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Twilight screamed, wishing she had mental bleach on hoof. Just hearing the name caused her to relive the scene she had just walked onto.

“You should have asked them for some pointers for the future. From what they were doing, I'm sure they have a huge variety of techniques that you could borrow,” Nightmare continued mercilessly, enjoying how Twilight became a spluttering, stammering and blubbering mess while her face lit up like a ripe cherry. “That was pretty hot. Too bad you didn't join in the festivities mistress.” Without any effort at all, Nightmare conjured up a few pictures of her mistress caught in between the two mares, her horn just a few centimeters from the precious....

“Arrrghhhhhh!!!” Twilight actually yelled as she smacked her head against the wall, convulsing on the floor as her mind was assaulted with rather explicit pictures of her doing naughty things with the two mares on the couch. The poor, purple unicorn was pretty sure she'd never be able to walk into their house normally again without having a small episode, and she was absolutely sure she would never look at couches in the same way ever again.

“Um...Twilight? You alright there?” Lyra ventured nervously, shuffling her hooves uncomfortably as she watched the normally composed librarian spaz in the corner of the kitchen. “Uh..Sorry about that...we forgot to lock the door last night.”

Taking deep and long breaths, the Ponyville librarian slowly composed herself. She kept repeating to herself that what Lyra and Bonbon were doing was perfectly natural for couples to do, but it didn't make it any less awkward for the virgin mare who hadn't even reached the dating stage in any relationship.

“No...no..It's my fault for not knocking,” the purple unicorn answered in shaky breaths, struggling to her feet as they shook violently from the mental shock.

Lyra chuckled, “Oh well...what's done is done. What's a few sexy scenes between friends right?” At that, Twilight fell into her second, spaz coma for the day. It was almost like it was Nightmare talking to her!

“I like this mare!” Nightmare announced with a cackle of amusement.

It took a bit, but Lyra was finally able to pull Twilight out of her state of pure shock and set the unstable librarian on a kitchen chair.

“So...so...what's the problem Lyra?” the lavender mare continued bravely as her frame shook, “You said your magic was acting up.”

“Probably from all the horn sex,” Nightmare answered with a cheeky grin, giggling to herself as she watched her mistress light up again in front of her friend, who didn't seem to suspect a thing.

“Yeah,” the mint green pony answered bashfully, rubbing the back of her head nervously, “It's been doing weird things.”

“Like what?” Twilight trooped on through the constant teasing of her housed goddess, giving up on trying to stem the blood rushing to face.

“Here, just let me show you,” Lyra answered simply as her magic came to life. Her aura engulfed a small cup lying on the sink, levitating it a few inches off of the counter top. Unusually, the aura of Lyra's magic seemed to flicker between the colors of green and beige, causing the floating cup to waver with each change.

Immediately, Twilight's demeanor changed from embarrassed to scientifically intrigued. She walked over to the cup and observed the floating and wavering mug, noticing that the change intervals between green and beige were seemingly random, jumping rapidly or slowly transitioning at a whim. The purple unicorn had only seen magic truly change color for one pony: Princess Celestia.

“Hmm, it sure has been a while since I've seen a regular unicorn change their magical aura,” Nightmare commented with an appreciative grin.

“Wait. What does it mean? I mean, I've seen Princess Celestia change her magical aura, but I thought it was just because she was well...Princess Celestia,” Twilight asked.

“It's a rather rare occurrence really,” the black alicorn responded, “Ask her if anything important or life changing has happened recently.”

Twilight did just that, and the mint unicorn blushed in response, looking down at the kitchen table as she drew unspecific shapes with her hooves.

“Well...um,” Lyra stammered, “I uh..proposed to Bonbon last week...and we're getting married in a month.”

“Oh my gosh! Congratulations!” the lavender mare exclaimed, enveloping the lyre musician in a tight hug.

“Well that would explain it: emotional instability and flux,” Nightmare summed up with a smile, “Lyra is still recovering from the fact that Bonbon agreed to marry her. In the end, her magic will normalize.”

“You're fine then Lyra,” Twilight assured as she pulled away from the flushed unicorn, “Your magic is just responding to your strong emotions. They'll balance out eventually.”

“Really?” Lyra asked, her eyes lighting up in relief, earning a nod in the affirmative. “Thank goodness! Bonbon was really getting worried. She started wondering if it was because she played with my horn too much. I can give her the good news so she won't have to worry anymore.”

As expected, Twilight's face flushed crimson as she flailed her hooves frantically in her seat, desperately wishing that physical movements could dispel mental images. Nightmare snickered.

“I really like this mare. We should hang out sometime.”

Lyra giggled as she patted the traumatized unicorn. “Sorry about that Twilight.”

“Yeah...yeah...” she squeaked, “Let's just not mention it again.”

“Ahh...but Bonbon does it so great. She takes the entire thing into her mouth and does this funny thing with her...” Lyra blabbed, only be cut off by the sound of Twilight running out the door in a frantic panic. The mint green unicorn giggled as she waved towards the retreating figure of Twilight Sparkle. “Thanks again Twilight! I'll make sure to invite you to the wedding!” she called as she chuckled to herself.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

“Well that was some good morning fun! Wasn't it mistress?” Nightmare asked with a joyful snicker, eliciting a groan from the mentally scarred purple unicorn.

“Why is it that everything in my world just suddenly became perverted?” Twilight lamented to no pony in particular, face-hoofing as she walked back home.

“It's just the natural order of the world Twilight. You've just never noticed it,” Nightmare continued cheerfully, earning a disbelieving snort. “You can't deny it either my little vixen, Ms. I-want-to-buck-the-night-senseless.”

“Quiet you,” the lavender mare responded weakly, unable to keep the blood from rushing to her face.

“Oh just admit it,” the black alicorn teased.

“No.”

“C'mon! You totally like it.”

“Absolutely not.”

“At least admit that you like the idea then, bucking that is.”

“I refuse!”

“Look. It's not a big deal. Nearly all adults do that.”

Twilight sighed. “I'm not just looking for somepony to buck...I'm looking for somepony to love, Nightmare,” she admitted, her face still holding its crimson color. “I want somepony that will be there for me for everything....not just....that.” Abruptly, the dark alicorn stopped her teasing parade and smiled.

“I know Twilight.”

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Creating a pocket dimension hadn't exactly gone according to plan. The half destroyed fields laying outside of Ponyville were a testament to that fact.

“I don't get it!” Twilight exclaimed for the umpteenth time as she paced in the middle of the decimated field, “I calculated everything perfectly! It shouldn't have destabilized into a miniature black hole!”

“I'm sure you'll get it eventually Twilight,” Spike soothed, not really able to offer any sort of explanation as to why the experiment had failed so spectacularly, his knowledge of magical jargon being severely limited.

“Perhaps it was because your magical matrix was too unstable at such high levels of output. Leakage of magical residue compounded with possible resonance might have destabilized the dimensional rift,” Nightmare offered sagely, “I would recommend finding a better amplifying medium or increasing your own magical output.”

Twilight huffed dejectedly, but did take mental note of the alicorn's suggestion; it held some merit. However, both alternatives would be extremely hard to accomplish.

The unicorn was just so frustrated. She had been testing this spell for a few weeks now, and Twilight had yet to even create a pocket dimension big enough to hold a single bit!

“Look on the bright side mistress. You created a black hole,” the black alicorn joked, despite the fact that they had all almost died from being sucked into an alternate dimension and time. Luckily, the experiment ran on Twilight's magical power and thus, she had the power to turn it on and off.

If she could have, Twilight would have stared at the dark goddess with an unamused face.

“Maybe tomorrow Twilight,” Spike said with a shrug, “Remember. Fluttershy is waiting for you.” He pointed towards Fluttershy's hut which stood on the perilous outskirts of the Everfree Forest. The pegasus was waiting patiently in front of her house, bags at her side and trembling a little from being so close to the unnatural forest near nighttime.

Twilight sighed but nodded, knowing she could do nothing else today. Twilight teleported to where Fluttershy stood, causing the already nervous pony to “eeep” in surprise.

“Oh Twilight, it's you," Fluttershy breathed out with relief as she peeked out from her hair fortress to check if the coast was clear.

“Yup!” Twilight cheered, unable to act sad around any of her friends, “Ready to go?”

“Um...I guess. I hope we don't run into anything scary!” the Element of Kindness squeaked as she hid behind her hooves, imaging a pack of powerful timberwolves waiting for them in the forest.

“I'm sure that nothing bad will happen. The path to Zecora's is pretty safe, save for the poisonjoke patch,” the lavender mare assured, deciding to take point. “Well then, let's go Fluttershy.”

“O..Okay,” the butter-colored pegasus said, following the braver pony into the mysterious, dark forest ahead that seemed to watch them with hungry eyes as they entered. No matter what Twilight had said, Fluttershy couldn't shake the feeling that something out there was watching and waiting in the shadowy grove of the monstrous forest.

Author's Note

Testing this thing.

Well just a bit of filler for the next chapter where some crazy stuff is going to happen. Normal day in Ponyville I guess eh? Plus a little sexy fun time.

Protect

An eerie wind whistled and moaned through the unnatural trees surrounding the secluded path to Zecora's hut as if there were a hundred souls writhing and crying in torment. The blotted out light of the afternoon sun leaked through the treeline like dirt slipping through a thick film designed for sand, barely keeping the path illuminated for the two ponies moving through the anomalous forest.

According to legend, the Everfree Forest used to be a place of ascension, the birthplace of the first alicorns who had gathered enough magical power to transcend their species and unite the three magics together. Consequently, a magnificent castle was built, the same castle that had previously held the almost forgotten Elements of Harmony, to commemorate this spot. However, over time, the effects of such rampant and volatile magic manifested in strange plants, mythological creatures and an unnatural soul that held a firm grip over the wild forest to this day. The castle had been abandoned once the ponies began to notice the creatures crawling out of the deep.

A thousand years ago, the forest had been but creeping vines and twisting roots that jumped and moved out of the ground of their own accord, holding no true hostility, only unique in the fact that it lived on its own and created its own inhabitants. The magic of the forest was already laced with instability, but it had been predicted that it would eventually subside with time.

However, the first endless night took hold of the world as immortals clashed and fought, and the magic of the forest responded to this hatred in kind, transforming its nature to match as the trees grew thorns and thick thistles, the animals became carnivorous and bloodthirsty, and the soul itself was corrupted. The forest was forever dammed to be a place of evil, suffering and blinding darkness.

And here it stood a thousand years later, unconquered and feared.

“I'll never get used to this place...” Fluttershy whimpered as she tiptoed behind Twilight, cowering at every single snapping twig and rustling bush, “Even if we've been here so many times...”

“Well you live right next to the forest Fluttershy,” Twilight responded as she ambled further along the worn path, “Shouldn't you be somewhat accustomed to it by now?”

“Oh no, no, no,” the butter-colored pegasus answered while rapidly shaking her head, “The Everfree Forest is just too scary. I don't understand how Zecora can live in here! It's so...creepy.”

“C'mon Fluttershy. Have some confidence. You've faced a dragon before for goodness sake. This shouldn't be anything for you now,” the purple unicorn insisted, pausing to make sure the coast was clear and that there were no hidden poison joke patches waiting for them.

“No..even if I've done that. You never know what's going on in here. It's not safe at all,” Fluttershy said as she moved closer to the slowly advancing unicorn.

“Indeed. She's right. This place is not to be taken lightly, no matter how many times you have traveled this path,” Nightmare added, keeping her senses alert and extended for any possible assailants, “This forest is hatred, and it acts as such. Stay vigilant. I wouldn't want a simple timberwolf to take a bit out of either of your cute flanks...before me that is.”

“Twilight? Are you alright? You sort of tripped,” Fluttershy asked, suddenly combing over the purple unicorn's entire form, checking for bruises or cuts, “Your face is sort of red.”

“Fine. Fine,” Twilight waved off with a rapid hoof wave while mumbling darkly under her breath. “And why do I feel like I have a more dangerous predator around with me all the time anyway?”

“I'm sure that's just your imagination,” the black alicorn answered with a little, twinkling chuckle. Even now when she was warning her about being careful in the face of danger, Nightmare was still making jokes. Twilight sighed, but walked on, spotting the exotic hut up ahead that greeted the approaching ponies with strange tribal masks and suspended bottles that held strange, fermenting concoctions of extraordinary power.

Ignoring the normally outlandish appearance of Zecora's house, Twilight cantered up to the heavy wooden door and knocked three times. However, the mysterious zebra did not greet her with a traditional two verse rhyme. In fact, nopony answered her calls at all.

“That's strange,” the lavender mare stated, looking into the windows, noticing that the inside was pitch black. Not a single candle or torch was lit. “Maybe she's out on an errand in Ponyville?”

“I didn't see her come out of the forest today...” Fluttershy muttered, still looking around to make sure that everything was safe. Twilight slightly pushed on the door to find that it was unlocked. Slowly, it creaked open, and gingerly, they stepped in while calling for their zebra friend in case she had taken to an early bed time.

Magically lit flames suddenly manifested to light the ancient wicks of the torches and candles lying around the room, casting warm and clear light. Everything seemed to be normal. The black, iron cauldron sat in the middle of the room, cleaned and pristine as usual. However, the bed sitting in the back of the house was void of one zebra.

“Huh?” Twilight said, scratching her head in confusion, “Where could she be? She usually leaves a note on the door if she goes out to do something.”

“Maybe...maybe something happened to her!” the timid pegasus cried out as she dove to hide underneath Zecora's bed, imagining a stray cockatrice slithering up behind Zecora or a pack of hungry timberwolves hunting for her.

“That would be really strange. She knows this forest extremely well,” Twilight said as she began to look around for any possible clues that would lead them to a better conclusion.

Scattered vials and uncleaned bottles lined the shelves, carrying residue from past potions and stray petals from uncooked herbs. It looked like the zebra alchemist had been here recently.

“Fluttershy. You stay here. I'm going to have a look around real quick,” the purple unicorn ordered, and the timid yellow pegasus happily agreed, only warning Twilight to be careful out there.

Making sure to secure the door, Twilight walked out, examining the immediate surroundings for further clues.

“Hmm...If I were a strange, mystical zebra with alchemical, witch powers, where would I be?” Twilight questioned out loud as if actually voicing the question would help her solve it.

“The natural answer would be gathering herbs, but I have a bad feeling that something else is going on here. Look at those tracks on the floor,” Nightmare said, having noticed the pattern of hoofprints when they had first approached the house.

Twilight looked down at her feet, separating the new horseshoe prints from the natural zebra ones. They seemed to be leading to the back of the house, deeper into the forest. The purple unicorn followed the trail to the back until she was a ways away from the house. She noticed that the tracks seemed to get further and further apart as if Zecora had been running for something...or perhaps from something.

“What should we do?” Twilight asked, feeling a bit apprehensive about just jumping straight into the strange forest where tales of horror were often born. “Something really could have happened to Zecora.” Twilight was thinking about running back for help, but the longer it took, the possibility that something bad could happen increased. There was only one choice. “I'm going in.”

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It was suffocatingly dark, especially with the afternoon sunlight finally fading into night. There's a certain truth to the dark; when in it, everything becomes close, whether it be from the actual loss of sight that amplifies the other senses or the psychological feeling of entrapment that snares the mind and heart. Few have learned to completely trust the dark, and that is its nature. It is an unknown, a veil that hides the most beautiful sights or the most horrendous monsters.

Right now, Twilight felt that it was the latter of the two, and unlike how it usually is in the dark of one's room, there was noise everywhere from every possible direction: the snarl of a beast or the pitter-patter of a passing butterfly.

“It was nerve-wracking, and no matter how much she wished to laugh away her fears, the joy would not come. She was here in the middle of the most dangerous forest in Equestria looking for a friend in the dank dark, surrounded by a forest that exhumed evil.

“I really would not recommend this place for any romantic getaways mistress,” Nightmare quietly joked, drawing the first, soft chuckle from Twilight.

“I would have to agree wholeheartedly. This place is really giving me the creeps now,” Twilight admitted as she continued following the trail, her path lit by her dim hornlight. She had no clue how far in she was, but judging by the dense underbrush and lack of proper trails, the lavender mare could safely guess that she was nearing the outside perimeter of the old castle ruins.

“Shesh...what was Zecora doing so far out here?” Twilight complained as she crawled over a fallen and decaying log, grimacing at the unpleasant smell.

Suddenly, a low growl rippled through the natural ambiance of the forest, easily standing out among the sharp bird calls and clicking insects. The purple unicorn froze in place.

“Really mistress? Dinner isn't for a good couple of hours. How gluttonous of you,” the dark goddess teased, but her mistress whimpered only in response.

“That...that wasn't me,” she murmured, scrambling to her feet and picking up the pace. The faster she found Zecora, the better after all right?

Then, a venomous hiss abruptly sliced through the forest noise, setting Twilight's hairs on end, the electric shock traveling all the way to the base of her tail.

“At least tell me that was you...right?” Nightmare said with an increasingly nervous laugh. She didn't like where this was going at all; her mistress' body was hers too.

Twilight didn't even oblige the resident goddess an answer and surged forward, only looking ahead where the tracks could barely be seen. She was beginning to breath a little harder, the stress combined with her heavy running slowly exhausting her. The purple mare hoped that whatever was following her would give up.

All of a sudden, she found herself bumping in a warm body, and Twilight tumbled down to the ground in a mess of tangled limbs.

“Twilight, why in Equestria's name are you here? Surely you know that there is much to fear,” a characteristic voice rhymed, and the lavender mare gasped as she jumped to her hooves.

“Zecora! Are you okay? We came up to your hut, but you weren't there. So we got really worried, and then I started looking for you. And then it got really, really, dark...”

“Calm yourself dear Twilight for I am mostly fine. A gash or two and an hoof sprain are the injuries I define,” the zebra answered, struggling to her feet, prompting Twilight to quickly lend her support.

“What happened to you?” Twilight asked, noticing the haggard expression that hung on her friend's face, “It doesn't look like you're fine to me.”

“Ahh yes. My defeat I must admit. The beast I sought I could not outwit. A few days time, I have searched hard, but I'm afraid Ponyville I could not guard,” Zecora groaned out, shifting her weight onto Twilight who finally got a good look at the condition of her friend.

“What does this crazy zebra do? Slay monsters? Look at her!” Nightmare exclaimed in shock, “It's not just a gash or two. There are probably a couple dozen of them! They are all pretty deep too. Her mane looks like it's been singed and burnt, and there are a few bruises on her side too.”

“Zecora! What in Luna's name have you been doing out here?!” Twilight cried out in worry as she began to slowly trudge back towards the healer's hut where there would be medicines to treat the injured zebra.

“An ancient beast here has nested, a dangerous foe until bested,” she muttered, her voice wavering as she coughed violently. Twilight frowned. It had to be something pretty strong, but what could do this sort of damage to Zecora, especially since the zebra herself was pretty strong.

Suddenly, a sharp snapping sound struck them, halting their slow retreat, and Twilight could feel the sudden temperature drop in the area around them.

“Um...what did you say this beast was?” the purple unicorn squeaked as she began to crawl silently towards the house, squinting into the darkness, trying in vain to catch a small glimpse of any approaching enemies.

“A mixture of nature with claws of steel. More than one head, all are real. A venomous end that hisses and bites with a head in front that burns on sight,” Zecora answered cryptically, not really answering Twilight's question outright. The purple unicorn sighed, forgetting that Zecora liked to speak mysteriously.

“Claws? Venom? Burning? Don't tell me...” Twilight began before an abrupt and somehow sinister “baaaa” cut her off.

“Heads of four, one in back, three in front. It hides in stealth during the hunt. A lion. A dragon. A demon goat. And the back blackened snake that aims for the throat,” she finished.

“A chimera,” Nightmare concluded in shock as two roars, one hiss and a bleat echoed around the trees. It was here. “Run Twilight! Run!”

The purple unicorn didn't need telling twice, because she was already speeding away, crashing and smashing through the thick underbrush and surging through the dense jungle. Yet, the sounds never stopped as the heavy beating of leathery wings followed the panicking unicorn through forest, rock and water. This was its maze, and she was the mouse.

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Faster. Faster. Faster. That was the constant mantra that Twilight chanted in her head as she ran blindly through the Everfree Forest, levitating the now unconscious zebra behind her. However, her stamina was failing her; she wasn't a stellar athlete after all, only just healthy enough to be medically approved by a doctor. Thus, she didn't have the endurance or speed to outrun such a dangerous predator for long.

Twilight had one last burst of speed to use, and she desperately hoped that she had run far enough to burst out of the forest.

With a running leap, she crashed through the trees, utterly spent, hoping that she had thrown the beast off her trail.

Groaning, Twilight barely managed to open her eyes, and despair filled her as she noticed that she had only made it to the famous Nightmare Moon statue that lay only a few minutes away from Ponyville by walking.

“Of course...” the purple unicorn groaned as she tried to gather any last dregs of energy that hid within her. The adrenaline was wearing off now, and the after effects were really showing. Nothing in her body would respond to her, and she was literally unable to move.

Then the air picked up as the heavy sounds of beating wings filled the air; it had found her. The mythical beast burst out of the foliage, its four hungry heads eyeing the two helpless mares that lay on the ground like an offering to a god. Twilight weakly turned her gaze towards their attacker, silently screaming at the ghastly creature that was about to gobble her and Zecora up.

It stalked closer, savoring the thrill of the chase, its appetite only increased by it. All four mouths opened in anticipation as the large leathery dragon wings twitched and shuffled in place. Twilight got the feeling that this beast would not be like the manticore and give her a friendly lick. It be more of a gigantic bite.

All of a sudden, it lunged, four pairs of sharp teeth primed and ready for dinner.

By reflex, Twilight conjured up a small shield at the last possible moment with the rest of her power, causing the chimera to smack all of their faces on the barrier, repelling them back. It was the only defense she could conjure up. Attacking a chimera with magic was unwise, its draconic, mixed blood shielding it from most magical attacks. However, it didn't matter. Twilight's world began to spin and blacken as the backlash of casting such a powerful barrier ripped through her body. The strong pink barrier flickered and finally dissipated as the darkness began to take her underneath the statue of the dream goddess.

But before surrendering to unconsciousness, Twilight's ears jumped to one last sound, a declaration, a promise.

“I will protect you Twilight.”

Author's Note

Dun dun dun....
Sooo who said that last line?

Anyways! A very late Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone and an early Happy New Years too!

Waking

A sudden storm was brewing, its thunderous cries crackling menacingly in the nearing distance, booming powerfully through the salty, cosmic air, resounding through Twilight's frame and shaking the boat slightly. The waves, previously at peace, became restless as the sea of cosmic stars began to sway and press itself against the walls of the boat imposingly, coating the wooden hull with fresh moisture, the residue of half-made galaxies and nearly-formed stars.

The wooden dinghy moaned and creaked painfully as strong, icy winds began to assault its weakened barriers, pelting it and its passengers with sharp flecks of cosmic water mixed with harsh intent, a sample of what was to come.

Fearfully, Twilight sank down into the vessel, placing her head underneath her shaking hooves to throw herself out of the howling wind's path, but she was unable to escape the resounding booms and slams and yells that pieced the wooden walls around her. The storm growled, howled, screamed as it approached, each word a curse, each sentence a damnation, and the frightened unicorn asked the Night what they should do to save themselves from wrathful force of the incoming tempest.

She didn't answer and only continued leading them forward with a stony eye of silence through the misty and rain-filled air.

The shakes began to invade Twilight's entire body as the wind became a gale that continued to grow stronger and fiercer, flinging and pushing the starry waters higher and higher, like a slow, inevitable swing of a pendulum approaching its ascending mark. The soft undulations of the sea became unrestrained, slamming and bashing the sole vessel with relentless aggression, and before the unicorn could cry out in alarm, she found that the seas of starlight had transformed into a monstrous ocean of torrential tyrants, casting their watery shadows down upon the ship below. Her vision became a blur as the ship was tossed and thrown around in the merciless waters, empowered by the imminent storm.

The growing gale became deafening and the flying water became blinding and the cosmic salt became poison, all while Twilight desperately hung onto the slippery, wooden sides of their rag-doll boat. The water splashed over the sides from all directions, slipping in and out dangerously, drenching and coating them over and over again, incessant and more potent with each pass.

An unheard yell of fear was thrown against the unchained tempest, lost among the screeching wind and rumbling waves.

Twilight opened her eyes, weathering the stinging pain and needle-like water, hoping that the sight of her beloved would calm her nerves and give her enough strength to weather out the raging storm, but alas, her Night could not be found sitting in the boat; Twilight was alone.

Shock struck her, rooting her in place and stopping all thought, and a new fear overtook her, a frightening possibility that easily outclassed the oncoming raging tempest. A cry of absolute anguish wracked her soul as she backed up against the damp and unfeeling walls of the boat, and the cold that gripped her body was nothing compared to the dread that filled her heart and soul. She called out for her dearest, but they were in vain, torn to shreds against the walls of the monsoon like little hopeless doves in a hurricane.

The stars and swirling cosmos were gone, and in their place, an empty, endless void of pure blackness and death manifested in the waters. Everything was one, simple, dark and suffocating color, and all around her she was surrounded in a prison of loneliness, hopelessness and all encompassing terror.

The boat began to fill, the tar-colored liquid around her as if the substance itself wished for her full embrace, creeping up and through the boat, seeping easily through the walls like an unbidden and accursed spirit.

Twilight couldn't move, her own heavy horror and the actual, possessed water keeping her captive on the slowly sinking boat. She gasped and struggled, her own hot tears joining the falling raindrops, splashing down into the water to betray her in the end.

It was up to her neck now, the hand of death's personified vice acting through the ebony waters, still as cold and still as unforgiving.

All she could do was cry, but her tears held more meaning than a fear of death; Twilight feared why she was alone when the Night had promised to be there for her. Yet, she was no where to be found, abandoning her to die in the devilish seas.

But even now.....she loved her.

Suddenly, a ray of brilliant light ripped through the black blanket of clouds, blasting back the dark waters that had invaded the boat, freeing Twilight from their grasp.

The light was hot, like the intimate breath of a lover splashing against the cheek, and it dispelled the onyx liquid that cringed in the corners of the boat like vampires and ancient beasts that lived in eternal shadow.

They could not escape, and the light moved over them too. The water hissed and sizzled in agony as it evaporated into the air, and the boat was empty of sea once again. Twilight looked up to the hole punched in the sky, her mouth open in thankfulness and wonder.

Her breath caught fast in her throat as a single figure descended through the tear in the heavens, touching down softly into the boat as the beam expanded to illuminate the entire boat, encircling it and keeping it away from the evils of the storm that clawed at the holy barrier erected.

Twilight's eyes gathered tears, tears of true joy, as she flung herself at her savior and beloved who had never abandoned her to begin with. She cried, and she cried because she doubted, a painful truth that jumped in her chest as shame took her.

The Night did not frown or look away but instead, nuzzled her lover tenderly, whispering words of comfort and adoration, and kissed her. The lavender mare held her close as they sank down into their created sanctuary and buried her muzzle into that glorious mane, wiping her tears away in happiness.

Then the Night reiterated her vow to her dearest. She would love. She would follow. She would stay. She would guide. And above all she would protect, because Twilight was the only pony she lived for.

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Twilight groaned, her hazy world slowly focusing as her eyes shied away from the intruding beams of Celestia's morning sun. She ached all over and the wonderful, soft sheets of her bed did little to incite her rising. The lavender mare curled up against the warm, familiar blankets of her bed, burying her face into the soft cotton while her head pounded from weariness, but she imagined it to be the silky mane of her dream lover and sighed happily.

Suddenly, everything came back to her: the Everfree Forest, Fluttershy, Zecora and the scary chimera. Rapidly sitting up in bed to check herself for any bodily injuries, Twilight was surprised to find no cuts, bruises or bandages adorning her, but she was still sore. From what, she did not know.

Regardless, it seemed that she had somehow escaped the beast, and the purple unicorn shivered in fear as she vividly remembered the menacing form of the mythological creature that had intended to devour her and Zecora alive.

How had she escaped? Twilight recalled that she had fainted from total exhaustion at the feet of the Nightmare Moon statue and there had been nopony else to come save them. Then she blinked slowly, the last thought lingering in her mind as that name crossed the forefront. Was it possible that....

All of a sudden, the door to her room swung open as a soft humming filled the air, the sweet tones reminding her of a wind chimes singing softly in the wind. She looked up to find that they belonged to none other than the same pegasus she had led into the forest, and her mouth fell agape.

Fluttershy simply strolled in, flying over to the shades in Twilight's room and pulled them up to allow fresh light into the dark room.

“Good morning Twilight,” the pegasus chimed, turning to face Twilight and smiling as if nothing had ever happened. However, when Fluttershy looked again, she found two large lilac orbs staring back at her, awake and aware. Then, the reaction hit. “Omigosh! Twilight! You're finally awake!” Fluttershy cried out as she brought the confused unicorn into an abrupt, crushing hug.

“Wha...Fluttershy?” Twilight questioned, her voice muffled by the air-tight grip of the worried pony. The lavender mare was extremely confused. Had Fluttershy, of all possible ponies, braved the dark twists and turns of the jungle and saved her and Zecora's life. She reasoned that with her ability to control any animal, mythological or not, and her stare could have possibly rescued her from the clutches of the chimera had she worked up the courage to leave the hut.

“We thought you'd never wake up! You've been sleeping for two days already!” Fluttershy slowly released her vice grip while wiping her tears out of her eyes in relief, allowing the resting unicorn to finally speak clearly and unimpeded.

“Two...two days?!” the purple unicorn choked out, “What....what happened? Did you save me?”

“Oh no, no, no,” Fluttershy answered with a vigorous shake, “I didn't save you...I was too scared to leave the hut.”

“Then....who did?”

Abruptly, another figure trotted through the door, the steps of her gait graceful and practiced. The shadow of the figure was decidedly much larger than an average pony's, and the distinct sounds of crystalline “chinks” hitting against the simple wooden flooring set Twilight into an alarmed state. Only one type of pony wore something that made that sound.

“Twilight!” an overjoyed voice called, rushing into the room and pulling the now awake, recovering mare into her hooves enthusiastically, “My dearest friend! I'm so glad you are well!” The lavender mare was suddenly thrust into a field of indigo-cobalt blue as wayward strands of Luna's silky mane caressed her face and tickled her nose.

“Huh? Princess Luna?” Twilight murmured in astonishment as she pulled her head out of the goddess' starry mane, looking straight into the goddess' face, “What are you doing here?”

“Watching over you of course Twilight! Though, when Celly asked me to check up on you, I truly did not expect something quite like this,” Luna replied cheerfully with a little giggle, “You really worried everyone though, me especially.”

“Princess Luna found you and brought you home,” Fluttershy explained, hiding behind her hair slightly, acutely aware of the fact that she was in the presence of royalty, “She even carried you home on her back.”

“Please. There is no need for formalities among friends dear Fluttershy,” the night goddess waved off with an embarrassed chuckle, “And it was not a problem at all.”

“But Princess....” Twilight began before being abruptly cut off.

“Nope! Don't want to hear it,” Luna declared happily, grinning, “If you really want to repay me for helping you, just call me Luna. It will be plenty.” The recovering unicorn fidgeted in her bed, not used to addressing either of the Royal Pony Sisters with their name alone. It seemed a bit too....intimate, especially since it was them, but the lavender mare didn't want to offend her savior.

“Okay...Luna,” she tested as a faint blush began to creep its way onto her face, “Thank you for saving me.” Luna giggled.

“Think nothing of it! I simply did what any normal pony would do. I wouldn't want my dear friend to lay sprawled on the ground in danger now would I?”

Before the unicorn could answer, Spike's calls from downstairs interrupted all three of them, announcing that breakfast was ready, and the delicious smells of haybacon and freshly seasoned eggs had their mouth-watering. Luna laughed, hugging Twilight again before excusing herself, announcing that she was famished. Fluttershy followed suit, telling Twilight that they would meet her downstairs once she had prepared for the day, leaving the mare alone in her room, at least physically.

Celestia's student didn't quite know what to make of the situation. Of all the ponies she had been expecting, Luna had definitely not been on the list, but it made her tingle happily nonetheless.

“She really has changed,” Nightmare suddenly cut in with an approving yet somehow tired voice, and Twilight managed to keep her surprise silent, nearly forgetting her curious situation. “Are you alright mistress?” Twilight grabbed the nearby, full-body mirror and deposited it at the foot of her bed, finding herself face to face with her resident goddess again who smiled warmly. Twilight's gaze became curious as she noticed the less-than-pristine look of her eyes, but she decided it wasn't anything to be too concerned about.

“I seem okay. My body is a bit sore, but remarkably, no cuts or burns or anything apparently,” she summed up as she doubled checked again to make sure she had not missed anything.

“Wonderful. I'd hate to see anything happen to that splendid body of yours,” the black alicorn responded with a genuinely relieved chuckle, drawing a timid blush from her mistress, “So what do you think?”

Twilight blinked uncomprehendingly. “Think? Think of what?”

Nightmare rolled her eyes. “C'mon. You know...Lulu.” Still the lavender mare did not understand. “Luna.”

“Oh...well um. I'm really grateful to her. Without her I'd probably be chimera chow,” the purple unicorn began before shuddering as the memory of the pouncing chimera flashed through her mind. No. Best not to think about it.

“Well that's great an all, but that's not what I was talking about,” the dream goddess answered with a giggle which Twilight responded to with an extremely perplexed expression. “You know, I don't think you usually stare so intently at the cutie mark of any passing pony,” Nightmare added with a little smirk and wink.

The mare balked, her mouth opening and closing rapidly as she tried to deny what Nightmare had just said, but the words would not come, blocked by the massive blush that invaded her cheeks, caught with her hooves in the metaphorical cookie jar. She didn't say anything, but her mind did conjure up a few choice images and feelings: the way Luna smiled at her, the way her mane had felt and how kind and brave she had been in saving her, even if she couldn't remember it.

“Well she did save me after all,” Twilight answered defiantly, slightly looking away and rubbing her hooves against the light cream sheets of her bed in an attempt to diminish her embarrassed state.

Nightmare was quiet for a moment, simply staring at her mistress before smiling lightly with understanding. “Yes...I suppose she did.”

Guests

Quickly dashing out of bed into her morning routine, Twilight berated herself for allowing the PRINCESS of all ponies to see her in such a pitiful, bedraggled state. Her mane was a mess, frizzy and unkempt, her coat was oily and riddled with misaligned patches, and her poor tail was frayed and split by rebellious hairs that had roamed free in her two-day coma. The fact that she also smelled of sweat, baked and fermented underneath a thick woolen blanket, only served to horrify her more.

Twilight wasn't a very superficial pony, but she did like to look her best, especially in front of friends and guests. She shuddered at the thought of Rarity being substituted in her place, because her unholy screams would surely be enough to wake the sleeping dead from Tartarus into the prime of life.

However, her previous state was quickly cast aside with vigorous washing, careful combing, and various scented shampoos and body washes, and Twilight was ready, sighing in relaxation as she took in that feeling of being sparkly clean.

Stepping out, she began her descent into the kitchens where the wafting smells of Spike's savory cooking were originating, but suddenly, an abrupt pair of small claws wrapped themselves tightly around her forehoof, stopping her in her tracks before she could place even one hoof on the first step down.

“Twilight! Are you alright?! Fluttershy and the princess told me that you were finally awake! I was really worried, because I didn't want anything bad to happen to you. And I was freaking out because you had never come back with so many injuries before or anything like that, and I knew that you had gone into the Everfree Forest. And there are lots of crazy scary monsters in there and so....” Spike rambled on before being forced to stop by Twilight's soft hoof upon his mouth. The purple unicorn grinned and enveloped Spike in a warm, loving hug, silently thanking him for his concerns and for taking care of her. Twilight was sure her assistant had run himself to the point of exhaustion while she was unconscious. “So are you alright now?”

“Perfectly fine,” Twilight answered with a giggle, nuzzling her faithful assistant, “I'm absolutely sure you did a fantastic job of taking care of me while I was bedridden.” Spike blushed at the high praise, puffing his chest out impressively as he soaked his ego, and the lavender mare laughed as she patted his head as a reward. “Let's talk downstairs. I'm starving, and I smell my favorite coffee.” The child dragon chuckled but nodded as he hopped onto Twilight's back, letting her lead them back down where Luna and Fluttershy were already feasting away at Spike's perfectly crafting morning breakfast.

Finally arriving at the table, the purple unicorn was so famished that she simply levitated all of the appropriate foods to her plate instead of grabbing them manually, taking out nearly half of their supply as a mountain of food rose from the depths of the plain white plate.

Her friends and Spike looked on, amused, and the unicorn flushed scarlet; levitating voluminous amounts of food through the air onto your plate was usually considered less than polite in respectable company.

The two other ponies simply laughed, however, and Luna even floated over the rest of the coffee pot, half-filled, as a joke, which Twilight quickly declined with a small squeak, grabbing a nearby mug and pouring herself a reasonable quantity, burying her face into its black depths in the hopes that it would block most of her reddened cheeks.

“I see your appetite definitely hasn't suffered,” Luna commented with a giggle as she took a demure sip of her apple juice, winking at her friend who looked no worse for wear than normal, “Miss Zecora's herbal remedies really are quite miraculous.”

Twilight suddenly jolted in her seat, remembering her zebra friend who had been on the receiving end of the chimera's claws to begin with. “Zecora! Is she alright?! How is she?” She demanded, feeling the raw nibbling of guilty worry at her sides. Immediately, Fluttershy quickly affirmed the zebra's safety, and the purple unicorn felt relief wash through her body. Twilight would have never forgiven herself if something had happened to her.

“Once Zecora got back to her hut, she pulled out a bunch of these strange potions and balms and started applying them. She actually left you some earlier today. You should use them later,” the pegasus answered with a smile, “She really thanks you for carrying her so far and saving her life.”

“Well thank goodness she's alright. She looked really beat up when I found her,” Twilight said, a large weight disappearing from her chest.

“What were you doing out there in the first place Twilight?” Luna suddenly asked with a serious expression, “You of all ponies should know how dangerous it is in there, especially in the deep jungle.” Before Twilight could respond properly, however, Fluttershy stepped in for her.

“Um...well..she was escorting me on my visit to Zecora, because I'm really afraid of the forest. But then, we found out that Zecora wasn't there, and we were worried that something bad had happened to her. That's when Twilight decided to go outside and look for her,” the butter-colored mare murmured as she looked down at her plate, shifting stray bits of uneaten food around, “It's my fault really...If I had gone with Twilight to search for her maybe...”

“It's not your fault Fluttershy,” Twilight cut in sternly and genuinely, “It's nopony's fault.”

“But...”

“No. Don't blame yourself please. I sure don't. What matter's is that nopony got hurt... permanently anyway. It's a good thing Luna appeared to save me though,” Twilight admitted, “But....what were you doing out there anyway Luna? How did you find me?”

“Well originally, Celestia had sent me here to check up on you since the night court is currently in recess for the rest of the month. I had plenty of time to fly down here, and I actually planned to stay here for my vacation,” the lunar princess explained, “I actually came to the library first to greet you and announce my arrival, but you weren't here. I found out from Spike that you had gone into the forest, and you know the rest from there.”

“What a way to come upon your friend huh?” Twilight mused, chuckling.

“Indeed.”

The purple unicorn nodded gratefully. “Well thank you then. You saved my life,” she said, her gaze locking with the night alicorn sitting across the table, and Luna answered her with a shy smile of her own.

“Consider us even then hmm?” she laughed, “But anyways, near-death experiences aside, how are you doing Twilight? Any interesting developments lately?”

“Hmm...not really,” Twilight responded slowly, “Other than the fact that Nightmare Moon is sitting in my head right now.”

“You called?” the black alicorn chirped suddenly, surprising Twilight because the usually talkative and provocative alicorn had been quiet for nearly twenty minutes already.

“Where the heck were you? For a second there, I thought you had decided to go possess some other unfortunate soul,” Twilight deadpanned, though she meant it lightly.

“I just wanted to let you have a good and normal conversation with our dearest Lulu and your adorable pegasus friend is all,” Nightmare answered sweetly and innocently, giggling, “Don't tell me that you missed the melodious sound of my deliciously seductive voice already my dear mistress?”

“As if...”

“So what do you think Twilight?” Luna's suddenly happy voice asked, breaking Twilight out of her thought conversation.

“Huh? What? Yes. Sure! Why not?” the lavender mare answered randomly, turning her attention back to the real world and her guests, hoping she had responded correctly.

“Really? Thank you so much!” the night goddess said, clapping her hooves together, “Oh we're going to have so much fun!”

“Uh...wait. What's going on?” the purple unicorn asked sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment, “I was kind of lost in thought there...”

“Oh...um...well..I asked if I could stay over here during my vacation since the court's in recess for another three weeks,” the lunar princess said, flushing slightly for having to repeat it a second time, “I mean...if it isn't too much trouble. I wouldn't want to impose.” Twilight flinched guiltily, already knowing her answer.

“No no. It's no problem at all! In fact, I'm sure that it will be tons of fun Luna!” she amended quickly, apologizing for not paying attention to the goddess.

“Oh my. Two grown mares living underneath the same roof. How cunning of you mistress. Don't jump her in your sleep okay? Though if she consents, it's fair game after all,” Nightmare snickered, creating a few choice images to fill Twilight's head, most of which pertained to activities that were considered rude to utter in public.

“Shut up! I'm just being a nice friend is all...which is what we are! Friends! There is nothing going on between us, and it is definitely not going to come to THAT!” Twilight screeched mentally as images of Bon Bon and Lyra's “activities” suddenly invaded her consciousness too, only adding to her rising blush. The black alicorn laughed deliciously, forgetting how much fun it was to tease Twilight.

“Maybe you can invite Luna into your passionate dreams then hmm? You never know what sort of kinky things you could do there. I hear she's still got that ability. I did teach it to her after all,” Nightmare continued. The fact that the object of Nightmare's teasing were only serving to empower the images and suggestions being made, causing more and more blood to rise to Twilight's cheeks.

And again, before Twilight could grace Nightmare with her own rebuttal, Luna's cheerful voice broke her thoughts.

“Wonderful! Thank you so much Twilight. I know we'll have the best time here! But..I am curious. What were you thinking so hard about? It must be something extremely important to make you lose your consciousness in the real world,” the night alicorn asked with a small chuckle, raising her eyebrow in interest. “Perhaps your mind is lingering on the thoughts of a secret love and their reaction to knowing you were bedridden for two days,” she joked, giggling at her own cleverness. However, she was surprised to find that nopony else was laughing as hard as she was.

“That is probably the actual reason,” Spike supplied with a cheeky grin, poking his caretaker and beating her to the punch, “Twilight confessed that she had somepony special on her mind a few days ago. Everypony went pretty ballistic over it, but I don't have a clue as to why.”

Twilight cursed quietly as the rest of the blood in her body congregated on her cheeks as all eyes turned to her. There was no way out of this one. Saying it was a lie could potentially expose her secret, and not denying it would only give her more trouble. She decided on the only possible thing she could use: diversion.

“Haha...yeah...well speaking of everypony else. Have they come in to see me?” Twilight asked with the widest and falsest grin she could muster, not really convincing anypony. With a smirk, Luna decided it was time to go fishing.

“Hmm....of course. They all visited you dutifully, but I wonder which one of them have caught your attention, particularly your more amorous ones,” the night princess teased, observing her target carefully for reactions, “Perhaps it's Rainbow Dash? The fastest and most athletic pegasus pony in this day and age whose skills could be compared to your ability for magic?” ......No reaction from Twilight.

“Hmm..or Miss Pie? Whose aptitude and appetite for fun surely outclasses all others? I believe she compliments your personality perfectly.” ......Nothing still.

“Possibly Applejack? Whose due diligence is rather astounding.” No cigar.

“Rarity who possesses grace and elegance?” Nope.

“Fluttershy.” Twilight remained quiet, and only a squeak from the present pegasus answered Luna's last query.

“It's not any of them,” Twilight answered with a huff, only encouraging the young alicorn more, “You're never going to guess it right, and why would you only include my friends? They are all girls after all.”

“Hmm...well it is not uncommon for strong friendship to transform into love after all,” Luna answered truthfully, “Though if I offend because they are all girls, I apologize.” Twilight just grunted in a noncommittal fashion; she had nothing against it, but Fluttershy was here. Her friends all thought she liked a stallion after all.

“Well..um...I don't see anything wrong with it personally,” Fluttershy chimed in nervously, shuffling her hooves together, “I think as long as there is love involved, it's okay.” Twilight blinked in surprise, replaying what her pegasus friend had just said; it surprised her. She had not figured Fluttery, the down-to-earth, shy pegasus pony, to be so radically accepting. Before the purple unicorn could respond in turn, however, the clock struck at the latest hour, and the pegasus suddenly shot out of her seat. “Oh no! I forgot! I have to feed Angel and all the other animals! Oh dear, Angel is going to throw a fit. I have to go! Thanks for everything Spike. Goodbye Luna, Twilight!” And suddenly, she was already gone before the two ponies and the dragon could return her goodbyes, leaving only Luna and Twilight at the table as Spike went about on his daily errands.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

“Are you sure this is a good idea Twilight? You just recovered, and we don't know if your magic can handle this yet,” Spike repeated for the tenth time, “I mean it's great and all that you want to test out Luna's suggestions, but shouldn't you do it when you're...you know. Fully healed?” They were back at the desolate testing spot where Twilight had first attempted to create a pocket dimension, and Nature had yet to reclaim the ravaged area that was devoid of trees and grass. If this test went anything like the last ones, Nauture would most likely give up.

“Nonsense Spike! I've rested for two days already. My magic should be at one-hundred and ten percent after such a long recovery period. My body doesn't directly affect my magic anyways unless it's under high strain,” Twilight waved off as she levitated the two new additions to her experiment in place.

After Fluttershy had left, Luna had struck up a conversation about her latest experiments and forays into the enigmatic world of magic. Of course, Twilight had eventually come upon the topic of her pocket dimension spell, which the night alicorn had taken immense interest in.

“What are we doing again? I hardly see how this is any different from the last attempt we made. All we have now is two mirrors,” the baby dragon said as he pushed the tools in place, “What will these even do?”

“It's a bit complicated Spike,” Twilight said as she remembered what she had animatedly discussed with Luna earlier that day.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

“So how are your experiments going? Any progress?” Luna asked as she placed her dirty dishes in the sink, “I heard from Spike that you have something in mind that you have been working really hard on for quite some time now.”

“Yeah,” Twilight said from her seat at the table, nearly done with her pile of food, “I've been trying to create portable pocket dimensions via magic foci crystals and crystallized spell latices, but every time I attempt to break the barrier between this dimension and the next, it usually results in a miniature black hole. I just can't seem to control the singularity complex with magic no matter how many foci nodes I use.”

“That is interesting. Did you factor in the possibility of magic decay rates and dimensional distortion?” the princess conversed naturally as if the topic was easy enough for a kindergartner to understand, “There's also the possibility that the singularity complex is absorbing some of the controlling magic measures as well.”

“Yeah. I've mostly got those covered, but I think the problem is that I don't have enough magical reserves, or that I don't output magic fast enough to handle the high amounts of magical feedback,” the purple unicorn scientist said, “If there was a way for me to alter and increase my rate of magic output, it might be possible for me to simply saturate the singularity complex in a pulse of magic long enough to keep it stable. But I haven't thought of a viable way to do that other than training or using other unicorns. And that still isn't viable because the foci aren't attuned to other pony's magic, and training would take a few years.”

“Have you ever considered magical interference and compounding? If you do it right, you can fill in the magical gap with enough magic energy to substitute for lost power,” the blue alicorn asked as she sat down again, deeply invested in the topic at hoof.

“I mean...I've thought about it, but there's really no real way for me to do that without expensive reflection crystals, and even then, I'd have to make sure they are attuned and correctly proportioned. Finding two perfect reflection crystals could take ages as well,” Twilight sighed.

“True. However, you can achieve similar results, albeit a bit less effective, by using magically reinforced glass you know. Mirrors would do perfectly fine. It might not be able to withstand the same amounts of magical stress as a reflection crystal, but for your purposes, I bet it would be enough, especially with a strong reinforcement spell,” the night alicorn said with a smile, “Your magic is already astoundingly powerful. I believe you'd only need a little extra to start a chain reaction that would create enough energy to overhaul the instability of the singularity complex.”

Twilight thought about it for a moment, formulating and postulating the amount of magical power she would need to stabilize the birth of a new, mini dimension. It was theoretically possible if the mirrors could hold. Then she could introduce the crystallized spell while inducing her own magic, which would further raise the energy levels.

“That actually might work!” the purple unicorn suddenly declared excitedly, “Brilliant Luna! Thanks so much!” The lavender mare was already gathering materials, levitating two of her house's mirrors out the door along with her myriad of jewels, quills, scrolls and Spike.

Luna giggled. Once that mare started, there was nothing stopping her. “Well good luck!” she called as she followed her host out the door, “I'm going to be gone for a day or so, because I have have to fill out the proper paperwork for my official vacation to stay here in Ponyville. I'll see you tomorrow Twilight!”

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

“Still got no idea what you guys were talking about,” Spike muttered as he pushed the mirror in place, facing the other mirror about fifty feet apart, “And if I end up flying through the air towards certain death again, I quit.”

Twilight ignored that comment and observed the setup carefully, telling Spike to suddenly stop. “Perfect! According to my calculations, this distance should be enough. Let's hope this works!” Spike took a couple hundred steps back, wary of what was going to happen next as he anchored his tail underneath a nearby boulder.

The unicorn stepped in between the two enchanted mirrors, aiming her horn right down the center of one of them as she built up her magic for as long as she could hold it through her focus, the steady glow on her horn becoming blindingly bright.

At the apex of her power, she fired a long beam of pure, purple magic at the first mirror, hoping that it would hold, and amazingly, the crystalline surface bounced the ray of magic back easily, causing Twilight to jump out of the way as she reveled in her success. The lavender unicorn smiled and waited for the magic to pass by again before jumping back and firing another prepared beam. The process repeated itself over and over again until there was no way for Twilight to time a jump. What had been just empty air moments before was now a powerful, continuous beam of magic, moving back and forth between mirror to mirror, pulsing strongly with each pass.

“Now to just move the mirrors closer,” Twilight said to herself, and she gingerly grabbed the two with her magic, slowly shuffling them closer and closer to the point where the magic beam became so intense that they resisted the movement of the mirrors. This was as far as she could go.

“Now to charge and place the crystallized spell,” she chanted as she began to charge the light blue, holding jewel, laced with her enchantment, in place. This was it, the moment of truth.

Then, just as the pre-charged crystal was centimeters away from contacting the volatile ray of magical energy, a particularly random gust traveled through the area, slightly knocking the mirror askew, and the beam reacted in turn. It was headed straight toward Twilight's body.

Twilight screamed and cursed her foolishness at the same time, wondering how in the world she had forgotten to account for natural disturbances. In her own zealousness, she had forgotten proper preparations and was now paying the price.

The beam connected, and the lavender mare yelled in fear as she felt her own raw magic course through her and envelop her completely. She didn't know what was going on. Up was down, down was up. Real was fake, fake was real. She was alive, she was dead. Time was space, space was time.

And she could do nothing but hope and pray.

All of a sudden after a few tense moments, the light died down as Twilight took in the raw magic, small arcs of magic still flicking around her. Then she fell to the floor, dropping the crystal with her.

“TWILIGHT!” Spike cried out in fear as he wrenched his tail from underneath the rock. He rushed over to her unmoving form, crying out the same name over and over again in the hopes that she would wake, but the only response he got was the soft, pulsating glow of the black crystal in her hooves.

Shower

Twilight groaned as she struggled to open her eyes, rubbing the last dregs of sleep out before finding herself in a strange, dimly lit room, the walls colored a dark, earthly brown color, bark, with the smells of fantastical foreign plants and burning, charred wood hovering strongly in the air. Slowly, she tried to lift her head up off the pillow she was laying on to look around, but her head refused to listen to her commands, and similarly, her entire body was immobilized, protesting with strong aches and spasms at her every wish to move. Everything hurt, and Twilight could only groan as the pain took over. The morning soreness she had felt that day was nothing compared to the aches she felt now, and in addition to that, her head felt muddled and completely battered almost if she had gone a few rounds with Celestia herself.

To sum it all up in simple terms – She felt absolutely horrible.

She sighed; waking up like this was definitely not a good habit for her. With excruciating effort, Twilight was able to shift her head position on the pillow left so that she could get a better look around the unknown room while trying her best to ignore the burning pain.

It was quite empty, only adorned by a simple bedside table and dresser, but there were some very distinct decorations hanging on the wall that told Twilight exactly whose home she was in.

“Zecora's house huh?” she muttered to herself painfully as she laid eyes on various, exotic tribal masks painted greens, blues and reds hanging alongside thick golden rings. For a moment, Twilight wondered what in Equestria she was doing in Zecora's bed in the first place until she finally remembered. Luna. Magic. Spell. Mirror. Wind. Explosion.

“Ugh...Idiot,” Twilight said, berating herself for so easily forgetting such a simple safety check in her excitement. She felt like an amateur all over again!

Suddenly, Zecora popped her head from around the corner of her door-less bedroom entrance, instantly noticing her awake patient and friend.

“Ahh...Awake finally you are I see. Thus, much thankful relief overcomes me,” the zebra greeted with a smile as she stepped fully through the entrance, and the immobilized, purple unicorn sighed as she shifted her head slightly to meet her zebra caretaker who didn't look like she had been nearly mauled to death by a dangerous chimera just a few days ago, thankfully. Twilight attempted to smile back earnestly, but only managed to grin weakly much to her chagrin.

“Good...you're alright Zecora,” Twilight rasped sincerely, finding her new situation somewhat ironic in every sense of the word.

“Indeed. That is very true, but magical mishaps are worse for you,” Zecora scolded lightly with a chuckle as she walked back into the main alchemical room. Twilight craned her neck slightly, as she heard the sounds of splashing through the thin tree walls, slightly wondering what the zebra had brewed up. Her curiosity was quickly answered as the alchemist zebra trotted back into the room with a filled vial containing a dark green concoction, freshly smoking and altogether suspicious. The light smoke wafting from the lip of the container easily told Twilight what it would taste like as well: sour and extremely bitter.

“The little dragon hurried to my stead, yelling and screaming off his poor head. A couple of long hours you have been out, a result of intense magical feedback, no doubt. Your body is under intense stress, a side effect of internal mess. Quickly, drink this potion my dear, and your magic will stabilize without fear,” she assured as she held the glass to Twilight's mouth, and the suffering unicorn took it with a little hesitation. Despite the fact that Zecora had never failed them, Twilight wasn't really looking forward to tasting the medicine.

Nevertheless, she finished every last drop of the herbal remedy, and Twilight hacked violently as the taste and sharp potency of the potion took over. Immediately though, she could feel the magic inside of her body responding to the medicine, and it was anything but pleasant. It felt like there were a hundred thousand feathers tickling her all over from the inside and out, and she wiggled and spasmed and cried out as she tried to endure the overwhelming sensation.

After a few moments of uncontrollable laughter, the tickling died down, and Twilight took a few deep breaths to stabilize herself and regain her composure. However, she felt immensely better, and the purple unicorn could feel her body finally responding to her commands. Slowly, Twilight swung her legs over the edge of the bed, feeling an extreme amount of relief at the fact that she could move again.

“Phew...you're a lifesaver Zecora. Thank you so much!” Twilight exclaimed as she jumped out of the bed and stretched, her magic already beginning to settle and calm. Just to test out her abilities, Twilight grabbed the discarded blankets and made the bed with her magic, nodding in satisfaction as the task came easily to her. Even most of the soreness had subsided, and again, the lavender mare could only marvel at her friend's abilities.

“Not at all my dearest friend. Those words of praise, to you I extend,” the zebra answered with a laugh of her own, “But a 'you're welcome' is given freely indeed, and I also offer my thanks for your deed. I fear that night if you had not arrived. That encounter, I might have not survived.” Twilight blushed at the high praise but shook it off.

“Of course! I'm just glad you're alright,” the purple unicorn responded with a wide smile of her own, and Zecora nodded appreciatively.

“Now to Ponyville's edge I will happily escort. I do not want anything to take you for sport,” Zecora said as she walked out into the main room with Twilight following closely behind. Before reaching the front door, however, the zebra suddenly stopped. “Ah! One thing I forgot. I recall. One moment. I shall fetch it from the wall.”

The lavender mare paused in confusion as she watched Zecora trot to one of her alchemical shelves, open the locked doors and grab something small from inside the cabinet. It was wrapped in a thick, brown cloth and tied together by string.

“What is that Zecora?” Twilight asked curiously as the zebra rejoined her side, “Is it some sort of herb or something for somepony?”

“In due time Twilight, this here I shall highlight,” the mysterious zebra answered as she opened to the door into the outside world and fearlessly stepped through. Looking up into the sky, Twilight gasped as she noticed the first few slivers of starlight peeking out from the veil of the twilight sky. It was already this late! “Quickly now. Let us not dilly or dally. This forest waits for none in the darkest valley.”

Nodding, Twilight followed Zecora out the door into the black forest, not feeling the same killing intent from the shadows any longer. In fact as they walked down the dirt path, it was deathly quiet, almost ominously so. Not a scratch or bird call or buzz could be heart, and in many ways, it was even creepier than the forest being filled with noise.

“Um...was the forest always this quiet at night?” the lavender mare muttered as she stepped a little closer to her friend out of reflex. However, Zecora didn't answer her and pressed on.

Soon, they had reached the outskirts of the forest, and the first few edges of the rising moon were peaking out from the horizon to greet the declining day.

“At the end's road we have come, now I must return to where I'm from,” Zecora announced as she stepped out onto the uncovered grasses of Ponyville's outskirts. She reached around to the package laying on her back and pressed it onto Twilight. “This gift I give, I must forewarn. Be wary when you do adorn.”

“Huh?” Twilight asked, tilting her head in confusion as Zecora pressed the cloth-covered object into her hooves, “What is this Zecora? I don't need any gift from you. We're even after all.”

“Then as the owner, take it in joy, for it was yours to use in your afternoon ploy,” she responded cryptically and with a grin as she turned around abruptly to head back home, cutting off any sort of protest that Twilight could give.

“Uh...okay? Thanks then Zecora!” Twilight called out as she turned around as well to head home.

Zecora smiled as she shook her head and looked into the forest which answered her with loud shrieks and growls, speaking in liveliness once again. “Farewell my friend, Twilight, for your new adventure begins anew. I imagine a goddess such as that has much in store for you.”

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It was already early night by the time Twilight arrived at the library. The market place was nearing its closing time as ponies began to pack up their stalls and head out. Ponyville didn't have much of a nightlife as there were no clubs or late night restaurants for such a small town, and most of the Ponyville ponies were content with staying at home and enjoying dinner with their friends or family.

As expected, when Twilight opened the door to her house, she was greeted by an entourage of worried questions fired at her by none other than her assistant who looked her over like she was a glass statue about to break at the slightest breeze. Twilight sighed and idly levitated Zecora's package onto one of the library's side tables before heading further in.

“Are you sure you're alright Twilight? You just recovered from your last accident and now this happens! I don't want you to strain yourself,” Spike insisted in worry as he pestered her all the way to the kitchen.

“Perfectly fine....again,” Twilight stated, giggling, “But I am starving Spike. Got anything to eat?” Like a well trained soldier, Spike saluted his caretaker, running around the kitchen and grabbing various ingredients and tools to whip up something suitable for dinner.

In no time at all, Spike had a large pot of daisy and alfalfa soup topped with carrot shreddings and fresh parsley for them to eat. Twilight sighed happily as the warm soup hit her tongue, re-energizing her with its strong and fulfilling flavors. The purple mare was extremely glad that she had Spike as an assistant.

“So what happened Spike?” the purple unicorn asked as she finished her second helping of soup, and Spike grimaced as he recalled what had happened earlier that afternoon.

“Well the experiment looked like it was going to work, but suddenly the wind moved one of the mirrors and shifted the beam to you,” the baby dragon explained, and Twilight nodded, already knowing that part, “After that, there was this huge explosion of energy and you fainted. I couldn't get close to you for a long time either, because there were these huge arcs of energy that kept zapping me every time I tried to get close. At that point, I ran to Zecora's house, because I thought that she was probably the only other pony in the area that would know what to do with you.”

“Good job then Spike,” Twilight praised, “Thanks for taking care of me. Zecora definitely did know what to do, luckily.”

“Yeah...but let's try to keep explosive experiments to a minimum for now okay? I think you've had enough injuries for the month,” Spike said with a chuckle, drawing a laugh from Twilight who nodded enthusiastically, “By the way, I've cleaned up the house and everything for Luna, and the guest room and bed is prepared too.”

Twilight nodded in appreciation, and idly wondered what Luna would think if she told her what had happened to her right after she left. She imagined that the lunar goddess would feel guilty, so she decided to keep the whole thing a secret for the time being.

“Thanks so much Spike. Dinner was great too as usual. What in the world would I do without you huh?” the purple unicorn yawned as she stretched. The day's activities and excitement had already taken their toll. “I think I'll take a shower and then turn in early for the night.”

“Sure thing Twi,” he said with a smile as he put away the leftovers and placed the dirty bowls into the sink, “Make sure you get a good night's rest. I don't think Luna would like it if you were falling asleep on her all over the place.”

Twilight smiled and laughed. “Yeah..you're probably right.” Standing up from the table, the lavender mare headed upstairs and opened the door to her shower. However, a sudden curiosity overcame her as she remembered placing the strange cloth-covered package on one of the tables. She reasoned it was a perfectly good time to take a look at it.

Levitating it off of the table and up the stairs into the bathroom, Twilight closed the door behind her and laid the strange bundle on the white bathroom countertop. It was light and she felt it manually for a moment, trying to discern what it was before actually opening it. Grabbing one of the strings, she pulled and unveiled the package and its contents.

The lavender mare gasped as she laid eyes on what lay inside the inconspicuous wrapping; it was the same focus crystal, black and smooth, set inside a gold centerpiece attached to thin gold chain forming a simple yet elegant necklace. It looked professionally done, but Twilight had no idea why Zecora would even give her such a gift. Then she noticed that there was a note placed underneath the golden necklace, and she moved the jewelry to get a clearer view.

As I've said, this jewel of black belongs to you. This setting, I've crafted to express my

gratitude through. Be careful with this here, and enjoy my dear.

-Zecora

“Enjoy?” Twilight said with a confused look, “I guess even I enjoy good jewelry every now and then.” She smiled and made a mental note to thank Zecora again later on.

She shrugged as she levitated the piece in place around her neck, and with one look in the mirror, she decided that she looked pretty good with it on. Twilight grinned and struck a small pose in the reflective glass, and she began to giggle to herself while closing her eyes, feeling a little silly for getting so worked up over a small piece of jewelry. Nonetheless, she felt as if there was something special about it.

“Hehe...I like that new look of yours Twilight,” a low and silky voice suddenly purred, and Twilight's entire form was suddenly hugged from behind by a random body as a cool stream of air was slowly and sensually blown into her left ear. Twilight's whole body seized up immediately as a fiery blush began to rage on her face. “My my...I like this arrangement much, much better. I'll have to thank that zebra witch later.”

Twilight snapped her eyes open to find a pony, her coat a pure, pitch black, hugging her from behind tightly. It was obviously a mare by the way she spoke and the contours of her body which Twilight could easily feel with her own, a fact that sent a bit of heat surging through her body. But it was impossible! She wasn't supposed to actually be there!

“Night...Night...” Twilight began to scream before a pair of hooves wrapped themselves over her mouth tenderly as the goddess hanging above her began to grin mischievously.

“Now now mistress. You wouldn't want Spike to waltz in here and see this now would you?” Nightmare teased with an extremely amused smirk, “Unless you like ponies watching...” Instantly, the dark goddess given form started giggling as she watched Twilight's face light up and her body begin to squirm underneath her.

The purple mare squeaked as she was embraced even tighter from behind by the taller mare, and she could tell that this was no projected illusion. This body was solid and corporeal!

“How! How?!” Twilight muttered through the hooves held on her mouth as she stared at the reflection in the mirror, finding the same goddess looking back at her with a smirk. However, in the real world, the body was definitely different. She was only a bit taller than her, and the purple unicorn could tell that there was something strange about her appearance.

“So what do you think mistress?” the dream goddess asked in a sultry tone as she slowly began to nibble on the edges of Twilight's ear, eliciting a sharp gasp from her helpless captive, “Is it to your liking?”

“I....I...I don't care about that...” Twilight rasped out in-between uneven breaths, “Just! Just get off!” Nightmare chuckled and made one more nibble pass before climbing off her mistress.

“As you wish my lovely mistress,” the dark alicorn chimed before extracting herself from Twilight's back, laughter apparent in her eyes, “As usual, you are so cute my mistress!”

“Shut up...” the purple unicorn hissed as she turned around, finding that Nightmare was indeed right there. Twilight was finally able to get a good look at what the goddess looked like, and as she suspected she wasn't the same as her mirror version. She was definitely taller than herself, but not tall enough to pose as a goddess like Luna or Celestia. If the lavender mare had to guess, her body type was comparable to Fluer De Lis, the pony supermodel.

The most important part, however, was the fact that she only sported a horn instead of both wings and a horn. That in itself would keep any suspicions on the down-low. Similarly, gone were the reptilian eyes of Nightmare Moon, and instead normal pony eyes replaced them. However, they were no less stunning than usual.

Her dark blue mane was still and cascaded around her face and down her body elegantly, and her sleek tail was the same, complimenting her black coat perfectly. And the last, finishing touch was a simple, white crescent moon with a small six-pointed star on one of the ends that posed as her cutie mark.

If Twilight hadn't known any better, she would have thought that a random, beautiful mare had just stepped into her bathroom.

“Shesh mistress. If you're so interested in my body, you could have just told me you know,” Nightmare said coolly with a toothy grin, and immediately, Twilight looked away, “This is going to be so much fun! Now that I have a body, I can do all sorts of things with you mistress!” Abruptly, the dream goddess' expression transformed into the look of a predator stalking its helpless prey, and she slowly began advancing upon the frozen unicorn who could only babble uselessly as she backed into the countertop. Twilight was completely trapped.

“In fact...let's do something fun now! I hear that showering with two is a rather enjoyable,” Nightmare chuckled evilly as she grabbed Twilight without warning.

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Spike suddenly stopped washing the dishes as he heard a shrill scream rip through the house and sighed. He shook his head.

“That Twilight....what in Equestria is she doing now?”

Author's Note

Yay! Now the fun really begins!

Free

This was bad. Positively, absolutely, without a single doubt, very, very bad.

Here she was, her entire body frozen in shock, as Nightmare leisurely levitated her into the porcelain tub, humming happily to herself as she stepped in daintily afterward.

“Shall I wash your back for you mistress?” the disguised alicorn purred, smiling devilishly at the shocked purple unicorn, as one hoof rested teasingly on the golden knob and the other floated above her mistress' smooth backside, “I'm rather good with my hooves if I do say so myself...in many ways.” Twilight couldn't respond staring at Nightmare's corporeal form; her toothy smirk promised many things, and the lavender mare was sure that she didn't want any of them or anything to do with Nightmare's hooves.

And just as the dream goddess began to turn the knob, allowing the first few sneaky drops of water to fall through the silver shower head, she finally found her voice, yelping as she instinctively teleported out the goddess' clutches, barely missing the deluge of warm shower water that followed.

“Ahh...you're so mean mistress,” the dream goddess said throatily as she allowed the warm water to cascade over her body slowly, winking at the unicorn as her mane and coat became wet and glossy. The unicorn's retort died in her mouth as she turned to find Nightmare staring at her in a fashion that was usually only reserved for bedrooms. Helplessly, the inexperienced and pure unicorn sat, mouth agape, on the tiled floor, unable to tear her eyes away.

“What.....what are you doing!?” Twilight finally squeaked in an attempt to sound somewhat in control, mesmerized by the way Nightmare was washing herself; it was definitely not a normal way to wash one's self. The last time the purple unicorn took a shower, she was pretty sure she didn't sport an expression of absolute rapture.

“Well obviously, I'm taking a shower. But overall, I'm here to grant you happiness. We've gone over this many times already my lovely mistress,” Nightmare answered truthfully as she began humming to herself as she reached for the shampoo. Leisurely dripping the golden liquid onto her hair, she began to scrub, moaning happily at the refreshing sensation of cleaning a three-thousand year old mane.

However, the added noises only served to fluster Twilight further. “Just...just tell me how you...you got here alright?” the purple unicorn stammered, finally gathering the decency to turn away to face the other direction, but unfortunately, the half-fogged reflection in the mirror that only showcased Nightmare in the shower, only served to make her feel even dirtier as an uncontrollable explosion of blush spread across her face.

Desperately, she tried to face sideways, but her peripherals easily caught glances of both Nightmares, real and not real; if she couldn't face one Nightmare, how was she supposed to face two!? That idea went out the window. And finally, she just tried to close her eyes altogether, but then all of her other senses became amplified, including the less-than-publicly-acceptable noises the naughty dream goddess was making. Thus, she was left with the only option of facing Nightmare head on. “You're...you're not supposed to even have a body!”

“Well isn't that a bit mean mistress?” Nightmare pouted, flicking her mane innocently as she stared straight back at Twilight, delighted at the cute blush that flared across her mistress' face, “You could be at least be a little happy for me you know. This is the first shower I've had in almost three thousand years after all.” Twilight frowned, opening her mouth to retort, only to be suddenly cut off by Nightmare's next sentence. “But if you really must know, the zebra said it had something to do with a dimensional spell acting as a portal link with the corporeal world. Imagine my surprise to find my own mistress would let me out of my cage so willingly. Even Miss Zecora played along with it and said that gold she smelted stabilizes my form or something of the sort,” the goddess continued, grabbing the lilac scented shower gel next, moaning happily and purposely as the warm water washed away the shampoo left in her mane.

“W....wait....you mean this is my fault!?” Twilight exclaimed as she backed up, almost as if physical distance would make the situation less real.

“Yup.”

“But...but..but...I....wha....huh?” the purple mare said incoherently, her speech functions beginning to fail her spectacularly.

“Though I have no idea why Zecora would help me, I'll still thank her when I see her,” Nightmare added with a grin, “Oh...and I'll be having you take responsibility for me as well, since it is technically your fault... for both of my summons.”

Twilight wasn't even sure what she could do now. One part of her just wanted to curl up into a ball and scream until the nightmare went away, and the other just wanted to run as far and as fast as possible. However, she couldn't and wouldn't do either of those things. The first option wouldn't solve anything, and the second option was just asking for trouble. She did not, under any circumstances, want Nightmare free in the house, or, Celestia forbid, Ponyville.

Of course, Twilight did feel slightly happy for the freed, resident goddess on some deep, deep level, but this she just couldn't handle.

“You're free to handle me any time you want mistress,” the dark goddess commented casually, chuckling to herself.

"ARE YOU STILL IN MY MIND TOO!?" Twilight screeched, feeling her mental stability drop a few hundred levels to a point where it could be considered almost non-existent. She shut her eyes; this had to be a dream, a sick, twisted dream that fate had conjured up for his amusement.

"Well of course. Our contract is still in effect after all," Nightmare's voice answered in the darkness as the actual mare flicked a bit of shower water onto the lavender mare's face while carefully scrubbing away the gel, having given ample time for the herbal solution to soak in and clean her newly spawned coat, "And if I may reiterate it again. I rather like this new living arrangement."

“You are not! I repeat are NOT going to live here!” Twilight yelled while snapping her eyes open and thrusting her face forward in an effort to look more forceful. Unfortunately, she opened her eyes at a rather inconvenient moment and misjudged the distance. Her face ended up plastered against something soft yet firm, and the lavender mare looked to find, to her complete horror, the alicorn cleaning a rather delicate place.

Even Nightmare had a dreg of decency to blush at this moment, but simply looked away as Twilight, who looked like she was about to pass out from mental overload, wrenched herself away from the mare. “Naughty mistress...If you really wanted to look....you could have just asked you know,” the dream goddess whispered, her voice a bit nervous and timid.

And at that point, Twilight really did pass out.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Twilight awoke in the darkness, her eyes flying open as the nightmare played itself over and over again in her head, causing her to shake and cringe. She already had enough trouble dealing with Nightmare in a mental form, so she was positive that a corporeal form would drive her insane. Luckily, that would never happen, but she didn't even know why she had dreamed of the goddess showering so sensually in the first place!

“Ha...imagine that...my pocket dimension spell creating a dimensional doorway from my mind to the real world, because I fell into the magic stream, cracking the dimensional barrier between my mind and the real world. Haha. I've really got to lay off the science fiction,” Twilight murmured, chuckling quietly in relief as she shuffled her position on her bed.

“Ugh...mistress...stop...ooh...not there,” a soft, half-awake voice suddenly whined as a powerful hoof wrapped itself around Twilight's side and another pair of hooves wrapped themselves around her lower body.

“Ack!” the lavender mare yelled, clamping her hooves over her mouth immediately afterward, hoping she hadn't woken anypony up. She turned her head to find herself face to face with Nightmare in her diminished, corporeal form. “What...no...no...no....” She flailed desperately in the body lock, attempting to escape but failing miserably. “This is impossible. There's just no....”

“Hmmmm...mistress....you make such a wonderful pillow,” the voice continued obliviously, snoring lightly into one of the trapped unicorn's ears, sending a smooth stream of warm air straight into it.

“Nightmare...” Twilight said shakily as her face flushed scarlet in the blackness, feeling the heat of that last puff of air go straight through her. Teleporting was a no go in the dark, so instead, she renewed her struggles, thrashing around until she was finally able to pry one hoof off of her, releasing her from the alicorn's death grip. Once free, the purple unicorn scrambled out of bed and onto the floor, sighing hopelessly, attempting to reign in her rampant heart beat.

“No....” the dream goddess groaned as she flailed her arms around randomly in the air, searching for the lost warmth, her voice distressed, “Don't leave me please....”

Twilight stared in the dark and face hoofed. Looking around, she noticed that Spike wasn't presently sleeping in his basket, and in fact, his basket wasn't there at all. Regardless, Nightmare Moon was there, solid, sleeping, rather fitfully at that, in her bed. The lavender mare shook her head and sighed. Watching the sleeping goddess reminded her of a newly born foal, but she reasoned the metaphor was quite suitable to the situation at hand.

“The things I have to do...” the lavender mare sighed, wiping her face hopelessly with her hoof as she allowed herself to be captured again by the goddess' wandering hooves. Nightmare wouldn't have quit whining until she got what she wanted anyway, and Twilight had decided on getting at least some sleep tonight.

“What in Equestria have I gotten myself into now?” she asked herself quietly as she rested in the dark goddess' hooves, finding that it wasn't as bad as she expected it to be.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

“Time to get up mistress. The day is wasting away! Mare's aren't conquered on sleep you know!” a voice that was altogether too cheery declared, and by habit, Twilight ignored the pestering, mumbling something about bothersome goddesses that liked to grope unicorns in their sleep. Nightmare giggled, moving her face closer to Twilight's. “If you don't get up, I'll start tickling you....everywhere that is.”

“I'm up! I'm up!” Twilight declared hastily as she jumped out of bed to save herself from being assaulted.

“Spike's already got breakfast on the table. We're waiting for you,” Nightmare said happily, drawing an unbelieving look from her mistress. When did the dream goddess become so chummy with her assistant? The last time Twilight checked, Spike wasn't good with strangers unless he could meet them with other ponies.

“What did you do to Spike!?” the lavender mare abruptly shrieked as she ran at the taller unicorn, pinning her down and igniting her horn threateningly. Despite the show of force, the pinned goddess grinned.

“Calm down a bit mistress. I haven't harmed a single scale on his head. Nor have I touched him with spells or anything of the sort, and I fully don't intend to. I wouldn't dream of it,” the dream goddess pledged, her voice completely serious and devoid of any lie. “But what you're doing now would definitely confirm what I told him,” Nightmare suddenly giggled.

“And just what was that?” Twilight snarled, pressing her face closer to the dream goddess' in an attempt to look more intimidating.

“Oh nothing. Just that I am your personal, pleasure slave that you received from Princess Celestia for doing such a bang up job of taking care of all the last few world threatening situations, and that it was a royal decree that we and only we share the same bedroom,” Nightmare answered with the straightest face and widest smile, reveling in the fact that all of the color immediately drained from Twilight's face.

“SPIKE!!” the lavender mare shouted as she threw herself off of Nightmare and sped down the stairs with the disguised alicorn following closely behind.

“Huh? Twilight? What's wrong?” the dragon asked as he was suddenly grabbed by Twilight's powerful telekinesis and shaken violently in the air.

“SHE IS NOT MY PLEASURE SLAVE, AND WE DO NOT HAVE TO SHARE A ROOM!!” Twilight yelled as emphatically as possible, dazing Spike briefly by the sheer volume of her declaration.

“Wha....wha...what?” the confused dragon muttered as he tried to recover from his brain being turned into a smoothie, “I thought Diana was you long lost cousin...she told me that it wasn't proper for a growing boy to sleep in the same room as a girl.” Immediately, the magic holding Spike aloft disappeared, dropping him straight to the floor while Twilight shook in anger and pure and utter embarrassment.

“Whoops....did I say slave? I meant cousin,” Nightmare said nervously, her mile-wide smile betraying any facade of contrition.

“Oh really? Well 'Diana', I'm giving you three seconds to run for your short-lived life before I end it myself,” the purple unicorn growled as she turned around to face the laughing goddess, her red horn-light thirsty for blood, promising pain, suffering and retribution.

“Oh would you look at the time!? I think I should go introduce myself to everypony else. Gotta go! Bye!” she suddenly declared, running out the door with all haste, leaving Spike and a fuming Twilight in the kitchen.

“She sure is energetic,” Spike commented, rubbing his sore skull and still wobbling around a bit, “I bet Luna will really like her. I never knew you had a long lost cousin that was so cool.”

However, as soon as the first uttering of the visiting lunar princess' name passed the dragon's lips, the purple unicorn stopped dead in her tracks. In all of the commotion, she had completely forgotten about Luna coming to stay at her house. Twilight's eyes shrunk to the size of pinpricks, and she fell to the floor, curling into a ball and rocking herself slowly as she muttered frantically to herself: “dreams....doomed....discover....dungeon....disgrace....”

“Uh...Twilight?”

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

“Diana” was humming happily to herself as she trotted down the streets of Ponyville, feeling happy at the fact that no pony seemed to recognize her as Nightmare Moon, Goddess of Death, Destruction and Discord. It was quite nice to not have ponies running away in fear for their lives the moment they ran into her.

Many of the shopkeepers bid her warm good mornings, despite not even knowing her name, and it was a pleasant change of pace for the notorious dream goddess.

Sure, she wasn't the only pony involved in the whole “Endless Night” incident, and Nightmare didn't blame Luna for placing her in such a damnable position. However, it didn't take away from the fact that just being herself garnered hostility and hatred from much of the populace.

But now, she could walk the streets like a normal pony; she really would have to thank that zebra witch for allowing her to create a new body for herself.

“OHMYGOSH! I DON'T BELIVE IT!” a sudden and high voice exclaimed as the disguised alicorn was tackled from behind, ending up underneath another pony. Nightmare gasped. Had somepony already seen through her?

“I..I can explain,” she stammered fearfully as she spit a few pieces of curly, pink hair out of her mouth. The dream goddess looked up to find one of the six ponies she didn't want finding out her true identity straddling her, her face completely serious and pensive. The mare was pink, party pink, and was, without a doubt, the Element of Laughter herself.

“I don't believe it. I just can't believe it!” Pinkie declared, bugging her eyes out as she scrutinized her prey.

“Wait! Please don't tell anypony!” the black alicorn begged, trembling slightly as imaginary crowds with pitchforks and torches filled her head.

“DON'T TELL ANYPONY!? DON'Y TELL ANYPONY!? ARE YOU CRAZY?!” the pink, party pony yelled as she too began to shake, “I ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVLY HAVE TO TELL EVERYPONY ABOUT THIS!”

“No! Please!” the frightened dark goddess pleaded desperately, wanting to hold onto to her bit of existence for as long as she could, “Don't send me away. Please!”

“Huh? Send you away? Now why would I do that silly?” Pinkie asked, her voice completely confused, “You're a new pony! Now I have to tell everypony that there's a new pony in town and throw you a party! And you know, I immediately knew you were new, because I know everypony here and everypony knows me! And when I saw you I was like 'OHMYGOSH' because there hasn't been a new pony to come here for a long time. So this means I can throw a super-de-duper, huge, awesome, fantastic, welcome party for you along with Princess Luna's 'Welcome to Your Vacation Party!'”

Visibly, Nightmare relaxed, feeling an unnatural weight that didn't have anything to do with the mare sitting on her chest, disappear.

“I'm Pinkie Pie! Nice to meet ya,” the pink earth pony said as she hopped off of Nightmare's chest and helped her up, “What's your name?”

“Diana. Diana Dreamscape,” Nightmare answered firmly, extending her hoof to shake Pinkie's.

“Alrighty then Diana. I'll be throwing you a super fun party this afternoon at Twilight's house. Do you know where Twilight's house is? It's a tree, but it's actually the library,” Pinkie said, her impossibly wide smile widening even further.

“Yeah. I'm actually living there right now. I'm Twilight's cousin,” “Diana” stated, chuckling a bit at Pinkie's enthusiasm and energy. However, Nightmare stepped back, a bit alarmed, when she noticed Pinkie was shaking violently, and the disguised alicorn wasn't sure if she was happy or not at the latest revelation.

Ultimately, she got her answer as Pinkie literally exploded into the air like a rocket, trailing a sparkly rainbow behind her.

“OH! MY! GOSH!” Pinkie yelled as she floated down to the ground, “That means I'll have to make this party a hundred...no...a thousand times better! I need to grab a catapult, a giant rubber duck and a couple hundred bowls of pistachios. Gotta go! Bye Diana!”

Before Nightmare could return the farewell, the pony was already gone, almost as if she had teleported away, and the stunned goddess simply sat there until she was overcome with laughter. She wasn't even sure what she was laughing about, but it felt good to really laugh with her own lungs after so long.

“Well...let's hope the rest of Twilight's friends are as fun as Miss Pie,” Nightmare said as she looked up to the blue sky with her own eyes. It was good to be free.

Responsibility

Blank. Twilight's mind was utterly and completely blank. There was no traveling train to be derailed, no lingering shadow of thought passing across the faded screen, no distant foggy memory that slunk its way through the hazy bog of consciousness that gripped Twilight. Everything was gone; all thought was wiped clean and purged from Nightmare's accidental kiss.

Her lips were soft......

Twilight shook violently as that forbidden thought crossed her mind, tilting her head to the side quickly to relinquish herself from the lip lock and clear away any thoughts following along the same, absolutely forbidden path. However, while her lips were free, the rest of her body wasn't. She was pinned helplessly underneath the larger, corporeal form of the dream goddess, and that wasn't even the worst part of the entire situation which was already ridiculous in itself!

The purple unicorn could easily sense the incredulous stares of her friends, some aghast, some simply stunned and one was very confused. This was bad, very bad.

“Diana!” Twilight hissed darkly, trying to shove the bigger unicorn off of her with little success, “Get off.” Diana didn't reply. In fact, there was no indication, verbally, physically or mentally, that the goddess had heard the command at all. The lavender mare growled, trying to fight down the immense and absolutely reactive blush that invaded her face. “Nightmare! Cut it out and get off!” Still, Twilight received no response.

Renewing her struggles again, the flustered, purple unicorn refrained from levitating, more like blasting, Nightmare off of her; Twilight's less-than-calm thought patterns would not be conducive to casting even the simplest spell. After a few more vigorous bouts of spastic and completely pointless movement, the purple unicorn finally noticed that the dream goddess had been unconscious the entire time.

“Woah nelly!” Applejack finally shouted, gathering her wits and composure much faster than the rest of her friends who were still suffering through different stages of shock. The reliable farm pony moved over to her trapped friend and helped pry the knocked out mare off of Twilight who was still valiantly struggling to free herself. “You alright Twi?”

“Fine...perfectly fine....” Twilight stammered, the whole reality of the situation finally sinking in as she took in the expressions her friends were making. Two of them had rather uncomfortable appendages sticking out prominently from their sides, though Rainbow's looked particularly more bothersome. Pinkie was bouncing rapidly in her seat, almost ready to combust at the slightest prompting, and the other pony looked scandalized, like she had just witnessed a taboo, dark ritual derived from the hells itself take place right in front of her eyes. However, her distinct blush, framed against her snow white fur, was quite telling. Spike was just plain confused.

“So...awesome...” a squeaky voice breathlessly whispered, multiplying Twilight's blush tenfold.

“Guys! It's not what you think! I swear! There's a perfectly good explanation for all of this,” Twilight attempted to assure through her furious blush, but even her own shaky voice didn't seem to believe her. She searched desperately for a reasonable explanation, but even with all of her intellect, Twilight drew a blank spectacularly. She never was a good liar...

“Twi! You might want to check this out, like now!” Applejack said urgently, ignoring Twilight's protests and diverting the flustered unicorn's attention back to the unconscious mare posing as her cousin, “Diana's pulse is mighty low.”

Immediately, the lavender mare rushed over to the fallen goddess, replacing Applejack's hoof on Nightmare's jugular with her own, the thin and weak beats of a struggling heart making themselves known. Twilight opened and closed her mouth in horror; she may not completely like the perverted, manipulative and absolutely shameless alicorn goddess, but she would never let another pony die.

However, the mare's fate was uncertain. The beating of her heart was bordering on death, and the purple unicorn trembled at the thought that the goddess' life was in her hooves. Cautiously, Twilight was hopeful though. When her hooves had made contact with Nightmare's throat, the pulse had jumped, almost as if in response to Twilight. She wasn't sure if there was any cause and effect relationship, but she held her hoof there regardless.

After a few tense minutes, she could now tell that there was some sort of relationship, because the dream goddess' pulse had slowly strengthened, albeit not enough to call her healthy. So, Twilight just sat there, wondering and thinking.

What had caused the disguised alicorn to fall into a near death coma? Why did Nightmare seem so desperate to get the necklace, the strange piece of jewelery, crafted by Zecora, probably with strange secrets and effects, to her? Did the ornament even have anything to do with the goddess' condition now?

“Is Diana going to be okay Twilight?” Spike suddenly asked, snapping Twilight out of her thoughts. The lavender mare looked down into the worried face of her number one assistant and smiled as positively as she could.

“Of course...” Twilight answered warmly, an idea suddenly striking her, “She just suffers from severe anemia, so she's rather prone to fainting.”

“Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy suddenly cried out, forgetting all embarrassment and going into her natural nurturing mode, and the lavender mare sighed in relief. She had just dodged a bullet. “Oh the poor dear! She needs plenty of rest and lots of nutritious foods to eat. I'd suggest a heavy nut diet or maybe some beans.”

“Anemia...” Rarity chuckled nervously, “I believe that makes perfect sense. Yes. There cannot be any other explanation. You're obviously not in a romantically forbidden relationship of sin and depravity with your cousin. Haha. How silly is that idea!” Twilight cringed, but did her best to to not react further to the white unicorn's less-than-subtle implication.

“Ha...yeah...really silly,” the lavender mare said with an awkward chuckle of her own, hoping her friends wouldn't get any other crazy ideas.

“So she's still single right?” Rainbow joked, earning a pointed glare from Twilight, Applejack and Fluttershy, “Kidding, kidding. But seriously, I hope she's alright.”

“Me too....” Twilight admitted, looking up at the clock to find that it was outrageously late, “I think it's best if I get Diana up to bed. It's really late.” Everypony agreed, and they watched as the purple unicorn lightly levitated Nightmare up, her hoof still connected with her neck, and walked out of the room to put Diana to bed.

“Okay. Who else thinks there's something fishy going on here?” Rainbow suddenly asked as soon as Twilight left the room and was out of earshot, “Twilight conveniently passes off a goodnight kiss as anemia. What kind of feathering funk is that?!”

“Rainbow!” Fluttershy admonished immediately, “It's not nice to just assume things about other ponies, especially if they are our friends. What if Diana really does have anemia? Won't you feel absolutely horrible that you didn't believe it?”

“I'm just saying it's suspicious. Twilight suddenly has a cousin that none of us, not even Spike, has heard about?” the cyan pegasus conjectured, “I mean c'mon...I don't know about you guys, but the way I see it, the way they act is definitely not normal for cousins....”

“Rainbow, I don't think it's right to suspect our friends. Don't you have any faith in her?” Applejack accused, also surprised at Rainbow.

“Of course, I trust Twilight one hundred percent. But they act a bit too friendly, intimate sort of, for normal family ...they always seem to be fighting about something too, but it's always like a secret joke that they share,” Rainbow elaborated, “And during the party, Diana acted a bit clingy. At least I think so....”

The orange farm mare sighed, adjusting her hat out of habit to clear her head. “Rainbow...Diana doesn't know any of us. Isn't it natural for family to stick to family?” The prismatic mare opened her mouth to retort but was cut off.

“Regardless. It isn't our business to peek into the secret or not secret affairs of our dearest Twilight,” Rarity cut in weakly and unconvincingly. She loved to gossip more than all of them combined. “Though of course, I loathe to think that she would keep any important secrets from us.”

“What do you think Pinks? You haven't said anything the entire time,” Rainbow suddenly asked, turning to find the party pony still bouncing in place, “Uh...Pinks?”

“Tail twitch, lip quiver, hoof spasm, body bounce combo!” Pinkie declared, jumping up onto her seat, “It's that combo! Oh boy! I haven't felt that combo since I ran into that cello playing pony.”

“What in Equestria are you going on about Pinkie?” Applejack asked, “In all my time here, I ain't ever heard you mention that combo.”

Pinkie took a few deep breaths while running around the room to clamp her hooves over Spike's sensitive ears. “It means that there are sexy games going on!” the pink mare declared, igniting a multitude of responses, “I didn't think I was right, but I heard it distinctively!”

“Heard what dear!? Heard what? Rarity asked, her voices clearly an octave higher as her imagination took her to very uncivilized places.

“Diana called Twilight 'mistress'!” Pinkie announced without hesitation, causing everypony there with unblocked ears to either balk or fall over. All of them, being adult mares, understood the implications of that heavy word, but they had no idea that THEIR Twilight was such a deviant! What else did Twilight partake in!? Did she make Diana prance around in a skimpy maid outfit too to fit her role?

“Even...even if the entire thing about Diana being Twilight's cousin really is a lie, it's not our place to pry,” Fluttershy concluded uneasily, pawing at the ground absentmindedly as she thought about a select number of books lying around in a secret drawer protected by a three padlocks and one custom-fitted winglock, plus an angry army of small bats and squirrels. Maybe Twilight liked leather....

“But this is our dear Twilight we're talking about! She didn't even understand what the 'monthly visit' was a few months ago!” Rarity exclaimed exasperatedly, unable to control the blood flowing to her face, “For all we know, she could be being used!”

“Twi already explained that she did know what the 'monthly visit' was,” the farm pony countered, shaking her head hopelessly, remembering that fiasco, “She just used some strange scientific word for it is all. We ran around the entire day freaking out for nothing, and that could happen again!”

“I'm merely worried about our friend's mental and emotional sanity. Who knows what sort of debauchery they are partaking in. Twilight is just so naive that I worry for her,” the white unicorn defended herself, leveling her gaze to match Applejack's.

“I think you should just leave it alone. Twi would be upset if you meddled in her buisness.”

“I hardly think that one of my best friends would be upset that I worry about their well-being!”

“Well-being my hoof! You just want the juicy details of their relationship so you can blather it all to everypony you find.”

“How dare you! I would never do such a thing! All I'm worried about is Twilight. She's my friend, so I have a responsibility to make sure she is alright.”

“Responsibility!? You just don't know when to keep your muzzle where it belongs!” the orange earth pony replied, shoving her face challengingly into the unicorn's.

“Well you would know about that first hoof wouldn't you darling?” Rarity countered heatedly, but after a brief moment, what she had said caught up with her. Horrified, she clamped her mouth shut, but the damage was done.

“WHAT!” Rainbow shouted, spitting out her drink violently, her face absolutely stunned as she pointed back and forth between the clean and pristine diva and the down and dirty farm mare. She had been enjoying the argument....”You mean....you two...wha.....what!”

“Oh would you look at the time!” the fashionista hastily exclaimed as she sweated buckets, “I do believe that dear Opal would hate me if I didn't tuck her in tonight! I'm afraid that I must go!” In a flash, Rarity was gone, almost as if she had teleported out, and similarly, Applejack had evaporated as well.

“Argh! C'mon! Am I the only one here not getting any?!” the cyan mare complained, throwing her hooves up in exasperation. Luckily, neither one of the other two ponies graced her with an answer. Rainbow groaned, slamming her head down on the table.

“Umm...I think it's time to go home now,” Fluttershy suggested feebly, not wanting to stick around lest it get even more awkward.

“Yuppers! Thanks for letting me use the house Spike!” Pinkie declared, releasing Spike's hearing in the process.

“Oh sure. You guys are going now?” Spike asked, not even bothering with asking about what he had just missed out on. He was quickly answered with two nods and a noncommittal grunt. Shrugging, he lead the mares out, returning to the now empty kitchen to find a very confused Luna who was wondering where everyone had gone.

“Um...did I miss something?”

Spike shrugged. He had no idea what was going on either.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Twilight didn't waste any time. She ran up the stairs as fast as she could, depositing Nightmare onto her bed while double checking her pulse again. It was definitely getting better, but still frighteningly weak. What in Equestria was going on with Nightmare?

“Nightmare! Nightmare! Answer me! What's wrong with you!?” Twilight asked as powerfully as she could, hoping her loud thoughts would break through the dream goddess' unconsciousness.

There was no answer, and Twilight slumped down in desperation. “Please...just say something Nightmare....anything.” A tense silence reigned....

“I never saw you as one to beg mistress....” a weak, but glad voice whispered, a shadow of a chuckle in her voice. Abruptly, the lavender mare jumped and looked down to the mare sleeping in her bed, her eyes only barely open. However, those frail, azure eyes proved to the lavender mare that the goddess was still alive.

“Nightmare!” Twilight screamed, half-relieved that the disguised alicorn was alright, half-irritated that she had to make a joke of it all, “I'm going to kill you for pulling a stunt like this! Imagine how worried everyone was that you were suddenly passed out on the floor! And you gave me so much trouble too! I barely got out of them thinking you were my secret lover or something!”

The dream goddess giggled frailly, blinking slowly, “Sorry mistress....but dying... I guess it wouldn't be that bad. I already almost died anyway...”

The purple unicorn froze in place, stiffly turning her gaze to Nightmare's eyes. There was no lie behind them, and that truly scared Twilight.

“What are you talking about?” Twilight whispered fiercely, inching closer to the unstable goddess, “What happened? What's wrong with you?”

Nightmare sighed, looking away towards the open window, framing the clear night sky above. “Hmm....it seems that the corporealization process wasn't one-hundred percent flawless....my form is still unstable, resulting in...well...possible death and/or symptoms of it. Zecora was rather worried about it actually....”

“Huh!? Zecora!? Near death symptoms!?” the purple unicorn screeched, resisting the urge to shake Nightmare senseless. “Why didn't you tell me!”

“Hmm....well mistress....I didn't want to worry you. Zecora crafted that necklace for a reason, and I had hoped that it would prevent me from having to tell you this...”

Twilight breathed in deeply, trying to reign in her temper and maintain her patience which was rapidly waning.

“You talked about a necklace....Do you mean this one?” the lavender mare asked, gesturing to the gold and onyx ornament that adorned her neck, “What does it have to do with your near death episode?”

“Magical Essence Resonator....My corporeal life and form, which has actually intertwined with my real being strangely enough, is facilitated through continual, passive magical insertion from a live source....better known as you mistress...I'm sure you can figure out the rest from that.” Nightmare said quietly, still staring out the window.

The purple unicorn paused to filter the information and soon enough figured out the rest. “The spell that has crystallized in the jewel which also binds your essence feeds off of my passive magical aura and acts as an anchor point of existence for you....so if I take it off...”

“I'd probably die or slowly die anyway. The magical drain is rather gradual that even I didn't sense it...”

Twilight fiddled with the piece of jewelery for a moment, finally analyzing the enigmatic piece that had spawned Nightmare's worldly form. It seemed to hum and pulse in tandem with Nightmare's heart and was unusually warm to the touch, as if the beating heart of the dream goddess was in her hooves at that very moment.

“So I need to keep this on at all times?” Twilight hazarded wearily.

“Well I would appreciate it mostly....Though....if you wanted to end my long, suffering, false life of wandering through space and time without a real existence or tangible form, with no true purpose, with no friends....then by all means...I'm sure you're fed up with me at this point anyway....” Nightmare began, her voice half comical, half serious, and that truly alarmed Twilight. Was life really that horrible for the dream goddess?

“I would NEVER! EVER! DO THAT!” the purple unicorn hissed, actually shaking her patient now, disregarding all control, “You're crazy! I may not entirely like you or anything like that. You're annoying and completely random, not a good random like Pinkie either, and you really get on my nerves and rile me up for the smallest things! But....but I'm not going to let you die...What kind of pony do you think I am!? I wouldn't just kill you off so that I would feel at ease! In fact, that would kill me too! And, you know what is annoying me the most?....It's the fact that you're so ready to give up on your new life that you just got! It makes me so angry!”

“But aren't I a bother? I mean...”

“Didn't you promise me that you'd make me happy? That you'd help me fulfill my dream? What happened to all of that? I'm still waiting on you to make good on that promise.”

“But...you'd be better off without me. You can easily fulfill your dream...in fact, it's already halfway there...I keep claiming that I'm going to make you happy...but you've done more for me than I have for you....I don't deserve it, a mare like me....”

“I. DON'T. CARE! I am not letting you die! You can't be that selfish! I won't let you. You're going to stay here, and you're going to live out your new life. You're my responsibility....and....I'd like to.....eventually become your friend....I mean...if you wanted to...” Twilight exhaled finally, blushing a bit now after reviewing her passionate outburst. But she held firm and waited.

“Friend huh?” Nightmare pondered, turning back to face her mistress, staring intently at the lavender mare. She didn't offer another word on the subject, however, and closed her eyes to sleep.

Twilight groaned and wiped her face hopelessly, exhausted. However, the lavender mare swore she saw it and was hopeful: the light mist that had gathered in Nightmare's eyes before she had drifted off to sleep.

“Is everything in here alright? I thought I heard some yelling,” a worried voice called. Cautiously, Luna poked her head through the doorway and frowned, her gaze meeting the sleeping mare. “Is Diana okay?”

“She's fine....just tired out,” the lavender mare lightly lied with the best smile possible, “Thanks for worrying though. I'm sure Diana appreciates it...You should get some sleep Luna. It's really late.”

Luna giggled, “Well normally, I'm up around this time, but I suppose, out of the infinite kindness of my heart, I'll adjust to your time schedule. I do know how much you love schedules.”

“Oh shush,” Twilight laughed, waving Luna off, “Good night. Sweet dreams.”

“You too Twilight. I hope Diana feels better soon. See you in the morning! Remember, you promised you'd show me around town tomorrow!”

The purple unicorn nodded, and waited patiently until she was certain that Luna had entered her room, listening for the light sound of the wooden door closing below. Yawning, she turned to her bed, and a new problem faced her.

“Great...Now where am I supposed to sleep!?”

Warmth

In the early hours of the morning, small flecks of scouting light infiltrated the shut blinds that lined Twilight's bedroom window, casting themselves lovingly upon the soft edges of Nightmare Moon's face. She was awake, simply staring endlessly at the ceiling of her new-found home, wondering what path of fate had led her to sleep in this particular bed in this particular house under the care of one particular unicorn who just couldn't seem to leave things alone.

The goddess didn't know, but staring straight at the plain roof above, a feeling, unbidden, snaked into the crevices of her shy heart. It reminded her of something in her past, a long forgotten feeling that had been taken and forbidden from ever visiting again ever since she had been cursed......She felt warm.

There wasn't any sort of secret to the feeling, but it was something unfamiliar now, a sensation that had eluded the goddess for centuries and millennium. It confused Nightmare to no end, and she pondered what sort of illness she had come in contact with if any at all.

Perhaps it was the fact that she was actually warm on the outside, covered in a soft wool blanket from the tip of her hooves all the way up to her neck, courtesy of her mistress' kindness. It was a simple gesture on her mistress' part, but it meant a lot. It made her feel.....safe.

Regardless of what made her feel this all-encompassing warmth, it made her happy; this much she knew.

Nightmare sat up lazily, yawning carelessly, stretching and rubbing the remaining sands of sleep out of her azure eyes. A sudden groan caught her attention, and the dream goddess turned her gaze right, finding her mistress sleeping fitfully on the floor, and she could just tell her sleeping accommodations were not comfortable at all. A thin quilt, which was most likely doing little to nothing to assuage the pain, was all that stood between Twilight and the cold, wooden floor, and an even lesser blanket covered the sleeping unicorn.

It was at that moment, the disguised alicorn remembered the events of the night before, including her brush with death and the delirium that followed after. Nightmare blushed discreetly, recalling how she had revealed her inner-self which contrasted immensely from her usual, light self that usually didn't have a care in the world or at least portrayed that.

Twilight had seen that hopeless and dreary side of herself, a side she tried to ignore the most, the side that contained those nagging thoughts of self-doubt and self-loathing that had haunted her ever since she had lost her first existence.

She marveled at the fact that Twilight hadn't discarded her for her own benefit right then and there, even though she had harassed her relentlessly for a few days straight already, and Twilight had even offered to help, declaring emphatically and passionately that Nightmare just wasn't allowed to die.

Shaking her head, the dream goddess didn't quite understand what drove Twilight to let her to stay. Nor did she understand why the lavender mare had allowed herself to make that decision; a normal pony would have discarded her at that moment for causing so much trouble and harassing them so much right then and there.

“But....I suppose...Twilight's not really a normal pony...” Nightmare muttered to herself decisively as she stepped out of bed, chuckling at the way Twilight's left hoof twitched cutely in her sleep while the mare herself murmured incoherent sentences, conjured from her unconsciousness, underneath her breath. She was probably dreaming again. Of what, Nightmare had no idea. Regardless, it was time to wake up.

“Mistress,” the dream goddess cooed throatily, bending down slowly, her mouth a few inches away from Twilight's exposed ear,” Time to get up.”

“Don't....wanna...” Twilight moaned unknowingly in her sleep, causing a devious smile to appear on Nightmare's face.

“If you don't get up, I'll have to do something naughty to you then Mistress,” Nightmare threatened, inching closer and closer to Twilight's delicate ears, her hot morning breath brushing insistently against the tender flesh. Still, the sleeping unicorn remained, mostly unresponsive.

The dream goddess giggled, lightly trailing the tip of her tongue against the edge of Twilight's ear, earning a protesting whine from the still sleeping unicorn who began to squirm a bit. Nightmare grinned devilishly as she began to nibble, moving up and down the edge of her mistress' ear rhythmically, enjoying herself immensely.

In her sleep, Twilight twisted and turned rapidly as her body detected something toying with her ears, issuing forth small squeaks every now and then, much to Nightmare's delight. The dream goddess smirked, abruptly blowing a wave of quick, cold air at the wet ear, backing up immediately as Twilight jerked awake, her face flushed and absolutely confused.

“Ack!” the purple unicorn exclaimed as she awoke, smacking her ears flat as she flailed around, feeling both embarrassed and understandably aroused. Though she had no idea why. After a moment, Twilight finally noticed, to her mortification, a smiling and giggling Nightmare Moon standing above her with her tongue sticking out while wearing a rather suggestive face.

“Good morning. Did you enjoy yourself Mistress? Your ears are quite sensitive,” Nightmare teased while snickering, doing little to hide her amusement, causing a massive blush to invade Twilight's face. The lavender mare groaned out of exasperation and exhaustion, pulling herself off of the floor while avoiding all eye contact with the perverted, resident nightmare. Her body was sore, her neck was stiff.....and her ears were wet.

Twilight sighed, knowing she would have to figure out better sleeping arrangements and fast, and also learn to wake up before Nightmare.

“Morning massage?” Nightmare joked with a cheery grin, earning a glare from her mistress.

“No. I don't need your hooves all over me. Celestia knows what would happen then...” Twilight stated flatly, stretching to work out all the painful cricks. Finishing up her stretches, she walked to the mirror, levitating a brush over to herself, wanting to tend to her poor, frazzled mane. Today was an important day, and Twilight wanted to look her best.

“Look at you...prettying yourself up for your first date with the Princess. So cute!” Nightmare gushed, and Twilight could only blush more, unable to really deny it.

“Sh..shut up,” the purple unicorn countered weakly, her face crimson as she reviewed the prospect of being on a supposed date with Luna for the day, “It....It's not a real date anyway. I'm just showing her around town...”

“Sure sure. Denial is cute too,” the goddess joked, smirking, “It's alright. Just invite me to the wedding, or at least tell me when you lose your virgi....”

Twilight didn't dare let Nightmare finish, jumping her suddenly and violently, knocking them back onto the bed, her hoof furiously clamped over the shameless alicorn's mouth whose eyes were laughing up a storm.

“Twilight? Diana? Hello? Is anypony awake up here?” a distinctly feminine voice suddenly called as the door creaked open, “Spike's got breakfast on so you should.....” Luna stopped in place, her eyes impossibly wide as she walked into the room, finding Twilight on top of Diana, her hoof clamped suspiciously over the other mare's mouth as if telling her to keep quiet lest they get caught. “Uh...Sorry! I'll just....um...I'll...” The lunar princess didn't continue and instead sped out of the room, her face a new color of red.

Twilight froze in horror, immediately jumping off of Nightmare and running after Luna. “No! Luna! You've got it all wrong! It's a misunderstanding! I swear!” she yelled while scrambling off of the bed and chasing after the retreating princess who had completely misread the situation.

Nightmare sat there, laughing uncontrollably as she rolled around on her bed, listening in to Twilight attempting to amend the situation with little success. “Mornings around here sure are fun.”

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Twilight groaned dejectedly as Luna apologized for the tenth or so time already, and it was only breakfast....

“I mean....I didn't mean to imply that you and Diana....you know....are doing....” Luna continued with a shy blush, making Twilight want to smack her face with her hoof again out of hopelessness.

“This is all your fault Nightmare,” the lavender mare complained, “Now I have to fix this mess. Luna thinks we're....well you know!” Twilight groaned. Why did her life have to be so hard?

Nightmare chuckled quietly as she took another bite out of her waffle, humming innocently to herself as she conversed cordially with Spike, complimenting him on the way he prepared breakfast. “Hmm...I wonder who it was that tackled me onto the bed first though? You're such a beast Mistress.” The dream goddess grinned, winking at Twilight without anypony noticing, much to her mistress' embarrassment. “I mean you could have just asked...I'd gladly taken you to bed with me.”

“Tha...That...That...” Twilight protested, groaning again as she lost control of her fork in midair, the sounds of metal plonking onto a porcelain plate echoing through the kitchen, “I don't even....”

“Hmm well I suppose Luna should get that honor first huh? Oh, I'm so jealous. Maybe I'll steal you from her a bit later,” Nightmare continued, her mental laughter ringing potently in Twilight's head.

“Ugh...I give up...” Twilight mentally cried, planting her forhead on the table, alarming everypony except for Nightmare.

“Aww Mistress. Cheer up! C'mon. Who else in the world gets a lovable, super powerful, alicorn mare who embodies sexiness as their loyal slave?” Nightmare answered with a cheeky smile, “SO! Where do you plan on taking Miss Luna first Twilight?”

“Huh!? What?” Twilight blinked, caught off guard by the sudden, verbal question. Unlike her usual self, she hadn't thought of that yet, and Twilight's mouth opened and closed without a single sound coming out. She hadn't planned anything! The purple unicorn had been so occupied with dealing with Nightmare that all of her time had been eaten up!

“Hmm...Might I suggest a visit around the market place first? Then perhaps a stop at Sugarcube Corner for some snacks. From there, you can simply enjoy a nice walk around town,” the disguised alicorn suggested with a smile, barely nodding to her mistress. Twilight was confused by Nightmare's sudden decision to help out, but she appreciated it nonetheless. Plus, she didn't have a plan, and without a plan, Twilight was basically lost. Thinking on her hooves was not her strongest skill.

“I was thinking that we walk around the market first so you can see how the town operates,” the lavender mare fluidly said to Luna who smiled and nodded, “Then we can go visit Pinkie for some snacks. After that, we'll just spend the rest of the day visiting various ponies and places in town.” Twilight sighed out of relief, glad that Luna hadn't caught her without a plan.

“Sounds like fun to me! I've always wondered how Ponyville operates on a normal day to day basis,” Luna admitted with a grin, “And don't worry too much Twilight. I'm sure no matter what we do today, you'll make it enjoyable.”

Mentioned mare blushed, looking down at her plate as she shoved the rest of her unfinished breakfast into her face, unable to face the innocent, smiling princess fully. Her simply grin somehow rendered her incapable of responding sensibly.

“Well, you better get a move on!” Diana added, shuffling out of her seat and depositing the dirty dishes in the sink, “The market will open up soon. You'll miss all the good stuff if you go late!”

“Ah! Diana's right. Are you ready to go Luna?” Twilight asked nervously, almost tripping as she rose from her chair. Luna chuckled, nodding as she graciously gave her plate to Spike for him to place in the sink.

“Yup! Let's go,” Luna exclaimed, deciding to take the lead, pulling Twilight out of the house onto the busy morning streets of Ponyville. Nightmare laughed, waving goodbye as she followed the new, hopefully, budding couple out.

“Oh Twilight....all grown up now. On her first date and everything,” Spike lamented, wiping his watering eyes with his tail, earning a giggle from Nightmare who eyed the retreating form of her mistress closely.

“Spike, I'm going to run an errand. I'll be back later,” Nightmare declared, smiling innocently to the unsuspecting dragon below. Ruffling his spines, she took off. She wasn't about to let her poor, easily embarrassed, inexperienced mistress go on her first date without some help!

Or at least...that's how she reasoned it....

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

It was a strange sight, even stranger in plain daylight. To see the regal Princess of the Moon out on the streets of humble Ponyville, strutting among the common market grounds of the town, was a sight that not many would expect to see in their lifetime. However, the Ponyville ponies didn't think too much of the event, having already adjusted to unusual happenings. They were more or less a routine for the town, ranging from ravenous parasprite storms to being subjugated to the god of chaos' unnatural jokes, among other things.

In fact, Luna was the most surprised out of all of them there, and interestingly enough, the lunar princess deemed her morning walk unusual. There were no droves on ponies rushing to her, begging for blessings or fortune, or away from her, running for their lives and usually screaming. There were no bargaining bureaucrats and snobbish nobles to be found, no two-faced hello with a side of barely-concealed conceit. Everypony, in its infinite simplicity, just greeted her normally, accompanied by respectful bows and real smiles. Ponies were actually greeting her with genuine care and thought, a creature that was an elusive and rare find in the hustle and bustle of Canterlot where many interactions depended on social standing and previous point of reference. Being a princess tended to cultivate a specific mode of conversation, one that usually ended in a request or badly veiled one.

Yet, there was none of that here. It was a pleasant change for the princess.

“The townsponies around here are rather different from Canterlot,” Luna commented to her escort, who gave her a questioning look as they passed a small cherry stand, “It is rather refreshing really.”

“How so?” Twilight asked curiously, finding that everypony in town was just being themselves. However, she couldn't really compare her interactions, despite her extended amount of time living in Canterlot. The lavender mare was happy to admit that she had never experienced the droll and pomp that was so often associated with the nobility, something that Celestia had been rather prone to complain about every day during her lessons, much to her amusement. Combined with the fact that she had been a veritable recluse prior to her journey to Ponyville, Twilight had little experience with just how ill-willed the majority of the upper class could be.

“They mean what they say,” Luna answered simply with a delighted smile, taking a moment to peruse a shopkeeper's wares, “You have no idea how often I and Tia get the standard “shower with false praise and ask” treatment. Sometimes, I'm really tempted to blast all of those nobles out of the court. Though, let's not tell Tia that.”

Twilight giggled as they moved on to the next stand. “Princess Celestia always complained about them too. I think she's actually done it though. Something about bananas or something.”

Luna chuckled, imagining her sister blasting a pony out of the royal courtroom. “I don't blame her! After a thousand years of dealing with nobles without a break, I'd be a bit grouchy myself. Blasting a noble or two never really hurt any other pony,” she said cheekily, turning her attention back to the stall which was adorned with various flowers of vivid color and shape. They smelled heavenly. “So what are you selling Miss....?”

“Roseluck, your highness,” a beige colored mare answered with a cheery grin, also bidding good morning to Twilight, “And I have all sorts of flowers to sell today, carnations, tulips, orchids and even some other rare varieties, but there is a special item today. It's a wonderful pink and yellow rose arrangement, yellow based roses with pink tips at the top, crafted and cared for by none other than myself of course.”

“Roseluck is the best florist in town,” the bookish unicorn explained, “All of the town's floral arrangements are usually overlooked by her. Plus her roses taste delicious....We'll take a bouquet Rose.”

“You really don't have to Twilight,” Luna said nervously as she eyed the price tag. Even for a princess, Luna considered them expensive; they had better be some gourmet flowers for that price!

“No, it's okay. I want to,” the purple unicorn answered cheerfully as she placed the bits down on the counter top, taking the perfect bouquet and presenting it to her friend. “Besides....I read somewhere that it's a proper thing to do....on...on...a date,” Twilight murmured as a slight tinge of pink burned across her face.

“Hmm?” Luna asked, not quite hearing the ending of her companion's sentence.

“Ahh nothing! I hope you like the flowers,” she quickly covered, not wanting to look foolish. The lunar princess giggled, inhaling the wonderful scent of fresh flowers, something she hadn't been given in ages.

“Thank you,” the princess said with an appreciative smile, giving a tentative nuzzle to Twilight, meant to be friendly, though it did little to help Twilight's blush who stammered a shaky “You're welcome” out after a few attempts.

Across the market, a pair of azure eyes floating just above a wooden stall counter was watching the pair closely, hoping everything was alright while also snickering happily.

“Uhh....Diana?” a sudden, recognizable voice said, “What are ya doing there?”

Nightmare turned to find a concerned Applejack staring at her with suspicion, and quickly, she repositioned herself to look less questionable, whistling an innocent tune as if that would help her paint a better picture of herself. “Oh, Applejack! I didn't see you there.” The dream goddess felt a bit stupid, not realizing that she had been standing behind Applejack's apple stall the entire time without noticing the operating mare. She had just been so absorbed in watching her mistress flirt with her previous mistress that she had totally forgotten where she was.

“So....uh...what are you up to?” the farm mare continued, manning her post, lightly bumping the taller mare out of the way, “And where's Twi?”

“Oh, she's over there,” Applebloom, who had accompanied her sister much to her worry and exasperation given the last time Applebloom had manned the stall, pointed out eagerly, “She bought some really pretty flowers for Princess Luna. She was really blushin' up a storm, the poor thing. Wonder why that is though. I bring flowers to my friends all the time!”

Applejack blinked, looking back and forth between Diana and the two ponies chatting across the street. From the way she had found her, the orange mare could only assume Diana was spying, but why would she? Then, the conversation she had had last night with all of her friends came back to her. Applejack had a sudden urge to chuckle nervously.

“Oh haha 'Bloom. I bet there's nothing to fret. Nope. Just good and normal platonic friendship. Yup! Yessir!” Applejack said, beginning to sweat. She was really bad at keeping her cool. “Nothing or nothing to get up and jealous about! Yup!”

“Normal, platonic friendship?” Nightmare countered heatedly, only causing Applejack's suspicions and misunderstandings to grow exponentially, “I'm not quite sure about that. It sure doesn't look normal to me at all.” Applejack's eyes went wide as she heard the predatory tone behind Diana's voice and saw the “devious” smirk appearing on Diana's face. “Oh Twilight will have much to answer for tonight yes....” Nightmare purred without noticing, causing Applejack's face to heat up a few hundred degrees as she imagined the implications. “Well, if you excuse me. I have some urgent matters to attend to. I'll see you later Applejack, Applebloom. Ciao!”

“Oh cowapples.....” Applejack cursed. Everything she had heard from Pinkie was just driving her crazy. Mistress?! Sexy games?! The honest farm mare had never seen or heard of anything so scandalous! Was Diana targeting Luna now because Twilight was spending time with the princess instead of her? Was Diana the jealous type who schemed to have Twilight all to herself? Was the down-to-Equestria librarian really in that sort of relationship with her cousin of all ponies?!

Applejack had no idea, and it was really bothering her.

“What's wrong sis?” Applebloom asked, noticing how Applejack's face scrunched up in worry as she watched Miss Diana trot off.

“Ah...nothing really....” Applejack lied, but suddenly some inspiration hit her. “Actually, 'Bloom, can ya do me a favor?”

“Anything sis!” the younger sister chirped, always happy to be of help to her wonderful, elder sister.

“Keep an eye on Miss Diana would ya? I'm a bit worried about her,” she admitted.

“Huh? Why Applejack? Is she a bad pony?” Applebloom questioned, still very curious about Twilight's new relative who was nearly the completely opposite of the shy librarian.

“No no. Of course not. She's a wonderful pony. I just want you and your friends to make sure she stays out of trouble. You know. She doesn't know the place very well. What happens if she walks into the Everfree on accident? Just keep an eye on her and help her if ya can alright?”

“Help her? Rodger doger! I'll gather up the Crusaders! Hey! Maybe we can get our cutie marks from helping Miss Diana! I bet she knows a ton of ways to get a cutie mark!” Applebloom cheered before zooming off to find Scootalo and Sweetie Bell.

And for some reason, the farm mare felt like she had just made the situation a hundred times worse. From experience, wherever the Crusaders would be, trouble would usually follow.

“I just really feathered up didn't I?” Applejack asked herself, shaking her head and hiding underneath her signature leather hat, hoping that everything would turn out okay.

Author's Note

Sooooooo I've been gone for a really, really, realllllllly long time, on both sites actually. I was busy focusing on school for the last four months or so. (I was fighting for my valedictorian space, and I'm happy to say that I did get it!) But luckily, now that summer is back, I'll be spending a lot of time writing! So expect weekly updates to return!

And thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story the whole time. It means a lot to me!

Until Saturday!
-Mekon

P.S.
The Crusaders are coming!

Treats

Pinkie was waiting, patiently waiting, her eyes staring intently and expectantly at the candy-themed doorway that was the only barrier between herself and the busy Ponyville streets, save for the sales counter, the chairs, the tables and maybe even a doormat labeled with the word “Welcome!”, but that didn't matter to her at all. Only one thing mattered right now, and buzzing in anticipation, she remained vigilant in her watch, her anxiety actually causing her to visibly shake in place out of pure excitement.

It was coming! There was no doubt about it; it had to happen eventually! It was guaranteed! There was no escaping it, but the only question was when it would happen. That was what was driving her absolutely nuts, the painful seconds stretching into agonizing minutes which morphed into a bundle of burdensome minutes and even further still. It usually didn't take this long! Pinkie Pie was starting to lose her patience!

The pink, party pony gazed at the candy-cane clock hanging above her, watching the thinnest candy, the second-hand, move from tick to tick with its persistent rhythm, never changing...Tick....Tock....Tick....Tock....

Pinkie groaned hopelessly, gritting her teeth and fiddling with her hooves in anticipation, the brief wait already starting to overwhelm her. This was taking far too long! If it didn't happen soon, she would have a downright fit!

Suddenly, it happened, and Pinkie was at the door in a nanosecond as the entry bell rang lightly, her biggest and widest smile on display.

“GOOD MORNING! WELCOME! YOU'RE OUR FIRST CUSTOMER OF THE DAY!” the Element of Laughter cheered with a high-pitched squeal of happiness as multicolored streamers and sparkles erupted from seemingly nowhere, joining Pinkie in her ritual “first customer” celebration greeting.

The pink mare finally got a good look at who her special, first customer was, and to her great surprise and delight, it turned out to actually be “customers”.

“Omigosh! It's double first customers, and they are both friends! Wooooo! Wait...does that mean I have two first customers? But how does that work? There can't be two firsts....unless you both entered at the same time! But if not, that would make one of you one and the other one, two. Wait! Please, don't be sad. You're both equal in my book. Omigosh! I'm so excited,” Pinkie began, bouncing around the room with glee. “I've never had two first customers before!...Well....Except for Derpy and Dinky.....Lyra and Bon Bon....Fluttershy and Rarity....and that nice bear who lives in that house who brought his wife one time BUT! This is the first time I've ever had a princess in a double visit. This is the best first customer visit ever!” she exclaimed with a shining smile, zipping right back behind the counter as if nothing had happened after finishing, much to Luna's disbelief.

The lunar princess still wasn't quite used to the party pony yet, unable to really compute how the eccentric mare did many things which should be not only physically impossible but also magically impossible as well.

As for Twilight, she laughed, her day always brightened by the pink pony and her jubilant attitude. Plus, watching Luna's reaction and expression throughout the whole event had been amusing.

“Good morning to you too Pinkie,” Twilight answered with an equally happy smile, telling Luna to take a seat for a few minutes while she ordered some snacks for them.

“So what can I get ya, my first customer and awesome friend?” Pinkie asked, whipping out a large notepad and pencil, “On the house!”

“Oh, I really couldn't Pinkie,” the purple mare attempted, only to be shut down by Pinkie's biggest begging face, complete with wide, watered eyes and quivering lips. How could Twilight even resist? “Oh fine. If you really want too....All I need are some snacks for later.”

“What kind of snacks? I got cookies, cakes, crepes, pancakes, muffins, donuts, gummy candies, hard candies, ice cream, time sorbet...” Pinkie began to rattle off before Twilight could stop her. The lavender mare knew that if she let her friend continue, she would go through her entire menu which would take hours if not the entire day.

“Haha. Look Pinkie. How about you just come up with something okay? Surprise me,” Twilight said, earning a squeal from the mare behind the counter. If there was one thing Pinkie did best and loved, it was surprises.

“Okie Dokie Lokie! I'll be back in a few Twilight! I'll make sure to make the best surprise batch of treats ever, one fit for a princess and her bride!” Pinkie Pie declared, dashing to the back room where all the treats were made and stored, unaware of her friend's blush and of the other surprise waiting for her in the back.

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Moments Earlier

Diana could feel it, three pairs of vigilant eyes watching her every move as she walked down the bustling Ponyville streets after her mistress who had surely walked into the Sugarcube Corner by now. It didn't really bother her, considering that there were only two, possibly three, entities that could even pose a threat to her.

One was currently in Canterlot, busy at work running Equestria, and one was, at the moment, on a date with her mistress. The last one wouldn't be bothering her for a long time; he was quite stoned at the moment, literally.

So, Nightmare Moon wasn't worried in the slightest. Still, she was rather curious as to who was following her. Using her superior hearing, she listened, chuckling as three voices, distinctly filly-like, came to her.

“Shh! Sweetie Bell! We're supposed to be silently observing,” a hushed and frantic voice chided, “This isn't the time to be admiring Twilight's cousin.”

“But she's soooooo pretty!” the pony who Nightmare could only assume was Sweetie Bell said, “How did she get that pretty? She's looks like a goddess or something...” The disguised alicorn giggled at that, deciding that her three observers definitely weren't hostile. “Besides...We're only spying because you suggested we try to get our spying cutie marks before we talk to her Scootaloo.”

“And at the rate we're going, we'll never get em,” Applebloom lamented, knowing that being silent and stealthy were traits that none of them possessed in spades, especially when they were all together.

“You know...Spying doesn't usually include loudly arguing behind a tree within earshot of your target,” Nightmare called behind her back with a smile, chuckling to herself as she trotted back to the tree mentioned.

“I know right? That's what I've been trying to tell these two silly fillies Miss Diana!” Scootaloo agree without noticing, until she reviewed what she had said and realized that their target was standing there right in front of them, completely aware of their presence. “AHHH! Miss Diana! We didn't see you there. We weren't spying on your or anything!” Similarly, the other two ponies spazzed out, realizing that they had failed miserably in their mission and latest cutie mark test. “Well there goes that cutie mark....”

Nightmare laughed, amused by the mischievous nature of the three fillies, “Oh don't worry about it. I'm not upset at all. I'm more curious than anything else. What are you three fillies doing? You said something about cutie marks?”

“Yup! We're the CMC! The Cutie Mark Crusaders! And our mission is to acquire our cutie marks through exploration and testing through any means necessary!” all three of the girls chimed happily, while introducing or re-introducing themselves to Nightmare. The dream goddess grinned; this kind of club that chased after their dreams without a care made her smile. She quite liked the idea.

“So, to what do I owe the pleasure of meeting with the prestigious CMC?” Nightmare played along, unaware of the potential chaos that could follow any interaction with the trio of trouble.

“Well! Applejack was worried that you wouldn't know your way around Miss Diana, and that you might walk into the Everfree Forest or something even worse. So, she stationed us to observe you and make sure you were safe,” Applebloom explained truthfully, “And she said to try and help you out if you needed it.”

The dream goddess' eyebrow rose in surprise. It was an interesting development, and she wondered why Applejack would be so concerned in the first place. It was a bit suspect, but she put it out of her mind.

Regardless, she now had three girls here who seemed to be eager to do anything to earn their cutie marks and that included helping her at the moment. She chuckled as an idea came to her.

“Hmmm...In fact, I would like a bit of help,” Nightmare said absentmindedly to nopony in particular, putting just enough concern into it to make her voice sound desperate and the issue important, “Though...I just don't know who to turn to.”

“Ooo! Ooo! Us! Us! We can help you Miss Diana!” the CMC happily chirped, causing the disguised alicorn to smile at the eagerness of the three girls.

“I don't know...It's a bit tough. Maybe even too tough for three precocious fillies to handle,” she continued, wanting to make sure all three of the girls would follow her completely.

“We can do it! We promise to put one hundred thousand percent in,” the three of them declared, always eager to help....perhaps too eager.

“Hmm...Perhaps you girls will be perfect for the job. You just have to make sure you keep this a secret though okay?” Nightmare said with a trusting smile, getting three happy and excited nods from her new minions, “Wonderful! Now, lets go! And call me Diana okay? 'Miss Diana' makes me feel so old.” And with that, the three fillies emerged from behind the tree, happily joining their newest friend.

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Pinkie was suspicious; she could hear voices, many voices, in the back room. They seemed to be having fun, and she hated it when she was being left out of fun!

The pink pony was wondering who was back there though. She hadn't seen any other ponies besides Luna and Twilight enter, and that could only mean they had either entered through the backdoor or through a time-space portal created from forbidden gypsy magic. Of course, she was banking on the former, but the idea of the latter gave her the giggles.

Entering the kitchen, she was surprised and delighted to find four ponies, all of whom she recognized, the CMC and Diana. They were covered from head to hoof in flour and sugar, and there were assorted pots and pans all over the place scattered on the floor. It was an absolute mess.

“Oh hiya Pinkie!” Applebloom greeted nervously, remembering they hadn't exactly asked for permission to use the kitchen, “Um...I hope you don't mind. Mis...I mean, Diana wanted to make some treats for her cousin, but she didn't know how. So we thought we might use the bakery for a little bit....Sorry 'bout the mess.”

Nightmare waved meekly from the corner, her coat covered in the powdered flour, finding that baking was definitely not her forte. She didn't have the slightest clue as to how to make even the simplest cupcakes; she hadn't needed to cook for a few thousand years after all.

“Oh silly fillies. Of course, you're welcome to use the kitchen any time you like. Just remember to clean up afterward,” Pinkie answered with a smile, unable to get mad at any of them. She never got upset at ponies trying to make surprises for other ponies. In fact, now that she had heard of Diana's plans, she wanted in! “I was actually about to make some special treats for Twilight and Luna myself. So why don't we all band together and make the awesomest and most amazing batch of treats ever!?”

“Yeah!” all of them said as Diana cast a small spell to remove the layer of flour coating herself and the girls.

Without a second though, Pinkie began instructing the CMC on how to prepare a proper cupcake batter and then saddled up right next to Nightmare, wanting to learn more about Twilight's enigmatic cousin, a sneaky smile on her face.

“Sooooo. Diana, how's life in Ponyville treating ya? You like it here?” Pinkie asked as she opened up a fresh bag of flour and dumped it in a mixing bowl.

“Yes. So far, I've had tons of fun here. Twilight's been doing a lot to make sure I'm comfortable,” Nightmare answered automatically, not wanting to give anything about her true origins away, “And everypony in the town is nice too. It's been a while since I've interacted with such wonderful and earnest ponies really.”

“Well that's great! Everything is always better when there are nice ponies around,” Pinkie agreed, beating the eggs expertly as she slowly maneuvered to the topic she wanted to discuss, making sure the girls were either out of earshot or too busy to pay attention, “So how are you related to Twilight? None of us ever knew she had a cousin.”

“Well I'm sort of her cousin,” Diana answered cautiously, trying to come up with something, “Her aunt adopted me when I was little. Found me on the street.” Nightmare didn't want to create a story that could be easily debunked, so she went for something a little bit more far-fetched.

“Wow. That sure is nice of her, and that's so sad. Someone left you out there all by yourself,” Pinkie said, as her hair slightly deflated, but then reflated as her eyes brightened, “Well! Everything is okay though and turned out great. You must be really close to Twilight though.”

“Why do you say that?” the disguised alicorn asked, handing Pinkie a glass of milk for the batter. The pink party pony double checked to make sure the girls were busy, and satisfied that they were, she leaned in.

“Wellllll most cousins don't call their cousins 'mistress',” Pinkie whispered in a conspiratory tone, a wide grin on her face as she giggled.

“Huh!?” Nightmare balked, her eyes growing wide as she dropped an egg, horror filtering across her face. It was impossible! Somepony had found out!? “I...I don't have any idea about what you're talking about Pinkie. You must have misheard.” The Element of Laughter continued giggling, winking at Diana.

“Oh don't worry Diana. I won't tell anypony. I Pinkie promise! Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye! But I want to know all about it!” Pinkie began, “Because I never imagined Twilight to be into sexy games and parties!”

The dream goddess blinked, reviewing what Pinkie had just said. That was what the pink pony thought “Mistress” had meant?

Nightmare smirked; this she could deal with.

“Hehe....wellllll I don't want to embarrass Twilight too much,” Diana began, putting on a shy face, making it look believable. Nightmare giggled, earning an intrigued cry from Pinkie who wanted to know more, though the disguised alicorn resisted. She didn't want Pinkie Pie to be getting the wrong idea about Twilight after all.

“Aww c'mon tell me! I don't judge,” Pinkie begged, but she wasn't getting anything out of Diana, who simply gave her another wolfish grin, “Aww now I really, really, really want to know!”

“Sorry Pinkie. A girl's got to have her secrets after all,” Diana said with a smile, earning an understanding nod from Pinkie, “And please don't mention any of this to Twilight. You know how she is.” As much as Nightmare wanted to say something, the dream goddess wouldn't do anything to hurt Twilight, especially by talking about her behind her back. Though, she would have to alert her mistress to the fact that somepony knew about her calling her “Mistress.”

Meanwhile, the girls were dealing with the semi-finished batter.

“So wait...what do we do now once we have the butter, flour, milk and eggs mixed in. Aren't we supposed to add some kind of sweetener or something?” Scootaloo asked, deducing that their cupcake batter was not yet complete. Unfortunately, Pinkie was too busy trying to coax the secret out of Nightmare that she couldn't answer. “Hmmm....There has to be something around here we can use.”

“Let's look around!” Applebloom suggested, “It's only one ingredient. We can't possibly get it wrong.” They began to poke around the shelves, unnoticed by Nightmare and Pinkie, not really finding anything that they deemed was worthy of their mix.

“How about this?” Sweetie Bell asked suddenly, pulling out a large glass bottle from the top cabinet, carefully levitating the container down, “I think this would work.”

“'Hard Applefarm Applejack Cider',” Applebloom read off from the bottle, immediately recognizing the golden liquid inside as a product of their farm, “This should be perfect! We cook treats with cider all the time at the farm. Though, I wonder why it says “hard”. Oh well, all the cider we make is delicious. So it should be a perfect sweetener.”

“How much should we put in?” Scootaloo asked as she floated above the mixture, uncapping the top and taking a whiff. It was sharp, the smells of sweet apples and some other weird bitter smell burning her nose. It was really strong, and it made her sneeze, causing her to lose control of the bottle, accidentally tipping the entire thing into the medium-sized mixing bowl. “Uh....oops?”

“That's alright Scoots! A little too much cider never hurt anypony,” Applebloom cheered, “In fact, I think we should do this with all the batches we're making! How many bottles do we got up there Sweetie Bell?”

“Hmm about three,” Sweetie Bell concluded, taking down the glass bottles full of cider for later use and the next mixture from Pinkie who was still talking to Diana about something she couldn't hear. Regardless, there was just no way for them to mess this up.

“Alright! Let's make the best cupcakes ever!” Scootaloo cheered, opening up the next bottle of cider and dumping the entire thing in, the sweet, tangy and bitter smells of cupcakes rising in the air. Twilight and Luna were in for one heck of a treat.

Author's Note

Hehe....and you thought that this chapter would go without something happening. :scootangel:

Next time! Glorious shenanigans ensue.

And this Nightmare Moon and CMC combo is the stuff of nightmares. :pinkiegasp: Just imagine the two working together.

Burden

“And we just pop these babies right into the Pinkie Patented Super Deluxe Falvorizor Oven to bake! Guaranteed to optimize all moisture, flavor and whatever else in nearly a fourth of the time required for a normal oven!” Pinkie declared as she eagerly took all the cupcake trays holding the few dozen pastries from the three girls, closing the door and setting the heat appropriately, “Oh, I can feel it already! These cupcakes are gonna blow your socks off! Just a sec, I gotta tell Twilight that her awesome treats are almost done.” With that said, the pink party pony zipped away, leaving the four other ponies to begin cleaning up after themselves.

Absentmindedly, Applebloom glanced at the clock, her eyes going wide. “Oh shoot!” she exclaimed, dropping the broom with a crash, “I promised Applejack that I would help her bale the hay today! I gotta go girls!”

“How about we go with you?” Scootaloo suggested, interested, “Maybe we got a future as hay balers!?”

“But shouldn't we be helping Diana clean up?” Sweetie Bell asked, gesturing to the assorted bowls, spoons, forks, spatulas, trays and other assorted tools still lying about, dirty and caked in leftovers, “I'd feel really guilty if we didn't help her a bit with the mess we all made.”

Nightmare chuckled, “It's fine. I can really handle this myself. Go ahead girls. You've already helped me enough really. I'm really thankful.” She waved them off, lightly pushing the trio out the back door, “I'll see you three fillies later. You girls have fun!” Applebloom opened her mouth to voice her concern, only to be stopped by a soft hoof. “Nope. No 'ifs' 'ands' or 'buts'. Go.” The three girls nodded, smiling from ear to ear as they hopped out.

“Alright! Thanks Diana,” Scootaloo said as she hopped onto her scooter which had been parked in the back, her two friends jumping into the red wagon behind it, “You know....You're pretty cool. Too bad we couldn't try out those cupcakes we made.”

Diana chuckled, waving goodbye as she watched the three girls speed away to Applejack's farm, and she turned, double checking to make sure Pinkie was still away before igniting her horn. All of a sudden, the flour lifted itself up from the floor, depositing itself in the trash while all the tools and bowls were cleaned magically. Ingredients were put away and countertops were washed, all in a matter of minutes. She smiled.

Any normal unicorn would have had trouble lifting all of the tools and bowls at the same time while also manipulating them to do specific tasks, and that didn't even include the amount of control needed to levitate every single grain of flour individually off the floor and into the bin. Luckily, it was a cakewalk for Nightmare.

The kitchen now spick-and-span, the dream goddess waited for the cupcakes to finish baking, wondering how they would look and taste. She hoped they would turn out well. Nightmare would hate for all of their effort to go to waste, especially since the treats were for her mistress and the occasion at hoof.

Regardless, she didn't have long to worry, because the tell-tale sign of the oven ringing alerted her to the fact that the cupcakes were already finished.

“Oh yippee! They're done!” Pinkie interjected as she instantaneously reappeared in the kitchen, “Diana would you mind taking them out for me?”

“Oh sure thing Pinkie,” Nightmare answered as she grabbed the now-exposed trays with her magic, placing them on Pinkie's cooling racks, “They look and smell delicious.....”

Perfectly golden, the smell alone was enough to make her head spin; it was simply intoxicating. The disguised alicorn was sure they would taste just as good as they looked.

“Hmm....lets see here....Icing....Pinkie Patented Cupcake Carrier....” Pinkie rattled off as she got to work, deftly decorating each of the cupcakes and placing them into the plastic container, “Alright! Two dozen and counting. Hmm....there are a few left. How about you take the rest, Diana?”

The dream goddess took one look at the batch of perfectly crafted cupcakes, and before she could answer, her belly responded for her, rumbling loudly. “Sure. Thanks Pinkie.”

“No problemo! I'm going to go give these to Twilight and Luna. You enjoy!” she declared leaving the mare alone.

“That's right...” Nightmare muttered to herself as she placed the leftover cupcakes in a spare box, an unknown sadness hidden in her voice, “This was for Twilight and Luna's date...” Idly, she looked out to the kitchen window, noticing the two mares mentioned walked down the path, laughing and smiling, treats in hoof and nearly attached at the hip. It was starting already.

Shaking her head, the dream goddess reminded herself of her goal. This was her job, her duty, her promise.

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“It was really nice of Pinkie to make some treats for us on the spot like that,” Luna commented as they finished their tour around town, setting out the picnic blanket underneath the shade of a small glade near the edge of town.

“Yeah. She's like that,” Twilight answered as she unloaded their treats and afternoon snack onto the checkered red and white cloth, making herself comfortable as she placed herself down next to her companion, “So what do you think? Do you like it here?”

“It's wonderful! Everypony made me feel like I've been living here my entire life almost,” the lunar princess gushed, happily munching on the apples provided by Applejack and her family, “I understand why you like it here so much.”

Twilight grinned. “It took me a while to actually warm up to this place though. I thought it was just some backwater town filled with crazy ponies the first time I arrived.”

“Seems like you fit right in,” Luna answered cheekily, earning a playful shove from Twilight and a small laugh, “But you're right. I thought the same the first time I was here.” She was referring, of course, to her first appearance as Nightmare Moon, wicked mare of darkness and death. That got Twilight's curiosity running as she remembered she vowed to find more about the mare who was currently walking around as her cousin.

“Luna. Can I ask you something? If it's not too personal?” the lavender mare asked, wanting to know more about Luna's time with Nightmare Moon. Any information would be better than none, but she was afraid Luna would take offense.

“Go ahead Twilight. If anything, I don't want you to hold back talking to me,” the princess of the night responded kindly, taking a sip of her apple juice, “Fire away.”

“Well....I'm just kind of curious about Nightmare Moon. What was it like? How did that whole...'thing' happen in the first place?” Twilight asked quietly, waiting for Luna's response, hoping it would be positive. She knew that they were bad memories for her friend, but she had to know.

Fortunately, the night alicorn only smiled, expecting a question along those lines. Usually, she would shy away, refusing to even discuss her fall, but now, she was in the company of a friend, a friend she trusted entirely.

“It all started about a millennium and a half ago. After the second Great Civil War, as mentioned in modern day Equestrian history, where ponies from all three of the tribes were feuding in the frozen wastes, starved and bitter, I and Celestia united the three tribes under one banner,” Luna began, leaning back, “While there is the legend of the windegos in the cave, the much more realistic truth was that we simply told them all to get along or the sun would never rise again.” The night alicorn grinned, earning a head-shake from Twilight. “Luckily, that got their attention. Over time, Lessons of friendship and understanding were spread, and genuine care began to sprout between each tribe. For a few decades, there was a tough but peaceful transition. Equestria began to form. Celestia handled most of the public affairs, construction processes and general law enforcement. I, on the other hoof, handled the military affairs and foreign affairs as the griffon and dragon kingdoms back then were not so friendly or keen on the idea of a united pony kingdom.”

Luna waited for Twilight to ask a question, but the mare remained silent, simply listening. So she went on.

“Things seemed to be perfect for a while. Ponies respected me and Celestia equally, thanking us for pulling them out of the miniature ice age. However, as decades passed, false stories of atrocity from my exploits in foreign lands as well as my dealings with rebellious ponies began to circulate and fester among our subjects. It didn't bother me at first, and I ignored them for the good latter of the century. However, I soon developed the habit of remaining out of sight rather than dealing with the falsehoods, a grave mistake on my part. I was so young then...naught but more than a few centuries. I held the idea that by simply ignoring the rumors, they would go away like a bad dream....” Luna sighed, pawing at the ground as she recalled her painful past, “Unfortunately, ignorance is not so easily stamped out. Soon, those rumors began to grow and twist themselves. Ponies began to believe I brought about nightmares, night terrors that would drive ponies mad within minutes, and hellish creatures born of shadow in the night to those who defied me. They claimed I was a spawn of the very hells below, my wings made of leather, sleek and demonic in form, my eyes, gemstones of fire, able to look into the souls of ponies with one gaze. Everything they knew about me from generations ago had changed into a monster....”

“That must have been hard....” Twilight muttered, feeling a bit worse now that she had brought the subject up, but Luna pressed on bravely.

“It was....though, I know why they imagined me as such. It was a time of darkness and uncertainty. Our borders were constantly strained and attacked; whispers of beasts and demons thriving in the dark were popular tales back then. Unfortunately, a tale to one pony is the absolute truth to another, and naturally, as it is in pony nature, a pony will always find something to pin their fear on. Without a cause, how can they purge it and be safe once again?” Luna mused sadly, “Regardless, during this time. I had been worn down enough by constant looks of mistrust and fear. I kept to myself in the castle mostly during this time, only the guards, a few nobles and my sister remembering what I actually looked like. I fell into legend among the common folk, doing my job from the shadows, refusing to be looked upon by those who held fear for me in their heart. And thus, as generations passed and ponies died, only one princess came to be known as the ruler of Equestria even before my banishment.”

Luna sighed, taking a deep breath, finding a comforting hoof on her shoulder, causing her to smile in thanks.

“I began to grow restless and angry in my seclusion. Eventually, I even gave up my royal tasks altogether. I talked to no pony for months on end, only seeing my sister every now and then. She was too busy of course, taking over for me. The only duty I stayed faithful to was to my moon and night sky. I raised it faithfully, and each night I cried out in fury to them, wondering why I was hated and why my work was shunned. In only a few centuries, I had gone from the illustrious Princess of the Moon, co-founder of Equestria, to a mare of legend shrouded in darkness and fear. Even my own guards began to fear me after I refused to see even them. I was alone, surrounded by a blinding darkness of lies, fear, my own self-hatred, and pity.”

“I remember my sorrow, sharp ever-persistent, and like most untreated sorrows, it transformed into hatred. I began to hate everything and everypony. I cursed the ponies of Equestria for their unfair treatment and spurned my sister who began to worry for me. By then, it was already too late. I had fallen too far. No pony understood me, and no pony, I believed, cared for me,” Luna whispered, squeezing Twilight's hoof harder while trying to recollect herself, “Then, I remember it clearly. I was at my breaking point, and in my raising of the night, I threw the stars in my fury, watching them burn and disappear, imaging them to be those who hated me. And then....I cried. I bawled my heart out to the heavens, wondering what cruel hand of fate had lead me to this spot, alone and friendless. I wished, pounding my hooves against the cold stony floor of my room which had become a prison of my own making. I wished for somepony to come help me and save me from my never-ending nightmare. And that's when Nightmare showed up.”

“Wait. Showed up? What happened to all that stuff about how she was a creation of your mind?” Twilight asked in an attempt to sound less informed. She found Luna's situation to be quite similar to her own, and it only further validated the things Nightmare had told her.

Luna laughed, “Twilight you should know above all ponies. Power doesn't just come from nowhere. Anger cannot truly grant you power, it only concentrates what you already have. Either you learn power, or you gain it. No pony truly knows, but Nightmare is her own entity. The reason this is not known is because ponies would begin to panic, considering how I used her power last.....but she is not a bad....pony? Whatever she is. I never figured it out.”

“Not many would believe that...” Twilight said uncomfortably, recalling her second meeting with the playful goddess, “But I'll take your word for it. I trust you. What happened next?”

“Well, it was unusual really. She didn't come to me in any kind of form. It was a voice, and she simply told me to imagine myself as victorious and powerful enough to do what I wished. At that moment, the entity you now know as Nightmare Moon was born. I imagined myself with a coat as black as the night itself, an ethereal mane of power and an unmatched stature of beauty. The next thing I knew, I looked in the mirror, and it was there. She stood next to me, towering over my small frame. But in a sense, I did create her, her image, but her power does not originate from me.”

“Wait wait wait. She suddenly appeared in the mirror?” Twilight asked for confirmation, remembering her unfortunate bath encounter.

“Yes. And I still remember the first thing she did in that mirror...”

“And that was?” Twilight asked dubiously, imaging something along the lines of harassment and touching.

Luna smiled at that, “She hugged me, took me in her wings and told me it would be okay.”

Twilight was silent, unable to see the crass and brazen Nightmare actually do something like that. It was just so....motherly. Still, by her eyes alone, she could tell Luna wasn't lying.

“And from there. The rest is history. The rebellion. The uprising. We schemed everything. Building a new kingdom of utter darkness. Yada yada yada. But for the first time in a few centuries, I laughed and smiled.”

“She became your first friend there,” Twilight summed up, smiling and mentally cataloging that.

“Yes, but not only that. When we ultimately failed to take over and were sent to the moon, she became my beacon of hope and understanding. She told me I had done nothing truly wrong. The only thing she reprimanded me about was using my anger and hatred to try to force change. She taught me friendship, and centuries passed as I slept. In our dreams, we always joked about our eventual return where we would go out with a bang.”

“Well you certainly accomplished that,” the lavender mare mused, remembering the panic that had spread throughout the kingdom when Luna had reappeared as Nightmare Moon.

“That we did. But when I look back now, I can say with confidence that Nightmare wasn't evil.”

“And why is that?”

Luna grinned, looking out to the darkening blue sky above. “Everything she did was for a reason: me. It was like she had planned the entire fiasco all along from the rebellion to the whole 'Nightmare Moon' event. She made her image mine and became the villain so I wouldn't take the fall. She used my hatred and sorrow to fuel my drive towards a world that would accept me. Granted, we did get stuck on the moon for a thousand years, but during that time, I slept while she kept me company in my dreams. She kept me alive, and when I finally returned and awoke, Nightmare Moon was the villain not Luna. I opened my eyes after a thousand years to find myself back in the arms of my older sister and in a world that would accept me.”

“Jeez...What a way to clear your name....” Twilight muttered, “Let's not start by simply introducing ourselves and clearing away the lies. Nah. Let's just take over the whole world.”

Luna chuckled, “That is very much like her. She goes to extremes. But in the end, she fulfilled her promise to me. I found a place where I could belong. I found my respite, and without a trace, she disappeared. You know the rest.”

“Wow...” Twilight murmured, starting to understand, “I just have one more question. Did she ever harass you? Like saying you had a sexy plot or something?”

“Huh? No, not that I remember....” Luna squeaked, blushing a bit as Twilight referred to her flanks, feeling a bit self-conscious. “What brought that on?”

“Nothing!” the lavender mare answered quickly, flushing in return while muttering something about stupid alicorns and inconsistencies, “Just....just forget I ever mentioned that...”

Instead of pressing the issue, Luna just laughed, “No I think I'll hold that one over you for a while Twilight.” The purple mare groaned, covering her face with her hooves. “But thank you for listening Twilight. It actually made me feel a lot better. I hadn't told anypony the whole real story yet, not even Celestia. It feels good to finally get that off my chest and tell the truth...”

“You're welcome,” Twilight answered, blushing as Luna nuzzled her, “I know it must have hurt a bit to tell me all of that.”

“Hmm...a little bit. However, I am over that now. The only thing I regret is that I couldn't thank Nightmare or say goodbye before she left....” Luna said as she picked up one of the custom cupcakes, “But still, I thank you for that and for today. It's been wonderful.”

“Maybe one day you'll be able to thank her,” Twilight responded, picking up a cupcake of her own, “A toast perhaps?”

“To future happiness and future friendships!” Luna declared, gobbling the entire pastry in one chomp, smearing a bit of icing on her face, earning snickers from Twilight. Once she figured out why Twilight laughed, she simply took another cupcake and wiped all of the icing on her face in return, popping the decapitated cupcake into her mouth afterward while sticking her tongue out in jest.

And thus, the cupcake war began, each one being slowly consumed after the icing was deposited on their faces.

Behind a bush, a solitary mare sat there, smiling as she too joined the toast, tossing the delicious cupcakes into her mouth. She had heard, and she had listened.

“To future happiness and future friendships,” Nightmare whispered, watching her two charges play underneath the afternoon sun. She wished she could be there with them, but this was her job, her duty, her promise....her burden.

Author's Note

Well...that was a lot more of a feels chapter than I anticipated. :eeyup:

The shenanigans are for sure coming next time!

Shameless

The retreating sun sat comfortably on the distant horizon, casting its brazen and smooth rays of light through the filter of the sky, plain yellows turning into regal purples and simple oranges transforming into cute pinks that danced among the common folk of the sun. Splayed across the canvas of the sky, the mild afternoon transitioned into the fledgling hours of the twilight, and what a beautiful twilight it was.

Luna sighed happily and lazily on the soft cloth of the picnic blanket, idly sending a few commands to the moon and stars to prepare for their ascent while admiring the wonderfully warm setting. When was the last time she had been able to sit out in the open with somepony she trusted completely and simply enjoy themselves and eachother's company?

Alone with Twilight on the outskirts of town and watching Tia's sun fall majestically, she giggled, going so far as to label it somewhat romantic even. Absentmindedly, she reached for another cupcake, only to realize, to her disappointment, that they were all gone. Sluggishly, Luna attempted to recall how many she had consumed, but after a moment of carefree deliberation, she came to the conclusion that she neither knew nor cared.

The night alicorn just continued to giggle uncontrollably, a persistent flush painted across her heavenly face, and she glanced over to Twilight who eyed her with a curious expression.

“Luna? Are you alright?” Twilight questioned, noticing the unusual face Luna was making as well as her half-lidded eyes and glossed-over gaze sitting atop her flushed cheeks.

“Yup! Hehe...so pretty!” Luna slurred happily, swaying in place as she traced the beams of light that streaked across the sky with her hooves as if she could grab them, earning another puzzled gaze from her friend.

Twilight shrugged, deciding to humor the alicorn; perhaps Luna got like this after eating a lot of sugar, considering that she had only consumed two or three herself. The very idea that Luna, regal princess of the moon, could get sugar highs like a small, little filly had her chuckling to herself.

“It really is,” Twilight agreed warmly, grinning from ear to ear as she shared the sunset with Luna, staring out to the vast horizon. Suddenly, the purple unicorn found a foreign heat and softness pressed against and draped over her body and turned to find that Luna had somehow maneuvered herself to sit right next to her. Twilight blushed as she felt one of the princess' firm yet comfortable wings envelop her in a tight wing-hug, their bodies intimately close.

“But...not as pretty as you Twilight. How fitting,” Luna cooed, giggling at her own joke and Twilight's reaction. The adorable squirming of her captive only encouraged her to cuddle closer and harder.

“L...L..Luna!” the lavender mare exclaimed, attempting to dislodge herself from the alicorn's strong wings as she was overtaken by a flood of embarrassment. Her struggles were to no avail, and Twilight groaned as a flurry of feelings tore through her. “Wh....What are you doing!?”

“Shhhhh....” the alicorn scolded lightly, booping Twilight's nose with her own, earning another cute squeak from her captive unicorn whose blush multiplied tenfold. “It's such a nice evening, but it's even better that I have such a wonderful, cute and beautiful mare to share it with.” Luna scooted a bit closer, the space between them virtually nonexistent, and continued nuzzling Twilight' while her wing's light feathery touches sent shocks through Twilight's system.

“I....I think it's time we go home! Yup! No need to stay out here this late,” Twilight tried desperately, only to be shut down by another fit of giggles, her eyes meeting Luna's.

“Oh? But the night is so young. We have many, many things to do,” the lunar princess practically purred with a smirk that Twilight had come to associate with another pesky goddess, “Among each other of course.”

Twilight literally choked at that, feeling a mixture of abject terror and unstoppable arousal root themselves in her chest. She had to stop this while she still could....or was willing to.

“Luna! What's gotten into you?!?” Twilight attempted again desperately, doubling her efforts, perturbed by the sudden, strong display of affection and the forwardness of her usually reserved friend. It was taking all of her willpower, waning logic and strong morals to seriously reject Luna's advances right now.

“Whatever do you mean Twilight?” the night princess asked with a mischievous grin, hovering her mouth closer to Twilight's ear, her hot breath brushing against them, “So far....nothing has gotten into me....yet.”

The purple unicorn felt all of the blood leave the majority of her body while her mouth opened and closed wordlessly by the sheer naughtiness of Luna's none-too-subtle suggestion.

“LUNA!” Twilight shrieked, flabbergasted and now seriously trying to escape from the princess' iron grip. She was sure of it now; Luna was not in her right mind at all.

“Oh please Twilight. You can scream my name all you want later,” Luna whispered huskily, this time languidly planting a very slow train of kisses down the side of the smaller mare's cheek while simultaneously running her hooves through her smooth mane. Taking an appreciative sniff, the night goddess grinned in approval. “Orchids with a hint of raspberries...I like.”

The poor, purple unicorn could only continue to imitate Fluttershy, trying to ignore the fact that she was only slightly enjoying the attention, slightly. However, every time her thoughts strayed toward that forbidden area, she would scream at herself and remind herself of the truth. She knew it wouldn't be right, but it had to stop soon. Her resolve and ability to resist was already at their breaking points. If Luna took it any further, Twilight didn't know what she would do. This was worse than Nightmare!

Suddenly, a pony jumped out of the bushes, running over to them with a speed that Twilight could only compare to Rainbow Dash on a very good day. The mare's face was fully flushed and her body was full of purpose, rigid and tense.

“WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING!?” Diana screeched, her face hot and clearly upset, interrupting Luna's campaign. Using strength that could only rival an alicorn's, she ripped them apart. “THIS IS SO SHAMELESS!”

Twilight blinked, now freed, staring at the goddess with a mixture of disbelief, gratitude and utter and complete bewilderment. Why would Nightmare, of all ponies, interrupt them?

“Aww Diana! You went and ruined all of my fun,” Luna pouted, creeping closer to the unsuspecting, bigger unicorn, “But now that you're here Diana? Why don't you join? I don't mind sharing.”

Luna didn't even get to finish, because Nightmare's face had gone so red that she had simply smacked Luna in a purely reactive attempt to stem the cause of her intense blush. The night princess groaned a bit, but, now on the ground, began giggling to herself again in her alcohol-induced stupor.

“I didn't take you for the jealous type Diana,” Luna continued with a chuckle, winking at the taller unicorn, “Tell you what. You go first. Then I'll go second. Unless you really do prefer teaming......”

Nightmare nearly screamed, mortified, and before Twilight or Luna could stop her, she blasted the night goddess with her strongest sleeping spell. In one burst of magic, Luna was out cold, a silly grin plastered to her face as she slept peacefully on the grass, and Nightmare breathed heavily, overcome by embarrassment.

“WHAT DID YOU DO!?” Twilight yelped, running over to make sure Luna was okay before turning to Nightmare and shaking her senseless, “WHAT IN CELESTIA'S NAME IS GOING ON!”

“That's what I should be asking you!” Diana screamed back, her face still flushed at what she had seen and what had been suggested, “Here I thought you were having a nice and innocent evening with Lulu. But I come upon you to literally find Lulu's tongue a few inches just above your horn!” Nightmare could feel her face heat up a couple hundred degrees as she remembered that scene.

“What!? I...I don't even.....Why in Celestia's name were you even following us in the first place!? And what's up with you!? Normally, you'd encourage something like this!” Twilight retorted, unable to reply to Diana's accusations. The lavender mare was completely befuddled. Something had happened; that much she could tell.

“Well...I mean....It's....It's not like I cared or anything!” Nightmare attempted to brush off, not wanting to look her mistress in the eye and ignoring the second part of Twilight's question, “Shesh! You know what? It's not even important. Let's just get Lulu home....”

“We're not going anywhere until I figure out what the heck is wrong with you two!” Twilight rebutted, wanting answers, “I swear the world just flipped upside down. For a second, I thought Luna had turned into you!”

“What! I would never do something like that!” Nightmare yelled, her addled mind completely forgetting all of the previous things she had pulled on Twilight. She marched straight up to the sleeping form of Luna, intending on just taking her back herself when Twilight suddenly appeared, causing her to stumble forward.

In a mess of limbs and violent shouts, Twilight suddenly found herself pinned on the ground by Nightmare Moon.

“This...This isn't what it looks like!” the disguised alicorn stuttered, her breath splashing across Twilight's face. The pinned unicorn blinked and sniffed, smelling a specific scent that could only belong to one particular substance.

“Nightmare? Are you drunk?” Twilight asked, concerned, looking into the goddess' eyes to find them a bit clouded.

“No! I don't drink. It makes me weird,” Nightmare answered her voice still a bit uneven. Twilight would have laughed at the irony of the entire situation if it didn't seem so out of place for the usually forward goddess, finding the alicorn's current attitude to usually be considered 'normal'.

“Ugh....just great. One drunk, perverted alicorn that turns into a reserved, normal pony. And....” Twilight began as she slipped out from underneath Nightmare, trotting over to Luna and sniffing for the tell-tale signs of intoxication, finding it immediately near her muzzle, “...another drunk, normally reserved pony that turns into perverted alicorn......” This was just plainly ridiculous!

“Whatever....Let's just go home already so you can finish up your stupid love fest with Luna,” Nightmare huffed indignantly, causing Twilight's eyebrows to rise up in surprise as she detected a strange sort of coldness in the goddess' voice. The dream goddess began to walk off, not noticing the obvious wobble in her step.

“I'm surrounded by idiots....” Twilight groaned as she packed up the picnic cloth in one fluid motion and levitated Luna off of the ground, finding the larger alicorn strangely light. Nightmare continued forward, determined, unable to really recognize how much the alcohol had dulled her senses. “Be careful Nightmare.” The last thing Twilight wanted was for the other drunk alicorn to get them in trouble somehow.

“I don't need you to take care of me,” the disguised alicorn grumbled at the ground, paying close attention, or as much attention as her muddled mind could afford, to her hooves. Suddenly, she found a barrier stopping her in her path and was about to yell at Twilight, only to look up and find a broad tree trunk baring her vision.

“Watch where you're going,” Twilight deadpanned, knowing that it was probably nigh impossible for the drunk alicorn at the moment. She face-hoofed again, wondering who in the high heavens placed her in such a ridiculous position.

Nightmare had enough remaining decency to blush, and muttered a quick 'thank you' while attempting to foolishly continue forward, only to be hoisted into the air by a wave of magic.

“Just make this easier on the both of us and just let me carry you home,” Twilight sighed, deciding that turning in early for the night would benefit all of them and dispel the already massive headache she was suffering from.

Nightmare began to protest loudly, only to be cutoff by a firm glare from her mistress who was clearly at her breaking point.

“I can never catch a break can I?” Twilight asked to no one on particular, shaking her head as she hauled two drunk goddesses home just as the sun sank below the horizon, cloaking the sky in darkness.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Once again in his short time as a dragon, Spike's motto was reinforced. Silence was indeed golden.

It took one look from Twilight for him to know he shouldn't ask and just play along. He would get his answers later anyway.

“Spike. I'll be skipping dinner tonight.....too many things to take care of,” Twilight muttered, levitating in the two ponies behind her, earning an amused and inquisitive look from her number one assistant.

“Alright. Anything I can do to help?” Spike asked, pointing at the two ponies caught in Twilight's telekinetic grasp.

“I'll be fine Spike,” the purple unicorn answered tersely, already mentally and emotionally exhausted. He nodded, deciding to fix a quick dinner for himself and get back to reading that one book he had been interested in.

Twilight finally placed Luna in her bed, making sure to tuck the goddess in before turning off the lights and closing the door, blushing one last time as she heard Luna mention something about wearing whipped cream and strawberries....only whipped cream and strawberries.....She really hoped for both of their sakes that Luna would forget everything in the morning, but knowing her luck, that probably wouldn't happen.

Climbing up the stairs, Twilight finally dumped herself and Nightmare on the bed, not even caring about the fact that they were both on it; she was too tired to care.

“Hmph,” Nightmare growled, crossing her hooves as she sat on the bed, clearly upset about something.

“What's wrong with you?” Twilight murmured into the pillows, really wanting to fall asleep, but for some reason, knowing that Nightmare was disgruntled made her want to postpone, “Are you still upset about what happened outside?”

“No!” the dream goddess snapped, her ears splayed back as she realized the harshness of her tone. “It's not that....” she said, her voice a bit softer.

“I'm not a mind reader Nightmare....” Twilight groaned, cuddling closer to the soft sheets and blankets, really wanting to fall asleep, “I won't know what you're upset about until you tell me...”

“You tucked Luna in....” Nightmare muttered, barely audible to Twilight, but she had heard it.

“Huh? That's it? That's all?”

“You didn't do it for me though!”

Suddenly, a long silence settled down between the two mares, one of them fidgeting in place while the other one simply stared at her with disbelief.

“Nightmare....are you jealous?” Twilight questioned, humor hidden in her eyes as she watched a small blush flare up on the larger unicorn's cheeks.

“No! Why would I be jealous!? Never in a million years! I just wanted to be treated equally....” the disguised alicorn denied immediately, causing Twilight to giggle. If she didn't know that Nightmare was drunk, she would have found it rather cute. Regardless, Twilight was tired and decided to just go along with it.

“Fine....I'll tuck you in,” Twilight said as she stepped off of the bed, rolling her eyes. Lifting up the blankets, she allowed Nightmare to crawl in, replacing the blankets afterward. “Goodnight I guess.”

“Wait. What are you doing?” Nightmare asked quirking one eyebrow, “Shouldn't you be in here too? Sleeping on the floor isn't the most comfortable option....”

Twilight stuttered and blushed, not sure if sleeping next to a drunken Nightmare, or actually just Nightmare herself, was a good idea.

“Haha...I think I'll manage! I mean it's not that bad, and you know the floor is quite....” Twilight began, only to be cutoff by Nightmare's own telekinetic grab which was strangely still strong enough and focused enough to hoist her into the air and onto the bed despite the owner's current state of mind.

“No 'buts' about it. This is your bed. If anything, I should be sleeping on the floor,” Nightmare said with another flush. Twilight attempted to resist and argue, but each argument was quickly shot down one after the other. Soon enough, Twilight was just left with one option.

Begrudgingly, Twilight slipped under the covers and turned off the lights, putting as much distance as possible between herself and the goddess. She didn't want to admit it, but sleeping in her bed again after a night on the floor was amazing.

“You better keep your hooves to yourself,” Twilight muttered in the dark, answered by a protesting grunt. Just in case, Twilight stayed up for a few more minutes, waiting until she heard the soft snores of her counterpart, shaking her head. Luna and Nightmare would not be having a fun morning tomorrow.

Sighing, she almost yelped as she abruptly felt four limbs suddenly latch onto her, and Twilight blushed as she found four hooves that could only belong to one pony, wrap around her. The purple pony was about to tell Nightmare off, but in the darkness, her adjusted eyes got a good look at her companion's face; quietly she smiled. It was peaceful.

Twilight sighed again and just decided to let it go this time, just this one time. After all...it didn't feel that bad.

Author's Note

Shesh. This chapter took me a long time to write. I went through literally five different versions! Well hopefully you guys like this one.

I had a lot of fun with switching their personalities. :pinkiehappy:

Guess I'll just reiterate (how many times now? :ajsleepy: ) that this is a cartoon as well and craziness is bound to happen. Yeah, alcohol wouldn't be present in those cupcakes, but since I said there was, there is.

Thanks

Twilight Sparkle was a routine pony, born and raised on her lovely lists and predictable plans. She prided herself on being able to plan for everything; her plans had plans, and those plans had even more plans, backed by various contingencies and back-up routes. She had everything, ranging from plans for going to the market to replenish their milk supply to plans for surviving in a post-apocalyptic Equestrian wasteland ravaged by war.

Of course, her plans had been cast aside and deemed useless many times ever since that fateful day when she stepped into Ponyville, a town that practically oozed disorder and unpredictability, and in fact, there were times where she didn't have a plan at all and had to think on her own hooves. Those moments had been rather stressful. However, over time, she had learned that not everything could be planned for, but she still did her best, pleased with her ability to correctly organize and predict her daily life at least. It gave her life a semblance of order.

However, despite her vigilance and care, she could have never planned for this.

She was in a bed with another mare....She in bed....with Nightmare Moon.

Twilight was many things, a powerful unicorn, the Element of Magic, personal protege of Princess Celestia, ingenious scientist, and a heroine of Equestria. But....above all, she was a mare, an extremely inexperienced mare that happened to be in a rather compromising and intimate position; Nightmare's larger form was wrapped tenderly around her in a tight embrace, head to hoof, spooning her from behind, her muzzle buried in the crook of Twilight's neck as she slept the morning away without a care in the world.

The purple unicorn didn't know what to do. She couldn't teleport out because Nightmare was physically attached to her, and she didn't think she could sneak out either, considering that Nightmare was holding her like a vise grip.

Twilight sighed in exasperation, causing Nightmare to shift slightly in her sleep. There wasn't really any other option other than to just wait till the sleeping goddess woke up. No doubt, there would be teasing following that.

She shook her head hopelessly; she had only been with Nightmare for a few short days, and already it felt like she had been stuck with her for years. Despite only knowing her personally for a few days, Twilight could already list off distinctive traits. Nightmare was brash, impulsive, prone to perversion, and just downright mischievous.

Yet here, Twilight couldn't seem to find any of that, listening to Nightmare's soft and even breathing splashing against her neck. If anypony ever stumbled across a sleeping Nightmare, they would have never guessed she was such a huge trouble maker. All they would see would be a beautiful mare sleeping peacefully.

“Wait a minute....BEAUTIFUL!?” Twilight practically screamed in her head, her eyes bugging out as she reviewed that random tidbit of thought, “Where in Celestia's name did that come from!?” The lavender mare spent the next couple of moments trying to convince herself that it was simply a side-effect of morning delusion.

“Stupid Nightmare.....” Twilight grumbled, earning a soft moan as a response from Nightmare, causing her to freeze up in fear, hoping she hadn't carelessly awoken mentioned goddess. To her relief, the dream goddess continued sleeping, lightly snoring away, her breath still tickling the hairs on her neck.

But.....she was a bit annoyed. Here she was, silently freaking out thanks to Nightmare, and the bucking mare was just lying there, sleeping away as if she was the most innocent mare in the world. Her face betrayed no feelings of remorse, and in fact, Twilight was sure she was probably enjoying herself even.

In fact, Twilight had been subjugated to Nightmare's whimsical and perverted whims for the last few days, and while she would begrudgingly admit they weren't all that terrible, they were definitely at her expense. The purple unicorn silently vowed to learn how to stand up to Nightmare a bit, or at least fix the status quo. She was supposed to be the 'Mistress', and if it meant she would have to fight fire with fire, maybe she would do just that.

She had learned a long time ago that friends were equal, and if she really wanted to be friends with Nightmare, as she had promised, Twilight had to figure out a way to bring Nightmare down to her level, or bring herself up to hers.

Pushing her musings aside, Twilight decided that it was time to wake up. Her frozen limbs were sore, and some of her limbs were starting to loose their blood circulation, resulting in that horrible crawling sensation all over her hooves. She would just have to bear with the embarrassment of waking up Nightmare.

“Hey, Nightmare,” Twilight said, shifting around a bit until she managed to maneuver herself to face Nightmare, surprised she hadn't woken up yet, “Wake up already you perverted alicorn.”

“Mhmm...no.....don't....Twilight....” Nightmare groaned, wrapping herself tighter around the unsuspecting unicorn who flushed at the mention of her name. Embarrassed, Twilight redoubled her efforts, wanting to get as far away as possible from Nightmare right now.

“I..Idiot! Just wake up already!” the lavender mare stuttered, shaking Nightmare vigorously, bringing her out of sleep.

“Huh...wha....” the disguised goddess muttered, her eyelids sluggishly sliding open until she shut them again, the light burning her sensitive eyes, “Urk....my head....what happened? Twilight?” Suddenly, Twilight was forced to recall everything that had occurred last night and all of the ridiculous shenanigans that had followed, multiplying her already blossoming blush tenfold.

However, seeing that extremely confused face, Twilight just couldn't resist the perfect opening.

“You're a bit tired after the extremely heated bedtime activities we partook in last night. You were actually a bit hesitant and timid at first, but after a while you really started getting into it. By the way, I misplaced the tapes,” the purple mare quipped, smirking and patting herself on the back mentally for coming up with something like that so quickly. However, after a moment, she reviewed her words, barely able to hold back the unavoidable blush storm that followed.....Nightmare had apparently influenced her more than she realized.

The reaction made it all worth it.

“WHAT!? I DON'T REMEMBER THAT!” Nightmare screamed, rocketing herself backwards, away from Twilight and off of the bed, landing on the floor in a mess of limbs as the blanket followed suit, tying her up.

Twilight exploded in laughter, pounding her hooves on the bed and rolling around, trying to expel the violent fit of giggles. After a moment, she managed to regain some control of herself and peered over the edge of Nightmare's side of the bed, finding the goddess extracting herself slowly from the ensnaring cloth.

“So, she can dish it out but can't take it huh?” Twilight teased as she spied a glorious blush adorning the disguised goddess' face. Nightmare scowled, looking away, mumbling various curses under her breath. This morning was not going well for her; first she had woken up with a killer hangover, and now her own mistress was teasing her in another reversal of fate....

Despite the fact that Twilight's teasing made for an easy counter-tease, Nightmare just couldn't muster the strength or will to fight back. She just crawled back up onto the bed, dragging the covers with her and draping them over her face to plunge herself back into the sweet darkness.

Twilight, finally fully recovered, smiled like a shark.

“Now, I know why you love doing that so much,” she said with a small smirk, poking Nightmare playfully, who only responded with another painful groan.

“Ugh....just let me sleep,” the dream goddess moaned unhappily, throwing the pillow over her ears, trying to block out all sound.

Wincing a bit in sympathy, Twilight hopped out of the bed and closed the curtains, grinning from ear to ear.

“Would the patient like any breakfast? Coffee, multivitamins, toast and eggs. Should help curb the hangover. I'll grab some painkillers too,” she offered softly, checking off each of the items mentally to make sure they were scientifically proven to help hangovers somewhat.

“Please....” Nightmare surrendered with a sigh, a bit happier now that the light was mostly gone, though her tone was still laced with discomfort and pain. Twilight shook her head hopelessly, but smiled anyway, always happy to help a friend.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Walking down the stairs, Twilight heard the tell-tale sounds of Spike already going about his business. She must have really slept in, since he had been up before her. Regardless, the comforting aroma of freshly brewed coffee awaited her. No doubt, her dragon assistant was already well invested into his day.

“Good morning Spike,” she called good-naturedly, a little too good-naturedly.

“Uh...Morning?” Spike answered, uncertainly and eying his caretaker with confusion, “You seem awfully happy this morning despite the fact you slept in like an extra two hours.....It's kind of weird.”

“Weird?” Twilight asked, tilting her head to the side, “How so?”

“Well, usually if you missed waking up on time, you'd be all like....” the baby dragon began, running up the stairs to imitate Twilight, “'Oh no! Oh no! I'm late! I'm so late! Now I have to postpone everything and reschedule everything! This is a catastrophe!” He completed the imitation by running frantically down the stairs and tripping at the end while he twitched his eyes in an insane sort of manner.

“I'm not like that!” she protested, but Spike wasn't finished yet.

“And even if you do wake up on time you're all like this.....” Spike continued, running back up the stairs, “Coffee....No pony talk to me until I've had my coffee....” He completed that imitation by dragging his claws down the stairs while grumbling incoherencies underneath his breath while his eyes were fixed in a grumpy, twitchy glare.

“I do not do that!” the lavender mare protested, and Spike responded by leveling her a deadpan stare, “Okay....maybe I do....sometimes....but still, is it really that weird for me to wake up in a good mood?”

“Pre-coffee....yes,” Spike answered simply, returning to his work, “Anyways, something good must have happened to you or something....Well, whatever. There's some toast for you there. I don't know what Luna or Diana wants, so I just made them the same stuff.”

“Thanks Spike. Do we have any eggs? I need to cook some,” Twilight questioned, swinging open the fridge and poking her head inside, trying to discover where the eggs were hiding. She was also reminded of Luna, so she made a mental note to cook more.

“Err...bottom left, small tray...We should have a couple left,” he answered slowly, befuddled by Twilight's sudden interest in cooking. Normally, she would just ask him to cook stuff for her, so it was extremely strange to hear that Twilight wanted to cook something by herself. In fact, she usually avoided cooking things. Cooking and her were a rather explosive mix, quite literally. “The butter is in the little white container near the top, or you can use the olive oil if you'd like. Make sure the eggs don't burn, and flip them over for a second or two so you know its cooked all the way through.”

“Got it. Thanks Spike!” Twilight cheered as she levitated a large black pan onto the lit stove, placing a few dollops of oil onto the pan.

After a few moments, the simmering sounds of eggs cooking filled the air, and soon, the eggs were ready, enough for herself, Nightmare and Luna. The lavender mare was happy to say she had actually cooked them correctly. Plus, the pan hadn't erupted into a giant inferno, so there was that.

Scooping a portion onto a plate and grabbing two slices of toast, Twilight levitated the breakfast, completed by a mug of steaming hot coffee and vitamins, into Luna's room, slowly opening the door as to not wake her just in case the night alicorn was still sleeping.

Similar to her own room's state, it as dark and a recognizable lump lay on the bed, covered from head to hoof with a light quilt.

“Luna? Are you awake?” Twilight asked curiously, sneaking in her hot tray of food, the smells quickly moving the through the air to fill the entire room. A wordless groan was the only answer she received, and Twilight smiled out of pity and empathy. “I brought breakfast. It should curb the headaches a bit. Plus, there's some painkillers there too.”

A quick, blue hoof was extended, pointing to the bedside table, wordlessly conveying her request. Nodding, Twilight set the tray down, wishing for her speedy recovery before leaving the room to attend to Diana.

Luna sighed, sitting upright in her bed, groaning, not out of pain, but out of embarrassment. She covered her red face with her hooves, grimacing.

“Ugh...I'm such an idiot. I did all of those embarrassing things....to...to Twilight of all ponies. She must hate me now...” she groaned, smacking herself with her hoof but knowing that wasn't really true. However, it didn't change the fact that she had completely embarrassed herself, rubbing her temples to hold back the headache. She wished it was caused by a hangover, but it wasn't. In fact, physically, she was fine; Luna had a lot of experience with alcohol, so her body wasn't that susceptible to its aftereffects. She was slightly grouchy and a bit tired, but there wasn't any unbearable, pounding and absolutely agonizing hangover.

“Curse you alicorn metabolism and nearly faultless memory....” she grumbled, taking the tray and placing it on her lap, inhaling the pleasant scent. She allowed herself a small smile, finding it very sweet that Twilight would think of such a nice gesture. The lunar princess sighed; she really was too kind, but that was one of the reasons Luna like her anyway.

Still, after what had happened last night, the Second Princess of Equestria had no idea how to approach her friend. The fact that she could still remember almost everything brought a fresh wave of blood to her face which she hid with her hooves, groaning in exasperation.

“You did it right Luna,” she muttered to herself as she took a bite out of her wheat toast, “Come to your friend/crush's house, go on a nice date and then get ridiculously and mysteriously drunk to feel up and sexually harass said friend....brilliant...”

Luna blushed again as she recalled some of the things she had done in her alcohol-induced stupor, most of which had to do with smelling and touching Twilight while suggesting, none-too-subtly, that they just outright do it. And if that hadn't been bad enough, her alcohol-high mind decided that it was a good idea to invite Diana along as well!

“Argh!” Luna raged, gripping her mane in disappointment and worry, pulling it over her face like a mash, though she reasoned it functioned more like a brown paper bag of shame. What did Twilight think of her now? How was she supposed to even look her friend in the face? What would Diana say?

Sighing again, she pushed the plate aside, cleaned of its food, but stopped to find a small piece of parchment hidden underneath the dish. She picked it up and read it in the darkness.

If you need anything, just call for me. Don't strain yourself too much.

-Twilight

Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, Luna slumped back into the bed and cracked a small smile, staring up at the ceiling, just thinking about and thanking her friend for her understanding in the silent darkness.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

“Nightmare! Are you awake still?” Twilight called as she swung open the door to her room, adjusting slowly to the blackness.

“I am now....” Nightmare grumbled into Twilight's pillow, cracking one eye open as she detected the scent of freshly cooked eggs wafting around the room, “What is it now?”

“I've brought an offering oh humble goddess of mine,” the lavender mare quipped sarcastically, finding it extremely satisfying to banter back to the menace goddess after being teased for what felt like forever.

“Hmph. I don't think I like your tone. What if I don't want your offering?” the dream goddess pouted, sitting up and displaying her displeasure by crossing her forehooves.

“Aww....That's just too bad I guess. I was going to spoon feed you with my own two hooves, but I guess my pet alicorn is just too spoiled to earn it,” Twilight continued, on a roll, earning a bewildered and spluttering Nightmare. The purple mare grinned manically. "'Oh this is something I could get used to."

“I am not a pet!” the disguised alicorn shot back, completely missing the mental commentary Twilight had provided via their link due to her irritation.

“Uh huh. Says the pony who likes to call me 'Mistress',” Twilight answered back, not missing a beat, “Now be a good, sick alicorn and eat your breakfast.” Without warning, the lavender mare placed the tray of food onto Nightmare's lap, not giving her a chance for rebuttal.

“Hmph....If my head didn't hurt so much, I'd figure out a way to throw a good comeback at you....This sucks,” the dream goddess grumbled, begrudgingly bringing a slice of toast to her mouth.

“Eat. Then take the vitamins and painkillers,” the purple unicorn commanded with a motherly-sort of smile, “I would try magic, but I don't think its a good idea given the differences between normal pony and alicorn physiology. Nightmare didn't raise another argument and silently scooped the food into her mouth, too tired to fight back. Twilight smiled and got up to leave, wanting the sick mare to rest.

Closing the door behind her, Twilight lingered just long enough to hear two words being muttered from the stubborn goddess which brought a tiny smile to her face.

“Thanks Twilight.”

Author's Note

Finally back! Shesh, I've been busy with all of this crazy college stuff coming up in about two weeks.

Anyways, lots'o fluff this chapter, plus a bit more development between Twily and Miss Moon. Things only get more fun from here!

Teasing

It was weird.....An unusual, undisturbed silence had settled on the Ponyville library. Normally, one would think some nice quiet would be good for such a place, but for Twilight, ironically, it felt a bit creepy.

The unicorn librarian sat on her favorite, reading cushion in the middle of the library's main reading room, perusing lazily through a couple of books she had been meaning to catch up on while Spike went about doing his daily work. Idly, she would check the clock every few moments to see how much time had passed, and to her dismay, it was usually only a couple of minutes at best each time she peeked up from her book.

She pondered the rare silence that she was stooped in, finding it strange that she would feel so uncomfortable in such a perfect atmosphere that would allow her to concentrate and learn to the best of her abilities. Days like this were hard to come by, especially since she had lived in Ponyville and had a certain set of friends that liked to stir things up ever so slightly.

Twilight sighed, plopping her head down on the small reading table, watching the clock pendulum swing back and forth in its rhythmically hypnotic cycle. She was loathe to admit it, but she was bored. Twilight Sparkle had a book in her lap, and she was bored!

“What's wrong with me?” she muttered as she stared blankly at the wall, her ears twitching with each passing of the clock. Twilight had never been bored with a good book in her hooves. Heck, she got a kick out of reading the dictionary for Celestia's sake!

It was slightly worrying for the normally book-addicted mare. Had she caught some weird disease!? Perhaps there was a new disease that made ponies allergic to reading or something terrible like that? She was so caught up in her musings that she didn't notice the sounds of a window being pushed open.

“Hey Twilight, what's up?” a sudden voice asked while a hoof poked Twilight's side, rousing her from her stupor.

“Huh? Ack! Rainbow! When did you get in here?” the purple mare asked, scrambling away from her friend out of surprise, nearly banging her head on one of the bookshelves. Shrugging, the cyan mare simply pointed behind her towards the ceiling, drawing Twilight's gaze to an opened, circular window. Groaning, Twilight face-hoofed.

“Rainbow, you know how many times I've told you to use the front door....” Twilight sighed, grabbing the extended window frame with her magic and closing it shut.

“Yeah....” Rainbow answered a bit guiltily, “But the window is so much easier and faster...Flying and all that you know?”

“Yes. Yes,” Twilight conceded, knowing she would never win this argument with her pegasus friend, “So what are you here for?”

“Oh...um....hehe. You know. Just visiting and all,” the pegasus stuttered impressively, grabbing a random book from the nearest shelf and opening it up at a random spot, pretending to look occupied.

“Rainbow...It's upside down,” Twilight deadpanned, her stare becoming more and more suspicious.

“Oh. I knew that!” Rainbow defended herself, flipping the book in her hooves rightside-up, “I was just uh...reading a message somepony scrawled in the corner. It was upside down.”

“What!?” Twilight yelled, jumping forward to snatch the book out of Rainbow's hooves, intending to look through her logs to figure out the last pony that had rented the book. Once she had the name, she would charge them accordingly for defacing public property and give them a lecture on the importance of maintaining literature for posterity.

“Oh! Whoops! My bad. It was actually all part of the book's design,” the cyan mare dodged, shutting the book closed immediately and slamming it back into place, “Anyways...Err....Where's Luna and Diana? I haven't seen them around."

“Sleeping,” Twilight answered simply with a slightly annoyed huff, “They are a bit sick from last night.”

“Huh? What happened? Are they okay?” Dash asked, her protective streak showing through, “They're not...like dying right!?”

“No. Of course not Rainbow,” the lavender mare answered with a small chuckle, “They are just physically and mentally drained. They should be fine by the end of the day.”

“Oh. Right,” the prismatic pegasus replied with an embarrassed blush, “So, anyways...uh...what's up?”

Twilight stared curiously at her friend, one of her eyebrows quirked in suspicion; something about Rainbow was off....

“Rainbow...” Twilight began, her tone a bit stern, “What are you really doing here?”

“What? Little ol' me? Nothing much. Just visiting a good friend. Yup. Just visiting!” the cyan mare lied terribly, her eyes darting back and forth, trying to distract herself and appear normal.

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight deadpanned, her stare's intensity increasing, causing Rainbow to break out in a nervous sweat. After a few more seconds of firm glaring, she cracked.

“They made me do it! I swear!” she confessed, her back against the wall, her eyes pleading.

“What? Do what?” the lavender mare questioned quickly, her eyes serious, “What's going on Rainbow?”

“Ack! No no no no no no! If I tell you, they'll do it! I can't let that happen!” Rainbow answered fearfully, desperately begging Twilight to just play along.

“Tell me what's going on,” Twilight growled, her face inching closer and closer to her friend's.

“I...I ca...”

“Rainbow.”

“Ahhh!! Rarity and Pinkie Pie wanted me to spy on you! If I didn't, they were going to show our friends the picture they have of me cuddling with Fluttershy from flight school!” Dash admitted, waving her arms about wildly as if it was a life or death situation. Twilight instantly face faulted, pulling her hooves down her face in exasperation.

“Jeez! I thought it was going to be something super important too....” Twilight mumbled, shaking her head and walking back to her table.

“It is important! If they show ponies that photo, my reputation as the coolest and most awesome pony ever will be ruined!” the pegasus explained, her voice making it sound as if the very fate of the world was at stake.

“Yeah yeah yeah. So why did Rarity and Pinkie want you to spy on me anyway? I'm not a particularly exciting subject to study on a normal day like today,” the lavender mare admitted, rolling her eyes as she walked into the kitchen with Rainbow following.

“Eh. I dunno. They kept going on about a bunch of weird things. I didn't really pay too much attention to them,” Rainbow admitted as Twilight fetched a glass of water, “Oh, I remember something now. Rarity kept going on about 'illicit, forbidden, incestuous love' or something like that. And Pinkie kept bouncing around yelling 'sexy fun times' or something silly like that....Hey, what does 'incestuous' mean anyway?”

Twilight literally spat out the water she was about to drink, pumping her chest as she choked on the water that had she had inadvertently inhaled, her eyes bulging in disbelief and mortification.

“Don't...don't worry about it,” she rasped out, still coughing to clear up her system, unable to believe her ears. Just what were her friends thinking!?

“Does it have anything to do with kissing or something like that? I wouldn't really know. Rarity was going on about all of these weird things with hearts in her eyes, so I just assumed it was something mushy like that,” Rainbow continued on innocently.

“What in Equestria made Rarity and Pinkie want to spy on me for that!?” Twilight screeched, beyond embarrassed now. Apparently, her friends thought she was in some sort of hidden, forbidden relationship of sin and lust with Nightmare! Just the thought had Twilight's face burning.

“Ehh? I dunno. Probably when you kissed Diana in front of all of us?” Rainbow squeaked, looking away, remembering her particular reaction to that scene, “So uh....anything to report?”

“NO!” Twilight roared, rubbing her temples in agitation; everything was just going wrong, “I'm not in a relationship like that and especially not with Diana! She's my cousin! She's family.” She blushed too as she remembered Nightmare taking her first kiss, albeit by accident, but a first kiss is a first kiss.

“You sure? It looked a lot more than that to all of us....” Rainbow muttered, her sky blue cheeks still flushed, “I'm kind of curious myself really.”

“Ugh,” the purple unicorn groaned, shutting her eyes, unable to deal with this now. Even with Nightmare out sick, she was still causing problems for her! Well, she couldn't really blame her for this one since it had been an accident, but she still had to deal with it somehow.

“So uh...can you tell me about it? I promise not to tell them. I'll just say nothing interesting has happened, “Dash asked, staring off at a random direction again, trying her best to appear mostly disinterested, though her question really worked against her.

“Ugh..whatever. I'll answer one question. One question,” Twilight gave up, moaning hopelessly as she took a deep swig of water, wishing for once in her life she kept alcohol in the house.

“Did you use tongue when you kissed Diana!?” Rainbow asked promptly, her eyes shining and burning with curiosity, and the purple mare was instantly reduced to a spluttering mess.

“Wha....wha...NO! WHY WOULD YOU EVEN ASK THAT QUESTION!?” the lavender unicorn yelped, shaking her head wildly as if physically denying it would allow her to mentally deny it, though she wasn't really sure of it herself. Had she actually felt Nightmare's.... “NO! DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!”

“Alright. Alright. Jeez,” she surrendered, “It was just a question. I'll go report to Rarity and Pinkie nothing happened. Okay? No need to bite my head off.” Groaning in defeat, Twilight nodded, pleading with whatever gods she had angered to just finish her off already and save her from all of this humiliation and embarrassment.

“Well, see ya later then Twilight,” Rainbow said cheerfully, trotting out of the kitchen and flying up to the library ceiling. She pulled the window open and flew out, leaving the same way she came.

Twilight sighed, smacking her head down on her kitchen table.

“That's the last time I ever admit I'm bored of books....”

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Lunchtime was rolling around, and Twilight was doing her best to invest herself in the history book she had been reading. However, it just wasn't clicking. She honestly didn't feel like reading right now, so she figured she would prepare lunch to get the stressful morning off of her mind.

Spike was suspicious again, but didn't comment, allowing his caretaker to make some simple haywiches for them and the two sick ponies.

Satisfied with her creations and deemed up to par by the dragon chef himself, Twilight delivered them accordingly.

Luna didn't put up much of a fuss, still too embarrassed to face Twilight face to face, pointing to the same bedside table with her hoof while she hid underneath the covers. She was thankful for lunch and wolfed it down once Twilight had exited her room, resuming her reading of the various, extra books that had been stored in the closet of the guess room.

Her delivery to Luna completed, Twilight climbed the stairs and knocked on her bedroom door, swinging it open to find a recognizable Nightmare Moon-sized lump still lying on her bed, the blanket draped over her and the pillows discarded, lying on the floor, forgotten and pushed aside. The lavender mare sighed, shaking her head.

“Nightmare,” Twilight said, walking over to her bed, peeling away the covers as if the goddess that lie underneath it was an ancient mummy, “Lunchtime. Wake up already. You can't lounge around all day you know.”

The snoozing alicorn didn't respond and instead flailed her hooves around in her sleep, attempting to reclaim her lost covers. The puple unicorn huffed, setting down the haywiches and moving to wake Nightmare.

"Hey. Wake up,” she said a bit more forcefully, a tick mark appearing on her head out of irritation. Even now, the trickster goddess managed to look so innocent. Her mane was splayed across the bed in a messy sprawl that somehow managed to be both alluring and natural looking at the same time. Her snores came in slow and even bouts, not too loud, but just enough to make them sound cute, and the twitching of her hooves only added to the scene which painted her as your picturesque dream mare.

Twilight knew better luckily. Still, the purple unicorn was intrigued. Just this morning, she had learned something new about her new friend, and it reminded her that she needed to discover more about Nightmare's past, which she had spoken briefly about all those nights ago. Despite her thoughts about the mare, Twilight begrudgingly admitted to herself that she wasn't all that bad.

She didn't want to believe it, but in the short time they had been together, Nightmare had grown on her, as impossible as she would have believed it to be had anypony even suggested the idea before this. The goddess may not have been all rainbows and sunshine with a perfect smile and attitude to match, but there was something there that she just couldn't put a hoof on.

Twilight shrugged, deciding to push the matter aside. For now, she would simply let things play out.

Not saying another word, the unicorn resumed her attempts at waking Nightmare up. However, as she looked down to see if the disguised alicorn had woken up yet, Twilight was met with two open eyes blinking at her. She was caught a bit off guard and just stared into those azure eyes.

She didn't know if it was true, but Twilight saw something in those orbs, happiness but also a deeply buried pain; the librarian couldn't confirm it, because just as soon as she caught a glimpse of it, it disappeared.

“This is the second or so time you've visited me in bed. Some ponies might get the wrong idea you know,” Nightmare answered with a grin, sitting up, unaware of the fact that there were already ponies like that, namely Twilight's friends.

“Haha. Say's the pony whose sleeping in my bed,” the lavender mare responded coolly, grinning back, earning a very small blush from Nightmare who scowled lightly.

“Not fair,” she pouted, crossing her hooves at her chest, “You just had to learn how to talk back.”

“Well, a good mistress has to be able to relate to her pet right?” Twilight answered with a laugh, petting Nightmare's head jokingly, missing the red that painted the goddess' cheeks afterward.

“Hmph. That just means I'll have to step up my game,” the dream goddess stated, smirking evilly but suddenly clutching her head and groaning as a small headache returned.

“Eat. Then take more medicine,” the lavender mare ordered with a kind smile, “Hopefully, the hangover will be gone by dinner. You must have drank some crazy stuff for it to last this long even with food and water.”

“Ugh....that's just it though...I don't even know what I drank....” Nightmare began until she came to a possible conclusion, “Unless....ugh...those girls...”

“Who?”

“Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

That was all the dream goddess had to say for Twilight to understand. No doubt, those girls had probably tried to 'spice up' the backing process, which meant they had done something unnecessary which lead to trouble; trouble that had manifested itself in the form of two very drunk goddesses.

Twilight face-hoofed, making a note to herself about lecturing the girls on the dangers of putting unknown substances into cooking without telling others.

“Shesh, you must have stuffed your face with cupcakes then if you were that drunk,” Twilight joked, earning an indignant glare from Nightmare.

“Har har har,” the disguised alicorn answered sarcastically, rolling her eyes but joining in on the laughter afterward.

“You know....This is fun,” Twilight said randomly with a grin, earning an inquisitive glance from Nightmare who didn't understand.

“What is?”

“Teasing you. You're the first pony I've really ever teased. It's fun.”

“Gee...I don't know if I should take that as an insult or compliment,” Nightmare answered dryly, shaking her head while Twilight giggled, “Most ponies don't take too kindly to teasing.”

“Aww c'mon. It's all fun and games between friends,” the purple unicorn replied, mirth in her eyes and a smile on her face. Nightmare just quirked an eyebrow but broke out into a small, real smile as well.

“Hmmm....I guess you're right,” she answered softly. Stretching, the goddess yawned theatrically but grabbed one of the haywiches, “I guess I better eat and take the medicine. After all, I won't be able to tease you with my full ability until I get over this hangover, so you'd better expect some payback for earlier.

Twilight grinned wolfishly, not saying a word as she walked toward the door, looking over her shoulder one last time before she exited.

“And don't expect me not to fight back. After all, I can't let you get ahead now.”

Author's Note

Some nice little filler for everyone! College is starting up soon, so updates could be randomly sparse or so for a while.

Questions

Her face and attention buried in her latest book, Twilight spent the whole afternoon with her favorite pastimes: reading and researching. The latest topic: Nightmare Moon, her resident goddess, conundrum and never-ceasing headache all wrapped into one inconvenient package. Twilight had so many questions and so little information, and that, above all, truly vexed her. Combined with the fact that all the books, more like tomes, she had read that afternoon had yet to yield an iota of remotely useful information irritated her even more. One would think that a goddess such as Nightmare Moon would, at least, be documented in legends or myths, but the purple unicorn had come up with absolutely zilch in reference to a dream deity that fit Nightmare.

Despite the fact that she had almost literally torn through the entire lore section of the library, Twilight couldn't find a single inkling reference, save for Luna's recent return, that she could reliably be pointed out as Nightmare without a doubt. There were just too many discrepancies, too many irregularities, and combined with the fact that Nightmare's image wasn't even a true construct of herself, it made the hunt for the truth behind the alicorn's origins all that more difficult. It was almost like trying to hunt for the evidence of the first ponies ever. Though, she didn't put too much stock behind the fantastical idea that Luna and Celestia had created the first ponies via...

“It's not even biologically possible!....Well...Unless alicorn's have unusual reproductive behavior? Argh! Getting off track here Sparkle. Focus,” Twilight berated herself mentally, flushing as an unbidden image of Celestia and Luna doing....things entered her head. Immediately, she quashed that stray thought, not wanting to be anymore distracted than she already was, and returned to the search for her illusive goddess among the sea of letters and dots. Though in her mind, the crusade was looking to be a long-winded treasure hunt mixed with a wild goose chase.

The lavender mare sighed, thinking about just asking Nightmare outright, but something held her back. Perhaps, it was that look in the disguised alicorn's eyes when Twilight had gone to see her earlier, or possibly, it was just because she could tell Nightmare had suffered a lot. Those eyes belonged to a soul that had seen pain and loss, a soul filled with regrets. Her very demeanor, past the whole perverted mask, told her this, and dredging up those memories wouldn't make for pleasant dinnertime conversation.

Shaking her head, she closed the latest, dust-infested tome and levitated it back onto the shelves, having found nothing that could possibly help her decipher the mystery that was Nightmare Moon. She vowed to make a trip to Canterlot to check up on the royal archives for more obscure references, but even then, she was skeptical at best. Twilight just had a feeling that she was looking in all the wrong places; where the right place was, she had no idea.

However, as tonight would unearth no promising results, she begrudgingly gave up on her vigil, heading into the kitchen to eat dinner and bringing meals to Luna and Nightmare. Maybe tomorrow she would find something to work with.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Twilight groaned unhappily as she rolled onto her side, clamping her pillow over her face and ears as she muttered darkly into the cloth sheets, promising to smite the next pony who dared to disturb her sacred sleep; unfortunately, by the sounds of giggling filling the background, whoever had bothered to rouse her obviously didn't care about an apocalyptic Twilight with less-than-adequate amounts of sleep.

“And this was when she first tried to cast a levitation charm,” a familiar boyish voice said with a snicker, his declaration followed by two other distinct giggles, “Dad almost had a heart attack when the mashed potatoes suddenly exploded in his face as he sat down.” Spike's exclamation was followed by another round of tinkling laughter.

“Oh yeah! And this was when she figured out how to change the color of things. I remember she messed it up the first time and ended up coloring her own coat a shade of bright, emerald green. Mom had a fit when Twi walked in like that. Looked like someone had inverted the colors of a pony that was supposed to look like me or something like that.”

“Oh, and this is one of my favorites! Basically, it was supposed to be show-and-tell day at her magical kindergarten school. They were supposed to dress up as their favorite pony outside of the family. Predictably, Twilight went as Celestia, white coat and everything. It was a really good costume actually. She even animated the cardboard wings to flap every now and then, and enchanted a wig for Celestia's old, pink, flowing mane. But the funny part happened when Celestia herself actually walked into the class,” he continued, holding back his laughter, “You can kind of see where this is going. Basically, the animation spell went haywire and sent Twilight flying around the room, and when Celestia finally managed to cancel the spell, it sent Twi barreling right into Celestia's face, knocking her down. Then her wig started freaking out too and basically tied her onto Celestia's horn for about an hour and a half. Poor Twilight didn't come out of the closest for nearly two days.”

Twilight shrieked as she finally gained the mental lucidity to realize they were talking about her dark and frankly embarrassing foalhood. Some of those memories she had sworn to the grave! She jumped out of bed with a jolt and made a mad dive for the photo album in the traitorous dragon's claws, only to miss spectacularly as Spike deftly swung it out of the way and plow straight into Luna.

“Well good morning to you too Miss Sparkle. I know your fondness for royalty, but a re-enactment of your precious younger years was much more than I expected,” Luna teased with a giant grin as a brilliant blush spread across Twilight's face. Doing a quick 180 turn, the purple unicorn promptly dashed back onto the bed with a horrified squeak, tossing the covers over herself.

“You know, the blankets of your bed make for a poor imitation closet Twilight,” Nightmare drawled, chuckling as she smoothly pulled the sheets off her mistress, “I really need to thank Spike. When I asked about your adventures, I didn't quite expect him to start from the very beginning. Who knew you were such an adorable, little filly? I could just eat you up.”

“I hate you...” Twilight muttered darkly into her pillow, trying to fuse her face with the bed ornament. She was rewarded with another round of laughter courtesy of the two goddesses and one kid dragon sitting in her room. Moaning in exasperation, she swung herself out of bed and shot her assistant a dirty look that promised pain and humiliation. The offending dragon whistled innocently, immediately hightailing it out of the room with the incriminating album, making sure to place it where Twilight would never find it so she could incinerate it.

“Oh, it's not that bad Twilight,” Luna soothed, though her mile-wide grin told everything, “Though, I'm going to ask Tia about that particular episode once I get back.”

Instead of gracing the lunar goddess with a reply, Twilight suddenly tackled her onto the floor and proceeded to tickle the living stuffing out of her friend. Luna's squeals rose into the air as she failed to fend off Twilight's ambush, her hooves flailing around wildly. The purple unicorn laughed happily, keeping up the pressure until she was nearly out of breath.

“I yield! I yield! Mercy! Mercy!” Luna rasped, her lungs depleted after laughing so hard.

“Hmm..I'm a merciful pony. I'll let you off this time,” the lavender mare mused happily, looking down and just now noticing her position and the distance or lack-there-of between her face and Luna's, her breath mixing in with the pinned alicorn's underneath her. Twilight was sure her face was as red as a tomato, but from the evidence prominently showing on Luna's face, her prisoner was too. Unconsciously, she gravitated closer and closer, her breathing becoming more and more shallow with each passing second while her heart beat in her ears.

Suddenly, a crash tore her out of her trance.

“Ponyfeathers...” Nightmare cursed, her face planted into the floor, having slipped on the blankets in her attempt to exit the room discreetly.

Without another moment's notice, Twilight pried herself off of Luna, murmuring her apologies and mechanically rising to get ready for the day, not sparing either alicorn another glance. Silently, Luna pulled herself up, robotically pretended as if nothing had happened, though she couldn't meet Diana's eyes and quickly excused herself to join Spike downstairs.

Nightmare sighed, sitting up and making Twilight's bed, now alone in the room. She reviewed what had just happened. They had been so close there....

“Curse my clumsiness....” the disguised alicorn groaned, face-hoofing, feeling guilty for ruining such a good mood, but a small part of her felt....a bit happy? She shook her head fiercely. “Next time, it will all work out,” she chanted to herself, but couldn't help feel the hollowness and uncertainty of those words. She didn't dwell on it; she had a silly mistress to sort out.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Twilight moaned unhappily, pacing back and forth in her bathroom, muttering various scenarios to herself.

“Okay Sparkle, so you basically jumped Luna in the middle of your bedroom floor and decided it was a good idea to tickle the feathers out of her in front of Nightmare. Not only that, but you almost end up kissing her,” the lavender mare rambled on, “So your choices are to either just go with it and pretend nothing weird happened or stay in this bathroom forever for the rest of your life....might not be too bad. A few enlarging charms here and a some maintenance spells there....Put in a nice desk for myself. Self-sustaining candles and mail-order meals...”

“You're not seriously contemplating on moving into your bathroom are you?” Nightmare suddenly cut in, her voice amused, quirking her eyebrow, a small smile tugging on the edges of her mouth.

“No,” Twilight denied reflexively. “Until I figure out how to transfigure this bathtub into a workable desk, it just wont do.” Nightmare gave her a look that was caught between amused and concerned. “Now, before that can happen, I need to figure out a way to bypass the 'conservation of mass' problem.”

“I don't see why that even matters. Everyone knows that magic and science barely even touch fields. Any crossing is met with rather explosive results.”

“Details details. Now help me.”

Nightmare watched on dubiously for another five minutes while shaking her head. She popped herself into the tub, lounging on the back end while watching her mistress work.

“Self-cleaning charms, air-refresher spells, cushioning enchantments, flame retardants....” Twilight listed off before turning to Nightmare, “Are you going to help me or are you just going to sit there in that tub?”

“I'm quite comfortable here, thanks. But I think you're seriously overacting. It's not that bad,” Diana commented, imagining how a nice soak would feel right now.

“That's besides the point. Anyways, move out of the tub would you? I need to attempt a cross-material transmutation without distractions.”

Nightmare sighed and lit up her horn, grabbing Twilight in her telekinetic grasp and levitating her over the tub.

“Hey! What are you doing? Nightmare! Let me down!”

“Rub a dub dub, I got room for two in this tub,” Diana answered smartly, plopping her unwitting mistress into her lap. Before Twilight could escape, Nightmare snaked her hooves around her waist and held tightly, “You need to calm down. Take a deep breath. A little embarrassment won't kill you, you know.” The captured unicorn squirmed for a moment, but just as she couldn't escape Nightmare's sleep-induced grab, she couldn't escape this one. She resigned to her fate, choosing to make herself comfortable, and as much as she was loathe to admit it, Nightmare's warm body was rather cuddle-worthy.

“I'm a mess...I can't even talk to her properly or do anything even remotely intimate without feathering everything...I just make myself look like an idiot,” Twilight groaned, burying her face into Nightmare's shoulder.

“Hey, it's fine. Everypony acts a bit irrational around the ponies they tend to like,” the dream goddess answered wisely, “Love makes everypony act weird. I think what matters is how you deal with that 'weird' and use it to your advantage. Think of it as a formula for success.”

“Formula. I can do that.”

“Well maybe more like guidelines.”

“Right.”

“So what are you going to go do now?” Nightmare asked smugly, feeling rather pleased with herself.

“Stay in this bathroom?” Twilight joked, earning a swat from the goddess, “Fine fine. I guess I'll go and have breakfast.”

“Huh, well if that doesn't work, I always suggest one of my methods,” Diana said with a giggle, earning an eye-roll from Twilight, “Think like me! I'm sure that will always get you out of a bind.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Sure,” the lavender mare snorted, hopping out of the tub, “If I ever want to go cosplay as a perverted goddess that likes to prey on a poor unicorn's love life, I'll refer to your expertise.”

“Always eager to please. Anyways, I'll get out of here. You wash up. You look like you were planning to exile yourself into your bathroom for life,” Nightmare quipped with a wicked grin, ducking as a magical bolt whizzed past her head. Laughing, she ran out of the room before it could turn into a magical fire show. Life was rather fun with Twilight around, Nightmare decided.

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Downstairs in the kitchen, Luna was having her own crisis, her brows furrowed in thought and worry.

“Ugh. Great. Bloody fantastic Luna. Way to run out when the going gets tough,” she reprimanded herself. She wasn't very good at this. One side of her was blatantly bold; the lunar goddess cringed as the memories of her salacious bravado while under the influence returned to her. And the other side was sleep-under-a-rock shy where she could squeak and freeze up more than Fluttershy facing a hoard of dragons.

“Hello! Equestria to Princess Luna! Come in Princess Luna,” a knowing voice suddenly teased, piercing Luna's thoughts abruptly. Diana smoothly slid into the seat next to the princess, her face concerned but her eyes shining with a hint of deviousness. “Our esteemed guest wouldn't happen to be thinking about a certain purple unicorn in the bath would we?”

“No!” Luna blurted out, the blood rushing to her face, “I mean...um....er....”

Nightmare giggled, putting together a plate of breakfast for herself and Twilight who she knew would be down after a long soak to calm her mind.

“Touch touchy,” the disguised alicorn cantered in a sing-song voice while she smiled wickedly, “Do I sense a hint of denial in our fair princess' voice? Surely not!” Luna blushed again, mumbling incoherently into her juice in an attempt to distract herself from Diana's jokes. Undeterred, Nightmare pressed on.

“So....I've been meaning to ask. How did a premier princess such as yourself become friends with my dear cousin? Must be quite the story,” she asked, demurely sipping her coffee. Luna perked up, sincerely smiling now.

“Ahh...well our first meeting was...rather explosive I guess,” she answered abashedly, “Most ponies don't end up making friends with an evil sorceress pony trying to plunge the world into eternal darkness you know.”

“Right,” Nightmare answered, remembering that day fondly. It had been rather fun to mess around with Twilight and her friends while pretending to be the big and bad villain. Her favorite part of that night was pretending a giant rainbow destroyed her; she was rather proud of her theatrical defeat. “Being possessed by an evil alicorn goddess must be quite the experience.”

Luna looked at her strangely, but nodded. She shrugged noncommittally, but internally she was curious. Everypony thought it was an alternate ego of herself created from a cloak of hatred and bitterness. Why did Diana think otherwise?

“I guess. Anyway,” the lunar goddess continued briskly, deciding to file away that little tidbit for later, “That was the first time I met Twilight I guess. We didn't really talk too much at the time, and I took a year or so to acclimate myself to modern society. I had a lot of trouble with modern appliances and even more trouble with the new modern dialect. Sometimes, I still slip into the old Equestrian, usually when I'm really stressed.” Nightmare Moon nodded, having remembered studying the new dialect as well in her wispy ethereal form. “Celly was really happy I was back and started up the entire Lunar side of the government a month after I was cleansed. Reinstating the night guard, announcing lunar celebrations, re-educating ponies about the old traditions. Stuff like that.”

“Sounds like a lot of work, meeting with stuffy aristocrats and attending useless parties where the only fun you get to have is putting on the dress and looking pretty,” Diana drawled, recalling some particularly boring gatherings she had attended in her past life. She vaguely remembered being so bored at this one “party” that she had levitated the entire room, tables, chairs and ponies, into the air. That was fun, dining in the air. Some of the crotchety old geezers had made a huge fuss about it, citing how it wasn't “proper” and all that jazz, but Nightmare didn't really give a flying feather.

“Yeah...not a lot of time for making friends really. In fact, I didn't make friends, not until my first Nightmare Night back,” Luna continued fondly, giggling to herself as she remembered her less-than-subtle entry into Ponyville.

“What?”

“Oh nothing, just remembering how I pretty much drove out of the clouds on a midnight black carriage with an entourage of Night Guards while lightning clashed in the background on that night. Probably wasn't the smartest idea, given that it was my first public appearance in a year."

The dream goddess chuckled, “Yes, I can see how ponies would be a bit surprised. Not exactly the Queen of Subtly are you?”

“In my defense, I was still out of touch at the time. In fact, I was still slipping into my old Equestrian and using the Canterlot voice. But that's beside the point. Everypony in Ponyville was pretty freaked out, mainly because they didn't really expect me to show up to their small town party. Plus, I didn't exactly warn them beforehoof,” Luna responded with a dry chuckle.

“Well, an unannounced visit by royalty would rattle almost any pony,” Nightmare added wisely, imagining how much of a fuss Twilight would raise if Celestia just randomly popped in without telling the schedule-obsessed unicorn ahead of time.

“Yeah. I probably should have checked in beforehoof. Didn't really cross my mind at the time. I was just thinking that it would be a good time to re-assert myself into society outside of Canterlot after a year of putting up with stuffy nobles and bureaucrats. I figured that since Ponyville had been so receptive of me after Nightmare was vanquished, they wouldn't mind me showing up so abruptly,” she said, chuckling a bit at her naivete, “That didn't really go according to plan, I admit that. I forgot how easy it was for ponies to conveniently forget who I was and default to centuries of tradition and storytelling where most of those stories had me as a terrible dream eater and nightmare. Though....using the Canterlot Voice and my lightning theatrics probably only made the whole situation worse.”

Nightmare agreed, snickering a bit at the mental images. Trust Luna to do something so silly. “Well, naturally, that didn't go too well with the local ponies, and they were all down on their knees, quaking in fear, before you could say 'Boo'. I thought they were being respectful at first, but I found out pretty quickly that being equated to a 'Backside Gobbler' was anything but flattering.” Diana gave her a shrewd look, wondering where that title came from.

“Anyways. I was pretty upset, so I ran off towards towards the Everfree Forest and plopped myself down in front of the old Nightmare Moon statue there. I wallowed in my own pity for a few minutes, but then I heard somepony approaching me...”

“Twilight,” Nightmare summarized, grinning.

“Yup. The rest of the night is pretty much history. She went around trying to teach me the finer points of getting along with ponies and having a little fun. Everypony else eventually figured out that I wasn't a mad goddess bent on exacting revenge and was just a normal mare, well...normal enough I suppose,” Luna laughed, finishing up her breakfast, “And that's how she became my first friend since coming back from the moon. I've relied on her since. She always visits me when she comes to Canterlot. Buys me presents for Hearth's Warming....little things like that.”

“And they must mean the world to you,” Nightmare stated quietly, her eyes holding a far-away look, “A pony that pretty much saved you and showed you the meaning of friendship....the first pony that looked at you just as yourself and not under a defined title....”

Luna blinked, opening and closing her mouth slowly, unsure how to respond and confused as to where Diana's heavy emotion was coming from. It was almost as if.....

“Well...enough of the past! Thanks for telling me Princess. I'm going to go out for a little walk...stretch my legs a bit,” she declared, her voice suddenly chipper again, “If Twilight asks, I'm out on a short morning stroll.” Luna nodded as Diana deposited her plate into the sink and walked to the door frame between the kitchen and the main room. “And Luna,” she called suddenly, drawing the lunar goddess' attention again, “Take care of her okay?”

Blinking in confusion, Luna just nodded dumbly, staring at the wrapped plate of food sitting before her. The Second Princess of Equestria was confused; there was just something off about Twilight's cousin...not in a bad way, but not quite normal either....

However, her pondering was cut short as Twilight, cleaned and prepped, bounced down the stairs, taking her place across the table.

“Oh! Thanks for saving me some breakfast Luna!” Twilight cheered happily, casting a quick warming spell. Luna blinked, opening her mouth to contradict that statement only for it to shrivel up and die in her throat at the happy expression on her friend's face.

She nodded mechanically, casting her mind back to the conversation she'd had with Diana. The mare was....well she was an enigma. She had this air about her that just screamed unusual but also refined, as if the mare, Diana, was much more than she seemed. Combined with the fact that her senses always returned to full alert with her near which marked her as an equal, Luna was left with more questions and very little answers.

Plus, there those moments in their conversation where she had seen and heard something slip. Every single pony always suggested that the entity known as the Mare in the Moon had been a construct of her own hatred and pity. But, Diana had said “possession”, as if she knew Nightmare was a different pony completely; the only other pony that knew that was Twilight, and Luna doubted the purple unicorn would go around blabbing that fact to others, even family members.

So how did Diana know?

Also, there was that moment, a moment where she had seen something in those glassy orbs that twinkled with weariness. The raw emotion in her voice and her eyes did not belong to a normal everyday Equestrian.

Just who was Diana Dreamscape?

Author's Note

I return! Finally settled into College. Yada Yada Yada. Busy Busy Busy. I think I finally figured out an appropriate time schedule for me to start my writing back up. Hopefully I'll be able to start up the whole weekly thing again. It might have to be bi-weekly though. We'll see.

Until next time!

Happiness

Twilight awoke with a pain-filled groan, groggily shaking her head to clear away the pulsating spots in her vision; those small, black blobs were quickly becoming rather annoying, and her head hurt enough without the mental light show hammering away at her. Struggling to her hooves, the dizziness hampering her ability to correctly command her numb limbs, Twilight weakly called out for Nightmare through the fire, smoke and dust that surrounded them, remnants of the decimated battlefield. However, she stopped dead in her tracks, noticing, to her mounting horror, that her voice sounded...off...

Looking down at her hooves, she froze, feeling the whites of...not quite her own eyes...bulge out of their sockets as they took in the color of her appendages. Black...Not lavender...Black..

Stiffly, Twilight looked herself over, discovering 'her' coat to be the of the same, pure absence of color. Black. Nightmare Moon Black.....

Only now did she notice that she was a few inches taller than what she should be, and that her cutie mark was most definitely not her cutie mark.

A moment of stunned silence suffocated her as she attempted to make sense of it all, but the fact that trying to reason it out with her own voice would make it all worse stopped her completely. She felt her world spin as her mind began to comprehend what had just happened, hoping it was all a terrible, absolutely terrible, nightmare.....

Somehow....She was now stuck in Nightmare Moon's corporeal body! She pinched herself for about a minute straight before she finally accepted that everything she was experiencing was real.

Ultimately, once that fact was made clear, she did the only think that her completely frazzled mind could come up with: scream her bucking lungs out and panic like it was the end of the world.

Twilight would have continued running around in a circle for a couple more minutes if a violent, violet field of magic didn't wash over her, magically sealing her mouth shut and freezing her in place. She recognized this magic's color....

“Would you stop that already?! You're giving me an even bigger headache! Urk....I drive off a mad chimera using magics that haven't been seen for centuries....and this is what I get for it....Bleh...” a voice moaned through the smoke. Twilight gulped as she identified the voice, praying that she was wrong.

“Please....please no. Don't tell me that...” she begged mentally as a smaller figure bumbled through the wall of rising smoke, already confirming her fears. The moment her original body stepped through the wispy gray clouds, Twilight couldn't do anything but stare and try her hardest to not faint.

As soon as Nightmare came into the clearing, she stopped, staring blankly at what appeared to be herself looking back at her, wondering why in the world her body was over there. Slowly, she looked down at her own body, finding it smaller and definitely not her own, having not noticed the change due to her disorientation and headache.

An awkward silence descended upon the pair for a few moments, both mares trying to figure out what in the nine-hells of Tartarus had just happened to them.

“Well...Showering is going to be awkward now...Not to mention going to the bathroom....” Nightmare finally said with an small chuckle, causing Twilight to finally lose it and surrender to unconsciousness.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

It had taken a good bit of shaking to rouse Twilight from her blackout, and the originally, lavender mare began panicking again as soon as she came too. After a few minutes of simply telling Twilight to calm down and analyze the situation, Nightmare was able to soothe her, though only relatively.

“So...any ideas on how this happened?” Nightmare asked, testing out her new limbs, “I mean...I'm not really complaining too much though. Being in your body could be fun. Lots and lots of fun.” Twilight involuntarily twitched at the lecherous expression that the dream goddess was making...with her face no less! She was going to have that one expression haunt her dreams in the upcoming days, no doubt.

“I don't know! But this is bad! Really, really bad! What if this change is permanent!?” Twilight began to panic, trying to go through every possible explanation in her mind, referencing the library of memories she possessed that detailed obscure, magical accidents that resulted in the switching of bodies. However, she came up with absolutely nothing, and it was rightfully freaking her out! Her magic wasn't even her own for Celestia's sake!

“Hmm....I don't think it'll be all that bad Mistress,” Nightmare responded with a chuckle, stretching to work out some of the soreness in her lower back while smiling a mile a minute, “I mean, you do get to prance around as yours truly after all.”

“I fail to see how that's a plus,” Twilight deadpanned, while glaring at Nightmare, finding the goddess' nonchalance and jokes wholly unhelpful and irritatingly vexing. Seriously, did she even understand the significance of what just happened to them?

“You wound me Mistress! And here I thought we were starting to get somewhere too,” Nightmare replied dramatically, holding Twilight's body's hooves to her heart, pretending to faint, “You're so mean. And to think that you were being so nice to me just a moment ago too. 'I would kind of miss you...' she says while clinging to me desperately as if her...” Twilight blushed furiously as Nightmare re-enacted her outburst with her own body and face! It was twice as embarrassing to hear it being said from what appeared to be herself!

“Would you take this seriously?! This is a major, major problem! Just think about the ramifications of this. What happens if somepony talks to us about something important? You...I mean, I have important duties to take care of. I can't do them in this body!” Twilight all but yelled, the fringes of her mane starting to unravel. She was actually going to have a mental breakdown in a moment. Taking a few deep breaths, Twilight mentally did her calming exercises, a habit she had learned after losing it the last time.

Nightmare sighed, placing her new body's hoof on Twilight's shoulder, giving her an encouraging and reassuring smile.

“Don't worry too much about it Mistress. I'm pretty sure that this...condition isn't permanent. If I had to guess, this is some obscure side effect of soul magic,” the goddess replied calmly, completely capturing Twilight's attention, “Luckily, soul magic follows some pretty strict rules, and the soul isn't usually allowed to stay outside of their original houses for extended periods of time without force. Possibly there was some sort of crossover when I supplanted my power and soul into your body to access the rest of my powers....”

Twilight furrowed her brow, thinking hard about this new tidbit of information. It was concerning, especially the last part. She resolved to research more about soul magic later.

“That sounds kind of dangerous,” Twilight replied hesitantly, “Especially the last part...” For some reason, Nightmare's closing remarks sounded more significant than she let on, and the librarian knew it was going to bother her until she figured it out. However, she had never heard of soul magic before. There was definitely not a book about it in the Ponyville Library. She placed it on her mental checklist of things to go back to later.

“Not really. It's perfectly fine...” Nightmare answered, though her voice sounded a bit too cheery to Twilight's ears, but she reasoned that maybe the goddess was just trying her best to put her fears to rest, “We'll return to our original bodies eventually...though, it's really just a question as to when. Magic is tied to the soul after all, so naturally our souls will wander back to where they began.”

“If you say so....” Twilight replied uncomfortably, deciding to give Nightmare the benefit of the doubt for now, “But still! What are we going to do in the meantime?! I mean...It will look weird if ponies see me doing what is supposedly your work.”

“Easy enough. We'll just have to act like each other for a while. Shouldn't be too hard right? I mean look at me? I'm a friendly, totally hot, single librarian mare that likes to fantasize about getting into Princess Luna's Milky Way,” Nightmare said with a cocky grin, giggling at the absolutely mortified expression Twilight was making, though she shook it off quickly to trade back her own barbs.

“Har har har....” Twilight quipped sarcastically, “Yeah, and I'm a perverted, alicorn goddess who likes to mess around with said librarian's head while making none-too-subtle, sexual jokes about nearly anything and everything.” Nightmare giggled, sticking her tongue out in retaliation.

“I do aim to please.”

“Yes I know.”

They stared at each other challengingly for a moment before finally bursting into laughter, finding their banter ridiculous. Standing up together, they finally decided to find their way out of the forest and back to their waiting friends.

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After a couple dozen minutes of flopping through thick vines, splashing through muddy puddles and running from mysterious growls, the pair finally found themselves back on the main road toward Ponyville, much to their relief.

It was a bit strange to walk in another pony's body, especially because the height difference made coordination of the limbs a bit tricky. However, Twilight and Nightmare had about twenty minutes to master it if they wanted to pull off their switching act.

“Why did I think this was ever going to work again?” Twilight moaned unhappily as she stumbled over her newly acquired hooves, nearly face-planting into a patch of poison-joke. She had luckily been saved by a timely levitation spell from Nightmare, however, it still didn't distract Twilight from thinking about the many problems that this condition would bring on. First off, she would be immediately assaulted by her friends who were all out searching for Nightmare a.k.a herself. She would have to explain what she had been doing, and that in itself was going to be a terrible experience; she couldn't lie to save her life.

Then actually acting like Diana was going to be another whole problem in itself...She actually didn't have a clue as to how Nightmare acted around her friends when she wasn't around. Most of the time, Twilight had been near or within earshot of the goddess.

Additionally, there were the hygiene problems that Nightmare had just mentioned....Simply thinking about showering with Nightmare's body sent a hot blush to her cheeks and uncomfortable tingle down her spine. She cursed the fact that there was a mirror installed in her bathroom. The bloody thing had been the cause of all her problems! Celestia, just stepping out of the shower would give her a heart attack! Plus, there were all of the other essentials, and just knowing Nightmare was doing the same things with her own body sent another wave of crimson to her face.

“If you think about it too hard, your brain is going to fry Mistress,” Nightmare said with a teasing grin, “Though, I can understand that looking at my body after showering is a rather stimulating sight.” Twilight twitched, face-hoofed and cursed every known celestial being for the existence of mind links.

“Ugh...”she groaned, deciding to just not think about it, mainly because it wouldn't be worth the trouble. They walked on silently down the path, letting the unnatural sounds of the Everfree Forest envelop them. Normally, Twilight would be rather wary of walking around in here, but since Nightmare was close, she reasoned they would be fine....Though, thinking of where they were raised another question in her mind...

“Nightmare?” Twilight asked suddenly, causing the other mare to hum in response, prompting her to continue, “Why did you walk off in the first place? Was something bothering you? You kept talking about how you're not real...and stuff like that...What was that all about?”

The dream goddess didn't answer and simply slowed down, trying to decide what she wanted to say. She didn't want to burden Twilight with her worries, but she also wanted to talk to someone about it too.

“Celestia always told me to talk about our problems or else they fester and become an even bigger problem later,” Twilight encouraged, knowing that something had seriously been troubling Nightmare. Still, the goddess was worried. She didn't want Twilight to know about her depressing thoughts and worries. She was afraid that her first friend in eons would think badly of her if she told. “Don't you trust me Nightmare?” Twilight asked softly, a bit of hurt in her voice that made the Nightmare wince guiltily.

“Of course I do....” she answered truthfully, her voice soft and meek, “It's just...I feel like I'm being selfish by telling you my problems....I'm supposed to be helping you with your problems, not the other way around.”

Twilight chuckled kindly, “Friendship is a two-way street Nightmare. One of the first things I ever learned from friendship really.” The dream goddess laughed softly, finding it ironic that she was the one being lectured to now.

“You're right....” Nightmare answered with a sigh, though she was still hesitant.

“So? Are you going to tell me or not?” the librarian asked, pretending to pout in impatience. After a moment, Nightmare nodded and sat down on a nearby, tree trunk, looking up to the sky to brace herself. Likewise, her younger companion sat down next to her, staring up at the darkening sky, able to make out the faintest stars in the sky.

“I was scared....” Nightmare whispered, looking down at her own hooves to distract herself from looking directly at Twilight, “Luna told me how she met you, and it reminded me a lot of myself and how I was for a really long time...I still remember the loneliness and darkness...How I had no real friends until I met you really...”

“Weren't you Luna's friend though? I mean you acted as an evil super-villain for her and all that,” Twilight asked curiously, earning a soft chuckle from Nightmare.

“Yes...and no...” the dream goddess answered, closing her eyes as if to remember those times, “I was her friend yes...but I was also her business partner, her cohort in crime and her comrade in rebellion. Do you think we had heart to heart talks? Tea time? Nice long walks along the beach?”

Twilight snorted at that last bit, but remained thoughtful. “I never quite thought of it that way....and I highly doubt the last one.”

“That's just how it was. She needed me to be something for her, and I did it because she asked. Just like I did for all of the past ponies I've tried to help. They wanted something from me to achieve something, and I did everything in my power to help them. I've 'lived' for so long as a tool that I forgot how it was to actually be my own pony....how it was to actually have friends....how it was to just live and be....happy. You're the first pony in the thousands of years of my curse that didn't require me to be anything or really do anything or want something from me...”

“I don't quite follow...” Twilight said, confused, looking at her friend who seemed to be lost in her own world, “I asked for you help so that I could....well you know...”

“And that's all you wanted...my help. You didn't want me to become your personal power battery or grant you a wish. You didn't want me for any of my divine power. All you wanted was my advice...like I was already your.....” Nightmare muttered softly, stopping just at the end.

“Friend....” Twilight finished for her, her eyes slightly widening.

“Even though we started out a bit rough....It made me happy....to think you just saw me as another pony....”

“You make it seem like it's a crime for you to be happy Nightmare....”

“It's selfish of me...I'm supposed to be thinking of your happiness not my own...” Nightmare replied softly, her voice quivering a bit, “When Luna told me her story....I remembered what it felt like to be alone...and I began to wonder...What was going to happen when I finished helping you? A part of me wants to selfishly prolong this for as long as possible so that I can stay around and experience a bit more happiness...but it would also make me unhappy, because it would be taking your happiness...”

Twilight didn't know what to say, and attempted to reply, only to be cut off by her own struggling voice. How long had Nightmare been thinking about this?

“Even now...I'm confused and scared.... What am I supposed to do? I want to help you. I want to help make Luna fall in love with you. I want to see you two happily together...but then what happens to me? Do I fade away again until my curse simply summons me to another wayward soul? Would you forget about me and would all the friends I've made forget about me too? Would you hate me if I tried to prolong this? Is it selfish of me? To want to experience being happy some more....even though I don't deserve it?”

Nightmare screwed her eyes shut, trying her hardest to stem back the flow of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her, but she still couldn't stop the flow of tears that escaped her eyes. Twilight wrapped her friend up in a tight hug, wanting her to know she wasn't alone.

“I don't think it's selfish at all...And I think you're one of the most selfless ponies I know...” Twilight murmured, rubbing Nightmare's back soothingly, feeling a bit strange to be rubbing her own back, but it was the thought that counted, “Every good pony deserves some happiness....No matter what you've done in the past. You've been punished for hundreds of years....You deserve to be happy.”

“But...If I stay happy...I can't make you happy. It'll be my happiness at the cost of yours....I don't want to do that to you...”

“And it's the same for me,” Twilight replied simply and firmly, “Besides....If I lose one of my friends, I'll be unhappy. So I swear, I'm going to find a way to end your curse so you won't have to go away ever again. I'll make it so that we can all stay together. I won't just let you disappear from our lives. You're my friend. You're working hard for my happiness, so I'm going to work hard for yours.”

Nightmare couldn't reply and simply hugged her Mistress tighter, having not heard such caring words for several centuries. It made her cry and sob and shake....but most of all...it made her absolutely, inexplicably happy.

Author's Note

Yup I've been gone for Celestia knows how long. College life is pretty tough. Not gonna lie there.

Anyways hopefully you guys enjoy! Hopefully I won't disappear for another half of a year or so eh?
-Mekon

Kiss

“I simply cannot believe that Twilight failed to inform me, of all ponies, that she had such a beautiful cousin!” Rarity exclaimed for the twentieth or so time that day, dashing around her boutique in a creative frenzy while she held Nightmare captive on her model stand, “Imagine it! Twilight had access to a royal-like physique all this time, and she wouldn't share! Don't you find that unreasonable Diana?”

The captive goddess sighed but forced a smile. She had been standing there for hours, trying on dress after dress after accessory after accessory. Sure she definitely found Rarity fun in her own way and appreciated her enthusiasm, but this was just going a bit overboard. “Miss Rarity, as much as I do appreciate all of your hard work and the compliments, I can't feel my hooves.”

“Oh my goodness!” the white unicorn exclaimed as she instantly slipped her prisoner out of her bonds, “I apologize sincerely Diana! I just lost my head when I saw how gorgeous you were. I simply was compelled to dress you up.”

Nightmare laughed while stretching her cramped legs, finally freed from the constricting corsets and ensnaring ensembles. “Don't worry about it. It was still rather fun. It's nice to have somepony appreciate your looks every now and then after all.”

“Finally! Somepony who understands my sentiments!” Rarity declared, hugging her newest friend and potential store model closely, “We simply must get together again sometime darling.”

“Of course. Any friend of Twilight's is a friend of mine,” the disguised unicorn said kindly, genuinely smiling at the smaller unicorn. Absentmindedly, Nightmare suddenly wondered how her mistress was holding up. No doubt she was panicking, and the dream goddess giggled at the thought of Twilight running around the town trying to find her. She had surely been reminded of Luna's arrival by now, and the goddess knew that that, combined with her recent corporealization, would drive her poor mistress nuts. “Well I have to go now Miss Rarity. Twilight wouldn't want me to wander too much. I can expect you to be at the party this afternoon right?”

“Of course dear!” Rarity exclaimed as she accompanied her guest to the exit, “Do give my best regards to our dearest Twilight and make sure she takes care of herself. I'll make sure to attend this evening's party, seeing as it is in your honor and the princess'.”

The dream goddess nodded gratefully, stepping out into the Ponyville streets again, exhausted.

“Shesh...Twilight sure has some strange friends,” Nightmare muttered when she was a reasonable distance away from Rarity's shop. She didn't mean it in any way that was offensive of course; they were just different. “I guess that's what makes them fun huh?”

Overall, it had been a good day. Each of her mistress' friends had greeted her kindly in their own eccentric ways which did bring a smile to Nightmare's face.

Applejack had simply greeted her like she had known her for her entire life, introducing her to the rest of the Apple family and treating her to lunch, commenting on how “fancy” she looked in relation to Twilight. The dream goddess had enjoyed it immensely, and still, she wondered how apples could be used in so many ways.

Rainbow Dash had introduced herself, rather suddenly at that, while Nightmare had been idly trotting around the outskirts of Ponyville, and the meeting was more like a flying accident than a tradition greeting. Still, it had been amusing to watch the pegasus boast a little bit and back it up successfully.

Fluttershy, the ever shy mare, had hidden away in her house for some time until the disguised alicorn announced her relation to Twilight, and at that point, the timid pegasus had welcomed her in immediately, introducing Nightmare to all of the various creatures and critters she cared for on a daily basis.

The local fashionista, the one she had just escaped, had declared upon her arrival, rather emphatically, that the dream goddess was a gift granted to her from Celestia and Luna herself and insisted on making her a variety of dresses just because, and while it was tiring, Diana appreciated the sentiment.

Pinkie's, of course, had been that full-on party tackle she had received the moment she left the library. Even now, Nightmare laughed at that strange encounter, wondering what the brilliantly insane pink, earth pony was doing.

Altogether, they had been as she expected: kind, warm, interesting, friendly and fun. Ideal friends.

“Hmm...but they still pale in comparison to the mistress of course,” Nightmare said aloud with a sneaky, yet tired, grin as she headed home, “I hope she's doing alright. I suspect Spike's keeping it together.”

It was still a bit of a shock for the only recently freed goddess to actually be out walking with her own hooves of her own volition. She had nearly forgotten the crisp smell of the afternoon air and the feeling of cool dirt beneath her hooves.

Similarly, it amazed her just how delicious a simple apple could be, and the ordinary pleasure of being acknowledged as existing was something that only she could possibly understand fully. Of course, this was all thanks to Twilight, her darling mistress.

Nightmare knew she owed the purple unicorn a lot, and she resolved to do everything in her power to make her dream a reality, though that wouldn't get in the way of playing a bit with her. Still, Twilight came first.

Looking up to the afternoon sky, Nightmare grinned as she saw the tell-tale signs of a silver and blue chariot soaring across the sky.

“Party time.”

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Princess Luna was a regal, two-thousand year old alicorn. Her magic and power, ancient and unique, moved the very heavens themselves. Every star in the sky was her servant and follower, and every growing galaxy and rebellious black hole was her child. She had survived wars, lead some others, and was co-ruler to the throne of Equestria, a magnificent kingdom that ruled nearly all of the planet. To say she was a true goddess that had descended from the celestial realms above would have been about appropriate. Even the goddess herself could not fully comprehend the scope and influence of her power.

Yes. She was an all-powerful, pony goddess, and here she was, pacing back and forth in front of a country library, hesitating to knock upon the red wooden doors that marked the entrance to her friend's home.

“Oh! I am so very late! What if Twilight forgot I was staying over?” she asked to nopony in particular, “She's very busy too, and I wouldn't blame her if she completely forgot about our arrangement.”

She didn't know why she felt so flustered. Twilight was her friend, her best and first friend.

“Maybe I should just wait until tomorrow morning. It wouldn't be proper for me to disturb them in the evening like this,” Luna said to herself, turning slowly away from the door while also glancing back in indecisiveness, “Surely they wouldn't mind me though? She did say I was welcome any time....But I don't want to look like I'm abusing that.”

She continued this for a few more minutes, her night guards looking on, silently amused and finding the situation a bit comical. Princess Luna, of all ponies, was worrying over a mare.

However, they knew this mare wasn't any normal common mare, and in fact, to label her as “common” would have been an insult if anything. Twilight Sparkle was a distinguished and powerful unicorn mare that was under the private, prestigious tutelage of Princess Celestia herself.

Hailed as a hero and savior of the empire, she was a model of upstanding citizenship for all to look upon, and the very name “Twilight Sparkle” itself was synonymous with magic and strength. Her achievements went on without end from the revitalization of the study of magic through social interactions to defeating ancient foes whose names alone had inspired widespread fear and terror in the hearts of nearly everypony in the past.

They supposed Princess Luna did have her reasons for hesitating, but they had faith in their princess.

“Yes. Maybe I should just wait until tomorrow. It's a bit too late for...” Luna began again until she was suddenly interrupted by a new voice.

“My my. I did not expect one of the princesses to grace Twilight's home this afternoon. I guess she wasn't lying after all,” a silky voice said, and the guards immediately shifted their attention to the intruder, their bodies poised to strike, alert and wary. They stopped dead in their tracks as their eyes met the owner of the voice, however.

She was a stunningly beautiful unicorn whose stature almost made her look like a grounded goddess, and if the guards hadn't been vigorously trained to look solemn and controlled, they were pretty sure their mouths would have hung useless on the floor. They were stallions after all. They would never admit it out loud, but the mystery mare's beauty definitely rivaled their mistress'.

“Excuse me,” Princess Luna said curiously, her voice returning to its confident and regal tone, “Have we met before?” The lunar princess didn't know why, but there was something oddly familiar about this mare.

“Not at all your highness,” the mare responded flawlessly, bowing low, “This common mare has never laid her eyes on you before.”

“Please. There is no need to belittle yourself in front of me,” Luna responded with a small blush, waving the indirect compliment and her suspicions aside, “Did you mention something about Twilight?”

“Oh. Are you here to visit my dear cousin? I did hear her mention it the other day when I arrived, but I didn't really believe her,” Nightmare continued, a hidden smile on her face, “She was really excited and worried about it all day yesterday actually. She even neglected to properly treat me out.”

Luna hid it well, but the blue alicorn could hide nothing from Nightmare's eyes and ears. She had spent a thousand years or so with said pony after all and saw how Luna's form relaxed slightly. Her voice was also happier and lighter, and the dream goddess grinned internally for her first minor victory.

“Well, I'll make sure she makes it up to you then, but we best not keep her waiting Miss....?” the blue alicorn said, looking to Nightmare for her name.

“Diana Dreamscape your highness,” the disguised, dream goddess said pleasantly with a real smile; everything was going according to plan, and it was good to see Luna again, even if only one of them recognized the other. Fluidly, Nightmare moved to the door and placed her hooves on the knob. “Allow me.”

With one swift pull, the door swung upon, and they were met with a thunderous wave of cheers.

“SURPRISE!” a couple dozen ponies jammed into the library yelled at the same time, “WELCOME TO PONYVILLE PRINCESS LUNA AND DIANA!” An explosion of ponies suddenly emerged from the shadows, all cheering the arrival of a new pony and the princess. It seemed like everyone in Ponyville was there.

“Wha...what is this?” Luna asked breathlessly, a bit overwhelmed by the giant gesture.

“Well, it's your 'Welcome to your vacation' party silly! Mixed with Diana's 'Welcome to Ponyville' party of course!” Pinkie declared suddenly, popping out of the ginormous crowd, smiling a mile a minute as she greeted the princess and Diana. She was accompanied by the other elements and Spike, all of which happily welcomed them as well.

“Yeah...Last time you were here, we didn't exactly treat you right,” Rainbow conceded, rubbing her head nervously, “So we decided to greet you properly this time.” Rarity nodded, remembering that she hadn't even been informed of the princess' arrival last time and had stayed inside the entire night working on last minute Nightmare Night costumes for the local fillies and colts.

“And since Pinkie always throws a big party for new ponies, she just decided to put 'em together,” Applejack explained, “Diana here is going to stay a while with Twi, so it should be some mighty fun times.”

“Haha,” Twilight laughed, her face looking a little....strained? “Lots and lots of fun.”

“Oh, don't be such a sourpuss,” Nightmare said with a grin, “You should be thanking me for convincing Luna to actually come in. She was having some trouble trying to decide.” Twilight grumbled mentally, but did utter a small thank you, albeit, reluctantly.

“Oh wonderful!” Luna exclaimed, turning to the mare that had accompanied her in, “Well, I'll be living here a while with you and Twilight. I hope we get along Miss Dreamscape.”

“Same here,” Nightmare agreed, “And please just call me Diana. Such formalities bother me.” Luna laughed but nodded before finally stepping into the library, looking at Twilight who seemed to squirm a bit under her gaze.

“And thank you so much again for letting me stay here Twilight,” the night goddess said, bringing her friend into a quick hug, “I hope I don't burden you over the next month.”

Twilight giggled, returning the hug earnestly, “Not at all. It's our pleasure.”

“Well it could definitely be pleasurable,” the dream goddess interjected as she too hugged her mistress as a loving cousin, grinning madly. Twilight, unable to do anything else, just face hoofed mentally, groaning as she remembered Nightmare would be with them. The last few hours away from the perverted alicorn were both a blessing and a curse; it had been wonderfully quiet, but now that she had experienced that blessed silence, she yearned for it again.

“Could you please try to behave yourself?” the lavender mare asked sincerely, wanting to have a nice evening with her friend.

“Of course. I didn't plan on misbehaving at all anyway. This is mainly for Lulu after all,” Nightmare answered truthfully, and while Twilight was a bit suspicions, she accepted the promise.

“ANYWAYS! LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!” Pinkie suddenly declared while pressing a button. Suddenly, a giant shadow overtook them all, and they looked up to find a large yellow, rubber duck floating in the air in the center of the library ceiling. “FIRE!” All of a sudden, the fake, aquatic creature exploded, sending thousands of pistachios raining down upon the gathered party-goer's heads.

And unable to do anything else, they all laughed at the ridiculousness that was Pinkie Pie.

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The party had been an overwhelming success, and now, as the late hours trickled on, ponies began to head home, thanking Pinkie, Twilight, Luna and Diana as they left the house in packs.

Finally, everypony was gone, save for the main six themselves, Spike, Luna and Nightmare. They had relocated to the dinner table, and they sat comfortably, simply enjoying eachother's company, sipping the last of the punch and nibbling on the leftovers while making small talk.

“Best. Party. Ever,” Rainbow slurred sleepily in her seat, “Didn't know you were such a party animal Luna.” The mentioned princess chuckled, taking a small sip of her punch, not tired in the slightest. She was used to long-night hours.

“Shoot. Sure was something special,” Applejack agreed as she picked up Spike and deposited him on the couch, “Poor Spike's plum tuckered.”

“That was one of the bestest, most awesomest parties ever,” Pinkie declared, “We have to have another one sometime! And Diana you were awesome too!”

“Thank you Pinkie,” Nightmare said quietly, feeling strangely...drained, not exactly exhausted. She wondered why that was; she hadn't done anything particularly strenuous in the last few hours that would induce such an intense wave of fatigue. Her vision was also a bit hazy, and she slumped in the chair, “If you will excuse me, I'll be taking a quick bathroom break.”

Rising out of her seat slowly, the disguised goddess trudged up the stairs, leaving the seven mares on the table to talk among themselves.

“Okay...now that Diana's out,” Rainbow said suddenly, re-energized for some reason, “Does anypony else agree with me that Twilight's cousin is pretty hot?”

“Rainbow!” Rarity chastised, “It's not proper to talk about somepony behind their back.”

“What? It's not like I'm saying anything mean or anything. I'm just saying she's attractive. It's pretty much a fact.”

“She does have a point,” Applejack conceded, “How come you never told us 'bout Diana, Twi?”

“Hehe...extenuating circumstances prevented that,” Twilight said evasively, “We only recently re-established contact with each other.”

“Well you should bring her around again sometime! She's fun!” Pinkie declared, “I don't know anypony else who can keep up with me in drinking sarsaparilla!”

“And she's nice too,” Fluttershy added with a small smile, “It's really easy to talk to her.”

“Yeah well, that aside,” the lavender mare diverted, uncomfortable with her friends talking so easily and openly about Diana a.k.a Nightmare, “Did you enjoy yourself princess?”

“Of course,” Luna said with a laugh, “Making new friends is always delightful, and spending time with old ones only makes it better.” Twilight smiled, glad that her friend had a good time.

“Well, I hope every day is fun here then Luna. You deserve it,” she said with a grin, “Oh I know! How about I take you around town tomorrow?”

Luna suddenly blushed, looking away and at the floor as she traced small patterns on the table adorably. “Well if it doesn't bother you....”

“Of course not! I'd be perfectly happy to take you out tomorrow,” Twilight continued, unaware of the effect of her words, all of which were only serving to increase Luna's blush.

“How daring,” Rarity whispered excitedly to Applejack who looked impressed. Fluttershy was also blushing while Rainbow wolf whistled subtly. Pinkie was pretty much just shaking in her seat with excitement, trying her best to not shout out in joy.

“Umm..okay then,” the lunar princess muttered weakly, feeling her face heat up a bit too much, “Uhh! If you would excuse me, I believe I have to use the bathroom as well!” The night alicorn suddenly stood up and dashed out of the room as quickly as she could, shielding her crimson face, and Twilight's friends could only look on in awe.

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Meanwhile

Nightmare didn't know what was wrong with her. She stood weakly in the bathroom, staring at the mirror. Her face looked perfectly normal, not a hair out-of-place or a bag upon her eye, but her mind was barely able to keep consciousness. The edges of her vision began to blacken dangerously, and the dream goddess could feel herself slipping away for some dangerous reason.

Whatever was happening, she knew it couldn't be good at all. Nightmare had to figure out what was going on quick, less her condition worsen to the point of no return. Nothing came to mind, however, and she slunk further down, her face suddenly hitting the countertop and something cold and metallic.

Sluggishly moving her head, she found herself staring at the onyx and gold necklace that Zecora had given Twilight earlier that day.

“It can't be...” Nightmare said pitifully as she grabbed the necklace and limped out of the bathroom, coming face to face with Luna.

“Diana? Are you alright?” Luna asked, eying the strange gold and onyx necklace in the unicorn's mouth.

Nightmare didn't and couldn't answer and pushed past the alicorn, struggling to keep herself steady as she went down the stairs, aware that a small misstep would send her tumbling down.

Once she reached the bottom, she nearly fell to her knees. She had to get to Twilight and fast!

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“Wow Twilight,” Rainbow said as soon as Luna left the room, “Didn't think you had it in you.”

“Huh?” Twilight asked obliviously, “Had what in what? What did I do?”

“Well uh...you kind of...sort of....asked Luna out on a date?” Fluttershy said nervously, blushing a bit as she said it.

“WHAT!?” Twilight screeched, jumping out of her seat. “Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!”

“What are you worrying about darling?” Rarity asked with a happy sigh, “She did say yes after all. Oh that poor stallion! He'll be heartbroken! Well, it can't be helped. It is the princess after all. How could anypony refuse her?”

Twilight sweatdropped. She had nearly forgotten that all of her friends thought she was in love with some stranger stallion. She figured this was as good a time as any to clear that blunder up.

“Guys. I'm not in love with a stallion okay?” Twilight said firmly, hoping her friends would take it well. For a moment, the sentence registered in their minds, but before they could respond to the latest revelation, Diana trotted, or more like dragged, herself back into the room, a necklace in her mouth and her eyes seemingly empty.

“Oh my goodness! Diana dear? Are you alright?” Rarity asked out of worry, jumping out of her seat, noticing the almost dead look in her eyes. Nightmare didn't answer, her vision focused solely on the purple unicorn whose face looked grave and concerned.

“Mistress...” the large unicorn croaked as she stumbled forward. Nightmare's vision was almost black now, and she knew she had one chance. She had to get the necklace around her mistress' neck!

“Diana!? What's wrong with you!?” Twilight asked as she rushed to Nightmare, noticing the jewelry in her mouth, “Tell me what's wro....” she said, suddenly cut off as the mare collapsed onto her, the necklace falling over her head and settling in place on her neck as they tumbled down to the ground.

That wasn't what had Twilight speechless though. However, there was nothing she could say, because at that moment, her brain didn't quite know how to respond. Nightmare had fainted straight onto Twilight, her warm, moist lips falling into place on her mistress'.

It took her a moment to realize what had really just happened, and when she thought about it, she just couldn't believe it.

Twilight Sparkle had just lost her first kiss to Nightmare Moon, dream goddess, immortal alicorn and apparently her cousin.

Author's Note

Let the great Luna vs. Nightmare Moon race begin!

Promises

Nightmare walked.

To where? She didn't quite know.

What she did know, however, was that she needed to clear her mind and heart, both of which were muddled considerably by the past. Her talk with Luna had opened up some very old scars and misshapen wounds, injuries that had never quite healed despite how much time had passed. It was her cross to bear though, but that didn't mean it was easy.

Nightmare was lost. She knew exactly what she was supposed to do, what she had pledged to do, but how? How when it hurt her to do it?

Twilight just reminded her so much of....

“NO! Twilight is not....She's dead. Forget it. It's in the past, and you can't change the past,” she said bitterly, shaking her head fiercely.

The dream goddess hadn't noticed she had been walking aimlessly for a very long time now, and when she looked up from her thoughts, she had absolutely no idea where she was. What she did know was that this definitely wasn't Ponyville, if the creeping darkness, croaking sounds, repugnant smells and super-dense treeline were anything to go by.

“Great...Brilliant job Nightmare,” she muttered, sitting down against the bark of an old tree, knowing that she had gotten herself lost in the Everfree Forest of all places. Despite living so long, Nightmare had little knowledge of this place other than where the first castle built by Luna and Celestia was. And that information stemmed from her general knowledge of the main Ponyville entrance into the forsaken forest, something that she had surely not gone through.

She sighed and shrugged, picking up a small flower and crumbling it in her hooves. At least now, she had some time to think.

Just what was she in this world? Was she real? Not real? Corporeal? Or only partly? Did she earn an existence or was it merely a cruel joke of fate where she only got to taste it before it was ripped away again?

Would she disappear and be whisked off to another when Twilight's wish was fulfilled? If not, what would she do? Would Twilight send her away? And when it was all said and done, would her mistress still consider her a friend? And above all, why did she care if Twilight did or did not? None of her other masters and mistresses had ever affected her like this....Tentatively, she hoped to stay...She was happy here, truly happy.

But could she have a real future in this world?.....Did she even deserve one?.....Even after everything she had done?......

She was so busy questioning herself that she didn't notice hoofsteps approach her.

“You look troubled Miss Dreamscape, or shall I call you by your true namesake?” a rhythmic voice asked, rousing Nightmare out of her crisis session. The hidden alicorn looked up find Zecora staring at her with some concern. “If pondering the secrets of your life, here, it is unwise as dangers are rife.”

“Zecora right?” Nightmare asked, ignoring the warning and reigning in her mental monologue of questions, “I never did get to thank you for crafting that necklace....”

“Twas not a problem you see. After all, you saved both Twilight and me,” the zebra answered warmly, setting herself down, “Imagine my surprise when I learned of the fact, that the Nightmare Moon rumors were not all exact.”

“Yeah well...lots of things are never as they seem apparently,” Nightmare answered dryly, shaking her head. She wondered what Twilight was doing right now, probably enjoying herself. Zecora hummed in agreement, looking around to occupy herself as she waited for Nightmare to continue.

The dream goddess fidgeted uncomfortably, not quite sure how to react to the alchemist zebra's subtle probing. After three-thousand years of living as a cursed spirit, one tends to learn to keep feelings close to their proverbial chest. Eventually, Zecora finally got the message that she would have to drag it out of the stubborn goddess.

“So? Shall you expose your fears? Or must I drag it out with threats and tears?” Zecora asked, a wide, toothy grin spreading across her face. The dream goddess cringed slightly.

“You know...for a humble, alchemist zebra, you're kind of scary sometimes...” the dream goddess responded warily.

“Tis a talent one must invest, if you wish to live in this cursed forest,” she said with a small chuckle, gesturing for Nightmare to start.

“You're not going to just take the answer 'I'm fine.' are you?” Nightmare asked sarcastically, sighing, earning only patient silence from the zebra whose eyes waited expectantly, “Fine...I guess there are some things that are bothering me now that I've gotten the time to really think about it...”

“Do explain. It may help alleviate your pain,” Zecora encouraged, gesturing for Nightmare to go on, comfortably reclining against a neighboring tree, knowing the goddess' natural presence would ward off most minor creatures.

“Have you...have you ever had the feeling of being lost? I feel that way...Sometimes I really do wish I had that eternal goddess wisdom that Celestia can just put out...I mean...I may be like three-thousand years old or so...but in reality, I've only lived for a good maybe....I don't know really....fifty or so years in the real world?” the goddess began, struggling a bit as she dug up bits of her broken past, “Even staying on the moon for a thousand extra years couldn't be counted as living...”

Zecora nodded in understanding. In the terms of the goddesses, Nightmare was frightfully young. Even the average unicorn lived easily to two hundred years old, and the stronger ones could survive for centuries. In relative terms, Nightmare was more like a confused teenager than anything else.

“And my blasted curse....The process was always the same. Find a kindred spirit, help them out and then leave...But now....after so long I'm happy...and....”

“You do not wish to depart, but you are unsure of what lies in your heart,” Zecora supplemented precisely, and Nightmare hung her head in shame.

“Is it selfish of me? To know that you promised something to somepony, but to fear the consequences of fulling that promise?....to know that if you don't fulfill your promise, you'll be cursed, but if you do...you'll be cursed in another...” she whispered weakly, pawing the ground to distract herself, “What do I do? Do I fulfill my promise and potentially lose everything again? Or do I try my best to postpone it to live in happiness for a while but still lose everything again in the ultimate end?”

“A choice of roads appears before you, but to choose a road is decided by who?” the zebra asked wisely, smiling sadly. Nightmare groaned, placing her face in her hooves, not wanting to face another conflict like that. “However, dear goddess. Nopony said a road must be picked, yes? A journey is conducted in many ways, from sea to air, you must also appraise.”

“What are you trying to tell me? To just find my own way to deal with the problem!?” Nightmare asked, getting a bit emotional, “That is my whole problem! I don't know what to do. I don't know what to pick. Because neither one ends with me being happy at all! One path will hurt a lot, and the other path will hurt even more in the end in exchange for brief joy....”

“A known path is walked by a previous pony first. Explore a path that is unrehearsed. Only then may you find an answer that you seek, but beware, your happiness, you shall not find if your steps are weak,” Zecora counseled, standing up and nodding to the goddess. Without another word, she turned around and walked away into the dark underbrush, melting away, leaving Nightmare to her thoughts.

“Ugh...I don't even know what the feathering funk that means for me though,” the goddess growled unhappily, slumping in defeat, “How in Equestria am I supposed to forge my own path if I don't even know where I want to go?”

“There you are! What do you think you're doing?!” a voice suddenly screeched, causing Nightmare to jump in surprise, “Do you have any idea how long we've been searching for you!?” The goddess blinked in disbelief; her mistress had just suddenly appeared, bursting through the underbrush with a look of pure fury and worry etched on it.

“Uh...wait....wait....what?” Nightmare articulated intelligently, trying to wrap her mind around what was going on. Why was Twilight here?

“You idiot! You've been missing for almost two hours already! I sent everypony out trying to find you!” Twilight screamed, stalking close and closer to Nightmare, restraining herself from throttling her, “Do you have any idea how worried I was!?”

“What? Why were you so worried about me of all ponies?” the dream goddess asked in confusion, “I mean...you didn't have...”

“Stupid! Last time you nearly died because you almost lost your magical energy! Who knows what the effective range on this thing is?!” Twilight continued yelling, floating the onyx and gold necklace she always wore now into Nightmare's face, “And what in Celestia's name were you doing out here of all places?! Who knows what is out here! What possessed you to walk into the bloody Everfree Forest of all the feathering places you could have wandered off to?!”

“I..I'm sure I would have been fine...” Nightmare answered weakly, wincing at how upset her mistress was.

“Argh! Idiot! We agreed already! You are not to leave my sight for any extended period of time! The magic that is holding your corporeal form together isn't completely stable or self-sustaining!” Twilight continued, stalking closer and closer to the disguised alicorn who was backed up against a tree like a cornered kitten. Suddenly, Twilight stopped talking and took a few deep breaths, lowering her voice to a pained whimper. “I promised...I promised I wouldn't let you die one me. Don't go doing stupid things like this and put yourself in danger...please.. Without me there, I don't think you could do enough magic to save yourself if you were attacked or got hurt....”

Nightmare flinched at the pathetic tone of her mistress, her heart flooded with guilt. She was sure she could even seen some tears.

“I'm sorry....” the dream goddess whispered softly, hanging her head in shame, “But...you didn't have to worry so much. I mean...I'm not even real anyway...This body isn't real...I'm just...” She didn't get to say much more, because a stinging pain snapped her out of it; she looked on in shock. Twilight had slapped her!

“Don't. Talk. That. Way,” the lavender mare growled, “You're a pony just like everypony else. You eat. You talk. You laugh. You sleep. You make jokes and smile. You can cry, and you can feel. You're not worth anything less than any other pony. You're one of my friends. I swear if I hear you talk that way again...How do you think everypony would react if you disappeared suddenly? Spike would be upset. Pinkie would be devastated. Rarity would be distraught. Applejack would worry. Fluttershy would cry. Rainbow would freak out. Luna would try to find you again. And I....I would....kind of...miss you.”

Nightmare almost cried. It had been so long since she had experienced such a level of acceptance. It only made her feel worse that she had worried Twilight.

“I'm sorry...” she said softly again, “I...I didn't mean to worry anypony. I just needed time to think about some things...” Twilight sniffed, wiping her eyes and nodded in understanding while giving herself time to compose herself.

“Next time...couldn't you sort out your thoughts in your room or something?” Twilight asked quietly, “I don't think the Everfree makes for a good environment to sort out your thoughts. Besides the threat of dangerous plants and creatures, the scenery isn't all that great either.” Nightmare chuckled, nodding her head in agreement.

“But I don’t even have a room....or a bed really...” she responded with a small smile.

“Ahh...well..Uh. I'm working on that,” Twilight answered truthfully, “I mean...It looks like you're going to stay for a while...That is if you want to...” Nightmare's heart softened at the gesture, and she truly smiled.

“I'd love to,” she answered honestly, a wide grin across her face, “Though it's too bad I don't get to share your bed with you anymore.” She pouted, acting upset.

“Yeah well. I don't think you've quite earned that right yet, pet,” Twilight replied by reflex, blushing hard as her brain finally caught up with her words. Nightmare actually fell to the floor laughing.

“Oh, I really have corrupted you Mistress,” she said, beaming, “I remember a time where you used to squeak, blush and stammer at everything I said!”

“Shut it you...” Twilight muttered, beginning to walk away, motioning for Nightmare to follow. With a little jump in her step, the goddess followed her mistress through the forest.

Perhaps she didn't quite know where to go...so instead, Nightmare decided that she would just follow Twilight all the way to the end.

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“Ugh...I could have sworn this was the right way!” Twilight repeated for the fifteen-hundredth time, forcing her way through the underbrush, “Why in the world did you go off the path? I don't even know how I found you last time now that I think about it!”

“I sort of wandered without thinking.....I didn't even know where I was until I finally realized it,” Nightmare said sheepishly, “And I think you probably found me because of the magical connection we share. Naturally, you'd be able to find me through that.”

“While I'd love to flush out the idea of magical, symbiotic relationships, we need to find a way out of here,” the lavender mare responded icily, becoming antsier with each minute she spent in this forsaken jungle, “Can you fly over these trees or something? If I even tried the wing construct spell, they'd shatter for sure.”

“No. As far as I can tell, my corporeal form is locked into this unicorn base state. If we somehow changed it, it could alter the nature of our magical connection....for better or worse is unknown though...” she answered sagely, taking a quick look around again. Everything looked the same!

“Great...Well I would try teleporting to the tops of these trees, but since I can't see past them, I might end up being run through by a branch...”

“Yeah...let's not do that. If you go down, I'll probably follow...”

The lavender mare groaned, wishing she could just slice through all of these trees with a good, overpowered cutting spell, though she would unleash another whole problem, mainly the upset creatures that would attempt to kill them and eat them for destroying their homes.

They walked on in a straight line diligently, hoping they would stumble upon the path at some point or at least a landmark they could use to guide themselves back to Ponyville.

“Where's Zecora when you really need her?” Twilight grumbled to herself, climbing over a large tree root, “I still don't get how that mare lives in this place. From the timber wolf packs to the manticores, what sane pony would work here? Much less live here?”

“Who knows? Maybe she just does it for kicks...likes the thrill or something,” Nightmare said, levitating a fallen tree trunk out of the way, “Are you sure you don't know a compass spell or something we can use to direct ourselves? I feel like we're moving further in than out...”

“Not really....but maybe I can try something. Look around for me and see if you can find some water,” Twilight said, snapping a small twig off of a tree and casting a spell slowly. Meanwhile, Nightmare looked around the area for any water.

She was in luck. There was a small stream of water running through the dirt, just a hoof wide, nearby. Looking around, she picked off a large leaf, fashioned it into a makeshift bowl and collected the water.

“Alright. I got it,” Nightmare announced as she walked back to her mistress with the leaf, “So what are we trying to do here?”

“An old magnetizing spell. I'm going to use the old kindergarten, magnetic needle trick. It might be a bit off though since I'm using a twig, but I think we'll get enough of a general idea,” Twilight supplied, placing the magnetized twig in the water, waiting for it to align itself.

“Looks like that way is north,” the dream goddess commented as she watched the tip of the twig swivel around, “So we head that way and a bit west till we hit Ponyville, and I don't think we're that far in so we should be okay.”

“Hopefully,” the purple unicorn groused, knowing that stating such things was dangerous, “Let's just get out of here as fast as we can. Everypony else is looking for us.”

“Right,” Nightmare responded, knowing now was not a good time be messing around. They trekked through the jungle in the direction of the twig, but instead of it getting less forest-y, it only seemed to get denser and denser.

“Uh..Are you sure this is the right way?” the disguised alicorn asked, struggling to get through the underbrush. The fact that the forest wasn't thinning was concerning.

“According to this compass, this should be the right way...” Twilight said, a bit unsure, instinctively moving closer to Nightmare for extra protection.

“I don't know...I'm getting a bad feeling about this. We should turn back,” Nightmare said, stopping in place, intent on turning around. This place just reeked of something dark.

“I'm sure we're close. Let's just keep going,” her mistress insisted, and obediently, the dream goddess reluctantly followed, though she was keeping her ears and eyes on full alert. Her senses were screaming at her to get out of this place!

Abruptly, they burst through the brush into an open clearing where a cave was situated as the main structure. Around it, a few scattered white rocks were sticking out of the ground at weird angles.

“Huh....I've never seen this place before,” Twilight commented, her scientific side coming out, “What an unusual little cave. Say, Nightmare, what do you think these weird rocks are made out of? Fragmented marble? Maybe even white granite?”

Nightmare took a second to analyze one of the rocks. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as she jumped back, aghast.

“Twilight!” she hissed, edging far away from the entrance to the cave, “We need to get out of here now! Those aren't rocks! Those are bones!”

Twilight took a second to process that, her hoof already touching one of the fragments, and without a thought as to where she was, the purple unicorn screamed, jumping high into the air.

That was the wrong move to make....

Suddenly, a loud, angry roar echoed from the cave, and Twilight ran to Nightmare. She turned around just in time to see what had emerged from the cave and gasped in fear.

“No no no no!” Twilight screamed as the four-headed beast exited the cave, grouchy from being woken up from its slumber. The lion head gnashed its teeth while the dragon breathed out a bit of fire to express his displeasure. The goat head brandished its sharp horns while the snake tail hissed in annoyance. “The chimera!? Run!”

Nightmare didn't need telling twice. She grabbed Twilight and hightailed it out of there, not caring anymore for the scratches and bumps she got along the way. They weaved their way through the trees, jumping over and sliding under branches and vines and pits and bushes. However, they knew the chimera wasn't far behind. Its draconic wings beat powerfully above them, and blasts of fire rained down upon them, sending fiery trees and leaves down onto their heads.

Twilight had been yelling her head off for a good few minutes until Nightmare told her to be quiet so they couldn't be tracked by the lion head's superior hearing. That had shut the purple unicorn up pretty quickly, but it didn't detract from her panic at all.

All of a sudden, they ran into another clearing, but the chimera was already sitting there, waiting, its eyes filled with hunger and malice.

“Oh no. Oh no,” Twilight said fearfully, backing away instinctively as the hungry glint in all eight eyes froze up her insides. Without warning, the dragon head fired a ball of magical fire at them, and Nightmare quickly cast a shield, grunting at the dragon fire ate away at her magic.

“Not good. Not good..I can't get enough power....” Nightmare said between gritted teeth, wincing as another blast of flame battered her shield.

“What are we going to do!? This is a chimera! Magic doesn't work against it!” Twilight said fearfully, trying to think of some way out.

“I'll distract it and...”

“NO! I TOLD YOU ALREADY! I WOULDN'T LET YOU DIE! WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER WHETER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!”

Nightmare grimaced, but nodded, reinforcing her shield with a bit of effort. “Ugh.....If only I had access to all of my power,” she groaned, nearly collapsing as the beast physically rammed into the barrier. She was losing strength and fast, and Twilight's mental state was affecting the magical stream between them.

Twilight tried to do something, sending a few blasting spells at the chimera through the shield in the hopes that it would push it back and buy them some time. Unfortunately, the bolts of magic only glanced off of the beast's chest and served to enrage it further. It's tails were literally spitting venom in rage!

The dream goddess had to figure out how to get access to all of her power and fast or else they would be monster food!

Another blast of fire and poison hit the shield, nearly taking it down, and Nightmare knew the next hit would render her barrier completely useless.

She had to think fast! Twilight had her powers locked inside of her. The onyx necklace served as a magical focus point for her existence on the corporeal plane. Twilight had her power...but how did she get to it!?

“Twilight! Come here quick!” Nightmare screamed, lunging at her mistress. Colliding with Twilight, the grounded goddess touched the necklace in the hopes that something would happen......but nothing did. And then, a ball of flame hit the shield, shattering it completely. They were out in the open.

The chimera roared triumphantly, preparing to charge, its legs raring to go.

“There has to be something! There has to be something! How do I get to my power inside of you Twilight!?” Nightmare screamed mentally, thinking about anything that could possibly be the answer. She had to get into Twilight's magical essence....into....

Nightmare blinked. It was crazy, and it was stupid. But heck, what did she have to lose!?

“Sorry about this Twilight,” she breathed out, unable to believe she was going to try this. Without waiting for Twilight to respond, Nightmare dipped down and captured her mistress in a deep kiss while her hoof touched the gem on her necklace.

The chimera lunged, intent on slashing the duo to pieces, its mouth already watering in anticipation. Mid-leap, a wave of power blasted it back, sending it crashing into the trees, and it screeched in fury and pain.

It looked up, only able to find one of its prey in the clearing now, though its instincts were telling it that there was danger nearby.

“HOW DARE YOU!? THIS IS THE SECOND TIME YOU HAVE TRIED TO KILL MY CHOSEN MISTRESS!” the small frame of Twilight Sparkle screamed, her voice unusually layered with power as tendrils of magic whipped and snapped around her, “I SPARED YOU THE LAST TIME! BUT NOW YOU WILL PERISH! DIE YOU FOOLISH BEAST!”

A vortex of pure magic engulfed Twilight, and a moment later, Nightmare Moon stood in all of her glory and power. Her eyes blazed in anger as storm clouds gathered overhead in response to the huge influx of magic.

She brandished her horn and jumped into battle once again. The goddess had made a promise, and she intended to keep it.