Twilight's quarters were more of a pavilion she had pitched in the courtyard of the keep than an actual building, but it had a writing desk, her favorite books were everywhere, it had beds for her and Luminous, and would be considered cozy if the tent walls didn't seem to amplify the sound of the wind tenfold. Still, it was warm and dry, and Twilight had no intention of setting herself up with better quarters until the castle defenses were finished. That thought brought Twilight's gaze to the plans for the extensions and improvements to the original castle she had made, stacked across the desk in neat piles. She had consulted long with the shadows and her most extensive tomes on defenses both mundane and magical and fortifications. The castle would look mostly the same on the outside, but it would be stronger, be riddled with traps for the unwary intruder, secret passages and even some interior growing areas, magically sustained, in the event of a prolonged siege. It would take months, years even to get everything up and running, but she was confident that even the Beast would have trouble breaching the fortress.

Princess Luna closed the flap of the pavilion behind her as she stepped in, following Twilight, and the enclosed space of her pavilion made the unicorn aware of just how badly she stank of blood, sweat and iron, though Princess Luna seemed not to mind. She wondered with mild disgust when the last bath she'd had was, a real bath, with soap, rather than a rinse in the river. There hadn't been time for such luxuries for the past week, and now Twilight could understand her aide's haste in making the baths readily available.

Before she could avail herself of the fruits of the workers' labors however, she needed to get out of her armor. She removed the coronet herself, setting it on her armor stand before she set about magically unlocking her black iron fetlock guards, her mind still buzzing with her thoughts about Luminous and the Beast.

Princess Luna started unlocking the breastplate with her teeth, as Trixie had designed that part of the armor to reject magical attempts to undo it, as she had found out, when she had helped re-design the suit. This close to Twilight, she could feel the lick of the flames running off the unicorn's tail and mane, like a ghostly touch of the weakest telekinesis ever, but still present, and it whispered quietly to her in tongues not even the ancient ponies spoke and smelled of burning paper in a not entirely unpleasant way. She didn't know if Twilight knew that she could see her as she truly was, but the princess found herself reluctant to bring it up in that rather intimate moment. Her sister had theorized that it may have had something to do with the experience Luna had had with the Beast, since Celestia seemed to be blind to the differences.

She caught the breastplate before it could hit the floor, and set it on the stand as well, and then started undoing the backplate, which shone with the care Luminous lavished on it daily. Trixie had designed the armor originally with such cunning and artistic flare that Luna had been reluctant to reforge the plates, but she had been able to keep much of the original design. She unhooked the clasps holding the backplate onto the silk and mail mesh under-coat. She had pulled the stuff for the silk from the night itself, magically binding it into fabric which would heal itself and stop arrows, and the meteoric iron for the rings, coronet and other parts of the armor she had personally selected from fallen meteor strikes around Equestria. She told herself she'd gone to so much trouble out of contrition for imprisoning Twilight unjustly, and fixed that thought in her mind, even if being this close to the tall unicorn sent strange feelings through the Princess.

Twilight let out a soft sigh as the backplate was removed, from frustration rather than relief, “I was hoping they'd leave off for a little while, the wolves that is. We barely are up to fighting strength, and even then, ponies and changelings aren't really built for combat,” she shook herself as Luna unhooked the mail and night-silk mesh under-coat, loosening her fur somewhat, though her coat was in definite need of a brushing. “If only we'd had a few more months,” Twilight said ruefully, magically ordering her mane with a spell while Luna hung the heavy coat on the armor stand with the rest, frowning a little. The enchantments on the silk kept it from needing cleaning, but a slight scent of burning paper clung to it nevertheless, in clear defiance of the spells she had worked on the fabric. She was so lost in her musing she almost missed the gentle nudge from the moon, which needed to be raised. She turned her attention back to Twilight after attending to her celestial duty, only to find, much to her shock, that the purple unicorn was close enough to brush noses with her, having approached to see if there was something wrong with the under-coat, misinterpreting the glow from the princess' horn.

They both fell back in an embarrassed clatter, blushing, then Twilight started to giggle, and Luna found it impossible not to join in. Giggles turned to laughter even as they hauled themselves upright, and they started out of the tent. They proceeded, laughing, to the baths, which were deserted in the moonlight. Twilight blinked, “When did you raise the moon, Princess was that... Oh!” She grinned in sudden realization, “That was why you...” She broke off, giggling at herself again, flushing, and the two of them gently descended into the steaming hot baths.

Twilight and Luna both gasped softly at the heat of the water, then sank in fully, indulging in the hot water washing over their coats and, in the case of Luna, wings. “Oh by the stars,” Luna said, sinking into the bath with a most satisfied expression, her wings fluttering with little splashes, “It's warmer than I remember, but it's been ages...” She indulged in the water with Twilight, who was still adjusting to the heat, until she remembered that they had gone there for a purpose. She looked over at Twilight, enjoying the water with a contented expression that reminded her just how young the unicorn was, comparatively speaking.

Twilight was almost comatose, enjoying the water which was easing her tense muscles, when Princess Luna gently began to knead her shoulders and neck with a skilled magical touch. Under normal circumstances, she would have jumped, but she was so comfortable there under the moonlight that she barely flinched, then relaxed further under the Princess's ministrations. Twilight had only rarely had massages, either before the change, or after. Unlike the few she'd had though, which tended to be relaxing, if a bit painful at times, the Princess seemed to know exactly where to press, where to knead, and how much pressure to use to numb certain sore muscles, then knead them into relaxation.

Twilight almost didn't notice when Luna began soaping her up while massaging, she was so lost in the sensations, but the scent of the soap, which was the same used at the Palace, brought back memories. “Princess... There's something I've always wanted to know,” Twilight said softly, though her words rang clearly over the gently swirling waters of the baths, “Did... Did it hurt, when the Elements... Um...” She trailed off awkwardly as the soapy massage slowed, and turned to see Luna looking thoughtful, but, thankfully, not upset. She was very beautiful, Twilight realized, with the moonlight reflecting off her dark fur from the water and above. Her mane, Twilight noticed, swirled beneath the water, unaffected by the damp, and sparkled the same as always, the stars and constellations distorted, but not diminished by being immersed in the water. Her eyes, however, truly held Twilight's gaze: they were deep and calm, and weighted with years in a way that only stones and stars can be, without losing one iota of their intensity.

The Princess considered the question for a moment more, then said with only a trace of sadness, “Yes, Dame Twilight, and no... It was more like...” She looked up at the moon, which cast her face in silver lines and dark shadows, “Like somepony stripped away my hatred, rage and jealousy, leaving only fear and hurt...” Twilight winced a little, but Luna smiled at her, “It was for the best though, without you, I probably would have been slain. My sister would not have been contained for long, and would not have suffered something driving her sister to madness.” At Twilight's shocked look, Luna raised her brows and resumed soaping the unicorn, “But perhaps not, much has changed in her. But... Why do you ask?”

“Well...” Twilight said a little awkwardly, “I just... We never talked about it, really. I mean, before I came back from... From where I was,” she shivered a little, despite the heat of the water, and her burning mane swirled in the winds of her unease, even beneath the water, “Before I came back, we barely spoke at all. Now we're here, making a home for both of us to share,” she gestured to the under-construction keep and fortifications. “And, well...” She trailed off, starting to relax a little into the Princess's ministrations again.

Luna nodded after a moment, “I confess, Dame Twilight-”

“Just Twilight is fine, Princess,” Twilight interrupted gently, “it's not like there's anypony around,”

Luna, rather touched, smiled a little, “Only if you will call me Luna,”

Twilight tried to sputter a protest, but realized how feeble it sounded. She agreed with a nod, and Luna continued, “I confess, Twilight, I was... Intimidated by you,” she chuckled as she felt Twilight's surprise and read it in the words flicking off her mane. Her chuckle was a rich, throaty sound that made Twilight's fur stand on end briefly as a ripple of... Something ran through her. Luna appeared not to notice as she continued, “Yes, I was intimidated. You and your friends were able to outmatch me at the height of my power, and then you held no rancor. There were no consequences, you never spoke a word against me, when so many others whispered.”

“You were possessed,” Twilight protested, eliciting a sharp look from Luna until she continued, “Or enchanted or something, it wasn't your fault, Pri-... Luna.” She smiled shyly at Luna, who smiled back, relaxing a little. Twilight quietly berated herself for almost bringing up the Beast

“Twilight, you really are a treasure,” the tall princess said softly, her voice warm and soft, startling Twilight into a blush as Luna kneaded her shoulders and back, “It is rare to meet a pony so forgiving, mired as I am in the politics around Canterlot. It is too bad we did not spend more time together, you and I.” Twilight nodded mutely, blushing still, but enjoying the attention. She wondered why she let her awkwardness around Luna keep them from talking, and she tensed a little as she remembered the cells the Princess had thrown her into when she had first returned.

As if reading her mind, Luna sighed and said softly, “If we had, I would not have been so quick to judge, methinks, when you came back to the castle... I might have seen through the false Twilight's ruse. Might have-” she stopped in surprise as Twilight's hoof pressed gently across her lips. Her eyes glowed, literally, and her mane was burning with words that, while still unintelligible, seemed full of some sort of emotion.

“'Might have' never filled the pot, Luna. Don't worry about what we might have talked about,” She turned in the water to face the Princess, her glowing purple eyes brilliant against the darkness, like stars, but full of a compassion and mystery that Luna found rather entrancing. Twilight smiled, “Let's just catch up now, and then whatever we might have talked about, well, maybe we can get to it tonight.” It wasn't terribly funny, but Luna giggled anyway, which set off Twilight, and the two of them laughed and talked deep into the night.