Twilight slowly stirred herself awake, calmly her nerves returned to her from her peaceful slumber. Twilight likely should not have taken a nap quite as long as that one. She could only guess that a few hours had passed, something that both did not bode well for her responsibilities but there was little if anything that anypony could out rightly say about it. She was their ruler and they had little sway in anything that happened to them, which both scared and humbled Twilight. She had ponies to look after and care for, a weight she hoped would not come soon.

She moved her hooves and noticed that she embraced something very warm, a steady beat that thumped against Twilight's chest. Twilight smiled and slowly opened her eyes. She opened them and felt the rustle of somepony else's fur. Tickling her chin with the soft fur, a very light shade of yellow which belonged to Fluttershy. Twilight was glad that she had finally expressed her feelings for Fluttershy, it just felt like a sickness that she could not cure withholding those feelings deep inside her. They had decided to take it slow and see how things would go, nothing too serious just yet.

Twilight moved her chin down and gently kissed the nape of Fluttershy's neck. Drawing the kiss up Fluttershy's neck to her cheek, she was about to go to her lips when Fluttershy said softly, "Don't get any closer Twilight. I thought that we were going to take things slow?"

Twilight brushed her lips across Fluttershy's cheek, slowly drawing them to her ear. Twilight whispered, "That was before you decided to sleep with me."

Fluttershy trembled in Twilight's hold, the jittery feeling rising up through her body and shaking out. Twilight had never been in a situation like this before, and always thought she would not. But she just did what instinct told her to do. Listening carefully to everything that it told her to do. And what it told her to do now was...more arousing then Twilight originally thought. Twilight blushed as she slid her hoof down Fluttershy's side and drawing it closer to Fluttershy's thigh. Fluttershy released a pleasurable sigh and whispered softly, "T-Twilight..."

Her original timidness had shown in that moment, her soft innocent voice erupting over her normal one. Twilight thought she had broken Fluttershy into never talking like that again. It would appear that she still held onto that side of her, deep inside of her. Twilight was fine with that, as long as it showed itself at the right time. And that time was nigh.

Drawing her hoof closer to the spot she had been searching for, Twilight whispered, "I don't know why I never confessed sooner...that way we could have progressed quicker-"

"Phew...what a night...I have to say that as a Lady I-Oh my goodness...I-I-I...I'm sorry I'm interrupting!"

Twilight removed her hooves quickly and Fluttershy sprang up to a standing position. If there was one mare that would probably disapprove of their love together it likely would have been the one that just walked in, Rarity. Not that Twilight thought of her friend as a prude or as "too straight", if such a term existed, it would likely be her. Rarity never came off as the bisexual or lesbian type, always carried herself with dignity and poise. Even if she had barged into Twilight's room and found them...exploring.

Twilight scratched her head as she pushed herself up on one hoof and bade innocently, "We were...um...just...uh-"

Rarity raised a hoof and in a sweet accented voice she said, "Twilight it is okay, I knew."

Though she did not expect an answer she asked anyway, "How did you know?"

Rarity blushed lightly and waved her hoof as she explained, "Twilight darling, what do you think Fluttershy and I would talk about at the spa?"

Twilight's face beated red as she looked over at her marefriend and said, "You-you talked about me?..."

Fluttershy shared the same color of crimson that Twilight had and she rubbed her hoof as she explained, "Y-Yes...You were all I could talk about sometimes..."

Twilight stored that information away safely, not in her brain but in her heart and took that to know the feelings were mutual. Twilight was glad that she broke the shell Fluttershy had been in before they decided to have a steady relationship. Twilight pulled the satin sheets of her bed closer to her to hide her blushing face as she heard a giggle erupt from Rarity who now no longer stood in the doorway. Twilight asked with the shroud over her muzzle, "So you...approve of our...relationship?"

Rarity cocked her hips and raised an eyebrow, "Princess Twilight Sparkle, are you suggesting that I would not approve of such a scandalous and secretive love such as yours?"

Twilight's blush deepened as there was a slight lilt in her voice as she explained. Twilight could only nod as her throat had constricted with a very tight knot. Rarity said secretive because, while most ponies did not care which gender is a social norm they still slightly judged behind closed doors. Especially if a princess was in love with a mare. Twilight will always remember that vivid scene Celestia had described in her personal diary...it was...revealing to say the least. Rarity continued explaining, resting a hoof on her chest, "While I would not find myself in such a situation with...ahem...another mare...that does not mean that I will influence the opinions of my friends...especially if they are in love with each other."

Twilight was about to ask when Rarity interrupted with a smile, "I know it's true love because...well...Cadence and I got a little bored after a few drinks so we started to...listen in on some scandalous confessions...plus you hardly need my approval to be happy."

Twilight smiled and felt the heat on her cheeks to settle and she said with a smile, "Than you Rarity, for understanding."

Rarity waved a hoof, "Hardly my business to intervene on a couple but we are having breakfast downstairs and we were wondering if you would join us?"

Fluttershy answered, "Sounds delightful we'll be down in a minute."

Rarity beamed with joy and said shutting the door behind her, "Excellent, au revoir darlings!"

Twilight lowered the sheet back down, a breath of relief escaping her. Fluttershy joined her side once more and sat down on the feather filled bed. She scooted closer and said, "So...we have them all in the same place...should we tell them all now?"

Twilight reached her hoof out and caressed Fluttershy's as she shook her head, "No, we should wait a few weeks before we tell them-"

Twilight reeled back in pain and screamed out, grabbing the sides of her head as it felt it was splitting itself in half. Slowly tearing itself apart, a distant ringing sound rising in her ears. Fluttershy shot up and faced Twilight yelling, "Twilight...TWILIGHT! Twilight are you okay!?"

Her head felt like it was filling up with burning hot liquid lava. Her eyes burning and steam rolling out of her nostrils and her mane felt as though it burst into flames. The roots stinging inside of her and her throat ripping apart as she screamed. She saw images of something in her mind. She saw a pale white unicorn laying on the ground, broken and bleeding. She cried out, Help...me...please...

She looked over in her vision and saw a tall standing onyx alicorn mare standing over her and with evil in her eyes. Twilight instantly recognized her as Nightmare Moon. She growled, No one can save you this time!

Twilight's vision returned to her and she shook her head trying to regain her senses. She pressed a hoof to her forehead and rubbed her horn. Twilight knew about visions and about how powerful alicorns would receive visions of places and things that were occurring. Twilight shook her head and thought over that vision she had been given. She thought that as Nightmare Moons eternal punishment she could never fully manifest in this plane? She could have been mistaken but Twilight rarely was. And she needed to act fast if she was going to save that unicorn.

Twilight looked over at Fluttershy who cowered near the wall and looked at Twilight with wide eyes of pure fear. Twilight stood up and asked, "Fluttershy what's-"

Fluttershy gasped, "Twilight...what...what happened?"

Twilight looked at her hooves and saw that they were covered in soot and first degree burns. Twilight had this happen to her once before. When she tried to prove that Pinkie's Pinkie Sense was just superstitious nonsense. She had gotten so angry that she burst into flames. Twilight never felt so much anger flowing through her that day, but she did not feel angry. What did this mean? But she could not terry long and she could not sit there and let somepony else's life be taken. Twilight shouted, "I have to go! I'll be right back!"

"Wait Twi-"

She was already out of the door and sprinting down the hallway downstairs, carefully trying not to trip down the stairs. Quick steps placed evenly between steps and gliding down the stairs. Twilight heard the door burst open above her and clambering hooves after her. Twilight turned left and sprinted for the front door. She needed to hurry. She was not going to let another pony lose their life because Twilight failed to slay a demon she should have killed a long time ago.

Rarity stood in the foyer and saw her sprinting friend and said, "Twilight what's-"

"No time to explain! Gotta go!" Twilight sprinted off and stepped into the streets of Ponyville and sprinted for the Everfree forest. The scene was very familiar. It was the same place that Twilight fought Nightmare Moon, and likely where this rivalry would end. She sprinted off and left everything behind her, the only thing on her mind was stopping Nightmare Moon. Nothing else was more important.

Rarity stood in shock and saw Fluttershy sprinting quickly towards her as well. Rarity stood in front of her, prompting the hurrying mare to decline into a stop. Rarity put her hooves on Fluttershy's shoulders and asked, "What's wrong with Twilight?"

Fluttershy responded in a shaken tone, "I-I don't...I don't know...she just...fire...all over her then...then she sprinted off..."

Rarity swept a strand of Fluttershy's hair out of her face and said, "Shh...calm down darling...I'll go after her and tell you everything...you wait here for us to come back."

Fluttershy nodded and Rarity bounded off and went to follow her lavender colored friend. This was all so strange. Twilight never really went off on her own and did not want her friends to help her. Something must be very wrong if she wanted to do this alone. Rarity would know the truth, she wanted to help her friend. She saw Twilight a few paces away from her and sprinted off, her hooves landing hard in the dirt. Following Twilight, hot on her heels.