Nightmare Moon and Chocolate Cherry stretched out in Nightmare's bed, both of them panting slightly and enjoying the afterglow of their time together.

"That was fun," Cherry purred out, nuzzling against Nightmare. "And it's nice that we are spending a night here."

"Well it felt like it was time for a change," Nightmare replied, stretching out her back and wings. "You've had me stay the night at your place so many times, I thought I should return the favor."

"And?" Cherry asked, looking up.

"And what?"

Cherry shifted, looking at Nightmare more. Her face tilted as her eyes studied the other mare.

"You really don't have an ulterior motive?"

"You sound genuinely surprised," Nightmare said, grinning.

"Kind of," Cherry admitted, laying her head back down against Nightmare's barrel. "I mean this is their first date since she asked me about sex, isn't it? I figured you would want to be here so that you could ask her about it and tease her in the morning."

"Do you honestly believe that I would do such a thing?" Nightmare asked, trying to sound offended as she made her eyes as wide as possible. She stuck her lower lip out, trying to make it tremble.

"Stop it, Nightie," Cherry snickered out. "You look silly trying to play innocent like that. Nearly every time I see you and her together, you always seem to be teasing and harassing her. It's kind of weird because it doesn't seem like you hate her."

"Admittedly, I don't." Nightmare let out a sigh and shifted, one of her wings flickering as she did. "I should. After all, she was the one who defeated me with The Elements after my return, she managed to exorcise me from her friend and banish me again, and she was the one who came up with how to incarnate me into a mortal form without my power. As far as I'm concerned, I have every right and reason to hate her. To make her suffer and pay for all that she has done to me."

"But?" Cherry asked softly.

"I can't," Nightmare huffed. "Don't misunderstand. I was angry at her for it, and in some ways still am. But to actually hate her for it, to hold it against her personally... I just can't do it. More so after I've been stuck here with her and she has kept trying to be my 'friend.'"

There was a moment of silence, the two of them laying cuddled against each other in the dimly lit room.

"So you aren't going to tease her about Big Macintosh?" Cherry asked.

"Oh, be assured I'm going to tease her Cherry. I do enjoy giving her a hard time about matters and watching her reaction." Nightmare placed a hoof on Cherry's back, rubbing just below the shoulders. "I simply..." She stopped, raising her head. Her eyes narrowed as her ears perked up and shifted.

"What?" Cherry asked.

"I think I hear something."

Slipping out from Cherry's grip, Nightmare Moon rolled out of bed and flew toward the door. She landed as quietly as she could, making sure that there was absolutely no sound from her hooves against the floor. Taking a hold of the door, she pulled it open a crack and leaned forward. Her ear shifted as she pointed it at the slight gap, listening. She thought she heard voices. It almost sounded like...

With a grin, she turned and motioned toward Chocolate Cherry. Curious, Cherry slipped out of bed and moved across the room. She slid her hooves across the floor, trying to keep her own steps as quiet as possible as well. As she got closer, Nightmare opened the door a little further.

"I already told you," Twilight's voice could be heard saying. "There's nothing for you to worry about Big Macintosh. Spike is asleep downstairs and Nightmare Moon is over at Cherry's for the night. We pretty much have the place to ourselves."

Snickering, Nightmare Moon shut the door and turned to Cherry.

"Oh, this is deliciously wonderful," she whispered. "Here I thought they would be out all night, and it turns out they came here thinking we would be at your place instead." She shifted, grinning widely. "Oh, humorous fate, you have smiled down on me this night."

"Nightmare," Cherry said in a stern -- but quiet -- voice, "you're not planning on ruining their night together, are you?"

"No," Nightmare replied. "I have no interest in interfering in Twilight Sparkle's and Big Macintosh's night together." She leaned against the door, ear pressed against it. "I am, however, going to spy on them. Sneak to their room, listen for a little bit." She grinned wider. "Maybe even sneak a peek if I can."

"Nightmare no," Cherry hissed. "You can't do that."

"Sure I can. I just have to avoid being seen or heard by the pair. If I can hear them during the sex, then I can figure out when they are too caught up in their pleasure to notice the door opening."

"No," Cherry said as she pressed herself against the door. "I mean you shouldn't. It's wrong."

"You forget." Nightmare leaned in close and narrowed her eyes. "I'm a... naughty... girl." She gripped the door to open it, but found it blocked by Cherry.

"Nightmare, please. I'm asking you to let them have their privacy. Respect them and leave them alone for tonight. Especially because it's their first night together."

Chocolate Cherry was looking up at Nightmare. Her head was low and ears pinned back. A bit of her mane fell across her face as she looked up with wide, pleading eyes. Nightmare thought she saw the start of tears in them.

Letting her own body sag slightly, Nightmare Moon let out a sigh. She gave a nod as she moved away from the door and back toward the bed.

"Very well," Nightmare stated. "I will allow them to have a peaceful night uninterrupted or observed. By me at least." She tilted her head, looking at Cherry from the corner of her eye. "However, I shall still tease Twilight Sparkle in the morning. And Big Macintosh if I can manage it."

"Thank you," Cherry said as she followed.

Nightmare climbed onto the bed and stretched out, getting comfortable. As soon as Cherry joined her, she reached out with her front leg and wing. Pulling Cherry to her barrel, Nightmare held her firmly. After a quick nuzzle of the mane, she rested her head on top of Cherry's.

"You seem oddly passionate about the matter," Nightmare said. "Is it something I should know about?"

"Not really," Cherry said softly. "Besides, it's not really something I can explain. There's no one point where I just started getting sensitive about ponies having privacy. Least, not that I can think of."

"Hm," Nightmare replied. "Then perhaps we should get some sleep. I have much to do in the morning now."

"You're incorrigible," Cherry huffed, shaking her head.

"Now if that were true, you would not have been able to convince me to leave the new couple in peace." Reaching out with a wing, Nightmare Moon traced the tip of a feather across Cherry's flank to make her giggle and squirm.

Shifting against her, Cherry turned around and kissed the underside of Nightmare Moon's jaw. Cherry then nuzzled in close to Nightmare Moon's chest -- her warm breath ticking a patch of chest fur -- and closed her eyes.

"Have I told you before that you can be really nice when you want to?" Cherry asked.

"More than likely," Nightmare answered. "Just don't let it get out. If ponies learned that, they would stop fearing me so much."

"But if they knew," Cherry said softly, "then they would love you. Like I do." She gave Nightmare's chin another kiss before cuddling up closer.

Smiling gently, Nightmare shifted one wing and laid it over Cherry's form. She closed her eyes, feeling and listening to the gentle breathing of the mare cuddled up against her. It was calming, and comforting. Nightmare found it helping her fall asleep.

"I love you too," she whispered, giving the top of Cherry's head a gentle kiss before closing her eyes.