The two mares looked up in unison at the new arrival to the now-empty royal court, the slightly smaller unicorn’s eyes widening as she pulled away from her lover whose gaze remained impassive. Twilight stood and wiped the lingering drool from her muzzle with a whisk of magic before taking a few steps closer to Rarity, but stopped when she was shot a baleful glare. Oh, please don’t let Luna have seen that. “R-Rarity! It’s.... It’s been a while.... I... uhm....” The pale pony remained silent, her rage-filled eyes locked with Twilight’s. The byzantium mare looked away shamefully and turned to Nightmare. “L-Luna. Could I.... Could Rarity and I talk alone for a while? I know you said you wanted to watch the dress making, but....”

The queen could sense the worry in her mare’s voice, could feel her soul trembling through their bond, but the desire to speak privately was certainly sincere. She rose and passed slowly beside the two. “If that is what you wish. I shall be outside supervising the movement of my soldiers. You know how I can be reached should you require my presence.” She nodded at Twilight’s mouthed ‘thank-you’ and closed the doors behind her as she exited, pausing to glance at a flash of movement to the right of the door before turning and walking away.

Twilight looked from the door back to the room’s only other occupant, flinching at the raging eyes that bored into her mind. She moved to speak, but a quick slap of magic across her muzzle froze any attempt at speech she would have made. “You are a sick, twisted mare, Twilight. Is that really how you greet ponies now? Throat-deep on another pony’s member!? I am beyond furious, Twilight! I- I can’t understand how you would stoop so low! Is that why you brought me here!? So you could show me how adept you had become at pleasuring a stallion!? I cannot believe I thought that this excursion would be a good idea.”

“Rarity.... I-”

Another lash of magic brought Twilight to her haunches, too stunned by the prim mare’s hateful display to defend herself. “I came here, hoping I could talk some sense into you! Poor Spike has been beating himself up over everything for the past half a year and look at you! You sit at the hoof of that- That.... Bitch! You’re just a little sex-toy now, aren’t you? I don’t even know why I thought a murdering-” She stopped, her spiteful rant cut short by a wailing cry as Twilight broke down in front of her. The larger unicorn fell in a heap on the floor and wept, sending a pang of guilt into the white unicorn’s heart. Oh my.... I.... “Tw-Twilight. I-”

“I know! I can’t even tell you how much it hurt to have to send Spike away! Do you think... that I like watching my friends leave? Watching them hate me? Be disappointed that I’m not what they want?” She looked up at Rarity, her eyes glowing red causing the white mare to involuntarily step away. “It tears me to pieces whenever I think of the look on his face that night! But what was I supposed to do!? Let him be killed!? Stay with a pony that had just murdered another pony!? Put him in danger by being around the queen!?” The glow in her eyes abated as her swollen anger died down, dropping her back into depression until she once more slumped upon the cold floor. “No.... I couldn’t let that happen.... I didn’t want any of you to be hurt.... Even after you snapped at me for what happened to Brook... without letting me explain or anything.... You were still my friends....

“But you’re right. You wouldn’t want to be friends with a murdering whore. I shouldn’t have asked Moon to let you visit.” Twilight sucked in a lungful of air, forcing away her tears with practiced ease, and stood, facing away from the dumbstruck Rarity. “Please leave. The carriage will still be outside waiting. You can tell the others that I probably won’t ever see them again.” She breathed deeply again, a wry smile forming on her lips. “You know, this was one of the worst-case scenarios I had thought up during the week before today and, wouldn’t you know, I can’t remember anything I had planned to try and turn this around.”

Rarity stood stock-still, watching as Twilight coalesced magic upon her horn to teleport away, but was too stunned by the mare’s and her own outburst to do anything about it. Luckily, there was somebody else around to stop the scholar for her. “Twi! Wait! D-don’t go!”

Twilight’s magic fizzled as she halted her spell and spun around just in time to have a small reptilian body latch onto one of her forelegs and pound its tiny claws against it. “Sp-Spike!? What are you doing here!? You’re supposed to be in Ponyville!”

“I hate you, Twilight! I hate you so much!" Twilight, for all her ability with words, found herself speechless, babbling incoherently. "You left without a word and now you're going to l-leave again! I don't ever want to see you again!"

The darker unicorn's ears fell at the words, but despite the dragon's declaration, he held firmly onto her captured limb. "Spike...."

"I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" He looked up into her pained gaze and his mouth flapped uselessly as it tried in vain to spout out what his brain was trying to make it. "Why? Why did you have to leave? Why didn't you come back with us before? Is it something I did? I'll change, I promise! I'll do whatever you need! Just.... Come back.... Please."

Rarity held a hoof to her mouth, fighting off the welling feelings that had replaced her anger, and watched as Twilight swept the baby dragon off his feet and into an embrace. "Spike! I'm sorry I left, but it needed to happen. I-" She bit her lip, hesitating upon the explanation that had almost wormed its way out of her. "I would never have left if I had a choice. I know that it must have hurt so terribly, I was torn as well when I thought of never being able to see you again, but I couldn't do anything about it."

Tears flowed freely down the pony’s and dragon’s faces as they held tightly to each other. Spike, despite all his anger, didn’t loosen his grip on the mare he had just announced his hatred for. “Wh-why? You c-could have come back. The-” He pulled away and finally took in the sight before him, the once diminutive lavender unicorn now towering above him like a giant with a near-black coat. “Why are...? You look....”

Twilight breathed deeply, settling her emotions and taking a quick glance at Rarity, making sure the mare wasn’t going to leave or do anything anger driven. She looked at the last few minutes and mentally kicked herself for her reaction to the fashionista’s words. “It’s.... It’s one of the reasons I can’t leave, Spike, and why I don’t want to leave.” Spike tried to talk, but a soft pressing of a hoof to his lips preemptively silenced the words. “I understand that it hurts, Spike, but it can’t be changed. I understand if you hate me for it, but I do love you. I’ve raised you from the time that I hatched you and nothing can happen that could change that.”

“Can’t I stay here, then? Why can’t we live together!?” His anger was returning, but another hug from Twilight settled it back to a more manageable level.

“I would love for you to stay here, Spike, but it’s too dangerous. You’re just a baby and with everything that happens here.... The attacks, assassins, and... traitors.... I don’t want to risk you getting hurt, or worse.”

“I hate to interrupt, but this is hardly the only place that’s been attacked, Twilight. Ponyville was assailed not too long ago as well. I don’t think there’s any place that’s safe as of now.” Rarity walked over, placing a hoof on the dragon’s shoulder. “If anything, this would be the safest place. Why, I doubt that even an army of griffons could fully take this keep.”

“The queen lives here, Rarity. The griffon’s know this and, despite the heavy fortifications and our near monopoly of the available soldiers, they still find cracks in our armor.” She took a hesitant glance at her barrel, or, more specifically, the scar running across it, hoping that the motion wouldn’t be noticed.

Unfortunately, Rarity was a pony of detail, and saw the motion of the mare’s eyes, gasping quietly when she finally noticed the grotesque wound. Fortunately, she knew better than to bring the topic up in the presence of the child amongst them. “You never did tell us why you look differently.” Twilight looked up at her, her eyes pleading for a change in subject, or anything to avoid the conversation that would follow her statement. “I guess that’s not important now. And, dear, while I admire the look and how you didn’t send Spike away, I am still quite upset with you. Spike, could Twilight and I talk privately, please?”

“What!? No! I don’t want to leave! If I do, I’ll never get to see her again!” Moisture began to form in his eyes once more, but a soft embrace from his ‘sister’ eased his emotions.

“Don’t worry, Spike. I promise that I’ll talk to you some more before you and Rarity have to leave. I won’t ever just leave without saying anything to you ever again. Promise.”

“I-I don’t believe you!”

“Spike, darling.... I’ll be sure that it doesn’t happen, alright? I’ll make sure she holds to her promise. Besides, I’m ever so certain that she’d follow through with it even if I wasn’t here to make sure of it.” She nuzzled him softly and led him to the hallway.

“Spike, there should be a servant pony nearby. Have her escort you to the courtyard where Nightmare Moon is and find the filly that’s likely hanging around near her. I’m sure Moon Beam would love to have somebody to play with and it’ll help you pass the time while Rarity and I talk.”

He nodded and disappeared as the door shut behind him, helped by the pale blue glow of the diva’s magic. As soon as she was certain that the dragon whelp was well out of hearing distance, Rarity spun around and fixed her harsh gaze on Twilight once more. “I appreciate how you handled that, but you’re not telling us everything. Why do you look like that? Where did you get that ghastly scar? What happened a month ago?”

Twilight’s ears drooped and she hung her head, the bitter memories swirling about her thoughts as if they had happened only moments ago. “It’s complicated. Besides, why would you listen to me now when you wouldn’t when I tried to tell you the first time?” She instantly regretted the harsh tinge in her words, but it was too late to take it back now.

“You obviously didn’t send for me just to make a dress like the last time, so I assumed that that is what you would be wanting. I came to tell you about Spike and, seeing as he did it for me, your current state has left me somewhat curious.”

Twilight stood, and began to pace, her growing anxiety causing the poison from the scar to act up again. “You’re right, but we did want you to make a dress if you were willing.... I.... I don’t really know where to start....”

“Why don’t you start with why you murdered my best friend? That seems like it would be the best place to begin.”

Rarity’s cold words bit deeply, causing Twilight to flinch from their harshness, but she merely nodded and began her story. “Well, Silent Brook first came under Nightmare’s service back when she first returned from the moon. The night after she had stormed and took the Canterlot Palace, Brook pledged her and the other castle servants’ service to her. She worked her way to the highest position in Nightmare’s staff and eventually got close to me as well.

“Whenever Nightmare would punish me or just abuse me whenever it pleased her, Brook would be there to comfort me mere moments after Nightmare had left.” She placed a hoof to her chin, halting her pacing for a moment. “In hindsight, I probably should have noticed that, but I guess it doesn’t matter anymore. Well, one night after a particularly bad series of... punishments..., she came in and comforted me when I needed it most. It hurts to say it now, but I really fell for her then.” Her eyes fell to the floor as she recalled Brook’s method of ‘soothing’ her pain.

“If you liked her as a mare, then why would you do something so atrocious as killing her!? I don’t even know why I bothered-”

“Rarity! Please. Let me finish. You’ll possibly understand then.” She waited for the unicorn to nod before continuing. “After that, we met whenever we could. By then, the ‘lessons’ had grown fewer in number as I began helping Nightmare more and so she left me on my own more often than before. It gave us ample opportunities to see each other outside of the watchful gaze of the queen. We grew closer and I would express my thoughts and feeling to her and she would listen. She never talked about herself much and, despite that one moment where she had explained where we had met before, I never doubted her intentions.

“Then that night happened....” Her voice caught in her throat as the sweet memories turned sour. “That night.... The night ponies have branded as the Moonlit Massacre.... Nightmare Moon had gone off to fight, leaving me behind due to the magical inhibitor I had on. Silent Brook came not long after Nightmare had left and sat with me as I worried about all the death that would happen and about... other things.... She comforted me as we listened to the cries and sounds of battle outside, but when it was over....”

Twilight stared right into Rarity’s eyes, her gaze solemn, but hinting at residual anger. “After the battle ended, she got up to leave. I asked her where she was going and she told me that she was going to kill Nightmare and Moon Beam while they were weak. I pleaded with her, begged her, even tried to coerce her with the mention of our ‘love’ to get her to reconsider, but she didn’t care. She told me that she never loved me. She said she had always hated me, hated how I had displaced her from her spot near Princess Celestia, hated how I was so close to her. She told me that her special talent was espionage, manipulation, and that she was only getting close to me so she could learn what she needed about Nightmare. She told me that, as soon as she was done with the queen, she’d come back to kill me as well. She would have killed me!

“My emotions took over and assisted my magic in overloading the inhibitor ring and, when I teleported to save Nightmare Moon and Moon Beam, the magical burst knocked her away and impaled her with her own dagger. I could have saved her then, but I didn’t. She had hurt me far more than any of Nightmare’s physical beatings ever could and I stood over her, listening to her beg me to spare her and then curse me with her last breath. She was my pillar when I was hurt and her betrayal was the last crack to crumble my haven.”

“I-I find all of this hard to believe, Twilight.... She couldn’t be like that. She never got upset at anypony from when she lived in Ponyville.... She couldn’t want to kill anypony! It doesn’t make any sense. You have to be lying.” She was on the verge of tears, forcing her to believe what she was saying, but she knew from the way the unicorn in front of her had spoken that she was telling the truth.

“I’m sorry, Rarity. I wish I was lying. I never wanted it to happen, but like I told Spike, I didn’t have much of a choice at the time....”

“I-I’ll have to think this over, Twilight, before I can give you my honest feelings.... I am quite upset at the moment and I don’t want to judge you unfairly, but... I want to believe you.... You didn’t seem like a pony that would ruthlessly kill ponies like a barbarous villain when we first met, but she was my best friend....” She sighed and looked to the door, glad that she had sent Spike away. He shouldn’t have to hear this. It would crush him even more than when Twilight left. “Why don’t you tell me why you look so differently and why you have that scar now? Either one is fine.”

“Well, those both are kind of intertwined. It’s... a lot worse, though. Are you sure you want to hear?” A slight nod from the posh mare and Twilight drooped her head lower. “Well, I died.”

“What!? That’s impossible! You’re standing right here and I can tell that you’re very much alive!”

“It’s true. I am alive now, but I did die. It was a couple weeks ago, but I was watching Moon Beam play in the inner courtyard. Nightmare Moon had come out to check on us when one of the griffons' assassins chose to attack. He was moving too fast and I was too panicked to do anything but teleport in his way. When he swung his sword, it hit me in Nightmare’s stead and sent me flying with the blade buried in my chest. I didn’t survive. It was coated in wyvern’s venom, an extremely potent poison that could easily fell a fully grown dragon, so you can imagine how quickly that and the blood loss overtook me.”

“But.... How are you-?”

“Nightmare Moon brought me back. She used powerful magic to expel most of the venom from my blood and used her own soul to anchor mine back in my body after rescuing me from the astral plane. The magic, while potent, couldn’t fully heal me and left lasting effects on my body as you can very well see.”

“I... see.... Twilight, dear, you know that you could have come back with us then, right? Why ever did you decide to stay? From what we’ve seen of Nightmare Moon’s actions and what you’ve told me, wouldn’t it have been better? You had your magic then. You could have escaped.”

“Well, it was like I said at the time.... She and little Moonie were all I had left. I had been at her mercy for months without any hope of rescue, I was without magic for that time, and she was easing away from physical punishment. When Brook.... After that happened, Nightmare promised that I could stay with her, that she wouldn’t abandon me.” A warm smile spread across the scholarly unicorn’s muzzle. “Now, however, I have a... better reason to stay. I’m in love with Nightmare Moon.”

“That’s not a good reason at- What!?” Rarity stood, dumbfounded. “What? How- How could you be in love with her!? After everything that she’s done!?” She advanced on the mare, but Twilight held her ground. “This is a joke, right? What am I thinking? This can’t be a joke. Why would she be joking?”

“Of course it’s a joke, Rarity.” The white unicorn paused, once again blindsided by her companion. Twilight burst out laughing. “Oh, wow. I haven’t laughed like that in a while. I’m serious though. Nightmare and I are in love. She may not express it very well, but the feeling is mutual. The, uhm, act that you caught us in when you entered was mostly voluntary. Kind of a promise on my side, but I was definitely willing. Just, don’t tell anypony else about it, okay? I don’t mind you telling them about our relationship, but keep the ‘encounter’ between us.”

“Twilight, that doesn’t answer my question and it brings about a couple more. How are you in love with her? She’s a tyrant!”

Twilight sighed and glanced out one of the room’s windows, the stained glass and cloudy sky making it difficult to see anything other than vague outlines. “It’s hard to tell. I first realized how I felt when I, well, when I died. As I was crawling along the ground with the sword in me, my only thought was to be by Nightmare, make sure she was alright. When she saved me from death, I knew then that, even if she didn’t love me back, I would follow her to the end of the world. Luckily, she ended up returning my feelings. It hasn’t been perfect, but she’s changing. She’s trying to be a better mare, a better pony, for me and I wouldn’t change it for anything. I’m... kind of glad that most of the things that have happened, happened. I would never have met Nightmare. I would never have grown close to her.... I would never have met my special somepony.”

The pale fashionista bit her lip, then nodded before pulling Twilight into a light hug. “I.... I’m not sure what to say, darling, but.... I am sorry for everything that has happened. I do so wish that Silent Brook could still be here. She may have changed her mind....” Her eyes widened as a memory came to her. “Did Brook ever tell you her real name?” A shake of Twilight’s head was all she needed. A light chuckle escaped her lips. “Her name was Red Cedar. I remember back when her parents were around.... They named her that because of her color. She absolutely hated it. After her parents died and she got her Cutie Mark, she changed it to Silent Brook to help her repress the memories.”

Twilight looked at her curiously. Why would she hate that name? I think it’s- “Oh.... Oh! I get it. Red Cedar like the- Ohhhhhhh!” Twilight soon found herself forcing back her giggles. “I get it now. Hehe. I kind of feel bad for her. That’s a horrible name.”

They gradually climbed down from the short giggle-fest and sighed happily. “Twilight.... I’m glad we were able to talk like this. It was definitely a struggle after the Summer Solstice with you gone. You might not believe it, but you were the one that brought us together, darling. You really helped us get through that forest even if it wasn’t directly.” The somber mood ended as she stood up straight and looked around. “Now! You said we would be making a dress, yes? We can get that out of the way and then visit for a while longer. You promised Spike, after all.”

Twilight smiled and nodded before trotting casually towards the door. “That I did. Nightmare said she wanted to be there when the dress was made, so let’s go fetch her.” The pair trotted out the door as Twilight magicked it ajar, but paused when the taller mare turned around. “Oh, Rarity? Thank you. I’m sure you’re still upset, but... I’m glad we were at least able to move on. Friends?”

Rarity smiled and nodded, softly nuzzling Twilight’s shoulder. “Friends.”

The darkness of cloud cover was broken by the dim glow of the magical lights conjured by the unicorns and alicorn gathered in the outer courtyard of the obsidian castle. Twilight and Rarity walked close to each other in near silence, but not from discomfort or poor mood. Instead, they held their words in an effort to allow the children perched atop their backs to continue sleeping. They stopped before the same black carriage that Rarity had arrived in, minus the old chauffeurs and plus a pair of new bodies.

With the gentle glow of their magic, the unicorns swapped passengers, but not without Twilight planting a soft kiss on Spike's forehead. "Twilight, dear, you will come and visit him after all of this nonsensical violence is over, correct? I don't want to have to break his heart after his hopes had been renewed."

"Of course I will. Just, make sure he gets taken care of. I'm sure Apple Jack is a great big sister, but baby dragons can be a hoofful. It's a shame Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had to leave though. I hope they'll be okay."

"There is no need to worry, dear!! They'll be fine. They are big mares and, even if dear Fluttershy is, well, shy, she can most certainly handle herself. Who I'm worried about is you. Do be careful here, okay? From everything you've told me, it seems you are more at risk than the others." She looked worriedly at Twilight, but smiled slightly when the darker unicorn did the same. "And you, Nigh- Er, Queen Moon. Take care of Twilight. She may not be perfect, but she is a friend and cares deeply for you." Rarity sighed and hugged her friend. "Perhaps sometime soon I'll be able to move past the loss of Brook. She may have acted cruelly towards you, but she was still dear to me. It's not a wound that will heal with a single apology, after all."

"I apologize to you, Rarity. I will lift my ban on the Element Bearers due to your conduct tonight and, for Twilight's sake, I hope that the others may come to forgive her as well." Nightmare glanced at her lover and leaned into the embrace she was given. "Should you or your friends find yourselves yearning to visit, send a letter to the palace and I will arrange transportation."

Twilight grinned and nuzzled closer to the alicorn's cheek. "Thank you, Luna. Honestly, I’m surprised you weren’t angry at all when you found out about Spike. And kind of relieved that he wasn’t looking in the door when you entered, Rarity.” She blinked, a thought passing through her mind. “Now that I think about it, how were you able to tell it was me, uhm... there?”

“The servant mare told me that you two were in the throne room, of course. Plus, it is rather difficult to mistake you for another mare with a cutie mark as unique as yours. Even with your appearance so drastically altered.” She smiled softly before carefully levitating the sleeping dragon onto a seat in the carriage. “I daresay that I feel horrible for not noticing a hitchhiker in my luggage. I would have brought him along if he had merely insisted. It must have been so uncomfortable. Well, darling, I should be getting back to Ponyville. Do enjoy the dress. Or perhaps armor is the best word to describe it? Either way, take care of yourself and, perhaps later, you could tell me a bit about the filly? She is such a sweetheart.”

Twilight dipped her head and took a moment to admire the silver garb she was donning. The metal had been shaped into a bodice, covering her chest and barrel, before trailing over her flanks and almost to her ankles in resemblance of a skirt. From the bodice, sleeves covered her forelegs in their silver sheen. The collar had been flared somewhat, an addition that had been added with the assistance of Twilight’s magic, to resemble something akin to the cloaks of the mages of old. And, in an attempt to add to the beauty of the piece which, in Rarity’s words, had been rather bland, the white unicorn infused the piece with tendrils of rich gold and crimson in the shape of celestial objects, giving the garment a royal flair.

The magic-inclined unicorn grinned brightly, an action that was mirrored, albeit to a much lesser degree, by her lover. “It’s wonderful, Rarity. Thank you.”

“Not at all, dear. It was a welcome challenge, I’ve never worked with a metal ‘fabric’ before, and I do believe I pulled it off most excellently.” The mares attached to the coach gave a pair of impatient whinnies, urging the trio to hurry so that they may continue their regular duties. “It seems that I am wasting time. Ta-ta, Twilight. Queen Moon. Take care.”

Twilight waved as the carriage gradually took off into the night with her renewed friend in tow, then turned to the mare still at her side. “You know, Luna. This may not have started out well, but it all ended on a happy note. I appreciate you allowing me the chance to talk to her after what happened before." She grinned mischievously, gingerly massaging Nightmare's abdomen. "You know, we were interrupted back then. If you’re feeling up to it, I may be so inclined as to finish what we started.”

Twilight giggled at Nightmare’s body’s eager response, betraying the unyielding passivity of her ever-present coolness. “The flowers in the courtyard garden have been wilting recently. They are certainly due for some fertilization.”

Twilight blinked, momentarily confused. Did.... Did she just make a pun? Her smile returned in earnest as she followed her black queen back into the imposing construct that was their home and towards the activities awaiting them just inside.

Author's Notes:

Author’s Notes: Yeah, how’d you like them apples? Ain’t I just evil. That’ll learn ya ta not put ideas into my mind at the end of chapters *insert mad cackling here*. Anyhoof, another chapter that took way too long, but, like Jeky-poo said in the comments earlier, after this chapter will be a sweet, delicious surprise that I’m sure you’ll all enjoy. Props go out to Jekyll for his help with a few things, such as Brook’s real name (which neither he nor I will explain. If you don’t get it, then too bad! *more mad cackling*). Anyhoof, expecting something fun in the near future. Peppy out~!

A bit late, but EDIT: Nightmare is never, and I mean NEVER, going to go back to being Luna. Ever. The only reason Twi calls her Luna is a sign of endearment. It's to bring them closer together in a way that no other pony would be allowed and to help Nightmare remember that, even if her name is Nightmare Moon, she doesn't have to be the nightmare from the moon.

Editor’s Notes: Peppy! Why do you write sooooo slow and then spring three thousand words on me out of nowhere?! I’m totally serious guys, this son-of-a-bee-sting (said in the voice of a five year old child) can write when the mood strikes him. *Sigh* But even more seriously, special stuff coming up and, big announcement that everyone who read my comment should already know, after the super special duper secret (that doesn’t even make sense) surprizey thing that I can’t talk about comes out, Peps is going back to Necro Domina, WOO!