The sky continued to pour its contents upon the weary soldiers as Twilight meticulously monitored the loading of supplies into a canvass-topped black wagon. Beside her levitated a quill and parchment, both enchanted with heavy waterproofing spells, which she scribbled on as each piece of luggage was added. Not even her enhanced night vision could easily pierce the dismal darkness the overcast skies caused, but nothing that she didn't order made it past her scrutinizing gaze and into the wagon, not even the carefully disguised filly hiding beneath a quivering white blanket.

The queen's consort suppressed an aggravated sigh and stopped the bulky stallions carrying the stowaway cargo with a hoof before pulling the soaked, sheer blanket away to reveal the quivering mass of red and yellow. Twilight carefully levitated Cherry to her side and dried her with a quick burst of magic, much to the girl's surprise. "Tart, you shouldn't be out here. You'll catch a cold...." She kept the filly encompassed in her protective magic, but set the slowly warming foal on her hooves. "Why did you try to sneak aboard?"

"'Cause I wanna go with Moonie.... Miss Cloudy says I can't go with her, so I don't know what to do...." She hung her head in shame, trying to hide the fearful tears that were stubbornly fighting their way down her cheeks. "I don't want to stay here alone. It's scary.... Can I please go with you and Moonie? P-please? I promise I'll be good!"

Twilight cringed, hating what she had to do, but shook her head. "I'm sorry, Tart, but we can't let you come. There's no way for us to be certain that the griffons won't attack and none of us want you to get hurt. I know the castle can be intimidating and lonely, but you'll always have the staff to play with. Plus, Queen Moon will be here to make sure you're safe as well." She gave the girl a grim smile and stroked her mane soothingly when she clung to her leg, pleading, but her mind was set. "I really am sorry, Cherry. I wouldn't even be taking Moonie with me if I didn't need to...."

She took a deep breath, and carefully pried the sobbing cherry filly from her leg and levitated her to rest on her back, before turning to the group of pegasi that had been assisting her. "I'll be back in a moment. Keep loading the wagon. I expect it to be finished and sealed by the time I return." The soldiers saluted and returned to their task, giving the unicorn her opportunity to deal with the new burden.

The walk through the castle halls was long and dreary with the compounding gloom of the storm melding with the staff's almost palpable unease, but Twilight eventually arrived at the doors to the queen's chambers with an exhausted Cherry Tart napping on her back. The massive black doors opened to her will and she stepped through the threshold and into the warmth of the magically heated room, much to the surprise of the two occupants. She smiled at them and joined the pair at the room's solitary desk.

"I was not expecting you to return so soon. Are the preparations completed already?" Nightmare leaned in and nuzzled her soaked companion, then resumed her writing. "And why are you wet? You need not subject yourself to the cold like that."

"Hi, Mommy Twilight! Are we going now? I can't wait to see the dragons! They'll be all roar! And I'll play with them and we'll have so much fun!"

Twilight chuckled at her adopted daughter's antic and returned the excited hug the filly forced upon her, but shook her head. "Not yet, Moonie. We still have a few more things to prepare, but we'll be ready soon." A quick kiss was planted on the tiny unicorn's forehead, and then the lunar companion returned her attention to her lover. "I didn't think it was fair to stay dry while they toiled away in the weather..., but I actually came to ask if you could watch Tart until we leave. I caught her trying to sneak into the wagon...."

Nightmare eyed the dozing filly curiously, and then nodded as her black magic enveloped the earth pony and set her between a pair of plush pillows on their shared bed. "Of course. With Commander Horizons gone, it will be difficult to keep her entertained, but I will make sure to keep an eye on her."

"Aww, Cherry can't come? But I want her to see the dragons too!"

Twilight patted the moon filly's head and smiled down at her. "I'll make sure to take you both out to see the dragon migration next year, okay? I hear that there will be hundreds of dragons, so many more than we'll get to see on our journey." Moon Beam's eyes lit up with glee as she forgot all about her qualms with leaving her best friend at the castle.

Both mares half-listened to her excited banter as they focused their attention back upon each other. "You should return to your supervisions, love. They may be the commander's highest recommended soldiers, but I still do not entirely trust their competency. I yearn for the times when I had the power to construct golems to serve me, so I could ensure your safety, but recent and ancient events have left me stripped of much of my power.... Temporarily and permanently."

Twilight's lips curled into a loving smile as her royal mate's worry tugged at her own feelings. A quick, sensuous kiss, however, was all it took to help alleviate the elder mare's trepidation. "I'll be fine, Luna. I promise, but this isn't goodbye, yet. I'll be back before we leave...." She punctuated her words with a swish of her tail and another, longer kiss, surprising the alicorn with her forwardness. "We should be ready in an hour if things keep going as they have been. You'll be here waiting for me, right?"

"Of course, Twilight. I shall call the minotaur girl to foalsit when the time comes."

The unicorn nodded, stopped the hyperactive the filly to give her a quick hug, and left the queen to her thoughts and duties. When the door shut, and she was once more left in the relative solitude of the vast chamber, Nightmare replaced her quill upon the length of parchment she had been scribing.

...formally request the aid and continued alliance of the dragons of the Drakenrange under rule of Her Highness, Queen Onyxia of the Silverscale flight.

I, Queen Nightmare Moon of Equestria, find my nation in dire need of a mighty ally such as You and Your kin. I send my life mate and ambassador with my permission, and the authority, to grant any boon that You might feel necessary to demand along with proof of our mutual enemy's, the griffons of Griffonia's, treachery and disregard of your mutual treaty. Should You find the arrangements to Your satisfaction and agree to assist us in our ongoing struggle against Griffonia, then I ask that You sign Your name upon this binding contract.

HRH, Queen Nightmare Moon

_______________________________

The alicorn leaned back and loosed a heavy sigh, just as a pair of tiny hooves pushed on her for attention. She grimaced, looking down at the small mountain of crushed paper that had suffered tears and missed markings from a similar assault, and promptly added the newest attempt to the parchment grave mound. "Yes, Moon Beam?"

"Hey, Mommy? Can me and Cherry go chase the funny fuzzy leg lady? We promise we'll stay inside!" The pair stared up at the impassive regent, their eyes wide and pleading as they poured the full force of their manipulative levels of adorableness into their efforts.

Nightmare sighed again, and nodded, sending them off with a dismissive wave of her hoof. Maybe I will be capable of finishing the contract with them out of my mane....

The miniature duo cheered and, with the magical assistance of the country's ruler to open the heavy door, dashed off into the castle's vast hallways in search of their unsuspecting prey. The immediate vicinity of the children, and many of the surrounding areas, was filled with their gleeful laughter as they tore past housekeepers, guards, and minotaurs. Neither of them had any clue as to where their target was, but neither of them cared as they searched, allowing their previous worries to fly away in the draft of their sprint.

A final scritch and the shuffle of paper being rolled marked the end of Twilight’s list of tasks to be completed before she could depart and, with a sigh, the unicorn stuffed the scroll into her saddlebag and waved off the final soldier when he deposited his crate in its proper place. She turned to the gathered ponies and gave them the best smile she could, despite the torrential rain. “We’ll meet back out here in an hour. Gather any gear you want to bring, but pack lightly. This will be a long journey, and I’m certain you wouldn’t want to haul it across Equestria and over the mountainous Drakenrange.”

She looked out across the gathered mares and stallions and sighed. “If you have any loved ones here, or if you’ve made any friends, I suggest you say your farewells, too.... I don’t think the dragons will openly attack with me leading you, but we can’t be certain we won’t attract the attention of the griffons or Royal Guard remnants.”

The fifty soldiers saluted her in near-unison as their new commander turned and left, slogging through the swampy mud as if she was just another private. Even though it hadn’t passed midday, the unicorn was exhausted already, but nothing could dampen her spirits as she retraced her steps back through the castle and to the expansive bath set aside for her small family. She would be gone for two months, assuming everything went according to plan, having to track through miles of condensed storm clouds, was required to trek across the arid, near-lifeless expanse that the dragons called home, and may not even return, but at least she would have this last encounter with her lover before she went.

Nothing will take that away from me. She smiled her fatigue away, ignoring the mud caking her hooves and end of her tail, and, much to her surprise, stepped through the bathroom's archway to find her midnight black queen ready and waiting for her. “Luna, I thought you would be waiting in the room? I wanted to take a bath before we-“

Her words were cut short as Nightmare Moon closed the distance between them and pulled her into a tight embrace, ignoring the mud that transferred onto her coat. Twilight gasped, surprised by the sudden contact, but sighed happily as she relaxed into her mate’s warm embrace. “I suppose I don’t mind….” She smiled, snuggled closer, and rubbed her wet face into Nightmare’s coat. “How did you know where I was going to be, though? I’m pretty sure that I can’t read your mind through our bond….”

“I am in tune with all subjects under my moon, Twilight, and can feel their position through my connection with it. It is limited in its functions. As such, I cannot feel the average creature’s intent and I have difficulty sensing a single creature in a crowd of many, but you, and Moon Beam, are special.” She pressed her lips to Twilight’s and kissed her deeply, intertwining their tongues in a desperate struggle of passion. As they pulled apart, the alicorn continued to hold the younger mare close as she carefully levitated them into the comforting warmth of the clean bath.

Twilight could feel her heart thumping heavily in her chest in almost perfect tandem with Nightmare’s and nuzzled under the queen’s chin, tracing soft kisses along her neck. She pulled away, breathing huskily, and stared into the deep, turquoise irises before her. “I’m going to miss you so much…. You won’t find another mare to replace me while I’m gone, will you?” Her gaze turned glum as she watched her mate’s response, but held the slightest hint of mischievousness.

The alicorn’s warm smile slipped into a frown at the question, and she hugged her partner closer. “Why would you think that? Have I not shown how much I love you? You already know I do not wish for a companion other than you….”

“I know. I’ve just read so many stories where two lovers drift apart due to war and the hero comes home to find another pony in their place.” A soft sigh, tinged with an expertly repressed giggle that escaped the unicorn’s lips before she trapped Nightmare’s against them. “I know you’ll never leave me.” Twilight slid up Nightmare’s body and gave the black mare’s horn a long, sensuous lick, tracing each groove of the appendage’s fluting with her tongue, and ended it with a quick peck at the tip.

The alicorn shuddered beneath her, and peppered her chest with kisses, each brush of her lips tickling Twilight’s dark, wet coat. She was rewarded with another stroke from the hot, moist muscle, but instead of drawing to the tip, Twilight stopped midway and wrapped her lips around the center. With the horn between her teeth, she slowly dragged her teeth down the length, taking great care not to bite the alicorn appendage too hard, and pulled away when electricity sparked through her mouth and slightly numbed her lips. She gasped, smacking her lips together, but grinned at her quivering mate as soon as she regained feeling in them. “Luna…. Could we use the spell tonight? I know it’ll be harder to walk, but I want to feel you for as long as I can after I leave….”

“If that is what you want, My Princess, then I will provide. I am strangely fond of the spell myself, even if I detest the enchantment’s origin.” She locked their muzzles together and cast Twilight’s spell with ease, the familiarity of having it used on her so many times before causing it to be engraved into her memory.

Twilight giggled into the kiss in excitement as Nightmare’s new shaft slid up between her breasts, teasing the sensitive mounds, and along her stomach as the mare’s arousal was duplicated in it. “So you can learn magic from having it cast on you?” She smiled as she stared down at the thick, black member crushed between their bodies and gyrated her crotch against it. “Well, it does make sense. Learning magic is as simple as having the capacity to cast the spell and figuring out the aether pattern used to give it form. You’re obviously powerful enough to use it and there’s no better way to memorize a matrix than by having it fill your body….”

She pushed away from the alicorn and laid herself out along the edge of the tub with her hind legs splayed up in the air. “Please, Luna. Fill me…. Make me remember this night forever.”

Nightmare smiled and laid atop her mare and, with one swift push, shoved her entire length into Twilight’s anxious depths. Twilight’s mouth opened in silent orgasm as her marehood was pried open to its limit and stretched to amazing lengths as her walls clenched down upon the intruding member, all while the mare in charge watched with unbridled pleasure. She kissed the climaxing unicorn, dominating both of the mare’s lips, and pulled her powerful hips back for another thrust. Her intimidating size slid from Twilight’s tunnel, leaving her to desperately squeeze as she was deprived of the heavenly sensation of being spread, only for it to slam back up against her cervix the moment the alicorn’s swollen head felt the first trace of hot water.

Twilight’s flanks rippled under the water each time Nightmare’s hips met hers and she felt as if she was being ground into a puddle of pony paste, but, despite the shocking pain, she reveled in the ecstasy that overpowered it. She felt herself being pushed up out of the water, inch by inch, with each wet slap, despite the weight of the alicorn above her, and shivered in the chilling air despite their growing and intermingling body heat. She could already feel Nightmare beginning to lose focus and her timed, fluid thrusts become erratic as she drew nearer to her own orgasm, but despite her instinctive need to feel the alicorn erupt inside of her and the growing ache in her haunches, she carefully pushed the queen off of herself with trembling hooves.

“Mmm, no…. It’s too soon. We still have plenty of time left.”

Nightmare smiled, pushing her frustration away with ease, and leaned back as Twilight repositioned herself, the mare’s movements teasingly slow. Her member throbbed at the sight of her lover’s backside, of the supple curves accentuated by the soaked tail draped across a cheek as it was held out of the way, and the swollen, winking treasure that lay bare before her. She ached to remount her quivering mate and plunge back into her anxious marehood, but she knew she was too close and that Twilight was right, even if her ability to tell time was skewed by the endless night and windowless room. So she waited, opting to tease the unicorn in her own, more physical way.

She focused on the base of Twilight’s tail, recalling what her efforts a few nights prior had determined, and nipped the flesh just before her silky hair. Twilight gasped, raising her bottom and tail higher, but made no effort to resist, and instead seemed to melt into the gentle gnawing of teeth on dock.

Hot breath teased across the delicate folds displayed before the monarch as she paused in her tail tugging to admire the results of her work. Flashes of bright pink peeked out from between dark purple lips in the mare’s instinctive attempt to urge Nightmare back inside of her. Twilight’s heady musk filled her nostrils, intoxicating her with the sheer strength of her arousal, but each ‘breath’ the alicorn inhaled carried the slightest trace of something else as well, something alien to the familiarity of her lifemate, yet strangely familiar to the long-lived queen. Something... magical.... Powerful.... She buried her muzzle in Twilight’s nethers, taking great whiffs of the wet, burning desire as her tongue danced inside the mare.

Twilight cooed softly, carefully trying to restrain her own mounting pleasure, but the millennia-old mare’s experience was proving too much for her once again. Her horn lit, enveloping Nightmare in the pitch-black aura of her magic, and lifted the surprised alicorn back up to mount her again. The weight of her mate settled back onto her the second her levitation ceased and she squealed in delight as the thick, black marehood throbbed against her stomach and teats. She turned her head just slightly and glanced sidelong into the deep, turquoise pools behind her.

Nightmare needed neither words, nor the unbreakable bond between her and her unicorn to understand the thoughts that smoldering gaze had conveyed and, following the unspoken invitation, slid her hips back and plunged herself to the hilt inside Twilight with a noisome squelch. Both mares moaned into bath chamber’s emptiness, the cries of pleasure rebounding off the obsidian walls only to be replaced by heavier, more feverish squeals and grunts as Nightmare just pushed harder against Twilight’s cervix as if she were attempting to drive herself deeper.

Twilight clenched around her member, squeezing it in a vice grip and covering the queen’s thighs with powerful gushes of mare come, and screamed into the night, calling out her lover’s name in the throes of her orgasm.

A grin spread across Nightmare’s lips as she relented in her pressing, immediately switching to fierce, steady thrusts. Twilight’s mouth opened in a long, silent moan, her voice and thoughts shut out as the alicorn’s head flared and pumped her womb full of hot seed. Each buck pushed more come into the unicorn’s depths, filling her sex until it take no more and then sending her beyond her assumed limitations until Nightmare’s orgasm finally subsided.

The alicorn collapsed on top of her mate, spent both physically and sexually, and calmly whispered into the quivering mare’s ear. “You will be fine, my princess. Though I welcome the chance to take you, I do not want you to think as if you will not be returning from your mission. You have the blessing of my moon, an envoy of soldiers trained to fall on your enemies’ swords in your defense, and our own child whose power rivals our own.” She nibbled on the tip of Twilight’s ear, surprising the mare with the playfulness of the chuckle that followed a contented moan. “You will return to me, with or without the dragons’ assistance, and together we shall march on Griffonia and crush the foals that stand in our path until peace reigns across Equestria once again.”

A small, bright smile spread across Twilight’s muzzle, catching the salty tears that streamed down her face as she basked in the warm afterglow of her orgasm. She sniffled, carefully adjusting herself under the weight of her mate, and brought herself muzzle to muzzle with the alicorn and finished the move with a long, passionate kiss. “You’ve changed so much…. We’ll come back, Moonie and I. We’ll come back…. I promise.”

Nightmare nodded, stroking the length of Twilight’s neck with a gentle hoof, and kissed the mare just above her horn. “I know you will…. I can smell the power within you.” She smiled, nuzzling the unicorn’s neck, and carefully lifted herself off Twilight’s delicate form. “Let me wash you and prepare your body for the journey…. You still have some time before the soldiers expect your return.”

“I don’t want to be late…. It’ll set a poor example…, even if I don’t want to leave….”

“Please…. Allow me this moment of… weakness.” Nightmare sighed sadly, the frustration of months of ruling finally playing role in her demeanor. “I do not have much to look forward to, love…. The end of a war is a trivial matter to a being as long-lived as I am…, as experienced in such events as I….”

Twilight stared into the curiously forlorn eyes of her mistress and nodded, content to lie across the bath’s edge in her queen’s embrace. Her own smile reformed, curling up from the same the melancholy that had gripped her lover. “You have an eternity to look forward to my love…. Even if I do not live as long as you, my heart and soul will always remain yours….” Byzantium met black as Twilight pressed their lips together in a final, tender embrace. Their eyes met, glistening in the pale blue light of the bathroom's torches, conveying everything that needed not be said.

The small caravan moved with little difficulty across the soggy, muddy ground of New Mareland’s desolate outskirts even with the torrential rain slowing the progress more than the dark leader had anticipated. With a sigh, the royal unicorn slowed her steady gait to fall back beside her minotaur caretaker, taking care not to bump into one of her surrounding guards, and nudged the girl out of her conversation with her filly cargo. “You doing okay, Tyra? Moonie isn’t giving you any trouble, is she?”

The navy foal puffed her cheeks in a pout and shook her head in vigorous denial. “I’m being a good filly! Ain’t that right, lady?!” She turned her wide, wavering eyes up to the young minotaur, assaulting her with the full force of her bewitching gaze.

Tyra stuttered, dumbstruck by just how cute the filly could be, and just nodded in response, much to the enjoyment of her mare companion. “You’re going to have to learn how to ignore that stare if you ever want to not be taken advantage of.” Twilight chuckled as she levitated the raincoated foal onto her back and almost stumbled as the weight offset her already strained hind legs. “Trust me, I’ve faced its full power before.”

Moon Beam beamed innocently from her perch and snuggled closer to Twilight’s neck and the warmth the heavily coated unicorn’s body promised, giving Tyra time to recover. The minotaur giggled and scritched between the filly’s ears. “She hasn’t been any trouble, honestly.” Tyra returned Moon Beam’s grin even as the foal loosed a deep yawn. She cast a worried glance at the dark unicorn. “I’m... slightly more worried about you, Lady Sparkle. Are you tired? Do you need me to carry you both for a while?”

“Please, Twilight is fine. I, uhm..., got enough of that Lady Sparkle stuff growing up under Celestia and besides.... Friends don’t need titles to talk to each other.” She smiled brightly up at the much taller girl, easing Tyra’s discomfort, before looking back ahead to watch her footing. “Any particular reason you asked, though?”

“Well, you still have the blister and you’ve been stumbling and walking awkwardly since we set out. I was just worried that you would be-”

“Mommy Moon gave Mommy Twilight a good-bye present! It was prolly really heavy, right Mommy?”

The minotaur blushed, fully aware of what the two mares had likely done, and Twilight just nodded with practiced feigned innocence. “That’s right, Moonie. It wasn’t really heavy, though.... I guess magical would be the word for it.” She smiled and looked up into the stormy sky above, ignoring the rain as it pattered against her face. In the end, one round hadn’t been enough for either of us.... It’s kind of scary how quickly cuddling can lead back into sex, but I won’t be forgetting it for a long time. She paused in her march just long enough for her companion to step ahead of her before snapping out of her reverie and catching up. “Oh, Tyra. There’s something I wanted to talk to you about before we get to Ponyville.”

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Twilight?”

“I know Nightmare Moon talked to you... about protecting me, but I don’t want you to put yourself at risk, okay? I don’t want you getting hurt to protect me.” She kept her head forward as she walked, maintaining a steady focus on the dismal road in front of them even as the minotaur gaped open-mouthed at her. “Just don’t. This is something that we all have to do, but I don't want anybody dying needlessly. I just wish the soldiers weren't so scared of Nightmare that they'd listen to me, too...."

Tyra watched as the unicorn scanned the surrounding ponies with a hint of unease peeking through her mask of worry. She placed a hand on the mare's shoulder, taking care not to jostle the navy filly slipping into a mini coma, and gave her the largest smile she could muster. "I'll avoid jumping in front of any swords for you, if it'll make you feel better." She chuckled lightly and looked forward, missing the fleeting stricken look that flashed across the unicorn's face, and joined her companion in watching the marching warriors. "So, aside from that, what else it eating at you? You've been watching them all for quite a while now."

"It's... nothing. Just keeping an eye out for trouble."

Tyra nodded, but kept her focus on the ponies Twilight was watching. With a sweeping glance, she noted that all of them save for one were stallions, but couldn't make out any reason for the mare's obvious unease. She sighed. Well, she'll tell me when she's ready. For now, though.... "So, tell me about Ponyville. I've never heard of it from the Valtauran historical archives and never having been to Equestria kinda puts me at a bit of a disadvantage."

"Huh? Oh! Well, I don't even know too much about it. I've only been there once, but it's pretty new! Only about two generations old, in fact!" Twilight beamed as she fell into a familiar mindset, the one she had gotten used to under the strict learning guidelines of Celestia's private tutoring. She couldn't help but to feel giddy at her chance to regale her friend with all of her knowledge of Ponyville's history. It's time to talk class!

Author's Notes:

Author’s Notes: Woohoo! Finally done and, as somewhat of a bonus, this one has sex too! Weeeeee~ Everybody loves sex! You get sex, you get sex, and you get sex! Everybody gets sex! Well, enough of my channeling of my inner Oprah. I figured you guys should knows some fanciness that’s going to happen in upcoming chapters. The focus is really switching now and is going to be pinned entirely on Twilight for her journey to the Draken Range. Yup! That means you won’t have any clue about what’s going on in the rest of Equestria for quite a while! Ohohoho, I can already feel the hate burning!

Also, the chapters are going to be in two formats for the journey as well. Twilight will be keeping a journal which will be my way of conveying the little stuff, the not-so-important-but-kinda-fun stuff. The important plot-centric things will be done in regular so you’ll get the full effect of them (and boy will some of that be crazy). So, keep your eyes peeled for the juicy stuff!

Peppy out~!

P.S. Title Pending. I'll update that later.