The warm glow of candle-light radiated out of every window in Ponyville, as the sun gently set beyond the horizon. All over, there was an air of calm and quiet, as the day was finally done, giving way for families to simply spend time with one another. Such was the case especially within the confines of the Golden Oak Library, as Twilight walked up the stairs to the upper level, and behind her, walking happily, was Spike. The young dragon bore a smile upon his face as he followed his Mother upwards, and she, in turn, smiled back to him. It wasn't long before they were at their destination, the door that led to the small drake's bedroom. Opening it, Twilight watched as her son entered, taking one last moment to look back to her.

"Goodnight, Mom."

Twilight chuckled briefly.

"Goodnight, Spike. Sleep well."

And with that, the door was closed, leaving Twilight waiting just a few moments to hear the sounds of her son making his way to his bed. When the sounds were heard, she sighed, turning right around and heading back downstairs. But, contrary to what one might have thought, this did not mean she was alone in this moment. For once she'd reached the ground floor, she looked forward to see her friend, Fluttershy, sitting quietly beside the central table of the library, smiling to her as she re-entered the room.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

Twilight nodded back.

"Yeah. Won't be long before he's sound asleep now."

The young unicorn too began to sit at the table, and looked over to Fluttershy with an appreciative expression.

"Thanks for coming over, Fluttershy. It's nice having a friend close by."

Fluttershy giggled slightly.

"It's no problem. Things have been so quiet around here lately that I've actually been looking to get out a few times."

Twilight considered that.

"Trust me, things being quiet is no problem here."

Fluttershy looked back, her smile fading a little.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I forgot."

But Twilight raised a hoof, stopping her.

"It's no problem. The Changeling attack was some time ago now. I'm over it."

Fluttershy nodded, accepting her friend's word over that. In the silence that followed, the pegasus took a small sip of the glass of water that was nearby, before glancing back to her colleague.

"By the way, how have things been during your meetings with the Ambassador lately?"

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, only to be stopped when, all of a sudden, there was a nearby sound, prompting both mares to turn towards the front door. There, they saw, to their surprise, that a letter was now sliding in from the underside of said door, leading to Twilight getting up from her chair.

"That's odd. Who delivers mail at this time of night?"

Fluttershy soon joined her, and together, they drew closer to the door. Lighting up her horn, Twilight levitated the letter close to her face, though she did not open it. Instead, she took on a look of curiosity, and stepped forward, opening the door and looking outside. There was nopony there, not close to the library or anywhere else in the nearby streets. Naturally, this caused her some confusion, and so she re-entered her home, closing the door behind her. For a time, she stared at the letter, uncertain of what to do with it. Then, again using magic, she opened it up, pulling out the paper that lay within. Opening it fully, her expression became one of both surprise and confusion, as she read the only words written there.

"Meet me tonight. You know where."

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow.

"Who's it from? Is there a name?"

Twilight shook her head.

"No, but...I know that writing."

She looked up from the letter, frowning slightly.

"...It's Trixie."

Naturally, Fluttershy was shocked by this, and took a slight step backwards.

"Trixie?! But...why's she writing to you?"

Twilight sighed.

"I don't know. But whatever it is...I think it might be important."

A brief moment of silence passed between them, and Fluttershy soon turned her attention to the letter.

"So...where does she want to meet you?"

Using her magic, Twilight flipped the paper over, allowing Fluttershy to see the side where the writing was. To the latter's confusion, there seemed to be a small leaf taped to the lower end of the letter, causing her to look back up to Twilight for clarification, which the unicorn soon gave.

"She wants to meet me...in the Everfree Forest."

Of course, words like that did not go over well with her pegasus friend, and she took a step closer to Twilight, speaking in a clearly concerned manner.

"You're not actually going, are you?!"

Twilight looked away briefly, giving Fluttershy an opening to continue.

"I don't want to sound paranoid, Twilight...but Trixie was spying on you and all of us for months! This could be a trap!"

Twilight nodded, looking back to her.

"Maybe...but she also saved my life."

Fluttershy paused at that, seeing the uncertainty in Twilight's expression as she carried on.

"I owe her, Fluttershy. I have to give her the benefit of the doubt."

The other mare was very clearly uncertain of what to do here, but, after a while of considering Twilight's words, she let out a long sigh.

"Alright...if that's what you want."

Twilight offered her a small but thankful smile.

"Thank you, Fluttershy."

Then, a thought came to her, and she turned her attention over to the stairs leading up to the bedrooms.

"I'm sorry to have to ask this of you, but..."

But this time, it was Twilight's turn to be halted, as Fluttershy, now returning the smile, spoke up.

"Don't worry. I'll look after him while you're gone."

Twilight nodded.

"Thanks."

She turned, only to stop when her friend spoke up again.

"Are you sure you want to go alone?"

Twilight looked back to her, shrugging her shoulders.

"I don't want to...but I think this is the only way she'll speak to me about...whatever it is she wants to speak to me about."

Though reluctant, Fluttershy nodded.

"Okay then. Good luck, Twilight."

Taking a breath, Twilight opened her door, closing it behind her as she exited the library. In the cold night air, she shivered slightly, before starting to look around. It wasn't long before she soon spotted the Everfree off in the distance, down a particular stretch of road, and she began to frown slightly upon seeing it, adjusting her glasses slightly.

"Okay, Trixie...lets hear what you have to say."