What Princesses Need
Part 15: Quiet Time

Twilight Sparkle sat in the royal library, resting and reading quietly. It had been a day since the group therapy session. She’d decided to stay in Canterlot for a time, if only out of morbid interest for what was happening. She’d quickly written home to Spike and the others, letting them know she was okay. Seated at a study table in the middle of a sea of study tables, she glanced about. Not many ponies around at this hour. She’d seen the librarian on her way in, and had visited the pony psychology section.

In front of her sat Basic Psychology: The Ego, The Super Ego, and The Id. It was a beginner’s book, but Psychology was a fledgling science so Twilight had never really read into it. Apparently, a pony’s mind was divided into three portions: The Ego, the Super Ego, and the Id. Twilight was delighted to find that the entire idea was explained in a very simplified way: an analogy.

A pony’s mind could be compared to three stallions standing on a street corner that see a beautiful mare walk by, winking at them. The Id would say “I want!”, and go after the mare to seduce her with all virile instincts in the forefront. The stallion called Super Ego would say “no you can’t have” and stops Id. Super Ego would represent one’s conscious and knowing right from wrong. The “parent” of one’s mind. Ego, being the wisest of the three stallions, says “I have an idea!” and mediates between the two.

Twilight leaned back, thinking hard. Nightmare Moon was obviously Luna’s Id. I want I want I want, with little regard for how it might hurt others. Luna, the Luna she knew from Nightmare Night, was probably either the Super Ego or the Ego. Perhaps a mix of the two. The purple mare pondered over Luna’s fragmented mind, turning a few pages.

“Twilight Sparkle.” A voice floated over her head, lowered to a whisper for the library’s sake.

Twilight startled, looking up with a little yipping sound. Luna stood before her, wings lazily open to display their full span. “Please.” Luna backed up a step so Twilight wouldn’t bolt. “Retreat not. We mean thee no harm.”

“Y… yes?” Twilight asked politely.

“We… we uhm…” Luna seemed to struggle for a few moments. “We are sorry.” She said, blurting, hanging her head. “Sorry for everything.”

“You’ve already apologized several times.” Twilight said slowly, not sure the point of this new approach. She flicked her eyes around. The therapist was nowhere in sight.

“True, yes, but…” Luna trailed off a bit, cocking her head and looking at Twilight sideways. “Only when coaxed. Tiz not fair to thee. We come without our therapist’s aide to say sorry.” She confessed warily, studying Twilight’s reaction. “We should be able to do it thus, without a doctor poking our royal hiney.”

Twilight chuckled a little before she could stop herself. Hehe, Luna had said hiney. “Well, thank you.” She said softly, smiling just a little. “It’s big of you, Luna. Just like Deep Psyche said.”

“We would make peace with thee, Twilight Sparkle, but we know not how.” Luna said a little eagerly, taking a step forward but no more. “Though the Nightmare is a different part of me, it is still me, so I am to blame.” She kept looking anywhere but Twilight. This was very hard for the night time Princess, and she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to be saying, only that she should be saying it. Now and then her gaze would flick to the purple mare’s face to study her reaction, but not much more than that. “We merely wanted a sleepover, and then… all of this.” She gestured vaguely.

Twilight’s eyes flicked down at her book. Nightmare Moon was Luna’s Id, that was easy enough to see. “Princess.” The purple mare ventured. “Can I ask you something?” she gingerly flipped the book closed, title face-down so Luna wouldn’t see it.

“Of course, anything Twilight!” Luna would cooperate with anything she had to say.

“That night when the Lunar Stallions kidnapped me the first time and I stayed in your bed,” Twilight tried to word it carefully. “Were you thinking about… me? I mean, you and me?” There really wasn’t a gentle way to put it.

Luna cast her gaze silently to one side. She’d teased Twilight with molestation before blowing a raspberry on her belly, true—but in her heart of hearts ohhhh. The very sight of Twilight Sparkle tied up and made to be her love slave had stirred her loins and the fires of her heart. The dark alicorn sighed guiltily, and nodded, “Twas lust, Twilight Sparkle. I shan’t lie, thou embodies many of the things we find attractive.” She sat on her haunches, pink in her cheeks. “Knowledge, beauty, magic… many things. And after we befriended thee on Nightmare Night it twas difficult to push thee from our thoughts.”

Twilight felt a touch of flattery rise in her chest, but tried to press it back. She also noticed another ‘I’ in Luna’s speaking. Deep Psyche, the therapist, always praised Luna for using ‘I’ when she spoke. “You said I.” she said quietly. “Good job.” She gave a small, coy smile when Luna blushed deeper. There was a thick tension between the two mares, but after the rough group therapy they could at least hold a civil conversation, it seemed.

“Can… can thou ever forgive us, Twilight Sparkle?” Luna suddenly braved, looking into her eyes.

They stared at each other for a long time. Twilight looked at Luna, unsure of what to say. It was so much more complex than yes or no. Her mind was split into at least two pieces. Both liked her. One had nearly raped her, the other wouldn’t hurt a fly. The purple unicorn was understandably torn. She sighed a little. “It’s… it’s more complicated than that, Luna.” She whispered. Turning out of her chair and coming around the table, she looked about for a few moments. Nopony around. She lifted one of her back legs, showing Luna the two little fang marks Nightmare Moon had left on her.

Luna gasped, lifting a hoof to her mouth and startling back a few steps. “We hath mauled thee!” she said, aghast. She turned quickly. “We shalt call the proper medical team, wait here Twilight!” she made to rush away, but a sudden lavender aura snared Luna’s tail and stopped her.

“No, don’t.” Twilight said in a small voice. “It’s too embarrassing.”

“Neigh! Thou has been marked by a predator’s touch and should be purified!” Luna said, mewling a bit. She winced at referring to herself as a predator. Poor choice of words.

Twilight noticed her silent chastising. “It’s alright,” the purple mare soothed a little. “I just… I’ll have it looked at on my own time.” She said, smiling a little. The unicorn looked up at the Princess of the night, smiling a little painfully. She’d shown Luna her privates. Already her coat was flushing dark. “Sorry Luna…” the look on her face was that of guilt.

Luna’s face turned fearful. Twilight had done that on purpose! To bring out Nightmare Moo-rrrgle?! Her pupils elongated and her legs turned long and spindly. Her neck extended and the glamour spell that showed Nightmare Moon in Luna’s skin took over. “Mhh, thou teases us, Twilight Sparkle.” She purred, cracking her neck one way, then the other. “Our sister says we may not touch you, but thou art flashing us.” she smirked a little darkly. “Tiz mean on your part.”

Twilight turned quickly to put the study table between herself and the black goddess. Nightmare stretched a bit, as though getting used to being in Luna’s body. There was something uncomfortable about it this time. The transformation had been less fluid. Huh. Grunting a little, she leaned over the table to study the purple mare. “Nightmare Moon.” Twilight said, as though that made it official. “I have to ask.” She stopped as though that were the end of the sentence.

“Yes, my little pony?” said Nightmare with a slight smile. “Thou sleekest us out, we are overjoyed! Ask us anything!” She was enthused, leaning aggressively across the table at her.

Twilight leaned back, steadying herself before she spoke again. “Can you keep your hooves off me until Luna is all the way better?” she said bravely. “For both our sakes?” Twilight knew she was playing a dangerous game, but… Luna would never hurt her. Nightmare might. If she could just delay the black alicorn’s efforts long enough…

Nightmare blinked at her, taken aback. “But…” she said, trying to come up with some argument. “If Luna is treated, we shalt cease to be, no? We shalt be one.” Nightmare Moon was referring to herself. She cocked her head a little, frowning in a worried way. Twilight watched her fight the mental battle for a long time, until she finally sighed and hung her head. “Twilight, Luna loves thee. Even if it is infatuation.” She mumbled at the floor, lowering her broad wings until they touched the floor. For a moment the purple mare thought she looked like she was molting. “But, we hath realized something through our therapy and watching thy horrified reactions to our face.”

“What’s that?” Twilight wanted to know.

“If we really loved thee, we would not force our company on thee.” Said the dark goddess softly. “And we mean not just in the bedroom!” She added quickly, color touching her face and Twilight’s. “It is… complicated.” She offered. Twilight saw a sliver of midnight blue poking its way into Nightmare Moon’s face. “We shalt leave thee be hence in romantic affairs, Twilight Sparkle.” She backed off a bit. “It shall be Luna’s job to seduce thee, we think.” She added with a smirk. “Even if Nightmare Moon vanishes into Princess Luna’s mind, do not think I shalt not be there, whispering that she should pursue thee.”

Twilight smiled in a painful way. Even when she was trying to be apologetic, Nightmare came across as rather overbearing and lusty. Well, it was what she was made of. The purple mare nodded once, rising and taking her book with her. “I’m going.” She said softly. “Can I ask you one more thing?” she turned her head, as she stood between the stacks.

“Anything, my little pony.”

“Does Luna really love me, or does she just lust for me?” Twilight wanted to know.

Nightmare gave pause, looking at the floor for a moment. “We art… lonely, Twilight.” She said finally, the force gone from her voice. This was her quietest honesty. “A thousand years on the moon, and we make one true and valuable friend on the night named after us, Nightmare Night.” She looked at Twilight with a pleading expression. “Dismiss us not for our crimes, please.”

“You didn’t answer my question.” Twilight said softly, smiling in a quiet way.

“We do not know.” Nightmare Moon hung her head. “I lust for thee in the worst ways, no denying such things.” She chuckled in a bitter way. “But we cannot have thee, we see this now. What thou shalt do about Luna, much less when she is healed into one mind again, will be in thy hooves.”

“You mean I get to decide if I want to court Luna or not?” Twilight said reproachfully, frowning.

“Neigh, Twilight.” Nightmare Moon shook her head slowly. “Thou shalt decide if we even remain friends when this is all over.” She sounded even more bitter than before. “Not that it shall matter. I shalt not be around to see it, myself.” The black mare mumbled, touching her breastplate a moment.

With a conflicted frown on her face, Twilight started away and vanished between the shelves of the library. Her hoofsteps faded before long.

Nightmare Moon did not follow her, only sighed and hung her head. Though she was want and desire incarnate, and certainly would NOT deny Twilight Sparkle if anything ‘happened’… it was just so complicated. For a flickering moment, Nightmare Moon’s green eyes shifted to blue. “H’oh Twilight…” Nightmare Moon mumbled in a heartsick way. “What shalt become of us when we are one mind again?” she felt uplifted that Twilight could stomach a conversation with her now, but… but… she sighed, hanging her head and letting Luna take over once more. Perhaps she would dream of Twilight while she slept in Luna’s mind.

End of Part 15