Twilight's face shot up from the book she was skimming, eyes widening in a form of shock. "Language! You are not bucked." The sound of the book snapping shut cut the purple librarian off short. She did not realize she had commanded the book to close, and the noise startled her. "I told you, I'm going to fix it!" The book carelessly fell to the floor, no longer levitated with the spell-caster's magic power, as her left eye, unfocused on Rainbow Dash, grew larger than the other one.

As the librarian continued her frantic search, Rarity suddenly had an answer to Rainbow's question from earlier that day:

Yes, they took their teasing too far, and now Twilight was spinning out of control.

"Darling," Rarity began, finding her voice, "I would sincerely like to apologize for my behavior after finding out about... your relationship. It was not my place to say anything or judge you based upon your behavior in the bedroom. I was just so happy for you. I am quite certain Rainbow Dash feels the same way."

Rarity had over-emphasized Rainbow's name, to get her attention; to follow along. If they were going to get out of this situation every pony needed to be on board to talk Twilight down. Hopefully Fluttershy would regain consciousness in order to help out.

"Uh, yeah! Like totally Twilight! We were just so excited and happy for you that we wanted to know everything, you know?" Rainbow Dash continued where Rarity left off, trying to sound as sincere as possible. "I know I didn't mean to jump you like that. I was just caught up in the moment. You know how it is."

The words of kindness and friendship never reached Twilight Sparkle. Her body may have heard the reassurances of her companions, but her mind barely processed them, and her consciousness did not receive them at all. The mare made no motion nor gave any signal to show that she had heard them at all.

"Rainbow Dash," Rarity spoke using a sharper voice, "apologize! Twilight is dreadfully upset over this situation which we thrust upon her; consider how she feels! She wouldn't even tell us after being more intoxicated than Berry Punch during happy hour, and we ripped that treasure from her! Haven't you been listening? The poor dear can only talk about her secret, which is secret no more, because of us!" Rarity ranted, chastising the blue mare. Eyes opening wide, only now did she realize why they were all in this predicament. Twilight Sparkle's most precious secret was carelessly revealed after she had worked so hard to keep it. Little wonder why she had snapped.

"Look, Twi, it was wrong of me to blurt that out like that, and I shouldn't have done it," Rainbow started, working up the nerves to actually say the two words Rarity insisted upon. Rainbow Dash was cool; it was a trademark. Princess Celestia raised the sun, Princess Luna raised the moon, Rainbow Dash was cool. Being mushy, having to apologize, and being feminine were the top three things she hated to do more than anything. With a sigh, she said with as much emotion as she could muster, "I'm sorry."

The librarian again didn't make any acknowledgement to their apologies. She was still quickly scanning all the books in her library looking for a memory spell.

Rainbow Dash had just apologized, and Twilight Sparkle didn't accept it. The truth was she couldn't in her state but it didn't stop Rainbow Dash from becoming upset.

"Twilight did you hear-"

"EUREKA!" Rainbow's statement was cut off sharply with a cheerfully loud exclamation from the magic mare. Twilight had found something and that spelled disaster in bright red letters for every pony else. "I found a forgetting spell. It says here that it will allow a pony to forget what worries them most! I don't even need to change this; you finding out my Secret worries me most!"

Rarity, being a unicorn herself and a smart pony as well, thought for a brief, fleeting moment, to inform the distraught librarian that a spell such as the one she mentioned would not be effective in any means to correct one's memories. She opened her mouth to speak, and snapped it shut quickly with an audible snap. If Twilight wanted to cast a spell that would only calm a pony from one's worries, it would definitely help out the fear of the captive friends. At least they would then be able to talk her down from her mental state without concern for themselves. It just might make a difference.

"I was really getting worried there. This is the last book in my library that deals with magic," Twilight stated with a smile on her face, as she approached the trio of mares. "I don't know what I would do if I couldn't find a spell..."

Scratch that, Rarity chided. When this doesn't work — not a matter of if — they were going to be confronted with a insane mare with no options. Rarity hoped that it would break the poor dear down and let them go, but the other option was her going even more off the deep end, and she shuddered to think what the next idea would be.

"Fluttershy will be first!" Twilight spoke, not realizing that, with the timid mare's face buried in her hooves, she wasn't even conscious to defend herself from such an idea. Holding the book in front of her, she reread the spell, double checking to make sure it was cast appropriately, and charged up her horn. Releasing the spell, a translucent pink mist appeared over Fluttershy and descended upon the mare's head, until it enveloped her completely. After a few tense moments, the spell dissipated, and there was complete silence.

After a few more moments, the soundless atmosphere was broken by Twilight's voice: "Did it work?"

"Did what work?" Fluttershy asked, parting her hooves and standing up. Twilight, Rarity and Rainbow gasped as Fluttershy not only awoke, but stood tall, looking Twilight square in the face.

"Um... the memory spell, Fluttershy..." Twilight timidly answered, not sure of herself. "I guess casting that spell removed the enchantment placed upon you earlier, but it's OK if I fixed it."

Twilight Sparkle's face was filled with fear, eyes wide with shock. The enchantment she used could not be cast upon the same pony twice in a twenty four hour period, and she had no idea how to subdue the timid one again if she had to. "Do you remember anything?"

"Remember what, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked, her head tilting to the right as she pondered the question she was asked.

"Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!" Twilight was beside herself with joy. She did it, she fixed it. She hopped in circles around Fluttershy excited as a filly on Hearth's Warming Eve. "Now my secret is safe, and no pony has to find out!"

"Oh, you mean if I remember if we found out you were having sex with your brother," Fluttershy stated, calmly and firmly.

Twilight, in a single moment, froze in mid air. Pinkie Pie would have been proud, because for the two seconds she processed Fluttershy's statement, her body was rigid, hovering in place above the ground in a manner defying physics and the laws of gravity. Breaking free of her timeless state, she fell down hard in the middle of the three ponies that were guests in the library, and started to cry. "I didn't fix anything," she spoke in a whisper in between sobs and sniffles. The last of her will to fight the situation broke down with her, as she became a teary-eyed mess. The failure to solve her problem had destroyed the padded walls of her mental panic room, and she was thrust back into reality, and the situation that her friends knew what she had done.

"I'm sorry Twilight, I mean I didn't know what you were asking about and honestly you having sex with your brother doesn't bother me at all. Some of my little critter friends have found comfort in the same way so I don't see a big deal with it." Fluttershy closed the distance between herself and the broken mare, wrapping a hoof around her and stroking her mane with the other in an effort to calm her down. "I won't tell any pony a word about it if you don't want me to."

With the soothing words from Fluttershy, Twilight relaxed slightly. It wasn't enough to calm her by any great degree, but it was enough for her mental link with Rarity and Rainbow Dash to be severed, and release them from their own enchantments.

Finally able to move once again, Rarity stifled the urge to bolt from the home in fear, and approached the sobbing pony with (1)trepidation. Throwing caution to the wind, she hugged Twilight Sparkle, and softly comforted her as well. "Don't worry Twilight, I won't say a word either. It's simply fabulous that you have such a loving companion! To be honest, I was jealous of you."

Rainbow Dash groaned and moved forward to her friends, thinking silently to herself: she had already apologized, so why not go all the way with a hug and more kind words? "Twi? Loyalty. Remember? I already told you I would never tell any pony, and I mean it. Your secret is safe with all of us."

The three friends lifted Twilight up in a giant bear hug, affectionately nuzzling the girl. Surrounded by love and care, as well as promises of silence, Twilight relaxed inside the group's platonic embrace. From being beside herself with worry, she slowly returned to reality, while the other girls simply focused on their friend. Time had no meaning to them. All that mattered was calming the girl down.

After a unknown period of time, Twilight's emotions were in check, and she motioned for the girls to set her down. Getting back on her own hooves, she found her voice. "Girls... Thank you so so much. You have no idea how scared I was that you wouldn't like me anymore."

Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath, "Oh, I think we know exactly how scared you were", but only Rarity could hear her. With a quick hoof from Rarity to the side, and a hissed ouch, she mumbled, "Yeah Twi, we kinda figured it out when you went all weirdo on us, but it's OK. We all forgive you."

Relieved Twilight was no longer insane and comfortable with the fact that she knew the secret would never leave the library, Rarity focused more intently on the other ramification that truth had shed light up: Twilight was still a home-wrecker. "Now sweetie, we promise not to say a word to any pony else, but you simply must explain yourself! We don't want you or Shining to be hurt when Princess Cadence finds out!" Rarity spoke in as straight a voice as possible, not trying to chastise the poor dear who might still be in a fragile state.

Twilight burst out laughing, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She pounded the floor with one hoof, as the other held her side. Rarity and Rainbow jumped backwards, shocked at the emotional outburst. Something was either extremely funny to the purple mare, or she had just lost it again. Fluttershy didn't budge an inch, still affected by the spell she was placed under. Calming herself down, Twilight wiped the moisture off her face, and spoke through some last minute chuckles. "Oh girls, Cadence knows, heck, she's always known!" With a slight frown, "of course neither me nor Shiny found out she always knew till just this past week," and with a smile as wide as a mile, "and we might have all been in bed together."

Rarity lost it. She grabbed her hair, pulled straight down while standing on her hind legs. "Ohmygosh," she panted, frantically trying to process the new information. "Ménage à trios? You simply must tell us everything! You must, you must! You MUST!" At this point, Rarity was lying on her back, under the librarian's face, pleading to find out all the juicy details. Rainbow face-hoofed at the sight, but deep down, she wanted to know too.

Twilight explained the events of the past week in detail, but skimmed over the times spent in the bedroom. Some things WERE meant to stay private; even if she was saying they all did it like animals, she kept it vague. Upon reaching the end of the story she used her magic to open the saddlebags still strapped to her, and pulled out an envelope. It was a nondescript envelope, of pure white, with no creases, tears, or noticeable markings of any kind. The only thing that separated it as one that had been pulled out of packaging brand new, was a slight bulge in the direct middle, which indicated that it contained a small item. Twilight opened the envelope and pulled forth a small key.

The key was silver, gleaming, and perfectly-cut, seemingly fine enough to be a piece of jewellery. It contained no superfluous gems or other ostentatious additions, remaining true to its utilitarian essence. On the bow were engraved three small, yet meticulously detailed images: Shining Armor’s cutie mark, Cadance’s cutie mark... and Twilight Sparkle’s cutie mark.

Rainbow gazed upon the key, levitated in Twilight's magic between the group of mares. She contemplated its meaning thoughtfully.

Fluttershy looked onwards towards the key, head tilting slightly as she thought upon its purpose.

Unlike the other two ponies, Rarity, the greatest fashionista in all of Equestria, understood almost immediately. She visited Canterlot often enough, selling her wares, that she knew the in's and out's of the Capitol like the back of her meticulously hoofi-cured hoof. In the area of Canterlot where the higher Royals resided, hardly any pony ever locked their doors; a Royal Guardspony stood almost literally on every street corner, and the crime statistic was reported not as a ratio, but as an absolute total, countable with a single pony’s hooves. Even faced with a locked door, any skilled enough unicorn, such as Twilight, knew enough magic – ranging from simple unlocking spells, through known-location teleportation, up to and including material phasing – to make the very idea of a door lock a purely academic concept.

It was a key with no practical use; however, it held a very deep meaning.

Twilight Sparkle was a member of that household, a member of the herd. Bigamy, polygamy; these relationships were not illegal in Equestria. They were not common, but did occur often enough that they were a socially accepted norm. Twilight was not a home-wrecker, she was a home-filler. They had accepted her as one of their own. Rarity teared up slightly and smiled. "Twilight, I am so sorry for ever accusing you of being a home-wrecker. You might have thought you started that way, seeing as how Shining kept the truth from you, but this is the most beautiful gift I have ever seen. This key looks like it might have taken some time, and I doubt it was crafted in only a day. Princess Cadence may even have been planning upon this outcome for some time now!"(2)

Fluttershy followed along with Rarity after she gave her brief statement but Rainbow still didn't understand. "What's the big deal? It's just a key."

Twilight answered her question enthusiastically, "It's a key to Shiny and Cadence's home! I am always welcome there as one of them, I never have to knock, announce myself or anything!"

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as her mouth grew into a smile. "Ohhhhhhhh, I get it now! You're, like, in a serious relationship with the two of them! That is so cool!"

Twilight nodded, grateful to be accepted. "I know, it's wonderful. I am the luckiest mare in Equestria. Not only because of them, but because of you girls. I'm so happy you have accepted my relationship." She slowly began to look like she had when she disembarked from the train not too long ago, radiating confidence and happiness. "But girls, if you would excuse me, I would like a nap, seeing as how a certain couple kept me up... ALL. NIGHT. LONG." The final words were accompanied with a wink, and then a yawn.

Rainbow Dash snickered, covering her mouth with her hooves, and nodded knowingly. One might wonder just how knowingly, and how many of her cloud naps were for the exact same reason. With Twilight sleepy, and Rarity currently standing with her mouth dropped to the floor at the sexual TMI Twilight had laid upon them, no mare present caught onto the sagely tip of the head. Every pony was exhausted from the ordeal, and were happy at the opportunity to go their separate ways.

Rarity shut her mouth slowly. "Twilight, I hope you get a good rest. I suspect you need it," she joyfully remarked, turning to leave. "Fluttershy dear, would you care to accompany me to the spa? I could do with some pampering after all those dress orders." Rarity smartly kept her mouth shut about how stressed she was about Twilight's frantic, and scary state. She didn't wish to let the tired pony bed down on such a sour note. Fluttershy simply nodded, and followed Rarity as they walked out the front door.

"Yeah, Twi, get some sleep. I'll see you again soon!" Rainbow Dash chuckled, walking out the front door, closing it behind her.

Twilight yawned once more. She used her magic to undo her saddlebags, and then hang them by the door. Walking up the stairs to her bed, she climbed in lazily, and snuggled under the covers. She looked upwards, gazing upon the key she still levitated, having not let it go since showing her friends, and smiled. She planned never to have it part from her. Using her telekinetic powers she slipped it underneath her pillow, and drifted off to sleep. Her dreams were filled of the time she had spent with her loving couple.

Twilight sat at her desk, completing the letter in front of her. She smiled as she reread the parchment, making sure it was worded perfectly for her teacher.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I learned a valuable lesson about the magic of friendship. True friends will accept you for who you are, regardless if you think otherwise. Even when they find out your deepest, darkest secrets, you can still count on them to keep those secrets safe as well. Sharing those secrets you keep with your friends can not only let them know more about you as a pony, but deepen the bonds of friendship you have. It can even make that secret you hold so dear, even more precious to you.

Your Faithful Student,
Twilight Sparkle

Glancing up at her clock, it was only a quarter past 8. Spike and Peewee had returned in time to fix dinner, the smells of which had woken her from her afternoon nap. Following their meal, she had retired upstairs to write the friendship letter herself while her number one assistant cleaned up the dishes. Wrapping the letter up and sealing it into a scroll, she set it on Spike's bed with a note for him to send. Yawning, she decided to turn in for the night. After all, she had barely gotten any sleep for the past couple of days, and it was past time she caught up.

Only the most powerful of memory spells are permanent. The events of the day cast a dark shadow onto a very important situation which had been overlooked: The spell which the magician had cast lacked both strength and duration. Quite simply, it only lasted for the remainder of the day. The mare had promised, under the effects of a spell, never to breathe a word to any pony about such a secret; under Equestrian law, that promise was null and void. Legal ramifications aside, if it was any other pony, they would easily stay true to their word. For the most fearful of ponies, waking up with such powerful knowledge would send her into a state where she feared the next words she spoke, would spill such precious words onto new ears...

Author's Notes:

1: trepidation, "a feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen." I have no idea where this word came from. I simply wrote it into the sentence, as it came from my head, but I didn't know the definition! I literally had to look it up to see if the word fit. Fantastic!)

2: Softy pointed out that if you toss a sack full of bits at something, you can get it done immediately. Softy wants to think that the key was done very quickly by Cadence and Shining after the threesome. I'm not trying to offer facts to his story, just different perspectives. MY headcannon of alicorns are that they are devious, and meticulously plan out everything in advance. Key factors are the points that Celestia knew about Nightmare Moon, and planned out Twilight as a correction. Discord was more of a spur of the moment thing, but again she relied upon Twilight. I suspect she failed to stop the changeling Queen because of similar reasons, as if she planned for Twilight to fix it. I don't know for what nefarious purpose, but even then I like to think of the alicorns as goddesses. Rarity suspects she could have planned it out as a possible outcome. Another idea is that it was a gift planned out to Shining Armor from Cadence to show just how much she accepted her husband and sister-in-laws relationship, which then got passed on to Twilight. Think about it, and maybe even post your ideas. Anything COULD BE RIGHT!

Special thanks to Softy8088 for taking the time to edit this multiple times. More words more problems. I wasn't happy with certain errors pointed out or the easy corrections, so thanks a whole lot for working with me to get the chapter just how I wanted it. Some paragraphs were edited multiple for the perfect wording or grammatical correction.