Luna Looks for Love

by zyr1987

First published 23rd of April, 2013

Luna calls on the mane six to help her find her soulmate.

It's been a little over a year since Luna has fully regained her power, and less than one month since the re-emergence of the Crystal Empire, when the Princess of The Night decides she wants to find her soulmate. She calls upon the mane six to help find her dates and train her in the arts of dating and romance.

May Celestia have mercy on Canterlot.

Sequel to Luna's Power and Rainbow's Love, though you don't have to to read that story to understand this one.

The unexpected abounds

Six ponies moved through Canterlot towards the castle. Two unicorns, two pegasi, and two earth ponies answering a summons from a very important yet very familiar pony.

“What do ya think Luna wants?” Applejack asked.

“I dunno. I hope it's nothing too serious,” Twilight responded.

The summons they had received asked them to come to Canterlot castle today, and meet with the Night Princess, emphasizing that, while she needed their help with something, it was not a matter of life and death. Still, the six ponies were a bit worried about what was to come, though they were leaving their concerns unvoiced for the most part.

“Ah, she probably just wants our help planning some big royal event or something. After all, we did do an awesome job with the whole royal wedding,” Rainbow said.

“Well, maybe, though if that were the case, why would she suggest we plan for a long stay?”

“I dunno. Maybe it's a big, long festival she wants our help with?”

“Maybe,” Twilight said.

Shortly thereafter the six arrived at the castle gates, where they were stopped by a guard. Twilight handed over the summons and they were allowed to enter. When they reached the throne room, they found Celestia dealing with one last day court petitioner, who was currently asking for funds to rebuild a washed out road between two towns on the outskirts of Equestria. At the moment they were working out cost of materials, with gravel being a particular sticking point.

After several minutes of back and forth, they managed to resolve the issue to both of their satisfaction, and the petitioner left with the approval and promise of funds he needed. As he walked away, Celestia noticed the six ponies waiting to speak with her.

“Hello, Twilight. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Celestia said, singling out her student under the assumption that she was the reason they were here.

“You tell me,” Twilight said, floating Luna's summons to the sun princess.

Celestia unrolled the scroll and read through it before saying, “Huh. Luna didn't tell me anything about this. Let's go see what this is about, shall we?” She then stood up from her throne and informed the guard that day court was over for the day before heading down a nearby hallway.

The six ponies followed Celestia up a few flights of stairs to a pair of tall black doors with white crescent moons adorning them. Casually opening them, she lit up the room beyond, and before anypony could get a good look inside, she turned her head to her left and bellowed out in the Royal Canterlot Voice, “Time to get up, Lulu!” catching everypony present completely off guard, but especially her faithful student and the pony laying laying in the bed on that side of the room.

Scrambling to her hooves in a tangle of sheets and running purely on instinct, Princess Luna prepared to meet any threat that would disturb her dreams of flying through the night sky. Seeing Celestia, she calmed down, though briefly considered shooting an energy bolt at her sister in return for the rude awakening. Deciding against it, she floated her alarm clock to herself and looked at it before saying, “I still had a half hour before I was to awaken.”

“I know. I just thought I would wake you since the ponies you summoned have arrived, and I would like to know what's going on.”

It took a second for Luna's slightly groggy brain to figure out what Celestia was talking about, but when she did, she said, “Oh yes, that. I would prefer to discuss it over a warm dinner, and not in front of ponies who are chuckling at my rather unfortunate choice of socks,” Luna said, referring to her rather silly looking frilly pink socks. “Leave me to get ready for the night in the meantime.”

“Okay, just answer one question for me, please,” Celestia said.

“I am listening.”

“Does this threaten Equestria's security in any way?”

“It most likely will not, and if it does, I will do everything in my power to protect our country,” Luna said reassuringly.

“Okay. I'm trusting you on this.”

Luna's lips curled upward in a small smile, and the seven ponies who had entered her room turned and exited.

On the way out, Rainbow asked, “Where did she get those socks?”

“I don't know,” Celestia lied. In truth, they were a Hearths Warming Day gift she had given Luna because her room was so drafty. She had chosen frilly pink along with several less loud and embarrassing colors and styles specifically to embarrass Luna a bit, and with the full knowledge that she would wear them anyway. Having the six element bearers catch her with them on was just a very lucky coincidence.

She was well aware that Luna was already planning her revenge, however.

Dinner was served an hour later, and since the chefs had assumed that there was supposed to be a feast when told of the fact that there were six guests, there was a great deal of food to be had. Luna was out of her pink socks and in her familiar royal attire, though she still seemed unhappy with her sister, probably because of her very loud, very embarrassing awakening at her hooves.

As soon as everypony was served, Celestia asked the question on everyone's mind. “So why did you summon these six ponies, Lulu?”

“Simple, 'Tia. I want their help in finding my soulmate.”

Celestia, who had been drinking apple juice at this point (She wasn't a big fan of wine and wanted something other than tea), immediately did a very loud, very messy spit take before asking, between coughs, “You want what?!”

Luna spent several seconds chuckling at her sister's misfortune before saying, “I want them to help me find my soulmate.”

The other six ponies seated at the table were just as surprised as the white alicorn at this revelation, but said nothing, waiting for Luna to explain herself.

Celestia, still recovering from her shock induced coughing fit, spoke first, however. “Seriously? Now? So soon after the reappearance of the Crystal Empire?”

“Yes, since, if history is any indicator, it will be months before we have another crisis to deal with, and I do not think this will take months to accomplish,” the normally more excitable alicorn said calmly, though with a small, mischievous smirk on her face.

Celestia took a second to stop coughing and calm down, before asking, “Okay, but why bring these six ponies into this? Couldn't you find your true love on your own?”

“Do you remember how ill equipped I was to meet with our subjects on Nightmare Night last year, 'Tia?”

“Yes. I recall you saying that you didn't realize that the Royal Canterlot Voice was no longer acceptable, and that ponies were fleeing in fear of you because they thought you were Nightmare Moon.”

“Indeed, that was the case, because I had had no opportunity to learn about modern society, and seeing as I have had no opportunities to learn anything about modern romance either, I wish to have these six help to ensure that I do not encounter similar issues, as well as hopefully help find me potential dates.”

Rarity spoke up, now that the full implications of what Luna was asking had sunk in. “Playing matchmaker? For a princess?” She then nearly fell out of her chair, fainting with a big smile on her face. The only reason she didn't hit her head on the floor was because Celestia held her up.

The older alicorn, well aware of her sister's bisexuality, then said, “Well, you have at least one pony in support of this, apparently. However, I must ask, we have six ponies here we both know very well and can trust. Why not try a relationship with one of them?”

“You mean aside from the fact that I would be tearing the away from their friends and commitments in Ponyville?”

“Well, yes.”

Luna cleared her throat and then said, “Okay, I will go down the table to explain my reasoning for not choosing any of them. First, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, as far as I know, are still in a committed relationship, correct?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy said.

“Yep,” Rainbow Dash said.

“And, since I have no desire for a three way relationship or to break up anypony else's relationship, they are off the table. As for Twilight, she is a bit...neurotic for my tastes judging by all of her, ah, stress induced breakdowns, never mind that you would kill me if I got her instead of you.” Celestia shot an angry glare on hearing this part, though nopony was sure if it was for falsely insinuating that Celestia took a romantic interest in Twilight or for revealing a rather unpleasant secret that the alicorn had.

Luna chuckled and moved to the other side of the table, where Rarity had just recovered, saying, “Rarity, as far as I can recall, is only interested in stallions and, regardless, would probably become far too wrapped up in being royalty for any of our tastes. And Applejack, I am led to understand is also only interested in stallions, and even if she wasn't she does have the issue of being very poorly suited to a royal lifestyle, would you not agree, Applejack?”

“Well, tryin' to be a city pony didn't work out for me, so I don't think bein' a royal pony would either,” Applejack admitted.

Luna nodded in acknowledgement, then said, “And lastly, the problem with Pinkie Pie is that the pony that would be happiest with her would be another high energy party animal, which I can assure you I am not.”

“And I have a marefriend anyway,” Pinkie pointed out.

“May I ask whom?”

“Vinyl Scratch. The DJ at the wedding.”

“Oh yes, I remember her. She seems to be a good match for you, if I am honest.”

“She is, I love her to bits!”

“Yeah, their relationship is very passionate and energetic to put it lightly,” Twilight said, shuddering at some of the memories.

“I see. Regardless, I will arrange for three suites to be prepared for you during you stay. Assuming you are all willing to help with this, of course.”

She received affirmative answers of varying enthusiasm from the group, ranging from Rarity's ecstatic and enthusiastic “Yes!” to Applejack's rather subdued “Okay, I'll help out.”

Luna smiled at this affirmation before going to work on a sweet potato.

Twilight then said, “I can see that we all have qualities you don't want, but, if we're going to help you out, I think we could use some information on what you do want in a romantic partner.”

Luna's smile became much more awkward at this point, causing her sister to chuckle. “I may not have thought that far ahead,” the dark alicorn admitted, through comically orange, sweet potato covered teeth. “I could have a list by morning, though.”

Twilight, trying not to laugh a Luna's comical appearance, said, “That's fine. Anything else you need us to do?”

“Hmm...” Luna said, while quietly licking the sweet potato off her teeth, “well, if you could make some dress designs for the dates, Rarity...”

She stopped talking when Rarity happily fainted again, saying a second later, “I was going to also say find some nice restaurants as well.”

“I would give her at least a few minutes to recover first. It's kind of annoying watching her faint again and again,” Rainbow said.

“You're probably right. Regardless, I would like help with coaching, finding potential dates, and locations for said dates. The guards would throw a fit if I tried to have all my dates here in the castle.”

“I can imagine,” Twilight said, remembering having to talk to the guards every time she went to or from the castle while studying directly under Celestia.

Rarity had mostly recovered, again, and was listening intently, while reaching for a sweet roll. Celestia, of course was keeping an eye on her in case there was yet another Luna induced fainting spell.

“Anything else?” The alabaster unicorn asked.

“Not at the moment, though I should have more information on what I am looking for in the morning,” Luna said, before focusing on her meal.

The other seven present ate and chatted away until they had their fill, with Luna joining in after a bit, while still planning something special for her revenge against Celestia, coming up with a great idea when she saw a carrot laying in front of her.

An hour later, Fluttershy was sitting in the castle garden with a toucan on her hoof. Luna, who had been looking for her, sat down next to the pegasus and said, “I see you're enjoying the garden.”

“Of course. I always liked coming out here with the animals.”

“Even when you cause a stampede chasing them into the ballroom?”

“I only did that once,” Fluttershy said, sounding annoyed.

Luna chuckled and said, “I know.” Luna, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy had become close friends and, in Dash and 'Shy's case, lovers the year before, when the alicorn asked the two pegasi to help her regain the last of her power. They had planned for a long, simple journey into the wilds, taking about ten days, round trip.

Of course, like the best laid plans, that didn't go anywhere near to plan. Between a cockatrice trying to turn them to stone, a brush fire started by an improperly doused campfire, and hearing about Ponyville dam bursting, it had been an exciting, tiring trip, but one that brought the three of them much closer, and eliminated Fluttershy's fear of Luna once and for all.

The dark mare looked up and said, “I see Rainbow Dash is busy annoying the royal guards.”

“Yes, they stopped her a few times, but don't seem to want to do anything more than that,” Fluttershy said.

“Well, they know she's here on royal business. Still, I probably should have a word with her about this, when I get the opportunity.”

As if on cue, Rainbow descended towards the two mares in the garden. Several seconds later she alighted next to Fluttershy, then gave her marefriend a quick peck before sitting down in the grass next to her.

“Hello again, Rainbow Dash,” Luna said with a smile.

“Hi Luna,” Rainbow said, returning the smile.

“So, are you done giving the guards a hard time for the day?”

“They just can't handle my style,” Rainbow declared triumphantly.

“Or they think you're a big security risk and need to practice somewhere that isn't the castle,” Luna said, a hint of sternness in her voice.

“Okay, okay, I'll practice out in Canterlot tomorrow. Jeez.”

“Thank you. So, how have things been between you two?”

“Pretty well. We still argue a bit, but we make it work,” Rainbow said.

“It's all about finding ways to compromise. We aren't a perfect match, but we love each other, and we do our best to make it work, even if it's hard sometimes,” Fluttershy expanded.

Luna nodded, taking this in, thinking it would be relevant when she searched for her own soulmate. Remembering that that's what this was about, she asked, “So you two are willing to help me in my search for love?”

“Of course. You're our friend, and we couldn't just leave you hangin',” the rainbow maned mare said.

“That means a lot to me, thank you. By the way, do you have any advice you can share? I mean, I am quite new at this.”

“Rarity will probably be more helpful there, but I can say that even though Dashie and I knew each other for a long time before we got together, we still needed to talk things out, find out where we stood, and where we needed to compromise,” Fluttershy said

“Yes, I remember you arguing about things back in the wilds, including one argument about what was it? Alone time?”

“Yeah, I still feel a bit silly about that one. Flutters is always so much happier and more relaxed when she's had some time to herself and I can't imagine trying to take that away from her anymore,” Rainbow admitted.

“And I also remember you were so antsy at that point I had to order you to take your naps.”

“Well, I was really worried about Ponyville.”

“That was obvious. So how has Ponyville fared since the flood?” Luna asked.

“After we cleaned everything up and rebuilt, things got pretty much back to normal, though they're still building a new dam that hopefully won't break this time.”

“That's good to hear.”

They sat in silence for the next few minutes, before Rainbow asked, “So, you're honestly interested in dating mares?”

“Yes, and stallions, I admit, I don't have a preference on that front,” Luna said.

“Wait, you really don't care if your soulmate is a stallion or mare?”

“No, I don't. 'Tia might, however, since I am to announce the legalization of same-sex marriages tomorrow, and that could cause...complications.”

“Really?”

“Yes, it took a year of work to get things ready, but tomorrow is the day where same-sex marriages become legal. I will say, though, that it was merely a coincidence that I called you here to help me with this right before the announcement,” Luna explained.

“So, then why did you call us now?”

“Because, as I said over dinner, I'm pretty sure it will be a few months before the next big crisis is to hit Equestria, if history holds up. Too bad Cadance is too busy with modernizing The Crystal Empire to help me in this endeavor.”

“Does she know about this?” Fluttershy asked

“No, but she will. I'm positive 'Tia will see to that.”

“And how do you think she'll respond?”

“How do you think the Goddess of Love, and my own niece will respond?” Luna asked

“Like a pony who really needs to catch up on her sleep? I don't know if you heard, but she spent a week awake protecting The Crystal Empire from King Sombra, and she's a bit cranky,” Rainbow said.

“Ah. Even so, I doubt she will be opposed to this.”

Twilight, who had been driving the castle librarian batty for the past half hour and was now looking for somewhere peaceful to read, arrived in the garden and asked, “What is this about Cadance?”

“We were just discussing how she will react when she hears about my plans for finding a lover,” Luna said, hardly missing a beat.

“How do you know she'll find out?”

“I know 'Tia would not keep this from Cadance. Not when we're talking about the princess who's talent is spreading love. And throwing Blueblood into the reflecting pool, but mostly love.”

Twilight chuckled at the idea of giving Prince Blueblood a good dunking. She had known the entitled bastard from her studies under Celestia, and, if Rarity had said his name before the Gala, she would have done everything she could to convince the other unicorn that trying to woo him was a bad idea. This did give her an idea for the next time the two crossed paths, though.

Luna, seeing Twilight's amused reaction and guessing what she was thinking, said, “'Tia banned the practice after my return, because I began joining in on the fun.”

Twilight put on a mock pout for a few seconds, earning an eye roll from the alicorn, then asked, “How long do you think it'll be before Celestia hears back from Cadance?”

“I would say a day at most. She doesn't have a draconic connection to Cadance as she does with you, so that will slow things down a bit, but my niece is very punctual.”

“If she gets a pegasus to deliver it, I bet it'll be here tomorrow morning,” Rainbow said.

“It's royal correspondence, so it'll...” the four of them had a strange discussion about how long it would take the letter to make the round trip, until somepony (Rainbow) decided to bet on the arrival of Cadance's letter, and thus the royal betting pool was formed.

That night, as Luna presided over (read: sat through, reading a thick history text and considering canceling) night court, the six ponies she summoned were in their suites conducting various activities.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, were sharing the tower suite where they were most comfortable, since they had grown up in the clouds. At the moment, Rainbow was trying to convince Fluttershy to have their first time together.

“C'mon Fluttershy, it'll be fun!” The rainbow maned mare said.

“I dunno. I'm scared it might hurt or something.”

“It's not supposed to hurt, unless you're into that sort of thing.” Fluttershy's look of nervousness seemed to be verging on fear now. “Okay, I know you're not. It won't hurt, I promise, and if you're uncomfortable with something I do, just tell me.”

“If you say so, I'll do it,” Fluttershy said, still nervous despite Rainbow's reassurances, but starting to get a bit curious.

“Great! Just lay back on the bed with you wings out, and follow my lead.”

Fluttershy did as she was told while Rainbow moved on her.

Twilight and Rarity, meanwhile, were sharing an upper level suite, several floors below Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. This wasn't specifically out of a desire to bunk with one another, but rather a desire not to bunk with Pinkie Pie, since both of them had work to do and being around Pinkie was not conducive to that. And since Rainbow and Fluttershy were always going to be bunking together no matter what anypony said, they ended up sharing a suite. Twilight was starting on all the books she checked out from the castle, 32 in all which was the maximum the library allowed anypony to check out.

Rarity, meanwhile was working on dress designs for the alicorn who had summoned them, some simple, some very extravagant, but all having a theme of the moon and stars amongst them. Eventually, she broke her focus from her designs as a new though entered her head. “Twilight, I'm curious. Have you ever had a coltfriend?”

“No.”

“A marefriend?”

“No, why?” Twilight asked, now wondering where this was going.

“I figured, since we're playing matchmaker here in Canterlot anyway, maybe I could help you find one for yourself.”

“I'm not interested in romance, Rarity.”

“Oh, c'mon, every pony needs somepony special in their life,” Rarity said.

“Then why don't you focus on finding your own special somepony before helping me find mine?”

“Why can't I do both? I will be on the lookout for my prince charming of course, but if I can help you too, then all the better.”

“Well, I don't need help. If I want to, I can find myself a date,” Twilight said adamantly, annoyed that Rarity was prodding her about her love life, or lack thereof.

“Are you sure about that, Twilight?”

Twilight didn't respond, which Rarity took as a sign that she had given in. “Is that a no?”

Convinced she would regret this, Twilight said, “Fine, you can help me find a date. Just...don't tell anypony else for now, okay?”

“Deal! Just tell me what you're looking for in your special somepony.”

Twilight thought for a second, then said, “An intelligent, scholarly stallion would be my preference. Good looks wouldn't hurt either.”

“Scholarly stallion, good looks,” Rarity recited, “I'll keep an eye out for you.”

“Uh, thanks?” Twilight said, still sure she would come to regret this.

In the ground floor suite, the two earth ponies were discussing the business they had with Luna.

“Isn't this exciting? We get to find Princess Luna a very special somepony!” Pinkie said, bouncing on the bed.

“I guess, though I'm not sure we're the right ponies for the job. She kinda implied that she wants somepony who lives here in Canterlot, and we live in Ponyville. I don't even know anyone here, for Celestia's sake.”

“We know the princesses,” the literal minded earth pony said.

“No one among the citizenry, I mean. Maybe Donut Joe now that I think about it, but that's it.”

“Well, we can always go out and meet some new ponies. It's not like they're all cooped up in their houses or something.”

“I guess you're right,” Applejack admitted, though far from convinced that this would go over well.

Late in the night, Luna took a break from night court and headed to the kitchen where she took eight carrots and a box. She then headed up to her sister's bedchamber and slid out a box full of toys from under her bed, before silently sliding the box of carrots in its place and teleporting Celestia's box to her own chambers where she would hide everything later. She then teleported herself to the kitchen and took a large bag of gummy flowers before trotting back to the throne room, grinning all the way.

Author's Notes:

You know, the hardest thing about starting a new story is waiting for the reaction you're gonna get when you publish it...

Anyway, my butterflies aside, I should make a quick note on the format: Every odd numbered chapter, except the first will be a chapter dedicated to Luna and somepony else on a date, and thus will be fairly short. Every even numbered chapter, meanwhile, will be dedicated to the various subplots as well as finding Luna said dates.

Also, I ran out fo character tags, so don't just expect OCs and others

Early Success

At six the next morning, the six guests of Luna were awakened and told breakfast would be in a half an hour. The ponies got out of bed, feeling refreshed and, in the case of the pegasi, slightly blissful before about preparing themselves for the day, with the unicorns grabbing the things they would need for their job for Luna. Twilight with her parchment, ink, and quill and Rarity with her dress designs.

They arrived at the dining hall to find a reasonably generous spread of fruits, cereals, and other breakfast items waiting for them, along with the two alicorns who were already seated at the ends of the table. They sat at the same spots they did yesterday and filled their plates.

Luna was the first to speak, asking, “Were your accommodations to your satisfaction?”

The six basically said that it was better than they hoped, which satisfied the dark mare who began working on her grapefruit.

Celestia said, “Remember Lulu, you're to make an announcement at eight this morning.”

“I have not forgotten, sister, and I will be ready to make the announcement. If I come back covered in fruit, however, consider yourself free to reverse my decision.”

“Wait, what announcement?” Applejack asked.

“Today, I am to announce the legalization of same sex marriages.”

“Oh. Well, good luck with that”

“Thank you, I hope I will not need it,” Luna said.

“Anyway, I took the liberty of writing down all of the qualities you didn't like in us in a list, if you would like to add anything,” Twilight said.

Luna took the list and Twilight's quill and started looking the list over, while eating her cereal. She crossed out the entry on the top, which said “Must be a mare,” and wrote in a few things. When she was done the list consisted of the following:

Must be a mare

Must not be in a relationship

Must be able to lead a royal lifestyle without letting it dominate their day to day lives.

Must be emotionally stable

Must not be nearly as energetic as Pinkie Pie (Rainbow Dash's energy level would be a good ceiling)

Preferably between the ages of 20-25, but must be between 18 and 30

Must be reasonably attractive

Must be reasonably intelligent

Must be reasonably nice

Must not be scared of me

Should be willing to treat me like any other mare they might date

Make them aware that I reserve the right to see other ponies in the short term

She passed the list back to Twilight, who asked, “why is the top entry crossed out?”

“Because I have no preference between stallions and mares.”

“Oh,” Twilight said before looking through the list. When she finished, she said, “Well, your criteria is pretty broad, but I think we can make it work. Also, Rarity has some dress designs for you to look over when you get the chance.”

“I can look over them this afternoon,” Luna said

“That would be fine,” Rarity said, “Just tell me if you prefer your dresses to be extravagant or simple.”

“I am not one for fashion, so I cannot say at the moment. However, once I have had an opportunity to look over the designs, however, I can give you my preferences.”

“That's fine. I can have a few more designs ready by then,” the dressmaker said.

“Thank you.”

While Luna was making her announcement and watching for potential projectiles, Celestia and company remained inside, partly so Luna would get all the glory/shame and partly because Celestia wanted to say something to the group while Luna wasn't around.

“You know, you don't have to do this if you don't want to. I can tell Luna that you were needed back in Ponyville, and won't be able to make it back for some time.”

“Oh, but we do want to help her,” Fluttershy said, with the others basically agreeing.

Applejack then said, “Anyway, there's not a lot that needs doing in Ponyville right now, since it's going to be winter in a few days. May as well help out here in the meantime.”

“I know. I just don't want you to feel like you're being forced to do this.”

“We know,” Twilight said.

Rarity then said, “That reminds me, I really should head back to Ponyville to pick up some of my fabrics, and let my important clients that don't live here in Canterlot know where I am. I should be back before dinner,” before turning to leave.

“Of course. I'll let her know.”

Luna came back in a few minutes later and said, “I am not certain what they thought. After I finished my announcement, there was mumbling throughout the crowd, but I cannot say whether it was in approval or not.”

“We'll probably get a good idea in the next few days, don't worry.”

“By the way, where is Rarity?”

“She's going back to Ponyville to take care of some business. She said she'll be back by dinner,” Celestia explained.

“Okay. In the meantime, I will be sleeping. Promise me that you will not wake me unless it cannot wait, 'Tia.”

“I promise.”

Luna smiled and walked down the castle halls to her waiting bed. Twilight then said, “Well, I guess we should head out into Canterlot and start our search.”

“Don't let me keep you,” Celestia said, as the five remaining ponies left the castle through a different exit from the one Luna came in through to avoid prying eyes.

Luna's announcement that morning had made quite a wave, and, since Day Court started an hour after the announcement, well...

“Did you know about this decision by your sister?”

“Do you agree with it?”

“What prompted this decision?”

The only reason Celestia wasn't surrounded by the mob of reporters that had entered the throne room was because the Royal Guard had formed a wall between her and them. It took her a few minutes of trying and failing to answer their questions over the din they created before she used the Royal Canterlot Voice to say, “Silence!”

Getting the desired result, she said, “Thank you. Now, since I can't answer your questions if you ask them all at once, this is what we'll do. I will give each of you a chance to ask your question one at a time, and I will answer it to the best of my ability. If anypony interrupts, you will be escorted from the castle grounds. Are we understood?”

The silence either meant that they understood and agreed to Celestia's rules, or they were now all deaf. She assumed the former, simply because it was less troublesome in all regards. “Okay, let us begin.”

Around this time Fluttershy, Twilight, and Applejack were at a small outdoor restaurant discussing how they were going to go about their job for Luna. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had split off saying they would be able to cover more ground as two groups instead of one. However, the other three knew they were off playing pranks on the town.

“How are we gonna do this, Twi'? I mean, we can't just go walkin' up to random ponies and asking them if they wanna go on a date with Luna,” Applejack asked the purple unicorn.

“Hmm...well, we could talk to some of the more social ponies we know, like Donut Joe or Fancypants, and see if they know anypony who would want to go out with her.”

“Yeah, I reckon that's one way to go about it, but isn't Rarity the only one that really knows Fancypants?”

“Yes, which simply means she'll be the one to talk to him.”

Fluttershy was quietly drinking her soda and watching the street as the two others worked out how they were going to find ponies for Luna to date, and soon a pony from her past appeared and caught sight of her. Said pony, a tall white unicorn with a pink mane and a tripe fleur-de-lis cutie mark then walked over to their table and, with a big smile on her face said, “Fluttershy! It's been so long since I've seen you!”

“Y-yes it has, Fleur.”

“Wait, you know this pony, Fluttershy?” Applejack asked.

“Yes, we spoke a couple of times while she was a model, though I haven't seen her since she disappeared from the runway. By the way, what happened?” Fleur said.

“I quit. I told you I hated being a model,” Fluttershy said.

“Yes, and it was obvious that you were being overworked for the sake of your agent's pocketbook. Honestly, I'm glad you got out of that business before it killed you, but I have to ask about that friend you didn't want to disappoint.”

“Well, it turned out that things were a bit more...complicated,” Twilight said, noticing just how much Fleur moved around, laying with her hair or striking a pose, or something along those lines.

“Is this the friend you were referring to?” Fleur asked.

“No, that would be Rarity, who's back in Ponyville taking care of some business at the moment,” Twilight explained.

“Oh yes, the pony who was staying at the castle around the time of last year's garden party, right?”

“That's her.”

“I see. By the way why have you come to Canterlot? I thought you lived in Ponyville,” Fleur asked, turning to the pegasus.

“We're here to help Princess Luna find a date,” Fluttershy said.

“Really? She wants you help in finding her perfect stallion?”

“Or mare. She says she doesn't have a preference,” Twilight said, now realizing who she was speaking to. The pony in all the fashion magazines she kept for checkout at the library, Fleur de Lis.

“She doesn't?”

“Nope.”

“Well, if she doesn't, can I put my name into consideration? Going out with a princess sounds like a fun opportunity,” Fleur said.

“Well, if you're young enough...”

“Is 22 young enough?”

“Yes, yes it is. If you could give us some way of reaching you, Luna will send all the details over.”

Fleur gave them her address, and then said, “Also, if my date with Luna doesn't work out, Maybe I could have one with you, Fluttershy?”

“Sorry, but I'm already taken,”

“By who, might I ask?”

Fluttershy pointed a hoof to a pony behind Fleur and said, “Rainbow Dash.”

Fleur turned around and could immediately tell which pony Fluttershy was referring to by the presence of a rainbow mane. The owner of said mane said, “Hi guys? Any luck in your search?”

“Would that be their search for the best outdoor restaurant or...” Fleur said, trying to see if they were screwing with her.

“Our search for a date for Princess Luna, for your information. Who are you, anyway?”

“Fluttershy said her name was Fleur, and she seems to be some kind of model,” Applejack said.

“Fleur de Lis, to be exact. A fashion model who's willing to try her luck with Princess Luna.”

“Never heard of you, but I don't keep up with fashion, or anything like that.”

“You don't, even though your marefriend was a model once?”

“Nope. And Fluttershy doesn't seem to like talking about her time as a model, so...”

“Ah, I see." Fleur checked the clock tower then said, "I really must be going. If you could tell her I will be available every evening for the next week or so, whenever a good time for her is.”

“Okay, we'll be sure to tell her.”

“And, before I forget, does the timing of this have anything to do with the announcement this morning?”

“Nope. She just thinks it'll be at least a couple months before we have another major crisis, and is taking advantage of that time,” Fluttershy said.

“Makes sense I guess. Well, it was nice meeting you, but I really must be going now. And, Fluttershy, next time you're in town, feel free to stop by my place. We really should catch up.”

“I'll be sure to do that.”

When the pink maned unicorn was out of earshot, Applejack asked, “Should we go tell Celestia?”

“No, She's probably presiding over Day Court. With Luna's announcement, I'm pretty sure she's going to be too busy to speak with us until lunch, at least,” Twilight said

“So what do we do in the meantime?”

“Hmm...”

Celestia had decided to take a break from dealing with the media, partly because she had not counted on this sort of reaction to the announcement Luna made and she wanted to ensure she was in the right mindset to meet them again, but mostly because having to deal with thirty reporters for a few hours was starting to put a drain on the sun princess. Not even more than a millennium of life in the spotlight, running a powerful nation can make dealing with a large number of reporters for hours on end any less draining, as she well knew.

At the moment she was officially taking care of a few budget matters that had come to her attention. Unofficially, however, she was sitting alone in a hot tub, unwinding and hoping things wouldn't be any worse when she was ready to head back out to continue Day Court.

While she rested, a servant came by and said, “You have a letter from Princess Cadance, your majesty.”

“Please leave it on the table. I will attend to it as soon as I am able.”

“Yes, your highness.” The servant placed the letter on the nearby table before leaving. Celestia then levitated the letter to herself and unrolled it. It was not the letter she was expecting about Luna (if it had been, then it would have been a very quick delivery) but a report on what would need to be done to modernize the Crystal Empire and a list of materials and costs. Interestingly, a cursory glance through the list revealed that one of the listed items was improvements to their local sports stadium. I guess sports would be a good economic driver, Celestia thought to herself, making a mental note to look through the list more thoroughly when she got the chance. For now, it was time to go back into the fire and try to last until lunch.

Meanwhile, the five friends had decided to split up until lunchtime, and Twilight decided to see how day court was going. When she arrived, Celestia was returning from doing something and a throng of reporters was waiting for her.

When some of the reporters broke off from the main crowd to talk to the purple unicorn, Celestia teleported her student to her side, then said, “I'm afraid now is not a good time, Twilight.”

“I can see that. Any way I can help?”

“Hmm...” Celestia thought for a second, then whispered something in Twilight's ear. The purple unicorn nodded, much to the curiosity of the reporters still gathered, before heading down the hallway to the royal spa and grabbing a small sheaf of parchment.

Returning with it in tow, she passed it off to Celestia who used it as an excuse to ignore the reporters. When one of them asked what the report was, she said “Plans to modernize The Crystal Empire and a request for aid money from Princess Cadance. I will not be taking any more questions today, I'm afraid to say, as this is a matter that requires my full attention at the moment, and I would like to allow petitioners to have time to voice their concerns later today.”

The reporters filed out of the throne room with an escort by the royal guards, leaving Twilight and Celestia alone. The princess said, “Thank you, Twilight.”

“No problem. So how long were you dealing with...that?”

“Three hours or so, but it's like that every time we make a big announcement. Why Luna had to make a policy change such a big thing, I don't know.”

“Didn't she do that with the anti-bullying thing as well?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, but that was a case where making such an announcement meant to give Luna the needed the political capital such a popular change would earn her to make more...difficult changes like this one. And it was in the afternoon, meaning I wouldn't be the one dealing with the press.”

Twilight didn't respond, instead wondering why a ruler of Equestria would need to worry about political capital. Celestia noticed the fact that her student wasn't speaking and said, “So how has the announcement gone over in Canterlot?”

“I didn't see anyone griping over it, but I didn't see too many ponies openly celebrating it either.”

“I see. So we lack an accurate gauge to their feelings about this matter.”

“Unfortunately, yeah. Also, before I forget...” Twilight said.

“Yes?”

“Since we're here and Spike's in Ponyville, could we use him to communicate with our friends there during our stay?”

“Of course. Just bring me any letters you want to send, and I'll take care of them,” Celestia said.

“Thank you princess.”

“You're quite welcome,” Celestia said, before a brief silence reigned which she used to lead into the reason why the six had come. “So how goes the search for Luna's date?”

“We found somepony already, but I'd rather wait until Luna's up before I give the details,” Twilight said, thinking it would be better to keep Luna just as much in the loop as Celestia.

This simply served to make Celestia more curious about who it was, but she nodded in acquiescence.

The five Ponyvillian friends who were still in Canterlot were back at the castle for lunch with Celestia, eating a meal consisted primarily of breads, fruits, and flowers, and since Luna was still sleeping, a bit more silence. Celestia after beginning her meal, said, “I understand you have already found a potential candidate for Luna's soulmate?”

“We did, yes,” Fluttershy said.

“May I ask whom?”

Twilight realized she should have seen this coming. Celestia was crafty enough to get information that others would hide from her, through simple maneuvering, and, for this reason, she decided to be the one to reveal the pony's identity. “You ever hear of a mare named Fleur de Lis?”

“Yes. As I recall, she's a famous fashion model here in Equestria.”

“And apparently Luna's first date.”

Despite the absurdity of getting a famous fashion model to go on a date with Luna on the first go, Celestia's demeanor shifted not at all as she said, “And how did you talk her into this?”

Applejack spoke up at this point. “She apparently knows Fluttershy, which is how we got to talk to her at all.”

“And when we told her what we were here for, she asked if we could set her up with Luna,” Fluttershy said.

“Interesting. So how did you meet Miss de Lis, Fluttershy?”

“We spoke a few times when I was a model.”

“Ah, yes. I had nearly forgotten about your stint as a famous model. Do you, personally, think she's a good match for my sister, if I may ask?” Celestia asked

“I think she is, yes,” Fluttershy said, drawing on her reserves of courage and assertiveness to sound sure of herself.

Celestia simply nodded and ate a few tulips, before saying, “Speaking of Luna, if any of you could talk her into not making any big announcements for a while, I would certainly enjoy it.”.

“Why?” Rainbow asked.

“For the simple reason that dealing with the press for a few hours tends to interfere with running the nation.” And drives me up a wall, but mostly interferes with running the nation, Celestia thought.

“Oh, We'll see what we can do.”

They continued chatting about various things over the course of their lunch, and after finishing, Celestia went back to taking care of the nation while the other five did their own things, with Twilight quickly drafting a letter for Celestia to send to Spike later.

Rarity arrived back in Canterlot at four thirty, an hour before dinner was to be served, and immediately traveled back to the castle. On the way, she bumped into Applejack who had been seeing the sights. Keeping control of her goods, she said, “Watch where you're going, Applejack.”

“Sorry, Rares. Got a bit distracted by the statue of Celestia. So how'd things go in Ponyville?” Applejack asked, as she looked at Rarity's swirling ball of fabrics.

“It was easy enough. I just needed to write a dozen letters and get all the fabrics I would need for my clients' and Luna's dresses before I returned. I hope nothing too bothersome happened while I was gone.”

“Nothing too serious, but I will tell ya that we already found a date for her.”

“Really? Who?” Rarity asked, honestly surprised by the rapidity of her friends' efforts.

“I'll tell ya when we get back to the castle.”

“Why do you want to go back to the castle?”

“Because I want to see if Luna's up yet,” Applejack said.

“Oh.”

They walked back up to the castle, Applejack talking about a few of the various happenings in town during her short trip out, wile Rarity with a combination of mild giddiness and worry, thought about the date they had found Luna. After all, the others weren't anywhere near being as fashionable and ladylike as she was, but if they had hit the jackpot...

Soon they were at the castle gates, where they identified themselves and were allowed to pass. Soon arriving in the throne room, where Celestia was dealing with a minor water dispute between two towns. There were a number of other petitioners waiting their turn, but they knew that it was unlikely that she would be able to get to most of them today, considering there was only a half hour of day court left.

When Rarity saw an opportunity, she approached and asked where she could drop everything off. Celestia quickly gave here directions to the royal tailor's shop before waving over the next petitioner. As the unicorn headed down a nearby hallway, Applejack followed her.

Once out of earshot of the throne room, Rarity asked, “So, who did you find for Luna's date?”

“You ever hear of Fleur de Lis?”

“You're telling me that you got Fleur de Lis, the Fleur de Lis, to agree to a date with Luna?”

“Eeyup,” Applejack said, imitating her brother, debating asking what was so special about this mare.

Rarity made several confused noises and dropped her fabrics before getting herself together enough to ask, “How?”

The earth pony told her about the meeting with Fleur they had had in her absence, while the unicorn picked up her stuff. When she was done speaking, Rarity took a few seconds to compose herself, then asked, “Why didn't Fluttershy ever tell me about this?”

“I dunno. You should ask her.”

“I guess I should when I get the chance. Still, Fleur de Lis? I thought she was married to Fancypants.”

“Apparently she's not,” Applejack said.

Rarity spent the next several seconds trying to reconcile this information with how she imagined this top-tier supermodel without much immediate success.

They reached the room Celestia had directed Rarity to and the unicorn dropped off her fabrics, before looking around to see what she had to work with. She noted, with great interest, the poniquinn that conveniently seemed to have the exact same proportions as the night princess herself. She decided that the first thing she needed to do, however, was go back to her suite and gather her designs so that Luna would be ready to look over them when she awoke.

Luna awakened, feeling refreshed and ready for the day. She climbed out of bed took off her decidedly subtle dark purple socks (especially when compared to the frilly pink ones she was caught in yesterday. She made a mental note to burn those when she got the chance) and tossed them in her hamper, before heading to her bathroom for a shower. When she returned from the moon, the shower was a bizarre and scary thing and she refused to use it for a time. Eventually, with some coaxing by her sister, it grew on her and now she couldn't imagine life without a quick blast of hot water after waking up.

She was soon ready for the day, and, a few minutes later, had arrived in the throne room, signaling the end of day court proper, though with about a dozen unsatisfied petitioners, who were told that they could return the next morning for day court, and, if anypony didn't have the money for a place to stay the night, the crown would pay for accommodations.

Celestia and Luna walked down the hallway to where the younger sister's guests had gathered to chat and await the night princess, Celestia mentioning the fact that they had already found Luna a date. When they arrived it was into an ornate room meant to receive foreign dignitaries, but right now had little other use than entertaining guests.

When the two sisters entered the room, the other six ponies' conversations stopped and they turned their attention to them. Celestia said, “I'll let them fill you in. If you need me, you know where I'll be.”

“Of course,” Luna said, flashing a smile at her sister. She then turned to the others and said, “I am led to understand that you have already met with some success?”

“We have, yes,” Twilight said, floating a magazine to Luna. “You see that white mare in the picture? She asked us to set her up on a date with you.”

Luna took the magazine and looked over the pony in question. She didn't recognize the pictured pony, though the name “Fleur de Lis” did ring a few bells. “So she meets all the criteria I set out?”

“Well, it's a little difficult to gauge intelligence in a five minute conversation, but for the most part, yeah.”

“If that is the case then you should be able to give me a quick description of her.”

“Well, physically, she's the same size as you, looks a lot like Celestia's earlier depictions with the pink hair and purple eyes,” Twilight said.

“And she moves around a lot for some reason, like when we met while I was a model. She can't seem to hold still,” Fluttershy said.

Luna, unsure about what to make of a fidgety fashion model, asked, “What is she like on a personal level?”

They described their meeting with Fleur, followed by Fluttershy describing her meetings with the white unicorn during her short modeling career. Luna seemed slightly pleased by what she heard, but far from convinced that she was the one. However, all she said was, “Did she say when she would be available?”

“Every evening for the next week.”

“Hmm...if the first date goes well, that does leave much time open for a second.”

Before anypony could say anything else, Celestia appeared, literally, out of thin air next to her sister, and asked in her typical calm, regal tone, “Lulu, would you happen to know why this was under my bed?” Showing her dark sister a box full of carrots.

Luna levitated one of the carrots to herself and asked, “I do not know. Was anything missing from under you bed, 'Tia?” before biting into said carrot.

Celestia noted that Luna had tipped her hand a bit early, but decided to play along, hoping to spring a much more humiliating trap. “Why, yes. A box containing some personal items.”

“What sort of personal items?”

“That is irrelevant.”

“Oh but it is quite relevant. How can we help you find them if we do not know what we are looking for?” Luna asked.

Celestia now realized that Luna had the upper hand. Trying to minimize the damage the night princess could do to her dignity, she asked, “can we discuss this privately?”

“I see no reason why. It is just a box of personal belongings. There is nothing embarrassing in there, right?”

Deciding to get this over with, Celestia gave a decidedly unladylike snort and said, “Fine. Lulu, what did you do with my 'My Little Human' dolls?”

Luna chewed another piece of carrot and let the silence hang for a second before swallowing and saying, “They are in the top drawer of my dresser.”

Celestia then winked out of existence, leaving a box of carrots and an awkward silence in her wake.

Soon realizing that the sun goddess wasn't coming back for the moment, the six seated ponies let themselves react in their own ways to this revelation. Twilight and Rarity simply looked stunned, Applejack and Fluttershy looked confused, and Rainbow and Pinkie were barely containing their chuckles. Luna, however, kept eating her carrot, a smile plastered on her face.

Twilight was the first to speak. “Princess Celestia is a...hunny?”

“A what?” Applejack asked.

“An adult fan of the children's comic 'My Little Human'. She never struck me as the type who would be into that sort of thing, though,” Rarity explained.

“I assume spending well over a millennium ruling over your nation can make you a bit odd in the head,” Luna said, “She normally plays with those dolls after a particularly long session of day court, but I expected it to be a few days before she found out that I had switched the boxes.”

“I think Celestia was stressed out because she was dealing with the media for the first half of day court. Something about an announcement this morning?” Twilight said.

Luna didn't respond, and despite her regal façade still being a bit rusty, her expression didn't change as she realized that she had created an accidental perfect storm of stress for her sister. She made a mental note to apologize to the elder alicorn when she got the chance, but, for now she would pretend it didn't bother her, for the sake of convenience. "So, how did the announcement go over?"

"We're not sure yet. Nopony seems excited bout it, exept the press, who used it to talk to Celestia, but nopony seems unhappy about it either, so..."

"I see."

Shortly thereafter, a young pegasus stallion entered the room and said, “I have royal packages for Princesses Celestia and Luna.”

Luna said, “Leave my mail on the table. You shall find 'Tia in her bedchambers. However, I would advise you to knock. She is in a bit of a mood.”

The pegasus nodded and dropped off Luna's mail, before exiting the room. Luna picked it up and looked it over. “Grow your horn in thirty days...you could already be a winner...classified national security matter...hmm, this is interesting.”

“What?” The six said in unison, curiosity lacing their voices.

“A letter from Princess Cadance. I assumed she would be mailing 'Tia, not me.” Luna then tore the envelope open, and read the letter aloud. “Luna, I'm so happy that you're looking for somepony special in your life, but could you have had worse timing? You know I would have been happy to help if you had asked before I left for the Crystal Empire, but, as it is, my duties here keep me from returning for the time being. I can offer some advice, though.” Luna read through the rest of the letter silently, before saying, “Twilight Sparkle, Cadance also wanted me to tell you she says hi.”

Twilight put a smile on her face and said, “good to know she's supporting you in this matter.”

“She also says that there were a few dozen books missing from the empire's library, and wondered if you might know where they are.”

“No, but if I find them, I'll let her know. So how many bits do we owe you again?” Twilight quickly asked, wanting to change the subject.

“Five apiece.”

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy each produced five bits and the purple unicorn floated them over to the dark alicorn, to the confusion of those around them. Rarity asked, “What is this about? Why do you three owe bits to Luna?”

“We may have placed a bet on when Cadance's letter would arrive,” Rainbow said, “and Luna may have just won.”

Luna gave an amused snort and said, “I knew it would arrive in the afternoon, and I am not one to pass up easy money.”

Luna was much chattier during that night's dinner, seemingly in an attempt to fill the void left by Celestia's silence. Even on the far side of the table, and despite the calm façade that the light alicorn presented, Luna could practically hear the cogs on her sister's brain grinding together, coming up with something to humiliate her more profoundly than her revealing her sister's love of “My Little Human.” As far as Luna was concerned, this meant one thing: The great prank war of 1003 had begun.

She still intended to apologize to her sister, however.

Author's Notes:

Important stuff:

First and foremost, another note on chapter structure: Since each chapter covers about a day, and the time when they find Luna's date will vary, depending on that pony's schedule, they generally will be found either near the beginning or the middle of the chapter, with Luna's reaction coming up when she wakes up from the land of dreams, which will be late in the chapter. The date chapters (the odd numbered ones), however will focus almost exclusively on Luna and her date's time leading up to and through the date.

Secondly, I have an important announcement to make about the speed of updates in this blog post.

Less important stuff:

I really, really wanted Rarity to have a larger part in this chapter, but seeing as I'm somewhere between being in total control and just writing the thing, Rarity's requirements as a seamstress with a moderately sized clientele took precedence over her appearing in key scenes where I wanted her to be

Also, if my attempts at humor fall flat, the comedy tag comes off, and the story takes itself more seriously from now on (since it will be better that way. It's all about maintaining quality). So, do tell if my attempts worked.

Oh, and, by the way, I have no fricking clue who Luna will end up with, yet since I'm making it up as I go along. Don't worry, though, this is standard operating procedure for me, so it should be fine. I was completely winging it when I wrote "The Model Caretaker", and that became my most successful story so far.

And finally, speaking of "The Model Caretaker", Luna, Fleur de Lis, Flutterhy and Rarity together in a romantic story? Is this LLfL or TMC? For thos ewho haven't read The Model Caretaker, the answer is yes. Anyway, the next chapter is going be a long (unintentional) shout-out to that story, whether I like it or not, and I'm simply deciding whether to embrace or downplay said shout-out at the moment.

The Model Princess

The next morning, Luna decided to take her breakfast alone with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. She said that it was so she could have a chance to properly catch up with them (which was true), but the main reason was that she knew Celestia was not above putting laxatives in her food in response to a particularly nasty prank and didn't feel like having to explain to her date why she smelled like horse apples. She was sure Celestia would wait a day for her vengeance for that reason, but didn't feel like risking it.

Over breakfast, the two pegasi told Luna of the events that had happened since the last time she had visited Ponyville, when she was helping the town recover from the dam burst, but there was one particular event that caught the alicorn's interest. “What do you mean Fluttershy drove Rarity and Pinkie Pie to tears?”

“I told you I got assertiveness training, but I overcompensated for my timid nature and became a raging bitch that hurt everypony who even mildly offended me.”

“Wow. Then what happened?”

“When I made them cry, I realized that I had gone too far then locked myself away in my house vowing never to come out again,” Fluttershy said

“But you're here.”

“Rarity and Pinkie found out she had locked herself away, and when they couldn't convince her to come out, the went and got me to talk to her. Apparently she thought I would never forgive her for hurting our friends like she did,” Rainbow Dash explained.

“It seems you did forgive her though,” Luna said.

“Well, yeah. I've said some pretty stupid stuff to my friends as well, including Fluttershy. And I was the one who encouraged her to go to Iron Will's seminar in the first place, so I wasn't blameless in this.”

“I see.”

They then went on describing various other events of note, including making a tornado to get water to Cloudsadale, Fluttershy kicking Rainbow's rump after the latter tried to make her watch the dragon migration, and Spike's trip to the dragon herd (with Rainbow and friends in pursuit without Flutters). Rainbow also took a bit of glee in describing her revenge for that whole affair, forcing Fluttershy to go with her and Pinkie for a day of pranking.

All too soon, in Luna's opinion, breakfast was over and she had to move onto the next order of business: making sure her dress was ready for tonight. Her deadline was five thirty that night when she would leave, but she was led to understand that Rarity had already finished it and it was ready for her inspection. Why Rarity had worked so fast, she had no idea, but she wasn't complaining.

She headed into the main dining room where Rarity was finishing off some scrambled eggs and said, “when you are ready I would like to see my dress.”

Rarity started a bit when she heard Luna speak up, but was able to respond to Luna's inquiry without missing a beat. “Oh, of course, just let me finish my breakfast and I can show you.”

Luna said nothing, instead standing near Rarity and watching er eat the last scraps of her breakfast. When the unicorn was done, she waved for Luna to follow her to the royal tailor's shop where her dress was waiting.

When they arrived, Luna took a short walk around it casting her untrained yet critical eye on it, before saying, “I like it.”

“Oh good. Is there anything you want changed on it? Anything at all?”

“No, it is fine as is. May I try it on?”

“Oh, of course. Do you need any help?”

“No. I can handle it.” Luna floated the dress off the ponniquin, and her necklace off her neck before slipping said dress over her wings and doing up the clips in the front. Inspecting herself in a nearby mirror, she moved about in a few different poses, before saying, “Well, there is one change I would like you to make.”

“May I ask what?”

“I cannot stop my tail from billowing as it does anymore, and I am certain you can see what that does to the dress. If you can find some way to weigh down the tail end-”

“Oh, I know just the thing, if you don't mind wearing the dress for a few more minutes,” Rarity said, interrupting her client. She was actually going to point out the issue herself if Luna hadn't, and had already been working out a solution.

“That will be fine. Also, how many bits do I owe you for this dress?”

“Oh, no. I couldn't charge you for it. After all, you're a princess,” Rarity said as she lifted the dress and sewed in a small pocket.

“Except you are here at my request, performing services for me. It is only right that I compensate you in some way. We can discuss a more detailed reward tomorrow, but I will still pay you for the dresses you make.”

Rarity, after thinking for a second as she looked around for anything that would be of suitable weight without affecting the hemline, lowballed somewhat. “Does one hundred bits sound fair?”

“That is fine. I will make sure you receive them by tomorrow morning at the latest.”

“Thanks,” Rarity said, now carefully adding weight to the dress to counteract the billowing of Luna's tail. She then stitched up the pocket she had made, after making sure the weights wouldn't shift about while Luna was walking and said, “That should do it.”

Luna looked down at the spot and seemed quite pleased with Rarity's handiwork. She then slipped the dress off, letting Rarity take it from her magical hold, and said, “I was also hoping to ask you for advice on my date tonight.”

“I thought you'd never ask,” Rarity said before going over all the basics, such as how to treat the waiter, the importance of body language, and what to do and not to do on a first date. Luna took this in with what could only be described as gusto, wanting this first date to go well.

After finishing her business with Rarity, Luna wrote out a short letter giving Fleur all the information she would need about the upcoming date and put it out for delivery along with the rest of the morning mail. She already knew that she derailed her plan to make a public apology to her sister by eating with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash (though she also potentially avoided a nasty surprise from her sister), but decided to have a chat with her anyway.

Traveling the short distance to where she knew her sister would be, she heard Twilight saying something about Sweet Apple Acres. She didn't pay much attention to what was being said, the subject of Applejack's farm taking a backseat to another topic on the dark alicorn's mind.

When she entered the small room, the two ponies present turned to look at her, and Celestia asked, “So, how is your dress coming along?”

“It is done, ready for tonight. I hope I am as well.”

“I hope so too,” The elder alicorn responded.

Twilight then asked, “By the way, where's your necklace?”

Luna looked down at her chest and realized she had forgotten it back in the tailor's shop. Not that it was particularly important right now. Even so, now that she noticed its absence, she started feeling naked. She said, “It is not important. I am here because I have a request for you, 'Tia.”

“I'm listening.”

“If I may raise the moon fifteen minutes early to allow myself some extra time to get to my date, I would appreciate it.”

“If you feel it is necessary, I will not object. However, I will lower the sun at its scheduled time regardless, and I expect you to do the same with the moon,” Celestia said.

“You have my word that I will do so. In the meantime I will take my leave.”

A few hours later, Fleur was sorting through her morning mail, which mainly consisted of fan mail and requests for her to endorse products of various sorts, that she would go through properly later, because she was forced to set all these aside when a particular letter caught her eye. It was addressed to her from Princess Luna herself, and sealed with the so-far impossible to forge sun/moon seal. She ripped it open and read through it, realizing that Fluttershy and her friends weren't lying to her.

Realizing that she wouldn't have time to make a new dress for tonight, she walked to her closet and pulled out the dress she wore at her last big gathering, laying it out on her bed, and made plans for a trip to the spa to make herself look and feel as lovely as possible.

A knock at the door interrupted her planning at this point, and she briefly considered not answering it, before deciding to avail herself to a visitor or solicitor. When she opened the front door, she was surprised to see Fluttershy and Rarity standing on her porch.

“Hello Fluttershy. To what do I owe the pleasure?” She asked in her impeccable Prench accent.

Fluttershy, derailing Rarity's plans, said, “When Rarity heard that you wanted to catch up, she insisted we-”

“Come by for a chat, since we're in town for a while anyway,” Rarity said with a nervous laugh.

Fleur ignored the blatant lies told by the shorter unicorn, saying, “Oh, of course. I was hoping for a chance to talk with you before tonight, Fluttershy. Please come in you two.”

The two visitors entered the Prench mare's abode, and Rarity said, “No offense, but your home is much smaller than I thought it would be.”

“It is a bit oin the small side, yes, but I spend so much time in Canterlot proper that I don't need a particularly large home, and this one has a spectacular view of the sunset,” Fleur said, opening the door to the patio. The other two looked out and saw an expanse of blue sky and green fields, and realizing that Fleur wasn't kidding. She then said, “Speaking of town, I was actually about to go to the spa to freshen up for tonight.”

“Well, we could always come back later,” Fluttershy said.

“Nonsense. What better way to catch up than over a nice hooficure? My treat.”

“Well, if you insist...”

“And if you want to come with, Rarity, I would love to get to know you better,” Fleur said, turning to the shorter unicorn.

“Of course we'll come with,” Rarity said, internally squeeing in the most unladylike manner possible.

As they traveled to Fleur's favorite spa, the fashion model said, “I actually got the letter from the princess just before you two arrived. I have to admit I was wondering if you and your friends weren't pulling my leg to some end.”

“No, we were really called by Luna to help with this,” Fluttershy said.

“Speaking of that, may I ask why she picked you and your friends?”

“Because we helped her be accepted by the ponies of Ponyville on Nightmare Night last year and she thought we could help her out with finding love, since she doesn't know much about modern romance.”

“I see, I see. So what is Princess Luna like? On a personal level I mean.”

Fluttershy said, “well, she's...”

“So you and Princess Luna don't get along, Rarity?” Fleur asked, now that they were actually at the spa, waiting to be served.

“Well, it's not that. It's that she seems to be avoiding me since I, uh, dyed her fur pink at Nightmare Night last year.”

“Why would you do that?”

“I told her it would make her look much less terrifying, since everypony was running away from her, screaming. When they ran away screaming anyway, she got angry and ripped off the pink dress I put on her, before ordering the pictures I took of her destroyed,” Rarity said, shuddering at the memory.

“Wow. That is...quite the reaction.”

“Yeah. And she said if I even hinted that she dye her fur again while we're here, she would personally dye my fur black. And, for my sake, please don't mention this whole affair to her tonight. I don't want to deal with her finding out.”

“I won't. You have my word,” Fleur said.

“Thank you.”

At this point they were called to begin their treatment. They followed the masseuses to the steam room and rested upon the wooden benches. Rarity looked around and remarked, “This is much nicer than the spa we have in Ponyville.”

“I would hope so. This is one of the nicest spas in Canterlot, and they charge accordingly.”

Rarity resisted the urge to wonder aloud if it was nicer than the castle spa. Fluttershy then asked, “How do you feel about your date tonight?”

“Well, if I'm honest, I don't think I'll have a second date with her. I'll try to have fun tonight, though, and have a laugh with my friends about it tomorrow.”

“Why would you think that?” Fluttershy asked.

“Because, to put it simply, I'm a foreigner, and privately, the least classy individual you'll ever meet. I seriously think she'll go with somepony from the nobility like, say, Mile High.”

“Well, I don't know about that,” Rarity said, “she is rather irreverent herself. Yesterday, she played a prank on Celestia that, if I told you what it was, would get all of us banished to the Everfree Forest.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Oh yes.”

“She also gave me a rather scary bear hug while loudly thanking me when she came by Ponyville for Nightmare Night,” Fluttershy said, continuing on the theme of unladylike Luna.

“Thanking you for what?”

Fluttershy described her meeting with the princess that fateful night, up to how she passed out from shock in Luna's forelegs, admitting that it wasn't her shining moment.

“Obviously not, but still, it must be nice to have a princess who really likes you.”

“Sometimes it is. Sometimes she gets huggy.”

Fleur couldn't help but chuckle at that, but had to admit to herself that she was far from convinced she had any real chance, royal irreverence or no.

About an hour later, they were on the massage table for the last stage of their spa trip and Fleur had started to take a liking to Rarity. As the masseuse worker her magic, the Prench mare said, “I guess Fancy did have a good sense about you when we first met.”

“I guess he did. Honestly, I thought you two were married.”

“Non, I don't swing that way, and even if I did he is far too old for me. I have to admit though, he does work as a nice beard when I absolutely need one.”

“Does he actually go along with it?”

“Oui. He knows that I'm just as willing to help him when he gets himself into trouble. Seeing as this is Fancy we're talking about, that generally means up to his eyeballs in it.”

Rarity chuckled and said, “I can imagine. By the way, what was Fluttershy like on the modeling circuit?”

“She was nervous, jumpy, and really looked like she didn't want to be there. It was quite hard to watch, honestly, but she was adamant that she would go on so she wouldn't disappoint you.”

“I heard, literally right before she quit. I may have helped her along that road by insisting that she go through with it.”

“You did.” Fluttershy said.

Fleur, sensing her massage was nearing its end, said, “By the way, do you have any more helpful advice for tonight?”

“Well, I should mention that Luna will be going out with other ponies, even if you get a second date with her,” Fluttershy said.

“And I believe she mentioned that she wants to be treated like any other pony you might date. I think you should go easy on her, though, she's new at this.”

“I'll be sure to do so.”

It was fifteen minutes before Princess Luna was to arrive, and Fleur was all decked out and ready for a night on the town. She looked out the window and, much to her surprise, saw Princess Luna herself approaching her home. Equally surprising was just how nervous the alicorn looked. I'm a foreign born fashion model and she's one of the two rulers of this land and she's the one who's nervous? Fleur thought, amazed.

Luna, meanwhile, was trying to reassure herself and remember everything Rarity told her. She looked at the clock tower and saw she still had some time before she was to arrive, so, unaware that Fleur had already seen her, she decided to take a minute to get her nerves under control before knocking. Shifting from hoof to hoof, trying to work up the will to get it over with, she thought Come on, Lulu. You are a goddess, and it is not like making a foal of yourself will be remembered in a generation or two. I hope. She then walked up to the doorway and gave it a few quick raps, hoping that everything would work out.

A few seconds later, the door swung open to reveal the Prench mare in a royal blue dress with white highlights and fleur de lis adorning various points. Seeing this, Luna immediately had a flashback to a meeting with a Prench queen she had had a few decades before her banishment.

Fleur, on the other hoof, was taking a good look at Luna and her dress. Said dress was black with a white crescent moon at her flank, white stars, and little gems that sparkled in the light when she moved. All in all it was like looking into the night sky and Fleur wondered what designer could be so skilled as to make something so elegant and so well suited to the Princess of The Night and how she could talk them into making a dress for her.

Fleur, snapping herself out of her dress induced reverie, asked, “Hello Princess. Shall we head out?”

“Oh, Of course,” Luna said, trying not to look like she wasn't paying attention, with no success, “and please, call me Luna.”

Fleur was momentarily confused by this, until she remembered what Rarity had told her earlier. Fluttershy was right. She does seem to want to be treated like my equal,, she thought in her native tongue. She said, “Okay, Luna.”

On the way to the restaurant, Fleur said, “You must know a lot about things, since you're a princess and all.”

“I am sill catching up on some of the more modern aspects of the world, but yes, I would say I am knowledgeable about it,” Luna said.

“So, I always wondered why do ponies usually not wear clothes?”

“That is hardly a mystery. Explain to me how a pegasus can dress him or herself.”

Fleur thought for a moment, then said, “I see your point.” She waited several seconds, to see if Luna would say anything else, before she heard herself saying, “If you don't mind, I was wondering why you decided to legalize same-sex marriage. I mean aside from being bisexual yourself.”

“While my own sexuality did play a role, it was actually because Fluttershy asked me to after beginning her relationship with Rainbow Dash. Since I owed her a favor anyway, I decided to oblige,” Luna said, purposefully not telling the whole story.

“What did she do to have a princess owe her a favor?”

“I will simply state that it was a complicated endeavor that required her assistance.”

“Oh, okay. Did it have anything to do with Celestia turning pink a few months ago?” Fleur asked.

“No, that was all me. I slipped some pink fur dye into her bubble bath, and that night Pinklestia's three day rule began,” Luna said, chuckling at the memory.

“So you were the one who came up with the Pinklestia name?”

“No, but I felt it appropriate and teased her a bit with it when she got too grumpy with me.”

Fleur shook her head and smiled, thinking I like this princess.

After a minute of silence, Luna asked, “I assume you are a native of Prance, Fleur de Lis?”

“Oui. I spent my early years and found my talent in Pearis, before my family moved to wine country. I left largely because I had better modeling opportunities out here than in my home country.”

“What is it like there? I may have to take a vacation there someday.”

“It's a bit hard to describe, and I'm sure there are others who are more qualified than me, but Pearis is a lot like Canterlot except built on the ground, instead of a mountain and filled with Prench ponies instead of Equestrian ones. Wine country is a bit more like the vast strawberry fields you have in the east, except with grapes and barrels, and isn't much to look at, though the countryside in general is quite beautiful.”

“I see. So you do not like the wineries?”

“I didn't say that. I just said they're not much to look at. They're actually quite nice to live on, especially if you have a taste for wine.”

“Oh.”

Precluding any further conversation was their arrival at the restaurant that Luna had chosen. The two went inside, drawing a lot of attention (and a few camera flashes) and approached the Maitre d', who was looking over the reservations for an older couple neither mare recognized.

They looked at the princess and her date with a mixture of confusion and trepidation but didn't say anything. A minute later, the Maitre d' said, “Ah yes here we are, six pm, private booth. Right this way please.” He then noticed the princess and said, “I will be with you shortly. I hope you understand.”

Luna nodded but said nothing. They were a few minutes early, so she didn't mind waiting a bit. She sat down on one of the nearby cushions and looked around the restaurant. Fleur sat down next her and asked “have you ever eaten here before?”

“No, when I am in Canterlot I almost always eat at the castle, so I have not had any opportunity to eat at any of the restaurants here in the city.”

“Well, whoever suggested this one certainly knows a good restaurant when they see one.”

The corners of Luna's lips quirked upward as she said, “'Tia will be glad to hear that.”

Fleur noted at this point the nervous princess who approached her door not fifteen minutes earlier had been replaced with a much more confident mare, though one that still seemed out of her element. Unsure of whether this was a good or bad sign coming from the more apparently mysterious of the alicorn sisters and still a bit nervous herself, she ignored it, instead watching for the Maitre d's return. She then noticed something else. “Is that coconut I smell?”

“My sister may have managed to get me in the face with a coconut cream pie before I left. She only did that because she knows I hate coconut.”

Fleur chuckled a bit, hoping Luna wouldn't notice, then tuned her attention to the restaurant itself.

When the Matire d' came back, he said, “Right this way, Princess.”

They followed him to a centrally located booth flanked by two statues. One was a white statue of Princess Celestia, while the other was a back representation of Luna. They sat down and the waiter gave them their menus. He then asked, “now what may I get you two to drink?”

“I would like a bottle of Chateau 970 red, if you have any.”

“Certainly. As for you princess?”

“I will have Jasmine tea.”

“Excellent choice. I will return shortly with your drinks.”

As the Maitre d' walked away, Fleur said, “Lovely statues.”

Luna made a closer inspection of them and said, “I personally find them rather ugly. They took too much effort in making us look grand and, as a result, the effect comes off as overwrought.”

“You're an art critic now?” Fleur asked, amazed and confused.

“I may have been an avid pursuer of fine statuary before I was banished to the moon, ego having firm hold over me and all.”

“Oh.”

“Also, I have much time on my hands since my return, which I have dedicated to learning about various subjects and planning new pranks for my sister,” Luna said as she looked over the menu.

“Do you still run night court?”

“Oh yes, but only five hours a day, three days a week, and I hardly get enough petitioners to justify that much time.”

“Maybe somepony should come by and keep you company?”

“No, the guards would not like that. They prefer that anypony with a request discusses it with me, then when I have made my decision, leave. Regardless, I do have some other duties to attend to during night court.”

“Oh.”

The waiter returned at this point, placing the mares' drinks of choice in front of them, along with teacups for Luna and a tall wine glass for Fleur. He then asked, “Have you made your decision?”

“Uh, yes. I'll have the ratatouille, please,” Fleur said.

“I shall have the apple pecan salad with a vinaigrette dressing, a veggie burger, and an order of the rataouille as well,” Luna said.

Fleur looked surprised but the waiter hardly flinched. “Of course.”

With the waiter out of sight, Fleur asked the obvious question. “Do you realize how much food that is?”

“I do. Do you realize how much magic it takes to raise and lower the moon every night?”

“I, uh...I didn't think about that.”

“It is understandable. I am certain most have not.”

Okay, Fleur, no more dumb questions, the unicorn thought as she took a long sip of her wine.

Luna, noting her date's silence, asked, “Do you enjoy being a model?”

“Of course. I was blessed with this great body despite not being an alicorn, and I do love showing it off, especially for a good cause.”

Luna resisted the urge to say that she was a unicorn with her current build build before her ascension (though she had always had other things to do than show it off), but thought Fleur might misinterpret that. Instead she asked, “Such as endorsing products?”

“No, that's just how I make my living in the off season. I was actually thinking of charity events and the like where my presence tends to result in a lot more money for the organization.”

“I see.”

Their food was delivered at this point, coming rather quickly because when you have a princess in your restaurant, you don't keep her waiting.

They spent the next ten minutes in silence, Luna quickly eating her first dish (the salad), and Fleur alternating between staring in amazement at how fast Luna was eating without making the slightest bit of a mess and eating her own meal.

Luna finally spoke when she finished her salad. “How is the ratatouille?”

“It's very good. And your salad?”

“Amazing,” Luna said before sliding her veggie burger in front of herself and beginning work on that, while pouring herself another cup of tea.

Fleur, thinking she wouldn't be able to get the princess' attention if she got too involved with her burger, said, “Fluttershy said you have a slight tendency to get, how did she put it? Huggy?”

“Yes, I may have a slight tendency to hug her when we meet, but I have taken pains to stop since she does not seem to like it when I hug her.”

“How can you tell?”

“She tends to faint, especially when I give her a big bear hug,” Luna said, seriously

Fleur had to bite her tongue fairly hard not to chuckle at the idea of Fluttershy fainting in Luna's forelegs, now that it was told from Luna's perspective. She then asked, “Would your lover get as many hugs as Fluttershy?”

“Fluttershy does not get many hugs from me these days, because of her fainting, though, to answer your question, yes, unless they did not want to be hugged so much.”

“So you'll actually listen to the needs of your partner, and not invoke your royal status?”

“Of course. I do not want my partner to be unhappy for my sake.”

Fleur didn't respond and Luna went back to her burger. After she finished that, they talked about each other, Luna's duties, Fleur's plans for the near future, her criteria for endorsing a product (which amounted to “does it conflict with anything else in my schedule?” Which bothered Luna), and why Luna wanted her partners so young.

“It is because, while I am immortal, my lover will not be, and I wish to spend as much time as possible with them before they pass on.”

“I can understand that, though won't it be difficult to lose them after spending 50 or 60 years with them?”

“Yes, but I will move on with time, as my sister has after each of her husbands. This is the sort of thing you come to accept with eternal life, after all. Speaking of time, what time is it?”

“About six forty five,” Fleur said, “What time does night court start?”

“Eight o'clock. I still have one half hour before I should return to the castle to prepare.”

They went back to chatting about various things, while Fleur tried to figure out what Luna thought of her. All she learned while trying to do this is that playing poker with the night princess was a very bad idea. Then again, for Fleur, playing poker with most ponies wasn't a great idea.

Luna was doing a slightly better job of gauging Fleur's thoughts on her. In that she realized Fleur couldn't figure out what the alicorn thought of her. Luna liked it this way, since it allowed her to privately wonder what to make of the fact that the Prench unicorn wasn't picky about her endorsement deals.

Soon it was time to go. Luna paid the 1000 bit bill (half of which of which came from the bottle of wine Fleur ordered herself. To be fair, it was damn good wine), and they walked outside where Luna sprung a bombshell on the unicorn. “Would you like to go on another date, sometime next week?”

Fleur's response to this was a look of surprise and confusion. Luna asked, “are you okay, Fleur de Lis.”

Fleur took a second to calm down then said, “I'm fine. I just didn't expect to get a second date with you.”

“Why not? When you are not asking me a lot of questions, you are rather likable, though not perfect, obviously.”

“And I'm a foreign born fashion model who doesn't know much about politics.”

“So?” Luna asked.

“Uh, does next Thursday sound good? At the Alimentaire cheval?”

“That sounds lovely. I shall see you then. Good night, Fleur de Lis.”

"Good night."

Author's Notes:

Fleur survives round one. To be fair, Luna had low and uncalibrated standards for this date. Expect date two to be much tougher.

If you couldn't tell by the chapter title, I sort of embraced The Model Caretaker shout outs here, with various elements. Rarity and Fluttershy with Fleur at the spa, Fleur and Luna at their own special table at the (purposefully unnamed) restaurant, flanked by two statues are basically lifted from that story, and fitted to this one. This should be the extent of my recycling, however.

Also, Celestia has something good planned for Luna tomorrow afternoon. Trust me. I will have a ball writing it.

And short date chapters? What was I smoking?

Concerts and Races

Five of Luna's six guests were at the breakfast table this morning, Rarity asking to be allowed to sleep in after her all nighter, along with the two alicorn princesses. Luna told everypony present about her date with Fleur, and mentioned her concerns. When she finished, Twilight asked, “So, are you going to have a second date with her?”

“Yes. Next week.”

Celestia then said, “I'm a bit surprised that ponies are surprised that we eat so much, after all the times I've been caught eating large cakes.”

“Indeed, though it seems ponies do not realize how much magic it takes to raise the sun and the moon,” Luna said.

“So that's how you keep your figures?” Applejack asked.

“Yes. And it's why the castle has always had a 'Celestia is always the first to get a slice of cake' policy,” Celestia said, before cutting off a large portion of her omelet.

“I always wondered about that,” Twilight said. Celestia just offered a knowing smile in return.

A few seconds later, three letters manifested themselves in front of the sun princess, and she looked at the addressees. She passed one to Twilight, another to Pinkie, and the third to Applejack.

After reading hers over, a very excited Pinkie said, “Oh my goodness, Vinyl's coming by later today! And she's bringing Octavia!”

“For a visit?” Rainbow asked.

“No, she has a few gigs in town, and Octy's playing at the Canterlot Concert Hall most of next week, but they want us to meet them at the station around noon.”

“We can do that, right guys?” Twilight asked.

She got affirmative answers from around the table, save Celestia, who would be busy; Luna, who would be sleeping; and Applejack who seemed distracted. Luna noticed the farmer's distant stare and asked, “Is something wrong, Applejack?”

“Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about Granny Smith.”

“Is there something wrong with her?”

“Well, she got real sick yesterday, and apparently hasn't gotten out of bed yet today, even though she's always been an early riser. I might need to go back to Ponyville if she gets any worse,” Applejack said.

“I understand, your family comes first. Just tell, 'Tia or I if you have to leave for home.”

“I'll do that, thanks.”

They spent the next few moments eating in silence, before a guard arrived, saying, “There is a yellow pegasus stallion at the gates, who say's he's here to talk to Fluttershy. Should I let him in?”

Before Celestia could speak, Fluttershy asked, “Does he have a red mane?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know this pony?” Celestia asked.

“Yes. If it's who I think it is, he's my brother,” Fluttershy said.

After taking some extra time to finish her meal, Fluttershy went to the throne room, where her brother was waiting. Looking at him for the first time in a year and a half, she was surprised how little he had changed.. He had a large wiry body, as if you took Big Mac and replaced his bulk with all lean muscles, his red mane and tail were cut short, his blue eyes looked as innocent as Fluttershy's, and his cutie mark was a checkered flag. In essence, if you transformed Fluttershy into a male Le Pones racer, she would look just like him.

When he saw her, he rushed over and gave her a big, tight bear hug, which, despite his wiry frame, seemed to be far too tight for Fluttershy's lungs, at least judging by the fact that her face was turning blue. He said, “Oh, it's so good to see you again, Flutters! I missed ya so much, sis!”

Celestia walked in shortly thereafter, and said, “I think Fluttershy would like to have some air, she's turning a bit blue.”

When the stallion saw Celestia, he hastily released his sister and went into a submissive bow. The alicorn, however was more focused on Fluttershy, who was now taking in deep breaths, yet, other than that, seemed fine. She then said, “As long as you don't accidentally suffocate anypony, there is no need for formalities.”

He responded by scrambling to his hooves, but didn't say anything. One look at his face explained why: he was extremely nervous, probably about being in the presence of royalty. Fluttershy, who of course knew Celestia, had no such issues, saying, “Princess Celestia, this is my brother, Thunderfly.”

Celestia was a bit bemused by the choice of name, but didn't comment on it, instead saying, “It's nice to meet you, Thunderfly.”

“Y-you too, your highness.”

The others, save Luna (who needed a bathroom trip), came out into the throne room to meet Fluttershy's brother. He saw them come, and seemed to relax a bit, probably because of the presence of his old friend Rainbow Dash, who he took in a big, suffocating bear hug before she could say anything.

Rainbow, however was just strong enough to push herself away from him enough to say “Can't... breathe.”

“Oh, sorry,” he said, releasing Rainbow and letting her fall to her hooves. Luna appeared at this point, unseen by all but Fluttershy, who didn't respond to her presence, focusing more on her bruised ribs.

Luna elected to observe, as Rainbow recovered enough to ask, “Have you made it to Le Pones yet?”

“Yeah. I got my invite a few days ago, and that baby dragon at the Ponyville library, Spike said you guys were here at the castle, so here I am.”

Luna asked, “Le Pones?”

“An endurance race in Prance where they go for 24 hours,” Rainbow said, as Thunder clammed up at the sight of Luna.

“One pony racing for 24 hours? How would they do that?”

Thunder was too scared of Luna to speak, so his sister spoke for him. “They actually do a relay, switching every three or four hours, between three ponies.”

“Oh. That would make more sense.”

“So who are your teammates, Thunder?” Rainbow asked

He didn't say anything.

“Well?”

Still, Thunder said nothing.

“Is something wrong, 'Fly?” Rainbow asked.

“...Princess Luna scares me,” Thunderfly eventually said, earning a frustrated sigh from the mare in question.

“I thought that my subjects were no longer afraid of me,” Luna said, “It is unfortunate to see that I was wrong.”

Fluttershy then said, “Luna's not that scary, Thunder. She's actually really nice.”

He looked at Luna, who seemed to regard him with curiosity, and said, “If you say so,” obviously not reassured.

Luna, meanwhile chose to stay silent and not risk letting her frustration show more than it had. She noted the family resemblance, both in appearance and mannerisms. At the same time, though, the huge differences between the two siblings amazed her. This, combined with what Fluttershy had told her about being the unfavorite the year before, left her unsure of what to make of Thunderfly (She also wondered why anypony would give their foals such similar names).

After some thought, however, she said she was going to take a bath. Actually, she was just going to hang around just out of sight, listening to the ponies conversing.

After Luna left, Fluttershy asked, “Are you planning to stay in town a while?”

“Uh, sure. I've never been to Canterlot before, and it would be nice to see the sights, if I could find somewhere to stay for a few days.”

“I think I could have Luna pay for a hotel room for you,” Fluttershy said, “She does owe me a few favors.”

“W-wait. One of the rulers of Equestria owes you some favors?”

“It's a long story,” Celestia butted in, “but I'm sure Luna would be happy to to cover room and board for a few days for you. Right Lulu?”

Luna then walked out of her hiding spot in the hallway and asked, “How did you know I was there?”

“You're quite predictable, Lulu. Now, about that room and board?”

“Oh, yes. I will acquire a room at the Doubleleaf Royal for you this afternoon. Just inform me when you leave so I can stop payment.”

“Okay.”

“And please try to calm down. I am not some terror who likes to eat ponies, and, in fact, I consider your sister a very good friend of mine,” Luna said.

This last part caught the poor stallion completely off guard. He looked back and forth between the dark princess and his sister, utterly bewildered, before stammering out, “R-really?”

Rainbow spoke up before Fluttershy could, saying, “Yep! We actually just came down for a visit a few days ago, since things have quieted down so much recently.”

Luna, realizing what Rainbow was up, to didn't call her out on her bald-faced lie, instead saying, “Indeed, I enjoy seeing them when things are quiet in the kingdom.”

“Wow,” Thunder said, starting to calm a bit, but still obviously nervous.

Twilight whispered to Fluttershy, “Is he always like this?”

“Yes. He's almost as shy as me,” Fluttershy responded.

“Well that explains a lot.”

Soon, the nervous stallion excused himself to go see the sights, but stopped when Rainbow said she was going to practice above Canterlot and kissed Fluttershy (Luna had left to do only she knew what). He said, “Wait, you two are together? Why didn't you tell me?”

“We didn't have your address?” Fluttershy suggested.

“Oh.”

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, I'm happy for you and all, but I would like to know what's going on with my sister, and apparently potential sister in law. You did hear the announcement, yesterday, I assume,” Thunderfly said.

“We were told about it right before the announcement, actually,” Twilight said.

“Yeah, but we're not planning on getting married anytime soon. Maybe a couple years from now, but not in the immediate future,” Fluttershy said.

“Oh. By the way, how long have you two been together?” Thunder asked.

“About a year?”

“And do mom and dad know?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy lied, not wanting to explain how much she hated them.

“Oh, and Thunder, if you want to stick around a while, my birthday's next week,” Rainbow said.

“Sure, I can hang around until then. Princess Luna's paying for my hotel, after all.”

Shortly afterwards, Thunderfly left for good and the five ponies present decided to pursue other activities for the time being (and Rarity woke up and began to pursue her own projects). A few hours after all this, Fluttershy got a letter. From Fleur de Lis.

Opening it revealed two things. The first was four tickets for the VIP box at the Wonderbolts derby that afternoon, and the second was a letter from Fleur talking about how the date went and how unbelievable it was that she got asked to a second date with the night princess. It also mentioned that she got those four tickets as a gift, but, since the Wonderbolts derby didn't interest her, she decided to pass them along as a thank you gift for arranging the wonderful night she had.

When she read the letter, she immediately realized Rainbow would be pleased. Of course that just left the question of who to give the other two tickets to. She took to the air, tickets in hoof, and started looking for her marefriend, who she was sure was taking a nap on some nearby cloud. This was a bit problematic since it was a cloudy day in Canterlot, but once she got high enough she was able to spot the blue mare without much trouble.

She alighted on Rainbow's cloud and said, “Wake up, sleepyhead. I have something for you.”

Rainbow grumbled something that sounded like “Can it wait?”

“Only if four VIP tickets to the Wonderbolts derby can wait.”

This woke Rainbow right up. “Wh-how...How did you get VIP tickets to the derby?”

“Fleur sent them to me as thanks for setting her up with Luna. Also, she's apparently not that interested in the Wonderbolts.”

“Wow. I have to thank her next time I see her. So who are you giving the extra tickets to?”

“I dunno yet, but didn't Rarity say something about going to the derby with Fancypants? Maybe she would want to go again,” Fluttershy suggested.

“Oh, yeah. She did, didn't she? But, even if she wants to, that still leaves one more ticket. So when is the derby?”

“Today at three.”

“And what time is it now?” Rainbow asked.

“Ten fifteen. We have a few hours, if you want to finish your nap.”

“Sounds good. You gonna go talk to Rarity?”

“Yeah,” Fluttershy said.

“Well, I'll see you later then. Love you.”

“Love you too, Dashie.”

Rarity being predictable made Fluttershy's life easy, since she just had to fly to the fashion district and look around for a few minutes. She spotted her friend browsing a selection of fabrics. She walked over to the unicorn, who saw her and said, “Oh, hi Fluttershy, what are you up to?”

“Oh, I thought I'd show you what Fleur just sent me,” the pegasus said, producing her tickets.

“Wait, she sent you tickets for the VIP box at the Wonderbolts derby?”

“Yes, for this afternoon. Rainbow and I are definitely going, but I was wondering if you wanted to come along, since I have two extra tickets.”

“Of course. I could never pass up an opportunity like that. Is Fleur going?” Rarity asked.

“No, she said the derby doesn't interest her, which is why she sent the tickets to me.”

“I see, so who else is going with us?”

“Well, Rainbow, as I said, but I still have one ticket left then,” Fluttershy said.

Rarity thought for a moment, then said, “What about Twilight?”

“Do you think she'd want to go?”

“Well, it wouldn't hurt to ask,” Rarity said.

“Should we ask Applejack and Pinkie as well?”

“Maybe Applejack, but I'm sure you know how much chaos reigns every time Pinkie mixes with the Canterlot nobility. Remember the gala? Or the garden party?”

“Yes, that's true. I wouldn't want us to cause a scene,” Fluttershy admitted.

“So let's just leave Pinkie out of this, shall we?”

“Okay.”

“Are you going to ask Twilight now?” Rarity asked.

“I guess. I don't have anywhere else to be.”

“Oh good. When you do, tell her that this would be a good place to start the thing.”

“The thing?” Fluttershy asked, obviously confused.

“She told me not to tell anypony what it was. She'll know what it means, though.”

“Okay, I'll tell her.”

Fluttershy, now having had flown the equivalent length of Canterlot, which was more flying exercise than the quiet mare usually got, resolved to walk the rest of the day. She walked into the Canterlot library where her quietness was quite normal, and searched for her purple friend. She found her in a back corner over a thick text that the pegasus was sure she wouldn't understand. As she sat down she said, “Twilight.”

“Wha? Huh? Oh, hi Fluttershy. You looking for books on animals?”

“No. Fleur sent me tickets to the Wonderbolts derby, and I still have one left. I was wondering if you wanted to come.”

“Uh, did you already ask Rainbow?” Twilight asked.

“Yes. She and Rarity are coming to, but, as I said, I have one ticket left. Rarity also told me to tell you that this would be a good opportunity to start 'the thing'.”

“'The thing'? What's that?”

“She didn't tell me. She said that you didn't want anypony to hear what it was,” Fluttershy said.

Twilight racked her brain for a second before remembering, “Oh, that. Yeah, I can see why she thought that.”

“So, what's the thing?”

“Um, don't tell anypony but Rarity wants to help me find a date.”

“A date?” Fluttershy asked, surprised.

“Yeah, a date. I don't see why. I'm happy just having my friends and my books, but she insisted.”

“Well, it could be fun.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Twilight said.

“So do you want to come?”

“When is it at?”

“Three o'clock today. It's eleven, now,” Fluttershy said.

“Sure. I'll be there. It sounds like a good opportunity to find a possible date for Luna, and a fun time overall, if nothing else.”

“Oh, good.”

A growl from Twilight's stomach prevented any further conversation. “Eh heh heh, maybe we should get some lunch?”

The duo, now with Applejack and Rarity in tow, were sitting at an outdoor cafe with soups and sandwiches before them, talking about this and that. Twilight made an offhand mention of the tickets to the derby, and Applejack, who hadn't been told previously, asked, “Wait, you have tickets to the Wonderbolts derby?”

“Yes. Fleur sent them to me, but I only got four.”

“So, who ya taking?”

“Uh, Rainbow definitely wanted to go when I told her, and Rarity also said she wanted to come. Twilight accepted when I offered to let her come. If you want to go, I could just give you my ticket,” Fluttershy offered.

“Nah, that's alright. She sent them to you, after all, and Rainbow would want you to go with either way. I'm just a bit disappointed you didn't ask me if I wanted to come.”

“Sorry about that, but I didn't know where you would be, and I knew Twilight would be at the library, so I asked her first,” Fluttershy said, being very careful not to reveal certain details that Twi would object to having mentioned.

“Uh, yeah, I can see that. Just keep me in mind next time, sugarcube,” Applejack said.

“I will.”

“Speaking of. Rarity, do you think Fancypants will be at the derby?” Twilight asked the other unicorn.

“Maybe. He did invite me to the derby wen we first met, and while Fleur was hanging off him. Why do you ask?”

“I was wondering maybe we could recruit his help in finding another date for Luna. He probably knows a lot of high class ponies who would fit her criteria, after all.”

“I agree, he probably would, but I'm not sure he'll be too thrilled with the idea of helping the pony who is dating one of his models find another date. Before Luna went on that date with Fleur, I would have been sure he would help, but now...”Rarity said.

“Well, it wouldn't hurt to ask, would it?”

“No, I guess not. Just make sure we're clear on what we're doing and looking for, Twilight.”

“I will,” Twilight said.

Of course, they still had a few hours before the derby was to begin, and another important matter to take care of in the meantime. About a half hour later, all six of them were sitting at the train station waiting for Octavia and Vinyl's train to arrive. While everypony else chatted idly amongst themselves, Pinkie, who couldn't wait to see Vinyl, stared out at the direction the train would arrive from.

After ten minutes of waiting, Pinkie started bouncing and excitedly saying, “Oh, here they come! Here they come!” causing the others to turn and look. Sure enough the familiar shape of the Friendship Express was coming their way. Seeing it made Twilight briefly ponder why the front window was made to look like a giant heart, before she decided that some things were better left unasked.

When the train came to a stop in front of them, Pinkie immediately started looking for the blue-maned unicorn she loved, quickly spotting her exiting from near the back of the train. She then rushed over and embraced her lover as if they hadn't seen each other in ages, despite that it had only been a few days. Vinyl, who was familiar with this behavior by now, having dealt with it during week-long gigs out of town, took it all in stride, even if she did find it a bit creepy.

Walking out behind her at a more casual pace, and with a giant instrument case on her back, was a grey earth pony mare with a pink bowtie. The first thing she said, in a cool voice, “Hello, Pinkie.”

“Oh, hi Octy. Vinyl said you were coming for a show?”

At this point the other five ponies waiting with Pinkie reached them. Octavia barely registered this, when she said, “Yes. I'm playing backup for some rock band. Apparently they want my skills as a cello player to add the right atmosphere to some of their songs. It's not normally my thing but they're paying thirty bits a night, and, with who I live with, I'm not going to say no to that.”

“So who are you playing with?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Pony Floyd, in some over-elaborate stage production, premiering tomorrow night. And no, I can't tell you anything about the stage show. Not if I want to get paid, anyway,” Octavia explained.

“Is Vinyl going to be on stage with you?” Twilight asked.

“No, she's playing a couple of local clubs while we're here. Speaking of, what are you guys doing here?”

“Finding dates for Princess Luna, if you can believe it.”

“So you're the ones who set her up with that pink maned unicorn?” Octavia asked.

“Fleur de Lis? Yeah. She's still seeing other ponies at the moment, though.”

“Well, if I wasn't part of the show, I might consider actually taking her up on her offer, but...”

“I understand. Have fun at your concert,” Twilight said, turning to leave.

“I'll try.”

They left Pinkie and Vinyl, who were too busy talking about this and that to notice the disappearance of their friends, to their own devices, and leaving four ponies wondering how Twilight managed to befriend the stubbornly stoic and rather private classical musician. To their frustration, however, she wasn't telling.

Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Twilight were all at the Canterlot Stadium for the derby. The track itself was situated just over the edge of the cliff Canterlot was situated on, allowing a grand view of the horizon and the countryside below. No one was paying attention to this, of course, since all eyes were on the wonderbolts, who would be doing six races for the spectators' entertainment and betting pools. The ponies present were Spitfire, Soarin', Fleetfoot, Rapidfire, Misty Fly, and Lightning Streak. Fleetfoot and Rapidfire were the all-around favorites, though Lightning Streak was seen as a darkhorse who some thought could take a few races from under their noses.

They climbed up to the VIP box and presented the security guard with their tickets. Inside the VIP box, they found Fancypants with several other nobles, and he was surprised to see the four of them. He said, “Rarity, it's so good to see you, though I must admit that I wasn't expecting you to be at the derby today.”

“Well, we weren't expecting to come until Fleur sent Fluttershy tickets as thanks for getting her a date with Princess Luna.”

“Fleur sent you her tickets?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy said.

“And did she say if she would be here today?”

“She said she wasn't coming. Something about having other plans for the day,” Fluttershy lied.

“Yes, I can imagine. She told me that the princess asked on a second date. She also told me that Luna would see other ponies, though,” Fancypants said.

“Yes, That's part of why we're here. To see if we can find another date for her,” Twilight said, “If you know anypony, anyway.”

“A mare for her to date?”

“Or a stallion, Somepony who's nice and somewhere around Fleur's age.”

“Hmm...there's a pony here I'm thinking of. He's here right now actually,” Fancy said.

“Really? Who?”

Fancy gestured to an orange pegasus stallion, with a black mane and wearing a partial suit. His cutie mark was a green arrow pointing upwards, and his face was a very calm one. Fancy said, “Mile, could you come here a moment?”

The pony in question walked over and said, “Yes, Fancy?”

“These nice ponies are looking for a date for the princess. I was wondering if you would like to go ot with her.”

“Is this the same princess who went out with Fleur de Lis?”

“Yes. She said she wanted to see other ponies, though,” Fluttershy said.

“If you say so. I admit I could never pass up an opportunity to date a princess.”

“So, what's your name, sir?” Twilight asked.

“Mile High.”

“And your address?”

“Why?” Mile High asked.

“So Princess Luna can send over the details.”

“Oh,” Mile High said, before giving the details, then saying, “I won't be available tomorrow night, but the night after, I will be free.”

“Okay, we'll tell her.”

They spent the next hour watching the races, with Rainbow's knowledge of the Wonderbolts allowing the four to make a pretty bit before they left for the castle again.

When they got back, Celestia said she had a small job she wanted Twilight to attend to before she did anything else. She whispered it into Twilight's ear then said, “Be quick about it. This doesn't have a big window.”

“I don't get it, but okay,” Twilight said, before teleporting out of the room.

Celestia then turned to the other ponies present and asked, “So, how was your day? Learn anything interesting?”

“Well, we learned that Fancypants can be very helpful. He found Luna another date,” Rainbow said.

“Already? How did you manage this?”

Rainbow described what happened at the derby, and Celestia nodded, before asking, “did you get a chance to talk to this Mile High?”

“A little bit, but he doesn't seem to be the talkative sort, so we just have to hope the date goes well. He seemed nice enough, though,” Rarity said.

At this point, they heard a pair of hoofsteps coming down the hallway to the throne room. They turned to see Twilight and Luna entering with something being held in Luna's magic. Once they got close enough, it was readily apparent that that something was a plushie that looked just like Fluttershy.

Luna said, “May I ask why you had Twilight Sparkle try to take this from my bedchambers, 'Tia?”

“Did you really think I wouldn't get my revenge for your revealing my love of My Little Human, Lulu?”

“I had actually intended to apologize when I could get all six of my guests around us, but then you sought to embarrass me with my Fluttershy plushie.”

“Your what now?” Rainbow asked, incredulous at the thought of Luna having a plushie of her marefriend.

“It is not like that, Rainbow Dash, though I do understand your concern. I simply use it as a sleep aid, because it was Fluttershy who saved my life in the wilds. I did not want any of you to find out about it, because it is embarrassing, and it would give you the wrong idea, which I assuming is why 'Tia wanted tTwilight Sparkle to steal it from mee.”

“Maybe,” Celestia said, teasingly.

Luna sighed and said, “Just remember, 'Tia, your millennium of life that I missed has given you more embarrassing baggage than I could hope to collect during my three years back.”

“I'll be ready for whatever you throw at me.”

“I am certain,” Luna said before disappearing into thin air. She returned a few seconds later, sans plushie, and Twilight took the opportunity to ask, “How didn't we see it the day we arrived?”

“My shock from being rudely awakened by 'Tia caused me to knock it off the bed and out of sight. And, if you do not mind, I would prefer we stop speaking of it,” Luna said, with a tone of finality.

“Fine,” Rainbow said, despite not being very involved in the conversation, probably because she wanted to get more info out of Luna about the plushie.

Luna then said, “So, Rarity, I assume you heard about my date already?”

“Oh, yes. They told me everything you told them, and Fluttershy showed me the letter Fleur sent her, thanking her for setting you two up,” the fashionista said.

“Speaking of, we managed to find you another date for the day after tomorrow. A pegasus noble named Mile High. We didn't get a chance to talk with him too much, but he seemed nice enough.

“I see. So how did you meet him?”

They again described their time at the derby, and Luna listened with interest. When they finished, she then said, “I hope Fancypants' judgement in this matter is reliable.”

“I hope so too,” Twilight said.

“So, how long is it until dinner?”

Celestia said, “Uh, ten minutes?”

“Good, I am hungry. Also, before I forget, we can discuss your reward for helping me on this endeavor over dinner if you wish.”

She received affirmative answers to this query, and smiled for the first time since waking up to find somepony trying to take her plushie. She was glad Twilight had left unspoken the fact that she had thrown her against the wall when she surprised her.

Ten minutes later, they were sitting at the now familiar royal dining table, filling their plates with various foodstuffs and making small talk, before Luna spoke up and silenced the whole table. “As I said earlier, we will now discuss the reward you are to receive for helping me in this endeavor. You may request anything, large or small, and if neither I nor 'Tia have reason to veto your request, it will be granted when I find the pony I wish to date exclusively. Do not be shy with your requests as you are doing me a great favor and I have, in my power, a great ability to reward you with that which you desire. Twilight Sparkle, we shall begin with you.”

“Umm...Hmm. Do you think you could deliver to the library any book I ask for as long as I keep running it?”

“Assuming the text in question exists, and, in the cases of rarer books, can be transcribed, I certainly can arrange for that.”

“Thank you Princess.”

Luna then turned to Rarity and asked, “What would you like as your reward, Rarity?”

“I would like to be a princess!” Rarity declared without hesitation.

“Unfortunately, there are only two ways to become a princess. The first is to become an alicorn, which we will not do with anypony outside of extraordinary circumstances,” Luna said, being careful to avoid mentioning Twilight's own pending alicornization.

“And the second?”

Luna said, “Marry into the royal family, and seeing as I have no interest in dating you, the only royal bachelor available to you is-”

“Let me guess. Prince Blueblood.”

“Yes.”

“Okay then. When I do get married to a non-royal, may I have a royal wedding?” Rarity asked.

This time it was Celestia who responded. “All of you earned the right to a royal wedding when you saved Equestria for the second time.”

Now Rarity was frustrated. One of the rewards she had asked for wasn't happening, and the other she already had, so she didn't know what to pick. After a second of thought, however, she decided to ask, “Would it be possible for me to be the seamstress at all royal weddings that happen from now until the day I die?”

“Certainly, though I'm sure some of the local dressmakers might be annoyed by this request.”

“Well, I can see that, but that is what I want,” Rarity said.

“Then it will be granted. Now, Applejack, what would you like for your reward?”

“Really, all I could ask for is money for the farm or a contract to sell you apples at slightly above market rate.”

“How many apples does your farm produce yearly?”

“About 2000 bushels a year,” Applejack said.

“Hmm. How does a private contract to buy 250 bushels of apples from your farm a year at 10% above market rate sound?”

“That sounds like it would make the farm a lot of bits. I could easily agree to that.”

“Then it shall be done. I will send the paperwork to the farm when the time comes.”

“Thanks, Princess.”

“Moving on. Rainbow Dash, I already know what you are going to say, and I will state that I already have done as much as I can to make you a wonderbolt.”

“I know. You put in the good word for me like you said you would. I was actually going to ask for a royal wedding, since I couldn't think of anything else, but apparently we're getting that already, so I'm going to have to pass for the moment,” Rainbow said.

“I understand. Just let me know when you do think of something. I am willing to wait as long as you need me to.”

“Thanks, Princess.”

“You are welcome. Now, Fluttershy, is there anything you desire?”

“Well, since you gave Twilight free copies of books for life, I was wondering if you could give me all the things I need to take care of my animals for the rest of my life?”

“I can arrange for that,” Luna said.

Celestia then said, “Just remember, Lulu, the financial costs of these rewards will be borne solely by you.”

“I know, 'Tia, but I have collected interest on my bits for the past thousand years, so I have no concern about money. Also, Fluttershy, my offer for a second reward during our time in the wilds still stands, if there is anything else you want.”

“Wait, what was the first reward, and how did she get a second?” Twilight asked

“Fluttershy's first reward was legalizing same-sex marriage, as I may have stated when I made my announcement. I felt that an act of altruism, such as taking that as her reward deserved its own reward, though she declined to take an additional reward at the time. If she wants to take it now, then I will still grant it.”

“I can't think of anything else right now,” Fluttershy admitted.

“That is fine. If you do think of something, please do not hesitate to let me know.”

“Okay, I will.”

“And now, I would ask what you would like, Pinkie Pie,” Luna said.

“Um...could you take us off the list of guests banned from the Grand Galloping Gala? I've always wanted to go back, but we're not allowed anymore.”

“I could see to that, but first, I must ask why you in particular were banned? I know Fluttershy's ban came about because she caused a stampede in the ballroom, something I am certain she will never do again, and Rarity because Prince Blueblood would not stop raising a stink about how she ruined the Gala until the organizers caved to his demands, but I do not know the reasons behind yours.”

“Some of the ponies at the Gala said I broke all etiquette and Octavia may have been unhappy about me knocking her over,” Pinkie said

“I see. Just know that if I do this, you are to be on your best behavior at any future galas you attend. If you are banned again, I will not unban you. Do you understand?”

“Oh, yes. Absolutely. I'll be much better behaved next time.”

“Okay, I will make the arrangements once you have finished the job I have set out for you,” Luna said.

“Thanks!” The six said in unison.

Author's Notes:

At the cost of a good night's sleep (No, I didn't spend all night on it. Just enough that I couldn't get to sleep), here's the latest chapter of "Luna Looks for Love". For the other reason I lost sleep, look up "Finding the Courage," which is not my best work but isn't the stinker I thought it was either.

Anyway, I wanted the date to be the next chapter, but Rarity insisted I give her a regular sleep schedule, so I moved it out to two chapters from now. Her personality is rather forceful like that. This does leave me with a conundrum, however, since I'm not quite sure what to do with my next chapter, aside from getting less secret revealing and more physical with all the pranks. I'll figure something out, though.

Princess Pranks

When the castle staff came by to awaken the six visitors the next day, the came with a strange request from princess Luna herself: “No matter what you see, act natural and do not stare at anything unusual.” Natural pranksters that they were, Rainbow and Pinkie (and, by virtue of being their roommates, Fluttershy and Applejack) quickly realized that Luna was playing a prank on her sister, but Twilight and Rarity were left a bit confused. Still, they decided to play along.

Over breakfast, Princess Luna, like her sister made idle chatter with everypony at the table, while holding a teacup with her magic. Unlike her sister, though, she was holding something else with her magic, and Rainbow and Pinkie were both struggling to keep from snickering at the sight of it.

As Celestia ate a cinnamon roll, she felt something large and fuzzy touch the top of her head. She shook it, trying to get it off, but it held firm. She grabbed it with her magic and brought it before her face. When saw that it was a spider, seemingly very much alive, she screamed and threw it against the wall, blasting it once with her magic and sending a few ponies present (but especially her dear sister) into raucous fits of laughter.

Celestia said, “Very funny, Lulu.”

“It is no worse than that coconut cream pie you had smashed into my face.”

“Except you're not liable to destroy something when you end up being pied. You know how I am with spiders, Lulu.”

“Indeed I do, and now so does everypony else as the table.”

Celestia looked around at the ponies eating with her, then said, “Well played, Lulu, well played.”

Following this, in what was quickly becoming a routine happening, a few letter formed out of green fire in front of Celestia. She looked at who they were addressed to and passed them out accordingly, glowering at her sister all the while.

One of the letters' recipients spoke up after reading through hers. “Oh, um Princess Celestia?

“Yes, Fluttershy?”

“Could you let my pet bunny Angel stay with me? He's not getting along with the town vet and she wants him to come here.”

“I guess I could allow that. Just make sure he stays with you or in the garden at all times.”

“Okay. I'll let her know to send him over.”

“Just give me the letter you write, and I'll ensure Spike receives it,” Celestia said.

“Okay.”

Luna then asked, “How is your grandmother doing, Applejack?”

“She's about the same as yesterday. They're going to move her to Ponyville Hospital later today to see if the doctors can find out what's wrong with her.”

“I see. I hope it is nothing too serious.”

“I hope so too,” Applejack said.

“So, what was in yours, Twilight?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh, just the usual stuff that comes with running a library. Books checked out and returned and fines paid and owed. Nothing to be concerned about. Though, while we're on the subject, someone owes me twenty bits for ten overdue books in the Daring Do series.”

“Uh...heh heh heh. Can I get back to you on paying those? I'm not exactly rolling in the bits at the moment.”

“Fine. Just remember, I'm not going to let you check any more books out until you pay up,” Twilight said.

“Fine.” Rainbow knew Twilight had her by the tail, since the new Daring Do was going to come out next month Now she just had to find a way to make 20 bits before then.

Luna then produced a small bag of bits and said, “I seem to recall hearing that your birthday is next week. Consider this an early birthday gift.”

Twilight took the bits and counted them out. “That's twenty,” she said.

By the way, when is your birthday, Fluttershy?”

“In September,” Fluttershy said, “the same month as Pinkie Pie.”

“So it will be a few months from now.”

“Yes.”

Luna made a mental note of this and said, “Also, Rarity, I have made my decision on what dress design I wish to wear tomorrow night,” floating a piece of paper over.

“Oh, this will be wonderful. I'll start on it right after breakfast.”

Luna smiled and turned back to the rest of the table, and to her dread, Celestia wasn't glowering at her anymore, meaning she had already come up with a plan for her revenge, and chances were that it would be very unpleasant.

Later in the day Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were talking with Thunderfly about how their lives had gone since they had last seen each other.

“So, wait. The riot that Ponyville had the week before Nightmare Night happened because your friend enchanted her doll with a 'want it need it' spell?”

“Yeah. It was hardly her shining moment. Still we've all had our moments. By the way, you wanna hear about how Fluttershy met Luna?” Rainbow asked, as Fluttershy tensed up a bit.

“Okay.”

Fluttershy spoke before Rainbow could, explaining everything that happened between her and Luna in that first meeting right up until the point where Luna hugged her.

“What happened then?”

“I don't really know, since I fainted when she hugged me.”

“Better than I would have done, I think. I probably would have died of a heart attack,” Thunderfly said.

“I can imagine,” Rainbow said. “By the way, how did you get accepted on a Le Pones team?”

“By winning a 12 hour semi-pro event at Trottingham's parkway by over two laps. Apparently there were some recruiters in the audience on the lookout for new talent, they approached the three of us after the race and offered a spot at the next 24 Hours of Le Pones.”

So, which team are you racing for?”

“Rebellion Racing,” Thunderfly said, “We're not expected to win, but we are expected to at least stay ahead of the entire earth pony class.”

“And who are your teammates?”

“Staying Power and a newbie I picked up along the way by the name of Red Streak. You'd like her.”

“I'm sure I would. I'll try to get us tickets to the event. I would love to see you race, and I'm sure Fluttershy would too,” Rainbow said.

“Oh, yes, I would love to go,” Fluttershy said in a neutral tone. She wasn't one for racing but, regardless of her familial issues, she wanted to support her brother and traveling abroad with Rainbow sounded fun.

“So, do you have any plans for the rest of the day?” Thunderfly asked.

“Well, we're supposed to meet our friends and Octavia Melody for lunch later but not much else. You?”

“Not much. Staying Power and Red Streak are coming down to Canterlot later today, though, as part of an unofficial vacation. Officially, we're doing 'high altitude training' for endurance, but...” Thunder said

“Clever. Does this have anything to do with Luna paying for your hotel?” Rainbow asked.

“Maybe... My room does have two double beds after all.”

Rainbow chuckled and said, “have fun with that.”

Twilight, meanwhile, was still in the castle conversing with her mentor. Since it was the weekend, day court was not in session, so Celestia was free to do as she please for the day. Twilight was talking to her mentor about history at the moment, asking “So, why was same-sex marriage banned?”

“To put it simply, appeasement. 800 years ago we were coming off of a long war with the Griffon Kingdom, and, through some underhanded political maneuvering, the nobility had become extremely powerful. They threatened to turn me into a figurehead if I didn't meet several hundred demands, including banning same-sex marriage. Why that was added, I have no idea.”

“And you didn't reverse it later?”

“No, for two reasons. One, for the longest time the ban was extremely popular, and two, they included language in their demands that made it necessary to get the support of two-thirds of the noble unicorn houses to repeal of them, which is a large part of why it took a year of work on Lulu's part to overturn the ban,” Celestia said.

“Oh, so that's why the nobility is still around.”

“Well, that and inertia. I should point out, though, that some of the laws they made me sign, such as no one being above the law, are now cornerstones of Equestria's law system, while others I simply pretend don't exist anymore like any other odd or outdated laws.”

“And how long did it take for you to get your power back?” Twilight asked.

“About 200 years.”

“Wow, I thought it would have been longer.”

“I know what I'm doing, and I had a few lucky breaks along the way. Anyway, why don't we go see how the servants are faring in their work?”

“Sure.”

After a particularly embarrassing incident where she had transformed a dinner plate and the toy that landed on it into a burning pile of dust, Celestia had told Luna if she pulled any more pranks involving toy spiders, she would see Luna's collection of them destroyed. Now she was making good on that promise. Unfortunately, Luna had around three hundred toy spiders in her closet and they had to be destroyed individually to avoid filling the palace with the stench of burnt rubber and putrid smoke, so it was taking a while. “So, how many of these awful things are left?” Celestia asked the nearest servant.

“About 250. I don't think we'll be able to finish before your sister awakens.”

“That's okay. If she discovers what we're doing and gives you any trouble, come find me.”

“Yes, princess.”

“Do you really think she'll try to stop you?” Twilight asked.

“I have no doubt she will, as she loves using them. Still, she knows I hate those things, and I did tell her not to prank me with them ever again if she wanted to keep them, but...” Celestia said.

“True. Also, I was wondering.”

“Yes?”

“Why are you afraid of spiders?”

“Well, there was this incident about two hundred years ago where...”

Rarity was window shopping with her new friend, Fleur de Lis in one of the most expensive districts of the city. They had just finished laughing at Upper Crust's terrible fashion choices after spotting her wandering the shops herself when Fleur asked, “So, if I may so bold to ask, have you lined up another date for Princess Luna? She did say she would see other ponies.”

“Actually we have. Have you ever heard of a stallion named Mile High?”

“I know him, though not all that well. I also believed I said that Luna would choose a pony like him when we spoke at the spa.”

“What's he like?” Rarity asked.

“He's the quiet, friendly sort, with all the hallmarks of a high class stallion, and the advantage of noble birth. He always did strike me as a bit of a yes pony, though.”

“Well, that might be a problem. I think Luna would prefer her mate have some spine.”

“Perhaps, she did strike me as that sort when we met for our date,” Fleur said, then “Ooh, look at that!”

Rarity turned to look at what Fleur was pointing at and saw a very detailed oil painting of a meadow with deer and rabbits wandering around. “Wow, that's amazing.”

“Don't you think it would be the perfect gift for Fluttershy?”

“I'm sure she would love it, but what would be the occasion?”

“Uh...when is her birthday?”

“In a few months,” Rarity said.

“Well, if I need a special occasion, I guess I can hold on to it until then.”

“I didn't say you needed one, though you might want to wait until we're ready to head back to Ponyville at least, since we don't have a place to put it at the moment.”

“True...Tell you what, I'll come by to buy it tomorrow and when you're leave, just let me know and I'll give it to her then. Sound good?” Fleur asked.

“Sounds good.”

Later the six were sitting at a table with Octavia and Vinyl Scratch, much to the former's chagrin. She had actually hoped just to have Twilight and Fluttershy eat lunch with her and Vinyl (because, as she put it, they were the more calm and relaxed than their friends, which was more conducive to a quiet meal), but the DJ insisted that Pinkie be allowed to come along, and when Fluttershy heard, she asked if Rainbow Dash could come too. It snowballed from there, and eventually all six element bearers were going to the lunch. Octavia accepted this, but not without some unhappy grumbling.

To hopefully not have to talk to seven ponies at once, she got straight to the point. “I actually asked you guys here not just because I wanted to have lunch with you, but because I have a little gift courtesy of Pony Floyd: seven tickets to the show's opening tomorrow night.”

“Cool! So what's the show's theme?” Rainbow asked.

“I'm not supposed to tell anyone anything, but I'll tell you one thing if you keep it quiet. The show is supposed to tell a story about a stallion's life through music.”

“Interesting,” Twilight said.

“Also the show is sold out already. It took a lot of negotiation to get those tickets for you guys.”

“Thanks.”

After a short lull, conversation resumed and much to Octavia's delight, or as much delight as she showed at any time, it wasn't all focused on her. Shortly into this round of renewed conversation, Vinyl, having briefly broken off of conversing with Pinkie, nudged her and asked, “Aren't you going to ask Twilight about the schedule?”

“The schedule? Oh yes, I almost forgot. Twilight, if one were to go on a date with Princess Luna as you say you can set up, could one be expected to get out before seven thirty or so?”

“Probably. She ended her first date with Fleur at about that time, and I'm sure she would be accommodating. Why?”

“Well, I have my schedule for the show, and I'm supposed to be backstage by eight and ready by eight forty five. Even if I don't have a chance with her, being an earth pony anda commoner, if I could go on a date with her and be out before then...” Octavia said.

“I'll talk to her and see what she can do.”

“Thanks.”

“By the way, how long will the show be?” Twilight asked.

“About two hours. It starts at nine because they say that's when all the special effects work at their best.”

“So it'll be a late night, then.”

“Yes,” Octavia said.

Later that day, Fluttershy was walking down a tree-lined parkway talking with Fleur de Lis about the former's adventures in the Crystal Empire.

“So, you actually jousted with your marefriend?” Fleur asked.

“Yes. I hated it, but we had to keep the crystal ponies happy somehow and the armor and lances were designed with pegasi in mind.”

“Weren't there any other pegasi in the Crystal Empire?”

“No there wasn't, which is why I ended up jousting her,” Fluttershy said, shuddering at the memory.

“Well, I guess you gotta do what you gotta do, but still, that doesn't seem very healthy for a relationship.”

Preventing further conversation was a speeding blue blur that was heading right towards Fleur. Fortunately for both the blur and Fleur, it hit the brakes hard enough to avoid turning both of them into two bags of broken bones, but, unfortunately, not enough to avoid sending them both tumbling.

It took a second for the two dazed ponies to come back to their senses, but when they did it was to find their lips touching. They quickly and roughly pushed each other away, causing the blur, now easily identified as Rainbow Dash to end up on her back in a comical fashion. Standing up and brushing her fur out, Fleur asked, “Are you trying to kill me?”

“No. Sorry, I was trying to practice my super speedy strut and I didn't see you there.”

“Okay...anyway, thank you for not killing me in front of my friend at the very least.”

“Your friend?” Rainbow asked before she looked and saw a rather scared looking Fluttershy standing nearby. “Oh, uh, hi Flutters.”

“Are you two okay?”

“I'm fine. What about you?”

“Well, I do need a bath but otherwise, I'm just peachy. I would ask that we never speak of our collision again though. By the way, you look familiar,” Fleur said.

“Agreed. Also, I'm Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy's marefriend. We met when you asked Twilight to set up that date with Luna?”

“Oh, yes, now I remember.”

“Why don't you want to speak of this again?” Fluttershy asked, curious.

“Because we may have accidentally ended up kissing when we came to a stop,” Fleur said.

Fluttershy gave a bemused, though relieved, look and asked, “How did that happen?”

“Uh, I dunno,” Rainbow Dash said.

“That's just how we ended up,” Fleur said.

Fluttershy didn't say anything, but her face showed confusion, rather than anger or disappointment, to both of the other ponies' relief. Rainbow filled in the silence by saying, “So I guess I'll let you two get back to what you were doing.”

“Actually, Rainbow Dash, I was hoping to get to know you better. We haven't had a chance to speak, and I would love to get to properly know Fluttershy's marefriend,” Fleur said.

“I guess I could stick around a while. What do you want to talk about?”

“Well, I guess we could start with your plans to become a Wonderbolt...”

Meanwhile, five minutes in the future (A/N: I always wanted to do that), Vinyl and Pinkie were bugging a certain earth pony about her plans for her potential date with royalty despite the fact that...well, she says it best.

“I don't know yet, okay?” Octavia said in a rare outburst of frustration, “I don't even know if this date is going forward yet, so how would I know where it will be or what I'm going to wear or any of that? Seriously, stop asking!”

“Well, you gotta plan ahead, just in case,” Vinyl said rather enthusiastically.

“I guess...” Octavia said with a sigh, “Pinkie?”

“Yes?”

“Rarity is staying in the castle with you, right?”

“Yep! She's staying in a suite with Twilight!” Pinkie said, in her usual giddy fashion.

“Okay, when you see her again, could you ask her to make a dress for me if the princess agrees to go on a date with me?”

“Sure. What do you want for your dress?”

“”Hmm...Well I don't have many bits at the moment, so I would prefer it be something simple and inexpensive, without offending Princess Luna's sensibilities. Also I would prefer it be in the same shade of purple as my cutie mark. From there the rest is her decision,” Octavia said.

“Okay, I'll tell her.”

“Thank you. By the way, if this does go forward, what's she like?”

Vinyl listened as intently as Octavia when Pinkie started describing the night princess.

Meanwhile, not five minutes in the future, Twilight and Rarity were walking with Fancypants, going only he knew where and Rarity was asking, “So what is Mile High like?”

“He's the quiet, respectful sort, not really trying to put himself out in the spotlight or try to gain everypony's respect unlike certain ponies you most certainly have met. If you had a chance to talk with him, you'd probably like him.”

“Could we talk to him?” Twilight asked.

“Unfortunately not at the moment. He's spending the day visiting family in Las Pegasus, though he said he'll be back around three tomorrow.

“Oh, that's too bad. Oh well, maybe we can see him afterwards,” Rarity said.

“I can arrange that I'm certain.”

“Please do.”

They then arrived at Fanycpants' home and, as he pulled out his house key, he said, “Anyway, I wanted to show you my newest collection of artwork. I bought a few pieces while I was visiting Espoña on business a few months ago.”

“Sure, sounds fun, right Twilight?” Rarity asked., seeming mostly interested.

“Of course,” Twilight said, sounding less enthusiastic than her good friend, though still interested.

That evening before dinner, the six friends were sitting in the dignitary receiving room, waiting for Luna to arrive. Celestia had said that she intended to play a prank on her sister, and instructed them not to say anything as they had done when Luna pranked her. They saw what the prank was already: there was an illusory clown pony waiting just outside the doorway, causing a bit of discomfort for Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Rarity. Celestia noticed this but said nothing. As they waited they chatted, and Pinkie broadcasted Octavia's request to Rarity, who immediately agreed.

Within a few minutes, they could hear hoofsteps, and Celestia, looking down the hallway, said, “Oh, Lulu, could you come here? I have a surprise for you.”

“Oh? What sort of surprise?” Luna asked, sounding slightly suspicious,

“Come here and I'll show you.”

“If you insist.”

Once Luna reached the end of the hall, Celestia's fake clown jumped out and declared in a comical voice, “Hello, Princess!”

Luna screamed and ran back down the hallway. Celestia dissolved her clown and looked down the hallway, saying, “Huh. The last time we had a clown here, she got so scared that she attacked him. The poor stallion was in the hospital for a week.”

“I think we should go check up on her, make sure she's okay,” Twilight said.

“I agree. Let's go see if we can find her. I obviously owe her an apology.”

They split up, with Celestia taking the much smaller southern half of the West Wing (relative to where they entered) while Twilight and friends looked in the northern half.

Fifteen minutes later Applejack found Luna cowering under her and Pinkie's shared bed. “You okay, princess?”

“Is-is the clown gone?”

“Yeah. It was an illusion your sister made. It's gone now. You're safe”

“Are you sure?” Luna asked.

“Positive.”

“If you say so,” Luna said as she crawled out from under the bed.

Meanwhile Applejack called out onto the hallway, “I found her! She's in here!”

The still on-edge princess of the night heard a number of hoofsteps approaching and braced for an assault by clowns. What she saw, instead, were the other five elements of harmony. Calming down and assuring herself there was no clowns nearby, she said, “I am fine. I just do not like clowns.”

“Well, that was obvious,” Rainbow said, hiding her own discomfort with them.

Luna ignored her friend's snarking, asking, “Where is 'Tia?”

“the southern part of the wing. She should be here soon. Also, Mayor Mare was dressed as a clown when you came for Nightmare night. Why weren't you scared of her?”

“She did not have the creepy, corpselike face paint. Without that, she seemed more silly than scary.”

“Oh, I guess that makes sense.”

“Oh, and you'll never guess what happened in Canterlot,” Rarity said.

“What?”

“We got you another date!”

“Really? Who?” Luna asked.

“Well, to be a bit more specific, my friend Octavia is in town and was wondering if you would go on a date with her,” Twilight said.

“Octavia...where have I heard that name before?”

“She played at the Grand Galloping Gala the year we got banned.”

“Oh, her. I believe you mentioned her yesterday over breakfast as well, now that I think about it,” Luna said.

“Yep. She's in town for a concert. She asked me to see if you would go on a date with her, but she said that you needed to end it by seven thirty so she could get back to the concert hall in time for the show.”

“I believe we can manage that. Do you believe she will be available the night after tomorrow?”

“She should be. Her only arrangement in Canterlot, as far as I know, is the concert series this week,” Twilight said.

“Okay, next you see her, tell her that I will make the arrangements and that she should not be late for her concert. I assume this is a classical concert?”

“No. It's for a rock band called Pony Floyd,” Rainbow interjected, “I don't think any of us know much about them.”

“I see. I may have to ask her about this when I get the chance. Anyway, with that out of the way, please retrieve my toy spiders and my sister. I have to enact my revenge.”

“Actually, Celestia is having your spiders destroyed, since you used on to prank her again,” Twilight said.

“Ah. I had forgotten about her threat to do that. I wonder how many I can still save,” Luna said as she made her way out of the suite.

...And bumped into Celestia. “Oh, hello sister. I was actually going to find you. And my collection of spiders.”

“Well, I feel I must apologize before saying anything else, Lulu. I didn't expect you to react so badly to the clown's appearance, and I apologize for any harm I may have done. Are you okay, by the way?”

“I am fine, 'Tia, though I now realize that I should amend the law banning clowns from the castle to include illusory ones as well.”

“Yes, if you do that, I will have to ban toy spiders from the castle walls as well.”

Luna thought about this, then said, “So be it,” while wondering if she would be able to find any loopholes in her sister's spider ban.

Author's Notes:

Sorry this took so long. I had computer issues as I mentioned before, then when those were resolved I got caught up in two other stories (one I was working on exclusively for August as a contest entry), and when I got back to this, it proved more troublesome to write (helpfully I didn't know what day of the week it was supposed to be in story. For reference, it's Saturday)

If the conversation with Celestia seems a bit rushed, it's because it is and I spent two days trying to find a way to improve it, but couldn't find one. Still, it's better than the heartless sounding Celestia that I had initially written (She was mocking her sister, despite her extreme reaction, and I didn't like it)

Also a few minor notes: The dates Luna turns down ultimately they aren't a complete ass, will likely get a story dedicated to them finding love with a member of the mane six, each other, or somepony else, so keep an eye out for those (though I will only start those when I'm a bit less story packed).

Also, I may do a chapter dedicated to the concert, but if I do, it will be optional and simply used as a way to explore the characters' personalities a bit