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It's Just Luna4,046 words
Let The Date Commence!4,794 words
Nope, Totally Not Turning Into A Real Date3,823 words

It's Just Luna

The radiant dawn of the sun had finally risen up, guided by Princess Celestia’s almighty magic. Simultaneously, Luna’s powerful magic lowered the moon in tandem to welcome the early morning sunrise. Once the setting of the moon and the rising of the sun had been taken care of, the royal sisters turned to each other and smiled, having done their morning duty.

“Today is going to be a wonderful day for many ponies, all around Equestria,” the elder Princess, Celestia, told her younger sister Luna.

“How so, sister?” Luna replied, unsure about what the alabaster alicorn had meant.

Celestia responded by turning around and heading inside, Luna following close behind. She led her to a wall where a calender hung on it. It showed the month of February, and the days from the first to the twelfth were already crossed off. Using her yellow tinted magic, Celestia picked up the nearby quill and crossed off the box with the “13” in the corner. Both sisters stared at the following day, the fourteenth of February.

“”Do you know what today is?” Celestia asked.

“I know this is the day a certain holiday is celebrated,” Luna noted, “but I cannot place my hoof on what exactly that holiday was. I believe it has something to do with romance, am I correct?”

Celestia nodded her head to confirm that Luna was correct. “Today is Hearts and Hooves Day, where ponies all across Equestria spend time with their very special somepony. It is very nice to see ponies so happy during this time of year.”

Luna faced the floor, her hoof just below her muzzle as she contemplated just what exactly this holiday entailed. She knew it involved romance, though there was one problem with that.

Luna knew little about romance.

Celestia turned around and trotted towards the exit of the room, but she stopped when she noticed that her younger sibling hadn’t been following her. “Luna, is something the matter?”

Her sister’s call had seemed to snap the Princess of the Night back to reality. She shook her head, regaining a bearing of her surroundings before she faced her sister again. “Yes, I am fine. I have just been thinking...”

That caused Celestia to respond with a raised eyebrow. She knew Luna to be a curious sort of mare, but whenever she was thinking about something, it was rather something Luna would think about for a long time. Sometimes, it would bother Celestia to the point where she would have to confront her sister about these sort of things.

“What is it, Luna?" Celestia asked once again.

“What exactly is Hearts and Hooves Day like?”

Celestia giggled at the question, much to Luna’s discontent and confusion. “To tell you the truth Luna, I don’t really know. It is something you would have to experience yourself to know the true meaning of it.”

“Experience it?” Luna questioned as her elder sister was walking away. She paced back up to Celestia with the most curious of expressions. “Are you saying I should try out this ‘Hearts and Hooves Day’ myself?”

Celestia herself didn’t know how to answer that. As much as her vast wisdom and memory served her, neither she nor Luna had experienced a deep form of love for anypony before. Not only that, but it wasn't like either one of them could just head out and find a pony. They were Princesses; there were many complications that would come with being with one of them. Then again, they wouldn’t know for sure because it never happened to either of them.

“I don’t really know what would come of it,” Celestia replied unsurely. “The only way to know for sure is to ask somepony that either has experience, or at least knows a few things about love, and what goes on during this day of the year.”

Luna stood still, looking down at the floor with a questioning hoof to her chin. She did not know many ponies around yet, excluding her sister and anypony in the Royal Guard. The only other ponies that came to mind were the bearers of the Elements of Harmony themselves, the six ponies that helped her to break out of her evil state.

The one she know most was Celestia’s own student, the lavender mare who was studying the magic of friendship, and represented the Element of Magic. “Would you say Twilight Sparkle has knowledge about Hearts and Hooves Day?”

Celestia stopped in her tracks and turned back toward her younger sister confusedly. “Twilight? I wouldn’t exactly say she has any sort of experience with this. I was the only pony she considered a companion when she lived here under my tutelage, outside of her brother and dragon. The poor dear hardly had any friends.”

Luna raised a bemused eyebrow at Celestia’s comments. “You are speaking of Twilight Sparkle, your student, are you not?”

“Believe me Luna, she really was like that. You should’ve been there.”

Now Luna had the bemused face here, as that could not have been her fault. She was dreadfully imprisoned in the moon during that time. All this did was bring back regretful memories.

“Not funny, Celestia. You know I could not be there myself considering the position I was in.”

“Oh, sorry Luna,” she apologized, realizing her mistake. “I have forgotten how easily you can hold a grudge. Remember back after we defeated Discord together? You were grumpy for weeks!”

Luna facehoofed with clenched teeth. “Discord is an immature oaf who lacks tact and understanding, not to mention he even misplaced your tail.”

Celestia sighed heavily, and turned back toward the door. “I know. That isn’t the issue here, though. I am just not sure if Twilight is the best pony to go to for this.”

“Then who is?” Luna asked.

“You will have to find out on your own,” Celestia finished as she left the room, closing the door with her magic as she left. She left Luna in the room alone, along with her thoughts.

Spike had been in the library, sorting a few books Twilight assigned him to place on the corresponding bookshelves. Owlowiscious had been watching him in the meantime, but he caught Spike chewing on a topaz gem in the middle of his assignment. The baby dragon was used to sorting books, and had no trouble handling two tasks at once.

In the middle of his job, Spike felt a sudden feeling in his stomach, and tried to hold it in. After a few seconds, he couldn’t hold it any longer and belched out a scroll with the royal seal attached to it. Once his temporary queasiness subsided, he looked down at the rolled-up scroll and picked it up in his claw. After opening it up and skimming through it, he was met with an unexpected surprise.

“Princess Luna?!” he shrieked. “What’s Princess Luna doing sending a letter to Twilight?”

“Hoo,” Owlowiscious said.

“Princess Luna,” Spike responded.

“Hoo.”

Spike facepalmed. “Princess Celestia’s sister? The Princess of the Night? She who brings the time you’re usually awake?”

“Hoo.”

Spike started to get annoyed and thought about giving him a good rebuttal, but then he remembered that was all owls could say anyway.

“Nevermind, Owlowiscious. I have to get this to Twilight.”

Without a moment to spare, he raced up the stairs, letter in one claw and gem in the other. He placed the gem in his mouth and held it in with his teeth, giving him a free hand to fumble with the knob on the door. Once he got it open, he saw Twilight laying on her bed, reading a book about astrophysics, or some such nonsense that Spike didn’t know anything about.

“Hey Spike,” Twilight greeted with a bright smile on her face. “Are you finished sorting the books already? It’s only been about two minutes since I sent you down, and there was only thirty-five books to sort. That’s a new record. You’re really getting quicker with your job!”

He took the gem out of his mouth and set it down on the bed. He sighed in response. “No Twilight, I’m not even close to finishing. But take a look at this!”

He held out the rolled-up parchment in his claw, which Twilight proceeded to levitate up to her view. She cleared her breath before reading the letter.

Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,

It has come to my attention by my dear sister that today is a known holiday called Hearts and Hooves Day. She has told me of it, though this is news to myself. Judging by the name of this so-called holiday, it is about love.

Do not get the wrong idea, Twilight. I am not admitting to any sort of attraction to you, so you can calm your horses. I only ask one thing of you.

As I know, you are an incredibly intelligent individual, and unlike me, live a normal life in the simple town of Ponyville. I would assume you know more than I do about the attractions of ponies, and moreso how they are affected in a day such as this. If I may, I would ask that you inform me of what exactly pertains to ponies during this day, so that I may have a better understanding of this Hearts and Hooves Day my sister has informed me about.

If you cannot fulfill this request, I shall understand fully and will seek answers elsewhere. I await your response.

Princess Luna

Twilight didn’t know what to make of this sudden development. She didn’t think the Princess of the Night would be this curious about something like Hearts and Hooves Day, nor did she even think Luna was clueless about the whole thing in the first place.

“Yeah, I thought it was weird too,” Spike commented after seeing Twilight’s bewildered expression.

“I never pictured Princess Luna to be interested in Hearts and Hooves Day,” Twilight thought out loud, as she put a hoof to her chin in thought. “In fact, I never pictured her coming to me for anything in the first place.”

“Well, other than her sister, Princess Celestia, you’re pretty much the only pony she knows personally.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “How do you figure that?”

“Well, I don’t think she has many ponies who look up to her like they do Princess Celestia,” Spike admitted.

“I don’t think that’s true,” Twilight disagreed, shaking her head at the concept. “I’m sure she has some admirers. Princess Celestia even told me so.”

“Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t take much of a liking to them. You know how Princesses are with that kind of stuff.”

Twilight gave Spike a cold, hard stare at him after hearing that. Spike had quickly forgotten that she was now a Princess as well, especially since he mostly knew her as a close friend than anything more. It was only less apparent since she did not wear any clothing or jewelry to establish her title. She never even wore her crown around.

And once he realized his mistake, he lightly chuckled while rubbing the back of his neck. “I didn’t mean you... you’re not like that. I don’t even see you as a Princess, honestly. I see you more as my closest friend.”

“That’s alright, Spike,” Twilight reassured while climbing out of her bed. “Let’s go.”

“Where?”

“Downstairs,” she answered, walking through the doorway and down the stairs. “We’re going to write a letter back to her. She said she wanted a pony to tell her what Hearts and Hooves Day is like.”

“And you know what it’s like?”

Twilight was at the bottom of the stairs, and she took a pause at the base. “Actually, I don’t. But I have a hunch that I know somepony else that does.”

Spike walked over to a drawer and pulled it out. “Who do you have in mind? There are a lot of ponies here in Ponyville that we know, if not everypony, but I can’t figure out which one of those would know a thing or two.”

He pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill, ready to write down whatever Twilight had to say to the moon Princess.

“Rarity,” Twilight stated. The next thing she saw was a somewhat downtrodden Spike.

“Aww, Rarity? I was hoping to spend time with her today.” He crossed his arms in disappointment. “She wouldn’t be free from that if she’s going to be helping Luna.”

“Spike, I know you like Rarity and all, but this is important! Luna wants to know what Hearts and Hooves Day is like, so who better to ask than somepony who knows a thing or two about love?”

Spike sighed in defeat, and readied his claws. “Fine... just say what you want me to write.”

Twilight smiled and nodded, getting ready for the letter.

Dear Princess Luna,

First off, I am rather surprised you came to me about this sort of thing. To be quite honest, I didn’t think you’d be interested. But I can see why you’d be.

Now, I don’t really know a thing about Hearts and Hooves Day. Before I moved to Ponyville, I didn’t really have any friends, nor did I meet any stallions. That has carried over here as well, save for the friends part, as almost everypony in this town is my friend. Or at least, I think of them all as friends.

So that just leaves the stallions. Of course, there are mares that are interested in other mares, and on Hearts and Hooves Day, they would go on special dates. But as a mare without experience, I wouldn’t exactly know what goes on in a date.

However, I do have a good idea of a pony who may know a thing or two about Hearts and Hooves Day, much more than I do in fact. I’m sure you remember Rarity, the Element of Generosity? I haven’t really seen her with anypony before, but I do believe she knows more about these kinds of things.

So what about her?

Twilight Sparkle

“Is that it?” Spike asked, finishing up the last words.

“Yes,” Twilight confirmed with a grin. “Send it to Princess Luna.”

Spike nodded and started to gather the fire in his breath, before a thought popped in his head. “Wait Twilight, what if I can only send letters to Princess Celestia?”

Twilight blinked, realizing Spike’s point. “You’re right... your breath can only send letters to Princess Celestia.”

Before Spike could respond, he felt that familiar feeling in his stomach again. As he belched, another letter came with the same royal seal from before. Without wasting any time, Twilight levitated it to her face and unrolled it.

One more thing. That earlier letter is enchanted in such a way that if Spike breathes flames on it, it shall be sent to me instead of my sister.

“Well, that takes care of that,” Twilight expressed enthusiastically. Spike nodded his head and breathed flames on the letter, transforming it into a wisp as it flew out the window, flowing toward Canterlot.

“Are you sure about this?” Spike questioned, carrying a bemused expression and crossing his arms.

“I’m sure this will work. There isn’t anypony else like Rarity to help out a pony about a subject like love. I mean, have you seen her try to woo stallions before? She’s a natural.”

Spike rolled his eyes and turned around, walking away grumpily. “Yeah, I’ve seen it before...”

In the main room in Carousel Boutique, a certain white-coated mare was busy preparing the ribbons for a few dresses. A few fabrics and tools floated around her with magic, as she looked around at the different designs and colors. She rubbed her chin as she tried to decide between one color of ribbon and another.

“Hmm,” she hummed as she looked at the blue ribbon, angling it near the dress. “This one is quite endearing to the overall design.”

She shifted her attention to the red ribbon, positioning it where the blue one once was. “But then this one brings such a nice decorative flair to the ensemble. What to choose...”

She squinted her eyes between each choice, before a knock on the door interrupted her thought process. Her ears perked up at the sound, and she turned her head to see who it was. Her magic set down the tools and fabrics on a nearby table before she walked up to the door and opened it with a joyous smile.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique! How may I-”

She shut up at once when she saw who was standing before her through the doorway. She caught a surprised crowd of ponies with guards standing between them, and a particular midnight blue mare was standing right in the middle, looking right at Rarity.

“P-Princess Luna!” she exclaimed as she bowed down to her out of instinct. The royal mare smiled genuinely to Rarity, before she turned to address to the guards.

“Disperse the crowd,” Luna commanded. “I require a private moment with Rarity.”

The two guards saluted, and while they went off to drive away the crowd, Luna entered the boutique with welcomed grace. Rarity moved out of the way to let the Princess pass as she looked around.

“Rarity,” Luna spoke.

“Yes, Princess Luna?” Rarity responded. She tried to remain calm, but her shaken expression betrayed her.

“Let me make things brief. I have been recently informed of a certain holiday that occurs around this time, known as-”

“Hearts and Hooves Day?” Rarity finished for Luna, with a raised eyebrow to accompany her question. “You’ve never heard of it?”

“I have not. I have asked my sister, and she has been somewhat cryptic to provide answers. So I turned to Princess Twilight Sparkle for help, but she insists that I seek answers from you.”

“Me?!” she replied in shock. “Why would Twilight think I would know anything about Hearts and Hooves Day? I mean, I suppose I do know a few things, perhaps...”

Rarity flipped her mane a few times in a flirtatious manner, something Luna questioned as soon as she saw the motion. The fashionista noticed this, and chuckled sheepishly to save face.

“Nevermind that. I mean, I would so be honored to teach one of Equestria’s most important ponies about... Hearts and Hooves Day,” Rarity forced in an odd manner. She still couldn’t believe the situation that was put in front of her, but she was not about to disappoint one of the two most important ponies in Equestria.

Luna smiled anyways, respecting the idea behind the motion. “Thank you ever so much, Rarity,” she replied. “What is the first lesson?”

Rarity stared at Luna with a blank expression. She had no idea how to answer to that. Lesson? Princess, you really should get out more, she thought as she forced a smile.

“Well... most ponies on Hearts and Hooves Day, if they are single, would ask other ponies to be their special somepony,” she explained. “In a way, it is like asking them any other day, except it is more romantic.”

“Romantic, you say,” Luna responded, lowering her face to match Rarity and looking directly into the unicorn’s blue eyes. “I know much about romance. However, I have never indulged into it myself, and to my knowledge, neither has my sister. Therefore, we lack the experience. We only observe the love patterns of other ponies, and sometimes their... mating rituals.”

Rarity’s pupils shrunk, as she backed away from the Princess. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Before she could retort with a response of her own, Luna stopped her by holding a hoof out.

“Nay, it is not as you think. We are not stalkers,” Luna replied, rolling her eyes. “But we have special abilities, and sometimes these abilities allow me to… witness, some rather private business. I’d rather not go into detail.”

“Please, don’t,” Rarity said, looking away with an appalled look. “How about we get back on topic? If you want, when two ponies are already together, what they do together is referred to as a date.”

“From what I understand, a date is an outing between two ponies, usually for romantic purposes. Am I correct?”

Rarity sighed, smiling once she was sure things got back on track. “Yes, quite! Now, Perhaps if we look around, we can find a worthy stallion, and we can show you what it’s like to be on a date.”

Luna blinked her eyes. “Rarity...”

“Oh, but where could we find such a stallion on such short notice?”

“Rarity...”

“I don’t think Big Macintosh has any plans, but I don’t know if he’s the best choice... perhaps we can ask him if-”

“Rarity!” Luna yelled in the Royal Canterlot Voice, which startled the unicorn and gave her a wicked hairdo at the same time. She stared back at the royal mare with a noticeable blush.

“I am terribly sorry, Your Highness,” Rarity apologized, as she levitated a brush toward herself without looking, proceeding to brush her disheveled mane with it. “I guess I got a little carried away there.”

“I apologize for my volume. But, ‘tis no matter of importance. Can you help? I only wish for your full confirmation before I get my hopes up too high.”

“I, w-well…” Rarity stuttered, thinking over the situation as best she could. It all seemed rather strange to her, the whole Princess wanting to know what Hearts and Hooves Day is like. But she didn’t want to upset royalty, so she concerned herself with helping out in any way she could.

After her mane was back to its original form, she put on a cheerful smile as she levitated the brush back to its former location. “Of course, Princess! What would the Element of Generosity be if she weren’t generous?”

Somehow, Luna was sure she knew, but she didn’t want to blurt out anything for Rarity’s sake.

“Could I, perchance, learn how a date works by learning it firsthand?”

“Well, I don’t know anypony who would consider-”

Princess Luna leaned her head forward, staring straight into Rarity’s eyes. “So you are not available?”

“M-Me?!” Rarity cried in shock. She didn’t expect Luna to ask her out on this date she wanted. “Well, I’m not exactly into other mares, so…”

“This is nothing like the real sort of date, I assume. Only to experience what it is like.”

“Right,” Rarity agreed, as she looked toward the door. “I think I know a good place where we can do this, er.. pretend date, so to speak.”

She feigned a chuckle, but Luna looked less than amused.

“Then lead the way, and I shall follow.”

Rarity nodded, and then it hit her that she was completely unprepared for a moment such as this. It felt like a model going out to the runway without a dress to sport.

“Princess Luna, will you be alright if I spend a few moments getting ready for this… um… pretend date?”

“It does not matter in my eyes, as long as you’re able to teach me what I need to know,” Luna responded.

“Very well. This shouldn’t take long, I promise!”

The fashionista zipped out of the main room and went to her bedroom to get ready. Even if it was just a pretend date, she wanted to make sure Luna knew what to expect in case this was a real one.

A few splashes of perfume and brushes on her mane, Rarity was perfect. She went down the stairs and saw Luna sitting her flank at the main room, waiting for the white unicorn to return.

“I assume you’re ready, then?” asked the dark blue alicorn.

“Indeed. Let’s get started,” said Rarity, as they went out the front door.

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