• Published 23rd Apr 2013
  • 2,210 Views, 25 Comments

Luna Looks for Love - zyr1987



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

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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 Note:

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.