Their winding path back to her home was a pleasant walk, made even more pleasing by the occasional stolen kiss or tender nuzzle. Luna already felt immaculately... comfortable with Fluttershy, and was happy that it seemed to be a mutual state. She was not entirely positive what Fluttershy had planned to show their appreciation to Lyra and Bon-Bon, but she was sure it would be entirely appropriate. Upon their arrival, however, she realized there was a presence waiting on the doormat for them. A small white rabbit, eyes surprisingly cunning, radiating an aura that could only be described as ‘casual cruelty given flesh’. She looked at the beast coolly, and it looked back with a feeling somewhat like Lyra’s expression from the other day... No, not really, now that she thought about it. That had been casual disrespect, more of a friendly equality than anything else. This was just... distaste and hate.

However, Fluttershy seemed to either not notice, or not mind, as she simply picked the creature up by his scruff and pushed her way inside, muttering something to the animals as she walked. Luna followed, again enjoying the radiance of the home- Extremely plain, but also comforting in its way. It reminded her of... Well, she would think more on that when the time came for her discussion with the Mayor, or what came after. For now, it seemed that her marefriend (a term she had not been able to apply to anypony in... too long) was moving from cupboard to cupboard quickly, the rabbit staring all the while. Luna could not place a reason for the sheer animosity the animal was showing, even at rest.

Before she could really spend much time contemplating it, Fluttershy had called her into the kitchen, and she gladly stepped inside. It seemed like she had been gathering nuts and various herbs, along with a container of golden oil. She nodded to the bunny, and to Luna, before setting up her bowls.
“So, what I wanted to do was make something like, I don’t know... I like preserves, and butters, and spreads. Things like that- They make nice gifts, they’re delicious, they keep for a long time, and everypony, or, well, most ponies, enjoy them... Angel Bunny, please stop looking at me like that.”

No response from the (ironically named) lapin, just another long glare. Fluttershy sighed and continued into her description, and Luna nodded along- It was a good plan, really. She herself often enjoyed treats of such a kind, along with wines and other long-lasting foods. Her nocturnal and timeless nature, and her association with winter, likely had some influence on that. In the end, she had realized, part of it was simply just... her. Luna would have continued thinking, but Angel seemed to have no patience for any of this, as he (she presumed the gender) began stomping on the table, apparently impatient.

“Really, Angel Bunny, please don’t behave like that in front of Luna. You’re simply going to have to get used to her being around, hopefully a lot...”

She giggled, but her pet was not nearly as amused. Instead, he snatched one of the larger walnuts from her bowl and, before his owner could react, kicked it, launching it straight at Luna like a sling bullet. Her reaction to having a projectile hurtling her way was instant and purely instinctual- It did not travel more than a foot before a whip-crack fast cloud of blue light dismantled it into dust, which quickly lost momentum and fell to the floor. Fluttershy stared at Luna, who grinned sheepishly- She had not been planning to show such a display, not anytime soon. And Luna turned away to look at Angel Bunny, who stared back at her in defiance... And then cringed backwards.

Fluttershy was looking down at the rabbit with an intensity Luna could barely describe, one that felt achingly familiar. Her eyes wide, her limbs shaking, she continued to stare (no, it would be Stare, would it not?) at the beast until it cowered and fell, eventually huddling into a tiny heap, collapsing without ever manging to break eye contact.
“NO. That is not a good bunny. That will not ever EVER be OK in this house. Are we clear, mister?”

For a split-second, Luna thought the silly thing was actually going to disagree- And maybe it was. But the sheer force of the pegasus’ gaze made him fall back again, finally closing his eyes and rapidly nodding his head. Fluttershy let out a long breath and backed down herself, seeming to return to her normal posture. Luna looked at her with a respectful gaze, but it seemed Fluttershy didn’t realize it- She immediately startled as if she had been slapped and fell before Luna.
“Oh! I am so sorry you had to see that, it’s just that, well, sometimes, Angel Bunny can be a bit... Um, well, forceful, and kinda possessive, and certainly a bit of a meanie, but... He didn’t mean it! And I didn’t mean to do that. I-”

She did not let her marefriend continue- Luna cut Fluttershy’s apology off with a gentle kiss. They separated quickly, but it seemed to have helped calm her. Luna sighed, and chuckled.
“It’s alright, dear. We... Did not expect to see that, certainly, but it was entirely fine. Do not be so quick to assume Us offended.”

“It was, um, really alright?”

“More than alright. That was behavior deserving of punishment, and thou were swift and unyielding. If anything, it was impressive.”

“R-really?”

She nodded, stepping closer once more to embrace her- This had obviously been stressful for the high-strung girl. So she held Fluttershy close and simply relaxed with her, breathing with cautious attention until she could feel the pegasus mare’s breath sync up with her own. When they pulled away they were both smiling, and the air was filled with a much more pleasant mood. Without a word, Luna picked Angel up by his scruff and unceremoniously carried him into the living room, while Fluttershy went back to her stores of nuts, contemplating what to make.

Positive she had left earshot, the Princess of the Night looked down at the still-shaken rabbit and spoke, softly.
“She has been doing that for quite some time, hmm? When you act out of line?”

At first, no response. But her patience could best be described as either “glacial” or “millennial”, so waiting a few scant minutes for a reply was nothing at all. The reply did come, in time: A nod, wary and reserved. She smiled, every one of her teeth exposed- Despite her mostly-herbivorous physiology, this was more than frightening enough when staring at someone who qualifies as bite-sized.
“Well then. I hope she sees no need to use it on you again, but... If you were to try and assault her like you did me?”

Her grin was gone in an instant, eyes cold as ice, and Angel Bunny was likely surprised to find his back pressed against the couch entirely against his own will, instinctual urges to flee kicking in his head.
“I would not be nearly so kind.”

And so they reached an understanding.

--------

Barely an hour had passed, and Fluttershy had already put together what she felt was a nice array of thanking-gifts. Jars filled with fruit preserves and creamy nut spreads, centered around a lovely bouquet, all in a rather nice woven basket. When Luna asked her, she explained that the preserves and the basket were made by a good friend, and she always made sure to buy a few jars when the time came. She usually had them as part of her breakfast, but she was more than glad to part with a jar or two to thank a friend like Bon-Bon-- Even moreso considering how lovely the chocolate buildings had been. Neither of them had eaten lunch yet, and it was tempting to dive right back into the sweet structures, but eventually they managed to decide against it.

Instead they started the walk back into town, heading away from Whitetail Woods and leaving the cottage behind. Angel Bunny was uncharacteristically kind, making sure to keep a very good watch on the other animals- Maybe he had a change of heart! That would be... nice. He was a consistent hoof-full that she could only reliably keep in line with the Stare, and even that was only a recent development. Her worries about troublesome pet care were cut off by the sound of her own stomach rumbling, and then Luna’s responding in only a moment. Their pace was interrupted by the burst of laughter that followed, and a question struck her.

“Oh, um, Luna... Do you know of any places to eat in Ponyville that you might like?”

“No- In fact, I had been hoping that... That I could ask thee to give me a tour of the town. I wish to learn more about it, as I... may be spending a large amount of time here.”

Fluttershy blushed at the implication, secretly cheering inside. A tour... She could definitely do that.
“Well then! Let’s start out with places to eat, figure out where we want to go, and move from there.”

Their path took them all across the market, from shop to shop-- Sugarcube Corner was skipped, as they both knew it quite well (and had more than enough sweets that morning) and eventually, they found a perfect place. Luna seemed a bit nostalgic when she first saw the street vendor’s cart, and lapsed back into the Royal Voice a few times during their transaction. If anything, Fluttershy found it adorable, and gladly got to work splitting their meal. It had been so long since she came out this way for lunch that she had forgotten just how nice a spicy wrap with daffodils and sorrel could be, or how good the hay fries were in town. Luna...

“So thou say these are, in truth, hay? Their appearance is certainly more... crispy than I am used to.”

“Oh yes! I think they fry them, or maybe bake them in a kind of coating... I was never very good with that kind of food, but I always like them.”

Dubiously, the Princess withdrew a single thick fry from the gigantic paper cone, swished the tip in some sauce, and took a bite... And then finished the fry in another bite. A second and a third hit the mustard dip, and soon they were happily walking down the street, ponies unabashedly staring as the Princess of the Moon greedily vacuumed up an entire two-pony serving of fries on her own. Fluttershy was more than happy to stick to her wraps, occasionally nabbing a fry between Luna’s rapid-fire bursts of eating. They finished off the entire meal within minutes, freeing up her mouth so she could actually be a good tour guide for her marefriend. She cleared her throat and gestured towards the gigantic tree near town square with one wing.

“Well, first off there’s the Library, that’s where Twilight lives and works, of course. And, um, before she came it was kinda community-run, and I heard that way back in the day...”

--------

“...And that’s why Sugarcube Corner has that funny little tower where Pinkie’s room is! Uhm. I hope that was all interesting. Was it alright?”

They had passed much of the afternoon taking a slow and meandering walk around Ponyville. Luna made sure to pay attention to everything Fluttershy said- And there was quite a lot to pay attention to. The mare seemed to have a love of history that was very fitting, given her rustic home and antique furnishings. The entire town’s lifespan, admittedly short even compared to other cities, much less her own, was now firmly entrenched in her mind. It was sobering, in a way, to remember that entire cities and towns and family lines had risen and fallen in her absence... And then she remembered she should probably respond to Fluttershy.

“Very. I found it enlightening, and helpful- I doubt I will forget where a single location is, thanks to thee.”
She nuzzled up to her marefriend, making her blush at the public affection. In the back of her head, she backtracked across the various landmarks and buildings, until she remembered her objective.
“Ah! Dear Fluttershy, I had a question, if thou wish.”

“Oh, yes?”

“There has been a bit of a... plan, in my head. An idea I had not long after my return. And I wished to work on it soon, but I would need to speak to Mayor Mare here first. Do you happen to know of a way to contact her without... abusing my station, as it were?”

“Oooh, is this a secret plan?”

She chuckled.
“Not necessarily. I just feel it would be a poor fir... seco... third impression. My first two were bad enough.”

They were both silent at that, memories going back to Nightmare Night, and... the other night, which shall remain nameless. No matter how much good came from that second meeting, their first encounter was one Luna dwelled on as little as possible. Which is not to say she was ever allowed to forget it- Her dreams made very sure of that. Eventually her reverie was shaken by Fluttershy nudging her side and gesturing.

“Well, you could ask her now.”

Looking to one side, Luna realized that the Mayor was actually walking right past them at that very moment. She resisted the urge to facehoof at the timing, instead looking back to Fluttershy.
“Would it be much of an issue if I asked thee to go ahead to Lyra and Bon-Bon’s home? I may be held up for a small time.”

“It’s no problem at all Luna! You know where it is, right?”

“Mmh, yes. Not terribly hard to miss, to be honest.”

“Good. Well...”

There was a moment of awkward silence while the two of them looked from side to side, neither quite sure what to do or say. They were not parting for long, but still, it would be their first parting since the other night. She was taken by surprise when Fluttershy leaned up and kissed her on the cheek, quickly, before darting away with an enormous blush.
“I’ll, um... be waiting. For you.”

“Then I will make haste... for you.”