As they walked further into town square, Luna sighed deeply. Fluttershy stepped closer, offering a wing which was quickly accepted, the larger mare twining one of her own wingtips with hers. They walked like this for a bit before Luna spoke.

“I would have been able to say more, about Lyra’s... interest. But I couldn’t bear to do so. Nor am I, ah, necessarily able.”

She was confused, and made that clear to Luna.
“Um, dear? What do you mean?”

“Well, it is simply that... Regardless of the veracity of her ‘histories’, or the lack of it, I doubt that an encounter with a human is likely for anypony. If they are not mythical, then they are long absent from Equestria, and I refuse to comment one way or another... As I feel I made abundantly clear earlier. And my lack of ability to say so is simply a matter of Canterlot policy- What information there is on humans, be it for or against their existence, is classified.”

Fluttershy nodded sagely, an idea forming in her head.
“Gotcha. So they do exist, but Lyra probably won’t ever meet one.”

Luna reared up in shock, eyes wide.
“I never said that! How did thou... Wait. Waaaait. I know this particular gambit. Thine intent was to force me to reveal the truth through my reaction by pretending to know the truth.”

She couldn’t keep her straight face, a grin slowly breaking out.
“Mmhmm. And?”

“...And that’s precisely what happened. Well played, my dear.”

They shared a laugh and kept walking- Although now Fluttershy was curious just how real humans were.

----

In Canterlot, the owner of an unmarked shop realized somepony or somebody was talking about him... And rolled over and got back to sleep. Nicky said there weren’t any emergencies until next week, after all.
Although how a visit from a single couple could qualify as an ‘emergency’ was beyond him.

----

And in Ponyville, I totally realized somebody or somepony who owns an unmarked shop in Canterlot was thinking about meeee~! Which, you know, happens a lot- I plan so many parties and pull so many pranks and push so much pastry that simply everypony ends up talking about me all the time! Not to mention all you people on the other side of The Wall talk about me so often! I even heard some of you call me “best pony”, which I think is super-duper nice, even though Dashie is really great, and Rarity is swell, and-

Quit breakin’ the Wall, Pinkie. We aren’t budgeted to repair it this often.

But I-

No buts. No butts either! And certainly no plots. I won’t be distracted.

Well... Shoot. Bye everypony! I’m sure I’ll show up again soon.

--------

“And thus we are left without any concrete dinner plans.”

“Yeah... Although I keep getting the feeling we’re forgetting something.”

The two of them mused on it as they walked. They had made it across most of Ponyville, occasionally brushing wings or simply glancing at one another. Now that they had a problem to consider, they walked separately, although still close. Fluttershy cheered up as she came to a conclusion.
“Well, I don’t think we did, after all! I mean, we had breakfast, and lunch. We took care of the animals’ needs for the day. We visited Rarity about the dress, thanked Lyra and Bon-Bon...”

“No we did not.”

“What? But we just left their-”

Luna stopped walking.
“No, I mean... We did not go to Rarity’s.”

Oh. So they hadn’t. And now the sun was setting and it was late in the day, their odds of getting in at a normal time completely shot. They looked at each other, suddenly realizing just how late it was, and how unlikely they were to make it in time.
“Run?”

“Gladly.”

--------

They made it to Carousel Boutique only minutes later, although even that was well over an hour after the shop’s closing time. With any luck, Rarity would make an exception for a friend, or royalty, or a royal friend, or... Or she would be walking out of the Boutique’s side door with Applejack. That would also work. Before Fluttershy could say anything, they were spotted, and Rarity rushed up to them, AJ moving a bit more leisurely.
“Oh, Fluttershy darling! And Luna as well! What a surprise!”

“Howdy y’all- I’d heard ya were in Ponyville this weekend, Your Highness.”

Luna nodded at them in response, quickly embracing them both in a massive hug. Rarity tittered and Applejack chuckled, but they both seemed glad of it- Their new friend did not have many opportunities to spend time with them, after all. Some over-enthusiasm could be expected.
“And how art thee and thine?”

“Well, I had just asked dear Applejack to join me for a simple dinner, a night out... Oh! That would be perfect.”

Applejack looked befuddled as Rarity rubbed her hooves together.
“What would, Rare?”

“Why don’t the two of you join us? We can all go to dinner together!”

Luna seemed extremely pleased with this idea, rising up to her hind legs and clapping her hooves with excitement.
“Oh yes! We can have one of the “double dates” of which I have heard tell!”

There was silence. Fluttershy shrank down, trying to present as small a profile as possible. It was Rarity who spoke first, clearly trying to be delicate.
“A... double date?”

“Did I... Did I not use the term correctly? For two couples going on a venture, such as dinner, together?”

“Well, no, that’s the right phrase. But... does this mean the two of you are a couple?”

For just a second, Luna seemed offended, wondering why somepony would question the integrity of her relationship... And then she realized that nopony in this conversation actually knew about that relationship. Well, not until now. And their sudden knowledge was entirely her fault. She scuffed her hoof across the ground, looking around innocently.
“Ahehe... So, I suppose that revelation has been brought about early?”

Fluttershy nodded, still not entirely sure how she should be feeling. She definitely hadn’t been planning to hide their relationship or anything, but having it revealed so suddenly was definitely... stressful. But it turns out she didn’t have much reason to be worried: Rarity and Applejack were immediately congratulatory, not questioning or anything like that. She really should have expected that, come to think of it: There was no real reason for her friends to be judgemental. For that matter, they were helping her get into this relationship! So she relaxed, and calmly sat back as the others discussed dinner plans- She was fine with anything they chose, and had no real reason to butt into the conversation. It wrapped up pretty quickly, of course- Rarity and Applejack had already made their plans.

“Well then, are we ready to go?”

“Ah’m certainly still hungry.”

“As are we- A light lunch made sense at the time, but may have been ill-thought in retrospect.”

Fluttershy smiled.
“Well, at least we learned you like hay fries, right?”

Rarity seemed shocked at this.
“Fluttershy! Did you really subject Princess Luna to such... common food?”

“‘Twas no subjugation at all, Rarity- We have always enjoyed such fare, especially given Our jurisdiction.”

“Your...?”

“Back before my absence, street vendors and travelling salesponies fell under my claim, especially those which operated in the shadow of the night.”

“Really? That’s fascinating!”

Luna put a wing around Fluttershy, and she squeaked a little before leaning into her marefriend and walking alongside her. Their conversation roamed from topic to topic as they got on their way towards dinner, Luna occasionally slipping into her Royal voice. Even though it was loud, there was something about being pressed close to her when she used it... It felt nice. She felt really, truly stress-free and happy tonight- The weekend was quickly turning into one of the best in a long time. Now she just had to hope that dinner lived up to the precedent.

--------

It was a lovely restaurant, one that Fluttershy had been to before. The family who ran the place were all extremely nice ponies, and even most of the wait-staff were part of the clan. The end result was an extremely tight-knit and well-run place with a happy atmosphere, efficient and pleasant at the same time. The reception the Princess got was, as usual, a bit overblown, but Luna quickly convinced them she was simply here for a quiet and normal dinner amongst friends. They ended up with a lovely table in a corner booth, the four of them seated in pairs around it- Luna on one outside, Applejack on the other. She was glad to sit beside her marefriend, and almost as happy to be sitting next to Rarity: They had a tendency to split off into their own little conversations when they went out like this.

And today seemed to be no exception, since Rarity leaned in almost immediately, voice dropped to a whisper.
“Darling, I simply must congratulate you! Such success, so quick!”

She smiled- It was a good reminder. This situation which had been worrying her so heavily was already resolved, and with the best possible result!
“Oh, well, thank you Rarity. Your advice was a big help- The party went great.”

“I imagine it did. And how was the... ‘afterparty’?”
The unicorn followed up her dry innuendo with a wink, and Fluttershy blushed. Was Rarity really asking about that? She... Oh dear.

“Well, if you... If you really want to know about that kind of thing, you have to ask Luna, not me.”
That should keep her off the topic: No matter how badly Rarity wants to know, it can’t possibly outweigh her need to be appropriately behaved around royalty. And sure enough, she dropped the subject with a slight pout. Admittedly, Fluttershy almost wanted to tell her- If she would trust anypony with that kind of story, it would certainly be her spa partner. Oh! Maybe she could tell her on their next trip. They could share tales of their respective interactions, and maybe she could get some advice on how to be more... daring. Luna brought out from her a surprisingly strong urge to try new things, she was quickly learning.

Before she could follow that train of thought much further, their waitress- A lovely young earth pony, dark coat and blonde mane- came by. She stopped at their table, bowed slightly, and perked up.
“Evening! We’re so happy to have you all here tonight- I’m sure you’d all like something to drink?”

Rarity looked distraught for a moment.
“Oh! I had not even thought about that. My apologies- Get the rest of the table first, if you would be so kind.”

“I’d feel right silly orderin’ anything but Apple Family Aged Cider tonight.”

Luna looked at the mare, clearly putting out extra effort to stick to a modern ‘normal’ voice.
“And what would you suggest, miss? I am afraid I do not know of thy selection.”

“Oh, we keep all sorts of drinks on hand! I’m sure we have nearly anything Your Majesty could ask of us.”

“Really. So there would be no confusion if I would ask about... Liquidus Sky, perhaps?”

The waitress paused for a second.
“Liq... You know, funny thing? You asked the right mare: I don’t know if the restaurant keeps it on hand, but my Gran-Pappy, the owner, makes it himself! I always thought it had such a funny name. Want me to go get a bottle?”

Luna seemed shocked to actually be caught out with an affirmative answer. Nostalgia moved across her face, and she nodded.
“We... yes. Please, do.”

Rarity looked at the Princess, quirking her head to the side.
“I do confess I have never heard of this drink. Is it something common in Canterlot?”

“Not quite. It’s a bit of a royal favorite, I suppose- A tradition, as it were.”

“Really? Oh my! May I... Ah, try some?”

“Of course! I am always disposed to share with my friends, after all. Although I do warn thee: It is a stronger drink than most ponies expect, even if we get a very young specimen.”

“Oh Luna, there is no need to worry about that- I can drink with the best of them, I assure you. Well, then I suppose that settles my confusion: I will have what she is having.”

“And I’ll just, um, take some mulled tea, whatever’s on hand. I don’t want to get too tipsy tonight.”

The waitress nodded and trotted off, heading away to fulfill their orders. They made small talk, Rarity clearly curious about the drink she was about to sample, Luna just as clearly excited for it. Fluttershy wasn’t curious about it herself, might have even liked to try it, but her tolerance for hard beverages was... notoriously low. Pinkie had spiked the punch at one particularly memorable party... No wait, that’s a lie. It was memorable for everypony but Fluttershy- It is quite hard for something to be memorable when you black out during it. Apparently she had been quite the dancer that evening, wearing herself out so much that Rainbow Dash had to help her home. Ever since, she had steered clear of more than a simple glass or two.

It wasn’t long before their waitress returned with her tea, Applejack’s cider, and... The drink Luna had requested. It couldn’t possibly be anything else- A squat green stone bottle, small and rounded, studded here and there with a small gem. Even the cap was a piece of stone, settled over the neck of the bottle and secured with a strong-looking system of wire hinges. On the side facing them, one single stone was completely transparent and apparently went all the way through the wall of the bottle-- Light came through another stone on the other side, showing the liquid inside was clear. Luna licked her lips as she looked at it, and turned to the waitress again. She was so swept up in nostalgia that she lapsed completely into the Royal We, although her volume stayed under control.

“May We... request that the brew’s legitimacy be proven?”

Dutifully, as if following some old time-honored ritual (likely the case, come to think of it) the waitress retrieved a small pewter spoon from her apron, just barely tilting the squat bottle above it. A single drop-- syrupy and crystal-clear-- hit the metal and began to slowly crawl down the back of the spoon’s bowl. The slightest semi-drop of it slipped down past the lip... and continued to crawl upwards, moving along the inside of the spoon as if drawn by a magnet. Luna was smiling broadly, and clapped her hooves.

“Aaaah, so it is the real thing. Thank thee, quite dearly- It is grand to see traditions upheld.”

“Oh, I’m sure Gran-pappy will just be tickled pink to hear somepony ordered it- We have plenty. He makes a bottle-”

“Every four months, neigh?”

“Mmhmm. Says it’s part of the magic.”

The Princess nodded.
“I would like to speak to him, one day. But for now, we will take this bottle, and possibly more, if we finish the first.”

The server nodded, leaving behind their drinks and heading off to her other tables. Rarity looked at the bottle with apprehension, clearly thinking back to the way the drink defied gravity just a minute ago.
“So you say... this is a traditional royal beverage?”

“Oh yes! Admittedly, We rarely partook of it outside of rituals and holidays, but our sister swears by it. It’s quite the intriguing drink. In fact, one must even drink it a certain way... Watch.”
Luna took the strange little cask in her magical grasp and tilted some out-- Straight into the cap, which Fluttershy could now tell was a tiny stone cup. With a refined air, she lifted the cap to her lips and then pulled the entire draught in one motion- A sort of shot, really. She let out a deep and contented exhalation, then passed the bottle and cap to Rarity.
“Attempt to drink it any slower and it will return itself to the glass. Would thee like to try?”

She seemed unsure, and Fluttershy couldn’t blame her- It wasn’t exactly what the unicorn would normally call “refined”, after all. But if it was a royal tradition, she was willing to bet...

“Well then... Down the hatch!”
Yup. Rarity followed suit, copying Luna’s motions precisely, slamming the small drink away with the practiced grace of one who drank frequently- Or simply somepony good at mimicking such social actions. Her muzzle contorted in a grimace for a split second, before it smoothed out into a surprisingly happy grin. Fluttershy could already smell the drink on the air- It had a sharp scent, reminiscent of lemons mixed with something sweet, like spun sugar.
“That... Is actually quite good!”

“Huzzah! Then let us continue to share. Would either of thee care to join us?”

“Eenope. I’m fine with mah cider.”

“And I, um, don’t think I’ll drink tonight. Thank you though.”

Luna shrugged.
“Whatever suits thee, my dear. Pass the cask, then, fair Rarity, and we shall continue our drinks!”

Rarity giggled at the intentional overblown tone of the request, following suit... But not until she had snuck another capful of her own. Fluttershy sighed and leaned back- This was shaping up to be an interesting meal.

--------

It was interesting to see Luna once she had gotten well into her cups. Not really drunk, per se, but certainly influenced. Her voice actually got softer as time passed, and faster too. She spoke quickly and animatedly, hooves waving and head turning as she described one thing or another, the fashionista mare simply nodding in response, slugging back her own drinks. Luna grinned at some internal thought, leaning close to Fluttershy. She leaned towards her, thinking that her marefriend was going to whisper something to her, but then blushed as a wing wrapped around her instead. Then the Princess unabashedly leaned most of her weight into her as she continued to speak with Rarity. Applejack was clearly in the same boat, having been telekinetically pinned to Rarity’s side since somewhere around the fourth glass of wine to cross the table.

Rarity was clearly more inebriated, although she held true to her word, taking it like a professional. Admittedly, she occasionally wriggled up against Applejack, sighing and giggling, and after the sixth cap she began to aimlessly play with her silverware as she spoke. The Princess and Rarity’s topics had been winding around for some time now, and eventually landed right where Fluttershy didn’t want it to.
“Well, I know it’s a new relationship and all, but, since I didn’t get an answer from Fluttershy earlier... How goes it, physically?”

Applejack did a spit-take into her glass.
“Rare!”

Rarity, for her part, managed to almost look offended at the idea she had said something wrong.
“What? Luna did say to treat this as a conversation, and a dinner, between friends. And that is the sort of thing I discuss with friends, once the drink flows this freely.”

“Aaah, something we have in common. I approve!”
Luna realized her last line had been a bit loud when the other diners looked towards her in mixed fear and confusion. She put a hoof to her mouth, tittered, and returned to speaking quietly (for her).
“I admit that I have few others with whom I could speak about that candidly, apart from my dear sister of course.”

“Ohho! So the two of you...?”

“Oh, yes! We have kept nothing from each other over the long years. It would have been quite hard to try, frankly.”

Applejack still had a frown on her face, sipping at her cider.
“Well, as glad as I am to hear you an’ Princess Celestia share that kinda thing, ah still think it was rude fer Rarity to ask that.”

“Darling, Fluttershy did say to ask Luna if I was curious about ‘that kind of thing’.”

Oof. Well, her one attempt at keeping her private life private was dashed, and... Fluttershy didn’t actually mind much. Sure, she was far too nervous to discuss it herself, but if Luna wanted to talk about it, she didn’t see anything wrong about that. She wasn’t ashamed of their love, or their love-making, as it were.

“It would be quite unkind of me to go into too much detail- We are eating, after all. But suffice it to say that my Dear Fluttershy is a most accommodating and gentle mare.”

“I simply couldn’t imagine her being anything else.”
That seemed to help crack the tension, the four of them sharing a laugh. Soon enough (thank mercy for drunken rambling), the conversation had rolled across to another topic: Canterlot traditions, or what Luna knew of them. Fluttershy perked her ears up, always interested in another bit of history, even moreso now than before.

“So you say this drink is a royal standby?”

“Very- It is, or was, almost as clearly associated with alicorns as our Regalia.”

“Really... May I ask why?”

Luna pondered for a moment, tapping one hoof under her chin.
“As the drink ages, it becomes more apparent. This is quite a fresh bottle, so it is not as obvious, but it is a drink that requires the co-operation of all the spectrum of ponykind. The base and core of it, alcohol of unsurpassed purity and flavor, comes from earth ponies. It is then spiced and enhanced with weather materials and stimulating products the pegasi produce. And finally, bound and ‘improved’ with unicorn magic.”

Fluttershy hadn’t expected Rarity to be so enthralled with the topic, but apparently it had caught on her- Or she was just enjoying the drink so much that she wanted to know more about it.
“That sounds amazing- What changes with age, then?”

“All the components become stronger- Almost dangerously so. Legend has it- a legend I am willing to bet my sister perpetuated on purpose- that a fully-aged bottle is something only an alicorn could drink without being affected in many ways. Inebriation would be the least of somepony else’s worries.”

If there was anything drunken Rarity was known for, it was not consistency- She seemed to change tack immediately, jumping back a bit in the conversation.
“You did mention your beautiful Regalia earlier- I have always been curious about it.”

“Mmmh, well, not much is publicly known about it- We imagine there are secrets to them that nopony but I or Celestia knows, especially after... all this time.”

“Do tell!”

“Well, of the “true” royal Regalia... I am wearing just a bit over half.”

Rarity mused on this for a moment, counting off in her head.
“Shoes, crown, collar... Six. So another four or five pieces, then?”

Luna smiled- She was clearly feeling playful, and decided to make it a game. Fluttershy just watched with fascination, occasionally snuggling closer to Luna. She had to admit that now she was curious herself.
“Ah, but the number is only half the issue, neigh? Location, location, location...”

Now the fashion pony was thinking this over in earnest, visibly tracking the logistics in her head.
“I thought I had noticed before, but I wasn’t sure... Your ears are pierced, are they not? Or were.”

“Very astute, my little pony! Three remain.”

A short cry of triumph before confusion set in again.
“Wahaha! So, five then... But only one on each ear? Well, I suppose one could be a tail ring, one could be a piece of armor or a crest of some kind... But you’re shaking your head, so I’m on the wrong track, aren’t I?”

“True. The rest have a more... situational purpose. Appropriate to one of our other recent conversational topics, perhaps?”

“Recent... Hmm. Obviously nothing to do with the drink, but before that, we were talking about se... Oh. Oh. So they have... romantic purposes?”

“Mmh. Another hint, then: They are all piercings.”

“Really? But... Where else would... you...”
Rarity went silent, and Luna blushed faintly, nodding. Applejack shook her head in amazement. Fluttershy was... well, to say she was confused would be a lie. She understood full-well what was being implied and discussed, she simply couldn’t believe it. Luna was saying that she had piercings that went... there. And there and there, apparently. Across the table Rarity gulped back what seemed like fear, sobered by the idea.
“So you... in your... Oh sweet mercy didn’t that hurt?”

And at that, the Princess of the Night leaned forward with a conspiratorial grin, licking her lips.
“Yes.”

If the topic of the conversation hadn’t already fried half of her brain, Fluttershy would likely have collapsed in shock at Rarity’s reaction: A whimper, needful and short, followed by a massive quiver, shaking from her hooves to her mane. The mare looked positively stunned, bolt-still and shivering at the idea. She turned to Applejack, a smile just barely starting to form.
“Dearest...”

Applejack looked like she just barely stopped herself from spitting.
“Buck no.”

“But AJ~”

“Don’t you dare AJ me, Rare. You’re talkin’ about puttin’ cold steel right through your-”

Rarity held up a hoof, still maintaining some semblance of public manners.
“We can discuss logistics later. But I am simply asking for your input: You know you aren’t going to stop me.”

Applejack sighed, looking from her marefriend to their royal companion.
“If somethin’ goes wrong, I blame y’all, ya hear?”

“There is nothing to fear, friend- I assure you that, performed properly, there is no chance of harm.”

“But you said-”

Luna barked out a short laugh.
“No harm. As I am sure you two know quite intimately, pain is not always harm, nor vice versa.”

And at that, their conversation coasted to a dead stop. Rarity was positively buzzing with an almost manic energy, Applejack still occasionally shaking her head in wonder. Luna had a brighter grin than she had shown yet all day, and Fluttershy... Was very worryingly fixated on the idea of Luna’s other regalia, and how it might look, or even feel, when Luna wore it...

Maybe she’d have to ask about that, in the future.