Several days passed during which everypony was rather busy-- Between Pinkie Pie's ambitious little "Twilight and Fluttershy Cheering-On Party", everypony's jobs and housework, and preparations for the first visit from Princess Luna, they had their hooves full and their calanders quite stuffed. But finally, the morning of the first tailoring session arrived. And Fluttershy was...

Well, she was trying to work off stress the best way she knew how, but was also pretty sure this would not really help, not for long. In fact, with her luck, she might just be making the problem worse. But she'd spent most of the past several days thinking about meeting Luna again, and so she was a bit... frustrated. She rarely had ever found this an issue before- Nopony had made her feel that kind of physical attraction. But here she was, thinking about the most infamous (reformed) villain in all of Equestria, and one of the two highest royals period. And thinking about her was driving her to distraction, so she set off to take care of it.

On that note, one of the things she loved the most about living on solid ground was the privacy-- Cloudhomes were nice and all, but even then, it was a bit too easy for a random passing bird, or pegasus, to sneak a peek into your life. Her little burrow-styled home, however, was shaded into a private little glade, on a hillside, and it was quite difficult to peer into anything but the entrance hall-- Which was very good, because right now, she was rocking back and forth across the edge of a pillow, her mane scattered wildly, her breathing heavy. She hadn't even thought about finding some more permanent, specific solution, even though it was pretty obvious that Velvet and her friend might have just the thing, because she would have been mortified. So for now, her hooves, a cushion, and an active imagination would make do.

Or so she had hoped. But actually, she was right. She was just making a rather pressing need even more urgent. She had never been used to getting this aroused- Sure, once or twice when she was just barely a filly, growing up and learning about those things, but... She hadn't peaked like that in years, and it had been like this for a while now. She didn't even know how she was going to compose herself around the Princess at lunch ton...ight...

She bolted off of the bed, the sodden pillow hitting the floor, and looked at the itinerary again. It wasn't tonight. That was the clothes fitting with Rarity! It was lunch, and it was now. She was nearly late- They were having lunch, and a party, a greeting get-together, and she was nearly missing it! OK, no, don't flip out Fluttershy, no rage, just... get a quick clean-up, make sure you don't smell like you're in heat or that you've obviously spent the last forty minutes essentially teasing yourself. Most importantly of all, put your wings down. OK. Calm, cool, collected. You can do this.

You have to do this.

--------

When she arrived, out of breath and smelling of lilacs (she hoped a bit of floral powder would be enough to keep other, um, scents from being noticable), the town square of Ponyville was... normal. Nopony was running around or looking to the sky with fear- Well, one pony was, but Derpy Hooves apologized profusely when she came down to pick up the fallen packages. OK, Fluttershy was, in fact, on time. She was safe.

Her sigh of relief turned into a particularly high-pitched scream when somepony right behind her let out a loud shrieking noise. She practically landed face-first on top of the nearest building, her wings still flapping to try and pull her away.

"Aaaw, I'm sorry Fluttershy! I was just testing out the party blowers!"

Looking down, slowly, ever so slowly, she saw Pinkie Pie bouncing around beneath her, and she laughed, just a little- Such a silly thing to get so worried over. Although Pinkie Pie really should have known better by now. She took a leap down to the ground, flapping her wings ever-so-gently to ease the descent- She'd been practicing, and it showed, which made her happy. Maybe one day she'd be able to fly with... Mmm, let's stop thinking about things like that before it causes another issue.

"That's perfectly fine Pinkie- I know you didn't mean anything by it."

"Nope! I don't mean anything by most things, I think."

They laughed and hugged each other- They hadn't had a chance to talk at all in the past few days, they'd been that busy, but now it was time to greet a new friend, and party. She wasn't always the party type, but Pinkie Pie knew exactly how to throw a party so that everypony involved was happy. Soon enough, while they chatted and caught up, Rarity and Twilight showed up, horns a-glow and packages in tow.

"Hey girls! Sorry about being a bit late, we completely spaced on the decorations and left a box behind."

"But we did remember, around about the town fountain, and doubled-back for it. That would have been quite the silly moment, after all."

"Well hay, let's get it all inside! Do you two need help unpacking it? Or putting it up?"

"Oooh, definitely not. They're sealed packages, and should do a bit of auto-decoration when we lift the lids off. Little trick I'd been reading up on for just such an occasion."

"...Twilight, isn't that just like my Party Cannon?"

"Well, ah, yes, but we don't always have the clearance to fire that thing. Remember Pip's birthday?"

"Oooh, we totally need to have another ceiling party! Although I guess cleaning the rafters was kinda a pain."

Fluttershy laughed along with the others, her heart feeling much less strained already.
"Oh, thank you all for doing all this- I'd been a bit nervous until I saw everypony, and now I feel much better."

The others acted like it was nothing, but they really did make it a lot easier for her to stay calm, and it only got better when she saw Applejack trot in from the far side of town, an entire drawer-filled salescart in tow. There were few ponies who could handle refreshments like the Apple family, that was for sure.

"So, uhm, has anypony seen Rainbow Dash? I figured she would be here first, with the speed and all."

Pinkie Pie replied quickly. "Oh, she just went back to her place to... get something she forgot! Yeah, hehe, she came down without it, then flew back up, as opposed to any other situation that would have led to her coming down to Ponyville! Yup!"

"...Ooook. Sure!"
The voice from above wasn't much of a surprise, but she still jumped a little.

"Pinkie Pie. So. Random."
Rainbow Dash swept down from her cloud perch, kicking it into oblivion on her way down- The entire sky above Ponyville was clear, and she must have ridden the last one down for comfort's sake. It couldn't have been easy to fly with that package on her back.

Soon they were all inside Sugarcube Corner, thanking the Cakes for their hospitality, and then Twilight and Rarity were setting up the automagical decorations in a burst of light and sound. They were quite pretty, a variety of stars and streamers, nothing too much, but enough to be noticed. Rarity had been making another crack at interior decoration after the incident with the bird's nest (singular), and had done a phenomenal job with this set-up. She was relaxed, everypony was there and happy, and it was... A minute. They had one minute before Luna arrived.

She rushed out the door with a little squeak that was supposed to be "Everypony hurry we need to be outside!" but instead was just one long noise. The others did check the clock after she left, or at least came out to check on her, because they all came outside as well. Just in time, too- In the distance, a shimmering bolt of blue was moving towards the town from Canterlot. It got closer, and closer, until it touched a point directly above the town's fountain and stopped. With a silent -POP- of magic dispersing, Princess Luna strode out of the travel spell and glided to the ground before them.

Slowly coming to a stop, she smiled at them all, radiant, and Fluttershy backed up, just a little, so that she wouldn't be too obtrusive. And when the Princess spoke, it wasn't in the Royal Canterlot voice, not even in volume. She actually looked a bit sad.
"Everypony, I have come here today, in part... To apologize. I made a mess of things on Nightmare Night by acting the way I did, and-"
They didn't let her finish. A group hug formed around her more or less instantly, and if Fluttershy was pressing a little bit closer, then nopony noticed. She laughed then, Fluttershy shivering a bit at hearing it, and they headed inside, a ball of chatter and good cheer as the party got underway.

--------

The party had gone splendidly, winding down just around the start of the evening, a few hours before sunset. It was time for Rarity to take Princess Luna and begin doing the dress fitting, although before anypony got out the door, Spike came running into Sugarcube Corner carrying a scroll, that traditional look of post-letter nausea on his face. She'd always wondered if maybe there was some better way to send messages, but it was fast and secure, and he never seemed to mind it that much.

"Twilight! Royal Mail just arrived, courtesy me."

"Really? Well, pop it open, let's hear it!"

"I... can't. The wax won't cut!"
Luna stepped over to the small dragon, who was, for a brief moment, surprised, but she simply looked down at the scroll and then laughed.

"Our sister must have a very personal message in there, Twilight Sparkle- That seal will only open to your horn."

Twilight looked confused as she walked over, but after she slit it open (with a faint hiss of escaping magic), she read it quietly, showing no response. Then, turning to Pinkie Pie, she sighed and began re-rolling the scroll.

"I am so sorry girls. I had wanted to stay for the after party-- Princess Celestia wants me in Canterlot by sundown. Apparently, my new lessons start very early tomorrow morning! Although I can't imagine why, she must have a reason..."

"Rising."

"...What was that, Luna?"

"If We had to guess, thou art being given the chance to see Her Rising of the Sun, personally."
Fluttershy honestly wished that somepony had a camera, because the look on Twilight's face when she heard that was just priceless- Half shock, half blush, all very cute, really.

"Whu... but, the... she's going to show me the real thing? Not just the public version she uses at the Summer Sun Festival, but the actual spell?"

Luna suddenly got a much colder look on her face, and stepped forward, towering above the purple mare.
"We cannot imagine where thou heard such a thing- Back in the High Canterlot days, even suggesting that there was such a ritual would get one jailed."
Twilight gulped, suddenly looking quite small, but then Luna burst out laughing again.
"Oh, do not worry. I am kidding. Mostly. But yes, We would wager that is her intention."

Pinkie Pie slapped one hoof onto the table, going into a fit of giggling and rocking back and forth.
"Wow Twilight, she really got you with that one!"

"W-well, I... Look, it's a totally reasonable thing to worry about!"
Her blush only grew deeper as everyone began joshing her over the little bout of paranoia, and the gathering of everypony's things, those who were leaving at least, got underway.

--------

A few minutes later, Rarity, Luna, and Twilight were preparing to leave-- Spike was staying to join in the afterparty, which would be nice, or so Fluttershy thought. But then Rarity nodded towards her and waved a foreleg, gesturing for her to come along.

"Uhm, Rarity, why are you asking me..."

"Because I need help, silly! Working on someone as important as the Princess, friend or not, is delicate stuff, and I cannot risk making a slip or missing a measurement- I need your help."
Rarity... wanted her... to help fit Luna. For clothing. To help take her measurements and... Oh. Oh dear.

She tried her absolute hardest not to think about that as she followed, quietly, only speaking when they said goodbye to Twilight as she went to signal the royal escorts to Canterlot. Her brain was just overflowing with other thoughts, and it would probably be bad if she said something like "I have the most ridiculous wingboner for you" out loud. Or at all, really- She made effort to avoid being crass, most of the time, even when it really was true. Especially right now, outside in the fresh air, she was finding it tough to actually keep the dang things under control. It did not help that, in the back as she was, she was able to watch Luna walk. Not that she was staring, or anything... It was vaguely hypnotic.

But they made it soon enough, and Rarity opened the door and began her welcoming spiel, showing off the place as quickly as she could. Luna was attentive and interested, and Fluttershy was as well- She hadn't seen all the things Rarity was showing off before, some of it apparently being rarely-used, or possibly even new- She hadn't actually been to the Boutique in a while, apart from the little meeting the other day. Slowly, she started to relax- This shouldn't be too bad!

--------

Rarity was practically dancing her way across the floor of the Boutique, speaking to Luna from over her shoulder while she re-arranged things. The party had gone smashingly, Fluttershy seemed to be holding up nicely, and she herself... Well, she had honestly fallen into a bit of funk after the success at the palace, spending a few melancholy days with Applejack and Sweetie Belle alternately cheering her up. Speaking of which, they'd have to tell their sisters sooner or later... But regardless! She had royalty as both a friend and a customer right now, and that took priority over her own moping.

So now she showed Luna the various dressforms she had around, which had each been tastefully draped with a different outfit, each one emblematic of a modern style. From the simple sheer and sleeveless Saddleton, the somewhat chunkier heavy-duty Cloporino, all the way to the massively ornate Mare de Selle. It was a simple and practiced matter to run down the advantages and flaws of each, and prod the Princess for reactions- She seemed to prefer something slimming, and functional, but capable of taking a beating in harsh weather. For a dangerous moment, Rarity drew a blank, totally unsure of what would work, but her recent brushing-up on ancient Equestrian royal garb with Fluttershy gave her an IDEEEE~AAA!

She spun on the spot, held up a forehoof in the universal sign of "Just a second", and went to walk away, heading into the back rooms of the Boutique.

"I have it! Wait here for just one moment while I get the materials!"

"Certainly. I would like to thank you both, again."

"Oh, think nothing of it, Luna! You are our friend, after all."

And then she left, trying to suppress the grin as she abandoned Fluttershy with the royal mare. Perhaps they would manage to kick things off sooner than anticipated!

--------

She gestured fiercely, trying to get the fashion pony's attention. Rarity! Don't go! Don't... oh. Too late. She was already gone. And now Fluttershy was alone in the room with Luna, given another opportunity to investigate the co-ruler closely. Although really, this was the first time she got a good look, an actual chance to see her clearly without worrying or food or the stress of Nightmare Night to distract her. So she got that look- Peering cautiously, from behind her hair, trying not to be seen.

The first thing to come to mind was tall. Luna was, in all honesty, more than double her size- She just barely came up to the top of the regal mare's legs (and she tried not to think about the implications of that) at best. From there, the eye was drawn to her unique mane and tail, which, even this close, seemed like a single solid flowing thing, as opposed to actual hair. Her coat was clear and soft, her hooves well-shaped, and her wings... Fluttershy felt that she was a good judge of wings, having spent the first major chunk of her life without even seeing ground. These were wings of an almost stunning caliber. And the horn- Longer than normal, sharper at the tip, and seeing a horn at all on the body of a winged pony was still unnerving, but in a good way. It all came together to form a cohesive whole, and she was... looking right at her.

"Is something the matter, dear Fluttershy?"

"No! I mean, no, of course not Princess Luna."

"We did ask that thou call Us by Our name alone. There is no need for honorifics between friends."

"Oh. Um... Thank you, Luna. Heh."

The alicorn smiled at her, and she shook a bit, trying not to be obvious. But it was hard. She'd heard about first-time crushes and all that being hard, but... This was harrowing. She was flustered and her cheeks flushed and her wings just kept twitching and trying to unfurl. To say nothing of that pulsing heat beneath her tail. But she put on a smile and decided to risk small talk.
"I really have been wondering, about, well, your mane and all. How..."

Luna's eyes lit up, and she moved closer.
"Ah! Well, We have always enjoyed demonstrating the nature of it. Would thou... be interested in helping us comb our mane, before the fitting?"

Fluttershy stared, and, once again, found her mouth jumping to conclusions ahead of the rest of her.
"Yesplease."

The mare of the moon levitated a small brush and comb from one of the tables, and passed them to her with a smile. She took a deep breath, grasped the comb in her mouth, and started to work. Luna relaxed as she began to work, but she barely noticed as she tried to figure out just what she was combing. There were... Individual strands, like hair, but at the same time, it was all one flowing mass, reacting to her touch and moving to perfectly intercept the comb, only becoming tame and straight as she stroked. Each brush lead to the mane gaining a brighter glow, a strong luster, and a faint smell somewhere between night-flower blossoms and sharp ozone, like the smell after rain. She resisted the urge to bury her face in that mane, and simply kept working.

It wasn't long before Luna was fidgeting slightly, letting out the occasional soft nicker or whinny. Fluttershy was grinning like a foal, she knew it, because every time she heard those noises her hips twitched a bit and she has to really focus to get back on track. But soon enough, they were in a steady rhythm, Luna turning her head this way or that to let Fluttershy pull the entire mane in one long stroke. That ended abruptly when she hit a certain spot, pressed down too hard, and heard a groan of pain from the mare. She immediately dropped the comb and rushed in front of Luna, her eyes full of worry and her brain full of self-blame.

"Oh! No! I didn't mean to do that I'm sorry are you OK?"
Luna looked at her, eyes half-lidded, and she realized that little moan hadn't been pain- She must have loosened up a sore spot in her shoulders. Fluttershy looked at that expression, all the worry blown out of her mind, and decided it was now or never- She leaned in and kissed the Princess. She had already backed away before she could even process how it felt... but Luna stepped forward and returned another kiss, longer this time, soft and slow, and Fluttershy didn't even bother keeping her wings in check, springing to attention and humming tunelessly, just absorbed in the kiss.

Luna backed away and smiled, brightly.
"It has been quite a while since W... I. Since I have had such affectionate subjects. Thank thee, dear Fluttershy- I feel much better already."
She nodded, unable to say a word, putting away the comb and thinking about what she just did.

--------

What did she just do? thought Rarity, staring from the doorway. She had come back with the first product only to see Fluttershy combing and brushing the Princess' mane, and then kissing her! It was such a forward moment, and from Fluttershy for Celestia's sake, that she didn't believe it happened. But then she saw Luna give a kiss of her own, heard them quietly talk for a moment, and on the inside she cheered. Success! This early! Maybe not a total success, nothing's a given yet, but that was... Mmm. Head inside, calm, casual. Ignore Fluttershy's wings, step around them all smiles...

"Ah! My most sincere apologies for taking so long."

"Think nothing of it. We kept ourselves... occupied."
She pointedly ignored Fluttershy's massive blush and acted as though she had seen nothing. With a flick of her head and a burst of her magic, a dressform slid into place before them all, and she went back into display mode- Time to shine.

"Well, Luna, I had thought I had the material ready to merge on the spot, but silly me, it turns out I had already prepared an example piece! It totally slipped my mind until just now. Would you like to see it?"

Luna looked at her coolly, and then smiled.
"That would be lovely."

Good, good, Rarity thought- With a flourish and a flare of power, she set out the outfit onto the dressform.
"Ta-da!"

Luna stared at the outfit. Sleek, simple, form-fitting, pale brown cloth with thick and tight stitches, a certain aristocratic air about it despite its simplicity, a single cabochan-cut stone at the collar. It was clear from the folds and the shape that it was meant to be made from some other material, but Rarity could find no discussion of the outfit's composition, so she had made an educated guess.
"Where... Where did you find the patten for this?"

Her voice is iron-cold and her eyes are hard. Rarity backs up a bit, showing a nervous grin and trying not to bolt out of instinct.
"Um, well, I... Which is to say we, we, ah... May have been researching. History. And found some sketches and pictures of, ah, your esteemed highness."

"And why, Rarity, did thou decide to re-create an outfit from so long ago? Did thou not question the strange appearance, not wonder at the materials? Did thou not think it may, perhaps, cause Us some painful memories?"

Fluttershy, up to this point deathly quiet, stepped forward.
"Luna, please... We did it for you. We had hoped you would like it, but I'm so sorry that it turned out like this."

The Princess stopped, and her appearance softened, smiling weakly.
"I know. I just... Perhaps we shall discuss this particular outfit another time."
She wrapped a foreleg around each of the other ponies, pulling them close into an embrace before letting go.
"I am very glad to have such wonderful friends as you. Now, shall we move on to the measurements, leave this particular topic behind?"

"Certainly!"

"Yes, please."

Rarity quickly stepped over to the other table, and produced a length of tape-measure. It was time to cover up for that little faux-pas, and begin to really work.

--------

The rest of the fitting passed without incident, with Luna eventually thawing back out, showing them affection-- She seemed to be fairly physical, and hadn't really interpreted those kisses earlier as anything too special. Which was fine with Fluttershy- She would hate to be figured out this early, for Luna to think she was just in love with her image or her position, not with her. Taking things slow was good. And it would be much more bearable, now that she could think back to that hot, rushed press of lip against lip. But for now, Luna was preparing to return to Canterlot, their first evening together coming to a close.

"Do you have to go quite so soon? Um, if that isn't too forward of me to ask."

"I truly do wish I could stay longer, but I am due back at the palace to raise the moon."

She turned to go, and Fluttershy didn't want her to go. It was becoming increasingly common that her mouth ran ahead, saying things she didn't have the nerve for. But this once, it wasn't. So she grit her teeth, stomped a hoof, and said it herself.
"Is there any way I could see it?"

Luna stopped, turning around, eyes wide in shock at the sudden outburst.
"You... wish to see our Rising?"

"I would be honored, Princess."

It was a little bit before she replied, smiling in an inscrutable, slightly sad way.
"And I would be honored to have your audience."

All the time between the party and the coming of night had passed, and now they trotted out onto the high hilltop, the sun just barely beginning to set on the opposite horizon. When Luna stopped, Fluttershy folded her legs under her and sat on the little grassy hillock, while Luna stretched and rolled her neck, visage tall and imperious. This was it. Something unique and old and a part of nature, something nopony had seen in a very long time. The Princess of the Night faced the sky and spoke, as if to nopony in particular, but Fluttershy listened as though every word was just for her.
"My sister's strength is bright, burning, brassy, bold, it encompasses everything, and it is silent- It is too large, too grand, to be loud. But the moon... We are soft, subtle, silver, sublime, shading the edges of things, and we... are song."
And so she closed her eyes and sang.

It was wordless, and deep, like hearing an ocean, the kind of sound you felt. It spread out in little waves, sparks of blue magic lighting up the edges of her horn until it was a full glow of bright sky-blue, tinged with stars. The note shifted, and Fluttershy watched, eyes wide, as the world responded. Butterflies settled onto branches and rested, fireflies rose up from the tall grass, and flowers shut and bloomed in time with the change in pitch, eventually stopping as the day-time flowers closed and those of the night stayed open. Finally, as the sound went away, the first touch of silver-white moon crested the distant edge of the sky, and rose.

She opened her eyes again, and Fluttershy went to stand, but her legs refused- She was totally shaken, and couldn't get up just yet. Luna looked down at her and smiled, but then looked a bit past her, to the flowers. If the look on her face hadn't been so happy, Fluttershy would have sworn that what Luna saw was bothering her, but when she turned around, it was still just those flowers, petals of white and silver with tiny tufts at their base.
"Our... my lilies. The moonlight blossoms. I'd actually forgotten about them."

Her heart nearly stopped when she saw that Luna was crying. She quickly rose, ignoring her own legs' protests, and rushed to Luna's side, nuzzling against her and offering a wing, letting the alicorn rest against her as she cried, sobbing now, looking at the plants that had opened for her.

"I forgot. They were made just for me, they were my favorite, and I was gone so long..."

"Shhh. No, Pr... Luna. You can't blame yourself for that. You had no choice!"

"But We still..."

"That's what happens, to everypony. Time passes and they forget. But you remembered, and that's what matters, right?"

It took every ounce of her courage to flick a wingtip and brush away the tears under one of the other mare's eyes, but when she did, a hint of a smile came back.

"Thank thee, again, dear Fluttershy. I think that was... inevitable, and thy support was exactly what I needed most."

She didn't respond, her wild blush and stammering breath doing that for her. She didn't dare move away, and so they stood together for a while, wing to wing, just barely touching now. She could have fallen asleep on the spot, on her hooves, and been comfortable. But soon enough, the Princess stepped back, her smile brighter, and then she leaned down to pluck one of the blossoms, held between her teeth, and tuck it behind one of Fluttershy's ears. She gasped, feeling the cool breath on her forehead, the touch of a lip against her.

"That's better- We feel that it suits thou to wear such a bloom."

"Mmmh."
Words were escaping her, but Luna smiled at the reply, however little it had been. A short kiss followed, and then another, a flurry of little pecks and nips, both of them just relaxing into the other. She was pretty sure they walked back to Ponyville after that, and Luna left in another blaze of magic, but when she woke up in the morning, her memory was hazy on the details. All it took, though, was one look at the bloom, carefully hung on her bedside mirror, and she... remembered.

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A message from the author:

I owe a lot of people a lot of thanks, AND I got a piece of fanart I think you'll all appreciate. For all that and more, this blog post is your friend: http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/8716

Coming on Friday morning: Our first Intermission, as we find out why Pinkie was so nervous...