Rarity’s horn glowed bright as she sat on the kitchen floor, her magic trafficking objects over her head. Various bottles of sauces and spices were shaken and splashed and dashed across the sizzling pan; milk cartons poured their load into glasses she’d chilled in the fridge beforehand; a peeler and knife worked in tandem to skin and slice fresh apples she’d bought from Applejack the night before. The coordination of so many tools left Rarity’s brow furrowed in obvious strain, but a satisfied smirk was splayed on her lips.

With the ding of her timer, the breakfast orchestration came to an end. “Sweetie Belle, breakfast is ready!” Rarity called, flipping their omelets onto their plates before setting the table.

“Coming!” her sister called back, followed by the sound of galloping hooves down the stairs. Sweetie pranced in, her fur and mane still damp from the shower as she sniffed the air. “Wow, that smells great! What’s the occasion, sis?”

“No occasion,” Rarity said with a giggle. “Just feeling industrious this morning.” She sat in her chair and smiled a bit wider as she saw the gears in her sister’s head turn to remember what ‘industrious’ meant.

When the gears finally clicked, Sweetie asked, “You sure? You’re looking very happy this morning.” She trotted up to her seat and climbed onto it, her hind legs flailing for a second to scramble on. “You’re almost never a morning pony!”

“Well, I have made some progress on a frankly brutal commission. Other than that, it’s the same as usual,” Rarity mused with a bite of apple slice. “Well, and Princess Luna paid me a short visit in my dreams last night, but that’s becoming standard.”

“Lucky, getting to talk to a princess,” Sweetie mumbled. Her melodramatic sulking was gone the instant she put a forkful of omelet in her mouth. “This tastes great! Who is he?”

Rarity’s eyes went wide and she almost gagged on her milk. “Wh-whatever do you mean?” she asked, lightly thumping her chest and setting her glass down.

“Well, you’re really happy and not grumpy, it’s morning, and your cooking is a lot better than usual,” Sweetie listed off. “You’ve also been really happy all over lately. This always happens a few days before you get a new coltfriend.”

“Am I really that obvious?” Rarity asked with a blush and a nervous smile. She shook her head and added, “Even if I am, that’s not the case. There really isn’t a stallion in my life right now. The only one I even talk to is Fancy Pants, and he’s dating Fleur Dis Lee.”

“Really?” Sweetie asked through a mouth full of egg with a raised eyebrow. “That’s too bad. I was hoping this one would be cute.”

Rarity rolled her eyes and was debating scolding her sister when the doorbell rang. “One moment!” she called out as she cantered to the front door.

Through the door’s window was the face of Derpy Hooves, her normal dopey grin firmly in place and her walleyed gaze not firm at all as she waved to Rarity. The moment the unicorn opened the door, she sang, “I brought you a letter!” She reached into her saddle bags and produced her delivery between her teeth.

“Thank you, Derpy,” Rarity said with a nod, taking the letter with her magic. “You could have just put it in my mailbox, though.”

Derpy shook her head. “Couldn’t; I got orders to make sure that you saw it ASAP.”

Rarity blinked and looked down at the envelope. “Any idea why?” She then spotted the seal, a three-pronged crown with a diamond-shaped amethyst embedded in the center. “Fancy Pants?”

“What’re pants?” Derpy asked, her head tilted and brow furrowed.

“Never you mind, Derpy,” Rarity said with a wave of her hoof as she set the letter down on a nearby table. “He’s just a friend of mine. How’re your girls doing?”

“They’re both doing fine. Dinky’s getting the hang of multiplication, and Sparkler started dating this really nice boy last week; he’s coming over for dinner tonight,” she said with the smile of a proud mother. “But I should get going; lots more letters to deliver.”

“Glad to hear; I’m sure Sparkler chose well,” Rarity said with a nod and a smile of her own. “Fly safe!”

“I’ll try not to break any windows this time!” the mailmare joked before flying off.

Rarity giggled as she closed the door and picked up her letter. “Now, I wonder…” She peeled the seal off and pulled the message out of its envelope. The cursive writing was flowing and sophisticated, but put more emphasis on the circles within the letters and the ending strokes; Fleur’s handiwork, not Fancy Pants’.

Dear Rarity,

I know you were planning on visiting Canterlot today and most surely have plans for the day, but I must insist that you clear your schedule up. You see, I am in dire need of a dress for an emergency I was going to lead you on, but I can’t stand it anymore; bottom line is that Fancy Pants finally proposed! I said yes, of course, and though we have yet to set a date for the wedding, I would like to coordinate with you on a wedding dress today. My husband-to-be decided that asking you to design both our outfits would be too much for you, so he asked another friend of his, but for my dress I really couldn’t dream of asking anyone other than you.

Enclosed in this letter is a roundtrip train ticket to Canterlot. I’ll be waiting at the Sugar and Spice Café at two o’ clock for your arrival. I know this is short notice and will require a lot of work, but you can expect at least a five digit paycheck for your trouble, deary. See you in Canterlot!

Your friend,

Fleur Dis Lee

Rarity’s horn sputtered out, letting gravity have its way with the letter. Her eye twitched. She calmly reached out and pulled her melodramatic fainting couch next to her.

She then proceeded to actually faint on it.

Her mane still somewhat wet from when her sister dumped a bucket of water on her face, Rarity read over the letter for the umpteenth time. "Five digits," she muttered to herself. "What could I possibly spend all that money on? Some of it is going into Sweetie Belle's trust fund, of course, but what in the world would I do with the rest...?"

Her thought process was ground to a halt as the train did, the screeching filling her ears as it pulled into the station. "Pulling into Canterlot Station," the speakers stated. The moment the train came to a complete stop, Rarity jumped off her seat and scrambled for the train doors. The other passengers seemed to beat her to it, causing a backup at the exit. Her instincts as a lady and as a busybody sparked as they told her to both wait patiently and rush past the slowpokes. The conflict went back and forth in her brain while she pranced in place behind the crowd. Her decision was heralded by a white blur rushing out the door and a bunch of disgruntled train goers knocked on their rears.

The streets went by in a blur of multicolored fur, protests from ponies pushed out of the way, and the murmurs of bystanders. Rarity could feel her ears burning already from the rumors that hadn’t even started spreading yet. Or she would, if her chest weren’t already on fire from her mad gallop over cobblestones that were doing no favors for her hooficure.

Rarity put the potential reputation and beauty damage to the back of her mind when she screeched to a halt around the corner from her destination. She took a minute or five to straighten out her mane again with her brush and mirror and catch her breath before calmly cantering into view of the Sugar and Spice Café. Fleur Dis Lee spotted her from her table under a gold and white striped awning and waved her over.

“Fashionably late?” Fleur’s silky smooth voice asked as Rarity trotted up with a giggle.

“Just plain late, I’m afraid,” she sighed with an apologetic smile. “Terribly sorry. I just had trouble getting started this morning.”

“No huge rush,” Fleur assured as she drank from the cup in front of her. “Please, sit down. I got you white tea, as always; don’t worry about the bill.”

Rarity nodded gratefully and took a seat across from her friend and set her saddlebags in an empty spot. “So, I believe congratulations are in order,” she said, her smile and tone taking on that of a giddy gossiping girl. “You’re finally engaged!”

“I know!” Fleur said with the exact same look. “I mean, I knew he would eventually, but he finally did!”

The two shared a celebratory squee and hugged each other over the table.

“Oh, you more than deserve it, Fleur,” Rarity said as she pulled away. “And you more than deserve the perfect dress for the perfect day. Have any ideas or requests in mind?”

“All business with you, no?” Fleur said with a chuckle. “Please, just relax for a while. I haven’t seen you in months.”

“I saw you on my last visit,” Rarity said with a raised brow.

Fleur waved a foreleg as if swatting a fly. “Oh, you know what I mean. I haven’t seen you outside of some party or another. We so rarely get to talk one-on-one these days, and you know how quiet I am in crowds.”

“Fine, fine, I admit, I haven’t had much free time lately,” Rarity sighed. “I’ve been caught up in my work for the past year, though I’m trying to not book myself so tight that the bindings come undone.”

“So I’ve heard,” Fleur purred with a smirk behind her teacup.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rarity asked, eyes narrowing and head tilting.

“Oh, just some things I’ve heard about what you’re spending your time on instead,” she said coyly with a flutter of her eyelashes.

“Don’t toy with me, Fleur,” Rarity said firmly, yet unable to keep from smiling at her innocent act. “What’s the grapevine saying this time?”

The older unicorn leaned in, her chin cradled in her hooves and her smirk only growing. “It says that you’re spending a suspicious amount of time with a certain Princess of the Night.”

“Luna? Well, yes, we are getting closer; I daresay she’s becoming a good friend,” Rarity said, her confusion plain as she took a long sip of her tea. “I fail to see what’s so suspicious about it, however.”

“The same way that two ponies spending a lot of time together is always suspicious in the gossip circles,” Fleur giggled. “They’re saying that you two are dating.”

Rarity gagged and covered her mouth with her napkin before her quite expensive tea sprayed all over the table. After taking a hard, painful swallow, she sputtered, “Wh-what?”

Fleur giggled harder, covering her mouth to avoid outright cackling. “Exactly what I said: word has escaped the palace that you two have been getting together a lot the past few months, with few other details. Everypony’s just filling in the blanks with steamy, scandalous details.”

“Well, I’d daresay that my personal life is none of the grapevine’s business,” she huffed, crossing her forelegs. “Just, the audacity!”

“You’re famous, Rarity; everything is the grapevine’s business,” Fleur said with a roll of her eyes. “And I’m not hearing a denial, deary. What I am seeing is a blush.”

The heat on her cheeks only intensified when she realized it was there. “That’s because I didn’t think I’d need to deny it. You know I’m straight; everypony knows I’m straight.”

“So is spaghetti until things get hot,” Fleur teased with a wink.

Rarity batted a hoof at her friend. “Oh, stop it! There’s nothing going on between us, hot, cold, or otherwise. I’ve retired from the dating scene for now anyway, and I plan on keeping it that way for a-”

“There you are!”

Rarity heard the familiar hiss of reforming mist behind her, along with every pony in sight bowing their heads to the ground. She slid from her chair and turned to see the Princess of the night herself before her, sans the alicorn’s ceremonial armor.

“Luna? What’re you doing here?” Rarity asked.

“I came looking for you, of course,” Luna said. “You were horribly late for our usual lunch date. You weren’t in your room at the palace tower, nor had the gate guards seen you enter, so I had feared something had happened to you.”

Rarity blinked right before her hoof met her face. “Oh dear. Oh dear, I’m terribly sorry; I completely forgot. See, my friend Fleur here is getting married, and she asked me to come over right away to start discussing her wedding dress. She commissioned me, of course.”

Luna looked behind Rarity and said, “Ah, Miss Lee! I believe I’ve seen you floating around the palace during social functions. Congratulations on the engagement.”

“Thank you, your majesty,” she replied through tightly restrained mirth.

“Again, sorry Luna,” Rarity repeated, bowing her head.

“No need to apologize,” Luna said, nuzzling under her friend’s chin to lift her head up again. “I think I can allow you to put your work first when it’s for a friend.”

“Still, I shouldn’t have forgotten our lunch date like that. Please, I insist that I spend dinner with you instead; it’s the least I can do,” Rarity persisted.

Luna smiled warmly. “I think that can be arranged. Shall I see you after I’ve raised the moon, then?”

“Oh, most definitely,” Rarity said with a nod and a smile in return.

“Then farewell and good luck to both of you on the wedding arrangements.” Luna shifted back into her midnight blue vapor form and flew off into the afternoon sky, snaking back towards the palace.

Rarity waved after her, but every muscle seized when she heard Fleur burst into a hail of giggles. “Nothing going on, huh?” she managed to say through her snickers.

“Yes, nothing going on,” Rarity repeated, turning back to her friend. “I fail to see what’s so funny.”

“Oh Rarity, Rarity, so naïve,” Fleur giggled, walking around the table and putting a foreleg around Rarity’s shoulders. “You’re on a first name basis with the princess from a thousand years ago who would yell at most other ponies who fail to address her properly, you frequently get together for ‘lunch dates,’ and when you’re late for one she gets so worried that she makes a public appearance just to find you when she normally never shows her face outside the palace. Even if you fail to see it, something is going on between you two.”

Rarity shrugged off Fleur’s leg and huffed. “Now you’re just reaching. Luna is just a really good friend; nothing more. Twilight, Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie or Fluttershy would do the same since I’m normally so punctual. Besides, Luna is straight as well, so the grapevine’s bounty has gone sour yet again.”

“And you know she’s straight how?” Fleur asked with a wide grin. “Did she say so?”

Rarity opened her mouth to respond, then promptly closed it again and furrowed her brow. “I…I just always thought she was. I mean, she is, isn’t she? I just thought it went without saying.”

Fleur said nothing and just grinned wider through her giggles.

Rarity shook her head. “Alright, enough teasing; you’re just doing this to get under my skin and you know it. Do you want a wedding dress or not?”

Fleur reclaimed her seat with a melodramatic sigh. “And it was getting so fun, too. But if you insist we get back to business, we shall.”

“And ponies call me a drama queen,” Rarity mumbled as she sat back down. “Now, what ideas or preferences do you have for your dress?”

Fleur brought her hoof to her chin. “Well…”

Silence choked the palace corridors as Rarity cantered through them. The carpet muffled the sound of even her own hooves as she made her way to the dining room. The only sound she could hear was her own breathing and the breathing of Luna’s night guard while they watched her pass. The beauty of the soft moonlight filtering through the stained glass windows helped take the edge off the eerie feel of the place, but only so much.

Diagrams and plans for a certain fashion model’s wedding dress continually tried to push and shove their way into the forefront of Rarity’s mind, but she pushed them back harder. She took a deep breath and muttered, “Calm down, Rarity; you’re here to relax. No worrying about work right now.”

The fight to keep her workaholic instincts under control kept her preoccupied until she reached her destination. Or so she thought, anyway. “Is this the princess’ joint dining room?” she asked one of the guards.

“Yes, ma’am,” the bat pony mare answered. “They’re expecting you.” She nodded to her partner and the pair pushed the doors open. The two princesses were already inside, true to the guard’s word, and had both turned to the opening doors.

“Good evening!” Luna greeted with a grin, waving Rarity over to the only empty seat. Set in front of it was a tall glass of cider and Rarity’s favorite type of salad already prepared. “Sorry we started without you, but the hour grows late and sister needs her sleep.”

“Oh, so it’s my fault then?” Celestia giggled. “I’m sure your love of wine had nothing to do with it.”

Luna let out a rather tipsy-sounding giggle. “Oh shush, Tia; you know it helps me sleep.”

Rarity let out a small giggle herself and took her seat at the round table, Luna to her right and Celestia to her left. “It’s really no problem; royalty shouldn’t have to wait for little old me, after all. And thanks for ordering my food in advance.”

“Oh you shush too, Rarity; you’re a good friend, and that goes beyond social class,” Luna said with a smile. “And no problem at all. Tulip and daisy salad is your favorite, right?”

Rarity nodded and smiled back. “It is; you really have grown to know me too well, haven’t you?”

“I try,” Luna giggled.

“It’s good to see you two getting along so well,” Celestia said with a warm smile. “Luna’s told me how much she enjoys your company.”

“And I enjoy hers, your majesty.” Rarity took a sip of her cider and paused. She furrowed her brow, inspecting the glass. “Is this hard cider?”

“Vintage,” Celestia confirmed, “from back when Sweet Apple Acres was still young. Luna told me that a friend of yours was getting married, so we figured you might like to celebrate.”

“You need to unwind anyway, Rarity,” Luna giggled, a small booze-fueled blush spreading across her cheeks. “Got a lot of work ahead of you, right?”

“Though if you want, we could get you some normal, fresh cider,” her sister added.

“No, it’s fine,” Rarity said with a booze-less blush of her own. “You can’t very well go to a Canterlot elite function without imbibing a bit regularly, so I’m no stranger to drink.” She took another sip, less because of the sweet taste and more to prove that she wasn’t kidding.

“If you’re sure; I’m fairly certain Sweet Apple Acres makes their brew a mite stronger than Canterlot vintners,” Celestia chuckled before taking a bite of her salad.

Luna drank the last dregs of her wineglass before pouring herself some more. “So, what’s the artiste got planned for her next big project?”

“Not much, I’m afraid,” Rarity admitted as she started eating. “Fleur gave me some general guidelines and suggestions, but said that she trusted my artistic judgment above all else. Flattering, yes, but also a bit intimidating.”

“Fancy Pants’ fiancé?” Celestia asked. “So that’s your friend that’s getting married. My, don’t you know some famous ponies.”

“Knowing everypony worth knowing is part of the job,” she replied with a flip of her mane.

“Oh, so I’m just part of the job, am I?” Luna teased, leaning over.

“No, I know you purely for pleasure,” Rarity giggled.

“Don’t I feel special?”

The pair giggled in stereo, Celestia rolling her eyes with a loving smile.

“Nothing going on, huh?”

Rarity blinked and shook her head as if the words were clinging to her face.

“Is something wrong, Rarity?” Celestia asked while her sister got her giggles under control.

“Y-yeah,” she fibbed, “I’m fine. I think the cider’s getting to me already.”

“Your cheeks say as much,” Celestia chuckled. “No liquor is quicker than Apple Acres cider from what I’ve seen, though I’ve never seen it act this quickly.”

“Maybe little Rarity’s just a lightweight,” Luna practically sang, her booze blush growing brighter.

“I am not,” the unicorn huffed. In her moment of indignation and slight inebriation, she missed her mouth with a forkful of salad and smeared dressing on her cheek. “Oh, confound it…”

“Here, let me get that,” Luna offered with a big smile. Before Rarity could protest, a cloth napkin was dabbing at her cheek. She silently glared at her friend, though while her eyes were on Luna’s face she took in her charming cyan eyes, her flowing starry mane, her adorable blush…

“Th-thanks,” she said meekly, her face getting hotter as she shook her head once more.

“Luna, she’s not a foal, you know,” Celestia chided with a giggle.

“Sister, everypony is a foal in age compared to us,” Luna reminded as she pulled her napkin back. “And I’m not hearing Rarity protest.”

“Maybe she just doesn’t want to be rude,” Celestia suggested.

“No, really, it’s fine,” Rarity insisted with a wave of her foreleg and another swig of cider. “I’m fine, really.”

“Your face says otherwise,” Celestia hummed. “Are you sure you don’t have a fever?”

Luna wasted no time in putting her hoof on Rarity’s forehead. “It doesn’t feel hot to me…”

“L-Luna!” Rarity stammered.

Celestia’s magic glow engulfed Luna’s hoof and pulled it back. “Sorry; she gets a bit straightforward when it’s close to bedtime,” the older alicorn apologized. “Frankly because of all the wine.”

Luna giggled nervously and rubbed her offending hoof. “My apologies… I really don’t think things through when I’m like this.”

Rarity couldn’t muster up any anger no matter how hard she tried, so she just sighed and smiled. “It’s fine; I think we could both stand to think a little less, I’d say.” Her hoof covered her mouth when she realized what she said, and she could muster up plenty of anger at herself.

Luna tipped her tipsy head. “What do you mean?”

“Yes, do go on,” Celestia urged with an amused smirk.

Rarity uncovered her mouth and giggled nervously. “Well, it’s just that we’re both very high-class girls in a high-class city, and sometimes I just think I’d like to… forget that sometimes, you know?” she started. “I mean, I’ll always be a Ponyville girl, and I’ll always admit that, and I learned my lesson about shunning my friends in favor of the high life, but I really am a true lady on the inside and sometimes that gets tiresome, you know? Sometimes I just want to do things and not really care what other ponies think and be myself and…and…” She held up her empty glass of cider, just noticing the complete lack of liquid. “And I think I’m barreling towards being drunk and should leave before I say anything too embarrassing.”

Celestia smiled and gave her sister a look, but Luna seemed to not notice, and for once in her life Rarity could not decipher nonverbal look-language. She was a bit too distracted by the smile Luna was sending her way. It made her feel warm all over in a way she was fairly sure cider couldn’t accomplish.

“I’ll walk you back to your room,” Luna said, getting to her feet with surprising stability and urging Rarity onto hers.

“Th-thanks,” Rarity mumbled, no longer able to feel her face from how hot it felt. “Pleased to speak to you again, Princess Celestia.”

“And you as well, Rarity,” the alicorn nodded.

Luna draped a wing over Rarity as she got to all fours, and lead her out of the dining room. For a while the pair walked in silence, basking in the glow of Luna’s moonlight tinted by the stained glass in a cascade of color. Rarity’s stride was fine for a time, but got more and more unsteady as the cider filtered through her system.

“Yeah, I’m on my way to drunk,” she grumbled. She almost stumbled onto her face, but Luna’s magic righted her again as the princess had the tipsy unicorn lean on her for support. “How come you aren’t?”

“I only ever drink enough to get to sleep easily,” Luna yawned wide. “Just a bit tipsy, never more.”

“I’d never think that the Princess of the Night would have trouble getting to sleep,” Rarity said with a slightly dopey grin that said her drunken mind thought it had made a witty observation.

“It’s less the getting to sleep and more the sleeping,” Luna admitted. “It helps with the nightmares.”

Rarity blinked slowly while she processed what she heard. “Nightmares? But… don’t you get rid of nightmares?” She looked up to her alicorn friend and saw her frowning.

“Don’t worry too much about it; you’ve got plenty more to worry about,” Luna insisted, nudging Rarity’s nose with hers.

Rarity frowned as Luna opened a pair of doors for them. “You know I will anyway. I don’t like seeing you sad.”

A shadow of a smile graced Luna’s lips. “Thanks for the concern, Miss Worrywart.”

“Hey, you’re my friend,” Rarity mumbled, nudging Luna’s side. “Of course I’m going to…” She blinked and looked around to see the stars staring down at her and the statues and hedges of the garden surrounding her. “Why’d you lead me outside?”

“Because I think you’re too far-gone to risk the stairs,” Luna giggled. She lowered her belly onto the grass. “Climb aboard; I’ll fly you to your room.”

The thought briefly crossed Rarity’s mind that maybe a tipsy mare shouldn’t be flying a drunk one anywhere, but that thought quickly sank under the cider churning in her gut and it suddenly seemed like an incredibly sensible idea.

It didn’t seem like a sensible idea ten seconds later when Rarity was on Luna’s back, her forelegs wrapped around the alicorn’s neck for dear life while she was doing loops in the air.

“Luna, slow down!” she wailed through closed eyes as the world somehow span faster than her mount did.

“But this is so much fun!” Luna cackled with glee as she pulled out of the loop and did a corkscrew. “What happened to wanting to do things without caring what other ponies think?”

“This isn’t what I meant and you know it!” Rarity whined, kicking her hind legs as they were tossed about.

“Oh very well, killjoy,” Luna giggled. Her corkscrew came to an abrupt halt, Rarity laying flat on Luna’s back with a groan of thanks that the flight was finally level.

“You’re a real jerk sometimes, you know that…?” Rarity risked opening her eyes and let out a small gasp. Luna was spiraling around the tower in a slow ascent, the marble rushing past them as the ground got further away while the stars sat still in the sky. Rarity pulled back a strand of mane that got in her eye as the night wind whipped it about and could only whisper, “My word…”

“What were you saying?” Luna said coyly with another flap of her wings.

“It’s beautiful up here,” she breathed, hugging Luna’s neck a bit tighter. She looked over the other side to see the lights of Canterlot city go by. Just over the horizon she could see the small motes of light that was Ponyville fly by while her ride circled around the tower.

“You’ve never flown before?” Luna asked.

Rarity shook her head. “Not this high and not at night…” She reluctantly closed her eyes to make way for a wide yawn. “And both those other times I was falling to almost certain death.”

Luna giggled. “I’m surprised you aren’t afraid of heights by now.”

“I’ve kicked a manticore in the face; a little thing like altitude isn’t going to make me scared,” Rarity giggled back.

“And the wailing and flailing before was for what, exactly?” Luna asked, looking back at her passenger with a smirk.

“Oh hush, you,” Rarity huffed with a smile before giving Luna a small kick to the flank with her rear hoof.

Luna just giggled as she circled around the top of the tower. “We’re coming in for a landing; hold on tight.”

“As if I’m not already,” Rarity mumbled with a giggle, nuzzling close into Luna’s starry mane.

The landing was so soft that Rarity barely felt Luna’s hooves touch the marble of the tower’s highest balcony. “We’re here,” she said softly.

“Thanks, Luna.” Rarity nuzzled the back of Luna’s neck before climbing off her back.

Rarity then promptly tumbled onto her stomach with a small yelp.

Luna could barely restrain her laughter. “Here, I’ll help you.” The balcony doors opened and Rarity was lifted off the ground with a soft cyan glow, the princess trotting towards her bed.

“No, no, I can do it,” Rarity whined, flailing weakly in the air. “Let me go!” Luna did just that, dropping Rarity on her bed and letting her faceplant into her pillow. “Thanks,” came the dry, muffled reply.

Luna giggled and nuzzled Rarity’s neck as she pulled the covers over her. “Sweet dreams, Rarity,” she whispered, kissing Rarity lightly on the cheek.

All sorts of alarm bells pierced the drunken veil in Rarity’s head, her face growing bright pink and her whole body going red hot. “Um, L-Luna?” she stammered, turning her head to Luna as she was trotting to the balcony door.

Luna looked over her shoulder before turning back around. “Yes, Rarity?”

Feeling the heat of the spotlight, Rarity started to sweat. “Are you… that is to say, what’s your… have you ever…?” Rarity stammered as she looked into Luna’s deep turquoise eyes. She fell silent for a few moments, lost in the princess’ gaze, before letting out a sigh. “Never mind, Luna. Sweet dreams, and hope to see you in mine.”

Luna smiled once more as she opened the balcony doors. “I hope the same.”

The alicorn had dived off the balcony and flown away before Rarity could point out that she didn’t know how to dreamwalk. Before she could think too hard about it, the haze of sleep wafted back into her mind. She pulled the covers tighter over her as she smiled softly into the night. What little cognition she had worried what others would say if they heard about what had just happened, but it quickly decided that she didn’t care all that much.