"Ooh! Lucky timing, Luna!" chirped Pinkie Pie. "Twilight wants to ask you—mmfph."

Pinkie Pie floated up off the balcony, held and effectively gagged by Luna's magic. "Oh, I doubt that luck had much to do with it," Luna said to her as she pushed her out across the railing and over empty space. "Thank you, Pinkie Pie." Then Luna released her and she plummeted like a stone.

I leaped to the railing, intending to dive after her, but Luna grabbed me with her magic and pointed with a hoof. "Watch," was all she said.

I struggled until I saw the long, heavy banner hanging from the tower lift in a sudden gust of wind and curl up under Pinkie like a tongue. She plopped down into the fabric like it was a slide, and a second gust caught it just as she was about to slip off the bottom end. It flipped her up and across to a big tent that had been set up to serve food and cider, dropping her onto the broad awning in front. She bounced out with a joyful "Wheeeeeeeheeheehee!" and fell into a huge mass of balloons next to a hot chocolate stall, which popped in rapid succession, slowing her fall until her hooves gently touched down on the grass.

I just stared, open-mouthed for a while. When my brain got traction again, I turned to Luna, but before I could speak, she answered my question.

"Wild Magic. I have suspected such for a while, but now I am certain. She is a very special pony."

"Well, I could have told you that! What would you have done if you were wrong?"

"Caught her and apologized, most likely." Luna shrugged. "But I was not wrong, and I am certain that it is thanks to her magic that I arrived here in time to hear what I heard. Had her bright color upon your balcony not caught my eye, I would have passed by, found you much later, delivered my message, and gone home."

A dozen questions fought for precedence in my head, quite a lot of them concerning this Wild Magic, but the most important one won out. "What did you hear?"

"A matter of disinterest, I think it was. Am I right to suppose this is a matter of the heart?"

"I... oh stars, I'm sorry! You... You must think I'm—"

"I think thou art a cherished friend, and I wish to know thy feelings on the matter." Luna wore a neutral expression and her voice was low and soft, but I knew she wasn't as calm as she appeared. Her tail always did that little flickery thing at the tip when she was tense but trying to hide it.

I'm sure that somepony could have fried eggs on my face at that moment. I dropped my head, letting my mane fall across my face to hide my shame, and I fell back on what I knew best. "Luna, I value your friendship more than anything else, and I wouldn't want to lose it for any reason. If I have—"

"No, Twilight Sparkle," she said, lifting my chin with her magic. "Thou wouldst have to struggle mightily to lose my friendship. No matter what... that, at least, is safe.

I nodded and fumbled for the right thing to say. "There's a rumor about... about us."

"Yes," Luna said. "Gossip flies faster than a pegasus, it seems. My sister had heard of it before I returned to the palace."

"Oh." I dropped my head again. "I'm sorry. Is... Is she upset?"

"More than I think sensible," Luna said, turning her gaze out over the party in the meadow. "She beseeched me to come to thee and set the matter to rights."

I frowned. "But you didn't do anything wrong! And there's no sense in making a public denial. I know how these things work; It would only convince ponies that the rumor was true. It's all so stupid!"

Luna looked at me from the corner of her eye. "Is it folly to suppose I could desire a beautiful and brilliant mare such as thee?"

"Well, ye... uhn.. I... Wait, what?"

Luna raised her head and looked up at the stars, saying nothing.

I knew what I should have felt then. It was a misunderstanding. Just a few words would clarify everything. I'm not... What? Was I really about to cram myself into a little box with a misleading label? I felt a warmth that expanded in my chest and made me lightheaded.

"I... I guess it's not that stupid." The warmth in my chest competed with a shiver that ran down my spine as Luna turned to look at me. "I mean... You... You're so beautiful and I... I'm just so confused!"

"Ease thy mind, Twilight," she said turning to me. "I shall make my intentions clear. I would be thy lover if thou wouldst have me, yet I have no wish to discomfort thee. If thy heart does not answer to mine own, we shall part and ne'er speak of this matter again."

I opened and closed my mouth several time without speaking. Luna's gaze fell from my face and she began to turn toward the balcony's railing.

"No, wait!" I called out to her.

She stopped, but didn't look back at me.

"I... I don't know what I want. I'm not sure..." I shook my head and stamped a hoof in anger at my foolish waffling. "Okay, I do know one thing for sure. I don't want you to go."

Luna let out a long, shuddering breath and turned to face me. There were unshed tears in her eyes.

I took a few hesitant steps toward her, trying to come up with the perfect thing to say. There was a long, awkward pause while I struggled with a jumble of words that were wholly inadequate to express my ill-defined feelings. Eventually, I gave up.

Feeling a bit like I was stepping off of a cliff, I leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. It wasn't quite a mom kiss, but it wasn't anywhere near the neighborhood of romantic. Luna returned it with one of her own, softly stroking my opposite cheek with a wingtip. It was as simple and chaste as the one I had given her, but felt startlingly more intimate. Evidently, there was a lot more I could learn from Luna. I shuffled my hooves nervously, unsure of what to do next.

Luna leaned in close and her warm breath tickled my ear as she softly said, "There is a grand revel below us. 'Twould be a shame not to take part in the festivities."

Given the rumor, the thought of walking through the crowd with Luna at my side made me feel more than a little skittish. But I was certain I wasn't ready for any other options.

"I'd like that," I said.

I had a marvelous time. My initial embarrassment wore off quickly as we strolled and chatted with the other ponies at the party. I was initially terrified that somepony would come straight out and ask us about our rumored relationship, but I hadn't taken into account Luna's imposing presence. I'd gotten used to it, but the Ponyvillians still showed her great deference, for all that they probably knew her better than any other ponies in Equestria.

We were asked about the battle several times, and Luna told the tale with grand, sweeping gestures, enthralling everypony within earshot. She emphasized the heroic parts and glossed over the awful bits, making adjustments to the order and timing of events such that the whole thing sounded much more like a grand adventure than an exhausting, messy struggle.

After the third retelling, as we paused at a cider booth for a couple of frosty cold mugs, I gave her a shoulder bump and said to her, "That sounded like a great fight. I wish I had been there."

Her burst of laughter blew the foam off of her cider. "Ah, but wait until Sergeant Obsidian has put his quill to it! Our foes will blot out the sky with their numbers and we shall wield swords of starlight!"

I laughed in turn and said, "There was a fair bit of blotting as I recall. Well, if Daring Do can stretch the truth a bit, I suppose it's okay for us to do the same."

Luna grinned. "The truth is in the poetry, Twilight. All else is a dry and bloodless recounting of facts."

"If you say so, but I think..." I trailed off, realizing that a wave of silence was sweeping over the crowd.

Luna looked up and the smile fell from her face. I turned to see Celestia descending from the sky in a long sweeping glide that brought her to the grass only a few lengths in front of us, in a circle of bowing ponies.

Celestia smiled and nodded to either side. "Rise, my little ponies! I am here to enjoy the celebration and congratulate the brave defenders of Equestria. Please, let us be informal for this evening."

Celestia is absolutely masterful at maneuvering social situations to her liking. Without seeming in the least bit hurried or forced, she guided us through the crowd, making pleasant conversation with passing ponies all the while, until we found ourselves walking alone along the bank of the river. "I am surprised to find you here, sister," she said when we were well away from the party.

Luna kept walking and did not look at her as she replied, "Twilight asked me to stay."

Celestia cast a glance in my direction.

"Uhmn... well, yes, I guess I did," I mumbled.

Celestia turned her attention back to her sister. "You assured me the rumor was unfounded."

Luna's mouth tightened and her eyes narrowed, but she didn't reply and didn't look at Celestia.
My chest tightened and my breath came shallow gasps. To try and break the awful tension I blurted out, "It's not true! We didn't... We didn't do anything! It's all nonsense! I would never—"

Luna gave me a brief, surprised look and then vanished in a violent blast of magic that nearly knocked me over.

I automatically reached out to the dissipating vortex with my magic, seeking to trace Luna's path, but Celestia stopped me with the touch of a wingtip on my shoulder. "Let her go, Twilight."

"I don't understand! We were having fun, and I'd almost forgotten about the stupid gossip," I said as I turned to her. "Why are you so upset? Why was she so upset?"

The tortured look on Celestia's face did absolutely nothing to reassure me. "It is a complex and unfortunate situation, Twilight."

At that point, I was so confused that I couldn't come up with a coherent question. I suppose my utterly lost expression conveyed that well enough, because Celestia sighed and indicated we should settle down on the grass. "Tell me, Twilight," she asked as she folded her legs neatly, "do you have feelings for Luna? Romantic feelings?"

My face went flaming hot again. "I... I think so, yes."

"When did you become aware of your feelings?"

I started to answer and then stopped to think. A simple "about an hour ago" wouldn't do. "I've thought very highly of her for a long time," I said, puzzling it out as I spoke. "We started spending a lot more time together recently. She's helped me so much and been a really good friend. I guess it's just in the last few moons... that I... that my feelings... oh flaming stars, I've only felt anything like this a couple of times before, and my friends have laughed it off as a 'crush!' I'm not even sure it's love or attraction or whatever. I just get this happy, warm feeling when I think about being with her, and I know it's not simple friendship."

Celestia nodded. "And Luna began spending more time with you over this past year or so?"

I had expected her to comment on my feelings, not the timing of them. A cold feeling started creeping up my spine. "Yes. Yes, I suppose that's just about right. Why?"

Celestia dropped her gaze, and for a moment she looked so sad that I wanted to comfort her. "Twilight, the last thing in the world I want is for you to be hurt... but better a small shock now than a greater disappointment later. You see, you have come to feel as you do for Luna because she intended that you should."

I gaped for I don't know how long before I gasped out, "What?"

Celestia turned to me and looked me straight in the eyes. "She is older than you... much, much older. She has conceived a desire for a relationship with you, and... there is no nice way of saying this... manipulated events to make it come about."

"But... But she never even suggested anything," I gasped out, casting my mind back though all our past times together, searching for something that would either support or refute Celestia's claim.

"She deceived you, Twilight! For a score of moons, she has subtly guided you away from other ponies you showed interest in. She pushed you toward others she knew would disappoint you. She planned for your friendship to become something much more intimate, and she interfered in your life for her own selfish desire!"

I thought about that for a moment after I got over the little jolt that ran through me at Celestia's use of the word "desire." There was one thing that occurred to me. Something awful. "Did Luna use any spells or potions on me?" I asked, dreading the answer.

Celestia looked shocked. "She swore to me she hasn't done such a thing, and I believe her. But she doesn't need to, Twilight. Her experience and subtlety at work against your innocence is more than enough to sway you."

I sighed with relief. After a moment, I frowned and said, "Just about anypony is more romantically experienced than I am. I have to start somewhere."

Celestia lowered her voice and spoke softly. "Yes, but with a more suitable partner—"

My flare of anger was completely unexpected, and I'm sure that Celestia wasn't calling her sister an unsuitable romantic partner in general, but that's the way I took it at that moment. I leaped to Luna's defense. "Luna is a wonderful mare! What about her is unsuitable? Do you keep a list of her faults or something?"

Celestia's wings flared slightly and her head went up in surprise. "Twilight! That is not what I meant at all. It is the differences between you that are the problem, not either of—"

I held up a hoof to silence her. Yes, I had the utter gall to shush the Immortal Sun. I was that angry. "Thank you for telling me all this. I'd like to think about it. Alone."

"I'm so sorry, Twilight," Celestia said. "I only want to spare you and the kingdom unnecessary grief."

I nodded and turned my head away, not trusting my legs to stand without shaking. Celestia throwing in "the kingdom" to subtly remind me that my life was not entirely my own, just made me more angry.

After a long, awkward pause, Celestia stood, lifted into the sky, and soared away.

I sat for a very long time and then, impulsively, I lashed out with my magic and tore up several square yards of turf, flinging the dirt and grass high into the air. At a guess, the clumps of sod rained down somewhere in the Everfree.

It didn't make me feel any better. I flew up to my room and flopped down on the bed, then stared at the ceiling and chased my thoughts and emotions around and around until I fell into a fitful sleep.

"You may not believe this, Twilight Sparkle, but I am sorry about how that turned out."

"Oh suffering stars! Can't I even get some peace in my dreams?"

"Forgive me, Twilight," the Nightmare said. "I'll leave you alone."

"Hey! Wait! Why are you being so nice? You're evil. You should act like it. Sneer or rub your hooves together and cackle or something."

The corner of her mouth twitched slightly upward. "I have my own goals and desires, Twilight Sparkle, just like any other pony. True, I am ruthless in satisfying them, and I hold little respect and absolutely no mercy for those who oppose me. But is that 'evil', or is that merely strength of will?"

That was an easy one. "It's evil."

She actually chuckled at that. "What is most important to you, then? Mutual respect... compromise... fair play... those fancy rocks you and your friends used to wear. All that rubbish?"

"It isn't rubbish! Those things are the basis for Harmony! It's what makes for the best life for the most ponies."

"Luna doesn't believe that."

"Oh, don't you dare! I'll—"

"No, no, Twilight Sparkle, you mistake me! I admire Luna. She is powerful and willful, yet she truly cares for all the ponies of Equestria. She shepherds their dreams with great devotion. Nopony could ask for a better Regent of the Night. You have seen for yourself how well she defends her subjects." The Nightmare turned toward me, took a few steps to close the gap between us and continued in a softer, almost confidential voice. "But she does not make the mistake of putting herself on their level. She knows her own quality and makes no attempt at false modesty. Luna is a goddess, and doesn't willingly suffer defeat. You know it's true. Your egalitarian ideals matter little to her when she truly desires something... or somepony."

Maybe what she said was true, but it was a twisted version of the truth. I had no idea why the Nightmare was making a point to tell me all that, but it certainly wasn't just innocent conversation. She was up to something, and it didn't matter that she seemed friendly and open. She was a malevolent spirit of darkness, and I couldn't trust her.

"Buzz off, Queen Meany, or I'll find out how well dark magic works in the dream realm!"

She laughed again. "As you wish, Your Majesty of Friendship! But we will talk again soon." She began to fade away and her voice softened so that I had to strain to hear her last words. "After all, now that you've insulted Luna and driven her away, there's only one dreamwalker left to visit you."

I jerked upright in bed. I'd been woken from bad dreams by fear and even sadness a few times but never before by blazing anger.

My life had been so simple only a week before. Now, I had to deal with monstrous invaders, a romantically scheming princess, another princess who was meddling in my life with only my best interests at heart, a conniving dark spirit intent on who-knows-what, and worst of all, my own indecisive emotions. I vented my frustration in a completely unrestrained scream of outrage.

The two guards outside my door burst into my room, spears quivering in the grip of their magic. One rushed to my side while the other quickly scanned the room and balcony for any threat to my royal self.

"I'm sorry!" I sighed. "A bad dream. No need to... wait, what time is it?"

The guards glanced at each other, only relaxing slightly before one of them answered. "Just before midnight, Your Highness."

I nodded thoughtfully. I had problems. Multiple problems. The best way to work through an overwhelming load was to address one item at a time starting with the most critical, and my heart told me which one that was. Good decisions are based on good information, and since this was a matter of love—

No. Not Cadance. Not yet. Right then I needed some advice on a much less romantic level. I needed somepony with practical relationship experience who wouldn't flinch at giving me a straight-out, even blunt evaluation of the situation.

The choice was obvious.

I sent for one of my hoofmaidens. "Misty Morn, would you see if a particular pony could be found and brought to me? She's certainly still awake and at the party."

"Of course, Your Highness!"

"Blue coat, golden-yellow mane cut short, with three puzzle pieces as her mark. Wasn't wearing anything the last time I saw her. Her name is Jigsaw."

"Yes, Your Highness!" She curtsied and left.

I've got a really good staff. Jigsaw was at my door not fifteen minutes later. I thanked Misty Morn and closed the door. Just as a precaution, I cast a silencing privacy spell over the room.

Jigsaw wore an absolutely obscene smile as she sashayed into the room, rocking her hips much more than was absolutely necessary. "Well, well... invited to the royal bedchamber in the middle of the night. Lucky me!"

"Have a seat," I said. "Over there," I added when she approached the bed.

She quickly caught my mood. "Okay, Twi, no kidding around. What's up? You seemed kind of upset earlier."

"And I haven't gotten much better since then," I told her.

"Okay. What can I do to help?"

"Let me explain... no wait." A sudden thought had struck me. Jigsaw had kept her athletic figure even after becoming one of the faculty at the college. I seemed to recall her telling me that she coached the track and field team part time. She had an admirably sleek and strong physique, but one that was still nicely rounded in all the places a female ought to be. A body like that certainly should appeal to anypony interested in mares.

"Vamp me."

"Huh?" The look on Jigsaw's face was priceless. It almost cheered me up.

"You know... do whatever it is that you do when you want to get Sesseressia all hot and bothered. Put the moves on me!"

"Twi... look, I kid around and flirt a lot, but Sessi and I are exclusive... You know what I mean? I really don't want any other mare, and I think she'd react badly if I..."

"No, no no! This is an experiment! I just want to... uhmn... observe your technique."

"I..." She shook her head. "Okay, Twi, but you had your chance and you turned me down. No take-backs, okay?"

"Yep. This is for science. Really."

She shrugged, then lowered her head and looked at me out of the corner of half-lidded eyes. A slow grin formed on her face as she took step after deliberate step, stretching her body in a very feline way as she crossed in front of me. Her hips and rump moved with an amazing, fluid grace, her tail slowly swept down one haunch as she came closer, stroking and emphasizing its firm curves. "It's late, Twilight." Her voice came out low and sultry. "Shouldn't we be in bed?" She arched her back, making the long sweep of muscles from her shoulders to her flanks dance beneath her skin. "In bed... together?"

Nothing. Oh, sure, I got a lot of information from the display. Jigsaw was undeniably, objectively gorgeous and really knew how to accentuate her sex appeal. What I'd always assumed to be "bedroom eyes" turned out to be "under-the-kitchen-sink eyes" in comparison to her performance, but there was no spark, no desire. It was weird. I was either gay or I wasn't. Isn't that how it worked?

I picked up a pad and a pencil and scribbled a few lines. Then I made a short checklist. My friends pretty much covered the range of normal, healthy, female body types. So...

Rainbow Dash: Athletic - Lean and defined. Admirable, but... No.

Applejack: Powerful - Muscles on top of her muscles. Stronger than most stallions I know. Nope.

Fluttershy: Delicate - Thin and waif-like. Classic model-type. Nada.

"Twi?"

I waved the pencil at her. "Hang on a second. Almost done."

Rarity: Statuesque - Perfect proportions and a trim, tight figure. Always perfectly groomed. No spark.

Pinkie Pie: Luscious - A symphony of soft curves and an I'll-do-anything-for-fun attitude. No.

I just wasn't physically attracted to any of them. Then there was Luna. I didn't even get past writing down her name before I felt myself flush. When I pictured her, my immediate thought was to wonder what it would be like to snuggle up next to her, to feel her touching me. Oh stars! Did I have a princess fetish or something?

"You okay, Twilight?"

"Yes, I'm fine... or maybe not. I'm not sure. I might need to do some research into aberrant behavior."

Jigsaw frowned and gave me a wary look. "Okay, I've had lots of different reactions to my little come-hither act, but this one is unique. I must be losing my touch."

"Oh no! Really, you were very sexy! It's me: I'm just not... well, okay I guess I am a little... but no, I don't think it works that way."

Jigsaw snorted and rolled her eyes. "Thanks a heap for clearing that up, Twi."

"Augh! It's complicated!"

"So explain it to me!" She walked over and plopped herself down at the foot of the bed. "Slowly and in short words. Athletic scholarship, remember?"

I snorted. "Sure, Doctor Jigsaw. But this has to be completely confidential, okay?"

"If it's about you and Luna, I gotta tell you... the cat's already out of the bag and halfway to the Crystal Empire. Everypony knows."

"Yeah," I tried to keep from sounding sour and failed. "And like a lot of things that 'everypony knows', it's wrong. Nothing happened between us!"

She shrugged. "Okay, then. You have my word, Your Royal Highness. No gossiping."

I released a breath I didn't know I was holding and tried to find the right words. "So, yes... I am attracted to Luna." I glared at Jigsaw. "If you laugh, you're leaving here with a burnt stub of a tail!"

"I wouldn't dream of it, Twi. Really." And, for a wonder, there was no levity or mockery in her voice. "Go on."

"It's all so sudden and I don't even think I'm really gay. Look," I held up the note pad so she could see it. "Given a cross-section of body-types—"

Jigsaw snorted and pushed the pad away. "You're kidding, right? You can't explain attraction with charts and graphs, Twilight."

"What? Jigsaw, you can explain anything with charts and graphs! If I recorded pheromone output, serotonin levels, magical resonance compatibility, and—"

"Okay, okay! Maybe you can explain the archano-biological aspects of love, but that's not what matters. What matters is that you're attracted to her. That's it. That's all you need to know. Who cares why you like coffee instead of tea? Drink what you like!"

I'm not sure I was entirely comfortable with the subtext of that metaphor, but I understood what she was getting at. "Well, I suppose you have a point."

"I'm hearing a 'but' in there, somewhere," Jigsaw prompted.

I sighed. "Yeah, there's another problem. I've just learned that Luna..." I hated to say it but I forced it out. "She manipulated me into it! Okay, so I feel what I feel, but she's been arranging to have us spend more time together, often alone, and Celestia intimated that she's probably been discouraging any other pony from... not that I was looking, but still." I cleared my throat and caught my lower lip in my teeth. "I'm upset about being tricked and I don't know what I should do. Should I deny my feelings out of... I don't know... pride? And Celestia is upset about the whole thing! She said it was inappropriate and—"

"Whoa there, princess!" Jigsaw said, holding up a hoof. "First of all, Celestia is upset over this? That's nice. Go buy yourself a sun hat and concentrate on the important stuff."

I sputtered in outrage, but Jigsaw kept on going. "The feelings of your friends are important in this but unless you're going to hold a vote among them, you owe them consideration, not control. Unless you're willing to make yourself miserable to suit other ponies' notions of what ought or ought not to be, you need to put your own happiness first."

"But what if I'm wrong? This whole thing is so weird and so sudden. What if it's just an infatuation? What if—"

Jigsaw snorted derisively. "What if it isn't? How are you going to be sure unless you give it a chance? She wasn't pressuring you was she?"

"No, but she deceived me. She maneuvered me into this—"

"Oh come on! You don't think makeup and a sexy dress aren't maneuvers? Some buff stallion just happens to pick the exact moment you walk by to lift that heavy wagon load of hay bales or slowly wipes the sweat off his big, broad shoulders? Ever seen a mare 'accidentally' spill a drink over a rival who's getting a little too close to the pony she fancies? It's all maneuvering and deception! That's the game, Sparklepants! Are you gonna toss the whole thing because Luna didn't play exactly nice and fair?" Jigsaw grabbed me with her magic and dragged me over to the balcony. "Yeah, it might end up as a big mistake... a total disaster. Or it might be absolutely fantastic. But you'll never know if you don't give it a shot."

I grinned at her. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"Yeah." A slow smile crept over her face. "I know."

Author's Notes:

Huge thanks to my editors for this chapter, AcademicPony and statoose! They put up with me swapping enormous chunks of text around, skipping important moments, and determinedly misspelling "lose" every chance I got.

BTW, statoose insists that Jigsaw's dialog should be read in Scarlett Johansson's voice. He's obviously a genius.