I was on my way to meet my Aunt Luna for the first time. It hadn't been very long ago she had been running around as Nightmare Moon, threatening to bring about eternal night and dethrone her sister. She hadn’t known about me at the time, fortunately—I didn’t want to know what the Nightmare would have done to a threat like a fellow alicorn. Needless to say, I was still nervous.

Still, I trotted dutifully beside Aunt Tia down the palace hallway. The silence and pressure of the upcoming introduction was getting to me, so I decided to strike up some small talk. “So ... um, what's your sister like?”

“Now there is a question.” She smiled at me. “I suppose I would be cheating if I said she's a bit complicated?”

“It doesn't tell me much, no.” I tried not to sound too irritated. Aunt Tia had a tendency of being cryptic with her answers, and while there was a time and a place for that sort of thing, I didn't think this was one of them.

“No, it wouldn't.” Aunt Tia fell silent for a moment. “If I had to be brief, she holds to the ancient customs of loyalty and hospitality where her friends and comrades are concerned, and one never ... hmm, shall we say, risks boredom in her presence.”

“That sounds nice.” It certainly beat the stories I had heard about her during Nightmare Night. Somepony that was said to gobble up children wasn't exactly a person I would consider a proper houseguest, much less family.

My aunt smiled and nodded. “There is much I love about her. Though I will warn you, she can be a bit ... prickly at times. She can be very formal and standoffish at times, and she has a mercurial nature. One minute she can be bright and ecstatic, and the next dark and brooding.”

That answer was concerning. Not just her choice of words, but the hesitation that accompanied them. “Hopefully I can get along with her.” At least that was my hope. I was going to put an honest effort into trying to get along with her, but she had attacked her sister in a jealous rage and tried to bring about an eternal night. That made me more than a little bit apprehensive about meeting her.

“I really hope so.” Aunt Tia gazed down the hallway before answering. She stopped and placed a hoof on my shoulder to gently halt me. “There is something I want to warn you about before you see her, though.”

I had a feeling the conversation was being lead in this direction. Years spent talking with my aunt and living in Canterlot had taught me when a ‘but’ was coming. “What is it?”

When she spoke, it was with a careful reservation. “Luna ... is a mare out of her own time. A lot has changed over the last thousand years. It's going to be difficult for her to adapt to a world so different from the one she knew.”

“Oh.” I had only begun to wrap my head around the idea that I had another aunt; Nightma—Aunt Luna’s situation had barely even crossed my mind. It was sobering to think that almost everypony she had ever known was gone. That would be hard on anypony. “Well, I'll try not to cause any problems for her.” Granted, I wasn't sure how exactly to deal with a mare that was a thousand years behind the times. This was one of those rare instances when I really would have liked Twilight to write a report for me. Knowing about all the differences between now and a millennium ago would be incredibly useful.

“Thank you.” Aunt Tia squeezed my shoulder. “Just try and keep that in mind, okay? Especially if she is difficult.”

I nodded. “Of course.” My aunt resumed the walk to her sister, but she stopped when she noticed I wasn't moving with her. “Um...” I shuffled in place. “She is alright, right?”

“What do you mean?” Aunt Tia had made it a question, but I could sense she knew exactly what I meant. I couldn't blame her for wanting to avoid the issue, all things considered.

I bit my lip as I pressed. “Well, after ... after everything that happened.”

Aunt Tia smiled, but there was an edge of brittleness to it. “I assure you, Twilight and her friends cleansed the evil and madness infecting my sister with the Elements of Harmony.” She paused before continuing. “Though still ... we have a long road ahead of us, I think. While the Elements are the most powerful magic in Equestria, they can't erase what happened all those years ago.”

It didn't sit entirely well with me to just believe in some magical artifact I had only heard about in legends, but at this juncture there wasn't much to do but trust in my aunt’s judgement. “At least Twilight made it out alright.” It had scared me more than a little bit to hear what Twilight had gone through to retrieve the Elements and defeat Nightmare Moon. The idea that the little filly that I had foalsat all those years ago had gone on to save all of Equestria was a little mind-boggling.

The sincerity returned to Aunt Tia’s smile. “And better for her journey. She now has many wonderful friends, and I think she’ll be very happy in Ponyville.”

“That's what she said in her letter, yes,” I agreed. “I hope I get to meet them soon.”Some of that depended on my schedule. My aunt had been giving me more responsibilities and duties now that I had grown up. It was starting to feel a bit overwhelming, and it made me wonder how Aunt Tia had managed all by herself for so many centuries.

“I hope so too,” she said. “They are very special ponies.”

“So ... now I guess I get to meet your sister.” I felt myself shuffling from hoof to hoof despite myself. “Who tried to kill Twilight.”

Aunt Tia winced. “Luna was not in her right mind when she did all of that, Cadance. I promise you, the Elements made her how she used to be, how she is supposed to be. Give her a chance and I'm sure you will come to love her as much as I do.”

“I know.” I sighed. “But it's a bit hard to forget she used to be ... well...” I decided to dive in and ask something that had been on my mind. “Did she actually eat ponies like the old Nightmare Night stories say?”

No small part of me was grateful when Aunt Tia shook her head. “She did a number of things I'm not proud of, but that specific story is only that—a story intended to frighten children.” She frowned. “I tried to get ponies to stop telling that story, but by the time it came around to me it was already integrated into the culture of Nightmare Night. There was no stopping it after that.”

I nodded, feeling relief that at least I wasn't going to have to sit across the table and sip tea with somepony who ate foals a millennium ago. “I thought so. Of course, until a few days ago I thought Nightmare Moon was also just a story to scare children.”

My aunt grinned. “Somepony may have ... directed things so that her sister would have as clean a slate as possible to restart her life.”

I grinned right back. “That sounds like something somepony close to her might do.”

“I'm sure that pony only acted out of love,” Aunt Tia said. “Something I think a certain Princess of Love can understand.”

“Oh, definitely.” I could feel the warmth Aunt Tia felt for her sister. There was certainly a level of strain to it, but it was as deep as the ocean. She had waited a thousand years for her sister’s return, after all. That wasn’t something just anypony could do.

We reached the door to Aunt Tia’s private quarters and I took a deep breath. “So ... I guess it's time to meet her?”

Aunt Tia gave me a reassuring smile. “Give her a chance. I think she may surprise you.”

I nodded, trying to make myself look more confident than I felt. “I'll try.” In truth, I couldn’t help but worry that my new Aunt Luna would ... reject me? Was that what I was worried about? Maybe it was because I feared we wouldn’t be able to get along. That I would somehow disappoint my Aunt Tia, who had given me a loving home.

“That's all that I ask.” Aunt Tia led us into her private quarters, heading straight towards the private audience room. While well decorated, it lacked the size and ostentation of the palace throne room. As my aunt had told me, she wanted it to be comfortable rather than be an outstanding display of wealth and power.

Aunt Tia stopped before the pony who must be my new aunt and smiled warmly. “Luna, I've brought somepony to meet you.”

Princess Luna was a tall mare, thought she was still well short of her giant of a sister. Her face was sharper than her sister’s and more angular, with a strong body that spoke both of grace and power. She had a dark blue coat and a light-blue mane.

Deciding to take the first step, I gave her the best smile I could manage. “Hello.”

“Greetings.” Luna drew herself up and her eyes flicked from my horn to my wings. It wasn't hard to tell what at least one of her first thoughts must be; Equestria didn’t exactly have a surplus of alicorns. “I am Princess Luna Selene, Stewardess of the Night, Slayer of Zaktharaxis, Liberator of Manehattan, Conqueror of Gryphons, and Dreamwalker.”

“Oh. Um...” Was that some sort of traditional greeting from a thousand years ago? It probably was. It certainly sounded formal. That probably being the case, I did my best to match her tone. “I am Princess Cadance, Princess of Love and...”

My mind blanked on what else to say. I hadn't been prepared for anything quite like this, and I didn't have anything like my aunts’ impressive list of titles. Aunt Tia’s full title could easily take up a whole sheet of paper. Mine on the other hoof...

“And?” Luna flicked her hoof for me to continue. “Go on. Do not worry, I am not thine enemy.”

I desperately searched for something else to add. This normally wasn't so hard, but now it felt like my stomach was in knots. “Um, I'm ... your niece?”

“Niece?” Luna quirked an eyebrow for a moment before her eyes slowly widened. “I have a niece?!” Before I could confirm that, Luna pulled me into a rib-breaking hug that was a little too literal for my comfort. I was reasonably sure Luna could give bears a run for their money. “Sister! Didst thou finally have a child?!”

Aunt Tia blinked and took a step back, in one of the exceedingly rare times I had ever seen her stunned. “I did—that is ... no, I—”

“Now, now.” Luna lovingly nuzzled me. “I am most happy that thou hast finally taken a lover. Really, there is hardly anything to be ashamed of, especially when thou hast born such a wonderful daughter.” She looked me over. “She certainly takes after thee. Such a lovely niece thou hast given me.”

Aunt Tia’s face was becoming more flush with every passing second. “L-luna, I did not mean—”

“I did always chastise thee for being so prudish and never taking lovers,” Luna said over her sister’s objections. “Thou hast always worked so hard and given so much of thyself. 'Twas only right that thou didst enjoy the carnal pleasures and take a lover to warm thy bed. Thou must introducest me to Cadance’s sire. What is he like? Or is the sire a she? Magics to make such things happen are at thy command.”

I looked to Aunt Tia to save me from her sister’s death-hug, not to mention correct her about our relationship, but for the first time since I had known her she had been shocked into opened-mouth silence.

Pity for us that Luna seemed more than happy to fill it. “Really, I thought thou wouldst never get around to having a child for me to pour my love ‘pon. If not for our blessing of eternal life, I would have worried that ‘twould have fallen ‘pon me to produce an heir to continue the royal line. Thou didst always fret and worry too much ‘bout what ponies would say, but thankfully ‘twould seem that thou hast finally come to thy senses. Though now that thou hast a beloved daughter, mayhaps we discuss the topic of myself—”

“I'm adopted!” I finally managed to croak out.

Luna blinked and held me at arms’ length. “Adopted?”

“Yes, adopted.” Aunt Tia finally regained some of her composure, though her face was still quite flushed. “In fact, she is our adopted niece. The circumstances were ... unusual, and I have made her a member of our household. I’ll explain everything once we settle down a bit.”

Well, it was out in the open that I was adopted and not a part of the royal by blood. Time to see how she reacted. I tried not to cringe at what was to come. “Uh ... sorry to disappoint?”

Seeing my gnawing anxiety, Luna swiftly shook her head. “Neigh, my niece, do not fret.” She pulled my head to her breast in a vice-like hug. “I readily embrace thee, and I do hereby swear to give thee all the love and dedication thou dost deserve as my niece. Long have I desired a niece, and it is of little consequence that we are not the same blood.”

My concerns about being accepted by my new aunt were very swiftly being replaced with my worries about surviving her brand of love. It was possible that she had lost her measure of exactly how strong she was, because it felt like she was going to squeeze my head off.

Seemingly unaware of my discomfort, Luna fixed her sister with narrowed eyes. “Neigh, the pony I am disappointed with is my sister. For one, thou hast remained chaste for all these centuries? And really, thou couldst not at least have adopted dear Cadance as thy daughter? The fact that thou didst not embrace her so has no doubt sent at least some ponies’ tongues a-wagging.”

I probably would have been blushing furiously by this point if blood could still flow through my neck.

“Luna,” Aunt Tia said in a tone she reserved for when I was about to be particularly bad. “There were reasons for why I did things the way I did.”

The two of them locked eyes for a time, but Luna was the first one to yield with a shrug. “Very well then. But do not worry, my niece.” She pecked me on the top of my head as I tried in vain to get out of that iron grip. “If anypony dareth speak fouly of thee, I will gladly duel them for thine honor.”

Aunt Tia sighed the sigh of a put upon older sister. “Luna, dueling has been outlawed for centuries now.”

“What?!” Luna gasped. “How could that be? How in the world do ponies resolve their quarrels?”

Aunt Tia hummed unhappily. “Lawyers and trials, mostly.”

Luna tilted her head and looked at her sister like she had just revealed that two plus two in fact actually equaled five, and that this statement had been backed up by the mathematical community. “My condolences that we live in such dark and barbaric times.”

Aunt Tia let out a resigned sigh. “We manage just fine.”

Luna frowned, and I could sense her wanting to argue the point, but eventually she decided to relent. Thankfully, she also released me and I was finally able to catch my breath. “Well, my sister's everlasting chastity and many other bewildering choices aside, 'tis good to meet thee, Cadance.” To my shock, she then kissed me again—on the lips.

I blinked in surprise. “Oh. Thank you.” Maybe that was just one of those old customs that had changed over the centuries? Best to take it in stride for now—I could always double-check this with Aunt Tia later.

“Even if 'tis a surprise to find myself with a niece, I hope that we will come to love one another as family should.” Luna smile warmly. “And I am sure my sister picked a mare of distinction and merit to be Ascended and made a part of the royal household.”

I returned her smile and looked up to Aunt Tia. “I've tried to make her proud.”

“So then, what monsters hast thou slain?” Luna asked.

“Um... ” My smile became strained. “Being the Princess of Love doesn’t exactly lend itself to monster slaying.”

Luna tilted her head slightly. “Hast thou expanded Equestria’s borders through conquest or treaty?”

“No...” This conversation was beginning to head downhill fast.

Luna rubbed her chin. “Hast thou accomplished some great quest to save Equestria? Retrieved some magical artifact? Made some great act of harmony?”

Finally getting an option I could work off of, I seized it. “I've helped spread love and happiness throughout Equestria.”

Aunt Tia wrapped a wing around my back, and I felt thankful for the support. “It was her destiny to ascend to become an alicorn, Luna. And she has made me proud since.”

Luna frowned pensively. “I will have to take thy word on that for now. I am sure thou hast many grand tales of spreading love and happiness throughout Equestria, and I look forward to hearing them.”

“I like to think I’ve made a difference,” I said.

My new aunt nodded. “‘Twould seem we have a great deal of catching up to do in the near future.”

Aunt Tia smiled. “So we do, and I'm sure you'll come to love Cadance as much as I do.”

I smiled and hoped she was right.

The next day, I entered the dining room to have lunch with Aunt Tia. As was usually the case, my aunt was already seated and waiting for me. I took my usual place at the table opposite of her. Aunt Tia smiled to me. “Hello, Cadance. How was your day?”

“Good,” I said, though in truth a few things had been on my mind since meeting Luna—Aunt Luna was probably how I should start thinking about her. “If busy. There was something I wanted to talk to you about, though.”

“Oh?”

“Well ... that was...” I squirmed on my cushion. “Meeting Luna. It was certainly...”

“Interesting?” she offered.

“Yes, interesting,” I agreed. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to expect from my legend-turned-aunt, but what I got had still managed to throw me off. Right when everything in my life had really seemed to have settled, I had my legs swept out from under me. Really, who could have expected a relative that had been exiled for a thousand years to suddenly come back and nearly hug you to death?

“I don't blame you for saying so.” Aunt Tia sipped at her tea. “Even I’m still getting used to living with her again. It’s going to take time for all of us to settle in with one another.”

I picked up a bagel and stated buttering it. “Is she always like that?”

“Usually yes,” she hazarded. “As I told you, she can be mercurial.”

“I'll keep that in mind.” I chewed on my bagel as I ran my first meeting with Aunt Luna through my head. One good part about my new aunt being nocturnal by nature was that she was asleep right now, so I could at least talk to Aunt Tia about what was bothering me.

Aunt Tia dipped her spoon into her oatmeal. “I assure you, she means well. Even if she seems a bit strange right now.”

“She didn't seem mean or anything.” I bit my lip as I tried to find the right way to describe her. “Just ... odd, is all.”

Aunt Tia nodded sadly and nodded. “As I warned you, she is a mare out of her time. Things are different now than they were a thousand years ago.” She shook her head. “Very, very different. It was be a bit disconcerting sometimes when you’re as old as I am. More than once I found myself falling back on some old habits, to my embarrassment.”

I nodded, remembering the one time she had absentmindedly commissioned a dress that looked liked it belonged in the sixth century. In the end, she had stuck out like a sore thumb during the ball with the Zebrican ambassadors. “I'll try to be patient and understanding while helping her adjust.”

Aunt Tia smiled appreciatively. “Thank you. That means a lot to me, and I'm sure it will to her too. We're the only family she has, and that means she needs us to support her.”

I nodded. “I'll do my best.”

“Speaking of,” Aunt Tia put her spoon to the side to address me, her now more serious, “I want to run an idea by you.”

“Oh?” What could this be about? I had the sense that it had to do with Aunt Luna considering what we had just spoken about.

“I was wondering if you would be interested in working with your aunt to deal with a problem that just came to my attention.” Aunt Tia gave me that smile she reserved for when she really wanted me to do something and would make me feel like a heel if I didn't. “Her tutors are helping her learn about the modern world, but it would be good for Luna to get out of the palace for a bit. It would let her talk with ponies who aren't her family or the palace staff, and let her stretch her wings for a bit. Not to mention you two could get in some bonding time without me hovering over my sister, which I'm sure is going to annoy her sooner or later unless I let her do a few things on her own.”

I bit my lip, not being completely sure about this idea. It was one thing to talk to my new aunt over a meal; it was quite another to take an extended trip with her on royal business. Aunt Tia hadn't said so out loud, but I could hear the implication that I was to keep an eye on her sister. I wasn’t sure how good of a job I could do that with Aunt Luna, but I didn't want to disappoint the mare who had made me part of her family.

Besides, it wasn't like I wanted to avoid Aunt Luna. I could hardly call myself the Princess of Love if I wasn't willing to make an effort to get along with family. “I'm listening.”

Aunt Tia smiled appreciatively. “I've recently gotten a request from the mayor of Queensmouth for help. It seemed that a local sea nymph has been causing trouble for her fellow villagers—making it hard for their ships to collect food, breaking things, making crops fail. Those types of things.”

“A sea nymph causing problems?” I rose one of my eyebrows as I recalled the lessons from my tutors. Nymphs were a type of fey, and each one was deeply tied to a specific region such as a forest, river, or mountain. Most had lived in their local area for centuries. “That's a bit unusual.”

Aunt Tia nodded as she poured herself another cup of tea. “Yes, part of why I wanted to send somepony with ... special talents into the situation. I could send the monster hunters in the Long Patrol to the town, but they have a tendency of dealing with monsters in a rather permanent manner.”

That was certainly the diplomatic way to put it. The Royal Guards’ specially trained unit of monster hunters had means to deal with a variety of creatures non-lethally, but those means were usually significantly more dangerous to the guardponies in question. A risk they usually don’t take. “So you want me to handle it with a softer touch?” I asked.

“If that's what the situation calls for, yes.” Aunt Tia poured some honey into her tea, her gaze intent on her cup. “I don't have anything concrete about why I feel that way, but I do have a feeling.”

“Oh?” I had to wonder if this was just a feeling or a feeling. I was reasonably certain my aunt had a few powers she hadn't advertised to everypony; I wasn't sure if she had visions, possessed some sort of precognition, or some other power, but she had a way of knowing things that she inexplicably shouldn't have. More than one experience had taught me to listen very carefully when Aunt Tia was like this.

Aunt Tia took her time stirring her tea and drinking it before answering. “Well, it's odd because normally a nymph like that is tied to the territory they live in. This nymph has probably been there for centuries, if not longer. For it to suddenly do things like terrorize villagers, smash ships, ruin harvests, and so forth is unusual when it hasn't made a habit of doing so in the past. The fey aren't like ponies; most of them are extremely long lived, if they don't have eternal life outright.” She grinned wryly. “Speaking as somepony that has been around a while and gotten set in her ways, the faerie folk don't typically change their behavior suddenly. Not without reasons. But this one apparently has.”

I rubbed my chin as I thought the problem over. “Then we definitely want to investigate first. It must have a reason for what it's doing.”

“That's my own thoughts as well,” Aunt Tia said. “The fey have an odd way of thinking about the world, but in their eyes, their actions always have a certain logic to them.”

I let out a breath and nodded. “Hopefully we can find a peaceful resolution.” This was starting to sound like a big task she was giving me. Normally she left more dangerous assignments to others. We did have the Royal Guard for a reason, after all. Certainly my bodyguards were always quick to remind me of that whenever I was about to walk into a dangerous situation. Not that I could blame them, as irritating as it was sometimes. I certainly wouldn't want to explain to Aunt Tia how I let her sister get hurt.

“That is my hope too.” When Aunt Tia next spoke, it was with a more serious tone. “Though that does bring up something I wanted to talk with you about. The thing is that Luna can be a bit ... enthusiastic, once she gets going.”

Aunt Tia set off all sorts of bells with how careful she was being with her words. “What kind of enthusiastic?”

Aunt Tia frowned slightly and lightly tapped the table. “Once Luna decides on a course of action, she tends to move like a lightning bolt. She isn’t reckless, mind you—she can be more cautious than I sometimes. Just that she can be very decisive once she’s made up her mind. Not to mention she's ... the more martial of the two of us, by far.”

“Oh, I'll ... keep that in mind.” Great, now I was also going to have to try and keep Luna from doing anything we might regret. I could tell this was going to be fun already. Still, Aunt Tia wouldn’t be having me do this if she didn’t trust I could do it. “I'll make sure she doesn't do anything too enthusiastic, then.”

“Thank you,” Aunt Tia said. “I know I can depend on you.”

I gave her a confident smile. “I won't let you down!”

The next morning I headed out the back of the palace to prepare my departure for Queensmouth. Aunt Luna had already beaten me to our chariot. After a moment's hesitation, I steeled my resolve and trotted towards her. She was loading her saddlebags with what sounded like armor when I approached her. “Hello, Aunt Luna.” I gave her the best smile I could manage.

Aunt Luna returned my smile. “Greetings, my beloved niece. How does this morning befit thee?”

“I'm doing well,” I said. “And you?”

“I am well also.” She stretched out her wings. “'Twill be good to get out of the palace and meet the ponies of my realm. For too long have I been apart from them.”

I nodded. “I think you'll enjoy it. I know I...” I trailed off when somepony entered the periphery of my vision.

Shining Armor trotted up and smiled. “Hey, Cadey. Nice to see you.”

D’aw, Shiny wanted to see me off. Sadly, as Captain of the Royal Guard, it wasn’t easy for him to pull himself away from his other duties to come with us. Delegation became an important skill when one reached his rank, not to mention this was supposed to be bonding time between me and Aunt Luna. That would be a bit tricky if Shiny was around, since that would create a significant risk of Luna being the odd mare out. Still, it made me feel good to know he had taken valuable time out of his schedule to see me off. I smiled warmly. “Hi, Shining.”

Aunt Luna quirked an eyebrow. “Niece, who is this gentlecolt?”

Shiny blinked and his eyes slowly recognized Aunt Luna, his new co-superior. He quickly snapped a salute to her. “Captain of the Royal Guard Shining Armor, Princess!”

“Ah, so thou art the Captain of the Royal Guard then?” Aunt Luna bowed her head in acknowledgement. “‘Tis good to finally get to meet thee. Mine apologies for not making time for thee sooner, my schedule has been most busy since my return.”

“Not a problem, Your Highness. He lowered his hoof but still stood at attention. His eyes flicked to me as he stood stock still, and I could see the nervousness in them. “Um ... so...”

I rolled my eyes, smiling all the while. Shiny could be a bit of a doofus. An adorable doofus, but a doofus nonetheless. I could read him like a book and easily saw what was bothering him. “Relax, Shining, I know how to take care of myself. We’ll have our bodyguards too.”

Aunt Luna made a smile that had a mischievous edge to it that I did not completely like. “I assure thee, Captain, as thy princess, I will make sure nothing happens to my beloved niece.”

Shiny smiled and nodded appreciatively. “Glad to hear it.”

Something sparkled behind Aunt Luna’s eyes. “Captain, I know ‘tis normally below thy station, but wouldst thou mind inspecting the gear I have packed? I admit, having so recently returned, I have not had proper time to learn all the different standards there are for mine equipment. ‘Twould set thy princess’ mind at ease if thou wouldst do so for me.”

“Of course, Princess!” Shiny dutifully trotted to the chariot. He bent down to look through what Aunt Luna had brought, giving me a very nice look at his rump.

“So, Cadance.” Aunt Luna cast a privacy spell and then nudged me with her elbow. “When wert thou going to tell me about him?”

“Um...” I forced my gaze away from the attractive distraction. “What about him?” Oh please don’t let her have caught me staring. I hadn’t been blatant, had I?

“Come now, I know the intent of thy gaze.” Aunt Luna smiled wryly. “Need I list the signs to the Princess of Love?”

Darn it, I had been caught staring. This was not how I wanted to tell my new aunt that I had a coltfriend. “Er ... well, we are pretty close...”

To my shock, Aunt Luna actually started examining my coltfriend’s rear. She smiled lecherously and growled deeply in her throat. “He is certainly a fine example of the male breed, is he not? I can see why he caught thine eye.”

“A-A-Aunt Luna!” I felt my cheeks start to burn. Was my aunt really checking out my coltfriend?! That was—that was ... no.

Aunt Luna grinned impishly. “Aye?”

“He's ... my ... that's...” What I tried to say ended up coming out as a high-pitched squeak. “Stop looking at him like that!”

Aunt Luna covered her mouth as she chuckled. “So, I am guessing from thy reactions that thou art not formally courting him?”

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. She better not have any ideas. “Why do you ask?”

She gave me a feline smile. “I am curious about what my niece has been up to. If 'tis an illicit affair, I wish to make sure 'tis not merely because my sister would disapprove of openly consorting with another pony. She does have her queer opinions ‘bout such things, after all.”

I let out an annoyed huff. “Well I doubt Celestia disapproves of him. She gave him the job of Captain of the Royal Guard, after all! It’s not like I would have been able to keep this secret from her even if I wanted to.” I hadn't even managed to keep this a secret from Aunt Luna for even a day, for that matter.

“True,” Aunt Luna said. “So 'tis thine own desire to keep this secret?”

“There's nothing wrong with being discreet.” In truth, we had kept our relationship a secret for a few reasons—not the least of which was I didn't want anypony thinking that Shiny had gotten his position merely because we were dating. That could do all sorts of nasty things to undermine him within the Guard. Though that still left us with the difficult question of when and how to announce that we were courting. Shame that thorny issue had needed to be pushed aside for more pressing concerns.

Aunt Luna frowned slightly. “Now, thou art not merely using him to warm thy bed, art thou?”

“N-no!” I nearly shrieked and my blushing redoubled itself. “I wouldn't do that to him!”

“Good.” Aunt Luna looked me up and down. “Because as fine a mare as thyself shouldst have no problem finding a fine partner.”

“What ... I ... what?” Had my aunt just checked me out? That was—no, nonono. I was pretty flexible but—no. I did the only thing I could when that happened: scream internally in horror.

“What?” There was the slightest curve of a smirk on Aunt Luna’s lips. “Thou art an extremely comely and intelligent young mare, and a member of the royal family. There is no need to be bashfulof such things.” She grinned and looked at Shiny, who was still busy carefully looking over the items in the chariot. “I am sure Captain Shining Armor would agree.”

I felt my eye twitch. “That ... you ... AUNTIE LUNA!”

She grinned quite evilly. “Aaaye?”

I jutted out my lower jaw. “Are you making fun of me?”

Aunt Luna waved the accusation off. “Neigh, hardly so. My compliments are quite genuine.” I fixed her with a suspicious glare, and she leaned in to whisper. “Just a little bit.”

“You...” I narrowed my eyes. She had been playing with me. Aunt Tia had played her games with me, but nothing quite like this.

Before Aunt Luna could make another attempt at trying to kill me with embarrassment, Shiny returned from the chariot. “Everything seems to be in order, Princess Luna.”

Aunt Luna smiled and nodded graciously. “Thank you, my Captain. That helps set my mind for the journey ahead of us.”

“Is there anything else you would like me to take care of for you?” he asked, oblivious to my conversation with my aunt.

Aunt Luna’s teeth flashed predatorily. “Well, I would like for thee to take care of my niece once we return. I do cherish her and I wish for her to be treated well.”

Shiny briefly froze. “Er ... I always take care of her.”

“Dost thou now?” Aunt Luna asked with false innocence. “How so?”

Crimson started to show through Shiny’s coat. “Dutifully?”

“Oh, 'dutifully'?” She carefully examined him from head of hoof. “Well, if thou dost attend as dutifully to me as my niece, then I think I would be most pleased.”

Shiny eyes widened like a pony that had suddenly found himself in the headlight of an oncoming train. “Um...”

I groaned and pressed my hoof to my face. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My aunt was actually flirting with Shiny, and in front of me! If a pony could die of embarrassment, I was about to keel over.

Aunt Luna smiled teasingly. “There is nothing the matter, is there, Captain Armor? Thou appearest to be somewhat flustered.”

Shiny’s blushing became all the worse and showed particularly badly through his white coat. “Um...”

“Well then, I believe we have taken enough of the captain's time, Cadance,” Aunt Luna said. “We had best be going.

“Um,” Shiny repeated himself, his brain apparently fried by my aunt’s antics.

"Yes! Let's go.” I was happy to finally get out of this terribly awkward situation. Granted, this trip felt like I might be jumping from the frying pan and into the fire, but it couldn’t get much worse. At least we would be getting away from Shiny. “Goodbye, Shining.”

“Um...”

“Good day to thee, my ever dutiful captain.” Aunt Luna turns to walk towards the chariot, all the while swaying her hips in ways that certainly were intended to catch the eyes of onlookers.

Among those ponies who she had caught the eyes of were Shiny, who was staring off after her with that dumbstruck look of his. “Um...”

I fixed Shiny with an annoyed glower and stomped a hoof. “Shining!”

He blinked, finally coming back to his senses. “Oh ... uh ... right! Bye, Cadance!” After a moment’s hesitation, he hugged me.

I suppressed a grumble and hugged him back. “I need to get going, Shiny. See you later.”

I headed to the chariot, where Aunt Luna was holding a hoof to her mouth to suppress a laugh. I climbed into the chariot and glowered at her. “That's not funny.” Really, who did she think she was to do ... that?

Aunt Luna burst out into laughter. “Oh yes it is. Now come, no reason to be upset. I would be terribly surprised if my sister has not teased thee in some manner.”

I ground my teeth together. “Well ... not like that!”

“No, I suppose not,” Aunt Luna said after a moment’s consideration. “She is a prudish mare.”

I crossed my legs over my chest and puffed out my cheeks. “My Shining...”

Aunt Luna waved dismissively. “Do not worry, I would not steal him away from thee.”

“As if you could,” I growled.

Aunt Luna placed a hoof on my shoulder. “Really, it gladdens my heart to hear thou hast such a stalwart and loving protector. I am sure he will stand by thee for the rest of his days.”

I watched her carefully, seeing if she had some other trick up her sleeve. When I didn’t see anything amiss, I nodded. “Thank you.”

That evil grin of Aunt Luna’s returned. “Now if thou canst give me a grandniece someday, 'twould make me even happier.”

Why did she have to keep saying things that made me blush? Now Aunt Tia had teased me about that a couple of times in the past. I swear, all older relatives wanted you to give them a foal to love and spoil. “Oh ... um ... well, we haven't ... we're not that...”

“Familiar?” she suggested.

I did the only thing I could, I mumbled out a whine.

“Thou hardly needest to be embarrassed 'bout the topic.” Aunt Luna rubbed my back. “While my sister may have trouble telling thee how to make thy time in the bedchamber pleasurable, I have no such difficulties. If thou needest advice, I would be more than happy to provide.”

I groaned and ducked my head under my wings. It wasn’t so sure I was going to survive this mission.

Author's Notes:

I would like to thank my editors Chengar Qordath, Comma-Kazie, and JaketheGinger for their help making this crazy story.

Then I would also like to thank my prereaders Swiftest, Infinion, 621Chopsuey, Pegasusnumber 5, Rodinga, and Web of Hope for their help making this story as good as it can be.