"Um…Jethro? Where are we going?" Fluttershy asked nervously about ten minutes later as we walked down the hallway in a slightly different direction than I'd taken Pinkie. After returning Pinkie to the sleepover, I asked to talk to the shy Pegasus, but had also asked her to bring some wintery clothes since I wanted to talk to her outside. We were heading towards another set of double doors facing eastwards towards the valley below. During my time reconstructing the Castle, I'd discovered that there had once been a city to the east of the castle, but that the ruins had all but vanished under the other forest across the river. I'd only found ancient stoned buried beneath the foliage, and even those were broken apart by wear and tear.

I opened the doors, letting the cool evening air wash over me. I spread my wings, then turned to the yellow Pegasus. "Trust me, I think you'll like it. I found it a while ago. It's quiet, secluded, and the animals I've seen there are pretty chill once you get to know them."

At the mention of animals, I knew I had Ponyville's resident amateur veterinarian hooked. Her eyes widened in excitement as she spread her wings behind her. "I can't wait!"

I jumped up, spreading my wings and lifting myself off the balcony. With another powerful flap, I shot off towards the small forest below, the wind flowing through my still lengthening hair. I really should get a trim or something, I thought as I brushed a few loose strands aside. Maybe I can go to Earth for a cut. Not that I don't trust the Ponies here, but I don't want a mane style.

Beside me, a very familiar Phoenix popped out of nowhere, her wings spread wide. I swore she almost smiled at me before flying behind me, flying right beside a beaming Fluttershy. I flew slowly so she cold keep up, remembering how she had been in the episode Hurricane Fluttershy, and I knew just how much PTSD it dragged up for her.

As we approached the forest below, I began to descend, and Fluttershy followed, having gotten into a conversation with Eve. I couldn't hear much, just bits and pieces, and those weren't enough to piece together just what she was saying. At one point, I looked back and saw that Fluttershy was blushing while Eve seemed to be smirking a bit. Eve had most definitely picked up Philomena's talent of trolling.

I landed on the edge of the forest, and Fluttershy landed beside me. Eve landed on my shoulder, perching herself there and preening her wings. I watched her as she did that for a bit, then spread one of my own wings, starting to walk towards a small clearing in the forest. "You know, I still find it kinda weird that Pegasi and Alicorns don't need to preen our own wings. That's just odd."

Fluttershy smiled and nodded in understanding. "Well, I don't know about Alicorns, but Pegasi do have an annual molt where we lose all of our feathers for an entire day and grow new ones."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? When does that happen?"

"Usually in early spring," she said. "It varies from Pony to Pony. Mine usually happens later in the season."

"I'll bet Rainbow Dash absolutely hates that day," I laughed.

Fluttershy nodded. "She normally just stays home on days like that."

"I can understand why," I replied, looking at my wings. "I've gotten so used to these now that it's weird to think I didn't have them for over thirty years. Now I'd have a hard time without them. But if I do molt, like you said, I'm sure a day without flying wouldn't kill me. Maybe I should look for a way to use magic to fly just in case. Do Pegasi lose other abilities during their molt?"

"Oh no," Fluttershy said, shaking her head, "we can still manipulate the clouds and walk on them. We just can't fly, is all."

"Hmm…I'll be honest, that seems like a really poor evolutionary trait to have," I said as we reached a small clearing through the brush. The area was a perfect circle with no trees or stumps within, only dark green grass. "What if you're flying and lose your wings all at once?"

"Oh no, it doesn't happen all at once," Fluttershy said. "Normally, we can sense when our molt is going to happen."

"How can you tell?" I asked as I sat down on the grass.

"There's a tingling in our wings," she said as she sat opposite me. "It's almost like our wings are asleep, but a bit more subtle."

I nodded. "That's good intel, thanks."

She nodded, then looked around. "So…why are we here?"

"Two reasons, actually." I held up my hands, cupped them, then blew through them in just the right way to make a warbling noise. I did this for about half a minute before there was a rustling in the brush behind Fluttershy. A family of four large felines walked out from the forest, bigger than most normal ones.

When Fluttershy saw them, her eyes went wide and she almost squealed. "Mane Coons!" she beamed.

"Found them out here when I was still living in Everfree," I said. "They just lost their home and I used my Morphean magic to dig them a new one. I've visited them a few times since moving to Ponyville to check on them. And little miss Firefly here is about to have a new litter of kittens. Guys, this is Fluttershy. She's one of my best friends. Fluttershy, meet Firefly, the mother, her two kittens Daisy and Valkyrie, and the father Duke."

As I expected, the family of four large cats took an instant liking to the Pegasus, who wrapped the younger ones in her wings, snuggling them close and talking to them animatedly. I picked up bits and pieces of the conversation as they talked. It mostly consisted of how their days had been and what their plans were for winter, considering the fact that cats normally didn't really hibernate. Fluttershy offered for them to stay in her house during the pregnancy, and it seemed like the family was agreeable to the idea, at least until spring rolled around.

I smiled, glad to see Fluttershy put at her ease before I cleared my throat. "Glad to see you made some new friends, Flutters. I knew they'd warm up to you."

Daisy walked over and sat in my lap, looking up at me expectantly for pets. I smirked and obliged while Fluttershy held Valkyrie in her wings, cradling the younger Mane Coon while the older couple watched with somewhat amused expressions on their faces. "Firefly and Duke wanted to thank you for helping them all those months ago," she said. "And they wanted to tell you that if you need help, they'll repay it."

I turned to the older couple. "You don't owe me anything," I said, "but thank you for the offer." They mewed in return, then I turned back to Fluttershy. "There's another reason I brought you out here, Flutters. I wanted to ask you something."

She looked at me curiously, and when she saw the serious expression on my face, she took a breath and faced me, still cradling Valkyrie in her wings. "Okay…"

"Now, let me preface this by saying that I know that the subject I'm about to broach is not a very easy one for anyone to discuss, and probably you especially," I said in an attempt to reassure her, "but I've been hiding from this for a while, and if you are comfortable enough answering this, I'd greatly appreciate an answer."

Fluttershy looked nervous now. "Did…I do something to get you angry? Oh dear, I'm always doing something like-"

"No, you didn't do anything like that," I said, shaking my head. "Fluttershy, you're the kindest and gentlest Pony I know. You're smart, good with animals, have great taste in manga and manega, and are really beautiful to boot." I saw color come to Fluttershy's cheeks as I said these things, and encouraged by this I continued. "I'm only curious about something, is all. I admit, I don't know much about Pony or equine body language in general, so I'll just come right out and ask: do you have feelings for me?"

Fluttershy froze, eyes wide as she stared at me. The two of us stare at each other for a second before she spread her wings wide, her body trembling a bit as she began to hyperventilate. Concerned, I rushed over to her and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come out and asked like that. Forget I said-"

"I do."

I froze. Looking down at the yellow Pegasus, I found her looking up at me with what had to have been the bravest eyes I'd ever seen on her so far. "You…you do?" I asked, wanting to be absolutely sure I'd heard right.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then nodded. "…Yes…" she said meekly before opening her eyes and looking into mine. "I'm sorry. I know you love Zecora and are still scared about the whole idea of a herd, but-"

I put a hand over her mouth. "Shhh…" I said softly, pulling her closer and stroking her mane. "Don't ever apologize for your feelings. Everyone has them. Can I ask why you do?"

She looked down a bit, rubbing her hooves together nervously while she gathered her thoughts. After about half a minute later she looked back up at me. "You talked about some of the reasons that we're friends. Well, you're also kind too, and I love our time together whenever we're reading manga, manega or something else from Earth. And…you're handsome…and…I like it when you stroke my mane…" She whispered the last part, blushing hard and looking away, looking completely embarrassed.

"I like stroking your mane, too," I said, and scratched behind her ear tenderly. "It's so soft, and it always smells like flowers."

I was relieved to feel her relax slightly in my grasp, looking up at me bashfully. "You…like it? It's nothing special, just some floral shampoo."

"Well, it suits you," I said warmly, wrapping her up in my wings. "Anytime I smell certain flowers, I think of you and relax a bit, since we're always relaxed whenever we're at your house."

I felt her relax even more and lean in closer to me, laying her head on my chest. "Ah…thank you."

We sat there for a little while before I finally asked, "Fluttershy, is it okay if I talk to Zecora about this?" She didn't respond verbally. Instead, she nodded slowly. "Thank you, Flutters. And I'm sorry for springing this on you. I just needed to know so I can act accordingly"

She shook her head harder. "No…it's alright. I'm just…relieved I was able to say it." She finally looked back up at me. "And…act accordingly?"

I smiled. "Well, you know I'm trying out what it means to have a herd, and if the talk I'm going to have with Zecora pans out, I might, at some point in the future, ask you out on a little date."

Her eyes widened and she took a deep breath. I saw the corners of her lips curling up ever so slightly before she finally said, in the cutest voice I'd ever heard from her, "Yay."

After returning a positively glowing Fluttershy to the room, I told the others I had to make one more stop before I returned to join in their sleepover. This was, by far, the hardest visit I would have. Making my way towards the reconstruction of Luna's bedroom, my heart was leaping out of my chest the farther up the tower I went. Their bedrooms had been constructed in two opposite towers, one facing north and the other facing south. Luna's was in the north while Celestia's was the southern one.

The further up I walked, however, the more nervous I became. This was the second most powerful being on the planet I was about to visit and casually ask if she had a crush on me. Yeah, no pressure there or anything there, Jethro. That, and she was still a thousand years out of date. I didn't know too much yet about how things ran in the past, but I was afraid she might take my question as some kind of marriage proposal.

When I reached the landing, I saw two of Luna's personal guard standing on either side of the dark blue door with a crescent moon painted in the center. The two saw me and, recognizing who I was, snapped to attention and saluted. Not wanting to be rude, I saluted back. "Gentlemen," I said in greeting.

Unlike Celestia's guard, these two were completely different from each other, not looking like they were carbon copies of each other. The one on my left, a brown furred Unicorn stallion with a cream colored mane and tail, asked, "How can we help you, Sir Jethro?"

"Well, I was going to see Princess Luna to talk with her about something," I said. I pointed to the door. "Is she in?"

The second one, a dark blue Pegasus mare with silver mane and tail, nodded. "She is, sir, but she's in a private conference with Princess Celestia. She has been in there for four hours."

"Four hours? I see." I resisted the urge to politely excuse myself and go back to enjoy the sleepover, but I knew better. I pointed to one of the two stone benches on either side of the door. "Do you mind if I wait here, then?"

Before either of them could answer, the door opened, and Princess Luna herself stuck her head out the door. "Who goes there?"

"It's just me, my Princess," I said as Luna's eyes locked on mine as she opened the door further. I saw the shock on her face before I bowed respectfully, then stood back to attention. From behind her, I saw Celestia peaking out from inside the room. She too, looked as shocked as her sister was, but the shock gave way to a warm smile as she waved at me. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" I added.

Luna's own stunned expression faded into her normal neutral expression and she shook her head. "Nothing of consequence," she said a bit dismissively. "I was not expecting a visit from you tonight, however. Has something transpired? Are we in some danger?"

"Unless you count me being invited to a previously all girl's sleepover as danger, then there's no danger that I'm aware of," I said.

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Did you decline said invitation?"

"Not at all, I just wanted to come up and talk to you about something before I went back," I said. "I can come back if you like."

"Don't worry about it, I was just leaving," Celestia said as she walked towards the door. Turning to Luna, she said something in an unfamiliar language, but the tone sounded very tender and older sisterly, then she turned to me. In Farasi, she said, "Please be gentle. It's her first time."

I rolled my eyes as Celestia vanished in a flash of white light. That mare's such a goddamned troll, I thought as I faced Luna. "Is it okay if we talk inside?" I asked.

"I have to raise the moon first, but after that we can have words," Luna said.

I smiled a bit. "Is it okay if I watch, my Princess of the Night?"

Luna's eyes brightened a bit. "I would be honored, my Knight. Please accompany me." She turned and headed back into her room. I followed, and the door was closed behind me.

It would always feel weird to me to pat myself on the back for a job well done, but I was pretty proud of my efforts to revitalize this castle. Luna's room in particular was one of my proudest achievements. It was a large bedroom with a large canopied bed in one corner, the curtains themselves a dark blue with white specks and small crescent moons emblazoned on them, a large fireplace with a roaring fire next to it, a balcony with closed curtained doors opposite the bed looking out onto the northern sky, a domed ceiling with small gems in place of constellations spread across the inky black paint, a desk next to the doors leading to the balcony, and two large chairs situated next to the fireplace with an end table between. I saw two teacups and two empty cake plates, one completely empty and licked clean while the other had a half-eaten Neapolitan cake sitting on it. I didn't need to guess as to whom each plate belonged.

Luna walked regally towards the balcony doors, opening them with her magic before stepping outside. I wrapped my wings around me as a blast of cold air assailed me before joining Luna. The sun to the west of us was just kissing the horizon, and I could see a handful of stars already coming out in the east. Luna took a deep breath, spread her wings, and majestically flew up into the air. She turned south, opening her eyes and looking at something. I guessed it was her sister who was presumably doing something similar. The smile on her face proved me right. Her horn lit up with her familiar deep blue magic, and I marveled at how fast the sun in the east set. The crescent moon in the west moved closer to the horizon as well, and with the descent of the massive ball of gas millions of miles away from the planet, the heavens were lit with the small sliver of moonlight along with the glow of tens of thousands of visible stars.

Luna's horn stopped glowing, then she descended, landing just as majestically as she had ascended. I couldn't help myself. I clapped in complete appreciation. "Seeing it in a show is one thing," I said, "but seeing it in real life is awesome. And I mean that in the older sense of the word."

"Truly? It fills you with a sense of awe?" Luna asked as the two of us headed back into her bedroom.

"And then some," I said. "Luna, your powers are so far beyond mine it's frightening."

She frowned. "I thought you no longer feared us?"

"I don't," I said. "You and your sister both have proven to me time and time again just how kind and benevolent you both are. The power you wield, though, is frightening, admit it. You can move the heavens themselves. That's one reason why I was so worried about a world war. Put that kind of power to use on the battlefield, and the both of you could rout the enemy in, as Rainbow Dash so eloquently puts it, ten seconds flat."

Her ears flattened at that briefly before she nodded. "I do see what you mean. It was concern for other countries that led you to desire to visit them and avert a crisis? I commend you for that."

"Well, that was a reason sure, but not my main one," I said a bit sheepishly.

"Truly? And what, pray tell, do you mean by that?" Luna asked as she walked over to the fireplace and took a seat.

I walked over and sat in the chair previously occupied by Celestia. I stared into the fire and sighed. "I hate to admit it, but you and your sister are both right. I can't please everyone. For a while now, I've had a strong urge to be liked. And yeah, I know it's a desire we all have, but I've gone out of my way to be liked. Probably too far. Oh, who am I kidding? I did go too far. I'm just glad your sister slapped some sense into me. Quite literally, I might add," I finished with a smirk, touching the cheek in question.

"Had she not, I would have," Luna said plainly. "You are too important to be lost to some foreign plot." She lifted the slice of cake to her lips, took a small dainty bite before setting it back on her plate.

"And I totally deserved that, I know," I said. "Still, a part of me was actually looking forward to that."

"Oh? Why is that?" Luna asked, turning to me.

"Well…it would give me a chance to see the world," I said. When she raised an eyebrow at me, I added, "I love my new hometown. The Ponies living there aren't perfect, but they've accepted me as one of their own even though I'm not a Pony. They've accepted Zecora as a friend, too, and that makes me love the town even more, but I would absolutely love to see the world. Saddle Arabia, Mt. Aris, the Crystal Empire when it returns. Hell, I really wanna visit Farasi. The way Zecora describes it makes it seem so majestic and unique. Someday, when things have calmed down considerably, I plan on visiting other countries and exploring."

Luna nodded. "That is quite the aspiration, and someday I truly hope you can accomplish it. But…I assume you did not come to my chambers about this."

"Heh, what gave it away?" I chuckled.

"You're sweating."

I pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at my forehead. "Yeah…that tends to happen when you're nervous."

"Well, speak what is on your mind," Luna said.

I was about to ask the dreaded question, when an idea sprang to mind as to how to ease her into it instead of just coming out and asking. "Well, actually there were two things I wanted to talk about. First, earlier you mentioned taking me on as your student in arcane magic. Don't get me wrong, I'm really excited to learn from you, but you have a busy schedule already. When are you gonna find the time to teach me?"

Luna's smile returned and she raised her horn. It glowed, and a nearby pillow on a couch turned into a dark blue teacup and saucer, both with bright white specks on it imitating a starfield. She brought it over, poured some tea into it and set it down beside me. I picked it up and took a polite sip, amazed at just how sweet the tea really was. As I took my sip, Luna said, "I am not like my sister. She is more of a hooves-off type of teacher. She gives assignments and texts to read. I'm a hooves-on type of teacher. My sister is still insisting I adjust to this era, and what better way to do so than to teach somepony? Or someone."

"But our schedules don't ever overlap," I said.

"When something is important, you make the time," Luna said, putting her teacup down. "At least, that's what Celestia told me earlier while she was here."

"Oh? Was that what you two were talking-? Actually, it's none of my business, forget I asked," I said.

Luna shook her head. "We were discussing a few things, but that was indeed one of them," she said. "She's as invested in your magical training as I am, to be honest, and she wished to know if I was up to the task."

"Knowing you, I know you are," I said.

She smiled. "Thank you for your vote of confidence. It will not start right away, but I will figure out a set time where the two of us can get together and start our lessons."

I decided it was time to segue into the second topic. "I guess that makes sense, and I totally look forward to spending more time with you."

She blushed ever so slightly and smiled. "As do I, my Knight. As do I. But what is the second topic you wished to discuss with me?"

I took a deep breath, exhaled, then took a long sip of tea before putting it down. "I'm…shit, I'm not even sure how to broach the subject with you, to be honest. It's a big question, and I'm a bit nervous that you might-"

"Cease at once," she said. "I prefer a direct question. Please speak your mind." She looked at me with a stern expression plastered on her face.

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Alright. I've been getting some interesting signals from you, and I wanted to ask if you had some deeper feelings for me besides the bond of friendship that we share."

The silence in the room was deafening. She was frozen in place as was I, our eyes not moving away from each other. I tried to read her emotions, but even if she was a thousand years out of practice, she still had remarkable control over her facial expressions. I wasn't sure how long time passed before she finally blinked and picked up her tea with her magic. She turned and stared into the fire, sipping on her tea with remarkable poise and grace. Even I had to admit that Luna was exquisitely beautiful, her dark blue mane and tail blowing in the ethereal wind and shimmering with the silvery points of light reminiscent of the heavens above.

Just as I was about to ask if she was okay, she finally spoke. "…Cellie told me this day would come, but I did not think it would be so soon."

"Luna?"

She put her teacup back down and sighed. "Jethro, there was something else that my sister and I were discussing earlier, and that was you. She confronted me about my attitude towards you, and I constantly was denying my feelings. We spoke a great many hours within these walls about you." She suddenly turned to me, and I saw nervousness in her own expression. "I have been gone for a very long time. Cellie wanted to be sure any feelings I may have towards you aren't just because you appreciate my night. And…I have never been attracted to a stallion before, no matter what my sister might say about Starswirl," she added through gritted teeth in embarrassment.

"Luna, I-"

"Please allow me to speak. I need to bring this out into the open for both of us to hear," she begged. I went silent and motioned for her to continue. She looked at me gratefully before continuing. "Jethro, we may not have spent much time together, but every time we do, I am always left feeling more elated than before. That time at the Gala, the time we spent on Nightmare Night, and when we stargazed the night after are times I will not soon forget. You allowed me to be simply Luna, not the Lunar Princess. It's very refreshing, you know?"

"I can only imagine," I agreed.

"Quite." She took another sip of tea, her demeanor becoming somehow more relaxed. "You treat me like an equal despite me being ranks above you in status. I'll admit, there was a time when I would have punished you for that, but even back in my day, times changed. Cellie even admitted that she liked that part about you." She snickered. "Hearing her calling herself the fucking princess certainly was cause for me to laugh aloud later that evening in my Canterlot chambers."

I smirked. "Well, Luna, you're both damn precious, and hell yeah, you're both the motherfucking Princesses," I laughed.

She laughed along with me. "That sounded like you were quoting something."

"A song from Earth," I said. "But go on."

She calmed herself and continued. "Jethro Bethridge, we are both lost in this world. In different ways, mind you, but still we are both growing accustomed to this new world. It was a relief to me that you and I shared that in common. It made me feel like I wasn't alone in this world. And before you say I have my sister, I know that, but it is not quite the same."

"I understand," I said.

"Jethro, I must inform you that even I'm unsure of my personal feelings towards you," she said. "It is all new to me."

I nodded. "I can understand that. Hell, I'm still new to the idea of forming a herd, but I'm putting more effort into seeing if I can make one work."

Her brows furled. "Yes, I did hear about your date with the one called Scarlet." Her tone had a subtle bitterness to it.

"Luna? Are you okay?"

Luna looked away for a bit, then shook her head. "Apologies. It was a mere bout of frustration at not having the answers you seek."

I almost asked her if it wasn't just jealousy since I was sure that she'd just partially lied to me, but I refrained, seeing as how Luna was still adjusting to life in the present. "I understand. Luna, thank you for being open with me about this. I'm willing to wait until you sort out your feelings."

"But of course," she said, turning back with a small smile on her face. "You are our Knight and deserve the truth."

"I appreciate it." I stood, then walked over to her. "Permission to hug you?" Luna, appearing startled, simply nodded. I knelt and wrapped my arms around her, smiling as she nervously did the same. "Is it alright if, sometime in the near future when things settle down, we both spend some time together having fun? Just you and me?"

I felt her grip on me tighten a bit and barely heard her breath catch before she cleared her throat, composing herself. "Yes…I believe I would enjoy that very much."

"I'll send you the details later, I promise," I said as I gently pulled away from her. "And I look forward to it."

"As do I, my Knight," Luna said, smiling warmly now, "as do I."