The bitter chill lingering in the air weighed upon Fancy Pants as he and Princess Luna escorted the noble Summit Council around the Royal Castle’s Grand Ballroom. There were no decorations or displays, only the empty grandeur of the finest of Canterlot spaces speaking for itself. The immaculate walls glowed orange in the late afternoon light in stark contrast to the icy nobles following him. Today’s meeting was meant for unveiling the preliminary staging and explaining the layout to the planned festivities of the first night. After briefing them on their goals and working through their many, many grievances with Princess Luna’s methods, they had moved into the ballroom to give a uniquely magical tour of the event.
“And here we’ll have a few samples of some rather unique eating options outside of the standard Canterlot Castle catering,” Fancy announced to the group as Luna began to channel her complex spellwork. “Plenty of peculiarities to partake.”
A dreamy window opened before the committee, revealing a mock-up of their plans for the night. Imperials and Equestrians bustled about a buffet area lined with tables of colorful and exotic food. Unlike the usual pristine and carefully arranged order of Canterlotian cuisine, each table was uniquely themed with regional accents of far flung corners of Equestria. Fancy had seen many of them before in his travels and grown an appreciation for each style, even if he wasn’t particularly fond of some of the food himself.
As the nobles eyed the offerings curiously, Saffron Masala quickly trotted through the kitchen’s doors from the back. She struggled with a massive pot of spicy curry in her magic as she almost tripped over the rug. Before she could stumble, Athena grabbed the pot out of Saffron’s magic, the two sharing a smile before getting back to work.
“Is that some sort of minotaur?” one of the gentlecolts asked in disbelief.
“Good eye, Mister Whinnyworth. She is Athena Cypriel, a friend I made during my ambassadorship and a recent immigrant to Equestria.”
Athena began pouring it out into individual sauce boats for ponies to sample, before turning to another guest asking her a question. She quickly motioned an apology to Saffron, who took the pot back in her magic as Athena stepped over to her table to show off her gyros.
“I see. And what is it that the minotaur is serving?”
“She was assisting with some traditional Maredrasian curry, but it appears she’s now helping a guest sample the finest Equestrian-styled Minossan,” Fancy bragged. Not allowing the obvious question to be asked, he pressed forward with his prepared spiel. “Our nation extends our desire for friendship to all who would wish to call Equestria their home. I thought it’d be best to show not only the Canterlot standard, but also the other flavors our friends bring with them.”
Whinnyworth hummed to himself in thought as he eyed Athena with suspicion. “And you are absolutely certain a minotaur is the best fit for this sort of prestigious event?”
“Hers is my favorite food offered within the nation,” Luna interjected pointedly. “If her cuisine is good enough for your Princess of the Night, so too shall it be for you and our guests.”
The stallion nodded quickly in agreement and shied away from accidentally antagonizing the princess. The other members walked forward to get a better look at the area as he and Luna had imagined it within the Dreamscape. The scene continued with a plump earth pony mare walking past the window. She was carrying a stack of thin boxes on her back while sharing a bubbly conversation with the petite and pudgy Éclair de Lune.
Upper Crust grimaced at the mere sight of the heavyset pony. “Was that Spicy Marinara?”
Fancy nodded with a proud smile. “Indeed it was.”
“You must be joking! Certainly, you can’t be suggesting we offer pizza of all things to our distinguished guests. That cheap grease can only be the best of the best in the sense of clogging arteries!”
“While you may find it commonplace, Miss Upper Crust, pizza did not exist as it does now a thousand years ago,” Luna clarified before tapping the side of the dream window.
A nebulous clang reverberated through the illusionary glass, grabbing both dream mares’ attention. The princess pointed to the boxes Marinara was carrying and the visions nodded to each other in understanding. They placed the stack down next to them and grabbed the first two off the top.
The nobles looked upon curiously as the other visions inside the illusion seemed to become aware of the window’s existence. Athena leaned back over the table to catch a glimpse at what the others were looking at. Spotting Fancy and Luna through the magical glass, the minotaur brightened and waved enthusiastically along with Saffron and her tubby father. Fancy nearly waved back on instinct. Even if it was just an elaborate waking dream, Luna knew exactly how to make you forget the creatures on the other side weren’t real.
The two earth pony mares approached the window, opening their boxes to reveal two wildly different offerings. One was a deliciously cheesy mushroom and onion pizza, piping hot and ready to serve. The other was a sort of strange square of flatbread with parsley, lemon, and a few other random bits of foodstuffs on top.
Luna stepped forward and pointed towards the menu items. “On the left is a modern pizza, while on the right is an example of ancient focaccia, the closest thing they had at the time. It was topped with a few standout items and usually whatever was leftover from other dishes. While delicious and still served to this day, focaccia is nothing like its modern descendant.”
After giving the nobles a chance to study the differences between the two dishes, the mares closed the pizza boxes and smiled as they took a step back, to show the rest of the cooks gathering together to look back at them.
“Our goal with this summit is to show our allies what Equestria has become. See the faces within this window?” Luna asked, expanding the window so they could all see the creatures within and smiled warmly at the dreams inside. “These visions are your real life neighbors here in Canterlot. They work for you, earn money for you, and deserve both your respect and appreciation, regardless of what their talents produce.”
“So you plan to proudly display the commoners of Canterlot for the Crystal Summit,” the statuesque Baron Bucksaplenty remarked as he stepped forward, the gentlecolt unicorn standing almost at eye level to the moon. “Fair enough. You have shown us plenty of interesting sideshows ranging from the lower festivals and carnival fair food, but where is our representation, your highness?”
“You must ask?” Luna ceased her casting, dismissing the friendly faces within as she turned to face the nobles’ judgment. Her eyes scanned over her subjects, well dressed, properly poised, and utterly unbearable. “I see not a single commoner among the membership of this elite council. We stand within the most luxurious venue at the epicenter of power in Equestria. And you, Baron, deem yourself worthy of questioning such decisions to your princess. Is this all not in and of itself representative enough of your class’ influence?”
“That is not exactly what I was saying, your highness. Princess Celestia—”
“Has left me in charge of planning the festivities around the Crystal Summit,” Luna finished firmly for him.
Slightly taken aback by her sharp interruption, Bucksaplenty closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “My apologies, your highness. It was not my intention to speak out of turn. I simply mean to express my fear that such… guests may lack the propriety to maintain decorum around our honored guests.”
“Propriety as defined by whom? You?”
“As defined in stark opposition to the rabble rousers that ruined the last Grand Galloping Gala!” he urged, his genuine passion catching the princess off-guard. “Have you forgotten? Did your royal highnesses not just finish repairing this very room after the damage wrought by those with little regard for the proper order of things? You may have performed matters differently during your reign a thousand years ago, but during your absence, we have developed rules of etiquette, and for good reasons, your highness!”
Luna’s quick retort hung on the tip of her tongue as she tried to say something to counter his claim. As her hesitation lingered, her eyes drifted to Fancy for help. He understood why as well. While dripping with pompousness, it was clear that Baron Bucksaplenty genuinely believed what he said was for the good of the summit. The destructive impact Lady Rarity and her friends had on the most recent gala was impossible to deny.
“While I do understand your hesitance, my good sir, I assure you that the ponies we have extended invitations to have all worked with the aristocracy before, in one way or another,” Fancy insisted to the worried stallion. “And unlike the misfortune that befell the gala, I assure you that each one of them is on the same page as we are. They wish to make a good first impression on the crystal ponies, not only as friends, but as business partners and customers. They have a vested interest in the success of the summit for more or less the same reasons.
“Furthermore, keep in mind that they will not be the only ponies to potentially make mistakes. I expect the crystal pony delegates themselves to break proper Equestrian etiquette multiple times. We mustn’t hold their millennium of ignorance against them, nor the modern ignorance of those who are often excluded from entering such spaces. It’s up to us to show the graciousness of Canterlot high society and act in good faith.”
For his part, the baron seemed satisfied with the answer and nodded. Fancy wasn’t all that surprised, knowing the wealthy soldier’s background. He was well-meaning, but still deeply mired in elite culture that had whittled away his more grounded sensibilities. Fancy had become far more familiar with that feeling of unfortunate disconnect recently, as well as the repercussions it bore. It was, in a word, embarrassing.
“A rather avante-garde approach to planning as opposed to your usual methods, Sir Fancy Pants,” Upper Crust remarked as she looked at her clipboard.
“While Sir Fancy Pants has been a great help to preparations, the honors of peculiarity belong to me, Upper Crust,” the princess cut back in, eying the mare aloofly. “And I am truly thankful that you’ve noticed. I’ve met a number of great ponies that I wish to show our old friends from the north. Knowing the circles they’re kept within, it is unlikely the delegates would ever come across these unique local flavors on their own.”
“On that, we agree, your highness.” The businessmare flipped back and forth through the pages of the event staging and started to move towards another section by herself. She smirked and lowered her notes. “On the subject of peculiar picks, has the music been chosen?”
Fancy suppressed a sigh at the question, knowing exactly where she was going to go with that train of thought. He readied himself for a defense. “We’ve been looking into our options with the help of the Equestria Society for the Performing Arts. Our intention is to give the crystal ponies a chance to hear a wide array of musical offerings and innovations since they’ve been gone.”
“I see. Do you have a list of potential candidates?”
“It’s quite an exhausting list of options, but we could have one prepared for you if you’d like, Upper Crust.”
“That would be wonderful, but I’m mostly wondering if it will be limited to live performers.” Upper Crust pointed her hoof at the allotted space for the performers. “It’s a large section, but not big enough to fit the ESPA symphony or a full choir. Are you intending to rely on a DJ?”
Fancy could see the bait, but to breeze past it would call attention to it. “While we favor live performances, using a DJ is one of the options we’re considering for those that would be troublesome to accommodate.”
“Really? Who did you have in mind?”
Seeing the knowing smarm on her face, Upper Crust was simply waiting for Fancy to make a move. It was a battle of wills to see who would say Vinyl’s name first so the other could spin the resulting reaction in their favor. Unfortunately, it was harder for him to dodge the question. Upper Crust could simply feign ignorance, but he couldn’t pretend not to know the answers.
Fancy reached into his pocket for his planner to feign forgetfulness, only to be met with the quartz in his pocket. It was then he remembered that he’d discarded the ashes of said notebook at the Labyrithiyum weeks ago and hadn’t bothered replacing it since he destroyed it in anger. A frown threatened to cross his face, and he chewed the inside of his lip. The moment was dragging on too long. Fancy needed to say something, but he wasn’t sure what.
“A talented pony by the name of Vinyl Scratch,” Luna answered simply.
Fancy’s heart dropped seeing Luna step right into the trap. He could feel his magic coil around the stress quartz in his pocket.
“Vinyl Scratch? You don’t mean you’re seriously suggesting DJ Pon-3 for this event, do you?” Upper Crust clarified for everypony else, feigning astonishment at the suggestion. She turned to Fancy, readying to strike the final blow. “Did you not learn your lesson from the Festival of Flakes, Fancy Pants? I can’t believe you would suggest such a menace to the princess!”
The murmurs began almost immediately. They might’ve forgotten her name by now, but they certainly remembered that fiasco with “The Screech” popping around the ensuing whispers. It sat in the collective memory of the upper classes with the likes of the Grand Galloping Disaster and Wedding Invasion.
“I believe I was the one to answer your question, Miss Upper Crust,” Luna affirmed, stepping forward with towering authority over Upper Crust. “What makes you think it was Sir Fancy Pants’ idea?”
Neither Fancy nor Upper Crust expected Luna’s boldness. The smaller unicorn steeled herself with the royal highness bearing down on her. “With all due respect, Princess Luna, the name Vinyl Scratch isn’t very trusted within Canterlot. Perhaps you recall the obnoxiously loud incident that disturbed your first Night Court.”
“I am more aware of that reality than you realize, Upper Crust. In all facets.”
“I see.” The mare’s eyes flickered back and forth as she tried to find a rebuttal. She looked back to Fancy and smirked with inspiration. “All facets? So then you know that Sir Fancy Pants has been housing this DJ at his private estate?”
At that, the committee’s curiosity overflowed as it exploded in fevered gossip.
“I’d heard the rumors, but I never thought Sir Fancy Pants, of all ponies, would do such a thing!”
“That can’t possibly be true, right? I thought he was dating Princess Luna!”
“I suppose a wild mare does carry a certain sense of danger. Still. To be seduced by somepony like that… Who knows where a mare like her has been.”
The salacious speculation forced Fancy’s magical grip tighten around the crystal in his pocket as he struggled to keep a straight face. When he’d invited her to stay with him, the bachelor hadn’t even considered the optics. His “eligibility” was the furthest thing from his mind at the time, and now Vinyl was paying for his negligence. It wasn’t fair. In such a pairing, she’d be the victim, not him.
Upper Crust cleared her throat as she readied to attack once more. “Now, now. My goal was not to guess what Miss Scratch was up to with him—though it certainly does beg the question. After all, a mare like her has to make it somehow. But that’s not important.”
Fancy’s blood boiled underneath his diplomatic smile at the accusation. The mare’s pettiness was almost too much to take.
“To be clear, I’m simply worried that the Kingmaker’s judgment has been compromised. He might be playing favorites with a fling rather than fulfilling his role as her majesty’s counsel properly,” Upper Crust explained as she approached him with unbridled confidence. “His role is to help her majesty choose the best from the best, is it not?”
His magic flowed over the smooth corners of the crystal in a vain hope of finding relief from the inquisition. Even if he knew in his heart that Vinyl was the best choice, they’d never believe him with such framing. The news would spread like wildfire, and further fan the flames of scandal around Vinyl Scratch, painting her as some floozy chasing his wealth, which couldn’t have been further from the truth. His legs numbed with the hollowness of rotted tree trunks as he tried to maintain his cool posture. The weight in his pocket, the gift Vinyl had given him out of selfless concern, could be weaponized against her.
“You are so quick to judge an incredibly talented pony, Upper Crust,” Luna interjected, pushing Fancy aside with her wing and blocking the smaller mare’s advances.
Upper Crust briefly scowled before correcting her poise to properly address royalty. “With all due respect, your highness. It isn’t Fancy’s talent that I was questioning,” Upper Crust insisted. “Simply his other motivations.”
Luna smirked. “And it was not Fancy’s talent that I was calling into question. You are so quick to assume it was his recommendation that motivated me to request her services.”
Upper Crust blinked in confusion. “What do you mean, Princess?”
Fancy blinked as well. Vinyl’s inclusion had been his idea before they’d even had their first meeting. Rather than saying anything, the princess simply sparked her magic to life. After a moment of focus, a teleportation spell popped an album cover into existence above them. She caught it with a hoof and admired the front of it with a soft smile before spinning it around to show the others. It was Luna’s signature copy of DJ Pon-3’s LP album from the Cantrips Collection addressed to the princess herself.
“You?” Upper Crust asked in disbelief. “You can’t be serious.”
Luna smirked with unshakable confidence and nodded once.
The mare recoiled in disgust, but quickly shook it away to maintain decorum. “I don’t mean to be rude, your highness, but she is a meager disc jockey, a servant tasked to play records. There is no real talent required for such a simple task.”
Fancy balked at the sheer gall of the mare. Everything spewing from Upper Crust’s mouth was utterly vile. He wasn’t sure how he’d never noticed it until recently. Perhaps he hadn’t been paying attention before. What was new to him was how much it bothered him to hear. It’d been years since he’d felt the strong urge to buck somepony in the face.
Luna clicked her tongue. “Such confidently spewed naïvete. Out of all the wonderful music I’ve heard since my return, DJ Pon-3 has become my favorite musician of this generation. Did you forget about her piano performance at the Festival of Flakes? Or more recently, the Performer’s Showcase? Oh wait, that’s right. You weren’t there, Upper Crust. In fact…” Luna trailed as she scanned the gobsmacked nobles around her. “None of you were.”
“B-but I was, your highness!” Whinnyworth corrected meekly before clearing his throat. “I went to the ESPA’s Performers Showcase and saw your favorite show of the night.”
Luna turned to the barking puppy of a noble. “Do you mean that article that said my favorite was the last show of the night?”
“Indeed! Miss de Lis’ stellar duet inspired by your royal self and Princess Celestia. It was quite captivating, if I do say so myself.”
“I see. Then, you and your friends left afterwards, right?”
“Of course. The show was over.”
“Of course it was,” Luna agreed gently. “Because the next performer after her was her friend DJ Pon-3, right?”
The stallion’s confidence died on his lips. “She… she was?”
“Perhaps you shouldn’t believe everything you read.” Luna stepped forward, her hooves clip-clopping firmly with each step slowly draining her patience as she bore down upon him with a withering glare. “Had you actually been there, you would’ve known that your friends all left in protest right before she took the stage.
“For your edification, Mister Whinnyworth, I stayed. My sister stayed. Sir Fancy Pants stayed. My dear friend Athena Cypriel—the minotaur whom you dismissed so readily—stayed. We all stayed and enjoyed the last performer showcased that evening, which was an astounding display of musical talent by the incomparable DJ Pon-3! Hers was objectively the best show of the night, praiseworthy of a princess, but apparently she wasn't good enough for any of you to even give a second thought!
“So yes, I wish to have DJ Pon-3 perform her wonderful music at this event. If any of you have objections to her inclusion as a representative of modern Equestrian music, raise them now so that I may refute them immediately!”
Luna waited for anypony to say something, but not a word was uttered. After a dragging, agonizing silence, Luna slammed her hooves into the marble floor and boomed with regal authority. “SPEAK!”
Every noble in the committee ducked to the floor as her electrifying ire crackled through the air with the power of a lightning bolt.
“Is deafening club music really the best to be played at a high society event?” Upper Crust asked from below.
“Even if you do not share the respect for her craft that we do, Upper Crust, it is our desire to have Vinyl Scratch perform!” Luna shouted, her royal Canterlot voice crackling the very air with ancient, magical fury.
“Then what—” Upper Crust paused and shuddered, noticing that she could see her breath as she spoke. She quickly refocused and shook the shock away. “What do you expect her to do that would be acceptable for this event?”
“We expect her wonderful variation of swing she has infused with her own creative light!”
“But, your highness—”
“SILENCE!” The command echoed through the ballroom with the force of a thunderclap. The princess took a deep breath and sternly trotted to the tiny speck of a mare under her. “From our understanding, Suede Shoes performed in these very halls many decades ago. If his swing was acceptable, so too shall Vinyl Scratch’s electro swing be welcomed, alongside any other styles the crown sees fit for our neighbors far to the north. Is that clear, Upper Crust?”
Upper Crust looked away and nodded halfheartedly.
“Is. That. Clear?”
“Y-yes, your majesty!”
“Any other complaints regarding our desires?” the princess asked the other committee members. She narrowed her eyes as she looked over the cowering nobles.
After taking a moment to gather himself, Baron Bucksaplenty rose to his hooves. “No, your highness,” he answered resolutely for the other nobles.
“Very well. Then please do our royal selves the smallest favor and wait to dribble your chittering gossip until our back is fully turned. We refuse to hear you impugn those whom we hold in the highest regard. The accolades and prestige you wield above any of them mean little to us. We have yet to bear witness a single reason that warrants your supposed superiority! Now, if you are done playing these ridiculous games with us…”
Luna raised a hind leg and, with a mighty thrust, stomped any notion that she’d discuss anything more.
“This meeting is adjourned!”
The impact rumbled through the ballroom, kicking the dirt off the floor with a magical pressure wave. The mighty Princess of the Night had no patience for the noble’s frivolous fencing. With an about-face, Luna strode away from the committee with her head held high. She eyed Fancy, silently urging for him to join her gait as they withdrew from the ballroom. As ordered, not a peep was heard from them as they walked through the great doors leading into the hallway.
When she and Fancy Pants turned the corner, out of sight and sound of the noble’s perception, the princess’ stern visage slipped away, replaced with a giddy smile. “Did you see that?” Luna asked excitedly as she fluttered her wings in bubbly delight. “We won! We—I defended the honor of you, Athena Cypriel, and Vinyl Scratch!”
“It was a brilliant display,” Fancy replied. “Thank you, your highness.”
Luna’s ear flicked at the proper title. “Is there something wrong?” Her eyes immediately went up to his horn, and she gasped seeing the barely perceptible flicker of his magic. Not even waiting for a response, she darted in front of him and leaned her horn against his.
“Princess Luna! Please, I’m quite alright.”
“Neigh. I mustn’t withhold assistance from my dear friend and student,” she answered softly as she began channeling soothing magic into him.
“But, what if—”
“If somepony sees?” Luna laughed to herself. “I suppose there are enough rumors abounding this afternoon. Let us remedy that.”
Another spell channeled through her horn and, in a flash of moonlight, the hallway fell away as they appeared elsewhere in the castle. Vibrant, silvery blue stardust walls draped with heavy burgundy curtains falling from arched windows with inlaid diamonds at their zeniths. Black floor lamps with branches tipped with silver magelights brought a dim, comfortable light to the ethereal space. Against the wall sat a bed in the shape of a crescent moon, also dotted with a soothing lamp hanging from its tip.
“There, now we will have complete privacy,” Luna assured as she summoned two cushions for them to sit upon. “Come. Let us relax after a job well done.”
In a fluid motion, the princess whisked off her obsidian peytral onto a nearby ponnequin and crown while kicking off her silver horse shoes. Relaxing herself, she magicked a set of slippers from the side of the bed and donned a robe woven of midnight silk and pure white cotton. Finally, she breathed a sigh of relief as the magic faded from her hair, as it fell flat at her side in a cascade of light blue mane and the deep color of her fur faded.
“I believe this would be the alicorn version of ‘letting your mane down,’” the princess answered the stallion’s unspoken concern, her brilliant smile taking pride in her correct use of lingo. “It will be many moons still before my natural alicorn magic recovers enough that my ascended appearance occurs on its own. For now, my tiara draws upon my magic to maintain it.”
Fancy nodded in understanding, wishing he could do away with his suit in favor of a comforting sweater. “Sounds rather exhausting.”
“It can be if I cast too many spells. Which is why if I want to relax, I return to the safety of my bedroom.” Luna smiled warmly and tapped the cushion next to her. “Now, come.”
Fancy silently took his seat next to the princess and tried to calm himself. While Luna’s stalwart defense had eased him somewhat, his nerves were still fraying from the what-ifs plaguing his mind. Wordlessly, she urged Fancy with a dip of her head to lean down and allow her to assist him. As her horn gently graced his own, the soothing coolness of her magic flowed through his mind.
“Your distress is palpable, Fancy Pants.”
“I must apologize, Luna. It’s a wonder that I ever managed to work before.”
“Has it ever been this intense before? I can’t imagine your aura going unnoticed for so long.”
“I’m not sure. It might be a new development. After all, I never dared to enter your sister’s bedchambers when I was the official ambassador,” Fancy replied as he tried to focus on the silent serenity around them.
“And still you charged into my living room not knowing what was beyond my tower’s doors. Does my innermost sanctum make you uncomfortable?”
“No. Quite the opposite. I’m afraid I’d never wake up again should I fall asleep in here. It is the fact that this is your bedroom that makes me uneasy.”
“Such a chivalrous stallion,” Luna teased. “While it is indeed the most private of spaces, this is merely another of my personal rooms that I’m more than happy to share with my friends. In fact, nopony may enter here without my permission. Do you see the dais on the floor over there?”
Following Luna’s pointing hoof, Fancy’s eyes searched the room while keeping his head locked. His eyes wandered the contours of the dark carpet before settling on a raised platform on the opposite end of the room from them. The sigil carved upon it seemed familiar. He couldn’t recognize its function by the laylines like Fleur or Vinyl, but he remembered Luna had another one like it elsewhere. “Is that a teleportation circle?”
“Yes. It is linked with others within this tower and can only be used by Tia and I. They were a boon before I had reclaimed enough of my former strength to teleport using my own power. Now, I only use them before I’ve had my first cup of coffee. According to Sister, she had this structure built to withstand even the greatest destructive forces in Equestria. Not even she can pierce these walls without calling upon aid from the sun. It is the most secure place in the world.”
“Always the protective sibling, isn’t she?”
Luna rolled her eyes. “Tia is… overzealous about such things when it comes to me. Almost worryingly so. It’s simple enough to enter the bottom floor, but only those who accompany us may travel between the rooms of my abode. I know she means well, but it did prove most vexing to discover I had slept through an invasion. Had Queen Chrysalis prevailed, I would’ve awoken to a castle swarming with changelings none the wiser.”
“For as long as I’ve known her, Princess Celestia has valued safety for her little ponies above all else,” Fancy recalled as he dwelled on her highness’ overly cautious tendencies. “I can only imagine how much that must extend to somepony she would move mountains for.”
“Indeed. In some ways, she’s exactly the same as she was before, but far more intense. Her protective gaze is a lens, focusing a sunbeam upon a single point and setting it ablaze from its distillation. But thanks to that overbearing smothering, we are utterly safe here. So please, try to relax.”
Fancy smiled back and closed his eyes, allowing the stress from the meeting to slowly wash away as the princess worked her magic.
“You know, aside from Tia and the element bearers, only dear Athena has seen me like this.”
“Should I feel honored to be included in this secret?”
Luna smirked. “In the sense that I trust you with seeing my old, withered state, yes.”
Fancy chuckled to himself, looking the princess in her tired, teal eyes that still bore the depth of their mystical wonder. “I would count myself blessed to have a mere fraction of your beauty when I’m old and withered.”
“You’re always such a charmer, Sir Fancy Pants.”
“I’ve been known to have my moments every now and again.”
“You breathe a comforting light into my darkness,” Luna said as she ended the spell. She pulled back and pushed her mane out of her face to give Fancy her full attention. “It’s honestly a wonder to me that you’re unwed.”
Fancy shrugged, and smiled diplomatically. “It simply hasn’t been a priority.”
“Why not?”
“Because I haven’t ever made it one.” He knew very well there wasn’t much of a reason to now.
“That’s not much of an answer, Fancy Pants.”
“Sometimes there isn’t a good one.”
“Though my niece has taken the mantle of the ‘Princess of Love’ upon herself in this new age, romance fell under the night’s purview before my absence. It’s not my business to pry, but I do worry for you, Fancy Pants. You don’t seem to be uninterested in the notion of love to me. So, why are you not partaking in living with such joy?”
Closing his eyes, Fancy knew the answer that had sat like a stone in his heart for years. A calcified impossibility of a world that he knew could be but never came about. The vision of that house on the hill with those children still burned in his mind after all of these years. Though the colors had faded, he could see it so clearly. It was a vision he couldn’t make into a reality no matter how much money, prestige, or power he gathered. It was wrong, so utterly wrong, but he yearned for it.
“That is a difficult question to answer,” Fancy mumbled as he withdrew from the princess slightly.
“I am aware of this in the vaguest of senses. I asked you before and let it go, but after seeing it used against you and Vinyl, I cannot shake the thought out of my head. Is there truly nopony, or no one for that matter, who makes life feel more vibrant?”
Vinyl looked around the pristine, snowy hillside of the Suede Shoes Estate. “Doesn’t it feel kind of empty?”
Fancy shook the image out of his head. “You’re not the first to ask me something like that.” Fancy’s plastered smile strained, looking upon the princess’ weakened form which she shared without hesitation. The hypocrisy rested heavily in the forefront of his mind, but to speak it was simply too much. Before the stress overwhelmed him, he felt Luna’s horn touch his again, soothing his mind with the cool embrace of her moonlit magic.
“I know that the topic makes you uncomfortable, so I won’t press you if it truly upsets you. My only wish is to see my dear friends' lives filled with happiness.” The princess’ magic faded as she looked down at her hooves. “I have so few now in this modern world. It is truly a blessing to have you here and now.”
“It’s me who should count himself blessed to have you.” Fancy reached out to grab one of Luna’s hooves, plush from her bedroom slippers. “I can assure you that I’m quite content with what I have. There is nothing to worry about.”
Luna smiled sadly. “Contentment is a fake luxury reserved for timeless beings. It’s not quite the same as happiness. It can be a most comfortable trap, accepting what good you have because of the fear of losing what you have in the pursuit of gaining more.”
“Don’t worry, your highness. I can always get more if I want,” Fancy casually dismissed. “It’s barely any trouble for a pony of my means and talents.”
“You will need to do better than that to placate me, Fancy Pants. I know this nebulous ‘more’ doesn’t fulfill you. You’re left wanting, but not from the endless wellspring you can easily draw from for all of your days.” The princess’ smile tightened as she lifted Fancy’s head by the chin. “A selfless despair? Or perhaps a despairing lack of a self? From where did you learn this behavior?”
“Life, I suppose. I didn’t like who I had become. Nothing was working out the way I wanted, so I sought to change it.”
“Self-improvement is an honorable goal, but often the desired end is usually a more realized self.”
“Trust me. This is an improvement,” he assured as he took stock of himself. “A vast improvement.”
“Yes. You’re revered as the Kingmaker. One who realizes the dreams of others, but for what purpose?”
Fancy shuffled his hooves. “It’s what I’m good at. You said it yourself, I am a soothsayer, a fortune teller. I am not meant to take center stage, but guide others into the light.”
“Indeed, but that is their story. You still have yours to experience. You’re not meant to simply exist as a means to somepony else’s end. Why do you deny yourself so?” Luna asked sincerely as she pulled at Fancy. “I’m not privy to your past, but I assure you that mine has been infinitely darker than yours, yet I still try to live beyond it! You and Athena have shown me that I can.”
“Is there something wrong with the way I am?”
“If there wasn’t, then why do I catch you absently casting magic so regularly? It is not just an anxious reaction. It serves as a release to relieve undue pressure upon the mind.”
“Trust me, Luna. I am under very little pressure these days. Since retiring from my ambassadorship, the most important decisions are choosing which ponies to invest in. My talent allows me to choose the best from the best.”
“Which you are unable to do for yourself,” Luna added sharply. “You always have the clear-minded perspective of looking from without, but your foresight cannot pierce from within. For heaven’s sake, the first time I witnessed your power over dreams, you had been spending hours trying to fruitlessly craft your apology to Vinyl Scratch. It was a nightmare of your own making!”
Fancy laughed uncomfortably as the princess bore down on him. “Perhaps I’ve learned to lean on my talents a bit too much.”
“Indeed. I told you once before that living a predicted life would be akin to a curse. Seeing your own end would paradoxically lock fateweavers into a chosen fate, one optimized to live the best life they could, constantly seeking their next decision rather than deciding for themselves.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about, Luna. I made plenty of choices before your return, plenty of terribly selfish ones. I was a regular blueblood who abused my power, wealth, and talents to crush others. However, I learned very quickly that it’s nigh impossible to maintain any sense of smug superiority while working with Princess Celestia.”
“You claim your ego was tempered by toiling under the immortal sun?” Luna narrowed her gaze as she peered through Fancy Pants. After a moment of study she took a deep breath before returning to a relaxed gaze. “I see. You have learned much under my sister’s tutelage. Too much in my estimation.”
“Learned what exactly?” Fancy asked cautiously.
“Perfectionism,” Luna stated evenly. “While she has remained as steady as the sunrise, there is one change that my sister has undergone these past thousand years which troubles me; her dogged pursuit of perfect safety. Take this exceptionally enchanted tower for instance. It is impenetrable from every angle, inside and out. Just as none but my sister and I may enter, none may leave without our aid.”
“So, for the sake of argument, if you were to leave without me…”
“You would be trapped until you’ve breathed your last. And Celestia can only travel via the teleportation circles. If I destroyed them while she’s still inside, she would need to unleash the power of the sun to leave. It’s all so flawlessly flawed, is it not?”
While Luna laughed to herself, Fancy couldn’t help the creeping unease pulling at his withers. He knew it would never happen, but the possibility was enough to fuel the sinking dread. Clearing his throat, he forced a laugh to match Luna’s energy. “I suppose my fears of never waking up again weren’t entirely unfounded.”
“Indeed. Just as I believe my fears regarding you, fateweaver. You allow others to freely pour their lives into yours, but why is your life so devoid of life itself? In one sense, you selflessly give of your time freely, but in another, it would appear that you purposely avoid leaving any time for yourself. Why do you suppose that is, Fancy Pants?”
“You make it sound like living for the sake of others is some sort of moral failing.”
“Living for others doesn’t call for sacrificing your own desires!” Luna quickly rebuked as she gritted her teeth. Searching through his eyes, the princess softened. “No. Perhaps I am going about this the wrong way. Your own future is vague, your true wishes are beyond the misty veil, so to achieve certainty in a perfect outcome, you choose to not choose. You live vicariously through the accomplishments of others while never living for yourself.”
Fancy averted his gaze. “That is not a fair assessment of my talents, Luna.”
“Fairness is not the question at hoof!”
“Then what is your question?”
“Why are you doing this to yourself?”
“I’m doing nothing to myself.”
“And neither are you doing anything for yourself! I see it so plainly and it’s hurting you! Instead of moving beyond your former selfishness, have you simply discarded yourself? If you were a monster, perhaps you still are and simply flipped the script of who you abuse.”
“I beg your pardon!” Fancy shouted as he bristled from the insinuation. “Are you suggesting I am hurting myself, or worse, the ones I love through my actions?”
Luna sighed as she closed her eyes in sadness. “The framing of your question speaks for itself.”
“With all due respect, I find it to be a perfectly rational question, your highness,” Fancy snapped back with a deep frown.
The princess’ eyes flashed open as she sharply bore into Fancy Pants. “Then answer me this: from my perspective, why would your self-inflicted harm somehow be a lesser form of abuse?”
Fancy balked at the ridiculous sentiment. “Hurting another is incorrigible, obviously! Not to mention illegal!”
“Are you not another to me? If I were hurting myself and you knew about it, would it not damage you as well?” Luna bit her lip to take a calming breath through her nose. “Is it not a form of violence inflicted on those who love you to see you hurting?”
All became silent. Any heated rebuttals he had from common sensibilities died before he could utter them. She was right. Luna was absolutely right. The thought of any harm coming to Vinyl, Eclair, Fleur, or anyone else close to him filled Fancy’s heart with dread. He swallowed and cleared his throat before plastering on another smile he knew wouldn’t work.
“Well, it’s a good thing I’m not hurting anypony,” Fancy said to assure himself and the princess. “Right?”
Luna sighed and dipped her head to point her horn towards Fancy’s. As ordered, he met hers once more, allowed the princess to channel soothing energies into his mind which would hopefully calm the intense ringing of the crystal in his pocket.
“You must understand, dear Fancy Pants. Love is not something you simply optimize for to achieve the best outcome. It’s wild, messy, and unpredictable, like the lives we must lead. Its terrifying uncertainty can be part of the beauty. There is no feeling quite like discovering that an unspoken love is shared between you and another.”
After another quiet moment, Fancy finally found the courage to speak again. “What if you know the outcome already?”
“You don’t,” Luna stated with complete certainty. “You may think you know, but whatever this is that you have convinced yourself of, it cannot be the truth. You’ve simply bought into a narrative that you’ve sold yourself.”
Fancy’s heart clenched with the smoldering embers of a prophesied flame burning after so many years. “I told you before, I’ve seen it.”
Luna’s ear flicked in annoyance briefly before her eyes sparked with recognition. “Ah, the fate you claim to have glimpsed for yourself.”
He nodded as he closed his eyes and focused on the fire. He could still smell the freshly baked bread, feel the sunshine warm his fur, and hear the laughter of their foals. A wave of relief crested over him. “I assure you, there is more to it than that. So much more.”
“But it remains unfulfilled because it is not the proper time?”
The water crashed on his back with icy fury, pulling him back to reality. “It’s… difficult to explain.”
“I disagree, Fancy Pants. The answer is obvious: whatever that is, isn’t love.”
“What?” Fancy reeled away from Luna, his nerves spiking.
“Love is worth pursuing. If you’re unwilling, then I do not believe what you see in your mind’s eye is love.”
“How dare you!” Fancy shouted as he stood up and backed away. “How could you possibly say that? You don’t even know what I’m talking about!”
“Yet I do know who I’m speaking with!” Luna stated resolutely as she followed his retreat. “You cannot allow a woven fate to leave you threadbare. You are the one who can realize a future, but be it perfect or flawed, you mustn’t be afraid to act. If this path is true, then realize it. If not, then do not allow a nightmare to consume your waking life!”
Fancy and Luna stared at each other, the oppressive silence splitting the room in two. As the princess calmed down, her ear flicked at the ringing from an unsteady aura of magic. The princess softened as her eyes drifted up Fancy’s horn as it fluctuated.
“I beg your forgiveness, dear Fancy Pants. I brought you here to help you, but I’ve only caused you further duress,” Luna turned back around and returned to her cushion, offering her hoof up for him to take his seat again. “Please, let me help you be at peace, if only for a moment.”
“Yes, of course.” Fancy cleared his throat as he readjusted his seat to let the princess continue. “I am so sorry, Luna.”
“The fault lies with us both, dear Fancy Pants. We have some time before I must begin my nightly duties, so please, focus only upon the sound of my voice and breathe deeply.”
The princess donned her tiara once more, flaring her nebula mane to life as she wrapped her wings forward around their heads. Within the encapsulating peace of her night, the princess hummed a song both ancient and familiar as Fancy drifted into the Dreamscape.