Fancy Pants almost dropped his monocle into the cocktail before him when he saw a certain princess enter 'the Free Pony'. Years of political experience told him that now was a moment a truth: Fight or flight, truth or dare. The two tall cocktails that already coursed through his brain agreed and assured him that Luna would make for excellent entertainment. His hooves, however, were less enthusiastic and because Sir Fancy Pants, President of the House of Nobles, trusted his hooves a lot more than his brain, it took him a bit longer than expected to reach the alicorn that still stood at the club’s entrance.
Luna looked a little lost and unsure about the place. Her face light up as she saw the familiar face. “Lord Fancy Pants! I bid you a fair night, it is so good to see you.”
“Wow, Luna!” The alicorn raised an eyebrow at his unfamiliar attitude, but Fancy didn’t let that stop him. “I take it you haven’t been here before, eh?” Without even waiting for her to reply he continued, “Well, let me tell you, this is the Free Pony. You left all titles and ranks, even your race, behind when you walked through that door. Everyone is equal in here. That’s the only rule in here. As long as you can pay your tab. Ok, two rules. Oh, and what happens in the Pony, stays in the Pony. Three rules... I’ll tell you when I remember more. Want a drink? I’m buying!”
Luna could only nod as Fancy Pants’ smile pulled her along to his table. A third cussion floated over and in a matter of seconds a waitress took Luna’s order. Fancy had suggest a drink with quite some buzz and resolved to tell Luna a fourth rule later: Don’t drink it unless you know what’s in the glass. Or maybe after another drink. He ordered some new drinks and food for himself and his guests. Before his grin could place him in hot waters he introduced his other guest, “Luna meet Braeburn Apple. Braeburn, I’m sure you have heard of Luna? She is the one with the Moon.”
The stallion laughed loud and offered Luna a high hoof that Luna took after an encouraging nod from Fancy Pants. ”Yeah, I think one of my cousins might have mentioned you.” His grin was the kind that would have mares fall head over hooves for him, but as Fancy reached over and kissed him on the cheek Luna finally understood a few things that had not quite clicked for her about the unicorn before. Centuries of training in noble courts helped her and she didn’t even flick an ear at the open display of affection.
“What happens in the Pony stays in the Pony, right?”
“Exactly,” the earthpony threw her another one of his heartbreaker smiles. “Or you could join old Blueblood over there on the wall of shame.” He pointed to a row of pictures in a corner.
Fancy Pants joined in with an even bigger smile. “Oh yes, I remember that one. I asked my good friend Blueblood after that campaign against my … choice of acquaintances if he would sit for a portrait for my private gallery. I have no idea how it ended up here. Braeburn, be a dear and remind me to ask the manager to give it back.”
This time Braeburn gave Fancy Pants a kiss on the cheek, “I’ll try to remember, darling.” Then both stallions fell over laughing.
Luna’s drink had arrived some time ago and the alicorn was already showing signs of not knowing rule No 4. Her wings fluttered at her sides and the usually stern facade of the stoic ruler was all in a shambles. She had even joined in the giggles at Fancy’s little story about Blueblood’s attempted blackmail. She tried one of the cupcakes that the waitress had also brought.
Fancy Pants had finally calmed down and helped Braeburn up too. “I can’t help but wonder how you can take this revelation about my preferences so calmly, Luna?”
Now it was Luna’s time to grin. “I’m several centuries old, my friend. I doubt you can do anything to make me blush. You wouldn’t believe some of the things Tia and I have seen at the Unicorn King’s court.”
“I don’t know about making you blush. Especially with your coat. But -” Braeburn leaned towards the alicorn and whispered in her ear.
“You don’t say? Eight apples? I will have to see that myself. Please contact me tomorrow so we can make an appointment.”
Fancy Pants’ eyes could not settle on either pony, “Don’t even joke about something like that, what -”
“Fancy, Fancy, this is the time to keep your composure and a stiff upper lip.” Braeburn’s mischievous grin almost made Luna break out in giggles. “We still don’t know why Luna has graced this place with her presence tonight.”
Luna waved a hoof through the air before her and a flower appeared in a little shower of sparks. She caught it in her magic and placed the bright white blossom in her mane.
Braeburn looked at it, “A moonflower. It only blooms at night and closes at sunrise. Quite a fitting choice for you, but not an answer to our question.”
Luna summoned a mirror in her hoof and checked the blossom before she answered. “I am on what you would call a ‘blind date’. Some pony had the gall to claim the title ‘Princess of the Night’ in my … absence and I have arranged a meeting to reclaim it.”
This time Braeburn leaned over to Fancy Pants and whispered a few words with him. Normally Luna could have easily listened in on them, but the background noise had risen quite a bit in the last few minutes. Fancy Pants coughed slightly. “I think the easiest way to find somepony in here is to ask from the stage.” He pointed to a slightly raised area in the corner. “But you might want to hurry or -” The rest was lost in screams and applause as a white unicorn walked onto the little stage, her DJ-equipment floating behind her. The wall of sound finally subsided, the DJ took some time to set her stuff up, but occasionally cheers of “Vinyl, Vinyl” rose up from the crowd.
Fancy Pants could finally completed his sentence, “If you want to be heard at all, you might ask your question now. When that mare plays nopony will hear you.”
Luna cocked an eyebrow at this. “Is that a fact, Fancy Pants? Because it sounds like a challenge.” Luna took a long sip on her drink, fiddled with the drinking straw and looked totally indifferent about the rising noise.
Braeburn on the other hand was not so sure. “Fancy, don’t you think it’s time to leave for the upper floor. You know I don’t really like this kind of music.”
“Just wait, this will be worth it.” Fancy Pants said just loud enough that only the earthpony could understand him.
By now Luna had walked over to the dance floor and watched some of the ponies shaking their bodies. She didn’t see any rhyme or reason to the moves but it looked like a lot of fun. Then the DJ started with a resounding “Hello Canterlot!” and something that Luna could only vaguely recognize as music hammered from the speakers.
She turned to Fancy Pants and Braeburn and grinned confidently.
“Who here claims to be Princess of the Night!?”
The music stopped with a screeching sound and every eye in the club locked onto her. She turned around once more and saw Fancy Pants take two cupcakes from his ears. Then he looked down: Braeburn lay on the floor next to him, Luna could only see a twitching hind-leg. As she let her eyes wander over the ponies in the club she noticed that quite a few pointed in the same direction: at the DJ. And she finally found the other moonflower. The lightshow above the stage drew a giant blossom in the air. She walked up to the stage and cleared her throat. “You may continue.”
The DJ took the microphone, “Ponies, I give you Luna! Show her how we spend the night in Canterlot.” Under the cheers of every pony on the dancefloor the music resumed and Luna joined in their dance.
Meanwhile the two stallions had left the main room and settled to the quieter upper floor. Braeburn still looked a little shaken. “That was a mean thing to do and you know it.”
“It was only payback for that stunt you pulled. Eight apples...”
“I told you, that was just about my grandma’s secret apple pie recipe. And I wasn’t talking about that. This whole thing has your handwriting: Luna and Vinyl on a blind date and us at the same night here? Vinyl only claimed that ‘title’ after you sponsored her last LP. Just tell me this wasn’t a huge setup.”
“Of course not, Darling. But ‘setup’ is such an ugly word. Let’s just say I helped things along with her sister’s blessing. And don’t you forget: What happens in the Pony, stays in the Pony.”