//------------------------------// // 8 The Midnight Medley // Story: The Night Mare's Guard // by Shadow Quill //------------------------------// Needless to say Luna needed no prompting to get out of bed the next evening. In five minutes she was awake, had her mane and tail brushed to perfection, and was itching to move so much she could barely stand still. I rolled my eyes as we walked out of the castle’s main gates, “You do realize you have no idea what it is I’m taking you to go do, right?” My comment didn’t even phase her jovial mood, “I care not so long as it lives up to your description.” She glanced at me as we made our way down the relatively empty streets of Canterlot, “Although I am still curious as to what ponies could be doing at this hour. I would presume that most would be asleep to rest before beginning another day of work in the morning.” I nodded, “Most would, but there is a group of us who like to have fun after dark, and the place I’m taking you is only open after the sun had set.” Her eyes widened slightly, and I had to suppress a grin as the neon sign came into view. It was a large number with hundreds of individual tubes that combined to make the words, Midnight Medley. It was a club Sunstreaker had taken me to at one point during our brief time together, although I had never forgotten the experience. There was already a sizable line working its way around the end of the block, the bouncer a familiar dark brown earth pony with shades and an earpiece hanging off his left ear. I led Luna past the line and straight to the bouncer, the grumbled comments from the patrons quickly silenced as they spotted who it was that was cutting the line. I nodded to the bouncer as we walked up, Luna’s confidence now turning to slight nervousness as her head tilted to one side, “Evening Minder, see any interesting ponies tonight?” Gate Minder, or Minder as he was known by to his friends, shook his head as he lowered his shades to look at us with his black eyes, “Not much tonight, although your companion is probably the most interesting mare I’ve seen in the last three years.” He bowed slightly before straightening, “Welcome to the Midnight Medley Princess Luna. I hope you have a wonderful time.” He pulled the rope out of our way and I led Luna through the doors, nodding my thanks to Minder as he pushed his shades back into place and began checking ID’s once more. Luna turned toward me and opened her mouth, probably to ask a question about how I knew the bouncer, but was stopped mid-action by our entrance into the building proper. The Midnight Medley was a club run by one of the most famous DJ duos in all of Equestria. Vinyl Scratch, aka DJ-Pon3, usually oversaw the enormous sound system that took up the entire far wall of the club, the lights and speakers making it nearly impossible to see or hear straight if one wasn’t used to it. Luckily, ear buds were supplied at the door for those that wanted to have a more toned down evening. They were magically enhanced by Vinyl herself to block out the majority of the music, while still making it possible to hear casual conversation. It was an ingenious spell, and one I was quite interested in learning about if I ever got the chance. Life in the hive could be quite loud when everypony started talking at the same time, so ear buds such as those could come quite in handy. Her partner, Capriccio, was a relative newcomer to the music arena, but was quickly gaining popularity thanks to his skill and his close relationship to Vinyl. On the several occasions I had come here, I had tried to figure out if they were romantically involved, but the emotions I got from the two were far to numerous and complex to get a good read on their relationship. Speaking of the DJ duo, they were currently behind the twin turntables in the center of the electronic behemoth that took up the back wall. Vinyl was bobbing her head to the beat, her trademark shades covering her eyes while her electric blue mane flew about her head. Her horn glowed as numerous knobs and switches moved about, her white coat changing colors at random as the light system flashed overhead. Capriccio was standing next to her, his wings flared as he spun records around with his hooves, his lips split into a wide grin as he swung side to side in time with the melody. His grey fur wasn’t all that impressive, but he more than made up for it with his blond and sky blue mane, his bright green eyes flashing from under his tan news pony cap. His vest, also a light tan color, was currently being swung around on one wingtip, creating an artificial wind that blew through both pony’s manes. It made them look quite similar to Princess Luna and her sister, at least on the most basic of levels, because the breeze that only they could feel had their manes and tails flowing like water in the flashing neon lights. I was pulled out of my altered state of mind by a wing gently brushing my shoulder. I glanced over and saw Luna had extended hers until the tips brushed against my flank. Her eyes were filled with a nervous glow, roaming around the inside of the club as the bass vibrated our bodies to the bone. She tried to ask me something, but over the music all I heard was a garbled mess. So, I grabbed some of the ear buds and held them out to her. She looked at them for a moment in confusion, before levitating them out of my hoof with her magic. She followed my lead as I plugged my ears with them, her eyes shifting from nervous to wonder as the background suddenly faded to a much more manageable level. “Amazing,” she whispered as she held up a hoof to her ear, “I never would have imagined that something like this could make such a difference.” “Why don’t we step out of the way and take a minute?” I asked, “We could sit at the bar until you get used to the atmosphere of the place.” She nodded, some of her old fire returning to her gaze as she followed me over to the right wall, a long marble bar with numerous stools taking up the majority of the space. We sat down together and I hailed the barkeep with one hoof. The cherry red mare walked up, two mugs and washcloths levitating next to her deep brown mane as she cleaned them out. “I think Princess Luna might need something to settle her nerves.” I said once she got up to us. I glanced Luna’s way with a wink, “Perhaps a Lightning Charge to kick things off?” Rosy Ale nodded, her eyes flashing with mischief as she began mixing the drink. Her horn flashed with the same ice blue as her eyes as she charged the brew with power, the pegasus drink having a large percentage of its name attributed to the static zap it gave its drinkers. As she placed the large mug in front of Luna, she glanced my way and asked, “You’ll be having your usual?” I nodded, “Two Cloud Chasers with a Dive Bomb.” As I glanced at Luna, I noticed that she was looking at her drink like it was about to bite her. “Make that two Cloud Chasers and an LC. I think the princess might need some encouragement concerning her drinking fare.” Rosy nodded as she began mixing my drinks, her gaze flicking between the two of us with more than a little interest. “So what brings you here tonight Princess? I haven’t see you around the city before.” Luna jumped like she had been struck, “Oh, um, I have been staying within the castle for quite some time now. I thought it would be good to see the citizens again without the need of a special holiday.” One of Rosy’s eyebrows rose in a questioning manner, “And how are you finding the night life? Was it anything like you were expecting?” Luna shook her head firmly, “Not at all. I was expecting some late night strollers through the city parks or ponies having a romantic dinner under the moon.” She glanced over her shoulder at the ponies dancing like there was no tomorrow, “This is beyond anything I could have imagined.” Rosy smirked as she placed my drinks on the counter before me, “Well you’re not the only one to feel that way. Lots of ponies feel a bit overwhelmed the first time they step into the Midnight Medley. Not everypony is cut out for the night life, but for those who are, this is the place to go if you want to have fun.” Luna ducked her head and hid her face behind her mane, “I do not yet see the fun in having bright lights flashed in one’s face and music vibrating through one’s bones. It is rather overwhelming to be completely honest.” I reached over and pushed her drink closer to her, “Try this. They don’t call alcohol liquid courage for nothing.” She grimaced as she lifted her head to glare at the drink, “I have partaken in alcohol before. I did not care for the burn or the bitter taste.” “Oh you’ll be surprised when you taste this stuff,” I said as I picked up my own mug, “just take it slow or you won’t enjoy it that much.” She watched me as I took a sip of my Lightning Charge, the electricity buzzing over my tongue as the raspberry brew passed into my throat. I let it swish around in my mouth for a moment before swallowing, letting out an appreciative sigh as the smooth aftertaste hit me. I turned to Luna and grinned, hoping that she wouldn’t chicken out before she even had a taste. She looked at her own drink with some skepticism, and did the one thing I had never seen anypony do. She took the mug in her magic and placed it against her lips, tipping it back and chugging the entire thing in one go. My mouth dropped open the same time Rosy’s hit the floor, and I waited to see what would happen as she slammed the mug against the counter and coughed once. At first nothing happened, and she smacked her lips once as she savored the taste, “Not bad. Much sweeter than I was expecting, although the electrici –” She was cut off as sparks began to run up and down her body, her wings flaring wide as small lightning bolts arced across her feathers and in between her legs. Her muscles jerked as she fell out of her seat, my last minute dive saving her from landing flat on the floor. I realized my mistake all too late as the charge going through her body now found its way into mine, and I yelped as a particularly large bolt jumped from the tip of her horn and hit me right between the eyes. For almost a minute we were stuck like that, held together by the electric charge that surged through our bodies. Finally, the magic found its way into the floor, leaving us both gasping for air as we pushed to our hooves. Rosy was bent over the counter, her eyes wide as she openly stared at us. A quick look around showed quite a few dancers had also stopped to watch the show, their eyes wide as they were able to make out who exactly it was that was lying on the floor. I cleared my throat and helped Luna up, “Maybe next time you’ll listen when I tell you to take it slow.” She nodded, to winded to respond as we climbed back into our seats. Rosy shook herself as she checked over Luna with a spell or two, the princess’s body glowing softly in different places with what I assumed were injury detection spells. After a moment, Rosy stopped her examination of Luna, seemingly having found she wasn’t hurt. However, her concern quickly changed to snickers as she attempted and failed to hold in her laughter. “I never thought somepony would chug a Lightning Charge like that.” She forced out between giggles, “I knew stallions would dare each other to take mouthfuls of the stuff, but that takes the cake. You are one brave pony Princess.” Luna shook her head as she took some steadying breaths, “A bit more foolish than brave in my opinion.” She shook her mane and wings out to clear the last of the static from it, “My captain warned me against doing such a thing, and yet I was expecting something more like wine. I used to be able to drink a gallon of the stuff and not feel a thing, yet one mug of this drink is enough to put me on my royal arse.” Rosy’s eyes widened as I stifled my own laughter, “It wasn’t the alcohol that got you my Lady, it was the magic Rosy infused into it to give it that static charge. You just ingested the equivalent of three lightning bolts of electricity. No wonder you got a little more than you bargained for.” She nodded, her eyes watering as she coughed a small puff of smoke, “It would seem that drinks have evolved quite a bit since I last partook in a stiff glass.” She turned towards me and eyed my other shots, “I wonder what else ponies have come up with in the time I have been gone.” I pushed one of my Cloud Chasers towards her, the small glass shot filled with a light blue liquid, “Then you’re welcome to try one of mine. I probably shouldn’t be drinking a lot on the job anyway.” She sent me a knowing look through her lashes as she grabbed the shot. We both knew that wasn’t the reason I was sharing my drinks with her, but neither wanted to voice it out loud. She inspected the shot before turning to me once more, her voice returning to the confidant and controlled tone I was used to. “Is there a special way to drink this as well, or does one simply drain the whole glass at once?” She didn’t even give me time to answer before downing the whole thing, and I shook my head as I realized I might have a new problem on my hooves. Three hours later, I was moderately buzzed, absorbing the lust from three pegasus mares as we danced in the center of the floor. Luna was a bit to my left, although she was far beyond what most would classify as drunk. Plain and simple, Luna was sloshed, and I was having difficulty trying to keep her under control when she seemed to think she could do anything she wanted, even though her complete lack of concentration and coordination made next to everything on that list a hazard to both her health and everypony around her. She had tried flying around and joining the dancing pegasi in midair, only to narrowly avoid giving herself a concussion smashing into the far wall. Only because I put myself between her body and the stone had we avoided injury, although I made sure to tell her that under no uncertain terms was she to try flying again. She had grudgingly agreed, although I think it was more from the fact that she could barely see straight rather than her near miss with the wall. Currently she was having a blast dancing between two unicorn stallions, the one on her left a burly fellow with a deep blue coat and a neat steel grey mane. The one on her right was a more slim bloke with a golden coat and black mane, his head topped with a tan Stetson and his shoulders sporting a black string necktie. I could feel the raw emotion from halfway across the room, although I had a feeling with how inebriated Luna was those two didn’t have the more honorable intentions for her. Prey or not, it was still my job to protect her, so when the grey stallion began leading her off to one side, I broke from the mares surrounding me and followed. We came out of the side of the building, Luna’s giggling making it easy to follow them until we got to the darker parts of the alley. I cleared my throat as the stallion turned towards Luna, who was having trouble standing, causing them both to turn towards me. “I think the Princess has had enough for one night,” I said in my most menacing tone as I walked towards them, “we should be getting back to the castle before she gets into trouble.” “And what would you do about it if I had other plans?” The stallion asked as he placed himself between me and Luna. “I was thinking of having dear Luna over to my place for some fun before she sobers up.” “I like fun.” Luna slurred as she stumbled up to glare over the stallion’s shoulder at me, “Why you have to take fun way?” She stumbled and nearly hit the dirt before righting herself, her gaze out of focus and her wings flared for balance. “See?” he said as he placed a hoof around her shoulders, pulling her towards his body, “the princess wants to come with me tonight. And aren’t all guards supposed to follow royal orders without question?” I ground my teeth as I flared my wings and fell into a fighting stance, “I am no ordinary guard member. I am Princess Luna’s personal escort, the first and so far only member of the Shadow Sword. Now step away from her Highness or else I’ll be forced to remove you myself.” His face turned hard as his horn lit up with a dark red glow, “You try anything and I’ll throw you through the wall. I don’t care if you’re Celestia’s personal butler, I’m going to have some fun tonight and you can’t stop me.” My eyes narrowed in fury as he began to step back, pulling Luna by her shoulder as he moved further into the shadows. I roared and charged my wings with electricity, kicking off and pumping my wings as hard as I could. The idiot never had time to react as I slammed into him, knocking him back and into the dirt as I pumped every ounce of magic I could muster into his body. His cry of pain became a jerking gurgle as his eyes rolled up into the back on his head, his body falling completely still as foam began to bubble out of his mouth. I stepped back, letting the heat of my hatred cool before turning back to Luna. She was looking at me with a very confused expression, her eyes somewhat crossed as she stumbled towards me, “He taking a nap now?” I nodded, feeling better about myself when I detected a faint heartbeat under the stallion’s ribcage. It was more than he deserved, but I didn’t feel like dealing with a body count until after I took over Equestria. “He’s taking a time out. Let’s get you home Luna.” She pouted, her bottom lip trembling slightly as she stumbled over to me, “I want fun. You promise fun at place tonight.” I caught her as she fell to one side, grunting as her full weight landed on top of me, “You had fun tonight Luna. Now it’s time for bed. You like going to bed, don’t you?” She hummed softly but otherwise didn’t answer. I locked my jaw and pulled her fully onto my back, her head hanging over my left shoulder as her back hooves and tail dragged on the ground behind me. I grunted again as I began the long walk back to the castle, “The things I do for the sake of the mission.” Somehow I managed to get us back into the castle and up to Luna’s room, although my legs were complete Jell-O by the time we got there. The morning light was already beginning to light up the eastern horizon, yet I knew Luna was in no shape to lower the moon. I slid her off of my back onto her bed, moving her body gently until she was in a somewhat comfortable position. She hummed and rolled over to look at me, her eyes somewhat clear for the first time since she had her first drink. “Thank you for getting me home.” She whispered, her eyes fluttering as she tried to keep them open. I nodded, “No trouble at all Luna. I was happy to do it. Did you have fun tonight?” She yawned widely, her eyes closing for a moment as she murmured in an affirmative tone. I knew she was about to pass out, but I still had one last thing I needed to do before she fell asleep. I tapped her on the shoulder, and waited until she looked my way once again. In an instant, my eyes changed from ice blue to lime green, capturing her gaze as her own eyes began glowing the same color. Working a mind control spell on an alicorn while they were fully aware would have never worked, but I hoped the combination of alcohol and the need for sleep would allow me to use it without her remembering my actions later. “Where is the Amulet of Autolycus kept?” I asked, getting directly to the point. “It is held in the secret vault behind the throne room,” she replied in a monotone voice, her unblinking eyes locked with mine. “How do I get in?” I pressed, knowing the longer I kept the spell going the more likely she would remember it later. “You need to use a spell that can both penetrate and deactivate the protective field around the door.” She answered, “I can show you how to use it.” “That will not be necessary,” I mused as the information passed through the spell directly into my mind, “thank you anyway for offering, my little Luna.” I deactivated the spell and her eyes returned to normal. For a moment I thought she was fully aware and would start yelling for her sister, but the next moment her eyes rolled up in her head and she fell back into her pillow. Soft snoring indicated she had passed out upon contact, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Now all that remained was finding a moment that I could get to the vault without being seen by the princesses or the regular guard. I could get Luna drunk again and have her stand guard while I entered the vault, but I dismissed the idea immediately. Once was risky, twice was just asking for somepony to discover me. That meant I would have to do it when neither royal was present, which would mean I would have to slip away while Luna was working on one of her experiments. It wouldn’t be easy, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be too hard to accomplish. I was the prince of the changelings after all. Slipping past a single mare should be a piece of cake compared to the other things I’d had to do so far. I pulled the sheets up and over Luna, letting them fall under her chin as she drifted off to sleep. “Good morning Luna, sleep well.” Acting on impulse I leaned down and brushed her mane out of her face, giving her a brief kiss on the cheek. A slight surge of her energy tingled across our contact, and I was oh so tempted to drain her completely right then and there. But, I restrained myself, letting that small taste act as an appetizer for when she fully fell into my sway. I backed away and took up position at her door, watching as the moon lowered itself and the sun followed it into the sky. Celestia must have taken over the lowering of the moon in her sister’s place, although I would imagine there would be questions come the next evening. I shrugged, figuring it would fall on Luna to explain why she got sloshed and couldn’t lower the moon. I had restrained myself during our little outing, it would stand to reason she could have done the same and chose not to. I smirked at the image of a hung over Luna arguing with her sister in front of me, and I fell into my stance to wait. It would be worth the verbal lashing I would get from Luna if I could see that happen, so I figured waiting for nightfall wouldn’t be too big a challenge.