Laughter or Darkness

by Starlitomega

The Evolution of Parties... One Thousand Years Later.

"Four letter word for a source of heat. Hmph, that's easy. Fire."

Luna scribbled in the word and moved to the next item on her crossword puzzle. "Nine letter word for a reptile that enjoys humid climates. That's a little tougher..."

"Alligator."

Luna clicked her tongue. "Ah, of course it is. Where is my head tonight?" Luna started filling in the word before stopping abruptly. She looked to her left and saw Pinkie Pie standing next to her wearing saddlebags and an expectant smile on her face.

She made it past the extra guards. Somehow, I'm not surprised.

Turning in her seat, Luna looked down at the excited pony. "Good evening, Miss Pie. It seems you made good on your threat to return this weekend."

"Uh huh! But you must've forgotten. You don't look like you're ready to go at all," Pinkie complained, pointing an accusatory hoof at the princess.

Luna raised her eyebrow. "Go? Go where?"

"A party of course! This is gonna be so fun!"

Dropping her pencil, Luna sighed. "If I don't go with you, you'll just stay here and bug me all night, won't you?"

Shedding her saddlebags, Pinkie started rummaging through them, littering the floor with random junk. "Bug? I don't think I have any bugs. What kind of bug did you want?"

Luna left her seat with a tired sigh. "Never mind, let's just go."

---

As Luna suspected, the streets of Canterlot had been nearly deserted, barring a few stragglers. After all, any sane pony would be at home, resting after a strenuous day of work or play.

She followed her companion until they reached a peculiar building. In the industrial district of Canterlot, nothing in particular stood out about this place. It was just a warehouse, much like the others on this street. Well, excepting that the building itself seemed to be shaking and lights filled the windows like a magic showdown from ancient times.

“Miss Pie, the ground trembles beneath me. Is this building the cause?" Luna asked as she stood on shaky hooves.

"Yuppers! That's called bass. It gets inside you and makes you all wobbly and then you dance to the music," Pinkie explained, bouncing towards the entrance.

Luna eyed her companion warily. "I'm not sure I want something inside me that makes me wobble. Are you sure this is safe?"

"Of course I'm sure." Pinkie strolled up to a gruff-looking bouncer covering the door and dropped a few bits in his hoof. "That's the cover for me and Royal Whatsit behind me."

The bouncer’s shades fell off his face as he did a double take at the alicorn. "P-P-Princess Luna?"

Ignoring the dumbfounded stallion, Luna followed Pinkie inside. She was immediately hit by a wave of sounds and lights she had never encountered in all her years.

The inside of the building looked very different from the outside. So different, Luna thought she might have entered a portal. The inside was well-maintained with shiny, glittery walls, and decorations that she had never seen before, though she vaguely recognized something called a “strobe light” that she had previously seen at the wedding of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence.

Ponies in the building bounced, swayed, and moved in seizure-like patterns. In front of the crowd stood a large, mechanical contraption atop a raised platform. The machine looked like some sort of altar, which everypony in the building seemed to be worshiping. Looking closer, she could barely make out a pony behind the altar, looking for all the world as if she was engaged in a session of homicidal semaphore.

"Pinkie Pie, we demand an explanation!" Luna shouted above the din of the music.

Pinkie rolled her eyes. "It's a party, duh! Ponies get together and dance together and have a good time together!"

"Perhaps our idea of a ‘good time’ is a bit antiquated!" Luna yelled back.

"Don't worry! Just get out there on the floor and move with the music! You'll fit right in! Oh, I almost forgot!" Pinkie reached into her saddlebags and yanked out several items. Before Luna could react, Pinkie placed some necklaces—one of which was a pacifier on a rope—around her neck.

"What, pray tell, are these?!" Luna asked, batting the trinkets with her hoof.

Pinkie wrapped a multitude of similar necklaces around her own neck. "They're made of candy! Just eat it whenever you want! You should really make them last through the night though! Oh, and don't be surprised if somepony takes a bite or two off your necklace!"

Clutching her new necklaces possessively, Luna fired dirty looks at the ponies around her. For all intents and purposes, she might as well have been on another planet. She had no clue how she was supposed to “move with the music”, and given the way the other ponies were dancing, she wasn't sure if they knew either.

A loud, booming voice echoed through the building. "Hey there, ponies of Canterlot! This town always seems so boring and stuffy!"

Luna's eyes flew to the amplified voice, belonging to the pony behind the altar. It wasn’t easy to see in the unusual lighting, but she could faintly make out a unicorn with a white coat and blue mane wearing sunglasses.

"Let's show these lame nobles how a real party goes! Party all night, and sleep all day!"

Luna froze in place. She couldn't believe her ears. These ponies were celebrating the night.

Her night.

She barely had time to revel in it when she felt a tugging on her hoof. "Come on! Follow me!" Pinkie coaxed.

Still in shock, Luna obeyed. She followed the pink pony through the crowd until they made it to the altar. The raised platform was a large mass of wires, buttons, lights, and of course, blinding movement. It was only now that Luna could tell that the “altar” was, in fact, a much larger and much more intimidating version of what they called a “DJ table” at the Canterlot wedding.

Pinkie pulled at Luna to shake her back to the present. "Hey! When the music cuts out, I want you to say really loudly..." Pinkie leaned in and whispered something in her ear.

Raising her eyebrows questioningly at Pinkie, Luna only received a nod and smile. The music hit a low note and stopped abruptly. The mass of ponies stopped their wild dancing and turned, looking toward her.

Princess Luna reeled back momentarily as Pinkie thrust a microphone into her face. Then, she leaned forward and tightened her diaphragm like she had been trained so many years ago when addressing her subjects.

"The night shall last forever!"

As the last echoes of her proclamation in the Royal Canterlot Voice petered out, the music kicked in again with a loud and heavy boom, this time even stronger than before, nearly knocking Luna to the ground. Regaining her balance, Luna put her hooves on the railing overlooking the crowd just as the building drowned out in a sea of cheers.

The unicorn reclaimed her microphone. "That's right, fillies and gentlecolts! We have the OG princess of the night bouncing up in here! Show her some love and move to that beat, suckas!"

The crowd went wild chanting Luna's name, filling the building with cheers.

Looking down from the stage, she finally understood. The ponies were dancing as one; the music washed over them like waves at the beach, and the one behind the “altar” was responsible for orchestrating the madness. She started laughing in joy and looked down at her pink companion with a broad grin.

"I understand now, Pinkie! I really do!"

Pinkie smiled back and flipped the candy pacifier into her mouth.

---

"It was absolutely incredible! The ponies moved in ways I never would have imagined! The music was... well, it was barely something I could call music, but it still flowed through me like a wave of energy. I’ve never experienced anything like it before!"

Celestia sat at the dining room table, listening to Luna gush over the night's events. She had nibbled at her breakfast here and there, but mostly enjoyed hearing her sister's recap of the wild party.

"It sounds like you met the ponies I told you about, after all."

Luna cocked her head to one side. "I beg your pardon?"

"Remember when I told you there were ponies who played through the night and you laughed at me?" Celestia asked, pointing her fork at Luna.

"Ohhh. Of course. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. It just seems so different now than it was back then."

Celestia dropped her fork, leaving a clean plate at the table, and rose to her hooves. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. It's important now and then to walk among those we serve so we remember why we serve them in the first place."

Luna nodded. "Yes... it's just been rather hard. I find myself questioning their motives and conjuring up the worst-case scenarios. It’s still difficult to trust that they accept me."

Celestia closed her eyes and nodded softly. "One step at a time, little sister. One step at a time."

Comments

[Doomhunter]

great chapter even better then the first one. that being said I think it could have been longer but that just my opinion

[Starlitomega]

5434129
They'll vary in size, but each chapter will ostensibly be, one day per chapter.

[Ozymandias42]

This story has some serious potential!
Luna and Pinkie is quite the rare couple but I can't think of anypony better than Pinkie to make Luna laugh and smile with all her heart!
Fav'd & followed.

P.S.: Just one little wish: Let Pinkies ingenuity shine through a little more at times. I know she's random like Discord and it's what we love her for, but I also think she's at least as intelligent as Twilight, just that she doesn't show it the same way.

[Starlitomega]

5434234
I'm not sure there will be much need for ingenuity in this story. Also, Pinkie's intelligence tends to be much more of a streetwise fashion rather than Twilight's booksmarts.

But yeah, if you read my other stories you probably know by now I like to delve in deeper than just "lol random!" when it comes to Pinkie Pie.

[Ozymandias42]

5434499
Good to hear but no, I haven't read them yet.
Another thing I have to add to my read later list.
Thanks

P.S.: Of course you're right with the streetwise smarts but intelligence has little to do with your field of expertise, so my point stands, anyway.
Be that as it may, I think you're probably right and you should write your story like you want to. I will enjoy it either way.

[Pegasister107]

Mortal mare.
You are so much fun.
I wasn´t planning to hang out.But if you insist now
I like your plan
and I like your songs
I like the way.Mortal ponies play
I like playing along
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!